cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Deformation analysis of reinforced soil retaining walls—simplistic versus sophisticated finite element analyses

Over the last two decades, different kinds of modular block have been increasingly used in the geogrid-reinforced soil retaining walls. The simulation of such wall behavior, which involves interactions between different structural components and backfill soils, requires a rigorous numerical procedure. Finite element is usually a preferred method, but this procedure, especially the soil constitutive models, is of different degrees of sophistication. It is always an issue of how simple or sophisticated should an analysis be conducted in replicating the actual behavior. In this article, a full-scale test wall was used to validate simplistic and sophisticated finite element analyses. Different types of finite element and material models were used in the two kinds of analysis to differentiate the level of simplicity or sophistication. The results obtained from stress-deformation analyses are presented and compared. It is shown that for wall construction that involves static loading conditions, simplistic nonlinear elastic and sophisticated elastoplastic analyses produced close and acceptable results.
Genetic manipulation in mammalian cells using an RNA/DNA chimeric oligonucleotide

Abstract A number of cellular transformations are due, in large part, to single base mutation that alters the function of the expressed protein. Similarly, alterations in the DNA sequence of a gene involved in cell proliferation can have a significant effect on the viability of particular cells. Thus the capacity to modulate the base sequence of such a gene would be a useful tool for cancer therapeutics. We have developed a experimental strategy that centers around site-specific DNA base mutation or correction using a unique chimeric oligonucleotide and the enzymatic activity of a eukaryotic recombinase. Based on mechanistic, biochemical studies of the requirements for homologous DNA pairing in vitro, an oligonucleotide consisting of RNA and DNA residues in continuum was designed. This chimeric molecule has demonstrated higher recombinogenic activities than identical oligonucleotides containing only DNA residues, both in vitro and in vivo. It is designed to hybridize to a target site within the genome and induce a single base mismatch at the residue targeted for mutation. The DNA structure created at this site is recognized by the host cell's repair system which mediates the correction reaction. The homologous alignment between the chimeric molecule and the genome is catalyzed, in all likelihood, by a DNA pairing enzyme. The known eukaryotic pairing enzyme, Rec2, is more active in DNA pairing reactions when one of the two pairing partners contains RNA residues. In this study, we demonstrate site-specific base changes in the H-ras and K-ras genes mediated by the chimeric molecule in two different cell lines. The results suggest that a feasible approach to regulating cell growth and division may center around the concept of gene correction.
Endocrine Activity retained in Diapause Insect Larvae

DIAPAUSE is a state of arrested development which synchronises insect activity cycles with seasons when food resources are available. Facultative diapause occurs in response to environmental cues such as photoperiod and temperature which influence the endocrine system before the unfavourable conditions arrive1,2. We have now obtained evidence that the currently accepted theory of humoral regulation of larval diapause should be revised. Past research on the pupal diapause of Saturniid moths led to the widely accepted conclusion that larval and pupal diapause result from a failure of the neurosecretory cells of the brain or the corpora cardiaca to release the brain (prothoracotropic) hormone which is required to stimulate the prothoracic glands to secrete the moulting hormone, ecdysone3–5. The arrest of growth and moulting and the initiation of diapause have therefore been attributed to the absence of this brain hormone from the haemolymph6. Available evidence linking larval diapause with an inactive endocrine system has, however, remained inconclusive7–10. Our data indicate that, on the contrary, mature diapause larvae of the southwestern corn borer, Diatraea grandiosella Dyar, must retain a functional endocrine system since they undergo stationary ecdyses during diapause. The ability of diapause larvae to undergo stationary ecdyses remains consistent with the concept of diapause as a state of arrested development because the stationary ecdyses do not affect the developmental stage11. (Luscher used the term stationary ecdysis to describe the ecdysis of the pseudergate larvae of the termite, Kalotermes flavicollis, when no progressive development occurs.) We now have evidence to implicate juvenile hormone (JH) in the regulation of this larval diapause.
Post-dive oxygen consumption of restrained and unrestrained muskrats (Ondatra zibethica)

Abstract 1. 1. Oxygen consumption of muskrats ( Ondatra zibethica ) after restrained and unrestrained dives of various lengths was measured. 2. 2. The post-dive excess oxygen consumption was always greater than the calculated oxygen debt. 3. 3. For equal length dives, the excess oxygen consumption was statistically the same for both restrained and unrestrained dives but the number of minutes required for recovery was greater after restrained dives. 4. 4. Possible factors that could account for these results are discussed and it is concluded that a restrained dive is a good approximation of an unrestrained dive, when measuring the magnitude of the post-dive oxygen consumption in muskrats.
Law and Cognitive Neuroscience

Law and neuroscience (sometimes neurolaw) has become a recognized field of study. The advances of neuroscience are proving useful in solving some perennial challenges of legal scholarship and are leading to applications in law and policy. While caution is appropriate in considering neurolaw approaches, the new knowledge should—and will—be put to use. Areas of special attention in current neurolaw scholarship include (a) techniques for the objective investigation of subjective states such as pain, memory, and truth-telling; (b) evidentiary issues for admitting neuroscience facts and approaches into a court proceeding; (c) free will, responsibility, moral judgment, and punishment; (d) juvenile offenders; (e) addiction; (f) mental health; (g) bias; (h) emotion; and (i) the neuroeconomics of decision making and cooperation. The future of neurolaw will be more productive if challenges to collaboration between lawyers and scientists can be resolved.
Synergistic interactions between Cry1Ac and natural cotton defenses limit survival of Cry1Ac-resistant Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on Bt cotton.

Larvae of the bollworm Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) show some tolerance to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Cry1Ac, and can survive on Cry1Ac-expressing Bt cotton, which should increase resistance development concerns. However, field-evolved resistance has not yet been observed. In a previous study, a population of H. zea was selected for stable resistance to Cry1Ac toxin. In the present study, we determined in laboratory bioassays if larvae of the Cry1Ac toxin-resistant H. zea population show higher survival rates on field-cultivated Bt cotton squares (= flower buds) collected prebloom—bloom than susceptible H. zea. Our results show that Cry1Ac toxin-resistant H. zea cannot complete larval development on Cry1Ac-expressing Bt cotton, despite being more than 150-fold resistant to Cry1Ac toxin and able to survive until pupation on Cry1Ac toxin concentrations greater than present in Bt cotton squares. Since mortality observed for Cry1Ac-resistant H. zea on Bt cotton was higher than expected, we investigated whether Cry1Ac interacts with gossypol and or other compounds offered with cotton powder in artificial diet. Diet incorporation bioassays were conducted with Cry1Ac toxin alone, and with gossypol and 4% cotton powder in the presence and absence of Cry1Ac. Cry1Ac toxin was significantly more lethal to susceptible H. zea than to resistant H. zea, but no difference in susceptibility to gossypol was observed between strains. However, combinations of Cry1Ac with gossypol or cotton powder were synergistic against resistant, but not against susceptible H. zea. Gossypol concentrations in individual larvae showed no significant differences between insect strains, or between larvae fed gossypol alone vs. those fed gossypol plus Cry1Ac. These results may help explain the inability of Cry1Ac-resistant H. zea to complete development on Bt cotton, and the absence of field-evolved resistance to Bt cotton by this pest.
Pitfalls and potential of particle swarm optimization for contemporary spatial forest planning.

We describe here an example of applying particle swarm optimization (PSO) — a population-based heuristic technique — to maximize the net present value of a contemporary southern United States forest plan that includes spatial constraints (green-up and adjacency) and wood flow constraints. When initiated with randomly defined feasible initial conditions, and tuned with some appropriate modifications, the PSO algorithm gradually converged upon its final solution and provided reasonable objective function values. However, only 86% of the global optimal value could be achieved using the modified PSO heuristic. The results of this study suggest that under random-start initial population conditions the PSO heuristic may have rather limited application to forest planning problems with economic objectives, wood-flow constraints, and spatial considerations. Pitfalls include the need to modify the structure of PSO to both address spatial constraints and to repair particles, and the need to modify some of the basic assumptions of PSO to better address contemporary forest planning problems. Our results, and hence our contributions, are contrary to earlier work that illustrated the impressive potential of PSO when applied to stand-level forest planning problems or when applied to a high quality initial population.
MicroRNAs as Novel Myocardial Biomarkers

The search for new biomarkers of cardiovascular disease remains a large and growing enterprise. Biomarkers are used to identify the risk, presence, and/or severity of disease; to guide diagnostic and therapeutic interventions; and to provide clues to disease mechanisms and pathophysiological distinctions within clinically similar populations. Among cardiovascular biomarkers, those used for identifying the presence or severity of myocardial injury have the most extensive history. Beginning with the first report 55 years ago that circulating transaminases are increased in acute myocardial infarction (1), the search for new and better biomarkers of myocardial injury has continuously evolved. As recently reviewed (2), cardiac troponin has emerged after decades of clinical and laboratory investigation as a highly diagnostically sensitive and specific biomarker of myocardial injury, with a currently indispensable role in the accurate and timely diagnosis of patients with suspected acute coronary syndromes (ACSs).1 Central to this preeminence is the tissue specificity of cardiac troponin isoforms, increases in assay sensitivity, and an extensive body of evidence validating the diagnostic, prognostic, and therapy-guiding utility of cardiac troponins in diverse clinical settings. Because the benefits of ACS treatments are favorably influenced by the speed with which they are applied, the ideal myocardial injury biomarker must also permit rapid measurement; cardiac troponin assays have also proved satisfactory in this regard. Despite the established strengths of cardiac troponins for prompt and reliable detection of myocardial injury, the ability to reliably detect ischemia in the absence of myocyte necrosis and the ability to distinguish alternative causes and mechanisms of myocyte damage (inflammation, oxidative stress, apoptosis) represent unmet needs and opportunities for new biomarkers, which have been highlighted in recent reviews (2)(3). Resistance to inaccuracy caused by confounding factors such as renal failure is another favorable attribute that is not ideally achieved with cardiac troponin assays. …
UvrD Limits the Number and Intensities of RecA-Green Fluorescent Protein Structures in Escherichia coli K-12

RecA is important for recombination, DNA repair, and SOS induction. In Escherichia coli, RecBCD, RecFOR, and RecJQ prepare DNA substrates onto which RecA binds. UvrD is a 3′-to-5′ helicase that participates in methyl-directed mismatch repair and nucleotide excision repair. uvrD deletion mutants are sensitive to UV irradiation, hypermutable, and hyper-rec. In vitro, UvrD can dissociate RecA from single-stranded DNA. Other experiments suggest that UvrD removes RecA from DNA where it promotes unproductive reactions. To test if UvrD limits the number and/or the size of RecA-DNA structures in vivo, an uvrD mutation was combined with recA-gfp. This recA allele allows the number of RecA structures and the amount of RecA at these structures to be assayed in living cells. uvrD mutants show a threefold increase in the number of RecA-GFP foci, and these foci are, on average, nearly twofold higher in relative intensity. The increased number of RecA-green fluorescent protein foci in the uvrD mutant is dependent on recF, recO, recR, recJ, and recQ. The increase in average relative intensity is dependent on recO and recQ. These data support an in vivo role for UvrD in removing RecA from the DNA.
Inhibition of calcium channels in rat central and peripheral neurons by omega-conotoxin MVIIC.

Inhibition of voltage-dependent calcium channels by omega-conotoxin MVIIC (omega-CTx-MVIIC) was studied in various types of rat neurons. When studied with 5 mM Ba2+ as charge carrier, omega-CTx-MVIIC block of N-type calcium channels in sympathetic neurons was potent, with half- block at 18 nM. Block of N-type channels had a rapid onset (tau approximately 1 sec at 1 microM omega-CTx-MVIIC) and quick reversibility (tau approximately 30 sec). The rate of block was proportional to toxin concentration, consistent with 1:1 binding of toxin to channels, with a rate constant (k on) of approximately 1 X 10(6) M-1. sec-1. Both potency and rate of block were reduced dramatically with increasing concentrations of extracellular Ba2+ omega- CTx-MVIIC also blocked P-type calcium channels in cerebellar Purkinje neurons, but both development and reversal of block were far slower than for N-type channels. The rate of block was proportional to toxin concentration, with k on -1.5 x 10(3) M-1. sec-1 at 5 mM Ba2+. From this value and an unblocking time constant of approximately 200 min, a dissociation constant of approximately 50 nM was estimated. Thus, block of P-type channels is potent but very slow. In hippocampal CA3 pyramidal neurons, omega-CTx-MVIIC blocked approximately 50% of the high-threshold calcium channel current; one component (approximately 20%) was blocked with the rapid kinetics expected for N-type channels, whereas the other component was blocked slowly. The component blocked slowly was reduced but not eliminated by preexposure to 200 nM or 1 microM omega-Aga-IVA.
Contribution of biological markers to occupational health

Occupational diseases are now being assessed at the cellular and molecular levels; this presents new opportunities for prevention and control [Calleman et al., 1978; Ong et al., 1987; Stejskal et al., 1989; Welch and Cullen, 1988; Garry et al., 1989]. The key to these opportunities is the ability to detect biological markers that reflect exposure, response, and susceptibility. Biological markers are not new, however. Biological markers such as blood lead, urinary phenol levels in benzene exposure, and liver function assays have long been used in occupational and public health research and practice. What distinguishes the current generation of markers from previous markers is a greater degree of analytical sensitivity and the ability to describe events that occur earlier in the progression between exposure and clinical disease. There are now new domains of response that were not known to exist 20 years ago. Accompanying this sensitivity is the increased requirement to consider the numerous factors that can influence the appearance of biological markers. It has been observed that all workers with similar exposures do not develop disease or markers indicative of exposure or disease. Various acquired and hereditary host factors are responsible for this variation in responses. The role of assessing the nature and degree of variation between individuals is of paramount importance. Finally, the use of biological markers in occupational health research and practice also brings new ethical and legal considerations into high profile. This paper presents my personal opinions on how biological markers can contribute to occupational health efforts and the new requirements that they bring to the field. As with any technological change, the more we can anticipate the impact, the better our ability to adjust.
Stripe-like Inhomogeneities, Coherence, and the Physics of the High Tc Cuprates

The carriers in the high-Tc cuprates are found to be polaron-like “stripons” carrying charge and located in stripe-like inhomogeneities, “quasi-electrons” carrying charge and spin, and “svivons” carrying spin and some lattice distortion. The anomalous spectroscopic and transport properties of the cuprates are understood. The stripe-like inhomogeneities result from the Bose condensation of the svivon field, and the speed of their dynamics is determined by the width of the double-svivon neutron-resonance peak. The connection of this peak to the peak-dip-hump gap structure observed below Tc emerges naturally. Pairing results from transitions between pair states of stripons and quasi-electrons through the exchange of svivons. The pairing symmetry is of the d x 2−y2 type; however, sign reversal through the charged stripes results in features not characteristic of this symmetry. The phase diagram is determined by pairing and coherence lines within the regime of a Mott transition. Coherence without pairing results in a Fermi-liquid state, and incoherent pairing results in the pseudogap state where localized electron and electron pair states exist within the Hubbard gap. A metal-insulator-transition quantum critical point occurs between these two states at T = 0 when the superconducting state is suppressed. An intrinsic heterogeneity is expected of superconducting and pseudogap nanoscale regions.
Pattern filtering for detection of neural activity, with examples from HVc activity during sleep in Zebra finches

The detection of patterned spiking activity is important in the study of neural coding. A pattern filtering approach is developed for pattern detection under the framework of point processes, which offers flexibility in combining temporal details and firing rates. The detection combines multiple steps of filtering in a coarse-to-fine manner. Under some conditional Poisson assumptions on the spiking activity, each filtering step is equivalent to classifying by likelihood ratios all the data segments as targets or as background sequences. Unlike previous studies, where global surrogate data were used to evaluate the statistical significance of the detected patterns, a localized p-test procedure is developed, which better accounts for firing modulation and nonstationarity in spiking activity. Common temporal structures of patterned activity are learned using an entropy-based alignment procedure, without relying on metrics or pair-wise alignment. Applications of pattern filtering to single, presumptive interneurons recorded in the nucleus HVc of zebra finch are illustrated. These demonstrate a match between the auditory-evoked response to playback of the individual bird's own song and spontaneous activity during sleep. Small temporal compression or expansion, or both, is required for optimal matching of spontaneous patterns to stimulus-evoked activity.
Dynamic expression and regulation of the corticotropin-releasing hormone/urocortin-receptor-binding protein system in the primate ovary during the menstrual cycle.

Context: Microarray analysis discovered that mRNA for CRH-binding protein (CRHBP) increased significantly in the primate corpus luteum (CL) after LH withdrawal. Objective: Our objective was to determine whether other components of the CRH/urocortin-receptor-binding protein (UCN-R-BP) system are expressed in the CL during the menstrual cycle and regulated by LH. Design: CL were collected from monkeys during the early (d 3–5 after the LH surge) to very late (d 18–19) luteal phase and from controls or animals receiving GnRH antagonist (Antide, 3 mg/kg body weight). CRH/UCN-R-BP system components were quantitated for mRNA levels by real-time PCR and analyzed for protein localization by immunohistochemistry. Results: All genes encoding the CRH/UCN-R-BP system, except for UCN3, were expressed in the CL. CRH mRNA levels did not change during the luteal phase, whereas expression of UCN, UCN2, CRHR1, and CRHR2 was maximal at early or mid luteal phase before declining (P < 0.05) at the later stages. CRHBP mRNA leve...
Adolescents’ expectations for the future predict health behaviors in early adulthood

Health-related behaviors in adolescence establish trajectories of risk for obesity and chronic degenerative diseases, and they represent an important pathway through which socio-economic environments shape patterns of morbidity and mortality. Most behaviors that promote health involve making choices that may not pay off until the future, but the factors that predict an individual's investment in future health are not known. In this paper we consider whether expectations for the future in two domains relevant to adolescents in the U.S.-perceived chances of living to middle age and perceived chances of attending college-are associated with an individual's engagement in behaviors that protect health in the long run. We focus on adolescence as an important life stage during which habits formed may shape trajectories of disease risk later in life. We use data from a large, nationally representative sample of American youth (the US National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health) to predict levels of physical activity, fast food consumption, and cigarette smoking in young adulthood in relation to perceived life chances in adolescence, controlling for baseline health behaviors and a wide range of potentially confounding factors. We found that adolescents who rated their chances of attending college more highly exercised more frequently and smoked fewer cigarettes in young adulthood. Adolescents with higher expectations of living to age 35 smoked fewer cigarettes as young adults. Parental education was a significant predictor of perceived life chances, as well as health behaviors, but for each outcome the effects of perceived life chances were independent of, and often stronger than, parental education. Perceived life chances in adolescence may therefore play an important role in establishing individual trajectories of health, and in contributing to social gradients in population health.
How Much Memory Does Oculomotor Search Have

Research has demonstrated that oculomotor visual search is guided by memory for which items or locations within a display have already been inspected. In the study reported here, we used a gaze-contingent search paradigm to examine properties of this memory. Data revealed a memory buffer for search history of three to four items. This buffer was effected in part by a space-based trace attached to a location independently of whether the object that had been seen at that position remained visible, and was subject to interference from other stimuli seen in the course of a trial.
Amplitude- and Frequency-Dependent Changes in Neuronal Regularity Parallel Changes in Tremor With Thalamic Deep Brain Stimulation

The mechanisms by which deep brain stimulation (DBS) alleviates tremor remain unclear, but successful treatment can be achieved with properly selected frequency and amplitude. The clinical tremor response to thalamic DBS for essential tremor is dependent on the stimulation frequency and amplitude, and for high frequencies (ges90 Hz), increasing amplitude suppressed tremor, whereas for low frequencies (<60 Hz), increasing amplitude aggravated tremor. We studied the effects of stimulation frequency and amplitude on the output of a population of intrinsically active model neurons to test the hypothesis that regularization of neuronal firing patterns is responsible for the clinical effectiveness of DBS. The firing patterns of model thalamocortical neurons were dependent on stimulation frequency and amplitude in a manner similar to the clinical tremor response. Above a critical frequency, increasing amplitude reduced the coefficient of variation (CV) of the neuronal firing pattern, whereas for low frequencies, increasing the amplitude increased the CV of neuronal activity. The correlation between the changes in tremor and the changes in the C V of neuronal firing supports the hypothesis that regularization of neuronal firing pattern during DBS is one of the mechanisms underlying the suppression of tremor.
Medulloblastoma: seeding of VP shunt tract and peritoneum

We report on a 5-year-old boy with seeding of the peritoneum and a ventriculoperitoneal shunt tract by anaplastic medulloblastoma. The role of ventriculoperitoneal shunting in the spread of primary central nervous system tumors has been controversial. In the case reported here, the unique distribution of tumor implants on ultrasound and multiplanar computed tomography gives further credence to the argument that ventriculoperitoneal shunting is a pathway for extraneural metastases of primary central nervous system tumors.
Exercises for Bringing the Hypothetico-Deductive Method to Life.

This article explains four kinds of inquiry exercises, different in purpose, for teaching advanced-level high school and college students the hypothetico-deductive (H-D) method. The first uses a picture of a river system to convey the H-D method’s logic. The second has teams of students use the H-D method: their teacher poses a hypothesis drawn from a research article the students have not seen and asks them to design an H-D test of it. Later they read the article and compare their designs with its. The third exercise extends this; when economically practical, the class may experimentally test the best of its designs. Finally, an Internet/library exercise lets students inquire into the history of the H-D method.
Further Evidence for Site Fidelity to Wing Molt Locations by King Eiders: Integrating Stable Isotope Analyses and Satellite Telemetry

Abstract Studies using stable-isotope analyses of feathers to determine molt locations in marine birds are increasingly common but generally lack verification through ground-truthing. In this study, we examined the stable isotope compositions of wing feathers from King Eiders (Somateria spectabilis) implanted with satellite-transmitters. We compared stable carbon, nitrogen, and hydrogen isotope compositions (δ13C, δ15N, and δD, respectively) of primary feathers with the geographic location of wing molt in the subsequent year. Longitude of molt locations of eiders was highly correlated with δ13C (r2 = 0.69, N = 12) and δD (r2 = 0.90, N = 12) isotope values from their primary feathers grown in the previous year. There was no relationship between δ15N and location of wing molt (r2 = 0.007, N = 12). The results of this study provide further evidence for site fidelity during wing molt by King Eiders.
Impact of heat stress during seed development on soybean seed metabolome

Seed development is a temperature-sensitive process that is much more vulnerable than vegetative tissues to abiotic stresses. High temperatures during soybean (Glycine max) seed development frequently results in seed with poor germination, increased incidence of pathogen infection, and decreased economic value. Climate change is expected to increase the incidence and severity of summer heatwaves, and the impact of heat stress on seed development will become more widespread during the course of the twenty-first century. Global metabolite profiles were contrasted between seed from heat-tolerant and heat-susceptible genotypes produced under 28/22 °C (control), 36/24 °C, and 42/26 °C day/night temperatures. Germination of seeds from the heat-susceptible genotype was strongly reduced (50 %) for the 36/24 °C treatment and completely inhibited for the 42/26 °C. In contrast, germination was unaffected for the heat-tolerant genotype for the 36/24 °C, and while strongly inhibited, some (25 %) seed from the heat-tolerant genotype were able to germinate even for the 42/26 °C treatment, and in general were less impacted by elevated temperatures as compared to a commonly grown high-yielding, but heat-sensitive genotype. A total of 275 seed metabolites were analyzed by three metabolite profiling methods, and genotype-specific differences and temperature specific differences were identified. A diverse set of antioxidant metabolites, including tocopherols, flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, and ascorbate precursors were found to be enriched in seed of the heat tolerant genotype. The generally greater abundance of these metabolites at both temperatures in the tolerant genotype indicates that these compounds are likely responsible, at least in part, for the greater tolerance to high temperatures during seed development.
Coarse-Grained Ions for Nucleic Acid Modeling

We present a general coarse-grained model of sodium, magnesium, spermidine, and chlorine in implicit solvent. The effective potentials between ions are systematically parametrized using a relative entropy coarse-graining approach [Carmichael, S. P. and M. S. Shell, J. Phys. Chem. B, 116, 8383-93 (2012)] that maximizes the information retained in a coarse-grained model. We describe the local distribution of ions in the vicinity of a recently published coarse-grained DNA model and demonstrate a dependence of persistence length on ionic strength that differs from that predicted by Odijk-Skolnick-Fixman theory. Consistent with experimental observations, we show that spermidine induces DNA condensation whereas magnesium and sodium do not. This model can be used alongside any coarse-grained DNA model that has explicit charges and an accurate reproduction of the excluded volume of dsDNA.
Reflections on Writing an Engaging Patient Blog

Blogs can be a novel way to engage patients in a virtual manner. This reflections article provides highlights on how to get started writing a patient blog as well as practical tips to make your patient blog successful. Empowering patients to learn and share through a blog may bring a new level of insight to your education practice.
Solvent Effects on the Electrochemistry of C60. Thermodynamics of Solvation of C60 and Fullerides

The previously published solvent dependence of the electrochemistry of C60 has been extended and reanalyzed. The potentials have been measured against the decamethylferrocenium/decamethylferrocene (Me10Fc+/0) couple, which is much less solvent-dependent than the ferrocenium/ferrocene (Fc+/0) couple, and hence gives a more accurate reflection of the solvent dependence of the C60n-/(n+1)- couples. The formal redox potentials of the C60n-/(n+1)- couples exhibit substantial dependences on the solvent and become more solvent-dependent as the charge increases. This dependence arises from two main interactions with the solvents: hydrogen-bonding interactions with acidic functionality and electrostatic interactions with solvent dipoles. The strength of the hydrogen-bonding interaction increases as the square of the solute charge due to the increase in basicity of the fullerides. In addition to the contribution of the hydrogen-bonding acidity and the solvent dipoles, the potentials of the C600/1- couple are influ...
How well do artificial nests estimate success of real nests

Artificial nests frequently are used to assess levels and patterns of nest predation, but how well these nests measure rates of predation or trends in predation rates at real nests is unclear. We compared predation rates between 58 active Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) nests paired with 58 artificial nests designed to resemble Wood Thrush nests. Paired nests were available to the same predator community both spatially and temporally. Rates of nest predation were significantly lower for active Wood Thrush nests (33%) than for artificial nests (64%). Rates of parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater) also differed between the two groups. Twenty-six percent of active nests and none of the artificial nests were parasitized by cowbirds. During 1993 and 1994, we conducted three artificial nest trials on six study sites per year. Rates of predation were highest in small woodlots and declined with increasing forest patch size consistent with the trend reported for active nests on the same sites. Within sites, rates of predation varied among trials with the amount of variation highest on sites with high predation rates. Our results suggest that although artificial nests should not be used to measure actual rates of nest predation or parasitism, they may be valuable for detecting trends in rates of predation. However, because there are many potential biases associated with the use of artificial nests that may make interpretation of trend data difficult, we recommend using artificial nests primarily in pilot studies or in conjunction with active nests.
An experimental evaluation of the pseudomediation hypothesis

The chaining paradigm of mediation and the corresponding paradigm of pseudomediation were compared. Significant facilitation attributable to associative chaining was obtained in the mediation paradigm whereas the pseudomediation effect previously reported by Handler & Earhard failed to appear. The adequacy of pseudomediation as an explanation of the apparent effects of associative chaining is questioned.
Framework Development for Performance Evaluation of the Future National Airspace System

Sustainability of the National Airspace System (NAS) continues to be a major concern to its governing body, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Several research efforts are addressing the sustainability needs of the future NAS, including the Continuous Lower Emissions, Energy and Noise (CLEEN) program under the FAA, and the Environmentally Responsible Aviation (ERA) and Fixed Wing (FW) projects of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). These initiatives are focused on developing and maturing technologies that would mitigate the environmental impacts of aviation. Alternatively, the Next Generation air transportation system (NextGen) is to provide substantial efficiency improvements from an operational perspective. Also, bio-fuels continue to be an attractive alternative to conventional jet fuels given their reduced life cycle emissions. This paper proposes an integrated framework that would evaluate the performance of the future NAS under different scenarios that consider varying technology, operation, and biofuel contributions. The objective is to assess whether or not the system level goals laid out by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) will be met.
Hydrellia (Ephydridae) and Some Other Acalyptrate Diptera Reared from Potamogeton

In an earlier paper (Berg, 1949) 32 species of insects intimately associated with plants of the genus Potamogeton in Michigan were listed. Species of plants and areas in which they were collected were recorded. The insects, including Diptera of 17 species, were dismissed with a few general remarks concerning aquatic adaptations, modes of hibernation, and injuries inflicted upon host plants. Biology and morphology of immature stages of nine species of Chironomidae reared from Potamogeton are discussed in another paper (Berg, 1950). Similar data regarding eight acalyptrate species will be presented here. Parasitic Hymenoptera reared from puparia of Hydrellia in this investigation represent nine species, seven of which appear to be new. Publication of data on the biology of these interesting insects will be deferred until they are described and specific names become available.
Photon Antibunching from Hybrid Quantum Dot/Conjugated Organic Composite Nanostructures

We have studied the photo-physical properties of isolated CdSe-OPV hybrid nanostructures with photon-pair correlation spectroscopy. We observed a strong wavelength dependent multi-excitonic emission by tuning the excitation in and out of the ligand absorption.
Managing the Impacts of Reservoirs in the Mekong River Basin

The Mekong/Lancang River Basin in China and Southeast Asia is undergoing a period of rapid hydropower development. Despite the basin’s yield of 160 million tons of sediment per year, and the importance of that sediment load to geomorphology, and ecosystem habitat and productivity, very little attention has been paid to reservoir sedimentation and sediment management. This study is devoted to assessing the potential for sedimentation occurring over time in existing and planned dams in the Se San, Sre Pok and Se Kong sub-basins. These three basins (collectively called the “3S” basins) are a particularly important set of adjacent, transboundary watersheds with respect to biodiversity and ecological productivity, and serve as an important source of flow and sediment to the mainstream Mekong River. Daily massbalance simulations of flow and sediment are performed to predict in relative terms the spatial and temporal accumulation and depletion of sediment in river reaches and in reservoirs under different reservoir operation (for hydropower and sediment management) policies. Modeling sediment transport and management requires invoking many assumptions and establishing values for many parameters. This study addresses the sensitivity of the tradeoffs among hydropower production and sediment regime alteration to various assumptions and parameter values. This study finds that 50%-80% (depending on what assumptions are made) of the 3S basins’ sediment load may be trapped in reservoirs, thereby significantly affecting natural sediment regimes. However, even after 100 years of simulated sedimentation, reservoir storage capacities at most reservoir sites were not significantly reduced.
Cultural Considerations for Exercise in Older Adults

Awareness of cultural history, values, and beliefs allows tailoring of exercise recommendations to diverse older adults. Language and low literacy present barriers to understanding an exercise prescription. A culturally sensitive approach can elicit an older adult’s preferences and concerns about potential inhibitors and motivators to physical activity. Community-based participation, with strong emphasis on social supports and family values, is an effective approach for all racial and ethnic groups. “Fitness deserts” limit the ability of many older adults from minority cultures to exercise safely.
Determination of adenosine content in cordyceps healthcare products by HPLC

Objective:In order to accurately determine the content of adenosine in the cordyceps related healthcare products,the method for determination of adenosine by HPLC was optimized.Methods:With 10% methanol water solution as the extracting solution,sealing plug ultrasonic for 30 min,Supelco C18(250 mm×4.6 mm,5 μm) as analytical column,phosphate buffer solution(pH=6.5)+methanol(90+10)as mobile phase,and flow rate at 1.0ml/min,the detective wavelength of 260 nm were involved in this determination.Results:The method for determination of adenosine had good linear relationship between 12.8 ng~128 ng,the linear correlation coefficients were 1.000,the average recoveries were between 99.7%~99.9%,method precision was RSD 0.93%.Conclusion:The method had high sensitivity,good selectivity,linearity and repeatability,which was suitable for the content analysis of adenosine in cordyceps related healthcare products.
Temporal Accuracy of the Nonequilibrium Radiation Diffusion Equations Applied to Two-Dimensional Multimaterial Simulations

A study of the temporal accuracy of a variety of first- and second-order time-integration methods applied to two-dimensional, multimaterial, nonequilibrium, radiation diffusion simulations is presented. These methods are categorized by their temporal order of accuracy, whether the algorithm includes operator splitting, and whether the algorithm includes linearizations. Results are presented that simultaneously measure accuracy and efficiency of the different methods on two different test problems. The two test problems are designed to represent an easy problem, where different approximations may be accurate, and a hard test problem that will stress the different solution algorithms. Results show the importance of being second-order accurate in time and the importance of time-step control.
Long-Range Trends in the Automation of Machine Tools and Manufacturing

A recent Delphi-type forecast of the future of production engineering, carried out by the International Institution for Production Engineering Research (CIRP), strongly indicated that the major future event in the automation of machine tools and manufacturing will be the realisation of the computer-integrated automatic factory. Further, it predicted that this will be a reality well before the end of this century. There are important technological factors and very significant economic and social incentives at work today to provide the motivation for such to happen. As a result, many of the industrialised nations of the world are working toward realisation of this objective. Several have co-ordinated national programmes targeted on this. The strategy being followed in these programmes is to develop and implement a sequence of viable economic steps in the form of shorter range programmes which will lead to eventual realisation of the overall objective. These include development and implementation of such new optimisation technologies as integrated manufacturing software systems, group technology, cellular manufacturing, computer control and multi-station manufacturing systems. Good progress is being made, world wide, in developing and implementing each of these.
Tests with Curved Stopping Boundaries

The stopping rules of Chapter II and III are defined by the crossing of linear boundaries by random walks (or Brownian motion). The linear boundaries arise naturally from sequential probability ratio tests of simple hypotheses against simple alternatives. For problems involving several parameters or composite hypotheses we shall want to consider curved stopping boundaries, which are more difficult to investigate; and only rarely can one obtain exact results even for Brownian motion.
Designing video games for the blind: results of an empirical study

Understanding non-functional software requirements and developing realizable operationalizations of them are critical to the success of any information system. Non-functional requirements dealing with accessibility and usability are especially important considerations when developing information systems for visually impaired stakeholders; however, this is not, yet, an area well understood in information systems development. This work aims to better understand the non-functional software requirements and realizable operationalizations needed to address the accessibility and usability challenges in computer gaming for the visually impaired. Building on previous work, this paper provides the analysis, results, and recommendations stemming from a systematic qualitative analysis of elicited qualitative text using adaptations of the grounded theory method. To do so, the authors developed a PC version of a 1980’s, 2D, Arcade style video game incorporating joystick controls and sound effects and gathered user experience data from six visually impaired users through a closed, pre-game and post-game interviews. The contribution of this work is part of a larger effort to develop systematic requirements engineering approaches, utilizing qualitative methods, to elicit, analyze, and operationalize non-functional software requirements within the information systems development process, to provide equal access to information systems for visually impaired users.
Wip1: A candidate phosphatase for cancer diagnosis and treatment

The critical regulatory mechanisms in numerous cellular pathways including cell survival and DNA damage response mostly depend on phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of proteins. The serine/threonine phosphatase wild-type p53-induced phosphatase 1 (Wip1) is a growth-promoting phosphatase and its numerous downstream targets are important tumor suppressors. Here, we review the Wip1 activity and its relevance to cancer as an oncoprotein. Consecutive investigations about Wip1 and its relation to cancer is critical, as these studies ultimately contribute to the etiology of cancer. A number of innovative studies have recently investigated the importance of Wip1 as a new candidate for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Accordingly, we discuss the present challenges of using Wip1 as a target for cancer treatment.
Room temperature transmetallation from tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane to cyclometallated iridium(III)

Transmetallation reactions involving organoboron reagents and transition metals are legion in synthetic organometallic chemistry and homogeneous catalysis. Triarylboranes (BAr3) have been observed to participate in transmetallation reactions with many transition metals, typically following abstraction of an alkyl (R−) or hydride ligand by the Lewis acidic borane. Here, an unusual transmetallation strategy is described where an aryl group from a borane replaces a weakly coordinated PF6− ligand. The precursors Ir(C^N)2(CNAr)(FPF5) (C^N = cyclometallating ligand, CNAr = aryl isocyanide) react smoothly with B(C6F5)3 to give complexes of the type Ir(C^N)2(CNAr)(C6F5), a previously unobserved structure type featuring an unchelated aryl ligand. The reaction tolerates a variety of C^N ligands and a range of electronically and sterically varied aryl isocyanide ancillary ligands. A total of six complexes of this type are described, two of which are characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. All but one of the complexes luminesces at room temperature, with the emission wavelength dependent on the C^N ligand.
The Gulf War era multiple sclerosis cohort: 3. Early clinical features

Objectives To present clinical features at diagnosis for a large nationwide incident cohort of multiple sclerosis (MS) among those serving in the US military during the Gulf War era (GWE). Materials & Methods Medical records and databases from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for cases of MS with onset in or after 1990, active duty between 1990 and 2007 and service connection by the VA, were reviewed for diagnosis and demographic variables. Neurological involvement was summarized by the Kurtzke Disability Status Scale (DSS) and the Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score (MSSS). Results Among 1919 cases of clinically definite MS, 94% had a relapsing-remitting course and 6% were primary progressive at diagnosis. More males of all races and blacks of both sexes were progressive. At diagnosis, functional system involvement was pyramidal 69%, cerebellar 58%, sensory 55%, brainstem 45%, bowel/bladder 23%, cerebral 23%, visual 18%, and other 5%. Mean DSS scores were: white males, females 2.9, 2.7; black males, females 3.3, 2.8; and other-race males, females 3.2, 2.6. Mean and median MSSS were marginally greater in black males and other males compared to the other sex-race groups. Conclusions In this incident cohort, males and blacks had significantly higher proportions of primary progressive MS. DSS at diagnosis was significantly more severe in blacks and significantly less so in whites and in women vs men, but MSSS was only marginally greater in black males and other-race males. This morbidity assessment early in the course of MS provides population-based data for diagnosis, management, and prognosis.