cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Differential effects of ethidium bromide on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA synthesis in vivo in cultured mammalian cells

Abstract Ethidium bromide (EB), at concentrations of 0.1 to 5 μg/ml, was found to inhibit cell growth and mitochondrial DNA synthesis of cultured L cells (mouse) and BHK cells (hamster), as indicated by cell counts and the incorporation of 3 H-thymidine per μg purified DNA. In contrast, nuclear DNA synthesis of L cells, BHK and polyoma virus transformed BHK cells was actually stimulated to up to 250% of control values by treatment of cells with 0.1 to 2 μg/ml EB for 1 to 2 days. Double-labeling experiments were performed to follow the differential synthesis of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA synthesis and the decay of radioactivity in pre-existing DNA during up to 4 days of treatment with EB. These results and analytical determinations of mitochondrial DNA showed a slightly lower yield of mitochondrial DNA after 4 days of treatment with EB than in controls. The content of protein in mitochondrial fractions was increased to up to 190% of control values. In all three cell lines EB treatment led to a structural alteration of covalently closed mitochondrial DNA, consisting in part of a change to an increased degree of supercoiling and in addition breakage of circular DNA without re-closing. This change involved the preexisting as well as the traces of newly synthesized DNA. These changes were reversible by subsequent growth of cells in EB-free medium.
One Woman's Development and Resilience in the Face of Complex Trauma: A Relational–Cultural Study of Growth Through Counseling

Many counselors feel pressure to use manualized treatment approaches because of pressure from 3rd-party payers. Unfortunately, this is not always the best practice, especially in cases of complex trauma, in which a very strong therapeutic relationship is a vital component of successful treatment. Relational–cultural theory provides an alternative conceptual lens for treating complex cases and is a natural fit for counselors' professional identity. This case illustrates how a counselor used a relational–cultural conceptualization as a guide in treating a client with complex presenting concerns.
LINEAR RELATIONS FOR COEFFICIENTS OF DRINFELD MODULAR FORMS

Choie, Kohnen and Ono have recently classified the linear relations among the initial Fourier coefficients of weight k modular forms on SL2(ℤ), and they employed these results to obtain particular p-divisibility properties of some p-power Fourier coefficients that are common to all modular forms of certain weights. Using this, they reproduced some famous results of Hida on non-ordinary primes. Here we generalize these results to Drinfeld modular forms.
Special Delivery: Distributing Iron in the Cytosol of Mammalian Cells

Eukaryotic cells contain hundreds of proteins that require iron cofactors for activity. These iron enzymes are located in essentially every subcellular compartment; thus, iron cofactors must travel to every compartment in the cell. Iron cofactors exist in three basic forms: Heme, iron-sulfur clusters, and simple iron ions (also called non-heme iron). Iron ions taken up by the cell initially enter a kinetically labile, exchangeable pool that is referred to as the labile iron pool. The majority of the iron in this pool is delivered to mitochondria, where it is incorporated into heme and iron-sulfur clusters, as well as non-heme iron enzymes. These cofactors must then be distributed to nascent proteins in the mitochondria, cytosol, and membrane-bound organelles. Emerging evidence suggests that specific systems exist for the distribution of iron cofactors within the cell. These systems include membrane transporters, protein chaperones, specialized carriers, and small molecules. This review focuses on the distribution of iron ions in the cytosol and will highlight differences between the iron distribution systems of simple eukaryotes and mammalian cells.
Novel method to detect flow profiles in liquid metals in a Bridgman configuration

A solid state electrochemical method for flow visualization was developed to investigate the orientation of flow due to natural convection in semiconductor melts, contained in a simulated vertical Bridgman configuration. The Bridgman ampoule was constructed from recrystallized alumina and multiple solid-state electrochemical cells/sensors were incorporated along the periphery of the ampoule, electrically insulated from one another. Liquid tin was used as the model fluid to represent a high temperature, low Prandtl number, opaque Bridgman melt. Atomic oxygen was used as a tracer species, which could be potenstiostatically injected or extracted locally at one of the sensors and the oxygen concentration changes were monitored at the other cell locations on the melt/electrolyte boundaries in the potentiometric mode as a function of time. Various convective flow patterns were inferred from these results for different aspect ratios of the melt and as a function of the imposed temperature gradient. The experimental results were shown to agree well with theoretical predictions. The technique was also able to discern transcritical points in the dynamic state of the melt.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Matching and Money

In Corbae, Temzelides, and Wright (2001) (hereafter, CTW) we proposed a new version of the framework that uses bilateral matching to model the exchange process, and in particular to model the use of money as a medium of exchange. Our version does not have agents meeting exogenously and at random, but rather has agents meeting endogenously. That is, agents are matched at each date subject to a stability condition that requires, roughly, that no agents prefer to be paired with each other or to be unmatched, rather than to be paired with the partners they get along the equilibrium path. While similar in spirit to the cooperative matching concept introduced by David Gale and Lloyd Shapley (1962), we had to generalize their framework to dynamic models because we are interested in monetary economics. Here we present a version of the solution concept in CTW, specialized in some ways but also generalized to include extrinsic uncertainty (sunspots). We then discuss some applications of endogenous matching models to issues that have previously been addressed using random matching, including the existence of sunspot equilibria and the efficiency of inside versus outside money. One of our main goals is to show how endogenous matching is a useful alternative to random matching. This may be interesting to those who think that bilateral trade is a reasonable friction upon which to build a theoretical foundation for monetary economics but perhaps think that random matching is an extreme and unrealistic simplification. Another goal is to provide examples where it makes a difference for substantive results how we model the matching process, and also examples where it does not. I. Endogenous Matching
Embedded shear layer computations for increased drag reduction

One of the most promising methods of minimizing drag is the reduction of skin friction by injection of low momentum fluid into the near-wall region of turbulent boundary layer flows. This method could be made more effective by limiting the spread rate of the resulting mixing region. In order to achieve a better understanding of how this goal might be achieved, numerical investigations of the relevant fluid dynamic processes governing these regions have been conducted. A compact finite-difference algorithm has been applied to the complete form of the governing conservation equations for a two-dimensional laminar mixing layer. The ability of this computational approach to model successfully the formation and interaction of the large scale vortical structures which dominate such flow fields is verified in the present study. Parameters which affect the spread rate of the mixing region are also identified. In addition, the relative importance of viscous and momentum transport effects in the vortex interactions is determined.
Disseminated vasculomyelinopathy: An immune complex disease

The numerous nervous system abnormalities which follow antecedent infections and immunizations appear to share a common pathogenesis involving the immune system. Pathologically, a small vessel vasculopathy involving arterioles and capillaries as well as venules in both gray and white matter is the earliest and most consistent change. Perivascular demyelination appears to develop subsequently. Delayed hypersensitivity to myelin basic protein may not adequately account for these changes. Humoral immunity may be involved instead. I postulate that antigen-antibody complexes, formed following the introduction of foreign antigen by infection or inoculation, cause vascular injury with secondary damage to myelin. There is considerable evidence that circulating immune complexes are present in some postinfectious nervous system disorders, as are associated systemic features which suggest immune complex disease. Similar clinical and pathological nervous system changes occur in a variety of disorders in which circulating immune complexes are thought to cause vascular injury.
Surgical Correction of Tetralogy of Fallot with Previous Systemic to Pulmonary Artery Shunts

Fifty-four patients with previous Blalock (32) and Potts (22) systemic artery-pulmonary artery shunts and subsequent total correction for tetralogy of Fallot are reported. A separate posterolateral approach was employed to obliterate the Potts shunt. There were seven operative deaths and two late deaths. Infundibular stenosis with a normal pulmonary valve gave the best results. In comparison with our concomitant series without a shunt, the presence of a Blalock or Potts anastomosis did not affect the over-all result. Postoperative bleeding was a major complication, requiring reoperation in seven. An excellent result with probable cure was obtained in 30, and there was good improvement in ten of the 54 patients.
A possible new probe of the energy generating mechanisms of GRBs and AGN

Abstract The suggestion is made here to search for possible time and angular position correlations between energetic gamma-rays detected by the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory and upward-going muons produced by energetic neutrino interactions in the rock surrounding the cavity in which the massive, underground neutrino detector Superkamiokande resides. The motivation and feasibility of the search are discussed.
Nuclear data sheets for A = 57

Abstract Level schemes and decay characteristics are presented for all nuclei with mass number 57. Experimental data, adopted values, comparisons with theory, and arguments for spin and parity assignments are given. The adopted level and decay properties are based on data received before May 1969. Data received between May and September 1969 have been “Added in Proof.”
Sector (partial) oculo(dermal) melanocytosis in 89 eyes.

Purpose To describe sector (partial) involvement of the uvea with melanocytosis. Design Noninterventional, retrospective case series. Participants A total of 89 eyes of 86 patients. Methods Review of medical records, color photographs, and ultrasound images. Main Outcome Measures Clinical features and relationship with uveal melanoma. Results Approximately all patients were Caucasian (n = 83, 97%), and sector melanocytosis involved the right (n = 41, 46%) or left (n = 48, 54%) eye. The involved tissue included iris (n = 58, 65%), choroid (n = 48, 54%), and both iris and choroid (n = 17, 19%). The melanocytosis affected a mean of 6 clock hours of iris and 5 clock hours of choroid. Related melanocytosis involved the sclera (n = 39, 44%), eyelid (n = 4, 4%), temple (n = 4, 4%), scalp (n = 1, 1%), and palate (n = 1, 1%). Uveal melanoma was found at presentation in 7 patients (8%) and was multifocal in 2 of these patients. A comparison of eyes with versus without melanoma revealed clinically significant factors (odds ratio [OR] > 2) of male gender (71% vs. 43% [OR 3.36]); cutaneous/palate melanocytosis (14% vs. 7% [OR 2.11]); scleral melanocytosis heaviest in superior, temporal, or nasal quadrants (57% vs. 29% [OR 2.41, confidence interval, 2.24–3.92]); and any degree of choroidal melanocytosis (86% vs. 70% [OR 2.63]), particularly diffuse choroidal melanocytosis (29% vs. 16% [OR 3.85]). None of these factors reached statistical significance in this small cohort. Over a mean follow-up of 6 years, there was no metastatic event. Conclusions Ocular melanocytosis can be sectoral (partial), affecting only a mean of 5 to 6 clock hours of the uvea and can manifest melanoma within the melanocytosis region. There were no specific features of melanocytosis statistically related to the presence of melanoma. Financial Disclosure(s) The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.
Single Amino Acid Insertions at the Junction of the Sindbis Virus E2 Transmembrane Domain and Endodomain Disrupt Virus Envelopment and Alter Infectivity

The final steps in the envelopment of Sindbis virus involve specific interactions of the E2 endodomain with the virus nucleocapsid. Deleting E2 K at position 391 (E2 ΔK391) resulted in the disruption of virus assembly in mammalian cells but not insect cells (host range mutant). This suggested unique interactions of the E2 ΔK391 endodomain with the different biochemical environments of the mammalian and insect cell lipid bilayers. To further investigate the role of the amino acid residues located at or around position E2 391 and constraints on the length of the endodomain on virus assembly, amino acid insertions/substitutions at the transmembrane/endodomain junction were constructed. An additional K was inserted at amino acid position 392 (KK391/392), a K→F substitution at position 391 was constructed (F391), and an additional F was inserted at 392 (FF391/392). These changes should lengthen the endodomain in the KK391/392 insertion mutant or shorten the endodomain in the FF391/392 mutant. The mutant FF391/392 grown in BHK cells formed virus particles containing extruded material not found on wild-type virus. This characteristic was not seen in FF391/392 virus grown in insect cells. The mutant KK391/392 grown in BHK cells was defective in the final membrane fission reaction, producing multicored or conjoined virus particles. The production of these aberrant particles was ameliorated when the KK391/392 mutant was grown in insect cells. These data indicate that there is a critical minimal spanning distance from the E2 membrane proximal amino acid at position 391 and the conserved E2 Y400 residue. The observed phenotypes of these mutants also invoke an important role of the specific host membrane lipid composition on virus architecture and infectivity.
Disk and biconical interfacial viscometers

Abstract An exact solution is obtained for the zero-thickness disk interfacial viscometer shown in Fig. 1. From a measurement of the torque required to hold the disk stationary when the dish rotates at a given angular velocity, the surface shear viscosity can be determined. With a small correction, this solution can be applied to the thin biconical bob interracial viscometer shown in Fig. 2.
Fuzzy image processing in Sun sensor

Sun sensors are widely used in spacecraft attitude determination subsystems to provide a measurement of the Sun vector in spacecraft coordinates. At the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, there is an ongoing research activity to utilize Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) processes to develop a smaller and lighter Sun sensor for space applications. A prototype Sun sensor has been designed and constructed. It consists of a piece of silicon coated with a thin layer of chrome, and a layer of gold with hundreds of small pinholes, placed on top of an image detector at a distance of less than a millimeter. Images of the Sun are formed on the detector when the Sun illuminates the assembly. Software algorithms must be able to identify the individual pinholes on the image detector and calculate the angle to the Sun. Fuzzy image processing is utilized in this process. This paper describes how the fuzzy image processing is implemented in the instrument. Also, a camera pin hole model is constructed and used to evaluate the accuracy of the Sun sensor.
Experiences integrating delivery of maternal and child health services with childhood immunization programs: systematic review update.

Background. The World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund promote integration of maternal and child health (MCH) and immunization services as a strategy to strengthen immunization programs. We updated our previous review of integrated programs and reviewed reports of integration of MCH services with immunization programs at the service delivery level. Methods. Published and unpublished reports of interventions integrating MCH and immunization service delivery were reviewed by searching journal databases and Web sites and by contacting organizations. Results. Among 27 integrated activities interventions included hearing screening human immunodeficiency virus services vitamin A supplementation deworming tablet administration malaria treatment bednet distribution family planning growth monitoring and health education. When reported linked intervention coverage increased though not to the level of the corresponding immunization coverage in all cases. Logistical difficulties time-intensive interventions ill suited for campaign delivery concern for harming existing services inadequate overlap of target age groups and low immunization coverage were identified as challenges. Conclusions. Results of this review reinforce our 2005 review findings including importance of intervention compatibility and focus on immunization program strength. Ensuring proper planning and awareness of compatibility of service delivery requirements were found to be important. The review revealed gaps in information about costs comparison to vertical delivery and impact on all integrated interventions that future studies should aim to address.
Quality as influenced by color

Abstract Color is one of the major attributes which affect the consumer perception of quality. The methodology of color measurement is a mature science and any food product can be measured. The color can be used as a direct estimate of quality or as an indirect estimate as discussed with tomatoes, citrus and cranberries. Color measurement can also be used as an estimate of chemical components as indices of quality. Color perception also interacts with other sensory attributes such as sweetness, and also with lighting. Color perception of quality also changes with age.
Evidence for unique threat-processing mechanisms in psychopathic and anxious individuals

Behaviorally, psychopathy and anxiety display opposite patterns of threat sensitivity and response inhibition. However, it is unclear whether this is due to shared or to separate underlying processes. To address this question, we evaluated whether the threat sensitivity of psychopathic and anxious offenders relates to similar or different components of Gray and McNaughton’s (2000) Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory using a sample of 87 prisoners and a task that crossed threat onset with attentional focus. Psychopathy was associated with significantly weaker fear-potentiated startle (FPS) under conditions that presented threat cues after alternative, goal-directed cues. Conversely, anxiety was associated with significantly stronger FPS when threat appeared first and was the focus of attention. Furthermore, these differences were statistically independent. The results suggest that the abnormal sensitivity to threat cues associated with psychopathy and anxiety relate to different underlying processes and have implications for understanding the relationship between low- and high-anxious psychopathy.
A Circular Dichroic Study of Cu(II)-Ribonuclease Complexes

Abstract The visible and ultraviolet circular dichroic (CD) spectra resulting from the interaction of ribonuclease with successive Cu(II) ions have been recorded under a variety of conditions. At pH 7 in the presence of 0.16 m KCl a broad, negative band was found in the visible region. This band increased in intensity and changed in shape as successive coppers were added. The circular dichroic spectra could be analyzed in terms of two kinds of binding sites: a single strong site with CD minimum at about 710 nm, and four weaker sites with CD minimum at about 600 nm. The binding constants observed are close to those obtained by more conventional means. Carboxymethylation of one histidine results in loss of one of the weaker sites. In 0.01 m salt, only the 600-nm band is seen. Binding at pH 9.6 differed in that saturation did not occur until about 33 sites had been filled. The presence of tetra coordination at this pH was indicated by the shift of the primary d-d transition down to 530 nm. Additional structure in the visible and near ultraviolet CD was now present in the form of a negative band at 355 nm and, for the first two Cu(II)'s added, a positive one at 480 nm. Strong positive bands were observed at 251 and 305 nm for all pH values ≥7. These are tentatively ascribed to charge transfer complexes between Cu(II) and the peptide backbone. The relationship of the Cu(II)-ribonuclease CD spectra to those of natural, copper-containing metalloproteins, both "blue" and "non-blue", is discussed, with special emphasis on the oxyhemocyanins.
Horseshoes, stylebooks, wheels, poles, and dummies: Objects of editing power in 20th-century newsrooms

This essay examines five largely unsung artifacts of 20th-century newspaper journalism – the U-shaped copy desk, stylebooks, pica sticks, proportion wheels, and paper dummies – to tell a story abou...
Choosing passwords: security and human factors

Password security is essential to the security of information systems. Human fallibility makes it nearly impossible to follow all of the recommended rules simultaneously. A user with many different passwords, frequently changing, will be forced to write them down somewhere. Some systems constrain them to have a certain minimum length, or to require them to contain a combination of letters and numbers. Some systems also impose maximum lengths, and some prohibit special characters. The lack of common standards for passwords makes it difficult for a user to remember which password is used for which system. To make matters worse, systems frequently revoke a user's access after a password has been incorrectly entered as few as three times. What is needed, then, is an analysis of passwords that takes both human factors and security into account. We must recognize that what really matters is the security of the total system-offline as well as online. This paper explores the tradeoffs that need to be made to achieve maximum security in everyday use by forgetful users.
Nietzsche, Critical Theory and a Theory of Knowledge

Max Horkheimer stipulated that a critical theory must have a “concrete awareness of its own limitations.”1 When critical theorists apply this rule to their construction of a “theory of knowledge,” they formulate a critical science aware that knowledge of any object is conditioned by the social and historical perspective of the knower of the object. This view of science, emerging from the problem formulated in Hegel’ s Phenomenology regarding the influence of an instrument of observation upon what is observed, underlaid the anti-positivist polemic of the last several decades. Yet even though critical theorists deny that any scientific discipline possesses a theoretical gaze able to fix laws in realities independent of its own social context, they maintain that it can nonetheless arrive at a restricted set of universals on the basis of which modest but significant predictions about society can be made. But all of its rules and generalizations remain under the material constraints of social forces.
Reconfigurable 4-frequency CMOS oscillator based on AlN Contour-Mode MEMS resonators

This paper reports on the first demonstration of a reconfigurable Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) oscillator based on MicroElectroMechanical System (MEMS) resonators operating at 4 different frequencies (268, 483, 690 and 785 MHz). A bank of multi-frequency switchable AlN Contour-Mode MEMS resonators (CMRs) were connected to a single CMOS oscillator circuit that can be configured to selectively operate in 4 different states with distinct oscillation frequencies. The phase noise (PN) of the reconfigurable oscillator was measured for each of the 4 different frequencies of operation showing values between −94 and −70 dBc/Hz at 1 KHz offset and PN floor values as low as −165 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset. Jitter values as low as 114 fs-rms (integrated 12 KHz–20 MHz) and switching times as fast as 20 μs were measured. This first prototype represents a miniaturized solution (30X smaller) over commercially available Voltage Controlled SAW Oscillators (VCSOs) and potentially has the advantage of generating multiple stable frequencies without the need of cumbersome and power consuming phase locked loop (PLL) circuits.
Knowledge extraction changes the way an expert thinks

The authors show an aspect of knowledge extraction that deserves attention: the process where a human domain expert becomes more cogent, in his or her own mind, about the algorithms, heuristics, and strategies that he or she uses in manipulating this factual knowledge base. The contention is that the knowledge engineer's constructs can be greatly strengthened by utilizing those constructs of the domain expert that may evolve through the knowledge extraction process. In addition, harnessing the domain expert's constructs by fostering such introspective processes early in the knowledge extraction stage will increase the cost effectiveness of the expert system design. The arguments are based on a case study of one particular human expert who has been involved from 1985 to 1992, in the construction of five expert systems, all of which pertain to the same domain and have the same objective to assist in the diagnosis of stuttering among young children. >
Supply voltage scalable system design using self-timed circuits

Supply voltage scalable system design for low power is investigated using self-timed circuits in this paper. Two architectures are proposed to achieve supply voltage scalability, for preserved quality and energy-quality tradeoff respectively, In the first architecture, the supply-voltage automatically tracks the input data rate of the data path so that the supply-voltage can be kept as small as possible while maintaining the speed requirement and processing quality. In the second one, further energy saving is achieved at the cost of signal-noise-ratio loss in digital signal processing when an ultra-low supply voltage is applied. Cadence simulation shows the effectiveness for both architectures. More than 40% to 70% power can be saved by introducing -150 to -10 dB error in a case study: speech signal processing.
Continued EGFR Inhibition With Postprogression Chemotherapy: Where Do We Stand?

A growing body of evidence suggests that continuing EGFR inhibitors when switching to chemotherapy may not be the right choice for all patients. Nevertheless, a review of recent data about postprogression therapy for patients with EGFR-mutant lung cancer reveals some important caveats that must be considered when choosing the optimal treatment for patients who have progressed on their initial EGFR inhibitor.
the Virgin of Guadalupe in New Spain: an inquiry into the social history of Marian devotion

Veneration of the Virgin of Guadalupe in New Spain (1519–1821) is reconsidered from three angles: in relation to the more widespread devotion to images of Mary Immaculate in villages, in relation to the colonial capital of Mexico City, and as a model of mediation within the colonial society for Indian subjects as well as of protest against Spanish rule. From new documentation, the article posits more widespread early veneration of the American and Spanish Cuadalupes among non-Indians and through Mexico City and Catholic priests than among Indians in syncretic cults. It also questions whether the Virgin of Guadalupe was unequivocally the “dominant” religious symbol in the future Mexico before national independence.
Motion planning for controllable systems without drift

A general strategy for solving the motion planning problem for real analytic, controllable systems without drift is proposed. The procedure starts by computing a control that steers the given initial point to the desired target point for an extended system, in which a number of Lie brackets of the system vector fields are added. Using formal calculations with a product expansion relative to P. Hall basis, another control is produced that achieves the desired result on the formal level. This provides an exact solution of the original problem if the given system is nilpotent. For a general system, an iterative algorithm is derived that converges very quickly to a solution. For nonnilpotent systems which are feedback nilpotentizable, the algorithm, in cascade with a precompensator, produces an exact solution. Results of simulations which illustrate the effectiveness of the procedure are presented. >
SOX2 expression is upregulated in adult spinal cord after contusion injury in both oligodendrocyte lineage and ependymal cells.

The upregulation of genes normally associated with development may occur in the adult after spinal cord injury (SCI). To test this, we performed real-time RT-PCR array analysis of mouse spinal cord mRNAs comparing embryonic day (E)14.5 spinal cord with intact adult and adult cord 1 week after a clinically relevant standardized contusion SCI. We found significantly increased expression of a large number of neural development- and stem cell-associated genes after SCI. These included Sox2 (sex determining region Y-box 2), a transcription factor that regulates self-renewal and potency of embryonic neural stem cells and is one of only a few key factors needed to induce pluripotency. In adult spinal cord of Sox2-EGFP mice, Sox2-EGFP was found mainly in the ependymal cells of the central canal. After SCI, both mRNA and protein levels of Sox2 were significantly increased at and near the injury site. By 1 day, Sox2 was upregulated in NG2+ oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPC) in the spared white matter. By 3 days, Sox2-EGFP ependymal cells had increased proliferation and begun to form multiple layers and clusters of cells in the central lesion zone of the cord. Expression of Sox2 by NG2+ cells had declined by 1 week, but increased numbers of other Sox2-expressing cells persisted for at least 4 weeks after SCI in both mouse and rat models. Thus, SCI upregulates many genes associated with development and neural stem cells, including the key transcription factor Sox2, which is expressed in a pool of cells that persists for weeks after SCI. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Reliability-based design and optimization of adaptive marine structures

Abstract The objectives of this work are to quantify the influence of material and operational uncertainties on the performance of self-adaptive marine rotors, and to develop a reliability-based design and optimization methodology for adaptive marine structures. Using a previously validated 3D fluid–structure interaction model, performance functions are obtained and used to generate characteristic response surfaces. A first-order reliability method is used to evaluate the influence of uncertainties in material and load parameters and thus optimize the design parameters. The results demonstrate the viability of the proposed reliability-based design and optimization methodology, and demonstrate that a probabilistic approach is more appropriate than a deterministic approach for the design and optimization of adaptive marine structures that rely on fluid–structure interaction for performance improvement.
Recurrence patterns and survival endpoints in women with stage II uterine endometrioid carcinoma: A multi-institution study

Abstract Objective There is paucity of data in regard to prognostic factors and outcome of women with 2009 FIGO stage II disease. The objective of this study was to investigate prognostic factors, recurrence patterns and survival endpoints in this group of patients. Methods Data from four academic institutions were analyzed. 130 women were identified with 2009 FIGO stage II. All patients underwent hysterectomy, oophorectomy and lymph node evaluation with or without pelvic and paraaortic lymph node dissections and peritoneal cytology. The Kaplan–Meier approach and Cox regression analysis were used to estimate recurrence-free (RFS), disease-specific (DSS) and overall survival (OS). Results Median follow-up was 44months. 120 patients (92%) underwent simple hysterectomy, 78% had lymph node dissection and 95% had peritoneal cytology examination. 99 patients (76%) received adjuvant radiation treatment (RT). 5-year RFS, DSS and OS were 77%, 90%, and 72%, respectively. On multivariate analysis of RFS, adjuvant RT, the presence of lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI) and high tumor grades were significant predictors. For DSS, LVSI and high tumor grades were significant predictors while older age and high tumor grade were the only predictors of OS. Conclusions In this multi-institutional study, disease-specific survival for women with FIGO stage II uterine endometrioid carcinoma is excellent. High tumor grade, lymphovascular space invasion, adjuvant radiation treatment and old age are important prognostic factors. There was no significant difference in the outcome between patients who received vaginal cuff brachytherapy compared to those who received pelvic external beam radiation treatment.
Wavelength-specific photosynthetic responses of Halophila johnsonii from marine-influenced versus river-influenced habitats

Abstract The seagrass Halophila johnsonii Eiseman grows from the upper intertidal to 3 m depths in habitats ranging from near-marine inlets to tidal riverine. These habitats have distinct optical characteristics, primarily due to variable concentrations of watershed-derived chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM), which increases the attenuation of short-wavelength (blue and UV) light. H. johnsonii contains a suite of flavonoids that are thought to serve as UV-protective pigments (UVP). In this study, photosynthetic responses at specific wavelengths were compared between plants from a river-influenced high-CDOM habitat (Oleta River) and those from an adjacent marine, low-CDOM environment (Haulover Inlet) in Florida. Oxygen flux was used to measure dark respiration and photosynthesis under near-constant radiant energy at nine specific wavelengths from 340 to 730 nm. Riverine plants had higher gross photosynthetic rates and quantum efficiencies than inlet plants at the shortest wavelengths (350, 400 and 450 nm), while inlet plant photosynthetic rates and quantum efficiencies were higher at the two longest wavelengths measured (694 and 730 nm). Riverine plants also exhibited greater variation in photosynthetic responses across the spectrum and more variable pigment levels among replicates. Chlorophyll a and b concentrations were significantly greater in riverine plants suggesting that they were more shade-acclimated compared to the marine populations. Differences in wavelength-specific photosynthetic responses and chlorophyll levels indicate that the riverine plants were blue-shade acclimated. The higher and more variable UVP levels in the riverine population were not consistent with shade acclimation; however, these flavonoid pigments may protect chloroplasts from photodamage during short-term, high intensity irradiance conditions that occur over the course of tidal cycles at this highly fluctuating riverine site.
Mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome variation in five eastern Aleut communities: Evidence for genetic substructure in the Aleut population

Since Russian contact in 1741, the Aleut communities of southwestern Alaska have undergone a series of demographic upheavals stemming from forced relocations, disease epidemics, population bottlenecks, and pervasive admixture with European populations. This study investigates the impact of key historical events on the genetic structure of the Aleut population through analysis of mitochondrial and Y-chromosome DNA variation in five eastern Aleut communities. Results from HVS-I sequencing and Y-chromosome typing reveal patterns of variability that exhibit east-west geographic differentiation for the major Aleut haplogroups. This finding is underscored by SAMOVA and Monmonier analyses that identify genetic discontinuities between eastern and western Aleut populations. The majority of Aleut Y-chromosomes were characterized to haplogroups of mostly Russian, Scandinavian and Western European origin (approximately 85%), which is in stark contrast to the 3.6% of Aleut mtDNA lineages identified as non-Native American, and thus indicating a large degree of asymmetrical gene flow between European men and Aleut women. Overall, this study identifies a significant relationship between geography and genetic variation in the Aleut population, with a distinct substructure along an east-west axis that reflects the combined effects of founder events in aggregate island communities, male-biased gene flow from European populations, and the original peopling of the Aleutian Archipelago.
Medical Marijuana in HIV-Positive Patients: What Do We Know?:

On November 4, 2008, our state passed the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act (MMMA), which allows the medical use of marijuana for certain conditions and/or constellation of symptoms. This article will (1) review the current evidence that medical marijuana is useful for certain chronic conditions, particularly pain and wasting syndromes experienced by HIV-positive people; (2) discuss the adverse effects of marijuana; (3) summarize the new Michigan law and the challenges it poses for physicians, and (4) review the experience in California where medical marijuana has been legal since 1996.
Empirical Research on Large Minimum-Wage Increases: Does It Have a Future?

An empirical challenge seems to have fractured what was a near-consensus among economists that minimum-wage increases make it more difficult for low-skilled workers to find or retain employment. Yet there is a persisting consensus among economists that any such increases which are 'large' — typically defined in terms of the magnitude of the changes in the wage floor and the ratio between the wage floor and the median wage — would indeed have the disemployment effect. If this persisting consensus is also subject to empirical challenge, such a challenge would surely incorporate analysis of any large minimum-wage increases that have already occurred. But oddly, and quite mistakenly, more than one leading researcher has casually claimed that no such events have ever occurred. Here, to aid future researchers, several episodes involving large increases are identified and some relevant literature is catalogued.
An undergraduate research experience: Synthesis, modification, and comparison of hydrophobicity of zeolites A and X

Abstract Two procedures using a template-free synthesis of zeolites A and X were compared in an effort to assess how modification of the porous structure of zeolites with various ligands impacts the property of hydrophobicity. Modification with ligands such as octyltrichlorosilane (OTCS), dichlorodiphenylsilane (DCDPS), chlorotrimethylsilane (CTMS), hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDS) as well as with a combination of CTMS and HMDS, was performed. Both procedures led to the formation of water repellant materials. The hydrophobicity of zeolite A increased when zeolite A was modified with DCDPS and with OTCS. Zeolite X demonstrated superior hydrophobic properties when modified with all ligands, except with HMDS. Infrared spectroscopy (IR), macroscopic analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) data are presented.
Transforming City Governments Through IT

City governments have implemented the use of technology in an attempt to enhance their service and operational capabilities. The efforts of the past were well intended, however, the disjuncture of these combined efforts have created “islands of information” within their administrative infrastructure. Many corporations today face similar issues that city governments do; decentralized IT infrastructure, dwindling cash flows, and overall operational inefficiency. For medium sized urban centers to have a chance for a brighter future it is absolutely imperative to effectuate change at all levels of city government. The kind of change necessary is not only in an operational capacity, but that of a culture shift as well. Information technology, when used appropriately, has the ability to be the catalyst for the kind of change required to resurrect communities.
Signaling and Value Creation in Mergers

I analyze the acquirers in both withdrawn and completed merger deals to disentangle the effects of signaling from those of target valuation and expected synergies. Completed stock (cash) acquirers earn 14 percent (10 percent) more than their withdrawn counterparts over the six months following initial announcement. However, if an announced stock merger later falls through, the acquirer suffers a negative revaluation due to the initial signal released, and the negative return is not reversed upon deal withdrawal. These results suggest that the initial negative stock price reaction in stock mergers is due to a signaling effect, but that the mergers themselves are positive NPV investments for the acquirers’ shareholders. Analysis of the acquirers’ financial positions also supports the signaling interpretation. Within stock deals, acquirers with more cash and less leverage – those that are least likely to need equity financing – have the lowest announcement returns.
On the determinants of internal armed conflict

This study expands upon literature on the cross-national causes of civil war and terrorism by combining the two concepts into an aggregate variable called internal armed conflict. It applies relative deprivation theory to politically excluded ethnic groups and also separates those two entities to examine socioeconomic desperation and ethnic exclusion respectively. From a review of the literature I identify eight variables that were found to be statistically significant predictors of either civil war or terrorism in previous studies and I use them as control variables in my models. I find that countries with excluded ethnic groups are somewhat more likely to experience internal armed conflict. Several control variables including ethnic fractionalization, log population, and percentage of years a country was under imperial or colonial rule were significant predictor variables across all the models. I conclude with a discussion of the implications of the findings for extant and future literature and for policies that seek to reduce internal armed conflict.
Regulation of X-Ray Security Scanners in Michigan.

In January of 2013 the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) ordered the removal of x-ray security scanners from airports by June of 2013. Since that time several of these scanners have been purchased at a reduced cost by various state and county governments for use in screening individuals entering or leaving their facilities. To address this issue the Radiation Safety Section of the State of Michigan drafted a set of registration conditions for facilities to follow when using these security scanners. Inspection procedures and measurement protocols were developed to estimate the dose to screened individuals. Inspections were performed on nine of the 16 registered backscatter scanners in the state and the one transmission scanner. The average estimated effective dose to screened individuals was ∼11 nSv for a two view scan from a backscatter system. The effective dose was 0.446 μSv, 0.330 μSv, and 0.150 μSv for a transmission system operated in the high, medium, and low dose modes, respectively. The limit suggested in the new registration condition is 0.25 μSv for a general use system and 10 μSv for a limited use system. Language: en
The Arkansas Lottery Scholarship Act An Examination of the Policy Design Process

State lottery policies have been created to generate additional funds to support public initiatives, such as higher education scholarships. Through 18 participant interviews and document analysis, this study examined how decision makers in Arkansas socially constructed citizens while forming lottery policy. The social construction of target populations theory provides a framework for better understanding how social constructions became embedded into the policy design process. Participants noted that beneficiaries included higher education students and the retail and vendor community. In addition, discussion centered on burdens being placed on people who derive from low income and people who have gambling addiction.
Loss of essential membrane lipids and ascorbic acid from rat brain following cryogenic injury and protection by methylprednisolone.

AbstractPrevious work has shown that unsaturated fatty acid components of model membrane phospholipids in vitro, damaged via a free radical mechanism, are protected by the presence of cholesterol in these membranes. The participation of these membrane lipids in the pathogenesis of traumatic injury to brain was studied in vivo using the Klatzo method of cryogenic injury in rats.Increased edema 4 hr after cryogenic injury was noted on the lesioned side. Total cerebral cholesterol was decreased significantly in the lesioned hemispheres 10 hr following injury. In lesioned animals pretreated and post-treated with methylprednisolone, there were no significant differences in the total cholesterol levels.Arachidonic acid isolated from total membrane phospholipids was significantly reduced on the injured side 24 hr after injury, but not before. Other fatty acids were not significantly affected. Methylprednisolone treatment prevented the decrease in arachidonic acid. Animals that had received a cold injury had sign...
STUDIES ON THE SUBUNITS OF ACETYLCHOLINESTRASE

Publisher Summary Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is present in all types of conducting fibers of nerve and muscle, where it is firmly bound to cell structures, mainly to excitable membranes of axons and fibers, and also in those of junctions, that is, in the membranes of nerve terminals and in the postsynaptic membranes. AChE hydrolyzes acetylcholine rather specifically and is distinctly different from other esterases. Through this direct association with the metabolism of acetylcholine and through the ascertained interdependence of AChE activity and the electrical activity in excitable membrane, it became evident that the enzyme plays a fundamental role in nerve activity. AChE is available in extraordinarily high concentration in the electric organs of electric fish. This source has been important in the analysis of the enzyme, and much information has been accumulated through kinetic studies concerning the mechanism of reaction with substrates and inhibitors, and about the molecular forces in the active site. This chapter discusses the basic molecular properties such as the amino acid composition, the extinction coefficient, the solubility, and the isoelectric point.