cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Genetic variants in the TGFβ-signaling pathway influence expression of miRNAs in colon and rectal normal mucosa and tumor tissue.

// Martha L. Slattery 1 , Andromahi Trivellas 2 , Andrew J. Pellatt 2 , Lila E. Mullany 1 , John R. Stevens 3 , Roger K. Wolff 1 , Jennifer S. Herrick 1 1 Department of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA 2 Tulane Medical School, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA 3 Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA Correspondence to: Martha L. Slattery, email: marty.slattery@hsc.utah.edu Keywords: colorectal cancer, miRNA, TGF-β, eIF4E, SMAD Received: October 13, 2016 Accepted: December 16, 2016 Published: January 05, 2017 ABSTRACT The TGF-β signaling pathway is involved in regulation of cell growth, angiogenesis, and metastasis. We test the hypothesis that genetic variation in the TGF-β signaling pathway alters miRNA expression. We use data from 1188 colorectal cancer cases to evaluate associations between 80 SNPs in 21 genes. Seven variants eIF4E rs12498533, NFκB1 rs230510, TGFB1 rs4803455, TGFBR1 rs1571590 and rs6478974, SMAD3 rs3743343, and RUNX1 rs8134179 were associated with expression level of miRNAs in normal colorectal mucosa. RUNX2 rs12333172 and BMPR1B rs13134042 were associated with miRNAs in normal colon mucosa; eIF4EBP3 rs250425, SMAD3 rs12904944, SMAD7 rs3736242, and PTEN rs532678 were associated with miRNA expression in normal rectal mucosa. Evaluation of the differential expression between carcinoma and normal mucosa showed that SMAD3 rs12708491 and rs2414937, NFκB1 rs230510 and rs3821958, and RUNX3 rs6672420 were associated with several miRNAs for colorectal carcinoma. Evaluation of site-specific differential miRNA expression showed that BMPR1B rs2120834, BMPR2 rs2228545, and eIF4EBP3 rs250425 were associated with differential miRNA expression in colon tissue and SMAD3 rs12901071, rs1498506, and rs2414937, BMPR2 rs2228545, and RUNX2 rs2819854, altered differential miRNA expression in rectal tissue. These data support the importance of the TGF-β signaling pathway to the carcinogenic process, possibly through their influence on miRNA expression levels.
Congenital cutaneous candidiasis and candidemia in a preterm infant: A case report

We report a case of congenital cutaneous candidiasis (CCC) progressing to candidemia in an extremely low birth weight infant. A high level of suspicion concerning candida sepsis as well as timely diagnostic work-up and treatment can be lifesaving when a preterm infant presents with lesions suggestive of congential cutaneous candidiasis.
Extending the Utility of Decline Curve Analysis

Decline Curve Analysis (DCA) is one of the most utilized and probably the most simple (the least sophisticated) technique in petroleum engineering. DCA is a curve fitting technique that is used to forecast well’s production and to Estimate its Ultimate Recovery (EUR).
Acquisition of Fluent Listener Responses and the Educational Advancement of Young Children with Autism and Severe Language Delays

We investigated the effects of a “listener emersion” procedure on pre and post numbers of weekly instructional trials (learn units) required to meet instructional objectives in all curricular programs for 8 children with autism (3 and 4 years old) using a multiple probe design across participants. The students had few or no functional verbal repertoires (speech or alternative forms) and their teachers were having difﬁculty achieving instructional objectives for matching, basic discriminations, and instructional control learning with the students. The dependent variable was the weekly numbers of learn units the students required to achieve instructional objectives in all curricular programs 1 week before, and 2 weeks after the listener emersion. All curricular programs were suspended during the implementation of listener emersion and the students were required to master several sets of listener responses such that the responses could only be controlled by the auditory components of teachers’ audio-taped sp...
The Expensive Truth: The Possible Tax Implications Related to Scholarship and Cost of Attendance Payments for Athletes

The result from O’Bannon v. NCAA should provide NCAA student-athletes with unprecedented financial benefits such as cost of attendance (COA) scholarships. While these benefits will support student-athletes, there are potential unintended consequences surrounding the increase in financial support, including federal and state income taxes. Athletic scholarships have traditionally been classified as qualified scholarships under Revenue Ruling 77–263. However, by providing a COA payment, the scholarship transforms from an educational benefit to a quid pro quo contractual agreement. As such, student-athletes may be forced to pay income taxes on their disqualified scholarship. The purpose of this study is to determine the potential taxability of the COA qualified scholarships. This study analyzes the Internal Revenue Code and Treasury Regulations to determine if the COA scholarship meets the requirements for a qualified scholarship. In addition, the present work provides potential tax implications for student-a...
The utilization of an ocular wound chamber on corneal epithelial wounds.

Purpose Currently available ocular moisture chambers are not adequate to manage the treatment of periocular burns, corneal injuries, and infection. The purpose of these studies was to demonstrate that a flexible, semi-transparent ocular wound chamber device adapted from technology currently used on dermal wounds is safe for use on corneal epithelial injuries. Materials and methods A depilatory cream (Nair™, 30 seconds) was utilized to remove the excess hair surrounding the left eyes of anesthetized Institute Armand Frappier (IAF) hairless, female guinea pigs (Crl:HA-Hrhr). A 4 mm corneal epithelium defect was created using a corneal rust ring remover (Algerbrush®II). Epithelial defects were either left untreated or the eyes were fitted with an ocular wound chamber and 0.5 mL of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) gel (GenTeal®) or HPMC liquid (GenTeal®) was injected into each chamber (N=5 per group). At 0, 24, 48, and 72 hours fluorescein and optical coherence tomography imaging was collected and the intraocular pressure (IOP) was measured. H&E staining was performed on corneal and eyelid skin samples and evaluated by a veterinary pathologist. Results Corneal epithelial wounds demonstrated 100% closure rates when left untreated or treated with an ocular wound chamber containing HPMC gel at 72 hours while wounds treated with an ocular wound chamber containing HPMC liquid were 98% healed. No significant differences were found in corneal thickness and wound healing, IOP, or eyelid skin pathology in any treatment group when compared to controls. Conclusions This study indicates that adapted wound chamber technology can be safely used on sterile, corneal epithelial wounds without adverse effects on periocular or ocular tissue when filled with a liquid or gel.
A PRG for boolean PTF of degree 2 with seed length subpolynomial in ϵ and logarithmic in n

We construct and analyze a pseudorandom generator for degree 2 boolean polynomial threshold functions. Random constructions achieve the optimal seed length of [EQUATION], however the best known explicit construction of [8] uses a seed length of O(log n · ϵ−8). In this work we give an explicit construction that uses a seed length of [EQUATION]. Note that this improves the seed length substantially and that the dependence on the error ϵ is additive and only grows subpolynomially as opposed to the previously known multiplicative polynomial dependence.Our generator uses dimensionality reduction on a Nisan-Wigderson based pseudorandom generator given by Lu, Kabanets [18].
On the Sensitivity of the Capillary Adhesion Force to the Surface Roughness

The adhesion force between rough surfaces in contact is significantly affected by nanoscale asperities. The dominant component of the adhesion force is the capillary force caused by condensed water menisci. The capillary force depends upon the meniscus shape and dimensions. We show, both theoretically and experimentally, that a small change in surface roughness may result in a big change in the meniscus geometry and, consequently, in the adhesion force. This high sensitivity (or instability) of the adhesion force with respect to surface roughness has been overlooked by conventional contact mechanics models that consider adhesion, which assume that the effect of roughness is eliminated with decreasing size of roughness details. The date of atomic force microscopy confirms that the adhesion force between rough surfaces is not a stable function of the roughness.
Refilling of caffeine-sensitive intracellular calcium stores in bovine airway smooth muscle cells.

The goal of this study was to assess the mechanisms by which the caffeine-sensitive calcium stores of airway smooth muscle cells are refilled. Bovine trachealis cells were loaded with fura 2-AM (0....
Efficacy of supplemental 1 alpha-hydroxycholecalciferol and microbial phytase for young pigs fed phosphorus- or amino acid-deficient corn-soybean meal diets.

Young pigs (5 wk of age and 8 kg) were used to test the efficacy of lα-hydroxycholecalciferol (1α-OH D 3 )and microbial phytase for improving the utilization of phytate phosphorus (P) and amino acids present in corn-soybean meal (SBM) diets. Phytase supplementation (1,200 units/kg) to a vitamin D 3 -adequate, P-deficient corn-SBM diet elicited a marked response (P <.05) in weight gain and ash content of fibula, scapula, and metatarsal bones, but dietary addition of 1α-OH D 3 (20μg/kg) was without effect. A P- and vitamin D 3 -adequate, amino acid-deficient corn-SBM diet (15.5% CP) also was supplemented with 1,200 units/kg of phytase to evaluate the efficacy of phytase in improving amino acid utilization. Pigs gained faster ( P <.05) and more efficiently ( P <.05) when this diet was supplemented with limiting amino acids, and phytase addition also increased ( P <.05) weight gain, regardless of whether the diet was deficient or adequate in amino acids. Feed efficiency was improved (P <.05) by phytase addition to the amino acid-deficient diet but not to the amino acid-adequate diet. Pigs fed the low-CP, amino acid-fortified diet gained as fast and as efficiently as those fed a 19.5% CP (1.19% lysine) positive-control diet.
A Framework for Modeling Underwater Vehicles in Modelica

While developing Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), repeated construction and field testing ROV designs and control strategies is logistically difficult, time-consuming and expensive; mathematical models have become extremely useful tools that aid this process. This paper’s goal is to demonstrate an application of a modeling framework built in Modelica for developing such models of underwater ROVs. Named the Underwater Rigid Body Library (URBL), the framework addresses the modeling of underwater vehicles in two distinct parts - addressing rigid body dynamics underwater as interactions with a field of water, and providing a basic propulsion mechanism, based on a generic underwater propeller. This paper extends the work described in [1] by focusing on comparing the constructed model against experimental data. Experiments were conducted in a pool setting; raw motor command data was extracted and used to control the model. The ROV’s motion from the experiment and the simulation were compared - the results of the comparison indicated the simulation’s motion profile was similar to that of the experimental results.
Evaluation of an interprofessional active learning session on acute pain and opioid use disorder using the interprofessional collaborative competency attainment scale

Pain is complex and best managed using an interprofessional approach. A complicating factor is the high prevalence of co-existing opioid use disorder (OUD). Interprofessional education (IPE) may be...
Development of a Small Animal Ankle Arthrodesis Model

Background:Our understanding of the biology of ankle arthrodesis is based largely on work in spine and long bone animal models. However, the local soft tissue and vascular anatomy of the foot and a...
Towards environmentally benign capture and conversion: heterogeneous metal catalyzed CO2 hydrogenation in CO2 capture solvents

The transformation of captured CO2 into value-added chemicals to mitigate increasing CO2 concentration in the atmosphere has gained significant attention recently. Though carbon capture and storage (CCS) is already being practiced in a few places, it suffers from energy-intensive CO2 desorption and compression steps involved, which can be avoided in the carbon capture and utilization (CCU) approach. Herein, a selection of carbon capture solvents were screened to assess the reactivity of condensed-phase heterogeneous metal catalyzed hydrogenation of CO2. Among the catalysts screened, the Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst was active for the one-pot CO2 capture and conversion process to methanol using post and pre-combustion carbon capture solvents comprised of various amines and alcohols. Our findings indicate that formamides are less-reactive under our conditions in comparison with formate ester intermediates and a combination of 1° alcohols and amines gives the highest methanol yield. Screening volatile organic compound (VOC)-free alcohols and amines led us to an environmentally benign system of bio-derived and biodegradable chitosan and polyethylene glycol (PEG200), which provide a moderate concentration of methanol (139.5 mmol L−1) with the facile separation of volatile products (water and methanol). The chitosan/PEG200 system was recycled three times, ultimately providing a promising VOC-free, biodegradable, bio-derived and recyclable CO2 capture and conversion pathway.
Mechanisms of CaaX Protein Processing: Protein Prenylation by FTase and GGTase-I

Abstract Prenylation is a post-translational modification wherein an isoprenoid group of 15- or 20-carbons in length is attached to a cysteine residue near the C-terminus of a substrate protein, with this modification most often catalyzed by either protein farnesyltransferase (FTase) and protein geranylgeranyltransferase-I (GGTase-I). These enzymes typically recognize a CaaX motif, where “C” is the cysteine to be prenylated and the remainder of the motif leads to recognition by FTase and/or GGTase-I. Upon prenylation, these proteins typically undergo proteolysis and methylation of the C-terminus before being shuttled to the cell membrane. Recently, it was determined some prenylated proteins undergo a separate “shunt pathway” in which post-prenylation processing is not only bypassed but found to be deleterious to the protein's function. This review highlights FTase and GGTase-I enzymological studies, methods used to identify FTase and GGTase-I substrates, and the current status of therapeutic targeting of protein prenylation.
Inversion Recovery Ultrashort TE MR Imaging of Myelin is Significantly Correlated with Disability in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: MR imaging has been widely used for the noninvasive evaluation of MS. Although clinical MR imaging sequences are highly effective in showing focal macroscopic tissue abnormalities in the brains of patients with MS, they are not specific to myelin and correlate poorly with disability. We investigated direct imaging of myelin using a 2D adiabatic inversion recovery ultrashort TE sequence to determine its value in assessing disability in MS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The 2D inversion recovery ultrashort TE sequence was evaluated in 14 healthy volunteers and 31 patients with MS. MPRAGE and T2-FLAIR images were acquired for comparison. Advanced Normalization Tools were used to correlate inversion recovery ultrashort TE, MPRAGE, and T2-FLAIR images with disability assessed by the Expanded Disability Status Scale. RESULTS: Weak correlations were observed between normal-appearing white matter volume (R = –0.03, P = .88), lesion load (R = 0.22, P = .24), and age (R = 0.14, P = .44), and disability. The MPRAGE signal in normal-appearing white matter showed a weak correlation with age (R = –0.10, P = .49) and disability (R = –0.19, P = .31). The T2-FLAIR signal in normal-appearing white matter showed a weak correlation with age (R = 0.01, P = .93) and disability (R = 0.13, P = .49). The inversion recovery ultrashort TE signal was significantly negatively correlated with age (R = –0.38, P = .009) and disability (R = –0.44; P = .01). CONCLUSIONS: Direct imaging of myelin correlates with disability in patients with MS better than indirect imaging of long-T2 water in WM using conventional clinical sequences.
Emotional and Non-Emotional Verbal Fluency in Native and Non-Native Speakers.

OBJECTIVE Native speakers frequently outperform non-native speakers on classic semantic verbal fluency tasks that target concrete non-emotional word retrieval. Much less is known about performance differences in retrieval of emotional words, which are abstract and crucial to social-emotional competence. This study compared native and non-native speakers' verbal productivity on emotional and non-emotional verbal fluency tasks. METHOD Forty-seven native and 37 non-native speakers of English participated in the study. Participants completed seven semantic verbal fluency tasks in English including classic semantic (e.g., "animals"), action (e.g., "things people do"), and emotional variants (e.g., "things that make people happy"). Subjective and objective measures of English proficiency, information about language usage, and cognitive measures (working memory) were obtained for each participant. RESULTS Verbal productivity for classic semantic, action, and emotional verbal fluency was lower for non-native speakers. Smaller language-specific vocabulary in non-native speakers did not moderate positivity biases in emotional verbal fluency. Subjective and objective language proficiency measures were less predictive of performance on the emotional than the non-emotional verbal fluency tasks. CONCLUSION Non-native speakers perform more poorly than native speakers on semantic verbal fluency in English for both emotional and non-emotional variants. Positivity biases are not moderated by language proficiency and are reliable features of emotional verbal fluency. Proficiency measures may be less effective in predicting generation of emotional than neutral words.
Robotic Assay for Drought (RoAD): an automated phenotyping system for brassinosteroid and drought responses

Brassinosteroids (BRs) are a group of plant steroid hormones involved in regulating growth, development, and stress responses. Many components of the BR pathway have previously been identified and characterized. However, BR phenotyping experiments are typically performed in a low-throughput manner, such as on Petri plates. Additionally, the BR pathway affects drought responses, but drought experiments are time consuming and difficult to control. To mitigate these issues and increase throughput, we developed the Robotic Assay for Drought (RoAD) system to perform BR and drought response experiments in soil-grown Arabidopsis plants. RoAD is equipped with a robotic arm, a rover, a bench scale, a precisely controlled watering system, an RGB camera, and a laser profilometer. It performs daily weighing, watering, and imaging tasks and is capable of administering BR response assays by watering plants with Propiconazole (PCZ), a BR biosynthesis inhibitor. We developed image processing algorithms for both plant segmentation and phenotypic trait extraction to accurately measure traits including plant area, plant volume, leaf length, and leaf width. We then applied machine learning algorithms that utilize the extracted phenotypic parameters to identify image-derived traits that can distinguish control, drought-treated, and PCZ-treated plants. We carried out PCZ and drought experiments on a set of BR mutants and Arabidopsis accessions with altered BR responses. Finally, we extended the RoAD assays to perform BR response assays using PCZ in Zea mays (maize) plants. This study establishes an automated and non-invasive robotic imaging system as a tool to accurately measure morphological and growth-related traits of Arabidopsis and maize plants in 3D, providing insights into the BR-mediated control of plant growth and stress responses.
Politics and Politeness: Analysis of Incivility on Twitter During the 2020 Democratic Presidential Primary:

In the past decade, social networking sites have become central forums for public discourse and political engagement. Of particular interest is the role that Twitter plays in the facilitation of po...
Age Differences in the Malleability of Attitudes toward Automated Shared Mobility

Introduction:The use of shared automated vehicles (SAVs) should lead to several societal and individual benefits, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions, reduced traffic, and improved mobility ...
The Pursuit of Status: A Self-presentational Perspective on the Quest for Social Value

This chapter focuses on the ways in which people seek status in their interpersonal interactions and relationships. Our analysis conceptualizes status as the degree to which other people perceive that an individual possesses resources or personal characteristics that are important for the attainment of collective goals. That is, people have status to the degree that others perceive that they have instrumental social value. In being based on instrumental social value, status is distinguishable from interpersonal acceptance, which is based on relational value. Thus, the routes to obtaining status and respect are different from those that lead to acceptance and liking. The chapter discusses the central role that self-presentation plays in the pursuit of status, the ways in which people enhance their status through impression management, the features of social situations that moderate how people manage their public images in the pursuit of status, and the dilemma that people sometimes face in balancing their efforts to be respected and gain status with their efforts to be liked and accepted.
Parameter estimation and NMR image segmentation

A statistical method is proposed to classify tissue types and to segment the corresponding tissue regions from relaxation time T/sub 1/, T/sub 2/, and proton density N/sub H/ weighted nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) images. The method assumes that the distribution of image intensities associated with each tissue type can be expressed as a multivariate likelihood function of three variables (T/sub 1/, T/sub 2/, N/sub H/) at each location within that tissue region. The method is tested by a set of T/sub 1/, T/sub 2/, and N/sub H/ weighted images of the brain acquired with a 1.5-T whole body scanner. The number of tissue types and the parameters of these tissue types are satisfactorily estimated. The regions of different tissue types are successfully segmented. >
Computer Use, Computer Attitudes, and Gender: Differential Implications of Micro and Mainframe Usage among College Students

AbstractThis study examines relationships between four dimensions of attitudes towards computers and amount of computer use, based on a survey of 127 university students from several different majors. The analysis focused on the extent to which microcomputer and mainframe usage have different implications for attitudes in the context of gender differences, and whether or not students need to use computers in their classes. Complex and multidimensional relationships were found, particularly in terms of students’ perceptions of computers’ educational benefits. For microcomputers, attitudes, amount of use, and class need to use computers all appear to make independent contributions to each other, while for mainframe usage, an asymmetrical composite model was proposed to explain reciprocal interactions among the variables. Also, females tend to be more concerned about the social impacts of computers, regardless of amount or type of computer used.
Visible and far-infrared spectral studies of tetrahedral and octahedral complexes in non-aqueous solvent systems—V. Far-infrared spectra of chloro- and bromo-complexes of indium(III) and thallium(III) in benzene solution

Abstract The far-infrared spectra (413-33 cm −1 ) have been taken of benzene solutions containing varying amounts of indium(III) and thallium(III) halide with both quaternary and tertiary ammonium halides. Spectra consistent with both [MCl 4 − and [MCl 5 ] 2 − were observed in the quaternary ammonium chloride systems. Spectra consistent with four-coordinate species only were exhibited by all of the other systems studied. The spectra of the four-coordinate species were indicative of either T d or C 3 v , symmetries depending on the nature of the cation and the relative concentration of metal halide to ammonium salt. The spectra attributed to the five-coordinate species were consistent with D 3 h symmetry. Distortions from regular symmetries are rationalized in terms of ion-pairing and hydrogen-bonding interactions. No evidence of any six-coordinate or mixed halo-aquo species was observed.
The amino acid sequence of the Fc fragment of rabbit immunoglobulin G. I. The isolation and amino acid composition of tryptic peptides.

The peptides from tryptic hydrolysates of the S-carboxymethyl-Fc fragment of nonspecific rabbit immunoglobulin G have been purified chromatographically. Although the peptides were obtained in yields which varied from 10 to 66%, the sum of the amino acid compositions of a unique set of peptides accounted closely for the amino acid composition of the S-carboxymethyl-Fc fragment. Some peptides, which possessed similar but not identical amino acid compositions, appear to be associated with the amino-terminal region of the Fc fragment.
Determination of Crashworthiness in Full Frontal Car/Car Collisions by Fixed Rigid Barrier Testing

Three groups of crash tests were analyzed to determine how well the standard fixed rigid barrier measures potential crash survivability in small cars when impacted full frontally by larger cars. In addition to experimental results, simple analytical methods were used to determine and compare the level of occupant protection in the small cars. The fixed rigid barrier appears to be an accurate crashworthiness-measuring device for small cars in high speed full frontal car/car collisions, if test velocities are selected on the basis of equivalent energy between car/barrier and car/car collisions as opposed to equivalent momentum.
Covariance Matrix Estimation (High-Dimensional)†

The article concerns estimation of high-dimensional covariance matrices. In this case, the sample covariance matrix estimate is typically not consistent. For an improvement, we present various regularization procedures including shrinkage, penalized likelihood estimation, Cholesky decomposition, sparse principal component analysis, and elementwise shrinkage by banding, tapering, and thresholding. Keywords: Cholesky decomposition; dependence and correlation; graphical models; parsimony and sparsity; penalized likelihood; regularization; shrinkage
Superrotation of atmosphere and its effect on the attitude motion of spacecraft

This paper describes some recent results concerning the effect of rotation of the upper atmosphere (superrotation) on the attitude motion of spacecraft. From the data taken by several satellites, an approximate model of the atmospheric rotation rate as a function of altitude has been developed. An approximate, closed-form analytical description is obtained of the attitude motion of a momentum-biased, near-earth spacecraft which is subjected to an aerodynamic torque that includes the contribution from superrotation of the atmosphere. Results from the analysis are compared with simulation and flight data and are found to be in close agreement.
Small Intestinal Motility

The major advances in knowledge of small intestinal muscle function made during the last decade are reviewed in the context of how they related to the major roles of mixing and movement caudad. The attempt is made to draw attention to the disturbances in smooth muscle function of the small intestine in certain clinical states. Discusion focuses on the following: 1) terminology; 2) anatomy; 3) muscular contraction; 4) control of contraction of small intestinal musculature (neural influences electrical activity pharmacological and chemical mediators); 5 ) physiological results of smooth muscle contraction; and 6) disturbances in small intestinal motility in clinical syndromes ("dumping" syndrome postoperative ileus sprue diabetic diarrhea thyroid disease and scleroderma). Chronic diarrhea in the diabetic patient is usually found in association with peripheral or autonomic nueropathy. Along with delayed gastric emptying and marked gastric dilation the transit time through the small intestine is generally prolonged. Non specific changes such as small bowel dilation segmentation and alteration in mucosal folds have been recorded. It is possible that the diarrhea and steatorrhea are related to alterations in small bowel motility.
Old Dictionaries, New Knowledge

Why should we be especially eager to make machine-readable databases out of old dictionaries? There seem to be three reasons. First, because they contain information that cannot be found anyplace else. Second, because they provide a map of the territory for cultural historians that is far richer than any other available. Third, because they reflect the ideologies of their compilers and thus give insight into prejudice and preferences of the past -- and of the present.
Six-month postintervention depression and disability outcomes of in-home telehealth problem-solving therapy for depressed, low-income homebound older adults.

BACKGROUND: Despite their high rates of depression, homebound older adults have limited access to evidence-based psychotherapy. The purpose of this paper was to report both depression and disability outcomes of telehealth problem-solving therapy (tele-PST via Skype video call) for low-income homebound older adults over 6 months postintervention. METHODS: A 3-arm randomized controlled trial compared the efficacy of tele-PST to in-person PST and telephone care calls with 158 homebound individuals who were aged 50+ and scored 15+ on the 24-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD). Treatment effects on depression severity (HAMD score) and disability (score on the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule [WHODAS]) were analyzed using mixed-effects regression with random intercept models. Possible reciprocal relationships between depression and disability were examined with a parallel-process latent growth curve model. RESULTS: Both tele-PST and in-person PST were efficacious treatments for low-income homebound older adults; however the effects of tele-PST on both depression and disability outcomes were sustained significantly longer than those of in-person PST. Effect sizes (dGMA-raw ) for HAMD score changes at 36 weeks were 0.68 for tele-PST and 0.20 for in-person PST. Effect sizes for WHODAS score changes at 36 weeks were 0.47 for tele-PST and 0.25 for in-person PST. The results also supported reciprocal and indirect effects between depression and disability outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy and potential low cost of tele-delivered psychotherapy show its potential for easy replication and sustainability to reach a large number of underserved older adults and improve their access to mental health services. Language: en
Adjuvant stereotactic body radiotherapy±cetuximab following salvage surgery in previously irradiated head and neck cancer.

Objectives/Hypothesis Locoregional recurrence remains the primary failure pattern following salvage surgery for previously irradiated head and neck cancer; randomized trials have suggested a complimentary role for adjuvant chemotherapy and conventional reirradiation at the expense of significant increases in toxicity. We aimed to identify if stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) ± cetuximab improves tumor control while reducing treatment-related toxicity following salvage surgery. Study Design Retrospective review (2005–2011) of 28 patients with high-risk features (positive surgical margins or extranodal extension) following macroscopic complete (R0/R1) salvage surgery treated with adjuvant SBRT ± cetuximab. Methods SBRT consisted of 40 to 44 Gy in five fractions over 1 to 2 weeks with concurrent cetuximab (n = 7) administered at 400 mg/m2 day −7 + 250 mg/m2 days 0 and +8. Toxicity was physician recorded, and University of Washington Quality of Life Revised surveys were prospectively collected. Results All patients received prior radiotherapy (median, 70 Gy; range, 54–99 Gy) with a median reirradiation interval of 25 months (range, 6–156 months). At a median follow-up of 14 months (range, 2–69 months), the 1-year locoregional control, distant control, disease-free survival, and overall survival were 51%, 90%, 49%, and 64%, respectively. Rates of acute and late severe (≥grade 3) toxicity were low at 0% and 8%, respectively. At a median follow-up survey time of 6 months, 56% of patients reported improved/stable overall quality-of-life scores. Conclusions Adjuvant SBRT ± cetuximab following salvage surgery is well tolerated with acceptable oncologic outcomes and little toxicity. Future prospective trials should evaluate adjuvant SBRT ± cetuximab versus a wait-and-see approach for recurrent head and neck cancers with high-risk features following salvage surgery. Level of Evidence 4 Laryngoscope, 124:1579–1584, 2014
Impact of chain microstructure on solution and thin film self-assembly of PCHD-based semi-flexible/flexible diblock copolymers

Self-assembly of semi-flexible/flexible block copolymers in a selective solvent is examined using a set of diblock copolymers where the chain microstructure of the semi-flexible block is manipulated in order to tune chain stiffness. Conceptually, the reduced conformational space of the semi-flexible block is anticipated to alter the way the chains pack, potentially changing the structure of self-assembled aggregates in comparison to flexible diblock copolymer analogs. Semi-flexible/flexible diblock copolymers comprised of poly(styrene)-block-poly(1,3-cyclohexadiene) (PS-b-PCHD) having systematic changes in chain microstructure, as captured by the ratio of 1,4/1,2-linkages between cyclohexenyl repeat units, and molecular weight of the PCHD blocks were synthesized using anionic polymerization. These diblocks were dissolved in tetrahydrofuran (THF), which is a preferential solvent for PS, and the structures formed were examined using laser light scattering and complementary imaging techniques. Results show that PS-b-PCHD copolymers with a chain microstructure of 90% 1,4/10% 1,2 linkages between cyclohexenyl repeat units (referred to simply as 90/10) are able to micellize, forming spherical structures, while diblocks of 70/30 and 50/50 1,4-to-1,2 ratios remain as single chains and ill-defined aggregates, respectively, when dissolved in THF. With inferences drawn from simple structural models, we speculate that this self-assembly behavior arises due to the change in the chain configuration with increasing content of 1,2-links in the backbone. This renders the chain with higher 1,2 content incapable of swelling in response to solvent and unable to pack into well-defined self-assembled structures.
Odd values of the partition function

Abstract Let p ( n ) denote the number of partitions of an integer n . Recently, the author has shown that in any arithmetic progression r (mod t ), there exist infinitely many N for which p ( N ) is even, and there are infinitely many M for which p ( M ) is odd, provided there is at least one such M . Here we construct finite sets of integers M i for which p ( M i ) is odd for an odd number of i . Whereas Euler's recurrence allows us to find odd values of p ( n ) when we already have one, the methods we describe do not rely on already having an odd value of p ( n ).
The Influence of the Atomic Nature of Crystalline Materials on Friction

Atom arrangement in crystalline materials, considering lattice, planes, structure and effect on mechanical properties related to friction
Schools of social work and the nature of their foreign collaborations

EnglishUS schools of social work were surveyed to determine the extent of their collaborations with social work programs outside the US. One school of social work's experiences with collaborations ...
Adaptive Mesh and Algorithm Refinement Using Direct Simulation Monte Carlo

Adaptive mesh and algorithm refinement (AMAR) embeds a particle method within a continuum method at the finest level of an adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) hierarchy. The coupling between the particle region and the overlaying continuum grid is algorithmically equivalent to that between the fine and coarse levels of AMR. Direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) is used as the particle algorithm embedded within a Godunov-type compressible Navier?Stokes solver. Several examples are presented and compared with purely continuum calculations.
New class of electrically conductive metallomacrocycles: iodine-doped dihydrodibenzo[b,i][1,4,8,11]tetra-azacyclotetradecine complexes

Iodine doping of metallodihydrodibenzo[b,i]-[1,4,8,11]tetra-azacyclotetradecine complexes produces a new class of electrically conductive, mixed-valent metallo-macrocycles.
Chondrule precursor minerals as anhydrous phases

Abstract-Chondrules might be generated from hydrous or anhydrous precursor minerals, but vesicles due to dehydration during melting are absent in natural chondrules. The occurrence of vesicles in experimental charges made from serpentine-rich starting material that was (a) flash heated and remelted several times, (b) melted for long durations and (c) melted in a vacuum has been studied in order to test whether vesicles could be eliminated in chondrules made from hydrous precursors. High percentages of vesicles in all experiments indicate that chondrules, whether melted once, multiple times, for a brief or extended )period, at solar nebula or higher pressure, were made from anhydrous phases. IN T R 0 DUCT I0 N Chondrules are millimeter-sized, igneous-textured spheres of mostly silicate composition (Grossman et al., 1988) that were melted in the solar nebula and are found in meteorites. The pervasive chondrule-forming event has, to a large extent, obscured the meteor- itic record of earlier nebular events such
Density dependent functional forms drive compensation in populations exposed to stressors

Abstract The interaction between density dependence (DD) and environmental stressors can result in responses that range from compensatory to synergistic impacts to population growth. Models that exclude DD or use generic DD functions for populations in which density may be an important form of regulation may introduce bias into management decisions. Understanding the interaction between DD and stressors on demographic endpoints is needed to ensure models applied in management have the potential to detect compensatory or synergistic interactions between the two. This relationship was explored through the development of a DD demographic model for the sheepshead minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus) containing data-defined functions of DD for adult survival, fecundity, and growth. Concentration response curves were developed for organism-level effects from chronic laboratory studies with four chemicals (estradiol, trenbolone, trifluralin, chlordane) causing impacts that vary in endpoint and magnitude. Concentration–response curves were also developed for three hypothetical chemicals (HC) that affected only adult survival (HC-A), fecundity (HC-B), or juvenile growth (HC-C). Population growth rate (PGR) was determined across a range of densities and concentrations for each chemical. PGR contours revealed potential DD–stressor interactions ranging from compensatory to synergistic, which were a function of the combination of DD forms applied in the model and the organism-level impacts of the stressor. Simulations of population projections verified the potential compensatory and synergistic interactions of density and stressors depicted by the PGR contours. The strongest compensation occurred where survival was both DD and impacted by the stressor. When DD survival was omitted, DD fecundity and growth were drivers of PGR, but had limited compensatory influence. These interactions reflect the importance of DD demographic rates to population projections, which should be incorporated into models applied in the management of species in which density may be an important population driver.
A Review of Oral Anticoagulants in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation

There is a high prevalence of atrial fibrillation in the United States, particularly in the elderly population. Patients with atrial fibrillation are at an increased risk of stroke and anticoagulant therapy is recommended. However, many eligible patients are not receiving therapy due to limitations and concerns related to the use of the vitamin K antagonist warfarin, such as slow onset of action, variable drug metabolism, risk of bleeding, and requirement for monitoring. Novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have been developed and may be used as an alternative to warfarin. This review article summarizes the current clinical trial data for warfarin compared with the NOACs dabigatran (direct thrombin inhibitor), and rivaroxaban and apixaban (factor Xa inhibitors). Dabigatran (150 mg twice daily) demonstrated superiority in reducing the stroke or systemic embolism rate compared with warfarin (1.53% vs 1.69%; P < 0.001). The risk of major bleeding was similar for dabigatran and warfarin (3.32% per year vs 3.57% per year; P = 0.32). Rivaroxaban (20 mg once daily) demonstrated noninferiority in reducing the stroke or systemic embolism rate compared with warfarin (2.1% vs 2.4%; P < 0.001). There was no significant difference between rivaroxaban and warfarin for the risk of major bleeding and clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding (14.9% per year vs 14.5% per year; P = 0.44). Apixaban (5 mg twice daily) demonstrated superiority compared with warfarin in preventing stroke or systemic embolism (1.27% vs 1.60%; P = 0.01). Apixaban significantly reduced major bleeding compared with warfarin (2.13% per year vs 3.09% per year; P < 0.001). Compared with warfarin, all-cause mortality was numerically lower for dabigatran (P = 0.051) and similar for rivaroxaban (P = 0.15). Apixaban demonstrated significantly lower mortality rates compared with warfarin (3.52% vs 3.94%; P = 0.047). All 3 NOACS--dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban--significantly reduced intracranial hemorrhage compared with warfarin. Novel oral anticoagulants may be a suitable alternative to warfarin for different patient populations due to minimal drug interactions, lower bleeding risk, and no monitoring requirement.
Beyond “the longer they stay” (and say they will stay): Women and Mexican immigrant settlement

While many Mexican undocumented immigrant families have become increasingly committed to building family and community life in the United States, the ways people make settlement happen has not received much attention in the literature. Based on ethnographic research conducted in a Mexican immigrant settlement community in California, this article looks at settlement processes by bringing women to the foreground. Putting women and their activities at the center of analysis highlights their contributions in three arenas that are key to settlement: creating patterns of permanent, year-round employment; provisioning resources for daily family maintenance and reproduction; and building community life.
COSMIC INFRARED BACKGROUND FLUCTUATIONS IN DEEP SPITZER INFRARED ARRAY CAMERA IMAGES: DATA PROCESSING AND ANALYSIS

This paper provides a detailed description of the data reduction and analysis procedures that have been employed in our previous studies of spatial fluctuation of the cosmic infrared background (CIB) using deep Spitzer Infrared Array Camera observations. The self-calibration we apply removes a strong instrumental signal from the fluctuations that would otherwise corrupt the results. The procedures and results for masking bright sources and modeling faint sources down to levels set by the instrumental noise are presented. Various tests are performed to demonstrate that the resulting power spectra of these fields are not dominated by instrumental or procedural effects. These tests indicate that the large-scale ([greater, similar]30') fluctuations that remain in the deepest fields are not directly related to the galaxies that are bright enough to be individually detected. We provide the parameterization of these power spectra in terms of separate instrument noise, shot noise, and power-law components. We discuss the relationship between fluctuations measured at different wavelengths and depths, and the relations between constraints on the mean intensity of the CIB and its fluctuation spectrum. Consistent with growing evidence that the [approx]1-5 [mu]m mean intensity of the CIB may not be as far above the integrated emission of resolved galaxies as has been reported in some analyses of DIRBE and IRTS observations, our measurements of spatial fluctuations of the CIB intensity indicate the mean emission from the objects producing the fluctuations is quite low ([greater, similar]1 nW m-2 sr-1 at 3-5 [mu]m), and thus consistent with current [gamma]-ray absorption constraints. The source of the fluctuations may be high-z Population III objects, or a more local component of very low luminosity objects with clustering properties that differ from the resolved galaxies. Finally, we discuss the prospects of the upcoming space-based surveys to directly measure the epochs inhabited by the populations producing these source-subtracted CIB fluctuations, and to isolate the individual fluxes of these populations.
Downstream targets of let-60 Ras in Caenorhabditis elegans.

In Caenorhabditis elegans, let-60 Ras controls many cellular processes, such as differentiation of vulval epithelial cells, function of chemosensory neurons, and meiotic progression in the germ line. Although much is known about the let-60 Ras signaling pathway, relatively little is understood about the target genes induced by let-60 Ras signaling that carry out terminal effector functions leading to morphological change. We have used DNA microarrays to identify 708 genes that change expression in response to activated let-60 Ras.
Kinetics of CH(X 2Π) radical reactions with cyclopropane, cyclopentane, and cyclohexane

Rate constants have been obtained for CH(X 2Pi) radical reactions with cyclopropane, cyclopentane, and cyclohexane in order to establish the rate of CH insertion into secondary C-H bonds in alkanes. Data indicate that there is no measurable dependence on photolysis laser energy. The reactions all exhibited rate constants that decrease with increasing temperature. It is suggested that a possible set of pathways for the cycloalkane reactions is a ring-opening process where the excited adduct decomposes to a hydrogen atom and a diene.
On the morphology and life-history of Hemiurus luehei Odhner, 1905 (Digenea: Hemiuridae).

Previously undescribed cystophorous cercariae which develop in sporocyst germinal sacs in the tectibranch opisthobranch Philine denticulata (Adams) are shown to be cercariae of Hemiurus luehei Odhner, 1905 (Hemiuridae), a common stomach parasite of clupeid and salmonid fishes off the Atlantic coast of Europe, in the Baltic and the Mediterranean Sea. The free-swimming cercariae are seized by calanoid copepods. Temora longicornis (Muller) and Acartia tonsa Dana acted as suitable experimental intermediate hosts. Pressure by the copepod mouth appendages causes delivery tube eversion and the injection of the cercarcial body into the haemocoel. Sagitta sp. was found naturally infected with a metacercaria of H. luehei. The cystophorous cercaria and metacercaria are described using light and scanning electron microscopy. Adults from herring were examined under the stereoscan electron microscope.