Beam Energy and Centrality Dependence of Direct-Photon Emission from Ultrarelativistic Heavy-Ion Collisions

The PHENIX collaboration presents first measurements of low-momentum (0.4<p_{T}<3  GeV/c) direct-photon yields from Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=39 and 62.4 GeV. For both beam energies the direct-photon yields are substantially enhanced with respect to expectations from prompt processes, similar to the yields observed in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200. Analyzing the photon yield as a function of the experimental observable dN_{ch}/dη reveals that the low-momentum (>1  GeV/c) direct-photon yield dN_{γ}^{dir}/dη is a smooth function of dN_{ch}/dη and can be well described as proportional to (dN_{ch}/dη)^{α} with α≈1.25. This scaling behavior holds for a wide range of beam energies at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and the Large Hadron Collider, for centrality selected samples, as well as for different A+A collision systems. At a given beam energy, the scaling also holds for high p_{T} (>5  GeV/c), but when results from different collision energies are compared, an additional sqrt[s_{NN}]-dependent multiplicative factor is needed to describe the integrated-direct-photon yield.

Synergistic antibacterial activity of gold nanoparticles caused by apoptosis-like death

AIMS

Metal nanoparticles are promising materials for the management of infectious diseases as known to have various antimicrobial activities in pathogenic micro-organisms. Among them, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are used in a wide range of fields such as photodynamic therapy, molecular diagnostics and drug delivery because of their unique physicochemical properties. However, little is known about the synergistic antibacterial activity and mechanism of AuNPs on pathogenic bacteria.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Combinations of AuNPs and cefotaxime and ciprofloxacin showed synergistic interaction against all Salmonella species, however the combination with kanamycin exhibited no interaction. We determined that AuNPs and in combinations with antibiotics exert its antibacterial effect through bacterial apoptosis-like death. AuNPs caused collapse of intracellular divalent cation homeostasis, and conventional antibiotics caused accumulation of reactive oxygen species, which induced apoptotic hallmarks such as membrane depolarization, caspase-like protein activation, cell filamentation and phosphatidylserine externalization.

CONCLUSIONS

The cation homeostasis disruption by AuNPs and the accumulation of reactive oxygen species by conventional antibiotics synergistically affected bacterial cell death and induced apoptosis-like death in Salmonella cells.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

The synergistic activity between AuNPs and antibiotics propose that the AuNPs are a potential antibacterial agent and adjuvant for antimicrobial chemotherapy.

The Buffering Effect of Character Strengths on Depression

Abstract. The transition from high school to college can be very stressful for Turkish students because they may experience value conflicts and adjustment issues, which can trigger the development of mental health problems. Character strengths can serve as a buffer against psychopathology. The aim of the study was to examine perceived stress and negative attributional style as mediating factors between character strengths and depression among Turkish college students. Bootstrap testing approach was implemented to compute direct and indirect effects and total effect in the mediation analysis. Altogether 235 students from two Turkish universities participated in the study. The results showed that character strengths were associated with lower levels of depression and it was negatively associated with perceived stress and negative attributional style. The results also indicated that perceived stress and negative attribution style completely mediated the relationship between character strengths and depression among Turkish college students. These findings suggested the need to develop empirically supported interventions that can promote character strengths toward reducing stress, negative attributions, and depression in this population.

Regulatory effect of dexamethasone on tracheal calcium processing proteins and mucosal secretion

Dexamethasone inhibits mucin secretion considering the primary option for treating acute asthma exacerbation. However, the mechanism underlying dexamethasone-induced decreased in mucosecretion is unclear. Recent studies have reported that dexamethasone exerts an inhibitory effect on mucosecretion in the lung by modulating the expression of calcium processing genes. However, the expression of the calcium processing genes in the trachea is not examined yet. Thus, the present study is the first to report the localization of calcium processing proteins such as transient receptor potential vanilloid-4 (Trpv4), transient receptor potential vanilloid-6 (Trpv6), calbindin-D_9k (CaBP-9k) and plasma membrane Ca²⁺-ATPase 1 (Pmca1) in the mouse trachea and their glucocorticoid-induced response. In this study, mice were subcutaneously injected with dexamethasone for 5 days, and their tracheal samples were collected by dividing the trachea into the cervical, and thoracic sections based on its anatomical structure. The localization of TRPV4, TRPV6, CaBP-9k, and PMCA1 proteins was detected in the tracheal epithelium, submucosal glands, cartilages and muscles. Dexamethasone treatment downregulated the mRNA expression of the four calcium processing genes and mucin producing genes. The dexamethasone-induced decrease in the secretion of mucosubstances in the trachea was determined by performing Alcian blue-periodic acid-Schiff staining. Thus, the findings of the present study suggest that glucocorticoids simultaneously can regulate the expression of calcium processing genes and tracheal mucosecretion.

Comparison of marbling fleck characteristics between beef marbling grades and its effect on sensory quality characteristics in high-marbled Hanwoo steer

The aim of this study was to compare the intramuscular fat (IMF) content and marbling fleck characteristics measured by computerized image analysis among the eight grades of Korean beef marbling standard (BMS). Additionally, this study examined the effects of the marbling fleck characteristics on objective tenderness parameters and sensory quality characteristics in high-marbled Hanwoo steers (BMS grades 7 to 9). Marked differences were observed in marbling fleck characteristics among the BMS grades (P < .05), whereas the coarseness was similar in high-marbled beef (P > .05). Due to a greater extent of coarse marbling fleck, coarse marbled steaks from high-marbled cattle were assigned higher scores of tenderness attributes, including softness, initial tenderness, and chewiness, as well as mouth coating, but were assigned lower acceptability ratings for IMF content and overall impression compared to fine marbled steaks (P < .05). Taken together, considering the marbling fleck traits can be an effective tool for improving the accuracy of beef grading systems.

53 Pre-implantation exposure to bisphenol A and 4-tert-octylphenol result in disruption of calcium channels

Miscarriage due to blastocyst implantation failure occurs in up to two-thirds of all miscarriage cases in humans. Calcium (Ca2+) has been shown to involve many cellular signal transduction pathways as well as regulation of cell adhesion, which is necessary for the physiology process of endometrial epithelial cell transformation and stromal cell decidualization during embryo implantation. Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (ED) can regulate the expression of genes associated with calcium transport in during pregnancy such as TRPV5, TRPV6, PMCA, and NCX1. Additionally, exposure to ED during early gestation results in disrupted intrauterine implantation, uterine receptive, leading to implantation failure. In this study, oestrogen (E2), bisphenol A (BPA), octylphenol (OP), and/or ICI 182,780 (oestrogen receptor antagonist, ICI) were injected subcutaneously from gestation Day 1 to gestation Day 3 post coitus. The number of implantation sites was significantly lower in the OP group, and no implantation site was observed in the E2 and ED+ICI groups. There were differences in the expression of calcium transient transport channel between maternal uterine and implantation. The level of TRPV6 and TRPV5 mRNA and protein was significantly increased by ED and/or ICI treatment in the uterus. The levels of TRPV5 and TRPV6 gene expression were significantly increased by ED with/without ICI treatment in the uterus. However, TRPV5 and TRPV6 gene expression was significantly lower in implantation site samples. The NCX1 and PMCA1 mRNA levels were significantly decreased by OP and BPA in the implantation site samples. Both mRNA and protein levels of MUC1 were markedly higher in all groups, except the BPA group when compared with the vehicle group in the uterus. The LIF and HOXA-10 mRNA were significantly low in E2; BPA+ICI; OP; and/or ICI in both the uterus and implantation site. Expression of the oestrogen receptor (ERa) and progesterone receptor (PR) was significantly lower in all groups except the BPA group when compared with the vehicle group. Taken together, E2, BPA, and OP disrupt the success of implantation through altered expression of calcium transport genes.

190 Effects of endocrine-disrupting chemical on calcium signalling in cardiomyocyte differentiation from mouse embryonic stem cells

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDC) are substances similar to steroid hormones that can disturb normal physiological functions of male and female reproductive organs. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals tend to bind to steroid hormone receptors. Sex steroid hormones modulate calcium signalling in the cardiac muscle in early embryo development. Among the steroid hormones, progesterone (P4) has been reported to affect blood pressure and other aspects of the cardiovascular system. The EDC that have similar structure to P4, such as octyl-phenol (OP) and bisphenol A (BPA), are potentially harmful to development of the heart. To confirm the effect of OP and BPA on early differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (mES) into cardiomyocytes, the hanging-drop method with mESC cell line (ES-E14TG2a) was used for forming embryoid bodies. Pluripotent mESC were cultured in basal medium with leukemia inhibitory factor and grown on mitomycin C-treated mouse embryonic fibroblasts in a 60-mm plate at 37°C in a 5% CO2 humidified tissue culture incubator with basal medium consisting of DMEM/F-12 supplemented with nonessential amino acids, 10% heat-inactivated and certified fetal bovine serum (FBS), 2-mercaptoethanol, penicillin, and streptomycin. The mouse embryoid bodies (mEB) were suspended onto 6-well plates and cultured with differentiation medium containing steroid-free FBS without leukemia inhibitory factor. Progesterone, OP, and BPA were added on Day 2 from mEB attachment. In addition, mifepristone (RU486), an antagonist for progesterone receptor (PR), was used to confirm the effect of P4 through PR. To determine whether RU486 is capable of attenuating the inhibition effect of P4, RU486 was added for 1 day starting on Day 11. Assessment of cardiomyocyte differentiation was determined by checking the number of beating cell populations divided by the total number of attached mEB. Total RNA was extracted using Trizol reagent and synthesised to cDNA using Moloney murine leukemia virus (MMLV) reverse transcriptase. Messenger RNA level was assessed using quantitative real-time PCR. To investigate calcium signalling, the mRNA levels of calcium channel gene Trpv2 and contraction-related genes Ryr2, Cam2, and Mylk3 were analysed. Beating ratio was decreased in P4, OP, and BPA treatments. Data were analysed by one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s multiple comparison tests, and P&lt;0.05 was considered statistically significant in least 3 different replicates. The mRNA level of Pgr was significantly increased in P4, OP, and BPA-treated group. However, the mRNA level of calcium channel gene Trpv2 was significantly decreased in the P4, OP, and BPA-treated group. Expression of contraction-related genes such as Ryr2, Cam2, and Mlck3 were significantly decreased in the P4, OP, and BPA-treated group. In addition, treatment with RU486 rescues altered calcium channel gene and contraction-related genes. Taken together, these results suggest that OP and BPA may affect the differentiation of mESC into cardiomyocyte and disrupts differentiation of cardiomyocytes.

119 Combined exposure to phthalates and 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide accelerate the loss of ovarian follicles, leading to premature ovarian failure in rat model

Premature ovarian failure (POF) is observed in women under 40 years with primary or secondary amenorrhea. The causes for POF are idiopathic, genetic, iatrogenic incidence, autoimmunity, and adverse effects from toxic chemical exposures. Several classes of chemicals have been shown to alter follicle development and reduce fertility, leading to POF in mammals. We investigated the synergistic effects of 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide (VCD) and phthalates, including di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), and di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), on POF. Both VCD and these phthalates have been reported to disrupt the folliculogenesis and steroidogenesis in many species. In the vehicle group, female Sprague-Dawley rats (8 weeks of age) received an IP injection of corn oil daily for 2 weeks. The 7 other groups received VCD+corn oil, DEHP, DEHP+VCD, BBP, BBP+VCD, DBP, or DBP+VCD. After receiving the VCD or vehicle injection IP for 2 weeks, corn oil or a phthalate were orally administered once a day for the entire 6-week study period. The mRNA expressions of Amh and Sohlh2 were significantly decreased in the combination groups compared to the control and individual groups. Serum Amh levels were significantly lower in the combination groups. Additionally, serum levels of FSH were markedly higher in combination groups. Our findings suggest that the combination of VCD and phthalates can accelerate the POF by disturbance in folliculogenesis and hormone regulation.

Flourishing in Student Veterans With and Without Service-Connected Disability: Psychometric Validation of the Flourishing Scale and Exploration of Its Relationships With Personality and Disability

Veterans are an increasing population in postsecondary education. Many student veterans have disabilities affecting their well-being and success in college. This study aims to add to current knowledge on well-being by exploring the relationship between flourishing, personality traits, and service-connected disability among student veterans. First, we set out to psychometrically validate the Flourishing Scale (FS) for student veterans. Second, we evaluated the association of the Big-Five personality traits and flourishing. Finally, we evaluated the differences in flourishing among student veterans with and without service-connected disabilities. Two hundred five student veterans were recruited for the current study. A random split-half approach was adopted to perform an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Subsequent to conducting the EFA and CFA, a hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed to investigate the relationships between flourishing and Big-Five personality traits. Finally, an independent-samples t test was conducted to compare the flourishing scores of student veterans with and without a service-connected disability. Findings indicated FS is a reliable and valid scale that could be used to measure flourishing in student veterans. Detailed findings and their implications for rehabilitation counseling are provided.

Apathy in Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease: Psychometric Validation of the Apathy Evaluation Scale

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of the present study was to validate the Apathy Evaluation Scale, self-rated version (AES-S), and assess the severity of apathy in a cognitively healthy middle-aged cohort at risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD).

METHOD

Three hundred and sixteen middle-aged adults were selected to represent a subset of the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center Clinical Core: the Investigating Memory in People At-risk, Causes and Treatments cohort.

RESULTS

An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with varimax rotation identified 3 subscales: apathy, disinterest, and social withdrawal factors. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the EFA findings. Results indicated acceptable convergent and discriminant validity. The AES-S is a reliable instrument to quantify apathy in cognitively healthy middle-aged individuals at risk for AD.

DISCUSSION

This study demonstrates the AES-S is a psychometrically sound measurement tool for assessing levels of apathy in a cognitively healthy middle-aged cohort at risk for AD.

Clinical Value of Vascular Permeability Estimates Using Dynamic Susceptibility Contrast MRI: Improved Diagnostic Performance in Distinguishing Hypervascular Primary CNS Lymphoma from Glioblastoma

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

A small subset of primary central nervous system lymphomas exhibits high cerebral blood volume, which is indistinguishable from that in glioblastoma on dynamic susceptibility contrast MR imaging. Our study aimed to test whether estimates of combined perfusion and vascular permeability metrics derived from DSC-MR imaging can improve the diagnostic performance in differentiating hypervascular primary central nervous system lymphoma from glioblastoma.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 119 patients (with 30 primary central nervous system lymphomas and 89 glioblastomas) exhibited hypervascular foci using the reference method of leakage-corrected CBV (reference-normalized CBV). An alternative postprocessing method used the tissue residue function to calculate vascular permeability (extraction fraction), leakage-corrected CBV, cerebral blood flow, and mean transit time. Parameters were compared using Mann-Whitney U tests, and the diagnostic performance to distinguish primary central nervous system lymphoma from glioblastoma was calculated using the area under the curve from the receiver operating characteristic curve and was cross-validated with bootstrapping.

RESULTS

Hypervascular primary central nervous system lymphoma showed similar leakage-corrected normalized CBV and leakage-corrected CBV compared with glioblastoma (P > .05); however, primary central nervous system lymphoma exhibited a significantly higher extraction fraction (P < .001) and CBF (P = .01) and shorter MTT (P < .001) than glioblastoma. The extraction fraction showed the highest diagnostic performance (the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC], 0.78; 95% confidence interval, 0.69-0.85) for distinguishing hypervascular primary central nervous system lymphoma from glioblastoma, with a significantly higher performance than both CBV (AUC, 0.53-0.59, largest P = .02) and CBF (AUC, 0.72) and MTT (AUC, 0.71).

CONCLUSIONS

Estimation of vascular permeability with DSC-MR imaging further characterizes hypervascular primary central nervous system lymphoma and improves diagnostic performance in glioblastoma differentiation.

Risk factors for sporadic Giardia infection in the USA: a case-control study in Colorado and Minnesota

Giardia duodenalis is the most common intestinal parasite of humans in the USA, but the risk factors for sporadic (non-outbreak) giardiasis are not well described. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Colorado and Minnesota public health departments conducted a case-control study to assess risk factors for sporadic giardiasis in the USA. Cases (N = 199) were patients with non-outbreak-associated laboratory-confirmed Giardia infection in Colorado and Minnesota, and controls (N = 381) were matched by age and site. Identified risk factors included international travel (aOR = 13.9; 95% CI 4.9-39.8), drinking water from a river, lake, stream, or spring (aOR = 6.5; 95% CI 2.0-20.6), swimming in a natural body of water (aOR = 3.3; 95% CI 1.5-7.0), male-male sexual behaviour (aOR = 45.7; 95% CI 5.8-362.0), having contact with children in diapers (aOR = 1.6; 95% CI 1.01-2.6), taking antibiotics (aOR = 2.5; 95% CI 1.2-5.0) and having a chronic gastrointestinal condition (aOR = 1.8; 95% CI 1.1-3.0). Eating raw produce was inversely associated with infection (aOR = 0.2; 95% CI 0.1-0.7). Our results highlight the diversity of risk factors for sporadic giardiasis and the importance of non-international-travel-associated risk factors, particularly those involving person-to-person transmission. Prevention measures should focus on reducing risks associated with diaper handling, sexual contact, swimming in untreated water, and drinking untreated water.

Development of a new analgesic index using nasal photoplethysmography

Although surrogate measures to quantify pain intensity have been commercialised, there is a need to develop a new index with improved accuracy. The aim of this study was to develop a new analgesic index using nasal photoplethysmography data. The specially designed sensor was placed between the columella and the nasal septum to acquire nasal photoplethysmography in surgical patients. Nasal photoplethysmography and Surgical Pleth Index^® (GE Healthcare) data were obtained for 14 min both in the absence (pre-operatively) or presence (postoperatively) of pain in a group of surgical patients, each patient acting as their own control. Various dynamic photoplethysmography variables were extracted to quantify pain intensity; the most accurate index was selected using logistic regression as a classifier. The area under the curve of the receiver-operating characteristic curve was measured to evaluate the accuracy of final model predictions. In total, 12,012 heart beats from 89 patients were used to develop a new Nasal Photoplethysmography Index for analgesic depth quantification. The two-variable model (a combination of diastolic peak point variation and heart beat interval variation) was most accurate in discriminating between the presence and absence of pain (numerical rating scale (NRS) ≥ 3). The accuracy and area under the curve of the receiver-operating characteristic curve for the Nasal Photoplethysmography Index were 75.3% and 0.8018, respectively, and 64.8% and 0.7034, respectively, for the Surgical Pleth Index. The Nasal Photoplethysmography Index clearly distinguished pain (NRS ≥ 3) in awake surgical patients with postoperative pain. The Nasal Photoplethysmography Index performed better than the Surgical Pleth Index. Further validation studies are needed to evaluate its feasibility to quantify pain intensity during general anaesthesia.

Brain Injury Lesion Imaging Using Preconditioned Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping without Skull Stripping

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Identifying cerebral microhemorrhage burden can aid in the diagnosis and management of traumatic brain injury, stroke, hypertension, and cerebral amyloid angiopathy. MR imaging susceptibility-based methods are more sensitive than CT for detecting cerebral microhemorrhage, but methods other than quantitative susceptibility mapping provide results that vary with field strength and TE, require additional phase maps to distinguish blood from calcification, and depict cerebral microhemorrhages as bloom artifacts. Quantitative susceptibility mapping provides universal quantification of tissue magnetic property without these constraints but traditionally requires a mask generated by skull-stripping, which can pose challenges at tissue interphases. We evaluated the preconditioned quantitative susceptibility mapping MR imaging method, which does not require skull-stripping, for improved depiction of brain parenchyma and pathology.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Fifty-six subjects underwent brain MR imaging with a 3D multiecho gradient recalled echo acquisition. Mask-based quantitative susceptibility mapping images were created using a commonly used mask-based quantitative susceptibility mapping method, and preconditioned quantitative susceptibility images were made using precondition-based total field inversion. All images were reviewed by a neuroradiologist and a radiology resident.

RESULTS

Ten subjects (18%), all with traumatic brain injury, demonstrated blood products on 3D gradient recalled echo imaging. All lesions were visible on preconditioned quantitative susceptibility mapping, while 6 were not visible on mask-based quantitative susceptibility mapping. Thirty-one subjects (55%) demonstrated brain parenchyma and/or lesions that were visible on preconditioned quantitative susceptibility mapping but not on mask-based quantitative susceptibility mapping. Six subjects (11%) demonstrated pons artifacts on preconditioned quantitative susceptibility mapping and mask-based quantitative susceptibility mapping; they were worse on preconditioned quantitative susceptibility mapping.

CONCLUSIONS

Preconditioned quantitative susceptibility mapping MR imaging can bring the benefits of quantitative susceptibility mapping imaging to clinical practice without the limitations of mask-based quantitative susceptibility mapping, especially for evaluating cerebral microhemorrhage-associated pathologies, such as traumatic brain injury.

The relationship of systemic markers of haemostasis with retinal blood vessel responses in cardiovascular disease and/or diabetes

Background Hypercoagulability is a leading factor in diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Retinal vessel responses to flickering light are an important tool for assessing ocular function. We hypothesised a significant relationship between systemic markers of haemostasis and retinal vessel function. Methods Intra-ocular pressure and retinal microcirculation function were measured in 116 patients with diabetes and/or cardiovascular disease using unstimulated and stimulated arterial and venous retinal vessel responses to flickering light. Haemostasis was evaluated by platelet microparticles, soluble P selectin, and five functional markers of fibrin clot formation and lysis, hyperglycaemia by HbA1c. Results Intra-ocular pressure was linked to the rates of clot formation (p = 0.006) and clot dissolution (p = 0.013) whilst central retinal vein equivalent was linked to HbA1c (p = 0.017). In the first of three flickering light cycles only, arterial baseline diameter fluctuation was linked to the lag time to clot formation (p = 0.017), whilst maximum venous dilatation was linked to HbA1c (p = 0.001) and clot density (p = 0.011). HbA1c was linked to venous dilatation amplitude (p = 0.003). There were no significant links between any ocular index and any platelet index. Conclusions In addition to glycaemia, several haemostasis measures, but no measures of platelet activity, are linked to ocular and retinal blood vessel indices in patients with diabetes and/or cardiovascular disease. These associations may have pathophysiological significance.

Publisher's Note: JLab Measurements of the ^{3}He Form Factors at Large Momentum Transfers [Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 162501 (2017)]

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.162501.

Measurements of the associated production of a Z boson and b jets in pp collisions at s = 8 TeV

Measurements of the associated production of a Z boson with at least one jet originating from a b quark in proton-proton collisions ats = 8 TeV are presented. Differential cross sections are measured with data collected by the CMS experiment corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.8fb - 1 . Z bosons are reconstructed through their decays to electrons and muons. Cross sections are measured as a function of observables characterizing the kinematics of the b jet and the Z boson. Ratios of differential cross sections for the associated production with at least one b jet to the associated production with any jet are also presented. The production of a Z boson with at least two b jets is investigated, and differential cross sections are measured for the dijet system. Results are compared to theoretical predictions, testing two different flavour schemes for the choice of initial-state partons.

JLab Measurements of the ^{3}He Form Factors at Large Momentum Transfers

The charge and magnetic form factors, F_{C} and F_{M}, respectively, of ^{3}He are extracted in the kinematic range 25  fm^{-2}≤Q^{2}≤61  fm^{-2} from elastic electron scattering by detecting ^{3}He recoil nuclei and scattered electrons in coincidence with the two High Resolution Spectrometers of the Hall A Facility at Jefferson Lab. The measurements find evidence for the existence of a second diffraction minimum for the magnetic form factor at Q^{2}=49.3  fm^{-2} and for the charge form factor at Q^{2}=62.0  fm^{-2}. Both minima are predicted to exist in the Q^{2} range accessible by this Jefferson Lab experiment. The data are in qualitative agreement with theoretical calculations based on realistic interactions and accurate methods to solve the three-body nuclear problem.

Psychometric Validation of the Multiple Sclerosis Environmental Supports Scale: A Brief Report

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the measurement structure of the Multiple Sclerosis Environmental Supports Scale (MSESS) with 248 individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). Exploratory factor analysis yielded three reliable factors (health and mental health services; rehabilitation, social, and support services; and independent living supports). The MSESS appears to be a promising rehabilitation assessment tool for individuals with MS, one that can be used by rehabilitation counselors to evaluate environmental support factors in their interview, assessment, and rehabilitation planning protocols.