cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Observation of transverse phonon modes in the first Brillouin zone in aluminum

Abstract We describe phonon dispersion measurements on a single crystal of aluminum, using the 1280-pixel low-angle detector on PHAROS at Los Alamos. “Forbidden” transverse phonons are observed in the first Brillouin zone: these are due to multiple scattering that preserves the Q-dependence of the dispersion surface. We discuss the use of large-area detectors for imaging dispersion surfaces.
Landscape-scale analysis of aboveground tree carbon stocks affected by mountain pine beetles in Idaho

Bark beetle outbreaks kill billions of trees in western North America, and the resulting tree mortality can significantly impact local and regional carbon cycling. However, substantial variability in mortality occurs within outbreak areas. Our objective was to quantify landscape-scale effects of beetle infestations on aboveground carbon (AGC) stocks using field observations and remotely sensed data across a 5054 ha study area that had experienced a mountain pine beetle outbreak. Tree mortality was classified using multispectral imagery that separated green, red, and gray trees, and models relating field observations of AGC to LiDAR data were used to map AGC. We combined mortality and AGC maps to quantify AGC in beetle-killed trees. Thirty-nine per cent of the forested area was killed by beetles, with large spatial variability in mortality severity. For the entire study area, 40–50% of AGC was contained in beetle-killed trees. When considered on a per-hectare basis, 75–89% of the study area had >25% AGC in killed trees and 3–6% of the study area had >75% of the AGC in killed trees. Our results show that despite high variability in tree mortality within an outbreak area, bark beetle epidemics can have a large impact on AGC stocks at the landscape scale.
Goal Programming: the RPMS Network Approach

This paper presents an application of the Resource Planning and Management Systems (RPMS) network approach to the goal programming (GP) problem as an alternative to several other approaches used in the GP process. The RPMS approach to solving the GP problem is illustrated through an example. Sensitivity analysis is also discussed.
Reciprocal effects of 5-(tetradecyloxy)-2-furoic acid on fatty acid oxidation☆

Abstract Under certain incubation conditions 5-(tetradecyloxy)-2-furoic acid (TOFA) stimulated the oxidation of palmitate by hepatocytes, as observed by others. A decrease in malonyl-CoA concentration accompanied the stimulation of oxidation. Under other conditions, however, TOFA inhibited fatty acid oxidation. The observed effects of TOFA depended on the TOFA and fatty acid concentrations, the cell concentration, the time of TOFA addition relative to the addition of fatty acid, and the nutritional state of the animal (fed or starved). The data indicate that only under limited incubation conditions may TOFA be used as an inhibitor of fatty acid synthesis without inhibition of fatty acid oxidation. When rat liver mitochondria were preincubated with TOFA, ketogenesis from palmitate was slightly inhibited (up to 20%) at TOFA concentrations that were less than that of CoA, but the inhibition became almost complete (up to 90%) when TOFA was greater than or equal to the CoA concentration. TOFA had only slight or no inhibitory effects on the oxidation of palmitoyl-CoA, palmitoyl(−)carnitine, or butyrate. Since TOFA can be converted to TOFyl-CoA, the data suggest that the inhibition of fatty acid oxidation from palmitate results from the decreased availability of CoA for extramitochondrial activation of fatty acids. These data, along with previous data of others, indicate that inhibition of fatty acid oxidation by CoA sequestration is a common mechanism of a group of carboxylic acid inhibitors. A general caution is appropriate with regard to the interpretation of results when using TOFA in studies of fatty acid oxidation.
Low-velocity structure beneath Africa from forward modeling

Seismic waveforms observed in South Africa containing the first arrival crossover of S to SKS (70° to 110°) are analyzed. The data consist of analog records from the World Wide Seismographic Station Network (WWSSN) of deep events beneath South America. The S-waves arrive 2 to 3 s early relative to PREM at ranges from 70° to 95° and then become increasingly delayed, becoming 5 to 6 s late at 110°. The SKS phase is late by 3 to 5 s over the entire range. This pushes crossover between S and SKS, normally observed at about 81°, out about 2° to 3°, which is the most anomalous shift ever reported. To model such features, we modified Grand's tomography model [Grand et al., GSA Today 7 (1997) 1–7], and generated 2D synthetics to match the data. The overall shape and position of the lower mantle low-velocity anomaly proposed by Grand predicts good results if lower mantle anomalies are enhanced to a level of about 4%. This results in a complex tabular structure extending upward from the core–mantle boundary about 1500 km into the mantle. These features appear to be consistent with a large young plume which is erupting off the CMB.
Mean Integrated Squared Error Sampling

Abstract Stratified sampling is considered, where (a) the mean integrated squared error (MISE) metric is used in place of the mean squared error (MSE) metric; (b) the entire distribution [i.e., f(x)], rather than a property of the distribution [e.g., E(x)], is used as a target of the procedure; (c) the distribution f(x) is estimated by a truncated series (to counterbalance model complexity with sample size availability); and finally, (d) samples are taken both with and without replacement. In the last regard, series term inclusion rules are generalized to deal with samples taken without replacement from a finite population. Two special cases are treated in detail. The first shows that even for sample sizes as small as three and for data forms as elementary as the bivariate binary vectors, the use of orthogonal series representation can lead to smaller expected error than would be achievable through use of conventional representation and methods. The second demonstrates that in the continuous case, MISE-ba...
Comparative biochemical studies of milks—IV. Constituent fatty acids of milk fats

Abstract 1. 1. Fatty acid analyses of milk fats of fifty-seven species representing eleven orders of mammals are presented. 2. 2. Palmitic and oleic acids are prominent constituents of the milk fats of all species studied. 3. 3. Saturated acids of shorter chain length than C 14 are present in considerable concentrations in the milk fat of ruminants and several other taxa but butyric was found only in ruminant milk fat. 4. 4. Milk fat from the three orders of marine mammals that were studied contained high concentrations of C 16:1 and poly-unsaturated acids with twenty or more carbons.
The Transmission of Values and the Transition into Adulthood Within the Context of Home Education

The current study explored the transmission of values and beliefs and the transition into adulthood within the context of home education through semi-structured open-ended interviews with four formerly home-educated young adults. The interviewees described their relationship with their parents as strong both now and while homeschooling but the younger two participants did not show clear signs that they closely maintained their parents' religious beliefs. All participants indicated that their transition to adulthood contained some transitional bumps but the difficulty of these bumps was mitigated by a strong parent-child relationship. The youngest participant seemed to be in the midst of a transitional strain.
ASYNCHRONOUS REPLICATION OF THE MOUSE SEX CHROMOSOMES.

Abstract The Y-chromosome in male cells and one of the X-chromosomes in female cells were identified in C57BL/10Jax strain mouse embryo tissue culture on the basis of their late replication, utilizing a technique involving the uptake of tritiated thymidine, and autoradiography.
Achromatic Doublet Lenses for Infrared Radiation

The indices of refraction and partial dispersions for the chlorides, bromides, and iodides of sodium, potassium, and cesium are suited for making diffraction-limited achromatic doublet lenses that are useful in infrared instruments. This paper describes the four best combinations (from seven materials). Together they cover the infrared over the range lambdalambda 1.5-38 micro. The performance of two lenses of optimized design (KBr-NaCl) is displayed by spot diagrams and test results. Applications of lenses, rather than mirrors, for compact optical systems are discussed.
A classic example of congeneric occurrence of diaptomus species

Congeneric occurrences of Diaptomus species are quite common. Cole (r96i) lists 34 well-documented congeneric associations for Diaptomus species. However, of these 34 cases only in Io instances were the species of the same subgenus . On the basis of several papers and personal observation, Cole (1961) concluded that congeneric occurrences of Diaptomus would be limited to habitats with a variety of niches and there would be a difference in size of the associated species. This size difference was especially clear-cut in the to cases where 2 members of the same subgenus occurred simultaneously . Another factor (Cole, 1961) that may allow coexistence of species is spatial and temporal isolation. It is the role of isolation that will be the main subject of this note . As a portion of a larger study (Pederson, 1974) vertical net hauls for plankton were routinely made over a 2-year period in Findley Lake . Findley Lake is a small, subalpine t i ha. lake at 1131 m elevation in the Cascade Mountains of Western Washington that contains no fish . In addition to the routine net hauls, two 24-hour vertical distribution studies were performed . Examination of the routine vertical net hauls revealed 2 species of Diaptomus of quite different sizes and with temporally dissimilar life cycles that allowed them to coexist in their rather restricted habitat . Contrarily, the two 24-hour vertical distribution studies revealed no significant spatial isolation ; although a greater sampling
An Exploratory Analysis of Linguistic Acculturation, Neighborhood, and Risk Behaviors among Children of Southeast Asian Immigrants.

Southeast Asian youth are disproportionately represented in the juvenile justice system, and yet little is known about the correlates of their delinquency. Predicated upon segmented assimilation theory, the aims of this study were (1) to examine the relationship between linguistic acculturation and risk behaviors and (2) to investigate neighborhood effects on risk behaviors among a sample of 153 at-risk Southeast Asian youth and young adults recruited from the East Bay Area near San Francisco, California. Exploratory factor analysis from estimated Census data derived neighborhood constructs for concentrated disadvantage and immigrant concentration. A series of binary logistic regression models suggested that linguistic acculturation, neighborhood disadvantage, and immigrant concentration were not related to violence perpetration, arrest, or gang association. Males and those who had dropped out of school were more likely to report acts that are associated with delinquency. Findings suggest that scholars and policymakers should continue to use disaggregated ethnic data to implement culturally competent practices that are reflective of the respective groups’ cultural backgrounds and migration histories. Implications for further research and practice among children of Southeast Asian immigrants are discussed.
Sweep Sampling Capture Rates for Rangeland Grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae) Vary During Morning Hours

Abstract Rangeland grasshoppers have long been considered pests of serious economic importance and are key components of grassland food webs. Sampling protocols inform decisions to control grasshoppers. Preliminary observations while sampling rangeland grasshoppers indicated differences in species diversity and numbers captured, depending upon time of day. To test these differences, we used USDA-APHIS sweep-net sampling protocols at various times at four rangeland sites during 2006–2007 and compared mean numbers collected. Sweep sampling every hour from 06: 00 to 12:00 revealed that adult and nymphal grasshopper numbers were significantly higher at 06:00 than either 07:00 or 08:00. Captures were similar throughout the afternoon. These patterns were also observed for adults of the most common species, Melanoplus femurrubrum (DeGeer). The results of this study have important implications for rangeland pest management decisions and ecological studies that estimate insect biomass as an indicator of food avail...
Effects of Salt and Tripolyphosphate on Some Quality Characteristics of Breaded Patties made from Catfish Trimmings

Breaded patties formed from mechanically deboned and dewatered catfish mince were treated with 1% NaCl and 0.3% TPP (tripolyphosphate) alone and in combination. NaCl-TPP treated patties were firmer (P <; 0.05) than the untreated controls and patties treated with NaCl or TPP alone as determined by Kramer shear press and trained panelists. Untrained panelists scored NaCl-TPP patties higher (P < 0.05) than NaCl-only and TPP-only patties for flavor and acceptance. Although the moisture/fat ratio was affected by treatment, cook yields of frozen patties were not. Treatment did, however, affect cook yields of fresh patties. Untreated mince averaged 75.2% moisture, 20.6% protein, 3.5% fat, 0.04% calcium, 0.08% phosphorus, 0.76% ash, 705,000/g total plate count and 2.82 mg/kg 2-thiobarbituric acid value.
The Radical SAM Superfamily

The radical S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) superfamily currently comprises more than 2800 proteins with the amino acid sequence motif CxxxCxxC unaccompanied by a fourth conserved cysteine. The charcteristic three-cysteine motif nucleates a [4Fe-4S] cluster, which binds SAM as a ligand to the unique Fe not ligated to a cysteine residue. The members participate in more than 40 distinct biochemical transformations, and most members have not been biochemically characterized. A handful of the members of this superfamily have been purified and at least partially characterized. Significant mechanistic and structural information is available for lysine 2,3-aminomutase, pyruvate formate-lyase, coproporphyrinogen III oxidase, and MoaA required for molybdopterin biosynthesis. Biochemical information is available for spore photoproduct lyase, anaerobic ribonucleotide reductase activation subunit, lipoyl synthase, and MiaB involved in methylthiolation of isopentenyladenine-37 in tRNA. The radical SAM enzymes biochemically characterized to date have in common the cleavage of the [4Fe-4S](1 +) -SAM complex to [4Fe-4S](2 +)-Met and the 5' -deoxyadenosyl radical, which abstracts a hydrogen atom from the substrate to initiate a radical mechanism.
Picturing Men: A Century of Male Relationships in Everyday American Photography

Picturing Men:. Century of Male Relationships in Everyday American Photography. John Ibson. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press. 2002.
Radiographic appearance of the cervical vertebrae in normal and abnormal development.

Summary To maximise the benefit from radiographs for the patient, the dentist or dental specialist should be familiar with the whole of the image produced. For cephalograms, this usually includes the cervical spine. Minor variations in the anatomy of the cervical vertebrae include dehiscences, accessory ossicles and differences in the profiles of the superior articular processes of the first cervical vertebrae. More severe anomalies include failure in segmentation (block vertebrae), odontoid dysplasia and clefting.
A Discussion of Polyphenols in Beer Physical and Flavour Stability

Generally referred to as polyphenols (PPs), beer flavonoids such as the flavan-3-ols and their condensed products, the proanthocyanidins, represent a class of readily oxidizable compounds capable of hindering or preventing the oxidation of other molecules present in beer. Flavan-3-ol and proanthocyanidin capacity to improve oxidative stability has been well established in other food systems, and thus these antioxidants have recently gained significant consideration as potential beer flavour modifiers and/or stabilizers. The duality of their presence in beer is that PPs complex with proteins in the beer matrix to form temporary and permanent hazes. Undesirable physical instability caused by PP-protein interactions can be resolved via use of adsorptive resins such as polyvinylpyrrolidine. While there is no doubt that polyphenol removal increases beer shelf stability in terms of haze formation, the impact of polyphenol removal on beer flavour remains unresolved. This review discusses the sources, content and impact of polyphenol presence and removal on beer physical and flavour stability.
Reducing Uncertainty in Calibrating Aquifer Flow Model with Multiple Scales of Heterogeneity

Modeling and calibration of natural aquifers with multiple scales of heterogeneity is a challenging task due to limited subsurface access. While computer modeling plays an essential role in aquifer studies, large uncertainty exists in developing a conceptual model of an aquifer and in calibrating the model for decision making. Due to uncertainties such as a lack of understanding of subsurface processes and a lack of techniques to parameterize the subsurface environment (including hydraulic conductivity, source/sink rate, and aquifer boundary conditions), existing aquifer models often suffer nonuniqueness in calibration, leading to poor predictive capability. A robust calibration methodology is needed that can address the simultaneous estimations of aquifer parameters, source/sink, and boundary conditions. In this paper, we propose a multistage and multiscale approach that addresses subsurface heterogeneity at multiple scales, while reducing uncertainty in estimating the model parameters and model boundary conditions. The key to this approach lies in the appropriate development, verification, and synthesis of existing and new techniques of static and dynamic data integration. In particular, based on a given set of observation data, new inversion techniques can be first used to estimate aquifer large-scale effective parameters and smoothed boundary conditions, based on which parameter and boundary condition estimation can be refined at increasing detail using standard or highly parameterized estimation techniques.
Munin: distributed shared memory based on type-specific memory coherence

We are developing Munin, a system that allows programs written for shared memory multiprocessors to be executed efficiently on distributed memory machines. Munin attempts to overcome the architectural limitations of shared memory machines, while maintaining their advantages in terms of ease of programming. Our system is unique in its use of loosely coherent memory, based on the partial order specified by a shared memory parallel program, and in its use of type-specific memory coherence. Instead of a single memory coherence mechanism for all shared data objects, Munin employs several different mechanisms, each appropriate for a different class of shared data object. These type-specific mechanisms are part of a runtime system that accepts hints from the user or the compiler to determine the coherence mechanism to be used for each object. This paper focuses on the design and use of Munin's memory coherence mechanisms, and compares our approach to previous work in this area.
Reviewing molecular adaptations of Lyme borreliosis spirochetes in the context of reproductive fitness in natural transmission cycles.

Lyme borreliosis (LB) is caused by a group of pathogenic spirochetes - most often Borrelia burgdorferi, B. afzelii, and B. garinii - that are vectored by hard ticks in the Ixodes ricinus-persulcatus complex, which feed on a variety of mammals, birds, and lizards. Although LB is one of the best-studied vector-borne zoonoses, the annual incidence in North America and Europe leads other vector-borne diseases and continues to increase. What factors make the LB system so successful, and how can researchers hope to reduce disease risk - either through vaccinating humans or reducing the risk of contacting infected ticks in nature? Discoveries of molecular interactions involved in the transmission of LB spirochetes have accelerated recently, revealing complex interactions among the spirochete-tick-vertebrate triad. These interactions involve multiple, and often redundant, pathways that reflect the evolution of general and specific mechanisms by which the spirochetes survive and reproduce. Previous reviews have focused on the molecular interactions or population biology of the system. Here molecular interactions among the LB spirochete, its vector, and vertebrate hosts are reviewed in the context of natural maintenance cycles, which represent the ecological and evolutionary contexts that shape these interactions. This holistic system approach may help researchers develop additional testable hypotheses about transmission processes, interpret laboratory results, and guide development of future LB control measures and management. Lyme borreliosis / R0 / vector-borne / tick
Baghdâd: Imago Mundi, and Other Foundation-Lore

Great cities, no less than small books, have their fates. Some are capable of self renewal from seemingly unsalvageable shards of their older phases, like Alexandria; some continue to add new rings to their girth, preserving alike the evidences of alternating greatness and mediocrity, like Cairo; some disappear entirely into memory and literature, like the Round City of al-Mansur, which today has as little to do with its living descendant, Baghdâd, as do the City of Brass or Qur'ânic Iram. Despite an absolute dearth of archaeological spade-work on the site, and a correspondingly absolute dependence on written sources, the scholarly literature dealing wholly or in part with al-Mansur's Baghdâd is by now fairly extensive. For the most part, this literature has restricted itself to discussion of technical and architectural problems, or to those of historical and social geography. This paper proposes to look into the symbology of the city's immediately striking plan, the cross within the circle, as another instance of the imago mundi, a fitting pattern for this capital of the world-bestriding 'Abbâsid Empire. In the course of investigation, some treatment, however summary, of a number of folkloric/literary motives was found requisite, all, it is to be hoped, tending toward the definition of a clear and plausible design.
Influence of weight loss and physical activity interventions upon muscle lipid content in relation to insulin resistance

Numerous cross-sectional studies find association between intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) content and insulin resistance (IR). However, less is known concerning the effects of interventions on this association. For instance, the effects on IMCL content by interventions of weight loss and physical activity, classically known to improve IR, have only recently begun to be examined. In a recent study, content of IMCL following bariatric surgery was found to decrease dramatically. The decrease in IMCL content was related to the improvement in IR that occurred following bariatric surgery. Conversely, several studies find that with physical activity, IMCL content typically remains unchanged or increases, even though IR improves. Potential explanations for this difference between weight loss and physical activity are discussed in this article.
Advanced light source's approach to ensure conditions for safe top-off operation

The purpose of this document is to outline the Advanced Light Source (ALS) approach for preventing a radiation accident scenario on the ALS experimental floor due to top-off operation. The document will describe the potential risks, the analysis, and the resulting specifications for the controls.
Superconductivity and antiferromagnetism in La2−xSrxNiO4

Abstract We report the observation of superconductivity in La 2− x Sr x NiO 4 , with transition temperatures up to 70 K, depending on thermal cycling conditions. The existence of superconducting properties in a sample with x = 0.2 tests the nature of exchange-mediated pairing since Ni 2+ ions in these compounds likely are in the spin S = 1 state. A coexistence of antiferromagnetism and superconductivity is observed below 20 K and may be due to a structural phase separation at temperatures below 70 K.
Discordant organ laterality in monozygotic twins with primary ciliary dyskinesia

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a genetic disease characterized by abnormal ciliary structure and function, impaired mucociliary clearance, and chronic middle ear, sinus, and lung disease. PCD is associated with situs inversus in approximately 50% of the patients. One proposed explanation for this relationship is that normal ciliary function plays a role in normal organ orientation, whereas organ orientation in PCD is a random event because of dysfunctional cilia in early embryonic development. Another hypothesis for the association between PCD and situs inversus is that mutated genes in PCD not only cause defective cilia, but are also linked to the control of organ laterality, such that abnormalities in this molecular pathway result in random left-right asymmetry. We report on a set of monozygotic twin women with PCD. In both patients, deficiency of the inner dynein arms was noted on ciliary ultrastructural analysis, associated with a clinical syndrome of bronchiectasis, chronic sinusitis, and middle ear disease. One of the twins has situs solitus, the other has situs inversus totalis. DNA analysis confirmed that the twins are monozygotic. This is consistent with the hypothesis that situs inversus occurring in patients with primary ciliary dyskinesia is a random but "complete" event in the fetal development of patients with PCD.
Biochemistry of Halogenated Organic Compounds

Biochemistry of Halogenated Organic Compounds has been written as a general reference source for researchers in several related areas, including organic chemists, medicinal chemists, pharmacologists, toxicologists, and medical researchers. The development of halogenated compounds as medicinal agents and pharmacological tools and the fascinating biochemi cal processes that have been discovered and studied using these analogues have generated extremely active areas of research and an enormous volume of literature. Thus, halogenated organic compounds pervade every aspect of biochemistry, a fact made apparent by the numerous reviews and monographs available on individual topics-halogenated nucleosides, halogenated carbohydrates, and so forth. Given the quantity of material already written on these topics, some of which material is quite current, it might be asked whether a one-volume review of these subjects is useful, or possible. Having now completed this work, I feel the answer to both questions is an emphatic yes. There are fascinating stories to be related in each area, and, where appropriate, I have attempted to develop these topics . from a historical perspective. For example, the discovery of the anticancer activity of fluorouracil, the unraveling of the several mechanisms of its action, and the development of a host of later generations of anticancer and antiviral agents based on the parent fluoro-, iodo-, bromo-, and trifluoromethylpyrimidines were, and are, contributions of major magnitude to medical science."
Laser customization by direct writing of aluminum interconnects

The authors present a recently developed technique for direct writing of high-quality aluminium conductors for the purposes of prototyping and customizing integrated circuits. This laser-driven process is a one-step technique to accomplish the customizing metallization step that avoids the use of conventional lithography and allows for rapid turnaround of small quantities of semicustom ICs. This is demonstrated by wiring a CMOS gate-array using this technique and comparing it to the more common laser technique of ablating preexisting interconnects. The process thus provides a complement to laser ablation and allows for greater flexibility in customization. >
Characterization of Enhancer Function from Genome-Wide Analyses

There has been a recent surge in the use of genome-wide methodologies to identify and annotate the transcriptional regulatory elements in the human genome. Here we review some of these methodologies and the conceptual insights about transcription regulation that have been gained from the use of genome-wide studies. It has become clear that the binding of transcription factors is itself a highly regulated process, and binding does not always appear to have functional consequences. Numerous properties have now been associated with regulatory elements that may be useful in their identification. Several aspects of enhancer function have been shown to be more widespread than was previously appreciated, including the highly combinatorial nature of transcription factor binding, the postinitiation regulation of many target genes, and the binding of enhancers at early stages to maintain their competence during development. Going forward, the integration of multiple genome-wide data sets should become a standard approach to elucidate higher-order regulatory interactions.
The Death of Rhetoric and its Rebirth in Philosophy

hilosophy died so that rhetoric could be bom.' For many modern philosophers this means philosophy delivered and now parents rhetoric foUowing the unfruitful labors of the epistemological paradigm.^ In the excitement of the recent renaissance of rhetoric, we tend to overlook a prior event, an event that can be inferred from the notion of rebirth itself. That prior event, one affirmed in various texts, is the death of rhetoric. What is this talk about the death of rhetoric? To answer this question, we start with the literature that voices the "death of rhetoric" theme. In reviewing these pronouncements, three critical statements stand out expressing varying degrees of doom. Fifty years ago, I. A. Richards wrote: "So low has Rhetoric sunk that we would do better to dismiss it to Umbo than to trouble ourselves with it." ' Holding a
Fluoroquinolones in urinary tract infection

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common infectious diseases for which antibiotic therapy is prescribed. Many characteristics of the fluoroquinolones make them ideal agents for the management of UTI [1-12]. As a class, the fluoroquinolones traditionally have been highly active in vitro against nearly all significant urinary pathogens. Most are renally excreted, hence achieve high concentrations in the urine. They penetrate the prostrate well. Their high oral bioavailability allows oral therapy for infections that traditionally would be treated with intravenous antibiotics, and their long half-lives allow convenient once-or twice-daily dosing. The currently marketed fluoroquinolones have favorable adverse effect profiles and few significant drug-drug interactions. Consequently, fluoroquinolones have been and probably will continue to be used extensively in the treatment and prevention of UTI in a wide variety of clinical contexts, as reviewed below. To what extent emerging drug resistance will compromise the utility of fluoroquinolones for UTI therapy in coming years remains to be seen, but is a significant concern.
Porous shape memory polymers: Design and applications

Porous shape memory polymers (SMPs) exhibit geometric and volumetric shape change when actuated by an external stimulus and can be fabricated as foams, scaffolds, meshes, and other polymeric substrates that possess porous three-dimensional macrostructures. These materials have applications in multiple industries such as textiles, biomedical devices, tissue engineering, and aerospace. This review article examines recent developments in porous SMPs, with a focus on fabrication methods, methods of characterization, modes of actuation, and applications. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016, 54, 1300–1318
Single Parenthood and Adolescent Sexual Outcomes

Research suggests that children of single parents are at heightened risk of precocious sexual behavior, STDs, and other risky sexual outcomes. However, few such studies have addressed the type of single-parent family (single mother or single father), or differences across other-sex parent–child dyads. While gender essentialist models assume differences among youth living only with mothers or with fathers, constructivist models propose more flexible modes of parenting that lead to more similar outcomes. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (n = 2570) on youth between the ages of 15 and 19, we compared sexually-related outcomes among adolescents, both boys and girls, who lived with a single mother or a single father. These outcomes include sexual intercourse and knowledge, use of contraception, attitudes toward intimacy and pregnancy, and diagnosis of sexually-transmitted diseases. The results from linear and logistic regression models indicated few differences between single-mother and single-father families, or between same-sex and opposite-sex parent–child matches, using p values of .05 or smaller. Our results called into question essentialist models that posit higher risks for adolescents living with a particular parent or with an opposite-sex parent.
Religion, Politics and National Stability: Examination of Kwame Nkrumah and J. J. Rawlings' Legacies in Ghana

Among the major sources of conflict and instability in West Africa today is religion. Nigeria is constanly in the news following the rise and activities of Boko Haram, and Mali is still buring because of Islamist activities. Why has Ghana enjoyed a relative national stability inspite of the many religious affiliations in the country? This paper presentation uses the history of religions method as well as classical socio-anthropological ideas to argue that Nkrumah understood the function of religion in human life in both theoretical and practical ways and identified it as a source to build national unity. Rawlings built on Nkrumah's foundation by specifically encouraging the inclusion of Islamic tradtions, including the enactment of new national holidays that celebrate Islam. These symbolic gestures have fueld respect for inter-faith dialogue, hence national unity and stability.
ACCION Poverty Assessment Framework

To understand and measure the poverty level of microfinance clients, ACCION is undertaking a multipart poverty assessment project. This document lays out the analytic framework for the analysis that will be employed to compare income, expenditure and socio-economic characteristics of ACCION partners' clients with international and national poverty lines. The objective of this framework document is to propose a structure for the initial poverty assessment. Available for download from www.accion.org/insight
New directions in immunopharmacotherapy.

The application of antibodies for immunotherapy was documented as early as 1890 (von Behring and Kitasato 1890). In the past, polyclonal antibodies found in antiserum against specific antigens were used in passive immunization strategies to combat infectious diseases such as hepatitis B and HIV (Sawyer et al. 1998; Jacobson 1998). While this approach has merit, it is hampered by several unwanted side effects, including the risk of viral contamination, serum sickness, anaphylaxis (nonhuman serum) and, importantly, the difficulty of making standardized batches of antibody to insure reproducibility and proper dosing. A milestone was reached when the production of homogeneous monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with defined specificity and high affinity became a reality through hybridoma technology, developed by Kohler and Milstein in 1975. As a result, thousands of mAbs against different antigens have been generated and used in a wide variety of biological studies. Additionally, hybridoma technology ushered in the concept of replacing polyclonal antibodies with mAbs as therapeutic drugs (Coons 1995; Scott and Welt 1997; Vaswani and Hamilton 1998). Indeed, with well-defined specificity and better reproducibility, mAbs have been touted as “magic bullets” in the fight against disease. Our research efforts have been aimed at utilizing antibodies, both in passive administration and as generated in vivo by an immune response, for cancer treatment and in the treatment of cocaine abuse. We describe the details and directions of our immunopharmacological studies in these areas.
Privacy and Confidentiality Practices In Adolescent Family Planning Care At Federally Qualified Health Centers

CONTEXT: The confidentiality of family planning services remains a high priority to adolescents but barriers to implementing confidentiality and privacy practices exist in settings designed for teenagers who are medically underserved including federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). METHODS: A sample of 423 FQHCs surveyed in 2011 provided information on their use of five selected privacy and confidentiality practices which were examined separately and combined into an index. Regression modeling was used to assess whether various state policies and organizational characteristics were associated with FQHCs scores on the index. In-depth case studies of six FQHCs were conducted to provide additional contextual information. RESULTS: Among FQHCs reporting on confidentiality most reported providing written or verbal information regarding adolescents rights to confidential care (81%) and limiting access to family planning and medical records to protect adolescents confidentiality (84%). Far fewer reported maintaining separate medical records for family planning (10%) using a security block on electronic medical records to prevent disclosures (43%) or using separate contact information for communications regarding family planning services (50%). Index scores were higher among FQHCs that received Title X funding than among those that did not (coefficient 0.70) and among FQHCs with the largest patient volumes than among those with the smallest caseloads (0.43). Case studies highlighted how a lack of guidelines and providers confusion over relevant laws present a challenge in offering confidential care to adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: The organizational practices used to ensure adolescent family planning confidentiality in FQHCs are varied across organizations. Copyright (c) 2016 by the Guttmacher Institute.
Persistent Photoconductivity in High-mobility AlxGa1−xN/AlN/GaN Heterostructures Grown by Metal-organic Vapor-phase Epitaxy

We report on the persistent photoconductivity (PPC) effect in AlxGa1−xN/AlN/GaN heterostructures with two different Al compositions (x=0.15 and 0.25). The two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) was characterized by Shubnikov-de Haas and Hall measurements. At cryogenic temperatures under optical illumination, the 2DEG carrier density and mobility was enhanced. The persistent photocurrent in both samples exhibited a strong dependence on illumination wavelength.
A New Mechanistic Diagram for Molecularly Imprinted Polymers

A new mechanistic diagram describing the non-covalent molecular imprinting process is put forth in the text. A significant consequence of the new mechanistic picture is that the pre-polymer complex structure does not necessarily reflect the structure of the final binding sites in the polymer. Two independent studies are presented in combined form that support the suggested changes to the mechanistic diagram. In the first study, the maximum number of functional groups surrounding the template molecule in solution are shown to be less than the average number of functional groups in the binding sites of the polymers. In the second study, shape selectivity is shown to be an important contributor to molecular recognition by the imprinted polymers; which is significant because contributions of shape cannot be predicted by the solution phase pre-polymer complex.
The Pursuit of Education: Why First Year Students at Historical Black Institutions Dropped Out of College Their Second Semester after Attending Their First Semester

Research supports the conclusion that an earned college degree enhances ones’ financial earning potential. As vehicles empowered with the ability to positively impact the earning power of African Americans in the United States, it is important that postsecondary HBCUs examine and evaluate the fundamental reasons why its first year Freshman and/or transfer students from two-year community colleges, do not return after their first semester. The purpose of this study is to identify the reasons for the drop-out trend at these institutions with the lowest retention rate and lowest graduation rate and to offer solutions to ameliorate the root causes.
Feedback and Motor Control in Stuttering

For speech production to proceed smoothly, the timing and coordination of a variety of complex movement patterns must be programmed and carried out in a precise fashion. During the moment of stuttering, this process is disrupted, and the stutterer may appear to be struggling in the grip of an uncontrollable spasm or seizure. For this and other reasons, early theorists attempted to identify some underlying physical abnormality as the root cause of stuttering. The earliest programmatic research in stuttering involved comparisons of stutterers and nonstutterers on a great variety of physiological, motor, and perceptual variables. After many years of such research, the accumulated evidence was at best suggestive, and no constellation of physiological variables emerged that could unequivocally be identified with either the person who stutters or the moment of stuttering (Bloodstein, 1975).
Hedgehog Signal Transduction: Key Players, Oncogenic Drivers, and Cancer Therapy

The Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway governs complex developmental processes, including proliferation and patterning within diverse tissues. These activities rely on a tightly regulated transduction system that converts graded Hh input signals into specific levels of pathway activity. Uncontrolled activation of Hh signaling drives tumor initiation and maintenance. However, recent entry of pathway-specific inhibitors into the clinic reveals mixed patient responses and thus prompts further exploration of pathway activation and inhibition. In this review, we share emerging insights into regulated and oncogenic Hh signaling, supplemented with updates on the development and use of Hh pathway-targeted therapies.
Detecting Depression using Vocal, Facial and Semantic Communication Cues

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is known to result in neurophysiological and neurocognitive changes that affect control of motor, linguistic, and cognitive functions. MDD's impact on these processes is reflected in an individual's communication via coupled mechanisms: vocal articulation, facial gesturing and choice of content to convey in a dialogue. In particular, MDD-induced neurophysiological changes are associated with a decline in dynamics and coordination of speech and facial motor control, while neurocognitive changes influence dialogue semantics. In this paper, biomarkers are derived from all of these modalities, drawing first from previously developed neurophysiologically-motivated speech and facial coordination and timing features. In addition, a novel indicator of lower vocal tract constriction in articulation is incorporated that relates to vocal projection. Semantic features are analyzed for subject/avatar dialogue content using a sparse coded lexical embedding space, and for contextual clues related to the subject's present or past depression status. The features and depression classification system were developed for the 6th International Audio/Video Emotion Challenge (AVEC), which provides data consisting of audio, video-based facial action units, and transcribed text of individuals communicating with the human-controlled avatar. A clinical Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) score and binary depression decision are provided for each participant. PHQ predictions were obtained by fusing outputs from a Gaussian staircase regressor for each feature set, with results on the development set of mean F1=0.81, RMSE=5.31, and MAE=3.34. These compare favorably to the challenge baseline development results of mean F1=0.73, RMSE=6.62, and MAE=5.52. On test set evaluation, our system obtained a mean F1=0.70, which is similar to the challenge baseline test result. Future work calls for consideration of joint feature analyses across modalities in an effort to detect neurological disorders based on the interplay of motor, linguistic, affective, and cognitive components of communication.
Longitudinal Relationship Management for Instructional Technologists

Instructional Designers who occupy a centralized position within the university structure face unique challenges when collaborating across discipline-specific communities of practice. In addition to wide diversity in subject matter-specific technological needs, different departments carry their own cultural values surrounding technology-enhanced instruction, as well as unique histories of successes and failures with technological systems used to support teaching and learning. In addition, schools and colleges within the same university, when decentralized, present challenges to interdisciplinary collaborations and communications across departments. Among teams of Instructional Designers specifically, the shifting nature of focus, working groups, vendors, versions, and interfaces, as well as changes in University leadership can compound issues of planning, organizing, implementing, and tracking technological work with faculty and departments longitudinally. This paper offers a case study of the adoption and use of a cloud-based software tool used in pursuit of greater cohesiveness, support, collaboration, and partnering across a large campus infrastructure. It draws on organizational literature focusing on collaborative software in the workplace, as well as industry accepted best practices in customer relationship management.
Is there a common understanding of spiritual leader behaviors

AbstractThe goal of this study is to delineate the construct of spiritual leadership and determine which behaviors are unique to spiritual leaders. This study, the first of its kind to take into account the knowledge and opinions of both academic and practitioner subject matter experts, employs a mixed method form of research. The qualitative results from phase one participants influence the quantitative data collected from phase two participants. Given that this is an inductive study, there are no specific hypotheses regarding which behaviors are considered most important to a spiritual leader. A list of 39 behaviors emerge which participants consider essential to a spiritual leader. The results of this study emphasize the importance of examining the opinions of academics as well as practitioners.
Protein kinase C-eta regulates Mcl-1 level via ERK1

Abstract Protein kinase C (PKC)-eta (PKCη) is a member of the novel category of PKC family. It is overexpressed in breast cancer and was shown to inhibit apoptosis and contribute to chemoresistance. Since the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family protein myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1) plays an important role in breast cancer cell survival and chemoresistance, we investigated if PKCη regulates Mcl-1 level. Silencing of PKCη decreased Mcl-1 in several breast cancer cells, including MCF-7 and T47D cells. PKCη depletion had no effect on MCL1 mRNA but the decrease in Mcl-1 by PKCη knockdown was blocked by proteasomal inhibitors, such as MG132 and lactacystin. Moreover, knockdown of Mule (Mcl-1 ubiquitin ligase) prevented Mcl-1 downregulation caused by PKCη deficiency. Overexpression of catalytically-active Akt or knockdown of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3)-β, a substrate for Akt, had little effect on Mcl-1 downregulation caused by PKCη silencing. However, knockdown of PKCη but not PKCα, -δ or -e caused a significant decrease in ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) phosphorylation. Knockdown of ERK1 but not ERK2 decreased Mcl-1 level, and the decrease in Mcl-1 caused by PKCη knockdown was restored by ERK1 overexpression. These results suggest that PKCη utilizes the ERK signaling pathway to protect against ubiquitin-mediated proteasomal degradation of Mcl-1.