cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A prospective study of sodium-lithium countertransport and hypertension in Utah

A 7-year prospective study of a cohort of 1,458 normotensive adults from Utah pedigrees, screened from 1980 to 1985, was done to determine whether baseline levels of sodium-lithium countertransport were associated with an increased risk of future hypertension. Subsequent new hypertension (n = 39) was ascertained in 1989 from detailed follow-up medical questionnaires (67% response). Previous segregation analyses on a subset of these pedigree members who responded (n = 342) using family relationships in addition to countertransport levels have shown statistically inferred major gene segregation of sodium-lithium countertransport levels. In the normotensive adults inferred by segregation analysis to carry the recessive major gene for high sodium-lithium countertransport, new-onset hypertension occurred in 18.8% (3 of 16) compared with 3.7% (12 of 326) in the low sodium-lithium countertransport genotype group (relative risk, 4.6 [1.6, 13.9]; p = 0.03). However, an elevated baseline sodium-lithium countertransport level without genotype information from segregation analysis did not increase the risk of future hypertension in the complete cohort of adult pedigree members (relative risk, 1.02 [0.85, 1.22]). Adjustment for other risk factors reduced the relative risk to 0.90 (0.72, 1.11). We conclude that the presence of a major gene for sodium-lithium countertransport or another closely linked gene, rather than the actual level of sodium-lithium countertransport, may increase the risk of hypertension onset. High sodium-lithium countertransport levels do not increase the risk of future hypertension for individuals in whom only polygenic and environmental effects determine sodium-lithium countertransport level.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
An organic approach for nanostructured multiferroics.

Multiferroics are materials that simultaneously exhibit more than one ferroic order parameters, such as ferroelectricity, ferroelasticity and ferromagnetism. Recently, multiferroicity has received a significant revival of interest due to the colossal magnetoelectric coupling effect for the development of nano-ferronics. In this mini-review, we focus on a recent study of ferroelectricity, magnetism and magnetoelectric coupling within the newly discovered organic charge-transfer complexes. A systemic understanding of the origin of organic ferroelectricity and magnetism is provided. Furthermore, based on the recent mechanism of the magnetoelectric coupling effect: spin-ordering-induced electric polarization and ferroelectricity-induced spin alignment, we further present the recent progress in organic charge-transfer multiferroics and metal–organic framework multiferroics. The coexistence of polarization and magnetism at room temperature of organic charge-transfer complexes will be critical for the development of all-organic multiferroics.
How an Earnings Supplement Can Affect Union Formation Among Low-Income Single Mothers

Using data from an experimental evaluation in two Canadian provinces, we found that offering an earnings supplement to single mothers in place of welfare altered rates of marriage and cohabitation, but that the direction of the effects varied by province. Our findings suggest that research on the relationship between women’s economic well-being and marital decisions at the national level is likely to mask important variation at the local level. After eliminating several explanations for the opposite effects in the two provinces, we propose that local labor markets and local policy contexts are potentially important mediating characteristics of marriage and cohabitation.
Promoter-specific activation defects by a novel yeast TBP mutant compromised for TFIIB interaction

TFIIB is an RNA polymerase II general transcription factor (GTF) that has also been implicated in the mechanism of action of certain promoter-specific activators (see, for examples, [1-11]). TFIIB enters the preinitiation complex (PIC) primarily through contact with the TATA box binding protein (TBP), an interaction mediated by three TBP residues [12-14]. To study the role of TFIIB in transcription activation in vivo, we randomly mutagenized these three residues in yeast TBP and screened for promoter-specific activation mutants. One mutant bearing a single conservative substitution, TBP-E186D, is the focus of this study. As expected, TBP-E186D binds normally to the TATA box but fails to support the entry of TFIIB into the PIC. Cells expressing TBP-E186D are viable but have a severe slow-growth phenotype. Whole-genome expression analysis indicates that transcription of 17% of yeast genes are compromised by this mutation. Chimeric promoter analysis indicates that the region of the gene that confers sensitivity to the TBP-E186D mutation is the UAS (upstream activating sequence), which contains the activator binding sites. Most interestingly, other TBP mutants that interfere with different interactions (TFIIB, TFIIA, or the TATA box) and a TFIIB mutant defective for interaction with TBP all manifest distinct and selective promoter-specific activation defects. Our results implicate the entry of TFIIB into the PIC as a critical step in the activation of certain promoters and reveal diverse mechanisms of transcription activation.
An Investigation of Incremental Effects of Interspersing Math Items on Task-Related Behavior.

The purpose of this study was to replicate and extend research on task interspersal. The authors investigated whether changes in on-task behavior of two middle school students were functionally related to changes in the relative percentages of easy and difficult items on math worksheets. They found that the participants remained on task longer while completing worksheets with 33 and 67% interspersed easy problems than while completing worksheets without the interspersed easy problems. Participants’ accuracy in answering the target problems was not affected, however, by the interspersal procedure. The authors concluded that interspersing easy items on independent math seatwork assignments can increase on-task behavior.
hERG channel trafficking: novel targets in drug-induced long QT syndrome.

The cardiac potassium channel hERG (human ether-a-go-go-related gene) encodes the α-subunit of the rapid delayed rectifier current IKr in the heart, which contributes to terminal repolarization in human cardiomyocytes. Direct block of hERG/IKr channels by a large number of therapeutic compounds produces acLQTS [acquired LQTS (long QT syndrome)] characterized by drug-induced QT prolongation and torsades de pointes arrhythmias. The cardiotoxicity associated with unintended hERG block has prompted pharmaceutical companies to screen developmental compounds for hERG blockade and made hERG a major target in drug safety programmes. More recently, a novel form of acLQTS has been discovered that may go undetected in most conventional safety assays. Several therapeutic compounds have been identified that reduce hERG/IKr currents not by direct block but by inhibition of hERG/IKr trafficking to the cell surface. Important examples are antineoplastic Hsp90 (heat-shock protein 90) inhibitors such as (i) geldanamycin, (ii) the leukaemia drug arsenic trioxide, (iii) the antiprotozoical pentamidine, (iv) probucol, a cholesterol-lowering drug, and (v) fluoxetine, a widely used antidepressant. Increased awareness of drug-induced hERG trafficking defects will help to further reduce the potentially lethal adverse cardiac events associated with acLQTS. The cardiac potassiumchannel hERG (humanether-a-go-gorelatedgene)encodesthe α-subunitoftherapiddelayedrectifiercurrentIKr intheheart,whichcontributesprominentlyto terminal repolarization in human ventricular myocytes. The strategic position occupied by hERG/IKr channels in cardiac repolarization was revealed first in patients when loss-offunction mutations in the hERG gene were discovered to cause inherited LQTS2 (long QT syndrome2) [1,2]. LQTS is characterized by a prolongation of the QT interval on the electrocardiogram, which is considered a surrogate marker for ventricular repolarization at the cellular level. As a direct consequence of abnormal repolarization in LQTS, patients may present with syncope, TdP (torsades de pointes) arrhythmias) or sudden cardiac death [3].
The exact metric about global cosmic strings

Abstract We present the exact solution to Einstein's equations for the metric about a straight, infinite cosmic string resulting from the breakdown of a global symmetry. Our solution is general enough to account for the effects of matter and currents trapped on the string. The metric exhibits a singularity at finite distance from the core. We examine geodesics and find that for a vortex scale F ≲ 6.3 × 10 16 GeV the deflection of light is small, agreeing with the linearized result; however for 6.3 × 10 16 GeV ≲ F ≲ 2 × 10 17 GeV we find deflection angles greater than 2 π . For F ≳ 2 × 10 17 GeV the singularity is too close for comfort.
Retinal nerve fibre layer thickness analysis in X-linked retinoschisis using Fourier-domain OCT.

Retinal nerve fibre layer thickness analysis in X-linked retinoschisis using Fourier-domain OCT
Lack of Response of Bone Mineralization of Chicks Fed Egg Yolks from Hens on Dietary 1,25 Dihydroxycholecalciferol

White Leghorn hens, age 34 wk, fed 0 to 3 micrograms/kg of 1,25 dihydroxycholecalciferol (1,25(OH)2D3) as the only source of dietary vitamin D3 with 2.5 or 3.5% calcium failed to achieve normal embryonic survival and hatchability of their fertile eggs. Improved egg production was observed over a 24-wk period as the level of 1,25(OH)2D3 was increased. Eggs of hens fed the vitamin D-deficient diet showed significantly lower (P less than .01) egg weight and shell strength with a higher percent of soft shell eggs than those of hens fed 1,25(OH)2D3 or vitamin D3. To study the possibility that 1,25(OH)2D3 cannot be transferred into the egg yolk, yolks from the hens receiving varying levels of 1,25(OH)2D3 and vitamin D3 were fed to day-old chicks. A standard vitamin D3 assay was developed and bone ash was determined on fat-free tibial bone. Significantly lower (P less than .01) vitamin D activity per gram of yolk was observed in yolks from hens fed 0 to 3 micrograms of 1,25(OH)2D3 than in yolks of hens fed vitamin D3. These results demonstrate that insufficient 1,25(OH)2D3 is incorporated in the egg yolk to support normal embryonic survival and hatchability. This may be due to a decrease in available receptor sites in the egg yolk or to the inability of 1,25(OH)2D3 to cross the vitelline membrane.
High performance phosphorylation site assignment algorithm for mass spectrometry data using multicore systems

Phosphorylation site assignment of high throughput tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) data is one of the most common and critical aspects of phosphoproteomics. Although a number of tools have been proposed for automated site assignments, most of them have been limited in scalability or quality. In this paper, we propose a parallelized version of the PhosSA algorithm (called P-PhosSA) that we recently introduced for site assignment. A domain decomposition strategy is introduced for site assignment and the decomposed data is executed on multiple cores. The algorithm has been parallelized using Java Threads executing on multicore systems. The parallelized algorithm is tested using experimentally generated data sets of peptides with known phosphorylation sites while varying the fragmentation strategy (CID, HCD) and molarities of the peptides. The algorithm is also compatible with various peptide labeling strategies including SILAC and iTRAQ. The proposed algorithm is shown to be extremely scalable and a dramatic decrease in time is reported with increasing number of threads.
Shared Motor Error for Multiple Eye Movements

Most natural actions are accomplished with a seamless combination of individual movements. Such coordination poses a problem: How does the motor system orchestrate multiple movements to produce a single goal-directed action? The results from current experiments suggest one possible solution. Oculomotor neurons in the superior colliculus of a primate responded to mismatches between eye and target positions, even when the animal made two different types of eye movements. This neuronal activity therefore does not appear to convey a command for a specific type of eye movement but instead encodes an error signal that could be used by multiple movements. The use of shared inputs is one possible strategy for ensuring that different movements share a common goal.
Electrospray mass spectrum of a per(onio)-substituted benzene: Retention of coulombic charge upon collisionally activated decomposition

The hexakis (4-dimethylaminopyridyl) benzene hexacation of 1 is investigated as an extreme example of the ability of electrospray ionization to allow transfer of small multivalent ions to the gas phase. The hexacationized benzene ring ions are stabilized by forming gas phase complexes with two to five trifluoromethanesulfonate counterions. MS/MS analysis reveals that their fragmentation takes place by loss of neutrals such as trifluoromethanesulfonic acid and 4-dimethylaminopyridine; no rupture of the benzene or pyridine rings was observed in spite of accumulation of positive charge in a restricted geometry.
A secure architecture for traffic control systems with SDLC protocols

In many implementations of intelligent traffic system (ITS), the actuated signal controller (ASC) is widely deployed to control the traffic lights and other terminals. However, inadequate research has been done on the security for the link that goes between the ASC (e.g., primary device) and many secondary devices controlled by the ASC. The communication of the link is based on the old synchronous data link control (SDLC) protocol. The goal of this work is to identify and defense the major possible attacks against the SDLC-based ASC systems. First, we identify the major threats to an ASC system, including man-in-middle attacks, data tampering, bogus commands, and possible attacks, etc. Second, we develop an architecture for the network that supports a secure ASC, including authentication, data integrity, and confidentiality. Third, within such architecture, we propose the possible solutions to address the security issues, including the encryption and decryption algorithms. Finally, we present an applicable hardware and software framework and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed solutions by simulations.
Current research in sound

Sounds in industry may go unheard by the ear, but they are all-important to "listening" machines, compounds, and processes. Already with sound we can test, mix, measure, clean, drill, and control. And research indicates broad new applications in the tomorrow.
Online PCBN tool failure monitoring system based on acoustic emission signatures

The paper describes an online tool failure monitoring system based on acoustic emission (AE) signatures. The system was developed primarily to detect failure of polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) inserts in milling high-chromium materials. In face milling of high-chromium materials, almost without exception, PCBN inserts fail due to fracture on the nose or rake face. The change in the root mean square of AE signals (AE /spl Delta/RMS) was found to be the best indicator of the tool failure process for the subject tool-work combination. From the experiments, the critical values of AE /spl Delta/RMS where the tool fractures, called AE /spl Delta/RMS/sub c/, were obtained. Regression analysis was performed to fit a model of.
Synchrotron X-ray scattering techniques for microelectronics-related materials studies

X-ray diffraction techniques using synchrotron radiation play a vital role in the understanding of structural behavior for a wide range of materials important in microelectronics. The extremely high flux of X-rays produced by synchrotron storage rings makes it possible to probe layers and interfaces in complicated stacked structures, characterize low-atomic-weight materials such as polymers, and study in situ phase transformations, to name only a few applications. In this paper, following an introduction to synchrotron radiation, we describe the capabilities of the IBM/MIT X-ray beamlines at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS), Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). A range of techniques are introduced, and examples of their applicability to the study of microelectronics-related materials phenomena are described.
Direct Hybrid Adaptive Control of Gear Pair Vibration

A direct hybrid adaptive approach based on the Lyapunov stability theorem is proposed for performing active vibration control of a rotational gear pair subject to multiple-harmonic, transmission error disturbances. The analysis applies a reduced single-degree-of-freedom gear pair model of the elastic mesh mode with time-varying tooth mesh stiffness. It is assumed that the resultant actuation force for suppressing the rotational vibration of the gear pair can be directly applied along the tooth contact line-of-action by employing a set of suitably configured inertial actuators. The proposed controller simultaneously adapts both the feedback and feed-forward gains, and only requires knowledge of the fundamental gear mesh frequency that is given by the product of the instantaneous gear rotational speed and the number of gear teeth. The analysis indicates that the proposed controller is insensitive to the gear mesh frequency estimation errors, and the resulting vibration control is more effective than those provided by the adaptive notch filter and filtered-x LMS algorithms. The control theory also incorporates dynamic normalization and leakage enhancements in order to optimize performance and improve robustness. Finally, the salient features are demonstrated in several numerical examples.
Signal transduction pathways and transcriptional regulation in Th17 cell differentiation

Over the last decade, our understanding of helper/effector T cell differentiation has changed dramatically. The discovery of interleukin (IL-)17-producing T cells (Th17) and other subsets has changed our view of T cell-mediated immunity. Characterization of the signaling pathways involved in the Th17 commitment has provided exciting new insights into the differentiation of CD4+ T cells. Importantly, the emerging data on conversion among polarized T helper cells have raised the question how we should view such concepts as T cell lineage commitment, terminal differentiation and plasticity. In this review, we will discuss the current understanding of the signaling pathways, molecular interactions, and transcriptional and epigenetic events that contribute to Th17 differentiation and acquisition of effector functions.
Ulnar shortening osteotomy for ulnar impaction syndrome.

THE PATIENT A 46-year-old right hand–dominant woman presents with left ulnar-sided wrist pain following a fall from a standing height onto her outstretched hand 6 months before. The examination is normal except for pain with ulnar deviation and axial loading of the wrist. A posteroanterior radiograph of the wrist taken with the forearm in full pronation demonstrates ulnar-positive variance measuring 4 mm. Magnetic resonance imaging reveals increased signal intensity over the proximal ulnar aspect of the lunate and distal ulna along with a central defect of the triangular fibrocartilage complex.
Asymptotic properties of the NPMLE of a distribution function based on ranked set samples

We show that the nonparametric maximum likelihood estimator (NPMLE) of a distribution function based on balanced ranked set samples is consistent, converges weakly to a Gaussian process and is asymptotically efficient. The covariance function of the limiting process is described in terms of the solution to a Fredholm integral equation of the second kind.
An Evaluation of the Effects of Neighborhood Mobilization on Community Problems

This research examines the outcomes of actions taken by members of a residential neighborhood association to revitalize a neighborhood and to make it a safer and more secure place to live. This urban neighborhood association initiated a major planning process in cooperation with city officials. Residents overwhelmingly adopted the plan that included the creation of mini-neighborhoods with a series of gates to moderate traffic flow, increase neighborliness, and reduce crime. An analysis of official data from police crime reports shows that crime was significantly reduced in the neighborhood after the street changes. This reduction in crime was maintained even five years later. Telephone interviews with neighborhood residents indicated that they perceived reductions in traffic, crime, noise and drug offenses for at least five years after the changes. Even though neighborhood cohesion did not increase, it appears that the actions instigated and promoted by neighborhood association members enhanced the quality of life for neighborhood residents.
Characteristics Associated With Older Adolescents Who Have a Television in Their Bedrooms

OBJECTIVES. The goals were to examine the prevalence of adolescents having a television in their bedroom and to describe associated personal, social, and behavioral characteristics. METHODS. Participants included 781 adolescents (mean age: 17.2 years) who completed a mailed Project Eating Among Teens II questionnaire. The relationships between adolescents having a television in their bedroom and sociodemographic, behavioral, and personal characteristics were examined. RESULTS. Nearly two thirds (62%) of participants had a bedroom television. Gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and age were associated with the presence of a bedroom television. Compared with girls without a bedroom television, girls with a bedroom television reported less time spent in vigorous activity (1.8 vs 2.5 hours/week), more time spent watching television (20.7 vs 15.2 hours/week), lower vegetable intake (1.7 vs 2.0 servings per day), greater sweetened beverage consumption (1.2 vs 1.0 servings per day), and fewer family meals (2.9 vs 3.7 meals per week). Compared with boys without a bedroom television, boys with a bedroom television reported more time spent watching television (22.2 vs 18.2 hours/week), lower fruit intake (1.7 vs 2.2 servings per day), fewer family meals (2.9 vs 3.6 meals per week), and lower grade point average (2.6 vs 2.9). Twice as many youths with a television in their bedroom were heavy television users (watched>5 hours/day), compared with youths without a television in their bedroom (16% vs 8%). CONCLUSIONS. Adolescents with a bedroom television reported more television viewing time, less physical activity, poorer dietary habits, fewer family meals, and poorer school performance. Refraining from placing a television in teenagers' rooms may be a first step in helping to decrease screen time and subsequent poor behaviors associated with increased television watching. Language: en
Robust Euclidean embedding

We derive a robust Euclidean embedding procedure based on semidefinite programming that may be used in place of the popular classical multidimensional scaling (cMDS) algorithm. We motivate this algorithm by arguing that cMDS is not particularly robust and has several other deficiencies. General-purpose semidefinite programming solvers are too memory intensive for medium to large sized applications, so we also describe a fast subgradient-based implementation of the robust algorithm. Additionally, since cMDS is often used for dimensionality reduction, we provide an in-depth look at reducing dimensionality with embedding procedures. In particular, we show that it is NP-hard to find optimal low-dimensional embeddings under a variety of cost functions.
Myositis ossificans complicating severe Guillain‐Barre syndrome

We report myositis ossificans occurring in a 13-year-old boy with severe and rapidly progressive Guillain-Barre syndrome. This complication should be considered when severe musculoskeletal pain is experienced by such patients. Disodium etidronate may be of benefit in this condition.
Utilizing Explorable Visual Environments for Experiential Applications

Abstract Immersive virtual environments (IVEs) are classifiable as boundary objects-their design as a visual medium allows for varied utility by different user groups. Applications range from architecture design, situational awareness simulations, cultural heritage studies, and video games. We propose to extend this concept with a synergy of detailed panoramic projection systems and the tracking capabilities of the Xbox Kinect to create Explorable Visual Environments (EVE). We choose to use gigapixel images as it provides a high level of detail, making the experience near tactile. Creating visual content in a real-world scale and projecting them on large immersive architectures provoke a sense of physical proximity. This visual engagement serves as a prosthetic device combined with a user's experiential knowledge to activate tactile, auditory, and olfactory senses. Through only one sense, EVE allows for a deep comprehension of both tangible and intangible knowledge of a given environment. EVE's gesture recognition technology expands upon the rich visuals to place the user in the point of view of “being there” as opposed to viewing a static image. Like the Infantry Immersion Training System (IITS) developed in 2007, the combination of engaging visuals and physical performance encourages the user to become part of the virtual space.
Spatial Stability of Adult Aedes aegypti Populations

Likewise, dengue incidence has been found to be highly variable, with a few areas having the largest values. 4– 8 For example, most dengue cases (70%) were reported from a relatively small fraction (35%) of all neighborhoods in a dengue hyperendemic city during 6 years of observations. 4 It was observed throughout the period of study that the rank order of dengue incidence per neighborhood was kept practically unaltered between years. Also, neighborhoods having the largest dengue incidence were those neighborhoods with the highest average density of Ae. aegypti females per house, but vector abundance was also relatively large in neighborhoods with intermediate dengue incidence and correspondingly low in places with low dengue incidence. 9 A distinct feature of the neighborhoods with the largest dengue incidence was that they also had the longest periods of uninterrupted dengue transmission (dengue persistence or endemicity). Thus, it is important to study the spatial and temporal dynamics of dengue transmission. This knowledge allows for the stratification of cities so that vector control programs can allocate their resources more effectively.
Wireless magnetic tracking system for radiation therapy

This paper presents a wireless position and orientation tracking system for radiation therapy. The proposed system uses only four transmitting coils and an implantable wireless transponder. The four transmitting coils generate magnetic field which is sensed and measured by a bi-axial sensor in the transponder in the tumor. A wireless transmitter in the transponder transmits the information back to a computer to determine the position and orientation of the transponder and hence, to track the tumor in real time. The algorithm of tracking is implemented using MATLAB, and simulation results and analysis are presented. Each calculation of the position tracking takes 20 ms, which makes the proposed system suitable for real-time tracking of the transponder for radiation assessment and delivery.
Using a Geographic Information System To Teach Economics

Wh at does a U. S. unemployment rate of 4.5 percent re a l ly mean? Is it the norm or an ab e rration? If it is an a b e rrat i o n , is it large or small? P o s i t ive or negat ive ? One of my goals as an economics instructor is to help students understand the sign i ficance of economic and social indicat o rs , s u ch as the current U. S. unemployment rat e, by making comparisons with other time periods and other g e ograp h i c regions. Although time-series graphs illustrate eff i c i e n t l y the inter- t e m p o ra l ch a n ges in an economic indicat o r, i n t e r- s p a tial va ri ations have been more difficult to commu n i c at e. In this art i cl e, I discuss a computer-based mapping tool called a ge ographic info rm ation system (GIS), wh i ch can present the inter- s p at i a l va ri ations in economic indicat o rs in color-coded or symbol-coded thematic map s . I discuss some benefits of thematic mapping to the economics student, give e x a mples and sample assignments for economics cours e s , detail the hardwa re and softwa re re q u i rements for cre ating thematic map s , and give a description of the p rocess of cre ating thematic maps for use in an economics cl a s s .
Anode Biofilm Transcriptomics Reveals Outer Surface Components Essential for High Density Current Production in Geobacter sulfurreducens Fuel Cells

The mechanisms by which Geobacter sulfurreducens transfers electrons through relatively thick (>50 µm) biofilms to electrodes acting as a sole electron acceptor were investigated. Biofilms of Geobacter sulfurreducens were grown either in flow-through systems with graphite anodes as the electron acceptor or on the same graphite surface, but with fumarate as the sole electron acceptor. Fumarate-grown biofilms were not immediately capable of significant current production, suggesting substantial physiological differences from current-producing biofilms. Microarray analysis revealed 13 genes in current-harvesting biofilms that had significantly higher transcript levels. The greatest increases were for pilA, the gene immediately downstream of pilA, and the genes for two outer c-type membrane cytochromes, OmcB and OmcZ. Down-regulated genes included the genes for the outer-membrane c-type cytochromes, OmcS and OmcT. Results of quantitative RT-PCR of gene transcript levels during biofilm growth were consistent with microarray results. OmcZ and the outer-surface c-type cytochrome, OmcE, were more abundant and OmcS was less abundant in current-harvesting cells. Strains in which pilA, the gene immediately downstream from pilA, omcB, omcS, omcE, or omcZ was deleted demonstrated that only deletion of pilA or omcZ severely inhibited current production and biofilm formation in current-harvesting mode. In contrast, these gene deletions had no impact on biofilm formation on graphite surfaces when fumarate served as the electron acceptor. These results suggest that biofilms grown harvesting current are specifically poised for electron transfer to electrodes and that, in addition to pili, OmcZ is a key component in electron transfer through differentiated G. sulfurreducens biofilms to electrodes.
Wrist collision avoidance of two robots: A collision map and time scheduling approach

This research presents an approach to collision-free motion planning of two moving robots in a common workspace. Due to the distinct nature of the potential collisions between the two moving robots, a new classification of collision situations is presented and utilized for planning a collision-free path. Notions of a collision map and time scheduling are developed and applied for realizing a collision-free motion planning. An example is shown for the time scheduling of the trajectory, which shows the significance of the proposed approach in collision-free motion planning of the two moving robots.
Labrat LIMS: an extensible framework for developing laboratory information management, analysis, and bioinformatics solutions for microarrays

The biotechnology industry has long recognized the need for robust methods for tracking samples and data; however, it is only with the recent widespread adoption of genomic scale experiments that smaller academic facilities have also begun to appreciate the value of laboratory information management systems (LIMS) for use in tracking samples through the many procedures involved, including automated data collection and analysis. We have designed an extensible LIMS database backend collectively called Labrat LIMS. The Labrat LIMS database is an extremely flexible reference schema for implementing a generic LIMS system. Additionally, we have created two front-end implementations for the Labrat LIMS database: Labrat LIMS Web Interface and Microarray Data Portal for use in sample tracking and microarray data analysis, respectively. Although designed primarily for microarray sample tracking and analysis, we believe that the flexibility of generic data management and multiple front-end interface architecture make Labrat LIMS an extremely robust LIMS architecture. Here we present the schema and implementation of this system.
Determining the potential of American Vietnam veterans returning to Vietnam as tourists

Tourism is the world's largest industry, which brings with it foreign exchange, employment and a modern way of life. Vietnam is one of the latest Asian countries to declare the importance of tourism to national development. Although for almost two decades following the end of the Vietnam conflict it was illegal for American tourists to travel to Vietnam, studies have shown that people who have knowledge or experience of an area are likely to travel to the area. The re-establishment of diplomatic ties between America and Vietnam has initiated a new era of commercial and cultural relations between the two nations. Because many American Vietnam veterans have a high degree of familiarity with Vietnam, there appears to be considerable potential for marketing tourism packages with American Vietnam veterans as the target market. This study was developed to estimate the potential interest of American Vietnam veterans in returning to Vietnam as tourists. Of those American Vietnam veterans surveyed in this study, the results are mixed with 48.9% of the American Vietnam veterans stating they had a low interest in returning to Vietnam as tourists, whereas 41.5% had a high interest in returning to Vietnam as tourists, with 48.5% of those stating they had a high interest in visiting war history displays and war museums. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The mechanism of Zr and Hf in reducing radiation-induced segregation in 316 stainless steel

The addition of oversized solutes has the potential to reduce the effects of radiation-induced segregation (RIS) in austenitic alloys. This RIS has been implicated as one of several factors in enhancing stress corrosion cracking (SCC) under irradiation, so oversized solute additions could promote SCC resistance. Either Zr or Hf was added to 316-type stainless steel, at levels between 0.05 and 0.37 at. pct. Samples were irradiated with 3 MeV protons to 3 dpa at 400 °C and analyzed using high-resolution–scanning transmission electron microscopy (HR-STEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), to measure the grain-boundary (GB) composition. The Zr additions substantially reduced the amount of RIS, while the Hf was much less effective. Despite similar sizes, first-principles calculations using the Vienna Ab Initio Simulation Package (VASP) demonstrate that solute-vacancy binding for Zr is 1.05 eV vs 0.69 eV for Hf. This difference results in the greater effectiveness of Zr in reducing RIS, as determined by kinetic rate theory calculations, in agreement with experimentally-measured results.
The intersection of school racial composition and student race/ethnicity on adolescent depressive and somatic symptoms.

Abstract Schools are one of the strongest socializing forces in the U.S. and wield considerable influence over individuals’ social and economic trajectories. Our study investigates how school-level racial composition, measured by the percentage non-Hispanic white students in a school, affects depressive and somatic symptoms among a representative sample of U.S. adolescents, and whether the association differs by race/ethnicity. We analyzed Wave I data from the US National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, resulting in a sample size of 18,419 students attending 132 junior and senior high schools in 1994/5. After controlling for individual and school characteristics, our multilevel analyses indicated that with increasing percentages of white students at their school, black students experienced more depressive symptoms and a higher risk of reporting high levels of somatic symptoms. After including students’ perceptions of discrimination and school attachment, the interaction between black student race and school-level racial composition was no longer significant for either outcome. Our findings suggest that attending predominantly-minority schools may buffer black students from discrimination and increase their school attachment, which may reduce their risk of experiencing depressive and somatic symptoms.
Accurate detection and quantification of the fish viral hemorrhagic Septicemia virus (VHSv) with a two-color fluorometric real-time PCR assay.

Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia virus (VHSv) is one of the world’s most serious fish pathogens, infecting .80 marine, freshwater, and estuarine fish species from Eurasia and North America. A novel and especially virulent strain – IVb – appeared in the Great Lakes in 2003, has killed many game fish species in a series of outbreaks in subsequent years, and shut down interstate transport of baitfish. Cell culture is the diagnostic method approved by the USDA-APHIS, which takes a month or longer, lacks sensitivity, and does not quantify the amount of virus. We thus present a novel, easy, rapid, and highly sensitive real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) assay that incorporates synthetic competitive template internal standards for quality control to circumvent false negative results. Results demonstrate high signal-toanalyte response (slope=1.0060.02) and a linear dynamic range that spans seven orders of magnitude (R 2 =0.99), ranging from 6 to 6,000,000 molecules. Infected fishes are found to harbor levels of virus that range to 1,200,000 VHSv molecules/ 10 6 actb1 molecules with 1,000 being a rough cut-off for clinical signs of disease. This new assay is rapid, inexpensive, and has significantly greater accuracy than other published qRT-PCR tests and traditional cell culture diagnostics.
Dietary Patterns during Pregnancy Are Associated with Risk of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Maternal dietary patterns before and during pregnancy play important roles in the development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). We aimed to identify dietary patterns during pregnancy that are associated with GDM risk in pregnant U.S. women. From a 24 h dietary recall of 253 pregnant women (16-41 years) included in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2012, food items were aggregated into 28 food groups based on Food Patterns Equivalents Database. Three dietary patterns were identified by reduced rank regression with responses including prepregnancy body mass index (BMI), dietary fiber, and ratio of poly- and monounsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acid: "high refined grains, fats, oils and fruit juice", "high nuts, seeds, fat and soybean; low milk and cheese", and "high added sugar and organ meats; low fruits, vegetables and seafood". GDM was diagnosed using fasting plasma glucose levels ≥5.1 mmol/L for gestation <24 weeks. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate adjusted odds ratio (AOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for GDM, after controlling for maternal age, race/ethnicity, education, family poverty income ratio, marital status, prepregnancy BMI, gestational weight gain, energy intake, physical activity, and log-transformed C-reactive protein (CRP). All statistical analyses accounted for the appropriate survey design and sample weights of the NHANES. Of 249 pregnant women, 34 pregnant women (14%) had GDM. Multivariable AOR (95% CIs) of GDM for comparisons between the highest vs. lowest tertiles were 4.9 (1.4-17.0) for "high refined grains, fats, oils and fruit juice" pattern, 7.5 (1.8-32.3) for "high nuts, seeds, fat and soybean; low milk and cheese" pattern, and 22.3 (3.9-127.4) for "high added sugar and organ meats; low fruits, vegetables and seafood" pattern after controlling for maternal sociodemographic variables, prepregnancy BMI, gestational weight gain, energy intake and log-transformed CRP. These findings suggest that dietary patterns during pregnancy are associated with risk of GDM after controlling for potential confounders. The observed connection between a high consumption of refined grains, fat, added sugars and low intake of fruits and vegetables during pregnancy with higher odds for GDM, are consistent with general health benefits of healthy diets, but warrants further research to understand underlying pathophysiology of GDM associated with dietary behaviors during pregnancy.
Fitness Consequences of Allorecognition-Mediated Agonistic Interactions in the Colonial Hydroid Hydractinia [GM]

In sessile and sedentary organisms, competition for space may have fitness consequences that depend strongly on ecological context. Colonial hydroids in the genus Hydractinia use an inducible defense when encoun- tering conspecifics, and intraspecific competition is com- mon in natural populations, often resulting in complete overgrowth of subordinate competitors. My goal in this study was to quantify the impacts of agonistic interactions in Hydractinia (GM) (an undescribed species from the Gulf of Mexico) in terms of three primary fitness components: colony survival, growth rate, and immature gonozooid pro- duction. The results demonstrate that the fitness conse- quences of intraspecific competition depend on the size at which competitive encounters are initiated and the growth form (an indicator of competitive ability) of the competi- tors. Moreover, some competing colonies consistently pro- duced more immature gonozooids than the controls without competition, and they exhibited extremely low mortality even after 90 days of growth. These results have several ramifications. First, agonistic interactions do not always proceed to competitive elimination. Second, the increase in production of immature gonozooids—an investment in fu- ture reproduction—in response to intraspecific competition supports the hypothesis that indeterminately growing organ- isms increase sexual reproductive effort when growth be- comes limiting. Lastly, in light of known ontogenetic vari- ation in the ability of Hydractinia to differentiate among genetically related colonies, strongly size-dependent fitness consequences are consistent with an adaptive, kin-discrim- inating allorecognition system.
The Americans with Disabilities Act and the Labor Market Experience of Workers with Disabilities: Evidence from the SIPP

This paper uses data from the 1990 and 1993 SIPP to examine the labor market experience of workers with disabilities. We first examine wage differentials between workers with and without disabilities after providing detailed controls for job conditions. We next examine the relationship between wages and the prevalence of persons with disabilities in an occupation. The final section of the paper examines job mobility differences between workers with and without disabilities. We find that there is a relatively large wage differential between workers with and without disabilities that appears to have increased between 1990 and 1993 for males. This differential is relatively unaffected by the addition of detailed occupational characteristics. The paper also finds support for the quality sorting hypothesis, which suggests the proportion of workers with disabilities in an occupation is capturing unmeasured ability within occupations. Finally, we find that there are relatively few differences in mobility patterns across disability status. We do find, however, that workers with disabilities are more likely to make involuntary job changes than nondisabiled workers suggesting there may be employer prejudice in terminations or that there is a higher likelihood of job mismatch among workers with disabilities. Overall, we find there are relatively few differences between 1990 and 1993 suggesting that either the ADA has not had a major impact on the labor market experience for workers with disabilities, or that these effects do not appear in the 1993 data.
Work in progress - effective engagement of millennial students using web-based voice-over slides and screen demos to augment traditional class delivery

An emerging literature focuses on differences in learning style between the so-called millennial generation and preceding generations of students. Concurrently, a number of intuitions have developed among engineering educators about millennial students, most with the common theme of lowered tolerance for lecture settings. Two current threads addressing the ldquolower attention span problemrdquo are (a) approaches under the rubric active learning and (b) technology developments such as web-enabled screen movies and pod-casts. The second thread is often aimed at a technology ldquofix.rdquo Experience shows that any technology fix is of itself minimal value. We focus on possibilities for improved instructional design. Specifically, our research question is the following: What is the effect of augmenting course material with web-based, voice-over slide presentations punctuated with full screen demonstrations and interactive quizzes? We report on our first steps to develop voice-over slide presentations with embedded quiz questions and full motion screen demonstrations in a web-accessible environment. Initial results focus on student attitudes based on data collected in Summer and Fall terms, 2007. Future work will include quantitative evaluation of learning outcomes.
Identification of the histidine protein kinase KinB in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and its phosphorylation of the alginate regulator algB.

The exopolysaccharide alginate is an important virulence factor in chronic lung infections caused by the bacteriumPseudomonas aeruginosa. Two positive activators for alginate synthesis, algB and algR, are members of a superfamily of response regulators of the two-component regulatory system. AlgB belongs to the NtrC subfamily of response regulators and is required for high-level production of alginate. In this study, an open reading frame encoding a polypeptide of 66 kDa, designatedkinB, was identified immediately downstream ofalgB. The sequence of KinB is homologous to the histidine protein kinase members of two-component regulatory systems. Western blot analysis of a P. aeruginosa strain carrying akinB-lacZ protein fusion and studies ofkinB-phoA fusions indicate that KinB localizes to the inner membrane and has a NH2-terminal periplasmic domain. A KinB derivative containing the COOH terminus of KinB was generated and purified. In the presence of [γ-32P]ATP, the purified COOH-terminal KinB protein was observed to undergo progressive autophosphorylation in vitro. Moreover, the phosphoryl label of KinB could be rapidly transferred to purified AlgB. Substitutions of the residues conserved among histidine protein kinases abolished KinB autophosphorylation. These results provide evidence thatkinB encodes the AlgB cognate histidine protein kinase.