cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Individual differences in counterfactual production

Abstract Previous research has found that mixed-handers more so than strong-handers can maintain multiple and oftentimes opposing representations simultaneously. Because of this, mixed-handers demonstrate greater Stroop interference and better appreciate visual paradoxes. The current study was designed to extend this work into the area of counterfactual production. Specifically, 126 undergraduate students at a small midwestern university were asked to read, one at a time, 4 scenarios (two with positive and two with negative outcomes) and generate as many alternative-action outcome sequences (i.e., counterfactuals) as they could in 5 min. The results indicated that mixed-handers generated significantly more upward and downward counterfactuals than strong-handers, confirming our prediction. This finding lends additional support to the notion that strength of handedness predicts one’s level of interhemispheric interconnectivity and suggests that mixed- and strong-handers may show differences in a variety of decision making phenomena related to counterfactualizing such as hindsight bias and decision regret.
Adventures with vitamins.

(1988). Adventures with vitamins. Journal of the American College of Nutrition: Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 93-9.
Up-regulation of brain [3H]diazepam binding sites in chronic caffeine treated rats.

Abstract 1. 1. Brain [3H]diazepam and [3H] l -phenylisopropyladenosine binding sites in caffeine treated (75 mg/kg/day, i.p. 12 days) and caffeine withdrawn (30 days) rats were examined. 2. 2. Treatment with caffeine (75 mg/kg/day) for 12 days increases the Bmax (maximum binding capacity) for [3H]diazepam binding by 30.9% whereas the same treatment increases the Bmax for [3H] l -PIA binding by 165%. 3. 3. The Bmax for [3H]diazepam binding sites returns to slightly below control levels but [3H] l -PIA binding sites remain elevated after 30 days of caffeine withdrawal. 4. 4. These findings suggest that the up-regulation of [3H]diazepam binding sites seen in caffeine treated rats may not be adequately explained by a direct antagonism of caffeine on benzodiazepine receptors. Other modes of interaction therefore must be considered.
Electrode modification from the electrolysis of [M(Bipyridine)3](ClO4) 2 (M = CoII, FeII, and RuII) in media of low dielectric constant. Electrocatalytic behavior and an amperometric C60 sensor

The voltammetric behavior of transition metal complexes of 2,2‘-bipyridine, [MII(bpy)3](ClO4)2 (MII = CoII, FeII, or RuII), in toluene/acetonitrile mixtures has been studied by cyclic voltammetry. In solutions with a low acetonitrile-to-toluene ratio and tetra(n-butyl)ammonium perchlorate as supporting electrolyte, oxidation of [MII(bpy)3](ClO4)2 leads to the precipitation of a solid, electrochemically inactive phase of [MIII(bpy)3](ClO4)3 (M = Co or Fe) on the electrode. Electrodes modified by this solid phase are shown to display catalytic waves that result from chemical reduction of the film by soluble species: [M(bpy)3]+ when no other electroactive species is present or [C60]- when C60 is also present in the solution. The redox behavior of C60 on an electrode covered by a [CoIII(bpy)3](ClO4)3 layer was extensively investigated. The catalytic current associated with the reduction of C60 at a [CoIII(bpy)3](ClO4)3 modified electrode can be used for the quantitative determination of fullerene concentrati...
Using Interrupted Time Series Analysis To Assess Associations of Fluoroquinolone Formulary Changes with Susceptibility of Gram-Negative Pathogens and Isolation Rates of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

The use of fluoroquinolones has been linked to increasing bacterial resistance and infection and/or colonization with already resistant pathogens both as a risk factor and based on volume of use. Changes in individual fluoroquinolones used in an institution may also be related to these clinical problems. Interrupted time series analysis, which allows for assessment of the associations of an outcome attributable to a specific event in time, was used to study the effect of changes in our hospital's fluoroquinolone formulary on fluoroquinolone susceptibility rates in select gram-negative pathogens and the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolation rate. Susceptibility rates to ciprofloxacin were considered for the period of 1993 through 2004, while the MRSA isolation rate was assessed from 1995 through 2004. Levofloxacin was added to the formulary in 1999, and gatifloxacin was substituted for levofloxacin in 2001. Statistically significant changes in the already declining rates of susceptibility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P, 0.042) and Escherichia coli (P, 0.004) to ciprofloxacin and in the already rising MRSA isolation rate (P, 0.001) were associated with the addition of levofloxacin to the formulary. Substitution of gatifloxacin for levofloxacin on the formulary was associated with reversals in the downward trend in E. coli susceptibility to ciprofloxacin and the upward trend in MRSA isolation rate. No associations were detected on susceptibility of Klebsiella pneumoniae or Proteus mirabilis to ciprofloxacin. These findings suggest that potential changes in susceptibility to fluoroquinolones and isolation of MRSA may vary by both drug and organism.
Diagnosing slow web page access at the client side

Transient performance anomalies when accessing websites can be hard to replicate and make it difficult to detect and remedy their root causes. We propose a tool which passively monitors browser behavior and network traffic, while actively probing the network when detecting performance anomalies, and determining their root causes.
Troubling Nationhood in U.S Latina Literature: Explorations of Place and Belonging Maya Socolovsky. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2013.

Troubling Nationhood in U.S Latina Literature: Explorations of Place and Belonging Maya Socolovsky. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2013.During the 1990s and 2000s US Latinas produced a surge of literary narratives that explore the intersection of place and identity within reimagined American borders. In Troubling Nationhood in U.S. Latina Literature, Maya Socolovsky analyzes the texts of six feminist Latina writers, writing from liminal zones, whose narratives act as sites of cultural resistance against the xenophobic US rhetoric of nationhood which positions Latinos/as as outsiders. Socolovsky argues that "Latino/a literary narratives imagine collective geographical, political, and cultural presence, where Latina America becomes part of, not apart from, the political and national identity of the United States" (3). These texts reconceptualize Latina identity through a rhetoric of belonging-one that challenges hegemonic US national identification which defines porous national and cultural borders between the US and Latin America as an insidious threat to US cultural and political identity while it simultaneously ignores the West's history of hemispheric transnationalism and Latino/s presence in the United States. In her literary and rhetorical analysis, Socolovsky urges textual readings that reveal the "process whereby geographical landscapes, cultural practices, and narrative spaces all become intersecting aspects of national identification and experience" (5).Taking into consideration panethnic commonalities, Socolovsky divides her book in various ways to promote a remapping of the Americas: through geopolitical histories of national-origin groups (Mexican American, Puerto Rican, and Cuban American), geographic regions (Southwest, Midwest, Puerto Rican and Cuban island and mainland experiences), and racial identities (Native American, African, and mestizaje). Rooted in Borderland and Hispanic Studies, Socolovsky's study emphasizes the interconnectedness of regional landscape and "women's sense of survival" and maintains that "the literature creates, suggests, or reveals radical social change" (6). Through storytelling, writers of the US Latina boom expose the physical and psychological trauma of 'othering' while asserting their belonging to/in the same nation that denies them agency and autonomy.Socolovsky begins with Denise Chavez's portrayal of the female body as the site of cultural ills in The Last of the Menu Girls (1986) and Face of an Angel (1994). In these texts, generations of abuse represent (and are a consequence of) violent national histories in the Southwestern region of the US. Chavez provides a metaphor for cultural healing in her portrayal of Latinas overcoming familial and institutional cruelty, specifically through the writing process, while redefining "American" to include indigenous identities of the Americas. …
Change in leaf structure in relation to crown position and size class for tree species within a Sri Lankan tropical rain forest

The purpose of our study was to examine change in leaf structure (anatomy and morphology) through different phases of tree size and crown position within a Sri Lankan rain forest. We selected four late-successional canopy species that represented dominant genera (Shorea, Mesua) within an Asian tropical rain forest. All are considered shade-tolerant and capable of growing to maturity beneath closed-canopy late-successional forests. Species within each genus were either restricted to seepages and bottom slopes (valley species) or to upper slopes and ridges (ridge species). The size classes represented (i) seedlings, (ii) saplings, (iii) poles growing beneath closed-canopy conditions, and (iv) trees of the rain forest canopy. Between size classes, leaves were thicker and with higher stomatal densities for canopy trees than for seedling, sapling, and pole size classes. Plasticities for measures of leaf structure were greater for ridge species than valley species; except for cuticle thickness, which showed the...
3D Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy for Catalysts: Imaging and Data Analysis

Aberration correction has revolutionized electron microscopy, for the first time allowing direct imaging of sub-angstrom atomic spacings. Using this technique for catalytic materials has been especially beneficial – the improved signal-to-noise ratios now allow for detection of quantities of some elements as small as a single atom, giving a complete picture of particle size distribution. Wider probe-forming apertures θ used in aberration-corrected STEMs also result in reduced depth of field (Δz = λ/θ), making it possible to optically section through a sample, similar to widefield optical microscopy. For modern C3and C3, C5-corrected instruments, convergence angles are in the rage of 20 to 35 mrad or more, resulting in the depth of field of low single nanometers (in amorphous and off-axis media). This makes it possible to examine 3D structure of realistic heterogeneous catalysts in three dimensions with nanoscale vertical resolution. STEM focal series can be used to detect single atoms and in suitable cases, determine of their height with subnanometer precision [1, 2]. In the higher end of the currently achievable range of the convergence angles, it is in principle possible to detect a single dopant atom even in an aligned crystal [3].
Borrowing Nuclear DNA Helicases to Protect Mitochondrial DNA

In normal cells, mitochondria are the primary organelles that generate energy, which is critical for cellular metabolism. Mitochondrial dysfunction, caused by mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations or an abnormal mtDNA copy number, is linked to a range of human diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, premature aging‎ and cancer. mtDNA resides in the mitochondrial lumen, and its duplication requires the mtDNA replicative helicase, Twinkle. In addition to Twinkle, many DNA helicases, which are encoded by the nuclear genome and are crucial for nuclear genome integrity, are transported into the mitochondrion to also function in mtDNA replication and repair. To date, these helicases include RecQ-like helicase 4 (RECQ4), petite integration frequency 1 (PIF1), DNA replication helicase/nuclease 2 (DNA2) and suppressor of var1 3-like protein 1 (SUV3). Although the nuclear functions of some of these DNA helicases have been extensively studied, the regulation of their mitochondrial transport and the mechanisms by which they contribute to mtDNA synthesis and maintenance remain largely unknown. In this review, we attempt to summarize recent research progress on the role of mammalian DNA helicases in mitochondrial genome maintenance and the effects on mitochondria-associated diseases.
Phosphodiesterase-5A (PDE5A) is localized to the endothelial caveolae and modulates NOS3 activity

Aims It has been well demonstrated that phosphodiesterase-5A (PDE5A) is expressed in smooth muscle cells and plays an important role in regulation of vascular tone. The role of endothelial PDE5A, however, has not been yet characterized. The present study was undertaken to determine the presence, localization, and potential physiologic significance of PDE5A within vascular endothelial cells. Methods and results We demonstrate primary location of human, mouse, and bovine endothelial PDE5A at or near caveolae. We found that the spatial localization of PDE5A at the level of caveolin-rich lipid rafts allows for a feedback loop between endothelial PDE5A and nitric oxide synthase (NOS3). Treatment of human endothelium with PDE5A inhibitors resulted in a significant increase in NOS3 activity, whereas overexpression of PDE5A using an adenoviral vector, both in vivo and in cell culture, resulted in decreased NOS3 activity and endothelium-dependent vasodilation. The molecular mechanism responsible for these interactions is primarily regulated by cGMP-dependent second messenger. PDE5A overexpression also resulted in a significant decrease in protein kinase 1 (PKG1) activity. Overexpression of PKG1 rapidly activated NOS3, whereas silencing of the PKG1 gene with siRNA inhibited both NOS3 phosphorylation (S1179) and activity, indicating a novel role for PKG1 in direct regulation of NOS3. Conclusion Our data collectively suggest another target for PDE5A inhibition in endothelial dysfunction and provide another physiologic significance for PDE5A in the modulation of endothelial-dependent flow-mediated vasodilation. Using both in vitro and in vivo models, as well as human data, we show that inhibition of endothelial PDE5A improves endothelial function.
Infantile spasms: little seizures, BIG consequences.

Infantile spasms is one of the “catastrophic childhood epilepsies” because of the difficulty in controlling seizures and the association with mental retardation. However, early recognition, a careful diagnostic evaluation, and proper treatment may allow some children to attain seizure control and to achieve a normal, or at least much improved, level of development. Thus, there is the opportunity to have an important impact in the lives of these unfortunate children and their families.
Viscoelastic behaviour of porous sintered steels compact

This paper describes the viscoelastic behaviour of sintered steels with porosities of 12, 20 and 33%, using a dynamic mechanical analyser. Test specimens were prepared from premix powders of 100–15...
Self-administered Questionnaire for Structured Psychosocial Screening in Pediatrics

Screening for psychosocial risk factors has been limited by lack of a structured approach. The purpose of this study was to assess the utility of a self-administered questionnaire compared with routine history as recorded in the medical record in screening for risk factors for dysfunctional parenting in an urban pediatric clinic. English-speaking parents were offered questionnaires in the waiting room. In addition to routine demographic and medical questions, the questionnaires contained standard screening instruments for substance abuse, depression, self-esteem, and social support, as well as questions about domestic violence, homelessness, and parental history of abuse as a child. Medical records were reviewed separately. Of the 114 mothers who returned questionnaires, the response rate for sensitive questions such as income was greater than or equal to 85%. Compared with the medical record, the questionnaire identified significantly more mothers with possible substance abuse, depression, low self-esteem, and/or history of abuse as a child (P less than .01 for each). Compared with what is usually recorded in the medical record, self-administered questionnaires yield substantial additional information regarding psychosocial risk factors for dysfunctional parenting. Such questionnaires should be considered for routine psychosocial screening in clinics serving high-risk populations.
Effects of Plasma Exposure on Boron Nitride Ceramic Insulators for Hall-Effect Thrusters

Worn Hall-effect thrusters show a variety of unique microstructures and elemental compositions in the boron nitride thruster channel walls. Understanding the plasma conditions that lead to the formation of these microstructures and elemental changes can assist in the goal of creating new ceramic materials with desired plasma material interactions. Pristine and worn Hall-effect thruster channel samples of boron nitride were exposed to xenon plasma in a magnetron sputter device. Erosion rate was shown to depend on the grade of the boron nitride ceramic and the preparation of the surface before plasma exposure. Worn Hall-effect thruster thruster channel samples eroded up to 90% faster than their pristine counterparts. This result highlights the evolution and feedback of the plasma–material interaction within the Hall-effect thruster channel. Microscope images of the ceramic surface show that the magnetron plasma rounded the edges of the ceramic grains to closely match the worn Hall-effect thruster surface. T...
Cooperative Decode-and-Forward ARQ Relaying: Performance Analysis and Power Optimization

In this paper we develop a new analytical methodology for the evaluation of the outage probability of cooperative decode-and-forward (DF) automatic-repeat-request (ARQ) relaying under packet-rate fading (fast fading or block fading) channels, where the channels remain fixed within each ARQ transmission round, but change independently from one round to another. We consider a single relay forwarding Alamouti-based retransmission signals in the cooperative ARQ scheme. In particular, (i) we derive a closed-form asymptotically tight (as SNR → ∞) approximation of the outage probability; (ii) we show that the diversity order of the DF cooperative ARQ relay scheme is equal to 2L-1, where L is the maximum number of ARQ (re)transmissions; and (iii) we develop the optimum power allocation for the DF cooperative ARQ relay scheme. The closed-form expression clearly shows that the achieved diversity is partially due to the DF cooperative relaying and partially due to the fast fading nature of the channels (temporal diversity). With respect to power allocation, it turns out that the proposed optimum allocation scheme depends only on the link quality of the channels related to the relay, and compared to the equal power allocation scheme it leads to SNR performance gains of more than 1 dB. Numerical and simulation studies illustrate the theoretical developments.
Using tablet PCs and interactive software in integrated-circuit-design courses to improve learning

This paper describes my experiences using tablet PCs and interactive course software in integrated circuit design courses. There is a rapidly growing community that is demonstrating the usefulness of this technology to increase interaction between faculty and students and to facilitate cognitive exercises during lectures, which have been shown to improve learning and retention of material. While numerous examples of using this technology exist, there is very little literature regarding its application to integrated circuit design. This paper focuses on examples from three different IC design courses to describe the types of cognitive activities that can be facilitated with this technology. It is my goal to spark discussion of and interest in this technology in order to further improve its effectiveness.
Interactions between chemical and climate stressors: A role for mechanistic toxicology in assessing climate change risks

Incorporation of global climate change (GCC) effects into assessments of chemical risk and injury requires integrated examinations of chemical and nonchemical stressors. Environmental variables altered by GCC (temperature, precipitation, salinity, pH) can influence the toxicokinetics of chemical absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion as well as toxicodynamic interactions between chemicals and target molecules. In addition, GCC challenges processes critical for coping with the external environment (water balance, thermoregulation, nutrition, and the immune, endocrine, and neurological systems), leaving organisms sensitive to even slight perturbations by chemicals when pushed to the limits of their physiological tolerance range. In simplest terms, GCC can make organisms more sensitive to chemical stressors, while alternatively, exposure to chemicals can make organisms more sensitive to GCC stressors. One challenge is to identify potential interactions between nonchemical and chemical stressors affecting key physiological processes in an organism. We employed adverse outcome pathways, constructs depicting linkages between mechanism-based molecular initiating events and impacts on individuals or populations, to assess how chemical- and climate-specific variables interact to lead to adverse outcomes. Case examples are presented for prospective scenarios, hypothesizing potential chemical–GCC interactions, and retrospective scenarios, proposing mechanisms for demonstrated chemical–climate interactions in natural populations. Understanding GCC interactions along adverse outcome pathways facilitates extrapolation between species or other levels of organization, development of hypotheses and focal areas for further research, and improved inputs for risk and resource injury assessments. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2013;32:32–48. © 2012 SETAC
Chemically mediated tritrophic interactions: opposing effects of glucosinolates on a specialist herbivore and its predators

Summary 1. The occurrence of enemy-free space presents a challenge to the top-down control of agricultural pests by natural enemies, making bottom-up factors such as phytochemistry and plant distributions important considerations for successful pest management. Specialist herbivores like the cabbage aphid Brevicoryne brassicae co-opt the defence system of plants in the family Brassicaceae by sequestering glucosinolates to utilize in their own defence. The wild mustard Brassica nigra ,a n alternate host for cabbage aphids, contains more glucosinolates than cultivated Brassica oleracea ,a nd these co-occur in agricultural landscapes. We examined trade-offs between aphid performance and predator impact on these two host plants to test for chemically mediated enemy-free space. 2. Glucosinolate content of broccoli B. oleracea and mustard B. nigra was measured in plant matter and in cabbage aphids feeding on each food source. Aphid development, aphid fecundity, predation and predator mortality, and field densities of aphids and their natural enemies were also tested for each food source. 3. Cabbage aphids growing on high glucosinolate plants like B. nigra contained more glucosinolates than aphids on lower glucosinolate B. oleracea. Aphids on B. nigra had shorter generation times and greater daily fecundity, while their predators (Diptera: Syrphidae) had lower feeding and higher mortality rates. Lower syrphid densities were found on B. nigra than on B. oleracea in the field. 4. Synthesis and applications. This study presents physiological and field evidence to suggest that weedy B. nigra may provide enemy-free space from an important predator. Habitat near crops should be examined for its potential to provide enemy-free space and compromise otherwise effective biological control. The issue of pest control must be considered from the bottom up as well as the top down.
Cultural differences and end-user computing

Most computer applications arc designed and developed by researchers and designers in North America. These researchers and designers unintentionally apply their cultural values and systems of thought while designing and developing computer applications. Even though some development organizations, such as Microsoft, now take cultural issues into account, most of the cultural issues considered involve language translation and visual aspects of the interface rather than the underlying structure of the application. As a result, users who are culturally different from the researchers and designers might have difficulty using the computer applications. In this work, I define the term "end user" as a computer application user who uses not only the features provided with the software, but also engages in end-user programming in order to complete a task. An example of end-user programming is creating formulas in a spreadsheet program. An empirical study of culturally diverse end users from different countries, who perform end-user programming tasks, is proposed. The findings of this study will help verify whether cultural effects exist in the design of software features that inhibit effective end-user programming.
Online Network Coding for the Dynamic Multicast Problem

Many of the multimedia applications such as video broadcasting and teleconferencing require the network to support dynamic multicast sessions when the membership of the multicast group changes over time. In this paper, we study this problem in the context of coded networks. While trying to minimize the cost of the multicast, we also want to minimize the disturbances to existing users when the multicast graph changes. To characterize disturbances to users, we define two types of rearrangements, link rearrangements and code rearrangements. We present four algorithms to solve the non-rearrangeable and rearrangeable versions of the dynamic multicast problem. Simulation results show that the alpha-scaled algorithm we proposed can keep the cost of the multicast close to that of the optimal solution when the multicast subgraph evolves, and, at the same time, causes very few rearrangements during the process
A Psychologist Looks at Modern Foreign Language Teaching

It is but natural that the. teaching of modern foreign languages should become a storm-center in such a scrutiny of the curriculum. In the first place a major portion of the old defense crumbled when experimental evidence accumulated, demonstrating the non-existence of any significant volume of transfer of training values from any given body of school achievement to an unrelated life experience. What residual fragments of real transfer value there may be can be gained just as well, or better, from material which is intrinsically serviceable in meeting life situations. In the second place the realists in Education insist that in America modern foreign languages have scant or no direct service value. If there is anything that is worth knowing, say these men, it will be translated into English. Why waste time, energy, and money in learning something that you will never use? The argument looks intriguing. To many it has been convincing. We would agree heartily with those who would apply the touchstone of utility to questions of curriculum content. We suggest, however, that the term "utility" be examined. School experiences may have "utility" in at least two ways: they may involve the acquisition of skills or insights or developments which may be immediately and directly employed in solving personal problems. He who has during the morning hours learned to grind auto-engine valves in the school workshop, can recondition the valves of the family car in the afternoon. That is real, direct, obvious utility. We have no quarrel with such learnings. We would advise even modern foreign language teachers to acquire some of them. But there is another kind of utility, namely that in which the thing learned becomes a tool by means of which the learner becomes more certainly competent to achieve otherwise quite unattainable goals. There are many such goals. Some of them are tangible and fairly direct, others more remote and intangible. He who has learned to talk has gained a tool by which he may mobilize the resources of society for the satisfaction of his creature peeds. Talking is not an end in and for itself. It is a means to an end; in this case it may involve breakfast, a comfortable chair, and a sheltering roof. The remote and intangible goals, however, may be of even more importance. To show that this is so in the case of human beings will be the purpose of these lines.
Teratogenic assessment of three methylated hydrazine derivatives in the rat

The embryotoxicity and teratogenicity of methylhydrazine, 1,1‐dimethylhydrazine, and 1,2‐dimethylhydrazine were investigated with pregnant Fischer‐344 rats. The compounds were administered ip on d 6–75 of pregnancy. A dose‐dependent reduction in maternal weight gains occurred for all three compounds. A dose‐related teratogenic effect did not occur for any of the three compounds. Embryotoxicity, manifested as reduced 20‐d fetal weights, occurred only in the 1,1‐dimethylhydrazine and 7,2‐dimethylhydrazine high‐dose treatment groups. The results indicate that none of the three methylated hydrazine derivatives are selectively embryotoxic or teratogenic in the rat.
High-throughput screening for methionyl-tRNA synthetases that enable residue-specific incorporation of noncanonical amino acids into recombinant proteins in bacterial cells.

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRS) with altered substrate specificities have been used to enable both site-specific and residue-specific incorporation of noncanonical amino acids into recombinant proteins. Rational, computational, and combinatorial methods have been employed to engineer the amino acid binding pockets of several aaRS. Combinatorial strategies have been especially effective; Schultz and co-workers have developed powerful methods for selecting aaRS for site-specific incorporation, and we have reported an efficient screening system for use in the global replacement of amino acids. However, because the latter method relies on bio-orthogonal derivatization of noncanonical amino acid side chains, a new approach is needed for the more general problem of activating noncanonical substrates that lack reactive functionality in the side chains. Here we describe a high-throughput method for screening aaRS libraries for the global incorporation of noncanonical amino acids. We demonstrate this strategy by identifying an Escherichia coli methionyl-tRNA synthetase (MetRS) variant that activates 6,6,6-trifluoronorleucine (Tfn, 1; Scheme 1). Tfn does not support significant protein synthesis in conventional E. coli expression strains.
Requirement of Siderophore Biosynthesis for Plant Colonization by Salmonella enterica

Contaminated fresh produce has become the number one vector of nontyphoidal salmonellosis to humans. However, Salmonella enterica genes essential for the life cycle of the organism outside the mammalian host are for the most part unknown. Screening deletion mutants led to the discovery that an aroA mutant had a significant root colonization defect due to a failure to replicate. AroA is part of the chorismic acid biosynthesis pathway, a central metabolic node involved in aromatic amino acid and siderophore production. Addition of tryptophan or phenylalanine to alfalfa root exudates did not restore aroA mutant replication. However, addition of ferrous sulfate restored replication of the aroA mutant, as well as alfalfa colonization. Tryptophan and phenylalanine auxotrophs had minor plant colonization defects, suggesting that suboptimal concentrations of these amino acids in root exudates were not major limiting factors for Salmonella replication. An entB mutant defective in siderophore biosynthesis had colonization and growth defects similar to those of the aroA mutant, and the defective phenotype was complemented by the addition of ferrous sulfate. Biosynthetic genes of each Salmonella siderophore, enterobactin and salmochelin, were upregulated in alfalfa root exudates, yet only enterobactin was sufficient for plant survival and persistence. Similar results in lettuce leaves indicate that siderophore biosynthesis is a widespread or perhaps universal plant colonization fitness factor for Salmonella, unlike phytobacterial pathogens, such as Pseudomonas and Xanthomonas.
Efficacy of Stellate Ganglion Block in the Treatment of Anxiety Symptoms From Combat-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Case Series

ABSTRACTObjective: Report the efficacious use of stellate ganglion blocks (SGBs) in treating the anxiety symptoms of four patients diagnosed with combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and discuss possible mechanisms of action to explain these findings. Background: Successful treatment of PTSD with SGB has been demonstrated and reported previously at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. An identical protocol was used at Tripler Army Medical Center to treat four service members diagnosed with combat-related PTSD. Methods: All patients reported received an SGB on the right side at the level of C6. The patient's PTSD symptoms were evaluated using the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL). This checklist was distributed one day before treatment and again the day following treatment. The patients were also given the PCL at subsequent follow-up visits to quantify sustained benefit. Results: SGB showed acute benefit for the symptoms of PTSD by markedly reduced PCL scores after the procedure. B...
An Efficient and Secure ARP for Large-Scale IEEE 802.11s-based Smart Grid Networks

While Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) can be attractive in terms of deployment cost, convenience and flexibility, their real-life performance in large-scale is still inadequate due to interference and multi-hop communication. In this paper, we target IEEE 802.11s-based WMNs and propose to revise the way they perform Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) in order to improve their scalability and thus make them better suited for SG Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) applications. Specifically, we utilize the proactive Path Request (PREQ) message of layer-2 path discovery protocol of 802.11s, namely HWMP, for piggybacking ARP information. In this way, the MAC address resolution is handled during routing tree creation/maintenance and hence the broadcasting of ARP requests by the smart meters to learn the MAC address of the data collector (i.e., the gateway node) is completely eliminated. Furthermore, since piggybacking the ARP via PREQ may pose vulnerabilities for possible ARP cache poisoning attacks, we also provide authentication from the data collector by using Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA). Simulation results with the implementation of IEEE 802.11s in NS-3 simulator show that compared to the original ARP broadcast operations, our approach reduces the end to end delay significantly. The results also demonstrate that the impact of the overhead of authentication on packet delivery ratio is minimal.
Robin Blaser, Jack Spicer, and Arthur Brodeur: avant-garde poetics, the pedagogy of Old English at mid-century, and a counterfactual critical history, or, the importance of a broadly conceived English studies department

This essay explores the encounter of mid-twentieth-century Berkeley Renaissance poets Jack Spicer and Robin Blaser with the criticism and pedagogy of philologist Arthur Brodeur in order to (re)activate a trajectory not yet taken in the study of the aesthetics of Old English poetry.
The Role of Na + /H + Exchanger Isoform 1 in Inflammatory Responses: Maintaining H + Homeostasis of Immune Cells

The Na+/H+ exchangers (NHEs) are a family of membrane transporter proteins which catalyze the electroneutral exchange of one Na+ for one H+ and thus regulate intracellular pH (pHi) and cell volume. It is shown that Na+/H+ exchanger isoform 1 (NHE-1), but not other isoforms, is the important mechanism in extruding H+ and regulating pHi in the immune system. Immune cells, such as monocytes and neutrophils, generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cytokines in response to various stimuli and provide the first line of defense in the immune system. NHE-1 is activated during this respiratory burst and required to maintain an optimal pHi for the immune cells. In the central nervous system, NHE-1 is important for microglial (macrophage) activation and participates in the inflammatory response under pathological conditions including cerebral ischemia and traumatic brain injury. NHE-1 also affects Ca2+ homeostasis in microglia and contributes to the increase of [Ca2+]i by coupling to the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) stimulation, thus regulating immune cell function and participating in ischemic cell death. A better understanding of the function of NHE-1 in inflammatory responses will provide insight into its role in brain damage under disease conditions.
The IRS and the SEC Whistleblower Awards Programs

Ben is a junior accountant at Bacme Corp. - a publicly traded manufacturing company. He recently noted some unusual entries in the company's books that caused overstated revenues on the firm’s financial statements. Ben is afraid to use Bacme's hotline because most employees believe that management's lackeys oversee the whistleblowing process. Janice, a tax accountant for a highly successful consulting partnership, recently came across some documentation showing that the partners had consistently understated their revenues, and so Janice believes the partners significantly misstated their tax returns. What are Ben's and Janice's options in reporting these frauds?
Common Roots, Divergent Evolution: Insider Trading Doctrine in the United States, Japan, and Germany

Many nations ostensibly use (or at least credit) U.S. insider trading doctrine under Rule 10b-5 as the model for their own regulation of insider trading. This phenomenon has occurred in part because of historical and political factors and in part because the United States is seen as (and has wielded regulatory power as) a market leader — an early adopter of regulation with both (a) a well established supervisory and policy-oriented regulatory and enforcement agency and (b) a well developed, disaggregated, public securities market. As a result, the laws of many countries now prohibit identified classes of persons from trading while in possession of material nonpublic information, the central focus of insider trading regulation under Rule 10b-5. Yet, despite seemingly convergent beginnings and a general agreement on the nature of the regulated conduct, operative insider trading principles in the United States (as a rule originator) have evolved to protect different interests and regulate different specific market activities than insider trading rules in other countries. With the foregoing in mind, this working paper describes the common roots and divergent developmental paths of insider trading rules in the United States, Japan, and Germany and endeavors to place them in a meaningful international legal, political, economic, and social context.
High dynamic range real-time 3D shape measurement

This paper proposes a method that can measure high-contrast surfaces in real-time without changing camera exposures. We propose to use 180-degree phase-shifted (or inverted) fringe patterns to complement regular fringe patterns. If not all of the regular patterns are saturated, inverted fringe patterns are used in lieu of original saturated patterns for phase retrieval, and if all of the regular fringe patterns are saturated, both the original and inverted fringe patterns are all used for phase computation to reduce phase error. Experimental results demonstrate that three-dimensional (3D) shape measurement can be achieved in real time by adopting the proposed high dynamic range method.
Reverse Recovery and Decay of Stored Excess Carriers in a-SI:HP-I-N Diode

Carrier transport properties, including mobility and carrier lifetimes, or the mobility-lifetime-product, are important parameters for the understanding of the electronic properties of amorphous silicon devices. We have attempted to study these parameters by the junction recovery method which is useful in crystal p-i-n devices, and by the decay of the forward and reverse bias current with varying periods of zero bias delays after removal of the forward bias. We found that the current decay by the standard reverse bias recovery is much faster than that due to the decay under zero bias. In this paper we present our experimental results. We conclude that the true decay of the stored charged due to forward bias is much longer and consequently, the stored charge is much larger than that suggested by standard reverse recovery experiments.
Neurocognitive, psychiatric, and substance use characteristics in opioid dependent adults

AIMS: To describe neurocognitive function among opioid-dependent adults seeking buprenorphine treatment and to explore the impact of lifetime psychiatric conditions on neurocognitive function. To explore the additive interaction of patient-based characteristics that may help to inform treatment. DESIGN: Cross-sectional assessment of neurocognitive function, substance use, and psychiatric characteristics of adults seeking buprenorphine treatment within substance use treatment centers in New York City. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-eight opioid-dependent adults seeking buprenorphine treatment. MEASUREMENTS: A comprehensive battery, which included measures of executive functioning, learning, memory, verbal fluency, attention, processing speed, and motor functioning were administered. The Wide Range Achievement Test-Third Edition, the Composite International Diagnostic Interview, and an audio computer assisted structured interview were also completed. Correlations and independent sample t-tests were used to ascertain group differences. FINDINGS: Thirty-nine percent of participants were impaired in global neurocognitive function (n=15). Over one third were impaired in either: learning (n=28), memory (n=26), executive functioning (n=17), motor functioning (n=17), attention/working memory (n=14) or verbal fluency (n=12). Lifetime history of alcohol dependence was associated with impairment in global neurocognitive, executive functioning, and motor functioning. Lifetime history of cocaine dependence was associated with impairment in executive functioning and motor functioning (all p'sCONCLUSIONS: Among this sample of opioid-dependent adults, there were high rates of global and domain-specific neurocognitive impairment, with severe impairment in learning and memory. Lifetime alcohol and cocaine dependence were associated with greater neurocognitive impairment, particularly in executive functioning. Because executive functioning is critical for decision-making and learning/memory dysfunction may interfere with information encoding, these findings suggest that opioid-dependent adults may require enhanced support for medical decision-making.Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Language: en
Transrectal fine needle biopsy of the prostate: combined histological and cytological technique.

AbstractTransrectal fine needle biopsy was performed on 50 patients with suspicious prostatic examinations using the Surecut and Chiba needles. The 21 gauge Surecut needle provided a core of tissue for routine histology in 42 of 50 patients (84 per cent) as well as cells for cytology in 46 of 50 (92 per cent). This was in contrast to positive cytology results with the 22 gauge Chiba needle in 44 of 50 patients (88 per cent). Fourteen cancers were detected: 12 by Surecut histology, 11 by Surecut cytology and 10 by Chiba cytology testing, for sensitivity rates of 86, 79 and 71 per cent, respectively.Our results indicate that the 21 gauge Surecut needle provides cytology results equivalent to the 22 gauge Chiba needle. However, the Surecut needle has the added advantage of providing a core of tissue for routine histological study, and it can be used safely as an outpatient procedure on unprepared bowel.
Kinetics of Cyclic Enzyme Systems

Kinetic rate equations which take into account the effects of depletion of free substrates and free enzymes by binding are derived for a model of cyclic enzyme systems. The reaction velocities predicted from these equations are compared with experimentally observed velocities in three different cyclic enzyme systems, i.e., pyruvic kinase and creatine kinase, pyruvic kinase and hexokinase, and pyruvic kinase and succinic thiokinase. The practical use of the last system for microdetermination of guanine nucleotides in tissue extracts is indicated. Various applications of these equations are discussed: namely, a simple way to estimate the optimal ratio of enzymes for cycling techniques, a simple criterion for the determination of the rate-limiting enzyme in a cyclic system in vitro and in vivo, and the possible use for the determination of the molecular weight or the number of active sites per molecule of enzyme.
Structural transformation in Africa : a historical view

This paper presents evidence suggesting that the relationship between income and economic structure is shifting over time, with countries across the income distribution uniformly increasing the share of labor in service sectors and an increasingly less stark relationship between manufacturing intensity and gross value added per capita. The paper then assesses historical patterns of productivity convergence at a more detailed sector disaggregation than has been previously available. The analysis finds suggestive evidence that, at least in recent decades, convergent pressures in services industries are stronger than in manufacturing. Focusing on African economies, the paper presents a country-by-country historical analysis of structural change over the past four decades. Given the varied patterns and trends in structural change across African countries, it is difficult to characterize structural change from a single, continent-wide perspective. Some countries saw an early transition of labor out of agriculture, with manufacturing absorbing this labor in the decades prior to the 1990s, while another group of countries saw a later transition out of agriculture, where the services sector played a large role in labor reallocations in the 1990s and 2000s. Finally, the paper provides a country-by-country structural transformation scorecard to assess patterns of structural change in jobs and growth.
On the performance of LT codes over BIAWGN channel

Luby transform (LT) codes are defined by degree distribution functions of encoded symbols. In erasure channels, good degree distribution functions should prevent the ripple of degree-one symbols from vanishing until the successful termination of decoding process. In this paper, we show that for binary input additive white Gaussian noise (BIAWGN) channels, performance of LT codes also depends on the time at which source nodes in the decoding graph of the codes start receiving non-zero log-likelihood ratio (LLR) values. We show that source nodes can be categorized based on this time, and those in lower categories, i.e., those source nodes updated with non-zero LLR values at earlier iterations have higher probability of being decoded correctly. We theoretically derive formulas that can find the percentages of source nodes in each category for any given degree distribution function. We finally show that by increasing the number of source nodes in the lower categories, the bit error rate (BER) performance of LT codes can be drastically improved. This work provides a new perspective for the performance and design of such codes for BIAWGN channels.