cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reproducible surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy of small molecular anions

A gold-coated silicon substrate having an array of pyramidal shaped holes is shown to provide a reproducible surface-enhanced Raman spectra (SERS) in a number of inorganic ions such as , , , and deposited on the substrate as 10−3 to10−4 molar aqueous solutions of their salts. Of particular interest is the observation of a SERS effect in , the anion of ammonium nitrate, a commonly used terrorist explosive, suggesting the potential for sensitive detection of this material. An unusual increase in the frequency of the bending mode frequency is observed in the SERS spectra of KNO2. Density Functional Theory calculations of the frequencies of the normal modes of vibration of bonded to gold predict an upward shift of the frequencies compared with the calculated results for a free , suggesting a possible explanation for the shifts.
Glucose depletion activates mmu-miR-466h-5p expression through oxidative stress and inhibition of histone deacetylation

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the regulation of multiple cellular processes. Changes of miRNA expression have been linked to the development of various diseases including cancer, but the molecular events leading to these changes at different physiological conditions are not well characterized. Here we examined the intracellular events responsible for the miR-466h-5p activation in mouse cells exposed to glucose deprivation. MiR-466h-5p is a member of the miR-297-669 cluster located in intron 10 of Sfmbt2 gene on mouse chromosome 2 and has a pro-apoptotic role. We showed that the time-dependant activation of miR-466h-5p, miR-669c and the Sfmbt2 gene followed the inhibition of histone deacetylation caused by glucose deprivation-induced oxidative stress. This oxidative stress causes the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and depletion of reduced glutathione (GSH) that together inhibited histone deacetylases (HDACs) activity, reduced protein levels of HDAC2 and increased acetylation in miR-466h-5p promoter region, which led to the activation of this miRNA. Based on this study and previous work, we suggest a possible role of miR-466h-5p (and miR 297-669 cluster) in the cells during toxic metabolites accumulation. Improved characterization of the molecular events that lead to the activation of miR-466h-5p may provide a better understanding of the relation between cellular environment and miRNA activation.
High-resolution common-depth-point reflection profiling: Field acquisition parameter design

The results of a seismic reflection profiling exercise are strongly dependent upon parameters used in field recording. The choice of parameters is determined by objectives of the survey, available resources, and geolog­ ic locality. Some simple modeling and/or a walkaway noise survey are helpful in choice of field parameters. Filtering data before analog-to-digital conversion in the field can help overcome limitations in the dynamic range of the seismograph. Source and geophone arrays can be used to a limited extent in high-resolution sur­ veys to help attenuate ground roll. Proper planting of geophones can be an important factor in obtaining the flattest spectral response. Various seismic energy sources provide the flattest spectral response. Various seismic energy sources provide different spectral character and varying degrees of convenience and cost.
The S. cerevisiae nitrogen starvation-induced Yvh1p and Ptp2p phosphatases play a role in control of sporulation.

Starvation for nitrogen in the absence of a fermentable carbon source causes diploid Succhnromyces cereilisino cells to leave vegetative growth, enter meiosis. and sporulate: the former nutritional condition also induces expression of the YVHI gene that encodes a protein phosphatase. This correlation prompted us to determine whether the Yvhlp phosphatase was a participant in the network that controls the onset of meiosis and sporulation. We found that expression of the IME2 gene, encoding a protein kinase homologue required for meiosis- and sporulation-specific gene expression, is decreased in a yvhl disrupted strain. We also observed a decrease, albeit a smaller one, in the expression of IMEl which encodes an activator protein required for IME? expression. Under identical experimental conditions, expression of the MCKI and IME4 genes (which promote sporulation but do not require Imelp for expression) was not affected. These results demonstrate the specificity of the yihl disruption phenotype. They suggest that decreased steady-state levels of IMEl and IME2 mRNA were not merely the result of non-specific adverse affects on nucleic acid metabolism caused by the j~hl disruption. Sporulation of a homozygous yihl disruption mutant was delayed and less efficient overall compared to an isogenic wild-type strain. a result which correlates with decreased IMEl and IME? gene expression. We also observed that expression of the PTP2 tyrosine phosphatase gene (a negative regulator of the osmosensing MAP kinase cascade). but not the PTPI gene (also encoding a tyrosine phosphatase) was induced by nitrogenstarvation. Although disruption of PTP2 alone did not demonstrably affect sporulation or IME? gene expression, sporulation was decreased more in a yvhl, prp2 double mutant than in a yd11 single mutant; it was nearly abolished in the double mutant. These data suggest that the YC’HI and PTP2 encoded phosphatases likely participate in the control network regulating meiosis and sporulation. Expression of YVHI and PTP2 was not affected by nitrogen source quality (asparagine compared to proline) suggesting that nitrogen starvation-induced YVHI and PTP2 expression and sensitivity to nitrogen catabolite repression are on two different branches of the nitrogen regulatory network.
Suns-Voc and Minority Carrier Lifetime Measurements of III-V Tandem Solar Cells

Quasi steady state photoconductance (QSS-PC) and the "Suns- Voc" technique have been extensively used for characterizing silicon solar cells. QSS-PC has been used to determine the minority carrier lifetime, saturation current and surface recombination velocity. In this paper, we use both techniques to measure III-V tandem solar cells and III-V material, demonstrating the utility of the Suns- Voc for tandem devices and the ability to apply the QSS-PC measurements to the III-V materials, including GaAs and GaN. PC1D modeling is used to explain the experimental results.
THE FINE STRUCTURE OF INHIBITORY SYNAPSES IN THE CRAYFISH

Physiological investigations have shown that the synaptic input to the sensory neuron of the stretch receptor in the abdominal muscles of the crayfish is purely inhibitory. This neuron was chosen, therefore, as a site in which to study the fine structure of inhibitory synaptic endings. It was hoped that this fine structure might (a) provide a morphological prototype for the study of more complex synaptic systems and (b) reflect the inhibitory mechanisms. Stretch receptors were fixed in situ in buffered OsO4, dehydrated, and embedded in Araldite. Both cross and longitudinal sections were examined after staining with phosphotungstic acid. The inhibitory endings were easily identified by their great similarity to previously described excitatory endings. Small circular profiles (synaptic vesicles) about 460 A in diameter and an accumulation of mitochondria were consistently observed within the presynaptic endings. An increased osmiophilia of pre- and postsynaptic membranes, where they were in apposition, was also seen. The only observed difference between these inhibitory endings and excitatory endings, described by other authors, was the variable presence of a latticework of 230 A tubules in the connective tissue immediately adjacent to the inhibitory endings. Inhibitory endings were observed on all parts of the sensory neuron except the axon.
Evidence of poorer life-course mental health outcomes among veterans of the Korean War cohort

Objective: Comparing the outcomes of veterans who served in Korea and those who served elsewhere, we examined the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), other mental health conditions, psychiatric treatment locations, and six mental health well-being measures. Methods: The analytic sample consisted of nationally representative data from the 2001 National Survey of Veterans (NSV). Analyses included multiple logistic regressions that controlled for sociodemographic characteristics. Results: Korean era veterans in the NSV (n = 4030): 1498 served in Korea; 2532 elsewhere during the era. Veterans who served in Korea have notably poorer mental health than those who served elsewhere. Conclusion: These results suggest higher resource needs among aging Korean era veterans. Clinicians, policy makers and the Department of Veterans Affairs should focus on mental health services to older veterans.
An Enhanced Deterministic Sequential Monte Carlo Method for Near-Optimal MIMO Demodulation With QAM Constellations

We propose a low-complexity, linear minimum mean squared error (MMSE)-based sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) technique as an alternative to the sphere decoder for near-optimal demodulation in multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems. Prior to the SMC procedure, the received signal is passed through a linear MMSE-based preprocessing step, which also determines an optimal channel-dependent order of detection and produces a sequential structure. The algorithm then draws the symbol samples in a deterministic fashion, and the survivor paths are selected based on their importance weights. The proposed algorithm exploits the rectangular structure of the QAM signal constellation by separating the real and imaginary parts of the signal to reduce the complexity associated with the listing and weight update steps, resulting in a complexity (in terms of the constellation size M) of O(radicM) as compared to O(M) complexity of the existing SMC algorithms for an M-QAM constellation. We demonstrate through simulations that the new method achieves the sphere decoder performance for V-BLAST systems. Unlike the sphere decoder whose complexity is channel-dependent, our algorithm has a fixed complexity which is channel independent; thus it is well suited for use in practical MIMO systems. Some other interesting features of the algorithm are that it is able to handle MIMO systems with less receive antennas than transmit antennas; and can also deal with multiuser multirate MIMO systems, utilizing a novel ordering scheme. Finally we extend the proposed algorithm to solve the lattice decoding problem and demonstrate the effect of different preprocessing stages on the performance and complexity of the algorithm through extensive simulation results
Iodixanol Compared to Iohexol for Contrast Procedures: A Case-Matched Retrospective Cohort Study

Background: Previous studies that have attempted to evaluate the effectiveness of an iso-osmolar contrast medium (IOCM) iodixanol compared to a low-osmolar contrast medium (LOCM) for contrast procedures show variable results.Purpose: To evaluate the nephrotoxicity of the IOCM iodixanol compared to the LOCM iohexol.Material and Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study from April 2004 to March 2006. All contrast procedures with a pre- and post-exposure creatinine value were evaluated for inclusion. Contrast nephropathy (CN) was defined as post-exposure creatinine elevation of ≥25% or >0.5 mg/dl within 7 days of contrast exposure. Cases of iodixanol exposure were matched to control cases of iohexol exposure (1:1) based on age, sex, presence of diabetes, pre-exposure creatinine value, and type of imaging study performed. We matched 397 cases of iodixanol (IOCM) exposure to 397 cases of iohexol (LOCM) exposure. Cases of iodixanol which could not be matched to controls were not included in the analysi...
Thermospheric dynamics investigations with very high resolution spectrometers.

Since 1972 high resolution Fabry-Perot spectrometers have been used at Fritz Peak Observatory (39.9°N, 105.5°W), Colorado to measure the nighttime variation of thermospheric temperatures and winds from the line profiles and Doppler shifts of the OI 15,867 K (630.0-nm) line emission in the nightglow. With the aid of these measurements we have defined the nighttime variation of winds and temperatures at F-layer heights for the various seasons of the year during georfiagnetic quiet periods. During geomagnetic storm periods deviation in the nighttime variation of the winds and temperatures from those determined during geomagnetic quiet conditions have been shown to occur. In addition, measurements made during geomagnetic disturbed conditions have shown the existence of large-scale thermospheric waves generated at high latitudes by impulsive auroral heating events that are observed to propagate equatorward. The nighttime winds and temperatures measured from Fritz Peak Observatory have been used in various theoretical models of global thermospheric dynamics to infer the global circulation patterns, temperature structure, and thermospheric response to geomagnetic activity. By requiring agreement between the calculated and measured winds and temperatures over Fritz Peak Observatory, the over-all magnitude of the thermospheric high latitude heat source due to auroral processes has been inferred for both geomagnetic quiet and disturbed conditions. This energy source has been shown to be related to dissipation of the ring current energy in the high latitude ionosphere. The results of various geophysical studies using Fritz Peak Observatory data and theoretical model calculation are summarized.
Perceptions of public relations web sites by computer industry journalists

A survey of computer industry journalists (n = 101) explored usage and perceptions of public relations web sites as a newsgathering tool within the theoretical framework of journalistic conventions and routines, information subsidies and market-driven journalism. Regression analysis was used to identify the best predictors of web use for four key seminal questions. Depending on the specific questions, critical predictors of web use were the information value of the content, source credibility and reputation, perceptions about cost- and time-savings, and self-reported total hours of use. Implications for the future of sponsored web sites are discussed. © 2003 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.
A study of postmortem autolysis in the human organ of corti

Forty-six human temporal bones from 24 individuals were removed at autopsy and prepared for electron microscopy. The adequacy of histologic preservation was evaluated by light and electron microscopy. Characteristic autolytic changes included vacuolization of afferent neurons and neural poles of inner and outer hair cells, lysis of limiting membranes of hair and supporting cells, swelling of endoplasmic reticulum, and dissolution of mitochondrial cristae. The rate of autolysis varied significantly within cellular components of the inner ear. The neural poles of hair cells demonstrated more rapid autolysis than apical poles and nerve terminals showed more autolysis than myelinated nerve fibers. Postmortem time and the cause of death affected the adequacy of histologic preservation. Fixation in patients dying of pneumonia, hypoxia, head injury, or malignancy tended to be poor, whereas the fixation achieved in patients dying of cardiac disease with postmortem time of under 140 minutes was generally good.
GABA levels and receptor binding after acute and chronic ethanol administration

Abstract Acute ethanol administration decreased cerebellar GABA levels in rats which were stressed before the sacrifice but not in unstressed controls. After termination of chronic ethanol administration, GABA levels were decreased in the cerebellum and pons medulla oblongata. GABA receptor binding in the synaptosomal preparation of cerebral cortex was similar in controls and rats sacrificed 1 hour after the last ethanol dose but it was decreased in rats sacrificed during withdrawal. In the cerebellum there was no significant difference of GABA receptor binding between control rats and rats sacrificed 1 or 16 hours after the last ethanol dose. However, rats which were minimally affected by ethanol administration had higher binding than control or affected rats. GABA level in the cerebrospinal fluid of heavy drinkers who did not have seizures before the lumbar puncture was higher than in patients who were only occasional drinkers. However, patients who drank heavily and had a seizure before lumbar puncture had GABA levels similar to control levels. These results indicate that ethanol affects GABA-ergic system and that compensatory changes of GABA-ergic activity modify expression of the ethanol withdrawal.
Research Note: Comparison of Small Businesses with Family Participation versus Small Businesses Without Family Participation: An Investigation of Differences in Goals, Attitudes, and Family/Business Conflict

This study investigates three important issues in a family business: (1) Whether there is a significant difference, relative to their goals and attitudes, between owners of businesses with family participation and owners of businesses without family participation; (2) whether owners of businesses with family participation perceive higher levels of business-family conflict than owners of businesses without family participation; and (3) whether owners of businesses with family participation view business-family conflict as a significant impediment to their business performance. We conducted a survey of 231 small business owners in midsize cities in the northeastern and midwestern United States. Of the total sample, 118 are businesses in which two or more family members are employed. This study examines both the reported conflict and the positives of family-member involvement. The findings indicate that there is no overall difference in business-related goals between the two groups, but that owners of businesses with family participation do experience significantly more business-family conflict. The study also concludes that this conflict is generally well managed and does not interfere with business objectives. In fact, the authors conclude that owners of businesses with family participation see the involvement of family members as a positive. Managerial implications and research suggestions are also discussed.
Frame representations for texture segmentation

We introduce a novel method of feature extraction for texture segmentation that relies on multichannel wavelet frames and 2-D envelope detection. We describe and compare two algorithms for envelope detection based on (1) the Hilbert transform and (2) zero crossings. We present criteria for filter selection and discuss quantitatively their effect on feature extraction. The performance of our method is demonstrated experimentally on samples of both natural and synthetic textures.
Road to Ghana: Nkrumah, Southern Africa and the eclipse of a decolonizing Africa

This article interrogates the position of Accra as an ‘extra-metropolitan’ centre for southern African anti-colonial nationalists and anti-apartheid activists during the so-called ‘first wave’ of Africa’s decolonization. Drawn to Ghana by a narrative of decolonization and continental pan-Africanism that was at once peaceful and revolutionary, southern African ‘Freedom Fighters’ and expatriates first traveled to the Ghanaian capital of Accra in anticipation of the 1958 All-African Peoples Conference. Inside Ghana, southern African parties including the ANC and NDP and later the PAC, ZAPU and ZANU worked with the government of Kwame Nkrumah’s Convention People’s Party (CPP) in establishing an anti-colonial policy that spoke both to the unique settler situation in the region and the heightening international tensions of the emergent Cold War – a transnational dialogue to which the Nkrumah administration was not always receptive. As such, this article argues that the southern African presence in Accra and the realities of settler rule in the region challenged Nkrumah’s and others’ faith in the ‘Ghanaian’ model of decolonization, thus leading to a radicalization of African anti-colonial politics in Ghana during the early and mid-1960s as Nkrumah and his allies faced the prospect of the continent’s ‘failed’ decolonization.
The dynamics of personality and identity in adolescence

The present paper summarizes some of the key findings on the dynamics of personality and identity in adolescence by the author's research group. With regard to personality, we found evidence for a maturation process in which girls were ahead of boys. Being ahead or lagging behind with regard to this maturation process was found to be associated with internalizing and externalizing problems, respectively. We further identified which specific traits were associated with problem behaviour, and showed that these associations are bidirectional. With regard to identity, we showed that short-term fluctuations affect subsequent levels of identity dimensions. In addition, we uncovered a commitment–reconsideration dynamic that operates on a day-to-day level.
Transcription analysis of the maize chloroplast gene for the ribosornal protein S4

Maize seedlings contain several RNA species complementary to the rpS4 coding strand of the maize chloroplast ribosomal protein gene rpS4. All of these have the same 5' end about 182 bp upstream of the translation start codon for the protein S4. Northern and S1 nuclease analyses of RNA isolated from seedlings at different stages of greening show that the size of the pool of rpS4 transcripts does not change significantly upon illumination of dark-grown seedlings. The rpS4 gene has also been analyzed by in vitro transcription using maize chloroplast RNA polymerase preparations. The site of initiation in vitro has been mapped by S1 nuclease analysis to the same location as the 5' terminus of in vivo transcripts. A sequence resembling other plastid promoters occurs just upstream of this initiation site. The sensitivity of in vitro transcription to DNA template superhelicity has been assessed for the rpS4 gene promoter; its negative superhelicity-transcription rate profile resembles that of rbcL.
5B4-CAM expression parallels neurite outgrowth and synaptogenesis in the developing rat brain.

In order to study whether 5B4-CAM expression parallels neurite outgrowth and synaptogenesis, a monoclonal antibody, 5B4, was used, which recognizes both fetal (185–250 kD) and adult (140 kD, 180 kD) forms of the neural cell adhesion molecule (N—CAM), to identify and localize the antigen in rat tissue during developmental ages P1 through P31 and in adults between P60 and 2 years of age. A ubiquitous pattern of intense immunolabelling was detected during the earliest stages of development. 5B4-CAM expression paralleled process outgrowth and the early stages of synaptogenesis in the cerebral cortex, hippocampal formation, and cerebellum. In the adult, immunoreactivity was generally less intense, but the cerebral cortex and hippocampal and cerebellar molecular layers, all areas implicated in learning—associated plasticity, retained substantial immunoreactivity. The inner one–third of the dentate gyrus molecular layer, an area implicated in axonal sprouting and reactive synaptogenesis, was particularly intensely labelled. Evidence from this work suggests that 5B4-CAM expression may be useful in monitoring neurite outgrowth and the early stages of synapse formation during development and possibly axonal sprouting and reactive synaptogenesis in the adult. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Enhancements for IEEE 802.11 networks with directional antennas

Directional antennas have been introduced to improve the performance of 802.11 based wireless networks. Station equipped with directional antennas can beamform data in a specific direction. However, IEEE 802.11 is developed with omni-directional antennas in mind. Thus, deploying IEEE 802.11 in a directional antenna environment leads stations to be conservative in blocking their own transmissions in favor of the ongoing transmissions. In this paper we propose two opportunistic enhancements for the IEEE 802.11 networks using directional antennas. The first enhancement is to augment the 802.11 MAC protocol with additional information (i.e., location of the stations) that gives a node the flexibility to transmit data while there are ongoing transmissions in its vicinity. The second enhancement, using the augmented MAC protocol, alters the way the 802.11 accessing its MAC data queue.
The Approximate Number System Acuity Redefined: A Diffusion Model Approach

While all humans are capable of nonverbally representing numerical quantity using so-called the approximate number system (ANS), there exist considerable individual differences in its acuity. For example, in a non-symbolic number comparison task, some people find it easy to discriminate brief presentations of 14 dots from 16 dots while others do not. Quantifying individual ANS acuity from such a task has become an essential practice in the field, as individual differences in such a primitive number sense is thought to provide insights into individual differences in learned symbolic math abilities. However, the dominant method of characterizing ANS acuity—computing the Weber fraction (w)—only utilizes the accuracy data while ignoring response times (RT). Here, we offer a novel approach of quantifying ANS acuity by using the diffusion model, which accounts both accuracy and RT distributions. Specifically, the drift rate in the diffusion model, which indexes the quality of the stimulus information, is used to capture the precision of the internal quantity representation. Analysis of behavioral data shows that w is contaminated by speed-accuracy tradeoff, making it problematic to be conceptualized as ANS acuity, while drift rate provides a measure more independent from speed-accuracy criterion settings. Furthermore, drift rate is a better predictor of symbolic math ability than w, suggesting a practical utility of the measure. These findings demonstrate critical limitations of the use of w and suggest clear advantages of using drift rate as a measure of primitive numerical competence.
Effects of insulin on the counterregulatory response to equivalent hypoglycemia in normal females

The aim of this study was to determine if insulin could augment the counterregulatory response to equivalent hypoglycemia in normal females similarly to males. Experiments were carried out in nine ...
Water Uptake by Organic Aerosol and its Influence on Gas/Particle Partitioning of Secondary Organic Aerosol in the United States

Abstract Organic aerosol (OA) is at least partly hygroscopic, i.e., water partitions into the organic phase to a degree determined by the relative humidity (RH), the organic chemical composition, and the particle size. This organic-phase water increases the aerosol mass and provides a larger absorbing matrix while decreasing its mean molecular weight, which can encourage additional condensation of semi-volatile organic compounds. Most regional and global atmospheric models account for water uptake by inorganic salts but do not explicitly account for organic-phase water and its subsequent impact on gas/particle partitioning of semi-volatile OA. In this work, we incorporated the organic-phase water model described by Pankow et al. (2015) into the UCD/CIT air quality model to simulate water uptake by OA and assessed its influence on total OA mass concentrations. The model was run for one summer month over two distinct regions: South Coast Air Basin (SoCAB) surrounding Los Angeles, California and the eastern United States (US). In SoCAB where the OA was dominated by non-hygroscopic primary OA (POA), there was very little organic-phase water uptake (0.1–0.2 μg m−3) and consequently very little enhancement (or growth) in total OA concentrations (OA + organic-phase water): a 3% increase in total OA mass was predicted for a 0.1 increase in relative humidity. In contrast, in the eastern US where secondary OA (SOA) from biogenic sources dominated the OA, substantial organic-phase water uptake and enhancement in total OA concentrations was predicted, even in urban locations. On average, the model predicted a 20% growth in total OA mass for a 0.1 increase in relative humidity; the growth was equivalent to a 250 nm particle with a hygroscopicity parameter (κ) of 0.15. Further, for the same relative humidity, the exact extent of organic-phase water uptake and total OA enhancement was found to be dependent on the particle mixing state. When the source-oriented mixing state of aerosols was considered, generally, less organic-phase water uptake was predicted than when simple internal mixing approximations were made. Overall, the results indicated that organic-phase water can significantly influence predicted total OA concentrations under certain conditions. Regional models applied in areas with high humidity and significant SOA formation should include calculations for organic-phase water in order to capture this effect.
Microscale Technologies for Engineering Complex Tissue Structures

Engineered tissue scaffolds aim to reproduce the body’s architectural and geometrical intricacies, including vital cell–cell interactions. These scaffolds serve as synthetic extracellular matrices that organize the embedded cells into a three-dimensional (3D) architecture and present them with stimuli for their growth and maturation. Tissue engineering techniques have been applied to many types of tissues; however, numerous challenges regarding their development still remain. These challenges include our inability to generate a functional vasculature that can supply the tissue with nutrients and oxygen and the inability to mimic the complex cell–microenvironmental interactions that regulate the formation of a functional tissue. This chapter focuses on the most recent developments in the field of microfabrication technologies to design vascularized tissue constructs. In particular, we discuss emerging bottom-up approaches to design complex macroscale structures, examine their current limitations, and conclude with future directions in designing more complex tissue architecture.
Some remarks on singular attractive potentials

The difficulties with singular attractive potentials are traced to the fact that they lead to nonself-adjoint Hamiltonians. These are not acceptable in the framework of quantum mechanics.
The Structure of a Thermophilic Kinase Shapes Fitness upon Random Circular Permutation

Proteins can be engineered for synthetic biology through circular permutation, a sequence rearrangement in which native protein termini become linked and new termini are created elsewhere through backbone fission. However, it remains challenging to anticipate a protein’s functional tolerance to circular permutation. Here, we describe new transposons for creating libraries of randomly circularly permuted proteins that minimize peptide additions at their termini, and we use transposase mutagenesis to study the tolerance of a thermophilic adenylate kinase (AK) to circular permutation. We find that libraries expressing permuted AKs with either short or long peptides amended to their N-terminus yield distinct sets of active variants and present evidence that this trend arises because permuted protein expression varies across libraries. Mapping all sites that tolerate backbone cleavage onto AK structure reveals that the largest contiguous regions of sequence that lack cleavage sites are proximal to the phosphot...
Voices of the Homeless: An Emic Approach to the Experiences of Health Disparities Faced by People Who Are Homeless

People who are homeless are particularly vulnerable to health disparities. Rather than using population statistics to highlight the prevalence or severity of the suffering of people who are homeless, 28 undergraduate students each conducted an in-depth interview with an individual who relied on a local homeless shelter to cope with everyday life. The interview explored the participants' health concerns and strategies for health management. Due to equipment failure and incomplete recording, only 16 interviews are included in this study. The author adopted thematic analysis while focused on preserving the richness of the interactions between the participants who are homeless and the undergraduate students. The author's goal is to provide emic, intimate insights about the struggles and challenges faced by the people who are homeless. The author concluded the study by situating the findings in the larger literature of health disparities experienced by people who are homeless.
Analysis of Rate Limiters using Integral Quadratic Constraints

Abstract It is shown It is shown how the framework of integral quadratic constraints can be used to analyse systems with rate limiters, in spite of the fact that such systems can not be globally exponentially stable. The analysis is based on computation of the L2 -gain in a feedback loop involving a saturation followed by an integrator.
A Field Guide to Bacteria

When I received this book, I glanced at it, noted its intent—to serve as sort of a bird-watcher's guide to the bacterial world— admired a few of its photographs, then set it aside, assuming that it would be a character-building read which could only be suffered under stern deadline pressure. That was a mistake.
Obstruction of the Inferior Vena Cava by Seminoma

AbstractOncology patients require extensive radiological evaluation for staging. Ultrasound frequently is used in evaluating abdominal and retroperitoneal masses in seminoma patients. Inferior vena caval obstruction by seminoma has not been reported previously. We herein discuss the ultrasonic diagnosis of a seminoma that produced obstruction of the inferior vena cava and the ultrasonic findings that differentiate a mass within the inferior vena cava from one producing extrinsic compression.
Human tissue adrenergic receptors are not predictive of responses to epinephrine in vivo.

To test the hypotheses that adrenergic receptor and adenylate cyclase characteristics of easily accessible circulating cells reflect those of relatively inaccessible extravascular catecholamine target tissues in a subtype-specific fashion and that these characteristics predict responses to catecholamines in vivo, we studied 22 normal humans. Adrenergic receptors and their linked adenylate cyclase systems were measured in mononuclear leukocytes (MNL; beta 2), platelets (alpha 2), skeletal muscle membranes (beta 2), and fat cells (B1 and alpha 2) and compared with the responses to stepped, intravenous epinephrine infusions in vivo. MNL beta 2-adrenergic receptor densities (but not antagonist affinities) were correlated (r = 0.627; P less than 0.01) with skeletal muscle beta 2-adrenergic densities. However, other adrenergic receptor characteristics and basal and maximally stimulated adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) contents of MNL and all adrenergic receptor characteristics and cAMP contents of pl...
Artificial Neural Networks in Drug Transport Modeling and Simulation–II

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are widely applied for extracting patterns, machine learning, establishing functional relationships between inputs and outputs, and prediction of recurring phenomena based on time series. ANNs are used in pharmaceutical and pharmacokinetic areas to model complex relationships and to predict the nonlinear relationship between causal factors and response variables. The distinct features of the ANN, similar to learning and adapting, make this approach very useful in modeling drug transport mechanisms because the biological system itself dynamically changes because of external and internal parameters. In situations in which functional dependence of output is consistent, but the mathematical formulation of functional dependences between the inputs and outputs is difficult to establish, ANNs have proven to be an effective modeling paradigm.
Discerning the Humanity in Art

In an earlier chapter I discussed what it is to discern the humanity in a man, that is in a human being, and in the last chapter I raised an analogous question about what it is to discern the art in a work of art. Our ability to do either of these things requires, of course, no theoretical underpinnings or theoretical justification. Understanding other people is simply an integral part of our life; understanding art is, of course, not something built into our life in the same way, but is, we might say, parasitic upon those more fundamental capacities and relations. There are, to be sure, practical difficulties that stand in the way of our discerning the humanity in particular individuals and sometimes particular groups of people. These can be as varied as the strangeness of cultural difference, racial and ethnic prejudice, or merely insufficient information about a person and his circumstances. Likewise there are analogous factors and circumstances often present that can stand in the way of understanding works of art.
Future Directions for Education Policy Research and Language-Based Methods

This chapter brings together the key contributions that the individual chapters within this volume make at both a methodological and substantive level. Specifically, we offer a summary of our interpretations of the key points from the individual chapters. Then, we identify the methodological contributions that readers might derive when engaging with this volume. Notably, we highlight the possibilities at the intersection of education policy and discourse analysis. We thus consider the key contributions the individual authors make to education policy conversations. We conclude by noting possibilities for future directions for policy scholars interested in taking up language-based methods writ large.
Factors that contribute to remaining in the community among older adults.

ABSTRACTObjectives: Using national data on Medicare beneficiaries and their caregivers (CGs), we investigated CG and care recipient (CR) factors associated with the likelihood of remaining in the c...
Financial Incentives and the Fertility-Sex Ratio Trade-Off

Can financial incentives resolve the fertility-sex ratio trade-off faced by countries with persistent son preference and easy access to sex-selection technology? An Indian program, Devi Rupak, that seeks to lower fertility and the sex ratio is unable to do so. Although fertility decreases, the sex ratio at birth worsens as high son preference families are unwilling to forgo a son despite substantially higher benefits for a daughter. Thus, financial incentives may only play a limited role in the resolution of the fertility-sex ratio conflict.
Conservation Biological Control of Insect Pests

The human population is predicted to reach 9 billion by 2050. To achieve food security for this growing population, agricultural intensification is occurring, with increasing use of pesticides to reach the necessary yields. However, there is strong evidence that suggests pesticides cannot provide the agro-ecosystem growth and stability needed for the increasing demand. It is well established that pesticides are harmful to human, animal and environmental health. This information has reached the public, causing some governments to create policies that require the reduction of pesticide inputs in agro-ecosystems. Consequently, there is a need to manage pests using alternative techniques. One such approach is to enhance an ecosystem service (ES) which is conservation biological control (CBC). This is defined as manipulating the agro-ecosystem to enhance natural enemy fitness, populations and efficacy to suppress pest numbers. The problem is, not every study that has added multiple resources to agro-ecosystems is successful. Such resources may act synergistically and provide multiple ES delivery or include elements of redundancy, competition, or generate ecosystem dis-services. Here, we synthesize current reviews, provide a critical analysis and indicate future strategies. The key area that needs more focused research is understanding why floral resources are not always successful in the enhancement of natural enemy populations that lead to top-down pest suppression. Associated with this challenge, there are large knowledge gaps in natural enemy non-consumptive effects on prey and how these can be manipulated and used in CBC. For example, adding flowering plants to an agro-ecosystem is likely to impact several invertebrate and vertebrate communities, not always positively. These effects may, however, only be short term and localized. Existing landscape complexity has potential to supplement local effects but this is a highly multivariate approach. Major impediments to CBC being widely deployed certainly do not include cost. A typical 100 m × 2.3 m vineyard inter-row with buckwheat seeds costs only US $2.00. Key limitations to uptake of CBC by farmers and growers include: individual government policies which are inimical to agro-ecological approaches; the marketing power of agro-chemical companies; farmer innate conservatism; and most importantly, a weak emphasis of delivery systems and pathways to implementation. The most effective way to addressing the latter is ‘farmer field schools’, led by ‘farmer teachers’. Outputs do not lead to outcomes unless multiple delivery systems and pathways of implementation are involved and developed at the beginning of the research.
NON-SYNAPTIC MECHANISMS | Role of Aquaporins in Nonsynaptic Mechanisms of Epilepsy

The synchronized neuronal firing in epileptic seizures is considered to evolve and propagate through the coexisting processes of synaptic and nonsynaptic transmission. The nonsynaptic processes include intercellular gap junction coupling and ionic movements in the brain extracellular space (ECS). Manipulating ECS volume in slices by osmotically induced changes in cell size revealed the critical role of ECS volume fraction in neuroexcitation. Furthermore, detailed phenotype analysis of mice lacking the glial water channel, aquaporin-4 (AQP4), has demonstrated both expanded ECS related to attenuated neuroexcitation and slowed potassium kinetics, in two distinct seizure models. In the present article, we summarize the most recent experimental and clinical data demonstrating the role of AQP4 in nonsynaptic mechanisms of epilepsy.
O-hydroxylamine-coupled alkaline gel electrophoresis assay for the detection and measurement of DNA single-strand breaks.

The ability to detect and measure DNA single strand breaks has been the aim of numerous assays developed to assess genotoxicity. These methods often rely on alkaline conditions to denature DNA. However, alkaline treatment of DNA also introduces artifactual SSBs through the cleavage of alkali-labile sites resulting in confounded data. Here, we describe a modified alkaline gel electrophoresis assay coupled with a neutral O-hydroxylamine to obtain the measurement of true SSB formation.
What do we know about urban sustainability? A research synthesis and nonparametric assessment

Urban sustainability has become a burgeoning practical and scholarly enterprise over the last two decades. Yet, there have been few attempts to systematically assess what cumulative knowledge this ...
Impact of Prenatal Diagnosis of Complex Congenital Heart Disease on Neonatal and Infant Morbidity and Mortality

Objectives The objective of this study was to analyze the benefits associated with prenatal diagnosis of complex congenital heart disease (CHD) on preoperative morbidity, 30-day and 1-year mortality in this population. Method This was a retrospective review of patients with complex CHD born at our tertiary care center over a 10-year period. Date analysis using Student t test and chi-square test. Results The overall rate of prenatal detection of complex CHD was 68.1%. A steady increase in the number of complex CHD diagnosed prenatally was noted during the study period. The prenatal diagnosis of complex CHD was associated with significant reduction in the incidence of the following preoperative parameters: antibiotic use, mechanical ventilation, inotropic support, hepatic and renal dysfunction, and acidosis. These beneficial effects were more significant in ductal-dependent cardiac anomalies. However, there were no neonatal and infant survival benefits in association with prenatal diagnosis. Conclusion Prenatal diagnosis of complex CHD leads to improved preoperative morbidity, especially in patients with ductal-dependent cardiac anomalies. No survival benefits were noted with prenatal diagnosis of complex CHD.
Kinetic and Dynamic Description of Caffeine

Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of caffeine as the most and widely consumed beverage in the globe were examined. Forty-three articles published between 1980 and 2016 were selected wi...
2305. Staphylococcus aureus Screening and Decolonization for Pediatric Patients Undergoing Cardiovascular Surgery at Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH): A Trainee Quality Improvement Initiative

Background Colonization with Staphylococcus aureus increases the risk of developing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in adults, but its role in pediatrics remains unclear. We hypothesized that use of a S. aureus screening and decolonization protocol for pediatric patients undergoing cardiovascular (CV) surgery would result in a reduction of invasive S. aureus infections.
Indices of Subscore Utility for Individuals and Subgroups Based on Multivariate Generalizability Theory

Conventional methods for evaluating the utility of subscores rely on traditional indices of reliability and on correlations among subscores. One limitation of correlational methods is that they do ...
Harvesting Ego-Network Data from Facebook: Using the CEMAP Facebook Profile in ORA

Abstract : The Facebook social networking site (www.facebook.com) has become a popular phenomenon over the past five years. By its nature, Facebook has attracted the attention of social network researchers and enthusiasts as a rich source of data for scholarly study or personal self-analysis. It is fitting that the CEMAP software-tool, hosted by the CASOS software suite, has functionality to aid in the harvesting of Facebook data into the CASOS software, in particular, into the ORA social network analysis tool. CEMAP is designed to interface with real-world data platforms and data formats in an abstract manner that greatly reduces the need for ORA users to understand and deal with the plethora of complex technologies and data-file formats. This report introduces the CEMAP Facebook profile and provides instruction on how to use the profile--so as to easily load an individual's Facebook ego-network into ORA. We provide step-by-step instructions and illustrations as well as a description on the technology underlying the Facebook tableset. The Facebook tableset is the CEMAP abstraction of the various levels of technology to harvest the social network data, via the Facebook developer platform.
Brain-As-Predictor Approach: An Alternative Way to Explore Acculturation Processes

Chen, Heatherton, and Freeman review the unique strategy of longitudinally assessing the neural changes that occur during the acculturation process. This process differs from the typical research strategy of comparing individuals from two unique cultures or using bicultural individuals and priming them with different cultural cues. The authors use this strategy to determine whether longitudinal study of neural responses can predict acculturation better than typical behavioral measures.
Unexpected Findings During Laparoscopic Colectomy for Cancer: Techniques and Strategies

Unexpected intraoperative findings during laparoscopic colectomy for cancer are minimized by thorough and high-quality preoperative evaluation and imaging. The decision-making process is based on the knowledge of how to proceed when these findings are known preoperatively; the morbidity of additional treatment; the natural history of the disease; the surgeon’s experience, resources, and skills; the availability of the patient’s next of kin in some cases; the pathologist for frozen biopsy; and, above all, the patient’s best interests.