cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Computed tomography in the diagnosis of Canavan's disease

Computed tomography (CT scan) demonstrated a symmetrical decrease in white matter attenuation of the cerebral hemispheres of two young children with macrocephaly and normal neurological examination. Subsequent developmental delay led to brain biopsy, which documented Canavan's disease (spongy degeneration of the brain, Van Bogaert-Bertrand type). The CT scans obtained from these patients with proved Canavan's disease appeared to be quite characteristic in differentiating this disorder from Alexander's disease and adrenoleukodystrophy (Schilder's disease). The CT scan may decrease the necessity for diagnostic brain biopsy in these white matter disorders.
Merging DEL and ETL

This paper surveys the interface between the two major logical trends that describe agents' intelligent interaction over time: dynamic epistemic logic (DEL) and epistemic temporal logic (ETL). The initial attempt to "merge" DEL and ETL was made in van Benthem et al. (Merging frameworks for interaction: DEL and ETL, 2007) and followed up by van Benthem et al. (J Phil Logic 38(5):491---526, 2009) and Hoshi (Epistemic dynamics and protocol information. Ph.D. thesis, Stanford University Stanford, 2009a). The merged framework provides a systematic comparison between these two logical systems and studies new logics of intelligent interaction. This paper presents the main results and the recent developments at the interface between DEL and ETL.
Impedance spectroscopy and electrical modeling of electrowetting on dielectric devices

Using impedance spectroscopy, we have determined models for the elements which determine the ac electrical behavior in electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD) systems. Three commonly used EWOD electrode configurations were analyzed. In each case, the impedance can be modeled by a combination of elements, including the solution resistance, the capacitance of the dielectric layer, and the constant phase impedance of the electrode double layers. The sensitivity of the system's impedance to variations in the electrowetted area is also analyzed for these common configurations. We also demonstrate that the impedance per unit area of typical EWOD systems is invariant to bias voltage.
Fecal pseudomonas aeruginosa as a cause of the blue diaper syndrome.

Summary A 9-day-old infant presented with blue-green discoloration of the stools due to a pigment elaborated by Pseudomonas aeruginosa . The child had no evidence of systemic disease; however, as the stool is the major source of potential gram-negative pathogens, a course of oral antibiotic therapy was given to eradicate the organism and the stools returned to normal color.
Impact of insurers' product variety on performance across underwriting cycles

Purpose – This study sets out to focus on understanding the linkage between product variety and performance of property/casualty insurers during underwriting cycles.Design/methodology/approach – The study sample is based on 4,597 property/casualty (PC) insurers from the time period 2000‐2004. Insurers are categorized into two groups based on performance: insurers whose performance is above 0.1 standard deviation of the mean, and insurers whose performance is below 0.1 standard deviation of the mean. Later logistic regression models are used to determine the influence of product variety on the likelihood of an insurer falling into one of these groups.Findings – Study findings indicate that insurers with greater product variety had lower performance than focused insurers during both phases of the cycle. Insurers with great product variety fared relatively better than focused insurers during the hard markets compared with soft markets.Originality/value – Extant research has presented significant evidence for...
Cyclic Changes in Insulin Needs of an Unstable Diabetic

The fluctuating insulin requirements of an unstable diabetic over an 8-year period have been subjected to spectral analysis. There is evidence of cyclic changes of several different period lengths in addition to red noise. The periodicities indicate that social causes play no major role but suggest that a weathermediated effect may exist.
A further analysis of perceptual identification priming in alcoholic Korsakoff patients.

Abstract Alcoholic Korsakoff patients have been shown to have normal repetition priming for words, but impaired priming for pseudowords, on perceptual identification tasks. Because real words, but not pseudowords, have semantic representations, successful priming of real words has been attributed to semantic activation. Alternatively, however, priming might reflect the perceptual, i.e. orthographic and phonological familiarity associated with real words in comparison with pseudowords. In order to examine which of these factors accounts for normal priming by amnesics, Experiment 1 was designed to contrast perceptual identification priming for words, pseudowords and pseudohomonyms (e.g. “phaire”). On this task, Korsakoff patients showed normal priming for real words and for pseudohomonyms, but significantly impaired priming for pseudowords. It was felt that since pseudohomonyms are orthographically unfamiliar but could access semantics through their phonological route, activation of a semantic representation rather than perceptual familiarity might be the critical factor underlying successful priming. Experiment 2 was then designed to further explore the robustness of this semantically mediated priming by presenting different word types within the same study list. Under these conditions, Korsakoffs' pseudohomonym priming was consistently below normal. This suggests that priming in Korsakoff patients depends upon the conceptual salience of the stimuli and not solely on semantic activation.
A New Flow Instrument for Conductance Measurements at Elevated Temperatures and Pressures: Measurements on NaCl(aq) to 458 K and 1.4 MPa

A new flow electrical conductance instrument was constructed and tested on dilute NaCl solutions up to 458 K, and on more concentrated solutions (maximum 0.436 mol⋅kg−1) at 373 K. The results of the new instrument agreed with those of previous authors within the estimated experimental errors. The model of Bernard et al. (J. Phys. Chem. 96, 3833–3840 (1992), MSA) was found to represent the high-temperature results without introducing an ion-pairing equilibrium constant. The Fuoss–Hsia conductance equation as given by Fernandez-Prini was found to represent the dilute concentrations with Λ° (NaCl) as the only adjustable parameter. It was found that Λ° (NaCl) could be expressed as a function of solvent viscosity and density by using three parameters found by regression of literature results between 278.15 and 523 K. This equation along with the FHFP theory permits the equivalent conductivity of dilute sodium chloride solutions to be calculated within the accuracy of the existing experimental measurements.
Thin Film Deposition of Organic−Inorganic Hybrid Materials Using a Single Source Thermal Ablation Technique

A versatile single source thermal ablation (SSTA) technique is demonstrated, enabling the deposition of high-quality films of organic−inorganic hybrid materials. The SSTA process involves rapidly heating the organic−inorganic compound using a resistively heated sheet. The organic and inorganic components ablate from the heater at effectively the same time, without decomposition, and the components reassemble on a substrate to form crystalline films of the original hybrid.
Differential requirements for the O-linked branching enzyme core 2 β1-6-N-glucosaminyltransferase in biosynthesis of ligands for E-selectin and P-selectin

Selectins are carbohydrate-binding adhesion molecules that play important roles in control of leukocyte traffic. Glycosyltransferases involved in selectin ligand biosynthesis include the alpha1,3-fucosyltransferases FucT-VII and FucT-IV, one or more sialyltransferases, and at least one O-linked branching enzyme. Previous studies have shown that core 2 beta1-6-N-glucosaminyltransferase (C2GlcNAcT-I; EC 2.4.1.102) is required for functional modification of PSGL-1, the leukocyte P-selectin ligand, but have been ambiguous on whether this enzyme is involved in E-selectin ligand formation. Using an attachment and rolling assay under defined shear flow in vitro, this study shows that C2GlcNAcT-I(-) lymphoid cells stably transfected with FucT-VII complementary DNA attach and roll well on E-selectin at 1.5 dynes/cm.(2) Further, attachment and rolling on P-selectin of neutrophils is sharply reduced and that of short- term polarized Th1 cells is virtually abolished, with leukocytes from C2GlcNAcT-I(-/-) mice. In contrast, both neutrophils and Th1 cells from C2GlcNAcT-I(-/-) mice attach and roll as well as wild-type cells on E-selectin. These results show that C2GlcNAcT-I is selectively required for biosynthesis of ligands for P-selectin, but is not essential for at least some E-selectin ligands. Distinct requirements for C2GlcNAcT-I in the formation of ligands for E-selectin versus P-selectin represents a novel level of regulation of expression of selectin ligands and lymphocyte traffic. (Blood. 2001;97:3806-3811)
Robust Cost-Sensitive Confidence-Weighted Classification

We introduce confidence-weighted (CW) online learning algorithms for robust, cost-sensitive classification. Our work extends the original confidence-weighted optimization framework in two important directions. First, we show how the original value at risk (VaR) probabilistic constraint in CW algorithms can be generalized to a worst-case conditional value at risk (CVaR) constraint for more robust learning from cost weighted examples. Second, we show how to reduce adversarial feature noise, which can be useful in fraud detection scenarios, by reframing the optimization problem in terms of maximum a posteriori estimation. The resulting optimization problems can be solved efficiently. Experiments on real-world and synthetic datasets show that our robust, cost-sensitive extensions consistently reduce the cost incurred in both online and batch learning settings. We also demonstrate a correspondence between the VaR and CVaR constraints used for classification and uncertainty sets used in robust optimization, leading toward a rich family of potential extensions to CW algorithms.
Integrative Modeling Defines the Nova Splicing-Regulatory Network and Its Combinatorial Controls

The control of RNA alternative splicing is critical for generating biological diversity. Despite emerging genome-wide technologies to study RNA complexity, reliable and comprehensive RNA-regulatory networks have not been defined. Here we used Bayesian networks to probabilistically model diverse datasets and predict the target networks of specific regulators. We applied this strategy to identify ~700 alternative splicing events directly regulated by the neuron-specific factor Nova in the mouse brain, integrating RNA-binding data, splicing microarray data, Nova-binding motifs, and evolutionary signatures. The resulting integrative network revealed combinatorial regulation by Nova and the neuronal splicing factor Fox, interplay between phosphorylation and splicing, and potential links to neurologic disease. Thus we have developed a general approach to understanding mammalian RNA regulation at the systems level.
Efficient formation of a crosslinkable HMT monoadduct at the Kpn I recognition site.

The double-stranded Kpn I linker, CGGTACCG, is readily crosslinked by 4′-hydroxymethyl-4,5′,8-trimethylpsoralen (HMT). Under identical conditions, the corresponding Bam HI linker, CGGATCCG, is resistant to modification. The differential reactivity of HMT towards the two sequences is also observed with SV40 DNA where the Kpn I restriction site is ten-fold more susceptible to HMT modification than the Bam HI site. Selective reaction with the Kpn I site is attributed to preferential intercalation of HMT into the TpA sequence. The availability of crosslinked Kpn I linker has allowed us to characterize the kinetics of photoreversal. Upon irradiation at 254 nm, the diadduct reverses at a faster rate than the monoadduct, leading to an accumulation of the latter. The resultant monoadduct reforms crosslink rapidly upon irradiation at 365 nm. DNA oligomers like the Kpn I linker, which can be modified by the above protocol to contain a crosslinkable HMT monoadduct, could he exploited as photoreactive sequence-specific probes.
Resolving the Native Structure of Escherichia Coli OmpA

Modification of the sorting signal (residues 163-169) of outer membrane protein A (OmpA) of Escherichia coli by amphiphilic, water-insoluble oligo-(R)-3-hydroxybutyrates (cOHB) enables it to form narrow pores of ∼ 80 pS in planar lipid bilayers at room temperature. Here we show that additional modifications of the C-terminal domain of OmpA in the periplasm enable it to refold into large pores in the outer membranes. Both narrow and large pore conformers migrate as 30 kDa proteins on SDS-PAGE gels. OmpA isolated from outer membranes (M-OmpA) refolds into large pores of ∼ 450 pS after incubation in micelles or planar bilayers at elevated temperatures (Ea = 33.2 kcal/mol), whereas OmpA isolated from cytoplasmic inclusion bodies (I-OmpA) treated in the same manner continues to form only narrow pores. Western blot immunoassay using anti-OHB IgG and1H-NMR indicate that chymotrypsin-generated C-terminal segment 264-325 of M-OmpA contains cOHB, whereas the same segment of I-OmpA does not. Importantly, the narrow to large pore transition also fails to occur when M-OmpA is exposed to disulfide bond reducing agents. The results indicate that cOHB-modification of the sorting signal in the cytoplasm and of the C-terminal segment 264-325 in the periplasm as well as C290 -C302 disulfide bond formation in the periplasm are all necessary steps in folding OmpA to its native large pore structure. They further suggest that cOHB modification may be an important factor in protein targeting and protein folding.
Shock isolation using ‘smart’ damping

Applications of shock isolation range from vehicle suspension systems to packaging which protects para-dropped equipment in the military expeditionary logistics environment. Both passive and active shock isolation systems have been investigated. However, passive systems are limited in that they cannot adapt to different load conditions; active systems are not practical in many applications, as they may require large power supplies. Another solution to the problem is to implement a ‘smart’ damping system, which typically requires little power, is controllable in real time, and achieves nearly the same performance as an active system. This paper focuses on shock isolation using these ‘smart’ damping devices. Following the basic problem formulation, the optimal active shock isolator synthesis is given. These results are then extended to the ‘smart’ (semi-active) shock isolation case. Theoretical analysis shows that if the linear spring stiffness is properly chosen and the control force is appropriately regulated, the shock isolator using ‘smart’ damping can achieve optimal performance and has better robustness than the passive shock isolators. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs and dyspepsia in the elderly

Upper gastrointestinal tract symptoms are common in the elderly and, despite a paucity of data, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are believed to be important risk factors. We aimed to evaluate the association of NSAIDs with dyspepsia and heartburn in a population-based study. An age- and gender-stratified random sample of Olmsted County, Minnesota, Caucasian residents aged 65 years and older was mailed a valid self-report questionnaire; 74% responded (N=1375). Age- and gender-adjusted (to 1980 US Caucasian population) prevalence rates for NSAID use, dyspepsia (defined as pain located in the upper abdomen or nausea), and heartburn (defined as retrosternal burning pain) were calculated. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the association of dyspepsia and heartburn with potential risk factors adjusting for age and gender. The age- and gender-adjusted annual prevalences (per 100) of aspirin and nonaspirin NSAID use were 60.0 (95% CI 57.2,62.7) and 26.1 (95% CI 23.6,28.7), respectively. The annual prevalences of dyspepsia and heartburn were 15.0 (95% CI 12.9,17.0) and 12.9 (95% CI 10.9,14.8), respectively. Aspirin was associated with dyspepsia and/or heartburn (OR=1.6, 95% CI 1.2,2.2) as were nonaspirin NSAIDs (OR=1.8, 95% CI 1.3,2.6), but smoking and alcohol were not significant risk factors. Aspirin and nonaspirin NSAIDs are associated with almost a twofold risk of upper gastrointestinal tract symptoms in elderly community subjects.
Nonlinear, Nonpolar Solvation Dynamics in Water: The Roles of Electrostriction and Solvent Translation in the Breakdown of Linear Response

The fact that the motion of solvent molecules defines the reaction coordinate for electron-transfer and other chemical reactions has generated great interest in solvation dynamics, the study of how the solvent responds to changes in a solute's electronic state. In the limit of linear response (LR), when the perturbation caused by the solute is “small”, the relaxation of the excited solute's energy gap should behave identically to the relaxation dynamics of the unperturbed solute following a natural fluctuation of the gap away from equilibrium. Despite the fact that the addition of a fundamental unit of charge to a small solute results in a solvation energy that is tens or hundreds of kT, computer simulations of solvation dynamics have found, with only a few exceptions, that LR is obeyed for changes in solute charge. Essentially none of this work, however, accounts for the fact that the solutes in real chemical reactions undergo changes in size and shape as well as in charge distribution. In this paper, we...
Review of biomechanical studies of arteries and their effect on stent performance

This article aims to summarize part of the available literature that reports studies on biomechanical environment in healthy and diseased arteries using various analytical methods.
Oscillation and Global Asymptotic Stability

Abstract We establish oscillation results and prove global asymptotic stability for the following difference equation: y n + 1 = A + y n y n − 2 ··· y n − (2 k − 2) y n − 1 y n − 3 ··· y n − (2 k − 1) , A > 0, k ≥ 2, n ≥ 2k.
Sleep and synaptic homeostasis

We propose that sleep is linked to synaptic homeostasis. Specifically, we propose that: (1) Wakefulness is associated with synaptic potentiation in cortical circuits; (2) synaptic potentiation is tied to the homeostatic regulation of slow wave activity; (3) slow wave activity is associated with synaptic downscaling; and (4) synaptic downscaling is tied to several beneficial effects of sleep, including performance enhancement.
Assessing unintended effects of a mammary-specific transgene at the whole animal level in host and non-target animals

Risk assessment in transgenic plants is intrinsically different than that for transgenic animals; however both require the verification of proper transgene function and in conjunction, an estimate of any unintended effects caused by expression of the transgene. This work was designed to gather data regarding methodologies to detect pleiotropic effects at the whole animal level using a line of transgenic goats that produce the antimicrobial protein human lysozyme (hLZ) in their milk with the goal of using the milk to treat childhood diarrhea. Metabolomics was used to determine the serum metabolite profile of both the host (lactating does) and non-target organism (kid goats raised on control or hLZ milk) prior to weaning (60 days), at weaning (90 days) and 1 month post-weaning (120 days). In addition, intestinal histology of the kid goats was also carried out. Histological analysis of intestinal segments of the pre-weaning group revealed significantly wider duodenal villi (p = 0.014) and significantly longer villi (p = 0.028) and deeper crypts (p = 0.030) in the ileum of kid goats consuming hLZ milk. Serum metabolomics was capable of detecting differences over time but revealed no significant differences in metabolites between control and hLZ fed kids after correction for false discovery rate. Serum metabolomics of control or hLZ lactating does showed only one significant difference in an unknown metabolite (q = 0.0422). The results as a whole indicate that consumption of hLZ milk results in positive or insignificant intestinal morphology and metabolic changes. This work contributes to the establishment of the safety and durability of the hLZ mammary-specific transgene.
Managers' Theories of Management

The article discusses the identification of manager's patterns of management theory. The game “What's Your Theory?” is also discussed. The game developed through a series of studies involving manag...
Influence of Length of Dry Period upon the Quantity of Milk Produced in the Subsequent Lactation

Summary From a group of 15,442 lactation records obtained from D.H.I. Associations in 12 States, 1,139 comparisons were made of the same cows having lactation records following dry periods of different lengths. These records were converted to 4 per cent fat corrected milk and adjusted to maturity basis. They were then expressed as percentages of the average yield of 4 per cent fat corrected milk so as to reduce them to a common basis. Finally they were adjusted for differences in calving interval. It was found that cows dry 1−2 months gave 9.2 per cent more milk than when dry 0−1 month; cows dry 2−3 months gave 4.3 per cent more milk when dry 1−2 months; and that cows dry 3−4 months gave 1.4 per cent more milk than when dry 2−3 months.The exact date of drying off was known for 200 of the 1,139 cows. Dry periods of 0−1 month dry averaged 22 days, 1−2 months 47 days, 2−3 months 75 days, and 3−4 months 104 days. The application of these figures to the records of the 1,139 cows made it possible to represent quite accurately the influence of dry period on milk production by the equation Y=105.28−33.98(.9667) x , where Y equals the per cent of average yield of 4 per cent milk, mature basis, and X equals number of days dry period. A table for converting yields of milk to a 55-day period basis is presented. A dry period of 55 days was found to be the optimum length for cows yielding 10,000 pounds and calving at 12-month intervals. Either a longer or a shorter dry period reduces the milk yield, the longer because more milk would be lost in the current lactation than would be gained in the following lactation, the shorter because more milk would be lost in the following lactation than would be gained in the current lactation.
A note on the Chen--Morrissey--Smart DAA scheme

Direct Anonymous Attestation (DAA) is a cryptographic scheme that enables remote authentication of a platform while preserving the privacy of the user of the platform. The DAA scheme developed by Brickell, Camenisch, and Chen has been adopted by the Trust Computing Group (TCG) for remote anonymous attestation of Trusted Platform Module (TPM). Recently, Chen, Morrissey, and Smart proposed an efficient DAA scheme from bilinear pairing. In this paper, we show that there is a design flaw in the name base option of the proposed CMS-DAA scheme such that a corrupted signer or corrupted host may break the linkability property of the DAA scheme. We also suggest a solution that fixes the flaw.
Methods for studying synthesis, turnover, and phosphorylation of catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase in mammalian cells.

Abstract Because of the low abundance of the two major isoforms (Cα and Cβ) of catalytic (C) subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, it has been difficult to monitor their expression and virtually impossible to quantify their synthesis, phosphorylation, and turnover in intact mammalian cells. We now describe sensitive and quantitative immunochemical methods using a goat antibody raised against the recombinant Cα isoform of murine C subunit that enable studies of the expression and metabolism of C subunit in cultured cells. The antibody reacts well with Cα and Cβ isoforms of murine C subunit and with C subunits from rat, hamster, and human cell lines, so it should have widespread utility. Immunoreactivity with bovine heart C subunit was substantially weaker. For quantitation of C subunit radioactivity in extracts of cells labeled metabolically with [ 35 S]methionine, we developed a two-cycle immunoadsorption protocol that reduces nonspecific adsorption to negligible levels. A tritium-labeled, truncated C subunit marker protein is added to extracts as an internal marker to monitor C subunit recoveries in different samples. For analysis of expression of C subunit isoforms in different cells or tissues, we describe a nonradioactive Western immunoblot procedure that can quantitate C subunit in amounts as low as 12 pg. Using extraction conditions that either stabilize or destabilize the phosphate on Thr-197, we show how the relative expression and phosphorylation of Cα and Cβ isoforms can be estimated from SDS-gel patterns resulting from either immunoblot or immunoadsorption procedures.
Bridging the gaps in child-clinical assessment: Toward the application of social-cognitive developmental theory

Abstract Child-clinical assessment has traditionally relied on a set of techniques that fail to specify the links between intellect, affect, and behavior, making their articulation dependent on the interpretive skill of the clinician. In this paper, we attempt to illustrate how assessment approaches derived from the study of social-cognitive development and its relation to social behavior may help to bridge these gaps in a more direct fashion. We begin by sketching a conceptual model of the development of a particular form of social behavior—namely, interpersonal negotiation strategies (INS)—and its social-cognitive underpinnings. The model has served as the theoretical foundation for both interview and rating scale assessment techniques, which evaluate INS development in thought and action, respectively. We describe these assessment techniques, present a summary of the evidence supporting their internal and external validity, and describe and illustrate the ways in which various profiles of performance on the measures may carry implications for clinical diagnosis and treatment.
Randomized controlled trial with low-dose spiral CT for lung cancer screening: Feasibility study and preliminary results

PURPOSE: To assess the feasibility of conducting a randomized controlled trial for lung cancer screening. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Subjects are being recruited into a randomized controlled trial to undergo either low-dose spiral computed tomography (CT) or observation. Subjects are from a high-risk group with known chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and sputum atypia and a moderate-risk group randomly selected from the general population of a Veterans Affairs Medical Center. All subjects must be 50–80 years of age with 30 or more pack-years of cigarette smoking and must not have undergone chest CT during the previous 3 years. Baseline screening CT is performed with 50 mA, 120 kVp, 5-mm collimation, and a pitch of 2. CT scan interpretation and management of nodules is based on Society of Thoracic Radiology guidelines. The χ2 test for categoric data was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: To date, 304 eligible subjects have been contacted, and 239 (79%) have agreed to participate in the trial. One hund...
Integrating formalism into undergraduate software engineering

This paper describes an approach and rational for using logic and formal methods in undergraduate software engineering education. Formal methods and logic provide a mathematical basis for modeling software analogous to the role of continuous mathematics in traditional engineering disciplines. Traditional software engineering techniques provide means for modeling software development processes and structuring specifications. Neither formal methods nor traditional approaches subsume the other, but are complimentary in software engineering education and practice. The course described here was a part of the standard Computer Engineering curriculum at The University of Cincinnati from 1993 through 1999. This paper reports on the course and observations over six years of teaching the course to undergraduate and graduate students.
Sensitive titration microcalorimetric study of the binding of Salmonella O-antigenic oligosaccharides by a monoclonal antibody.

The binding of several oligosaccharide haptens by a monoclonal antibody, Se155–4, specific for Salmonella serogroup B O-antigen was studied by titration microcalorimetry. In the software developed by Wiseman et al. [Wiseman, T., Williston, S. & Brandts, J. F. (1989) Anal. Biochem. 17, 131–137] the number of binding sites/macromolecule is one of the optional regression parameters in the non-linear least-squares analysis of the calorimetric data. Instead, an approach was adopted in which the concentration of binding sites was treated as a regression parameter, obviating the requirement for precise values of antibody absorption coefficients and minimizing effects due to partially inactive antibody preparations. Furthermore, performing the least-squares analysis in two steps, first using a differential heat mode and then an integral heat mode, was shown to yield the most accurate results. The technique gave accurate results using not more than 1–2 μmol ligand and less than 7 mg antibody. Haptens 2–5 were oligomers of the O-antigenic repeating unit varying in chain length by 2–5 repeating units and a trisaccharide glycoside 1, which filled the binding site. The latter hapten exhibited a favourable entropy contribution to binding (ΔG°=− 31 kJ · mol−1; ΔH°=−21 kJ · mol−1 and −TΔS°−10 kJ · mol−1), while all four oligomers 2–5 showed a constant binding energy ΔG°=·33 kJ · mol−1, composed of increasingly stronger enthalpy forces compensated by an increasingly unfavourable entropy contribution. These observations are compared with results from enzyme immunoassays and a high-resolution crystal structure for the dodecasaccharide 3 bound to the Fab derived from Se155–4.
Gas-Phase Rates of Alkane C-H Oxidative Addition to a Transient CpRh(CO) Complex.

The gas-phase irradiation of CpRh(CO)2 (Cp = η5-C5H5) was examined in order to study the rates of reaction of the 16-electron intermediates presumed to be involved in the C-H oxidative addition of alkanes. "Naked" (unsolvated) CpRh(CO) was detected, and direct measurements of the rates of reaction of this very short-lived complex with alkane C-H bonds were made. Activation of C-H bonds occurs on almost every collision for alkanes of moderate size, and intermediates in which the alkanes are bound to the metal centers, without their C-H bonds being fully broken, are implicated as intermediates in the overall reaction.
PASTA: Deriving Rich Presence for Converged Telecommunications Network Applications

Presence has rapidly evolved from its roots in instant messaging status to become a standard event mechanism for aggregating context about individuals, devices and abstract entities (such as meetings, activities and location coordinates). Scalable tracking and dissemination of presence attributes, across multiple communication channels, is a critical requirement for future IMS-based converged network architectures. This paper presents PASTA (presence advanced services for Telco applications), an enhancement to a presence server that employs scalable, rule-based event correlation middleware and machine-learning engines, to automatically derive higher-level, "semantically richer" presence information about individual or multiple presentities. By augmenting the event store of the presence server with such "rich presence", PASTA enables applications and users to subscribe to presence notifications at higher-levels of abstraction. Such abstractions could significantly reduce the volume of network traffic resulting from low-level presence updates, but also promote privacy preferences by permitting presentities to control the exposure of raw presence information. We describe the design, implementation and performance analysis of PASTA and discuss open future issues associated with "rich presence".
Naval center for space technology: small satellite capabilities and flight payload opportunities

The Naval Center for Space Technology (NCST), the Navy's lead laboratory in space technology research and applications, was officially established in Washington, D.C. on October 1, 1986 as part of the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). NRL has extensive facilities, experience, and a highly successful track record in space sciences and satellite systems development. As such, NRL is a national asset and source for spacecraft development, integration of space experiments, and testing of all ranges of space hardware. This paper provides an overview of the NRL space systems capabilities, beginning with a historical perspective and culminating with summary descriptions of the accomplishments and capabilities of each of the NRL space activities.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
When Vendors Participate in Pilot Test Projects: Pitfalls and Challenges

Abstract:This article compares vendor challenges in three pilot test projects that explored the technical, operational, and economic feasibility of new Internet-based payment mechanisms designed to support government-to-business procurement operations: two pilot tests of the FSTC eCheck, and one pilot test of the U.S. Treasury's Internet Payment Platform (IPP). We discuss issues related to technology vendor participation in these projects, offer suggestions for pilot test project managers and sponsors, and conclude with suggestions for further research on planning and managing pilot test projects that evaluate emerging information technologies or new software applications.
Should we scrap the dead donor rule

Franklin Miller and Robert Truog (2014) argue that total brain death as a definition of death is biologically incorrect. They perceive a supported brain dead individual as still having biologically...
An Evaluation Method for Precast Concrete Diaphragm Connectors Based on Structural Testing

In the U.S., precast concrete floor diaphragms are a popular form of construction for parking, residential and commercial facilities. Discrete embedded connections bring together large precast concrete panels and transfer vertical and in-plane forces between panels. A consistent experimental procedure is necessary to meet the requirements of performance-based diaphragm design methodologies. In this paper, the authors propose a seismic design methodology for assessing stiffness, strength, and deformation capacity of precast concrete diaphragm embedded connections. They further offer details on developing a test module, loading setup, load histories, instrumentation, data reduction, reporting, and performance categorization.
Tardigrades in the Canopy: Using Double Rope Techniques to Conduct Sampling Along Vertical Transects

The methods called Double-rope techniques (DRT) were used to sample vertical transects into the temperate forest canopy, to determine the diversity and abundance of tardigrades. This technique is reputedly the safest method of accessing canopies and it uses a minimum of technical hardware. In this case, DRT served to facilitate the access of mobility-limited students into the forest canopy, thereby providing an inspiring experience in field biology for this underserved group as well as allowing replicated point sampling of organisms throughout the treetops.
Interface lessons for fully and semi-autonomous mobile robots

Experts from the Robotics Institute were individually interviewed for their insight on interface lessons for fully and semi-autonomous mobile robots. Information was collected on four main themes: challenges, things that seem to work well, things that do not work well, and interface wisdom. The comments were then condensed and pooled into seven high-level categories: safety, remote awareness, control, command inputs, status and state, recovery, and interface design. Classification of expert comments was relatively straightforward in that many interviewees identified consistent material. This suggests that those producing interfaces for fully and semi-autonomous mobile robots should, at the minimum, ensure that they have addressed these broad topics.
Developmental Changes Revealed by Immunohistochemical Markers in Human Cerebral Cortex

The developing human cerebral cortex is distinguished by a particularly wide subplate, a transient zone in which crucial cell-cell interactions occur. To further understand the role of the subplate in human brain development, we have studied the immunohistochemical expression of certain neuronal (GAP-43, MAP-2, parvalbumin) and astroglial (vimentin, GFAP) markers in the developing visual cortex from gestational ages of 14 weeks to 9 months post-term. At 14-22 weeks, immunoreactivity to GAP-43, a protein involved in axonal outgrowth, was most prominent in the subplate and marginal zone neuropil and in the fibers of the radiations running near the ventricular zone; at 22-42 weeks, GAP-43 immunoreactive fibers were observed in the maturing cortical plate. Immunoreactivity for the microtubule-associated protein MAP-2 was present in the differentiating cortical plate at 14 weeks, but at 22-42 weeks was most prominent in the somata and dendrites of differentiated neurons, particularly the Cajal-Retzius neurons of the marginal zone, in neurons of the subplate and in those forming cortical layer 5. Parvalbumin immunoreactivity did not appear until 26 weeks, when stained neurons were in a sparse band of cells in layer 6 and upper subplate. Vimentin and GFAP did not stain differentiated neuronal cells. Vimentin immunoreactivity appeared early in neuroepithelial and radial glial cells, decreasing after 35 weeks, with a concomitant increase in GFAP immunoreactivity in radial glial and maturing astrocytic cells. Our results show that despite the greater complexity of the developing human neocortex, molecular markers are expressed in spatial and temporal patterns similar to those observed in non-human primates, carnivores and rodents. These protein markers should prove useful in developmental staging, and in providing a framework in which to examine congenital disorders of cerebral development.
Trauma, Gender, and Mental Health Symptoms in Individuals With Substance Use Disorders

Individuals with substance use disorders are often plagued by psychiatric comorbidities and histories of physical and/or sexual trauma. Males and females, although different in their rates of expressed trauma and psychiatric symptomatology, experience comparable adverse consequences, including poorer substance abuse treatment outcomes, diminished psychosocial functioning, and severe employment problems. The goal of the current study was to examine the relationships between trauma history, lifetime endorsement of psychiatric symptoms, and gender in a sample of individuals participating in outpatient substance abuse treatment. Study participants (N = 625) from six psychosocial counseling and five methadone maintenance programs were recruited as part of a larger study conducted through the National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network (NIDA CTN). Study measures included lifetime trauma experience (yes/no), type of trauma experienced (sexual, physical, both), lifetime depression/anxiety, and lifeti...
Cellular Proliferation in Canine Cutaneous Mast Cell Tumors: Associations with c-KIT and Its Role in Prognostication:

Canine cutaneous mast cell tumor (MCT) is a common neoplastic disease in dogs. Due to the prevalence of canine MCTs and the variable biologic behavior of this disease, accurate prognostication and a thorough understanding of MCT biology are critical for the treatment of this disease. The goals of this study were to evaluate and compare the utility of the proliferation markers Ki67, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and argyrophilic nucleolar organizing region (AgNOR) as independent prognostic markers for canine MCTs and to evaluate the use of these markers in combination, as each marker assesses different aspects of cellular proliferation. An additional goal of this study was to evaluate the associations between cellular proliferation and c-KIT mutations and between cellular proliferation and aberrant KIT protein localization in canine MCTs. Fifty-six MCTs treated with surgical excision alone were included in this study. Each MCT was evaluated for Ki67 expression, PCNA expression, and KIT protein localization using immunohistochemistry; for AgNOR counts using histochemical staining; and for the presence of internal tandem duplication c-KIT mutations using polymerase chain reaction amplification. In this study, increased Ki67 and AgNOR counts were both associated with significantly decreased survival. On the basis of these results, we recommend that the evaluation of cellular proliferation, including evaluations of both Ki67 expression and AgNORs, should be routinely used in the prognostication of canine MCTs. Additionally, the results of this study show that MCTs with aberrant KIT protein localization or internal tandem duplication c-KIT mutations are associated with increased cellular proliferation, further suggesting a role for c-KIT in the progression of canine MCTs.
Market reforms and corruption in Latin America: New means for old ways

Abstract Many liberal economists hail market‐oriented reforms as a means to combat corruption in emerging Latin American democracies with state‐led economies. Such arguments assume that reforms like privatization and market deregulation by definition will eliminate the politicians’ ability to use state enterprises and government regulations to their own personal advantage. However, there has been little academic scrutiny of how these reforms have been actually implemented in Latin America. In this article, we contend that, unless market reforms are pursued in a context of transparency, they can be used as new means to pursue old corrupt ends. We begin by constructing an actor‐centered model of corruption as a function of willingness and opportunity. We then develop two hypotheses regarding die influence of economic reform on the opportunity structure for corruption: executive discretionary power will increase, and the modalities of corruption will adapt to put the economic reforms to corrupt use. An analy...
The long history of hematoxylin

Hematoxylin is a naturally occurring chemical used as the basis of a dye in laboratories throughout the world to stain nuclei in microscope slide preparations. This chemical is extracted from the logwood tree Hematoxylon campechianum and was discovered by Spanish explorers to the Yucatan in 1502. A vigorous trade soon developed related to growing and preparing hematoxylin for use in dyeing fabrics in Europe. In the mid 1800s, amateur microscopists first used hematoxylin to stain cellular components. Later scientists developed a wide range of techniques to demonstrate different cellular components. Hematoxylin remains the most popular nuclear stain in histology. This paper briefly describes the history of hematoxylin production and use in histology.
A Toxic RNA Catalyzes the In Cellulo Synthesis of Its Own Inhibitor

Potent modulators of RNA function can be assembled in cellulo by using the cell as a reaction vessel and a disease-causing RNA as a catalyst. When designing small molecule effectors of function, a balance between permeability and potency must be struck. Low molecular weight compounds are more permeable whereas higher molecular weight compounds are more potent. The advantages of both types of compounds could be synergized if low molecular weight molecules could be transformed into potent, multivalent ligands by a reaction that is catalyzed by binding to a target in cells expressing a genetic defect. It was shown that this approach is indeed viable in cellulo. Small molecule modules with precisely positioned alkyne and azide moieties bind adjacent internal loops in r(CCUG)exp, the causative agent of myotonic dystrophy type 2 (DM2), and are transformed into oligomeric, potent inhibitors of DM2 RNA dysfunction by a Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction, a variant of click chemistry.
Chromium, Copper, and Arsenic Concentrations in Soil Underneath CCA-Treated Wood Structures

Soils below nine structures (decks and foot bridges) in Florida were examined to evaluate potential impacts from chromated copper arsenate (CCA), a common wood preservative. Eight of the nine struc...
SAMPLING METHODS FOR ESTIMATING CHANGE IN FOREST RESOURCES

Changes in forest resources have been estimated in a variety of ways. This paper focuses on extensive forest surveys rather than on sentinel-site investigations. The sampling design and plot design used are key to precise estimates of change. Alternative sampling designs include temporary surveys, Continuous Forest Inventory, and Sampling with Partial Replacement. Each can be used in conjunction with stratified sampling or double sampling for stratification. Plot designs can involve variable-radius or Bitterlich sampling for trees, and fixed-area plots for most attributes. In extensive surveys, it is efficient to group plots into clusters. Plots must be sampled at a frequency that is commensurate with the rate of change, degree of interest, and funding available. Often, plots are less than a hectare in size and spaced widely across the population. Continuous Forest Inventory, with or without stratification, is efficient for estimating current values, net change, and components of change. Much work remains...
Stiffness Matrix Analysis and Synthesis for Pre-Loaded Planar Structures

The compliance/stiffness of a robotic mechanism is usually modeled by a 6 by 6 symmetric positive definite matrix at an equilibrium point using screw theory. When an external wrench is exerted on the mechanism and the mechanism moves away from its equilibrium, the modeled compliance/stiffness matrix becomes non-symmetric. In this article, the authors derive a non-symmetric stiffness matrix for a robotic mechanism and present a novel synthesis procedure for the desired non-symmetric stiffness matrix of a planar structure when the structure is not in equilibrium
Trajectories of children's social interactions with their infant sibling in the first year: a multidimensional approach.

Individual differences in longitudinal trajectories of children’s social behaviors toward their infant sibling were examined simultaneously across multiple social dimensions: Positive engagement (moving toward), antagonism (moving against), and avoidance (moving away). Three distinct social patterns were identified: (C1) positively-engaged (n 107, 50%); (C2) escalating-antagonism (n 90, 42%); and (C3) early-onset antagonism (n 16, 8%). Children in the positively-engaged class had high levels of positive engagement with their infant siblings, coupled with low levels of antagonism and avoidance. The escalating-antagonism class was positively-engaged in sibling interaction with a steep escalation in antagonistic behavior and avoidance from 4 to 12 months. Children in the early-onset antagonism class displayed the highest level of antagonistic behavior starting as early as 4 months, and became increasingly avoidant over time. A path model, guided by a Process Person Context Time model, revealed that low parental self-efficacy heightened by parenting stress and children’s dysregulated temperament was directly related to the escalating-antagonism pattern. Punitive parenting in response to children’s antagonistic behavior increased the likelihood of being in the early-onset antagonism class. Together, the results highlighted heterogeneity in the earliest emergence of sibling interaction patterns and the interplay of child and parent factors in predicting distinct sibling interaction trajectory patterns.