cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Glutamate Effect on the Functionality of Pol I DNA Polymerases

The enhancement of protein-DNA interactions in the presence of glutamate salts has been observed in numerous studies and has often been called “the glutamate effect”. Klenow and Klentaq are the large fragment domains of the Type I DNA polymerases from E. coli and Thermus aquaticus, respectively. Our lab has previously characterized the enhancing effect of potassium glutamate (KGlu) on the the binding affinities of these polymerases to DNA versus that of potassium chloride (KCl). In this project, we investigate the effect of KGlu on the overall functionalities of Klenow and Klentaq.Replacing KCl with KGlu in the reaction buffer for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results in a significant increase in the quantity of replication product at low salt concentrations ( 1M) appears unrelated to nucleotide incorporation activity. Ongoing work includes examining the effects of KGlu versus KCl on the melting temperature of duplex DNA, and use of real-time PCR to more fully characterize the functional enhancement effect of glutamate in the overall DNA replication reaction. This work is supported by the NSF.
Emergence of Plasma Photonics

The past several years have witnessed the emergence of a subfield of photonics in which the unique optical and electronic properties of microplasmas and gases are coupled with solid phase materials and optical components to realize photodetectors, transistors, photonic crystals, laser sources, and lighting. Highlights of novel plasma or gas based photonic devices reported in 2010 are described.
A Heroic Vision

Although the empirical studies of Terror Management Theory lend support to Ernest Becker's anthropology, they hardly provide a vision with the power to inspire late twentieth century humanity. Becker's own dark view of what it means to be human is, at least in part, to blame. On the basis of an exploration of the positive implications of the religious symbol of creatureliness, an alternative social theory, that of ecologico-social democracy, is proposed as a vision that requires and may even inspire heroism.
Pore structure of superporous hydrogels

Hydrogels with a fast swelling property have been synthesized using a gas blowing technique. Since those hydrogels possess interconnected pores of which diameters are in the order of a few hundred micrometers, they are called “superporous hydrogels” (SPHs). The fast swelling of SPHs in aqueous solution is due to the absorption of water by capillary pressure through interconnected pores (i.e. open channels). Because of the importance of pore structures on the fast swelling property, effects of surface porosity on the swelling kinetics were examined. The surface chemistry of the polymerization mold made of glass was varied using various silanes, and the surface morphology of the synthesized SPHs was examined by scanning electron microscopy. The porosity was measured using mercury porosimetry. Despite differences in surface morphology and surface porosity of SPHs, the swelling kinetics were not changed significantly. The internal pore structures remained the same as the surface porosity changed. The study indicates that the swelling of SPHs is predominantly determined by the internal pore structures, and small differences in the surface porosity do not alter the overall swelling kinetics of SPHs. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Results of elective repair at 6 months or younger in 277 patients with tetralogy of Fallot: a 14-year experience at a single center.

Objective To report practice and outcomes in infants undergoing elective repair of tetralogy of Fallot. Methods A review of a retrospective cohort of elective complete repair of infants age 6 months or younger from 1995 to 2009 was performed. Patients were excluded because of previous interventions, hypercyanotic episodes, intensive care admissions, additional major cardiac defects, or if they were not discharged after birth. Length of stay, mortality, and complications were recorded. Association was determined using logistic or linear regression models and univariate testing determined the multivariate model. Results There were 277 patients included. The hospital mortality rate was zero. A total of 87.4% of patients were discharged home within 7 days of repair, and 21.6% of patients were discharged on or before the third postoperative day. The postoperative course was uncomplicated in 245 patients (88.4%). Longer support time was associated independently with increased odds of complications ( P P P P Conclusions Elective tetralogy of Fallot repair was performed at 6 months or younger with low morbidity, no hospital mortality, and an 11.6% complication rate. Longer support times, lower weight, chromosomal abnormalities, and complications were associated with a significantly increased duration of hospital stay.
Deriving the HIV incubation period distribution for AIDS using immunological markers and devising infection treatment strategies

Survey data suggest that it is impossible for HIV infecteds to develop AIDs if the values of their CD4+ T-cell densities are above a critical threshold. An infected whose CD4+ T-cell density falls below 200 cells per microliter is now automatically regarded as having AIDS by the CDC. Using the CD4+ T-cell density as a surrogate marker of disease progression, a model that is consistent with the data is developed and applied to the homosexual/bisexual and IVDU risk groups. Assuming that the critical CD4+ T-cell density for these risk groups are identical, it is found that their progression towards AIDS during the incubation period is identical, suggesting that the dynamics of the HIV infection may be independent of risk group. The different incubation period distributions obtained from this modelling for these two risk groups is shown to be entirely due to their different normal seronegative CD4+ T-cell density distributions. Using [email protected] as a surrogate marker is shown to give similar results. The impact of the HIV infection on the immune system is reviewed, and immunological infection models are developed. The data suggest to this author that Homo sapiens have generally lost the ability to generate T-cells and B-cells with the specificity necessary to neutralize HIV as they evolved from the primates. It is plausible that a legacy of primate immunity to HIV still remains in the 10% of Homo sapiens who show no immune system deterioration in the first 10 years of the HIV infection. New HIV infection treatment strategies based on this model are devised and discussed.
Successful osteosynthesis of an unstable mesoacromion in 6 shoulders: a new technique.

Abstract Six patients with impingement syndrome associated with an unstable mesoacromion underwent successful acromial fusion performed with a new technique. Preoperative symptoms included pain from a combination of 3 sources: movement at the mesoacromial cleft, junction of the medial cleft with the distal clavicle, and dynamic impingement of the unstable anterior acromion on the underlying rotator cuff. Two patients reported the onset of pain after a blow to the top of the acromion that supposedly rendered the mesoacromion unstable. Three patients had a tear of the supraspinatus tendon. The operative technique utilized 4.5-mm cannulated Herbert screws for fixation, a dorsal wedge osteotomy of the nonunion site, a dorsal bone graft fashioned from an anterior acromion cut, a figure-of-eight suture, and a postoperative abduction brace. Tilting the anterior acromial fragment up and fusing it together worked to relieve impingement. An acromioplasty was not performed. The 3 rotator cuff tears were repaired. After 3 to 6 years of follow-up, all 6 shoulders were rated as excellent according to criteria similar to that of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons. 9
Terence V. Powderly and Disguised Discrimination

IN A LABOR MARKET characterized by the separation of the working casses from the land and from access to other natural resources, in addition to the giant corporate structure holding financial dominance and monopolistic positions, workers employed countervailing power to defend themselves against employers who sought to exploit the most recent immigrants. The latter were used to destroy the bulwark of association against employer exploitation established by the older immigrations in the labor market. To achieve countervailing power, the older immigrations utilized various means. In opposition to employers' economic power they could resort to two polarized means to maintain their socio-economic status in society. They are: 1) they engaged in disguised discrimination by excuding recent immigrants, or giving them segregated and/or second class membership in their established unions (it was simple to rationalize their "guilt feelings," by contending that the newer arrivals would be better served by their own unions). Or 2) the recent immigrants were absorbed into the existing house of labor. This influx of new blood, like a transfusion, reinvigorated their organizations and their movement. Furthermore, this infusion of new blood protected current and future advances even with an enlarged supply because it reduced the use of "greenhands," scabs, ("rats," "twothirders," "blackleggers"), etc., and minimized the labor reservoir that employers could use to dilute the collective power of unions in instances of confrontation.
Deletion of the SSK1 Response Regulator Gene in Candida albicans Contributes to Enhanced Killing by Human Polymorphonuclear Neutrophils

The isolation and partial functional characterization of the two-component response regulator SSK1 gene of Candida albicans was previously reported. Compared to wild-type (CAF2-1) and gene-reconstituted (SSK23) strains, the ssk1 null strain (SSK21) was avirulent in a murine model of hematogenously disseminated candidiasis and less able to adhere to human esophageal cells. More recent data indicate that SSK21 is sensitive to 4 to 8 mM H2O2 in vitro than CAF2-1 and SSK23. Furthermore, microarray studies indicate that the regulation of two classes of genes, those encoding cell wall functions and stress adaptation, are altered in the ssk1 mutant. In the present study, the susceptibility of strains CAF2-1, SSK21, and SSK23 to killing by human polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) was assessed. Results are also described for a newly constructed ssk1 mutant (SSK24) in which the URA3 gene is integrated into its native locus. Our results indicate that killing of SSK21 and SSK24 was significantly greater than that of CAF2-1 and SSK23 (P < 0.01). In order to determine why Ssk1p at least partially protects the organism against the killing activity of human PMNs, we compared the signal transduction activity and the inflammatory response gene profiles of PMNs infected with either the wild type or the ssk1 mutant. Phosphorylation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases p42/44 and p38 from neutrophils infected with either CAF2-1 (wild type) or SSK21 (ssk1/ssk1) was similar, while expression and phosphorylation of the JNK mitogen-activated protein kinase was not observed following infection with either strain. On the other hand, we observed an upregulation of seven inflammatory response genes in PMNs infected with the SSK21 mutant only, while an increase in interleukin-10 expression was measured in PMNs infected with either strain. Downregulation of interleukin-2 was observed in PMNs infected with either strain. Verification of the transcriptional profiling was obtained by reverse transcription-PCR for three of the genes that were upregulated in neutrophils infected with the ssk1 mutant. Also, the sensitivity of strain SSK21 to human defensin-1, one of the nonoxidative, antimicrobial peptides of PMNs, was greater than that of CAF2-1, demonstrating that nonoxidative killing in PMNs may contribute to the increased susceptibility of the ssk1 mutant. Our results indicate that the Ssk1p response regulator protein may provide at least partial adaptive functions for the survival of C. albicans following its encounter with human neutrophils.
Altitude training considerations for the winter sport athlete

Winter sports events routinely take place at low to moderate altitudes, and nearly all Winter Olympic Games have had at least one venue at an altitude >1000 m. The acute and chronic effects of altitude can have a substantial effect on performance outcomes. Acutely, the decline in oxygen delivery to working muscle decreases maximal oxygen uptake, negatively affecting performance in endurance events, such as cross-country skiing and biathlon. The reduction in air resistance at altitude can dramatically affect sports involving high velocities and technical skill components, such as ski jumping, speed skating, figure skating and ice hockey. Dissociation between velocity and sensations usually associated with work intensity (ventilation, metabolic signals in skeletal muscle and heart rate) may impair pacing strategy and make it difficult to determine optimal race pace. For competitions taking place at altitude, a number of strategies may be useful, depending on the altitude of residence of the athlete and ultimate competition altitude, as follows. First, allow extra time and practice (how much is yet undetermined) for athletes to adjust to the changes in projectile motion; hockey, shooting, figure skating and ski jumping may be particularly affected. These considerations apply equally in the reverse direction; that is, for athletes practising at altitude but competing at sea level. Second, allow time for acclimatization for endurance sports: 3-5 days if possible, especially for low altitude (500-2000 m); 1-2 weeks for moderate altitude (2000-3000 m); and at least 2 weeks if possible for high altitude (>3000 m). Third, increase exercise-recovery ratios as much as possible, with 1:3 ratio probably optimal, and consider more frequent substitutions for sports where this is allowed, such as ice hockey. Fourth, consider the use of supplemental O(2) on the sideline (ice hockey) or in between heats (skating and Alpine skiing) to facilitate recovery. For competitions at sea level, the 'live high-train low' model of altitude training can help athletes in endurance events to maximize performance.
Determination of the mode and efficacy of the cross-linking of guar by borate using MAS 11B NMR of borate cross-linked guar in combination with solution 11B NMR of model systems

The reaction product of boric acid and the polysaccharide guaran (the major component of guar gum) has been investigated by 11B NMR spectroscopy. By comparison with the 11B NMR of boric acid and phenylboronic acid complexes of 1,2-diols (HOCMe2CMe2OH, cis-C6H10(OH)2, trans-C6H10(OH)2, o-C6H4(OH)2), 1,3-diols (neol-H2), monosaccharides (L-fucose, mannose and galactose) and disaccharides (celloboise and sucrose) it is found that the guaran polymer is cross-linked via a borate complex of two 1,2-diols both forming chelate 5-membered ring cycles ([B52]), this contrasts with previous proposals. Based upon steric constraints we propose that preferential cross-linking the guaran polymer occurs via the 3,4-diols of the galactose side chain. The ΔH and ΔS for complexation of boric acid to cis- and trans-1,2-cyclohexanediol have been determined, from the temperature dependence of the appropriate equilibrium constants, and used in conjunction with ab initio calculations on model compounds, to understand prior conflicting proposals for guaran–boric acid interactions. 11B NMR derived pH dependent equilibrium constants and ab initio calculations have been used to understand the reasons for the inefficiency of boric acid to cross-link guaran (almost 2 borate ions per 3 monosaccharide repeat units are required for a viscous gel suitable as a fracturing fluid): the most reactive sites on the component saccharides (mannose and galactose) are precluded from reaction by the nature of the guar structure; the comparable acidity (pKa) of the remaining guaran alcohol substituents and the water solvent, results in a competition between cross-linking and borate formation; a significant fraction of the boric acid is ineffective in cross-linking guar due to the modest equilibrium (Keq). In contrast to prior work, we present evidence for the reaction of alcohols with boric acid, rather than the borate anion. Based upon the results obtained for phenylboronic acid, alternative cross-linking agents are proposed.
Internal Energy and Enthalpy: Measurement and Related Examples

Unlike the state variables the volume, pressure, and the temperature, thermodynamic state functions such as the internal energy and the enthalpy cannot easily be measured by a well designed piece of apparatus. Rather, it is necessary to follow a circuitous route.
Voltage unbalance with a phase out of service in polyphase transmission systems

High phase order transmission systems (e.g., n φ ≥ 6) are revisited with a specific focus: the operation of a polyphase system with one phase out of service. The resulting voltage at the load end of the circuit is considered for voltage unbalance calculation. Envisioned are temporary outages to allow repairs of one phase. The concept of single pole switching for stability enhancement of a three-phase system during a single phase fault can be found in literature. This paper specifically focusses on voltage unbalance in a high phase order system for the case of one phase out of service. Simulation results are presented.
You Can’t Win If You Don’t Fight: The Role of Regime Type in Counterinsurgency Outbreaks and Outcomes

What effect, if any, does democracy have on outcomes of counterinsurgency wars? Previous studies have provided inconclusive answers mainly because of the challenges involved in testing the question empirically: First, insurgencies are not accidental and the anticipated outcomes also affect whether they break out in the first place. Second, regimes are non-random and their determinants can also affect insurgency incidence and its outcomes. Moreover, different aspects of democracy can have opposite effects on the government's chances of winning. I address these challenges by conducting a critical test to distinguish between different causal mechanisms. I find that domestic institutions that are associated with public goods provision make insurgency onsets less likely. I also show that once we control for this selection effect, domestic political institutions do not influence insurgency outcomes.
The No Child Left Behind Act: Accountability, High-Stakes Testing, and Roles for Sociologists:

Central to sociology is the assumption that virtually all forms of social action and public policies have unanticipated consequences for their actors and social systems. As sociologists, we seek to explore these unanticipated consequences and delineate how they will affect people, policies, and practices. This essay focuses on the unanticipated consequences of the assessment and accountability mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001. Here, I suggest ways for sociologists to play significant roles in the states' implementation of their assessment and accountability systems. The key components of NCLB are not new (Mazzeo 2001), since the assessment of students is traceable to the post-Civil War era, and school accountability followed the publication of A Nation at Risk (National Commission on Excellence in Education
Bidirectional Mappings for Data and Update Exchange

A key challenge in supporting information interchange is not only supporting queries over integrated data, but also updates. Previous work on update exchange has enabled update propagation over schema mappings in a unidirectional way — conceptually similar to view maintenance, in that a derived instance gets updated based on changes to a source instance. In this paper, we consider how to support data and update propagation across bidirectional mappings that enable dierent sites to mirror each other’s data. We describe how data and update exchange can be extended to support bidirectional updates, implement an algorithm to perform side eect-free update propagation in this model, and show preliminary results suggesting our approach is feasible.
Entropy Budget of an Atmosphere in Radiative–Convective Equilibrium. Part I: Maximum Work and Frictional Dissipation

Abstract The entropy budget of an atmosphere in radiative–convective equilibrium is analyzed here. The differential heating of the atmosphere, resulting from surface heat fluxes and tropospheric radiative cooling, corresponds to a net entropy sink. In statistical equilibrium, this entropy sink is balanced by the entropy production due to various irreversible processes such as frictional dissipation, diffusion of heat, diffusion of water vapor, and irreversible phase changes. Determining the relative contribution of each individual irreversible process to the entropy budget can provide important information on the behavior of convection. The entropy budget of numerical simulations with a cloud ensemble model is discussed. In these simulations, it is found that the dominant irreversible entropy source is associated with irreversible phase changes and diffusion of water vapor. In addition, a large fraction of the frictional dissipation results from falling precipitation, and turbulent dissipation accounts fo...
Dispersal of the Entomogenous Nematode Steinernema feltiae (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae) by Infected Adult Insects

A laboratory study determined that Spodoptera exigua (Hubner) adults infected with the entomogenous nematode Steinernema feltiae Filipjev dispersed up to 11 m from the site of infection. After dispersal and death of the host, nematode progeny developed within the moth cadavers, moved into the soil, and infected larvae of S. exigua . No significant difference was observed in either the proportion of pupae and adults infected or the longevity of S. exigua adults infected with S. feltiae (All strain, 16.2 h), S. feltiae (Mexican strain, 15.6 h) or Heterorhabditis heliothidis (Khan, Brooks, and Hirschmann) (NC strain, 15.0 h). Dispersal of S. feltiae by infected adult insects may account in part for local and worldwide distribution of this and other entomogenous nematodes.
GARTER SNAKE POPULATION DYNAMICS FROM A 16-YEAR STUDY: CONSIDERATIONS FOR ECOLOGICAL MONITORING

Snakes have recently been proposed as model organisms for addressing both evolutionary and ecological questions. Because of their middle position in many food webs they may be useful indicators of trophic complexity and dynamics. However, reliable data on snake populations are rare due to the challenges of sampling these patchily distributed, cryptic, and often nocturnal species and also due to their underrepresentation in the eco- logical literature. Studying a diurnally active stream-associated population of garter snakes has allowed us to avoid some of these problems so that we could focus on issues of sampling design and its influence on resulting demographic models and estimates. From 1986 to 2001, we gathered data on a population of the Pacific coast aquatic garter snake (Thamnophis atratus) in northwestern California by conducting 3-5 surveys of the population annually. We derived estimates for sex-specific survival rates and time-dependent capture probabilities using population analysis software and examined the relationship between our calculated capture probabilities and variability in sampling effort. We also developed population size and density estimates and compared these estimates to simple count data (often used for wildlife population monitoring). Over the 16-yr period of our study, we marked 1730 snakes and had annual recapture rates ranging from 13% to 32%. The best approximating de- mographic model for our data demonstrated higher survival rates for females than males and showed low and annually variable capture probabilities for both. Annual population size estimates (converted to linear densities), ranged from 58 to 131 snakes/km. Mean annual field counts typically accounted for only 5-10% of the total population size estimated using capture-recapture models. We found no evidence for a changing population size throughout the study. We found a positive relationship between sampling effort and capture probabilities. We evaluate survey design options that would help us approach recommended levels of capture probabilities and thus increase the precision of our estimates, allowing derivation of more complex demographic models. Our results should be useful in the development of monitoring programs for snakes and other secretive wildlife species and provide target demographic rate values for restoration of related at-risk snake species.
On design criteria and construction of non-coherent space-time constellations

We consider the problem of digital communication in a Rayleigh flat-fading environment using a multiple-antenna system, when the channel state information is available neither at the transmitter nor at the receiver. It is known that at high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or when the coherence interval is much larger than the number of transmit antennas, a constellation of unitary matrices can achieve the capacity of the noncoherent system. However, at low SNR, high spectral efficiencies, or for small values of coherence interval, the unitary constellations lose their optimality and fail to provide an acceptable performance. In this work, inspired by the Stein's lemma, we propose to use the Kullback-Leibler (KL) distance between conditional distributions to design space-time constellations for noncoherent communication. In fast fading, i.e., when the coherence interval is equal to one symbol period and the unitary construction provides only one signal point, the new design criterion results in pulse amplitude modulation (PAM)-type constellations with unequal spacing between constellation points. We also show that in this case, the new design criterion is equivalent to design criteria based on the exact pairwise error probability and the Chernoff information. When the coherence interval is larger than the number of transmit antennas, the resulting constellations overlap with the unitary constellations at high SNR, but at low SNR they have a multilevel structure and show significant performance improvement over unitary constellations of the same size. The performance improvement becomes especially more significant when an appropriately designed outer code or multiple receive antennas are used. This property, together with the facts that the proposed constellations eliminate the need for training sequences and are most suitable for low SNR, makes them a good candidate for uplink communication in wireless systems.
Exponential stabilization of semilinear evolution equations

The stabilization problems for nonlinear evolution equations in Hilbert space are considered. It is shown that exponential stability (in some sense) can be obtained for both deterministic and stochastic perturbed semilinear evolution equations by choice of a proper feedback control law. In the deterministic systems globally relatively bounded perturbations are considered. However, if only local A-boundedness is assumed, similar stability results can be obtained. For the stochastic case, stability in the mean square sense is presented. Examples for some diffusion equations and a wave equation are given to illustrate the results. >
Towards a Grid enabled system for multicomponent materials design

We are developing a portal for multicomponent materials design using Grid-enabled large-scale simulations. In this paper we report on our services based application architecture which allows integration of simulation software with Grid services to provide a Web-based computational laboratory for the modeling of Al-Cu-Mg-Si alloys. We examine user requirements and describe the design of our framework. Our architecture is implemented using existing middleware such as the Globus and Java CoG toolkits. An interesting feature of our design is the separation of the high-level specification of the materials modeling system from the implementation through the use of a markup language such as XML. We use markup languages with domain-specific extensions to specify (in architecture-independent form) rules and constraints that allow meaningful composition of simulation tasks and experimentally determined material properties. In addition, we use them to specify application code interfaces so that our simulation server can be dynamically reconfigured to include new software and constraints.
Fubini’s Theorem

Linear Lebesgue measure is defined by covering sequences of intervals, and plane measure by covering sequences of rectangles. We shall now consider how these measures are related to each other. It is clear what kind of answer we should expect. In elementary calculus we learn to compute the area between the graphs of two functions f ≦ g by the formula $$\int_a^b {|f(x) - g(x)|dx.}$$ . Thus the area is computed “by slicing.” The generalization of this formula, which expresses the measure of any plane measurable set A as the integral of the linear measure of its sections perpendicular to an axis, is called Fubini’s theorem. We shall not formulate the theorem in full generality, but confine attention to the case in which A is a nullset. Then the theorem asserts that almost all vertical (or horizontal) sections of A have measure zero.
The Counterfeit Self The Deceptive Costs of Faking It

Although people buy counterfeit products to signal positive traits, we show that wearing counterfeit products makes individuals feel less authentic and increases their likelihood of both behaving dishonestly and judging others as unethical. In four experiments, participants wore purportedly fake or authentically branded sunglasses. Those wearing fake sunglasses cheated more across multiple tasks than did participants wearing authentic sunglasses, both when they believed they had a preference for counterfeits (Experiment 1a) and when they were randomly assigned to wear them (Experiment 1b). Experiment 2 shows that the effects of wearing counterfeit sunglasses extend beyond the self, influencing judgments of other people's unethical behavior. Experiment 3 demonstrates that the feelings of inauthenticity that wearing fake products engenders-what we term the counterfeit self-mediate the impact of counterfeits on unethical behavior. Finally, we show that people do not predict the impact of counterfeits on ethicality; thus, the costs of counterfeits are deceptive.
Increased specificity of ethanol’s discriminative stimulus effects in an ethanol–pentobarbital–water discrimination in rats

Abstract Ethanol’s modulation of a number of receptor systems results in a heterogeneous discriminative stimulus complex. A previous study found that these heterogeneous discriminative stimulus effects were seemingly diminished when rats were trained to discriminate ethanol (2.0 g/kg) from pentobarbital (10.0 mg/kg). The present experiment was designed to extend these findings by using a lower training dose of ethanol (1.0 g/kg). Adult male Long–Evans rats (n=7) discriminated pentobarbital (10.0 mg/kg; intragastric (i.g.)) from ethanol (1.0 g/kg; i.g.) from water (2.3 ml; i.g.) in a 3 lever, food-reinforced task. Substitution tests were conducted following intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of GABAA positive modulators, noncompetitive NMDA antagonists, 5-HT1 agonists and isopropanol. The GABAA positive modulators diazepam, midazolam and allopregnanolone completely substituted for pentobarbital. Isopropanol completely substituted for ethanol, while the NMDA antagonists dizocilpine and phencyclidine partially substituted for ethanol. The 5-HT agonists RU 24969 and CGS 12066B did not result in complete substitution for ethanol or pentobarbital, although RU 24969 resulted in partial pentobarbital substitution. These data replicate and extend the previous findings that discriminating ethanol from pentobarbital attenuates the ethanol-like effects of GABAA positive modulators, NMDA antagonists and 5-HT1 agonists and results in a more specific ethanol cue. The outcome appears to be a conditional basis for the ethanol discrimination, where a full ethanol-like effect is produced only by drugs with pharmacological activity similar to the heterogenous effects of ethanol (e.g. other alcohols).
An algorithm for automatic formant extraction using linear prediction spectra

An algorithm is presented which finds the frequency and amplitude of the first three formants during all vowel-like segments of continuous speech. It uses as input the peaks of the linear prediction spectra and a segmentation parameter to indicate energy and voicing. Ideally, the first three peaks are the first three formants. Frequently, however, two peaks merge, or spurious peaks appear, and the difficult part is to recognize such situations and deal with them. The general method is to fill formant slots with the available peaks at each frame, based on frequency position relative to an educated guess. Then, if a peak is left over and/or a slot is unfilled, special routines are called to decide how to deal with them. Included is a formant enhancement technique, analogous to a similar technique which has been implemented via the chirp-z transform [8], which usually succeeds in separating two merged formants. Processing begins at the middle of each high volume voiced segment, where formants are most likely to be correct, and branches outward from there in both directions in time, using the most recently found formant frequencies as the educated guess for the current frame. The algorithm has been implemented at Lincoln Laboratory on the Univac 1219 and the Fast Digital Processor, a programmable processor [9], and has been tested on a large number of unrestricted sentences.
The Science of Pizza: The Molecular Origins of Cheese, Bread, and Digestion Using Interactive Activities for the General Public

We describe a presentation on the science of pizza, which is designed for the general public including children ages 6 and older. The presentation focuses on the science of making and digesting cheese and bread. We highlight 4 major scientific themes: (1) how macromolecules such as carbohydrates and proteins are composed of atoms and small molecules; (2) how macromolecules interact to form networks in bread and cheese; (3) how microbes contribute to the texture of bread; and (4) how enzymes break down macromolecules during digestion. Using live demonstrations and interactive exercises with children in the audience, we provide simple explanations of the scientific principles related to these themes that are essential for understanding how to make pizza, and what happens when we eat it. This general approach can be adapted to a variety of informal and classroom settings focused on sharing the excitement of scientific discovery and understanding with students and the public.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Queer People's Perceptions of the Criminal Justice System: Implications for Social Services

Previous literature has found historically marginalized groups report more negative perceptions of the criminal justice system and lower levels of procedural justice, which then influences their mental health and their willingness to report crimes. While previous research on procedural justice has focused mostly on racial and ethnic minority groups, it is hypothesized that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals would also report negative experiences of the criminal justice system. The current study utilized focus groups with 16 participants who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ), with ages ranging from 26 to 35 years (M = 30.5 years, SD = 3.5). Participants were asked open-ended questions about how they felt about various aspects of the criminal justice system (e.g., police officers, courts, legal processes, etc.). Through the consensual qualitative research (CQR) process, researchers identified five domains that influenced participants’ experiences of the c...
Understanding place holistically: Cities, synergistic relationality, and space syntax

This article discusses two contrasting conceptual understandings of place. The approach of analytic relationality interprets places as sets of interconnected parts and their relationships. In contrast, synergistic relationality interprets places as integrated, generative fields, the parts of which are only parts as they both sustain and are sustained by the constitution and dynamism of the particular place as a whole. This article presents one interpretation of place as synergistic relationality by describing six interrelated, generative processes: place interaction, place identity, place release, place realization, place creation, and place intensification. The article considers how concepts and principles relating to space syntax contribute to understanding places as synergistic relationality broadly; and to understanding the six place processes specifically.
Saturation Transfer EPR

Saturation transfer EPR (ST-EPR) has been utilized to characterize the very slow rotational diffusion of a wide range of membrane proteins over the past three decades. Development of computational algorithms for analyzing the ST-EPR data from membrane proteins undergoinguniaxial rotational diffusion and inclusion of these algorithms into global nonlinear least squares fitting routines has permitted detailed analyses of experimental data. These advances, coupled with access to multifrequency measurements, has established ST-EPR as an important complement to transient optical anisotropy for unraveling the complex rotational dynamics of intrinsic membrane proteins in cell membranes.
Anemia and Disorders of Hemostasis in Chronic Kidney Disease

A large number of patients with CKD suffer from anemia. This anemia is primarily due to iron deficiency as well as disturbances in the erythropoietin and hepcidin hormonal axes. The most recent guidelines for the management of the anemia associated with CKD are those of KDIGO, published in 2012. These guidelines emphasize the importance of detecting and treating iron deficiency before prescribing an erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA), and they also recommend minimization of ESA use to all-time low levels. Anemia is not the only hematologic disorder associated with CKD, as patients often experience disruption of hemostasis that can lead to episodes of both thrombosis and bleeding.
Natural Disaster Management - An Analysis of the Ferrara Risk Management Network

Risk management, part of the risk analysis process, involves three public policies that are risk identification, risk reduction and disaster management. The management of an extreme event, such as an earthquake, is a complex and dynamic process that inevitably involves different organizations who need to coordinate themselves and work together to pursue the common goal to respond to the emergency in the best possible way. These organizations constitute the management network of the emergency, a complex and inter-organizational social system. The complexity of the management network and the characteristics of an extreme event make the emergency management more difficult. In order to identify the network structures that would facilitate an effective disaster management, we studied the network of stakeholders involved in the management of the earthquake that affected the city of Ferrara in May 2012. In particular, we considered the characteristics of the emergency network, such as numerosity and cohesion, and the positions of the actors based on relational ties, such as centrality, in order to highlight strengths and weaknesses of the network. The risk management network was studied starting from legislative and technical documents, integrated with in-depth interviews with stakeholders who had a key role in the network. The network data collected from the interviews was analyzed using the UCINET 6.0 social network analysis software. The main results have been integrated with parts of the transcribed interviews. Overall, the network of emergency management activated in Ferrara during the earthquake in 2012, has a complex structure characterized by many actors with different functions and roles. The network analysis highlighted that it has a poor level of cohesion and exploits very little of its relational potential. Some pairs of actors are isolated and a hierarchical communication and an asymmetric flow of information seems to prevail between some actors. The functioning of the network also appears to be driven mainly by the establishment of informal relations rather than by formal and pre-existing ones, a flexible operating way probably more suited to the management of an emergency that requires immediacy and rapid response. The population is the most popular actor of this network, however it has a passive role, seen exclusively as the recipient of the process of emergency management. Several interventions, aimed to improve the functioning of the emergency management network, are proposed in this article.
Features for mood prediction in social media

Usage of social networks has exploded over the past decade or so. Users now routinely share their thought, opinions, feelings as well as their daily activities on various social networks. An interesting consequence of this explosive usage of social networks is that it is possible to glean the current mood and emotion of a user from his or her social network postings. A question that arises in this context is: Can we use any differentiating features exhibited by people on their online social activities to build appropriate classifiers that can identify the positivity or negativity of users with high accuracy and low false positive and negative rates?
Reliability and validity of the Timed Floor To Stand Test-Natural in school-aged children.

Purpose:To establish reliability for the Timed Floor to Stand–Natural (TFTS-N) test as a stand-alone measure for schoolchildren with typical development (TD) in preparation for normative data collection.Methods:Five physical therapists working in schools standardized testing procedures for a “natura
The properties of tin-bismuth alloy solders

Tin-bismuth alloys may be an alternative to lead-based solders for low-temperature applications, but very little is known about their manufacturability and reliability. This article presents an overview of these issues. First, experiments to determine the wetting properties of the Sn-Bi solder are presented. The results show that Sn-Bi solders do not wet bare copper well, but that they do wet copper having a hot-dipped Sn-Bi coating. Next, the effects of aging on the microstructure of Sn-Bi solders are described. The results show that during aging, tin is de-pleted from the solder/base metal interface. The two-phase Sn-Bi microstructure coarsens during aging; the rate of coarsening can be slowed by adding 1.0 wt. % Cu to the solder. The aging also affects the shear strength of the solder joints, where aged joints show an increase in maximum shear stress and ductility at failure.
Over-the-Ear Industrial Hearing Protectors: An Assessment of Comfort Issues

A self-report methodology was developed for evaluating perceived comfort and related wearability issues among non-earplug hearing protection devices. Rating scale and ranking procedures were completed by fifty subjects after wearing four different noise-attenuating earmuffs and two ear canal caps. The methodology reliably distinguished among different earmuff types and earcaps on a variety of comfort-related measures, as determined by non-parametric statistical analyses. In general, over-the-pinna muffs were found to be more comfortable than over-the-ear canal earcaps, and some muff designs were preferable to others. The earmuffs were also ranked as easier to don than earcaps. It is critical that comfort be a prime consideration in hearing protection device design because it greatly influences the amount of time the device will be worn in the workplace.
Therapist Empathy, Combined Behavioral Intervention and Alcohol Outcomes in the COMBINE Research Project

OBJECTIVE: Common factors such as therapist empathy play an important role in treatment for addictive behaviors. The present study was a secondary analysis designed to evaluate the relation between therapist empathy and alcohol treatment outcomes in data from a large, multisite, randomized controlled trial. METHOD: Audio-recorded psychotherapy sessions for 38 therapists and 700 clients had been randomly selected for fidelity coding from the combined behavioral intervention condition of Project COMBINE. Sessions were evaluated by objective raters for both specific content (coping with craving, building social skills, and managing negative mood) and relational components (empathy level of the therapist). Multilevel modeling with clients nested within therapists evaluated drinks per week at the end of treatment. RESULTS: Approximately 11% of the variance in drinking was accounted for by therapists. A within-therapist effect of empathy was detected (B = -0.381, SE = 0.103, p CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study appear consistent with the hypothesis that skills building and therapist empathy are independent contributions to the overall benefit derived from the combined behavioral intervention. (PsycINFO Database Record Language: en
The Sixth Pennsylvania Calvary "Lancers" Monumnet

Visitors to the Gettysburg National Military Park who venture down Emmitsburg Road to South Cavalry Field will discover a cluster of commonly overlooked monuments. Nearly lost in the midst of the Battlefield RV Sales Lot and a nearby "Battlefield"-themed resort stands the haunting and evocative battle monument that honors the Sixth Pennsylvania Cavalry, known as "Rush's Lancers."
Abstract 301: Therapeutic Hypothermia Induced Change in Electrocardiographic Parameters and In-Hospital Mortality

Introduction: Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) is recommended by the American Heart Association for selected patients over the age of 18 who remain comatose after a cardiac arrest. Hypothermia triggers changes in electrocardiogram (ECG) parameters, but the association of these changes to in-hospital mortality remains unclear. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that TH would decrease heart rate (HR) and increase QTc interval without change in mortality. Methods: We retrospectively compared the ECG parameters from the pre-cooling phase to the ECG performed during the hypothermic phase (target temperature 33° Celsius) on all consecutive patients who received TH between 12/2006 and 2/2011 at our institution (n=58). Paired 2-sample t-test was used to compare ECG parameters and hospital outcomes. In-hospital mortality related to QTc interval change was compared using Pearson’s chi-squared test. Results: Compared to the pre-cooling ECG parameters, TH resulted in significant increases in PR and QTc intervals and decrease in HR ( Table ). During hospitalization, 27 of the 58 patients who received TH died. Patients who survived versus patients who died did not differ in HR change (-20.2 vs -25.4, p=0.58), change in PR interval (+11.7 vs +2.6, p=0.33), or change in QTc interval (+51.0 vs +27.8, p=0.22). Patients who survived had a longer QRS increase with TH than those who died (+5.6 vs -22.5, p=0.006). Eleven patients presented with right bundle branch block (RBBB) morphology on their pre-cooling ECG, but only 1 continued to have RBBB during cooling. Three patients presented with left bundle branch block (LBBB), but only 2 remained in LBBB with cooling. None developed new bundle branch block during TH. Comparing patients who had decreased QTc intervals with TH to those with prolonged QTc intervals, 9 out of 16 died in the former group whereas 16 out of 39 died in the latter group (p=0.0001). Conclusion: Therapeutic hypothermia in comatose patients with cardiac arrest led to a significant decrease in heart rate and prolongation of QTc interval with no association to mortality. Further research is needed to examine whether prolongation of QTc and/or QRS with hypothermia reflects improved outcomes. ![Graphic][1] [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif