cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Syntenic Diameter of the Space of N-Chromosome Genomes

A number of distance measures have recently been proposed for the purpose of determining evolutionary similarity among genomes of different species. For each of these measures, a natural but often difficult problem is to determine the diameter of the space it defines: What is the maximum distance between any pair of genomes? In this work we study the syntenic distance between genomes, introduced by Ferretti, Nadeau, and Sankoff as a way to approximate evolutionary distance between species for which the gene order within chromosomes is not necessarily known. We show that the diameter of the space of n-chromosome genomes, with respect to the syntenic distance, is exactly 2n — 4. The proof of this result is based on a surprising connection between genome rearrangements and the study of gossip problems in communication networks.
Nuclear Localization of Human SOD1 and Mutant SOD1-Specific Disruption of Survival Motor Neuron Protein Complex in Transgenic Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Mice

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal adult-onset neurodegenerative disease that causes degeneration of motor neurons and paralysis. Approximately 20% of familial ALS cases have been linked to mutations in the copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1) gene, but it is unclear how mutations in the protein result in motor neuron degeneration. Transgenic (tg) mice expressing mutated forms of human SOD1 (hSOD1) develop clinical and pathological features similar to those of ALS. We used tg mice expressing hSOD1-G93A, hSOD1-G37R, and hSOD1-wild-type to investigate a new subcellular pathology involving mutant hSOD1 protein prominently localizing to the nuclear compartment and disruption of the architecture of nuclear gems. We developed methods for extracting relatively pure cell nucleus fractions from mouse CNS tissues and demonstrate a low nuclear presence of endogenous SOD1 in mouse brain and spinal cord, but prominent nuclear accumulation of hSOD1-G93A, -G37R, and -wild-type in tg mice. The hSOD1 concentrated in the nuclei of spinal cord cells, particularly motor neurons, at a young age. The survival motor neuron protein (SMN) complex is disrupted in motor neuron nuclei before disease onset in hSOD1-G93A and -G37R mice; age-matched hSOD1-wild-type mice did not show SMN disruption despite a nuclear presence. Our data suggest new mechanisms involving hSOD1 accumulation in the cell nucleus and mutant hSOD1-specific perturbations in SMN localization with disruption of the nuclear SMN complex in ALS mice and suggest an overlap of pathogenic mechanisms with spinal muscular atrophy.
METASTASTIC VARIANTS DERIVED FOLLOWING IN VIVO TUMOR PROGRESSION OF AN IN VITRO TRANSFORMED SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA LINE ACQUIRE A DIFFERENTIAL GROWTH ADVANTAGE REQUIRING TUMOR-HOST INTERACTION

The purpose of this study was to develop an experimental model of squamous cell carcinoma that can be used to identify molecular and immunologic changes associated with primary events in malignant transformation, and those associated with metastatic tumor progression in the presence of host homeostatic and immunologic factors. Metastatic variants were derived following in vivo tumor progression of the in vitro transformed squamous cell carcinoma line Pam 212. The parental and metastatic cell lines exhibited similar morphologic features and molecular markers of an epithelial lineage, including an epithelial morphology in culture, cell surface expression of integrin alpha6beta4, and expression of mRNA of cytokeratins K6 and K14. When the growth and metastatic phenotype of the parental and reisolate cell lines was compared, the reisolate cell lines were found to exhibit a greater rate of growth and incidence of metastasis than the parental cell line when reimplanted in vivo. The difference in the growth rate of the parental cell line and the variants observed in vivo was not detected when growth of these lines was compared in vitro, suggesting that the growth advantage and selection of these variants requires tumor-host interaction. The metastatic variants exhibited a similar growth advantage in normal immunocompetent and SCID Balb/c mice, indicating that the growth advantage in vivo is not due to T or B lymphocyte-dependent immune factor(s). We conclude that metastatic variants derived following in vivo tumor progression of an in vitro transformed squamous cell carcinoma line exhibit a differential growth advantage in vivo that requires the host environment. Comparison of these in vitro transformed and in vivo derived metastatic variant cell lines with phenotypic differences in growth and metastasis should prove useful for dissecting the role of tumor and host factor(s) in malignant transformation and metastatic tumor progression of squamous cell carcinoma.
Eccentricity function in distance-hereditary graphs

Abstract A graph G = ( V , E ) is distance hereditary if every induced path of G is a shortest path. In this paper, we show that the eccentricity function e ( v ) = max ⁡ { d ( v , u ) : u ∈ V } in any distance-hereditary graph G is almost unimodal, that is, every vertex v with e ( v ) > r a d ( G ) + 1 has a neighbor with smaller eccentricity. Here, r a d ( G ) = min ⁡ { e ( v ) : v ∈ V } is the radius of graph G. Moreover, we use this result to fully characterize the centers of distance-hereditary graphs. Several bounds on the eccentricity of a vertex with respect to its distance to the center of G or to the ends of a diametral path are established. Finally, we propose a new linear time algorithm to compute all eccentricities in a distance-hereditary graph.
Zero-inflated Poisson Factor Model with Application to Microbiome Absolute Abundance Data.

Dimension reduction of high-dimensional microbiome data facilitates subsequent analysis such as regression and clustering. Most existing reduction methods cannot fully accommodate the special features of the data such as count-valued and excessive zero reads. We propose a zero-inflated Poisson factor analysis (ZIPFA) model in this article. The model assumes that microbiome absolute abundance data follow zero-inflated Poisson distributions with library size as offset and Poisson rates negatively related to the inflated zero occurrences. The latent parameters of the model form a low-rank matrix consisting of interpretable loadings and low-dimensional scores which can be used for further analyses. We develop an efficient and robust expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm for parameter estimation. We demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed method using comprehensive simulation studies. The application to the Oral Infections, Glucose Intolerance and Insulin Resistance Study (ORIGINS) provides valuable insights into the relation between subgingival microbiome and periodontal disease.
Smartphone-based molecular sensing for advanced characterization of asphalt concrete materials

Abstract Pavement systems deteriorate during time due to the aging of materials, excessive use, overloading, climatic conditions, inadequate maintenance, and deficiencies in inspection methods. Proper evaluation of the pavement condition provides important decision support to implement preventative maintenance or to plan for rehabilitation. This study presents an innovative method for advanced characterization of asphalt concrete materials. The proposed method is based on deploying a pocket-sized near-infrared (NIR) molecular sensor that is fully integrated with smartphones. The NIR spectrometer illuminates a sample with a broad-spectrum of near-infrared light, which can be absorbed, transmitted, reflected, or scattered after contacting the surface of the sample. The light intensity is measured as a function of wavelength before and after interacting with the sample. Thereafter, the diffuse reflectance reflected by the sample, as influenced by absorbance and scattering, is measured. The proposed portable smartphone-based NIR method is used to characterize asphalt binders with different grades, aging levels, and rubber contents. To this end, a number of binder samples are tested in a wavelength range of 740–1040 nm. The results indicate that asphalt binders with different grades and aging levels yield significantly different spectra. These distinctive spectra can be attributed to the varied amounts of binder components such as asphaltenes, resins, and aromatic fractions, and molecular arrangements associated with varied levels of oxidative hardening (ketones, carboxylic acids, phenols, quinolones, etc.). Furthermore, the molecular sensor is successfully deployed to detect and classify asphalt mixtures fabricated with various binder and recycled material types such as styrene–butadienestyrene (SBS), ground tire rubber (GTR), engineered crumbed rubber (ECR), reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), and recycled asphalt shingles (RAS). The proposed monitoring technology can be considered as a cost-effective platform capable of transforming the current physical and chemical methods for civil engineering material characterization.
Expanding the Playtest Method for UX Research Beyond Gaming

The playtest method is known in the gaming community; however, it can be adapted for use across user experience (UX) researchers. By using the playtest method, one can use the laboratory environmen...
An investigation of coal-burning-borne endemic fluorosis followed comprehensive control in Guizhou

Objective To observe the effects of comprehensive prevention and control measures through the trend change analysis of the prevalence of dental fluorosis of children and urinary fluoride in Guizhou. Methods Three villages were selected in each county from Qianxi, Pu'an and Renhuai, in 2009, 2011 and 2013. Dental fluorosis of all children aged 8-12 were examined using the reference "Diagnosis of Dental Fluorosis" (WS/T 208-2011); 50 children were selected randomly from each village to detect urinary fluoride content according to the reference "Determination of Fluoride in Urine-ion Selective Electrode Method" (WS/T 89-1996). Results The detectable rates of dental fluorosis of children aged 8-12 from Qianxi, Pu'an and Renhuai were 53.20% (490/921), 89.97% (547/608) and 51.73% (629/1 216), respectively, in 2009, 46.68% (281/602), 63.60% (332/522) and 43.84% (530/1 209), respectively, in 2011 and 34.04% (256/752), 14.29% (80/560) and 26.97% (243/901), respectively, in 2013, and the detection rate in each county was reduced year by year (χ2 = 60.46, 674.96, 125.95, all P < 0.01). In 2009, 3 counties' urinary fluoride levels of children aged 8-12 were (1.21 ± 1.29), (0.89 ± 0.80) and (1.00 ± 0.59) mg/L, respectively, which were significantly higher than those of 2013 [(0.94 ± 0.52), (0.68 ± 0.26) and (0.87 ± 0.33) mg/L,t = 3.743, 4.778, 3.743, all P < 0.01]. Conclusions The dental fluorosis prevalence and urinary fluorine content of children aged 8-12 are falling obviously through comprehensive prevention and control measures. The target to control and eliminating the disease of endemic fluorosis is not reached. It should be continue to strengthen management after comprehensive prevention and control measures. Key words: Fluorosis; Coal; Dental, fluorosis; Urine
Reforming School Discipline: Responses by School District Leadership to Revised State Guidelines for Student Codes of Conduct:

Purpose: Over the past decade, increasing attention to the negative impacts of exclusionary discipline and disparities therein has led many state educational leaders to enact school discipline refo...
Further understanding of epigenetic dysfunction of the retinal pigment epithelium in AMD.

Modulation of epigenetic mechanisms that contribute to retinal development may render the eye susceptible to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Progression of AMD involves alterations of epige...
I Subscribe, Therefore I Am: An Assessment of Apparel Retail Subscription Consumers and Environmental Sustainability

The purpose of this study was to examine the differences between consumers who participate in apparel retail subscription services such as Stitch Fix and Le Tote, and those who do not. Based on Tajfel and Turner's Social Identity Theory (1979), individuals categorize themselves in social groups to define their membership within society at large. Membership in apparel subscriber and nonsubscriber groups may warrant different behaviors and orientations, such as environmental concern and hedonic shopping motivation. An online survey was administered to 380 adults. The results from t-tests indicated a statistically significant difference in environmental concern and hedonic shopping motivation with subscribers being more concerned with the environment and more hedonic than non-subscribers are. These findings suggest that subscription services might be able to attract consumers through marketing campaigns that feature sustainable messaging, along with a shopping enjoyment factor.
An artificial pathway for polyketide biosynthesis

Polyketide synthases are multi-domain enzymes that catalyse the construction of many bioactive natural products. Now, some of the inefficiencies and limitations of these systems have been solved by designing an artificial pathway for carbon–carbon bond formation via iterative rounds of non-decarboxylative thio-Claisen reactions.
INITIAL PROFICIENCY AND L2 GRAMMAR DEVELOPMENT DURING SHORT-TERM IMMERSION ABROAD: CONCEPTUAL AND METHODOLOGICAL INSIGHTS

The first goal of this study was to examine how individual differences in initial L2 proficiency help explain L2 grammar development in oral production during short-term immersion abroad. The second goal of the study was methodological, and evaluated challenges that can result from operationalizing learners’ initial L2 proficiency as pretest performance on outcome measures (as opposed to independent proficiency measures) in analyses of L2 change. L2 Spanish learners participating in summer study abroad completed an elicited imitation task and two oral production tasks. Production data were analyzed for changes in relevant grammatical complexity and accuracy dimensions. Results indicate that learners with higher initial L2 proficiency experience greater L2 grammar advancement from short-term immersion, and that pretest performance can be an unreliable operational estimate of initial proficiency when analyzing L2 gains. We discuss findings following cognitive accounts of SLA, and highlight methodological implications for further research in immersion contexts and beyond.
Moller Energy for an Exterior Metric of Relativistic Stars

In this paper, we firstly calculate the Komar mass and energy distribution regarding a given exterior space-time of relativistic stars in scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravity by utilizing Moller’s prescription, which is not restricted by quasi-Cartesian coordinates. The result we get by utilizing Moller’s energy-momentum complex depends on mass parameter of space-time and is equal to Komar mass when\(r\rightarrow \infty \), i.e. \(\lim _{r\rightarrow \infty } E_{Moller}=E_{Komar}=M\).
Functional characterization of a novel rCRiSP (recombinant cysteine-rich secretory protein) from Crotalus oreganus helleri

Snake venom is a highly complex and diverse cocktail of different proteins and peptides that cause a wide range of biological disturbances in an envenomated victim. While many snake venom toxins have been comprehensively characterized, other toxins such as cysteine-rich secretory proteins (CRiSPs) remain largely unexplored. CRiSPs are ubiquitous non-enzymatic toxins found in many species of snakes worldwide. Several CRiSPs isolated from Asian and Australian snake venoms have been shown to inhibit ion channel/smooth muscle contraction. We have recently reported that Hellerin, a svCRiSP that we have isolated from the venom of the Southern Pacific Rattlesnake, C. oreganus helleri, directly increases vascular permeability in vivo and in vitro. These observations may be parallel to Bj-CRP’s local effects, a CRiSP isolated from the venom of Bothrops jararaca, that has been shown to induce profound inflammatory responses in local tissues through the recruitment of neutrophils and the production of IL-6. To shed new light on svCRiSPs’ molecular targets and inflammatory responses, a recombinant CRiSP from C. o. helleri (named rHellerin) was cloned and tested for vascular and cellular permeability and pro-inflammatory responses. rHellerin was able to induce vascular leakage in vivo and cellular permeability similar to that of native CRiSP. rHellerin was also able to induce increased production of the cytokines IL-8 and IL-6 in human blood and lymphatic endothelial cells. These findings can provide a straightforward method of obtaining biologically viable svCRiSPs identical to the native form, which can accelerate research into further understanding the molecular biology of svCRiSPs by elucidating functionally active residues and subsequent molecular targets/interactions. rHellerin can represent potential in the development of new therapeutic strategies to prevent death and disability from snakebite.
Long runs of homozygosity are correlated with marriage preferences across global population samples

Abstract Children of consanguineous unions carry long runs of homozygosity (ROH) in their genomes, due to their parents’ recent shared ancestry. This increases the burden of recessive disease in populations with high levels of consanguinity and has been heavily studied in some groups. However, there has been little investigation of the broader effect of consanguinity on patterns of genetic variation on a global scale. Here, we collect published genetic data and information about marriage practices from 396 worldwide populations and show that preference for cousin marriage has a detectable effect on the distribution of long ROH in these samples, increasing the expected number of ROH longer than 10Mb by a factor of 1.5 (P=2.3 × 10−4). Variation in marriage practice and consequent rates of consanguinity is therefore an important aspect of demographic history for the purposes of modeling human genetic variation. However, marriage practices explain a relatively small proportion of the variation in ROH distribution and consequently the ability to predict marriage practices from population genetic samples (for example of ancient populations) is limited.
Learning to Find Usage of Library Functions in Optimized Binaries

Much software, whether beneficent or malevolent, is distributed only as binaries, sans source code. Absent source code, understanding binaries' behavior can be quite challenging, especially when compiled under higher levels of compiler optimization. These optimizations can transform comprehensible, ``natural" source constructions into something entirely unrecognizable. Reverse engineering binaries, especially those suspected of being malevolent or guilty of intellectual property theft, are important and time-consuming tasks. There is a great deal of interest in tools to ``decompile" binaries back into more natural source code to aid reverse engineering. Decompilation involves several desirable steps, including recreating source-language constructions, variable names, and perhaps even comments. One central step in creating binaries is optimizing function calls, using steps such as inlining. Recovering these (possibly inlined) function calls from optimized binaries is an essential task that most state-of-the-art decompiler tools try to do but do not perform very well. In this paper, we evaluate a supervised learning approach to the problem of recovering optimized function calls. We leverage open-source software and develop an automated labeling scheme to generate a reasonably large dataset of binaries labeled with actual function usages. We augment this large but limited labeled dataset with a pre-training step, which learns the decompiled code statistics from a much larger unlabeled dataset. Thus augmented, our learned labeling model can be combined with an existing decompilation tool, Ghidra, to achieve substantially improved performance in function call recovery, especially at higher levels of optimization.
Investigating the potential for microbially induced carbonate precipitation to treat mine waste

Abstract In this study, the feasibility of promoting microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) in mine waste piles by using an environmental bacterial enrichment is explored, with goals to reduce metals and acid leaching. MICP has been explored for remediation applications and stabilization of mine waste. Here, we utilize a native bacterial enrichment to promote MICP on seven mine waste samples with variability in acid production and extent of toxic metal leaching. During fifteen applications of MICP solutions and bacteria on waste rock in bench-scale columns, calcium carbonate formed on grain surfaces within all waste samples, though microscopy revealed uneven distribution of CaCO3 coating. The effluent from acid-producing wastes increased in pH during MICP treatment. MICP performance was evaluated with humidity cell and synthetic precipitation leaching procedure (SPLP) tests. Leaching tests revealed reductions in Cd, Pb and Zn concentrations in leachate of all but one sample, mixed results for Cu, and As increasing in all but one leachate sample after treatment. MICP technology has potential for coating mine waste and reducing release of acid and some metals. This study provides a laboratory assessment of MICP feasibility for stabilizing mine waste in situ and mitigating release of toxic metals into the environment.
Constituting Democracy: Law, Globalism and South Africa's Political Reconstruction

Introduction 1. Post twentieth-century constitutionalism? 2. Legal legacies and constitutional paths 3. Constitutionalism in global perspective 4. Constitutional strategies 5. Constitutionalism in the democratic transition 6. Global impact: international imperatives and their hybridization 7. The constitutional court and the institutional dynamics of constitutionalism 8. Constitutional imaginations and the possibilities of justice.
Multilingual America: Language and the Making of American Literature

Throughout its history, America has been the scene of multiple encounters between communities speaking different languages. Literature has long sought to represent these encounters in various ways, from James Fenimore Cooper's frontier fictions to the Jewish-American writers who popularised Yiddish as a highly influential modern vernacular. While other studies have concentrated on isolated parts of this history, Lawrence Rosenwald's book is the first to consider the whole story of linguistic representation in American literature, and to consider as well how multilingual fictions can be translated and incorporated into a national literary history. He uses case studies to analyse the most important kinds of linguistic encounters, such as those between Europeans and Native Americans, those between slaveholders and African slaves, and those between immigrants and American citizens. This ambitious, engaging book is an important contribution to the study of American literature, history and culture.
Crusading against Crime

(1937). Crusading against Crime. The Journal of Health and Physical Education: Vol. 8, No. 9, pp. 526-570.
Effect of dietary methyl group deficiency on folate metabolism in rats

The carcinogenic effects of methyl-deficient, amino acid-defined diets have been attributed to alterations in cellular methylation reactions. These diets contain no choline, and methionine is replaced by homocysteine. Hence, all methyl groups needed for methionine biosynthesis with subsequent formation of S-adenosylmethionine and polyamines must be formed de novo utilizing folate-dependent reduction of one-carbon units. In rats fed the methyl-deficient diet, there was a marked decrease in total liver folate levels. This decrease was apparent in the levels of the individual forms of folate: 10-HCO-H4folate, 5-HCO-H4folate, 5-CH3-H4folate and H4folate. The percent of the total folate pool made up by 5-CH3-H4folate did not change, however, until after the rats had been fed the methyl-deficient diet for 4 wk, and then an increase was seen. After the methyl-deficient rats were switched to a nutritionally adequate control diet containing methionine and choline, all values rapidly reversed. Increased use of folate for methyl group biosynthesis may be responsible for the loss of folates from the liver.
Retinopathy of Prematurity

In 1942 Terry described several children who had leukocoria and a clear lens. He postulated that this entity represented an overgrowth of the vascular tunica. Since then we have learned that this retinopathy occurs to a great degree in premature children. A plethora of factors have been incriminated over time, such as oxygen, sepsis, shifting of the oxygen curve, and bronchodysplasia. These children seem to be born with a fair amount of undeveloped retina, as vascularization is not completed until 1 month after birth. It is a switch from orderly angiogenesis to disorderly proliferation that produces the retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).
Implementation and initial characterization of acquisition orbits about a pendulous breast using the ASET system

The goal of the Application Specific Emission Tomography (ASET) system is to image small (/spl les/1 cm diameter) lesions and lesions of low activity uptake in a pendulous breast reference frame with high contrast and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). While contemporary clinical SPECT scanners are limited to a horizontal axis of rotation about the patient, the compact ASET system overcomes physical proximity limitations of clinical scanners and allows for fully 3D movement in an inverted hemisphere about the breast through combined variable radius of rotation (ROR), polar and azimuthal angular positioning. With these three degrees of freedom, the ASET can traverse orbits that satisfy Orlov's sampling criterion while maintaining a small ROR, necessary to minimize resolution degradation. One class of orbits consisting of combinations of simple circular orbits and up to 60/spl deg/ arcs that can be implemented for the ASET system includes tilted parallel beam (TPB), circle-plus-arc, incomplete moustache, incomplete circular orbit, and spiral-plus-arcs. Each collects sufficient or nearly sufficient data for activity reconstruction of the pendant breast volume. Initial ordered subsets expectation maximization reconstructed ASET data acquired with the TPB orbit at various tilt angles yields insufficiently sampled images, since TPB at polar tilt angles >0/spl deg/ does not satisfy Orlov's criteria. Artifacts present in these images are partly due to cardiac and hepatic contamination and also incomplete sampling, which the more complete orbits are designed to overcome. Each orbit is evaluated for image quality, including sampling and resolution characterization with cold disk and cold rod phantoms, and quantitated SNR and contrast of small lesions located in a breast with additional torso backgrounds.
Asymmetry and Immune Memory

Asymmetric cell division of lymphocytes ensures that our adaptive immune system maintains a balanced production of two different types of T cells.
Downscaling with a nested regional climate model in near-surface fields over the contiguous United States

The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is used for dynamic downscaling of 2.5-degree National Centers for Environmental Prediction-U.S. Department of Energy Reanalysis II (NCEP-R2) data for 1980–2010 at 12 km resolution over most of North America. The model's performance for surface air temperature and precipitation is evaluated by comparison with high-resolution observational data sets. The model's ability to add value is investigated by comparison with NCEP-R2 data and a 50 km regional climate simulation. The causes for major model bias are studied through additional sensitivity experiments with various model setup/integration approaches and physics representations. The WRF captures the main features of the spatial patterns and annual cycles of air temperature and precipitation over most of the contiguous United States. However, simulated air temperatures over the south central region and precipitation over the Great Plains and the Southwest have significant biases. Allowing longer spin-up time, reducing the nudging strength, or replacing the WRF Single-Moment six-class microphysics with Morrison microphysics reduces the bias over some subregions. However, replacing the Grell-Devenyi cumulus parameterization with Kain-Fritsch shows no improvement. The 12 km simulation does add value above the NCEP-R2 data and the 50 km simulation over mountainous and coastal zones.
Activation of osmolyte efflux from cultured renal papillary epithelial cells.

The rabbit renal papillary epithelial cell line PAP-HT25 accumulates sorbitol and other organic osmolytes when cultured in hypertonic media. When returned to isotonic media, PAP-HT25 cells swell because of water influx and then shrink to their normal volume because of rapid osmolyte and water efflux (volume regulatory decrease, VRD). Sorbitol efflux from PAP-HT25 cells during VRD was reduced to 18% of control by incubation of the cells with 100 μm eicosatetraynoic acid (ETYA), indicating that an enzyme that metabolizes arachidonic acid (AA) is a key component of the efflux process. Sorbitol efflux was unaffected by incubation with cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase inhibitors but was reduced to 9% by incubation with 100 μm ketoconazole and to 37% by incubation with 100 μm SKF-525A, indicating that the cytochrome P-450 limb of the AA cascade is involved in the efflux process. The efflux of other organic osmolytes betaine and myoinositol, but not glycerolphosphorylcholine, was also inhibited by incubation with ETYA and ketoconazole.
Classical and recent formulations for linear elasticity

The paper presents a review of the classical formulations for linear elasticity, known as principles in solid mechanics. The analogy between the first variation of the energy functionals and the weak forms is pointed out. Several recent developments in first order system least squares, applied to elasticity are discussed. The paper concludes with a mathematical formulation of a new mixed least squares method and a discussion about its future development.
TGFβ-mediated FGF signaling is crucial for regulating cranial neural crest cell proliferation during frontal bone development

The murine frontal bone derives entirely from the cranial neural crest (CNC) and consists of the calvarial (lateral) aspect that covers the frontal lobe of brain and the orbital aspect that forms the roof of bony orbit. TGFbeta and FGF signaling have important regulatory roles in postnatal calvarial development. Our previous study has demonstrated that conditional inactivation of Tgfbr2 in the neural crest results in severe defects in calvarial development, although the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which TGFbeta signaling regulates the fate of CNC cells during frontal bone development remain unknown. Here, we show that TGFbeta IIR is required for proliferation of osteoprogenitor cells in the CNC-derived frontal bone anlagen. FGF acts downstream of TGFbeta signaling in regulating CNC cell proliferation, and exogenous FGF2 rescues the cell proliferation defect in the frontal primordium of Tgfbr2 mutant. Furthermore, the CNC-derived frontal primordium requires TGFbeta IIR to undergo terminal differentiation. However, this requirement is restricted to the developing calvarial aspect of the frontal bone, whereas the orbital aspect forms despite the ablation of Tgfbr2 gene, implying a differential requirement for TGFbeta signaling during the development of various regions of the frontal bone. This study demonstrates the biological significance of TGFbeta-mediated FGF signaling cascade in regulating frontal bone development, suggests that TGFbeta functions as a morphogen in regulating the fate of the CNC-derived osteoblast and provides a model for investigating abnormal craniofacial development.
Comparison of non-compound neutron and proton emission in 16O induced reactions on 238U at 310 MeV

Abstract The emission of energetic neutrons and protons in coincidence with fission fragments was measured for the reactions 238U(16O, nf) and 238U(16O, pf). Larger cross sections were observed for the emission of high-energy protons than for the emission of high-energy neutrons. The differences in spectral shapes and the implications for the coalescence model are discussed.
On the group matrices for a generalized dihedral group

Abstract For the generalized dihedral group, an effective method is given to construct a matrix which transforms group matrices to a convenient block-diagonal form.
Disk electropheresis of wheat flour proteins with a modified apparatus utilizing gels of rectangular cross section

Abstract A modified disk electrophoretic apparatus has been constructed out of Plexiglas. This apparatus is simple in design and has several advantages over the standard apparatus. In particular, gels of rectangular cross section rather than circular cross section were used and this facilitated normal photography and densitometry of the patterns. The pH 2.3 gel formula was modified in order to obtain reproducible polymerization. Wheat albumin, globulin, and gliadin fractions of known purity were investigated in this apparatus, both at the pH of 9.5 and at the pH of 2.3. Several extracts of wheat flour were also investigated. The data indicated that, while the patterns were complex, certain sets of bands could be associated with the various purified fractions. Contrary to previous observations, it was demonstrated that the addition of urea to the extracts resulted in different electrophoretic patterns, possibly due to dissociation. Some of the basic differences between starch gel electrophoresis and acrylamide disk electrophoresis have been discussed and the differences observed for wheat flour proteins in the two systems explained on this basis.
Electromagnetic vaporization of molten-metal drops

Abstract A one-dimensional heat conduction model is formulated to study electromagnetic vaporization of molten-metal drops as an initial attempt to model the physical process. Finite-element discretization is used to obtain the numerical solution, and numerical experiments are performed for three typical metals; aluminum, copper and titanium. Computational results show that the final size of the drop radius Rf) can be effectively controlled by changing amplitude B0 and radian frequency ω of the external alternating magnetic field. In addition, Rr remains almost constant for a relatively wide range of the initial drop radii R0. The results of numerical solution are compared with the lumped solution and the differences in time history of the evaporation process studied.
Understanding Manual-Based Behavior Therapy: Some Theoretical Foundations of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy.

Manualized therapy has been criticized as being incompatible with behavior therapy. However, the majority of empirically supported, manual-based therapies utilize basic behavioral principles, such as positive reinforcement, to achieve positive change in the target behavior. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), for example, is a manualized treatment that makes extensive use of the empirically-derived behavioral principles of this paradigm. Understanding how and why these fundamental principles operate is essential when attempting to tailor the program ideographically to meet clients' specific needs. The purpose of this article is to provide a model of understanding and evaluating manualized treatments by beginning with a review of the theory and data-driven principles upon which PCIT is based. As a point of illustration, several of the behavioral principles embedded in PCIT, such as reinforcement, punishment, and stimulus control, are highlighted, and clinically relevant examples are presented.
Functionalization of aromatic amino acids via direct C-H activation: generation of versatile building blocks for accessing novel peptide space.

Functionalized α-amino acid building blocks have been prepared in good yield with high regiocontrol and preservation of stereochemistry via iridium-catalyzed borylation of suitably protected aromatic α-amino acid derivatives. The utility of these systems in peptide couplings and Suzuki reactions has been demonstrated.
Milk-borne epidermal growth factor modulates intestinal transforming growth factor-α levels in neonatal rats.

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is present in milk from various mammalian species, but its physiologic function in neonatal development remains unclear. Transforming growth factor-α (TGF-α) is a peptide structurally related to EGF, and its presence is detected in the developing small intestine of rats. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of milk-borne EGF on endogenous production of EGF and TGF-α in the small intestine of suckling rats. Neonatal rats were fed via gastrostomy either growth factor-free rat milk substitute (RMS) or RMS supplemented with EGF (100 ng/mL of RMS) from 8 to 12 d of age. Artificially reared rats were then compared with their dam-fed littermates. Animals fed the EGF-deficient diet RMS had markedly increased EGF and TGF-α mRNA levels in duodenum and ileum compared with dam-fed controls and significantly elevated total intestinal content of TGF-α peptide. Intestinal EGF content and EGF serum levels were significantly decreased in the RMS group compared with controls. The addition of EGF to the RMS diet normalized TGF-α mRNA levels in the duodenum and ileum, EGF mRNA levels in the ileum, and total intestinal TGF-α content and EGF serum levels to the levels measured in dam-fed littermates. Motility studies showed that enteral administration of EGF did not affect stomach emptying and intestinal transit. These studies indicate that exogenous milk-borne EGF modulates endogenous production of TGF-α in developing small intestine. It is likely that neither TGF-α nor EGF are solely responsible for small intestinal overgrowth of artificially reared neonatal rats.
Hot dry rock: Widespread but invisible

Exploration for hot dry rock (HDR) as a potential geothermal resource presents some novel problems and unusual contradictions not to be expected in exploration for other geological resources. This became apparent at a meeting held on June 22, 1976, at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL) on t he subject of Exploration Methods for Hot Dry Rock. Unlike the case of petroleum or mineral prospecting the search for HDR is not for a region of strong chemical contrasts that are displayed as contrasts of physical properties. Rock suitable for HDR technologies has relatively weak geological manifestations and is almost geophysically invisible on a local scale; it is not so susceptible to direct detection as is, say, a gas reservoir. Thus we must look at related manifestations and for patterns more than for hot dry rock itself.
The role of the affect heuristic in moral reactions to climate change

Many academics and world leaders have declared that there is a moral imperative to address climate change. But such claims often fall on deaf ears because the nature of the threat posed by global warming lacks many of the features of a paradigmatic moral transgression [Jamieson, Dale. 2007. The moral and political challenges of climate change. Working Paper, New York University, New York]. This paper explores these psychological obstacles to moral engagement about climate change. I argue that the temporal and psychosocial distance of the threat of global warming undermines the kind of affective response that motivates moral concern. I conclude by suggesting that images focusing more on the personal and short-term consequences of global warming will generate stronger moral reactions.
Screw placement accuracy for minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion surgery: a study on 3-d neuronavigation-guided surgery.

Purpose The aim of this study was to assess the impact of 3-D navigation for pedicle screw placement accuracy in minimally invasive transverse lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF). Methods A retrospective review of 52 patients who had MIS-TLIF assisted with 3D navigation is presented. Clinical outcomes were assessed with the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Visual Analog Scales (VAS), and MacNab scores. Radiographic outcomes were assessed using X-rays and thin-slice computed tomography. Result The mean age was 56.5 years, and 172 screws were implanted with 16 pedicle breaches (91.0% accuracy rate). Radiographic fusion rate at a mean follow-up of 15.6 months was 87.23%. No revision surgeries were required. The mean improvement in the VAS back pain, VAS leg pain, and ODI at 11.3 months follow-up was 4.3, 4.5, and 26.8 points, respectively. At last follow-up the mean postoperative disc height gain was 4.92 mm and the mean postoperative disc angle gain was 2.79 degrees. At L5–S1 level, there was a significant correlation between a greater disc space height gain and a lower VAS leg score. Conclusion Our data support that application of 3-D navigation in MIS-TLIF is associated with a high level of accuracy in the pedicle screw placement.
Penetrating air gun wound in the neck.

Abstract Background Injuries from air weapons can be serious and potentially fatal. It has been estimated that up to four million such weapons exist in UK households. Case report We present the case of an 8-year-old boy who sustained a penetrating neck wound from an air gun. Use of the flexible laryngoscope in the resuscitation room allowed localization of the gun pellet in the airway. Conclusions This approach, combined with careful clinical assessment led to immediate removal by direct laryngoscopy, thus avoiding the morbidity of unnecessary surgical exploration.
Can Television Change Anti‐Fat Attitudes and Behavior?1

This work investigated negative attitudes toward overweight people and whether anti-fat attitudes and behavior could be reduced by media-based empathy and classical conditioning interventions. Participants were first primed by an empathy-evoking video of obese persons or a non-weight-related control video. Next, they viewed either a video portraying obese persons positively (e.g., as competent) or negatively (e.g., as clumsy). Participants completed outcome measures of implicit and explicit weight-related attitudes and participated in a covert behavioral task (competence ratings of thin and overweight job applicants). Results confirm strong implicit and explicit anti-fat bias across conditions, yet participants rated overweight job applicants more highly in most domains while disfavoring overweight candidates on a personal level. Overall, bias persisted despite video interventions, although surprisingly the negative (stereotypic) video was associated with somewhat reduced bias. Relationships among implicit bias, explicit bias, individual-difference variables, and awareness of obesity as a social problem are explored and discussed.
Age-related changes in insula cortical thickness and impulsivity: Significance for emotional development and decision-making

Insula function has been associated with emotional regulation, adjusting to changing outcomes under risk, reward and loss anticipation, discounting of future rewards, and self-rated impulsivity. The role of the insula in these processes may be fundamentally related to prospective thinking, a trait that increases with age. There is evidence that insular cortical thickness shows age related decreases that parallel age related increases in future orientation and planning. We tested the hypothesis that nonplanning decreases with age and that insula thickness is related to both age and nonplanning impulsivity. Fifty-nine male and female participants, ranging in age from 10 to 22 years old, underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) procedures and were assessed using the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS). We observed that anterior insula thickness and nonplanning impulsivity show an inverse relationship with age and that there is a significant positive linear relationship between anterior insula thickness and nonplanning.
The structure of junctions between lens fiber cells

Junctions which have been isolated from bovine lens may correspond to the tongue-and groove interdigitations observed between intact cells. These junctions have an overall thickness of 13-14 nm, a striking undulating surface topology, and contain protein subunits of congruent to 27 000 daltons which are arranged in a 6.6-6.7-nm square lattice in the plane of each membrane. A similar square-lattice structure has been observed in junctions from fragments of intact rate lens. Junctions from both sources are structurally different from "typical' gap junctions.
Antibiotic concentrations in pus and bone of children with osteomyelitis.

Pharmacologic data are presented on 39 children treated for osteomyelitis with one of the following antibiotics: methicillin, dicloxacillin, cephaloridine, or cefazolin. The concentrations of drug in pus and bone were correlated with serum concentrations, with the susceptibilities of Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from the patients, and with the degree of drug protein-binding. The penetration of the antibiotics into pus and bone was similar for the two penicillins and for the two cephalosporins despite the disparate protein-binding affinities of these drugs. The agents attained concentrations in tissues that were at least several fold, and often more than tenfold, greater than the MIC and MBC values for the S. aureus stains. These data provide a basis for selection of antimicrobial agents for treatment of osteomyelitis.
The systemic influence of recombinant interleukin 2 on the manifestations of lepromatous leprosy.

14 patients with lepromatous leprosy received twice daily injections of 10 micrograms recombinant interleukin 2 (rIL-2), by the intradermal route, in the skin of the back for 8 d (total dose, 160 micrograms). Lymphokine administration was accomplished without drug toxicity, or the development of acute nerve damage. The majority of patients developed nontender axillary lymphadenopathy during the course of treatment. Local injection sites showed progressively larger zones of induration, peaking at 24 h and persisting for many days. Early 12-h reactions were of a macular, erythematous nature and exhibited an increasingly striking diurnal variation. The morning injection sites were three- to fourfold larger in diameter than those placed in the evening (9 am to 9 pm). Systemic manifestations of intradermal rIL-2 administration were noted. Peripheral blood T cells, including CD4+ and CD8+ phenotypes, increased 2-2.5-fold and NK cells increased sixfold. Elevations in [3H]TdR incorporation into peripheral blood mononuclear cells occurred to a variety of mycobacterial antigens, but not to those of Mycobacterium leprae. Within 2 wk, biopsies at sites far removed from the back showed increased infiltration of mononuclear cells in 12 of 14 patients. Immunocytochemistry revealed the presence of newly emigrated CD4+ T cells, monocytes, and dermal CD1+ Langerhans cells. Endothelial cells of small dermal vessels expressed major histocompatibility complex class II determinants on their surface. Transmission electron microscopy of these specimens revealed markedly enlarged endothelial cells with many surface projections extending into the lumen as well as extravasating lymphoid cells. The numbers of acid-fast M. leprae in the peripheral sites were examined by slit smear and in biopsies of matched leprosy lesions taken before and after IL-2 administration. Within 2 mo, slit smears showed a 0.5 log or greater reduction in 12 of 14 patients, with a mean for all patients tested of 0.5 log units. Biopsy specimens showed a 1 log unit or greater reduction in the bacterial index (B.I.) in 6 of 14 patients. Historical controls in this Nepalese population showed a 0.5 log unit reduction after multidrug therapy over a period of 12 mo. Thus, after 8 d of IL-2 injections, a fivefold reduction in B.I. was observed during the first 2 mo of the study. Antibody levels against M. leprae phenolic glycolipid 1 (PGL-1) and lipoarabinomanan B were markedly elevated after IL-2 injections, while PGL-1 antigen levels were reduced. We conclude that the administration of rIL-2 has had a significant effect in decreasing the total body burden of M. leprae.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)