cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Application of Real Field Connected Vehicle Data for Aggressive Driving Identification on Horizontal Curves

The emerging technology of connected vehicles generates a vast amount of data that could be used to enhance roadway safety. In this paper, we focused on safety applications of a real field connected vehicle data on a horizontal curve. The database contains connected vehicle data that were collected on public roads in Ann Arbor, Michigan with instrumented vehicles. Horizontal curve negotiations are associated with a great number of accidents, which are mainly attributed to driving errors. Aggressive/risky driving is a contributing factor to the high rate of crashes on horizontal curves. Using basic safety message data in connected vehicle data set, this paper modeled aggressive/risky driving while negotiating a horizontal curve. The model was developed using the machine learning method of random forest to classify the value of time to lane crossing (TLC), a proxy for aggressive/risky driving, based on a set of motion-related metrics as features. Three scenarios were investigated considering different TLCs value for tagging aggressive driving moments. The model contributed to high detection accuracy in all three scenarios. This suggests that the motion-related variables used in the random forest model can accurately reflect drivers’ instantaneous decisions and identify their aggressive driving behavior. The results of this paper inform the design of warning/feedback systems and control assistance from unsafe events which are transmittable through vehicles-to-vehicles and vehicles-to-infrastructure applications.
The use of John Smith’s “The Sea Marke” in Charles Olson’s “Letter 15”

In “Letter 15” from the first volume of The Maximus Poems, Charles Olson quotes Captain John Smith’s poem “The Sea Marke” in full—a poem that had served as the preface to the last book Smith publis...
Patient safety climate in hospitals: act locally on variation across units.

Article-at-a-Glance Background An appreciation of how human factors affect patient safety has led to development of safety climate surveys and recommendations that hospitals regularly assess safety attitudes among caregivers. A better understanding of variation in patient safety climate across units within hospitals would facilitate internal efforts to improve safety climate. A study was conducted to assess the extent and nature of variation in safety climate across units within an academic medical center. Methods The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Hospital Survey of Patient Safety was administered in 2008 to all nurses and attending physicians (N = 4,283) in a 900-bed acute care hospital (overall response rate, 69% [n = 2,961]). Responses were analyzed from the 2,163 physicians and nurses (73% of respondents) who could be assigned to one specific clinical unit. Results were examined for 57 units, categorized into six types. Results Ratings of various safety climate domains differed markedly across the 57 units, with the percentage reporting a safety grade of excellent ranging from 0% to 50%. The overall percentage of positive ratings was lower for the operating and emergency unit types than for inpatient medical and other clinical units. Even within the six unit types, substantial variation across individual units was evident. Unlike previous findings, physicians reported more negative ratings than nurses for some safety climate dimensions. Conclusions Safety climate may vary markedly within hospitals. Assessments of safety climate and educational and other interventions should anticipate considerable variation across units within individual hospitals. Furthermore, clinicians at individual hospitals may offer different relative perceptions of the safety climate than their professional peers at other hospitals.
Auxin, Macromolecular Repressors and the Development of Isoperoxidases in Cultured Tobacco Pith

The inductive and repressive actions of the plant growth hormone, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) on a peroxidase-based enzyme system which may control endogenous levels of IAA have been described in detail (Galston, Lavee & Siegel, 1968). In this paper we show that the repressive effect of IAA may be duplicated by a macromolecular fraction extracted from the tissue. Such a fraction may be under the direct control of IAA, and could represent the mechanism through which the hormone affects the enzyme activity.
Wildfire Early Warning System Based on Wireless Sensors and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Wildfires erupt annually around the world causing serious loss of life and property damage. Despite the rapid progress of science and technology, there are no effective means to forecast wildfires....
Linguistic markers of autism in girls: evidence of a “blended phenotype” during storytelling

Narrative abilities are linked to social impairment in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), such that reductions in words about cognitive processes (e.g., think, know) are thought to reflect underlying deficits in social cognition, including Theory of Mind. However, research suggests that typically developing (TD) boys and girls tell narratives in sex-specific ways, including differential reliance on cognitive process words. Given that most studies of narration in ASD have been conducted in predominantly male samples, it is possible that prior results showing reduced cognitive processing language in ASD may not generalize to autistic girls. To answer this question, we measured the relative frequency of two kinds of words in stories told by autistic girls and boys: nouns (words that indicate object-oriented storytelling) and cognitive process words (words like think and know that indicate mentalizing or attention to other peoples’ internal states). One hundred two verbally fluent school-aged children [girls with ASD (N = 21) and TD (N = 19), and boys with ASD (N = 41) and TD (N = 21)] were matched on age, IQ, and maternal education. Children told a story from a sequence of pictures, and word frequencies (nouns, cognitive process words) were compared. Autistic children of both sexes consistently produced a greater number of nouns than TD controls, indicating object-focused storytelling. There were no sex differences in cognitive process word use in the TD group, but autistic girls produced significantly more cognitive process words than autistic boys, despite comparable autism symptom severity. Thus, autistic girls showed a unique narrative profile that overlapped with autistic boys and typical girls/boys. Noun use correlated significantly with parent reports of social symptom severity in all groups, but cognitive process word use correlated with social ability in boys only. This study extends prior research on autistic children’s storytelling by measuring sex differences in the narratives of a relatively large, well-matched sample of children with and without ASD. Importantly, prior research showing that autistic children use fewer cognitive process words is true for boys only, while object-focused language is a sex-neutral linguistic marker of ASD. These findings suggest that sex-sensitive screening and diagnostic methods—preferably using objective metrics like natural language processing—may be helpful for identifying autistic girls, and could guide the development of future personalized treatment strategies.
Review of Treatment for Central Spinal Neuropathic Pain and Its Effect on Quality of Life: Implications for Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder

Abstract Objectives Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) causes disabling and persistent central neuropathic pain (NP). Because the pain syndrome in NMOSD is severe and often intractable to analgesic treatment, it interferes with quality of life in patients. No interventional trials have been published looking at response to interventions for pain in NMOSD. This is a synthesis of the literature surveying the impact on quality of life of interventions in all mechanisms of central spinal NP. This review has important implications for management of pain in NMOSD. Methods and Data Sources A systematic database search was conducted using PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL Plus with keywords including “spinal cord,” “quality of life,” and “neuropathic pain” in an attempt to identify original research that targeted spinal NP treatment and used quality of life as an outcome measure. Both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatments were sought out. Results Twenty-one studies meeting our eligibility criteria were identified and evaluated, 13 using pharmacologic treatments and 8 using nonpharmacologic interventions. Overall, sample sizes were modest, and effects on decreasing pain and/or improving quality of life were suboptimal. Conclusions This review provides researchers with a foundation from which to start a more thorough and thoughtful investigation into the management of NP in NMOSD and underscores the importance of including quality of life as a clinically meaningful outcome measure.
Unintentional error in formula preparation and its simulated impact on infant weight and adiposity

Background Accelerated weight gain in infancy is a public health issue and is likely due to feeding behaviours. Objectives To test the accuracy of individuals to dispense infant formula as compared with recommended serving sizes and to estimate the effect of dispensing inaccuracy on infant growth. Methods Fifty-three adults dispensed infant formula powder for three servings of 2, 4, 6, and 8 fl oz bottles, in random order. The weight of dispensed infant formula powder was compared with the recommended serving size weight on the nutrition label. A novel mathematical model was used to estimate the impact of formula dispensing on infant weight and adiposity. Results Nineteen percent of bottles (20 of 636) prepared contained the recommended amount of infant formula powder. Three percent were underdispensed, and 78% of bottles were overdispensed, resulting in 11% additional infant formula powder. Mathematical modelling feeding 11% above energy requirements exclusively for 6 months for male and female infants suggested infants at the 50th percentile for weight at birth would reach the 75th percentile with increased adiposity by 6 months. Conclusions Inaccurate measurement of infant formula powder and overdispensing, which is highly prevalent, specifically, may contribute to rapid weight gain and increased adiposity in formula-fed infants.
The nonreceptor tyrosine kinase SYK drives caspase-8/NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated autoinflammatory osteomyelitis

Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO) in humans can be modeled in Pstpip2cmo mice, which carry a missense mutation in the proline–serine–threonine phosphatase–interacting protein 2 (Pstpip2) gene. As cmo disease in mice, the experimental model analogous to human CRMO, is mediated specifically by IL-1β and not by IL-1α, delineating the molecular pathways contributing to pathogenic IL-1β production is crucial to developing targeted therapies. In particular, our earlier findings support redundant roles of NLR family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) and caspase-1 with caspase-8 in instigating cmo. However, the signaling components upstream of caspase-8 and pro-IL-1β cleavage in Pstpip2cmo mice are not well-understood. Therefore, here we investigated the signaling pathways in these mice and discovered a central role of a nonreceptor tyrosine kinase, spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK), in mediating osteomyelitis. Using several mutant mouse strains, immunoblotting, and microcomputed tomography, we demonstrate that absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2), receptor-interacting serine/ threonine protein kinase 3 (RIPK3), and caspase recruitment domain–containing protein 9 (CARD9) are each dispensable for osteomyelitis induction in Pstpip2cmo mice, whereas genetic deletion of Syk completely abrogates the disease phenotype. We further show that SYK centrally mediates signaling upstream of caspase-1 and caspase-8 activation and principally up-regulates NF-κB and IL-1β signaling in Pstpip2cmo mice, thereby inducing cmo. These results provide a rationale for directly targeting SYK and its downstream signaling components in CRMO.
A note on Onicescu's informational energy and correlation coefficient in exponential families.

The informational energy of Onicescu is a positive quantity that measures the amount of uncertainty of a random variable like Shannon's entropy. In this note, we report closed-form formula for Onicescu's informational energy and correlation coefficient when the densities belong to an exponential family. We also report as a byproduct a closed-form formula for the Cauchy-Schwarz divergence between densities of an exponential family.
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Unhealthy Eating in Populations with Obesity

Objective This study aimed to examine the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on patronage to unhealthy eating establishments in populations with obesity. Methods Anonymized movement data accounting for roughly 10% of devices in the United States at 138,989 unhealthy eating locations from December 1, 2019, through April 2020 and the percentage of adults with obesity, the poverty rate, and the food environment index in 65% of United States counties were collected and merged. A cluster corrected Poisson spline regression was performed predicting patronage by day, the percentage of adults with obesity in the establishment's county, the county's poverty rate, and its food environment index, as well as their interactions. Results Patronage to unhealthy eating establishments was higher where there was a higher percentage of the adult population with obesity. A similar pattern was observed for counties with a lower food environment index. These disparities appear to have increased as the COVID-19 pandemic spread. Conclusions These results suggest unhealthy eating patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic are higher in already at-risk populations. Policy makers can use these findings to motivate interventions and programs aimed at increasing healthy food intake in at-risk communities during crises.
EyeDose: An open-source tool for using published Monte Carlo results to estimate the radiation dose delivered to the tumor and critical ocular structures for 125I Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study eye plaques

Abstract Purpose Radiation side effects and visual outcome for uveal melanoma patients managed with plaque radiotherapy are dependent on the radiation dose administered to the tumor and nearby healthy tissues. We have developed an open-source software tool, EyeDose, to simplify and standardize tumor and critical structure dose reporting for Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study eye plaques. Methods and Materials EyeDose is a MATLAB-based program that calculates point dose and volume dose metrics for standard models of the tumor and critical ocular structures. It uses published three-dimensional dose distributions for eye plaques, calculated with Monte Carlo methods, which are oriented with respect to the eye using the tumor's position on a fundus diagram. A standard model for the ocular structures was created using published measurements and patient CT scans. EyeDose reports radiation statistics for the fovea, optic disc, lens, lacrimal gland, retina, and tumor. The dosimetric margin for implant placement uncertainty is also calculated. Results EyeDose calculations were validated against previously published Monte Carlo results for eight different tumor positions, including the dose to the fovea, optic disc, lacrimal gland, lens, and along the central axis. EyeDose accepts a spreadsheet input for rapidly processing large retrospective patient data sets, with an average run time of Conclusions EyeDose calculates radiation statistics for Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study eye plaque patients with Monte Carlo accuracy and without a treatment planning system. EyeDose streamlines data collection for large retrospective studies and can also be used prospectively to assess plaque applicability.
All-optical sampling of few-cycle infrared pulses using tunneling in a solid

Recent developments in ultrafast laser technology have resulted in novel few-cycle sources in the mid-infrared. Accurately characterizing the time-dependent intensities and electric field waveforms of such laser pulses is essential to their applications in strong-field physics and attosecond pulse generation, but this remains a challenge. Recently, it was shown that tunnel ionization can provide an ultrafast temporal “gate” for characterizing high-energy few-cycle laser waveforms capable of ionizing air. Here, we show that tunneling and multiphoton excitation in a dielectric solid can provide a means to measure lower-energy and longer-wavelength pulses, and we apply the technique to characterize microjoule-level near- and mid-infrared pulses. The method lends itself to both all-optical and on-chip detection of laser waveforms, as well as single-shot detection geometries.
A General Multiple Distributed Lag Framework for Estimating the Dynamic Effects of Promotions

Game attendance resulting from ticket sales is the single largest revenue stream for Major League Baseball (MLB) teams. We propose a general multiple distributed lag framework following the Koyck family of models for estimating MLB attendance drivers and focus specifically on the differential direct and carryover effects of in-game promotions. By setting various model constraints, the proposed framework incorporates different forms of serial correlation and promotion-specific dynamic effects. Using information model-selection heuristics, we select an optimal model of attendance drivers for the Pittsburgh Pirates' 2010–2012 MLB seasons. We demonstrate that our newly proposed model with an unrestricted serial correlation structure performs best. We find that although kids promotions have the highest direct effect on attendance, giveaway and entertainment promotions have substantial carryover effects and the largest total effects. We use our results to optimize the Pirates' promotional schedule and find that a reallocation of resources across promotional categories can increase profits between 39% and 88%.
String Method with Swarms-of-Trajectories, Mean Drifts, Lag Time, and Committor

The kinetics of a dynamical system comprising two metastable states is formulated in terms of a finite-time propagator in phase space (position and velocity) adapted to the underdamped Langevin equation. Dimensionality reduction to a subspace of collective variables yields familiar expressions for the propagator, committor, and steady-state flux. A quadratic expression for the steady-state flux between the two metastable states can serve as a robust variational principle to determine an optimal approximate committor expressed in terms of a set of collective variables. The theoretical formulation is exploited to clarify the foundation of the string method with swarms-of-trajectories, which relies on the mean drift of short trajectories to determine the optimal transition pathway. It is argued that the conditions for Markovity within a subspace of collective variables may not be satisfied with an arbitrary short time-step and that proper kinetic behaviors appear only when considering the effective propagator for longer lag times. The effective propagator with finite lag time is amenable to an eigenvalue-eigenvector spectral analysis, as elaborated previously in the context of position-based Markov models. The time-correlation functions calculated by swarms-of-trajectories along the string pathway constitutes a natural extension of these developments. The present formulation provides a powerful theoretical framework to characterize the optimal pathway between two metastable states of a system.
MO-G-304-03: Development of Knowledge Models for IMRT Treatment Planning Utilizing a Rapid Learning Approach

Purpose: We present an implementation of the knowledge-based planning method utilizing a rapid learning approach which enables the accurate evolution of models as new data are collected during daily clinical practice. Methods: The efficacy of knowledge-based planning depends on the accuracy of the knowledge models. Existing methods for knowledge modeling are all based on batch training approach using a static set of training cases. In this study, we investigate a rapid learning approach to train the models using plans from daily clinical practice. A base knowledge model is first established from an existing database. Then each subsequent case continuously evaluates and updates the knowledge model. At each step, evaluation criteria including the studentized residual and the leverage are calculated. They are used to identify outliers from the current model and their causes. Different learning actions are triggered by these criteria. The efficiency and accuracy of the learning approach is quantified by the learning curve. As an initial validation, 100 cases in the pelvic region, including low-to-intermediate risk (n=40), high risk (n=20) prostate, and anorectal (n=40) cases are used. The model-predicted generalized equivalent uniform dose (gEUD) for bladder and rectum are compared with clinical values by a bootstrap validation method. Results: The Median Absolute Differences between the predicted OAR gEUD and the clinical values in all three types of cases gradually decrease as increasing number of training cases are added in training. The knowledge models learned by this method reach comparable level of prediction accuracy at 2.1% of prescription dose as in batch training mode but with less training cases. Conclusion: The rapid learning approach facilitates incremental learning of knowledge models from clinical cases of multiple cancer types with improved efficiency. This approach will realize effective implementation of knowledge-based planning in clinics where new cases and cancer types continue to accumulate. Partially supported by NIH/NCI under grant #R21CA161389 and a master research grant by Varian Medical Systems.
An Unrecognized Dietary Factor for Guinea Pigs Associated with the Fibrous Fractions of Plant Products

The growth rate of guinea pigs was used to assess the nutritional value of plant materials and to characterize the active component(s). Weanlings were fed for 28 days a purified diet based on soybean protein. Addition of 10 to 20% of wood pulp improved the growth rate beyond that supported by 0 to 5%. Subsequently, the basal diet contained 15% of wood cellulose. Raw cabbage, ad libitum, 5% of wheat straw and 5% of mature alfalfa, collected and dried in the laboratory, increased growth rate significantly. Several other plant products tested were inactive. Holocellulose (2.5%) prepared from alfalfa improved the growth rate while that from cabbage was minimally active. Afalfa holocellulose fractions enriched in hemicellulose and alpha-cellulose were inactive. Lyophilized cabbage and the residue which remained after extraction of frozen raw cabbage with ethyl acetate and acetone stimulated growth when fed at a level of 10%. Treatment of holocellulose with KOH, with pancreatin at pH 8 or with 0.1 m KHCO3 caused loss of activity. Storage of dry alfalfa meal for a period of 1 year resulted in loss of activity. It is concluded that a labile component of alfalfa associated with the fibrous fraction confers unique nutritional value to the fiber. Cabbage also contains a labile growth stimulant which may be associated with the fibrous fraction.
Viewer-Patient Confidentiality: Commodification of Illness in Contemporary U.S. Medical Reality Television

Television has become a central part of the lifestyles of people across the United States. However, just like the evolution of technology, the content filtered through television has taken a new form. Now, more than ever before, the health conditions of real people are broadcasted nationwide. The commitment and confidentiality held sacred between doctor and patient now includes a third party, the American television viewer. Producers, advertisers, and others have found a way to profit from putting the illnesses and health conditions of individuals on display, a phenomenon this paper refers to asÂ commodification of illness. What does this growing trend say about changing people relations and the importance of privacy in society? This paper hopes to explore this question and more. I would like to thank Professor Hank Greely for his support and guidance throughout this process.
Dynamic address compression schemes: a performance, energy, and cost study

Dynamic address compression schemes that exploit address locality can help reduce both address bus energy and cost simultaneously with only a small performance penalty. In this work, we investigate two such schemes and determine their optimal parameters that result in the highest area/cost reductions and least performance penalty for various address buses (both on- and off-chip) in current systems. For addresses compressed with these schemes, we study energy reduction of buses in current and future nanometer technology nodes. Our study uses the cycle-accurate simulator for the Alpha 21264 processor called sim-alpha for performance estimation and accurate interconnect models considering inter-wire capacitances for bus energy estimation. Results show that using address compression results in only small performance overheads (less than 1% for compressing a 38-bit bus to 14 bits) and reduce bus energy dissipation by as much as 13% when applied to on-chip buses in current technologies.
Chapter 26 Moral hazard

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses moral hazard. The principal–agent relationship embodies a special form of moral hazard, which can be called “one-sided,” but moral hazard can also be “many-sided.” The paradigmatic model of many-sided moral hazard is the partnership in which there are many agents but no principal. The output of the partnership depends jointly on the actions of the partners and on the stochastic environment; each partner observes only the output (and his or her own action) but not the actions of the other partners or the environment. This engenders a free-rider problem. As in the case of principal–agent relationships, a partnership, too, may last many periods. The chapter presents the principal–agent model formally and describes some salient features of optimal principal–agent contracts when the relationship lasts a single period. In a large class of cases, equilibrium in the one-period game is Pareto-inefficient. This is a well-known problem in providing risk-averse agent insurance while simultaneously giving the agent the incentives to take, from the principal's perspective, appropriate actions. The chapter also discusses other properties of static contracts such as monotonicity of the agent's compensation in observed profits.
Teaching Religion in the Deep South

The purpose of this paper is to generate discussion about the teaching and learning sociology and religious studies using the “study in depth” method. In addition, the author shares with readers how one course, and a specific set of readings contributed to a department’s overall plan for study in depth in sociology. Study in depth is defined as the comprehension of “a complex structure of knowledge” (Association of American Colleges). It uses a multidisciplinary approach that is vital to teaching and learning sociology, religious studies, and other subjects. Sociology of Religion at this university is an upper-division elective for sociology majors and minors, religious studies minors (there is no religious studies major), and general studies majors (concentration in culture and society; and in religious studies). Introduction to Sociology is a prerequisite for Sociology of Religion. Since this course is not required, the majority of students who enroll in it do so because they have a genuine interest in it. Monographs can be incorporated into a variety of social science and religious studies courses to facilitate study in depth. The use of research monographs can foster deep learning and enable students to become highly informed learners who are capable of critical thinking.
Restaurantes, snack, bares y tiendas al menudeo familiares: su contribución al ingreso y al empleo en Lima

El conocimiento de la economia tiende a fomentar una vision mas abs- tracta de lo que es o no relevante en la produccion.’ Aquellos simpatizantes con la perspectiva neoclasica tienden a poner enfasis solamente en lo que es tangible -trigo, textiles, petroleo, acero- hasta el punto donde, en algunas economias planificadas en forma centralista, nada‘mas cuenta en absoluto. PMB -0 producto material bruto-, y no el PNB, es el nombre del plan. En- tre los politicos de Occidente y de muchos paises del Tercer Mundo, se en- cuentran indicios de tal modo de pensar, en la preferencia de mantener gran. jeras y fabricas antes que servicios, especialmente tiendas al menudeo, pues- tos de refrescos y comidas. Lo logico parece ser que las tiendas y cafes se es- tablecen facilmente en el propio domicilio y que su producto marginal debe ser, en consecuencia, bajo. Se cree que cualquier recurso dedicado a estas actividades no agrega ningun valor al producto basico. La venta al menudeo o de comidas en las propias viviendas es, en el mejor de los casos, considera- da de caracter redistributivo, y en el peor de los casos, una actividad para- sitaria.
Testation and Speech

Courts, scholars, and lawyers think of testation — the creation of a will or a trust — as a transfer of wealth. As a result, they analogize the field of decedents’ estates to property, contract, and corporate law: other spheres that regulate the use, conveyance, and investment of assets. Conversely, this Article identifies a quality that makes testation unique: it is a singular form of self-expression. For instance, conditional gifts, charitable bequests, and other posthumous directives often communicate a testator’s or settlor’s deeply-felt views. Likewise, owners’ distributional choices can be profoundly revelatory: by rewarding some beneficiaries and snubbing others, they offer a final assessment of their lives, their loved ones, and the world. Recognizing testation’s expressive impact has broad implications. For one, there has long been consensus that the Constitution does not apply to limits on testamentary freedom. However, because testation is a “speech act,” some wills and trusts rules, such as the doctrine of undue influence, must satisfy the First Amendment. Moreover, conceptualizing testation as speech bolsters the normative case for testamentary freedom and cuts against the grain of recent developments in decedents’ estates. In the last decade, the rise of law and economics and an unprecedented intergenerational wealth transfer have inspired a series of doctrinal changes that shift power away from testators and settlors in order to enhance the value of the estate. This new fixation on profit maximization overlooks the virtues of testamentary self-expression — the fact that it facilitates autonomy and self-determination — and reflects an impoverished vision of wills and trusts law.
Exploring the Transcriptome Landscape of Pomegranate Fruit Peel for Natural Product Biosynthetic Gene and SSR Marker Discovery

Pomegranate fruit peel is rich in bioactive plant natural products, such as hydrolyzable tannins and anthocyanins. Despite their documented roles in human nutrition and fruit quality, genes involved in natural product biosynthesis have not been cloned from pomegranate and very little sequence information is available on pomegranate in the public domain. Shotgun transcriptome sequencing of pomegranate fruit peel cDNA was performed using RNA-Seq on the Illumina Genome Analyzer platform. Over 100 million raw sequence reads were obtained and assembled into 9,839 transcriptome assemblies (TAs) (>200 bp). Candidate genes for hydrolyzable tannin, anthocyanin, flavonoid, terpenoid and fatty acid biosynthesis and/or regulation were identified. Three lipid transfer proteins were obtained that may contribute to the previously reported IgE reactivity of pomegranate fruit extracts. In addition, 115 SSR markers were identified from the pomegranate fruit peel transcriptome and primers were designed for 77 SSR markers. The pomegranate fruit peel transcriptome set provides a valuable platform for natural product biosynthetic gene and SSR marker discovery in pomegranate. This work also demonstrates that next-generation transcriptome sequencing is an economical and effective approach for investigating natural product biosynthesis, identifying genes controlling important agronomic traits, and discovering molecular markers in non-model specialty crop species.
Modeling the user's plans and goals

This work is an ongoing research effort aimed both at developing techniques for inferring and constructing a user model from an information-seeking dialog and at identifying strategies for applying this model to enhance robust communication. One of the most important components of a user model is a representation of the system's beliefs about the underlying task-related plan motivating an information-seeker's queries. These beliefs can be used to interpret subsequent utterances and produce useful responses. This paper describes the IREPS system, emphasizing its dynamic construction of the task-related plan motivating the information-seeker's queries and the application of this component of a user model to handling utterances that violate the pragmatic rules of the system's world model. By reasoning on a model of the user's plans and goals, the system often can deduce the intended meaning of faulty utterances and allow the dialogue to continue without interruption. Some limitations of current plan inference systems are discussed. It is suggested that the problem of detecting and recovering from discrepancies between the system's model of the user's plan and the actual plan under construction by the user requires an enriched model that differentiates among its components on the basis of the support the system accords each component as a correct and intended part of the user's plan.
Group I metabotropic glutamate receptors are expressed in the chicken retina and by cultured retinal amacrine cells.

Glutamate is well established as an excitatory neurotransmitter in the vertebrate retina. Its role as a modulator of retinal function, however, is poorly understood. We used immunocytochemistry and calcium imaging techniques to investigate whether metabotropic glutamate receptors are expressed in the chicken retina and by identified GABAergic amacrine cells in culture. Antibody labeling for both metabotropic glutamate receptors 1 and 5 in the retina was consistent with their expression by amacrine cells as well as by other retinal cell types. In double-labeling experiments, most metabotropic glutamate receptor 1-positive cell bodies in the inner nuclear layer also label with anti-GABA antibodies. GABAergic amacrine cells in culture were also labeled by metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 and 5 antibodies. Metabotropic glutamate receptor agonists elicited Ca2+ elevations in cultured amacrine cells, indicating that these receptors were functionally expressed. Cytosolic Ca2+ elevations were enhanced by metabotropic glutamate receptor 1-selective antagonists, suggesting that metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 activity might normally inhibit the Ca2+ signaling activity of metabotropic glutamate receptor 5. These results demonstrate expression of group I metabotropic glutamate receptors in the avian retina and suggest that glutamate released from bipolar cells onto amacrine cells might act to modulate the function of these cells.
Uptake and Incorporation of Thymine, Thymidine, Uracil, Uridine, and 5-Fluorouracil into the Nucleic Acids of Bacillus subtilis

Bodmer, Walter F. (Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, Calif.), and Susan Grether. Uptake and incorporation of thymine, thymidine, uracil, uridine, and 5-fluorouracil into the nucleic acids of Bacillus subtilis. J. Bacteriol. 89:1011-1014. 1965.-From 55 to 95% of uracil, uridine, or 5-fluorouracil (FU) added to the culture medium is incorporated into the acid-insoluble fraction of cells of Bacillus subtilis strains SB 19 (prototroph) and SB 503 (FU-resistant). Thymine is poorly incorporated (less than 1%); thus, the incorporation of thymidine is limited (less than 12%) by the rapid degradation of the nucleoside to thymine, probably by the enzyme thymidine phosphorylase. Uracil, uridine, and FU were not incorporated into the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of either strain, whereas all the incorporated thymidine was found in the DNA.
Eating disorder risk, exercise dependence, and body weight dissatisfaction among female nutrition and exercise science university majors.

Background and Aims Past research has examined eating disorder risk among college students majoring in Nutrition and has suggested an increased risk, while other studies contradict these results. Exercise Science majors, however, have yet to be fully examined regarding their risk for eating disorders and exercise dependence. Based on pressures to fit the image associated with careers related to these two disciplines, research is warranted to examine the potential risk for both eating disorder and exercise dependence. The purpose of this study is to compare eating disorder risk, exercise dependence, and body weight dissatisfaction (BWD) between Nutrition and Exercise Science majors, compared to students outside of these career pathways. Methods Participants (n = 89) were divided into three groups based on major; Nutrition majors (NUTR; n = 31), Exercise Science majors (EXSC; n = 30), and other majors (CON; n = 28). Participants were given the EAT-26 questionnaire and the Exercise Dependence Scale. BWD was ...
Kinetics and mechanism of gas-carbon reactions: Conformation of etch pits, hydrogen inhibition and anisotropy in reactivity

An etch decoration/transmission electron microscopy study was performed on consecutive reactions of graphite with CO2 and H2O and on the inhibition of H2 in separate reactions with these gases. The results indicated that H2 chemisorption, at near 700°C, was preferred on the zig-zag {1010} face. It was also determined that the chemisorption was responsible for the anisotropy of reactivity on the two principal edge planes when H2 is present. This anisotropy was successfully used to explain the conformation of etch pits in all reactions observed to date. From the rate data on separate reactions of graphite with CO2 and H2O, both with added H2, the adsorption constant for H2 on the monolayer zig-zag plane at 700°C was calculated to be 96 and 71 atm−0.5, respectively. The agreement was satisfactory.
Measurement of the size distribution of liquid and solid aerosols by doppler shift spectroscopy

Abstract Particle Doppler shift spectroscopy (PDSS) is being used at NBS for measuring the size distribution of particles produced by aerosol generators, calibrating other types of particle sizing instruments, and studying the agglomeration, coalescence, evaporation, and condensation of liquid and solid aerosols. Size distributions of particles in the size range 0.5–50 μm can be measured in minutes or seconds. Number densities in the scattering volume from single particle to 105/cm3 can be handled. The technique at present has a precision of 0.05 μm. Measured sizes are accurate to 0.08 μm. Calculations of the Mie scattering function for materials of known refractive index serve to normalize the size distributions and provide instrument calibration from first principles. Light scattered out of a horizontally propagating laser beam by falling particles is collected at one angle in the vertical scattering plane. Beat frequencies in the photocurrent of the detector due to the Doppler shift of the radiation scattered by the settling aerosol are analyzed to determine particle velocities. The slip-corrected Stokes law settling velocity gives the particle's size for a known particle density, while the amplitude of the beat frequency component contains information on the number of particles of that size. Dioctylphthalate (DOP) aerosol produced by a Berglund-Liu vibrating orifice generator, polystyrene latex spheres, and powder samples have been studied thus far by the PDSS technique at NBS.
Boundary work: An interpretive ethnographic perspective on negotiating and leveraging cross-cultural identity

The complexity of global organizations highlights the importance of members’ ability to span diverse boundaries that may be defined by organization structures, national borders, and/or a variety of cultures associated with organization, nation-based societal and work cultures, industries, and/or professions. Based on ethnographic research in a Japan–US binational firm, the paper describes and analyzes the boundary role performance of the firm's Japanese members. It contributes toward theory on boundary spanning by introducing a “cultural identity negotiation” conceptual framework. We show boundary spanning as a process shaped through the interplay of the contextual issues that make a boundary problematic; an individual's multiple repertoires of cultural knowledge; and the individual boundary spanner's “negotiation”, through interaction with others, of his/her cultural identities – the sense of “who I am” as a cultural being that is fundamental to an individual's self-concept. At the same time, we make transparent the epistemological and methodological foundations of an interpretive ethnographic approach, demonstrating its value for understanding complex organizational processes. Research findings have practical implications for the selection and training of an organization's employees, particularly of persons who may be considered “bicultural”.
Prevalence of hepatitis A virus and hepatitis B virus immunity in patients with polymerase chain reaction-confirmed hepatitis C: implications for vaccination strategy.

Prevalence of hepatitis A virus and hepatitis B virus immunity in patients with polymerase chain reaction-confirmed hepatitis C: implications for vaccination strategy
α4β1 Integrin Activation of L-Type Calcium Channels in Vascular Smooth Muscle Causes Arteriole Vasoconstriction

A pathway for the regulation of vascular tone appears to involve coupling between integrins and extracellular matrix proteins or their fragments and the subsequent modulation of ion movement across the smooth muscle cell membrane. Here, we report that the activation of L-type voltage-activated Ca 2+ channels occurs through a novel interaction of α 4 β 1 integrin with peptides containing the Leu-Asp-Val (LDV) integrin–binding sequence, which is found in the CS-1 region of an alternately spliced fibronectin variant. Experiments were conducted on arterioles isolated from rat skeletal muscle. Arterioles exhibited sustained concentration-dependent vasoconstriction to LDV peptides but not to Leu-Glu-Val (LEV) control peptides. The constriction was associated with increased smooth muscle cell [Ca 2+ ] i , as measured by using fura 2. The response could be inhibited with a function-blocking anti–α 4 integrin antibody. Removal of the endothelium did not alter the vasoconstrictor response. Further experiments demonstrated that the vasoconstriction was abolished by the L-type Ca 2+ channel inhibitor nifedipine and the Src family kinase inhibitor PP2. In studies of isolated smooth muscle cells using whole-cell patch-clamp methods, the L-type current was enhanced by the LDV but not LEV peptide and was blocked by PP2 or antibodies to α 4 integrin. Collectively, these data indicate that activation of α 4 β 1 integrin leads to enhanced influx of Ca 2+ through L-type channels by activating a tyrosine kinase pathway, leading to vasoconstriction. Involvement of integrins in the modulation of vascular tone may be particularly important in vascular responses to mechanical signals, such as pressure and flow, and to tissue injury after damage to the extracellular matrix.
DNA strand break metabolism in human lymphocytes: A reevaluation

Recent findings concerning the presumed existence of single-strand breaks (SSB) in quiescent human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) are discussed in relation to the role of poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation in DNA strand break metabolism. It is argued that the activation of poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase (ADPRP) by a DNA-damaging agent is not indicative of an obligatory role of poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation in DNA repair. From this it follows that SSB induced by different strand-breaking agents might be removed by either ADPRP-dependent or ADPRP-independent DNA repair pathways.
Moon first versus flexible path exploration strategies: Considering international contributions

Abstract This paper analyses potential future collaborative space exploration architectures in terms of 1) the technical capabilities of contributing partners; and 2) the constraints imposed by internal and international politics. We find that when international partners are considered endogenously, the argument for a “flexible path” approach is weakened substantially. This is because international contributions can make “Moon first” economically feasible; and characteristics of proposed “flexible path” approaches may preclude international involvement because of the disproportionate risk that those contributions inherently bear. This could have serious implications for future collaborations. We also note that while there are multiple feasible collaborative architectures, there is currently substantial overlap among the potential niche contributions identified by the international partners.
Temporal induction of clusterin in the peri-infarct zone after experimental myocardial infarction in the rat

Clusterin, a glycoprotein with potent cellular cohesive properties, is induced in many organs at times of tissue injury or remodeling. After renal infarction, for example, clusterin is localized to tubular epithelial cells in the peri-infarct zone. The purpose of this study was to examine the spatial and temporal expression of cardiac clusterin after myocardial infarction. Sprague-Dawley rats underwent permanent coronary ligation or sham operation. Hearts were harvested at 6 hours and at 2, 14, and 28 days after infarction. Cardiac clusterin expression was examined by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. Left ventricular clusterin staining was evident at 6 hours and 2 days after myocardial infarction, although not at later time periods. Clusterin was localized to peri-infarct zone myocytes and endothelial cells of this region, and local synthesis of clusterin by myocytes was confirmed by in situ hybridization. Clusterin was not present in inflammatory cells or in left ventricular tissue distant from the infarct. The distribution of clusterin was different from the membrane attack complex of complement (C5b-9), with the latter being present diffusely throughout the infarct zone. Although the role of cardiac clusterin is not known, we speculate that clusterin's cohesive properties serve to promote myocyte interactions that are perturbed in the peri-infarct zone after myocardial infarction.