cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hydroxystearates as inhibitors of palmitate hydroxylation catalyzed by the cytochrome P-450 monooxygenase from Bacillus megaterium.

Abstract The soluble, cytochrome P-450 dependent fatty acid (ω-2) hydroxylase from Bacillus megaterium catalyzes the hydroxylation of both n-saturated and n-monohydroxyfatty acids. Continued hydroxylation of hydroxyfatty acids is dependent upon the position of the hydroxyl group since the ω-1, ω-2 and ω-3 monohydroxy products of the unsubstituted, saturated fatty acid series are not substrates. Utilizing a series of monohydroxystearate positional isomers this study demonstrates that there exists an optimal hydroxy position on the substrate's carbon chain. Competitive inhibition of palmitate hydroxylation by monohydroxystearates indicates that 6-hydroxystearate is a better substrate than palmitate, one of the more active substrates for hydroxylation. This suggests that substrate-binding at the active site is strongly influenced by a “non-hydrophobic” binding region on the enzyme.
Detection of bacterial metabolism in lag-phase using impedance spectroscopy of agar-integrated 3D microelectrodes

Abstract Traditional methods for detection of metabolically-active bacterial cells, while effective, require several days to complete. Development of sensitive electrical biosensors is highly desirable for rapid detection and counting of pathogens in food, water, or clinical samples. Herein, we develop a highly-sensitive non-Faradaic impedance sensor which detects metabolic activity of E. coli cells in a mere 1 μl of sample volume and without any sample filtration/purification. The three dimensional (3D) interdigitated electrodes (IDEs) along with self-assembled gold-nickel (Au-Ni) nanostructures significantly amplify the sensitivity by increasing the sensing area almost three-fold. The developed microsystem is integrated with an agar-based growth medium and monitors the metabolism of bacterial cells, enabling bacterial detection in approximately one hour after inoculation, i.e. in the lag-phase. Incorporation of a secondary agar layer as a biocompatible passivation layer protects the IDEs from potential Faradaic reactions and enhances sensitivity to modulation of the non-Faradaic impedance due to cellular metabolism. The resultant label-free sensor is capable of selective identification of metabolizing cells (vs. dead cells) across a wide linear range (10–1000 cells/μl). These results help pave the way for rapid antibacterial susceptibility testing at the point-of-need, which is currently a major challenge in healthcare.
Oxidation of 4-tert-Butylcyclohexanol with Swimming Pool Bleach

4-tert-Butylcyclohexanol is rapidly converted to 4-tert-butylcyclohexanone with swimming pool bleach in a homogeneous reaction at room temperature. This process introduces students to a heterocyclic compound not normally discussed in the introductory course and has significant advantages over standard procedures using swimming pool chlorine or household bleach. Secondary products are removed by filtration and extraction. Product purity can be determined by thin layer chromatography. Solvent evaporation provides a pure product in high yield that can be characterized by melting point, IR spectroscopy, and/or NMR spectroscopy.
Corynebacterium kroppenstedtii: a challenging culprit in breast abscesses and granulomatous mastitis

Purpose of reviewCorynebacterium kroppenstedtii is a difficult pathogen associated with granulomatous mastitis and recurrent breast abscesses. Despite over a dozen studies, there is no guidance on surgical interventions, steroid use, or dosing or duration of antibiotic treatment.Recent findingsIniti
Multi-rate data-driven models for lactic acid fermentation - Parameter identification and prediction

Abstract Recursive time series models are developed in this article for bacterial cultures producing lactic acid from lactose. Biomass concentration, X, is measured much less frequently than are lactose and lactic acid concentrations. A composite of an autoregressive (AR) model and a dual rate-autoregressive with exogenous input (ARX) model is used. Appropriate parameter constraints are imposed in parameter estimation algorithms and stability of these is examined and ensured, enabling reliable output prediction. The models for X allow for prediction of X at the frequency of faster sampled concentrations with inter-sample output estimation, a feature useful in process optimization and model predictive control. The data required for parameter estimation are generated from simulated batch experiments using well-tested first principles models for two bacterial strains. The predictions for lactose, lactic acid, and biomass concentrations track very well the data for these. The prediction accuracy can be increased using data from prior experiments.
Optimal spatial budget distribution of forest carbon payments that balances the returns and risks associated with conservation costs

We determine the optimal spatial budget distribution of forest carbon payments that balances the returns and risks associated with conservation costs (opportunity cost of forestland) affected by future economic growth scenarios using a case study of the central and southern Appalachian region of the USA. A further focus is to evaluate the county-level tradeoffs between the returns and risks of future economic growth that affect the expected benefits and variance of forest carbon storage by constructing a mean–variance tradeoff frontier. Because of concavity of the mean–variance tradeoff frontier, mitigating risk by dispersing budget allocations among counties is advisable, particularly if conservation agencies focus on the returns with little or no regard for the risks associated with future growth at the initial policy-making stage. The different dispersions of the budget among counties for different weights placed on risk minimization provide clear evidence that spatial targeting for conservation and restoration investments such as forest carbon payments needs to consider the risk preferences of conservation agencies regarding conservation costs. Our findings suggest that failing to anticipate the potential risks will lead to suboptimal conservation targets and budget allocations, if conservation agencies are risk averse with little or no regard for the return-maximizing objective.
How Well Do You Think You Summarize? Metacomprehension Accuracy in Younger and Older Adults.

OBJECTIVES Metacomprehension monitoring accuracy in older age may be underestimated because of how it has been measured. Metacomprehension in the present study was uniquely measured by comparing summary quality to summary quality judgments. The effect of age on this accuracy was assessed and results were compared to those measured with the typical approach. The moderation of age effects by reading goal was also assessed but was an exploratory objective.1. METHOD Younger adults (141) and older adults (138) read and orally summarized six expository texts. Participants were randomly assigned to a reading goal condition, with half of each age group summarizing for a professor/boss and half summarizing for an acquaintance. Participants made judgments about the quality of their summaries before and after summarizing, took a multiple-choice test of their comprehension, and made judgments about the accuracy of their answers. RESULTS Age deficits in metacomprehension were generally smaller when measured with the novel approach and age differences were generally larger for the professor/boss condition than for the acquaintance condition. DISCUSSION The novel approach to measuring metacomprehension monitoring accuracy provides more optimism for aging than typical approaches, discussed in relation to age-related changes in language processing preferences.
Two-dimensional separation techniques using supercritical fluid chromatography.

High resolution separation systems are essential for the analysis of complex mixtures in a wide variety of application areas. To increase resolution, multidimensional chromatographic techniques have been one key solution. Supercritical fluid chromatography provides a unique opportunity in these multidimensional separations based on its potential for high solvent compatibility, rapid duty cycles, and orthogonality to other separation modes. This review focuses on two-dimensional chromatography methods from the past decade that use supercritical fluid chromatography because of these advantages. Valving schemes and modulation strategies used to interface supercritical fluid chromatography with other LC and GC techniques are described. Particular applications of multidimensional separations using supercritical fluid chromatography for the analysis of oils and chiral separations of pharmaceutical compounds are highlighted. Limitations of and a potential trajectory for supercritical fluid chromatography in this field are also discussed. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Responses Taken to Mitigate COVID-19 in Prisons in England and Wales

The purpose of this paper is to discuss and evaluate how prison administrators in England and Wales responded to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in the ...
Congenital Visual Field Loss from a Schizencephalic Cleft Damaging Meyer's Loop.

A healthy, asymptomatic woman was referred after incidental discovery of a right superior incongruous hemianopia. Magnetic resonance imaging disclosed a schizencephalic cleft passing through Meyer’...
Unequal Opportunity Spreaders: Higher COVID-19 Deaths with Later School Closure in the United States

Mixed evidence on the relationship between school closure and COVID-19 prevalence could reflect focus on large-scale levels of geography, limited ability to address endogeneity, and demographic var...
When Opera Meets Film

Opera can reveal something fundamental about a film, and film can do the same for an opera, argues Marcia J. Citron. Structured by the categories of Style, Subjectivity, and Desire, this volume advances our understanding of the aesthetics of the opera/film encounter. Case studies of a diverse array of important repertoire including mainstream film, opera-film, and postmodernist pastiche are presented. Citron uses Werner Wolf's theory of intermediality to probe the roles of opera and film when they combine. The book also refines and expands film-music functions, and details the impact of an opera's musical style on the meaning of a film. Drawing on cinematic traditions of Hollywood, France, and Britain, the study explores Coppola's Godfather trilogy, Jewison's Moonstruck, Nichols's Closer, Chabrol's La Ceremonie, Schlesinger's Sunday, Bloody Sunday, Boyd's Aria, and Ponnelle's opera-films.
The Pastoral Physician: Cancer and Psychospiritual Care

Fundamental to Christian Western moral thinking was the edict “Ye shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Much of the thought that incorporates this love is integrated into the concept of the pastoral physician, who in the Augustinian tie of anthropological and cosmological principles established a role of Caritas, essentially a binding together as if to make one. By this love one man “dwelt inside” another and in that understanding love of man built a “unified structure,” which today we relate to unity, wholeness, or allness, expressed in our studies in terms of biologos and the biopsychosocial way. (1–3)
Exploring Temporal Structure of Trajectory Components for Action Recognition

Action recognition is one of the most important components for video analysis. In addition to objects and atomic actions, temporal relationships are important characteristics for many actions and are not fully exploited in many approaches. We model the temporal structures of midlevel actions referred to as components based on dense trajectory components, obtained by clustering individual trajectories. The trajectory components are a higher level and a more stable representation than raw individual trajectories. Based on the temporal ordering of trajectory components, we describe the temporal structure using Allen's temporal relationships in a discriminative manner and combine it with a generative model using bag of components. The main idea behind the model is to extract midlevel features from domain-independent dense trajectories and classify the actions by exploring the temporal structure among these midlevel features based on a set of relationships. We evaluate the proposed approach on public data sets and compare it with a bag-of-words-based approach and state-of-the-art application of the Markov logic network for action recognition. The results demonstrate that the proposed approach produces better recognition accuracy.
On the relationship between knowledge-based systems theory and application programs: leveraging task specific approaches

The relationship between theories of knowledge-based problem solving and application-level programs is not well understood. The traditional view has been that given some knowledge-based systems theory, a successful application program built following the theory provides strong support for the theory. This viewpoint fails largely because the link between theory and application is totally through the human implementer of the application program. Insight for how to cope with this problem can be obtained from the Knowledge Level Hypothesis (KLH) of Newell. But in order for the KLH to be helpful, we must extend it to incorporate concepts of control knowledge. After describing the theory/application linkage problem, we go on to give an overview of the task specific approaches to knowledge-based system. We then discuss both Newell’s KLH and an extension to it that will help in solving the AI Theory/AI application linkage problem. We end with the recommendation that knowledge-based systems theory could be grouped with those disciplines in which theory verification by experimental inquiry is the norm.
Evaluation of ewe and lamb immune response when ewes were supplemented with vitamin E.

Fifty-two Targhee twin-bearing ewes were used in a factorial arrangement of treatments to investigate the role of supplemental vitamin E (vit E); 0 (NE) vs 400 IU of vit Eewe −1 d −1 (E) and parainflu- enza type 3 (PI3) vaccination; none (NP) vs PI3 vaccina- tion (P) in immune function. Parainfluenza type 3 vacci- nation was used to evoke an immune response. Ewes receiving PI3 were vaccinated at 49 and 21 d before the expected lambing date. Ewes receiving vit E were orally dosed daily, 32 to 0 d before lambing. Blood was col- lected from ewes at the time of the initial PI3 vaccina- tion and 4 h postpartum. Blood was collected from lambs (n = 104) at 3 d postpartum. Ewe and lamb sera were analyzed for anti-PI3 antibody titers, immunoglob- ulin G (IgG) titers, and vit E concentrations. Colostrum was collected 4 h postpartum and analyzed for IgG. The model for ewe and lamb analysis included the main
Determination and validation of volume to be instilled for standardized intra-abdominal pressure measurement in dogs.

Objectives The objectives of this study were to determine (1) most appropriate volume of saline to be infused into the bladder prior to intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) measurement, (2) to determine if a difference exists between IAP measurements before and after abdominal surgery, and (3) to assess the variability in IAP measurements associated with different saline volumes. Design Prospective study. Setting University teaching hospital. Animals Fifteen female research dogs, 7 undergoing ovariohysterectomy (OHE), and 8 undergoing laparoscopy. Interventions All dogs had urinary catheters placed and 4 consecutive IAP measurements measured using a different volume of instilled saline (0.25, 0.5, 1, and 2 mL/kg) at baseline. Measurements were repeated intraoperatively in laparoscopy dogs and postoperatively in OHE dogs. Measurements and main results For both groups of dogs, the volume infused into the bladder significantly affected IAP measurement. An instilled volume of 1 mL/kg of saline produced the best correlation (R2 = 0.44, P = 0.04) between IAP measurement and laparoscopic insufflator pressure. The mean (±SD) preoperative IAP (cmH2O) using 1 mL/kg instilled saline was 7.9 ± 1.4 and 9.6 ±1.9 for laparoscopy and OHE dogs, respectively. There was no difference in IAP before and after surgery in the dogs undergoing an OHE (P = 0.58). The volume of saline instilled into the bladder significantly affected the IAP (P = 0.0028). Conclusions One milliliter per kilogram instilled saline is recommended for standardized IAP pressure measurement in dogs. IAP in clinically normal dogs was not affected by abdominal surgery.
Chapter 26 Electrochemical detection of carbohydrates at constant potential after HPLC and CE separations

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the electrochemical (EC) detection of carbohydrates at constant potential after high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and capillary electrophoresis (CE) separations. The driving force in the EC detection of carbohydrates is the fact that these compounds lack a native chromophoric group that can be accessed at convenient ultraviolet (UV)-visible wavelengths. There is a difficulty of separating the carbohydrates of interest from each other and from other components of the sample matrix, which is usually carried out by HPLC or CE. For EC detection applications, the choice of an electrode material is a critical one. Carbohydrate oxidation and detection have also been carried out at electrodes made from several different transition metals (e.g., Cu, Ni, Co, and Ru).
Soroosh Sorooshian Receives 2013 Robert E. Horton Medal: Citation

I am proud to introduce Soroosh Sorooshian, distinguished professor of civil and environmental engineering and Earth system science at the University of California, Irvine, as the 2013 Horton medalist. Soroosh is an exemplary scholar, who through collaborations with Hoshin Gupta and numerous other talented students and researchers, has made many landmark contributions to hydrology. I will highlight what I consider to be his principal contributions.
Parametric analysis and calibration of the STS-1 seismometer of the IRIS/IDA Seismographic Network

We have estimated the observed system response of STS-1 sensors installed at stations of the IRIS/IDA Seismographic Network using cross-spectral analysis of random binary calibration signals. Systematic deviations of up to 1% in amplitude and 1° in phase between the measured and the manufacturers “nominal” responses are observed in the range 0.2 to 100 mHz and up to 12% in amplitude and 5° in phase for frequencies above 5 Hz. A parametric analysis of the STS-1 seismometer is developed that leads to a more complete pole and zero model of the sensor, accounting accurately both for small changes in individual instrument parameters and for the effects of an incomplete compensation of the mechanical response by the feedback circuit. This model is then used to fit the observed responses with a precision of 0.2% for the amplitude and 0.1° for the phase over the entire useful bandwidth of the instrument.
Screening nonspecific interactions of peptides without background interference

The need to discover new peptide sequences to perform particular tasks has lead to a variety of peptide screening methods: phage display, yeast display, bacterial display and resin display. These are effective screening methods because the role of background binding is often insignificant. In the field of nonfouling materials, however, a premium is placed on chemistries that have extremely low levels of nonspecific binding. Due to the presence of background binding, it is not possible to use traditional peptide screening methods to select for nonfouling chemistries. Here, we developed a peptide screening method, as compared to traditional methods, that can successfully evaluate the effectiveness of nonfouling peptide sequences. We have tested the effect of different peptide lengths and chemistries on the adsorption of protein. The order of residues within a single sequence was also adjusted to determine the effect of charge segregation on protein adsorption.
A model for predicting primary creep damage in axial cracked cylinders—II. Applications

Abstract Time dependent effects, which are normally neglected in steel structures which operate at or below room temperature, need to be considered under certain conditions if the body contains a crack. Part I of this effort [F. W. Brust and B.N. Leis, Engng Fracture Mech. 43 , 615–627 (1992)] provided the theory for a model which is used here, in Part II, to predict the effect of time dependent damage on the crack growth and failure process. Time dependent crack growth and failure for a number of different length axial flaws in two different size pipes is predicted using this model. These model predictions are then compared to experimental data. The analysis procedure and results presented here may be useful in developing optimum proof test strategies.
Cost savings for manufacturing lithium batteries in a flexible plant

Abstract The flexible plant postulated in this study would produce four types of batteries for electric-drive vehicles – a hybrid (HEV), 10-mile range and 40-mile range plug-in hybrids (PHEV), and a 150-mile range battery-electric (EV). The annual production rate of the plant is 235,000 battery packs (HEV: 100,000; PHEV10: 60,000; PHEV40: 45,000; EV: 30,000). The cost savings per battery pack calculated with the Argonne BatPaC model for this flex plant vs. dedicated plants range from 9% for the EV battery packs to 21% for the HEV packs including the battery management systems (BMS). The investment cost savings are even larger, ranging from 21% for EVs to 43% for HEVs. The costs of the 1.0-kWh HEV batteries are projected to approach $714 per unit and that of the EV batteries to approach $188 per kWh with the most favorable cell chemistries. The best single indicator of the cost of producing lithium-manganate spinel/graphite batteries in a flex plant is the total cell area of the battery. For the four batteries studied, the price range is $20–24 per m2 of cell area, averaging $21 per m2 for the entire flex plant.
Far-field sensor for adaptive antenna tuning

Tuning circuits are often used for electrically small antennas. However, the nearby environment can detune the matching calling for adaptive tuning. In this paper we present a new concept to adaptively tune matching circuits using a near-field probe that samples the instantaneous radiated power. For an electrically small VHF/UHF antenna, it is shown that a properly designed near-field probe is capable of sampling the radiated power up to 400 MHz. However, the presented design guidelines can be used to extend the frequency range of interest. Advantages over traditional |S 11 | minimizing topologies include: (1) lower cost as only one power detector is required, (2) lower insertion loss in the antenna tuner as no directional couplers are used, and (3) flexibility in design degrees of freedom.
Gay Male Adaptation in the Coming-Out Process

Seventeen interviews were completed with self-identified gay men, with the goal of identifying a theory of adaption through the coming out process. A commonality through the identity-development process emerged, highlighting concerns of stigma and bias. The adaptation to participants’ perception of their local gay male communities played a large part in the identity development of participants. Participants cited instances of strictly adhering to gay stereotypes before they were able to coalesce their identities into a more “true” or solid self. Minority Stress Theory provided a way to discuss the results and interpret the data for use in applied settings.
Tax compliance: An investigation using individual taxpayer compliance measurement program (TCMP) data

In this paper, we analyze the tax compliance behavior of U.S. taxpayers by using a 1979 data set that combines information from a random sample of individual tax returns, each of which has been thoroughly audited, IRS administrative records, and sociodemographic data from the Census. We find evidence that both audits and tax code provisions affect compliance. However, the effects are significant for only low-and high-income groups. Interestingly, work on the underground economy also suggests that it is these two groups that are least compliant. Our results for audits suggest that the “ripple” or general deterrent effect of audits may be substantially larger than the direct revenue yield of audits for high-income taxpayers. Our results for allowable subtractions from income imply that the 1986 Tax Reform Act changes that lowered allowable subtractions may have procompliance effects.
Phosphate uptake and PiT-1 protein expression in rat skeletal muscle

Skeletal muscle fiber types differ in their contents of total phosphate, which includes inorganic phosphate (Pi) and high-energy organic pools of ATP and phosphocreatine (PCr). At steady state, upt...
Neurologic causes of dysphagia

Pharyngeal dysphagia may be caused by any of a wide variety of neurologic diseases, but the possibility of neurologic disease is often over-looked in the evaluation of dysphagia. This is especially unfortunate because some of the neurologic causes of dysphagia are treatable. This review organizes the neurologic causes of dysphagia into a simple framework that facilitates consideration of these diseases. Methods of evaluating neurogenic dysphagia, including history taking, physical examination, and laboratory testing, are to be considered separately in a subsequent article.
Evolving Management Strategies in Esophageal Perforation: Surgeons Using Nonoperative Techniques to Improve Outcomes

Background Management of acute esophageal perforation continues to evolve. We hypothesized that treatment of these patients at a tertiary referral center is more important than beginning treatment within 24 hours, and that the evolving application of nonsurgical treatment techniques by surgeons would produce improved outcomes. Study Design Demographics and outcomes of patients treated for esophageal perforation from 1989 to 2009 were recorded in an Institutional Review Board–approved database. Retrospective outcomes assessment was done for 5 separate time spans, including timing and type of treatment, length of stay (LOS), complications, and mortality. Results Eighty-one consecutive patients presented with acute esophageal perforation. Their mean age was 64 years, and 55 patients (68%) had American Society of Anesthesiologists levels 3 to 5; 59% of the study population was referred from other hospitals; 48 patients (59%) were managed operatively, 33 (41%) nonoperatively, and 10 patients with hybrid approaches involving a combination of surgical and interventional techniques; 57 patients (70%) were treated 24 hours after perforation. LOS was lower in the early-treatment group; however, there was no difference in complications or mortality. Nonoperative therapy increased from 0% to 75% over time. Nonsurgical therapy was more common in referred cases (48% vs 30%) and in the >24 hours treatment group (46% vs 38%). Over the period of study, there were decreases in complications (50% to 33%) and LOS (18.5 to 8.5 days). Mortality for the entire series involved 3 patients (4%): 2 operative and 1 nonoperative. Conclusions Results from our series indicate that referral to a tertiary care center is as important as treatment within 24 hours. An experienced surgical management team using a diversified approach, including selective application of nonoperative techniques, can expect to shorten LOS and limit complications and mortality.
Eddy covariance observations of surface leakage during shallow subsurface CO2 releases

[1] We tested the ability of eddy covariance (EC) to detect, locate, and quantify surface CO2 flux leakage signals within a background ecosystem. For 10 days starting on 9 July 2007, and for 7 days starting on 3 August 2007, 0.1 (Release 1) and 0.3 (Release 2) t CO2 d−1, respectively, were released from a horizontal well ∼100 m in length and ∼2.5 m in depth located in an agricultural field in Bozeman, Montana. An EC station measured net CO2 flux (Fc) from 8 June 2006 to 4 September 2006 (mean and standard deviation = −12.4 and 28.1 g m−2 d−1, respectively) and from 28 May 2007 to 4 September 2007 (mean and standard deviation = −12.0 and 28.1 g m−2 d−1, respectively). The Release 2 leakage signal was visible in the Fc time series, whereas the Release 1 signal was difficult to detect within variability of ecosystem fluxes. To improve detection ability, we calculated residual fluxes (Fcr) by subtracting fluxes corresponding to a model for net ecosystem exchange from Fc. Fcr had reduced variability and lacked the negative bias seen in corresponding Fc distributions. Plotting the upper 90th percentile Fcr versus time enhanced the Release 2 leakage signal. However, values measured during Release 1 fell within the variability assumed to be related to unmodeled natural processes. Fcr measurements and corresponding footprint functions were inverted using a least squares approach to infer the spatial distribution of surface CO2 fluxes during Release 2. When combined with flux source area evaluation, inversion results roughly located the CO2 leak, while resolution was insufficient to quantify leakage rate.
Element content in tissues of four rodent species sampled in the Geysers geothermal steamfield

Liver and kidney tissue samples from four rodent species collected in the Geysers geothermal steamfield of northern California were analyzed for content of 28 elements. Element concentrations in samples from the developed region of the Geysers were compared with samples from undeveloped reference regions to determine the influence of geothermal power development on element content in small mammal tissues. Eight elements (B, Ca, Cu, Mg, Mn, P, Sr, Ti) were enriched in samples from the Geysers, 12 (Ag, Al, Co, Cr, Fe, K, Mo, Na, Ni, Pb, Si, Zn) were decreased within the Geysers, Ba and Li were inconclusive, and six (As, Be, Cd, Hg, Sn, V) were below the minimum analytical limits. The longest-lived species (Neotoma fuscipes) had the greatest occurrence of statistically significant differences in element content. Sites in grassland habitat produced more significant differences in element content than either chaparral or streamside habitats for samples from Peromyscus maniculatus. Peromyscus boylii and P. truei provided additional data, but no distinct advantages for element monitoring. The data indicate regional influences from geothermal power development on element levels in rodent tissues.
Robust low-bit-rate 3D subband codec

All the present standards for low bit-rate video coding are based on an interframe motion-compensated hybrid scheme. These systems offer a bad error resilience, making them inappropriate for the transmission of video sequences over noisy channels. The introduction of error correction (FEC) codes may help the decoding process, but the consequent increase on the transmission rate has to be compensated by throttling the source coder rate to even lower rates. Even worse, in the case of fading channels or highly noisy channels, the FEC may not be sufficient to correct the transmission errors.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Volunteer Peer Counselors Increase Breastfeeding Duration Among Rural Low-Income Women

Background: The purpose of this demonstration project was to test the effectiveness of a volunteer peer counseling program for promoting breastfeeding in a community. Methods: The two-year project was conducted in Iowa from September 1994 to September 1996. Both intervention and control groups were rural low-income pregnant and postpartum women who qualified for the Women, Infants and Children's (WIC) nutritional program. The intervention was initiated in two counties with 143 clients, of whom 72 completed the project. The control group was drawn from six counties that had received no significant breastfeeding promotion programs during the previous three years. The intervention was the assignment of trained volunteers with previous successful personal experience with breastfeeding as peer counselors to low-income pregnant women. Both before and after the baby was born, the volunteers taught a series of in-home, one-to-one lessons about healthy diet and breastfeeding, and maintained informal contact to answer questions or help with concerns. Results: Women in the intervention group improved dietary intake when compared with the control group. Knowledge of breastfeeding and good nutrition improved slightly. Eighty-two percent of intervention compared with 31 percent of control group women initiated breastfeeding. Mean duration of breastfeeding for intervention and control group women was 5.7 and 2.5 weeks, respectively. At 4 weeks, 56 percent of intervention and 10 percent of control group women were still breastfeeding. Conclusion: A volunteer peer counseling program that provides low-income women with role models, accurate information, support, and encouragement can increase the duration of breastfeeding, and thus contribute to healthier infants. (BIRTH 25:2 June 1998)
Electromagnetic inverse problems involving distributions of dielectric mechanisms and parameters

Abstract : We consider electromagnetic interrogation problems for complex materials involving distributions of polarization mechanisms and also distributions for the parameters in these mechanisms. a theoretical and computational framework for such problems is given. Computational results for specific problems with multiple Debye mechanisms are given in the case of discrete, uniform, log-normal, and log-Bi-Gaussian distributions.
Pejibaye Palm: Physical and Chemical Analysis of the Fruit

The variability of the nutritional components of pejibaye fruit is fairly high and provides the impetus for further studies. These should be directed primarily toward the discovery of the highest possible carotene content associated with the least spines on the trunk.
Assessing the Relationship between Industry Characteristics and Organizational Culture: How Different can You Be?

This study investigated the relationship between two industry characteristics, technology and growth, and organizational culture. We examined this relationship by comparing the cultures of organizations within and across industries. Using 15 firms representing four industries in the service sector, we found that stable organizational culture dimensions existed and varied more across industries than within them. Specific cultural values were associated with levels of industry technology and growth. One implication of this finding is that the use of organizational culture as a competitive advantage may be more constrained than researchers and practitioners have suggested.
A Different Burden: Race and the Social Thought of Emily Greene Balch

Scientific racism bedeviled U.S. society during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Challenges to scientific racism came from different corners of modern society. Emily Greene Balch, Wellesley economist and prominent leader of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, served as a persistent critic of early twentieth-century racism. A study of her writing on immigration, U.S. democracy, and U.S. foreign policy on Haiti and Liberia complicates our understanding of the history of U.S. women's peace movements and of the challenges to U.S. racial discourse. Balch believed racism to be inimical to her efforts to move the world beyond nationalism and into an age of mutual humanity. Balch's three decades of work supports Peggy Pascoe's observation that the transition from scientific racism to modern ideas about race were not overnight occurrences or without contradictions. Balch's work also indicates that as historians continue to examine the dimensions of race that have so deeply defined the United States, the women's peace movement that developed in response to World War I deserves notice.
Porphyrin Tessellation by Design: Metal-Mediated Self-Assembly of Large Arrays and Tapes**

Twenty-one components self-assemble to form the large (ca. 25 nm2 ), planar porphyrin arrays of type 1: four dipyridylporphyrins, four tripyridylporphyrins, one tetrapyridylporphyrin, and twelve PdCl2 units.
Ziploc-ing the structure: Triple helix formation is coordinated by rough endoplasmic reticulum resident PPIases.

Abstract Background Protein folding is crucial for proteins' specific functions and is facilitated by various types of enzymes and molecular chaperones. The peptidyl prolyl cis/trans isomerases (PPIase) are one of these families of enzymes. They ubiquitously exist inside the cell and there are eight PPIases in the rough endoplasmic reticulum (rER), a compartment where the folding of most secreted proteins occurs. Scope of review We review the functional and structural aspects of individual rER resident PPIases. Furthermore, we specifically discuss the role of these PPIases during collagen biosynthesis, since collagen is the most abundant protein in humans, is synthesized in the rER, and contains a proportionally high number of proline residues. Major conclusions The rER resident PPIases recognize different sets of substrates and facilitate their folding. Although they are clearly catalysts for protein folding, they also have more broad and multifaceted functions. We propose that PPIases coordinate collagen biosynthesis in the rER. General significance This review expands our understanding of collagen biosynthesis by explaining the influence of novel indirect mechanisms of regulating folding and this is also explored for PPIases. We also suggest future directions of research to obtain a better understanding of collagen biosynthesis and functions of PPIases in the rER. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Proline-directed Foldases: Cell Signaling Catalysts and Drug Targets.
Theorizing global community as cultural home in the new century

Abstract The emergence of global society does not necessarily mean that a new sense of community will follow. A new sense of community must be cultivated in order to transform human society into a cohesive global community in the new century. This theoretical paper further argues that this global community can be and should be treated as the new cultural home of human beings. The author first conceptualizes the concept of “home” and then employs four key concepts, including the contextuality of intercultural communication, boundary game, boundary wisdom, and global ethics, to theorize the global community as the new cultural home. The paper concludes with delineating future challenges regarding research on the global community.
Preventive or late administration of anti-NGF therapy attenuates tumor-induced nerve sprouting, neuroma formation and cancer pain

Abstract Early, preemptive blockade of nerve growth factor (NGF)/tropomyosin receptor kinase A (TrkA) attenuates tumor-induced nerve sprouting and bone cancer pain. A critical unanswered question is whether late blockade of NGF/TrkA can attenuate cancer pain once NGF-induced nerve sprouting and neuroma formation has occurred. By means of a mouse model of prostate cancer-induced bone pain, anti-NGF was either administered preemptively at day 14 after tumor injection when nerve sprouting had yet to occur, or late at day 35, when extensive nerve sprouting had occurred. Animals were humanely killed at day 70 when, in vehicle-treated animals, significant nerve sprouting and neuroma formation was present in the tumor-bearing bone. Although preemptive and sustained administration (days 14–70) of anti-NGF more rapidly attenuated bone cancer nociceptive behaviors than late and sustained administration (days 35–70), by day 70 after tumor injection, both preemptive and late administration of anti-NGF significantly reduced nociceptive behaviors, sensory and sympathetic nerve sprouting, and neuroma formation. In this model, as in most cancers, the individual cancer cell colonies have a limited half-life because they are constantly proliferating, metastasizing, and undergoing necrosis as the parent cancer cell colony outgrows its blood supply. Similarly, the sensory and sympathetic nerve fibers that innervate the tumor undergo sprouting at the viable/leading edge of the parent tumor, degenerate as the parent cancer cell colony becomes necrotic, and resprout in the viable, newly formed daughter cell colonies. These results suggest that preemptive or late-stage blockade of NGF/TrkA can attenuate nerve sprouting and cancer pain.
Ichnology of an ephemeral lacustrine/alluvial plain system: Jurassic East Berlin Formation, Hartford Basin, USA

A trace fossil assemblage from the Lower Jurassic East Berlin Formation of the Newark Supergroup, Hartford Basin, New England, USA, includes: Scoyenia gracilis, Skolithos ichnosp., Palaeophycus striatus, Planolites montanus, Fuersichnus ichnosp., fusiform burrows, pelleted material, an escape structure, and large burrows. This assemblage is assigned to the Scoyenia ichnofacies. Specific lebensspuren are not limited to specific lithofacies; instead, their initial distribution seems to have been influenced principally by water availability within an ephemeral lacustrine/alluvial plain system. Other factors in distribution may have included amounts of organic matter, patterns of sedimentation, sediment grain size, biotic factors (settling from invertebrate drift, competition), and additional abiotic factors (wind deflation, waves, currents, desiccation, soft‐sediment deformation, evaporite formation, pedoturbation). Extreme environmental conditions within the original depositional setting strongly influenced...
Thyroid-associated orbitopathy: Current insights into the pathophysiology, immunology and management.

Half the patients suffering from Graves’ disease develop thyroid-associated orbitopathy (TAO). The severity of TAO varies considerably with a mild form characterized by dry eyes and discomfort to the severe form with sight-threatening exposure keratopathy and optic neuropathy. The pathogenesis and immunologic mechanisms underlying Graves’ disease and TAO is unknown, however, advances toward this understanding have indicated a prominent role of orbital fibroblasts, T cells and B cells. These advances have led to novel strategies for clinical treatment using immunomodulatory modalities. Initial results included use of infliximab and etanercept (anti-TNF agents), but currently there is an increasing interest in anti-B cell (Rituximab) therapy. Rituximab has shown promising results in progressive, sight-threatening TAO. It has also shown encouraging results in halting or slowing the disease process in patients unresponsive to corticosteroids. The primary advantage of these immunomodulatory agents is based upon targeting the molecular mediators of the disease and avoiding the potential side effects of non-specific therapies.
Assessment of the biomechanical properties of porcine cornea after UV cross-linking at different intraocular pressures

In this study we demonstrate the use of phase-stabilized swept-source optical coherence elastography (PhS-SSOCE) to assess the biomechanical properties of porcine corneas before and after collagen cross-linking (CXL) at different intraocular pressures by measuring the velocity of an air-pulse induced elastic wave and recovery process rate of an air-pulse induced deformation. Young’s moduli were estimated by two different methods: the shear wave equation and a newly developed elasticity reconstruction model. The results show that the corneas became stiffer after the CXL treatment, as evidenced by the increased elastic wave velocity and recovery process rate and greater Young’s modulus. This non-contact and noninvasive measurement technique utilizes minimal force for excitation (deformation less than 10 μm in amplitude) of the tissue. Thus, it can be potentially used to study the biomechanical properties of ocular and other delicate tissues.
Composing schema mappings: second-order dependencies to the rescue

A schema mapping is a specification that describes how data structured under one schema (the source schema) is to be transformed into data structured under a different schema (the target schema). Schema mappings play a key role in numerous areas of database systems, including database design, information integration, and model management. A fundamental problem in this context is composing schema mappings: given two successive schema mappings, derive a schema mapping between the source schema of the first and the target schema of the second that has the same effect as applying successively the two schema mappings.In this paper, we give a rigorous semantics to the composition of schema mappings and investigate the definability and computational complexity of the composition of two schema mappings. We first study the important case of schema mappings in which the specification is given by a finite set of source-to-target tuple-generating dependencies (source-to-target tgds). We show that the composition of a finite set of full source-to-target tgds with a finite set of tgds is always definable by a finite set of source-to-target tgds, but the composition of a finite set of source-to-target tgds with a finite set of full source-to-target tgds may not be definable by any set (finite or infinite) of source-to-target tgds; furthermore, it may not be definable by any formula of least fixed-point logic, and the associated composition query may be NP-complete. After this, we introduce a class of existential second-order formulas with function symbols, which we call second-order tgds, and make a case that they are the "right" language for composing schema mappings. To this effect, we show that the composition of finite sets of source-to-target tgds is always definable by a second-order tgd. Moreover, the composition of second-order tgds is also definable by a second-order tgd. Our second-order tgds allow equalities, even though the "obvious" way to define them does not require equalities. Allowing equalities in second-order tgds turns out to be of the essence, because we show that second-order tgds without equalities are not sufficiently expressive to define even the composition of finite sets of source-to-target tgds. Finally, we show that second-order tgds possess good properties for data exchange. In particular. the chase procedure can be extended to second-order tgds so that it produces polynomial-time computable universal solutions in data exchange settings specified by second-order tgds.
Induction and repression of microsomal mixed-function oxidases and cytochrome P-450 in resistant and susceptible houseflies

Abstract Various types of compounds, such as barbiturates, insecticides, food antioxidants, and synergists, were examined for their effects on the cytochrome P-450 and the mixed-function oxidase activity of insecticide-resistant and susceptible houseflies. Phenobarbital, butylated hydroxytoluene, and triphenylphosphate, among others, were found to increase the level of cytochrome P-450 and to induce microsomal oxidase activity. Compounds such as piperonyl butoxide and trichlorophenyl-2-propynyl ether, which exhibited synergistic activity with Baygon against resistant houseflies, markedly repressed cytochrome P-450 and inhibited oxidase activity. Two types of CO-binding pigments were found among the seven strains of flies studied. Six strains showed a Soret peak at 452 mμ, and the most resistant strain had a characteristic peak at 448 mμ. Inhibitors of P-448 elicited a spectral shift from 448 to 452 mμ but did not affect the spectral characteristics of cytochrome P-452.
Enhanced V oc in InAs quantum-dot Based p-i-n solar cells using a non-alternating strain-balancing epitaxial growth method

A newly devised misfit management method was used to deftly balance the lattice strain in an InAs quantum dot (QD) based In 0.15 Ga 0.85 As p-i-n device. The photovoltaic behavior under AM0 conditions exhibited higher V oc and lower J sc in the QD-based device as compared to a control p-n device without quantum dots. To our knowledge, both of these observations are new and seemingly conflict with some of the current understanding of quantum-dot-based PV device physics. The PV behavior under infrared illumination confirms that the quantum-confined carriers of the InAs islands in the intrinsic region contribute to the photocurrent.