cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lyotropic liquid crystals formed from ACHC-rich β-peptides.

We have examined the effect of β-peptide modifications on the propensity of these helical molecules to form lyotropic liquid crystalline (LC) phases in water. All of the β-peptides we have examined contain 10 residues. In each case, at least three residues are derived from trans-2-aminocyclohexanecarboxylic acid (ACHC), which strongly promotes folding to a 14-helical conformation. The structural features varied include the number of ACHC residues, the nature and spatial arrangement of charged side chains (cationic vs anionic), and the identity of groups at the β-peptide termini. We found that relatively small changes (e.g., swapping the positions of a cationic and an anionic side chain) could have large effects, such as abrogation of LC phase formation. The trends revealed by sequence–property studies led to the design of LC-forming β-peptides that bear biomolecular recognition groups (biotin or the tripeptide Arg–Gly–Asp). Structural analysis via circular dichroism and cryo-transmission electron microsco...
Oreomicrus new genus, and Elaboration of the Tribe Omicrini (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae: Sphaeridiinae)

Omicrogiton, Psalitrus, and Paromicrus are confirmed as Omicrini. Armostus is returned to Cercyonini. Heteryon, Litrosurus, and Mircogioton are moved to Omicrini from Cercyonini. Oreomicrus explanatus new genus and species, is described from Borneo. The tribal description is broadened to encompass the characteristics of all member genera. A key to the genera of Omicrini is given.
Cellular and humoral immunity condition with incomplete Kawasaki disease in the acute period

Objective To analyze the cellular and humoral immunity condition in children with incomplete Kawasaki disease( iKD). Methods Seventy children with KD were divided into three groups,i. e.iKD group( n = 35) cKD group( n = 35),inguinal hernia control group( n = 21). The level variation of lymphocyte subsets( CD3+,CD3+CD4+,CD3+CD8+,CD4+/ CD8+,CD19+,NK cell) and humoral immunity( IgG,IgA,IgM) were compared among three groups. Results Compared with the control group,the level of CD4+,CD4+/ CD8+,CD19+,IgG,IgA,IgM increase( P 0. 05) in the children with iKD or cKD,the level of CD8+,NK cell decreased( P 0. 05) at the same time. There was statistical difference of CD4+/ CD8+in iKD and cKD( P 0. 05). Conclusions Children in the acute period of iKD have active function in cellular and humoral immunity,the level of active function in cellular immunity is not significant as the ones of cKD.
Evaluation of SMS reminder messages for altering treatment adherence and health seeking perceptions among malaria care-seekers in Nigeria.

In Nigeria, access to malaria diagnostics may be expanded if drug retailers were allowed to administer malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). A 2012 pilot intervention showed that short message service (SMS) reminder messages could boost treatment adherence to RDT results by 10-14% points. This study aimed to replicate the SMS intervention in a different population, and additionally test the effect of an expanded message about anticipated RDT access policy change on customers' acceptability for drug retailers' administration of RDTs. One day after being tested with an RDT, participants who purchased malaria treatment from drug shops were randomized to receive (1) a basic SMS reminder repeating the RDT result and appropriate treatment actions, (2) an expanded SMS reminder additionally saying that the 'government might allow pharmacists/chemists to do RDTs' or (3) no SMS reminders (i.e. control). Using regression analysis, we estimate intent-to-treat (ITT) and treatment effects on the treated for 686 study participants. Results corroborate previous findings that a basic SMS reminder increased treatment adherence [odds ratio (OR) = 1.53, 95% CI 0.96-2.44] and decreased use of unnecessary anti-malarials for RDT-negative adults [OR = 0.63, 95% CI 0.39-1.00]. The expanded SMS also increased adherence for adults [OR = 1.42, 95% CI 0.97-2.07], but the effects for sick children differed-the basic SMS did not have any measurable impact on treatment adherence [OR = 0.87, 95% CI 0.24-3.09] or use of unnecessary anti-malarials [OR = 1.27, 95% CI 0.32-1.93], and the expanded SMS actually led to poorer treatment adherence [OR = 0.26, 95% CI 0.10-0.66] and increased use of unnecessary anti-malarials [OR = 4.67, 95% CI 1.76-12.43]. Further, the targeted but neutral message in the expanded SMS lowered acceptance for drug retailers' administration of RDTs [OR = 0.55, 95% CI 0.10-2.93], counter to what we hypothesized. Future SMS interventions should show consistent positive results across populations and be attuned to message length and content before initiating a larger messaging campaign.
Asynchronous Runtimes in Action: An Introspective Framework for a Next Gen Runtime

One of the most critical challenges that new highperformance systems face is the lack of system software supportfor these large scale systems. Investment on system stack componentsis essential in the development, debugging and optimizationof the new emerging programming models. These emergingmodels have the promise to better utilize the vast hardwareresources available in current and future systems. To aid in thedevelopment of applications and new system stacks, runtimes, asinstances of their respective execution models, need to producefacilities to introspect their inner workings and allow an indepthattribution of performance bottlenecks and computationalpatterns. In other words, the runtime systems need to reducetheir opacity to observers so that users of a novel programexecution model can adapt their designs to fit the intended modelusage, regardless of the layer that they are working on. Thisdesign/development loop (akin to co-design) enables synergisticopportunities across the entire computational stack. This paper presents the design and implementation of a simple"gray" box performance attribution harness running inside a finegrain runtime system: the Open Community Runtime (OCR). We showcase what such a framework can indicate regarding theruntime behavior while running at scale. To this end, we havedesigned a set of synthetic scenarios aimed to test the runtime attheir best and worst cases. We present an analysis of the mostimportant runtime features, properties and idiosyncrasies thatwill affect the development of new runtime features, algorithmicselection, and application development.
The Effects of Housing Price Volatility on Mortgage Rates

In this paper, we develop a residential mortgage valuation tree model that incorporates housing price volatility, along with interest rates and interest rate volatility as determinants of mortgage yield spreads (above Treasury yields). When initial loan-to-value (LTV) ratios are low (e.g., 80%), the sensitivity of theoretical mortgage yield spreads to housing price volatility occurs for housing price volatility at annualized rates of 9%–11%. Annual price volatilities of 9%–11% are primarily observed in ‘hot’ residential markets. When initial LTV ratios are high (e.g., 95%), we find the sensitivity of theoretical mortgage yield spreads to housing price volatility begins at annualized rates of 3%–8%, levels consistent with normal real estate markets. These sensitivities are generally irrespective of interest rate levels and interest rate volatilities. Ignoring the sensitivity of mortgage values to housing price volatility can cause lenders to misprice mortgages, and can cause insurance companies to misprice...
Exploring Interactive Surface Designs for Eliciting Social Activity from Elderly Adults

Isolation and loneliness has been shown to be a significant cause of disease and mortality among elderly adults. The coproduction of activity is one potential method of prevention, through the promotion of social interaction and community engagement. The present study aims to facilitate coproduction in a continuing care retirement community, promoting health and wellness in elderly adults. To achieve this, we engage in the participatory design of a public interactive display for organizing community activity. We explore design needs and usability concerns from elderly residents, and discuss the trajectory of co-design work to realize this technological intervention.
Race and State in the Urban Regime

Over the past four decades, cities have experienced greater oversight from state government. Why have states become increasingly involved in local affairs? How has the increasing presence of state ...
Phylogeny, host association and biogeographical patterns in the diverse millipede-parasitoid genus Myriophora Brown (Diptera: Phoridae)

Myriophora is the most species-rich group of parasitoids that attack toxic, chemically defended millipedes in the superorder Juliformia and order Polydesmida-a resource that few insect predators and parasitoids are able to exploit. Worldwide, there are an estimated 200 species of Myriophora, with the majority of the diversity centred in the Neotropical region. The phylogeny of Myriophora is unknown, biogeographical patterns are not documented, and known host associations have not been assessed in a phylogenetic context. We provide the first phylogenetic study of the genus from a data set composed of 52 taxa primarily from the Neotropical region including 10 outgroups, 40 morphological characters, and molecular data from three mitochondrial (16S, COI and ND1) and one nuclear marker (AK). We find that Myriophora dispersed from the New World to the Old World in a single event before subsequently spreading to the Afrotropical region. The ancestral hosts reconstructed for Myriophora are the benzoquinone-producing Juliformia, and this association has been retained in the Old World clade. In the Neotropical region, Myriophora that are associated with cyanide-producing polydesmidan millipedes are confined to a single clade that shows remarkably little genetic variation between clearly morphologically diagnosable species.
Presenilins, amyloid-β and Alzheimer's disease

Evidence is accumulating that presenilin gene mutations may contribute to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease by increasing amyloid β-protein production (pages 67–72).
Amnestic drugs in the odor span task: Effects of flunitrazepam, zolpidem and scopolamine

The odor span task is an incrementing non-matching–to-sample procedure designed to provide an analysis of working memory capacity in rodents. The procedure takes place in an arena apparatus and rats are exposed to a series of odor stimuli in the form of scented lids with the selection of new stimuli reinforced. This procedure makes it possible to study drug effects as a function of the number of stimuli to remember. In the present study, the non-selective positive allosteric GABAA receptor modulator flunitrazepam impaired odor span performance at doses that did not affect a control odor discrimination. In contrast, the alpha-1 selective positive GABAA receptor modulator zolpidem and the cholinergic receptor antagonist scopolamine only impaired odor span at doses that produced more global impairment, including decreased accuracy in the control discrimination and increased response omissions in the both the odor span and control discrimination procedures. Even though the effects of flunitrazepam were selective to odor span performance, they did not depend on the number of stimuli to remember—the same degree of impairment occurred regardless of the memory load. These findings suggest that flunitrazepam interfered selectively with conditional discrimination performance rather than working memory and tentatively suggest that flunitrazepam’s selective effects in the odor span task relative to the control odor discrimination are mediated by one or more non-alpha1 GABAA receptor subtypes.
A SYSTEMS CONCEPT OF SPACE UTILIZATION IN GULF COAST SALT DOMES

The development of Gulf Coast salt domes thus far, although enormously successful and productive, has proceeded in an unscheduled fashion governed by events rather than by a comprehensive plan. Motivation for the sequential progress of exploitation has included mineral discoveries, inventions, technological improvements, new needs, and a dynamic economy. Although it is too late to implement a plan for the entire cycle of exploitation of this resource, it would seem advisable to introduce now a systems concept for further development. Viewed from this perspective, general determinative parameters should include economic, environmental, logistical, technical, and resource considerations, and more fundamentally, basic societal goals. Experience gained from planning in the Gulf Coast should provide guidelines for use elsewhere in the world. Malgre le fait que le developpement des gisements du sel (salt domes) a la Cote du Gulf avait ete un enorme succes et productif, il n'y avait pas ete un plan, mais tout cela etait par suite des circonstances exterieures. La motivation pour le progres qui ensuivait produisait des decouvertes de minerals, des inventions, des ameliorations technologiques, des nouvelles necessites et d'une economie dynamique. A ce moment il est desirable d'introduire un concept des systemes pour le developpement a l'avenir. Vu de cette perspectife, il faut considerer l'economie, le milieu social, la logistique, la technique et les ressources, et de plus, les buts de la societe humaine. L'experience gagnee de faire des plans a la Cote du Gulf pourrait donner des idees pour usage en autres parts du monde. Obgleich die Entwicklung der Salzlagerstaetten (salt domes) an der Golfkueste enorm erfolgreich und produktiv gewesen ist, erfolgte sie ohne Planung und wurde in groesserem Ausmasse durch aeussere Umstaende gepraegt. Die Gruende fuer den aufeinanderfolgenden Fortschritt in der Nutzung schlossen den Fund von Mineralien, neuen technischen Entdeckungen und Verbesserungen, neuen Badarf und eine dynamische Wirtschaft ein. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt ist es wuenschenswert, ein neues “systems concept” fuer die weitere Entwicklung einzufuehren. Unter dieser Perspektive sollte man wirtschaftliche, Umwelts-, logistische, technische und konservierende Gesichtspunkte in Betracht ziehen, oder allgemein gesagt, die Ziele der menschlichen Gesellschaft. Die Erfahrung von der Planung an der Golfkueste sollten Richtlinien fuer andere Teile der Welt ermoeglichen.
Clinical Predictors of Death in Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders (P2.329)

Objective: To assess the clinical and radiological characteristics of patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) who died during or shortly following a relapse to determine which factors are associated with mortality. Background: Mortality in NMOSD is estimated to range from 9–32% in worldwide studies. However, the risk factors associated with death in NMOSD are not known. Design/Methods: This is a retrospective study of NMOSD patients admitted to the Johns Hopkins Hospital from 2002 to 2015 who died due to an acute relapse. Demographic factors such as age at onset, race, and sex were collected along with clinical features such as annualized relapse rate, duration of disease, location of acute and previous relapses, preventive medication, and treatment history. Results: Seventeen NMOSD patients met inclusion criteria for this study. The average age at time of death was 47, and 94% (16/17) of patients were of African American descent. Four died within 30 days of admission to the hospital, and 13 patients died within 12 months. More than half of patients were not on any form of preventative medication at the time of the deadly relapse. All fatalities involved fulminant brain, brainstem and/or cervical spine lesions. The most common immediate causes of death include: respiratory failure, multi-organ failure, and mortality associated with long-term quadriplegia. Conclusions: This study identifies two risk factors for mortality from an NMOSD relapse: African-American race and lack of preventive therapy at the time of the relapse. Preventive therapies may mitigate the severity of life-threatening relapses. Further studies are needed to investigate the relationship between race and NMOSD mortality. Disclosure: Dr. Kessler has nothing to disclose. Dr. Mealy has received personal compensation for activities with Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers as a speaker. Dr. Levy has received personal compensation from Alexion, Guidepoint Global, Genzyme and Acorda.
What Is the Point? The Problem with Acupuncture Research That No One Wants to Talk About

Abstract Despite having made substantial progress in academic rigor over the past decades, acupuncture research has been the focus of long-standing and persistent attacks by skeptics. One recurring...
Export spillover and location choice

Abstract This paper investigates how export spillovers influence firms' entry of new destinations. We study four types of city-destination-specific export spillovers: domestic, foreign, inter- and intra-industry spillovers. Using a matched dataset of China's firm level trade and survey data over the period of 2000 to 2006, we run conditional logit model and conclude that neighbor's export activities significantly matter for a firm's entry to new markets. In particular, we find: (1) The probability of local exporters entering a particular destination responds positively to neighboring exporters; (2) Intra-industry spillovers are stronger than inter-industry spillovers; (3) For both intra- and inter-industry, domestic firms generate stronger spillovers than their multinational counterparts; (4) More productive firms rely less on export spillovers when entering less favored destinations; and (5) Ordinary trade activities facilitate stronger spillovers than processing trade regime. These findings remain robust after we control for demand side and supply side shocks.
Has the relationship between non-fossil fuel energy sources and CO 2 emissions changed over time? A cross-national study, 2000–2013

This study investigates the possibly changing relationship between non-fossil fuel energy sources (biomass, geothermal, hydro, nuclear, solar, and wind) and CO2 emissions over the temporal period 2000 to 2013. The results from two-way fixed effects longitudinal models demonstrate that the carbon elasticities of these energy sources change over time but not symmetrically. Wind’s association with CO2 emissions became increasingly negative after the Great Recession (i.e., suppressed emissions at a greater rate). Nuclear’s association with CO2 resembled a distorted U-shaped curve over time. Biomass’ elasticity fluctuated between positive and negative values. Solar and geothermal’s elasticity remained fairly consistent over the course of the analysis, and hydro’s elasticity increased over time but remained negative throughout the study’s temporal period. The study provides several tentative explanations for these findings. Overall, the results suggest there are various processes at play that influence an energy source’s relation to CO2 emissions.
A Review of Recent Progress in the Elimination of Tastes and Odors from Water Supplies

The general public has always been quite sensitive to the physical character of water delivered by municipal water supply systems, but a much more critical attitude has developed recently because the widespread delivery of attractive water has resulted in a demand for similar water in all municipalities. Before 1928, however, little attention was given to the elimination of tastes and odors except in the use of copper sulphate for the control of microorganisms. In that year, however, the chlorine-ammonia treatment was introduced into this country from England and great interest was shown in the prevention of chlorinous tastes through the preliminary use of ammonia. Following this activated carbon was introduced in 1931 for the removal of tastes and odors. Concurrently with these developments, the successful treatment of phenolic wastes was developed at byproduct coke plants so that streams are now quite generally free from these very objectionable taste producing compounds. As a result of these very important developments, it is now possible to make the optimistic statement that tastes and odors may be completely eliminated from water supplies if funds are available for the construction and proper operation of suitable water purification equipment.
Combinations of acute coronary syndromes and Takotsubo syndrome

The timely and refreshing case report by Tota et al, published in the August 16 issue of the Journal [1], brings forth a matter that has occupied this author for some time, namely that there must exist combinations of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) (as “forme fruste” cases of TTS) [2-4]. The authors present a case of a 70 year old woman with subacute stent thrombosis (SST) of the right coronary artery and transient left ventricular apical ballooning with documentation of normal flow in the left and circumflex coronary arteries: thus here we have a case of a patient with an ACS and TS affecting different coronary territories! The authors are careful not to clearly state that the SST was the cause or a consequence of TTS; however they provide evidence from the literature that other acute cardiac or noncardiac pathologies in patients admitted in intensive care units have been associated with TTS, suggesting that such illnesses have acted as “triggers” (emotional or physical stresses) for the emergence of TTS. This author does not have much doubt that the SST caused the TTS, and intuitively it is unlikely that a case of TTS has mediated the SST in another vascular territory, although at this stage of thought evolution on the pathogenesis of TTS we should maintain an open mind. A closely linked matter is whether there are milder cases (i.e., formes frustes) of TTS in significant proportion of patients admitted with ACS. Indeed it is puzzling why some patients with an ACS and associated regional wall motion abnormalities (RWMAs) also reveal transient such RWMAs (hypokinesis or akinesis) in the contralateral myocardial plane to the left ventricular myocardial territory affected by the ACS, instead of showing the expected compensatory hyperkinetic behavior. Are these cases of mild forms of TTS presenting in combination with traditional ACS? Finally of note is that the presented patient revealed transient attenuation of the QRS complexes in her precordial electrocardiogram (ECG) leads between admission and subsequent follow-up (compare the QRS complexes in leads V3-V6 in the ECGs, recorded 8 days apart of Figure 3A and 3B) [1], a possibly specific diagnostic, ECG sign of TTS, which has just been reported [5].
Afraid of the Deep: Reflections and Analysis of a Role-Play Exercise Gone Wrong:

Experiential learning exercises have the potential to elicit emotional responses in students and instructors alike. This article takes an auto-ethnographic approach in detailing the author’s experi...
Section 1983 Litigation (Discussion from Symposium: The Supreme Court and Local Government Law The 1992-93 Term)

In 1989, it seemed that the Supreme Court was deciding an extraordinary number of Section 1983 cases each Term. By the time this Article was published in 1994, deciding a number of Section 1983 cases had become a routine practice in the Supreme Court. Each Term the Supreme Court gives a large number of important Section 1983 decisions. Upon thinking about it, that is not so surprising, given both the fact that Section 1983 litigation is quite multifaceted and because it produces such a large volume of litigation. The Section 1983 cases from the United States Supreme Court's 1992-1993 Term fall into four categories, which are used as the basis to organize the analysis of the cases in this Article. These categories are: the constitutional rights that are enforceable under Section 1983; the subject of municipal liability; decisions dealing with immunities; and the subject of statutory attorneys’ fees. The decisions from an overall standpoint produced a mixed bag of results: some of them were favorable to Section 1983 plaintiffs, some to defendants. The author’s evaluation is that, overall, it was a fairly good Term for Section 1983 claimants.
Measurement of Residual Collateral Flow in Pulmonary Atresia With Major Aortopulmonary Collaterals.

Background Pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect and major aortopulmonary collateral arteries (MAPCAs) is a rare form of congenital heart disease characterized by the entirety of pulmonary blood flow originating from systemic vessels. This study measured the residual collateral flow after harvesting of the MAPCAs for surgical repair. Methods The study enrolled 32 patients with pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect and MAPCAs who were undergoing their first surgical procedure. The median age was 6.8 months, and median weight was 5.7 kg. The patients had a mean of 4.2 ± 0.7 MAPCAs. The cardiopulmonary bypass circuit was modified to contain a diversion loop in the left ventricular vent system to accurately measure residual collateral flow. During the period of aortic cross-clamp (for ventricular septal defect repair), the diversion loop was opened for 1-minute intervals, and the residual collateral flow collected. The systemic perfusion temperature was 25° and flow rate was 100 mL · kg−1 · min−1. Results The mean residual collateral flow was 5.5 mL · kg−1 · min−1 (range, 0.8 to 15.2 mL · kg−1 · min−1). The corresponding calculated pulmonary blood flow–to–systemic blood flow ratio values ranged from 1.01 to 1.36. There was a significant correlation between residual collateral flow and preoperative saturation (p Conclusions The data demonstrate a wide range of residual collateral flow values after harvesting of the MAPCAs. The amount of residual collateral flow was correlated with preoperative saturation. These results suggest that some patients at the higher end of this spectrum may require adjustments in pump flow to assure adequate systemic perfusion.
A 60-Year-Old Woman With Acute Chest Pain and Bilateral Pleural and Pericardial Effusions.

Case Presentation A 60-year-old woman presented with acute-onset, progressively worsening shortness of breath and pleuritic chest pain for 3 days. She also complained of a dry cough, but no fever or chills. There was no history of swelling of the feet; nor was there a history of nausea or diarrhea. She was a lifelong nonsmoker and had no history of recent travel or sick contacts. Her medical history included hypertension and ulcerative colitis. The ulcerative colitis was in remission and she had not been taking medications for this for over 7 years. Her home medications included alendronate, amlodipine, aspirin, atenolol, and vitamin D3 supplements. She had no allergies.
Absolute Lymphocyte Count and CD4 Count Predict a Superior Progression-Free Survival in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients Treated with Rituximab and Interleukin-12.

The proposed immune-mediated mechanisms of action of Rituximab (ADCC or “vaccinal” effect) suggest that the efficacy of rituximab therapy depends on the immunocompetency of the host. Therapies, such as IL-12, that stimulate the immune system may increase the efficacy of rituximab. Recently, we reported that absolute lymphocyte count (ALC), as a surrogate maker of immune recovery, is a survival prognostic factor in autologous stem cell transplantation for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). We hypothesize host immune competence (i.e, normal ALC counts) would predict a superior survival in NHL patients treated with rituximab-based regimens. The primary end-point of the study was to assess whether the ALC count prior to rituximab therapy predicted progression-free survival (PFS) and the second end-point was to identify which lymphocyte subset was responsible for affecting PFS. We studied 41 NHL patients that participated in our Phase I interleukin-12 plus rituximab study. These patients were selected because the Phase I study required baseline ALC count and flow cytometry analysis providing lymphocyte subset data prior to treatment. There were 20 females and 21 males in the study. The median age of the cohort was 53 years (range: 34–84). PFS was assessed from the initial date of treatment. The median follow-up was 42 months (1–84 months). Patients with an ALC ≥ 0.9 × 109/l experienced a superior PFS versus an ALC
Trans-ethnic meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies identifies maternal ITPR1 as a novel locus influencing fetal growth during sensitive periods in pregnancy

Abnormal fetal growth is a risk factor for infant morbidity and mortality and is associated with cardiometabolic diseases in adults. Genetic influences on fetal growth can vary at different gestation times, but genome-wide association studies have been limited to birthweight. We performed trans-ethnic genome-wide meta-analyses and fine mapping to identify maternal genetic loci associated with fetal weight estimates obtained from ultrasound measures taken during pregnancy. Data included 1,849 pregnant women from four race/ethnic groups recruited through the NICHD Fetal Growth Studies. We identified a novel genome-wide significant association of rs746039 [G] (ITPR1) with reduced fetal weight from 24 to 33 weeks gestation (P 6). Additional tests revealed that the SNP was associated with head circumference (P = 4.85x10-8), but not with abdominal circumference or humerus/femur lengths. Conditional analysis in an independent sample of mother-offspring pairs replicated the findings and showed that the effect was more likely maternal but not fetal. Trans-ethnic approaches successfully narrowed down the haplotype block that contained the 99% credible set of SNPs associated with head circumference. We further demonstrated that decreased placental expression of ITPR1 was correlated with increased placental epigenetic age acceleration, a risk factor for reduced fetal growth, among male fetuses (r = -0.4, P = 0.01). Finally, genetic risk score composed of known maternal SNPs implicated in birthweight among Europeans was associated with fetal weight from mid-gestation onwards among Whites only. The present study sheds new light on the role of common maternal genetic variants in the inositol receptor signaling pathway on fetal growth from late second trimester to early third trimester. Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00912132.
Congolese Women in Search of Healing: Building a Contextual Curriculum in a Situation of Violence

The Democratic Republic of Congo is experiencing one of the most tragic violence after the second war world II. From 1997 up to today, ten millions of people were killed and there is no hope that this violence will stop anytime soon. A part from merciless killings and extra-judiciary executions, women have been systematically raped. Women are in the center of violence. According to human watch, women are both used by violence instigators and at are the same time responders of violent acts. About the former, some women have been involved in combats weather because they wanted so or because they were forced to do so. Concerning the latter, women are the ones who take care of their families, financially and emotionally. Men are either killed or do not have stable jobs due to violence and displacements. Thus, there is a life before and after war. Therefore, women work hard to get water, to go to the field to make sure that their husbands, brothers and children get enough food every day. Traumatized by war, raped and sometimes rejected by their own families, and have still to care for their families as they go quietly through their own process of healing.The purpose of my study is to build a type of education system that can suit women who have experienced violence, including sexual violence so that they can reconcile with themselves and the rest of the community. My idea is to create an education system where these three things happen: caring, healing and inspiring of the Congolese women. By caring, I mean that women who have gone through any type of violence should be welcomed, listened to and understood. They should be given the possibility and opportunity to freely tell their stories without any feeling of guilt or shame. They should also be allowed to express their feeling without fear: pain, disappointment, anger regardless to anyone involved in the violent acts. By healing, I mean that a more or less long time should be given to them for healing, knowing that healing is about a process. Healing does not happen by itself. Those women will need professionals help to accompany them. Those professionals can be therapist or physicians or both. Once the process of healing is consolidated, those women should be thought how to prevent such acts in their lives in the future, how to support victims of such violence and how to continue living in the area where everybody know what was happened, especially in a culture where sexual matters bring shame and guilt. Here, we are dealing with women who have lost everything in life and can be considered as the poor. The process that I mentioned above that will consecrate a new system of education for those affected women should be based on confidentiality, respect and tolerance. Cf. Human rights watch. Democratic Republic of Congo. Seeking justice. The prosecution of sexual violence in the Congo War. New York, March 2005
Addressing health disparities in cancer with genomics

Incorporating genomics more widely into cancer screening and management will help to tackle the mortality gap between Black and white patients with cancer. Here, we emphasize the role of genomics as a tool to promote health equity in cancer. In this Comment, Balogun and Olopade highlight opportunities and initiatives for incorporating genomics into cancer management to promote health equity.
Raman Spectroscopy Using a Multiclass Extension of Fisher-Based Feature Selection Support Vector Machines (FFS-SVM) for Characterizing In-Vitro Apoptotic Cell Death Induced by Paclitaxel

Raman microspectroscopy combined with advanced data mining methods are used to demonstrate proof-of-concept for the development of a non-invasive, real-time in vitro assay platform for the classification and characterization of anti-cancer agents. Breast cancer cells were investigated over a 48 h time course of treatment with Paclitaxel. Raman spectroscopic analysis is used with a multiclass One-versus-One Support Vector Machines classification algorithm to classify cell death over a 48 h period. The Fisher-based Feature Selection method provides discriminative features descriptive of the apoptotic process during time-course. Spectral datasets collected at each of the time-points during a separate 48 h 3-point time course study are used as the testing datasets. The features, or spectral peaks, output directly as wavenumbers are correlated to corresponding biochemical species for each time point yielding an analysis of the biochemical compositional changes. Conventional assay methods are employed to validate and confirm results of the Raman spectroscopic analysis.
Mirrored arbiter architecture: a network architecture for large scale multiplayer games

Massively Multiplayer games become increasingly popular. Different multiplayer games are implemented on top of different network architectures based on the characteristics of the games. Typically, multiplayer games run on Client-Server (CS), Peer-to-Peer (P2P), Client-Multi-Server (CMS), or Peer-to-Peer with Central Arbiter (PP-CA) architectures. In this paper, we first examine these architectures from two perspectives: bandwidth requirements at the server and clients, and latency. We then propose a Mirrored-Arbiter (MA) architecture that combines the merits of CMS and PP-CA. This architecture takes all the benefits of PP-CA, but also resolves the main problems in PP-CA by using interest management technique and multicast. We implemented a multiplayer game called "TankWar" to validate the design of the proposed MA architecture. Both analysis and experiment were conducted to show the effectiveness of MA architecture.
Silicon Nanowire Arrays Based On-Chip Thermoelectric Generators

Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) can improve the net power consumption of electronic packages by generating power from the chip waste heat. In this paper, a 3-D computational model of electronic package with silicon nanowire (Si-NW)-based embedded TEGs has been developed and the effect of crucial geometric parameters, contact resistances, and thermal properties, such as pitch length and length of Si-NWs, the electrical contact resistivity at Si-NW interface, thermal contact resistivity at TEG-package interface, and filling material thermal conductivity on power generation, has been evaluated. The analysis has shown how modifying some crucial parameters from their current values in different experimental studies affect power generation, e.g., decreasing the pitch length from 400 to 200 nm doubled the power generation, increasing the Si-NW length from 1 to 8 $\mu \text{m}$ increased power generation by a factor of three and decreasing contact resistivity by one order of magnitude from $1.0\times 10^{-11}\Omega \,\cdot \,\text{m}^{2}$ enhanced the power generation by a factor of two. This paper has estimated the energy conversion efficiency of 0.15% for 8- $\mu \text{m}$ long Si-NWs using the best thermoelectric properties available from different experimental studies. Finally, performance of Si-NW-based TEG has been compared against the Bi2Te3 superlattice-based TEGs and the crucial parameters of Si-NW TEGs have been identified which should be the focus of the future studies.
Polly: a vision-based artificial agent

In this paper I will describe Polly, a low cost visionbased robot that gives primitive tours. The system is very simple, robust and efficient, and runs on a hardware platform which could be duplicated for less than $10K US. The system was built to explore how knowledge about the structure the environment can be used in a principled way to simplify both visual and motor processing. I will argue that very simple and efficient visual mechanisms can often be used to solve real problems in real (unmodified) environments in a principled manner. I will give an overview of the robot, discuss the properties of its environment, show how they can be used to simplify the design of the system, and discuss what lessons can drawn for the design of other systems.
The Risk that Wasn’t There: Understanding the Role of Derivatives on Reducing and Creating Risk

Traditional finance teaching on derivatives suggests that they can be utilized to reduce portfolio and market risk. Such outcome hinges on the assumption that derivatives are used as risk management tools and there is at least one true hedger in the transaction. In the absence of hedgers, however, the trading of derivatives actually creates greater risks for the market. This paper explains how derivatives can reduce overall portfolio risk when used as hedging, and how it could create greater risk if there are only speculators trading derivatives among each other.
Symposium on Parallel Computational Methods for Large-scale Structural Analysis and Design, 2nd, Norfolk, VA, US

Computing speed is leaping forward by several orders of magnitude each decade. Engineers and scientists gathered at a NASA Langley symposium to discuss these exciting trends as they apply to parallel computational methods for large-scale structural analysis and design. Among the topics discussed were: large-scale static analysis; dynamic, transient, and thermal analysis; domain decomposition (substructuring); and nonlinear and numerical methods.
Effect of amino acid imbalance on the fate of the limiting amino acid.

The fate of the most limiting amino acid (i.e., tracer quantities of threonine-U-14C or histidine-U-14C ) was studied in rats fed a single meal of a low protein diet in which an amino acid imbalance had been created by the addition of an amino acid mixture devoid of threonine or histidine. The amino acid imbalances did not increase the rate of oxidation of labeled amino acids as indicated by measurement of radioactivity in expired carbon dioxide; they did not result in enhanced excretion of radioactivity in urine or feces; nor did they result in enhanced incorporation of radioactivity into liver glycogen or fat. The accumulated evidence indicated that amino acid incorporation into liver proteins was enhanced by the amino acid imbalances. Incorporation into other tissue proteins was not depressed, and total retention of label in carcass was slightly greater as a result of the imbalance. On the basis of these and other observations, a hypothesis was formulated to explain the effects of amino acid imbalances. It is suggested that an imbalance leads to more efficient incorporation of the growth-limiting amino acid into tissues with the result that its concentration in blood plasma decreases within a few hours after ingestion of the unbalanced meal. This phenomenon, which resembles the response of an animal to a severely deficient diet â€"a protective response â€" results in a signal to an appetite-regulating center indicating that the diet is much more deficient than it actually is. Food intake is subsequently depressed and the food intake depression results in retarded growth.
Enhancing effect of cholera toxin on interleukin-6 secretion by IEC-6 intestinal epithelial cells : mode of action and augmenting effect of inflammatory cytokines

Oral administration of cholera toxin (CT) induces a strong mucosal immune response to CT as well as having a potent adjuvant effect. Since one of the first cell types to encounter CT during cholera infection or after oral administration is the epithelial cell, we studied the effect of CT on interleukin-6 (IL-6) secretion by the rat intestinal epithelial cell line IEC-6. CT was found to rapidly enhance IL-6 secretion and IL-6 gene expression by these cells. The addition of dibutyryl cyclic AMP (cAMP) to cultures of IEC-6 cells had little effect on IL-6 secretion, yet mRNA levels were elevated, suggesting that the response may have been regulated by cAMP. Purified B subunit of CT did not significantly enhance IL-6 secretion or mRNA expression. CT and transforming growth factor beta 1 synergistically enhanced IL-6 secretion in IEC-6 cells. The addition of CT with either IL-1 beta or tumor necrosis factor alpha gave even greater synergistic enhancement of IL-6 secretion, and dibutyryl cAMP could mimic CT's synergy with IL-1 beta. These results indicate that the intestinal epithelial cell is capable of secreting high levels of IL-6 after encountering CT, especially in the presence of inflammatory cytokines. This high level of IL-6 secretion could be a very important component of the mucosal immune response to CT and may also account for a portion of the adjuvant effect of CT.
Histidine Uptake in Strains of Neurospora crassa with Normal and Mutant Transport Systems

Kinetic parameters for three systems of active histidine uptake by germinated conidia of Neurospora crassa have been measured. Each system appears to follow typical Michaelis-Menten kinetics when studied separately from the other systems. Under the conditions studied, the general amino acid transport system was found to account for the major portion of histidine uptake from low concentrations. Three types of transport mutants with altered growth inhibition patterns were selected in a histidine auxotroph. Growth of one mutant, type basa, could be inhibited by the addition of methionine to a histidine-supplemented medium, and another type, neua, could be inhibited by the addition of arginine. These mutants were shown to be lacking active histidine uptake by the basic amino acid and neutral amino acid transport systems, respectively. Another type of double mutant (his-3, neur) could be inhibited only by the addition of very high concentrations of methionine in the presence of arginine and histidine, and the mutation appeared to have altered the specificity of the neutral amino acid permease.
A hydrophobic sequence at position 313–316 (Leu‐Ala‐Phe‐Trp) in the fifth domain of apolipoprotein H (β2‐glycoprotein I) is crucial for cardiolipin binding

Apolipoprotein H (apoH, protein; APOH, gene) binds to negatively charged phospholipids, which triggers the production of a subset of autoantibodies against phospholipid in patients with autoimmune diseases. We have demonstrated that two naturally occurring missense mutations in the fifth domain of apoH, Trp316Ser and Cys306Gly, disrupt the binding of native apoH to phosphatidylserine [Sanghera, D. K., Wagenknecht, D. R., McIntyre, J. A. & Kamboh, M. I. (1997) Hum. Mol. Genet.6, 311–316]. To confirm whether these are functional mutations, we mutagenized APOH cDNAs and transiently expressed them in COS-1 cells. The cardiolipin ELISA of wild-type and mutant recombinant apoH confirmed that the Gly306 and Ser316 mutations are responsible for abolishing the binding of recombinant apoH to cardiolipin. These mutations, however, had no effect on the levels of expression or secretion of recombinant apoH in transfected COS-1 cells. While the Cys306Gly mutation disrupts a disulfide bond between Cys306 and Cys281, which appears to be critical for clustering positively charged amino acids, the Trp316Ser mutation affects the integrity of an evolutionarily conserved hydrophobic sequence at position 313–316 (Leu-Ala-Phe-Trp), which is hypothesized to interact with anionic phospholipid. To test this hypothesis, we exchanged the remaining three hydrophobic amino acids with neutral amino acids by site-directed mutagenesis (Leu313Gly, Ala314Ser and Phe315Ser). Binding of the Leu313Gly and Phe315Ser mutants to cardiolipin was significantly reduced to 25% and 13%, respectively, of that of the wild-type. On the other hand, the Ala314Ser mutation showed normal cardiolipin binding. Taken together with our previous findings, these results strongly suggest that the configuration of the fifth domain of apoH, as well as the integrity of the highly conserved hydrophobic amino acids at positions 313–316, is essential for the binding of apoH to anionic phospholipid.
Working Lesbians: Role Conflicts and Coping Strategies.

This study investigated areas of interrole and intrarole conflict reported by 79 lesbian working women and factors influencing the types of coping strategies these women used. The three coping strategies identified by Hall (1972) were used to code responses to a questionnaire sent to women on the mailing list of a local lesbian newsletter. The most frequently reported interrole conflicts were between the work and lover roles, and the most frequently reported intrarole conflicts involved the work and daughter roles. Subjects viewed being lesbian as contributing little to their interrole conflicts and as hypothesized, used predominantly role restructuring strategies (Types I and II) to deal with the conflicts. Also, as hypothesized, higher self-esteem was reported by individuals using restructuring strategies than by those using reactant strategies (Type III). In contrast, subjects viewed being lesbian as highly related to their intrarole conflicts, and contrary to predictions, used reactive strategies almost as frequently as role restructuring strategies. Moreover, self-esteem did not differ among subjects using the three strategy types. The unexpected findings for intrarole conflict are discussed in terms of the potential benefits of reactant-avoidant strategies in work situations.
Vasoprotection as neuroprotection for the optic nerve

Neuroprotective measures may in the future be able to slow the cellular damage and cell death within the eye that characterises glaucoma, anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (AION) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).l However, preventing cell injury by preserving adequate nutrient delivery -so-called vasoprotection -may also help manage these diseases. Ischaemia, hypoxia and hypoglycaemia reduce oxygen or glucose delivery to neural tissue. Maintaining adequate nutrient supply consequently provides 'vasoprotective' effects. The relationship of vasoprotection to neuroprotection exists on several levels. First, in