cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Channel length scaling of over 100% biaxially stretchable carbon nanotube transistors

Deformable field effect transistors (FETs) are needed for future technologies such as stretchable electronics. We have previously integrated buckled networks of polymer-sorted semiconducting carbon nanotubes and buckled layers of an ion gel dielectric onto elastomeric substrates to create FETs with a channel length of 100 μm that are biaxially stretchable. However, the channel length scaling behavior of this type of FET has not yet been investigated. Of particular concern is the viability of this device architecture when the channel length is reduced below 10 μm, approaching the characteristic buckling length-scale. Here, we fabricate and test buckled nanotube FETs with channel lengths of 8, 17, and 31 μm. We find that the buckling length-scale decreases as the channel length is reduced and that devices at all channel lengths are viable, demonstrating a field-effect mobility of >5 cm2 V−1 s−1 and an on/off ratio of >104, with stability up to 100% biaxial elongation without degradation of performance. A biaxially stretchable inverter is also demonstrated. These findings are important because smaller and higher conductivity FETs that are deformable are needed for next-generation technologies such as stretchable, high-resolution displays and sensors.Deformable field effect transistors (FETs) are needed for future technologies such as stretchable electronics. We have previously integrated buckled networks of polymer-sorted semiconducting carbon nanotubes and buckled layers of an ion gel dielectric onto elastomeric substrates to create FETs with a channel length of 100 μm that are biaxially stretchable. However, the channel length scaling behavior of this type of FET has not yet been investigated. Of particular concern is the viability of this device architecture when the channel length is reduced below 10 μm, approaching the characteristic buckling length-scale. Here, we fabricate and test buckled nanotube FETs with channel lengths of 8, 17, and 31 μm. We find that the buckling length-scale decreases as the channel length is reduced and that devices at all channel lengths are viable, demonstrating a field-effect mobility of >5 cm2 V−1 s−1 and an on/off ratio of >104, with stability up to 100% biaxial elongation without degradation of performance. A bi...
SQSTM1/p62 and PPARGC1A/PGC-1alpha at the interface of autophagy and vascular senescence

Defective macroautophagy/autophagy and mitochondrial dysfunction are known to stimulate senescence. The mitochondrial regulator PPARGC1A (peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma, coactivat...
Busy doing nothing: An exploration of the disconnect between gender equity issues faced by large law firms in the United Kingdom and the diversity management initiatives devised to address them

There is little doubt that the large law firm has undergone huge transformation in the last three decades. This has been as a consequence of widespread change in practice realities, resulting in changing market dynamics, fiercer competition for clients, and alterations in career paths, where individuals have moved from a largely internal labor market structure to a “boundaryless” model. Further changes have come in the form of deregulation in respect of delivery of key lines of service and a trend toward globalization of legal practice. These changes taken together have meant that large law firms now demand more labor and have had to access sections of the labor market they previously did not. Key among these groups is women, and we have seen a massive rise in the number of women both studying and practicing law. However, this increase in diversity within law firms has not resulted in expected increased inclusion at the senior levels of the profession, where male partners continue to outnumber females by approximately four to one. To combat this issue, law firms have resorted to diversity management to signal their cognizance of the problem and that they are taking action. However, it is clear that these diversity policies have made little impact. This Article assesses why. The Article has three parts: the first reviews the data showing women’s increased participation in the legal sector and assesses why increased
FRST: A national soil testing database to improve fertility recommendations

Soil testing is an important practice for nutrient management in agricultural production systems. In the United States, soil‐test methods and interpretations vary across state lines, making institutional collaborations challenging and crop fertilization guidelines inconsistent. Uniformity and transparency in P and K soil fertility testing and fertilizer recommendations are needed to enhance end‐user adoption. The Fertilizer Recommendation Support Tool (FRST) project is developing a comprehensive database of P and K correlation–calibration results that can be accessed through an online tool for use in research and fertilizer recommendation development. This collaborative project, which includes over 30 land‐grant universities, the USDA‐ARS, the USDA‐NRCS, and several not‐for‐profit organizations, contains a national survey describing the current status of soil testing, minimum requirements for correlation–calibration data inclusion, and database population and creating FRST as a user‐friendly online decision support tool. The FRST project will provide more consistent, transparent, and science‐based information for crop nutrient recommendations across the United States.
Same-Day Discharge After Outpatient PCI in a VA Hospital: Shared Decision Making and the VA MISSION Act

Abstract Introduction The VA Mission Act of 2018 sought to increase access to local care facilities for Veterans meeting certain eligibility criteria including a drive time of >60 min from a VA facility. As part of an ongoing review of our VA program's same day discharge (SDD) program following elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), we investigated whether the distance criteria of the VA Mission Act had any impact on overall safety outcomes. Methods We performed a single center, retrospective study in patients who underwent outpatient PCI between 2013 and 2019. We stratified patients into an overnight observation (ON) and SDD group. We used Google Maps in order to calculate patient home distance to the Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Hospital (JBVA). Primary endpoints included all-cause death andmajor adverse cardiac events (MACE; cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke, and/or target vessel revascularization). Secondary outcomes included total unplanned interactions with the healthcare system. Outcomes were analyzed at 30 days after PCI. Results There were 76 patients in the SDD group. The SDD group had a median drive time of 80 min from the JBVA. Regarding primary outcomes, there were no cases of MACE in either group and there was no statistically significant difference in terms of all-cause mortality (ON: 1.3%, SDD: 0%, p = .5) 30 days following PCI. All secondary outcomes at 30 days did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference between either group. Conclusion Same day discharge following successful PCI procedures appears safe. In response to the VA Mission Act, drive time and distance travelled did not appear to impact outcomes. Summary Same day discharge in select patients at our VA hospital was both safe and feasible. Neither drive time nor distance travelled affected overall outcomes in response to the 2018 VA MISSION Act. As such, shared decision making between patients and physicians remains essential to ensure Veterans continue to receive high quality care that is in their best medical interest.
A selective inference approach for false discovery rate control using multiomics covariates yields insights into disease risk

To correct for a large number of hypothesis tests, most researchers rely on simple multiple testing corrections. Yet, new methodologies of selective inference could potentially improve power while retaining statistical guarantees, especially those that enable exploration of test statistics using auxiliary information (covariates) to weight hypothesis tests for association. We explore one such method, adaptive P-value thresholding (AdaPT), in the framework of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and gene expression/coexpression studies, with particular emphasis on schizophrenia (SCZ). Selected SCZ GWAS association P values play the role of the primary data for AdaPT; single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are selected because they are gene expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs). This natural pairing of SNPs and genes allow us to map the following covariate values to these pairs: GWAS statistics from genetically correlated bipolar disorder, the effect size of SNP genotypes on gene expression, and gene-gene coexpression, captured by subnetwork (module) membership. In all, 24 covariates per SNP/gene pair were included in the AdaPT analysis using flexible gradient boosted trees. We demonstrate a substantial increase in power to detect SCZ associations using gene expression information from the developing human prefrontal cortex. We interpret these results in light of recent theories about the polygenic nature of SCZ. Importantly, our entire process for identifying enrichment and creating features with independent complementary data sources can be implemented in many different high-throughput settings to ultimately improve power.
Supporting children's math learning with feedback-augmented narrative technology

A key challenge in education is effectively engaging children in learning activities. We investigated how a narrative story impacts engagement and learning, as well as how feedback can provide further benefits. To do so, we created an interactive, tablet-based learning platform with a multi-step math task designed using Common Core State Standards. Subjects completed a pretest and then were assigned to a condition, either one of three variations of the system (narratives, narratives with hints, and narratives with a tutoring chatbot using wizard-of-oz techniques) or a control system that has children complete the same learning task without narratives nor feedback, before the subjects completed a post test. 72 children in U.S. grades 3--5 participated. Our results showed that embedding learning activities into narratives boosted children's engagement as evaluated by coding video responses and surveys, and the integration of a tutoring chatbot improved learning outcomes on the assessment. These results provide evidence that a narrative-based tutoring system with chatbot-mediated help may support effective learning experiences for children.
Attitudinal and Behavioral Differences Between Older and Younger Adults Using Mobile Devices.

Research has shown that older adults take more time to perform tasks and have higher satisfaction than younger adults for a variety of activities. Through a series of controlled experiments at the U.S. Census Bureau, we confirm that older adults do take longer to complete surveys on smartphones, but the increase in satisfaction compared to younger adults is only marginally significant. In these experiments, we also found that the age effects do not vary by the smartphone survey designs tested, suggesting that designers could focus on improving designs for older adults and younger adults would benefit from those changes.
Testing the Generalizability of an Automated Method for Explaining Machine Learning Predictions on Asthma Patients’ Asthma Hospital Visits to an Academic Healthcare System

Asthma puts a tremendous overhead on healthcare. To enable effective preventive care to improve outcomes in managing asthma, we recently created two machine learning models, one using University of Washington Medicine data and the other using Intermountain Healthcare data, to predict asthma hospital visits in the next 12 months in asthma patients. As is common in machine learning, neither model supplies explanations for its predictions. To tackle this interpretability issue of black-box models, we developed an automated method to produce rule-style explanations for any machine learning model’s predictions made on imbalanced tabular data and to recommend customized interventions without lowering the prediction accuracy. Our method exhibited good performance in explaining our Intermountain Healthcare model’s predictions. Yet, it stays unknown how well our method generalizes to academic healthcare systems, whose patient composition differs from that of Intermountain Healthcare. This study evaluates our automated explaining method’s generalizability to the academic healthcare system University of Washington Medicine on predicting asthma hospital visits. We did a secondary analysis on 82,888 University of Washington Medicine data instances of asthmatic adults between 2011 and 2018, using our method to explain our University of Washington Medicine model’s predictions and to recommend customized interventions. Our results showed that for predicting asthma hospital visits, our automated explaining method had satisfactory generalizability to University of Washington Medicine. In particular, our method explained the predictions for 87.6% of the asthma patients whom our University of Washington Medicine model accurately predicted to experience asthma hospital visits in the next 12 months.
Constraining the Topology of Reionization Through Lyman-alpha Absorption

The reionization of hydrogen in the intergalactic medium (IGM) is a crucial landmark in the history of the universe, but the processes through which it occurs remain mysterious. In particular, recent numerical and analytic work suggest that reionization by stellar sources is driven by large-scale density fluctuations and must be inhomogeneous on scales of many comoving Mpc. We examine the prospects for constraining the topology of neutral and ionized gas through Lyman-alpha absorption of high-redshift sources. One method is to search for gaps in the Gunn-Peterson absorption troughs of luminous sources. These could occur if the line of sight passes sufficiently close to the center of a large HII region. In contrast to previous work, we find a non-negligible (though still small) probability of observing such a gap before reionization is complete. In our model the transmission spike at z=6.08 in the spectrum of SDSS J1148+5251 does not necessarily require overlap to have been completed at an earlier epoch. We also examine the IGM damping wing absorption of the Lyman-alpha emission lines of star-forming galaxies. Because most galaxies sit inside of large HII regions, we find that the severity of absorption is significantly smaller than previously thought and decoupled from the properties of the observed galaxy. While this limits our ability to constrain the mean neutral fraction of the IGM from observations of individual galaxies, it presents the exciting possibility of measuring the size distribution and evolution of the ionized bubbles by examining the distribution of damping wing optical depths in a large sample of galaxies.
SUNBATHED ASPEN GROW TO SHOW HOW SUNLIGHT INFLUENCES ASPEN LEAF CHANGES IN THE AUTUMN SEASON

Abstract. Every autumn, leaves of deciduous trees change from green to other colors and eventually drop to the ground. The rate of color change is influenced by a several factors including the amount of sunlight and temperature. As part of an inquiry-based learning activity, University of Wyoming students have been recording leaf color change (% change) and its drop date (%) in Aspen trees (Populus tremuloides) growing in Laramie (WY) using NEON’s (National Ecology Observation Network) Phenology data form. In this study, the data recorded from 2015 through 2018 were analyzed to identify trends in the rate of color change in dry and normal years. Trees that were in an area with a high amount of shade were observed to change leaf color and drop their leaves faster than those in areas that received more sun. This pattern was consistent even in years that experienced winter-like conditions in September. Findings from this multi-year study indicate that future environmental modeling projects must factor in the amount of sunlight received by aspen trees in the growing season into account.
Steps for Success: Making Instructional Decisions for Students’ Essay Writing:

The process of analyzing student data to determine an appropriate instructional decision is crucial for student academic growth. This article details how teachers can make data-driven decisions to ...
Developing One's Character: An Aristotelian Defense of Sportsmanship

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay's first paragraph. "While he lived long ago, the ethical writings of the Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) still have relevance to the present day, particularly when we try to understand the meaning of the term “sportsmanship.” For Aristotle, the purpose of ethical training was to help human beings achieve personal excellence, what he called “eudaimonia” or “self-fulfillment.” Since we are by nature social animals, such fulfillment can only occur within a communal setting. One judges an individual by the way in which that individual excels, and one judges a community by the role models it holds up as type of citizens who best express that community’s ideals. Personal excellence, therefore, is intricately connected to engaging in social activities. Sport can provide the means for testing one’s own abilities through cooperative team activities against worthy opponents, with the support of a community to inspire one to achieve one’s best. To win by cheating, or by disparaging an opponent’s abilities, or by excessive violent acts, would not be a mark of a worthy character. This theory is known as “virtue ethics” and the concept of good sportsmanship is at its very heart." This faculty essay is available in Verbum: http://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/verbum/vol7/iss1/19
Permeation of Nucleosides, Nucleic Acid Bases, and Nucleotides in Animal Cells

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the importance of the mechanism of permeation of nucleosides, nucleobases, and nucleotides through the cell membranes of eukaryotes. Some of the reasons of its importance include (1) many anticancer and immunosuppressive agents presently in use or under development are nucleoside, nucleotide, or nucleobase analogs and a clear understanding of their mode of entry into cells and metabolism is important in the assessment of their mode of action, efficacy, and optimal administration, and (2) radioactively labeled nucleosides and nucleic acid bases are widely used as precursors to label specifically the nucleic acids of various types of organisms or of the viruses or plasmids replicating therein as well as to assess the rates of nucleic acid synthesis. An interpretation of the rates of nucleoside and base incorporation into nucleic acids, be it RNA or DNA, depends on a clear understanding of the extent to which these rates may reflect the rates of the conversion of the extracellular substrate to intracellular nucleotides, which are the direct precursors in nucleic acid synthesis. Elimination of the ambiguities inherent in metabolizing cells is of clear advantage to transport studies. Nucleoside and purine transport have been studied successfully in the absence of intracellular metabolism by the use of erythrocytes or of mutant clones of cultured animal cells that are deficient in specific metabolic enzymes and by the use of cell/substrate systems in which substrate metabolism is blocked in some other manner. The chapter also discusses the carrier model for facilitated diffusion and tests for its applicability to nucleoside and base transport.
Antidepressant Regulatory Warnings, Prescription Patterns, Suicidality and Other Aggressive Behaviors in Major Depressive Disorder and Anxiety Disorders

In 2004 the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning on the risk of suicidality in children and adolescents receiving antidepressants. This was followed by reports of changes in antidepressant prescription patterns, suicidality and other aggressive behaviors, but debate is continuing regarding the nature and magnitude of these changes. We examined a large physician database for impact of the warning on antidepressant prescriptions, suicidality and other aggressive behaviors in major depressive disorder (MDD) and anxiety disorders in adult and pediatric patients. We analyzed electronic database covering over 100,000 patients, treated in Pre- (before 2003) and Post- (after 2004) warning periods. We compared strength of the association between the measures and the time period with two tests. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to ascertain the unique effect of each parameter. Of 10,089 MDD (61.0 %) and anxiety disorders (39.0 %) patients, 65.2 % received antidepressant prescription and 16.1 % were pediatric patients. In post-warning period, there was a greater reduction in adult versus pediatric antidepressant prescription rates. Logistic modeling showed greater likelihood of antidepressant prescription in MDD as compared with anxiety disorders in post-warning period. Pediatric patients were more likely than adults to receive fluoxetine during the post-warning period. There was an overall reduction in suicidality and other aggressive behaviors in the post-warning period. Regulatory warnings may have had an impact on antidepressant benefit/risk assessment and consequent utilization, therapeutic effects, and adverse events. Our observations suggest that psychiatrists may heed regulatory warnings, but may also exert professional independence and discrimination in their application.
Growth suppression by exogenous abscisic acid and uniconazole for prolonged marketability of bell pepper transplants in commercial conditions

Abstract Vegetable transplants quickly outgrow the optimal size for shipping and transplanting, limiting sales, and marketing flexibility in commercial nurseries. Abscisic acid (ABA) and uniconazole can suppress shoot growth by inducing stress-adaptive responses and inhibiting gibberellin biosynthesis, respectively. We evaluated the effectiveness of the two growth regulators in prolonging marketability of ‘Excursion’ and ‘Revolution’ bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) transplants at commercial nursery greenhouses in Texas and Florida. Spray treatments in the Texas experiment were 0 and 3.8 mM ABA at 7, 5, 3, or 1 day before the anticipated maturity date (DBM), and those in the Florida experiment were no spray control, 3.8 mM ABA at 7, 5, 3, or 1 DBM, and 34 μM uniconazole at 4 DBM. Both experiments showed similar results with minimal cultivar-specific effects. Different growth modifications were induced by ABA and uniconazole. First, suppression of stem elongation by ABA was reversible by 7 days after the anticipated maturity date (DAM), whereas that by uniconazole lasted for 20 days or until 16 DAM with up to 15% reductions in stem length. Second, only ABA inhibited shoot and root dry matter accumulation. The growth modulating effect of uniconazole appears to be limited to height control, which is beneficial for producing compact transplants, rather than as a growth holding strategy. By contrast, the overall growth suppression by ABA is desirable for prolonging transplant marketability. Importantly, the magnitude of this growth suppression was moderate (9%–12% shoot biomass reductions at 7–8 DAM) and mostly reversible by 14–16 DAM. Furthermore, root growth inhibition by ABA occurred with a time lag of over a week, allowing sufficient root development and increasing root-to-shoot ratio at 0 DBM. Although these growth holding effects of ABA were generally maximized when it was applied at 7 or 5 DBM, leaf chlorosis and cotyledon abscission were also induced by ABA in a similar age-dependent manner. These results suggest that ABA application 3 DBM is an effective growth holding strategy with minimal negative-side effects for bell pepper transplants.
Prolonged Acetaminophen Ingestion in Mice: Effects on the Availability of Methionine for Metabolic Functions

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of prolonged ingestion of acetaminophen (ACAP) on the availability of methionine for its metabolic functions in mice. ACAP was fed to weanling mice at levels of 0.0, 0.3, 0.5 or 0.8% of the diet, with methionine provided at requirement (0.5%) or at twice the requirement (1.0%) level, for 2 wk to assess its effect on the availability of methionine for growth. In another study, ACAP was fed to adult mice at levels of 0.0, 0.4, or 0.6% of the diet, with methionine at 0.5 or 1.0% of the diet, for 2 wk to assess its effect on the availability of methionine for protein synthesis and methylation reactions. The growth rate of weanling mice decreased with increasing dietary ACAP in mice fed 0.5% methionine, but not in those fed 1.0%. Hepatic reduced glutathione (GSH) decreased and plasma glutamic-pyruvic transaminase activity increased in an ACAP dose-dependent manner in weanling mice fed 0.5% methionine. Protein synthesizing ability decreased in adult mice fed 0.5% methionine and 0.6% ACAP. Relative liver weight and liver lipid decreased with increasing dietary ACAP in mice fed methionine at or above requirement. Neither plasma creatinine or muscle creatine was affected by variations in dietary methionine or ACAP. Ingestion of ACAP for a prolonged period of time increased the methionine requirement for growth, maintenance of hepatic GSH level and protein synthesis, but did not affect the methionine requirement for methylation reactions.
Effects of Dielectronic Satellite Broadening on the Emission Spectra From Hot Plasmas

We recently presented1 a model for the computation of spectral lines in hot plasmas based on the intermediate coupling scheme. In order to obtain meaningful photoabsorption cross-sections from which emission spectra can be calculated, the spectral lines must be endowed with realistic line-shape functions. In our present model we include the Doppler, electron Impact and quasi-static ion-Stark broadening mechanisms in the computation of the line profiles. Assuming statistical independence for the above broadening processes, the resulting profiles are computed by convolution of the individual line-shape functions. In addition, we investigate the modification of the spectral profiles by the presence or absence of shifts caused by spectator electrons occupying high Rydberg levels. When a spectator electron is close to the radiating electron, the dielectronic satellite line Is well separated from the principal line. On the other hand, a spectator electron in a high n level causes only a minor shift, and a distribution of spectator electrons over the high n levels causes an additional broadening of the lines that we call “dielectronic satellite broadening” (DSB). If the plasma is in local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE), we assume that the average population p. of a single- electron level ∊ i is given by the Fermi statistics $$ {{\rm{p}}_{\rm{i}}} = {{\rm{w}}_{\rm{i}}}/\{ \exp [{ \in _{\rm{i}}} - \mu /{\rm{kT}}] + 1\} $$ (1) where wi, µ and kT stand for the statistical weight of the level ∊ i, the Fermi level and the temperature of the plasma, respectively.
Caveolin-1 Orchestrates TCR Synaptic Polarity, Signal Specificity, and Function in CD8 T Cells

TCR engagement triggers the polarized recruitment of membrane, actin, and transducer assemblies within the T cell-APC contact that amplify and specify signaling cascades and T effector activity. We report that caveolin-1, a scaffold that regulates polarity and signaling in nonlymphoid cells, is required for optimal TCR-induced actin polymerization, synaptic membrane raft polarity, and function in CD8, but not CD4, T cells. In CD8(+) T cells, caveolin-1 ablation selectively impaired TCR-induced NFAT-dependent NFATc1 and cytokine gene expression, whereas caveolin-1 re-expression promoted NFATc1 gene expression. Alternatively, caveolin-1 ablation did not affect TCR-induced NF-κB-dependent Iκbα expression. Cav-1(-/-) mice did not efficiently promote CD8 immunity to lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, nor did cav-1(-/-) OT-1(+) CD8(+) T cells efficiently respond to Listeria monocytogenes-OVA after transfer into wild-type hosts. Therefore, caveolin-1 is a T cell-intrinsic orchestrator of TCR-mediated membrane polarity and signal specificity selectively employed by CD8 T cells to customize TCR responsiveness.
Physical and Biochemical Properties of Progressive Pneumonia Virus

The physical and biochemical characteristics of progressive pneumonia virus were found to be remarkably similar to those of the ribonucleic acid (RNA) tumor viruses. Significant findings included the presence of a 60 to 70S RNA genome, RNA-dependent deoxyribonucleic acid polymerase activity, and common morphological properties. This information correlates with previously reported biological observations and supports the provisional inclusion of enveloped RNA-containing "slow viruses" within the RNA tumor virus group.
Effect of mycoplasmas on natural cytotoxic activity and release of tumor necrosis factor alpha by spleen cells

It has been reported that mycoplasma-infected cells are more sensitive to lysis by natural cytotoxic (NC) effector cells and that splenic NC cells release tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) when they lyse sensitive target cells. Here we showed that spleen cells released TNF-alpha when they were incubated with NC-sensitive cells that were infected with mycoplasmas or when they were incubated with mycoplasmas alone, but did not release TNF-alpha when incubated with NC-sensitive cells that were not infected with mycoplasmas. Thus, in the presence of mycoplasmas, spleen cell cultures contain both NC effector cells and free TNF-alpha. Because NC-sensitive cells are also sensitive to free TNF-alpha, when mycoplasma-infected cells were incubated with spleen cells, they were lysed by the combination of NC cells and free TNF-alpha. When NC-sensitive cells that were not infected with mycoplasmas were incubated with spleen cells, they were lysed only by NC effector cells and thus appeared to be less sensitive than mycoplasma-infected cells. These results also suggested that the release of TNF-alpha may be part of a host protective response to mycoplasmas.
Technical Services Report: Report of the ALCTS/LITA Electronic Resources Management Interest Group Meeting. American Library Association Midwinter Meeting, Philadelphia, January 2014

The ALCTS/LITA Electronic Resources Management Interest Group was established in 2005 to foster information exchange and collaborative discussion about the management of electronic resources among ...
Seroepidemiology of trichinellosis in Florida swine.

Abstract Surveys for swine trichinellosis, conducted in Florida using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit with a modified protocol for screening and Western blot as a definitive test, revealed significantly different seroprevalences of 0.3% (four of 1294 samples) and 2.8% (five of 179 samples) in domestic breeding swine and feral swine, respectively. Seropositive swine were identified in four of 114 (3.5%) domestic swine herds and in three of six feral swine regions. The location of two domestic herds with seropositive swine within approximately 2 miles of one another, and adjacent to a region where a seropositive feral hog was identified, suggests that a focus of trichinellosis exists in this area. The occurrence of singleton reactors in domestic herds may be explained by the absence of the common modes of transmission and suggests that swine were infected incidentally by feeding on the infected carcasses of small wild mammals or rodents. Although the presence of Trichinella spiralis spiralis isolates cannot be excluded, it is more likely that a sylvatic Trichinella isolate occurs in Florida swine. This conclusion is supported by the low seroprevalence in domestic swine, the failure to detect larvae in domestic or feral swine and the high prevalence in Florida panthers.
Correspondence of constructs in Holland's theory for male and female college students

Abstract The constructs in Holland's theory (viz., Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional) were compared for male and female college students using a procedure developed by Kaiser et al. (1969). This procedure was employed with constructs measured by the Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI), and with constructs measured by an adjective checklist (ACL) derived from Holland's theory. The correspondence between the VPI for male and female college students was high with a mean cosine of .87. The correspondence between the variables as measured by the ACL for male and female students was also high with a mean cosine of .86 for the six basic constructs. These results indicate that the VPI and the ACL scales derived from Holland's theory measure largely the same constructs for male and female college students.
Studies on the total synthesis of rifamycin. A method for the closure of the macrocyclic unit

Abstract The formation of the macro ring of rifamycin S ( 1 ) has been accomplished by generating the lactam linkage through cyclization of a suitably protected and activated amino acid ( 4 ).
Infection in the myelodysplastic syndromes

Abstract purpose: To determine the incidence, characteristics, and outcome of infection in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and risk factors that may lead to infection. patients and methods: We reviewed infections that occurred in 86 consecutive patients with MDS who received care from 1968 to 1986 at a university-affiliated Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Time lines charting the course of each patient with MDS were created and included infections, MDS subgroup at the time of presentation and at the time of each infection, peripheral neutrophil counts, and therapies for MDS. results: Infections occurred at a rate of nearly one per patient year of observation. Infection rates were associated with MDS subgroup as follows: refractory anemia with or without ringed sideroblasts (RA ± RS) less than refractory anemia with excess blasts (RAEB) less than RAEB in transformation (RAEB-T). The group of RA ± RS patients who had erythroid abnormalities but minimal or no dyspoiesis of other cell lines had the lowest rate of infections. Infection rates were higher in patients with less than or equal to 1,000 neutrophils/μL blood than in patients with greater than 1,000 neutrophils/μL blood for each classifiable MDS subgroup. Neutrophil concentration and MDS subgroup were independent risk factors for infection in patients with MDS. Bacterial pneumonias and skin abscesses were the most common infections. Infection was the most common cause of death during MDS, accounting for 64% of deaths, and was more common than transformation to acute leukemia as a cause of death. conclusion: Infection is a common, lifethreatening problem in patients with MDS. Neutropenia and MDS subgroup are each risk factors for infection. Clinicians should aggressively evaluate patients with fever and MDS for infection, especially pneumonia and skin infections.
Acceptability of smartphone application-based HIV prevention among young men who have sex with men.

Young men who have sex with men (YMSM) are increasingly using mobile smartphone applications (“apps”), such as Grindr, to meet sex partners. A probability sample of 195 Grindr-using YMSM in Southern California were administered an anonymous online survey to assess patterns of and motivations for Grindr use in order to inform development and tailoring of smartphone-based HIV prevention for YMSM. The number one reason for using Grindr (29 %) was to meet “hook ups.” Among those participants who used both Grindr and online dating sites, a statistically significantly greater percentage used online dating sites for “hook ups” (42 %) compared to Grindr (30 %). Seventy percent of YMSM expressed a willingness to participate in a smartphone app-based HIV prevention program. Development and testing of smartphone apps for HIV prevention delivery has the potential to engage YMSM in HIV prevention programming, which can be tailored based on use patterns and motivations for use.
Decitabine combined with fractionated gemtuzumab ozogamicin therapy in patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia

Salvage chemotherapy for patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is generally associated with a low-response rate and significant nonhematologic toxicity. Both decitabine and gemtuzumab ozogamicin have activity in AML as single agents and can be administered sequentially with potential synergy due to their toxicity profiles. Twelve patients with AML, who had received a median of three prior regimens (range 1-6), were treated with decitabine 20 mg/m(2) on days 1 through 5 followed by gemtuzumab ozogamicin 3 mg/m(2) on days 6, 9, and 12. Five patients achieved a complete response (42%) and subsequently underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Three patients are in complete remission and four are still alive 7 to 16 months after treatment. The regimen was well tolerated with the primary nonhematologic toxicity of Grade 1 or 2 transaminitis observed in four patients. These results indicate that decitabine in combination with gemtuzumab is a regimen of promising efficacy worthy of further investigation in controlled trials.
College students' perceived threat and preference for seeking help in traditional, distributed, and distance learning environments

The purpose of the present study was to examine how college students' help seeking behavior varied across different instructional learning environments. Four hundred and seventy four (N=472) students enrolled in distance, distributed, and traditional classes were queried about their help seeking preferences, help seeking tendencies, personal threat in seeking help, and academic self-efficacy. It was hypothesized that students enrolled in courses with an online computer component would report (a) higher instances of help seeking behavior, particularly from instructors; and (b) feel less threatened to seek help than students in traditional learning environments. It was also expected that student achievement would be significantly correlated with formal help seeking, academic self-efficacy, and perceived threat to seek help. Lastly, it was postulated that students would report that they prefer to use electronic means to seek help and that they find it more effective. Overall the hypotheses of this study were supported. Educational implications and recommendations are provided regarding the type of technological tools that college instructors might consider using in their courses to promote help seeking.
Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion and cerebral/renal salt wasting syndrome: similarities and differences

Hyponatremia (sodium levels of < 135 mEq/L) is one of the most common electrolyte imbalances in hospital settings, especially in patients with neurologic diseases. Hyponatremia can cause cerebral edema and brain herniation and therefore, prompt diagnosis and proper treatment of hyponatremia is important in preventing morbidity and mortality. Among various causes of hyponatremia, the diagnosis of the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) and cerebral salt wasting syndrome (CSW) is still confusing due to many similarities between the SIADH and CSW. SIADH is caused by excess of renal water reabsorption through inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (ADH) secretion, and fluid restriction is the treatment of choice. Otherwise, CSW is caused by natriuresis, followed by volume depletion and negative sodium balance and replacement of water and sodium is the mainstay of treatment. Differentiation of these two diseases is difficult in most situations, because they overlap in many clinical and laboratory aspects. Although distinction between the SIADH and CSW is difficult, improvement of hypouricemia and an increased the fractional excretion of uric acid (FEUrate) after the correction of hyponatremia in SIADH, not in CSW may be one of the helpful points in discriminating the two disease. In this review, we compare these two diseases regarding the pathophysiologic mechanisms, diagnosis and therapeutic point of view.
Multiple-unit activity of the rabbit cerebral cortex in single-session avoidance conditioning

Multiple-unit neuronal activity was recorded from three “nonspecific” polysensory regions of the cerebral cortex of rabbit during single-session discrete-trial avoidance acquisition and during asymptotic conditioned response (CR) performance (overtraining). The CS was a pure tone, and the UCS was a shock delivered through the grid floor of the rotating-wheel conditioning apparatus. The CS did not evoke unit activity in any of the areas on the initial conditioning trials. Two of the cortical areas (motor-sensory cortex and dorsal limbic cortex) showed significant increases in CS-evoked multiple-unit activity over stages of acquisition, paralleling the development of behavioral CRs. The same two areas also yielded substantial CS-evoked unit activity during overtraining. In overtraining, an analysis of four consecutive 50-msec post-CS-onset periods revealed a decline in multiple-unit activity over periods within motor-sensory cortex, whereas dorsal limbic cortex showed a more sustained unit response over the four periods. A third nonspecific cortical area (posterior limbic cortex) yielded no systematic acquisition-related unit response alterations.
Nonmethane hydrocarbons at Pico Mountain, Azores: 1. Oxidation chemistry in the North Atlantic region

[1] Measurements of nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHC) at the Pico Mountain observatory at 2225 m asl on Pico Island, Azores, Portugal, from August 2004 to August 2005 (in part overlapping with the field campaign of the International Consortium on Atmospheric Research on Transport and Transformation study) were used to investigate NMHC sources and seasonal oxidation chemistry in the central North Atlantic region. Levels of anthropogenic NMHC were characteristic of the marine free troposphere. Their concentrations were low compared to continental sites at higher northern latitudes, but higher than data reported from a similarly located Pacific mountain site at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii. These higher NMHC levels are indicative of a greater influence of the adjacent continents on air composition at Pico. Substantially enhanced NMHC concentrations during the summers of 2004 and 2005 were attributed to long-range transport of biomass burning plumes originating from fires in northern Canada, Alaska, and Siberia. This finding exemplifies the continuing impact of biomass burning plumes on atmospheric composition and chemistry many days downwind of these emission sources. Seasonal cycles with lower NMHC concentrations and lower ratios of more reactive to less reactive NMHC during summer reflect the higher degree of photochemical processing occurring during transport. The NMHC concentrations indicate no significant role of chlorine atom oxidation on NMHC. Ozone above 35 ppbv was measured at Pico Mountain throughout all seasons. Enhanced ozone levels were observed in air that had relatively “fresh” photochemical signatures (e.g., ln [propane]/[ethane] > −2.5). During spring-summer air that was more processed (“older” air with ln [propane]/[ethane] < −2.5) on average had lower ozone levels (down to <20 ppbv). This relationship indicates that conditions in the lower free troposphere over the mid–North Atlantic during the spring and summer lead to net photochemical ozone destruction while air is photochemically aging during transport to Pico. This behavior contrasts to that in the mid–North Pacific where other recent studies have found that the photochemistry is more nearly ozone neutral.
Design and development of a 1.5 meter streamer chamber system

Abstract A 1.5 m × 1.0 m × 0.6 m NeHe streamer chamber and high voltage pulsing system capable of 1.0 MV pulses with widths continuously variable from 10 to 20 ns has been developed by a University of Illinois - ANL group. The design and construction of the dc fast charge regulator, Marx generator, Blumlein pulse shaping network, transmission line, and chamber are described. Studies on the effects of increasing field emission and injection of free electrons into the pulse shaping network gap on pulse amplitude stability are reported. Under normal operating conditions, pulse amplitude stability of 2–3% rms has been achieved. Photographic and pulse monitoring systems are described and operating experience over two experimental runs is summarized.
Punishment in Iterated Chicken and Prisoner's Dilemma Games:

Iterated playing of noncooperative games can result in full cooperation. Repeated playing of the noncooperative game permits the sucker to punish the initial defector by defecting in subsequent plays. This article shows that many n-person prisoner's dilemma (PD) games have chicken games embedded within them. In addition, positive externalities produce embedded chicken games, as physical coercion does when used to punish defectors. This characteristic has substantial implications for various solutions to iterated PD games. The difficulty encountered in chicken games is that the sucker must punish oneself in order to punish the defector. It is shown that various versions of the folk theorem, such as those by Friedman, Fudenberg and Maskin, and Abreu, do not extend to the chicken games under a number of realistic assumptions. Hence iterated playing by rational, self-interested actors will not result in cooperative behavior. What is needed to induce cooperative solutions is the presence of vengeful personalit...
Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) profiles, degradation, and aroclor origin in sediments of Escambia Bay, Florida

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are anthropogenic substances that have been detected in many parts of the environment and can have major negative impacts on ecosystem and human health. A documented release of PCBs from a nylon plant occurred in 1969 on the Escambia River just upstream of the Escambia Bay estuary along the north coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Other unreported releases of PCBs also likely occurred in the river and bay. The present study sampled sediments in the river and bay and assessed the predominant parent Aroclor of PCBs, and the changes in congener profile and toxic equivalents (TEQ) since the release. United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) method 1668A, which provides quantitative data for 168 elutions, was employed for the analysis according to National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program procedures. Correlation analysis and principal component analysis of the PCB congener profiles for the sediments and Aroclors showed that the sedimentary PCB congeners are...