cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Older women's experiences with online apparel shopping

The U.S. Bureau of the Census (2010) expects that the older population will constitute about 20 percent of the total U.S. population in 2050. With rapidly increasing numbers in the older population, the older market has attracted attention from fashion retailers because of their higher purchasing power (Mumel & Prodnik, 2005). In spite of the importance of older consumers in the fashion market, there has been little research of the apparel shopping of older consumers. In particular, few studies have been conducted on older women’s online apparel shopping. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore older women’s experiences with online apparel shopping and to increase understanding of how older women shop for apparel online. The qualitative study was designed to explore how older women shop for apparel online. In-depth, face-to-face interviews and observations were conducted with 13 women who were 66 to 73 years of age and had experience purchasing apparel products online at least three times within the last two years. Most women included in this study were active online shoppers, and they have had positive experiences purchasing apparel products online. They did not have substantial problems with online apparel shopping, and they felt comfortable with it. Participants were motivated to do online apparel shopping because of the advantages of online shopping, such as convenience, lower prices, and variety of product offerings. They also were motivated to do online apparel shopping by other shopping channels, including mailed catalogs and stores. Their online apparel shopping was often more intentional than it would have been in a store where more browsing might occur. All the participants in this study were concerned about the fit and size of garments when they did online apparel shopping due to the inconsistency of sizes among brands. They
Bacterial endotoxins and host immune responses

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the nature of endotoxins and their interactions with cells of the immune system. The direct interaction of endotoxin with B lymphocytes leading to the formation of antibodies to endotoxin as well as a spectrum of other immunoglobulin molecules is discussed. In addition, the interactions of endotoxins with T cells and macrophages and the associated immunoregulatory effects are discussed. The central role of the lipid A portion of the endotoxin molecule in cellular activation and the molecular events occurring at the cell surface in the course of stimulation are presented. The potential of endotoxins as therapeutic manipulators of the immune response in man is also evaluated. Major direct interactions of endotoxins with B lymphocytes have been documented, leading to synthesis and secretion of antibody directed not only against antigenic determinants on the endotoxin molecules themselves, but also with specificities characteristic of the complete repertoire of variable region gene products. Knowledge of the immunobiology of endotoxins has prompted investigations in their therapeutic uses in man as both antigenically distinct and cross-reactive immunogens in protection against gram-negative infections.
Determination of Peptide Oligomerization State Using Rapid Photochemical Crosslinking

The assembly of the amyloid beta-protein (Abeta) into neurotoxic oligomers and fibrils is a seminal pathogenic process in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Understanding the mechanisms of Abeta assembly could prove useful in the identification of therapeutic targets. Owing to the metastable nature of Abeta oligomers, it is difficult to obtain interpretable data through application of classical methods, such as electrophoresis, chromatography, fluorescence, and light scattering. Here, we apply the method Photo-Induced Crosslinking of Unmodified Proteins (PICUP) to the study of Abeta oligomerization. This method directly produces covalent bonds among unmodified polypeptide chains through in situ generation of peptide free radicals. PICUP provides a snapshot of the native oligomerization state of proteins and can be used for assembly state analysis of a wide variety of peptides and proteins.
Analysis of linear discrete event system in Z-domain

Abstract A class of Discrete Event System (DES) can be modeled as linear equations in max-algebra. So, some approaches to analyze the conventional linear systems can be imitated in the analysis of linear DES. In this paper, based on Prof. G. Cohen's works, we try to develop a more complete theory of linear DES in Z-domain. It includes the analyses of stability, controllability, minimal realization, etc., with a preceding presentation of some properties of Z-transformations and the matrices.
Seeing Mathematics Through Different Eyes: An Equitable Approach to Use with Prospective Teachers

Teacher educators need to prepare prospective teachers by encouraging them to critically examine their current beliefs about the teaching and learning of mathematics while also providing opportunities for prospective teachers to develop an equity-centered orientation. Attending to these practices in teacher preparation programs may help prospective teachers observe actions that occur in classrooms and determine effective strategies that provide the opportunity to enhance all students’ access to high-quality mathematics instruction. As mathematics teacher educators, we must recognize what prospective teachers attend to as they direct their attention to various classroom events and how they relate the events to broader principles of teaching and learning. In this chapter, we investigate what prospective teachers attend to in a classroom vignette of a student who is above grade level in mathematics and exhibits disruptive behavior during instruction. Keeping everything constant in the vignette except the student’s race and sex, we examined prospective teachers’ responses when the student was an African American male, White male, African American female, and White female. By attending specifically to race and sex, we explored whether prospective teachers demonstrated (1) an equity-centered orientation toward mathematics instruction or (2) deficit views of students based on race, sex, or the intersection of the two. Using a constant comparative method, the data were coded and analyzed using the equity noticing framework. The results indicate that prospective teachers are beginning to attend to cultural influences and their responses reveal differences not only between races but also between males and females.
Maternal Nicotinamide Riboside Enhances Postpartum Weight Loss, Juvenile Offspring Development, and Neurogenesis of Adult Offspring.

Summary Conditions of metabolic stress dysregulate the NAD metabolome. By restoring NAD, nicotinamide riboside (NR) provides resistance to such conditions. We tested the hypotheses that postpartum might dysregulate maternal NAD and that increasing systemic NAD with NR might benefit mothers and offspring. In postpartum mothers, the liver NAD metabolome is depressed while blood increases circulation of NAD metabolites to enable a >20-fold increase in mammary NAD+ and NADP+. Lactation and NR synergize in stimulating prolactin synthesis and mammary biosynthetic programs. NR supplementation of new mothers increases lactation and nursing behaviors and stimulates maternal transmission of macronutrients, micronutrients, and BDNF into milk. Pups of NR-supplemented mothers are advantaged in glycemic control, size at weaning, and synaptic pruning. Adult offspring of mothers supplemented during nursing retain advantages in physical performance, anti-anxiety, spatial memory, delayed onset of behavioral immobility, and promotion of adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Thus, postgestational maternal micronutrition confers lasting advantages to offspring.
A Revision of Cuphea Section Amazoniana s. s. (Lythraceae)

Cuphea section Amazoniana, one of 13 sections in Cuphea, comprises 20 species, mostly narrow endemics in Colombia, Ecuador, and the Guiana Shield region of Venezuela, Guyana, French Guiana, and Brazil. The species inhabit river margins, tepuis, scrubland, savanna, and low montane forests in tropical to cold temperate climates. They are subshrubs defined by the common presence of a strigose indumentum of bifid (malpighiaceous) trichomes; small elliptic to narrowly lanceolate or linear coriaceous leaves; and tubular flowers to 9 mm long with 11 deeply inserted stamens included in the floral tube. In morphology, they are similar to or partially overlap species currently classified in Cuphea sections Trispermum and Heteranthus. The revision provides a new key, comparative morphological descriptions, first descriptions and illustrations of pollen and seed morphology, and distribution maps. Cuphea saxatilis S. A. Graham, sp. nov. from Colombia and Cuphea trisperma S. A. Graham, sp. nov. from Venezuela are newly described. Cuphea killipii Lourteig is placed in synonomy of C. philombria Lourteig. Presence or absence of a floral spur, position and shape of a nectary-like floral organ, the “disc”, and presence of two major pollen types suggest the section is not monophyletic, but consists of a minimum of two phylogenetic lineages, one in the Guiana Shield region in Venezuela and eastward, the other in low montane forests and on outliers of the Guiana Shield in Colombia and northern Ecuador. Fossilized Cuphea pollen grains resembling two types of pollen known in sect. Amazoniana, establish the presence of the genus in theMio-Pliocene toHolocene of northern South America in areas occupied today by members of the section.
Predictors of Treatment Access and Initiation Among Diverse, Low-Income Victims of Violence Offered a Trauma-Focused Evidence-Based Psychotherapy:

Many victims of violence may benefit from trauma-focused evidence-based psychotherapies (EBPs), but fail to utilize treatment. The current study investigated factors associated with treatment access and treatment initiation in a low-income, racially and ethnically diverse, urban population of victims of violence who were screened for EBPs. The sample consisted of 941 adults, mean age = 35.87 (SD = 12.8), who were screened for mental health treatment and offered an EBP. Overall, 55.7% of individuals accessed treatment by attending an in-person screening appointment and intake, and 79.0% of the individuals who accessed treatment then initiated treatment by attending the first EBP session. Analysis revealed higher age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.05, 95% confidence interval (CI) = [1.04, 1.09]) and lower expression of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms predicted higher rates of accessing treatment (OR = 0.20, 95% CI = [0.05, 0.82]). Higher global severity of distress (OR = 3.22, 95% CI = [1.14, 9.10]), poor quality of life in the area of psychological health (OR = 0.90, 95% CI = [0.81, 1.00]), and better quality of life in the area of physical health significantly predicted initiation of treatment (OR = 1.11, 95% CI = [0.998, 1.24]). Findings suggest that low-income, ethnically and racially diverse victims of violence may effectively utilize trauma-focused EBPs offered in a community setting.
Safety Design of Water Infrastructures in a Modern Era

Over the past century, numerous water infrastructures have been built to serve the water-related need of people worldwide (Mitchell, 1990). Those larger ones often serve multiple purposes, such as agriculture, navigation, hydropower, and flooding control. Failure of such high-hazard dams, especially those with flooding control purposes, would bring catastrophic ecological and societal loss.
Grandmothers and Granddaughters: Old‐Age Pensions and Intrahousehold Allocation in South Africa

This article evaluates the impact of a large cash transfer program in South Africa on children's nutritional status and investigates whether the gender of the recipient affects that impact. In the early 1990s the benefits and coverage of the South African social pension program were expanded for the black population. In 1993 the benefits were about twice the median per capita income in rural areas. More than a quarter of black South African children under age five live with a pension recipient. Estimates suggest that pensions received by women had a large impact on the anthropometric status (weight for height and height for age) of girls but little effect on that of boys. No similar effect is found for pensions received by men. This suggests that the efficiency of public transfer programs may depend on the gender of the recipient.
No evidence for true polar wander of Ceres

The spins of solar system objects are not constant with time. One way a world’s spin can change is by true polar wander (TPW), whereby geological activity perturbs the moments of inertia, reorienting the entire body. Recently, Pasquale Tricarico used data from the NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Dawn mission to propose that Ceres experienced a large amount of TPW. Although their analysis is intriguing, we have identified several flaws that remove the central evidence for TPW of Ceres. Constraining the TPW of Ceres is critically important because TPW could have important consequences for Ceres’s geomorphology, tectonics and volatile content.
Lifecycle climate impacts and economic performance of commercial-scale solar PV systems: A study of PV systems at Nevada's Desert Research Institute (DRI)

Abstract The Desert Research Institute (DRI) in Nevada has recently installed eight solar PV systems with a cumulative nameplate capacity of 2.4 MW that scale from 3 kW to 1145 kW. These systems supply approximately 40% of the total electricity used at DRI’s Reno and Las Vegas campuses. This work explored greenhouse gas (GHG) impacts and economic performance of these PV systems by developing and applying comprehensive life cycle analysis (LCA) combined with economic analysis. The LCA model was built using data appropriate for each type of panel used in the DRI systems. Power output was estimated using the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) model, called PVWatts®. The performance of PVWatts® was verified by comparison with actual measurements from one of DRI’s PV systems over an entire year. Lifecycle metrics quantified for the DRI systems include GHG intensity, energy payback time, cost payback time, and cost of avoided CO2. Manufacturing of PV modules is the major contributor to total lifecycle impacts of a solar PV system. The main benefits are solar electricity’s lower GHG intensity and lifecycle energy use compared with typical grid electricity. Model results showed the 25-year GHG intensity of DRI’s PV systems to be 35–58 g CO2e/kW h, and the lifecycle energy use to be 0.586–0.898 MJ/kW h. The cost payback times and return on investment (ROI) varied with system size. For the six systems larger than 50 kW, the cost payback times ranged from 14.4 to 26.7 years, and the 25-year ROI ranged from 0.95 to 2.0. The cost per tonne CO2e avoided by displacing grid electricity was between $100 and $180, which is 2–3 times as high as estimated costs for carbon capture from pulverized coal power plants. The modeled benefits of the PV systems are dependent upon the power mix of the grid electricity that is being displaced. As the grid becomes “cleaner” by elimination of coal and greater use of renewables, the CO2 reduction benefits are diminished. Changing from a “business as usual” scenario to cleaner grid scenarios was shown to reduce the GHG benefits of installed PV systems by up to 40%.
Phosphorylation-Dependent Pin1 Isomerization of ATR: Its Role in Regulating ATR's Anti-apoptotic Function at Mitochondria, and the Implications in Cancer

Peptidyl-prolyl isomerization is an important post-translational modification of protein because proline is the only amino acid that can stably exist as cis and trans, while other amino acids are in the trans conformation in protein backbones. This makes prolyl isomerization a unique mechanism for cells to control many cellular processes. Isomerization is a rate-limiting process that requires a peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerase (PPIase) to overcome the energy barrier between cis and trans isomeric forms. Pin1, a key PPIase in the cell, recognizes a phosphorylated Ser/Thr-Pro motif to catalyze peptidyl-prolyl isomerization in proteins. The significance of the phosphorylation-dependent Pin1 activity was recently highlighted for isomerization of ATR (ataxia telangiectasia- and Rad3-related). ATR, a PIKK protein kinase, plays a crucial role in DNA damage responses (DDR) by phosphorylating hundreds of proteins. ATR can form cis or trans isomers in the cytoplasm depending on Pin1 which isomerizes cis-ATR to trans-ATR. Trans-ATR functions primarily in the nucleus. The cis-ATR, containing an exposed BH3 domain, is anti-apoptotic at mitochondria by binding to tBid, preventing activation of pro-apoptotic Bax. Given the roles of apoptosis in many human diseases, particularly cancer, we propose that cytoplasmic cis-ATR enables cells to evade apoptosis, thus addicting cancer cells to cis-ATR formation for survival. But in normal DDR, a predominance of trans-ATR in the nucleus coordinates with a minimal level of cytoplasmic cis-ATR to promote DNA repair while preventing cell death; however, cells can die when DNA repair fails. Therefore, a delicate balance/equilibrium of the levels of cis- and trans-ATR is required to ensure the cellular homeostasis. In this review, we make a case that this anti-apoptotic role of cis-ATR supports oncogenesis, while Pin1 that drives the formation of trans-ATR suppresses tumor growth. We offer a potential, novel target that can be specifically targeted in cancer cells, without killing normal cells, to significantly reduce the adverse effects usually seen in cancer treatment. We also raise important issues regarding the roles of phosphorylation-dependent Pin1 isomerization of ATR in diseases and propose areas of future studies that would shed more understanding on this important cellular mechanism.
6 – Classical Dynamics

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on classical dynamics. Classical dynamics is usually viewed as the analysis of the economy over time, assuming that the economy is always in equilibrium. The chapter discusses conditions under which the economy tends to the kinds of limiting states postulated in long-run Ricardian analysis. Related to the Malthusian theory is the result that over time in an economy with Koopmans-type consumers, the families with the lowest rate of discount will eventually dominate. Some powerful assumptions must be made to get theorems about dynamics in large countries. However, for small countries, some general points can be made without any special assumption except that international prices have a time path. The chapter shows that over time as capital accumulates, factor prices will pass through regions of factor price nonequalization. The tariffs may arrest the decline in capital returns and encourage growth. Varying reproduction along Malthusian lines leads to the numerical dominance by the most myopic- type and least self-sacrificing type of consumer, who may nonetheless be at a level near serfdom, depending on how severe the myopia is.
Gut Immunity – Homeostasis and Dysregulation in Sepsis

The mucosal immune system plays a central role in the pathophysiology of health and disease. As the home to the largest population of lymphocytes in the body, the mucosal immune system closely communicates within other elements of the intestine, with constant cross talk with the gut microbiome and epithelial layer. Further, the gut's immune system plays a central role in communicating with remote organs. The mucosal immune system is critical in preventing autoimmunity, while simultaneously retaining the capacity to respond vigorously to mucosal invaders. This results in a state where the mucosal immune system not only can help restore homeostasis in critical illness but can also worsen inflammation and organ injury in sepsis. The purpose of this minireview is to provide an overview of mucosal immunity in health and in sepsis, with a focus on intraepithelial lymphocytes. Understanding the role of the mucosal immune system in both controlling and propagating sepsis is vital for future efforts designed to target it for therapeutic gain in the intensive care unit.
Population differences in performance on Relational Match to Sample (RMTS) sometimes reflect differences in inductive biases alone

A much replicated finding is that only humans above the age of five succeed spontaneously on Premack’s Relational Match to Sample task, which has been widely used in the comparative and developmental literatures to probe relational reasoning capacities. We review four different types of explanations for the failures of young children and non-human animals, two that posit capacity limitations and two that posit differences in learning histories alone. We review training studies that rule out capacity limitations, at least for crows, parrots, four-year-old children, and a variety of primate species. Finally, we review recent studies demonstrating that population differences sometimes reflect differences in inductive biases alone and discuss the crucial importance of inductive biases in relational reasoning.
Werkgruppe V.A: Kammermusik ohne Klavier: Trios

[auf Umschlagblatt:] VI. ǀ a Tre ǀ per un ǀ Violino Primo. ǀ Violino Secondo. ǀ et ǀ Violoncello concertante. ǀ Del Signore Capitanio de Beecke: [auf Cellostimme:] Nro: I ǀ Trio in D. ǀ a ǀ Flauto Trav: ou Violino Primo ǀ Violino Secondo: ǀ et ǀ Violoncello: ǀ [Incipit] ǀ Del Signore ǀ Capitanio de Becke.
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Surgery

Gender is one’s intrinsic sense of who they are (man, woman, nonbinary, gender queer, etc.), while one’s sex is physical anatomy and is assigned at birth. Sexual orientation (lesbian, gay, bisexual, etc.) reflects who a person loves and wants to have romantic relationships with. The LGBTQIA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and or queer or questioning, intersex and asexual or allied) population includes sexual and gender identity minorities, but it should be emphasized that these are separate aspects of a person’s identity. The gender unicorn (Fig. 11.1) illustrates the spectrums of gender and sexuality [1]. It is estimated that 4.5% of the US population identifies as LGBTQIA in the United States and 1.4% of people identify as gender expansive, or transgender [2].
‘Black Holes’ in memory: Childhood autobiographical memory loss in adult survivors of child sexual abuse

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between child sexual abuse (CSA) and components related to the CSA experience, betrayal, dissociative amnesia, and childhood autobiographical memory loss (CAML). The a priori hypothesis was that components related to the CSA experience (such as abuse characteristics, disclosure characteristics, betrayal, and dissociative amnesia) would act as direct risk factors/predictors for CAML. It was further hypothesized that betrayal and dissociative amnesia would each act as a mediator of the relationships between these components related to the CSA experience and CAML. This retrospective survey was conducted online, anonymously, and contained a sample of 297 participants who were adult survivors of CSA. Data was analyzed using logistic and linear regressions, as well as path analysis. The results of this study suggest that betrayal, dissociation, duration of abuse, and dissociative amnesia had direct effects on CAML, and age at onset of abuse had indirect effects on CAML through dissociative amnesia. These results have both research and clinical implications, in terms of both prevention and intervention with survivors of CSA.
Theophylline in the management of asthma: time for a reappraisal?

Theophylline is the oldest medication still in routine use for the treatment of asthma. Used initially as a parenteral medication for acute bronchodilatation, theophylline’s primary value today results from its high degree of efficacy as a maintenance medication for preventing symptoms of chronic asthma when administered in doses that maintain serum concentrations between 10 and 20 µg/mL Moreover, these doses that provide optimal efficacy are generally well tolerated so long as initial doses are low, increased only slowly, and serum concentration do not exceed 20 µg/ml. While newer medications have added substantially to our therapeutic armamentarium for treatment of asthma, theophylline continues to fill an important niche as the most effective oral maintenance medication and the only maintenance medication to have substantial additive effect with inhaled corticosteroids. Inhaled β-2-agonists, such as salbutamol, have improved intervention for acute symptoms but failed as reliable and safe maintenance medication. The newer longer acting agents of this class, such as salmeterol, have greater potential for use as a maintenance medication but concerns persist regarding tolerance during long term therapy. Cromolyn and nedocromil have been enthusiastically embraced by some clinicians, but a critical examination finds them weakly potent and inconvenient to use because of requirements for 4 times daily therapy. Moreover, whereas theophylline has substantial clinically important additive effects with inhaled corticosteroids, cromolyn and nedocromil do not. The empirical evidence for the clinical efficacy of theophylline as maintenance medication has recently been given additional mechanistic support by the demonstration that theophylline has anti-inflammatory in addition to bronchodilator effect. Nonetheless, it is the empirical data in the form of controlled clinical studies that provide the basis for continued use of theophylline as maintenance medication for chronic asthma. It’s justifiable role is as an alternative to low dose inhaled corticosteroids as monotherapy for milder chronic asthma or as an additive maintenance medication to inhaled corticosteroids when needed.
A Most Magnificent Machine: America Adopts the Railroad, 1825–1862

Review of: "A Most Magnificent Machine: America Adopts the Railroad, 1825–1862," by Craig Miner.
Employing a computer integrated manufacturing methodology for improved product quality and reduced machine downtime

A methodology for using CIM for process improvement is presented. The technique places particular emphasis on reducing machine downtime and improving product quality. The authors present a tool that allows management to allocate resources to CIM projects most effectively in order to achieve maximum results with limited resources. Two applications of the CIM technology are presented. The major results of reduced machine downtime and reduced process waste are discussed. The methodology presented is based on a top-down strategic vision and a bottom-up tactical implementation. It is structured along three dimensions: collection of data from the production line, improvement of the production process using that data, and distribution of that data to benefit all affected parties. It helps to give the CIM team direction as it addresses the complexities of transforming the corporate CIM vision into a production-floor reality. >
CYTOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF ANTIMICROBIAL ANTIBIOSIS II. Cytological Changes Associated with the Exposure of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus megaterium to Colistin Sulfate

Chapman, George B. (Cornell University Medical College, New York, N.Y.). Cytological aspects of antimicrobial antibiosis. II. Cytological changes associated with the exposure of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus megaterium to colistin sulfate. J. Bacteriol. 84:180-185. 1962-Broth cultures of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus megaterium were exposed to the antibiotic colistin sulfate. Control (unexposed) and exposed cells were fixed, dehydrated, and embedded in methacrylate. Ultrathin sections were examined in an RCA EMU2-D electron microscope. Two conspicuous cytological changes were noted in P. aeruginosa. The nuclear material was no longer demonstrable in its normal sites, leaving an empty space, and the cytoplasm lost its granularity, becoming homogeneous. In B. megaterium, the latter change was also noted. The nuclear material, however, although no longer demonstrable, did not leave an empty space. Rather, it seemed that cytoplasmic material had engulfed and masked nuclear areas. Cells which showed these changes were nonviable.
Novel hierarchical Cellular Simultaneous Recurrent neural Network for object detection

Large scale feed forward neural networks have seen intense application in many computer vision problems. However, these networks can get hefty and computationally intensive with increasing complexity of the task. This work, for the first time in literature, introduces a Cellular Simultaneous Recurrent Network (CSRN) based hierarchical neural network for object detection. CSRN has shown to be more effective to solving complex tasks such as maze traversal and image processing when compared to generic feed forward networks. While deep neural networks (DNN) have exhibited excellent performance in object detection and recognition, such hierarchical structure has largely been absent in neural networks with recurrency. This work attempts to introduce deep hierarchy in CSRN for object detection. We propose a novel CSRN based DNN feature extractor that utilizes highly efficient filters derived from CSRNs used in the hidden convolutional layer. Experiments using a face detection task show that the CSRN based DNN offers comparable performance to the state-of-the-art convolutional neural network (CNN), while utilizing only as few as five filters in each of its hidden layers. In comparison, the CNN requires from a few to thousands of filters in each of its hidden layers for the same task. We also demonstrate the flexibility of the proposed architecture by introducing hybridization concept to the network to enhance its scale invariance. The hybrid scale invariant architecture is tested with randomly scaled object image dataset for face detection. Finally, we show that the CSRN based hybrid DNN performance is also comparable to that of the hybrid CNN.
On Periodic Perturbations of Uniform Motion of Maxwell's Planetary Ring

We examine the case when equally sized small moons arrange themselves on the vertices of a regular n-gon for n≥ 7. For n ≥ 4, there are at least 3 pure imaginary characteristic exponents, each of which has multiplicity = 1, a surprising result that makes it possible to apply the Lyapunov center theorem to verify the existence of some periodic perturbations. For sufficiently large n, when the regular n-gon is the unique central configuration, the number of families of periodic perturbations is at least equal to 2n − ⌊(n + 1)/4⌋, where ⌊x⌋ is the greatest integer less than or equal to x.
A Comparison of Feedback Linearization and Singular Perturbation Techniques for the Control of Flexible Joint Robots

Analytical and experimental results comparing feedback linearization and singular perturbation control techniques for flexible joint robots are presented. The feedback linearization approach results in a globally decoupled linear system which can be controlled using techniques of linear system theory. The singular perturbation approach exploits a natural time-scale separation that results from large joint stiffness to compute a composite control law to damp the joint oscillations while exploiting the desirable properties of rigid robot dynamics.
Bupropion for fatigue and as a tumor necrosis factor-α lowering agent in primary biliary cirrhosis

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a chronic cholestatic disease which can often be severe, progressive and necessitate liver transplantation. The cause of PBC is not known, and treatments other than liver transplantation are often not effective. Among the more common and troublesome symptoms of PBC is fatigue. The etiology of fatigue in PBC is not well-understood, and there is no known treatment for it. Here, we suggest that for a number of reasons that the safe and commonly used oral antidepressant bupropion might be effective for fatigue in PBC: (1) increased monoaminergic and dopaminergic tone to combat fatigue, (2) treatment of concomitant depression, (3) in general for PBC as a tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) lowering agent, if TNF is eventually found to play a role in PBC pathogenesis.
Development of air-stable, supported membrane arrays with photolithography for study of phosphoinositide-protein interactions using surface plasmon resonance imaging.

We report the development of an air-stable, supported membrane array by use of photolithography for label-free detection of lipid−protein interactions. Phosphoinositides and their phosphorylated derivatives (PIPs) were studied for their binding properties to proteins with lipid microarray in combination with surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRi). We have demonstrated a simple method to fabricate lipid arrays using photoresist and carried out a series of surface characterizations with SPRi, ac impedance, cyclic voltammetry, and fluorescence microscopy to validate the array quality and lipid bilayer formation. A number of lipid compositions have been tested for the robustness of resulting membranes when undergoing dehydration and rehydration procedures, and the 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-ethylphosphocholine/poly(ethylene glycol)-phosphatidylethanolamine (DOPC+/PEG-PE) system stands out as the best performer that yields the recovery to within 2% of the original state according to SPR sensorgrams. Limits of...
A first order quantum correction to the Percus-Yevick hard-sphere equation of state

Abstract A Hemmer-Jancovici expansion was used to derive a first-order quantum correction to a hard-sphere equation of state for mixtures. This correction is a function of the thermal de Broglie wavelength and the classical pair correlation function at the point of contact. This theory was used to obtain the first-order correction to the compressibility form of the Percus-Yevick hard-sphere equation. The quantum-corrected equation predicts pressures and temperatures that deviate significantly from the classical results for parameter values typical of many systems of practical importance.
Prediction of forming limit diagram with mixed anisotropic kinematic–isotropic hardening plastic constitutive model based on stress criteria

Abstract This paper presents an investigation of predicting the forming limit diagram (FLD) based on a stress criterion. The prediction is achieved by employing an anisotropic plastic model with a mixed kinematic–isotropic hardening formulation recently developed by the authors. The loading conditions considered include both proportional and non-proportional loading. The applicability of the stress FLD (SFLD) under the loading conditions and different rolling directions is examined and discussed for AL2008-T4.
Methods for Studying the Biochemical Properties of an Inr Element Binding Protein: TFII-I

Abstract Transcription initiation in eukaryotic mRNA coding genes is brought about by a host of general transcription factors, which assemble into a functional preinitiation complex (PIC) at the core promoter region, and gene-specific factors, which exert their effects on the rate and/or stability of the PIC. The core promoter region consists of a well-characterized TATA box and/or a less well-characterized pyrimidine-rich initiator element (Inr). While the biochemical mechanisms of TATA-mediated transcription initiation are extensively studied and known to be directed by the TATA binding protein, the mechanisms via the Inr element are poorly understood, as several factors have been shown to bind to an Inr. Here, we describe the biochemical properties of an Inr binding protein, TFII-I, employing the naturally occurring TATA-less but Inr-containing promoter derived from the T-cell receptor β chain gene (Vβ).
Infection, replication, and cytopathology of human papillomavirus type 31 in trophoblasts

AbstractHuman papillomavirus (HPV) DNA is preferentially found in spontaneous abortions, speciﬁcally residing in trophoblasts, and transfectedHPV-16 DNA replicates and produces progeny in 3A trophoblasts in culture. In this study 3A trophoblasts were shown to display both HPVreceptors and infection by HPV-31b and HPV-6 virus resulted in de novo (increasing) HPV DNA replication in these cells (inhibited byneutralizing anti-HPV31b antibodies). Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that E1ˆE4, E6, and L1 weresigniﬁcantly expressed at days 5 (early) and 10 (late), respectively, and in situ immunocytochemistry veriﬁed L1 protein expression. Perhapsmost important, HPV 31b virus infection caused both a decrease in 3A trophoblast cell numbers in a dose-dependent manner and a lowtrophoblast-endometrial cell adhesion (both inhibited by neutralizing anti-HPV-31 antibodies). These data further support the hypothesis thatHPVs are fully active in trophoblasts and may cause some spontaneous abortions.© 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Efficient genome editing in zebrafish using a CRISPR-Cas system

In bacteria, foreign nucleic acids are silenced by clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)--CRISPR-associated (Cas) systems. Bacterial type II CRISPR systems have been adapted to create guide RNAs that direct site-specific DNA cleavage by the Cas9 endonuclease in cultured cells. Here we show that the CRISPR-Cas system functions in vivo to induce targeted genetic modifications in zebrafish embryos with efficiencies similar to those obtained using zinc finger nucleases and transcription activator-like effector nucleases.
Structure of a peptide from coho salmon endocrine pancreas with homology to neuropeptide Y.

Summary The amino acid sequence of a peptide isolated from the Pacific salmon ( Oncorhynchus kisutch ) endocrine pancreas has been determined. This simple 36 residue peptide is a member of the pancreatic polypeptide family. It contains a C-terminal tyrosinamide and is more homologous with porcine neuropeptide Y (NPY) (83%) and peptide YY (75%) than any of the previously characterized pancreatic polypeptides (PP). This peptide appears to be the major but not the only representative of this family of peptides present in the endocrine pancreas of this fish. This peptide is referred to as salmon pancreatic polypeptide (salmon PP).
Child Abuse: The Current Theory Base and Future Research Needs

Contained in each causal explanation for child abuse is a theory of etiology. The nature and quality of our knowledge is approached in this paper from a review of studies of the impact of abuse on children, for which a critique of methodology is given. The relation between theory construction, study, and clinical action is addressed. Recommendations with respect to the focus and content of future research are made.
Optimal Matching with Minimal Deviation from Fine Balance in a Study of Obesity and Surgical Outcomes

In multivariate matching, fine balance constrains the marginal distributions of a nominal variable in treated and matched control groups to be identical without constraining who is matched to whom. In this way, a fine balance constraint can balance a nominal variable with many levels while focusing efforts on other more important variables when pairing individuals to minimize the total covariate distance within pairs. Fine balance is not always possible; that is, it is a constraint on an optimization problem, but the constraint is not always feasible. We propose a new algorithm which returns a minimum distance finely balanced match when one is feasible, and otherwise minimizes the total distance among all matched samples that minimize the deviation from fine balance. Perhaps we can come very close to fine balance when fine balance is not attainable; moreover, in any event, because our algorithm is guaranteed to come as close as possible to fine balance, the investigator may perform one match and on that basis judge whether the best attainable balance is adequate or not. We also show how to incorporate an additional constraint. The algorithm is implemented in two similar ways, first as an optimal assignment problem with an augmented distance matrix, second as a minimum cost flow problem in a network. The case of knee surgery in the Obesity and Surgical Outcomes Study motivated the development of this algorithm and is used as an illustration. In that example, two of 47 hospitals had too few nonobese patients to permit fine balance for the nominal variable with 47 levels representing the hospital, but our new algorithm came very close to fine balance. Moreover, in that example, there was a shortage of nonobese diabetic patients, and incorporation of an additional constraint forced the match to include all of these nonobese diabetic patients, thereby coming as close as possible to balance for this important but recalcitrant covariate.
Kinetic and transport analysis of immobilized oxidoreductases that oxidize glycerol and its oxidation products

Abstract Glycerol has drawn increasing attention as a possible fuel, because it has many desirable qualities and is abundant due to the fact that it is a byproduct of biodiesel production. Previous research has shown that non-natural enzyme cascades can be used to create a bioanode that can stepwise oxidize glycerol to carbon dioxide. Two of these enzymes are pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) dependant alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (AldDH) derived from Gluconobacter. The third enzyme, which is responsible for carbon bond cleavage, is oxalate oxidase (OxOx) derived from barley. Previous research has shown that all three enzymes have demonstrated the ability to undergo direct electron transfer to a carbon electrode which allows for a simple and efficient bioanode that completely oxidizes glycerol. In this study, each enzyme was individually immobilized within modified Nafion ® on a glassy carbon rotating disc electrode (GC-RDE) and voltammetric analysis was performed employing different rotation rates in a solution containing each enzyme's respective substrate. This substrate was glycerol for alcohol dehydrogenase, glyceraldehyde for aldehyde dehydrogenase, and mesoxalic acid for oxalate oxidase. From the voltammograms, Levich plots were produced and the solution diffusion coefficient ( D soln ), the membrane diffusion coefficient ( D film ), k CAT , K M , and V MAX were determined.
Accessory liver lobes: A diagnostic and therapeutic challenge of their torsions

The liver is the largest gland in the body, and despite its complex development, congenital or acquired anomalies are rare. Irregularities in form, number of lobules and the presence of development...
Structural defects and cation exchange capacity in dealuminated Y zeolites

Abstract Y zeolites obtained from solution and vapor phase dealumination treatments were characterized using cation exchange capacity, standard chemical analysis, X-ray powder diffraction, and29Si magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance techniques. Both dealumination treatments produce nonframework silica as well as nonframework alumina. By taking into account not only the isomorphic. Al by Si substitutions but also the nonframework species, the calculated lattice charge is in agreement with the cation exchange capacity for Si:Al > 3. The crystallinity seems mainly related to the amount of dislodged silicon.
Postoperative MRI appearance after transsphenoidal pituitary tumor resection

BACKGROUND Knowledge of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) appearance of the pituitary fossa following transsphenoidal resection of a pituitary adenoma, in the early and late postoperative period, is important for detecting complications and for assessing extent of tumor excision. Few prospective studies have addressed this issue. METHODS Fourteen patients with pituitary macroadenomas were prospectively studied with MRI. Maximal tumor resection was accomplished in each patient, and the postoperative histological diagnoses included non-secreting adenoma in 11 patients, prolactinoma in 2 and necrosis in one. Early postoperative scans were obtained within 14 days after surgery, and late studies between 3 and 4 months, in all patients. Four patients also had delayed scans between 8 months and a year. The maximum coronal dimension (MCTD) of the sellar and suprasellar contents was measured on T1-weighted contrast enhanced scans. RESULTS All patients had normal or improved visual examinations and normal or improved hormonal function postoperatively. The preoperative MCTD ranged from 11 mm to 59 mm in height (mean 30.3 mm). There was little change in MCTD on the early postoperative MRI scans (range 7-49 mm, mean 23.5 mm). However, in all patients the MCTD decreased in height by 4 months (range 2-35 mm, mean 12.7 mm). This change represented a 58% mean reduction in size compared to the preoperative measurements. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that the appearance of the sellar contents on early postoperative MRI may appear remarkably similar to that seen before surgery, even after technically adequate resection. The postoperative mass may represent a combination of residual tumor, edema, postoperative hemorrhage and hemostatic material. Routine follow-up MRI after transsphenoidal resection of pituitary tumors may be delayed until at least 4 months after surgery in patients who are clinically stable.
Transcriptome analysis reveals response regulator SO2426-mediated gene expression in Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 under chromate challenge.

Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 exhibits diverse metal ion-reducing capabilities and thus is of potential utility as a bioremediation agent. Knowledge of the molecular components and regulatory mechanisms dictating cellular responses to heavy metal stress, however, remains incomplete. In a previous work, the S. oneidensis so2426 gene, annotated as a DNA-binding response regulator, was demonstrated to be specifically responsive at both the transcript and protein levels to acute chromate [Cr(VI)] challenge. To delineate the cellular function of SO2426 and its contribution to metal stress response, we integrated genetic and physiological approaches with a genome-wide screen for target gene candidates comprising the SO2426 regulon. Inactivation of so2426 by an in-frame deletion resulted in enhanced chromate sensitivity and a reduced capacity to remove extracellular Cr(VI) relative to the parental strain. Time-resolved microarray analysis was used to compare transcriptomic profiles of wild-type and SO2426-deficient mutant S. oneidensis under conditions of chromate exposure. In total, 841 genes (18% of the arrayed genome) were up- or downregulated at least twofold in the Δso2426 mutant for at least one of six time-point conditions. Hierarchical cluster analysis of temporal transcriptional profiles identified a distinct cluster (n = 46) comprised of co-ordinately regulated genes exhibiting significant downregulated expression (p < 0.05) over time. Thirteen of these genes encoded proteins associated with transport and binding functions, particularly those involved in Fe transport and homeostasis (e.g., siderophore biosynthetic enzymes, TonB-dependent receptors, and the iron-storage protein ferritin). A conserved hypothetical operon (so1188-so1189-so1190), previously identified as a potential target of Fur-mediated repression, as well as a putative bicyclomycin resistance gene (so2280) and cation efflux family protein gene (so2045) also were repressed in the so2426 deletion mutant. Furthermore, the temporal expression profiles of four regulatory genes including a cpxR homolog were perturbed in the chromate-challenged mutant. Our findings suggest a previously unrecognized functional role for the response regulator SO2426 in the activation of genes required for siderophore-mediated Fe acquisition, Fe storage, and other cation transport mechanisms. SO2426 regulatory function is involved at a fundamental molecular level in the linkage between Fe homeostasis and the cellular response to chromate-induced stress in S. oneidensis.