cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
2.2 Protein-Engineered Biomaterials: Synthesis and Characterization

Protein-engineered biomaterials are designed and synthesized using recombinant protein technology and offer an alternative to both harvested natural biomaterials and synthetic polymeric biomaterials. A defining feature of such protein-engineered biomaterials is the precise control over macromolecular composition and function, made possible by modular peptide domain design and exact specification of the encoding DNA sequence. This approach allows multiple functional domains to be encoded directly into the protein backbone, creating a plethora of biomaterials with tunable mechanical, biochemical, and biodegradation properties. This chapter describes the design, recombinant synthesis, and fabrication strategies for protein-engineered biomaterials for use in tissue engineering applications. Analytical tools for characterizing the molecular and bulk properties of these materials are also discussed. Building upon modular domain design and by expanding peptide functionality, a variety of protein biomaterials have been engineered which serve as versatile platforms for studying and addressing various challenges in regenerative medicine.
Characterization of T cell immunophenotypes in intestinal transplantation: A pilot study.

Abstract Immunophenotyping of peripheral blood mononuclear cells has been shown to be a useful, non-invasive method of predicting acute cellular rejection (ACR) following intestinal transplantation (ITx). Our objectives were to characterize differences in the T cell immunophenotype of ITx recipients in peripheral blood samples (1) collected late versus early after ITx and (1) associated with episodes of ACR and infectious enteritis. An IRB-approved, cross-sectional study of ITx recipients was performed. Peripheral blood samples were collected during normal visits and episodes of allograft dysfunction. A total of 38 patients were included in the analysis: 31 ITx recipients (87% liver-inclusive allografts) and 7 intestinal failure control patients. Of the ITx patients, 26 patients were pediatric patients (
Comparison of Smartphone-Based Behavioral Obesity Treatment With Gold Standard Group Treatment and Control: A Randomized Trial.

Objective This study aimed to determine whether weight losses from a primarily smartphone-based behavioral obesity treatment (SMART) differed from those of a more intensive group-based behavioral obesity treatment (GROUP) and a control condition (CONTROL). Methods A total of 276 adults with overweight/obesity were randomly assigned to 18 months of GROUP-based treatment with meetings weekly for 6 months, meetings biweekly for 6 months, and meetings monthly for 6 months and self-monitoring via paper diaries with written feedback; SMART-based treatment with online lessons, self-monitoring, and feedback plus monthly weigh-ins; or a CONTROL condition with self-monitoring via paper diaries with written feedback and monthly weigh-ins. Results Among the 276 participants (17% men; 7.2% minority; mean [SD] age: 55.1 [9.9] years; weight: 95.9 [17.0] kg; BMI: 35.2 [5.0] kg/m2 ), 18-month retention was significantly higher in both GROUP (83%) and SMART (81%) compared with CONTROL (66%). Estimated mean (95% CI) weight change over 18 months did not differ across the three conditions: 5.9 kg (95% CI: 4.5-7.4) in GROUP, 5.5 kg (95% CI: 3.9-7.1) in SMART, and 6.4 kg (95% CI: 3.7-9.2) in CONTROL. Conclusions Mobile online delivery of behavioral obesity treatment can achieve weight loss outcomes that are at least as good as those obtained via the more intensive gold standard group-based approach.
A Walk Through Spectral Bands: Using Virtual Reality to Better Visualize Hyperspectral Data

One of the basic challenges of understanding hyperspectral data arises from the fact that it is intrinsically 3-dimensional. A diverse range of algorithms have been developed to help visualize hyperspectral data trichromatically in 2-dimensions. In this paper we take a different approach and show how virtual reality provides a way of visualizing a hyperspectral data cube without collapsing the spectral dimension. Using several different real datasets, we show that it is straightforward to find signals of interest and make them more visible by exploiting the immersive, interactive environment of virtual reality. This enables signals to be seen which would be hard to detect if we were simply examining hyperspectral data band by band.
Cathode electrolyte interface enabling stable Li–S batteries

Abstract A high-concentration, ether-based electrolyte with LiTFSI and LiNO3 as the co-salts is proposed, which enables stable cycling of a lithium metal battery using sulfurized polyacrylonitrile (SPAN) as the cathode material. In addition to providing excellent protection for lithium metal anodes by forming the solid electrolyte interface (SEI), the electrolyte promotes the formation of a crystalline cathode electrolyte interface (CEI) on the SPAN surface composed of LiF and LiNO2. The CEI effectively prevents the formation of soluble polysulfide species and enables stable cycling of the Li-SPAN battery. The benefit of having effective CEI and SEI layers is also demonstrated in Li-SPAN cells with limited lithium supply, which exhibit lithium cycling efficiency values consistent with or exceeding Li/Cu test results, reaching 99.5%. The development of electrolyte chemistries to enable the formation of effective CEI layers is a promising approach to long-life lithium metal batteries.
Characterization of heat transfer enhancement for an oscillating flat plate-fin

Abstract Heat transfer augmentation is of paramount importance in energy transfer and storage systems and the idea of using the inherent vibrations in a system to enhance heat transfer needs to be thoroughly researched upon. The current study numerically investigates an infinitesimally thin plate-fin undergoing forced oscillations over a range of amplitudes and frequencies in the presence of an approach flow. Reduced frequencies of 0.25 ≤ k ≤ 16 and plunge amplitudes of 0.03125 ≤ h ≤ 8 are investigated at Re = 100 and Pr = 0.71. It is shown that the combined effect of frequency and amplitude on heat transfer enhancement can be accounted for as a single parameter “plunge velocity” (0.25 ≤ kh ≤ 4) instead of the individual frequency and amplitude values. For kh > 0.5 a significant increase in Nusselt number ( Nu ) is observed compared to a stationary plate. With increasing kh or more vigorous oscillations, the increase in Nu becomes more prominent and similar trends and comparable magnitudes were observed for a constant kh value. Unlike the hydrodynamic counterpart of the study, both Leading Edge Vortices (LEVs) and Trailing Edge Vortices (TEVs) are found to act positively to induce enhanced heat transfer on the plate. Finally, the dependence of heat transfer augmentation on the frequency and amplitude of vibration is quantified with a simple parameterization for a plate-fin in a fluid medium.
Identifying Informative Gene Modules Across Modalities of Single Cell Genomics

Two fundamental aims that emerge when analyzing single-cell RNA-seq data are that of identifying which genes vary in an informative manner and determining how these genes organize into modules. Here we propose a general approach to these problems that operates directly on a given metric of cell-cell similarity, allowing for its integration with any method (linear or non linear) for identifying the primary axes of transcriptional variation between cells. Additionally, we show that when using multi-modal data, our procedure can be used to identify genes whose expression reflects alternative notions of similarity between cells, such as physical proximity in a tissue or clonal relatedness in a cell lineage tree. In this manner, we demonstrate that while our method, called Hotspot, is capable of identifying genes that reflect nuanced transcriptional variability between T helper cells, it can also identify spatially-dependent patterns of gene expression in the cerebellum as well as developmentally-heritable expression signatures during embryogenesis.
Prior knowledge driven machine learning approach for PET sinogram data denoising

Machine learning, especially convolutional neural network (CNN) approach has been successfully applied in noise suppression in natural image. However, shifting from natural image to medical image filed remains challenging due to specific difficulties such as training samples limitation, clinically meaningful image quality requirement and so on. To address this challenge, one possible solution is to incorporate our human prior knowledge into the machine learning model to better benefit its power. Therefore, in this work, we propose one prior knowledge driven machine learning based approach for positron emission tomography (PET) sinogram data denoising. Two main properties of PET sinogram data were considered in CNN architecture design, which are the Poisson statistics of the data and different correlation strength in the detector and view directions. Specially, for the statistical property, the sparse non-local method was used. For the correlation property, separate convolution was applied in two directions respectively. Experimental results showed the proposed model outperform the CNN model without prior knowledge. Results also demonstrate our insight of applying human knowledge strength the power of machine learning in medical imaging field.
In vivo observation and biophysical interpretation of time-dependent diffusion in human cortical gray matter

Abstract The dependence of the diffusion MRI signal on the diffusion time t is a hallmark of tissue microstructure at the scale of the diffusion length. Here we measure the time-dependence of the mean diffusivity D ( t ) and mean kurtosis K ( t ) in cortical gray matter and in 25 ​gray matter sub-regions, in 10 healthy subjects. Significant diffusivity and kurtosis time-dependence is observed for t = 21.2 - 100 ​ms, and is characterized by a power-law tail ∼ t − ϑ with dynamical exponent ϑ. To interpret our measurements, we systematize the relevant scenarios and mechanisms for diffusion time-dependence in the brain. Using the effective medium theory formalism, we derive an exact relation between the power-law tails in D ( t ) and K ( t ) . The estimated dynamical exponent ϑ ≃ 1 / 2 in both D ( t ) and K ( t ) is consistent with one-dimensional diffusion in the presence of randomly positioned restrictions along neurites. We analyze the short-range disordered statistics of synapses on axon collaterals in the cortex, and perform one-dimensional Monte Carlo simulations of diffusion restricted by permeable barriers with a similar randomness in their placement, to confirm the ϑ = 1 / 2 exponent. In contrast, the Karger model of exchange is less consistent with the data since it does not capture the diffusivity time-dependence, and the estimated exchange time from K ( t ) falls below our measured t-range. Although we cannot exclude exchange as a contributing factor, we argue that structural disorder along neurites is mainly responsible for the observed time-dependence of diffusivity and kurtosis. Our observation and theoretical interpretation of the t − 1 / 2 tail in D ( t ) and K ( t ) altogether establish the sensitivity of a macroscopic MRI signal to micrometer-scale structural heterogeneities along neurites in human gray matter in vivo.
SPINNING DUST EMISSION: EFFECTS OF IRREGULAR GRAIN SHAPE, TRANSIENT HEATING, AND COMPARISON WITH WILKINSON MICROWAVE ANISOTROPY PROBE RESULTS

Planck is expected to answer crucial questions on the early universe, but it also provides further understanding on anomalous microwave emission. Electric dipole emission from spinning dust grains continues to be the favored interpretation of anomalous microwave emission. In this paper, we present a method to calculate the rotational emission from small grains of irregular shape with moments of inertia I 1 ≥ I 2 ≥ I 3. We show that a torque-free rotating irregular grain with a given angular momentum radiates at multiple frequency modes. The resulting spinning dust spectrum has peak frequency and emissivity increasing with the degree of grain shape irregularity, which is defined by I 1:I 2:I 3. We discuss how the orientation of the dipole moment in body coordinates affects the spinning dust spectrum for different regimes of internal thermal fluctuations. We show that the spinning dust emissivity for the case of strong thermal fluctuations is less sensitive to the orientation of than in the case of weak thermal fluctuations. We calculate spinning dust spectra for a range of gas density and dipole moment. The effect of compressible turbulence on spinning dust emission is investigated. We show that the emission in a turbulent medium increases by a factor from 1.2 to 1.4 relative to that in a uniform medium, as the sonic Mach number M s increases from 2 to 7. Finally, spinning dust parameters are constrained by fitting our improved model to five-year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe cross-correlation foreground spectra, for both the Hα-correlated and 100-μm-correlated emission spectra.
Elevated Liver Function in a Bilateral Lung Transplant Recipient with Scleroderma: Is the Medication to Blame?

Introduction Scleroderma (SSc) is an autoimmune disease that can result in end-stage interstitial lung disease (ILD). Rarely, SSc has been associated with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). Lung transplant may be considered for the advanced treatment of SSc-related ILD. Herein, we describe the case of a lung transplant recipient with SSc who also presented a challenging diagnosis of PSC. Case Report The patient is a 47-year-old female bilateral lung transplant recipient with history of SSc-related ILD and pulmonary hypertension. Maintenance immunosuppression consisted of tacrolimus, prednisone, and mycophenolate mofetil, and itraconazole was administered for anti-fungal prophylaxis. Early post-transplant, the patient experienced a tonic-clonic seizure related to tacrolimus toxicity. Decision was made to substitute cyclosporine, and levetiracetam was initiated for seizure prophylaxis. We then observed subtle elevations in her liver function tests. All medications were discontinued, without change in liver function, prompting MRI of the abdomen (Figure 1) which revealed multifocal areas of beaded appearance of the central intrahepatic ducts, suggesting PSC. Liver biopsy revealed focal portal tract fibrosis with bile duct lymphocytic exocytosis and vacuolar change, bile ductular proliferation, focal central venous minimal endothelialitis, and focal lobular necrosis with scattered lobular microgranulomata, with a differential of graft versus host disease. Ursodiol was started, and the patient underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, which confirmed PSC. With no other interventions, liver function normalized. Summary Extrapulmonary sclerosis is a concern in lung transplant recipients with SSc. Esophageal involvement tends to garner the most attention from clinicians, yet this case raises awareness for PSC as a rare condition coincident with SSc. Medication use may be misleading when diagnosing the cause of elevated liver function.
Primary Cutaneous Leiomyosarcoma of the Lower Extremity: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Cutaneous leiomyosarcoma is a rare soft-tissue sarcoma that appears non-specific clinically and often is misdiagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma. We report the case of a 59-year-old Caucasian male with a grade I leiomyosarcoma tumor on his lower extremity with no previous history of local trauma. The tumor is composed of highly atypical spindle cells with pleomorphic nuclei and mitotic activity on hematoxylin and eosin stains. The diagnosis is confirmed with immunohistochemistry staining positive for smooth muscle actin, vimentin, and desmin. Due to high recurrence rates, the prognosis for leiomyosarcomas remains poor and requires close follow-up to prevent progression.
Excessive Daytime Sleepiness and Depression in Stroke Survivors (P5.292)

Objective: We sought to assess the association between EDS and PSD. We hypothesized that patients with EDS are more likely to demonstrate symptoms of moderate to severe depression compared to patients without EDS. Background: Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and post-stroke depression (PSD) are risk factors for stroke morbidity and mortality. EDS is commonly seen after stroke, but is not routinely assessed after stroke. EDS may be related to sleep disordered breathing (SDB) including obstructive and central sleep apneas, but can also occur in the absence of SDB. The relationship between EDS and PSD is not well understood. Design/Methods: We identified ischemic stroke patients from the outpatient clinic registry (06/2014 – 10/2015). We screened for depressive symptoms using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9; range 0–27, higher worse), and for EDS using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS; range 0–24, higher worse). Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to evaluate association between EDS and PHQ-9 (moderate to severe depression = PHQ-9 > 9). Regression analysis was also used to evaluate association between EDS and symptoms included in the PHQ-9. Results: Among 200 ischemic stroke patients, 166 completed ESS and PHQ-9 within 90 days of stroke occurrence. Mean age was 61.5 and 54.8% were male. EDS (ESS>9) and moderate to severe depression were each present in 28.9% of patients. Patients with EDS had 3.5 times odds of moderate to severe depression compared to patients without EDS. Moreover, EDS was associated with higher odds of anhedonia, impaired mood, sleep disturbance, low energy, poor appetite, and impaired concentration. Conclusions: The presence of EDS is associated with moderate to severe depression in stroke survivors. This is not related solely to SDB symptoms. Patients with fatigue and EDS should be screened for depression. Future studies are also needed to explore the role that SDB plays in this relationship. Disclosure: Dr. Pham has nothing to disclose. Dr. Sharrief has nothing to disclose. Dr. Savitz has received research support from the NIH. Dr. Sarraj has nothing to disclose. Dr. Fournier has nothing to disclose. Dr. Vahidy has nothing to disclose.
Redox-copolymers for the recovery of rare earth elements by electrochemically regenerated ion-exchange

Rare earth elements (REEs) play an essential role in our modern society, being critical resources for electronic devices and renewable energy technologies. Efficient platforms for REE recovery and purification are essential to resource security and environmental management. Imparting electrochemical control over an adsorbent system can lead to higher modularity and sustainability, by enabling adsorbent regeneration without the use of additional chemicals. For the reversible capture and release of REEs, we design and synthesize a redox-copolymer, poly(ferrocenylpropyl methacrylamide-co-methacrylic acid) (P(FPMAm-co-MAA)), that combines an ion-exchange carboxyl group for REE adsorption, and a redox-active ferrocene moiety for regeneration based on electrochemical control. By molecularly tuning the copolymer composition, efficient adsorption uptake could be achieved alongside electrochemically regenerated adsorbent reuse. The copolymer electrodes exhibited an Y(III) adsorption capacity of 69.4 mg Y per g polymer, and electrochemically mediated regeneration efficiency close to 100% through oxidation of the ferrocenium units. The copolymer sorbent showed stoichiometric binding for cerium (Ce), neodymium (Nd), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), and dysprosium (Dy) based on carboxyl active sites. Our work provides a proof of concept for electrochemically regenerable ion-exchange copolymers for REE recovery, and we envision generalized applications of this concept in electrifying ion-exchange systems and cation-selective separations.
FERPA and the Immigration and Naturalization Service: A Guide for University Counsel on Federal Rules for Collecting, Maintaining, and Releasing Information About Foreign Students

This article discusses a university's obligations to collect, maintain, and release information about foreign students under the Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act.
Large Vessel Activity and Low-Frequency Underwater Sound Benchmarks in United States Waters

Chronic low-frequency noise from commercial shipping is a worldwide threat to marine animals that rely on sound for essential life functions. Although the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recognizes the potential negative impacts of shipping noise in marine environments, there are currently no standard metrics to monitor and quantify shipping noise in U.S. marine waters. However, one-third octave band acoustic measurements centered at 63 Hz and 125 Hz are used as international (European Union Marine Strategy Framework Directive) indicators for underwater ambient noise levels driven by shipping activity. We apply these metrics to passive acoustic monitoring data collected over 20 months in 2016-2017 at five dispersed sites throughout the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone: Alaskan Arctic, Hawaii, Gulf of Mexico, Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument (Northwest Atlantic), and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary (Northeast Pacific). To verify the relationship between shipping activity and underwater sound levels, vessel movement data from the Automatic Identification System were paired to each passive acoustic monitoring site. Daily average sound levels were consistently near to or higher than 100 dB re 1 μPa in both the 63 Hz and 125 Hz one-third octave bands at sites with high levels of shipping traffic (Gulf of Mexico, Northeast Canyons and Seamounts, and Cordell Bank). Where cargo vessels were less common (the Arctic and Hawaii), daily average sound levels were comparatively lower. Specifically, sound levels were ~20 dB lower year-round in Hawaii and ~10-20 dB lower in the Alaskan Arctic, depending on the season. Although these band-level measurements can only generally facilitate differentiation of sound sources, these results demonstrate that international acoustic indicators of commercial shipping can be applied to data collected in U.S. waters as a unified metric to approximate the influence of shipping as a driver of ambient noise levels, provide critical information to managers and policy makers about the status of marine environments, and to identify places and times for more detailed investigation regarding environmental impacts.
Creating an Effective Quality Improvement (QI) Process for Airway Emergencies

Airway emergencies are life-threatening situations that have little tolerance for errors and require immediate responses by qualified surgeons, neonatologists, and support staff. Therefore to ensure patients do not suffer harm from airway emergencies, an airway safety program must not only have rapid and effective response processes that are reliable, but also processes that can identify and mitigate high risk situations. Principles of high reliability organizations (HRO), which include sensitivity to operations, preoccupation with failure, deference to expertise, resilience, and reluctance to simplify [1], are applied to drive a higher state of mindfulness. The goal is to cultivate a workplace culture where all providers become stakeholders and engaged in HRO practices, and eliminate unnecessary variations in healthcare delivery that can lead to miscommunication and suboptimal care. By making practice more consistent amongst providers wherever possible, we are able to better practices for better outcomes. Numerous quality improvement collaboratives have embarked on such efforts and have contributed significantly to understanding factors that affect success [2–5].
The Random Choice Method

This chapter introduces the celebrated random choice method, which has provided the earliest, but still very effective, scheme for constructing globally defined, admissible BV solutions to the Cauchy problem for strictly hyperbolic systems of conservation laws, under initial data with small total variation. The solution is obtained as the limit of a sequence of approximate solutions that do not smear shocks. Solutions to the Riemann problem, discussed at length in Chapter IX, serve as building blocks for constructing the approximate solutions to the Cauchy problem. Striving to preserve the sharpness of shocks may be in conflict with the requirement of consistency of the algorithm. The “randomness” feature of the method is employed in order to strike the delicate balance of safeguarding consistency without smearing the sharpness of propagating shock fronts. At the cost of delineating the global wave pattern, the device of wave tracing, which will be discussed here only briefly, renders the algorithm deterministic. A detailed presentation of the random choice method will be given for systems with characteristic families that are either genuinely nonlinear or linearly degenerate. The case ofmore general systems, which involves substantial technical complication, will be touched on rather briefly here. The chapter will close with a discussion on how the algorithm may be adapted for handling inhomogeneity and source terms encountered in hyperbolic systems of balance laws.
Simple Ising models still thrive!. A review of some recent progress

Abstract A selection of recent work by various authors concerning spin 1 2 ; Ising modls with pair couplings is reviewed. Topics addressed include: the universality of corrections-to-scaling and nonlinear scaling fields in planar Ising models; aspects of many-particle correlation functions; the testing and verification of scaling hypotheses for local magnetizations in the presence of walls and boundaries, including the singular nature of the critical region scaling functions and the decay of the influence of a far wall; a soluble model of a surface roughening transition; nonuniversal critical effects of one-dimensional perturbations in planar Ising models; the effects of spatially anisotropic further neighbor interactions, in particular ANNNI models in d 2 dimensions and soluble mock ANNNI models in 2 and 3 dimensions.
Farm and Weather Summary

President Brent Bierbaum, Cass County* President Elect Vacant Treasurer Dan Rossell, Griswold, Cass County* Secretary Allen Tiarks, Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie*
Real-time numerical dispersion compensation using graphics processing unit for Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography

Numerical dispersion compensation for both standard and full-range Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) on the graphics processing unit (GPU) architecture has been implemented. The data acquisition, processing and image display were performed on a multi-thread, CPU-GPU heterogeneous computing system. The real-time ultra-high-resolution full-range complex-conjugate-free FD-OCT imaging was demonstrated at 68.4 frame/s with a frame size of 1024 (lateral) by 2048 (axial) pixels.
An Adenosine 3',5'-Monophosphate-dependent Protein Kinase from Escherichia coli

Abstract An enzyme present in Escherichia coli which catalyzes the phosphorylation of histone by ATP has been found to be stimulated by adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP). The rate of the enzyme-catalyzed phosphorylation of histone was increased by about 300% at concentrations of cyclic AMP above 7 x 10-7 m. The apparent Km of the E. coli enzyme for cyclic AMP was about 2 x 10-7 m.
Regulation of ornithine decarboxylase activity in the developing heart of euthyroid or hyperthyroid rats.

Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), the rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of polyamines, displays high activity early in postnatal development of the heart, followed by a gradual decline to the low levels characteristic of adults. In both 2- and 4-day-old rat pups, kinetic studies revealed the presence of two distinct K m orn values of 50-60 and about 250 µM. However, by 7 days of age, only one form of the enzyme could be detected, with a K m orn of 200-250 µM; after this point, the K m orn remained at the low-affinity value, and further age-dependent reductions in activity occurred due to a progressive decline in the V max . The rate of disappearance of ODC activity, measured after the administration of cycloheximide, did not change with age. Neonatal administration of triiodothyronine (T 3 ) evoked an initial elevation of ODC followed by depressed activity. As was true of controls, ODC from 2-day-old T 3 -treated rats displayed two separate kinetic forms, but the V max values of both forms were elevated above those of controls. At 10 days of age, only lowaffinity ODC could be found in T 3 -treated rats, and the V max was below that of controls. Cycloheximide treatment revealed only small changes in the half-life of ODC activity after T 3 treatment. The accelerated maturational decline of cardiac ODC in hyperthyroid rats was correlated with depressed RNA synthesis and with subsequent deficits in heart weight. These results indicate that the developmental decline of heart ODC can be explained by the disappearance of the high-affinity kinetic form of the enzyme as well as by a reduction in enzyme synthesis and/or catalytic efficiency; after its initial stimulatory effect, neonatal hyperthyroidism exerts a deleterious effect on ODC activity which may contribute to deficient nucleic acid synthesis and cardiac growth.
Structure and Interpretation of Classical Mechanics

The new edition of a classic text that concentrates on developing general methods for studying the behavior of classical systems, with extensive use of computation. We now know that there is much more to classical mechanics than previously suspected. Derivations of the equations of motion, the focus of traditional presentations of mechanics, are just the beginning. This innovative textbook, now in its second edition, concentrates on developing general methods for studying the behavior of classical systems, whether or not they have a symbolic solution. It focuses on the phenomenon of motion and makes extensive use of computer simulation in its explorations of the topic. It weaves recent discoveries in nonlinear dynamics throughout the text, rather than presenting them as an afterthought. Explorations of phenomena such as the transition to chaos, nonlinear resonances, and resonance overlap to help the student develop appropriate analytic tools for understanding. The book uses computation to constrain notation, to capture and formalize methods, and for simulation and symbolic analysis. The requirement that the computer be able to interpret any expression provides the student with strict and immediate feedback about whether an expression is correctly formulated. This second edition has been updated throughout, with revisions that reflect insights gained by the authors from using the text every year at MIT. In addition, because of substantial software improvements, this edition provides algebraic proofs of more generality than those in the previous edition; this improvement permeates the new edition.
Perpetrators of Genocide: An Explanatory Model of Extraordinary Human Evil

According to Jewish-Christian tradition, the first time that death appeared in the world, it was murder. Cain slew Abel. “Two men,” says Elie Wiesel, and “one of them became a killer.”1 Throughout human history, social conflict is ubiquitous. Wars erupt naturally everywhere humans are present. Since the Napoleonic Wars, we have fought an average of six international wars and six civil wars per decade . The four decades after the end of World War II saw 150 wars and only 26 days of world peace—and that does not even include the innumerable internal wars and police actions. Buried in the midst of all of our progress in the twentieth century are well over a hundred million persons who met a violent death at the hands of their fellow human beings. That is over five times the number from the nineteenth century and more than ten times the number from the eighteenth century.2
Hollywood and Anti – Semitism: Anti-Semitism and the American Jewish Question

FROM INDIVIDUAL DEVIANCY TO COLLECTIVE INSTRUMENTALITY After World War I, the Hollywood Question began making its specific allegations of Jewish control over the motion picture industry. It drew from a confluence of other discussions that had already “mapped out” a particular way of linking American Jews, ethnicity, and agency. This “mapping out” charted the route along which one could invoke the Hollywood Question. The Question circulated amid a field of stock images and assumptions. Through these images and assumptions, the Question could respond to an increasingly urban, modern, diverse, and globally significant America. Moreover, through these images and assumptions, the Question could resonate with a certain dissatisfaction over this changing America. Many of these stock images and assumptions had been circulating for centuries, well before the emergence of the Hollywood Question. The way in which they spoke through the Hollywood Question, however, marked a profound shift in American prejudice during the Gilded Age. Prior to the twentieth century, most of these stereotypes worked to justify, maintain, and repair the marginal status – often codified into European law – that Jews held within Christian culture. For example, both Germany and Russia had historically denied Jews property and voting rights. By even interrogating the ability of Jews to coexist with Christians in a presumably Christian society, the Jewish Question used certain stereotypes to justify this denial. In most cases, these stereotypes emphasized that the individual deviancy of the Jew was at odds with the rest of the Christian community. In its most extreme form, these stereotypes could activate the blood libel. This libel accused Jews of absconding with Christian children and then using their blood in various religious rituals.
Pondering Greenhouse Policy

In his article An optimal transition path for controlling greenhouse gases', William D Nordhaus takes a giant methodological step forward. His dynamic integrated climate-economy (DCIE) model couples my and Starley Thompson's globally averaged climate model with economic dynamics in order to evaluate the economic efficiency of different carbon tax scenarios. Nordhaus is one of the few economists who appropriately tries to balance the potential costs of CO[sub 2] emission controls with the external costs of unmitigated climate change - those that would occur in the absence of such controls.
The Impact of Positive Thinking, Gender, and Empathy on Social Attributions for Cancer Outcomes

How observers perceive cancer and cancer patients can have a tremendous influence on a patient’s illness experience. Within the current study, an attribution-based theoretical framework was applied and the social phenomena of positive thinking (PT) was considered, in an attempt to understand how people view and respond to others’ cancer experiences. The roles of same-gender social perceptions and individual differences in empathy were also explored. Undergraduate college students (N = 233) read a hypothetical blog of a cancer patient, who described one of three scenarios which varied PT exposure. Participants then responded to measures assessing the patient’s effort exerted toward, control over, and responsibility for the cancer outcome, as well as how much they blamed the patient for the outcome and their willingness to help the patient. Exposure to PT enhanced effort attributions, control perceptions, and perceptions of responsibility for the unsuccessful cancer outcome. Men attributed more effort, control and responsibility to the male patient than women attributed to the female patient, but women were more willing to help the patient than men were. Results also indicated that empathy may diminish the impact of PT on social perceptions of cancer in terms of blame and willingness to help.
Neutron scattering characterization of magnetic materials

Abstract A brief introduction to neutron scattering as a probe for magnetic behavior is provided for those readers involved with the characterization of magnetic materials. Some details are presented of the various neutron scattering techniques together with the nature and extent of information they provide.
Perinatal Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Implications for Occupational Therapy in Early Intervention Practice

The purpose of this article is to present literature regarding perinatal posttraumatic stress disorder and to describe the implications of research findings for occupational therapy screening and treatment in early intervention practice. Changes in legislation regarding early intervention practice and family centered care are presented as a rationale for including maternal mental health screening as a standard practice in the field of early intervention. A case study illustrates symptoms of perinatal posttraumatic stress disorder and the effect on maternal-infant co-occupational engagement. The Model of Human Occupation is used to guide clinical reasoning about potential occupational therapy interventions.
Subjects of Desire: Academic Armor, Intimate Ethnography, and the Production of Critical Knowledge

Although critiques of objectivity have been vast, and experimental, postmodern approaches have been important and inspiring, the author argues that the pursuit of objectivity per se is not the biggest roadblock to producing critical knowledge. Rather, problems of objectivity are rooted in the larger issue of emotional detachment, which is facilitated by academic armor. Emotional detachment is implicit in the standard scientific method, but such detachment can also be found in some postmodern approaches. In both cases, the academic’s expert jurisdiction is preserved. In contrast, emotionally engaged, subjective experiences ignite one’s work with passion and make one more invested in institutionalizing the truth of one’s informants. Yet, emotionally engaged reflections alone are not enough to sustain an effective cultural and institutional critique. For this, one needs comparisons that can be observed and verified on interpersonal, organizational, and structural levels. I’ve been checking out the woman for 2 days: her shaved temples dancing with ornate tattoos, long black tresses sprouting from the remainder of her scalp. In her ears, silver hoops are everywhere, leaving only small glimpses of cartilage. Her skin is olive, draped in flowing black garments. Her sharp eyes, nose, cheeks, and chin pierce the surrounding atmosphere. She is a creature. Suddenly, powerfully, I feel her steely eyes turn, gaze, and hold on me. I slow my gait, stop, smile, and wait. “Enjoying yourself?” Her low, slow voice targets me. She is alone, standing in a hallway, although she might also be perched on a throne. I answer her as a respectful subject, with a gushing compliment: “Yes, very much s o...I just have to tell yo u... you’re very beautiful. I like your look. Where are you from?” She is from Toronto, her name is Mis
Fire Retardancy of Vinyl Ester Nanocomposites: Synergy with Phosphorus-Based Fire Retardants

Vinyl ester (PVE) nanocomposites were prepared using both clay and polyhedral oligosilsesquioxanes (POSS) as the nano-dimensional material. From cone calorimetric data, it was shown that both POSS and clay affect the flammability of the nanocomposites to the same extent. To improve on the flame retardancy, the nanocomposites were combined with phosphorous-containing fire retardants (FRs) and the result compared to the benchmark halogen-containing system. The use of the cone calorimeter to investigate the fire properties of these nanocomposites showed a great reduction in peak heat release rate (PHRR) in the presence of phosphate and slight improvements in average mass loss rate (AMLR) while thermogravimetric analysis showed improvement in char yield in the presence of phosphate. Several different organically modified clays were used and they affected the flammability to different extents. The time that the resin and clay were mixed and the atmosphere in which the reaction was carried out do not have an effect on the flammability and thermal stability of the nanocomposites. The effect of curing temperature on the clay dispersion and flammability was also investigated.
Persistent left hepatic venous connection with the coronary sinus

An anomalous direct connection between the left hepatic vein and the coronary sinus in two cadavers is described. The normal development of the central systemic venous system with particular reference to the hepatic region is reviewed and a possible explanation for the present configuration is put forth. Although this configuration of venous anomaly without abnormal shunting of blood is considered clinically insignificant, the association of cardiac arrhythmias with these variations heightens the importance of their identification.
Gene activation and DNA binding by Drosophila Ubx and abd-A proteins

The Ubx and abd-A gene products are required for proper development of thoracic and abdominal structures in Drosophila. We expressed LexA-Ubx and LexA-abdA fusion proteins in yeast. These proteins activated expression of target genes that carried either upstream LexA operators or upstream Ubx binding sites. Both proteins contain homeodomains. Experiments with mutant fusion proteins show that the homeodomain is not required for the proteins to form dimers or enter the nucleus, and that, when DNA binding is provided by the LexA moiety, the homeodomain is not required for gene activation. Our results suggest that the homeodomain is necessary for these proteins to bind Ubx sites, but that the homeodomain does not contact DNA exactly like bacterial helix-turn-helix proteins. Finally, our data suggest that gene activation by these proteins is a simple consequence of their binding to DNA, while negative gene regulation requires that these proteins act together with other Drosophila gene products.
The propagating fracture of constant shape

Abstract The propagating tensile fracture is treated as a steady-state dynamic mixed boundary-value problem in which the displacement at the fracture surface is specified. The displacement is made to correspond to an ellipse of constant shape at all velocities of fracture propagation. Although the stress distribution curves are identical to those determined by Yoffe, the magnitude of the tensile stress immediately ahead of the fracture front decreases with increase of velocity. The applied stress necessary to make a fracture of constant shape propagate at any particular velocity also decreases with increase of velocity. It appears that fractures of constant shape propagate at a single velocity, and start and stop without acceleration and deceleration.
Endoscopic Extracapsular Dissection for Resection of Pituitary Macroadenomas: Technical Note

Objective With the increasing use of the endoscope in neurosurgery, transsphenoidal surgery has undergone a considerable technical evolution. However, most recently reported advances relate to the approach to the sella turcica or to extended transsphenoidal approaches, whereas the dissection technique for pituitary tumor removal itself has received more limited attention. A notable exception is Oldfield's elegant description of an extracapsular dissection of functional pituitary microadenomas. Our objective is to describe and illustrate our technique for endoscopic extracapsular resection of pituitary macroadenomas. Methods Influenced by Oldfield's description, we have adopted an extracapsular dissection technique in the endoscopic resection of pituitary macroadenomas. After carefully opening the dura without disrupting the macroadenoma pseudocapsule, the pseudocapsule is dissected inferiorly and laterally. The tumor is then internally debulked and the extracapsular dissection is extended circumferentially; the resection is then complete. Results The enhanced visualization and illumination afforded by the endoscope enables the identification and surgical dissection of the pseudocapsule at the periphery of the macroadenomas under direct vision in most cases. As demonstrated in the illustrative case, working around the macroadenoma pseudocapsule allows for a definitive and complete macroadenoma resection with direct visual confirmation and with preservation of the normal gland and diaphragma. Conclusion The endoscopic transsphenoidal approach permits an extracapsular dissection of many pituitary macroadenomas. In our preliminary experience, this technique appears to result in a high rate of complete resection without an increase in complications.
Visual sensing by humans and computers

I review a research project whose goal is to develop algorithms to automatically assess object color, despite an unknown ambient illumination. The successful completion of the project will require (1) identifying the nature of the image information that can—in principle—permit separation of object from lighting effects in the sensed image, (2) devising computational methods for obtaining the desired information, and (3) selecting a mapping from the numerical information in images into useful color descriptors. Each of these issues is reviewed, and hypotheses are described.
Translatability: Understandability and usability by others

Abstract The United States version of the English language, sometimes referred to as “Americanese” is a lively, still developing language. It is frequently interspersed with slang, acronyms, and abbreviations. In daily use, people often employ catch phrases from advertising, television, and “one-liners” voiced by entertainers and other public figures. While this may make for a colorful version of English (deplored by some), it causes untold problems for translators whenever the “colorful” or inconsistent variations creep into documents that must be translated for use in a world market. That language problem is a problem in usability, a human factors problem; not always recognized as such by the computer industry. Akin to the sometimes thoughtless use of idiomatic English, is the bland assumption that what is designed and developed for the U.S. market is satisfactory for other countries. This assumption ignores significant differences in form, format, economic and financial factors, as well as acculturation differences. These are some of the elements that contribute to difficulties experienced by U.S. companies in getting computer programs and other products accepted outside the United States. This article discusses these matters, and four basic steps for alleviating some of the problems.
Ancient atmospheric C0 2 pressures inferred from natural goethites

THE role of changing atmospheric CO2 concentrations in controlling global temperature can be investigated by examining variations in both CO2 and climate preserved in the Earth's geological record. A model of the Earth's carbon cycle over the past 570 Myr suggests that, compared to its present value, the partial pressure of CO2 ( ) may have been an order of magnitude higher in the early Palaeozoic, and about 4–6 times higher in the middle Mesozoic1,2. Cerling3 used carbon isotope ratios in soil carbonate minerals to constrain atmospheric m portions of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras. Studies of the common mineral goethite (α-FeOOH) have shown that it contains small quantities of a carbonate component (Fe(CO3)OH), the concentration and carbon isotope content of which preserves a record of ambient at the time of formation4–7. Here we present data for goethites from an ironstone in the Upper Ordovician Neda Formation (Wisconsin, USA)8, which suggest that 440 Myr ago atmospheric was ~ 16 times higher than today. However, this enhanced level of atmospheric CO2 does not seem to have been accompanied by unusually warm temperatures in the tropics, and in fact may have been contemporaneous with high-latitude continental glaciation on Gondwanaland9,10.
CB8-02: Screening Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DXA): Are We Neglecting Women at High Risk of Hip Fracture?

Background/Aims Screening DXA is recommended for women aged 65+ to identify individuals likely to benefit from treatments to prevent osteoporotic fracture. This strategy is most cost-saving in women 75+, but DXA use remains low among older women. We determined whether estimates of absolute fracture or fall risk impact DXA screening.