cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Development of Attention Systems and Working Memory in Infancy

In this paper, we review research and theory on the development of attention and working memory in infancy using a developmental cognitive neuroscience framework. We begin with a review of studies examining the influence of attention on neural and behavioral correlates of an earlier developing and closely related form of memory (i.e., recognition memory). Findings from studies measuring attention utilizing looking measures, heart rate, and event-related potentials (ERPs) indicate significant developmental change in sustained and selective attention across the infancy period. For example, infants show gains in the magnitude of the attention related response and spend a greater proportion of time engaged in attention with increasing age (Richards & Turner, 2001). Throughout infancy, attention has a significant impact on infant performance on a variety of tasks tapping into recognition memory; however, this approach to examining the influence of infant attention on memory performance has yet to be utilized in research on working memory. In the second half of the paper, we review research on working memory in infancy focusing on studies that provide insight into the developmental timing of significant gains in working memory as well as research and theory related to neural systems potentially involved in working memory in early development. We also examine issues related to measuring and distinguishing between working memory and recognition memory in infancy. To conclude, we discuss relations between the development of attention systems and working memory.
Improving the Approach to Reducing Secondhand Smoke Exposure in NICU Graduates

ONE Step is a randomized controlled trial of motivational interviewing (MI) to reduce secondhand smoke exposure of infants discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). All caregivers who smoke receive ONE Step information, including voluntary referral to QuitLine resources, and a subset enroll in the trial of MI. The rate of enrollment in the trial has been low. Of 190 smoking caregivers approached, only 58 (30%) agreed to participate. Therefore, a secondary qualitative study using …
High Power Hydrogen Arcjet Performance Characterization

A MW-class hydrogen arcjet based on a water-cooled, wall-stabilized, constricted arc discharge configuration was subjected to extensive performance testing with the deliberate aim of advancing technology readiness level for potential space propulsion applications. The breadboard design incorporates alternating conductor/insulator wafers to form a discharge barrel enclosure with a 2.5-cm internal bore diameter and an overall length of approximately 1 meter. Swirling hydrogen flow is introduced into the barrel, and a DC arc discharge mode is established between a tungsten cathode button at the back plate and a ring-anode/spin-coil assembly at the exit where the heated flow is choked and accelerated in a graphite nozzle having a nominal throat diameter of 7 mm. During the performance tests, hydrogen flow rates were varied between 7-11 g/s with applied electrical power ranging up to 1.05 MW and specific input power ranging up to 105 MJ/kg. The minimal run duration for each test was 60 sec, which was adequate for the establishment of steady state operating conditions. Observed electric-to-thermal conversion efficiencies were in the range of 50-60 percent as determined via a simple heat balance method based on electrical power input and coolant water calorimeter measurements. These results were also found to closely match predictions based on an equilibrium sonic throat method. Moreover, a simple bi-linear fit was constructed which accurately correlated arc efficiency over the full range of applied power and hydrogen flow rates. Inferred specific impulse performance accounting for hydrogen recombination kinetics during the expansion process implied nearly frozen flow in the nozzle with inferred thrust efficiencies in the range of 44-56 percent. Successful completion of this test series represents a fundamental milestone in the progression of high power arcjet technology, and it is hoped that the results may serve as a reliable touchstone for the future development of MW-class regeneratively-cooled plasma rockets. The limited range of investigated specific input power constrains achievable performance, however, and represents a notable experimental deficiency in need of redress. It is therefore recommended that a follow-on test program be commissioned to extend the operating range to 800-1000 MJ/kg at MW-scale power levels.
Rough Gold Electrodes for Decreasing Impedance at the Electrolyte/Electrode Interface

Electrode polarization at the electrolyte/electrode interface is often undesirable for bio-sensing applications, where charge accumulated over an electrode at constant potential causes large potential drop at the interface and low measurement sensitivity. In this study, novel rough electrodes were developed for decreasing electrical impedance at the interface. The electrodes were fabricated using electrochemical deposition of gold and sintering of gold nanoparticles. The performances of the gold electrodes were compared with platinum black electrodes. A constant phase element model was used to describe the interfacial impedance. Hundred folds of decrease in interfacial impedance were observed for fractal gold electrodes and platinum black. Biotoxicity, contact angle, and surface morphology of the electrodes were investigated. Relatively low toxicity and hydrophilic nature of the fractal and granulated gold electrodes make them suitable for bioimpedance and cell electromanipulation studies compared to platinum black electrodes which are both hydrophobic and toxic.
Uncertainty Management and Sensemaking as Precursors to Transformative Learning in an International Immersion Service-Learning Experience

This study is based on an international immersion service-learning/research experience in a remote village in Moldova that provided faculty and students an opportunity to teach journalism and help local students and community representatives create their own online news outlet. Students’ existing conceptions were challenged, they experienced uncertainty and struggled to make sense of both their environment and experience. These were the processes through which we observed transformative learning occur. Using a phenomenological approach, this research grounds the IISL experience in varied disciplines that reveal possible approaches to helping students manage uncertainty, make sense of their circumstances and achieve transformative learning outcomes when facing unexpected challenges beyond student experience.
Laboratory suggestions: a rapid method for electrophoresis of erythrocyte glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase on cellulose acetate plates.

A rapid and simplified method for electrophoretic separation of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase variants in hemolysates is described. The method involves electrophoresis on hypergel cellulose acetate supported on a clear plastic (Mylar) base and Tris-EDTA borate buffer, pH 9.1. This inexpensive method takes only 15 min. for electrophoresis and is easily adapted for routine clinical use as well as screening large populations for G-6-PD variants.
Denying Corporate Rights and Punishing Corporate Wrongs

Scholars addressing the moral status of corporations are motivated by a pair of conflicting anxieties: If corporations are not moral agents, we will be unable to blame them for their wrongs. But if corporations are moral agents, we will have to recognize corporate moral rights, and the legal rights that flow therefrom. In early and under-appreciated work, Tom Donaldson sought to allay both concerns at once: Corporations, he argued, are not moral persons, and so are not eligible for many of the rights that persons enjoy; but they are moral agents, and so ought to bear responsibility in many of the ways that persons do. This article offers a sympathetic critique of the Donaldsonian strategy. I argue that, as it has been elaborated, the strategy necessarily fails. Nonetheless the strategy embodies a worthy aim and so I seek to provide an alternative way to vindicate it.
NMDA and non-NMDA receptors mediate visual responses of neurons in the cat's lateral geniculate nucleus.

1. We have examined the effects of iontophoresing specific antagonists to excitatory amino acid receptors on the visual responses of cells in lamina A or A1 of the cat's lateral geniculate nucleus ...
Write on the Money

An unusual combination of assumptions - markets have frictions, but nonetheless are price efficient - is required to justify the generic buy-write strategy. In theory, a buy-write strategy allows investors to earn the variance risk premium (VRP) when they cannot access the variance swap market because of market frictions. But whether the strategy earns the expected VRP is contingent on markets being efficient. We show that the performance of the generic buy-write strategy that writes at-the-money options deteriorates rapidly in the presence of short-lived anomalies. Empirically, an alternative strategy that is designed to protect against market reversals outperforms the generic strategy. Our analysis provides a potential explanation of why, in practice, these popular option-write strategies earn but a fraction of the expected variance risk premium.
Authentic Learning and Student Motivation: Building Instructor and Student Confidence through Genuine Interaction and Authentic Classroom Materials

This chapter moves beyond authentic materials in the university instructional setting to an examination of the reality of individuals in the classroom.
Predictors for locoregional recurrence for clinical stage III-N2 non-small cell lung cancer with nodal downstaging after induction chemotherapy and surgery.

7043 Background: Pathologic downstaging following induction chemotherapy in patients with stage III-N2 NSCLC is a well-known positive prognostic indicator. However, the predictive factors for locor...
Abstract 187: A Postnatal Diet Rich in Fat and Sucrose Leads to the Differential Alterations in Renal Function and Metabolic Health in Male Control and Intrauterine Growth Restricted Offspring

We previously reported that reduced uterine perfusion induced at day 14 of gestation in the rat programs a marked increase in mean arterial pressure (MAP) in male intrauterine growth restricted (IUGR) offspring compared to male control with no impact on renal function or metabolic health. Recent studies suggest that the degree of mismatch between the pre- and postnatal environments can alter the programming of adult health and disease. This study tested the hypothesis that IUGR followed by exposure to a diet rich in fat and sucrose would exacerbate programmed increases in blood pressure, alter renal function and impair metabolic health in male IUGR offspring. Control and IUGR offspring were maintained on regular rodent chow (RC) or switched to high fat/high sucrose (HF/HS) diet at delivery and maintained on the RC or HF/HS diet for 6 months (control RC: n=12, IUGR RC: n=9, control HF/HS: n=13, IUGR HF/HS n=12). MAP, measured in conscious, chronically instrumented via arterial catheter, was significantly increased by postnatal exposure to a HF/HS diet in both control and IUGR offspring (149.7±3 versus 150.6±3 mmHg, control HF/HS versus IUGR HF/HS, respectively); thus, normalizing the significant difference in MAP observed in control versus IUGR offspring on RC. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) adjusted per kidney weight did not differ in control RC or IUGR RC. However, it was significantly reduced in IUGR HF/HS relative to control HF/HS (1.9±0.5 vs. 0.3±0.1 mg/min/gram kidney; P P
Exploitation of Conformational Dynamics in Imparting Selective Inhibition for Related Matrix Metalloproteinases

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have numerous physiological functions and share a highly similar catalytic domain. Differential dynamical information on the closely related human MMP-8, -13, and -14 was integrated onto the benzoxazinone molecular template. An in silico library of 28,099 benzoxazinones was generated and evaluated in the context of the molecular-dynamics information. This led to experimental evaluation of 19 synthesized compounds and identification of selective inhibitors, which have potential utility in delineating the physiological functions of MMPs. Moreover, the approach serves as an example of how dynamics of closely related active sites may be exploited to achieve selective inhibition by small molecules and should find applications in other enzyme families with similar active sites.
Failing States as Epidemiologic Risk Zones: Implications for Global Health Security.

Failed states commonly experience health and mortality crises that include outbreaks of infectious disease, violent conflict, reductions in life expectancy, and increased infant and maternal mortality. This article draws from recent research in political science, security studies, and international relations to explore how the process of state failure generates health declines and outbreaks of infectious disease. The key innovation of this model is a revised definition of “the state” as a geographically dynamic rather than static political space. This makes it easier to understand how phases of territorial contraction, collapse, and regeneration interrupt public health programs, destabilize the natural environment, reduce human security, and increase risks of epidemic infectious disease and other humanitarian crises. Better understanding of these dynamics will help international health agencies predict and prepare for future health and mortality crises created by failing states.
Thyroid abscess following traumatic intubation

Abstract Thyroid abscess is a rare condition, and consequently diagnosis is often delayed. Causes include 3rd and 4th branchial cleft anomalies, hematogenous spread of infection, trauma from esophageal foreign body, and fine needle aspiration. Thyroid abscesses carry potential morbidity with thyroid and parathyroid gland destruction, tracheal compression, tracheal or esophageal fistula, internal jugular vein thrombophlebitis, and sepsis. The authors report a case of a 33-year old woman with a thyroid abscess following traumatic intubation. Thyroid abscess should be considered in patients presenting with anterior neck pain and swelling with a recent history of traumatic intubation, ultrasound or CT with contrast being the ideal diagnostic modalities.
A Case Study using μ: Laboratory Process Control Problem

Abstract A physical control problem is studied with the μ methodology. The problem is treated in a tutorial fashion. Issues of modeling, uncertainty representation and identification. H ∞ performance specifications and controller design are discussed. The condition number of the plant leads to difficulties in obtaining robust performance. These difficulties are easily handled with the μ methodology. A simple loopshaping controller is designed and experimentally compared to the μ synthesis controller.
Solvation of Carbon Nanoparticles in Water/Alcohol Mixtures: Using Molecular Simulation To Probe Energetics, Structure, and Dynamics

Molecular dynamics simulations were used to examine the solvation behavior of buckminsterfullerene and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) in a range of water/alcohol solvent compositions at 1 atm and 300 K. Results indicate that the alcohols assume the role of pseudosurfactants by shielding the nanotube from the more unfavorable interactions with polar water molecules. This is evident in both the free energies of transfer (ΔΔGwater→xOH = -68.1 kJ/mol and -86.5 kJ/mol for C60 in methanol and ethanol; ΔΔGwater→xOH = -345.6 kJ/mol and -421.2 kJ/mol for the (6,5)-SWCNT in methanol and ethanol) and the composition of the solvation shell at intermediate alcohol concentrations. Additionally, we have observed the retardation of both the translational and rotational dynamics of molecules near the nanoparticle surface through use of time correlation functions. A 3-fold increase in the residence times of the alcohol molecules within the solvation shells at low concentrations further reveals their surfactant-like behavior. Such interactions are important when considering the complex molecular environment present in many schemes used for nanoparticle purification techniques.
Risk and Reputation: Obstetricians, Cesareans, and Consent

When physicians performed cesarean sections in the nineteenth century, they customarily sought agreement from all present before proceeding. In contrast, after the introduction of electronic fetal monitoring in the late 1960s, obstetricians obtained permission for a cesarean by offering a choice that ensured consent-give birth by cesarean or give birth vaginally to a damaged or dead baby. This article argues that the manner in which physicians obtained consent for cesareans in the nineteenth century was one factor that kept the cesarean rate low, while the manner in which physicians obtained consent in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries was one factor driving up the cesarean rate. The dissimilar approaches to consent did serve a common purpose, however. Each preserved physicians' reputations. With the surgery likely to end in a woman's death in the nineteenth century, consensus ensured that a bad outcome would be a shared burden. And because the fetal monitor, in exaggerating the risks of vaginal birth, changed the nature of the malpractice climate for obstetricians, the late-twentieth-century approach to consent similarly protected physicians. As one early twenty-first-century obstetrician quipped, "You don't get sued for doing a C-section. You get sued for not doing a C-section."
Fabrication and characterization of implantable flushable electrodes for electric field-mediated drug delivery in a brain tissue-mimic agarose gel.

Every forty minutes, one person dies in the USA due to glioblastoma multiforme; a deadly form of brain cancer with an average five-year survival rate less than 3%. The current standard of care for treatment involves surgical resection of the accessible tumor followed by radiation therapy and concomitant chemotherapy. Despite their potency, delivering chemotherapeutic agents to the brain is limited by the highly selective blood-brain barrier, which prevents molecules >500 Da from reaching the brain. Other techniques, such as convection-enhanced delivery, controlled release by drug-loaded wafers or intracerebroventricular infusion have limited clinical utility due to unpredictable targeting and volume of drug distribution. We introduce a novel drug delivery technique that can use direct current electric fields to deliver charged chemotherapeutics to the site of brain parenchyma after tumor resection. We fabricate and characterize an implantable drug delivery system using flushable electrodes to deliver the charged chemotherapeutic or doxorubicin (+1) in a brain tissue-mimic agarose gel (0.2% w/v) model by electrophoresis. The optimized capillary-embedded electrode system exhibited a sustained movement of charged doxorubicin through nearly 3.5 mm in four hours, a distance for achieving effective intratumoral concentrations.
X-linked sideroblastic anemia: identification of the mutation in the erythroid-specific delta-aminolevulinate synthase gene (ALAS2) in the original family described by Cooley

In 1945, Thomas Cooley described the first cases of X-linked sideroblastic anemia (XLSA) in two brothers from a large family in which the inheritance of the disease was documented through six generations. Almost 40 years later the enzymatic defect in XLSA was identified as the deficient activity of the erythroid-specific form of delta-aminolevulinate synthase (ALAS2), the first enzyme in the heme biosynthetic pathway. To determine the nature of the mutation in the ALAS2 gene causing XLSA in Cooley's original family, genomic DNAs were isolated from two affected hemizygotes, and each ALAS2 exon was PCR amplified and sequenced. A single transversion (A to C) was identified in exon 5. The mutation predicted the substitution of leucine for phenylalanine at residue 165 (F165L) in the first highly conserved domain of the ALAS2 catalytic core shared by all species. No other nucleotide changes were found by sequencing each of the 11 exons, including intron/exon boundaries, 1 kb of 5'-flanking and 350 nucleotides of 3'-flanking sequence. The mutation introduced an Mse I site and restriction analysis of PCR-amplified genomic DNA confirmed the presence of the lesion in the two affected brothers and in three obligate heterozygotes from three generations of this family. Carrier diagnosis of additional family members identified the mutation in one of the proband's sisters. After prokaryotic expression and affinity purification of both mutant and normal ALAS2 fusion proteins, the specific activity of the F165L mutant enzyme was about 26% of normal. The cofactor, pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, activated and/or stabilized the purified mutant recombinant enzyme in vitro, consistent with the pyridoxine-responsive anemia in affected hemizygotes from this family.
Herbicide Management to Maintain Environmental Quality

The introduction of organic-based herbicides in the late 1940’s revolutionized weed management with low rate chemical applications that selectively control weeds within crops. After 50 years of using herbicides as the major weed management technique in the Western World, we can reflect on benefits and costs associated with herbicide applications. Benefits are easy to list. Herbicide applications reduce labour requirements, mechanical cultivation (thereby reducing soil erosion and compaction potential), and increase crop productivity, harvest efficiency, and grazing capacity of pastures. However, in spite of numerous positive benefits associated with herbicides, there also are problems.
Communicating Ethical Values: A Study of Employee Perceptions

Communicating ethical values is a serious issue for a number of organizations. While ethical codes are useful, they cannot exist alone. Organizations must make certain codes reflect the ideals of individuals in the organization and the ethical expectations must be clearly communicated. This study examined the sources (people) and channels (ways messages were received) that affected how employees learned about ethics. Results showed that training and orientation programs were affirmed as sources of learning along with teaching others. Codes and handbooks were also identified as ways employees learned about ethics in their organization. Ethical issues were discussed more frequently with fellow employees than with supervisors suggesting that managers could be more proactive about discussing ethics with employees.
Membrane Receptor Mapping: The Membrane Topography of FcεRI Signaling

Ligand binding to membrane receptors initiates cascades of biochemical events leading to physiological responses. Hundreds of proteins and lipids are implicated in signaling networks and programs in genomics and proteomics are continuously adding new components to the signaling “parts lists”. Here, we generate high resolution maps of signaling networks using cytoplasmic face-up membrane sheets that can be labeled with inununogold probes (3–10 nm) and imaged in the transmission electron microscope. Our model system is the mast cell and we focus on mapping the topography of the high affinity IgE receptor, FceRI, its associated tyrosine kinases, Lyn and Syk, and the signaling proteins that propagate signals from these kinases. Crosslinked receptors and their signaling partners segregate during signaling to multiple, dynamic membrane domains, including a transient FceRI-Lyn domain and at least two other distinct domains, one characterized by the presence of receptor, Syk and multiple signaling proteins, but not Lyn (primary signaling domains), and one characterized by the presence of LAT and PLCγl but not receptor (secondary signaling domains). PI 3-kinase associates with both primary and secondary signaling domains and may help to recruit specific signaling proteins through the local remodeling of inositol phospholipids. The lipid raft markers, GM1 and Thy-1, fail to localize in native membrane sheets either with each other or with signaling domains. We introduce new probes to localize multiple signaling molecules on the same membrane sheet and new computational tools to capture and analyze their topographical relationships. In the future, we expect that high resolution maps of signaling networks will be integrated with chemical kinetic analyses, with cell fractionation data and with a range of real-time fluorescence measurements, into mathematical models with power to predict mechanisms that regulate the efficiency, specificity, amplitude and duration of signaling pathways.
Phasen der Lebensspanne

Shakespeare, der dieses Stuck im Jahre 1599 schrieb, wuste damals schon, das die menschliche Entwicklung das ganze Leben dauert. Er teilte unser „Buhnenstuck“ in „sieben Alter“ ein, das mit dem Sauglingsalter beginnt; dann folgt der „weinerliche Schulbube“ wahrend der Kindheit, der Jugendliche als der „Verliebte“, der junge Erwachsene als der „Soldat“, „und dann der Richter“ oder die Phase des Erwachsenenalters und der Stabilitat, dann das hohe Alter und schlieslich „die letzte aller Szenen“, die Senilitat. Shakespeare deutet sogar die allerletzte Phase, die des Todes, an. Wir brauchen nur noch die pranatale Phase hinzuzufugen, und Shakespeares Analyse stimmt mit unserer Einteilung der 8 Phasen uberein, die wir in diesem Kapitel diskutieren wollen.
Anaerobic ammonium oxidation coupled to iron reduction in constructed wetland mesocosms.

Abstract Acidimicrobiaceae sp. A6 (referred to as A6) was recently identified as playing a key role in the Feammox process (ammonium oxidation coupled to iron reduction). Two constructed wetlands (CW) were built and bioaugmented with A6 to determine if, under the right conditions, Feammox can be enhanced in CWs by having strata with higher iron content. Hence, the solid stratum in the CWs was sand, and one CW was augmented with ferrihydrite. Vertical ammonium (NH4+) concentration profiles in the CW mesocosms were monitored regularly. After four months of operation, when reducing conditions were established in the CWs, they were inoculated with an enrichment culture containing A6 and monitored for an additional four months, after which they were dismantled and analyzed. During the four-month period after the A6 enrichment culture injection, 25.0 ± 7.3% of NH4+ was removed from the CW with the high iron substrate whereas 11.0 ± 9.7% was removed from the CW with the low iron substrate on average. Since the CW with high NH4+ removal had the same plant density, same bacterial biomass, same fraction of ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AOB), a higher biomass of A6, and a higher pH (NH4+ oxidation by Feammox raises pH, whereas NH4+ oxidation by aerobic AOB decreases pH), this difference in NH4+ removal is attributed to the Feammox process, indicating that wetlands can be constructed to take advantage of the Feammox process for increased NH4+ removal.
Virtual Coordinate Systems and Coordinate-Based Operations for IoT

Driven by increasing potency and decreasing cost/size of electronic devices capable of sensing, actuating, processing, and wirelessly communicating, the Internet of Things (IoT) is expected to expand into manufacturing plants, complex structures, and harsh environments. Subnets of simple devices ranging from smart RFIDs and tiny sensors/actuators deployed in massive numbers in 2D and complex 3D physical spaces will be key constituents of this infrastructure. Knowing the position of different devices within such networks is essential for the higher-level applications as well as networking functions. Measuring the physical distances and obtaining geographical coordinates of these devices become very costly, unreliable, or even infeasible for many IoT networks, particularly those deployed in harsh and complex environments that affect distance estimates and other measurements. Virtual coordinate systems (VCS) overcome such limitations and provide a viable alternative to geographic coordinates for many networking applications. They do not rely on received signal strength indicator (RSSI) or time delay, measurement of which is difficult and unreliable. Instead, VCSs use parameters such as connectivity or packet losses to develop coordinate systems which provide the basis for network operations such as self-organization, routing, and topology control. We provide a survey of these VCSs. Four main classes of VCS are defined: coordinate systems based on an embedded graph/tree topology, coordinate systems based on hop distances to a set of anchors, topological coordinate systems, and coordinate systems based on network properties. In addition to that, network operations such as routing based on different coordinate schemes are presented.
Inulin and Konjac Glucomannan

Abstract This chapter describes the sources, preparation procedures, structures, properties, and applications of inulin, konjac glucomannan, and fructooligosaccharides (FOS). It explains the relationships of structure to the properties of konjac glucomannan and the health benefits of inulin and FOS.
Difficult Conversations and Survivorship

Patients and caregivers often express feeling isolated due to the infrequent diagnosis of mesothelioma and helpless due to the lack of available and dependable treatments. These issues, along with undue financial burdens and limited centers of excellence for treatment, culminate to reach the pinnacle of complicated illness, treatment, and grief. Providing emotional and mental health support to mesothelioma patients can be challenging and intimidating. This chapter focuses on how health-care providers can engage in difficult conversation with patients and their families during and after active treatment.
The impact of intensive treatment for pediatric anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder on daily functioning.

This study investigated whether intensive group-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with family involvement for children with anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) would fa...
The effect of pH on the Ca2+ affinity of the Ca2+ regulatory sites of skeletal and cardiac troponin C in skinned muscle fibres

It is known that intracellular pH drops rapidly after the onset of ischemia in cardiac muscle and may play some role in the rapid drop in force that ensues. It is also known that α1- adrenoceptor agonists alkalinize intracellular pH by stimulating Na+/H+ exchange and may represent a mechanism which facilitates recovery of intracellular pH from acidosis. Lowering or raising pH shifts the Ca2+ dependence of force development in muscle fibres to higher or lower free Ca2+ concentrations, respectively, yet the precise mechanism is unknown. To investigate this phenomenon we have used skinned skeletal or cardiac muscle fibres whose endogenous troponin C (TnC) has been replaced with chicken skeletal TnC labelled with DANZ (STnCDANZ) or recombinant cardiac TnC labelled with IAANS (CTnC3(C84)IAANS), respectively. The fluorescence of the STnCDANZ or CTnC3(C84)IAANS was enhanced by Ca2+ binding to the Ca2+-specific (regulatory) site(s) of STnC or CTnC when incorporated into skinned fibres, and was measured simultaneously with force. When the pH was changed from 7.0 to 6.5 or 7.5 the shift in the Ca2+ dependence of force paralleled the shift in fluorescence. Since the force and fluorescence shift in parallel as the pH is lowered or raised, it can be concluded that these changes in Ca2+ sensitivity are caused by a decrease or increase, respectively, in the Ca2+ affinity of the Ca2+- specific site(s) of TnC. Since lowering or raising the pH also resulted in lower or higher, respectively, maximal Ca2+ activated force while maximal fluorescence remained unchanged, it is possible that H+ may act indirectly, as well, by reducing or increasing, respectively, the number or type of crossbridges attached to actin and thereby alter the crossbridge induced depression or elevation, respectively of the observed TnC Ca2+ affinity. Experiments with 2,3-butanedione monoxime, however, where force-generating crossbridges were greatly reduced, indicated that the pH effect may be primarily related to a direct change in the Ca2+ affinity to the regulatory sites of TnC
Academic Socialization and Parenting Practices: A Comparison Among Chinese and American Preschoolers

It is well known that Chinese students outperform American students on various academic outcomes. Recently, researchers have sought to understand this disparity. While school readiness and academic achievement are culturally valued in both the United States and China, parenting practices within these cultures vary widely. Therefore, researchers have linked cultural differences in academic success to parents’ academic socialization practices. Parents in both societies engage in academic socialization so that their children may become successful adults. However, differences among Chinese and American parents can be seen in parental expectations, transition practices, home learning environments, and involvement in their children’s education. This chapter explores these differences in an effort to understand the cultural variation in school readiness and academic success. It is clear that cultural values are intertwined with Chinese and American parents’ socialization practices, which shape children’s school experiences and academic success.
A Bot and a Smile: Interpersonal Impressions of Chatbots and Humans Using Emoji in Computer-mediated Communication

Artificially intelligent (AI) agents increasingly occupy roles once served by humans in computer-mediated communication (CMC). Technological affordances like emoji give interactants (humans or bots...
Parity of Be 11

Two measurements have been made which are relevant to the parity of ${\mathrm{Be}}^{11}$. In one experiment the gamma-ray spectrum from a mixed source of 13.6-sec ${\mathrm{Be}}^{11}$ and 7.4-sec ${\mathrm{N}}^{16}$ activities was examined with a 3-mm-thick lithium-drifted germanium detector having an experimental linewidth of 13 keV for 6-MeV gamma rays. Based on a calibration from lines due to the 6.132- and 7.116-MeV gamma rays in the decay of ${\mathrm{N}}^{16}$, the 6.8-MeV gamma ray in the decay of ${\mathrm{Be}}^{11}$ has an energy of 6.792\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.006 MeV. This is in agreement with the excitation energy of the ${\mathrm{\textonehalf{}}}^{+}$ or ${\frac{3}{2}}^{+}$ upper member of the 6.752-6.804-MeV doublet in ${\mathrm{B}}^{11}$. In the other experiment a magnetic pair spectrometer measurement was made on the ground-state and first-excited-state transitions from the ${\mathrm{B}}^{11}$ 7.99-MeV level as excited in the ${\mathrm{Be}}^{9}({\mathrm{He}}^{3}, p){\mathrm{B}}^{11}$ reaction. It was shown that these transitions are $E1$, thereby requiring even parity for the 7.99-MeV state, and that the spin of the state is $\frac{3}{2}$. Since the beta-ray transitions of ${\mathrm{Be}}^{11}$ to the 6.804- and 7.99-MeV levels of ${\mathrm{B}}^{11}$ are both known to have allowed $log\mathrm{ft}$ values, the parity of ${\mathrm{Be}}^{11}$ is even.
Immunoactive drug carriers in cancer therapy

Abstract Cancer therapeutics are formulated with various biomaterials such as inorganic compounds, lipids, peptides, and polymers to improve the bioavailability and therapeutic index. Although the carrier materials are often assumed to be biologically inert, increasing evidence indicates that they can have toxic and/or immunomodulatory activities, which can be actively exploited in the context of cancer immunotherapy. This chapter provides an overview of biomaterials that have widely been investigated as carriers of cancer therapeutics, with a brief summary of their traditional usage in drug delivery, followed by discussion of their biological activities based on recent literature.
Latino STYLE: Preliminary Findings From an HIV Prevention RCT Among Latino Youth

Objective: Latino STYLE is a family-centered, HIV-focused intervention (HIV) emphasizing cultural factors and parent-adolescent communication. We hypothesized that, compared with a general health promotion (HP) intervention, the HIV arm would improve caregiver and adolescent HIV knowledge, attitudes, parental monitoring, sexual communication, and family relationships after a 3-month postintervention period. This article reports on the short-term findings of the longer trial. Methods: A single-site, two-arm, parallel, family-based, randomized, controlled trial was conducted; eligible participants were Latino adolescents aged 14-17 and their primary caregiver. The study was conducted at the University of South Florida with 227 adolescent-caregiver dyads allocated to the HIV (n = 117) or HP (n = 110) intervention after completing a baseline assessment. Interim measures at 3-month follow-up included demographics, HIV knowledge, self-efficacy, parental monitoring, sexual communication, family relationships, and adolescent sexual behavior. Results: Adolescents in the HIV group reported small effects in parental permissiveness and the HP group reported small effects for family support. Caregivers in both groups reported decreases in all outcomes. Incidence of past 90-day sexual intercourse decreased in both treatment arms. Among those who were sexually active over the past 90 days, the number of sex acts decreased from baseline, particularly in the HIV group. The percentage of condom-protected sex acts increased in the HIV group and decreased in the HP group, but did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions: The HIV Latino STYLE intervention was not efficacious in improving hypothesized outcomes over a 3-month period. However, exploratory analyses revealed moderate effects for decreases in adolescent sexual risk behavior, particularly in the HIV group.
Mitochondrial light switches: optogenetic approaches to control metabolism.

Developing new technologies to study metabolism is increasingly important as metabolic disease prevalence increases. Mitochondria control cellular metabolism and dynamic changes in mitochondrial function are associated with metabolic abnormalities in cardiovascular disease, cancer, and obesity. However, a lack of precise and reversible methods to control mitochondrial function has prevented moving from association to causation. Recent advances in optogenetics have addressed this challenge, and mitochondrial function can now be precisely controlled in vivo using light. A class of genetically encoded, light-activated membrane channels and pumps has addressed mechanistic questions that promise to provide new insights into how cellular metabolism downstream of mitochondrial function contributes to disease. Here, we highlight emerging reagents-mitochondria-targeted light-activated cation channels or proton pumps-to decrease or increase mitochondrial activity upon light exposure, a technique we refer to as mitochondrial light switches, or mtSWITCH . The mtSWITCH technique is broadly applicable, as energy availability and metabolic signaling are conserved aspects of cellular function and health. Here, we outline the use of these tools in diverse cellular models of disease. We review the molecular details of each optogenetic tool, summarize the results obtained with each, and outline best practices for using optogenetic approaches to control mitochondrial function and downstream metabolism.
Unconventional ER to Endosomal Trafficking by a Retroviral Protein

ABSTRACTMouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) encodes a Rem precursor protein that specifies both regulatory and accessory functions. Rem is cleaved at the ER membrane into a functional N-terminal signal peptide (SP) and the C-terminus (Rem-CT). Rem-CT lacks a membrane-spanning domain and a known ER retention signal, yet was not detectably secreted into cell supernatants. Inhibition of intracellular trafficking by the drug Brefeldin A (BFA), which interferes with the ER to Golgi secretory pathway, resulted in dramatically reduced intracellular Rem-CT levels. A Rem mutant lacking glycosylation sites was cleaved into SP and Rem-CT, but was insensitive to BFA, suggesting that unglycosylated Rem-CT does not exit the ER or reach a degradative compartment. BFA reduction of Rem-CT levels was not rescued by proteasome or lysosomal inhibitors. Rem-CT has simple glycans, which are necessary for Rem-CT stability and trafficking, but indicate that Rem-CT does not traffic through the Golgi. Analysis of wild-type Rem-CT and its glycosylation mutant by confocal microscopy revealed that both were primarily localized to the ER lumen. A small fraction of wild-type Rem-CT, but not the unglycosylated mutant, were co-localized with Rab5+ endosomes. Expression of a dominant-negative (DN) form of ADP ribosylation factor 1 (Arf1) (T31N) mimicked the effects of BFA by reducing Rem-CT levels, suggesting that Arf1 prevents Rem-CT localization to a degradative compartment. A DN form of the AAA ATPase, p97/VCP, rescued Rem-CT in the presence of BFA or DN Arf1. Thus, Rem-CT uses an unconventional trafficking scheme, perhaps to thwart innate immunity to MMTV infection.IMPORTANCE Mouse mammary tumor virus is a complex retrovirus that encodes a regulatory/accessory protein, Rem. Rem is a precursor protein that is processed at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane by signal peptidase. The N-terminal SP eludes ER-associated degradation to traffic to the nucleus and serve a human immunodeficiency virus Rev-like function. In contrast, the function of the C-terminal glycosylated cleavage product (Rem-CT) is unknown. Since localization is critical for protein function, we used multiple methods to localize Rem-CT. Surprisingly, Rem-CT, which lacks a transmembrane domain or an ER retention signal, was detected primarily within the ER and required glycosylation for trafficking to endosomes. Blocking of retrograde trafficking through Arf1 reduced Rem-CT levels, but was not restored by lysosomal or proteasomal inhibitors. The unique trafficking of Rem-CT suggests a novel intracellular trafficking pathway, potentially impacting host anti-viral immunity.View Full Text
Factors associated with variation in emergency diagnoses of cancer at general practice level in England.

Background Cancer patients diagnosed following an emergency presentation have poorer outcomes. We explore whether practice characteristics are associated with differences in the proportion of emergency presentations. Methods Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models were fitted to investigate the relationships between 2017-18 emergency cancer presentations at practice level in England and access and continuity in primary care, trust in healthcare professionals, 2-week-wait (2WW) referrals, quality and outcomes framework (QOF) achievements and socio-demographic factors (age, gender and deprivation). Results Our analysis using comprehensive nationwide data found that the following practice level factors have significant associations with a lower proportion of emergency diagnosis of cancer: increased trust and confidence in the practice healthcare professionals; higher 2WW referral and conversion rate; higher total practice QOF score and higher satisfaction with appointment times or higher proportion able to see preferred GP. Our results also show that practices in more deprived areas are significantly associated with a higher proportion of emergency diagnoses of cancer. Conclusions Regional cancer networks should focus their efforts in increasing both the quantity and appropriateness of 2WW referrals from primary care. In addition, primary care clinicians should be supported to undertake high quality consultations, thus building trust with patients and ensuring continuity of care.
Computational Skills for Multivariable Thinking in Introductory Statistics

Since the publishing of Nolan and Temple Lang’s “Computing in the Statistics Curriculum” in 2010, the American Statistical Association issued new recommendations in the revised GAISE college report...
Employment during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Collapse and Early Recovery

We use monthly Current Population Survey data to document employment changes during the COVID-19 pandemic at the occupation, industry, and metropolitan statistical area (MSA) levels Over March-April 2020, jobs losses are larger for occupations with higher physical proximity or lower work-from-home feasibility, especially for lower-paying occupations Nonessential industries also see greater declines in employment Such occupational and industrial susceptibility to COVID-19 contributes to the variation in employment changes across MSAs: Employment shrinks more for MSAs with larger pre-crisis fractions of workers employed in occupations with higher infection risk Over April-June 2020, occupations and industries that are hit harder recoup more jobs, but the recovery is only partial Moreover, the gains are concentrated in lower-paying occupations and a few industries Taken together, these abrupt changes in employment following the COVID-19 outbreak are unprecedented and potentially have long-term implications for occupational inequality and regional disparity
Electrocatalytic Reduction of C-C π-Bonds via a Cobaltocene-Derived Concerted Proton-Electron Transfer Mediator: Fumarate Hydrogenation as a Model Study.

Reductive concerted proton-electron transfer (CPET) is poorly developed for the reduction of C-C π-bonds, including for activated alkenes that can succumb to deleterious pathways (e.g., a competing hydrogen evolution reaction or oligomerization) in a standard electrochemical reduction. We demonstrate herein that selective hydrogenation of the C-C π-bond of fumarate esters can be achieved via electrocatalytic CPET (eCPET) using a CPET mediator comprising cobaltocene with a tethered Bronsted base. High selectivity for electrocatalytic hydrogenation is observed only when the mediator is present. Mechanistic analysis sheds light on two distinct kinetic regimes based on the substrate concentration: low fumarate concentrations operate via rate-limiting CPET followed by an electron-transfer/proton-transfer (ET/PT) step, whereas high concentrations operate via CPET followed by a rate-limiting ET/PT step.
The second law: information theory and self-assembly.

Abstract An interplay between algorithmic and mechanistic viewpoints is necessary to quantify the rates of transition between different states in developmental pathways. An ab initio method that uses only information theory and geometry to model the conformational entropy of linkages is discussed. This approach also reveals some ties between biological questions and the foundations of mathematics.
Understanding the Mental and Physical Health Needs and Acculturation Processes of International Graduate Students in the United States

The international graduate student population is a unique one that has specific needs that differ from that of domestic students and other acculturating groups. International graduate students face social, financial, and other stressors rooted in language proficiency while dealing with academic performance demands that accompany being a graduate student (Sullivan & Kashubeck-West, 2015). Furthermore, many international students studying at American universities tend to experience severe adjustment challenges dealing with the unfamiliarity of American customs and traditions in addition to the lack of emotional and social support on behalf of the host university. The goals of this qualitative, narrative case study were to explore the needs of international graduate students in regards to their adjustment and whether the needs of this population are being met by the host institution, Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC). The results of this study indicated that there is a concrete need for University staff to be trained on cultural competency, health literacy, and xenophobia as they seek to meet the potential needs of their visiting international students. Additionally, health and wellness resources offered through the University should be improved in order to be more comprehensively advertised and promoted on campus and within the surrounding community. The study yields results that crystallizes the impact that poor acculturation can have on the student’s mental and physical health, and how bridges between the international and non-international communities can be built and more importantly sustained, thus resulting in a more inclusive environment.