cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sustained attention in infancy: A foundation for the development of multiple aspects of self-regulation for children in poverty.

Abstract There are many avenues by which early life poverty relates to the development of school readiness. Few studies, however, have examined the extent to which sustained attention, a central component of self-regulation in infancy, mediates relations between poverty-related risk and cognitive and emotional self-regulation at school entry. To investigate longitudinal relations among poverty-related risk, sustained attention in infancy, and self-regulation prior to school entry, we analyzed data from the Family Life Project, a large prospective longitudinal sample (N = 1292) of children and their primary caregivers in predominantly low-income and nonurban communities. We used structural equation modeling to assess the extent to which a latent variable of infant sustained attention, measured in a naturalistic setting, mediated the associations between cumulative poverty-related risk and three domains of self-regulation. We constructed a latent variable of infant sustained attention composed of a measure of global sustained attention and a task-based sustained attention measure at 7 and 15 months of age. Results indicated that infant sustained attention was negatively associated with poverty-related risk and positively associated with a direct assessment of executive function abilities and teacher-reported effortful control and emotion regulation in pre-kindergarten. Mediation analysis indicated that the association between poverty-related risk and each self-regulation outcome was partially mediated by infant attention. These results provide support for a developmental model of self-regulation whereby attentional abilities in infancy act as a mechanism linking the effects of early-life socioeconomic adversity with multiple aspects of self-regulation in early childhood.
Development and content validation of the Multifactoral assessment of perceived social support (MAPSS), a brief, patient-reported measure of social support for use in HIV care

ABSTRACTLow perceived social support (SS) negatively impacts health outcomes. We developed a measure of perceived SS for use in HIV care. We sought and categorized legacy items, selecting strongest...
Application of thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer reinforced acrylonitrile butadiene styrene in fused filament fabrication

Abstract In this work, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) was reinforced with a thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer (TLCP) for use in Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF). As ABS and the selected TLCP do not exhibit overlapping processing temperatures, the composite filaments were generated using a dual extrusion technology which allows processing of such matrix-TLCP combinations. The 40.0 wt.% TLCP/ABS filaments exhibited a tensile strength and modulus of 169.2 ± 4.0 MPa and 39.9 ± 3.7 GPa, respectively, due to a nearly continuous reinforcement of the filament. The postprocessing of the filaments in FFF was carried out below the melting temperature of the TLCP, which allowed the printer to take sharp turns despite having nearly continuous reinforcement. On the contrary, the use of commercially available continuous carbon fiber/nylon 6 was found to avoid printing regions which required sharp turns. On printing with the 40.0 wt.% TLCP/ABS filaments, the tensile strength and modulus in the print direction were 74.9 ± 2.4 MPa and 16.5 ± 0.8 GPa, respectively. The compression molded specimens exhibited a tensile strength and modulus of 79.6 ± 4.4 MPa and 12.3 ± 1.2 GPa, respectively, whereas the injection molded specimens exhibited 51.3 ± 3.0 MPa and 4.5 ± 0.1 GPa, respectively.
On the spectral theory for first-order systems without the unique continuation property

We consider the differential equation Ju′+qu=wf on the real interval (a,b) when J is a constant, invertible skew-Hermitian matrix and q and w are matrices whose entries are distributions of order z...
Critical Rhetoric| Privileged Vulnerability: Embodied Pedagogy as Critical Rhetorical Praxis

Contextualized within the space/place of the classroom, in this article we use autoethnographic, narrative inquiry as a method built on a foundation of critical rhetoric and feminism as intersecting orientations. This study demonstrates how critical rhetoric as an orientation provides liberatory opportunities for our pedagogy at this historical moment of cultural forces intervening in a misogynistic culture that antagonizes feminist inquiry. Through our embodied and privileged vulnerability, our stories emerge, which can lead to empathy and transformation. In the case of knowledge production of and about feminism(s), embodied pedagogy—revealed via critical rhetoric—positions educators and students as cocreators and critics of discourse and lived, bodily experiences, inside and outside the classroom.
Generating realistic building electrical load profiles through the Generative Adversarial Network (GAN)

Abstract Building electrical load profiles can improve understanding of building energy efficiency, demand flexibility, and building-grid interactions. Current approaches to generating load profiles are time-consuming and not capable of reflecting the dynamic and stochastic behaviors of real buildings; some approaches also trigger data privacy concerns. In this study, we proposed a novel approach for generating realistic electrical load profiles of buildings through the Generative Adversarial Network (GAN), a machine learning technique that is capable of revealing an unknown probability distribution purely from data. The proposed approach has three main steps: (1) normalizing the daily 24-hour load profiles, (2) clustering the daily load profiles with the k-means algorithm, and (3) using GAN to generate daily load profiles for each cluster. The approach was tested with an open-source database – the Building Data Genome Project. We validated the proposed method by comparing the mean, standard deviation, and distribution of key parameters of the generated load profiles with those of the real ones. The KL divergence of the generated and real load profiles are within 0.3 for majority of parameters and clusters. Additionally, results showed the load profiles generated by GAN can capture not only the general trend but also the random variations of the actual electrical loads in buildings. The proposed GAN approach can be used to generate building electrical load profiles, verify other load profile generation models, detect changes to load profiles, and more importantly, anonymize smart meter data for sharing, to support research and applications of grid-interactive efficient buildings.
Ligand binding to a humanized anti-cocaine mAb detected by non-reducing SDS-PAGE.

Abstract Monoclonal antibodies are very useful tools in experimental biology, as well as being valuable and effective therapeutic drugs. They can be targeted against proteins with varied functions, or against small molecules of interest to both researchers and clinicians, such as drugs of abuse, including cocaine. Since there is no currently FDA approved pharmacological treatment for cocaine abuse, our laboratory has developed an anti-cocaine mAb for the treatment of cocaine use disorders. This humanized anti-cocaine antibody, named h2E2, has been thoroughly characterized both functionally and structurally, in preparation for the start of clinical development. We previously showed that this mAb could be characterized by sequential thermal unfolding of antibody domains using non-reducing SDS-PAGE. We also demonstrated that ligand-induced protein stabilization can be used to quantitatively measure cocaine and cocaine metabolite binding to the h2E2 mAb, utilizing differential scanning fluorimetry. Here, we demonstrate the utility of non-reducing SDS-PAGE for the qualitative assessment of binding of cocaine and some of its metabolites, both to the intact mAb, as well as to fragments containing the antigen binding site (Fab and F(ab’)2 fragments). These results clearly show a ligand concentration dependence of the stabilization of the cocaine binding domain in non-reducing SDS-PAGE, as well as visually differentiating the relative binding affinities of various cocaine metabolites. Thus, non-reducing SDS-PAGE is a simple and widely available technique that is useful as a measure of binding of cocaine and its metabolites to the h2E2 mAb, and it is likely that this technique will also be applicable to other small molecule-directed mAbs.
Contemporary Imaging of the Surgically Placed Hepatic Arterial Infusion Chemotherapy Pump

Hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) of chemotherapy is a locoregional treatment strategy for hepatic malignancy involving placement of a surgically implanted pump or percutaneous port-catheter device i...
Great minds think alike, or do they often differ? Research topic overlap and the formation of scientific teams.

Abstract Over the last century scientific research has become an increasingly collaborative endeavor. Commentators have pointed to different factors which contribute to this trend, including the specialization of science and growing need for diversity of interest and expertise areas in a scientific team. Very few studies, however, have precisely evaluated how the diversity of interest topics between researchers is related to the emergence of collaboration. Existing theoretical arguments suggest a curvilinear relationship between topic similarity and collaboration: too little similarity can complicate communication and agreement, yet too much overlap can increase competition and limit the potential for synergy. We test this idea using data on six years of publications across all disciplines at a large U.S. research university (approximately 14,300 articles, 12,500 collaborations, and 3400 authors). Employing topic modelling and network statistical models, we analyze the relationship between topic overlap and the likelihood of coauthorship between two researchers while controlling for potential confounders. We find an inverted-U relationship in which the probability of collaboration initially increases with topic similarity, then rapidly declines after peaking at a similarity “sweet spot”. Collaboration is most likely at low-to-moderate levels of topic overlap, which are substantially lower than the average self-similarity of scientists or research groups. These findings – which we replicate for different units of analysis (individuals and groups), genders of collaborators, disciplines, and collaboration types (intra- and interdisciplinary) – support the notion that researchers seek collaborators to augment their scientific and technical human capital. We discuss implications for theories of scientific collaboration and research policy.
Getting their days in the sun

While metal halide perovskite solar cells are extensively investigated in the lab their performance and degradation in real-world outdoor conditions are still poorly understood. Now, researchers propose a method to analyse field data to identify how and why the outdoor device performance changes over time.
Semiclassical noise beyond the second cumulant (Invited Paper)

We show how the semiclassical Langevin method can be extended to calculations of higher-than-second cumulants of noise. These cumulants are affected by indirect correlations between the fluctuations, which may be considered as "noise of noise." We formulate simple diagrammatic rules for calculating the higher cumulants and apply them to mesoscopic diffusive contacts and chaotic cavities. As one of the application of the method, we analyze the frequency dependence of the third cumulant of current in these systems and show that it contains additional peculiarities as compared to the second cumulant. The effects of environmental feedback in measurements of the third cumulant are also discussed in terms of this method.
Rescuing responsible hydropower projects

Abstract Given the still-growing use of coal and natural gas in generating electricity in many developing countries, it is necessary to put far more effort into promoting responsible large-scale hydropower projects. In contrast to hydro, solar and wind power face physical constraints that greatly limit their potential to replace fossil-fuel sources of power generation. Because designing hydro projects to reduce their socio-economic and environmental damage typically entails greater costs and/or lower capacity, subsidies are needed to increase the number of responsible, economically viable projects. Despite the past abuses, hydro offers low-carbon energy generation, low-cost power generation, and important potential for energy storage and peaking supply to supplement intermittent low-carbon sources such as wind and solar. The promotion of responsible hydropower requires greater awareness of the possibilities for responsible projects, greater overall climate funding, better provision for local participation and compensation, changes in the doctrines of additionality, and stronger institutions to identify, design, and broker these projects.
Angiotensin type 2 receptor activation limits kidney injury during the early phase and induces Treg cells during the late phase of renal ischemia.

The angiotensin II type 2 receptor agonist C21 has been known to have a renoprotective role in various kidney pathologies. C21 treatment (before renal ischemia) attenuated postischemic kidney injur...
Force-and-moment-based Model Predictive Control for Achieving Highly Dynamic Locomotion on Bipedal Robots

In this paper, we propose a novel framework on force-and-moment-based Model Predictive Control (MPC) for dynamic legged robots. In specific, we present a formulation of MPC designed for 10 degree-of-freedom (DoF) bipedal robots using a simplified rigid body dynamics with input forces and moments. This MPC controller will calculate the optimal inputs applied to the robot, including 3-D forces and 2-D moments at each foot. These desired inputs will then be generated by mapping these forces and moments to motor torques of 5 actuators on each leg. We evaluate our proposed control design on physical simulation of a 10 degree-of-freedom (DoF) bipedal robot. The robot can achieve fast walking speed up to 1.6 m/s on rough terrain, with accurate velocity tracking. With the same control framework, our proposed approach can achieve a wide range of dynamic motions including walking, hopping, and running using the same set of control parameters.
Protein crosslinking as a therapeutic strategy for SOD1-related ALS

Mutations in the gene encoding Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) cause a subset of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS). One effect of these mutations is that SOD1, which is normally a stable dimer, dissociates into toxic monomers. Considerable research efforts have been devoted to developing compounds that stabilize the dimer of fALS SOD1 variants, but these have not yet resulted in an approved drug. We demonstrate that a cyclic thiosulfinate cross-linker can stabilize prevalent disease-causing SOD1 variants. The degree of stabilization afforded by cyclic thiosulfinates (up to 24 {degrees}C) is unprecedented. We show this compound works rapidly in vivo with a half-life of ~3 days. The efficacy, low toxicity, and pharmacodynamics of cross-linker mediated stabilization make it a promising therapeutic approach for SOD1-related fALS. Significance statementCyclic thiosulfinate S-XL6 enables the kinetic stabilization of ALS-associated SOD1 variants, in vivo.
Controls on the geometry of potholes in bedrock channels

Potholes (circular depressions carved into bedrock) are the dominant roughness elements in many bedrock channels. Here we show, using data from previous studies and new data from the Smith River, Oregon, that pothole depths increase in proportion to both the mean pothole radius (such that the most common pothole depth-to-radius ratio is 2) and the diameter of the largest clasts episodically stored in potholes. We present a theory for these observations based on computational fluid dynamics and sediment transport modeling of vortices in cylindrical cavities of different shapes and sizes. We show that the shear stress at the bottom of a pothole (which controls the rate of pothole growth) is maximized for potholes with a depth-to-radius ratio of approximately 1 and decreases nonlinearly with increasing depth-to-radius ratio such that potholes with depth-to-radius ratios larger than 3 are uncommon. Our model provides a mechanistic explanation for pothole shapes and sizes.
A Fundamental Framework for Cohesive Sediment Dynamics

This review paper summarizes important results obtained by the author and co-workers on the hydrodynamic behavior of cohesive sediments in a flow field. Experimental laws have been obtained for the initiation, degree and rates of erosion, deposition and resuspension in terms of readily determinable gross flow variables while the controlling gross soil properties can be represented in terms of a few parameters which can be easily evaluated. These parameters are expected to vary in natural estuaries as the sediment disperses during the deposition-resuspension cycles. It was shown that erosion and deposition does not take place simultaneously and that a given flow can maintain in suspension a specific portion of the total sediment. A model has been developed which explains the observed phenomena and links the behavior of cohesive sediments to that of cohesionless sediments and wash load. The knowledge to-date provides a basic and unified framework within which detailed aspects can be identified for further studies.
Neurotransmission: Measuring Chemical Events

Measuring chemical events in neurotransmission is challenging because fast measurements of small amounts of neurotransmitters and neuromodulators are needed to track the dynamics of chemical changes accurately. In this article, we outline the basics of three popular methods for measuring neurochemical changes: electrophysiology, microdialysis, and electrochemistry. Electrophysiological techniques measure changes in membrane potentials associated with neurotransmission. These methods are often used to measure receptor-gated ion channel currents and are popular for neuropharmacology studies. Microdialysis is a sampling technique that can be used to monitor basal levels of neurotransmitters directly. When coupled to a separation technique, microdialysis is advantageous because it can be used to detect virtually any compound in the brain. Electrochemical techniques are popular because microelectrodes allow rapid, direct detection of neurotransmitters with minimal tissue disturbance. Although the analytes must be electroactive, electrochemistry has been used successfully to monitor neurochemical changes in various preparations, from single cells to behaving animals. Future research in monitoring neurochemical events will include improving the temporal resolution, spatial resolution, and selectivity of measurements.
L-Asparaginase from escherichia coli B. Succinylation and subunit interactions.

Abstract Asparaginase from Escherichia coli B has been modified with increasing amounts of [14C]succinic anhydride. Enzyme activity is enhanced when 15% and 25% of the lysyl residues are succinylated. Up to 40% of the lysyl residues were succinylated without destroying enzyme activity and without causing dissociation of this oligomeric protein. More extensive succinylation causes dissociation into subunits which exposes further sites for reaction with the cyclic anhydride. The number of succinyl groups covalently bound far exceeds the content of lysine groups, indicating that although succinic anhydride prefers to react with the e-amino group of lysyl residues it will also react with the functional groups of other amino acids. The results suggest that asparaginase contains two distinct classes of lysyl residues. The first 40% react readily with succinic anhydride and are not essential for catalytic activity; nor are they involved in subunit interactions. The remaining 60% are much less reactive and become available to the reagent only after the subunit has dissociated and functional groups which were hidden or were involved in the association of subunits are now exposed. Succinyl asparaginase dissociated more rapidly in the presence of 4.6 m urea than the native enzyme. The succinylated subunits can be reconstituted in part to a catalytically active tetramer. The fraction which does not fully reassociate has a sedimentation of 3.3 S, an emission maximum at 330 nm, compared with 317 nm for the tetramer or 345 nm for the monomer, and appears to be a dimer based on its behavior in a sucrose gradient. Hybridization of native and succinyl asparaginase produces three bands in addition to the starting proteins on polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis. These results constitute evidence that the native and modified enzymes are composed of four identical subunits.
Regulation of Class I MHC Expression: In Vivo Function of Regulatory DNA Sequence Elements in Transgenic Mice

The class I MHC genes constitute a multigene family consisting of a set of highly homologous DNA sequences (Kindt, Singer, 1987). Despite the relatedness of the class I genes, their products have been divided into three sub-families, based on their function, serological characteristics, and tissue distribution (Klein, 1975). One of these subfamilies, containing the classical class I genes, encodes transplantation antigens which are the primary restriction elements recognized in a cytolytic T cell response (Singer, Maguire, 1989). The other two families, containing the non-classical class I genes such as Qa and TL in the mouse, are less well functionally characterized, but are distinguished by the tissue distribution of their gene products (Singer, Maguire, 1989). Early serological studies of the transplantation antigens indicated that they are ubiquitously expressed, but that their level of expression varies among the tissues (Amos, Kostyu, 1980; Bodmer, 1981). Subsequent analyses of class I RNA levels with molecular probes has revealed that steady state levels of class I mRNA vary, suggesting that class I gene expression is transcriptionally regulated (Singer, Maguire, 1989; Fahrner, Hogan, Flavell, 1987; Ehrlich et al 1989).
The Saline Wheal Test as a Measure of The Blood Supply in Arterial Disturbances of the Extremities

Excerpt It is not my intention of entering into any polemic debate or theoretic discussion as to the nature of the diseases I intend to discuss or the physiology of the tests I am about to recommen...
The Role and Characteristics of Accounting-Based Performance Pricing in Private Debt Contracts

Performance pricing is a recent contractual innovation, which ties interest rates to a pre-specified grid of some measure of credit risk. We investigate performance pricing because it is becoming a common feature in bank debt, and essentially represents a rare example of market pricing directly tied to accounting-based measures of performance. Our major findings can be summarized as follows. First, we argue that performance pricing emerged as a response to increasing competitive pressures in the market for corporate financing. It reduces transaction and agency costs, and allows for more efficient contracts, furthering the competitive appeal of bank debt. Second, accounting-based performance pricing provisions are detailed, sophisticated, and expansive. The typical pricing grid accommodates ranges of credit risk and interest rate changes, which seem large compared to the economics of private lending. Third, there is a strong pattern of complementarity between same-variable performance pricing and covenant provisions. Probing further, we find that the typical contract sets the initial pricing at the high-cost end of the performance grid, with a same-variable covenant set tightly beyond the top of the grid. Thus, performance pricing and covenants form a well-defined contractual package, where performance pricing provisions are typically designed to handle credit improvements, while credit deteriorations are handled with covenant provisions.
Total synthesis of deamido bleomycin A2, the major catabolite of the antitumor agent bleomycin

Metabolic inactivation of the antitumor antibiotic bleomycin is believed to be mediated exclusively via the action of bleomycin hydrolase, a cysteine proteinase that is widely distributed in nature. While the spectrum of antitumor activity exhibited by the bleomycins is believed to reflect the anatomical distribution of bleomycin hydrolase within the host, little has been done to characterize the product of the putative inactivation at a chemical or biochemical level. The present report describes the synthesis of deamidobleomycin demethyl A2 (3) and deamido bleomycin A2 (4), as well as the respective aglycones. These compounds were all accessible via the key intermediate Nα-Boc-Nβ-[1-amino-3(S)-(4-amino-6-carboxy-5-methylpyrimidin-2-yl)propion-3-yl]-(S)-β-aminoalanine tert-butyl ester (16). Synthetic deamido bleomycin A2 was shown to be identical to the product formed by treatment of bleomycin A2 with human bleomycin hydrolase, as judged by reversed-phase HPLC analysis and 1H NMR spectroscopy. Deamido ble...
Cytokine modulation of HIV expression

Cytokines, the peptide hormones which control the homeostasis of the immune system and also play a fundamental role in inflammatory and immune mediated reactions, have been involved at multiple levels in the pathogenesis of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been shown to induce production of several cytokines both in vitro and in vivo. Conversely, several cytokines modulate the levels of HIV expression in infected cells of both T lymphocytic and mononuclear phagocytic lineage. Activated mononuclear cells, particularly B cells which are in a state of chronic activation in HIV infected individuals, release HIV-inductive cytokines and thus play a potentially important role in the pathogenesis of HIV infection.
DNA interrogation by the CRISPR RNA-guided endonuclease Cas9

The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-associated enzyme Cas9 is an RNA-guided endonuclease that uses RNA-DNA base-pairing to target foreign DNA in bacteria. Cas9-guide RNA complexes are also effective genome engineering agents in animals and plants. Here we use single-molecule and bulk biochemical experiments to determine how Cas9-RNA interrogates DNA to find specific cleavage sites. We show that both binding and cleavage of DNA by Cas9-RNA require recognition of a short trinucleotide protospacer adjacent motif (PAM). Non-target DNA binding affinity scales with PAM density, and sequences fully complementary to the guide RNA but lacking a nearby PAM are ignored by Cas9-RNA. Competition assays provide evidence that DNA strand separation and RNA-DNA heteroduplex formation initiate at the PAM and proceed directionally towards the distal end of the target sequence. Furthermore, PAM interactions trigger Cas9 catalytic activity. These results reveal how Cas9 uses PAM recognition to quickly identify potential target sites while scanning large DNA molecules, and to regulate scission of double-stranded DNA.
Comments on an assumption made in “A problem in the parameterization of large‐scale eddies”

Upon re-reading a previous contribution Expanding both sides of eq. ( 5 ) we obtain [Srivatsangam (1976), hereafter referred to as SR], the author realized that an inadvertent assumption had been made by him in that paper. The assumption concerns the calculations presented in Table 2 of that paper. In SR, the zonal variance of the height of an isobaric surface. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1977.tb00734.x
A functional calculus for a matrix perturbation of ddx

We construct a functional calculus for the operator D(J+A)(i(d/dx)) where J is an invertible n × n constant matrix and A(x) is a small bounded matrix valued function. We define φ(D) and prove its boundedness on L2 for a certain class of φ. Unlike the scalar version of D, it is not clear how to estimate the resolvent of the matrix case in order to apply standard Calderon-Zygmund theory. Instead, using some ideas of Alan McIntosh, we prove boundedness by establishing quadratic estimates. The functional calculus for D leads to a functional calculus for Πi = 1n((− i(ddx)) − ai) where the ai are derivatives of suitably constrained bounded functions. In the last part of the paper, we consider a matrix ∂∂z operator which leads naturally to a bilinear operator the boundedness of which has long been an open question.
The Timing of Puberty: Is It Changing? Does It Matter?

Whether the secular trend of a decreasing age of puberty has continued over the past 50 years remains controversial. Data that had been classically used to address this issue are reviewed and large epidemiologic studies, which had not previously been included, are now considered to challenge the conclusions of prior debates of this topic. The effect and timing of excessive weight gain are discussed in detail and recent observations about the opposing effects of obesity on the pubertal timing of girls versus boys are considered. The second half of the review examines both the causes and the long-term health consequences of early puberty, touching on the possible effect of stress and endocrine-disrupting chemicals along with the risks of reproductive cancers, metabolic syndrome, and psychosocial consequences during adolescence and beyond.
The Amino‐Acid Sequences of Three Cystine‐Free Cyanogen‐Bromide Fragments of Human Serum Transferrin

The amino acid sequences of three fragments obtained on cyanogen bromide cleavage of human transferrin have been determined. Two of the fragments are small (4 and 7 residues) and had not been isolated in previous studies of the CNBr fragments of transferrin. The sequence of the larger fragment (53 residues) was elucidated by examining peptides isolated from digests of the fragment with trypsin, chymotrypsin or thermolysin. This region of transferrin appears to contain the sites of three previously-reported substitutions in the D, and Dchi genetic variants.
Revision Sinus Surgery

Revision sinus surgery for inflammatory disease has been revolutionized by endoscopic sinus surgery. Clinical trials have shown statistically significant positive outcome data for patient symptoms and quality of life, as well as improvements in objective findings on postoperative nasal endoscopy and computed tomography imaging for patients undergoing revision sinus surgery. The keys to successful revision surgery are adjunctive medical management, aggressive postoperative debridement, mucosal preservation, and removal of osteitic bone. Both the physician and patient should also understand the underlying disease process and comorbid factors so that anticipated postoperative outcomes can be met with realistic expectations.
Parametrization of Reduced Order MIMO Tracking Prefilters With Optimality Considerations

A primary disadvantage of using an internal model to achieve multivariable tracking is the high order of the internal model. In situations where it is known that each output is to track only its associated reference input, the internal model formulation results in an overdesign of sorts. A method is presented through which a prefilter may be constructed to achieve asymptotic tracking of only the required reference inputs. It is shown that obtaining the prefilter requires the solution of a polynomial matrix equation. Conditions for existence of a solution to this equation, as well as an algorithm for its construction, are presented. Since existence of a solution implies an infinite number of solutions, the algorithm provides a means of parametrizing all solutions of a given order. Unlike prefilter techniques such as plant inversion, the method presented may be applied to nonminimum phase systems and results in proper, physically realizable systems. Since an infinite number of solutions exist, criteria for defining and obtaining the optimal solution are presented. In fact, it is shown that obtaining the optimal prefilter reduces to solving a set of linear equations. A multivariable system is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the optimization procedure. In addition, the tracking is shown to be robust with respect to certain structured plant perturbations.
Addressing the Problem of Domestic Violence: How Far Have We Come?

The social work profession has a complex and arguably problematic history in relation to the problem of domestic violence. Through a review of abstracts of social work articles published from 1985 to 2000, the authors sought to determine whether anything has changed since Davis’s (1987) seminal study regarding the way in which the profession addresses the problem of domestic violence. The findings indicate that although researchers have done a good job of listening to the voices of battered women, there has been scant theorizing in the literature about the sexist origins of the problem.
Gibberellin-GID1-DELLA: a pivotal regulatory module for plant growth and development.

The diterpenoid hormone GA controls diverse developmental processes throughout the life cycle of a plant. Physiological and genetic studies show that active GA promotes seed germination and vegetative growth. In some species, GA also induces flowering and regulates flower, fruit, and seed development. This article highlights recent advances in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of GA metabolism, transport, perception, and signaling, and the regulatory circuit between the GA pathway and other pathways to control plant growth and development in response to internal and external cues.
Resident Physician Perceptions About Assessment of Decision-Making Capacity: An Opportunity For Geriatric Psychiatrists

Methods: We reviewed inpatient admissions to an acute psychiatry inpatient unit from Jan 1, 2012 April 1, 2012 to determine if Veterans admitted to the unit, had adequate exposure to PAD, and identify any gaps in the flow of information related to Psychiatric Advance Directives. Information regarding PAD is offered to psychiatric inpatients at the time of admission and on discharge. We studied the process which was used to provide this information, and if it was done in a timely manner. Results: The age of patients ranged from 22-85 with a median age of 52. The majority were males (93%). 55.5% of those admitted were African American, 43% Caucasian and 1.5% of Arab American, Asian and Latino origin. Majority of the patients had more than one diagnosis. The most common admitting diagnoses were Substance abuse and a Mood disorder secondary to substance use (44.4%). A dementia diagnosis was recorded for only 2% of admissions during this period. None of the 196 patients admitted during this period displayed an interest in pursuing PAD. We also noted through verbal interviews with staff, that nursing staff had poor training with regards to administering the PAD. e.g. there was no mechanism to evaluate the decision-making capacity of newly admitted psychiatric inpatients and there was no process to offer information related to PAD to patients when their capacity had improved. Conclusions: Veterans admitted to an acute psychiatric inpatient unit had poor information regarding Psychiatric advance directives. There was also no mechanism in place to determine the decision-making capacity of newly admitted and presumably incapacitated patients. There were also problems in the flow of information related to PAD to psychiatric inpatients. We recommend that staff on an inpatient psychiatric unit be given appropriate training in the understanding and implementation of Psychiatric advance directives. Provisions must also be made to train staff in the evaluation of decision-making capacity of psychiatric inpatients in relation to their ability to express their preferences for psychiatric treatment in the future. We recommend that psychiatric patients admitted on acute psychiatric inpatient units be given information related to Psychiatric Advance Directives on discharge or when their mental health condition has stabilized during their admission.
Abstract 1969: Inhibition of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase downregulates BRCA1 and RAD51 in a pathway mediated by E2F4 and p130

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Inhibitors of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) are in clinical trials for cancer therapy based on the role of PARP in recruitment of base excision repair (BER) factors to sites of damage. Here we show that PARP inhibition to block BER is toxic to hypoxic cancer cells, in which homology-dependent repair (HDR) is known to be down-regulated. However, we also report the unexpected finding that disruption of PARP, itself, either via chemical PARP inhibitors or siRNAs targeted to PARP-1, can inhibit HDR by suppressing expression of BRCA1 and RAD51, key factors in HDR of DNA breaks. Mechanistically, PARP inhibition was found to cause increased occupancy of the BRCA1 and RAD51 promoters by repressive E2F4/p130 complexes, a pathway prevented by expression of HPV E7, which disrupts p130 activity, or by siRNAs to knock down p130 expression. Functionally, disruption of p130 by E7 expression or by siRNA knockdown also reverses the cytotoxicity and radiosensitivity associated with PARP inhibition, suggesting that the down-regulation of BRCA1 and RAD51 is central to these effects. Direct measurement of HDR using a GFP-based assay demonstrates reduced HDR in cells treated with PARP inhibitors. This work identifies a novel mechanism by which PARP regulates DNA repair and suggests new strategies for combination cancer therapies. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1969.
Chronic rumination reduction in a severely developmentally disabled adult following combined use of positive and negative contingencies

The use of combined positive and negative contingencies markedly reduced ruminative behavior in a severely mentally retarded, blind 20-year-old male residing in a residential treatment facility. A 95.4% decrease in rumination events occurred from baseline to follow-up. This procedure is offered as an effective and convenient treatment for chronic rumination.
Sharp estimation of the almost-sure Lyapunov exponent for the Anderson model in continuous space

In this article we study the exponential behavior of the continuous stochastic Anderson model, i.e. the solution of the stochastic partial differential equation u(t,x)=1+∫0tκΔxu(s,x)ds+∫0tW(ds,x)u(s,x), when the spatial parameter x is continuous, specifically x∈R, and W is a Gaussian field on R+×R that is Brownian in time, but whose spatial distribution is widely unrestricted. We give a partial existence result of the Lyapunov exponent defined as limt→∞t−1 log u(t,x). Furthermore, we find upper and lower bounds for lim supt→∞t−1 log u(t,x) and lim inft→∞t−1 log u(t,x) respectively, as functions of the diffusion constant κ which depend on the regularity of W in x. Our bounds are sharper, work for a wider range of regularity scales, and are significantly easier to prove than all previously known results. When the uniform modulus of continuity of the process W is in the logarithmic scale, our bounds are optimal.
Application of homogeneous and heterogeneous cation-exchange membranes in coagulant recovery from water treatment plant residuals using Donnan membrane process

Abstract The Donnan membrane process (DMP) was applied for recovery of alum from water treatment plant residuals or sludge. Alum is widely used as a coagulant in drinking water treatment plants for efficient removals of suspended solids and colloidal particles. The application was studied for two different types of membrane viz. the homogeneous Nafion 117 membrane and the heterogeneous Ionac 3470 membrane. Homogeneous membranes are coherent ion exchanger gels while heterogeneous membranes consist of colloidal ion exchanger particles embedded in an inert binder. In the process, the recovered Al3+ could be concentrated to a high value of over 4500 mg/L (80% recovery) with Nafion 117, but the recovery was relatively low (25% recovery) with Ionac 3470. Since the Donnan membrane process is driven by the electrochemical potential gradient, the presence of high turbidity and natural organic matters in the sludge did not influence alum recovery and no noticeable membrane fouling was observed even after multiple runs for long hours of operation. The Al3+ recovery profile led to identification of three zones of mass transport viz. kinetically driven linear zone, equilibrium driven saturation zone and osmosis driven dilution zone. All the three zones were observed in Nafion 117 during a 24 h experimental run. For Ionac 3470, only the linear zone was observed during the experimental period. Osmosis effect was not noted for Ionac 3470. The interdiffusion coefficient value of DAl–H was found to be one order of magnitude greater for Nafion 117. Within an ion exchange membrane, a diffusing ion hops from one charged site to the next and that constitutes the primary intramembrane ion transport mechanism. Scanning electron microphotograph and x-ray fluorescence showed clusters of non-conducting inert phases within the Ionac 3470 membrane containing no ionogenic groups. The lower interdiffusion coefficient for Ionac 3470 was attributed to its larger fraction of the non-conducting phase compared to Nafion 117.
Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy with monolithic nanoporous gold disk substrates

Monolithic hierarchical nanoporous gold disks, 500 nm in diameter, 75 nm in thickness and 3.5 nm in pore radius, have been fabricated by hybrid processes. A surface-enhanced Raman scattering enhancement factor of at least 108 has been obtained on individual disks using benzenethiol self-assembled monolayer with 785 nm laser excitation.
Prey diversity, prey composition, and predator population dynamics in experimental microcosms

1. Food-web complexity-stability relations are central to ecology, and many empirical studies show greater food-web complexity leads to lower population stability. Here, predator population variability decreased with increasing prey diversity in aquatic microcosm experiments, an example of greater food-web complexity leading to greater population stability. 2. Prey diversity as well as different sets of prey species within each level of prey diversity produced differences in predator population dynamics, demonstrating the importance of both prey composition and prey diversity in determining predator population stability. 3. Prey diversity can affect predator population dynamics through at least three groups of mechanisms: prey reliability, prey biomass, and prey composition mechanisms. The results suggest that greater prey reliability at higher prey diversities enhances predator stability and provide support for MacArthur (1955).
Enhanced Glucose 6-Phosphatase Activity in Liver of Rats Exposed to Mg2+-Deficient Diet

Total hepatic Mg(2+) content decreases by >25% in animals maintained for 2 weeks on Mg(2+) deficient diet, and results in a >25% increase in glucose 6-phosphatase (G6Pase) activity in isolated liver microsomes in the absence of significant changed in enzyme expression. Incubation of Mg(2+)-deficient microsomes in the presence of 1mM external Mg(2+) returned G6Pase activity to levels measured in microsomes from animals on normal Mg(2+) diet. EDTA addition dynamically reversed the Mg(2+) effect. The effect of Mg(2+) or EDTA persisted in taurocholic acid permeabilized microsomes. An increase in G6Pase activity was also observed in liver microsomes from rats starved overnight, which presented a ~15% decrease in hepatic Mg(2+) content. In this model, G6Pase activity increased to a lesser extent than in Mg(2+)-deficient microsomes, but it could still be dynamically modulated by addition of Mg(2+) or EDTA. Our results indicate that (1) hepatic Mg(2+) content rapidly decreases following starvation or exposure to deficient diet, and (2) the loss of Mg(2+) stimulates G6P transport and hydrolysis as a possible compensatory mechanism to enhance intrahepatic glucose availability. The Mg(2+) effect appears to take place at the level of the substrate binding site of the G6Pase enzymatic complex or the surrounding phospholipid environment.
Excision boundary conditions for black-hole initial data

We define and extensively test a set of boundary conditions that can be applied at black-hole excision surfaces when the Hamiltonian and momentum constraints of general relativity are solved within the conformal thin-sandwich formalism. These boundary conditions have been designed to result in black holes that are in quasiequilibrium and are completely general in the sense that they can be applied with any conformal three-geometry and slicing condition. Furthermore, we show that they retain precisely the freedom to specify an arbitrary spin on each black hole. Interestingly, we have been unable to find a boundary condition on the lapse that can be derived from a quasiequilibrium condition. Rather, we find evidence that the lapse boundary condition is part of the initial temporal gauge choice. To test these boundary conditions, we have extensively explored the case of a single black hole and the case of a binary system of equal-mass black holes, including the computation of quasicircular orbits and the determination of the innermost stable circular orbit. Our tests show that the boundary conditions work well.
A useful property of order statistics and its application to UMVU estimation

Consider a random sample of sizen drawn from a continuous parent distributionF. A basic and useful known property associated with such sample is the following: the conditional distribution of thejth order statistic given a valuet of theith order statistics, (j>i), coincides with the distribution of the(j−i)th order statistic in a sample of size (n−i) drawn from the parent distributionF truncated at the left att. In this article we mention some applications of this property, and provide a new application to the construction of an Uniformly Minimum Variance Unbiased (UMVU) estimator in the case of two-truncation parameters family of distributions.
Cardiac channel molecular autopsy for sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy is the sudden, unexplained, unexpected death of an individual with epilepsy in which postmortem examination does not reveal an anatomic or toxicologic cause of d...
Viscosity–Temperature Correlation for Crude Oils Using an Arrhenius-Type Asymptotic Exponential Function

Practical correlation of the viscosity of typical crude oils with temperature and gravity is presented. The temperature dependence of oil viscosity is described using an Arrhenius-type asymptotic exponential function. The parameters of this equation are correlated with the American Petroleum Institute (API) gravity. This approach to developing empirical correlations is verified by comparison to experimental data. It is demonstrated that the present approach yields an accurate correlation of oil viscosity with a simple equation.
Evidence for a giant quadrupole resonance in oxygen-16

We calculate the angular distribution and polarization of the photoneutrons from ${\mathrm{O}}^{16}$ in the giant-dipole region. We have to supplement our $E1$ amplitudes, which were obtained previously, with large phenomenological $E2$ amplitudes; we interpret this as evidence for a giant quadrupole resonance. We show that the importance of $E2$ amplitudes makes the current data analysis in $E1$ approximation very doubtful. The assumed $E2$ resonance is also shown to be easily detected experimentally.