cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The context and process of pediatric HIV disclosure

ABSTRACTThis qualitative study sought to elicit the context and process of disclosure to children living with HIV (CLHIV) on antiretroviral treatment in Nigeria. The study, nested in a larger study, involved detailed interviews with 15 parent/caregivers of children ≥6 years, who had been told they were living with HIV. Most children were disclosed to at home by their parents/caregivers. The common reason for disclosure was related to the children taking their drugs. Disclosure was mostly unplanned and a one-off event, even when it was the healthcare worker who disclosed. The conversation about the child’s HIV status took place in private between the child and parent(s)/caregiver. Where several children were living with HIV in the family, parents/caregivers would usually disclose to the children at the same time, rather than individually. Children’s reaction to disclosure ranged from no reaction to shock and crying. Some parents felt they did not have the right skills to disclose. The disclosure decision m...
Global scanning of antihistamines in the environment: Analysis of occurrence and hazards in aquatic systems

Concentration of the global population is increasingly occurring in megacities and other developing regions, where access to medicines is increasing more rapidly than waste management systems are implemented. Because freshwater and coastal systems are influenced by wastewater effluent discharges of differential quality, exposures in aquatic systems must be considered. Here, we performed a global scanning assessment of antihistamines (AHs), a common class of medicines, in surface waters and effluents. Antihistamines were identified, literature occurrence and ecotoxicology data on AHs collated, therapeutic hazard values (THVs) calculated, and environmental exposure distributions (EEDs) of AHs compared to ecotoxicity thresholds and drug specific THVs to estimate hazards in surface waters and effluents. Literature searches of 62 different AHs in environmental matrices identified 111 unique occurrence publications of 24 specific AHs, largely from Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America. However, the majority of surface water (63%) and effluent (85%) observations were from Europe and North America, which highlights relatively limited information from many regions, including developing countries and rapidly urbanizing areas in Africa, Latin America and Asia. Less than 10% of all observations were for estuarine or marine systems, though the majority of human populations reside close to coastal habitats. EED 5th and 95th centiles for all AHs were 2 and 212ng/L in surface water, 5 and 1308ng/L in effluent and 6 and 4287ng/L in influent, respectively. Unfortunately, global hazards and risks of AHs to non-target species remain poorly understood. However, loratadine observations in surface waters exceeded a THV without an uncertainty factor 40% of the time, indicating future research is needed to understand aquatic toxicology, hazards and risks associated with this AH. This unique global scanning study further illustrates the utility of global assessments of pharmaceuticals and other contaminants to identify chemicals requiring toxicology study and regions where environmental monitoring, assessment and management efforts appear limited and necessary.
An Introduction to the Theory of Exact Stochastic Feedback Linearization for Nonlinear Stochastic Systems

Abstract In the design of feedback control laws for nonlinear systems, the concept of exact feedback linearization has emerged as a promising technique. In its current form, the concept of feedback linearization is limited to deterministic systems. The purpose of this paper is to extend this concept to a class of nonlinear stochastic systems. The results of this paper open up a new avenue towards designing nonlinear controllers for stochastic systems.
Live Flow Cytometry Analysis of c-di-GMP Levels in Single Cell Populations

Second-generation RNA-based fluorescent biosensors have been developed that enable flow cytometry experiments to monitor the population dynamics of c-di-GMP signaling in live bacteria. These experiments are high-throughput, provide information at the single-cell level, and can be performed on cells grown in complex media and/or under anaerobic conditions. Here, we describe flow cytometry methods for three applications: (1) high-throughput screening for diguanylate cyclase activity, (2) analyzing c-di-GMP levels under anaerobic conditions, and (3) monitoring cell population dynamics of c-di-GMP levels upon environmental changes. These methods showcase RNA-based fluorescent biosensors as versatile tools for studying c-di-GMP signaling in bacteria.
EVIDENCE PERTAINING TO AN ENDOGENOUS MECHANISM OF PAIN INHIBITION IN THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

Publisher Summary This chapter presents some evidence pertaining to an endogenous mechanism of pain inhibition in the central nervous system (CNS). It describes studies done by Reynolds, who first reported that abdominal surgery could be performed without apparent discomfort during electrical stimulation of the midbrain central or periaqueductal gray matter (PAG) in the unanesthetized rat. The efficacy of stimulation-produced analgesia (SPA) has been demonstrated in the cat, monkey, and rat. There is also evidence that chronic, clinical pain states in addition to normal pain appreciation can be blocked with electrical stimulation in homologous medial brain stem regions in man. Evidence for SPA has been obtained employing a wide variety of nociceptive stimuli, including pinprick, noxious heat or cold, strong pinch, electric shock applied to the skin, peripheral nerves, and the dental pulp, and the injection of chemical irritants into cutaneous or visceral tissues. In the rat, SPA has been found equianalgesic to morphine in doses ranging from 10–50 mg/kg, depending on the analgesic test employed and the intensity and duration of the central stimulating current.
Obesity and Altered Aspirin Pharmacology

Obesity is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality due to atherothrombotic events and represents a group of patients who are in need of optimized antithrombotic therapy. Central to the obesity-related risk of atherothrombosis is a pro-thrombotic state characterized by increased levels of coagulation factors, impaired fibrinolysis, and platelet hyper-reactivity, which results from the interaction among the features clustering in obesity: insulin resistance, inflammation, oxidative stress, and endothelial dysfunction. Aspirin is a cornerstone antiplatelet drug that has substantial interpatient variability in pharmacodynamic response and a number of reports have demonstrated that obesity is a risk factor for a reduced aspirin pharmacodynamic response. The inflammatory state associated with obesity, particularly a metabolic endotoxemia, may set in motion a number of mechanisms that increase platelet reactivity and platelet turnover and decrease aspirin bioavailability, all contributing to a poor aspirin response. A greater understanding of the mechanisms underlying obesity-related high on-aspirin platelet reactivity will help in optimization of antithrombotic therapy in this patient population.
The Psychological Foundations of University Science Commercialization: A Review of the Literature and Directions for Future Research

As interest in university science commercialization has expanded, researchers have increasingly acknowledged the elemental role of individual academic scientists in associated activities—from scientific discovery and invention to licensing and new venture development. In this article, we review recent literature focused on psychological aspects of academic scientists’ involvement in such activities, which has concentrated primarily on topics that we have categorized as human capital, social capital, heterogeneous objectives, and demographic characteristics. In addition, we offer suggestions for potential theoretical and methodological advances to this literature. Finally, we discuss emerging trends in university science commercialization and the important role that individual academic scientists will likely need to play to ensure the future viability of universities’ efforts to both generate and appropriate value from such activities.
Learning the Relative Usefulness of Questions in Community QA

We present a machine learning approach for the task of ranking previously answered questions in a question repository with respect to their relevance to a new, unanswered reference question. The ranking model is trained on a collection of question groups manually annotated with a partial order relation reflecting the relative utility of questions inside each group. Based on a set of meaning and structure aware features, the new ranking model is able to substantially outperform more straightforward, unsupervised similarity measures.
Opening Remarks or Flavor Democracy and other Speculations about the State of Particle Physics or between Chemistry and Mathematics

One of the disadvantages I have found in collaborating with Nobel prizewinners is that I seldom get to give talks like this. I am always second or third choice. At any rate, I am glad to have this opportunity to talk to you, even if I am only here because Shelly Glashow is too depressed to come.
Biosafety in the clinical mycobacteriology laboratory

This article presents an expanded agent summary statement for laboratorians working with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It focuses on reducing the serious risk of infection in clinical laboratories that process specimens from tuberculosis patients or that work with purified cultures of tubercle bacilli. Administrative and engineering controls, practices and procedures, and personal protective equipment are discussed. Guidelines for packaging specimens for transfer to another laboratory also are presented.
Anti-Brownian traps for studies on single molecules.

Abstract Until recently, Brownian motion was seen as an immutable feature of small particles in room-temperature liquids. Molecules, viruses, organelles, and small cells jiggle incessantly due to countless collisions with thermally agitated molecules of solvent. Einstein showed in 1905 that this motion is intimately linked to the tendency of every system to relax toward thermal equilibrium. In recent years, we and others have realized that Brownian motion is not as inescapable as one might think. By tracking the motion of a small particle and applying correction forces to the particle or to the measurement apparatus, one can largely suppress the Brownian motion of particles as small as a few nanometers in diameter, in aqueous solution at room temperature. This new ability to stabilize single molecules has led to a host of studies on topics ranging from the conformational dynamics of DNA to the optical properties of metal nanoparticles. In this review, we outline the physical principles behind suppression of Brownian motion. We discuss the relative merits of several systems that have been implemented. We give examples of studies performed with our anti-Brownian Electrokinetic trap (ABEL trap) as well as other anti-Brownian traps, and we discuss prospects for future research.
A Resource Review for Health Care Quality Execution: Business Intelligence Strategy

Health care decision-makers are juggling multiple demands and environmental pressures in today’s world. One area of information systems practice that holds promise for addressing very salient issues in health care is the area of business intelligence. This review is structured to prepare a health-care decision maker with the knowledge and understanding necessary to support a successful Business Intelligence environment in the healthcare organization. Ultimately, the goal of this resource review is to provide insights into possible curricular development to address a well-rounded understanding of how business intelligence strategy can be brought to bear upon the execution of health care operations.
Laser cooling of a metastable argon atomic beam

OF THE THESIS LASER COOLING OF A METASTABLE ARGON ATOMIC BEAM by Carlos A. Avila Florida International University, 1996 Miami, Florida Professor Kenneth Hardy, Major Professor A production of low velocity and monoenergetic atomic beams would increase the resolution in spectroscopic studies and many other experiments in atomic physics. Laser Cooling uses the radiation pressure to decelerate and cool atoms. The effusing from a glow discharge metastable argon atomic beam is affected by a counterpropagating laser light tuned to the cycling transition in argon. The Zeeman shift caused by a spatially varying magnetic field compensates for the changing Doppler shift that takes the atoms out of resonance as they decelerated. Deceleration and velocity bunching of atoms to a final velocity that depends on the detuning of the laser relative to a frequency of the transition have been observed. Time-of-Flight (TOF) spectroscopy is used to examine the velocity distribution of the cooled atomic beam. These TOF studies of the laser cooled atomic beam demonstrate the utility of laser deceleration for atomic-beam "velocity selection".
Cytology and surgical pathology of pleural cavities.

Accumulation of an excess amount of fluid, or effusion, in the pleural or pericardial cavities is always pathological. About 20% of effusions are caused by malignancy. Metastatic diseases are more common than primary malignancy. Among the former, the majority are adenocarcinomas. The primary indication of cytologic examination of exfoliated cells in fluid is to rule out a malignancy.
Accurate Reporting of Concomitant Procedures Is Highly Variable in Studies Investigating Knee Cartilage Restoration.

ObjectiveSuccessful clinical outcomes following cartilage restoration procedures are highly dependent on addressing concomitant pathology. The purpose of this study was to document methods for eval...
Relationship Trajectories: A Meta-Theoretical Framework and Theoretical Applications

This article introduces a metatheoretical framework—the Relationship Trajectories Framework—that conceptualizes how human mating relationships develop across their complete time span, from the mome...
A Survey of Game Theoretic Approaches for Adversarial Machine Learning in Cybersecurity Tasks

Machine learning techniques are used extensively for automating various cybersecurity tasks. Most of these techniques use supervised learning algorithms that rely on training the algorithm to classify incoming data into categories, using data encountered in the relevant domain. A critical vulnerability of these algorithms is that they are susceptible to adversarial attacks by which a malicious entity called an adversary deliberately alters the training data to misguide the learning algorithm into making classification errors. Adversarial attacks could render the learning algorithm unsuitable for use and leave critical systems vulnerable to cybersecurity attacks. This article provides a detailed survey of the stateof-the-art techniques that are used to make a machine learning algorithm robust against adversarial attacks by using the computational framework of game theory. We also discuss open problems and challenges and possible directions for further research that would make deep machine learning–based systems more robust and reliable for cybersecurity tasks.
In-Situ Formation of Carbon Nanofiber Hybrid Architectures for Functional Devices

Carbon nanomaterials are consistently providing new excitement over their properties and potential applications, but many of these material have yet to fully live up to their expectations commercially. The barrier to adoption often exists as a result of complex processing, fragility of the as-produced material, or difficulty scaling beyond laboratory quantities. This work provides a new approach for utilizing fibrous carbon nanomaterials to advance the technology toward new applications and industrial utility. This is accomplished by creating tailored device architectures through in-situ integration of activated carbon powder using carbon nanofiber deposition. The resulting hybrid materials and components can serve in diverse applications, with each instance able to be fine-tuned through a combination of processing parameters. The applications of such materials are anticipated to directly serve current carbon-based technology in filtration, energy storage and delivery, and thermal management, but the concepts are not limited to current carbon applications.
Comparative Analysis of Self-Synchronized Virtual Synchronous Generator Control and Droop Control for Inverters in Islanded Microgrid

Due to increased penetration of inverter based distributed generators (DGs) in power system, conventional control methods fails to maintain grid stability, flexibility, and scalability. The inherent problem with DGa is the heavy use of power electronic devices with in the realm of inverters. These inverters have been modeled as have been controlled as current source, and voltage source in accordance with control strategy employed. However there is one control mode of operation under which the voltage and current source inverters fail which entails utilization of control scheme that mimic the synchronous generator operation. Synchronous generators have excitation and speed governor controls that allows grid supporting mode of operation as well as smooth transition from grid connected to islanded modes. The inverters can be controlled to behave as virtual synchronous generators (VSGs) to capture all the inherent inertia and damping that is required for maintaining grid voltage and frequency stability thus providing a flexible control. In this paper, we have modeled VSG. The simulation dynamic responses using MATLAB/SIMULINK under multiple connected loads and different operating scenarios is presented in this paper and analyzed. In addition, load sharing characteristic of VSG based and droop based inverters is compared.
Angiostatin 4.5

For tumors to grow and metastasize, they must induce the generation of new blood vessels, a process referred to as angiogenesis. Angiogenesis begins when a fibrin clot forms on the external surface of an existing blood vessel, followed by growing of new capillaries. The initial phase begins with increased vascular permeability and local degradation of the vessel wall. The endothelial cells enter the tumor stroma, migrate toward a stimulus such as VEGF or FGF, and proliferate behind the leading edge. At this time, the cells may be most vulnerable to agents that interfere with their proliferation, since they lack protection from other cell types. The next step in vessel formation is recruitment of pericytes, followed by smooth muscle cells. Inhibition of angiogenesis thus provides an important new therapeutic target. The angiogenesis inhibitor angiostatin is a kringle-containing internal fragment of plasminogen, which inhibits cancer growth in numerous animal models …
Price Dynamics on Amazon Marketplace: A Multivariate Random Forest Variable Selection Approach

Amazon Marketplace is an ecommerce platform where Amazon is a seller itself and also the platform host to third-party (3P) sellers. Business press has reported that Amazon uses complex pricing strategies for items it sells directly. However, there is limited academic and business press understanding of price dynamics in the marketplace. The modeling challenge is the high dimensionality of the covariate space and sparsity of price changes for some sellers. We develop a novel multivariate random forest (MVRF) based variable selection method to identify the key predictors of price change. This variable selection method has potentially wider application to similar high dimensional modeling situations, e.g., in selecting variables for the design of field and laboratory experiments, and alternative statistical and structural models. We test the robustness of the proposed variable selection method against extant benchmarks such as univariate random forest (RF) and LASSO. We provide descriptive insights on the price change mechanism among the sellers. Our results reveal several unexpected patterns including that price and feature changes of even the smallest and new entrant 3P sellers are significant predictors of Amazon’s price change. These findings have academic, managerial and regulatory relevance. We demonstrate additional managerial relevance via a stylized price forecasting example.
“Our Company is in Survival Mode”: Metajournalistic Discourse on COVID-19’s Impact on U.S. Community Newspapers

This study explores how U.S. reporters, columnists, editors, and state newspaper associations explained to their audiences the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on journalism. Our examination of news...
Gametes Collision in Freshwater Fish: Evidences of Guidance and Selection

Externally fertilizing species, especially freshwater fish, reproduce in an environment that is very harsh for gametes. They undergo the pressure of various external factors (temperature, water flow, pH, ion composition, viscosity, presence of ovarian fluid, etc.). Variability in cell responses to these parameters creates a wide spectrum of reproduction strategies. Existence of specific mechanisms for guiding and triggering the encounter of gametes would be highly expedient in these conditions, nevertheless, only scarce information exists on this issue. The existing data and observational studies performed by us support the idea that the factors, which are the part of ovarian fluid or released by the eggs, could significantly affect the behavior of male gametes and influence the outcome of fertilization. This could be made by the support of sperm motility traits on a certain level, attraction or repulsion of gametes with some predefined qualitative characteristics, and targeted promotion of sperm with proper genetic material to encounter the egg. The specific mechanisms supporting the potential selection by externally fertilizing females are unclear. In addition to chemical agents, there is evidence that some physical factors, e.g., presence of surfaces and their features, contribute to fertilization performance. All these phenomena, i.e., motility activation and progress, kinetic and tactic effects, possible selection, and promotion of gametes could be the elements in the guidance pattern. This is even more challenging for freshwater fish reproduction, considering the limited period of motility compared to marine species, and thus, it makes the need for specific support of gametes encounter even more apparent. This work suggests that guidance during fertilization is a rule, not a fortune, at least, because guidance is highly expedient during external fertilization in terms of environmental variability and stability of living matter.
A Mixed-Method Assessment of a 10-Day Mobile Mindfulness Intervention.

Mobile mindfulness interventions represent a promising alternative to traditional in-person interventions that are resource demanding and have limited accessibility, preventing use by many populations. Despite greater accessibility and popularity of mobile mindfulness applications (apps), research is needed testing the effectiveness of brief interventions delivered via these platforms. The present study assessed the efficacy of a brief mobile mindfulness intervention compared to an active control for increasing state and trait mindfulness and improving mood, as well as the acceptability of the app, in a sample of undergraduate students. Participants (N=139; Mage=19.43 years, 80.6% female, 83.5% White) were randomly assigned to either a 10-day mobile mindfulness (Headspace) or cognitive training (Peak) condition. Trait mindfulness was measured pre- and post-intervention. During the 10-day intervention, participants completed 10-minute daily exercises on the assigned app, responded to daily questionnaires of state mindfulness and mood, and completed a daily written log of their reactions to the app exercises. Attrition was low (90% completion rate) and did not differ by condition. Participants in the mindfulness condition spent an average of 88.15 minutes (SD=24.75) meditating out of the full 100 minutes prescribed by the intervention. State mindfulness significantly increased across the 10-day intervention for participants in the mindfulness, but not the cognitive training, condition beginning around days 5 and 6. Some aspects of trait mindfulness increased and mood improved from pre- to post-intervention, but these changes were observed in both conditions (i.e., no significant differences were observed by condition). Qualitative analysis of open-ended reactions to the mindfulness app indicated that participants reported more likes than dislikes. Common themes for likes were that participants experienced feelings of calm and focus following the daily mindfulness exercises. Dislikes included discomfort and anxiety associated with increased awareness of thoughts and physical sensations. These findings suggest that while a brief mobile mindfulness intervention is acceptable to undergraduate college students and effective at increasing state mindfulness, a longer intervention may be needed in order to elicit corresponding changes in trait-level mindfulness or mood.
In Search of Respect: Crackhouse Management: Addiction, Discipline, and Dignity

Hell, yeah, I felt good when I owned the Game Room. In those days everybody be looking for me; everybody needed me. When I drove up, people be opening the door for me, and offering to wash my car. Even kids too little to understand anything about drugs looked up to me. Felix The logistics of selling crack are not dramatically different from those of any other risky private sector retail enterprise. Selling high-volume, inexpensive products is an inherently boring undertaking that requires honest, disciplined workers in order to be successful. Such businesses are inherently rife with traditional management versus labor confrontations, as well as internal jealousies or rivalries within employee hierarchies. It is only the omnipresent danger, the high profit margin, and the desperate tone of addiction that prevent crack dealing from becoming overwhelmingly routine and tedious. The details of how the Game Room was run during the years I lived next to it provide a good example of these dynamics. Living with Crack Ray did not found the Game Room. The person who actually established the 250-square-foot video game arcade as a crackhouse was a childhood friend of his named Felix, who was also Primo's first cousin. Felix did not run a tight operation; he reveled too much in street-corner glory and consequently did not insulate himself from the police by hiring a manager, or at least some intermediary worker-assistants, to make the actual hand-to-hand sales.
INTERACTION OF CONDENSED TANNINS WITH BIOPOLYMERS

Condensed tannins form complexes with a multitude of species, ranging in size from divalent and trivalent metal ions to macromolecules, both naturally occurring and synthetic. Many of these complexes are of low solubility, permitting detection by techniques as simple as precipitation. Determination of the interactions responsible for the initial events in complex formation is facilitated by the use of techniques that can detect the interaction in extremely dilute solution, thereby suppressing the influence of aggregation.
Productivity growth, capital accumulation, and the banking sector - some lessons from Malaysia

How did the East Asian miracle turn into one of the worst financial crisis of the century? The authors address the question using Malaysia as a case study. Many discussions of the East Asian crisis address proximate and short-run causes of the crisis, such as the current account deficit, exchange rate misalignment, and disproportionate short-run external debt relative to foreign exchange reserves. These indicators of vulnerability are themselves endogenous outcomes of deeper institutional features. The authors argue that some long-term features of the development strategy that helped sustain high growth in the first place also contributed to the economy's increasing vulnerability. High output growth was driven by rapid growth in capital stock, for example. The banking sector played a critical role in transforming (and accelerating the transformation of) large savings into capital accumulation. But the banking sector may not have been allocating capital efficiency. The authors find that the rapid growth in bank lending in Malaysia is negatively associated with total factor productivity growth. On the other hand, the economy's other structural strengths, such as openness to foreign direct investment and technology, helped improve productivity growth. Malaysia's exceptional growth record over the past quarter century was driven largely by the growth in physical capital stock. Total factor productivity growth may have slowed in the late 1990s, and sustaining high output growth will require greater emphasis on productivity improvements. Policies that encouraged the flow of foreign direct investment and better access to imported capital goods contributed to productivity growth. But rapid growth in bank lending relative to GDP may have slowed it. How policymakers can best slow the growth of credit is a question that remains unanswered.
The mapping of three phase volumetric behavior of pseudo-binary: Systems on pressure-composition diagrams

Abstract A method has been developed for the mapping of three phase volumetric behavior of pseudo-binary systems on P-x diagrams. The technique is illustrated for the two types of multiple phase regions usually encountered, one bounded by three two-phase regions and one bounded by only two two-phase regions. A diagram of a three phase region, based on experimental data for the CO2-Maljamar separator crude oil system at 304K, is also presented.
Fatal Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome in an Adolescent

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a recently recognized viral zoonosis characterized by a febrile prodrome progressing to severe noncardiogenic pulmonary edema.1-4 This syndrome is caused by at least three newly described hantaviruses: the first, Sin Nombre virus, is the Southwestern hantavirus that caused an outbreak of respiratory failure during the summer of 1993; the second, Black Creek Canal virus, caused a case of HPS in Florida; and the third hantavirus was identified in lung tissue from a patient in Louisiana. Diagnosis is by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) serology with elevated immunoglobulin M (IgM) titers against heterologous and homologous hantaviral antigens, positive immunohistochemistry on formalin-fixed tissue, or reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) amplification of hantaviral nucleotide sequence from frozen tissue.
Commentary on ''The Effects of Financial Incentives in Experiments: A Review and Capital-Labor-Production Framework''

.The paper by Camerer and Hogarth deals with the effects of financial incentives on the experimental study of goal-oriented behavior. The paper consists of an informal assessment of 74 studies followed by a list of stylized facts and conclusions, that are interpreted by drawing an analogy with the economic theory of capitallabor-production. Those involved in work with human subjects often face a variety of interrelated questions: Should subjects be paid? If, yes, how much? Is payment necessary andror important? The ‘‘conventional’’ answers to these questions tend to vary across disciplines: Whereas most experimental economists consider payments necessary, many psychologists tend to avoid them see also Dawes, 1999; Hertwig and Ortman, 1998; Lopes, 1994; Zwick, Erev and Budescu, 1999 on the differences . between experimental practices in psychology and economics, and their sources . Camerer and Hogarth should be congratulated for summarizing empirical evidence across disciplinary boundaries and for trying to identify the circumstances under which financial incentives matter, and those aspects of behavior that are affected by these incentives. This paper complements nicely other recent reviews listed in . their paper and its conclusions will, undoubtedly, be used to justify design
In vitro reconstitution of cdc42-mediated actin assembly using purified components.

In the accompanying chapter, we describe an in vitro system that uses Xenopus egg extracts to study actin assembly induced by phosphatidylinositol (4,5)bisphosphate (PIP2) and Cdc42. Biochemical fractionation and candidate screening experiments conducted in the extract system have identified the Arp2/3 complex, the N‐WASP‐WIP (or N‐WASP‐CR16) complex, and the Cdc42‐binding protein Toca‐1 as important mediators of PIP2‐ and Cdc42‐actin signaling. Toward our ultimate goal of reconstituting an in vitro system that recapitulates the signaling properties observed in vivo, we then developed a purified actin assembly assay system consisting of the regulatory components that we discovered from extracts. In these assays, the stereotypical sigmoidal kinetics of actin polymerization are monitored by pyrene‐actin fluorescence in the presence of defined recombinant or purified proteins, enabling the detailed study of mechanism and protein function. In this chapter, we describe the preparation of the components used in these purified actin assembly reactions, as well as the assay conditions under which we monitor actin polymerization kinetics in vitro.
Transient Alterations of Cutaneous Sensory Nerve Function by Noninvasive Cryolipolysis

Cryolipolysis is a noninvasive, skin cooling treatment for local fat reduction that causes prolonged hypoesthesia over the treated area. We tested the hypothesis that cryolipolysis can attenuate nociception of a range of sensory stimuli, including stimuli that evoke itch. The effects of cryolipolysis on sensory phenomena were evaluated by quantitative sensory testing (QST) in 11 healthy subjects over a period of 56 days. Mechanical and thermal pain thresholds were measured on treated and contralateral untreated (control) flanks. Itch duration was evaluated following histamine iontophoresis. Unmyelinated epidermal nerve fiber and myelinated dermal nerve fiber densities were quantified in skin biopsies from six subjects. Cryolipolysis produced a marked decrease in mechanical and thermal pain sensitivity. Hyposensitivity started between two to seven days after cryolipolysis and persisted for at least thirty-five days post treatment. Skin biopsies revealed that cryolipolysis decreased epidermal nerve fiber density, as well as dermal myelinated nerve fiber density, which persisted throughout the study. In conclusion, cryolipolysis causes significant and prolonged decreases in cutaneous sensitivity. Our data suggest that controlled skin cooling to specifically target cutaneous nerve fibers has the potential to be useful for prolonged relief of cutaneous pain and might have a use as a research tool to isolate and study cutaneous itch-sensing nerves in human skin.
Motions in the Interiors and atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn: 2. Barotropic instabilities and normal modes of an adiabatic planet

The low-frequency motions in a rotating, adiabatic, inviscid fluid planet are barotropic, quasigeostrophic, and quasi-columnar. The only steady motions are differentially rotating cylinders in which zonal velocity ū is a function of cylindrical radius r. Projected onto the planetary surface the limiting curvature at which the flow becomes unstable is negative; its amplitude is three to four times the amplitude for thin atmospheres, for planets in which density decreases linearly to zero at the surface. This result, derived first by A.P. Ingersoll and D. Pollard (1982, Icarus 52, 62–80) for low zonal wavenumber perturbations, is shown to hold for all quasi-columnar perturbations. When ū = 0 the small amplitude motions are oscillatory. The lowest mode, as regards structure parallel to the axis, propagates eastward with a speed proportional to (wavelength)^2. Both the barotropic stability criterion and the phase speed of the normal mode oscillations have features in common with Jupiter and Saturn observations, although the test is inconclusive with current data and theory.
Minimum number of holes in unavoidable sets of partial words of size three

Partial words are sequences over a finite alphabet that may contain some undefined positions called holes. In this paper, we consider unavoidable sets of partial words of equal length. We compute the minimum number of holes in sets of size three over a binary alphabet (summed over all partial words in the sets). We also construct all sets that achieve this minimum. This is a step towards the difficult problem of fully characterizing all unavoidable sets of partial words of size three.
Using the tetravalent meningococcal polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccine in the prevention of meningococcal disease.

Invasive meningococcal disease occurs worldwide causing an estimated 50,000–135,000 deaths each year in addition to significant sequelae. In developed countries the disease is usually sporadic but outbreaks and epidemics, usually due to serogroups B and C, have occurred. In the US, an increasing number of cases are due to serogroup Y. In developing nations, epidemics due to serogroups A and more recently W-135, are common. The tetravalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine to serogroups A, C, Y, and W-135 (MCV4) has been demonstrated to be highly immunogenic and promote immune memory. This article will describe the rationale for the vaccine and its potential role to significantly decrease mortality and morbidity of meningococcal disease in those areas and populations at greatest risk from these serogroups.
Acquired disorders of elastic tissue: Part II. decreased elastic tissue

Abstract Elastic fibers in the extracellular matrix are integral components of dermal connective tissue. The resilience and elasticity required for normal structure and function of the skin are attributable to the network of elastic tissue. Advances in our understanding of elastic tissue physiology provide a foundation for studying the pathogenesis of elastic tissue disorders. Many acquired disorders are nevertheless poorly understood owing to the paucity of reported cases. Several acquired disorders in which loss of dermal elastic tissue produces prominent clinical and histopathologic features have recently been described, including middermal elastolysis, papular elastorrhexis, and pseudoxanthoma-like papillary dermal elastolysis, which must be differentiated from more well-known disorders such as anetoderma, acquired cutis laxa, and acrokeratoelastoidosis. Learning objective At the conclusion of this learning activity, participants should have an understanding of the similarities and differences between acquired disorders of elastic tissue that are characterized by a loss of elastic tissue.
Bioenzymatic detection of troponin C using micro-opto- electro-mechanical systems

Diagnosis and monitoring of critical diseases such as acute myocardial infarction AMI require a quantitative analysis of biologi- cal molecules. A high-throughput identification of these biological molecules can be generated by using micro-electro-mechanical sys- tems MEMS structures like simple cantilever beams, which respond to the intermolecular forces resulting from binding these molecules. Biochemical markers like troponin C are considered the primary markers for myocardial injury and have generated considerable inter- est. A 26-residue lytic membrane protein of bee venom melittin ME is chosen to interact with rabbit skeletal muscle troponin C TnC on the surface of the cantilever beams. An optical beam deflection method is employed to identify the enzymatic reaction on the surface of the cantilever due to these proteins. Identification of these proteins is also done using fluorescence spectroscopy FS to compliment the optical monitored deflection method. A second set of proteins like horse raddish peroxide HRP and hydrogen peroxide H2O2 are ap- plied to atomic force microscopy AFM cantilever beams to study their behavior under the enzymatic reactions of proteins. Identifica- tion of these proteins is done using Fourier transform infrared spec- troscopy FTIR. An analytical model of the cantilever beam is devel- oped, and its mode shapes are studied by employing orthogonal polynomials in the classic Rayleigh-Ritz method. The surface stress caused by the enzymatic reaction of the proteins that leads to pure bending on the top surface of the cantilever is evaluated. The infor- mation provided by the experimental and analytical modeling re- ported in this work will be useful in the development of a portable biosensor for the detection of AMI. © 2006 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumenta-
Use of the Ponseti method for recurrent clubfoot following posteromedial release.

Background: A child with recurrent or incompletely corrected clubfoot after previous extensive soft tissue release is treated frequently with revision surgery. This leads to further scarring, pain and limitations in range of motion. We have utilized the Ponseti method of manipulation and casting and when indicated, tibialis anterior tendon transfer, instead of revision surgery for these cases. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of all children treated since 2002 ( n = 11) at our institution for recurrent or incompletely corrected clubfoot after previous extensive soft tissue release was done. Clinical and operative records were reviewed to determine procedure performed. Ponseti manipulation and casting were done until the clubfoot deformity was passively corrected. Based on the residual equinus and dynamic deformity, heel cord lengthening or tenotomy and tibialis anterior transfer were then done. Clinical outcomes regarding pain, function and activity were reviewed. Results: Eleven children (17 feet) with ages ranging from 1.1 to 8.4 years were treated with this protocol. All were correctable with the Ponseti method with one to eight casts. Casts were applied until the only deformities remaining were either or both hindfoot equinus and dynamic supination. Nine feet required a heel cord procedure for equinus and 15 required tibialis anterior transfer for dynamic supination. Seven children have follow-up greater than one year (average 27.1 months) and have had excellent results. Two patients had persistent hindfoot valgus which required hemiepiphyseodesis of the distal medial tibia. Conclusion: The Ponseti method, followed by tibialis anterior transfer and/or heel cord procedure when indicated, can be successfully used to correct recurrent clubfoot deformity in children treated with previous extensive soft tissue release. Early follow-up has shown correction without revision surgery. This treatment protocol prevents complications of stiffness, pain and difficulty in ambulating associated with multiple soft tissue releases for clubfeet.
Modeling the leech heartbeat elemental oscillator II. Exploring the parameter space

In the previous paper, we described a model of the elemental heartbeat oscillator in the leech. Here, the parameters of our model are explored around the baseline canonical model. The maximal conductances of the currents and the reversal potential of the leak current are varied to reveal the effects of individual currents and the interaction between synaptic and intrinsic currents in the model. The model produces two distinct modes of oscillation as the parameters are varied, S-mode and G-mode. These two modes are defined, their origin is identified, and the parameter space is mapped into S-mode and G-mode oscillation and no oscillation. Finally, we will make predictions for how the period can be modulated in heart interneurons.
Monkey Business: Imitation, Authenticity, and Identity from Pithekoussai to Plautus

This essay explores references to monkeys as a way of talking about imitation, authenticity, and identity in Greek stories about the “Monkey Island” Pithekoussai (modern Ischia) and in Athenian insults, and in Plautus’ comedy. In early Greek contexts, monkey business deWnes what it means to be aristocratic and authoritative. Classical Athenians use monkeys to think about what it means to be authentically Athenian: monkey business is a Wgure for behavior which threatens democratic culture—sycophancy or other deceptions of the people. Plautus’ monkey imagery across the corpus of his plays moves beyond the Athenian use of “monkey” as a term of abuse and uses the “imitative” relation of monkeys to men as a metapoetic Wgure for invention and play-making. For Plautus, imitator—and distorter—of Greek plays, monkeys’ distorted imitations of men are mapped not onto the relations between inauthentic and authentic citizens, as in Athens, but onto the relation of Roman to Greek comedy and culture at large. Monkey business in Plautus is part of the insistence on diVerence which was always crucial in Roman encounters with Greek culture. Anyone who has been to the zoo would agree that when we look at monkeys it is hard to avoid thinking about ourselves. Monkeys look like us, act like us, and can even choose to imitate us. Our human shape is replicated in them but also (from one point of view) distorted: wild, hairy, they meet our gaze across an unbridgeable divide between human and animal, culture and nature. We may think we see nature when we look at monkeys, but actually it is more complicated than that: the kinds of thinking we do about monkeys are inseparable from the culture of the encounter. Several studies demonstrate how reXections on I am grateful to audiences at the 2000 joint meeting of the Classical Association of the PaciWc Northwest and the Classical Association of the Canadian West, and at the University of Calgary, and to Alessandro Barchiesi, Jim Clauss, Joy Connolly, Benjamin Crotty, Alain Gowing, Robin Greene, John Henderson, Stephen Hinds, Sandra Joshel, and Susan Lape, and to Kathleen McCarthy and the anonymous readers of Classical Antiquity for their helpful advice.
The Effect of Age and Role Information on Expectations for Big Five Personality Traits

In four studies, the authors investigated the extent to which expectations for personality traits in age-graded roles correspond to patterns of personality trait change across the life course. In Studies 1 (N = 43) and 2 (N = 126), the authors examined the age-graded roles of high school student, college student, parent, and grandparent and found that expectations for how people behave in these age-graded roles showed strong parallels to the documented pattern of personality trait development and that this pattern of expectations was largely shared by younger and older participants. In Studies 3 (N = 252) and 4 (N = 123), the authors separated age and role information (e.g., marital, parental, and employment status) and found that people use both sources of information independently in forming expectations of others. The implications for understanding the interplay of expectations and personality trait development are discussed.
Hard as the Hubs of Hell

AbstractBeginning with the American Civil War, through to the mid-twentienth century, military conflict played a significant role in the growth of the cracker industry. During the Civil War, large numbers of soldiers survived on Army Bread, a style of hard bread that had been used by sailors and armies for centuries. Once the war ended, after consuming crackers for four years, the eating patterns of the returning soldiers had been altered. At the same time, cracker manufacturers, having expanded and modernized to meet wartime needs, needed to maintain their output and began offering a greater variety of consumer crackers to an audience ready to accept them. Their success, and adaptation to a new business model, the corporation, created a mammoth new industry by the turn of the twentieth century, slightly less than twenty-five years after the Civil War. War continued to play a role in the industry's progress. During the first half of the century, and in both the First and Second World Wars, factories doubl...