cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Growth of gallium nitride by hydride vapor-phase epitaxy

Abstract This paper reviews the growth of GaN thick films by hydride vapor-phase epitaxy (HVPE). Emphasis is placed on recent developments, including the growth of nondegenerate material, characterization of film properties and suitability of such films for epitaxial device overgrowths. Films up to 74 μm thick have been deposited on sapphire substrates with no evidence of thermally induced cracking and a room-temperature Hall mobility of 880 cm 2 /V s at 293 K. Dislocation densities have been found to decrease with film thickness to 5 × 10 7 cm −2 for a 40 μm thick sample. Epitaxial films overgrown on these HVPE GaN buffers, both by organometallic vapor-phase epitaxy and molecular-beam epitaxy, replicate the defect structure of the HVPE buffer, resulting in dislocation densities no higher than the HVPE buffer and lower than are typically observed for nitride epilayers grown on other substrate materials. Efforts towards film/substrate separation will be discussed.
A Success Model for Enterprise Resource Planning Adoption to Improve Financial Performance in Vietnam's Equitized State Owned Enterprises

Equitized state-owned enterprises ESOEs in Vietnam have begun to implement enterprise resource planning ERP systems, ubiquitous in developed countries, to improve their operational and financial performance. However, such ESOEs lack a model for ERP adoption to guide them in successfully implementing ERP systems. This study is based on an extensive review of literature on ERP benefits and the equitization process in Vietnam and relevant theories on innovation adoption, and the authors propose a success model for ERP adoption in Vietnam's ESOEs. Model hypotheses that present relationships among factors influencing ERP adoption are given and future studies are discussed.
Development of morphological instability and formation of cells in silicon alloys during pulsed laser irradiation

Abstract The details of morphological instabilities occuring during rapid solidification have been studied in In + , Sb + , Ga + and Bi + implanted silicon after pulsed laser annealing. Interfacial instability results in lateral segregation of impurities, which leads to the formation of cellular structures. The average cell sizes, at the onset of instability (OI) and in the region of well-developed instability (DI), were determined using plan-view and cross-section electron microscopy. Total and substitutional solute concentration profiles were determined using high resolution Rutherford backscattering, ion channeling techniques. The formation of cells and the critical solute concentrations associated with instability were studied as a function of velocity of solidification by varying either the substrate temperature or the laser parameters. Results on the cell formation and the critical solute concentrations were compared with calculations of the perturbation theory in which experimentally deduced values of distribution coefficients and liquids slopes were used. A good agreement was obtained between the calculations and the ecperimental results on critical solute concentrations, and between the calculations and the OI cell sizes, which were larger than those in the DI region.
Progressive brain damage accelerates axon sprouting in the adult rat

An entorhinal cortical lesion causes undamaged fibers in the deafferented hippocampus to sprout and form new connections within 4 to 7 days after the lesion was made. When a partial lesion of the entorhinal cortex precedes a second, more complete entorhinal lesion by a few days, the rate of axon sprouting is accelerated so that the response to the second lesion occurs within only 2 days. This priming effect is present within 4 days, lasts for a few weeks, and eventually subsides. This acceleration may explain, in part, the faster recovery and reduced deficits seen in behavioral studies that have followed serial lesion paradigms.
Comparison of API 20E and invA PCR for Identification of Salmonella enterica Isolates from Swine Production Units

API 20E and invA PCR were evaluated for the identification of Salmonella enterica isolates from swine farms. API 20E had the highest agreement with other tests at the 99.9% likelihood level. Both tests had 100% sensitivity and 96% specificity compared to 16S rRNA sequencing. Compared to serotyping, both tests had 96% sensitivity; specificity was 86% for API 20E and 79% for invA PCR.
Arbitrary scene simulation for synthetic aperture radar

We propose a new laboratory method for characterizing synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems through the use of a synthetic scene generator. Flight tests are the only definitive way to characterize the system level performance of airborne synthetic aperture radar systems. However, due to the expense of flights tests it is beneficial to complete as much testing as possible in a laboratory environment before flight testing is performed. There are many existing tests that are employed to measure the performance of various subsystems in a SAR system, find defective hardware, and indicate design problems that need to be mitigated. However, certain issues can only be found on an integrated system, and laboratory testing at a system level is typically confined to characterizing the impulse response (IPR) of a single point target through the use of an optical delay line. While useful, delay line testing requires running a modified version of real-time image formation code as the delay line does not completely mimic a real target. Ideally, system level tests are performed on unmodified code. On modern SAR systems many algorithms are data driven (e.g., autofocus) and require a substantially more sophisticated data model for testing. We desire to create a complete system test by combining an arbitrary number of point targets and clutter patterns to mimic radar responses from a real scene. This capability enables complete testing of radar systems in a laboratory environment according to prescribed terrain/scene characteristics. This paper presents an overview of the system requirements for a synthetic scene generator. The analysis is limited to SAR systems utilizing chirp waveforms and stretch processing. Furthermore, we derive relationships between IF bandwidth, target position, and the phase history model. A technique to properly compensate for motion pulse to pulse is presented. Finally, our concept is demonstrated with simulation data.
Elemental and Isotopic Chloride Geochemistry and Fluid Flow in the Nankai Trough

[1] The first transect of pore fluid Cl− profiles across the deformation front of an accretionary prism and underthrust section, Nankai Trough, and the first Cl isotopic profile in this environment are presented. These demonstrate that there is channelized horizontal episodic flow through most of the section arcward of the deformation front and in the lowermost section seaward of the deformation front. In the underthrust sediments, channels appear to be continuous. Fluid velocities, within the channels, based on Cl− gradients, are 13 ± 5cm/year. The near balance of depth-integrated flow and the subduction of pore fluid indicates that flow episodes are frequent. δ37Cl values are lower than seawater throughout the section, averaging −6.1 per mil. This demonstrates fluid/mineral exchange of Cl and suggests that subducted solids carry enriched δ37Cl that is efficiently recycled from deeper levels in the subduction zone back into seawater and may be responsible for the seawater/mantle δ37Cl fractionation.
Staged pinch for controlled thermonuclear fusion

Staged pinch implosions provide a means to couple energy to a small-diameter fibre on an extremely fast time scale, circumventing the limitations of conventional pinches. In this scheme the generator current initially traverses an intermediate hollow plasma shell, which compresses onto the fibre placed coaxially and transfers the current to the fibre with a significantly reduced risetime. The results are impressive, since the delivered peak power is increased by several orders of magnitude, the coupling efficiency improves, and the most dangerous plasma instabilities that commonly plague high-density/high-temperature pinches are eliminated. This technique can be fielded on both fast and slow generators (i.e. tens of nanoseconds to microseconds), making it feasible to extend the concept to a wide range of presently assembled systems. Staging may therefore present a dramatically new means of pulsed-energy conversion, which could find many applications. In addressing the requirements for thermonuclear fusion in a staged Z pinch, our preliminary calculations based on zero- D models suggest the potential for a significant thermonuclear burn with generator currents of the order of a few megaamperes and one microsecond risetime. Studies are actively underway at various places around the world (England, France, Germany and Russia) as well as in the USA (UCI/UCR) to investigate different aspects of staged pinching and its applications, particularly those leading to controlled thermonuclear fusion.
Neonatal anti-NGF treatment reduces the Aδ- and C-fibre evoked vasodilator responses in rat skin : evidence that nociceptor afferents mediate antidromic vasodilatation

Electrical stimulation of cutaneous nerve Adelta-fibres can lead to increases in skin blood flow (Janig and Lisney, J. Physiol. (Lond.), 415, 477 - 486, 1989). Here we have examined this phenomenon in adult rats treated neonatally with antisera to nerve growth factor between postnatal days 2 and 14. This treatment forces many Adelta nociceptor afferents to take on the phenotype of low-threshold D-hair afferents (Lewin et al., J. Neurosci., 12, 1896 - 1905, 1992). In animals treated this way we found a parallel decrease in the ability of Adelta-fibres to increase skin blood flow. The increase in blood flow evoked by C-fibre stimulation was also reduced, but no change was seen in the ability of C-fibres to elicit neurogenic extravasation in skin. These data may be taken as evidence that in rats, amongst the cutaneous Adelta-fibres, nociceptor but not D-hair afferents are capable of producing blood flow changes in the skin.
957. Effect of Ligand Binding Affinity and Receptor Density in Relation to Biology of Retargeted Viruses

The measles virus display platform technology is highly flexible and can accommodate insertions of single-chain antibodies (scFvs) into the viral attachment protein without significant compromise to virus infectivity and cytopathic effects of cell fusion. Using the measles display platform, we investigated the role of ligand affinity and receptor density in the biology of retargeted viruses and sought to evaluate the role of these parameters in modulating efficiency of virus-cell fusion and cell-to-cell fusion. Fully retargeted measles viruses that interact exclusively with the Her-2/neu (Her-2) receptor were used. A panel of 6 viruses displaying scFvs with affinities for Her-2 in the range of 10|[minus]|6 to 10|[minus]|11 M was generated. All viruses were rescued and infected cells via the Her-2 receptor with different efficiencies and in a manner that is dependent on receptor density on the target cells. Syncytia were undetectable with the low affinity (10|[minus]|6 and 10|[minus]|7 M) scFvs but became apparent above the threshold of 10|[minus]|8 M. Viruses displaying the high affinity scFvs can overcome the limitation imposed by low receptor density and were significantly more efficient in inducing intercellular fusion in MDA-MB-231 cells that express only 3000 copies of Her-2/cell. While these 6 viruses produced equivalent cell associated virions, release of viral progeny from the infected cells was progressively poorer with increase in scFv affinities, indicating that there is an optimal affinity for target receptors. Potential differences in kinetics of virus entry and cell fusion are currently being evaluated in conjunction with in vivo targeting studies. Results in this work have important implications for the selection of the target tumor antigen and the design of future generations of retargeted measles viruses.
Contributions of Head-Mounted Cameras to Studying the Visual Environments of Infants and Young Children

Head-mounted video cameras (with and without an eye camera to track gaze direction) are being increasingly used to study infants’ and young children's visual environments and provide new and often unexpected insights about the visual world from a child's point of view. The challenge in using head cameras is principally conceptual and concerns the match between what these cameras measure and the research question. Head cameras record the scene in front of faces and thus answer questions about those head-centered scenes. In this “Tools of the Trade” article, we consider the unique contributions provided by head-centered video, the limitations and open questions that remain for head-camera methods, and the practical issues of placing head cameras on infants and analyzing the generated video.
Dynamic O -GlcNAcylation and its roles in the cellular stress response and homeostasis

O-linked N-acetyl-β-d-glucosamine (O-GlcNAc) is a ubiquitous and dynamic post-translational modification known to modify over 3,000 nuclear, cytoplasmic, and mitochondrial eukaryotic proteins. Addition of O-GlcNAc to proteins is catalyzed by the O-GlcNAc transferase and is removed by a neutral-N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase (O-GlcNAcase). O-GlcNAc is thought to regulate proteins in a manner analogous to protein phosphorylation, and the cycling of this carbohydrate modification regulates many cellular functions such as the cellular stress response. Diverse forms of cellular stress and tissue injury result in enhanced O-GlcNAc modification, or O-GlcNAcylation, of numerous intracellular proteins. Stress-induced O-GlcNAcylation appears to promote cell/tissue survival by regulating a multitude of biological processes including: the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt pathway, heat shock protein expression, calcium homeostasis, levels of reactive oxygen species, ER stress, protein stability, mitochondrial dynamics, and inflammation. Here, we will discuss the regulation of these processes by O-GlcNAc and the impact of such regulation on survival in models of ischemia reperfusion injury and trauma hemorrhage. We will also discuss the misregulation of O-GlcNAc in diseases commonly associated with the stress response, namely Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Finally, we will highlight recent advancements in the tools and technologies used to study the O-GlcNAc modification.
Dimerization Induced Deprotonation of Water on RuO2(110)

RuO2 has proven to be indispensable as a co-catalyst in numerous systems designed for photocatalytic water splitting. In this study, we have carried out a detailed mechanistic study of water behavior on the most stable RuO2 face, RuO2(110), by employing variable-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and density functional theory calculations. We show that water monomers adsorb molecularly on Ru sites, become mobile above 238 K, diffuse along the Ru rows, and form water dimers. The onset for dimer diffusion is observed at ∼277 K, indicating a significantly higher diffusion barrier than that for monomers. More importantly, we find that water dimers deprotonate readily to form Ru-bound H3O2 and bridging OH species. The observed behavior is compared and contrasted with that observed for water on isostructural rutile TiO2(110).
Intonation in Theory and Practice, Revisited*

Intonation as currently presented in North American textbooks bears a strong resemblance to textbook treatments from 30–50 years ago despite tremendous advances in both theoretical and applied research on intonational description and the role of intonation in communication. This article reviews current intonational research that is relevant to teaching and presents implications for pedagogy. It then argues that there are two primary reasons for a lack of innovation in intonation teaching materials. First, current materials are based on an inadequate view of the functions of intonation, especially in their overemphasis on its role in signaling grammatical relations and in their emphasis on its role in conveying speakers' attitudes and emotions. Second, materials lack a communicative purpose, focusing instead on uncontextualized, sentence-level practice of intonational forms. Four principles for intonation teaching materials—namely, (a) that intonation must be taught in context, (b) that intonational meanings must be generalizable, (c) that the teaching of intonation must always be subordinate to larger communicative purposes, and (d) that intonation should be taught with realistic language—are discussed and contrasted with current practice.
Mechanisms of water storage in salt marsh sediments: The importance of dilation

Direct observation of surface displacement in two New England salt marshes shows that shrinking and swelling of the sediment is an important mechanism for water storage. This mechanism accounts for 20 per cent of the total change in water content of the sediment in Belle Isle marsh, Massachusetts, and for as much as 36 per cent and 86 per cent of the total at separate sites in Sippewissett Marsh, Massachusetts. Swelling in response to infiltration appears to follow the infiltration model of Hemond et al. (1984). Shrinkage decreases the aeration of the sediment compared to soils that do not shrink, and reduced aeration represents a physiological stress to vegetation. For a given depth of water loss, e.g. one day's evapotranspiration, more shrinkage, less aeration, and higher stresses on vegetation will occur in deeper sediment deposits.
Women and the Ideal Society: Plato's "Republic" and Modern Myths of Gender

In Book V of Plato's Republic, Socrates proposed that in an ideal society the most capable men and women must rule together equally. But as Natalie Harris Bluestone demonstrates in this cogent study, for generations the most influential classicists, historians of philosophy, and political theorists have ignored or rejected the idea of Philosopher Queens--of women serving as equal partners in the guiding of a just society. She also argues that in recent years many feminist writers, while correcting previous misconceptions, have allowed their sexual politics to distort their discussion of Plato's text. In confronting both male and female biases, Bluestone addresses some of the most debated issues of our time. She questions whether women have special qualities that make them naturally better or worse equipped for leadership than men, arguing convincingly against sociobiological views of gender differences. In defending the predominance of reason as the arbiter of excellence and the key to justice, she offers a spirited critique of current feminist theory. Her writing is personal, sometimes humorous, and yet rigorously analytic, as she reveals the difficulties inherent in philosophical discussions involving gender, the prevalence in the academy of discrimination against women, and the continuing importance of the issues Plato raised in the Republic.
Can a fibrillar interface be stronger and tougher than a non-fibrillar one?

Elasticity analysis and finite element simulations are carried out to study the strength of an elastic fibrillar interface. The fibrils are assumed to be in perfect contact with a rigid substrate. The adhesive interaction between the fibrils and the substrate is modelled by the Dugdale–Barenblatt model (DB). The condition for a fibrillar interface to be stronger than a non-fibrillar one is obtained for two regimes: (i) small fibril or flaw insensitive regime; (ii) large fibril or flaw sensitive regime. The transition between the two regimes is characterized by a dimensionless parameter that incorporates the material constants of the elastic fibrils and interfacial properties. The condition for a fibrillar interface to be tougher is also given. Lateral collapse is found to be detrimental to the strength and toughness of a fibrillar interface.
Formal Verification for High-Assurance Behavioral Synthesis

We present a framework for certifying hardware designs generated through behavioral synthesis, by using formal verification to certify the associated synthesis transformations. We show how to decompose this certification into two components, which can be respectively handled by the complementary verification techniques, theorem proving and model checking. The approach produces a certified reference flow, composed of transformations distilled from production synthesis tools but represented as transformations on graphs with an associated formal semantics. This tool-independent abstraction disentangles our framework from the inner workings of specific synthesis tools while permitting certification of hardware designs generated from a broad class of behavioral descriptions. We provide experimental results suggesting the scalability on practical designs.
Case Study of the Effects of Irrigation and Nitrogen Fertilization on Active and Reserve Soil Acidity

Excessive soil acidity and low soil pH may liberate plant toxic levels of manganese and aluminum from soil minerals, and interfere with nitrogen and phosphorus availability. Active soil acidity is measured as soil pH and reacts quickly in the soil-plant system. Potential or reserve acidity is inactive in the soil, and acts as a source of replenishment for active acidity. Studies to determine the effect of ammoniacal-nitrogen fertilizer treatments and irrigation methods on plant growth and development of cotton, and changes in soil properties were conducted. Nitrogen treatments ranged from 0 to 168.0 kg N/ha in 33.6-kg N/ha increments. Soil samples from each N-treatment from both irrigation blocks were analyzed for active and potential acidity. Irrigation water high in Na+, Ca2+, and HCO3− tended to raise soil pH. Under dry land conditions ammonical N-fertilizer lowered soil pH. Reserve acidity was larger under dry land conditions than under furrow irrigation. No significant differences in reserve soil aci...
Ethnic Differences in Attributions and Treatment Expectancies for Adolescent Depression.

Studies suggest that ethnicity and socioeconomic factors may relate to differences in treatment expectancies and the attributions made for emotional or behavioral problems. We examined ethnic differences in (1) parents' attributions about the causes of adolescent behavioral and emotional problems and (2) treatment expectancies among 236 adolescent participants who enrolled in a 36–week randomized controlled trial for depression. Controlling for education and income, European American parents were more likely to endorse beliefs reflecting physical causes of depression than African American parents. There were no ethnic differences for beliefs reflecting external, familial, or community factors. Ethnic differences were observed in the treatment expectancies reported by parents, but not adolescents, with African American parents more likely than European Americans and Other minorities to endorse positive expectations for CBT. These findings may have implications for understanding discrepancies in mental heal...
The ethnobotany of deergrass,Muhlenbergia rigens (Poaceae): Its uses and fire management by California Indian tribes

Deergrass (Muhlenbergia rigens, Poaceae), a once abundant and widespread native perennial bunchgrass in California, was utilized extensively by at least twenty tribes for its flower stalks, incorporated into many types of coiled baskets. The craft of coiled basketry required the annual harvesting of thousands of culms by each village and the frequent setting of small-scale fires in many plant community types to eliminate detritus, recycle nutrients, increase culm production and prohibit shrub or tree encroachment. Detailed examination of Native American past fire management practices will provide insights into the cultural processes that shaped various ecosystem states, and unravel the ecological principles embedded in ancient land management systems. There are at least 300 contemporary Native American weavers and the successful revival of basketry in California is inextricably tied to access to and availability of plant resources on public lands.
Risk factors for mortality in middle-aged women.

Background Many factors contribute to mortality in older women, but their relative importance and independent contribution have been poorly characterized. Methods From 1990 to 1992, we assessed demographics, lifestyle measures, prevalent disease, medication use, anthropometrics, vital signs, and physical function in 17 748 postmenopausal women. We used proportional hazards modeling to evaluate their association with mortality. Results During 9 years of follow-up, 1886 women (10.6%) died. The relative hazard (RH) of death was approximately 1.5 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5-1.6) per 5 years of age, 1.4 (95% CI, 1.2-1.6) for a history of heart disease, and 1.9 (95% CI, 1.6-2.3) for a history of breast cancer. Modifiable risk factors associated with mortality included smoking (RH, 3.7 [95% CI, 3.1-4.5] for current smokers with a ≥50 pack-year history) and systolic blood pressure (RH, 1.3 [95% CI, 1.1-1.5], fifth vs first quintile). Elevated waist-hip ratio was associated with higher mortality (RH, 1.3 [95% CI, 1.1-1.5], fifth vs first quintile), but obesity was associated with lower mortality (RH, 0.7 [95% CI, 0.6-0.9] for body mass index [calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters] of >35.0 vs 18.5-25.0). Poor results on the timed Up and Go Test, a measure of physical function, were also strongly associated with mortality (RH, 1.7 [95% CI, 1.4-2.0], fifth vs first quintile). Conclusions Simple measures are sufficient to stratify postmenopausal women into groups at high and low risk of dying. Smoking, central obesity, blood pressure, and physical function are potentially modifiable risk factors, although clinical trials are required to demonstrate that change in these factors affects mortality.
Linking Foraging Decisions to Residential Yard Bird Composition

Urban bird communities have higher densities but lower diversity compared with wildlands. However, recent studies show that residential urban yards with native plantings have higher native bird diversity compared with yards with exotic vegetation. Here we tested whether landscape designs also affect bird foraging behavior. We estimated foraging decisions by measuring the giving-up densities (GUD; amount of food resources remaining when the final forager quits foraging on an artificial food patch, i.e seed trays) in residential yards in Phoenix, AZ, USA. We assessed how two yard designs (mesic: lush, exotic vegetation; xeric: drought-tolerant and native vegetation) differed in foraging costs. Further, we developed a statistical model to calculate GUDs for every species visiting the seed tray. Birds foraging in mesic yards depleted seed trays to a lower level (i.e. had lower GUDs) compared to birds foraging in xeric yards. After accounting for bird densities, the lower GUDs in mesic yards appeared largely driven by invasive and synanthropic species. Furthermore, behavioral responses of individual species were affected by yard design. Species visiting trays in both yard designs had lower GUDs in mesic yards. Differences in resource abundance (i.e., alternative resources more abundant and of higher quality in xeric yards) contributed to our results, while predation costs associated with foraging did not. By enhancing the GUD, a common method for assessing the costs associated with foraging, our statistical model provided insights into how individual species and bird densities influenced the GUD. These differences we found in foraging behavior were indicative of differences in habitat quality, and thus our study lends additional support for native landscapes to help reverse the loss of urban bird diversity.
Synthesis of bioactive protein hydrogels by genetically encoded SpyTag-SpyCatcher chemistry

Protein-based hydrogels have emerged as promising alternatives to synthetic hydrogels for biomedical applications, owing to the precise control of structure and function enabled by protein engineering. Nevertheless, strategies for assembling 3D molecular networks that carry the biological information encoded in full-length proteins remain underdeveloped. Here we present a robust protein gelation strategy based on a pair of genetically encoded reactive partners, SpyTag and SpyCatcher, that spontaneously form covalent isopeptide linkages under physiological conditions. The resulting “network of Spies” may be designed to include cell-adhesion ligands, matrix metalloproteinase-1 cleavage sites, and full-length globular proteins [mCherry and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF)]. The LIF network was used to encapsulate mouse embryonic stem cells; the encapsulated cells remained pluripotent in the absence of added LIF. These results illustrate a versatile strategy for the creation of information-rich biomaterials.
Electrocortical evidence for rapid allocation of attention to threat in the dot-probe task

Threatening stimuli have been shown to preferentially capture attention using a range of tasks and measures. However, attentional bias to threat has not typically been found in unselected individuals using behavioral measures in the dot-probe task, one of the most common ways of examining attention to threat. The present study leveraged event-related potentials (ERPs) in conjunction with behavioral measures in the dot-probe task to examine whether more direct measures of attention might reveal an attentional bias to threat in unselected individuals. As in previous dot-probe studies, we found no evidence of an attentional bias to threat using reaction time; additionally, this measure exhibited poor internal reliability. In contrast, ERPs revealed an initial shift of attention to threat-related stimuli, reflected by the N2pc, which showed moderate internal reliability. However, there was no evidence of sustained engagement with the threat-related stimuli, as measured by the late positive potential (LPP). Together, these results demonstrate that unselected individuals do initially allocate attention to threat in the dot-probe task, and further, that this bias is better characterized by neural measures of attention than traditional behavioral measures. These results have implications for the study of attention to threat in both unselected and anxious populations.
Functional Analysis of the Fructooligosaccharide Utilization Operon in Lactobacillus paracasei 1195

The fosABCDXE operon encodes components of a putative fructose/mannose phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system and a beta-fructosidase precursor (FosE) that are involved in the fructooligosaccharide (FOS) utilization pathway of Lactobacillus paracasei 1195. The presence of an N-terminal signal peptide sequence and an LPQAG cell wall anchor motif in the C-terminal region of the deduced FosE precursor amino acid sequence predicted that the enzyme is cell wall associated, indicating that FOS may be hydrolyzed extracellularly. In this study, cell fractionation experiments demonstrated that the FOS hydrolysis activity was present exclusively in the cell wall extract of L. paracasei previously grown on FOS. In contrast, no measurable FOS hydrolysis activity was detected in the cell wall extract from the isogenic fosE mutant. Induction of beta-fructosidase activity was observed when cells were grown on FOS, inulin, sucrose, or fructose but not when cells were grown on glucose. A diauxic growth pattern was observed when cells were grown on FOS in the presence of limiting glucose (0.1%). Analysis of the culture supernatant revealed that glucose was consumed first, followed by the longer-chain FOS species. Transcription analysis further showed that the fos operon was expressed only after glucose was depleted in the medium. Expression of fosE in a non-FOS-fermenting strain, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, enabled the recombinant strain to metabolize FOS, inulin, sucrose, and levan.
Chemistry in the Center for Catalytic Hydrocarbon Functionalization. An Energy Frontier Research Center

Selective catalysts that activate small molecules such as hydrocarbons, dioxygen, water, carbon dioxide and dihydrogen are central to new technologies for the use of alternative energy sources. For example, controlled hydrocarbon functionalization can lead to high impact technologies, but such catalysts require a level of molecular control beyond current means. The Center for Catalytic Hydrocarbon Functionalization facilitates collaborations among research groups in catalysis, materials, electrochemistry, bioinorganic chemistry and quantum mechanics to develop, validate and optimize new methods to rearrange the bonds of hydrocarbons, activate and transform water and carbon dioxide, implement enzymatic strategies into synthetic systems and design optimal environments for catalysis.
Waging Terror: Psychological Motivation in Cultural Violence and Peacemaking

In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States led the charge in a global war on terrorism using hardline violent military actions to pursue terrorist groups in many nations. Thus far, this war has led to two armed conflicts in Afghanistan, where al Qaeda was known to reside and train potential future terrorists, and in nearby Iraq, where some leaders feared weapons of mass destruction would be given to terrorist groups. Some scholars have suggested that using strictly hardline aggressive military action only serves to exacerbate the problem of terrorism because it fails to address the underlying motivations of terrorism. 1 Indeed, this aggressive military action targeting terrorists seems to have had the unintended effect of increasing the number of terrorist acts around the world. Terrorism scholars Bergen and Cruickshank report a sevenfold increase in instances of fatal terrorist attacks worldwide since the U.S. President George W. Bush declared war on terrorism.2 More specifically, the incidence of attacks has jumped from 28.3 attacks per annum to 199.8 per annum. We have also witnessed a drastic increase in the number of terrorism related deaths per year, from 501 in the years prior to 9/11 to 1,689 per year by 2007.
Networked News Time

What kind of news time does a public need? The production, circulation, and interpretation of news have always followed timelines and rhythms, but these have largely been seen as artifacts of press sociology, not central aspects of journalism’s public mission linked to the design and deployment of journalism infrastructure. Since different types of news time make possible different kinds of publics, any critique of the press’s material cultures of time-keeping is a critique of the press’s power to convene particular people and issues, at particular times. Motivated by the temporal needs of one type of public (a pragmatic public that ensures a public right to hear), this paper proposes a unit for studying news time (the temporal assemblage), and traces it across four intertwined sites in the contemporary, networked press: labor routines, platform rhythms, computational algorithms, and legal regulations. Beyond this article’s investigation of this public in relation to these dynamics, my aim is to contribut...
Mindfulness, Attention, and Working Memory

The human mind relies on a set of processes to guide moment-to-moment experience. These processes include attention and working memory. Interest in cognitive training results from the knowledge that these processes are capacity limited and are diminished under contexts such as stress or negative affect. Mindfulness is a mental mode characterized by attention to the present moment without emotional reactivity or conceptual engagement. Recent research tests the hypothesis that mindfulness training produces measurable benefits to attention and working memory. This chapter illustrates the cognitive processes that determine the contents of the mind at any given moment, and then discusses the results of empirical studies examining mindfulness training as a cognitive enhancement tool, particularly for the core systems of attention and working memory.
Reproductive Characteristics of Double-Crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) in the Eastern United States: Demographic Information for an Intensely Managed Species

Abstract. Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) are intensely managed through culling in North America to reduce presumed damage to commercial and natural resources. To evaluate this management, there is a critical need to understand the reproductive biology of Double-crested Cormorants. Gonadal development, reproductive potential and breeding status were determined by necropsy for 1,781 Double-crested Cormorants salvaged each month of the year from control programs in their wintering and breeding ranges in seven States in the USA. Gonadal development of males peaked earlier in the year than females. Mean and maximum reproductive potential was five and 13 ovum, respectively. The average proportion of non-breeding female Double-crested Cormorants culled from breeding colonies was 14.9% (n = 202) and from foraging flocks on the breeding grounds was 22.1% (n = 358). This demographic information should be considered when evaluating and modeling effects of Double-crested Cormorant management in Nor...
Young adults with mental health conditions and social networking websites: seeking tools to build community.

Objective This study examined ways that young adults with mental illnesses (1) currently use social networking; and (2) how they would like to use a social networking site tailored for them. The authors examined differences between those with mental health conditions and those without. Methods An online survey was administered by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to 274 participants; of those, 207 reported being between 18 and 24 years old. The survey included questions about current social networking use, the key resources respondents believed young adults living with mental illness need, and the essential components that should be included in a social networking site specifically tailored to young adults living with mental illness. Pearson Chi-square analyses examined the differences between those who reported having a mental illness and those who did not. Results Results indicate that almost all (94%) participants with mental illnesses currently use social networking sites. Individuals living with a mental illness are more likely than those not living with a mental illness to report engaging in various social networking activities that promote connectivity and making online friends. Individuals living with mental illnesses are also more likely to report wanting resources on independent living skills and overcoming social isolation available on a social networking site. Conclusions and implications for practice Young adults living with mental illnesses are currently using social networking sites and express high interest in a social networking site specifically tailored to their population with specific tools designed to decrease social isolation and help them live more independently. These results indicate that practitioners should themselves be aware of the different social networking sites frequented by their young adult clients, ask clients about their use of social networking, and encourage safe and responsible online behaviors.
New Approaches for Cost-Effective Organic Luminescence-Based Lighting

This talk will describe a versatile, cost-effective lighting device architecture based on efficient organic emitters, enabling diffuse and color-tunable light output, as well as minimal waste heat generation.
Sets with convex closure which are unions of two starshaped sets and families of segments which have a 2-partition

The following Krasnosel'skii-type theorem is proved: Let S be a nonempty set in R2 whose closure cl S is convex and bounded. Assume that for every 9 point subset T of cl S there correspond points p1 and p2 (depending on T) such that each point of T is clearly visible via S from at least one of p1 or p2. Then S is a union of two starshaped sets. The number 9 is best possible.
Nonparametric Statistics on the Computer

The nonparametric statistical system is a package of computer programs for use with data that may not meet the assumptions of more traditional statistical tests. Thirty-four nonparametric tests are...
Unnecessary mastectomy for gynecomastia in testicular cancer patient

A young man presented with a 4-month history of progressive, bilateral tender gynecomastia and underwent a bilateral subcutaneous mastectomy without regard for a possible occult testicular tumor. Following the mastectomy, metastatic testicular cancer was discovered; the patient had an overlooked scrotal mass and a very elevated serum human chorionic gonadotropin tumor marker. The possibility of testicular tumor must be considered in any male, especially those in the younger age group, who present with gynecomastia.
Value of prostatic cancer screening in patients treated for benign prostatic hyperplasia with medical or minimally invasive modalities

Objective To assess the likelihood of overlooking the diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCA), using current screening methods, in patients treated for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) with medical or minimally invasive treatment modalities, which do not produce tissue specimens for histologic review. To appraise this, we examined the impact of the preoperative use of prostatic specific antigen (PSA) in combination with transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) and systematic sextant prostate needle biopsy (PNbx) on the subsequent incidence of stage A PCA in patients undergoing transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). Methods/results After excluding all patients found to have PCA during pretreatment screening, 485 patients who underwent TURP for presumed BPH from 1976 to 1994, were reviewed. From 1976 to 1989, PSA was not used for pretreatment screening, and stage A PCA was diagnosed in 11.4% of 317 patients. In 1990 and 1991, pretreatment screening included PNbx obtained under ultrasound guidance for PSA > or = 15.0 ng/ml. Stage A PCA was diagnosed in 14.2% of 63 patients. From 1992 to 1994, pretreatment screening included systematic sextant PNbx performed for PSA > 4.0 ng/ml, and stage A PCA was diagnosed in 2.8% of 105 patients. The difference in incidence of stage A PCA between the first two groups and group three was significant (p = 0.021); so is the difference in incidence of stage A2 (p = 0.037). For stage A1, the difference did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.089). Conclusion Our findings suggest that systematic sextant PNbx for PSA > 4.0 ng/ml significantly reduces the risk of overlooking prostate cancer in patients undergoing treatment of BPH with modalities that do not provide tissue specimens.
Animals and the Law: The Basics

Animals and their treatment by humans appear in our law in a variety of ways. Consider Matthew, a 27-year-old chimp whose case was accepted by the European Court of Human Rights in 2008.1 Animal rights activist and teacher Paula Stibbe wanted to be declared his legal guardian should the sanctuary where he resides close due to bankruptcy. Austria’s Supreme Court upheld the lower court ruling rejecting her request. The problem, under Austrian law, is that only legal “persons” may be appointed a guardian. Since Matthew is deemed a legal “thing” under Austrian law he cannot be appointed a guardian. In contrast, in 2007 when Michael Vick, an American football star, was arrested for dog-fighting and his “pit bull type” dogs were seized in the civil forfeiture action associated with the criminal case, the government appointed a Special Master/Guardian for the dogs.2 Although animals are deemed “things” under state and federal law in the United States, the court held that such status would not prohibit assigning a human to represent the dogs’ interests.3
Social workers on-line: a profile

ABSTRACT This study provides a profile of social workers who utilize OE-Mne services. On-line social worker demographics are compared to those of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) membership. Satisfaction with on-line training and resources was assessed and suggestions were solicited. Subjects were asked to describe their vision of future on-line application. Participants were 162 social workers solicited from 32 on-line discussion groups. Notable differences were found in the demographics comparison and in the on-line usage of social workers in university and non-university settings and in gender. Limitations are discussed and recommendations for future research are made.
Prevalence of Campylobacter jejuni on Turkey Wings at the Supermarket Level.

Campylobacter jejuni was found on 64.1% of 184 packaged fresh and on 55.6% of 81 frozen turkey wings purchased from local supermarkets over a 2-month period. The prevalence of the agent on the wings varied with sampling day. For fresh wings (12 samplings), it varied from 33.3% to 100% and for frozen wings (9 samplings), it varied from 17% to 100%. At a detection limit of 300 cells/wing, the mean number of C. jejuni on the positive fresh wings was 740 cells/wing (range 616 to 832) and on the frozen wings 890 cells/wing (range 661 to 1096). All fresh wings were purchased at the time of arrival at the supermarkets. Thirty packages of wings collected from the refrigerated shelves (2 to 4-d old) had no detectable C. jejuni .
Extremal Eigenvalue Problems for Starlike Drums

We extremize the eigenvalues of the Laplacian subject to Dirichlet boundary conditions over starlike planar sets of bounded perimeter and prescribed area. Existence of such extremizers follows from Caratheodory’s notion of set convergence while the necessary conditions are obtained via a marriage of Kato’s perturbation theory and Clarke’s nonsmooth calculus. This necessary condition implies that where the boundary of the extremizer possesses a Holder continuous second derivative it is in fact infinitely differentiable.
The National Microbiome Initiative

We squeezed together under a small roof near the guard station just outside of the White House to avoid the drenching rain. There was excitement in the air as we waited for the launch of The National Microbiome Initiative (https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2016/05/13/announcing-national-microbiome-initiative). I thought about the cloud of microbes surrounding each of us and how with something as simple as a breath or a handshake, our microbiomes were intermingling. Nature might have selected for such exchanges as a means to maintain the diversity of our microbiomes, but a microbial interchange with people gathered from around the country was definitely not in our evolutionary past.
Estimation of Short and Long Run Derived Irrigation Water Demands and Elasticities

Short-run and long-run derived irrigation water demand functions are estimated using shadow price data obtained from a profit maximization mathematical programming model. Crop and soil-type specific production functions are expressed in terms of applied irrigation water. Demand functions for two South Central Idaho counties are estimated using linear, semi-log, double-log, and Box-Cox transformation forms. Price elasticities, at the mean shadow prices, range from 0.8 to 1.2, 1.49 to 1.84, and 2.9 to 4.9, for short run, long run with deficit irrigation, and long run with no deficit irrigation, respectively.