cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dish-like higher-ordered palladium nanostructures through metal ion-ligand complexation

Unlike nucleation and growth in simple precipitation processes, described by the classical theory, metal nanoparticles formed in organic solvents with capping ligands often involve chemical reactions that occur homogeneously in solution or heterogeneously on the metal surface. These chemical reactions lead to the formation of intermediates that occurs in the process of deposition onto nuclei during the reduction. The understanding of these chemical reactions would enable a better design of functional metal nanocrystals, even those with unconventional hierarchical morphologies. In this study, we report the formation of dish-shaped nanostructures of palladium (Pd) obtained from palladium acetylacetonate (Pd(acac)2) in the presence of oleylamine and oleic acid. The process was correlated with the kinetic-controlled evolution of two-dimensional (2D) Pd nanosheets. The formation of Pd-ligand complexes was revealed using single-crystal X-ray diffraction, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry. These intermediates affected the formation kinetics of the 2D nanostructures and higher-ordered morphology of the nanodishes.
E-Darwin2: A smartphone based disaster recovery network using WiFi tethering

Emergency communication networks are crucial for monitoring and providing assistance to affected people during long-persisting disasters. Given substantial and increasing penetration of smart-phones throughout the world, we envision future emergency networks to consist of smart-phones in the disaster area, un-failed portions of the cellular network, and the communication capabilities provided by the specially deployed emergency equipment (e.g., fixed and mobile wireless access points deployed on the ground or in air via helicopters, satellite radio interfaces, etc.). We envision the emergency network for bulk data transmission — such as transmitting multiple pictures/sounds captured by the phone to help with rescue/safety assessment while keeping the delay/energy expenditure minimum. With extensive simulations, we show that the proposed scheme forwards the sensed data to the control centers with small latency (< 3 seconds) while keeping the WiFi radios on for less than 1% of time.
Measuring the Diagnostic Features of Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder: An Exploratory Study.

Purpose The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition introduced a new neurodevelopmental disorder, social (pragmatic) communication disorder (SPCD), that is characterize...
Tobacco Dependence Predicts Higher Lung Cancer and Mortality Rates and Lower Rates of Smoking Cessation in the National Lung Screening Trial.

Background Incorporating tobacco treatment within lung cancer screening programs has the potential to influence cessation in high-risk smokers. We aimed to better understand the characteristics of smokers within a screening cohort, correlate those variables with downstream outcomes, and identify predictors of continued smoking. Methods This study is a secondary analysis of the National Lung Screening Trial randomized clinical study. Tobacco dependence was evaluated by using the Fagerstrӧm Test for Nicotine Dependence, the Heaviness of Smoking Index, and time to first cigarette (TTFC); descriptive statistics were performed. Clinical outcomes (smoking cessation, lung cancer, and mortality) were assessed with descriptive statistics and χ2 tests stratified according to nicotine dependence. Logistic and Cox regression models were used to study the influence of dependence on smoking cessation and mortality, respectively. Results Patients with high dependence scores were less likely to quit smoking compared with low dependence smokers (TTFC OR, 0.50 [95% CI, 0.42-0.60]). Indicators of high dependence, as measured according to all three metrics, were associated with worsening clinical outcomes. TTFC showed that patients who smoked within 5 min of waking (indicating higher dependence) had higher rates of lung cancer (2.07% for > 60 min after waking vs 5.92% ≤ 5 min after waking; hazard ratio [HR], 2.56 [95% CI, 1.49-4.41]), all-cause mortality (5.38% for > 60 min vs 11.21% ≤ 5 min; HR, 2.19 [95% CI, 1.55-3.09]), and lung cancer-specific mortality (0.55% for > 60 min vs 2.92% for ≤ 5 min; HR, 4.46 [95% CI, 1.63-12.21]). Conclusions Using TTFC, a one-question assessment of tobacco dependence, at the time of lung cancer screening has implications for personalizing tobacco treatment and improving risk assessment.
Judgment Capacities of the Actor and the Spectator in Hannah Arendt’s Theory of Judgment

The argument has been made that in her later works Arendt finally subsumes judging as a thinking activity under the vita contemplativa rather than as part of action in the vita activa. This article argues against this interpretation of Arendt’s unfinished theory of judgment defended specifically by Ronald Beiner and Richard Bernstein. Judgment as representative and imaginative thinking remains part of the vita activa because, as distinct from philosophical thinking that is solitary, judgment is communal. Judgment always depends upon the presence of others in a particular public sphere, and in the act of judging an individual is actually engaged in creating a community of those judging. The judgment capacities of the actor and the spectator have a complementary function in preserving plurality in the public realm, and, as such, they are part of the vita activa.
Stress-Strain Modeling with MRI

An important index of myocardial function is myocardial stress, reflecting the distribution of forces within the heart wall. Increased stress has been associated with increased oxygen demand [1], increased blood flow requirement [2], and ventricular remodeling in hypertrophy and post-infarction [3, 4]. It is a function of both ventricular geometry and cavity pressures. However, currently, there is no reliable way to directly measure stress. Invasive methods for determining stress are unreliable, due to the perturbing effects of the invasive devices used, such as implanted force transducers. Attempts to model the stress distribution within the heart wall have been limited by a lack of sufficient data on the geometry and properties of the heart wall and by the sensitivity of the calculated results to the particular corresponding assumptions made for the values of the missing data.
Photophysics of excimer formation in aryl vinyl polymers

The objective of this review is to characterize the excimer formation and energy migration processes in aryl vinyl polymers sufficiently well that the excimer probe may be used quantitatively to study polymer structure. One such area of application in which some measure of success has already been achieved is in the analysis of the thermodynamics of multicomponent systems and the kinetics of phase separation. In the future, it is likely that the technique will also prove fruitful in the study of structural order in liquid crystalline polymers.
Pop-up Robotics: Facilitating HRI in Public Spaces

Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) research in public spaces often encounters delays and restrictions due to several factors, including the need for sophisticated technology, regulatory approvals, and public or community support. To remedy these concerns, we suggest HRI can apply the core philosophy of Tactical Urbanism, a concept from urban planning, to catalyze HRI in public spaces, provide community feedback and information on the feasibility of future implementations of robots in the public, and also create social impact and forge connections with the community while spreading awareness about robots as a public resource. As a case study, we share tactics used and strategies followed to conduct a pop-up style study of 'A robotic mailbox to support and raise awareness about homelessness.' We discuss benefits and challenges of the pop-up approach and recommend using it to enable the social studies of HRI not only to match but to precede, the fast-paced technological advancement and deployment of robots.
Visual Measurements of Atmospheric Transmission of Light at Night

Abstract : Measurements of the visual transmission of the atmosphere were made at night across Chesapeake Bay over a period of two years. A visual telephoto meter was used to measure the illumination produced at a distance of 8.77 sea miles by a series of calibrated light sources. Transmission values ranging between 0.4 and 0.9 per sea mile could be measured to an accuracy of plus or minus 2 percent with the equipment as installed. Lower values were outside the range of the equipment and higher values are not normal for transmission through air. Under stable atmospheric conditions the data obtained at night were in good agreement with direct observations of the daylight visual range made before sunset and after the following dawn.
First-principles calculation of DNA looping in tethered particle experiments

We calculate the probability of DNA loop formation mediated by regulatory proteins such as Lac repressor (LacI), using a mathematical model of DNA elasticity. Our model is adapted to calculating quantities directly observable in tethered particle motion (TPM) experiments, and it accounts for all the entropic forces present in such experiments. Our model has no free parameters; it characterizes DNA elasticity using information obtained in other kinds of experiments. It assumes a harmonic elastic energy function (or wormlike chain type elasticity), but our Monte Carlo calculation scheme is flexible enough to accommodate arbitrary elastic energy functions. We show how to compute both the 'looping J factor' (or equivalently, the looping free energy) for various DNA construct geometries and LacI concentrations, as well as the detailed probability density function of bead excursions. We also show how to extract the same quantities from recent experimental data on TPM, and then compare to our model's predictions. In particular, we present a new method to correct observed data for finite camera shutter time and other experimental effects. Although the currently available experimental data give large uncertainties, our first-principles predictions for the looping free energy change are confirmed to within about 1 k_BT, for loops of length around 300 basepairs. More significantly, our model successfully reproduces the detailed distributions of bead excursion, including their surprising three-peak structure, without any fit parameters and without invoking any alternative conformation of the LacI tetramer. Indeed, the model qualitatively reproduces the observed dependence of these distributions on tether length (e.g., phasing) and on LacI concentration (titration). However, for short DNA loops (around 95 basepairs) the experiments show more looping than is predicted by the harmonic-elasticity model, echoing other recent experimental results. Because the experiments we study are done in vitro, this anomalously high looping cannot be rationalized as resulting from the presence of DNA-bending proteins or other cellular machinery. We also show that it is unlikely to be the result of a hypothetical 'open' conformation of the LacI tetramer.
Body of Evidence: Do Autopsy Findings Impact Medical Malpractice Claim Outcomes?

Objective Clinicians may hesitate to advocate for autopsies out of concern for increased malpractice risk if the pathological findings at time of death differ from the clinical findings. We aimed to understand the impact of autopsy findings on malpractice claim outcomes. Methods Closed malpractice claims with loss dates between 1995 and 2015 involving death related to inpatient care at 3 Harvard Medical School hospitals were extracted from a captive malpractice insurer's database. These claims were linked to patients' electronic health records and their autopsy reports. Using the Goldman classification system, 2 physician reviewers blinded to claim outcome determined whether there was major, minor, or no discordance between the final clinical diagnoses and pathologic diagnoses. Claims were compared depending on whether an autopsy was performed and whether there was major versus minor/no clinical-pathologic discordance. Primary outcomes included percentage of claims paid through settlement or plaintiff verdict and the amount of indemnity paid, inflation adjusted. Results Of 293 malpractice claims related to an inpatient death that could be linked to patients' electronic health records, 89 claims (30%) had an autopsy performed by either the hospital or medical examiner. The most common claim allegation was an issue with clinician diagnosis, which was statistically less common in the autopsy group (18% versus 38%, P = 0.001). There was no difference in percentage of claims paid whether an autopsy was performed or not (42% versus 41%, P = 0.90) and no difference in median indemnity of paid claims after adjusting for number of defendants ($1,180,537 versus $906,518, P = 0.15). Thirty-one percent of claims with hospital autopsies performed demonstrated major discordance between autopsy and clinical findings. Claims with major clinical-pathologic discordance also did not have a statistically significant difference in percentage paid (44% versus 41%, P > 0.99) or amount paid ($895,954 versus $1,494,120, P = 0.10) compared with claims with minor or no discordance. Conclusions Although multiple factors determine malpractice claim outcome, in this cohort, claims in which an autopsy was performed did not result in more paid outcomes, even when there was major discordance between clinical and pathologic diagnoses.
The age of LARC: making sexual citizens on the frontiers of technoscientific healthism.

Routinely positioned as the ‘first-line option’ for contraceptive choice-making, long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) promotion efforts have come under critical scrutiny by reproductive just...
Frontier review on metal removal in bioelectrochemical systems: mechanisms, performance, and perspectives

Abstract Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) have been investigated for metal removal and potential recovery from wastewaters. To better understand BES-based metal removal, in this paper we conducted a deeper literature analysis of BES-based metal removal, explored the removal mechanisms, and discussed the challenges of this approach. Four mechanisms are involved to achieve metal removal in BESs: direct redox reaction (DRO), indirect byproduct precipitation (IBP), ion migration, and biological removal. Most removals were via DRO or IBP mechanisms. IBP showed the highest median removal rate at 0.062 kg m−3 d-1 and biological removal had the lowest at 0.0034 kg m−3 d-1. More than 60% of the studies could achieve >95% removal efficiency. Cathode efficiency is affected by the competition from co-existing electron acceptors. More energy consumption data should be reported to better understand the energy advantages of BESs in metal removal. Kinetic analysis demonstrates that IBP may lead to a higher removal rate when the metal concentration is low, while DRO would be more advantageous at a higher initial concentration. The future of metal removal is to recover the removed metal and the recovering methods must consider the minimal interruption of BES operation.
A 3D, Dynamically Loaded Hydrogel Model of the Osteochondral Unit to Study Osteocyte Mechanobiology

Osteocytes are mechanosensitive cells that orchestrate signaling in bone and cartilage across the osteochondral unit. The mechanisms by which osteocytes regulate osteochondral homeostasis and degeneration in response to mechanical cues remain unclear. This study introduces a novel 3D hydrogel bilayer composite designed to support osteocyte differentiation and bone matrix deposition in a bone-like layer and to recapitulate key aspects of the osteochondral unit's complex loading environment. The bilayer hydrogel is fabricated with a soft cartilage-like layer overlaying a stiff bone-like layer. The bone-like layer contains a stiff 3D-printed hydrogel structure infilled with a soft, degradable, cellular hydrogel. The IDG-SW3 cells embedded within the soft hydrogel mature into osteocytes and produce a mineralized collagen matrix. Under dynamic compressive strains, near-physiological levels of strain are achieved in the bone layer (≤ 0.08%), while the cartilage layer bears the majority of the strains (>99%). Under loading, the model induces an osteocyte response, measured by prostaglandin E2, that is frequency, but not strain, dependent: a finding attributed to altered fluid flow within the composite. Overall, this new hydrogel platform provides a novel approach to study osteocyte mechanobiology in vitro in an osteochondral tissue-mimetic environment.
The rhythm of making cheaps: a case study of rhythmanalysis and qualitative labour shortages in Canadian fisheries

This paper explores how an intersectional rhythmanalysis approach that includes attention to animals, ecosystems and corporate capital investment strategies can provide crucial insight into reporte...
Training and Performance Management of Care Providers

This chapter discusses behavioral approaches to staff training and performance management. The first section covers staff training procedures consisting of behavioral skills training, pyramidal training, and the use of video and technology in training. The section reviews the steps involved in best practices for staff training. The second section discusses performance management procedures designed to maintain the correct use of job skills by staff. After a brief review of antecedent and consequent approaches to managing staff performance, the second section discusses resources available to supervisors and managers to assess, promote, and maintain staff performance of their staff. The chapter includes a table listing resources available to organizations seeking to improve staff training and management.
Fit models, not fat models: body inclusiveness in the U.S. fit modeling job market

The extent to which the U.S. fashion industry is becoming more size- and shape- inclusive is highly contested. To assess whether or not this is occurring in women’s fashion, I draw from a content a...
Are All Politics National? County-Level Social Contexts and Inequality Remediation Attitudes, 2006 to 2012:

Despite growing economic inequality in recent decades, public support for government intervention to address it has been stable. A substantial literature has documented the individual-level demogra...
Benchmark Backdating in Mutual Funds

We analyze mutual fund benchmark changes using hand-collect SEC prospectuses. Under existing rules, funds can change their self-designated benchmark indices and compare their historical returns to those of the new benchmarks, that is, funds can potentially ``backdate'' their relative performance. We find that funds take advantage of this loophole in order to retroactively embellish their performance along several dimensions. Funds with low past performance and flows and less sophisticated clientele are more likely to engage in this behavior. Benchmark changing is associated with other deceptive behavior like portfolio pumping.
Virtual reality as a promotion tool for small independent stores

Abstract Based on flow theory, we examined whether, compared to conventional online stores, 360-degree based virtual reality (VR) videos of a small independent store can enhance customers' store experience and their responses to the store through heightened flow state. Two types of stimuli creating different experiences were used for the experiments. The first stimulus type was a 360-degree VR video experience where respondents experienced the store of a small fashion retailer. The second was a website experience exploring the website of the same store. Results indicate that customers' VR experience (i.e., exploring the physical store in a VR setting), compared to website experience (i.e., exploring the same store's online store), enhanced their flow state, which, in turn, increased interest and visit intention toward the store. The findings suggest that 360-degree VR videos can be an effective customer acquisition tool for small retailers with limited resources because the software and hardware required to operate 360-degree VR videos are inexpensive and less complicated for small companies.
Life-Critical Systems

Aircraft, spacecraft, nuclear power plants (NPP’s), operating rooms in hospitals and hospitals themselves are usually denoted as “safety-critical systems”. They also belong to a broader class called “life-critical systems” that covers the purpose of this book and beyond. Life-critical systems (LCS) can be very simple such as circuit breakers, fire alarms, or fuse. They also can be very sophisticated such as robotic surgery machines, NPP instrumentation and control (I & C) systems, scuba-diving equipment, railway signaling and control systems, advanced braking systems on cars, air traffic management systems, and spacecraft.
CHAPTER 16 – The Cellular Basis of B Cell Memory

This chapter describes mechanisms of (true) immunological memory in the humoral immune system of a mouse and a human. They are based on two speciﬁc modes of cellular differentiation, the first resulting in the generation of long-lived and antigen-independent memory cells that respond to renewed antigenic challenge by the rapid differentiation into plasma cells and production of secreted antibodies. While the other generates a compartment of long-lived plasma cells dedicated to long-term antibody production, independent of sustained antigenic challenge. Both types of cells are selected in the germinal center reaction for the production of high-afﬁnity antibodies resulting from somatic hypermutation of rearranged antibody variable region genes. Both memory and long-lived plasma cells are generated, and later reside in deﬁned cellular microenvironments, whose integrity is critical for the survival of the cells. Upon antigenic re-encounter, memory cells recruit T cell's help through efﬁcient antigen presentation, which in turn drives their expansion and terminal differentiation and thus replenish the plasma cell pool.
The microstructure of YBa2Cu3O7−x thin films on SrTiO3 substrate

Abstract The microstructure of high-temperature superconducting thin films (YBa2Cu3O7-x) deposited on SrTiO3 (100) substrates has been investigated. These films show a critical current density several orders of magnitude higher than previously reported for this class of materials. This was found by aligning the superconducting phase epitaxially with the substrate so that the direction of highest current density is parallel to the substrate (the c-axis of the orthorhombic structure perpendicular to the substrate) and by pinning the vortices with a fine distribution of second-phase particles. It is shown that, near the substrate/superconductor interface, the film is indeed mostly epitaxial. Lattice images of this epitaxial interface are presented. A small part of the film near the interface is misoriented so that its c-axis lies parallel to the substrate, with either a or b perpendicular to it. Numerous second-phase particles (Y2O3 and CuO) are distributed throughout the superconducting phase. Epitaxy deter...
Remodeling American Sentencing: A Ten‐Step Blueprint for Moving Past Mass Incarceration

Summary When and if the will to roll back mass incarceration and to create just, fair, and effective sentencing systems becomes manifest, the way forward is clear. First, three-strikes, mandatory minimum sentence, and comparable laws should be repealed. Second, any three-strikes, mandatory minimum sentence, and comparable laws that are not repealed should be substantially narrowed in scope and severity. Third, any three-strikes, mandatory minimum sentence, and comparable laws that are not repealed should be amended to include provisions authorizing judges to impose some other sentence “in the interest of justice.” Fourth, life-without-possibility-of-parole laws should be repealed or substantially narrowed. Fifth, truth-in-sentencing laws should be repealed. Sixth, criminal codes should be amended to set substantially lower maximum sentences scaled to the seriousness of crimes. Seventh, every state that does not already have one should establish a sentencing commission and promulgate presumptive sentencing guidelines. Eighth, every state that does not already have one should establish a parole board and every state should establish a parole guidelines system. Ninth, every state and the federal government should reduce its combined rate of jail and prison confinement to half its 2014 level by 2020. Tenth, every state should enact legislation making all prisoners serving fixed terms longer than 5 years, or indeterminate terms, eligible for consideration for release at the expiration of 5 years, and making all prisoners 35 years of age or older eligible for consideration for release after serving 3 years. These proposals are evidence-based and mostly technocratic. Those calling for prison population targets and reducing the lengths of sentences being served may seem bold to some. Relative to the problems they address, they are modest and partial. Decreasing rates of imprisonment by half in the United States, a country with comparatively low crime rates, to a level that will remain 3 to 3.5 times those of other developed Western countries, can hardly be considered overly ambitious.
The Effect of Underground Storage Tanks on Residential Property Values in Cuyahoga County, Ohio

This study considers the effect of underground storage tanks on residential sales price. These effects are tested with a hedonic pricing model for all 1992 residential sales in Cuyahoga County, Ohi...
Double K -shell ionization in the internal-conversion decay of Ag m 109

Double ionization of the atomic $K$ shell accompanying the $K$-shell internal conversion of the 88.0-keV $E3$ transition of $^{109}\mathrm{Ag}^{m}$ has been studied by recording coincidences between $K$ x rays and $K\ensuremath{\alpha}$ x rays emitted when the double vacancies are filled. The probability per $K$-shell internal conversion that a double $K$-shell vacancy is formed, ${T}_{\mathrm{KK}}$, was found to be (1.53\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.24) \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}4}$, and is about a factor of 5 smaller than a previous measurement. The energy shift, $\ensuremath{\Delta}E$, of the $K\ensuremath{\alpha}$ "hypersatellite" x ray was measured to be (373 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 75) eV.
Moritz Kaposi: A Notable Name in Dermatology.

MoritzKaposi (1837-1902) is famously known for theangiosarcoma that bears his name, Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS), which he described in 1872 in a German article titled “Idiopathic Multiple Pigmented Sarcoma of the Skin” (Figure). At that time, theconditionwasmost commonly seen in oldermenofMediterraneanor Jewishextraction;over a century later, in 1981, this demographic changed as the association between human immunodeficiency virus and KS was discovered. Kaposi was also the first todescribeeczemaherpeticum(eponymously,Kaposi varicelliform eruption), lupus erythematosus, andxerodermapigmentosum, among other dermatoses. Kaposi completed his medical studies in 1861 at the University of Vienna. In 1866,hebecameassistant toFerdinandvonHebra,oneof the mostprominentAustriandermatologistsof the timeandwhowouldbea major influence inKaposi’s career.WithHebra,Kaposimadenumerous importantcontributions to the fieldofdermatology.AfterHebra’sdeath, Kaposi succeeded him as professor of dermatology at the University of Viennaandeventuallybecamethedirectorof thedepartmentof skindiseases at the Vienna General Hospital in 1881. In addition to their strong professional connection, Kaposimarried Hebra’s daughter in 1869. Interestingly, “Kaposi” was notMoritz’s original surname. He was born in Hungary in 1837 to a Jewish family with the surname Kohn (or Cohen, depending on the source) and changed his name to Kaposi in 1871.Hechose “Kaposi” afterKaposvar,Hungary,wherehewasborn. Most of his influential work was published under the name Kaposi. TheimpetustochangehisnamefromKohntoKaposi isnotknownwith certainty.KaposiattributedhisnamechangetothefactthatthereweremultipleotherphysiciansnamedKohninVienna.Hewasconcernedthatsome of hisworkwould be erroneously credited to another individualwith the samenameandwantedtochangehisnametosomethingmoreunique. Anotherexplanationforhisnamechangehasbeensuggested.“Kohn” was an identifiably Jewish name, and Kaposi may have been concerned thathis lastnamewouldpreventhimfromexcellingprofessionally in 19th century Europe and may have wanted to change his name to one that sounded less clearly Jewish. Kaposi also converted to Catholicism, as evidenced by his stated religion on hismarriage certificate. RegardlessofthereasonforKaposi’snamechange, it is interestingthat one of themostwidely known eponyms in dermatology and oncology is a name that was changed. For his numerous contributions, Moritz Kaposi is a name that will be long remembered, and he will continue to be considered one of themost important dermatologists of his time.
Chapter 7 The role of protein kinases in the control of prolonged changes in neuronal excitability

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the properties of the bag cell neurons of Aplysia , with a major focus on the modulation of potassium and calcium currents by different second messenger systems linked to the activation of protein kinases. It provides a brief account of the evidence that the peptide synthesis may be modulated in these neurons and that their excitability can be modulated by the cell's own released peptides. The chapter also gives a description of the way in which a change in the nature of the response to a second messenger system is associated with a prolonged modification of excitability. The bag cell neurons have proved to be a model system for the investigation of mechanisms regulating changes in neuronal excitability that result in alterations in an animal behavior. The phosphorylation of proteins, coordinated through the activation of second messenger systems, results in the alterations of the properties of ionic currents, which regulate the excitability of these neurons, and in changes in the synthesis of peptides to be released during neuronal activity.
Vesicoureteral Reflux Index: 2-Institution Analysis and Validation

Purpose: The vesicoureteral reflux index is a novel tool designed to predict spontaneous reflux resolution in infants younger than 2 years. We performed a multi-institutional validation study to confirm the discriminatory power of the vesicoureteral reflux index to predict the vesicoureteral reflux resolution rate in young children.Materials and Methods: We identified patients diagnosed with primary vesicoureteral reflux before age 24 months who had 2 or more voiding cystourethrograms available. Demographics, vesicoureteral reflux grade and timing, ureteral anomalies and radiographic outcomes were evaluated. The C-index was estimated for time to event model assessment.Results: A total of 219 girls and 150 boys met study inclusion criteria. Mean ± SD age at diagnosis was 4.7 ± 4.9 months. Of the patients 101 (27.4%) had early to mid filling, 214 (58%) had late filling and 54 (14.6%) had voiding only vesicoureteral reflux. High grade reflux was present in 87 patients (23.6%) and ureteral anomalies were obse...
Notes on the use of fusible temperature indicators to bound the temperature of hot graphite in the NAVSWC hypervelocity wind tunnel facility

Temperature sensors, which indicate by melting whether or not a particular temperature level has been reached, were used to determine upper and lower bounds on the peak operating temperatures of a clamping fixture that is made of graphite. The clamp secures an electrically powered carbon-carbon heating element to its graphite support base in a pressure vessel that is part of the hypervelocity wind tunnel located at the US Naval Surface Warfare Center in Silver Spring, Maryland. During wind tunnel testing the clamp was exposed to an extremely hostile environment that included: temperatures to 3700 degrees C (6700 degrees F), intense thermal radiation, pressure to 22500 psi, hot chemically reactive carbon and carbon vapor, electrified parts, stray electromagnetic fields, and an intense aerodynamic loading. >
Kinetics of RNA Degradation by Specific Base Catalysis of Transesterification Involving the 2‘-Hydroxyl Group

A detailed understanding of the susceptibility of RNA phosphodiesters to specific base-catalyzed cleavage is necessary to approximate the stability of RNA under various conditions. In addition, qua...
Using Tree Diagrams as an Assessment Tool in Statistics Education

This study examines the potential of the tree diagram, a type of graphic organizer, as an assessment tool to measure students' knowledge structures in statistics education. Students' knowledge structures in statistics have not been sufficiently assessed in statistics, despite their importance. This article first presents the rationale and method for using tree diagrams as assessment tools in statistics education, followed by an empirical study examining the technical quality of tree diagram assessment. Thirty-seven university students enrolled in an introductory statistics course, and four statistics experts participated in the study. The results provide evidence of reliability and validity for the proposed function of using tree diagrams to measure knowledge structures in statistics education. As reliability evidence, the interrater reliability of tree diagram scoring is high (Pearson's r = .96); alpha coefficient of the 21 linked vertex pairs in tree diagrams is .89. As validity evidence, experts perfor...
IL-18 acts synergistically with IL-15 in stimulating natural killer cell proliferation

Mature natural killer (NK) cells are able to vigorously proliferate in response to infectious stimuli such as viral infections. The factors driving NK cell proliferation under these circumstances are only beginning to be characterized. NK cells constitutively express interleukin-18 receptor alpha and are stimulated by IL-18 to produce IFNgamma. Although IL-18 alone is not sufficient to drive NK cell proliferation, we demonstrate that IL-18 is able to act synergistically with IL-15 in stimulating in vitro NK cell proliferation. Furthermore using a NK cell line, we show that this effect occurs through direct stimulation of NK cells by IL-18 rather than through a secondary signal generated by an intermediary cell type. This raises the possibility that IL-18 may act synergistically with IL-15 in driving pathogen-induced NK cell proliferation in addition to its contribution in enhancing IL-12 stimulation of NK cell IFNgamma production.
Predictors of mother and child DNA yields in buccal cell samples collected in pediatric cancer epidemiologic studies: a report from the Children’s Oncology group

Collection of high-quality DNA is essential for molecular epidemiology studies. Methods have been evaluated for optimal DNA collection in studies of adults; however, DNA collection in young children poses additional challenges. Here, we have evaluated predictors of DNA quantity in buccal cells collected for population-based studies of infant leukemia (N = 489 mothers and 392 children) and hepatoblastoma (HB; N = 446 mothers and 412 children) conducted through the Children’s Oncology Group. DNA samples were collected by mail using mouthwash (for mothers and some children) and buccal brush (for children) collection kits and quantified using quantitative real-time PCR. Multivariable linear regression models were used to identify predictors of DNA yield. Median DNA yield was higher for mothers in both studies compared with their children (14 μg vs. <1 μg). Significant predictors of DNA yield in children included case–control status (β = −0.69, 50% reduction, P = 0.01 for case vs. control children), brush collection type, and season of sample collection. Demographic factors were not strong predictors of DNA yield in mothers or children in this analysis. The association with seasonality suggests that conditions during transport may influence DNA yield. The low yields observed in most children in these studies highlight the importance of developing alternative methods for DNA collection in younger age groups.
Impacts of generic competition and benefit management practices on spending for prescription drugs: evidence from Medicare's Part D benefit.

Objective: This study estimates the effects of generic competition, increased cost-sharing, and benefit practices on utilization and spending for prescription drugs. Data and Methods: We examined changes in Medicare price and utilization from 2007 to 2009 of all drugs in 28 therapeutic classes. The classes accounted for 80% of Medicare Part D spending in 2009 and included the 6 protected classes and 6 classes with practically no generic competition. All variables were constructed to measure each drug relative to its class at a specific plan sponsor. Results: We estimated that the shift toward generic utilization had cut in half the rate of increase in the price of a prescription during 2007–2009. Specifically, the results showed that (1) rapid generic penetration had significantly held down costs per prescription, (2) copayment and other benefit practices shifted utilization to generics and favored brands, and (3) price increases were generally greater in less competitive classes of drugs. Conclusion: In many ways, Part D was implemented at a fortuitous time; since 2006, there have been relatively few new blockbuster drugs introduced, and many existing high-volume drugs used by beneficiaries were in therapeutic classes with multiple brands and generic alternatives. Under these conditions, our paper showed that plan sponsors have been able to contain costs by encouraging use of generics or drugs offering greater value within therapeutic classes. It is less clear what will happen to future Part D costs if a number of new and effective drugs for beneficiaries enter the market with no real competitors.
High-throughput miniature cylindrical ion trap array mass spectrometer.

A fully multiplexed cylindrical ion trap (CIT) array mass spectrometer with four parallel ion source/mass analyzer/detector channels has been built to allow simultaneous high-throughput analysis of multiple samples. A multielement external chemical ionization/electron ionization source was coupled to a parallel array of CITs each of equal size (internal radius 2.5 mm), and the signal was recorded using an array of four miniature (2-mm inner diameter) electron multipliers. Using external electron ionization, the spectra of four separate samples were recorded simultaneously in real time using a four-channel preamplifier system and a data acquisition program written using LabVIEW software. These experiments mark the first demonstration of externally generated ions being successfully trapped in a miniature CIT mass analyzer. The instrument currently provides mass/charge range of approximately m/z 50−500. Average peak width is m/z 0.3, corresponding to a resolution of 1000 at m/z 300. The four-channel mass spe...
Phase transitions in a quasi-two-dimensional system

We report the results of molecular dynamics simulations of a quasi-two-dimensional system designed to mimic the quasi-two-dimensional colloid suspensions studied by Marcus and Rice [Phys. Rev. E 55, 637 (1997)]. The simulations duplicate all of the important qualitative findings of Marcus and Rice, in particular the occurrence of first order liquid-to-hexatic and hexatic-to-solid transitions. At higher densities this system also exhibits an isostructural solid-to-solid transition and a buckling transition, both of which are continuous. We find that the dislocation pair, free dislocation, and free disclination concentrations do not satisfy the predictions of the Kosterlitz-Thouless-Halperin-Nelson-Young theory. Our results cast light on the role of the out of plane motion in determining the global character of the phase diagram of a quasi-two-dimensional system, and they require reconsideration of the suggestion by Bladon and Frenkel [Phys. Rev. Lett. 74, 2519 (1995)] of the character of the driving force for the first order liquid-to-hexatic and hexatic-to-solid transitions.
Amphetamine's effects on terminal excitability of noradrenergic locus coeruleus neurons are impulse-dependent at low but not high doses

Abstract The actions of amphetamine in the locus coeruleus and its terminal fields in the frontal cortex were studied using extracellular recording to measure terminal excitability, firing rate and the probability of antidromic action potential invasion of the somatodendritic region in urethane anesthetized rats. At low dose (0.25 mg/kg), amphetamine increased terminal excitability. In comparison, subsequent administration of the highest dose (5.0 mg/kg, i.v.) of amphetamine tested suppressed neuronal firing and blocked antidromic action potential invasion of the somatodendritic region. Despite the absence of impulse traffic, high dose amphetamine reversed the effect of low dose amphetamine in the terminal field and decreased terminal excitability. The α 2 antagonist, yohimbine (0.5 mg/kg, i.v.), reversed the effects of high dose amphetamine on terminal excitability and somatodendritic invasion without re-instating neuronal firing. Noradrenergic autoreceptor agonists are known to decrease terminal excitability, whereas antagonists are known to increase terminal excitability. Thus, since low dose amphetamine produces the same effect on terminal excitability that antagonists do, it appears that low dose amphetamine may reduce autoreceptor activation by reducing norepinephrine release in frontal cortex as a consequence of inhibiting locus coeruleus neuronal firing. In contrast, high dose amphetamine acts like autoreceptor agonists do and decreased terminal excitability. Hence high dose amphetamine may increase norepinephrine release, even in the absence of impulse traffic.
Personification's Gender

Abstract: The fact that classical and early medieval allegorical personifications were exclusively female has long perplexed literary scholars and rhetoricians. Although arguments have been made about this gendering using grammatical formalism for the most part, an examination of rhetoric9s own deep structure—that is, the discursive metaphors it has always employed to talk about tropes and figures—promises to better articulate the gendered bases of the figure. Using analytical tactics drawn from Paul de Man9s discussions of prosopopeia, this essay re-examines some of the rhetorical record along with programmatic imagery from patristic writings in order to demonstrate how women theinselves could serve as the “figures of figuration.”
Oscillatory and chaotic behaviour of a forced exothermic chemical reaction

Abstract An exothermic reaction takes place in a continuous stirred reactor, the cooling temperature of which is varied with time. It is shown that with an increase in the amplitude of the forcing that quasiperiodic behaviour occurs, followed by a sequence of period doubling bifurcations leading to chaos. Furthermore, multiple oscillatory states can arise, where both states are periodic or one state periodic and the other chaotic.
EspFU Is a Translocated EHEC Effector that Interacts with Tir and N-WASP and Promotes Nck-Independent Actin Assembly

Several microbial pathogens including enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) exploit mammalian tyrosine-kinase signaling cascades to recruit Nck adaptor proteins and activate N-WASP-Arp2/3-mediated actin assembly. To promote localized actin "pedestal formation," EPEC translocates the bacterial effector protein Tir into the plasma membrane, where it is tyrosine-phosphorylated and binds Nck. Enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) also generates Tir-dependent pedestals, but in the absence of phosphotyrosines and Nck recruitment. To identify additional EHEC effectors that stimulate phosphotyrosine-independent actin assembly, we systematically generated EHEC mutants containing specific deletions in putative pathogenicity-islands. Among 0.33 Mb of deleted sequences, only one ORF was critical for pedestal formation. It lies within prophage-U, and encodes a protein similar to the known effector EspF. This proline-rich protein, EspFU, is the only EHEC effector of actin assembly absent from EPEC. Whereas EHEC Tir cannot efficiently recruit N-WASP or trigger actin polymerization, EspFU associates with Tir, binds N-WASP, and potently stimulates Nck-independent actin assembly.
Crystallization, phase transition and optical properties of the rare-earth doped nanophosphors synthesized by chemical deposition.

The structural and electronic properties of Eu3+-doped Y2O3 films coated on spherical alumina nanoparticles are studied using transmission electron microscope, x-ray diffraction, and laser spectroscopic techniques. It is observed that the coated films crystallize at temperatures higher than 600°C and may be completely converted into a cubic Y2O3 nanocrystalline layer at 750°C. At 900°C, phase transition occurs between the outer coating layer and the inner core, and different types of crystalline nanophase can be obtained. In the materials that we prepared and studied, all possible crystallographic phases, including two of solid-state laser media, YAlO3 (YAP), and Y3Al5O12 (YAG), may be formed in the pseudo-binary Al2O3–Y2O3 nanosystem by controlling thermal annealing procedures from 600 to 900°C, a temperature region far below the conventional solid-state reaction temperature. The spectroscopic properties of Eu3+ in all the nanophases are characterized in comparison with those of their bulk counterparts.