cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Early DNA-RNA complex from the endogenous RNA-directed DNA polymerase activity of uninfected chicken embryos.

WHEN endogenous DNA polymerase activity was isolated from normal uninfected chicken embryos1, we suggested that it was RNA-directed for several reasons. The activity was sensitive to RNAase, but was completely resistant to DNAase and partially resistant to actinomycin D; and the DNA product of the chicken endogenous DNA polymerase activity hybridized to RNA isolated from the same fraction from chicken embryos. Both the template and the DNA polymerase of this chicken endogenous DNA polymerase activity were unrelated to the RNAs and DNA polymerases of Rous sarcoma or reticulo-endotheliosis viruses. Further characterization of the RNA tumour virus endogenous DNA polymerase activity as RNA-directed came from the isolation of a complex of RNA and early DNA product2–5. This complex sedimented rapidly in sucrose gradients and banded at the density of RNA and RNA-DNA hybrids in Cs2SO4 equilibrium density gradients. The complex was disrupted by RNAase (which breaks down RNA), alkali (which breaks down RNA and denatures DNA) and heat (which denatures DNA and RNA-DNA hybrids, but leaves intact covalently bound RNA-DNA). However, previously we were not able to isolate such a complex from the chicken endogenous DNA polymerase activity.
Revising place‐code schemes for humanitarian relief

When clear communication about a location, such as a village name, is critical in times of humanitarian intervention, the use of place names can result in ambiguity. A place code system, on the other hand, has potential to reduce confusion and increase information sharing and coordination of relief efforts. This poster explores the possibilities of a place-code scheme revision for humanitarian action.
Solubilized glycosyltransferases and biosynthesis in vitro of glycolipids.

The assembly of most of the ceramide-linked glycolipids (GSLs) in eukaryotic cells occurs in Golgi bodies. At least 18 different glycolipid:glycosyltransferases (GSL:GLTs) have been characterized, 10 of which have been solubilized. These GLTs can be classified into 2 distinct groups: 1) GLTs dedicated to either Dol-P-P-sugar(s) or ceramide-linked sugar(s); and 2) GLTs with dual loyalties (i.e., they compete with glycolipid- and glycoprotein-bound oligosaccharides). Studies with solubilized and purified GalNAcT-1 and GalNAcT-2 from embryonic chicken brains prove that GalNAcT-1 (UDP-GalNAc:GM3 beta 1-4GalNAcT) is specific for GSL, whereas GalNAcT-2 (UDP-GalNAc:Gb3 beta 1-3GalNAcT) can transfer to an oligosaccharide containing the alpha-linked terminal galactose. Similarly, GalT-3 (UDP-Gal:GM2 beta 1-3GalT) is more specific for ganglio-oligosaccharide and GalT-4 (UDP-Gal:Lc3 beta 1-4GalT) can transfer galactose to N-acetylglucosamine linked to p-nitrophenol, glycolipid or glycoprotein. Both GalT-3 and GalT-4 have been separated and purified from embryonic chicken brains. Studies with solubilized SAT-4 and SAT-3, from bovine spleen and embryonic chicken brains, respectively, suggest the existence of 2 different gene-expressed alpha 2-3SATs. The newly discovered FucT-3 (GDP-Fuc:NeuGc-iLc6-alpha 1-3FucT) from human colon carcinoma (Colo-205) has also been solubilized and separated from other GSL:GLTs. Using a new activity gel-Western blot combined technique, the molecular mass of this FucT-3 was determined to be 105 kDa.
Vascular flora, plant communities, and soils of a Significant Natural Area in the middle Atlantic Coastal Plain (Craven County, North Carolina).

Abstract Cool Springs Environmental Education Center (CSEEC), owned by Weyerhaeuser Company, includes a 591 ha State Significant Natural Area. It is located in Craven County, North Carolina, in the floristically rich Atlantic Coastal Plain. A vascular flora inventory documented the occurrences of 567 species and sub-specific taxa and 303 genera in 118 plant families, including populations of the Atlantic Coastal Plain endemics Pondspice (Litsea aestivalis) and LeBlond's Coastal Goldenrod (Solidago villosicarpa). We identified twenty plant community types, including the uncommon Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) Woodland, Bald Cypress–Tupelo Gum (Taxodium distichum – Nyssa aquatica) Swamp, a number of small depression wetland communities, and the novel Sand Laurel Oak-Loblolly Pine (Quercus hemisphaerica – Pinus taeda) Woodland. Soils ranged from excessively drained sands to very poorly drained organics. The order of the soil mapping units according to the number of plant taxa they supported per unit area wa...
The aid of exploration in potato improvement

Since the first appearance of the potato in Europe there have been difficult conditions for it to meet. As pointed out, its progress has been haphazard and indecisive. Radically changed environments, new plant pathogens and insects, and the increasing and varying human demands, have contributed toward larger improvements for survival and economical production. Although other species of tuber-bearing solanums are being studied and used in devising the Wanted plants, the greatest success would seem to rest with the 48-chromosomeSolanum tuberosunv itself. For this purpose its native lands and secret dwelling places must be searched with diligence and attention. The value of the plant in world economy, the great savings and security to be effected by its improvement, and the foreshadowing demands of the future justify any effort toward a further search for the parental and other strains of the potato, and possibly the diploid parents themselves, if there are any. The potato breeding work for the United States is in the hands of able geneticists who have well considered, long-range plans for the improvement of the American potato (9). Until the sources of breeding stock have been thoroughly explored and the possibilities of improvement exhausted, no program of improvement will be complete. Chile alone may not yield the answer, but it offers a concrete, definite project of plant exploration and investigational work which can be concluded in a systematic manner.
The osmotic composition of the ocular fluids of an amphibian: The toad Bufo marinus

Abstract 1. 1. Sodium, potassium, chloride and osmotic concentrations of the serum, vitreous and aqueous humours in toads, Bufo marinus , were measured. 2. 2. Chloride levels in the ocular fluids exceeded that in the serum while sodium and potassium were similar. 3. 3. Osmotic concentrations in the aqueous and vitreous humours were respectively, about 10 and 16 m-osmoles greater than that in serum. 4. 4. These differences were decreased in dehydrated and elevated in hydrated toads. 5. 5. The results emphasize the independent integrity of each of the ocular fluids as parts of the extracellular fluid compartment.
Estimated strength of association between smoking and periodontitis depends on case definition

Abstract Original Article Bergstrom J. Tobacco smoking and risk for periodontal disease. J Clin Periodontol 2003;30(2):107–13. Level of Evidence 3b Purpose To investigate the relations between various case definitions for periodontitis, prevalence of disease, and estimated relative risk associated with cigarette smoking Source of Funding Not reported Type of Study/Design Cross-sectional study
Template-Directed Synthesis Using the Heterogeneous Templates Produced by Montmorillonite Catalysis. A Possible Bridge Between the Prebiotic and RNA Worlds

The synthesis of oligoguanylates [oligo(G)s] is catalyzed by a template of oligocytidylates [oligo(C)s] containing 2',5'- and 3',5'-linked phosphodiester bonds with and without incorporated C5'ppC groupings. An oligo(C) template containing exclusively 2',5'-phosphodiester bonds also serves as a template for the synthesis of complementary oligo(G)s. The oligo(C) template was prepared by the condensation of the 5'-phosphorimidazolide of cytidine on montmorillonite clay. These studies establish that RNA oligomers prepared by mineral catalysis, or other routes on the primitive earth, did not have to be exclusively 3',5'-linked to catalyze template-directed synthesis, since oligo(C)s containing a variety of linkage isomers serve as templates for the formation of complementary oligo(G)s. These findings support the postulate that origin of the RNA world was initiated by the RNA oligomers produced by polymerization of activated monomers formed by prebiotic processes.
E-071 Organization of a Neurointerventional Fellowship Curriculum

Introduction The field of Neurointervention has attracted some of the very best physicians across the world. Given the interdisciplinary nature of this specialty, radiologists, neurosurgeons, and neurologists have been trained in this specialty. This relatively new field has brought in ground breaking changes in the ways we now treat a number of cerebrovascular disorders. However, there continues to be controversy regarding the advantages/benefits of this treatment modality for certain conditions as well as lack of evidence for other conditions. The onus is on the current fellowship training programs to use wisdom and experience in developing comprehensive fellowship training so as to produce the neurointervention leaders of tomorrow. Several significant and very basic problems currently exist with Neurointervention fellowship training, including but not limited to, the lack of an appropriate fellowship accreditation board, lack of a Neurointerventional boards exam, differences in fellowship training experience based on the educational background of Neurointerventional faculty, and lack of consensus as well as implementation of a didactic curriculum and number of cases required for graduation. The objective of this report is to present a comprehensive three -tier model for a Neurointerventional didactics program. Methods The model divides an annual Neurointerventional didactic curriculum in to three tiers: Introduction to Neurointervention Series: Basic concepts of Neurointervention. Implemented during the first two months of the academic year. Faculty/speaker driven. Total 20 sessions. See Table 1. Neurointervention Core Curriculum: Implemented during months 3 to 12 of the academic year. Faculty/speaker moderated; more interactive. Total 30 sessions. See. Table 2. Neurointervention Advanced Didactics: Periodic conference sessions. See Table 3.Other aspects: Neurointerventional Fellow Progression in Angio Suite Neurointerventional fellow 360 degrees evaluation Research during Neurointerventional fellowship Disclosures A. Garg: None.
Women opiate users' perceptions of treatment services in New York City

This paper focuses on the treatment experiences of women opiate users in New York City. Historically, drug research has used male samples, and drug treatment programs have been based upon the concerns of men. Treatment counselors and administrators are typically male, and female clients are frequently outnumbered by male clients. In addition, unique needs of women are not addressed. Primary among these needs is child care, a provision that is not a standard feature of most programs. Additionally, many women opiate users may be in dysfunctional families and/or have histories of sexual victimization that may require special counselling. Using data from 208 women drug users who had been in an opiate treatment program, this paper examines their perceptions of the extent to which these programs incorporate women's distinctive concerns and the degree to which such provisions are affected by the perceived numbers of women clients in these programs.
A study of pla crystallization during solid-state foaming

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a biodegradable semi-crystalline thermoplastic polymer that can be used in many applications such as tissue engineering scaffolds and packaging. The crystallinity of PLA is an important factor that affects its process-ability, mechanical strength, and biodegradability. The solid-state foaming of semi-crystalline PLA has been a subject of recent investigations. In this paper, crystallization through out the solid state foaming process was studied. It was found that the crystallization reaches the equilibrium once the gas sorption reaches the equilibrium. There are two main factors that will affect the PLA crystallization: gas sorption during the saturation stage and the heating and stretching during the foaming stage. Within the range of 2 to 5 MPa saturation pressures and 60 to 100 °C foaming temperatures, a maximum crystallinity of approx. 25% was observed in the foamed PLA. Effects of stretching and foaming temperature on crystallinity of foamed specimens were also investigated.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Lepton nonconservation at supercollider energies.

The lepton-nonconserving rare process $\mathrm{pp}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{(\mathrm{jet})}_{1}{(\mathrm{jet})}_{2}{e}^{+}{e}^{+}$, without missing ${p}_{T}$, is the high-energy analog of neutrinoless nuclear double-$\ensuremath{\beta}$ decay. It is shown to be a possible signal to search for a heavy Majorana electronlike neutrino ${N}_{e}$ in the mass intervals 150-1400 GeV and 450-1700 GeV at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and the Superconducting Super Collider, respectively, with event rates of a few per year. However, standard-model backgrounds probably preclude seeing this process at the LHC.
Circulating Endothelin-1 Alters Critical Mechanisms Regulating Cerebral Microcirculation

Endothelin-1 (ET1) is a potent vasoconstrictor peptide implicated in the cerebrovascular alterations occurring in stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and brain trauma. Brain or circulating levels of E...
One of a kind: Bhutan and the modernity challenge

A small Buddhist nation long isolated in the Himalayas between China and India, Bhutan navigates the passage to internal modernity and global integration by using the precepts of ‘Gross National Happiness’: cultural and environmental preservation, economic equity and sustainability, and clean and transparent governance. Challenges include the degree of homogeneity desirable under the doctrine of ‘One Nation, One People’. The country's youth wrestle with an education often unsuitable for job prospects, urban migration, social temptations, and the waning of traditions. Choosing cultural elements suitable for preservation, modification, or substitution incorporates key elements of spiritual continuity for easing the development path.
Introduction of non-linear elasticity models for characterization of shape and deformation statistics: application to contractility assessment of isolated adult cardiocytes

Background: We are exploring the viability of a novel approach to cardiocyte contractility assessment based on biomechanical properties of the cardiac cells, energy conservation principles, and information content measures. We define our measure of cell contraction as being the distance between the shapes of the contracting cell, assessed by the minimum total energy of the domain deformation (warping) of one cell shape into another. To guarantee a meaningful vis-a-vis correspondence between the two shapes, we employ both a data fidelity term and a regularization term. The data fidelity term is based on nonlinear features of the shapes while the regularization term enforces the compatibility between the shape deformations and that of a hyper-elastic material. Results: We tested the proposed approach by assessing the contractile responses in isolated adult rat cardiocytes and contrasted these measurements against two different methods for contractility assessment in the literature. Our results show good qualitative and quantitative agreements with these methods as far as frequency, pacing, and overall behavior of the contractions are concerned. Conclusions: We hypothesize that the proposed methodology, once appropriately developed and customized, can provide a framework for computational cardiac cell biomechanics that can be used to integrate both theory and experiment. For example, besides giving a good assessment of contractile response of the cardiocyte, since the excitation process of the cell is a closed system, this methodology can be employed in an attempt to infer statistically significant model parameters for the constitutive equations of the cardiocytes.
Developing a culturally appropriate depression prevention program: the family coping skills program

Depression is a disorder that can have particularly deleterious effects on individuals from racial/ethnic minority and low-income backgrounds. Culturally appropriate prevention programs offer a way to provide accessible and effective mental health services to these underserved populations. The authors introduce the Family Coping Skills Program (FCSP), a novel depression prevention program developed specifically for low-income Latina mothers. The authors present the theoretical underpinnings of the FCSP and describe their efforts to make the program culturally appropriate and to enhance recruitment and retention of participants. Initial outcome data from an uncontrolled trial were promising and support continued development and evaluation of the FCSP and other similar programs.
Nerves in a human body exposed to low-frequency electromagnetic fields

Following a summarizing introduction in which the background research is reviewed and referenced, a detailed description is given of the properties of the elongated cell that constitutes a nerve axon. The functioning of the cell membrane is reviewed with reference to the transmission of a frequency-modulated signal. The need for successive regeneration by means of action potentials is described. Propagation within both myelinated and unmyelinated membranes is discussed. Currents and electric fields induced in the organs of the human body by external electric and magnetic fields are introduced and their determination reviewed. The interaction between these currents and electric fields and those involved in the propagation of a signal along a nerve axon is analyzed. It is shown that incident 60-Hz electric fields near high-voltage transmission lines do not induce large enough currents and fields in a nerve axon in the leg to disrupt a propagating signal. Scaling with respect to frequency and size is discussed. Surface sensations due to exposure to electric fields in the 5-15-kV/m range are analyzed. It is concluded that exposure to the electromagnetic field of a 60-Hz high-voltage transmission line or a 10-30-kHz high-power transmitting antenna should have no observable effect on the normal functioning of nerves.
Neuroscience meets cryptography: crypto primitives secure against rubber hose attacks

Cryptographic systems often rely on the secrecy of cryptographic keys given to users. Many schemes, however, cannot resist coercion attacks where the user is forcibly asked by an attacker to reveal the key. These attacks, known as rubber hose cryptanalysis, are often the easiest way to defeat cryptography. We present a defense against coercion attacks using the concept of implicit learning from cognitive psychology. Implicit learning refers to learning of patterns without any conscious knowledge of the learned pattern. We use a carefully crafted computer game to allow a user to implicitly learn a secret password without them having any explicit or conscious knowledge of the trained password. While the trained secret can be used for authentication, participants cannot be coerced into revealing it since they have no conscious knowledge of it. We performed a number of user studies using Amazon's Mechanical Turk to verify that participants can successfully re-authenticate over time and that they are unable to reconstruct or even robustly recognize the trained secret.
Rebounding V1 activity and a new visual aftereffect

A serendipitous observation led to this study of V1 activity rebounds, which occur well after stimulus offset, and their relationship to visual aftereffects. We found that when a stimulus bar and background were simultaneously turned off, there was strong delayed rebounding activity (distinct from any off response). The neural rebound started 350-500 ms after stimulus offset, and its magnitude and duration were correlated with the prior visual response of the cell. In human psychophysical experiments, we found a delayed aftereffect that may be a perceptual correlate of the activity rebound. Both the rebound activity and the perceptual aftereffect disappeared if the stimulus bar and background were not extinguished together. The magnitude of the rebound varied with the spatial scale of the background even though background size had little effect on the visual response. It thus appeared that rebound magnitude was determined by a relatively large integration area. The aftereffect was not seen when the bar and background offsets were presented to different eyes, suggesting an early neural (monocular) basis for the aftereffect. Overall, we find a strong correlation between rebound activity and the perceived aftereffect. In addition to providing a possible explanation and neural correlate of a visual aftereffect, rebounding activity may provide new insight into the dynamics of early visual processing.
HOME OWNERSHIP AND THE WEALTH POSITION OF BLACK AND WHITE AMERICANS

This paper examines the wealth position of blacks relative to whites, on the basis of data in the Survey of Economic Opportunity. The analysis indicates that at the same levels of both income and wealth blacks consistently invest more in consumer durables, especially housing, than do whites. The paper then explores possible explanations for this finding, suggesting that these investment differences are not solely due to the income and wealth position of blacks, but may be due to a smaller set of investment opportunities institutionally fostered by discriminatory forces.
A Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus secondary alcohol dehydrogenase mutant derivative highly active and stereoselective on phenylacetone and benzylacetone

The secondary alcohol dehydrogenase from Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus 39E (TeSADH) is highly thermostable and solvent-stable, and it is active on a broad range of substrates. These properties make TeSADH an excellent template to engineer an industrial catalyst for chiral chemical synthesis. (S)-1-Phenyl-2-propanol was our target product because it is a precursor to major pharmaceuticals containing secondary alcohol groups. TeSADH has no detectable activity on this alcohol, but it is highly active on 2-butanol. The structural model we used to plan our mutagenesis strategy was based on the substrate's orientation in a horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase*p-bromobenzyl alcohol*NAD(+) ternary complex (PDB entry 1HLD). The W110A TeSADH mutant now uses (S)-1-phenyl-2-propanol, (S)-4-phenyl-2-butanol and the corresponding ketones as substrates. W110A TeSADH's kinetic parameters on these substrates are in the same range as those of TeSADH on 2-butanol, making W110A TeSADH an excellent catalyst. In particular, W110A TeSADH is twice as efficient on benzylacetone as TeSADH is on 2-butanol, and it produces (S)-4-phenyl-2-butanol from benzylacetone with an enantiomeric excess above 99%. W110A TeSADH is optimally active at 87.5 degrees C and remains highly thermostable. W110A TeSADH is active on aryl derivatives of phenylacetone and benzylacetone, making this enzyme a potentially useful catalyst for the chiral synthesis of aryl derivatives of alcohols. As a control in our engineering approach, we used the TbSADH*(S)-2-butanol binary complex (PDB entry 1BXZ) as the template to model a mutation that would make TeSADH active on (S)-1-phenyl-2-propanol. Mutant Y267G TeSADH did not have the substrate specificity predicted in this modeling study. Our results suggest that (S)-2-butanol's orientation in the TbSADH*(S)-2-butanol binary complex does not reflect its orientation in the ternary enzyme-substrate-cofactor complex.
Effects of Work Conditioning and Adjustment Period on Psychophysical Estimates in Manual Torquing Tasks

Several issues must be addressed in experiments using psychophysical estimations, including the potential effects of work conditioning, the necessary adjustment period, and the validity of experimental results. To address these, two experiments were conducted that simulated different manual torquing tasks. In the first experiment, 16 participants provided their maximum acceptable repetition rate (MARR) in a 2-hour adjustment period, and repeated this for five consecutive days. No significant differences were found across days (i.e. no work conditioning effect). Further analysis indicated that results after 12 minutes were comparable to those at 2 hours. In the second experiment, another set of 16 participants provided estimates of 2-hour MARRs in a 12-minute adjustment period for two task conditions. On subsequent days they worked for 2 hours at their self selected MARRs. Participants were able to perform the tasks at their MARR with low to moderate average ratings of perceived discomfort on these latter ...
Azoxymethane protects intestinal stem cells and reduces crypt epithelial mitosis through a COX-1-dependent mechanism

Azoxymethane (AOM) is a potent DNA-damaging agent and carcinogen that induces intestinal and colonic tumors in rodents. Evaluation of the stem cell population by colony formation assay reveals that...
Validated predictive computational methods for surface charge in heterogeneous functional materials: HeteroFoaM™

Essentially all heterogeneous materials are dielectric, i.e., they are imperfect conductors that generally display internal charge displacements that create dissipation and local charge accumulation at interfaces. Over the last few years, the authors have focused on the development of an understanding of such behaviour in heterogeneous functional materials for energy conversion and storage, called HeteroFoaM ( www.HeteroFoaM.com ). Using paradigm problems, this work will indicate major directions for developing generally applicable methods for the multiphysics, multi-scale design of heterogeneous functional materials. The present paper outlines the foundation for developing validated predictive computational methods that can be used in the design of multi-phase heterogeneous functional materials, or HeteroFoaM, as a genre of materials. Such methods will be capable of designing not only the constituent materials and their interactions, but also the morphology of the shape, size, surfaces and interfaces that define the heterogeneity and the resulting functional response of the material system. Relationships to applications which drive this development are identified. A paradigm problem based on dielectric response is formulated and discussed in context. We report an approach that defines a methodology for designing not only the constituent material properties and their interactions in a heterogeneous dielectric material system, but also the morphology of the shape, size, surface, and interfaces that defines the heterogeneity and the resulting functional response of that system.
Ecological aspects of the Cretaceous flowering plant radiation

▪ Abstract The first flowering plant fossils occur as rare, undiverse pollen grains in the Early Cretaceous (Valanginian-Hauterivian). Angiosperms diversified slowly during the Barremian-Aptian but rapidly during the Albian-Cenomanian. By the end of the Cretaceous, at least half of the living angiosperm orders were present, and angiosperms were greater than 70% of terrestrial plant species globally. The rapid diversification of the group, and its dominance in modern vegetation, has led to the idea that the Cretaceous radiation of angiosperms also represents their rise to vegetational dominance. Paleoecological data cast a different light on the Cretaceous radiation of angiosperms. Analyses of sedimentary environments indicate that angiosperms not only originated in unstable habitats but remained centered there through most of the Cretaceous. Morphology of leaves, seeds, and wood is consistent with the status of most Cretaceous angiosperms as herbs to small trees with early successional strategy. The diver...
Geometric properties of constrained linear systems

This paper presents results on reachability and constrained controllability properties for a class of linear control system. The geometric characterizations given are important because nonlinear systems, especially bilinear systems, do not have a priori preferred origins to be referred to and one natural way to find solutions of these systems is to linearize the model, but not necessarily at the origin. Reachable set properties are also important for derivation of minimum-time control strategies and constrained controllability properties of dynamic systems. Results presented include properties of the reachable set such as openness, convexity and inclusion in another reachable set. It is shown that its boundedness is directly related to the region where the spectrum of A lies in the complex plane. Controllability is defined and proven to be equivalent to an inclusion property of reachable sets. >
The Origins of Solidarity and the Provision of Public Goods: Primordial or Cosmopolitan?

The concept of redistribution is divided into two areas: “national” redistribution and “global” redistribution. We first examine the impact of immigration induced diversity on people’s willingness to continue funding the welfare state and second, the willingness of people to fund “global” forms of redistribution such as support for the environment and for foreign aid. Applying principal component factor analysis to various items in the 2005/6 World Values Study, we find two different kinds of trust which we term “primordial” and “cosmopolitan”. Our hypothesis that “cosmopolitan” trusters should support national as well as global redistribution is only partially supported: primordial as well as cosmopolitan trusters favor national redistribution. While primordial trusters show no significant effects on global redistribution, cosmopolitan trusters display attitudes that are conducive for public goods provision even while bearing concentrated costs. Primordial trusters on the other hand, display attitudes that show an unwillingness to contribute to public goods such as the environment or foreign aid, revealing a much narrower sense of community.
The benefits and costs of DyC's run-time optimizations

DyC selectively dynamically compiles programs during their execution, utilizing the run-time-computed values of variables and data structures to apply optimizations that are based on partial evaluation. The dynamic optimizations are preplanned at static compile time in order to reduce their run-time cost; we call this staging. DyC's staged optimizations include (1) an advanced binding-time analysis that supports polyvariant specialization (enabling both single-way and multiway complete loop unrolling), polyvariant division, static loads, and static calls, (2) low-cost, dynamic versions of traditional global optimizations, such as zero and copy propagation and dead-assignment elimination, and (3) dynamic peephole optimizations, such as strength reduction. Because of this large suite of optimizations and its low dynamic compilation overhead, DyC achieves good performance improvements on programs that are larger and more complex than the kernels previously targeted by other dynamic compilation systems. This paper evaluates the benefits and costs of applying DyC's optimizations. We assess their impact on the performance of a variety of small to medium-sized programs, both for the regions of code that are actually transformed and for the entire application as a whole. Our study includes an analysis of the contribution to performance of individual optimizations, the performance effect of changing the applications' inputs, and a detailed accounting of dynamic compilation costs.
Study of the noise-induced transition and the exploration of the phase space for the Kuramoto?Sivashinsky equation using the minimum action method

Noise-induced transition in the solutions of the Kuramoto–Sivashinsky (K–S) equation is investigated using the minimum action method derived from the large deviation theory. This is then used as a starting point for exploring the configuration space of the K–S equation. The particular example considered here is the transition between a stable fixed point and a stable travelling wave. Five saddle points, up to constants due to translational invariance, are identified based on the information given by the minimum action path. Heteroclinic orbits between the saddle points are identified. Relations between noise-induced transitions and the saddle points are examined.
Retinal Ganglion Cells Can Rapidly Change Polarity from Off to On

Retinal ganglion cells are commonly classified as On-center or Off-center depending on whether they are excited predominantly by brightening or dimming within the receptive field. Here we report that many ganglion cells in the salamander retina can switch from one response type to the other, depending on stimulus events far from the receptive field. Specifically, a shift of the peripheral image—as produced by a rapid eye movement—causes a brief transition in visual sensitivity from Off-type to On-type for approximately 100 ms. We show that these ganglion cells receive inputs from both On and Off bipolar cells, and the Off inputs are normally dominant. The peripheral shift strongly modulates the strength of these two inputs in opposite directions, facilitating the On pathway and suppressing the Off pathway. Furthermore, we identify certain wide-field amacrine cells that contribute to this modulation. Depolarizing such an amacrine cell affects nearby ganglion cells in the same way as the peripheral image shift, facilitating the On inputs and suppressing the Off inputs. This study illustrates how inhibitory interneurons can rapidly gate the flow of information within a circuit, dramatically altering the behavior of the principal neurons in the course of a computation.
Developing Family Theory

With this issue, we inaugurate a new section of the journal committed to theory. Family scholars have expressed the need for theory development and for expanded outlets for publishing theory. For nearly 30 years, the Theory Construction and Research Methodology Workshop, which proceeds each annual meeting of the National Council on Family Relations, has provided a forum wherein scholars can present their developing work for discussion, including their theoretical work. Nonetheless, the submission of theoretical work to the journal remains low, less than 5% of all submissions. In some regards, this is not surprising; crafting theory is difficult. The new theory section of the journal is designed to increase the opportunities available for publishing theoretical work and perhaps the reasons for doing so. The theory section will follow the mission of the journal to publish work on a wide array of topics having to do with marriage or other similar forms of close relationships and families as they are so richly and broadly conceived. Appropriate content includes original theory using a variety of methods typical of the full range of the social sciences, inclusive of both qualitative and quantitative methods. Integrative reviews, as well as reports on methodological and statistical advances, are also welcome as general submissions to the journal, although they might not be appropriate for the theory section. The objectives of the theory section are: * to provide a forum for the development of theory that advances the study of families, including their attendant structures, relationships, or processes; * to encourage the field's self-reflective stance and synthesis of new and existing theory that reflects emerging trends in the field of family studies and personal relationships; * to foster the development of new paradigms for studying families in their diversity, including families of color, families of complex forms, and gender compositions with a greater sense of inclusiveness; and * to facilitate opportunities to shape the professional and public discourse about families, women and men, children, and their relationships. In developing and administering this initiative, I will use the deputy-editor model that has worked so well in the past. We currently have three deputy editors, and each serves in a similar role, but often in unique substantive areas. Deputy editors have responsibility for providing additional, and sometimes quite specialized, input into the decisionmaking process. This frequently involves decisions regarding manuscripts that have been submitted to the journal, but it also involves decisions regarding the operation of the journal or the development of special projects. …
An Alternative Measure of Research Productivity Among Behavior Analytic Graduate Training Programs: a Response to Dixon et al. (2015).

Dixon et al. (2015) examined the research productivity of 74 graduate training programs which are either accredited by the Association for Behavior Analysis, International (ABAI), have a course sequence approved by the Behavior Analysis Certification Board™ (BACB), or both. These authors provided a list of the top 10 research-producing programs and individuals for each of six journals in the field of behavior analysis. Although informative, Dixon et al.’s analysis provides only one measure of research productivity. Research productivity can, and should, be measured in many different ways.
Relative dilution spaces of 2H- and 18O-labeled water in humans

The doubly labeled water method for measuring energy expenditure can be very sensitive to small differences in the ratio of the 2H to 18O isotope dilution spaces. Recently it has been suggested that the average ratio is higher than the 1.03 we previously recommended. We therefore combined the data from 99 recently studied subjects. Subjects (85 females and 14 males) were between the ages of 4 and 78 yr (mean = 34 yr) and between 10 and 52% (mean = 35%) fat. The average 2H-to-18O dilution space ratio was 1.034 +/- 0.014, which was very similar to the original assumption. As in recent reports, we did find that most of the variance (60%) was due to random analytic error and that there was no correlation between the dilution space ratio and age or body fat. However, in contrast to recent reports we found no evidence of a gender difference. Use of the constant dilution space ratio of 1.034 to recalculate CO2 product in published validation studies demonstrated improved accuracy, and thus the value of 1.034 is suggested for use in future studies.
Comparison between experimental results and theoretical model of typical spatial domain multiplexing technique

Fiber optic channels utilizing Spatial Domain Multiplexing/Space Division Multiplexing (SDM) are typically analyzed using Laguerre Gaussian (LG) modes. Theoretical and experimental results for SDM channels in optical fiber are presented and compared.
Interactive Whiteboard Technologies in High School: A Comparison of Their Impact on the Levels of Measure That Determine a Return on Investment

This quantitative, quasi-experimental, nonequivalent group study examined the impact on levels of measure that determine a return on investment of differing forms of interactive whiteboard (IWB) technology used at a high school in a suburban school district in southeastern Virginia. Three forms of IWB were compared: a full-screen IWB, a mobile IWB, and a tablet-based whiteboard app. Student performance and survey data were analyzed via one-way analysis of variance to determine the impact on participants who were exposed to the forms of technology. The return on investment levels of measure for the three technologies were also compared with groups that did not use any form of IWB. Analyses revealed small but significant differences between forms of technology in three of the four levels of measure: satisfaction, student achievement, and perception of results. Limitations and suggestions for further research are also discussed.
Common Chemical Properties Food Poisoning

In the article introduced the common chemical properties food poisoning toxin and is poisoned the symptom,in view of each kind of chemical properties food poisoning proposed the corresponding preventive measure,and stated has the food poisoning emergency processing measure.
Analysis of false positive-reaction in one case of HIV antibody confirmatory testing

Objective To explore the technical problems of the HIV-Ab test including screening and confirmatory testing following up a HIV-Ab positive case. Methods Antibody screening and confirmatory tests were carried out on the subject at 3,6,12 months. Results Of the initiate testing,negative-reaction occurred with PA(SFD HIV1/2) while positive reaction occurred with vironostika Ab-EIA.Thus the HIV-1 antibody was positive based on confirmatory test which showed the type of WB blet was gp120p24.Of the comparative testing,positive reaction also occurred with vironostika Ag/Ab-EIA while negative-reaction with kinghawk-EIA and GBI-EIA.In addition,Dainabot Determine(HIV1/2) met with a weak positive-recation and the virus-load was not detected.Of the 3 testings of follow-up,the screening testing met the same outcome of the initiate testing,the types of WB blet were gp120p24,p24 and p24p55 respectively,and virus-load of the last sample was not detected.Therefore the result of HIV-1 antibody negative was summed out.Of the total 4 tests,screening testing makes dfference among not the series but the brand of reagent,while confirmatory testing makes dfference among the series. Conclusion There is some difference among the series of reagent in the confirmatory testing,so that the comparative testing and re-testing should be carried out as the sample with weak or odd postive-reaction is concerned.Epidemiology investigation should be carried out when the result turned to be critical;uncertainty of HIV-Ab happened when one env belt with p24 appeared at the same time by WB confirmatory test,and follow up the subject.
Neuroimaging study of center nervous system involvement in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.

Objective To explore the features of neuroimaging and its influence on the prognosis of patients with acute thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura(TTP) with nervous and mental manifestations. MethodsThe patients with acute TTP with nervous and mental manifestations who were admitted to the departments of neurology and haematology,the first affiliated hospital of Guangxi medical university during 2004 to 2009 were retrospectively analyzed.The data of clinical manifestations,cranial CT and MRI in acute stage and followed up were collected. ResultsTwelve cases with acute TTP were studied,including 8 females and 4 males.the higher incidence in nervous and mental symptoms were headache(66.7%),consciousness disorders(50%),psychiatric disorder(50%),aphasia(25%).Cranial MRI could detect brain lesions in 11 cases(91.7%) whereas CT only detected brain lesions in 3 cases(25%).Primary brain lesions mainly involved the subcortical white matter,partly extended to the boundary of gray and white matter or the cortex.Those lesions appeared as plaque-like,blurred boundary,low T1,high T2 and high T2 FLAIR signal or mixed signal in MRI imaging.The abnormal MRI signals could decrease or disappear when the symptoms improved. ConclusionsMRI is superior to CT in detecting acute TTP with nervous and mental manifestations.The characteristic manifestations of lesions in MRI are muti foci in the subcortical white matter with plaque-like,blurred boundary,low T1,high T2 and high T2 FLAIR signal or mixed signal.Reduction or disappearance of abnormal MRI signals suggests the symptom improvement whereas persistent abnormal MRI signals indicate unfavorable prognosis.
Improvement of Leukocyte Bactericidal Activity in Chronic Granulomatous Disease

Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is characterized by an inability of patients’ leukocytes to generate hydrogen peroxide and to kill non-peroxide-forming bacteria, such as staphylococci and serratiae. We have introduced glucose oxidase into CGD leukocytes in order to generate peroxide and thereby kill S. aureus and S. marcescens . These results support the concept that a leukocyte oxidative deficiency is primary to the pathogenesis of CGD.
Presidential Leadership & the Separation of Powers

The presidents who routinely are judged the greatest leaders are also the most heavily criticized by legal scholars. The reason is that the greatest presidents succeeded by overcoming the barriers erected by Madison's system of separation of powers, but the legal mind sees such actions as breaches of constitutional norms that presidents are supposed to uphold. With the erosion of Madisonian checks and balances, what stops presidents from abusing their powers? The answer lies in the complex nature of presidential leadership. The president is simultaneously leader of the country, a party, and the executive branch. The conflicts between these leadership roles put heavy constraints on his power.
Technology transfer and agricultural mechanization in Tanzania: institutional adjustments to accommodate emerging economy innovations

ABSTRACTRecent economic growth in Tanzania has been biased towards industry and services, denying farmers potential distributional benefits. Correcting this anomaly requires in part appropriate technologies to raise agricultural productivity. Attempts to either develop local tools or import advanced country technologies had limited benefits. Recent studies suggest that for poor producers in Tanzania, mechanization technologies from emerging economies are more appropriate in relation to their production characteristics. However, being locked-in advanced country technologies means both market and non-market institutions responsible for mechanization technology transfer in Tanzania have evolved to suite machines from the EU, Japan and USA. To accommodate the new market dynamic, where attention is shifting to emerging economies, modifications to the current technology transfer infrastructure are required. Using firm, farm and government level data on importation, distribution, usage and maintenance of tractor...
Physical, Chemical, and Optical Measures of Suspended-Particle Concentrations: Their Intercomparison and Application to the West African Shelf

A property of oceanic particulate matter referred to as “apparent density” was calculated by dividing the weight of suspended particulate matter CSPM) by the volume of particles. This parameter is equal to “mass density” for particles, such as minerals, containing little water. Apparent density calculations were made for a series of samples collected on R/V Trident cruise 112 to the continental shelves of Sierra Leone and Liberia. These values ranged from 0.104 to 1.79 for samples with particulate organic carbon fractions (POC/SPM) ranging from 0.486 to 0.037.
Understanding Brand Equity in Campus Recreational Sports: A Consumer-Based Perspective

The purpose of this study was to develop an understanding of brand equity in campus recreational sports by applying a consumer-based brand equity perspective. The study examined the relationships among attitudes toward advertising, word-of-mouth, past experiences, consumer-based brand equity, and brand loyalty in campus recreational sports. The findings of the study provide support for previous research which posits that marketing mix elements and consumer experiences influence consumer-based brand equity (Berry, 2000; Keller, 1993; Ross, 2006; Williams & Pedersen, 2012; Williams, Rhenwrick, Wright, Choi, Kim, & Vickey, 2014; Yoo & Donthu, 2001). In addition, the findings allow managers to gauge which antecedents contribute to consumer-based brand equity and aid in their selection of appropriate marketing strategies. Furthermore, the finding that brand equity has a positive relationship with brand loyalty supports previous research (Williams, Pedersen, & Walsh, 2012) and may be used as leverage for campus...