cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Scrapie prion protein contains a phosphatidylinositol glycolipid

The scrapie (PrPSc) and cellular (PrPC) prion proteins are encoded by the same gene, and their different properties are thought to arise from posttranslational modifications. We have found a phosphatidylinositol glycolipid on both PrPC and PrP 27-30 (derived from PrPSc by limited proteolysis at the amino terminus). Ethanolamine, myo-inositol, phosphate, and stearic acid were identified as glycolipid components of gel-purified PrP 27-30. PrP 27-30 contains 2.8 moles of ethanolamine per mole. Incubation of PrP 27-30 with a bacterial phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PIPLC) releases covalently bound stearic acid, and allows PrP 27-30 to react with antiserum specific for the PIPLC-digested glycolipid linked to the carboxyl terminus of the trypanosomal variant surface glycoprotein. PIPLC catalyzes the release of PrPC from cultured mammalian cells into the medium. These observations indicate that PrPC is anchored to the cell surface by the glycolipid.
How Do Future Nursing Educators Perceive Informatics? Advancing the Nursing Informatics Agenda through Dialogue

Informatics is a popular topic in literature, in media, and in education. However, nursing professionals and even nursing faculty may not have a clear understanding of informatics. The authors conducted a small simulation study to examine how nursing students enrolled in a doctor of philosophy program—future nursing educators—perceived informatics and its core elements. Using an online collaboration tool, the students were asked to create a plan for integrating informatics into a simulated undergraduate nursing program. The results of the study provide lessons for nursing professionals and educators. Students identified only a handful of competencies believed important by informatics initiatives led by the American Nurses Association and the Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform. Although most students believed an undergraduate curriculum should teach computer skills, only a few participants identified information literacy skills, such as privacy and security of health information, as important for beginning nurses. Although limited, findings articulate the need for a universally accepted definition of informatics and a shared understanding of an informatics core curriculum.
Haematological cancer: Gemtuzumab ozogamicin in acute myeloid leukaemia.

Gemtuzumab ozogamicin was withdrawn from the market after being evaluated in combination with chemotherapy in the frontline treatment of patients aged 18 to 60 years with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). More-recent randomized trials demonstrate that low doses of gemtuzumab added to cytarabine and anthracycline-based chemotherapy benefit patients with better-risk AML. The addition of a low dose of gemtuzumab ozogamicin to cytarabine and anthracycline-based induction and consolidation chemotherapy improves survival in patients with more-favourable-risk acute myeloid leukaemia.
Systematic variations of 87Sr86Sr ratios, Sr compositions, selected major-oxide concentrations, and mineral abundances in piston cores from the Red Sea

Abstract A mixing model is presented which relates the concentrations of Sr to the 87 Sr 86 Sr ratios and concentrations of other elements contained in a mixture of two components. The model is applied to the measured 87 Sr 86 Sr ratios, Sr, CaO, Fe 2 O 3 and SiO 2 concentrations of the detrital fractions of sediment from three piston cores representing different depositional environments in the Red Sea. The sediment is shown to be a mixture of two components derived from old sialic rocks and young volcanic rocks of the surrounding land masses. One of the cores contained a third component which is identified as authigenic Fe 2 O 3 . Removal of this contaminant is shown to return the system to its original detrital constituents. The Sr concentrations of the mixing components were determined from mixing equations derived from the analytical results. The calculated Sr concentrations of the volcanogenic detritus range from 654 to 995 ppm and are consistent with reported values for alkali basalts. The range of Sr concentrations for the sialic detritus, 64–68 ppm, is lower than expected for rocks of granitic composition, indicating that this component consists of highly weathered material. The amount of basaltic detritus contained in each sample was calculated using its measured Sr concentration. The systematic variation of the basaltic compositions as a function of depth defines a stratigraphic profile for each core. Sediment layers either enriched or depleted in volcanogenic detritus are correlated over a distance of as much as 200 km. Layers enriched in the basaltic component are more pronounced in the upper portions of the cores, suggesting increased input of this material in more recent times. Layers enriched in sialic detritus represent pluvial periods in the Red Sea region associated with increased continental runoff during interstadials of the Wurm Glaciation. The concentrations of quartz, feldspar, amphibole, illite, kaolinite and chlorite are shown to vary systematically as a function of the calculated basaltic composition of the sediment. The basaltic component consists primarily of unweathered amphibole, feldspar and volcanic glass fragments whereas the sialic component is composed of poorly-ordered clay minerals and amorphous metal oxides. The systematic variations of the Sr results, major-oxide concentrations and mineral abundances are internally consistent, indicating that the application of the two-component model to this mixing regime is valid.
Nicotine interferes with GABA-mediated inhibitory processes in mouse hippocampus.

Abstract Previous studies indicated that the excitatory effects of nicotine may be mediated via interference with GABAergic transmission. Here, several variants of the paired-pulse paradigm were employed to ascertain whether nicotine interferes with endogenous inhibitory circuits in the hippocampus. Nicotine attenuated the inhibition evoked by antidromic (alvear) stimulation in the CA1 region in a concentration-dependent manner (EC50 = 60−75 μM). This same phenomenon was also observed for the GABAA receptor antagonist bicuculline (0.1 μM). Orthodromic-orthodromic paired-pulse paradigms were found to be unsuitable for investigating the effects of epileptogenic agents such as nicotine and bicuculline on endogenous inhibition.
Bowtie Nanoantennas as Substrates for Electrochemical Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS)

Single gold bowtie nanoantennas are used for electrochemical SERS. Certain vibrational modes of para-mercaptoaniline show a switching-on behavior related to roughening of the nanostructure’s surface upon electrochemical cycling, underlining the importance of well-characterized SERS substrates.
The study of granulocyte kinetics by mathematical analysis of DNA labelling

A commonly used experimental procedure for the study of granulocyte kinetics involves the labelling and subsequent tracing of granulocyte DNA. Following the introduction of a label into the system, observations are made periodically on the concentration of label in the DNA of granulocytes taken from the circulating blood. A mathematical model for the expected value of this concentration (expressed as a function of time following label introduction) has been derived, studied, and related to experimental observations from studies using P32 as a label. Insofar as the derivation of the model accurately incorporates the relevant aspects of granulocyte kinetics, the model will be useful in the interpretation of the experimental observations in terms of these kinetics.
Explaining extreme waves by a theory of stochastic wave groups

It is well known that in a Gaussian sea an extreme wave event is a particular realization of the space-time evolution of a well defined linear wave group, in agreement with the theory of quasi-determinism of Boccotti [Boccotti P. On mechanics of irregular gravity waves. Atti Acc Naz Lincei, Memorie 1989;19:11-170] and the Slepian model of Lindgren [Kac M, Slepian D. Large excursions of Gaussian processes. Ann Math Statist 1959;30:1215-28; Lindgren G. Some properties of a normal process near a local maximum. Ann Math Statist 1970;4(6):1870-83]. In this paper, the concept of stochastic wave groups is proposed to explain the occurrence of extreme waves in nonlinear random seas, according to the dynamics imposed by the Zakharov equation [Zakharov VE. Statistical theory of gravity and capillary waves on the surface of a finite-depth fluid. J Eur Mech B-Fluids 1999;18(3):327-44]. As a corollary, a new analytical solution for the probability of exceedance of the crest-to-trough height is derived for the prediction of extreme wave events in nonlinearly modulated long-crested narrow-band seas. Furthermore, a generalization of the Tayfun distribution [Tayfun MA. On narrow-band representation of ocean waves. Part I: Theory. J Geophys Res 1986;91(C6):7743-52] for the wave crest height is also provided. The new analytical distributions explain qualitatively well recent experimental results of Onorato et al. [Onorato M, Osborne AR, Cavaleri L, Brandini C, Stansberg CT. Observation of strongly non-Gaussian statistics for random sea surface gravity waves in wave flume experiments. Phys Rev E 2004;70:067302] and the numerical simulations of Socquet-Juglard et al. [Socquet-Juglard H, Dysthe K, Trulsen K, Krogstad HE, Liu J. Probability distributions of surface gravity waves during spectral changes. J Fluid Mech 2005;542:195-216].
Abortion, illegitimacy, and the American birth rate.

In sum, it appears that legal abortion depressed overall fertility, but particularly illegitimate fertility, by giving women an opportunity to terminate their pregnancies when other means of birth control either had not been used or had failed. If legalized abortion had not been available, an estimated additional 39,000 illegitimate babies and 28,000 legitimate babies would have been born in 1971 in the United States. While this makes up a small part of total births (3,500,000), the illegitimate births prevented represent almost onetenth of all out-of-wedlock children born in the country in that year. In addition to preventing these births the legalization of abortion appears to have reduced the incidence of pregnancy-related marriages and thereby may have helped to limit subsequent marital disruption. Finally, legal abortion prevented large numbers of illegal abortions from occurring. Our data indicate that well over half—most likely between two-thirds and three-fourths—of all legal abortions in the United States in 1971 were replacements for illegal abortions. Further declines in illegitimate birth rates for the country as a whole will depend, in considerable part, on the extent to which legal abortion becomes more readily available and more widely used. Theoretically, greater use of efficient contraception could also cause illegitimate fertility to decline. But there are many reasons why women do not use efficient contraception even when they know about it and have access to the materials (25). Even though the use of abortion throughout the nation is now legalized by the Supreme Court decision, this does not necessarily mean that services will in fact be everywhere more readily available. Our interstate analysis suggests that should the liberalization of abortion laws be reversed, not only would there be an upturn in illegal abortions and pregnancy-related marriages, but also a marked rise in illegitimacy, particularly among women who do not have the means to obtain an illegal abortion.
Sulforaphane synergistically enhances the cytotoxicity of arsenic trioxide in multiple myeloma cells via stress-mediated pathways

Persistent paraprotein production in plasma cells necessitates a highly developed rough endoplasmic reticulum (ER) that is unusually susceptible to perturbations in protein synthesis. This biology is believed to account for the exquisite sensitivity of multiple myeloma (MM) to the proteasomal inhibitor bortezomib (BTZ). Despite remarkable response rates to BTZ in MM, BTZ carries the potential for serious side-effects and development of resistance. We, therefore, sought to identify therapeutic combinations that effectively disrupt proteostasis in order to provide new potential treatments for MM. We found that sulforaphane, a dietary isothiocyanate found in cruciferous vegetables, inhibits TNFα-induced Iκβ proteasomal degradation in a manner similar to BTZ. Like BTZ, sulforaphane synergistically enhances the cytotoxicity of arsenic trioxide (ATO), an agent with clinical activity in MM. ATO and sulforaphane co-treatment augmented apoptotic induction as demonstrated by cleavage of caspase-3, -4 and PARP. The enhanced apoptotic response was dependent upon production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) as demonstrated by glutathione depletion and partial inhibition of the apoptotic cascade after pretreatment with the radical scavenger N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC). Combination treatment resulted in enhanced ER stress signaling and activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR), indicative of perturbation of proteostasis. Specifically, combination treatment caused elevated expression of the molecular chaperone HSP90 (heat shock protein 90) along with increased PERK (protein kinase RNA-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase) and eIF2α phosphorylation and XBP1 (X-box binding protein 1) splicing, key indicators of UPR activation. Moreover, increased splicing of XBP1 was apparent upon combination treatment compared to treatment with either agent alone. Sulforaphane in combination with ATO effectively disrupts protein homeostasis through ROS generation and induction of ER stress to culminate in inhibition of protein secretion and apoptotic induction in MM. Our results suggest that sulforaphane deserves further investigation in combination with ATO in the treatment of MM.
Diagnostic Modalities in Choroidal Melanoma

We prospectively studied 51 patients with choroidal melanomas in a masked manner to determine the accuracy of clinical, ultrasound, and fluorescein diagnosis as well as the accuracy of tumor size measurements. In patients with clear media, clinical diagnosis was the most accurate means of detecting a choroidal melanoma. There was excellent correlation between clinical, ultrasound, and pathology measurements of tumor size. In small melanomas, clinical examination was the most accurate means of measuring tumor diameter and ultrasound the most accurate method of measuring tumor height. Even with a trained ocular oncologist, there was a significant variability in tumor measurements on serial ophthalmoscopic examinations.
From the Hensen net toward four-dimensional biological oceanography

Abstract The development of quantitative zooplankton collecting systems began with Hensen, 1887 , Hensen, 1895 ). Non-opening closing nets, opening closing nets (mostly messenger based), high-speed samplers, and planktobenthos net systems all had their start in his era — the late 1800s and early 1900s. This was also an era in which many of the fundamental questions about the structure and dynamics of the plankton in the worlds oceans were first posed. Fewer new systems were introduced between 1912 and 1950 apparently due in part to the two World Wars. The continuous plankton recorder stands out as a truly innovative device developed during this period ( Hardy 1926b Nature, London 118, 630 ). Resurgence in development of mechanically-based instruments occurred during the 1950s and 1960s. A new lineage of high-speed samplers, the Gulf series, began in the 1950s and a number of variants were developed in the 1960s and 1970s. Net systems specifically designed to collect neuston first appeared in the late 1950s. During the 1960s, many focused field and experimental tank experiments were carried out to investigate the hydrodynamics of nets, and much of our knowledge concerning net design and construction criteria was developed. The advent of reliable electrical conducting cables and electrically-based control systems during this same period gave rise first to a variety of cod-end samplers and then to the precursors of the acoustically and electronically-controlled multi-net systems and environmental sensors, which appeared in the 1970s. The decade of the 1970s saw a succession of multi-net systems based both on the Be multiple plankton sampler and on the Tucker trawl. The advent of the micro-computer stimulated and enabled the development of sophisticated control and data logging electronics for these systems in the 1980s. In the 1990s, acoustic and optical technologies gave rise to sensor systems that either complement multiple net systems or are deployed without nets. Multi-sensor systems with high data telemetry rates through electro-optical cable are now being deployed in towed bodies and on remotely operated vehicles. In the offing are new molecular technologies to identify species in situ, and realtime data analysis, image processing, and 3D/4D display. In the near future, it is likely that the use of multi-sensor systems deployed on autonomous vehicles will yield world wide coverage of the distribution and abundance of zooplankton.
The use of the E′ signal in flint for ESR dating

Abstract The E ′ signal in silica has been used to date quartz in geological applications. However, the behavior of this signal in flint is quite different. Resetting the signal by heating is difficult, and the signal intensity saturates both with respect to artificial dose and to microwave power. Nonetheless, ages determined for flints from north-western Florida are in reasonable agreement with C-14 ages, suggesting that the method should be studied further.
How not to become a Millian heir

Millianism is a highly contentious doctrine in the theory of meaning. It is the thesis that the contribution made by an ordinary proper name to securing the information content of, or the proposition expressed by, a declarative sentence in which the name occurs (outside of the scope of such nonextensional operators as quotation marks), as the sentence is used in a possible context, is simply the name's referent (bearer) in the given use.' The unpopularity of the doctrine stems heavily perhaps primarily from the fact that it leads to a serious philosophical difficulty discovered by Gottlob Frege, and which I have dubbed 'Frege's Puzzle': Let a and b be distinct but co-referential proper names such that the identity sentence 'a = b' contains information that is knowable only a posteriori, and can therefore be informative. Then how can this sentence 'a = b' differ at all in cognitive information (propositional) content from ra = a', which is a priori and uninformative? In Frege's Puzzle2 I proposed an analysis according to which the puzzle relies on three components: (i) a compositionality principle that propositions formed in the very same way from the very same components are the very same proposition; (ii) the principle, which I call 'Frege's Law', that declarative sentences sharing the same cognitive information (propositional) content do not differ in informativeness or epistemological status; and (iii) the observation that there are coreferential proper names a and b (for example, 'Hesperus' and 'Phosphorus') such that ra = b' is informative and a posteriori even though ra = a' is always uninformative and a priori. Together these assertions comprise the main premises of a powerful argument against Millianism. Most Millians, if forced to give direct response, would probably reject Frege's Law. And taken in one sense, I would agree. I argued, however,
Neural Network Learning Without Backpropagation

The method introduced in this paper allows for training arbitrarily connected neural networks, therefore, more powerful neural network architectures with connections across layers can be efficiently trained. The proposed method also simplifies neural network training, by using the forward-only computation instead of the traditionally used forward and backward computation.
Molecular phylogenetics and evolution of turtles.

Turtles are one of Earth’s most instantly recognizable life forms, distinguished for over 200 million years in the fossil record. Even so, key nodes in the phylogeny of turtles remain uncertain. To address this issue, we sequenced >90% of the nuclear recombination activase gene 1 (RAG-1) for 24 species representing all modern turtle families. RAG-1 exhibited negligible saturation and base composition bias, and extensive base composition homogeneity. Most of the relationships suggested by prior phylogenetic analyses were also supported by RAG-1 and, for at least two critical nodes, with a much higher level of support. RAG-1 also indicates that the enigmatic Platysternidae and Chelydridae, often considered sister taxa based on morphological evidence, are not closely related, although their precise phylogenetic placement in the turtle tree is still unresolved. Although RAG-1 is phylogenetically informative, our research revealed fundamental conXicts among analytical methods for estimating phylogenetic hypotheses. Maximum parsimony analyses of RAG-1 alone and in combination with two mitochondrial genes suggest the earliest phylogenetic splits separating into three basal branches, the pig-nosed turtles (Carettochelyidae), the softshell turtles (Trionychidae), and a clade comprising all remaining extant turtles. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses group Carettochelyidae and Trionychidae ( D Trionychoidae) in their more traditional location as the sister taxon to all other hidden-necked turtles, collectively forming the Cryptodira. Our research highlights the utility of molecular data in identifying issues of character homology in morphological datasets, while shedding valuable light on the biodiversity of a globally imperiled taxon.
Techniques for testing component-based software

Component-based software engineering is increasingly being adopted for software development. Although much work has been proposed for building component-based-systems, techniques for testing component-based systems have not been well developed. We present a test model that depicts a generic infrastructure of component-based systems and suggests key test elements. The test model is realized using a component interaction graph (CIG) in which the interactions and the dependence relationships among components are illustrated. By utilizing the CIG, we propose a family of test adequacy criteria which allow optimization of the balancing among budget, schedule, and quality requirements typically necessary in software development. The methodology proposed is efficient and effective, as demonstrated by promising results obtained from a case study.
An overlay based QoS-aware voice-over-IP conferencing system

Ubiquitous IP telephony has become a feasible Internet service, and it is expected to meet the quality standards of traditional telephone services. The work presents a distributed voice-over-IP (VoIP) conferencing system called Venus that is implemented as a composable application-level service overlay network. Compared to the traditional centralized approach, Venus achieves better scalability and resource utilization by efficiently aggregating resources across distributed voice mixers. Moreover, Venus provides multi-constrained quality-of-service (QoS) provisioning by establishing each conferencing session based on multiple QoS constraints (e.g., delay, loss rate) and resource requirements (e.g., bandwidth, audio channels). Venus provides a failure resilient VoIP conferencing service by leveraging the fast failure recovery capability of the application-level service overlay network. Large-scale simulation results illustrate the efficiency of the Venus system.
Risk Management Potential of Precision Farming Technologies

Initial ideas on risk management uses of precision agricultural technology focused on sitespecific treatment of problem areas to reduce the probability of low yields and returns. Recent discussions deal with sensor and remote-sensing information to improve marketing and “as applied maps” as trace-back mechanisms to manage liability. A theoretical model is presented that suggests that there are plausible circumstances under which precision farming can reduce temporal yield variability. Empirical evidence from an on-farm trial of site-specific P&K management in the Eastern Cornbelt supports the hypothesis that precision farming can have risk-reducing benefits.
Review of evidence for a connection between Chlamydia pneumoniae and atherosclerotic disease.

Abstract Background: Established risk factors account for no more than 50% of coronary artery disease cases; therefore, the search continues for other modifiable risk factors. In recent years, there has been renewed interest in the infectious theory of atherosclerosis. Chlamydia pneumoniae has been implicated as a potential cause of atherosclerotic disease. Objective: This review discusses possible mechanisms of C pneumoniae involvement in atherosclerosis, summarizes the case-control studies and antibiotic trials completed, and identifies remaining questions about future therapy. Methods: Published data were identified by a MEDLINE search of the English-language literature from 1966 through 2001 using the terms Chlamydia , atherosclerosis , and coronary artery disease . Relevant conference presentations and book chapters were also included. Results: C pneumoniae antibodies are found in ∼50% of middle-aged adults worldwide. These antibodies have been detected in atherosclerotic tissue by various methods, including microimmunofluorescence, and several studies have linked high antibody titers with increased risk of cardiovascular events. A few possible mechanisms for this perceived increase in risk have been proposed, such as induction of atheroma through damage to the endothelium, expression of procoagulant factor leading to thrombus formation, and production of cytokines resulting in increased inflammatory response. Results of animal studies suggest that early antibiotic treatment may reduce cardiovascular risk, but the first human studies have not produced conclusive results. Conclusions: Although a connection has been suggested, the precise mechanism by which C pneumoniae affects atherosclerosis has not yet been identified. Large-scale trials are needed to determine whether eradication of C pneumoniae reduces the incidence of cardiovascular events in humans.
Macromolecular Composition During Steady-State Growth of Escherichia coli B/r

By using Escherichia coli B/r, the cellular amounts of ribonucleic acid (RNA) and protein were determined as a function of the steady-state growth rate (0.67 to 2.40 doublings per h) by a method which combines measurements of the RNA to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) ratio and the differential rate of ribosomal protein synthesis with the Cooper and Helmstetter theory of DNA replication. The results indicate that the ratios RNA/DNA, RNA/protein, and protein/DNA give linear relationships with the growth rate (above 1.2 doublings per h), whereas RNA/cell and protein/cell show a more complex growth rate dependency. The significance of these relationships is discussed. Finally, a detailed description of the growth parameters and composition of E. coli B/r is presented.
Tracking an invasive honey bee pest: mitochondrial DNA variation in North American small hive beetles

Le Petit Coleoptere des ruches (PCR), Aethina tumida Murray (Coleoptera, Nitidulidae), se nourrit de pollen et de miel et detruit les rayons des colonies d'abeilles domestiques (Apis mellifera L.). Ces PCRs, originaires d'Afrique, ont ete trouves pour la premiere fois aux Etats-Unis en 1996. En six ans ils se sont repandus dans au moins 25 etats des Etats-Unis, provoquant des pertes de colonies dans toute la region du sud-est. Dans ce travail nous avons utilise la variation du gene mitochondrial COI pour decrire les populations de PCRs. Les sequences de l'ADN mitochondrial placent les populations de PCRs des Etats-Unis au sein d'un clade de coleopteres d'Afrique du Sud. Il est interessant de noter que deux haplotypes distincts existent aux Etats-Unis. Une recolte de 539 PCRs dans 26 ruchers repartis en Floride, Georgie, Caroline du Nord et du Sud (Tab. I) a montre des repartitions irregulieres de ces deux haplotypes dans la region du sud est des Etats-Unis. Les PCRs des premieres recoltes faites en Caroline du Sud presentaient une frequence elevee de l'haplotype NA1, haplotype generalement rare en Floride et en Georgie et absent de l'echantillon de Caroline du Nord. Les recoltes recentes en Caroline du Sud ressemblent plus a celles des autres etats. La taille corporelle des PCRs n'est pas correlee a l'haplotype (Tab. II), ce qui suggere que la frequence des haplotypes ne reflete pas les pressions de selection sur les differences covariantes dans les genomes de ces PCRs. Nous discutons des implications qu'ont ces resultats dans les problemes suivants : deduction du nombre d'introductions separees de ces PCRs aux Etats-Unis, identification de nouvelles introductions et estimation de la dynamique de migration des PCRs au fur et a mesure qu'il etendent leur aire de repartition dans le Nouveau Monde. Les haplotypes des coleopteres des ruches aux Etats-Unis indiquent, soit deux introductions separees soit des effets de derive suivis d'une dispersion extremement limitee.
Driving delivery vehicles with ultrasound

Therapeutic applications of ultrasound have been considered for over 40 years, with the mild hyperthermia and associated increases in perfusion produced by ultrasound harnessed in many of the earliest treatments. More recently, new mechanisms for ultrasound-based or ultrasound-enhanced therapies have been described, and there is now great momentum and enthusiasm for the clinical translation of these techniques. This dedicated issue of Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, entitled "Ultrasound for Drug and Gene Delivery," addresses the mechanisms by which ultrasound can enhance local drug and gene delivery and the applications that have been demonstrated at this time. In this commentary, the identified mechanisms, delivery vehicles, applications and current bottlenecks for translation of these techniques are summarized.
Development of a new toxic‐unit model for the bioassessment of metals in streams

Two toxic-unit models that estimate the toxicity of trace-metal mixtures to benthic communities were compared. The chronic criterion accumulation ratio (CCAR), a modification of biotic ligand model (BLM) outputs for use as a toxic-unit model, accounts for the modifying and competitive influences of major cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, H+), anions (HCO, CO,SO, Cl−, S2−) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in determining the free metal ion available for accumulation on the biotic ligand. The cumulative criterion unit (CCU) model, an empirical statistical model of trace-metal toxicity, considers only the ameliorative properties of Ca2+ and Mg2+ (hardness) in determining the toxicity of total dissolved trace metals. Differences in the contribution of a metal (e.g., Cu, Cd, Zn) to toxic units as determined by CCAR or CCU were observed and attributed to how each model incorporates the influences of DOC, pH, and alkalinity. Akaike information criteria demonstrate that CCAR is an improved predictor of benthic macroinvertebrate community metrics as compared with CCU. Piecewise models depict great declines (thresholds) in benthic macroinvertebrate communities at CCAR of 1 or more, while negative changes in benthic communities were detected at a CCAR of less than 1. We observed a 7% reduction in total taxa richness and a 43% decrease in Heptageniid abundance between background (CCAR = 0.1) and the threshold of chronic toxicity on the basis of continuous chronic criteria (CCAR = 1). In this first application of the BLM as a toxic-unit model, we found it superior to CCU. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2010;29:2432–2442. © 2010 SETAC
Towards Quality of Software in TUG

The quality of software depends on the effectiveness of the software development process. Existing software development processes are still not flexible or practical enough for developing a system that requires a mix of existing processes to be used in the production of that system. In this paper, a formal specification language, called TUG (Tree with Unified Grammar), is presented to support a software development process that accommodates conventional software development, operational specification, rapid prototyping via software transformations, software reuse, software testing, and program proofs of correctness. The development process with TUG can not only allow for a mix of existing development processes applied to a given system but also can be adapted to one of existing development processes. The combination of existing development processes takes advantage of the strengths of each process in the system. The software development process with the aid of the TUG specification language can aid the production of reliable and reusable programs.
Hierarchical Multiobjective Optimization for Independent System Operators (ISOs) in Electricity Markets

The creation of competitive electricity markets has increased the complexity of the economics of system operation. Independent system operators (ISOs) perform optimizations based on a market-driven objective function. However, there may be other objectives that the ISO wishes to consider. These objectives are called secondary objectives, as they are dominated by the economic objective. In this paper, a hierarchical multiobjective (HMO) optimization is developed that, through coordinated control of network devices such as phase shifting transformers and series flexible ac transmission systems (FACTS), allows the market objective to be optimized in a global sense, while the secondary objectives are locally optimized. The method is applied to a modified IEEE 30-bus system incorporating a wide-area impact index-minimizing secondary objective. Formulated in this paper, the wide-area impact index accurately measures the effects of parallel flow over multiple lines in a region. Comparisons are made between the HMO's performance with other single and multiple objective optimizations and between the wide-area impact index and traditional parallel flow calculations
Theory in Recreation and Leisure Research: Reflections from the Editors

The evolution and importance of theory in leisure research have been recognized as essential to broaden understandings of leisure. The purpose of this reflective piece is to describe and critique the contributions that theory has made by examining the research documented in American leisure and recreation research journals during the 1990s and projecting those contributions toward the future. From our perspective as individuals associated with Leisure Sciences during the past two years, we provide a review of literature regarding the meanings of theory, note summaries of other studies in our field that have empirically examined theory, compare leisure research from the 1980s to the 1990s, and offer suggestions regarding trends in the future theoretical development of the parks, recreation, leisure, sport, and tourism fields. We also advocate “post approaches” such as postmodernism that may be essential in the next stage of theory evolution.
Statistical distributions and the identification of currency crises

Abstract We use extreme value theory to identify periods of currency crisis for a broad cross-section of Asian, European, and Latin American countries. We argue that our methodology improves upon the more conventional methodology for defining currency crises because fewer parametric assumptions need to be satisfied. We compare the incidence of currency crises using the conventional method with the incidence obtained using our method. We conclude that identifying currency crises using extreme value theory is a good alternative to the conventional method.
RELATIVE COHORT SIZE AND AGE‐SPECIFIC CRIME RATES: AN AGE‐PERIOD‐RELATIVE‐COHORT‐SIZE MODEL*

The compositional effects of relatively large young-adult cohorts on the total rate of serious crimes is well established. The more subtle effect of relative cohort size on age-specific crime rates, suggested by Richard Easterlin, is more controversial. The literature contains no adequate test of Easterlin's hypothesis as it relates to crime. To provide an adequate test of Easterlin's theory, this study includes age-specific rates and measures of relative cohort size and controls for age and period in an age-period-relative-cohort-size model. Using arrest data from the Uniform Crime Reports (Part I crimes) for the years 1960, 1965, 1970, 1975, 1980, and 1985, the analysis provides support for Easterlin's theory for property crimes, that is, for robbery, burglary, and larceny (but not for motor vehicle theft). Though these relationships were small in comparison to those between age or period and age-specific crime rates, they were generally statistically significant and were replicated with data from 1962, 1967, 1972, 1977, 1982, and 1987. The relationships between relative cohort size and assaultive crimes provided little consistent support for Easterlin's theory.
Atomic mechanisms of grain boundary diffusion: Low versus high temperatures

We analyze recent results of atomistic computer simulations of grain boundary (GB) diffusion in metals. At temperatures well below the bulk melting point Tm GB diffusion occurs by random walk of individual vacancies and self-interstitials. Both defects are equal participants in the diffusion process and can move by a large variety of diffusion mechanisms, many of which are collective transitions. GB diffusion coefficients can be computed by kinetic Monte Carlo simulations. At high temperatures, the presence of large concentrations of point defects is likely to alter the diffusion mechanisms. Molecular dynamics simulations of GB structure and diffusion in copper reveal a continuous GB premelting in close vicinity of Tm. However, diffusion in high-energy GBs becomes almost independent of the GB structure (“universal”) at temperatures well below Tm. This behavior can be tentatively explained in terms of heterophase fluctuations from the solid to the liquid phase. The exact diffusion mechanisms in the presence of heterophase fluctuations are yet to be established.
Integrating image clustering and codebook learning

Image clustering and visual codebook learning are two fundamental problems in computer vision and they are tightly related. On one hand, a good codebook can generate effective feature representations which largely affect clustering performance. On the other hand, class labels obtained from image clustering can serve as supervised information to guide codebook learning. Traditionally, these two processes are conducted separately and their correlation is generally ignored. In this paper, we propose a Double Layer Gaussian Mixture Model (DLGMM) to simultaneously perform image clustering and codebook learning. In DLGMM, two tasks are seamlessly coupled and can mutually promote each other. Cluster labels and codebook are jointly estimated to achieve the overall best performance. To incorporate the spatial coherence between neighboring visual patches, we propose a Spatially Coherent DL-GMM which uses a Markov Random Field to encourage neighboring patches to share the same visual word label. We use variational inference to approximate the posterior of latent variables and learn model parameters. Experiments on two datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of two models.
The Supreme Court and the Regulation of Risk in Criminal Law

Criminal law enforcement raises numerous issues of risk regulation. Yet judicial treatment of such issues is anything but rigorous. This Article critically examines the Supreme Court's use of risk regulatory paradigms in the context of criminal law enforcement. It focuses on two such settings - police termination of a high-speed chase by putting a fugitive's life at risk and the sentencing of career criminals. This Article then argues why the Court's efforts are deficient and raises a more general question: Is the judiciary aptly positioned to conduct formal risk analysis in the criminal law context?
Injection Molding a Polyolefin-Based Nanocomposite versus a Talc-Filled TPO

General Motors Research and Development and Basell Polyolefins have jointly developed a family of polyolefin-based nanocomposites for use in the injection molding of body-side claddings. Basell Polyolefins commercialized one of these materials as Hifax DX277 in September of 2000, and General Motors has exclusive use of this material. Confidence in the ability of DX277 to perform as intended is being reinforced by molding trials at various Tier 1 locations. In addition to mass savings, the nanocomposite material is showing a much wider processing window than conventional talc-filled TPO’s – allowing Tier 1 molders the opportunity to process away problems rather than initiating a tooling change. This paper will describe the processing advantages associated with the injection molding of a polyolefin-based nanocomposite over a conventional talc-filled TPO.
Eutectoid Flux Growth and Physical Properties of Single Crystal Ln117Ni54–ySn112–z (Ln = Gd–Dy)

Ln117Ni53–ySn112–z (Ln = Gd–Dy) have been grown via the eutectoid flux growth method, characterized using single crystal X-ray diffraction, and determined to have a face centered cubic unit cell with lattice parameters of a = 30.070(4), 29.862(5), and 29.823(4) A for the Gd, Dy, and Tb analogues. The compounds contain over 1100 atoms per unit cell with a complex bonding network and multiple magnetic sublattices. In addition, disorder is prevalent throughout the structure. These physical characteristics are ideal when searching for ultralow thermal conductivity materials. Magnetic susceptibility and electrical properties are presented, and all analogues exhibit positive Curie–Weiss constants, suggesting ferromagnetic interactions in each compound, in addition to a spin-glass component to the magnetic behavior.
Covering Spaces in Homotopy Type Theory

Covering spaces play an important role in classical homotopy theory, whose algebraic characteristics have deep connections with fundamental groups of underlying spaces. It is natural to ask whether these connections can be stated in homotopy type theory (HoTT), an exciting new framework coming with an interpretation in homotopy theory. This note summarizes the author’s attempt to recover the classical results (e.g., the classification theorem) so as to explore the expressiveness of the new foundation. Some interesting techniques employed in the current proofs seem applicable to other constructions as well.
Interpreting Islam, modernity, and women's rights in Pakistan

In Interpreting Islam, modernity, and women's rights in Pakistan Anita Weiss takes on the issue of women rights in Pakistan. In focusing on ijtihad (interpretation) Weiss underlines the paradoxical...
Cyber-Victimisation and Online Dating

Online dating Internet sites are one of the newest devices being used to help people find love and companionship. However, it is possible that these individuals who use online dating services might also experience cyber-victimisation as a result of using this dating strategy. The purpose of this chapter is to describe the use of online dating services, their advantages and disadvantages especially as it relates to cyber-victimisation, and online dating safety precautions. Specifically, the chapter will define cyber-victimisation. It will describe actual and perceived risk of cyber-victimisation as a result of online dating. The safety precautions recommended by online dating sites will be described and compared to the precautions actually used by online dating service members.
A case of leukocytoclastic vasculitis following influenza vaccination

Leukocytoclastic vasculitis (LCV) is a small-vessel vasculitis that presents with palpable purpura, most often on the lower extremities. The most common identified triggers of LCV are infection or exposure to a new medication. However, in many cases, a cause cannot be identified.1 We present a patient who had LCV during the fall season of 2 consecutive years. A cause could not be identified at the time of the initial presentation. However, upon recurrence 1 year later, it was discovered that both episodes occurred 11 days after influenza vaccination.
The START App: a web-based RNAseq analysis and visualization resource

Summary: Transcriptional profiling using RNA sequencing (RNAseq) has emerged as a powerful methodology to quantify global gene expression patterns in various contexts from single cells to whole tissues. The tremendous amount of data generated by this profiling technology presents a daunting challenge in terms of effectively visualizing and interpreting results. Convenient and intuitive data interfaces are critical for researchers to easily upload, analyze and visualize their RNAseq data. We designed the START (Shiny Transcriptome Analysis Resource Tool) App with these requirements in mind. This application has the power and flexibility to be resident on a local computer or serve as a web-based environment, enabling easy sharing of data between researchers and collaborators. Availability and Implementation: Source Code for the START App is written entirely in R and can be freely available to download at https://github.com/jminnier/STARTapp with the code licensed under GPLv3. It can be launched on any system that has R installed. The START App is also hosted on https://kcvi.shinyapps.io/START for researchers to temporarily upload their data. Contact: minnier@ohsu.edu
Discovery and Development of the Anti-Human Immunodeficiency Virus Drug, Emtricitabine (Emtriva, FTC)

ConspectusThe HIV/AIDS epidemic, which was first reported on in 1981, progressed in just 10 years to a disease afflicting 10 million people worldwide including 1 million in the US. In 1987, AZT was approved for treating HIV/AIDS. Unfortunately, its clinical usefullness was severly limited by associated toxicities and the emergence of resistance. Three other drugs that were approved in the early 1990s suffered from similar liabilities.In 1990, the Liotta group at Emory University developed a highly diastereoselective synthesis of racemic 3′-thia-2′,3′-dideoxycytidine and 3′-thia-2′,3′-5-fluorodideoxycytidine and demonstrated that these compounds exhibited excellent anti-HIV activity with no apparent cytotoxicity. Subsequently, the enantiomers of these compounds were separated using enzyme-mediated kinetic resolutions and their (−)-enantiomers (3TC and FTC, respectively) were found to have exceptionally attractive preclinical profiles. In addition to their anti-HIV activity, 3TC and FTC potently inhibit the...
A Departmental Change: Professional Development Through Curricular Innovation

Roosevelt University is a private, comprehensive master’s institution with a social justice mission. Faculty are expected to cultivate excellent teaching, create significant amounts of research, and perform much service work. It is challenging to find time for all three when they are approached as distinct tasks. The mathematics department has developed creative activities that integrate all of these professional responsibilities resulting in a significant change in departmental culture. Faculty have added large- and small-scale projects to courses. They are now working with more students on undergraduate research and have created a venue, the Math x-Position, to showcase student work. This was all accomplished by ongoing faculty mentoring, combining teaching and research, and by fostering a safe environment for innovation.