cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Magnetic guidance of ferrofluidic nanoparticles in an in vitro model of intraocular retinal repair

Agarose gel at a concentration of 0.6% was used to simulate the vitreous body of the eye during the infusion of a ferrofluid and the subsequent magnetic concentration of it onto a surrogate retinal surface. The 10 nm Fe3O4 particles in the ferrofluid served to mimic the cobalt particles in a silicone magnetic fluid that is being developed for use as a tamponading agent in magnetic fluid therapies designed to alleviate retinal detachments and other types of retinopathy. Magnetically guided interstitial diffusion of the nanoparticles through up to 20 mm of the gel over periods of 72 h was shown to be possible, thus demonstrating that essentially all points on the retinal surface are reachable from elsewhere in the ocular interior. The nanodynamics of the magnetic and viscous forces at work on the particles during movement through the gel are discussed; in particular the diffusion speeds of the particles are estimated and compared with observations.
Anode losses in coaxial Hall current accelerators.

Performance capabilities of Hall current accelerators determined from parameters influencing anode power loss
Transfection of avian LMH-2A hepatoma cells with cationic lipids

LMH-2A is an estrogen-responsive avian hepatoma cell line whose susceptibility to cationic-lipid-mediated transfection is poorly described. 3 beta[N-N',N'-dimethylaminoethane)-carbamoyl] cholesterol (DCC) requires a one-step synthesis, and can be used to formulate transfection-grade liposomes when combined with dioleoylphosphatidyl-ethanolamine (DOPE) 1/1 (wt/wt). Luciferase activities in LMH-2A cells were 8.5-fold and 87.5-fold greater than those in HepG2 and FTO2B cells, respectively, following DCC-liposome-mediated transfection with a reporter consisting of the human cytomegalovirus immediate-early promoter (CMV), joined to Photinus pyralis luciferase (L) cDNA, designated pCMVL. Using pCMVL, N-(2-bromoethyl)-N,N-dimethyl-2,3-bis(9-octadecenyloxy)-propana minimun bromide) (BMOP)/DOPE 1/1 (wt/wt), at a 7.5:1 ratio with DNA, produced luciferase activities that were 2.9-fold higher than those of DCC-liposomes, at an optimal 10:1 lipid:DNA ratio. At optimal lipid:DNA ratios, commercially available liposomes, Transfectam, Lipofectamine, and Lipofectin, produced luciferase activities that were 1.39, 1.03, and 0.47-fold those of DCC-liposomes. The effect of 0, 10, 100, or 500 nM/L 17 beta-estradiol on the expression of pCMVL and a second luciferase reporter containing the -593/+48 promoter region of the estrogen-responsive avian apo VLDL-II gene, designated pApoL, was tested in cells cultured in the presence or absence of 10% chicken serum. The CMV promoter supported a high level of expression in LMH-2A cells that was unaffected by serum alone, but was weakly responsive to estrogen. Estrogen responses of both reporters reached a plateau at 10 nM/L. Estrogen increased the expression of pApoL 24-fold and 79-fold in the absence and presence of serum, respectively. The -593/+48 region of the apo VLDL-II promoter may not contain previously reported negative insulin response elements, but chicken serum contains factors that enhance estrogen responsiveness of this region.
Food and Fashion: Exploring Fat Female Identity in Drop Dead Diva

Starring a size 16 actress in its leading role, the legal comedy drama Drop Dead Diva pushes the boundaries of mainstream media, which tend to favor the young, thin, and attractive. Discourse analysis of the program reveals that through food and fashion the show promotes size acceptance, but also includes fat loathing. The program also promotes a hegemonic construction of beauty and conventional femininity to which the white and wealthy main character adheres. Overall, however, Drop Dead Diva demonstrates a progressive path to self-acceptance that redefines body scripts, normalizing and embracing the fat female body.
Observations and a model concerning the translational velocity of a photosynthetic marine dinoflagellate under variable environmental conditions1

The movement of a representative photosynthetic marine dinoflagellate, Gyrodinium dorsum, was videotaped on a temperature-gradient plate, in a single-chambered, water-jacketed cuvette and in a six-chambered, light-gradient, water-jacketed cuvette. The tapes were analyzed with intercalibrated manual or computer-assisted techniques. The swimming ability of G. dorsum varied in response to changes in temperature, light intensity, and buoyancy. A FORTRAN computer model combined mathematical formulations describing these empirical responses and some assumed covariation to predict the instantaneous translational velocity of G. dorsum. After the model was verified with an independent data set collected from the single-chambered, water-jacketed cuvette, it was used to simulate imposed diel vertical migrations in thermally stratified coastal water. The translational velocity of G. dorsum varied about 3-fold in response to the imposed environmental variation. This modulation of the translational velocity of a photosynthetic marine dinoflagellate can combine with variability of the physical motion spectrum to affect the temporal and spatial occurrence of the organism and the suitability of its growth conditions. The term “plankton,” defined as a group of organisms that lack the means to counteract transport by water currents (Levinton I982), is more applicable to horizontal than to vertical water motion. Although vertical water motion resulting from the integrated effects of various physical processes (Table 1) can occasionally overwhelm plankton, these organisms commonly exhibit directed vertical movement (Forward 1976). More specifically, the different groups of species considered together as plankton are capable of moving over a range of velocities (Walsby and Reynolds 1980; Forward 1976). Changes in the instantaneous rate of vertical water motion impose a variable threshold on this range of planktonic velocities below which the directed movement of slower plankton is inhibited. Environmental conditions, on the other hand, influence the instantaneous rate at which individual species move (Carlile 1975) so that an organism’s position within this range of planktonic velocities can change. This environmental dependence of plankton motility is generally described for buoyancy relationships (Walsby
Quantitative Assessment of Insect Pest Damage to Figs

Previous researchers have listed insect pests associated with figs, but the proportion of damage caused by these different pests has not been described quantitatively. As broad spectrum insecticides are being replaced by less toxic but more species-specific pest management methods, this information has become more important. We took harvest samples from three orchards in 2002, four in 2003, and six in 2004, and identified the insect pests responsible for defects among the samples. Diagnostic characteristics of damage to figs differed among common insect pests. Nitidulid beetles and navel orangeworm together usually accounted for > 90% of producers' losses to insect infestation. Losses from nitidulid beetles greatly exceeded those from navel orangeworm in the first year, but were similar in the remaining sites in the second and third year of the study. Mean infestation levels generally increased significantly as the harvest season progressed, but not at all sites. Producers should examine cull figs from their sorting lines over several years to determine which of these insect pests is most abundant in their locations.
Energetic Effect of Vitreoscilla Hemoglobin Expression in Escherichia coli: An Online 31P NMR and a Saturation Transfer Study

A newly developed on-line ^(31)P NMR system has been used to investigate the effect of Vitreoscilla hemoglobin (VHb) expression on the steady-state level of ATP in Escherichia coli under oxygen-limited conditions. The VHb-expressing strain GR021 exhibited a higher growth rate on a minimal fed-batch medium after the onset of oxygen limitation and maintained the same level of ATP pool and transmembrane ΔpH as the slower growing wild-type strain MG 1655, indicating that the net ATP accumulation rate (the rate at which ATP increases per unit volume of culture per unit time) was enhanced in the VHb-expressing strain. Further direct evidence of the enhanced flux of Pi-ATP (catalyzed by ATPase) in GR021 was obtained in a saturation transfer study on respiring cells. VHb-expressing cells respiring on succinate exhibited a P_i-ATP flux 30 ± 5% higher than that of an otherwise isogenic strain that did not express VHb.
Control of path constrained systems using feasible equilibrium paths; a robotics application

A method to control the transition of path constrained nonlinear systems of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) between equilibrium states is presented. The main idea is to control the system such that its state space trajectory is close to an equilibrium path to which the initial and final states belong and which satisfies the constraints. Examples of a two link robotic manipulator control subject to collision avoidance constraints are included.
A SIMPLIFIED METABOLISM CAGE AND TAIL CUP FOR YOUNG RATS

SUMMARY A description is given of an inexpensive metabolism cage, in which powdered diets can be fed without measurable loss. Coprophagy is completely eliminated in rats fitted with a new design of tail cup, and in this way total collections of faeces and urine are readily achieved. Cups of a similar design have been fitted both to young male and to adult female rats, and use over periods of several weeks has revealed no ill effects. Reproducible estimates of dietary protein quality have been obtained with collection periods as short as 48 to 96 hours, and growth rates are quite good in adequately and uniformly heated rooms. 67 The principal purpose of screen-floored metabolism cages for nutritional studies in mammals is to allow urine and faeces to be quantitatively and separately collected, and several types of cage for rodents have been marketed or described. Not only is such equipment relatively expensive, but it frequently involves the excreta coming into contact with a considerable area of cage surface during the collection and separation process. This inevitably leads to loss of excreta by oxidation and deamination through spreading out on large surfacesin contact with the atmosphere. The use of tail cups in rodents partly avoids this problem. Without cups coprophagy is only slightly reduced by caging on screen as opposed to solid floors. Barnes, Fiala, McGehee & Brown (1957) estimated that 50-65 per cent of faeces are ingested by rats on screen floors. Coprophagy not only delays the ultimate excretion of compounds of dietary origin (or their products), but may alter the quantitative utilization of a nutrient and allow some diet to be utilized in a form chemically modified by the intestinal flora. This flora in turn may be changed as a result of coprophagy (Fitzgerald, Gustafsson & McDaniel, 1964). The consequences of these effects are that the degree of dietary utilization may be altered and the time required to obtain a given degree of precision in metabolic studies may be extended in the coprophagous animal. Furthermore, the
Expression of epidermal ornithine decarboxylase and nuclear proto-oncogenes in phorbol ester tumor promotion-sensitive and -resistant mice

This study was undertaken to assess the effects of a single or two sequential topical applications of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) on the expression of c-fos, c-jun, junB, c-myc, and ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) in promotion-sensitive SSIN mice and the relatively promotion-resistant C57BL/6 strain. Northern blot analysis demonstrated that a single promoting dose of TPA induced ODC mRNA expression 10-to 15-fold in both strains. Treatment of each strain with a second dose of TPA, 48 h (in C57BL/6 mice) or 72 h (in SSIN mice) after the first, led to hyperinduction of ODC activity. Although this involved transcription of new ODC mRNA, the hyperinduction of ODC enzyme activity was primarily posttranscriptional. Induction of c-fos mRNA or protein was maximal about 3 h after a single treatment in either strain but was sustained for at least 6 h in C57BL/6 mice. In contrast, two treatments of SSIN mice with TPA caused a rapid, strong c-fos induction 1–2 h after treatment, whereas C57BL/6 mice responded no more strongly than after a single treatment. c-jun mRNA and protein were induced only slightly in either strain, but junB was induced about fivefold in SSIN mice and tenfold in C57BL/6 mice. Although c-myc was induced to comparable levels in both strains, the reponse was more prolonged in C57BL/6 mice. Compared with SSIN mice, C57BL/6 mice responded to TPA treatment, in general, with changes in proto-oncogene mRNA to a higher level or for longer or both. Thus, although small differences in the expression of these genes were observed, they were not positively correlated with the differential sensitivity of SSIN and C57BL/6 mice toward tumor promotion by phorbol esters, with the possible exception of c-fos. © 1995 Wiley-Liss Inc.
Exponential-Krylov methods for ordinary differential equations

This paper develops a new family of exponential time discretization methods called exponential-Krylov (expK). The new schemes treat the time discretization and the Krylov-based approximation of exponential matrix-vector products as a single computational process. The classical order conditions theory developed herein accounts for both the temporal and the Krylov approximation errors. Unlike traditional exponential schemes, expK methods require the construction of only a single Krylov space at each timestep. The number of basis vectors that guarantee the temporal order of accuracy does not depend on the application at hand. Numerical results show favorable properties of expK methods when compared to current exponential schemes.
Validation of the Genus Name Darcyanthus and Its Sole Species, Darcyanthus spruceanus (Solanaceae)

The generic name Darcyanthus Hunz. (Solanaceae) was not validly published. The present paper provides validation both for the generic name and for the single included species, D. spruceanus (Hunz.) Hunz.
Philosophy by Other Means

I attempt to show that Marx was driven by a systematic philosophical goal expressed already in his doctoral dissertation and present throughout his mature political economic theory as well as in his practical political writings. I reconstruct this systematic - and critical - philosophical adventure in order to suggest that it is as philosophy that Marx's work retains its political bite today. In the process, I propose a reinterpretation of Marx's political theory that, once again, is traced through the entirety of Marx's corpus. The young Marx criticized Hegel's separation of the political from society; he then attempted to reduce the political sphere to civil society; the theory of alienated labor was elaborated as a theory of political economy that replaced the political; but in the end, when all three volumes of Capital and the unpublished Grundrisse are considered systematically, Marx sees capitalism as threatened ultimately by its inability to reflect politically on its own presuppositions, and hence its limits.
The Match between Music Excerpts and Written Descriptions by Fifth and Sixth Graders.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of instruction in writing about music on descriptions of music excerpts. Fifth and sixth graders received 4 days of instruction in music description focusing on metaphor and emotion, analytic music elements, and temporal language. Then, they wrote brief descriptions of six excerpts that were counterbalanced for instrumentation and style. Their descriptions were compared to those of students who did not receive instruction. There were no significant differences between children receiving and not receiving instruction within each grade level, except that the taught fifth graders mentioned significantly more musical elements than did fifth graders who did not receive instruction. There were no significant differences within grade levels in the rate at which expert readers matched descriptions to the original music excerpt, but sixth graders significantly outperformed the fifth graders. When excerpts were not correctly matched, they were usually misassigned ...
Relativistic Jets in Active Galactic Nuclei

This review discusses the basic characteristics of the jets in active galactic nuclei (AGN). It concentrates on the highly relativistic variety found in blazars, since these are the closest cousins to the jets seen in some X‐ray binaries (microquasars) and the collimated, ultra‐fast flows inferred to exist in gamma ray bursts.The fastest AGN jets are gamma‐ray bright, with flow Lorentz factors that range up to at least 45, although such high values must be rare unless the radiative efficiency is usually very low. If jets are magnetically launched, observations indicate that the acceleration and collimation occur over an extended region and the Poynting flux is converted into both flow energy and turbulence. Particle domination of the pressure occurs during outbursts, as might be possible in shocks. The cores of AGN jets may have different origins depending on frequency: points where the Doppler factor becomes high, conical recollimation shocks, or the optically thick/thin transition region. Superluminal k...
Spray and Inkjet Printing of Hybrid Nanoparticle-Metal-Organic Inks for Ag and Cu Metallizations

Metal-organic and hybrid metal-organic/metal nanoparticle inkswere evaluated for use in the inkjet printing of copper and silver conducting lines. Pure, smooth, dense, highly conductive coatings were produced by spray printing with (hexafluoroacetylacetonato)copper(I)-vinyltrimethylsilane Cu(hfa)·VTMS) and (hexafluoroacetylacetonato)silver(I)(1,5-cyclooctadiene) (Ag(hfa)COD) metal-organic precursors on heated substrates. Good adhesion to the substrates tested, glass, Kapton tape and Si, has been achieved without use of adhesion promoters. The silver metal-organic ink has also beenused to print metal lines and patterns with a commercial inkjet printer. Hybrid inks comprised of metal nanoparticles mixed with the metal-organic complexes above have also been used to deposit Cu and Ag films by spray printing.This approach gives dense, adherent films that are much thicker than those obtained using the metal-organic inks alone. The conductivities of the silvercoatings obtained by both approaches are near that of bulk silver (2 μΩ·cm). The copper coatings had conductivities at least an order ofmagnitude less than bulk.
Flavobacterium johnsoniae SprA Is a Cell Surface Protein Involved in Gliding Motility

Flavobacterium johnsoniae cells glide rapidly over surfaces by an unknown mechanism. Transposon-induced sprA mutants formed nonspreading colonies on agar, and the cells examined in wet mounts were deficient in attachment to surfaces and were almost completely nonmotile. Exposure of intact cells to proteinase K cleaved the 270-kDa SprA into several large peptides, suggesting that it is partially exposed on the cell surface.
Inositol 1,2-cyclic 4,5-trisphosphate is formed in the rat parotid gland on muscarinic stimulation.

Hawkins et al. [Hawkins, P.T., Berrie, C.P., Morris, A.J., and Downes, C.P. (1987) Biochem. J. 243, 211–218] were unable to find any formation of inositol 1,2-cyclic 4,5-trisphosphate on muscarinic stimulation of rat parotid slices, contrary to what has been found in mouse pancreas and in platelets. We have repeated the studies of Hawkins et al. using [3H]inositol-prelabelled rat parotid minilobules and our improved HPLC method for clearly separating the three inositol trisphosphates. Substantial amounts of inositol 1,2-cyclic 4,5-trisphosphate formed on muscarinic stimulation of rat parotid minilobules, amounting to 5% of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate at 10 sec and one third of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate at 5 min.
“Who are you callin' expert?”: Using student narratives to redefine expertise and advocacy lower track science

The purpose of this study was to construct an interpretation of lower track science students' notions of expertise in science teaching. Data were collected and transcribed from focus groups, teacher journals, classrooms events, and student artifacts. Students responded to focus group prompts over the course of a years regarding how and why they chose to learn science from their teachers based on affective attributes, advocacy/impedance, and identity. Results showed that lower track science students closely associate affective teacher attributes with effective teaching strategies. In addition, students identified advocacy or impedance in academic success based on personal experience rather than other more overt characteristics such as race or gender as a major determinant for their successful science learning. Implications for research and teacher education in diverse settings are discussed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 48: 13–36, 2011
Combining particle-tracking and geochemical data to assess public supply well vulnerability to arsenic and uranium

Flow-model particle-tracking results and geochemical data from seven study areas across the United States were analyzed using three statistical methods to test the hypothesis that these variables can successfully be used to assess public supply well vulnerability to arsenic and uranium. Principal components analysis indicated that arsenic and uranium concentrations were associated with particle-tracking variables that simulate time of travel and water fluxes through aquifer systems and also through specific redox and pH zones within aquifers. Time-of-travel variables are important because many geochemical reactions are kinetically limited, and geochemical zonation can account for different modes of mobilization and fate. Spearman correlation analysis established statistical significance for correlations of arsenic and uranium concentrations with variables derived using the particle-tracking routines. Correlations between uranium concentrations and particle-tracking variables were generally strongest for variables computed for distinct redox zones. Classification tree analysis on arsenic concentrations yielded a quantitative categorical model using time-of-travel variables and solid-phase-arsenic concentrations. The classification tree model accuracy on the learning data subset was 70%, and on the testing data subset, 79%, demonstrating one application in which particle-tracking variables can be used predictively in a quantitative screening-level assessment of public supply well vulnerability. Ground-water management actions that are based on avoidance of young ground water, reflecting the premise that young ground water is more vulnerable to anthropogenic contaminants than is old ground water, may inadvertently lead to increased vulnerability to natural contaminants due to the tendency for concentrations of many natural contaminants to increase with increasing ground-water residence time.
Automatic Alignment of Genus-Zero Surfaces

A new algorithm is presented that provides a constructive way to conformally warp a triangular mesh of genus zero to a destination surface with minimal metric deformation, as well as a means to compute automatically a measure of the geometric difference between two surfaces of genus zero. The algorithm takes as input a pair of surfaces that are topological 2-spheres, each surface given by a distinct triangulation. The algorithm then constructs a map f between the two surfaces. First, each of the two triangular meshes is mapped to the unit sphere using a discrete conformal mapping algorithm. The two mappings are then composed with a Mobius transformation to generate the function f. The Mobius transformation is chosen by minimizing an energy that measures the distance of f from an isometry. We illustrate our approach using several “real life” data sets. We show first that the algorithm allows for accurate, automatic, and landmark-free nonrigid registration of brain surfaces. We then validate our approach by comparing shapes of proteins. We provide numerical experiments to demonstrate that the distances computed with our algorithm between low-resolution, surface-based representations of proteins are highly correlated with the corresponding distances computed between high-resolution, atomistic models for the same proteins.
Transgender Adults' Access to College Bathrooms and Housing and the Relationship to Suicidality

Transgender and gender non-conforming people frequently experience discrimination, harassment, and marginalization across college and university campuses (Bilodeau, 2007; Finger, 2010; Rankin et al., 2010; Seelman et al., 2012). The minority stress model (Meyer, 2007) posits that experiences of discrimination often negatively impact the psychological wellbeing of minority groups. However, few scholars have examined whether college institutional climate factors-such as being denied access to bathrooms or gender-appropriate campus housing-are significantly associated with detrimental psychological outcomes for transgender people. Using the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, this study analyzes whether being denied access to these spaces is associated with lifetime suicide attempts, after controlling for interpersonal victimization by students or teachers. Findings from sequential logistic regression (N = 2,316) indicate that denial of access to either space had a significant relationship to suicidality, even after controlling for interpersonal victimization. This article discusses implications for higher education professionals and researchers.
Electrifying India

The paper presents the efforts of the Indian government in the electrification of its urban and rural areas considering its impact on the environmental preservation. Some of the current initiatives undertaken by the Indian government in response are discussed and the roles of energy efficiency and renewable energy (RE) in meeting these challenges in the future are examined.
Ersatzlastbestimmung für System- und Komponententests bei Abgasanlagen

Abgasanlagen mussen heute fur bis zu funf Jahre betriebsfest ausgelegt werden. Der eigentliche Nutzungszeitraum betragt, dann mit hoheren Ausfallzahlen, bis zu zehn Jahre. Diese Ausfallwahrscheinlichkeiten mussen experimentell an wenigen Exemplaren bestimmt und fur die Serienproduktion prognostiziert werden. Prinzipiell gibt es zwei klassische Moglichkeiten, einen Betriebsfestigkeitsnachweis zu fuhren: den Systemtest oder den Komponententest. Deren Einsatzpotenzial kann durch bei Tenneco entwickelte Orthogonalitatsbetrachtungen deutlich erhoht werden.
Remote Network Video Monitoring System Based on DM642

The design of remote network monitoring system based on intellective digital image processing is introduced,which is stable and practical.By using specific multimedia processor TMS320DM642 of TI and system manager software, this system has the ability to telecontrol monitor multi-channel video inputs. The system architecture is described firstly, and then the modules implementation of the system is discussed.The experimental results indicate that this system can be expanded easily,and it can steadily process remote monitoring task in real time through internet, It and can also provide an effective software and hardware platform of video monitoring algorithm for users.
Effects of Collateral Law Reforms on Access to Finance

It is widely believed that informational frictions coupled with limited abilities of small and medium entrepreneurs to put up collateral reduces allocative efficiency of financial markets in the developing countries. In recent years, initiatives have been put into motion to reform collateral laws in a number of countries. The main objective of these reforms is to relax financing constraints facing smaller firms by enabling them to use hitherto unused movable and intangible assets as collateral. Using firm level survey data from 88 developing countries for the period 2001-2011, the analysis seeks to examine the effects of such reforms on firms’ perception about their access to credit. The results suggest that collateral law reforms are effective in improving perceived access to credit. Moreover the effects are more pronounced when they are accompanied by established collateral registries for movable and intangible assets. Furthermore, the perceived benefit of collateral reforms increases significantly with the firm size. This raises possibility that the effects of reforms are misaligned with its main objective of helping smaller firms.
Update on the Management of Pancreatic Cancer: Determinants for Surgery and Widening the Therapeutic Window of Surgical Resection

Pancreatic cancer continues to be a disease associated with poor long-term survival. Surgical resection is associated with high morbidity and delays in systemic therapy. Recognition of pancreatic cancer as a systemic disease has led to the increased utilization of multimodality therapy and shifting paradigms in the sequence of care. Identification of biomarkers and improved understanding of tumor biology have allowed for improved patient stratification and an individualized approach to treatment planning. Additionally, introduction of minimally invasive approaches to pancreatic resection have improved rates of significant post-operative morbidity. Cumulatively, these new developments have altered the approach to surgical resection and aid in improving patient survival.
Skeptical Women V. Honest Men V. Good Old Boys: Gender Conflict in the High Victorian Religion Wars

The battle over the Bible has long been understood as a symbolic center for broader crises of cultural authority in nineteenth-century England. More recent work has drawn attention to the ways anxieties about male authority and masculine identity drove contentions in the “Victorian Church,” prompting discursive contest over who spoke for true manliness or was basely betraying it.1 Although disparaging one’s opponents in feminine terms was well established in English theological polemic, and biblical studies operated from androcentric assumptions, it is striking how often the language of gender appears in the writing of the High Victorian religion wars. We can readily find it in standard places, such as defenses of Apostolic Succession as the unbroken chain of God’s holiest men; interpretations of the heroic character of prophetic genius; accounts of the contentious early Church as a feminized body; charges of “effeminacy” against temporizing laditudinarians or conservative bishops who would not “look facts in the face”; and reconstructions of the “historical Jesus” featuring the tender Galilean preacher, thronged by adoring women in Ernest Renan’s Vie de Jesus (1863), displaying his stern manly character, as in J. R. Seeley’s Ecce Homo (1865), or recovering Jesus’s masculine “courage” to overcome the “weakness” of a feminized Christianity, Thomas Hughes’s project in The Manliness of Christ (1879).2
Nitrogen fixation: Fixing evolution in global forests.

The fields of ecology and evolutionary biology are implicitly connected. A new theory that links the global distribution and evolution of nitrogen-fixing trees uses the universal language of mathematics to make this connection more explicit.
One Dimensional Maps as Population and Evolutionary Dynamic Models

I discuss one dimensional maps as discrete time models of population dynamics from an extinction-versus-survival point of view by means of bifurcation theory. I extend this approach to a version of these population models that incorporates the dynamics of a single phenotypic trait subject to Darwinian evolution. This is done by proving a fundamental bifurcation theorem for the resulting two dimensional, discrete time model. This theorem describes the bifurcation that occurs when an extinction equilibrium destabilizes. Examples illustrate the application of the theorem. Included is a short summary of generalizations of this bifurcation theorem to the higher dimensional maps that arise when modeling the evolutionary dynamics of a structured population.
Vulvar Fibroepithelial Polyps in a Female Adolescent: A Case Report.

Abstract Background Fibroepithelial polyps (FEPs) are benign tumors, of possibly hormone-dependent nature, found in the vulvovaginal region of women of reproductive age. Case A 15-year-old adolescent girl, receiving hormonal contraceptive therapy, who presented with multiple vulvar masses with histopathology consistent with FEP. Summary and Conclusion The spectrum of the morphology of FEPs might make their diagnosis challenging. We describe a rare presentation of vulvar FEPs in an adolescent girl receiving hormonal contraceptive therapy.
Internet of Things, Real-Time Decision Making, and Artificial Intelligence

In several earlier papers, the author defined and detailed the concept of a servgood, which can be thought of as a physical good or product enveloped by a services-oriented layer that makes the good smarter or more adaptable and customizable for a particular use. Adding another layer of physical sensors could then enhance its smartness and intelligence, especially if it were to be connected with other servgoods—thus, constituting an Internet of Things (IoT) or servgoods. More importantly, real-time decision making is central to the Internet of Things; it is about decision informatics and embraces the advanced technologies of sensing (i.e., Big Data), processing (i.e., real-time analytics), reacting (i.e., real-time decision-making), and learning (i.e., deep learning). Indeed, real-time decision making (RTDM) is becoming an integral aspect of IoT and artificial intelligence (AI), including its improving abilities at voice and video recognition, speech and predictive synthesis, and language and social-media understanding. These three key and mutually supportive technologies—IoT, RTDM, and AI—are considered herein, including their progress to date.
Control of the Yeast Mating Pathway by Reconstitution of Functional α-Factor Using Split Intein-Catalyzed Reactions

Synthetic control strategies using signaling peptides to regulate and coordinate cellular behaviors in multicellular organisms and synthetic consortia remain largely underdeveloped because of the complexities necessitated by heterologous peptide expression. Using recombinant proteins that exploit split intein-mediated reactions, we presented here a new strategy for reconstituting functional signaling peptides capable of eliciting desired cellular responses in S. cerevisiae. These designs can potentially be tailored to any signaling peptides to be reconstituted, as the split inteins are promiscuous and both the peptides and the reactions are amenable to changes by directed evolution and other protein engineering tools, thereby offering a general strategy to implement synthetic control strategies in a large variety of applications.
Intrafractional Tracking Accuracy of a Transperineal Ultrasound Image Guidance System for Prostate Radiotherapy

Purpose:The aim of this study is to evaluate the tracking accuracy of a commercial ultrasound system under relevant treatment conditions and demonstrate its clinical utility for detecting significa...
The impact of pragmatic vs. prescriptive study designs on the outcomes of low back and neck pain when using mobilization or manipulation techniques: a systematic review and meta-analysis

AbstractObjective: The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the impact of pragmatic versus prescriptive study designs on the outcomes of low back and neck pain when using mobilization or manipulation techniques.Methods: This study design was a systematic review and meta-analysis, which was performed according to the PRISMA guidelines. A search of MEDLINE and CINAHL complete databases was performed. Article titles and abstracts were reviewed to identify studies comparing mobilization and manipulation in low back or neck pain that met eligibility criteria. Validity of studies was examined using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Data analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3. Forest plots were constructed after data were analyzed to determine effect sizes.Results: Thirteen studies with a total of 1313 participants were included in the systematic review, and 12 studies with 977 participants in the meta-analysis. For most time-points prescriptive studies found manipulation to be super...
Assessment of volumetric-modulated arc therapy for constant and variable dose rates

Purpose: The aim of this study is to compare the effects of dose rate on volumetric-modulated arc therapy plans to determine optimal dose rates for prostate and head and neck (HN) cases. Materials and Methods: Ten prostate and ten HN cases were retrospectively studied. For each case, seven plans were generated: one variable dose rate (VDR) and six constant dose rate (CDR) (100–600 monitor units [MUs]/min) plans. Prescription doses were: 80 Gy to planning target volume (PTV) for the prostate cases, and 70, 60, and 54 Gy to PTV1, PTV2, and PTV3, respectively, for HN cases. Plans were normalized to 95% of the PTV and PTV1, respectively, with the prescription dose. Plans were assessed using Dose-Volume-Histogram metrics, homogeneity index, conformity index, MUs, and delivery time. Results: For the prostate cases, significant differences were found for rectum D35 between VDR and all CDR plans, except CDR500. Furthermore, VDR was significantly different than CDR100 and 200 for bladder D50. Delivery time for all CDR plans and MUs for CDR400–600 were significantly higher when compared to VDR. HN cases showed significant differences between VDR and CDR100, 500 and 600 for D2 to the cord and brainstem. Significant differences were found for delivery time and MUs for all CDR plans, except CDR100 for number of MUs. Conclusion: The most significant differences were observed in delivery time and number of MUs. All-in-all, the best CDR for prostate cases was found to be 300 MUs/min and 200 or 300 MUs/min for HN cases. However, VDR plans are still the choice in terms of MU efficiency and plan quality.
Cavernous sinus syndrome in dogs and cats: case series (2002-2015)

The cavernous sinus (CS) is a paired venous sinus that runs along either side of the pituitary gland on the floor of the calvarium. Cavernous sinus syndrome (CSS) refers to deficits in more than one of the cranial nerves III, IV, V, and VI, as they are in close association in this region. The purpose of this study was to identify the presenting complaints, neurologic findings, diagnosis, and outcomes in dogs and cats with confirmed cavernous sinus syndrome (CSS). Medical records between 2002 and 2015 were reviewed. Inclusion criteria were neurologic signs consistent with CSS and advanced imaging and/or post-mortem examination. Thirteen dogs and 2 cats were included. Twelve dogs received advanced imaging. Post-mortem examination was performed on 2 cats and 3 dogs. Dogs were 6 -13 years (mean= 10.8 years) of age and comprised of several different breeds. Both cats were male neutered domestic shorthair, ages 3 and 14 years. Presenting complaints included mydriasis (N=4), behavior changes (N=3), hyporexia (N=3), ptosis (N=2), ataxia (N=2), pain (N=2), weakness (N=2), lethargy (N=2), and one each of epiphora, ocular swelling, polydipsia, seizures, facial muscle atrophy, dysphagia, and head tilt. Neurologic signs included ophthalmoparesis/plegia (N=13), reduced/absent pupillary light response (N= 11), mydriasis (N= 10), reduced/absent corneal sensation (N= 7), ptosis (N= 6), reduced facial sensation (N= 2), and enophthalmos (N=1). Thirteen patients had a mass lesion within the cavernous sinus, 6 of which were confirmed neoplastic via histopathology. Median survival time for the 4 patients treated with radiation therapy was 1035 days (range 150-2280). Median survival for the 4 patients that received medical treatment was 360 days (range 7-1260 days), and for the 5 non-treated patients 14 days (range 0-90 days). In conclusion mydriasis and ophthalmoplegia are common signs of CSS. A mass lesion within the CS is the most common cause. Survival time may be improved with radiation therapy.
Categorical Perception: Important Phenomenon or Lasting Myth?

Categorical perception, or the perceived equality of instances within a phoneme category, has been a central concept in the experimental and theoretical investigation of speech perception. It can be found as fact in most introductory textbooks in perception, cognition, linguistics and cognitive science. This paper analyzes the reasons for the persistent endurance of this concept. A variety of empirical and theoretical research findings are described in order to inform and hopefully to provide a more critical look at this pervasive concept. Given the demise of categorical perception, it is necessary to shift our theoretical focus to how multiple sources of continuous information are processed to support the perception of spoken language.
The Legacy of a Lie: Contemporary Antisemitism and Its Future

Antisemites who survived the war, former Nazis and officers of the SS, escaped to Sweden, South America, and certain Arab states. They took with them their beliefs and the need to justify them anew. The Protocols undoubtedly remained in their hearts and some still endorse what it represents. They probably know nothing of the past. And, even if they do, what they know undoubtedly derives from neo-Nazis like David Irving and Fred Leuchter, tendentious authors like Ernst Nolte and Robert Faurisson, or “revisionist” journals like the Historical Review. All of them were intent only on mitigating the immensity of the Holocaust and the historical role of antisemitism.
Artist as reporter: Weegee, Ad Reinhardt and the PM news picture

Shortly before the US entry into the Second World War, an experimental newspaper called PM was created in New York City. While the paper lasted less than 8 years, it produced many important innovat...
The Pursuit of Transdisciplinary Research: Eight Recommendations for Integrating Disciplines

Significant strides are being made to produce more transdisciplinary research in the systems, man, and cybernetics (SMC) community, which is inherently interdisciplinary. To produce effective transdisciplinary SMC work, perspectives from multiple disciplines must be integrated. Yet, continued work is still needed to help promote the transdisciplinary nature of SMC and encourage more transdisciplinary work in this area. This article offers eight recommendations for developing foundational transdisciplinary SMC-based research. These recommendations relate to the following areas: 1) academic training, 2) a shared and common language, 3) the need for transdisciplinarity, 4) problem space requirements, 5) shared spaces and mechanisms, 6) team science and cognition, 7) credit, and 8) metrics to measure transdisciplinary performance.
Dynamically produced moving groups in interacting simulations

We show that smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations of dwarf galaxies interacting with a Milky Way-like disc produce moving groups in the simulated stellar disc. We analyse three different simulations: one that includes dwarf galaxies that mimic the Large Magellanic Cloud, Small Magellanic Cloud, and the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal; another with a dwarf galaxy that orbits nearly in the plane of the Milky Way disc; and a null case that does not include a dwarf galaxy interaction. We present a new algorithm to find large moving groups in the V R , V ϕ plane in an automated fashion that allows us to compare velocity substructure in different simulations, at different locations, and at different times. We find that there are significantly more moving groups formed in the interacting simulations than in the isolated simulation. A number of dwarf galaxies are known to orbit the Milky Way, with at least one known to have had a close pericentre approach. Our analysis of simulations here indicates that dwarf galaxies like those orbiting our Galaxy produce large moving groups in the disc. Our analysis also suggests that some of the moving groups in the Milky Way may have formed due to dynamical interactions with perturbing dwarf satellites. The groups identified in the simulations by our algorithm have similar properties to those found in the Milky Way, including similar fractions of the total stellar population included in the groups, as well as similar average velocities and velocity dispersions.
The association between abuse history in childhood and salivary rhythms of cortisol and DHEA in postmenopausal women.

Abstract A history of child abuse (CA) is associated with morbidity and mortality in adulthood, and one proposed mechanism is dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Therefore, we evaluated whether a history of physical and sexual CA was associated with daily rhythms of HPA hormones (cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)) among postmenopausal women (mean age: 60.6 years). In 2013, 233 participants from the Nurses’ Health Study II provided up to 5-timed saliva samples over the course of a day: immediately upon awakening, 45 min, 4 h, and 10 h after waking, and prior to going to sleep. Among these 233 participants, 217 provided ≥4 timed saliva samples. Assessment of physical and sexual CA history occurred in 2001 using the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale. Cumulative CA history was derived by combining reports of physical and sexual abuse prior to age 18. Piecewise linear mixed models compared diurnal rhythms of cortisol and DHEA between participants with none-to-moderate CA (n = 104, reference group) versus high-to-severe CA (n = 113). Models adjusted for characteristics at each saliva collection, health status, sleep quality, medications, and hormone use. Compared to those with none-to-moderate CA, women with high-to-severe CA had different diurnal rhythms in the early and evening hours, including blunted (less steep) early declines in DHEA (% difference (%D) = 10.7, 95 % Confidence Interval (CI) 4.3, 17.5), and steeper late declines in both cortisol and DHEA (cortisol %D = -2.5, 95 % CI -4.8, -0.1, and DHEA %D= -3.9, 95 % CI -6.0, -1.8). In conclusion, high-to-severe abuse history prior to age 18 was more strongly associated with differences in DHEA rather than cortisol, suggesting that early life abuse may be related to dysregulation of stress-response mechanisms later in life.
CAN THE BRIEF INTERVIEW OF MENTAL STATUS (BIMS) IDENTIFY RISK FOR IMPAIRED IADLS DUE TO FUNCTIONAL COGNITIVE DEFICITS

The Brief Interview of Mental Status (BIMS) was introduced to the Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 as a cognitive screening tool. It includes temporal orientation and word recall (Saliba et al., 2012). This study examined the ability of the BIMS to identify impairment on performance-based functional cognitive screening tests that assess instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). We recruited a cross-sectional sample of 200 participants who met the following inclusion criteria: age 55 and older, living independently in the community, and able to read and communicate in English.. Participants ranged in age from 55 to 92 years (Mean 70.96:SD = 8.56),were predominantly White (68%) and female (65%). Participants were administered the BIMS and a battery of performance-based tests of functional cognition -the Performance Assessment of Self Care Skills and the Weekly Calendar Planning Activity (WCPA). There was a mismatch in screening results: Among Individuals identified as cognitively intact on the BIMS 22-45% were found to be impaired on the PASS and/or the WCPA. Sensitivity of the BIMS to identify impaired IADL function did not exceed .06, although specificities were high (< .95). These findings suggest that individuals categorized as cognitively normal by the BIMS may be impaired on more complex IADL tasks. Individuals classified as unimpaired on the BIMS, may benefit from more complex functional cognitive screening to further assess IADLs function to better estimate ability to live independently in the community. Performance based assessments can improve discharge planning by identifying elders at risk after hospitalization.