cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Impact of a Daily Yoga Program for Women with Fibromyalgia.

Background: Fibromyalgia (FM) is characterized by widespread pain, sleep disturbance, negative affect, and stress and is notably difficult to treat. Individuals with FM have lower physical activity and endorse fears that exercise may worsen pain. Gentle daily yoga practice may allow a gradual increase in activity and positively impact many of these FM symptoms. This qualitative study investigated the impact of participation in a pilot trial of group and daily individual home yoga intervention on women with FM. Materials and Methods: Fifteen individuals participated in telephone interviews after participating in the yoga intervention, which included semi-structured questions to elicit insights and impressions of their experience. Responses were systematically coded and themes identified. Results: Five themes were identified: (1) physical/body perceptual changes, (2) practices affecting pain, (3) emotional changes, (4) practice motivators and barriers, and (5) group effect. Participants not only reported reductions in FM symptoms, including pain and stress, but also a positive impact on mood, sleep, and self-confidence. Conclusions: Participants enumerated both physical and psychological impact of starting yoga practice. Specific helpful poses and practices and important barriers were identified. Group practice and social connection with others with other FM patients was an important benefit to participants.
Masculinidad femenina en Sandra, secreto amor (2001) de Reyna Barrera y «¡Pantera! ¡Pantera!» (2010) de Elena Madrigal

espanolEste trabajo se enfoca en la novela de Reyna Barrera Sandra, secreto amor (2001) y el cuento «iPantera! iPantera!», de la coleccion Contarte en lesbico (2010) de Elena Madrigal. Analizo la forma en que la masculinidad femenina en ambas obras puede servir para crear masculinidades propias que socavan las ideas normativas sobre genero y sexualidad en la sociedad mexicana. Mi argumento se basa en la idea de Adrienne Rich sobre el «continuo lesbico» para, asi, pensar no solo en la sexualidad sino tambien en el genero como parte de un continuo y no como algo binario y estatico. EnglishMy work focuses on Reyna Barrera’s novel Sandra, secreto amor (2001), and Elena Madrigal’s short story «iPantera! iPantera!» from the collection Contarte en lesbico (2010). I analyze how female masculinity can serve to create dissident masculinities that undermine normative ideas regarding sexuality and gender in Mexican society. My argument is based on Adrienne Rich’s idea of the lesbian continuum in order to think, not only about sexuality, but also about gender as a spectrum and not as something static.
Best practices for data visualization: creating and evaluating a report for an evidence-based fall prevention program.

This case report applied principles from the data visualization (DV) literature and feedback from nurses to develop an effective report to display adherence with an evidence-based fall prevention program. We tested the usability of the original and revised reports using a Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale (Health-ITUES) customized for this project. Items were rated on a 5-point Likert scale, strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5). The literature emphasized that the ideal display maximizes the information communicated, minimizes the cognitive efforts involved with interpretation, and selects the correct type of display (eg, bar versus line graph). Semi-structured nurse interviews emphasized the value of simplified reports and meaningful data. The mean (standard deviation [SD]) Health-ITUES score for the original report was 3.86 (0.19) and increased to 4.29 (0.11) in the revised report (Mann Whitney U Test, z = -12.25, P < 0.001). Lessons learned from this study can inform report development for clinicians in implementation science.
Neuromorphic Hardware Accelerator for SNN Inference based on STT-RAM Crossbar Arrays

In this paper, we propose a Spin Transfer Torque RAM (STT-RAM) based neurosynaptic core to implement a hardware accelerator for Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs), which mimic the time-based signal encoding and processing mechanisms of the human brain. The computational core consists of a crossbar array of non-volatile STT-RAMs, read/write peripheral circuits, and digital logic for the spiking neurons. Inter-core communication is realized through on-chip routing network by sending/receiving spike packets. Unlike prior works that use multi-level states of non-volatile memory (NVM) devices for the synaptic weights, we use the technologically-mature STT-RAM devices for binary data storage. The design studies are conducted using a compact model for STT-RAM devices, tuned to capture the state-of-the-art experimental results. Our design avoids the need for expensive ADCs and DACs, enabling instantiation of large NVM arrays for our core. We show that the STT-RAM based neurosynaptic core designed in 28 nm technology node has approximately 6× higher throughput per unit Watt and unit area than an equivalent SRAM based design. Our design also achieves ∼ 2× higher performance per Watt compared to other memristive neural network accelerator designs in the literature.
Patient-Guided Breast Reconstruction Education.

Background Breast reconstructive surgeons must discuss large amounts of information in an expedient manner to a growing group of women. Our aim is to identify the breast reconstruction resources women prefer and how they desire information to be conveyed in order to develop patient-guided reconstruction education. Methods A preoperative and postoperative breast reconstruction survey was given to women planning to undergo breast reconstruction or who have already undergone reconstruction. The surveys asked women to rank educational resources utilized. Questions on the timing of information gathering, desired educational content, and wish to speak with other breast reconstruction women were included. Results One hundred and fifty consecutive women were enrolled in the study, 50 in the preoperative group and 100 in the postoperative group. Preoperatively, women wish to utilize their surgeon more than any other resource, and the postoperative survey identified that patients utilize their surgeon even more than expected (p < 0.05). Internet and pamphlets were utilized second and third most frequently. Women desired an interactive compact disc significantly more than this resource is currently being utilized (p < 0.05). There was a strong desire to speak to women who had undergone the process. Sixty-six per cent of women indicated they would attend two or more meetings to learn about breast reconstruction. Conclusion The reconstructive surgeon remains the most important educational resource for their patients. Providing consultation over more than one meeting, adding uncommonly discussed content (specifics on postoperative care, body image changes and expectations) to the consultation, and connecting reconstruction patients may improve preoperative consultations and satisfaction with the process of breast reconstruction.
β-Catenin Regulates Wound Healing and IL-6 Expression in Activated Human Astrocytes

Reactive astrogliosis is prominent in most neurodegenerative disorders and is often associated with neuroinflammation. The molecular mechanisms regulating astrocyte-linked neuropathogenesis during injury, aging and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) are not fully understood. In this study, we investigated the implications of the wingless type (Wnt)/β-catenin signaling pathway in regulating astrocyte function during gliosis. First, we identified that HIV-associated inflammatory cytokines, interleukin (IL)-1β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α induced mediators of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway including β-catenin and lymphoid enhancer-binding factor (LEF)-1 expression in astrocytes. Next, we investigated the regulatory role of β-catenin on primary aspects of reactive astrogliosis, including proliferation, migration and proinflammatory responses, such as IL-6. Knockdown of β-catenin impaired astrocyte proliferation and migration as shown by reduced cyclin-D1 levels, bromodeoxyuridine incorporation and wound healing. HIV-associated cytokines, IL-1β alone and in combination with TNF-α, strongly induced the expression of proinflammatory cytokines including C-C motif chemokine ligand (CCL)2, C-X-C motif chemokine ligand (CXCL)8 and IL-6; however, only IL-6 levels were regulated by β-catenin as demonstrated by knockdown and pharmacological stabilization. In this context, IL-6 levels were negatively regulated by β-catenin. To better understand this relationship, we examined the crossroads between β-catenin and nuclear factor (NF)-κB pathways. While NF-κB expression was significantly increased by IL-1β and TNF-α, NF-κB levels were not affected by β-catenin knockdown. IL-1β treatment significantly increased glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β phosphorylation, which inhibits β-catenin degradation. Further, pharmacological inhibition of GSK-3β increased nuclear translocation of both β-catenin and NF-κB p65 into the nucleus in the absence of any other inflammatory stimuli. HIV+ human astrocytes show increased IL-6, β-catenin and NF-κB expression levels and are interconnected by regulatory associations during HAND. In summary, our study demonstrates that HIV-associated inflammation increases β-catenin pathway mediators to augment activated astrocyte responses including migration and proliferation, while mitigating IL-6 expression. These findings suggest that β-catenin plays an anti-inflammatory role in activated human astrocytes during neuroinflammatory pathologies, such as HAND.
Fault Current Bypass-Based LVDC Solid-State Circuit Breakers

This letter presents a new low-voltage direct-current fault current bypass-based solid-state circuit breaker (SSCB) using silicon-carbide mosfet s. The proposed SSCB provides the possibility to select the clamping voltage of metal–oxide varistors (MOVs) close to the nominal voltage of the dc system. This reduces voltage overshoots across the main switch and snubber components and extends the maximum allowable dc bus voltage on the SSCB. The MOVs are removed from the power line, and their leakage currents are completely eliminated. The clamping voltage of the MOV and its surge energy rating is considered to optimize the MOV. The dv/dt across the main switchis controlled by an auxiliary capacitor, where a design procedure is presented to optimize its value. Also, the stored inductive energy of the line inductor in dc systems is bypassed using an auxiliary branch and prevented from flowing through the faulty section to enhance the safety. LTspice simulations are presented to show the significance of the proposed SSCB. The experiments of 375 V/170 A/2.4 μs and 600 V/163 A/2.4 μs verify the effectiveness of the proposed design in practice.
Enhanced Recovery of Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) from Impacted Soils Using Heat Activated Persulfate

Varying transport potential of cationic, zwitterionic, and anionic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) may pose challenges for remediation of aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) impacted sites, particularly during groundwater extraction. Slow desorption of stronger sorbing, zwitterionic, and cationic PFASs may cause extended remediation times and rebound in aqueous PFAS concentrations. Persulfate oxidation has the potential to convert a complex mixture of PFASs into a simpler and more recoverable mixture of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs). AFFF-impacted soils were treated with heat-activated persulfate in batch reactors and subjected to 7-day leaching experiments. Soil and water were analyzed using a combination of targeted and high resolution liquid chromatography mass spectrometry techniques as well as the total oxidizable precursors assay. Following oxidation, total PFAS composition showed the expected shift to a higher fraction of PFAAs, and this led to higher total PFAS leaching in pretreated reactors (108-110%) vs control reactors (62-90%). In both pretreated and control soils, precursors that remained following leaching experiments were 61-100% cationic and zwitterionic. Results suggest that persulfate pretreatment of soils has promise as an enhanced recovery technique for remediation of total PFASs in impacted soils. They also demonstrate that PFAS distribution may have been altered at sites where in situ chemical oxidation was applied to treat co-occurring contaminants of concern.
Commentary on drivers of distress and well-being amongst pediatric surgeons.

Abstract This is a commentary on the manuscript titled “Drivers of Distress and Well-Being Amongst Pediatric Surgeons” by Rialon, Mueller, Ottosen, et al.
Fit for its Ordinary Purpose: Implied Warranties and Common Law Duties for Consumer Finance Contracts

The history of consumer goods and consumer credit markets presents an anomaly: while both goods and credit transactions evolved in tandem from face to face and bespoke to standardized and widely distributed, the laws governing these markets has not. With consumer goods, the Uniform Commercial Code codified implies warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, and the common law of tort provides strict liability for defective products. With consumer finance, borrowers enjoy scant common law protection from defective financial products. This Article reconsiders the traditional, all-or-nothing choice between tort and contract law to govern injury from consumer products. It argues for a symmetric treatment of defective consumer goods and consumer financial products, one accomplished by turning to the tort-like doctrines in the common law of contract: the doctrines of unconscionability; good faith; and warranty. The terms of an adhesive financial contract should be interpreted in light of an implied warranty that the contract-as-product is as described. The defense of unconscionability should be strengthened to enable enhanced scrutiny of terms that obscure or undermine the content and nature of the contractual products. Its procedural prong should be satisfied by the adhesive nature of the terms, without additional proof of the circumstances of a consumer’s surprise about the contents of the contract. The substantive prong should be informed by implied obligations of good faith and the implication that this contract-as-product is fit for ordinary and particular purposes – that it is faithful to the underlying transaction. Any attempt by lenders to disclaim obligations of good faith implied warranties should be viewed as prima facie unconscionable. In this way, the law governing consumer-contracts-as-products would serve the same function as the product liability and warranty law that governs consumer-goods-as-products. Reconciliation of this law would ensure that financial contracts are fit for their ordinary purposes as loans.
The battle over the allocation of interstate waters: Two contending doctrines

Abstract The doctrinal basis for resolving interstate water disputes is in a confused state because of a recent Supreme Court decision which holds that market forces should determine the allocation of interstate ground waters even though the same court has consistently held that doctrine of equitable apportionment governs interstate surface waters. Although there are arguments for both approaches, the doctrine of equitable apportionment is preferable in that by allocating shares to individual states it provides stability for state and regional water planning while limiting the excesses of territorial chauvinism by requiring sharing. The market approach is a single edged sword which protects a state wanting to take water from another. Equitable apportionment, on the other hand, is a double edged sword which protects both states and allocates to each an equitable share of interstate water resources.
Activity of the nicotinamide mononucleotide transport system is regulated in Salmonella typhimurium

Transport of nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) requires two functions, NadI(T) and PnuC. The PnuC protein is membrane associated, as judged by isolation of active TnphoA gene fusions and demonstration that the fusion protein is membrane associated. The PnuC function appears to be the major component of the transport system, since mutant alleles of the pnuC gene permit NMN transport in the absence of NadI(T) function. We present evidence that the activity of the NMN transport system varies in response to internal pyridine levels (presumably NAD). This control mechanism requires NadI(T) function, which is provided by a bifunctional protein encoded by the nadI gene (called nadR by Foster and co-workers [J. W. Foster, Y. K. Park, T. Fenger, and M. P. Spector, J. Bacteriol. 172:4187-4196]). The nadI protein regulates transcription of the nadA and nadB biosynthetic genes and modulates activity of the NMN permease; both regulatory activities respond to the internal pyridine nucleotide level.
Progress in Multi-Dimensional Upwind Differencing

The state of the art in genuinely multi-dimensional upwind differencing has made dramatic advances over the past three years, owing to a shift from the finite-volume approach to the flctuation approach. The basic ingredients for multi-dimensional Euler codes, i.e. wave model, conservation principle and convection scheme, are ready for integration, and the first numerical results look good. The coming years will yield many more Euler applications in two and three dimensions, further improvements in wave models and compact convection schemes, and extension of the approach to the modeling of the Navier-Stokes equations.
High-affinity CCK receptors are coupled to phospholipase A2 pathways to mediate pancreatic amylase secretion

It is well recognized that JMV-180, a cholecystokinin (CCK) analogue, acts as an agonist on the high-affinity CCK receptor in pancreatic acinar cells. It caused Ca2+ oscillations and amylase secretion in a manner independent of the phospholipase C-inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) pathway. We investigated the mechanism by which the high-affinity CCK receptor utilizes IP3-independent Ca2+ signal transduction to mediate amylase secretion. JMV-180 (1-1,000 nM)-stimulated Ca2+ oscillations and amylase secretion were significantly inhibited by the phospholipase A2 (PLA2) inhibitor, ONO-RS-082 (10 microM). Using streptolysin O-permeabilized cells, we showed that a porcine pancreatic anti-PLA2 antibody from rabbit serum (250 ng/ml) inhibited JMV-180-stimulated amylase secretion. In contrast to CCK octapeptide, JMV-180 (1 nM-10 microM) had no effect on intracellular IP3 levels. These concentrations of JMV-180 did, however, increase intracellular levels of arachidonic acid (AA) metabolite by 2.5-fold in a biphasic manner. Application of exogenous AA (10 microM) released 60% of ATP-incorporated 45Ca2+ from permeabilized pancreatic acini within 3 min in a transient manner. We also showed that active phorbol ester (100 nM) inhibited Ca2+ oscillations and amylase secretion stimulated by JMV-180 (10 nM) or CCK-OPE (100 nM). Application of Mn2+ (2 mM) to superfused acini resulted in a rapid quench of fura 2 fluorescence during 10 nM JMV-180 stimulation, suggesting an involvement of extracellular Ca2+ influx. However, the major source of Ca2+ utilized for oscillations during high-affinity CCK receptor activation was intracellular. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that the high-affinity CCK receptors are coupled to PLA2 pathways to produce AA, which mediates cytosolic Ca2+ oscillation and monophasic amylase secretion, in rat pancreatic acinar cells.
Thermal Stresses in Functionally Graded Beams

Thermoelastic equilibrium equations for a functionally graded beam are solved in closed-form to obtain the axial stress distribution. The thermoelastic constants of the beam and the temperature were assumed to vary exponentially through the thickness. The Poisson ratio was held constant. The exponential variation of the elastic constants and the temperature allow exact solution for the plane thermoelasticity equations. A simple Euler ‐ Bernoulli-type beam theory is also developed based on the assumption that plane sections remain plane and normal to the beam axis. The stresses were calculated for cases for which the elastic constants vary in the same manner as the temperature and vice versa. The residual thermal stresses are greatly reduced, when the variation of thermoelastic constants are opposite to that of the temperature distribution. When both elastic constants and temperature increasethrough the thickness in the samedirection, they causea signie cant raise in thermal stresses. For the case of nearly uniform temperature along the length of the beam, beam theory is adequate in predicting thermal residual stresses.
Dynamic Behavior of Solid Particles Suspended by Polluted Flow in a Turbine Stage

The equations that govern the three dimensional motion of solid particles suspended by a compressible gas flow through a rotating cascade of a turbomachine are formulated. These equations are solved for the case of flow through a turbine stage. The solution takes into account the loss in particle momentum due to their collision with the turbine blades or casing. The dynamic characteristics of the solid particles; namely, their absolute trajectories, paths relative to the turbine rotor, velocity distributions, and the combined stage velocity diagrams, are calculated. The effects of changing the particles mean diameter, material density, and initial particle and gas velocities at the stator inlet on the dynamic characteristics of the solid particles are investigated. The results obtained from this study indicate the locations on the turbine blades subjected to severe erosion damage. Nomenclature a = particle absolute acceleration B = frame fixed in blades /# = angle between particle relative velocity and tangent to surface C = absolute velocity C" = absolute velocity component in the x,0 plane Cpg , = specific heat of gas at constant pressure
Optical coherent transient header/data isolation technique.

We experimentally demonstrate a novel, all-optical technique that spatially isolates two parts of a temporally encoded optical information stream from each other by means of spatial–spectral holographic technology. A brief reference pulse is applied to an inhomogeneously broadened absorber [Tm3+ :YAG (0.1 at. %) at ~ 4.4 K] in the direction opposite that of the information stream, overlapping it on a boundary between the two temporal parts to be isolated (i.e., the header and the data). Another brief reference pulse subsequently applied in the opposite (the same) direction as that of the information stream results in an emitted optical output that mimicks only the part of the information stream that follows (precedes) the first reference pulse in a time-forward (time-reversed) fashion, completely isolated from the other part.
IT project portfolio optimization: a risk management approach to software development governance

Little research has examined how to prioritize a portfolio of software projects. When project interdependencies are considered, the complexity of prioritizing even a small number of projects poses computational and evaluative challenges. We develop a prioritization approach to integrate real option analysis with a project portfolio optimization model. Our approach makes information technology (IT) portfolio risk management and valuation a meaningful tool for managers. Using real-world data, we implement the portfolio optimization model in a computationally feasible manner and demonstrate the superiority of our integrated optimization model. Our approach helps managers to make effective decisions, such as for investments in a service-oriented architecture, to enable flexible IT capabilities. When adaptability is paramount to success, managers can utilize our methods to inform themselves about the optimal timing of technology adoption decisions. Managers should recognize that IT investment decisions consist of many contingencies, so it is important to balance project-specific risks with the potential value derived across a multiperiod horizon. This permits us to make a contribution to the emerging discipline of software development governance in support of senior management decision making.
Asymmetric synthesis of (3R)-alkanoyloxytetradecanoic acids-components of bacterial lipopolysaccharides

Abstract An efficient general synthesis of (3R)-alkanoyloxytetradecanoic acids has been developed by asymmetric allylboration, acylation followed by oxidation of the homoallylic esters.
Solid-solid interface and solid solution of oxides with rock-salt structure: Lattice properties

The solid--solid metal oxide (MO) interface in the (100) orientation was modeled and its properties were investigated by molecular dynamics (MD). MD was used to model the temperature-dependent geometry in the interface region using standard interatomic potentials. The lattice structure across the MO-MO interface is found to change continually from one crystal to another, instead of an abrupt jump. The radial distribution function, average potential energy for each layer, the average interplanar spacing, and the mean-square displacement of the ions are reported. Results for (100) MgO-CoO and NiO-CoO interfaces are compared with pure-phase data; the (100) MgO-CoO interface also is compared with the MgO:CoO solid solution. A modification of the empirical pairwise potential using first-principles effective charges was found to give equally good results.
Wigner solids, classical Coulomb lattices, and invariant average potential

We show that Hall's analysis of $K$ for Wigner solids, the Ihm and Cohen analysis of the Fuchs energy $\ensuremath{\epsilon}$, some extensions of Hall's analysis, and some recent results for the classical Coulomb-lattice model provide a tight theoretical framework useful beyond the matter of Hall's conclusions about the $\ensuremath{\epsilon}$ for Wigner solids based on an incorrect relation accepted from the literature. We also comment on spherical approximations.
Raster Shaped Beam Pattern Generation for 70 nm Photomask Production

Photomask complexity is rapidly increasing as feature sizes are scaled down and as optical proximity correction (OPC) methods become widespread. The growing data content of critical mask levels requires that pattern generator solutions be adapted to maintain productivity. Raster shaped beam (RSB) technology has been developed to enable the production of 70 nm photomasks and the development of 50 nm masks. RSB is built on and extends the capability of the 50 kV MEBES platform. The beam is shaped as it is scanned, printing the mask pattern on a calibrated flash grid. Complex OPC patterns are efficiently tiled by combining a relatively small maximum shape size with a high flash rate of 100 MHz. The maximum shape size and the current density can be adjusted to match a wide set of mask applications. Proximity effects are corrected with dose modulation using a real-time computation.
Sleep and the affective response to stress and pain.

Objective: The current study examined sleep disturbance (i.e., sleep duration, sleep quality) as a correlate of stress reactivity and pain reactivity. Design and Outcome Measures: An ecological momentary assessment design was used to evaluate the psychosocial functioning of men and women with fibromy-algia or rheumatoid arthritis (N = 49). Participants recorded numeric ratings of pain, the occurrence of a stressful event, as well as positive and negative affect 7 times throughout the day for 2 consecutive days. In addition, participants reported on their sleep duration and sleep quality each morning. Results: Sleep disruption was not found to be an independent predictor of affect. However, sleep was found to buffer the relationship between stress and negative affect and the relationship between pain and both positive and negative affect. Conclusion: These results are consistent with a model in which good-quality sleep acts as a biobehavioral resource that minimizes allostatic load.
A discrete model of thin shells

We present a discrete model for the behavior of thin flexible structures, such as hats, leaves, and aluminum cans, which are characterized by a curved undeformed configuration. Previously such models required complex continuum mechanics formulations and correspondingly complex algorithms. We show that a simple shell model can be derived geometrically for triangle meshes and implemented quickly by modifying a standard cloth simulator. Our technique convincingly simulates a variety of curved objects with materials ranging from paper to metal, as we demonstrate with several examples including a comparison of a real and simulated falling hat.This chapter is based on the paper by Grinspun, Hirani, Desbrun, and Schroder which appeared in the Proceedings of the Symposium for Computer Animation 2003 [Grinspun et al. 2003].
Evolution of Urban Design Plans in the United States and Canada What Do the Plans Tell Us about Urban Design Practice

Urban design plans offer a window into the values of the urban design profession, but we have little knowledge of how they have changed over time, and the implications for design practice. The study provides a critical evaluation of the vision, methods, and content of urban design plans in large North American cities and a comparison with earlier generations of plans. Contemporary plans display fewer types of methods, less analytical rigor, and less emphasis on participatory practices than previous generations of plans. They reveal a greater focus on sustainability, but less concern about diversity, equity, and economic development.
The projection-slice synthetic discriminant function filter feature selection based on maximum energy considerations

The projection-slice synthetic discriminant function filter (PSDF) synthesis is discussed with consideration of individual projection energy in order to improve the performance of the filter. This improvement is made relative to the normal PSDF filter and the basic synthetic discriminant function filter. The results of application of these new techniques to the processing of real data is reported and evaluated using accepted metrics such as the Fisher discrimination metric.
Specific basophil hypersensitivity induced by skin testing and transferred using immune serum.

INTRADERMAL skin testing of appropriately immunised guinea pigs results in specific hypersensitivity reactions of the 24 h delayed type. As controls, we routinely skin test non-immune animals. We have found that skin testing itself can cause specific sensitisation for delayed time course reactions in normal guinea pigs. Skin testing non-immunised animals with the protein antigen keyhole limpet haemocyanin (KLH) leads, within several days, to striking macroscopic lesions at these primary (1°) injection sites in all animals. We have termed these responses ‘flare reactions’, and have found on histological examination that they contain large accumulations of basophils. Overall, these flares resemble hypersensitivity reactions with a delayed time course termed ‘cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity’ (CBH)1. As proof that skin testing per se can specifically sensitise, we obtained serum from animals with these cutaneous basophil flare reactions and carried out intravenous transfers to non-immune recipients who then received a KLH skin test. Delayed 24 h CBH reactions which were specifically elicited by this native protein antigen, were uniformly transferred by immune serum.
Random Binary Phase Offset Scheme for CDD Based MIMO-OFDM System

In this paper, random binary phase offsets are induced into the transmitting symbols to mitigate the spatial correlation effects in a cyclic delay diversity (CDD) based MIMO-OFDM system. Our analysis reveals that depending on the channel spatial correlation, some of the sub-carriers have substantially lower average capacity than others and may, therefore, deteriorate the system performance. In such cases, the proposed scheme enables those sub-carriers to recover from correlation effects and reinstates all the sub-carriers with the same upper bound of the average capacity as offered by the uncorrelated channel. Our analysis of pairwise error probability (PEP) demonstrates the effects of spatial correlation on the squared Euclidean distance between any two codewords and shows how the proposed scheme mitigates those effects without the knowledge of the channel spatial correlation. We observe in simulation that depending on the channel spatial correlation, our proposed scheme can yield a dramatic performance improvement.
Isolation and developmental expression of a rat cDNA encoding a cysteine-rich zinc finger protein

Abstract A number of cysteine-rich proteins have recently been isolated by homology screening, differential library screens, and association with other proteins. In this report, we describe the isolation of the rat cysteine-rich protein from a rat brain library during a search for clones with homology to the delta-opioid receptor. One of the cDNAs isolated hybridized to a 1.8 kb mRNA abundantly expressed throughout the rat brain as well as in rat liver. In situ hybridization reveals a wide distribution in rat brain; in particular, abundant hybridization was detected in the hippocampus, cerebellum, habenula, reticular thalamic nucleus and interposed nucleus. Nucleotide sequence analysis of a 1403 bp cDNA clone indicated 77% identity with the cDNA for human cysteine-rich protein (hCRP), that translates into a 99% identity at the amino acid level. The predicted amino acid sequence suggests four zinc fingers, two of the C4 class and two of the C2HC class. This structural motif is characteristic of members of the LIM domain protein family. The mRNA is serum-inducible in Balb/c 3T3 cells. Additional study suggests that its expression is not induced by either NGF treatment of PC12h pheochromocytoma cells, or inflammation-induced injury in the spinal cord at up to 60 min after injury. It does appear to be developmentally expressed in rat brain, consistent with a potential role in neuronal development. The rat CRP clone will be useful for studying the function of CRPs in rodent models.
A least squares formulation for a class of generalized eigenvalue problems in machine learning

Many machine learning algorithms can be formulated as a generalized eigenvalue problem. One major limitation of such formulation is that the generalized eigenvalue problem is computationally expensive to solve especially for large-scale problems. In this paper, we show that under a mild condition, a class of generalized eigenvalue problems in machine learning can be formulated as a least squares problem. This class of problems include classical techniques such as Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA), Partial Least Squares (PLS), and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), as well as Hypergraph Spectral Learning (HSL). As a result, various regularization techniques can be readily incorporated into the formulation to improve model sparsity and generalization ability. In addition, the least squares formulation leads to efficient and scalable implementations based on the iterative conjugate gradient type algorithms. We report experimental results that confirm the established equivalence relationship. Results also demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of the equivalent least squares formulations on large-scale problems.
Gender differences in the locus of control construct

Abstract This article presents a synthesis of research in the last two decades that has explored the relationship of gender to locus of control measures. In the main, this nsearch suggests that both males and females are becoming more external. Females, however, tend to be more external than males on most locus of control measures. There are also gender differences in perceptions of control across behavioral domains. Factor analyses of locus of control measures indicate that males and females are relatively similar in primary factors but may differ substantially in some secondary factors. Two areas in which males and females appear to differ are perception of control over interpersonal relationships and perception of control over essentially uncontrollable life events. Gender differences also emerge in how locus of control relates to comparison variables. Internality, for example, appears to be more related to achievement for maies than females and a better predictor of social adaptation for females than ...
Enterobactin-Mediated Delivery of β-Lactam Antibiotics Enhances Antibacterial Activity against Pathogenic Escherichia coli

The design, synthesis, and characterization of enterobactin-antibiotic conjugates, hereafter Ent-Amp/Amx, where the β-lactam antibiotics ampicillin (Amp) and amoxicillin (Amx) are linked to a monofunctionalized enterobactin scaffold via a stable poly(ethylene glycol) linker are reported. Under conditions of iron limitation, these siderophore-modified antibiotics provide enhanced antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli strains, including uropathogenic E. coli CFT073 and UTI89, enterohemorrhagic E. coli O157:H7, and enterotoxigenic E. coli O78:H11, compared to the parent β-lactams. Studies with E. coli K-12 derivatives defective in ferric enterobactin transport reveal that the enhanced antibacterial activity observed for this strain requires the outer membrane ferric enterobactin transporter FepA. A remarkable 1000-fold decrease in minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value is observed for uropathogenic E. coli CFT073 relative to Amp/Amx, and time-kill kinetic studies demonstrate that Ent-Amp/Amx kill this strain more rapidly at 10-fold lower concentrations than the parent antibiotics. Moreover, Ent-Amp and Ent-Amx selectively kill E. coli CFT073 co-cultured with other bacterial species such as Staphylococcus aureus, and Ent-Amp exhibits low cytotoxicity against human T84 intestinal cells in both the apo and iron-bound forms. These studies demonstrate that the native enterobactin platform provides a means to effectively deliver antibacterial cargo across the outer membrane permeability barrier of Gram-negative pathogens utilizing enterobactin for iron acquisition.
The Hawai'i Supersite: Improved understanding of Hawaiian volcanism made possible by increased data accessibility

The Hawai'i Supersite was established in 2008 to encourage basic research into Hawaiian volcanoes and their attendant hazards by making a diverse suite of ground-based, airborne, and satellite data available at no cost to the scientific community. These data include almost 10 TB of synthetic aperture radar imagery, which, in combination with other geological, geochemical, and geophysical measurements, have yielded insights into eruption dynamics, lava flow emplacement, surface deformation, and other processes. The major challenge facing the Supersite is the management, archiving, and distribution of the large volume of available data - a problem that only increases with time given the growing number of ground-based instruments and satellite missions, in particular. Provided that these challenges can be met, multidisciplinary scientific collaborations made possible by the Hawai'i Supersite should continue to yield new insights into how Hawaiian and other volcanoes work, and the Supersite will serve as a model for how targeted research initiatives can impact the understanding of hazardous Earth processes.
Investigation of plasma irregularity sources associated with charged dust in the earth's mesosphere

Abstract Noctilucent clouds (NLCs) and polar mesospheric summer echoes (PMSEs) are two phenomena at the forefront of near earth space science. NLCs are high altitude clouds in the earth’s mesosphere that are formed from aerosol particles. The increase in the occurence of NLCs over time is believed to have profound implications on global climate change. PMSEs are believed to be related to NLCs and are strong radar echoes from mesospheric turbulence in the 50 MHz to 1.3 GHz range. Currently, there is no universally accepted explanation for the irregularities thought to produce PMSEs. Recent simultaneous sounding rocket, radar, and lidar observations of NLCs and PMSEs have provided a more detailed description of the electrodynamics and plasma configuration inside NLCs and the relationship to PMSEs. Particularly important is the simultaneous observation of charged aerosols, electron depletions, and small-scale electric field irregularities in the PMSE generation region. This work considers the consequences of the recent experimental observations on ultimately understanding the generation mechanism for PMSEs and the relationship to NLCs. A model for the electrodynamics and plasma configuration in the charged aerosol boundary layer will be described that indicates that plasma flows are expected to exist in the equilibrium. The possible role of these plasma flows in producing electron turbulence and irregularities in the charged aerosol boundary layer that may ultimately result in PMSEs is discussed.
Determination of furan aldehydes. Reaction with aniline in acetic and hydrochloric acid solutions

Abstract Procedures are described for the spectrophotometric determination of 1–7 μg furfural, MF, and HMF per milliliter solution by a combination of several methods as follows: A, by direct spectrophotometry; B, by mixing equal volumes of sample solution and 10% aniline in 80% acetic acid (Reagent 1); C, by mixing equal volumes of sample solution and 10% aniline in approximately 0.9 N excess HCl (Reagent 2). Absorbances are determined at specified wavelengths, depending upon the type of sample analyzed. ( and λmax of furan aldehydes were as follows when determined under uniform conditions in 0.001 N HCl solution: furfural, 3,540 at 229 mμ and 15,375 at 277 mμ; MF, 2,980 at 228 mμ and 16,220 at 291.5 mμ; HMF, 3,605 at 229 mμ and 16,750 at 284 mμ. No significant differences were observed in 0.001-0.5 N HCl. Data were obtained under the same uniform conditions on furfuryl alcohol, furoic acid, furoin, furil, and the following carbonyl compounds, some of which may be present in distillates or extracts of sugar digests and biological systems: acetone, acetol, methylglyoxal, pyruvic acid, levulinic acid, α-ketoglutaric acid, diacetyl, acetylacetone, acetonylacetone. None of these compounds, even if present in equimolar concentration, except furoin and acetyl acetone, interferes significantly in the determination of furan aldehydes. However, reductic acid, if present in extracts, may interfere greatly: at pH 7.4, e was 20,705 at λmax 281 mμ; in 0.0002-1.0 N acid, e and λmax were essentially unchanged, 13,790 (average) at 263 mμ. Oxidation to dehydroreductic acid completely removes the possible interference; e was 37 and λmax 302 mμ. Direct spectrophotometric analysis of unneutralized distillates from the Tollens method for determining pentosans is feasible, although this is not recommended unless the distillates are redistilled to remove HMF. The reaction with Reagent 1 is highly sensitive for all three aldehydes, not just for furfural as has been assumed in the past. e and λmax were: for furfural, 30,100 at 513 mμ; for MF, 10,860 at 368 mμ; for HMF, 6,900 at 354 mμ. Furfural gave no absorption peak in the UV; e was about 2,000 at 368 mμ. The reaction with Reagent 2 is also highly sensitive, especially for MF. e and λmax were: for furfural, 7,575 at 352 mμ; for MF, 11,750 at 370 mμ; for HMF, 8,220 at 363 mμ. This reagent provides a new condition for determining furan aldehydes. A distillation procedure is described for separating furfural and MF from HMF in which 98–99% furfural and MF, and less than 1% HMF, was recovered in the distillate. Results of the application of Methods A, B, and C to the analysis of furfural and MF are given. The most consistent results were obtained with Method B, using Reagent 1, in which two observations were made: at 513 and at 368 mμ. Thus, the century-old aniline acetate method is useful for determining MF as well as furfural.
Serum fibrosis markers can predict rapid fibrosis progression after liver transplantation for hepatitis C

Although recurrent hepatitis C virus (HCV) after liver transplantation (LT) is universal, a minority of patients will develop cirrhosis within 5 years of surgery, which places them at risk for allograft failure. This retrospective study investigated whether 2 serum fibrosis markers, serum hyaluronic acid (HA) and YKL-40, could be used to predict rapid fibrosis progression (RFP) post-LT. These markers were compared with conventional laboratory tests, histological assessment, and hepatic stellate cell activity (HSCA), a key step in fibrogenesis, as assessed by immunohistochemical staining for alpha-smooth muscle actin. Serum and protocol liver biopsy samples were obtained from 46 LT recipients at means of 5 +/- 2 (biopsy 1) and 39 +/- 6 (biopsy 2) months post-LT, respectively. RFP was defined as an increase in the fibrosis score >or= 2 from biopsy 1 to biopsy 2 (a mean interval of 33 +/- 6 months). The ability of parameters at biopsy 1 to predict RFP was compared with the areas under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROCs). Of the 46 subjects, 15 developed RFP. Serum HA and YKL-40 performed significantly better than conventional parameters and HSCA in predicting RFP post-LT for HCV at biopsy 1, with AUROCs of 0.89 and 0.92, respectively. The accuracy of serum HA >or= 90 microg/L and YKL-40 >or= 200 microg/L in predicting RFP at biopsy 1 was 80% and 96%, respectively. In conclusion, we found that elevated levels of serum HA and YKL-40 within the first 6 months after LT accurately predicted RFP. Larger studies evaluating the role of serum HA and YKL-40 in post-LT management are warranted.
Nonrandom Sampling in Human Genetics: Familial Correlations

In the context of human genetics, sampling is often nonrandom in that pedigrees are frequently selected by virtue of their having at least one affected individual. For quantitative traits, it may be that the proband is selected because of a phenotypic value above some predetermined cut-point; this will also be true for diseases defined by a cut-point above which individuals are said to be affected (e.g. diabetes, hypertension, and obesity). Relatively little attention has been given to the implications of these forms of nonrandom sampling. In this paper, we show that the biases introduced by such sampling are sufficient to lead to erroneous model specification and biased parameter estimates in path analysis. Existing methodologies used to correct for such sampling (e.g., elimination of proband or regression techniques) also result in similar bias in estimation and model fitting. Thus, it is possible to make inferences which do not reflect underlying biology, but are artifacts of the sampling design. As a consequence, method-of-moment estimators are developed for means, variances, and correlations under such sampling. Simulation results are used to demonstrate the superiority of this method over alternate strategies.
Application of the Method of Polarized Orbitals to the Scattering of Electrons from Hydrogen

The $s$-, $p$-, and $d$-wave scattering of slow electrons from atomic hydrogen is calculated by the method of polarized orbitals. Utilization of a transformation of Omidvar avoids the iterative procedure of solving the associated integro-differential equations. The $s$-wave scattering is smaller than that given by the exchange approximation, and the scattering lengths are within the upper bounds found by Rosenberg, Spruch, and O'Malley. The $d$-wave phase shifts are too small to explain a resonance in the total cross section. However, they are much larger than those of the exchange or Born approximation, and they give considerable structure to the differential cross-section curves. The $p$-wave phase shifts are not much increased by the polarization effects.
Use of vibrationally adiabatic basis functions for inelastic atom-molecule scattering

Convergence rates are compared for adiabatic basis sets and conventional free-molecule basis sets for the expansion of the scattering wavefunction in the quantal treatment of a collinear model of vibrationally inelastic He-H2 scattering. Vibrationally adiabatic basis sets lead to faster convergence (and increased accuracy) than basis sets of asymptotic target eigenfunctions