cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Proximal Sensing of Soil Electrical Conductivity Provides a Link to Soil-Plant Water Relationships and Supports the Identification of Plant Water Status Zones in Vineyards.

The majority of the wine grapes are grown in Mediterranean climates, where water is the determining factor for grapevine physiology and berry chemistry. At the vineyard scale, plant water status is variable due to the variability in many environmental factors. In this study, we investigated the ecophysiological variability of an irrigated Cabernet Sauvignon (Vitis vinifera L.) vineyard. We used equidistant grid sampling to assess the spatial variations of the plants and soil, including plant water status by stem water potential (Ψ stem ), leaf gas exchange, and on-site soil analysis. We also measured soil electrical conductivity (EC) by proximal sensing at two depths [0.75 - 1.5 m (sub soil); 0 - 0.75 m (top soil)]. Ψ stem integrals were calculated to represent the season-long plant water status. On the base of realized Ψ stem integrals, the vineyard was delineated into two functional homogeneous zones (fHZs) with one severely water stressed zone and one moderately water stressed zone. Sub soil EC was directly related to Ψ stem (r2 = 0.56) and gs (r2 = 0.39) when the soil was proximally sensed at harvest in 2018. Although the same trend was evident in 2019 we could not deduce a direct relationship. The fruits from the two fHZs were harvested differentially. Comparing the two fHZs, there was no significant difference in juice total soluble solids or pH. The severely water stressed zone showed significantly higher malvidin and total anthocyanins on a dry skin weight basis, but lower peonidin, malvidin on a per berry basis in 2018. In 2019, there were more quercetin and total flavonols per berry in the severely water stressed zone. Overall, this study provided fundamental knowledge of the viability of managing spatial variability by delineating vineyard into distinct zones based on plant water status, and the potentiality of proximally sensed soil EC in the spatial assessment of plant water status and the supporting of vineyard management.
Spectral Radiative Properties of Ceramic Particles for Concentrated Solar Thermal Energy Storage Applications

This work investigates the spectral radiative properties of ceramic particles using a monochromator and a Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) with integrating spheres at wavelengths from 0.38 μm to 15 μm. Particles are encased between two transparent windows to obtain the directional-hemispherical reflectance of the particle bed. Two types of commercially available particles with three different sizes are examined. Integration over the solar spectrum reveals that the solar absorptance of the particle beds is between 0.940 and 0.957. The total emittance at 1000 K is also estimated by assuming the spectral emittance is independent of temperature. The optical constants of particles are modeled with effective medium approaches, considering the optical properties of individual constituent materials. The absorptance of the particle is estimated using the effective optical constants and compared with that of the particle bed from the measurement. This work facilitates the characterization of radiative properties of particles with a windowed method and provides a modeling scheme for approximating the radiative properties of composite ceramic materials.
Complementary Multi–Modal Sensor Fusion for Resilient Robot Pose Estimation in Subterranean Environments

Resilient pose estimation for autonomous systems, and especially small unmanned aerial robots, is one of the core capabilities required for these robots to perform their assigned tasks in a reliable and efficient manner. Different sensing modalities have been utilized for the robot pose estimation process, particularly in GPS–denied environments. However, as aerial robots are deployed in more complex environments, such as subterranean mines and tunnels, different sensing modalities can become degraded in different parts of the environment due to the diversity of sensor perception challenges presented in terms of both nature and condition of the operational environment. Motivated by this fact, in this work a complementary multi–modal sensor fusion approach is presented that improves the reliability of the pose estimation process for aerial robots by fusing visual–inertial (VIO) and thermal–inertial (TIO) odometry estimates with a LiDAR odometry and mapping solution. In particular, VIO/TIO estimates are utilized for providing robust priors for LiDAR pose estimation as well as for selectively propagating the LiDAR pose estimates when LiDAR pose estimation process becomes degenerate. The proposed approach is experimentally verified in a variety of subterranean environments as well as utilized during the competition run of the tunnel circuit of the DARPA Subterranean Challenge.
Meet the Team: A Quality Improvement Initiative to Improve Family Knowledge of Their Care Team

OBJECTIVES Hospitalized families often have poor knowledge of care team members, which can negatively impact communication. Local baseline data revealed that few families had knowledge of team members. Our primary aim was to increase the percentage of families able to identify a member of their team to 75% over 1 year and sustain use of our improvement tools over 6 months. METHODS We conducted a quality improvement initiative at a tertiary pediatric academic center. Plan-do-study-act cycles were used to implement and test 3 main interventions: (1) a “Meet the Team” form (MTTF), a visual handout outlining care team members; (2) verbal introductions at the start of patient- and family-centered rounds (PFCR); and (3) data sharing regarding family feedback about tool use. The outcome measure was the percentage of families successfully identifying team members. Process measures were the percentage of families who received the MTTF and the percentage of PFCR that included verbal introductions. Balancing measures included rounds length. RESULTS We conducted structured interviews of 141 families and observed 11 597 PFCR events. There was an increase in the percentage of families who could identify a team member from 10% to 84%. The percentage of PFCR events that included verbal introductions revealed special cause variation, increasing from 40% to 80%. Rounds length held steady at ∼11 minutes per patient. CONCLUSIONS Implementing paired interventions of MTTF distribution and verbal team introductions was associated with increased family knowledge of team members and no change in rounds length.
China since Tiananmen: From Deng Xiaoping to Hu Jintao

Part I. Line Struggle Revisited: The Attack on Deng's Reform Program: 1. Tiananmen and the conservative critique of reform 2. Deng moves to revive reform Part II. Redefining Reform: The Search for a New Way: 3. The emergence of neoconservatism 4. The enlightenment tradition under challenge 5. The emergence of neostatism and popular nationalism Part III. Elite Politics and Popular Nationalism: 6. Jiang Zemin's rise to power 7. Elite politics in an era of globalization and nationalism Part IV. A New Era in Chinese Politics: 8. Hu Jintao takes over: a turn to the left?
Interactions of the Metalloregulatory Protein SloR from Streptococcus mutans with Its Metal Ion Effectors and DNA Binding Site.

Streptococcus mutans is the causative agent of dental caries, a significant concern for human health, and therefore an attractive target for therapeutics development. Previous work in our laboratory has identified a homodimeric, manganese-dependent repressor protein, SloR, as an important regulator of cariogenesis and has used site-directed mutagenesis to map functions to specific regions of the protein. Here we extend those studies to better understand the structural interaction between SloR and its operator and its effector metal ions. The results of DNase I assays indicate that SloR protects a 42-bp region of DNA that overlaps the sloABC promoter on the S. mutans UA159 chromosome, while electrophoretic mobility shift and solution binding assays indicate that each of two SloR dimers binds to this region. Real-time semiquantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (real-time semi-qRT-PCR) experiments were used to determine the individual base pairs that contribute to SloR-DNA binding specificity. Solution studies indicate that Mn2+ is better than Zn2+ at specifically activating SloR to bind DNA, and yet the 2.8-A resolved crystal structure of SloR bound to Zn2+ provides insight into the means by which selective activation by Mn2+ may be achieved and into how SloR may form specific interactions with its operator. Taken together, these experimental observations are significant because they can inform rational drug design aimed at alleviating and/or preventing S. mutans-induced caries formation. IMPORTANCE This report focuses on investigating the SloR protein as a regulator of essential metal ion transport and virulence gene expression in the oral pathogen Streptococcus mutans and on revealing the details of SloR binding to its metal ion effectors and binding to DNA that together facilitate this expression. We used molecular and biochemical approaches to characterize the interaction of SloR with Mn2+ and with its SloR recognition element to gain a clearer picture of the regulatory networks that optimize SloR-mediated metal ion homeostasis and virulence gene expression in S. mutans. These experiments can have a significant impact on caries treatment and/or prevention by revealing the S. mutans SloR-DNA binding interface as an appropriate target for the development of novel therapeutic interventions.
The design of idea markets: an economist’s perspective

GE is pioneering the development of market-based methods for allocating research budget to internal projects. To be effective, a market for ideas must provide appropriate incentives for the creation of valuable ideas and it must result in sufficiently accurate evaluation of ideas. The main tenet behind GE’s Idea Market is that improvements in the evaluation of research ideas should foster incentives for idea creation. Indeed, idea creation and idea evaluation are complementary activities. For an idea to be successful, it is not enough that the idea be good. It also helps if the idea is recognized as good by those who evaluate it. As the evaluation process becomes more accurate, good ideas are more likely to be funded. Thus, incentives for the creation of ideas are enhanced when ideas are evaluated more accurately.
AGN 2979 [3(3-methoxyphenyl)-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-4, 4-dimethylpiperidine-2,6-dione]. An inhibitor of the activation of tryptophan hydroxylase.

Abstract AGN 2979 [3-(3-methoxyphenyl)-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-4,4-dimethylpiperidine-2,6-dione] blocked the increase in tryptophan hydroxylase activity that occurred when slices of brainstem were exposed to a depolarizing medium or to agents that mobilize intracellular pools of calcium, but it had no effect on the activity of enzyme prepared from slices of brainstem incubated in control medium. AGN 2979 also blocked the calcium-calmodulin-dependent activation of tryptophan hydroxylase that was seen when supernatant preparations of the enzyme were exposed to phosphorylating conditions but not the activation induced by calcium-dependent proteases that was triggered by millimolar calcium concentrations. An identical pattern of inhibition has been found with the antipsychotic drugs, haloperidol and fluphenazine [Boadle-Biber, Biochem. Pharmac. 31, 2495 (1982)]. The sensitivity to the same inhibitors of both the activation of tryptophan hydroxylase produced by pretreatment of brainstem slices and that induced by incubation of supernatant preparations of enzyme under phosphorylating conditions suggests involvement of a common mechanism of enzyme activation in response to these different treatments.
Real Drivers of Carbon Capture and Storage in China and Implications for Climate Policy

The capture and permanent storage of CO2 emissions from coal combustion is now widely viewed as imperative for stabilization of the global climate. Coal is the world’s fastest growing fossil fuel. This trend presents a forceful case for the development and wide dissemination of technologies that can decouple coal consumption from CO2 emissions - the leading candidate technology to do this is carbon capture and storage (CCS). China simultaneously presents the most challenging and critical test for CCS deployment at scale. While China has begun an handful of marquee CCS demonstration projects, the stark reality to be explored in this paper is that China’s incentives for keeping on the forefront of CCS technology learning do not translate into incentives to massively deploy CCS in power plant applications as CO2 mitigation scenarios would have it. In fact, fundamental and interrelated Chinese interests - in energy security, economic growth and development, and macroeconomic stability - directly argue against large-scale implementation of CCS in China unless such an implementation can be almost entirely supported by outside funding. This paper considers how these core Chinese goals play out in the specific context of the country’s coal and power markets, and uses this analysis to draw conclusions about the path of CCS implementation in China’s energy sector. Finally, the paper argues that effective climate change policy will require both the vigorous promotion and careful calculation of CCS’s role in Chinese power generation. As the world approaches the end of the Kyoto Protocol in 2012 and crafts a new policy architecture for a global climate deal, international offset policy and potential US offset standards need to create methodologies that directly address CCS funding at scale. The more closely these policies are aligned with China’s own incentives and the unique context of its coal and power markets, the better chance they have of realizing the optimal role for CCS in global climate efforts.
Bugs, drugs, and computers

The paper describes the development, implementation, and review of a daily reporting system using data from two modules of a hospital information system: Kirby-Bauer sensitivity results from microbiology, and patient drug profiles from Pharmacy. The system reviews each patient receiving antibiotics and compares that information with the patient's Microbiology findings, looking for and flagging "no cultures," "negative cultures," and "mismatches," i.e., the patient is receiving an antibiotic to wich the organism is resistant. Reports are produced daily and reviewed by the hospital's Infection Control nurse who, in turn, notifies the attending physician when appropriate.
Featured elastomer design for connector applications

This paper discusses a molded elastomeric structure that has been developed for use in connector applications. With the use of elastomeric materials, several challenges occur such as: dimensional stability for a grid of contacts as the elastomer member is compressed; contact force distribution across a grid of electrical contacts supported by a homogeneous molded elastomeric member constrained by boundary conditions; compressive stiffness of the elastomer and its ability to accommodate actuation tolerances within a contact force range; and structural stability of slender elastomeric features when used to increase the elastomeric structures compliancy. As connector I/O and densities increase, use of elastomeric materials with flexible circuits to replace metallic spring and conductor combinations is increasing. One advantage of this combination is the ability to arrange the contacts into dense arrays. In addition to the physical geometry, the component set offers several advantages to the electrical designer, dielectric constant, characteristic impedance, etc. >
Modeling the autism spectrum disorder phenotype.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is highly heritable, and although there has been active research in an attempt to discover the genetic factors underlying ASD, diagnosis still depends heavily on behavioral assessments. Recently, several large-scale initiatives, including those of the Autism Consortium, have contributed to the collection of extensive information from families affected by ASD. Our goal was to develop an ontology that can be used 1) to provide improved access to the data collected by those who study ASD and other neurodevelopmental disorders, and 2) to assess and compare the characteristics of the instruments that are used in the assessment of ASD. We analyzed two dozen instruments used to assess ASD, studying the nature of the questions asked and items assessed, the method of delivery, and the overall scope of the content. These data together with the extensive literature on ASD contributed to our iterative development of an ASD phenotype ontology. The final ontology comprises 283 concepts distributed across three high-level classes, ‘Personal Traits’, ‘Social Competence’, and ‘Medical History’. The ontology is fully integrated with the Autism Consortium database, allowing researchers to pose ontology-based questions. The ontology also allows researchers to assess the degree of overlap among a set of candidate instruments according to several objective criteria. The ASD phenotype ontology has promise for use in research settings where extensive phenotypic data have been collected, allowing a concept-based approach to identifying behavioral features of importance and for correlating these with genotypic data.
Collection probability with discrete random signal-to-interference power ratios in multiple interferences for electronic intelligence receivers

In certain applications, signal transmit power is adjusted in discrete levels. Moreover, interference powers themselves can be discretely random. For electronic intelligence applications, the authors refer to the signal to be collected as signal of interest (SoI). Thus, for a passive receiver, the resulting instantaneous SoI-to-interference power ratio (SIR) in multiple interferences is a discrete random variable. This means signal detection or collection is not guaranteed. They proposed collection probability (CP) as a metric when the SIR is random. In this study, the authors evaluate CP probabilistically and show CP against SIR threshold degradation and/or improvement as a function of increasing number of interferences, increasing signal power range and increasing distribution gain.
FGFR1 amplification in squamous cell carcinoma of the lung.

Introduction: Amplification of fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) has been reported in squamous cell lung carcinoma and may be a molecular target for therapy. Little is known, however, about the clinical and demographic correlates of FGFR1 amplification. Methods: The study is an Institutional Review Board approved retrospective analysis of 226 patients with squamous cell lung cancer seen at the Massachusetts General Hospital from 2005 to 2011. Clinical and demographic characteristics of all patients were obtained, as well as treatment details including surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, and overall survival. fluorescence in situ hybridization was performed for FGFR1 on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor tissue. Clinical genotyping results were also reviewed where available. Results: Thirty-seven of 226 patients (16%) with squamous cell lung cancer were found positive for amplification using a definition of amplification of a gene to copy number control ratio of 2.2 or higher. FGFR1 amplification status was not associated with age, sex, stage, histologic subtype within squamous cell, smoking history, or pack-years of smoking. We found no significant difference in overall survival by FGFR1 amplification status as a whole; in the advanced stage subset, our findings are inconclusive because of the small sample size. Conclusion: FGFR1 amplification was found in 16% of a clinical cohort of squamous cell lung cancer patients. The lack of any specific clinicodemographic features that correlates with FGFR1 amplification suggests that all squamous cell patients should be tested for this genomic change.
Petrology of moldavites

Abstract During the systematic petrological examination of 311 Bohemian and 130 Moravian moldavites, layered Muong Nong type specimens were found to be fairly common. In these layered forms mineral grains which appear to be detrital were found in one specimen, another contains thin bubbles of irregular angular outline, and other specimens contain rayed bubbles and elongate ray clusters. Schlieren and objects of both higher and lower refractive index than the enclosing glass occur in splash form moldavites, and lechatelierite particles of varied shape and surface configuration are found in both splash and layered forms. When values for petrological properties of moldavites (refractive index, specific gravity, lechatelierite abundance, lechatelierite size, lechatelierite shape, bubble abundance, bubble size, bubble shape, strength of flow structure, strength of flow structure strain, and strength of overall strain) are averaged by groups of localities and plotted on a map of Czechoslovakia, a systematic direction of variation is found for the Bohemian part of the strewn-field but not for the Moravian part. On the basis of these properties for the strewn field as a whole, the central part of the strewn-field is postulated to be in the vicinity of the Moravian area of moldavite occurrence. Local melting probably took place over an area at least twice the diameter of the present known area of moldavite distribution.
Blocking group/initiators for the synthesis of polyrotaxanes via free radical polymerizations

Two new blocking group/initiators (BG/inits) were prepared. 4,4'-Azobis[4-cyanopentanoic acid] (7) was converted to 4,4'-azobis[4-cyanopentanoyl chloride] (8). The acid chloride 8 reacted with 4,4-bis(p-tert-butylphenyl)-4-phenylbutanol (5) to give 4,4-bis(p-tert-butylphenyl )-4-phenylbutyl 4,4'-azobis[4-cyanopentanoate] (9, BG/init I) in quantitative yield. 4-[Tris(p-tert-butylphenyl)methyl]phenyl 4,4'-azobis[4-cyanopentanoate] (10, BG/init II) was synthesized by room temperature esterification of 4,4'-azobis[4-cyanopentanoic acid] (7) with tris(p-tert-butylphenyl)(4-hydroxyphenyl)methane (6) using the DCC coupling method. The results of the polymerization of styrene initiated by I and II indicated that both the BG/inits were well-behaved free radical initiators. Also, terminal group analysis by H NMR spectra showed that the blocking efficiencies for polystyrene were 100% due to the termination via radical coupling. These BG/inits can be used as free radical initiators and blocking groups at the same time in the synthesis of polyrotaxanes prepared by radical polymerizations.
Multiresolution Analysis of DNA Sequences

A wavelet based method for transforming DNA sequences is illustrated by using the small subunit of the ribosome. This paper discusses the application of multi resolution analysis on FASTA-formatted DNA sequences using biorthogonal wavelets. Once transformed, the data could be used for pairwise or multiple sequence alignments needed for studies of evolutionary relationships or for gene finding. Further studies of wavelet based methods are also mentioned.
Ketopremithramycins and Ketomithramycins, Four New Aureolic Acid-Type Compounds Obtained upon Inactivation of Two Genes Involved in the Biosynthesis of the Deoxysugar Moieties of the Antitumor Drug Mithramycin by Streptomyces Argillaceus, Reveal Novel Insights into Post-PKS Tailoring Steps of the Mithramycin Biosynthetic Pathway

Mithramycin is an aureolic acid-type antimicrobial and antitumor agent produced by Streptomyces argillaceus. Modifying post-polyketide synthase (PKS) tailoring enzymes involved in the production of mithramycin is an effective way of gaining further information regarding the late steps of its biosynthetic pathway. In addition, new "unnatural" natural products of the aureolic acid-type class are likely to be produced. The role of two such post-PKS tailoring enzymes, encoded by mtmC and mtmTIII, was investigated, and four novel aureolic acid class drugs, two premithramycin-type molecules and two mithramycin derivatives, were isolated from mutant strains constructed by insertional gene inactivation of either of these two genes. From data bank comparisons, the corresponding proteins MtmC and MtmTIII were believed to act as a C-methyltransferase involved in the production of the D-mycarose (sugar E) of mithramycin and as a ketoreductase seemingly involved in the biosynthesis of the mithramycin aglycon, respectively. However, gene inactivation and analysis of the accumulated products revealed that both genes encode enzymes participating in the biosynthesis of the D-mycarose building block. Furthermore, the inactivation of MtmC seems to affect the ketoreductase responsible for 4-ketoreduction of sugar C, a D-olivose. Instead of obtaining premithramycin and mithramycin derivatives with a modified E-sugar upon inactivation of mtmC, compounds were obtained that completely lack the E-sugar moiety and that possess an unexpected 4-ketosugar moiety instead of the D-olivose at the beginning of the lower deoxysaccharide chain. The inactivation of mtmTIII led to the accumulation of 4E-ketomithramycin, showing that this ketoreductase is responsible for the 4-ketoreduction of the D-mycarose moiety. The new compounds of the mutant strains, 4A-ketopremithramycin A2, 4A-keto-9-demethylpremithramycin A2, 4C-keto-demycarosylmithramycin, and 4E-ketomithramycin, indicate surprising substrate flexibility of post-PKS enzymes of the mithramycin biosynthetic pathway. Although the glycosyltransferase responsible for the attachment of D-mycarose cannot transfer the unmethylated sugar to the existing lower disaccharide chain, it can transfer the 4-ketoform of sugar E. In addition, the glycosyltransferase MtmGIV, which is responsible for the linkage of sugar C, is also able to transfer an activated 4-ketosugar. The oxygenase MtmOIV, normally responsible for the oxidative cleavage of the tetracyclic premithramycin B into the tricyclic immediate precursor of mithramycin, can act on a substrate analogue with a modified or even incomplete trisaccharide chain. The same is true for glycosyltransferases MtmGI and MtmGII, both of which partake in the formation and attachment of the A-B disaccharide in mithramycin.
Preparation of ion-containing elastomers by emulsion copolymerization of dienes with olefinic sulfonic acid salts

Procedures were developed for the emulsion copolymerization of either butadiene or isoprene with several different water-soluble monomers containing sulfonic acid salt groups, primarily with sodium styrenesulfonate, for the preparation of ionomer elastomers. By the use of a nonionic surfactant and a two-component redox initiator, which was based on a water-soluble reducing agent and a hydrophobic peroxide, copolymers with sufficient amounts of the ionic monomer could be prepared. Unusual effects of conversion on rate, copolymer composition, and molecular weight were observed and attributed to special effects caused by the ionic monomers. The copolymers were soluble in mixed hydrocarbon–alcohol solvent systems.
Inhibition of focal adhesion kinase and src increases detachment and apoptosis in human neuroblastoma cell lines.

Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumor of childhood. Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is an intracellular kinase that is overexpressed in a number of human tumors including neuroblastoma, and regulates both cellular adhesion and survival. We have studied the effects of FAK inhibition upon neuroblastoma using adenovirus-containing FAK-CD (AdFAK-CD). Utilizing an isogenic MYCN+ / MYCN− neuroblastoma cell line, we found that the MYCN+ cells are more sensitive to FAK inhibition with AdFAK-CD than their MYCN negative counterparts. In addition, we have shown that phosphorylation of Src is increased in the untreated isogenic MYCN− neuroblastoma cells, and that the decreased sensitivity of the MYCN− neuroblastoma cells to FAK inhibition with AdFAK-CD is abrogated by the addition of the Src family kinase inhibitor, PP2. The results of the current study suggest that both FAK and Src play a role in protecting neuroblastoma cells from apoptosis, and that dual inhibition of these kinases may be important when designing therapeutic interventions for this tumor.
DETERMINING SIDE-DRESS NITROGEN REQUIREMENTS OF CORN FOLLOWING BROILER LITTER IN THE SOUTHERN COASTAL PLAIN

ABSTRACT Nitrogen (N) fertilizer is a major cost factor for growing irrigated corn (Zea mays L.) in low N status sandy Southern Coastal Plains soils. Use of broiler litter, from the rapidly expanding broiler industry, can provide a significant portion of the N needed for corn, but little research has been available to determine the best method for determining N needs following broiler litter applications. Seven experiments were conducted in three years to determine if the SPAD meter could predict the need for N-side dressing, both following and not following litter application. The experiments were split-plots with three rates of broiler litter (0, 4.5, and 9.0 Mg/ha) as main plots. The split plots included well-fertilized reference plots (336 kg N/ha), fully fertilized plots (224 kg N/ha), and plots receiving either 56 or 112 kg N/ha at V6, V8, and/or at R1 when readings were<95% of the reference plots. Mean grain yields were greatest where broiler litter was applied, but was not greater in plots receivi...
Deconstructing Disability and Neurodiversity: Controversial Issues for Autism and Implications for Social Work

Disability is a socially constructed concept that can be viewed from either a medical or a social perspective. Autism, a developmental disability, can be viewed from the medical model of disability or through a new perspective brought forth by the autistic community and aligning with the social model termed neurodiversity. Using the medical model and a lens of neurodiversity, we can deconstruct the controversial issues surrounding autism and provide insights for social workers and other professionals working with the community of the disabled.
A plankton net designed to exclude air-sea interface phenomena.

For use in trace pollutant studies a description is presented of a protected closed plankton net whose purpose is to minimize the exposure of collected samples to surface films and debris. Tests described in this paper appeared to show that the protected closed net was not necessary for the environmental conditions encountered during our field studies. However, additional calculations based on the data of other investigators strongly imply that employment of such a net in heavily polluted surface waters may be highly advantageous.
Conjugated polymer–inorganic semiconductor hybrid solar cells

Polymer–inorganic semiconductor hybrid solar cells have attracted extensive research and attention as a promising approach to achieve cost effective solar energy. Power conversion efficiencies exceeding 3% have been achieved for polymer–inorganic hybrid solar cells. However, these efficiencies are still lower than those of polymer-fullerene solar cells, which have recently reached up to 8.13%. In this article, we review the recent developments including device operation mechanism, cell structures, polymer and inorganic materials, and various approaches to improve cell performance. In addition, the dependence of power conversion efficiency on the polymer bandgap and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) using several typical inorganic acceptors including TiO2, ZnO and CdSe are presented and may provide guidance for the engineering of donor polymers.
Magnetic and crystallographic properties of ternary manganese silicides with ordered Co2P structure

MnNiSi (Tc = 622 K), the major part of the MnCo1−xNixSi system, and MnFe0.5Ni0.5Si are ferromagnetic. Co and Fe substitutions decrease Tc, but increase the total moment. Compositions close to MnCoSi show antiferro- to ferromagnetic transitions with increasing temperature. MnCoSi and MnRhSi are antiferromagnetic. We briefly compare magnetic properties of the ternary silicides with those of related compounds. MnNiSi (Tc = 622 K), der Hauptteil des Systems MnCo1−xNixSi, sowie MnFe0.5Ni0.5Si sind ferromagnetisch. Substitution von Ni durch Co und Fe erniedrigen Tc, erhohen jedoch das magnetische Gesamtmoment. Verbindungen von MnCo1−xNixSi mit x ≈ 0,1 zeigen mit steigender Temperatur antiferromagnetische-ferromagnetische Ubergange. MnCoSi und MnRhSi sind antiferromagnetisch. Die magnetischen Eigenschaften der ternaren Silizide und verwandter Verbindungen werden miteinander verglichen.
Tyrosine-phosphorylated plakoglobin is associated with desmogleins but not desmoplakin after epidermal growth factor receptor activation.

Tyrosine phosphorylation of junctional components has been proposed as a mechanism for modulating cell-cell adhesion. Although a correlation exists between the tyrosine phosphorylation of the adherens junction protein β-catenin and loss of classical cadherin-mediated adhesion, the effects of tyrosine phosphorylation on the function of the adherens junction and desmosome-associated protein plakoglobin is unknown. In the present study, we investigated the effects of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase activation on the subcellular distribution of plakoglobin and its association with its junctional binding partners. Long term epidermal growth factor (EGF) treatment of A431 cells revealed a modest decrease in the cytoskeleton-associated pool of plakoglobin (Pg) and a corresponding increase in the cytosolic pool of Pg. After short term EGF treatment, plakoglobin was rapidly phosphorylated, and tyrosine-phosphorylated Pg was distributed predominantly in a membrane-associated Triton X-100-soluble pool, along with a co-precipitating high molecular weight tyrosine-phosphorylated protein identified as desmoglein 2. Analysis of deletion and point mutants defined the primary EGFR-dependent targets as one or more of three C-terminal tyrosine residues. Whereas phosphorylated Pg remained associated with the desmoglein tail after both short and long term EGFR activation, no phosphorylated Pg was found associated with the N-terminal Pg-binding domain (DPNTP) of the intermediate filament-associated protein, desmoplakin. Together these results are consistent with the possibility that EGF-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation of Pg may modulate cell-cell adhesion by compromising the link between desmosomal cadherins and the intermediate filament cytoskeleton.
NEURONAL SUBSTRATES OF RELAPSE TO COCAINE-SEEKING BEHAVIOR: ROLE OF PREFRONTAL CORTEX

The return to drug seeking, even after prolonged periods of abstinence, is a defining feature of cocaine addiction. The neural circuitry underlying relapse has been identified in neuropharmacological studies of experimental animals, typically rats, and supported in brain imaging studies of human addicts. Although the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), which has long been implicated in goal-directed behavior, plays a critical role in this circuit, the prefrontal cortex (PFC) appears to process the events that directly trigger relapse: exposure to acute stress, cues previously associated with the drug, and the drug itself. In this paper, we review animal models of relapse and what they have revealed about the mechanisms underlying the involvement of the NAcc and PFC in cocaine-seeking behavior. We also present electrophysiological data from PFC illustrating how the hedonic, motor, motivational, and reinforcing effects of cocaine can be analyzed at the neuronal level. Our preliminary findings suggest a role for PFC in processing information related to cocaine seeking but not the hedonic effects of the drug. Further use of this recording technology can help dissect the functions of PFC and other components of the neural circuitry underlying relapse.
Environmental Accountability in Perioperative Settings

ABSTRACT Global environmental problems are connected to patient care issues. The amount and toxicity of medical waste have increased in recent decades. Certain medical products contribute significantly to pollution and contamination of the food chain with persistent, bioac-cumulative toxins, including mercury and dioxins. Perioperative nurses need to understand how best to segregate waste and take advantage of opportunities for reuse and recycling. There are many ways nurses can contribute to pollution prevention in health care, some of which are detailed in this article. AORN J 77 (June 2003) 1157-1168.
LTD expression is independent of glutamate receptor subtype.

Long-term depression (LTD) is a form of synaptic plasticity that plays a major role in the activity-dependent reshaping of synaptic transmission. LTD is expressed as a decrease in synaptic AMPA receptor number, though the exact mechanism remains controversial. Several lines of evidence have suggested necessary roles for both the GluA1 and GluA2 subunits, and specifically certain interactions with their cytoplasmic tails. However, it is unclear if either GluA1 or GluA2 are absolutely required for LTD. We tested this hypothesis using constitutive knock-outs and a single-cell molecular replacement of AMPA receptor subunits in mouse hippocampus. We found that neither GluA1 or GluA2 are required for normal of expression of LTD, and indeed a normal decrease in synaptic transmission was observed in cells in which all endogenous AMPA receptors have been replaced by kainate receptors. Thus, LTD does not require removal of specific AMPA receptor subunits, but likely involves a more general modification of the synapse and its ability to anchor a broad range of receptor proteins.
Histamine turnover in rat brain.

Abstract The half-life of histamine in the rat brain was measured by two independent techniques. Intravenous injection of inhibitors of histidine decar☐ylase (brocresine or α-hydrazinohistidine) produced a prompt 20–25% depletion of histamine in hypothalamus and thalamus-midbrain. From the slope of the depletion curves, histamine in these regions was estimated to have a half-life of about 30 sec. A method was developed to estimate histamine half-life from the time course of [3H]histamine appearance following intraventricular injection of [3H]histidine. With this method, our data indicate a half-life for hypothalamic histamine of no more than about 1 min, much shorter than values in other parts of the body, where histamine turnover takes hours or weeks. By comparing the extent of reduction of newly synthesized [3H]histamine with that of endogenous histamine, it was determined that all histamine in the brain regions examined apparently lies within this rapidly turning over pool.
Luxury, Status, and the Importance of Slavery in the Nineteenth- and Early-Twentieth-Century Northern Sudan

Almost immediately after the official abolition of slavery in 1899, the Condominium administration began to worry about the exodus of slaves from the farmlands of their owners and the corresponding slump in the northern Sudan's overall agricultural output.1 In an influential article entitled "Economic Development and the Heritage of Slavery in the Sudan Republic," McLoughlin comments on this period's labor shortage and the hardship that it created. He explains that the pains of social and economic adjustment were not surprising, since "the Sudan has been a slave-based economy for at least three millennia."2 McLoughlin's portrayal of slavery in the Sudan is open to question on two grounds: he suggests that slaves had indeed been the cornerstone of the Sudanese economy for millennia, and implies that the demand for slaves over that time span had primarily reflected a demand for their productive labor. Both conclusions, though containing some truth, are essentially flawed. It is true that the territories of the Sudan had exported slaves for millennia. One of the earliest extant written sources, dating from the fourth millennium B.c., indicates that Egyptians under the Pharaoh Seneferu penetrated Nubia up to the fourth cataract and collected slaves from the area between Abu Hamad and Khartoum. Later Ptolemaic
Episodic Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Release from the Rat Isolated Median Eminence in vitro

Several studies have demonstrated that the rat isolated mediobasohypothalamus can release gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in a pulsatile manner in vitro. We have now used an in vitro perifusion
Paramagnetic defects in silicon/silicon dioxide systems

Abstract Paramagnetic defect centers in Si/SiO2 systems have been observed by direct ESR, optically-induced ESR, and NMR relaxation of liquids at the outer oxide surface. In general, all the defects reported elsewhere were confirmed, but with some significant discrepancies in character. The PB center was observable even at room temperature. The PC center was found to exist much deeper in the silicon than previously determined, and it is tentatively identified to be neutral iron. Surface liquid relaxation is very strong on oxidized crushed silicon, is not dependent on liquid composition, and suggests a strong wide-line spin center in the outer oxide surface. The optically activated spin center created by HF/HNO3 etches was found not to involve H2O or OH functionalities, and appears to be a nitrogenous radical. The optical defect center lies within the silicon, and its presence warrants caution in use of HNO3-based etches in wafer processing. Oxides prepared at elevated pressures show fewer PA and PC defects than those produced by conventional processing, which indicates potential merit in pressure oxidation methods.
Africa Between the Baobab Tree and the Owl of Minerva: A Post-Colonial Narrative of Memory and Learning

Abstract We argue in this article that the African continent has so far achieved less than it might have done because of three phases of technological constraint: a phase of Ecological Impediment, a phase of imperial impediment, and a phase of attitudinal impediment. Just as formal education (both colonial and post-colonial) has played a role in this process, it can be part of the solution, starting with educational policies seeking to overcome technological amnesia. Indeed, Africa needs to recover those aspects of its creativity (in medicine, technologies, etc.) which had flourished before, but were destroyed by the colonial regimes. The solution to the impediments includes also reconsidering the interrupted symphony of the Federal University of East Africa and mobilizing pan Africanism in pursuit of greater intellectual and academic cooperation.
CB7-05: Incremental Cost-effectiveness of Preventing Depression in At-risk Adolescents

Background/Aims Adolescent depression is common and leads to many negative personal, social, and economic consequences for youth and their families; unfortunately, most youth who experience major depression do not receive any treatment. Depression prevention programs can reduce these negative consequences, but they must be affordable to be widely disseminated and useful for health care systems. Decision-makers need to weigh relative costs and benefits of providing efficacious prevention programs to depressed adolescents, but little cost-effectiveness analysis exists. The Prevention of Depression trial (POD) was a brief prevention program that compared a group cognitive- behavioral preventive (CBP) intervention to usual care (UC) to reduce depression risk in at-risk youth; the intervention decreased the number of days with depression. We present an incremental cost- effectiveness analysis of the group CBP program relative to UC, from the societal perspective, for 9 months following the intervention.
The downsides of national identification for minority groups in intergroup conflicts in assimilationist societies

The current study considered the downsides of national identification for minority groups in intergroup conflicts in assimilationist societies. This study examined how, in the Turkish national context, the national and ethnic identifications of ethnic Turks (N = 103) and ethnic Kurds (N = 58) predict construals (i.e., conflict frames, attributions of responsibility, and severity of harm) of Turkish-Kurdish conflict. The results indicated that, across groups, a shared national identification was associated with similar conflict construals in line with the official Turkish narrative, whereas ethnic identification was associated with opposing conflict construals that might help maintain the conflict. However, the conflict narrative related to national identification might produce a shared understanding of the conflict (i.e., more intergroup harmony) at the cost of neglecting the minority group's grievances in the conflict and legitimizing the status-quo, thus hindering efforts to enhance the minority group's disadvantaged status.
Asthma therapy in the observation unit

Asthma is an extremely common disease. There are 500,000 asthma hospitalizations each year. There were 474,000 hospital discharges in 1996 with asthma as the first diagnosis, which resulted in 1.7 million hospitalized bed days. 4 Asthma is the seventh most common diagnosis-related group (DRG) in hospitals in the US. 40 In one year alone, hospitalizations for asthma (with asthma listed as the first diagnosis) increased by 50,000 (12.5%) from 400,000 to 450,000 (from 1986 to 1987). 61 For the emergency department (ED) there are almost 2 million ED visits for asthma each year, which represents about 2% of all ED visits. 34 In 1995, asthma accounted for 1.9 million ED visits, or 1.9% of all ED visits in the United States. 34,63,68,75 Asthma accounts for 6.5 million office visits (1%) each year. 25 About 5% of the overall population 16,20,49 and about 10% of the pediatric population of the United States are diagnosed with asthma. 36,39,66 The actual incidence could be even higher because there is some indication that asthma may be underdiagnosed. 26,30 Asthma is the most common chronic illness in children, 4,28,69 affecting nearly 5 million children. 4,28 Asthma is also the most common cause of hospitalization in the pediatric population. 76 Asthma is estimated to affect 15 to 20 million Americans. 21,43,54 The prevalence of asthma for all ages in the United States increased by 75% from 1980 to 1994. 34 The greatest increase (160%) occurred in the group from 0 to 4 years of age. 34 Hospital admission rates for asthma have also shown a marked increase over the past few decades. From 1980 to 1993, there was a 28% increase in the hospitalization rate for asthma for the population aged under 25 years. 4 In children younger than 18 years of age, there was a 4.5% per year increase in hospital admissions from 1979 to 1987. 34 Not only has the incidence and prevalence of asthma, and its morbidity (including hospitalizations) shown significant increases over the past few decades, 1,12,15,18,19 but asthma mortality rates have also seen a disturbing upward trend. 8,31,58 Deaths from asthma were relatively constant in the 1950s and 1960s, showed a significant decline in the 1970s, then a significant increase in the 1980s. 34 From 1982 to 1991, the overall death rate from asthma increased by 40%. 5 There are over 5,000 deaths each year caused by asthma. In 1995, there were 5,637 deaths in the United States due to asthma. 34 Of even more concern is the fact that a high percentage of these asthma deaths (11.6%) were in the "younger" population (age 5–34 yr) 75 in otherwise "healthy" young people without other significant comorbidities, from a "treatable" disease in which the airway obstruction is reversible. This disturbing upward trend in asthma prevalence, morbidity, and mortality, in the United States reflects a worldwide trend. 12,31,52 In the 1990s, certain subgroups of the population (e.g., African-Americans and selected urban inner city neighborhoods) have continued to have an increasing asthma mortality rate, whereas the overall asthma mortality rates have been fairly constant. 4,34