cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Kinetic description of nonlinear wave and soliton excitations in coasting charged particle beams

A one-dimensional kinetic model based on the Vlasov-Maxwell equations is used to describe nonlinear wave and soliton excitations in coasting charged particle beams. Analytical solutions are obtained for nonlinear traveling wave pulses, and particle-in-cell simulations are presented that describe stability properties and long-time evolution.
Relic landslip in west Northamptonshire

Summary This paper presents case histories of two encounters with relic landslip features in Jurassic strata. The geometry and possible mechanism of growth of the landslips are considered, together with the effects of the reactivation of the landslips on the construction of Daventry By-Pass. The remedial options to stabilize the landslips are discussed together with the selected solution of ‘on-going’ maintenance. The uncertainty of detection of relic slip surfaces on hillslopes displaying little clear geomorphological evidence of previous movement is highlighted.
Communicating adaptation to climate change: the art and science of public engagement when climate change comes home

This article synthesizes relevant literature and examples from practice to examine what is known to date about communicating climate change adaptation. It explores the language used to discuss adaptation, what is known about resonant frames, drawing on adaptation discourses in policy, practice, and the media. Identifying trends and widely applicable insights is made challenging not only by the variety of words used to speak of adaptation, but by the fact that ‘adaptation’ language is often not used at all. A broad literature on perceptions and experiences of climate change impacts and how these experiences affect people's valuations and emotional responses to climate change offers crucial insights to the challenges and opportunities in communicating adaptation. It reveals much about people's interest in and acceptability and knowledge of adaptation, about preferred timing and who is thought to be responsible for enacting adaptive actions. Insights from the literature on place attachment and place identity are of particular relevance to public engagement on adaptation as it goes a long way toward explaining the quality of the adaptation debate to date while offering promising opportunities for dialogue. Suggestions for improved adaptation communication practice and critical research gaps are offered. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website. Conflict of interest: The author has declared no conflicts of interest for this article. Additional Supporting Information may be found in the online version of this article.
Perfusion and diffusion imaging in acute focal cerebral ischemia: temporal vs. spatial resolution

Abstract High-resolution diffusion- (DWI) and perfusion-weighted (PWI) imaging may provide substantial benefits in accurate delineation of normal, ischemic, and at-risk tissue. We compared the capability of low (400 × 400 μm2) and high (200 × 200 μm2) spatial resolution imaging in characterizing the spatiotemporal evolution of the ischemic lesion in a permanent middle artery occlusion (MCAO) model in rats. Serial measurements of cerebral blood flow (CBF) and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were performed. Lesion volumes were calculated by using viability thresholds or by visual inspection, and correlated with infarct volume defined by TTC staining at 24 h after MCAO. At the very early phase of ischemia, high-resolution resulted in a significantly larger ADC-derived lesion volume and a smaller PWI/DWI mismatch. At 3 h after MCAO, ADC and CBF lesions showed similar robust correlations with TTC-defined infarct volumes for both groups using previously established thresholds. When lesions were determined visually, low-resolution resulted in a substantial overestimation of TTC-defined infarct volume and a lower inter-observer reliability (r = 0.75), whereas high-resolution produced an excellent correlation with TTC-defined infarct volume and inter-observer reliability (r = 0.96). In conclusion, high-resolution MRI resulted in substantial temporal averaging of the ischemic lesion during the early phase, but was clearly superior in visual determination of final infarct size. Low-resolution reasonably evaluated the temporal and spatial evolution of ischemia when thresholds were used.
Nonrenormalization Theorems without Supersymmetry.

We derive a new class of one-loop nonrenormalization theorems that strongly constrain the running of higher dimension operators in a general four-dimensional quantum field theory. Our logic follows from unitarity: cuts of one-loop amplitudes are products of tree amplitudes, so if the latter vanish then so too will the associated divergences. Finiteness is then ensured by simple selection rules that zero out tree amplitudes for certain helicity configurations. For each operator we define holomorphic and antiholomorphic weights, (w, w¯) = (n − h,n + h), where n and h are the number and sum over helicities of the particles created by that operator. We argue that an operator O_i can only be renormalized by an operator O_j if w_i ≥ w_j and w¯_i ≥ w¯_j, absent nonholomorphic Yukawa couplings. These results explain and generalize the surprising cancellations discovered in the renormalization of dimension six operators in the standard model. Since our claims rely on unitarity and helicity rather than an explicit symmetry, they apply quite generally.
A C-terminal domain conserved in precursor processing proteases is required for intramolecular N-terminal maturation of pro-Kex2 protease.

Abstract The Kex2 protease of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the prototype of a family of eukaryotic subtilisin homologs thought to process prohormones and other precursors in the secretory pathway. Deletion analysis of Kex2 protease shows that a sequence of 154-159 residues carboxyl to the subtilisin domain is essential for the formation of active enzyme. Disruption of this region, termed the 'P-domain', blocks the normally rapid intra-molecular cleavage of the N-terminal pro-segment of pro-Kex2 protease in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The C-terminal boundary of the P-domain coincides closely with the endpoint of similarity between Kex2 protease and its mammalian homologues. The conservation of and functional requirement for the P-domain sharpens the distinction between a 'Kex2 family' of processing enzymes and degradative 'subtilases', and implies that the Kex2-related enzymes have in common entirely novel structural features that are important in the maturation of precursor polypeptide substrates. Failure to cleave the N-terminal pro-domain, due either to truncation of the P-domain or to mutation of the active site histidine or serine, results in stable, intracellular retention of pro-enzyme, apparently in the ER. Thus pro-Kex2 protease appears to contain an ER retention signal which is removed or destroyed by cleavage of the pro-domain.
Hematologic and Biochemistry Reference Values for the Endangered Riparian Brush Rabbit (Sylvilagus Bachmani Riparius)

The objective of this study was to establish reference hematologic and biochemistry values for adult riparian brush rabbits (Sylvilagus bachmani riparius). Between February 2002 and December 2003, complete blood cell counts and serum biochemistry panels were done on blood samples collected for 252 healthy, adult riparian brush rabbits that were bred in captivity and released to the wild in the California, USA, San Joaquin Valley. Significant differences in mean values of some analytes were found among males, nonpregnant females, and pregnant females and among seasons. However, when reference values for each subgroup (sex, pregnancy status, and season) were compared with reference values for all riparian rabbits combined, differences were not sufficiently relevant clinically to warrant the adoption of separate subgroup-specific reference values. The reference ranges reported herein will be of value to veterinarians and wildlife biologists assessing the health of riparian brush rabbits and other wild Sylvil...
Nicholas A. Vacc: A Legacy of Professional Leadership and Mentoring

For more than 20 years, Dr. Nicholas A. Vacc helped shape the counseling profession through his extensive involvement in accreditation, certification, and testing, as well as his research and scholarship. This article, based on a review of documents and interviews with his colleagues, former students, and family members, provides the only summary of Vacc's numerous accomplishments and describes his characteristics as a leader, a mentor, and a person.
POLICE PRODUCTIVITY AND CRIME RATES: 1973‐1992*

According to the Uniform Crime Reports, violent crime rates increased dramatically over the past two decades. National Crime Victimization Survey data, on the other hand, indicate that the rates of violent crime remained relatively stable or dropped during this period. Which series provides a “correct” estimate of crime-rate trends is of more than academic interest. Highly publicized statistics on crime trends influence the public's concerns about crime and the decisions of policymakers both directly through their own perceptions of crime trends and indirectly through demands by the general public to control crime. This article compares these two major series on trends in violent crime rates in the United States for the period 1973–1992, with the goal of assessing the extent to which they measure the same underlying phenomenon: fluctuations in violent crime rates. The series are related (but not strongly). My conclusion, with some reservation, is that changes in law enforcement agencies rather than changes in the rates of violent crime incidents have created the upward trend in UCR violent crime rates during the past two decades.
Brown and Gray Sands on the Virginia Shelf: Color as a Function of Grain Size

Brown iron-staining on coarse shelf sands has been taken as evidence of subaerial weathering, either in the source area or at the depositional site. However, we note that iron-staining can occur subaqueously, as well. We have found a close correlation between grain size and color on the inner Virginia shelf, with finer sands being olive-gray, and coarser sands being brown. We suggest that the sand-grain surfaces are in chemical equilibrium with their environment. The coarser sands are permeable, and are kept oxygenated by wave surge. The finer sands are relatively inpermeable, and are reduced by interstitial organic matter. While in any given case, brown iron-staining may have occurred sub-aerially, it may also have occurred in the modern marine environment. Hence brown iron-staining is not a definitive criteria for a relict origin or subaerial exposure of shelf sand.
Stages of Abstraction and Exemplar Memorization in Pigeon Category Learning

It has been proposed that human category learning consists of an early abstraction-based stage followed by a later exemplar-memorization stage. To investigate whether similar processing stages extend to category learning in a nonverbal species, we applied a prototype-exception paradigm to investigating pigeon category learning. Five birds and 8 humans learned six-dimensional perceptual categories constructed to include prototypes, typical items, and exceptions. We evaluated the birds' and humans' categorization strategies at different points during learning. Early on in both species, prototype performance improved rapidly as exception performance remained below chance, indicating an initial mastery of the categories' general structure. Later on, exception performance improved selectively and dramatically, indicating exception-item resolution and exemplar memorization. Abstraction- and exemplar-based formal models reinforced these interpretations. The results suggest a psychological transition in pigeon ca...
Characterization and immunogenicity of Salmonella typhimurium SL1344 and UK-1 delta crp and delta cdt deletion mutants

S. typhimurium SL1344 and UK-1 mutants with deletions of the crp (cyclic AMP receptor protein) and cdt (colonization of deep tissues) genes have been constructed and characterized, and their levels of virulence and immunogenicity have been determined for BALB/c mice. All Crp- Cdt- and Crp+ Cdt- mutants were avirulent, as mice survived oral doses of 10(9) cells without illness. All the mutants colonized the gut-associated lymphoid tissue efficiently, but capacities to colonize deeper tissues, such as those of the spleen and liver, and blood were significantly reduced for the Crp- Cdt- and Crp+ Cdt- mutants compared with the Crp- Cdt+ mutant and the wild-type parent strain. The Crp- Cdt- and Crp+ Cdt- SL1344 strains induced complete protection, as all mice immunized with the mutants survived challenge with approximately 10(4) times the 50% lethal dose of the wild-type SL1344 strain. The Crp- UK-1 strain was least attenuated yet induced the highest level of protective immunity against challenge with the wild-type UK-1 strain. The Crp+ Cdt- and Crp- Cdt- strains, although totally attenuated, differed in immunogenicity to challenge with the highly virulent UK-1 parent, with the apparently hyperattenuated Crp- Cdt- strain inducing a lower level of protective immunity than the Crp+ Cdt- strain. Nevertheless, these UK-1 Crp- Cdt- and Crp+ Cdt- strains induced complete protective immunity to challenge with the less-virulent SL1344 wild-type strain. Taken collectively, the results indicate that the attenuation of a highly virulent S. typhimurium strain can yield a vaccine that induces excellent protective immunity to challenge with less-virulent S. typhimurium strains.
Stepping Over Obstacles: Dividing Attention Impairs Performance of Old More Than Young Adults

BACKGROUND: Tripping over an obstacle is a common cause of falls in the elderly. An earlier study of abilities to avoid stepping on suddenly appearing obstacles found that, although healthy old adults had a lower rate-of-success than young adults, the magnitude of that difference was not large. The present study inquired whether dividing attention during such a task would differentially affect young and old healthy adults. METHODS: Rates-of-success were observed in 16 young and 16 old healthy adults (mean ages 24 and 72 years) in avoiding stepping on a band of light that was suddenly projected across their gait path while they walked at their comfortable gait speed. This virtual obstacle was placed at predicted next-footfall locations to give 350 or 450 msec available response times before footfall. During most of the trials the subjects were asked, in addition to trying not to step on the obstacle, simultaneously to respond vocally as quickly as possible when red lights near the end of the walkway turned on. These attention-dividing reaction time tests were of two types: synchronized, when only red lights lit at intervals synchronized with the appearance of the obstacle, and unsynchronized, when green or yellow lights lit in addition to the red lights, with lighting intervals not synchronized with the appearance of the obstacle. RESULTS: When synchronized and unsynchronized reaction time tests were conducted concurrently with the obstacle avoidance tasks, mean rates-of-success in avoidance decreased significantly in both young and old adults. With available response times of 350 msec, mean success rates decreased from their no-division values in the young adults by 14.7% for synchronized reaction and by 19.9% for unsynchronized reaction, attention-dividing tests. Corresponding mean decreases for the old adults were 32.0 and 35.7%. This age difference in the effects of dividing attention was significant. CONCLUSION: Both young and old adults had a significantly increased risk of obstacle contact while negotiating obstacles when their attention was divided, but dividing attention degraded obstacle avoidance abilities of the old significantly more than it did in the young. Diminished abilities to respond to physical hazards present in the environment when attention is directed elsewhere may partially account for high rates of falls among the elderly. Language: en
Right-left confusion in the adult: A verbal labeling effect

Directional judgments are typically slower when relative location is described by the words “east” and “west” or “right” and “left” than when described by the words “north” and “south” or “up” and “down.” A series of experiments are reported that disentangle verbal from perceptual encoding explanations for right-left difficulty. Overall, our results support a verbal encoding explanation for right-left confusion in the adult. Experiments 1-3 demonstrate that in a response-differentiation task, it is response to the labels “north,” “east,” “south,” and “west” that is responsible for right-left confusion. In addition, Experiments 4-6 demonstrate that right-left difficulty in a mirror image discrimination task is contingent on the use of directional labels. (The data also suggest that it may be more difficult to deal with “up,” “down,” “left,” and “right” than with “north,” “south,” “east,” and “west”) The data are interpreted as inconsistent with a bilateral symmetry explanation for right-left confusion.
Current issues for nurse practitioners: Hyponatremia

Purpose: To review the assessment, diagnosis, and management of hyponatremia (serum sodium <135 mEq/L), the most common electrolyte disturbance as a result of dysregulation of water balance in hospitalized or institutionalized patients. Data sources: Comprehensive search using keywords AVP receptor antagonists, hyponatremia, SIADH, conivaptan, tolvaptan, lixivaptan, nurse practitioner, and others was carried out using the National Library of Medicine (PubMed) Web site from which full-text articles were obtained. Meeting abstracts were obtained from scientific sessions including the American Society of Nephrology Renal Week 2004 and the Endocrine Society‘s 87th Annual Meeting (2005). The Vaprisol (conivaptan hydrochloride injection) package insert was referenced and obtained from FDA.gov. Conclusions: A diagnosis of hyponatremia requires thorough investigation for underlying causes and prompt treatment to prevent poor patient outcomes. In clinical trials, a new class of drugs called the arginine vasopressin (AVP) receptor antagonists or aquaretics has been shown to be safe and effective for the treatment of hyponatremia. Among this class of agents, intravenous conivaptan hydrochloride, indicated for the treatment of euvolemic hyponatremia in hospitalized patients, is the first drug in class approved for use. Implications for practice: Elderly patients, and those with certain conditions such as heart failure, tuberculosis, cirrhosis, and head injury, may be at increased risk for hyponatremia. In hospitalized patients following surgery and the use of certain medications, hyponatremia is a common condition. A thorough understanding of the physiology of water balance and the risk factors associated with hyponatremia is essential for prompt and effective intervention. Awareness of the limitations of conventional therapies and the availability of new treatment options for hyponatremia allows clinicians to optimize patient care.
In vivo action of the HRD ubiquitin ligase complex: mechanisms of endoplasmic reticulum quality control and sterol regulation.

Ubiquitination is used to target both normal proteins for specific regulated degradation and misfolded proteins for purposes of quality control destruction. Ubiquitin ligases, or E3 proteins, promote ubiquitination by effecting the specific transfer of ubiquitin from the correct ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme, or E2 protein, to the target substrate. Substrate specificity is usually determined by specific sequence determinants, or degrons, in the target substrate that are recognized by the ubiquitin ligase. In quality control, however, a potentially vast collection of proteins with characteristic hallmarks of misfolding or misassembly are targeted with high specificity despite the lack of any sequence similarity between substrates. In order to understand the mechanisms of quality control ubiquitination, we have focused our attention on the first characterized quality control ubiquitin ligase, the HRD complex, which is responsible for the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated degradation (ERAD) of numerous ER-resident proteins. Using an in vivo cross-linking assay, we directly examined the association of the separate HRD complex components with various ERAD substrates. We have discovered that the HRD ubiquitin ligase complex associates with both ERAD substrates and stable proteins, but only mediates ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme association with ERAD substrates. Our studies with the sterol pathway-regulated ERAD substrate Hmg2p, an isozyme of the yeast cholesterol biosynthetic enzyme HMG-coenzyme A reductase (HMGR), indicated that the HRD complex discerns between a degradation-competent “misfolded” state and a stable, tightly folded state. Thus, it appears that the physiologically regulated, HRD-dependent degradation of HMGR is effected by a programmed structural transition from a stable protein to a quality control substrate.
Fly wing biometrics

Genetic and Evolutionary Feature Extraction (GEFE), introduced by Shelton et al. [1], [2], [3], use genetic and evolutionary computation to evolve Local Binary Pattern (LBP) based feature extractors for facial recognition. In this paper, we use GEFE in an effort to classify male and female Drosophila melanogaster by the texture of their wings. To our knowledge, gender classification of the drosophila melanogaster via its wing has not been performed. This research has the potential to simplify the work of geneticists who work with the drosophila melanogaster. Our results show that GEFE outperforms both LBP and Eigenwing methods in terms of accuracy as well as computational complexity.
Plague and the Athenian Imagination: Oedipus and the plague

No Greek drama is more instantly associated with plague, whether mythic or real, than Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus , and thus no Greek drama has received such scholarly attention in the context of the Athenian plague. But failing to discuss the Oedipus in some sustained manner, however brief, might cause confusion and leave my picture incomplete. I shall therefore limit my discussion to supplementing a summary of Bernard Knox's perspicuous examinations of the plague and of medical language in the Oedipus Tyrannus (Knox 1956; 1957: 139–47), and this discussion is intended as an introduction to my subsequent analysis of the Trachiniae as a plague drama. My contribution will consist mainly of an interpretation of the circulation of nosological discourse throughout the text and a consideration of whether Sophocles' innovation of a plague at Thebes during the Athenian plague might have contributed to the second-place finish of the program that included the Oedipus Tyrannus . Knox (1957) discusses the image of Oedipus as a doctor and shows the role of various Hippocratic terms in the Oedipus , but he leaves Sophocles' means of the representation of the plague itself relatively unexplored; thus, while there are many Greek words in the index to Knox's Oedipus at Thebes, nosos is not one of them, nor, for that matter, is loimos . And, as with the case of other dramas I examine in this book, the deployment of nosos through the dramatic text is central to its meaning.
Substrate-Triggered Exosite Binding: Synergistic Dendrimer/Folic Acid Action for Achieving Specific, Tight-Binding to Folate Binding Protein

Polymer-ligand conjugates are designed to bind proteins for applications as drugs, imaging agents, and transport scaffolds. In this work, we demonstrate a folic acid (FA)-triggered exosite binding of a generation five poly(amidoamine) (G5 PAMAM) dendrimer scaffold to bovine folate binding protein (bFBP). The protein exosite is a secondary binding site on the protein surface, separate from the FA binding pocket, to which the dendrimer binds. Exosite binding is required to achieve the greatly enhanced binding constants and protein structural change observed in this study. The G5Ac-COG-FA1.0 conjugate bound tightly to bFBP, was not displaced by a 28-fold excess of FA, and quenched roughly 80% of the initial fluorescence. Two-step binding kinetics were measured using the intrinsic fluorescence of the FBP tryptophan residues to give a KD in the low nanomolar range for formation of the initial G5Ac-COG-FA1.0/FBP* complex, and a slow conversion to the tight complex formed between the dendrimer and the FBP exosite. The extent of quenching was sensitive to the choice of FA-dendrimer linker chemistry. Direct amide conjugation of FA to G5-PAMAM resulted in roughly 50% fluorescence quenching of the FBP. The G5Ac-COG-FA, which has a longer linker containing a 1,2,3-triazole ring, exhibited an ∼80% fluorescence quenching. The binding of the G5Ac-COG-FA1.0 conjugate was compared to poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) conjugates of FA (PEGn-FA). PEG2k-FA had a binding strength similar to that of FA, whereas other PEG conjugates with higher molecular weight showed weaker binding. However, no PEG conjugates gave an increased degree of total fluorescence quenching.
The Reagan Administration and Public Assistance

This chapter examines changes in public assistance throughout the 1980s. Section 2.2 discusses the theoretical and empirical underpinnings of the ideological attacks on the welfare state advanced by social scientists and political pundits for whom the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program had come to represent the limits of government beneficence. Legislative changes throughout the 1980s are presented in light of policy objectives and values. Section 2.3 highlights key aspects of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) of 1981 that opened the way for welfare and work-related demonstration projects. Section 2.4 examines the emergence of the Congressional consensus linking welfare to work. Section 2.5 discusses passage of the Family Support Act (FSA) of 1988 (P.L. 100-485), which cemented the link between welfare and work and whose provisions are also presented. Section 2.6 highlights the continued attacks on the welfare state in general and the AFDC program in particular during the George H.W. Bush administration, setting the stage for the overhaul of AFDC during the Clinton administration, the subject of Chap. 3.
The sea turtle barnacle, Chelonibia testudinaria (Cirripedia: Balanomorpha: Coronuloidea), from pre-Columbian deposits on San Salvador, Bahamas

Abstract Excavations at North Storr's Lake (SS-4) on San Salvador, Bahamas have yielded turtle barnacle wall plates (shell compartments) in association with skeletal remains of sea turtle and charcoal dated to ca. A.D. 932–1552. This is one of the few cases in which direct and indirect radiometric dates have been reported for archaeological sea turtle barnacles. The turtle barnacle has been identified as Chelonibia testudinaria (Linnaeus, 1758), a widespread, commensal species found on all genera of Cheloniidae in the world's oceans. Chelonibia testudinaria is the most often reported sea turtle barnacle and is commonly found on Caretta caretta (loggerhead) and Chelonia mydas (green turtle) dating as far back as the Miocene epoch. Wall plates of Chelonibia testudinaria occur in stratigraphic association with both loggerhead and green sea turtle remains at North Storr's Lake, appearing in the same archaeological strata as the sea turtle, therefore the association is clear. Sea turtle species were identified...
Rapid disinfection by N-halamine polyelectrolytes

Two new N-halamine polyelectrolytes were synthesized, characterized, and deposited onto cotton fabric from a water solution using a layer-by-layer assembly technique. The fabrics were rendered biocidal by a dilute household bleach solution and challenged with Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The chlorinated swatches (five bilayer coated) inactivated ~106Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli O157:H7 within only 2 min of contact time. Although the coatings were susceptible to hydrolysis when exposed to repeated washing, the stability of the system was improved by a posttreatment with a cross-linking agent, 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane.
Shedding Light on the Photochemistry of Coinage-Metal Phosphorescent Materials: A Time-Resolved Laue Diffraction Study of an AgI–CuI Tetranuclear Complex

The triplet excited state of a new crystalline form of a tetranuclear coordination d10–d10-type complex, Ag2Cu2L4 (L = 2-diphenylphosphino-3-methylindole ligand), containing AgI and CuI metal centers has been explored using the Laue pump–probe technique with ≈80 ps time resolution. The relatively short lifetime of 1 μs is accompanied by significant photoinduced structural changes, as large as the Ag1···Cu2 distance shortening by 0.59(3) A. The results show a pronounced strengthening of the argentophilic interactions and formation of new Ag···Cu bonds on excitation. Theoretical calculations indicate that the structural changes are due to a ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) strengthening the Ag···Ag interaction, mainly occurring from the methylindole ligands to the silver metal centers. QM/MM optimizations of the ground and excited states of the complex support the experimental results. Comparison with isolated molecule optimizations demonstrates the restricting effect of the crystalline matrix on photoinduced distortions. The work represents the first time-resolved Laue diffraction study of a heteronuclear coordination complex and provides new information on the nature of photoresponse of coinage metal complexes, which have been the subject of extensive studies.
The Efficacy Of Remedial Education Program On Houston's At Rick Youth

There is universal agreement that a good education for all our citizens is the harbinger of future personal success, a high standard of living, and a flourishing economy and improved global competitiveness. Actions that contradict that postulate must therefore be challenged, exposed and corrected. Remedial academic programs have effectively supplemented our core educational systems and elevated many minority sectors of our nation to productive contributions. A realignment of priorities influenced by political interests and budget constraints is threatening the continuity of these programs despite significant returns on investment. This paper explores the demographics of Houston’s minority education, the effectiveness of remedial initiatives on at risk youth graduation outcomes and collaborative solutions to replicate and preserve the progress achieved.
Possible Pleiotropism of a Gene Conferring Resistance to DDT, DDT Analogs, and Pyrethins in the House Fly and Culex tarsalis

A strain of house flies. Musca domestica L., possessing the third chromosomal DDT resistance gene kdr-O (knockdown-resistance-Orlando) was tolerant to several DDT analogs, to pyrethrins, and to pyrethins: piperonyl butoxid mixtures. When DDT resistance due to kdr-O was introduced by crossing over into susceptible strains possessing third chromosomal visible mutants, resistance to pyrethrins: piperonyl butoxide and to the DDT analogs also was introduced. Conversely, introduction of resistance to pyrethrins: piperonyl butoxide into a susceptible strain possessing a third chromosomal marker resulted in a strain resistant to DDT and DDT analogs. Thus, resistance to these insecticides was inseparable, and the gene kdr-O apparently confers resistance to DDT, DDT analogs, and pyrethrins: piperonyl butoxide. A strain of Culex tarsalis Coquillet, which possessed a kdr-O-like DDT resistance, was shown to be resistant to pyrethrins and pyrethrins: piperonyl butoxide mixtures. Breeding experiments demonstrated that resistance to DDT and pyrethrins in C. tarsalis were genetically linked. These results suggest pleiotropy in that kdr-O in the house fly confers resistance not only to DDT but to DDT analogs and pyrethrins. Resistance to DDT and pyrethrins in C. tarsalis is possibly controlled also by a similar mechanism.
Pharmacologic Comparison of Clinical Neutral Endopeptidase Inhibitors in a Rat Model of Acute Secretory Diarrhea

Racecadotril (acetorphan) is a neutral endopeptidase (NEP) inhibitor with known antidiarrheal activity in animals and humans; however, in humans, it suffers from shortcomings that might be improved with newer drugs in this class that have progressed to the clinic for nonenteric disease indications. To identify potentially superior NEP inhibitors with immediate clinical utility for diarrhea treatment, we compared their efficacy and pharmacologic properties in a rat intestinal hypersecretion model. Racecadotril and seven other clinical-stage inhibitors of NEP were obtained or synthesized. Enzyme potency and specificity were compared using purified peptidases. Compounds were orally administered to rats before administration of castor oil to induce diarrhea. Stool weight was recorded over 4 hours. To assess other pharmacologic properties, select compounds were orally administered to normal or castor oil–treated rats, blood and tissue samples collected at multiple time points, and active compound concentrations determined by mass spectroscopy. NEP enzyme activity was measured in tissue homogenates. Three previously untested clinical NEP inhibitors delayed diarrhea onset and reduced total stool output, with little or no effect on intestinal motility assessed by the charcoal meal test. Each was shown to be a potent, highly specific inhibitor of NEP. Each exhibited greater suppression of NEP activity in intestinal and nonintestinal tissues than did racecadotril and sustained this inhibition longer. These results suggest that newer clinical-stage NEP inhibitors originally developed for other indications may be directly repositioned for treatment of acute secretory diarrhea and offer advantages over racecadotril, such as less frequent dosing and potentially improved efficacy.
From Cantor to Christaller

It is possible that Georg Cantor and Walter Christaller may have been aware of one another during their careers, however, there is no indication the two collaborated. Also, there is no documentation that Christaller’s central place theory (CPT) contains any tenets derived from Cantor’s middle third set (CMT). Regardless, CMT and CPT are linked by their constructions as nested hierarchies and the geometry of hexagons. The end points and intervals of CMT may be incorporated, respectively, as anchor points and radii for the hexagonal tessellations of central place theory.
Methodik für die Auswertung von Lebensqualitätsdaten im Rahmen der Nutzenbewertung von Arzneimitteln

Zusammenfassung In der fruhen Nutzenbewertung soll ein Zusatznutzen eines neuen Arzneimittels gegenuber der zweckmasigen Vergleichstherapie anhand patientenrelevanter Endpunkte belegt werden. Neben Mortalitat und Morbiditat ist die Lebensqualitat eine patientenrelevante Zielgrose. Die Evidenzgrundlage der Nutzenbewertung bilden die Zulassungsstudien. Zulassungsbehorden und HTA-Institutionen messen der Lebensqualitat unterschiedliche Bedeutung bei. Am Beispiel der Onkologie werden die Herausforderungen, die bei der Studienplanung und Auswertung fur die Nutzenbewertung entstehen, diskutiert. Besondere Herausforderungen bei der Analyse der Lebensqualitatsdaten ergeben sich bei unterschiedlicher Effektivitat durch unterschiedlich lange Beobachtungszeiten in den Vergleichsarmen. Anhand des Beispiels der Nutzenbewertung fur Crizotinib werden Losungsmoglichkeiten vorgestellt. (Wie vom Gastherausgeber eingereicht)
A Rapid and Reliable Screening Method For Hyperlipidemia

A rapid and reliable screening method for hyperlipidemia for use in small laboratories, clinics, or physicians' offices as a screen prior to more specific and costly lipid tests is described. This screening method not only predicts the total cholesterol plus triglyceride values, but also reveals the presence of chylomicrons, which may indicate a nonfasting subject. The method is based on measuring the precipitate from a commonly used polyanion precipitation method for separation of HDL cholesterol from LDL and VLDL cholesterol. The results of the screening method are comparable to the combined value of total cholesterol and triglycerides as assayed enzymatically by the SMAC method.
Precommitment low-level Neurog3 expression defines a long-lived mitotic endocrine-biased progenitor pool that drives production of endocrine-committed cells

The current model for endocrine cell specification in the pancreas invokes high-level production of the transcription factor Neurogenin 3 (Neurog3) in Sox9(+) bipotent epithelial cells as the trigger for endocrine commitment, cell cycle exit, and rapid delamination toward proto-islet clusters. This model posits a transient Neurog3 expression state and short epithelial residence period. We show, however, that a Neurog3(TA.LO) cell population, defined as Neurog3 transcriptionally active and Sox9(+) and often containing nonimmunodetectable Neurog3 protein, has a relatively high mitotic index and prolonged epithelial residency. We propose that this endocrine-biased mitotic progenitor state is functionally separated from a pro-ductal pool and endows them with long-term capacity to make endocrine fate-directed progeny. A novel BAC transgenic Neurog3 reporter detected two types of mitotic behavior in Sox9(+) Neurog3(TA.LO) progenitors, associated with progenitor pool maintenance or derivation of endocrine-committed Neurog3(HI) cells, respectively. Moreover, limiting Neurog3 expression dramatically increased the proportional representation of Sox9(+) Neurog3(TA.LO) progenitors, with a doubling of its mitotic index relative to normal Neurog3 expression, suggesting that low Neurog3 expression is a defining feature of this cycling endocrine-biased state. We propose that Sox9(+) Neurog3(TA.LO) endocrine-biased progenitors feed production of Neurog3(HI) endocrine-committed cells during pancreas organogenesis.
Veronica Kallos-Lilly and Jennifer Fitzgerald. (2015). An Emotionally Focused Workbook for Couples: The Two of Us. New York: Routledge. $39.95 (paperback).

In An Emotionally Focused Workbook for Couples: The Two of Us, Kallos-Lilly and Fitzgerald (2015) provide a detailed workbook of each phase of emotionally focused therapy (EFT) for couples inspired...
Teaching Baltimore Together: building thematic cooperation between classes

One year ago, Baltimore citizens took to the streets to protest not only the death of Freddie Grey, but the structural inequalities and structural violence that systematically limit the opportunities for working-class African Americans in Baltimore. The protests, though, were not just confined to Baltimore City. Borne on sophisticated understandings of intersectionality and political economy, the moral imperatives from the Baltimore Uprising resonated with students at our university in Baltimore County, where campus activists moved to both support the people of Baltimore while using the moment of critical reflection to critique racial inequalities on campus. Since students were displaying a holistic, anthropological understanding of race and inequality in Baltimore, we decided to structure our classes accordingly and brought together several courses in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice in order to examine the interrelationships between power, race, class, public space and urban development. We taught common texts, visited each other’s classes, and planned events that brought students together with community leaders in Baltimore to discuss common concerns and to learn from each other. This paper reports on that experiment and suggests that a pedagogical model premised on drawing thematic linkages between existing courses is one way to address current events that impact us all while allowing students to direct the course of their own education.
Anomalous Phase Behavior of Ionic Polymer Blends and Ionic Copolymers

Nonionic diblock copolymers, with a highly asymmetric relative composition (f), microphase segregate into structures in which the minority component always forms cylindrical or spherical domains that are embedded in the majority component continuous matrix phase. Recently, a hybrid liquid state theory (called the DHEMSA approximation) and self-consistent field approach for ionic diblock copolymers have demonstrated the possible existence of “inverted” phases in which the minority ionic component forms the continuous matrix phase and the majority nonionic component forms cylindrical domains. We find that such anomalous behavior is closely related to the thermodynamics of phase segregation found in a blend of an ionic polymer and a nonionic polymer at the electrostatic coupling values typical of polymers in the molten state, at which nonionic and ionic polymers segregate into two partially miscible phases. This partial miscibility holds even across infinite molecular weights of the polymers. Such partial mi...
Investigation of charge transport between nickel oxide nanoparticles and CdSe/ZnS alloyed nanocrystals

Charge transport between nickel oxide nanoparticles and CdSe/ZnS alloyed core/shell nanocrystals is investigated. The crystal structure and composition of the nickel oxide nanoparticles are evaluated using X-ray diffraction, Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies. The nanoparticles are near-stoichiometric with very low defect densities. The optical properties of the materials are studied by measuring the absorbance and time resolved photoluminescence spectra. The band gap of the nickel oxide nanoparticles is around 4.42 eV. The CdSe/ZnS nanocrystals exhibit shorter average lifetimes when mixed with nickel oxide nanoparticle powder. The lifetime quenching can be attributed to the efficient charge transport from the CdSe/ZnS nanocrystals to nickel oxide nanoparticles due to the relative valence band alignment.
Metabolism and Metabolic Regulation

The data available on GHR−/− at all ages. Glucose levels, which are very low in young animals, seem to normalize at older ages. Insulin levels remain significantly lower than normal throughout the lifespan of GHR−/− mice. Together, these data suggest that insulin sensitivity decreases only slightly as GHR−/− mice age. In addition, circulating lipid levels tend to be decreased, adding to the scenario of improved metabolic health in GHR−/− mice. However, the need for closer inspection of the age-dependent changes in metabolism in these mice is apparent. Given the age-dependent variation observed in blood glucose levels, it becomes critical to establish the insulin responsiveness of target organs in GHR−/− mice of different ages. Interestingly, data available on liver suggest an insulin-resistant state in older animals. This seems counterintuitive given that whole-body insulin sensitivity is enhanced in GHR−/− mice even at old age. Therefore, it would be interesting to evaluate the insulin responsiveness of the liver in young GHR−/− animals to determine the role of this organ in whole-body insulin sensitivity. Similarly, a thorough characterization of the age-specific degree of insulin sensitivity in skeletal muscle and heart is needed to complement the data that are already available. Furthermore, focus needs to be applied on adipose tissue, given that it is one of the main target organs of insulin and GH action and a key player in metabolic regulation (see Chap. 51).
Community aspects of frugivory in tropical forests

This chapter considers the ways phenological cycles of resource production interact with frugivore communities in tropical forests. The birds and mammals that feed primarily on plant reproductive parts (seeds and pulp) at an undisturbed Amazonian locality in southeastern Peru make up a biomass of about 1,400 kg/km2 of mammals and 160 kg/km2 of birds. In order of importance, the major groups of mammals are primates, rodents and peccaries, and of birds, are cracids, tinamous and toucans. About a third of the total biomass consists of seed predators which feed mostly on the ground and two thirds of pulp eaters which feed mainly in trees.
A paperfluidic platform to detect Neisseria gonorrhoeae in clinical samples

Globally, the microbe Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) causes 106 million newly documented sexually transmitted infections each year. Once appropriately diagnosed, NG infections can be readily treated with antibiotics, but high-risk patients often do not return to the clinic for treatment if results are not provided at the point of care. A rapid, sensitive molecular diagnostic would help increase NG treatment and reduce the prevalence of this sexually transmitted disease. Here, we report on the design and development of a rapid, highly sensitive, paperfluidic device for point-of-care diagnosis of NG. The device integrates patient swab sample lysis, nucleic acid extraction, thermophilic helicase-dependent amplification (tHDA), an internal amplification control (NGIC), and visual lateral flow detection within an 80 min run time. Limits of NG detection for the NG/NGIC multiplex tHDA assay were determined within the device, and clinical performance was validated retroactively against qPCR-quantified patient samples in a proof-of-concept study. This paperfluidic diagnostic has a clinically relevant limit of detection of 500 NG cells per device with analytical sensitivity down to 10 NG cells per device. In triplicate testing of 40 total urethral and vaginal swab samples, the device had 95% overall sensitivity and 100% specificity, approaching current laboratory-based molecular NG diagnostics. This diagnostic platform could increase access to accurate NG diagnoses to those most in need.
Nomenclatura de las rocas pelíticas

Este escrito busca unificar la terminologia y nomenclatura de las rocas peliticas en descripciones litoestratigraficas del subsuelo. Esta dirigido a los estudiantes de Ingenieria de Petroleo y afines, como material de consulta, y a todos aquellos profesionales y tecnicos relacionados con los yacimientos de hidrocarburos que deseen ampliar sus conocimientos sobre el tema. El objetivo no es crear una clasificacion taxonomica nueva de nombres de roca o sedimento. Por el contrario, lo que se recomienda es que todos los subtipos composicionales o texturales puedan ser considerados como tradicionalmente se hace, con sistemas de dos, tres o cuatro componentes, es decir, con los triangulos y tetraedros estadisticos tradicionales. Reiteramos: aqui no se busca complicar la discusion terminologica, queda, pues, libre el lector profundizar en esta tematica.
SOTERIA: exploiting process variations to enhance hardware security with photonic NoC architectures

Photonic networks-on-chip (PNoCs) enable high bandwidth on-chip data transfers by using photonic waveguides capable of dense-wave-length-division-multiplexing (DWDM) for signal traversal and microring resonators (MRs) for signal modulation. A Hardware Trojan in a PNoC can manipulate the electrical driving circuit of its MRs to cause the MRs to snoop data from the neighboring wavelength channels in a shared photonic waveguide. This introduces a serious security threat. This paper presents a novel framework called SOTERIA† that utilizes process variation based authentication signatures along with architecture-level enhancements to protect data in PNoC architectures from snooping attacks. Evaluation results indicate that our approach can significantly enhance the hardware security in DWDM-based PNoCs with minimal overheads of up to 10.6% in average latency and of up to 13.3% in energy-delay-product (EDP).