cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sepp Dietrich, Heinrich Himmler, and the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler , 1933–1938.

For Adolf Hitler the problem of constructing a loyal and reliable instrument of force for employment not only against external enemies but also for intra-party discipline was a frequently recurring one. In the summer of 1921 what was to become the Sturm Abteilungen (Storm Troops, “SA”) had its genesis under the camouflage of so-called “gymnastic societies.” The SA, however, soon developed into a mass organization with an internal dynamism of its own which sometimes operated in opposition to Hitler's own aims. Friction between Hitler and Ernst Roehm began, in fact, at least as early as 1925 and precipitated Roehm's temporary self-imposed exile in Bolivia. The problematical loyalty of the SA prompted Hitler during the general party reconstruction of that year to order the organization of a special troop under the command of one of his bodyguards, Julius Schreck. This new body, at first termed Stabswache (Staff Guard), was assigned the tasks of protecting Hitler and other prominent Nazi personages and, somewhat anomalously, of securing new party members and subscriptions to the Volkischer Beobachter. Other similar groups, always small and carefully selected, made their appearance and were accorded the collective designation Schutzstaffeln (Protection Squads, “SS”).
Proteomics in aquatic amphipods: can it be used to determine mechanisms of toxicity and interspecies responses after exposure to atrazine?

Proteomics has gained popularity in the field of ecotoxicology as a holistic tool for unraveling novel mechanisms of toxicity and elucidating subtle effects of contaminant exposure. The holoarctic amphipod Diporeia spp. is declining at precipitous rates in the Great Lakes, and we are evaluating the use of the well-studied amphipod model Hyalella azteca as a surrogate for Diporeia spp. This article presents proteomics data from both amphipod species exposed to atrazine (ATZ) and one of its metabolites, desethylatrazine (DEA; 3 and 30 µg/L for 21 and 42 d). We used a proteomics approach to determine whether these two species of amphipods responded similarly to the same chemicals and to understand better the mechanisms of toxicity of ATZ and DEA in aquatic invertebrates. We observed disruption in energy production and mitochondrial function as well as hormesis in exposed organisms. In addition, we identified a two proteins (GAPDH and HSP 90 kDa) that have been linked to hormonal disruptions, suggesting potential endocrine disruption. Finally, we found that H. azteca and Diporeia spp. responded with similar proteomic profiles after ATZ and DEA exposure, suggesting that H. azteca may be used as a surrogate model organism for Diporeia spp. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2011; 30:1197–1203. © 2011 SETAC
Effects of Mulching Blueberry Plants With Cranberry Fruits and Leaves On Yield, Nutrient Uptake and Weed Suppression

Integration of local organic wastes as mulches into farm production can provide waste management options and an alternative to landfilling. In 2000, cranberry growers needed ways to dispose of excess cranberries caused by overproduction and a federal regulation limiting the fruit's marketable production. This study examined the use of excess cranberry fruits and leaves as mulches on established blueberry plants. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of these novel mulches on established blueberry plant nutrient uptake, fruit yield, selected soil chemical properties and weed suppression. A randomized block design was set up and maintained for two years with four different mulch treatments (no mulch, 5.1cm cranberry fruit, 10.2-cm cranberry fruit and 10.2-cm cranberry leaves). Leaf tissue nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, S, B, Al), fruit yield and average fruit size, selected soil properties, weed biomass and number of weed types were determined. In the second year, the fruit y...
Categorical Data and Goodness-of-Fit

This chapter covers the building blocks of the analysis of categorical data. First we discuss the important random variables that are the basis of analysis — the binomial, Poisson, and multinomial distributions.
Important changes in microwave scattering properties of young snow-covered sea ice as indicated from dielectric modelling

Winter measurements of the properties of young snow-covered fast ice are input into a mixture model to calculate the complex dielectric constant. Large changes in the electromagnetic properties of the medium occur over the 46 day period of measurements. This early evolution of the surface is shown to have an important impact upon predicted radar backscattering properties at GHz frequencies. This has consequences for the unambiguous identification of young ice forms from synthetic aperture or side-looking airborne radar images.
Trajectories of Injection Drug Use Over 20 Years (1988–2008) in Baltimore, Maryland

The objective of this study was to identify longitudinal patterns of injection drug use over 20 years in the AIDS Linked to the Intravenous Experience (ALIVE) Study, a community-based cohort of injection drug users (IDUs) in Baltimore, Maryland, with a focus on injection cessation. Starting in 1988, persons over 18 years of age with a history of injection drug use were recruited into the study. Participants provided information on their injection drug use semiannually through 2008. The analysis was restricted to 1,716 IDUs with at least 8 study visits. Finite mixture models were used to identify trajectories and predictors of injection patterns over time. The mean age of participants was 35 years; 75% were male, and 95% were African-American. Five distinct patterns were identified: 2 usage patterns (32% engaged in persistent injection and 16% had frequent relapse) and 3 cessation patterns (early cessation (19%), delayed cessation (16%), and late cessation (18%)). A history of drug treatment, no recent use of multiple substances, and less frequent injection distinguished the early cessation group from the other groups. This study demonstrated multiple trajectories of drug injection behaviors, with a substantial proportion of IDUs stopping injection over extended time frames. For maximum effectiveness, public health programs for IDUs should be long-term, comprehensive, and targeted toward individual patterns of use.
Senate Confirmation and Foreign Policy

One of the most interesting uses which the Senate has made of its power to confirm Presidential appointments is directed towards the control of foreign policy.' This use of Senate confirmation seems to have been more effective during the early years of the republic, but is by no means insignificant today. The Senate was able in the early period to exert an important influence on foreign affairs when it passed upon Presidential appointments to foreign posts. The reason for this was that it frequently insisted on the right to determine for itself the need for the particular mission, and did not hesitate to reject the appointment if it believed the mission unnecessary. Since this was the formative period in American foreign relations, when missions were being established in various European countries for the first time, the Senate succeeded in this way in exerting an important influence on the actual conduct of foreign policy. Of course, this was not the only way in which the Senate controlled foreign policy. Obviously, through its power to approve treaties, it exercised a more important control over foreign relations; but, nevertheless, one is impressed by the strong use it made of its power to confirm as an auxiliary device for exercising such control.
Toward Geometric Visual Servoing

This paper presents a global diffeomorphism from a suitably defined "visible set" of rigid body configurations -- a subset of SE(3) -- to an image-space. The mapping between the visible set and the image-space is given by the projection of a set of features of a specially designed visual target. The target is a sphere marked with a feature point and a vector tangent to the sphere at the feature point. We show how the construction of a diffeomorphism to image-space should pave the way for developing global, dynamic visual servoing systems using Navigation Functions.
Performance of convolutional codes with diversity under worst case partial-band noise jamming

The performance of convolutional codes with diversity are analyzed under worst-case partial-band jamming. Various receiver structures and decoders that do not use any form of side information are considered and their performances are compared using Chernoff bounds. The performance of systems considered in the literature that use perfect side information are given for comparison purposes. It is shown that good robust soft metrics perform very close to square-law-combining metrics with perfect side information. The self-normalized metric performed especially well, with performance almost identical to that of the square-law-combining metric with perfect side information. >
Linkages among aquatic ecosystems

Abstract Aquatic ecosystems are almost invariably connected to other ecosystems because the dominant force of water movement facilitates physical, chemical, and biological exchanges among ecosystems. In this sense, we define an ecosystem linkage as any persistent or recurring process or attribute that connects different ecosystems in some manner. We argue that such linkages are integral, even defining, components of aquatic ecosystem structure and function, and therefore, should be evaluated in the course of ecological studies. J-NABS has made significant contributions to our understanding of such linkages. The percentage of all publications in J-NABS addressing some ecological linkage has approached 10% in recent years. Historically, emphasis was placed on upstream–downstream linkages in flowing waters, and theory (e.g., river continuum, nutrient spiraling) has evolved largely around this phenomenon. However, other linkages among ecosystems have received increased attention in the past 20 y. These linkag...
NostraXtalk: a predictive framework for accurate static timing analysis in udsm vlsi circuits

This paper presents a predictive framework for accurate static timing analysis in UDSM VLSI circuits. As technology scales to smaller dimensions, coupling capacitances are becoming a critical factor in signal integrity analysis. Coupling capacitances contribute to the noise and play a seminalrole in determining the timing windows of a circuit. Accuratean alysis of coupling effects is indispensable for meaning fulstatic timing and signal integrity analysis. Our proposed framework presents a Directed Search technique to calculate accurate coupling effects. We performed experiments on theISCAS'85 benchmarks and present the accuracy improvement up-to 45.5% compared to existing approaches. We also show that our framework decreased cell delay look-uptable accesses up-to 64.8%. Our results present the coupling effect on static timing analysis.
Topological predicates between vague spatial objects

Topological predicates are an important element of database systems that allow manipulation of spatial data. Based on the necessity for such systems to handle uncertainty, we introduce a general mechanism that identifies vague topological predicates. This definition forms part of a formal data model referred to as VASA (Vague Spatial Algebra), in which the data types vague regions, vague lines, and vague points are defined in terms of existing definition of crisp spatial data types. Following this trend, the mechanism presented here identifies vague topological predicates on the basis of well defined crisp topological predicates. An example implementation of the mechanism for vague regions is given.
Peer-to-peer hardware-software interfaces for reconfigurable fabrics

In this paper we describe a peer-to-peer interface between processor cores and reconfigurable fabrics. The main advantage of the peer-to-peer model is that it greatly expands the scope of application for reconfigurable computing and hence its potential benefits. The primary extension in our model is that "code" on the reconfigurable hardware unit is allowed to invoke routines both on the reconfigurable unit itself and on the fixed logic processor We describe the software constructs and compilation mechanisms needed for such an architecture, including a detailed description of the interface between the two parts of the application.
Light Treatment of Follicular Disorders in Dark Skin

On the one hand, the majority of the published data on the topic of cosmetic dermatology and laser surgery have been focused on the Caucasian population; on the other hand, statistics in the United States showed significantly shifting demographics in the past decade. Hispanics and Asians accounted for 40% of the total growth of the US population, African Americans for 12%, and non-Hispanic Caucasians for somewhat over 2%. According to the 2000 census, 29% of the United States population, representing approximately 85 millions, is not Caucasian but are individuals of color.1 By the year 2056 it is expected that more than 50% of the US population will be of non-European descent and will likely include a large number of ethnic patients with cosmetic needs.2 Most of the current literature remains devoted to examining laser procedures performed on individuals with fair skin tones (Fitzpatrick skin phototypes I–II) and protocols have largely been defined on the basis of the more extensive clinical experience that has accumulated surrounding these patients, even though Asians, Hispanics, and African Americans are showing increased demand for dermatologic laser surgery.3
Hybrid vision/position servo control of a robotic manipulator

The authors address a number of issues associated with visual servo control of robotic manipulators. They derive a set of projection equations that are used in the derivation of the Jacobian matrix for resolved-rate visual servo control. A calibration procedure that determines those parameters that appear in the projection equations is presented. Given the projection equations and calibration procedure, a set of equations is derived that can be used to initially position the manipulator at a specified perpendicular distance from the camera such that the tool center of the end effector projects onto a specified pixel on the image plane. A Jacobian matrix that is used to effect hybrid control of the manipulator is derived. Specifically, the two degrees of freedom parallel to the image plane of the camera are controlled using visual feedback, and the remaining degree of freedom is controlled using position feedback provided by the robot joint encoders. >
Generalized additive models for medical research

This article reviews flexible statistical methods that are useful for characterizing the effect of potential prognostic factors on disease endpoints. Applications to survival models and binary outcome models are illustrated.
Understanding implications of DNS zone provisioning

DNS is a critical component of the Internet. This paper takes a comprehensive look at the provisioning of Internet domains and its impact on the availability of various services. To gather data, we sweep 60% of the Internet's domains for zone transfers. 6.6% of them allow us to transfer their complete information. We find that carelessness in handling DNS records can lead to reduced availability of name servers, email, and Web servers. It also undermines anti-spam efforts and the efforts to shut down phishing sites or to contain malware infections.
The size exclusion characteristics of type I collagen : Implications for the role of noncollagenous bone constituents in mineralization

The mineral in bone is located primarily within the collagen fibril, and during mineralization the fibril is formed first and then water within the fibril is replaced with mineral. The collagen fibril therefore provides the aqueous compartment in which mineral grows. Although knowledge of the size of molecules that can diffuse into the fibril to affect crystal growth is critical to understanding the mechanism of bone mineralization, there have been as yet no studies on the size exclusion properties of the collagen fibril. To determine the size exclusion characteristics of collagen, we developed a gel filtration-like procedure that uses columns containing collagen from tendon and bone. The elution volumes of test molecules show the volume within the packed column that is accessible to the test molecules, and therefore reveal the size exclusion characteristics of the collagen within the column. These experiments show that molecules smaller than a 6-kDa protein diffuse into all of the water within the collagen fibril, whereas molecules larger than a 40-kDa protein are excluded from this water. These studies provide an insight into the mechanism of bone mineralization. Molecules and apatite crystals smaller than a 6-kDa protein can diffuse into all water within the fibril and so can directly impact mineralization. Although molecules larger than a 40-kDa protein are excluded from the fibril, they can initiate mineralization by forming small apatite crystal nuclei that diffuse into the fibril, or can favor fibril mineralization by inhibiting apatite growth everywhere but within the fibril.
A structured and dynamic framework to advance traits-based theory and prediction in ecology

Predicting changes in community composition and ecosystem function in a rapidly changing world is a major research challenge in ecology. Traits-based approaches have elicited much recent interest, yet individual studies are not advancing a more general, predictive ecology. Significant progress will be facilitated by adopting a coherent theoretical framework comprised of three elements: an underlying trait distribution, a performance filter defining the fitness of traits in different environments, and a dynamic projection of the performance filter along some environmental gradient. This framework allows changes in the trait distribution and associated modifications to community composition or ecosystem function to be predicted across time or space. The structure and dynamics of the performance filter specify two key criteria by which we judge appropriate quantitative methods for testing traits-based hypotheses. Bayesian multilevel models, dynamical systems models and hybrid approaches meet both these criteria and have the potential to meaningfully advance traits-based ecology.
Equity in Effort: The "Sucker Effect" in Co-Acting Groups

This research investigates the effects of negative social cues on worker quantitative task performance, internal work motivation, and job satisfaction. Negative social cues may create an effect similar to a class of social dilemma phenomena in small groups known as the "sucker effect." The sucker effect was originally identified as a particular form of social loafing and stems from the perceptions that others in the group are withholding, or intend to withhold, effort. Individuals who hold this perception then withhold effort themselves to avoid being played for a "sucker" Although most social loafing research has examined the sucker effect in situations where individuals performed additive or disjunctive tasks, this experimental research investigates the degree to which the sucker effect occurs among individuals working in co-acting groups. Two common managerial strategies, goal setting and punishment, are examinedfor their ability to reduce the sucker effect. The results show that the sucker effect does...
ARSENICAL COMPOUNDS IN THE TREATMENT OF BLACKHEAD IN TURKEYS

The natural form of blackhead, although very fatal to young turkeys, is favorably influenced by treatment with certain of the newer arsenical compounds. Neoarsphenamine injected intravenously in toxic doses has a somewhat favorable effect on the course of the spontaneous disease and evidently lowers the mortality. Its instability, its pronounced toxicity for young turkeys, as well as the difficulty of obtaining amounts suitable for the cases to be treated on any one occasion, serve to make its employment impracticable. Less favorable results were obtained with atoxyl. Arsenious acid fed daily in small doses failed to prevent blackhead and possibly increased the incidence of infection. In larger doses it failed to cure spontaneous blackhead. Tryparsamide may be injected in cases of spontaneous blackhead in doses as high as 1 gm. per kilo of body weight either intravenously or subcutaneously without serious toxic effect. Prompt clinical improvement usually follows and the mortality is undoubtedly greatly lowered. With inoculated blackhead recovery is more difficult to obtain. Birds treated by injections of either neoarsphenamine or atoxyl failed to recover. There were two recoveries among three tryparsamidetreated cases. An attempt to cure inoculated blackhead at an advanced stage by the injection of tryparsamide failed. The study of the lesions of treated turkeys shows that tryparsamide, and to some extent neoarsphenamine, have a more pronounced effect on the liver lesions than on the disease in the lung, which accounts for the discrepancy in the results of the treatment of spontaneous and inoculated blackhead. There is histological evidence of prompt absorption of necrotic liver parenchyma; moreover, the protozoa are destroyed more rapidly in the liver than in the lung. Tryparsamide has the most pronounced curative action on blackhead infection of any of the drugs thus far tested. Either intravenous or subcutaneous injection of appropriate doses of this drug at the first appearance of symptoms should serve to cure the majority of cases of blackhead.
Heterologous expression of rat P450 2E1 in a mammalian cell line: in situ metabolism and cytotoxicity of N-nitrosodimethylamine

GM0637, a human fibroblast cell line, was transfected with pCMV2E1, an expression vector containing the full length cDNA for rat cytochrome P450 2E1 (P450 2E1), and with pCMVneo, which contained vector alone, and the selected clones were designated GM2E1 and GMneo, respectively. Western blot analysis showed that GM2E1, but not GMneo, expressed a protein that reacted with anti-human P450 2E1 antibody. The 7-ethoxycoumarin O-deethylase,p-nitrophenol hydroxylase, and N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) demethylase activities of the P450 in these cells were measured in monolayer cell cultures without preparing microsomes. Exposure of the GM2E1 cells to NDMA for 4 days caused severe decreases in cell viability, as determined by crystal violet uptake, and showed a sigmoidal dose-response curve with a median lethal dose of 17 microM. In contrast, the viability of GMneo cells was not altered by NDMA even at concentrations up to 10 mM. Time- and concentration-dependent methylation of DNA, RNA and protein by [14C]NDMA was only observed in cells expressing P450 2E1. Inhibitors of P450 2E1 activity such as ethanol, 4-methylpyrazole, and isoniazid caused a 90% decrease in the methylation of cellular macromolecules and also completely protected the cells against NDMA-mediated toxicity. The cytotoxicity due to exposure to NDMA was partially inhibited by antioxidants such as N-acetylcysteine, ascorbic acid, butylated hydroxyanisole and N-t-butyl-alpha-phenylnitrone but was not potentiated upon glutathione depletion. These results document the ability of rat P450 2E1 to metabolize NDMA to toxic reactive intermediates and demonstrate that this cell line provides a useful model for studying the mechanisms of metabolism-mediated toxicity and carcinogenesis.
Risk Factors for Anticipatory Grief in Family Members of Terminally Ill Veterans Receiving Palliative Care Services

Anticipatory grief is the process associated with grieving the loss of loved ones in advance of their inevitable death. Because anticipatory grief has been associated with a variety of outcomes, risk factors for this condition deserve closer consideration. Fifty-seven family members of terminally ill, hospice-eligible veterans receiving palliative care services completed measures assessing psychosocial factors and conditions. Elevated anticipatory grief was found in families characterized by relational dependency, lower education, and poor grief-specific support, who also experienced discomfort with closeness and intimacy, neuroticism, spiritual crisis, and an inability to make sense of the loss. Thus, in this sample, anticipatory grief appears to be part of a cluster of factors and associated distress that call for early monitoring and possible intervention.
Presenting a New Instructional Tool for Teaching Law-Related Courses: A Contract Activity Package for Motivated and Independent Learners

Robin Boyle and Karen Russo conducted an empirical study in legal research and writing classes at St. John's University School of Law by assessing the law students of the class. They provided a Contract Activity Package (CAP) for motivated and independent learners. Rose Lefkowitz conducted a similar study in a health law class at Downstate Medical Center. (Both schools are in the New York metropolitan area.) The CAP allows students to work at their own pace and reaches a variety of learning styles within a class. The findings for both studies were that students' knowledge increased significantly when using the CAP; whereas, students' knowledge increased only modestly when using traditional teaching methods.
The Location Choice of Cross-border Acquisitions by Emerging Market Multinationals

In the context of high-tech industries, we develop and test a “location attractiveness” theoretical framework proposing that emerging market firms that are seeking to exploit existing capabilities ...
Abstract 277: Genetic re-programming of the acute myeloid leukemia cell line HL-60

HL-60 cells represent an established line of human acute myeloid leukemia cells that can be induced to differentiate along several distinct myeloid lineages. Phorbol esters activate a signaling network, which includes the protein kinase C (PKC) signaling pathway, causing the leukemia cells to differentiate into macrophage-like cells. As the leukemia genetic program is converted to the macrophage program, the cells exit the cell cycle, undergo morphological changes, become adherent, display other macrophage properties, and ultimately initiate apoptosis. This study provides a detailed DNA microarray analysis of the genetic network of the leukemia cell during first 24 hours post-induction of differentiation. Approximately 1,000 genes were identified that exhibit significant changes in mRNA levels from the leukemia expression profile. A cluster analysis was performed to group these genes by their pattern of expression resulting in a collection of distinct expression profiles. Expression levels of selected genes within each cluster were validated by real time PCR. Among the most significant changes observed were dramatic increases in the expression of CCL chemokine family genes and a variety of transcription factor genes including members of the AP-1 and NF-κB families. Expression level changes in genes involved in cell cycle progression (ex. MYC and p21) were also observed along with genes involved in the regulation of apoptosis (ex. BCL2A1, TNF, IER2 and OLR1). Functional analysis at the protein level using the electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), western blotting and immunofluorescence imaging will also be presented. This study provides a comprehensive view of the re-programming events that occur in phorbol ester induced macrophage differentiation of HL-60 cells with regard to the inflammatory response, cell cycle exit, differentiation and initiation of apoptosis. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 277. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-277
Oviposition Preferences of Western Corn Rootworms for Various Soil Surface Conditions

Oviposition preferences of Diabrotica virgifera LeConte were studied in the laboratory to discover reasons for areas of intense infestation and damage in corn fields. The beetles preferred sites composed of relatively large soil particles, preferred soil cracks to large soil aggregates, and moist soil. Clumps of grass were preferred 10 either cornstalks or surface trash. Variability of soil moisture, smoothness of the soil surface, ground cover, and soil cracking may combine 10 influence oviposition pattern in a field.
Replacing Arginine 33 for Alanine in the Hemophore HasA from Pseudomonas aeruginosa Causes Closure of the H32 Loop in the Apo-Protein.

Previous characterization of hemophores from Serratia marcescens (HasAs), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (HasAp), and Yersinia pestis (HasAyp) showed that hemin binds between two loops, where it is axially coordinated by H32 and Y75. The Y75 loop is structurally conserved in all three hemophores and harbors conserved ligand Y75. The other loop contains H32 in HasAs and HasAp, but a noncoordinating Q32 in HasAyp. The H32 loop in apo-HasAs and apo-HasAp is in an open conformation, which places H32 about 30 A from the hemin-binding site. Hence, hemin binding onto the Y75 loop of HasAs or HasAp triggers a large relocation of the H32 loop from an open- to a closed-loop conformation and enables coordination of the hemin-iron by H32. In comparison, the Q32 loop in apo-HasAyp is in the closed conformation, and hemin binding occurs with minimal reorganization and without coordinative interactions with the Q32 loop. Studies in crystallo and in solution have established that the open H32 loop in apo-HasAp and apo-HasAs is well structured and minimally affected by conformational dynamics. In this study we address the intriguing issue of the stability of the H32 loop in apo-HasAp and how hemin binding triggers its relocation. We address this question with a combination of NMR spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, and molecular dynamics simulations and find that R33 is critical to the stability of the open H32 loop. Replacing R33 with A causes the H32 loop in R33A apo-HasAp to adopt a conformation similar to that of holo-HasAp. Finally, stopped-flow absorption and resonance Raman analyses of hemin binding to apo-R33A HasAp indicate that the closed H32 loop slows down the insertion of the heme inside the binding pocket, presumably as it obstructs access to the hydrophobic platform on the Y75 loop, but accelerates the completion of the heme iron coordination.
Solution and structural binding studies of phosphate with thiophene-based azamacrocycles.

Two thiophene-based monocyclic receptors L1 and L2 have been studied for phosphate binding in solutions (D2O and DMSO-d6 ) by 1H NMR and 31P NMR titrations, and in the solid state by single crystal X-ray analysis. Results from 1H NMR titrations suggest that the ligands bind phosphate anions in a 1:2 binding mode in DMSO-d6 , with the binding constants of 5.25 and 4.20 (in log K), respectively. The binding of phosphate to L1 and L2 was further supported by 31P NMR in D2O at pH = 5.2. The crystal structure of the phosphate complex of L1 reveals unambiguous proof for the formation of a ditopic complex via multiple hydrogen bonds from NH···O and CH···O interactions.
Optimization of an Organelle-Free Processing Reaction for the Chlorophyll A/B Binding Protein Precursor

The chlorophyll a/b binding protein (LHCP) associated with photosystem II is a major component of the thylakoid membranes (1). Its synthesis, maturation, localization and assembly into the light harvesting complex are key events in the development of the chloroplast. Intact pea chloroplasts import a 31 kD precursor synthesized in vitro from a wheat gene and process it to two mature forms of ∼26 kD and 25 kD that integrate into the thylakoid membranes (2). We have identified a proteolytic activity in soluble extracts of lysed pea chloroplasts that processes the precursor protein at its N-terminus to the 25 kD form found upon processing during import (2). This activity was a) retained in the supernatant after ultracentrifugation, which removes membrane vesicles, b) selectively ammonium sulfate precipitable, and c) sensitive to boiling, indicating that it is conferred by a soluble, denaturable enzyme. The inhibition of the enzyme by divalent metal ion chelators suggests that it is a metalloprotease. We have described the basic physical properties of this enzyme and have partially purified it by gel filtration chromatography. The Rubisco small subunit precursor (pS) is processed by the identical peak of activity that cleaves pLHCP. These results are reviewed below and have recently been presented (3).
Epigenetic inheritance systems contribute to the evolution of a germline

Differentiation within multicellular organisms is controlled by epigenetic markers transmitted across cell division. The process of differentiation will modify these epigenetic markers so that information that one cell type possesses can be lost in the transition to another. Many of the systems that encode these markers also exist in unicellular organisms but do not control differentiation. Thus, during the evolution of multicellularity, epigenetic inheritance systems were probably exapted for their current use in differentiation. We show that the simultaneous use of an information carrier for differentiation and transmission across generations can lead to the evolution of cell types that do not directly contribute to the progeny of the organism and ergo a germ-soma distinction. This shows that an intrinsic instability during a transition from unicellularity to multicellularity may contribute to widespread evolution of a germline and its maintenance, a phenomenon also relevant to the evolution of eusociality. The difference in epigenetic information contents between different cell lines in a multicellular organism is also relevant for the full-success cloning of higher animals, as well as for the maintenance of single germlines over evolutionary timescales.This article is part of the themed issue 'The major synthetic evolutionary transitions'.
Conclusion: The Anthropology of Dissection and Autopsy

There is a rich literature on the social history of the intersection of anatomy and economics, race, and class politics. In the last two decades, bioarchaeologists have made significant contributions to this topic, mobilizing the data to address a variety of historical and anthropological questions. In this concluding chapter I highlight two themes that can be observed throughout the contributions to the volume: dissection and autopsy as a transformative act and the relationship between dissection and structural inequality. Using the latter as a foundation, the final part of the chapter considers the ethical implications that bioarchaeologists must consider.
The Minerals of Albemarle County, Virginia

(1963). The Minerals of Albemarle County, Virginia. Rocks & Minerals: Vol. 38, No. 11-12, pp. 565-570.
Hydrogen Embrittlement of Steels: Vacancy Induced Damage and Nano-Voiding Mechanisms

Hydrogen embrittlement of steels continues to pose significant challenges to the integrity of operating equipment in the oil and gas industry. While significant research has been done to elicit the...
Kemijski laboratorij celjske kraljice

Barbara Celjska je bila gotovo najbogatejsa alkimistka vseh casov. Prispevek skusa pojasniti kaksni poskusi so potekali v njenem laboratoriju in nakazati, katere tehniske kemijske naprave je utegnila pri tem uporabljati. Ker je bila vecina le-teh iz zlahka lomljivih snovi, bi bilo njihovo iskanje bržkone brez haska, saj ni veliko upanja za njihovo ohranitev. Chemical Laboratory of Celje Queen (at 580 th Anniversary of Bohemian coronation of Queen Barbara of Celje) Barbara of Cilli was certainly the richest female alchemist of all times. The article tries to explain what kind of experiments she carried out in her laboratory and indicate which technical chemical plant she likely has used. The major part her tools was made from easily breakable materials, therefore any contemporary pursuit to locate them will be probably in vain, because there is not much hope for their preservation.
Unconditionally Secure Authenticated Encryption with Shorter Keys

Confidentiality and integrity are two main objectives of security systems and the literature of cryptography is rich with proposed techniques to achieve them. To satisfy the requirements of a wide range of applications, a variety of techniques with different properties and performances have appeared in the literature. In this work, we address the problem of confidentiality and integrity in communications over public channels. We propose an unconditionally secure authenticated encryption that requires shorter key material than current state of the art. By combining properties of the integer field Zp with the fact that the message to be authenticated is unknown to adversaries (encrypted), message integrity is achieved using a single modular multiplication. Against an adversary equipped with a single antenna, the adversary’s probability of modifying a valid message in a way undetected by the intended receiver can be made an absolute zero. After the description of the basic scheme and its detailed security analysis are completed, we describe an extension to the main scheme that can substantially reduce the required amount of key material.
Collaborating for Success: The Digital Library of the Caribbean

ABSTRACTThis article will provide a brief overview of the successes of the Digital Library of the Caribbean, an open access, multi-institutional, multilingual, inclusive, international digital library. It will discuss factors that support the sustainability of robust technical infrastructures, collaborative partnerships, shared governance, and shared interests in advancing Caribbean scholarly research. Partner relationships and shared governance are at the heart of the creativity and solutions which continue to grow the largest Caribbean content digital library in the world.
Automated seam tracking system based on passive monocular vision for automated linear robotic welding process

Welding is an important process in the industrial scenario, especially in the shipbuilding industry. This process is recognized by the laborious work and the hazardous work environment. The use of robots to automate the welding process can reduce the human interference and improve the productivity. This paper proposes a system for automated seam tracking based on passive monocular vision. The vision provides a data feedback to the automated robotic welding system allowing quality and productivity gains. A trajectory controller is developed to correct the robot's movement over the seam reference. The controller and a visual algorithm to find the seam reference in a real Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) process are presented. The proposed system allows the automated seam tracking, the trajectory control of the welding torch, and a higher automation level in linear robotic welding. The capabilities of the method is evaluated using a commercial linear welding robot showing its viability.
Evaluation of Medetomidine, Clove Oil and Propofol for Anesthesia of Leopard Frogs, Rana pipiens

ABSTRACT The clinical effects of medetomidine, clove oil and propofol were evaluated in 36 clinically healthy leopard frogs, Rana pipiens. Under controlled laboratory conditions, heart and respiratory rates were measured at defined intervals during each trial. Corneal, superficial and deep pain withdrawal and righting reflexes were evaluated over time following a single drug administration. Medetomidine (150 μ/kg) failed to produce clinically apparent sedation in any of the frogs (n=12) despite a reduction in respiratory rate. Immersion in a clove oil (eugenol) bath (310 - 318 mg/L for 15 min) induced surgical anesthesia in all frogs (n=12). However, the duration of anesthesia was variable, ranging from less than 5 min to 65 min. Gastric prolapse was a common side effect of clove oil anesthesia (50%, 6/12) but the significance of this effect is unclear. Propofol (10 mg/kg) injected perivascularly in the sublingual plexus area induced sedation in all frogs (n=12) and light anesthesia in 58% (7/12). Propofo...
Gaining Global Clout Through Monetary Union: Evidence from East Africa

Gaining international clout is an important motivation in pursuing monetary integration, as small country merge into a larger entity that can project more global power. We provide evidence to that effect using survey data from Kenya pertaining to public support for the proposed East African Monetary Union. We show that Kenyans prefer a larger union with more members for the purpose of gaining global clout. However, not all potential member countries are equally welcomed. Larger and more stable countries are favored over fragile states.
The Neurology of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome

During my pediatric training in the mid-1970s in the Harriet Lane Service of the Johns Hopkins Hospital, it was a common experience to admit a cyanotic newborn infant with suspected congenital heart disease. This always precipitated a flurry of intense activity to characterize the exact identity of the CHD and to plan for the most appropriate medical and surgical therapy. At that time, the diagnosis of the hypoplastic left heart syndrome brought the entire process to a sudden stop. For in that individual case, there was then no option that offered any hope. The question was not whether the child would die, but when. A few lingered awhile, but most passed quickly. The quality of neurologic life was at that time hardly an issue I was concerned about, since life itself could not be sustained.
Pedestrian Detection: Performance Comparison Using Multiple Convolutional Neural Networks

Pedestrian Detection in real world crowded areas is still one of the challenging categories in object detection problems. Various modern detection architectures such as Faster R-CNN, R-FCN and SSD has been analyzed based on speed and accuracy measurements. These models can detect multiple objects with overlaps and localize them using a bounding box framing it. Evaluation of performance parameters provides high speed models which can work on live stream applications in mobile devices or high accurate models which provide state-of-the-art performance for various detection problems. These convolutional neural network models are tested on the Penn-Fudan Dataset as well as Google images with occlusions, which achieves high detection accuracies on each of the detectors.
Bites, Stings, and Envenomations

Provide an updated, evidence-based review on the management of snake and scorpion envenomations. In recent years, there have been several developments in envenomation management. Thromboelastography, rather than platelet count, fibrinogen, and PT, provides a more accurate and expedient method to detect coagulopathy after envenomation. The FDA, despite questionable data, recently expanded the indications for CroFab. The high cost of treatment makes responsible use critical. Antivenom for coral snake envenomation is no longer in production, is difficult to obtain, and has been subject to multiple expiration date extensions by the FDA. Management of envenomation has persisted in a uniquely subjective and fluid state despite the maturation of evidence-based emergency medical care. This review critically incorporates past and current literature in an attempt to provide clinical guidance.
STRATEGIES COMMUNITY COLLEGES USE TO IMPROVE LABOR MARKET OUTCOMES FOR OLDER WORKERS: BARRIERS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Although older workers (age 40+) comprise a significant portion of the labor force in the U.S., less educated older adults face challenges in staying competitive in the labor market or remaining in the workforce at all. In an era of new technologies and globalization, there is an increased need for occupational training, retraining, and continuing education of older workers. Community colleges are important sources of such training, yet little research has been conducted to identify barriers and opportunities for workforce development. This qualitative study, one component of a mixed-methods study funded by the U.S. Institute of Education Sciences, examines challenges and strategies of Ohio’s 23 community colleges to train or retrain older workers. We conducted student and faculty focus groups (12 student groups, n=69; 3 faculty groups, n=14), and 20 key informant interviews with administrators at three community colleges; at 19 of the remaining colleges we conducted key informant interviews. Some of the barriers that older students face include: skills obsolescence; inadequate interviewing and resume writing skills; poor knowledge of digital technology; and lack of confidence. Community colleges’ workforce development strategies include internships, incumbent worker training, early response to industry layoffs, industry-college collaborative program design and partnerships with government agencies. Implications are informed by state pressures to increase the education of the workforce overall; increase college enrollments; and increase degree/credential completion rates. Initiatives with a specific focus on students 40+ are needed.
Pregnancy outcomes, fertility, and family planning in women with psoriatic arthritis:

ObjectiveTo quantify pregnancy outcomes and the frequency and cause of infertility among women with psoriatic arthritis.MethodsWomen with psoriatic arthritis aged 20–50 years completed a questionna...
Causal Gene Regulatory Network Modeling and Genomics: Second-Generation Challenges

Gene regulatory network modeling has played a major role in advancing the understanding of developmental systems, by crystallizing structures of relevant extant information, by formally posing hypothetical functional relationships between network elements, and by offering clear predictive tests to improve understanding of the mechanisms driving developmental progression. Both ordinary differential equation (ODE)-based and Boolean models have also been highly successful in explaining dynamics within subcircuits of more complex processes. In a very small number of cases, gene regulatory network models of much more global scope have been proposed that successfully predict the dynamics of the processes establishing most of an embryonic body plan. Can such successes be expanded to very different developmental systems, including post-embryonic mammalian systems? This perspective discusses several problems that must be solved in more quantitative and predictive theoretical terms, to make this possible. These problems include: the effects of cellular history on chromatin state and how these affect gene accessibility; the dose dependence of activities of many transcription factors (a problem for Boolean models); stochasticity of some transcriptional outputs (a problem for simple ODE models); response timing delays due to epigenetic remodeling requirements; functionally different kinds of repression; and the regulatory syntax that governs responses of genes with multiple enhancers.
Audio Transport: A Generalized Portamento via Optimal Transport

This paper proposes a new method to interpolate between two audio signals. As an interpolation parameter is changed, the pitches in one signal slide to the pitches in the other, producing a portamento, or musical glide. The assignment of pitches in one sound to pitches in the other is accomplished by solving a 1-dimensional optimal transport problem. In addition, we introduce several techniques that preserve the audio fidelity over this highly non-linear transformation. A portamento is a natural way for a musician to transition between notes, but traditionally it has only been possible for instruments with a continuously variable pitch like the human voice or the violin. Audio transport extends the portamento to any instrument, even polyphonic ones. Moreover, the effect can be used to transition between different instruments, groups of instruments, or really any transient-less audio signals. The audio transport effect operates in real-time; we open-source implementation is provided. In experiments with sinusoidal inputs, the interpolating effect is indistinguishable from ideal sine sweeps. In general, the effect produces clear, musical results for a wide variety of inputs.