cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gender Differences in Sleep-Related Movement Disorders

The term sleep-related movement disorders encompasses several conditions, including restless legs syndrome (RLS), periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD), leg cramps, bruxism, rhythmic movement disorder, and movement disorders related to drugs or medical conditions. This article focuses on RLS, which is the primary sleep-related movement disorder and for which there are definite gender differences. RLS is characterized by an urge to move the legs that is worse at rest and at night, and is relieved by activity. RLS appears to be genetic and may be triggered by dysfunction or deficiency in dopamine and/or iron. Women are disproportionately affected by RLS, and some of this increased risk may be related to childbearing. The diagnosis of RLS is made by history and physical examination; polysomnography is not usually necessary. Dopaminergic agents are FDA-approved for this condition and are the treatment of choice.
Limited Motivation, Patient-Therapist Mismatch, and the Therapeutic Alliance

While empirically supported treatments have made great headway for patients with anxiety disorders, many barriers continue to exist in order for patients to experience symptom remission. In this chapter, we consider the roles of patient motivation for change, patient-therapist mismatch, and the therapeutic alliance as understudied factors that can be used to enhance outcomes. While these factors are often portrayed as in conflict with or as obviating the use for structured interventions, we display how these approaches can be used in tandem to enhance the efficacy of existing interventions.
An Observation Concerning the Entire Function in Sem Scattering

In the singularity expansion method (SEM) one of the hardest things to pin down has been the entire function (in the s = Ω + jω plane). In the time domain, this is an earlytime contribution not representable by complex exponentials (poles). This is discussed in some detail in Ref. 1, which has extensive references. In the present paper we revisit this matter and gain additional insight into this entire function.
Heterogeneity and specialization in evolving teams

Cooperative teams can be used to improve the performance of standard genetic programming. However, designing appropriate team member choice and cooperation mechanisms for producing successful teams is an important and sometimes difficult task. This task is complicated by the type of programs being generated. For example, programs producing boolean valued outputs can use simple voting as a cooperation mechanism whereas programs with real valued outputs cannot. This research examines several team choice and cooperation mechanisms for linear regression problem. The results suggests that cooperation produces the most improvement when the mechanisms favors specialization. The best results are achieved when each team member can focus on a relatively small portion of the problem domain and when the member's influence outside of that domain is relatively small. Specialization is found to be a function of both the team choice and cooperation mechanism.
Whole blood viscosity: Effect of hemodialysis treatment and implications for access patency and vascular disease.

BACKGROUND Hemodialysis patients have increased mortality from cardiovascular complications. Whole blood viscosity (WBV) and red cell aggregation (RCA) may influence the pathogenesis of vascular complications in this population. The objective of this study was to determine whether the hemodialysis treatment or vascular complications were associated with impaired WBV or RCA. METHODS This prospective, cross sectional investigation included 38 patients receiving chronic hemodialysis. Blood samples for WBV, RCA and hematocrit were drawn before and after dialysis. WBV was determined between 10 and 780 s-1 and RCA was measured by calculating aggregate shape parameter. WBV and RCA were subsequently assessed for correlation with a history of vascular disease. RESULTS The mean WBV, aggregate shape parameter, and hematocrit post-dialysis were significantly higher than pre-dialysis values (p < 0.05). Using a linear model with WBV as the dependent variable, the covariates of aggregate shape parameter, hematocrit, weight, and history of diabetes were not significant. However, pre/post timing of the sample was a significant covariate. WBV correlated with prior access thrombosis or stenosis, especially if the patient had a history of peripheral vascular disease. CONCLUSIONS Higher WBV correlated with an increased incidence of access failure and vascular disease. Repetitive increases in WBV and RCA with each dialysis treatment could contribute to vascular dysfunction in this patient population.
The Impact of Governance Indicators and Policy Variables on Broadband Diffusion in the Developed and Developing Worlds

A new digital divide is emerging both within and between nations that is due to inequalities in broadband Internet access. Our research examines the broadband digital divide by analyzing the impact of administrative culture and policy initiatives in the form of strategic planning, execution, regulation and investment on broadband diffusion in 151 countries. Our multiple regression analysis shows that when controlling for measures of economic, political, social and educational development, there is greater broadband diffusion in countries that have an administrative culture of sound governance and make a higher shared financial investment in information and communication technologies. Competition in the telecommunications sector has a positive impact in nations where access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) is expanding, but does not make a significant difference where ICT access is widely available. Most intriguing is that while the presence of a national telecommunications regulatory authority has no impact on broadband diffusion in the technologically developed countries, it has a negative impact on diffusion in technologically developing countries. Our results suggest that factors that determine broadband diffusion in technologically developed countries do not necessarily have the same impact in less developed countries and, therefore, the path to widespread availability and use of broadband requires different strategies depending on a nation’s level of technological development.
Early-Life Neuronal-Specific Iron Deficiency Alters the Adult Mouse Hippocampal Transcriptome

Background Iron deficiency (ID) compromises the developing nervous system, including the hippocampus, resulting in later-life deficits despite iron repletion. The iron-dependent molecular changes driving these lasting deficits, and the effect of early iron repletion, are incompletely understood. Previous studies have utilized dietary models of maternal-fetal ID anemia (IDA) to address these questions; however, concurrent anemia prevents delineation of the specific role of iron. Objective The aim of the study was to isolate the effects of developmental ID on adult hippocampal gene expression and to determine if iron repletion reverses these effects in a mouse model of nonanemic hippocampal neuronal ID. Methods Nonanemic, hippocampus-specific neuronal ID was generated by using a Tet-OFF dominant negative transferrin receptor (DN-TFR1) mouse model that impairs cellular iron uptake. Hippocampal ID was reversed with doxycycline at postnatal day 21 (P21) in a subset of mice to create 2 experimental groups, chronically iron-deficient and formerly iron-deficient mice, which were compared with their respective doxycycline-treated and untreated iron-sufficient controls. RNA from adult male hippocampi was sequenced. Paired-end reads were analyzed for differential expression. Differentially expressed genes were analyzed in Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. Results A total of 346 genes were differentially expressed in adult, chronically iron-deficient hippocampi compared with controls. ID dysregulated genes in critical neurodevelopmental pathways, including axonal guidance, CDK5, Ephrin receptor, Rac, and Neurotrophin/Trk signaling. Iron repletion at P21 normalized adult hippocampal expression of 198 genes; however, genes involved in cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) signaling, neurocognition, and neurologic disease remained dysregulated in adulthood. Conclusions Chronic ID during development, independent of anemia, alters the adult mouse hippocampal transcriptome. Restoring iron status during a known critical period of hippocampal neurodevelopment incompletely normalized these changes, suggesting a need for additional studies to identify the most effective timeline for iron therapy, and adjunctive treatments that can fully restore ID-induced molecular changes, particularly in human populations in whom chronic ID is endemic.
Potato product form impacts in vitro starch digestibility and glucose transport but only modestly impacts 24 h blood glucose response in humans

Potatoes are rich in phenolic compounds which have been reported to impact starch digestion and intestinal glucose transport in model systems through phenolic-starch interactions. While these effects are well documented for pigmented potatoes and in model systems, the relevance of phenolics to the glycemic properties of processed colorless potato-based foods under naturalistic conditions remains unclear. This study assessed impacts of processing on phenolic concentrations, resistant starch content and glycemic properties of Russet Burbank and Shepody potatoes. Product forms included French fries, shredded (hash browns) and diced (home fries) produced through commercial processing as well as parallel in-home techniques. Commercial products had significantly higher concentrations of resistant starch (p < 0.05, 1.48-6.57 vs. 1.23-2.22 g per 100 fresh weight) and resistant starch/total starch ratio (5.42-18.3% vs. 3.58-7.62%) compared to freshly prepared counterparts, while statistically lower total caffeoylquinic acid content (2.94-10.9 vs. 11.5-25.2 g per 100 fresh weight). Glucose release and intestinal transport assessed using an in vitro digestion/Caco-2 cell monolayers model demonstrated a reduction in d7-glucose intestinal transport from commercially processed products relative to fresh prepared counterparts (p < 0.05, 31.3-61.2% vs. 79.3-110% at 60 min). Commercial Russet Burbank potato products including French fries, home fries and hash browns were then selected for clinical assessment of glycemic response and appetite rating by 23 participants (11 male and 12 female). The three products presented a subtle but discernable ascending trend (French fry ≥ home fry ≥ hash browns) for incremental area under the curve (IAUC, 95.2 ± 12 vs. 105 ± 10 vs. 107 ± 14 mM min, p < 0.05) at 2 h post breakfast and for appetite rating (45.2 ± 6.3 vs. 52.4 ± 4.1 vs. 57.7 ± 7.2 for hunger) at 4 h post breakfast with no significant difference from the control (whole wheat pancake). These results suggest that potato phenolics have only a modest influence on acute glycemic responses.
Traumatic Brain Injury: Models and Mechanisms of Traumatic Brain Injury

Biomechanics is a compound word derived from mechanics and biology. Mechanics is the area of science that is concerned with the behavior of physical bodies when subjected to forces or displacements. Biomechanics in particular focuses on the application of mechanics to living matter, at the organ, tissue, or cellular level. This is a very broad classification covering a wide area of topics of interest. In this chapter our focus is on the biomechanics of traumatic brain injury (TBI) as occurring in sports. Before proceeding further, it is appropriate to define TBI:
Exciton-Polaritons in Microcavities

Control of spontaneous emission in a cavity, often referred to as cavity quantum electrodynamics, is studied for the new system consisting of a microcavity radiation field and quantum well Wannier excitons. A frequency-domain normal mode (polariton) splitting and time-domain coupled mode (exciton-field) oscillation were directly observed in a coherent emission from such a coupled microcavity-exciton system. The oscillation period and normal mode splitting are independent of the pump intensity, which is in sharp contrast to an atomic vacuum Rabi oscillation and stems from the bosonic feature of quantum well excitons.
Coping Behavior to Avoid Visitor Encounters: Its Relationship to Wildland Privacy

Too many visitor encounters can detract from the privacy sought in wildland environments. Coping behavior to avoid or adjust to visitor encounters is one procedure for reducing encounters and maint...
From Walkable Communities to Active Lifestyles: Exploring Causal Pathways through a Case Study in Austin, Texas:

Walkable communities have been associated with improved physical activity, but the underlying causal pathways and related social benefits are understudied. This retrospective “pre–post” survey stud...
Clinical spectrum, risk factors, management and outcome of patients with retroperitoneal hematoma: a retrospective analysis of 3-year experience.

Retroperitoneal Hematoma (RPH) is an underdiagnosed and overlooked disease entity and has a high mortality rate if not diagnosed in a timely manner. This study aims to analyze the clinical characte...
Early alterations of microRNA expression to predict and modulate melanoma metastasis.

8550 Background: Melanoma is curable for most patients whose tumors are surgically removed early in disease progression; however, many primary melanomas recur and progress to metastasis. Clinical s...
DEVIATION FROM THE /xi/ APPROXIMATION IN FIRST FORBIDDEN $beta$ DECAY

The failure of the $\ensuremath{\xi}$ approximation in which only the first nonvanishing term is kept in the expansion in descending powers of the Coulomb energy factor is due to either the cancellation or selection rule effect. The latter may be due to $K$ or $j$ forbiddennesses. In order to distinguish these three possibilities experimentally, the two transitions, $3(\ensuremath{\beta})2(\ensuremath{\gamma})0$ and $2(\ensuremath{\beta})2(\ensuremath{\gamma})0$, are discussed. The present data on ${\mathrm{Sb}}^{124}$ and ${\mathrm{Rb}}^{86}$ are insufficient to permit drawing a definite conclusion. Similar arguments can be extended to other $\ensuremath{\beta}$ decays. To get more information, the general energy and angular dependences are given in convenient form for various observables, and are shown numerically for ${\mathrm{Sb}}^{124}$. Certain $\ensuremath{\beta}\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ correlation experiments, especially the $\ensuremath{\beta}$-circularly polarized $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ correlation and the transverse $\ensuremath{\beta}$ polarization, are proposed for a variety of special $\ensuremath{\beta}$ decays, e.g., ${\mathrm{Ga}}^{72}$, ${\mathrm{Y}}^{92}$, and so on. It is also concluded that the unique shape energy spectrum does not necessarily correspond to a unique forbidden transition. An example is ${\mathrm{Eu}}^{152}$. Measurements of $\ensuremath{\beta}\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ correlations are useful in order to decide this correspondence. Other $\ensuremath{\beta}$ decays, which may be characterized by the cancellation, are ${\mathrm{Ag}}^{111}$, ${\mathrm{Re}}^{186}$, and ${\mathrm{Tm}}^{170}$.
The Power of One Clean Qubit

That a resource analogous to negentropy can be vastly increased by merely adding a single qubit seems very counterintuitive. If I told you that by adding a single molecule to a gas of \(10^{30}\) molecules in thermal equilibrium, it would allow you to extract a large amount of useful work you would probably dismiss the claim as nonsense. You would of course be right. When I first thought about the fact that a single qubit can restore an exponential amount of uncomplexity I was skeptical about its meaning. So as I always do when I am confused about quantum information I went to Patrick Hayden. I asked him: Can adding one qubit to a computer significantly increase its power?
The Counseling Field and the Rights of the Children

This chapter reviews the intersection between the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the counseling field. The first section introduces the Convention and highlights its central tenets regarding the mental health of children. This section also discusses the conceptualization of children as holders of their own rights to comprehensive care and reviews the Convention’s articles most relevant to the work counseling professionals do in schools. The second section presents different ways in which intentional counseling and microskills can help achieve the goals of the Convention, followed by descriptions of such effective counseling practices. The third section introduces the implications of neuroscience for counseling children, as well as the contribution of neuroscience to social justice. The chapter ends with ways to infuse Convention-based counseling practices in schools and in counseling children.
Promotional Inventory Displays: An Empirical Analysis Using IoT Data

We use internet-of-things (IoT)-generated data on the real-time location of about 15 thousand displays in about 5 thousand stores of a Fortune 500 retailer, paired with the stores' point-of-sale (POS) data between September 2017 and March 2018, to measure the operational execution and effectiveness of promotional inventory display campaigns. We find that campaigns are poorly executed: 29 percent of displays never made it to a store's floor, and those that did only spent 62 percent of the campaign there. We also find that poor execution deprives targeted products of substantial sales: placing a display on the floor on an arbitrary week increases the targeted products' sales by 7.3 percent, and placing it on the floor on a campaign week boosts sales by another 2.3 percent. Finally, we project that stores would decrease targeted products' dollar sales during campaign weeks by 3.1 percent if they discontinued display campaigns as currently executed, and they could increase these products' revenues during campaign weeks by up to 6.9 percent by improving display campaign execution.
The Tragedy of Measles

The Tragedy of Measles Although measles has always had serious complications, it was not necessarily treated seriously in popular culture, even before the MMR vaccine became available. But there is...
Benford’s law and continuous dependent random variables

Abstract Many mathematical, man-made and natural systems exhibit a leading-digit bias, where a first digit (base 10) of 1 occurs not 11% of the time, as one would expect if all digits were equally likely, but rather 30%. This phenomenon is known as Benford’s Law. Analyzing which datasets adhere to Benford’s Law and how quickly Benford behavior sets in are the two most important problems in the field. Most previous work studied systems of independent random variables, and relied on the independence in their analyses. Inspired by natural processes such as particle decay, we study the dependent random variables that emerge from models of decomposition of conserved quantities. We prove that in many instances the distribution of lengths of the resulting pieces converges to Benford behavior as the number of divisions grow, and give several conjectures for other fragmentation processes. The main difficulty is that the resulting random variables are dependent. We handle this by using tools from Fourier analysis and irrationality exponents to obtain quantified convergence rates as well as introducing and developing techniques to measure and control the dependencies. The construction of these tools is one of the major motivations of this work, as our approach can be applied to many other dependent systems. As an example, we show that the n ! entries in the determinant expansions of n × n matrices with entries independently drawn from nice random variables converges to Benford’s Law.
Rome and the Education of Mercy in Augustine’s City of God

The City of God begins as an apologia for the uneven distribution of human suffering. Augustinian justice follows the classical definition of giving what is due. Yet, the recipients of life and death do not allow us to reflect on justice as “just deserts.” Instead, we can best see Augustinian justice in relation to mercy. I focus on Romulus and Regulus, figures through which Augustine directs us toward the truly praiseworthy and blameworthy in great deeds and their doers. In studying these portraits—retellings of ancient Roman myths—a vision of Augustine’s political theory emerges that shows us what he takes to be the most important political virtue of misericordia.
Consistency of performance of adverse outcome prediction models for hospitalized COVID-19 patients

Background: We previously reported and validated a risk prediction tool based on COVID-19 hospitalizations prior to June 2020. Here, we report performance of that model on subsequent data from 6 hospitals and among individual patient subgroups. Method: We included individuals age 18 or older hospitalized at one of 2 academic medical centers and 4 community hospitals from 6/7/2020 through 1/22/2021 with positive PCR test for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) within 5 days of admission. Coefficients from our previously reported least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) risk models were applied to estimate probability of a mortality, as well as a composite severe illness outcome, including admission to the ICU, mechanical ventilation or mortality. Results: Overall model performance for mortality included AUC of 0.83 (95% CI:0.80-0.87) for mortality, with a PPV 0.55 and NPV of 0.95 when using a cutoff corresponding to the highest 20% of predicted risk derived in the training set. For all adverse outcomes, AUC was 0.79 (95% CI:0.75-0.81) and PPV 0.48 and NPV 0.98 in the top 20% risk group. Model discrimination was generally similar between genders and race/ethnicity groups, but markedly poorer for younger age groups. Conclusion: Although the population of individuals hospitalized for COVID-19 has shifted and outcomes have improved overall, prediction models derived earlier in the pandemic may maintain utility.
No evidence that collective-good appeals best promote COVID-related health behaviors.

Invoking the good of the community is common guidance for promoting public health behaviors. Korn et al. (1) suggest emphasizing the collective nature of vaccination to promote uptake after finding that people treat vaccination like a social contract transcending in-group/out-group dynamics. Similar recommendations appear in COVID-19 policy briefs (2, 3) and popular press articles (4). If appeals beyond narrow self-interest can increase willingness to vaccinate, lives will be saved since intent-to-vaccinate levels hover below that required for herd immunity. Also, the rationale for this strategy is clear: Public health emergencies require collective effort, so motivating individual contributions with community appeals is intuitive and rhetorically uncontroversial. Unfortunately, we have found no … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: natrabb{at}gmail.com. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
COVID-19 Self-quarantine and Weight Gain Risk Factors in Adults.

The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with weight gain in certain individuals. This review highlights the risk factors for weight gain during COVID-19 self-quarantine in adults. Among those who have gained weight during COVID-19 self-quarantine, self-reported body weight has increased between .5 and 1.8 kg (± 2.8 kg) after just 2 months of quarantine. Identified risk factors for weight gain during COVID-19 self-quarantine are the following: increased sedentary behaviors, decreased physical activity, increased snacking frequency (particularly after dinner), increased alcohol intake, decreased water intake, emotional eating, decreased sleep quality, and being overweight/obese. Having identified risk factors for weight gain during the COVID-19 pandemic, practitioners and researchers should devise plans to assist those who have gained weight to re-learn weight management/weight loss strategies.
The Effects of State-Level Medicaid Coverage on Family Wealth

Jointly financed by the federal government and the states, Medicaid represents the second largest form of public-sector investment in children. Research documents direct positive effects of Medicaid on children’s well-being, but little is known about the effects of Medicaid expansions on the wealth of families with children. Using state variation in Medicaid access during the prenatal and infant period, linked to longitudinal data from the children of National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 79, we ask whether state-level Medicaid generosity is associated with family wealth among families with children and whether these effects vary by parental education and race-ethnicity. We find that greater state-level Medicaid access is associated with a larger total amount held in savings and retirement accounts, as well as in mortgages. These effects are largely driven by non-Hispanic white families, and those with more highly educated mothers.
Engineering elastic sealants based on gelatin and elastin-like polypeptides for endovascular anastomosis.

Cerebrovascular ischemia from intracranial atherosclerosis remains difficult to treat. Although current revascularization procedures, including intraluminal stents and extracranial to intracranial bypass, have shown some benefit, they suffer from perioperative and postoperative morbidity. To address these limitations, here we developed a novel approach that involves gluing of arteries and subsequent transmural anastomosis from the healthy donor into the ischemic recipient. This approach required an elastic vascular sealant with distinct mechanical properties and adhesion to facilitate anastomosis. We engineered two hydrogel-based glues: an elastic composite hydrogel based on methacryloyl elastin-like polypeptide (mELP) combined with gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) and a stiff glue based on pure GelMA. Two formulations with distinct mechanical characteristics were necessary to achieve stable anastomosis. The elastic GelMA/mELP composite glue attained desirable mechanical properties (elastic modulus: 288 ± 19 kPa, extensibility: 34.5 ± 13.4%) and adhesion (shear strength: 26.7 ± 5.4 kPa) to the blood vessel, while the pure GelMA glue exhibited superior adhesion (shear strength: 49.4 ± 7.0 kPa) at the cost of increased stiffness (elastic modulus: 581 ± 51 kPa) and reduced extensibility (13.6 ± 2.5%). The in vitro biocompatibility tests confirmed that the glues were not cytotoxic and were biodegradable. In addition, an ex vivo porcine anastomosis model showed high arterial burst pressure resistance of 34.0 ± 7.5 kPa, which is well over normal (16 kPa), elevated (17.3 kPa), and hypertensive crisis (24 kPa) systolic blood pressures in humans. Finally, an in vivo swine model was used to assess the feasibility of using the newly developed two-glue system for an endovascular anastomosis. X-ray imaging confirmed that the anastomosis was made successfully without postoperative bleeding complications and the procedure was well tolerated. In the future, more studies are required to evaluate the performance of the developed sealants under various temperature and humidity ranges.
Public-Private Partnership an Argument for Allow Private Investors to Buy Bonds

First, the purpose of this essay paper is to examine the Public-Private Partnership (P3) the infrastructure of the United States and members of the Global Infrastructure Facility (GIF). My goal is to use a persuasive argument to defend the need for public infrastructures to use private sector investors as a viable alternative to public funding. Next, the ongoing conditions of global climate change a phenomenon that causes a shift in long-term weather patterns resulting in the anthropogenic of natural accuracies using the (P3) platform as a model for raising capital. The climate change is a project that should be funded with green bonds using public-private partnership (P3), which is a unique collaboration between two or more entities in this case public and private sectors forming a partnership for the good of the nation (Flaherty, et al., 2016). Hence, sometimes this involves government intervention to reach out an obtain its funding from the private investors that want to participate, if given a trade-off to their business, a tax incentive will due, which could benefit both the public and private sector. There are opportunities that will establish the (P3) system with partnership agreements to raise funds bid on real estate using green bonds, but they have a maturity date attached to the bond, which could limit the number of projects that could receive funding in a given year. So, only a certain amount of funds is available each year, which can affect a project, scheduled completion.
Nascent alt-protein chemoproteomics reveals a repressor of ribosome biogenesis

Abstract Many unannotated microproteins and alternative proteins (alt-proteins) have recently been found to be co-encoded with canonical proteins, but few of their functions are known. Motivated by the hypothesis that alt-proteins undergoing active or stress-induced synthesis could play important cellular roles, here, we developed a chemoproteomic pipeline to identify nascent alt-proteins in human cells. We identified 22 actively translated unannotated alt-proteins, one of which is upregulated after DNA damage stress. We further defined MINAS-60 (MIcroprotein that Negatively regulates ASsembly of the pre-60S ribosomal subunit), a nucleolar localized alt-protein co-encoded with human RBM10.Depletion of MINAS-60 increases the amount of the mature 60S ribosomal subunit, consequently upregulating global protein synthesis and cell proliferation by repressing late-stage pre-60S assembly and export of the 60S ribosome subunit to the cytoplasm. Together, these results implicate MINAS-60 as a repressor of ribosome biogenesis, and demonstrate that chemoproteomics can enable generation of functional hypotheses for uncharacterized alt-proteins.
Insulin Resistance Is Associated with Right Ventricular Dysfunction

Rationale: The effect of insulin resistance on left ventricular function is well documented, however less is known regarding its effect on the right ventricle (RV). Objectives: To evaluate the asso...
Why Is Male Breast Milk Kosher? Breastfeeding, Gender, and the Leaky Body in Rabbinic Literature

Breastfeeding is a controversial subject. Central to debates about how, where, and whether it should be done is a rhetoric of control, seeking to strategically regulate female bodies. Throughout these debates, the alterity of women pervades. Further, many of these narratives include a notion that the female body is not whole, but pierced; it is a porous body incapable of self-regulation, in direct contrast with the male body, conceived of as contained and controlled. Focusing on breastfeeding in an essay on pierced and unbound bodies in rabbinic literature might seem surprising. However, theorizing the female body as leaky and the male body as contained elucidates certain rabbinic discourse regarding the purity status of breast milk. In particular, it explains why the rabbis imagine a scenario in which a lactating male produces pure breast milk.
Measurement of the number of ornithine decarboxylase molecules in rat and mouse tissues under various physiological conditions by binding of radiolabelled α-difluoromethylornithine

The binding of alpha-difluoromethylornithine, an irreversible inhibitor, to ornithine decarboxylase was used to investigate the amount of enzyme present in rat liver under various conditions and in mouse kidney after treatment with androgens. Maximal binding of the drug occurred on incubation of the tissue extract for 60min with 3mum-difluoromethyl[5-(14)C]ornithine in the presence of pyridoxal phosphate. Under these conditions, only one protein became labelled, and this corresponded to ornithine decarboxylase, having M(r) about 100000 and subunit M(r) about 55000. Treatment of rats with thioacetamide or carbon tetrachloride or by partial hepatectomy produced substantial increases in ornithine decarboxylase activity and parallel increases in the amount of enzyme protein as determined by the extent of binding of difluoromethyl[5-(14)C]ornithine. Similarly, treatment with cycloheximide or 1,3-diaminopropane greatly decreased both the enzyme activity and the amount of difluoromethyl-[5-(14)C]ornithine bound to protein. In all cases, the ratio of drug bound to activity was 26fmol/unit, where 1 unit corresponds to 1nmol of substrate decarboxylated in 30min. These results indicate that even after maximal induction of the enzyme in rat liver there is only about 1ng of enzyme present per mg of protein. When mice were treated with androgens there was a substantial increase in renal ornithine decarboxylase activity, the magnitude of which depended on the strain. There was an excellent correspondence between the amount of activity present and the capacity to bind labelled alpha-difluoromethylornithine in the mouse kidney extracts, but in this case the ratio of drug bound to activity was 14fmol/unit, suggesting that the mouse enzyme has a higher catalytic-centre activity. After androgen induction, the mouse kidney extracts contain about 170ng of enzyme/mg of protein. These results indicate that titration with alpha-difluoromethylornithine provides a valuable method by which to quantify the amount of active ornithine decarboxylase present in mammalian tissues, and that the androgen-treated mouse kidney is a much better source for purification of the enzyme than is rat liver.
Parvoviral host range and cell entry mechanisms.

Abstract Parvoviruses elaborate rugged nonenveloped icosahedral capsids of ∼260 A in diameter that comprise just 60 copies of a common core structural polypeptide. While serving as exceptionally durable shells, capable of protecting the single‐stranded DNA genome from environmental extremes, the capsid also undergoes sequential conformational changes that allow it to translocate the genome from its initial host cell nucleus all the way into the nucleus of its subsequent host. Lacking a duplex transcription template, the virus must then wait for its host to enter S‐phase before it can initiate transcription and usurp the cell's synthetic pathways. Here we review cell entry mechanisms used by parvoviruses. We explore two apparently distinct modes of host cell specificity, first that used by Minute virus of mice, where subtle glycan‐specific interactions between host receptors and residues surrounding twofold symmetry axes on the virion surface mediate differentiated cell type target specificity, while the second involves novel protein interactions with the canine transferrin receptor that allow a mutant of the feline leukopenia serotype, Canine parvovirus, to bind to and infect dog cells. We then discuss conformational shifts in the virion that accompany cell entry, causing exposure of a capsid‐tethered phospholipase A2 enzymatic core that acts as an endosomolytic agent to mediate virion translocation across the lipid bilayer into the cell cytoplasm. Finally, we discuss virion delivery into the nucleus, and consider the nature of transcriptionally silent DNA species that, escaping detection by the cell, might allow unhampered progress into S‐phase and hence unleash the parvoviral Trojan horse.
Use of Natural Ingredients to Control Growth of Listeria monocytogenes on Ham

Five out of seven naturally cured ham products showed no significantly greater (P<0.05) growth by inoculated Listeria monocytogenes than that of the control. The manufacture of cured ham with natural nitrate in combination with starter culture had highest residual nitrite levels. The treatments produced similar results to those in traditionally cured ham. The pH was affected by the addition of different antimicrobials. These results will be used to prepare guidelines for manufacturing these products in a manner that will achieve a safety level that is equivalent to traditionally cured meat products without altering the uniqueness of this category of processed meats.
Positron focusing in the Advanced Photon Source (APS) linear accelerator

Positrons are created by a bremsstrahlung shower process, and are therefore produced with broad divergence and a large energy spread. The e/sup +//e/sup -/ conversion ratio is on the order of 1/200, so the positron focusing system is critical to ensure good positron capture and transport efficiency. The positron focusing system is described, and functions of the different magnetic elements are discussed. Some improvements to the focusing system are suggested, although the linac's design positron intensity of 8 mA has already been achieved.
Computational Methods for Protein Sequence Comparison and Search

Protein sequence comparison and search has become commonplace not only for bioinformatics researchers but also for experimentalists in many cases. Because of the exponential growth in sequence data, sequence comparison in particular has become an increasingly important tool. Relating a new gene sequence to other known sequences often reveals its function, structure, and evolution. Many sequence comparison and search tools are available through public Web servers, and biologists can use them easily with little knowledge of computers or bioinformatics. This unit provides some theoretical background and describes popular tools for dot plot, sequence search against a database, multiple sequence alignments, protein tree construction, and protein family and motif search. Step-by-step examples are provided to illustrate how to use some of the most well-known tools. Finally, some general advice is given on combining different sequence analysis tools for biological inference. Curr. Protoc. Protein Sci. 56:2.1.1-2.1.27. © 2009 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Keywords: protein sequence comparison; dot plot; multiple sequence alignment; protein tree; protein family; motif search
Implementing JIT: the dimensions of culture, management, and human resources

The authors explore the cultural, managerial, and human resources dimensions of implementing JIT in the United States. First, JIT is introduced and its origins are summarized. The cultural and human factors which might affect implementation strategies are then discussed. This is followed by an examination of the characteristics of the changes required for American industries to consider JIT. Specific methods for implementing JIT are developed. >
Geometric Modeling of Engineered Abrasive Processes

Abstract One of the common issues that arises in abrasive machining is the inconsistency of the surface roughness within the same batch and under identical machining conditions. Recent advances in engineered abrasives have allowed replacement of the random arrangement of minerals on conventional belts with precisely shaped structures uniformly cast directly onto a backing material. This allows for abrasive belts that are more deterministic in shape, size, distribution, orientation, and composition. A computer model based on known tooling geometry was developed to approximate the asymptotic surface profile that was achievable under specific loading conditions. Outputs included the theoretical surface parameters, Rq, Ra, Rv, Rp, Rt, and Rsk. Experimental validation was performed with a custom-made abrader apparatus and using engineered abrasives on highly polished aluminum samples. Interferometric microscopy was used in assessing the surface roughness. Results include the individual effects of pyramid base width, pyramid height, attack angle, and indentation depth on the surface descriptors.
Flow Shear Stress and Atherosclerosis: A Matter of Site Specificity

It is well accepted that atherosclerosis occurs in a site-specific manner especially at branch points where disturbed blood flow (d-flow) predisposes to the development of plaques. Investigations both in vivo and in vitro have shown that d-flow is pro-atherogenic by promoting oxidative and inflammatory states in the artery wall. In contrast, steady laminar blood flow (s-flow) is atheroprotective by inhibition of oxidative stress and inflammation in the vessel wall. The mechanism for inflammation in endothelial cells (ECs) exposed to d-flow has been well studied and includes redox-dependent activation of apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) and Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) that ultimately lead to the expression of adhesive molecules. In contrast, s-flow leads to the activation of the mitogen extracellular-signal-regulated kinase kinase 5/extracellular signal-regulated kinase-5 (MEK5/ERK5) pathway that prevents pro-inflammatory signaling. Important transcriptional events that reflect the pro-oxidant and pro-inflammatory condition of ECs in d-flow include the activation of activator protein 1 (AP-1) and nuclear factor kappaB (NFκB), whereas in s-flow, activation of Kruppel-like factor 2 (KLF2) and nuclear factor erythroid 2-like 2 (Nrf2) are dominant. Recent studies have shown that protein kinase c zeta (PKCζ) is highly activated under d-flow conditions and may represent a molecular switch for EC signaling and gene expression. The targeted modulation of proteins activated in a site-specific manner holds the promise for a new approach to limit atherosclerosis.
Relationships between pre-stimulus gamma power and subsequent P300 and reaction time breakdown in schizophrenia

Introduction Little is known about the relationship between gamma-band oscillations prior to the arrival of a target stimulus and subsequent sensory processing and response execution. Although schizophrenia has been associated with abnormalities in gamma-band oscillations, P300, and reaction time (RT), few studies have examined the possible correspondence between these three neurobiological and behavioral markers in schizophrenia. To characterize the relationship between preparatory processes, information processing, and subsequent behavioral performance in schizophrenia, the present study investigated the relationships between pre-stimulus gamma-band power, RT and P300 amplitude.
The oxygen equilibrium of sickle-cell hemoglobin.

Abstract The equilibria between oxygen and normal and sickle-cell hemoglobins have been redetermined. Sickle-cell hemoglobin has a considerably lower affinity for oxygen than normal. At low concentrations the oxygen pressure at which sickle-cell hemoglobin is half oxygenated is 26–39% higher than in normal hemoglobin. Thus, at a pressure in the tissue capillaries at which normal hemoglobin would have discharged 1 3 of its oxygen, sickle-cell hemoglobin would have lost 2 3 of its oxygen. The pH and temperature dependence of the equilibria have been measured and appear to differ only slightly in the two hemoglobins. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Incentives in two-sided matching with random stable mechanisms

This paper considers the incentives confronting agents who face the prospect of being matched by some sort of random stable mechanism, such as that discussed in Roth and Vande Vate (1990). A one period game is studied in which all stable matchings can be achieved as equilibria in a natural class of undominated strategies, and in which certain unstable matchings can also arise in this way. A multi-period extension of this game is then considered in which all subgame perfect equilibria must result in stable matchings. These results suggest avenues to explore markets in which matching is organized in a decentralized way.
On the determinant of the adjacency matrix for a planar sublattice

Abstract It is proved that the determinant of the adjacency matrix for a finite subgraph G of Z × Z is 1, 0, or −1, provided that G has no “holes.”
Anxiety and response stereotypy: an experimental critique

Studies of the relationship between the level of anxiety and degree of response stereotypy have reported findings which not only contradict one another but in varying degrees are inconsistent with ...
Salient and non-salient fiducial detection using a probabilistic graphical model

Deformable shape detection is an important problem in computer vision and pattern recognition. However, standard detectors are typically limited to locating only a few salient landmarks such as landmarks near edges or areas of high contrast, often conveying insufficient shape information. This paper presents a novel statistical pattern recognition approach to locate a dense set of salient and non-salient landmarks in images of a deformable object. We explore the fact that several object classes exhibit a homogeneous structure such that each landmark position provides some information about the position of the other landmarks. In our model, the relationship between all pairs of landmarks is naturally encoded as a probabilistic graph. Dense landmark detections are then obtained with a new sampling algorithm that, given a set of candidate detections, selects the most likely positions as to maximize the probability of the graph. Our experimental results demonstrate accurate, dense landmark detections within and across different databases. HighlightsThe new pattern recognition method accurately detects a dense set of object landmarks in an image.The relative positions of pairs of landmarks are encoded by a probabilistic graph.Non-salient landmarks, missed by other detectors, are now robustly detected.It is applicable to different objects - e.g., faces, hands, and cardiac structures.
Cancer mortality correlation studies-III: Statistical associations with dietary selenium intakes

Age-corrected mortalities from cancer at 17 major body sites were correlated with the apparent dietary selenium intakes estimated from food-consumption data in 27 countries. Significant inverse correlations were observed for cancers of large intestine, rectum, prostate, breast, ovary, lung and with leukemia; weak inverse associations were found for cancers of pancreas, skin and bladder. Similar inverse corelations were found between cancer mortalities at the above sites and the selenium concentrations in whole blood collected from healthy human donors in the U.S. and different countries. The results support the hypothesis that selenium has cancer-protecting effects in man. Other studies are cited which demonstrate that selenium prevents or retards tumor development in animals. A change of diet aimed at increasing the dietary selenium supply is suggested as a possible means of lowering the human cancer risk. It is postulated that the cancer mortalities in the U.S. and other Western industrialized nations would decline significantly if the dietary selenium intakes were increased to approximately twice the current average amount supplied by the U.S. diet.
Susceptibility of Residential Wells to VOC and Nitrate Contamination

Water quality of residential wells is vital to public health and a complex issue for regulatory agencies. South Carolina, a typical southeastern rural state, has no required testing of residential well water quality after initial well construction. This study used site-selection criteria to identify susceptible residential wells based on a combination of geologic vulnerability and potential contaminant loading. Geologic vulnerability was defined as increased probability of contaminants being transported from the land surface into the groundwater based on geological properties. As a surrogate for potential general contaminant loading, wells were located within 800 m of an EPA Toxics Release Inventory facility reporting VOC emissions, thus sampling was nonrandom. Seventy private residential wells were sampled for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrate-nitrogen (NO3−N) and analyzed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and the cadmium reduction method, respectively. Geographic Information Systems...