cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Some Mortality Factors Affecting Eggs of the Sycamore Lace Bug, Corythucha ciliata (Say) (Hemiptera: Tingidae)

Approximately 50% of the Corythucha ciliata (Say) eggs on sycamore, Platanus occidentalis L., leaves did not hatch in each of 2 years. Normal leaf moisture content and moderate temperatures (16.7 to 32.2°C) did not affect the amount of hatching. A mymarid ( Erythmelus sp.) parasitized the eggs in September. Under laboratory conditions, the predators Diaphnocoris provancheri (Burque), Haplothrips subtilissimus (Haliday), and Leptothrips mali (Fitch) did not feed on C. ciliata eggs, but Chrysopa rufilabris Burmeister, Deraeocoris nebulosis (Uhler), and Orius insidiosus (Say) did. Inviability of 8 to 25% of the lace bug's eggs was found in the laboratory.
Venom of Catolaccus grandis (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) and Its Role in Parasitoid Development and Host Regulation

The effect of the venom of the ectoparasitoid Catolaccus grandis (Burks) on boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman growth, development, and survival, and parasitoid development were investigated. Microscopic observations showed that 81.4% of parasitized weevils were not paralyzed. The percentage of unparalyzed hosts correlated positively with the age of the parasitoid females and negatively with the degree of superparasitism. The growth of envenomed hosts was reduced and envenomed hosts did not complete development. However, parasitoid development was not affected in the absence of venom. The concentration and ratios of free amino acids in the boll weevil haemolymph were significantly affected by C. grandis venom. Similar changes in free amino acids in boll weevil haemolymph were observed in prepupae not exposed to parasitism, but artificially parasitized by 1st instar C. grandis. The presence of a similar envenomizing agent in the 1st instar parasitoids is discussed.
In Situ Analysis of Surface Contaminant Desorption during Low-Temperature Silicon Substrate Cleaning using Reflection Electron Energy Loss Spectrometry

We have employed reflection electron energy loss spectrometry (REELS), a surface chemical analysis technique, in order to analyze contaminant coverages at the submonolayer level during low-temperature in situ cleaning of hydrogen-terminated Si(100). The chemical composition of the surface was analyzed by measurements of the C K, O K and Si L2,3 core loss intensities at various stages of the cleaning. These results were quantified using SiC(100) and SiO2 as reference standards for C and O coverage. Room temperature REELS core loss intensity analysis after sample insertion reveals carbon at fractional monolayer coverage. We have established the REELS detection limit for carbon coverage to be 5±2% of a monolayer. A study of temperature-dependent hydrocarbon desorption from hydrogen-terminated Si(100) reveals the absence of carbon on the surface at temperatures greater than 200°C. This indicates the feasibility of epitaxial growth following an in situ low-temperature cleaning and also indicates the power of REELS as an in situ technique for assessment of surface cleanliness.
The Road Ahead in Education: Milestones for Geriatric Psychiatry Subspecialty Training

Objective The Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Milestone Project is the next step in a series of changes revamping the system of graduate medical education. In 2013 the ACGME completed the general psychiatry milestones. The ACGME then pursued creation of milestones for accredited psychiatric subspecialty fellowships. This article documents the work of the geriatric psychiatry subspecialty milestones work group. It reports the history and rationale supporting the milestones, the milestone development process, and the implications for geriatric psychiatry fellowship training. Methods In consultation with the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and the ACGME Psychiatry Residency Review Committee, the ACGME appointed a working group to create the geriatric psychiatry milestones using the general psychiatry milestones as a guide. Conclusion The geriatric psychiatry milestones are the result of an iterative process resulting in the definition of the characteristics vital to a fellowship-trained geriatric psychiatrist. It is premature to assess their effect on psychiatric training. The true impact of the milestones will be determined as each training director uses the milestones to re-evaluate their program curriculum and the educational and clinical learning environment. The ACGME is currently collecting the information about the milestone performance of residents and fellows to further refine and determine how the milestones can best be used to assist programs in improving training.
Analysis of tuberculosis control situation and countermeasure in Qilihe district of Lanzhou during 2008-2012

Objective To learn the tuberculosis control situation from 2008 to 2012 in Qilihe district of Lanzhou,and to provide targeted prevention and control measures. Methods The TB epidemic data from TB control statement( monthly,quarterly and annually) in Qilihe district was analyzed from 2008 to 2012. The main indicators such as referral rates of TB patients and suspected TB patients,the overall arrival rate,registration rates of active TB patients,cure rate of smear-positive patients and standard treatment rate of smear-negative patients were evaluated. Results The cure rates of smear-positive TB patients and smear-negative patients were 93. 77% and 99. 23% respectively,and the overall arrival rate of the suspected TB patients maintained above 90% in the past three years. Conclusion Further supporting funds and publicity should be strengthened to help early find the suspected TB patients and arrange transfer treatment.
Changes in Policy Maker Attitudes Toward Active Living Communities Issues in Hawaii, 2007–2013

BACKGROUND: Obesity and lack of physical activity are major public health problems in the US. Well-designed, active living communities (ALC) can help support physically active lifestyles. This study assessed attitudes of Hawaii decision makers in 2007 and 2013 to determine if priorities towards ALC changed. METHODS: Elected and appointed state and county officials were mailed surveys both years. Respondents rated the importance of 23 specified problems, which included one obesity variable and five ALC variables. RESULTS: The survey was completed by 126 (70.4%) respondents in 2007 and 117 (60.9%) in 2013. Among the specific problems, only obesity increased in rank from 14th to 9th place. Three variables fell more than 2 places: increasing traffic (5th to 7th place), poorly planned development and sprawl (7th to 11th place) and pedestrian safety (12th to 17th place). The other two stayed relatively the same: lack of pedestrian walkways, sidewalks and crosswalks (16th to 15th place) and lack of recreational activities (22nd to 23rd place). CONCLUSION: Across years, obesity concerns have increased but do not appear to be tied to increases in concern for ALC variables. More education for policy makers on the link between obesity, physical activity, and the built environment is necessary. Language: en
Temporal Bone Mucormycosis.

Case Details:We present a case of temporal bone mucormycosis in a 71-year-old female with diabetes mellitus who presented to the emergency department with facial nerve paresis, otorrhea, and contralateral hemiparesis. After undergoing a tympanomastoidectomy, the patient’s pathology exhibited fungal hyphae consistent with mucormycosis.Discussion:To our knowledge, there have been 9 reported cases of temporal bone mucormycosis, 3 of which presented with facial nerve paresis, all with some subsequent improvement. In this case, facial paralysis persisted at the time of last follow-up (2 months) despite surgery and intravenous antifungals. We also review and summarize the temporal bone mucormycosis literature.Conclusion:Temporal bone mucormycosis is a rare and morbid infectious disease, though its outcomes appear to be different for patients who present with isolated temporal bone disease as compared to those individuals who develop temporal bone mucormycosis secondary to a rhinologic source.
Autonomy, Fairness, Pragmatism, and False Electoral Speech: A Case Comment on Democratic Alliance vs African National Congress, [2015] ZACC 1

Democratic Alliance vs African National Congress was a landmark 2015 judgment of the South African Constitutional Court, which raised a host of novel and interesting issues. In particular, the Court had to address the scope and limits of electioneering speech (by interpreting the prohibition on “false information” contained in Section 89(2)(c) of the South African Electoral Act), the extent and manner in which principles from one area of free speech jurisprudence (defamation) could be imported into another, and how to interpret words and phrases that were (perhaps deliberately) left ambiguous – all in the backdrop of the constitutional principles of freedom of expression and fair elections. In my essay, I will make two broad arguments. I will support the Majority Opinion’s finding that in order to qualify as a “comment” for the purposes of election speech, a statement need only reference facts that are in the public domain, so that the audience can make up their own minds about the validity of the statement (if they so desire). This, I will argue, is a plausible reading of the fact/comment distinction in defamation law, and is even more strongly applicable in the context of elections, because of the heightened importance of “listener autonomy”, a concept well-known to South African free speech jurisprudence. Moving to the construction of the Democratic Alliance’s “SMS”, which was at the heart of this case, I will argue that the Dissenting Opinion’s interpretation of the SMS from the point of view of the “ordinary, reasonable reader”, and the precedent that it relied upon, incorrectly privileged a semantic reading over a pragmatic one. By contrast, Van der Westhuizen J.’s concurring opinion, which acknowledged that the word “stole” could carry multiple meanings, and his argument that the choice of meaning should depend upon the complete context in which the statement was made, was the correct approach to take, an approach that could have been further strengthened by a fuller exposition of the distinction between semantic and pragmatic meanings. I will conclude by highlighting the consequences that this approach might have for South African free speech jurisprudence, going forward.
Probe conformational dynamics of proteins in aqueous solutions by terahertz spectroscopy

Proteins solvated in their biologically milieu are expected to exhibit strong absorption in the terahertz frequencies, that contain information on their global and sub-global collective vibrational modes (conformational dynamics) and global dynamic correlations among solvent water and proteins. The dynamics play an important role in enzymatic activities of proteins, but obtaining an accurate and quantitative pictures of these activities, however, is challenging due to the strong absorption of water. In response, we have developed the world’s highest precision, highest sensitivity terahertz-frequency domain spectrometer and a standard terahertz-time domain system to probe the collective dynamics of proteins in aqueous solutions. Operating over the frequency range from 5 GHz up to 3 THz, our spectrometers provide an unparalleled ability to probe directly such questions as the hydration level, the dynamics of water and hydrated proteins over the 100 fs to 1 ns timescale. Employing an effective medium approximation to describe the complex dielectric response of the solvated proteins in solution we find that proteins are surrounded by a loosely and tightly held layers of water molecules that behave as if they are an integral part of the protein. The number of water molecules in the protein hydration shells varies with proteins, which can tell us the average surface structure of proteins. These measurements shed light on the macromolecular motions of proteins in their biologically relevant environment.
Longitudinal and reciprocal relations between delay discounting and crime

Theorists argue that self-control failure is the underlying cause of criminal behavior, with previous research linking poor self-control to delinquency and drug use. The path from self-control to crime is well-established, but less is known about whether criminal behavior contributes to self-control deficits over time. We investigated bi-directional relations between self-control assessed via a delay discounting task and self-reported crime over a three-year period. During their first, second (73.38% retention rate), and third (63.12% retention rate) years of college, 526 undergraduates completed a delay discounting task and reported on their criminal behavior. In order to maximize variability, participants with conduct problems were overrecruited, comprising 23.1% of the final sample. As expected, more discounting of hypothetical monetary rewards significantly predicted future property crime across a one and two-year period, even when controlling for initial levels of both. This study also demonstrated evidence of a bi-directional relationship; violent crime predicted higher rates of delay discounting one year later. These results suggest that bi-directional relations exist between self-control and types of crime.
Disruptive Behavior Disorders in Children 0 to 6 Years Old.

Disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs), specifically oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder, are common, serious, and treatable conditions among preschoolers. DBDs are marked by frequent aggression, deceitfulness, and defiance, and often persist through the lifespan. Exposure to harsh or inconsistent parenting, as frequently seen with parental depression and stress, increases DBD risk. Candidate genes that may increase DBD risk in the presence of childhood adversity have also been identified, but more research is needed. Neurophysiologic and structural correlates with DBD also exist. Parent management training programs, focusing on increasing parenting competence and confidence, are the gold standard treatment of preschool DBDs.
Comprehensive Literacy Instruction, Interprofessional Collaborative Practice, and Students With Severe Disabilities

Purpose The purpose of this clinical focus article is to briefly describe comprehensive emergent and conventional literacy instruction for students with severe disabilities. Specific attention is g...
Kinetic and Thermodynamic Control in Porphyrin and Phthalocyanine Self-Assembled Monolayers

Porphyrins and phthalocyanines are ubiquitous in modern science and technology. Their stability, redox properties, and photoresponse make them candidates for numerous applications. Many of these applications rely on thin films, and these are critically dependent on the first monolayer. In this article, we focus on noncovalently bound self-assembled monolayers of porphyrins and phthalocyanines at the solution–solid interface with special emphasis on the kinetic and thermodynamic processes that define the films and their reaction chemistry. We first discuss the difference between film-formation kinetics and desorption kinetics from fully formed films. We then present evidence that many of these monolayers are controlled by adsorption kinetics and are not in thermodynamic equilibrium. Measurement of the solution–solid interface desorption energy by scanning tunneling microscopy is discussed, and data is presented for cobalt, nickel, and free base octaethylporphyrin. The activation energy for the desorption o...
Chapter 8 – Role of Gambogic Acid in Chemosensitization of Cancer

Abstract Mother Nature has blessed us with a variety of natural compounds rich in anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties. In the past three decades, plant-derived natural compounds, popularly referred to as nutraceuticals, have received a lot of attention because they are economic, bioavailable, safe, and lethal to cancers. One of noteworthy nutraceuticals is gambogic acid (GA). GA that is derived from gamboge resins secreted by a plant known as Garcinia hanburyi. Extensive preclinical studies have strongly suggested that GA possesses anti-cancer properties against a variety of malignancies including solid and hematologic cancers. GA exerts its effects on cancer cells through several different mechanisms. Interestingly, normal human cells were found to be resistant to GA, suggesting that this nutraceutical has tremendous therapeutic values. Chemoresistance has been recognized as one of the largest hurdles facing anti-cancer regimens. Therefore, researchers have continued to search for potent chemosensitizers. This chapter focuses on the chemosensitizing properties of GA, mechanisms through which GA exerts anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects in cancer. GA sensitizes acute myeloid leukemia (AML), gastric cancer, lung cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, renal carcinoma, and multiple myeloma (MM). GA acts synergistically with many chemotherapeutic agents including adriamycin, cisplatin, doxorubicin, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), gefitinib, and proteasome inhibitors. Overall, in vitro and studies using animal models demonstrate that GA can be used to sensitize tumors to chemotherapy. Nonetheless, a clinical trial is needed in order to fully delineate the utility of this nutraceutical in human cancers.
Autism: Animal Models

Autism is a life-long pervasive neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by deficits in social interaction, language development and communication, abnormal repetitive behaviours and severely restricted interests. Autism has proven difficult to study because of the complexity of its behavioural symptoms, complicated genetics and lack of reliable biomarkers. Progress has been made, however, in the development of animal models that allow investigators to model some of the core symptoms of autism, including deficits in social interactions, aspects of social communication and stereotyped, repetitive behaviours. Specific hypotheses can now be formulated and tested using these animal models. This article describes some of the major behavioural approaches and animal models developed to study neurodevelopmental disorders, with a focus on autism spectrum disorders. Key Concepts: Autism is a complex disorder whose underlying biology is being studied using rodent and nonhuman primate animal models. Rodents and nonhuman primates are social animals with rich and complex behavioural repertories that make them useful for modelling neurodevelopmental disorders. Many of the behaviours that reflect core deficits in autism, including social communication, social interaction and stereotypies, can be modelled in rodents and nonhuman primates. Inbred strains of mice can be used to discover genes important for the expression of complex behaviours and can provide insight into the neurobiology of social interactions and social communication. Genetic manipulations possible in mice provide a powerful strategy for investigating the genetic substrates of the disorder, including deletions or overexpression of genes thought to be involved in the aetiology of autism. Animal models of neurodevelopmental disorders, while important and useful, typically only model specific aspects of a disorder rather that recapitulating its full symptomatology. Keywords: autism spectrum disorders; mouse models; nonhuman primate models; autoimmunity; GABA receptors; fragile X; Rett syndrome; social interaction; stereotypies; valproic acid
CD Obesity-Prone Rats, but not Obesity-Resistant Rats, Robustly Ferment Resistant Starch Without Increased Weight or Fat Accretion.

Objective This study used CD obesity-prone (OP) and obesity-resistant (OR) rats to examine how weight gain and fat accretion relate to fermentation levels and microbiota composition after feeding resistant starch (RS). Methods After feeding OP rats and OR rats a high-fat (HF) diet for 4 weeks, rats were stratified into three groups: they were fed either an HF diet (group 1: HF-HF) or were switched to a low-fat (LF) diet (group 2: HF-LF) or an LF diet supplemented with 20% RS by weight for 4 weeks (group 3: HF-LFRS). Energy intake, body weight, fermentation variables, and microbiota composition were determined. Results In OP rats, RS elicited robust fermentation (increased cecal contents, short-chain fatty acids, and serum glucagon-like peptide 1). Total bacteria, species of the Bacteroidales family S24-7, and the archaean Methanobrevibacter smithii increased. The robust fermentation did not elicit higher weight or fat accretion when compared with that of control rats fed the same isocaloric diets (HF-LF ± RS). In OR rats, body weight and fat accretion were also not different between HF-LF ± RS diets, but RS elicited minimal changes in fermentation and microbiota composition. Conclusions Robust fermentation did not contribute to greater weight. Fermentation levels and changes in microbiota composition in response to dietary RS differed by obesity phenotype.
Low-temperature selective oxidation of methanol over Pt-Bi bimetallic catalysts

Abstract Formaldehyde is industrially produced by methanol selective oxidation over supported Ag or Mo-Fe catalysts in the temperature range 250–600 ° C. The development of relatively low temperature processes for formaldehyde production is of importance to decrease energy costs and capital investment resulting from the high temperature operation. In the present work, various Pt-Bi bimetallic catalysts were designed, prepared, characterized and tested for low temperature (70–120 ° C) methanol selective oxidation to formaldehyde. The highest selectivity toward formaldehyde (98.1%) at methanol conversion (8.1%) was achieved over the 1% Pt–0.5% Bi/AC (activated carbon) catalyst. Utilizing various characterization techniques (BET, EDX, H 2 - O 2 titration, H 2 -TPR, ICP-AES, TEM, TPO, XPS and XRD) along with catalytic activity tests, the properties and performance of Pt-Bi bimetallic catalysts were correlated. The reducibility of Pt-Bi catalysts shows a linear relationship with formaldehyde selectivity, while methanol turnover frequency (TOF) values are essentially constant. Considering methanol as a simple molecule probe, the present work offers potential opportunities for selective oxidation of other alcohols at relatively low temperatures.
Coping and Post-traumatic Stress after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: Racial Disparities in Social Work Student-Practitioners

Recent hurricanes have focused on lives and properties lost, however, additional mental health concerns may emerge in these post-disaster settings. Post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) are particu...
Facilitating e-Science Discovery Using Scientific Workflows on the Grid

e-Science has been greatly enhanced from the developing capability and usability of cyberinfrastructure. This chapter explains how scientific workflow systems can facilitate e-Science discovery in Grid environments by providing features including scientific process automation, resource consolidation, parallelism, provenance tracking, fault tolerance, and workflow reuse. We first overview the core services to support e-Science discovery. To demonstrate how these services can be seamlessly assembled, an open source scientific workflow system, called Kepler, is integrated into the University of California Grid. This architecture is being applied to a computational enzyme design process, which is a formidable and collaborative problem in computational chemistry that challenges our knowledge of protein chemistry. Our implementation and experiments validate how the Kepler workflow system can make the scientific computation process automated, pipelined, efficient, extensible, stable, and easy-to-use.
High Affinity Iron Transport in Ustilago maydis

The mechanism by which pathogenic organisms sequester and regulate uptake of iron is central to an understanding of the etiology of infectious disease. The ability of microbial pathogens to acquire this essential element from mammalian hosts is an important component of virulence. In contrast, the importance of iron acquisition to plant infection remains a virtually unexplored field.
Absence of the sulfate transporter SAT-1 has no impact on oxalate handling by mouse intestine and does not cause hyperoxaluria or hyperoxalemia.

SAT-1 is a membrane-bound transport protein expressed in the intestine, liver, and kidney, where it is widely considered essential for the excretion of oxalate, a potentially toxic waste metabolite...
The measurement and prevalence of violent crime in the United States: persons, places, and times

Divided into four major sections, this paper examines violent criminal victimization in the United States, including its measurement, rates, and trends. The focus is on aggregate assessments of the...
High-Throughput MHC I Ligand Prediction Using MHCflurry.

MHCflurry is an open source package for peptide/MHC I binding affinity prediction. Its command-line and programmatic interfaces make it well-suited for integration into high-throughput bioinformatic pipelines. Users can download models fit to publicly available data or train predictors on their own affinity measurements or mass spec datasets. This chapter gives a tutorial on essential MHCflurry functionality, including generating predictions, training new models, and using the MHCflurry Python interface. MHCflurry is available at https://github.com/openvax/mhcflurry .
Precalculus Mathematics: A Look Through the Big End of the Telescope

Increasing numbers of college students are taking at least two semesters of calcu lus. This trend is caused not only by a re surgent interest in engineering and the sci ences at the undergraduate level but also by the realization in other fields, including business, economics, the biological sci ences, and some of the social sciences, that greater mathematical preparation is needed in those fields. Thus, one of the primary goals of postgeometry precollege instruc tion is to prepare students to enter a begin ning calculus course when they enter col lege. It is not clear that this goal is being met; most colleges and universities have re cently experienced large enrollment in creases in their precalculus mathematics courses. However, if one modifies the pri mary goal to that of preparing students to successfully complete a beginning calculus course, it seems even more likely that this goal is not being adequately met. At the author's university, it has been observed that the drop-out rate in the first semester of some calculus courses is as high as 20 percent and that the failure rate among those who remain at the end of that semester is between 12 and 18 percent. If these data are accurate and representative
颅内原发性淋巴瘤开放血脑屏障后化疗

颅内原发性淋巴瘤属广泛浸润型肿瘤,近二十年来发病率急速上升,传统治疗包括肿瘤活检,放射加化学疗法.即使患者无免疫系统功能障碍,病患生存仅限于1～3年.淋巴瘤虽对化疗敏感,但颅内淋巴瘤患者生存率低,一般认为与血脑屏障限制化疗药物进入肿瘤有关.
Fentanyl, COVID-19, and Public Health

COVID-19 temporarily severed the production and the supply chains for fentanyl, a synthetic narcotic responsible for over 30,000 deaths in the United States in 2018. Much fentanyl was produced in Wuhan, China, the source of the epidemic. Fentanyl was previously sold directly to American consumers through online websites and was also supplied by Mexican drug traffickers, who produced the drug from precursor chemicals purchased from China. With the advent of the pandemic, websites from Wuhan-based sellers reported that the drugs were not being produced or shipped. Moreover, Mexican drug traffickers were deprived of the precursor chemicals to produce this highly potent opioid. Despite the reduced entry of illicit fentanyl to the United States, enough was stockpiled by drug traffickers perpetuating a very serious problem of illegal fentanyl abuse. Deaths have increased since the start of the COVID epidemic, as the problems of drug abuse have not stopped and access to treatment and medical services are diminished. Moreover, isolation and lack of social support compound the problem. The initial data on increased deaths from illegal fentanyl consumption are consistent with the overall picture of the impact of the COVID epidemic. Those who are most vulnerable are suffering disproportionately from the drug trade.
Learning principles of evolution during a crisis: An exploratory analysis of student barriers one week and one month into the COVID-19 pandemic

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak forced an emergency transition to online classes across the world with little warning or instruction for faculty and students. The goal of this research was to document how this response impacted undergraduate students studying the principles of evolution in an introductory organismal biology class over time; specifically, how their study habits for exams differed (a) one week and (b) one month after a university's decision to transition to emergency remote instruction. We asked students about the extent to which COVID-19 impacted their study habits, and we categorized students' responses using open coding. We identified a number of consistent similarities-as well as dramatic differences-in their responses as the time away from campus increased. The report that follows is a summary of the documented barriers and recommendations based on literature concerning crises and equitable practices.
Wrongful Conviction in Sexual Assault: Stranger Rape, Acquaintance Rape, and Intra-Familial Child Sexual Assaults:

This article reviews the recently published book by M. B. Johnson—Wrongful conviction in sexual assault: Stranger rape, acquaintance rape, and intra-familial child sexual assaults. The focus of the...
When Black Is [Queen]: Towards an Endarkened Equity and Excellence in Education

Education elders must engage next generation Black thinkers and doers in addressing the complex global and spiritual issues in education today. Deep listening to the young is absolutely essential t...
Low Voltage, High Brightness CMOS LEDs

Silicon photonics realized in CMOS processes has transformed computing, communications, sensing and imaging. Although silicon is known as an indirect bandgap material, substantial progress has been made in the field of silicon p-n junctions emitting visible light when operating in reverse breakdown avalanching mode. Here, we demonstrate high-brightness infrared light emission in forward bias for a vertical silicon p-n junction realized in an open-foundry CMOS process – 55 BCDLite. Emission intensity of over 40 mW/cm2 light at 1020 nm is realized at below 2.5 Volt of room temperature operation by using a deep vertical junction with guard rings that ensure carrier transport away from material interfaces. Such a device enables the development of optoelectronic systems in silicon CMOS. Here, we also demonstrate a complete chip-to-chip optical interconnect utilizing only silicon CMOS devices.
Multivariate Analysis of Variability Associated with Source of Origin in the Bacterium Simonsiella

The applications of numerical classification to biology often involve the arrangement of population samples into groups, for the taxonomist may equate such groups to rank categories. On the other hand, the analysis may utilize a grouping already existing within the data, if the investigator intends to assess the association of variation with particular geographical or ecological origins. Both approaches have been employed in an analysis of differences among strains of the prokaryote Simonsiella, a gliding bacterium, which is found exclusively in the oral cavity of warm-blooded vertebrates (Kuhn 1981).
Calcium, Mechanical Signaling, and Tip Growth

Changes in cytosolic Ca2+ have emerged as important regulators of plant growth. During tip growth, changes in cytosolic Ca2+ appear to trigger proton fluxes and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production to the apoplast of the growing cell, likely to reinforce the wall to prevent uncontrolled expansion. In addition, ROS permeate to the cytosol to act as signals triggering a range of downstream processes, including Ca2+ channel gating. Thus, in a complex feedback process, the extent of the Ca2+ gradient at the growing tip is modulated to precisely control growth. These changes bear striking similarities to responses elsewhere in the plant to physical stimuli, where Ca2+, ROS, pH also all play roles in the mechanoresponse. Analyses of Ca2+-responsive signaling elements such as calmodulin and the CDPKs is beginning to reveal how such Ca2+ changes may be decoded to control growth. Networks of these Ca2+-response pathways tuned to “listen” to particular components of the Ca2+ signal may help explain how plants can so exquisitely integrate and entrain their responses to current environmental conditions to effect plastic development.
The Boundary of Outer Space in Rank Two

In [4] a space X n was introduced on which the group Out(F n ) of outer automorphisms of a free group of rank n acts virtually freely. Since then, this space has come to be known as “outer space.” Outer space can be defined as a space of free actions of F n on simplicial ℝ-trees; we require that all actions be minimal, and we identify two actions if they differ only by scaling the metric on the ℝ-tree. To describe the topology on outer space, we associate to each action α: F n × T → T a length function | · | α: F n → ℝ defined by $$ {\left| g \right|_\alpha }\; = \;\mathop {\inf }\limits_{x \in T} \;d\left( {x,gx} \right) $$ where d is the distance in the tree T. We have | g | α = | h −1 gh| α and | · |α ≡ 0 if and only if some point of T is fixed by all of F n . Thus an action with no fixed point determines a point in ℝ c — {0}, where C is the set of conjugacy classes in F n . Since actions differing by a scalar multiple define the same point of outer space, we have a map from X n to the infinite dimensional projective space P c = ℝ c — {0}/ℝ*. It can be shown that this map is injective (see [3] or [1]). We topologize X n as a subspace of P c .
Unifying Solution and Solid-State NMR Studies of Nucleic Acid Dynamics

The last few years have seen a remarkable increase in interest in the role of protein motion in catalysis, the energetics of protein folding, and molecular recognition. While motion by conformational adaptation is also very important for nucleic acids (many RNAs and DNAs function by undergoing large conformational changes in response to binding of a protein or small molecule), it is still not clear how motion contributes to the function of nucleic acids. There is a clear need to study motions and conformational transitions of nucleic acids by applying biophysical techniques that extend the description of DNA and RNA beyond the familiar static structures. It is well known that different dynamic spectroscopies display variable sensitivity to different rates of motion; therefore, if we rely upon any single type of spectroscopic measurement we run the risk of obtaining either an incomplete or incorrect description of internal molecular motions. Here, we use solution and solid-state NMR to study the dynamics for two paradigmatic nucleic acid systems whose biological function depends on their ability to change structure: the flipping out of a deoxycytidine by the HhaI methyltransferase and TAR RNA which must undergo a structural rearrangement of its bulged loop to bind to the tat protein. In both cases, structures in the absence and presence of ligand are well described. Yet, little experimental data exists to define over the dynamic pathways linking these states, and how they depend on sequence. In both cases, we use solid-state 2H NMR line shapes to probe for the presence of internal motions in the microsecond to nanaosecond timescales and relaxation to investigate dynamics at nanoseconds and shorter. We show that solid-state NMR can quantify motions at timescales not easily probed by solution NMR relaxation techniques and we show that solution and solid-state NMR views of the internal and overall rotations of these molecules can produce a unified view of the dynamics of these biomolecular systems. Keywords: nucleic Acids; DNA; RNA; dynamics; HhaI; TAR; solid-state NMR
The Formation of Uridine Diphosphate-Glucuronic Acid in Plants URIDINE DIPHOSPHATE-GLUCURONIC ACID PYROPHOSPHORYLASE FROM BARLEY SEEDLINGS

Abstract UDP-glucuronic acid pyrophosphorylase was purified approximately 80-fold from barley seedlings by ammonium sulfate fractionation and column chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and Sephadex G-100. The partially purified enzyme can be assayed radiochemically in either the forward or reverse direction and has Km values of 0.33 mm and 0.5 mm for d-glucuronic acid 1-phosphate and UDP-d-glucuronic acid, respectively. Its pH optimum lies between pH 8 and 9. The equilibrium constant of the reaction is 2.9 measured in the direction of glucuronic acid 1-phosphate formation. Mg2+ best fulfills the requirement for divalent cations. However, this dependency is related to substrate concentration, and, on the basis of kinetic experiments, an Mg2+:UTP ratio of 2:1 in the forward direction and an Mg2+ to pyrophosphate ratio of about 1:1 in the reverse direction appear to be required for maximum activity. Excess Mg2+ inhibits the reaction. The total activity of the enzyme increased 15-fold during the first 6 days of germination and is present in amounts potentially sufficient to meet the full needs of the young plant for UDP-glucuronic acid in cell wall polysaccharide biosynthesis. By contrast, levels of UDP-glucose dehydrogenase were very low. This suggests that the pathway myo-inositol → glucuronic acid → glucuronic acid 1-phosphate → UDP-glucuronic acid may be the predominant route whereby UDP-glucuronic acid is formed in the young barley seedling.
Identity considerations for public sector hybrid cloud computing solutions

Cloud computing is a relatively new paradigm that provides increased flexibility and resiliency in information technology service delivery. The inherent elasticity and cost savings in public cloud computing have attracted many in the private and ever-cautious public sectors. Presuming the construct of a hybrid cloud offering composed of a combined public and private cloud solution, the public sector (government) has a daunting dilemma in balancing resilience and security. Key to the public sector requirement is continuity of mission critical and mission support operations. When involved in national security, disaster response, defense, or homeland security missions, the criticality of service availability is elevated. Delays in service provisioning and collaboration are often as a result of identity management issues within participating organizations. This paper details the public sector cloud security and usability needs, draws on previous definitions and models for cloud security, and provides an identity management architectural model for use in some of the most critical of public sector mission sets.
Automated Optical Counting of Blood Platelets

We have evaluated the use of an optical particle counter to perform automated platelet counts on whole blood. The erythrocytes were lysed by dilution of whole blood with 2 M urea and the remaining platelets and leukocytes were enumerated by a darkfield microscope optical system that detects light diffracted by them. A suspension of fixed human platelets available commercially was highly satisfactory for standardization. The method gave accurate and reproducible platelet counts, comparable with those of electronic particle counting on venous blood and substantially more reliable platelet counts on thrombocytopenic and finger-puncture blood samples. We believe that errors resulting from the electronic method were caused by technical difficulties of sample handling and not to an intrinsic error in electronic counting. By using the automated optical method we found no significant difference between the platelet counts of capillary and venous blood, although capillary platelet counts had twice the variability of venous counts. The optical technique has important advantages over electronic platelet counting, and its superiority appears to be due to the ability to count platelets in diluted whole blood rather than in plasma. It should prove especially useful in performing the large numbers of platelet counts on thrombocytopenic and finger-puncture blood samples that are increasingly important for management of patients receiving chemotherapy.
Logics for Commonsense Reasoning

How does the event calculus stack up against other logical formalisms for commonsense reasoning? There are many such formalisms. We review four important families: the situation calculus, the features and fluent framework, action languages, and the fluent calculus. We discuss their relationship to the event calculus.
Impact of synbiotic-induced alterations in gut microbiota on ANGPTL4, body composition and selected metabolic biomarkers in healthy overweight adults: a pilot study (637.15)

Gut microbiota composition has emerged as a significant factor capable of regulating adiposity, host metabolism and inflammation. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of a synbiot...
Using the ASSIST Short Form for Evaluating an Information Technology Application: Validity and Reliability Issues

In this study, the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST) short form was used to gain insight about learning style characteristics that might influence students’ use of an online library of plant science learning objects. This study provides evidence concerning the internal consistency reliability and construct validity of the Deep, Strategic and Surface scale scores when used to sort students’ responses. Participants consisted of 446 resident university students (230 males, 216 females) in agricultural science courses with face-to-face instruction supplemented with web-based lessons. Cronbach’s alphas for the three scales ranged from 0.65 to 0.75. The data file was submitted to a maximum likelihood factor analysis with oblimin rotation. When three factors were extracted, all 18 items loaded on the expected factors. One example of an analysis based on ASSIST scale scores is presented to show the potential of this procedure for helping with the interpretation of student comments.
Energy savings by LED lighting

All the nuclear power plants in Japan have stopped operation, but before the March 2011 tsunami 30% of the total electricity generation had been supplied by nuclear power plants. It is predicts that by 2020, penetration of the LED lighting in Japan will be more than 70%, by which we can reduce 7% of the electricity. In this presentation, current and future energy savings by GaN and related compounds will be discussed.
Site Index Curves for Loblolly and Slash Pine Plantations in the Post Oak Belt of East Texas

Stem analysis data collected from dominant and codominant trees growing in loblolly (Pinus taeda L.) and slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) plantations were used to develop site index curves. These data were collected from loblolly and slash pine plantations growing in • Present address: Uplands Research Lab, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Rt. 2 Box 260, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. the Post Oak Belt of East Texas. The height prediction curves were based on the Chapman-Richards function and will provide an indication of site productivity based an plantation age. South. J. Appl. For. 15(2):97-100. The Post Oak Belt of East Texas is an area of transition between the pine forest to the east and the prairies to the west. This area extends from the Red River southward, contiguous with the western edge of the pine forest and extending into Central Texas (Figure 1). The forests of this zone are dominated by post oak (Quercus stellata Wang.) and blackjack oak (Q. marilandica Muenchh.) in association with other dry site oaks, hickories (Carya spp.), and elms (Ulmus spp.) (Tharp 1939, Daubenmire 1978, Diamond et al. 1987). Pine does occur naturally in some areas of this zone. Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) occurs in Bastrop, Caldwell, and Fayette counties (Tharp 1939). Shortleaf pine (P. echinata Mill.) occurs in isolated natural stands (Wilson and Hacker 1986, Wilson 1989) further to the north in Lamar and Franklin counties. The possibility of converting some of the land to pine has been postulated (Bray 1904, Walker 1972). Indeed, since 1930, many pine plantations were established with the majority between 1950 ;and 1965 (Hansen and Bilan
Comprehensive study of spectrum utilization for 802.11b/g/n networks

The rapid proliferation of newly developed wireless technologies has created an ever-increasing demand for additional radio spectrum. Because most usable bands have been already allocated, spectrum occupancy measurements are essential for wireless networks planning and deployment. Duty cycle is a measure of channel occupancy. As the amount of data traffic on the network increases, the duty cycle percentage increases, causing increased interference with other network devices using the same band. This paper provides comprehensive, systematic experimental measurements of spectrum occupancy in the 2.4GHz Industrial, Scientific and Medical band for multiple communicating 802.11 networks. Duty cycle was measured for various 802.11 combination protocols including 802.11b, g and n, at different throughput levels for each node in the network. Measurement software were developed using Labview. Experiments were validated for time and frequency domains. This work can assist technology developers to mitigate interference effects suffered from Wi-Fi by varying device transmission parameters and accommodating for measured duty cycle. Likewise, spectrum planning for the overcrowded Industrial, Scientific and Medical band can be improved.
The potential versus current state of water splitting with hematite

This review describes the potential of hematite as a photoanode material for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. The current understanding of key loss-mechanisms of hematite are introduced and correlated to performance enhancement strategies. The significant voltage loss associated with overcoming the competitive water oxidation and surface state recombination has recently been surmounted through a combination of high temperature annealing and surface modification with water oxidation catalysts. Substantial efforts have been made at nanostructuring electrodes to increase the charge separation efficiency without sacrificing light absorption. Even in optimized nanostructured electrodes, however, charge separation continues to be the primary barrier to achieving efficient water splitting with hematite. Specifically, significant depletion region recombination results in voltage dependant photocurrent which constrains the fill factor. Thus, future directions to enhance the efficiency of hematite electrodes are discussed with an emphasis on circumventing depletion region recombination.
Tools and task structures in modeling balance beam

In the study I investigated the role of tools and task structures for science teachers of K-8 on the topic of balance in a professional development course. The findings show that the teachers tended to generate an additive rule, which is limited and contextualized, of balance condition, and failed to incorporate the more general multiplicative rule when thinking about balance. The study also shows that the teachers had difficulty in grasping a mathematical formula of balance condition. The learning outcome was partly a natural result of the materials the teachers used and the tasks they carried out. I conclude that learning tools and instructional tasks provide opportunities for understanding science content, but the understanding is confined to the tools and tasks employed.
Some experiments with tactile sensing during grasping

A tactile sensing finger tip for the Stanford/JPL Hand has been developed. This sensor incorporates an 8 × 8 sensor array with complete coverage of the cylindrical finger tip. A preliminary analysis has been done to determine contact center, magnitude, and orientation, and to judge if the constructed sensor has adequate sensitivity and density. This low level tactile information provides the first steps needed for reliable object manipulation in a dextrous hand. Experiments were performed during an open loop re-grasping manipulation to determine how well the sensors and algorithms performed.