cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A state space approach and formulation for the solution of nonlinear 3-D transient eddy current problems

A novel method is presented for 3-D nonlinear transient eddy current and field computations, utilizing the state-space approach for handling the time variation. A nonlinear magnetic circuit example was successfully implemented. The results of the proposed method are compared with those of the Crank-Nicholson technique and measured data. These comparisons reveal excellent agreement, and the proposed method outperforms the Crank-Nicholson technique in CPU time, calculating the results in less than 25% of the time required by the Crank-Nicholson method. Formulation details, numerical results, and the various comparisons are given. >
Investigating engagement response tokens in spoken narrative discourse

This paper reports the results of a recent project undertaken at a Midwestern university language programme to improve the methodology of teaching interactive listening skills and developing NNS students’ interactional competence. To document their current awareness and use of interactive listening skills, this study focuses on the analysis of response tokens used by NNS students in spoken narrative discourse. Response tokens are high‐frequency turn‐initial lexical items which occur in responses in everyday spoken genres, and which reveal various levels of the listener’s interactional engagement. In this study, the form and use of two kinds of engagement response tokens, surprise and assessment tokens, in NNS–NS and NS–NS interaction are examined. The findings of this study underline the need to raise students’ awareness of pragmalinguistic features of surprise and assessment tokens through explicit instruction.
Remarkable NLO response and infrared absorption in simple twisted molecular π-chromophores

Computational modeling reveals that, by substitutional modification of interplanar dihedral angles in a series of quinopyrans, both the optical absorption cross section and the first hyperpolarizability can be widely tuned in both frequency and magnitude. This is a promising structural control scheme for modulating molecular nonlinear optical and infrared absorption properties. The maximum nonresonant μβ estimated for a tetraalkyl-substituted 4-quinopyran, the full AM1-optimized interplanar dihedral angle of which is 104°, is ∼70000 × 10-48 esu, at an excitation energy of 0.10 eV. This is 4 orders of magnitude larger than that of the archetypical NLO chromophore, 4-N,N‘-(dimethylamino)-4‘-nitrostilbene, at the same excitation frequency. The effects of conjugation pathway, strength of the electron donor/acceptor groups, and auxiliary donor and acceptor on the molecular response properties have also been analyzed. The optical absorption at a twist angle of 90°, when the molecule can be described as two disj...
Alternative medicine and Alzheimer disease.

Background Alternative medicine has an extensive worldwide history and is commonly used by older patients. A number of different alternative medicines are used by patients having Alzheimer's disease. It is both desirable and expected for clinicians to be acquainted with these medications.
Regulation of membrane functions and fatty acid composition in Escherichia coli by cyclic AMP receptor protein

Abstract Adenosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) has been shown to be involved in regulating a number of membrane functions in Escherichia coli cells, including various respiratory and transport activities. In this report we show that this regulation is mediated by the cAMP receptor protein (CRP). In addition, data are presented which show that the cAMP-CRP system is involved in regulating the E. coli fatty acid composition.
SIF statistics in micro cracked solid: Effect of crack density, orientation and clustering

Abstract The paper addresses the problem of stress intensity factors (SIFs) statistics in a randomly cracked solid. For this aim, the representative unit cell approach has been used. The geometry of a microcracked solid is modeled by a periodic structure with a unit cell containing a number of cracks sufficient to account for the micro structure statistics. The method developed recently by Kushch et al. [V.I. Kushch, I. Sevostianov, L. Mishnaevsky Jr., Stress concentration and effective stiffness of aligned fiber reinforced composite with anisotropic constituents. International Journal of Solids and Structures 45 (2008) 5103–5117] is applied to obtain the exact series solution for the local stress field and SIFs for each separate crack. The method combines the superposition principle, the technique of complex potentials and new results in the theory of special functions. An appropriate choice of potentials provides reduction of the boundary-value problem to a set of linear algebraic equations and thus high numerical efficiency of the method. A wide series of computational experiments has been performed and the statistically meaningful results have been obtained discovering the way and extent to which the SIF statistics is affected by the micro structure parameters, namely, the crack density, their angular scattering and cluster formation. It is found that SIF distribution follows the Gnedenko–Gumbel asymptotic rule. An analytical expression is suggested for the SIF statistics in a microcracked material and a simple meso mechanical model of the cluster of cracks is proposed.
Prostitution of sexuality: A cause for new international human rights

Abstract The social normalization of prostitution, even where it is still illegal, in post-industrial states has led to a legitimization of many dimensions of sexual exploitation. This paper examines the social construction of exploitative sex in the prostitution exchange. The harm of being sexually objectified, a precondition for the prostitution exchange, that is repeated in mostly anonymous sexual contacts over weeks, months, and years, is evident in the split in the self that is constructed to sustain one in prostitution. This research finds that the buying of sex is a specifically gendered human rights violation. Identifying the harm in the social construction of prostituted sex and its normalization explains a significant aspect of the context of sexual exploitation in Western, postindustrial states. This paper further explores how prostitution, as an institution and an industry, is shaped by the socioeconomic development of the state and world region. Trafficking in women, military prostitution, an...
Post‐Mortem Changes in Protein Extractability in Beef, Pork, and Chicken Muscle

SUMMARY— The extractability of beef, pork, and chicken muscle with post-mortem aging was studied. There was a general increase in viscosity and nitrogen content of the extracts with aging. Extractability of nitrogen and actomyosin reached a maximum at 2 weeks in both beef and pork. In chicken, maximum nitrogen and actomyosin extractability occurred at 4 and 6 days, respectively. Thus, in pork as well as in beef, two weeks' aging apparently are required to complete postmortem changes in muscle protein. The results suggested that chicken should be aged from 4 to 6 days prior to consumption.
Valuing the Gender-Variant Therapist: Therapeutic Experiences, Tools, and Implications of a Female-to-Male Trans-Variant Clinician

ABSTRACT Moderate amounts of literature exist regarding the experiences and perspective of the male clinician in practice with clients. However, there is a dearth of literature on experiences of female-to-male transsexual clinicians, or gender-variant therapists in general. In a world in which gender roles are becoming more fluid, yet the gender stereotypes more rigid, more clients are challenging dominant societal constructs and tackling gender issues. In so doing they often experience great conflict and guilt regarding gender identity and their place in the world. Gender-variant clients, in particular, have a need for clinicians who are aware of their unique culture, and who have experienced, and continue to live within, the gender-variant culture themselves. A question arises: what therapeutic tools does the gender-variant therapist make use of in working not just with gender-variant clients, but with clients of many different backgrounds? This article attempts to begin a dialogue to assist trans-clini...
Estimating daily nitrogen dioxide level: application of a longitudinal model with spatially-correlated random effects

Typically available nitrogen dioxide ( $${\hbox {NO}}_{2}$$ ) measurements are either spatially representative but temporally sparse or temporally representative but spatially sparse. This article illustrates an approach for making use of the strengths of these two types of data to obtain pollution estimates that are representative both spatially and temporally. The model uses three data sources: a Connecticut epidemiological study with average monthly $${\hbox {NO}}_{2}$$ measurements at 651 sites in each season for 1 year; hourly measurements at four Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sites; and, geospatial data on traffic volume, population density, elevation, and land use. We start by establishing a relationship between observations from the epidemiological study and those at the EPA sites at the monthly level. This relationship is assumed to hold for daily $${\hbox {NO}}_{2}$$ levels, enabling us to estimate average daily $${\hbox {NO}}_{2}$$ levels using EPA data. Validation study confirmed that this assumption is sound and that the method performs best among three alternatives: a linear model, a mixed-effects model, and the proposed mix-effects model that takes into account spatial correlation. The model can provide predictions of daily $${\hbox {NO}}_{2}$$ levels at both study sites and random sites that have no measurements at all. Application of this approach provides pollution estimates that make it possible to study short term relationships between $${\hbox {NO}}_{2}$$ exposure and respiratory symptoms such as asthma severity. The approach also offers significant cost reduction for future studies of higher temporal/spatial resolution of air pollution levels by making effective use of readily available EPA monitoring site measurements and observations at spatially dispersed sites from epidemiological studies. The model is implemented under the Bayes framework with a Gibbs sampler.
An economical, easily recordable galvanic skin response apparatus

During the course of systematic desensitization objective indications of the levels of anxiety and relaxation are often helpful. Changes in galvanic skin response (GSR) can be detected with the use of a simple electronic circuit. The total cost of the components is around seven dollars and recording is easily accomplished with an ordinary tape recorder.
N2O Emissions from Streams in the Neuse River Watershed, North Carolina

We present N2O emission data from 11 sites in the Neuse River watershed. Emissions were measured using a static surface enclosure technique deployed on eight sites on the main river channel and three tributary sites. Ancillary data collected included dissolved oxygen, nitrate, total nitrogen, ammonium, dissolved organic carbon, total phosphorus, and temperature. Analysis using standard linear models, and classification and regression trees (CART), indicated nitrate to be the primary driving variable associated with N2O emission, although dissolved organic carbon concentration and water temperature were positively related with N2O emission as well. Relationships between nitrate concentration and N2O emission were consistent with those found in previous studies, although the data presented here represent the lower end of the range for both variables among published studies. Using our measured N2O emission rates along with literature values for the ratio of nitrogen gas to N2O produced during denitrification...
An efficient algorithm for solving the inverse problem of locating the interfaces using the frequency sounding data

We consider the inverse coefficient problem of locating the interface positions arising in frequency sounding of layered media. Such a problem is of particular interest in the exploration of geophysics, underwater acoustics and electromagnetics, optical sensing, and so forth. We found that a simplified algorithm can be constructed to determine the approximate positions of interfaces. Unlike the conventional non-linear least squares, this algorithm does not require the time-consuming constrained optimisation. Instead, the predictor-corrector method is applied to solve numerically the auxiliary Cauchy problem for a Riccati equation. The feasibility of this algorithm is demonstrated in computational experiments with a model problem of electromagnetic frequency sounding of layered media.
A basic study of catalyst aging in the H-coal process

Samples of CoMo/Al2O3 catalysts used in an H-coal process demonstration run were studied to determine causes of catalyst deactivation. Physical and surface properties of the aged and regenerated catalysts were examined. Model compounds were used to assess four catalyst activity functions, viz., hydrodesulfurization (HDS), hydrogenation, cracking and hydrodeoxygenation (HDO). Other tests were performed to study the effects of coke and metals separately on the four catalyst activity functions. Catalyst coke content and metals deposits first increased rapidly, then more gradually with exposure time in the process run. Surface area and pure volume markedly decreased with exposure time. Catalyst activities of aged catalysts showed a rapid decline with exposure time. One-day exposure to coal resulted in significant losses in HDS and hydrogenation activities and nearly complete loss in cracking and HDO activities. Although metal deposits caused some permanent catalyst deactivation, coke had a much greater effect. Regenerated catalysts showed less recovery of catalytic activity as processing time increased. These results agreed well with product inspections from the process run. Oxygen chemisorption on aged—regenerated catalysts decreased with catalyst exposure time, indicating a significant loss of active sites. However, ESCA results showed no evidence of extensive sintering of the active MoS2 phase. Permanent deactivation of the longer-time exposed catalysts can be ascribed, at least partly, to lateral growth of the active molybdenum sulfide phase. In addition, some loss in cobalt promotion occurred early in the process, which may account for the rapid loss in HDS and HDO activity in regenerated catalysts.
Is the "Women's Movement" Erasing the Mark of Oppression from the Female Psyche.

Summary Failures to replicate the Goldberg “female bias against females” effect led to the hypothesis that the “women's movement” has caused women to give lip service to equality. To test this hypothesis 42 American female college student Ss were asked to rate the capability of women and men to perform in various common professions. There were three conditions: bogus pipeline (BP), bogus pipeline control (RR), and questionnaire (Q). Equal or profemale ratings were expected in Q, profemale ratings in RR, and antifemale ratings in BP, because the expression of public (fashionable) attitudes was assumed appropriate in Q, but the expression of private attitudes was assumed appropriate in BP. Results indicated profemale bias in Q, but no sex bias in BP and RR. It was suggested that possible salutary effects of the women's movement are overestimated by typical questionnaire procedures.
Plasma Steroid Concentrations in Maternal and Umbilical Circulation after Spontaneous Onset of Labor

Blood samples were obtained from the maternal peripheral vein (n = 17) during the second stage of spontaneous labor and from the umbilical artery (UA) and vein (UVn) immediately after delivery. Four Δ4-and five Δ5-steroids as well as estradiol were measured by RIA. Additionally, cortisol was determined in maternal plasma. The maternal concentrations were compared with our control values obtained from samples (n = 30) collected at term but not in labor. All Δ5-steroids and F were significantly higher during labor than before labor. In the umbilical circulation, progesterone and 17-hydroxyprogesterone were significantly higher in the UVn than in UA (P < 0.05). Whereas androstenedione was significantly higher in the UA [1.01 ± 0.12 ng/ml (mean ± SEM)] than in the UVn (0.72 ± 0.07 ng/ml), testosterone was almost identical in the two (UA, 0.33 ± 0.03 hg/ml; UVn, 0.35 ± 0.08 ng/ml). Four of the five A5- steroids (dehydroepiandrosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, pregnenolone sulfate, and 17-hydroxypregnen...
Weak Gravitational Lensing by the Nearby Cluster Abell 3667.

We present two weak lensing reconstructions of the nearby (zcl = 0.055) merging cluster Abell 3667, based on observations taken ~1 yr apart under different seeing conditions. This is the lowest redshift cluster with a weak lensing mass reconstruction to date. The reproducibility of features in the two mass maps demonstrates that weak lensing studies of low-redshift clusters are feasible. These data constitute the first results from an X-ray luminosity-selected weak lensing survey of 19 low-redshift (z < 0.1) southern clusters.
Fifty years of lens design: What do we know now that we did not know then?

This presentation examines the extent to which the knowledge of how lenses function has (or has not) kept pace with the computational ability developed over the past five decades, and how this has influenced progress in the field of optical design.
Utility of PET/CT imaging performed early after surgical resection in the adjuvant treatment planning for head and neck cancer

Purpose To evaluate the utility of positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) early after surgical resection and before postoperative adjuvant radiation therapy. Methods and Materials We studied a prospective cohort of 91 consecutive patients referred for postoperative adjuvant radiation therapy after complete surgical resection. Tumor histologies included 62 squamous cell and 29 non–squamous cell cancers. Median time between surgery and postoperative PET/CT was 28 days (range, 13–75 days). Findings suspicious for persistent/recurrent cancer or distant metastasis were biopsied. Correlation was made with changes in patient care. Results Based on PET/CT findings, 24 patients (26.4%) underwent biopsy of suspicious sites. Three patients with suspicious findings did not undergo biopsy because the abnormalities were not easily accessible. Eleven (45.8%) biopsies were positive for cancer. Treatment was changed for 14 (15.4%) patients (11 positive biopsy and 3 nonbiopsied patients) as a result. Treatment changes included abandonment of radiation therapy and switching to palliative chemotherapy or hospice care (4), increasing the radiation therapy dose (6), extending the radiation therapy treatment volume and increasing the dose (1), additional surgery (2), and adding palliative chemotherapy to palliative radiation therapy (1). Treatment for recurrent cancer and primary skin cancer were significant predictors of having a biopsy-proven, treatment-changing positive PET/CT ( p Conclusions Even with an expectedly high rate of false positive PET/CT scans in this early postoperative period, PET/CT changed patient management in a relatively large proportion of patients. PET/CT can be recommended in the postoperative, preradiation therapy setting with the understanding that treatment-altering PET/CT findings should be biopsied for confirmation.
Infrared Spectra of Metal Nitrates

The spectra of 35 metal nitrates are presented. A tabulation of observed absorption maxima is made and an interpretation of the spectra provided. This is based on symmetry changes on the nitrate group, resulting from changes in the metal-to-nitrate bond. The compounds are classified as to the degree of ionic or covalent character.
Gene-based therapy for treatment of chronic pain

Abstract Two basic approaches have been employed in experiments designed to test potential gene-based therapies for chronic pain in humans. First, local or spinal overexpression of neuropeptides, growth factors, and biosynthetic enzymes for neurotransmitters in non-neuronal cells has been tested in animals. Continued production and release of these antinociceptive proteins into the cerebrospinal fluid is analogous to intrathecal infusion of antinociceptive drugs. Second, overexpression of transgenes or knockdown of endogenous gene expression in primary or secondary neurons involved in nociception has been used in animal studies. Altered expression of neuropeptides, growth factors, enzymes, ion channels, or receptors in these nociceptive neurons can modulate pain transmission in an anatomically restricted, circuit-specific, and stimulation-dependent manner. Techniques employed in testing potential gene-based therapy for chronic pain include implantation of engineered cell lines, administration of antisense oligonucleotides or plasmids, and the use of viral vectors. Of the modalities tested to date, only intrathecal transplantation of engineered cells secreting antinociceptive gene products and delivery of therapeutic transgenes by herpes vectors demonstrate sufficient duration of expression to be useful for therapy of chronic pain.
Variance component analysis of parthenocarpy in elite U.S. processing type cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) lines

Parthenocarpic (seedless) U.S. processing type cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) germplasm can bear more high quality fruit when compared to their seeded counterparts. Knowledge of genetic components of variation for parthenocarpy would assist cucumber breeders to incorporate this economically important trait into commercial varieties. The inheritance of parthenocarpy in elite U.S. processing type cucumber was, therefore, investigated by examining the single-harvest yield of F3 progeny derived from a mating between line 2A (P1, parthenocarpic) and line Gy8 (P2, non-parthenocarpic) grown in two fields (E-block and G-block at Hancock, Wisc.) in the summer of 2000. Environmental variance accounted for about 90% of total phenotypic variance in both locations. The degree of dominance genetic variance was 0.3 and 2.2 at G-block and E-block, respectively, and the minimum number of effective factors controlling parthenocarpy was estimated as 5 (G-block) to 13 (E-block). Estimates of heritability were significantly lower when based on individual plants within an F3 family and on F3 family mean performances. While narrow-sense and broad-sense heritability of individual plants within F3 family was always < 0.1, narrow-sense heritability for F3 family mean performance ranged between 0.33 (E-block) and 0.62 (G-block), and broad-sense heritability ranged between 0.53 (E-block) and 0.67 (G-block). Thus, in this population, advanced generation selection for parthenocarpy based on F3 family mean performance will be more effective than selection of individual plants within F3 family.
Guessability as an ethnographic study of mobile technology usage in Kenya

Culturally relevant technology (CRT) and computing is an emergent field of Computer Science -- Human Centered Computing concerned with contributions to understanding and developing better interactions among people and the technology they use. The global diffusion of technology means that more people who may have not previously had exposure or availability of technology are now able to access or own technologies that can connect them to the digital world. This has created an environment that makes the developing world a ripe market for technological business enterprise. More specifically, Africa has been the focus of much research in the field of computing and development, there has been little focus on para-poor mobile technology development in the field of user-experience and usability -- specifically considering studies that include developing populations at the beginning of the user experience development process. This note serves to introduce research that incorporates guessability methodologies in mobile interface gesture usage as a platform for ethnographic studies in Kenya mobile technology usage in hopes of developing understanding and mobile gesture interfaces that can benefit both emergent and current user populations.
Long-term potentiation in intact infant rat hippocampus

Abstract In rats 14–28 days of age, high-frequency stimulation of the perforant path granule cell synapse in the dentate gyrus produced long-term potentiation of the population spike that was comparable in magnitude (150–250% of baseline) and duration (120 min) to that produced in adult animals with the same stimulation paradigm. In contrast, potentiation of the excitatory postsynaptic potential occurred inconsistently.
Spectra of Ag i isoelectronic sequence observed from Er 21+ to Au 32+

Spectra of highly ionized Er, Yb, Hf, W, Pt, and Au were observed with the TEXT tokamak at the University of Texas at Austin. These metals were injected into the tokamak plasma by laser ablation of thin-film targets. Spectra were photographed with a 2.2-m grazing-incidence spectrograph in the range 40–300 A. Three strong doublets of the Ag i isoelectronic sequence were identified: 4d104f–4d94f(1P)4f2D, 2F and 2G. Interpolated and extrapolated wavelengths in this sequence were derived from plots of the difference between observed and calculated values for the transition energies. The correspondence of the W wavelengths with previously reported tokamak spectra is shown.
A proof of Newman's theorem

If Σn is a piecewise linear n-sphere and Qn is a piecewise linear n-ball which is a subpolyhedron of Σn thenis a piecewise linear n-ball.
Tensile Mechanical Response of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete

The tensile mechanical response of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) is distinctly different from conventional concretes and traditional fiber-reinforced concretes. UHPC can exhibit a pseudo-strain-hardening behavior wherein the fiber reinforcement bridging tensile cracks is sufficient to allow for a sustained tensile capacity at stress levels near the tensile-matrix-cracking strength through significant tensile-strain levels. This mechanical response is generating interest in the structural design community; however, quantification of the response through standardized test methods is necessary. Researchers at the U.S. Federal Highway Administration have developed a test that directly measures the tensile response of UHPC-class materials. This test, conceptually similar to the ASTM E8 [ASTM E8-13a: Standard Test Methods for Tension Testing of Metallic Materials, Annual Book of ASTM Standards, ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2013] test for steel, provides a method to assess the tensile response from elastic behaviors through multi-cracking and eventual crack localization. Prismatic specimens are loaded in direct tension under a fixed-end condition, allowing cast or extracted specimens to be tested under conditions that mimic the tensile loading that can occur within full-scale structural elements. Testing to date has assessed two UHPC matrices and a variety of fiber types/dosages with promising results in terms of test-procedure robustness.
An asymmetric theory of nonlocal elasticity—Part 2. Continuum field

Abstract In this paper, an asymmetric theory of nonlocal elasticity with nonlocal body couple is developed on the basis of the axiom system in nonlocal continuum field theory. The Galileo invariance is used for determining the explicit form of the constitutive equations. It is shown that both continuum field theory and quasicontinuum theory give the same constitutive equations and field equations for the general theory of nonlocal elasticity. Finally, the relations among nonlocal theory, couple stress theory, and higher gradient theory are investigated.
Accelerated fatigue of dentin with exposure to lactic acid.

Composite restorations accumulate more biofilm than other dental materials. This increases the likelihood for the hard tissues supporting a restoration (i.e. dentin and enamel) to be exposed to acidic conditions beyond that resulting from dietary variations. In this investigation the fatigue strength and fatigue crack growth resistance of human coronal dentin were characterized within a lactic acid solution (with pH = 5) and compared to that of controls evaluated in neutral conditions (pH = 7). A comparison of the fatigue life distributions showed that the lactic acid exposure resulted in a significant reduction in the fatigue strength (p ≤ 0.001), and nearly 30% reduction in the apparent endurance limit (from 44 MPa to 32 MPa). The reduction in pH also caused a significant decrease (p ≤ 0.05) in the threshold stress intensity range required for the initiation of cyclic crack growth, and significant increase in the incremental rate of crack extension. Exposure of tooth structure to lactic acid may cause demineralization, but it also increases the likelihood of restored tooth failures via fatigue, and after short time periods.
Binding of monoclonal antibody 4B1 to homologs of the lactose permease of Escherichia coli

The conformationally sensitive epitope for monoclonal antibody (mAb) 4B1, which uncouples lactose from H+ translocation in the lactose permease of Escherichia coli, is localized in the periplasmic loop between helices VII and VIII (loop VII/VIII) on one face of a short helical segment (Sun J, et al., 1996, Biochemistry 35;990-998). Comparison of sequences in the region corresponding to loop VII/VIII in members of Cluster 5 of the Major Facilitator Superfamily (MFS), which includes five homologous oligosaccharide/H+ symporters, reveals interesting variations. 4B1 binds to the Citrobacter freundii lactose permease or E. coli raffinose permease with resultant inhibition of transport activity. Because E. coli raffinose permease contains a Pro residue at position 254 rather than Gly, it is unlikely that the mAb recognizes the peptide backbone at this position. Consistently, E. coli lactose permease with Pro in place of Gly254 also binds 4B1. In contrast, 4B1 binding is not observed with either Klebsiella pneumoniae lactose permease or E. coli sucrose permease. When the epitope is transferred from E. coli lactose permease (residues 245-259) to the sucrose permease, the modified protein binds 4B1, but the mAb has no significant effect on sucrose transport. The studies provide further evidence that the 4B1 epitope is restricted to loop VII/VIII, and that 4B1 binding induces a highly specific conformational change that uncouples substrate and H+ translocation.
Carbohydrate oxidation coupled to Fe(III) reduction, a novel form of anaerobic metabolism

An isolate, designated GC-29, that could incompletely oxidize glucose to acetate and carbon dioxide with Fe(III) serving as the electron acceptor was recovered from freshwater sediments of the Potomac River, Maryland. This metabolism yielded energy to support cell growth. Strain GC-29 is a facultatively anaerobic, gram-negative motile rod which, in addition to glucose, also used sucrose, lactate, pyruvate, yeast extract, casamino acids or H2 as alternative electron donors for Fe(III) reduction. Stain GC-29 could reduce NO3(-), Mn(IV), U(VI), fumarate, malate, S2O3(2-), and colloidal S0 as well as the humics analog, 2,6-anthraquinone disulfonate. Analysis of the almost complete 16S rRNA sequence indicated that strain GC-29 belongs in the Shewanella genus in the epsilon subdivision of the Proteobacteria. The name Shewanella saccharophilia is proposed. Shewanella saccharophilia differs from previously described fermentative microorganisms that metabolize glucose with the reduction of Fe(III) because it transfers significantly more electron equivalents to Fe(III); acetate and carbon dioxide are the only products of glucose metabolism; energy is conserved from Fe(III) reduction; and glucose is not metabolized in the absence of Fe(III). The metabolism of organisms like S. saccharophilia may account for the fact that glucose is metabolized primarily to acetate and carbon dioxide in a variety of sediments in which Fe(III) reduction is the terminal electron accepting process.
Differential expression of calmodulin-binding proteins in B, T lymphocytes and thymocytes.

Changes in intracellular free Ca2+ are involved in the transmembrane signalling of different cells, including lymphocytes1–3. Since calmodulin (CaM) is a primary receptor for Ca2+ (ref. 4), it may mediate the activation of crucial enzymes after antigen-induced increases in cytosolic Ca2+. Using a biotinylated-CaM (Bio-CaM) detection procedure5 to identify such proteins, we found that a peptide of relative molecular mass 59,000 (59K) was the predominant soluble CaM-binding protein (CaM-BP) in T cells and B lymphocytes from murine spleen; immunoblotting experiments identified it as a subunit of the CaM-dependent phosphatase, 'calcineurin' (CN)6. Smaller amounts of larger CaM-BPs, thought to be cytoskeletal-binding proteins, were also detected. CaM-BPs were expressed differentially, with B lymphocytes having four times more of the CN-like protein than T lymphocytes, while in thymocytes, a 65K polypeptide was the major CaM-BP. However, limited proteolysis analysis suggested that this thymus-specific peptide may be a precursor of CN. These data suggest that Ca2+-stimulated protein dephosphorylation may be an important and highly regulated function in lymphoid cells.
Naturally occurring insulin autoantibodies in neonates of normal pregnancies and their relationship to insulinemia and birth weight

Abstract OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were to determine whether insulin autoantibodies are present in umbilical cord blood from normal pregnancies, determine whether cord blood insulin autoantibody levels correlate with respective maternal levels at delivery, determine whether cord blood insulin autoantibody levels are related to cord blood or maternal insulin levels, and to determine what relationship neonatal birth weight has with either cord blood insulin autoantibody and insulin levels or maternal insulin autoantibody and insulin levels. STUDY DESIGN: Paired umbilical cord and maternal serum samples were taken from 70 normal subjects at delivery. Measurements of serum insulin autoantibody (competitive charcoal radiobinding assay) and insulin (radioimmune inhibition assay) levels were performed. Multiple linear regression analysis and paired t tests were used for data analyses. RESULTS: Neonatal insulin autoantibody levels (120 nU/ml) were more than two times higher than maternal levels (49 nU/ml) ( p r = 0.14, p = 0.25). A positive correlation of both neonatal and maternal insulin with birth weight was observed ( r = 0.28, p r = 0.36, p CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the insulin autoantibody levels in fetal cord blood are not related to maternal levels in normal uncomplicated pregnancies. In addition, insulin levels in both maternal and neonatal circulations were positively correlated with increased birth weight in the normal pregnancies studied.
Surgery for Low Back Pain: A Review of the Evidence for an American Pain Society Clinical Practice Guideline

Study design: Systematic review. Objective: To systematically assess benefits and harms of surgery for nonradicular back pain with common degenerative changes, radiculopathy with herniated lumbar disc, and symptomatic spinal stenosis. Summary of background data: Although back surgery rates continue to increase, there is uncertainty or controversy about utility of back surgery for various conditions. Methods: Electronic database searches on Ovid MEDLINE and the Cochrane databases were conducted through July 2008 to identify randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews of the above therapies. All relevant studies were methodologically assessed by 2 independent reviewers using criteria developed by the Cochrane Back Review Group (for trials) and Oxman (for systematic reviews). A qualitative synthesis of results was performed using methods adapted from the US Preventive Services Task Force. Results: For nonradicular low back pain with common degenerative changes, we found fair evidence that fusion is no better than intensive rehabilitation with a cognitive-behavioral emphasis for improvement in pain or function, but slightly to moderately superior to standard (nonintensive) nonsurgical therapy. Less than half of patients experience optimal outcomes (defined as no more than sporadic pain, slight restriction of function, and occasional analgesics) following fusion. Clinical benefits of instrumented versus noninstrumented fusion are unclear. For radiculopathy with herniated lumbar disc, we found good evidence that standard open discectomy and microdiscectomy are moderately superior to nonsurgical therapy for improvement in pain and function through 2 to 3 months. For symptomatic spinal stenosis with or without degenerative spondylolisthesis, we found good evidence that decompressive surgery is moderately superior to nonsurgical therapy through 1 to 2 years. For both conditions, patients on average experience improvement either with or without surgery, and benefits associated with surgery decrease with long-term follow-up in some trials. Although there is fair evidence that artificial disc replacement is similarly effective compared to fusion for single level degenerative disc disease and that an interspinous spacer device is superior to nonsurgical therapy for 1- or 2-level spinal stenosis with symptoms relieved with forward flexion, insufficient evidence exists to judge long-term benefits or harms. Conclusion: Surgery for radiculopathy with herniated lumbar disc and symptomatic spinal stenosis is associated with short-term benefits compared to nonsurgical therapy, though benefits diminish with long-term follow-up in some trials. For nonradicular back pain with common degenerative changes, fusion is no more effective than intensive rehabilitation, but associated with small to moderate benefits compared to standard nonsurgical therapy.
Emissivity of aluminized mylar

Abstract Commercially-available aluminized Mylar, 6 ωm thick, is a useful material for reducing heat losses by thermal radiation in some calorimeters, such as those constructed of graphite or A-150 plastic. The present experiment shows that clean aluminized layers have a thermal emissivity near 0.044.
Immunochemical Studies on Arachis hypogaea Proteins With Particular Reference to the Reserve Proteins. II. Protein Modification During Germination

alpha-Conarachin and alpha-arachin are metabolized differently during germination. The amount of alpha-conarachin decreases without the appearance of antigenic intermediary compounds. alpha-Arachin retains its original antigenic structure and becomes more anodic during germination, but a number of intermediary proteins, differing widely in electrophoretic mobility, form up to 14 days germination. The electrophoretic shift of alpha-arachin, detectable after 1 day of germination, might be caused by progressive deamidation of glutamine and asparagine. Decreases in amide content of protein extracted after germination support the hypothesis and suggest that alpha-arachin provides the first source of ammonia to the new seedling.New antigenic proteins are synthesized in both roots and cotyledons during germination. Some appear organ specific, whereas others are identical in both the cotyledons and the roots. Appearance and disappearance of each new protein is unique with respect to period of germination and hence might correspond to specific events of germination.
Spatially Resolved Anomalous Kinetics of a Catalytic Reaction: Enzymatic Glucose Oxidation in Capillary Spaces

A reaction involving the catalytic oxidation of glucose by the enzyme glucose oxidase is employed as a first spatially resolved experimental realization of a nonclassical A + C → C + Products chemical reaction. This heterogeneous kinetics experiment models the operation of optical glucose sensors. One-dimensional nonclassical reaction kinetics, manifested in anomalous rate laws, are observed. The time evolution of the density gradient of O2 in the zone near the catalytic trap was monitored. The temporal dependence of the growth of this depletion zone M, predicted to scale as t1/2, was measured to be M ∼ t0.50±0.05. This time dependence of the growth in M is directly proportional to the anomalous, time-dependent, reaction rate coefficient.
Instructional effectiveness of college teachers as judged by teachers themselves, current and former students, colleagues, administrators, and external (neutral) observers

This review synthesizes the research comparing theoverall ratings of college teachers' effectiveness made by current and former students, colleagues, administrators, external (neutral) observers, and the teachers themselves. Of the 15 possible comparison pairs of rating groups, the five with the most data available show that the strongest cases of relative and absolute similarity in ratings are when current students are compared either with the teachers' colleagues or with administrators. Colleague and administrator ratings tend to be similar in relative assessment but dissimilar in absolute assessment. Teachers' self-ratings and current student ratings are, at best, moderately similar. The least similarity was found between teachers' ratings of themselves and colleague ratings. Degree of profile similarity acrossspecific evaluations was determined for studies comparing teachers' self-ratings with current student ratings, as were the relative and absolute similarity (or dissimilarity) for certain of the specific instructional dimensions. Implications of the various analyses and other considerations were explored in terms of individual and subgroup differences, mutual awareness of similarities or dissimilarities, validity issues, and directions for future research.
Gastrointestinal symptoms of patients with esophageal contraction abnormalities

Nonesophageal, gastrointestinal symptoms were sought from consecutive patients referred for esophageal manometry in order to determine the prevalence of such symptoms in relation to manometric diagnosis. Reports by 103 patients with esophageal contraction abnormalities, a cluster of manometric findings which includes the “nutcracker esophagus” and diffuse esophageal spasm, were compared to those by patients with the achalasia pattern (21 patients) and scleroderma esophagus (19 patients). A history of persistent (>3 months) bowel habit abnormality requiring medical attention was reported by 19% of those with contraction abnormalities and 26% of those with scleroderma esophagus but by no patient with achalasia (P<0.05 for both compared to achalasia). Patients with contraction abnormalities had complained to physicians of more gastrointestinal symptoms and had more often been diagnosed as having the irritable bowel syndrome than those with achalasia. We conclude that, with regard to gastrointestinal symptoms, patients with esophageal contraction abnormalities more closely resemble patients with a motility disorder which has the potential for diffuse symptomatic gastrointestinal involvement (scleroderma) than those with a motility disorder restricted to the esophagus (achalasia). These findings add support to the argument that functional gastrointestinal syndromes may be representative of diffuse neuromuscular derangement in the gastrointestinal tract.
Arachidonic acid metabolism by adult human osteoblast‐like cells exhibits sexually dimorphic characteristics

The eicosanoids, including prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and other bioactive arachidonic acid metabolites, are important local mediators of bone remodeling. Presumably, the limited or excessive synthesis of the eicosanoids could compromise bone homeostasis. We have noted that the stimulated release of arachidonic acid by adult male donor derived human osteoblast-like (hOB) cells exceeded the stimulated release measured for female-derived hOB cells by 1.5-fold. Assays of PGE2 biosynthesis by cytokine-stimulated hOB cells also demonstrated a sex-linked difference, such that male hOB cell PGE2 production exceeded female cell production by 1.6-2.2-fold. The calcium-dependent cytoplasmic phospholipase A2 activity in subcellular fractions prepared from hOB cell homogenates was higher in both the cytosolic (1.6-fold) and particulate (1.5-fold) fractions from the male cells than in those prepared from female hOB cells, suggesting a molecular basis for the observed sexually dimorphic characteristics related to arachidonic acid metabolism by hOB cells. The relatively limited capacity of the female cells may limit needed intracellular and intercellular signaling during bone remodeling, thereby contributing to the development of bone pathology.
Atomistic simulation of defect-induced amorphization of binary lattices.

Crystal-to-amorphous transitions are studied by molecular-dynamics simulations in which self-interstitials are randomly and sequentially inserted into solids composed of two atomic species with size difference of 20%. Lennard-Jones interatomic potentials are used for the simulations at finite temperature (about (1/4 melting) and constant pressure (P=0). Two initial structures are considered, an ${A}_{3}$B ordered lattice and an AB solid solution which is significantly disordered. A variety of physical properties are evaluated to assess the effects of the interstitial insertions and subsequent system relaxation. Results provide atomistic details which point to the dominant role of chemical ordering in the amorphization process; they also reveal, in quantitative terms, the essential difference between the amorphization of binary systems and that of single-component lattices studied previously.
Caged Morality: Moral Worlds, Subculture, and Stratification Among Middle-Class Cage-Fighters

Social scientists have long been concerned with how and why marginalized groups create and participate in subcultures. There has been significantly less work examining how those with access to conventional status and success participate in subcultures, often despite significant economic and social costs. The result has been lopsided theorizing that neglects much of the positive, affective, and moral appeal of subcultures at all levels of stratification. The participation of middle-class men and women in the rapidly growing world of cage-fighting speaks to this longstanding issue in the existing literature. We find these individuals participate in a sporting subculture that involves bodily, interpersonal, and professional sacrifices because they feel it gives them the ability to viscerally realize the widely shared American ideals that form the core components of their “moral world.” The subculture holds particular sway over its members because they feel that its ideals, status hierarchies, and daily practices more directly embody the deeply embedded principles of middle-class morality and habitus than other elements of their lives.
High Sensitivity Pressure Measurement Using Van der Pauw Structure as a Sensing Element

In this paper, we presented is a four-terminal piezoresistive sensor commonly referred to as a van der Pauw (VDP) structure for its application to MEMS pressure sensing. In a recent study, our team has determined the relation between the biaxial stress state and the piezoresistive response of a VDP structure by combining the VDP resistance equations with the equations governing silicon piezoresistivity and has proposed a new piezoresistive pressure sensor. It was observed that the sensitivity of the VDP sensor is over three times higher than the conventional filament type Wheatstone bridge resistor. To check our theoretical findings, we fabricated several (100) silicon diaphragms with both the VDP sensors and filament resistor sensors on the same wafer so both the sensor elements have same doping concentration. The diaphragms were subjected to known pressures, and the pressure sensitivities of both types of sensors were measured using an in-house built calibration setup. It was found that the VDP devices had a linear response to pressure as expected, and were more sensitive than the resistor sensors. Also, the VDP sensors provided a number of additional advantages, such as its size independent sensitivity and simple fabrication steps due to its simple geometry.Copyright © 2009 by ASME