cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Proton transfer pathways and mechanism in bacterial reaction centers.

Abstract The focus of this minireview is to discuss the state of knowledge of the pathways and rates of proton transfer in the bacterial reaction center (RC) from Rhodobacter sphaeroides . Protons involved in the light driven catalytic reduction of a quinone molecule Q B to quinol Q B H 2 travel from the aqueous solution through well defined proton transfer pathways to the oxygen atoms of the quinone. Three main topics are discussed: (1) the pathways for proton transfer involving the residues: His-H126, His-H128, Asp-L210, Asp-M17, Asp-L213, Ser-L223 and Glu-L212, which were determined by a variety of methods including the use of proton uptake inhibiting metal ions (e.g. Zn 2+ and Cd 2+ ); (2) the rate constants for proton transfer, obtained from a ‘chemical rescue’ study was determined to be 2×10 5 s −1 and 2×10 4 s −1 for the proton uptake to Glu-L212 and Q B − , respectively; (3) structural studies of altered proton transfer pathways in revertant RCs that lack the key amino acid Asp-L213 show a series of structural changes that propagate toward L213 potentially allowing Glu-H173 to participate in the proton transfer processes.
1089 NEGATIVE-PRESSURE HYDROSTATIC ULTRAFILTRATION (UF) IN CHILDREN

UF, commonly employed during hemodialysis (HD) as a means of removal of excess fluid, often produces hypotension (HN) requiring treatment with additional fluid. Negative pressure ultrafiltration (NPUF) with a partial vacuum (PV) has been used successfully in adults with few side effects. We performed NPUF 11 times in 7 children on maintenance HD. There were 4 males and 3 females, 8 to 19 years of age; mean 14.2. A PV was created by sealing the inlet of a dialyzer and connecting the outlet by tubing a bottle to a vacuum pump. NP was applied to the dialysate compartment which did not contain dialysate fluid. Dialyzers used ranged from 0.5 to 1.5 m2 surface area. NPUF was from 65-120 minutes (mean 114) at NP of 400-500 mmHg (mean 465). Blood flows through the dialyzers ranged from 60-280 ml/min. Total fluid removed ranged from 800-3300 ml; mean 2509 ml. Fluid removed/hr/patient was 1356 ml while fluid removed/hr/kg body weight was 31 ml. Mean decrease in patient weight was 2.1 kg. Values for urea nitrogen, creatinine, Ca, phos, Mg and electrolytes were similar in blood and ultrafiltrate. Protein content in the ultrafiltrate was zero. One patient developed HN which was asymptomatic; 2 had transient abdominal cramps. Four patients had therapeutic decreased in blood pressure. These studies demonstrate that NPUF can be safely used to remove excess fluid in children undergoing HD.
259. Plasmid DNA Encoding the Anti-Inflammatory Cytokine Gene, Interleukin-10 (IL-10) for Chronic Pain Control: Taking Advantage of Nuclear Scaffold/Matrix Attachment Regions*

Chronic pathological pain is a major unresolved clinical problem. Spinal cord glial cells are important in diverse forms of enhanced pain states via their release of proinflammatory cytokines. Interleukin-10 (IL-10), a potent anti-inflammatory cytokine, suppresses proinflammatory cytokine production & activity. We have shown that spinal delivery (intrathecal; i.t.) of IL-10 protein resolves animal models of pathological pain. Both i.t. IL-10 protein or i.t. viral vector-delivered IL-10 gene lead to transient therapeutic effects (2hr & 2 wk, respectively). We have recently reported that i.t. naked plasmid DNA encoding IL-10 (pDNA-IL-10) leads to a substantial improvement in the duration of therapeutic pain control (40 days). However, transgene IL-10 may be compromised &/or cleared by cell division. Recently, a chromosomal scaffold/matrix- attached region (S/MAR) linked to the simian virus 40 origin of replication was reported to stably propagate episomally in mammalian cells. Mitotic stability occurs via specific interactions with nuclear matrix proteins. We sought determine if S/MAR inserted into our current plasmid (pDNA-S/MARS-IL10) could improve upon the therapeutic duration of pain control in an animal model of neuropathic pain. The model we use is hypersensitivity to light touch [allodynia] produced by chronic constriction injury [CCI] of the sciatic nerve. Naked pDNA-S/MARS-IL10 was injected peri- spinally (intrathecally; i.t.) after CCI-sensitivity was induced. Behavioral measures were assessed in rats prior to & at 3 & 10 days after induction of CCI. Intrathecal injections were given on Day 10 & Day 12 post-CCI consisting of pDNA-S/MARS-IL10 (100 ug/injection in 18 ul), or pDNA-IL-10 (100 ug/injection in 18 ul). A second i.t. pDNA-S/MARS-IL10 (1 or 25 ug/injection in 5 ul), or pDNA-IL10 (25 ug in 5 ul) injection was given 2 days later. Allodynia was reassessed every 4 days following the second DNA injection. Allodynia was stable through day 10 after CCI induction. An immediate & robust improvement of pain reversal was observed within 24 hr after the first injection of pDNA-S/MARS-IL10 vs pDNA-IL-10. Animals have remained reversed from CCI-induced allodynia after the second i.t. pDNA-S/MARS-IL10 and 25 ug is most effective.Studies are ongoing and will be terminated 90 days after CCI or when CCI-induced allodynia returns. Simultaneous studies are determining whether 1) a single i.t. injection of pDNA-S/ MARS-IL10 is sufficient for long-term pain control, 2) transgene expression by protein analysis can be detected at 1, 2 &/or 3 months in cerebrospinal fluid after injection in behaviorally verified rats, and 3) the distribution of transgene expression in superficial spinal cord or deeper parenchymal layers.
Cholinergic involvement in the cortical and hippocampal Fos expression induced in the rat by placement in a novel environment

Placing rats into a series of novel environments induced vigorous c-fos expression in the infralimbic, anterior cingulate and retrosplenial cortices, and in the hippocampus. Pretreatment with the antimuscarinic drugs scopolamine and atropine was able to greatly suppress novelty-induced Fos expression at these sites. Placement into the novel environments also induced Fos expression in the habenula and the paraventricular thalamic nucleus, but the response at these sites did not appear to be sensitive to cholinergic blockade. These findings suggest that cholinergic mechanisms play an important role in ability of behavioral events to influence cortical and hippocampal immediate-early gene expression and are consistent with the possibility that some of the effects of anticholinergic drugs on placticity and learning may be mediated through alterations in the expression of these genes.
The Effect of Water in Lubricating Oil on Bearing Fatigue Life

The effect of water in an SAE 20 oil on tapered roller bearing fatigue life was evaluated. Full-scale bearing life tests were conducted with water concentrations of 25, 100, and 400 ppm. Good correlation was obtained between fatigue life and water content and the detrimental effects of water on fatigue life at these levels were clearly demonstrated. As a result of the fatigue life findings at the specified water concentrations, the water absorption properties of various oils were evaluated under controlled relative humidity conditions. These results indicated that a lubricant's capacity for water absorption represents an important factor that could significantly affect bearing fatigue life. The evaluation of a water-inhibiting additive was also included in this study. Presented at the 31st Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 10—13, 1976
Textures in3He-A: Magnetic deformation in a narrow slab

A variational technique is used to analyze the deformed texture of superfluid3He-A in a narrow slab subject to a perpendicular magnetic field. Specific predictions are made for the anisotropy parameters\(\langle \hat l_z^2 \rangle \) and\(\langle \hat d_z^2 \rangle \), averaged across the width.
Application of the computer-automated structure evaluation (CASE) program to the study of structure-biodegradation relationships of miscellaneous chemicals

The computer-automated structure evaluation (CASE) methodology has been used to investigate the correlation between chemical structure and rate of biodegradation. A training set consisting of 283 diverse organic chemicals of known biodegradation activity was evaluated. Computer-automated structure evaluation identified six major activating fragments that contained oxygen in a carbonyl or hydroxyl group, suggesting that the presence of oxygen plays a significant role in biodegradation. The training set predicts the biodegradation categories correctly 74% of the time for an independent validation set of 27 chemicals. By also using a data base of diverse chemicals whose activity was based on acclimated inocula, two prediction results were obtained for each of the 27 chemicals of an independent validation set. Analysis of the results showed that the chemicals could be grouped into five prediction categories. Two of these categories included chemicals for which both data bases predicted exactly the same activity, whereas a third category contained two chemicals for which no conclusion was made. The other two categories include chemicals of intermediate activity, that is, chemicals that can undergo slow or fast biodegradation, depending on the conditions. In addition, the identification of activating structural fragments has provided information on mechanisms for biodegradation in the environment.
Lack of Behavioral Effects from Feingold Diet Violations.

Children were included in this challenge study if according to parental report (1) the child's hyperactive behavior had been noticeably improved for at least 3 mo. as a result of adherence to the Feingold diet and (2) dietary violations such as those used in the study were reported to have a noticeable negative effect. Evaluations of 14 objective measures in a double-blind, cross-over design yielded no significant differences between diet infraction and noninfraction conditions. In addition to questioning the stated efficacy of the diet, findings suggest that one should not depend solely on parental report when evaluating a dietary effect and should also weight potential negative effect of adherence to the diet.
Information Technology & Goals of Standards-Based Instruction

This article examines goals of standards-based reform in education and ways in which developments in information technology have facilitated those goals. Since standards-based reform is a rather general concept, I begin by developing a more specific formulation which I refer to as the “standards-based instruction and assessment” model. Developments in information technology over the last fifteen years have contributed in important ways to the goals of standards-based reform at the policy level, but difficult organizational and technical challenges still have to be overcome to realize more fully the goal of standards-based instruction and assessment in instructional management and practice within schools and classrooms.
Optimal accumulation of Jacobian matrices by elimination methods on the dual computational graph

The accumulation of the Jacobian matrix F’ of a vector function *** equation here *** can be regarded as a transformation of its linearized computational graph into a subgraph of the directed complete bipartite graph Kn,m. This transformation can be performed by applying different elimination techniques that may lead to varying costs for computing F’. This paper introduces face elimination as the basic technique for accumulating Jacobian matrices by using a minimal number of arithmetic operations. Its superiority over both edge and vertex elimination methods is shown. The intention is to establish the conceptual basis for the ongoing development of algorithms for optimizing the computation of Jacobian matrices.
Independent Effects of Protein Core Size and Expression on Residue-Level Structure-Evolution Relationships

Recently, we demonstrated that yeast protein evolutionary rate at the level of individual amino acid residues scales linearly with degree of solvent accessibility. This residue-level structure-evolution relationship is sensitive to protein core size: surface residues from large-core proteins evolve much faster than those from small-core proteins, while buried residues are equally constrained independent of protein core size. In this work, we investigate the joint effects of protein core size and expression on the residue-level structure-evolution relationship. At the whole-protein level, protein expression is a much more dominant determinant of protein evolutionary rate than protein core size. In contrast, at the residue level, protein core size and expression both have major impacts on protein structure-evolution relationships. In addition, protein core size and expression influence residue-level structure-evolution relationships in qualitatively different ways. Protein core size preferentially affects the non-synonymous substitution rates of surface residues compared to buried residues, and has little influence on synonymous substitution rates. In comparison, protein expression uniformly affects all residues independent of degree of solvent accessibility, and affects both non-synonymous and synonymous substitution rates. Protein core size and expression exert largely independent effects on protein evolution at the residue level, and can combine to produce dramatic changes in the slope of the linear relationship between residue evolutionary rate and solvent accessibility. Our residue-level findings demonstrate that protein core size and expression are both important, yet qualitatively different, determinants of protein evolution. These results underscore the complementary nature of residue-level and whole-protein analysis of protein evolution.
The influence of propagation on off-resonant excitation of a model molecule

Abstract We show that the proposal of Makarov, Cantrell, and Louisell regarding stimulated inelastic resonance fluorescence (SIRF) does not accurately represent the effects of propagation on off-resonant excitation of two-level model molecular absorbers.
ASHA SLPs in China Teach Teachers About Their Students With Disabilities

The purpose of this article is to share a multicultural experience that took place in Guangzhou, China. The authors of this article joined a group of speech-language pathologists and audiologists t...
Electoral Protests and Democratization: Beyond the Color Revolutions

The sight of thousands of people demonstrating for clean elections and an end to corrupt postcommunist regimes led many observers to declare that the so-called color revolutions had finally brought democracy to Serbia, Georgia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan. But how successful have these electoral revolutions actually been? The authors analyze all cases of electoral revolutions worldwide since 1991, distinguishing between failed and successful electoral revolutions, to conclude that even successful electoral revolutions have shown insignificant or no democratic progress in their wake. Electoral revolutions are ineffective at advancing democratization because they place too great an emphasis on elections themselves and do not address other fundamental obstacles to democratization in hybrid and authoritarian regimes. International influences have proven more successful in promoting democratization in countries of postcommunist Europe.
Simple Graphitic Network Models of “Diamondlike” Carbon

Several highly disordered forms of carbon are termed “diamondlike” by virtue of their extreme hardness and significant optical gap. However, it is quite tempting to extend the analogy further and attribute these “diamondlike” properties to a high degree of local diamond order. Although an “amorphous diamond” character has been inferred from the optical properties in the 0 – 10 eV range, and the position of the π + σ plasmon peak in the electron energy loss spectrum, there is no direct evidence for such diamond order. However, there is a considerable body of work showing that DLC embodies a considerable degree of graphitic order which determines the optical gap and Raman spectrum. In order to determine to what extent a clearly non-diamond structure can exhibit specific “diamondlike” properties, we examine a simple structure derived from graphite. This “defected graphite” (DG) construct presumes an underlying graphitic structure which is insulating due to the strong localization of π -electrons by randomly distributed non-aromatic defects. Using specific defects suggested by experiment, the DG model reproduces a quite surprising array of observed properties of both hydrogenated and hydrogen-free “diamondlike” carbon.
Binary biopolymeric beads of alginate and gelatin as potential adsorbent for removal of toxic Ni2+ ions: A dynamic and equilibrium study

Binary biopolymeric beads of alginate and gelatin were prepared and characterized by IR spectral and scanning electron micrograph techniques. On to the surfaces of the prepared beads were performed static and dynamic adsorption studies of Ni2+ ions at fixed pH and ionic strength of the aqueous metal ion solutions. The adsorption data were applied to Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm equations and various static parameters were calculated. The dynamic nature of adsorption was quantified in terms of several kinetic constants such as rate constants for adsorption (k1), Lagergreen rate constant (kad), interparticle diffusion rate constant (kp), and pore diffusion coefficient (D). The influence of various experimental parameters such as solid to liquid ratio, pH, temperature, presence of salts, and chemical composition of biopolymeric beads on the adsorption of nickel ions was investigated. Various thermodynamic parameters were also calculated. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 2581–2590, 2007
INFLUENCE OF INITIAL CONDITIONS ON DISTRIBUTIVE MIXING IN A TWIN-FLIGHT SINGLE-SCREW EXTRUDER

ABSTRACT Passive advection of light particles carried by a high viscosity fluid in polymer processing equipment exhibits complex behavior due in part to the nonlinearity of the equation of motion. The particle motion also exhibits sensitivity to the initial positions. A fundamental understanding of the influence of initial positions of particles on the quality and rate of distributive mixing is essential for the optimization and design of processing equipment. In this work we analyze a twin-flight single-screw extruder. Based on detailed knowledge of the flow patterns, obtained through 3-D FEM numerical simulations, we study particle motion and, implicitly, mixing in the extruder. In our model particles are massless points that do not affect the flow field or the motion of other particles. We visualize the complexity of the advection by using two-dimensional Poincare sections. We then quantitatively examine distributive mixing for different initial locations of the light particles. Renyi entropies for dif...
INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENT ON PALATABILITY OF CARP

SUMMARY— Carp (Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus) were transferred from a river site receiving little industrial effluent (control fish) and from a location receiving effluents from a major municipality (test fish) to a spring-fed and to a run-off pond. Holding for as long as 18 days in either pond failed to improve the aroma or flavor of test carp. The over-all mean score for flavor of control fish was higher (P < 0.05) than for test fish. Mean scores for flavor were higher for carp held in the spring-fed pond than for those in the runoff pond but this difference was significant (P < 0.05) only for the test fish.
Comparative Effect of Orthosis Design on Functional Performance

Background: High-energy extremity trauma is common in combat. Orthotic options for patients whose lower extremities have been salvaged are limited. A custom energy-storing ankle-foot orthosis, the Intrepid Dynamic Exoskeletal Orthosis (IDEO), was created and used with high-intensity rehabilitation as part of the Return to Run clinical pathway. We hypothesized that the IDEO would improve functional performance compared with a non-custom carbon fiber orthosis (BlueRocker), a posterior leaf spring orthosis, and no brace. Methods: Eighteen subjects with unilateral dorsiflexion and/or plantar flexion weakness were evaluated with six functional tests while they were wearing the IDEO, BlueRocker, posterior leaf spring, or no brace. The brace order was randomized, and five trials were completed for each of the functional measures, which included a four-square step test, a sit-to-stand five times test, tests of self-selected walking velocity over level and rocky terrain, and a timed stair ascent. They also completed one trial of a forty-yard (37-m) dash, filled out a satisfaction questionnaire, and indicated whether they had ever considered an amputation and, if so, whether they still intended to proceed with it. Results: Performance was significantly better with the IDEO with respect to all functional measures compared with all other bracing conditions (p < 0.004), with the exception of the sit-to-stand five times test, in which there was a significant improvement only as compared with the BlueRocker (p = 0.014). The forty-yard dash improved by approximately 35% over the values for the posterior leaf spring and no-brace conditions, and by 28% over the BlueRocker. The BlueRocker demonstrated a significant improvement in the forty-yard dash compared with no brace (p = 0.033), and a significant improvement in self-selected walking velocity on level terrain compared with no brace and the posterior leaf spring orthosis (p < 0.028). However, no significant difference was found among the posterior leaf spring, BlueRocker, and no-brace conditions with respect to any other functional measure. Thirteen patients initially considered amputation, but after completion of the clinical pathway, eight desired limb salvage, two were undecided, and three still desired amputation. Conclusions: Use of the IDEO significantly improves performance on validated tests of agility, power, and speed. The majority of subjects initially considering amputation favored limb salvage after this noninvasive intervention. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level II. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
FOURTH ORDER CRYSTAL FIELD SPLITTING IN RARE EARTH(III) IONS

Abstract The energy level expressions for paramagnetic rare earth (III) ions in cubic crystalline fields are calculated as a function of a perturbing magnetic field applied parallel to the 〈100〉 and 〈111〉 axes and of a fourth order crystalline field parameter for the Stark effect. The presence in an energy level expression of a g μB H term indicates a permanent moment while an induced moment is indicated by a g 2 μ 2 B H 2 term.
Can otolaryngology compete with larger fields regarding impact factor?: is percentile-based impact factor a solution?

Impact factor (IF) consists of reporting the number of references an average article in a given journal receives over a 2-year period. Despite several valid criticisms, IF has become an important component of academic advancement. The authors sought to investigate the possible relationship between size of specialty field and IF. The top 10 journals of 13 specialty fields were selected based on IF as reported by Journal Citations Reports on the Web of Science. Specialty field population was obtained from the American Board of Medical Specialties. A highly positive correlation (r = 0.9) was noted with smaller fields (eg, otolaryngology) having lower IFs. To overcome this population bias, a percentile-based impact factor (PIF) may be used where the top journal within a field is given 100%, the worst 0%, and all other journals’ IFs are proportionately scaled in between the 2 extremes. PIF acts to “level the playing field,” allowing between–specialty field comparisons.
A partially disarmed vir helper plasmid, pKYRT1, in conjunction with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyactic acid promotes emergence of regenerable transgenic somatic embryos from immature cotyledons of soybean.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain KYRT1 harboring the virulence helper plasmid pKYRT1 induces transgenic somatic embryos (SEs) at high frequency from infected immature soybean cotyledons. KYRT1 is derived from the highly oncogenic strain Chry5. However, pKYRT1 is not completely disarmed and still contains an entire T-right (TR) and a portion of T-left (TL). In this report, binary strains, each carrying fully disarmed vir helper plasmids including pKPSF2, which is a fully disarmed version of pKYRT1, were compared to strain KYRT1 for their ability to induce transgenic SEs on immature cotyledons of soybean. Six weeks following cocultivation, histochemical GUS assays of cultured explants indicated that all fully disarmed vir helper plasmids transferred their binary T-DNA, containing a GUS-intron gene, into soybean tissues. However, none of these transformed tissues developed SEs on medium with or without 2,4-dichlorophenoxyactic acid (2,4-D). On the other hand, immature cotyledons cocultivated with strain KYRT1 exhibited high induction of transgenic SEs, but only on medium supplemented with 2,4-D. Derivatives of strain Chry5 harboring other vir helper plasmids did not induce transgenic SEs under any conditions tested, thus suggesting that the chromosomal background of KYRT1 alone was not sufficient to promote somatic embryogenesis. PCR analysis indicated that 55% of transgenic embryogenic cultures and 29% of transgenic T0 soybean plants derived by transformation using strain KYRT1 contained TR from pKYRT1 in addition to the uidA gene from the binary construct. None of the transgenic tissues or T0 plants contained TL DNA. These results suggest that some function coded for by TR of pKYRT1 influences somatic embryogenesis in conjunction with exposure of the plant tissues to 2,4-D. Since the co-transformation frequency of the undesirable T-DNA sequences from the vir helper plasmid was relatively low, the partially disarmed strain KYRT1 will likely be very useful for the production of normal transgenic plants of diverse soybean cultivars.
Application of GIS to a Baseline Survey of Vertebrate Roadkills in Baldwin County, Georgia

Abstract Physical attributes, traffic volume, and landscape patterns on a particular road are expected to influence the frequency of vertebrate road fatalities. In this study, we surveyed 22.17 km of roadways in Baldwin County, GA, 171 times (3791.1 km total) for vertebrate roadkills over a calendar year. We coded the survey route—consisting of portions of US Highway 441, G A Highway 212, and Meriwether/Lowe Road—for differing habitat types and obstacles along its length, and mapped the spatial data in ArcGIS. We recorded 178 vertebrate roadkills representing 19 species, primarily mammals, with Odocoileus virginianus (White-tailed Deer; n = 46) and Didelphis virginiana (Virginia Opossum; n = 39) most frequently observed. We calculated a roadkill rate of 8.03/km/yr. US 441, which has the most lanes, highest traffic volume, and greatest verge width, had the highest roadkill rate (10.95/km/yr) of the three sections. Seasonal differences in roadkill frequencies for the most commonly observed species appear to...
An Empirically-Grounded Emergent Approach to Modeling Pedestrian Behavior

Realistic models of locomotion, accounting for both individual pedestrian behavior and crowd dynamics, are crucial for crowd simulation. Most existing pedestrian models have been based on ad-hoc rules of interaction and parameters, or on theoretical frameworks like physics-inspired approaches that are not cognitively grounded. Based on the cognitively-plausible behavioral dynamics approach, we argue here for a bottom-up approach, in which the local control laws for locomotor behavior are derived experimentally and the global crowd behavior is emergent. The behavioral dynamics approach describes human behavior in terms of stable, yet flexible behavioral patterns. It enabled us to build an empirically-grounded model of human locomotion that accounts for elementary locomotor behaviors. Based on our existing components, we then elaborate the model with two new components for wall avoidance and speed control for collision avoidance. We show how the model behaves with many stationary obstacles and interacting agents, and how it can be used in agent-based simulations. Five scenarios show how complex individual behavioral patterns and crowd dynamics patterns can emerge from the combination of our simple behavioral strategies. We argue that our model is parsimonious and simple, yet accounts realistically for individual locomotor behaviors while yielding plausible crowd dynamics, like lane formation. Our model and the behavioral dynamics approach thus provide a relevant framework for crowd simulation.
An Experimental Performance Evaluation of SCPS-TP over Cislunar Communications Links

Space communication protocol standards-transport protocol (SCPS-TP) is a set of TCP extensions aimed at reliable transfer of information between space mission end systems. Some works have been done on throughput performance evaluation of SCPS-TP over LEO- and GEO-satellite channels. In this paper, we present an experimental performance evaluation of SCPS-TP over a simulated cislunar communication link. We intend to see how effective both the window-based and the rate-based transmission control mechanisms of the SCPS-TP cope with a long cislunar link delay, especially when hybridized with a high bit-error-rate (BER), and which option has throughput advantage over the other. The experimental results reveal that the protocols have statistically significant performance difference over an error-prone link with a BER around 10-5 at which pure rate control shows superior performance over other three protocols. SCPS-Vegas performs poorly over a long-delayed, error-prone cislunar channel. Quantitatively, the throughput advantage of SCPS-pure rate control is around 3000 bytes/sec over all other three protocols over both symmetrical and asymmetrical channels at BER=10-5. We conclude that pure rate control is very suitable for a long-delayed, error-prone cislunar communication links.
Keyframe-based video summarization using Delaunay clustering

Recent advances in technology have made tremendous amounts of multimedia information available to the general population. An efficient way of dealing with this new development is to develop browsing tools that distill multimedia data as information oriented summaries. Such an approach will not only suit resource poor environments such as wireless and mobile, but also enhance browsing on the wired side for applications like digital libraries and repositories. Automatic summarization and indexing techniques will give users an opportunity to browse and select multimedia document of their choice for complete viewing later. In this paper, we present a technique by which we can automatically gather the frames of interest in a video for purposes of summarization. Our proposed technique is based on using Delaunay Triangulation for clustering the frames in videos. We represent the frame contents as multi-dimensional point data and use Delaunay Triangulation for clustering them. We propose a novel video summarization technique by using Delaunay clusters that generates good quality summaries with fewer frames and less redundancy when compared to other schemes. In contrast to many of the other clustering techniques, the Delaunay clustering algorithm is fully automatic with no user specified parameters and is well suited for batch processing. We demonstrate these and other desirable properties of the proposed algorithm by testing it on a collection of videos from Open Video Project. We provide a meaningful comparison between results of the proposed summarization technique with Open Video storyboard and K-means clustering. We evaluate the results in terms of metrics that measure the content representational value of the proposed technique.
Acuicultura y salud pública: la expansión de la difilobotriasis en Chile y el mundo

Recent clinical and epidemiological information, an analysis of the literature, and study of the technical aspects of Chilean salmon aquaculture indicate that this activity has the ability to expand the range of diphyllobothriasis caused by the fish tapeworm Diphyllobothrium latum. Evidence for expansion of the range of the fish tapeworm includes the emergences of clinical cases in Brazil related to consumption of salmon produced in Chile. Expansion of the range of this parasite is also suggested by an increase of its geographical range in Chile, beyond its previously endemic foci in the lakes of Regions IX and X. Prevention of further dissemination of this parasitic disease rests on an improvement of sanitation and sewage disposal around the lakes of Regions IX, X and XI in Chile, improvement in aquaculture methods including curtailing the use of fish tapewormcontaminated lakes to grow juveniles forms of salmonids and more measures to decrease the number of salmonid escapees from marine pens to prevent their return to rivers and lakes carrying the infestation. Moreover, tracking the origin of juveniles in marketed salmon, determining the presence of plerocercoids in them, and increased education of the public regarding the potential dangers of eating raw fish should also be implemented. Only by stimulating the dialogue between the industry, consumers and state regulators will it be possible to implement appropriate measures to prevent further expansion of this parasitic disease by salmon aquaculture (Rev Med Chile 2007; 135: 1064-71). (Key words: Aquaculture; Diphyllobothriasis; Fisheries; Salmon)
Toward the Prediction and Influence of Environmentally Relevant Behavior: Seeking Practical Utility in Research

ABSTRACT: Despite several decades of effort, the field of psychology has largely failed to make any substantial gains in promoting widespread adoption of environmentally relevant behaviors (ERBs), regulations, or public policies. At the same time, huge impacts can be observed within other domains of science and engineering. The bulk of psychology’s contributions on the topic come from two major schools of thought, social/ environmental psychology and behavior analysis. This paper reviews these contributions in terms of the strengths and weaknesses of each approach both practically and conceptually. Understanding the role of verbal behavior in influencing environmentally significant action is suggested as a means of guiding research efforts toward the discovery of practical solutions. Contemporary behavioral analysis of language is cited as an example of behavior-change technology that suggests pragmatic solutions and promising avenues for future investigation.
Effects of inorganic selenium compounds on oxidative DNA damage

Exposure of Escherichia coli or mammalian cells to H2O2 results in cell death due to iron-mediated DNA damage. Since selenium compounds have been examined for their ability to act as antioxidants to neutralize radical species, and inorganic selenium compounds are used to supplement protein mixes, infant formula, and animal feed, determining the effect of these compounds on DNA damage under conditions of oxidative stress is crucial. In the presence of Fe(II) and H2O2, the effects of Na2SeO4, Na2SeO3, SeO2 (0.5-5000 microM), and Na2Se (0.5-200 microM) on DNA damage were quantified using gel electrophoresis. Both Na2SeO4 and Na2Se have no effect on DNA damage, whereas SeO2 inhibits DNA damage and Na2SeO3 shows antioxidant or pro-oxidant activity depending on H2O2 concentration. Similar electrophoresis experiments with [Fe(EDTA)](2-) (400 microM) and Na2SeO3 or SeO2 show that metal coordination by the selenium compound is required for antioxidant activity. In light of these results, Na2SeO4 may be safer than Na2SeO3 for nutritional supplements.
Team-oriented care for orofacial clefts: a review of the literature.

Objective: To examine the process of team-oriented care for children with orofacial clefts. Design: Systematic review of available studies reporting team-oriented management of children and adults with orofacial clefts. We identified studies from OVID, PsychINFO, REHABDATA, PubMed, and The Cleft Palate–Craniofacial Journal to complete this review. Main Outcome Measures: Process of team-oriented treatment, which included use of team-oriented care, continuity of team-oriented care, and approaches to team-oriented care. Results: We identified nine studies including 1398 participants. We found that studies examining team-oriented approaches to orofacial clefts were limited. Studies of orofacial teams suggest that use of team-oriented approaches to care are highly variable. It is unclear how these inconsistencies in approaches to care influence long-term outcomes. Conclusions: Although the literature suggests that the process of team-oriented care results in better outcomes in individuals with orofacial clefts...
Lidar From Orbit

A comprehensive view of some of the considerations in the design of a spaceborne lidar system are presented. The discussion underlines some of the questions of prime scientific interest in the atmosphere which are best addressed by an orbiting lidar.
Trade patterns in developing countries, 1964-82

This paper presents a regression analysis of import and export shares of GDP for 14 commodity and service categories in 55 developing countries over the period 1964-82. Explanatory variables include GNP per capita, population, domestic capacity utilization, the effective exchange rate, and OECD real GNP (for exports). Among other findings, it is shown that countries' trade patterns are not closely related to their growth performance, and that developing countries on average run surpluses of exports over non-capital goods imports on merchandise trade. The current commodity surplus is required to offset imports of capital goods and a structural deficit on factor and non-factor service trade.
Understanding the Drivers of Job Satisfaction of Frontline Service Employees Learning From “Lost Employees”

In this article, we examine the antecedent structure of the terminal level of job satisfaction of frontline service employees who have recently quit a firm. The results from the estimation of a latent, finite-mixture model, using data collected from former employees of a large supermarket chain, point to a two-dimensional heterogeneity among exiting employees. We find systematic variation in the relative importance of the drivers of job satisfaction, such as work environment, personality, and demographics, across employee subgroups. We also find that the threshold level of the terminal satisfaction for exiting employees could be high for some and low for others. These findings stand in contrast to the inverse satisfaction-turnover intent link documented for existing employees and provide new explanations for the observed weakness in the relationship. They are also inconsistent with the attraction-selection-attrition model that argues for a convergence in employee dispositions. We suggest that job satisfac...
AT1 receptor-mediated augmentation of angiotensinogen, oxidative stress, and inflammation in ANG II-salt hypertension.

Augmentation of intrarenal angiotensinogen (AGT) synthesis, secretion, and excretion is associated with the development of hypertension, renal oxidative stress, and tissue injury during ANG II-depe...
Once Upon a Time Served: Therapeutic Application of Fairy Tales within a Correctional Environment

During this century, correctional policy has swung dramatically from stark punitive control to rehabilitative "cure. " We have sought a 'just model"for corrections, and we have seen "experts" go on record that "nothing works. "In our search to find the approach that best facilitates adjustment by offendersthat engenders internalization of mainstream societal valueswe seem to have overlooked a medium that has proven itself over centuries of use: fairy tales. In Future Shock, Toffler asserted that "Education's prime objective must be to increase the individual's 'cope-ability'." To establish fairy tales as the missing "cope-ability" link, this article constructs three fundamental premises: (1) Fairy tales are compatible with criminological and correctional theory. (2) The therapeutic potential of the tales is real and accessible. (3) Fairy tales, which are often viewed as "children's stories, " are an appropriate vehicle for such a therapeutic endeavor, in terms of offenders'levels of cognition, moral reaso...
Educational Expertise, Advocacy, and Media Influence.

The efforts of many advocacy organizations to advance their preferred policies despite conflicting evidence of the effectiveness of these policies raise questions about factors that shape successful policy promotion. While many may like to think that expertise on an issue in question is an essential prerequisite for influence in public policy discussions, there is a traditional disconnect between research evidence and policymaking in many fields, including education. Moreover, the efforts of many policy advocates suggest that they see advantages in other factors besides research expertise in advancing their interpretation of evidence for use in policymaking processes. We hypothesize that some of the most influential education-focused organizations are advancing their agendas by engaging media and drawing on individuals who possess substantial media acumen, yet may not possess traditionally defined educational expertise. Thus, we hypothesize that media impact is loosely coupled with educational expertise. In fact, in analyzing various indicators of expertise and media penetration, we find a weak relationship between expertise and media impact, but find significantly elevated media penetration for individuals working at a sub-sample of organizations promoting what we term “incentivist” education reforms, in spite of their generally lower levels of expertise. We find these organizations are particularly effective in engaging new media forms by going directly to their audience. We consider the policy implications in the concluding discussion.
Tat-induced FOXO3a is a key mediator of apoptosis in HIV-1-infected human CD4+ T lymphocytes.

The high mutation rate of HIV is linked to the generation of viruses expressing proteins with altered function whose impact on disease progression is unknown. We investigated how HIV-1 viruses lacking Env, Vpr, and Nef affect CD4+ T cell survival. We found that in the absence of these proteins, HIV-1-infected CD4+ primary T cells progress to the G0 phase of the cell cycle and to cell death, indicating that viruses expressing inactive forms of these proteins can contribute to the CD4+ T cell decline as the wild-type virus, suggesting that other HIV proteins are responsible for inducing apoptosis. Apoptosis in these cells is triggered by the alteration of the Egr1-PTEN-Akt (early growth response-1/phosphate and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10/Akt) and p53 pathways, which converge on the FOXO3a (Forkhead box transcription factor O class 3a) transcriptional activator. The FOXO3a target genes Fas ligand and TRAIL, involved in the extrinsic apoptotic pathway, and PUMA, Noxa, and Bim, which are part of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway, were also up-regulated, indicating that HIV infection leads to apoptosis by the engagement of multiple apoptotic pathways. RNAi-mediated knockdown of Egr1 and FOXO3a resulted in reduced apoptosis in HIV-infected HeLa and CD4+ T cells, providing further evidence for their critical role in HIV-induced apoptosis and G0 arrest. We tested the possibility that Tat is responsible for the T cell apoptosis observed with these mutant viruses. The induction of Egr1 and FOXO3a and its target genes was observed in Jurkat cells transduced by Tat alone. Tat-dependent activation of the Egr1-PTEN-FOXO3a pathway provides a mechanism for HIV-1-associated CD4+ T cell death.
NF3, the greenhouse gas missing from Kyoto

Nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) can be called the missing greenhouse gas: It is a synthetic chemical produced in industrial quantities; it is not included in the Kyoto basket of greenhouse gases or in national reporting under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); and there are no observations documenting its atmospheric abundance. Current publications report a long lifetime of 740 yr and a global warming potential (GWP), which in the Kyoto basket is second only to SF6. We re-examine the atmospheric chemistry of NF3 and calculate a shorter lifetime of 550 yr, but still far beyond any societal time frames. With 2008 production equivalent to 67 million metric tons of CO2, NF3 has a potential greenhouse impact larger than that of the industrialized nations' emissions of PFCs or SF6, or even that of the world's largest coal-fired power plants. If released, annual production would increase the lower atmospheric abundance by 0.4 ppt, and it is urgent to document NF3 emissions through atmospheric observations.
Patterns of Auditory Abnormality in Multiple Sclerosis: Exemples de cas auditifs anormaux dans les scléroses en plaques

This paper stresses the relatively high prevalence of auditory abnormality in multiple sclerosis. An auditory test battery consisting of the acoustic reflex (AR), the auditory brainstem response (ABR), the masking level difference (MLD) and speech audiometry (SA) was administered to 62 patients with diagnosed 'definite' multiple sclerosis. The AR showed the highest identification rate (71%). SA was next (55%), followed by the ABR (52%) and the MLD (45%). The combination of an abnormality on either AR, ABR or SA yielded a 90% identification rate. Interestingly, the combination of AR or SA or MLD yielded an 87% identification rate without any contribution from ABR.Cette publication souligne surtout la frequence des troubles anormaux auditifs dans les scleroses en plaques (SEP). Une batterie de tests auditifs - reflexe acoustique, reponses evoquees auditives du tronc cerebral, difference de niveau de masquage et audiometrie vocale - ont ete administres a 62 patients ayant un diagnostic certain de SEP. Le ref...
Discussion of Understanding Defense Mechanisms

It is a pleasure for us to discuss Phebe Cramer’s article, “Understanding Defense Mechanisms.” Professor Cramer has an impressive track record when it comes to this subject, including her book, Protecting the Self: Defenses in Action, published in 2006. As a psychologist versed in empirical methodology, she brings to her subject matter not only her understanding but also her implementation of experimental design. Cramer’s review of the literature, replete with her own studies of different defenses as well the work of other researchers, notably George Vaillant (1992), is placed at the close rather than the beginning of her essay. And thus it serves as a tacit reminder of what many feel to be missing in most clinical contributions. That is, systematic empirical research using relatively large samples to prove clearly framed hypotheses rather than simply illustrating forgone conclusions with either single case studies or, for that matter, brief vignettes. While lauding this effort, we will address concerns about content validity when psychological phenomena that occur in nature are operationalized in experimental methodology. We also would add to Cramer’s excellent summary of the genesis and function of defenses in adult subjects a developmental perspective on their origination, evolution, and transfiguration during childhood and adolescence. Finally, with this perspective in mind, we would challenge the author’s assumption—one that is shared by most dynamic clinicians—that defenses are perforce unconscious. And though this cannot validate hypotheses, we will indeed draw on case material throughout our discussion not to prove but rather to generate hypotheses that subsequently might be subject to systemic empirical verification.