cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Context is King — Questioning the causal role of DNA methylation in environmentally induced changes in gene expression

Abstract Across the field of developmental programming, changes in epigenetic modifications are often cited as the sole explanation for disease phenotype. However, there is now evidence that many of these changes should be viewed as a consequence of transcription and not the main driver of altered gene expression. Using a range of lifestyle and environmental exposures, this review will contrast instances where induced changes in DNA methylation can be inferred to be causal in the alteration of gene transcription, as compared with those that are either symptomatic or not biologically significant. Through this review, we find that most functionally significant changes map to gene enhancers and that low-magnitude changes cannot automatically be inferred to associate with changes in gene expression, especially as it pertains to the regulation of imprinted loci. Providing functional context and distinguishing between symptom and cause is essential for researchers in the field of developmental programming to transition beyond an inferred association and obtain a deeper, mechanistic understanding of the role epigenetic mechanisms have in altering the developmental program.
Timeline of key discoveries in ophthalmic genetics

Abstract A timeline gives us a historical overview of the key discoveries that led to where we are today. A timeline also provides perspective for looking ahead at our future direction. To help readers understand the past and imagine and craft the future, we present a timeline of the key discoveries in ophthalmic genetics.
Shift Work: A Perspective on Shift Work Disorder—Is Prevention the Answer?

The prevalence of shift work in the United States is nearly 20%, but recognition of shift work disorder (SWD) among shift workers is still a challenge. The health care sector is no exception. While...
Investigation of Archimedean Screw Turbine for Optimal Power Output by Varying Number of Blades

Archimedes Screw Turbine (AST) is specifically used in low head and high rate run of river power plants. Dimensions and hence power output of AST are dependent on many site parameters. Among these parameters number of blades is of paramount importance. In addition, there is no appropriate model for the optimal design of AST. Keeping in view this problem, this research work presents Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis on 3-D model numerical simulation of the flow of water in steady turbulent in the passage of an Archimedes screw turbine. Performances of parameters under varying number of blades are analyzed using fluid flow code in ANSYS. Multiple designs are investigated for a selected site's data, and results are represented in the terms of pressure, torque, mechanical power and efficiency. A new analytical model is designed, investigated and all output parameters are determined to achieve the maximum power output.
Gamma Interferon Is Required for Chlamydia Clearance but Is Dispensable for T Cell Homing to the Genital Tract

ABSTRACT While there is no effective vaccine against Chlamydia trachomatis infection, previous work has demonstrated the importance of C. trachomatis-specific CD4+ T cells (NR1 T cells) in pathogen clearance. Specifically, NR1 T cells have been shown to be protective in mice, and this protection depends on the host’s ability to sense the cytokine gamma interferon (IFN-γ). However, it is unclear what role NR1 production or sensing of IFN-γ plays in T cell homing to the genital tract or T cell-mediated protection against C. trachomatis. Using two-photon microscopy and flow cytometry, we found that naive wild-type (WT), IFN-γ−/−, and IFN-γR−/− NR1 T cells specifically home to sections in the genital tract that contain C. trachomatis. We also determined that protection against infection requires production of IFN-γ from either NR1 T cells or endogenous cells, further highlighting the importance of IFN-γ in clearing C. trachomatis infection. IMPORTANCEChlamydia trachomatis is an important mucosal pathogen that is the leading cause of sexually transmitted bacterial infections in the United States. Despite this, there is no vaccine currently available. In order to develop such a vaccine, it is necessary to understand the components of the immune response that can lead to protection against this pathogen. It is well known that antigen-specific CD4+ T cells are critical for Chlamydia clearance, but the contexts in which they are protective or not protective are unknown. Here, we aimed to characterize the importance of gamma interferon production and sensing by T cells and the effects on the immune response to C. trachomatis. Our work here helps to define the contexts in which antigen-specific T cells can be protective, which is critical to our ability to design an effective and protective vaccine against C. trachomatis.
Cyber-Physical Observability for the Electric Grid

The penetration of Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices in the electric grid is growing at a rapid pace; from smart meters at residential homes to distributed energy resource (DER) system technologies such as smart inverters, various devices are being integrated into the grid with added connectivity and communications. Furthermore, with these increased capabilities, automated grid-support functions, demand response, and advanced communication-assisted control schemes are being implemented to improve the operation of the grid. These advancements render our power systems increasingly cyber-physical. It is no longer sufficient to only focus on the physical interactions, especially when implementing cybersecurity mechanisms such as intrusion detection systems (IDSs) and mitigation schemes that need to access both cyber and physical data. This new landscape necessitates novel methods and technologies to successfully interact and understand the overall cyber-physical system. Specifically, this paper will investigate the need and definition of cyber-physical observability for the grid.
Effects of Sea Level Rise on Storm Surge Flooding and Current Speeds in New Hampshire Estuaries

Abstract The effects of sea level rise on storm surge energy transformation and flood and ebb current magnitudes are examined in two distinct New Hampshire estuarine systems. The Great Bay estuary ...
Fire Sales and Impediments to Liquidity Provision in the Corporate Bond Market

We examine impediments to liquidity provision by mutual funds to insurance companies during corporate bond fire sales. We find that financial regulation and limited capital capacity significantly affect liquidity provision. Mutual funds reduced their purchase of fire-sale bonds following regulatory changes after the 2008–2009 financial crisis. Funds facing more capital constraints (proxied by smaller cash and Treasury holdings, less liquid corporate bond investments, higher redemption risk, and less active investment styles) provide less liquidity. Mutual funds actively investing in fire-sale bonds earn significant returns from liquidity provision and demonstrate superior overall skills in corporate bond investments.
Participatory Privacy: How Privacy Governs Community Boundaries and Inclusion in Online Social Movements

Social and political movements increasingly depend on online platforms for coordination, publicity and communication, and development of knowledge resources. The March for Science, Day Without Immigrants, and Women’s March movements present a unique opportunity to comparatively explore how participation in online social movements is governed, given their similar timelines and exogenous influences, and despite differences in specific policy issues and membership. This paper employs large social media data sets, contextualized by organizer interviews and participant surveys, to study how commons governance of appropriate information flows shaped membership and group boundaries. Privacy interests intersected with online political organizing on social media to shape participation in the individual satellite groups and overall movements studied, as well as interaction and exchange of knowledge resources between groups. This paper also discusses participants as a unique sort of “resource” managed by knowledge commons governance.
Introduction to Incarcerated Mothers and Their Children: Separation, Loss, and Reunification

Although only 4% of the world’s women live in the United States, the United States accounts for more than 30% of the world’s incarcerated women. The vast majority of incarcerated women are mothers of minor children, and many affected children are young. Their children are exposed to numerous risks, on average, in addition to the heartbreaking experiences of separation and loss that occur when a mother goes to jail or prison. In the past two decades, historically high US incarceration rates and growing involvement of women in all forms of the criminal justice system have demanded that scholars, policymakers, and practitioners better understand how maternal involvement in the criminal justice system impacts children and families. This Brief focuses on mothers in the US criminal justice system and their children. The introductory chapter reviews recent trends in maternal incarceration and other forms of criminal justice system involvement and introduces the six empirical studies presented in this volume. Previous research on this topic has been foundational, but newly emerging research, including what is presented here, is creating additional opportunities for advancing recommendations for policy and practice.
Measurement of Triggers

For headache trigger assessments to be beneficial, the constructs of interest must be properly measured. Often in the study of headache triggers, measurement concepts such as reliability and validity are not fully considered, and this can have several consequences that affect what can be learned from the assessment. As trigger theories become more sophisticated, measurement concepts will become increasingly important. This chapter provides an introduction to measurement theory and details the consequences of overlooking important measurement concepts.
The Original Role of States in the Endangered Species Act

This article argues that we need to recover the original vision of the state role in the ESA. The Congress that enacted the ESA in 1973 expected that states would play a lead in conservation efforts because the states already had substantially more wildlife management expertise than the federal government. The federal role, as the Department of the Interior testified at the time, was “an overseeing operation” to ensure that states were fulfilling the purposes of the law. Perhaps more than anything else, the Congress that enacted the ESA sought to avoid jurisdictional infighting – but that is precisely what has happened in too many instances. This Article thus proposes to return to the original understanding of the state role in the ESA by further empowering state conservation efforts to avoid ESA listings, by resurrecting the cooperative agreements that Congress expected to play a major role in the implementation of the act, and by promoting additional funding and assistance to state wildlife managers who are seeking to achieve the goals of the ESA.
Computer networking concepts

1. Microcomputers and Basic Connectivity. 2. Device Connectivity. 3. LAN Basics. 4. Advanced Network Concepts. 5. Top Three Network Protocols and Topologies. 6. Local Area Network Operating Systems. 7. LAN Installation. 8. Network Management Operations. 9. Linking Standards and Workgroup Software. 10. Networking and Multimedia Technology. Appendix. Glossary. Index.
Depreciation of Intellectual Property - Going, Going…Gone!

Intangible assets can create much more value when they are managed in a tax efficient manner. The tax system, in particular the income tax and capital gains tax (CGT) regimes, offer incentives and pose traps for entities who exploit intangible assets. It is not uncommon for IP lawyers to encounter tax queries, including: • Taxation implications when an IP asset is disposed of; • The tax treatment of expenses incurred in creating, or acquiring, IP assets; • Taxation minimization strategies with respect to the above mentioned; • The tax treatment when seeking to quantify, or obtain, remedies in a matter concerning IP assets. This article focuses on the first two, and addresses some key issues for consideration by lawyers in boutique, and medium-sized firms who have been exposed to minimal tax law. Some of the key take-away points that lawyers should be aware of, include: • That some IP assets may be depreciated; • Depreciation of an IP asset may be deductible under the income tax regime while the asset is held; • Before an IP asset is depreciated, the value of the IP asset must be ascertained; • If an IP asset has been depreciated, then the total depreciation amount must be accounted for when the asset is disposed; • There exist different standards for valuing and reporting IP under Accounting Standards, than under taxation law. Key features of taxation minimization, and repercussions of taxation anti-avoidance (both domestically, and as a result of locating IP assets offshore), are discussed in a subsequent article.
Low Dimensional Homology Groups of the Orthosymplectic Lie Superalgebra $\osp(1,2)$

We realize the Lie superalgebra $\osp(1,2)$ in terms of first order differential operators and endow it with the Lie superbracket of vector fields to determine the basis (co)cycles of low dimensional (co)homology groups of $\osp(1,2)$ with trivial coefficients, using the complex introduced by Tanaka \cite{T}. Our calculations agree with the result obtained by Fuks and Leites.
Endogenous airway acidification. Implications for asthma pathophysiology.

Airway concentrations of many reactive nitrogen and oxygen species are high in asthma. The stability and bioactivities of these species are pH-dependent; however, the pH of the airway during acute asthma has not previously been studied. As with gastric and urinary acidification, asthmatic airway acidification could be expected dramatically to alter the concentrations and bioactivities/cytotoxicities of endogenous nitrogen oxides. Here, we demonstrate that the pH of deaerated exhaled airway vapor condensate is over two log orders lower in patients with acute asthma (5.23 ± 0.21, n = 22) than in control subjects (7.65 ± 0.20, n = 19, p < 0.001) and normalizes with corticosteroid therapy. Values are highly reproducible, unaffected by salivary or therapeutic artifact, and identical to samples taken directly from the lower airway. Further, at these low pH values, the endogenous airway compound, nitrite, is converted to nitric oxide (NO) in quantities sufficient largely to account for the concentrations of NO i...
Exploring the impact of personal values on socially oriented communications

This study investigates personal values as a key consideration in social communications designed to influence attitudes. One hundred and sixty-five students participated in an experiment to examine the impact of personal values on a particular social issue, the “Bottle Bill.” Subjects received one of four advertising treatments designed to stimulate attitudes toward the social stimuli. Source (expert versus non expert) and type of argument (positive versus negative) were manipulated in the advertisements. Consistent with prior research, results indicated that individuals who attached more importance to certain personal values had a more favorable attitude toward a social message. A positive argument had a significant main effect on favorable attitudes toward the “Bottle Bill.” Personal values increased the impact of a positive argument message and altered the effect of expertise cues on overall attitude. The significance of the results for communication strategies and attitude changes are discussed.
The Logic of the History of Ideas

This paper provides a short summary of Mark Bevir, The Logic of the History of Ideas (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999). Logic stands here as a subset of Wittgenstein’s notion of philosophy as a matter of the grammar of our concepts. It studies the forms of reasoning appropriate to a discipline, rather than the material of that discipline. Hence, the logic of the history of ideas considers the nature of meaning, the way we should justify our knowledge of past meanings, and how we should explain things such as the existence of meanings, the beliefs people held, and conceptual change.
Case report: Intraoperative anaphylaxis secondary to latex allergy revealed after subsequent reaction to peach

Abstract Rationale To report a patient who experienced two episodes of unexplained intraoperative anaphylaxis. Diagnosis of latex allergy was made when the patient experienced a third episode of anaphylaxis after eating a peach. Methods Allergy skin tests were performed with latex glove and sap extract along with several cross-reactive foods, including peach. Peach allergy was assessed with both fresh fruit prick-prick testing and a commercial peach extract. Results Skin prick tests showed a positive reaction at a dilution of 1/100 for both latex glove and sap extract. The skin test using a commercial peach extract was negative, but a fresh peach prick-prick test was positive. Skin testing for various cross-reactive foods showed a positive reaction to fresh plum, papaya, tomato, and commercial almond extract while negative reactions were noted for fresh banana, kiwi, and avocado. Negative reactions were also noted for commercial extracts of cantaloupe, cacao, and grape. Conclusions Latex allergy should be considered in all cases of unexplained intraoperative anaphylaxis. Classic risk factors for latex allergy are not always present and the presence of food cross-sensitization difficult to predict. This patient adds to the growing number of cases where patients with latex allergy may also react to members of the stone fruit family, specifically, peach.
Sammeln - Exzerpte - Konstellation. Jean Pauls literarische Kombinatorik

Leser der Texte Jean Pauls verwickeln sich in ein kompliziertes intertextuelles Netzwerk, treffen sie doch auf eine Schreibpraxis, die diskursive Materialien auf vielfaltige und a komplexe Weise aufnimmt, umschreibt und weiter verarbeitet. Das hat Folgen fur die Lekture: Im weiten Bogen zwischen ent- legener Anspielung und markiertem Zitat gerat die Vorstellung uberschau- barer Bedeutungen ins Wanken und damit eine Verstehensbewegung, die Jean Pauls opulente Romane im dialektischen Wechselspiel von Teil und Ganzem zu erschliesen sucht. Dass dieses Verstehensproblem nicht allein heutige Leser, die von Jean Pauls Wissensstromen zu weit entfernt waren, sondern bereits die zeitgenossischen durchaus peinigte, offenbart der Kommentar eines Rezensenten anlasslich des 1796 erschienenen Romans: Siebenkas. Blumen-, Frucht- und Dornenstucke oder Ehestand, Tod und Hochzeit des Armenad- vokaten F. St. Siebenkas im Reichsmarktflecken Kuhschnappel. Der Rezen- sent merkt an: Was denkt sich endlich der Verfasser, das er den Stoff zu seinen witzigen Gedanken von allen vier Enden der Welt, aus allen drei Reichen der Natur, Physik und Chemie zusammentreibt, und jeden Leser, der nicht ausgebreitete Erudition besitzet, eine Reihe von philosophischen, physischen, historischen Diktionnairen an der Hand zu haben notigt, um seine Anspielungen zu verste- hen? (Sprengel 12) Weder der Befund noch die hermeneutische Wegleitung sind von der Hand zu weisen, und sie legitimieren sich nicht zuletzt mit Blick auf Jean Pauls eigene Lese- und Schreibgewohnheiten: Nachschlagewerke und Enzyklopa ¨- dien gehorten zu seinen Lieblingslekturen. Diese Lekturen verknupften sich mit ausgedehnten Niederschriften, indem Jean Paul bestimmte Lesefruchte auswahlte, akribisch sammelte und in sogenannte ,Exzerpthefte' eintrug. Zwi- schen 1778 und 1825 hat er auf diese Weise uber 12.000 Manuskriptseiten beschrieben und mehr als 100 Exzerpthefte angelegt. Sie befinden sich heute
Effect of Calcium on Parathyroid Secretion

Measurement of parathyroid secretion has required elaborate perfusions, indirect assays of parathyroid function, or in vitro measurements. This report describes the effect of calcium on the parathyroid using a simple in vivo perfusion. Parathyroids transplanted to the anterior chambers of the eyes of parathyroidectomized rats were perfused with high and low calcium solutions. High calcium perfusion depressed the serum calcium and low calcium perfusion raised the serum calcium, indicating a direct control of the parathyroid by Ca++. During the time of these perfusions, no evidence for the parathyroid origin of calcitonin could be obtained. The rise in serum calcium was small with low calcium solution due to the relatively small stores of parathyroid hormone during the short term of the experiment.(Endocrinology 77: 725, 1965)
Dependence of the occupancy of excimer-forming conformations on the size of the flexible spacer in polyesters from terephthalic acid and mono-, di- or triethylene glycol

Abstract Steady-state emission and excitation spectra have been measured for dimethyl terephthalate and three polyesters in four solvents. The polymers have the repeating unit ABm, where A is COC6H4COO, B is CH2CH2O and m = 1, 2 or 3. The solvents are dichloroethane, dioxane, ethyl acetate and cyclohexane. Excimer emission is seen in all three polymers. At 300 K, the ratio excimer to monomer emission is always largest in the polymer for which m = 2. A rotational isomeric treatment of the unperturbed polymers identifies the conformations that should be conducive to excimer formation by nearest-neighbour aromatic rings. The population of such conformations is maximal in the polyester in which m = 2.
Re-solution of fission gas : A review: Part. I. Intragranular bubbles

Theories of fission-fragment-driven re-solution of fission-gas atoms from intragranular bubbles in irradiated UO2 nuclear fuel are reviewed. Two mechanisms of re-solution are generally accepted: the heterogeneous process destroys entire bubbles in the path of fission fragments and returns the gas to the solid as individual atoms; the homogeneous process re-solves fission-gas atoms singly by scattering collisions with fission fragments and uranium recoils whose paths intersect the bubbles. Coupling of these two re-solution models with the bubble nucleation analogs determines the size and number density of the intragranular bubble population. Two approaches are reviewed: the single-size theory, in which all bubbles are accorded one size, and the bubble distribution theory, which seeks to determine the variation of bubble number density with size.
Microstructures of cubic Al2O3 precipitates in oxygen-implanted aluminum

The microstructure of Al ion-implanted at room temperature with 17 at.% 0 has been characterized with TEM. The alloy has extremely small (1.5–3.5 nm) oxide precipitates whose crystal structure is interpreted to be a disordered version of γ-Al2O3 having a fcc lattice of O2− ions with Al3+ ions in random interstitial sites. The small sizes can account for the exceptionally high strength of as-implanted alloys: 2500–3300 MPa. Larger precipitates are found when the alloy is annealed 12 h at 550°C, which is consistent with its somewhat lower strength: 800–1600 MPa.
Improved feature screening in feedforward neural networks

Abstract We present a statistical approach for identifying important input features in single hidden layer feedforward neural networks trained via backpropagation. Our approach involves the simultaneous comparison of saliency (importance) measures of candidate features to the saliency measure of a known noisy feature using a hypothesis test for the equality of means. Applying a Bonferroni-type test statistic, we are able to screen the entire feature set to within a specified degree of statistical confidence. We demonstrate the reliable identification of noisy features for a modified version of ‘Fisher's Iris’ problem and a real-world discrimination problem containing a feature which contributes little to classification.
First multi-watt ribbon fiber oscillator in a high order mode

Optical fibers in the ribbon geometry have the potential to reach powers well above the maximum anticipated power of a circular core fiber. In this paper we report the first doped silica high order mode ribbon fiber oscillator, with multimode power above 40 W with 71% slope efficiency and power in a single high order mode above 5 W with 44% slope efficiency.
An investigation of the mouse as a model for vincristine toxicity

The purpose of this study was to investigate the toxicologic responses of mice to vincristine (VCR), an established antitumor drug, and to compare them with those reported for dogs, monkeys, and humans. This comparison was expected to facilitate the continuing appraisal of the mouse as a model for toxicologic responses to antitumor drugs in human patients. In duplicate experiments, male B6D2F1 mice were treated with 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 3.0 mg/kg of VCR in single IP doses. These sublethal doses corresponded to 0.25, 0.40, 0.50, and 0.80 LD50. On posttreatment days 1, 3, 6, 10, 14, and 21, groups of mice were killed and blood and other tissues were collected for hematologic (8 tests), clinical chemical (15 tests), and histopathologic (11 tissues) evaluations. VCR produced dose-dependent body weight loss, reticulocytopenia, granulocytopenia, elevated plasma alkaline phosphatase, GPT, and GOT activities, and damage to the gastrointestinal epithelium. These reversible changes were most severe during the first 3 days posttreatment. The mouse was comparable to the dog and the monkey in reflecting the target organ toxicity of VCR in humans. Studies with additional antitumor drugs will be required before the overall predictive reliability of this model can be expressed quantitatively.
Auroras and Magnetic Storms

WITH reference to your note in NATURE of August 16 referring to a magnetic storm on the night of August 9–10, it may be of interest to learn that an aurora was seen here that night. It was first seen a few minutes before 10 p.m. (G.M.T.), when it appeared as a glow in the northern sky. Two streamers were lust discernible at first, but they gradually increased in numbers and became clearer, at the same time growing longer and brighter and moving towards the west. The longest reached to the centre of the Great Bear. Small, sharp, and delicate streamers, although not prominent, were distinctly seen in the larger streamers. There was no colouring seen at all, but merely a white glow. By 11.15 all traces of it had vanished.
The preschool as an ecological approach to early childhood education

The terminology of ecology is used to examine the components and interrelationships of the preschool. The physical environment or habitat includes the classroom, school and playground, and community. The social environment or population includes the faculty, staff, and children. The habitat and population, their component parts, and the various interactions among these components comprise the educational ecosystem.
The Utility of Neck Ultrasound and Sestamibi Scans in Patients with Secondary and Tertiary Hyperparathyroidism

Secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) and tertiary hyperparathyroidism (THPT) are disease entities in patients with chronic kidney disease that are caused by parathyroid hyperplasia. The role of preoperative localization studies in patients undergoing parathyroidectomy for these conditions remains poorly defined. To evaluate the utility of surgeon-performed neck ultrasound (US) as well as sestamibi scans in the localization of parathyroid glands in patients with SHPT/THPT. A retrospective analysis of patients with SHPT/THPT who underwent parathyroidectomy at a single institution. Results of preoperative localization studies were compared to intraoperative findings. One hundred and three patients underwent parathyroidectomy for SHPT/THPT. All patients underwent surgeon-performed neck US, while 92 (89 %) underwent sestamibi scans. US failed to localize any of the parathyroids in 4 patients (3.8 %), while sestamibi was negative in 11 (12 %). Forty-seven ectopic glands were identified in 38 patients in whom sestamibi was performed. In five patients (13 %), ectopic glands were identified by both modalities, by US only in 6 (16 %), by sestamibi only in 8 (21 %), and by neither study in 19 patients (50 %). US showed new thyroid nodules in 19 patients (18.4 %), leading to lobectomy or thyroidectomy at the time of parathyroidectomy in 16 patients (15.5 %). Pathology showed malignancy in 7 patients (6.8 %). US and MIBI offer little benefit in localizing ectopic glands and rarely change the conduct of a standard four-gland exploration. Although there was a benefit of US in the assessment of thyroid nodules, in only 8.7 % of patients was sestamibi of benefit in identifying ectopic glands.
Degrees and diversity at work

A study of of over 3000 engineers and scientists employed in the United States explored the interplay of levels of education with gender and native versus immigrant status. The results suggest that some of these R&D professionals may be underutilised and perhaps less effective than they could be. >
Relationship of self-concepts of three-, four-, and five-year-old children with mother, father, and teacher percepts.

Summary Ss were 46 preschool boys and girls, ages three, four, and five years, in a child and family development center. Each child, his mother, father, and teacher were administered, separately, 18 select items from the primary factor in the I Feel-Me Feel self-concept inventory. Results indicated that the childrens' self/social constructs scores were very stable but did not correlate with scores of mother, father, and teacher. The adult percepts of the child's self-concept were highly correlated (p < .05) among themselves, but they were not in the same system of relationships with the children.
Clinicopathologic effects of mutant GUCY2D in Leber congenital amaurosis

Abstract Purpose To study the retinal degeneration in an 1112 -year-old patient with Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) caused by mutation in GUCY2D. Study design Comparative human tissue study. Participants Two subjects with LCA; postmortem eye from one LCA patient and three normal donors. Methods Clinical and visual function studies were performed between the ages of 6 and 10 years in the LCA eye donor and at age 6 in an affected sibling. Genomic DNA was screened for mutations in known LCA genes. The retina of the 1112 -year-old subject with LCA was compared with normal retinas from donors age 3 days, 18 years, and 53 years. The tissues were processed for histopathologic studies and immunofluorescence with retinal cell-specific antibodies. Results Vision in both siblings at the ages examined was limited to severely impaired cone function. Mutation in the GUCY2D gene was identified in both siblings. Histopathologic study revealed rods and cones without outer segments in the macula and far periphery. The cones formed a monolayer of cell bodies, but the rods were clustered and had sprouted neurites in the periphery. Rods and cones were not identified in the midperipheral retina. The inner nuclear layer appeared normal in thickness throughout the retina, but ganglion cells were reduced in number. Conclusions An 1112-year-old subject with LCA caused by mutant GUCY2D had only light perception but retained substantial numbers of cones and rods in the macula and far periphery. The finding of numerous photoreceptors at this age may portend well for therapies designed to restore vision at the photoreceptor level.
Refusing and Withdrawing from Forensic Evaluations

The current study collected descriptive information about the reasons mental health experts decline or withdraw from forensic assessments, both early and late in the legal process. In response to an online survey, 29 forensic psychologists and psychiatrists presented examples of case withdrawal from their professional experiences. Their major reasons included ethical issues or conflicts, payment difficulties, and interpersonal or procedural problems with retaining counsel or evaluees. Clearly, there are compelling personal and professional reasons that prompt forensic mental health experts to withdraw from or turn down cases.
Interaction of kidney (Na + -K + )-ATPase with phospholipid model membrane systems.

The transport-related, Na+, K+-activated ATPase from kidney can be solubilized by treatment with the non-ionic detergent, Lubrol. The Lubrol-solubilized enzyme does not require phosphatidylserine for activation. This enzyme preparation binds to positively charged, but not to negatively charged, liposomes. It also binds to sphingomyelin liposomes which are formally neutral in charge, but not to lecithin. The bound enzyme can be extracted with solutions of high ionic strength.
VLSI CAD for emerging nanolithography

In this paper, we discuss emerging nanolithography technologies including double/multiple patterning, extreme ultra-violet lithography, electron-beam lithography, and their interactions with VLSI CAD. These technologies all have different manufacturing processes with their own challenges/issues. Meanwhile, nanometer VLSI designs and mask synthesis have to be co-optimized with these process technologies to ensure high product quality (performance/power/area, etc.), yield, and throughput to make future scaling worthwhile. Some recent results will be presented to show the enablement and effectiveness of such design and process integration.
A Learning Filter for Removing Noise Interference

We have developed a microcomputer-based filter that removes line induced electrical interference from biopotential signals by learning one period of the noise waveform and subtracting it from the signal. Since it uses a noise template, the filter can remove noise waveforms containing several harmonics of the 60 Hz line frequency.
The value of water-related amenities in an arid city: The case of the Phoenix metropolitan area

Abstract In the arid metropolitan area of Phoenix, AZ, water resources play a vital role in maintaining and enhancing the urban ecosystem. There are several examples of “luxury” uses of water to create amenities not common to desert ecosystems: reduced temperatures, artificial lakes, golf courses, and abundant vegetation. In this study our goal was to appraise the relative value of these water-related amenities for urban residents. We correlated spatially explicit housing sales data from the Maricopa County Assessor's Office with environmental and locational data provided by the Central Arizona – Phoenix Long Term Ecological Research project to construct hedonic models at the regional and local scales to estimate the marginal willingness to pay for amenities associated with intensive water use. Our results revealed the preferences of homeowners for lowered temperatures, and vegetation abundance, however we found proximity to small parks to be generally considered a disamenity despite their frequent landscape design of grass, trees, and artificial lakes. At the local level of analysis, our analyses found examples where one attribute (e.g., plant richness) is considered an amenity in one place, but a disamenity in another, suggesting that there may be several markets in the metropolitan region. Because climate change models predict the US Southwest to become hotter and drier, evaluation of the importance of these water-dependent luxury amenities will be vital for future planning.
Synthetic Processing of Surfactant Protein C by Alevolar Epithelial Cells THE COOH TERMINUS OF proSP-C IS REQUIRED FOR POST-TRANSLATIONAL TARGETING AND PROTEOLYSIS

Surfactant protein C (SP-C) is synthesized by alveolar type II cells as a 21-kDa propeptide (proSP-C21) which is proteolytically processed in subcellular compartments distal to the trans-Golgi network to yield a 35-residue mature form. Initial synthetic processing events for SP-C include post-translational cleavages of the COOH terminus of proSP-C21 yielding two intermediates (16 and 6 kDa). To test the role of specific COOH-terminal domains in intracellular targeting and proteolysis of proSP-C21, synthesis and processing of SP-C was evaluated using a lung epithelial cell line (A549) transfected with a eukaryotic expression vector containing either the full-length cDNA for rat SP-C (SP-Cwt) or one of six polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-generated COOH terminally truncated forms (SP-C1-185, SP-C1-175, SP-C1-147, SP-C1-120, SP-C1-72, and SP-C1-59). Using in vitro transcription/translation, each of the seven constructs produced a 35S-labeled product of appropriate length which could be immunoprecipitated by epitope specific proSP-C antisera. Immunoprecipitation of 35S-labeled A549 cell lysates from SP-Cwt transfectants demonstrated rapid synthesis of [35S]proSP-C21 with processing to SP-C16 and SP-C6 intermediates via cleavages of the COOH-terminal propeptide. Both the intermediates as well as the kinetics of processing in A549 cells were similar to that observed in rat type II cells. In contrast, constructs SP-C1-185, SP-C1-175, SP-C1-147, SP-C1-120, SP-C1-72, and SP-C1-59 were each translated but degraded without evidence of proteolytic processing. Fluorescence immunocytochemistry identified proSP-Cwt in cytoplasmic vesicles of A549 cells while all COOH-terminal deletional mutants were restricted to an endoplasmic reticulum/Golgi compartment identified by co-localization with fluorescein isothiocyanate-concanavalin A. We conclude that SP-Cwt expressed in A549 cells is directed to cytoplasmic vesicles where it is proteolytically processed in a manner similar to native type II cells and that amino acids Cys186-Ile194 located at the COOH terminus of proSP-C21 are necessary for correct intracellular targeting and subsequent cleavage events.
Cyber situation awareness as distributed socio-cognitive work

A key challenge for human cybersecurity operators is to develop an understanding of what is happening within, and to, their network. This understanding, or situation awareness, provides the cognitive basis for human operators to take action within their environments. Yet developing situation awareness of cyberspace (cyber-SA) is understood to be extremely difficult given the scope of the operating environment, the highly dynamic nature of the environment and the absence of physical constraints that serve to bound the cognitive task23. As a result, human cybersecurity operators are often "flying blind" regarding understanding the source, nature, and likely impact of malicious activity on their networked assets. In recent years, many scholars have dedicated their attention to finding ways to improve cyber-SA in human operators. In this paper we present our findings from our ongoing research of how cybersecurity analysts develop and maintain cyber-SA. Drawing from over twenty interviews of analysts working in the military, government, industrial, and educational domains, we find that cyber-SA to be distributed across human operators and technological artifacts operating in different functional areas.© (2012) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Design and Test of a Tilting Pad Bearing for a High Speed Turbocharger

It is well known that the standard bearing for high speed turbochargers is a floating ring design. This design typically results in a limit cycle instability with larger than desired overall vibration response. The desire would be to have a small synchronous vibration that would allow the bearing to have less side leakage and higher performance. This paper will introduce a newly developed concept for a tilting segment bearing to replace the current stock floating ring bearing. Analysis of this new bearing shows great promise of improved stability. The result of the initial testing for this new design is presented in this paper.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Expanded Polyglutamine-Binding Peptoid as a Novel Therapeutic Agent for Treatment of Huntington's Disease

Summary Polyglutamine(polyQ)-expanded proteins are potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of polyQ expansion disorders such as Huntington's disease (HD) and spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3). Here, we used an amino-terminal fragment of a mutant Huntingtin protein (Htt-N-82Q) as bait in an unbiased screen of a 60,000 peptoid library. Peptoid HQP09 was selected from the isolated hits and confirmed as a specific ligand of Htt-N-82Q and Atxn3-77Q mutant proteins in biochemical experiments. We identified three critical residues in the HQP09 sequence that are important for its activity and generated a minimal derivative, HQP09_9, which maintains the specific polyQ-binding activity. We demonstrated that HQP09 and HQP09_9 inhibited aggregation of Htt-N-53Q in vitro and exerted Ca 2+ -stabilizing and neuroprotective effects in experiments with primary striatal neuronal cultures derived from HD mice. We further demonstrated that intracerebroventricular delivery of HQP09 to an HD mouse model resulted in reduced accumulation of mutant Huntingtin aggregates and improved motor behavioral outcomes. These results suggest that HQP09 and similar peptoids hold promise as novel therapeutics for developing treatments for HD, SCA3, and other polyglutamine expansion disorders.
William James and Jesus Christ in Late Capitalism Our Religion of the Status Quo

Contemporary discourses on “religion” frequently use a distinction between “religious experience” and “institutional religion,” which we have inherited in part as a result of the popularity of William James’ Varieties of Religious Experience. This paper offers a discourse analysis of this distinction—including how it has been taken up by people who say they are “spiritual, but not religious”—and demonstrates that the distinction often seems designed to sanction anything “religious” that might conflict with or upset the status quo in late capitalism. In addition, this paper considers how the distinction has been appropriated by writers who incorporate it into portrayals of Jesus that similarly legitimate a consumerist life under late capitalism.
Numerical observer for cardiac motion assessment using machine learning

In medical imaging, image quality is commonly assessed by measuring the performance of a human observer performing a specific diagnostic task. However, in practice studies involving human observers are time consuming and difficult to implement. Therefore, numerical observers have been developed, aiming to predict human diagnostic performance to facilitate image quality assessment. In this paper, we present a numerical observer for assessment of cardiac motion in cardiac-gated SPECT images. Cardiac-gated SPECT is a nuclear medicine modality used routinely in the evaluation of coronary artery disease. Numerical observers have been developed for image quality assessment via analysis of detectability of myocardial perfusion defects (e.g., the channelized Hotelling observer), but no numerical observer for cardiac motion assessment has been reported. In this work, we present a method to design a numerical observer aiming to predict human performance in detection of cardiac motion defects. Cardiac motion is estimated from reconstructed gated images using a deformable mesh model. Motion features are then extracted from the estimated motion field and used to train a support vector machine regression model predicting human scores (human observers' confidence in the presence of the defect). Results show that the proposed method could accurately predict human detection performance and achieve good generalization properties when tested on data with different levels of post-reconstruction filtering.
Optimal timing of anticoagulation pre- and post-colonoscopy with polypectomy.

Purpose An increasing number of patients are treated with anticoagulation for many medical conditions. Our practice is to suspend warfarin 5–7 days, aspirin 3 days, and clopidogrel (Plavix) 7 days prior to colonoscopy that may require polypectomy. Generally, we accept an INR of ≤1.5 as safe. However, there are no published case series documenting when it is safe to resume these medications after polypectomy. Therefore, the management of anticoagulation after polypectomy varies. We sought to evaluate the safety of our practice with regard to anticoagulation and polypectomy.
LDV Measurements in Separated Flow on an Elliptic Wing Mounted at an Angle of Attack on a Wall

The flow around a half-ellipsoid with axes ratio 12:6:1 mounted on a plane wall at an angle of attack of 25[degree] and at a Reynolds number of 47,000 (based on the maximum chord) was studied using a three-dimensional LDV system. In this paper the mean velocity distributions in a volume enclosing the separated region and the near wake are described. The flow is shown to be consistent with the findings of Johnson (1991) based on flow visualization and related topological analysis. The flow on most of the pressure side was attached and laminar, while that on the suction side and in the wake was separated and turbulent. The region of separation had mean negative streamwise velocities as large as 25 percent of the freestream velocity, and the reversed-flow region extended up to one chord length behind the body. The measurements clearly reveal the complex vortex structure that arises from the three-dimensional separation.
Post-excitatory depression in thoracic sympathetic efferent neural traffic during a cardiogenic hypertensive chemoreflex

Serotonin injected in the left atrium activates a cardiogenic hypertensive chemoreflex in dogs. To elucidate patterns of the neural traffic, records were obtained from thoracic sympathetic efferent nerves (either the anterior ansa of the left stellate ganglion or the T4 input to the left stellate) in 8 anesthetized dogs with chests open. Serotonin (200 μg, left atrium) caused a massive sympathetic discharge during the hypertension and bradycardia characteristic of the chemoreflex. Following the initial sympathetic discharge, there was a consistent post-excitatory depression of neural traffic, to a level significantly less than control discharge (two-tailed p≤.05). This post-excitatory depression began 11±5.4 (S.D.) seconds after injection of serotonin and 6.6±5.3 seconds after the peak neural discharge. It lasted 140±94 seconds, being maximal initially with gradual recovery. Complete block of the hypertension by the combined administration of phentolamine, propranolol, and nitroglycerin failed to abolish the efferent neural events, including postexcitatory depression, in all but one dog. We conclude that post-excitatory depression in thoracic sympathetic efferent neural traffic cannot be mediated exclusively through the secondary engagement of a baroreceptor mechanism and that it most likely is an integral part of the cardiogenic hypertensive chemoreflex.
Signature of shallow potentials in deep sub-barrier fusion reactions

We extend a recent study that explained the steep falloff in the fusion cross section at energies far below the Coulomb barrier for the symmetric dinuclear system $^{64}\mathrm{Ni}+^{64}\mathrm{Ni}$ to another symmetric system, $^{58}\mathrm{Ni}+^{58}\mathrm{Ni}$, and the asymmetric system $^{64}\mathrm{Ni}+^{100}\mathrm{Mo}$. In this scheme, the very sensitive dependence of the internal part of the nuclear potential on the nuclear equation of state determines a reduction of the classically allowed region for overlapping configurations and consequently a decrease in the fusion cross sections at bombarding energies far below the barrier. Within the coupled-channels method, including couplings to the low-lying ${2}^{+}$ and ${3}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ states in both target and projectile as well as mutual and two-phonon excitations of these states, we calculate and compare with the experimental data the fusion cross sections, $S$ factors, and logarithmic derivatives for the above-mentioned systems and find good agreement with the data even at the lowest energies. We predict, in particular, a distinct double peaking in the $S$ factor for the far sub-barrier fusion of $^{58}\mathrm{Ni}+^{58}\mathrm{Ni}$, which should be tested experimentally.