cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Railroad Tie Responses to Directly Applied Rail Seat Loading in Ballasted Tracks: A Computational Study

This paper describes work in-progress that applies the finite element (FE) method in predicting the responses of individual railroad crossties to rail seat pressure loading in a ballasted track. Both wood and prestressed concrete crossties are examined. The concrete tie is modeled as a heterogeneous medium with prestressing wires or strands embedded in a concrete matrix. The constitutive relations employed in the models are: elasticity followed by damaged plasticity for the concrete material, linear elastic bond-slip relations with potential initiation and evolution of damage to the bond for the steel-concrete interfaces, orthotropic elasticity followed by failure dictated by orthotropic stress criteria for the wood ties, extended Drucker-Prager plasticity for the granular and frictional ballast material, and elastic half space for the subgrade. The corresponding material parameters are obtained from the open literature. Under a simplified pressure load uniformly distributed over the rail seat area, the FE method predicts tensile cracking at the tie base below the rail seats of a concrete tie and compressive failure in the rail seats of a wood tie. The rail seat force-displacement relations are obtained from the simulations. The resultant rail seat forces at which tie failures occur are compared for concrete and wood ties. The FE method appears to be a promising tool for studying the railroad tie behavior under rail seat loading conditions in a ballasted track. Experimental data will be sought to calibrate the material parameters and verify the modeling approach. Additional track components, particularly rails, rail pads and fasteners, will be incorporated in future modeling efforts. This detailed modeling approach may help to shed light on the rail seat deterioration failure mechanisms observed in some concrete ties.
Steady-state kinetics of 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase from bovine kidney

Abstract Mammalian 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase (EC 2.8.1.2), purified to apparent homogeneity by a new procedure, was studied by steady-state kinetic methods. The enzyme-catalyzed transfer of a sulfur atom from 3-mercaptopyruvate either to 2-mercaptoethanol or to a second molecule of 3-mercaptopyruvate was found to proceed by a sequential formal mechanism. An overall mechanism incorporating both of these transfers was shown to be capable of generating all of the initial velocity and product inhibition behavior observed.
BANDED CONVECTION IN ROTATING FLUID SPHERES AND THE CIRCULATION OF THE JOVIAN ATMOSPHERE

Abstract Laboratory experiments of thermal convection in rotating spherical shells exhibit symmetric bands and alternating zonal jets in a thin layer near the outer boundary at high rotation rates and at Rayleigh numbers far in excess of the critical value. The bands result from large-scale ordering of small-scale columnar convection deeper in the shell and the zonal jets are secondary flows derived from the columnar convection. The number of bands and the strength of the zonal jets increase with increasing rotation rate and with increasing Rayleigh number of the convection. The bands are best defined in the fluid outside of the cylinder tangent to the inner spherical boundary. In a spherical shell with an inner/outer radius ratio r = 0.76, the expected geometry of the molecular hydrogen layer in Jupiter, the bands occupy the region within ±45° of the equator. The presence of jets and bands in these experiments support the conjecture that the zonal winds on Jupiter are maintained by deep convection.
Cosmological rescaling through warped space

We discuss a scenario where at least part of the homogeneity on a brane world can be directly related to the hierarchy problem through warped space. We study the dynamics of an anti-D3-brane moving toward the infrared cut-off of a warped background. After a region described by the DBI action, the self-energy of the anti-D3-brane will dominate over the background. Then the world-volume scale of the anti-D3-brane is no longer comoving with the background geometry. After it settles down in the infrared end, the world-volume inhomogeneity will appear, to a Poincare observer, to be stretched by an exponentially large ratio. This ratio is close to that of the hierarchy problem between the gravitational and electroweak scales.
Utilizing the impression as a record base

Abstract The final impression made in an autopolymerized acrylic impression tray can be modified to serve as the record base in complete denture construction. This simple technique quickly creates an accurate, stable, and extremely comfortable record base.
Long-term monitoring data to describe the fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Deepwater Horizon oil submerged off Alabama's beaches.

Abstract The 2010 Deepwater Horizon ( DWH ) catastrophe had considerable impact on the ∼50 km long sandy beach system located along the Alabama shoreline. We present a four-year dataset to characterize the temporal evolution of various polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their alkylated homologs trapped in the residual oil buried along the shoreline. Field samples analyzed include the first arrival oil collected from Perdido Bay, Alabama in June 2010, and multiple oil spill samples collected until August 2014. Our field data show that, as of August 2014, DWH oil is still trapped along Alabama's beaches as submerged oil, predominately in the form of surface residual oil balls (SRBs). Chemical characterization data show that various PAHs present in the spilled oil (MC252 crude) weathered by about 45% to 100% when the oil was floating over the open ocean system in the Gulf of Mexico. Light PAHs, such as naphthalenes, were fully depleted, whereas heavy PAHs, such as chrysenes, were only partially depleted by about 45%. However, the rate of PAH weathering appears to have decreased significantly once the oil was buried within the partially-closed SRB environment. Concentration levels of several heavy PAHs have almost remained constant over the past 4 years. Our data also show that evaporation was most likely the primary weathering mechanism for PAH removal when the oil was floating over the ocean, although photo-degradation and other physico-chemical processes could have contributed to some additional weathering. Chemical data presented in this study indicate that submerged oil containing various heavy PAHs (for example, parent and alkylated chrysenes) is likely to remain in the beach system for several years. It is also likely that the organisms living in these beach environments would have an increased risk of exposure to heavy PAHs trapped in the non-recoverable form of buried DWH oil spill residues.
Knots and topologically transitive flows on 3-manifolds

Abstract Suppose that ϕ is a nonsingular (fixed point free) flow on a smooth three-dimensional manifold M. Suppose the orbit though a point p∈M is dense in M. Let D be an imbedded disk in M containing p which is transverse to the flow. Suppose that q∈D is a point in the forward orbit of p. Under certain assumptions on M, which include the case M=S3, we prove that if q is sufficiently close to p then the orbit segment from p to q together with a compact segment in D from p to q forms a nontrivial prime knot in M.
Low loss guided wave propagation in a left-handed microstrip structure using dispersive split ringߝrod combination metamaterial

Split ring–rod combination metamaterial is used as a substrate material in a microstrip guided wave structure to determine what the effect is of a material with potentially excessive dispersion or loss or both. A Green's function method readily incorporates the metamaterial permittivity and permeability tensor characteristics. Ab initio calculations are performed to obtain the dispersion diagrams of several complex propagation constant modes of the structure. Analytical analysis is done for the design and interpretation of the results, which demonstrate remarkable potential for realistic use in high frequency electronics, while showing modes with extremely low loss bands.
Levels of Deoxyribonucleic Acid in Bovine Spermatozoa and Their Relationship to Fertility

Abstract The chemical determination of DNA in 71 ejaculates of 17 bulls indicated that on the average, one billion spermatozoa contain about 2.95 ± 0.17 mg. of DNA. Data on 34 ejaculates of ten bulls revealed an over-all correlation of 0.20 (not significant) between DNA level and fertility. On an among-bull basis, the correlation was -0.35 (not significant) and among ejaculates, within bulls, it was 0.43 (P
Nutritional adequacy of diets of low-income households

Abstract This survey of 4,408 households eligible for the Food Stamp Program revealed that 69% of the households had food costs of more than 10% over the maximum allotment level. In general, greater food cost was associated with higher nutritional quality of diets; but even among households with costs of more than twice the Food Stamp allotment on food, approximately 10% of the household diets failed to provide 100% of the RDA for 11 key nutrients. Of 627 households with costs near the allotment, 12% used food that provided the RDA for all 11 nutrients studied, and 34% used food that provided at least 80% of all 11 RDA. Households with costs near the allotment that met the 80% RDA criteria, compared with those that did not, used more of each food dollar for milk, eggs, and dry legumes, vegetables, fruit, and grain products and less for meat, poultry, and fish; soft drinks; and alcoholic beverages.
Guiding Neutral Atoms on a Chip

We demonstrate the guiding of neutral atoms by the magnetic fields due to microfabricated current-carrying wires on a chip. Atoms are guided along a magnetic field minimum parallel to and above the current-carrying wires. Two guide configurations are demonstrated: one using two wires with an external magnetic field, and a second using four wires without an external field. These guide geometries can be extended to integrated atom optics circuits, including beam splitters.
Synthesis and estrogen receptor affinity of a 4-hydroxytamoxifen-labeled ligand for diagnostic imaging

Abstract A 10-step synthesis of a novel 4-hydroxytamoxifen-DTPA ligand (HOTam-DTPA) is reported. Tamoxifen and its primary metabolite 4-hydroxytamoxifen are common estrogen receptor ligands. Consequently, tamoxifen has found utility as the targeting component of various diagnostic agents for selective imaging of estrogen receptor-rich tissue, specifically breast cancer. An l -aspartic acid-derived DTPA analogue was attached to the ethyl side chain of 4-hydroxy-tamoxifen using N , N ′-dimethylethylenediamine as a hydrophilic linker. A competitve estrogen receptor binding assay using [ 3 H]-17β-estradiol was performed to determine the effect of the ethyl side chain modification on estrogen receptor affinity. The results show that while the relative affinity of HOTam-DTPA for the estrogen receptor is ∼10-fold lower than that of tamoxifen, it still remains a potent ligand at relatively low concentrations.
Delaunay deformable mesh for the weathering and erosion of 3D terrain

Computer-generated erosion and weathering are important to convey setting and mood in computer generated images. Heightmap based landforms are good for distant scenes, but inadequate for scenes containing concave rock formations. Voxel based terrain editing algorithms do admit concave surfaces but do not scale. We introduce weathering on triangulated surface meshes, using a memory efficient modification of the Delaunay deformable model. This structure allows the freedom of an unorganized point cloud, the geometric information and visualization of a surface mesh, and the topological freedom of volumetric approaches—all while scaling linearly with surface complexity. We implement both spheroidal weathering and hydraulic erosion algorithms on this structure and demonstrate that the resulting terrain is visually plausible at modest computational cost.
Micromachined 1 × 2 optical-fiber switch

Abstract This paper describes a 1 × 2 thermally actuated optical-fiber switch. The switch includes a thick electroplated nickel actuator to move a single- mode optical fiber, and a trench anistropically etched in silicon for alignment of ‘end’ and ‘receive’ optical fibers. The switch is designed such that the optical fibers do not need to be coupled by means of waveguide or lenses in order to achieve the desired low-loss switching function. The switch actuators are made from 25–50 μm thick electroplated nickel. The switches use edges of trenches anisotropically eched in silicon for fiber alignment. Test actuators have been built at the same time as the switches, integrated with short, stiff cantilevers to be used as force gauges, as well as etched deflection scales.
Safety of Rapid Intravenous Loading of Valproate

Summary: Background: The introduction of IV valproic acid (VPA) has facilitated its use in situations where oral administration is not feasible. The present study was designed to evaluate the safety of administration of undiluted VPA (20 or 30 mg/kg/min) administered intravenously at rates of 6 or 10 mg/kg/min. Methods: Forty patients received a VPA loading dose (20 or 30 mg/kg) at 6 or 10 mg/kg/min. Heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, and three lead ECG measurements were taken at baseline. Following dose administration the measurements were repeated at 2.5-min intervals for the first 20 min, then at 30, 45, 60 min, and 4 h. Local tolerance was defined as absence of irritation or phlebitis at the site of injection. Systemic tolerability was defined as absence of significant changes in vital signs and level of consciousness (LOC). Changes in vital signs and local intolerance scores were compared across time using repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: Rapid administration was well tolerated with no significant changes in HR (p = 0.9) or MAP (p = 0.7). Complaints of local irritation were transient, lasting less than 3 min in all patients with no indication of redness, irritation, or phlebitis. No patient exhibited a decline in the LOC. Conclusions: Rapid administration of undiluted valproate is safe and well tolerated at infusion rate up to 10 mg/kg/min and doses of up to 30 mg/kg. The lack of serious cardiovascular, neurological, hepatic, or local adverse effects supports the use of VPA in emergent situations.
Effect of hydrocarbon chain branching on interfacial properties of monodisperse ethoxylated alcohol surfactants

Abstract Surfactant properties at the air-water, decane-water, and Teflon-water interfaces are strongly influenced by branching of the hydrocarbon chain of an ethoxylate surfactant. Although chain branching reduces chain length, branched ethoxylates exhibit properties intermediate between those of linear surfactants of the same carbon number and linear surfactants of the same chain length. Steric factors that disfavor micellization in bulk result in enhancement of adsorption properties at interfaces. Compared to linear ethoxylates, branched ethoxylates with the same number of oxyethylene groups exhibit a higher critical micelle concentration and are more effective in reducing the surface tension at the air-water interface by occupying a larger area per molecule. Better dynamic air-water interfacial properties result from branching the hydrophobe as branched ethoxylates attain meso-equilibrium faster and the surface tension at meso-equilibrium is lower than the corresponding linear hydrophobe surfactant. At the decane-water interface the effect of branching on critical aggregation concentration and effectiveness in interfacial tension reduction depends on the nature of branching. The water wettability of a hydrophobic Teflon surface is enhanced by branched hydrocarbon chain ethoxylates.
Pacemaker lead infection and vertebral osteomyelitis presumed due to Cardiobacterium hominis

Cardiobacterium hominis is a member of the HACEK (Haemophilus, Actinobacillus, Cardiobacterium, Eikenella, and Kingella) group of fastidious, gram-negative, aerobic bacilli, which are rare causes of endocarditis. The presence of C. hominis in the blood is virtually diagnostic of endocarditis, and extracardiac infections caused by C. hominis have been reported only twice [1, 2]. We describe a patient with two unique features of C. hominis bactermia: pacemaker lead infection and osteomyelitis. A 76-year-old woman was admitted to the MetroWest Medical Center (Framingham, MA) because of fever and lower back pain. These symptoms beganu2 months earlier and had led to an evaluation at another hospital. Findings on a bone scan and CT of the Figure 1. CT scan of the lumbar spine of a 76-year-old woman lumbar spine were abnormal, but were interpreted as consistent with with pacemaker lead infection and vertebral osteomyelitis (presumed degenerative changes. Cultures of blood obtained on admission were due to Cardiobacterium hominis) showing destruction of the fifth
The use of nucleic acid based stable isotope probing to identify the microorganisms responsible for anaerobic benzene and toluene biodegradation

Abstract The remediation of sites contaminated with gasoline has been limited by a lack of information on the microorganisms able to transform these chemicals under anaerobic conditions. To address this, researchers have recently adopted a molecular method, called stable isotope probing (SIP), to identify anaerobic toluene and benzene degraders from a number of environments across the globe. The approach involves incubation with 13 C labeled benzene or toluene, DNA or RNA extraction, ultracentrifugation and molecular analysis of the separated fractions to determine the organisms responsible for label uptake and therefore contaminant degradation. This manuscript reviews the methods and key results of the studies that have used SIP to specifically investigate anaerobic toluene and benzene degradation. These studies have examined toluene removal under sulfate reducing conditions and benzene degradation under methanogenic, sulfate reducing, iron reducing and nitrate reducing and aerobic conditions. The research to date indicates microorganisms affiliating with the Clostridia (genera Desulfosporosinus and Desulfotomaculum in the family Peptococcaceae ) and Deltaproteobacteria (e.g. genera Desulfocapsa in the family Desulfobulbaceae and Desulfobacterium in the family Desulfobacteraceae) appear to be the active toluene degraders under sulfate reducing conditions. A greater variety of organisms were identified as anaerobic benzene degraders, likely because a range of anaerobic conditions were examined. However, several studies also linked anaerobic benzene degradation to the Deltaproteobacteria (e.g. Desulfobacteraceae, Desulfobulbacea) and the Clostridia ( e.g . Peptococcaceae). In summary, these studies highlight the importance of SIP as a method for linking function (anaerobic toluene and benzene degradation) with identity for complex samples.
A novel piezoelectrically actuated flexural/torsional vibrating beam gyroscope

Abstract Vibrating beam gyroscopes are fast becoming the most widely used gyroscopes in many commercial applications. This paper deals with a vibrating beam gyroscope consisting of a cantilever beam with rigid mass attached to its end and undergoing coupled flexural–torsional vibrations. The gyroscope can be used to measure the angular velocity of the rotating base of the beam. The primary (flexural) vibrations are produced in the beam using a piezoelectric patch (bender type) actuator. Due to the base rotation, a gyroscopic effect is generated which induces secondary (torsional) vibrations in the beam. First, a detailed mathematical modeling of the system is developed using extended Hamilton's Principle. The system governing equations are solved and simulated using assumed mode model expansion to analyze the gyroscopic coupling produced due to the base rotations. Finally, the effects of secondary base rotation (cross-axis effects) on the performance of the gyroscope are presented. Also, it is shown that the gyroscopic effect increases with increase in base rotation rate, primary excitation amplitude and length of the beam. It is further proven that the secondary base rotations (cross-axis effects) have an adverse effect on the gyroscope performance. Such detailed analysis on the effects of secondary rotation can be utilized to devise elimination strategies in order to improve gyroscopic performance.
A Software Safety Risk Taxonomy for Use in Retrospective Safety Cases

Safety standards contain technical and process-oriented safety requirements. The best time to include these requirements is early in the development lifecycle of the system. When software safety requirements are levied on a legacy system after the fact, a retrospective safety case will need to be constructed for the software in the system. This can be a difficult task because there may be few to no artifacts available to show compliance to the software safety requirements. The risks associated with not meeting safety requirements in a legacy safety-critical computer system must be addressed to give confidence for reuse. This paper introduces a proposal for a software safety risk taxonomy for legacy safety-critical computer systems, by specializing the Software Engineering Institute's 'Software Development Risk Taxonomy' with safety elements and attributes.
Sexual thoughts: links to testosterone and cortisol in men

Sexual stimuli increase testosterone (T) or cortisol (C) in males of a variety of species, including humans, and just thinking about sex increases T in women. We investigated whether sexual thoughts change T or C in men and whether hormone measures (baseline, post-activity, and changes) correlate with psychological sexual arousal. We used the Imagined Social Situation Exercise to assess how hormones respond to and correlate with sexual thoughts and arousal relative to three control conditions: neutral, stressful, and positive. A total of 99 men provided a baseline saliva sample, imagined and wrote about a sexual or control situation, and provided a second saliva sample 15 min later. Results indicated that, for participants in the sexual condition, higher baseline and post-activity C corresponded to larger increases in self- reported sexual and autonomic arousal. Although sexual thoughts increased sexual arousal, they did not change T or C compared to control conditions. Our results suggest that sexual thoughts are not sufficient to change T or C in men, but C may facilitate sexual arousal by directing energy towards a sexual situation.
Draft Genome Sequence of Acinetobacter baumannii Strain ABBL099, a Multidrug-Resistant Clinical Outbreak Isolate with a Novel Multilocus Sequence Type

Acinetobacter baumannii is associated with hospital-acquired infections and can cause persistent outbreaks. Here we report the draft genome sequence of ABBL099, a multidrug-resistant clinical isolate of A. baumannii belonging to a novel sequence type and representative of clonal isolates cultured from patients at one institution over a 4-year time period.
Interaction of parathyroid hormone with membranes of kidney cortex: degradation of the hormone and activation of adenylate cyclase.

Plasma membranes prepared from rat renal cortex contain both a parathyroid hormonesensitive adenylate cyclase and a potent proteolytic activity which degrades the hormone into peptide fragments. The degree and pattern of degradation was determined by subjecting incubation mixtures to gel filtration and ion exchange chromatography. Estimation of the degree of degradation by acid precipitation of the intact hormone was inadequate since metabolism of the hormone apparently generated acid-insoluble fragments. When parathyroid hormone was incubated with membrane fraction, the capacity of its stimulatory effect on adenylate cyclase decreased steadily. This decrease of PTH activity could be closely related to the degradation of intact hormone by the same membrane preparation. The adenylate cyclase and degradative activity appeared to exist in similar membrane structures since they could not be separated by centrifugation through sucrose density gradients. The degradation of the hormone could not be inhibited by ...
Induction time approach to surface induced crystallization in polyethylene/poly (ɛ-caprolactone) melt

The surface induced crystallization of poly (ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL) on an ultra-high modulus polyethylene (PE) fibre was investigated using a new approach based on the induction timeti. This approach allows estimation of the free energy difference function Δσ as it appears in the theory of heterogeneous nucleation. The classical approach based on the rate of heterogeneous nucleationl is not applicable to transcrystallization because the nucleation density at the fibre surface cannot be measured. A relationship betweenl andti is proposed and a theoretical justification is presented. Good agreement between the two approaches is obtained for a verification case where bothl andti can be determined. A transcrystalline growth rate study yields an estimate of the parameter σσe for PCL of 680 erg2cm−4. The maximum growth rateg* is also obtained. The results obtained indicate the influence of certain parameters on the appearance of transcrystallinity. It is also shown how the interfacial morphology can be controlled by the knowledge of the variations of the induction time with temperature.
Evaluation of Diagnostic Tests: Measuring Degree of Agreement and Beyond*

When evaluating a new diagnostic test against a less than perfect “gold standard,” the kappa coefficient of agreement κ is often inappropriately used as a measure of “diagnostic accuracy,” which frequently leads to paradoxical findings. In this paper, κ is expressed as a function of disease prevalence and diagnostic accuracy (subject to Youden's index > 0), whereby necessary and sufficient conditions, given the accuracy rates, are derived to aid in locating the maximizer of κ. Paradoxical behavior of κ can thus be detected in the light of diagnostic accuracy. Attempts are made to clarify the subtle difference between “diagnostic accuracy” and “diagnostic reliability.” The implication of this difference is then assessed from a regulatory perspective. In order to extend the idea of κ beyond its originally intended use, the maximum likelihood method, coupled with the Expectation-Maximization algorithm, is proposed as a remedial option, not for measuring diagnostic agreement or reliability but, rather, for ev...
Effects of Sex and Race of Perpetrator and Method of Killing on Outcome Judgments in a Mock Filicide Case

The present study examined college student mock jurors' judgments of legal insanity, outcome severity, and death-penalty decisions in a filicide case. The sex and race of perpetrator (Black or White) and method of killing (shooting or smothering) were varied in a between-subjects design. A 3-way interaction was found for outcome severity, supporting Jones & Davis' (1965) attributional principle of stronger dispositional attributions for unexpected behaviors. As predicted, White women were judged more severely when they used a gun compared to when they smothered, whereas White men were judged more severely when they smothered compared to when they used a gun. The most severe judgments were made for Black male perpetrators who used a gun. Results are discussed in terms of sex and racial stereotypes.
Vibrational and electronic transition in InAs quantum dots formed by sequential implantation of In and As in a-SiO[sub 2]

Optical, structural, and thermodynamic properties of materials can be changed by reducing their dimensions. We sequentially implanted In and As into fused silica windows in order to investigate formation and properties of InAs nano-particles. UV/VIS/NIR, FTIR in mid-IR, and far-IR spectroscopy were used to study change in electronic transitions and in vibrational modes (phonons) of the nano-particles InAs. The phonons can be confined to the surface of nano-particles and have frequencies falling between the transverse and longitudinal optical modes of the bulk material. Thermal annealing developed the formation of InAs quantum dots from as-implanted In-As system. At certain annealing temperature a change in UV/VIS transmission spectra and IR reflectance spectra indicated formation of InAs quantum dots. This is particularly evident from the absorption in IR and surface phonon bands are observed, confirming presence of quantum confined InAs.
Description and representation model of spatial object incremental update

To efficiently transmit the update of information by the incremental mode, the incremental update of spatial objects is redefined with a combination of the change process and corresponding snapshot delta. A formalization model for representing the snapshot delta is established. By mapping the snapshot delta with the corresponding change process, a typology of the increment which provides preconditions for extracting, representing and merging incremental change is given. A data modelling framework with low redundancy for organizing the increment is introduced. It is shown how useful increments can be queried from such a model using the LOREL query language. Finally, a simplified case study in the application domain of a topographical database update scenario is examined closely. It demonstrates that the new approach is more effective in specific scenarios when the change ratio of the spatial object is relatively low.
Constitutional Vision and Supreme Court Decisions: Reconsidering Roosevelt on Race

In the decade following the death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a spate of significant advancements in civil rights provided new hope and opportunity for African Americans. On December 5, 1946, in an unprecedented move, President Harry Truman created a civil rights committee “to study and report on the problem of federally secured civil rights, with a view to making recommendations to Congress.” In little less than a year, the committee drafted and submitted a report more sweeping than Truman had likely expected. Entitled To Secure These Rights, the report called for no less than an outright “elimination of segregation, based on race, color, creed, or national origin, from American life.” To achieve this goal, the committee stressed that the federal government would have to assume much greater responsibility in the protection of civil rights. It recommended both an ever more vigilant Justice Department and the enactment of comprehensive national legislation. On February 2, 1948, the president called on the Congress to endorse his ten-point civil rights program in order to “correct the remaining imperfections in our practice of democracy.”Truman's 1947 State of the Union address, January 6, 1947, Public Papers of the Presidents: Harry S. Truman, 1947 (Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office, 1962), 9; The President's Committee on Civil Rights, (PCCR) To Secure These Rights (New York: Simon and Schuster, October 26, 1947), 166; Truman's Special Message to the Congress on Civil Rights, February 2, 1948, Public Papers of the Presidents: Harry S. Truman, 1948 (Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office, 1964), 126. On July 26, 1948, acting alone, Truman issued two executive orders; one designed to end racial discrimination in federal employment, the other barring segregation in the armed forces.
Recent progress on a high-resolution, meshless, direct-view storage tube

Photographic film is an excellent display medium, with a wide dynamic range, high resolution, and an integration capability. It has some limitations, however, because it is not a real-time medium, i.e., the signal is not visible immediately upon application to the film; at least several seconds must elapse before the recorded signal is developed. In addition, film is not reusable; consequently, when no permanent record is required, the use of film is extremely wasteful.
An Analysis of Bacteremias During Dental Extractions: A Double-blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of Chlorhexidine

Background: The literature is unclear concerning the nature and incidence of bacteremias from oral surgical procedures, the relationship of these bacteremias to dental disease, and the preventive benefit of antibacterial mouth rinses. Objective: To determine the incidence and nature of bacteremias during single-tooth extractions in adults. Methods: A double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled study of 70 patients in which the status of dental disease was compared with the incidence and nature of aerobic and anaerobic bacteremias following a singletooth extraction and the antibacterial effect of rinses with chlorhexidine hydrochloride. Multiple indicators of dental disease were evaluated and recorded before the surgical procedure. Timing of the mouth rinses, the steps in the surgical procedure, and the two blood drawings were controlled for. Results: Thirty-one (94%) of 34 control patients and 62 (89%) of 70 patients overall had blood cultures positive for organisms at either the l-minute and/or 3-minute mark following the initiation of surgery. The majority of cultures yielded gram-positive cocci. Cultures yielded polymicrobial organisms in 17 patients (24%). Although there was a wide range of severity of odontogenic disease, this did not correlate with results of blood cultures. However, there was a statistically significant difference in the incidence of blood cultures positive for organisms at both shorter ( 6 minutes, P=.04) surgery times. There was no statistically significant difference in either the incidence of blood cultures positive for organisms or in the nature of organisms identified between the chlorhexidine and placebo groups. Conclusions: Single-tooth extraction should be expected to cause a bacteremia regardless of the status of the dentition or periodontium. Mouth rinses with chlorhexidine did not significantly alter the number of positive blood cultures or the nature of the organisms at either of the two blood drawings. (Arch Intern Med. 1996;156:513-520)
Experimental performance of an ATM-based buffered hyperplane CMOS-SEED smart pixel array

An ATM-based buffered HyperPlane smart pixel array (SPA) utilizing the Hybrid CMOS-SEED technology has been designed, fabricated, and tested. Multiple quantum well p-i-n photodiodes (SEEDs) are used as the optoelectronic interface in the SPA. The SPA consists of a 4 X 9 array of smart pixels comprised of 4 parallel ATM node channels. The chip fabricated is an experimental version extensible to a 256 X 256 array for implementing an ATM-based HyperPlane switching architecture on a free space optical backplane. Experimental performance of the SPA is presented.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Composition and nuclearity of kernel operators

Let T and S be kernel operators of finite double norm, respectively finite inverse double norm. We prove that the compositions TS and ST are nuclear operators, provided one of the function norms is order continuous. Conversely we prove theorems about factorizations of nuclear kernel operators on Banach function spaces. These results are then used to derive optimal eigenvalue estimates for nuclear operators on Banach lattices by relating Pisier's results with the results of Konig and Weis.
CHRISTIAN AND BUDDHIST PERSPECTIVES ON NEURO PSYCHOLOGY AND THE HUMAN PERSON: PNEUMA AND PRATITYASAMUTPADA

Abstract. Recent discussions of the mind-brain and the soul-body problems have been both advanced and complexified by the cognitive sciences. I focus explicitly here on emergence, supervenience, and nonreductive physicalist theories of human personhood in light of recent advances in the Christian-Buddhist dialogue. While traditional self and no-self views pitted Christianity versus Buddhism versus science, I show how the nonreductive physicalist proposal regarding human personhood emerging from the neuroscientific enterprise both contributes to and is enriched by the Christian concept of pneuma (spirit) and the Buddhist concept of pratityasamutpada (codependent origination).
Site-directed mutagenesis and functional analysis of active site acidic amino acid residues D142, D144 and E146 in Manduca sexta (tobacco hornworm) chitinase

Chitinases (EC 3.2.1.14) are glycosyl hydrolases that catalyze the hydrolysis of beta-(1, 4)-glycosidic bonds in chitin, the major structural polysaccharide present in the cuticle and gut peritrophic matrix of insects. Two conserved regions have been identified from amino acid sequence comparisons of family 18 glycosyl hydrolases, which includes Manduca sexta (tobacco hornworm) chitinase as a member. The second of these regions in M. sexta chitinase contains three very highly conserved acidic amino acid residues, D142, D144 and E146, that are probably active site residues. In this study the functional roles of these three residues were investigated using site-directed mutagenesis for their substitutions to other amino acids. Six mutant proteins, D142E, D142N, D144E, D144N, E146D and E146Q, as well as the wild-type enzyme, were produced using a baculovirus-insect cell line expression system. The proteins were purified by anion-exchange chromatography, after which their physical, kinetic and substrate binding properties were determined. Circular dichroism spectra of the mutant proteins were similar to that of the wild-type protein, indicating that the presence of mutations did not change the overall secondary structures. E146 was required for enzymatic activity because mutants E146Q and E146D were devoid of activity. D144E retained most of the enzymatic activity, but D144N lost nearly 90%. There was a shift in the pH optimum from alkaline pH to acidic pH for mutants D142N and D144E with minimal losses of activity relative to the wild-type enzyme. The pH-activity profile for the D142E mutation resembled that of the wild-type enzyme except activity in the neutral and acidic range was lower. All of the mutant proteins bound to chitin. Therefore, none of these acidic residues was essential for substrate binding. The results indicate that E146 probably functions as an acid/base catalyst in the hydrolytic mechanism, as do homologous residues in other glycosyl hydrolases. D144 apparently functions as an electrostatic stabilizer of the positively charged transition state, whereas D142 probably influences the pKa values of D144 and E146.
Chromatin isolation by RNA purification (ChIRP).

Long noncoding RNAs are key regulators of chromatin states for important biological processes such as dosage compensation, imprinting, and developmental gene expression 1,2,3,4,5,6,7. The recent discovery of thousands of lncRNAs in association with specific chromatin modification complexes, such as Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) that mediates histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3), suggests broad roles for numerous lncRNAs in managing chromatin states in a gene-specific fashion 8,9. While some lncRNAs are thought to work in cis on neighboring genes, other lncRNAs work in trans to regulate distantly located genes. For instance, Drosophila lncRNAs roX1 and roX2 bind numerous regions on the X chromosome of male cells, and are critical for dosage compensation 10,11. However, the exact locations of their binding sites are not known at high resolution. Similarly, human lncRNA HOTAIR can affect PRC2 occupancy on hundreds of genes genome-wide 3,12,13, but how specificity is achieved is unclear. LncRNAs can also serve as modular scaffolds to recruit the assembly of multiple protein complexes. The classic trans-acting RNA scaffold is the TERC RNA that serves as the template and scaffold for the telomerase complex 14; HOTAIR can also serve as a scaffold for PRC2 and a H3K4 demethylase complex 13. Prior studies mapping RNA occupancy at chromatin have revealed substantial insights 15,16, but only at a single gene locus at a time. The occupancy sites of most lncRNAs are not known, and the roles of lncRNAs in chromatin regulation have been mostly inferred from the indirect effects of lncRNA perturbation. Just as chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by microarray or deep sequencing (ChIP-chip or ChIP-seq, respectively) has greatly improved our understanding of protein-DNA interactions on a genomic scale, here we illustrate a recently published strategy to map long RNA occupancy genome-wide at high resolution 17. This method, Chromatin Isolation by RNA Purification (ChIRP) (Figure 1), is based on affinity capture of target lncRNA:chromatin complex by tiling antisense-oligos, which then generates a map of genomic binding sites at a resolution of several hundred bases with high sensitivity and low background. ChIRP is applicable to many lncRNAs because the design of affinity-probes is straightforward given the RNA sequence and requires no knowledge of the RNA's structure or functional domains.
Signal adaptive wavelet design using genetic algorithms

While discrete wavelet transforms offers a powerful combination of computational efficiency and compact representation for a broad range of signals, they are often designed without any prior knowledge of the signals under analysis. In this paper, we provide a methodology for constructing customized wavelet sand multi rate filterbanks through the application of a generalized cost function on available training data. In particular, we design wavelets that provide maximal discriminate between several signal classes, with the cost function directly tied to classification performance. Since the relationship between the filter coefficients and correct classification may be exceedingly complicated, the optimization is performed using a genetic algorithm. The multi rate filterbank is implemented in a lattice-type structure, known as lifting, which facilitates the incorporation of constraints on the search space. In addition to demonstrating the successful design of signal-adaptive wavelets, this paper validates the use of genetic algorithms as a powerful class of tools for complex system optimization. The method is applied to acoustic scattering data with classification performance evaluated in relation to both non-adaptive biorthogonal wavelets and signal-adaptive wavelets based on linear predictive constraints.
Identification and characterization of the human retinoid X receptor alpha gene promoter.

Abstract Retinoid X receptors (RXRs) comprise a family of nuclear retinoid activated transcription factors that are members of the steroid hormone receptor superfamily. RXRs are obligate heterodimerization partners with several other hormone receptor family members, making them critical mediators of a wide range of signaling pathways. Retinoids have been used successfully for the prevention of a number of epithelial cancers, including skin squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The reduced expression levels of retinoid receptors including RXRα, the predominant RXR expressed in skin, is associated with malignancy in skin SCC. In order to study the regulation of RXRα in skin SCC carcinogenesis we have previously mapped the majority of the human RXRα gene. In the present study we have identified its first exon and promoter region. Exon 1, which contains the translation start site, is located in a highly G + C rich region of the genome at least 58 kb centromeric from exon 2. The promoter region itself is unusually G + C rich (75% G + C in 1200 bp of upstream sequence), has 17 putative SP1 transcription factor binding sites and no TATA or CAAT boxes. Transient transfection experiments with RXRα promoter-luciferase reporter constructs in SRB12-p9 skin SCC cells, as well as with PC3 prostate carcinoma cells, revealed that RXRα transcription is relatively weak compared to the positive control thymidine kinase (TK) promoter and is stimulated by treatment with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), the biologically active form of vitamin A. These results indicate that the RXRα gene is transcribed at stable levels, similar to most housekeeping genes, and its transcription is regulated by ATRA. In addition, the 5′ untranslated region of RXRα is highly G + C rich, resulting in a potentially stable folding pattern, that would place RXRα amongst a group of genes that are subject to regulation at the translational level.
Alterations in the photomineralization of allochthonous DOM related to elevated atmospheric CO2

Climate-related shifts in forest composition and chemistry will likely affect the quantity and quality of dissolved organic matter (DOM) entering inland waters, and consequently, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) evasion. We examined the photodegradation of DOM derived from 2 common riparian plant species ( Populus tremuloides and Salix alba ) grown at ambient (360 ppm) and elevated (720 ppm) atmospheric CO 2 concentrations. Rates and total photolytic CO 2 production were determined for sterilized leachates ranging from 5 to 100 mg L −1 dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Based on multiple regression analysis, DOC concentration, followed by plant species, best predicted the rate and total flux of CO 2 . Photolytic CO2 production increased linearly with DOC concentration; however, the 5 mg L −1 treatment had the greatest rate per unit carbon, suggesting a self-shading effect of increasing DOC. The atmospheric CO2 conditions under which the plants were grown had no statistically significant effect, despite observed differences in CO 2 fluxes between ambient and elevated Populus leachates. Fluorescence data suggest differences in photolytic CO 2 production among treatments are related to differences in plant chemistry within the humic fraction. Thus, the magnitude of the photolytic CO 2 flux from fresh waters in the future will depend primarily on climate-related changes in the quantity of terrestrial DOM inputs and secondarily by DOM source.
Oligomerization of the UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A Proteins HOMO- AND HETERODIMERIZATION ANALYSIS BY FLUORESCENCE RESONANCE ENERGY TRANSFER AND CO-IMMUNOPRECIPITATION

UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) are membrane-bound proteins localized to the endoplasmic reticulum and catalyze the formation of beta-d-glucopyranosiduronic acids (glucuronides) using UDP-glucuronic acid and acceptor substrates such as drugs, steroids, bile acids, xenobiotics, and dietary nutrients. Recent biochemical evidence indicates that the UGT proteins may oligomerize in the membrane, but conclusive evidence is still lacking. In the present study, we have used fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) to study UGT1A oligomerization in live cells. This technique demonstrated that UGT1A1, UGT1A3, UGT1A4, UGT1A6, UGT1A7, UGT1A8, UGT1A9, and UGT1A10 self-oligomerize (homodimerize). Heterodimer interactions were also explored, and it was determined that UGT1A1 was capable of binding with UGT1A3, UGT1A4, UGT1A6, UGT1A7, UGT1A8, UGT1A9, and UGT1A10. In addition to the in vivo FRET analysis, UGT1A protein-protein interactions were demonstrated through co-immunoprecipitation experiments. Co-expression of hemagglutinin-tagged and cyan fluorescent protein-tagged UGT1A proteins, followed by immunoprecipitation with anti-hemagglutinin beads, illustrated the potential of each UGT1A protein to homodimerize. Co-immunoprecipitation results also confirmed that UGT1A1 was capable of forming heterodimer complexes with all of the UGT1A proteins, corroborating the FRET results in live cells. These preliminary studies suggest that the UGT1A family of proteins form oligomerized complexes in the membrane, a property that may influence function and substrate selectivity.