cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mesoporous silica nanoparticles for biomedical and catalytical applications

Mesoporous silica materials, discovered in 1992 by the Mobile Oil Corporation, have received considerable attention in the chemical industry due to their superior textual properties such as high surface area, large pore volume, tunable pore diameter, and narrow pore size distribution. Among those materials, MCM-41, referred to Mobile Composition of Matter NO. 41, contains honeycomb liked porous structure that is the most common mesoporous molecular sieve studied. Applications of MCM-41 type mesoporous silica material in biomedical field as well as catalytical field have been developed and discussed in this thesis. The unique features of mesoporous silica nanoparticles were utilized for the design of delivery system for multiple biomolecules as described in chapter 2. We loaded luciferin into the hexagonal channels of MSN and capped the pore ends with gold nanoparticles to prevent premature release. Luciferase was adsorbed onto the outer surface of the MSN. Both the MSN and the gold nanoparticles were protected by poly-ethylene glycol to minimize nonspecific interaction of luciferase and keep it from denaturating. Controlled release of luciferin was triggered within the cells and the enzymatic reaction was detected by a luminometer. Further developments by varying enzyme/substrate pairs may provide opportunities to control cell behavior and manipulatemore » intracellular reactions. MSN was also served as a noble metal catalyst support due to its large surface area and its stability with active metals. We prepared MSN with pore diameter of 10 nm (LP10-MSN) which can facilitate mass transfer. And we successfully synthesized an organo silane, 2,2'-Bipyridine-amide-triethoxylsilane (Bpy-amide-TES). Then we were able to functionalize LP10-MSN with bipyridinyl group by both post-grafting method and co-condensation method. Future research of this material would be platinum complexation. This Pt (II) complex catalyst has been reported for a C-H bond activation reaction as an alternative of the traditional Friedel-Crafts reaction. And we will compare the turnover numbers of MSN supported material with homogenous catalyst to evaluate the catalytical efficiency of our material.« less
Methods for cost analysis, cost recovery, and cost control for a public hospital in a developing country: Victoria Hospital, St. Lucia

International attention has focused in recent years on methods for analysing costs of public hospitals in developing countries, with the goal of reducing the financial burden on governments by enabling improved resource allocation, by identifying areas for cost recovery and cost control, and by developing management systems to facilitate these efforts. A range of methods for cost analysis, cost recovery, and cost control are reviewed in this article, with illustrations of applications of the methods at Victoria Hospital, the national hospital in St. Lucia. Comparisons are made to similar studies in Belize, Lesotho, and the Dominican Republic. Cost-analysis methods focus on a detailed cost accounting effort which identifies the full financial costs of hospital operations and the unit costs of individual hospital services. Cost-recovery methods include an analysis of cost-related and other issues involved in setting fee levels for hospital services, determination of exemptions for certain population groups, and management of fee collection systems. Cost-control methods include analysing the degree of managerial authority exercised by hospital managers in relation to the central Ministry of Health and other government departments, identifying opportunities and incentives for cost control by individual departments within the hospital, and evaluating methods for involving physicians and other clinical decision-makers in cost control efforts. A diagnosis-independent method for utilization review of clinical decisions, the Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol, is pilot-tested and alternatives, including Diagnosis Related Groups, are discussed. Implementation issues related to long-term systems development efforts are reviewed.
Measurement of intracellular oxygen concentration using the spin label TEMPOL.

We have developed a noninvasive method with general applicability for measuring intracellular oxygen using the spin label TEMPOL (2, 2, 6, 6-tetramethypiperidine-N-oxyl-4-ol) which has superhyperfine structure in its electron spin resonance spectra that is broadened in the presence of oxygen. This broadening is linear over a range of 1 to 6 ppm oxygen which covers the important physiological range of oxygen concentration. Viscosity, TEMPOL concentration, and instrument modulation intensity also can affect superhyperfine structure but the contributions from these effects can be determined. The TEMPOL distributes equally into the intra-and extracellular compartments but its intracellular signal can be studied selectively by addition of transition metal ions such as potassium ferricyanide and potassium tris (oxalato)chromiate, which broaden away the signal from extracellular TEMPOL and do not cross the cell membrane to affect the intracellular TEMPOL Results with a cell culture line (mouse thymus-bone marrow) indicate that under our experimental conditions these cells may maintain an average intracellular oxygen concentration lower than the extracellular oxygen concentration, and that there is not a constant relationship between extracellular and intracellular oxygen concentrations.
Stokes flow past bubbles and drops partially coated with thin films. Part 1. Stagnant cap of surfactant film – exact solution

In this investigation the creeping flow due to the motion of a liquid drop or a bubble in another immiscible fluid is examined when the interface is partially covered by a stagnant layer of surfactant. The associated boundary-value problem involves mixed boundary conditions at the interface, which lead to a set of dual series equations. An inversion of these equations yields the exact solution to the stagnant cap problem.Several useful results are obtained in closed form. Among these are the expressions for the drag force, the difference between the maximum and the minimum interfacial tensions, and the amount of adsorbed surfactant. A shifting of the centre of the internal vortex is observed.
Interactions of Moxalactam and Tobramycin in Normal Volunteers and in Patients with Impaired Renal Function

In studies of the in vivo and in vitro interactions of moxalactam and tobramycin, normal volunteers and anuric patients were given one of the drugs or both drugs simultaneously, and the antibiotics were incubated separately or in combination in pooled human plasma. In both normal volunteers and patients with renal failure, the rate of elimination of tobramycin increased when the drug was given in combination with moxalactam. In patients with normal renal function, the rate of elimination of moxalactam decreased when the drug was given in combination with tobramycin; in contrast, this value did not decrease when the combination was given to anuric patients. In vitro, neither drug was affected by the presence of the other. Thus, the observed changes in elimination rates apparently are not caused by a chemical interaction that can be demonstrated in vitro. However, they are of sufficient magnitude to be of potential clinical significance.
A chip-based micro-cavity optical parametric oscillator (/spl mu/OPO)

We report a micro-scale optical parametric oscillator (/spl mu/OPO). Oscillations are observed at record low threshold values (170 micro-Watts) with highly ideal (97%) signal-to-idler photon emission. High conversion efficiencies (36%) are achieved.
Robust local experiments in sequential process improvement

The number of runs in local experiments used in the online improvement of a process need to be small and yet be able to consider as many process parameters as possible. Hence, it would be desirable to perform two-level fractional factorial experiments that involve more factors than just two or three factors at a time recommended in evolutionary operation. In this paper, a case is presented for a careful selection of experimental points that, despite the experiments' being two-level ones, are robust (in their inferences) to nonlinearities in the true response. In order to reduce the chances of obtaining incorrect directions of improvement from fractional factorial local experiments, we incorporate robustness considerations to develop a minimax design procedure for the experiments. The minimax design reduces to the optimal design (under linearity assumptions), if a certain 'nonlinearity-to-noise ratio' is below a threshold. >
A Kalman-Based Coordination for Hierarchical State Estimation: Agorithm and Analysis

Hierarchical state estimation algorithms are usually employed in large-scale interconnected power systems, where state estimation usually involves very tedious communications and computations. This paper presents 1) a modified coordination technique that is based on Kalman filtering, derived from hierarchical state estimation; and 2) a time complexity analysis and experimental implementation to compare central, distributed, and hierarchical state estimation algorithms in terms of computation power and communication bandwidth requirements. Analytical and experimental results on the IEEE 118-bus test bed show that the presented approach, i.e., hierarchical Kalman filtering (HKF), needs about 34% communication bandwidth and O(1/N3) computation power in subsystems compared to central state estimation, while giving approximately the same level of estimation precision.
Targeted mutation of the mouse Grp94 gene disrupts development and perturbs endoplasmic reticulum stress signaling.

Glucose-regulated protein 94 (GRP94) is one of the most abundant endoplasmic reticulum (ER) resident proteins and is the ER counterpart of the cytoplasmic heat shock protein 90 (HSP90). GRP94, a component of the GRP78 chaperone system in protein processing, has pro-survival properties with implicated function in cancer progression and autoimmune disease. Previous studies on the loss of GRP94 function showed that it is required for embryonic development, regulation of toll-like receptors and innate immunity of macrophages. Here we report the creation of mouse models targeting exon 2 of the Grp94 allele that allows both traditional and conditional knockout (KO) of Grp94. In this study, we utilized the viable Grp94+/+ and +/− mice, as well as primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts generated from them as experimental tools to study its role in ER chaperone balance and ER stress signaling. Our studies reveal that while Grp94 heterozygosity reduces GRP94 level it does not alter ER chaperone levels or the ER stress response. To study the effect of complete loss of GRP94 function, since homozygous GRP94 KO leads to embryonic lethality, we generated Grp94−/− embryonic stem cells. In contrast to Grp94 heterozygosity, complete knockout of GRP94 leads to compensatory upregulation of the ER chaperones GRP78, calnexin and calreticulin but not protein disulphide isomerase. Unexpectedly, loss of GRP94 leads to significant decrease in the level of ER-stress induced spliced form of XBP-1 protein, a downstream target of the IRE1 signaling pathway. Furthermore, from analysis of microarray database and immunohistochemical staining, we present predictions where GRP94 may play an important role in specific adult organ homeostasis and function.
Analytic solutions for nonlinear waves in coupled reacting systems

Abstract We analyze a system of reacting elements harmonically coupled to nearest neighbors in the continuum limit. An analytic solution is found for traveling waves. The procedure is used to find oscillatory as well as solitary waves. A comparison is made between exact solutions and solutions of the piecewise linearized system, showing how the linearization affects the amplitude and frequency of the solutions.
Introduction to the special Issue: Theoretical, empirical, and applied issues in the psychology of sport injury

(1998). Introduction to the special Issue: Theoretical, empirical, and applied issues in the psychology of sport injury. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology: Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 1-4.
Reaction front propagation in nonadiabatic exothermic reaction flow systems

A general analysis of the reaction wave propagation in nonlinear exothermic nonadiabatic diffusion-convection-reaction systems is presented. The following topics are considered: approximation of temperature profiles based on the idea of infinitesimaly thin reaction front, estimation of maximum temperature, estimation of the conversion at the hot spot, a priori calculation of the front velocity, analysis of the self-ignition phenomena and their relation to wave propagation, and discussion of the effect of the heat loss parameter on the direction of propagation and shape of traveling waves. A comparison of the analytical work with exact numerical results reveals excellent agreement. The main objective of this paper is to provide a definite analysis of reaction wave propagation in reacting flow systems.
Collusion-resilient quality of information evaluation based on information provenance

The quality of information is crucial for decision making in many dynamic information sharing environments such as sensor and tactical networks. Information trustworthiness is an essential parameter in assessing the information quality. In this paper, we present a trust model to evaluate the trustworthiness of information as well as information publishing entities based on information provenance. In our trust model, decision makers can give an evaluation on the information they receive and further adjust the evaluation result to a more accurate value by considering two factors: information similarity and path difference. We introduce Collusion Attacks that may bias the computation and present a mechanism to detect and reduce the effect of Collusion Attacks. Based on the final adjusted information trust, feedback is given to the information publishing nodes to adaptively update their trust scores. Therefore, our collusion-resistant scheme can dynamically assess the trustworthiness of information as well as participating entities in a network and thus effectively enhance the network security. Detailed analysis of the proposed approach is presented along with simulation results.
Development and Validation of the Social Work Career Influence Questionnaire

Objective: This research tested the Social Work Career Influence Questionnaire (SWCIQ) as a measurement tool for assessing career influence variables among master's of social work (MSW) students. M...
Principles of asking effective questions during student problem solving

Using effective teaching practices is a high priority for educators. One important pedagogical skill for computer science instructors is asking effective questions. This paper presents a set of instructional principles for effective question asking during guided problem solving. We illustrate these principles with results from classifying the questions that untrained human tutors asked while working with students solving an introductory programming problem. We contextualize the findings from the question classification study with principles found within the relevant literature. The results highlight ways that instructors can ask questions to 1) facilitate students' comprehension and decomposition of a problem, 2) encourage planning a solution before implementation, 3) promote self-explanations, and 4) reveal gaps or misconceptions in knowledge. These principles can help computer science educators ask more effective questions in a variety of instructional settings.
Analysis of the residual entropy of amorphous polyethylene at 0 K

The residual entropy of amorphous polyethylene (PE) at 0 K is discussed within the framework of the heat capacity (Cp). The measured Cp of the liquid was extended from the glass transition to low temperature by separately finding its three parts—the vibrational, conformational, and external contributions—and extrapolating each to low temperature. The vibrational Cp was calculated from the frequency distributions of the group vibrations on the basis of force constants obtained from experimental infrared and Raman spectra as well as the skeletal vibrations in the amorphous solid (glass) obtained from fitting of the appropriate experimental Cp to Debye functions in the form suggested by Tarasov. The conformational part of Cp was evaluated from a fit of the heat capacity of the liquid, decreased by the contributions of the vibrational and external parts, to a one-dimensional Ising model that can be extrapolated to 0 K and requires two discrete states described by stiffness, cooperativity, and a degeneracy parameter. The external part was computed from the experimental data for expansivity and compressibility, fitted to an empirical equation of state, and modified at low temperatures in accordance with the Nernst–Lindemann approximation. The computed Cp of the liquid PE agreed with the experiment from 600 K to the beginning of the glass transition at about 260 K. Extending the heat capacity to 0 K, bypassing the freezing of the large-amplitude conformational motion in the glass transition, led to a positive residual entropy and enthalpy and avoided the so-called Kauzmann paradox. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 1245–1253, 2002
On the excitation of electromagnetic surface waves on a curved surface

The excitation and propagation of surface waves on a spherical inductive boundary are considered. The source is taken to be a vertical electric dipole. The circumferential attenuation rates of the various modes are discussed where it is indicated that the dominant mode is very similar to the trapped surface wave for a plane inductive boundary. The results appear to conflict with those of Barlow, but are in sympathy with some numerical data of Elliott for the circumferential attenuation rate of the dominant mode.
The Influence of Sliding and Contact Severity on the Generation of White Etching Cracks

White etching cracks (WECs) have been identified as the dominant mechanism of premature failure for bearings within wind turbine gearboxes. Though WECs have been observed in the field for over a decade, the exact mechanisms which lead to this failure are still debated, and benchtop replication has proven difficult. In previously published work, WECs have been replicated only through the use of component level test rigs, where complete bearings are tested. In these tests, the factors that are thought to drive the formation of WECs, such as slide-to-roll ratio (SRR) and lubricant film thickness, cannot not be easily altered or controlled. In this paper, WECs have been replicated on a three ring on roller, benchtop test rig, which allowed for a direct investigation into the influence that SRR magnitude, sliding direction, and the lubricant film thickness have on surface failures and WEC generation. It was determined that WECs were formed in samples that experienced −30 % SRR at various lubrication conditions; however, at lower levels of negative SRR and positive SRR up to 30 %, no white etching cracks were observed.
Does gender influence the strength and mechanisms of the muscle metaboreflex during dynamic exercise in dogs

Ischemia of active skeletal muscle stimulates neuronal afferents within the muscle, which elicits a reflex increase in sympathetic nerve activity, systemic arterial pressure (SAP), and heart rate (...
Nuclear Structure of Light Nuclei Near Threshold

Moving toward an understanding of nuclei at the threshold of nuclear binding is a major theme of contemporary experimental and theoretical nuclear physics. The challenge to the former is to probe nuclei at the limits of existence requiring a variety of different techniques such as nucleon transfer, nucleon knockout, and Coulomb dissociation, and so on. And to the latter, a question of framing the problem: What role does finite binding play? What role does the continuum play? How can the action of these effects be isolated when interpreting the experimental data? Is it even possible to disentangle these?
Assessing the Relative Importance of Nitrogen-Retention Processes in a Large Reservoir Using Time-Series Modeling

Nitrogen (N) removal within reservoirs can be substantial, but few studies have reported the relative importance of various N-retention pathways. Assessing N-removal processes in reservoirs is important for quantifying the impacts of reservoirs on downstream water quality. In this study, we used a time-series approach to quantify the relative importance of various N-removal processes in the Saylorville Reservoir in Iowa. Dynamic regression modeling of upstream–downstream changes in key water-quality surrogates (pH, hardness, alkalinity, and suspended solids) and their relation to N concentration changes were used to estimate the relative importances of denitrification, N assimilation by algal uptake, and sedimentation of N on N retention in the reservoir. Assuming that decreasing N concentrations in the reservoir are the sum of these three processes, we estimate that denitrification is the dominant N removal process (60.9 %) followed by algal assimilation (37.9 %) and sedimentation (1.2 %). Our approach represents a new method of establishing the relative importance of N-removal processes in reservoirs and quantifying the impacts of reservoirs on downstream water quality.
Alcoholism in Adolescents and their Families: Family-Focused Assessment and Management

A family-focused approach for the assessment and management of adolescent substance abuse is advocated as more effective than traditional individual assessment approaches. Adolescent substance abuse prevalence data and reasons for its under-recognition by physicians are outlined. Reasons why it is important to use a family-focused approach and the role of family factors in alcohol abuse are discussed. Specific clinical strategies and techniques for conducting a family-focused assessment are provided.
IDENTIFYING CANDIDATE SITES

This chapter discusses the use of screening to identify candidate sites. It discusses the weaknesses of most screening techniques and how the decision analysis screening models can overcome those weaknesses. It also discusses the task of implementing the decision analysis screening models. The mechanism by which one can rapidly identify candidate sites is screening. The overall objective of this screening is the same as that of the entire analysis, that is, to identify the best possible site for the proposed facility, and to provide documentation and justification for the approach used. There are three main levels of screening used in most siting studies: (1) informal and implicit, that is, the selection of a region of interest; (2) formal and explicit, that is, the use of screening criteria to identify candidate areas; and (3) informal and explicit, that is, the use of professional judgment to select candidate sites within candidate areas. The region of interest is defined as the total area in which one is willing to site the proposed facility. The region of interest is commonly chosen to coincide with either a political district, such as a state; a service area, such as that of a utility company; or a geographical area, such as the watershed region for a particular river.
A Formal Framework for Environmentally Sensitive Malware

Theoretical investigations of obfuscation have been built around a model of a single Turing machine which interacts with a user. A drawback of this model is that it cannot account for the most common approach to obfuscation used by malware: the observer effect. The observer effect describes the situation in which the act of observing something changes it. Malware implements the observer effect by detecting and acting on changes in its environment caused by user observation. Malware that leverages the observer effect is considered to be environmentally sensitive.
On Time-Slotted Communication over Molecular Timing Channels

This work studies time-slotted communication over molecular timing (MT) channels. The transmitter, assumed to be perfectly synchronized in time with the receiver, releases a single information particle in each time slot, where the information is encoded in the time of release. The receiver decodes the transmitted information based on the random time of arrivals of the information particles during a finite-time reception window. The maximum-likelihood (ML) detector is derived and shown to have an exponential computational complexity, thus, rendering it impractical. In addition, two practical detectors are presented: The first is a symbol-by-symbol detector. The second is a sequence detector which is based on the Viterbi algorithm (VA), yet, the VA is used differently than in its common application in ML detection where information is transmitted over linear channels with memory. Numerical simulations indicate that the proposed sequence detection algorithm significantly improves the performance compared to the symbol-by-symbol detector. Furthermore, for a short number of transmitted symbols it closely approaches the highly complicated ML detector.
Association of Chondrocalcinosis in Knee Joints With Pain and Synovitis: Data From the Osteoarthritis Initiative.

Objective To evaluate the relationship between chondrocalcinosis and pain or synovitis in knee joints by examining data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI). Methods Data were obtained from the OAI public-use data sets. The relationship between chondrocalcinosis on baseline knee radiograph and pain at baseline and at 4 years was examined. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, and Kellgren-Lawrence (K/L) grade and the correlation between 2 knees in a subject was controlled using generalized estimating equations. The relationship between chondrocalcinosis and synovitis on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was examined by comparing knees with chondrocalcinosis at baseline and age, sex, and K/L grade–matched knees with no chondrocalcinosis. We read MRIs of a subset of knees for synovitis using the MRI Osteoarthritis Knee Score (MOAKS) on baseline and 4-year MRI. Results Knees with chondrocalcinosis (n = 162) more often had pain compared to knees without chondrocalcinosis (n = 2,030) at baseline and had higher Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index pain scores, both at baseline (mean 2.4 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.9, 2.9]) versus mean 1.8 [95% CI 1.7, 1.9]) and at 4 years (mean 2.5 [95% CI 1.9, 3.1] versus mean 1.6 [95% CI 1.5, 1.8]), as well as higher Intermittent and Constant Osteoarthritis Pain intermittent pain scores at 4 years. There was no difference in MOAKS synovitis scores at baseline and at 4 years between the chondrocalcinosis group (n = 102) and the control group (n = 99). Conclusion Knees with chondrocalcinosis had increased pain and did not have higher synovitis scores on MRI compared to knees without chondrocalcinosis. The mechanisms by which chondrocalcinosis is associated with increased pain remain to be determined.
STUDIES ON VIRULENCE III. INFLUENCE OF HYDROGEN ION CONCENTRATION AND OF INGREDIENTS OF PLAIN BROTH ON THE VIRULENCE OF PNEUMOCOCCI.

1. A highly virulent strain of pneumococcus, Type I, Neufeld, when grown in an automatic transferring device at 2 hour intervals on different lots of plain broth adjusted respectively to pH = 6.5, 7, 7.5, or 7.8, lost its virulence at a rate in direct ratio to the H ion concentration of the media—the more acid the media, the more rapid the decrease. 2. Growth of a virulent pneumococcus upon plain broth of an H ion concentration changing gradually either to the acid or the alkaline side of neutrality was accompanied by an initial rise in virulence with a subsequent fall, the change being more rapid in the alkaline than in the acid medium. The organism under these conditions underwent an alteration in its behavior toward agglutinating sera; although still specific, its agglutinability became much greater than that of the original organism. This change was more pronounced in the alkaline than in the acid medium. 3. The virulence of a relatively virulent culture of a pneumococcus grown on plain broth underwent different alterations when the organism was transferred at intervals of 1, 2, 4, or 8 hours. With the 1 hour interval, there occurred seemingly an immediate decrease in virulence, while at intervals of 2, 4, and 8 hours, there occurred first a rise and then a fall, the rise being greatest with the 8 hour interval of transfer and least with the 2 hour. 4. Meat infusion adjusted to various H ion concentrations—pH = 7, 7.3, and 7.7—and made with different amounts of meat furnished conditions which caused a decrease in virulence, the unfavorable action varying in inverse proportion to the concentration of the infusion. Dextrose added to both plain broth and to meat infusion neutralized to a marked degree the unfavorable action of these media. 5. The growth of pneumococci on the different ingredients of plain broth, with plain broth made from the same supply as a control, revealed the fact that peptone in 2 per cent solution maintained and even increased the virulence of the strain of pneumococcus studied, while meat infusion caused the usual decrease. The rate of decrease with plain broth was slower than with meat infusion, showing that the 2 per cent peptone neutralized to some extent the unfavorable action of the infusion.
Old-Growth Fishes Become Scarce under Fishing

Researchers have long recognized the importance of ecological differences at the species level in structuring natural communities yet until recently have often overlooked the influence of intraspecific trait variation, which can profoundly alter community dynamics [1]. Human extraction of living resources can reduce intraspecific trait variation by, for example, causing truncation of age and size structure of populations, where numbers of older individuals decline far more with exploitation than younger individuals. Age truncation can negatively affect population and community stability, increasing variability in population and community biomass [2-6], reducing productivity [7-10] and life-history diversity in traits such as the spatial and temporal pattern of reproduction and migration [4, 11-16]. Here, we quantified the extent of age truncation in 63 fished populations across five ocean regions, as measured by how much the proportions of fish in the oldest age groups declined over time. The proportion of individuals in the oldest age classes decreased significantly in 79% to 97% of populations (compared to historical or unfished values, respectively), and the magnitude of decline was greater than 90% in 32% to 41% of populations. The pervasiveness and intensity of age truncation indicates that fishing is likely reducing the stability of many marine communities. Our findings suggest that more emphasis should be given to management measures that reduce the impact of fishing on age truncation, including no-take areas, slot limits that prohibit fishing on all except a narrow range of fish sizes, and rotational harvesting.
The Effect of Variations in Task Assignment and Professional-Task Fit on Performance Outcomes

How does the fit between professional expertise and work relate to performance? This study explores the nature of task assignment – essentially the division of labor – among professionals as settin...
Brain activity associated with pain in inherited erythromelalgia: stimulus-free pain engages brain areas involved in valuation and learning.

Abstract Inherited erythromelalgia (IEM) is a chronic pain disorder caused by gain-of-function mutations of peripheral sodium channel Nav1.7, in which warmth triggers severe pain. Little is known about the brain representation of pain in IEM. Here we study two subjects with the IEM Nav1.7-S241T mutation using functional brain imaging (fMRI). Subjects were scanned during each of five visits. During each scan, pain was first triggered using a warming boot and subjects rated their thermal-heat pain. Next, the thermal stimulus was terminated and subjects rated stimulus-free pain. Last, subjects performed a control visual rating task. Thermal-heat induced pain mapped to the frontal gyrus, ventro-medial prefrontal cortex, superior parietal lobule, supplementary motor area, insula, primary and secondary somato-sensory motor cortices, dorsal and ventral striatum, amygdala, and hippocampus. Stimulus-free pain, by contrast, mapped mainly to the frontal cortex, including dorsal, ventral and medial prefrontal cortex, and supplementary motor area. Examination of time periods when stimulus-free pain was changing showed further activations in the valuation network including the rostral anterior cingulate cortex, striatum and amygdala, in addition to brainstem, thalamus, and insula. We conclude that, similar to other chronic pain conditions, the brain representation of stimulus-free pain during an attack in subjects with IEM engages brain areas involved in acute pain as well as valuation and learning.
“Cell grafting”: a new approach for transferring cytoplasmic or nuclear genome between plants

A new method based on mixing and wounding of callus tissue was used to transfer plastid or nuclear DNA between cells. Methods alternative to sexual hybridization can be powerful tools for crop improvement. We have developed a new hybridization technology based on wounding a mixed population of cells of two parents growing in vitro as callus (“cell grafting”), and have demonstrated the utility of this system for plastid or nuclear genome transfer. In our proof-of concept experiments, non-organized growing tissue (callus) from tobacco var. Samsun, carrying the nuclear marker genes nptII and uidA (GUS), and tobacco var. Petit Havana, carrying aadA and gfp genes in the plastid genome, were mixed together, wounded with a razor blade and placed for regeneration on selection medium containing both spectinomycin (aadA) and paromomycin (nptII). Plants with aadA and gfp positive plastids and nptII plus uidA positive nuclear background were produced. Molecular analysis confirmed the presence of all four genes in these plants. Morphology and ploidy level analysis confirmed the production of “diploid” plants similar to var. Samsun possessing transformed plastids from var. Petit Havana. Reciprocal crosses between the experimentally produced plants and wild type tobacco confirmed maternal inheritance of aadA and gfp and Mendelian inheritance of nptII and uidA. For transfer of nuclear traits between plants we used two nuclear-transformed parents with different selectable markers; one with nptII (paromomycin resistant), and another with aadA (spectinomycin resistant). Plants resistant to both antibiotics which also had different visible markers were produced.
Saving damsels, sentencing deviants and selective chivalry decisions: juror decision-making in an ambiguous assault case

In sexually motivated crimes, female defendants are treated more leniently and female jurors are more punitive, relative to their male counterparts. However, few studies have examined the impact and interactions of juror, defendant and victim sex in non-sexually motivated crimes. In this study, mock jurors responded to an assault case in which the sex of both the defendant and the victim was manipulated, creating four conditions. The female jurors reported higher confidence in a guilty verdict, regardless of the defendant's and victim's sex. Additionally, the mock jurors - particularly the females - were more confident in a guilty verdict when the victim was female, regardless of the defendant's sex. Finally, the mock jurors recommended a harsher sentence for the female defendant - but only when the victim was male. These results are discussed in the context of understanding sex and gender within the criminal justice system and potential implications for juror decision-making.
Medium and high polariton densities

An amazingly rich and complex set of facts on CdS-like semiconductors at He-temperatures has been presented at this Conference. As shown in Fig. 1 in a very schematic way, a lot of the effort to date has centered on producing excitations by absorption of light or electrons in a region near A which in this schematic two-particle diagram represents the free electron-free hole pair continuum state produced by the light. For very low light intensities (photons/cm 2 sec) the electron-hole pair created at A relaxes somehow to a bottleneck region near C, a region that I would like to call a polariton region because photon-like influences become very important there to an extent that they cause the very existence of a bottleneck region. Recent measurements of Heim and Wiesner [1] and earlier data by Benoit et al. [2] and Gross et al. [3] confirmed the bottleneck existence as predicted theoretically by Toyozawa [4]. As shown in Fig. 2, luminescence emitted after flash excitation lasts as long as 2.3 nano-seconds in the middle of the bottleneck region
The Benefits of Breastfeeding: An introduction for Health Educators

Currently 16% of Americans breastfeed their children for at least 12 months as recommended by the AAP, which is well below the HP 2010 goal of 25%. Breastfed infants receive benefits that can improve their health throughout their lives. The benefits of breastfeeding for children include increased resistance to infectious diseases, such as gastroenteritis, respiratory tract infections, and ear infections. Breastfed children also display lower rates of chronic diseases including diabetes, obesity, asthma, and leukemia. The choice to breastfeed results in economic benefits from lower health care costs and from reduced spending on infant formula. The Healthy People 2010 targets are reviewed along with several studies of interventions to increase breastfeeding rates. Health educators must work to increase breastfeeding rates.
A Methodology for Invariants, Framing, and Subtyping in JML

The Java Modeling Language (JML) is a specification language for describing the functional behavior of sequential Java program modules. The object-oriented features of Java make specifying invariants and framing difficult in the presence of subtyping. Using regions as a basis for a methodology, we precisely describe a technique for specifying invariants and framing in the presence of subtyping. We also extend JML by adding separating conjunction (from separation logic) for certain kinds of assertions.
Foresight Renewal: Beginning and Ending with Foresight in the Florida and Ohio Army National Guard Organizations

This chapter examines the recent embedding of foresight techniques within the Florida and Ohio Army National Guard organizations’ strategic planning processes. Each state’s decision to move strategic planning in that direction was unique—as are their foresight methodologies and training. Furthermore, each is being recognized by their sector peers for its unique success story. The kind of foresight techniques and implementation methods—and the sustained organizational support for such—that supports anticipation amid rapid change, even working for massive organizations with profoundly rich organizational histories and cultures, are discussed in detail. For Florida, it was the inclusion of specific environmental scanning efforts, and for Ohio, it was the use of future scenarios. The two techniques are providing tremendous value to each organization by helping clarify their ambiguous and ever-evolving strategic environments, informing and safeguarding the relevance of their long-term strategic plans. Moreover, these new process efforts are not simply shaping the organizations’ strategic plans; perhaps more importantly, they are also shaping the cultures and mentalities of the next generation of the National Guard’s future-oriented leaders.
Metabolism and Lung Toxicity of Inhaled Naphthalene: Effects of Postnatal Age and Sex

Human exposure to naphthalene (NA), an acute lung toxicant and possible human carcinogen, is primarily through inhalation. Acute lung toxicity and carcinogenesis are thought to be related because the target sites for both are similar. To understand susceptibility of the developing lung to cytotoxicity of inhaled NA, we exposed neonatal (7 days), juvenile (3 weeks), and adult mice to 5 or 10 ppm NA vapor for 4 h. We measured vacuolated airway epithelium morphometrically, quantified NA and NA-glutathione levels in plasma and lung, and quantified gene expression in microdissected airways. NA inhalation caused airway epithelial cytotoxicity at all ages, in both sexes. Contrary to a previous study that showed the greatest airway epithelial cytotoxicity in neonatal mice following intraperitoneal NA injection, we observed the most extensive airway epithelial toxicity in older, juvenile, animals exposed to NA by inhalation. Juvenile female animals were the most susceptible. Furthermore, NA inhalation in juvenile animals resulted in damage to conducting airway Club cells that was greater in proximal versus distal airways. We also found NA tissue burden and metabolism differed by age. Gene expression pathway analysis was consistent with the premise that female juvenile mice are more predisposed to damage; DNA damage and cancer pathways were upregulated. Our data demonstrate special susceptibility of young, juvenile mice to NA inhalation-induced cytotoxicity, highlight the importance of route of exposure and airway location in toxicity of chemicals in the developing lung, and provide metabolic and molecular insights for further identification of mechanisms underlying age and sex differences in NA toxicity.
Differences in referral patterns based on race for women at high-risk for ovarian cancer in the southeast: Results from a Gynecologic Cancer Risk Assessment Clinic.

Abstract Objective To compare referral patterns, genetic testing and pathogenic variant rates in Black women (BW) and White women (WW) in a large academic Gynecologic Cancer Risk Assessment Clinic (GCRAC). Methods Cross sectional study of an IRB-approved prospective, cohort study from a GCRAC. Data evaluated included: age, race, referral provider specialty and indication, genetic testing frequency, as well as frequency and types of pathogenic variants. Results 588 WW and 57 BW were evaluated from 1/2010–12/2015. Although approximately one-third of BW and WW were referred for family history alone, referral indications varied. BW were more likely referred for a known pathogenic variant (20.0% vs. 6.2%) although less likely referred for a personal history of ovarian cancer (24.0% vs. 46.8%; p = 0.0023). While gynecologic oncologists referred most patients (BW 43.6% vs. WW 63.0%), BW were more likely to be referred by surgical oncologist (23.0% vs. 12.8%) or genetic counselor (12.8% vs. 5.9%) than WW (p = 0.0234). Referral from non-OBGYN primary care providers was Conclusions Since BW are more likely to be referred by surgical oncology or genetics counselor, breast clinics might be an entry point to ensure genetic counseling and testing. Continued efforts to increase awareness regarding the importance of patient referral at the primary care level may help identify the subset of women not currently undergoing counseling and testing.
Change detection for real-world objects in perihand space

Recent evidence has demonstrated that observers experience visual-processing biases in perihand space that may be tied to the hands’ relevance for grasping actions. Our previous work suggested that when the hands are positioned to afford a power-grasp action, observers show increased temporal sensitivity that could aid with fast and forceful action, whereas when the hands are instead at the ready to perform a precision-grasp action, observers show enhanced spatial sensitivity that benefits delicate and detail-oriented actions. In the present investigation we seek to extend these previous findings by examining how object affordances may interact with hand positioning to shape visual biases in perihand space. Across three experiments, we examined how long participants took to perform a change detection task on photos of real objects, while we manipulated hand position (near/far from display), grasp posture (power/precision), and change type (orientation/identity). Participants viewed objects that afforded either a power grasp or a precision grasp, or were ungraspable. Although we were unable to uncover evidence of altered vision in perihand space in our first experiment, mirroring previous findings, in Experiments 2 and 3 our participants showed grasp-dependent biases near the hands when detecting changes to target objects that afforded a power grasp. Interestingly, ungraspable target objects were not subject to the same perihand space biases. Taken together, our results suggest that the influence of hand position on change detection performance is mediated not only by the hands’ grasp posture, but also by a target object’s affordances for grasping.
Emancipatory Research Counter-Spaces: Re-Examining Black Doctoral Student Socialization

While the literature on the experiences of Black doctoral students and strategies to eliminate their marginalization remains ample, the continued student narratives of inequity persist. These narratives necessitate greater attention to the perspectives of socialization graduate education leaders employ to support Black doctoral students. Thus, in this paper I re-examine and expand Weidman, Twale, and Stein’s (Socialization of graduate and professional students in higher education: A perilous passage? ASHE-ERIC higher education report, 28. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 2001) model of graduate socialization and call for the integration of emancipatory research counter-spaces as part of the framework. Such spaces serve as locations where students experience the socialization processes of interaction, integration, and learning within an environment dedicated to inquiry that embraces emancipatory pedagogy, community, intersectionality, and critical praxis. Using a specific case of six Black doctoral students engaged in a co-curricular participatory action research project, the Action Research Collective, the chapter ends with recommendations to support Black doctoral students.
Impact of Anode on Product Formation During the Electrochemical Reduction of Chalcopyrite

A hydrometallurgical process has been demonstrated to electrochemically convert chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) to less refractory mineral phases for subsequent chemical oxidation. The electrochemical reaction mechanisms are not well understood; consequently, researchers have been unable to improve the process. In this study, the bulk and surface phases of the chalcopyrite mineral during the progression of the electrochemical reactions are monitored using x-ray diffraction and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. The results suggest that chalcopyrite reacts at the cathode of the electrochemical reactor to release iron and form an intermediate chalcocite (Cu2S) mineral phase. Allowing Cu2S to contact the anode leads to the formation of covellite (CuS), whereas preventing the mineral from anode contact leads to the formation of cuprite (Cu2O). It was shown that copper ions are more easily extracted from Cu2O than CuS; therefore, it may be desirable to isolate the anode from mineral contact during the electrochemical process.
RESONANT EXCITATION OF BOUND EXCITON LUMINESCENCE IN GaAs1-x Px ALLOYS*

Bound exciton luminescence in GaAs/sb>1-xPx alloys is sufficiently broadened by alloy disorder that little information can be gained about electronic energies and phonon couplings. By resonantly exciting narrow exciton components with a dye laser we have recovered sharp luminescence features like those in GaP. Detailed results are given for x=0.50 where broadening is greatest. Excitons bound to group VI donors show phonon coupling characteristic of an effective mass level at the X1 conduction band minimum, whereas nitrogen traps show phonon assistance characteristic of a deep level–stronger coupling to phonons throughout much of k-space and more zero phonon broadening. We identify phonons and verify zero-phonon luminescence lineshape for both cases.