cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sticker charts: a method for improving adherence to treatment of chronic diseases in children

Poor adherence is a common problem and may be an underlying cause of poor clinical outcomes. In pediatric populations, positive reinforcement techniques such as sticker charts may increase motivation to adhere to treatment regimens. To review the use of sticker charts to improve adherence in children with chronic disease, Medline and PsycINFO searches were conducted using the key words "positive reinforcement OR behavior therapy" and "adherence OR patient compliance" and "child." Randomized controlled retrospective cohort or single-subject-design studies were selected. Studies reporting adherence to the medical treatment of chronic disease in children using positive reinforcement techniques were included in the analysis. The systematic search was supplemented by identifying additional studies identified through the reference lists and authors of the initial articles found. Positive reinforcement techniques such as sticker charts increase adherence to medical treatment regimens. In several studies, this effect was maintained for months after the initial intervention. Better adherence correlated with better clinical outcomes in some, but not all, studies. Few studies examining the use of sticker charts were identified. Although single-subject-design studies are useful in establishing the effect of a behavioral intervention, larger randomized controlled trials would help determine the precise efficacy of sticker chart interventions. Adherence to medical treatments in children can be increased using sticker charts or other positive reinforcement techniques. This may be an effective means to encourage children with atopic dermatitis to apply their medications and improve clinical outcomes.
Time series predictive models of piezoelectric active-sensing for SHM applications

In this paper, the use of time domain data from piezoelectric active-sensing techniques is investigated for structural health monitoring (SHM) applications. Piezoelectric transducers have been increasingly used in SHM because of their proven advantages. Especially, the use of known and repeatable inputs at high frequency ranges makes the development of SHM signal processing algorithm easier and more efficient. However, to date, most of these techniques have been based on frequency domain analyses, such as impedance-based or high-frequency response functions (FRF) -based SHM techniques. Even with Lamb wave propagations, most researchers adopt frequency domain or wavelets analysis for damage-sensitive feature extraction. This process usually requires excessive averaging to reduce measurement noise and more computational resources, which is not ideal from both memory and power consumption standpoints. Therefore in this study, we investigate the use of autoregressive models with exogenous inputs (ARX) with the measured time series data from piezoelectric active-sensors. The test structure considered in this study is a composite plate, where several damage conditions were manually imposed. The performance of this technique is compared to that of traditional autoregressive models, traditionally used in low-frequency passive sensing SHM applications, and that of FRF-based analysis, and its superior capability for SHM is demonstrated.
A tissue-specific chromatin loop activates the erythroid ankyrin-1 promoter

The human ankyrin-1 gene (ANK1) contains 3 tissue-specific alternative promoters. We have shown previously that the erythroid-specific ankyrin 1 (ANK1E) core promoter contains a 5′ DNase I hypersensitive site (HS) with barrier insulator function that prevents gene silencing in vitro and in vivo. Mutations in the ANK1E barrier region lead to decreased ANK1 mRNA levels and hereditary spherocytosis. In this report, we demonstrate a second ANK1E regulatory element located in an adjacent pair of DNase I HS located 5.6 kb 3′ of the ANK1E promoter at the 3′ boundary of an erythroid-specific DNase I–sensitive chromatin domain. The 3′ regulatory element exhibits enhancer activity in vitro and in transgenic mice, and it has the histone modifications associated with an enhancer element. One of the ANK1E 3′HS contains an NF-E2 binding site that is required for enhancer function. We show that a chromatin loop brings the 3′ enhancer and NF-E2 into proximity with the 5′ barrier region including the ANK1E core promoter. These observations demonstrate a model for the tissue-specific activation of alternative promoters that may be applicable to the ∼ 30% of mammalian genes with alternative promoters that exhibit distinct expression patterns.
Prostate-specific antigen response duration and risk of death for patients with hormone-refractory metastatic prostate cancer.

Abstract Objectives To evaluate whether the time to return to the baseline prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level (PSA response duration) is significantly associated with the time to death after randomization for men with hormone-refractory metastatic prostate cancer. Methods The study (n = 213) and validation (n = 281) cohorts constituted 494 men with hormone-refractory metastatic prostate cancer treated in four prospective randomized Phase II studies between February 1996 and October 2001. Cox regression analysis was used to evaluate whether a significant association existed between the PSA response duration and the time to death after randomization, controlling for treatment and known prognostic factors. Results A decreasing PSA response duration was significantly associated with a shorter survival after randomization in the study ( P = 0.001) and validation ( P = 0.02) cohorts, controlling for treatment and known prognostic factors, which included serum PSA, lactate dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase, and hemoglobin levels and the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status. The adjusted hazard ratio for death was 1.9 (95% confidence interval 1.4 to 2.6; P = 0.0002) and 2.1 (95% CI 1.2 to 3.5; P = 0.01) for men in the study and validation cohorts, respectively, whose PSA response duration was shorter than the median value of 3 months. The PSA response duration dichotomized about the median remained significantly associated with death whether patients in the validation cohort experienced at least a 50% reduction ( P = 0.05) in the PSA level or not ( P = 0.03). Conclusions The duration of the PSA response to treatment is significantly associated with length of survival for men with hormone-refractory metastatic prostate cancer.
Stability of Chlamydia trachomatis on Storage of Dry Swabs for Accurate Detection by Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests

Trachoma, caused by repeated ocular infections with Chlamydia trachomatis is the primary cause for infectious blindness throughout the world and predominately affects individuals in resource-poor countries ([1][1]). Operational research on trachoma involves not only clinical trachoma grading methods
A severe centennial-scale drought in midcontinental North America 4200 years ago and apparent global linkages

We present evidence from a variety of physical and biological proxies for a severe drought that affected the mid-continent of North America between 4.1 and 4.3 ka. Rapid climate changes associated ...
Sex education in Cuba: an interview with Dr. Celestino Alvarez Lajonchere [interview by Elizabeth Fee].

This article is an interview with Dr. Celestino Alvarez Lajonchere, Director of the National Institute of Sex Education in Havana, Cuba. The topics of discussion include reproductive rights issues, contraception, and abortion law; sex education in Cuba, homosexuality, and national policy on AIDS.
Female-biased sex ratios: individual or group selection?

The evolution of biased sex ratios in a randomly structured population stems from individual selection acting through local parental control (LPC) of the sex ratio and hence of the mating success of the sons and/or daughters. As a general rule, the sex ratio is biased away from the sex whose fitness is most affected by changes in the local sex ratio. This is the sex whose fitness is subject to the most effective parental control. The bias acts to increase the fitness of the rarer, controlled sex and to increase parental productivity. In the specific case of the evolution of the female-biased Hamiltonian ratios, LPC can affect the mating success of sons but has no effect on the success of daughters. It is argued here and elsewhere (Nunney, unpubl.) that group selection can only promote the spread of a genotype through the maintenance of a positive association of individuals of that genotype. The importance of positive association is well established in the special case of kin selection. Given such a definition, group selection plays no part in the evolution of the Hamiltonian sex ratios, although it is possible to conceive of circumstances under which group selection could favor an even more extreme sex ratio bias. In general, such circumstances involve kin selection. It is argued that the examination of differences in group productivity is not a useful way of looking at the process of natural selection, since (i) by dividing up almost any evolving population into random groups, some groups (those with the highest frequency of the fittest individuals) will be more productive than others; and (ii) in the specific case of the evolution of the Hamiltonian ratios, it is possible to develop models either with or without a group structure and get the same result. Hamilton (1967) originally suggested that a female-biased sex ratio arose in his model because of the advantage of reducing local mate competition (specifically, reducing competition between brothers for mates). This possibility was eliminated by developing a model in which competition between the brothers was prevented regardless of the sex ratio. It was found that the optimum sex-ratio strategy was unaffected. On the other hand, the idea of local parental control has, in each case examined, been able to account for the predicted optimum strategy.
Complex multitask Bayesian compressive sensing

An effective complex multitask Bayesian compressive sensing (CMT-BCS) algorithm is proposed to recover sparse or group sparse complex signals. The existing multitask Bayesian compressive sensing (MT-CS) algorithm is powerful in recovering multiple real-valued sparse solutions. However, a large class of sensing problems deal with complex values. A simple approach, which decomposes a complex value into independent real and imaginary components, does not take into account the group sparsity of these two components and thus yields poor recovery performance. In this paper, we first introduce the CMT-BCS algorithm that jointly treats the real and imaginary components, and then derive a fast and accurate algorithm for the estimation of the prior parameters by solving a surrogate convex function. The proposed CMT-BCS algorithm achieves effective complex sparse signal recovery and outperforms MT-CS and complex group Lasso.
Triggering on high-transverse-momentum jets

We compare the characteristics of events selected by ''global'' and ''two-high'' triggers in large-transverse-energy hadron-hadron collisions. Using a QCD-based Monte Carlo model of Fox and collaborators, we find that the former is effectively a high-multiplicity trigger, the latter a high-planarity trigger favoring unusually clean jet events. Predictions of the model for both triggers are in good qualitative agreement with recent data.
Does Gender Moderate Medical Students’ Assessments of Unprofessional Behavior?

BACKGROUND Despite widespread acceptance of professionalism as a clinical competency, the role of certain contextual factors in assessing certain behaviors remains unknown.
Fumonisin B1 affects viability and alters nitric oxide production of a murine macrophage cell line.

Abstract Fumonisin B 1 (FB 1 ), the major toxin produced by Fusarium verticillioides contaminating corn, is known to elicit many organ- and species-specific toxicities in animals. In the present study, exposure to FB 1 decreased viability of a murine macrophage cell line (RAW264.7) in a dose-dependent manner (1–100 μM). Further, when cells exposed to FB 1 were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a dose-dependent increase in production of nitric oxide (NO) was observed, but only at FB 1 concentrations (10–50 μM) that induced significant cytotoxicity. Stimulation of cells with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) resulted in increased NO production at 50 μM FB 1 , but induced a variable NO response at 1–10 μM FB 1 . Results suggest that FB 1 affected cell viability and altered inducible NO production by RAW macrophages in a manner that was dependent on the pathway of stimulation.
Topography description model for 3D exposure simulation

The problem of accurately describing the topography of a mask arose in x-ray lithography, when the absorber structures have dimensions of several hundred wavelengths and may have topography. However, the application of phase shifting structures and a refinement of the image formation calculation even in optical masks has recently raised the same issue for the case of optical lithography. This paper reports the design and implementation of Topography Description Model (TDM), a rule-based 3D topography generator that allows the user to describe the exposure system, such as a system comprising of mask, gap, resist and wafer. The paper illustrates some applications of TDM to real-world studies, such as studying the effect of absorber side-wall slope on the final image and optimizing XRL masks.
Methods and software for predicting germanium detector absolute full-energy peak efficiencies

High-purity germanium (HPGe) and lithium drifted germanium (Ge(Li)) detectors have been the detector of choice for high resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy for many years. This is primarily due to the superior energy resolution that germanium detectors present over other gamma-ray detectors. In order to perform quantitative analyses with germanium detectors, such as activity determination or nuclide identification, one must know the absolute full-energy peak efficiency at the desired gamma-ray energy. Many different methods and computer codes have been developed throughout history in an effort to predict these efficiencies using minimal or no experimental observations. A review of these methods and the computer codes that utilize them is presented.
The Relation of Knowledge-Text Integration Processes and Reading Comprehension in 7th- to 12th-Grade Students

The integration of knowledge during reading was tested in 1,109 secondary school students. Reading times for the second sentence in a pair (Jane's headache went away) were compared in conditions where the first sentence was either causally or temporally related to the first sentence (Jane took an aspirin vs. Jane looked for an aspirin). Mixed-effects explanatory item response models revealed that at higher comprehension levels, sentences were read more quickly in the causal condition. There were no condition-related reading time differences at lower comprehension levels. This interaction held with comprehension- and inference-related factors (working memory, word and world knowledge, and word reading efficiency) in the models. Less skilled comprehenders have difficulty in knowledge-text integration processes that facilitate sentence processing during reading.
A hierarchical strongly aperiodic set of tiles in the hyperbolic plane

We give a new construction of strongly aperiodic set of tiles in H^2, exhibiting a kind of hierarchical structure, simplifying the central framework of Margenstern's proof that the Domino Problem is undecidable in the hyperbolic plane (Margenstern (2008) [16]).
Discontent with content analysis of online transcripts

Content analysis has dominated computer-mediated communication and educational technology studies for some time, and a review of its practices applied to online corpus of data or messages is overdue. We are confronted with complexity given the various foci, nuances and models for theorising learning and applying methods. One common suggestion to deal with the complexity in content analysis is a call for standardisation by replication or systematic research studies. This article presents its ‘discontent’ with content analysis, discussing the issues and concerns that surround the analysis of online transcripts. It does not attempt to resolve nor provide a definitive answer. Instead, it is an open inquiry into another way of looking at online content. It presents an alternative or perhaps an extension of what we have come to know as content analysis. It argues for the notion of genres as another way of conceptualising online transcripts. It proposes two things: first that in performing transcript analysis, it is worthwhile to think how messages relate to a system of interactions that persists even beyond the online environment; secondly, there is an emergent and recurring metastructuring that is at work in online environments that is worth exploring, instead of imposing structures – models and frameworks that do not fit the emerging communicative practices of participants. Keywords: genre analysis; content analysis; online transcripts; computermediated communication; educational technology research DOI: 10.1080/09687760903033066
The dream: Mechanisms and clinical applications

The clinician's use of client dream reports to promote self-discovery and foster a therapeutic alliance is examined in the context of borderline personality psychodynamics. The mechanisms and operations central to understanding dream processes are explained, using both Freudian and information processing models. This paper's thesis is that the effective, differential use of dream material hinges on the assessment of the client's ego functioning in the object relations sphere and relative to level of cognitive development.
Breeding for Phytonutrient Enhancement of Potato

The potato is a vegetable that develops underground as a stem. It is a propagule in the sense that the potato itself is used as seed for the following crop. As a food it is a rich source of nutrients. All potatoes have carotenoids in the flesh which are xanthophylls. Of greatest interest are lutein and zeaxanthin, components of the human retina that must be obtained from foods for proper eye health. Potatoes grown outside the center of origin in the Andes of South America may contain from 50 to 350 micrograms zeaxanthin equivalents per 100 g FW. Potatoes developed by farmers in the Andes, especially the Papa Amarilla class of cultivars, may contain as much as 2,000 μg per 100 g FW. Xanthophylls are fat soluble, have half-lives of several days in the human body, and are antioxidants that associate with membranes in the cell. Anthocyanins are radically different compounds conferring red to purple coloration to skin and flesh of potato. Potatoes with color of this type range from 1.5 mg cyanidin equivalents per 100 g FW, in colored skin but non-colored flesh types and up to 40 mg in colored skin, solidly colored flesh types. Potent antioxidants, anthocyanins are water soluble and have a half-life of several hours in the body. Some of the anthocyanins are strong anti-inflammatory agents. Potato is recognized as containing minerals, though never mentioned as a particularly rich source. A survey of advanced breeding lines and varieties at different growing locations indicates that different genotypes display a large range of iron content. Iron is the most problematic mineral from a dietary standpoint. Absorption from food is hindered by phytic acid and polyphenols, which are abundant in small grains and food legumes, while present in minute amounts in potato. The difficulty in absorption is countered further in the presence of vitamin C, which aids iron absorption. Potato is a substantial source of vitamin C and theoretically could be a principal component of a food matrix that provides highly absorbable iron.
Hardware-aware analysis and optimization of stable fluids

We perform a detailed flop and bandwidth analysis of Jos Stam's Stable Fluids algorithm on the CPU, GPU, and Cell. In all three cases, we find that the algorithm is bandwidth bound, with the cores sitting idle up to 96% of the time. Knowing this, we propose two modifications to accelerate the algorithm. First, a Mehrstellen discretization for the pressure solver which reduces the running time of the solver by a third. Second, a static caching scheme that eliminates roughly 99% of the random lookups in the advection stage. We observe a 2x speedup in the advection stage using this scheme. Both modifications apply equally well to all three architectures.
The Epistemic Demands of Environmental Virtue

To lead an environmentally virtuous life requires information—about morality, environmental issues, the impacts of our actions and commitments, our options for alternatives, and so on. On the other hand, we are finite beings with limited time and resources. We cannot feasibly investigate all of our options, and all environmental issues (let alone moral issues, more broadly). In this paper I attempt to provide initial steps towards addressing the epistemic demands of environmental virtue. In the first half of the paper I provide rules of thumb with respect to (1) how to prioritize our investigations into various issues, and (2) what kinds of information we should seek with respect to these issues, and the levels of epistemic justification we ought to attain. In the second half of the paper, I turn to a modified virtue ethics, appealing to the attitudes of virtuous ideal observers to provide characterizations of morally justified and morally non-culpable actions. I then apply these latter concepts in assessing agents, their actions and projects (with respect to environmental virtue), in light of their investigative efforts, and given their particular circumstances.
Determination of the molecular states of the processive endocellulase Thermobifida fusca Cel9A during crystalline cellulose depolymerization.

Detailed understanding of cell wall degrading enzymes is important for their modeling and industrial applications, including in the production of biofuels. Here we used Cel9A, a processive endocellulase from Ther- mobifida fusca, to demonstrate that cellulases that contain a catalytic domain (CD) attached to a cellulose binding module (CBM) by a flexible linker exist in three distinct molecular states. By measuring the ability of a soluble competitor to reduce Cel9A activity on an insoluble sub- strate, we show that the most common state of Cel9A is bound via its CBM, but with its CD unoccupied by the insoluble substrate. These findings are relevant for kinetic modeling and microscopy studies of modular glycoside hydrolases. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012;109: 295-299. 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Unifying Perspective for Gappy Proper Orthogonal Decomposition and Probabilistic Principal Component Analysis

In aerospace engineering, various problems such as restoring impaired experimental flow data can be handled by gappy proper orthogonal decomposition. Similar to gappy proper orthogonal decomposition, probabilistic principal component analysis can approximate missing data with the help of an expectation-maximization algorithm, yielding an expectation-maximization algorithm for probabilistic principal component analysis (expectation-maximization principal component analysis). Although both gappy proper orthogonal decomposition and expectationmaximization principal component analysis address the same missing-data-estimation problem, their antithetical formulation perspectives hinder their direct comparison; the development of the former is deterministic, whereas that of the latter is probabilistic. To effectively differentiate both methods, this research provides a unifying leastsquares perspective to qualitatively dissect them within a unified least-squares framework. By virtue of the unifying least-squares perspective, gappy proper orthogonal decomposition and the expectation-maximization principal component analysis turn out to be similar in that they are twofold: basis and least-squares coefficient evaluations. On the other hand, they are dissimilar because the expectation-maximization principal component analysis, unlike gappy proper orthogonal decomposition, dispenses with either a gappy norm or a proper orthogonal decomposition basis. To illustrate the theoretical analysis of both methods, numerical experiments using simple and complex data sets quantitatively examine their performance in terms of convergence rates and computational cost. Finally, comprehensive comparisons, including theoretical and numerical aspects, establish that the expectationmaximization principal component analysis is simpler and thereby more efficient than gappy proper orthogonal decomposition.
Effects of anthracite calcination and formulation variables on properties of bench scale aluminum smelting cell cathodes

Several anthracites were calcined at temperatures ranging from about 1100 to 2300°C and bench scale cathodes fabricated, baked, and tested for electrical resistivity and expansion during electrolysis. Cathode electrical resistivity did not decrease much with increasing anthracite calcination temperature to about 1800°C but decreased sharply there-after. Cathode expansion during electrolysis was inversely proportional to anthracite calcination temperature to about 2000°C. Electrical resistivity generally decreased during test cell operation. A correlation between anthracite properties and cathode properties for anthracites calcined at 2100°C could not be made. With a commercial electrically calcined anthracite, the finer of two aggregate sizings resulted in cathodes with superior properties, and properties generally optimized at a binder level producing about a zero volume change during baking.
Serotonin agonist actions of p-chlorophenylalanine.

Abstract p -Chlorophenylalanine (pCPA), in combination with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, caused a behavioural syndrome shown previously to be due to serotonin receptor activation. p -Chlorophenyl-ethylamine (pCPEA), a decarboxylation product of p CPA, also caused the behavioural syndrome. Decarboxylase inhibition prevented the syndrome after p CPA administration, but not after p CPEA. Prior depletion of brain serotonin to 18% of control prevented the syndrome caused by p CPA (plus monoamine oxidase inhibitor), or by pPCEA alone. Subsequent replacement of serotonin in depleted rats by 5-hydroxytryptophan restored the behavioural effects of p CPA and p CPEA. The results show that p CPA (in combination with an inhibitor of monoamine oxidase) caused serotonin receptor activation. The behavioural syndrome is probably elicited by displacement of presynaptic serotonin by p CPEA. As p CPA apparently has a long biological half-life, continued synthesis of p CPEA may cause anomalous behavioural effects not correlated with serotonin depletion. This possibility should be considered in behavioural studies with p CPA, especially during early time periods when serotonin concentrations are not yet reduced.
A novel machine vision application for analysis and visualization of confocal microscopic images

In this paper, a novel machine vision application is presented for analyzing and visualizing confocal microscopy images of biological preparations. The proposed system is divided into three subsystems: a 3D curved surface extraction subsystem that generates 3D surfaces passing through selected key points in confocal image stacks; a 2D image projection subsystem that produces a flattened projection of the extracted curved surface; and an image mosaic subsystem that concatenates a series of image projections to form a view of an entire biological preparation. A combination of cubic interpolation and boundary matching is employed to reconstruct the 3D curved surface that passes through selected key points. The projection process integrates data fidelity and local smoothness constraints, producing a color or intensity projection along the desired 3D surface. Registration is achieved by aligning and minimizing the sum of the squared distances (SSD) between the intensities of the corresponding pixels. Two biological applications of the proposed system are reported to illustrate how the vision system could aid in biological research.
Positivity bounds for Sivers functions

We generalize a positivity constraint derived initially for parity-conserving processes to the parity-violating ones, and use it to derive non-trivial bounds on several Sivers functions, entering in the theoretical description of single spin asymmetry for various processes.
Response of ozone to changes in hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxide concentrations in outdoor smog chambers filled with Los Angeles air

Abstract During the summer portion of the 1987 Southern California Air Quality Study (SCAQS), outdoor smog chamber experiments were performed on Los Angeles air to determine the response of maximum ozone levels, O 3 (max), to changes in the initial concentrations of hydrocarbons, HC, and nitrogen oxides, NO x . These captive-air experiments were conducted in downtown Los Angeles and in the downwind suburb of Claremont. Typically, eight chambers were filled with LA air in the morning. In some chambers the initial HC and/or NO x concentrations were changed by 25% to 50% by adding various combinations of a mixture of HC, clean air, or NO x . The O 3 concentration in each chamber was monitored throughout the day to determine O 3 (max). An empirical mathematical model for O 3 (max) was developed from regression fits to the initial HC and NO x concentrations and to the average daily temperature at both sites. This is the first time that a mathematical expression for the O 3 -precursor relationship and the positive effect of temperature on O 3 (max) have been quantified using captive-air experiments. An ozone isopleth diagram prepared from the empirical model was qualitatively similar to those prepared from photochemical mechanisms. This constitutes the first solely empirical corroboration of the O 3 contour shape for Los Angeles. To comply with the Federal Ozone Standard in LA, O 3 (max) must be reduced by approximately 50%. Several strategies for reducing O 3 (max) by 50% were evaluated using the empirical model. For the average initial conditions that we measured in LA, the most efficient strategy is one that reduces HC by 55–75%, depending on the ambient HC/NO x ratio. Any accompanying reduction in NO x would be counter-productive to the benefits of HC reductions. In fact, reducing HC and NO x simultaneously requires larger percentage reductions for both than the reduction required when HC alone is reduced. The HC-reduction strategy is the most efficient on average, but no single strategy is the optimum every day.
Insights into a Divergent Phenazine Biosynthetic Pathway Governed by a Plasmid-Born Esmeraldin Gene Cluster

Summary Phenazine-type metabolites arise from either phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA) or phenazine-1,6-dicarboxylic acid (PDC). Although the biosynthesis of PCA has been studied extensively, PDC assembly remains unclear. Esmeraldins and saphenamycin, the PDC originated products, are antimicrobial and antitumor metabolites isolated from Streptomyces antibioticus Tu 2706. Herein, the esmeraldin biosynthetic gene cluster was identified on a dispensable giant plasmid. Twenty-four putative esm genes were characterized by bioinformatics, mutagenesis, genetic complementation, and functional protein expressions. Unlike enzymes involved in PCA biosynthesis, EsmA1 and EsmA2 together decisively promoted the PDC yield. The resulting PDC underwent a series of conversions to give 6-acetylphenazine-1-carboxylic acid, saphenic acid, and saphenamycin through a unique one-carbon extension by EsmB1–B5, a keto reduction by EsmC, and an esterification by EsmD1–D3, the atypical polyketide sythases, respectively. Two transcriptional regulators, EsmT1 and EsmT2, are required for esmeraldin production.
Adaptable functionality of transcriptional feedback in bacterial two-component systems

A widespread mechanism of bacterial signaling occurs through two-component systems, comprised of a sensor histidine kinase (SHK) and a transcriptional response regulator (RR). The SHK activates RR by phosphorylation. The most common two-component system structure involves expression from a single operon, the transcription of which is activated by its own phosphorylated RR. The role of this feedback is poorly understood, but it has been associated with an overshooting kinetic response and with fast recovery of previous interrupted signaling events in different systems. Mathematical models show that overshoot is only attainable with negative feedback that also improves response time. Our models also predict that fast recovery of previous interrupted signaling depends on high accumulation of SHK and RR, which is more likely in a positive feedback regime. We use Monte Carlo sampling of the parameter space to explore the range of attainable model behaviors. The model predicts that the effective feedback sign can change from negative to positive depending on the signal level. Variations in two-component system architectures and parameters may therefore have evolved to optimize responses in different bacterial lifestyles. We propose a conceptual model where low signal conditions result in a responsive system with effectively negative feedback while high signal conditions with positive feedback favor persistence of system output.
The Role of Cardiolipin Domains in Protein Localization in Bacterial Cells

A central question in cell biology is how the spatial organization of machinery within the cell is established, maintained, and replicated in response to external stimuli. In Eubacteria, our understanding of the spatial and temporal organization of proteins is beginning to take shape. Many proteins localize to regions of rod-shaped bacterial cells that are characterized by a high intrinsic curvature (e.g. the poles). Recent data suggested that there are geometric cues for the localization of proteins and lipids in bacteria. We present data testing the hypothesis that membrane anisotropy at highly curved regions of the cell wall leads to protein localization. This research takes a top-down approach that focuses on a combination of in vivo and in vitro experiments with Escherichia coli cells. To study the response of lipids to the geometry of the cell wall in vitro, we have developed a technique for controlling the curvature of bacterial cells using microstructured polymers and quantitatively measuring the spatial localization of lipids in the resulting membranes. This approach allows to engineer an ‘artificial’ pole with a user-defined curvature into the E. coli inner membrane and to measure the spontaneous localization of lipids and polar proteins to this region of the cell. Using this approach we have determined that a critical radius of curvature of ∼1.3µm-1 is required to drive the formation of cardiolipin-rich domains in the membrane. We have observed that the bacterial division protein MinD localizes to regions of high curvature and co-localizes with cardiolipin domains. Our data provide support for the curvature hypothesis as a general mechanism for regulating spatial organization in bacterial membranes. This research is expanding our understanding of Eubacteria and provides insights into the spatial and temporal dynamics of membranes relevant to cell biology.
Odontic periapical pressure following vital pulp extirpation.

Abstract Techniques are described for measuring the pressure and fluid emanating from the periapical area of mandibular cuspids of dogs. It is concluded that, after a vital pulp extirpation, periapical tissue can exhibit a pressure less than atmospheric pressure and remove fluids that accumulate in the area over an 8-hour period. Fluid quantity and pressure are fluctuating rather than static elements. Positive pressure as well as negative pressure can exist after a vital pulp extirpation.
Which web solution is best for you?: a decision tree

This poster explains the different Web hosting options UD offers, along with criteria to help users decide which option best meets their needs.
Cross-layer Optimization for LDPC-coded Multi-rate Multiuser Systems with QoS Constraints

In this paper, we propose a new multi-rate multiple-access wireless system implemented by variable spreading gain and chip-level random interleaving. Optimization across the physical and network layers in the uplink of such a system is also treated. A multi-criterion reinforcement learning (MCRL)-based adaptive call admission control (CAC) method is proposed which can easily handle multiple average QoS requirements.
Maternal history of adoption or foster care placement in childhood: a risk factor for preterm birth.

Objective The objective of the study was to assess the impact of maternal history of adoption or foster care placement in childhood on the risk for preterm birth (PTB), controlling for other known risk factors for PTB. Study Design Participants were 302 pregnant women from a low-income, diverse sample drawn from 2 intensive prospective studies of maternal mood and behavior and fetal and infant development. Gestational age was determined by best obstetric estimate. Maternal history of adoption or foster care placement prior to age 18 years was determined by maternal report. Other maternal characteristics, including maternal medical conditions, psychosocial characteristics, and health behaviors, were measured during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. Results The odds of delivering preterm (gestational age Conclusion Findings suggest that a history of adoption/foster care placement is an important risk factor for PTB and may be comparable with other established risk factors for PTB including prior history of PTB, body mass index, African-American race, and advanced maternal age. More studies are needed to understand why women with placement histories may be at increased risk to deliver preterm.
Planning, evaluation, and legislative capabilities

Virtually all examinations of governmental planning have been restricted to the executive branch. However, over the last fifty years, Congress has acquired a relatively sophisticated, though latent, planning capability which has greatly increased its potential for policy making that is both more anticipatory and more comprehensive. While the transformation of Congress from a quintessential liberal institution into an institution dominated by planning is certainly an unlikely prospect, the reforms of the 1970s, building on the reforms of 1946, have changed Congress significantly. These reforms have vastly expanded congressional sources of internal support, have created and enhanced external congressional support agencies, and have reorganized the internal structure of Congress. It is important to recognize the planning implications of each of the structural modifications, and grouping them all together as part of a grand congressional planning capability puts past reforms and proposals for future reforms i...
Re-engineering the teaching of bond liabilities

Abstract Re-engineering, popular in today's business world, emphasizes work simplification — analyzing tasks to identify and drive out unnecessary procedures — so as to accomplish the end result in less time. It is appropriate to apply re-engineering to accounting education, especially to topics that require considerable classroom time to cover and present unnecessary difficulty for the student to understand. Considerations of premium, discount and their amortization complicate the teaching of bond liabilities. Yet these concepts are totally unnecessary — they are artificial constructs of the accountant, not real events. By re-engineering the approach to teaching bond liabilities, we can eliminate these complications and simplify the task for both professor and student. Using an approach built around the amount borrowed, market interest rate, and repayment pattern, together with a one-size-fits-all amortization schedule, enables the topic of bond liabilities to be taught effectively, in less time and with fewer pages of text material than currently employed.
An Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) Mutant with Enhanced BZLF1 Expression Causes Lymphomas with Abortive Lytic EBV Infection in a Humanized Mouse Model

ABSTRACT Immunosuppressed patients are at risk for developing Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)-positive lymphomas that express the major EBV oncoprotein, LMP1. Although increasing evidence suggests that a small number of lytically infected cells may promote EBV-positive lymphomas, the impact of enhanced lytic gene expression on the ability of EBV to induce lymphomas is unclear. Here we have used immune-deficient mice, engrafted with human fetal hematopoietic stem cells and thymus and liver tissue, to compare lymphoma formation following infection with wild-type (WT) EBV versus infection with a “superlytic” (SL) mutant with enhanced BZLF1 (Z) expression. The same proportions (2/6) of the WT and SL virus-infected animals developed B-cell lymphomas by day 60 postinfection; the remainder of the animals had persistent tumor-free viral latency. In contrast, all WT and SL virus-infected animals treated with the OKT3 anti-CD3 antibody (which inhibits T-cell function) developed lymphomas by day 29. Lymphomas in OKT3-treated animals (in contrast to lymphomas in the untreated animals) contained many LMP1-expressing cells. The SL virus-infected lymphomas in both OKT3-treated and untreated animals contained many more Z-expressing cells (up to 30%) than the WT virus-infected lymphomas, but did not express late viral proteins and thus had an abortive lytic form of EBV infection. LMP1 and BMRF1 (an early lytic viral protein) were never coexpressed in the same cell, suggesting that LMP1 expression is incompatible with lytic viral reactivation. These results show that the SL mutant induces an “abortive” lytic infection in humanized mice that is compatible with continued cell growth and at least partially resistant to T-cell killing.
Robberies with guns: Neighborhood factors and the nature of crime

Over the past two decades, both research and policy related to crime have increasingly focused on community characteristics. Neighborhood level studies of crime have provided important insights into the factors related to variation in the quantity of crime across place, and have suggested policies for controlling crime. At the same time, however, little attention has been given to the potential impact of neighborhood characteristics on the nature, or quality, of crime. Examinations of variation in the nature of violent crime across communities has only recently begun to be empirically examined (see for example, Baumer, Horney, Felson, & Lauritsen, 2003; Kubrin, 2003; Kubrin & Wadsworth, 2003; Kubrin & Weitzer, 2003; Miles-Doan, 1998; Wadsworth & Kubrin, 2004), and these studies were limited in the number and type of neighborhood variables examined. The current study extended this developing literature on neighborhood variation in the nature of violence through its examination of several neighborhood factors theorized to be associated with qualitatively different forms of violence. Specifically, this study examined neighborhood variables associated with a structurally induced subculture of violence in relation to robberies with and without guns. The analysis was based on noncommercial robberies that occurred in twenty-nine neighborhoods in one city. Findings suggested that faith in the police was a more important neighborhood factor affecting the nature of robbery than disadvantage, the percent young African-American males, or oppositional values.
Lognormal distribution - model for fatigue life and residual strength of composite materials

The differential equation of Yang for residual strength degradation in composite materials subject to fatigue loading is considered for obtaining the lognormal distribution as a model for the fatigue life of a composite material. Using this model, an ad-hoc method for estimating the physical parameters of the composite system is suggested. An example illustrates the use of our method in analyzing data. Since Yang's differential equation is for composite materials, our objective was to derive a model for composite materials. However, the methodology can be extended to other metals and materials.
Tests of the relationship between children's temperament and asthma and of the reliability and validity of the Brief Scale of Temperament.

Abstract Two studies are reported. One examined the reliability and validity of a brief scale to measure children's temperament; the other tested the relationship of early temperament and the development of asthma. In Study 1, principal caretakers of 46 4- to 7-year-olds, usually the mothers, filled out questionnaires containing the Brief Scale of Temperament (BST) and the Behavioral Style Questionnaire. The caretakers did this twice, about 1 week apart. The first time the children's recent temperament was assessed, and the second time past (> 1 year) temperament was assessed. Internal consistency and correlational analyses revealed substantial reliability and validity for BST assessments of recent and past temperament. Study 2 incorporated the BST in a large-scale survey of 325 families, with parents providing data on their children's asthma and temperament. BST assessments of early (past) temperament were made retrospectively regarding the child's first few years. Comparisons of early temperament reveal...
B¯ and F¯ projection methods for nearly incompressible linear and non-linear elasticity and plasticity using higher-order NURBS elements

Abstract This paper presents projection methods to treat the incompressibility constraint in small- and large-deformation elasticity and plasticity within the framework of Isogeometric Analysis. After reviewing some fundamentals of isogeometric analysis, we investigate the use of higher-order Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines (NURBS) within the B ¯ projection method. The higher-continuity property of such functions is explored in nearly incompressible applications and shown to produce accurate and robust results. A new non-linear F ¯ projection method, based on a modified minimum potential energy principle and inspired by the B ¯ method is proposed for the large-deformation case. It leads to a symmetric formulation for which the consistent linearized operator for fully non-linear elasticity is derived and used in a Newton–Raphson iterative procedure. The performance of the methods is assessed on several numerical examples, and results obtained are shown to compare favorably with other published techniques.
Bush, Cheney, and the Separation of Powers: A Lasting Legal Legacy?

The George W. Bush administration will long be remembered for its constitutional and legal arguments on behalf of exclusive and inherent executive power. In its extreme form, this uncompromising effort ultimately appears to have failed and may have even pushed the judicial branch to limit executive authority and return to a more traditional insistence on interbranch cooperation in foreign affairs. Ironically, the Bush-Cheney legal legacy will ultimately depend on the Obama Administration’s public commitments and legal arguments, but early evidence suggests that Obama’s assertions of executive power will rest less on assertions of constitutional prerogative, and more heavily on statutory delegation as well as long-standing judicial precedent.
Reflections on #Occupy Everywhere: Social media, public space, and emerging logics of aggregation

This article explores the links between social media and public space within the #Occupy Everywhere movements. Whereas listservs and websites helped give rise to a widespread logic of networking within the movements for global justice of the 1990s–2000s, I argue that social media have contributed to an emerging logic of aggregation in the more recent #Occupy movements—one that involves the assembling of masses of individuals from diverse backgrounds within physical spaces. However, the recent shift toward more decentralized forms of organizing and networking may help to ensure the sustainability of the #Occupy movements in a posteviction phase. [social movements, globalization, political protest, public space, social media, new technologies, inequality]