cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Phase separation and random domain patterns in a stochastic particle model

Abstract This paper deals with a dynamics (Glauber-Kawasaki) of a d-dimensional (d = 2,3) spin system, with a (zero magnetization) Bernoulli measure as initial condition. On the hydrodynamic scaling the system is reacting and diffusive, and the associated macroscopic initial state is stationary, but unstable. We prove that the system will escape from this spatially trivial state on a time scale longer than the hydrodynamic one (on this new scale the escape will happen at a deterministic time). Right after the escape the system will have locally a magnetization corresponding to one of the two stable phases, but globally it will show a nontrivial spatial structure. The onset of this spatial structure is studied and its characterization by means of a random field is given. This work extends the results in De Masi (1991) that deal with a one-dimensional system.
Analgesic, mood, and hemodynamic effects of intranasal cocaine and lidocaine in chronic facial pain of deafferentation and myofascial origin

Abstract Pain, mood and hemodynamic effects of intranasal (IN) cocaine were studied in patients suffering from chronic facial pain of myofascial or deafferentation neuralgia origin. Fifteen and 25% aqueous solutions of cocaine were compared with a placebo of normal saline solution and 4% lidocaine, which served as an "active" control. Trials were evaluated on separate days in a randomized, double-blind cross-over comparison. Subjective reports of pain and mood and objective physiological measures were obtained before and at regular intervals during administration of each solution. Reductions in pain occurred at both cocaine concentrations but were statistically significant only after the 15% solution. On completion of the experimental phase, 11 patients participated in a single trial of a 40% cocaine solution under similar study conditions with the exception of the cross-over procedure. The 40% solution produced significantly greater improvement in analgesic effects than the 15% or 25% concentrations. No significant mood effects were observed for any of the treatments as compared to placebo. Pulse rate was increased after all cocaine doses. IN lidocaine produced a significant reduction of systolic blood pressure, but no significant changes in pain or mood.
Microspore gene expression associated with cytoplasmic male sterility and fertility restoration in sorghum

Gene expression associated with the restoration of fertility in sorghum lines carrying the IS1112C male-sterile cytoplasm was characterized through cDNA-AFLP transcript profiling and examinations of protein product abundance of selected mitochondrial genes. Microspores from near-isogenic male-sterile, fertility-restored, and normal-cytoplasm lines in two genetic backgrounds, and from four recombinant inbred lines (RILs) differing at two fertility restorer loci, were examined. We characterized seven transcript-derived fragments (TDFs) unique to a BC7F3 fertility-restored line, four of which were eliminated in a marker-selected BC11F3. Transcripts or cDNAs of the remaining three TDFs were detected in all lines examined, indicating that the unique fragments represent alleles detected by sequence polymorphisms or by enhanced transcript abundance. The TDFs were found to be derived from the non-recurrent IS1112C male parent, and certain of the TDFs may be linked to the fertility restorer alleles, consistent with analyses of the RILs. Sequences of the TDFs showed similarity with EST’s of unknown cellular function. The accumulation of mitochondrial proteins was examined in male-sterile, normal-cytoplasm, and restored BC11F3 lines. The male-sterile microspore mitochondria contained elevated levels of the nuclear-encoded alternative oxidase protein, potentially associating mitochondrial dysfunction with failed pollen development. The relative abundance of mitochondrial-encoded ATPA, ATP6 and COXII proteins, and of nuclear-encoded MnSOD, Cyt c and ALDH proteins, did not vary with cytoplasm or fertility status at the microspore stage.
Psychological Distress Among Single, Employed, Black Mothers and Their Perceptions of Their Young Children

This study investigated the relationship of psychological distress to mothers' perceptions of their 3- and 4-year-old children using data gathered from a sample of 111 single employed black mothers with low income. Findings revealed that parenting a boy child was associated with higher levels of depressive symptomatology, which, in turn, was associated with more negative perceptions of children, especially boys. However, higher educational attainment appears to mitigate the effects of psychological distress on young black children, regardless of sex of child and the extent of the mother's involvement in the paid labor force. Implications for policy and future research are discussed.
Asymptotic failure distributions

Abstract We consider a single device shock model in which the shocks arrive as a renewal process. We study the asymptotic shape of the failure distribution and find conditions on the renewal process and the ability of the device to survive shocks so that the failure distribution is asymptotically Increasing Failure Rate.
Type-1 angiotensin receptors are expressed and transported in motor and sensory axons of rat sciatic nerves

Abstract Angiotensin II (Ang II) and its type-1 receptor (AT1) occur in neurons at multiple locations within the organism, but the basic biology of the receptor in the nervous system remains incompletely understood. We previously observed abundant AT1-like binding sites and intense expression of AT1 immunoreactivity in perikarya of the dorsal root ganglion and ventral horn of the rat spinal cord. We have now examined the receptor in rat sciatic nerve, including the dynamics of its axonal transport. Ligand-binding autoradiography of resting nerve showed “hot spots” of 125I-Ang II binding that could be specifically blocked by the AT1 antagonist, losartan. Immunohistochemistry with an AT1-antibody validated by Western blots also showed patches of AT1-reactivity in nerve. These patches were localized around large myelinated axons with faint immunoreactivity in their lumens. Sixteen hours after nerve ligation there was no change in the patches or hot spots, but luminal AT1-reactivity increased dramatically in a narrow zone immediately above the ligature. With double ligation there was a pronounced accumulation of AT1 immunoreactivity proximal to the upstream ligature and a very slight accumulation distal to the second ligature. This asymmetric pattern of accumulation, confirmed by quantitative receptor binding autoradiography, probably reflected axonal transport rather than local production of receptor. Retrograde tracing and stereological analysis to determine the source of transported AT1 indicated that many AT1-positive fibers arise in the ventral horn, and a larger number arise in dorsal root ganglia. A corresponding result was obtained with double-label immunohistochemistry of ligated nerve, which showed AT1 accumulations in both motor and sensory fibers. We conclude that somatic sensory and motor neurons of the rat export substantial quantities of AT1 into axons, which transport them to the periphery. The physiologic implications of this finding require further investigation.
Blood and Plasma Pharmacokinetics of Ciclosporin in Diabetic Kidney Transplant Recipients

Background and objectives: Long-term diabetes mellitus may affect the absorption, distribution and metabolism of immunosuppressive agents used after organ transplantation. The aims of this study were to characterize ciclosporin pharmacokinetics in blood and plasma and to compare the ciclosporin unbound concentration and the blood : plasma concentration (B : P) ratio in diabetic kidney transplant recipients. Patients and methods: Ciclosporin 12-hour steady-state pharmacokinetics were studied in eight diabetic and nine nondiabetic patients. Ciclosporin concentrations in whole blood and in plasma were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and the ciclosporin fraction unbound (fu) was determined by an equilibrium dialysis method utilizing [3H]ciclosporin as a tracer. Oral absorption of paracetamol (acetaminophen) was used as a marker for gastric emptying. Results: In diabetic patients, the time to the peak blood ciclosporin concentration at steady state (tmax,ss) was prolonged (128 minutes vs 93 minutes in nondiabetic patients, p < 0.01) and, on average, the paracetamol tmax was prolonged by 30 minutes. The whole-blood dose-normalized area under the concentration-time curve from 0 to 12 hours (AUC12) was marginally lower in diabetic patients (p = 0.09) and the plasma AUC12 was significantly lower (p = 0.03). The ciclosporin fu was numerically higher in diabetic patients (1.20 ± 0.65% vs 0.72 ± 0.28% in nondiabetic patients, p = 0.066); however, the unbound concentration values were essentially similar in the two groups (0.58 ± 0.76 μg/L in diabetic patients and 0.52 ± 0.48 μg/L in nondiabetic patients; p = 0.59). No difference was observed in the ciclosporin B : P ratio between the two groups. Conclusion: This study indicates that diabetes delays ciclosporin absorption, reduces ciclosporin exposure and increases the ciclosporin fu but not the pharmacologically active unbound concentration.
Patterns of composition change in multicomponent batch distillation

Abstract A simple dynamic model has been developed to study the behavior of multicomponent batch distillation. The distillate compositions obtained for ideal mixtures behave in accord with intuition since the fractions contain the individual pure components in order of increasing boiling point. Azeotropic mixtures are more complex and counter-intuitive, in some cases displaying non-adjacent distillate fractions which have the same composition. The general behavior of ternary azeotropic batch distillation is described in simple terms based on the nature of the distillate and still composition changes in the phase plane. At large reflux ratio and number of stages, the sequence of distillate fractions generated from any initial composition in the still can be found with little or no computational effort.
Stochastic Modeling of Fatigue Crack Damage for Risk Analysis and Remaining Life Prediction

This paper presents a stochastic model of fatigue crack damage in metallic materials that are commonly encountered in structures and machinery components of complex mechanical systems (e.g., aircraft, spacecraft, and power plants). The constitutive equation of the damage model is based on the physics of fracture mechanics and is validated by Karhunen-Loeve analysis of test data. The (nonstationary) probability distribution function (PDF) of fatigue crack damage is generated in a closed form without numerically solving stochastic differential equations in the Wiener integral or Ito integral setting. The crack damage model thus allows real-time execution of decision algorithms for risk assessment and life prediction on inexpensive platforms such as a Pentium processor. The model predictions are in close agreement with experimental data of fatigue crack growth statistics for 2024-T3 and 7075-T6 aluminum alloys.
Abstract 2049: A novel, potent, Cyp17 inhibitor with favorable pharmacokinetics and oral bioavailability for potential treatment of human castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).

Cytochrome P450 17α-hydroxylase/C 17,20 -lyase (CYP17) is a key enzyme in androgen bio-synthesis in adrenals and testes. It has been validated clinically as an effective target for CRPC through successful clinical trials with abiraterone acetate. Abiraterone acetate is a selective, potent inhibitor of Cyp17, and was recently approved as a treatment for CRPC. We have designed a novel Cyp17 inhibitor, BMN680, with improved pharmacokinetic (PK) profile and oral bioavailability while maintaining potent Cyp17 inhibition. BMN680 inhibits Cyp17 lyase activity with IC 50 of 0.8 nM and reduces testosterone production in human adrenal cancer cell line H295R cells with IC 50 of 3.87 nM. in vitro metabolic stability studies indicate that BMN680 has a half-life of 5-hr in human liver microsome and 8-hr half-life in human hepatocytes. Animal PK profiling in rats and monkeys demonstrated BMN680 has in vivo half-life of >4 hr and oral bioavailability of >30%. Single oral dosing of BMN680 at 10 mg/kg in normal, intact, Cynomolgus monkeys resulted in suppression of plasma testosterone level for up to 24 hour. Pharmacodynamic (PD) effect of single and multi-day oral dosing of BMN680 in monkey will be presented. In human liver microsome Cyp panel screen, BMN680 exhibited IC 50 greater than 1.5 uM for all Cyp enzymes tested including 1A2, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6, 3A4, indicating low potential of drug-drug interaction. In conclusion, BMN680 is a potent Cyp17 inhibitor with low interaction with Cyp450 isoforms, and desirable PK and oral bioavailability. BMN680 can effectively suppress testosterone production in vivo, and will be further evaluated in preclinical development. Citation Format: Ying Feng, Bing Wang, Daniel Chu, Leonard Post, Yuqiao Shen. A novel, potent, Cyp17 inhibitor with favorable pharmacokinetics and oral bioavailability for potential treatment of human castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2049. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-2049
Some Protein Changes in Stored Frozen Poultry

Abstract SINCE quality loss in stored frozen poultry must logically be the result of certain physical and chemical changes in the tissues themselves, it would seem desirable to obtain as complete a picture of these changes as possible to aid in determining processing and storage conditions that will minimize deterioration in quality. Past research involving studies of chemical changes in stored frozen meats has been rather limited, and the results reported have been quite contradictory in nature. This is especially true of the area concerned with protein changes. That freezing results in denaturation of proteins in fish muscle and fish muscle juice has been reported by Tadokoro and Yoshimura (1928), Finn (1934), and Ridell et al. (1927). The extent of denaturation was governed largely by storage temperature and length of holding period. Nickerson et al. (1950) observed that when mackerel tissues which had been treated by ionizing radiation methods to destroy …
College financial aid rules and the allocation of savings

The college financial aid system imposes an implicit asset tax that is prevalent and substantial. Facing this tax, rational families should reduce their total assets and shelter assets in protected categories. I find that the tax induces a 7–12% reduction in total assets, a result in line with the literature. Furthermore, I find evidence that families reallocate assets into sheltered retirement accounts. The paper provides further evidence that the financial aid tax reduces asset accumulation and prompts a reconsideration of the simple ‘higher tax, lower assets’ story. It provides the first evidence that families may be engaging in a rational reallocation of their asset portfolio.
Loss of cardiac sympathetic neurotransmitters in heart failure and NE infusion is associated with reduced NGF

Sympathetic neurotransmitters are diminished in cardiac efferent nerve endings in congestive heart failure (CHF). Similar changes occur after exogenous norepinephrine (NE) infusion. Since NE reduce...
Plot protein: visualization of mutations

Background Next-generation sequencing has enabled examination of variation at the DNA sequence level and can be further enhanced by evaluation of the variants at the protein level. One powerful method is to visualize these data often revealing patterns not immediately apparent in a text version of the same data. Many investigators are interested in knowing where their amino acid changes reside within a protein. Clustering of variation within a protein versus non-clustering can show interesting aspects of the biological changes happening in disease.
A random-coefficient third-order autoregressive process

Many systems and physical processes require non-Gaussian probabilistic models to accurately capture their dynamic behaviour. In this paper, we present a random-coefficient mathematical form that can be used to simulate a third-order Laplace autoregressive (AR) process. The mathematical structure of the random-coefficient AR process has a Markovian property that makes it flexible and simple to implement. A detailed derivation of its parameters as well as its pseudo-code implementation is provided. Moreover, it is shown that the process has an autocorrelation property that satisfies Yule-Walker type of equations. Having such an autocorrelation property makes the developed AR process, particularly, convenient for deriving mathematical models for dynamic systems, as well as signals, whose parameters of interest are Laplace distributed. Derivation of a random coefficient third-order Laplace AR process.Pseudo-code to simulate Laplace AR process.Steps to design a Laplace AR process to meet a desired autocorrelation property.
Following the Golden Rule (of Teaching)

Often it is helpful to reduce complex entities to their essences. In doing so, much of the complexity is stripped away and clarity ensues. Certainly, learning to become an excellent teacher is a long and complex process. However, at its core, perhaps one rule can guide you.
Cardiac Vagal Tone and Quality of Parenting Show Concurrent and Time-Ordered Associations That Diverge in Abusive, Neglectful, and Non-Maltreating Mothers

Concurrent and lagged maternal respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) was monitored in the context of parenting. One hundred and forty-one preschooler-mother dyads— involved with child welfare as documented perpetrators of child abuse or neglect, or non-maltreating (non-CM)—were observed completing a resting baseline and joint challenge task. Parenting behaviors were coded using SASB (Benjamin, 1996) and maternal RSA was simultaneously monitored, longitudinally-nested within-person (WP), and subjected to MLM. Abusive and neglectful mothers displayed less positive parenting and more strict/hostile control, relative to non-CM mothers. Non-CM mothers displayed greater WP heterogeneity in variance over time in their RSA scores, and greater consistency over time in their parenting behaviors, relative to abusive or neglectful mothers. CM group also moderated concurrent and lagged WP associations in RSA and positive parenting. When abusive mothers displayed lower RSA in a given epoch, relative to their task average, they showed concurrent increases in positive parenting, and higher subsequent levels of hostile control in the following epoch, suggesting that it is physiologically taxing for abusive mothers to parent in positive ways. In contrast, lagged effects for non-CM mothers were observed in which RSA decreases led to subsequent WP increases in positive parenting and decreases in control. Reversed models were significant only for neglectful mothers: Increases in positive parenting led to subsequent increases in RSA levels, and increases in strict, hostile control led to subsequent RSA decreases. These results provide new evidence that concurrent and time-ordered coupling in maternal physiology and behavior during parenting vary in theoretically meaningful ways across CM and non-CM mothers. Implications for intervention and study limitations are discussed.
Optimizing Electrostatic Field Calculations with the Adaptive Poisson–Boltzmann Solver to Predict Electric Fields at Protein–Protein Interfaces II: Explicit Near-Probe and Hydrogen-Bonding Water Molecules

We have examined the effects of including explicit, near-probe solvent molecules in a continuum electrostatics strategy using the linear Poisson–Boltzmann equation with the Adaptive Poisson–Boltzmann Solver (APBS) to calculate electric fields at the midpoint of a nitrile bond both at the surface of a monomeric protein and when docked at a protein–protein interface. Results were compared to experimental vibrational absorption energy measurements of the nitrile oscillator. We examined three methods for selecting explicit water molecules: (1) all water molecules within 5 A of the nitrile nitrogen; (2) the water molecule closest to the nitrile nitrogen; and (3) any single water molecule hydrogen-bonding to the nitrile. The correlation between absolute field strengths with experimental absorption energies were calculated and it was observed that method 1 was only an improvement for the monomer calculations, while methods 2 and 3 were not significantly different from the purely implicit solvent calculations for...
An Energy-Aware Multi-Hop Tree Scatternet for Bluetooth Networks

Bluetooth is an enabling technology used to construct personal area networks. Since Bluetooth devices are usually energy-constrained, a critical issue for Bluetooth networks (or scatternets) is to achieve energy-efficiency to extend their lifetime. We address this problem by distributedly forming an energy-aware scatternet in the multi-hop scenario, and further design a local reorganization technique that maintains scatternets' energy-efficient features to extend scatternet lifetime. The proposed scatternet formation technique balances devices' energy consumption by assigning roles to devices that suit their workload and energy resources, and efficiently form the scatternets with short links and small network diameter to reduce energy consumption. The generated scatternets are also designed for a small number of piconets to improve performance in typical Bluetooth applications. The localized, and hence lightweight, reorganization can extend scatternet lifetime further. Experimental results, obtained from implementations using the Blueware simulator, confirm that the generated scatternets have a significantly longer lifetime than others.
An Empirical Study of Explicit and Implicit Teaching Strategies in French

eign language education have been refining their theories concerning the role of teaching grammar to promote mastery of a foreign language. Most theories maintain that the process of learning to read, write, speak, and understand a foreign language is facilitated through the study of grammar. However, some scholars have recently questioned the validity of grammar study as it relates to effecting functional mastery of a foreign language. Since the publication of the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, specialists in foreign language pedagogy have been interested in adapting the principles of the Guidelines to the classroom setting. The concept of"proficiency oriented teaching" gives rise to a serious theoretical debate regarding how grammar should be taught: through explicit explanation or through implicit exemplification.
Tracing personalized health curves during infections

It is difficult to describe host-microbe interactions in a manner that deals well with both pathogens and mutualists. Perhaps a way can be found using an ecological definition of tolerance, where tolerance is defined as the dose response curve of health versus parasite load. To plot tolerance, individual infections are summarized by reporting the maximum parasite load and the minimum health for a population of infected individuals and the slope of the resulting curve defines the tolerance of the population. We can borrow this method of plotting health versus microbe load in a population and make it apply to individuals; instead of plotting just one point that summarizes an infection in an individual, we can plot the values at many time points over the course of an infection for one individual. This produces curves that trace the course of an infection through phase space rather than over a more typical timeline. These curves highlight relationships like recovery and point out bifurcations that are difficult to visualize with standard plotting techniques. Only nine archetypical curves are needed to describe most pathogenic and mutualistic host-microbe interactions. The technique holds promise as both a qualitative and quantitative approach to dissect host-microbe interactions of all kinds.
Spectral Moments of the Long-term Average Spectrum: Sensitive Indices of Voice Change After Therapy?

Summary Voice clinicians require an objective, reliable, and relatively automatic method to assess voice change after medical, surgical, or behavioral intervention. This measure must be sensitive to a variety of voice qualities and severities, and preferably should reflect voice in continuous speech. The long-term average spectrum (LTAS) is a fast Fourier transform-generated power spectrum whose properties can be compared with a Gaussian bell curve using spectral moments analysis. Four spectral moments describe features of the LTAS: Spectral mean (Moment 1) and standard deviation (Moment 2) represent the spectrum's central tendency and dispersion, respectively. Skewness (based on Moment 3) and kurtosis (based on Moment 4) represent the spectrum's tilt and peakedness, respectively. To examine whether the first four spectral moments of the LTAS were sensitive to perceived voice improvement after voice therapy, this investigation compared pretreatment and posttreatment voice samples of 93 patients with functional dysphonia using spectral moments analysis. Inspection of the results revealed that spectral mean and standard deviation lowered significantly with perceived voice improvement after successful behavioral management ( p p
Glucocorticoid-Refractory Acute Graft-versus-Host Disease

Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) is a major cause of hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) associated morbidity and mortality. Those who fail first-line therapy with ≥1 mg/kg of glucocorticoids achieve limited complete responses to salvage agents, and suffer inferior outcomes compared to those who respond to glucocorticoids. The literature to date in salvage therapy for refractory aGVHD suffers from a number of methodologic limitations, and the near absence of data on comparative effectiveness of alternative salvage agents limits conclusions and application to clinical practice. This review examines the current literature on salvage therapy for glucocorticoid-refractory aGVHD, identifies barriers to progress in the field, calls for consensus in definitions and response criteria in the conduct of refractory aGVHD trials, and explores the scientific and therapeutic implications of molecular insights into glucocorticoid responsiveness realized in allied investigation.
Stochastic neural networks for solving job-shop scheduling. I. Problem representation

An application of neural networks is presented for solving job-shop scheduling, and NP-complete optimization problem with constraint satisfaction. In particular, the authors introduce a neural computation architecture based on a stochastic Hopfield neural-network model. First, the job-shop problem is mapped into a two-dimensional matrix representation of neurons similar to those for solving the traveling salesman problem (TSP). Constant positive and negative current biases are applied to specific neurons as excitations and inhibitions, respectively, to enforce the operation precedence relationships. At the convergence of the neural network, solution to the job-shop problem is represented by a set of cost function trees encoded in the matrix of stable states. Each node represents a job, and each link represents the interdependency between jobs. The cost attached to each link is a function of the processing time of a particular job. The starting time of each job can be determined by traversing the paths leading to the root node of the tree. Near-optimal and optimal solutions are found by simulated annealing. >
ENHANCING PROTEIN CRYSTALLIZATION THROUGH PRECIPITANT SYNERGY

Suitable conditions for protein crystallization are commonly identified by screening combinations of independent factors that affect crystal formation. Because precipitating agents are prime determinants of crystallization, we investigated whether a systematic exploration of combinations of mechanistically distinct precipitants would enhance crystallization. A crystallization screen containing 64 precipitant mixtures was devised. Tests with ten HIV envelope-related proteins demonstrated that use of precipitant mixtures significantly enhanced both the probability of crystallization as well as the quality of optimized crystals. Tests with hen egg white lysozyme generated a novel C2 crystal from a salt/organic solvent mixture; structure solution at 2 A resolution revealed a lattice held together by both hydrophobic and electrostatic dyad interactions. The results indicate that mechanistically distinct precipitants can synergize, with precipitant combinations adding unique dimensions to protein crystallization.
IMPERFECT MARKETS AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DEVALUATION

SUMMARY The Marshall-Lerner criterion for a successful devaluation assumes perfectly competitive markets to exist in both countries. The consequent equality of marginal cost and price ensures that the price effect of the devaluation will be transmitted to the international market. There are three types of transaction which may lead to the maintenance of the price of export in foreign currency in the wake of a devaluation: goods originating in imperfectly competitive domestic product markets; goods having their international prices determined by international bodies; and international flows of interest and dividends which are defined in foreign currency. If these types of transaction form an important part of the devaluing nation's payments or receipts, there is a positive probability that the Marshall-Lerner condition will overstate the sum of the demand elasticities necessary for effective devaluation.
Rubin, Gayle (1949–)

Gayle Rubin is a cultural anthropologist and historian whose work centers on the politics of sexuality. She has conducted ethnographic research since the 1970s on gay male fetish subcultures as well as historical research ranging in topics from gay male leather history to the history of social scientific research on sexual subcultures. Rubin is perhaps best known for her two essays, “The Traffic in Women: Notes on the ‘Political Economy’ of Sex” and “Thinking Sex: Notes for a Radical Theory of the Politics of Sexuality,” both of which continue to be influential works in feminist and queer studies. Rubin has also been a critical figure in feminist and queer activism, especially during the Feminist Sex Wars of the 1980s. Keywords: anthropology; fetish cultures; homosexuality; leather; political economy; pornography; prostitution; sadomasochism; sex-positive feminism
Harry Potter in a Globalizing and Localizing World

Harry Potter and International Relations. Edited by Daniel H. Nexon, Iver B. Neumann. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 2006. 224 pp., $72.00 cloth (ISBN: 0-7425-3958-X), $26.95 paper (ISBN: 0-7425-3959-8). International relations theory inevitably arises within a particular context and setting, whether it is the aftermath of World War I, the middle of the Cold War, or the start of the twenty-first-century war against terrorism. From the Peloponnesian War and the armed conflicts of the European Middle Ages to the carnage of the twentieth century, seminal writers from Thucydides to Machiavelli and from Hobbes to Clausewitz have distilled enduring theoretical perspectives from the events of their time. What Harry Potter and International Relations does, however, is broaden the contextual basis for thinking about international relations theory to encompass popular culture as well as political experience. As editors Daniel Nexon and Iver Neumann point out in their introduction, in recent years there has been an increasing interest in the relationship between popular culture and international politics (see, for example, Lipschutz 2001; McAlister 2001). One has only to watch such television series as The West Wing or Law and Order to see fictional representations of political life that have been widely disseminated as part of popular culture. Where fiction and reality differ or converge, of course, is sometimes in the eye of the beholder. The “facts” of international politics constitute first-order representations of political life, whereas popular entertainment is a second-order or fictional representation. Through Harry Potter and International Relations , Nexon and Neumann hope to help bridge the chasm between these first- and second-order representations. International relations, of course, studies the interactions among states and other groups that constitute the global system. To the extent that popular culture …
Exemplary Technology-Using Teachers: Perceptions of Factors Influencing Success.

AbstractExemplary technology-using teachers achieve meaningful technology use in learner-centered, constructive environments despite the presence of both internal and external barriers. In this study, we discuss factors that enabled teachers to overcome these barriers, as identified by 25 winners of statewide technology teacher awards. In addition, we explored teachers perceptions of the relative value of both intrinsic and extrinsic factors that were perceived to play key roles in their success.
A new broad-spectrum protease inhibitor from the entomopathogenic bacterium Photorhabdus luminescens

A new protease inhibitor was purified to apparent homogeneity from a culture medium of Photorhabdus luminescens by ammonium sulfate precipitation and preparative isoelectric focusing followed by affinity chromatography. Ph. luminescens, a bacterium symbiotically associated with the insect-parasitic nematode Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, exists in two morphologically distinguishable phases (primary and secondary). It appears that only the secondary-phase bacterium produces this protease inhibitor. The protease inhibitor has an M:(r) of approximately 12000 as determined by SDS-PAGE. Its activity is stable over a pH range of 3.5-11 and at temperatures below 50 degrees C. The N-terminal 16 amino acids of the protease inhibitor were determined as STGIVTFKND(X)GEDIV and have a very high sequence homology with the N-terminal region of an endogenous inhibitor (IA-1) from the fruiting bodies of an edible mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus. The purified protease inhibitor inactivated the homologous protease with an almost 1:1 stoichiometry. It also inhibited proteases from a related insect-nematode-symbiotic bacterium, Xenorhabdus nematophila. Interestingly, when present at a molar ratio of 5 to 1, this new protease inhibitor completely inactivated the activity of both trypsin and elastase. The activity of proteinase A and cathepsin G was partially inhibited by this bacterial protease inhibitor, but it had no effect on chymotrypsin, subtilisin, thermolysin and cathepsins B and D. The newly isolated protease inhibitor from the secondary-phase bacteria and its specific inhibition of its own protease provides an explanation as to why previous investigators failed to detect the presence of protease activity in the secondary-phase bacteria. The functional implications of the protease inhibitor are also discussed in relation to the physiology of nematode-symbiotic bacteria.
The ColR/ColS Two-Component System Plays Multiple Roles in the Pathogenicity of the Citrus Canker Pathogen Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri

Bacterial citrus canker disease, which is caused by Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri, is one of the most devastating diseases of citrus plants. In this study, we characterized the role of the two-component regulatory system ColR/ColS in the pathogenicity of X. citri subsp. citri. colS mutants (256A10 and 421E7), colR mutants (386C6 and 417E10), and a colR colS double mutant (306DSR) all lost pathogenicity and produced no symptoms on grapefruit leaves inoculated by either pressure infiltration or the spray method. The pathogenicity defect of the colS, colR, and colR colS mutants could be complemented using the wild-type colS, colR, and colR colS genes, respectively. Mutation of colS or colR significantly reduced X. citri subsp. citri growth in planta. The ColR/ColS system also played important roles in bacterial biofilm formation in glass tubes and on leaf surfaces, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) production, catalase activity, and tolerance of environmental stress, including phenol, copper, and hydrogen peroxide. Furthermore, quantitative reverse transcription-PCR assays demonstrated that the ColR/ColS system positively regulated the expression of important virulence genes, including hrpD6, hpaF, the O-antigen LPS synthesis gene rfbC, and the catalase gene katE. Overall, our data indicate that the two-component regulatory system ColR/ColS is critical for X. citri subsp. citri virulence, growth in planta, biofilm formation, catalase activity, LPS production, and resistance to environmental stress.
Compliant constant-force mechanism with a variable output for micro/macro applications

The relationship between input deflection and output force is fixed for constant-force mechanisms. An advantage of a constant-force mechanism is that the control effort is minimized. For example, in grasping applications, if the grasp force is understood and given, then the mechanism will apply the constant-force even if there are small deflections. A double-slider, variable, constant-force mechanism is developed in this paper. The force relationship is analyzed using the virtual network principle. An active control law is used to generate a variable constant-force output. The paper also discusses the experimental validation of the force relationship using springs and also compliant plastic materials. This macro-level research is a step towards developing the technical capability to design micro constant-force mechanisms.
Perturbation based Large Margin Approach for Ranking

The use of the standard hinge loss for structured outputs, for the learning to rank problem, faces two main caveats: (a) the label space, the set of all possible permutations of items to be ranked, is too large, and also less amenable to the usual dynamic-programming based techniques used for structured outputs, and (b) the supervision or training data consists of instances with multiple labels per input, instead of just a single label. The most natural way to deal with such multiple labels leads, unfortunately, to a nonconvex surrogate. In this paper, we propose a general class of perturbation-based surrogates that leverage the large margin approach, and are convex. We show that the standard hinge surrogate for classification actually falls within this class. We also find a surrogate within this class, for the ranking problem, that does not suer from the caveats mentioned above. Indeed, our experiments demonstrate that it performs better than other candidate large margin proposals on both synthetic and real world ranking datasets.
Herpes simplex tracheobronchitis and pneumonitis.

(1989). Case 4 Herpes Simplex Tracheobronchitis and Pneumonitis. Pediatric Pathology: Vol. 9, No. 6, pp. 773-777.
The Formal Analysis of Temporal Meaning

The presentation of the two-component theory of aspect has focused on the basic notions and their realization in language. I now turn to formalization of the theory. In this chapter I discuss the principles and rules that are needed to associate the surface structures of sentences with their aspectual and temporal meanings. Chapter 7 integrates the analysis into Discourse Representation Theory.
The Disrupted Connectivity Hypothesis of Autism Spectrum Disorders: Time for the Next Phase in Research

During the past decade, the disrupted connectivity theory has generated considerable interest as a pathophysiologic model for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This theory postulates that deficiencies in the way the brain coordinates and synchronizes activity among different regions may account for the clinical symptoms of ASD. This review critically examines the current structural and functional connectivity data in ASD and evaluates unresolved assumptions and gaps in knowledge that limit the interpretation of these data. Collectively, studies often show group alterations in what are thought of as measures of cerebral connectivity, although the patterns of findings vary considerably. There are three principal needs in this research agenda. First, further basic research is needed to understand the links between measures commonly used (e.g., diffusion tensor imaging, functional magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalography) and other (e.g., histologic, computational) levels of analysis. Second, speculated causes of inconsistencies in the literature (e.g., age, clinical heterogeneity) demand studies that directly evaluate these interpretations. Third, the field needs well-specified mechanistic models of altered cerebral communication in ASD whose predictions can be tested on multiple levels of analysis.
The Trajectory Theory of Goal Setting for New Products

➤ As new products are accepted or rejected faster by the marketplace it is critical that research techniques be developed to provide early assessment of progress. This article, using an actual case...
Trend Analysis of Lung Cancer Mortality and Induced Life Loss among Residents in Jinshan District of Shanghai City during 1990-2009

[Objective]To study the trend of mortality and disease burden of lung cancer in Jinshan District,and provide evidence and reference for government and health administrative departments to develop lung cancer prevention strategies.[Methods]Microsoft Access was adopted to create a database based on death reports of lung cancer from 1990 to 2009,and SPSS 10.0 was used to analyze the data and calculate mortality of different kinds of lung cancer,standardized mortality,potential years of life loss(PYLL),potential years of life loss rate(PYLLR) and standardized rate of potential years of life loss(SPYLLR),etc.[Results] During 20 years,the lung cancer mortality was 43.09/ 100 000,and the number of death cases occupied 25.26% of total death cases caused by malignant tumors.Lung cancer had been the first cause of death.From 1990 to 2009 lung cancer crude mortality increased obviously,but standardized mortality of lung cancer fluctuated smoothly during the same time.Mortality and standardized mortality of lung cancer of male were higher than that of female.During 20 years,mortality and proportion of lung cancer of people aged 65 years or above increased obviously and didn't increase in other age groups.From 1990 to 2009,PYLL and PYLLR caused by lung cancer increased obviously and SPYLLR decreased among residents in Jinshan District.[Conclusion]In recent years,mortality and life loss caused by lung cancer has increased that mainly caused by population aging of residents in Jinshan District.It is suggested to strengthen the monitoring of lung cancer deaths and to adopt necessary intervention for the elderly and male residents with high risk of lung cancer,so as to prevent the increase of lung cancer mortality
The Good Future of La Suerte and Ometepe Between Heaven and Decay: An Informed Outlook for Central America Leaves Us with Dramatic Environmental Obstacles for Conservation Management

We know that predicting the future, tomorrow, next year, and the next century remains plagued with uncertainty. Entire think tanks are occupied with such questions. But these are essential questions for strategic planning, for conservation, and for investment in global resources and stock markets. The global well-being hinges on it. However, certain trends are clear, through the lens of the latest science, specifically so when dealing with biodiversity, endangered species, and their habitats. We know through simple physics and basic ecological theory, as taught in public schools, that we must remain in the balance of the Earth. The same message is held within the wisdom of elders in their traditional ecological knowledge. Any higher study of ecology, economy, or conservation management brings us to the same conclusion.
Identity Development for International Medical Graduate Physicians: A Perspective

Unlike their peers who were born in the USA, international medical graduate physicians face the challenge of having to develop a professional identity as a physician in a new and unfamiliar culture. Successfully developing a strong, bicultural identity can provide the IMG physician with a sense of belonging and heightened self-esteem while allowing for the maintenance of a valuable connection with the culture in which he or she was raised. As IMG physicians comprise 30 % of the United States’ physician work force, it is crucial for them to establish a physician identity that is professionally and personally gratifying, congruent with the clinical services they provide, and authentic to those they teach and train. This chapter provides an overview of the myriad of ways in which a physician’s identity impacts his or her daily life, and offers practical strategies to encourage international graduates to actively develop their own identities in ways which will benefit themselves both personally and professionally, allowing them to provide the best care possible to their patients.
Verifying Arithmetic Hardware In Higher-order Logic

Theorem-based design uses logical inference rather than simulation to determine or verify the proper- ties of design implementations. The initial effort to make such an approach practical is large when com- pared to conventional simulation. However, the cost of this effort is typically incurred only once. The hardware descriptions are parameterized so that the verification results are applicable to an entire set of designs rather than just one instantiation. To illustrate these ideas, the logical structure used to verify arithmetic hardware in HOL is outlined. In particular, the role of data abstrac- tion, recursion, and induction is shown.
SP0196 Obesity and Diet in Experimental Models of OA

Obesity is a significant modifiable risk factor for osteoarthritis in both weight bearing and non-weight bearing joints. Pre-clinical animal models of diet-induced obesity and genetic models of obesity provide new insight into the pathogenesis of obesity-induced osteoarthritis and the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in this process. Multiple mechanisms appear to be responsible for this increased risk, including biomechanical, inflammatory, post-traumatic, genetic, and metabolic factors. A central finding of many of these studies is that increased dietary lipids and adiposity promote osteoarthritis pathology, even independent of weight gain. Adipose tissue inflammation is considered a central mechanism by which obesity increases osteoarthritis risk, and I will present evidence from the literature and our recent findings that explore this link in obese animal models, focusing on systemic versus local sources (e.g., abdominal versus infra-patellar fat pad). These findings indicate that the infra-patellar fat pad is a source of inflammatory mediators but does not recapitulate the pathogenesis of inflammation that occurs with abdominal adiposity. Additional evidence suggests that obesity alters pathways regulating chondrocyte metabolism. I will discuss these findings and present a working model for how obesity-associated increases in chondrocyte lipid metabolism may impair the homeostatic response of chondrocytes to biomechanical and inflammatory stresses. Disclosure of Interest None declared
Using microgrids to enhance energy security and resilience

Abstract Although microgrids are now widely studied, challenges still exist. A reliable control architecture needs to be developed to coordinate different devices. Advanced forecasting and demand response management approaches should be implemented to cope with the intermittence of renewable generation. Moreover, interconnection issues should be further studied to eliminate the influence of microgrid integration and achieve coordinated operation throughout the system.