cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
B12 and Iron Deficiency in the Elderly

one of the commonest nutritional deficiencies in man. According to the NHANES studies of 1999–2000, there was a 4% incidence of iron deficiency and a 2% incidence of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in males over the age of 70 (1). In females of a comparable age, it was estimated that 7% were iron deficient and 2% actually had IDA. Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in both developed and underdeveloped countries and, worldwide, nearly one-half billion individuals suffer from iron deficiency. [An excellent review of iron metabolism in man can be found in (2); and an in-depth overview of all aspects of iron metabolism can be found in (3).] It is important to recognize iron deficiency since iron deficiency interferes with learning in children and cognition in adults. In the pregnant woman, iron deficiency can lead to low birth weight infants. Importantly, in the elderly, iron deficiency is frequently a sign of underlying pathology.
Design of a Split-Ring Resonator Sensor for Near-Field Microwave Imaging

Metamaterials have been increasingly used in the past few decades in the design of novel microwave circuits and sensor systems. This paper deals with the design of a split-ring resonator (SRR) sensor for microwave nondestructive evaluation (NDE) applications. Building on prior work in this field, a modified design of the sensor is used for imaging composites. The tip of the sensing ring is extended, and a reference ring is introduced to tailor fit the sensor for imaging and NDE applications. A built-in calibration system, integration of multiple sensors (high and low frequencies), super resolution capability, and high- $Q$ factor are some of the benefits of the sensor. This paper presents the design and development of the sensor system along with experimental results demonstrating the feasibility of the approach for detection of sub-wavelength defects in composites and additive manufactured metals.
Overcoming Site Heterogeneity In Search of Metal Nanocatalysts.

Site heterogeneity of metal nanocatalysts poses grand challenges for catalyst design from first principles. To accelerate catalyst discovery, it is of pivotal importance to develop an approach that efficiently maps catalytic activity of nanoparticles onto geometry-based descriptors while considering the geometric strain and metal ligand of an active site. We demonstrate that there exist linear correlations between orbitalwise coordination numbers CNα and free formation energies of oxygen species (e.g., *OH and *OOH) at Pt sites. Kinetic analysis along with herein developed structure–activity relationships accurately predicts the activity trend of pure Pt nanoparticles (∼1–7 nm) toward oxygen reduction. Application of the approach to a search of Pt nanoalloys leads to several Pt monolayer core–shell nanostructures with enhanced oxygen reduction activity and reduced cost. The approach presented here facilitates a transition from traditional single-crystal models to nanoparticles in theory-guided catalyst di...
Analysis of the Five Unimolecular Reaction Pathways of CD2ClCHFCl with Emphasis on CD2Cl(F)C: and CD2Cl(Cl)C: Formed by 1,1-HCl and 1,1-HF Elimination

The five unimolecular HX and DX (X = F, Cl) elimination pathways of CD2ClCHFCl* were examined using a chemical activation technique; the molecules were generated with 92 kcal mol–1 of vibrational energy in a room-temperature bath gas by a combination of CD2Cl and CHFCl radicals. The total unimolecular rate constant was 9.7 × 107 s–1, and branching fractions for each channel were 0.52 (2,1-DCl), 0.29 (1,1-HCl), 0.10 (2,1-DF), 0.07 (1,1-HF), and 0.02 (1,2-HCl). Comparison of the individual experimental rate constants to calculated statistical rate constants gave threshold energies for each process as 63, 72, 66, 73, and 70 kcal mol–1, listed in the same order as the branching fractions. The 1,1-HCl and 1,1-HF reactions gave carbenes, CD2Cl(F)C: and CD2Cl(Cl)C:, respectively, as products, which have hydrogen-bonded complexes with HCl or HF in the exit channel of the potential energy surface. These carbenes have energy in excess of the threshold energy for D atom migration to give CDCl═CDF and CDCl═CDCl, and ...
To What Extent Do Practitioners Need to Treat Stereotypy During Academic Tasks

Researchers frequently argue that a child's engagement in stereotypy may compete with his ability to acquire academic skills, engage in appropriate social interactions, or both; however, few studies have directly tested these suppositions. We used a five-phase assessment to evaluate the extent to which behavioral interventions with a progressively greater number of components were necessary to decrease stereotypy and increase correct responding during academic instructions for five children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. For one participant, stereotypy decreased when instructors provided standard instruction without specific intervention for stereotypy. For two participants, stereotypy decreased when instructors provided standard instruction plus antecedent intervention for stereotypy with continuous music. For another participant, stereotypy decreased when instructors provided enhanced consequences for correct responding during standard instruction without either antecedent or consequent intervention for stereotypy. For the final participant, stereotypy decreased and correct responding increased when instructors provided standard instruction and consequent intervention for stereotypy.
Mortality Associated With Development of Squamous Cell Cancer in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Receiving Treatment With Thiopurines

Background & Aims Treatment with thiopurines is associated with an increased risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the skin (SCC) in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). We studied outcomes of patients with IBD who developed SCC while receiving thiopurine therapy. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 54,919 patients with IBD followed in the nationwide Veterans Affairs Healthcare System from January 1, 2000, through May 23, 2018. From this cohort, we created a sub-cohort of patients with an incident diagnosis of SCC, confirmed by review of patients’ medical records; we identified those who had received treatment with thiopurines (exposed group) vs those treated with mesalamine and no prior exposure to thiopurines or tumor necrosis factor antagonists (unexposed group). The primary outcome was death associated with SCC (SCC mortality). We collected data on baseline demographic features, exposure to ultraviolet light, Charlson comorbidity index, smoking status, and environmental exposures. Follow up began at the time of incident SCC diagnosis and ended at death or last recorded date in the health system. Cause-specific hazard models were used to estimate the adjusted and unadjusted hazard ratio (HRs), with 95% CIs, for SCC mortality. Results We identified 467 patients with incident SCC and included 449 patients (161 exposed and 288 unexposed) in our final analysis. Eleven patients from complications of SCC (8 in the exposed group and 3 in the unexposed group). The estimated 5- and 10-year cumulative mortality values were 2.9% and 2.9% in the exposed group and 0.4% and 0.9% in the unexposed group, respectively. The unadjusted and adjusted cause-specific HRs for SCC mortality associated with exposure were 7.0 (95% CI, 1.8–28.0; P = .006) and 8.0 (95% CI, 2.0–32.8; P = .004), respectively. Conclusions Although the cause-specific mortality is relatively low, patients with IBD exposed to thiopurines who develop SCC have an increased risk of SCC-associated death compared to patients exposed to only mesalamine.
“Una comedia de la muerte”: Copi y sus profanaciones del sida

1988 is the year of the premiere of the play Une visite inopportune (An Untimely Visit), perhaps the most autobiographical piece by the Paris-based Argentine writer, performer, and cartoonist Copi, diagnosed HIV positive in 1984. The play takes place entirely in a hospital room, which brings together the different actors involved in a prototypical scene of the fatal advance of the disease in the mid-eighties: the patient, the nurse, the doctor, friends, but also a journalist –who might incarnate the role played by the media in the AIDS crisis– and death as an untimely visitor. Drawing from Douglas Crimp's ideas on the importance of politically contesting the meanings associated with AIDS, this essay aims to explore the intervention of an absurd, humorous, and hallucinated work amidst the affects and representations that prevailed at that time in relation to the disease, both at a global scale and, more specifically, in its more immediate French context. The concept of profanation, as it is understood by the Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben, allows us to capture the way in which Copi recovers a subject that, by then, had been –and continued to be– strongly dominated by the authoritative discourses of medicine, religion and the mass media.
Sapientia and Stultitia in John Colet's Commentary on First Corinthians

While John Colet, friend of Erasmus and founder of St Paul's School, London, was himself widely read in Classical and pagan authors, he famously characterized pagan books as having the ‘savour of t...
Oxidative cyclization of 5-hydroxyalkenes with rhenium oxide, utilizing a co-oxidant. IV

Abstract 5-Hydroxylalkenes react with rhenium(VII) oxide in the presence of another oxidant, H5IO6, to provide substituted tetrahydrofurans. The yield and stereoselectivity are comparable to stoichiometric results.
Rethinking Soft Skills through Front-Stage and Back-Stage Genres.

Nearly every business communication textbook includes an explanation of “hard” and “soft” skills. Indeed, most business professionals understand the importance of honing interpersonal competencies ...
Dissecting .NET ransomware: key generation, encryption and operation

The threat of ransomware is ever growing. Not all ransomware types are created equal and the cryptosystems in some forms are more virulent than others. This article dissects eight real-world variants belonging to different families of .NET ransomware and provides insights into key generation, encryption and other aspects of the ransomware kill chain. We also summarise ransomware execution flow and dynamic library calls based on the collected evidence. While this analysis was carried out using .NET ransomware samples, the lessons learned from the empirical evidence apply to all modern forms of ransomware and can be used for building more effective ransomware solutions. The threat of ransomware is ever-growing, but not all ransomware types are created equal. The cryptosystems in some forms are more virulent than others. Pranshu Bajpai and Richard Enbody at Michigan State University dissect eight real-world variants belonging to different families of .NET ransomware and provide insights into key generation, encryption and other aspects of the ransomware kill chain. They also summarise ransomware execution flow and the use of dynamic library calls. The lessons learned apply to all forms of ransomware and can be used for building more effective ransomware solutions.
A Secure and Robust Key Generation Method Using Physical Unclonable Functions and Polar Codes

In physical unclonable functions (PUFs) based key generation methods, the bias of PUF outputs would leak secrecy. A secure and robust key generation method based on PUFs and polar codes is proposed in this paper. First, a PUF-based key generation process is modeled as a wiretap channel. Then, two secure polar coding schemes are designed for the wiretap channel to improve the robustness of key generation and to reduce the secrecy leakage caused by the bias of PUF outputs. To construct the secure polar coding schemes, density evolution is used to evaluate the error probability of synthesized channels, which in turn is used to approximate both the error probability and the secrecy leakage of the system. To reduce the polar construction complexity, the channel independent polar construction method aids density evolution to select parameters of the secure polar coding schemes. Finally, we compare the key generation design with other works and find that our key generation scheme requires fewer PUF bits than other works when they generate the same length key with failure probability $\le 10^{-6}$.
Skeletal muscle loss phenotype in cirrhosis: A nationwide analysis of hospitalized patients.

Summary Background & aims There are very limited data on the healthcare burden of muscle loss, the most frequent complication in hospitalized cirrhotics. We determined the healthcare impact of a muscle loss phenotype in hospitalized cirrhotics. Methods The Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database (years 2010–2014) was analyzed. Search terms included cirrhosis and its complications, and an expanded definition of a muscle loss phenotype that included all conditions associated with muscle loss. In-hospital mortality, length of stay (LOS), post-discharge disposition, co-morbidities and cost during admission were analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify associations between a muscle loss phenotype and outcomes. Impact of muscle loss in cirrhotics was compared to that in a random sample (2%) of general medical inpatients. Results A total of 162,694 hospitalizations for cirrhosis were reported, of which 18,261 (11.2%) included secondary diagnosis codes for a muscle loss phenotype. A diagnosis of muscle loss was associated with a significantly (p Conclusions Muscle loss contributed to higher mortality, LOS, and direct healthcare costs in hospitalized cirrhotics.
Dynamic temperature rise of shielded MR sensors during simulated electrostatic discharge pulses of variable pulse width

Abstract The temperature rise from electrical over-stress (EOS) and electrostatic discharge (ESD) of shielded AMR sensors used for magnetic tape storage devices is studied using square wave voltage pulses with widths from 35 ns to 2 ms. A phenomenological model has been developed to describe the dynamic stripe temperature versus pulse width and power for the time range studied as well as for a wide range in sensor geometries. The temperature required to melt the stripes was determined to be 1437 ± 69 ∘ C . The activation energy required to achieve a 2% increase in stripe resistance for pulses between 100 ns and 1 ms was determined to be 2.8 eV and is associated with interdiffusion of the stripe metals.
Anxiety in the Sports Pages: The ‘Crises’ Narratives of 1950s Argentine Fútbol

The 1950s was a transformative decade in Argentina. The populist government of Juan Peron (1946-1955) upended Argentine society with programs that favoured working-class citizens. Anti-Peronism eme...
Arsenic exposure associated T cell proliferation, smoking, and vitamin D in Bangladeshi men and women

There are limited data examining the consequences of environmental exposure to arsenic on the immune system in adults, particularly among smokers. Smoking has been shown to exacerbate or contribute to impaired immune function in men chronically exposed to arsenic. In contrast, vitamin D (VitD) is known to have a positive influence on innate and adaptive immune responses. The effect of circulating VitD on arsenic-associated immune dysfunction is not known. Here we examine the relationship of arsenic exposure and T cell proliferation (TCP), a measure of immune responsiveness, and circulating VitD among adult men and women in Bangladesh. Arsenic exposure was assessed using total urinary arsenic as well as urinary arsenic metabolites all adjusted for urinary creatinine. TCP was measured ex vivo in cryopreserved peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 614 adult participants enrolled in the Bangladesh Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study; serum VitD was also evaluated. The influence of cigarette smoking on arsenic-induced TCP modulation was assessed only in males as there was an inadequate number of female smokers. These studies show that arsenic suppressed TCP in males. The association was significantly strong in male smokers and to a lesser extent in male non-smokers. Interestingly, we found a strong protective effect of high/sufficient serum VitD levels on TCP among non-smoking males. Furthermore, among male smokers with low serum VitD (⊔20 ng/ml), we found a strong suppression of TCP by arsenic. On the other hand, high VitD (>20 ng/ml) was found to attenuate effects of arsenic on TCP among male-smokers. Overall, we found a strong protective effect of VitD, when serum levels were >20 ng/ml, on arsenic-induced inhibition of TCP in men, irrespective of smoking status. To our knowledge this is the first large study of immune function in healthy adult males and females with a history of chronic arsenic exposure.
A Novel Neurovascular Liaison Governing the Blood-Brain Barrier.

How circulating signals enter the median eminence to trigger homeostatic hypothalamic responses is not well understood. Jiang et al. describe a neural mechanism that increases endothelial fenestrations and enhances the hypothalamic response to the circulating hormone leptin, suggesting a novel way to regulate brain entry through vascular wall remodeling.
Textbooks for the YouTube generation? A case study on the shift from text to video

A case study is used to achieve two research objectives: To understand students’ attitudes, behavior toward, and satisfaction with videobooks vs. traditional textbooks; and to identify factors that...
Research informatics and the COVID-19 pandemic: Challenges, innovations, lessons learned, and recommendations

The recipients of NIH’s Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) have worked for over a decade to build informatics infrastructure in support of clinical and translational research. This infrastructure has proved invaluable for supporting responses to the current COVID-19 pandemic through direct patient care, clinical decision support, training researchers and practitioners, as well as public health surveillance and clinical research to levels that could not have been accomplished without the years of ground-laying work by the CTSAs. In this paper, we provide a perspective on our COVID-19 work and present relevant results of a survey of CTSA sites to broaden our understanding of the key features of their informatics programs, the informatics-related challenges they have experienced under COVID-19, and some of the innovations and solutions they developed in response to the pandemic. Responses demonstrated increased reliance by healthcare providers and researchers on access to electronic health record (EHR) data, both for local needs and for sharing with other institutions and national consortia. The initial work of the CTSAs on data capture, standards, interchange, and sharing policies all contributed to solutions, best illustrated by the creation, in record time, of a national clinical data repository in the National COVID-19 Cohort Collaborative (N3C). The survey data support seven recommendations for areas of informatics and public health investment and further study to support clinical and translational research in the post-COVID-19 era.
Critical Evaluation of the Case for Pausing California's School-based Fitness Testing.

Author(s): Woodworth, Amanda; Schneider, Margaret | Abstract: ObjectiveWe undertook a literature review to evaluate the evidence for an association among school-based fitness testing and bullying, weight-based teasing (WBT), and/or gender discrimination.MethodsWe searched the peer-reviewed literature using PubMed, ERIC and GOOGLE Scholar to identify articles related to school-based physical fitness testing (K-12) on the one hand and bullying, WBT, and/or gender discrimination on the other.ResultsWe identified 12 studies on the impact of school-based physical fitness testing (PFT) on bullying and WBT. These studies do not support the assertion that PFT places students at elevated risk for bullying and/or WBT as compared to other school settings. There is a dearth of studies investigating an association between PFT and gender discrimination.ConclusionsThe concerns about PFT as a widespread cause of bullying and WBT are not supported by the evidence. It is likely that school climate is a stronger determinant overall of these negative student interactions and that more rigorous teacher training would ameliorate student concerns about fitness testing. Nevertheless, more rigorous research is warranted to determine with confidence that PFT does not elevate students' risks for bullying and WBT and to examine the risks for students with non-binary gender.
RIG-I uses its intrinsically disordered CARDs-Helicase linker in RNA proofreading functions

The innate immune receptor RIG-I provides the first line of defense against viral infections. Viral RNAs are recognized by the C-terminal domain (CTD) of RIG-I, but the RNA must engage the helicase domain to release the signaling domain CARDs from their autoinhibitory CARD2:Hel2i interactions. Because the helicase lacks RNA specificity, there must be mechanisms to proofread RNAs entering the helicase domain. Although such mechanisms are crucial in preventing aberrant immune responses by non-specific RNAs, they remain largely unknown. This study reveals a previously unknown proofreading mechanism that RIG-I uses to ensure the helicase engages RNAs chosen explicitly by the CTD. A crucial part of this mechanism involves the intrinsically disordered CARDs-Helicase Linker (CHL), which uses its negatively charged regions to electrostatically antagonize incoming RNAs. In addition to RNA gating, CHL is essential in stabilizing the CARD2:Hel2i interface. The CHL and CARD2:Hel2i interface work together, establishing a tunable gating mechanism that allows CTD-chosen RNAs to bind into the helicase while blocking non-specific RNAs. With its critical regulatory functions, CHL represents a novel target for RIG-I-based therapeutics.
Aryl Migrations in Organometallic Compounds of the Alkali Metals

Publisher Summary The most common and thoroughly studied rearrangements of organoalkali compounds are sigmatropic shifts of aryl groups. That the reaction of 2-chloro-1,1,1-triphenylethane with sodium in dioxane or isooctane-diethyl ether gives 1,1,2-triphenyIethylsodium. The dependence of the extent of rearrangement on the alkali metal used constitutes part of the general evidence in favor of these rearrangements, being rearrangements of organometallic compounds rather than of free radicals. In all the above examples 2, 2, 2-triphenylethyl alkali metal compounds have been generated by reactions of alkali metals on halides or quaternary ammonium salts. Similar results have been obtained by metal–metal exchange reactions not involving elementary metals. The organoalkali compounds normally exist as associated compounds— ethyllithium and n-butyllithium are hexamers, and tertbutyllithium is a tetramer in benzene solution. Because free ions and loose ion pairs have similar degrees of solvation, the studies on competitive reactions are also in accord with benzyl cleavage occurring in a free anion because the concentration of such anions must be very small, it is reasonable to assume that it is predominantly the loose ion pair that undergoes benzyl cleavage.
Gift‐Gaining: Ideas for Effective Gift Processing

Personnel turnover and other factors led the University of North Texas Libraries to repurpose staffing to process gift items in 2014. None of the new personnel had experience in evaluating gifts. As the reassigned personnel began its work, it became clear that intensive training and a reevaluation of procedures was necessary for effective processing of these materials. This presentation looked at the issues that arose and the solutions that emerged from the reevaluation. Told from the perspective of the new gifts coordinator, the session sought to present a case study that provided attendees with examples of tools they can implement and pitfalls to avoid as they evaluate their own gift policies. Attendees also shared some of their own experiences in dealing with gift processing in their libraries.
Category Captainship Practices in the Retail Industry

This chapter explores the consequences of a recent trend in consumer goods retailing wherein a retailer cedes partial control of category management decisions such as assortment and/or pricing to one of the category’s leading manufacturers (usually referred to as the captain). This process is formally referred to as Category Captainship and has been used extensively in retailing for the past decade. There are reported success stories about category captainship, but also a growing debate about its potential for anti-competitive practices by category captains. The goal of this chapter is to provide an overview of the existing research on category captainship, and identify research directions that would improve our understanding of its impact.
Hydrogen Peroxide Generation from Hydrated Protein Drink Mixes

Generation of oxygen radicals upon hydration of powdered protein products was examined using luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence. Among individual proteins powders examined oxidative bursts occurred almost immediately, and then rapidly declined in the 1st 5 min. Commercially available powdered protein drink mixes behaved differently, with an initial lag phase followed by a sustained increase in luminol-enhanced luminescence, lasting for an hour or beyond. The drink mix that produced the highest level of luminol-enhanced luminescence also contained 379 nM ascorbate radical when hydrated (28 nmole/g of powdered drink mix). The entire ascorbic acid content of this drink mix was oxidized to nondetectable levels (using HPLC-diode array detection) within 60 min of being hydrated. Treatment of the hydrated drink mixes with the enzyme catalase almost completely inhibited the luminol-enhanced luminescence from the hydrated drink mix demonstrating that hydrogen peroxide generated via a chemical reaction among the drink mixes' ingredients was a primary reactive oxygen species (ROS). This is the strongest oxidative capacity demonstrated in a food product as consumed (without any manipulation to increase ROS) and the 1st time that the ascrobate radical in a food product as been quantified. Generation of hydrogen peroxide in the hydrated drink mixes from metal catalyzed reactions involving oxygen and reducing equivalents from ascorbic acid is proposed.
Electron impact excitation of SF6

A study of the electron impact energy-loss spectrum of SF6 under both optical (low scattering angle, high impact energy) and non-optical conditions (high scattering angle, low impact energy) has revealed a number of electronic excitation processes. With the help of theoretical calculations, several of these transitions have been assigned and approximate cross sections associated with four features have been determined. In addition, a strong resonance at 12 eV has been observed in both elastic and vibrationally inelastic (delta E = 0.092 eV) channels.
Short‐term sprint interval training increases insulin sensitivity in healthy adults but does not affect the thermogenic response to β‐adrenergic stimulation

Sprint interval training (SIT) and traditional endurance training elicit similar physiological adaptations. From the perspective of metabolic function, superior glucose regulation is a common characteristic of endurance-trained adults. Accordingly, we have investigated the hypothesis that short-term SIT will increase insulin sensitivity in sedentary/recreationally active humans. Thirty one healthy adults were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (1) SIT (n= 12): six sessions of repeated (4–7) 30 s bouts of very high-intensity cycle ergometer exercise over 14 days; (2) sedentary control (n= 10); (3) single-bout SIT (n= 9): one session of 4 × 30 s cycle ergometer sprints. Insulin sensitivity was determined (hyperinsulinaemic euglycaemic clamp) prior to and 72 h following each intervention. Compared with baseline, and sedentary and single-bout controls, SIT increased insulin sensitivity (glucose infusion rate: 6.3 ± 0.6 vs. 8.0 ± 0.8 mg kg−1 min−1; mean ±s.e.m.; P= 0.04). In a separate study, we investigated the effect of SIT on the thermogenic response to beta-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) stimulation, an important determinant of energy balance. Compared with baseline, and sedentary and single-bout control groups, SIT did not affect resting energy expenditure (EE: ventilated hood technique; 6274 ± 226 vs. 6079 ± 297 kJ day−1; P= 0.51) or the thermogenic response to isoproterenol (6, 12 and 24 ng (kg fat-free mass)−1 min−1: %ΔEE 11 ± 2, 14 ± 3, 23 ± 2 vs. 11 ± 1, 16 ± 2, 25 ± 3; P= 0.79). Combined data from both studies revealed no effect of SIT on fasted circulating concentrations of glucose, insulin, adiponectin, pigment epithelial-derived factor, non-esterified fatty acids or noradrenaline (all P > 0.05). Sixteen minutes of high-intensity exercise over 14 days augments insulin sensitivity but does not affect the thermogenic response to β-AR stimulation.
Photosynthesis: Energy Conversion

The process of water oxidation and carbon dioxide reduction in oxygenic photosynthesis involves a complex series of events that start with light energy capture and end with its storage in the form of the chemical energy in glucose. These reactions provide a solution to efficient solar energy conversion into high-energy chemicals. The principles revealed by study of natural photosynthetic systems may be used to design artificial systems for solar fuel production. Understanding the light-driven oxidation of water, in particular, is of high interest, as this half reaction could be used in sustainable solar fuel production by processes of artificial photosynthesis to meet the world's growing energy demand. In this article, we look into the intricate photosynthetic machinery and the various processes that it performs in order to efficiently capture, convert, and store light energy. Our main focus is on the so-called “light” reactions, where specific processes are driven by direct light absorption. As a result, reducing equivalents are extracted from water and transferred to NADP+, to be used in the carbon-fixing reactions, which are not directly modulated by sunlight. We describe the characteristic features of each protein in the photosynthetic electron-transport machinery, and specifically focus on the water-oxidation catalysis performed as the first step of oxygenic photosynthesis by the metalloenzyme photosystem II, due to its relevance to synthetic biomimetic water-oxidation catalysts. Several processes that photosystem II employs to couple light energy absorption to catalytic turnover are discussed, including proton and electron transfers, redox leveling, charge accumulation, and proposed catalytic mechanisms. Keywords: light energy conversion; oxygen-evolving complex; photosynthesis; photosystem I; photosystem II; solar energy; water oxidation
Ruptured Infantile Myofibroma of the Head Presenting in a Neonate: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Background Infantile myofibroma/myofibromatosis (IM/M) is a myofibroblastic proliferative disorder often seen in infants and children. IM/M can result in congenital tumors of the head and neck and may occasionally present to the neurosurgeon. Case Description We report a case of a solitary ruptured myofibroma of the head in a newborn patient. The lesion was initially suggestive of encephalocele. We describe the presentation and management of this patient, including relevant imaging, histopathologic evaluation, and surgical technique. We subsequently review the literature of IM/M of the head and neck, highlighting the 3 forms of the condition, each requiring a distinct management strategy. Conclusions Although this tumor rarely presents to the neurosurgeon, it may do so in the process of ruling out other more dangerous conditions. It is therefore important to consider this diagnosis in masses that occur in the head and neck of newborns.
Quantum gravity and turning points in the semiclassical approximation

The wavefunctional in quantum gravity gives an amplitude for 3-geometries and matter fields. The four-space is usually recovered in a semiclassical approximation where the gravity variables are taken to oscillate rapidly compared to matter variables; this recovers the Schrodinger evolution for the matter. We examine turning points in the gravity variables where this approximation appears to be troublesome. We investigate the effect of such a turning point on the matter wavefunction, in simple quantum mechanical models and in a closed minisuperspace cosmology. We find that after evolving sufficiently far from the turning point the matter wavefunction recovers to a form close to that predicted by the semiclassical approximation, and we compute the leading correction (from `backreaction') in a simple model. We also show how turning points can appear in the gravitational sector in dilaton gravity. We give some remarks on the behavior of the wavefunctional in the vicinity of turning points in the context of dilaton gravity black holes.
Prose and Poetry

Gerhard Falkner, Introduced by Neil Donahue This article is available in Studies in 20th Century Literature: http://newprairiepress.org/sttcl/vol21/iss1/14 On the Worthlessness of the Poem*
Unemployment Risks and the Origins of Unemployment Compensation

This paper focuses on the distribution of sectoral unemployment risks and the role of political regimes in the foundational moments of unemployment compensation. The institutionalization of unemployment compensation is a function of two factors. First, it depends on the distribution of unemployment risks by economic sectors. Second, the effect of risk inequality is conditional upon the political regime type. I employ event history analysis of 144 countries throughout the world for the long historical period from 1880 to 2000. The results show that an overall societal level of unemployment risk and inequality of sectoral unemployment risks in a society are positively associated with the likelihood of the institutionalization of unemployment compensation. In addition, the effect of risk inequality is much higher under democracy than under dictatorship. A broader implication is that the creation of unemployment compensation is not only a function of homogeneous working class power but also a function of working class conflict that stems from the heterogeneity of unemployment risks among workers.
Cell Cycle Regulation by Carboxylated Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes through p53-Independent Induction of p21 under the Control of the BMP Signaling Pathway

This report describes how carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) induce p53-independent p21 expression and cell cycle arrest. MWCNTs suppress BMP signaling and lead to the downregulation of Id protein production and the upregulation of p21 because p21 expression is directly controlled by Id proteins through their regulation of the E-box motifs in the p21 promoter. The overexpressed p21 protein then binds to the cyclin D/cdk4,6 complexes and inhibits the phosphorylation of Rb protein. Hypophosphorylation of Rb prevents the release of E2F factors and causes cell cycle arrest. These findings provide valuable insight into a mechanistic understanding of carbon nanotubes’ effects on cellular functions.
A new species of Minuartia (Caryophyllaceae) from Northwest California

Minuartia decumbens, a serpentine endemic resembling the members of theMinuartia nuttallii-M. rosei complex, is described, illustrated and contrasted with the complex.
Support vector regression for estimating earthquake response spectra

This study uses support vector regression (SVR), a supervised machine learning algorithm, to model the average horizontal response spectrum as a nonparametric function of a set of predictor ground motion variables. Traditional ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs) are derived using parametric regression, where a fixed functional form is selected, and the model coefficients are determined by minimizing the errors on the training set. The SVR model is nonparametric; there is no need to assume a fixed functional form. Using nonlinear basis functions, the data points are mapped into a high dimensional feature space, where nonlinear input-output relationships can be expressed as a linear combination of nonlinear functions, using a subset of the data points. The combination weights are determined by minimizing the generalization error, using a formal mechanism to characterize the trade-off between the model complexity and the quality of fit to the data. Minimization of the generalization error instead of the fitting error leads to better generation to unseen data, and thus reduces the risk of over-fitting for a given number of data points. The SVR model is not based on a specific probability distribution, and is readily applicable to non-Gaussian data. An example application is presented for vertical strike-slip earthquakes, and the predictions from the SVR model are compared to the recently developed GMPEs. The results demonstrate the validity of the proposed model, and suggest that it can be used as an alternative to the conventional ground motion prediction models.
Prostaglandin inhibition of T-cell proliferation is mediated at two levels.

Abstract While numerous investigators have established that E-series prostaglandins inhibit proliferation of lectin- or antigen-activated T cells, the mechanism by which this effect is mediated remained poorly defined. It was recently shown that T-cell replication is mediated by a soluble factor (T-cell growth factor, TCGF), produced by antigen- or lectin-stimulated T cells. Thus, inhibition of T-cell replication by prostaglandins could be controlled either at the level of TCGF production or at the subsequent step of actual proliferation. We have found that differentiated cytotoxic T lymphocytes harvested from TCGF-dependent culture were, indeed, significantly sensitive to as little as 1 n M PGE 1 or PGE 2 ; 1000 n M PGE 1 or PGE 2 reduced TCGF-dependent T-cell proliferation by greater than 43% in all cases. In addition, PGE 1 and PGE 2 suppressed lectin-induced production of TCGF to remarkably similar concentration-dependent levels. Thus, the prostaglandin-E-mediated suppression of lectin-initiated T-cell proliferation could be traced to an inhibition of both the production and action of the T-cell-specific mitogen, TCGF. Since TCGF is produced by one T-cell subpopulation and acts on different T-cell subpopulations including both T helper and T cytotoxic cells, the consequences of prostaglandin-E inhibition of TCGF may have broad effects on cellular and humoral immune responses.
Photochemoprevention of skin cancer by botanical agents.

Photochemoprevention has become an important armamentarium in the fight against ultraviolet radiation (UVR)-induced damage to the skin. Among many UVR-induced damages, skin cancer is of the greatest concern as its rates have been steadily increasing in recent years and the same trend is expected to continue in the future. Ultraviolet radiation increases oxidative stress in skin cells by causing excessive generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to cancer initiation and promotion. Antioxidants have the capability to quench these ROS and much recent work shows that some of these can inhibit many UVR-induced signal transduction pathways. Thus, identifying nontoxic strong antioxidants - capable of preventing UVR-induced skin cancer - has become an important area of research. The use of botanical antioxidants in skin care products is growing in popularity. A wide range of such agents has been shown to prevent skin cancer in animal model systems. New agents are constantly being investigated; however, only a few have been tested for their efficacy in humans. Animal model and cell culture studies have clarified that antioxidants act by several mechanisms at various stages of skin carcinogenesis. This review focuses on skin cancer photochemopreventive effects of selected botanical antioxidants.
Preoptic area estradiol-concentrating neurons project to the hypothalamus in female rats

Estradiol (E2)-concentrating neurons afferent to the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH) were identified by combining fluorescent retrograde tracing with steroid hormone autoradiography. The majority of E2-concentrating neurons that projected to the VMH were located in the medial preoptic area. In the entire medial preoptic area, 10.0% of the E2-sensitive neurons sent axons that terminated in the VMH. Twenty percent of the E2-concentrating neurons located in the periventricular preoptic area projected to the VMH. Of the E2-concentrating neurons found in the medial preoptic nucleus, 8.0% sent axons directly to the VMH. The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, septum, and medial amygdala contained very few E2-receptive neurons that projected to the VMH. Preoptic area E2-concentrating neurons that project to the VMH may be part of a neural circuit that influences reproduction.
What proportion of declared QTL in plants are false

The false discovery rate (FDR) is the probability that a quantitative trait locus (QTL) is false, given that a QTL has been declared. A misconception in QTL mapping is that the FDR is equal to the comparison-wise significance level, α C. The objective of this simulation study was to determine the FDR in an F2 mapping population, given different numbers of QTL, population sizes, and trait heritabilities. Markers linked to QTL were detected by multiple regression of phenotype on marker genotype. Phenotypic selection and marker-based recurrent selection were compared. The FDR increased as α C increased. Notably, the FDR was often 10–30 times higher than the α C level used. Regardless of the number of QTL, heritability, or size of the genome, the FDR was ≤0.01 when α C was 0.0001. The FDR increased to 0.82 when α C was 0.05, heritability was low, and only one QTL controlled the trait. An α C of 0.05 led to a low FDR when many QTL (30 or 100) controlled the trait, but this lower FDR was accompanied by a diminished power to detect QTL. Larger mapping populations led to both lower a FDR and increased power. Relaxed significance levels of α C=0.1 or 0.2 led to the largest responses to marker-based recurrent selection, despite the high FDR. To prevent false QTL from confusing the literature and databases, a detected QTL should, in general, be reported as a QTL only if it was identified at a stringent significance level, e.g., α C≅0.0001.
Why synthesize protein–polymer conjugates? The stability and activity of chymotrypsin-polymer bioconjugates synthesized by RAFT

Abstract α-Chymotrypsin, a commonly used protease, was modified with well-defined oligomers synthesized by RAFT. The well defined polymers were synthesized based on the monomers N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMAm) or oligo(ethylene oxide) methyl ether acrylate (OEOA). The polymers were conjugated to free amine groups on chymotrypsin through an in-situ 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide/N-hydroxysuccinimide (EDC/NHS) coupling approach. The protein–polymer conjugates retained enzymatic activity, and the higher molecular weight DMAm and OEOA polymer, created protein–polymer conjugates with significantly enhanced stability, presumably due to the high molecular weight polymer preventing autolysis of the α-chymotrypsin.
Spectral Unmixing Cluster Validity Index for Multiple Sets of Endmembers

A hyperspectral pixel is generally composed of a relatively small number of endmembers. Several unmixing methods have been developed to enforce this concept through sparsity promotion or piece-wise convex mixing models. Piece-wise convex unmixing methods often require as parameters the number of endmembers and the number of sets of endmembers needed. However, these values are often unknown in advance and difficult to estimate. In this article, a new cluster validity index for multiple sets of endmembers is developed. The proposed index is used to evaluate spectral unmixing results and identify optimal parameter sets for piece-wise convex unmixing methods. No other conventional cluster validity index is directly applicable or theoretically well-suited for the piece-wise convex model. Specifically, we focus on addressing cases in which endmembers may or may not be located in a dense region of the data. Additionally, we focus on cases in which hyperspectral data is well distributed within a convex cluster (not exhibiting significant holes or gaps). The proposed validity index is applied to both simulated and real hyperspectral data. Results show that the proposed method consistently selects the best parameter set.
Transport in polyatomic gases due to inhomogeneous external fields

Abstract The kinetic theory for polyatomic gases is applied to the analysis of transport caused by gradients of external electric and magnetic fields. The field-gradient contributions to the fluxes of momentum, heat, and mass are found to depend upon the same distortions of the molecular distribution functions as are involved in the Senftleben-Beenakker effects for viscosity and thermal conduction and in the thermoviscous effect. Formulas for the relevant transport coefficients are derived by using the approximate solutions of the Waldmann-Snider equation which previously have been obtained by Levi and McCourt for diamagnetic gases and by Levi, McCourt and Tip for polar symmetric tops.
Keeping culture-bound syndromes in cultural context: the case of Koro

Descriptive psychopathology is the principal method of structuring clinical and research practices in contemporary psychiatry. The recent cultural competency movement and the creolizing effect of globalization make it imperative that clinicians take seriously the role of culture in psychiatry. The culture-bound syndromes, among which Koro is a classic example, are embedded in the DSM-IV and represent a diagnostic tool explicitly designed to account for cultural factors. Through a case report of a North American man with schizophrenia who describes what some would call Koro-like symptoms, we aim to describe and comment on the clinical use of culture-bound syndromes. The subject's complaints, while descriptively similar to Koro, are best accounted for by his main diagnosis of schizophrenia and psychological and cultural dimensions specific to his personal history and his life in North American society. Little is gained clinically by giving his complaint the exotic label ‘Koro’ or ‘Koro-like’; worse, the rea...
Effects of olfactory bulb removal and flank shock on copulation in male rats

Abstract Sexually experienced male rats received bilateral olfactory bulbectomy (BOB, N=9), unilateral olfactory bulbectomy (UOB, N=7) or a sham operation (Sham, N=8). Copulation was severely disrupted in BOB males, whereas only minimal effects on copulation were observed in UOB males. Penile reflexes were not affected by either operation. Intermittent flank shock stimulated copulation in 5/6 BOB males. The BOB males that ejaculated had longer intromission latencies and longer postejaculatory intromission intervals than did Sham males receiving a similar schedule of shocks. Even so, all BOB males that ejaculated with flank shock also resumed copulation and ejaculated a second time without further shocks. Three BOB males that ejaculated with flank shock were tested the following week without shock, and none of these males copulated. These results strengthen previous conclusions that the olfactory bulbs are critical for the initiation and maintenance of sexual arousal in male rats.