cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A predictive model for heat inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes biofilm on stainless steel

Heat treatment of potential biofilm-forming sites is sometimes used for control of Listeria monocytogenes in food processing plants. However, little information is available on the heat treatment required to kill L. monocytogenes present in biofilms. The purpose of this study was to develop a predictive model for the heat inactivation of L. monocytogenes in monoculture biofilms (strains Scott A and 3990) and in biofilms with competing bacteria (Pseudomonas sp. and Pantoea agglomerans) formed on stainless steel in the presence of food-derived soil. Biofilms were produced on stainless steel coupons with diluted tryptic soy broth incubated for 48 h at 25 degrees C. Duplicate biofilm samples were heat treated for 1, 3, 5, and 15 min at 70, 72, 75, 77, and 80 degrees C and tested for survivors using enrichment culture. The experiment was repeated six times. A predictive model was developed using logistic regression analysis of the fraction negative data. Plots showing the probability of L. monocytogenes inactivation in biofilms after heat treatment were generated from the predictive equation. The predictive model revealed that hot water sanitation of stainless steel can be effective for inactivating L. monocytogenes in a biofilm on stainless steel if time and temperature are controlled. For example, to obtain a 75% probability of total inactivation of L. monocytogenes 3990 biofilm, a heat treatment of 80 degrees C for 11.7 min is required. The model provides processors with a risk management tool that provides predicted probabilities of L. monocytogenes inactivation and allows a choice of three heat resistance assumptions. The predictive model was validated using a five-strain cocktail of L. monocytogenes in the presence of food soil.
Inverse Function: Pre-Service Teachers' Techniques and Meanings.

Researchers have argued teachers and students are not developing connected meanings for function inverse, thus calling for a closer examination of teachers’ and students’ inverse function meanings. Responding to this call, we characterize 25 pre-service teachers’ inverse function meanings as inferred from our analysis of clinical interviews. After summarizing relevant research, we describe the methodology and theoretical framework we used to interpret the pre-service teachers’ activities. We then present data highlighting the techniques the pre-service teachers used when responding to tasks that involved analytical and graphical representations of functions and inverse functions in both decontextualized and contextualized situations and discuss our inferences of their meanings based on their activities. We conclude with implications for the teaching and learning of inverse function and areas for future research.
Posttraumatic stress symptom trajectories among children after disaster exposure: a review

Natural disasters, such as hurricanes and floods, are increasing in frequency and scope. Youth exposed to disasters are at risk for developing posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). However, not all youth who report initially elevated PTSS report persistent PTSS that last beyond the first three to six months postdisaster. Thus, it is crucial to understand how and why youth differ in their patterns of PTSS. This study reviewed the literature on children's postdisaster PTSS, evaluating the typical number and types of patterns for children's PTSS trajectories, as well as risk and protective factors predicting trajectory membership. This review identified eight empirical studies on youth PTSS trajectories following natural disasters; these studies included 8,306 children aged 3 to 18 years. All studies identified resilience, recovery, and chronic trajectories. Evidence for a delayed trajectory was mixed. Proportions of children falling into each trajectory varied widely across studies, but overall, resilience was the most prevalent trajectory. These findings were consistent across study factors (i.e., analytic strategy, assessment timing, and study selection criteria). Female gender, disaster exposure, negative coping, and lack of social support were significant risk factors for chronic trajectories across several studies. Future research should combine individual level participant data across studies of children's responses to disasters to better understand PTSS trajectories.
Brief Psychotherapy for the Sexual Dysfunctions

Sex therapy, as we know it today, is a relatively new therapeutic approach within the history of psychology, psychiatry, and related disciplines. The earliest appearance of problem-focused techniques for sexual disorders occurred in the late 1950s, with Wolpe’s successful application of classical conditioning procedures to anxiety-based sexual dysfunction (Wolpe, 1958) and Semans’ 1956 article describing the “stop-start” method for premature ejaculation. Since this time, a number of approaches to time-limited sex therapy have been developed, in particular Masters and Johnson’s (1970) conjoint sex therapy, Kaplan’s (1974) integration of analytic and behavioral approaches, Lazarus’ (1971) multimodal behavior therapy, and LoPiccolo’s (1978) direct treatment of low sexual arousal. Each of these therapeutic models shares the basic assumption that sexual behavior can be treated directly, without long-term exploration of underlying psychological dynamics, and in most cases, utilizes skill acquisition and anxiety reduction techniques to accomplish this goal.
Soft Tissue Injuries and Amputations

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have produced a devastating but survivable injury pattern termed dismounted complex blast injury (DCBI) which is characterized by proximal lower extremity amputations and peri-pelvic trauma. The potential for massive blood loss from major vessel hemorrhage requires expedient battlefield intervention and coordinated casualty evacuation that balances aggressive debridement and soft tissue management with forward-minded action to preserve limb length and maximize function. Despite and possibly as a result of these attempts, the limbs of DCBI patients are wrought with early and late complications. Infection mitigation remains difficult despite serial debridements, early antibiosis, and delayed closures that utilize negative pressure wound dressings and antibiotic- and antifungal-impregnated cement beads. Invasive fungal infection, in particular, has high mortality and requires aggressive debridement as a lifesaving measure. Efforts to preserve amputation level necessitate novel approaches to soft tissue management to include rotational and free flaps, tissue expanders, and regenerative xenograft tissue matrices that push the limits of the orthoplastic reconstructive ladder. Heterotopic ossification is nearly ubiquitous in the residual limbs of DCBI causalities and when symptomatic can delay rehabilitation and require morbid surgery making prophylaxis a primary focus of military surgeons and scientists. While the functional outcomes of combat amputees surpass those of civilian traumatic amputees, innovative treatments such as targeted muscle reinnervation and osseointegration offer promise for those amputees who are limited by neuromas and poorly tolerated conventional prostheses. These advances may have wide-reaching clinical application beyond military treatment facilities and veteran’s hospitals to those who sustain traumatic amputations from conventional trauma, natural disaster, or terrorism.
Precedent and United States Administrative Law

In the common law order, precedent is not only a matter of applying law but also of making law. The crucial function of stare decisis is to relieve the appearance of judicial arbitrariness. Precedent also applies in the domain of administrative law in the context of judicial control of administrative policy making. Federal courts treat administrative agencies as having precedent-setting powers comparable to their own, under what is referred to as the Chevron doctrine. This doctrine determines the scope of judicial control of the decisional process performed by an administrative agency, particularly when the court is called upon to enforce a limitation to the administrative discretion delegated by the agency’s governing statute.
Introduction to Ecological Dimensions of Global Energy Poverty

Globally, 1.6 billion people, 16% of the world’s population, lack access to electricity and more than three billion people rely on traditional fuels such as wood, dung, agricultural waste, or charcoal, to meet everyday domestic needs (IEA 2010). This condition of energy poverty constrains multiple aspects of human development and growth. Women and children must spend time, often hours, collecting wood-fuel instead of investing time in other productive pursuits, such as attending school or producing value-added commodities for sale or trade. When fuel is in short supply, water is not boiled to kill pathogens, contributing to debilitating ill-health, and mortality of infants. Smoke from indoor combustion of biomass fuels contributes to acute respiratory infections and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which kills an estimated two million people a year, mostly young children and women (World Bank 2006). The collection of these traditional fuels puts additional stresses on forest and agricultural ecosystems, undermining rural livelihoods over the long term. Trees are cut for wood-fuel, forests are cleared for charcoal production, and agricultural residues are burned instead of returning nutrients to the soil. While the energy poor are predominantly concentrated in rural areas, access to electricity in urban and peri-urban areas of developing countries is often limited to wealthier communities, forcing the poor to go without or pay comparatively higher prices for domestic fuels. Billions of dollars worth of energy subsidies are rarely targeted to benefit the poor.
Spin Glasses: Results from Numerical Simulations

Spin Glasses are among the simplest examples of statistical mechanics problems with “frustration”, i.e. competition between different terms in the Hamiltonian. Monte Carlo simulations are difficult to perform successfully because relaxation times are long, so many Monte Carlo steps are needed. As a result, only rather small sizes can be studied and the techniques of finite-size scaling are used to extrapolate to the thermodynamic limit. This talk will describe results which have been obtained by Monte Carlo simulations on simple spin glass models. Emphasis will be on investigations of the phase transition and the nature of the low temperature phase.
System for efficient and secure distribution of medical images on the Internet.

Because of the high compressibility of the medical images, data compression is desirable for digital storage despite the availability of inexpensive hardware for mass storage. A progressive transmission algorithm with automatic security filtering features for on-line medical image distribution using Daubechies' wavelets has been developed and is discussed in this paper. The system is practical for real-world applications, processing and coding each 12-bit image of size 512 512 within 2 seconds on a Pentium Pro. Besides its exceptional speed, the security filter has demonstrated a remarkable accuracy in detecting sensitive textual information within current or digitized previous medical images. The algorithm is of linear run time.
Improving Outcomes in a Complex Health Care System: Lessons From Complex Cranial Vault Reconstruction.

Reducing blood donor exposure (BDE) is a meaningful improvement goal for many conditions and procedures that require a transfusion of blood products. Complex cranial vault reconstruction (CCVR) in children is a procedure that routinely requires a large-volume blood transfusion, with intraoperative blood loss routinely exceeding the circulating blood volume1–4 and ongoing losses often leading to postoperative transfusions. Large-volume transfusions increase the risk for coagulopathy5 and a need for additional blood products; increasing donor exposure increases the risk for infection, transfusion reactions, and alloimmunization.6 Optimizing the transfusion management for CCVR requires a high degree of care coordination because multiple providers are involved in the care of these children in the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative setting.1 In addition, an optimal transfusion strategy for this particular population has not been previously established. In this issue of Hospital Pediatrics , Muhly et al7 report the use of sequential interventions and the evaluation of outcomes over time to achieve an overall goal of reducing BDEs. They also achieve a secondary goal of reducing the overall blood transfusion volume in the CCVR population. Although …
Nanoengineering of solid oxide electrochemical cell technologies: An outlook

High temperature electrochemical energy conversion and storage technologies, such as solid oxide electrochemical cells (SOCs), have emerged as promising alternatives to mitigate environmental issues associated with combustion-based technologies. There has been increased interest for nanoengineering SOC electrodes to enhance their efficiency. A major drive is the necessity for improved electrode kinetics via optimization of electrocatalysts for different key reactions in these devices. In this perspective, we discuss the requirements for SOC electrodes and nanoengineering strategies employed to achieve flexibility in electrode materials. We focus on identifying ways in which these nanoengineered materials foster advancements in the SOC electrocatalytic activity, selectivity, and stability. We conclude by proposing approaches that would lead to more stable electrocatalytic nanostructures with high degree of control over the number and nature of active sites. These nanostructures would enable systematic kinetic studies that could provide an in depth understanding of the reaction mechanisms that govern performance, leading to valuable knowledge for designing optimal electrode materials.
Two-tiered electrical detection, purification, and identification of nucleic acids in complex media

Abstract We demonstrate a two-tiered platform for electrically detecting, purifying, and distinguishing mismatched nucleic acid sequences (DNA and RNA) in complex biological liquid samples. The first tier uses a nanoporous gold (np-Au) for the electrochemical detection and subsequent purification of nucleic acids. The sieve-like structure of np-Au blocks the permeation of large biomolecules and allows for selective transport of nucleic acids to the sensing surface, thereby obviating the need for prior purification steps. The second tier utilizes single-molecule electrical conductance measurements to verify sequence information and identify the presence of mismatches between the DNA probe and the RNA target. This step utilizes the single-molecule break junction approach to measure samples eluted from the first-tier to reduce the possibility of false positives from similar target sequences. In this report, the two-tiered approach is employed to detect a 15-base pair (bp) E. coli. RNA sequence in blood, and is further expanded to differentiate between the perfectly-matched case and partial mismatches of the DNA:RNA hybrids.
The laparoscopic approach to distal pancreatectomy is a value-added proposition for patients undergoing care in moderate-volume and high-volume centers

Abstract Background Little is known regarding the impact of the minimally invasive approach to distal pancreatectomy on the aggregate costs of care for patients undergoing distal pancreatectomy. Methods We queried the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Database to identify patients undergoing elective laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy or open distal pancreatectomy between 2012 and 2014. Multivariable regression was used to evaluate postoperative outcomes including readmissions to 90 days after distal pancreatectomy. Results A total of 267 (11%) patients underwent laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy, and a total of 2,214 (89%) underwent open distal pancreatectomy. On multivariable regression, patients undergoing laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy had a decreased odds risk of having any severe adverse outcome (odds ratio 0.73, 95% confidence interval [0.54–0.97]), prolonged length of stay (odds ratio 0.49, 95% confidence interval [0.30–0.79]), and of being in the highest quartile for aggregate costs of care (odds ratio 0.46, 95% confidence interval [0.32–0.66]) relative to those undergoing open distal pancreatectomy. Patients undergoing laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy had a lower average 90-day aggregate cost of care than those undergoing open distal pancreatectomy when procedures were performed in high-volume (–$16,153, 95% CI: [–$23,342 to –$8,964]) centers. Conclusion Patients undergoing laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy have a lower risk of severe adverse outcomes, prolonged overall length of stay, and lower associated costs of care relative to those undergoing open distal pancreatectomy. This association is independent of hospital volume.
Mesenchymal and Miscellaneous Neoplasms of the Uterine Corpus

The great majority of uterine mesenchymal neoplasms are leiomyomas. Leiomyomas are the most common benign pelvic tumors in women, and they represent the most common indication for hysterectomies in the United States. Leiomyomas may display a variety of growth patterns and macroscopic or microscopic features that may cause them to be mistaken for a malignancy by the pathologist. Others, such as fumaratase hydratase-associated leiomyomas, may have implications to the patient for genetic counseling and should accordingly be recognized. Mesenchymal malignancies of the uterine corpus are rare, and most are leiomyosarcomas and endometrial stromal sarcomas. There have been significant recent advances in identifying subsets of endometrial stromal sarcomas with a molecular basis, which increasingly allows for the correct classification of cases that have previously been erroneously classified as undifferentiated uterine sarcoma or leiomyosarcoma. This chapter also illustrates and discusses various other rare mesenchymal tumors, as well as adenomatoid tumor.
Origins of the Electronic Modulations of Bacterio- and Isobacteriodilactone Regioisomers.

Advances in the utilization of porphyrinoids for photomedicine, catalysis, and artificial photosynthesis require a fundamental understanding of the relationships between their molecular connectivit...
Enquiry-based Learning: the impact on postgraduate trainees

AbstractThis paper discusses approaches to teaching and learning at postgraduate level. Innovative curriculum design and the desire to involve trainees in their own learning has seen an increasing number of those in Higher Education (HE) adopt an enquiry-based learning (EBL) approach. This paper will discuss how twenty five postgraduate trainees specialising in initial teacher training in the Early Years undertook a module which involved investigating a chosen area of early years practice and presenting this in the form of a documentary that would inform qualified teachers new to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). The promotion of the EBL approach was strategic and encouraged trainees to engage more deeply with the issues around a specific chosen topic as well encouraging autonomy and independence. Furthermore, it facilitated a set of additional knowledge and attributes that would be recognised as valuable in an early years ‘professional context’ (MacDonald, 2005). A self-efficacy questionnaire, based on Lane et al. (2003) was completed by the trainees at the beginning of the module and on completion in order to gauge individual levels of motivation, planning, ability to seek support, understanding of theory, time management and management of overall production and writing in relation to their chosen topic area. Initial findings show that whilst the trainees gained from the EBL approach to learning, it also raised far greater issues for PGCE trainees undertaking a one year intensive initial teacher training course. Keywords: Enquiry-based learning (EBL); self-efficacy; documentary; engagement; assessment process; postgraduate.
Improving Employment and Earnings in Twenty-First Century Labor Markets: An Introduction

How have U.S. workers fared recently? Broadly speaking, not so well. The employment and earnings outcomes of most Americans in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century have been disappointing. Over the past four decades, average real wage growth has been modest; wage inequality has risen
Dynamic Assortment Optimization for Reusable Products with Random Usage Durations

We consider dynamic assortment problems with reusable products, in which each arriving customer chooses a product within an offered assortment, uses the product for a random duration of time, and r...
Interpolation of Discrete-Time Series

AbstractInterpolation can be used to up-sample a sparsely recorded or simulated data set. Ideal interpolation models such as a Nyquist-bandlimited filter in the frequency domain and sinc function i...
An Examination of the Impact of D-FACTS on the Dynamic Behavior of Mho and Quadrilateral Ground Distance Elements

This paper explores the influence of inductive Distributed Flexible AC Transmission System (D-FACTS) devices on the response of mho elements and quadrilateral distance elements. D- FACTS represents a distributed solution for relieving congestion in transmission lines, but the presence of these devices may cause misoperation or an undesired trip of the protective relay because of overreaching or underreaching of distance elements. This work examines the unpredictable changes in the dynamic behavior of the memory polarized mho circles and the tilt angle value of the quadrilateral distance elements in the presence of D-FACTS, and how that may influence the fault resistance coverage. The results show that implementing D- FACTS on an adjacent line expands fault resistance coverage for forward faults and avoids unwanted tripping in case of reverse faults. For the quadrilateral distance elements, this may cause underreaching or overreaching of the distance elements by changing the tilt of the effective impedance response.
Methods of intersectional research

Intersectionality is a powerful concept within sociology, urging scholars to consider how an array of socially constructed dimensions of difference intersect to shape each person’s experiences and ...
Gout management and outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional internet survey

Aim:We aimed to assess the gout management during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods:We assessed medication use, healthcare utilization, gout-specific health-related quality of life (HRQoL) on the Gout ...
Dynamic changes in the pancreatitis activity scoring system during hospital course in a multicenter, prospective cohort.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The primary aim was to validate the Pancreatitis Activity Scoring System (PASS) in a multicenter prospectively ascertained acute pancreatitis (AP) cohort. Second, we investigated the association of early PASS trajectories with disease severity and length of hospital stay (LOS). METHODS: Data were prospectively collected through the APPRENTICE consortium (2015-2018). AP severity was categorized based on revised Atlanta classification. Delta PASS (ΔPASS) was calculated by subtracting activity score from baseline value. PASS trajectories were compared between severity subsets. Subsequently, the cohort was subdivided into three LOS subgroups as short (S-LOS): 2-3 days; intermediate (I-LOS): 3-7 days; and long (L-LOS): ≥7 days. The generalized estimating equations model was implemented to compare PASS trajectories. RESULTS: There were 434 subjects analyzed including 322 (74%) mild, 86 (20%) moderately severe, and 26 (6%) severe AP. Severe AP subjects had the highest activity levels and the slowest rate of decline in activity (P = 0.039). Focusing on mild AP, L-LOS subjects (34%) had 28 points per day slower decline; whereas, S-LOS group (13%) showed 34 points per day sharper decrease compared with I-LOS (53%; P < 0.001). We noticed an outlier subset with a median admission-PASS of 466 compared with 140 in the rest. Morphine equivalent dose constituted 80% of the total PASS in the outliers (median morphine equivalent dose score = 392), compared with only 25% in normal-range subjects (score = 33, P value < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study highlighted that PASS can quantify AP activity. Significant differences in PASS trajectories were found both in revised Atlanta classification severity and LOS groups, which can be harnessed in AP monitoring/management (ClincialTrials.gov number, NCT03075618).
Principles for Curriculum Design and Pedagogy in Multilingual Secondary Mathematics Classrooms

We introduce and illustrate three principles for designing secondary mathematics classrooms in which multilingual students can benefit from participating in mathematical discussions. Drawing from the Academic Literacy in Mathematics (ALM) framework (Moschkovich, 2015), we developed these principles through a four-year design research collaboration with ninth grade mathematics teachers working in a linguistically diverse urban secondary school in the southwest USA. The three principles that we developed through this work are (a) Align the conceptual focus and use of problem contexts across each curricular unit, (b) Integrate practice-focused and content-focused learning goals in a trajectory, and (c) Incorporate structures that enable the widest possible participation in classroom discourse. We elucidate the necessity for and implementation of each principle by presenting illustrative cases from our research. At the conclusion of the chapter, we consider the implications of this work for STEM policy and practice in multilingual settings.
Stackelberg Game-based Stock Transaction Model and Analysis

With the development of the capital market of China, more and more market entities have begun to participate in the investment in the stock market. The game between different entities in the stock market has also become a popular topic. This paper established a model to analyze the game mechanism between stock manipulators and retail investors based on Stackelberg game theory. This paper also verifies the effectiveness of the proposed game model through simulation experiments.
Overwintering honey bees: biology and management

In temperate climates, honey bees (Apis mellifera) survive the winter by entering a distinct physiological and behavioral state. In recent years, beekeepers are reporting unsustainably high colony losses during the winter, which have been linked to parasitization by Varroa mites, virus infections, geographic location, and variation across honey bee genotypes. Here, we review literature on environmental, physiological, and social factors regulating entrance, maintenance, and exit from the overwintering state in honey bees in temperate regions and develop a testable model to explain how multiple factors may be acting synergistically to regulate this complex transition. We also review existing knowledge of the factors affecting overwintering survival in honey bees and providing suggestions to beekeepers aiming to improve their colonies’ overwintering success.
Toward tissue penetration by MRI-powered millirobots using a self-assembled Gauss gun

MRI-based navigation and propulsion of millirobots is a new and promising approach for minimally invasive therapies. The strong central field inside the scanner, however, precludes torque-based control. Consequently, prior propulsion techniques have been limited to gradient-based pulling through fluid-filled body lumens. This paper introduces a technique for generating large impulsive forces that can be used to penetrate tissue. The approach is based on navigating multiple robots to a desired location and using self-assembly to trigger the conversion of magnetic potential energy into sufficient kinetic energy to achieve penetration. The approach is illustrated through analytical modeling and experiments in a clinical MRI scanner.
FLUX EMERGENCE AND PROMINENCES: A NEW SCENARIO FOR 3-DIMENSIONAL FIELD GEOMETRY BASED ON OBSERVATIONS WITH THE ADVANCED STOKES POLARIMETER

This paper presents an interpretation of the evolution of the vector magnetic field at the photosphere based on measurements of the advanced Stokes polarimeter, along with chromospheric Hα from the Lockheed instrument operating on La Palma and X-ray images of the corona from Yohkoh. These measurements are consistent with the emergence of a nearly closed magnetic structure from the solar interior into the corona. The highly non-potential field topology inferred from the data suggests that strong field-aligned currents exist in the emergent magnetic structure as it buoyantly rises through the photosphere. Material trapped in this closed structure is pulled upward to later condense into a prominence. By analogy of this small active region evolution with the observed properties of large quiescent prominences, we speculate that this process might also be operative on a much larger scale. A 3-dimensional magnetostatic model is presented which has many topological features in common with the observations.
Simple Algorithms for Gilmore–Gomory's Traveling Salesman and Related Problems

We reconsider the version of the traveling salesman problem (TSP) first studied in a well-known paper by Gilmore and Gomory (1964). In this, the distance between two cities A and B, is an integrable function of the x-coordinate of A and the y-coordinate of B. This problem finds important applications in machine scheduling, workforce planning, and combinatorial optimization. We solve this TSP variant by a {\mathcal O}(n log n) algorithm considerably simpler than previously known algorithms. The new algorithm demonstrates and exploits the structure of an optimal solution, and recreates it using minimal storage space without the use of edge interchanges.
Neurogenic bladder of paraplegic patient: Management with radical Y-V-plasty

Abstract In an effort to relieve subvesical resistance in the established paraplegic with unacceptable neurogenic vesical dysfunction while simultaneously preserving potency, a radical Y-V-plasty was carried out in 5 patients. The operation was successful in achieving low residual urines and freedom from clinically evident urinary tract infection without unfavorably affecting potency, but it committed the patients to a dependency on a condom appliance which some were unable to tolerate satisfactorily. The procedure is thought to have merit in selected cases; but whenever it is contemplated, a trial with a condom catheter preoperatively is recommended.
Structural characterization of neutral oligosaccharide mixtures through a combination of capillary electrochromatography and ion trap tandem mass spectrometry

A CEC/ESI-MS/MS combined system has been developed for the separation and on-line structural analysis of neutral oligosaccharides. Various types of isomeric oligosaccharides were first successfully separated by CEC using polar monolithic columns, while the on-line tandem mass spectrometry has been explored to differentiate and elucidate the structures of isomeric oligosaccharides. The experimentally obtained tandem spectra usually provide sequence, branching, and linkage information. Oligosaccharide isomers with a different monomeric composition and branching showed different patterns of glycosidic linkage cleavage (B- and Y-ion series), allowing us to deduce their sequence and branching points. Isomers with different linkages were distinguished by identifying cross-ring fragment ions (A-ion series). While (1-->4) linkages yielded dominant (0,2)A ions, (1-->6) linkages showed an extensive and complete cross-ring cleavage series: (0,2)A, (0,3)A, and (0,4)A ions. Although the anomeric configurations and monosaccharide identification are rarely obtained from tandem MS, the relevant mixture components can be completely resolved with high-efficiency CEC columns featuring a polar functionality.
TCR vaccines against a murine T cell lymphoma: A primary role for antibodies of the IgG2c class in tumor protection

Tumor-associated proteins can act as effective immunotherapeutic targets. Immunization with tumor TCR protein conjugated to the immunogenic protein keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) protects mice from tumor challenge with the murine T cell lymphoma C6VL. The immune mechanisms responsible for this tumor protection are of interest for designing more effective vaccine strategies. Previous studies using depletion experiments had suggested a CD8-mediated component of protection induced by TCR-KLH vaccines. In this study we used CD8α knockout, μMT, and FcγR knockout mice to investigate the relative roles of CD8+ T cells and Ab in protective immunity induced by TCR-KLH immunization. We found that CD8+ T cells are not required for tumor protection, although they may contribute to protection. Vaccine-induced Abs are sufficient to mediate protection against this murine T cell lymphoma through an FcR-dependent mechanism. This was confirmed with Ab transfers, which protect challenged mice. Additionally, recombinase-activating gene 1−/− splenocytes can mediate Ab-dependent cellular cytotoxicity against this tumor in the presence of bound anti-TCR Abs. IFN-γ knockout mice demonstrated a requirement for IFN-γ, probably via generation of IgG2c Abs, in vaccine-induced tumor protection. IFN-γ knockout mice were not protected by immunization and had a severe impairment in IgG2c Ab production in response to immunization. Although mock-depleted anti-TCR Abs could transfer tumor protection, IgG2c-deficient anti-TCR Abs were unable to transfer tumor protection to wild-type mice. These results suggest that TCR-KLH vaccine-induced tumor protection in the C6VL system is primarily attributable to the induction of IgG2c Abs and humoral immunity.
Collections of Compact Sets and Functions Having Gδ-Graphs

We continue the investigation began in [1] of the connection between the structure of a function f defined on a subset of a space X and the Borel complexity of the set C(f) = {C ∈ J(X) : f |C is continuous} where J(X) denotes the nonempty compact subsets of X with the Hausdorff metric. Two hierarchies of functions with Gδ-graphs are defined. We conjecture that they coincide.
In Vitro Selection Using Modified or Unnatural Nucleotides

Incorporation of modified nucleotides into in vitro RNA or DNA selections offers many potential advantages, such as the increased stability of selected nucleic acids against nuclease degradation, improved affinities, expanded chemical functionality, and increased library diversity. This unit provides useful information and protocols for in vitro selection using modified nucleotides. It includes a discussion of when to use modified nucleotides; protocols for evaluating and optimizing transcription reactions, as well as confirming the incorporation of the modified nucleotides; protocols for evaluating modified nucleotide transcripts as template in reverse transcription reactions; protocols for the evaluation of the fidelity of modified nucleotides in the replication and the regeneration of the pool; and a protocol to compare modified nucleotide pools and selection conditions.
Stick-slip arising from Stribeck friction

The implications of Stribeck friction (a nonlinear low-velocity friction effect that contributes to and perhaps dominates stick-slip motion) for feedback control are explored. Through the use of dimensional analysis, the following are examined: (1) the minimum velocity below which stick-slip will occur; (2) the accuracy of sensing required to eliminate stick-slip by feedback control; (3) the slip distance during stick-slip motion; and (4) scaling of Stribeck friction and stick-slip. A seven-parameter friction-plus-control model is proposed; dimensional analysis is employed to reduce the degrees of freedom of this model to three. >
Purification and characterization of a lectin from seeds of the winged bean, Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.)DC

Abstract A lectin from seeds of the winged bean, Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.)DC, has been purified to homogeneity by affinity chromatography on a Bio-Gel lactobionate adsorbent. The lectin is rich in acidic amino acids, and after isoelectric focusing in polyacrylamide gel, appeared as a single band of pI 5.5. The molecular weight of the lectin is 46 000 ± 2000 as determined by analytical ultracentrifugation. Dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis detected a single type of subunit with a molecular weight of 29 000 ± 3000. The lectin has specificity for receptors containing D -galactose and agglutinates trypsinized human red blood cells of all three ABO types. Of the tested inhibitors of hemagglutination caused by winged bean lectin, p- nitrophenyl-β- d -galactoside was the most potent. Lactose was the most active oligosaccharide tested, and other oligosaccharides containing α-linked d -galactose were much less inhibitory.
Lexical complexity and fixation times in reading: effects of word frequency, verb complexity, and lexical ambiguity.

Two experiments investigated whether lexical complexity increases a word’s processing time. Subjects read sentences, each containing a target word, while their eye movements were monitored. In experiment 1, mean fixation time on infrequent words was longer than on their more frequent controls, as was the first fixation after the Infrequent Target. Fixation Times on Causative, factive, and negative verbs and ambiguous nouns were no longer than on their controls. Further analyses on the ambiguous nouns, however, suggested that the likelihood of their various meanings affected fixation time. This factor was investigated in experiment 2. subjects spent a longer time fixating ambiguous words with two equally likely meanings than fixating ambiguous words with one highly likely meaning. The results suggest that verb complexity does not affect lexical access time, and that word frequency And the presence of two highly likely meanings may affect lexical access and/or postaccess integration.
Testing for personality bias in evaluating agribusiness students

Agribusiness students are compared to four base populations on respective distributions of Myers—Briggs personality types. A statistical t test checks for personality bias in evaluating student performance. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Visual world perception modeling and control of cooperative mobile robots

There has been a great interest in the recent years in visual coordination and target tracking for mobile robots cooperating in unstructured environments. This paper describes visual servo control techniques suitable for intelligent task planning of cooperative robots operating in unstructured environment. In this paper, we have considered a team of semi-autonomous robots controlled by a remote supervisory control system. We have presented an algorithm for visual position tracking of individual cooperative robots within their working environment. Initially, we present a technique suitable for visual servoing of a robot toward its landmark targets. Secondly, we present an image-processing technique that utilizes images from a remote surveillance camera for localization of the robots within the operational environment. In this algorithm, the surveillance camera can be either stationary or mobile. The supervisor control system keeps tracks of relative locations of individual robots and utilizes relative coordinate information of the robots to plan their cooperative activities. We presented some results of this research effort that illustrates effectiveness of the proposed algorithms for cooperative robotic systems visual team working and target tracking.
Conformational properties of nucleotide-based template-competitive HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitors: Analysis of enzyme binding modes

Abstract Nucleotides 2-(4-azidophenacyl)thio-1,N6-etheno-2′-deoxyadenosine 5′-triphosphate 1 and its tetrafluoro analog 2 inhibit HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) competitively relative to template. These template-competitive RT inhibitors (TCRTIs) were analyzed for conformational properties by molecular modeling and NMR analysis. Both inhibitors prefer sugar conformations of C2′-endo/C3′-exo with a high-anti glycosidic bond rotation and +sc/ap phosphate conformation (γ). The major effect of the etheno group is to favor an extended, fully staggered anti conformation in the N1-C2-S-CH2 ψ 1 side chain rotation, and NMR analysis detects a long range sugar H4′ to side chain phenyl meta-H NOE, a result consistent with this compact structure as an important contributor to the solution structure. The binding model generated places the phenyl side chain in a lipophilic pocket in the template grip region of the RT polymerase domain with the Mg-triphosphate complexed to active site carboxylates. The structures of t...
Inactivation of Single-Celled Ascaris suum Eggs by Low-Pressure UV Radiation

Intact and decorticated single-celled Ascaris suum eggs were exposed to UV radiation from low-pressure, germicidal lamps at fluences (doses) ranging from 0 to 8,000 J/m2 for intact eggs and from 0 to 500 J/m2 for decorticated eggs. With a UV fluence of 500 J/m2, 0.44- ± 0.20-log inactivation (mean ± 95% confidence interval) (63.7%) of intact eggs was observed, while a fluence of 4,000 J/m2 resulted in 2.23- ± 0.49-log inactivation (99.4%). (The maximum quantifiable inactivation was 2.5 log units.) Thus, according to the methods used here, Ascaris eggs are the most UV-resistant water-related pathogen identified to date. For the range of fluences recommended for disinfecting drinking water and wastewater (200 to 2,000 J/m2), from 0- to 1.5-log inactivation can be expected, although at typical fluences (less than 1,000 J/m2), the inactivation may be less than 1 log. When the eggs were decorticated (the outer egg shell layers were removed with sodium hypochlorite, leaving only the lipoprotein ascaroside layer) before exposure to UV, 1.80- ± 0.32-log reduction (98.4%) was achieved with a fluence of 500 J/m2, suggesting that the outer eggshell layers protected A. suum eggs from inactivation by UV radiation. This protection may have been due to UV absorption by proteins in the outer layers of the 3- to 4-μm-thick eggshell. Stirring alone (without UV exposure) also inactivated some of the Ascaris eggs (∼20% after 75 min), which complicated determination of the inactivation caused by UV radiation alone.
H- and D-atom formation from the pyrolysis of C6H5CH2Br and C6H5CD2Br: Implications for high-temperature benzyl decomposition☆

Abstract The thermal decompositions of benzyl (C6H5CH2) and benzyl,α,ά-d2 (C6H5CD2) have been studied at high temperatures with the reflected shock tube technique using H- and D-atom Atomic Resonance Absorption Spectroscopy (ARAS). The experiments were performed at high-T (1437–1801 K) at nominal pressures ≈ 0.3–1.3 atm. The present experiments utilizing the ultra-sensitive H- and D-atom ARAS technique reveal that there are three unique channels that contribute to benzyl decomposition: H-atom removal from the ring, H/D-atom removal from the side-chain, and a non-atom producing process (postulated to be cyclopentadienyl + acetylene). The rate constants for the three channels can be represented in s−1 by, k H,ring = 1.14 × 10 12 exp ( - 32180 K / T ) ( 1475 – 1801 K ) k H / D,side-chain = 4.50 × 10 13 exp ( - 40650 K / T ) ( 1487 – 1789 K ) k non-atom = 1.55 × 109 exp ( - 23470 K / T ) ( 1437 – 1627 K ) The experimental data was also used to obtain rate constants for total benzyl decomposition and an Arrhenius fit gives, k total = 1.05 × 10 12 exp ( - 31450 K / T ) ( 1437 – 1801 K ) The present study gives reliable determinations of rate constants for the three channels that, when coupled with the postulated mechanistic interpretations for these processes, should be useful in future theoretical and experimental characterizations of benzyl decomposition.
Immunolocalization and expression of prohibitin, a mitochondrial associated protein within the rat ovaries

This study was designed to determine the cellular distribution and pattern of expression for the mitochondria-associated protein, prohibitin, during the transitional stages of follicular differentiation within the rat ovary. Immunohistochemical staining techniques were used on frozen sections to examine the localization of prohibitin to preantral, antral, preovulatory, and atretic follicles. Prohibitin localization was also determined in corpus luteum from adult rats, in addition to those from infant and juvenile ovaries, before and after gonadotropin stimulation. Western and Northern blotting techniques were used for qualitative and quantitative assessment of prohibitin expression levels within the ovary. Prohibitin was localized within granulosa cells of infant and juvenile ovaries in a relatively heterogeneous staining pattern. The oocyte also exhibited robust prohibitin expression at all stages of follicular development. In addition, strong prohibitin expression was evident in the corpus luteum as well as in follicles undergoing atresia. Additional data derived from studies involving a GnRH-agonist indicate that increases in prohibitin protein expression correlate with the initial events of apoptosis. Collectively, these results support a growth regulatory role for prohibitin within the rat ovary. Therefore, we propose that prohibitin may serve as an important regulator of granulosa cell fate during follicular development. Anat Rec 256:40–48, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Vibrio and phytoplankton dynamics during the summer of 2004 in a eutrophying estuary.

Bacterioplankton response to eutrophication is a critical part of the transition from phytoplankton blooms to bottom-water hypoxia in estuaries. This topic is of particular concern when endemic bacterial populations, such as Vibrio sp., may pose a health risk to local human populations using estuaries for recreation and food. The purpose of this study was to observe the dynamics of both Vibrio and phytoplankton in the Neuse River Estuary (NRE) in North Carolina, USA, during the summer of 2004. Vibrio concentrations, particle suspension characteristics, and chlorophyll a were measured in surface water collected at a series of stations along the estuarine gradient. Consistent with previous studies, a strong positive relationship between Vibrio concentration and salinity was found. Both Vibrio sp. and phytoplankton concentrations increased moving downstream, but beyond the salt front, phytoplankton declined while Vibrio sp. concentrations continued to increase. In surface waters, a large portion of suspensions was comprised of phytoplankton cells. The fraction of Vibrio cells attached to phytoplankton increased with phytoplankton concentration and decreased with increasing salinity. These observations of Vibrio dynamics in the NRE provide evidence that populations interact with phytoplankton populations in surface waters. This information may prove critical for models of estuarine bacterial dynamics in response to eutrophication.
Diffuse back-arc deformation in the southwestern Pacific

Earthquake distribution and focal mechanisms from the Lau and North Fiji back-arc basins indicate a diffuse and shear-dominated system of deformation, at odds with traditional plate tectonic models of lithospheric accretion in back-arc basins. The entire back-arc region between the Tonga and New Hebrides arcs is more realistically modelled as a giant, internally deformed, pull-apart basin, formed along a left step in the transform boundary between the Pacific and Indo-Australian plates.