cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
MS/MS in silico subtraction-based proteomic profiling as an approach to facilitate disease gene discovery: application to lens development and cataract

While the bioinformatics resource-tool iSyTE (integrated Systems Tool for Eye gene discovery) effectively identifies human cataract-associated genes, it is currently based on just transcriptome data, and thus, it is necessary to include protein-level information to gain greater confidence in gene prioritization. Here, we expand iSyTE through development of a novel proteome-based resource on the lens and demonstrate its utility in cataract gene discovery. We applied high-throughput tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) to generate a global protein expression profile of mouse lens at embryonic day (E)14.5, which identified 2371 lens-expressed proteins. A major challenge of high-throughput expression profiling is identification of high-priority candidates among the thousands of expressed proteins. To address this problem, we generated new MS/MS proteome data on mouse whole embryonic body (WB). WB proteome was then used as a reference dataset for performing “in silico WB-subtraction” comparative analysis with the lens proteome, which effectively identified 422 proteins with lens-enriched expression at ≥ 2.5 average spectral counts, ≥ 2.0 fold enrichment (FDR < 0.01) cut-off. These top 20% candidates represent a rich pool of high-priority proteins in the lens including known human cataract-linked genes and many new potential regulators of lens development and homeostasis. This rich information is made publicly accessible through iSyTE (https://research.bioinformatics.udel.edu/iSyTE/), which enables user-friendly visualization of promising candidates, thus making iSyTE a comprehensive tool for cataract gene discovery.
Network Dynamics in the Developing Piriform Cortex of Unanesthetized Rats.

The time course of changes in functional cortical activity during early development has been extensively studied in the rodent visual system. A key period in this process is the time of eye opening, which marks the onset of patterned visual input and active vision. However, vision differs from other systems in that it receives limited patterned sensory input before eye opening, and it remains unclear how findings from vision relate to other systems. Here, we focus on the development of cortical network activity in the olfactory system-which is crucial for survival at birth-by recording field potential and spiking activity from piriform cortex of unanesthetized rat pups from birth (P0) to P21. Our results demonstrate that odors evoke stable 10-15 Hz oscillations in piriform cortex from birth to P15, after which cortical responses undergo rapid changes. This transition is coincident with the emergence of gamma oscillations and fast sniffing behavior and preceded by an increase in spontaneous activity. Neonatal network oscillations and their developmental dynamics exhibit striking similarities with those previously observed in the visual, auditory, and somatosensory systems, providing insight into the network-level mechanisms underlying the development of sensory cortex in general and olfactory processing in particular.
Evaluating a school-based science program that teaches the physiological effects of nicotine.

Abstract School-based drug prevention programs represent a widely endorsed public health goal, with an important aspect of knowledge-based curricula being education about the physiological effects of drugs. Nicotine is one of the world’s most addictive substances and in this program we have used nicotine-induced mammalian-like behaviors in flatworms called planarians to successfully teach students (4th-12th grade; n = 1,616 students) about the physiological and addictive effects of nicotine. An initial study tested the change in knowledge about addictive substances in 6th-12th grade students after they completed a lab examining the effects of two concentrations of nicotine on the number of stereotypies (C-shaped spasms) planarians demonstrate in a 5-minute period of time. Lab discussion focused on developing and testing hypotheses, measurement reliability, and mechanisms of nicotine action. Surveys given pre- and post-lab experience showed that 6th grade students have significantly lower knowledge about nicotine than 7th-12th grade students (6th grade: 40.65 ± 0.78% correct, 7th-12th grade: 59.29 ± 1.71%, p A second study, modifying the lab so that the time spent observing the planarians is reduced to a 1-minute period, showed that students in both 4th and 5th grades had a significant increase in knowledge about the physiological and addictive effects of nicotine post-lab (p
Projecting nation: South African Cinemas after 1994 by Cara Moyer-Duncan. East Lansing: Michigan state university press, 2020. 298 pages. ISBN-13 9781611863635: Paperback $54.95

Cara Moyer-Duncan’s Projecting Nation: South African Cinemas After 1994 impressively catalogs the film history of South Africa’s recent post-apartheid past. Methodical and comprehensive, the book p...
New Methods, New Needs: Preparing Academic Library Practitioners to Address Ethical Issues Associated with Learning Analytics

Academic libraries are participating in the collection and analysis of student data. Under the umbrella of learning analytics, these practices are directed toward developing an understanding of how libraries contribute to student learning, the educational experience, and efficient operations of academic institutions. Learning analytics, however, is loaded with ethical issues, which are complicated by privacy-related values espoused by library practitioners. This work-in-progress paper discusses emerging findings from a survey of academic library practitioners. The survey identifies what ethical issues practitioners associate with leaning analytics and the degree to which they are prepared to address such issues.
Interacting rhythms enhance sensitivity of target detection in a fronto-parietal computational model of visual attention

Even during sustained attention, enhanced processing of attended stimuli waxes and wanes rhythmically, with periods of enhanced and relatively diminished visual processing (and hit rates) alternating at 4 or 8 Hz in a sustained visual attention task. These alternating attentional states occur alongside alternating dynamical states, in which lateral intraparietal cortex (LIP), the frontal eye field (FEF), and the mediodorsal pulvinar exhibit different activity and connectivity at α, β, and γ frequencies -- rhythms associated with visual processing, working memory, and motor suppression. To assess whether and how these multiple interacting rhythms contribute to periodicity in attention, we propose a detailed computational model of FEF and LIP that reproduces the rhythmic dynamics and behavioral consequences of observed attentional states, when driven by θ-rhythmic inputs simulating experimentally-observed pulvinar activity. This model reveals that the frequencies and mechanisms of the observed rhythms optimize sensitivity in visual target detection while maintaining functional flexibility.
Attack-Resilient Weighted $\ell_{1}$ Observer with Prior Pruning

Security related questions for Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) have attracted much research attention in searching for novel methods for attack-resilient control and/or estimation. Specifically, false data injection attacks (FDIAs) have been shown to be capable of bypassing bad data detection (BDD), while arbitrarily compromising the integrity of state estimators and robust controller even with very sparse measurements corruption. Moreover, based on the inherent sparsity of pragmatic attack signals, $\ell_{1}$ -minimization scheme has been used extensively to improve the design of attack-resilient estimators. For this, the theoretical maximum for the percentage of compromised nodes that can be accommodated has been shown to be 50%. In order to guarantee correct state recoveries for larger percentage of attacked nodes, researchers have begun to incorporate prior information into the underlying resilient observer design framework. For the most pragmatic cases, this prior information is often obtained through some data-driven machine learning process. Existing results have shown strong positive correlation between the tolerated attack percentages and the precision of the prior information. In this paper, we present a pruning method to improve the precision of the prior information, given corresponding stochastic uncertainty characteristics of the underlying machine learning model. Then a weighted $\ell_{1}$ -minimization is proposed based on the pruned prior. The theoretical and simulation results show that the pruning method significantly improves the observer performance for much larger attack percentages, even when moderately accurate machine learning model used.
The Park and the Favela: Visions of the Progressive and Cultured City in Post–WWII São Paulo

This article explores two parallel histories: the construction of Ibirapuera Park, Sao Paulo’s symbol of post–WWII modernity, and the destruction of two favelaslocated in the area designated for the new Park which resulted in the displacement of over two hundred poor and working-class families to the city’s woefully neglected periphery. By focusing on these two related developments and the discourses that shaped them—one that framed the new Park’s modernist design as emblematic of Sao Paulo’s progressive spirit and the other that associated favelas as backward and foreign to the city—this article sheds fresh light on the relationship between uneven urban development and racial anxiety in post–WWII Sao Paulo and explores the consequences of Sao Paulo’s aspiring identity as a leading center for the arts and a global business hub on the social fabric of the city.
The Co-existence of Love and Desire: Experiences of Bisexual, Lesbian, and Heterosexual Women

Recent research has focused on the connection between romantic love and sexual desire from psychological, neurological, and sexual health perspectives. However, studies examining this connection are varied, often are limited to heterosexual reports and rarely include women’s lived experiences. Therefore, the current study aimed to examine perspectives on the link between romantic love and sexual desire from a sample of heterosexual, bisexual, and lesbian women. Interviews were conducted to assess perceptions of the connection between love and desire with 31 women (10 bisexual, 8 lesbian, and 13 heterosexual) from the United States ranging in age from 20 to 69 years old. Utilizing thematic analysis, interview transcripts were coded into themes. Four main themes were identified in which participants described the connection between love and desire as (1) separate experiences, (2) fueling one another, (3) intertwined experiences, and (4) love encompassing desire. The current study offers exploratory findings and supports future research incorporating diverse women’s perspectives in research on romantic love and sexual desire.
Impact of a Homestead Gardening Program on Household Food Security and Empowerment of Women in Bangladesh

This paper assesses the additional benefits of a homestead gardening program designed to control vitamin A deficiency in Bangladesh. In February and March 2002, data were collected on the food security and social status of women from 2,160 households of active and former participants in the gardening program and from control groups in order to assess the impact and sustainability of the program. The proportions of active and former-participant households that gardened year-round were fivefold and threefold, respectively, higher than that of the control group (78% and 50% vs. 15%). In a three-month period, the households of active participants produced a median of 135 kg and consumed a median of 85 kg of vegetables, while the control households produced a median of 46 kg and consumed a median of 38 kg (p 85% vs. 52%). Similar results were found for the level of influence gained by women on household decision-making. These results highlight the multiple benefits that homestead gardening programs can bring and demonstrate that these benefits should be considered when selecting nutritional and development approaches targeting poor households.
Measurement Invariance of the Short Inventory of Problems-Revised Across African American and Non-Latino White Substance Users.

This study investigated measurement invariance properties of the Short Inventory of Problems- Revised (SIP-R) across racial groups. The sample included 195 African-American and 194 non-Latino White adult participants in a clinical trial investigating the effectiveness of motivational enhancement therapy in the National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network. The SIP-R demonstrated configural invariance and weak metric invariance, suggesting conceptualizations of adverse consequences of substance use are equivalent across racial groups. The SIP-R also indicated partial strong/scalar and strict metric invariance, suggesting a need for continued research of SIP-R items to ensure valid measurement and outcomes across racial groups.
Case Comparisons of Restrained and Nonrestrained Occupants and Related Injury Patterns

RESTRAINING DEVICES CONTINUE TO BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE MEANS OF LESSENING INJURIES IN AUTOMOBILE COLLISIONS. EVIDENCE FROM THE TRAUMA RESEARCH GROUPS CASE FILES ILLUSTRATES HOW INJURY IS AVOIDED OR MINIMIZED BY USE OF LAP, SHOULDER, AND DIAGONAL SEAT BELTS IN SEVERAL TYPES OF CRASHES, UNDER VARIOUS ANGLES OF IMPACT. PREVENTION OF FATAL EJECTION, THE IMPROVED CHANCES RESTRAINED DRIVER HAS OF RETAINING CONTROL OF HIS CAR, AND THE ATTENUATION OF INTERIOR COLLISION FORCES, SUCH AS RESULT IN JACKKNIFING ARE TOPICS DISCUSSED, AS WELL AS THE CONTRIBUTION OF MAJOR AUTOMOBILE DESIGN IMPROVEMENTS. /AUTHOR/
Low levels of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate in patients with cystic fibrosis.

To determine the effect of cystic fibrosis on the regulation of plasma pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP), the biologically active form of vitamin B6, we measured this compound in plasma from 56 patients with cystic fibrosis. The concentration of PLP in plasma was assayed by a radioenzymatic technique. The results of this study showed that PLP concentration was decreased significantly (6.44 +/- 5.20 ng/mL, mean +/- SD; median 4.45 ng/mL) in patients with cystic fibrosis as compared with a group of hospitalized children with neither cystic fibrosis nor hepatic disease serving as a control group (13.2 +/- 5.04 ng/mL, mean +/- SD; median 12.5 ng/mL). Additionally, 25% of the population with cystic fibrosis exhibited exceedingly low plasma PLP level (less than 2.75 ng/mL). In patients with cystic fibrosis, significant inverse linear associations were found between plasma PLP and serum levels of SGOT and SGPT (PLP v SGOT: r = -.60, P less than .03; PLP v SGPT: r = -.50, P less than .03). This study demonstrated that a deficiency of plasma PLP is a common abnormality in cystic fibrosis and that the low PLP level may be a reflection of impaired vitamin B6 metabolism associated with this disorder.
Estrogenic impurities in tissue culture plastic ware are not bisphenol A

Control of the cellular environment is a principal attribute of in vitro cell cultures. Unintentional exposure to environmental compounds can adversely affect cultures and, therefore, experimental results. Estrogenic compounds arising from common plastic ware have been found during cell culture. One such compound, the environmental endocrine disrupting chemical bisphenol A, can bind to estrogen receptors and effect cellular changes. We monitored bisphenol A concentrations in culture dishes from six different manufacturers under typical cell-culture conditions. With the use of a gas chromatography mass-spectrometry assay we determined that bisphenol A contamination from the culture dishes did not occur. These findings will allow scientists concerned about possible effects of bisphenol A on their culture systems to choose appropriate plastic ware.
A Case-Control Study of Oral Contraceptive Use and Invasive Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

The relation of oral contraceptive use to the risk of ovarian cancer was assessed with data collected during 1977-1991 from patients under 65 years of age in hospitals in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. We compared 441 women with recently diagnosed invasive epithelial ovarian cancer to 2,065 control women. Logistic regression was used to control risk factors for ovarian cancer. The multivariate relative risk estimate decreased with the increasing duration of oral contraceptive use (p or = 3 years of use, the estimate was 0.6 (95% confidence interval 0.4-0.8). The inverse association of risk with > or = 3 years of use was consistently present across categories of age, parity, interview year, and geographic area. It was apparent for as long as 15-19 years after cessation. Many different specific oral contraceptive formulations appeared related to a decreased risk; however, data were sparse for the newer types, particularly phasic preparations, and the ability to assess specific preparations in the context of use of multiple preparations was limited. The present data confirm previous reports of an inverse association of ovarian cancer risk with oral contraceptive use of several years in duration. They also suggest that the association may persist for as long as two decades and that it is not confined to any particular type of oral contraceptive formulation.
Identification of proteins and mRNAs in isolated yellow crescents of ascidian eggs.

The yellow crescent or myoplasm is a localized cytoplasmic region in eggs of the ascidian Styela that is partitioned to the larval tail muscle and mesenchyme cells during embryonic development. To determine whether the myoplasm contains a specific subset of maternal macromolecules, its abundant proteins and mRNAs were identified and compared to those present in the remainder of the egg. This was accomplished by exploiting a newly developed method for the mass fractionation of yellow crescents which is based on the presence of a unique cytoskeletal domain in the yellow crescent region. The fractionation yields a yellow crescent fraction (YCF) representing the myoplasm and a supernatant fraction representing the nonmyoplasmic regions. The YCF comprises structures which contain the characteristic myoplasmic organelles and about 10% of the protein, 8% of the RNA, and 1–3% of the poly (A) of whole eggs. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis indicated that the YCF contains 15 polypeptides that are undetectable in the supernatant fraction and 43 polypeptides that are significantly depleted in the latter fraction. The proteins restricted to the YCF are both of cytoskeletal and noncytoskeletal origin. In vitro translation of RNA in a message-dependent lysate and analysis of [ 35 S]methionine-labelled polypeptide products by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis did not reveal qualitative differences between the YCF and the supernatant fraction. Furthermore, the mRNAs coding for two polypeptides that were localized in the myoplasm were not restricted to the YCF. The results suggest that qualitative differences in proteins but not in prevalent mRNAs exist between the yellow crescent and the other cytoplasmic regions of Styela eggs .
Post-treaty politics: secretariat influence in global environmental governance

The international relations (IR) issue area of global environmental politics (GEP) examines policy processes that privilege science-derived technical expertise. This is a long-recognized fact, and ...
Internal Cohesion and External Separation

A 1962 ASLIB Symposium titled "Classification: an Interdisciplinary Problem," led to the foundation of a new society intended to "promote co-operation and interchange of views between those interested in the principles and practice of classification in a wide range of disciplines." A great deal of valuable classification research has been conducted during the 50 years since that symposium, but in 2012 classification research communities are isolated from each other, despite the interdisciplinary connections that were recognized in 1962. In the absence of dialogue across different research traditions, we miss opportunities for progress on some foundational research questions.
The Upper Carboniferous Hamilton Fossil-Lagerstätte in Kansas: a valley-fill, tidally influenced deposit

A diverse assemblage of unusually well-preserved marine, euryhaline, freshwater, and terrestrial fossils (invertebrates, vertebrates, and plants) occurs within an Upper Carboniferous (Stephanian) Konservat Fossil-Lagerstatte near Hamilton, Kansas, USA. The Lagerstatte occurs within a paleovalley that was incised into the surrounding Carboniferous cyclothemic sequence during a time of low sea level, and was then filled-in during a subsequent transgression. The stratigraphically lowest and most voluminous facies within the valley is a cross-bedded, polymictic limestone conglomerate that contains caliche clasts and charcoal fragments as well as some normal-marine fossils apparently in situ. The origin of the conglomerate is enigmatic, but it was probably deposited by a migrating tidal channel. Overlying and interbedded with the conglomerate is an ostracode wackestone that contains plants (primarily seed ferns and ferns), eurypterids, shrimp, brachiopods, bivalves, and rare fish. The ostracode wackestone was deposited in a low-energy, marginal-marine environment. A thin sequence (<1 m thick) of interbedded laminated limestone and mudstone overlies the conglomerate in a small area. This facies contains a well-preserved mixed assemblage of terrestrial (conifers, insects, myriapods, reptile), freshwater (ostracodes), aquatic (amphibians, reptile), brackish or euryhaline (ostracodes, eurypterids, spirorbids, fish), and marine (brachiopods, echinoderms) fossils. Many of the vertebrates are articulated and show no evidence of preburial decay, scavenging, or predation. A few vertebrates exhibit signs of flotation. Most articulated vertebrate specimens exhibit soft-tissue preservation in the form of dark-brown to black early-diagenetic microbialite body outlines (‘skin preservation’) containing fossil bacteria. Rhythmic patterns of lamination thickness variation in the limestones and mudstones indicate that this facies was deposited in a tidal environment. High sedimentation rate and variable salinity (and therefore exclusion of bioturbators and invertebrate scavengers) are interpreted as key elements that led to the excellent preservation of the fossils in this ancient estuarine environment. □Lagerstatte, taphonomy, estuarine, tidal bedding, paleovalley, Carboniferous, Kansas.
Characterizing solid renal neoplasms with MRI in adults

Until recently, most solid renal neoplasms without macroscopic fat were presumed to represent renal cell carcinoma and were indiscriminately treated with nephrectomy. Expanding surgical options and ablative technologies, a growing acceptance of renal mass biopsy, the advent of targeted molecular agents, and advances in our understanding of tumor biology have challenged the wisdom of this approach and are ushering in a potential new era in which therapy is linked to histologic subtype and cytogenetics. This approach mandates evolution of our diagnostic algorithm beyond the distinction between solid and cystic and enhancing and nonenhancing. Computed tomography (CT) has traditionally been the imaging technique of choice for evaluating potential solid renal tumors, in large part due to its widespread availability, high spatial resolution, calcium discrimination, and multiphase, enhanced imaging capabilities. For the most part, however, CT is limited to characterization based upon the attenuation and enhancement characteristics of a lesion and necessitates exposure of patients to ionizing radiation. For these latter reasons, multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is being increasingly used to characterize solid renal masses. The purpose of this manuscript is to review our imaging approach to solid renal masses in adults utilizing MRI with an emphasis on a multiparametric approach augmented by clinical data.
Comparison of Hatchery Performance Attributes among Three Strains of Age-0 Coaster Brook Trout

Abstract The hatchery performance attributes of three strains (Lake Nipigon [Nipigon], Siskiwit Bay [Siskiwit], and Tobin Harbor [Tobin]) of fingerling coaster brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis were compared during a 12-week laboratory experiment. Despite similar initial sizes, the final mean length and weight of Nipigon fish (94.1 mm and 9.9 g) were significantly greater than those of the Siskiwit (86.7 mm and 7.7 g) and Tobin (90.4 mm and 7.2 g) strains. There were no differences in mean specific growth rates in length and weight or mean daily growth rate in length among the strains. However, there was a difference in the mean daily absolute growth rate in weight, the Nipigon and Siskiwit strains (0.10%/d and 0.08%/d, respectively) displaying a greater rate of growth than Tobin Harbor (0.07%/d) fish. Mean survival rates (range = 97–98%) and relative weights (range = 100.1–101.1 g) did not differ significantly among the three strains. Based on our results, we recommend that these strains of fingerling co...
Sen measures of poverty in the United States: Cash versus comprehensive incomes in the 1990s

Recently developed statistical inference procedures for the Sen index and its components – the headcount, income gap and Gini index among the poor – are used to test explicit hypotheses concerning aggregate poverty in the United States for the period 1989 to 1997. Changes in Sen measures of poverty are investigated for cash and comprehensive income using the official poverty line and six additional poverty lines drawn using thresholds set at 50, 75, 125, 150, 175 and 200 percent of the official level. The paper also reports on the effects of using comprehensive income on subgroup poverty rates and on the demographic composition of the poor.
Psychological perspectives on acting.

Psychologists know surprisingly little about the cognitive and affective underpinnings of acting, and this stands in sharp in contrast to what has been learned about the psychological skills involved in music and the visual arts. In this article, the author discusses findings on the childhood precursors of acting talent and outlines a program of research she is initiating to test the hypothesis that acting training fosters strength in reading others' mental states, feeling others' feelings, and regulating one's own emotions in an adaptive manner. This research has implications for understanding the malleability of these outcomes and expertise in these abilities. Acting is a strange phenomenon, but one that we take for granted: Actors pretend to be others, for the audience's enjoy- ment, without the intent to deceive. Acting is a universal human activity, and one that is uniquely human—no other animals create dramas, not even nonhuman primates. We are all actors to some extent, trying out different roles as we interact with others. In Shakespeare's words, "One man in his time plays many parts" (pp II. VII. 139-140). However, the roles people enact in their personal lives are typically fairly interrelated, and most are based on people's own personalities, desires, and emo- tional ranges. Actors, however, must play many unrelated kinds of roles. In the last few years, Charlize Theron has played a prostitute serial killer (Monster, 2003), the first woman to sue successfully over sexual harassment (North Country, 2005), an immortal su- perhero (Hancock, 2008), and herself, as an Oscar winner (for Monster, in 2003). How does she manage to portray these roles in such a realistic fashion? Does she possess unusual cognitive and affective skills that make this possible? And if so, what were the earliest signs of these skills in her childhood? Were these what drew her to acting training, or were these skills learned through acting training? In this article, I explore the early signs of acting talent and then discuss the psychological skills I believe to be necessary to act and that are therefore likely to be fostered by acting training—theory of mind, empathy, and emotion regulation.
Ultra High Framing-Rate Laser Diagnostics for High-Speed Reacting and Non-Reacting Flows

The critical features of a burst mode diagnostic imaging system is described, along with representative NO PLIF measurements at 1MHz, in a Mach 10 hypersonic flow, and Rayleigh imaging at 10kHz in a turbulent flame.
Repair of chronic hyperoxic lung injury: Changes in lung ultrastructure and matrix

We studied changes in lung ultrastructure, fibronectin, and collagen during repair of chronic hyperoxic lung injury induced by exposure of rats to 85% oxygen for 14 days. Morphologically, the most persistent changes were in the alveolar interstitium. After 28 days of repair, the extracellular matrix volume was still twofold normal. Total interstitial cell numbers also remained high and interstitial myofibroblast number actually doubled between Days 7 and 14. These changes contrast markedly with repair of acute lung injury induced by 100% oxygen (Thet et al. (1986) Exp. Lung Res. 11, 209-228) in which matrix volume and interstitial myofibroblast number increased initially but then returned to normal. Biochemically, tissue-associated fibronectin was high initially and peaked at 3 days before slowly declining. Tissue collagen content began to increase after the peak in fibronectin content and was over 150% of controls at 28 days; this correlated with an increase in visible collagen fibers. We conclude that changes in lung morphology and matrix after chronic hyperoxic lung injury are more persistent than after acute hyperoxic lung injury and result in a greater degree of chronic interstitial fibrosis.
Paleogene Nonmarine Gualanday Group, Neiva Basin, Colombia, and Regional Development of the Colombian Andes

The Paleogene, nonmarine Gualanday Group is part of a Cenozoic molasse sequence exposed in the Upper Magdalena Valley of Colombia. In the Neiva basin area, where the average thickness is about 1,400 to 1,500 m, this group is divided into five informal lithostratigraphic units, the lower conglomerate, the lower to middle transition, the middle conglomerate, the middle to upper transition, and the upper conglomerate. The lower, middle, and upper conglomerate units are predominantly close-packed, chert-pebble conglomerate; the two transition units are interbedded lithic sandstone, mottled siltstone, and conglomerate. The sandstone and conglomerate of the upper part of the group are more quartzose than those of the lower part. The Gualanday Group marks the initiation of uplift of the Central Cordillera of the Colombian Andes. The sediments forming this group were transported eastward out of the Central Cordillera. Most if not all of this clastic material was supplied by erosion of Cretaceous strata that covered the site of the newly rising Cordillera. Cretaceous chert provided coarse clasts to the conglomerate, with the bedding thickness and fracture block size of the chert controlling clast size. Shale supplied abundant detrital kaolinite to the Gualanday siltstone. With increasing depth of erosion through time, the quartzose lower part of the Cretaceous sequence supplied an increasing amount of detritus to conglomerate and sandstone in the upper part of the Gualanday Group. The Central Cordillera was uplifted in three pulses. Each pulse exposed fresh Cretaceous bedded chert to erosion and resulted in deposition of one of the three major conglomerate units of the Gualanday Group.
Ultrafast equilibrium and non-equilibrium chemical reaction dynamics probed with multidimensional infrared spectroscopy

Two-dimensional infrared (2D-IR) spectroscopy provides powerful tools to investigate chemical reaction dynamics in the condensed phase. Correlating excitation and detection frequencies grants access to structural and dynamical information that is hidden in a linear absorption spectrum. Low-barrier reactions naturally can occur on the picosecond time scale, and although they are too rapid to study using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, the intrinsic ultrafast time resolution of coherent 2D-IR spectroscopy enables direct tracking of equilibrium reactive barrier crossings. 2D-IR chemical exchange spectroscopy can monitor the picosecond dynamics of non-triggered chemical reactions by correlating excited reactant frequencies with detected product frequencies. Solvent and temperature-dependent variations enable comparisons with microscopic rate theories at an unprecedented level of detail. 2D-IR spectroscopy is also emerging as a powerful probe of non-equilibrium light-driven chemical transformations. T...
Containment of Positrons in a Mirror Machine

Positrons emitted isotropically from a uniform volume source were contained in a static magnetic-mirror machine for a mean containment time greater than 10 sec, which corresponds to more than 10/sup 10/ cyclotron periods. This is of practical importance in various research fields such as studies of controlled fusion and studies of the Van Allen radiation belt. A description is given of the apparatus which consists of a magnetic-mirror machine having coaxial 60-in.-mean-diameter coils with 64 in. between coil centers, which are located adjacent to the cyclotron used to produce Ne/sup 13/. The present results agree with the fast filling'' experiment. They appear to agree with, and to extend, the conclusions of an experiment in which ionization currents created by 18-kev electrons in a mirror machine were measured. (B.O.G.)
Social structures and the flow of scientific information in public agencies: an ideal design

Abstract Despite widespread dissatisfaction with the quality of scientific information employed in planning and policy-making in public agencies, relatively little is known about the scientific information acquisition behaviors of public managers. The purpose of this paper is to facilitate research on scientific information acquisition in public agencies by suggesting that: (1) planning and policy-making are ‘policy technologies’ and share certain attributes with more traditional technologies; (2) many propositions developed in the literature on information flows in RD and (3) it may be possible self-consciously to design social and organizational structures so as to enhance informal flows of scientific information. After gleaning some of the propositions concerning scientific information flows from the R&D management literature, an ‘ideal design’ approach is employed to develop a model in which the social and organizational structures of a public agency optimize scientific information flow.
Time Limits Under Temporary Assistance to Needy Families: A Look at the Welfare Cliff:

Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, which replaced Aid to Families with Dependent Children in 1996, ended federal entitlement to cash assistance for poor women and their children and established a welfare cliff—a 5-year, lifetime limit for receiving assistance from federal funds. This article discusses the implications of time limits for the development of state programs and for the lives of poor women and their children.
A STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODEL OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND FIRM PERFORMANCE

This research develops and analyzes a theoretical framework for supplier management and customer relationship strategies, supply chain management strategy, and firm performance using structural equation modeling. Data used in the paper were collected from a comprehensive survey circulated to a wide variety of U.S. and European business executives. Based on the findings, a clearer picture of the practice and benefits of SCM and its strategic implications emerges.
A Model for the Two-Phase Flow Through a Dual-Scale Porous Medium in Liquid Composite Molding

The macroscopic flow during processing of composite structures by liquid composite molding is accompanied by the microscopic flow through individual fiber bundles. This concurrent microscopic flow occurs at length and time scales different than those of the macroscopic flow and influences the macroscopic flow behavior, impacting the void formation during composite manufacturing. A reduced-order model developed by the authors of this paper in [Proc. 2005 ASME Conf., IMECE2005-82436] for modeling the microscopic impregnation of individual fiber bundles is currently used to simulate the transient dynamics of the 1-D two-phase flow though a dual-scale porous medium during resin transfer molding (RTM). As has been show in our previous work [Inter. J. of Multiphase Flow, Vol. 32, pp. 1219–1233, 2006] the vapor-liquid phase transition and multidimensional effects of the gas entrapped inside fiber tows can play a significant role in the advancement of the macroscopic resin front and the formation of voids, thus indicating the need to account for these phenomena in the simulation of liquid composite molding processes. These effects are quantified by introducing a nonzero sink term into the right hand side of the mass conservation equation for the dual-scale porous medium, which couples the microscopic two-phase flow inside fiber bundles with the macro-flow through the perform. Two numerical methods, one of which is based on the moving coordinate system associated with the macroscopic resin front and the other one based on the fill factor technique on a fixed Eulerian coordinate system, are used to solve the resin flow through the preform. The comparative analysis of the fill factor and moving front methods as well as the results demonstrating the effect of phase transition and impregnation of individual fiber bundles on macroscopic flow parameters during RTM are presented.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Targeting human dendritic cells via DEC-205 using PLGA nanoparticles leads to enhanced cross-presentation of a melanoma-associated antigen

Targeting antigen to dendritic cells (DCs) is a powerful and novel strategy for vaccination. Priming or loading DCs with antigen controls whether subsequent immunity will develop and hence whether effective vaccination can be achieved. The goal of our present work was to increase the potency of DC-based antitumor vaccines by overcoming inherent limitations associated with antigen stability and cross-presentation. Nanoparticles prepared from the biodegradable polymer poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) have been extensively used in clinical settings for drug delivery and are currently the subject of intensive investigation as antigen delivery vehicles for vaccine applications. Here we describe a nanoparticulate delivery system with the ability to simultaneously carry a high density of protein-based antigen while displaying a DC targeting ligand on its surface. Utilizing a targeting motif specific for the DC-associated surface ligand DEC-205, we show that targeted nanoparticles encapsulating a MART-127-35 peptide are both internalized and cross-presented with significantly higher efficiency than isotype control-coated nanoparticles in human cells. In addition, the DEC-205-labeled nanoparticles rapidly escape from the DC endosomal compartment and do not colocalize with markers of early (EEA-1) or late endosome/lysosome (LAMP-1). This indicates that encapsulated antigens delivered by nanoparticles may have direct access to the class I cytoplasmic major histocompatibility complex loading machinery, overcoming the need for "classical" cross-presentation and facilitating heightened DC stimulation of anti-tumor CD8(+) T-cells. These results indicate that this delivery system provides a flexible and versatile methodology to deliver melanoma-associated antigen to DCs, with both high efficiency and heightened potency.
Carbon dioxide exchange rates in wheat canopies. Part II. Photosynthetic and phytomass production efficiencies

Abstract This field study explored the influence of canopy geometry on the photosynthetic and phytomass production efficiencies of wheat. Winter wheat ( Triticum aestivum L. cv. Newton) was planted at the Evapotranspiration Research Site (Unit 2) located 14 km south of Manhattan, KS (39°09′N, 96°37′W) in north-south and east-west row orientations with 0.18-, 0.35-, 0.53-, and 0.71-m row spacings during the 1982–1983 and 1983–1984 growing seasons. Seeding rates were 67, 34, 22, and 17 kg ha −1 for the 0.18-, 0.35-, 0.53-, and 0.71-m row spacings, respectively. The soil type was a Muir silt loam (fine-silty, Mesic, Pachic Haplustoll). All plots were fertilized with 109 kg N ha −1 incorporated prior to planting. Row orientation and spacing treatments modified the wheat canopy structure and significantly influenced leaf area index, absorption of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), and above-ground phytomass production values throughout the growing season. Relationships between the daily net and gross canopy CO 2 exchange rates and daily absorption of PAR were linear. A common slope model described the net (0.54 g CO 2 E −1 ) and gross (0.79 g CO 2 E −1 ) photosynthetic efficiency for all canopies studied. Lineality was also observed between seasonal accumulation of daily absorbed PAR and phytomass production for most row orientation and spacing treatments (0.40–0.58 g E −1 ). Higher daily net and gross CO 2 exchange rates and phytomass values in the narrow-spaced canopies were attributed to a greater quantity of daily absorbed PAR throughout the season, rather than differences in the efficiency of the various canopy structures. Good agreement existed between the photosynthetic and phytochemical efficiency derived over the 2-year study. Grain yields were highest in the narrow-spaced canopies and decreased with increasing row width. Significant linear relationships were observed between grain yield and accumulation of daily absorbed PAR from the initiation of the spring regrowth period (0.16 and 0.23 g E −1 ) and from anthesis (0.80 and 0.82 g E −1 ), until physiological maturity for the 1982–1983 and 1983–1984 seasons, respectively.
Treatment of dialysis catheter-related Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia with an antibiotic lock: a quality improvement report.

Background Dialysis catheter–related bacteremia is often treated successfully by instilling an antibiotic-heparin solution into the catheter lumen (an antibiotic lock) in conjunction with systemic antibiotic therapy without removal of the catheter. The efficacy of this therapy is uncertain in Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia. Design Quality improvement report. Setting & Participants 113 catheter-dependent hemodialysis outpatients with S aureus catheter-related bacteremia treated with a standardized antibiotic lock protocol. Data for all patients with catheter-related bacteremia are recorded in a prospective database. Quality Improvement Plan In conjunction with systemic antibiotic therapy (vancomycin for methicillin-resistant S aureus or cefazolin for methicillin-sensitive S aureus ), an antibiotic lock was instilled into each catheter lumen after each dialysis session for 3 weeks. Measures Treatment failure is defined as persistent fever after 48 hours of antibiotic therapy or recurrent S aureus bacteremia within 90 days. Clinical cure is defined as resolution of fever and no recurrence of bacteremia. Major infection-related complications within 6 months were documented. Results The catheter could not be salvaged in 67 patients (59%) because of persistent fever in 40 patients and recurrent bacteremia in 27 patients. A clinical cure was achieved in 46 patients (41%). A serious complication of catheter-related bacteremia occurred in 9.7% of all patients (11 of 113 patients). Serious complications were observed in 25% of patients (10 of 40 patients) with persistent fever, but only 1.4% of all other patients (1 of 73 patients; P Limitations This was a single-center study. Serum antibiotic levels were not measured. Conclusions Routine antibiotic lock therapy is not appropriate for patients with S aureus catheter-related bacteremia. Serious complications occur primarily in patients with persistent fever.
Urinary bladder sterols.

Summary1. Urinary bladders of many species were analyzed for cholesterol and “fast-acting” (δ7) sterol. Rodents showed the highest content of (δ7) sterol, the dog an intermediate level, and livestock very little. In rodents and in the dog 60-84% of the δ7-sterol was 7-dehydrocholesterol. All bladder sterol was unesterified. 2. The sterols were found to be more concentrated in the mucosa of the bladder than in the muscle layer, the δ7-sterol showing a greater concentration gradient than cholesterol. 3. Tissue slices of dog and mouse bladder incubated with CH3C14OONa in vitro incorporated label into both the δ7-sterol and the cholesterol fraction, but the specific activity of the former was much (35-150X) higher.
Distribution and abundance of rippled scour depressions along the California coast

Abstract Rippled scour depressions (RSDs) are prominent sediment features found on continental shelves worldwide. RSDs are generally characterized as elongate nearshore deposits of coarser-grained sediment with long-wavelength bedforms depressed 0.4–1.0 m below the surrounding finer-grained sediment plateau, thereby adding complexity and patchiness to relatively homogeneous unconsolidated sedimentary substrates on the inner continental shelf. Most research corroborates the hypothesis that RSDs are formed and maintained by currents and wave interaction with the seafloor sediment. While many localized studies have described RSDs, we use bathymetric and acoustic backscatter data from the state-wide California Seafloor Mapping Program (CSMP) to describe the spatial distribution of RSDs at the regional scale. The goals were to: (1) quantify the abundance and patterns of distribution of RSDs along the entire 1200 km California coast, and (2) test the generality of previously described or predicted relationships between RSD occurrence and geographic, oceanographic and geomorphic parameters, including depth, wave energy, latitude, shelf width, and proximity to bedrock reefs and headlands. Our general approach was to develop and apply a Topographic Position Index-based (TPI) landscape analysis tool to identify the distinct edges of RSDs in bathymetry data to differentiate the features from other sedimentary and rocky substrates. Spatial analysis was then used to quantify the distribution and abundance of RSDs and determine the percentage of bedrock reef, sedimentary and RSD substrates on the continental shelf within state waters. RSD substrate accounted for 3.6% of the California continental shelf, compared to 8.4% for bedrock reef substrate. The percent coverage of RSD substrate varied with depth, with 88% occurring in the 20–80 m depth range, and increased with proximity to bedrock reef substrate. RSD cover also varied significantly with shelf width, but not with proximity to headlands. Given the recent findings on the ecological significance of RSD, the results are relevant to marine spatial planning and ecosystem based management in terms of evaluating how well the 68 individual marine protected areas (MPAs) within California's newly designated state-wide MPA network collectively represent regional percentages of bedrock, sedimentary, and RSD substrate.
Modeling Fracture of Sn-Rich (Pb-Free) Solder Joints Under Mechanical Shock Conditions

With the increasing focus on developing environmentally benign electronic packages, lead-free solder alloys have received a great deal of attention. Mishandling of packages during manufacture, assembly, or by the user may cause solder joint failure. In this work, we conducted finite-element analysis to model solder joint fracture under dynamic loading conditions. The solder is modeled as a porous plastic material, and the intermetallic compound (IMC) material is characterized as an elastic material. The fracture of the solder is governed by void nucleation, and the IMC fracture is brittle in nature. The randomness of the void volume fraction in the solder and the defects in the IMC are considered and implemented in the finite-element package ABAQUS. The finite-element results show that the fracture mechanisms of the solder joints depend on the strain rate and IMC thickness. High strain rate and larger IMC thickness favor IMC-controlled fracture, which is brittle in nature. Low strain rate and smaller IMC thickness lead to solder-controlled fracture, which is governed by void growth and nucleation. Based on this finding, a mechanistic explanation for solder joint fracture is suggested.