cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ocean Industrial Education: A Strategy for Applied Curriculum and Instruction in 1980s

This report presents current status of the U.S. Marine education. Also, it is an attempt to draw attention of the marine community regarding establishment of a more practical occupational curriculum geared for training paraprofessionals for the industry in the 1980s and beyond. Despite existing marine training program in Texas, Florida, California and Washington, there remains a lack of national level coordination. Furthermore, marine paraprofessional related education has not yet received its deserved share within the frame of the National Ocean Policy. The present status emphasizing trends and future prospects of marine training has been explored by Abel (1978), Bhatt (1978 and 1979), Leipper (1977) and Ogilive (1977). Also, in its recent publication, U.S. Ocean Policy: Status and Issues (1978), Department of Commerce has addressed the problem. It is recommended that a nationwide pilot marine training of paraprofessionals be established under the direction of a National Review Board comprising competent professionals from academia, industry, and government spheres. The pilot training must emphasize supplying a new crop of paraprofessionals for emerging industries of the 1980s, such as deep-sea mining, new energy technologies, waste disposal, environment, and other related marine occupational fields. The marine paraprofessional's training should be conducted on a national level adopting a consortium style format. The U.S. Marine paraprofessional consortium may be divided on a regional level: New England (Region I), Eastern Coast (Region II), the Gulf coast (Region III), the Pacific coast (Region IV), the Great Lakes (Region V), and the Hinterland (Region VI). These subconsortia, if necessary, should rotate faculty, students, and in some cases, facilities to meet a growing demand of skilled manpower for a particular ocean industry. Under the consortium format, instruction to trainees may be imparted in a variety of ways - through internship, including aboard-the-ship, contract training, or through a combination of these. The two-year and senior institutional joint training programs must be encouraged. The ocean occupational training must be assessed periodically by the proposed National Curriculum Review Board.
Beyond the Public Eye On FOIA Documents and the Visual Politics of Redaction

During the War on Terror, increased secrecy and noncompliance with Freedom of Information Act requests allowed military detention programs to function with systematic efficiency in Guantanamo, Iraq, Afghanistan, and numerous other sites. Often, the released torture memos were heavily redacted and nearly unreadable. Through close readings of redacted documents, this article argues that the visual politics of redaction offer an aesthetic point of entry that brings into focus the limits of transparency for making visible necropolitical systems of violence. Although incongruent with the intention of concealing text, redacted spaces paradoxically can make contrapuntal readings easily available, as they visualize the ungraspable violent dimensions of detainee torture.
Race-ethnic variation in carotid bifurcation geometry.

Background Disturbances in local blood flow influenced by arterial geometry contribute to atherogenesis. Carotid bifurcation hemodynamics depend on the relative sizes of the common carotid artery (CCA), internal carotid artery (ICA), and external carotid artery (ECA), which vary considerably among individuals. The prevalence of carotid bifurcation atherosclerosis differs among race-ethnic groups and is generally lower in African Americans despite a more adverse vascular risk factor profile. We here examine whether there are race-ethnic differences in carotid bifurcation anatomy. Methods The diameters of the CCA, carotid bulb, ICA, and ECA were measured from consecutive cerebral angiograms of African American, white, and Caribbean Hispanic patients. The bulb/CCA, ICA/CCA, ECA/CCA, ECA/ICA, and total cross-sectional outflow/inflow ratio ([ICA 2 + ECA 2 ]/CCA 2 ) were calculated. Results The final analysis included 272 bifurcations of which 103 were among white, 87 Hispanic, and 82 African American patients. The mean age of the population was 59.8 ± 15.8 years and 148 (54.4%) were men. African Americans had a lower ICA/CCA ratio ( P P P Conclusion We found significant differences in the relative sizes of the ICA, ECA, and CCA among race-ethnic groups. African Americans had a proportionally smaller ICA and larger ECA in comparison with whites and Caribbean Hispanics.
The S-Matrix and Sonar Echo Structure.

Abstract : Pulse mode sonar operation is analyzed under the physical hypotheses that the medium is a stationary homogenous fluid; both the sonar system and the scattering objects are stationary; the scattering objects are rigid bodies; and the scattering objects lie in the far field of the transmitter and receiver.
Ethical Dilemmas in Liver Transplant Organ Allocation: Is it Time for a New Mathematical Model?

Organ allocation models that maximize the collective benefit of an organ rely on subjective criteria and might have unintended practical consequences.
Ethical Case Study of the Researcher–Participant Relationship in End-of-Life Research:

Nurse-researchers studying interventions for patients at the end-of-life may become close with participants due to the nature of interactions within the research protocol. In such studies, participants may request further interactions that would constitute clinical care beyond the scope of the protocol. Nurse-researchers may feel a conflict of values between their obligation to the research goals and their inclinations and obligations as nurses to care for their patients. Nurse-researchers in this situation aspire to honor the bonds developed through close contact and ensure participants receive standard of care while maintaining standards of research ethics. Analysis of a case and review of applicable concepts in research ethics, including ethical relationships, therapeutic misconception, equipoise, and population vulnerability, are used to develop recommendations regarding the decision parameters for similar cases.
Inherit the Alamo: Myth and Ritual at an American Shrine. By Holly Beachley Brear. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1995. 184 pp. Hardbound, $19.95.

(1997). Inherit the Alamo: Myth and Ritual at an American Shrine. By Holly Beachley Brear. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1995. 184 pp. Hardbound, $19.95. The Oral History Review: Vol. 24, No. 2, pp. 154-156.
Diagnosing Parietal Abdominal Pain

‘Hands-on’ examination will often solve the mystery posed by acute abdominal pain that eludes the probing sensors of a battery of sophisticated imaging techniques. Helpful diagnostic maneuvers are described in detail.
Influence of growth condition on the concentration of potassium in Bacillus subtilis var. niger and its possible relationship to cellular ribonucleic acid, teichoic acid and teichuronic acid.

1. Mg2+-limited Bacillus subtilis var. niger, growing in a chemostat in a simple salts medium, contained considerably more potassium and phosphorus than Mg2+-limited Aerobacter aerogenes growing in a similar medium at corresponding dilution rates. 2. Growth of the bacillus in a K+-limited environment did not lower the cellular potassium and phosphorus contents, the molar proportions of cell-bound magnesium, potassium, RNA (as nucleotide) and phosphorus being approximately constant at 1:13:5:13 (compared with 1:4:5:8 in Mg2+-limited or K+-limited A. aerogenes). 3. Growth of B. subtilis in a phosphate-limited environment caused the cellular phosphorus content to be lowered to a value similar to that of Mg2+-limited A. aerogenes, but the potassium content was not correspondingly lowered; the molar potassium:magnesium ratio varied from 14 to 17 with changes in dilution rate from 0·4 to 0·1hr.−1. 4. Whereas over 70% of the cell-bound phosphorus of Mg2+-limited or K+-limited A. aerogenes was contained in the nucleic acids, these polymers accounted for less than 50% of the phosphorus present in similarly limited B. subtilis; much phosphorus was present in the walls of the bacilli, bound in a teichoic acid-type compound composed of glycerol phosphate and glucose (but no alanine). 5. Phosphate-limited B. subtilis cell walls (from organisms grown at a dilution rate of 0·2hr.−1) contained little phosphorus and no detectable amounts of teichoic acid, but 40% of the cell-wall dry weight could be accounted for by a teichuronic acid-type compound; this contained a glucuronic acid and galactosamine, neither of which could be detected in the walls of Mg2+-limited B. subtilis grown at a corresponding rate. 6. It is suggested that the high concentration of potassium in growing B. subtilis (compared with A. aerogenes) results from the presence of large amounts of anionic polymer (teichoic acid or teichuronic acid) in the bacillus cell walls.
The Elkins Hypnotizability Scale: Assessment of Reliability and Validity.

Measuring hypnotizability is an integral part of hypnosis research and is also relevant for predicting effectiveness of hypnosis-based therapies. The Elkins Hypnotizability Scale (EHS) was designed to meet the needs of modern hypnosis research and clinical practice. Reliability, validity, and normative data were explored by subjecting 230 participants to the EHS and Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale: Form C (SHSS:C). The EHS demonstrated adequate internal consistency (α = .78), its items showed good discriminating ability, and scores of the two scales were highly correlated (ρ = .86). Results indicate that the EHS is a reliable and valid tool to assess hypnotizability. Further research is needed to establish its role as a surrogate for the SHSS:C.
Relationship of pulmonary arterial pressure and terrain use of Angus cows grazing high-altitude foothill rangelands

Abstract Pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) score is used as an indicator trait for risk of hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension, which is commonly termed high altitude disease and observed in cattle grazing at altitude ≥1500 m. We hypothesized that cows with higher PAP score would avoid using high elevations, steep slopes and areas far from water while grazing foothill rangeland. During 2013 and 2014, forty-one mature Angus cows from a breeding population of cattle selected for tolerance to high altitude were tracked with global positioning system (GPS) collars for 27 and 17 days, respectively. These cows grazed a 1210 ha foothill rangeland pasture with a vertical relief of 2150–2411 m. Pulmonary arterial pressure was measured for each animal at 1 year of age (yearling PAP; 38.2 mm Hg±5.1 SD mm Hg) and before tracking (mature PAP; 42.6 mm Hg±3.7 SD). Yearling PAP score was not correlated with the mature PAP score (r=0.23, P=0.15). Terrain use varied among individual tracked cows, and the range among cows within the same pasture was 59 m (2204 m±15 SD) for average elevation use, 4.7% points (8.9%±0.2 SD) for average slope use and 247 m (446 m±77 SD) for average distance from water. No correlation was detected between mature PAP scores and terrain use metrics (mean elevation, slope and distance from water of tracked locations; r=−0.16, 0.24, 0.25; P>0.10). Similarly, no correlation was detected (P>0.10) between yearling PAP score and terrain use metrics. Yearling and mature PAP scores were not correlated (P>0.50) to indices of terrain use that combined elevation and slope use (rough index) and elevation, slope and distance from water (rolling index). Yearling PAP and mature PAP were not useful predictors (P>0.10) of terrain use in multiple regression analyses. Angus cows in this study were apparently adapted to high elevations and PAP score had little, if any, relationship with their metrics of grazing distribution of foothill rangeland. In situations where elevation was higher, terrain was more rugged or cattle were not adapted, results may differ from those observed in this study.
Population Regulation in Northern Spotted Owls: Theoretical Implications for Management

A marked population of northern spotted owls was examined within a bounded, 292-km2 study area in northwestern California over a six-year period (1985-1990). Observed and predicted finite rates of population change (λ) for male spotted owls were significantly stable. Predicted λ, for females indicated a significant decline even though observed λ indicated stability. Observed stability in numbers of territorial males was maintained by recruitment, whereas stability in numbers of females was maintained by immigration. Most recruits did not become territory holders until several years after their birth. I hypothesized that the study area population was regulated by territorial behavior. Under this mechanism, spotted owl populations may be declining even though observed numbers of territorial birds appear to be stable. Using a computer model, I examined the effects of“floaters”on the stability of territory holders, and suggest warning signals which may predict imminent instability for the population.
Science Education and Student Diversity: Students and Science Learning

There is a rather extensive body of literature in the broad category of students and science learning, compared to more limited bodies of literature in other categories described later. The studies address a wide range of topics, frame issues from multiple theoretical perspectives, and use various research methods. Some studies examine student characteristics or beliefs related to science learning, others focus on learning processes within the context of science instruction, and yet others provide data on students' learning outcomes. Studies on science learning were often conducted in the context of instructional interventions; those studies that specifically focus on student learning are discussed here, whereas those focusing on teaching are discussed under “Science Instruction” in Chapter 5. Studies on students and science learning have addressed the following topics: (a) student characteristics and school experiences as they relate to science achievement and career choices, (b) students' cultural beliefs and practices in relation to science learning, (c) scientific reasoning and argumentation, (d) the sociopolitical process of learning, and (e) science learning among ELL students. Factors Related to Science Achievement and Career Choice In a comprehensive literature review, J. Oakes (1990) described a range of cognitive and affective attributes, school experiences, and societal influences that are linked to differences in science achievement, persistence, and career choice among racial/ethnic and gender groups. The studies reviewed in this section examined various combinations of student characteristics and school experiences.
Childhood family wealth and mental health in a national cohort of young adults

Abstract Purpose Mental health is critical to young adult health, as the onset of 75% of psychiatric disorders occurs by age 24 and psychiatric disorders early in life predict later behavioral health problems. Wealth may serve as a buffer against economic stressors. Family wealth may be particularly relevant for young adults by providing them with economic resources as they make educational decisions and move towards financial and social independence. Methods We used prospectively collected data from 2060 young adults aged 18–27 in 2005–2011 from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, a national cohort of US families. We examined associations between nonspecific psychological distress (measured with the K-6 scale) and childhood average household wealth during ages 0–18 years (net worth in 2010 dollars). Results In demographics-adjusted generalized estimating equation models, higher childhood wealth percentile was related to a lower prevalence of serious psychological distress: compared to lowest-quartile wealth, prevalence ratio (PR)=0.52 (0.32–0.85) for 3rd quartile and PR=0.41 (0.24–0.68) for 4th quartile. The associations were attenuated slightly by adjustment for parent education and more so by adjustment for childhood household income percentile. Conclusions Understanding the lifelong processes through which distinct aspects of socioeconomic status affect mental health can help us identify high-risk populations and take steps to minimize future disparities in mental illness.
Transnational Memory in Michael Haneke’s The White Ribbon and Cate Shortland’s Lore

Buffinga argues that while on the surface Michael Haneke’s The White Ribbon and Cate Shortland’s Lore offer visualizations of a specifically German past. The White Ribbon’s focus on the collapse of the old European order and the subsequent rise of fascism and Lore’s focus on mass migration and displacement at the end of World War II serve to highlight important aspects of transnational European memory. Ultimately, however, both films universalize these memories. By means of an unreliable narrator and by creating a shadow narrative, Haneke challenges viewers to reflect on their own participation in contemporary forms of social brutality and conspiracies of silence, therefore universalizing the memories of a pre-1914 German village. Similarly, Shortland’s film universalizes the experience of post-war German displacement by embedding her film in the framework of a coming-of-age story and by employing fairy tale tropes. Finally, both transform elements of one of the hitherto most provincial and “German” of genres, that is, the Heimat or homeland film, into a universally exportable product.
Three-dimensional microarchitected materials and devices using nanoparticle assembly by pointwise spatial printing

Three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical materials are important to a wide range of emerging technological applications. We report a method to synthesize complex 3D microengineered materials, such as microlattices, with nearly fully dense truss elements with a minimum diameter of approximately 20 μm and having high aspect ratios (up to 20:1) without using any templating or supporting materials. By varying the postprocessing conditions, we have also introduced an additional control over the internal porosity of the truss elements to demonstrate a hierarchical porous structure with an overall void size and feature size control of over five orders of magnitudes in length scale. The method uses direct printing of nanoparticle dispersions using the Aerosol Jet technology in 3D space without templating or supporting materials followed by binder removal and sintering. In addition to 3D microlattices, we have also demonstrated directly printed stretchable interconnects, spirals, and pillars. This assembly method could be implemented by a variety of microdroplet generation methods for fast and large-scale fabrication of the hierarchical materials for applications in tissue engineering, ultralight or multifunctional materials, microfluidics, and micro-optoelectronics.
Spiritual exceptionalism? An ethnographic survey of transnational pentecostal communities in Boston’s inner core:

Though some headway has been made in research into the transnational nature of immigrant Pentecostal communities, most of this research has taken place within a European and African context. A synt...
Detecting and Differentiating the Direction of Change and Intervention Effects in Randomized Trials

Calls continue for randomized interventions in organizational settings. In many cases, however, practical constraints require researchers to use 2-wave randomized pretest-posttest control group designs. We discuss the importance of randomized trials for theory development with a focus on analytic options for 2-wave designs. Our discussion has implications for both designing studies and interpreting results. We review 23 published work and organizational health psychology intervention studies and find that a majority of studies featured a statistical model known to have low statistical power relative to other options. Furthermore, a majority of studies invoked terminology implying the direction of change without providing explicit statistical tests. To improve research practice, we detail statistical power differences in 3 commonly used statistical models and emphasize the distinction between (a) intervention effects and (b) the size and direction of change over time. We encourage researchers to provide inferential evidence for both types of information and show that only 1 of the 3 reviewed models provides information on the direction of change over time, but at a potential expense for statistical power to detect intervention effects. A reanalysis of data from a published work-family workplace intervention illustrates these nuances and supports recommendations for research practice. We conclude by providing recommendations. (PsycINFO Database Record
Happiness, hope, and despair: Rethinking the role of education

Peter Roberts’ recent book, Happiness, Hope, and Despair: Rethinking the Role of Education, has launched a ground-breaking effort that challenges dominant Western conceptions of happiness and the r...
A Sensitive and Cost-effective Fluorescence-based Pyrogallol red assay for H2O2: Applied to Detect H2O2 Mobility Between Culture Wells

A novel fluorescence-based assay to quantitate hydrogen peroxide levels in biological samples was developed with the relatively inexpensive and non-toxic reagents pyrogallol red (PGR) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP). These characteristics of PGR, as well as its ability to be readily oxidized by various species and its absorbance maxima at 540 nm at physiological pH, have led to its use in a number of assays to quantitate levels of small molecule oxidants and antioxidants, metal ions, and catalase. When the reaction is catalyzed, such as by HRP, H2O2 oxidized PGR. We find that the linear range of H2O2 detection by this method is limited to the low μM range. Given its structural similarity to other anionic xanthene dyes, such as fluorescein, we hypothesized PGR would also have fluorescent properties, which might extend its linear range of H2O2 detection. We find that the reduced and oxidized forms of PGR both fluoresce, with distinct excitation and emission spectra. The linear range of H2O2 detection is significantly extended by fluorescence detection. A rapid 96-well plate assay was developed. Controls are included for 1) specifically detecting H2O2 by subtracting out any changes observed after treating samples with catalase and 2) accounting for any nucleophilic quenching of H2O2 (such as by glutathione) by pretreatment with the electrophile N-ethylmaleimide. This assay was then utilized to determine whether and to what extent H2O2 accumulated in neighboring wells in a multi-well cell culture plate, due to volatilization from a treated well. We find that H2O2 does travel from a treated well to a neighboring well.
Individual Recognition and the Evolution of Learning and Memory in Polistes Paper Wasps

Individual recognition is often considered a cognitively challenging form of recognition because it requires flexible learning and memory. Because Polistes paper wasps are one of the few invertebrates known to have individual recognition, they provide a good model for exploring how individual recognition shapes cognitive evolution. Here, we review previous work on individual recognition in paper wasps with a particular focus on learning and memory. In this review, we (1) explore the evolution of individual recognition in paper wasps, including the selective pressures thought to shape the origin and maintenance of individual recognition; (2) discuss the extent of memory for specific individuals during paper wasp social interactions; (3) describe a negative reinforcement training method that can be used for comparative learning research in wasps and other invertebrates; and (4) explain how individual recognition has shaped the evolution of specialized visual learning in paper wasps.
Generating gaits for simultaneous locomotion and manipulation

Modular robots can be rapidly reconfigured into customized articulated legged morphologies capable of mobile manipulation and inspection. However, current gait generation methods do not keep pace with the speed of physical reconfiguration. This work focuses on quickly creating gaits for modular legged robots. We build on a recent method that uses trajectory optimization to design quasi-static gaits given only robot geometry and foot contact patterns. We develop methods to automatically generate contact patterns for new gaits and transitions between them. We show the utility of these methods applied to robots with many limbs, such that limbs can be fluidly reassigned to locomotion, manipulation, or inspection tasks, or to adapt gaits to hardware failures online. We demonstrate gait and transition generation with our modular hexapod and dodecapod robots. The robots switch between gaits that use all limbs for locomotion and those that leave some limbs free to pick up objects or position a camera.
Deep breaths: An internally- and externally-paced deep breathing guide

Deep breathing is a simple and intuitive technique for reducing stress, but requires familiarity with breathing exercises and suitable breathing parameters. We present Deep Breaths, a mobile tool that allows users to experiment with various respiratory pacing signals in order to maximize relaxation. Deep Breaths provides a stationary (i.e., clock-based) pacing signal as well as an adaptive pacing signal that follows fluctuations in the users heart rate. Deep Breaths also provides real-time visualizations of various standard measures of relaxation. This demonstration aims to illustrate how our system can be used for relaxation training.
Morphological variants of Moniliophthora roreri on artificial media and the biotroph/necrotroph shift.

Abstract Moniliophthora roreri (Mr) causes frosty pod rot of Theobroma cacao in a hemibiotrophic association. The Mr biotroph-like phase has not been studied in culture. Mr spores (isolates Co12, Co52, and B3) were germinated on high (V8) and low (BPMM) nutrients with different media hardness (0.5% to 3% agarose). Germination was high on V8 media. Hardness affected germination on BPMM. Most colonies on V8 were slow-growing, failing to sporulate. Colony morphology depended on the isolate. On BPMM, exaggerated mycelia formed of limited length with enlarged cells. On agarose, rapidly expanding sporulating necrotrophic colonies formed rarely. Co12 and B3 spores were germinated on V8 and BPMM with low melting point (LMP) agarose. Slow-growing colonies of B3 on BPMM were unstable on LMP agarose, often forming slow-growing/rapidly expanding hybrids. Slow-growing colonies are hypothesized to represent the biotrophic phase. One nucleus was common in Mr cells, other than spores. Binucleate cells were occasionally observed in aged cells of slow-growing mycelia. Co52 cells often had more than two nuclei per cell after germination. Mr mycelia cells typically carry a single nucleus, being considered haploid. Biotroph- and necrotroph-like mycelia displayed differential gene expression but results were inconsistent with published in vivo results and require further study.
The Promises and Realities of Implementing a Coteaching Model of Student Teaching

Within a sociocultural framework, we use situated learning theory to explore the use of a coteaching approach during student teaching. Coteaching is a model for learning to teach where clinical edu...
The aesthetic politics of taste: Producing extra virgin olive oil in Jordan

Abstract Extra virginity as a standard is predicated on a chemical and sensory evaluation according to the parameters set by the International Olive Council. Though a rich literature examines how food and agricultural standards are implemented in local contexts, little work has assessed how certifications redefine the local aesthetic experience of the food. In order to fill this gap, I analyze the aesthetic politics, which redefine who can taste and how they can do it. I argue that incorporating aesthetic politics into analyses of quality and standards enables tracing how this standard becomes regarded as scientific and, return, effects a re-aestheticizing of what is considered a(n) (il)legitimate taste. This re-aestheticization redefines ‘best practices’ in olive oil production, according to the new aesthetic. This particular configuration of the sensorial experience of olive oil, through its dissemination and employment as part of international-funded capacity building efforts, has social and environmental consequences across Jordan. In sum, this paper—based on 15 months of qualitative fieldwork with farmers, NGOs, mill employees, mill owners, and government officials in the Jordanian olive oil industry—explores how basic taste standards for extra virgin olive oil are discursively instilled in sensory evaluations and physically produced in farm and mill management practices. By tracing these processes, this paper furthers our understanding of how seemingly apolitical, scientific standards travel across scales and affect the ways in which people experience taste.
The Social Construction of Public Opinion

Etymologically, ‘opinion’ has at least one foot in the idea of being able to think independently, of owning one’s thoughts, and the other in the idea of choice, of being able to have preferences, judge something one way or another, or take one of several positions on a controversial issue. Having opinions implies being cognitively autonomous, independent, but also somewhat unpredictable.
Modeling, simulation and experimental validation of a DC power system testbed

The modeling, simulation and experimental validation of the primary bus components of a dc power system testbed are presented herein. This reduced scale and reduced complexity dc testbed is representative of medium voltage dc (MVDC) systems being considered for shipboard next generation integrated power systems (NGIPS). The primary system components include a 4-pole wound-rotor synchronous generator and a propulsion drive based on an induction machine driven by a fully controlled three-phase bridge inverter with an input filter. Four simulation models are presented: a detailed waveform model, a simplified waveform model, a detailed non-linear average value model, and a simplified non-linear average value model. These models have been implemented in the Advanced Continuous Simulation Language (ACSL). The simplified waveform and average value model (AVM) versions of the ACSL truth models were converted to Simulink to aid dissemination to other researchers. System stability is addressed via time domain simulation and a generalized immittance based stability analysis. The time-domain models and frequency domain stability analysis provide consistent results validated by the experimental results provided herein.
Axial Muscle Mass as a Strong Predictor of Death in Subjects with and without Heart Failure

Introduction Skeletal muscle atrophy is a known consequence of disease progression in patients with heart failure (HF). The impact of muscle size, quantified non-invasively using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies, on mortality in this population is currently unknown. Hypothesis Muscle size quantified by direct cross-sectional area measurement on MRI is related to mortality in subjects with heart failure. Methods We retrospectively studied 567 subjects without HF (n=364), with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF; n=111) or HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF; n=92), who underwent a cardiac MRI study. Skeletal muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) was assessed with manual tracing of major thoracic muscle groups on axial chest MRI images. Principal components analysis (PCA) was used to identify a latent factor underlying the shared variability in thoracic muscle CSA. Cox regression was used to assess the relationship between these measurements and all-cause mortality. Results Higher overall thoracic muscle mass assessed with PCA was independently associated with lower mortality (standardized HR=0.52; 95%CI=0.40-0.66; P Conclusions Axial muscle mass, and in particular smaller size of the pectoralis major muscle, is independently associated with higher risk of mortality in patients with and without HF. Further work should clarify the role of muscle wasting as a therapeutic target in patients with HF.
Cardiovascular health in young and middle adulthood and medical care utilization and costs at older age - The Chicago Heart Association Detection Project Industry (CHA).

Abstract It is unclear how long-term medical utilization and costs from diverse care settings and their age-related patterns may differ by cardiovascular health (CVH) status earlier in adulthood. We followed 17,195 participants of the Chicago Heart Association Detection Project Industry (1967–1973) with linked Medicare claims (1992 to 2010). Baseline CVH is a composite measure of blood pressure, body mass index, diabetes, cholesterol, and smoking and includes four mutually exclusive strata: all factors were favorable (5.5%), one or more factors were elevated but none high (20.3%), one factor was high (40.9%), and two or more factors were high (33.2%). We assessed differences in the quantities (using negative binomial models) of and costs (using quantile regressions) for inpatient admissions, ambulatory care, home health care, and others between less favorable and all favorable CVH. All analyses adjusted for baseline age, race, sex, education, age at follow-up, year, state of residence, and death. We found that all favorable CVH in earlier adulthood was associated with lower long-term utilization and costs in all settings and the gap widened with age. Compared to all favorable CVH, the annual number of acute inpatient admissions per person was 79% greater (p-value
On a class of II1 factors with at most one Cartan subalgebra

We prove that the normalizer of any diffuse amenable subalgebra of a free group factor L(F-r) generates an amenable von Neumann subalgebra. Moreover, any II1 factor of the form Q (circle times) over barL(F-r), with Q an arbitrary subfactor of a tensor product of free group factors, has no Cartan subalgebras. We also prove that if a free ergodic measure-preserving action of a free group F-r, 2 <= r <= infinity, on a probability space (X, mu) is profinite then the group measure space factor L-infinity (X) F-r has unique Cartan subalgebra, up to unitary conjugacy.
Effects of mindfulness meditation on mindfulness, mental well-being, and perceived stress.

Abstract Introduction The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of mindfulness meditation using the Headspace™ app on mindfulness, mental well-being, and perceived stress in pharmacy students. Methods Professional year one (P1), professional year two (P2,) and professional year 3 (P3) pharmacy students were recruited to participate. Students were instructed to meditate using the Headspace™ app for at least 10 min per day for four weeks. Students at baseline completed the health promoting lifestyle profile (HPLP). Data was collected from the pre/post surveys using the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS), and Cohen Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Results Ninety-two pharmacy students enrolled in the study. Seventy-percent of the participants completed the study. Only one participant was excluded in the post data analysis due to non-adherence with the protocol. The data revealed that for all scales the intervention was associated with enhanced mindfulness and mental well-being and decreased perceived stress. Further analysis indicated that controlling for various health promoting lifestyle behaviors preserves the positive impact of mindfulness meditation as demonstrated. Conclusions Mindfulness meditation uniformly and independently improved the participants overall mental health. The data supports a feasible option for minimizing stress and maintaining mental well-being in a demanding professional program. This study encourages students in pharmacy schools to adopt these practices in their curriculum.
U.S. trends in the supply of providers with a waiver to prescribe buprenorphine for opioid use disorder in 2016 and 2018.

Abstract Background Healthcare providers can receive waivers to prescribe buprenorphine for opioid use disorder, an evidence-based medication. The United States federal government has undertaken numerous recent efforts to expand access to waivers. This study describes national trends in the U.S. in 2016 and 2018, geospatial characteristics of waivered providers, and the association of county characteristics with patient treatment capacity. Methods Administrative data were drawn for all U.S. counties in 2016 and 2018 for waivered providers, as well as characteristics of counties that may indicate disparities in provider availability. Descriptive statistics were estimated to identify changes across the two years, and how community characteristics correlated with treatment capacity. Measures of geospatial heterogeneity were used to identify spatial clustering. Results Nationally the number of waivered providers increased by 175% between 2016 and 2018, and patient capacity increased by 211%. In 2018, 65% of counties had at least one provider, an increase from 54.9% in 2016. Rural counties continued to have relatively fewer providers than metropolitan counties. In both years, counties with higher indicators of the opioid crisis had greater treatment capacity on average. Certain disparities continued to persist in 2018 in terms of patient capacity, as counties in metropolitan areas, those with lower poverty rates and those more physicians per capita had higher capacity on average. Conclusions The availability of waivered providers to prescribe buprenorphine increased from 2016 to 2018, while disparities persisted. More research is needed to understand how changes in availability of waivered prescribers impact population health.
Being A “Bridge Builder”: A Literacy Teacher Educator Negotiates the Divide between University-promoted Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and District-mandated Curriculum

ABSTRACTThe divide between university and classroom is a longstanding issue in teacher education. The disconnect between sociocultural theory often endorsed by universities and more behaviorist pra...
Serotonin Syndrome: When the Happy Hormone Gets Angry

Serotonin syndrome is a life-threatening condition caused by iatrogenic overactivation of 5HT1a and 5HT2a receptors characterized by the triad of encephalopathy, dysautonomia, and neuromuscular abnormalities. Although certain narcotics have been implicated, case reports related to fentanyl are scarce and the entire drug class is likely under-recognized as a potential precipitant in the clinical setting. We describe a postoperative patient who developed moderately severe serotonin syndrome while receiving a high-dose fentanyl infusion in the context of outpatient paroxetine therapy. The case was successfully managed by the withdrawal of the offending agents and treatment with cyproheptadine. We present a summary of the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of the serotonin syndrome.
Nicotinamide Inhibits Aphid Fecundity and Impacts Survival

Nicotinamide (NAM) alters behavior in C. elegans and Drosophila, serving as an agonist of TRPV channels affecting sensory neurons and mimicking the mode of action of insecticides used to control phloem-feeding insects. The impact of NAM on green peach aphid (Myzus persicae) behaviors was assessed in artificial diet assays and foliar applications to Arabidopsis plants. Aphids feeding on artificial diets supplemented with NAM impaired stylet movement causing feeding interruptions and ultimately starvation and death. Aphid feeding behaviors were negatively impacted on NAM sprayed plants at concentrations as low as 2.5 mM leading to increased mortality. In choice assays with NAM sprayed leaves aphids showed clear preference for untreated control leaves. NAM is an intermediate in the NAD salvage pathway that should accumulate in nicotinamidase (nic) mutants. LC-MS analysis showed NAM accumulates 60-fold in nic-1-1 Arabidopsis mutants as compared with Col-0. Aphid reproductive potential was significantly decreased on nic-1-1 mutant plants, resulting in a smaller colony size and arrested population development. The results support the hypothesis that dietary NAM causes behavioral changes in aphids, including altered feeding, reduced reproduction, and increased mortality. NAM is thought to bind to TRPV channels causing overstimulation of sensory neurons in the aphid feeding apparatus.
Finding the equilibrium of organic electrochemical transistors.

Organic Electrochemical Transistors are versatile sensors that became essential for the field of organic bioelectronics. However, despite their importance, an incomplete understanding of their working mechanism is currently precluding a targeted design of Organic Electrochemical Transistors and it is still challenging to formulate precise design rules guiding materials development in this field. Here, it is argued that current capacitive device models neglect lateral ion currents in the transistor channel and therefore fail to describe the equilibrium state of Organic Electrochemical Transistors. An improved model is presented, which shows that lateral ion currents lead to an accumulation of ions at the drain contact, which significantly alters the transistor behavior. Overall, these results show that a better understanding of the interface between the organic semiconductor and the drain electrode is needed to reach a full understanding of Organic Electrochemical Transistors. Though existing capacitive models describe the electronic transport in organic electrochemical transistors, these models do not provide an accurate steady-state solution. Here, the authors report a numerical model that describes the distribution and accumulation of ions in the transistor channel.
Injective hulls of various graph classes

A graph is Helly if its disks satisfy the Helly property, i.e., every family of pairwise intersecting disks in G has a common intersection. It is known that for every graph G, there exists a unique smallest Helly graph H(G) into which G isometrically embeds; H(G) is called the injective hull of G. Motivated by this, we investigate the structural properties of the injective hulls of various graph classes. We say that a class of graphs $\mathcal{C}$ is closed under Hellification if $G \in \mathcal{C}$ implies $H(G) \in \mathcal{C}$. We identify several graph classes that are closed under Hellification. We show that permutation graphs are not closed under Hellification, but chordal graphs, square-chordal graphs, and distance-hereditary graphs are. Graphs that have an efficiently computable injective hull are of particular interest. A linear-time algorithm to construct the injective hull of any distance-hereditary graph is provided and we show that the injective hull of several graphs from some other well-known classes of graphs are impossible to compute in subexponential time. In particular, there are split graphs, cocomparability graphs, bipartite graphs G such that H(G) contains $\Omega(a^{n})$ vertices, where $n=|V(G)|$ and $a>1$.
Rejecting impulsivity as a psychological construct: A theoretical, empirical, and sociocultural argument

We demonstrate through theoretical, empirical, and sociocultural evidence that the concept of impulsivity fails the basic requirements of a psychological construct and should be rejected as such. Impulsivity (or impulsiveness) currently holds a central place in psychological theory, research, and clinical practice and is considered a multifaceted concept. However, impulsivity falls short of the theoretical specifications for hypothetical constructs by having meaning that is not compatible with psychometric, neuroscience, and clinical data. Psychometric findings indicate that impulsive traits and behaviors (e.g., response inhibition, delay discounting) are largely uncorrelated and fail to load onto a single, superordinate latent variable. Modern neuroscience has also failed to identify a specific and central neurobehavioral mechanism underlying impulsive behaviors and instead has found separate neurochemical systems and loci that contribute to a variety of impulsivity types. Clinically, these different impulsivity types show diverging and distinct pathways and processes relating to behavioral and psychosocial health. The predictive validity and sensitivity of impulsivity measures to pharmacological, behavioral, and cognitive interventions also vary based on the impulsivity type evaluated and clinical condition examined. Conflation of distinct personality and behavioral mechanisms under a single umbrella of impulsivity ultimately increases the likelihood of misunderstanding at a sociocultural level and facilitates misled hypothesizing and artificial inconsistencies for clinical translation. We strongly recommend that, based on this comprehensive evidence, psychological scientists and neuroscientists reject the language of impulsivity in favor of a specific focus on the several well-defined and empirically supported factors that impulsivity is purported to cover. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Modeling the Effect of Layer-on-Layer Cathodes in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Lithium sulfur (Li-S) batteries are promising candidates for next-generation energy storage due to their high theoretical energy density and environmentally abundant chemical inputs. However, well-known challenges such as polysulfide crossover, large volume changes during cycling, and deposition of insulating lithium sulfide limit the capacity and capacity retention of Li-S batteries. A popular approach to address these issues is to control the structure and properties of the carbon cathode in order to influence the transport of polysulfides, surface area for reaction, and lithium sulfide deposition. Towards this direction, we developed a layer-on-layer cathode structure with sulfur-impregnated activated carbon alternating with graphene. The layered structure exhibits improved capacity over the control at low rates but the benefits diminish at high rates and high graphene loadings. To explain this behavior, we use a 1-dimension + time numerical continuum model for the Li-S full cell which is validated against experimental data. The model includes the electrochemical reactions and precipitation of sulfur and intermediate polysulfide species, transport of species through the battery, lithium sulfide nucleation and growth, and adsorption of polysulfides. Experiments and simulations suggest that a combination mass-transfer limitations and surface passivation effects is crucial in describing the performance of the cells, and the effect of cathode properties is further investigated using the model.
Thoracic Aorta and Its Variants

The cardiovascular system is the first system in the body to reach a functional state, at around the 21st and 22nd day of gestation. As a result, any aortic arch anatomical variant results from the aberrant embryologic migration and/or differentiation of undifferentiated cardiac cell precursors. Initially, six paired aortic channels encircle the embryonic pharynx. They supply the developing pharyngeal arches and arise from the aortic sac. These channels run dorsally, embedded in the mesenchyme of the pharyngeal arches, and terminate in the right and left dorsal aortae.
The Space Between: Nature and Machine Heuristics in Evaluations of Organisms, Cyborgs, and Robots.

Cues delivered by agents are known to trigger mental shortcuts associated with ontological category or the kind of thing an agent is. Two such heuristics are key to considering organic and machine ...
Photoperiod Manipulation Reveals a Light-Driven Component to Daily Patterns of Ventilation in Male C57Bl/6J Mice.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder that increases risk for cardiovascular disease and mortality. The severity of sleep-disordered breathing in obstructive sleep apnea patients fluct...