cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterization of an orange acceptor fluorescent protein for sensitized spectral fluorescence resonance energy transfer microscopy using a white-light laser.

Orange fluorescent proteins FPs are attractive candidates as Forster resonance energy transfer FRET partners, bridging the gap between green and red/far-red FPs, but they pose significant chal- lenges using common fixed laser wavelengths. We investigated mo- nomeric Kusabira orange 2 mKO2 FP as a FRET acceptor for mono- meric teal FP mTFP as donor on a FRET standard construct using a fixed-distance amino acid linker, expressed in live cells. We quanti- fied the apparent FRET efficiency E% of this construct, using sensi- tized spectral FRET microscopy on the Leica TCS SP5 X imaging sys- tem equipped with a white-light laser that allows choosing any excitation wavelength from 470 to 670 nm in 1-nm increments. The E% obtained in sensitized spectral FRET microscopy was then con- firmed with fluorescence lifetime measurements. Our results demon- strate that mKO2 and mTFP are good FRET partners given proper imaging setups. mTFP was optimally excited by the Argon 458 laser line, and the 540-nm wavelength excitation for mKO2 was chosen from the white-light laser. The white-light laser generally extends the usage of orange and red/far-red FPs in sensitized FRET microscopy assays by tailoring excitation and emission precisely to the needs of the FRET pair. © 2009 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.
Instructional Strategies to Develop Graphing Skills in the College Science Classroom

Abstract Given the importance of succinctly communicating complex information, proficiency in graphing is a central element of scientific literacy. Evidence indicates that learners of all ages and levels of expertise have difficulties in displaying and reading visual data. Numerous studies have investigated the enactment of various activities to improve graphing in the college science classroom, but most of this work has focused on graphing difficulties and the implications of general instructional strategies as part of a semester-long curriculum. Few studies have discussed how specific interventions can be implemented to effectively hone graphing abilities. We evaluated (1) five key instructional features of an inquiry-oriented stream-ecology unit that consisted of data collection and graphing and (2) the unit's impact on nonscience majors' analytical skills. Comparing pretest and posttest data, as well as a supplemental questionnaire, student responses demonstrated substantial positive impacts on graphi...
Action Research In A Business Classroom Another Lens To Examine Learning

This research study looks at the implementation of an action research project within a blended learning human resource management class in employee and labor relations. The internal and external environment created conditions that converged in the Perfect Storm and resulted in an almost disastrous learning experience for faculty and students. What is critical about this project is that it could happen in even the most benign and calmest of waters. In an integrated system, the manipulation of one variable creates an impact on the other variables/systems within that environment. The failure to predict the impact and mitigate the damages can lead to disastrous results. The institution must be ready, at all levels, to implement and leverage technology to create distance-learning only environments for traditional students (and faculty) with a bias toward face-to-face educational experience.
Common Sense or Gun Control? Political Communication and News Media Framing of Firearm Sale Background Checks After Newtown

Gun violence is a critical public health problem in the United States, but it is rarely at the top of the public policy agenda. The 2012 mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, opened a rare window of opportunity to strengthen firearm policies in the United States. In this study, we examine the American public's exposure to competing arguments for and against federal- and state-level universal background check laws, which would require a background check prior to every firearm sale, in a large sample of national and regional news stories (n = 486) published in the year following the Newtown shooting. Competing messages about background check laws could influence the outcome of policy debates by shifting support and political engagement among key constituencies such as gun owners and conservatives. We found that news media messages in support of universal background checks were fact-based and used rational arguments, and opposing messages often used rights-based frames designed to activate the core values of politically engaged gun owners. Reframing supportive messages about background check policies to align with gun owners' and conservatives' core values could be a promising strategy to increase these groups' willingness to vocalize their support for expanding background checks for firearm sales.
A critical appraisal of the pathogenic protein spread hypothesis of neurodegeneration

There has been an explosion in the number of papers discussing the hypothesis of 'pathogenic spread' in neurodegenerative disease - the idea that abnormal forms of disease-associated proteins, such as tau or α-synuclein, physically move from neuron to neuron to induce disease progression. However, whether inter-neuronal spread of protein aggregates actually occurs in humans and, if so, whether it causes symptom onset remain uncertain. Even if pathogenic spread is proven in humans, it is unclear how much this would alter the specific therapeutic approaches that are in development. A critical appraisal of this increasingly popular hypothesis thus seems both important and timely.
3D dual-confined sulfur encapsulated in porous carbon nanosheets and wrapped with graphene aerogels as a cathode for advanced lithium sulfur batteries

Although lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries have attracted much attention due to their high theoretical specific energy and low cost, their practical applications have been severely hindered by poor cycle life, inadequate sulfur utilization, and the insulating nature of sulfur. Here, we report a rationally designed Li–S cathode with a dual-confined configuration formed by confining sulfur in 2D carbon nanosheets with an abundant porous structure followed by 3D graphene aerogel wrapping. The porous carbon nanosheets act as the sulfur host and suppress the diffusion of polysulfide, while the graphene conductive networks anchor the sulfur-adsorbed carbon nanosheets, providing pathways for rapid electron/ion transport and preventing polysulfide dissolution. As a result, the hybrid electrode exhibits superior electrochemical performance, including a large reversible capacity of 1328 mA h g−1 in the first cycle, excellent cycling stability (maintaining a reversible capacity of 647 mA h g−1 at 0.2 C after 300 cycles) with nearly 100% Coulombic efficiency, and a high rate capability of 512 mA h g−1 at 8 C for 30 cycles, which is among the best reported rate capabilities.
Mycosis Fungoides with Multiple Oral Mucosal Lesions

Mycosis fungoides is a cutaneous T-cell lymphoma which in its later stages affects extracutaneous sites, including the oral mucosa. A case is presented in a 69-year-old male in which oral involvement was widespread and rapidly progressive. Although gingival involvement, as seen in this patient, is relatively rare, it is useful for the periodontist to be aware of the oral manifestations of this disease since cutaneous lesions would most likely be covered if the patient were to present for consultation on an ambulatory basis.
Plasmon Ruler with Angstrom Length Resolution

We demonstrate a plasmon nanoruler using a coupled film nanoparticle (film-NP) format that is well-suited for investigating the sensitivity extremes of plasmonic coupling. Because it is relatively straightforward to functionalize bulk surface plasmon supporting films, such as gold, we are able to precisely control plasmonic gap dimensions by creating ultrathin molecular spacer layers on the gold films, on top of which we immobilize plasmon resonant nanoparticles (NPs). Each immobilized NP becomes coupled to the underlying film and functions as a plasmon nanoruler, exhibiting a distance-dependent resonance red shift in its peak plasmon wavelength as it approaches the film. Due to the uniformity of response from the film-NPs to separation distance, we are able to use extinction and scattering measurements from ensembles of film-NPs to characterize the coupling effect over a series of very short separation distances-ranging from 5 to 20 A-and combine these measurements with similar data from larger separation distances extending out to 27 nm. We find that the film-NP plasmon nanoruler is extremely sensitive at very short film-NP separation distances, yielding spectral shifts as large as 5 nm for every 1 A change in separation distance. The film-NP coupling at extremely small spacings is so uniform and reliable that we are able to usefully probe gap dimensions where the classical Drude model of the conducting electrons in the metals is no longer descriptive; for gap sizes smaller than a few nanometers, either quantum or semiclassical models of the carrier response must be employed to predict the observed wavelength shifts. We find that, despite the limitations, large field enhancements and extreme sensitivity persist down to even the smallest gap sizes.
Corporate Social Performance: Past and Present Areas of Commitment

An investigation of the social activities of 192 Fortune corporations reveals pronounced patterns of involvement across industry classifications and provides evidence of increasing “specialization”...
Development of a global hospital self‐assessment tool and prioritization tier system based on FIP's Basel Statements

Objectives The objective of this study was to develop and pilot a hospital self-assessment tool and prioritization system for hospitals to evaluate their pharmacy practice performance against the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP)'s Basel Statements. Methods To develop the self-assessment tool, we reviewed the Basel statements to identify characteristics that could be measured at the individual hospital level and finalized these based on feedback from five cognitive interviews. The survey instrument was pilot tested in four countries; two high-, one lower middle- and one low-income country. Participants were electronically sent the survey tool and enrolled through the snowball sampling method. Tiers were developed by investigators to assist hospitals in prioritizing the achievement of Basel Statement practices. Tiers were validated by the Hospital Section chairs of FIP through a card sorting exercise. Simple agreement and Cohen's kappa was used to characterize inter-rater reliability. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the responses. Key findings Forty-four survey responses were collected from 36 hospitals in four countries. The survey response rate was 29% and took an average of 26 minutes to complete. The overall average agreement of constructs was 83%. The survey characterized how far a hospital was to achieving the Basel Statement practices with an average achievement rate of 57% (ranging from 30% to 90%). The survey highlighted medication safety challenges facing the pharmacy profession. The results produced a benchmarking report for each respondent. Conclusions The results support the validity and reliability of the survey tool. This comprehensive survey tool can be used by institutions to track their progress towards achieving the Basel Statement practices.
Navigation System Design based on Digital Television

User demands of navigation system for digital television are introduced,implementation on software and hardware is given,device deployments in different applications are provided,key technologies of the system are analyzed in detail,plans for key technologies are described and conclusion is drawn in the paper.
A single hydrophobic residue confers barbiturate sensitivity to gamma-aminobutyric acid type C receptor.

Barbiturate sensitivity was imparted to the human ρ1homooligomeric γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor channel by mutation of a tryptophan residue at position 328 (Trp328), which is located within the third transmembrane domain. Substitutions of Trp328 with a spectrum of amino acids revealed that nearly all hydrophobic residues produced receptor channels that were both directly activated and modulated by pentobarbital with similar sensitivities. Previous studies with ligand-gated ion channels (including GABA) have demonstrated that even conservative amino acid substitution within the agonist-dependent activation domain (N-terminal extracellular domain) can markedly impair agonist sensitivity. Thus, the lack of significant variation in pentobarbital sensitivity among the Trp328 mutants attests to an intrinsic difference between pentobarbital- and the GABA-dependent activation domain. Compared with the heterooligomeric αβγ receptor channel, the mode of modulation for homooligomeric Trp328 mutants by pentobarbital was more dependent on the GABA concentration, yielding potentiation only at low concentrations of GABA (fractions of their respective EC50 values), yet causing inhibition at higher concentrations. Agonist-related studies have also demonstrated that residue 328 plays an important role in agonist-dependent activation, suggesting a functional interconnection between the GABA and pentobarbital activation domains.
American Students in India

"A good thing"-this has been the accepted rationale for educational exchange in the last quarter-century, in which the historical phenomenon of "the wandering scholar" has become a multi-institutional fact of life. Legislation, funding, and programming-from the early Fulbright program and other educational and cultural programs sanctioned by governments, to university-sponsored academic studies abroad-have been legitimized by this rarely examined assumption. Foreign students in the United States still outnumber American students overseas, but the proportion is shifting, reflecting trends toward programs in developing countries and for undergraduate students. The world has indeed become the American campus; "adventure unlimited" is accorded generous academic credit. It is time to be professionally objective about these programs, for many are at least questionable. This discussion focuses on the specific question of sending American undergraduate students to India. No program is typical, and no generalizations should be glibly made from any particular situation, but in some aspects the Callison-inBangalore program demonstrates common problems. These problems have been a current refrain in most discussions held by India program directors, and have directly led to India government regulations on foreign academic programs that will
A review of methods and applications of brain computer interface systems

Brain-computer interface (BCI) systems provide a device for communication that does not depend on the brain's normal output and peripheral nerves. Recently, BCIs have attracted massive attention, triggered by new scientific progress in understanding brain function and by impressive applications. This paper will study steps in the regular BCI system, various BCI systems, methods used in processing signals, applications, improvements, and current challenges. Finally, BCI possible future trends are discussed.
A Relational Approach to Mentoring Women Doctoral Students

Our study examines the relationships of six dyads of women advisors and advisees in one doctoral program to understand power, context, and personal transformation. We found that mentoring is context specific and power dynamics range from equitable to hierarchical. This article explores the connection between relational cultural theory and transformative learning.
Experimental Investigation of Coolant Boiling in a Half-Heated Circular Tube - Final CRADA Report

Coolant subcooled boiling in the cylinder head regions of heavy-duty vehicle engines is unavoidable at high thermal loads due to high metal temperatures. However, theoretical, numerical, and experimental studies of coolant subcooled flow boiling under these specific application conditions are generally lacking in the engineering literature. The objective of this project was to provide such much-needed information, including the coolant subcooled flow boiling characteristics and the corresponding heat transfer coefficients, through experimental investigations.
Feeding corn distillers grains as an energy source to gestating and lactating beef heifers: Impact of excess protein on feedlot performance, glucose tolerance, carcass characteristics and Longissimus muscle fatty acid profile of steer progeny.

This study was conducted to determine the impact of dried distiller's grain with solubles (DDGS) from 192 days of gestation through 118 days of lactation on feedlot performance, carcass characteristics, Longissimus muscle (LM) fatty acids and glucose tolerance of male progeny (n = 36). Angus-Simmental heifer dams were fed diets that contained either DDGS (DG) or not (CON) formulated to provide similar daily net energy for gain but differing crude protein. In the feedlot, male progeny were fed a diet devoid of DDGS. An intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) was performed on a subset of 20 steers prior to harvest. Steers were harvested at a common 12th rib fat depth. Data were analyzed with the GLIMMIX and MIXED procedures of SAS. Performance (P ≥ 0.11) and glucose and insulin concentrations during IVGTT (P ≥ 0.24) did not differ between treatments. Dressing percentage tended to be greater (P = 0.09) in DG than CON progeny, but all other carcass characteristics did not differ (P ≥ 0.18). Progeny from DG dams had greater LM 16:2, 18:0, and 20:1 n-9 concentrations than progeny from CON dams (P ≤ 0.02). In conclusion, DDGS are a viable option for gestating and lactating beef cows.
Implicit Bias, Moods, and Moral Responsibility

Are individuals morally responsible for their implicit biases? One reason to think not is that implicit biases are often advertised as unconscious, ‘introspectively inaccessible’ attitudes. However, recent empirical evidence consistently suggests that individuals are aware of their implicit biases, although often in partial and inarticulate ways. Here I explore the implications of this evidence of partial awareness for individuals' moral responsibility. First, I argue that responsibility comes in degrees. Second, I argue that individuals' partial awareness of their implicit biases makes them (partially) morally responsible for them. I argue by analogy to a close relative of implicit bias: moods.
Reality in the Classroom: Teaching Critical Thinking with Scenarios

ABSTRACTOne of the challenges for hospitality educators is to develop critical-thinking skills in the future leaders of the industry. It is often thought that students will develop this skill as a byproduct of coursework, but research indicates that it must be explicitly taught. Following the suggestions of researchers, this article uses authentic or anchored instruction scenarios to aid in the development of problem-solving skills. The 10 steps describe how to bring real management scenarios into class that not only engage students but also develop critical problem-solving skills.
Abundance and Scarcity: Islamic Economic Thought

This chapter introduces an Islamic perspective to this debate, by examining views from Islamic scripture, traditions, and the opinions of past and contemporary Islamic theologians, exegetes, philosophers, and economists. In particular, we examine the Islamic concept of the vicegerency of man and the commensurability of God’s creation as the basis for the Islamic position on the subject of abundance and scarcity. The chapter highlights many similarities with the views of other schools of thought, such as the Greek and Christian traditions.
Impulse Response as Figured from Inverse Transform

The impulse response is probably the most important response of a system! It is obtained by applying an impulse (delta) function input and observing the output(s). The impulse itself is a pulse of almost zero width and almost infinite height, subject to the requirement of unity area. The impulse has a very unique and interesting Laplace transform—that of 1! Hence the spectrum of the impulse is very simple and attractive to use. The impulse response itself, on the other hand, also has an interesting transform and it is nothing other than the transfer function H(s) itself. To repeat the Laplace transform of the impulse response is the transfer function H(s). So if we know the transfer function of the system we can figure the impulse response (in time) by simply taking the inverse transform of H(s)! We demonstrate this process on a handful of RLC circuits where we first derive the input/output transfer function (impedance one for example), then do inverse Laplace transform and arrive at the impulse response. Other than deriving the impulse response of those circuits we also shed some light into the meaning of the response, and examine it under various conditions. Another advantage of the impulse response is that once it is known we can figure the response due to another input by simply convolving that input with the impulse response h(t).
EFFECT OF PENSION REFORMS ON POVERTY REDUCTION IN NIGERIA

This study examined the effect of pension reform on poverty reduction in Nigeria. To be specific, the study appraised the effect of pension fund investment in financial assets on poverty reduction in Nigeria. The study covered a period of 12 years i.e. 2004-2015. The data for the study were sourced from Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical bulletin, National Bureau of Statistics yearbooks and Pencom Publications among others. The application of descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis were considered suitable for the study. The findings of the sturdy revealed that Pension fund investments in financial assets have positive effect on poverty Reduction in Nigeria. It implied that pension fund played a very important role in determining the poverty level of a country. It is therefore recommended that the Federal Government focus on adequate handling of the reform package which will ensure economic growth and national development which will in turn lead to reduction in poverty level within the system.
Early-Life Somatic Complaints: Longitudinal Associations with Maternal and Child Psychopathology

Objective Somatic complaints, often associated with concurrent and future internalizing symptoms and disorders in adult samples, were examined longitudinally from preschool to school age in a sample of children at an increased familial risk for psychopathology. The behavioral correlates and sex differences of somatic complaints and the persistence of these complaints across early childhood were examined. Method A longitudinal sample of 185 mothers completed a laboratory visit when children were preschool aged and an online follow-up when children were school aged. Mothers were assessed for psychopathology, and mothers and secondary caregivers reported on children's somatic complaints, anxiety, and depression at both time points. Results A high rate of child's somatic complaints was noted in this sample, with similar rates in males and females. Regression analyses revealed that somatic complaints at preschool predicted somatic complaints, anxiety, and depression at school age, and sex did not moderate these relationships. Overall, maternal psychopathology predicted somatic complaints, but findings were inconsistent across reporters, time points, and types of maternal psychopathology. Evidence for maternal reporting bias was mixed. Conclusion The association between preschool-age somatic complaints and school-age internalizing symptoms suggests the potential utility of early detection and treatment of somatic complaints, particularly for young children at an increased familial risk for developing internalizing disorders. Pediatric primary care is an ideal setting for these early intervention efforts.
The Importance of Nature and Wildness in Our Urban Lives

For several years now I have been administering an interesting slide-based survey to my new graduate students. I call it the “what is this?” survey, and it consists largely of images of flora and fauna native to the eastern United States. Interspersed are other images, political and corporate. I ask students to tell me everything they can about the images I present, and the results are usually rather discouraging: Few students are able to name even common species of birds, plants, or trees. Sometimes the results are amusing (and would be more so if they weren’t so sad).
Aging and Technological Advances: Labor Force Participation

The purpose of this chapter is to summarize the discussions among the participants who attended the sessions on labor force participation. The summary draws most heavily on the discussion which took place around research reports dealing with the topics of demography and labor force participation, retirement age choices, adaptation to new technology, and the use of technology in performance appraisal. The chapter is organized into two parts. The first presents a summary of the major-topics and issues; points of disagreement or contention are highlighted. Future research needs are identified in the second portion of the chapter.
A Look to the Future: Cancer Epigenetics

Abstract Epigenetic mechanisms encompass a variety of pretranscriptional to post-translational events, including histone modification, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methylation, and noncoding ribonucleic acids (ncRNAs). Oncologic studies have shown that abnormalities in epigenetic mechanisms are significant factors in malignant cell phenotypes. Intervention of these aberrant events has been a promising area of therapeutics. Abnormal histone modification dysregulates gene expression and destabilizes the genome. Agents such as histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are currently showing efficacy in some cancers. However, counteracting aberrant histone modification will require specific compounds, both in structure and in mechanism of action, because of the complex nature of histone modification and shared enzyme functions. Furthermore, many normal functions are also dependent on the balance of modified histones. As with histone modification, agents counteracting aberrant DNA methylation, such as decitabine, are showing promise when used alone or in combination with histone modification agents. Facing similar challenges as histone modification agents, genomic and array studies have been implemented to improve the recognition of effective targets for therapeutic intervention at the DNA level. Finally, ncRNAs are now recognized as important regulators of tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes. In cancer, loss or gain of these RNA species can affect cell phenotype. Studies have addressed the use of differential ncRNA expression for stratifying tumor subtypes and predicting response to therapy or other prognoses. Noncoding RNAs offer a unique option of antisense oligonucleotides or replacement oligomers as highly specific agents. These oligomers or antagomirs show effects in vitro and have been proposed for treatment of prostate cancer and leukemia; however, a major challenge for use of these agents in vivo is efficient delivery. Just as therapies targeted to genetic lesions have revolutionized cancer treatment, epigenetic therapies promise to offer treatment strategies with minimal toxicity and maximal benefit.
Isolation of myeloid progenitor cells from peripheral blood of chronic myelogenous leukemia patients.

Myeloid progenitor cells (colony- and cluster-forming cells in semisolid medium, CFU-GM) were purified from the peripheral blood of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) patients. Lymphocytes, monocytes, and most immature myeloid cells were simultaneously depleted with specific monoclonal antibodies using an erythrocyte rosette technique for cell separation. Cells expressing Ia-like antigen were then selected from the residual cell population. Day 7 CFU-GM were enriched 44--116-fold in the IA+ cell fraction, when compared to the unseparated cells, and up to 47% of the cells could form a myeloid colony or cluster in culture. This cell fraction contained up to 92% undifferentiated blasts, with the remainder mostly promyelocytes. The enriched CFU-GM cells were dependent on an exogenous supply of colony- stimulating factor for growth, and colony formation was linear with cell concentration over a large range (10(4)-10(1) cells/ml). This technique of rosette depletion and enrichment with specific monoclonal antibodies provides a unique method for purifying a homogenous population of myeloid precursor cells with defined surface antigen characteristics.
Actions, beliefs and intentions in rationale clauses and means clauses

Utterances that include rationale clauses and means clauses display a variety of features that affect their interpretation, as well as the subsequent discourse. Of particular importance its the information that is conveyed about agents' beliefs and intentions with respect to the actions they talk about or perform. Hence, for a language interpretation system to handle these utterances, it must identify the relevant features of each construction and draw appropriate inferences about the agents' mental states with respect to the actions and action relations that are involved. This paper describes an interpretation model that satisfies this need by providing a set of interpretation rules and showing how these rules allow for the derivation of the appropriate set of beliefs and intentions associated with each construction.
The Allocation of Residual Rights

In this paper we examine the value of the right to design the method of sale of corporate assets. The question we ask is simple - who should have the right to decide how the assets of the firm should be sold? We show that this right is a valuable one and its value comes from recognizing the conflicting incentives of claimants at the time of sale. We characterize the choices of the senior and junior claimants and show that they have distinct preferences on a set of common auction procedures. More importantly, we show that the optimal allocation of the right cannot be independent of the realized values of information at the time of sale. We also show that the firm-value maximization is aided when the law mandates an ascending-bid selling mechanism for sale of indentured corporate assets. Our analysis points out that when the process of disposition of a firm's assets in bankruptcy is disassociated with that of the distribution of cash flows accruing from the sale, the incentive problems that are commonly analyzed in the bankruptcy literature show up in the choice of the selling mechanism. In particular, the choice of a selling mechanism is formally identical to the choice of a risky project.
Genetics of Alcoholism: Rapid Development of a New High-Ethanol-Preferring (HEP) Strain of Female and Male Rats

Abstract A genetically based animal model of alcoholism has been developed in a relatively short period of 3 years. The new strain is characterized by an intense preference for ethanol over water as well as unique behavioral, neurochemical and other attributes. This new strain, termed high-ethanol-preferring (HEP) rats, was derived initially from selective cross-breeding of a variant strain of female Harlan Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats with the outbred Wistar line of male ethanol-preferring (P) rats. In this study, drinking patterns of both genders were obtained over 10 days by presenting water and ethanol in concentrations ranging from 3% to 30%. To expedite the development of the new strain, only three to five female and male rats served as breeders, which were chosen from all litters on the basis of their maximum g/kg intake integrated with proportion of ethanol to total fluid values. Profiles of intake of preferred concentrations of ethanol were obtained over 24 h of unlimited access as well as during 2-h intervals of limited access to ethanol. Levels of blood ethanol were measured in both female and male HEP animals during bouts of ethanol drinking in the limited access paradigm. By the sixth generation of HEP rats, ethanol consumption of the females often exceeded that of any other rat genetically bred to drink ethanol (e.g., at a concentration of 15.7%, 10.3 g/kg per day). Seven additional characteristics are notable: 1) the HEP rats prefer ethanol in the presence of a nutritious chocolate drink or nonnutrient sweetened solution (aspartame); 2) high levels of blood ethanol are associated with their drinking; 3) females drink significantly greater g/kg amounts of ethanol than HEP males and prefer a higher percent concentration of ethanol; 4) the drinking of ethanol by the female HEP animals does not fluctuate during the estrous cycle; 5) neurochemical assays show differential profiles of 5-HT, dopamine, and their metabolites in different regions of the brain; 6) measures of activity using the elevated plus maze, open field, and cork gnawing reveal differences between genders of HEP rats and SD rats; and 7) the HEP animals are without phenotypically expressed abnormalities. Finally, one cardinal principle derived from this study revealed that the breeding strategy to develop high-ethanol-drinking rats centers on the use of multiple solutions of ethanol whereby the intakes of ethanol in concentration of 9% through 20% dictate the ultimate selection of breeding pairs over successive F generations. Further, it is concluded that because of an intense rise in ethanol drinking of the F 1 generation of female HEP rats well above that of the parental SD female breeders, the complex genotypic characteristic of the male P rat is predominantly responsible for evoking ethanol drinking in female offspring.
Structural Analysis of a Lambda IV Primary Amyloid Protein

Immunoglobulin type systemic amyloidosis is the result of the deposition of monoclonal immunoglobulin light chain proteins which have aggregated into fibrils having a beta pleated sheet configuration. These fibril deposits cause disease by displacement of tissue structures with resultant interference with normal body functions. The highly organized beta structure of the fibrils accounts for resistance to proteolytic cleavage and therefore the progressive nature of the process.
Aspects of the Multinomial Logit Model

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the General Logit Model. In many practical situations, it may be acceptable to retain the normal mixture assumption for a subset of the independent variables. Retention of the mixed model, as opposed to the completely fixed model, makes the computation of maximum likelihood estimates a less onerous task, and in general permits increased accuracy of the estimates of the logit parameters. The chapter presents a theory to obtain an understanding of the performance of logit analysis as a practical data analysis tool. The tool itself is being increasingly used, for instance, in large and sometimes controversial medical studies such as Gordon and Kannel (1970, 1971), and Meinert, Knatterud, Genell, Prout, and Klimt (1970). It is important that a clearer theoretical understanding of the behavior of the method be obtained.
Ten-year linear trends in reproduction and wool production among inbred and noninbred lines of Rambouillet, Targhee, and Columbia sheep.

To investigate the value of creating inbred lines for genetic improvement of sheep, 54 inbred, 1 randombred control, and 3 noninbred control lines were evaluated for lamb and wool production. Results were based on 19,438 dam and 23,625 lamb records from Rambouillet (R), Targhee (T), and Columbia (C) sheep collected over 9 yr (for T and C) and 10 yr (for R), starting in 1954. Average inbreeding in the inbred lines during the period was near 25% for lambs and 20% for ewes. The general trend in inbred lines for litter weight weaned (120 d) and number weaned (net reproductive rate), per ewe exposed to breeding, was downward as inbreeding increased. Trends in fleece weight generally also were down, regardless of concomitant increases in body weight. Declines were most pronounced in two lines developed by rapid inbreeding. Reproductive merit in the R and C noninbred controls also declined, but the declines were less than those for most inbred lines. Although the T noninbred control declined in fleece weight, trends for fleece weight in the R and C controls were positive and significantly different from the negative trends in the inbred lines. For the randombred control, slight downward trends in litter weight and number weaned were less (P < .05) than those for most inbred lines, indicating genetic declines in these traits for most inbred lines. Direct selection for an index of overall phenotypic merit, recurrent selection for combining ability for overall merit, and direct selection for body type, clean fleece weight, or staple length were all ineffective in preventing a decline in reproductive merit. Ending means (last 2 yr of production) revealed that litter weight weaned in the control groups of each breed was clearly superior to that in most inbred lines. Controls also were typically superior for fleece and body weight. Not one of the 54 inbred lines was superior (P < .05) to its respective noninbred control in weight of lamb weaned or net reproductive rate. Only four of the inbred lines were superior to the noninbred controls in fleece weight. These results, after at least 23 yr of development for most lines, reflect little encouragement for the costly development of many inbred lines for the purpose of improving lamb and wool production, especially when using the above selection criteria.
Disrupting Policies and Reforms in Mathematics Education to Address the Needs of Marginalized Learners

This chapter uses a hybrid policy analysis-critical race theory (CRT) lens informed largely by the work of Derrick Bell to make the case that policies and reforms in mathematics education were not designed to address the needs of marginalized learners; rather, these policies and reforms are often designed and enacted to protect the economic, technological, and social interests of those in power. The chapter offers contrasting narratives between policy intentions and policy enactment, highlighting how the language of mathematics education policies, when enacted by educational professionals, positions marginalized learners as deficient within their cultures, families, and communities. This chapter is organized into four sections: (1) The Social Conditions of Marginalized Learners; (2) Theoretical Framework: CRT; (3) Historical Perspectives and Unpacking Policies and Reforms; and (4) Discussion and Conclusion. The Social Conditions of Marginalized Learners section describes central features of the social and historical context in which marginalized learners now function by contextualizing the school and mathematical experiences of marginalized learners. The Theoretical Framework section outlines CRT as a lens for critically examining policies and reforms. The Historical Perspectives and Unpacking Policies and Reforms section focuses on how marginalized students have been framed historically in policies and reforms. The Discussion and Conclusion considers features that are necessary in policies and reform documents when discussing the needs of marginalized learners.
A Model for the Acrosome Reaction in Mammalian Sperm

The acrosome reaction is a complex, calcium-dependent reaction that results in an exocytotic event required for successful fertilization of the egg. It has long been thought that the acrosome reaction occurs upon sperm binding to the zona pellucida, a viscoelastic layer surrounding the oocyte. Recent studies have suggested that the reaction may even occur before the sperm encounters the zona, perhaps mediated by progesterone or some other agonist. It has been particularly difficult to understand differences between progesterone-induced and zona-induced reactions experimentally and whether one substance is the more biologically relevant trigger. Until this present work, there has been little effort to mathematically model the acrosome reaction in sperm as a whole. Instead, attention has been paid to modeling portions of the pathways involved in other cell types. Here we present a base model for the acrosome reaction which characterizes the known biochemical reactions and behaviors of the system. Our model allows us to analyze several pathways that may act as a stabilizing mechanism for avoiding sustained oscillatory calcium responses often observed in other cell types. Such an oscillatory regime might otherwise prevent acrosomal exocytosis and therefore inhibit fertilization. Results indicate that the acrosome reaction may rely upon multiple redundant mechanisms to avoid entering an oscillatory state and instead maintain a high resting level of calcium, known to be required for successful acrosomal exocytosis and, ultimately, fertilization of the oocyte.
Atomistic model of xenon gas bubble re-solution rate due to thermal spike in uranium oxide

Atomistic simulations are performed to study the response of Xe gas bubbles in UO2 to ionizing fission products through the thermal spike approximation. A portion of the total electronic stopping power (Se) is taken as the thermal spike energy through a ratio variable ζ. The thermal spike energy causes extreme melting within the fission track cylindrical region. Molecular dynamics is employed to quantify the probability of a Xe gas atom to be re-solved (re-dissolved) back into the UO2 matrix. Subsequently, a re-solution model is developed and parametrized as a function of bubble radius (R), off-centered distance (r), and thermal spike energy ( ζSe). The off-centered distance measures the shift of the thermal spike axis from the bubble center. To evaluate the re-solution model, independent fission product yield of U-235 fission due to thermal neutrons (0.0253 eV), taken from the JEFF-3.3 database, is used. The kinetic energy of the fission products is taken from the EXFOR database. Subsequently, the decay of Se over distance for each fission product is simulated. Finally, the evaluated re-solution rate (re-solution probability per second) is presented as a function of bubble radius for a range of ζ.Atomistic simulations are performed to study the response of Xe gas bubbles in UO2 to ionizing fission products through the thermal spike approximation. A portion of the total electronic stopping power (Se) is taken as the thermal spike energy through a ratio variable ζ. The thermal spike energy causes extreme melting within the fission track cylindrical region. Molecular dynamics is employed to quantify the probability of a Xe gas atom to be re-solved (re-dissolved) back into the UO2 matrix. Subsequently, a re-solution model is developed and parametrized as a function of bubble radius (R), off-centered distance (r), and thermal spike energy ( ζSe). The off-centered distance measures the shift of the thermal spike axis from the bubble center. To evaluate the re-solution model, independent fission product yield of U-235 fission due to thermal neutrons (0.0253 eV), taken from the JEFF-3.3 database, is used. The kinetic energy of the fission products is taken from the EXFOR database. Subsequently, the decay ...
MemoDyn: exploiting weakly consistent data structures for dynamic parallel memoization

Several classes of algorithms for combinatorial search and optimization problems employ memoization data structures to speed up their serial convergence. However, accesses to these data structures impose dependences that obstruct program parallelization. Such programs often continue to function correctly even when queries into these data structures return a partial view of their contents. Weakening the consistency of these data structures can unleash new parallelism opportunities, potentially at the cost of additional computation. These opportunities must, therefore, be carefully exploited for overall speedup. This paper presents MemoDyn, a framework for parallelizing loops that access data structures with weakly consistent semantics. MemoDyn provides programming abstractions to express weak semantics, and consists of a parallelizing compiler and a runtime system that automatically and adaptively exploit the semantics for optimized parallel execution. Evaluation of MemoDyn shows that it achieves efficient parallelization, providing significant improvements over competing techniques in terms of both runtime performance and solution quality.
Risk Management via Multiple Risk Measures

Risk management is a crucial in decision making involving uncertainties. The well-known classical Markowitz Mean-CVaR approach that uses conditional value at risk (CVaR) as the risk measure is the most commonly used risk management approach in electricity market applications. In this paper, a novel risk management approach is proposed, which is based on the classical Markowitz approach but uses multiple risk measures simultaneously. Hence, instead of managing one parameter of the portfolio distribution via a single risk measure in the traditional approach, the proposed approach uses multiple risk measures to manage multiple parameters of the portfolio distribution simultaneously and directly. This adds extra features and more flexibility to the risk management process. A case study is carried out to demonstrate the superior performance and flexibility of the proposed approach over the commonly used mean-CVaR approach.
Chapter 14 – Photodocumentation and Image Analysis

The absolute necessity for maintaining accurate records of experiments performed and the resulting data is indisputable. Electrophoresis gels contain information critical for accurate interpretation of the outcome of a particular experiment. In both analytical and preparative settings, the information obtained by electrophoresis may be invaluable. Gels deteriorate in a relatively short time, however, and the dyes used to stain nucleic acids in gels deteriorate even more rapidly. This mandates archiving the image electronically and/or producing a tangible photographic record. A variety of systems have gained widespread acceptance and are currently in use to record and analyze the various types of images commonly encountered in a molecular biology setting. These systems fall into two broad categories: digital imaging, in which the image of the gel or X-ray film is stored electronically; and the traditional photograph generated on thermal paper or instant imaging film. Useful measurements that are standard fare with imaging systems include determination of molecular weight, concentration, relative abundance, integrated optical density (IOD), and image saturation. Most image analysis systems consist of a completely self-contained systems for the capture, analysis, and archiving of images. These included standalone work image analysis workstations as well as more sophisticated phosphorimagers.
Urban waterfront promenades, by Elizabeth Macdonald, Abingdon, Routledge, 2017, 298 pp., £44.99 (paperback), ISBN: 9781138824218

In her latest volume on public space, Elizabeth Macdonald vividly describes the various elements and perspectives that shape waterfront promenades, striking the right balance between design analysi...
Phenanthroline‐Catalyzed Stereoretentive Glycosylations

Carbohydrates are essential moieties of many bioactive molecules in nature. However, efforts to elucidate their modes of action are often impeded by limitations in synthetic access to well-defined oligosaccharides. Most of the current methods rely on the design of specialized coupling partners to control selectivity during the formation of glycosidic bonds. Reported herein is the use of a commercially available phenanthroline to catalyze stereoretentive glycosylation with glycosyl bromides. The method provides efficient access to α-1,2-cis glycosides. This protocol has been performed for the large-scale synthesis of an octasaccharide adjuvant. Density-functional theory calculations, together with kinetic studies, suggest that the reaction proceeds by a double SN 2 mechanism.