cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Integrated amorphous and polycrystalline silicon thin-film transistors in a single silicon layer

Using a masked hydrogen plasma treatment to spatially control the crystallization of amorphous silicon to polycrystalline silicon in desired areas, amorphous and polycrystalline silicon thin-film transistors (TFTs) with good performance have been integrated in a single film of silicon without laser processing. Both transistors are top gate and shared all process steps. The polycrystalline silicon transistors have an electron mobility in the linear regime of /spl sim/15 cm/sup 2//Vs, the amorphous silicon transistors have a linear mobility of /spl sim/0.7 cm/sup 2//Vs and both have an ON/OFF current ratios of >10/sup 5/. Rehydrogenation of amorphous silicon after the 600/spl deg/C crystallization anneal using another hydrogen plasma is the critical process step for the amorphous silicon transistor performance. The rehydrogenation power, time, and reactor history are the crucial details that are discussed in this paper.
Managed Care And Low-Income Populations: Recent State Experiences

ABSTRACT: This DataWatch examines the relationship between managed care enrollment and access to care for low-income adults with Medicaid and compares their experience with that of low-income, priv...
Computational Design of Alloy-Core@Shell Metal Nanoparticle Catalysts

The alloy-core@shell nanoparticle structure combines the advantages of a robust noble-metal shell and a tunable alloy-core composition. In this study we demonstrate a set of linear correlations between the binding of adsorbates to the shell and the alloy-core composition, which are general across a range of nanoparticle compositions, size, and adsorbate molecules. This systematic tunability allows for a simple approach to the design of such catalysts. Calculations of candidate structures for the hydrogen evolution reaction predict a high activity for the PtRu@Pd structure, in good agreement with what has been reported previously. Calculations of alloy-core@Pt 140-atom nanoparticles reveal new candidate structures for CO oxidation at high temperature, including Au0.65Pd0.35@Pt and Au0.73Pt0.27@Pt, which are predicted to have reaction rates 200 times higher than that of Pt(111).
Amyloid plaque and neurofibrillary tangle pathology in a regulatable mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

Transgenic mouse models that independently express mutations in amyloid precursor protein (APP) and tau have proven useful for the study of the neurological consequences of amyloid-β (Aβ) plaque and neurofibrillary tangle pathologies. Studies using these mice have yielded essential discoveries with regard to specific aspects of neuronal dysfunction and degeneration that characterize the brain during Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other age-dependent tauopathies. Most recent transgenic studies have focused on the creation of regulatable models that allow the temporal control of transgene expression. To study a more complete model of AD pathology, we designed a new regulatable transgenic mouse that harbors both APP and tau transgenes. Here, we present a novel transgenic mouse model, rTg3696AB, which expresses human APP NLI and tau P301L driven by the CaMKII promoter system. Subsequent generation of Aβ and 4R0N tau in the brain resulted in the development of three neuropathological features of AD: Aβ plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and neurodegeneration. Importantly, transgene expression in these mice is regulatable, permitting temporal control of gene expression and the investigation of transgene suppression.
Photometry of comet P/Halley from 40 to 160 microns

Far infrared photometry of comet P/Halley was obtained from NASA’s Kuiper Airborne Observatory. A preliminary analysis of the observations shows the following results: (1) The brightness of the comet decreased by nearly a factor of two on the second day, in phase with the variability observed in blue light by IUE during the same time period. (2) The energy distribution varied marginally with a shallower (cooler) spectrum on the second day. (3) Observations centered 30″ and 60″away from the nuclear condensation show lower 50–100 µm color temperatures on both dates. This is consistent with spacecraft observations which indicate a higher proportion of large particles away from the nucleus.
An assessment of conjunctoid theory and its potential utility

Conjunctoids and their advantages to nonstatisticians are described by using clear examples and avoiding formal statistical concepts. Examples are given of conjunctoids that learn to recognize patterns, evaluate logical functions, filter out noise, and correct errors. Conjunctoid neurocomputing models can be implemented either as parallel architectures or as sequential architectures, both of which include learning and performance phases. Parameter estimation plays a key role during the learning phase. All parameters are stored in the parameter memory and are updated either in parallel or sequentially according to the architecture. Examples include 7-20-segment LED pattern recognition learning algorithms simulated on a SUN-4 and implemented on an NCUBE massively parallel processing computer. The results show that the conjunctoid neurocomputing algorithms can learn to recognize any binary pattern. >
Scandals, Media, and Government Responsiveness in China and Kenya

Political scientists and policy makers’ conventional wisdom holds that democracies listen to their populations, while authoritarian governments do not. As such, we expect that democratic countries with free media to be responsive to scandal, but do not have the same expectation of authoritarian states. This conventional wisdom, however, does not hold true in many countries. Using case studies of two aberrant cases, China and Kenya, we show how authoritarian China is more responsive to public pressure to clean up scandals than democratic Kenya. Argue that while democracy and free media are important for government responsiveness to scandal, they are not sufficient conditions. Public expectation and a functional judicial system are also necessary.
Aggregate Restructuring and the Credit Market

We investigate the role of the credit market in an economy where firms can implement a mature technology or restructure their activity and adopt a new technology. We show that firms' collateral and credit relationships ease firms' access to credit and investment but can also inhibit firms' restructuring. When this occurs, a negative collateral shock squeezes collateral-poor firms out of the credit market but fosters the restructuring of collateral-rich firms, possibly through the breakdown of their credit relationships. We characterize conditions under which, through their effect on the price of collateral assets, the credit rationing of collateral-poor firms and the restructuring of collateral-rich firms reinforce or conflict with each other.
L’activité enrichissement d’AREVA

Accroissement de la demande, evolution des ressources disponibles... le marche de l'enrichissement s'apprete a vivre des mutations profondes au cours de la prochaine decennie. Dans un tel contexte, Areva souhaite perenniser son positionnement d'acteur leader en s'engageant dans un projet industriel majeur : l'usine George Besse II.
Demonstration of double-stranded ribonucleic acid in concentrates of RNA viruses.

SummaryNucleic acid preparations from unpurified concentrates of Newcastle disease virus, Sindbis virus and Semliki Forest virus were found to contain up to 2% double-stranded RNA. Double-stranded RNA was identified by reaction with antisera specific for double-stranded RNA, capacity to protect primary rabbit kidney cells against virus infection, and relative ribonuclease resistance. The presence of such double-stranded RNA in virus preparations provides an explanation for how inactivated crude suspensions of single-stranded RNA virus virions may induce interferon in the absence of detectable viral replication.Serologically active double-stranded RNA was also detected in normal chick embryo cell nucleic acid extracts. This differed greatly from double-stranded viral RNA, however, since the serologic activity was more sensitive to destruction by ribonuclease than the viral dsRNA and it did not stimulate resistance to virus infection in primary rabbit kidney cells.The authors are indebted to W. P. M. Fisher...
The Composing Hand: Musical Creation with Leap Motion and the BigBang Rubette.

This paper introduces an extension of the Rubato Composer software’s BigBang rubette module for gestural composition. The extension enables composers and improvisers to operate BigBang using the Leap Motion controller, which uses two cameras to detect hand motions in threedimensional space. The low latency and high precision of the device make it a good fit for BigBang’s functionality, which is based on immediate visual and auditive feedback. With the new extensions, users can define an infinite variety of musical objects, such as oscillators, pitches, chord progressions, or frequency modulators, in real-time and transform them in order to generate more complex musical structures on any level of abstraction.
Lentiviral Vector Transduction of Dendritic Cells for Novel Vaccine Strategies

Dendritic cells (DCs) are key antigen-presenting cells that induce primary and memory immune response. Patients with chronic infections or cancer often display DC dysfunctions. Modification of DCs or DC progenitors in vitro may overcome the problems with defective DCs in vivo. Lentiviral vector is highly efficient in transducing hematopoietic cells including DCs. Examples of lentiviral modification of DCs with immune modulatory genes and analysis of antigen-specific T cells to demonstrate enhanced immune effector functions of DCs will be introduced.
Social networking and e-professionalism.

Technology has taken over many aspects of our lives over the past decade, including e-mail, cell phones, text messages, BlackBerrys, iPhones, and, the most obtrusive of them all, social networking sites. While playing around in cyberspace may be a fun and quick way to share information and get
Mechanism of the Platinum(II)-Catalyzed Hydroamination of 4‑Pentenylamines

The mechanism of the platinum(II)-catalyzed intramolecular hydroamination of benzyl 4-pentenylamines has been evaluated under stoichiometric and catalytic conditions. Reaction of a benzyl 2,2-disubstituted 4-pentenylamine with [(PPh3)Pt(μ-Cl)Cl]2 forms a thermally sensitive platinum amine complex that undergoes irreversible, intramolecular ligand exchange with the pendant C═C bond to form a reactive platinum π-alkene complex. The π-alkene complex undergoes rapid, outer-sphere C–N bond formation, evidenced by the anti addition of Pt and N across the complexed C═C bond, to form a thermally stable zwitterionic platinamethylpyrrolidinium complex. The zwitterionic complex is rapidly and exergonically deprotonated by free amine to form a neutral, bicyclic azaplatinacyclobutane complex that likely exists as a discrete 1:1 adduct with ammonium salt in the nonpolar reaction medium and that represents the resting state of the catalytic cycle. Turnover-limiting intramolecular protodemetalation of the azaplatinacyclo...
Young women’s sexual involvement in emerging adulthood

Using data from the Relationship Dynamics and Social Life Study, this study examined the association of peer, family, attitudinal, aspirational, and attainment factors relevant to 820 young women's (aged 18-19) number of sexual partners. Overall, this study found that perceived peer norms and early onset of sexual initiation had a positive and statistically significant association with the respondents' number of lifetime sexual partners. While high school performance and college aspirations were inversely associated with the number of lifetime partners, their current level of educational attainment was not. Finally, racial disparities in the accrual of partners were contingent upon the respondents' attitude to premarital abstinence and educationally related factors. Understanding risk and protective factors may help public health policy planners and health care professionals formulate a more effective ecologically based approach to mitigate sexual health risks and social repercussion related to dating for young women.
Equation of State for Binary Ionic Plasmas, Fluid and Solid Phases

This paper gives a summary of the most recent Monte Carlo simulation data for the internal energy, U/NkT, for the the One Component Plasma (OCP) and Binary Ionic Mixtures (HIM) for both fluid and solid phases. The Monte Carlo results are compared with Molecular Dynamics results of nearly the same accuracy. The OCP fluid and solid data are used to give the most accurate available equation of state for both the fluid and the crystalline (bcc) phases of the OCP. For the BIM mixture with 5% charge 2. and 95% charge 1. the deviations from linear mixing are given to the best available accuracy. These results make it possible to obtain the classical contribution to the screening enhancement of thermonuclear reaction rates for white dwarf stars. Current results on deviations from linear mixing are also given for random ionic mixtures for which the two different charges are placed randomly on bcc lattice sites. It is found that the deviation from linear mixing in the crystalline solid is roughly an order of magnitude larger than deviations from linear mixing for BIM fluids. The data supports the conclusion that the phase diagram for a BIM mixture is spindle shaped for carbon and oxygen mixtures found in white dwarf stars.
Case Scenario for Perioperative Fluid Management for Major Colorectal Surgery

Fluid management should be guided by dynamic hemodynamic parameters, patient factors, and surgical factors. The conventional approach to some set rule and formulas is being challenged and being replaced by a goal-directed approach. The goal of perioperative fluid management is to maintain intravascular volume, safeguard adequate perfusion of vital organs (brain, heart, kidney, and gut), and maintain acid–base balance and electrolytes balance.
The Racial Divide in State Medicaid Expansions

This study considers five important questions related to the role of race in state-level public support for the Medicaid expansion: (1) whether public support for the Medicaid expansion varies across the American states; (2) whether public support is positively related to state adoption; (3) whether this support is racialized; (4) whether, if racialized, there is evidence of more state responsiveness to white support than to nonwhite (black and/or Latino) support; and (5) does the size of the nonwhite population matter more when white support is relatively low? Our findings suggest that while public support for the Medicaid expansion is high at the state level, especially in comparison to public support for the ACA, there are important variations across the states. Although overall public support is positively related to state adoption, we find that public support for the Medicaid expansion is racialized in two ways. First, there are large differences in support levels by race; and second, state adoption decisions are positively related to white opinion and do not respond to nonwhite support levels. Most importantly, there is evidence that when the size of the black population increases and white support levels are relatively low, the state is significantly less likely to expand the Medicaid program. Our discussion highlights the democratic deficits and racial bias at the state level around this important coverage policy.
Keep It Simple: Bidding for Servers in Today's Cloud Platforms

Public clouds now offer computing services with a variety of pricing schemes. Spot servers, which offer large cost savings, are an increasingly popular platform on which applications are being deployed. Spot servers are dynamically priced and require users to submit a bid. In this article, the authors show the effect of bidding on application cost and availability when running on spot servers. Based on their analysis, they present simple and effective bidding strategies for users and provide motivation for new research directions in cloud resource management and fault tolerance.
Noninvasive Brain Stimulation and Personal Identity: Ethical Considerations.

As noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) technology advances, these methods may become increasingly capable of influencing complex networks of mental functioning. We suggest that these might include cognitive and affective processes underlying personality and belief systems, which would raise important questions concerning personal identity and autonomy. We give particular attention to the relationship between personal identity and belief, emphasizing the importance of respecting users’ personal values. We posit that research participants and patients should be encouraged to take an active approach to considering the personal implications of altering their own cognition, particularly in cases of neurocognitive “enhancement.” We suggest that efforts to encourage careful consideration through the informed consent process would contribute usefully to studies and treatments that use NIBS.
Diagnostic utility of core needle biopsy versus open wedge biopsy for pediatric intraabdominal solid tumors: Results of a prospective clinical study

Abstract Purpose The best method for diagnosing pediatric nonnephroblastoma solid intraabdominal tumors is unknown. We hypothesized that core needle biopsy (CNB) is noninferior to open wedge biopsy (OWB) for pathologic diagnosis. Methods We prospectively enrolled children aged 1day to 17years with radiographic evidence of nonnephroblastoma solid intraabdominal tumors scheduled for OWB from 5/2013 to 12/2015 at a single institution. Four 16-gauge CNBs were obtained, followed by OWB. Two pathologists independently reviewed all specimens to determine adequacy for diagnosis. Results Fourteen patients enrolled, 57% male, with an average age of 4years (range 7days to 16years). Both pathologists agreed OWB was completely sufficient for diagnosis in 13 patients (93%), compared to 4 patients for CNB (29%: Burkitt lymphoma, adrenocortical tumor, inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor, p=0.001, δ=−0.64±0.27, 95% CI). In 6 patients (43%), CNB was incompletely diagnostic according to at least one pathologist (neuroblastoma, hepatoblastoma). In 4 patients (29%), both pathologists determined that CNB was nondiagnostic (ganglioneuroblastoma, teratoma, hepatoblastoma, and recurrent neuroblastoma). Conclusions In a prospective clinical study, CNB is inferior to OWB for the pathologic diagnosis of pediatric nonnephroblastoma solid intraabdominal tumors. These data suggest that OWB should generally be performed in these patients. Level of evidence Study of Diagnostic Test, Level I.
Model-based estimation of radial artery blood pressure from recordings of the Nexfin monitor

We propose a model-based reconstruction technique to estimate radial artery blood pressure from measurements obtained by the Nexfin noninvasive blood pressure monitor. The Nexfin monitor provides brachial artery pressure estimates by transforming a pressure measured at the finger. The estimated brachial pressure differs significantly from the radial artery pressure commonly measured in intensive care applications. Our reconstruction method is based on a transmission line model of the arterial network and transforms brachial to radial pressure estimates. Applying the method to 22 records from six patients reduced mean pulse pressure differences between reconstructed and measured radial artery pressures from −17.9 (s.d. 12.1) mmHg to 1.8 (12.0) mmHg. Mean systolic and diastolic pressure differences changed from −18.7 (10.5) and −0.7 (6.2) to −0.8 (10.5) and −2.6 (6.9) mmHg, respectively. Our method can be applied to more general problems of estimating pressure waveforms downstream from an upstream measurement location.
Digital Magnifying Glasses for Low-Vision Learners: Bringing Assistive Technologies to the Developing World

A student squinting to see the board or holding a textbook inches from his or her nose often provides the first indication of a visual impairment. For most, the cause is a refractive error, readily correctible with eyeglasses. However, for an estimated 40-65 million people globally with functional low vision, the fuzzy words pose a lifelong challenge.
The effects of post-traumatic depression on cognition, pain, fatigue, and headache after moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury: a thematic review

Background: Post-traumatic depression (PTD) is one of the most common secondary complications to develop after moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, it rarely manifests ...
Collective Memory, Memorialization and Bearing Witness in the Aftermath of the Armenian Genocide

This chapter describes and analyzes an ongoing project of memorialization of the Armenian Genocide in Turkey. It explores the importance of memorialization for collective historical memory, especially in situations where historical memory has been subverted by genocide denial. Among many aspects of memorialization, its role in bearing witness is explored and highlighted. Three components of the memory project are described: (1) the photography exhibitions, (2) the publications, and (3) the creation of memory sites. The project centers on the story of the Dildilian family in Ottoman Turkey before, during, and after the genocide, covering the years 1872–1923. A microhistory of the life of the Armenian minority is chronicled by means of the personal memories and stories of members of the family. The history is richly illustrated with photographs and drawings that serve as the basis of the photography exhibitions and books. Exhibitions and associated talks and panels have taken place in Istanbul, Merzifon, Diyarbakir, and Ankara. The chapter describes and analyzes the reaction of the Turkish public to the project.
AttrActin' Attention to Early Mouse Development.

A new study by Zenker et al. uses time-lapse imaging to discover how dynamic actin movements contribute to epithelialization of living mouse embryos. Together with work from other labs, this study presents exciting new ways to think about the emergence of cell fates during mammalian development.
The clinical utility of ERBB2 amplification detection in breast carcinoma using a 341 gene hybrid capture-based next generation sequencing (NGS) assay: Comparison with standard immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) assays.

604 Background: Approximately 15-20% of invasive breast carcinomas (BCA) show HER2/ERBB2 gene amplification which determines eligibility for treatment by targeted therapy. Traditionally, HER2 statu...
Personality traits and individual feeling of national pride in South Korea

Given the lack of studies on the relationship between personality and national pride, this study represents the first attempt to examine the impact of the Big Five personality traits on individual ...
Mechanical Properties of Metals at Low Temperatures

There are interesting differences in the temperature dependence of the mechanical properties of f. c.c. (face centered cubic) and b.c.c. (body centered cubic) metals. The flow stress of f.c.c. metals increases moderately as the temperature is lowered, but the rate of work hardening is much greater at low temperatures than at normal temperatures. In b.c.c. metals, there is a very marked increase in yield stress with decreasing temperature but the work-hardening is not very temperature sensitive. According to present ideas, the temperature dependence of the mechanical properties may arise in two different ways. The motion of a dislocation is opposed by internal stresses arising from other dislocations, impurity atoms in solution etc., and insofar as these stresses vary with temperature, they will contribute directly to the temperature variation of the yield and flow stresses. During deformation, moving dislocations are occasionally halted by “obstacles” which produce short range interactions of appreciable magnitude. The motion of the dislocation is resumed when the obstacle is surmounted under the combined influence of the stress acting on the dislocation and the thermal energy of the lattice.
PRIOR system: results for OAEI 2006

This paper summarizes the results of PRIOR system, which is an ontology mapping system based on Profile pRopagation and InfOrmation Retrieval techniques, for OAEI 2006 campaign. The PRIOR system exploits both linguistic and structural information to map small ontologies, and integrates Indri search engine to process large ontologies. The preliminary results of the experiments for four tasks (i.e. benchmark, web directories, anatomy and food) are presented. A discussion of the results and future work are given at the end.
Basic Relationships for Heat Exchangers and Impact of Fouling on Design

Heat exchanger is a device in which heat is transferred from a hot fluid to a cold fluid. In its simplest form the two fluids mix and leave at an intermediate temperature determined from the conservation of energy. This device is not truly a heat exchanger but rather a mixer. In most applications, the fluids do not mix with each other but transfer heat through a separating wall which takes on a wide variety of geometries. Three categories are normally used to classify heat exchangers. These are: (a) recuperators (b) regenerators (c) direct-contact apparatus
Multi-scale functional mapping of tidal marsh vegetation using object-based image analysis

Nearly half of the world’s natural wetlands have been destroyed or degraded, and in recent years, there have been significant endeavors to restore wetland habitat throughout the world. Detailed mapping of restoring wetlands can offer valuable information about changes in vegetation and geomorphology, which can inform the restoration process and ultimately help to improve chances of successful restoration. We performed an object-based image analysis using color infrared aerial photography, which maps specific wetland functions at multiple scales. The combined results of our work highlight important trends and management implications for monitoring wetland restoration using remote sensing, and will further enable restoration ecologists to use remote sensing for tidal marsh monitoring. Restoration objectives, ecosystem function, and scale can be integrated into monitoring techniques using remote sensing for improved restoration monitoring.
Stimulated Emission of Microcavity Exciton Polariton

The interaction of a bosonic or fermionic particle with a single bosonic field has been an important topic in the study of cavity quantumelectrodynamics. Experimental studies of this interaction have so far been studied in two systems, atoms inside a high Q cavity and quantum well excitons inside a microcavity. In this proceeding, we present results of photoluminescence and pump-probe experiments performed on the latter system. We show that amplification and attenuation of the probe beam (seed) can occur depending on the exciton density which show the bosonic feature of exciton polaritons and importance of exciton-acoustic phonon interaction at low temperature.
Welding penetration prediction with passive vision system

Abstract Weld pool backside width is an important indicator of welding penetration. However, it is challenging to measure it directly during welding process. In this work, data driven method was established to estimate backside width during GTAW. First, key features related with 3D weld pool surface characters were extracted using computer vision approach. Second, the database which covers wide range of welding conditions was established. Two supervised machine learning method: linear regression and bagging trees were tested on the database. Through feature importance analysis, we found out that the weld pool width, trailing length and surface height (SH) played the major role to predict backside width. The performance of prediction was further improved through feature selection. Finally, the trained model was validated with butt joint welding experiments with satisfactory accuracy. The proposed method can be further applied to build real time close-loop penetration control system.
Does Virtual Reality Increase Simulator Sickness During Exposure Therapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?

Abstract Purpose: Measurement of simulator-related side effects (SSEs) is an integral component of competent and ethical use of virtual reality exposure (VRE), but common SSEs may overlap with symp...
A double-cusp type electrostatic analyzer for high-cadence solar-wind suprathermal ion observations.

This paper describes a novel electrostatic analyzer concept to measure suprathermal ions, a Double-Cusp Analyzer for SupraThermals (DCAST) that employs a double-shell cusp structure. Due to the necessity of measuring higher energy levels to cover the suprathermal range, existing ion instruments require greater size and mass. Moreover, observations of potentially low-flux suprathermal ions require a long integration time to fully characterize key ion properties in the plasmas (e.g., anisotropy and energy spectrum) with necessary counting statistics. DCAST covers the suprathermal energy range (2-300 keV/q) spanning heated solar wind and pickup ions; it enables a high cadence, high angular resolution, and wide angle coverage measurement while conserving resources such as mass and size. As a proof-of-concept study, the performance of a prototype DCAST was verified by laboratory measurements (geometric factor, K-factor, and energy resolution), which also involved investigating noise characteristics coming from cross-sector contamination and foreground extreme ultra-violet photons. To understand the specific characteristics of the double-shell type design, the inner and outer sector voltage ratio (RV) effects were examined in terms of the electro-static analyzer performance.This paper describes a novel electrostatic analyzer concept to measure suprathermal ions, a Double-Cusp Analyzer for SupraThermals (DCAST) that employs a double-shell cusp structure. Due to the necessity of measuring higher energy levels to cover the suprathermal range, existing ion instruments require greater size and mass. Moreover, observations of potentially low-flux suprathermal ions require a long integration time to fully characterize key ion properties in the plasmas (e.g., anisotropy and energy spectrum) with necessary counting statistics. DCAST covers the suprathermal energy range (2-300 keV/q) spanning heated solar wind and pickup ions; it enables a high cadence, high angular resolution, and wide angle coverage measurement while conserving resources such as mass and size. As a proof-of-concept study, the performance of a prototype DCAST was verified by laboratory measurements (geometric factor, K-factor, and energy resolution), which also involved investigating noise characteristics coming from...
7T MRI in epilepsy patients with previously normal clinical MRI exams compared against healthy controls

Objective To compare by 7 Tesla (7T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with focal epilepsy who have non-lesional clinical MRI scans with healthy controls. Methods 37 patients with focal epilepsy, based on clinical and electroencephalogram (EEG) data, with non-lesional MRIs at clinical field strengths and 21 healthy controls were recruited for the 7T imaging study. The MRI protocol consisted of high resolution T1-weighted, T2-weighted and susceptibility weighted imaging sequences of the entire cortex. The images were read by two neuroradiologists, who were initially blind to clinical data, and then reviewed a second time with knowledge of the seizure onset zone. Results A total of 25 patients had findings with epileptogenic potential. In five patients these were definitely related to their epilepsy, confirmed through surgical intervention, in three they co-localized to the suspected seizure onset zone and likely caused the seizures. In seven patients the imaging findings co-localized to the suspected seizure onset zone but were not the definitive cause, and ten had cortical lesions with epileptogenic potential that did not localize to the suspected seizure onset zone. There were multiple other findings of uncertain significance found in both epilepsy patients and healthy controls. The susceptibility weighted imaging sequence was instrumental in guiding more targeted inspection of the other structural images and aiding in the identification of cortical lesions. Significance Information revealed by the improved resolution and enhanced contrast provided by 7T imaging is valuable in noninvasive identification of lesions in epilepsy patients who are non-lesional at clinical field strengths.
Connective Tissue Disorders and Cardiovascular Complications: The Indomitable Role of Transforming Growth Factor-Beta Signaling

Marfan Syndrome (MFS) and Loeys-Dietz Syndrome (LDS) represent heritable connective tissue disorders that cosegregate with a similar pattern of cardiovascular defects (thoracic aortic aneurysm, mitral valve prolapse/regurgitation, and aortic root dilatation with regurgitation). This pattern of cardiovascular defects appears to be expressed along a spectrum of severity in many heritable connective tissue disorders and raises suspicion of a relationship between the normal development of connective tissues and the cardiovascular system. Given the evidence of increased transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) signaling in MFS and LDS, this signaling pathway may represent the common link in this relationship. To further explore this hypothetical link, this chapter will review the TGF-β signaling pathway, heritable connective tissue syndromes related to TGF-β receptor (TGFBR) mutations, and discuss the pathogenic contribution of TGF-β to these syndromes with a primary focus on the cardiovascular system.
Stable Numerical Schemes for Nonlinear Dispersive Equations with Counter-Propagation and Gain Dynamics

We develop a stable and efficient numerical scheme for modeling the optical field evolution in a nonlinear dispersive cavity with counter-propagating waves and complex, semiconductor physics gain dynamics that is expensive to evaluate. Our stability analysis is characterized by a von Neumann analysis that shows that many standard numerical schemes are unstable due to competing physical effects in the propagation equations. We show that the combination of a predictor–corrector scheme with an operator splitting not only results in a stable scheme, but also provides a highly efficient, single-stage evaluation of the gain dynamics. Given that the gain dynamics is the rate-limiting step of the algorithm, our method circumvents the numerical instability induced by the other cavity physics when evaluating the gain in an efficient manner. We demonstrate the stability and efficiency of the algorithm on a diode laser model that includes three waveguides and semiconductor gain dynamics. The laser is able to produce a repeating temporal waveform and stable optical comb lines, thus demonstrating that frequency comb generation may be possible in chip-scale, diode lasers.
Mutualistic and Competitive Systems

The simplest and most obvious positive feedback interaction between species is mutualism. Direct interspecies mutualism can result from a multitude of interactions involving dispersal, shelter, nutrient cycling, energy provision and reproduction (Boucher et al., 1982; Faegri and Van der Pijl, 1966; Heinrich and Raven, 1972; Muscatine and Porter, 1977; Whittaker, 1975; Howe, 1977; Temple, 1977). Mutualistic interactions also arise when mutualists mediate competitive or predator-prey interactions (Wright, 1973; Janzen, 1969; Addicot, 1979; Messina, 1981; Osman and Haugsness, 1981; Heithaus et al., 1980).
Urinary metabolites of benzene in the mouse.

Chronic benzene toxicity, which is characterized by decreases in circulating blood cell levels due to depression of the bone marrow, is thought to be caused by a metabolite of benzene. Our understanding of the metabolism of benzene derives largely from the reports of R.T. Williams and his co-workers (Porteus and Williams, 1949a, 1949b; Parke and Williams, 1952, 1953a, 1953b), who were the first to systematically identify benzene metabolites in rabbit urine after administering benzene to rabbits. Forty-five percent of the administered benzene was recovered. in the expired air, 43% of the administered dose being unchanged benzene and the remaining 2% was carbon dioxide. Urine contained 35% of the administered radioactivity, mostly in the form of conjugated phenolic metabolites of benzene. Upon acid hydrolysis of the conjugates, phenol was found to account for 24% of the dose while other metabolites included catechol (2.2%), hydroquinone (4.8%), and hydroxyhydroquinone (0.3%). 1-Phenylmercapturic acid (0.5%) and trans-trans-muconic (1.3%) acid were also recovered in the urine.
MENTAL HEALTH OF GRANDPARENTS RAISING GRANDCHILDREN: UNDERSTANDING PREDICTORS OF GRANDPARENTS’ DEPRESSION

Grandparents raising grandchildren experience caregiving stress, negatively influencing their mental health. They experience limited social supports and suffer from a lack of respite care and community resources. The present study attempts to explore needs of grandparent-headed families and factors related to grandparents’ depression. In 2015-19, surveys with 92 custodial grandparents were conducted in the northeastern U.S. The respondents were primarily white (77%) and 62 years old on average (ranged from 44 through 84) at the time of the interviews. The depressive symptoms ranged from 1 through 45, with the score of 16+ indicating clinical depression (41%). Sixty-three percent of grandparents reported a household income below $40,000 and 40% of them rated their health as poor or fair. Ninety-five percent reported at least one or more concerns in raising their grandchild (i.e., financial concerns, legal issues, and physical health). A multiple linear regression analysis was performed to examine the contributions of age, ethnicity, duration of care, factors related to multigenerational caregiving, social support from family members, social support from friends, and social support from significant others in accounting for grandparents’ depressive symptoms. The model explained 29% of variance in the outcome (R2=.290; adjusted R2=.231). Among the predictors, only one factor was significant: social support from family members (beta=-.352, p=.006). Grandparents with increased social support from family members have lower rates of depression. This finding reinforces the importance of familial support for grandparents raising grandchildren, and recommends the development of family-centered programs to offer support for custodial grandparents to promote caregivers’ well-being.
Fixed Income for Retirement Saving: TIAA Traditional’s Lessons on Quality, Duration, Risk, and Gradual Withdrawals

TIAA’s Traditional annuity has supported retirements for a century. It resembles a stable-value fund. The author investigates the holdings supporting it, constructs readily available alternatives resembling those holdings, compares the returns of those alternatives with Traditional, and constructs a new measure of risk to compare Traditional’s risk with that of its alternatives in a more appropriate way than by using short-term standard deviation of returns. Under this new measure of risk, which is appropriate for retirement investors, some alternatives exhibited second-degree stochastic dominance over Traditional using 1987–2015 data. However, Traditional may still be a better choice for unsophisticated investors. TOPICS:Retirement, portfolio construction, legal/regulatory/public policy Key Findings • TIAA has reported Traditional Annuity’s returns in nonstandard, sometimes incorrect ways. Its short-term volatility is irrelevant because withdrawals require 9 years. • The duration and quality of TIAA’s General Account can be matched by mutual funds for which feasible historical payouts over 9 years can be inferred. • Over 1987–2015, Traditional’s 9-year payouts were second-degree stochastically dominated, reversing results using shorter-term volatility measures.
Adult and Child Food Insecurity Among Homeless and Precariously-Housed Families at the Close of the Twentieth Century

No national studies have assessed adult and child food insecurity (AFI and CFI, respectively) among homeless and precariously-housed families and the concordance between parent and child hunger. It is also unclear how parental capital, vulnerabilities, and instrumental behaviors relate to food insecurity. We developed a parental management model of family AFI and CFI and used the 1996 National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients (NSHAPC) to address the following: (1) What is the prevalence of AFI and CFI among homeless and precariously-housed families versus domiciled families from the Current Population Survey (CPS)? (2) How are parental capital, vulnerabilities, and instrumental behaviors related to food insecurity?, And (3) which food sources do these families use most? Results identified food insecurity in 59% of NSHAPC families, including 13% with AFI and CFI. Comparatively, fewer than 10% of low-income CPS families met any such criteria. Multinomial logistic models indicated positive associations between parental mental health challenges and AFI only and AFI with CFI, and parental victimization, while homeless and adverse childhood experiences were positively related to AFI with CFI. Larger monthly food stamp allotments lowered the risk for AFI with CFI, and adequate pediatric health care lowered risks for both AFI only and AFI with CFI. Food pantries and mobile delivery programs were used more among families with food insecurity, while soup kitchens were used more among food secure families. The food security of homeless and precariously-housed families could be improved through wider access to health care and food assistance.
Do voters punish noncompliance with high courts? A cross-national analysis

Understanding how high courts successfully constrain the state poses a puzzle central to the study of constitutional review. An increasingly popular answer to this puzzle is that voters electorally...
Postcolonial Disaster: Narrating Catastrophe in the Twenty-First Century: by Pallavi Rastogi, Evanston, Northwestern University Press, 2020, 304 pp., $34.95 (paperback), ISBN: 978-0-8101-4172-8

When the COVID-19 crisis went global in March, the CDC and other institutions immediately released guidelines meant to slow the spread, news outlets kept running tallies of the number of infections...
Deficiency of Cux1, Encoded on Human Chromosome 7q, Causes Aberrant Hematopoietic Stem Cell Function and Spontaneous Myeloproliferative Disease in Mice

Abstract Loss of all or part of chromosome 7 [-7/del(7q)] is a common, high-risk cytogenetic abnormality identified in a variety myeloid malignancies, including myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), acute myeloid leukemia, therapy-related myeloid neoplasms, juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML). CUX1 is a non-clustered, homeodomain-containing transcription factor encoded on the commonly deleted region of 7q22. CUX1 inactivating mutations occur across solid tumors and myeloid neoplasms, and carry a poor prognosis in myeloid malignancies independently of 7q status. Previously, we reported that CUX1 is a conserved, haploinsufficient, myeloid tumor suppressor. To determine the mechanism by which CUX1 regulates leukemogenesis, we generated an inducible, shRNA-transgenic, Cux1 -knockdown mouse model. Insufficient Cux1 levels caused early mortality in mice, due to a spontaneous myeloproliferative disorder with features of CMML/JMML and MDS. Cux1 deficient mice had a significant increase in myelomonocytic cell numbers in the peripheral blood, bone marrow, and spleen. Cux1 deficiency led to extramedullary hematopoiesis, splenomegaly, and an increase in megakaryocyte numbers and megakaryocyte dysplasia. In addition, Cux1 is required for normal red cell development, as Cux1 knockdown led to a normocytic anemia due to an erythroblast maturation arrest. To identify CUX1 transcriptional targets, we performed gene expression profiling after CUX1 knockdown in CD34+ human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). Differentially expressed genes were enriched for genes deregulated in JMML and -7/del(7q) MDS, in addition to altered expression of quiescent, proliferative, and myeloid differentiation pathways. Consistent with these gene signatures, Cux1 maintains hematopoietic stem cell quiescence and represses HSPC proliferation, self-renewal, and granulocyte/monocyte differentiation. Thus Cux1 has pleotropic roles in multiple myeloid lineages. Deletion of CUX1, in the context of -7/del(7q), may facilitate myeloid transformation through aberrant transcriptional regulation of HSPC differentiation and proliferation. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Holistic Admission: What Is It? How Successful Has It Been in Nursing, and What Are the Possibilities?

Holistic admission review (HAR) practices have been identified as a means to increase diversity in the nursing profession. HAR practices consider the whole applicant in a dignified and respectful m...
Directional Cell Migration Guided by a Strain Gradient

Strain gradients, the percentage of the deformation changed across a continuous field by applying forces, have been observed in developing tissues due to the inherent heterogeneity of the mechanical properties. The directional movement of cells are essential for proper cell localization, and it is well-established that cells establish directional migration in responses to gradients of chemicals, rigidity, density of extracellular matrices, and topography of substrates. However, it is unclear whether strain gradients imposed on cells due to tissue growth are sufficient to drive directional cell migration. In this work, we develop a programmable uniaxial cell stretch device coupled with geometrical constraints to create controllable strain gradients on cells. We demonstrate that single rat embryonic fibroblasts (REFs) respond to very small strain gradients. In a gradient level of 4% per mm, 60%-70% of the REFs prefer to migrate towards the lower strain side in both the static and the 0.1 Hz cyclic stretch conditions. We confirm that such responses to strain gradient is distinct from durotaxis or haptotaxis. Moreover, by using the YFP-Paxillin reporter, we discover that the directional migration of the cells is initiated by increasing focal adhesion contact areas and higher rate of protrusion formation in the lower strain side of the cell. Together, in this work we establish strain gradient as a novel cue to regulate directional cell migration and may provide new insights in development and tissue repairs.
Ionization state and dielectric constant in cold rarefied hydrocarbon plasmas of inertial confinement fusion

A combined approach to study cold rarefied matter is introduced that includes a semianalytical method based on the free-energy minimization and ab initio calculations based on the finite-temperature density-functional theory. The approach is used to calculate the ionization state of hydrocarbon (CH) under the shock-release conditions in inertial confinement fusion. The dielectric constant of CH is calculated using the Kubo-Greenwood formulation and contribution from atomic polarizabilities is found to be as important as the free-electron contribution. Using the ionization state and dielectric constant, the electron density profile in the rarefaction wave of the shock-release plasma is obtained.