cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Efficient Viologen-Based Electron Donor to Nitrogenase.

Nitrogenase catalyzes the reduction of N2 to NH3, supporting all biological nitrogen fixation. Electron donors to this enzyme are ferredoxin or flavodoxin (in vivo) and sodium dithionite (in vitro). Features of these electron donors put a limit on spectrophotometric studies and electrocatalytic applications of nitrogenase. Although it is common to use methyl viologen as an electron donor for many low-potential oxidoreductases, decreased nitrogenase activity is observed with an increasing concentration of methyl viologen, limiting its utility under many circumstances. In this work, we suggest that this concentration-dependent decrease in activity can be explained by the formation of a dimer of the radical cation of methyl viologen (Me2V•+)2 at higher methyl viologen concentrations. In addition, viologens functionalized with positively and negatively charged groups were synthesized and studied using spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. A sulfonated viologen derivative, 1,1'-bis(3-sulfonatopropyl)-4,4'-bipyridinium radical {[(SPr)2V•]-}, was found to support full nitrogenase activity up to a mediator concentration of 3 mM, while the positively charged viologen derivative was not an efficient reductant of nitrogenase due to the high standard redox potential. The utility of [(SPr)2V•]- as an electron donor for nitrogenase was demonstrated by a simple, sensitive spectrophotometric assay for nitrogenase activity that can provide accurate values for the specific activity and turnover rate constant under argon. Under N2, the formation of ammonia was confirmed. Because of the observed full activity of nitrogenase and low overpotential, [(SPr)2V•]- should also prove to be valuable for nitrogenase electrocatalysis, including bioelectrosynthetic N2 reduction.
Performance Evaluation of WiFi Direct Multi Hop Ad-Hoc Networks

Mobile devices have become the most popular way to access the Internet and are designed to leverage the availability of different wireless technologies, like cellular and WiFi. When multiple wireless networks are available at the same time, it is essential to obtain the best connection, whether this is a direct path through infrastructure networks or an indirect path using multi hop ad-hoc networks. In this paper, we use an Android application to create and evaluate the performance of indirect connections to the Internet through a multi hop ad-hoc network based on WiFi Direct, and compare their performance to direct WiFi and LTE cellular connections. Moreover, we analyze the energy consumption of the multi hop ad-hoc networks using energy consumption models for transmitting and receiving data using LTE, WiFi and WiFi Direct. Experimental results show that extending access to the Internet through a multi hop adhoc network achieves higher throughput and is more energyefficient when transferring larger data sizes compared to when transferring smaller data sizes. Finally, we show that WiFi Direct multi hop ad-hoc networks with WiFi connection from the gateway node are more energy efficient to upload and download data compared to direct LTE connection up to 7 and 3 hops, respectively.
The Čech-de Rham Complex

Let U and V be open sets on a manifold. In Section 2, we saw that the sequence of inclusions $$U \cup V \leftarrow U\coprod V \Leftarrow U \cap V$$ gives rise to an exact sequence of differential complexes $$0 \to \Omega *(U \cup V) \to \Omega *(U) \oplus \Omega *(V) \to \Omega *(U \cap V) \to 0$$ called the Mayer—Vietoris sequence. The associated long exact sequence $$\cdot \cdot \cdot \to {H^q}(U \cup V){H^q}(U) \oplus {H^q}(V){H^q}(U \cap V){H^{q + 1}}(U \cup V) \to \cdot \cdot \cdot $$ allows one to compute in many cases the cohomology of the union U ∪ V from the cohomology of the open subsets U and V. In this section, the Mayer-Vietoris sequence will be generalized from two open sets to countably many open sets. The main ideas here are due to Weil [1].
Chapter 10 – Analysis and Valuation of Privately Held Companies

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses how an analyst deals with problems associated with valuation of privately held companies. A privately owned corporation is a firm whose securities are not registered with state or federal authorities. Consequently, they are prohibited from being traded in the public securities markets. The lack of such markets makes valuing private businesses particularly challenging. However, the need to value such businesses may arise for a variety of reasons. Investors and small business owners may need a valuation as part of a merger or acquisition, for settling an estate, or because employees wish to exercise their stock options. Employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) also may require periodic valuations. This chapter focuses on the challenges of valuing private firms. The chapter provides a brief discussion of such businesses, and then discusses in detail the hazards of dealing with both limited and often unreliable data associated with private firms. The chapter then focuses on how to properly adjust questionable data, as well as how to select the appropriate valuation methodology and discount or capitalization rate. The chapter presents discussion on how to apply control premiums, minority discounts, and liquidity discounts in valuing businesses. This chapter also includes a discussion of how corporate shells, created through reverse mergers, and leveraged ESOPs are used to acquire privately owned companies and how PIPE financing may be used to fund their ongoing operations.
A Review of Cyber Security Issues in Hospitality Industry

The purpose of this study is to emphasize the importance of cyber security in hospitality industry. This study further identifies and analyzes several common network threats and recommends useful security practices and techniques to prevent cyber attacks in hotels. This study is a rich source of information for Information Technology (IT) directors and Chief Information Officers (CIO) to advance their policies and procedures for security of electronic information in hotels using the most recent and updated information available in the area of hospitality industry. The methodology of this study is a unique combination of qualitative method and review method for an in-depth understanding of real-life issues within the industry and the most recent technical and practical solutions that hotels use to handle and solve these issues. The findings of this study show that the techniques currently utilized by hotels to prevent cyber attacks are mostly rudimentary and outdated. Furthermore, study indicates that most of the hotel staff lacks the knowledge and expertise to handle potential threats and thus hospitality industry becomes even more vulnerable to cyber threats and attacks. Finally, the paper discusses some implications and recommendations to hotel’s policy makers to help secure the hotels’ and guests’ information from security attacks.
Spasticity Management After Spinal Cord Injury

To review current treatment options and research for patients with spasticity after spinal cord injury. Spasticity is a common complication after spinal cord injury (SCI). Recent studies report the significant impact that spasticity has on the quality of life in patients after SCI which highlights the importance of optimizing spasticity management. There are new reviews and research on the various strategies for spasticity management including therapy, medications, injections, and surgeries. As spasticity significantly affects quality of life (QOL), optimal management of spasticity is essential. Spasticity management in patients with SCI is a joint decision made with the patient after considering the type and severity of the spasticity, goals, as well as the risks and benefits of the treatment options. This article reviews the current management options and research.
Impact of Maternal HbA1c Levels ≤6% and Race in Nondiabetic Pregnancies on Birthweight and Early Neonatal Hypoglycemia.

Objective To evaluate whether pregnancy glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels of ≤6% and maternal race impacts neonatal hypoglycemia and birthweight, and whether diabetes and beta blocker use during pregnancy additively impacts neonatal outcomes. Study design Retrospective chart review of 4769 infants born at ≥34 weeks; 21 482 glucose measurements were assessed. Predefined groups were infants born to mothers without documented pregnancy conditions (group N), prenatal exposure of beta blockers (group B), diabetes (group D), or both (group DB). Results In group N, both in Caucasian (Caucasian, n = 1756; β = 2.6, P Conclusions Pregnancy HbA1c levels between 4.8% and 6.0% considered acceptable during pregnancy impacts neonatal hypoglycemia and birthweight especially in Caucasian race. A third trimester HbA1c >5.2 is a potential risk factor for neonatal hypoglycemia, especially in preterm infants. Although we report new findings on the relationship between maternal HbA1c levels and neonatal outcomes, a prospective study is required to validate our findings and determine “optimal” HbA1C levels during pregnancy.
We Meet Again: The Reintroduction and Reintegration of Purpose into Personality Psychology

The current chapter posits that sense of purpose and purpose in life are individual differences that find a natural home in personality science. Situating these constructs within personality psychology allows for an abundance of future research opportunities to illuminate clearer answers to questions such as what the daily life of a purposeful person looks like, what behaviors purposeful people enact, and the unique lifespan trajectories of purpose. Before discussing the research questions personality psychology methodology will support answering, I begin by defining the two main purpose constructs of interest: sense of purpose and purpose in life. From there, I integrate these constructs into three main personality frameworks to provide initial evidence for purpose being an important factor in personality theory. I then discuss the history of purpose within personality science, and why it is distinct from the work that has previously been done in the field. I close the chapter by describing essential questions that exist in purpose research, and offering recommendations for addressing them using personality methodology.
Do Multiple Doses of Feedback Have Cumulative Effects on Eyewitness Confidence

We tested whether multiple doses of feedback have cumulative effects on eyewitness-identification confidence. In Experiment 1, participants made mistaken identifications and received or did not receive three forms of confirming feedback: (1) co-witness feedback; (2) vague feedback from the experimenter (“You’ve been a good witness”); and (3) inference-based feedback, in which eyewitnesses were led to infer that their identification was accurate. Co-witness feedback and inference-based feedback independently inflated eyewitness confidence, providing some evidence of cumulation. In Experiment 2, participants received or did not receive co-witness feedback and/or inference-based feedback following their mistaken lineup identifications. Two doses of feedback produced significantly higher confidence than did one dose of feedback, demonstrating significant cumulation. These findings suggest that multiple doses of subtle post-identification feedback can cumulate to have large distorting effects on later testimony.
COVID-19 and K–12 School Reopening: A Simple Information Provision Proposal

Month for month, the COVID-19 pandemic has done more damage to the American workforce than the Great Recession. By shutting down schools, local policymakers risk making this damage permanent. What has come to be called educational scarring helps explain why the Great Recession was so great and why the recovery took so long to benefit low-wage workers. In this policy brief, I propose an (apparently novel) dynamic information provision strategy tailored to parents and local policymakers. This strategy can be implemented without any additional data collection. If the United States follows the same trajectory in the rates of COVID-19 death and infection as other countries experiencing earlier peaks in these rates, then I anticipate that my proposal will accelerate school reopenings. My policy recommendation also balances potential future harms from COVID-19 by serving as an early warning system in the event of a COVID-19 mutation occurring in a particular area or the weakening of a particular population’s immunity.
Probabilities of designed locations of ceremonial foci: the Chaco Meridian, temple IV at Tikal, and a large-scale sacred Adena river landscape

Considering that prehistoric cultures may have had the socio-religious need and technical ability to create accurate geometric patterns across a large landscape, limited ethnographic and archaeolog...
Food Policy and Urban Unrest: A Global Analysis

In this chapter, I explore the link between government food taxes and urban unrest. I analyze an event dataset on social and political disorder in cities across the developing world matched to cross-national data on consumer food taxes between 1965 and 2009. I estimate panel regressions of the effect of food taxes on unrest. I find no simple relationship between food policy and political instability in cities. However, when the effects of food taxes are allowed to vary by political regime type, I find that higher taxes are significantly associated with greater levels of unrest under anocracy. I also estimate instrumental variables regressions that exploit exogenous variation in the composition of a country's agricultural sector to identify the causal effect of food taxes on unrest. The results of these models align with those of the panel regressions. I find that higher food taxes are significantly correlated with greater unrest, but only under anocracies, which combine a lack of democratic accountability with a relatively permissive political opportunity structure.
Camera-Based Remote Photoplethysmography for Physiological Monitoring in Neonatal Intensive Care

The ability to measure heart rate (HR) noninvasively is important in both a hospital and a home setting due to the role this vital sign plays in health and wellbeing. Despite great advancements and improvements in recent years, safety remains a challenging issue in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Traditional sensors found in the NICU incubators require adhesives and wires. The objective of this article was to develop a wireless, noncontact monitoring system that measures multiple physiological parameters in human faces from a distance using a camera and a single board computer. Experiments were conducted to estimate heart rate. The current practices of measuring HR involve collecting electrocardiogram (ECG) signals from adhesive electrodes placed on various parts of the body or using a pulse oximeter (PO) typically placed on the ear lobe or finger. We developed a monitoring system and compared its results to that from a PO. The monitoring system is low-cost at less than $200. The system has not been shown to exist in literature thus making it a novel implementation. In conclusion, we were able to estimate HR from a distance using a camera-based system. The developed system may have many useful applications, in both clinical and home health settings.
Economic Design of Control Charts

Control charts are designed by using a heuristic, or meeting statistical constraints or minimizing cost. The latter two design methods are called statistical design and economic design. A combination of them, called economic statistical design, is a related criterion. In this chapter I discuss these methods and their relative strengths and weaknesses. I then review some literature that addresses the choice of an optimal economic process control policy and subsequently discuss how one can design the optimal economic control chart. I also review and address some of the criticism of economic design. Keywords: control chart design; economic design; policy selection; process monitoring
Inversion privada y "efecto arrastre" de la deuda externa en la america latina

Introduccion. Desde 1982 la crisis de la deuda externa latinoamericana ha ocupado la atencion de politicos y analistas de la region. En los primeros anos de la crisis muchos observadores hicieron hincapie en el tamano de la deuda y en la amenaza que esta significa para los sistemas financieros estadunidenses y europeo. Algunos autores modelaron la relacion deudor-acredor como una especie de juego reiterativo, cuyos posibles resultados incluian el repago, la reprogramacion o el repudio(vease por ejemplo, Bulow y Rogoff, 1989). Es evidente que los responsables de la politica de los Estados Unidos visualizaron la crisis de esta manera y buscaron una estrategia destinada a asegurar que los deudores latinoamericanos mantuvieran el servicio de la deuda a pesar del dano macroeconomico que dicho repago causaba en toda la region(vease Sachs, 1986)...
Activation mapping of reentry around an anatomical barrier in the canine atrium: observations during the action of the class III agent, d-sotalol.

d-Sotalol and Atrial Reentry. Introduction: In the chronically instrumented animal and the isolated blood perfused heart, atrial reentry via a fixed path around an anatomical obstacle has been described and is terminated by the Class III antiarrhythmic agent, d-sotalol. The precise mechanism by which d-sotalol terminates this arrhythmia is not known. Methods and Results: In the present study, right atrial (RA) activation sequences in the isolated, coronary artery perfused canine heart during episodes of sustained flutter (n = 7) and drug administration were determined. A fixed array of bipolar electrodes was used to record endocardial electrograms from 96 sites on the RA simultaneously. Maps of all control flutters showed that the rhythm was due to persistent circus movement of the impulse around the tricuspid valve ring. D-sotalol was effective in terminating atrial reentry in this model. In all episodes, block of the excitatory impulse in a specific region of the reentrant circuit accompanied these terminations. However, the events preceding the occurrence of block of the impulse were not similar. Two different modes of termination are described. Conclusion: The Class III antiarrhythmic agent d-sotalol can terminate atrial reentry in several ways. In one mode, complete conduction block of he reentering impulse within the fixed path occurs to terminate the rhythm. In the other mode, interruption of the original reentrant circuit occurs when there is failure of a lateral boundary. Often in this latter case, interruption of the original circuit is by an extra impulse that is secondary to a change in the path of the impulse. In both modes cycle length oscillations are observed.
A photoconductivity study of the excitons in doped and undoped {GaAs}/{AlGaAs} quantum wells

Abstract Photoconductivity (PC) measurements have been performed on narrow GaAs AlGaAs quantum wells (QWs) using dye-laser excitation in a limited energy range: the vicinity of the excitons. The derived high resolution PC spectra are then compared with photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectra in the same energy range for the same samples. In these PC spectra several new features appear, which to the best of our knowledge have not been reported earlier: In an undoped QW the excited 2s states in addition to the normally observed 1s ground states to each of the heavy hole- (hh) and the light hole- (lh) states of the FE can be observed. Similarly, in a doped QW a peak interpreted as the bound exciton is observed on the low energy side of the FE. The same peaks can be observed also in PLE for the samples investigated, which is a strong support for the interpretation of the observed peaks.
Teaching Bayesian statistics through simulation

I describe an introductory graduate course on Bayesian statistics taught in the Spring of 2001 at the University of Texas. The course made extensive use of simulation through Markov Chain Monte Carlo, with students completing a number of projects to introduce them to the basic ideas of MCMC simmulation and Bayesian reasoning.
A clustering model based on matrix approximation with applications to cluster system log files

In system management applications, to perform automated analysis of the historical data across multiple components when problems occur, we need to cluster the log messages with disparate formats to automatically infer the common set of semantic situations and obtain a brief description for each situation. In this paper, we propose a clustering model where the problem of clustering is formulated as matrix approximations and the clustering objective is minimizing the approximation error between the original data matrix and the reconstructed matrix based on the cluster structures. The model explicitly characterizes the data and feature memberships and thus enables the descriptions of each cluster. We present a two-side spectral relaxation optimization procedure for the clustering model. We also establish the connections between our clustering model with existing approaches. Experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Photoetching and Plating of Gallium Arsenide

The effects of light in the gold chemiplating and the etching of gallium arsenide have been investigated by partially illuminating samples submerged in various solutions. The plating occurs at the nonilluminated and etching at the illuminated region on n‐type material, whereas the reverse is true for p‐type. Etching can be accomplished in very dilute electrolytes, such as , by the action of light. A qualitative explanation for the experimental results is given, based on the photoeffects made possible by the bending of the energy bands in the space charge region of the semiconductor when it is placed in electrolytes.
Differentiation of insect sensory neurons in the absence of their normal synaptic targets.

Abstract Sensory neurons in the antenna of the moth, Manduca sexta , arise and differentiate during the 18 days of metamorphosis from pupa to adult, sending axons to the brain. To assess the trophic dependence of developing antennal neurons on their targets, we studied antennae from surgically debrained animals. If the brain is removed 1 to 45 hr after pupal ecdysis (before and during the period when antennal neurons arise by cell divisions), adult development can be triggered by injection of β-ecdysone; if the brain is removed 50 to 60 hr after pupal ecdysis (before antennal axons contact the brain), metamorphosis proceeds spontaneously. Neurons proliferate normally and differentiate extensively in the antennae of debrained animals. They acquire a characteristic size and shape, elaborate axons and dendrites, migrate to appropriate positions in the sensilla, accumulate components of a neurotransmitter system (acetylcholine, choline acetyltransferase, and acetylcholinesterase), and generate electrical responses to olfactory and mechanical stimuli. Antennal sensory neurons thus differ from a variety of vertebrate neurons, which fail to mature when deprived of their synaptic targets.
A Murine Model of Nijmegen Breakage Syndrome

Nijmegen breakage syndrome (NBS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by microcephaly, immunodeficiency, and predisposition to hematopoietic malignancy [1]. The clinical and cellular phenotypes of NBS substantially overlap those of ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T). NBS is caused by mutation of the NBS1 gene, which encodes a member of the Mre11 complex [2, 3], a trimeric protein complex also containing Mre11 and Rad50 [4]. Several lines of evidence indicate that the ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) kinase and the Mre11 complex functionally interact [5]. Both NBS and A-T cells exhibit ionizing radiation (IR) sensitivity and defects in the intra S phase checkpoint, resulting in radioresistant DNA synthesis (RDS)—the failure to suppress DNA replication origin firing after IR exposure [6]. NBS1 is phosphorylated by ATM in response to IR, and this event is required for activation of the intra S phase checkpoint (the RDS checkpoint) [7–10]. We derived a murine model of NBS, the Nbs1 ΔB/ΔB mouse. Nbs1 ΔB/ΔB cells are phenotypically identical to those established from NBS patients. The Nbs1 ΔB allele was synthetically lethal with ATM deficiency. We propose that the ATM-Mre11 complex DNA damage response pathway is essential and that ATM or the Mre11 complex serves as a nexus to additional components of the pathway.
Possible origin of lunar magnetism

ANY model of the origin of lunar magnetism needs to explain two principal observations1. One is the magnitude of the stable natural remanent magnetisation (NRM) carried by the returned lunar samples, which is far too large to have been acquired in fields comparable with those found at present in the vicinity of the Moon. The other is the presence of remanent fields at the lunar surface, which imply source regions of tens or hundreds of kilometres of homogeneous magnetisation, primarily in the highlands.
Geographic Population Structure of the Sugarcane Borer, Diatraea saccharalis (F.) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), in the Southern United States

The sugarcane borer moth, Diatraea saccharalis, is widespread throughout the Western Hemisphere, and is considered an introduced species in the southern United States. Although this moth has a wide distribution and is a pest of many crop plants including sugarcane, corn, sorghum and rice, it is considered one species. The objective was to investigate whether more than one introduction of D. saccharalis had occurred in the southern United States and whether any cryptic species were present. We field collected D. saccharalis in Texas, Louisiana and Florida in the southern United States. Two molecular markers, AFLPs and mitochondrial COI, were used to examine genetic variation among these regional populations and to compare the sequences with those available in GenBank and BOLD. We found geographic population structure in the southern United States which suggests two introductions and the presence of a previously unknown cryptic species. Management of D. saccharalis would likely benefit from further investigation of population genetics throughout the range of this species.
Banana regime pressure anisotropy in a bumpy cylinder magnetic field

The pressure anisotropy is calculated for a plasma in a bumpy cylindrical magnetic field in the low collisionality (banana) regime for small magnetic-field modulations (ϵ≡ΔB∕2B⪡1). Solutions are obtained by integrating the drift-kinetic equation along field lines in steady state. A closure for the local value of the parallel viscous force B∙∇∙Π‖ is then calculated and is shown to exceed the flux-surface-averaged parallel viscous force ⟨B∙∇∙Π‖⟩ by a factor of O(1∕ϵ). A high-frequency limit (ω⪢ν) for the pressure anisotropy is also determined and the calculation is then extended to include the full frequency dependence by using an expansion in Cordey eigenfunctions.
A self-adjusting directed random walk approach for enhancing source-location privacy in sensor network routing

Source-location privacy is a sensor network privacy that is quite different from content privacy, which could be protected by usual network security techniques. In a sensor network environment, the wireless medium is shared. An adversaries may trace back to the source sensor hop by hop with signal localization devices. In order to enhance source-location privacy, a technique called phantom routing [8] has emerged. Phantom routing consists of two phases: random walk to create phantom sources and a subsequent routing phase to deliver a message to the sink. Random walk phase plays an important role in phantom routing. Two approaches, which are sector-based directed random walk and hop-based directed random walk, could be applied to random walk phase. However, it is observed that the performance of those two random walk approaches will drop if the source locates in certain regions of the sensing field. The reason is that a message may be blocked at a node because no neighbors are available in the direction chosen by the source at beginning. This will result in the premature termination of the random walk phase. In this paper, a self-adjusting directed random walk technique is proposed. This approach is able to adjust the direction of the random walk based on the estimation of the current node's relative location to the source when a message is blocked. From the results of simulation, self-adjusting directed random walk solves above problem and shows an improvement on the overall performance of phantom routing.
A concise total synthesis of hymenialdisine

Abstract The synthesis of hymenialdisine has offered challenges that included the formation of the regio-isomers upon monobromination, atom-scrambling in the cyclization step, and low to moderate yields in the last steps. We herein present a short and concise (6 overall steps), high yielding route (44% overall yields) for this biologically interesting natural product that addresses these issues and avoids the use of any protecting groups.
JNK Suppresses Apoptosis via Phosphorylation of the Proapoptotic Bcl-2 Family Protein BAD

JNK has been suggested to be proapoptotic, antiapoptotic, or have no role in apoptosis depending on the cell type and stimulus used. The precise mechanism of JNK action, under conditions when it promotes cell survival, is not entirely clear. Here, we report that JNK is required for IL-3-mediated cell survival through phosphorylation and inactivation of the proapoptotic Bcl-2 family protein BAD. IL-3 withdrawal-induced apoptosis is promoted by inhibition of JNK but suppressed by expression of a constitutively active JNK. JNK phosphorylates BAD at threonine 201, thereby inhibiting BAD association with the antiapoptotic molecule BCL-X L . IL-3 induces BAD phosphorylation at threonine 201, and replacement of threonine 201 by alanine generates a BAD mutant, which promotes IL-3 withdrawal-induced apoptosis. Thus, our results provide a molecular mechanism by which JNK contributes to cell survival.
The Sequence of HIV-1 TAR RNA Helix Controls Cationic Distribution†

Sequence dependency of metal ion aggregation around RNA structures is known to be involved in critical functions ranging from processes of molecular recognition to enzymatic chemistry. Ion interactions with an HIV-1 TAR RNA core helix were examined with explicit solvent molecular dynamics simulations. The results have shown that there is a sequence-dependent cationic localization toward the purine-rich run within the TAR helix and other purine-rich duplexes. The behavior is independent of ionic species or a presence of a bulge. A region of high ion affinity agrees very well with the position of the X-ray determined divalent cations within a fragment from the HIV-1 TAR RNA.
Attitudes toward cervical cancer screening among Muslim women: a pilot study

ABSTRACT Background: Immigrant Muslim women have low rates of health care utilization, especially preventive care such as breast exams, mammograms, and cervical cancer screening. Religious and cultural beliefs, such as the value placed on modesty and premarital virginity, contribute to reluctance to seek health care. In addition, it has been unclear whether discussions of health care behavior that involve sexuality and reproductive health would be welcomed among immigrant Muslim women. Purposes: (1) To examine the impact of religious and cultural values on health care behavior of Muslim women from immigrant backgrounds in the San Francisco Bay Area, particularly with regard to cervical cancer screening; (2) To determine whether these women would welcome discussing values and beliefs regarding sexuality and reproductive health. Methods: Our key informants were five Muslim women who identified pelvic and Pap smear screening exams as major sources of anxiety for their community, and therefore major barriers ...
Friction-Induced Squeak of Ceramic-on-Ceramic Hip Implants: A Stability Design Criteria

Friction-induced squeaking has been reported in 1–10% of patients who have a ceramic on ceramic total hip replacement, which is a subject of annoyance. The goal of this study was to investigate the possible factors attributing to the hip squeak, and understand the underlying phenomenon. The investigation involved acoustic, modal, and mathematical analyses. Acoustic analysis involved extracting and analyzing audio data from the videos files of squeaking ceramic hips. The audio data was transformed from the time to frequency domain using Fast Frequency Transform (FFT) using MATLAB. This allowed the identification of the squeal frequencies. Modeling involved 3-D rendering of the hip implant (femoral stem, head, cup liner, and the cup shell) using computer-aided-design software. Mathematical analysis involved the investigation of the role of the frictional stick-slip phenomenon of the metal shell and ceramic liner on squeal using a 2-DOF mathematical model. Mass, stiffness properties, and coefficient of friction of the components were incorporated to study the limit cycle using MATLAB/Simulink, which is an indicator of the stability of the system. Modal (Numerical) analysis involved the evaluation of the modal frequencies of the components using ANSYS, to investigate their contribution to squeal. Acoustic analysis of the squeal frequencies showed that the range of squeal frequencies of the coupled system ranged from 1500–3000 Hz, which concurred well with the literature. Modal Analysis showed the metallic shell’s resonant frequency at 4600 Hz. The parametric analyses using the 2-dof model showed that a stable system was approached as the stiffness of the liner was increased. The increase in mass of the shell resulted in larger limit-cycles. Increased stiffness of the shell proved to stabilize the system for most loading conditions.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Scattering amplitude in not a finite rank kernel in the basis of spherical harmonics

Abstract It is proved in this paper that the scattering amplitude Aq(α′, α) at fixed energy for potentials with compact support cannot be a finite rank kernel in the basis of spherical harmonics. A similar result is proved also for the scattering amplitude in the obstacle scattering problem.
Determinants of plasma water sodium concentration as reflected in the Edelman equation: role of osmotic and Gibbs-Donnan equilibrium.

Edelman et al. have empirically shown that plasma water sodium concentration ([Na+]pw) is equal to 1.11(Nae + Ke)/TBW - 25.6 (Edelman IS, Leibman J, O'Meara MP, Birkenfeld LW. J Clin Invest 37: 123...
Impaired B lymphopoiesis in old age: a role for inflammatory B cells?

Continued generation of new B cells within the bone marrow is required throughout life. However, in old age, B lymphopoiesis is inhibited at multiple developmental stages from hematopoietic stem cells through the late stages of new B cell generation. While changes in B cell precursor subsets, as well as alterations in the supporting bone marrow microenvironment, in old age have been known for the last 20 years, only more recently have insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible become clarified. Our recent discovery that B cells in aged mice are pro-inflammatory and can diminish B cell generation within the bone marrow suggests a potential mechanism of inappropriate “B cell feedback” which contributes to a bone marrow microenvironment unfavorable to B lymphopoiesis. We hypothesize that the consequences of a pro-inflammatory microenvironment in old age are (1) reduced B cell generation and (2) alteration in the “read-out” of the antibody repertoire. Both of these likely ensue from reduced expression of the surrogate light chain (λ5 + VpreB) and consequently reduced expression of the pre-B cell receptor (preBCR), critical to pre-B cell expansion and Vh selection. In old age, B cell development may progressively be diverted into a preBCR-compromised pathway. These abnormalities in B lymphopoiesis likely contribute to the poor humoral immunity seen in old age.
Novel Expression of Neuropeptide Y (NPY) mRNA in Hypothalamic Regions during Development: Region-Specific Effects of Maternal Deprivation on NPY and Agouti-Related Protein mRNA

During development there is novel expression of NPY mRNA in the dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus (DMH) and perifornical region (PFR), in addition to the arcuate nucleus (ARH). Furthermore, NPY mRNA levels peak in all regions on postnatal d 16 (P16) and decrease to adult levels by P30. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether NPY and agouti-related protein (AGRP) mRNA expression in the different hypothalamic regions on P11 and P16 are similarly affected by fasting. An examination of the full rostral to caudal extent of the hypothalamus revealed two additional regions displaying novel NPY mRNA expression, the parvocellular division of the paraventricular nucleus (PVH) and lateral hypothalamus (LH). Maternal deprivation for 36 h, used to bring about a fast, similarly increased (23–29%) NPY and AGRP mRNA expression in the ARH on P11 and P16. In contrast, NPY expression in the DMH and PFR were significantly decreased (19–30% and 48–53%, respectively), whereas NPY mRNA levels in the PVH and LH ...
Initial adaptation in mothers and fathers following perinatal loss

Two months following perinatal loss, 82 mothers out of a total of 205 whose infants died at a tertiary referral obstetrical hospital and 47 of their partners were assessed with regard to their reactions to the deaths of their infants. Sample to population comparisons indicated that those who participated in the investigation were more likely to be socially advantaged. Intensity of mothers' grief exceeded fathers', but in roughly 25% of cases fathers' grief exceeded mothers. Mothers with higher self-reports of ego strength reported lower intensity of grief. Fathers with less ego strength, less social support, and more stressful life events had significantly higher self-reported grief. A subgroup of parents who reported minimal grief was identified and characterized. Implitions of these findings for research on reactions to perinatal loss are discussed. Deux mois apres la perte perinatale, 82 meres sur un total de 205 dont les nourrissons etaient decedes dans un service hospitalier d'obstetrique et 47 de leurs partenaires furent evalues pour ce qui concerne leurs rections a la mort de leurs nourrissons. Des comparaisons effectuees entre l'echantillon et la population indiquerent que ceux qui participerent a l'enquete etaient plus a měme de provenir d'un milieu social favorie. L'intensite de la douleur des meres exfedait celle des peres, mais dans 25% des cas la douleur des peres exctdait celle des meres. Les meres s'etant elles-měmes derites comme ayant une plus grande force d'ego ont rendu compte d'une plus faible intensite dans leur douleur. Les peres ayant moins de force d'ego, un soutien social moindre et une vie plus stressante ont rendu compte d'une douleur plus importante. Un sous-groupe de parents ayant fait at d'une douleur minimale fut identifie et caracterise. Les implications de ces resultats pour la recherche sur les reactions e la perte perinatale sont discutees. Dos meses despues de una perdida perinatal, 82 madres de un total de 205 cuyos infantes murieron en un hospital de obstetricia de referencia terciaria y 47 de sus parejas fueron evaluados con respecto a sus reacciones en cuanto a la muerte de sus infantes. Muestras comparativas indicaron que quienes participaron en la investigacion presentaban probablemente mas ventajas sociales. La intensidad del dolor materno excedio a la de los padres, y solo en el 25% de los casos el dolor de los padres fue mAs intenso. Aquellas madres cuyos propios reportes de su fuerza interior eran mas altos, presentaron una menor intensidad de afliccion. Los padres con una fuerza interior baja, rnenos apoyo social y una vida llena de tensiones, presentaron reportes propios de tener una mayor intensidad de dolor. Un subgrupo de padres que reportaron una afliccion minima fue identificado y caracterizado. En el ensayo se discuten las implicaciones de estos hallazgos sobre las reacciones a perdidas perinatales.
Context of female bias in song repertoire size, singing effort, and singing independence in a cooperatively breeding songbird

Among animals with conventional parental care roles, female bias in expression of elaborate sexually or socially selected traits is rare. However, such cases are instrumental for understanding selection pressures on females. Here, I present observational data showing that among mated pairs of cooperatively breeding stripe-headed sparrows, Peucaea r. ruficauda, singing behavior is broadly female-biased. Unlike in all other songbirds described to date, paired females outpaced males in singing effort, singing independence, and complexity of displayed repertoire. Social context of increased singing effort and song mode specialization suggested a strong influence of resource defense on females relative to males but did not exclude mate defense as an additional function. Females had larger song repertoires for territorial behavior, and males possessed a repertoire for mate acquisition that females did not. Males only equaled females in singing effort while singing in the mate acquisition mode. The female song bias toward aggression supports a previous study which concluded that resource defense is a strong selective pressure on female song evolution, given that female song response to simulated territorial intrusions was stronger than male response. Because stripe-headed sparrows remain pair-bonded and territorial year-round for multiple years, breeding females may be the dominant singers for a significant portion of their lives. Cases of female song bias are rarely noted in the literature, but increasing study of monomorphic, tropical, and Austral species may increase their number and change our perception of how elaborate, sex-specific traits evolve.
Perceived religious support for problem gambling: does church doctrine influence help-seeking?

This project explored church members’ willingness to use religious resources to overcome a gambling problem. Participants from congregations with divergent doctrine on gambling (Roman Catholic, n = 156; Southern Baptist, n = 93) were randomly assigned to imagine having gambling or depression problems. Expected religious support and the likelihood of asking for help were evaluated using analysis of variance. Church doctrine on gambling did not relate with anticipated social support or likelihood of seeking help. Most participants expected support from church, and were willing to seek help from church members. Southern Baptists, compared to Catholics, did expect more forgiveness. Participants in the gambling condition, compared to the depression condition, expected more judgement. Individuals in the gambling condition, compared to the depression condition, were more likely to seek help from church resources. These findings suggest that religious individuals view gambling as a moral problem, and that the chu...
Measuring the amount of dark radiation with the CMB and BBN

The anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) are powerful probes of the energy density in relativistic particles. We show how the results from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), and new measurements of the primordial deuterium abundance, have improved the accuracy with which this component can be measured even in the case of a degeneracy in the electron neutrinos.
The Next Generation Integrated Library System: A Promise Fulfilled?

The adoption of Integrated Library Systems (ILS) became prevalent in the 1980s and 1990s as libraries began or continued to automate their processes. These systems enabled library staff to work, in many cases, more efficiently than they had been in the past. However, these systems were also restrictive – especially as the nature of the work began to change, largely in response to the growth of electronic and digital resources – for which these systems were not intended to manage. New library systems – the second (or next) generation library systems are needed in order to effectively manage the processes of acquiring, describing and making available all library resources. This article examines the state of library systems today and describes the features needed in a next generation library system. The authors also examine some of the next generation library systems currently in development that purport to fill the changing needs of libraries.
Risk of malignant brain tumors and cell phone use

It has been estimated that there are about 2 billion users of cellular mobile telephones worldwide. The popularity of cellular telephones is beyond any debate. It's a good guess that most, if not all users, would prefer no links between cellular telephone and health effect, let alone cell-phone use and cancer.
Novel activation mechanism for the promutagenic herbicide diallate

The potent bacterial mutagen 2-chloroacrolein is formed from the carcinogenic herbicide S-2,3-dichloroallyl diisopropylthiocarbamate (diallate) on incubation with hepatic microsomal monooxygenases or on reaction with m-chloroperbenzoic acid. A proposed activation mechanism for this promutagen involves sulfoxidation followed by [2,3] sigmatropic rearrangement and 1,2-elimination reactions. A portion of the highly reactive intermediate, diallate sulfoxide (proximate mutagens), is attacked by glutathione in a reaction which competes with its transformation to the ultimate mutagen, 2-chloroacrolein.
Deposition of sand in a trench-slope basin by unconfined turbidity currents

Abstract Site 181 of the Deep Sea Drilling Project is located on the seaward margin of a small basin which formed on the accretionary lower slope of the eastern Aleutian Trench. Sand layers recovered from this basin display an unexpected degree of compositional heterogeneity. Evidently, all of the detritus was not derived from a single point source or submarine channel. Instead, unconfined turbidity currents must have converged on the site of deposition from initiation points which were widely spaced across the hinterland of the Gulf of Alaska. Most of the unconfined flows probably were deflected around larger bathymetric obstacles; however, the bathymetric relief associated with many ridges appears to be insufficient for complete blockage of turbidity currents. Ridge bypassing can also occur by direct upslope flow over the ridge crests, and we believe this mechanism represents an important element of forearc sedimentation.
Where are we going? Product scaling in the system on chip era

In 1965 Gordon Moore observed that the level of integration that delivered the lowest cost per component was growing exponentially. Nearly 50 years later we're still following that observation. Increasing transistor counts, however, have qualitatively changed the products that are built on these technologies taking us from separate analog and digital chips to analog mixed signal systems containing billions of transistors. This can be seen in the differences between the original microprocessor, the Intel 4004 and the more recent Intel Nehalem-Ex processor. Today's Systems on Chip commonly contain a wide range of both digital and analog IP blocks. This integration of digital and an increasing amount of analog circuitry while maintaining market driven cost and power constraints has led to an ongoing set of challenges.