cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Applied Information Management program: multidisciplinary continuing higher education

This article presents a descriptive introduction to an innovative, multidisciplinary graduate degree program in information management designed to serve in-career professionals working in high technology corporate settings. Three curricular topics are addressed: (a) an analysis, in relation to a larger professional context, of the need for a multidisciplinary approach; (b) the resulting program philosophy and administrative structure; and (c) the central role of students as active contributors. Specific attention is given to applied information management, a term that reflects a basic change in orientation within the professional arena. Conclusions recommend that: definitions of information management must be revised; more on-site research must be conducted, designed to present better understanding of the changing professional context; and there is a need to continue to develop multidisciplinary curricula, drawing upon varied disciplines engaged in the study of information management.
Growing or dormant season burns: the effects of burn season on bee and plant communities

Habitat management can play a critical role in increasing and maintaining species diversity, but timing of management techniques can have significant effects on biodiversity management. In tallgrass prairie systems, prescribed burns are a common method to promote diversity. Managers prefer winter dormant season burns but this timing differs significantly from the historic growing season burns that helped shape this community, and it is largely unexplored whether changing burn season has significant effects on higher trophic levels. Here we investigate how the timing of such burns affects the bee communities and their resources. Depending on life history traits such as above or below ground nesting, timing of fire management can have differential effects on bee diversity. In 2016 and 2017, bees were collected from prairies in south-central Illinois using active netting, pan traps, and vane traps, and measurements of plant species, flower abundance and ground cover were recorded. While both burns showed significant improvement over unburned areas, growing season burns had the greatest total bare ground area and an increase in overall bee abundances. This may suggest long term benefits of growing season burns. The results suggest that growing season burns are beneficial for bees, and the use of either burn season can be utilized for land management.
Impact of electronic polarizability on protein-functional group interactions

Interactions of proteins with functional groups are key to their biological functions, making it essential that they be accurately modeled. To investigate the impact of the inclusion of explicit treatment of electronic polarizability in force fields on protein-functional group interactions, the additive CHARMM and Drude polarizable force field are compared in the context of the Site-Identification by Ligand Competitive Saturation (SILCS) simulation methodology from which functional group interaction patterns with five proteins for which experimental binding affinities of multiple ligands are available, were obtained. The explicit treatment of polarizability produces significant differences in the functional group interactions in the ligand binding sites including overall enhanced binding of functional groups to the proteins. This is associated with variations of the dipole moments of solutes representative of functional groups in the binding sites relative to aqueous solution with higher dipole moments systematically occurring in the latter, though exceptions occur with positively charged methylammonium. Such variation indicates the complex, heterogeneous nature of the electronic environments of ligand binding sites and emphasizes the inherent limitation of fixed charged, additive force fields for modeling ligand-protein interactions. These effects yield more defined orientation of the functional groups in the binding pockets and a small, but systematic improvement in the ability of the SILCS method to predict the binding orientation and relative affinities of ligands to their target proteins. Overall, these results indicate that the physical model associated with the explicit treatment of polarizability along with the presence of lone pairs in a force field leads to changes in the nature of the interactions of functional groups with proteins versus that occurring with additive force fields, suggesting the utility of polarizable force fields in obtaining a more realistic understanding of protein-ligand interactions.
"Expanding the Core": 139th Annual Meeting of Ex Officio Trustees and Special Guests of the American Printing House for the Blind

"Expanding the Core": 139th Annual Meeting of Ex Officio Trustees and Special Guests of the American Printing House for the Blind. Established in 1858, the American Printing House (APH) for the Blind is an organization whose mission is to promote the independence of persons who are blind or visually impaired by developing specialized materials, products, publications, and services. APH also maintains databases, such as Louis, which offers information on accessible textbooks, and Fred's Head, which allows consumers share and research tips and techniques for and by blind or visually impaired people about technology, recreation, daily living skills, and orientation and mobility (OM Address: Earth; SAM: Symbols and Meaning; Building on Patterns; and the National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC). Two concurrent sessions also were presented by the ABC Braille Study research team members focusing on findings related to hand movements and lessons learned over the course of the longitudinal study. The presentation regarding hand movements focused on the effects of one-handed reading verses two-handed reading and hand movement characteristics with regard to reading speed. …
Familial variability of cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis lacking typical biochemical findings

Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder of bile acid synthesis caused by pathogenic variants in the CYP27A1 gene encoding the mitochondrial enzyme sterol 27-hydroxylase. Patients with CTX can present with a wide range of symptoms, but most often have evidence of tendon xanthomas along with possible cataracts, atherosclerosis, or neurological dysfunction. Regardless of clinical phenotype, CTX patients typically exhibit levels of cholestanol and bile acid precursors in the circulation that are many fold increased over normal control concentrations. Here we report two siblings, one with the rare spinal xanthomatosis phenotype and the other with a very mild form of CTX manifesting as minor tendon xanthomatosis and gastrointestinal complaints who both carry compound heterozygous variants in CYP27A1: NM_000784.3: c.410G > A (p.Arg137Gln) and c.1183C > T (p.Arg395Cys). However, biochemical analysis of these patients revealed normal levels of serum cholestanol and relatively mild elevations of the bile acid precursors 7α-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one and 7α,12α-dihydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one. The atypical biochemical presentation of these cases represents a diagnostic challenge for a disorder once thought to have a sensitive biomarker in cholestanol and highlight the need for thorough investigation of patients with symptomatology consistent with CTX that includes bile acid precursor biochemical testing and molecular analysis.
Coordination of -1 Programmed Ribosomal Frameshifting by Transcript and Nascent Chain Features Revealed by Deep Mutational Scanning

Summary Programmed ribosomal frameshifting (PRF) is a translational recoding mechanism that enables the synthesis of multiple polypeptides from a single transcript. In the alphavirus structural polyprotein, -1PRF is coordinated by a “slippery” sequence in the transcript, an RNA stem-loop, and a conformational transition in the nascent polypeptide chain. To characterize each of these effectors, we measured the effects of 4,530 mutations on -1PRF by deep mutational scanning. While most mutations within the slip-site and stem-loop disrupt -1PRF, mutagenic effects upstream of the slip-site are far more variable. Molecular dynamics simulations of polyprotein biogenesis suggest many of these mutations alter stimulatory forces on the nascent chain through their effects on translocon-mediated cotranslational folding. Finally, we provide evidence suggesting the coupling between cotranslational folding and -1PRF depends on the translation kinetics upstream of the slip-site. These findings demonstrate how -1PRF is coordinated by features within both the transcript and nascent chain.
Roughness Induced Transition in a Supersonic Boundary Layer

Direct numerical simulation is used to investigate the transition induced by threedimensional isolated roughness elements in a supersonic boundary layer at a free stream Mach number of 3.5. Simulations are performed for two different configurations: one is a square planform roughness and the other is a diamond planform roughness. The mean-flow calculations show that the roughness induces counter rotating streamwise vortices downstream of the roughness. These vortices persist for a long distance downstream and lift the low momentum fluid from the near wall region and place it near the outer part of the boundary layer. This forms highly inflectional boundary layer profiles. These observations agree with recent experimental observations. The receptivity calculations showed that the amplitudes of the mass-flux fluctuations near the neutral point for the diamond shape roughness are the same as the amplitude of the acoustic disturbances. They are three times smaller for the square shape roughness.
No Evidence of Infectious SARS-CoV-2 in Human Milk: Analysis of a Cohort of 110 Lactating Women

BackgroundSARS-CoV-2 infections of infants and toddlers are usually mild but can result in life-threatening disease. SARS-CoV-2 RNA been detected in the breast milk of lactating women, but the potential role of breastfeeding in transmission to infants has remained uncertain. MethodsBreast milk specimens were examined for the presence of the virus by RT-PCR and/or culture. Specimens that contained viral RNA (vRNA) were examined for the presence of subgenomic coronavirus RNA (sgRNA), a putative marker of infectivity. Culture methods were used to determine the thermal stability of SARS-CoV-2 in human milk. ResultsBreast milk samples from 110 women (65 confirmed with a SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic test, 36 with symptoms but without tests, and 9 with symptoms but a negative SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic test) were tested by RT-PCR (285 samples) and/or viral culture (160 samples). Although vRNA of SARS-CoV-2 was detected in the milk of 7 of 110 (6%) women with either a confirmed infection or symptomatic illness, and in 6 of 65 (9%) of women with a positive SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic test, virus was not detected in any culture. None of the 7 milk specimens with detectable vRNA contained sgRNA. Notably, when artificially added to human milk in control experiments, infectious SARS-CoV-2 could be cultured despite several freeze-thaw cycles, as occurs in the storage and usage of human milk. ConclusionsSARS-CoV-2 RNA can be found infrequently in the breastmilk of women with recent infection, but we found no evidence that breastmilk contains infectious virus or that breastfeeding represents a risk factor for transmission of infection to infants. Key PointsO_ST_ABSQuestionC_ST_ABSSARS-CoV-2 RNA has been detected in a small number of human milk samples collected from recently infected women. The role of breastfeeding in transmission of the virus to infants has remained uncertain due to the small number of specimens analyzed in any study published thus far. FindingsIn a total study group of 110 women, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in milk from 6 of 65 women (9.2%) with recent confirmed infection. Neither infectious virus nor subgenomic RNA (a marker of virus infectivity) were detected in any of the samples. MeaningWe found no evidence that infectious SARS-CoV-2 is present milk from recently infected women, even if SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests are positive, providing reassurance of the safety of breastfeeding.
Machine learning for high-fidelity prediction of cement hydration kinetics in blended systems

Abstract The production of ordinary Portland cement (OPC), the most broadly utilized man-made material, has been scrutinized due to its contributions to global anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Thus — to mitigate CO2 emissions — mineral additives have been promulgated as partial replacements for OPC. However, additives — depending on their physiochemical characteristics — can exert varying effects on OPC’s hydration kinetics. Therefore — in regards to more complex systems — it is infeasible for semi-empirical kinetic models to reveal the underlying nonlinear composition-property (i.e., reactivity) relationships. In the past decade or so, machine learning (ML) has arisen as a promising, holistic approach to predict the properties of heterogeneous materials, even without an across-the-board comprehension of the underlying composition-properties correlations. This paper describes the use of a Random Forests (RF) model to enable high-fidelity predictions of time-dependent hydration kinetics of OPC-based systems — more specifically [OPC + mineral additive(s)] systems — using the system’s physiochemical attributes as inputs. Results show that the RF model can also be used to formulate mixture designs that satisfy user-imposed kinetics-related criteria. Lastly, the presented results can be expanded to formulate mixture designs that satisfy target kinetic criteria, even without knowledge of the underlying kinetic mechanisms.
Advancing the Science of Integrity Measurement in School Mental Health Research

The purpose of this special series is to highlight how the measurement of integrity, both treatment integrity and integrity for implementation strategies, can support intervention development, evaluation, and implementation research. The seven papers and one commentary in this special series illustrate how diverse measurement approaches are used for integrity across various types of intervention research. This introductory paper provides a general overview of the themes that cut across the papers in this special series. We define key terms and discuss how the measurement of treatment integrity (i.e., extent to which the core practices of a protocol are delivered) and integrity to implementation strategies (i.e., extent to which the core practices of an implementation strategy are delivered) changes as an intervention progresses along the treatment development pipeline spanning from basic research to implementation and dissemination research. Then we discuss the ways that the measurement of integrity can change across the different steps in the pipeline to meet the goals associated with different stops along the pipeline. We finish the paper with a description of the papers in the special series and concluding thoughts.
Asian Slaves in Colonial Mexico: From Chinos to Indians

During the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, countless slaves from culturally diverse communities in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia journeyed to Mexico on the ships of the Manila Galleon. Upon arrival in Mexico, they were grouped together and categorized as chinos. Their experience illustrates the interconnectedness of Spain's colonies and the reach of the crown, which brought people together from Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe in a historically unprecedented way. In time, chinos in Mexico came to be treated under the law as Indians, becoming indigenous vassals of the Spanish crown after 1672. The implications of this legal change were enormous: as Indians, rather than chinos, they could no longer be held as slaves. Tatiana Seijas tracks chinos' complex journey from the slave market in Manila to the streets of Mexico City, and from bondage to liberty. In doing so, she challenges commonly held assumptions about the uniformity of the slave experience in the Americas.
Anti-Inflammatory Agents

Suspensions are more lipophilic and penetrate the cornea more easily that solutions Relative anti-inflammatory potency as follows:
Differential effects of C- and N-terminal substance P metabolites on the release of amino acid neurotransmitters from the spinal cord: potential role in nociception

Extensive evidence implicates Substance P [SP(1–11)] as a primary afferent neurotransmitter or modulator of nociceptive information, and there is increasing evidence that the excitatory amino acids aspartate (Asp) and glutamate (Glu) may also act as nociceptive neurotransmitters. We have previously demonstrated that nociceptive stimulation (metatarsal injection of formalin) caused a tetrodotoxin (TTX)-sensitive release of Asp and a TTX-insensitive release of Glu from the dorsal spinal cord. We have also shown release of Asp and Glu following the direct infusion of SP(1–11), suggesting that formalin- induced Asp or Glu changes could be secondary to an initial release of SP(1–11). In contrast to nociception, pretreatment with TTX, reported here, had no effect on the SP(1–11)-induced release of Asp, suggesting a presynaptic mechanism. Behavioral experiments, in both our laboratory, and others, now suggest that the N-terminal products of SP metabolism play a distinct role in the modulation of SP(1–11) nociception, possibly through an interaction with an opiate receptor. To test the hypothesis that N- and C-terminal fragments of SP produce opposite effects on biochemical events potentially involved in nociception, we compared the effects of infusion of the N-terminal metabolite SP(1–7) and the C-terminal metabolite SP(5–11) on changes in the ECF concentration of amino acids in the spinal cord as a measure of their apparent release, using microdialysis. Intradiaylsate infusion of SP(5–11) increased the release of Asp, Glu, asparagine (Asn), glycine (Gly), and taurine (Tau). The changes in Asp, Glu, and Tau were similar in direction and magnitude to changes produced by SP(1–11) or formalin injection, further supporting the hypothesis that the C-terminal is responsible for the nociceptive effects of SP(1–11). In contrast, infusion of SP(1–7) significantly decreased the release of Asn, Tau, Glu, and Gly. This inhibition of amino acid release is consistent with the hypothesis that N-terminal metabolites produce opposite effects to those of C-terminal metabolites of SP(1–11). The decreases in Glu, Asn, Gly, and Tau following SP(1–7) infusion were significantly reduced by i.p. or intradialysate naloxone. Systemic naloxone had no significant effects on the SP(5–11)-induced amino acid changes; however, it did inhibit the SP(1–11)-induced increase in Asp and Glu. Intradialysate naloxone had no effect on the SP(1–11)-induced increases.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Characterization of the phosphotransferase domain of casein kinase II by site-directed mutagenesis and expression in Escherichia coli

The catalytic alpha subunit of casein kinase II contains the 11 conserved domains characteristic of all protein kinases. Domain II and VII are involved in nucleotide binding and phosphotransfer. Two residues of the alpha subunit, Val-66 (in domain II) and Trp-176 (in domain VII), were changed to Ala-66 and Phe-176, the residues present in more than 95% of the identified protein kinase sequences. These changes altered the selectivity of the alpha subunit for ATP and GTP. The Ala-66 mutant showed an increase in the Km value for GTP from 45 to 71 microM, while the Km value for ATP decreased from 13 to 9 microM. The Km value for ATP with the Phe-176 mutant showed a decrease from 13 to 7 microM. A double mutant of Ala-66/Phe-176 showed the combined effects, with a Km of 6 microM for ATP and 70 microM for GTP. Alteration of Trp-176 to Lys-176, an amino acid which is not present in the corresponding position of any known protein kinase, resulted in a lack of phosphotransferase activity. The mutations, Val-66 to Ala-66 and Trp-176 to Phe-176, also altered the interaction of the alpha subunit with the regulatory beta subunit. In contrast to the wild-type alpha subunit, which was stimulated 4-fold by addition of the beta subunit, the Ala-66 and Ala-66/Phe-176 mutants were not stimulated by the beta subunit, while the Phe-176 mutant was stimulated only 2.5-fold. All of the reconstituted holoenzymes were similar in molecular weight to the native holoenzyme. The stimulation of the phosphotransferase activity toward beta-casein B by spermine and polylysine, which is mediated by the beta subunit, was similar for holoenzymes reconstituted with either wild-type or mutant alpha subunits. Therefore, binding of the beta subunit appears to alter the active site of the alpha subunit directly or indirectly by inducing a conformational change. Ala-66 and Phe-176 mutations appear to change the structure of the alpha subunit sufficiently so that interaction of the subunits is altered and the stimulatory effect of the beta subunit is reduced or eliminated.
The Release of Intact Oligosaccharides from Specific Glycoproteins by Endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase H

Abstract Endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase H, purified to homogeneity from cultural filtrates of Streptomyces griseus (Tarentino, A. L., and Maley, F. (1974) J. Biol. Chem. 249, 811–817) was tested for its capacity to hydrolyze oligosaccharides from various glycoproteins. A complete and rapid release of oligosaccharide was effected from sulfitolyzed ovalbumin, bovine pancreatic deoxyribonuclease A, and ribonuclease B, and an invertase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These glycoproteins all contain a neutral oligosaccharide that is attached to the protein by a glycosyl asparagine bond and has the following composition: Asn-(GlcNAc)2(Man)x(GlcNAc)y. Analysis of the hydrolysis products revealed that the N-acetylglucosamine residue of di-N-acetylchitobiose distal to the asparagine is on the reducing end of the oligosaccharide, whereas the proximal N-acetylglucosamine remains with the protein. Neither the enzymatic properties nor the circular dichroic patterns of ribonuclease B and deoxyribonuclease A were altered significantly by the removal of their respective oligosaccharides. However, the elution of ribonuclease B from IRC-50 was changed, as was the electrophoretic mobility of deoxyribonuclease. Treatment of proteins that contain both neutral and acidic oligosaccharides, such as thyroglobulin, immunoglobulin M, and porcine ribonuclease, resulted in the release of the neutral chains only. A marked increase in the release of oligosaccharides from immunoglobulin M was effected by 2-mercaptoethanol. Removal of the neutral oligosaccharides did not appear to affect the immunological properties of this immunoglobulin.
Predicting Business Failure of Retail Firms

Abstract The retail industry is very important to the economy but highly vulnerable to business failure. Identification of an accurate failure prediction model would benefit management and investors in retail firms. Models have been developed over the last 30 years that had failure prediction as their goal. Financial ratios and cash flow information were used as variables in the development of these models. This study applies five previously developed failure prediction models to financial information of a recent 5-year period for a matched sample of 56 failed and 56 nonfailed retail companies. The models applied in this study all use mixed industry samples in their development. The classification accuracy of the mixed industry models decreases when they are applied to a sample of only retail firms. It is suggested that future failure prediction studies use single industry samples to enhance their predictive accuracy.
Cost-effectiveness of screening for hepatocellular carcinoma among subjects at different levels of risk.

Objective The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases 2005 practice guidelines for management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recommends that various high-risk groups of people undergo HCC surveillance. Our study aimed to investigate whether screening for HCC among subjects with early-stage cirrhosis is more cost-effective than screening among chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers without cirrhosis. Method Markov-based decision models were constructed to simulate development and progression of cirrhosis and HCC in the following 2 cohorts: subjects with early-stage cirrhosis and subjects who are chronic HBV carriers but do not have cirrhosis. The models also were used to estimate the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) for each cohort over a time horizon of 25 years. Results The average cost per person was less and the average effect was greater for the cohort of chronic HBV carriers without cirrhosis than for the cohort of subjects with cirrhosis. The incremental effects for use of the screening strategy and the non-screening strategy in the 2 cohorts were 0.28 years and 0.86 years, respectively. The ICERs for the 2 cohorts were $25 578 and $15 191, respectively. The cohort of chronic HBV carriers had a greater ICER with respect to the HCC screening programme because of the smaller incremental effect. The sensitivity analyses revealed that HCC incidence and the probability of accidental diagnosis of HCC were critical parameters in the model. Conclusion Screening for HCC among subjects with early-stage cirrhosis is more cost-effective than screening among chronic HBV carriers who do not have cirrhosis.
Association of PRPS1 Mutations with Disease Phenotypes

Phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase 1 (PRPS1) codes for PRS-I enzyme that catalyzes the first step of nucleotide synthesis. PRPS1 gene mutations have been implicated in a number of human diseases. Recently, new mutations in PRPS1 have been identified that have been associated with novel phenotypes like diabetes insipidus expanding the spectrum of PRPS1-related diseases. The purpose of this review is to evaluate current literature on PRPS1-related syndromes and summarize potential therapies. The overexpression of PRPS1 results in PRS-I superactivity resulting in purine overproduction. Patients with PRS-I superactivity demonstrate uric acid overproduction, hypotonia, ataxia, neurodevelopment abnormalities, and postlingual hearing impairment. On the other hand, decreased activity leads to X-linked nonsyndromic sensorineural deafness (DFNX-2), Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease-5 (CMTX5), and Arts syndrome depending on the residual activity of PRS-I. Mild PRS-I deficiency (DFNX-2) results in non-syndromic progressive hearing loss whereas moderate PRS-I deficiency (CMTX5) and severe PRS-I deficiency (Arts syndrome) present with peripheral or optic neuropathy, prelingual progressive sensorineural hearing loss, and central nervous system impairment. Currently, purine replacement via S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) supplementation in patients with Arts syndrome appears to improve their condition. This suggests that SAM supplementation can alleviate symptoms of PRPS1 deficient patients and open new avenues of therapeutic intervention.
A mutation in Salmonella typhimurium that enhances resistance to oxygen-independent antimicrobal neutrophil protein.

Our experience with the cationic antimicrobial proteins (CAPs) of human neutrophil leukocytes and the experiences of other investigators have led us to believe that resistance to them in Salmonella typhimurium is under the control of at least two distinct genes or clusters of genes. We think the matter of importance for, although these bacteria can survive intracellularly in neutrophils, the basis for their capacity to survive is poorly understood. Perhaps enhanced understanding of the in vitro resistance of Salmonella to the CAPs will shed light on Salmonella strategies for intracellular survival.
The promise of evolving neuroimaging techniques for pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury.

The use of neuroimaging, namely computed tomography (CT), has played an important role in the clinical management of children with traumatic brain injury (TBI) for decades and today continues to be a critical tool for directing acute medical and surgical management of TBI. While CT plays a critical role in rapid detection of blood collections and evaluation of edema, mass effect, and ventricular size, it is poor for identifying diffuse axonal injury (DAI), now understood to be of critical importance for consciousness and long term outcomes after TBI. Furthermore, the radiation exposure associated with CT limits its desirability for use in research studies. The introduction of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the 1980’s improved the detection of DAI and provided a mechanism for neuroimaging without radiation exposure. Using sequences such as T1, T2, fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR), and gradient echo sequence (GRE), the literature comes together to support that increased volume of injury and
Reusable component retrieval for real-time applications

The growth of reuse and the advent of software repositories has led to the design of mechanisms to retrieve reusable assets. The most popular retrieval mechanisms, namely browsers, keyword searches, and multi-attribute searches offer limited precision in large domains or across domains. The use of formal algebraic specifications as search keys for reusable components leads to increased precision and forms the basis for future automated component integration. Components with real-time characteristics add another dimension to the search process. The paper proposes a method for retrieving reusable components using formal specifications with additional filters to find components that meet specific real-time criteria. >
The Asperger's Defence in Digital Child Pornography Investigations

A diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome (AS), an autism spectrum disorder, has been used as a defence in several recent child pornography cases. The repetitive behaviours, unusual interests, and inappropriate social interactions consistent with AS have substantial overlap with the behaviours of child pornography offenders. The available literature on the similarities of AS behaviours with child pornography offender behaviour is reviewed, and a framework is presented for incorporating digital forensics results and subject interview questioning into the investigative analysis to prevent inappropriate ex post facto diagnosis of AS and its use as a criminal defence.
On the Axiomatic Approach to the Measurement of Technical Efficiency

Efforts to axiomatize the measurement of technical efficiency were stimulated by the Fare/Lovell [1987] suggestion that (input) efficiency measures should satisfy three conditions: (I) indication of efficient input vectors (the measure is equal to one if and only if the input bundle is techically efficient in the sense of Koopmans El 9511), (M) manotonicity (increasing one input quantity while holding all other inputs and all outputs constant lowers the measure), and (H) homogeneity of degree minus one (e.g., doubling all input quantities while holding all outputs constant cuts the measure in half).
A comparative study on the effects of spatial diversity in ad hoc networks using on-demand routing protocols

It is well known that spatial diversity in cellular communication systems is a powerful cost-effective communication technique used to improve the wireless link. Integrating the key benefits of spatial diversity into ad hoc networks is essential to meet the urgent demand for improved performance in scaleable networks. In contrast to cellular systems, mobile ad hoc networks use peer-to-peer packet transmissions to establish link connections to destinations, which require the use of elaborate routing protocols such as AODV and DSR. However, routing overhead compounded with co-channel interference and multipath fading still poses enormous challenges. In this study we propose to improve the network's performance through employing a spatial diversity model, designed to mitigate the effects of fading and reduce delay spread. We show through extensive simulation that using spatial diversity consistently resulted in improved network performance with both of the on-demand protocols, AODV and DSR.
Pitman nearness in statistical estimation: A panel discussion on recent developments

A panel discussion including an introduction by Sen, a paper by Keating and Mason: «Closeness comparison of classical and inverse regression estimator» a second one by Sen on recent developments in Pitman closeness and its applications and some final remarks by Rao
Beyond stress: describing the experiences of families during neonatal intensive care.

Aim To determine whether parents of critically ill premature infants feel that neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) therapy is worthwhile, independent of their infant's outcome. Methods The parent(s) of ventilated infants in the NICU were interviewed. Prominent themes were identified within the text of transcribed interviews and the frequency of each theme tabulated. Results The parents of 10 infants were interviewed. All parents experienced stress and understood the uncertain future of their infants. Parents remained optimistic and uniformly expressed that NICU intervention was ‘worth it’. No parent described concern about ‘torture’, ‘cruelty’ or ‘futile care’. Conclusion Although parents experience significant stress while their infant is in the NICU, their emotional experiences are much more broad. They feel confident in their decision to give their child a chance, a responsibility to be informed and to make the best decisions they can and remain hopeful for a good outcome regardless of their child's condition.
Clearcutting upland forest alters transpiration of residual trees in the riparian buffer zone

Our objectives are (1) to compare tree sap flux density (Js in g cm−2 d−1) and stomatal conductance (Gs in mmol m−2 s−1) across five dominant species, red maple (Acer rubrum), sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), and oak species (Quercus spp.), (2) to quantity riparian buffer stand transpiration (Es in mm d−1), and (3) to link riparian buffer Es of residual trees to stream discharge. In June 2010, the above species were instrumented with sap flow sensors in a pair (HF1 and HF2) of 12 hectare gauged watersheds. HF1 was clearcut, leaving a 15.2-m riparian buffer around the stream, and HF2 was the reference. Trees were harvested in the riparian buffer reducing HF1 riparian buffer basal area by 27%. The riparian buffer growing season net radiation increased from 11.9 W m−2 preharvest to an average of 24.3 W m−2 postharvest. HF1 stream growing season discharge increased dramatically (150%) from the preharvest to postharvest period. HF1 2010 preharvest growing season soil moisture was 22.5%. HF1 postharvest growing season soil moisture was 28.5% in 2011, 26.5% in 2012, and 27.2% in 2013. HF2 canopy cover, energy input, and soil moisture showed little change over the same period. From preharvest to postharvest, mean daily growing season Js of trees in HF1 increased in all species. A reduction in HF1 Gs was less evident over the study vapour pressure deficit range in loblolly pine, red maple, and tulip poplar than in oak and sweetgum during the postharvest period. HF1 residual trees in the riparian buffer used 43% more water in growing season postharvest (314 mm) than growing preharvest (220 mm) period. This resulted in an 8% reduction in stream discharge because of an increase in riparian buffer Es. Although clearcutting increased stream discharge, we conclude that the increase in transpiration by the residual trees in the riparian buffer will, at least, partially mitigate the hydrologic effects of forest removal through increased transpiration. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Impact and Outcomes of a Flow Visualization Course

For the past six years, a course on flow visualization has been offered to mixed teams of graduate and undergraduate engineering and fine arts photography students at the University of Colorado. The course has significant technical content on flow visualization and photographic techniques, and includes some emphasis on documentation and the interpretation of results, particularly with respect to atmospheric dynamics as revealed by clouds. What makes this course unusual is the emphasis on the production of images for aesthetic purposes: for art. While a number of art/science collaborations are growing worldwide, both in professional and academic communities, typically scientists are expected to contribute technical support while artists produce art. A particularly unusual aspect of this course is that all students are expected to demonstrate both aesthetic sensibility and scientific discipline. Another is that students are not constrained to study specific phenomena or use specific techniques; instead, creativity is required. A major outcome from this course is a series of stunning images. In addition, anecdotal evidence suggests that this course has a lasting impact on students’ perception of fluid physics, which can be contrasted to the effect of traditional introductory fluids courses. This raises the question of whether this impact is significant with respect to students’ understanding and appreciation of fluid mechanics, and if so, what aspect of the flow visualization course is most important? A survey instrument is being designed to quantify whether students’ awareness of fluid mechanics in the world around them changes when they take these courses and if students’ attitudes towards fluids is changed when they take these courses.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Novel Triplet Repeat Containing Genes in Human Brain: Cloning, Expression, and Length Polymorphisms

Human genes containing triplet repeats may markedly expand in length and cause neuropsychiatric disease, explaining the phenomenon of anticipation (increasing severity or earlier age of onset in successive generations in a pedigree). To identify novel genes with triplet repeats, we screened a human brain cDNA library with oligonucleotide probes containing CTG or CCG triplet repeats. Fourteen of 40 clones encoded novel human genes, and 8 of these inserts have been sequenced on both strands. All contain repeats, and 5 of the 8 have 9 or more consecutive perfect repeats. All are expressed in brain. Chromosomal assignments reveal a distribution of these genes on multiple autosomes and the X-chromosome. Further, the repeat length in two of the genes is highly polymorphic, making them valuable index linkage markers. We predict that many triplet repeat-containing genes exist; screening with the CTG probe suggests approximately 50-100 genes containing this type of repeat are expressed in the human brain. Since additional disorders, such as Huntington's disease, bipolar affective disorder, and possibly others, show features of anticipation, we suggest that these novel human genes with triplet repeats are candidates for causing neuropsychiatric diseases.
Imaging vertebrate digestive function and lipid metabolism in vivo

Challenges in imaging lipid-processing events in live, intact vertebrate models have historically led to reliance on cultured cell studies, thus hampering our understanding of lipid metabolism and gastrointestinal physiology. Fluorescently-labeled molecules, such as BODIPY-labeled lipids, can reveal lipid-processing events in live zebrafish (Danio rerio) and has expanded our understanding of digestive physiology. This review will cover recent advances from the past two to three years in the use of fluorescence-based imaging techniques in live zebrafish to characterize gastrointestinal physiology in health and disease and to conduct small molecule screens to discover therapeutic compounds.
The pros and cons of minis: A user's perspective

The use of minicomputers on the university campus has dramatically increased over the past several years. Minis have been emerging on campuses to meet various needs. One mini might be used for a lab-type environment (i.e., Computer Science or Electrical Engineering) for hands-on experience and control, or hardware/software developmental experiments. Another minicomputer might be used by a department to provide courses to satisfy accreditation board requirements. More recently perhaps, another mini might be used to alleviate mainframe access problems.As minis permeate the university community, this role and usage is becoming an important issue. This paper has been developed to explore this growing concern from the user's view. It is hoped that it will shed some light on the ramifications, pros and cons, of the influx of minicomputers.To accomplish this task, the writer has conducted an open-ended survey at the University of Arkansas. Topics were discussed in person with various users from different levels of contact with computer usage (occasional and frequent) and different positions within the institution (administrators, directors, department chairpersons, faculty, and students). Generally, these discussions led to lengthy, diverse, non-quantitative views and information. These users generally seemed cooperative and eager to discuss the subject; their wealth of information has proven to be quite interesting and helpful. From this foundation, user opinions have been acquired on minicomputer-related topics.The University of Arkansas has gone through the evolutionary introduction of minicomputers into the university environment and, as a result, has developed a plan to cope with the issues facing this campus. It is, therefore, the further intent of this paper to describe this plan for the insight that it may provide other institutions that are in a similar position.
TypeCastor: demystify dynamic typing of JavaScript applications

Dynamic typing is a barrier for JavaScript applications to achieve high performance. Compared with statically typed languages, the major overhead of dynamic typing comes from runtime type resolution and runtime property lookup. Common folks' belief is that the traditional static compilation techniques are no longer effective for dynamic languages. The best known JavaScript engines such as Mozilla TraceMonkey and Chrome V8 have developed non-traditional techniques to reduce the runtime overhead. This paper describes TypeCastor, a new JavaScript engine that tries to investigate where and how much the dynamism really is in JavaScript applications, thus to demystify their dynamic typing behavior. To verify our findings, we evaluate TypeCastor with SunSpider benchmark. For type resolution, we find 99% of all the primitive type instances can be statically identified before the program execution. For object property lookup, more than 97% of all runtime property accesses can be satisfied by inline cache. These data mean that the representative JavaScript applications are not that dynamic as people expect, although the language provides the flexible dynamism supports. Though not developed for pure performance, TypeCastor achieves 5.6% and 12.7% higher scores compared to current Chrome V8 and Mozilla TraceMonkey engines respectively.
Development of the hemangioblast defines the onset of hematopoiesis in human ES cell differentiation cultures.

The onset of hematopoiesis in the mouse embryo and in the embryonic stem (ES) cell differentiation model is defined by the emergence of the hemangioblast, a progenitor with both hematopoietic and vascular potential. While there is evidence for the existence of a hemangioblast in the mouse, it is unclear if this progenitor develops during the establishment of the human hematopoietic system. In this report, we have mapped hematopoietic development in human ES cell (hESC) differentiation cultures and demonstrated that a comparable hemangioblast population exists. The human hemangioblasts were identified by their capacity to generate blast colonies that display both hematopoietic and vascular potential. These colony-forming cells express the receptor tyrosine kinase KDR (VEGF receptor 2) and represent a transient population that develops in BMP-4–stimulated embryoid bodies (EBs) between 72 and 96 hours of differentiation, prior to the onset of the primitive erythroid program. Two distinct types of hemangioblasts were identified, those that give rise to primitive erythroid cells, macrophages, and endothelial cells and those that generate only the primitive erythroid population and endothelial cells. These findings demonstrate for the first time the existence of the human hemangioblast and in doing so identify the earliest stage of hematopoietic commitment.
Lamellar macrocrystals of nascent liquid crystal polymers

Abstract Large (up to 0.5 mm) single crystals of two liquid crystalline polymers, poly( p -oxybenzoate) (PpOBA) and the presumably random copolymer poly( m -oxybenzoate/2,6-oxynaphthoate) (1/1) [P(mOBA/ONA)], have been grown by the confined thin film melt polymerization technique at 180–200°C. These large, thick ‘macro’ crystals, as well as single disclination domains, form in regions in which the ‘monomer melt’ spans the gap between the confining surfaces; when the ‘melt’ only wets one of the surfaces thin, small crystals and single disclination domains are formed, as reported previously. When reheated to the polymerization temperature the copolymer disclination domains appear to revert to the liquid crystal state. The macrocrystals transform at the higher, 275°C d.s.c. measured T k – m of the copolymer. All of these structures, however, are composed of ca . 100 A thick lamellae for the growth conditions used. FT i.r. microscopy confirms the copolymer nature of the P(mOBA/ONA) samples.kw]poly( p -oxybenzoate); poly( m -oxybenzoate/2,6-oxynaphthoate); liquid crystal polymers; lamellae; single crystals
Blood flow restriction: Rationale for improving bone

Low intensity exercise with blood flow restriction has been shown to increase muscle hypertrophy and strength similar to high intensity resistance exercise. Interestingly, low intensity resistance exercise to failure has shown the same muscle protein synthesis response as higher intensity exercise, questioning the need for blood flow restriction during low intensity exercise. The purpose of this manuscript is to discuss the mechanisms and potential benefits of blood flow restricted exercise on bone adaptation and provide rationale as to why low load resistance exercise to failure would be unlikely to produce these benefits. The studies completed thus far support the hypothesis that training with blood flow restriction may provide not only a novel modality to induce adaptation in muscle but also bone, which was previously thought to only occur with higher intensity/impact exercise. We hypothesize that the main mechanism behind the proposed favorable bone responses observed thus far is through increased intramedullary pressure and interstitial fluid flow within the bone caused by venous occlusion. Therefore, although similar muscular benefits may be observed from low intensity exercise performed to failure (e.g. strength, hypertrophy, and endurance), the response of bone might be different, highlighting the potential importance of the blood flow restriction stimulus.
Repression of HIV-1 transcription by a cellular protein

A cellular DNA binding protein, LBP-1, sequentially interacts in a concentration-dependent manner with two sites that surround the transcriptional initiation site of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) promoter. Although sequences in the downstream site (site I) were found to enhance transcription, purified LBP-1 specifically repressed transcription in vitro by binding to the upstream site (site II), which overlaps the TATA element. The binding of human TATA binding factor (TFIID) to the promoter before LBP-1 blocked repression, suggesting that repression resulted from an inhibition of TFIID binding to the TATA element. Furthermore, mutations that eliminated binding to site II both prevented repression in vitro and increased HIV-1 transcription in stably transformed cells. These findings suggest that a cellular factor regulates HIV-1 transcription in a manner that is characteristic of bacterial repressors and that this factor could be important in HIV-1 latency.