cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Static Estimation Method for Autonomous Navigation of Relativistic Spacecraft

In-situ space exploration beyond our solar system is an inevitable next step for science. Such spacecraft will travel much faster, with speeds that are a significant fraction of the speed of light, to realize extrasolar exploration in a human lifetime. However, existing navigation technologies are not up to the task because they are generally Earth-based, exploiting the Deep Space Network for tracking. They lack the resolution to estimate the state of a high-speed spacecraft in the interstellar medium, and the long light-travel times likely preclude sharing state information with the spacecraft for active trajectory control. Moreover, all rely on reference-frame-independent physical laws and treat relativistic effects as perturbations of classical theories of orbital mechanics. Given the unprecedented uncertainty that interstellar environment can introduce in the trajectory of such a spacecraft, on-board navigation is likely the only feasible approach. This paper describes autonomous navigation for spacecraft traveling at relativistic speeds. The special theory of relativity is central to its flight-dynamics model. The proposed method assumes that the spacecraft has access to a state-of-the-art star catalog describing the relative positions and colors of a number of stars and can detect relative directions and apparent colors of the corresponding stars onboard with a star tracker and a spectrometer. By relating the motion of the spacecraft to these observations in the spacecraft's reference frame, the algorithm estimates its instantaneous position and velocity. The paper includes the results of simulations of the linearized equations for a spacecraft having a generic star tracker and a spectrometer as a sensor, traveling from Earth to Proxima Centauri at 20 percent of the speed of light. Results show that the algorithm can estimate the position and velocity of the spacecraft with less than 0.5 percent error. Assuming the key relativistic effects are apparent in the sensors, this approach provides a universal navigation algorithm that can be used by any space vehicle traveling at arbitrarily high speed. This work represents an enabling step toward relativistic spaceflight.
Variational determination of transient radial-azimuthal temperature distributions in fuel rods for loss-of-coolant-accident analysis

An efficient variational method was developed to solve the transient radial-azimuthal heat conduction problem in nuclear fuel rods under loss-of-coolant-accident (LOCA) conditions. The method is efficient in that it is fast, accurate, and compatible with the modular accident analysis codes already in use in the nuclear industry. The methodology uses the Lebon-Labermont restricted variational principle, with parabolic trial functions in the radial direction and circular trial functions in the azimuthal direction, to reduce the transient heat conduction problem in the rod to a set of first-order ordinary differential equations in time. These equations are then solved by an explicit technique. The methodology is implemented for a single rod under hypothetical LOCA conditions in order to (a) investigate the sensitivity of the predicted radial-azimuthal temperature distributions to the choice of the trial functions, (b) investigate the importance of nonlinearity effects (i.e., temperature dependence of thermal properties) on rod response, and (c) compare the variational and finite difference techniques with respect to computation time and accuracy of the results. It is shown that the variational technique leads to substantial reduction in computing time (more than a factor of 3) for comparable accuracy.
Adolescent childbirth, miscarriage, and abortion: associations with changes in alcohol, marijuana, and cigarette use.

Background Adolescent girls who become pregnant demonstrate greater risk for substance use than same-aged peers. However, it remains unclear how risk relates to normative changes in adolescence. Few studies have examined adolescent substance use changes before, during, and after pregnancy and considered how pregnancy outcomes (childbirth, miscarriage, abortion) differentially influence substance use changes. The present study examined associations between different adolescent pregnancy outcomes and within-person changes in substance use from prepregnancy to postpregnancy. Methods Participants included 2,450 girls (52% Black) oversampled from low-income urban neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, PA. Participants self-reported pregnancy outcomes and substance use frequency (alcohol, cigarette, marijuana) annually from ages 11-20. Fixed effects regressions focused on first births, first miscarriages, and first abortions occurring from ages 12-19 to test the associations between pregnancy outcomes and within-individual changes in substance use from prepregnancy to postpregnancy. By design, models controlled for all potential time-stable confounds, and models included age and subsequent pregnancies as time-varying covariates. Results Consistent with prior studies, girls who became pregnant (20%) reported greater early risk for substance use problems than never-pregnant adolescents, including earlier age of onset and more regular marijuana and cigarette use. Childbirth predicted a 26%-51% within-individual reduction in alcohol, marijuana, and cigarette use that remained significantly lower than prepregnancy levels after childbirth. Alcohol and marijuana use decreased (32%-47%) after miscarriage. Abortion was not associated with long-term changes in substance use; however, marijuana and cigarette use gradually increased (44%-46%) in the years leading up to the year of and after abortion, respectively, before returning to prepregnancy levels. Conclusions Findings highlight important differences in adolescent substance use patterns based on pregnancy outcome. For pregnant adolescents with heightened pre-existing risk for substance use, pregnancy may be a window of opportunity for substance use screening and behavioral intervention.
Confession for the Soul?: A Lawyer's Moral Advice to a Guilty Client About Saving an Innocent Defendant

This article considers what a lawyer should do when a client asks for moral advice after revealing that someone else is about to be punished for a crime committed by the client. Prof. Kirchmeier considers the practical, moral, and ethical issues that arise when an attorney considers giving moral, as opposed to legal, advice. This piece is part of a symposium featuring a hypothetical addressed by lawyers, psychologists, and members of the clergy.
Emphysematous cystitis with extraperitoneal gas: new insights into pathogenesis via novel CT findings.

Abstract Emphysematous cystitis is a relatively rare disease entity characterized by intramural and/or intraluminal bladder gas best depicted by cross-sectional imaging. Its disease mechanism is not well understood. A case of a diabetic patient with emphysematous cystitis is presented and is notable for the rare finding of extraperitoneal gas in the pelvis based on a review of 114 case reports. Herein we propose a distension-based mechanism with intramural bacterial seeding as the pathogenesis of emphysematous cystitis based on the patient's imaging and the disease's established associations with diabetes and E. coli. The ability to recognize extraperitoneal pelvic gas as a feature of emphysematous cystitis allowed prompt diagnosis. This facilitated early commencement of successful treatment in a diabetic patient in whom the diagnosis was not suspected clinically.
Propofol emulsion-free drug concentration is similar between batches and stable over time.

Despite their widespread use for anesthesia and sedation, propofol emulsions have several unresolved issues, including pain on injection, stability concerns, and propensity to support bacterial growth. Pain accompanying a propofol injection has been attributed to the amount of free as opposed to emulsified propofol in the blood, which can differ with the formulation. Emulsions are inherently unstable and subject to several types of destabilization, but the actual mechanism may vary between formulations or batches. Free drug concentration and emulsion stability have not been widely studied between batches of propofol emulsions. Verifying whether batch-to-batch variability is a contributing factor to pain on injection or emulsion destabilization will help us better assess the causes and guide the design of future propofol formulations. Methods Several samples of generic 1% propofol emulsion from various batches were compared. Free drug concentration was measured using an equilibrium dialysis method. Emulsion stability was evaluated by visible observation and by measuring droplet size distribution and polydispersity during shelf storage for up to 21 months. Results Small differences in free drug concentration were observed between samples (10.6-16.7 μg/mL), but these differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Emulsion droplet size (235.4-221.1 nm) and polydispersity (0.115-0.095) did not differ statistically over 21 months of storage. All batches were resistant to creaming and other destabilization mechanisms. Conclusions Batch-to-batch variability does not significantly alter the free drug concentration or stability of propofol formulations. If pain on injection of propofol is in fact related to the free propofol drug concentration, then it is unlikely that batch-to-batch variability causes any changes in pain on propofol injection.
The Surgeon's Perceived Value of Patient-reported Outcome Measures (PROMs): An Exploratory Qualitative Study of 5 Different Surgical Subspecialties.

Objective To understand the surgeon's perceived value of PROMs in 5 different surgical subspecialties. Summary of background data PROMs are validated questionnaires that assess the symptoms, function, and quality of life from the patient's perspective. Despite the increasing support for use of PROMs in the literature, there is limited uptake amongst surgeons. Furthermore, there is insufficient understanding of the surgeons' perceived value of PROMs. The aim of this study is to understand how surgeons perceive value in PROMs. Methods We conducted an exploratory qualitative study to understand the perceived value of PROMs from the perspective of surgeons in various subspecialties. Per convenience sampling, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 30 surgeons from 5 subspecialties across 3 academic medical centers. The surgical subspecialties included bariatric surgery, breast oncologic surgery, orthopedic surgery, plastic and reconstructive surgery, and rhinology. Interviews were transcribed, coded, and evaluated with thematic analysis. Results Surgeons endorsed that PROMs can be used to enhance clinical management, counsel patients in the preoperative and postoperative settings, and elicit sensitive information from patients that otherwise may go undetected. Obstacles to PROMs use include failure to generate actionable data, implementation obstacles, and inappropriate use of PROMs as a performance metric, with concerns regarding inadequate risk adjustment. Conclusions Establishing an effective PROMs program requires an understanding of the surgeon's perspective of PROMs. Despite obstacles, different subspecialty surgeons find PROMs to be valuable in different settings, depending on the specialty and clinical context.
Examining the Relation between Self-reported ASD Symptoms and Sensory Sensitivities from a Community-based Sample of Adults.

Atypical responses to sensory stimuli, termed sensory sensitivities, are a commonly reported symptom for individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In this community-based study of ...
Using cultural discourse analysis and storytelling to design an applied intervention for U.S. English language education

Applied communication interventions call for detailed knowledge of the scene and the cultural assumptions that inform the communication taking place. This paper shows how Cultural Discourse Analysi...
Multiple generations of antibiotic exposure and isolation influence host fitness and the microbiome in a model zooplankton species

Background: Chronic antibiotic exposure impacts host health through changes to the microbiome, increasing disease risk and reducing the functional repertoire of community members. The detrimental effects of antibiotic perturbation on microbiome structure and function after one host generation of exposure have been well-studied. However, much less is understood about the multigenerational effects of antibiotic exposure and how the microbiome may recover across host generations. Results: In this study, we examined microbiome composition and host fitness across five generations of exposure to a suite of three antibiotics in the model zooplankton host Daphnia magna. By utilizing a split-brood design where half of the offspring from antibiotic-exposed parents were allowed to recover and half were maintained in antibiotics, we aimed to examine recovery and resilience of the microbiome. Unexpectedly, we discovered that experimental isolation of single host individuals across generations also exerted a strong effect on microbiome composition, with composition becoming less diverse over generations regardless of treatment. Simultaneously, Daphnia magna body size and cumulative reproduction increased across generations while survival decreased. Though antibiotics did cause substantial changes to microbiome composition, the microbiome generally became similar to the no antibiotic control treatment within one generation of recovery no matter how many prior generations were spent in antibiotics. Conclusions: Contrary to results found in vertebrate systems, Daphnia magna microbiome composition recovers quickly after antibiotic exposure. However, our results suggest that the isolation of individual hosts leads to the stochastic extinction of rare taxa in the microbiome, indicating that these taxa are likely maintained via transmission in host populations rather than intrinsic mechanisms. This may explain the intriguing result that microbiome diversity loss increased host fitness.
Triumeq Increases Excitability of Pyramidal Neurons in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex by Facilitating Voltage-Gated Ca2+ Channel Function.

Combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) suppresses HIV-1 replication, improves immune function, and prolongs the life of people living with HIV (PLWH). However, cART also induces neurotoxicity that could complicate HIV-induced neurodegeneration while reduce its therapeutic efficacy in treating HIV/AIDS. Triumeq is a first-line cART regimen, which is co-formulated by three antiretroviral drugs (ARVs), lamivudine (3TC), abcavir (ABC), and dolutegravir (DTG). Little is known about potential side effects of ARVs on the brain (including those co-formulating Triumeq), and their mechanisms impacting neuronal activity. We assessed acute (in vitro) and chronic (in vivo) effects of Triumeq and co-formulating ARVs on pyramidal neurons in rat brain slices containing the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) using patch-clamp recording approaches. We found that acute Triumeq or 3TC in vitro significantly increased firing of mPFC neurons in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. This neuronal hyperactivity was associated with enhanced Ca2+ influx through voltage-gated Ca2+ channels (VGCCs). Additionally, chronic treatment with Triumeq in vivo for 4 weeks (4 wks) also significantly increased firing and Ca2+ influx via VGCCs in mPFC neurons, which was not shown after 2 wks treatment. Such mPFC neuronal hyperexcitability was not found after 4 weeks treatments of individual ARVs. Further, chronic Triumeq exposure in vivo significantly enhanced mRNA expression of low voltage-activated (LVA) L-type Ca2+ channels (Cav1.3 L-channels), while changes in high voltage-activated (HVA) Cav1.2 L-channels were not observed. Collectively, these novel findings demonstrate that chronic cART induces hyperexcitability of mPFC pyramidal neurons by abnormally promoting VGCC overactivation/overexpression of VGCCs (including, but may not limited to, LVA-Cav1.3 L-channels), which could complicate HIV-induced neurotoxicity, and ultimately may contribute to HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) in PLWH. Determining additional target(s) of cART in mPFC pyramidal neurons may help to improve the therapeutic strategies by minimizing the side effects of cART for treating HIV/AIDS.
Pediatric BMI changes during COVID-19 pandemic: An electronic health record-based retrospective cohort study

Abstract Background Beginning March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted different aspects of life. The impact on children's rate of weight gain has not been analysed. Methods In this retrospective cohort study, we used United States (US) Electronic Health Record (EHR) data from Optum® to calculate the age- and sex- adjusted change in BMI (∆BMIadj) in individual 6-to-17-year-old children between two well child checks (WCCs). The mean of individual ∆BMIadj during 2017–2020 was calculated by month. For September-December WCCs, the mean of individual ∆BMIadj (overall and by subgroup) was reported for 2020 and 2017–2019, and the impact of 2020 vs 2017–2019 was tested by multivariable linear regression. Findings The mean [95% Confidence Interval - CI] ∆BMIadj in September-December of 2020 was 0·62 [0·59,0·64] kg/m2, compared to 0·31 [0·29, 0·32] kg/m2 in previous years. The increase was most prominent in children with pre-existing obesity (1·16 [1·07,1·24] kg/m2 in 2020 versus 0·56 [0·52,0·61] kg/m2 in previous years), Hispanic children (0·93 [0·84,1·02] kg/m2 in 2020 versus 0·41 [0·36,0·46] kg/m2 in previous years), and children who lack commercial insurance (0·88 [0·81,0·95] kg/m2 in 2020 compared to 0·43 [0·39,0·47] kg/m2 in previous years). ∆BMIadj accelerated most in ages 8–12 and least in ages 15–17. Interpretation Children's rate of unhealthy weight gain increased notably during the COVID-19 pandemic across demographic groups, and most prominently in children already vulnerable to unhealthy weight gain. This data can inform policy decisions critical to child development and health as the pandemic continues to unfold. Funding Amgen, Inc.
Rapid return to normal activities at a residential summer camp during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Infection prevention and control (IPC) within residential settings is a central focus of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Youth residential summer camps are an excellent model for such environments and have thus far had mixed results. The aim of this report was to describe the successful implementation of a seven-week overnight summer camp with rapid return to normal activities from June to August 2020. This retrospective study included 427 individuals who traveled from 24 US states. All staff and campers were tested by serial nasopharyngeal PCR tests in the context of strict infection prevention and control (IPC) measures, including cohorts and masking. The entire camp population was isolated from non-camp personnel with special measures for food, supply, and mail delivery. During the two-week staff session, one staff member tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, was isolated, and sent safely off premises. All other campers and staff had three negative PCR tests: 1–8 days before arrival, upon arrival, and 5–6 days after arrival. After these three negative tests, 6 days into camp, most IPCs, including masking, were successfully lifted and a normal camp experience was possible. These findings indicate that serial PCR-based testing and strict adherence to IPC measures among cohorts can allow for successful assumption of near normal group activities in a residential setting during the COVID-19 pandemic. This result at an overnight summer camp has broad implications for similar residential communities such as boarding schools, other youth education and development programs, as well as nursing homes and military installations.
Medical care of children during the golden age of Islamic medicine.

During the Sassanid Empire in Persia (226–652 AD), there was a renaissance of humanistic sciences, including medicine, in the city of Gondi-Shapur. When the Islamic center of power moved to Baghdad in about 750 AD, physicians of Gondi-Shapur, including the dean of the medical school (a Nestorian Christian), gradually moved to Baghdad constructing hospitals and medical schools. Aided by the Persian and Nestorian Christians, the Islamic civilization ushered in what is considered to be the Golden Age of Islam from the 8th to 13th century AD. During this period, there were remarkable achievements in humanistic sciences including medicine by many physicians/authors whose medical textbooks were used for centuries in burgeoning medical schools in Europe. The medical texts written during the Golden Age of Islamic Medicine contain sections and chapters about the clinical conditions, diseases and medical care of children. It was during this era that the first treatise was written on the diseases of children and their care. This essay will describe, in brief, the writings about the conditions and diseases of children and their medical care, by three prominent Persian physicians of the Golden Age of Islamic Medicine: 1) Abubakr Muhammad Ibn Zakaria Razi, Rhazes (865-925 AD); 2) Ali ibn-al-Abbas al-Majusi or Haly Abbas (949–994 AD); and 3) Abu Ali al-Husayn ibn Abd Allah ibn Sina or Avicenna (980–1037 AD).
Material consumption and environmental impact of wind turbines in the USA and globally

Abstract Wind power is one of the fastest-growing energy in the world. Its contribution to global electricity generation should increase from 5 to 30% in 2050. With the increasing number of wind farms, we need to ensure that we will have enough material to meet the expected global capacity growth without creating new environmental issues. In this work, we estimated the material demand for wind turbines in the USA and the rest of the world and compared those values with the expected production until 2050. Based on the annual capacity installation, we quantified the carbon footprint and cumulative energy demand associated with the material production. Cement demand in 2032-2036 could be twice as much as the current amount used for wind turbines and pipeline construction in the USA. Compared to 2018, the USA steel demand in 2033 will increase by 511% (from 853 to 5215 kt). Rare earth elements (REEs) demand in the USA will increase by 254%-815% in 2033 (from 0.33 to 1.16-3 kt) compared to 2018. In the rest of the world, REEs demand will be 38% of the Chinese production in 2050. In 2050, the carbon footprint for materials required for wind turbines globally will be 9.3 times lower than the CO2 emitted currently from coal power plants in the USA. It is important to evaluate the potential impact of large-scale deployment of wind energy to avoid as much as possible creating new issues related to material scarcity, which could increase the carbon footprint of future electricity production.
Optimization of pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling using off-resonance compensation strategies at 7T.

Purpose The sensitivity of pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (PCASL) to off-resonance effects (ΔB0 ) is a major limitation at ultra-high field (≥7T). The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of different PCASL ΔB0 compensation methods at 7T and measure the labeling efficiency with off-resonance correction. Theory and methods Phase offset errors induced by ΔB0 at the feeding arteries can be compensated by adding an extra radiofrequency (RF) phase increment and transverse gradient blips into the PCASL RF pulse train. The effectiveness of an average field correction (AVGcor), a vessel-specific field-map-based correction (FMcor) and a vessel-specific prescan-based correction (PScor) were compared at 7T. After correction, the PCASL labeling efficiency was directly measured in feeding arteries downstream from the labeling location. Results The perfusion signal was more uniform throughout the brain after off-resonance correction. Whole-brain average perfusion signal increased by a factor of 2.4, 2.5, and 2.1, respectively, with AVGcor, FMcor and PScor compared to acquisitions without correction. With off-resonance correction, the maximum labeling efficiency was ~0.68 at mean B1 (B1mean ) of 0.70 µT when using a mean gradient (Gmean ) of 0.25 mT/m. Conclusion Either a prescan or a field map can be used to correct for off-resonance effects and retrieve a good brain perfusion signal at 7T. Although the three methods performed well in this study, FMcor may be better suited for patient studies because it accounted for vessel-specific ΔB0 variations. Further improvements in image quality will be possible by optimizing the labeling efficiency with advanced hardware and software while satisfying specific absorption rate constraints.
Culturable bacteria are more common than fungi in floral nectar and are more easily dispersed by thrips, a ubiquitous flower visitor.

Variation in dispersal ability among taxa affects community assembly and biodiversity maintenance within metacommunities. Although fungi and bacteria frequently coexist, their relative dispersal abilities are poorly understood. Nectar-inhabiting microbial communities affect plant reproduction and pollinator behavior, and are excellent models for studying dispersal of bacteria and fungi in a metacommunity framework. Here, we assay dispersal ability of common nectar bacteria and fungi in an insect-based dispersal experiment. We then compare these results to the incidence and abundance of culturable flower-inhabiting bacteria and fungi within naturally occurring flowers across two coflowering communities in California across two flowering seasons. Our microbial dispersal experiment demonstrates that bacteria disperse via thrips among artificial habitat patches more readily than fungi. In the field, incidence and abundance of culturable bacteria and fungi were positively correlated but bacteria were much more widespread. These patterns suggest shared dispersal routes or habitat requirements among culturable bacteria and fungi, but differences in dispersal or colonization frequency by thrips, common flower visitors. The finding that culturable bacteria are more common among nectar sampled here, in part due to superior thrips-mediated dispersal, may have relevance for microbial life-history, community assembly of microbes and plant-pollinator interactions.
Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δC-Axis Bicrystal Twist and Cross-Whisker Experiments

The combined bicrystal, artificial cross-whisker, and natural cross-whisker c-axis twist experiments on Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ (Bi2212) provide strong evidence that the superconducting order parameter is predominantly s_wave for T ≤ Tc, and that the c-axis tunneling is strongly incoherent.
Process studies on the evolution of the Mississippi River plume: Impact of topography, wind and discharge conditions

Abstract The Mississippi River (MR) outflow is the strongest buoyant input for the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). The high resolution numerical model Northern-GoM (NGoM) HYCOM is used to perform process oriented experiments that examine the relative role of the effects of topography, wind-driven circulation and discharge conditions on the plume waters fate. Simulations showed that the slope over the western and eastern shelf areas enhance the overall alongshore propagation of the plume and reduce the offshore expansion (stronger downstream and upstream currents). The direction of the buoyancy-driven currents is defined as downstream and upstream for the Louisiana-Texas (LATEX) and Mississippi-Alabama-Florida (MAFLA) shelf areas, west and northeast of the MR Delta, respectively. Flooding conditions and/or downwelling-favorable winds strengthen the downstream flow over the LATEX shelf; they also suppress the vertical mixing of the upper low salinity waters with the deeper ocean layers. However, flooding conditions do not enhance the offshore extension. Downwelling-favorable winds support the downstream current and deepen the plume. Upwelling-favorable winds reverse or eliminate the downstream current and enhance the northward transport of plume waters toward the MAFLA shelf, but also offshore. This cross-marginal transport effect is significant, as it facilitates interaction of low-salinity MR plume waters (which are rich in nutrients and sediments) with deep oceanic currents in the GoM basin interior. The separate and combined investigation of the factors that determine MR plume dynamics enlightens the relations and differences among the MR circulation patterns over the NGoM region. Calculations of freshwater transport are carried out to further discuss the dynamics and serve as the basis for quantifying the transport and fate of river-borne waters and associated biogeochemical materials.
Hypertension and Pregnancy

Hypertension is the most common medical disorder encountered during pregnancy, affecting up to 10 % of all pregnancies. Hypertensive disorders are one of the major causes of pregnancy-related maternal deaths in the United States. Hypertension in pregnancy includes a spectrum of conditions, including preeclampsia-eclampsia, preeclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension, chronic hypertension, and gestational hypertension. Unlike other hypertensive pregnancy disorders, preeclampsia is a multisystem disease, its distinctive feature being either sudden onset or worsening of preexisting proteinuria. Despite significant advances in our understanding of preeclampsia, the etiology of this condition remains elusive, resulting in a failure to develop specific screening, preventive, and treatment strategies. Delivery remains the mainstay of therapy for severe forms and anticipated life-threatening complications. The most important reason for the initiation of antihypertensive treatment in these patients is to prevent maternal cerebrovascular and cardiac complications. The optimal timing and choice of therapy for hypertensive pregnancy disorders involves carefully weighing the risk-versus-benefit ratio for each individual patient, with an overall goal of improving maternal and fetal outcomes. Finally, over the past decades, it has become increasingly clear that women with a history of preeclamptic compared to normotensive pregnancies are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease later in life. In this chapter, we summarize the mechanisms thought to be involved in hypertensive pregnancy disorders, review the current treatment guidelines, and outline some newer perspectives on management, including postpartum monitoring and treatment of conventional cardiovascular risk factors in the affected women.
Operant conditioning of head-waving in Aplysia. III. Cellular analysis of possible reinforcement pathways

Operant conditioning of the head-waving response in Aplysia, as well as conditioning of the electrical activity of identified neck muscles, can be induced readily when bright light is used as aversive reinforcement (Cook and Carew, 1986, 1989b). A cellular analysis of this type of operant conditioning requires an understanding of the neural circuitry that underlies the reinforcement pathways involved in the conditioning. In the present paper we describe a cellular analysis of possible reinforcement pathways that mediate the aversive effects of bright light in the CNS of Aplysia. Using a semi-intact “split-body” preparation, we explored the effects of bright light on the operant response pathway by recording intracellularly from identified pedal neck and body wall motor neurons, which contribute to the operant response. In these experiments we identified 2 light-sensitive pathways. One pathway, from the eyes and rhinophores, mediated functional inhibition of light-induced excitation of pedal motor neurons. The other pathway, from the oral veil (cerebral ganglion nerves C1-C3) mediated significant excitation of the same motor cells. Randomly occurring blank trials ruled out the possibility that the light-induced effects were due to sampling bias. Finally, surgical isolation of the CNS from the periphery showed that none of the effects of light were due to direct illumination of central neurons. This identification of candidate reinforcement pathways will facilitate a cellular analysis of operant conditioning of head-waving in Aplysia.
Macronutrient Regulation in the Tropical Terrestrial Ant Ectatomma ruidum (Formicidae): A Field Study in Costa Rica

Using the geometric framework for the first time in a field study of ant nutritional biology, we show that Ectatomma ruidum colonies actively regulate protein–carbohydrate intake, self-selecting a carbohydrate-biased diet. These data, combined with quantitative recruitment data, provide a more comprehensive understanding of colony-level nutritional requirements of ants. Abstract in Spanish is available at http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/loi/btp
Improvements in the Weldability of a Superconductor Sheath Material

This paper investigates the effects of chemistry and heat treatment variation on the 4-K tensile properties of A-286, a candidate sheath material for force-cooled superconductors. Currently, full use of A-286 and similar superailoys is limited by the observed low yield and ultimate tensile strengths in the welded and aged condition. The low strength is shown to be associated with the formation of precipitate-free-zones as a result of alloying-element segregation during weld pool solidification. It has been determined that minor modifications of the weld-metal chemistry by the addition of Ti reduce precipitate-free-zone formation, resulting in matching weld-metal and base-plate strengths at 4 K. Furthermore, nucleation of the γ’ hardening phase has been found to be a strong function of temperature and composition. Modified heat-treatment schedules have been determined that are amenable to superconductor fabrication and that resulted in increased weld hardening and improved 4-K tensile properties.
The effect of coenzyme Q10 in patients with congestive heart failure.

In a randomized, controlled trial, coenzyme Q10 did not affect ejection fraction, peak oxygen consumption, or exercise duration in patients with congestive heart failure receiving standard medical ...
Do budget deficits raise nominal interest rates?: Evidence from six countries

Abstract It is widely believed that budget deficits raise nominal interest rates. This paper shows that the belief has no empirical support for six countries. Ricardian equivalence may explain the lack of a positive association between budget deficits and nominal interest rates.
Self-stabilizing real-time rule-based systems

The problem of automated recovery in distributed real-time rule-based systems where internal variables may be corrupted during computation as a result of transient faults is discussed. Given a distributed rule-based program p with bounded response time, the problem is to derive a self-stabilizing program q that implements p with the constraint that q must also have bounded response time. An approach for solving this problem for a class of rule-based programs with bounded response time is presented. >
Neurologische Frührehabilitation im Akutkrankenhaus

Nach schweren Schadel-Hirn-Traumen verbleiben bei einem hohen Prozentsatz der Verunfallten bleibende Hirnschaden. Um langfristige Schaden moglichst gering zu halten, sollte ein gezieltes Training der geschadigten Hirnanteile moglichst fruh, idealerweise bereits wahrend der initialen Behandlungsphase im Akutkrankenhaus als Fruhrehabilitation erfolgen. Im Unfallkrankenhaus Berlin wird neurologische Fruhrehabilitation seit dem 1.1.2000 betrieben. Zur Erzielung eines optimalen Behandlungserfolgs hat sich ein aufwandiges, komplex-integratives Behandlungskonzept im Zusammenwirken von Arzten, Psychologen, speziell ausgebildetem Pflegepersonal, Physiotherapeuten, Logopaden und Ergotherapeuten entwickelt. Das individuell angepasste Programm umfasst tagliche Therapieeinheiten, bestehend aus basaler Stimulation, Physiotherapie, Neuropsychologie, Ergotherapie, Logopadie und orofazialer Therapie. Von insgesamt 132 betreuten Patienten litten 42 (32%) an neurotraumatologischen Krankheitsbildern (36 Manner, 6 Frauen, Durchschnittsalter: 43 ± 19 Jahre). Bei einer mittleren stationaren Aufenthaltsdauer von 40 Tagen stieg bei diesen Patienten der durchschnittliche Fruhreha-Barthel-Index (FBI) wahrend der Therapie von –65 auf 35 Punkte. Obwohl der langerfristige Therapieerfolg der Fruhrehabilitation im Akutkrankenhaus noch nicht beurteilt werden kann, zeichnet sich ein viel versprechender Behandlungserfolg ab.
Optimization of Ti/SnO2-Sb2O5 anode preparation for electrochemical oxidation of organic contaminants in water and wastewater

The preparation of antimony-doped tin oxide anodes on a titanium substrate (Ti/SnO2–Sb2O5 anodes) by dipping in a solution of tin chloride and antimony chloride and annealing at high temperatures was optimized for the potential applications of drinking water disinfection, wastewater effluent disinfection, and industrial waste stream treatment. The effectiveness of Ti/SnO2–Sb2O5 anodes prepared under different conditions was evaluated by using hexanol as a probe molecule to measure the extent of oxidative reactions, and anode performance was monitored by cyclic voltammetry. A large factorial matrix consisting of tin chloride concentration × antimony chloride concentration × annealing temperature was first evaluated, and the optimum conditions were found to be 20% tin chloride and 1% antimony chloride in the dip solution and an annealing temperature of 500°C. Further investigation showed that the rate of withdrawal from the dip solution, the number of coatings of the dip solution, and the addition of oxygen during annealing did not significantly affect anode performance. Under optimum preparation conditions, Ti/SnO2–Sb2O5 anodes showed no loss of performance over 1,280 cycles of cyclic voltammetry, suggesting that their performance can be sustained over long periods of use. The result of this research is a simple preparation method for effective and long-lived Ti/SnO2–Sb2O5 anodes; this method could be easily adopted by a utility for pilot- or full-scale disinfection of water and wastewater and the treatment of industrial waste streams.
The inhibition of the dye-sensitized photoinactivation of trypsin using tyrosine and thyronine analogues.

Es wurde Tyrosin- und Thyroninwirkung auf die farbensensibilisierende Photoinaktivierung des Trypsins untersucht. Sensibilisatoren waren Methylenblau, Flavinmononukleotid und Eosin Y. Die Analoge von Tyrosin und Thyronin haben sehr ahnliche konzentrationsabhangige Schirm wirkung bei Verwendung von Flavinmononukleotid als Photosensibilisator. Die Abschirmungseffekte der Sensibilisatoren werden besprochen.
Fatigue and circadian activity rhythms in breast cancer patients before and after chemotherapy: a controlled study

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer (BC) patients often experience cancer-related fatigue (CRF) before, during, and after their chemotherapy. Circadian rhythms are 24-hour cycles of behavior and physiology that are generated by internal pacemakers and entrained by zeitgebers (e.g., light). A few studies have suggested a relationship between fatigue and circadian rhythms in some clinical populations. METHODS: One hundred and forty-eight women diagnosed with stage I-III breast cancer and scheduled to receive at least four cycles of adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and 61 controls (cancer-free healthy women) participated in this study. Data were collected before (Baseline) and after four cycles of chemotherapy (Cycle-4). Fatigue was assessed with the Short Form of Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory (MFSI-SF); circadian activity rhythm (CAR) was recorded with wrist actigraphy (six parameters included: amplitude, acrophase, mesor, up-mesor, down-mesor and F-statistic). A mixed model analysis was used to examine changes in fatigue and CAR parameters compared to controls, and to examine the longitudinal relationship between fatigue and CAR parameters in BC patients. RESULTS: More severe CRF (total and subscale scores) and disrupted CAR (amplitude, mesor and F-statistic) were observed in BC patients compared to controls at both Baseline and Cycle-4 (all p's<0.05); BC patients also experienced more fatigue and decreased amplitude and mesor, as well as delayed up-mesor time at Cycle-4 compared to Baseline (all p's<0.05). The increased total MFSI-SF scores were significantly associated with decreased amplitude, mesor and F-statistic (all p's<0.006). CONCLUSION: CRF exists and CAR is disrupted even before the start of chemotherapy. The significant relationship between CRF and CAR indicate possible underlying connections. Re-entraining the disturbed CAR using effective interventions such as bright light therapy might also improve CRF.
BIOKDD 2008: a workshop report on data mining in bioinformatics

Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary study that aims to collect, manage, interpret, and disseminate biological information, primarily those at molecular and cellular levels. The ongoing influx of data from high-throughput Genomics, Proteomics, Metabolomics, and Structural Genomics projects have made their interpretation both rewarding and challenging for data mining researchers. On one hand, data mining approaches and bioinformatics problems are ideally suited for each other because of the availability of large amounts of “Omics” data and presence of innate biological signals from experimental measurements. On the other hand, bioinformatics problems tend to suffer from high data noises due to inherent inaccuracies in observing complex biology with high-throughput instruments, large sample variability, high data dimensionality, and limited sample size from many experiments. To highlight recent advances in the use of data mining techniques to solve biological problems, we organized the 2008 International Workshop on Data Mining in Bioinformatics (BIOKDD ‘08), held as a half-day event in conjunction with the 2008 ACM SIGKDD Conference, Las Vegas, NV, August 24-27, 2008. This was the 8th year for the BIOKDD workshop series. To promote this year’s program, we established an Internet web site at http://bio.informatics.iupui.edu/biokdd08.
Third sound in3 He−4 He films: the3 He low-coverage limit

The preliminary results of a calculation of the variation of third sound velocity as a function of the concentration of3 He in superfluid4 He films on a Nuclepore substrate are presented and compared with experimental data. The3 He atoms in the transverse ground-state are treated as a normal fluid blanket on top of the super-fluid film. The measured third sound speeds can only be understood by assuming that the3 He submonolayer film has a minimum thickness which is approximately equal to the quantum mechanical size of the atom.
Hairpin ribozymes with four-way helical junctions mediate intracellular RNA ligation.

Virtually all RNA-mediated reactions require transitions among alternative RNA conformations. The complexity of biological reactions can obscure specific conformational changes in vivo and important features of the intracellular environment are difficult to reproduce in vitro. However, simple RNA self-cleavage and ligation reactions offer a unique opportunity to measure the kinetics and equilibria of specific RNA conformational transitions directly in living cells. Hairpin ribozymes that incorporate the natural four-way helical junction self-cleave rapidly in vivo, but only when cleavage products dissociate rapidly. Cleavage rates fall when cleavage products remain bound in stable base-paired helices, providing evidence that bound products undergo re-ligation. These results provide the first detailed kinetic description of an intracellular ribozyme reaction that includes cleavage, ligation and product dissociation rates. Kinetic and equilibrium parameters measured in vivo correspond well, but not perfectly, with values measured for the same reactions in vitro under conditions that approximate an intracellular ionic environment.
Lower bounds on the complexity of 0–1-valued recursive functions

We are concerned with programs for computing functions, and the running times of these programs as measured by “step-counting” functions. The notions of “programs” and “step-counting” functions are treated axiomatically, so the theorems are machine-independent. In particular, we are interested in 0–1 valued recursive function f and their complexity lower bounds F. Say theF(x) is a lower bound on the number of steps to compute f(x), if every program that computes f(x) takes at least F(x) steps for almost all x. In other words, relative to F, f is difficult to compute on all but a finite number of arguments, no matter what program is used to compute the function. It is known that for a large class of such functions, there is an effective procedure with the following property: Given any index for the function, one can calculate the upper bound on the number of arguments on which the function is easy to compute. We exhibit another large class of functions for which it is not possible to effectively compute this upper bound. Further, one can never effectively go from the index of any function to a bound on the size of the arguments on which the function is easy to compute. On the other hand, we show that for some functions, f, any lower bound F(x) on the number of steps to compute f(x) is either very poor in the sense that a much higher lower bound exists, or else if F(x) is not poor in this sense, then the number of steps required to compute F(x) is greater than the number of steps required to compute f(x) by some reasonably good program for f. Intuitively, this means that a good lower bound F(x) on the number of steps to compute f(x) may be useless because it takes longer to compute F(x) than to compute f(x). The proof technique used is significant in its own right. It combines techniques used in the proof of two of the most important results in the theory of computational complexity, the gap theorem ( Borodin, 1972 ) and the operator speed-up theorem ( Meyer and Fisher, 1968 ).
NFBD1/KIAA0170 is a chromatin-associated protein involved in DNA damage signaling pathways.

Abstract NFBD1/KIAA0170 is a nuclearfactor with an N-terminal FHA (forkhead-associated) domain and a tandem repeat of BRCT (breastcancer susceptibility gene-1 C terminus)domains, both of which are present in a number of proteins involved in DNA repair and/or DNA damage signaling pathways. We have investigated the association of NFBD1 with DNA damage responses. We found that the NFBD1 transcript is abundant in the testis relative to other tissues. NFBD1 is a chromatin-associated protein and is modified in G2/M phase or after DNA damage. NFBD1 phosphorylation in response to ionizing radiation (IR) was ATM-dependent. NFBD1 exhibited diffuse nuclear staining in the majority of untreated cells analyzed by indirect immunofluorescence and formed discrete nuclear foci after exposure to IR, UV radiation, and hydroxyurea treatment. IR induced NFBD1 foci within 1 min. The foci colocalized with γ-H2AX foci, which have been previously shown to localize at sites of DNA double-strand breaks. IR-induced NFBD1 foci also colocalized with 53BP1 and MRE11/RAD50 foci. Taken together, these results suggest that NFBD1 is a mediator of DNA damage-dependent signaling.