cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Human Rights Frameworks and Women’s Rights in Post-transitional Justice Sierra Leone

The end of transitional justice in Sierra Leone coincided with an increase in women’s human rights activism. Reasons for this included an increase in the level of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), and the ineffectiveness and insensitivity of the human rights laws of the country. To the women’s rights activists, SGBV and its associated inequalities before the law, irrespective of the context, were incompatible with the universal tenets of human rights. Within the purview of feminist legal theory, women’s rights were understood to be not just about the codification of rights and responsibilities (see Bunch, 1995; Manjoo, 2012; Quraishi, 2011), but also about recognizing the familial, social, cultural, political, and economic ramifications of gender inequality on the incidence of violence and discrimination experienced by women who seek redress from, or are in conflict with, the law (Banda & Joffe, 2016; Lockwood, 2006; Reilly, 2009). This theory also understands, in context-neutral terms, women’s rights to be about the reconfiguration of the institutions and policies created to protect the inalienable rights and agency of women.
THE EFFECT OF MECHANICAL IMPEDANCE ON ABNORMAL INTENTION TREMOR

SUMMARY The usefulness of viscous damping and isometric restraint in improving limb control of intention tremor disabled people has been demonstrated in wrist-angle and wrist-torque pursuit tracking experiments. Spectral analysis of the tracking response records has indicated the simultaneous presence of both pathological intention tremor and normal physiological tremor mechanisms in the subjects.
Two-Way Communication with an Infant Chimpanzee

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses two-way communication with an infant chimpanzee. Language is the most important result of the evolutionary developments that distinguish human beings from other species. It is difficult to study language on the same objective terms as other types of behavior. The study of language has come to lose much of the mystique that it once had. If an animal, such as a chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) is capable of developing a system of two-way communication of its own, the place to observe this can be in well-established wild bands. In choosing an appropriate medium for communication with a chimpanzee, one must first consider carefully why a medium based on vocalization cannot be appropriate. A chimpanzee can never communicate by speech because of anatomical defects in its vocal apparatus. Many human tools and mechanical devices are designed for the human hand, yet chimpanzees can learn to use these with great skill. To some extent, chimpanzees should be able to use a medium of communication designed for human vocal anatomy. Intelligible speech can be produced by human beings with the pathological defects of the vocal apparatus, and there are human languages that substitute whistles or clicks for speech.
The American Horror Show: Donald Trump Becomes 45th U.S. President

Heading for pre-Inauguration festivities, the Trump entourage left Trump Tower in New York on January 19, 2017 in a motorcade that took them to an airplane to fly down to Washington – a back and forth that would define the Trump presidency as it was expected that Trump’s wife Melania and his ten-year old son Baron would stay in New York, while Trump would wreak havoc in Washington for a few days and then fly away for long weekends in Florida, a Trump golf course, or Trump Tower to consult with his sons over business deals to get away from Washington where only 4% of the population had voted for him.
Preclinical models for wound-healing studies

Abstract Cutaneous wound healing is an evolutionarily conserved and highly complex process that restores the cutaneous barrier after injury. Experimental wound-healing models provide great advantages to study mechanisms that control this intricate process. In addition, they provide a useful platform to evaluate novel therapies with the goal of translation to patient care. In vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo assays are all very useful for preclinical studies, and each has its own unique set of advantages. However, these models also come with their own distinct limitations particularly as they relate to translatability to clinical practice. This is especially true for chronic wounds, for which no optimal preclinical model exists. Chronic wounds result from a composite dysregulation of multiple local and systemic processes that contribute to the wound-healing process, including underlying conditions such as vascular disease, diabetes, and aging that are difficult to replicate in any given model. Here, we describe the most current in vitro and in vivo models for wound-healing studies with a focus on their advantages and disadvantages and recent advances that are promising for the future of wound-healing research.
Exploring Treatment Fidelity in Persons With Aphasia Autonomously Practicing With Computerized Therapy Materials.

Purpose Current computer technologies permit independent practice for people with cognitive–communicative disorders. Previous research has investigated compliance rates and outcome changes but not ...
The Design of Armies

In Decline of the West, Oswald Spengler predicted that “Th e place of the permanent armies as we know them will gradually be taken by professional forces of volunteer war-keen soldiers, and from millions we shall r evert to hundreds of thousands ” 1 Th e purpose of this short essay is to evaluate that prediction.
Symbolism, Tradition, Ritual, and the Deep Structure of Communities

Community life rests on underlying shared values and agreements that are often unstated and barely recognized. They are shaped by religious and cultural traditions or by the exigencies of a group’s living situation that have created ways of doing things that powerfully shape organizational patterns, willingness to volunteer and participate, feelings of legitimacy in government, and safety in the face of authority. Social activities that Talcott Parsons (1965, p. 963) called “latent pattern maintenance” are the topic here: religious practices, civic rituals, and the development of the symbolism of community. The goal of this chapter is to bring to the surface data, arguments, and concepts about how these factors shape community structure.
Something Is Wrong with Us

This paper describes the design and development of the interactive data visualization application Something is Wrong with Us. We discuss the experiential theory of Phenomenology as expressed through data aggregation and transmission. We analyze data visualization design as a process to express emotive data networks via sentiment analysis and what we term as "Density Effect." We conclude our analysis with a discussion on the value of emotive data visualization and discuss future developments of the application.
Mainline Protestant Christianity

Protestantism arose in the early sixteenth century as a reaction against certain practices of the Roman Catholic Church. In particular some deemed the selling of indulgences a questionable practice. The German priest and theologian Martin Luther argued that human actions of any kind have no role whatsoever in divine grace. Consequently, he argued, God’s grace could not be purchased via an indulgence. The initial schism that started with Luther in Wittenberg quickly fragmented as the Lutherans (Germany), Calvinists (Switzerland), Anglicans (England), Huguenots (France), Anabaptists (Switzerland), Presbyterians (Scotland), Baptists (The Netherlands) and Congregationalists (England), among other groups, navigated different paths in defining Reformation era Christianity. New denominations have continued to form with regularity since the early decades of the Reformation.
THE ASTROPHYSICAL FRAMEWORK OF LIFE

This paper reviews our current ideas about the physical mechanisms which underlie the cosmological framework in which life has evolved. The four basic interactions (strong, weak, electromagnetic and gravity) and the fundamental particles (quarks and leptons) are introduced as the fundamental building blocks of nature. The history of the Universe from the Big Bang model of its beginning, the origin of matter, the synthesis of heavy elements, the age of the Universe and our Solar System are briefly described. Local astrophysical disturbances such as supemovae, collisions, and solar variations which could affect the Earth and its life at any time are discussed. From these immediate but improbable (at any given time) extraterrestrial sources of biotic crises, the ultimate future of the Earth is considered when the Sun becomes a red giant in about 5 billion years. The ultimate fate of the Universe is finally considered with respect to two models: a big crunch or an asymptotic and continuous expansion. Will the Universe end as abruptly as it began or will it slowly and infinitely expand through time long after matter itself has disappeared? Finally, what are the implications of these two models to living systems.
Glasdegib with Low-Dose Cytarabine: A New Upfront Option for the Vulnerable AML Patient

A multitude of regulatory approvals has recently changed the therapeutic landscape of acute myeloid leukemia. Among these was upfront therapy with the Hedgehog inhibitor glasdegib with low-dose cytarabine. Understanding the process of and rationale for approval of this promising combination is timely and valuable for the oncology community.See related article by Norsworthy et al., p. 6021.
A prospective study on urine alkalization with an oral regimen consisting of sodium bicarbonate and acetazolamide in patients receiving high-dose methotrexate

Purpose Intravenous (IV) sodium bicarbonate is typically used in alkalization regimens for the safe use of the chemotherapeutic agent high-dose methotrexate (HDMTX). Urine parameters including urine output and pH are important in order to minimize the risk of kidney injury, which increases adverse effects and hospital length of stay following HDMTX. IV sodium bicarbonate has been on shortage, and there are limited literature describing the safety of alternative regimens. Patients and methods A single institution, prospective analysis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients receiving HDMTX for central nervous system (CNS) prophylaxis or disease. Patients received an oral (PO) regimen of sodium bicarbonate and acetazolamide to achieve a urine pH >7. This cohort was compared to a subsequent IV sodium bicarbonate control cohort. Multiple co-primary safety outcomes assessed the incidences of acute kidney injury and delayed methotrexate clearance as well as change in liver function tests. Secondary outcomes included time to urine pH, time to urine output, and length of stay. Results A total of 126 encounters were studied for the primary safety outcome. There was no difference between AKI incidence in patients receiving the PO alkalization regimen compared to patients receiving IV sodium bicarbonate (14.5% vs 9.3%, respectively, P=0.41). There was no difference in methotrexate clearance between the PO and IV groups (26.5% vs 37.2%, respectively, P=0.21). The use of PO alkalization regimen is estimated to have saved 2002 vials of IV sodium bicarbonate and was approximately US$226 less expensive per encounter. Conclusion This analysis supports the use of PO regimens to achieve urine alkalization necessary for safe administration of HDMTX during periods of IV sodium bicarbonate shortage. Further studies may determine optimal dosing strategies that decrease length of stay and ensure noninferiority of efficacy outcomes with PO regimens for urine alkalization with HDMTX.
The short-term effects of the earned income tax credit on health care expenditures among US adults

Objective To test the hypothesis that the earned income tax credit (EITC)-the largest US poverty alleviation program-affects short-term health care expenditures among US adults. Data sources Adult participants in the 1997-2012 waves of the US Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) (N = 1 282 080). Study design We conducted difference-in-differences analyses, comparing health care expenditures among EITC-eligible adults in February (immediately following EITC refund receipt) with expenditures during other months, using non-EITC-eligible individuals to difference out seasonal variation in health care expenditures. Outcomes included total out-of-pocket expenditures as well as spending on specific categories such as outpatient visits and inpatient hospitalizations. We conducted subgroup analyses to examine heterogeneity by insurance status. Principal findings EITC refund receipt was not associated with short-term changes in total expenditures, nor any expenditure subcategories. Results were similar by insurance status and robust to numerous alternative specifications. Conclusions EITC refunds are not associated with short-term changes in health care expenditures among US adults. This may be because the refund is spent on other expenses, because of income smoothing, or because of similar refund-related variation in health care expenditures among noneligible adults. Future studies should examine whether other types of income supplementation affect health care expenditures, particularly among individuals in poverty.
A MULTI-COMPONENT HOME-BASED PHYSICAL THERAPY INTERVENTION FOR IMPROVING COMMUNITY AMBULATION AFTER HIP FRACTURE

Presented is a two-group RCT evaluating a multi-component exercise program for hip fracture patients to determine if it is effective in improving the ability to walk independently in the community. Hip fracture patients age ≥60 years (N=210) were assessed and randomized within 26 weeks of hospitalization, and reassessed 16 and 40 weeks later. The primary outcome was ability to walk 300m in six minutes. PUSH (active treatment) included aerobic conditioning, strengthening, balance and functional training. PULSE (attention control) included transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, flexibility and active range of motion exercises. Both groups received 2-3 visits per week for 16 weeks in their residences from a physical therapist. 22/96 in PUSH (22.9%) and 18/101 in PULSE (17.8%) (difference 5.1%; 95% CI: -6.1%, 16.3%; P=.37) became community ambulators. We conclude that advancing substantial proportions of hip fracture patients to community ambulation will require more than the intervention evaluated in this study.
The microbiota-gut-brain axis: An emerging role for the epigenome:

Through the gut-brain axis, the microorganisms that reside in the gut are able to exert an important influence on the central nervous system. Preclinical and clinical evidence suggests that alterat...
Choosing the Right Blackberry Cultivar in Subtropical Florida

Blackberry (Rubus spp.) is a deciduous berry crop and the fourth most economically important berry crop in the United States. Driven by the growing demand for blackberries, production recently expanded to the southeastern United States. In Florida, however, commercial blackberry production is limited primarily to small commercial U-pick operations. The main challenges include insufficient chill hours and poor fruit quality associated with the subtropical climate. This new 6-page article, a publication of the UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Department, will discuss important cultivar selection criteria and recommended blackberry cultivars in subtropical Florida. Written by Shinsuke Agehara, Syuan-You Lin, and Zhanao Deng.https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1352
Comparing adult child and spousal caregiver burden and potential causes.

12127Background: Adult children caring for a parent with cancer comprise a significant segment of caregivers. Demographic trends indicate this caregiving population will grow as the baby boomer gen...
Proton switching molecular magnetoelectricity.

The convergence of proton conduction and multiferroics is generating a compelling opportunity to achieve strong magnetoelectric coupling and magneto-ionics, offering a versatile platform to realize molecular magnetoelectrics. Here we describe machine learning coupled with additive manufacturing to accelerate the design strategy for hydrogen-bonded multiferroic macromolecules accompanied by strong proton dependence of magnetic properties. The proton switching magnetoelectricity occurs in three-dimensional molecular heterogeneous solids. It consists of a molecular magnet network as proton reservoir to modulate ferroelectric polarization, while molecular ferroelectrics charging proton transfer to reversibly manipulate magnetism. The magnetoelectric coupling induces a reversible 29% magnetization control at ferroelectric phase transition with a broad thermal hysteresis width of 160 K (192 K to 352 K), while a room-temperature reversible magnetic modulation is realized at a low electric field stimulus of 1 kV cm−1. The findings of electrostatic proton transfer provide a pathway of proton mediated magnetization control in hierarchical molecular multiferroics. Compared to inorganic materials, the magnetoelectric coupling in macromolecules is still hidden. Here, the authors describe machine learning coupled with additive manufacturing to accelerate the discovery of multiferroic macromolecules with a proton-mediated magnetoelectric coupling effect.
Potential Therapeutic Candidates for Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD).

Aging contributes to the risk of development of ocular diseases including, but not limited to, Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) that is a leading cause of blindness in the United States as well as worldwide. Retinal aging, that contributes to AMD pathogenesis, is characterized by accumulation of drusen deposits, alteration in the composition of Bruch’s membrane and extracellular matrix, vascular inflammation and dysregulation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and subsequent retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cell senescence. Since there are limited options available for the prophylaxis and treatment of AMD, new therapeutic interventions are constantly being looked into to identify new therapeutic targets for AMD. This review article discusses the potential candidates for AMD therapy and their known mechanisms of cytoprotection in AMD. These target therapeutic candidates include APE/REF-1, MRZ-99030, Ciliary NeuroTrophic Factor (CNTF), RAP1 GTPase, Celecoxib, and SS-31/Elamipretide.
Zero- and negative-emissions fossil-fired power plants using CO2 capture by conventional aqueous amines

Abstract This work investigated the technical and economic feasibility of achieving zero and negative CO2 emissions in both pulverized coal (PC) and natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plants, using conventional amine scrubbing with 30 wt% aqueous monoethanolamine. In this work, we refer to “zero emissions” when the amount of CO2 in the exhaust flue gas is equal to that in the intake combustion air, and “negative emissions” when the amount of CO2 in the exhaust flue gas is less that in the intake combustion air. Increasing CO2 capture from 90% to that at zero-emissions for fossil-fired power plants can reduce global CO2 emissions by up to ∼1 Gt/y for the current global power generation mix. Even higher CO2 capture leads to negative emissions of the power plant with part of the CO2 from the intake air removed along with the fossil-fuel derived CO2. With an absorber configuration including a simple solvent intercooler, both PC and NGCC power plants can achieve zero-emissions with a ∼5% and ∼13% increase in CO2 avoidance costs, compared with the costs at 90% CO2 capture. The larger cost penalty for NGCC was mainly due to a temperature bulge at the absorber top. Replacing the simple solvent intercooler with a pump-around intercooler was able to reduce this cost penalty to ∼8%. Further decarbonization of flue gases from zero-emissions to direct air capture (DAC)-level of negative emissions (∼100 ppmv of CO2 in exhaust gases) has incremental costs of over $1000/t CO2 avoided for both PC and NGCC.
Selection And Women's Wages Over Time: Evidence From India

Between 1983 and 2011, the average real wage increased by 149% and 55% for Indian married women and men, respectively. At the same time, there was rapid economic growth (between 6% and 7% per year) as well as rising educational attainment in India. I use data from India's National Sample Survey to construct a unique sample of matched husband-wife pairs. I employ the Gronou-Heckman-Roy model and Heckman's two- step estimator to study how the change in observed wages and gender wage gap reflects the changing composition of the female workforce. The two-step estimates show that selection into wives' wage employment is consistently negative, however, is becoming less negative from -0.379 log points in 1983 to -0.181 log points in 2011. In addition, the two-step estimates of the gender wage gap show a moderate increase (in absolute value) from a -0.455 to a -0.503 log wage point differential over study period.
Renormalization group in quantum critical theories with Harris-marginal disorder

We develop a renormalization group for weak Harris-marginal disorder in otherwise strongly interacting quantum critical theories, focusing on systems which have emergent conformal invariance. Using conformal perturbation theory, we argue that previously proposed random lines of fixed points with Lifshitz scaling in fact flow towards other universal fixed points, and this flow is captured by a "one-loop" analysis. Our approach appears best controlled in theories with only a few operators with low scaling dimension. In this regime, we compare our predictions for the flow of disorder to holographic models, and find complete agreement.
Solute Transport, Microbial

Solute transport systems in the cell and organelle membranes of industrial microbes play major roles in the physiological processes exploited for human benefit. Transmembrane transport of solutes is a major function of microbial cells, and commonly, some 15% of the total protein production of cells is devoted to transport proteins. Very often, the rates at which solutes enter cells determine the rates at which cytoplasmic enzymes can act on substrates from the environment. Transport systems are also important in the excretion of toxic materials from cells or in the production of exopolymers such as exoenzymes. Prominent types of transmembrane transport systems include channels, which mainly act as selective conduits for the movement of solutes, including water, through membranes and various carriers, which are commonly active, energy-coupled transporters of solutes into or out of cells. These transporters may act by uniport, symport, or antiport, and also by group translocation, for example, in phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase systems. Energy coupling for transport systems may be primary, for example, involving membrane F-ATPases working in the synthase mode in conjunction with respiration or photosynthesis. Primary coupling can also involve cytoplasmic metabolism resulting in alkalinization of the cytoplasm, for example, through decarboxylation resulting in proton entry from the environment through F-ATPases with net synthesis of ATP or energization of the cell membrane. F-ATPases also play prominent roles in acid–base balance when they act in the hydrolytic mode to excrete protons when cells are in acid environments. Transport processes may also be secondarily energized by solute gradients across the cell membrane with, for example, antiport of the product of a metabolic process out of the cell with coupled antiport of the substrate for the process. Currently, there is an increasing appreciation for the roles of biofilms in industrial processes and the need to use biofilms, for which solute uptake may be diffusion limited, for the studies of transport processes of industrial microbes, which normally live in biofilm communities. Keywords: F-ATPases; industrial microbes; bioenergetics; biofilms; transport systems
Secondary Lymphoid-Tissue Chemokine (SLC) Stimulates Integrin α4β7-Mediated Adhesion of Lymphocytes to Mucosal Addressin Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 (MAdCAM-1) Under Flow

The attachment of leukocytes to the endothelium is a multistep process that depends upon a very rapid increase in the adhesive activity of leukocyte integrins. A pertussis toxin-sensitive pathway stimulates integrin-dependent lymphocyte adhesion to Peyer’s patch high endothelial venules in vivo, but the factors responsible for activating this pathway have not been identified previously. We now report that secondary lymphoid-tissue chemokine (SLC) (also known as 6Ckine, Exodus-2, and thymus-derived chemotactic agent 4), a recently described CC chemokine that is expressed in Peyer’s patches and lymph nodes, rapidly activates integrin-mediated lymphocyte adhesion. Immobilized SLC increased the adhesion of HUT-78 T cells and human PBLs to mucosal addressin cell adhesion molecule-1, a protein that is expressed on Peyer’s patch and mesenteric lymph node high endothelial venules. This effect of SLC was seen in both static and flow chamber adhesion assays, was mediated by integrin α4β7, and was inhibited by pertussis toxin. The other CC chemokines tested did not increase adhesion to mucosal addressin cell adhesion molecule-1. SLC had a greater effect on naive CD4+ T cells than on memory CD4+ T cells; CD8+ T cells, B cells, and NK cells were also responsive to SLC. SLC is likely to play an important role in regulating the recruitment of lymphocytes to Peyer’s patches and lymph nodes.
Photonic crystal enhancement of a homogeneous fluorescent assay using submicron fluid channels fabricated by E-jet patterning

We demonstrate the enhancement of a liquid-based homogenous fluorescence assay using the resonant electric fields from a photonic crystal (PC) surface. Because evanescent fields are confined to the liquid volume nearest to the photonic crystal, we developed a simple approach for integrating a PC fabricated on a silicon substrate within a fluid channel with submicron height, using electrohydrodynamic jet (e-jet) printing of a light-curable epoxy adhesive to define the fluid channel pattern. The PC is excited by a custom-designed compact instrument that illuminates the PC with collimated light that precisely matches the resonant coupling condition when the PC is covered with aqueous media. Using a molecular beacon nucleic acid fluorescence resonant energy transfer (FRET) probe for a specific miRNA sequence, we demonstrate an 8× enhancement of the fluorescence emission signal, compared to performing the same assay without exciting resonance in the PC detecting a miRNA sequence at a concentration of 62 nM from a liquid volume of only ∼20 nL. The approach may be utilized for any liquid-based fluorescence assay for applications in point-of-care diagnostics, environmental monitoring, or pathogen detection.
Health fraud and the resurgence of quackery in the United States: A warning to the European Union

Prior to the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act, medicine in the United States was in a deplorable state. Predatory patent medicine hucksters preyed on a medically unsophisticated population, hawking worthless and dangerous remedies that promised to cure every disease known to man, including cancer. The practice of selling unproven remedies was known as “quackery.” Quackery was once a well-respected and widely understood term. Virtually all legitimate health professionals deplored quackery, often understanding that it contained elements that were intentionally fraudulent in nature. In 1906, the legal machinery to stop quackery was put into place with the Pure Food and Drug Act. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continued to gain the power necessary to control quackery during the ensuing century. However, since the 1990s, unproven products have had an unparalleled resurgence of popularity among the American public. This is partly due to the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), a law that granted unprecedented legitimacy to “dietary supplements,”a broad group of heterogeneous products that had not gone through the prestigious and well-respected FDA OTC review process, and therefore, were wholly lacking in sufficient proof of safety and efficacy. The FDA is the leading agency charged with determining safety and efficacy of nonprescription products, but one of the effects of DSHEA was to nullify its powers in regard to unproven products. FDA cannot require that dietary supplements be proven safe or effective. These unproven products would once have been held up as prime examples of quackery by pharmacy journals and professional organizations. However, in the years since DSHEA, pharmacy’s journals and professional organizations often embrace these products through several means. For instance, they seldom address the issue of quackery in regard to dietary supplements, they recommend their use in editorials and related articles, they help boost their sales by accepting their advertising revenue, they allow their manufacturers to rent booth space at their conventions, and they publish textbook chapters that present uncritical, one-sided, biased views of
Interaction of epidermal growth factor with micelles monitored by photochemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization-1H NMR spectroscopy.

Abstract Photochemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (CIDNP)-1H-NMR spectroscopy has been used to study the interaction of the protein hormone epidermal growth factor (EGF) with micelles of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and dodecylphosphorylcholine (DPC). Conventional 1H-NMR spectra show that most protein resonances remain unperturbed when micelles are added to solution, which argues that the overall protein conformation is maintained in the presence of SDS or DPC at the concentrations used. Photo-CIDNP enhancements of resonances assigned to aromatic side chains of residues at the COOH terminus and beta-sheet regions of murine EGF (i.e. Trp-49, Trp-50, and Tyr-37) are considerably reduced in the presence of micelles, while resonances of aromatic side chains of residues found elsewhere on the protein surface are mostly unaffected. This suggests that the primary interaction between murine EGF and the micelle occurs at the micelle-bulk solvent interface. The overall negatively charged surface of SDS micelles tends to induce a stronger interaction with the protein compared to the zwitterionic DPC micelles, probably due to electrostatic interactions. Cleavage of the COOH-terminal pentapeptide containing both tryptophan residues enhances the already present, but weak, interaction with Tyr-10 and attenuates it with Tyr-37. A similar interaction pattern is found with rat EGF suggesting that at least concerning these two species of EGF the interaction is somewhat specific and conserved. A simple mass-action model for protein-micelle interaction is also presented.
Enzyme replacement therapy attenuates disease progression in a canine model of late‐infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (CLN2 disease)

Using a canine model of classical late-infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (CLN2 disease), a study was conducted to evaluate the potential pharmacological activity of recombinant human tripeptidyl peptidase-1 (rhTPP1) enzyme replacement therapy administered directly to the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). CLN2 disease is a hereditary neurodegenerative disorder resulting from mutations in CLN2, which encodes the soluble lysosomal enzyme tripeptidyl peptidase-1 (TPP1). Infants with mutations in both CLN2 alleles develop normally but in the late-infantile/early-childhood period undergo progressive neurological decline accompanied by pronounced brain atrophy. The disorder, a form of Batten disease, is uniformly fatal, with clinical signs starting between 2 and 4 years of age and death usually occurring by the early teenage years. Dachshunds homozygous for a null mutation in the canine ortholog of CLN2 (TPP1) exhibit a similar disorder that progresses to end stage at 10.5-11 months of age. Administration of rhTPP1 via infusion into the CSF every other week, starting at approximately 2.5 months of age, resulted in dose-dependent significant delays in disease progression, as measured by delayed onset of neurologic deficits, improved performance on a cognitive function test, reduced brain atrophy, and increased life span. Based on these findings, a clinical study evaluating the potential therapeutic value of rhTPP1 administration into the CSF of children with CLN2 disease has been initiated.
Progress in Inertial Fusion

The objectives of the Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) Program at LLNL are to understand, develop, and utilize the science and technology associated with the ICF concept. The current emphasis and the largest fraction of our effort is on understanding fundamental target physics and driver/target interactions, learning how to fabricate targets of various design, and developing a driver capable of igniting a high-gain target. These activities are appropriate for both the military and civilian applications. Smaller efforts are devoted to near-term military uses of the laser facilities that have little applicability to the civilian goals and, conversely, to nonoverlapping civilian-oriented development. Thus, while it can be said that more than 3/4 of our effort is devoted to military applications, it is also true that more than 3/4 of our effort is devoted to the civilian applications.
Pathway-specific variants of AMPA receptors and their contribution to neuronal signaling

Neurons of the nucleus magnocellularis (nMAG) of the chick express AMPA (alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate) receptors displaying unusually rapid kinetics of desensitization (Raman and Trussell, 1992a). To investigate whether fast AMPA receptors are present in other auditory neurons, we compared the properties of AMPA receptors in auditory as well as nonauditory cells. These included neurons of nMAG, the nucleus angularis, the nucleus laminaris, the cochlear ganglion, the Purkinje cell layer of the cerebellum, the ventral horn of the spinal cord, and the brainstem nucleus of the glossopharyngeal nerve (ncIX). Rapid application of glutamate to voltage-clamped outside-out membrane patches indicated that AMPA receptors in the four types of auditory cells had significantly faster kinetics of desensitization than did the three types of nonauditory neurons. Channel kinetics in auditory (nMAG) and nonauditory (ncIX) cells were also compared by means of spectral analysis and the time course of current deactivation upon removal of glutamate. Both techniques revealed a burst duration for nMAG channels of 400-500 musec at room temperature, two to three times shorter than for ncIX cells. Single channels in nMAG had a burst duration of 550 musec and an open time of approximately 150 musec. Miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents of brainstem auditory neurons in slices were also brief, with decay constants of 150-250 musec at 29-32 degrees C. We demonstrated that the fast kinetics of this AMPA receptor are physiologically important, since cyclothiazide, which reduces desensitization and prolongs synaptic currents, doubled the relative refractory period of orthodromic spikes in nMAG cells in brain slices. We conclude that auditory brainstem neurons express a specialized subtype of AMPA receptors. This "fast" AMPA receptor may be useful in transmitting signals necessary for sound localization.
Schools, Bullying, and Inequality: Intersecting Factors and Complexities with the Stratification of Youth Victimization at School

Bullying within United States (US) schools is a growing concern among parents, school officials and policymakers. In early 2011, the first-ever White House Conference on Bullying Prevention was held in hope of addressing bullying within US schools. Although the social, political, and media attention is increasing, it is important to consider the complexities and disparities associated with school bullying. In this article, four of the wide array of influences that increase the vulnerabilities of youth to be a victim of bullying at school are reviewed: (i) race and ethnicity, (ii) being and immigrant, (iii) gender, and; (iv) sexual orientation. Understanding and acknowledging the inequalities associated with school bullying, as well as the policies implemented in response, is instrumental for the US’ efforts towards providing safe, healthy, and democratic learning environments.
Trogocytosis Results in Sustained Intracellular Signaling in CD4 + T Cells

CD4(+) T cells capture membrane and membrane-bound molecules from APCs directly from the immunological synapse in a process termed trogocytosis. The function and biological consequences of trogocytosis are largely unknown. In this study, we examine the biological significance of this phenomenon on the trogocytosis-positive T cell. We used murine fibroblasts expressing GFP-tagged I-E(k) molecules loaded with a covalently attached antigenic peptide (moth cytochrome c 88-103) to present Ag to primary TCR transgenic T cells. Using a combination of high-resolution light microscopy and flow cytometry, we show that the trogocytosed molecules are retained on the surface of the T cell in association with the TCR and elevated phosphorylated ZAP-70, phosphorylated tyrosine, and phosphorylated ERK 1/2. Through the use of the Src inhibitor PP2, we demonstrate that trogocytosed molecules directly sustain TCR signaling. In addition, after removal of APC, trogocytosis-positive cells preferentially survive in culture over several days. These novel findings suggest that trogocytosed molecules continue to engage their receptors on the T cell surface and sustain intracellular signaling leading to selective survival of these cells.
The dependence of motoneurons on their target muscle during postnatal development of the mouse

Motoneurons seem to require contact with their target muscle even after embryogenesis is complete, but the consequences of target-deprivation during postnatal development are poorly understood. To examine the fate of motoneurons separated from their targets postnatally, we labeled the motoneurons that innervate the biceps brachii muscle with the retrograde tracer Fluorogold and then separated them from their muscle by amputating the forelimb. Fluorogold was subsequently found within motoneurons, as well as within much smaller cells that were identified as microglia. The number of labeled microglial cells steadily increased with time following limb amputation, while the number of labeled motoneurons declined. The magnitude of this response depended on the age of the animal: the younger the animal at the time of the amputation, the greater the number of labeled microglia and the more extensive the neuronal loss. To ensure that the response to amputation was caused by target deprivation, rather than by the injury itself, the nerve to the biceps muscle was cut or crushed. In this way, axons were transected but target access was only temporarily denied. After the nerve was cut, motoneurons began to reinnervate the muscle within 3 weeks but, just as after amputation, the spinal cord subsequently contained labeled microglia and a reduced number of motoneurons. In contrast, after nerve crush, reinnervation began within 4 d and there was no evidence of motoneuron death. Our results demonstrate that target-deprivation causes motoneurons to be lost in an age- and time- dependent manner, and indicate a critical period after axotomy during which motoneurons must reinnervate their target in order to survive. Further, we provide evidence that microglial cells may phagocytose dying motoneurons. The approach we used would provide a convenient assay for testing candidate motoneuron growth factors in animals where in vivo studies of the embryo are difficult.
Aging respectably by rejecting medicalization: Mexican men's reasons for not using erectile dysfunction drugs.

As lifestyle drug production and medical interest in geriatrics increase, the medicalization of aging and sexuality have become intertwined. Drugs like Viagra naturalize lifelong performance of phallocentric sex as a marker of healthy aging. Yet despite the ubiquity of medical aids for having “youthful” sex in older age, this article argues that having no or less sex can be a conscious strategy for embodying respectable aging. Based on ethnographic research in a Cuernavaca, Mexico, hospital urology department, this article shows that despite the traditional association of penetrative sex with successful masculinity, many older, working-class Mexican men faced with erectile difficulty reject “youthful” sexuality and drugs that facilitate it in order to embody a “mature” masculinity focused on home and family. This article argues that social encouragement and structural disincentives for medicalizing erectile difficulty encouraged men to interpret decreasing erectile function as natural and appropriate.
Coincident acute appendicitis and hemorrhagic corpus luteal cyst

A case of coincident acute appendicitis and hemorrhagic corpus luteal cyst is presented. The difficulty of differentiating acute appendicits from gynecological problems is discussed. In addition, prior simultaneous occurrences of other abdominal emergencies with acute appendicitis are reviewed.
Imaging of organic molecular films with the atomic force microscope

Abstract We have imaged organic films on graphite with the AFM. The images were taken in the contact mode under water. Molecular arrangements of behenic acid CH 3 (CH 2 ) 20 COOH prepared by the Langmuir-Blodgett technique have been observed. The molecules are arranged in rows with a periodicity of 5.9 nm. A shorter periodicity of 0.5 nm along the perpendicular direction to the rows was also observed. Liquid crystal molecules 4'- n -octyl- n -cyanobiphenyl on graphite, which have been investigated very well with STM, were successfully imaged with almost the same resolution as in STM. Seemingly the alkyl tails gave higher contrast than the cyanobiphenyl headgroups whereas this is opposite in STM.
Absorption kinetics of aspirin in man following oral administration of an aqueous solution

The absorption of aspirin was studied in four male subjects following an oral solution of 650 mg. The absorption process appeared to follow first-order kinetics, with a half-life ranging from 4.5 to 16.0 min. between subjects. Comparison of the area under the aspirin plasma concentration-time curve following intravenous and oral routes indicated that only 68% of the dose reached the peripheral circulation intact. A two-compartment model for both aspirin and its metabolite, salicylic acid, involving a constant fractional hydrolysis of aspirin during absorption, satisfactorily described both the aspirin and resultant salicylic acid plasma data. Methods used to calculate aspirin absorption kinetics are discussed.
Introduction: The interpersonal contexts of teaching, learning, and motivation

Ohio State University In recent years, there has been increasing interest in exploring social-contextual factors both within and outside of the classroom. Within a sociocultural framework, “context” has traditionally been defined as the cultural and historical situation one finds oneself in as one engages in a learning process (Wertsch, 1991). This is to include immediate social groups such as dyads, small groups, and broader cultural settings. In this vein, many studies in educational psychology have attempted to define and explore the role of social context as adultchild relationships, peer relationships, cooperative group dynamics, and classroom climate. However, there have been few attempts to integrate findings across multiple “contexts” in order to examine teaching, learning, and developmental outcomes in a complex and dynamic manner. One notable exception is Anderman and Anderman’s (2000; see also Juvonen & Wentzel, 1996) special issue of Educational Psychologist. Since then, educational psychologists have focused more on the awareness of social dynamics in the classroom by increasing research on the role of social contexts in education. Although the issue (Anderman & Anderman, 2000) helped us understand researchers’ need to examine theory in social contexts, our issue goes one step further by presenting new frameworks and empirical studies currently exploring the social contexts of classrooms and schools. For example, researchers across the Educational Psychologist special issue called for explorations of learning and motivation to be more inclusive of the multiple perspectives operating in the classroom and the differing levels of context. Our authors an-
Behavior of temperature-based water stress indicators in BIOTIC-controlled irrigation

A subsurface drip irrigation study with cotton used canopy temperature to determine signals for irrigation control during 2002–2004. Timing of irrigation applications was controlled by the biologically identified optimal temperature interactive console (BIOTIC) protocol, which used stress time (ST) and a crop-specific optimum temperature to indicate water stress. ST was the cumulative daily time quantity when cotton canopy temperature exceeded 28°C. STs between 5.5 and 8.5 h in 1 h increments were irrigation signal criteria, which produced different irrigation regimes. This investigation examined the association among ST, daily average canopy temperature (T c), canopy and air temperature difference (T c−T a), and the relative crop water stress index (RCWSI) including their relationship with lint yield. Number of irrigation signals decreased linearly with ST at the rate of −10.2 and −8.7 irrigations per 1 h increase of ST in 2003 and 2004. There were significant curvilinear relationships between ST and the average daily stress on days with irrigation signals and for days without irrigation signals across years. The percentage of positive daily (T c−T a) values increased with ST level. ST and T c were positively related in all irrigation signal treatments with 5.5 and 6.5 h being significant in 2003 and 2004. Yield declined at the rate of 343 kg lint/ha for each 1 h increase of ST for days with irrigation signals. ST, mathematically the most simple of the canopy temperature-based parameters, provided the most consistent estimate of crop water stress and correlation with lint yield. The power of ST to characterize water stress effects on crop productivity evolves from being an integrated value of time while canopy temperature exceeds a physiologically based threshold value.
Flavor Compounds in Wines Produced from Chardonnay Grapes Fermented with Fruit Juices

Chardonnay grapes were fermented with or without juice of apple, pear, cantaloupe, peach, banana, or orange with a Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strain. Volatile chemicals formed in the seven wines were isolated and identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. A total of 29 major volatile compounds were identified in the seven wines. They were 8 alcohols, 12 esters, 6 acids, and 3 miscellaneous compounds. Isoamyl alcohol was the most abundant volatile chemical found in all the wines. It comprised from 31.35% (pear wine) to 44.94% (orange wine) of the total GC peak area. Cantaloupe wine contained the highest amount of 2-phenyl alcohol in the seven wines. Amounts of monoethyl succinate, which was one of the most abundant compounds found in wine fermented alone, ranged from 8.35% (apple) to 23.95% (banana). Ethyl 2-hydroxy propionate, amounts of which ranged from 3.93% (cantaloupe) to 5.41% (without fruit), was one of the major esters found in wines. The addition of fruit juices did not significantly change the overall volatile composition of fermented grapes. However, each fruit juice gave its characteristic flavor to the final wine. There have been only a few reports on wines flavored with other fruits.
A subspace approach to balanced truncation for model reduction of nonlinear control systems

In this paper, we introduce a new method of model reduction for nonlinear control systems. Our approach is to construct an approximately balanced realization. The method requires only standard matrix computations, and we show that when it is applied to linear systems it results in the usual balanced truncation. For nonlinear systems, the method makes use of data from either simulation or experiment to identify the dynamics relevant to the input}output map of the system. An important feature of this approach is that the resulting reduced-order model is nonlinear, and has inputs and outputs suitable for control. We perform an example reduction for a nonlinear mechanical system.