cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Does Premature Ventricular Contractions Affect Exercise Capacity in Teenagers with Normal Hearts

Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) are common in teenagers even in the absence of structural heart disease or channelopathy. The suppression of PVCs with exercise is a favorable prognostic indicator. There is a paucity of data regarding the relationship between exercise capacity and PVC burden in this population. Our objective was to evaluate the association between various exercise stress parameters and PVC burden ascertained with a 24 h Holter in children without structural heart disease and/or channelopathy. In this retrospective study, 447 patient’s charts with a diagnosis of PVC were reviewed at a single tertiary center. The study cohort consisted of ninety one patients with no structural heart disease or channelopathy who underwent an echocardiogram, maximal stress test, and 24 h Holter monitor. The cohort was divided into two groups based on PVC burden by 24-h Holter monitoring: < 10% and ≥ 10%. Peak oxygen uptake (VO2 in ml/kg/min), an indicator of maximal aerobic capacity, was collected. Other exercise parameters included a) percentage of predicted VO2 (%VO2) based on age, weight, height, and gender b) percent oxygen pulse, c) Anaerobic threshold (AT), and d) Metabolic equivalents. Demographic and exercise stress test-derived parameters were compared between the two groups using student t test and a p value < 0.05 was considered significant. In our cohort of 91 patients, the mean (SD) age at exercise was 14.5 (3.2) years with 56 (62%) males. Left ventricle shortening fraction (LVFS) was ≥ 28% in all enrolled patients. PVCs were monomorphic in 72(80%) patients. The mean (SD) PVC burden was 14.43% (12.3) ranging from 0.1 to 49.8%. PVC burden was ≥ 10% in 48 (53%) patients. Eighty eight (97%) patients in the study cohort had suppression of PVCs with exercise. There were no significant differences between the two groups (< 10% vs. ≥ 10% PVC burden) with respect to demographic or exercise test-derived parameters. Univariate regression between PVC burden and %VO2 did not show significant correlation (r = − 0.04, p = 0.75). Children even with ≥ 10% PVC burden did not demonstrate any objective decrease in their exercise capacity. A plausible reason for no difference in exercise capacity in our cohort may be due to lower PVC load or shorter duration of PVCs compared to adults.
Housing First: A Policy Analysis of the HEARTH Act

The paper examines Housing First (HF) policy in the context of Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act ([HEARTH], 2009) using a policy analysis framework. The analysis follows Ginsberg and Miller-Cribbs’ (2005) common elements of policy analysis and grounds the values and ethics in feminist ethic of care (Fisher & Tronto, 1990). The analysis examines both rational and moral considerations of HF in the context of the HEARTH Act. The values of the analysis are positioned in a feminist ethic of care framework that views caring as a moral and practical obligation. The paper argues that HF in the context of the HEARTH Act is responsive to a section of the homeless population. However, the paper points out inconsistencies in policy implementation. Based on the analysis, a broader definition of homelessness that encapsulates macro factors is recommended. In addition, participatory change strategies are recommended to effectively implement HF policy in communities.
Leveraging Positive Behavior Supports to Improve Engagement in Virtual Settings

High-levels of classroom engagement and on-task behavior have been linked to positive outcomes for students. In traditional classroom settings when levels of on-task behaviors are low, teacher inte...
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Cardio-Oncology: A Call to Action.

Highlights • Racial or ethnic health care disparities in cardio-oncology are present, although data remain sparse. • These disparities stem from structural racism, higher prevalence of CVD risk fac...
Neurotoxic: Ciguatoxin and brevetoxin—From excitotoxicity to neurotherapeutics

Abstract Brevetoxins and ciguatoxins are lipid-soluble polyether marine natural products that produce, respectively, neurotoxic shellfish poisoning and Ciguatera in humans. They bind to voltage-gated sodium channels at neurotoxin site 5 in a mutually exclusive manner. This binding modifies the gating properties of sodium channels leading to depolarization of neurons. While both ciguatoxins and brevetoxins produce membrane depolarization, Pacific ciguatoxin produces a prolongation of action potentials and afterhyperpolarization that is likely due to a blockade of voltage-gated K+ channels. Using primary cultures of cerebellar granule cells we have demonstrated that both brevetoxin and ciguatoxin produce excitotoxicity with Caribbean ciguatoxin displaying high potency. The ability of gating modifiers of sodium channels to trigger sodium influx can also be assessed using the Na+-sensitive fluorescent dye, sodium-binding benzofuran isophthalate. Murine neocortical neurons in primary culture were used to demonstrate that the brevetoxin PbTx-1 is a full agonist while PbTx-2 and -3 have somewhat lower efficacies. The increment in neuronal [Na+]i exceeded 40 mM at high concentrations of brevetoxins. Intracellular [Na+] increments have been demonstrated to increase NMDA receptor-mediated whole-cell currents and we have explored the ability of brevetoxin to augment NMDA receptor function. Brevetoxin treatment was found to increase both the mean open time and open probability of NMDA receptors. In addition brevetoxin enhanced cerebrocortical neuron neurite outgrowth, dendritic arbor complexity, dendritic filopodia density and synaptic density. Given these actions of brevetoxin in vitro, we used a photothrombotic stroke model in adult thy1-YFP mice to assess the effects of brevetoxin on structural plasticity and functional recovery following a unilateral stroke. Epicortical brevetoxin treatment enhanced dendritic arborization and synapse density of cortical layer V pyramidal neurons in the peri-infarct cortex. Brevetoxin also produced a robust improvement of motor recovery. These results suggest that brevetoxin may represent a novel pharmacologic approach to augment activity-dependent recovery from a stroke.
The Leader as a Coach: A Paradox-based View

Growing emphasis in organizations on reimagining the leader as a coach who prioritizes the development of team members in addition to focusing on task performance often ignores the possibility of e...
Functionally distinct roles for eEF2K in the control of ribosome availability and p-body abundance in sensory neurons

Abstract Processing bodies (p-bodies) are a prototypical phase-separated RNA-containing granule. Their abundance is highly dynamic and has been linked to translation. Yet, the molecular mechanisms responsible for coordinate control of the two processes are unclear. Here, we uncover key roles for eEF2 kinase (eEF2K) in the control of ribosome availability and p-body abundance. eEF2K acts on a sole known substrate, eEF2, to inhibit translation. We find that the eEF2K agonist nelfinavir abolishes p-bodies specifically in sensory neurons and impairs translation. To probe the latter, we used cryo-electron microscopy. Nelfinavir stabilizes vacant 80S ribosomes. They contain SERBP1 in place of mRNA and eEF2 in the acceptor site. Phosphorylated eEF2 associates with inactive ribosomes that resist splitting in vitro. Collectively, the data suggest that eEF2 phosphorylation defines a population of inactive ribosomes resistant to recycling and protected from degradation. Thus, eEF2K activity is central to both p-body abundance and ribosome availability in sensory neurons.
Immune cell β2-adrenergic receptors contribute to the development of heart failure.

Immune cell β2-adrenergic receptors (β2ARs) are important for proinflammatory macrophage infiltration to the heart in a chronic isoproterenol administration model of heart failure. Mice lacking imm...
Impact of race on nonroutine discharge, length of stay, and postoperative complications after surgery for spinal metastases.

Objective Previous studies have suggested the possibility of racial disparities in surgical outcomes for patients undergoing spine surgery, although this has not been thoroughly investigated in those with spinal metastases. Given the increasing prevalence of spinal metastases requiring intervention, knowledge about potential discrepancies in outcomes would benefit overall patient care. The objective in the present study was to investigate whether race was an independent predictor of postoperative complications, nonroutine discharge, and prolonged length of stay (LOS) after surgery for spinal metastasis. Methods The authors retrospectively examined patients at a single comprehensive cancer center who had undergone surgery for spinal metastasis between April 2013 and April 2020. Demographic information, primary pathology, preoperative clinical characteristics, and operative outcomes were collected. Factors achieving p values Results Three hundred twenty-eight patients who had undergone 348 operations were included: 240 (69.0%) White and 108 (31.0%) Black. On univariable analysis, cohorts significantly differed in age (p = 0.02), marital status (p Conclusions Race, insurance status, age, baseline functional status, and marital status were all independently associated with nonroutine discharge. This suggests that a combination of socioeconomic factors and functional status, rather than medical comorbidities, may best predict postdischarge disposition in patients treated for spinal metastases. Further investigation in a prospective cohort is merited.
SU-E-J-247: Time Evolution of Radiation-Induced Lung Injury After Stereotactic Proton Therapy

Purpose: Quantitative metrics to assess patient-specific radiation-induced lung injury have the potential to guide individualization of therapy and be early indicators of recurrence. Here we investigate computed tomography (CT) density changes in normal lung after stereotactic Proton Therapy. Methods: Participants in a phase-I clinical trial for stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) with protons are analyzed on a rolling basis. The dataset includes 9 patients with 34 CT images to date. Follow-up images are registered to the planning CT using deformable image registration and the change in CT density is correlated to the dose to examine the time-evolution of Hounsfield Unit (HU) changes after large doses of proton radiation. Results: The lung density observed on the follow-up images increases significantly with dose for all dose levels above 5 Gy(RBE) (p 18 months). Conclusion: CT density changes have a robust correlation with proton dose, quantitatively similar to photon dose, and may allow estimation of a patient’s intrinsic radiosensitivity after proton therapy. The stability of the correlation with time however diverges from what is known about CT response after photon irradiation. This could have important implications for clinical decision-making during proton therapy for lung cancer, especially for scheduling of follow-up CT/PET imaging and diagnosis of recurrence.« less
14. The Medicine Wheel: A Versatile Tool for Promoting Positive Change in Diverse Contexts

This essay describes the utility of employing the medicine wheel with university students in both counselling and instructional contexts. A brief description of the medicine wheel, its history, symbolic significance, and use in diverse contexts is discussed. The preliminary data suggest this to be a valuable tool in addressing both the academic performance and psychological adjustment issues often faced by university students.
Martial Law and the State of Siege

THERE is a strong tendency in time of war for many sober citizens to demand a severer, harsher, more drastic and more expeditious enforcement of all types of police regulations than they would endure in time of peace. This is psychologically thoroughly intelligible and the need for greater effectiveness is to a large extent urgent and imperative. But the tendency can easily get out of hand, especially since those charged with enforcement are always-in peace as well as in war-inclined to be impatient of the restraints which orderly legal procedure has placed upon the free exercise of their vitally important and indispensable powers. In war time the commendable eagerness of all citizens to strike a blow for their country can readily translate itself into an impulse to strike a blow anyhow without too cautious an examination of whether it will in fact benefit the country. In war time, we are often told, we leave the rule of law and are governed by necessity which by overwhelming popular agreement, expressed in proverbs and current speech, "knows no law".' Those who like to fortify their convictions by Latin tags may add the famous phrase silent leges inter arma,2 which Cicero used merely in connection with the right of personal self-defense. That, when war is declared or is imminent, we must at once cast aside all forms of law and gladly submit to personal and irresponsible rule by military or police officials, is strange doctrine for pro-
Direct Transition of Outgrowing Bacterial Spores to New Sporangia Without Intermediate Cell Division.

Vinter, Vladimir (Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y.), and Ralph A. Slepecky. Direct transition of outgrowing bacterial spores to new sporangia without intermediate cell division. J. Bacteriol. 90:803-807. 1965.-A direct transition was observed of the primary cell developed after germination of Bacillus cereus spores into new sporangia without intermediate division stages. Two simple methods were used for replacement of outgrowing spores into diluted medium or saline. Elongated primary cells prevented from division by limitation of nutrients in the suspending medium were able to form new forespores in 8 hr and sporangia in 12 hr. These new sporangia were still marked by attached envelopes of the original spore. Under the same conditions, cells replaced during the first divisions quickly lysed. Spores formed in the elongated primary cell during "microcycle sporogenesis" possessed normal heat resistance and refractility and were later released from sporangia.
Overview of Hepatitis C Virus Genome Structure, Polyprotein Processing, and Protein Properties

Hepatitis C was first recognized as a distinct form of liver disease in the mid-1970s with the advent of diagnostic tests for hepatitis A and B virus infection (ALTER et al. 1975; PRINCE et al. 1974). The etiologic agent of hepatitis C was proposed to be a small, enveloped virus based on demonstrations of its transmissibility to chimpanzees (ALTER et al. 1978; HOLLINGER et al. 1978; TABOR et al. 1978), small size (< 80nm) (BRADLEY et al. 1985; HE et al. 1987), and sensitivity to chloroform (BRADLEY et al. 1983; FEINSTONE et al. 1983). The genome of hepatitis C virus (HCV) was first cloned in 1989 by screening a λgt11 cDNA expression library, derived from the plasma of a persistently infected chimpanzee, with hepatitis C patient serum (CHOO et al. 1989). Hybridization and nuclease digestion experiments indicated that the HCV genome consists of a single-stranded, positive-sense, RNA molecule (CHOO et al. 1989).
Effect of plasma torus density variations on the morphology and brightness of the Io footprint

We develop a 2-D-layered model of the Io plasma torus to study the apparent “shutoff” of the Io footprint in 2007, when it disappeared beneath a region of diffuse emissions, roughly coincident with a massive eruption of Tvashtar Paterae. First, we investigate the effects of Io's location in the plasma torus and validate our model results against Hubble UV observations of the Io footprint. We are able to qualitatively reproduce variations in the morphology of the footprint due to Io's changing latitudinal location with respect to the center of the plasma torus, capturing the bright leading spot and the dimmer tail. Then, we consider the effects of an increase in the local plasma density on the brightness and morphology of the Io footprint. Our results show a correlation between a local density increase in the plasma torus and the dimming of the Io footprint as observed in 2007. In particular, we find that a local density enhancement at Io of fivefold compared to the nominal value is sufficient to produce the observed shutoff of the footprint.
Prevention of Infection: The Wound Factors

The important role of appropriate surgical wound management for preventing serious complications such as periprosthetic joint infection is recently better appreciated. Most of the complications related to surgical wound are fortunately minor problems. However, an astute orthopedic surgeon would not underestimate these seemingly inconsequential problems and should implement every possible strategy to prevent or mitigate risk factors that are known to lead to adverse outcome. Moreover, should adverse circumstances occur in the process of wound healing, timely and appropriate nonsurgical and surgical interventions would lead to favorable outcomes in the majority of cases. Expanding scientific evidence and technologic advances will hopefully provide us with better armamentarium for surgical wound management.
Alternate method for quality control of Tc-99m Tetrofosmin

2033 Objectives Compare the radiochemical purity of Tc-99m Tetrofosmin by instant thin layer chromatography(ITLC), using Silicic acid paper (SA) and a mixture of acetone and dichloromethane to the package insert method. Methods Silica Gel (SG) paper commonly used to determine the radiochemical purity by ITLC of Tc-99m Tetrofosmin is not commercially available in the US. An alternate method using chromatography paper, impregnated with SA, 1.5 cm by 12 cm, as the stationary phase and a mixture of acetone and dichloromethane (65:35 v/v ratio) as the solvent phase was developed. Approximately 10ul of Tc-99m Tetrofosmin was spotted at 1.5 cm of the ITLC SA strip and was developed to a height of 9 cm from the bottom by ascending method. The strip was cut at 3cm and 7.5cm from the bottom and each piece was counted individually. The percent Tc-99m Tetrofosmin is calculated by the counts in the middle piece divided by the total counts of all three pieces. The percent Tc-99m free is at the top piece and the percent Tc-99m hydrolyzed at the bottom. Another ITLC of 10 ul from the same Tc-99m Tetrofosmin sample was developed according to the SG method recommended in the Tetrofosmin package insert. Results The percent bound from 25 samples is 96.62 ±1.06 for the SA method and 96.54 ±1.13 for SG method. The relative front of Tc-99m Tetrofosmin for the SA method is 0.2 and 0.8. Conclusions The SA paper is easily available from Viarian, Inc, uses less dichloromethane, a known carcinogen and the relative front values are the same as package insert. All these make SA paper method an ideal replacement
Zoonotic potential in contemporary laboratory animals

Abstract Although there are a multitude of other zoonotic agents and related risks, only a select few were described. The intention was to present an overview of some current common potential laboratory animal zoonotic risks encountered within a medium to large sized medical school. Depending on the institution and investigator composition, animal species used, and experimental protocols, the scope of zoonotic potential will vary considerably. With the adoption of modern laboratory animal management techniques, routine disease surveillance, appropriate sanitary practices, good personal hygiene, and a good personnel health and educational program, laboratory animal zoonotic diseases usually do not present health hazards. We are fortunate in the Animal Resources Center at UTMB that considerable diagnostic support, research interest in comparative medicine and expertise in infectious disease are available in the Department of Pathology.
The relationship between proliferative and oxygenation status in spontaneous canine tumors

Abstract Purpose: Immunocytochemical markers have been applied to biopsy specimens from spontaneous canine tumors to assess the prevalence and spatial distribution of proliferating and hypoxic cells, and their "geographic" relationship to each other. Both types of cells have been implicated in the failure to locally control human tumors treated with radiation and chemotherapy. Methods and Materials: For the detection of hypoxic cells, a rabbit polyclonal antibody raised against a protein-bound, hexalluorinated, 2-nitroimidazole, designated CCI-103F, was used. The unmetabolized drug must first be injected into the dog to allow time for hypoxic metabolism and cellular binding to occur. For the detection of proliferating cells, a mouse monoclonal antibody raised against an endogenous nuclear protein, the "proliferating cell nuclear antigen," or PCNA, was used. This protein is expressed in most actively proliferating cells, but not in quiescent ones. An indirect immunostaining technique was used to visualize these markers in the tissue sections, and image analysis was used to estimate the area fraction of positive staining in representative, low magnification microscope fields. Results: Tumors with both high and low hypoxic and proliferative area fractions have been identified. No systematic relationship between the prevalence of the two markers, nor of the relationship between tumor grade and proliferative fraction, could be established. Staining with the proliferation marker was more commonly found near blood vessels, but some "nests" of tumor cells apparently distant from vasculature contained many proliferating cells. Staining with the hypoxia marker tended to be distant from the vasculature and/or bordering regions of tumor necrosis, but some labeled cells appeared near blood vessels, and in the absence of necrosis. Staining of sequential sections, one with the proliferation marker and one with the hypoxia marker, indicated that the two cell populations overlapped to varying extents. Some incidental staining of canine normal tissues with both the proliferative and hypoxia markers was observed as well. Conclusion: The immunochemical marker approach promises to be a useful tool to increase both our basic understanding of tumor physiology and the complex nature of tumor heterogeneity.
Trash-to-Gas: Converting Space Trash into Useful Products

NASA's Logistical Reduction and Repurposing (LRR) project is a collaborative effort in which NASA is determined to reduce total logistical mass through reduction, reuse and recycling of various wastes and components of long duration space missions and habitats. LRR is focusing on four distinct advanced areas of study: Advanced Clothing System, Logistics-to-Living, Heat Melt Compactor and Trash to Supply Gas (TtSG). The objective of TtSG is to develop technologies that convert material waste, human waste and food waste into high-value products. High-value products include life support oxygen and water, rocket fuels, raw material production feedstocks, and other energy sources. There are multiple pathways for converting waste to products involving single or multi-step processes. This paper discusses thermal oxidation methods of converting waste to methane. Different wastes, including food, food packaging, Maximum Absorbent Garments (MAGs), human waste simulants, and cotton washcloths have been evaluated in a thermal degradation reactor under conditions promoting pyrolysis, gasification or incineration. The goal was to evaluate the degradation processes at varying temperatures and ramp cycles and to maximize production of desirable products and minimize high molecular weight hydrocarbon (tar) production. Catalytic cracking was also evaluated to minimize tar production. The quantities of CO2, CO, CH4, and H2O were measured under the different thermal degradation conditions. The conversion efficiencies of these products were used to determine the best methods for producing desired products.
Motion dependence of smooth pursuit eye movements in the marmoset

Smooth pursuit eye movements stabilize slow-moving objects on the retina by matching eye velocity with target velocity. Two critical components are required to generate smooth pursuit: first, because it is a voluntary eye movement, the subject must select a target to pursue to engage the tracking system; and second, generating smooth pursuit requires a moving stimulus. We examined whether this behavior also exists in the common marmoset, a New World primate that is increasingly attracting attention as a genetic model for mental disease and systems neuroscience. We measured smooth pursuit in two marmosets, previously trained to perform fixation tasks, using the standard Rashbass step-ramp pursuit paradigm. We first measured the aspects of visual motion that drive pursuit eye movements. Smooth eye movements were in the same direction as target motion, indicating that pursuit was driven by target movement rather than by displacement. Both the open-loop acceleration and closed-loop eye velocity exhibited a linear relationship with target velocity for slow-moving targets, but this relationship declined for higher speeds. We next examined whether marmoset pursuit eye movements depend on an active engagement of the pursuit system by measuring smooth eye movements evoked by small perturbations of motion from fixation or during pursuit. Pursuit eye movements were much larger during pursuit than from fixation, indicating that pursuit is actively gated. Several practical advantages of the marmoset brain, including the accessibility of the middle temporal (MT) area and frontal eye fields at the cortical surface, merit its utilization for studying pursuit movements.
Society and democracy in Africa

Abstract One way in which colonialism injured Africa was through the rupture it caused in the integration of the civil with the political aspect of her social life. That integration was one of the strong points of traditional society. Indeed, in traditional life the distinction between the state and civil society was largely inoperative. This seamless‐ness was, however, not complete. It was still possible in traditional times to distinguish between societies with states and societies without state apparatus. The Zulu of South Africa are an example of societies with an organized state, while the Tallensi of Ghana exemplify societies without state apparatus.
Effects of situational demand in the role-play assessment of assertive behavior

Assertive and nonassertive subjects role played responses to interpersonal situations of known response difficulty in which various types of assertions were appropriate to evaluate the interactive effects of demand and difficulty on assertive performance. Subjects responded as they normally would (low demand) and as if they had just finished an extensive assertive training program (high demand). Role-play data, rated for overall assertion, revealed that (a) subjects were more assertive under high than low-demand; (b) assertive performance varied with situational difficulty; and (c) self-reports of assertive ability predicted behavior only when role-play situations were easy or demand low, and high demand had preceded low demand. It was concluded that assertive performance is strongly influenced by situational and cognitive variables, that self-reports predict behavior only in specific assessment circumstances, and that role plays tend to measure maximal, rather than typical, performance. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications concerning the validity of role-play assessment procedures.
Stopped-flow fluorometric study of the interaction of melittin with phospholipid bilayers: importance of the physical state of the bilayer and the acyl chain length

Stopped-flow fluorometry has been employed to study the effects of melittin, the major protein component of bee venom, on dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs) on the millisecond time scale, before melittin-induced vesicle fusion takes place. Use is made of 1-(4-trimethylammoniumphenyl)-6-phenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (TMA-DPH), which is an oriented fluorescent probe that anchors itself to the bilayer-water interface and is aligned parallel to the normal to the bilayer surface; its fluorescence anisotropy reports on the "fluidity" of the bilayer. For DMPC bilayers, melittin is found to decrease their fluidity only at their melting transition temperature. This perturbation appears to be exerted almost instantaneously on the millisecond time scale of the measurements, as deduced from the fact that its rate is comparable to that obtained by following the change in the fluorescence of the single tryptophan residue of melittin upon inserting itself into the bilayer. The perturbation is felt in the bilayer over a distance of at least 50 A, with measurements of transfer of electronic energy indicating that the protein is not sequestered in the neighborhood of TMA-DPH. The length of the acyl chains is found to be an important physical parameter in the melittin-membrane interaction: unlike the case of DMPC SUVs, melittin does not alter the fluidity of DPPC SUVs and has a considerably greater affinity for them. These results are discussed in terms of the concept of elastic distortion of the lipids, which results from a mismatch between the protein and the acyl chains that are attempting to accommodate it. Melittin is also found to cause a small (approximately 10%) enhancement in the total fluorescence intensity of TMA-DPH, which is interpreted as indicating a reduction in the degree of hydration of the bilayer.
Second-order accurate monotone finite volume scheme for Richards' equation

In this work we perform a theoretical and numerical analysis of Richards' equation. For certain types of nonlinearities we provide explicit analytical solutions. These solutions are used to show that conventional unconditionally monotone finite volume schemes have only first-order accuracy. We derive necessary and sufficient conditions for the monotonicity of finite volume discretizations and use these conditions to construct a monotone finite volume discretization accurate to second-order.
Neutron Damage to Commercial GaAsP LED Devices

On-line measurement of the degradation of a small set of commercial LED devices bombarded with a 15 MeV median energy neutron beam has been obtained. During irradiation the light output of an LED was recorded via a fiber optic link to an external area free of radiation where a photodiode detector viewed the fiber optic signal. All data were recorded on DVMs, on chart recorders and on magnetic tape with an on-line computer. The data for each LED can be described by one primary damage function and the amount of damage is rather strongly dependent on the amount of phosphorous in the GaAsP LEDs studied. The neutron energy distribution and intensity are well known from previous dosimetry measurements. Radiographic data determined that a homogeneous spatial distribution of neutron flux is used. The neutron beam was uniform over the dimension of the samples and 2 × 1010 neutrons/cm2/sec are easy to obtain.
Preparing for the real world: A prelude to a fieldwork experience

This article discusses the challenges of self-directed learning and the benefits of thorough preparation of undergraduate students for an internship experience. It describes a course offered at a unit of the State University of New York that prepares students in criminal justice and human services for their required fieldwork experience, focusing on the component activities of the course and their educational rationale.
Hydrogen sulfide attenuates neurodegeneration and neurovascular dysfunction induced by intracerebral-administered homocysteine in mice

High levels of homocysteine (Hcy), known as hyperhomocysteinemia are associated with neurovascular diseases. H2S, a metabolite of Hcy, has potent anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activities; however, the effect of H2S has not been explored in Hcy (IC)-induced neurodegeneration and neurovascular dysfunction in mice. Therefore, the present study was designed to explore the neuroprotective role of H2S on Hcy-induced neurodegeneration and neurovascular dysfunction. To test this hypothesis we employed wild-type (WT) males ages 8-10 weeks, WT+artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF), WT+Hcy (0.5 μmol/μl) intracerebral injection (IC, one time only prior to NaHS treatment), WT+Hcy+NaHS (sodium hydrogen sulfide, precursor of H2S, 30 μmol/kg, body weight). NaHS was injected i.p. once daily for the period of 7 days after the Hcy (IC) injection. Hcy treatment significantly increased malondialdehyde, nitrite level, acetylcholinestrase activity, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1 beta, glial fibrillary acidic protein, inducible nitric oxide synthase, endothelial nitric oxide synthase and decreased glutathione level indicating oxidative-nitrosative stress and neuroinflammation as compared to control and aCSF-treated groups. Further, increased expression of neuron-specific enolase, S100B and decreased expression of (post-synaptic density-95, synaptosome-associated protein-97) synaptic protein indicated neurodegeneration. Brain sections of Hcy-treated mice showed damage in the cortical area and periventricular cells. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated, dUTP nick-end labeling-positive cells and Fluro Jade-C staining indicated apoptosis and neurodegeneration. The increased expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) MMP9, MMP2 and decreased expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP) TIMP-1, TIMP-2, tight junction proteins (zonula occulden 1) in Hcy-treated group indicate neurovascular remodeling. Interestingly, NaHS treatment significantly attenuated Hcy-induced oxidative stress, memory deficit, neurodegeneration, neuroinflammation and cerebrovascular remodeling. The results indicate that H2S is effective in providing protection against neurodegeneration and neurovascular dysfunction.
Wavelength tunability of ion-bombardment-induced ripples on sapphire

A study of ripple formation on sapphire surfaces by $300--2000\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{eV}$ ${\mathrm{Ar}}^{+}$ ion bombardment is presented. Surface characterization by in-situ synchrotron grazing incidence small angle x-ray scattering and ex-situ atomic force microscopy is performed in order to study the wavelength of ripples formed on sapphire (0001) surfaces. We find that the wavelength can be varied over a remarkably wide range---nearly two orders of magnitude---by changing the ion incidence angle. Within the linear theory regime, the ion induced viscous flow smoothing mechanism explains the general trends of the ripple wavelength at low temperature and incidence angles larger than $30\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$. In this model, relaxation is confined to a few nm thick damaged surface layer. The behavior at high temperature suggests relaxation by surface diffusion. However, strong smoothing is inferred from the observed ripple wavelength near normal incidence, which is not consistent with either surface diffusion or viscous flow relaxation.
IL‐1β induces a MyD88‐dependent and ceramide‐mediated activation of Src in anterior hypothalamic neurons

The proinflammatory cytokine interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta), acting at IL-1R1 receptors, affects neuronal signaling under both physiological and pathophysiological conditions. The molecular mechanism of the rapid synaptic actions of IL-1beta in neurons is not known. We show here that within minutes of IL-1beta exposure, the firing rate of anterior hypothalamic (AH) neurons in culture was inhibited. This effect was prevented by pre-exposure of the cells to the Src family inhibitor, PP2, suggesting the involvement of Src in the hyperpolarizing effects of IL-1beta. The IL-1beta stimulation of neurons induced a rapid increase in the phosphorylation of the tyrosine kinase Src and kinase suppressor of Ras (ceramide activated protein kinase (CAPK)/KSR) in neurons grown on glia from IL-1RI(-/-) mice. These effects of IL-1beta were dependent on the association of the cytosolic adaptor protein, MyD88, to the IL-1 receptor, and on the activation of the neutral sphingomyelinase, leading to production of ceramide. A cell-permeable analog of ceramide mimicked the effects of IL-1beta on the cultured AH neurons. These results suggest that ceramide may be the second messenger of the fast IL-1beta actions in AH neurons, and that this IL-1beta/ceramide pathway may underlie the fast non-transcription-dependent, electrophysiological effects of IL-1beta observed in AH neurons in vivo.
Detecting anomalies in dynamic rating data: a robust probabilistic model for rating evolution

Rating data is ubiquitous on websites such as Amazon, TripAdvisor, or Yelp. Since ratings are not static but given at various points in time, a temporal analysis of rating data provides deeper insights into the evolution of a product's quality. In this work, we tackle the following question: Given the time stamped rating data for a product or service, how can we detect the general rating behavior of users as well as time intervals where the ratings behave anomalous? We propose a Bayesian model that represents the rating data as sequence of categorical mixture models. In contrast to existing methods, our method does not require any aggregation of the input but it operates on the original time stamped data. To capture the dynamic effects of the ratings, the categorical mixtures are temporally constrained: Anomalies can occur in specific time intervals only and the general rating behavior should evolve smoothly over time. Our method automatically determines the intervals where anomalies occur, and it captures the temporal effects of the general behavior by using a state space model on the natural parameters of the categorical distributions. For learning our model, we propose an efficient algorithm combining principles from variational inference and dynamic programming. In our experimental study we show the effectiveness of our method and we present interesting discoveries on multiple real world datasets.
The Role of Eelgrass in Marine Community Interactions and Ecosystem Services: Results from Ecosystem-Scale Food Web Models

Eelgrass beds provide valuable refuge, foraging, and spawning habitat for many marine species, including valued species such as Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.), Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi), and Dungeness crab (Metacarcinus magister). We used dynamic simulations in a food web model of central Puget Sound, Washington, USA developed in the Ecopath with Ecosim software, to examine how the marine community may respond to changes in coverage of native eelgrass (Zostera marina), and how these modeled responses can be assessed using an ecosystem services framework, expressing these services with economic currencies in some cases and biological proxies in others. Increased eelgrass coverage was most associated with increases in commercial and recreational fishing with some small decreases in one non-market activity, bird watching. When we considered ecosystem service categories that are aggregations of individual groups of species, we saw little evidence of strong tradeoffs among marine resources; that is, increasing eelgrass coverage was essentially either positive or neutral for all services we examined, although we did not examine terrestrial activities (for example, land use) that affect eelgrass coverage. Within particular service categories, however, we found cases where the responses to changes in eelgrass of individual groups of species that provide the same type of ecosystem service differed both in the magnitude and in the direction of change. This emphasizes the care that should be taken in combining multiple examples of a particular type of ecosystem service into an aggregate measure of that service.
Body composition of sedentary and physically active spinal cord injured individuals estimated from total body electrical conductivity

Reliability and evidence of construct validity of Total Body Electrical Conductivity (TOBEC) for estimating body composition in spinal cord injured subjects was evaluated using 17 males with C6-L2 spinal cord transections. Subjects reporting regular exercise were categorized as active (n = 12); nonexercisers were considered sedentary (n = 5). Measures included body weight, length, circumferences, skinfolds, and three TOBEC readings. Reliability for percent fat of both single and multiple TOBEC trials (t = 3) ranged from .994 to .999. Average percent fat values were significantly (p 0.99) in estimating body composition in spinal cord injured individuals. High reliability estimates for single and multiple trials indicate use of a single trial will provide reliable body fat estimates. Construct validity evidence infers that TOBEC measured body composition discriminates between active and sedentary paraplegics.
Introduction, establishment and effects of non‐native salmonids: considering the risk of rainbow trout invasion in the United Kingdom*

Salmonids like rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis and brown trout Salmo trutta are potent invaders in various regions throughout the world, but non-native rainbow trout have become established in only a few locations in the U.K. to date. Salmonid invasions in other regions are often driven by repeated authorized introductions of large numbers of fish, escapees from fish culture and illegal introductions by anglers. Their spread can be rapid within catchments via long-distance movements. Currently, large numbers of all-female diploid rainbow trout are released in the U.K., the eggs of which could be fertilized by relatively few mature males, thereby increasing the risk of invasion. If reproducing fish began to spread, especially by anadromy, then eradication could be difficult due to angler interest and logistical constraints. Establishment of non-native salmonids can be limited by abiotic factors such as flow and temperature regimes, and biotic resistance from competition, predation and parasites or diseases, which often affect early life stages most strongly. Moreover, these factors can also interact with the zoogeography and evolutionary history of the native and introduced salmonids to make explanation and prediction complex. Although flow and temperature regimes in the U.K. are broadly suitable for rainbow trout, and biotic resistance by brown trout has been overcome in other regions, resistance from native diseases and angling mortality appear to be plausible hypotheses for lack of rainbow trout invasion in the U.K. Invading salmonids can have both direct effects on native salmonids and other fishes via biotic interactions, and indirect effects by fragmenting their habitat and isolating native populations. In addition, invaders can have indirect effects on entire aquatic food webs (e.g. invertebrates and algae) that cascade throughout ecosystems, or even cross boundaries into adjacent ecosystems. Evidence from other regions indicates that rainbow trout could have negative effects on brown trout or Atlantic salmon Salmo salar in U.K. waters, but this probably depends on the context set by other factors. Overall, primary factors to consider in any risk analysis of rainbow trout invasion in the U.K. include the decline of native salmonid populations due to degradation or overexploitation, the evolutionary history of newly introduced rainbow trout stocks, local or global influences that change aquatic environments and reduce biotic resistance by native parasites or diseases, and rapid evolution of local adaptations by new or marginally established populations of rainbow trout that makes them more invasive.
Estimating Intrinsic Attenuation of a Building Using Deconvolution Interferometry and Time Reversal

Structural engineers have measured a building’s response to strong motion from civil structures that have been instrumented with accelerometers, such as the Robert A. Millikan Library of the California Institute of Technology. The attenuation of the motion of this building has been measured using seismic interferometry techniques in the past. We use the breaking of the temporal symmetry of the wave equation by attenuation, in combination with seismic interferometry, to estimate attenuation. These estimates are made from fitting the differences in acausal and causal waveforms obtained from different deconvolution processes. We apply the method to the motion recorded at the Millikan Library and obtain estimates of intrinsic attenuation that compare well with past measurements. This technique has more precision for higher frequencies than earlier measurements that are based on seismic interferometry, and it is not dependent on radiation losses at the base of the building.
Exact relations between fluctuation conductivity diagrams

Abstract Feynman diagrams for the fluctuation conductivity, for example near a Peierls distortion or in a superconductor, can be derived by functional differentiation of the zero-field current J 0 (zero) with respect to an applied vector potential which is spatially- and time-dependent. The full functional differentiation of each diagram in J 0 is shown to be given by a path-differentiation procedure which algebraically sums differentials along any non-looping path through the diagram. The results for different paths are the same, which establishes a number of exact relations between fluctuation conductivity diagrams when the fluctuation is a mean-field expression and the bare electron-electron interaction does not depend on momentum or frequency.
Assessing the Impact of a Graduate School Preparation Program on First-Generation, Low-Income College Students at a Public Liberal Arts University.

This study assessed the performance of a federal program designed to serve first-generation, low-income (FGLI) college students—the Ronald E. McNair Program. Using data from a midwestern liberal ar...
Preferential surface oxidation of Gd in Gd5Ge4

Abstract Gd oxidizes preferentially at the (0 1 0) surface of Gd 5 Ge 4 . This is consistent with thermodynamic data for the bulk oxides. Upon oxidation in vacuum, the gadolinium oxide displaces or covers the Ge. Oxidation is more extensive at 600 K than at 300 K, because more oxygen is incorporated into the surface and the shift of the Gd binding energy is larger.
A methodology to incorporate life cycle analysis and the triple bottom line mechanism for sustainable management of industrial enterprises

Since 1970’s, the environmental protection movement has challenged industries to increase their investment in Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing (ECM) techniques and management tools. Social considerations for global citizens and their descendants also motivated the examination on the complex issues of sustainable development beyond the immediate economic impact. Consequently, industrial enterprises have started to understand sustainable development in considering the Triple Bottom Line (TBL): economic prosperity, environmental quality and social justice. For the management, however, a lack of systematic ECM methodologies hinders their effort in planning, evaluating, reporting and auditing of sustainability. To address this critical need, this research develops a framework of a sustainable management system by incorporating a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of industrial operations with the TBL mechanism. A TBL metric system with seven sets of indices for the TBL elements and their complex relations is identified for the comprehensive evaluation of a company’s sustainability performance. Utilities of the TBL indices are estimated to represent the views of various stakeholders, including the company, investors, employees and the society at large. Costs of these indices are also captured to reflect the company’s effort in meeting the utilities. An optimization model is formulated to maximize the economic, environmental and social benefits by the company’s effort in developing sustainable strategies. To promote environmental and social consciousness, the methodology can significantly facilitate management decisions by its capabilities of including “non-business” values and external costs that the company has not contemplated before.