cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
RNAi targeting of the respiratory chain affects Drosophila life span depending on neuronal subtype

The involvement of mitochondria and the respiratory chain in aging is well established, and reports have uncovered the role of the nervous system in this process. To address whether particular neurons are important in determining longevity, we targeted the genetic components of complex IV and V in the respiratory chain by RNA inhibition (RNAi) in specific subsets of the Drosophila nervous system. We discovered that simultaneous interference in both serotonergic and dopaminergic neurons or selective interference in neurons expressing the serotonin receptor d5-HT1b leads to shortened Drosophila life span. No differences in life span were observed when RNAi was targeted exclusively to dopaminergic neurons or octopamine/tyramine neurons. Neuronal subtype was a very important factor in our experiments, and this study begins to offer clues as to which neurons might mediate longevity in a cell non-autonomous fashion.
The psychological study of religion and spirituality in a disaster context: A systematic review.

Objective The purpose of this systematic review is to synthesize the existing empirical psychology of religion/spirituality (R/S) and disaster research and offer a prospectus for future research. Method Searches were conducted in PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, Medline databases, and through personal communication with study authors covering a period from 1975 (from the earliest identified study meeting our criteria) to 2015. Studies that took an empirical approach to studying the impact of disasters on R/S phenomena, as well as the relationship between R/S phenomena, cognition, behavior, and well-being in disaster contexts were included. Results A total of 51 articles met the inclusion criteria. We organized the empirical findings under five main categories, which emerged from sorting studies by their primary R/S focus: (a) general religiousness, (b) God representations, (c) religious appraisals, (d) R/S meaning making, and (e) religious coping. On the whole, R/S appears to generally lead to positive outcomes among disaster survivors. Results suggest positive benefits of R/S comes more from how one engages faith and access to resources via R/S communities. Conclusions This review revealed several emerging patterns regarding what is known as well as existing gaps in the literature, including the need for more rigorous methodological designs and ongoing systematic programs of study. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Hepatitis C Virus NS5B RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase Inhibitor: An Integral Part of HCV Antiviral Therapy

Abstract Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is frequently associated with the development of chronic liver disease, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular cancer. While antiviral therapies, such as interferon (IFN) and ribavirin (RBV), were initially widely accepted, these agents are not very effective against HCV, resulting in numerous deaths due to liver failure secondary to advanced cirrhosis and liver cancer. The recent development of IFN-free, direct-acting antiviral (DAA) drugs has drastically improved patient outcomes, clearing the infection in more than 90% of patients. Of the newly developed DAA drugs, the NS5B polymerase inhibitor sofosbuvir has become an integral part of an effective anti-HCV therapy regimen due to its broad spectrum of antiviral activity against all HCV genotypes and high genetic barrier to resistance. This review will summarize recent progress made in understanding the structure and function of NS5B polymerase and the development of targeted NS5B inhibitors widely used in the treatment of chronic HCV infection.
Efficacy of reduced rates of chlorantraniliprole seed treatment on insect pests of irrigated drill-seeded rice.

Background For the past decade, insecticidal seed treatment has been the most widely used control tactic against insect pests of rice (Oryza sativa L.) in the USA. Seed treatments are used primarily to control the most economically important early-season pest of rice, the rice water weevil (Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus Kuschel). This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of reduced rates of chlorantraniliprole seed treatment against the rice water weevil, fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith), and sugarcane borer (Diatraea saccharalis F.) under field and laboratory conditions. Concentrations of chlorantraniliprole in plant tissues were determined at vegetative and reproductive developmental stages of rice plants. Results Chlorantraniliprole seed treatment reduced the densities of rice water weevil larvae relative to non-treated controls even at rates 75% lower than the label rate. Increased mortality of fall armyworm larvae was observed at reduced seed treatment rates relative to a non-treated control. Chlorantraniliprole seed treatment increased the mortality of sugarcane borer larvae at all rates relative to controls and the mortality was consistently higher in larvae that were fed stems from treated plants at the vegetative developmental stage than larvae that were fed stems from plants at the reproductive stage. Concentrations of chlorantraniliprole in plant tissues increased with seed treatment rate and decreased with plant age. Conclusion This study has shown that reduced chlorantraniliprole seed treatment rates can provide adequate control against the rice water weevil, fall armyworm, and sugarcane borer, particularly at early developmental stages of rice plants. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.
Lessons in Quality Improvement From an Initiative to Reduce No-Show Rates for Diabetes Education Group Classes

Barbara Morrison’s Quality Improvement Success Story titled “Increasing Attendance at Scheduled Appointments for Group Classes at a Diabetes Education Center” (1), which is published in this issue of Clinical Diabetes , raises several important issues. First, although other investigators have studied no-show rates for primary care visits (and have investigated various tactics to lower those rates), Morison’s article reminds us that not all literature-based solutions are generalizable to every care setting. The staff of the diabetes center at which this quality improvement (QI) project took place recognized that 1 ) they had a no-show rate, 2 ) they care for an ethnically diverse community, and 3 ) the development of tactics to address their no-show rate should be locally …
Performance of Portland Cement-Based Rapid-Patching Materials with Different Cement and Accelerator Types, and Cement Contents:

Because of the requirements of opening pavement to traffic after placing repair concrete, it is essential for that concrete to achieve high early strength. To ensure this, a high cement content is ...
Treatment of Recurrent Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformations: Comparison of Proximal Versus Distal Embolization Technique

To examine the characteristics of recurrent pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVMs) and compare the success of proximal versus distal embolization technique for treatment of recanalized PAVMs. Between July 2007 and October 2018, 26 consecutive patients underwent embolization of 64 previously treated recurrent PAVMs at a single center with imaging follow-up. PAVM angioarchitecture was classified as either simple (1 feeding artery) or complex (≥ 2 feeding arteries). The mechanism of recurrence was characterized as recanalization (flow through previously placed embolic material) or reperfusion (flow through accessory arteries). For recanalized PAVMs, we compared embolizing proximal to or within the existing embolic (proximal embolization technique) versus embolizing distal to the existing embolic (distal embolization technique). Follow-up imaging was reviewed to determine treatment success, defined as decrease of the draining vein or sac size by at least 70%. Mean patient age was 47.6 years (range 22–72 years), and 61.5% were female. Twenty-four patients (92.3%) had hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, a disorder associated with PAVM formation. 31/64 (48.4%) PAVMs were simple, and 33/64 (51.6%) PAVMs were complex. Recanalization was the most common pattern of recurrence, occurring in 54/64 (84.4%) PAVMs. Treatment success following repeat embolization was 54.7% at a mean follow-up time of 1.6 years. For recanalized PAVMs, treatment success was significantly more likely with distal embolization technique (14/15, 93.3%) than with proximal embolization technique (19/33, 57.6%) (P = 0.0180). Recurrent PAVMs are difficult to treat, with high rates of recurrence following repeat embolization. Distal embolization technique is more likely to produce durable occlusion than proximal embolization.
How the Teaching of English Pronunciation can be improved in Pre-service Training Institutions; A study at Wesley College of Education, Kumasi, Ghana

The focus of this research was to discover how the teaching of English pronunciation in the pre-service training institutions in Ghana could be improved. It was a study at Wesley College of Education, Kumasi, Ghana. The purposive sampling method was employed to select three tutors of English and twenty students for the study. Interviews and observations were done to gather information. As part of the findings; Pronunciation teaching must be included in course outlines of the colleges of Education. The Transforming Teacher Education and Learning (T-TEL) programme should factor in pronunciation when suggesting the review of the course outlines of the Colleges of Education (which are being transformed into University Colleges as of the preparation time of this paper). This will contribute to improving pronunciation teaching. Also, Pronunciation must be well taught at the basic level as the pupils grow with the knowledge and in-turn pass it on to other pupils/students in Ghana. This is because students of the Colleges of Education, complete their course only to go and teach the pupils in basic schools. It is obvious that when pronunciation is not well taught at the basic level, it goes a long way to affect individuals even unto adulthood. In addition, better methods of teaching pronunciation, if employed, will help improve it. Again, a campus FM should be established and utilized appropriately to educate and improve pronunciation. Teaching pronunciation through the media can be helpful if only it is carefully planned. In addition, the language laboratory stereotyped for only the French students, should be upgraded to a standard language laboratory where all other language teachers and student-teachers will benefit from. In sum, if all who may need to contribute to ensure the improvement of pronunciation teaching play their role well, its improvement will become a reality.
Drivers of and Solutions for the Overuse of Antidepressant Medication in Pediatric Populations.

Children in the United States and internationally are increasingly being diagnosed with depression and related psychiatric conditions and a recent study found that antidepressant (ADM) use in children and adolescents rose substantially in youth cohorts in five Western countries from 2005 to 2012 (Bachmann et al., 2016). However, there has been ongoing controversy over the effectiveness and safety of ADM use in children (Healy, 2019), including concerns about ADM increasing suicidality and self-harm. In addition to the increase in the diagnosis of depression, commercially driven off-label prescriptions have been cited as a significant reason for high rates of pediatric ADM prescribing. In this commentary, we discuss two drivers of the over-use of ADM, both of which are products of an increasingly medicalized approach to mental health: 1) the demand for mental health and depression screening in youth, despite the lack of evidence to support it, and 2) the renewed momentum of the Global Mental Health Movement and concomitant calls to ‘scale up’ the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. Using the lens of institutional corruption, we identify the ways in which both guild and financial conflicts of interest create obstacles to rational prescribing practices in pediatric populations and offer suggestions for reform.
Neighborhood Walkability and Overweight/Obese Weight Status Among Latino Adults.

Purpose:To examine whether aerobic physical activity mediates the association between neighborhood walkability and overweight/obesity weight status among Latino adults and whether the relative cont...
Flicker Source Detection using Correlation Coefficients

Flicker is a common problem associated with loads that draw a high amount of fluctuating current, such as arc furnaces. Because such loads are typically fed from high and medium-voltage levels, the flicker they produce affects a large number of customers. Normative documents have been developed to guide utility engineers on the limits of flicker at any point on the system. However, due to the cause-and-effect nature of loads that impact the power system, it is often difficult to determine whether a load is the cause of an aberrant condition or responding to it. There is a lack of clear understanding about the various techniques available to identify the source of flicker, and, more importantly, there is no easy method or algorithm that utilities can follow using commercially available equipment. This paper proposes to bridge this gap in knowledge. It presents a new method in which voltage and current measurements from the point of common coupling are filtered to isolate the flicker frequencies and then correlation coefficients are used to pinpoint the source of flicker. The method has the advantage of fast calculation speeds and easy implementation. This paper presents the details of implementation of this approach, along with laboratory data that validates this method. Finally the paper closes with a discussion of the conclusions and the avenues for future research in this field.
Transparent and Flexible Self-Dual Antennas for Hybrid Inductive/Capacitive and Radiative Power Transfer

In this paper, we present a compact, low-profile, transparent and flexible antennas for multiband wireless power transfer (WPT) systems. We design and experimentally demonstrate new types of multiband antennas capable of near-field inductive or capacitive wireless power transfer (13.56 MHz), and far-field radiative power transfer (2.45 GHz). The invisible self-dual antennas can be integrated with nearly unseeable integrated circuits for rectification of electromagnetic waves. In particular, the optically-transparent antennas are made of nanoengineered composites, comprising an ultra-thin copper-doped silver nanofilm and anti-reflection dielectric protection layers, which can simultaneously minimize the optical loss and electrical resistivity. We envision that these transparent WPT tags may be beneficial for a wide range of applications, such as smart windows and glasses, integrated power supply, bioimplants, and wearable electronics.
Plagiarism, fraud and whitewashing: the grey turn in the history of the German occupation of the Netherlands, 1940-1945: by Rudolf Dekker, Amsterdam, Panchaud, 2020, 101 pp., $20.60 (paperback), ISBN: 978-90-826730-7-4

On the surface, Plagiarism, Fraud and Whitewashing is a straightforward and relentless detailing of the plagiarism and other misdeeds (I will refer only to a few of them below) committed by the Dut...
Self-reported oil spill exposure and birth outcomes among southern Louisiana women at the time of the Gulf oil spill: The GROWH study.

Abstract Background The chemical, physical, economic, and social effects of a major oil spill might adversely affect pregnancy health. Objectives To examine the relationship between oil spill exposure and birth outcomes in a cohort of women living near the Gulf of Mexico at the time of the 2010 oil spill. Methods Between 2012 and 2016, 1375 women reported their exposure to the oil spill, and at least one livebirth. Five hundred and three had births both before and after the oil spill. Indicators of oil spill exposure included self-reported financial consequences, direct contact with oil, traumatic experiences, loss of use of the coast, and involvement in litigation. Birth outcomes were low birthweight (LBW; birthweight 3 weeks early). Women who were not pregnant at the time of the interview (n = 1001) self-reported outcomes, while women who were pregnant (n = 374) primarily had them abstracted from medical records (n = 374). All pregnancies prior to the oil spill were considered unexposed; those after the oil spill were considered exposed or unexposed depending on interview responses. Generalized estimating equations were used to control for clustering within women, with control for confounders. Results The most common type of exposure was economic (49%), but 302 women (22.0%) reported some degree of direct contact with the oil. Associations between most indicators of oil spill exposure and pregnancy outcomes were null, although when all pregnancies were examined, associations were seen with high levels of contact with oil for LBW (adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR] 2.19, 95% CI, 1.29–3.71) and PTB (aOR 2.27, 1.34–3.87). Discussion In this community-based cohort, we did not find associations between report of exposure to the oil spill, with the possible exception of high oil contact in some analyses, and birth outcomes. Research incorporating specific biomarkers of oil spill exposure and stress biomarkers would be valuable, to allow for assessing both perceived and actual exposure, especially when direct toxicant exposure is minimal.
Soft Robotic Snake Locomotion: Modeling and Experimental Assessment

Snakes are a remarkable evolutionary success story. Numerous snake-inspired robots have been proposed over the years. Soft robotic snakes (SRS), with their continuous and smooth bending capability, can better mimic their biological counterparts' unique characteristics. Prior SRSs are limited to planar operation with a limited number of planar gaits. We propose a novel SRS with spatial bending ability and investigate snake locomotion gaits beyond the planar gaits of the state-of-the-art systems. We derive a complete floating-base kinematic model of the SRS and use the model to derive joint-space trajectories for serpentine and inward/outward rolling locomotion gaits. These gaits are experimentally validated under varying frequency and amplitude of gait cycles. The results qualitatively and quantitatively validate the proposed SRSs' ability to leverage spatial bending to achieve locomotion gaits not possible with current SRS designs.
Intubation outcomes and practice trends during the initial New York SARS-COV-19 surge at an academic, level 1 trauma, urban emergency department

Objectives The goal of this study was to describe outcomes and associated characteristics of patients who were intubated during the initial (3/2020-4/2020) New York City surge of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) pandemic, during which time we were confronted by an unknown and unprecedented respiratory distress syndrome with extremely high degrees of morbidity and mortality. Our secondary aim was to analyze our physician's rapidly evolving approaches to COVID-19 airway management. Methods A retrospective cohort analysis of all patients intubated at two emergency departments (EDs) for COVID-19 suspected respiratory failure. In addition, a survey was done to analyze clinician airway management trends and attitudes as they evolved during that period. Results Ninety-five patients met inclusion criteria for the study. Primary outcomes looked at the spectrum of mortality outcomes ranging from died on arrival (DOA) to the ED, died in the ED (DED), died an inpatient (DIH), and survival to discharge. Overall mortalitywas 71.6% with an average age of 62.7 years. Female sex, as a demographic, was associated with higher rates of survival to discharge at 42.3% when compared to males at 23.2% (P 50% of time) and >80% remained concerned for their safety. There was a dramatic shift from early (73% of time) to late intubation strategies (67% of time) or non-invasive approaches (28% of time) as the first surge of the pandemic evolved. Conclusion Our findings demonstrate that several demographic, clinical and laboratory parameters correlated with mortality in our cohort of patients intubated during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. These included male sex, advanced age, high levels of initial lactic acidosis, elevated D-dimer, and chronic kidney disease/acute kidney injury. In contrast, presenting respiratory characteristics were not correlated with mortality. In addition, our findings demonstrate that physician attitudes and strategies related to COVID-19 airway management evolved significantly and rapidly over the initial phase of the pandemic.
Heterosis Expression of Hybrid Rice in Natural- and Short-Day Length Conditions

Development of hybrid rice is an important strategy to increase yields of irrigated rice in China. Day length is a highly important environmental factor for hybrid rice adaptability, productivity and quality. Heterosis of hybrid rice has been utilized under natural- (long) day length conditions in the middle and lower reaches plain of Yangtze River Valley in China for a long time. However, whether the hybrid rice can show heterosis under short-day length conditions is unknown. In this study, we analyzed plant height, grain number per panicle, and other yield related traits of hybrid rice Liangyoupeijiu (LYP9) and its parents (Pei’ai 64S and 93-11) under natural- and short-day length conditions and compared the respective heterosis. Results showed that earlier heading, reduced plant height, and reduced grain number per panicle were found in these three varieties under short-day length conditions relative to those under natural-day length conditions. In either natural- or short-day length conditions, heterosis of LYP9 was mainly displayed in grain number per panicle and plant height. This study may help in breeding and selecting suitable hybrid rice for different regions with natural- or short-day length.
Improving Scalability of E-Commerce Systems with Knowledge Discovery

The efficiency of many data driven e-commerce system may be compromised by an abundance of data. In this chapter we discuss how knowledge discovery and data mining techniques can be useful in improving the scalability of data driven e-commerce systems. In particular we focus on improving scalability via dimensionality reduction and improving the information view experienced by each user. To address these issues, we cover several common data mining problems, including feature selection, clustering, classification, and association rule discovery and present several scalable methods and algorithms that address each of those problems. Numerous examples are included to illustrate the key ideas.
Cloning and nucleotide sequence of the type E staphylococcal enterotoxin gene.

The gene for staphylococcal enterotoxin type E (entE) was cloned from Staphylococcus aureus into plasmid vector pBR322 and introduced into Escherichia coli. A staphylococcal enterotoxin type E-producing E. coli strain was isolated. The complete nucleotide sequence of the cloned structural entE gene and the N-terminal amino acid sequence of mature staphylococcal enterotoxin type E were determined. The entE gene contained 771 base pairs that encoded a protein with a molecular weight of 29,358 which was apparently processed to a mature extracellular form with a molecular weight of 26,425. DNA sequence comparisons indicated that staphylococcal enterotoxins type E and A are closely related. There was 84% nucleotide sequence homology between entE and the gene for staphylococcal enterotoxin type A; these genes encoded protein products that had 214 (83%) homologous amino acid residues (mature forms had 188 [82%] homologous amino acid residues). Images
Motion observability analysis of the simplified color correlogram for visual tracking

Compared with the color histogram, where the position information of each pixel is ignored, a simplified color correlogram (SCC) representation encodes the spatial information explicitly and enables an estimation algorithm to recover the object orientation. This paper analyzes the capability of the SCC (in a kernel based framework) in detecting and estimating object motion and presents a principled way to obtain motion observable SCCs as object representations to achieve more reliable tracking. Extensive experimental results demonstrate the reliability of the tracking procedure using the proposed algorithm.
Iridium-carbonyl clusters: VI. Mixed-metal clusters via metal-hydride coupling. Synthesis of CpMM′3(CO)11 (M = Mo, W; M′ = Co, Ir) and the crystal structure of CpMoIr3(CO)11☆

Abstract The reaction of CpM(CO) 3 H (M = Mo, W), with IrCl(CO) 2 ( p -toluidine) leads to the species CpMIr 3 (CO) 11 ; reaction of CpM(CO) 3 H with Co 4 (CO) 12 produces the known species CpMCo(CO) 11 in high yield. The newly-reported species CpMoIr 3 (CO) 11 has been subjected to an X-ray structural analysis. It crystallizes in the centrosymmetric orthorhombic space group Pbca (No. 61) with a 12.2830(15), b 13.5113(18), c 24.9418(30) A, V 4139.3(9) A 3 and Z = 8.Diffraction data were collected with a Syntex P2 1 automated diffractometer (Mo- K α radiation, 2θ 4.0–45.0°) and the structure was refined to R 5.4% for all 2421 data ( R 4.5% for those 2141 data above 3σ(¦ F 0 ¦)). CpMoIr 3 (CO) 11 is neither isomorphous nor isostructural with the known species CpWIr 3 (CO) 11 or CpMoCo 3 (CO) 11 . It differs by possessing three bridging carbonyl ligands which encircle one MoIr 2 face of the tetrahedral MoIr 3 cluster. The structure is completed by a Cp ligand on Mo and eight terminal carbonyl ligands (one on the molybdenum atom, three on the unique iridium atom and two each on the iridium atoms associated with the MoIr 2 (μ-CO) 3 moiety). The molecule has approximate C s symmetry.
Security in QoS signaling systems for mobile ad hoc networks

Quality of service (QoS) for mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) has received increased attention. Security is a critical aspect of QoS provisioning in MANET environment. Because of the characteristics of the MANETs, the conventional security measures cannot be applied and new security techniques are necessary. In this paper, we propose a security mechanism for MANET QoS signaling systems. The mechanism is able to efficiently detect intrusions on QoS parameters transmitted over a path in the absence of adjacent colluding nodes. Our simulation results show that the system achieves good detection rate and imposes low delay penalty.
Cerebral hemodynamic and metabolic profiles in fulminant hepatic failure: relationship to outcome.

The purpose of this retrospective study was to examine the potential role of cerebral hemodynamic and metabolic factors in the outcome of patients with fulminant hepatic failure (FHF). Based on the literature, a hypothetical model was proposed in which physiologic changes progress sequentially in five phases, as defined by intracranial pressure (ICP) and cerebral blood flow (CBF) measurements. Seventy-six cerebral physiologic profiles were obtained in 26 patients (2 to 5 studies each) within 6 days of FHF diagnosis. ICP was continuously measured by an extradural fiber optic monitor. Global CBF estimates were obtained by xenon clearance techniques. Jugular venous and peripheral artery catheters permitted calculation of cerebral arteriovenous oxygen differences (AVDO2), from which cerebral metabolic rate for oxygen (CMRO2) was derived. A depressed CMRO2 was found in all patients. There was no evidence of cerebral ischemia as indicated by elevated AVDO2s. Instead, over 65% of the patients revealed cerebral hyperemia. Eight of the 26 patients underwent orthotopic liver transplantation—all recovered neurologically, including 6 with elevated ICPs. Of the 18 patients receiving medical treatment only, all 7 with increased ICP died in contrast to 9 survivors whose ICP remained normal (P < 0.004). Hyperemia, per se, was not related to outcome, although it occurred more frequently at the time of ICP elevations. Six patients were studied during brain death. All 6 revealed malignant intracranial hypertension, preceded by hyperemia. In conclusion, the above findings are consistent with the hypothetical model proposed. Prospective longitudinal studies are recommended to determine the precise evolution of the pathophysiologic changes. (Liver Transpl 2005;11:1353–1360.)
Primeval element abundances.

Abstract According to conventional cosmology, the Galaxy should have been formed with an initial helium abundance in the range of 25 to 30% by mass, resulting from nuclear reactions in the early stages of expansion of the Universe. It is now a question of some moment to cosmologists to learn whether the Galaxy could have started out with this much helium, and, if not, to understand where the calculation went wrong.
Iron and Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm formation

Iron serves as a signal in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm development. We examined the influence of mutations in known and putative iron acquisition-signaling genes on biofilm morphology. In iron-sufficient medium, mutants that cannot obtain iron through the high-affinity pyoverdine iron acquisition system form thin biofilms similar to those formed by the parent under low iron conditions. If an iron source for a different iron acquisition system is provided to a pyoverdine mutant, normal biofilm development occurs. This enabled us to identify iron uptake gene clusters that likely serve in transport of ferric citrate and ferrioxamine. We suggest that the functional iron signal for P. aeruginosa biofilm development is active transport of chelated iron or the level of internal iron. If the signal is internal iron levels, then a factor likely to be involved in iron signaling is the cytoplasmic ferric uptake regulator protein, Fur, which controls expression of iron-responsive genes. In support of a Fur involvement, we found that with low iron a Fur mutant was able to organize into more mature biofilms than was the parent. The two known Fur-controlled small regulatory RNAs (PrrF1 and F2) do not appear to mediate iron control of biofilm development. This information establishes a mechanistic basis for iron control of P. aeruginosa biofilm formation.
Multi-wire Z pinch experiments

We report recent results on multi-wire Z-pinch experiments using Cornell's XP pulsed power generator (400kA peak current, 100ns). Planar Al wire arrays were studied. A global magnetic field was provided by the return current path, which was located ∼2.5mm above the array. Two channels of shearing interferometer separated by 20ns and an x-ray backlighter were used for diagnostics. The velocity of the plasma driven by the global field, the merging velocity toward the array center and wire expansion velocity were measured.
Diseased and Healthy Immigrating Insects

Two insect populations compete for resource. One is diseased, the other healthy. The healthy are infected by the diseased. How does this infection proceed? Would it be possible to control insect pests by introducing a diseased version of this species?
Rabindranath Tagore in China

India’s great teacher, Rabindranath Tagore, came to China twice, in 1924 and 1928. On the first trip, in 1924, he stayed several months. He visited Shanghai and spent most of his time in Peiping. In the latter city, he made several public lectures. As I recall, that particular trip was arranged under the auspices of the Shang Chih Hsueh Hui (Aspiration Society) of Peiping.
The geometric phase in quantum physics

The geometrical phase has been ignored in quantum physics for half a century. It had not been forgotten, but it had been shown by V. Fock in 19281) that the extra phase factor which occurs for time-dependent Hamiltonians can be chosen to unity. Though Fock’s proof was limited to non-cyclic evolution, this phase choice was generally used until around 1980 when, Mead et al. and Berry reconsidered cyclic evolutions.
Anaerobic Expression of Escherichia coli Succinate Dehydrogenase: Functional Replacement of Fumarate Reductase in the Respiratory Chain during Anaerobic Growth

Succinate-ubiquinone oxidoreductase (SQR) from Escherichia coli is expressed maximally during aerobic growth, when it catalyzes the oxidation of succinate to fumarate in the tricarboxylic acid cycle and reduces ubiquinone in the membrane. The enzyme is similar in structure and function to fumarate reductase (menaquinol-fumarate oxidoreductase [QFR]), which participates in anaerobic respiration by E. coli. Fumarate reductase, which is proficient in succinate oxidation, is able to functionally replace SQR in aerobic respiration when conditions are used to allow the expression of the frdABCD operon aerobically. SQR has not previously been shown to be capable of supporting anaerobic growth of E. coli because expression of the enzyme complex is largely repressed by anaerobic conditions. In order to obtain expression of SQR anaerobically, plasmids which utilize the PFRD promoter of the frdABCD operon fused to the sdhCDAB genes to drive expression were constructed. It was found that, under anaerobic growth conditions where fumarate is utilized as the terminal electron acceptor, SQR would function to support anaerobic growth of E. coli. The levels of amplification of SQR and QFR were similar under anaerobic growth conditions. The catalytic properties of SQR isolated from anaerobically grown cells were measured and found to be identical to those of enzyme produced aerobically. The anaerobic expression of SQR gave a greater yield of enzyme complex than was found in the membrane from aerobically grown cells under the conditions tested. In addition, it was found that anaerobic expression of SQR could saturate the capacity of the membrane for incorporation of enzyme complex. As has been seen with the amplified QFR complex, E. coli accommodates the excess SQR produced by increasing the amount of membrane. The excess membrane was found in tubular structures that could be seen in thin-section electron micrographs.
Currently Known and Reported Discomycetes (Ascomycota) of Hawai‘i.

A species list of Discomycetes that occur in Hawai‘i has been compiled that includes all previously reported species in the literature. Comments are provided for reports if there are changes in nomenclature, author citation, or for taxonomic revisions based on reexamination of collections. Fifteen taxa, new to Hawai‘i, are reported. The list of accepted taxa includes a total of 47 species, one including two subspecies. Three previously reported species were misidentified and apparently do not occur in Hawai‘i. Three species formerly reported as Discomycetes are now excluded as Dothideomycetes. The relatively small number of species of Discomycetes recorded from Hawai‘i is probably due to lack of an exhaustive effort to survey this group of Fungi. Although some species are recorded as growing on endemic or indigenous host plants, species of Discomycetes were not designated as endemic or indigenous due to insufficient knowledge of species distribution and the wide range of variations in host preferences.
Deception dissociates from false belief reasoning in deaf children: Implications for the implicit versus explicit theory of mind distinction

Deception is a controversial aspect of theory of mind, and researchers disagree about whether it entails an understanding of the false beliefs of one's opponent. The present study asks whether children with delayed language and delayed explicit false belief reasoning can succeed on explicit deception tasks. Participants were 45 orally taught deaf children with varying language delays aged 4.5-8 years and 45 hearing children aged 3.5-6 years. Participants received a battery of language, executive function, deception, and both verbal and low-verbal false belief tasks. The result reveal a dissociation of deception and false belief tasks: the deaf children are on par with their hearing peers on deception games, but show significant delays in false belief tasks even when the language demands are made minimal. Furthermore, different skills are predictors of success for the two types of task in the deaf children: language, and in particular complement syntax, is the best predictor of false belief reasoning; but executive function skills, especially inhibitory control, are the best predictors of deception. It is argued that deception at this level can be handled by behaviour rules without reference to mental states.
Music lessons are associated with increased verbal memory in individuals with Williams syndrome

Williams syndrome (WS) is a genetic disorder characterized by intellectual delay and an affinity for music. It has been previously shown that familiar music can enhance verbal memory in individuals with WS who have had music training. There is also evidence that unfamiliar, or novel, music may also improve cognitive recall. This study was designed to examine if a novel melody could also enhance verbal memory in individuals with WS, and to more fully characterize music training in this population. We presented spoken or sung sentences that described an animal and its group name to 44 individuals with WS, and then tested their immediate and delayed memory using both recall and multiple choice formats. Those with formal music training (average duration of training 4½ years) scored significantly higher on both the spoken and sung recall items, as well as on the spoken multiple choice items, than those with no music training. Music therapy, music enjoyment, age, and Verbal IQ did not impact performance on the memory tasks. These findings provide further evidence that formal music lessons may impact the neurological pathways associated with verbal memory in individuals with WS, consistent with findings in typically developing individuals.
Why Do They Tax Dogs in West Virginia? Teaching Political Science through Comparative State Politics.

Jeffrey Dahmer? Questions like these often arise for undergraduates when they move out of state for the first time to attend college, or even just when they take a trip during spring break. Their worlds open up as they venture away from home and encounter the diversity of the states. And many of the differences among the states that they see can be important to them (but perhaps less dramatically so since the standardization of state legal drinking ages in the late 1980s). In my U.S. state government course, I tap into students' natural curiosity about these differences to inspire their interest in the study of state politics, and in political science generally (Kolb 1984). As it turns out, comparative state politics makes an ideal subject with which to introduce students to political science. The Course
Protein translation inhibition by Stachybotrys chartarum conidia with and without the mycotoxin containing polysaccharide matrix.

Recent studies have correlated the presence of Stachybotrys chartarum in structures with SBS. S. chartarum produces mycotoxins that are thought to produce some of the symptoms reported in sick-building syndrome (SBS). Theconidia (spores) produced by Stachybotrys species are not commonly found in the air of buildings that have been found to contain significant interior growth of this organism. This could be due in part to the large size of the Stachybotrys spores, or the organism growing in hidden areas such as wall cavities. However, individuals in buildings with significant Stachybotrys growth frequently display symptoms that may be attributed to exposure to the organism's mycotoxins. In addition, Stachybotrys colonies produce a “slime” or polysaccharide (carbohydrate) matrix that coats the hyphae and the spores. The intent of this project was to determine whether the carbohydrate matrix and the mycotoxins embedded in it could be removed from the spores by repeated washings with either aqueous or organic solvents. The results demonstrated that the process of spore washing removed compounds that were toxic in a protein translation assay as compared to spores that were washed with an organic solution, however a correlation between carbohydrate removal during the washing process and the removal of mycotoxins from the spore surface was not observed. These data demonstrated that mycotoxins are not likely to be found exclusively in the carbohydrate matrix of the spores. Therefore, mycotoxin removal from the spore surface can occur without significant loss of polysaccharide. We also showed that toxic substances may be removed from the spore surface with an aqueous solution. These results suggest that satratoxins are soluble in aqueous solutions without being bound to water-soluble moieties, such as the carbohydrate slime matrix.
Orbital and solar resonance in the Jovian Moon system

The periodic orbit representing the motion of the inner three Galilean satellites of Jupiter is constructed in a rotating frame. Stability analysis indicates linear instability; but the repeated Poincare exponents are associated with time and rotational symmetries, and it is concluded that the system is orbitally stable. Analysis of system frequencies reveals two resonances with the Sun. The rotation rate of the reference frame is close to 89∶10 the mean motion of Jupiter, and the period of the reference orbit is nearly 17∶10446 the period of Jupiter. The 89∶10 resonance is investigated via the method of averaging. The Jovian system currently circulates just outside the capture boundary with a period of about 117000 year, but with rotation rate of the reference frame varying by over an order of magnitude. Including tidal interaction, the system is evolving towards temporary capture in this resonance.
Evidence for different surface speciation of arsenite and arsenate on green rust: an EXAFS and XANES study.

The knowledge of arsenic speciation at the surface of green rusts (GRs), [FeII(1−x)FeIIIx (OH)2]x+ (CO3, Cl, SO4)x−, is environmentally relevant because arsenic sorption onto GRs could contribute to arsenic retention in anoxic environments (hydromorphic soils, marine sediments, etc.). The nature of arsenic adsorption complexes on hydroxychloride green rust 1 (GR1Cl) at near-neutral pH under anoxic conditions was investigated using extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy at the As K-edge. Sorption data indicate that As(V) sorbs more efficiently than As(III) at the studied As loadings (0.27 μmol m−2 and 2.7 μmol m−2). EXAFS results indicate that arsenite [As(III)] and arsenate [As(V)] form inner-sphere complexes on the surface of GR1Cl at arsenic surface coverages of 0.27 and 2.70 μmol m−2, with distinct types of As(III) and As(V) sorption complexes, which change in relative concentration as a function of arsenic loading. For As(V), the EXAFS-derived As−Fe distances (3.34 ± 0.02 and 3....
Characteristic surfaces for extreme values of angular velocity ratio in planar four-bar mechanisms

Abstract The extreme values of the angular velocity ratio of a planar four-bar mechanism are considered. A sixth order polynomial is used to find the exact roots for the double change point mechanisms. The range of the extreme values is defined for all of the Grashof cases. Characteristic surfaces are developed which prove to be useful for synthesizing linkages with prescribed extreme values of angular velocity ratio.
Some striatal connections to the claustrum.

Abstract Lesions were placed in the brains of nine cats; three in the putamen, three in the caudate nucleus, and three in the substantia nigra. Preterminal degeneration from these lesions was found in the ipsilateral claustrum and, in some instances, in the contralateral claustrum also. It was concluded that the claustrum is part of the corpus striatum and may be concerned with its function.
Model study of sand transport along an infinitely long, straight beach

The rate of littoral transport of sand induced by wave action on a straight beach inclined to the direction of the wave crest was studied in a model and related to wave characteristics.
The Use of Causal Connections by Young Children: Implications for School Readiness

The ability to understand causal connections in narrative has been shown to be related to a variety of school-related skills such as reading, comprehension, and memory in adults, school-age children, and children with disabilities. Research also shows that there is a developmental trend in the ability to use and understand causal connections. This article reviews the research to date and discusses how narrative causal understanding may be important for children's school readiness skills. Additionally, the article proposes the use of narrative causal understanding as an intervention for discourse understanding and school readiness skills and describes directions for future research.
Subsurface characterization of carbon nanotubes in polymer composites via quantitative electric force microscopy

Subsurface characterization of carbon nanotubes?(CNTs) dispersed in free-standing polymer composite films was achieved via quantitative electric force microscopy?(EFM). The effects of relative humidity, EFM probe geometry, tip?sample distance and bias voltage on the EFM contrast were studied. Non-parabolic voltage dependence of the EFM signal of subsurface CNTs in polymer composites was observed and a new mechanism was proposed taking consideration of capacitive coupling as well as coulombic coupling. We anticipate that this quantitative EFM technique will be a useful tool for non-destructive subsurface characterization of high dielectric constant nanostructures in low dielectric constant matrices.
Effect of commercial internal pH control media on cheese yield, starter culture growth, and activity

Abstract Cheese manufactured with two internal pH control media, direct-to-the-vat set, and direct-to-the-vat set with an uninoculated internal pH control media were compared to determine their effect on cheese yield. Internal pH control media were inoculated with direct-to-the-vat set culture and incubated for 16h at 26°C. A complete randomized block design with nine replications of each treatment was used in the manufacture of 36 vats of cheese. Milk was analyzed for fat, total solids, total nitrogen, and non-casein nitrogen. Cheese was analyzed for fat, total solids, and total nitrogen. Whey was analyzed for fat and total nitrogen. Dry matter yield, adjusted for milk fat and casein, was greater for internal pH control media 1 than for the direct-to-the-vat set treatment. Internal pH control media 1 tended to give a higher yield than cheese manufactured with internal pH control media 2. Internal pH control media 2 treatments resulted in yields similar to the direct-to-the-vat set. Direct-to-the-vat set with uninoculated internal pH control media 2 produced curd with lower moisture content than other treatments. Growth and activity of the starter culture grown in these internal pH control media were determined and compared with skim milk as a medium. There was no difference in culture growth and activity between the organisms grown in internal pH control media. The internal pH control media produced a bulk starter that had 10 1.5 more colony forming units than the skim milk medium. Organisms grown in the internal pH control media were more stable after incubation than those grown in skim milk.