cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Literary Reformers: Crossing Class and Ethnic Boundaries in Jewish Women's Fiction of the 1920s

Contemporary literary critics, perhaps unintentionally, have placed immigrant and acculturated Jewish women novelists in opposition to one another.1 Yezierska is read along side other immigrant authors, Mary Antin and Rose Cohen, for example. Edna Ferber and Fannie Hurst are rarely read in the context of their ethnicity, let alone in relation to immigrant fiction.2 This critical trend suggests that Eastern European immigrant authors have little in common, at best, with middle-class writers of German-Jewish descent, and, at worst, that Jewishness and Americanism are still being figured as antithetical.3 Working and middle-class Jewish women's writing in the twenties did not simply oppose but, in fact, intimately informed one another. An historicized analysis of Yezierska's fiction in relation to the work of her middle-class sisters, Ferber and Hurst, suggests not thematic unity but the rich exchange of rhetorical strategies and sometimes conflicting ideas among Jewish women writers of the 1920s.Yezierska, Ferber, and Hurst's fiction also demonstrates how immigrant and acculturated women writers constructed their ethnicity in relation to one another. The biographies of Yezierska, Ferber, and Hurst establish that all three women involved themselves in debates occurring among Eastern European and German-Jewish communities, specifically those concerning immigrant aid. Yezierska's interactions with middle-class Jewish women ranged from having lived in the Clara De Hirsh Home for Working Girls to having worked in a settlement house to lecturing members of the National Council of Jewish women as a celebrity author.4 Edna Ferber's father was of
Light scattering from a sphere with an irregular inclusion

The exact solution for the scattering from a sphere with a nonconcentric inclusion of arbitrary shape and optical constants is derived in terms of a vector harmonic expansion. The only information required of the inclusion is its freestanding scattering coefficients, so the inclusion can be composed of multiple refractive indices or be a set of separate inclusions. We then compare the absorption of glycerin host spheres containing small oblate and prolate carbon spheroids in different orientations.
Beyond the Barrier: Communication in the Root through the Endodermis

The root endodermis is characterized by the Casparian strip and by the suberin lamellae, two hydrophobic barriers that restrict the free diffusion of molecules between the inner cell layers of the root and the outer environment. The presence of these barriers and the position of the endodermis between the inner and outer parts of the root require that communication between these two domains acts through the endodermis. Recent work on hormone signaling, propagation of calcium waves, and plant-fungal symbiosis has provided evidence in support of the hypothesis that the endodermis acts as a signaling center. The endodermis is also a unique mechanical barrier to organogenesis, which must be overcome through chemical and mechanical cross talk between cell layers to allow for development of new lateral organs while maintaining its barrier functions. In this review, we discuss recent findings regarding these two important aspects of the endodermis.
Conservation Geographies in Sub‐Saharan Africa: The Politics of National Parks, Community Conservation and Peace Parks

Sub-Saharan Africa has been the location of intense conservation planning since the colonial era. Under the auspices of wilderness protection, colonial authorities established national parks largely for the purpose of hunting and tourism while forcibly evicting indigenous populations. Concerns about the ethical and economic impacts of protected areas have generated interest in community conservation initiatives that attempt to include local participation in natural resource management. In recent years, the anticipated loss of biodiversity, coupled with the integration of ecological concepts into planning processes, has generated interest in larger-scale initiatives that maximize protected habitat. Central to this shift are transboundary conservation areas, or Peace Parks, that involve protected territory that supersedes national political borders. This study provides a review of national parks, community conservation, and Peace Parks, in order to understand the development politics and governance challenges of global conservation. Although these approaches are not mutually exclusive, the study asserts that they represent major trajectories to conservation planning in Sub-Saharan Africa and other parts of the developing world. In considering the histories of these models in Sub-Saharan Africa, I argue that conservation planners often prioritize economic and ecological factors over the political circumstances that influence the effectiveness of these approaches. The study concludes by suggesting that an analysis of these three models provides a lens to examine ongoing debates regarding the employ of conservation as an economic development strategy and the challenges to environmental governance in the 21st century.
The Influence of Transportation on Turkey Meat Quality

Previous research has indicated that antemortem stress factors can influence the development of pale, soft, and exudative (PSE) meat in swine as well as in turkeys. Such antemortem factors can include environmental temperatures, relative humidity, preslaughter handling practices, and transportation. However, the effect of transportation on meat quality of turkeys has not been extensively studied. Eighty Nicholas male turkeys (21 wk of age) were divided into two groups and were either transported in coops on a flatbed trailer for 3 h immediately prior to processing or processed without transportation. Breast muscle samples were collected for pH (0, 2, 24 h), L* value (2, 24 h), drip loss, and cook loss. Additionally, breast fillets were marinated and cooked to determine marination uptake, retention, and cook loss. The breast muscles from transported turkeys had significantly higher muscle pH at 0, 2, and 24 h; significantly lower L* values at 2 and 24 h; significantly higher marination retention (i.e., lower drip loss after marination); and significantly lower cook loss in the marinated fillets compared with fillets of the nontransported turkeys. There were no significant differences in drip loss and cook loss of the nonmarinated fillets or the marination uptake percentage between the transported and nontransported turkeys. These results suggest that transporting turkeys immediately before processing does not induce PSE meat and may actually improve water-holding properties.
Sliding mode observer and controller design for a hydraulic motion control system

A sliding mode observer is designed to generate state estimates for the sliding mode controller of an electrohydraulic servo system. Two different design methodologies are discussed; the first one is based on a certain type of linearization of cylinder dynamics that yields a linear observer design. This technique requires solutions to certain partial differential equations therefore not easily implementahle. The second technique is a sliding mode extension of the Luenherger observer which forces the observation errors to zero on a sliding surface. The sufficient conditions for the sliding property have been derived. The resulting sliding observer is used with a sliding mode controller for position control of an electrohydraulic cylinder actuated by a Moog proportional valve. Robustness of the proposed control system is demonstrated through simulations.
Feasibility of filamentous fungi for biofuel production using hydrolysate from dilute sulfuric acid pretreatment of wheat straw

Background Lipids produced from filamentous fungi show great promise for biofuel production, but a major limiting factor is the high production cost attributed to feedstock. Lignocellulosic biomass is a suitable feedstock for biofuel production due to its abundance and low value. However, very limited study has been performed on lipid production by culturing oleaginous fungi with lignocellulosic materials. Thus, identification of filamentous fungal strains capable of utilizing lignocellulosic hydrolysates for lipid accumulation is critical to improve the process and reduce the production cost.
Alternation of sleeping groves by yellow baboons (Papio cynocephalus) as a strategy for parasite avoidance

The primary locus of contact between free-living yellow baboons (Papio cynocephalus) in the Amboseli National Park of Kenya and the infective stages of their intestinal parasites is believed to be soil beneath sleeping trees contaminated by the baboons' own fecal emissions. In this report, we present evidence both that infective ova and larvae of intestinal parasites are found at very high densities in the soil beneath sleeping groves and that Amboseli baboons substantially reduce their contact with this reservoir of parasites by alternating periods of a few consecutive nights' use of any particular grove with much longer periods of avoidance of that grove. Although many factors other than the presence of parasite larvae also influence choice of sleeping groves, we propose as a working hypothesis that the temporal pattern of sleeping grove alternation shown by Amboseli baboons reflects a subtle behavioral strategy for parasite avoidance.
Circadian Regulation of Intestinal Lipid Absorption by Apolipoprotein AIV Involves Forkhead Transcription Factors A2 and O1 and Microsomal Triglyceride Transfer Protein

We have shown previously that Clock, microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP), and nocturnin are involved in the circadian regulation of intestinal lipid absorption. Here, we clarified the role of apolipoprotein AIV (apoAIV) in the diurnal regulation of plasma lipids and intestinal lipid absorption in mice. Plasma triglyceride in apoAIV−/− mice showed diurnal variations similar to apoAIV+/+ mice; however, the increases in plasma triglyceride at night were significantly lower in these mice. ApoAIV−/− mice absorbed fewer lipids at night and showed blunted response to daytime feeding. To explain reasons for these lower responses, we measured MTP expression; intestinal MTP was low at night, and its induction after food entrainment was less in apoAIV−/− mice. Conversely, apoAIV overexpression increased MTP mRNA in hepatoma cells, indicating transcriptional regulation. Mechanistic studies revealed that sequences between −204/−775 bp in the MTP promoter respond to apoAIV and that apoAIV enhances expression of FoxA2 and FoxO1 transcription factors and their binding to the identified cis elements in the MTP promoter at night. Knockdown of FoxA2 and FoxO1 abolished apoAIV-mediated MTP induction. Similarly, knockdown of apoAIV in differentiated Caco-2 cells reduced MTP, FoxA2, and FoxO1 mRNA levels, cellular MTP activity, and media apoB. Moreover, FoxA2 and FoxO1 expression showed diurnal variations, and their expression was significantly lower in apoAIV−/− mice. These data indicate that apoAIV modulates diurnal changes in lipid absorption by regulating forkhead transcription factors and MTP and that inhibition of apoAIV expression might reduce plasma lipids. Background: The role of apoAIV in the diurnal regulation of plasma lipids is unknown. Results: Plasma lipids, lipid absorption, and MTP, FoxO1, and FoxA2 levels are lower at night and at mealtime in apoAIV−/− mice. Conclusion: ApoAIV increases intestinal lipid absorption by modulating the expression of MTP involving FoxA2 and FoxO1. Significance: Inhibition of intestinal apoAIV expression might reduce plasma lipids.
Wavelet-based functional linear mixed models: an application to measurement error–corrected distributed lag models

Frequently, exposure data are measured over time on a grid of discrete values that collectively define a functional observation. In many applications, researchers are interested in using these measurements as covariates to predict a scalar response in a regression setting, with interest focusing on the most biologically relevant time window of exposure. One example is in panel studies of the health effects of particulate matter (PM), where particle levels are measured over time. In such studies, there are many more values of the functional data than observations in the data set so that regularization of the corresponding functional regression coefficient is necessary for estimation. Additional issues in this setting are the possibility of exposure measurement error and the need to incorporate additional potential confounders, such as meteorological or co-pollutant measures, that themselves may have effects that vary over time. To accommodate all these features, we develop wavelet-based linear mixed distributed lag models that incorporate repeated measures of functional data as covariates into a linear mixed model. A Bayesian approach to model fitting uses wavelet shrinkage to regularize functional coefficients. We show that, as long as the exposure error induces fine-scale variability in the functional exposure profile and the distributed lag function representing the exposure effect varies smoothly in time, the model corrects for the exposure measurement error without further adjustment. Both these conditions are likely to hold in the environmental applications we consider. We examine properties of the method using simulations and apply the method to data from a study examining the association between PM, measured as hourly averages for 1–7 days, and markers of acute systemic inflammation. We use the method to fully control for the effects of confounding by other time-varying predictors, such as temperature and co-pollutants.
Contract Design and Self-Control: Theory and Evidence

How do rational firms respond to consumer biases? In this paper we analyze the profit-maximizing contract design of firms if consumers have time-inconsistent preferences and are partially naive about it. We consider markets for two types of goods: goods with immediate costs and delayed benefits (investment goods) such as health club attendance, and goods with immediate benefits and delayed costs (leisure goods) such as credit card-financed consumption. We establish three features of the profit-maximizing contract design with partially naive time-inconsistent consumers. First, firms price investment goods below marginal cost. Second, firms price leisure goods above marginal cost. Third, for all types of goods firms introduce switching costs and charge back-loaded fees. The contractual design targets consumer misperception of future consumption and underestimation of the renewal probability. The predictions of the theory match the empirical contract design in the credit card, gambling, health club, life insurance, mail order, mobile phone, and vacation time-sharing industries. We also show that time inconsistency has adverse effects on consumer welfare only if consumers are naive.
Before the Arches Crumble

Author's summary.— With changing population, needs, and goals in education comes a demand that teachers study the contribution of their subjects in the light of a new situation. The teacher of Modern Language is aware of the criticism directed against these subjects. The help of those outside our own profession should be welcomed—even sought.
NF-κB inhibition by ω-3 fatty acids modulates LPS-stimulated macrophage TNF-α transcription

ω-3 Fatty acid (FA) emulsions reduce LPS-stimulated murine macrophage TNF-α production, but the exact mechanism has yet to be defined. The purpose of this study was to determine the mechanism for ω...
Utilization of O2 in the metabolic optimization of C4 photosynthesis

The combined effects of O2 on net rates of photosynthesis, photosystem II activity, steady-state pool size of key metabolites of photosynthetic metabolism in the C4 pathway, C3 pathway and C2 photorespiratory cycle and on growth were evaluated in the C4 species Amaranthus edulis and the C3 species Flaveria pringlei. Increasing O2 reduced net CO2 assimilation in F. pringlei due to an increased flux of C through the photorespiratory pathway. However, in A. edulis increasing O2 up to 5‐10% stimulated photosynthesis. Analysis of the pool size of key metabolites in A. edulis suggests that while there is some O2 dependent photorespiration, O2 is required for maximizing C4 cycle activity to concentrate CO2 in bundle sheath cells. Therefore, the response of net photosynthesis to O2 in C4 plants may result from the balance of these two opposing effects. Under 21 versus 5% O2, growth of A. edulis was stimulated about 30% whereas that of F. pringlei was inhibited about 40%.
Cannabinoids selectively inhibit proliferation and induce death of cultured human glioblastoma multiforme cells.

Normal tissue toxicity limits the efficacy of current treatment modalities for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). We evaluated the influence of cannabinoids on cell proliferation, death, and morphology of human GBM cell lines and in primary human glial cultures, the normal cells from which GBM tumors arise. The influence of a plant derived cannabinoid agonist, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol Δ9-THC), and a potent synthetic cannabinoid agonist, WIN 55,212-2, were compared using time lapse microscopy. We discovered that Δ9-THC decreases cell proliferation and increases cell death of human GBM cells more rapidly than WIN 55,212-2. Δ9-THC was also more potent at inhibiting the proliferation of GBM cells compared to WIN 55,212-2. The effects of Δ9-THC and WIN 55,212-2 on the GBM cells were partially the result of cannabinoid receptor activation. The same concentration of Δ9-THC that significantly inhibits proliferation and increases death of human GBM cells has no significant impact on human primary glial cultures. Evidence of selective efficacy with WIN 55,212-2 was also observed but the selectivity was less profound, and the synthetic agonist produced a greater disruption of normal cell morphology compared to Δ9-THC.
Planar, ion implanted, high voltage 6H-SiC P-N junction diodes

Planar, high voltage (800 V) P-N junction diodes have been fabricated for the first time on N-type 6H-SiC by room temperature boron implantation through a pad oxide deposited within windows etched in an LPCVD field oxide. All the diodes showed excellent rectification with leakage currents of less than 10 nA (/spl sim/5/spl times/10/sup -5/ A/cm/sup 2/) until avalanche breakdown. It was found that the breakdown voltage increases with junction depth. The reverse recovery time (t/sub rr/) was measured to be 50 ns for the 800 V diode from which an effective minority carrier life time of 12.5 ns was extracted. >
Auditory priming of frequency and temporal information: Effects of lateralised presentation

Asymmetric distribution of function between the cerebral hemispheres has been widely investigated in the auditory modality. The current approach borrows heavily from visual local–global research in an attempt to determine whether, as in vision, local–global auditory processing is lateralised. In vision, lateralised local–global processing likely relies on spatial frequency information. Drawing analogies between visual spatial frequency and auditory dimensions, two sets of auditory stimuli were developed. In the high–low stimulus set we manipulate frequency information, and in the fast–slow stimulus set we manipulate temporal information. The fast–slow stimuli additionally mimic visual hierarchical stimulus structure, in which the arrangement of local patterns determines the global pattern. Unlike previous auditory stimuli, the current stimulus sets contain the experimental flexibility of visual local–global hierarchical stimuli allowing independent manipulation of structural levels. Previous findings of f...
Primary Osteogenic Sarcoma of the Skull

Abstract BACKGROUND An osteogenic sarcoma of the skull is rare, particularly as a primary tumor. The incidence of primary osteogenic sarcomas of the skull is about 1 to 2% of all skull tumors. CASE DESCRIPTION A 21-year-old male was initially evaluated because of a large mass that had been growing for 7 months. The patient had been experiencing frequent headaches and tenderness at the site of the lump for about a month before being seen by the neurosurgeon. A computed tomography scan revealed a large mass, 12 cm × 7 cm, involving the scalp extending from the right temporal region to the vertex. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan showed a large mass arising from the posterolateral aspect that was 90% extracranial and 10% intracranial on the right side of the skull. The MRI showed marked vascularity and neovascularity of the tumor. An angiogram was performed, which demonstrated that the mass was fed by the branches from the right external carotid artery. The patient subsequently underwent surgery for embolization of the right occipital and superficial temporal arteries and removal of the mass. Pathology evaluation of a specimen revealed a high-grade osteoblastic osteosarcoma. CONCLUSION We review the literature of reported cases of primary osteogenic sarcomas of the skull to discuss the common clinical presentation, evaluation methods, and recommended treatment plans.
THE SOURCE OF AGGLUTININS IN THE MILK OF COWS

The foregoing experimental cases point to a distinct participation of the udder in the production of agglutinins when the gland is invaded by living or flooded by dead bacteria. The quarter injected reacts at first with a heavy influx of polynuclear leucocytes and later with an increase of agglutinins.
Linear phase paraunitary filter banks: theory, factorizations and designs

M channel maximally decimated filter banks have been used in the past to decompose signals into subbands. The theory of perfect-reconstruction filter banks has also been studied extensively. Nonparaunitary systems with linear phase filters have also been designed. The authors study paraunitary systems in which each individual filter in the analysis synthesis banks has linear phase. Specific instances of this problem have been addressed by other authors, and linear phase paraunitary systems have been shown to exist. This property is often desirable for several applications, particularly in image processing. They begin by answering several theoretical questions pertaining to linear phase paraunitary systems. Next, they develop a minimal factorization for a large class of such systems. This factorization will be proved to be complete for even M. Further, they structurally impose the additional condition that the filters satisfy pairwise mirror-image symmetry in the frequency domain. This significantly reduces the number of parameters to be optimized in the design process. They then demonstrate the use of these filter banks in the generation of M-band orthonormal wavelets. Several design examples are also given to validate the theory. >
Mitigation of turbulence-induced scintillation noise in free-space optical links using temporal-domain detection techniques

Atmospheric turbulence-induced intensity fluctuations can significantly impair the performance of free-space optical links. Temporal-domain detection techniques can be applied to mitigate these intensity fluctuations. If the receiver has knowledge of the joint temporal statistics of intensity fluctuations, maximum-likelihood sequence detection (MLSD) or pilot-symbol assisted detection (PSAD) can be employed. We experimentally demonstrate the effectiveness of these techniques in a 500-m terrestrial link using ON-OFF keying, where MLSD and PSAD yield signal-to-noise ratio gains of 2.4 and 1.9 dB, respectively.
Yearly Movements of Shortnose Sturgeons in the Connecticut River

Abstract Movements of shortnose sturgeon Acipenser brevirostrum, an endangered species, were studied for 5 years by radio telemetry and mark-recapture in the lower 140 km of the Connecticut River to Long Island Sound. Ninety fish (range, 54–97 cm fork length; 1.2–9.2 kg weight) were equipped with radio transmitters. The cycle of annual movement consisted of several up- and downriver migrations between four discrete areas that were used for summer feeding, spawning, and over-wintering. Thus, the major portion of the river served as a conduit for movement between the areas of major use. Each year, some adults remained in fresh water. Yearly movements were complex; fish of different age classes and reproductive conditions associated seasonally in the same habitat. Received February 13, 1984 Accepted May 6, 1985
False lock to phase lock bifurcation in a PLL

New results are given on the phenomenon of false lock in second order, type-I phase-locked loops (PLLs). Of interest here is the behavior of a stable false lock state as a function of closed-loop gain, and the value of gain at which this state undergoes bifurcation and the loop locks-up. The results show that the DC component in the output of the loop's quadrature detector is proportional to a characteristic exponent of a variational equation obtained from the PLL's dynamics. This DC component can be used to determine how near the false-locked loop is to achieving phase lock. A numerical method is given for calculating the value of closed-loop gain at which false lock breaking bifurcation takes place and phase lock-up occurs. The results are applied to a simple example, and a comparison is made with an existing approximate method.
A twenty-one-year study of maternal dominance and secondary sex ratio in a colony group of stumptailed macaques (Macaca arctoides).

Trivers and Willard's theory of sex-ratio adjustment, as applied to cercopithecines, predicts that the ratio of male to female offspring will be greater for dominant than for subordinate mothers. A local-resourcexyhcompetition hypothesis predicts the reverse. To date, results from several species of macaque are inconsistent and often not statistically significant. In this 21 year study, a colony group of stumptailed macaques is added to the species previously studied. Seventy-five offspring were born to eight mothers for whom long-term dominance was established. Chi-square analyses of data from these 75 offspring failed to yield a significant relationship between sex-ratio and mother's dominance; consequently, consistent with a growing body of cercopithecine literature, neither of the competing theories was supported. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Reducing Substance Use Among African American Adolescents: Effectiveness of School-Based Health Centers.

This paper explores the impact of school-based heath centers (SBHCs) on the substance use behaviors of low-income, inner-city African American adolescents. Researchers surveyed 2,114 9th- and 11th-grade students from seven inner-city public high schools (three with SBHCs and four without SBHCs). Of the initial 2,114 students, 598 SBHC students and 598 non-SBHC students were successfully matched using ethnicity, grade, gender, and propensity scores. The results of separate grade x gender x SBHC ANOVAs indicated significant grade x SBHC interactions (i.e., such that substance use decreased in SBHC schools while increasing in non-SBHC schools) for cigarettes (p = .05) and marijuana (p < .001), but not for alcohol. These findings show that the SBHC intervention model is promising toward the prevention and reduction of substance use among high-risk African American adolescents and highlight the importance of accessible, holistic, and culturally appropriate health care.
Fruit and vegetable consumption, intake of micronutrients, and benign prostatic hyperplasia in US men

Background:Nutrientswithantioxidantpropertiesorthatinfluence cellgrowthanddifferentiationmightreducetheriskofbenignprostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Objective: The objective was to evaluate the association of fruit, vegetable, and micronutrient intakes with BPH. Design:The participants were members of the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study and were aged 46–81 y in 1992. In 1992 and biennially thereafter, the men reported having surgery for an enlargedprostate,andin1992andon3subsequentquestionnairesthey completed the American Urological Association symptom index (AUASI).BPHcasesweremenwhoreportedhavingsurgeryorwho had an AUASI score of 15–35 (n 6092). Control subjects were men who had not had surgery and never had an AUASI score 7 (n 18 373). Men with a score of 8–14 were excluded (n 7800). Intakes of fruit, vegetables, and antioxidants were assessed with a food-frequency questionnaire in 1986. We calculated odds ratios (ORs) of BPH and 95% CIs using logistic regression. Results: Vegetable consumption was inversely associated with BPH (fifth compared with first quintile—OR: 0.89; 95% CI: 0.80, 0.99;Pfortrend0.03),whereasfruitintakewasnot.Consumption offruitandvegetablesrichin-carotene(Pfortrend0.004),lutein (P for trend 0.0004), or vitamin C (P for trend 0.05) was inversely related to BPH. With increasing vitamin C intake from foods, men were less likely to have BPH (P for trend 0.0009). Neither - nor -tocopherol intake from foods was associated with BPH (P for trend 0.05 and 0.84, respectively). Conclusion: Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that a dietrichinvegetablesmayreducetheoccurrenceofBPH. AmJ Clin Nutr 2007;85:523–9.
Conformational Exchange in a Membrane Transport Protein Is Altered in Protein Crystals

Successful macromolecular crystallography requires solution conditions that may alter the conformational sampling of a macromolecule. Here, site-directed spin labeling is used to examine a conformational equilibrium within BtuB, the Escherichia coli outer membrane transporter for vitamin B12. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra from a spin label placed within the N-terminal energy coupling motif (Ton box) of BtuB indicate that this segment is in equilibrium between folded and unfolded forms. In bilayers, substrate binding shifts this equilibrium toward the unfolded form; however, EPR spectra from this same spin-labeled mutant indicate that this unfolding transition is blocked in protein crystals. Moreover, crystal structures of this spin-labeled mutant are consistent with the EPR result. When the free energy difference between substates is estimated from the EPR spectra, the crystal environment is found to alter this energy by 3 kcal/mol when compared to the bilayer state. Approximately half of this energy change is due to solutes or osmolytes in the crystallization buffer, and the remainder is contributed by the crystal lattice. These data provide a quantitative measure of how a conformational equilibrium in BtuB is modified in the crystal environment, and suggest that more-compact, less-hydrated substates will be favored in protein crystals.
Collisional Excitation of H2O by O-Atom Impact: Classical Dynamics on an Accurate Ab Initio Potential Energy Surface

One of the major objectives of theoretical chemistry is the calculation, from “first principles”, of the cross sections for fundamental processes occurring in molecular collisions. This requires a high-quality Ab initio potential energy surface (PES), fit to a suitable analytical form, and an accurate dynamical technique for solving the appropriate equations of motion. This paper describes such an approach to the determination of cross sections for the vibrational excitation of H2O by O(3P) atom impact.
Donor-derived CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T cells

Purpose of review As immunotherapy matures into possible front-line therapy, new approaches are necessary to expand the capacity to treat more patients. Although most technologies for chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) therapies require autologous T cells, 'off the shelf' sources are highly desired. Recent findings Sources of T cells for modification with CARs include cord blood and either related or unrelated allogeneic donors. Strategies to manipulate these sources focus on reducing the risk of alloreactivity, while maintaining the potential for high function and long persistence associated with successful CAR T-cell therapies. Summary Recent research implies that manipulating nonautologous T-cell sources can result in well tolerated and effective products, but work remains to determine if these approaches will reach the efficacy of autologous products.
Slow Electrically and Chemically Evoked Volume Changes in Guinea Pig Outer Hair Cells

Our understanding of how the mammalian inner ear converts the mechanical vibrations of sound into neural energy has undergone a fundamental change during the past decade. Nearly ten years of experimental confirmation has convinced the hearing science community that the organ of Corti can produce sound as well as receive it. The most conspicuous evidence for this ability is that sound from the cochlea, or otoacoustic emissions, can be measured in the ear canal. The ear is thought to generate acoustic energy in order to better perform its role of spectrally analyzing the sound it receives (Patuzzi & Robertson, 1988). The inner ear can be considered to be an array of mechanical filters. Each element of this array vibrates at a magnitude determined by the amount of energy the ear receives in the frequency band to which that element is sensitive. A mechanical energy source in each of the elements results in each becoming an active, as opposed to a passive, mechanical filter. An active filter is both more sensitive and faster than a passive filter with the same bandwidth. The processing of auditory information requires speed and mammals appear to have evolved a mechanism that results in narrowly tuned active mechanical filtering. The inherent nonlinearity and instability of this feedback mechanism is thought to be the origin of spontaneous and evoked otoacoustic emissions. The cells responsible for generating the acoustic energy are the outer hair cells. There is one row of around 3000 inner and three rows of around 12000 outer hair cells in organ of Corti. The cylindrical outer hair cells possess a collection of flattened membranous sacs immediately below the cytoplasmic membrane of their lateral wall. These comprise an organelle called the laminated cisternal system that appears unique among eukaryotic cells and may be related to the mechanism that drives the cell’s distinctive electromotile response. Stereocilia-mediated mechanoelectrical modulation of intracochlear currents is thought to elicit electrically evoked outer hair cell length changes at acoustic frequencies and thereby provide for the active filtering that characterizes cochlear transduction.
Safety of Aesthetic Surgery in the Overweight Patient: Analysis of 127,961 Patients

Background Nearly 70% of US adults are overweight or obese (body mass index, BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2), and more such patients are seeking aesthetic surgery. Previous studies have evaluated surgical risk in obese (BMI ≥ 30) or morbidly obese (BMI ≥ 40) patients, with mixed results. Objectives This study evaluates BMI 25 to 29.9 and BMI ≥ 30 as independent risk factors of major complications following aesthetic surgery in a large, prospective, multi-center database. Methods A prospective cohort of patients undergoing aesthetic surgery between 2008 and 2013 was identified from the CosmetAssure database (Birmingham, AL). BMI was evaluated as a risk factor for major complications, defined as complications requiring an emergency room visit, hospital admission, or reoperation within 30 days of the procedure. Multivariate analysis controlled for variables including age, gender, smoking, diabetes, combined procedures, and type of surgical facility. Results Of the 127,961 patients, 36.2% had BMI ≥ 25. Overweight patients were more likely to be male (12.5%), diabetic (3.3%), nonsmokers (92.8%), or have multiple procedures (41%). Complication rate steadily increased with BMI: 1.4% (BMI < 18.5); 1.6% (18.5-24.9); 2.3% (25-29.9); 3.1% (30-39.9); 4.2% (≥40). Infection (0.8%), venous thromboembolism (VTE, 0.4%), and pulmonary dysfunction (0.2%) were twice as common among overweight patients. Incidence of hematoma was similar in the two groups (0.9%). Complications following abdominoplasty (3.5%), liposuction (0.9%), lower body lift (8.8%), or combined breast and body procedures (4.2%) were significantly higher in overweight patients. On multivariate analysis, being overweight (BMI 25-29.9) or obese (BMI ≥ 30) were independent predictors of any complication (Relative Risk, RR 1.17 and 1.51), especially infection (RR 1.63 and 2.73), and VTE (RR 1.67 and 2.56). Conclusions Overweight (BMI 25-29.9) and obesity (BMI ≥ 30) are both independent risk factors for post-operative infection and VTE in aesthetic surgery. Level of Evidence 2![Graphic][1] Risk [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif
Transnational Latino/a writing, and American and Latino/a studies

This essay examines a “Latinist” presence in contemporary US literature, evident in the literary productions of writers such as Sandra Cisneros, Francisco Goldman, Benjamin Alire Saenz, Luis Sanchez and Helena Maria Viramontes. Specifically, this “new” American literature draws attention to a variety of transnational exchanges by foregrounding migration, articulating transnational histories, and highlighting the constitution of transnational spaces in US cities.
Environmentally-induced Modification of the Chirp Length of Males of the True Katydid, Pterophylla Camellifolia (F.) (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae)

Small groups or colonies of males of the northern population of Pterophylla Camellifolia (F.) can be characterized by the range and mode of the number of pulses in their chirps. During the first 1-2 wk after sexual maturity, many males produce chirps that are longer and more variable in length than chirps produced later in the season. Shortening of chirp lengths by katydids 1) isolated from the sounds of conspecifics, and 2) forced to interact acoustically with a katydid producing shorter chirps, suggests that acoustical interaction among katydids effects change or stabilization of chirp length. A mechanism is proposed to explain short and long term changes in chirp length of P. camellifolia males.
Cotton Pollen: Honey Bee Avoidance and Absence of Gossypol

Pollen from glanded and glandless upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and a glanded Pima cotton (G. barbadense L.) was chemically analyzed for gossypol and 6-methoxygossypol content. The pollen contained little (<0.003% of dry weight) or none of either chemical. Behavior of honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) visiting flowers of glanded and glandless upland and Pima cotton was similar; no preference for flowers of either type of cotton was observed. Therefore, it appears that gossypol acts as neither a toxicant nor repellent to honey bees, yet none of the observed bees collected corbicular loads of cotton pollen. Rather, they fastidiously groomed pollen off their bodies before returning to the hive. Some factor(s) other than gossypol must be responsible for this behavior.
Using Mung Beans as a Simple, Informative Means To Evaluate the Phytotoxicity of Engineered Nanomaterials and Introduce the Concept of Nanophytotoxicity to Undergraduate Students

This work presents a lecture and lab series that focuses on teaching the concept of nanophytotoxicity to undergraduate students in a relatively simple experiment. In this experiment, students evaluated the phytotoxicity of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) using mung beans (i.e., Vigna radiata) and industrially relevant, commercially available ENMs, silicon dioxide (SiO2) and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs). In comparison to the control system using solutions of Nanopure water, the growth of mung beans in solutions of ZnO NPs with a concentration of 20 mg/L was severely stunted, showing clear evidence of a high level of nanophytotoxicity. The growth of mung beans in solutions of SiO2 NPs with the same concentration was intermediate to, though statistically separate from, the aforementioned solutions, showing clear evidence of a lower level of nanophytotoxicity than for the ZnO NPs. The simplicity of the experiment and the clear phytotoxic results should make this experiment of interest to many types of...
Study on Damage of Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells Induced by Lead and Its Injure Mechanism

Objective To study the damage of human umbilical vein endothelial cells induced by lead and its injure mechanism.Methods HUVECs-12 was cultured in DMEM containing 10% FCS.At 80% confluence,the cells were washed with D-Hank's fluid and cultured in DMEM containing 1% FCS for 24 hours.The cells were incubated in the presence or absence(control)of lead.In order to test the dose-effect of lead-induced endothelial cells damage,the cells were treated with lead at the doses of 1,2,4,and 8 mg/L for 24 h.And the time-effect was also tested by culturing cells with lead at the dose of 4 mg/L for 0,3,6,12,24,48 hours respectively.To explore the injuring feature of lead on endothelial cells,hydrogen peroxide(500μg/L),a potent free radical,was selected as a positive control;vitamin C(100mg/L),an anti-oxidant medicine,was selected as a protective group.The cell morphology and viability of HUVECs-12(MTT assay)were observed to evaluate the injuring feature of lead.The levels of malonaldehyde(MDA),asymmetric dimethylarginine(ADMA),and nitric oxide(NO)were detected to elucidate the injury mechanism of lead.Results The cell morphology and viability were changed significantly by lead at the final concentration of 2～8mg/L.And with concentration increasing(50～200mg/L),the levels of MDA stepped up significantly versus vitamin C protective group.The synthesis of NO was also inhibited significantly.All the biological effects we had tested were time-related and the statistical difference was also significant between every two lead treated groups(P0.05 or P0.01).The level of ADMA was highest in 4 mg/L lead treated group and the peak value appeared after 24 hours.Conclusions Lead at the concentration of 2～8 mg/L can induce significant damage on human umbilical vein endothelial cells,and ADMA plays an important role in this progress.
Recovery of KCl crystalline product from highly concentrated KCl-MgCl_2-H_2O solution with membrane distillation crystallization

Highly concentrated KCl and Mg Cl2 solutions were treated with direct contact membrane distillation(DCMD). The effects of salt concentration(1.0—4.0 mol·L-1) and circulation velocity(0.1—0.5 m·s-1) on permeate flux were investigated. Permeate flux decreased with increasing concentration, which was attributed to vapor pressure reduction caused by decrease of water activity in the solution. Reversed flux occurred in the DCMD process of highly concentrated Mg Cl2 solution(3.0 mol·L-1) under the test conditions, which was due to the combined effect of lower water activity and higher viscosity of the fluid. Permeate fluxes increased with increasing circulation velocity, which was more effective to reduce the negative effect of temperature and concentration polarization for Mg Cl2 solution with higher viscosity. Membrane distillation-crystallization(MDC) of a highly concentrated solution of KCl-Mg Cl2-H2 O was investigated for recovery of KCl crystalline product and pure water with batch operation mode. The effect of way of cooling on supersaturation of solution, morphology, and crystal size distribution was studied. KCl crystalline product with regular shape, tidy surface and concentrated particle size distribution was obtained by natural cooling and maximum degree of supercooling generated under natural cooling was lower than under quick cooling, which was beneficial to control nucleation amount and growth rate of KCl.
The Attack by the Attached Driver on Online Banks and Relevant Defending

This paper designs a way of keyboard filter driver to acquire the users' information and threaten the users immediately,which is based on the principle of attaching to the system driver;meanwhile,paper gives its defending way for this attack and compiling questions,which could benefit the protection.
Breathlessness and exercise in spinal cord injury.

After spinal cord injury (SCI), breathlessness during daily activities is common. In 308 individuals with SCI, the authors measured pulmonary function and administered a survey regarding health sta...
SU-F-I-46: Optimizing Dose Reduction in Adult Head CT Protocols While Maintaining Image Quality in Postmortem Head Scans

Purpose: To optimize adult head CT protocol by reducing dose to an appropriate level while providing CT images of diagnostic quality. Methods: Five cadavers were scanned from the skull base to the vertex using a routine adult head CT protocol (120 kVp, 270 mA, 0.75 s rotation, 0.5 mm × 32 detectors, 70.8 mGy CTDIvol) followed by seven reduced-dose protocols with varying combinations of reduced tube current, reduced rotation time, and increased detectors with CTDIvol ranging from 38.2 to 65.6 mGy. Organ doses were directly measured with 21 OSL dosimeters placed on the surface and implanted in the head by a neurosurgeon. Two neuroradiologists assessed grey-white matter differentiation, fluid space, ventricular size, midline shift, brain mass, edema, ischemia, and skull fractures on a three point scale: (1) Unacceptable, (2) Borderline Acceptable, and (3) Acceptable. Results: For the standard scan, doses to the skin, lens of the eye, salivary glands, thyroid, and brain were 37.55 mGy, 49.65 mGy, 40.67 mGy, 4.63 mGy, and 27.33 mGy, respectively. Two cadavers had cerebral edema due to changing dynamics of postmortem effects, causing the grey-white matter differentiation to appear less distinct. Two cadavers with preserved grey-white matter received acceptable scores for all image quality features for the protocol with a CTDIvol of 57.3 mGy, allowing organ dose savings ranging from 34% to 45%. One cadaver allowed for greater dose reduction for the protocol with a CTDIvol of 42 mGy. Conclusion: Efforts to optimize scan protocol should consider both dose and clinical image quality. This is made possible with postmortem subjects, whose brains are similar to patients, allowing for an investigation of ideal scan parameters. Radiologists at our institution accepted scan protocols acquired with lower scan parameters, with CTDIvol values closer to the American College of Radiology's (ACR) Achievable Dose level of 57 mGy.
Three Approaches to Psychical Reality: An Interview with Dr. Antoine Mooij

During the fall of 2012, my first semester in the newly developed doctoral program Psychology: Consciousness and Society at University of West Georgia, I happened upon a remarkable book that was to become a continuing source of inspiration and guidance for my studies in psychology pursued as a human science – Antoine Mooij’s Psychiatry as a Human Science: Phenomenological, Hermeneutical and Lacanian Perspectives. Human science psychology emphasizes the centrality and irreducibility of psychical reality, of first person subjective experience, even as it recognizes its overdetermined character in the multiple causal networks of evolving nature and culture.
Quasi-elastic neutron scattering reveals ligand-induced protein dynamics of a G-protein-coupled receptor

Light activation of the visual G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) rhodopsin leads to significant structural fluctuations of the protein embedded within the membrane yielding the activation of cognate G-protein (transducin), which initiates biological signaling. Here, we report a quasi-elastic neutron scattering study of the activation of rhodopsin as a GPCR prototype. Our results reveal a broadly distributed relaxation of hydrogen atom dynamics of rhodopsin on a picosecond–nanosecond time scale, crucial for protein function, as only observed for globular proteins previously. Interestingly, the results suggest significant differences in the intrinsic protein dynamics of the dark-state rhodopsin versus the ligand-free apoprotein, opsin. These differences can be attributed to the influence of the covalently bound retinal ligand. Furthermore, an idea of the generic free-energy landscape is used to explain the GPCR dynamics of ligand-binding and ligand-free protein conformations, which can be further applied to...