cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of selenoprotein synthesis by Zika virus may contribute to congenital Zika syndrome and microcephaly by mimicking SELENOP knockout and the genetic disease PCCA

Abstract Selenium status plays a major role in health impacts of various RNA viruses. We previously reported potential antisense interactions between viral mRNAs and host mRNAs encoding isoforms of the antioxidant selenoprotein thioredoxin reductase (TXNRD). Here, we examine possible targeting of selenoprotein mRNAs by Zika virus (ZIKV), because one of the most devastating outcomes of ZIKV infection in neonates, microcephaly, is a key manifestation of Progressive Cerebello-Cerebral Atrophy (PCCA), a genetic disease of impaired selenoprotein synthesis. Potential antisense matches between ZIKV and human selenoprotein mRNAs were identified computationally, the strongest being against human TXNRD1 and selenoprotein P (SELENOP), a selenium carrier protein essential for delivery of selenium to the brain. Computationally, ZIKV has regions of extensive (∼30bp) and stable (ΔE
Reducing the Dimension of the Configuration Space with Self Organizing Neural Networks

For robotics, especially industrial applications, it is crucial to reactively plan safe motions through efficient algorithms. Planning is more powerful in the configuration space than the task space. However, for robots with many degrees of freedom, this is challenging and computationally expensive. Sophisticated techniques for motion planning such as the Wavefront algorithm are limited by the high dimensionality of the configuration space, especially for robots with many degrees of freedom. For a neural implementation of the Wavefront algorithm in the configuration space, neurons represent discrete configurations and synapses are used for path planning. In order to decrease the complexity, we reduce the search space by pruning superfluous neurons and synapses. We present different models of self-organizing neural networks for this reduction. The approach takes real-life human motion data as input and creates a representation with reduced dimension. We compare six different neural network models and adapt the Wavefront algorithm to the different structures of the reduced output spaces. The method is backed up by an extensive evaluation of the reduced spaces, including their suitability for path planning by the Wavefront algorithm.
Psychotherapy as Coping Skills Training

Clients typically enter therapy with certain implicit, and often unverbalized, expectations of what will happen during the behavior change process. Quite often, their tacit assumption goes as follows: “I will begin by describing my problems to the therapist, who will then help me to gain some better understanding of them, may offer some advice, and perhaps assist in learning new ways to behave. Hopefully, the treatment will be successful. If it is successful, my problems will be resolved, I will end therapy, and will lead a relatively happy and satisfying life.” To the extent that therapists feel confident in their ability to help clients with their problems, they no doubt share this view of the intervention process. It is only in very recent years, however, that therapists have begun to realize that such a view of the therapeutic endeavor is short-sighted. There is an ever-growing recognition that we need to broaden our conceptualization of therapy, adopting an orientation that goes beyond the resolution of specific problems, and instead views the intervention process as training the client in the use of more general coping skills.
Rearview mirror reflectivity and the tradeoff between forward and rearward seeing

In a laboratory study and in a mathematical modeling effort, the authors evaluated the effects of rearview mirror reflectivity on older and younger subjects' seeing ability under conditions designed to simulate night driving with headlamp glare present in the mirror. Rearview mirror reflectivity was varied while observers were required to detect both rearward stimuli seen through the mirror and forward stimuli seen directly. Lower reflectivity resulted in greater ability to see forward and reduced ability to see to the rear. The reduction in ability to see to the rear was much larger than the improvement in forward seeing. The results of the modeling and the laboratory study were in broad agreement, although there were some significant discrepancies. Although the present results cannot be used to make specific recommendations for rearview reflectivity, they suggest that the reduction in rearward vision as reflectivity is lowered should be considered carefully.
Why Wallison is Wrong about the Genesis of the U.S. Housing Crisis

If you’ve been closely following the housing finance reform debate, you may have come across a pair of shrill blog posts penned by Peter Wallison, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a Republican appointee to the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission. He responded to my February 2011 article, "Faulty Conclusions Based on Shoddy Foundations," which criticized the research underlying Wallison’s dissent from the majority of the members of that commission, and his contention that U.S. affordable housing policies caused the global financial crisis. In these blog posts on The American Spectator’s blog on May 24 and on AEI’s blog on May 26, Wallison criticizes ”Faulty Conclusions” as “fallacious,” “fraudulent,” and “deceptive." As I describe below, these accusations are baseless and distract from the fact that Wallison does not actually address the main arguments of “Faulty Conclusions.” Wallison does not contradict the claim that his FCIC dissent depends critically on the categorization of millions of home mortgage loans as “high risk” that are not actually high risk. Wallison also fails to answer other serious issues with his arguments that were pointed out in “Faulty Conclusions.” This issue brief will reexamine my core criticisms of Wallison’s dissent from the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission and respond to his criticisms of my column “Faulty Conclusions.”
Die Trocknung des Klärschlammes durch Verdunstung

Es werden Bau und Bemessung der Beete, sowie die bisherigen Forschungsarbeiten beschrieben, insbesondere die Verdunstungs- und Trocknungsvorgange. Eingehende Versuche uber die naturliche Trocknung des Schlammes durch Verdunstung im Freien sind durchgefuhrt worden. Es werden Formeln fur Trocknungsdauer und Beetbelastung entwickelt und einige Vorschlage fur die Praxis angegeben.
Prospective and Retrospective Presidential Rhetoric

Recent research by George Edwards and other presidency scholars suggests that presidential speech has little impact on public opinion on issues with scholars left to wonder why presidents bother to speak. The field of voting behavior offers an extensive literature supporting the conclusion that Americans frequently cast their vote based on their experiences with existing government policies. If presidential elections are based on retrospective voting behavior, our models of presidential leadership after the election should examine the possibility of similar evaluations by citizens.In this paper, we develop and test the argument that the White House shifts from prospective rhetoric (messages designed to win approval of policy change) to retrospective rhetoric (messages designed to support positive evaluation of previous administration actions) for strategic reasons over the course of a presidency. This shift helps explain why the utility of presidential persuasion may be underestimated by measures focused only on citizen responses to proposed policy change. We hypothesize that presidential speech is often more concerned with building prestige through shaping perceptions of current policy than with winning support for new initiatives.To test this hypothesis, we speeches from the Clinton administration to evaluate the degree to which presidents engage in prospective versus retrospective rhetoric. We anticipate that even in the first year of their administration, the president defends the actions already taken and speaks retrospectively. However, we expect that presidents increasingly focus on prospective speech as the administration continues as a means of building prestige and credibility.
Model for the factor VIIIa-dependent decay of the intrinsic factor Xase. Role of subunit dissociation and factor IXa-catalyzed proteolysis.

The intrinsic factor Xase complex (FXase) is comprised of a serine protease, FIXa, and a protein cofactor, FVIIIa, assembled on a phospholipid surface. Activity of FXase decays with time and reflects the lability of FVIIIa. Two mechanisms potentially contribute to this decay: (i) a weak affinity interaction between the FVIIIa A2 subunit and A1/A3-C1-C2 dimer and (ii) FVIIIa inactivation resulting from FIXa-catalyzed proteolysis of the A1 subunit. At low reactant concentrations (0.5 nM FVIIIa; 5 nM FIXa), FXase decay is governed by the inter-FVIIIa subunit affinity and residual activity approaches a value consistent with this equilibrium, as judged by reactions containing exogenous A2 subunit. Analysis using a mutant form of FVIII (FVIIIR336I) possessing an altered FIXa cleavage site, showed similar rates of FXase decay (0.12 min-1) and confirmed the lack of contribution of proteolysis under these conditions. When the concentration of FIXa was increased 10-fold, the initial rate of decay of FXase containing native FVIIIa increased (0.82 min-1) and paralleled the rate of proteolysis of A1 subunit. However, the rate of decay of FXase containing the FVIIIaR336I was reduced (0.048 min-1) consistent with the elevated concentration of FIXa stabilizing the labile subunit structure of the cofactor. Reconstitution of FVIII with FIXa-cleaved light chain showed that cleavage at the alternate FIXa site (A3 domain) was not inhibitory to FXase. The presence of substrate FX resulted in a 10-fold reduction in the rate of FIXa-catalyzed proteolysis of FVIIIa. These results suggest a model whereby decay of FXase results from both FVIIIa subunit dissociation and FIXa-catalyzed cleavage, dependent upon the relative concentration of reactants, with greater contribution of the former at low values and, in the absence of substrate, greater contribution of the latter at high values.
A dynamic restart strategy for randomized BT search

Local search (LS) and multi-agent-based search (ERA [1]) are stochastic and incomplete procedures for solving a Constraint Satisfaction Problem (CSP). Their performance is seriously undermined by local optima and deadlocks, respectively. Although complete, backtrack (BT) search suffers from thrashing and a high degree of unpredictability in its run-time even within the same problem domain. Further, when the problem is large, the completeness of BT cannot be guaranteed in practice. Gomes et al. [2] proposed to use randomization and rapid restarts (RRR) to overcome the heavy tail behavior of BT. RRR requires the specification of a cutoff value determined from an overall profile of the cost of search for solving the problem. When no such profile is known, the cutoff value is chosen by trial-and-error. Walsh [3] proposed the strategy Randomization and Geometric Restart (RGR), which does not rely on a cost profile but determines the cutoff value as a function of a constant parameter and the number of variables in the problem. Neither RRR nor RGR takes into account the intermediate results of search (i.e., across restarts). We propose an improved restart strategy, Randomization and Dynamic Geometric Restarts (RDGR), which dynamically adapts the value of the cutoff parameter to the results of the search process.
Event to multidecadal persistence in rainfall and runoff in southeast Arizona

[1] Spatial and temporal rainfall variability over watersheds directly impacts the hydrologic response over virtually all watershed scales. Changes in the precipitation regime over decades due to some combination of inherent local variability and climate change may contribute to changes in vegetation, water supply, and, over longer timescales, landscape evolution. Daily, seasonal, and annual precipitation volumes and intensities from the dense network of rain gauges on the Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed (WGEW) in southeast Arizona are evaluated for multidecadal trends in amount and intensity over a range of watershed scales (1.5 ha to 149 km2) using observations from 1956 to 2006. Rainfall and runoff volume and rate variability are compared over the same spatial scales over a 40 year period (1966–2006). The major findings of this study are that spatial variability of cumulative precipitation decreases exponentially with time, and, on average, became spatially uniform after 20 years of precipitation accumulation. The spatial variability of high-intensity, runoff-producing precipitation also decreased exponentially, but the variability was still well above the measurement error after 51 years. There were no significant temporal trends in basin scale precipitation. A long-term decrease in runoff from 1966 to 1998 from ephemeral tributaries like the WGEW may be a critical factor in decreasing summer flows in the larger San Pedro due to changes in higher-intensity, runoff-producing rainfall.
The foraging activity of honey bees Apis mellifera and non—Apis bees on hybrid sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) and its influence on cross—pollination and seed set

SUMMARYThe repercussions of concurrent foraging by honey bee (Apis mellifera) and non-Apis bee populations on cross-pollination and seed set in hybrid sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) was investigated. The amount of sunflower pollen on the bodies of honey bees foraging in rows of malesterile (MS) sunflowers was positively correlated with the size of the non-Apis bee population. The combined population of non-Apis bees and honey bees foraging on male-fertile (MF) and MS sunflowers also was positively correlated to seed set in MS rows. There were more honey bees than non-Apis bees foraging in MF and MS rows, but there was no evidence of competition for resources between the two populations. The size of the honey bee population was positively correlated to the area of open flowers on sunflower capitula, while the non-Apis population remained relatively constant throughout bloom. Results from this study indicate that a combined honey bee and non-Apis bee population might result in better pollination of hybrid s...
Flow downstream of the heliospheric terminal shock - Magnetic field kinematics

A kinematic model of the interplanetary magnetic field in the heliosheath beyond the solar wind terminal shock is presented in order to evaluate the possible importance of MHD effects in that region of space. The need for this evaluation arises because the interplanetary magnetic field is compressed across the terminal shock and further amplified by the decreasing flow speed beyond the shock. Streamlines which approach the stagnation point before turning in the downstream direction lead to the strongest effects due to the extreme slowing of the solar wind and consequent compression of the embedded magnetic field. The magnetic volume force therefore cannot be neglected on streamlines that approach the heliopause in the upstream direction, where the volume containing them is a large fraction of the overall of the heliosheath in the upstream direction. The increase in the magnetic pressure may act to bring the upstream terminal shock significantly closer to the sun, potentially reconciling a conflict between models and observations.
Submanifolds of warped product manifolds I ×f S m−1 (k) from a p-harmonic viewpoint

AbstractWe study p-harmonicmaps, p-harmonicmorphisms, biharmonicmaps,and quasiregular mappings into submanifolds of warped product Rie-mannian manifolds I × f S m−1 (k) of an open interval and a completesimply-connecteded (m − 1)-dimensional Riemannian manifold of con-stant sectional curvature k. We establish an existence theorem for p-harmonic maps and give a classiﬁcation of complete stable minimal sur-faces in certain three dimensional warped product Riemannian manifoldsR× f S 2 (k), building on our previous work. When f ≡ Const. and k = 0,we recapture a generalized Bernstein Theorem and hence the ClassicalBernstein Theorem in R 3 . We then extend the classiﬁcation to parabolicstable minimal hypersurfaces in higher dimensions.2000 Mathematics Subject Classiﬁcation: Primary: 58E20; Secondary53C40, 53C42. 1 Introduction In [8], we make the ﬁrst general study of submanifolds in warped productRiemannian manifolds I× f S m−1 (k) of nonconstant curvature from diﬀerentialgeometric viewpoint. Here I ⊂ R is an open interval, S
The Role of Responsive Teacher Practices in Supporting Academic Motivation at the Middle Level.

AbstractThe purpose of this descriptive qualitative study was to investigate the ways teachers support young adolescents’ academic motivation in one large, urban, ethnically diverse middle school. Data included individual interviews of 24 participants (18 students, 5 teachers, and 1 middle school assistant principal). Findings suggested that the following may support student academic motivation: teacher- student relationships, teacher expectations, and instructional practices responsive to students’ basic and developmental needs. Further, the potential for educators to meet students’ needs and support their motivation may be maximized when such expectations and instructional practices are implemented within the context of high-quality teacher-student relationships. Drawing on the perspectives of both students and educators, these findings extend current research on academic motivation at the middle level by capturing the complexity of the phenomenon. An implication for educators is to understand the ways ...
Seminiferous tubule stages in the prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) during the annual breeding cycle.

The male prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) is an annual breeder with complete testicular regression between breeding periods. Knowledge of the seminiferous tubule cycle stages at all phases of the annual cycle is essential for evaluation of testicular effects of endogenous and exogenous hormones. Testis tubule diameter is directly correlated with testicular weight during the annual cycle. Seminiferous tubule stages found during testicular activity start with sperm release and round spermatids in the Golgi stage (I). Then they progress through the cap and acrosome stages (stages II to VI) until elongate spermatids are formed. During these stages preleptotene, leptotene and zygotene cells develop into pachytene cells which mature with the long spermatids (stage VII). Two distinct tubule associations (stages VIII, IX) follow during which the first and second meiotic metaphases occur. These stages are correlated with the middle and late phases of residual lobe retraction and condensation. The last stage (X) has final sperm development and is present with round spermatids that have no Golgi development. During regression changes are initially associated with the seminiferous tubule stages of active testes and end with relocation of Sertoli cell nuclei to a position above the basal layer of spermatogonia. Out of season testes are characterized by few spermatogonial mitoses and absence of viable spermatocytes. In recrudescent testes, Sertoli cell nuclei again become basal, spermatogonia resume mitoses and spermatocytes and spermatids progressively develop. After each cycle of proliferation of germ cells there is sloughing of the most differentiated spermatocytes and spermatids until the final tubule associations of the active testis are present. Anat. Rec. 247:355–367, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Evaluation and comparison of four methods of ranking horses based on reactivity

Abstract Four methods of ranking horses on reactivity were evaluated and compared: isolation from conspecifics, presentation of a static novel stimulus, traversing a novel stimulus in a runway (isolation, novel stimulus and runway tests, respectively) and assigning subjective emotionality scores. In all tests, horses’ heart rates were recorded and behaviour was videotaped. To be considered a valid test of reactivity, at least one heart rate and one behavioural measurement in the test had to change significantly between treatments (tranquilizer administation versus sham tranquilizer administration), and behavioural measures had to be displayed in at least 75% of the trials. Forty horses performed each of the three tests daily on three different days in a switchback design. Horses were assigned randomly to a daily test sequence, which was maintained throughout the study. In the runway test, no significant difference in heart rate values in tranquilized and non-tranquilized horses was found, and no behavioural attribute was displayed in more than 52% of the trials; therefore it was rejected as a valid test of reactivity. Both isolation and novel stimulus tests produced valid measurements. Mean heart rate was the most precise physiological measure for these tests, and walking and defecation frequency were the most precise behavioural measures for novel stimulus and isolation tests, respectively. Mean heart rates on the novel stimulus and isolation tests were correlated ( r s = 0.79, P r s = 0.27, P r s = 0.66, P r s = 0.55, P r s > 0.33, P r s = 0.47, P
Detection and imaging of the free radical DNA in cells—Site-specific radical formation induced by Fenton chemistry and its repair in cellular DNA as seen by electron spin resonance, immuno-spin trapping and confocal microscopy

Oxidative stress-related damage to the DNA macromolecule produces lesions that are implicated in various diseases. To understand damage to DNA, it is important to study the free radical reactions causing the damage. Measurement of DNA damage has been a matter of debate as most of the available methods measure the end product of a sequence of events and provide limited information on the initial free radical formation. We report a measurement of free radical damage in DNA induced by a Cu(II)-H2O2 oxidizing system using immuno-spin trapping supplemented with electron paramagnetic resonance. In this investigation, the short-lived radical generated is trapped by the spin trap 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO) immediately upon formation. The DMPO adduct formed is initially electron paramagnetic resonance active, but is subsequently oxidized to the stable nitrone adduct, which can be detected and visualized by immuno-spin trapping and has the potential to be further characterized by other analytical techniques. The radical was found to be located on the 2′-deoxyadenosine (dAdo) moiety of DNA. The nitrone adduct was repaired on a time scale consistent with DNA repair. In vivo experiments for the purpose of detecting DMPO–DNA nitrone adducts should be conducted over a range of time in order to avoid missing adducts due to the repair processes.
ATP Concentration of Human Spermatozoa: Lack of Correlation with Sperm Motility

Summary The primary source of energy for sperm motility is intracellular adenosine 5′-triphosphate. We studied the relationship between the concentration of ATP and sperm motility in normal semen donors and in a series of male infertility patients. The ATP concentration was determined by the firefly luciferin-luciferase assay, and sperm motility was quantitated by the turbidimetric method. Although the patient population demonstrated a significantly lower sperm motility than the donor population, we found no significant difference between the two groups in the intracellular concentration of ATP. Thus, the data indicate that the poor sperm motility observed in some of the patients' specimens was not associated with abnormally low levels of ATP. In separate experiments the intracellular concentration of ATP decreased gradually with time at approximately the same rate at which sperm motility declined. Both factors had decreased by 50% approximately 3 hours after collection. ATP-Konzentration der menschlichen Spermatozoen: Fehlende Korrelation mit der Spermatozoenmotilitat Zusammenfassung Die primare Energiequelle fur die Spermatozoenmotilitat ist das intrazellulare ATP. Die Verfasser untersuchten die Beziehungen zwischen der ATP-Konzentration und der Spermatozoenmotilitat in dem normalen Sperma von Samenspendern und in einigen Serien von Patienten mit Subfertilitat. Die ATP-Konzentration wurde bestimmt mit dem Leuchtkafer Luciferin-Luciferase-Assay. Die Spermatozoenmotilitat wurde quantifiziert mittels der turbidimetrischen Methode. Obwohl die subfertilen Patienten eine geringere Spermatozoenmotilitat aufweisen als die gesunden Spender, konnte keine signifikante Differenz zwischen beiden Gruppen hinsichtlich der intrazellularen Konzentration von ATP nachgewiesen werden. Aus den Untersuchungsdaten ergibt sich, das die geringe Spermatozoenmotilitat in der Patientengruppe nicht mit abnormal niedrigen Werten von ATP vergesellschaftet ist. In gesonderten Experimenten konnte nachgewiesen werden, das die intrazellulare Konzentration von ATP allmahlich mit fortschreitender Zeit in gleicher Weise abfallt, wie die Spermatozoenmotilitat zuruckgeht. Beide Faktoren sind um etwa 50% ungefahr innerhalb von 3 Stunden nach der Ejakulation abgefallen.
A Longitudinal Study of Social Capital and Acculturation-Related Stress Among Recent Latino Immigrants in South Florida.

This study uses social capital to assess the effects of social support on acculturation-related stress among recently immigrated Hispanics in South Florida before and after immigration. At baseline...
Use of flow cytometry to screen for the effects of environmental mutagens: Baseline DNA values in cottonmouth snakes

Since the late 1970's flow cytometry has been accepted as a fast and accurate technique for the quantification of nuclear DNA content (Deaven 1982). However, use of the technology has typically been confined to clinical settings due to the high cost of the instrumentation and the requirement for trained personnel. Flow cytometry recently has been applied to the study of genetic damage in wild populations. McBee and Bickham (1988) detected DNA damage in wild rodents inhabiting a dumpsite contaminated with petrochemicals, and Bickham et al. (1988) detected DNA aneuploidy in turtles found in seepage basins contaminated with radiation. Given these few studies, there is a need to establish a data base for the application of flow cytometry to environmental screening.
Palynological evidence for vegetation cycles in a 1.5 million year pollen record from the Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA

Pollen analysis of the mid-lake Indian Cove well in the Great Salt Lake, collected by Amoco Production Co., provides a 1.5 Ma record of climatic change, correlative with the deep-sea oxygen isotope record. Chronologic control for Indian Cove is provided by the Lava Creek B (0.60 Ma), Bishop (0.76 Ma), and Huckleberry Ridge (2.06 Ma) volcanic ashes. The processing of close-interval (3 m, ca. 8 ka) samples is complete for the upper 628 m (1.5 Ma) of the Indian Cove well. During the last 750 ka, interglacial-glacial cycles are expressed as the ratio of Juniperus + Ambrosia + Sarcobatus (interglacial) vs. Picea, Abies, and Pseudotsuga (glacial). Correlating the peak abundances of this ratio with the odd-numbered oxygen isotope stages has refined the time control provided by three volcanic tephra. The average Pleistocene sedimentation rate is 0.39 m ka−1 (Huckleberry Ridge, 2057 ka, 797 m). Based on the refined time scale, resulting from correlation with the marine chronology, sedimentation reached maximum values during isotope stages 11-9, and was slow between stages 13 and 11 and stages 9-7. Development of the Bonneville Pluvial cycles, from 759 to 600 ka, is recorded by changes in wetland and aquatic palynomorphs. Increased pollen concentration above 150 m (310 ka) may result from the diversion of the Bear River into the Great Salt Lake Basin.
Identification of a Single Genome by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) with Nitroxide-labeled Oligonucleotide Probes

Nitroxide-labeled nucleic acids are used as a molecular size sensor to identify as few as one genome under polymerase chain reaction (PCR) conditions by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. DNA identification is based on differences in the EPR spectra of mononitroxide-labeled nucleic acids. The experimental data imply that rapid DNA identification can be achieved in many systems by EPR at the molecular level.
Lithium- and Valproate-Induced Alterations in Circadian Locomotor Behavior in Drosophila

Lithium and valproate are commonly used mood stabilizers, but their action pathways are not clearly understood. They also suffer from multiple toxic effects that limit their utility. Elucidating their action mechanisms could lead to newer agents and better understanding of the etiopathogenesis of bipolar disorder. We have expanded the study of signaling mechanisms of lithium and valproate by using Drosophila circadian locomotor activity as a robust behavioral assay that is amenable to genetic manipulations. We demonstrate that lithium affects the circadian system of Drosophila similarly to what has been reported in the mammalian studies. We show that lithium and valproate share effects on the circadian locomotor activity of Drosophila: they lengthen the period of circadian rhythms and increase arrhythmicity. Valproate exerts these effects in a weaker fashion than does lithium. We also tested the circadian alterations in multiple mutant lines of Drosophila bearing defects in the GSK-3beta gene and other clock genes in response to lithium administration. We show that lithium partially rescues the shortening of circadian period when the GSK-3beta gene is overexpressed only in specific circadian pacemaker neurons, thus implicating GSK-3beta as a component in lithium's effect on the circadian oscillator. Moreover, lithium also lengthens the period in GSK-3beta heterozygous mutants and doubletime long mutants. These results establish a basis for using Drosophila genetics to investigate more fully lithium and valproate action mechanisms.
Spontaneous dispersion of particles on liquid surfaces

When small particles (e.g., flour, pollen, etc.) come in contact with a liquid surface, they immediately disperse. The dispersion can occur so quickly that it appears explosive, especially for small particles on the surface of mobile liquids like water. This explosive dispersion is the consequence of capillary force pulling particles into the interface causing them to accelerate to a relatively large velocity. The maximum velocity increases with decreasing particle size; for nanometer-sized particles (e.g., viruses and proteins), the velocity on an air-water interface can be as large as ≈47 m/s. We also show that particles oscillate at a relatively high frequency about their floating equilibrium before coming to stop under viscous drag. The observed dispersion is a result of strong repulsive hydrodynamic forces that arise because of these oscillations.
Sensing technologies bring new features to appliances

This paper discusses the properties of pressure and inertial sensors and their application to domestic appliances.
Do Men's and Women's World-Views Differ?

This study was conducted to investigate whether men and women differ in what they view as important. Using Gilligan's theory, it was predicted that women would prefer a more caring, personal world-view. A questionnaire with 40 contrasting word pairs and phrases was developed to measure this caring perspective. It was administered to 56 husbands and wives. They were each asked to circle the choice of each pair that was more important to them. Using chi squared, 14 of the word pairs showed a significant difference between men and women, and all differences were in the direction predicted.
A parametric study of the complex variable method for analyzing the stresses in an infinite plate containing a rigid rectangular inclusion

Abstract A solution is presented for determining the stresses in an infinite elastic plate containing a rigid rectangular inclusion subject to a uniform stress field. The practical motivation behind this research was that high stresses are known to occur at the junctions of fibers and matrix in multifiber composite sheets, and these can cause failure. The results presented here were obtained from a preliminary investigation into methods for calculating the magnitude of the stresses. The solution is obtained from Muskhelishvili's complex variable method in conjunction with the Schwartz-Christoffel conformai mapping technique. The effects of various degrees of truncation of the mapping function series on the geometry of the inclusion and the bond stresses are investigated. It is found that ten terms of the series are generally sufficient to give an overall accurate picture of the bond stresses at the junction of the inclusion and plate.
Cloud-Resolving Model Simulations and a Simple Model of an Idealized Walker Cell

AbstractAn idealized Walker cell with prescribed sea surface temperature (SST) and prescribed radiative cooling is studied using both a two-dimensional cloud-resolving model (CRM) and a simple conceptual model. In the CRM, for the same SST distribution, the width of the warm pool (area of strong precipitation) varies systematically with the magnitude of the radiative cooling, narrowing as radiative cooling is increased. The simple model is constructed to interpret these behaviors. Key aspects of the simple model include a surface wind determined from the boundary layer momentum budget, which in turn sets evaporation assuming a spatially uniform surface relative humidity, prescribed gross moist and dry stratification as a function of column water vapor and precipitation, and a gustiness enhancement on evaporation in areas of precipitation. It is found that the gustiness enhancement, likely due to mesoscale systems, creates a feedback that narrows the warm pool. This process has not been included in previou...
Finding Direction When You are Lost in Translation

In this article introducing the special issue, factors involved in making the translation from lab findings to clinical practice are discussed. The common themes which pervade all the articles are articulated. Pivotal points of each individual contribution are emphasized. Particular attention is paid to developmental sensitivity, conceptualization, the courage to take on challenging psychiatric conditions, clinical innovation, and clear guidelines for practitioners.
Zero-distortion lossless data embedding

All known methods of lossless or reversible data embedding that exist today suffer from two major disadvantages: 1) The embedded image suffers from distortion, however small it may be by the very process of embedding and 2) The requirement of a special parser (decoder), which is necessary for the client to remove the embedded data in order to obtain the original image (lossless). We propose a novel lossless data embedding method where both these disadvantages are circumvented. Zero-distortion lossless data embedding (ZeroD-LDE) claims 'zero-distortion' of the embedded image for all viewing purposes and further maintaining that clients without any specialized parser can still recover the original image losslessly but would not have direct access to the embedded data. The fact that not all gray levels are used by most images is exploited to embed data by selective lossless compression of run-lengths of zeros (or any compressible pattern). Contiguous runs of zeros are changed such that the leading zero is made equal to the maximum original intensity plus the run-length and the succeeding zeros are converted to the embedded data (plus maximum original intensity) thus achieving extremely high embedding capacities. This way, the histograms of the host-data and the embedded data do not overlap and hence we can obtain zero-distortion by using the window-level setting of standard DICOM viewers. The embedded image is thus not only DICOM compatible but also zero-distortion visually and requires no clinical validation.
Quantifying Natural Resources Using Field-Based Instruction and Hands-on Applications

Undergraduate students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Forestry (BSF) degree at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) attend an intensive 6-week residential hands-on instruction in applied field methods. For students pursuing the BSF degree knowing the exact location, length, or area of a forestland is crucial to the understanding and proper management of any related natural resource. The intensive 6-week instruction includes teaching how to use the Global Positioning System (GPS) to accurately record the true spatial location of an earth’s surface feature. After receiving hands-on instructions during the summer of 2013, students were taken to the field to collect real-world locations and area measurements. Upon returning from the field students were instructed how to assess the accuracy of their GPS collected waypoints by deriving the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) comparing their GPS collected locations, derived perimeter and area assessments with the actual location, length and area respectively. Overall objective was to assess the effectiveness of GPS hands-on instruction methodology within a field-based setting. Since accurate quantitative data are crucial in any natural resource management plan, a student being able to accurately assess the real-world location and derived GPS perimeter and area measurements is essential.
Architectural Design Decisions For A Knowledge-Based Distributed Systems Manager

A major fundamental problem in decentralized resource control in distributed systems is that in general, no decision-making node knows with complete certainty the current global state of the system. We present an architecture for an Expert Manager which provides a framework for dealing with this problem. Expert system techniques are used to infer the global system state using whatever partial state information is at hand, along with mechanisms for reasoning. Decision-making is enhanced by taking into account the uncertainty of observations, and that concurrent decisions made by many Expert Managers may conflict.
Rolling contact fatigue performance of vibro-mechanical textured surfaces

The rolling contact fatigue (RCF) performance of vibro-mechanical textured surfaces in a point elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) condition is investigated. Two dimple designs, small (100 μ m × 100 μ m) and large (240 μ m × 100 μ m), are compared with a nontextured sample. Experimental RCF tests show that the textured surfaces exhibit a significantly reduced number of cycles to failure compared with the nontextured sample for the high load, pure rolling conditions evaluated. In order to understand these results, numerical models are used to calculate the lubrication and contact pressure conditions and the subsurface stress distribution. The fatigue failure trends observed experimentally are compared with the simulation results with good agreement. It is determined that RCF performance is related to the presence and size of the generated dimple.
Falling Through the Cracks: Lack of Health Insurance Among Elderly Foreign- and Native-Born Blacks

Little research examines lack of health insurance among elderly Black immigrants in the US. We use data from the 2008 American Community Survey to describe variation in insurance coverage and conduct multivariate logistic regression analyses of uninsurance. Among elderly Blacks, 1.7% of the US-born were uninsured, compared to 8.4% of the Latin American and Caribbean-born, 23.2% of the African-born, and 9.3% of those born in other regions. In multivariate models, relative to the US-born, the odds of being uninsured were significantly higher among each immigrant group. Among immigrants, the odds of being uninsured were 3.80 times higher among African-born than Latin American and Caribbean-born immigrants net of demographic and socioeconomic controls. This difference was explained by the inclusion of either year of immigration or length of residence. Relative to Latin America and Caribbean-born immigrants, the odds of being uninsured were significantly higher among immigrants from "other" regions only in the model that included the immigration-related variables. This suppression effect was evident when either length of residence or citizenship was controlled. Recently-arrived, elderly Black immigrants fall through the cracks of insurance coverage. Results are discussed in relation to public and private safety net options.
Retention and Release of Lead by a Very Fine Sandy Loam. I. Isotherm Modeling

Abstract The retention of lead by a very fine sandy loam was investigated. Aqueous lead concentrations between 10 and 1000 mg/L and soil concentrations ranging from 10 to 167 g/L were used. Lead retention by the soil was a strong function of pH. The width of the pH—adsorption edge decreased with increasing lead concentration. Experimental results were modeled using the Langmuir, Freundlich, and BET isotherms. Only the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms successfully represented the experimental results. The role of surface precipitation was assumed to be small because of the failure of the BET isotherm to adequately predict metal retention. The Freundlich isotherm provided the best fit because a maximum surface concentration was usually not observed. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms parameters varied in a way that suggested that the average binding energy and the distribution of bond strengths increased with increasing pH. The isotherm expressions determined in this study can be used as source-sink terms i...
Long-period wave signatures in mesospheric OH Meinel (6,2) band intensity and rotational temperature at mid-latitudes

Abstract A high performance imaging system has been used to investigate the signature of long-period, ∼8-hr, wave-like oscillations evident in the OH Meinel (6,2) band emission (peak altitude ∼87 km) during the fall and early winter months. The measurements were made from two mid-latitude sites in the western USA during 1996/7. Previous investigations of the induced temperature perturbations (amplitude and phase) suggest that many of these events exhibit characteristics akin to the mid-latitude terdiurnal tide (Pendleton, 2000). To further investigate the origin of these waves we have performed an initial investigation using the Krassovsky ratio (η) method, to determine the amplitude ratio of the induced perturbations in the zenith OH emission intensity and rotational temperature and to study their phase relationship (φ). A range of values for the magnitude and phase of η were found with a mean value of |η| = 6 ± 2 (range ∼2–10), and φ = −51° ± 21° (range −11° to −94°) with the temperature perturbation always leading the intensity wave. These results are in good agreement with existing high-latitude studies of distinct 8-hr oscillations in the literature. However, comparison with realistic gravity wave and terdiurnal tidal model computations reveal a conflicting situation where the observed negative phase results point more towards a long-period gravity wave interpretation rather than a terdiurnal tide.
Importance of the use of the appropriate pharmacokinetic model to analyze in vivo enzyme constants

Throughout the literature, enzyme constants have been derived by utilizing in vivodata and indirectly assuming that these data were described by the one-compartment open model. However, many drugs are probably best described by a two-compartment open model with Michaelis-Menten elimination kinetics. Simulated data, which obey the two-compartment open model with Michaelis-Menten elimination, and which illustrate some of the interesting properties of such models, are presented. Treatment of two-compartment data by one-compartment analysis is shown to result in a serious distortion of enzyme parameters (V m ,K m ).For data which obey the two-compartment open model, estimation of the Michaelis-Menten constant (K m )and the maximum velocity (V m )by one-compartment analysis cannot be theoretically justified and therefore should be avoided.
“Emotional” Role-Playing and Changes in Smoking Attitudes and Behavior

The effectiveness of an “emotional” role-playing procedure for modifying smoking attitudes and behavior (Janis & Mann, 1965) was evaluated in three studies using 54 female smokers. Each experimenta...
Protective Surface Coatings on Semiconductor Nuclear Radiation Detectors

Surface states on germanium p-i-n junctions have been investigated using deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) and collimated beams of 60 keV gamma-rays. The DLTS spectra have a characteristic signature for each surface treatment but the spectra are complex and not readily interpretable as to suitability for radiation detectors. Collimated gamma-ray beams give a direct measure of surface channel effects and typeness. Hydrogenated amorphous germanium (a-Ge:H) was explored as a surface layer to adjust the electrical state and passivate the surface. Our measurements show that these layers produce flat band conditions, introduce no additional noise and appear to be stable against a variety of ambients.
Fluorescence-Based Tension Probes to Image Mechanics at the Lipid Membrane

Forces have a profound role across all living systems, and many essential biological processes ranging from development and migration to mitosis and meiosis cannot proceed without precisely tuned mechanical signals. Despite the importance of mechanotransduction, the molecular details relating the magnitude, timing, and location of forces to specific biochemical pathways remain poorly understood. The challenge pertains to developing molecular probes that allow one to simultaneously measure biochemical activation and mechanical tension in living systems. Herein, I will describe the synthesis and characterization of fluorescence-based turn-on probes in molecular tension fluorescence microscopy (MTFM) for imaging forces at the lipid membrane of living cells. MTFM probes take advantage of fluorescence quenching as a “ruler”, and an extendable linker as a reversible “spring” with a known constant. Using this technique, a standard fluorescence microscope can be used to quantify molecular tension at the cell membrane of living cells. In this talk, I will describe the development of second and third generation MTFM probes that allow allow one to quantify molecular forces with high spatial and temporal resolution for a wide range of receptors and cell types. I will describe the application of these sensors to image forces associated with a range of mechano-regulatory processes that occur at the lipid membrane of the cell, such as endocytosis, Notch receptor activation, and integrin adhesion receptor activation.
In situ sulfide removal and CO2 fixation rates at deep-sea hydrothermal vents and the oxic/anoxic interface in Framvaren Fjord, Norway

Abstract We have developed a technique to reproducibly measure sulfide removal rates in situ in aquatic environments, even at remote locations such as deep-sea hydrothermal vents. The technique employs the monobromobimane method for derivatizing thiols in situ which can then later be conveniently analyzed by HPLC. The method can be applied toward a wide variety of geochemical and microbiological studies of sulfur cycling in aquatic habitats. Sulfide removal rates as high as 164 μmol/l/day and 240 μmol/l/day were measured for hydrothermal vents at the Juan de Fuca Ridge and at the oxic/anoxic interface in Framvaren Fjord, Norway, respectively. These are among the highest values reported within the water column of any aquatic habitat. In addition, we simultaneously measured rates of microbial CO2 fixation in situ at the Galapagos and Juan de Fuca hydrothermal vents and at the oxic:anoxic interface of Framvaren Fjord. Rates of CO2 fixation at these sites exceeded previous reports and may be the result of shorter incubation times that we employed. The results establish new upper limits for the rates at which these processes occur within these environments and offer interesting comparisons of the extent of microbially mediated sulfide removal and CO2 fixation between different aquatic habitats.