cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of blowing snow and ground blizzards on millimeter wave scintillation spectra

We describe the effect of ground blizzards and blowing snow on millimeter wave scintillation spectra at 116 and 230 GHz. During snowstorms, multipath propagation can occur for various reasons. Whatever the reason for the multipath, it will affect the scintillation spectrum. Enhancement of the scintillation spectrum is observed at both low and high temporal frequencies. In some cases, two additional corner frequencies are evident at the high-frequency end of the scintillation spectrum. The method of obtaining the cross-path wind component fails when the wind is nearly parallel to the propagation path.
Adaptive Locomotion of a Multilegged Robot over Rough Terrain

Although the off-road mobility characteristics of wheeled or tracked vehicles are generally recognized as being inferior to those of man and cursorial animals, the complexity of the joint-coordination control problem has thus far frustrated attempts to achieve improved vehicular terrain adaptability through the application of legged locomotion concepts. Nevertheless, the evident superiority of biological systems in this regard has motivated a number of theoretical studies over the past decade which have now reached a state of maturity sufficient to permit the construction of experimental computer-controlled adaptive walking machines. At least two such vehicles are known to have recently demonstrated legged locomotion over smooth hard-surfaced terrain. This paper is concerned with an extension of the present theory of limb coordination for such machines to the case in which the terrain includes regions not suitable for weight-bearing and which must consequently be avoided by the control computer in deciding when and where to successively place the feet of the vehicle. The paper includes a complete problem formalization, a heuristic algorithm for solution of the problem thus posed, and a preliminary evaluation of the proposed algorithm in terms of a computer simulation study.
Nanoparticle-based drug delivery to the vagina: A review

Vaginal drug administration can improve prophylaxis and treatment of many conditions affecting the female reproductive tract, including sexually transmitted diseases, fungal and bacterial infections, and cancer. However, achieving sustained local drug concentrations in the vagina can be challenging, due to the high permeability of the vaginal epithelium and expulsion of conventional soluble drug dosage forms. Nanoparticle-based drug delivery platforms have received considerable attention for vaginal drug delivery, as nanoparticles can provide sustained release, cellular targeting, and even intrinsic antimicrobial or adjuvant properties that can improve the potency and/or efficacy of prophylactic and therapeutic modalities. Here, we review the use of polymeric nanoparticles, liposomes, dendrimers, and inorganic nanoparticles for vaginal drug delivery. Although most of the work toward nanoparticle-based drug delivery in the vagina has been focused on HIV prevention, strategies for treatment and prevention of other sexually transmitted infections, treatment for reproductive tract cancer, and treatment of fungal and bacterial infections are also highlighted.
Symbolic Computation of Secondary Bifurcations in a Parametrically Excited Simple Pendulum

A symbolic computational technique is used to study the secondary bifurcations of a parametrically excited simple pendulum as an explicit function of the periodic parameter. This is made possible by the recent development of an algorithm which approximates the fundamental solution matrix of linear time-periodic systems in terms of system parameters in symbolic form. By evaluating this matrix at the end of the principal period, the parameter-dependent Floquet transition matrix (FTM), or the linear part of the Poincare map, is obtained. The subsequent use of well-known criteria for the local stability and bifurcation conditions of equilibria and periodic solutions enables one to obtain the equations for the bifurcation boundaries in the parameter space. Since this method is not based on expansion in terms of a small parameter, it can successfully be applied to periodic systems whose internal excitation is strong. By repeating the linearization and computational procedure after each bifurcation of an equilibrium or periodic solution, it is shown how the bifurcation locations as well as the new linearized equations may be obtained in closed form as a function of the periodic parameter. Bifurcation diagrams are constructed and the results are compared with those obtained elsewhere using the point mapping method.
Cholesterol Information and Shell Egg Consumption

U.S. per capita shell egg consumption has declined steadily since 1955 despite a falling real price. This paper investigates how information about cholesterol, as measured by a newly constructed index based on medical journal articles, has affected U.S. demand for shell eggs. The results of a fixed coefficient model indicate that information on the links between cholesterol and heart disease had decreased per capita shell egg consumption by 16% to 25% by the first quarter of 1987. A simple changing coefficient model indicates that cholesterol information has changed shell eggs' own price and income elasticities, so that the 1955–87 falling egg price and rising income increased egg consumption less than they otherwise would have.
Hydrometallurgical Processing Routes in the Synthesis of Advanced Materials

Abstract Hydrometallurgical processing routes show outstanding potential for synthesizing a wide range of advanced ceramic and metallic materials, in which the composition, purity and structure are closely controlled to produce- materials with the properties needed for specific applications. The characteristics of "advanced materials'* are first discussed in general terms. Those classes of materials most likely to be amenable to hydrometallurgical processing are then considered, and the economic, technical and environmental benefits that might be derived from adopting hydrometallurgical processing routes are discussed. The thermodynamic, surface chemical, kinetic, and transport principles that could be used to control the materials characteristics are then reviewed. Finally, selected examples of aqueous processing techniques for preparing both oxide ceramics and metallic materials, as powders, films or coatings, are provided.
Color aspects of variable data proofing

The Internet in combination with digital presses has allowed the geographical distribution of manufacturing printed materials. An increasing number of printed pieces is customized for the recipient; when each printed piece is different, conventional proofing fails, because it is impossible to proof the entire print job. One frequent problem in automatically generated pieces is the readability of one page element on top of another element; the color combination can be unreadable or clash. I propose simple algorithms to automatically detect and correct color discriminability problems in variable data printing.
Pathways curriculum and family interventions to promote healthful eating and physical activity in American Indian schoolchildren

Background Pathways, a multisite school-based study aimed at promoting healthful eating and increasing physical activity, was a randomized field trial including 1704 American Indian third to fifth grade students from 41 schools (21 intervention, 20 controls) in seven American Indian communities.
The CAMKK2-AMPK Kinase Pathway Mediates the Synaptotoxic Effects of Aβ Oligomers through Tau Phosphorylation

SUMMARY Amyloid-b 1–42 (Ab42) oligomers are synaptotoxic for excitatory cortical and hippocampal neurons and might play a role in early stages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) progression. Recent results suggested that Ab42 oligomers trigger activation of AMPactivated kinase (AMPK), and its activation is increased in the brain of patients with AD. We show that increased intracellular calcium [Ca 2+ ]i induced by NMDA receptor activation or membrane depolarization activates AMPK in a CAMKK2-dependent manner. CAMKK2 or AMPK overactivation is sufficient to induce dendritic spine loss. Conversely, inhibiting their activity protects hippocampal neurons against synaptotoxic effects of Ab42 oligomers in vitro and against the loss of dendritic spines observed in the human APP SWE,IND -expressing transgenic mouse model in vivo. AMPK phosphorylates Tau on KxGS motif S262, and expression of Tau S262A inhibits the synaptotoxic effects of Ab42 oligomers. Our results identify a CAMKK2-AMPKTau pathway as a critical mediator of the synaptotoxic effects of Ab42 oligomers.
Patient-Reported Outcomes in Studies of Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Problems, Solutions, and Future Directions

Patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures are frequently used to assess therapeutic efficacy and effectiveness of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Although CAM investigators are increasingly making use of valid, self-report instruments to assess patient-relevant outcomes, the sheer number of available instruments poses challenges. Two of the more pressing issues are discussed: the lack of guidance for selecting measures and the limited attention paid to the clinical meaningfulness of PRO results. Solutions are offered that may support selection and standardization of outcome measures for future CAM studies. This includes testing of tools from the National Institutes of Health's Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). Increased standardization of outcome measurement in CAM studies will allow for more cross-study comparisons and facilitate the statistical pooling of results, ultimately leading to a more informative evidence base.
Adiabaticity of the ramping process of an ac dipole

ac dipoles in accelerators are used to excite coherent betatron oscillations at a drive frequency close to the tune. If the excitation amplitude is slowly increased to the desired value and slowly decreased back to zero there is no significant emittance growth. The aim of this article is to study the adiabaticity of the ramping process of an ac dipole as a function of the different parameters involved.
In-line optical modulator and switch using elliptical-core two-mode optical fiber

An elliptical-core (e-core), two-mode fiber optic micro-device for in-line modulating and switching has been studied. The polished surface is so close to the core of the fiber that the differential propagation constant between the LP01 and LP11 even modes is strongly dependent on the refractive index of the deposited oil. The power from a single lobe and the total power are separately received by two detectors. In experiments, the dependence of the differential phase shift between the two modes on the refractive index of the deposited material was observed. The switching characteristics of the structure so fabricated, switching between the two lobes were also demonstrated. Further, different coupling characteristics of the two modes propagating the fiber into the deposited layer, which functions as a planar waveguide, have been observed.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Dimensional accuracy of dental casts: influence of tray material, impression material, and time.

Purpose This study evaluated the influence on dimensional accuracy of dental casts made with different types of trays and impression materials and poured at different and multiple times. Materials and Methods Two types of stock trays (plastic stock tray, perforated metal stock tray) and 4 types of custom tray materials (autopolymerizing acrylic resin, thermoplastic resin, and 2 types of light-polymerized acrylic resins) were used with 2 types of impression materials (addition polymerizing silicone and polyether), to make impressions of a metal master model. Each tray and impression material was used to make 5 impressions. Casts were made by multiple pourings at 30 minutes, 6 hours, 24 hours, and 30 days after impression making. Using a measuring microscope, 12 distances were calculated based on measurements of 8 reference points. The absolute value of the difference of each measurement was calculated, as was the corresponding measurement on the master model. A Bayesian model using a simple noninformative prior was used to analyze these data. Results Statistical differences within 6 μm were found only with thermoplastic resin tray material for addition silicone, and for thermoplastic resin tray material and 1 type of light-polymerized acrylic resin for polyether. Neither stock trays nor custom trays contributed to the differences in accuracy of the casts. All deviations in casts made with silicone impression material were within a clinically acceptable range. For the polyether, distortions occurred that were clinically unacceptable. Impressions made from polyether distorted over time. Silicone impression material has dimensional stability up to 30 days. Conclusion Accurate casts can be made with either stock trays or custom trays. An impression made from polyether should be poured only once and within 24 hours after impression making, because of the distortion of the material over time. Silicone impression material has better dimensional stability than polyether.
LEAVING “THE TRIBAL DUCKPOND”: AMY LEVY, JEWISH SELF-HATRED, AND JEWISH IDENTITY

IN 1861 AMY LEVY was born into a middle-class Anglo-Jewish family with deep roots in England, and was part of the first generation of women at Cambridge University. Her life was marked by the opportunities and predicaments of Anglo-Jews at a pivotal moment in their history. Receiving full political rights in 1858, two years before Levy was born, England’s Jews attained positions of status in the late-Victorian period and became integrated into the fabric of British society. Todd Endelman, however, like other commentators on Anglo-Jewry in this period, gives the British a mixed evaluation on their treatment of the Jews. Tolerant in many ways, England was “hostile to the notion of cultural diversity. Circles and institutions quite willing to tolerate Jews as intimate associates were not willing to endorse the perpetuation of a separate Jewish culture or to see any value in the customs or beliefs of the Jewish religion” (209).
An evaluation of the 1997 Edwards Aquifer Irrigation Suspension.

ABSTRACT: In early 1997, the Texas Edwards Aquifer Authority implemented a pilot Irrigation Suspension Program with the objectives of increasing springflow and providing relief to municipalities during drought. Irrigators were paid an average of $234 per acre to suspend water use, a price higher than regional land rental rates. Auction theory and program implementation details suggest that the program implementation partially caused inflated bids. The Irrigation Suspension Program is also compared to two alternative programs: (1) subsidizing more efficient irrigation technology and (2) buying land. The irrigation suspension is found to be more cost-effective relative to subsidizing improved irrigation efficiency because it can be put in place only when aquifer levels are low. Land purchase is a cheaper alternative if the bid levels remain at the levels observed.
ENDOCRINOLOGIC AND METABOLIC EFFECTS OF 17α-METHYL-19-NORTESTOSTERONE IN WOMEN*†

ABSTRACT Endocrinologic and metabolic effects of 17α-methyl-19-nortestosterone (17-MNT) and testosterone propionate (TP) were determined in 40 castrated or postmenopausal women with advanced metastatic carcinoma of the breast. In patients receiving 17-MNT there Was retention of fluid, virilization and withdrawal uterine bleeding. A significant fall in the level of serum protein-bound iodine occurred early in therapy, associated with a decrease in thyroxine-binding protein and an increase in the basal metabolic rate. The level of serum cholesterol increased to abnormal values in patients treated eight weeks or longer. The urinary excretion of 17-ketosteroids and of 17-hydroxycorticosteroids fell significantly, but plasma 17-hydroxycorticosteroid levels were unchanged. Urinary gonadotropin excretion was suppressed. Serum bilirubin concentration rose to abnormal values in all patients receiving more than 4200 mg. of 17-MNT, but there was no change in the results of other routine liver function tests. Apart f...
Stochastic smoothed profile method for modeling random roughness in flow problems

We present an efficient computational method to model fluid flow in the presence of random wall roughness. A random flow domain is represented by a stochastic indicator function having a smoothed profile perpendicular to roughness, and the random domain is discretized with a fixed non-conformal grid. This procedure introduces a stochastic force into the Navier–Stokes equations, and modifies the boundary conditions at the fluid–solid interface. We employ a high-order semi-implicit splitting scheme implemented in the context of a spectral/hp element method in order to discretize the physical domain. The stochastic roughness is treated as a second-order autoregressive process that is represented by a Karhunen– Loeve expansion. A multi-element probabilistic collocation method is employed to solve the resulting stochastic Navier–Stokes equations. This method is applied to simulate external flow past a rough cylinder and internal Stokes flow between two parallel plates with random wall roughness. In the first problem, we develop an analytical solution for the asymptotic behavior of the lift coefficient CL to verify the results. In the second test-case, we compare the mean and the standard deviation of the velocity field to those obtained from a different method called stochastic mapping approach (SMA), developed by Tartakovsky and Xiu (2006).
Myosin binding protein C: implications for signal-transduction

Myosin binding protein C (MYBPC) is a crucial component of the sarcomere and an important regulator of muscle function. While mutations in different myosin binding protein C (MYBPC) genes are well known causes of various human diseases, such as hypertrophic (HCM) and dilated (DCM) forms of cardiomyopathy as well as skeletal muscular disorders, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain not well understood. A variety of MYBPC3 (cardiac isoform) mutations have been studied in great detail and several corresponding genetically altered mouse models have been generated. Most MYBPC3 mutations may cause haploinsufficiency and with it they may cause a primary increase in calcium sensitivity which is potentially able to explain major features observed in HCM patients such as the hypercontractile phenotype and the well known secondary effects such as myofibrillar disarray, fibrosis, myocardial hypertrophy and remodelling including arrhythmogenesis. However the presence of poison peptides in some cases cannot be fully excluded and most probably other mechanisms are also at play. Here we shall discuss MYBPC interacting proteins and possible pathways linked to cardiomyopathy and heart failure.
Physiological effects of short-term salinity changes on Ruppia maritima

Changes in Ruppia maritimaL. leaf-tissue osmolality, compatible solute synthesis in leaf tissues, and maximum effective quantum yield in response to short-term changes in salinity were investigated. Plants cultured at 20‰ S were exposed to 0‰ S, 10‰ S (half-ambient), 20‰ S (ambient), and 40‰ S (twice-ambient) salinities. Total and non-vacuolar leaf osmolality for cultured plants significantly decreased (total: from 1464 ± 266 to 712± 210 mmol kg −1 ; non-vacuolar: from 880 ± 108 to 257 ± 80 mmol kg −1 ) or increased (total: from 1464 to 2532 ± 673 mmol kg −1 , non-vacuolar from 880 to 1168 ± 15 mmol kg −1 ), within 1 min of exposure to 0 and 40‰ S, respectively. After the initial rapid change in leaf osmolality, values were relatively constant for the first 180 min of exposure. Osmolality then changed again over the period from 1 to 2 days post-treatment with values again increasing (40‰ S: total = 3152 ± 335 mmol kg −1 , non-vacuolar = 1967 ± 103 mmol kg −1 )o r decreasing (0‰ S: total = 357± 46 mmol kg −1 , non-vacuolar = 74± 32 mmol kg −1 ) with salinity. Soluble and total carbohydrates in leaf tissues responded differently to changing salinity. Total carbohydrates decreased by 65%, while soluble levels increased by 34%, in high salinity. Total and soluble proline levels increased (63 and 18%, respectively), and decreased (−36 and −20% for 10‰ S; −72 and −32% for 0‰ S, respectively), with salinity. These results suggest that both proline and soluble carbohydrates act as compatible solutes. Maximum quantum yields (Fv/Fm) were measured over a 48 h period in response to changes in medium salinity and inorganic carbon (ambient and ∼2.0 mM bicarbonate-equilibrium treatments). Fv/Fm exhibited significant variation in response to salinity, bicarbonate-level and time as main effects, with significant interactions. Quantum yields were lowest in the 0 and 40‰ S treatments; the 10 and 20‰ S treatments had significantly higher quantum yields. These short-term responses indicated that both increases and reductions of external ion concentrations are initially stressful for R. maritima, but that it can physiologically adjust after several days. © 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
The maximum likelihood probability of unique-singleton, ternary, and length-7 patterns

We derive several pattern maximum likelihood (PML) results, among them showing that if a pattern has only one symbol appearing once, its PML support size is at most twice the number of distinct symbols, and that if the pattern is ternary with at most one symbol appearing once, its PML support size is three. We apply these results to extend the set of patterns whose PML distribution is known to all ternary patterns, and to all but one pattern of length up to seven.
Implications of Normal Left Ventricular Wall Thickness in Critical Aortic Stenosis

It is standard practice for clinicians to consider echocardiographically-measured left ventricular wall thickness when estimating the severity of aortic stenosis. Most consider the degree of wall thickness above normal limits is in proportion to ventricular hypertrophy. Employment of wall thickness information to assess aortic stenosis severity, while generally reliable, can occasionally be misleading. Two cases are presented with findings of severe, critical aortic stenosis and normal wall thickness. In each case, left ventricular contactile function was markedly impaired and the patient markedly symptomatic.
Probing the Stability of a Partly Folded Apomyoglobin Intermediate by Site-Directed Mutagenesis?

A partly folded form (I) of apomyoglobin has an alpha-helix content of about 35%; in an earlier study, hydrogen exchange revealed that the A, G, and H helices are folded, while much of the rest of the protein is not [Hughson, F. M., Wright, P. E., & Baldwin, R. L. (1990) Science 249, 1544-1548]. Because A, G, and H form a compact subdomain in native myoglobin, we proposed that nativelike packing interactions among the three helices might be retained in the I form of apomyoglobin. To test this proposal, disruptive mutations were introduced into the A.H and G.H helix packing sites. These mutations destabilize native apomyoglobin relative to I. In contrast, the stability of I is relatively insensitive to mutation; in particular, side-chain volume alone does not appear to be important. These results indicate that the I form is not stabilized by nativelike A.H and G.H packing interactions. In support of this we show that partly helical peptides derived from the G and H helix regions of myoglobin do not pair in solution. Since the isolated G and H peptides are at best only partly helical, some type of interaction must stabilize these helices in the I form. Small increases in the stability of I are seen when mutation introduces a side chain of increased nonpolar surface area. We suggest that I is stabilized by relatively nonspecific hydrophobic interactions that allow it to adapt easily to mutation. In this and other respects, I appears to conform to the "molten globule" model, with the caveat that only part of the polypeptide chain appears to participate in the globule.
Health Insurance Status and Symptoms of Psychological Distress among Low-income Urban Women

Although numerous studies have considered the effects of having health insurance on access to health care, physical health, and mortality risk, the association between insurance coverage and mental health has been surprisingly understudied. Building on previous work, we use data collected from a two-year follow-up of low-income women living in Boston, Chicago, and San Antonio to estimate a series of latent fixed-effects regression models assessing the association between insurance status and symptoms of psychological distress. We find that having any insurance and private insurance is unrelated to depression, anxiety, and somatization. Having public insurance is unrelated to depression and somatization, but there is some evidence that having public insurance is associated with greater anxiety. Although not a direct test of the Affordable Care Act, our results suggest that the expansion of coverage may have a limited impact on symptoms of psychological distress among low-income urban women with children.
94 GHz millimetre-wave imaging system implementing optical upconversion

Millimeter wave (mmW) imaging is continually being researched for its applicability in all weather imaging. While previous accounts of our imaging system utilized Q-band frequencies (33-50 GHz), we have implemented a system that now achieves far-field imaging at W-band frequencies (75-110 GHz). Our mmW imaging approach is unique due to the fact that optical upconversion is used as the method of detection. Optical modulators are not commercially available at W-band frequencies; therefore, we have designed our own optical modulator that functions at this frequency range. Imaging at higher frequencies increases our overall resolution two to three times over what was achieved at Q-band frequencies with our system. Herein, we present imaging results obtained using this novel detector setup, as well as key imager metrics that have been experimentally validated.
Initiation and termination of DNA replication in human rRNA genes.

Abstract We have used the multicopy human rRNA genes as a model system to study replication initiation and termination in mammalian chromosomes. Enrichment for replicating molecules was achieved by isolating S-phase enriched populations of cells by centrifugal elutriation, purification of DNA associated with the nuclear matrix, and a chromatographic procedure that enriches for molecules containing single-stranded regions, a characteristic of replication forks. Two-dimensional agarose gel electrophoresis techniques were used to demonstrate that replication appears to initiate at multiple sites throughout most of the 31-kb nontranscribed spacer (NTS) of human ribosomal DNA but not within the 13-kb transcription unit or adjacent regulatory elements. Although initiation events were detected throughout the majority of the NTS, some regions may initiate more frequently than others. Termination of replication, the convergence of opposing replication forks, was found throughout the ribosomal DNA repeat units, and, in some repeats, specifically at the junction of the 3' end of the transcription unit and the NTS. This site-specific termination of replication is the result of pausing of replication forks near the sites of transcription termination. The naturally occurring multicopy rRNA gene family offers a unique system to study mammalian DNA replication without the use of chemical synchronization agents.
The complexity of stochastic rabin and streett games

The theory of graph games with ω-regular winning conditions is the foundation for modeling and synthesizing reactive processes. In the case of stochastic reactive processes, the corresponding stochastic graph games have three players, two of them (System and Environment) behaving adversarially, and the third (Uncertainty) behaving probabilistically. We consider two problems for stochastic graph games: the qualitative problem asks for the set of states from which a player can win with probability 1 (almost-sure winning); the quantitative problem asks for the maximal probability of winning (optimal winning) from each state. We show that for Rabin winning conditions, both problems are in NP. As these problems were known to be NP-hard, it follows that they are NP-complete for Rabin conditions, and dually, coNP-complete for Streett conditions. The proof proceeds by showing that pure memoryless strategies suffice for qualitatively and quantitatively winning stochastic graph games with Rabin conditions. This insight is of interest in its own right, as it implies that controllers for Rabin objectives have simple implementations. We also prove that for every ω-regular condition, optimal winning strategies are no more complex than almost-sure winning strategies.
Synchronous Distal Pancreatic Metastatic Lesion Arising from Colonic Adenocarcinoma: Case Report and Literature Review

Solitary metastatic pancreatic lesions comprise 0.5% to 3% of all pancreas neoplasms, most commonly arising from primary tumors of the kidney, lung, or colon. Synchronous metastatic pancreatic lesions are exceptionally rare. Only 25 cases of isolated colorectal pancreatic metastasis amenable to resection have been reported, 11 of those in the distal pancreas. To our knowledge we report the first case of a primary colonic malignancy with a synchronous distal pancreatic metastatic lesion treated with resection.
Evaluation of a Dynamic Bayesian Belief Network to Predict Osteoarthritic Knee Pain Using Data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative

The most common cause of disability in older adults in the United States is osteoarthritis. To address the problem of early disease prediction, we have constructed a Bayesian belief network (BBN) composed of knee OA-related symptoms to support prognostic queries. The purpose of this study is to evaluate a static and dynamic BBN–based on the NIH Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) data–in predicting the likelihood of a patient being diagnosed with knee OA. Initial validation results are promising: our model outperforms a logistic regression model in several designed studies. We can conclude that our model can effectively predict the symptoms that are commonly associated with the presence of knee OA.
Invited Editorial on “Acute and chronic effects of exercise on leptin levels in humans”

the discovery of the ob gene only a little over 2 yr ago provided new insight into the mechanisms through which body weight and composition are regulated ([14][1]). Simply put, leptin, the product of the ob gene, is a hormone that communicates to the brain the amount of adipose tissue in the body.
Optimizing molecule-like gold clusters for light energy conversion

Atomically precise gold clusters that are less than ∼1 nm in diameter are emerging as a new class of light absorbing material for harvesting solar energy. Herein, we explore the size dependent properties of glutathione-protected clusters, (Au25GSH18, Au18GSH14, Au15GSH13 and Au11GSH11) in sensitizing mesoscopic TiO2 films. The excited state properties of gold clusters are correlated with the photovoltaic performance of metal cluster sensitized solar cell. Au18GSH14 exhibit the highest photoconversion efficiency. The size dependent photovoltaic results are rationalized based on optimizing both the light absorption of the clusters as well as the size dependent excited state behavior.
Path-dependent independence :the Central Bank of Russia in the 1990s

Abstract: Independent central banks, because of their purported ability to restrain government officials from manipulating their economies in pursuit of short-term political goals, have been championed by scholars and policy makers alike as guarantors of macroeconomic stability for emerging post-communist democracies. However, Russia's experience in the 1990s calls this argument into question. Although the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) was able to develop a significant degree of freedom from political interference during its early years, its monetary policies at that time were anything but conservative and anti-inflationary. Then, when the CBR's political autonomy began to erode after mid-1993 while its technical capabilities improved, its increasingly monetarist actions began to appear more typical of an "independent" central bank and inflation receded accordingly. This should lead us to rethink our theories on central bank independence - both how we define independence and what we can and cannot expect of an independent central bank. Given the CBR's continuity of personnel, historical objectives, and technical capabilities, even a politically autonomous CBR can not have been expected to internalize and implement new policy goalsovernight.;
New treatment option for ovarian cancer: PARP inhibitors

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), which was first described over 50 years ago by Mandel, are a family of protein enzymes involved in DNA damage response and works by recognizing the single-strand DNA break (ssDNA) and then effecting DNA repair. A double-strand DNA (dsDNA) break can be repaired by one of two different pathways: homologous recombination (HR) or non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). Homologous recombination occurs in the G2 or M phase of the cell cycle when a sister chromatid is available to use as a template for repair. Because a template is available, HR is a high fidelity, error-free form of DNA repair. With NHEJ there is not a template and the DNA is trimmed and ligated which is a very error-prone process of repair which can lead to genetic instability. Exploiting these mechanism led to development of PARP inhibitors with the idea of utilizing synthetic lethality, where two deficiencies each having no effect on the cellular outcome become lethal when combined, as single agent in BRCA deficient patients or as chemotherapy/radiotherapy combinations to inhibit ssDNA repair. The recent approval of olaparib in BRCA deficient ovarian cancer patients in US and Europe has opened up a whole new treatment option for ovarian cancer patients. This review will discuss the different PARP inhibitors in development and the potential use of this class of agents in the future.
Evolution of what? A network approach for the detection of evolutionary forces

Abstract Structures of evolving populations are traditionally derived from traits of its members. An alternative approach uses network metrics to define groups that evolve jointly. This supposes that selection acts not only on who members are (i.e., traits) but also on to whom they are connected (i.e., interdependent relationships). This paper presents a method to meaningfully quantify differences in evolutionary forces over multiple levels of population taxonomies and tests almost 1000 multilevel partitions of 8 empirical networked populations evolving over time. It shows that multilevel network metrics as selection criteria identifies stronger evolutionary natural selection than trait based population taxonomies.
The Incidence and Management of Postdural Puncture Headache in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Lead Placement for Spinal Cord Stimulation

Background Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is rapidly expanding therapy for the treatment of refractory neuropathic pain. Although technical issues such as battery life and lead migration have been well studied and improved, little is known about the incidence and management of inadvertent dural puncture and consequent headache. Objectives The goals of this article were to determine the incidence of postdural puncture headache (PDPH) per lead insertion at the various regions of the spine and to detail the use of conservative management and epidural blood patch (EBP). Long-term outcomes are reviewed to validate treatment modalities employed. Methods Retrospective analysis of electronic medical records identified by patient implant registry and current procedural terminology data for nearly a 13-year time interval. Operative and postoperative notes were reviewed for details on dural puncture, access technique and spinal level, the development of a PDPH, and the treatment employed with particularly emphasis on the use of (EBP). Results A total of 745 leads inserted resulted in 6 PDPH that were refractory to conservative measures but responded to EBP without long-term complications. The overall incidence of PDPH per lead insertion was 0.81%. Leads placed anterograde in the thoracolumbar (T11-L3) and Cervicothoracic (C7-T5) regions resulted in an incidence of PDPH per lead of 0.63% and 1.1%, respectively, while 5.9% occurred with lumbar retrograde approach, and none with caudal. Conclusions Dural puncture during SCS device placement and can result in a PDPH that is severe and refractory to conservative modes of therapy. Even in the presence of hardware, EBP performed with meticulous aseptic technique was found to be safe and efficacious.
Immigration Policy and Implementation of World Bank Project of Yunnan Urban Environment Project

Immigration policy and practices are discussed based on the experiences from World Bank project of Yunnan urban environment project as well as the problems related to.Some suggestions on implementing immigration policy are pointed out.
Integrating Learning Progressions in Unsupervised After-School Online Intelligent Tutoring

We present the design of a novel conversational intelligent tutoring system, called DeepTutor. DeepTutor is based on cognitive theories of learning, the framework of Learning Progressions proposed by the science education research community, and deep natural language and dialogue processing techniques and principles. The focus of the paper is on the role of Learning Progressions on the design of DeepTutor. Furthermore, we emphasize the role of Learning Progressions in guiding macro-adaptivity in conversational ITSs. We conducted a large-scale, after-school experiment with hundreds of high-school students using DeepTutor. Importantly, these students interacted with the system totally unsupervised, i.e. without any supervision from an instructor or experimenter. Our work so far validates the Learning Progressions theory.
Dangerous bargains with the devil? Incorporating new approaches in peace science for the study of war

Two theoretical perspectives, dangerous dyads and the bargaining model of war, have dominated theoretical discourse and empirical analyses in the Peace Science Society community for the past 25 years. This article discusses what we have learned about war from these approaches to the study of interstate and intrastate conflict. More critically, the piece examines what perspectives have been absent from Peace Science research and how these missing gaps influence the quantitative study of war and the diversity of the Peace Science community.
Can Right Precordial T-Wave Inversion in Healthy Endurance Athletes Be Explained?

T-wave inversion in the right precordial leads is present in most children and adolescents below the ages of 14 to 19 years [(1)][1]. Therefore, T-wave inversion in leads V1-V2 or V1-V3 has been termed “juvenile T-wave pattern.” These negative T waves then become upright, so that above this
A multi-method assessment of bone maintenance and loss in an Imperial Roman population: Implications for future studies of age-related bone loss in the past.

Objectives One of the hallmarks of contemporary osteoporosis and bone loss is dramatically higher prevalence of loss and fragility in females post-menopause. In contrast, bioarchaeological studies of bone loss have found a greater diversity of age- and sex-related patterns of bone loss in past populations. We argue that the differing findings may relate to the fact that most studies use only a single methodology to quantify bone loss and do not account for the heterogeneity and complexity of bone maintenance across the skeleton and over the life course. Methods We test the hypothesis that bone mass and maintenance in trabecular bone sites versus cortical bone sites will show differing patterns of age-related bone loss, with cortical bone sites showing sex difference in bone loss that are similar to contemporary Western populations, and trabecular bone loss at earlier ages. We investigated this hypothesis in the Imperial Roman population of Velia using three methods: radiogrammetry of the second metacarpal (N = 71), bone histology of ribs (N = 70), and computerized tomography of trabecular bone architecture (N = 47). All three methods were used to explore sex and age differences in patterns of bone loss. Results The suite of methods utilized reveal differences in the timing of bone loss with age, but all methods found no statistically significant differences in age-related bone loss. Discussion We argue that a multi-method approach reduces the influence of confounding factors by building a reconstruction of bone turnover over the life cycle that a limited single-method project cannot provide. The implications of using multiple methods beyond studies of bone loss are also discussed.
Active-Bayesian learning for cooperation connectivity in dynamic cyber-physical-human systems

This work presents a novel learning framework for instrumental utility of behavioral connectivity within dynamic social networks. The combination of active and Bayesian learning techniques enables the proposed algorithm to learn how to predict a likelihood of group-stages of cooperation, according to observable behavioral connectivity within a dynamic social network. A labeler of social network data defines the group-stages of cooperation, and classifies observed behavioral connectivity according to them, in order to populate a training data pool for the proposed learning algorithm. Moreover, a multiple ordinary least squares (OLS) regression, is used to estimate the behavioral intention of social actors, in order to automate interventions for the improvement of actors' behavioral utility within the dynamic social network. We illustrate our framework through simulation examples that showcase the efficiency of the proposed algorithm to accurately predict predefined group-stages of cooperation in human-driven environments.
Advanced treatment of hydrothermal liquefaction wastewater with nanofiltration to recover carboxylic acids

This study aimed to evaluate the innovative application of nanofiltration technology for the concentration and recovery of carboxylic acids from HTL wastewater. Four synthetic HTL wastewater solutions were processed by nanofiltration under both acidic (initial pH of ∼2.6) and alkaline (pH 8–10) environments. At alkaline pH, the permeate flux was much lower. A high DOC rejection of 82.5% was observed at pH 8 compared to a low DOC rejection of 17.3% at the initial pH of ∼2.6. Isobutyric acid was rejected to a higher degree relative to other carboxylic acids, exhibiting up to 95% rejection at pH 8. Phenol, butanone, and pyridine exhibited low rejection under the alkaline environment indicating that they can be separated from carboxylic acids. Nanofiltration technology presents a potential pathway to both concentrate and subsequently recover carboxylic acids from HTL wastewater.
Water deficit severity during berry development alters timing of dormancy transitions in wine grape cultivar Malbec

Abstract The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that vine water stress during the growing season can lengthen the dormancy cycle by inducing earlier transition into endodormancy. A bud forcing assay was used to compare the dormancy transitions of field-grown ‘Malbec’ grapevines that had been deficit-irrigated for seven consecutive growing seasons to supply 35 or 70% of estimated water demand to that of fully-watered vines. Canes were field-sampled from deficit-irrigated and fully-watered plots at multiple time points over a span of 100 days, beginning 30 days prior to harvest. Buds at nodes two through eight were cut into single-node segments, held under bud-forcing conditions for 60 days, and evaluated daily for the occurrence of bud break. Contrary to our initial hypothesis, water stress shortened the dormancy cycle by delaying the onset of endodormancy, decreasing the amount of chilling required for release from endodormancy and increasing the readiness to resume growth during ecodormancy. Results support the idea that drought stress-induced regulatory networks ‘cross-talk’ with environmental and hormonal regulatory signals that modulate the activity-dormancy cycle. Understanding the underlying mechanisms by which drought stress alters the activity-dormancy cycle may be critical for sustaining vine productivity in a changing climate.
Combined Fish and Lettuce Cultivation: An Aquaponics Life Cycle Assessment

Abstract Demands for efficient and resilient food production will increase due to population growth, climate change and other factors. This study compares the additive life cycles of traditional, large-scale lettuce and tilapia production with combined aquaponic agriculture to evaluate these methods based on their material efficiency and their associated environmental impacts. Analysis of the midpoint and endpoint characterizations show significantly reduced impacts on eutrophication, water usage, and geographic footprint of aquaponics, which leverages the symbiotic ecosystem productivity absent in current conventional agriculture. The analysis also indicates that the greatest potential for sustainable improvement of aquaponics technology and adoption is in its efficiency and material inputs, or fish feed. This argues coupling aquaponics with other material production-recycling networks may yield symbioses that can further increase long term potential for aquaponics as an important and resilient food production system.
Divergent Roles of RPA Homologs of the Model Archaeon Halobacterium salinarum in Survival of DNA Damage

The haloarchaea are unusual in possessing genes for multiple homologs to the ubiquitous single-stranded DNA binding protein (SSB or replication protein A, RPA) found in all three domains of life. Halobacterium salinarum contains five homologs: two are eukaryotic in organization, two are prokaryotic and are encoded on the minichromosomes, and one is uniquely euryarchaeal. Radiation-resistant mutants previously isolated show upregulation of one of the eukaryotic-type RPA genes. Here, we have created deletions in the five RPA operons. These deletion mutants were exposed to DNA-damaging conditions: ionizing radiation, UV radiation, and mitomycin C. Deletion of the euryarchaeal homolog, although not lethal as in Haloferax volcanii, causes severe sensitivity to all of these agents. Deletion of the other RPA/SSB homologs imparts a variable sensitivity to these DNA-damaging agents, suggesting that the different RPA homologs have specialized roles depending on the type of genomic insult encountered.
Carbon and oxygen isotopic fractionation in the products of low-temperature VUV photodissociation of carbon monoxide

Abstract The carbon and oxygen isotope fractionations occurring during photodissociation of carbon monoxide (CO) by vacuum ultraviolet photons (91–107 nm) at 80 K were measured and the isotopic fractionations due to direct and indirect predissociation processes individually quantified. The isotopic fractionations depend on the photodissociation wavelength. Slope values (δ'17O/δ'18O) in oxygen three-isotope space range from 0.75 to 1.1. The isotopic composition of the products depends on the dissociation dynamics at the upper electronic state (perturbation and coupling associated with that state), which in turn modulates the isotope effect (in this case an enrichment of minor isotopes) inside the gas column due to the saturation of major isotopologue (isotope self-shielding). An explanation in terms of isotope self-shielding would require a quantum yield of one for photodissociation of all isotopologues which is not consistent with the data.