cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Building a pipeline of talent for operating radio observatories

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s (NRAO) National and International Non-Traditional Exchange (NINE) Program teaches concepts of project management and systems engineering in a focused, nine-week, continuous effort that includes a hands-on build project with the objective of constructing and verifying the performance of a student-level basic radio instrument. The combination of using a project management (PM)/systems engineering (SE) methodical approach based on internationally recognized standards in completing this build is to demonstrate clearly to the learner the positive net effects of following methodical approaches to achieving optimal results. It also exposes the learner to basic radio science theory. An additional simple research project is used to impress upon the learner both the methodical approach, and to provide a basic understanding of the functional area of interest to the learner. This program is designed to teach sustainable skills throughout the full spectrum of activities associated with constructing, operating and maintaining radio astronomy observatories. NINE Program learners thereby return to their host sites and implement the program in their own location as a NINE Hub. This requires forming a committed relationship (through a formal Letter of Agreement), establishing a site location, and developing a program that takes into consideration the needs of the community they represent. The anticipated outcome of this program is worldwide partnerships with fast growing radio astronomy communities designed to facilitate the exchange of staff and the mentoring of under-represented1 groups of learners, thereby developing a strong pipeline of global talent to construct, operate and maintain radio astronomy observatories.
Strategies for Diversity Usage to Mitigate Postulated Common-Cause Failure Vulnerabilities

This paper describes an approach to establish effective mitigating strategies that can resolve potential common-cause failure (CCF) vulnerabilities in instrumentation and control systems at nuclear power plants. A particular objective in the development of these strategies, which consist of combinations of diversity attributes and their associated criteria, is to address the unique characteristics of digital technology that can contribute to CCF concerns. The research approach employed to establish diversity strategies involves investigation of available documentation on diversity usage and experience from nuclear power and non-nuclear industries, capture of expert knowledge and lessons learned, determination of common practices, and assessment of the nature of CCFs and compensating diversity attributes. The resulting diversity strategies address considerations such as the effect of technology choices, the nature of CCF vulnerabilities, and the prospective impact of each diversity type. In particular, the impact of each attribute and criterion on the purpose, process, product, and performance aspects of diverse systems are considered.
Circadian Organization in Fish and Amphibians

Circadian systems in fish and amphibians share several characteristics with other non-mammalian vertebrates. The most salient of these characteristics at the physiological level is the presence in multiple tissues of independently photosensitive and self-sustaining circadian oscillators. The circadian oscillators that regulate melatonin synthesis in the pineal and retina have been the most extensively investigated. In particular, studies of teleost pineals and of the retina of Xenopus laevis have contributed to our understanding of the cellular and molecular bases of rhythm generation, entrainment and output pathways in these organs. However, our understanding of how these and other oscillatory structures interact to drive rhythmicity in intact fish and amphibians has lagged behind progress in other vertebrates, primarily because convenient and reliable measures of behavioral rhythmicity were lacking. Recent technical advances have made it possible to record robust swimming activity rhythms from larval zebrafish. These methods may also be applicable to measurement of behavioral rhythms in other fish and amphibians. Recent studies of the zebrafish and Xenopus homologs of mammalian clock-related genes indicates that molecular clock mechanisms in fish and amphibians are similar, but not identical to those in other vertebrates. In particular, these studies have revealed new complexities in molecular mechanisms of vertebrate circadian rhythmicity, and they have also contributed to our understanding of system organization in these animals.
The plant lipidome in human and environmental health

Lipids and oils derived from plant and algal photosynthesis constitute much of human daily caloric intake and provide the basis for high-energy bioproducts, chemical feedstocks for countless applications, and even fossil fuels over geological time scales. Sustainable production of high-energy compounds from plants is essential to preserving fossil fuel sources and ensuring the well-being of future generations. As a result of progress in basic research on plant and algal lipid metabolism, in combination with advances in synthetic biology, we can now tailor plant lipids for desirable biological, physical, and chemical properties. We highlight recent advances in plant lipid translational biology and discuss untapped areas of research that might expand the application of plant lipids.
Evaluating Split Nitrogen Applications and In-Season Tests for Organic Winter Bread Wheat

Achieving high grain yields and crude protein (CP) standards in organic winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is challenging because ensuring that adequate nitrogen (N) is available at key periods of wheat growth is difficult in organic systems. Split application regimes and in-season N management tests may improve organic production. In field trials conducted over four site-years in Maine and Vermont, USA, N application regimes were analyzed for their effects on organic winter wheat, N uptake, grain yield, and CP. Tiller density and tissue N tests were evaluated as in-season decision tools. Eight treatments arranged in a non-factorial design differed in terms of N application timing (pre-plant (PP), topdress at tillering (T1), and topdress at pre-stem extension (T2)) and N rate. Treatments were: (1) an untreated check, (2) pre-plant N at a low rate of 78 kg N ha −1 (PP L ), (3) pre-plant N at a high rate of 117 or 157 kg N ha −1 (PP H ), (4) T1 78 , (5) PP L + T1 39 , (6) PP L + T2 39 , (7) PP H + T2 39 , and (8) PP L + T1 39 +T2 39 . Responses to N treatments were variable among site-years, however some common results were identified. The PP-only treatments increased grain yields more than they increased CP. The T1 78 and PP H + T2 39 treatments were the most effective at increasing yield and CP, compared with the PP-only treatments. Tiller density and tissue N tests were good predictors of grain yield (r = 0.52, p < and CP (r = 0.75, p < 0.001) respectively. Future work should test in-season decision tools using a wider range of tiller densities, and topdress N rates against tissue N measurements.
Overwinter Parasitism of Callosamia promethea (Drury) (Saturniidae) (Promethea Moth) in a Northern Hardwood Forest

The giant silk moth Callosamia promethea (Promethea Moth) overwinters as pupae in cocoons spun in hanging leaves. Even though they are camouflaged, moths at this developmental stage are vulnerable to parasitism and predation, both of which are relevant to local population abundance and persistence. Our study documented the fates of overwintering Promethea Moths near Weld, ME, during 7 winters from 1997 to 2017. Our collection and dissection of 923 cocoons revealed that moth emergence declined from 47% to 10% over the study period. Parasitism by 2 native species of ichneumonid wasp (Gambrus nuncius and Enicospilus americanus) was the dominant cause of mortality, accounting for 59% of Promethea Moth pupal death. Predation accounted for less than 4% of mortality. Our results provide evidence of parasitism as a major contributor to mortality of Promethea Moth pupae.
Two dances and a conference

Philip Lutgendorf participated in an international symposium on the evolution of song and dance in Hindi cinema hosted at Sonoma State University in April 2017, where he also attended two-related e...
Variable deformability of irreversibly sickled erythrocytes

The relationship of altered deformability of irreversibly sickled cells (ISC) to their morphological and physiologic characteristics was evaluated in this study. ISC obtained by differential centrifugation and density gradient sedimentation were separated and enriched into hard and soft populations on the basis of their ability to pass through Nuclepore filters with an average pore size of 3.0 mu. Measurement of deformability by micropipette and Nuclepore elastimetry documented marked differences of erythrocyte rigidity in the two populations. Yet ISC morphology, intracellular viscosity determinants (mean cell hemoglobin concentration, density profile gradient, hemoglobin composition), and surface area geometry (mean cell volume, osmotic fragility) were similar in populations of hard and soft ISC. The similarity in intracellular viscosity and surface area geometry suggests that an intrinsic membrane alteration is responsible for the difference in deformability of filtration separated populations of ISC. Hard ISC may be more important to the pathophysiology of sickle cell disease than soft ISC, though ISC counts on peripheral blood smears would not be of help in distinguishing the two populations.
Loving Out Loud: Community Mentors, Teacher Candidates, and Transformational Learning Through a Pedagogy of Care and Connection:

Although there has been significant research examining the practice of culturally responsive teaching, little empirical work to date has examined the role that community-engaged, teacher preparatio...
Activation of prephenate dehydratase by adsorption to agarose derivatives

A series of potential affinity adsorbents for prephenate dehydratase were synthesized by coupling allosteric effectors to agarose with and without spacer arms. Only cationic ligands containing a hexamethylene spacer arm adsorbed the enzyme. Activity could be removed from aminohexyl- and glycyl-aminohexyl-agaroses with 0.5 M NaCl (with loss of activity), 0.4 M phosphate, or 140 mM hexanediamine, but was not removed from ala-aminohexyl-, phe-aminohexyl-, met-aminohexyl-, leu-aminohexyl-, or phenylpyruvyl-aminohexyl-agaroses or by Gly, Ala, Phe (inhibitor), Met or Leu (both activators). Urea (1.0 M), 1 mM phosphate, 50% glycerol in phosphate or prephenic acid (substrate) did not release enzymatic activity from any of the gels. The gel-bound enzyme was found to have enhanced activity comparable to that of the methionine-activated soluble enzyme. The site and mode of the enzyme immobilization are discussed in relation to the possible hydrophobic/ionic subunit-subunit interactions.
Optimal mode configuration for multiple phase-matched four-wave-mixing processes

We demonstrate an unseeded multimode four-wave-mixing process in hot $^{85}\mathrm{Rb}$ vapor using two pump beams of the same frequency that cross at a small angle. This results in the simultaneous fulfillment of multiple phase-matching conditions that reinforce one another to produce four intensity-stabilized bright output modes at two different frequencies. Each generated photon is directly correlated to exactly two others, resulting in the preferred four-mode output, in contrast to other multimode four-wave-mixing experiments. This provides significant insight into the optimal configuration of the output multimode squeezed and entangled states generated in such four-wave-mixing systems. We examine the power, temperature, and frequency dependence of this output and compare it to the conical four-wave-mixing emission from a single pump beam. The generated beams are spatially separated, allowing a natural distribution for potential use in quantum communication and secret-sharing protocols.
The Postoperative Knee 2: Arthroplasty, Arthrodesis, Osteotomy

It is essential for imagers to understand the indications, surgical approaches, and potential complications of reconstructive procedures on the knee. This chapter focuses on arthroplasty, osteotomy, and arthrodesis of the knee. Imaging techniques playa vital role in evaluating surgical results and potential complications of these procedures.
Chapter 31 – Introduction

This introduction provides an overview of the section “Diseases of Higher Function”. No distinction is made between psychiatric and neurological disorders affecting this domain because of shared structural and functional brain pathology. These disorders also have in common complex genetics, environmental risk factors, impaired neuroplasticity, and in some cases risk genes.
R-curve thermodynamics revisited

Over the last thirty years the R-curve concept has evolved from its origin in a simple energy balance argument to the point where a number of R-curve based fracture assessment methods have been developed. In spite of these developments, the thermodynamic foundations of the R-curve concept have remained relatively unexplored. In this paper the R-curve concept is re-examined through consideration of the dissipation rate for a cracked body subjected to gradually applied monotonically increasing loads. Results of the analysis are consistent with accepted interpretations of the R-curve and fracture instability. The dissipation rate analysis also leads to an analytical J versus Δa relationship which has several features in common with experimentally determined R-curves.
Using Reconsolidation and Extinction to Weaken Fear Memories in Animal Models

Abstract Animal models of fear conditioning provide insight into ways to reduce the intensity of a fear memory and attenuate its associated response. Two popular methods to reduce fear in animals are extinction, in which the animal is repeatedly exposed to the fear-inducing stimulus in the absence of any negative outcome, and reconsolidation blockade/update, in which the fear memory is reactivated and targeted directly using pharmacological blockade or behavioral updating mechanisms. Combining the strengths of both extinction and reconsolidation may allow researchers to persistently reduce the fear response after conditioning in animals and develop a translational model for treatment of fear and anxiety-related disorders in humans.
A Symplectic Analogue of the Mostow-Palais Theorem

We show that given a Hamiltonian action of a compact and connected Lie group G on a symplectic manifold (M, ω) of finite type, there exists a linear symplectic action of G on some R 2n equipped with its standard symplectic structure such that (M, ω, G) can be realized as a reduction of this R 2n with the induced action of G.
Trends in the Association between a College Education and Political Tolerance, 1976–2016:

In this data visualization, we use data from the General Social Survey to explore long-running trends in the association between a college education and political tolerance toward five groups. For ...
Demographic, Clinical, and Radiologic Characteristics of a Cohort of Patients with Takayasu Arteritis

ABSTRACT Background Takayasu arteritis is a rare large-vessel vasculitis that predominantly affects females of Asian descent. This retrospective analysis was performed to increase understanding of the epidemiology of the disease in the United States. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study in 2 tertiary centers. Patients were selected according to the American College of Rheumatology classification criteria for Takayasu arteritis. Data collected included demographic characteristics and details of physical examinations, treatments, and surgical interventions. Data were managed with REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) tools. Results The study included 57 patients. The female:male ratio was 4.2:1, the median age at diagnosis was 29 years, 61.4% of the patients were Caucasians, and 86% of the patients had stenosis on imaging. Hata V was the most common angiographic classification (37.5% of patients). Vascular interventions were required in 43.9% of patients. The most frequent complications were hypertension (56.1%), renal artery stenosis (28.1%), and aortic insufficiency (19.3%). Conclusions Takayasu arteritis continues to be a rare large-vessel vasculitis. In the United States, it tends to affect predominantly Caucasian females, with cervicobrachial involvement. This cohort reflects the morbidity, multiple interventions, and complications experienced by patients with Takayasu arteritis.
CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Adenine Base Editing in Rice Genome

SUMMARY Precise base editing is highly desired in plant functional genomic research and crop molecular breeding. In this study, we constructed a rice-codon optimized adenine base editor (ABE)-nCas9 tool that induced targeted A·T to G·C point mutation of a key single nucleotide polymorphism site in an important agricultural gene. Combined with the modified single-guide RNA variant, our plant ABE tool can efficiently achieve adenine base editing in the rice genome.
Efficient oil/water separation by a durable underwater superoleophobic mesh membrane with TiO2 coating via biomineralization

Abstract In this work, a novel and facile method was used to coat a uniform and conformal TiO2 film on a stainless steel mesh via polyethylenimine-catalyzed biomineralization of titanium bis(ammonium lactato)dihydroxide at neutral pH, ambient temperature and pressure. The fabricated mesh showed excellent superhydrophilicity and underwater superoleophobicity. It separated immiscible oil/water mixtures by gravity at a high flux (∼3 × 104 L m−2 h−1), high separation efficiency (∼99.999%), and exhibited excellent anti-oil-fouling ability. The mesh also demonstrated great durability: (1) it had outstanding stability in 1 M NaCl, 0.1 M HCl, 0.1 M NaOH solutions, and absolute ethanol; (2) it maintained underwater superoleophobicity in solutions of pH from 1 to 13 and saturated NaCl solutions; and (3) the separation efficiency was retained after high temperature treatment and mechanical wear tests (sonication, abrasion and crumpling). The biomineralization coating method was also applied on other substrates (nonwoven mesh, filter paper and PVDF membrane), which also showed good capability for oil/water separation. Therefore, this new environmentally benign approach of preparing superwetting surfaces provides a durable and sustainable solution to the treatment of oily wastewater.
Making every customer relationship count. Exploring the business drivers and technology enablers of customer relationship management

Competition in all industries, as well as increasing customer sophistication, is forcing organizations to rethink how they do business. Products are no longer the key differentiator — competitive advantage comes from utilizing all knowledge within the organization to treat customers as individuals and maximize their lifetime value. As organizations shift their business models, success is based on the ability to identify, acquire, retain, and grow the most profitable customers. Until now, information technology has not enabled this process. Most systems have reflected a product and functional focus, and customer data has resided on multiple systems with no ability to link together. A fresh approach is required, one that utilizes a completely integrated and flexible information architecture to support a customer-centric business strategy.
Protein nanocage architectures for the delivery of therapeutic proteins

Abstract Protein assemblies with cage-like structures are found widely in Nature with a large diversity of structural properties and functionalities. These architectures provide both inspiration for biomimetic design and templates for bioengineering. Inspired by the native utility of protein nanocage (PNC) architectures for cargo loading, transport, and protection, significant effort has been put into the development of PNC-based biomedical applications, including therapeutic delivery. This review summarizes the designs of PNC architectures for the delivery of therapeutic proteins (categorized by the type of therapeutics) and highlights the achieved or potential advantages of the PNCs as delivery systems for these proteins.
Postpartum-Isolated Native Pulmonic Valve Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infective Endocarditis Complicated by Pelvic Abscess, Clavicle Osteomyelitis, and Polyarticular Septic Arthritis

Isolated native pulmonic valve infective endocarditis (IE) is a rare occurrence. The most commonly involved valves in injection drug users are the tricuspid valve followed by mitral and then aortic valves. Most reported cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) IE involve multiple valves. Isolated involvement of the pulmonic valve in IE is infrequent, especially in intravenous drug users or patients with indwelling catheters, prosthetic valves, or implantable cardiac devices. Here, we report a young postpartum female patient with isolated native pulmonic valve MRSA IE with MRSA bacteremia and history of active injection drug use. A PubMed literature review revealed a single described prior case report in a postpartum female. The patient's clinical course was complicated by a large native pulmonic valve vegetation, septic pulmonary emboli, pelvic abscess, polyarticular septic arthritis, and clavicular osteomyelitis. The patient underwent bioprosthetic pulmonic valve replacement and finished six weeks of intravenous vancomycin for complete recovery.
Sentiment Analysis: A Multi-Faceted Problem

Sentiment analysis or opinion mining is the computational study of people’s opinions, appraisals, and emotions toward entities, events and their attributes. In the past few years, it attracted a great deal of attentions from both academia and industry due to many challenging research problems and a wide range of applications [1]. Opinions are important because whenever we need to make a decision we want to hear others’ opinions. This is not only true for individuals but also true for organizations. However, there was almost no computational study on opinions before the Web because there was little opinionated text available. In the past, when an individual needed to make a decision, he/she typically asked for opinions from friends and families. When an organization wanted to find opinions of the general public about its products and services, it conducted surveys and focus groups. However, with the explosive growth of the social media content on the Web in the past few years, the world has been transformed. People can now post reviews of products at merchant sites and express their views on almost anything in discussion forums and blogs, and at social network sites. Now if one wants to buy a product, one is no longer limited to asking one’s friends and families because there are many user reviews on the Web. For a company, it may no longer need to conduct surveys or focus groups in order to gather consumer opinions about its products and those of its competitors because there is a plenty of such information publicly available. However, finding opinion sites and monitoring them on the Web can still be a formidable task because there are a large number of diverse sites, and each site may also have a huge volume of opinionated text. In many cases, opinions are hidden in long forum posts and blogs. It is difficult for a human reader to find relevant sites, extract related sentences with opinions, read them, summarize them, and organize them into usable forms. Automated opinion discovery and summarization systems are thus needed. In this article, I first give a brief introduction to the field and present some technical challenges. We will see that sentiment analysis is not a single task, but a multi-faceted problem containing many subproblems. I will then share some of my thoughts on the past and future of sentiment analysis based on my research in the past few years and my experience in the industry for a short while.
Collaboration in Medicine: The Role of Interprofessional Education

Introduction: The concepts of collaboration and interprofessional (IP) education were introduced to healthcare professions in the 1970s; however, it was not until the late 1990's that the care provided by IP teams was recognized as important to the delivery of patient care. When institutions of higher learning include IP education in the curricula, students have the opportunity to immerse in collaborative learning experiences rather than being isolated in the traditional "siloes" of individual healthcare professions. The purpose of this work is to report the ongoing implementation, assessment, and improvement of an annual inter-university, multi-department simulation exercise developed to promote collaboration, collegiality, and communication within a healthcare setting.Methods: Faculty from two universities in west Texas collaborated to provide a clinical simulation experience focusing on IP teamwork and cultural and spiritual diversity. Multiple scenarios were created and developed by faculty from the participating disciplines who were aided by the latest Clinical Practice guidelines. The evidence-based scenarios addressed various chronic medical conditions and gender, ethnic, religious, psychosocial, and cultural competence issues.Results: Several themes emerged through the multiple debrief sessions and analysis of qualitative data: a) increased knowledge of the others' discipline and role, b) communication skills, c) increased cultural awareness, d) trust, and e) increased knowledge of disease process as it related to their own and others' disciplines.Conclusions:The findings suggest an unanticipated opportunity arising from the simulation experience for faculty and students to develop the skillset necessary to work within experimental medicine.
Feasibility of Play-Based Dance to Promote Physical Activity in Second Grade Students.

Physical activity (PA) is associated with positive health outcomes. However, children’s access to physical activities they enjoy may be limited.To evaluate second-grader’s PA against the U.S. DHHS ...
Increasing dietary proportion of wheat grain in finishing diets containing distillers’ grains: impact on nitrogen utilization, ruminal pH, and digestive function

Because of its high crude protein (CP) content, dietary inclusion of corn dried distillers' grains with solubles (DDGS) in finishing cattle diets can increase the ruminal loss of ammonia-nitrogen (NH3-N), which ends up excreted as urine urea-N (UUN). Increasing dietary fermentable energy supply can enhance ruminal use of N; however, it could also lead to acidotic conditions that compromise digestive function and animal performance. We evaluated the effects of partially replacing dietary corn grain with 20% or 40% (dry matter [DM] basis) wheat grain in finishing diets containing 15% corn DDGS on N utilization, ruminal pH, and digestive function. Nutrient intake and digestion, ruminal fermentation characteristics, microbial protein synthesis, route of N excretion, and blood metabolites were measured. Six ruminally fistulated crossbred beef heifers (initial body weight ± SD; 797 ± 58.8 kg) were used in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square design with 28-d periods. Dietary treatments were either corn (73% of diet DM; CON), 53:20 corn:wheat blend (20W), or 33:40 corn:wheat blend (40W) as the major fermentable energy source. Dry matter intake (DMI) tended to be lower for heifers fed the 40W than CON and 20W diets. Feeding diets containing wheat grain led to an increase (P = 0.04) in neutral detergent fiber (NDF) intake. However, there was no diet effect (P ≥ 0.60) on apparent total tract DM and NDF digestibility. Feeding wheat grain led to a decrease (P ≤ 0.03) in mean and minimum pH, an increase (P = 0.04) in pH < 5.8 duration, and a tendency for an increase in the area and acidosis index for pH < 5.8 and 5.5. Nitrogen intake, which was lower (P = 0.04) for 40W than 20W heifers did not differ between CON and 20W heifers. There was no diet effect (P = 0.80) on ruminal NH3-N concentration and estimated microbial N flow. However, feeding diets containing wheat grain led to a decrease (P = 0.045) in UUN excretion (% total urine N). Fecal and total N excretion (% of N intake) increased (P < 0.01) following the addition of wheat grain to the diet. Apparent N retention was lower (P = 0.03) for 40W than CON and 20W heifers. In summary, although it led to a desirable decrease in UUN excretion, feeding wheat grain in corn DDGS-containing diets increased acidotic conditions in the rumen, which possibly led to the tendency for a decrease in DMI. The negative apparent N retention at the 40% wheat grain inclusion also suggests a decrease in nutrient supply, which could compromise feedlot performance.
Potential Microbiological Risk Factors Associated With Periodontitis and Periodontal Health Disparities

Periodontitis disproportionately affects different racial and ethnic populations. In this study, we used qPCR to determine and compare oral microbial profiles in dental plaque samples from 191 periodontitis patients of different ethnic/racial backgrounds. We also obtained the periodontal parameters of these patients retrospectively using axiUm and performed statistical analysis using SAS 9.4. We found that in this patient cohort, neighborhood median incomes were significantly higher among Caucasians Americans (CAs) than among African Americans (AAs) and Hispanic Americans (HAs). Levels of total bacteria and Porphyromonas gingivalis, a keystone periodontal pathogen, were not evenly distributed among the three groups. We confirmed our previous findings that Streptococcus cristatus reduces P. gingivalis virulence potential and likely serves as a beneficial bacterium. We also showed the ratio of S. cristatus to P. gingivalis to be significantly higher in CAs than in HAs and AAs. Our results suggest that higher levels of P. gingivalis and lower ratios of S. cristatus to P. gingivalis may contribute to periodontal health disparities.
Pharmacological and Biophysical Characteristics of Picrotoxin-Resistant, δSubunit-Containing GABAA Receptors

GABAA receptors (GABAARs) play a crucial role in inhibition in the central nervous system. GABAARs containing the δ subunit mediate tonic inhibition, have distinctive pharmacological properties, and are associated with disorders of the nervous system. To explore this receptor sub-class, we recently developed mice with δ-containing receptors rendered resistant to the common non-competitive antagonist picrotoxin (PTX). Resistance was achieved with a knock in point mutation (T269Y; T6’Y) in the mouse genome. Here we characterize pharmacological and biophysical features of GABAARs containing the mutated subunit to contextualize results from the KI mice. Recombinant receptors containing δ T6’Y plus WT α4 and WT β2 subunits exhibited 3-fold lower EC50 values for GABA but not THIP. GABA EC50 values in native receptors containing the mutated subunit were in the low micromolar range, in contrast with some published results that have suggested nM sensitivity of recombinant receptors. Rectification properties of δ-containing GABAARs were similar to γ2-containing receptors. Receptors containing δ T6’Y had marginally weaker sensitivity to positive allosteric modulators, likely a secondary consequence of differing GABA sensitivity. Overexpression of δT6’Y in neurons resulted in robust PTX-insensitive IPSCs, suggesting that δ-containing receptors are readily recruited by synaptically released GABA. Overall, our results give context to use of δ receptors with the T6’Y mutation to explore the roles of δ-containing receptors in inhibition.
Protein Kinase Activity in Lymphocytes; Effects of Concanavalin A and a Phorbol Ester

Lymphocytes treated with Concanavalin A (ConA) undergo a series of biochemical events leading to differentiation and division (reviewed by 1). Although the tumor promoter 12–0-tetradecanoylphorbol-l3-acetate, TPA, itself is not mitogenic, it can enhance the response of bovine lymphocytes to lectins by acting as an analogue of interleukin 1 (2). Thus, in the presence of a suboptimal dose of ConA or a limiting number of macrophages, TPA allows full proliferation. However, exposing the lymphocytes to TPA for about 24 hrs before stimulation with ConA greatly depresses the response (3). Furthermore, TPA blocks the mixed lymphocyte response (4).
Toward Optimal Environmental Governance

Better environmental results depend less on fine tuning theories of environmental federalism than on improving regulatory performance. Simply put, how we regulate is more important than where we regulate. Current environmental policy efforts fall short for a number of reasons: technical and information shortcomings, "structural" or jurisdictional mismatches, and public choice distortions. A theory of optimal environmental governance must seek to address each of these sources of regulatory failure. Improved results depend, in part, on developing a better capacity to delineate, exchange, and enforce environmental property rights. Because a property rights-based environmental regime will not always suffice, governmental intervention may be necessary to mitigate market failures and to improve social welfare. But such intervention may lead to regulatory failures of various types. A theory optimal environmental governance must therefore seek to minimize the welfare losses from the full range of regulatory shortcomings through strategies that: (1) address problems at a range of geographic scales; (2) generate a mix of regulatory "competition" and "cooperation" both horizontally and vertically; (3) remedy information failures (an especially important category since policymaking today often falls short for lack of good data and because the technological advances offer considerable promise in allowing us to fill analytic gaps in the future); and (4) promote an appropriate mix of public engagement and delegation in the policymaking process. Finally, optimal environmental governance not only must minimize welfare losses from market and regulatory failures but must also attend to other virtues and sources of social welfare. The demands of better environmental performance must be balanced against other competing goals of communities such as justice, equity, and civic republicanism. This Article maps the current terrain and charts a path toward such optimal environmental governance.
Public Disclosure of Insider Trades, Trading Costs, and Price Discovery

The trading decisions of a rent-seeking corporate insider who possesses long-lived private information are complicated by the regulatory requirement that he publicly disclose his trades after the fact. Such disclosure may allow other market participants to infer the insider's information. Yet the empirical evidence suggests that some corporate insiders buy and sell frequently, and insiders' profits on stock trades are abnormally large. We present a closed form solution for an insider's equilibrium stock trading strategy in a multiperiod rational expectations framework. The insider uses a mixed strategy to diminish the market maker's ability to infer the insider's private information. Relative to the benchmark established by Kyle (1985), we find that disclosure accelerates price discovery, and, in contrast to earlier models by Fishman and Hagerty (1995) and John and Narayanan (1997), mandatory disclosure unambiguously reduces insider profits. Regulatory implications are considered.
Growth and Bacteriolytic Activity of a Soil Amoeba, Hartmannella glebae

A soil amoeba, Hartmannella glebae, could grow on a variety of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, although the rate of growth was faster in the presence of gram-negative bacteria. The amoeba, however, could not use yeasts, molds, or a green alga as a nutritional source. The extract prepared from amoebae grown in the presence of Aerobacter aerogenes and Alcaligenes faecalis could lyse intact cells and cell walls of many gram-positive bacteria at different rates. The spectrum of lytic activity was similar to that of egg-white lysozyme, with the exception that several species and strains of Bacillus, Micrococcus, and Staphylococcus were resistant to lysozyme and susceptible to the extract. The gram-negative bacteria tested were resistant.
The Role of Metal Ions in the Peptidase Activity of Escherichia coli K-12

Abstract To obtain information concerning the factors that control the ability of Escherichia coli strain K-12 to hydrolyze glycyl-l-leucine, glycyl-l-phenylalanine, l-leucylglycine, and l-phenylalanylglycine, a study was made of the intracellular localization of the specific dipeptidases and of the effect of changes in cultural conditions on the dipeptidase content of the bacteria. Upon fractionation of cell extracts, significant activity only toward Leu-Gly is found in the ribosomal portion, while at least three peptidases can be shown to be present in the soluble portion: one, which is relatively insensitive to ethylenediaminetetraacetate, is activated by Co2+ and catalyzes the hydrolysis of Gly-Leu and Gly-Phe; the other two, both of which are EDTA-sensitive, differ in their response to Co2+ and to Mn2+, and in their action on Leu-Gly and Phe-Gly. All the dipeptidases are present in cells grown in peptone-containing media, and the specific activity values of each subcellular fraction, as well as the distribution of peptidase activity between the two fractions, are essentially constant whether the cells are harvested from exponential phase or stationary phase cultures. The dipeptidases are also found in extracts of cells grown in synthetic media devoid of peptone, and the fact that the specific enzymic activity toward each dipeptide is the same regardless of the composition of the growth medium and of the age of the culture indicates that the dipeptidases may be classified as constitutive enzymes. In intact bacteria, the dipeptidases exist in a partially latent condition, and the demonstrable activity of whole cells toward the dipeptides is subject to control by environmental factors, among which are the metal ion content and pH of the culture medium. Evidence is presented in support of the hypothesis that exposure of bacteria to a mixture of metallic salts (either during culture growth or after the attainment of the stationary phase) leads to the replacement of the metal component of active peptidases by a metal that is inhibitory to enzyme action in vivo; upon disruption of the bacteria, the inactive metal-peptidase complexes dissociate and the peptidases can regain activity. In cells that can form such metal-enzyme complexes, the peptidases are protected from inactivation by exogenous H+, while acid stability is lacking in cells grown in a metal-deficient medium. Among the metals usually present in culture media, Zn2+ appears to be the most important in regulating the peptidase activity of bacterial cells.
Terrorism and Counter Terrorism in Nigeria: Theoretical Paradigms and Lessons for Public Policy

The hemorrhagic acts of the Boko Haram and Niger Delta militants in Nigeria warrants an exhaustive discourse on terrorism and counter terrorism in Nigeria. This paper argues that countering terrorism in Nigeria involves understanding the nexus of extremism and criminality in the political, social and religious spheres. It argues in line with Cockayne (2011) that there is a growing recognition internationally that criminal networks (both local and transnational) threaten not only to fuel violent conflict, but also to undermine democratic gains-by criminalising politics and instrumentalising continuing disorder. This author addresses this issue using literature evidence and ethno-methodology (ethnography and historiography) to advance this discourse. The author reviews historical evidence on terrorism, proposes some relative theoretical explanations and suggests economic, security and socio-psychological measures to counter terrorism in Nigeria.
Genetic architecture of species differences in annual sunflowers: implications for adaptive trait introgression.

Genetic architecture may profoundly influence the ability of adaptive traits to spread between species via introgressive hybridization. Here, we examine the genomic location of quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with pollen sterility and morphological traits distinguishing two annual sunflowers, Helianthus annuus and H. debilis ssp. cucumerifolius. These species are of particular interest since they hybridize naturally, and the form of H. annuus in Texas (called ssp. texanus) is thought to have arisen through introgression. Analysis of 226 BC1 progeny from a cross between H. annuus and H. debilis revealed 56 QTL for 15 morphological traits and 2 QTL for pollen sterility. Four morphological QTL are tightly linked (
SimGraph--A Flight Simulation Data Visualization Workstation

Today''s modern flight simulation research produces vast amounts of time sensitive data, making a qualitative analysis of the data difficult while it remains in a numerical representation. Therefore, a method of merging related data together and presenting it to the user in a more comprehensible format is necessary. Simulation Graphics (SimGraph) is an object-oriented data visualization software package that presents simulation data in animated graphical displays for easy interpretation. Data produced from a flight simulation is presented by SimGraph in several different formats, including: 3-Dimensional Views, Cockpit Control Views, Heads-Up Displays, Strip Charts, and Status Indicators. SimGraph can accommodate the addition of new graphical displays to allow the software to be customized to each user''s particular environment. A new display can be developed and added to SimGraph without having to design a new application, allowing the graphics programmer to focus on the development of the graphical display. The SimGraph framework can be reused for a wide variety of visualization tasks. Although it was created for the flight simulation facilities at NASA Langley Research Center, SimGraph can be reconfigured to almost any data visualization environment. This paper describes the capabilities and operations of SimGraph.
Phosphorylation Region of the Yeast Plasma-membrane H+-ATPase ROLE IN PROTEIN FOLDING AND BIOGENESIS

Mutations at the phosphorylation site (Asp-378) of the yeast plasma-membrane H+-ATPase have been shown previously to cause misfolding of the ATPase, preventing normal movement along the secretory pathway; Asp-378 mutations also block the biogenesis of co-expressed wild-type ATPase and lead to a dominant lethal phenotype. To ask whether these defects are specific for Asp-378 or whether the phosphorylation region as a whole is involved, alanine-scanning mutagenesis has been carried out to examine the role of 11 conserved residues flanking Asp-378. In the sec6–4 expression system (Nakamoto, R. K., Rao, R., and Slayman, C. W. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 7940–7949), the mutant ATPases displayed varying abilities to reach the secretory vesicles that deliver plasma-membrane proteins to the cell surface. Indirect immunofluorescence of intact cells also gave evidence for a spectrum of behavior, ranging from mutant ATPases completely arrested (D378A, K379A, T380A, and T384A) or partially arrested in the endoplasmic reticulum to those that reached the plasma membrane in normal amounts (C376A, S377A, and G381A). Although the extent of ER retention varied among the mutants, the endoplasmic reticulum appeared to be the only secretory compartment in which the mutant ATPases accumulated. All of the mutant proteins that localized either partially or fully to the ER were also malfolded based on their abnormal sensitivity to trypsin. Among them, the severely affected mutants had a dominant lethal phenotype, and even the intermediate mutants caused a visible slowing of growth when co-expressed with wild-type ATPase. The effects on growth could be traced to the trapping of the wild-type enzyme with the mutant enzyme in the ER, as visualized by double label immunofluorescence. Taken together, the results indicate that the residues surrounding Asp-378 are critically important for ATPase maturation and transport to the cell surface.
Decision making in antifungal monotherapy versus combination therapy

The availability of new antifungal agents with novel mechanisms of action and improved tolerability has widened the possibilities for combination therapy for difficult-to-treat opportunistic mycoses. However, empiricism largely governs this therapy, especially in patients with invasive mould infections for whom there is a dire need to improve outcomes. Because of difficulties associated with the design and conduct of clinical trials of combination therapy for opportunistic mycoses, most studies are still performed in the laboratory or in animal models. Methods to assess combined antifungal effects in vitro and in animals are poorly standardized, and little evidence suggests that the data generated from these studies are relevant to treating patients. Even without solid evidence to support routine combination therapy, certain principles can guide its use in select patients.
Nature and quantity of sloughed organic matter produced by roots of axenic peanut plants

Abstract Root caps, cortical tissue sheets, tissue fragments, and individual cells were sloughed by roots of peanut plants ( Arachis hypogaea L. cv. Argentine) growing in axenic solution culture. Microscopic observations indicated that some of the cells in sloughed material contained little cytoplasm. Estimates of sloughed organic matter indicated that 0.26 to 0.73 mg/plant week −1 were produced. C:N ratios of sloughed organic matter varied from 9.0 to 1 for plants grown in quarter strength Hoaglands solution to 18.9 to 1 for plants transferred to a medium containing no nitrogen. H:C ratios were typically near 2 to 1. Approximately 0.15% of the root carbon, nitrogen, and hydrogen was sloughed per week.
Phase Stability and Microstructural Evolution in the System Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x

The dependence of the oxygen nonstoichiometry of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x (2212) on temperature and oxygen partial pressure has been determined in the temperature range of 300° to 1000°C and the oxygen partial pressure range of 3 × 10−3 to 1 atm (1 atm = 105 Pa). The solidus temperature of 2212 was identified by differential thermal analysis over the same ranges of temperature and oxygen partial pressure. The nature of the decomposition of 2212 was determined by thermogravimetric analysis in the temperature range of 800° to 1000°C and oxygen partial pressure range of 3 × 10−3 to 1 atm. Microstructural evolution was examined by quenching materials, equilibrated with atmospheres of fixed partial pressures of oxygen, at various stages in the decomposition and identifying the phases present by electron microscopy and wavelength dispersive spectroscopy. With increasing temperature, at fixed oxygen partial pressure, the decomposition of 2212 in the presence of 1.9 mol% Sr0.4Ca0.6CuO2 follows the sequence 2212 + Sr0.4Ca0.6CuO2→ 2212 + Sr0.4Ca0.6CuO2+ Sr0.2Ca1.8CuO3→ Sr0.5Ca0.5CuO2+ Sr0.3Ca1.7CuO3+ Sr0.5Ca0.5Cu2O3+ L1→ Sr0.5Ca0.5CuO2+ Sr0.3Ca1.7CuO3+ L2→ L3.