cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Perception of Ebbinghaus-Titchener stimuli in starlings (Sturnus vulgaris).

Whether animals experience visual illusions is a fertile area of study for examining the evolution and operation of visual cognition across different species. Here, five starlings were tested to examine whether they experienced the Ebbinghaus–Titchener illusion. Across two experiments using an absolute target circle size discrimination, the size, similarity, distance, and number of the surrounding flankers were manipulated. The results suggest that this passerine species exhibits behavior inconsistent with the perception of the illusion, neither in a human-like fashion nor, as suggested by the first experiment, a reversed illusion. Instead, the typical training used to investigate this illusion caused the starlings to learn to integrate the irrelevant flankers into their decision process in a manner that precludes the study of illusory perception. The resulting discriminative behavior might best be described using a template-matching account. While illusion perception by animals remains an important comparative question, it requires additional validation to confirm the exact mechanisms of any illusory reports.
Health Careers Recruitment Activities in the Islands

To determine the feasibility of a resident physician-based, culturally appropriate method of The Hawaii/Pacific Basin Area Health Education Center (HI/PB AHEC) has a goal of increasing the proportion of the health professions workforce that comes from underrepresented groups, particularly native Hawaiians. This paper discuss some of the HI/PB AHEC partnership and recruitment efforts.
Like PEAS in PoDS: the player, environment, agents, system framework for the personalization of digital systems

Personalization has been explored in the context of games in many forms (e.g., dynamic difficulty adjustment, affective video games, adaptive systems, experience-driven PCG, etc.). The majority of techniques used in these fields have relied on data-driven or manual methods for identifying game components to modify for personalization. We propose a theoretical framework for identifying and categorizing low-level components of games that can be personalized. In this paper we first perform a review of game design frameworks and personalization approaches. We then systematically identify the aspects of games which have been utilized for personalization and which components have been identified in game design frameworks as building blocks of games. We synthesize the identified components into categories of game elements. We then propose PEAS, a theoretical framework for personalization through the adaptation of the Player, Environment, Agents, and System.
The GATA-1/FOG-1/NuRD Axis Is Essential for Normal Hematopoiesis.

Abstract GATA-1 controls the development of erythroid cells and megakaryocytes through its ability to activate and repress gene transcription. GATA-1 binds many nuclear proteins, but only a few of these associations have been examined in vivo. One important example is FOG-1, a critical cofactor that contributes to both gene activation and repression by GATA-1. Loss of FOG-1 generally phenocopies GATA-1 deficiency, impairing both erythroid and megakaryocytic differentiation. We reported previously that FOG-1 directly binds the NuRD protein complex, which contains histone deacetylase and chromatin remodeling activities. This provides one mechanism for GATA-1/FOG-1-mediated gene repression. Accordingly, ChIP profiling of the NuRD proteins MTA-2, RbAp46 and Mi-2β revealed the presence of these molecules at the Kit and Gata2 genes both of which are directly repressed by GATA-1 in a FOG-1-dependent manner. NuRD proteins were spread broadly across the Kit and Gata2 genes but were further enriched at sites occupied by GATA-1 and FOG-1 in vivo. Unexpectedly, we also observed NuRD components at GATA-1-activated genes including β-globin and Ahsp. Moreover, the ability of FOG-1 to augment GATA-1-induced transcription in transient transfection assays required NuRD binding. Hence, NuRD may be bi-functional, contributing to either gene activation or repression, depending on the transcriptional and cellular context. To study the role of the FOG-1/NuRD interaction in vivo we generated mice bearing missense mutations in the Fog-1(Zfpm1) gene that disrupt NuRD binding in the FOG-1 protein. Homozygous mutant mice are born at reduced Mendelian ratios. Surviving animals display ineffective erythropoiesis marked by splenomegaly and impaired erythroid maturation. In addition, homozygous mutant animals display macrothrombocytopenia with impaired platelet function. Thus, recruitment of NuRD by GATA-1 and FOG-1 is essential for both erythropoiesis and megakaryocytopoiesis. Ongoing studies include further phenotypic analysis of the mutant mice, including comparative gene expression analysis in stage-matched wild-type and mutant erythroid cells to identify critical NuRD-dependent GATA target genes, and to resolve whether NuRD is essential for both activation and repression by GATA-1 and FOG-1 in vivo. An important open question under investigation is how recruitment of the NURD complex can lead to suppression of some genes and the enhanced expression of others. The FOG-1/NuRD mutant mice provide useful tools to dissect transcription pathways initiated by GATA-1. Moreover, given the role of GATA-1 mutations in congenital anemias and megakaryoblastic leukemias, enzymatic components of the NuRD complex may provide novel targets for pharmacologic manipulation to treat these disorders.
Desire Paths: A Reflection With Preservice Students in the Eventful Space of Learning

This article addresses how thinking alongside the notion of Deleuze and Guattari’s use of the term desire may frame learning as a transformative process of becoming. This article discusses a projec...
The Hybrid Histidine Kinase HrmK Is an Early-Acting Factor in the Hormogonium Gene Regulatory Network.

ABSTRACT Filamentous, heterocyst-forming cyanobacteria belonging to taxonomic subsections IV and V are developmentally complex multicellular organisms capable of differentiating an array of cell and filament types, including motile hormogonia. Hormogonia exhibit gliding motility that facilitates dispersal, phototaxis, and the establishment of nitrogen-fixing symbioses. The gene regulatory network (GRN) governing hormogonium development involves a hierarchical sigma factor cascade, but the factors governing the activation of this cascade are currently undefined. Here, using a forward genetic approach, we identified hrmK, a gene encoding a putative hybrid histidine kinase that functions upstream of the sigma factor cascade. The deletion of hrmK produced nonmotile filaments that failed to display hormogonium morphology or accumulate hormogonium-specific proteins or polysaccharide. Targeted transcriptional analyses using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) demonstrated that hormogonium-specific genes both within and outside the sigma factor cascade are drastically downregulated in the absence of hrmK and that hrmK may be subject to indirect, positive autoregulation via sigJ and sigC. Orthologs of HrmK are ubiquitous among, and exclusive to, heterocyst-forming cyanobacteria. Collectively, these results indicate that hrmK functions upstream of the sigma factor cascade to initiate hormogonium development, likely by modulating the phosphorylation state of an unknown protein that may serve as the master regulator of hormogonium development in heterocyst-forming cyanobacteria. IMPORTANCE Filamentous cyanobacteria are morphologically complex, with several representative species amenable to routine genetic manipulation, making them excellent model organisms for the study of development. Furthermore, two of the developmental alternatives, nitrogen-fixing heterocysts and motile hormogonia, are essential to establish nitrogen-fixing symbioses with plant partners. These symbioses are integral to global nitrogen cycles and could be artificially recreated with crop plants to serve as biofertilizers, but to achieve this goal, detailed understanding and manipulation of the hormogonium and heterocyst gene regulatory networks may be necessary. Here, using the model organism Nostoc punctiforme, we identify a previously uncharacterized hybrid histidine kinase that is confined to heterocyst-forming cyanobacteria as the earliest known participant in hormogonium development.
Twisting around an axis: A case report of uterine torsion.

Abstract Introduction A woman presenting with sudden, severe pelvic pain should prompt an evaluation for torsion, most commonly, ovarian torsion. Uterine torsion is rare, especially in a non-gravid uterus. Case A post-menopausal woman with known history of uterine leiomyomata presented with sudden, acute pain that was non-amenable to medication. Imaging demonstrated a significant increase in uterine size but was otherwise normal. Primary diagnoses included a degenerative fibroid, leiomyosarcoma, or pelvic thrombosis. Surgical intervention revealed a levo-rotated uterus. Final pathology demonstrated a leiomyosarcoma. Conclusion Pelvic organ torsion most often presents as sudden pain that is unrelieved by medication. Diagnosis is sometimes made with imaging and Doppler studies. Surgical intervention is often required. In a patient with a rapidly enlarging fibroid uterus with acute pain, one should consider a uterine torsion.
Origin of Monocytes/Macrophages Contributing to Chronic Inflammation in Chagas Disease: SIRT1 Inhibition of FAK-NFκB-Dependent Proliferation and Proinflammatory Activation of Macrophages

Background: Trypanosoma cruzi (Tc) causes Chagas disease (CD) that is the most frequent cause of heart failure in Latin America. TNF-α+ monocytes/macrophages (Mo/Mφ) are associated with inflammatory pathology in chronic CD. In this study, we determined the progenitor lineage of Mo/Mφ contributing to inflammation and examined the regulatory role of SIRT1 in modulating the Mo/Mφ response in Chagas disease. Methods and Results: C57BL/6 mice were infected with Tc, treated with SIRT1 agonist (SRT1720) after control of acute parasitemia, and monitored during chronic phase (150 days post-infection). Flow cytometry studies showed an increase in maturation of bone marrow hematopoietic stem cell (HSC)-derived Mo of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory phenotype in acutely- and chronically-infected mice; however, these cells were not increased in splenic compartment of infected mice. Instead, yolk-sac-derived CD11b+ F4/80+ Mo/Mφ were increased in sinusoidal compartment of Chagas mice. The splenic CD11b+ F4/80+ Mo/Mφ of Chagas (vs. control) mice exhibited increased mRNA, protein, and surface expression of markers of proinflammatory phenotype (CD80+/CD64+ > CD200+/CD206+) associated with proinflammatory cytokines response (IL-6+TNF-α >> Arg-1+IL-10), and these were also detected in the myocardium of chronically infected mice. Infected mice treated with SRT1720 (vs. infected/untreated) exhibited decreased splenic expansion and myocardial infiltration of proinflammatory Mo/Mφ. SRT1720 did not alter the inherent capability of splenic Mo/Mφ of Chagas mice to respond to pathogen stimulus. Instead, SRT1720 dampened the Tc-induced increase in the expression and/or phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and downstream transcription factors (Pu.1, c-Myb, and Runx1) involved in Mφ proliferation and migration and Notch1 involved in functional activation. Studies in cultured Mφ confirmed the agonistic effects of SIRT1 in controlling the Tc-induced, FAK-dependent increase in the expression of transcription factors and showed that SIRT1 agonist and FAK inhibitor abrogated the NF-κB transcriptional activity and inflammatory cytokine gene expression in Tc-infected Mφ. Conclusions: The proinflammatory Mo/Mφ of yolk sac origin drive the splenic and tissue inflammatory response in chronic CD. SRT1720 reprogrammed the Tc-induced FAK-dependent transcription factors involved in Mφ proliferation and proinflammatory activation in Chagas disease.
Modeling behaviors of a coal pillar rib using the progressive S-shaped yield criterion

Abstract Spalling of pillar ribs has been a major hazard in the mining industry for decades. In the absence of rib support guidelines, accidents have continued to occur in recent years. Developing effective support guidelines requires a complete understanding of complex pillar damage mechanisms. Continuum models represent a convenient tool for analyzing this problem, but the behavior of such models is dependent of the choice of the constitutive model. In this study, a recently proposed constitutive model was used to simulate the rib fracturing process in a longwall chain pillar at West Cliff mine. After calibration, the model was able to capture the rib displacement profiles for multiple locations of the longwall face and the stress evolution 4 m into the pillar. The rib bolts in the model were found to be yielding over 60% of their length under the headgate loading condition. The model also predicted a steady damage accumulation in the rib for certain face locations, which is consistent with the description of the rib at the site. Damage was localized along the upper part of the pillar and underscored the role that the dirt band played in controlling rib deterioration at the site. The ability of the numerical model to replicate field measurements provides confidence in the capabilities of the new constitutive model. Finally, the need of using multi-point calibration is highlighted by comparing the results of the calibrated model to an alternative model calibrated to a smaller amount of data.
Identifying factors associated with opioid cessation in a biracial sample using machine learning.

Aim Racial disparities in opioid use disorder (OUD) management exist, however, and there is limited research on factors that influence opioid cessation in different population groups. Methods We employed multiple machine learning prediction algorithms least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, random forest, deep neural network, and support vector machine to assess factors associated with ceasing opioid use in a sample of 1,192 African Americans (AAs) and 2,557 individuals of European ancestry (EAs) who met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition criteria for OUD. Values for nearly 4,000 variables reflecting demographics, alcohol and other drug use, general health, non-drug use behaviors, and diagnoses for other psychiatric disorders, were obtained for each participant from the Semi-Structured Assessment for Drug Dependence and Alcoholism, a detailed semi-structured interview. Results Support vector machine models performed marginally better on average than other machine learning methods with maximum prediction accuracies of 75.4% in AAs and 79.4% in EAs. Subsequent stepwise regression considered the 83 most highly ranked variables across all methods and models and identified less recent cocaine use (AAs: odds ratio (OR) = 1.82, P = 9.19 × 10-5; EAs: OR = 1.91, P = 3.30 × 10-15), shorter duration of opioid use (AAs: OR = 0.55, P = 5.78 × 10-6; EAs: OR = 0.69, P = 3.01 × 10-7), and older age (AAs: OR = 2.44, P = 1.41 × 10-12; EAs: OR = 2.00, P = 5.74 × 10-9) as the strongest independent predictors of opioid cessation in both AAs and EAs. Attending self-help groups for OUD was also an independent predictor (P < 0.05) in both population groups, while less gambling severity (OR = 0.80, P = 3.32 × 10-2) was specific to AAs and post-traumatic stress disorder recovery (OR = 1.93, P = 7.88 × 10-5), recent antisocial behaviors (OR = 0.64, P = 2.69 × 10-3), and atheism (OR = 1.45, P = 1.34 × 10-2) were specific to EAs. Factors related to drug use comprised about half of the significant independent predictors in both AAs and EAs, with other predictors related to non-drug use behaviors, psychiatric disorders, overall health, and demographics. Conclusions These proof-of-concept findings provide avenues for hypothesis-driven analysis, and will lead to further research on strategies to improve OUD management in EAs and AAs.
Seizures in meningioma.

Abstract More than one-third of patients with meningiomas will experience seizures at some point in their disease. Despite this, meningioma-associated epilepsy remains significantly understudied, as most investigations focus on tumor progression, extent of resection, and survival. Due to the impact of epilepsy on the patient's quality of life, identifying predictors of preoperative seizures and postoperative seizure freedom is critical. In this chapter, we review previously reported rates and predictors of seizures in meningioma and discuss surgical and medical treatment options. Preoperative epilepsy occurs in approximately 30% of meningioma patients with peritumoral edema on neuroimaging being one of the most significant predictor of seizures. Other associated factors include age
Densification Process Models and Optimization

Compression tests and models are commonly used to understand the densification characteristics of metal, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and food. Compression models help reveal the behavior of biomass grinds or particles during pelleting and can help to optimize the pressures required to manufacture a quality pellet. Pellets are formed by using either pressure agglomeration or compaction processes in which the particles are bound together with or without binders. The compression models expressing the relationship between pressure and time during the compaction of different raw materials are available in the literature. This chapter will focus on the various compression models and their suitability for different biomass feedstocks. This chapter also focus on how response surface methodology and advanced computational methods can be used for densification process modeling and optimization.
Dietary Patterns and Pediatric Bone.

Much of what we know about dietary patterns (DPs) and bone is derived from cross-sectional studies in adults. Given, establishing healthy bones during childhood serves as a blueprint for adult bone, it is important to better understand the role of DPs on pediatric bone. The purpose of this review is to determine if DPs influence bone strength in children. The majority of studies investigating the role of DPs on pediatric bone are cross-sectional in design and examine data-derived “a posterori” DPs. Overall, the DPs characterized by high intakes of fruits and vegetables demonstrated positive effects on pediatric bone. Results from both “a posteriori” and “a priori” DPs approaches in children suggests that DPs dominated by the intake of fruits and vegetables might be beneficial for pediatric bone. Future studies may consider “a priori” DPs interventions to better understand relationship between DPs and pediatric bone.
Quantum states of a skyrmion in a two-dimensional antiferromagnet

Quantum states of a skyrmion in a two-dimensional antiferromagnetic lattice are obtained by quantizing the scaling parameter of Belavin-Polyakov model. Skyrmion classical collapse due to violation of the translational invariance of the continuous spin-field model by the lattice is replaced in quantum mechanics by transitions between discrete energy levels of the skyrmion. Rates of transitions due to emission of magnons are computed. Ways of detecting quantization of skyrmion states are discussed.
Assessing User Experience: Incorporating Student Voice in Libraries’ Pandemic Response

This article demonstrates how a public research university library responded to user needs following radical service changes during Fall 2020 and assesses whether the library met challenges resulting from COVID-19. The library reduced hours and occupancy and implemented a reservation system and new health safety guidelines with the goal of a safe environment. During Fall 2020, 540 survey respondents reported feeling their health was not at risk, suggesting the goal was accomplished. Additionally, users provided feedback about the altered landscape. This article will benefit administrators and user experience librarians who need to balance user preferences and administrative reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Library Administration is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
The mtDNA mutation spectrum in the PolG mutator mouse reveals germline and somatic selection.

BACKGROUND Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) codes for products necessary for electron transport and mitochondrial gene translation. mtDNA mutations can lead to human disease and influence organismal fitness. The PolG mutator mouse lacks mtDNA proofreading function and rapidly accumulates mtDNA mutations, making it a model for examining the causes and consequences of mitochondrial mutations. Premature aging in PolG mice and their physiology have been examined in depth, but the location, frequency, and diversity of their mtDNA mutations remain understudied. Identifying the locations and spectra of mtDNA mutations in PolG mice can shed light on how selection shapes mtDNA, both within and across organisms. RESULTS Here, we characterized somatic and germline mtDNA mutations in brain and liver tissue of PolG mice to quantify mutation count (number of unique mutations) and frequency (mutation prevalence). Overall, mtDNA mutation count and frequency were the lowest in the D-loop, where an mtDNA origin of replication is located, but otherwise uniform across the mitochondrial genome. Somatic mtDNA mutations have a higher mutation count than germline mutations. However, germline mutations maintain a higher frequency and were also more likely to be silent. Cytosine to thymine mutations characteristic of replication errors were the plurality of basepair changes, and missense C to T mutations primarily resulted in increased protein hydrophobicity. Unlike wild type mice, PolG mice do not appear to show strand asymmetry in mtDNA mutations. Indel mutations had a lower count and frequency than point mutations and tended to be short, frameshift deletions. CONCLUSIONS Our results provide strong evidence that purifying selection plays a major role in the mtDNA of PolG mice. Missense mutations were less likely to be passed down in the germline, and they were less likely to spread to high frequencies. The D-loop appears to have resistance to mutations, either through selection or as a by-product of replication processes. Missense mutations that decrease hydrophobicity also tend to be selected against, reflecting the membrane-bound nature of mtDNA-encoded proteins. The abundance of mutations from polymerase errors compared with reactive oxygen species (ROS) damage supports previous studies suggesting ROS plays a minimal role in exacerbating the PolG phenotype, but our findings on strand asymmetry provide discussion for the role of polymerase errors in wild type organisms. Our results provide further insight on how selection shapes mtDNA mutations and on the aging mechanisms in PolG mice.
Magnetic Materials : Fundamentals and Applications

Machine generated contents note: Part I. Basics: 1. Review of basic magnetostatics; 2. Magnetization and magnetic materials; 3. Atomic origins of magnetism; 4. Diamagnetism; 5. Paramagnetism; 6. Interactions in ferromagnetic materials; 7. Ferromagnetic domains; 8. Antiferromagnetism; 9. Ferrimagnetism; 10. Summary of basics; Part II. Magnetic Phenomena: 11. Anisotropy; 12. Nanoparticles and thin films; 13. Magnetoresistance; 14. Exchange bias; Part III. Device Applications and Novel Materials: 15. Magnetic data storage; 16. Magneto-optics and magneto-optic recording; 17. Magnetic semiconductors and insulators; 18. Multiferroics; Solutions to selected exercises.
A randomized placebo-controlled pilot trial of omega-3 fatty acids and alpha lipoic acid in Alzheimer's disease

Oxidative stress, inflammation, and increased cholesterol levels are all mechanisms that have been associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Several epidemiologic studies have reported a decreased risk of AD with fish consumption. This pilot study was designed to evaluate the effects of supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids alone (ω-3) or omega-3 plus alpha lipoic acid (ω-3 + LA) compared to placebo on oxidative stress biomarkers in AD. The primary outcome measure was peripheral F2-isoprostane levels (oxidative stress measure). Secondary outcome measures included performance on: Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Activities of Daily Living/Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (ADL/IADL), and Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog). Thirty-nine AD subjects were randomized to one of three groups: 1) placebo, 2) ω-3, or 3) ω-3 + LA for a treatment duration of 12 months. Eighty seven percent (34/39) of the subjects completed the 12-month intervention. There was no difference between groups at 12 months in peripheral F2-isoprostane levels (p = 0.83). The ω-3 + LA and ω-3 were not significantly different than the placebo group in ADAS-cog (p = 0.98, p = 0.86) and in ADL (p = 0.15, p = 0.82). Compared to placebo, the ω-3 + LA showed less decline in MMSE (p < 0.01) and IADL (p = 0.01) and the ω-3 group showed less decline in IADL (p < 0.01). The combination of ω-3 + LA slowed cognitive and functional decline in AD over 12 months. Because the results were generated from a small sample size, further evaluation of the combination of omega-3 fatty acids plus alpha-lipoic acid as a potential treatment in AD is warranted.
The Jewel of Their Souls: Preventing Identity Theft Through Loss Allocation Rules

Identity theft is a serious problem, and one that is getting worse. Existing statutory attempts to prevent it have not succeeded. The article argues that traditional loss allocation rules offer a model for addressing identity theft. If credit reporting agencies and creditors were liable for the losses caused when they report the transactions of identity thieves as the transactions of consumer victims, they would have greater incentives to take steps to prevent identity theft. In addition, firms in the credit industry are better able than injured consumers to spread the losses from identity theft among those who benefit from credit.
Optimal experiment design for physiological parameter estimation using hyperpolarized carbon-13 magnetic resonance imaging

Hyperpolarized carbon-13 magnetic resonance imaging is a new medical imaging modality that has enabled the real-time observation of perfusion and metabolism in vivo. The rates at which perfusion and metabolism occur are important for disease diagnosis and treatment monitoring. To generate an image, the user must choose a flip angle at which to perturb the magnetic spins associated with each of the compounds to be imaged. We consider the problem of optimally choosing a time-varying sequence of flip angles in order to achieve the best estimates of rate parameters in a physiological model. We first formulate a discrete-time model describing perfusion, exchange, relaxation and measurement error. We then show how to compute the Fisher information for the unknown parameters of this model and present time-varying flip angle schemes that maximize the Fisher information. Through numerical studies, we demonstrate that the optimal flip angle scheme provides better estimates of the model's rate parameters than a constant flip angle scheme.
Bel–Robinson as stress-tensor gradients and their extensions to massive matter

We show that the Bel–Robinson (BR) tensor is—generically, as well as in its original GR setting—an autonomously conserved part of the, manifestly conserved, double gradient of a system’s stress-tensor. This suggests its natural extension from GR to matter models, first to (known) massless scalars and vectors, then to massive ones, including tensors. These massive versions are to be expected, given that they arise upon KK reduction of massless D+1D+1 ones. We exhibit the resulting spin (0,1,2)(0,1,2) “massive” BR.
Mobile manufacturing of large structures

Assembly of large structures requires large fixtures, often referred to as monuments. Their cost and massive size limit flexibility and scalability of the manufacturing process. Numerous small mobile robots can replace these large structures and, therefore, replicate the efficiency of the assembly line with far more flexibility. An assembly line made up of mobile manipulators can easily and rapidly be reconfigured to support scalability and a varied product mix, while allowing for near optimal resource assignment. The challenge to using small robots in place of monuments is making their joint behavior precise enough to accomplish the task and efficient enough to execute subtasks in a reasonable period of time. In this paper, we describe a set of techniques that we combine to achieve the necessary precision and overall efficiency to build a large structure. We describe and demonstrate these techniques in the context of a testbed we implemented for assembling a wing ladder.
Introduction to the Methods Session

We believe that starting this volume with a section on methods is altogether appropriate. All the papers in this volume draw conclusions that are only as valid as the methods used to collect and analyze the data. Without valid methods, we can have no confidence that our conclusions are valid.
Chapter 28 Communication between membranes in tonB-dependent transport across the bacterial outer membrane

Publisher Summary Gram-negative bacteria comprise the majority of the bacterial world. The defining structural feature of Gram-negative bacteria, and a major factor in their evolutionary success, is the presence of an outer membrane surrounding the cytoplasmic membrane and peptidoglycan layer. Compared to other biological membranes, the outer membrane characteristically has a very unusual composition, lipid asymmetry, protein content, and function. Outer membranes usually exhibit surprisingly low permeability by hydrophobic compounds and high permeability by polar compounds, owing to their unusual lipid content and the presence of porin channels, respectively. They protect the cell from toxic enzymes and nonpolar compounds, including detergents and many antibiotics, and thus have profound influence on the cell's physiological, medical, and ecological capabilities. This chapter reviews the structure, mechanism, and interactions of the components of a family of active nutrient transport systems that are located in the outer membrane.
Applying Research Methods to a Gerontological Population: Matching Data Collection to Characteristics of Older Persons

As Baby Boomers reach 65 years of age and methods of studying older populations are becoming increasingly varied (e.g., including mixed methods designs, on-line surveys, and video-based environments), there is renewed interest in evaluating methodologies used to collect data with older persons. The goal of this article is to examine data-collection methodologies commonly used with older persons (closed-ended, structured surveys with standardized scales, performance-based measures, secondary data sets, open-ended interviewing, grounded theory, and ethnographic work) to illustrate issues arising from the use of each research design with older adults in real-life settings. Experiences from five studies are included to show the potential role of normative age-related sensory and functional changes as well as the role of age and cohort upon method. Specific guidelines are provided about how to improve existing data-collection methods for older persons and ways to improve selection of methodologies for use in f...
This year in the moves institute

in the Proceedings of IEEE Cyberworlds 2003, the International Conference on Cyberworlds, Singapore, 3 – 5 December 2003, pp. xxxiii-xl.
Sealing Evaluation of an Alkaline Earth Silicate Glass for Solid Oxide Fuel/Electrolyser Cells

Glass is the most recognised material to seal solid oxide fuel/electrolyser cell components. We have developed a SrO-La2O3-Al2O3-SiO2 (SABS-0) based seal glass with all the desired thermophysical properties and thermochemical stability. In this study, the SABS-0 seal glass is sandwiched between AISI 441 interconnect alloy and fully stabilised ZrO2 electrolyte for sealing ability evaluation. The sealing performance and the thermal cycling resistance of the tri-layer assembly are tested by a pressure leakage test with 3–20 K min–1 heating rates for 2,500 h and 100 thermal cycles. The sealing strength is evaluated by a rupture strength test. The results show that the SABS-0 glass is hermetic for at least 2,500 h and has high rupture strength for solid oxide fuel/electrolyser cell component sealing. The stress state for the tri-layer assembly has been analysed using three different approaches.
Obesity and Cardiovascular Disease

Case study: A 43-year-old man with a long history of obesity presented to our Weight Management Center 5 years after being disabled in a motor vehicle accident and gaining weight to a lifetime high of 269 kg and body mass index (BMI) of 85 kg/m2. His comorbidities were hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, gastroesophageal reflux disease, gout, and osteoarthritis, and he had recently developed type 2 diabetes mellitus. Medications used included metformin, glyburide, losartan, hydrochlorothiazide, and diltiazem. He was motivated and met criteria for weight loss via a surgical intervention. Preoperatively, he was placed on a high-protein diet plus an appetite suppressant (phentermine) to achieve 10% weight loss. His weight declined, but he developed new-onset atrial fibrillation 3 weeks later, which was thought to be related to phentermine use and was cardioverted back to sinus rhythm. Several months later, the patient underwent gastric bypass bariatric surgery with a preoperative weight of 252 kg. His type 2 diabetes mellitus resolved immediately after surgery, as did his gastroesophageal reflux and hypertension. Ten months after surgery, his weight was down to 177 kg (BMI=56 kg/m2) with hemoglobin A1c of 5.9%, fasting blood glucose of 82 mg/dL, and blood pressure of 137/82 mm Hg, and he was no longer taking any medication. Although there are multiple long-term deleterious health effects of excess weight, obesity as defined by BMI ≥30 kg/m2 is associated with premature atherosclerosis, increased risk of myocardial infarction and heart failure, and decreased survival, largely because of cardiovascular deaths, particularly in extreme weight categories.1,2 Factors that contribute to cardiovascular disease in obesity are multifactorial and include metabolic dysregulation with increased prevalence of atherogenic risk factors, including insulin resistance, hypertension, and dyslipidemia; adverse cardiac remodeling characterized by hypertrophy, chamber enlargement, and impaired ventricular systolic and diastolic function; …
Homicide Defendants with Intellectual Disabilities: Issues in Diagnosis in Capital Cases

This article explores the many issues involved in establishing the diagnosis of intellectual disability in a so-called Atkins (death penalty exemption) hearing. Among the issues addressed are the need to go beyond IQ scores in establishing intellectual deficits, the need to go beyond rating scores in establishing adaptive behavior deficits, the need to clarify the target age at which intellectual disability is to be established, and the need to expand the Atkins umbrella to include a broader universe of people with brain-based impairments of everyday judgment and functioning. The purpose of these improvements would be to base legal protections for impaired defendants more on actual social vulnerability and less on artificial and indirect statistical criteria.
Group technology concepts as applied to flexible manufacturing systems

Abstract Group technology is a rapidly developing productivity improvement tool that can have a significant impact on the development of totally integrated manufacturing facilities and flexible manufacturing systems. In flexible manufacturing systems (FMS), parts grouping into families can be performed to simplify the long- and short-horizon planning. In this paper, the part families problem applicable to short-horizon planning has been discussed. Some of the traditional parts grouping based on classification and coding systems have been reviewed. New methodologies for overcoming the drawbacks of the classical approach to parts grouping have been presented and discussed. The methodologies are easy to implement since they take advantage of the information already stored in the CAD system. In addition, a heuristic algorithm based on group scheduling concept has been developed and used to determine the optimal group and the optimal job sequence for the batch-type production process.
WORKFARE IN NEW JERSEY: A FIVE YEAR ASSESSMENT

The initiatives of the Reagan Administration in the area of welfare reform have been orientated toward strengthening work requirements. This paper reviews the debate on the relative virtues of such ‘workfare’ and examines how successful these early workfare programs have been. Most evaluations of these programs have concluded that they were not successful in producing lasting changes in the labour market experience of participants or in reducing welfare rolls sufficiently to justify the resource costs of administering the programs.
Nationalism Across Borders: Transnational Nationalist Advocacy in the European Union

Research on transnational protest activity in Europe typically focuses on cases in which the European Union (EU) is the source and target of social movements that take issues with either specific policies at the European level or the project of integration itself. This paper expands this narrow view of transnational contention in Europe by examining how the EU can redefine and affect the relationship between movements and states by interacting with transnational movements in varied ways ranging from patron to adversary. Taking transnational nationalist movements as my central example, I argue that the EU regularly interposes itself in the contentious relationship between movements and states through five key mechanisms: brokerage, certification, de-certification, resource transfer, and displacement. These mechanisms vary in terms of their intentionality. In some cases, the EU, through its institutions and officials, makes deliberate choices that alter the ability of movements to form alliances and to pursue their goals. In other cases, the EU emerges as a more inadvertent participant, although even in such circumstances, it can have a lasting effect on a movement's ability to operate. I find that through these five mechanisms, the EU can alter the terms on which movements and states meet, although the result is not always positive for transnational movements seeking aid and allies against more powerful state actors. Ultimately, the EU's impact on the balance of power can have both positive and negative consequences for movements that choose to take advantage of the expanded political space of the EU by organizing transnationally.
Protestant Fundamentalism and Marital Success Revisited

Chi and Houseknecht found partial support for a negative relationship between Protestant fundamentalism and marital success, but among 44 Protestant couples randomly sampled from a midwestern community, no over-all relationship was observed between fundamentalism and self-esteem and each of seven measures of marital quality. For a small subsample, subjects who attended the same church frequently, fundamentalism may have been associated with greater apprehension about marital and/or aversive communication. Negative effects of fundamentalism, if any, on marital quality may operate selectively in marital interaction.
Oogenesis and oocytes

The morphological features of polychaete ovarian morphology and oogenesis are reviewed. Some basic information on ovarian structure and/or oogenesis is known for slightly more than half of recognized polychaete families although comprehensive studies of oogenesis have been conducted on ∼0.1% of described species. Relative to other major metazoan groups, ovarian morphology is highly variable in the Polychaeta. While some species appear to lack a defined ovary, most have paired organs that are segmentally repeated to varying degrees depending on the family. Ovaries vary widely in their location but are most frequently associated with the coelomic peritoneum, parapodial connective tissue, or elements of the circulatory system. The structural complexity of the ovary is correlated with the type of oogenesis expressed by the species. In some polychaetes, extraovarian oogenesis occurs in which previtellogenic oocytes are released into the coelom from a simple ovary where differentiation occurs in a solitary fashion or in association with nurse cells or follicle cells. In other species, intraovarian oogenesis occurs in which oocytes undergo vitellogenesis within the ovary, often in association with follicle cells that may provide nutrition. Vitellogenesis probably includes both autosynthetic and heterosynthetic processes; autosynthesis involves the manufacture of yolk bodies via the proteosynthetic organelles of the oocyte whereas heterosynthesis involves the extraovarian production of female-specific yolk proteins that are incorporated into the oocyte through a receptor-mediated process of endocytosis. Variation in the speed of egg production varies widely and appears to be correlated with the vitellogenic mechanism employed. Mature ova display a wide range of egg envelope morphologies that often show some intrafamilial similarities.
The suppression and censorship of Ferenczi's confusion of Tongues paper

(1997). The suppression and censorship of Ferenczi's confusion of Tongues paper. Psychoanalytic Inquiry: Vol. 17, Psychoanalysis' favorite son: The legacy of sandor ferenczi, pp. 459-485.
Paleoindian Aggregations on the Great Plains

Abstract Flexibility in hunter—gatherer group composition and periodic aggregation is common. Ethnographic cases and standard archaeological interpretations provide only limited examples of how the social and economic purposes of aggregations might be fulfilled. Archaeological evidence for the occurrence, location, and nature of aggregations remains ambiguous, with diverse interpretations offered for aggregation sites during early Paleoindian times on the Great Plains. The possibility of temporally extended and spatially dispersed aggregations has important implications for large-scale and long-term land use patterns and the archaeological signatures of aggregation. When we partition the requirements and common elements of aggregations, it is evident that they did not necessarily occur, as traditionally envisioned, during early Paleoindian times. There is a general need for reassessment of site typologies as often imposed on the archaeological record, particularly regarding the notion of aggregation or communal activity sites in various contexts. The implications suggest needed revisions of paleoindian site investigations and reconsideration of analogical models of early Paleoindian organization and land use.
A Review of “The Cambridge History of Turkey, Volume 1, Byzantium to Turkey 1071–1453”

The history of the origin of Turkey is a highly charged subject in the national traditions of several different ethnic groups. Popular memories of the Turkish takeover of Asia Minor and the Ottoman...
Calmodulin regulates the transcriptional activity of estrogen receptors. Selective inhibition of calmodulin function in subcellular compartments

The steroid hormone estrogen elicits biological effects in cells by binding to and activating the estrogen receptor (ER). Estrogen binding induces a conformational change in the receptor, inducing nuclear translocation and transcriptional activation of ER. The ubiquitous Ca(2+)-binding protein calmodulin has been shown to interact directly with ER and enhance its stability. To further elucidate the functional sequelae of the association between calmodulin and ER, we examined the effect on ER transcriptional activation of specifically inhibiting calmodulin. The cell-permeable calmodulin antagonist CGS9343B prevented estrogen-induced transcriptional activation by ER, without altering basal transcription. The inhibition was dose-dependent and independent of the time of estrogen stimulation. To validate these findings, calmodulin function was also neutralized by targeted expression of a specific inhibitor peptide. By inserting localization signals, the inhibitor peptide was selectively targeted to different subcellular domains. Inactivation of calmodulin function in the nucleus virtually eliminated estrogen-stimulated ER transcriptional activation. By contrast, when membrane calmodulin was specifically neutralized, estrogen-stimulated transcriptional activation by ER was only slightly attenuated. Importantly, the inhibitor peptides did not significantly reduce the amount of ER in the cells. Together, these data demonstrate that calmodulin is a fundamental component of ER transcriptional activation.
Using system dynamics to anticipate the organizational impacts of outsourcing

The outsourcing of information systems functions is a phenomenon that is now considered an essentially permanent addition to the cache of options available to the modern manager. Yet, while the potential costs and benefits of outsourcing are widely debated, a thorough understanding of the phenomenon remains elusive. The outsourcing decision is highly situational and generalizations regarding its relative merits are difficult to construct. Because of its unique ability to capture the inherent complexity of the outsourcing decision, system dynamics is used to construct a computer-based model of that decision process in a typical information systems organization. The effect of two management policies and two exogenous variables is explored over 80 quarters (20 years). Findings indicate that while outsourcing offers potential cost savings, it is accompanied by a decreased ability to respond to unexpected changes in the competitive market place. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Time series analysis in acid rain modeling: Evaluation of filling missing values by linear interpolation

Abstract This paper describes the results of a study to evaluate how well the linear interpolation of the two nearest bracketing values (LIBV) scheme for filling missing values might be expected to perform. Computer simulation techniques were used to generate simulated time series which were probabilistically equivalent to the types that are likely to be found in practice. Actual data on the frequency and duration of missing value episodes were analyzed to determine the probability models which described the behavior of these missing value episodes. The models were then used to inject missing value episodes into the simulated time series. The LIBV scheme was then used to fill these missing values. The values of the parameters of the time series model were then estimated. The estimated parameter values were then compared to the true values of the parameters which were used to generate the lime series. The results of these comparisons suggest that the LIBV scheme could yield good results if only one dominant seasonal component is present in the data and that it should be used with caution when more than one dominant seasonal component is likely to be present.
An instanton-invariant for 3-manifolds

To an oriented closed 3-dimensional manifoldM withH1(M, ℤ)=0, we assign a ℤ8-graded homology groupI*(M) whose Euler characteristic is twice Casson's invariant. The definition uses a construction on the space of instantons onM×ℝ.
Pre-treatment total hemoglobin in breast cancer is a predictor for complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy

Analysis of NIR tomography imaging of 19 patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy shows pre-TX tumor HbT was statistically significant in differentiating the patients with and without complete pathological response (P-value=0.01, AUC=0.92).