cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prediction of temperature-dependent free recovery behaviors of amorphous shape memory polymers

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) are active materials that can fix a temporary shape and recover the permanent shape in response to environmental stimuli such as temperature, light, moisture or magnetic field. In order to provide insight into the mechanism for shape memory behavior and to predict the behaviors of targeted design, several constitutive models were developed in the past. Most of these models are complicated and require time-consuming experiments to obtain model parameters. However, for many engineers, an estimation of key features of shape memory behaviors, such as time for free recovery, is sufficient. Such estimation should be based on a simplified model involving only a few key parameters that can be quickly identified experimentally. In this paper, a simple theoretical solution was developed to predict the temperature dependent free recovery behaviors of amorphous SMPs. This solution is based on a modified standard linear solid (SLS) model with a Kohlrausch–Williams–Watts (KWW) stretched exponential function and requires only eight parameters that can be determined by stress relaxation tests. The theoretical predictions of free recovery behaviors show a good agreement with experimental results. Parametric studies using this solution reveal that the free recovery time can be reduced by increasing the equilibrium modulus (E0) or KWW stretching parameter (β), or by decreasing the nonequilibrium modulus (E1) or the relaxation time (τ0) and is most sensitive to the KWW stretching parameter β.
Transport and survival of GFP-tagged root-colonizing microbes: Implications for rhizodegradation

Many recalcitrant organic contaminants pose unique and vast environmental challenges, potentially addressed through phytoremediation. Using molecular engineering to enhance enzymatic capabilities of root-colonizing microbes, additional contaminants can be targeted and contaminant fate can be altered to promote rhizosphere degradation of contaminants, which is desired among phytoremediation mechanisms. In this paper, rhizosphere bacteria were tagged with the green fluorescent protein genes (gfp) in order to monitor colonization, survival, and transport within the root zone and to evaluate the effectiveness of visual identification using GFP. Transport of the gfp-tagged root colonizers was observed to a one meter depth against a hydraulic gradient in less than 180 days revealing that plant's roots clearly enhanced movement of the recombinant strains through the rhizosphere although proliferation of the recombinant bacteria was not substantial. Over a 49-day plant growth period survival and colonization by the recombinant bacteria was monitored in soil and on roots, revealing a decreasing trend. Overall, this study showed that enhanced rhizosphere degradation is mechanistically promising, but that the specific plant-microbe pairing studied herein was not ideal. Using GFP for visual identification is not 100% efficient but provides a quick and simple marker to detect tagged microorganisms. Selection of root colonizing organisms to be engineered in enhanced rhizoremediation is a critical step in advancing the technology.
Sand Displacement During Tunnel Excavation by the Formosan Subterranean Termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

Results of previous Þeld excavation of nest structure of Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae), the Formosan subterranean termite, indicated that the total length of the gallery system ranged up to 580 m, and its total space may occupy 34,800 cm 3 . Because Formosan subterranean termite does not build mounds, it has been speculated that it creates tunnel space by compacting soil. The objective of this study is to test a "modiÞed soil-compaction hypothesis" that Formosan subterranean termite removed and compacted soil to increase space during tunnel exca- vation. Contrary to the hypothesis, the deposited sand was less dense than the unexcavated sand in all replications; thus, we rejected the soil-compaction hypothesis. Instead, we offered wood-con- sumption hypothesis that termites gain the tunnel space as a result of consuming wood. When termites were placed with wood pieces for 30 d, the decreased volume of consumed wood was signiÞcantly higher than the increased volume of carton material. The net increased space is 50% of volume of consumed wood. We speculate that the space created by wood consumption could be transformed into tunnel space during soil displacement.
Market Indices: A Learning Exercise Using Warsaw Stock Exchange Prices

This article presents an active learning exercise designed to teach students computation of market indices and effects of methodologies on estimates of market returns. Students use prices from the new Warsaw Stock Exchange to compute two indices, an arithmetic average index and a value-weighted index, which are then compared to the actual Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE) Index, a geometric average of price relatives. The Polish stock price data is particularly valuable to a student exercise for the following reasons: The database is small and thus easily managed by students. The WSE opened with only five issues and added four more during the period studied. The addition of more firms demonstrates adjustments necessary to maintain continuity of indices. With the WSE prices during this period, market trend lines vary, in degree and direction, depending on index method used.
New Method for Studying Clustering in Nuclei

A new method for describing cluster configurations in nuclei is discussed. This method makes use of algebraic techniques and introduces bosonic degrees of freedom with JP=0+,1-. The method is best suited for applications in heavy nuclei where it has been suggested recently that alpha-clustering may play an important role.
Dependency, Techno-Economic Heritage, Disarticulation, and Social Development in Less Developed Nations:

This analysis investigates the proposition that disarticulation explains the effects of dependency and techno-economic heritage on social development. The results show that disarticulation does not act as a major intervening or mediating structure between dependency and social development, nor does it account for the effects of techno-economic heritage on social development. Disarticulation is found to have a modest curvilinear effect on social development and may act as a contextual variable that enhances rather than mediates the effects of dependency on social development.
Demographic parameters related to 30-day readmission of patients with acute myocardial infarction: Analysis of 2,371,867 hospitalizations.

Abstract Background Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is the most common cause of mortality in the USA as per the data released by the CDC. Short term hospital readmissions account for a significant portion of health care budget and much of the focus recently has been on reducing 30day readmission rate aimed to identify the demographics associated with readmissions from AMI and major causes of readmissions. Methods We queried the Nationwide Inpatient Sample which represents 20% of all the United States hospital data for our study. AMI was identified through ICD9 Clinical Classification Software Code 100 for readmissions secondary to AMI for years 2009–2013. Chi-square was used for statistical analysis. Results A total of 2,371,867 admissions were identified with AMI and 15.87% of these readmitted within 30days after index hospitalizations due to any cause. Patients with age greater than 65years, female gender, Medicare and Medicaid insurances, low median income for zip code and metropolitan areas were associated with high 30day readmission rate. The most common identified cause of readmission from 2009–2011 was coronary atherosclerosis (15%) and from 2012–2013 the cause identified was congestive heart failure (13.5%) (p Conclusion Aggressive medical management needs to be targeted at this demography of patients and prevent the most causes of readmissions to reduce the cost and morbidity of patients admitted with AMI.
Demographic Mobility and Conflict Resolution in Darfur

In 2003 and 2004 a war of total destruction (De Waal/Flint, Darfur) killed 300,000 Darfuris, displaced 2 million and sent 350,000 refugees across borders. The conflict initially pitted Sudanese armed forces and allied Arab militias against armed resistance groups largely composed of African tribes. Much of the militia violence, plus aerial bombing by the Sudanese government, destroyed civilian villages. Over the intervening decade Darfur has gone from an urbanized population of 18 percent to more than 50 percent. Much of the population lives in camps for the internally displaced (IDPs) which have become peri-urban areas associated with the larger cities and towns. A few Darfuris have returned to their home areas. A much larger proportion of camp households send family members back during the rainy season to make a crop and help support the family unit. The paper will draw on observations from the authors dozen trips to Darfur in 2011 and 2012, plus statistics from the UN High Commission for Refugees (which has responsibility for IDPs) and other UN agencies, to examine how this mobility has affected the conflict situation and how the changes might be harnessed to help shape a solution to this hitherto intractable conflict.
Research on the Campus Monitoring Technology Based on the Networking Technology

This paper made research on the campus monitoring technology based on the networking technology. In terms of the practical application of the RFID technology,Zig Bee technology,wireless sensor network technology,networking technology in the main campus monitoring system,it elaborated the specific technical measures to realize the campus monitoring,hoping to provide some reference and suggestions on the application of the campus monitoring technology based on the networking technology.
Meteorological fluctuations define long-term crop yield patterns in conventional and organic production systems.

Variability in meteorological patterns presents significant challenges to crop production consistency and yield stability. Meteorological influences on corn and soybean grain yields were analyzed over an 18-year period at a long-term experiment in Beltsville, Maryland, U.S.A., comparing conventional and organic management systems. Precipitation and temperature variables explained much of the yield variability, with precipitation and heat stress during the late vegetative and early reproductive phases of crop growth accounting for the majority of yield variability in all crops and management systems. Crop yields under conventional and organic management followed similar periodic patterns, but yields were 31% and 20% lower in organic than conventional corn and soybean, respectively. The efficiency of grain yield per unit precipitation was higher under conventional than organic management, highlighting the importance of crop management for optimizing production in response to meteorological variability. Periodic yield and precipitation patterns did not consistently align with global meteorological cycles such as the El Nino Southern Oscillation.
Breaking BLE Beacons For Fun But Mostly Profit

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Beacons introduced a novel technology that enables devices to advertise their presence in an area by constantly broadcasting a static unique identifier. The aim was to enhance services with location and context awareness. Although the hardware components of typical BLE Beacons systems are able to support adequate cryptography, the design and implementation of most publicly available BLE Beacon protocols appears to render them vulnerable to a plethora of attacks. Indeed, in this paper, we were able to perform user tracking, user behavior monitoring, spoofing as well as denial of service (DoS) of many supported services. Our aim is to show that these attacks stem from design flaws of the underlying protocols and assumptions made for the BLE beacons protocols. Using a clearly defined threat model, we provide a formal analysis of the adversarial capabilities and requirements and the attack impact on security and privacy for the end-user. Contrary to popular belief, BLE technology can be exploited even by low-skilled adversaries leading to exposure of user information. To demonstrate our attacks in practice, we selected Apple's iBeacon technology, as a case study. However, our analysis can be easily generalized to other BLE Beacon technologies.
Unravelling Photocarrier Dynamics beyond the Space Charge Region for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

Semiconductor photoelectrodes for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting require efficient carrier generation, separation, and transport at and beyond the space charge region (SCR) formed at the aqueous interface. The trade-off between photon collection and minority carrier delivery governs the photoelectrode design and implies maximum water splitting efficiency at an electrode thickness equivalent to the light absorption depth. Here, using planar ZnO thin films as a model system, we identify the photocarriers beyond the SCR as another significant source to substantially enhance the PEC performance. The high-quality ZnO films synthesized by pulsed laser deposition feature very few deep trap states and support a long photocarrier lifetime. Combined with photoelectrochemical characterization, ultrafast spectroscopy, and numerical calculations, it is revealed that engineering the exciton concentration gradient by film thickness facilitates the inward diffusion of photocarriers from the neighboring illumi...
A novel technique to obtain analytical direct correlation functions for use in classical density functional theory

Abstract The excess interaction term of classical density functional theory (cDFT) represents the effect of the neighboring atoms through the two-body direct correlation function (DCF). The DCF plays a crucial role in cDFT and the first peak of DCF is important in the phase field crystal (PFC) model. Unlike the reciprocal-space formulation, the real-space formulation of cDFT would not be restricted to only periodic systems, and thus, it has considerable potential for exploring non-periodic complex phenomena at the atomic scale. An accurate representation of the DCF is very important for the accurate and efficient implementation of cDFT. In this work, we propose a two-step process for systematically deriving the real-space DCF for any crystal structure. In the first step, we fit a set of rational functions to the experimental or molecular simulation data in reciprocal space, as shown in a previous study (Pisutha-Arnond et al., 2013). Then, in the second step, we obtain the analytical expression for the DCF in real space using an inverse Fourier–Bessel transform. One advantage of this method is that the functional fit to the DCF in reciprocal space is accomplished automatically. The proposed analytical technique is validated by comparing against numerically obtained DCF for bcc iron. This technique can be used to obtain a real-space DCF for any material. Finally, the domain of influence for DCF is investigated by integrating the DCF over a 3D domain.
A Landscape of the Damned: Evil and Nothingness in Cormac McCarthy’s Outer Dark

The first scholars to write about Cormac McCarthy labeled him a nihilist. The novels of McCarthy unrelentingly undermine the institutions of Christian religion. By contrast, the language of Christian theology arises throughout McCarthy’s corpus. This chapter attempts to complicate this question of McCarthy’s religion through a reading of his novel Outer Dark. The classic formulation of evil is the privation of good. Karl Barth elaborated upon this concept and the chapter provides an extended consideration of das Nichtige: Nothingness. Outer Dark can be read on these theological terms by interpreting the three serial murderers who wander Appalachia as an unholy trinity of Satanic Nothingness. The failed moral choices of the antihero Culla Holme consign him to what McCarthy calls a “faintly smoking garden of the dead” and a “landscape of the damned.”
A Loran-Based Rawinsonde System for Undergraduate Meteorology Programs

An affordable rawinsonde system that has proven helpful in teaching undergraduate meteorology is described. Not only have planned and written exercises been designed around data from the rawinsonde...
HIV Prevention and Attrition: Challenges and Opportunities

A sizable number of individuals at risk of becoming HIV infected or infecting others either do not access or drop out of AIDS prevention programs. Attrition is a relevant concern for HIV prevention research and practice alike as nonparticipation (enrolling in but never attending an intervention) and dropout (beginning but not completing an intervention) can affect internal and external validity, detrimentally impact the service provider's morale and standing with funders, and potentially lead to poor outcomes for target populations. Understanding how individual factors including demographic and developmental characteristics and programmatic factors such as intervention dosage and venue are related to attrition and how to attract and retain individuals in proven interventions is crucial to prevention efficacy in the third decade of HIV prevention. In this paper, we provide an overview of factors associated with attrition from HIV counseling interventions, offer remedies for practitioners and researchers, and provide a case analysis of a brief motivational enhancement counseling intervention that was designed, in part, to avoid some of the traditional reasons individuals do not enroll in or drop out of HIV prevention programs.
An experience report on improving constructive alignment in an introduction to programming

This paper discusses the need for learning activities adhering to the constructive alignment theory in introductions to programming. Problems with widespread instruction methods are used to motivate a new variant of pair programming which reduces the possibilities for students to "evade" practicing the very skills pair programming is expected to allow them to hone. We present an example of an exercise integrating the new pedagogy and discuss its initial reception by students.
Rare but life-threatening complication of fecalith

A 78-year-old woman with history of Addison’s disease, hypothyroidism, hypertension and recent hospital admission for asthma exacerbation requiring hospitalisation for steroid pulse presented to the emergency department with 1 day of significant epigastric and right lower quadrant pain. Her pain steadily worsened and was associated with nausea and clear emesis. She was on a steroid taper for her recent asthma exacerbation, and she is normally on baseline low-dose steroids for her Addison’s disease. On evaluation in the emergency department, the patient was noted to be tachycardic in the 100s but otherwise haemodynamically stable. Her abdomen was distended, and she endorsed moderate to severe tenderness over her right lower quadrant with guarding but no rebound. Her labs were notable for white cell count of 31.6x109/L and a lactate of …
The Role of Humoral Antibody in the Homograft Reaction

Publisher Summary The chapter reviews the available evidence suggesting that the specific immunological rejection of tissue homografts is mediated by humoral isoantibody. Humoral isoantibody formation appears to be an ineluctable feature of the isoimmune response to tissue homografts. A major problem in immunopathology has been an appraisal of the respective roles played by humoral antibody and by delayed hypersensitivity in the production of various forms of tissue damage. The chapter discusses whether homograft rejection is mediated by humoral antibodies and marshals a powerful set of arguments and of experimental evidence in favor of the thesis that antibodies play an essential part. Tissue homo-transplantation and other modes of immunization regularly result in the production of humoral antibody cytotoxic for donor cells; the possible role of such antibodies in the mediation of graft destruction clearly requires careful consideration. The chapter discusses the participation of antibodies in homograft rejection through evidence from diffusion-chamber experiments, fetal lambs, and passive serum-transfer experiments. The isoantigens that determine histocompatibility in mice and in other species are also presented in this chapter.
Reply to Drs. Max Brincat and Tom Holland letter to the editor re: Hoyos LR, et al. Outcomes in subsequent pregnancies after wedge resection for interstitial ectopic pregnancy: a retrospective cohort study.

Dear Editor,We thank Drs. Brincat and Holland for the comments and interest in our paper [1] and we would like to take this opportunity to address some of the remarks.We read with great interest th...
Outcomes in Trauma Patients With Behavioral Health Disorders.

Abstract Background The relationship between behavioral health disorders (BHDs) and outcomes after traumatic injury is not well understood. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between BHDs and outcomes in the trauma patient population. Materials and methods We performed a review of the Trauma Quality Improvement Program database from 2013 to 2016 comparing patients with and without a BHD, which was defined as a psychiatric disorder, alcohol or drug use disorders, dementia, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Outcomes of interest were mortality, length of stay (LOS), and inpatient complications. Results In the study population, 254,882 patients (25%) had a BHD. Of these, psychiatric disorders comprised 38.3% (n = 97,668) followed by alcohol (33.3%, n = 84,845) and drug (26.4%, n = 67,199) use disorders, dementia (20.2%, n = 51,553), and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (1.7%, n = 4301). On multivariable analysis, overall mortality was lower in the BHD group (odds ratio [OR] 0.83, confidence interval [CI] 0.79-0.83; P Conclusions Trauma patients with a BHD had lower overall mortality compared with those without a BHD. However, on subgroup analysis, those with dementia had increased mortality. BHDs increased risk for any inpatient complication and prolonged LOS. Trauma patients with BHDs represent a vulnerable population and warrant special attention to minimize harm and improve outcomes.
High-resolution photoelectron imaging and resonant photoelectron spectroscopy via noncovalently bound excited states of cryogenically cooled anions

Valence-bound anions with polar neutral cores (μ > ∼2.5 D) can support dipole-bound excited states below the detachment threshold. These dipole-bound states (DBSs) are highly diffuse and the weakly bound electron in the DBS can be readily autodetached via vibronic coupling. Excited DBSs can be observed in photodetachment spectroscopy using a tunable laser. Tuning the detachment laser to above-threshold vibrational resonances yields vibrationally enhanced resonant photoelectron spectra, which are highly non-Franck-Condon with much richer vibrational information. This perspective describes recent advances in the studies of excited DBSs of cryogenically cooled anions using high-resolution photoelectron imaging (PEI) and resonant photoelectron spectroscopy (rPES). The basic features of dipole-bound excited states and highly non-Franck-Condon resonant photoelectron spectra will be discussed. The power of rPES to yield rich vibrational information beyond conventional PES will be highlighted, especially for low-frequency and Franck-Condon-inactive vibrational modes, which are otherwise not accessible from non-resonant conventional PES. Mode-selectivity and intra-molecular rescattering have been observed during the vibrationally induced autodetachment. Conformer-specific rPES is possible due to the different dipole-bound excited states of molecular conformers with polar neutral cores. For molecules with μ ≪ 2.5 D or without dipole moments, but large quadrupole moments, excited quadrupole-bound states can exist, which can also be used to conduct rPES.
The bureaucracy of birth registration in Tanzania

Birth registration is a basic human right. It is also considered a ‘gateway right’ which aids in the realization of many other civil, political, economic and social rights. After decades as an ‘orp...
The Effectiveness of an Online Sexual Assault Prevention Program on College Campuses.

Policies have been implemented to require sexual assault prevention programs on college campuses, but there is no existing system to determine whether or not specific programs are effective. Data w...
Study on the influence of post-processing parameters over microstructure and metallurgical properties of NiTi alloy

Post-process heat treatments are conventional methods used to minimize porosities and improve the microstructure of metallic parts. It can also increase the hardness value and help tailor the mechanical properties of the part. On the other hand, the heat treatment process includes several steps and can be a costly and time-consuming procedure. The different variables and parameters in heat treatment can make this process even more complicated. Utilizing optimal heat treatment parameters decreases the cost and operation time and results in higher finish quality and better device performance. This study investigates the influence of heat treatment parameters on microstructure and metallurgical properties of NiTi shape memory alloys to find the optimum values for post-processing. The samples were cut in equally sized dimensions, and they were treated using the same equipment. Various ranges of heating duration and temperature were considered for the experiments. It was revealed that, regardless of parameters, the heat treatment process can bring about better compositional characteristics and hardness properties of NiTi. However, some particular sets of heat treatment parameters resulted in higher quality and more favorable final properties.
Asymmetric information in residential rental markets: Implications for the energy efficiency gap

Abstract This paper explores whether energy cost information asymmetries exist between landlords and tenants by exploiting variation in which party pays for energy. Because tenants are always fully informed about their total housing costs in the landlord-pay regime, the effect of energy cost changes on tenant turnover, rents, and efficiency investment should differ between the two payment regimes under asymmetric information but not symmetric information. Using energy cost variation in the form of changes in relative heating fuel prices, I find evidence that tenants are uninformed about energy costs. This results in higher energy expenditures for tenants and implies that information campaigns or efficiency standards may improve market outcomes.
Low-dose aspirin and COX inhibition in human skeletal muscle

This study demonstrated that even low-dose aspirin concentrations can significantly reduce the prostaglandin (PG)E2/cyclooxygenase (COX) pathway activity in human skeletal muscle and this effect is...
This One Didn't Fly Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Introduction: Bird fancier’s lung is a form of hypersensitivity pneumonitis caused by a non-atopic immunologic response to the inhalation of avian antigens. Although it is the most common type of hypersensitivity pneumonitis in adults, it is rarely diagnosed in the pediatric population. Case Report: A 17-year-old male with intermittent asthma presented with chronic cough, progressively worsening shortness of breath, joint pain and swelling in his wrists and knees, and night sweats. Eight months prior to presentation he had been diagnosed with pneumonia and had lost 24 pounds since that time. His family, including his mother, …
Approaches to Instructional Leadership: Organizational Influences in Contexts of (Mis)match:

Instructional leadership efforts are complicated when leaders and teachers do not share areas of expertise. Leaders work to bridge this divide through a number of approaches, such as collaboration ...
Development at the WTO

This book presents original paths for reconsidering the trade and development relationship at the World Trade Organization taking into account both the heritage of the trade regime and present dynamics. It presents a detailed legal analysis of WTO law relating to development, considering both specific trade rules and institutional features of the WTO. These aspects will be most useful to delegates, practitioners, administrators and adjudicators involved with WTO law and policy. As a forward-looking matter, the book presents a menu of options towards a more functional balance of trade liberalization and the development imperatives of many WTO members. This includes reconsidering the role of special and differential treatment (the set of exceptions specifically aimed at developing members), proposing new decision-making and representation mechanisms that could enhance developing member participation (about 75 percent of the membership), and offering new approaches to negotiations.
External validation of a novel signature of illness in continuous cardiorespiratory monitoring to detect early respiratory deterioration of ICU patients.

OBJECTIVE The goal of predictive analytics monitoring is the early detection of patients at high risk of subacute potentially catastrophic illnesses. An excellent example of a targeted illness is respiratory failure leading to urgent unplanned intubation, where early detection might lead to interventions that improve patient outcomes. Previously, we identified signatures of this illness in the continuous cardiorespiratory monitoring data of intensive care unit (ICU) patients and devised algorithms to identify patients at rising risk. Here, we externally validated three logistic regression models to estimate the risk of emergency intubation developed in Medical and Surgical ICUs at the University of Virginia. APPROACH We calculated the model outputs for more than 8000 patients in the University of California-San Francisco ICUs, 240 of whom underwent emergency intubation as determined by individual chart review. MAIN RESULTS We found that the AUC of the models exceeded 0.75 in this external population, and that the risk rose appreciably over the 12 h before the event. SIGNIFICANCE We conclude that there are generalizable physiological signatures of impending respiratory failure in the continuous cardiorespiratory monitoring data.
MenQuadfi (MenACWY-TT): A New Vaccine for Meningococcal Serogroups ACWY.

ObjectiveThis article reviews data encompassing the pharmacology, efficacy, and safety of MenACWY-TT (MenQuadfi), a conjugate vaccine to prevent meningococcal disease from serogroups A, C, W, Y.Dat...
Enzymatic synthesis of sucrose and other disaccharides.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses enzymatic synthesis of sucrose and other disaccharides. The monosaccharides, D -glucose and D -fructose that are present in the plant as products of photosynthesis, are combined by an enzyme or enzymatic system, forming sucrose. As D -glucose and D -fructose may each exist in the α-and β-form, the following four different disaccharide configurations are possible when the two hexoses are combined: (1) α- D -glucose-β- D -fructose, (2) α- D -glucosea- D -fructose, (3) β- D -glucose-α- D -fructose, and (4) β- D -glucose-β- D -fructose. The enzymatic synthesis of sucrose also throws light on the formation of the furanose form of fructose in the sucrose molecule. The fact that sucrose is directly formed from D -glucose-l-phosphate and D -fructose supports evidence that the latter monosaccharide occurs in solution in an equilibrium mixture of furanose and pyranose forms. This makes it unnecessary to postulate a special mechanism of stabilization of a five membered (furanose) ring before the formation of compound sugars containing the D-fructose molecule. Another non-reducing disaccharide is synthesized because of enzymatic action of a P.saccharophila preparation on α- D -glucose-l-phosphate and L-araboketose.
MIRAGE DNA Transposon Silencing by C. elegans Condensin II Subunit HCP-6: A Masters Thesis

Mobile genetic elements represent a large portion of the genome in many species. Posing a danger to the integrity of genetic information, silencing and structural machinery has evolved to suppress the mobility of foreign and transposable elements within the genome. Condensin proteins – which regulate chromosome structure to promote chromosome segregation – have been demonstrated to function in repetitive gene regulation and transposon silencing in several species. In model system Caenorhabditis elegans, microarray analysis studies have implicated Condensin II subunit HCP-6 in the silencing of multiple loci, including DNA transposon MIRAGE. To address the hypothesis that HCP-6 has a direct function in transcriptional gene silencing of the MIRAGE transposon, we queried MIRAGE expression and chromatin profiles in wild-type and hcp-6 mutant animals. Our evidence confirms that HCP-6 does indeed function during silencing of MIRAGE. However, we found no significant indication that HCP-6 binds to MIRAGE, nor that HCP-6 mediates MIRAGE enrichment of H3K9me3, the repressive heterochromatin mark observed at regions undergoing transcriptional silencing. We suggest that the silencing of MIRAGE, a newly evolved transposon and the only tested mobile element considerably derepressed upon loss of HCP-6, is managed by HCP-6 indirectly.
Neonatal neurobehavioral tests following cesarean section under general and spinal anesthesia

Abstract The Scanlon Group 1 of Early Neonatal Neurobehavioral Tests (E.N.N.S.) was administered to 150 babies delivered by elective cesarean section. Fifty of the mothers were induced into general anesthesia with thiopental, 4 mg. per kilogram, and 50 with ketamine, 1 mg. per kilogram. Fifty mothers received spinal anesthesia with 6 to 8 mg. of tetracaine. All mothers receiving spinal anesthesia were given 100 per cent oxygen by a transparent face mask and all undergoing general anesthesia received N 2 O-O 2 (6L:6L) until delivery of the baby. All mothers were healthy and all babies weighed 2,500 grams or more, were apparently normal, and had Apgar scores of 7 or more at one minute to 10 at five minutes. Spinal anesthesia was associated with the greatest percentage of high scores on both the first and second day for overall assessment, pinprick response, tone, rooting, sucking, Moro response, placing, alertness, and total decrement (habituation) scores. There was a statistically significant difference between all the scores for spinal compared to the other two groups. The scores were lowest following a thiopental induction and intermediate with ketamine although the difference did not reach statistical significance.
The λ-Calculus

The λ-calculus (λ = “lambda,” Greek for 1) consists of a set of objects called λ-terms and some rules for manipulating them. It was originally designed to capture formally the notions of functional abstraction and functional application and their interaction.
The Importance of Spirituality in Well-Being for Jews and Christians

There is a well-known association between religion and happiness, although it is not known which particular aspects of religiosity correlate with life satisfaction, or if the correlates are different for people of different religions. In three studies, the correlations of different facets of religiosity with happiness or life satisfaction were explored. In different samples and with different measures, congregational support and public practice of religion appear to correlate similarly with measures of life satisfaction for members of different religions. However, spirituality, religious coping, and religious belief were better predictors of happiness and quality of life for Protestants and Catholics than for Jews. It is therefore contended that religion should be an important consideration, along with religiosity, in study of satisfaction with life, and that the link between spirituality and life satisfaction be followed up, particularly among Christians.
A storage, processing, and retrieval system for microtubule tracking data

Given a set of cell microtubule images taken at regular time intervals, individual microtubule positions can be tracked over time. This position data can then be analyzed to obtain event information for an individual microtubule, as well as statistical data for a group of microtubules. An event can he one of three types: growth, shortening, or attenuation. Processing tracking data involves not only event classification but statistical calculation of which dynamicity is most prominent. A database was created to store the raw tracking information. Further, the task of calculating and storing event information, as well as related statistical automation, are automated. The database is web accessible through a visual interface capable of accepting queries and user initiated changes to the raw data. The system provides data processing support and capability that could be incorporated into a larger bioimage bioinformatics project: a searchable biological image database.
A cluster of nine tRNA genes between ribosomal gene operons in Bacillus subtilis.

A cluster of nine tRNA genes located in the 1-kb region between ribosomal operons rrnJ and rrnW in Bacillus subtilis has been cloned and sequenced. This cluster contains the genes for tRNA(UACVal), tRNA(UGUThr), tRNA(UUULys), tRNA(UAGLeu). tRNA(GCCGly), tRNA(UAALeu), tRNA(ACGArg), tRNA(UGGPro), and tRNA(UGCAla). The newly discovered tRNA gene cluster combines features of the 39-end of trnI, a cluster of 6 tRNA genes between ribosomal operons rrnI and rrnH, and of the 59-end of trnB, a cluster of 21 tRNA genes found immediately 39 to rrnB. Neither the tRNA(UAGLeu) gene nor its product has been found previously in B. subtilis. With the discovery of this new set of tRNA genes, a total of 60 such genes have now been found in B. subtilis. These known genes account for almost all of the tRNA hybridizing restriction fragments of the B. subtilis genome. The 60 known tRNA genes of B. subtilis code for only 28 different anticodons, compared with a total of 41 different anticodons for 78 tRNA genes in Escherichia coli. This may indicate that B. subtilis does not need as many anticodons because of more flexible translation rules, similar to the situation in Mycoplasma capricolum.
Maintaining an Illusion: Abuse, Somatization, and the Elaboration of Meaning

Many clinicians who have treated adult survivors of abuse have known for some time what is now confirmed by the empirical literature: these clients often suffer from a host of physical complaints for which their doctors tell them there is no physical cause. The symptoms as well as the response of the doctors are frequently quite disturbing to the client. Both aspects of the clients' experiences are also very difficult to treat. Relational theory may provide a perspective that will enhance the understanding of somatization in survivors of abuse. The resulting thesis is that somatization may be the result of deficits in meaning, which are in turn due to conflicts between distinct levels of meaning. This theory weds two previously opposed perspectives: the deficit and conflict models of psychopathology. While the hypothesis may be interesting on the level of pure theory, the ultimate aim of the paper is to apply the theory to the treatment of somatic symptoms among adult survivors of abuse, expanding upon existing interventions. First, the clinician must assess for deficits in the levels of meaning, then utilize interventions appropriate to specific levels. To safeguard that no new conflicts arise, the clinician must ensure that the meanings elaborated in treatment support an integration of meaning on all three levels. To this end, he or she must target interpretations to the client's “zone of proximal meaning.” These principles are illustrated in a case example.
Developing web-based experiments

The focus of this article is to describe the implementation and design considerations of an experimental setting that is available on the World Wide Web. This resource allows instructors to incorporate an experimentation component into courses without the difficulties of acquiring equipment, setting up equipment or creating a laboratory environment. Students with access to the Internet can easily conduct experiments as well as gather data from previously conducted experiments and use this data for investigation and analysis.
Data remanence in semiconductor devices

A paper published in 1996 examined the problems involved in truly deleting data from magnetic storage media and also made a mention of the fact that similar problems affect data held in semiconductor memory. This work extends the brief coverage of this area given in the earlier paper by providing the technical background information necessary to understand remanence issues in semiconductor devices. Data remanence problems affect not only obvious areas such as RAM and non-volatile memory cells but can also occur in other areas of the device through hot-carrier effects (which change the characteristics of the semiconductors in the device), electromigration (which physically alter the device itself), and various other effects which are examined alongside the more obvious memory-cell remanence problems. The paper concludes with some design and device usage guidelines which can be useful in reducing remanence effects.
CLATHRIN-COATED VESICLES IN PLANTS

This chapter focuses on current knowledge of coated vesicles from plant systems. It is apparent that although the studies have been directed by the much greater volume of information from animal systems, there has been considerable progress in our understanding of the function and biochemical characterization of clathrin-coated vesicles from plants over the past decade. Ultrastructural studies have demonstrated coated vesicles in a variety of plant cells. Within the cells, the vesicles are involved in endocytosis, membrane recycling, and the intracellular transport of vacuolar proteins. Improved isolation procedures have facilitated the biochemical characterization of clathrin-coated vesicles. To date, coat components of 180-kDa clathrin have been identified; however, the identity of light chains remains enigmatic. Adaptor peptides have been isolated and potential receptor proteins for vacuolar targeted proteins identified. The functioning of coated vesicles requires removal of the clathrin coat and appropriate uncoating ATPase has been identified. The dissociation of the receptor(s) and targeting ligands of the transported protein appears to involve a proton-pumping vacuolar H+-ATPase associated with the vesicle. It is suggested that the capacity to routinely isolate vesicles, combined with techniques of molecular biology, should lead to a more rapid accumulation of information on the function and biochemistry of clathrin-coated vesicles from plants.
A Unified View of the Origin and Morphology of the Turbulent Boundary Layer Structure

On the basis of instability and vortex interactions in an idealized physical model, an attempt is made to deduce in a self-contained and rational way the structure of the turbulent boundary layer. It is shown that the model provides a rough but self-consistent description of several known aspects of the structure.The key concept is that of a ‘critical layer’ in the flow. It is believed that this description will shed some light on possible control schemes for the turbulent boundary layer.
Evidence review: Periprocedural use of blood products

Blood product transfusion has not been subject to rigorous clinical study, and great practice variations exist. Of particular concern to hospitalists is the use of red blood cells, plasma, and platelets prior to invasive procedures to correct anemia or perceived bleeding risk. We summarize the known risks associated with periprocedural anemia, prolonged international normalized ratio (INR), and thrombocytopenia, as well as the effects of blood product administration on clinical outcomes. Clinical trial evidence argues for a restrictive red blood cell transfusion threshold (a hemoglobin level of 7-8 g/dL or symptomatic anemia) for most perioperative patients. There are no high-quality data to guide plasma and platelet transfusions around the time of procedures. Available data do not support the use of prothrombin time/INR to guide prophylactic administration of plasma, and there are scarce data to guide platelet use around the time of an invasive procedure. Therefore, we rely on current consensus expert opinion, which recommends administration of plasma in moderate- to high-risk procedures when INR is >1.5. We recommend platelet transfusion in low-risk procedures when platelet count is <20,000/μL, for average-risk procedures when platelet count is <50,000/μL, and for procedures involving the central nervous system when the platelet count is <100,000/μL.
'Exit' Agreements in the Pharmaceutical Industry

The Hatch-Waxman Act was intended to encourage makers of generic drugs to seek early entry into drug markets controlled by patents, in part by challenging the patents before they expire. Some patentees have settled these challenges by agreeing to pay the challengers tens or hundreds of millions of dollars to drop their challenges and therefore early market entry. Some settlements of this kind also leverage the Hatch-Waxman Act's exclusivity period to exclude entry or discourage patent challenges from other would-be generic entrants not parties to the settlement. (The Act provides a 180-day period of statutory market exclusivity as an incentive to the first generic challenger, and certain features of the Act can extend that period, as a practical matter, to thirty months.) This article provides economic and antitrust analysis of these "exit" or "no entry" agreements. In the usual case in which the would-be generic entrant has no sunk investment in entry (apart from the litigation), these large payments are essentially payments not to challenge the patent and therefore payments not to complete. They are self-evidently anticompetitive and contrary to the policy of both patent law (under Lear, Inc. v. Adkins) and the Act. Settlements that leverage the first generic challenger's statutory exclusivity period to exclude other generic entrants appear to have no possible competitive justification and therefore to be illegal per se. Settlements that do not leverage the Hatch-Waxman Act exclusivity period should be governed by the rule of reason. Yet in many cases a "quick look" should condemn them because they are facially anticompetitive and no efficiencies or procompetitive benefits are cited to justify them. Although a few courts have found them justified by a general policy favoring dispute settlement, that is not an antitrust policy. It is well established that justification in antitrust law requires benefits specifically to competition. In the absence of a specific procompetitive benefit - for example, early or more vigorous entry by the would-be generic entrant receiving the large payments - these "exit" agreements should fail scrutiny under the rule of reason.
FIT: fast Internet traceback

Traceback mechanisms are a critical part of the defense against IP spoofing and DoS attacks, as well as being of forensic value to law enforcement. Currently proposed IP traceback mechanisms are inadequate to address the traceback problem for the following reasons: they require DDoS victims to gather thousands of packets to reconstruct a single attack path; they do not scale to large scale distributed DoS attacks; and they do not support incremental deployment. We propose fast Internet traceback (FIT), a new packet marking approach that significantly improves IP traceback in several dimensions: (1) victims can identify attack paths with high probability after receiving only tens of packets, a reduction of 1-3 orders of magnitude compared to previous packet marking schemes; (2) FIT performs well even in the presence of legacy routers, allowing every FIT-enabled router in path to be identified; and (3) FIT scales to large distributed attacks with thousands of attackers. Compared with previous packet marking schemes, FIT represents a step forward in performance and deployability.