cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinical recommendations to guide physical therapy practice for Huntington disease

Objective In the past decade, an increasing number of studies have examined the efficacy of physical therapy interventions in people with Huntington disease (HD). Methods We performed a mixed-methods systematic review using Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology and included experimental and observational study designs. The search resulted in 23 quantitative studies and 3 qualitative studies from which we extracted data using JBI standardized extraction tools. Results of this review suggested that physical therapy interventions may improve motor impairments and activity limitations in people with HD. Here, we expand on the review findings to provide specific recommendations to guide clinical practice. Results We recommend the following specific physical therapy interventions for people with HD: aerobic exercise (grade A evidence), alone or in combination with resistance training to improve fitness and motor function, and supervised gait training (grade A evidence) to improve spatiotemporal features of gait. In addition, there is weak (grade B) evidence that exercise training improves balance but does not show a reduction in the frequency of falls; inspiratory and expiratory training improves breathing function and capacity; and training of transfers, getting up from the floor, and providing strategies to caregivers for involvement in physical activity in the midstages of HD may improve performance. There is expert consensus for the use of positioning devices, seating adaptations, and caregiver training in late stages of HD. Conclusions There is strong evidence to support physical therapy interventions to improve fitness, motor function, and gait in persons with HD.
An Inclusive Research Method for the Open Door College: Valuing the Perceptions of the College Community

The majority of research related to community and state colleges is conducted by external individuals, primarily university faculty. This approach reinforces the hierarchical structure within highe...
CHAPTER XV – APPROXIMATE INTEGRATION

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the fundamental theorem of the integral calculus. Most definite integrals, including those which arise naturally in science, are not susceptible to evaluation by means of the fundamental theorem. However, there are available a number of approximation methods that can provide highly accurate numerical results, such as the rectangle rule, the trapezoidal rule, and Simpson's rule. The aforementioned rules are valuable not only for evaluating definite integrals that are different or impossible to integrate but also for evaluating ∫ba y dx when the relationship y = f(x) is known only for a discrete set of points. The chapter further presents the rules for Riemann's theorem.
A peridynamic approach to computation of elastic and entropic interactions of inclusions on a lipid membrane

Abstract The physics behind the interaction of inclusions on lipid membranes is relevant to the self-assembly of proteins that mediate exo- and endo-cytosis in cells. These interactions can be quantified in terms of free energy changes that can be calculated using Gaussian integrals since the potential energy of a lipid membrane with inclusions can be expressed as a quadratic form in terms of a stiffness matrix that includes the coupling of in-plane tension and out-of-plane deflections. The free energy calculation requires the evaluation of the determinant of a stiffness matrix appearing in the energy expression. However, computing the determinant of an extremely large stiffness matrix whose size is dictated by the characteristic length scale of the membrane and its molecular constituents poses computational challenges. This study presents a peridynamic (PD) approach to construct the stiffness matrix and evaluate its determinant accurately without any computational challenges. It specifically employs the PD differential operator for accurate evaluation of the determinant of the stiffness matrix which is a key step in the calculation of the partition function. The simultaneous use of fine and coarse grids along with PD interpolations eliminates the computational challenges for decreasing grid spacing. This is illustrated by reproducing the worm-like-chain force-extension relation for a fluctuating elastic rod. In the case of a membrane without any inclusions, the PD predictions converge and approach an analytical solution for the tension-area relation of a membrane as the grid spacing decreases. In the presence of inclusions, the PD predictions capture the expected deformation of the membrane as well as the behavior of relative free energy for varying spacing, shape and position of the inclusions. The magnitude of relative free energy increases with increasing number of inclusions, thus indicating higher degree of interaction in larger clusters. This approach is general and enables the exploration of the effect on membrane-inclusion interactions of different membrane geometries with curvature, boundary conditions and the contact angle between the membrane and inclusion.
Foreign Election Interference: Comparative Approaches to a Global Challenge

Efforts by foreign entities to influence domestic elections have shaken democracies around the world. The use of propaganda and misinformation to interfere in the internal affairs of other countrie...
Large Third-Order Nonlinearities in Atomic Layer Deposition Grown Nitrogen-Enriched TiO 2 Nanoscale Films

Nonlinear refractive index, n 2 , values as high as 1±.1x10-9 cm2/W were measured in atomic layer deposition (ALD) grown TiO 2 nanoscale films, using femtosecond thermally managed Z-scan. The several order of magnitude increase in n 2 is believed due to the incorporation of nitrogen during growth.
Heat Exposure and Children's Nutrition: Evidence from West Africa

Growing evidence indicates extreme weather affects a variety of economic indicators. However, there is no evidence connecting temperature shocks to children’s nutritional status, an important predictor of economic outcomes in adulthood. Linking 15 rounds of repeated cross-section data from five West African countries to geo-coded weather data, we find that extreme heat exposure increases the prevalence of both chronic and acute malnutrition. Our results indicate that a 2°C rise in temperature will increase the prevalence of stunting by 3.9 percentage points in our study sample, reversing more than half of the progress made on improving nutrition during our study period.
Abstract 17419: Gender Differences in Outcomes With Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion: Insights From the NCDR LAAO Registry

Introduction: Left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) has emerged as an alternative to anticoagulation in select patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), however women are underrepresented in trial d...
Capabilities and Performance of Juno's Radio Science Instrumentation

The Juno Gravity Science Instrument is a radio science instrument onboard the Juno spacecraft, which entered orbit around Jupiter in 2016. The prime objective of the radio science investigation is to estimate the gravitational field of Jupiter from the Doppler shift on the radio link between the spacecraft and the Earth-based observing antennas of NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN). The instrument is composed of a ground component at the DSN's DSS-25 antenna, equipped with simultaneous X-band and Ka-band transmitters and receivers, and a spacecraft component, which includes X-band and Ka-band transponders to relay the transmitted signal back to Earth. The frequencies of these signals are measured using sensitive open-loop and closed-loop receivers of the DSN. Using the unique geometry of Juno's orbit around Jupiter and the exquisite precision of the radio science instrumentation (∼5-10 microns/sec one-way), the gravity field of Jupiter has been probed to unprecedented precision, allowing for discoveries of Jupiter's core size and depth of the zonal winds. This precision is thanks to detailed data processing and calibration techniques. An Advanced Water Vapor Radiometer measures the tropospheric delay and a linear combination of X-band and Ka-band links calibrates for Earth ionosphere, solar plasma, and Jovian plasma. Recent measurements probed the electron content inside Jupiter's Io Plasma Torus, a doughnut-shaped ring of charged particles caught in Jupiter's magnetosphere. Results from these measurements not only contributes to the scientific literature but also informs the performance of the instrument itself and can be used in future planning.
Atomistic-model informed pressure-sensitive crystal plasticity for crystalline HMX

Abstract Cyclotetramethylene-Tetranitramine (HMX) is a secondary explosive used in military and civilian applications. Its plastic deformation is of importance in the initiation of the decomposition reaction, but the details of plasticity are not yet fully understood. It has been recently shown that both the elastic constants and the critical resolved shear stress for plastic deformation are pressure sensitive. Since initiation takes place during shock loading, the pressure sensitivity of plasticity is highly relevant. In this work, we examine the pressure-sensitivity of the dynamic mechanical behavior of HMX. To this end, we use an elastic–plastic continuum constitutive model of single crystal HMX in which the anisotropic elastic constants and direction-dependent yield stress are rendered pressure-sensitive. The pressure sensitivity is calibrated based on input from molecular models. We observe that accounting for pressure sensitivity changes significantly the profile of the elastic–plastic wave and the wave propagation speed upon impact. The accumulated dissipation profile and the total dissipation also exhibit profound differences between the simulations that take account of the pressure-dependence of the plastic deformation and the pressure independent counterpart.
Work-Family Conflict and Health: A Study of Workplace, Psychological, and Behavioral Correlates

Quantitative methods are used to shed light on the relationships among work-family conflict, health, and other workplace, psychological, and behavioral constructs, i.e., organizational commitment, management/leadership relations, job knowledge and skills, job demands, workplace social relations, and readiness for change. A survey questionnaire was used to collect data regarding the perceptions of 464 employees in four organizations. Negative correlations were found between work-family conflict and all variables except job knowledge and skills. Significant relationships were also discovered between health and all study variables. Multiple regressions were used to explore the relationships between the demographic variables and work-family conflict and health.
miR-145 transgenic mice develop cardiopulmonary complications leading to postnatal death.

Background Both downregulation and elevation of microRNA miR-145 has been linked to an array of cardiopulmonary phenotypes, and a host of studies suggest that it is an important contributor in governing the differentiation of cardiac and vascular smooth muscle cell types. Methods and results To better understand the role of elevated miR-145 in utero within the cardiopulmonary system, we utilized a transgene to overexpress miR-145 embryonically in mice and examined the consequences of this lineage-restricted enhanced expression. Overexpression of miR-145 has detrimental effects that manifest after birth as overexpressor mice are unable to survive beyond postnatal day 18. The miR-145 expressing mice exhibit respiratory distress and fail to thrive. Gross analysis revealed an enlarged right ventricle, and pulmonary dysplasia with vascular hypertrophy. Single cell sequencing of RNA derived from lungs of control and miR-145 transgenic mice demonstrated that miR-145 overexpression had global effects on the lung with an increase in immune cells and evidence of leukocyte extravasation associated with vascular inflammation. Conclusions These data provide novel findings that demonstrate a pathological role for miR-145 in the cardiopulmonary system that extends beyond its normal function in governing smooth muscle differentiation.
A sensitive, simple, and low-cost method for COVID-19 wastewater surveillance at an institutional level.

SARS-CoV-2 is a respiratory virus, but it is also detected in a significant proportion of fecal samples from COVID-19 cases. Recent studies have shown that wastewater surveillance can be a low-cost tool compared to massive diagnostic testing for tracking COVID-19 outbreaks in communities, but most studies have focused on sampling from wastewater treatment plants. Institutional level wastewater surveillance may serve well for early warning purposes because specific geographic areas/populations with emerging cases can be tracked and immediate action can be executed in the event of a positive wastewater signal. In this study, a novel Moore swab method was developed and used for wastewater surveillance of COVID-19 at an institutional level. Of the 442 swab samples tested, 148 (33.5%) swabs collected from the three campuses and two buildings were positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Further study of the quarantine building with a known number of cases indicated that this method was sensitive enough to detect few cases in the building. In addition, comparison between grab samples and Moore swab samples from the hospital sewage line indicated that Moore swabs were more sensitive than grab samples and offer a simple, inexpensive method for obtaining a composite sample of virus in wastewater over a 24-48 h period. These results suggest that collection and analyses of Moore swabs for SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection is a sensitive, low-cost, and easy to use tool for COVID-19 surveillance that is useful for institutional settings and could be deployed in low-resource settings to identify emerging COVID-19 clusters in communities.
Critical Consciousness Development and Political Participation among Marginalized Youth.

Given associations between critical consciousness and positive developmental outcomes, and given racial, socioeconomic, and generational disparities in political participation, this article examined contextual antecedents of critical consciousness (composed of sociopolitical control and social action) and its consequences for 665 marginalized youth’s (ages 15–25) voting behavior. A multiple indicator and multiple causes (MIMIC) model examined racial, ethnic, and age differences in the measurement and means of latent constructs. The structural model suggested that parental and peer sociopolitical support predicts sociopolitical control and social action, which in turn predicts voting behavior, while controlling for civic and political knowledge, race/ethnicity, and age. This illuminates how micro-level actors foster critical consciousness and how the perceived capacity to effect social change and social action participation may redress voting disparities.
Non-Fc-Mediated Mechanisms Are Involved in Clearance of Amyloid-β In Vivo by Immunotherapy

Transgenic (Tg) mouse models overexpressing amyloid precursor protein (APP) develop senile plaques similar to those found in Alzheimer's disease in an age-dependent manner. Recent reports demonstrated that immunotherapy is effective at preventing or removing amyloid-beta deposits in the mouse models. To characterize the mechanisms involved in clearance, we used antibodies of either IgG1 (10d5) or IgG2b (3d6) applied directly to the brains of 18-month-old Tg2576 or 20-month-old PDAPP mice. Both 10d5 and 3d6 led to clearance of 50% of diffuse amyloid deposits in both animal models within 3 d. Fc receptor-mediated clearance has been shown to be important in an ex vivo assay showing antibody-mediated clearance of plaques by microglia. We now show, using in vivo multiphoton microscopy, that FITC-labeled F(ab')2 fragments of 3d6 (which lack the Fc region of the antibody) also led to clearance of 45% of the deposits within 3 d, similar to the results obtained with full-length 3d6 antibody. This result suggests that direct disruption of plaques, in addition to Fc-dependent phagocytosis, is involved in the antibody-mediated clearance of amyloid-beta deposits in vivo. Dense-core deposits that were not cleared were reduced in size by approximately 30% with full-length antibodies and F(ab')2 fragments 3 d after a topical treatment. Together, these results indicate that clearance of amyloid deposits in vivo may involve, in addition to Fc-dependent clearance, a non-Fc-mediated disruption of plaque structure.
Consumer electronics for engineers

This book explains clearly the operating principles of 'real world' electronic devices, including video recorders, compact disk players, and mobile phones. Each chapter begins with a brief historical overview of the device concerned. The author then describes the key principles of each device's operation and presents a block circuit diagram. Next he analyzes these 'real world' circuits in detail, and, finally, he discusses the present state-of-the-art. This approach will help to integrate the many different aspects of an electrical engineer's course work, from physical optics to digital signal processing, as never before. Very accessible and containing over 350 illustrations and many exercises, this book will be an ideal textbook for undergraduate students of electrical engineering, and will also appeal to practising engineers.
Exploring the Motives, Perceptions and Constructed Identities of the Facilitators for One Regional Council of a Positive Youth Development Program: Girls on the Run

vii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1 Overview 1 Positive Youth Development through Sport 1 Girls on the Run 2 Objectives 3 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 4 Child and Adolescent Development 4 The Ever Evolving “Girlhood” 10 Mentor-ism: The Non-Parent Adult and the Perfect Person for the Job 15 Positive Youth Development through Physical Activity: The Safe “Space” Between 19 Conclusion to Literature Review 21 CHAPTER THREE: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 23 A Synthesis: The Ecological Paradigm & the Social Network Paradigm 23 Volunteerism 25 Self-Determination Theory 26 Theory of Power and Gender 28
The Lysozyme of Bacteriophage λ II. AMINO ACID AND END GROUP ANALYSIS

Abstract The frequencies of the amino acid residues in λ-lysozyme have been determined. A molecular weight of 17.9 x 103 was computed from these frequencies, in agreement with the value determined previously from the sedimentation behavior of this enzyme. Analyses of the amino-terminal residues by the cyanate method and of the carboxyl-terminal residues by hydrazinolysis and by exposure to carboxypeptidase A indicate that λ-lysozyme consists of a single polypeptide chain containing 159 residues bounded by methionine at the amino terminus and valine at the carboxyl terminus. It contains no disulfide bonds. The λ-lysozyme exhibits similarities with the lysozymes of coliphages T2 and T4 in regard to total number of residues, their distribution among different groups of amino acids, the lack of disulfide bonds, and the nature of the amino terminus. In addition, a weak immunochemical cross-reaction between the λ- and T4-lysozymes was shown.
Cell Cycle-Specific Incorporation of Lipoprotein into the Outer Membrane of Escherichia coli

A cell cycle-specific incorporation of free lipoprotein into the outer membrane of Escherichia coli was observed, with a maximal rate of incorporation occuring at the time of septation.
Cytologic features of stratified mucin producing intraepithelial lesion of the cervix—A case report

Stratified mucin-producing intraepithelial lesion (SMILE) of the cervix is a human papilloma virus (HPV) associated high grade intraepithelial columnar cell neoplasm that is thought to arise from the reserve cells of the transformation zone. It is composed of immature stratified cells that display intracytoplasmic mucin and is commonly associated with high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL), adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS), and invasive carcinoma. Here, we describe the cytologic features of SMILE and discuss its pitfalls in cervical cytology. A 51-year-old woman was diagnosed with SMILE on a cervical biopsy. Histologically, the dysplastic epithelium showed enlarged nuclei with increased nuclear density and presence of mucin-producing columnar cells throughout its thickness. The slides from the last two Pap tests (ThinPrep) performed on the patient were reviewed and compared with the histology. Cytologically, groups of atypical endocervical glandular cells were seen on both Pap tests. These groups showed mild nuclear crowding, slightly enlarged nuclei, nuclear hyperchromasia, and indistinct nucleoli. The borders of these cell groups were relatively smooth. Original cytologic diagnosis was atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US) in both instances. HPV (Hybrid Capture 2) testing was positive on both occasions. Similar to the histology, cytologic features of SMILE are subtle. The features are not typical for AIS or for HSIL and could easily be misinterpreted as reactive. This report emphasizes that careful review of crowded groups of glandular cells in HPV positive women is absolutely critical. Based on our knowledge, this is the first description of the cytologic features of these lesions. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2014;42:792–797. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Do student evaluations influence the teaching skills of clerkship clinical faculty

Web-based student evaluations of clinical faculty were collected over an 8-year period. There were 19,881 medical student evaluations over the 8-year period for all clinical clerkships, representing a total of 952 faculty. Students used a 5-point Likert scale to rate the teaching effectiveness of faculty. Criterion-based methods and standard deviation option methods were used to group faculty as “optimal” and “sub-optimal” teachers. In more than one year, 794 faculty were evaluated allowing analysis of trends in student evaluations of their teaching skills. In contrast to clinical faculty who received optimal ratings for their teaching skills, those faculty who received sub-optimal student ratings tended not to improve their teaching skills.
ATTRACTIVENESS AND ITS EFFECT ON MEDICAL STUDENTS' RANK ORDER FOR SEEING PATIENTS

Summary.-The attitudes of first- and second-year medical students toward reporrs and photographs of attractive and unattractive patients were examined. Medical students were given 8 hypothetical repom of illness by college students, with accompanying photographic identification cards. The photographs varied in attractiveness, as rated by an independent group of adult judges. Medical students had to rank the eight reports of illness in the order in which they would see the patients in a student health clinic. The results suggested that the patients' attractiveness had no significant effect on medical students' order for seeing patients. Factors contributing to these findings were discussed. There have been numerous investigations during the past decade on the impact of physical attractiveness on interpersonal behavior. The findings have almost unanimousiy supported the notion that children, adolescents, and adults tend to expect more positive and socially desirable behavior from attractive individuals and expect more negative and socially undesirable behavior from unattractive individuals. This bias against unattractive individuals wen carries over into the attitudes of health professionals. In the area of mental health (Cash, Keh, Polyson, & Freeman, 1977; Jones, Hansson, & Phillips, 1978; Shapiro, Struening, Shapiro, & Barten, 1976) there is dear evidence that unattractive patients have less favorable prognoses and are viewed as having more severe forms of disturbance than are attractive patients. In terms of the diagnosis of disease, there is evidence that unattractive patients are more likely to be diagnosed for a particular disease than aie attractive patients (Hansson & Duffield, 1976). Also, more positive personality traits are assigned to attractive patients than to unattractive patiencs by health professionals (Nordholm, 1980). In summary, the effects of physical attractiveness permeate the health care setting and are worthy of further study. In the present investigation, the extent to which physical appearance factors affect the medical treatment decision-making process was examined. Specifically, the study sought to determine the degree to which medical students respond to patients of varying attractiveness in terms of the order in which they decide to see patients. It was predicted that medical students would choose to see attractive patients earlier than unattractive patients, regardless of the seriousness of the patients' illnesses.
Alcohol Use Disorders: Translational Utility of DSM-IV Liabilities to the DSM-5 System.

OBJECTIVES: Young adults have some of the highest rates of problem drinking and alcohol use disorders (AUDs) relative to any other age. However, recent evidence suggests that the DSM-IV hierarchical classification system of AUDs does not validly represent symptoms in the population; instead, it evinces a unitary, dimensional classification scheme. The DSM-5 has been altered to fit this changing, evidence-based conceptualization. Nevertheless, little is understood about the degree to which known risk factors for DSM-IV AUD diagnoses will transfer to the new DSM-5 guidelines in this group of high-risk drinkers. The current study built a coherent model of liabilities for DSM-IV AUDs in young adults and tested for transferability to DSM-5. METHODS: N = 496 college students (51.10% male) were assessed on a variety of factors related to AUD risk, including demographics, substance use (past 90-days), and drinking motives. Liability models were created using all variables in Structural Equation Modeling to test direct and indirect effects on DSM diagnostic status. The best model under the DSM-IV was chosen based on fit and parsimony. This model was then applied to the DSM-5 system to test for transferability. RESULTS: The best the fitting model for DSM-IV included direct influences of drug use, quantity-frequency of alcohol consumption, and social and coping drinking motives. Improved model fit was found when the DSM-5 system was the outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge of risk factors for AUDs appear to transfer well to the new diagnostic system. Language: en
Development and Evaluation of a Chase View for UAV Operations in Cluttered Environments

Civilian applications for UAVs will bring these vehicles into low flying areas cluttered with obstacles such as building, trees, power lines, and more importantly civilians. The high accident rate of UAVs means that civilian use will come at a huge risk unless we design systems and protocols that can prevent UAV accidents, better train operators and augment pilot performance. This paper presents two methods for generating a chase view to the pilot for UAV operations in cluttered environments. The chase view gives the operator a virtual view from behind the UAV during flight. This is done by generating a virtual representation of the vehicle and surrounding environment while integrating it with the real-time onboard camera images. Method I presents a real-time mapping approach toward generating the surrounding environment and Method II uses a prior model of the operating environment. Experimental results are presented from tests where subjects flew in a H0 scale environment using a 6 DOF gantry system. Results showed that the chase view improved UAV operator performance over using the traditional onboard camera view.
An illuminated perimeter with campimeter features

After discussion of the conditions to be met in designing an accurate and serviceable instrument both as to illumination, background, steadiness of eye and fixation, the instrument worked out is here described and illustrated.
First-principles simulations of dissociated and molecular H 2 adsorption on Pd 4 -cluster-functionalized carbon nanotubes

First-principles simulations were performed to study the effect of hydrogen dissociation on the transport properties of ${\mathrm{Pd}}_{4}$-cluster-functionalized carbon nanotubes. The band structure analysis indicates that within the diffusive region, hydrogen dissociation enhances the conductivity of ${\mathrm{Pd}}_{4}$-cluster-functionalized CNTs, especially at high-coverage. In the high-coverage case, the Pd-cluster-functionalized CNT changes from a semiconductor to a conductor because of a major structural change. At medium and low coverages, the increase of conductivity is due to the reduced localization of electrons. The conductance change suggests that the system may serve as a hydrogen sensor.
Network topology and Turing instabilities in small arrays of diffusively coupled reactors

Abstract We study the effect of the network structure on the diffusion-induced instability to nonuniform steady states in arrays of diffusively coupled reactors. The kinetics is given by the Lengyel–Epstein model, and we derive the conditions for Turing instabilities in all arrays of two, three, and four reactors.
HALL: A hierarchical all-to-all optical interconnect architecture

We propose a hierarchical all-to-all optical interconnection architecture that implements packet switching by tightly coupling optical and electrical switches. Single diameter interconnection scales beyond 500,000 nodes, and nearly 100% normalized throughput can be achieved.
The biosynthesis of quadrone and terrecyclic acid

Abstract Feedings of [1- 13 C]- and [1,2- 13 C 2 ]acetate Aspergillus terreus gave quadrone and terrecyclic acid which were analyzed by 13 C NMR. The pattern of 13 C-enrichments and couplings is consistent with the formation of 1 and 2 by cyclization of farnesyl pyrophosphate.
Role of fascin in filopodial protrusion

In this study, the mechanisms of actin-bundling in filopodia were examined. Analysis of cellular localization of known actin cross-linking proteins in mouse melanoma B16F1 cells revealed that fascin was specifically localized along the entire length of all filopodia, whereas other actin cross-linkers were not. RNA interference of fascin reduced the number of filopodia, and remaining filopodia had abnormal morphology with wavy and loosely bundled actin organization. Dephosphorylation of serine 39 likely determined cellular filopodia frequency. The constitutively active fascin mutant S39A increased the number and length of filopodia, whereas the inactive fascin mutant S39E reduced filopodia frequency. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching of GFP-tagged wild-type and S39A fascin showed that dephosphorylated fascin underwent rapid cycles of association to and dissociation from actin filaments in filopodia, with t 1/2 < 10 s. We propose that fascin is a key specific actin cross-linker, providing stiffness for filopodial bundles, and that its dynamic behavior allows for efficient coordination between elongation and bundling of filopodial actin filaments.
Iron amendments to reduce bioaccessible arsenic

Abstract Former sugarcane lands on the Island of Hawaii have elevated levels of soil arsenic (As) from historical use of arsenical pesticides. The bioaccessible fraction of total As (As TOT ), a measure of the potential for human As uptake by incidental ingestion of soil, is used in the assessment of human health risk and the determination of the need for remedial action. Ferric chloride plus lime and ferrous sulfate plus lime were applied to As-contaminated soils in a field plot setting to determine the potential for reducing in vitro bioaccessible As (As IVBA ) by increasing As sequestration by the formation of additional iron (Fe) oxyhydroxides. The two Fe sources performed similarly in reducing As IVBA over a 2-year observation period, with 30–41% reduction in As IVBA for 0.25 wt% Fe dosing (dry soil basis) and 59–63% reduction for 0.5 wt% Fe dosing. Addition of phosphate (PO 4 ) to treated and untreated soils caused a significant increase in As IVBA . Iron-treated and control soils showed more than twice the As IVBA after the addition of 1500 mg P kg −1 . The cost of in situ treatment of As-contaminated soil with ferrous sulfate plus lime to lower As IVBA was estimated to be an order of magnitude less than excavation and landfill disposal on the Island of Hawaii, making the technology a viable alternative when remedial action objectives were based on As IVBA levels.
Lipids, risk factors and ischaemic heart disease

Over 200 risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) have now been identified. Among these, the three most important are (1) abnormal lipids, including the fact that there are more than 15 types of cholesterol-containing lipoproteins and four different types of triglyceride-rich particles, some of which are very atherogenic, (2) high blood pressure, and (3) cigarette smoking. In addition, many other factors including diabetes, haemostatic factors such as fibrinogen, factor VII, plasminogen activator inhibitors, and new factors such as apolipoprotein E4 and homocysteine, are known to increase the risk of developing clinical CVD. A low risk for CVD requires that these various factors are present in the circulation in the correct proportions. Two simple tests for determining plasma lipid levels can be used to identify those individuals with an atherogenic lipid profile and who are, therefore, at increased risk for CVD. Firstly, the ratio of total cholesterol to high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL cholesterol) should be determined, followed by measurement of plasma triglyceride concentrations. This will allow differentiation of whether the low density lipoproteins (LDL), HDL cholesterol or triglyceride-rich particles such as the small dense β-very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) are the major cause for concern. Once identified, those individuals with a high lipid risk profile should be treated before, rather than after, experiencing coronary heart disease (CHD).
Studies of two crystal forms of L-glutaminase-asparaginase from Acinetobacter glutaminasificans.

Two crystal forms of l -glutaminase-asparaginase from Acinetobacter glutaminasificans have been grown by vapor diffusion of 40% 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol into protein solution and were studied by X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy. Form I crystals belong to the hexagonal space group P 6 2 , a = b = 145·0 A, c = 63·5 A. Crystals of form II belong to the orthorhombic space group C 222 1 , a = 149·7 A, b = 70·5 A, c = 132·8 A. In both crystal forms, each asymmetric unit contains one half of the tetramer. The X-ray diffraction pattern can be measured to at least 3 A resolution and the crystals are suitable for medium resolution structure determination. Packing of molecules in form I crystals has been determined on the basis of constraints required by the space group symmetry and by visual inspection of electron micrographs. The molecules pack in spirals along the screw axis extending in the c direction of the crystal. These spirals of molecules are separated by solvent channels of about 70 A in diameter, which also extend along the same axis.
A caregiver's quandary: how am I to evaluate and respond to the other's suffering?

When is it appropriate and when is it not appropriate for caregivers to intervene to ease the suffering of others? Suffering is not desirable in itself, but only as a means to some end. If the end (for example, spiritual growth or personal autonomy) is more desirable than the suffering associated with the means (for example, suffering arising from chronic physical pain) is undesirable, then intervention may not be appropriate. As a general rule, the person best located to make such an evaluation of means and ends is the suffering person. There are some exceptions to this rule. Sometimes someone other than the suffering person (for example, a caregiver) may be better located to decide that the suffering should not be ameliorated. However, in making such a decision, careful communication between caregivers and care recipients is necessary to avoid imposing one person's values and beliefs on another.
Bounded rationality and search over small-world models

Abstract The ideal Bayesian agent reasons from a global probability model. Real agents must use simplified models which they know to be adequate only in restricted circumtances. Very little formal theory has been developed to help fallibly rational agents manage the process of constructing and revising small world models. The goal of this paper is to present a theoretical framework for analyzing model management approaches and to illustrate the approach by analyzing a particular class of model management strategies. For a probability forecasting problem, a search process over small-world models is analyzed as an approximation to a larger-world model which the agent cannot explicitly enumerate or compute. Conditions are given under which the sequence of small-world forecasts converges to those produced by the larger-world model.
CONFRONTING THE PROBLEM OF POOR LITERACY: RECOGNITION AND ACTION

One day an elephant mysteriously appeared in a family's living room. Because the elephant was larger than the doors or windows, it seemed impossible to move it. The family, after several unsuccessful attempts to remove the animal, decided they could live with it in the room and proceeded to ignore the elephant's presence. To them the elephant soon became invisible. Some time later a friend came to visit and upon seeing the elephant asked “Why is that in the living room?” Others came and when they saw it they also exclaimed, “What is an elephant doing in your living room?” The family was forced by others to acknowledge that there was, in fact, an elephant in their house and set about finding a way to remove it—a fable.
Reproductive strategy and carry-over effects for species with complex life histories

We investigated the influences of natal-pool and metamorph characteristics on juvenile survival, age-specific breeding probabilities, and dispersal of wood frogs (Lithobates sylvatica) and used this information to infer how life history strategies of short-lived species may offset risks associated with breeding in highly variable habitats. We used multistate mark-recapture data from eight wood frog populations in Maryland, USA, to investigate the influences of natal-pond and metamorph characteristics on post-metamorphic demographics. We found that post-metamorphic juvenile survival was highly variable and negatively influenced by abiotic conditions experienced during development but showed little relationship to larval density or size at metamorphosis. Estimates of recruitment and dispersal probabilities indicated that males mature earlier than females, and a small percentage of each sex disperse to non-natal pools. Survival probabilities for adults during the non-breeding season were less variable than juvenile rates, lower for females, and negatively related to mean monthly precipitation. Survival of adults during the breeding season was generally very high. We provide the first robust estimates of post-metamorphic vital rates of wood frogs that allow for variation in capture probabilities. We found little evidence for an effect of metamorph traits on juvenile survival, suggesting that wood frogs may be able to overcome initial disadvantages to have similar post-metamorphic performance. Our study suggests that variation in the age of maturity for wood frogs may mitigate risks associated with breeding in a highly variable habitat to maximize lifetime fitness without increasing lifespan, and this strategy is minimally affected by carry-over effects from the larval stage.
K-shell ionization of atoms by electron impact

Abstract The Jain-Khare formula, with continuum oscillator strengths of the hydrogen atom as the input data, has been employed to calculate the K-shell ionization cross sections of atoms by electron impact over a wide energy range. Good agreement between the theory and experiments has been obtained.
Embolization of paraspinal masses

Arterial embolization is a method of palliative therapy for both primary and metastatic tumors. This treatment is frequently used in the liver and kidney, but has not been previously extended to paraspinal masses. Five patients with recurrent renal cell carcinoma or neurofibrosarcoma underwent palliative embolization for pain or mass effect. All had relief of pain after embolization. Four patients showed change in the mass on follow-up computed tomography scan with one demonstrating tumor shrinkage. Arterial embolization can be an effective method for palliation of pain and mass effect caused by paraspinal masses.
Functional Implications of Ubiquitous Semicircular Canal Non-Orthogonality in Mammals

The ‘canonical model’ of semicircular canal orientation in mammals assumes that 1) the three ipsilateral canals of an inner ear exist in orthogonal planes (i.e., orthogonality), 2) corresponding left and right canal pairs have equivalent angles (i.e., angle symmetry), and 3) contralateral synergistic canals occupy parallel planes (i.e., coplanarity). However, descriptions of vestibular anatomy that quantify semicircular canal orientation in single species often diverge substantially from this model. Data for primates further suggest that semicircular canal orthogonality varies predictably with the angular head velocities encountered in locomotion. These observations raise the possibility that orthogonality, symmetry, and coplanarity are misleading descriptors of semicircular canal orientation in mammals, and that deviations from these norms could have significant functional consequences. Here we critically assess the canonical model of semicircular canal orientation using high-resolution X-ray computed tomography scans of 39 mammal species. We find that substantial deviations from orthogonality, angle symmetry, and coplanarity are the rule for the mammals in our comparative sample. Furthermore, the degree to which the semicircular canals of a given species deviate from orthogonality is negatively correlated with estimated vestibular sensitivity. We conclude that the available comparative morphometric data do not support the canonical model and that its overemphasis as a heuristic generalization obscures a large amount of functionally relevant variation in semicircular canal orientation between species.
The Ecological Crisis in Central America: The Need for New Productive Forces

Daniel Faber's Environment Under Fire is the product of substantial research and analysis on how the market economy and the imperialist forces of production created the ecological crisis in Central America. Faber's Marxist ecological view underlines the need for new and independent productive forces to stop the destruction of the environment. The book shows how political and economic contradictions have contributed to the exploitation of the peasantry and the working class and the degradation of the environment. Central America has often been described as a potential paradise. Its 193,050 square miles of tropical forest, plateaus, valleys, lakes, and high volcanoes provide the Central American isthmus with soil considered among the most fertile on earth, and its location between the Pacific and the Caribbean has long fired the imaginations of powerful nations with the idea of an interoceanic route. Central America has been considered a region in which people could easily satisfy their needs and still generate a surplus for export. In spite of this, it has become one of the most underdeveloped areas of the world. How can this be explained? The causes of Central America's underdevelopment are much more complex than any single analysis can suggest. No matter how the peoples of Central America have tried to improve the quality of their lives, the systematic penetration of aggressive foreign capital in concert with the interests of the national ruling classes has been the greatest obstacle to social transformation. Environment Under Fire examines the ecological transformations that Central America has experienced since colonial times, beginning with the violent attack on the region's environment by the Spaniards. The first chapter provides a historical analysis based on the legacy of ecological imperialism that identifies three interrelated dimensions of the colonization of nature. The appropriation of the means of production and the extraction of natural and cultural resources represented a first level of transformation experienced by the indigenous people. Equally important was the use of power to subjugate and exploit the native population. Faber illustrates here with examples of how the destruction of disruption of traditional agricultural practices took place.
Repair worlds: maintenance, repair, and ICT for development in rural Namibia

This paper explores the nature and centrality of maintenance and repair ('M&R') work in the extension and sustainability of ICT infrastructure in the global South. Drawing from pragmatist traditions in CSCW and the social sciences at large, we develop a concept of 'repair worlds' intended to map the varieties and effects of such maintenance and repair activities. Empirically, our analysis builds on ethnographic fieldwork into local practices of maintenance and repair that have accompanied and supported the extension of mobile phone and computing infrastructure in the Kavango region of northeastern Namibia.
Inhibition and acceleration of deuterium exchange in amide-functionalized monolayer-protected gold clusters

Hydrogen/deuterium exchange rates in amide-functionalized monolayer protected gold clusters (MPCs) are controlled by the radial nature of the surface, with inhibition and catalysis observed at different chain lengths.
Cotton prices in the U.S.A. the 5.9‐year cycle

Abstract Cotton prices in the United States are available by crop years from 1731–32. These prices have fluctuated, over the entire time span covered by the investigation, in rhythmic cycles; the average period of one of these is 5.9 yrs. The 5.9‐yr cycle in this series of figures has high statistical significance. Other significant cycles are also present in this series. Buying and selling on the basis of this 5.9‐yr cycle would have been profitable. Cycles with periods of 5.9 yrs are well‐established in many natural and social science phenomena. Phases of all 5.9‐yr cycles, regardless of discipline, tend to cluster. The detailed characteristics of the 5.9‐yr cycle in the Cotton Price Index are as follow: Span of Time: 234 yrs (nearly 40 repetitions); Period: Mean period: 5.9 yrs; Phase: An idealized crest comes currently at 1970.9; Wave Form: On the average, the waves are triangular in shape, and symmetrical around both X and Y axes; Strength: On the average, the amplitude of the cycle is 7.8% of trend ...
Unfolding the Bridge between Transcription and Translation

Transcription antiterminator RfaH alternates between closed (inactive) and open (activated) conformation. In this issue of Cell , Burmann et al. show that opening is accompanied by dramatic all-α to all-β refolding of its C-terminal domain. Each of the folds has a distinct function: all-α-fold acts as a specificity determinant, directing RfaH to a small subset of operons, whereas the all-β-fold recruits ribosome, thereby coupling RfaH-stimulated transcription to translation.