cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aging effects on object transport during gait

The ability to manipulate objects deteriorates with increasing age. In the coordination of fingertip forces underlying object manipulation, older adults use excessive grip (normal) forces but maintain anticipatory force control during simple manipulations. Daily activities are often more complex and involve grasp manipulations while simultaneously performing other activities. When walking while carrying an object, young adults couple grip forces to gait-induced inertial force changes (anticipatory control). It is unclear if anticipatory control is preserved in older adults during demanding tasks. The purpose of this study was therefore to investigate aging effects on grasp control when walking and transporting an object. We included gait perturbations to vary task difficulty and step regularity associated with walking. Twelve healthy older (65-84 years) and young (20-30 years) adults transported a hand-held object during unperturbed walking, obstacle crossing and step-length changes. While older subjects employed higher grip-inertial force ratios, they showed a strong force coupling comparable to that of the young during unperturbed walking and step-length changes. During obstacle crossing the forces in the older group were less tightly coupled (grip force delays). Gait patterns were similar between groups. Our findings indicate that older adults maintain anticipatory control during regular and irregular walking. Grasp control changes in older adults only during obstacle crossing suggest that overall task demands (balance requirements, attention demands) may contribute to declines of manual dexterity in functional tasks. This highlights the need to investigate grasp control within complex tasks when aiming to understand impairments of older adults encountered in daily life.
A physical map encompassing GP2B, EPB3, D17S183, D17S78, D17S1183, and D17S1184

The q21 region of chromosome 17 contains the gene BRCA1, which is involved in familial early-onset breast and ovarian cancers. A physical map of a region that extends from a distal boundary of the BRCA1 region, D17S78, to GP2B has been constructed. The map consists of 30 STSs, including 2 new short tandem repeat polymorphic markers. The contig is composed of a mixture of 7 YACs, 5 P1 plasmids, and 14 cosmids and was ordered by STS-content mapping.
Heritability of juvenile growth traits in red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus L.)

Heritability of juvenile growth rate was estimated for red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), an economically im- portant sciaenid ¢sh in the southern USA. Thirty- eight families were generated via 'natural' spawning of multiple sets of ¢ve breeders (three damstwo sires) in individual brood tanks. Oispring were indi- vidually tagged with Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags and mixed for grow-out in replicate 'com- mon-garden' tanks. Juvenile growth was followed from 166.4 � 18.6 to 254.0 � 27.0 mm (total length). Oispring were assigned a posteriori to individual brood ¢sh (dam and sire) based on genotypes at nu- clear-encoded microsatellites. Heritability (h 2 )o f a thermal growth coe⁄cient was estimated using an animal-additive model and a restricted maximum- likelihood algorithm. Estimates of h 2 were 0.33 � 0.08 and 0.31 � 0.08 for thermal growth coe⁄cient based on length and weight respectively. These results indicate a signi¢cant genetic compo- nent in juvenile growth rate in red drum. Estimates of h 2 for condition coe⁄cient (K) at various measure- ment dates averaged 0.38, suggesting a genetic com- ponent to shape in juvenile red drum.
The New Geography

“Modern geography should help correct the type of thinking which visualizes Africa as all rain forest or Iraq as all rock and sand dunes. Geographic instruction, properly structured, will aid in these corrections. The manner in which this can be done will always be a matter of some dispute, but...” (1)
A Diffusion Model Incorporating Product Benefits, Price, Income and Information

We start by assuming that a major benefit of many new durable products such as dishwashers and microwave ovens is time savings. Others, such as VCRs, also enhance the value of our leisure time. Using a household production framework we demonstrate that a utility maximizing individual will have a reservation price for the product which is a function of the product benefits and his wage rate. By assuming that the wage rate has an extreme value distribution across the population, we are able to derive, for the aggregate process, an income-price dependent logistic adoption equation. We then allow for the possibility that certain eligible consumers may delay their purchase of the product because they are unaware that it exists, are suspicious of its quality, or expect its price to fall. Unawareness, uncertainty and hope for further price declines are assumed to decrease with the increase in the number of previous adopters. The resulting diffusion model has the property that the product life cycle phenomenon can be explained jointly or separately by the income-price process, and the awareness-uncertainty-expectations process. Using data on household income, on durable penetration within different income classes, and on first-purchase sales the aggregate diffusion model and its premises are tested and supported. It is found that both the income-price and awareness-uncertainty-expectations processes are at work. However, the dependence of the awareness-uncertainty-expectations delay process on the number of previous adopters e.g., word-of-mouth type effect exists only in certain product categories and is usually relatively weak. It is demonstrated that if the word-of-mouth type effects are weak, a price skimming strategy is optimal for a monopolist and also is likely to be implemented by oligopolists. The sales forecasting implications of the model also are pursued.
Frequent neurologic toxicity associated with amiodarone therapy

Fifty-four consecutive patients were treated with amiodarone for symptomatic ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation refractory to treatment with conventional antiarrhythmic drugs. A reversible neurologic syndrome of tremor, ataxia, and occasionally peripheral neuropathy without nystagmus, dizziness, encephalopathy, or long-tract signs developed in 54% of the patients and was the most common reason for altering or discontinuing drug therapy. Neurologic side effects improved or resolved within 2 days to 4 weeks of decreasing or discontinuing amiodarone. Frequent neurologic toxicity is a hitherto undescribed complication of amiodarone therapy. Wider recognition of this syndrome will avoid unnecessary and costly diagnostic evaluation.
Personalized immunotherapy for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: a promising approach.

The efficacy of immunotherapeutic strategies for the treatment of lymphoid malignancies has been demonstrated in recent years. In patients with B-cell lymphomas, particularly indolent lymphoma, the use of passive immunotherapy, such as the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab, has made an impressive impact on patient outcome. Personalized immunotherapy, a method that triggers the immune system to mount a response against tumor cells, has shown promising results in early clinical trials in hematologic malignancies. This therapeutic modality appears safe, with the most common adverse events being transient, local reactions at the site of injection. Furthermore, personalized immunotherapy has the potential to generate immunologic memory, which could provide prolonged remission. Currently, 3 large phase III studies are evaluating the efficacy and safety of personalized immunotherapy in patients with follicular lymphoma [1–3]. It is hoped that the results of these studies will lead to the incorporation of this promising approach into the standard treatment of patients with lymphoma. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Biometrics and the threat to civil liberties

Biometrics refers to the automatic identification or verification of living persons using their enduring physical or behavioral characteristics. Biometric systems fall into two categories: authentication and identification, with authentication systems being far more common. We discuss about the Biometric system and its use in authentication and identification. We also discuss about the face recognition system and the threat caused on the civil liberties due to illegal modification of the databases in the biometric system.
Digital tomosynthesis and high resolution computed tomography as clinical tools for vertebral endplate topography measurements: Comparison with microcomputed tomography.

Abstract Endplate morphology is understood to play an important role in the mechanical behavior of vertebral bone as well as degenerative processes in spinal tissues; however, the utility of clinical imaging modalities in assessment of the vertebral endplate has been limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of two clinical imaging modalities (digital tomosynthesis, DTS; high resolution computed tomography, HRCT) to assess endplate topography by correlating the measurements to a microcomputed tomography (μCT) standard. DTS, HRCT, and μCT images of 117 cadaveric thoracolumbar vertebrae (T10–L1; 23 male, 19 female; ages 36–100 years) were segmented, and inferior and superior endplate surface topographical distribution parameters were calculated. Both DTS and HRCT showed statistically significant correlations with μCT approaching a moderate level of correlation at the superior endplate for all measured parameters (R 2 Adj = 0.19–0.57), including averages, variability, and higher order statistical moments. Correlation of average depths at the inferior endplate was comparable to the superior case for both DTS and HRCT (R 2 Adj = 0.14–0.51), while correlations became weak or nonsignificant for higher moments of the topography distribution. DTS was able to capture variations in the endplate topography to a slightly better extent than HRCT, and taken together with the higher speed and lower radiation cost of DTS than HRCT, DTS appears preferable for endplate measurements.
Fast, large-scale, particle image velocimetry-based estimations of river surface velocity

A modified high-speed implementation of cross-correlation (CC) based, large-scale particle image velocimetry (LSPIV) was used to estimate the surface velocity of a river with video collected from a gray-scale camera. To improve the quality of results in the high-noise low-signal environment, we introduce a temporal correlation averaging (TCA) scheme that merges a small number of correlation surfaces in the time domain. The TCA scheme is combined with a multi-size macroblock (MMB) sampling method that provides correlation scores from four different macroblock sizes. The TCA scheme is also used in conjunction with a signal-level indicator computed on the macroblock. The signal-level indicator is used to reject correlation scores prior to computation and helps to keep noisy results out of the TCA. These modifications were tested by comparing LSPIV calculations to Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler measurements. The percent difference of measured velocity between LSPIV with TCA and MMB and without TCA and MMB when compared to the ADCP was reduced by as much as 30%. The low processing cost of our modifications along with an efficient multithread implementation of LSPIV facilitates high speed processing of up to a few thousand vector points at rates that exceed the capture speed of common hardware. HighlightsWe introduce a modified LSPIV method that uses temporal correlation averaging.Results from the modified LSPIV method were compared with ADCP results.Agreement between ADCP and LSPIV is improved when using our modifications.Processing speed remains consistent with unmodified LSPIV.
Optical Properties of Mg-Substituted ZnO Nanoparticles Obtained by Solution Growth

In this paper, we report the optical properties of magnesium (Mg)-substituted zinc oxide (ZnO) (Zn1-xMgxO) nanoparticles (diameter ≤ 20 nm). The ZnO and alloyed nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical route and have Wurzite structure. The maximum Mg substitution reported here is ≈7.5%. This leads to a blue shift of the absorption spectra by 0.5 eV as well as a blue shift of the near-band edge photo luminescence. Our analysis shows that small change in average size of the nanoparticles, as described in this paper, does not have much effect on the observed blue shift of the absorption spectra due to alloying. At the maximum concentration of Mg incorporated into ZnO, the material does not show phase segregation and retains the excitonic nature of the fundamental-absorption edge.
Nonvital Tooth Bleaching: A Review of the Literature and Clinical Procedures

Tooth discoloration varies in etiology, appearance, localization, severity, and adhesion to tooth structure. It can be defined as being extrinsic or intrinsic on the basis of localization and etiology. In this review of the literature, various causes of tooth discoloration, different bleaching materials, and their applications to endodontically treated teeth have been described. In the walking bleach technique the root filling should be completed first, and a cervical seal must be established. The bleaching agent should be changed every 3–7 days. The thermocatalytic technique involves placement of a bleaching agent in the pulp chamber followed by heat application. At the end of each visit the bleaching agent is left in the tooth so that it can function as a walking bleach until the next visit. External bleaching of endodontically treated teeth with an in-office technique requires a high concentration gel. It might be a supplement to the walking bleach technique, if the results are not satisfactory after 3– 4 visits. These treatments require a bonded temporary filling or a bonded resin composite to seal the access cavity. There is a deficiency of evidence-based science in the literature that addresses the prognosis of bleached nonvital teeth. Therefore, it is important to always be aware of the possible complications and risks that are associated with the different bleaching techniques. (J Endod 2008; 34:394 – 407)
A Dde resin based strategy for inverse solid-phase synthesis of amino terminated peptides, peptide mimetics and protected peptide intermediates.

This report describes a Dde resin based attachment strategy for inverse solid-phase peptide synthesis (ISPPS). This attachment strategy can be used for the synthesis of amino terminated peptides with side chains and the carboxyl terminus either protected or deprotected. Amino acid t-butyl esters were attached through their free amino group to the Dde resin. The t-butyl carboxyl protecting group was removed by 50% TFA, and inverse peptide synthesis cycles performed using an HATU/TMP based coupling method. Protected peptides were cleaved from the resin with dilute hydrazine. Side chain protecting groups could then be removed by treatment with TFMSA/TFA. The potential of this approach was demonstrated by the synthesis of several short protected and unprotected peptides in good yield and with low epimerization. Its potential for peptide mimetic synthesis was demonstrated by the synthesis of two peptide trifluoromethylketones. Copyright © 2004 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Increased Expression of Protein Kinase C Activates ERK3

Abstract In a prior study, we have shown that stable transfection of expression plasmids for protein kinase Cβ1 (PKCβ1) or PKCβ2 into differentiated colon cancer cells led to elevated levels of PKCβ1 or PKCβ2 protein and PKCβ kinase activities in the transfectants, without altering PKCα levels. PKC is not found in these cells, so the major modulation was in PKCβ. PKCβ transfectant cells exhibited blocked differentiation, increased growth rate in athymic mice, and restoration of the basic fibroblast growth factor response pathway. In this study, we have extended the analysis of these PKCβ transfectants to the mitogen-activated protein kinase ERK3. Analysis of cell lysates on the mitogen-activated protein kinase substrate myelin basic protein by in gel kinase assay showed increased activity at 63 kDa, the size of ERK3, in each of two PKCβ1 and each of two PKCβ2 transfectants compared with the vector control transfectant. ERK3 was expressed at equal abundance in PKCβ1, PKCβ2, and control transfectant cells as demonstrated by Western blotting and by immunoprecipitation with anti-ERK3 monoclonal antibody. However, a >10-fold increase in ERK3 activity in each PKCβ transfectant was shown by immunoprecipitation with anti-ERK3 monoclonal antibody followed by either immune complex kinase assay or by in gel kinase assay. Thus, while overexpression of transfected PKCβ does not lead to overexpression of ERK3, it does lead to constitutive activation of ERK3. A causal link between PKCβ overexpression and ERK3 activation was established because 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate treatment down-regulated both PKC and ERK3 activities in both PKCβ1 transfectants. ERK3 activity was found in nuclear and membrane fractions in each PKCβ transfectant, in contrast to controls, perhaps accounting for constitutive activation of ERK3 in cells with elevated levels of PKCβ1 or PKCβ2.
Identification of Rotating Assembly Inertial and Bearing Parameters

The problem of estimating the state of a turbopump rotating assembly and identifying unknown products of inertia and unknown bearing parameters is considered. A linearized, extended Kalman filtering approach has been used and found to be successful for both state estimation and parameter identification in an inherently nonlinear problem. The input data was simulated Bently test data which was obtained from a verified 12-dimensional state-space model and was compared with real Bently test data obtained from NASA. The results prove the feasibility of using this model and this type of test data to obtain the hidden parameters of a typical turbopump rotating assembly. This method should lead to improved performance by allowing improved balancing of the rotor and giving improved knowledge of the bearing reactions.
The Nature of the Retinal Action Potential, and the Spectral Sensitivities of Ultraviolet and Green Receptor Systems of the Compound Eye of the Worker Honeybee

1. The retinal action potential consists principally of a sustained negative wave which persists for as long as the stimulus. Transitory negative on-effects and off-effects may also be present, particularly at long wave lengths (green, yellow, and red) and in the light-adapted eye. 2. Only the maintained component of the potential can be elicited under CO(2) anesthesia. The transient components are reversibly eliminated from the response at about the same time as the background noise of nerve and muscle spikes. It is suggested that the sustained component arises from the receptor cells, and the other components from second and higher order neurons. 3. The compound eye does not contain a homogeneous population of receptors. A green receptor system (maximum sensitivity at about 535 mmicro) determines the response of the dark-adapted eye throughout most of the spectrum; during adaptation to yellow light, however, an ultraviolet receptor system is revealed, with maximum sensitivity at about 345 mmicro. The anatomical bases of these receptor systems are unknown; however, they include both retinula cells and neurons in the optic ganglion. 4. There is no change in spectral sensitivity (Purkinje shift) in the first three logarithmic units above the threshold of the retinal action potential. 5. The relatively great effectiveness of near ultraviolet light in stimulating the positive phototaxis of the bee does not depend on excitation of the ultraviolet receptor of the ocellus.
Distinguishing Age Differences in Knowledge, Strategy Use, and Confidence During Strategic Skill Acquisition.

The authors examined how age differences in strategy selection are related to associative learning deficits and metacognitive variables, including memory ability confidence. In Experiment 1, increases in memory reliance for performance of the noun-pair lookup task were compared with increases in noun-pair memory ability. In Experiment 2, memory reliance was assessed for noun pairs memorized prior to the task. In each experiment, older adults manifested a substantial delay in transition to a retrieval-based strategy despite comparable noun-pair knowledge. In Experiment 3, young and older adults reported comparable confidence ratings for the accuracy of each memory probe response. However, older adults reported lower confidence in their general ability to use the memory retrieval strategy, which correlated with avoidance of the retrieval strategy.
Texturing of Layered Surfaces for Optimal Viewing

This paper is a contribution to the literature on perceptually optimal visualizations of layered three-dimensional surfaces. Specifically, we develop guidelines for generating texture patterns, which, when tiled on two overlapped surfaces, minimize confusion in depth-discrimination and maximize the ability to localize distinct features. We design a parameterized texture space and explore this texture space using a "human in the loop" experimental approach. Subjects are asked to rate their ability to identify Gaussian bumps on both upper and lower surfaces of noisy terrain fields. Their ratings direct a genetic algorithm, which selectively searches the texture parameter space to find fruitful areas. Data collected from these experiments are analyzed to determine what combinations of parameters work well and to develop texture generation guidelines. Data analysis methods include ANOVA, linear discriminant analysis, decision trees, and parallel coordinates. To confirm the guidelines, we conduct a post-analysis experiment, where subjects rate textures following our guidelines against textures violating the guidelines. Across all subjects, textures following the guidelines consistently produce high rated textures on an absolute scale, and are rated higher than those that did not follow the guidelines
3-D object description and recognition

Summary form only given. Description and recognition of three-dimensional objects is a key technology for robotics and factory automation. Dense range data are used as the input to the system. The range data can be obtained by one of several range finders that the authors have designed or purchased. In this system, each object is represented by its visible surface from a small number of distinct views (typically four). The surface is represented as a structured graph. A complex surface is segmented into simple surfaces at physically significant boundaries such as jumps and folds. The graph description consists of these patterns as nodes and relations between them as links. The segmentation is done by a sophisticated process that uses surface curvature properties. Recognition is by graph matching. The system is able to handle rather complex scenes. >
On preferential diffusion of binary component liquid droplets evaporating in a two-phase mixing layer

Abstract Numerical simulations of a two-phase binary component droplet laden temporally developing mixing layer are conducted in order to investigate the influence of preferential diffusion of liquid species. A multicomponent evaporation model based on classical rapid mixing vaporization and Raoult’s law is applied to the Lagrangian description for individual droplets. Results are first presented for single isolated binary component droplets under the same conditions used in the final mixing layer simulations in order to illustrate the models behavior and ability to account for preferential vaporization of the more volatile species. Single droplet simulations are performed for a variety of binary component species pairs having varying properties; including heptane, decane, hexane, hexane–trichloroacetane (TCA), and water. The results illustrate the importance of the latent heat of vaporization, in addition to the traditionally cited boiling temperature, in determining the correct relative volatilities of the liquid species. The results illustrate that species can exhibit strong preferential diffusion effects even with equal boiling temperatures when their latent heats vary substantially. A Lagrangian droplet model is then coupled with the compressible form of the continuity, momentum, energy and species transport equations governing the carrier gas phase. High resolution simulations are conducted of a two-dimensional temporally developing mixing layer with one stream laden with binary component evaporating droplets. Preferential vaporization is found to significantly affect the evaporated species concentrations and distributions within the mixing layer. Evaporative flow saturation is observed, wherein the laden stream becomes saturated before the evaporation is complete. Resulting species concentration distributions within the mixing layer are determined by the coupled effects of preferential vaporization of the more volatile species, and by preferential concentration of droplets within the flow.
Is School Desegregation Still a Viable Policy Option

suburbs and the slowly declining segregation in major metropolitan areas are important urban trends. The impact of changing residential patterns of blacks and whites is not yet adequately understood, but seems consequential in several ways. Mixedrace neighborhoods promote interracial contact, for example, as well as lower levels of racial solidarity among blacks; and interracial contact in turn, promotes more positive attitudes toward members of the other race, at least in some contexts. Of course, while taking place of residence and school performance into account reduces racial differences in attitudes toward the schools, in the Detroit area most whites live where
Variations Among Individual Surgeons in the Rate of Positive Surgical Margins in Radical Prostatectomy Specimens

ABSTRACTPurpose: Cancer at the resection margin (a positive surgical margin) after radical prostatectomy is associated with an increased risk of recurrence even after adjusting for other known risk factors, including pretreatment serum prostate specific antigen (PSA), clinical stage, grade and pathological stage (level of extracapsular extension, seminal vesicle invasion and pelvic lymph node status). Of these prognostic factors only surgical margin status can be influenced by surgical technique. We examined variations in the rate of positive surgical margins among surgeons after controlling for the severity of disease and volume of cases per surgeon.Materials and Methods: A total of 4,629 men were treated with radical prostatectomy by 1 of 44 surgeons at 2 large urban centers between 1983 and 2002 for clinical stage T1-T3NxM0 prostate cancer. Patients were excluded if they had previously received androgen deprivation therapy or radiation therapy to the pelvis. Positive surgical margins were defined as ca...
Diagnostic Practices for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A National Survey of Primary Care Physicians

Background.—The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) clinical practice guideline emphasizes the appropriate diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in school-aged children. Although previous studies have shown wide variation in diagnostic practices for ADHD, few recent studies have examined nationally representative samples. Objective.—To describe practice patterns of primary care physicians evaluating school-aged children for ADHD in the late 1990s and compare the patterns with subsequently published AAP guidelines. Methods.—We surveyed a national sample of 2000 primary care pediatricians and family physicians. Of the 1076 returned surveys, 861 (43%) met data quality criteria and were included in the analysis. We tabulated frequencies for each item and used a χ2 test to examine relationships between survey items and physician characteristics. Results.—Primary care physicians most commonly reported conducting 1–2 new evaluations for ADHD per month, the majority spending 15–45 minutes and at least 2 office visits to confirm a diagnosis of ADHD. Although 58% of physicians used formal diagnostic criteria, only 28% reported using criteria according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Eighty-three percent reported using any teacher or school information such as report cards and rating scales. Approximately 70% used ADHD-specific rating scales, and 60% used global behavior scales. A quarter of respondents obtained laboratory tests such as hematocrit, lead, and thyroid function profile. Most physicians reported routinely assessing for coexisting conditions, ranging from 74% for tic disorders to 91% for depression and conduct disorder. Conclusions.—Before the publication of AAP guidelines, primary care physicians' evaluation practices for school-aged children with ADHD varied widely, especially with respect to use of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders diagnostic criteria and inappropriate diagnostic tests.
Development of boundary layer rolls from dynamic instabilities

Using three three-dimensional spectral models of flow in a neutral atmosphere, the development of atmospheric boundary layer rolls from the inflection point and parallel instabilities is examined. Using the Ekman profile, the ability of the various models to reproduce the modes arising from the parallel and inflection point instability mechanisms was tested by comparing the results from the spectral models with the results from larger models used by other investigators. It was found that the truncated spectral models used in this investigation yielded preferred values of orientation angle and aspect ratio that agreed with those produced by the larger models, as well as with the observations data taken on September 1981 during the West-German KonTur experiment.
Morphological Variation among Broad-Clawed Shrews (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla: Soricidae: Cryptotis Pomel, 1848) from Highlands of Western Honduras, with Descriptions of Three New Cryptic Species

ABSTRACT Broad-clawed shrews of the Cryptotis goldmani group (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla: Soricidae) are discontinuously distributed in temperate highlands from southern Tamaulipas, Mexico, to Honduras. The group represents a clade within the small-eared shrews (genus Cryptotis Pomel, 1848) that is characterized by modifications of the forelimb, including broadened fore-feet, elongated and broadened fore-claws, and a massive humerus with enlarged processes. Two species of C. goldmani group shrews have been recorded previously from Honduras: C. magnimanus Woodman and Timm, 1999, is endemic to the Cordillera de Montecillos, and C. goodwini Jackson, 1933, which also occurs in the Sierra Madre of southern Guatemala, has been recorded from three isolated highland regions with remnant forest in western Honduras. Morphological and morphometrical analyses of variation in the skull and postcranial skeleton within and among the three Honduran populations of C. goodwini reveal that each represents a distinct species of ...
Temperature-dependent development and prediction of emergence of the summer generation of plum curculio (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in the southeastern United States.

Abstract Timely insecticide application against the summer generation (first field generation) of the plum curculio, Conotrachelus nenuphar Herbst, is critical in the production of peach and other stone fruits in the southeastern United States. In the absence of monitoring tools that are effective during midseason when the adults of this generation emerge, a temperature-based emergence model would be useful as an alternative decision aid. In this study, we determined rates of larval development (from oviposition to peak emergence of larvae) and pupal development (from larval emergence to peak emergence of adults) for two populations of C. nenuphar in constant temperatures ranging from ≈11–37°C, developed linear regression models to describe the relationships between developmental rate and temperature for both stages, and estimated degree-day requirements for completing development from these models. The lower threshold temperature was 11.1 and 8.7°C for larval and pupal development, respectively. The ther...
Re-membering Jesus: Women, Prophecy, and Resistance in the Memory of the Early Churches

In the search for a feminist christology, Rosemary R. Ruether has proposed the vision of Jesus as prophet and the tradition of spirit christologies as sources. This essay proposes combining prophetic and spirit christologies, re-membering Jesus as a prophet within a prophetic movement, as a sharer in the spirit with its women and men prophets. It asks the reader to make two major shifts in envisaging Jesus' career: first, to shift the locus of the spirit from the person of Jesus to the reign-of-God movement within which he acted; second, to see the preaching of God's reign as alternative not to the teaching of the “scribes and Pharisees” but to the imperial rule. These two shifts can help us to revise the question, “Can a male savior save women?” asking instead whether, in the spirit, [we who are] women can liberate ourselves from but also with our memories of Jesus.
Alzheimer’s Management: A technical Solution for Neurologists, Patients and Caregivers

Alzheimer’s is a memory impairment disorder developed due to multiple cognitive deficits that progressively leads to at least one of the following: apraxia, aphasia, agnosia or a disturbance in executive functioning. As of 2012, more than 5.1 million Americans are affected by Alzheimer’s. Caregiving is an important element of an Alzheimer patient’s life. Caregiving is a reciprocal relationship where the daily world for both the caregiver and the patient is stressful. We propose a system that aims to lower the stress experienced by that caregiver while taking care of their loved ones. The proposed system would be beneficial for the physicians to analyze and assess the disease progression through neuroimaging, neuropsychological, neurochemical and neurophysiological results collected at different intervals. The data collected from this system could further be used to enhance the medical care provided to Alzheimer patients.
Enlarged Prostate (On Digital Rectal Examination or Ultrasound)

A common complaint of the aging male will be symptoms associated with benign enlargement of the prostate gland. These lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) may be categorized as either irritative (frequency, urgency, nocturia) or obstructive (hesitancy, weak stream, straining, and prolonged voiding). Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the underlying histologic cause of LUTS, caused either by direct bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) or increased smooth muscle tone. A basic algorithm may be followed to evaluate male LUTS including relevant medical history, assessment of LUTS, validated questionnaires on severity and bother, physical examination, DRE, serum PSA, and voiding diaries. Part of routine screening is a DRE (digital rectal examination), which allows for detection of nodules, asymmetry, and size. An enlarged prostate on DRE is common in the aging male and should prompt further evaluation for voiding symptoms. Ultrasound assessment of the enlarged prostate, most commonly transrectal ultrasound (TRUS), aids in the determination of size and response to therapy and in the guidance of directed prostate biopsies but has limited role in the assessment of prostate malignancy. The use of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and enhanced imaging modalities, such as CT and MRI, replaced TRUS in the diagnosis of prostate cancer. The first-line agent in patients with an enlarged prostate less than 40 g in size and bothersome LUTS is alpha-blockers. There are currently multiple treatments available for men with enlarged prostate and LUTS, including alpha-adrenergic receptor antagonists, 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, anticholinergics, and combination therapy. It is important to approach each patient individually, focusing on history, physical examination, and laboratory tests. Assessment parameters (symptom scores, uroflowmetry, and prostate size) may help in identifying men at greater risk of progression who may benefit from more aggressive medical management using combination therapy.
Abstract B61: HEF1-dependent Aurora A kinase phosphorylation activates HDAC6

Histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) is known to be important participant of many tumorgenesis processes including cytoskeleton rearrangement, cell migration and invasion. Activation of HDAC6 promotes cell motility and proteolytic degradation of the extracellular matrix which thereby facilitates invasion and metastasis of cancer cells. But precise mechanisms of HDAC6 regulation are still unknown. Human enhancer of filamentation 1 (HEF1/Cas-L/Nedd9) is scaffolding protein implicated in essential normal cell functions like cell division as well as pathologic conditions such as in cancer progression. It has been shown that HEF1 is over-expressed in multiple tumor types and is well known marker of malignancy. HEF1 possesses a key role in cancer development by acting as a signaling hub to coordinate tumor associated signaling. Among numerous targets which are regulated by HEF1 one of the most important is Aurora A kinase (AurA). It is known that up-regulation of AurA launches a cascade of reactions promoting oncogenic cell transformation. In our experiments, we demonstrated that HEF1 knockdown leads to impairment of cell capability to invade into extracellular matrix. We hypothesize that invasion deficiency in HEF1 depleted cells is directly linked to inability of AurA to phosphorylate/activate HDAC6. We have shown previously that depletion of HEF1 decreases AurA activity and demonstrated that HDAC6 is a substrate of AurA kinase. In this work we have determined AurA phosphorylation sites in HDAC6 using site-directed mutagenesis and in vitro kinase assay with wild-type HDAC6 and HDAC6 phospho-mutants. We revealed that AurA phosphorylates HDAC6 at Ser479/Thr481. We will test the effect of this AurA phosphorylation event on HDAC6 activation. Biological effect of such regulation will be explored in breast cancer cell lines. Our observation allows us to establish a mechanistic pathway that describes the convergent roles of HDAC6, AurA and HEF1 in tumor progression. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Second AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Basic Cancer Research; 2011 Sep 14-18; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(18 Suppl):Abstract nr B61.
Investigation Relevant to the Conformation of the 17-Membered Pt(d(GpG)) Macrocyclic Ring Formed by Pt Anticancer Drugs with DNA: Pt Complexes with a Goldilocks Carrier Ligand

Platinum anticancer drug DNA intrastrand cross-link models, LPt(d(G*pG*)) (G* = N7-platinated G residue, L = R(4)dt = bis-3,3'-(5,6-dialkyl)-1,2,4-triazine), and R = Me or Et), undergo slow Pt-N7 bond rotation. NMR evidence indicated four conformers (HH1, HH2, ΔHT1, and ΛHT2); these have different combinations of guanine base orientation (head-to-head, HH, or head-to-tail, HT) and sugar-phosphodiester backbone propagation relative to the 5'-G* (the same, 1, or opposite, 2, to the direction in B DNA). In previous work on LPt(d(G*pG*)) adducts, Pt-N7 rotation was too rapid to resolve conformers (small L with bulk similar to that in active drugs) or L was too bulky, allowing formation of only two or three conformers; ΛHT2 was not observed under normal conditions. The (R(4)dt)Pt(d(G*pG*)) results support our initial hypothesis that R(4)dt ligands have Goldilocks bulk, sufficient to slow G* rotation but insufficient to prevent formation of the ΛHT2 conformer. Unlike the (R(4)dt)Pt(5'-GMP)(2) adducts, ROESY spectra of (R(4)dt)Pt(d(G*pG*)) adducts showed no EXSY peaks, a result providing clear evidence that the sugar-phosphodiester backbone slows conformer interchange. Indeed, the ΛHT2 conformer formed and converted to other conformers slowly. Bulkier L (Et(4)dt versus Me(4)dt) decreased the abundance of the ΛHT2 conformer, supporting our initial hypothesis that steric crowding disfavors this conformer. The (R(4)dt)Pt(d(G*pG*)) adducts have a low abundance of the ΔHT1 conformer, consistent with the proposal that the ΔHT1 conformer has an energetically unfavorable phosphodiester backbone conformation; its high abundance when L is bulky is attributed to a small d(G*pG*) spatial footprint for the ΔHT1 conformer. Despite the Goldilocks size of the R(4)dt ligands, the bases in the (R(4)dt)Pt(d(G*pG*)) adducts have a low degree of canting, suggesting that the ligand NH groups characteristic of active drugs may facilitate canting, an important aspect of DNA distortions induced by active drugs.
The Systematics of the Subfamily Ornithodorinae (Acarina: Argasidae). I. The Genera and Subgenera

The classification of the subfamily is reviewed, and 3 genera are recognized, namely Ornithodoros Koch, Otobius Banks, and Antricola Cooley and Kohls. Approximately two-thirds of the species of Ornithodoros were studied, and 7 subgenera of this genus are recognized: Ornithodoros s.str., Alveonasus Schulze, Pavlovskyella Pospelova-Shtrom ( =Theriodoros Pospelova-Shtrom, n.syn.), ORNAMENTUM (type Ornithodoros coriaceus Koch), Alectorobius Pocock, Reticulinasus Schulze, and SUBPARMATUS (type Ornithodoros viguerasi Cooley and Kohls). The genera and subgenera are described, and the interrelationships of the several species are discussed. It was found possible to assign all but 4 of the known species of Ornithodoros to subgenera.
The Moral Nature of Man in Organizations: A Comparative Analysis: Comment

The article presents the author's opinions regarding the article “The Moral Nature of Man in Organizations: A Comparative Analysis,” by William G. Scott and David K. Hart, published in the June 197...
Tropomyosin-binding properties modulate competition between tropomodulin isoforms

The formation and fine-tuning of cytoskeleton in cells are governed by proteins that influence actin filament dynamics. Tropomodulin (Tmod) regulates the length of actin filaments by capping the pointed ends in a tropomyosin (TM)-dependent manner. Tmod1, Tmod2 and Tmod3 are associated with the cytoskeleton of non-muscle cells and their expression has distinct consequences on cell morphology. To understand the molecular basis of differences in the function and localization of Tmod isoforms in a cell, we compared the actin filament-binding abilities of Tmod1, Tmod2 and Tmod3 in the presence of Tpm3.1, a non-muscle TM isoform. Tmod3 displayed preferential binding to actin filaments when competing with other isoforms. Mutating the second or both TM-binding sites of Tmod3 destroyed its preferential binding. Our findings clarify how Tmod1, Tmod2 and Tmod3 compete for binding actin filaments. Different binding mechanisms and strengths of Tmod isoforms for Tpm3.1 contribute to their divergent functional capabilities.
Hard and Flexible, Degradable Thermosets from Renewable Bioresources with the Assistance of Water and Ethanol

A carboxylic acid functional trimer made from the reaction of isosorbide with maleic anhydride was used to cross-link epoxidized sucrose soyate (ESS), resulting in bio-based, degradable thermosets having a good combination of hardness and flexibility. This work addresses some critical needs for thermosets such as improving the sustainability of raw materials, enabling recycling, and achieving both good material hardness and flexibility/ductility simultaneously. In this paper, a dicarboxylic acid, MI, was synthesized from isosorbide and maleic anhydride and characterized in detail by FTIR and 1H NMR. It was utilized to cross-link ESS without using extra catalyst or toxic compounds except for ethanol and water. For comparison, a dicarboxylic acid from 1,3-propanediol and maleic anhydride (MP) was also synthesized and used to cross-link ESS. Because of the carbon–carbon double bond in conjugation with the carboxylic acid group, both MI and MP showed high reactivity toward ESS and could cross-link ESS with th...
Encapsulated high voltage components

For many years the electronic industry has recognized the merits of epoxy resin for environmental protection of equipment and components. The major usage has been confined to equipment of relatively low voltage, but recently there has been increasing interest in applying epoxy resins to higher voltage units where liquids such as mineral oil would normally be used. Applications such as airborne equipment are ideal for this type of material since size, weight, and the elimination of oil problems such as expansion and small leaks are important.
Application and Experiment of GPS Radio Occultation Data in the NCEP GSI System in a Pricipitation Process

In order to study the application of GPS/RO(Global Positioning System /Radio Occultation) technique on the operational numerical weather forecast model,the assimilation with and without COSMIC(Constellation Observing System for Meteorology,Ionosphere and Climate)GPS/RO data by using NCEP (National Center for Environmental Prediction,US) GSI(Grid point Statistical Interpolation) operational system were experimented and compared. In the experiments,the local refractivity operator was applied,which was relatively simple but could effectively save computational cost. The results showed that the GPS/RO observation data had obvious and positive impacts on the assimilation in the areas lacking ordinary observation data,such as areas of sea and plateau. The GPS/RO data were showed to be good supplements for the ordinary observation data in those areas. Further numerical experimental analysis showed that the assimilation with GPS/RO observations significantly improved the analysis for the fields of humidity,and the thus the rain-process forecasts,on the lower troposphere. There were also some positive impacts on wind analysis in the upper troposphere. Conclusively,these numerical simulation experiments further confirmed that the use of GPS/RO data effectively improved the assimilation and the process modeling. This work could be helpful in providing more useful references for the application of GPS/RO date on the operational assimilation and numerical weather prediction system.
Limb Pain in Childhood

As the presenting complaint in 7 per cent of pediatrician visits, pain in the limbs is a common problem in childhood. It is important that the diagnosis be made expeditiously. The authors review the possible organic cause of limb pain, as well as limb pain from conversion reactions and from growing pains, giving special attention to the differential diagnosis so that appropriate treatment for the pain can be initiated.
Reduction of Discounted Continuous-Time MDPs with Unbounded Jump and Reward Rates to Discrete-Time Total-Reward MDPs

This chapter discusses a reduction of discounted continuous-time Markov decision processes (CTMDPs) to discrete-time Markov decision processes (MDPs). This reduction is based on the equivalence of a randomized policy that chooses actions only at jump epochs to a nonrandomized policy that can switch actions between jumps. For discounted CTMDPs with bounded jump rates, this reduction was introduced by the author in 2004 as a reduction to discounted MDPs. Here we show that this reduction also holds for unbounded jump and reward rates, but the corresponding MDP may not be discounted. However, the analysis of the equivalent total-reward MDP leads to the description of optimal policies for the CTMDP and provides methods for their computation.
Catalytic role of H2O in degradation of inorganic-organic perovskite (CH3NH3PbI3) in air

Summary Degradation of inorganic–organic perovskite films in ambient condition is a critical issue for the application of perovskite solar cells. Herein, it is the first time to report the catalytic role of H2O in the degradation of CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite by air of high humidity. It was found that H2O can catalyze the decomposition of CH3NH3PbI3 into CH3NH3I and PbI2, and then the crystal-to-amorphous phase transformation of the produced CH3NH3I. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.