cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spatial distribution and temporal change of antibiotics in soils amended with manure using two field application methods.

Abstract Compared to surface application, manure subsurface injection significantly reduces transport of manure-associated antibiotics via surface runoff. However, the environmental fate of antibiotics in manure injection slits is unknown. A field investigation was conducted to monitor distribution and dissipation of pirlimycin, tylosin, chlortetracycline, and sulfamerazine in soil following either surface application or subsurface injection of liquid dairy manure. A simulated rainfall was conducted on days 0, 3, and 7 after manure application. Soil samples were collected before, on the day of, and 5, 14, 60, and 180 days after the simulated rainfall. Around an hour after manure application, antibiotic concentrations in injection slits were 4–49 and 4–26 times higher than those outside the slits and in surface application plots, respectively. Antibiotics concentrated in the injection slits for an extended time with limited horizontal and vertical movement, exposing the microbial community inside the slits to an elevated level of antibiotics. Dissipation of antibiotics was the fastest during the first 14 d after manure application before slowing down. There were no significant differences in antibiotic dissipation patterns in soils amended with manure using two application methods. Although the half-lives ranged from 3‐11 d for pirlimycin, 3–10 d for sulfamerazine, 5–12 d for tylosin, and 3–21 day for chlortetracycline; pirlimycin, sulfamerazine, and tylosin remained detectable in soil even 180 d after the single manure application, indicating that soils could be a long-term source for antibiotics to the surrounding environment. Overall, in addition to resulting in less surface runoff of antibiotics from the fields, manure subsurface injection can also retain antibiotics in the injection slits and limit their movement overtime. However, more studies are needed to better understand if elevated levels of antibiotics, nutrients, organic matter, and water would result in “hot zones” for antibiotic resistance development in the manure subsurface injected fields.
Anesthetic Management in On-Pump Valvular Heart Surgery

There are many preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative factors to be considered for patients undergoing on-pump cardiac valvular surgery. Preoperative considerations include a careful review of the patient’s medical history and preoperative studies; ascertainment of mechanism and severity of valvular dysfunction; physiologic compensation; and pathophysiologic sequelae. Intraoperative considerations include careful anesthetic induction with attention to hemodynamic goals; overall cardiovascular function; and functioning of the valve prosthesis or repaired native valve. Postoperative considerations include maintaining perfusion and oxygen delivery to vital organs, and managing postoperative bleeding. These considerations will be examined in more detail within this chapter.
Intrinsic Laryngeal Muscle Activity During Subvocalization.

Summary Purpose Subvocalization, the low-grade activity of speech articulator muscles while thinking or reading, may mediate phonological representations of verbal material. However, no literature exists that directly measures whether intrinsic laryngeal muscles (ILMs) are active during subvocalization. The possibility of ILM activation during subvocalization has implications for establishing appropriate baselines when experimental conditions involve linguistic features. Method In two separate studies, forty-five cisgender women completed one or two silentsil tasks (two in the first study, Experiments 1a and 1b, and one in the second, Experiment 2). Fine wire electromyography was used to directly measure ILM activity during an at-rest baseline and silent tasks used to determine whether subvocalization occurred (referred to hereafter as “subvocalization tasks”). Other muscles were measured via surface electromyography: submental muscle in Experiments 1a and 1b, anterior tibialis in Experiment 2, and upper trapezius in all experiments. Results Interrupted time-series analysis was used to directly measure changes in ILM activity from baseline to the subvocalization tasks. A paired two tailed t-test was used to measure mean differences in ILM activity across conditions for each participant. Some individuals displayed statistically significant increases from baseline during subvocalization tasks, whereas others displayed decreases. Cohen's d was used to calculate the effect size for each muscle across the three subvocalization conditions. Of the 21 muscles measured across three experiments, five yielded a small mean effect size, and the effect sizes for the remaining 16 muscles were negligible. At a group level, only the right cricothyroid showed statistically significant changes (Experiment 1b). Conclusion The ILM responses during subvocalization vary in both magnitude and direction. Most but not all changes can be described as negligible. For future studies of ILM activity during conditions that involve linguistic processing, investigators should consider the idiosyncratic variation during subvocalization when determining the most appropriate baseline task.
Molecular Basis of Uveal Melanoma and Emerging Therapeutic Targets

Key genetic events and their relationship to prognosis in uveal melanoma (UM) have been elucidated recently. While not predictive of metastasis, Gαq pathway mutations are initiating events that are present in almost all UM. Molecular classification based on gene expression profile (GEP) has been found to be more accurate than clinical, histopathologic, and chromosomal prognostic factors, and it has been prospectively validated as a clinical test that is now widely used for routine patient prognostication. The two most important predictors of metastasis in UM are (1) the class 2 GEP caused by loss of BAP1 and (2) aberrant expression of the cancer-testis-antigen PRAME. Driver mutations have received extensive attention in UM to address the need for systemic targeted therapy through the inhibition of downstream signaling pathways.
Artificial Spin Ice: Beyond Pyrochlores and Magnetism

Artificial spin ices [1, 2, 3, 4] have raised considerable interest for its technological potentials, and as a tailorable medium to investigate collective phenomena in a materials-by-design approach. These metamaterials are made of frustrated arrays of interacting single-domain ferromagnetic nano-islands of about 100 nm size [5]. Figure 15.1 shows the two most representative artificial spin ices, the square [6] and honeycomb [7, 8] arrays; both have been realized experimentally. In this chapter, we review the thermodynamic behaviors and nonequilibrium dynamics of these magnetic nano-arrays from the theoretical point of view. A special focus is the novel emergent phases and phenomena that originate from the magnetic charge degrees of freedom in these metamaterials. Finally, we also discuss recent theoretical proposals of extending ice physics to other artificial systems such as colloidal particles in optical trap arrays and cold atoms in optical lattices.
Decarceration, Sanction Severity and Crime: Causal Analysis of Proposition 47 and Property Crime in Los Angeles

Decarcerative policies aim to decrease rates of incarceration primarily through lessening the severity of criminal sanctions. These policies have proliferated in recent years as states looked to re...
Evolution of Career Services in Higher Education

Socioeconomic changes, technological advances, and generational trends have been the impetus behind every major paradigm shift in the delivery of career services in higher education during the past century, including the one taking shape today. This chapter will provide an overview of the changing nature and emerging trends that are shaping the future of career services in higher education.
Community and Environmental Sustainability: Collaboration and Interdisciplinary Education

Academic institutions as community members, creators of knowledge, and educators of current and future citizens and practitioners have the potential to play a significant role in establishing sustainable environments. This article examines the role of community as the learning context for colleges and universities and as co-creators for complex change processes. Collaborative educational models are presented that link environmental sustainability to community engagement and the enhancement of social and economic justice. Through interdisciplinary, community-based education students gain an awareness of and learn to make an investment in sustainable communities. As teams of students work in the local community, they are meaningfully involved with the community, each other, and the environment. Examples of collaborations designed to engage in interactive learning and development are outlined. Research from the areas of social work, environmental science, social justice, and social entrepreneurship are used to support this curricular approach.
Nonlinear Analysis of RC Shells of General Form

A general finite element method of analysis is developed to analyze reinforced concrete shells of general form and slabs of arbitrary geometry under dead load and monotonically increasing live loads. The method can be used to trace the load-deformation response and crack propagation through the elastic, inelastic, and ultimate ranges. The nonlinear analysis includes cracking with a tension stiffening effect and the elastoplastic behavior of the concrete and steel reinforcement. The coupling between the membrane action and the bending action due to material asymmetry is also included. Validity of the method is studied by comparing analytical results with experimental data. It is found that the tension stiffening effect has a significant influence on the post-cracking response of underreinforced concrete structures. The importance of the failure criteria and flow rules is also studied.
Heterogeneous resource management for dynamic real-time systems

Dynamic real-time systems face many resource management problems. This paper addresses the following problems: (1) dynamic resource allocation to provide QoS objectives, (2) heterogeneous resources, and (3) non-intrusive accurate monitoring of QoS, resource availability and resource needs. This paper describes the techniques of a resource manager handling the above problems to support the QoS of dynamic distributed real-time systems. The contributions of this paper to solve these problems are as follows: unification of dynamic resource requirements among heterogeneous hosts, control of resources in heterogeneous environments, feasibility analysis and dynamic load balancing/sharing. Our heuristic allocation scheme not only allows higher workloads than the random, round-robin and least-load schemes by 257%, 142% and 36.4%, respectively, but it also improves the QoS compared to those schemes by 38.6%, 28.5% and 31.6%, respectively.
A model for the distribution of dark matter, galaxies, and the intergalactic medium in a cold dark matter-dominated universe

The evolution and distribution of galaxies and the intergalactic medium (IGM) have been studied, along with collisionless dark matter in a Universe dominated by cold dark matter. The Einstein-deSitter universe with omega sub 0 = 1 and h = 0.5 was considered (here h = H sub 0 bar 100/kms/Mpc and H sub 0 is the present value of the Hubble constant). It is assumed that initially dark matter composes 90 pct and baryonic matter composes 10 pct of total mass, and that the primordial baryonic matter is comprised of H and He, with the abundance of He equal to 10 pct of H by number. Galaxies are allowed to form out of the IGM, if the total density and baryonic density satisfy an overdensity criterion. Subsequently, the newly formed galaxies release 10 to the 60th ergs of energy into the IGM over a period of 10 to the 8th years. Calculations have been performed with 32 to the 3rd dark matter particles and 32 to the 3rd cells in a cube with comoving side length L = 9.6/h Mpc. Dark matter particles and galaxies have been followed with an N-body code, while the IGM has been followed with a fluid code.
Kinetic analysis of the O2-forming reaction between [Mn(III)(dpa)2]− (dpa=dipicolinate) and potassium peroxomonosulfate

Abstract The O2-evolving complex (OEC) of photosystem II (PSII) carries out the four-electron oxidation of water to dioxygen. We had previously reported reactions between manganese complexes containing the ligands dipicolinate (dpa) and 2,2′:6,2′′-terpyridine (terpy) and oxygen atom-transfer reagents potassium peroxomonosulfate (oxone), sodium hypochlorite and dimethyldioxirane that led to homogeneous catalytic O2 evolution. The species responsible for catalysis are the complexes of formula [(H2O)LMn(O)2MnL(OH2)]n±, where L=dpa (n=−1) or L=terpy (n=+3). In the case of the reaction of the terpy complex and hypochlorite, isotope studies showed that water is the source of oxygen atoms in the molecular oxygen evolved, so this complex is a functional model for photosynthetic water oxidation. Here, we present a kinetic analysis of the reaction between [Mn(dpa)2]− and oxone discussing both the mechanism of O2 evolution and of the side reaction that produces permanganate. The O2-evolving reaction is first-order in manganese and second-order in oxone, with a kobs of 37 700±260 M−2 h−1. MnO4 − formation is first order in both manganese and oxone, with a kobs of 570±14 M−1 h−1. All measurements were taken at a pH of 4.5; under this condition the rate of MnO4 − formation is approximately equal to the rate of O2 evolution, preventing the reaction from being truly catalytic at this pH. The kinetics are interpreted in terms of the reaction between a MnO-containing intermediate and oxone as being the key step in OO bond formation.
Effect of Aminopeptidase Activity of Thermophilic Lactobacilli on Emmental Cheese Characteristics

Abstract Cheeses were made with Lactobacillus helveticus strain L1, which has high aminopeptidase activity, and two clones (L2, L3), selected for their lack of aminopeptidase activity. Strains L2 and L3 were obtained from L1 by mutagenesis. The differences observed in cheese were essentially due to the variation of the aminopeptidase activity, the only parameter varying according to treatments. The physicochemical analyses of cheeses showed no differences in acidification, moisture of curd, and casein degradation. Differences between ripened cheeses were observed only by sensorial analysis; cheeses made with aminopeptidase-deficient lactobacilli (L2, L3) were more stiff and more bitter than those made with L1. The mutants should not be considered as bitter peptide-producing clones, but rather as allowing an accumulation of this kind of peptides in cheeses. These results explain the bitterness in ripened cheeses made with some strains or species of Lactobacillus (e.g., Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. lactis ) that have a very low aminopeptidase activity. Therefore, the aminopeptidase activity must be controlled when strains of lactic acid bacteria are intended for manufacture of cheese.
PML absorbing boundary conditions for the linearized and nonlinear Euler equations in the case of oblique mean flow

For the case of uniform mean flow in an arbitrary direction, perfectly matched layer (PML) absorbing boundary conditions are presented for both the linearized and nonlinear Euler equations. Although linear perfectly matched side layers with an oblique mean flow have been studied in previous works, we propose in the present paper a construction of corner layer equations that are dynamically stable. Stability issues are investigated by examining the dispersion relations of linear waves supported by the corner layer equations. For increased efficiency, a pseudo mean flow is included in the derivation of the PML equations for the nonlinear case. Numerical examples are given to support the validity of the proposed equations. Specifically, the linear PML formulation is tested for the case of acoustic, vorticity, and entropy waves traveling with an oblique mean flow. The nonlinear formulation is tested with an isentropic vortex moving diagonally with a constant velocity. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The fas antigen is involved in peripheral but not thymic deletion of T lymphocytes in T cell receptor transgenic mice

The role of a cell death-associated gene, fas, in T lymphocyte development and responses to antigen has been analyzed by breeding a transgenic T cell receptor specific for the 81-104 peptide of pigeon cytochrome c into fas-defective MRL-lpr/lpr and control MRL+/+ mice. Transgene-expressing T cells mature normally in both strains and populate peripheral lymphoid tissues in normal numbers. Mature CD4+ T cells from the lpr/lpr mice are resistant to suppression by high doses of antigen and to apoptotic cell death. In vivo administration of peptide antigen causes deletion of thymic T cells in both MRL-lpr/lpr and MRL+/+ strains. By contrast, antigen-induced deletion of peripheral T cells occurs in the MRL+/+ but not in the MRL-lpr/lpr strain. Therefore, the fas gene plays an essential role in activation-induced cell death in mature T lymphocytes, but not in the negative selection of immature cells in the thymus.
The horn fly: methoprene in drinking water of cattle for control.

Devices were constructed to meter 0.34 mg of methoprene/liter of water automatically into the troughs of drinking water of a 350-animal herd of cattle. The effect on the population of Haematobia irritans (L.), as determined by bioassay of fresh manure collected at intervals from the pasture, was complete inhibition of development of adult horn flies. As a result, the number of horn fly eggs on manure droppings in the pasture declined from an avg 75 to 13 eggs/dropping, and the number of flies was reduced from an average 360 to 7/animal. The untreated group, 12 animals, maintained an avg 300 flies/animal during the initial 5 wk of the 6-wk test. However, all water in the pasture was not treated, and marked sterile flies released on another herd 16 mi distant were found on test animals. Thus, reinfestation was occurring, both from within and outside the test area throughout the test period.
Structure of bacteriophage T4 genes 37 and 38

Abstract The distal half of the bacteriophage T4 tail fiber interacts with the bacterial surface during adsorption. The specificity of this interaction is controlled by the largest polypeptide in this half fiber, P37. During assembly of the half fiber P37 interacts with P38. These two gene products are incompatible with the corresponding gene products from the related phage T2: T2 P37 does not interact with T4 P38 and T4 P37 does not interact with T2 P38. Thus P37 has two specific functions, interaction with P38 and interaction with the bacterial surface. Both functions differ in specificity between T2 and T4. We have compared genes 37 and 38 of T2 with the corresponding genes of T4 to determine in more detail how the genes have diverged. Crosses between T2 and T4 phage which are mutant in genes 37 and 38 divide gene 37 into four segments which show different frequencies of T2-T4 recombination. These crosses show that both functional specializations of P37, attachment to the bacterial surface and interaction with P38, are determined by a single segment at the carboxyl end of P37. In this segment of gene 37 and in all of gene 38 there is no recombination between T2 and T4. The rest of gene 37 contains a segment with a small amount of T2-T4 recombination flanked by two small segments with relatively high T2-T4 recombination. When T2/T4 heteroduplex DNA molecules are examined under the electron microscope, four heterologous loops appear in the region of genes 37 and 38. When genes 37 and 38 are aligned with this heteroduplex pattern, regions of low recombination correspond to regions of T2-T4 heterology. Begions with relatively high recombination are homologous. As determined from sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gels, the molecular weight of T2 P37 is about 13,000 larger than that of T4 P37. Analysis of T2-T4 hybrid phage has shown that, like the functional differences, this molecular weight difference is determined by the carboxyl terminal segment of P37.
Prevalence and Correlates of Elder Mistreatment in South Carolina: The South Carolina Elder Mistreatment Study:

The purposes of this study were to (a) derive prevalence estimates for elder mistreatment (emotional, physical, sexual, neglectful, and financial mistreatment of older adults [age 60 +]) in a randomly selected sample of South Carolinians; (b) examine correlates (i.e., potential risk factors) of mistreatment; and (c) examine incident characteristics of mistreatment events. Random Digit Dialing (RDD) was used to derive a representative sample in terms of age and gender; computer-assisted telephone interviewing was used to standardize collection of demographic, correlate, and mistreatment data. Prevalence estimates and mistreatment correlates were obtained and subjected to logistic regression. A total of 902 participants provided data. Prevalence for mistreatment types (since age 60) were 12.9% emotional, 2.1% physical, 0.3% sexual, 5.4% potential neglect, and 6.6% financial exploitation by family member. The most consistent correlates of mistreatment across abuse types were low social support and needing assistance with daily living activities. One in 10 participants reported either emotional, physical, sexual, or neglectful mistreatment within the past year, and 2 in 10 reported mistreatment since age 60. Across categories, the most consistent correlate of mistreatment was low social support, representing an area toward which preventive intervention may be directed with significant public health implications.
Deep sea drilling: age and composition of an atlantic basaltic intrusion.

The fission track age of a basalt recovered from beneath Campanian sediments on the lower western flank of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is (15.9 ± 1.6) x 106 years. The major element composition of a glassy margin of the basalt is similar to that of oceanic tholeiites except for a markedly higher potassium concentration.
Spanish Surrealism's Absent Father: The Sub-Realist Poetry and Poetics of Juan Larrea

Su postura es aqui contraria en orientacion a la del surrealismo, cosa que nos permite comprenderla como una poesia sub-Realista, por bajo de la luz de flotacion de la Realidad. Mientras el surreal...
Hadron mass predictions of the valence approximation to lattice QCD

We evaluate the infinite-volume, continuum limits of eight hadron mass ratios predicted by lattice QCD with Wilson quarks in the valence (quenched) approximation. Each predicted ratio differs from the corresponding observed value by less than 6%.
Identifying criteria to classify chemical mixtures as “highly hazardous” due to chemical reactivity

Abstract This paper uses 13 sets of calorimeter data to evaluate a number of common criteria to characterize chemical reactive hazards. The purpose is to “brainstorm” whether a criterion or set of criteria can be used to trigger PSM or RMP requirements for reactive chemicals. Such a criterion must be cost-effective, easy to use, and, ideally, should not rely on additional experimental testing. A total of 12 criteria were considered in this work: NFPA instability rating, experimental heat of reaction, experimental total heat release, instantaneous power density (IPD), reaction onset temperature, total change in temperature, total change in pressure, maximum temperature rate, maximum pressure rate, CHETAH predicted energy, and the Melhem Index (based on the calculated heat of reaction at the equilibrium state, and the computed adiabatic reaction temperature (CART)). Screening values, mostly selected arbitrarily, were assigned to the criteria. Based on this very limited set of calorimeter data, the following conclusions can be made: • No single criterion is likely to be adequate for screening all classes of reactive chemicals. • The calculated heat of reaction performed “best” as a single parameter, screening 10 of the 13 systems (77%) using a 100 cal/g threshold. If the pure material is used (without solvent), then the calculated heat of reaction screens 12 of the 13 systems. • The total pressure increase screened 61% of the data sets and experimental heat release screened 54%. Combined, the two criteria screened 77% of the chemicals. • The NFPA instability rating combined with the calculated heat of reaction screened 12 of the 13 systems (92%). Adding the total pressure change screened all of the systems (100%), although adding the pressure change requires closed-cell calorimeter data. • The Melhem Index does not screen any additional chemicals over the calculated heat of reaction by itself. However, the hazard class of two systems is increased from LOW to INTERMEDIATE by the addition of the CART values. • Most of the criteria require experimental data. Many require data from an adiabatic, closed-cell calorimeter. The results of this study are mixed. It might be possible to establish a screening method based on several of the criteria discussed in this paper. However, this would require much more analysis with a much larger set of chemicals prior to establishing a final screening method.
Intercomparison of normalized head-scatter factor measurement techniques.

Normalized head‐scatter factors were measured with cylindrical beam coaxial miniphantoms and high purity graphite buildup caps for 4‐, 6‐, 10‐, and 24‐MV photon beams at field sizes from 4×4 to 40×40 cm2. The normalized head‐scatter factors determined by the two methods matched well for 4‐ and 6‐MV photon beams. The miniphantom technique produced normalized head‐scatter factors 1.5% and 4.8% lower than the buildup caps for the 10‐ and 24‐MV beams for large field sizes, respectively. At small field sizes, the miniphantom technique produced larger normalized head‐scatter factors than the buildup caps. Measurements made with an electromagnet indicate that a significant portion of the ionization measured in the buildup cap at 24 MV arises from contamination electrons. Measurements made with the miniphantom and magnet found no contamination electron contribution. The miniphantom technique may exclude such contamination electrons, potentially leading to inaccuracies in tissue‐maximum ratios and phantom scatter factors, as well as inaccuracies in monitor unit calculations.
Localization using ground- and air-based acoustic arrays

Techniques were developed to localize acoustic quasiperiodic signals using microphone arrays located on the ground and on an aerostat. The direction of arrival (DOA) was computed at each array and then the position of the source was estimated using algorithms based upon triangulation. Differential time delays between the microphones in a tetrahedral array were estimated in the frequency domain, and then DOA estimates were calculated using a weighted least squares approach. The location of the target was calculated by minimizing the weighted squared error of a cost function for different combinations of DOA estimates. The algorithms were tested offline using data collected by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory on an aircraft. The ground-truth position of the target was recorded using a GPS system as it maneuvered and compared to the results obtained from the localization algorithms. The algorithms performed well when estimating the x and y positions, but had difficulty obtaining consistently good z positions, or equivalently, height estimates.
Large deflection angle fan-out element based on dislocated grating array

Abstract We study the possibility of designing and fabricating a fan-out element based on a computer-generated hologram (CGH) which is capable of providing a large deflection angle without using excessively small CGH cells. The recent development of CGHs using dislocated grating arrays was employed to design the fan-out element. Experimental results show that a deflection angle of 41° was achieved using a CGH cell size of 10 μm×10 μm and an operating optical wavelength of 0.98 μm. Further experimental results and theoretical analysis are also presented in order to investigate the characteristics of this type of fan-out element.
Survey of urban tree programs in the United States

Abstract A review of the literature on municipal tree programs has revealed the lack of information on comprehensive master tree planning. A survey was conducted of 72 cities in the United States to determine the status of municipal tree programs. The response to this survey is summarized in four broad categories: (1) perception of the status of municipal tree programs; (2) composition of tree management staffs; (3) quantitative aspects of tree management activities; (4) problems and values related to urban trees. The results are discussed and tabulated based upon three categories of city population and four regions within the continental United States. The implications of the results are discussed under four broad categories of issues identified by the survey: (1) tree master planning, (2) community relations, (3) financial support, and (4) research and testing.
Interacting Successfully in Corporate Culture

To assume their roles in corporate culture, business- and technical- communication students must understand the spoken and unspoken dis courses of corporate protocol and be aware of the intricacies of these discourses. Students must be knowledgeable about the correct corporate proto col for verbal as well as for nonverbal communication. Teachers can incorpo rate exercises into business- and technical-communication courses to increase students' awareness of and competence in navigating institutional politics. Learning how to interact successfully will enable students as new employees not only to survive institutional politics but to advance in their professions.
The Decline and Fall of the United States Information Agency: American public diplomacy, 1989–2001

Nicholas J. Cull New York, Palgrave Macmillan, 2012 xv+257 pp., bibliography, index, $85.00 (cloth) In 2008 Nick Cull published his marvelous The Cold War and the United States Information Agency: ...
An RNA recognition motif-containing protein is required for plastid RNA editing in Arabidopsis and maize

Plant RNA editing modifies cytidines (C) to uridines (U) at specific sites in the transcripts of both mitochondria and plastids. Specific targeting of particular Cs is achieved by pentatricopeptide proteins that recognize cis elements upstream of the C that is edited. Members of the RNA-editing factor interacting protein (RIP) family in Arabidopsis have recently been shown to be essential components of the plant editosome. We have identified a gene that contains a pair of truncated RIP domains (RIP-RIP). Unlike any previously described RIP family member, the encoded protein carries an RNA recognition motif (RRM) at its C terminus and has therefore been named Organelle RRM protein 1 (ORRM1). ORRM1 is an essential plastid editing factor; in Arabidopsis and maize mutants, RNA editing is impaired at particular sites, with an almost complete loss of editing for 12 sites in Arabidopsis and 9 sites in maize. Transfection of Arabidopsis orrm1 mutant protoplasts with constructs encoding a region encompassing the RIP-RIP domain or a region spanning the RRM domain of ORRM1 demonstrated that the RRM domain is sufficient for the editing function of ORRM1 in vitro. According to a yeast two-hybrid assay, ORRM1 interacts selectively with pentatricopeptide transfactors via its RIP-RIP domain. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that the RRM in ORRM1 clusters with a clade of RRM proteins that are targeted to organelles. Taken together, these results suggest that other members of the ORRM family may likewise function in RNA editing.
Visual pigments and the early receptor potential of the isolated frog retina.

The early receptor potential (ERP) of the isolated frog retina is generated primarily by a cone pigment that absorbs maximally at ca. 570–580 nm. Irradiation of the retina with red light, which selectively bleaches this cone pigment, indicates that, in addition to the 580 nm pigment, the ERP of the isolated frog retina is generated by a pigment or pigments absorbing at shorter wavelengths. Bleaching most of the rod pigment rhodopsin causes appreciable changes in the response waveform and slope of the amplitude vs. intensity function but causes only small changes in the ERP action spectrum.
Physics of ultrafast phenomena in solid state plasmas

Abstract Over the past half-decade measurements of the nonlinear, nonequilibrium optical properties of the germanium solid-state plasma have been carried out in several laboratories. These measurements involve, for example, the ultrafast relaxation of optically-excited electron-hole distributions in semiconductors and the photoluminescence spectrum of Ge at high excitation intensities. Here, we review our present theoretical understanding of these experiments, and we discuss the theoretical limitations. We also extend our previous model, through a simple calculation, to include carrier diffusion.
Potential drugs and methods for preventing or delaying the progression of Huntington's disease.

Huntington’s disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant inherited and progressive neurodegenerative disorder with motor dysfunction and cognitive deficits. Although, there are no treatments to delay the appearance and the progression of HD, there are potential drugs currently in preclinical and clinical trials that are focused on HD therapy. The signaling pathways involved in HD are not yet clearly elucidated; however, expression of mutant huntingtin protein is considered a key factor in the induction and/or progression of HD. The demonstration that the onset and progression of HD in models of transgenic mice, in particular, are delayed or improved by the application of neurotrophic factors has emphasized their importance in neuroprotection in HD. In addition, other compounds targeting the HD gene or mutant huntingtin protein are currently in preclinical and clinical testing and may show promising neuroprotective effects. There are current patented drugs that are currently being considered as potential therapeutics for HD. These patented drugs may provide promising therapy for HD.
State of the Art Survey of Political Science Reference Sources

Political science, as an intellectual discipline, reflects the methodological controversies that have divided the field. The traditional approach, favoring history and theory, was dominant until World War II. During the 1950's and 1960's, the behavioral approach, which is concerned with the political behavior of individuals and groups and a “value‐free” political analysis, divided the discipline. The current trend is toward an amalgamation of these two approaches with insistence upon relevant research that is related to values and ethical standards.
The Effect of a Music Appreciation Course on Students' Verbally Expressed Preferences for Composers

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a course in music appreciation on I attitudes of college nonmusic majors (N = 187) regarding favorite composers, as verbally expressed in the absence of music stimuli. Students participating in a 10-week music appreciation course were tested for knowledge of course content and surveyed for ranked listings of their 10 favorite composers before and after the course. These data were analyzed for precourse to postcourse changes and their interrelationships, as well as their relationships to music training, textbook content, and recording purchases.The primary focus of the music appreciation course was the music and composers of the formal tradition as reflected by the textbook content. After completing the course, students had a significantly greater tendency (p < .01) to include composers of this tradition on ranked listings of their 10 favorite composers. There was a significant (p < .05) but moderate relationship between textbook content and both ...
CaMKII-Mediated Phosphorylation of InsP3R2 at Serine-150 Results in Decreased Channel Activity

InsP3 mediated calcium release through the type-2 inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (InsP3R2) in cardiac myocytes results in the activation of associated CaMKIIδ (Bare et al, 2005, JBC; Wu et al, 2006, JCI), enabling the kinase to act on downstream targets, such as histone deacetylases 4 & 5 (HDAC4 & HDAC5) (Zhang et al, 2007, JBC). The CaMKII activity also feedback modulates InsP3R2 function by direct phosphorylation and results in a dramatic decrease in the receptor-channel open probability (Po). The results of this study show that in planar lipid bilayers the channel activity of InsP3Rs can be inhibited by CaMKII-mediated phosphorylation, and that effect can be reversed by addition of protein phosphatases. Furthermore, we have used fragments of the InsP3R2 and site-directed mutagenesis to determine that Serine at residue 150 is the CaMKII phosphorylation site responsible for modulation of channel activity. Non-phosphorylatable (S150A) and phospho-mimetic (S150E) mutations were constructed in the full-length InsP3R2, expressed in COS cells and studied in planar lipid bilayers. Upon treatment with CaMKII, the non-phosphorylatable channel showed no decrease in activity. Conversely, the phosphomimetic channel displayed a very low Po under normal recording conditions in the absence of CaMKII (2μM InsP3 and 250nM [Ca2+]FREE), thus mimicking a channel that has been phosphorylated by CaMKII. The results of this study show that Serine-150 of the InsP3R2 is phosphorylated by CaMKII and results in a decrease in the channel's open probability. The mechanism for the regulation of the InsP3R2 appears to be a consequence of altered affinity for InsP3 at the ligand binding site and/or perturbation of the receptor amino to carboxyl-terminal interaction and is currently being examined.These studies were supported by National Institutes of Health grant PO1HL080101.
Texture based image recognition in microscopy images of diffuse gliomas with multi-class gentle boosting mechanism

The diagnosis of diffuse gliomas requires the careful inspection of large amounts of visual data. Identifying tissue regions that inform diagnosis is a cumbersome task for human reviewers and is a process prone to inter-reader variability. In this paper we present an automatic method for identifying critical diagnostic regions within whole-slide microscopy images of gliomas. We frame the problem of critical region identification as a texture-based content retrieval task in the sense that each image is represented by a set of texture features. Both linear and nonlinear dimensionality reduction techniques are utilized to explore the intrinsic dimensionality of the feature space where images are classified by classification and regression trees with performances improved by a newly extended multi-class gentle boosting (MCGB) mechanism. The proposed method is demonstrated on 1200 sample regions using a five-fold cross validation, achieving a 96.25% classification accuracy.
Thermodynamic assessment of the Co-Mo system

Experimental thermochemical and phase diagram data for the Co-Mo system were assessed. A consistent thermodynamic description, using a Redlich-Kister model for the solution phases and sublattice and line-compound models for the intermetallics, was obtained, and it agreed well with the critically evaluated experimental data. Several variations of the sublattice model for the σ and μ phases were compared with the traditional models used for these phases in other systems. Measured data indicate an abrupt decrease of the terminal Mo solubility in the fcc (Co) phase with decreasing temperature. This behavior was reproduced well by inclusion of the magnetic contribution to the Gibbs energy of the fcc phase. Addition of the magnetic term also led to the prediction of a fcc (Co) miscibility gap, and a high-temperature stability region of the paramagnetic cph (Co) phase.
A Study of the Mechanisms of Acid Rain Formation.

Abstract Samples of rain, snow, cloud water, aerosols and soil were collected in Colorado to study the mechanisms of acid rain formation. Chemical compositions of various types of samples were analyzed to investigate the stepwise incorporation of impurities into precipitation. Local soil was generally alkaline; atmospheric aerosols, which are mixtures of stirred-up soil particles and anthropogenic pollution, were slightly acidic; cloud condensation nuclei, which initiate clouds at condensation level, had an average pH of ∼6. However, local clouds were very acidic (pH ∼4), indicating that further acidification takes place in clouds by adsorption of acidic gases, e.g., CO2, SO2, and NOx. We found that summer showers formed by coalescence of cloud droplets are likely to be as acidic as cloud water. The chemistry of snow may differ from that of clouds, depending on the mechanisms of snow formation. If snow crystals are initiated by deposition nucleation and grown by diffusion of water vapor from surrounding e...
Split dose studies on the erythropoietic effects of cadmium

The processes of red blood cell production and release, i.e., erythropoiesis, are complex and involve a series of cell divisions and maturation phases during which hemoglobin is synthesized. The formation of hemoglobin is an integral process and functions as one of the factors that control the rate and extent of erythropoiesis. Therefore, exogenous and endogenous factors which affect the synthesis of hemoglobin would secondarily affect the rate and extent of the erythropoietic process. Incorporation of radioactively labeled iron ({sup 59}Fe) into the hemoglobin of erythrocyte precursor cells in the process of hemoglobin production, is a precise measurement of erythropoiesis. Another widely used indicator of the rate and extent of hemoglobin synthesis, and thus, erythropoiesis, is the activity level of the enzyme, delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD). This enzyme plays a crucial role in hemoglobin formation by promoting the condensation of two moles of aminolevulinic acid to form one mole of porphobilinogen. The degree of ALAD activity and/or its availability to perform its coupling function would, of course, affect the synthesis of hemoglobin which in turn would influence the total erythropoietic progression. The purposes of the studies here were to compare the erythropoietic effects of a single dosage of cadmium to splitmore » dosages. 19 refs., 21 figs.« less
'Location, location, location': activation and targeting of MAP kinases by G protein-coupled receptors

A growing body of data supports the conclusion that G protein-coupled receptors can regulate cellular growth and differentiation by controlling the activity of MAP kinases. The activation of heterotrimeric G protein pools initiates a complex network of signals leading to MAP kinase activation that frequently involves cross-talk between G protein-coupled receptors and receptor tyrosine kinases or focal adhesions. The dominant mechanism of MAP kinase activation varies significantly between receptor and cell type. Moreover, the mechanism of MAP kinase activation has a substantial impact on MAP kinase function. Some signals lead to the targeting of activated MAP kinase to specific extranuclear locations, while others activate a MAP kinase pool that is free to translocate to the nucleus and contribute to a mitogenic response.
Domain decomposition method for solution of acoustic-structure finite element method for distributed computation

A new Domain Decomposition Method (DDM) is proposed, which breaks an Acoustic-Structure Finite Element Model (ASFEM) into multiple non-symmetric sections, computes the scattering by each one as an independent system, and combines all the solutions of the individual segments to get the entire scattering solution. In general, the approach to get a finite element solution for acoustic scattering from an underwater target uses the Helmholtz equation as the governing equation and non-reflecting absorbing or radiation boundary conditions to truncate the infinite exterior region. The solution is obtained in the frequency domain and is stationary by nature. Our purpose here is to devise a hybrid, stationary, ASFEM solution using the DDM to enable more efficient use of memory for very complex targets. Taking advantage of the stationary of the solution and using multi-grid meshes with a mapping function to update boundary conditions on the surface of separated sections, the final solution for all the decoupled sections is determined iteratively, taking sufficient steps to reach equilibrium in all sections. The method can make it possible to get a solution for an ASFEM whose geometry is not symmetric in any space direction and requires too many elements to run on a single processor due to the limited memory size. It can also be used to reduce the run time of an ASFEM solution using a distributed computational system.
Kinetics of corneal drug uptake studied by corneal perfusion in situ I. Evaluation of system and uptake of ethyl p-aminobenzoate in rabbits

Abstract An in situ corneal perfusion system which enables quantitation of corneal drug uptake is described. By determining the decline in drug concentration in the perfusion apparatus as a function of time, it is possible to measure drug clearance from the system thereby obtaining a measure of corneal drug uptake. Using this method, the clearance from the system of ethyl p-aminobenzoate by rabbit corneas was investigated. The in situ perfusion system provides reproducible results and obviates many of the problems associated with isolated, in vitro corneal studies. This method can be utilized to study the effect of physical-chemical drug properties on corneal uptake, as well as in ocular pharmacokinetic modeling and dosage form evaluation.
Pore size distribution effects on electrokinetic phenomena in semipermeable membranes

Electrokinetic phenomena occurring in charged ultrafiltration membranes can significantly influence the transport characteristics of these membranes. Theoretical calculations have been performed to evaluate the effects of different log-normal pore size distributions on the solvent flow rate, the induced streaming potential, and the membrane zeta potential. The solvent flow rate increased with an increase in the breadth of the pore size distribution, with this effect being much more pronounced for pressure-driven flow than for electrically-driven flow. The streaming potential induced by the convective fluid flow significantly alters the flow profiles through the membrane due to the very different dependence of the pressure-driven and counter-electroosmotic flow on the pore radius. This causes a relatively large negative (reverse) flow to develop through the smallest pores in the distribution. The membrane zeta potential was also a function of the pore size distribution, even for membranes having the same hydraulic permeability and surface charge density. These results provide important insights into the effects of different pore size distributions on membrane transport and on the proper interpretation of these electrokinetic phenomena.
Maskless synthesis of Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanofibers (VACNF) field emission arrays on a Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Structures (LIPSS) template

In this paper, a non-lithographic technique that produces organized nanoscale nickel catalyst for carbon nanofiber growth on a silicon substrate is described. This technique involves three consecutive steps: first, the substrate is laser-irradiated to produce a periodic nano rippled structure; second, a thin film of nickel is deposited using glancing angle ion beam sputter-deposition, followed by heat-treatment; and third, a catalytic DC plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process is conducted to produce the vertically aligned carbon nanofibers (VACNF).