Automated Gold Nanorod Spectral Morphology Analysis Pipeline.

The development of a colloidal synthesis procedure to produce nanomaterials with high shape and size purity is often a time-consuming, iterative process. This is often due to quantitative uncertainties in the required reaction conditions and the time, resources, and expertise intensive characterization methods required for quantitative determination of nanomaterial size and shape. Absorption spectroscopy is often the easiest method for colloidal nanomaterial characterization.

An Abnormal Case of Malignant Catatonia in a Previously Healthy Young Female With Unexplained Neurological Symptoms.

This is a case report of a previously healthy 26-year-old female with unexplained neurological symptoms that eventually developed malignant catatonia. Because malignant catatonia has a range of clinical manifestations, making prompt diagnosis a challenging task. Due to her relapsing symptoms, the patient was admitted to the inpatient psychiatric unit three times in less than 2 months, and eventually recovered with high doses of lorazepam and several electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) treatments after a stay in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Some unique anatomical scaling relationships among genera in the grass subfamily Pooideae.

Members of the grass family Poaceae have adapted to a wide range of habitats and disturbance regimes globally. The cellular structure and arrangements of leaves can help explain how plants survive in different climates, but these traits are rarely measured in grasses. Most studies are focussed on individual species or distantly related species within Poaceae.

'They Don't Want to Label It': Insights from Communities Not Enrolled in the Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities.

More than 800 municipalities and 11 states and territories in the United States have joined the Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities (NAFSC); however, to our knowledge, no studies have examined the many communities that have not joined. The present study explored the factors that inhibit communities from joining the NAFSC. Data were drawn from semi-structured interviews conducted with 12 community leaders in Massachusetts and Maine.

Using large language models to accelerate communication for eye gaze typing users with ALS.

Accelerating text input in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is a long-standing area of research with bearings on the quality of life in individuals with profound motor impairments. Recent advances in large language models (LLMs) pose opportunities for re-thinking strategies for enhanced text entry in AAC. In this paper, we present SpeakFaster, consisting of an LLM-powered user interface for text entry in a highly-abbreviated form, saving 57% more motor actions than traditional predictive keyboards in offline simulation.

Precipitation, solar radiation, and their interaction modify leaf hydraulic efficiency-safety trade-off across angiosperms at the global scale.

In theory, there is a trade-off between hydraulic efficiency and safety. However, the strength and direction of this trade-off at the leaf level are not consistent across studies, and habitat climate may impact this trade-off. We compiled a leaf hydraulic efficiency and safety dataset for 362 species from 81 sites world-wide, with 280 paired observations of both traits, and tested whether climate was associated with departure from the proposed trade-off.

Comparative venation costs of monocotyledon and dicotyledon species in the eastern Colorado steppe.

Leaf vein network cost (total vein surface area per leaf volume) for major veins and vascular bundles did not differ between monocot and dicot species in 21 species from the eastern Colorado steppe. Dicots possessed significantly larger minor vein networks than monocots. Across the tree of life, there is evidence that dendritic vascular transport networks are optimized, balancing maximum speed and integrity of resource delivery with minimal resource investment in transport and infrastructure.

Searching for mechanisms driving root pressure in Zea mays-a transcriptomic approach.

While there are many theories and a variety of innovative datasets contributing to our understanding of the mechanism generating root pressure in vascular plants, we are still unable to produce a specific cellular mechanism for any species. To discover these mechanisms, we used RNA-Seq to explore differentially expressed genes in three different tissues between individual Zea mays plants expressing root pressure and those producing none. Working from the perspective that roots cells are utililizing a combination of osmotic exudation and hydraulic pressure mechanisms to generate positively-pressured flow of water into the xylem from the soil, we hypothesized that differential expression analysis would yield candidate genes coding for membrane transporters, ion channels, ATPases, and hormones with clear relevance to root pressure generation.

Development and application of an inexpensive open-source dendrometer for detecting xylem water potential and radial stem growth at high spatial and temporal resolution.

There is currently a need for inexpensive, continuous, non-destructive water potential measurements at high temporal resolution (<1 min). We describe here the development and testing of an entirely open-source dendrometer that, when combined with periodic Scholander pressure chamber measurements, provides sub-minute resolution estimates of water potential when placed on tissues exhibiting little or no secondary growth (petioles, monocotyledon stems). The dendrometer can also be used to measure radial growth of stems and branches when placed on dicotyledon and gymnosperm species.

Case series: Fundus autofluorescence abnormalities in a family of ocular albinism carriers.

Significance: Carriers of ocular albinism demonstrate signs of retinal mosaicism with unique features on fundus autofluorescence testing, which differentiate this condition from other x-linked retinal disorders in carrier patients. Distinctive findings include a mud-splattered fundus with peripheral hyperpigmented streaks, which correlate with areas of hyperautofluorescence and hypoautofluorescence.

Purpose: This is the first reported case series of a family that demonstrates diagnostic retinal and fundus autofluorescence abnormalities related to retinal mosaicism in three sisters who were unaware they were carriers of ocular albinism type 1.

Grass veins are leaky pipes: vessel widening in grass leaves explain variation in stomatal conductance and vessel diameter among species.

The widening of xylem vessels from tip to base of trees is an adaptation to minimize the hydraulic resistance of a long pathway. Given that parallel veins of monocot leaves do not branch hierarchically, vessels should also widen basipetally but, in addition to minimizing resistance, should also account for water volume lost to transpiration since they supply water to the lamina along their lengths, that is 'leakiness'. We measured photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, and vessel diameter at five locations along each leaf of five perennial grass species.

The effects of copper deficiency on lignification, xylem vessel structure, and hydraulic traits in hybrid poplar.

Copper (Cu) homeostasis is integral to many plant physiological processes, including lignification of plant cell walls. This link occurs through Cu's role as a cofactor in the apoplastic laccase enzymes that oxidize monolignols that then polymerize to form the hydrophobic lignin polymer, which provides rigidity and strength to the water transport system. In this study, we investigated the effect of Cu deficiency on lignin content and chemistry in poplar stems.

Soil-plant hydraulics explain stomatal efficiency-safety tradeoff.

The efficiency-safety tradeoff has been thoroughly investigated in plants, especially concerning their capacity to transport water and avoid embolism. Stomatal regulation is a vital plant behaviour to respond to soil and atmospheric water limitation. Recently, a stomatal efficiency-safety tradeoff was reported where plants with higher maximum stomatal conductance (g ) exhibited greater sensitivity to stomatal closure during soil drying, that is, less negative leaf water potential at 50% g (ψ ).

Predicting the Success of International Pharmacists in a Distance-Based US Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) Program: Results from a 5-Year Cohort.

Background: To establish the predictors of success in an international-trained PharmD (ITPD) program between admission criteria and academic performance. Methods: The primary outcome of this study was the correlation of admission criteria with didactic and experiential grade point averages (GPA) for the first 5 years. Candidates meeting the minimum criteria completed a competency exam or the US-Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Exam (US-FPGEE).

Coordination of photosynthetic traits across soil and climate gradients.

"Least-cost theory" posits that C plants should balance rates of photosynthetic water loss and carboxylation in relation to the relative acquisition and maintenance costs of resources required for these activities. Here we investigated the dependency of photosynthetic traits on climate and soil properties using a new Australia-wide trait dataset spanning 528 species from 67 sites. We tested the hypotheses that plants on relatively cold or dry sites, or on relatively more fertile sites, would typically operate at greater CO drawdown (lower ratio of leaf internal to ambient CO , C :C ) during light-saturated photosynthesis, and at higher leaf N per area (N ) and higher carboxylation capacity (V ) for a given rate of stomatal conductance to water vapour, g .

Challenges and Visions for the Future Among Paratransit Providers.

Background And Objectives: The present study examined paratransit managers' perceptions of a changing transportation market and the resources or supports they might need to adapt to evolving market expectations. Paratransit comprises specialized origin-to-destination transportation, often targeting a transportation-disadvantaged population such as people with disabilities or older adults. Paratransit is often provided by a transit agency, a nongovernmental contractor to the transit agency, or other federally-funded entity.

Functional xylem characteristics associated with drought-induced embolism in angiosperms.

Hydraulic failure resulting from drought-induced embolism in the xylem of plants is a key determinant of reduced productivity and mortality. Methods to assess this vulnerability are difficult to achieve at scale, leading to alternative metrics and correlations with more easily measured traits. These efforts have led to the longstanding and pervasive assumed mechanistic link between vessel diameter and vulnerability in angiosperms.

Age Dependent Partitioning Patterns of Essential Nutrients Induced by Copper Feeding Status in Leaves and Stems of Poplar.

Copper (Cu) is an essential micronutrient, and its deficiency can cause plants to undergo metabolic changes at several levels of organization. It has been shown that leaf age can play a role in nutrient partitioning along the shoot axis of poplar. In this study, we investigated the effect of Cu deficiency on the altered partitioning of essential macro and micronutrients in leaves and stems of different age.

Development and Validation of an Analytical Method to Quantitate Hydroxycitric Acid, the Key Constituent in Extract, in Rodent Plasma and Fetus.

extract (GCE) is a popular botanical supplement used in weight loss products. Hydroxycitric acid (HCA) is the principal component in GCE. Due to lack of adequate toxicity data to assess the safe use of GCE, the National Toxicology Program is testing GCE in Hsd:Sprague Dawley® SD® rats following perinatal exposure and in adult B6C3F1/N mice.

Recovery after deficiency: systemic copper prioritization and partitioning in the leaves and stems of hybrid poplar.

Copper (Cu) is important for many aspects of plant function including photosynthesis. It has been suggested that photosynthesis, especially in young leaves, is prioritized for Cu delivery after deficiency in hybrid poplar. To determine relative Cu delivery prioritization, we enriched hydroponic plant growth media of Cu-deficient poplar with 98% 65Cu and tracked Cu delivery after deficiency to young leaves, mature leaves and stems.

Policy, Systems, and Environmental Change Strategies in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed).

Objective: To categorize and quantify how states planned to use policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) change strategies in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed).

Methods: Qualitative content analysis of SNAP-Ed annual plans from all 50 states, District of Columbia, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands between fiscal years 2014 and 2016.

Results: Between 2014 and 2016, the percentage of states that included PSEs as a statewide goal increased from 25% to 47%, and the percentage that planned to implement at least 1 PSE increased from 56% to 98%.