cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Conventional consent with opting in versus simplified consent with opting out: An exploratory trial for studies that do not increase patient risk

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess a modified consent procedure allowed under federal regulations and developed for studies, particularly clinical trials, that are judged by the Institutional Review Board to reduce or have no effect on patient risk. Study design: This was a randomized trial of a conventional consent procedure that required parental signature to give consent (opting in) after a comprehensive disclosure of the rights of participants in research versus a modified consent procedure that required parental signature to refuse consent (opting out) after specific disclosures appropriate when risk is not increased. Consent was sought for a trial of primary follow-up care for disadvantaged infants at high risk, a trial judged by our Institutional Review Board to increase access to care for both groups. A blinded assessor interviewed mothers within 24 hours of the consent decision. Results: Among the 44 mothers interviewed, the modified consent group scored higher than the conventional consent group in recall and understanding of study purpose and methods (47% vs 30%; p < 0.02). Other comparisons provided no evidence that the modified consent procedure was less desirable. Virtually all mothers reported satisfaction. Conclusions: The modified approach may improve communication and facilitate studies judged by the Institutional Review Board to be risk-neutral or risk-reducing. Further evaluation of a modified consent procedure for such studies is warranted. (J Pediatr 1998;132:606-11)
Analysis and correction of imperfections in the image intensifier-TV-digitizer imaging chain

Image intensifier–television–video digitizer (IITVD) systems are commonly used for digital planar image acquisition in radiology. However, the well‐known distortions inherent in these systems limit their utility in research and in some clinical applications where quantitatively correct images are required. Software correction techniques have been implemented which restore both the spatial and grey scale quantitative integrity, allowing IITVD systems to be used as analytical research tools. Previously reported and novel correction techniques were used to reduce veiling glare, pincushion distortion, dc bias, and residual shading effects. The results indicate that excellent quantitative integrity can be achieved when these straightforward artifact reduction techniques are employed.
Durability and Breakage of Feed Pellets during Repeated Elevator Handling

Pelleting of animal feeds is important for improved feeding efficiency and for convenience of handling. Pellet quality impacts the feeding benefits for the animals and pellet integrity during handling. To determine the effect of repeated handling on feed pellet breakage and durability, a 22.6-t (1000-bu) lot of feed pellets made from corn meal was transferred alternately between two storage bins in the USDA- ARS, Grain Marketing and Production Research Center research elevator at Manhattan, Kansas, at an average flow rate of 62.2 t/h. Samples from a diverter-type sampler were analyzed for particle size distribution (by sieving) and durability (by the tumbling box method). The apparent geometric mean diameter of samples decreased with repeated transfers, whereas the mass of accumulated broken pellets increased with repeated transfers. The percentage of broken pellets increased by an average of 4.0% with each transfer from an initial value of 17.5%, which was within the range of published values for shelled corn obtained from the same elevator. The pellet durability index averaged 92.9% (standard deviation=0.6%) and did not change significantly (p>0.05) during the transfers. The high pellet durability index indicates that the pellets can withstand repeated transfers in feed handling systems.
μ-1,2-Bis­(di­cyclo­hexyl­phosphino)­ethane-κ2P:P′-bis{[1,2-bis­(di­cyclo­hexyl­phosphino)­ethane-κ2P,P′]­palladium(0)}

The title compound, [Pd2(C26H48P2)3], crystallizes in an `extended' conformation with crystallographically imposed centrosymmetry. The crystal used was twinned via a 180° rotation about the reciprocal axis (0,0,1). The ratio of the two twin components is 54.16 (4):46.84 (4). The crystal packing involves significant interdigitation of the cyclo­hexyl groups with a considerable number of short H⋯H contacts.
The experience of adolescents who have a parent with advanced cancer: A phenomenological inquiry.

Objective: Adolescents are considered the group most susceptible to negative psychosocial outcomes when faced with a parent's illness. However, there has been extremely limited research on the adolescent's adjustment to advanced parental cancer. The aim of our study was to gain understanding of the experiences of adolescents, in their own words, to gather pilot data about the needs of this population that will be valuable in developing interventions for adolescents facing parental cancer. Method: A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was applied using in-depth semistructured interviews to inquire about adolescents' experiences. Some 10 adolescents (7 males, 3 females) aged 14–17 were interviewed. Results: Four essential themes about adolescents living with a parent's advanced cancer emerged from the analysis: “life interrupted,” “being there,” “managing emotions,” and “positives prevail.” These findings underscore the significant impact an advanced cancer diagnosis can have on a family unit and suggest that the experience may also have the potential of creating opportunities for growth and well-being. Our findings reinforce previous results that advocate for the importance of family and peer support, positive attitude, and open communication when a family is coping with advanced parental cancer. Significance of results: Understanding how adolescents gain strength from their relationships with family and peers offers healthcare professionals an opportunity to have services and strategies in place to foster these relationships.
Predictors of foster care exits to permanency: A competing risks analysis of reunification, guardianship, and adoption

Abstract Although foster care is intended to be temporary, and policy explicitly requires permanency outcomes, many children experience lengthy stays and exit foster care without a permanent family. This study sought to identify which child and placement characteristics were important predictors of exit to three types of permanency outcomes: reunification, guardianship, and adoption. A sample of 3351 children who entered foster care in 2006 was observed for 30 to 42 months. Permanency outcomes were analyzed using competing risks survival analysis. Children exited foster care to different types of permanency at different rates and frequencies. Reunification occurred most quickly and frequently. Guardianship was second in terms of median duration but third in frequency. Adoption was the second most common exit but had the longest median duration. One in four children remained in foster care or exited without permanency. While patterns varied by type of permanency, three major categories of important predictors were identified: 1) demographic characteristics of age at entry and race, 2) clinical needs related to children's disabilities and mental health problems, and 3) continuity and connections represented by kin placements, sibling placements, early stability, and absence of runaway events. Implications for practice, policy, and research are discussed.
Co-Occurrence of Child and Partner Maltreatment Definitions, Prevalence, Theory, and Implications for Assessment

This paper addresses issues in the literature regarding the co-occurrence of partner and child physical maltreatment in the United States and in Europe. Design issues including operationalizations, representativeness of samples, data collection methods, and reference periods are discussed in the context of prevalence studies. Next, possible explanations for the pervasiveness of co-occurring maltreatment are explored with an emphasis on theoretical models and mechanisms of co-occurrence. Finally, we offer assessment implications for clinicians and agencies dealing with partner and child maltreatment.
Forest biomass estimated from MODIS and FIA data in the Lake States: MN, WI and MI, USA

Summary This study linked the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer and USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data through empirical models established using high-resolution Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus observations to estimate aboveground biomass (AGB) in three Lake States in the north-central USA. While means obtained from larger sample sizes in FIA datasets can be used as reference numbers over large scales, remote sensing (RS)-based observations have the ability to refl ect spatial variation of properties of interest within a given area. Thus, combining two national on-going datasets may improve our ability to accurately estimate ecological properties across large scales. Using standard and consistent data sources can reduce uncertainty and provide more comparable results at both temporal and spatial dimensions. We estimated total forest AGB in the region was 1479 T g (10 12 g, dry weight) in 2001 with mean AGB value of 95 mg ha − 1 ranging from 4 to 411 mg ha − 1 (within 95 per cent percentiles). Mixed forests featured 66 per cent of the total AGB while deciduous and evergreen forests contained 32 and 2 per cent of the total AGB, respectively, at 1-km pixel resolution. Spatially, AGB values increased from north-west to south-east in general. The RS-based estimates indicated a greater range in AGB variations than the FIA data. Deciduous forests were more variable (both in absolute and relative terms) than evergreen forests. The standard deviation of AGB for deciduous forests was 137 mg ha − 1 , or a coeffi cient of variation of 92 per cent, that for evergreen forests was 24 mg ha − 1 , or a coeffi cient of variation of 37 per cent.
Achieving uniform performance and maximizing throughput in the presence of heterogeneity

Continued scaling of process technologies is critical to sustaining improvements in processor frequencies and performance. However, shrinking process technologies exacerbates process variations — the deviation of process parameters from their target specifications. In the context of multi-core CMPs, which are implemented to feature homogeneous cores, within-die process variations result in substantially different core frequencies. Exposing such process-variation induced heterogeneity interferes with the norm of marketing chips at a single frequency. Further, application performance is undesirably dictated by the frequency of the core it is running on. To work around these challenges, a single uniform frequency, dictated by the slowest core, is currently chosen as the chip frequency sacrificing the increased performance capabilities of cores that could operate at higher frequencies. In this paper, we propose choosing the mean frequency across all cores, in lieu of the minimum frequency, as the single-frequency to use as the chip sales frequency. We examine several scheduling algorithms implemented below the O/S in hardware/firmware that guarantee minimum application performance near that of the average frequency, by masking process-variation induced heterogeneity from the end-user. We show that our Throughput-Driven Fairness (TDF) scheduling policy improves throughput by an average of 12% compared to a naive fairness scheme (round-robin) for frequency-sensitive applications. At the same time, TDF allows 98% of chips to maintain minimum performance at or above 90% of that expected at the mean frequency, providing a single uniform performance level to present for the chip.
Properties and molecular basis of the mouse urinary bladder voltage-gated K+ current

Potassium channels play an important role in controlling the excitability of urinary bladder smooth muscle (UBSM). Here we describe the biophysical, pharmacological and molecular properties of the mouse UBSM voltage-gated K+ current (IK(V)). The IK(V) activated, deactivated and inactivated slowly with time constants of 29.9 ms at +30 mV, 131 ms at −40 mV and 3.4 s at +20 mV. The midpoints of steady-state activation and inactivation curves were 1.1 mV and −61.4 mV, respectively. These properties suggest that IK(V) plays a role in regulating the resting membrane potential and contributes to the repolarization and after-hyperpolarization phases of action potentials. The IK(V) was blocked by tetraethylammonium ions with an IC50 of 5.2 mm and was unaffected by 1 mm 4-aminopyridine. RT-PCR for voltage-gated K+ channel (KV) subunits revealed the expression of Kv2.1, Kv5.1, Kv6.1, Kv6.2 and Kv6.3 in isolated UBSM myocytes. A comparison of the biophysical properties of UBSM IK(V) with those reported for Kv2.1 and Kv5.1 and/or Kv6 heteromultimeric channels demonstrated a marked similarity. We propose that heteromultimeric channel complexes composed of Kv2.1 and Kv5.1 and/or Kv6 subunits form the molecular basis of the mouse UBSM IK(V).
Soil organic matter dynamics along gradients in temperature and land use on the Island of Hawaii

We studied soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics in allophanic soils (Udands) along independent gradients of temperature (altitude) and land use (forest-pasture) on the island of Hawaii. Using an integrated '3C signal derived from land conversion along with measurements of soil respiration and soil carbon, we separated rapid, intermediate, and very slow turnover SOM pools, and estimated turnover times for the large intermediate pool. These estimates were compared to independent estimates using either bomb-derived soil 14C or the Century soil organic matter model. All calculations based on a three-pool SOM structure yield rates of turnover that are 3 times slower than those produced by a single pool model. Accordingly, analyses of potential feedbacks between changes in climate, atmospheric C02, and soil carbon should incorporate the heterogeneous nature of soil organic matter. We estimate that roughly three-quarters of the carbon in the top 20 cm of these soils has turnover times less than 30 yr. Turnover times for intermediate SOM double with a 10'C change in mean annual temperature, suggesting that recalcitrant pools of SOM may be as sensitive to changes in temperature as the smaller labile pools.
PC-based registers: The next generation of point-of-sale technology

Abstract Vendors now offer an alternative to old-style transaction-processing systems that provide operators great leeway in taking advantage of user-friendly computer technology. Technical advances in personal computers have resulted in flexible, standardized applications that can be adapted to diverse food-service operations. Moreover, employees can be taught to use the systems with minimal training. As a result the transaction-processing marketplace will soon be dominated by PC-based registers.
Surgical therapies, part II: flip-top transplants in vitiligo

: The flip-top transplantation (FTT) method provides an important option for the treatment of depigmentation. It enables any physician to treat stable areas of depigmentation using equipment that is readily available and easy to use. To date, this method has resulted in the spread of pigmentation from each graft and has caused no visible scarring. FTT is best suited for treating localized areas of stable depigmentation where the cosmetic result is a priority.
Migration of radio-opaque markers injected into tendon grafts: a study using roentgen stereophotogrammetric analysis (RSA)

An increase in anterior laxity following reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) can result from lengthening of the graft construct either at the sites of fixation and/or between the sites of fixation (i.e., graft substance). Roentgen stereophotogrammetric analysis (RSA), which requires that radio-opaque markers be attached to the graft, has been shown to be a useful technique in determining lengthening in these regions. Previous methods have been used for attaching radio-opaque markers to the graft, but they all have limitations particularly for single-loop grafts. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate injecting markers directly into the substance of a tendon as a viable method for measuring lengthening of single-loop graft constructs by determining the maximum amount of migration after cyclic loading. Tantalum spheres of 0.8 mm diameter were used as tendon markers. Ten single-loop tendon grafts were passed through tibial tunnels drilled in calf tibias and fixed with a tibial fixation device. Two tendon markers were inserted in one tendon bundle of each graft and the grafts were cyclically loaded for 225,000 cycles from 20 N to 170 N. At specified intervals, simultaneous radiographs were obtained of the tendon markers. Marker migration was computed as the change in distance between the two tendon markers parallel to the axis of the tibial tunnel. Marker migration had a root mean square (RMS) value of less than 0.1 mm. Because the RMS value indicates the error introduced into measurements of lengthening and because this error is negligible, the method described for attaching markers to single-loop ACL grafts has the potential to be useful for determining lengthening of single-loop ACL graft constructs in in vivo studies in humans.
Evaluation of robot swarm control methods for underwater mine countermeasures

This paper involves the synthesis of a swarm controller that is suitable for coordinating movements of a group of autonomous robotic vehicles performing underwater mine countermeasures (UMCM). The main objective of this research is to combine behavior-based robot control methods with systems-theoretic swarm control techniques to achieve a hybrid that has the best characteristics of both. Behavior-based robotic theories are combined with statistical methods to give rise to a robust form of control for robots performing UMCM. This highly reactive and responsive system demonstrates an elegant solution for UMCM through simulation and experiments.
Self-Perceptions and Social Comparisons Among Children with LD

The self-perceptions of third- and fourth-grade children with learning disabilities (LD; n = 59) and nondisabled students (n = 57) were compared using the Self-Perception Profile for Learning Disabled Students. Results suggested that the children with LD perceived themselves as less competent than did the controls in the areas of intelligence, academic skills, behavior, and social acceptance. These differences were not related to the length of time subjects with LD had received special education services. Contrary to expectations, subjects' self-perceptions were not affected by whether they chose LD or general education class peers as a reference group.
Predictors of Stable Housing for Homeless Women Leaving a Sex Work-Exiting Program

Women who have experienced homelessness while engaging in sex work have complex service needs. A variety of social service programs have been developed to assist women in exiting sex work, but ther...
Teaching Virtual Reality to undergraduates

Virtual Reality (VR) is a contemporary area of research with many exciting applications in simulation and training. The National Academy of Engineering recently named "Enhance Virtual Reality" as one of fourteen "Grand Challenges for Engineering", and many students find the subject to be exciting and engaging. However, VR receives little or no attention in most undergraduate Computer Science programs. This tutorial will have two objectives. The first will be to introduce attendees to the field of VR through several freely available online lesson modules, and attendees will be shown how the modules are actually being integrated into a variety of existing courses. The second tutorial objective will be to describe two immersive stereo display systems: a Head-Mounted Display (HMD) unit and a stereo display wall.
Inventory and its Relationship with Profitability: Evidence for an International Sample of Countries

In this paper we empirically study inventory dynamics for a large sample of publicly held companies from nine countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Our goals are (i) to identify differences in inventory behavior across countries and across different types of inventories and (ii) to link inventory behavior with financial performance. We find that higher sales, accounts payable, product margins, sales uncertainty and sales growth are all associated with higher total inventories, both in the pooled sample and within most countries. Depending on the country, our model explains between 76% and 95% of the variation in the absolute inventory. Interestingly, we find that economies of scale in inventory management exist only in four countries out of nine in our sample, whereas four other countries exhibit diseconomies of scale an in the remaining country inventory is growing linearly with sales. Furthermore, we use a system of equations and a semi-parametric model to estimate the behavior of three different types of inventories across countries (raw materials, work in process and finished goods) and find similar results for the work in process and finished goods inventories. Surprisingly, the raw materials inventories exhibit a negative association with margins and accounts payable. We further link components of the cash cycle with accounting profitability as measured by return on sales (ROS). We find that, after controlling for other relevant segment- and firm-level effects, shorter total cash cycles, lower inventory levels and shorter accounts payable are all positively associated with ROS. Surprisingly, among the three inventory components, only raw materials inventories have a consistent and negative association with ROS.
Partisan Flocks: The Constraining Role of Congregation-Level Partisanship on Individual Voting Behavior

How are religious voters influenced by the congregation in which they worship? What forces lead voters to comply with their perception of the congregation's partisan norm? This study uses new data from an exit poll of Mercer County, NJ voters to evaluate the extent to which voters are constrained in their reports of vote choice by what they perceive to be their congregation's preference for the Republican or Democratic presidential candidate. I theorize that norm constraint is moderated by two social factors: social embeddedness and surveillance. I leverage religious attendance as a measure of social embeddedness and I employ a new measure of congregation-level surveillance in order to empirically test these relationships. The data reveal that social embeddedness makes compliance more likely, especially for congregants in churches perceived to favor Barack Obama. Surveillance also makes compliance more likely, but only for congregants in perceived Mitt Romney-leaning churches. The interaction of embeddedness and surveillance further reveals that social surveillance is most constraining for congregants embedded in perceived Romney-leaning churches. Finally, I turn to a priming experiment as a further test of the importance of external stimuli to reported vote choice. I find that voters who believe that their congregation leans to the right are sensitive to simple primes designed to increase the immediate salience of religious affiliation: both primes push congregants, especially socially embedded congregants, toward responses more closely aligned with the perceived pro-Romney norm. The external stimulus has no effect on congregants in perceived Obama-leaning churches.
Structural Mechanisms of Hexameric Helicase Loading, Assembly, and Unwinding

Hexameric helicases control both the initiation and the elongation phase of DNA replication. The toroidal structure of these enzymes provides an inherent challenge in the opening and loading onto DNA at origins, as well as the conformational changes required to exclude one strand from the central channel and activate DNA unwinding. Recently, high-resolution structures have not only revealed the architecture of various hexameric helicases but also detailed the interactions of DNA within the central channel, as well as conformational changes that occur during loading. This structural information coupled with advanced biochemical reconstitutions and biophysical methods have transformed our understanding of the dynamics of both the helicase structure and the DNA interactions required for efficient unwinding at the replisome.
Standard and Accessible Rings

1. Introduction. A ring is defined to be standard (1) in case the following two identities hold : (1) (wx, y, z) + (xz, y, w) + (wz, y, x) = 0, (2) (x, y, z) + (z, x, y) − (x, z, y) = 0, where the associator (x, y, z) is defined by (x, y, z) = (xy)z − x(yz). Albert has determined the structure of finite-dimensional, standard algebras (1). The simple ones turn out to be either Jordan algebras or associative ones.
Synthesis and Crystal Structure of the Linear Chain Zirconium Organophosphonate (NH4)Zr[F2][H3{O3PCH2NH(CH2CO2)2}2]·3H2O·NH4Cl

The new zirconium phosphonate compound (NH4)Zr[F2][H3{O3PCH2NH(CH2CO2)2}2]·3H2O·NH4Cl was obtained from the reaction of zirconyl chloride with N-(phosphonomethyl)iminodiacetic acid in the presence of HF. It crystallizes in the triclinic space group P1 (No. 2) with a = 10.743(2) A, b = 11.483(2) A, c = 5.330(1) A, α = 90.63(2)°, β = 96.65(2)°, γ = 97.68(2)°, and Z = 1. The structure consists of linear chains of zirconium atoms linked together by phosphonate oxygens. The zirconium atom is six-coordinated by four phosphonate oxygens and two fluoride ions. The compound represents the first example of a linear chain structure in the zirconium phosphate or phosphonate systems. The formation of such linear chains as opposed to the layered structure normally observed for zirconium phosphonates is attributed to the bulkinesss of the phosphonic acid.
The effect of auditory restriction during pregnancy on offspring survival

The results of this study indicate significantly greater infant mortality when females were reared following pregnancy under conditions of marked deprivation of auditory stimuli. The major affects were attributable to the effects of auditory restriction during pregnancy; however, a significant postnatal effect of auditory restriction was found in the weight of the offspring at 21 days of age.
Site-Specific, Intramolecular Cross-Linking of Pin1 Active Site Residues by the Lipid Electrophile 4-Oxo-2-nonenal

Products of oxidative damage to lipids include 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE) and 4-oxo-2-nonenal (ONE), both of which are cytotoxic electrophiles. ONE reacts more rapidly with nucleophilic amino acid side chains, resulting in covalent protein adducts, including residue-residue cross-links. Previously, we demonstrated that peptidylprolyl cis/trans isomerase A1 (Pin1) was highly susceptible to adduction by HNE and that the catalytic cysteine (Cys113) was the preferential site of modification. Here, we show that ONE also preferentially adducts Pin1 at the catalytic Cys but results in a profoundly different modification. Results from experiments using purified Pin1 incubated with ONE revealed the principal product to be a Cys-Lys pyrrole-containing cross-link between the side chains of Cys113 and Lys117. In vitro competition assays between HNE and ONE demonstrate that ONE reacts more rapidly than HNE with Cys113. Exposure of RKO cells to alkynyl-ONE (aONE) followed by copper-mediated click chemistry and streptavidin purification revealed that Pin1 is also modified by ONE in cells. Analysis of the Pin1 crystal structure reveals that Cys113 and Lys117 are oriented toward each other in the active site, facilitating formation of an ONE cross-link.
Emerging and reemerging rickettsial diseases.

The article by Kass et al.1 in this issue of the Journal is an appropriate reminder that rickettsialpox, like rickettsial diseases in general, is still with us. The rickettsialpox diagnosed in 13 patients at one hospital in New York City undoubtedly represents only a fraction of the actual cases of this endemic disease. Rickettsia akari is maintained in a zoonotic cycle involving house mice and mites, passing rickettsiae transovarially from one generation of mites to the next. Such firmly established, highly evolved ecologic niches are unlikely to disappear, nor are humans likely to avoid encountering the bacteria that flourish in . . .
A simple offspring-to-mother size ratio predicts post-reproductive lifespan

Why do many animals live well beyond their reproductive period? This seems counter to the theory that the fraction of life spent reproducing should be maximized in order to maximize the number of offspring produced in each generation. To resolve this paradox, hypotheses have been developed that evoke parental or grandparental care as reasons for post-reproductive life (e.g., the Mother and Grandmother Hypotheses). However, these hypotheses fail to explain the presence of post-reproductive life in organisms that do not care for their young, such as Caenorhabditis elegans. Here we show that a candidate proxy of the stress of childbirth explains a large portion of the variance in post-reproductive lifespans across many species. A remarkably simple metric, the offspring ratio (ratio of the size or weight of offspring to that of the mother) explained 77% of the variance of the post-reproductive lifespan in a sample drawn from widely dispersed taxa. Our results suggest that the stress of childbirth is an important and conserved determinant of post-reproductive lifespan. Thus, long post-reproductive lifespan may simply be a byproduct of the somatic health required for reproduction of large progeny, regardless of parental care.
Host-Derived Sialic Acids Are an Important Nutrient Source Required for Optimal Bacterial Fitness In Vivo

ABSTRACT A major challenge facing bacterial intestinal pathogens is competition for nutrient sources with the host microbiota. Vibrio cholerae is an intestinal pathogen that causes cholera, which affects millions each year; however, our knowledge of its nutritional requirements in the intestinal milieu is limited. In this study, we demonstrated that V. cholerae can grow efficiently on intestinal mucus and its component sialic acids and that a tripartite ATP-independent periplasmic SiaPQM strain, transporter-deficient mutant NC1777, was attenuated for colonization using a streptomycin-pretreated adult mouse model. In in vivo competition assays, NC1777 was significantly outcompeted for up to 3 days postinfection. NC1777 was also significantly outcompeted in in vitro competition assays in M9 minimal medium supplemented with intestinal mucus, indicating that sialic acid uptake is essential for fitness. Phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that the ability to utilize sialic acid was distributed among 452 bacterial species from eight phyla. The majority of species belonged to four phyla, Actinobacteria (members of Actinobacillus, Corynebacterium, Mycoplasma, and Streptomyces), Bacteroidetes (mainly Bacteroides, Capnocytophaga, and Prevotella), Firmicutes (members of Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Clostridium, and Lactobacillus), and Proteobacteria (including Escherichia, Shigella, Salmonella, Citrobacter, Haemophilus, Klebsiella, Pasteurella, Photobacterium, Vibrio, and Yersinia species), mostly commensals and/or pathogens. Overall, our data demonstrate that the ability to take up host-derived sugars and sialic acid specifically allows V. cholerae a competitive advantage in intestinal colonization and that this is a trait that is sporadic in its occurrence and phylogenetic distribution and ancestral in some genera but horizontally acquired in others. IMPORTANCE Sialic acids are nine carbon amino sugars that are abundant on all mucous surfaces. The deadly human pathogen Vibrio cholerae contains the genes required for scavenging, transport, and catabolism of sialic acid. We determined that the V. cholerae SiaPQM transporter is essential for sialic acid transport and that this trait allows the bacterium to outcompete noncatabolizers in vivo. We also showed that the ability to take up and catabolize sialic acid is prevalent among both commensals and pathogens that colonize the oral cavity and the respiratory, intestinal, and urogenital tracts. Phylogenetic analysis determined that the sialic acid catabolism phenotype is ancestral in some genera such as Yersinia, Streptococcus, and Staphylococcus and is acquired by horizontal gene transfer in others such as Vibrio, Aeromonas, and Klebsiella. The data demonstrate that this trait has evolved multiple times in different lineages, indicating the importance of specialized metabolism to niche expansion.
Introducing Students to Protein Analysis Techniques: Separation and Comparative Analysis of Gluten Proteins in Various Wheat Strains

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) is commonly taught in undergraduate laboratory classes as a traditional method to analyze proteins. An experiment has been developed to teach these basic protein gel skills in the context of gluten protein isolation from various types of wheat flour. A further goal is to relate this technique to current mass spectrometry-based proteomic analysis techniques. Gluten proteins serve as particularly good experimental systems for the undergraduate classroom given the low cost of their sources and the current widespread public interest in gluten-free diets and Celiac-Sprue disease. The experiment set also can serve as preliminary data for student-written original research proposals and be the basis for a discussion of how scientific topics are presented in public forums. This experiment can also be readily adapted to a range of audiences and facilities.
Atmospheric Boundary Layer Height Evolution with Lidar in Buenos Aires from 2008 to 2011

The analysis of the atmospheric boundary layer top height evolution is obtained from 2008 to 2011 in Buenos Aires using the multiwavelength lidar located at CEILAP (CITEDEF-CONICET) (34°33’ S; 58°30’ W; 17 m asl). Algorithms recognition based on covariance wavelet transform are applied to obtain seasonal statistics. This method is being evaluated for use in the Lidar Network in Argentina and it is being deployed in Patagonia region currently. The technique operates in real time in both low and high aerosol loads and with almost no human supervision.
Four Approaches to Urban Studies

Formal instruction in the urban-regional field is proceeding today under four different kinds of banners: city planning, regional science, area-policy analysis (or applied disciplinary studies), and urban and regional studies. From a historical perspective each has emphasized a neglected terrain: city planning has dealt with the interrelationships between land uses, regional science has stressed the disciplinary aspects, area-policy analysis (or applied disciplinary studies) has analyzed urban and regional problems and pragmatic policy issues, and urban and regional studies has sought a balance between these components.
Na+-Cr−-Glutamate Cotransport by Lobster Hepatopancreatic Brush Border Membrane Vesicles

l-[3H]glutamate uptake by lobster hepatopancreatic brush border membrane vesicles, formed by a magnesium precipitation technique, was stimulated by a transmembrane NaCl gradient (o > i), but not by identical gradients of KCl, TMA-Cl, NaSCN or NaN03, suggesting that the amino acid transfer depends specifically upon both Na+ and Cl−. In the presence of a NaCl gradient (o > i), glutamate uptake was strongly dependent upon bilateral pH and increased markedly as pH was lowered from 7.0 to 4.0. NaCl-dependent l-[3H]glutamate uptake was not trans-stimulated by preloading vesicles with K+. At pH 5.0, NaCl-dependent glutamate uptake occurred by an electroneutral process, whereas Na+-dependent d-[3H]glucose uptake at this pH was electrogenic. l-[3H]glutamate influx exhibited both carrier-mediated and apparent diffusional transport components. Decreasing pH had no significant effect on glutamate influx ( K t), but tripled both maximal carrier-mediated entry rate (Jm) and the apparent diffusional permeability (P) of the membrane to this compound. l-[3H]glutamate influx was strongly trans-stimulated by vesicles preloaded with l- and d-glutamate, l- and d-aspartate, l-cysteate, l-tyrosine and l-asparagine, but not by vesicles preloaded with l-leucine, l-glutamine, l-proline, l-alanine or l-lysine. l-[3H]glutamate influx at pH 4.0 was a hyperbolic function of both external Na+ and Cl− concentrations at fixed concentrations of the respective counterions, suggesting cotransport between the amino acid and the two ions with a stoichiometry of 1 Na+: 1 Cl−: 1 glutamate.
Does “Becoming American” Create a “Better” American?

Recent debates about immigration reform have focused on many topics, including the economic impact of illegal immigration, language policy, national security, guest-worker programs, and earned citizenship. One other prominent concern has been the question of American identity. Immigrants and their supporters at rallies have been praised as showing native-born Americans what active citizenship – a key constitutive American norm – is all about (Meyerson 2006). But they have also been chastised for not “becoming American.” These charges were perhaps most vocal when a group of musicians released a Spanish interpretation of the national anthem. As one newspaper columnist wrote, it signaled “an invitation to separatism and a fractured national identity now finding voice among Mexican illegal immigrants and their advocates” (Farmer 2006). One editorial noted that “the mere fact that [the anthem] is in Spanish is a protest against assimilation.” Even President Bush, who was advocating immigrant-friendly reforms at the time, spoke out against the Spanish anthem. Critics also pointed to the presence of Mexican flags at immigration rallies in order to underscore their concerns. Some blamed activists or the federal government rather than immigrants. As one columnist wrote, “New immigrants are not expected to learn our history, master our common language, or even demonstrate loyalty and commitment to the United States” (Wilson 2006). Others, though, blamed immigrants. Recall Bob Lonsberry, the talk-radio host who argued to listeners that Latinos make choices that keep them oriented toward their ethnic identity and away from an American identity. Regardless of whether the instigator is the government or immigrants, the consequences allegedly hurt the nation as a whole, which will suffer if commitment and loyalty disappear. The goal of this chapter is to assess whether prioritizing a panethnic or national origin identity over an American identity promotes alienation from the American political community in the form of reduced trust and a diminished sense of obligation and patriotism.
BOOK REVIEW: Ashcroft, K., & Rayner, P. (2011). Higher Education in Development: Lessons from Sub-Saharan Africa. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, Inc., 286 pp., ISBN: 978-1-61735-541-7.

Book Review: Ashcroft, K., & Rayner, P. (2011). Higher Education in Development: Lessons from Sub-Saharan Africa. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, Inc., 286 pp., ISBN: 978-1-61735-541-7. The full text of the article can be found at 10.18275/fire201603011112
Digital Geography and the Race for the White House

In Baltimore this spring, a local elder named C. W. Harris pledged to sit on his church's rooftop until at least 500 of his fellow citizens in their west-side neighborhood voted in the primary elec...
On the culture of creativity in mathematics education

Culture of creativity in mathematics education is grounded in definitions of creativity which underline our research and efforts of its classroom facilitation. However, the statement 'there is no single, authoritative perspective or definition of creativity in mathematics education' (Mann, 2006; Sriraman, 2005; Leikin, 2011, Kattou et al., 2011) leaves practitioners without an identifiable viewpoint in teaching. Therefore culture of creativity in mathematics education doesn't have solid foundations conflating, among other things, a research into creativity with research into giftedness. Prabhu and Czarnocha (2014) have argued at PME 38 for the acceptance of bisociation of Koestler's Act of Creation, that is a spontaneous leap of insight' as the authoritative definition of creativity. The paper presents this bisociation theory of an 'Aha!' moment and identifies this moment as one during which mind can focus and eliminate inhibiting habits of mind. The paper explores cultural values brought forth by the new definitions of creativity such as its democratization, the unity of creativity, motivation in learning, and the simultaneity of attention. The examples and methods of classroom facilitation are henceforth presented. The distinction between bisociative and associative thinking shows and introduces the concept of simultaneity of attention as new type of attention in learning (Mason, 2008).
Cybersecurity and Resilience Modelling for Software-Defined Networks-Based Manufacturing Applications

In addition to productivity and quality output, for many years, manufacturing systems were also designed with reliability and safety requirements in mind. In the recent decade or so, that approach seems not to be adequate anymore. The current manufacturing global operations ask for more stringent requirements than ever before, which include privacy and security of transactions, among others. Manufacturing control is not new, but the use of cloud environments to integrate distributed manufacturing facilities and entirely control the production processes across those facilities is an active research area denoted in terms such as: virtual factory, cloud manufacturing, Industry 4.0, and more recently, software-defined networking-based manufacturing. Software-defined networking is a relatively new networking architecture that decouples the network data and control mechanisms and assigns the entire data control to a logically centralized control plane that can be software-programmed based on specific application needs. From the security point of view, this translates in the fact that anyone with access to the controllers that run the network control software could potentially control the entire network. This paper proposes an integrated modelling environment that addresses the manufacturing system assurance through cybersecurity and resilience mechanisms for software-defined networks-based (SDN-based) manufacturing applications. First, the paper presents the proposed combined cybersecurity-resilience ontology to be used in the requirements capture of the manufacturing network design stages. Then, the paper presents the framework for SDN-based cybersecurity-resilience mechanisms for manufacturing applications, and ends with a future research section concerning the proposed cybersecurity-resilience modelling environment.
Rehydrating Mummified Tissues: The Search for Identifying Marks and Scars:

Mummification is a variant of decomposition change that occurs with hot, dry conditions and therefore varies in frequency depending upon geographic location. Mummification may compromise visual ide...
Use of spiritual coping strategies by gender, race/ethnicity, and religion at 1 and 3 months after infant's/child's intensive care unit death

Background and purpose In the United States, 57,000 children (newborn to 18 years) die annually. Bereaved parents may rely on religious or spiritual beliefs in their grief. The study's purpose was to examine differences in parents' use of spiritual and religious coping practices by gender, race/ethnicity, and religion at 1 and 3 months after infant/ICU death. Methods The sample consisted of 165 bereaved parents, 78% minority. The Spiritual Coping Strategies Scale was used to measure religious and spiritual coping practices, separately. One-way ANOVAs indicated that Black non-Hispanic mothers used significantly more religious coping practices at 3 months than White non-Hispanic mothers. Protestant and Catholic parents used more religious coping practices than the "no" and "other" religion groups at 1 and 3 months. Within the 30 mother-father dyads (paired t-tests), mothers reported significantly greater use of religious coping practices at 1 and 3 months and spiritual coping practices at 3 months than fathers. Conclusion Religious coping practices were most commonly used by Black mothers and Protestant and Catholic parents. Within dyads, mothers used more spiritual and religious coping practices than fathers. Implications for practice These findings are beneficial for healthcare personnel in providing support to bereaved parents of diverse races/ethnicities and religions.
The Guardian Professions Program: Developing an advanced degree mentoring program for California's foster care alumni

Abstract Higher education continues to be an elusive social space for too many children and youth in the United States foster care system. Yet a four-year pilot project in California has demonstrated that former foster youth can surmount the detrimental effects of childhood adversity to complete their undergraduate degrees and, with additional preparation, advance to graduate degree programs. Building on the success of campus support programs throughout the state, the Guardian Professions Program (GPP) at the University of California Davis employed a research and implementation framework based on Participatory Action Research (PAR) and made use of surveys, qualitative interviews and ethnographic data to develop the model. In this article the authors describe and analyze the GPP, an initiative that pioneered the use of online technology to assist seventy-four former foster youth successfully gain a level of educational success that is not often associated with this demographic. Not all children and youth who are involved in the child welfare system will have the interest or determination to pursue a university education and undertake an advanced degree. However, services and academic assistance for those students who have the aptitude can promote higher education as a path to achievement and self-sufficiency.
Crystal structure of 4′-allyl-4,5,6,7,2′,7′-hexa­chloro­fluorescein allyl ester unknown solvate

In the title compound, 4′-allyl-4,5,6,7,2′,7′-hexa­chloro­fluorescein allyl ester {systematic name: prop-2-en-1-yl 2,3,4,5-tetra­chloro-6-[2,7-di­chloro-6-hy­droxy-3-oxo-4-(prop-2-en-1-yl)-3H-xanthen-9-yl]benzoate}, C26H14Cl6O5, accompanied by unknown solvate molecules, the dihedral angle between the xanthene ring system (r.m.s. deviation = 0.046 A) and the penta­substituted benzene ring is 71.67 (9)°. Both allyl groups are disordered over two sets of sites in statistical ratios. The scattering contributions of the disordered solvent mol­ecules (both Ph2O and CHCl3, as identified by NMR) were removed with the PLATON SQUEEZE algorithm [Spek (2015). Acta Cryst. C71, 9–18]. In the crystal, tetra­meric supra­molecular aggregates linked by O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds occur; these further inter­act with neighboring aggregates through C—Cl⋯π inter­actions arising from the benzene rings, forming infinite two-dimensional sheets. Each C6Cl4 ring shifts in the direction perpendicular to the two-dimensional sheet, exhibiting a helical chain in which every C6Cl4 ring is utilized as both a donor and an acceptor of Cl⋯π contacts. Thus, these two-dimensional sheets pack in a helical fashion, constructing a three-dimensional network.
Private Practice in Social Work: Readiness and Opportunity:

Social workers are finding private practice an increasingly attractive career option for reasons of professional autonomy, client and treatment choices, and increased income. However, qualification...
Aldosterone breakthrough does not alter central hemodynamics

Introduction:Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers are widely used in congestive heart failure and chronic kidney disease, but up to 40% of patients will experi...