cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fiber composition of the superior rectus extraocular muscle of the rhesus macaque

The fiber composition of the superior rectus extraocular muscle of adult rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) was examined in serial sections by light and electron microscopy as well as morphometry. Analyses allowed separation of singly versus multiply innervated fibers, and disclosed the morphology of these fibers and their topographical distribution within the muscle. Six morphologically distinct fiber types were found. The global layer of the muscle contains three singly innervated fibers (SIFs) and one multiply innervated fiber (MIF). The overlying orbital surface layer contains one SIF and one MIF, both showing morphological variation along their lenght. The MIFs of the orbital surface layer had not only multiple, relatively superficial endings along their length, but also endplatelike junctions in which the axonal terminals lie within synaptic clefts. These endplatelike junctions were confined to that region of the MIFs that had a morphology typical of “twitch” fibers; away from this region these MIFs had a morphology characteristic of “tonic” fibers. In contrast, the global MIFs showed constant morphology, and did not exhibit endplatelike endings.
Radiative transfer calculations in spheres and cylinders

Abstract Integral transformation techniques and the F N method are used to solve, for the case of isotropic scattering, radiative transfer problems in spherical and cylindrical geometries. Numerical results accurate to five or six significant figures are given for selected cases basic to problems with internal heat generation and emitting and diffusely reflecting surfaces.
Language and belonging in the Polish translation of Eva Hoffman's Lost in Translation

This article discusses the translation of Eva Hoffman's immigrant memoir Lost in Translation: A Life in a New Language (1989) into Hoffman's native Polish (Zagubione w przekladzie, trans. Michal Ronikier, 1995). Comparing the original to its Polish translation, the article argues that translations of immigrant life stories into their authors' first languages constitute a category deserving of critical engagement within literary and translation studies. Such versions enliven the complex presence of translation in the original texts – they support the theory that immigrant authors engage in translation when they textualize their lives in the language of the new country. More specifically, given the original memoir's heterolingualism and use of translation, the article argues that the Polish version reduces the memoir's linguistic plurality and, as a result, transforms what Hoffman describes as a linguistic journey from Polish to English into a story of shifting national allegiances.
Effect of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) on striatal tyrosine hydroxylase and tryptophan hydroxylase in rat.

Abstract The results reported here indicate that treatment with 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) caused significant changes in the dopamine-synthesizing enzyme, tyrosine hydroxylase. The authors examined the effects of two doses of MPTP on the activities of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) in the striatum, and also the time-course of these effects. Rats received an intraperitoneal loading dose, followed by a 24-hr infusion of MPTP (total doses of 21 or 42 mg) from subcutaneously-implanted osmotic pumps. Seven days after treatment, the activity of tyrosine hyroxylase was decreased by MPTP (42 mg); however, the activitiy of tryptophan hydroxylase was not affected. In time-course experiments, the activity of tyrosine hydroxylase was maximally reduced at 3 and 7 days after treatment with MPTP (42 mg). The activity of tryptophan hydroxylase did not significantly change at any time-point. Concurrent administration of haloperidol (HALO; 2 mg/kg, 4 doses) with MPTP significantly enhanced the depression of the activity of tyrosine hydroxylase in the striatum caused by MPTP, while treatment with haloperidol alone had no such effect. Concentrations of dopamine in the striatum were maximally decreased to approx. 50% of control in animals treated with haloperidol and MPTP (42 mg), whereas treatment with MPTP alone decreased concentrations of dopamine to approx. 70% of control.
Diversity within Spatial Cognition: Strategies Underlying Spatial Knowledge

This experiment was designed to explore different strategies for learning large-scale spatial environments. A total of 96 college students walked a route that connected 18 simulated landmarks, with instructions to anticipate place names (place group) or to turn correctly (turn group). Two days later, measures were obtained for place, sequence, and turn knowledge reflecting the number of places at which participants made correct responses to queries or requests. Configurational knowledge reflected participants' average error (in degrees) when pointing to places from outside the test environment. Results indicated that place learning was more likely to promote the acquisition of other types of spatial information (sequences, configurations) than turn learning. However, regardless of exposure group (place or turn), different types of spatial knowledge appeared to be relatively independent. Overall, the results reinforced that future researchers should recognize and explore diverse strategies and types of kno...
Comparison of the effects of central and peripheral aluminum administration on regional 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose incorporation in the rat brain

Intracerebroventricular (ICV) Injection of aluminum tartrate (ALT 205.7 mcg) in the rat induces a progressive encephalopathy characterized by neurobehavioral derangements, by the slowing of the background rhythm of the quantitative electroencephalogram and by learning and memory deficits. The condition, lethal within about 35 days, is associated with a reduced ability of cerebral synaptosomes to incorporate radiolabeled 2-Deoxy-D-glucose (2DG) in vitro. The present study surveyed and compared the in vivo regional cerebral glucose uptake (rCGlu) capacity of rats injected with ALT 7 or 14 days previously either by the ICV or intraperitoneal (120 mg/Kg) routes. ICV injection produces transient rCGlu depression in caudate-putamen, geniculate bodies and periaquaeductal gray, resolving by day 14. Thalamic nuclei exhibit depressed rCGlu by the 7th day undergoing further depression by day 14. The rCGlu of occipitoparietal cortices, normal at day 7, was increased by day 14. In contrast, peripheral aluminum administration produced transient rCGlu depression in olfactory bulbs, frontal and occipitoparietal cortices, nucleus accumbens and cerebellum, and transiently increased rCGlu in the geniculate nuclei. These effects, present by day 7, had resolved by day 14 when rCGlu had increased in the previously normal pontine nuclei and decreased in the previously normal hippocampus. Neither treatment changed rCGlu in the septal nuclei, globus pallidus, amygdala, olfactory cortex, substantia nigra, superior or inferior colliculi or the medullary nuclei. The pattern of anomalies in cerebral 2DG incorporation most probably indexes the deranged glucoregulatory and metabolic demands of these brain areas in the aluminum intoxicated state.
Apportionment of NMHC tailpipe vs non-tailpipe emissions in the Fort McHenry and Tuscarora mountain tunnels

Measurements of on-road emissions of non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) were made in the Fort McHenry Tunnel (Baltimore) and Tuscarora Mountain Tunnel (Pennsylvania) during the summer of 1992. Measurements were made during 11 one-hour periods in the Fort McHenry Tunnel and during 11 one-hour periods in the Tuscarora Mountain Tunnel. The observed light-duty fleets were quite new, with a median model year of approximately 1989. Speciated NMHC values were obtained from analyses of canister and Tenax samples, and light-duty speciated emission factors were calculated for the two tunnels. Fuel samples were collected in the area around the tunnels for use in constructing headspace and liquid fuel profiles for the chemical mass balance (CMB) receptor model. Profiles of tailpipe emissions were obtained from the literature. The CMB was used to apportion tailpipe from non-tailpipe emissions. Non-tailpipe sources were found to constitute approximately 15% of the light-duty NMHC emissions. The Federal automotive emission-rate models, MOBILE4.1 and MOBILE5, underpredicted non-tailpipe emissions, assigning approximately 9% and 6.5%, respectively, to non-tailpipe sources. In terms of total absolute emissions, MOBILE5 predictions were approximately a factor of 2 greater than MOBILE4.1 predictions. Both MOBILE4.1 and MOBILE5 underestimated the NMHC emissions in the Fort McHenry Tunnel and overpredicted the NMHC emissions in the Tuscarora Mountain Tunnel. In all cases, the MOBILE models underestimated the absolute value of the non-tailpipe emissions. The ability of the MOBILE models to account for observed emissions when conditions are more variable than those studies in the Fort McHenry and Tuscarora Mountain tunnels is still an open question.
Model filled polymers. XIV: Effect of modifications of filler composition on rheology

Steady shear vxiscosity, dynamic moduli and the appearance of fracture surfaces of model composites, consisting of monodisperse crosslinked polymeric spheres of varied composition in a polymethyl-methacrylate matrix, depend on the compatibility of filler particle and matrix. After intensive mixing, “compatible” systems form uniform and stable dispersions. Filler particles cluster in incompatible composites producing a highly non-Newtonian response. At 40 w% filler, yield behavior results, with a yield stress of 3100 Pa for polystyrene particles and 1900 Pa for copolystyrene-acetoxystyrene particles. The flow properties of compositionally complex particles from seeding are determined by particle surface composition.
Use of Multi-Opening Burrow Systems by Black-Footed Ferrets

ABSTRACT. Multi-opening burrow systems constructed by prairie dogs (Cynomys) ostensibly provide escape routes when prairie dogs are pursued by predators capable of entering the burrows, such as black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes), or by predators that can rapidly dig into the tunnels, such as American badgers (Taxidea taxus). Because badgers also prey on ferrets, ferrets might similarly benefit from multi-opening burrow systems. Using an air blower, white-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys leucurus) burrow openings were tested for connectivity on plots occupied by black-footed ferrets and on randomly selected plots in Wyoming. Significantly more connected openings were found on ferret-occupied plots than on random plots. Connected openings might be due to modifications by ferrets in response to plugging by prairie dogs, due to selection by ferrets for complex systems with multiple openings that are already unobstructed, or simply due to ferrets lingering at kill sites that were multi-opening systems selected...
A note on the theorems of M.G. Krein and L.A. Sakhnovich on continuous analogs of orthogonal polynomials on the circle

Abstract Continuous analogs of orthogonal polynomials on the circle are solutions of a canonical system of differential equations, introduced and studied by Krein and recently generalized to matrix systems by Sakhnovich. We prove that the continuous analogs of the adjoint polynomials converge in the upper half-plane in the case of L 2 coefficients, but in general the limit can be defined only up to a constant multiple even when the coefficients are in L p for any p > 2 , the spectral measure is absolutely continuous and the Szego–Kolmogorov–Krein condition is satisfied. Thus, we point out that Krein's and Sakhnovich's papers contain an inaccuracy, which does not undermine known implications from these results.
A Holistic View of Emerging Infectious Diseases

Review of: Emerging Infectious Diseases: A Guide to Diseases, Causative Agents, and Surveillance ; Lisa A. Beltz; (2011). Jossey-Bass, John Wiley and Sons, Inc. San Francisco, CA. 700 pages.
Decidual/Trophoblast Prolactin-Related Protein: Characterization of Gene Structure and Cell-Specific Expression

Decidual/trophoblast PRL-related protein (d/tPRP) is a member of the PRL gene family and is dually expressed in uterine and placental tissues in a highly coordinated pattern during pregnancy. In the present study, we describe the isolation and characterization of the d/tPRP gene. A λ DASH II Wistar-Kyoto rat genomic library was screened with a labeled d/tPRP complementary DNA, resulting in the isolation of two phage clones, RGLd-41 [17.7 kilobases (kb)] and RGLd-42 (15.8 kb). RGLd-41 alone was found to contain the full-length d/tPRP gene and was used for subsequent analyses. The d/tPRP gene possesses a six-exon, five-intron organization. Relative to other highly conserved members of the PRL gene family, d/tPRP contains a single small additional exon (exon 3) situated between exons 2 and 3 of the prototypical PRL gene. The region corresponding to exon 3 of d/tPRP encodes for a unique amino acid region found in a subset of PRL family members. A reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) tissue survey for d/tPRP mes...
DNA licensing as a novel androgen receptor mediated therapeutic target for prostate cancer

During middle G(1) of the cell cycle origins of replication orchestrate the ordered assembly of the pre-replication complex (pre-RC), allowing licensing of DNA required for DNA replication. Cyclin-dependent kinase activation of the pre-RC facilitates the recruitment of additional signaling factors, which triggers DNA unwinding and replication, while limiting such DNA replication to once and only once per cell cycle. For both the normal and malignant prostate, androgen is the major stimulator of cell proliferation and thus DNA replication. In both cases, the binding of androgen to the androgen receptor (AR) is required. However, the biochemical cascade involved in such AR-stimulated cell proliferation and DNA synthesis is dramatically different in normal versus malignant prostate cells. In normal prostate, AR-stimulated stromal cell paracrine secretion of andromedins stimulates DNA replication within prostatic epithelial cells, in which AR functions as a tumor suppressor gene by inducing proliferative quiescence and terminal differentiation. By direct contrast, nuclear AR in prostate cancer cells autonomously stimulates continuous growth via incorporation of AR into the pre-RC. Such a gain of function by AR-expressing prostate cancer cells requires that AR be efficiently degraded during mitosis since lack of such degradation leads to re-licensing problems, resulting in S-phase arrest during the subsequent cell cycle. Thus, acquisition of AR as part of the licensing complex for DNA replication represents a paradigm shift in how we view the role of AR in prostate cancer biology, and introduces a novel vulnerability in AR-expressing prostate cancer cells apt for therapeutic intervention.
Caveolin-1 is a negative regulator of MMP-1 gene expression in human dermal fibroblasts via inhibition of Erk1/2/Ets1 signaling pathway.

Abstract Background Caveolar raft domains, also termed caveolae, are flask shaped invaginations that require the expression of the structural protein caveolin-1 (cav-1). Matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP-1) is a collagenase capable of degrading insoluble triple helical collagens. Deregulation of MMP-1 contributes to various pathological processes, including tissue fibrosis and impaired wound healing. Objective In this study we investigated the role of cav-1 in MMP-1 gene regulation in human dermal fibroblasts. Methods Fibroblasts were isolated from healthy subjects. Western blot was used to analyze protein levels and quantitative real time RT-PCR was used to measure mRNA expression. Cells were transiently transfected with siRNA oligos against acid sphingomyelinase (ASMase) and cav-1, or transduced with adenoviruses overexpressing ASMase and cav-1. The specific pharmacological inhibitors UO126 and SP600125 were used to block Erk1/2 and JNK activity. Results This study shows that siRNA-mediated depletion of ASMase or cav-1, results in upregulation of MMP-1 gene expression. Similarly, MMP-1 expression was decreased after overexpresssion of cav-1 via an adenoviral vector. Depletion of cav-1 had no effect on JNK phosphorylation, while it resulted in an increase in Erk1/2 and Ets1 phosphorylation levels. Furthermore, in cav-1 depleted cells treated with the Erk inhibitor UO126, there was no increase in the levels of phospho-Erk1/2, phospho-Ets1, and MMP-1, suggesting that cav-1 mediated effects on MMP-1 and phospho-Ets1 are Erk1/2 dependent. Conclusions In conclusion, this study has revealed an important role for cav-1 as a negative regulator of MMP-1 gene expression via inhibition of Erk1/2/Ets1 signaling. Cav-1 could potentially be a therapeutic target in diseases with deregulated extracellular matrix (ECM) turnover.
Which Comes First in Major Transitions: The Behavioral Chicken, or the Evolutionary Egg?

This paper takes a close look at the role of behavior in the “major transitions” in evolution—events during which inheritance and development, and therefore the process of adaptation by natural selection, are reorganized at a new level of compositional hierarchy—and at the requirements for sufficiently explaining these important events in the history of life. I argue that behavior played a crucial role in driving at least some of the major transitions. Because behavioral interactions can become stably organized in novel ways on timescales faster than the lifetime of an organism, behavior can lead the way into a transition—becoming organized at the new level prior to inheritance and development. It is widely acknowledged that behavioral plasticity can play an important role in evolution; environmental novelty can elicit novel behavior that may feed back on the evolutionary process through niche selection or cultural inheritance, for example (Jablonka and Lamb 2005). I argue here that not just novel behaviors but novel forms of behavioral organization (distributed or hierarchical control that produces functional coherence) can emerge, binding the evolutionary fates of a group of organisms which were previously independent in terms of behavior as well as reproduction, and leading the way into a transition to an aggregative or “higher-level” mode of reproduction.
Directed cellular self-assembly to fabricate cell-derived tissue rings for biomechanical analysis and tissue engineering.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of patients undergo coronary artery bypass surgery in the United States.1 Approximately one third of these patients do not have suitable autologous donor vessels due to disease progression or previous harvest. The aim of vascular tissue engineering is to develop a suitable alternative source for these bypass grafts. In addition, engineered vascular tissue may prove valuable as living vascular models to study cardiovascular diseases. Several promising approaches to engineering blood vessels have been explored, with many recent studies focusing on development and analysis of cell-based methods.2-5 Herein, we present a method to rapidly self-assemble cells into 3D tissue rings that can be used in vitro to model vascular tissues. To do this, suspensions of smooth muscle cells are seeded into round-bottomed annular agarose wells. The non-adhesive properties of the agarose allow the cells to settle, aggregate and contract around a post at the center of the well to form a cohesive tissue ring.6,7 These rings can be cultured for several days prior to harvesting for mechanical, physiological, biochemical, or histological analysis. We have shown that these cell-derived tissue rings yield at 100-500 kPa ultimate tensile strength8 which exceeds the value reported for other tissue engineered vascular constructs cultured for similar durations (<30 kPa).9,10 Our results demonstrate that robust cell-derived vascular tissue ring generation can be achieved within a short time period, and offers the opportunity for direct and quantitative assessment of the contributions of cells and cell-derived matrix (CDM) to vascular tissue structure and function.
Adaptive tuning in a dynamically changing resource environment

We present preliminary results of a project to create a tuning system that adaptively optimizes programs to the underlying execution platform. We will show initial results from two related efforts, (i) Our tuning system can efficiently select the best combination of compiler options, when translating programs to a target system, (ii) By tuning irregular applications that operate on sparse matrices, our system is able to achieve substantial performance improvements on cluster platforms. This project is part of a larger effort that aims at creating a global information sharing system, where resources, such as software applications, computer platforms, and information can be shared, discovered, and adapted to local needs.
Identification of prokaryotic small proteins using a comparative genomic approach

Motivation: Accurate prediction of genes encoding small proteins (on the order of 50 amino acids or less) remains an elusive open problem in bioinformatics. Some of the best methods for gene prediction use either sequence composition analysis or sequence similarity to a known protein coding sequence. These methods often fail for small proteins, however, either due to a lack of experimentally verified small protein coding genes or due to the limited statistical significance of statistics on small sequences. Our approach is based upon the hypothesis that true small proteins will be under selective pressure for encoding the particular amino acid sequence, for ease of translation by the ribosome and for structural stability. This stability can be achieved either independently or as part of a larger protein complex. Given this assumption, it follows that small proteins should display conserved local protein structure properties much like larger proteins. Our method incorporates neural-net predictions for three local structure alphabets within a comparative genomic approach using a genomic alignment of 22 closely related bacteria genomes to generate predictions for whether or not a given open reading frame (ORF) encodes for a small protein. Results: We have applied this method to the complete genome for Escherichia coli strain K12 and looked at how well our method performed on a set of 60 experimentally verified small proteins from this organism. Out of a total of 11 407 possible ORFs, we found that 6 of the top 10 and 27 of the top 100 predictions belonged to the set of 60 experimentally verified small proteins. We found 35 of all the true small proteins within the top 200 predictions. We compared our method to Glimmer, using a default Glimmer protocol and a modified small ORF Glimmer protocol with a lower minimum size cutoff. The default Glimmer protocol identified 16 of the true small proteins (all in the top 200 predictions), but failed to predict on 34 due to size cutoffs. The small ORF Glimmer protocol made predictions for all the experimentally verified small proteins but only contained 9 of the 60 true small proteins within the top 200 predictions. Contact: [email protected] Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Targeted placental deletion of OGT recapitulates the prenatal stress phenotype including hypothalamic mitochondrial dysfunction

Maternal stress is a key risk factor in neurodevelopmental disorders, which often have a sex bias in severity and prevalence. We previously identified O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) as a placental biomarker in our mouse model of early prenatal stress (EPS), where OGT levels were lower in male compared with female tissue and were further decreased following maternal stress. However, the function of placental OGT in programming the developing brain has not been determined. Therefore, we generated a transgenic mouse with targeted placental disruption of Ogt (Pl-OGT) and examined offspring for recapitulation of the adult EPS phenotype. Pl-OGT hemizygous and EPS male placentas showed similar robust changes in gene expression patterns suggestive of an altered ability to respond to endocrine and inflammatory signals, supporting placental OGT as an important mediator of EPS effects. ChIP-Seq for the O-GlcNAc mark identified the 17 beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-3 (Hsd17b3) locus in male EPS placentas, which correlated with a reduction in Hsd17b3 expression and concordant reduced testosterone conversion. Remarkably, Pl-OGT adult offspring had reduced body weights and elevated hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal stress axis responsivity, recapitulating phenotypes previously reported for EPS males. Further, hypothalamic microarray gene-set enrichment analyses identified reduced mitochondrial function in both Pl-OGT and EPS males. Cytochrome c oxidase activity assays verified this finding, linking reduced placental OGT with critical brain programming. Together, these studies confirm OGT as in important placental biomarker of maternal stress and demonstrate the profound impact a single placental gene has on long-term metabolic and neurodevelopmental programming that may be related to an increased risk for neurodevelopmental disorders.
Orthotropic stress field induced by TSV and its impact on device performance

An orthotropic stress field was observed in the vicinity of the Cu-filled TSV on nominal (100) silicon substrate from both μRaman measured data and validated FEM result. The orthotropic elastic behavior of silicon in the (100) plane is believed to be the reason. The FEM model was further validated by the comparison with the measured electrical data, and used to predict the device performance shift under the influence of the TSV-induced stress. The performance shift pattern also showed an orthotropic pattern. This finding has profound implication on 3D silicon stacking design rule and system integration.
Language Development in Social Interaction: A Longitudinal Study of a Japanese FLES Program from a Vygotskyan Approach

This study reports the results of a three year-long qualitative observation study of a Japanese FLES (Foreign Language in Elementary School) program. The observation was analyzed from the sociocultural point of view led by Vygotsky. A Vygotskyan approach treats learning through social guidance and motivation as central to an account of language development. The analysis of the three protocols illustrates the following four findings important in the sociocultural theoretical framework; (1) the assistance given in the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) allowed the learners to outperform their current linguistic skills; (2) as the learners' language use developed, they became more capable of providing mutual assistance during classroom activities; (3) the learners were enabled to participate in classroom activities in a more dynamic, student-centered manner, by collaboration in scaffolding; and (4) the way the learners provided mutual assistance reflected the way the teacher offered them assistance, which indicates that the learners' learning and development were largely influenced by the social interaction established in the given classroom environment.
Patient subjective visual function after corneal collagen crosslinking for keratoconus and corneal ectasia.

Purpose To assess subjective visual function after corneal collagen crosslinking (CXL). Setting Cornea and refractive surgery subspecialty practice. Design Prospective randomized controlled clinical trial. Methods Patients completed a subjective questionnaire regarding visual symptoms administered preoperatively and 1 year after CXL. Patients ranked self-reported symptoms of photophobia, difficulty night driving, difficulty reading, diplopia, fluctuations in vision, glare, halo, starburst, dryness, pain, and foreign-body sensation on a scale from 1 to 5. Possible associations of symptoms with changes in corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) and maximum keratometry were also analyzed. Results One hundred seven eyes of 76 patients had CXL for keratoconus (n = 71) or ectasia (n = 36). The mean preoperative to 1-year postoperative changes in night driving (3.2 ± 1.5 [SD] to 2.8 ± 1.5), difficulty reading (3.1 ± 1.5 to 2.9 ± 1.3), diplopia (2.5 ± 1.3 to 2.1 ± 1.2), glare (3.1 ± 1.4 to 2.7 ± 1.2), halo (2.9 ± 1.4 to 2.5 ± 1.3), starbursts (2.6 ± 1.5 to 2.4 ± 1.4), and foreign-body sensation (1.8 ± 1.1 to 1.6 ± 0.9) were statistically significant. There were no associations between the change in any symptom and changes in CDVA. There was a weak association between the change in night driving, pain, and foreign-body sensations and the change in maximum keratometry. Conclusions After CXL, patients noted subjective improvement in visual symptoms, specifically night driving, difficulty reading, diplopia, glare, halo, starbursts, and foreign-body sensation. These subjective outcomes corroborate quantitative clinical improvements seen after CXL. Financial Disclosure Dr. Hersh is medical monitor for Avedro, Inc. No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
Women's functioning following an intervention for partner violence: new knowledge for clinical practice from a 7-year study.

Intimate partner violence affects one in three women worldwide, with women who experience violence almost twice as likely to experience poor mental health, especially depression, compared with women who are not abused. To learn the impact of interventions of safe shelter and justice services on improved mental health and behavior functioning, 300 abused women are interviewed every 4 months in a 7-year prospective study. For this paper, abuse, mental health and resiliency status of these women, 1 year after accessing services for the first time, are reported. Measures of mental health (depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), somatization), and adult behavioral functioning are reported. At 4 months following a shelter stay or justice services, a large effect size was measured for improvement in all mental health measures; however, improvement was the lowest for PTSD. All mental health measures plateaued at 4 months with minimum further improvement at 12 months. Both internal behavioral d...
The Renaissance of Political Culture

The publics of different societies are characterized by durable cultural orientations that have major political and economic consequences. Throughout the period from 1973 to 1987, given nationalities consistently showed relative high or low levels of a “civic culture”—a coherent syndrome of personal life satisfaction, political satisfaction, interpersonal trust and support for the existing social order. Those societies that rank high on this syndrome are much likelier to be stable democracies than those that rank low. Economic development and cultural change are linked in a complex pattern of reciprocal influence. Originally, Protestantism may have facilitated the rise of capitalism, leading to economic development, which in turn favored the emergence of the civic culture. But in those countries that attained high levels of prosperity, there eventually emerged postmaterialist values that tended to neutralize the emphasis on economic accumulation that earlier characterized Protestant societies.
Phase transition extraction using solvent mixtures with critical point of miscibility

A novel separation process, phase transition extraction, proposed in this article uses solvents that have a critical point of miscibility with the feed liquid to be extracted. Alternate heating and cooling across the coexistence curve leads alternatively to a homogeneous phase or two separate phases. The formation of a homogeneous phase in the mixing stage eliminates the need for intense agitation. Coalescence on cooling in the settling stage is rapid in the presence of impurities that in conventional extraction lead to emulsions. A fermentation broth is extracted without a centrifuge with improved recovery of the antibiotic extracted. The process may have a significant advantage for cases in which extraction is difficult either due to formation of stable emulsions and dispersions or shear sensitivity.
Trigonal Bipyramidal or Square Pyramidal Coordination Geometry? Investigating the Most Potent Geometry for Vanadium Phosphatase Inhibitors

The five-coordinate geometry is an important factor in phosphoryl group transfer, particularly for phosphate ester hydrolysis. In the following review we analyze the five-coordinate geometries for a range of VO4X coordination spheres with regard to their structure from the point of view of square pyramidal or trigonal bipyramidal geometries. The actual differences for the coordination environment of the reported small molecule structures are compared to the coordination environment of vanadate complexed to a protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) with four coordinating O atoms and one S atom. These considerations demonstrate that actual differences between the coordination environments are very small and presumably less critical than generally anticipated. This analysis suggests that it is a combination of structural and electronic properties leading to the perfect combination of reactivity and stability for the potent protein phosphatase inhibitor complex, thus confirming the fact that some other geometries have been reported.
Responses of stomata of senescing and nonsenescing leaves of Nicotians glauca to changes in intercellular concentrations of leaf carbon dioxide

Abstract. Gas exchange measurements were performed to test the hypothesis that failure of stomata to open in senescing leaves of Nicotiana glauca is caused by elevated concentrations of carbon dioxide in the intercellular spaces of leaf mesophyll tissue (ci). Senescing leaves selected for experiments were completely chlorotic and lacked positive rates of photosynthesis. When stomata in detached epidermis from senescing leaves were illuminated in CO2-free air, they opened to similar apertures as those in detached epidermis from nonsenescing leaves. To compare the effects of changes in ci on stomatal responses of the two leaf types, leaf ‘flags’ of either nonsenescing or senescing leaves were illuminated at a photosynthetic photon flux density of 500 μmol m−2 s−1 in a gas exchange cuvette. Leaf temperatures were maintained at 23.5 ± 0.5°C, and vapour pressure differences between leaves and the air were maintained between 0.70 and 0.75kPa. Ci was adjusted by changing external concentrations of carbon dioxide in air circulating through the cuvette. Conductances and photosynthetic rates of nonsenescing leaves changed in response to changes in ci, but neither the conductances nor the photosynthetic rates of senescing leaves were affected significantly by changes in q. We conclude that guard cells of senescing leaves of Nicotiana glauca do not lose the capacity to respond to changes in carbon dioxide concentration and that increases in ci resulting from declining rates of mesophyll photosynthesis are not the sole cause of maintenance of stomatal closure during leaf senescence. The data suggest that factors external to guard cells may prevent them from responding to changes in carbon dioxide concentrations in intact senescing leaves.
StrBioLib: a Java library for development of custom computational structural biology applications

Computational structural biology research often requires time-consuming development of custom software to analyze data. Development of such software is facilitated by publicly available libraries that read and write the multitude of file formats in which bioinformatic data is stored, implement commonly used algorithms, and otherwise efficiently perform common tasks (Mangalam, 2002). Object-oriented languages such as Java or C++ are particularly well suited for such libraries, as judicious choice of an object representation allows methods to be described and implemented in high level terms, thus facilitating rapid development and testing of alternative algorithms. In addition, object-oriented programming languages facilitate efficient reuse of code through extension and inheritance of existing classes. StrBioLib is a library of Java classes that represent objects, concepts, and tools useful for the development of algorithms for computational structural biology research. StrBioLib is complementary to existing libraries such as BioJava (Pocock, et al., 2000) that focus on tools for analysis of biological sequences. StrBioLib is mature, having been used by several research groups over more than 10 years; some classes predate the Java programming language and were ported from earlier C and C++ versions. A new public release of the library, version 1.1, was made available through SourceForge in January 2007. Details and applications of StrBioLib are given below.
Developing a Mobile Produce Distribution System for Low-Income Urban Residents in Food Deserts

Low-income households in the contemporary city often lack adequate access to healthy foods, like fresh produce, due to a variety of social and spatial barriers that result in neighborhoods being underserved by full-service supermarkets. Because of this, residents commonly resort to purchasing food at fast food restaurants or convenience stores with poor selections of produce. Research has shown that maintaining a healthy diet contributes to disease prevention and overall quality of life. This research seeks to increase low-income residents’ access to healthy foods by addressing spatial constraints through the characterization of a mobile market distribution system model that serves in-need neighborhoods. The model optimally locates mobile markets based on the geographic distribution of these residents. Using data from the medium-sized city of Buffalo, New York, results show that, with relatively few resources, the model increases these residents’ access to healthy foods, helping to create a healthier city.
Phosphorylation meets nuclear import: a review

Phosphorylation is the most common and pleiotropic modification in biology, which plays a vital role in regulating and finely tuning a multitude of biological pathways. Transport across the nuclear envelope is also an essential cellular function and is intimately linked to many degeneration processes that lead to disease. It is therefore not surprising that phosphorylation of cargos trafficking between the cytoplasm and nucleus is emerging as an important step to regulate nuclear availability, which directly affects gene expression, cell growth and proliferation. However, the literature on phosphorylation of nucleocytoplasmic trafficking cargos is often confusing. Phosphorylation, and its mirror process dephosphorylation, has been shown to have opposite and often contradictory effects on the ability of cargos to be transported across the nuclear envelope. Without a clear connection between attachment of a phosphate moiety and biological response, it is difficult to fully understand and predict how phosphorylation regulates nucleocytoplasmic trafficking. In this review, we will recapitulate clue findings in the field and provide some general rules on how reversible phosphorylation can affect the nuclear-cytoplasmic localization of substrates. This is only now beginning to emerge as a key regulatory step in biology.
Boundary-Value Problem for Viscoelastic Creep in Deeply Imbedded Salt Vaults

In this paper the authors develop a mathematical model and associated boundary-value problem for the encapsulating mechanism of a deeply imbedded salt vault at the Department of Energy's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in Carlsbad, New Mexico. The solution of the resulting boundary-value problem, which is the subject of a follow-on paper, provides significant, accurate information for predicting the time history encapsulating mechanism of salt vaults.
Xmc mediates Xctr1‐independent morphogenesis in Xenopus laevis

In the frog, Xenopus laevis, fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling is required for both mesoderm formation and the morphogenetic movements that drive the elongation of the notochord, a dorsal mesodermal derivative; the coordination of these distinct roles is mediated by the Xenopus Ctr1 (Xctr1) protein: maternal Xctr1 is required for mesodermal differentiation, while the subsequent loss of Xctr1 promotes morphogenesis. The signaling cascade activated by FGF in the presence of Ctr1 has been well characterized; however, the Xctr1-independent, FGF-responsive network remains poorly defined. We have identified Xenopus Marginal Coil (Xmc) as a gene whose expression is highly enriched following Xctr1 knockdown. Zygotic initiation of Xmc expression in vivo coincides with a decrease in maternal Xctr1 transcripts; moreover, Xmc loss-of-function inhibits Xctr1 knockdown-mediated elongation of FGF-treated animal cap explants, implicating Xmc as a key effector of Xctr1-independent gastrular morphogenesis. Developmental Dynamics 238:2382–2400, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Real Illness.

No diagnostic tests or proven treatments are available for ME/CFS. The condition has recently received some welcome attention from the Institute of Medicine, Agency for Healthcare Research and Qual...
Present and Prospective Policy Problems of U.S. Agriculture: As Viewed by a Political Scientist

T HE Great Society has political problems to match. Salient among domestic issues, although it clearly has international implications, is race relations. Here, agricultural policy and politics diminish in significance as Negroes continue to move to the city until, as the forecasts have it,' virtually none will be left on the farms. Among the most critical issues of foreign policy is the American effort to help the developing countries grow economically, improve their human condition, and increase their chances to remain or to become constitutional democracies.
Home-Range Size of Adult Rock Squirrels (Spermophilus variegatus) in Southeastern Arizona

Home-range sizes of adult rock squirrels ( Spermophilus variegatus ) were studied in southeastern Arizona. Twenty-eight adult rock squirrels were radiocollared for various periods from 28 May 1986 to 7 November 1986 and from 15 May 1987 to 19 June 1987. Home-range size was determined by the 95% minimum-convex-polygon method. Data were analyzed monthly and according to reproductive condition. Ranges of adult males were largest during the breeding season (May and June) and generally decreased in size during the remainder of the year. Home-range size of adult females did not vary significantly according to month when all individuals were considered. Also, there was considerable intra- and intersexual overlap of home ranges.
Beta-Lactam Antibiotics: Is Continuous Infusion The Preferred Method of Administration?

Objective:To examine the pharmacodynamic properties of the beta-lactam class of antibiotics and the rationale for their continuous infusion (CI), and to explore reasons that this mode of administration has not replaced intermittent infusion as the standard of practice.Data Sources:A MEDLINE search of the English-language literature evaluating CI administration of beta-lactam antibiotics was conducted. Bibliographic searches of these articles also were performed.Study Selection:Because there were few human trials, all available trials were considered for review. A cross section of clinical trials, animal studies, and in vitro studies examining the impact of the route of antibiotic administration was selected for each pharmacodynamic variable addressed.Data Synthesis:The support for CI as the preferred method of beta-lactam administration comes primarily from in vitro and animal data. Most beta-lactam antibiotics do not demonstrate concentration-dependent killing and have an appreciable postantibiotic effec...
Discrete-Time Markov Chain Model for Transport of Mixed-Size Sediment Particles under Unsteady Flow Conditions

AbstractA nonhomogeneous discrete-time three-state Markov chain model is developed in this study to quantify the bedload and suspended load discharge under unsteady flow for mixed size sediment particles. When flow is subject to sudden changes, the particle holding time, defined as the amount of time for a sediment particle staying on the bed or in the moving state, needs to be carefully evaluated. The time step used in this study for single-step motion in the discrete-time Markov chain is represented by a characteristic timescale for particle motion. The transition probabilities are functions of flow conditions and particle properties. Specifically, the likelihood of particle movement between the bedload layer and the bed surface is evaluated by the entrainment probability. Exchange of sediment particles between the bedload layer and suspended load layer is quantified by the suspension probability. A nonhomogeneous Markov chain ensures the transition probabilities are time dependent as they are a functio...
Curricular Role Identity

Do you remember playing “school” when you were younger? My mother was a reading teacher, and I (Biggers) vividly remember lining up my dolls in a closet in our home and using my mother’s teacher edition textbook to teach my dolls how to read. I remember the smell of the ink on the paper, the smooth, cold feel of the book cover, and the sound the brand-new, stuck-together, spiral-bound pages made as I flipped them. Playing school with the student text was not enough. I needed the one with the teacher notes in the margins.
Four-web Graph Paper

We see what we see because of where we were when. As children our vision sends pictures to our brain, and our brain processes the information so that pictures make sense. We learn to put a square peg in a square hole, and then we move on.
Stratified and Clustered Samples

Introduction Microeconometrics research is usually performed on data collected by survey of a sample of the population of interest. The simplest statistical assumption for survey data is simple random sampling (SRS), under which each member of the population has equal probability of being included in the sample. Then it is reasonable to base statistical inference on the assumption that the data ( y i , x i ) are independent over i and identically distributed. This assumption underlies the small-sample and asymptotic properties of estimators presented in this book, with the notable exception of sample selection models in Chapter 16. In practice, however, SRS is almost never the right assumption for survey data. Alternative sampling schemes are instead used to reduce survey costs and to increase precision of estimation for subgroups of the population that are of particular interest. For example, a household survey may first partition the population geographically into subgroups, such as villages or suburbs, with differing sampling rates for different subgroups. Interviews may be conducted on households that are clustered in small geographic areas, such as city blocks. The data ( y i , x i ) are clearly no longer iid. First, the distribution of ( y i , x i ) may vary across subgroups, so the identical distribution assumption may be inappropriate. Second, since data may be correlated for households in the same cluster, the assumption that ( y i , x i ) are independent within the cluster breaks down.