cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mutational analysis of the affinity maturation of antibody 48G7

The affinity maturation of antibody 48G7 from its germline predecessor 48G7g has been studied at a molecular level through a combination of structural and biochemical means. Each of the nine somatic mutations accumulated during affinity maturation has been assessed for gain or loss of function in both the germline and affinity-matured antibodies. Individual somatic mutations were found to be either positive or neutral in their effects on affinity for hapten JWJ1, with a marked context-dependence for some sites of mutation. In a number of cases significant cooperativity was found between pairs of somatically mutated residues. Interpretation of the structural changes introduced by many of the point mutations has been possible due to the availability of high-resolution crystal structures of 48G7g and 48G7, and mechanisms by which these structural changes may result in enhanced affinity for hapten have been identified. Precise dissection of structure-function relationships in this system provides additional insights into the role of cooperativity in the evolution of antibody affinity. Comparison of 48G7 with previously characterized systems provides a varied view of the structure-function mechanisms by which the humoral immune system produces large increases in affinity.
Rehabilitation of orthopedic and rheumatologic disorders. 1. Osteoporosis

This self-directed learning module reviews and summarizes recent literature on osteoporosis. It is part of the chapter on rehabilitation of orthopedic and rheumatologic disorders in the Self-Directed Physiatric Education Program for practitioners and trainees in physical medicine and rehabilitation. The areas covered include pathophysiology of primary and secondary osteoporosis, effects of various pharmacologic treatments on bone metabolism, and the utility of available diagnostic tests. Management strategies for perimenopausal women as compared with postmenopausal women with established osteoporosis are discussed. This is followed by an evaluation and management plan for the older man with acute osteoporotic fracture.
Designing synthetic optical media: photonic crystals

A new class of materials, called photonic crystals, affect a photon’s properties in much the same way that a semiconductor affects an electron’s properties. This represents an ability to mold and guide light that leads naturally to novel applications in several fields, including optoelectronics and telecommunications. We present an introductory survey of the basic concepts and ideas that underlie photonic crystals, and present results and devices that illustrate their potential to circumvent limits of traditional optical systems.
A Retrospective Study Predicting Psychological Vulnerability in Adult Daughters of Breast Cancer Patients

This study was an attempt to identify vulnerability factors in two cohorts of daughters of breast cancer patients. One cohort consisted of daughters whose mothers survived breast cancer and the other consisted of daughters whose mothers died from breast cancer. The results revealed significant main effects. Greater caretaking involvement was associated with higher levels of cancer-related grief. Maternal loss to breast cancer predicted higher levels of cancer-related depression. Also, a history of a depression diagnosis in the daughters was associated with current depressive symptoms. Several significant interactions also emerged. Survival status of the mother and level of daughters' involvement in mother's breast cancer was shown to significantly affect the daughters' current depressive symptoms. Daughters who reported the lowest level of involvement with their mother's breast cancer reported the highest level of current depressive symptoms. Daughters who were less than 12 years of age at the time of their mother's diagnosis reported significantly higher current state anxiety than daughters who were 12 to 19 at the time of their mother's diagnosis. Daughters whose mothers died from breast cancer, who also had a past diagnosis of depression, reported significantly higher levels of cancer-related depression than daughters without a past diagnosis of depression. We concluded that maternal death among daughters who reported very low caretaking involvement reflects the most significant vulnerability to show current depressive symptoms. We also concluded that daughters possessing potential genetic vulnerability to depression are the most sensitized to traumatic life events such as maternal illness and death.
A Simple Device That Maintains the Anterior Chamber

In the intraocular hand irrigationaspiration systems available, the height of the infusion bag and the hand syringe constitute the two variables that control the irrigation-aspiration pressure. A simple new device keeps the input volume equal to the output volume so that a constant intraocular pressure is maintained.
Dietary habits and past medical history as related to fatal pancreas cancer risk among adventists

Epidemiologic studies of diet and pancreas cancer are few, and include ecologic comparisons and a limited number of prospective and case-control studies. Foods and/or nutrients that have been suggested to be associated with increased risk of this cancer include total fat intake, eggs, animal protein, sugar, meat, coffee and butter. Consumption of raw fruits and vegetables has been consistently associated with decreased risk. Dietary habits and medical history variables were evaluated in a prospective study of fatal pancreas cancer among 34,000 California Seventh-day Adventists between 1976 and 1983. Forty deaths from pancreas cancer occurred during the follow-up period. Compared to all US whites, Adventists experienced decreased risk from pancreas cancer death (standardized mortality ratio [SMR] = 72 for men; 90 for women), which was not statistically significant. Although there was a suggestive relationship between increasing meat, egg, and coffee consumption and increased pancreatic cancer risk, these variables were not significantly related to risk after controlling for cigarette smoking. However, increasing consumption of vegetarian protein products, beans, lentils, and peas as well as dried fruit was associated with highly significant protective relationships to pancreas cancer risk. A prior history of diabetes was associated with increased risk of subsequent fatal pancreas cancer, as was a history of surgery for peptic or duodenal ulcer. A history of tonsillectomy was associated with a slight, nonsignificant protective relationship as was history of various allergic reactions. These findings suggest that the protective relationships associated with frequent consumption of vegetables and fruits high in protease-inhibitor content are more important than any increase in pancreas cancer risk attendant on frequent consumption of meat or other animal products. Furthermore, the previously reported positive associations between diabetes and abdominal surgery and pancreas cancer risk are supported in these data.
The patterns and costs of the Da Vinci robotic surgery system in a large academic institution

The da Vinci ™Robotic System (dVRS) is the latest advancement in laparoscopic surgery allowing the surgeon more accurate and precise control of instrumentation with an added three-dimensional image. Technology comes with a price, $1.3 million. Due to charitable contributions from the Durham family, the University of Nebraska was the eighth Medical Center in the USA to obtain a dVRS in June 2000. UNMC analyzed 224 dVRS surgical procedures from July 2000 to February 2007. These procedures were designated by surgical service and further scrutinized for length of stay, and cost. We also reviewed trends in operative usage, academic and public relations components with this innovative technology. The dVRS was used for multiple other purposes that were beneficial including research with engineering graduate students, training for surgical residents, display and demos as a means for public relations. Primarily general and urologic surgeons utilized the dVRS. General surgeons were the early adopters of the new technology, the greatest growth and utilization of the equipment has been in urologic procedures, which has outpaced general surgery in the past year. Cost analysis shows a subtle benefit with a reduced length of stay by an average of 4 days. Average direct costs were found to be greater with the dVRS by $1,470. Overall, the effects of the dVRS are vast reaching and are fundamental to the growth of an academic institution and continued progress in minimally invasive surgery.
Paul Natorp and the emergence of anti-psychologism in the nineteenth century

Abstract This paper examines the anti-psychologism of Paul Natorp, a Marburg School Neo-Kantian. It identifies both Natorp’s principle argument against psychologism and the views underlying the argument that give it its force. Natorp’s argument depends for its success on his view that certain scientific laws constitute the intersubjective content of knowledge. That view in turn depends on Natorp’s conception of subjectivity, so it is only against the background of his conception of subjectivity that his reasons for rejecting psychologism make sense. This interpretation of Natorp suggests that attention paid to late nineteenth century theories of subjectivity and philosophy of psychology could improve our understanding of the emergence of anti-psychologism in that period.
A stable double-stranded DNA-ethidium homodimer complex: Application to picogram fluorescence detection of DNA in agarose gels

Abstract The complex between double-stranded DNA and ethidium homodimer (5,5'-diazadecamethylene)bis(3,8-diamino-6-phenylphenanthridini um) cation, formed at a ratio of 1 homodimer per 4 or 5 base pairs, is stable in agarose gels under the usual conditions for electrophoresis. This unusual stability allows formation of the complex before electrophoresis and then separation and detection in the absence of background stain. Competition experiments between the preformed DNA-ethidium homodimer complex and a 50-fold molar excess of unlabeled DNA show that approximately one-third of the dye is retained within the original complex independent of the duration of the competition. However, dye-extraction experiments show that these are not covalent complexes. After electrophoretic separation, detection of bands containing 25 pg of DNA was readily achieved in 1-mm thick agarose gels with laser excitation at 488 nm and a scanning confocal fluorescence imaging system. The band intensity was linear with the amount of DNA applied from 0.2 to 1.0 ng per lane and with the number of kilobase pairs (kbp) per band within a lane. Analysis of an aliquot of a polymerase-chain-reaction mixture permitted ready detection of 80 pg of a 1.6-kbp amplified fragment. The use of the ethidium homodimer complex together with laser excitation for DNA detection on gels is at least two orders of magnitude more sensitive than conventional fluorescence-based procedures. The homodimer-DNA complex exemplifies a class of fluorescent probes where the intercalation of dye chromophores in DNA forms a stable, highly fluorescent ensemble.
Commercial Library Decision Support Systems: An Analysis Based on Collection Managers' Needs

In the current environment of widely dispersed and disparate electronic data sources, collection managers increasingly need tools such as decision support systems to routinely perform common types of collection analysis: collection comparison, usage, package deals, and resource sharing. Four commercial decision support systems, Serials Solutions’ 360 Counter, Thomson Reuters’ Journal Use Reports, Swets’ ScholarlyStats, and Serials Solutions’ Ulrich's Serials Analysis System, are considered for their strengths in the above types of analysis and across five additional dimensions: Project COUNTER (Counting Online Usage of Networked Electronic Resources) reports supported, analysis tools, custom data sources supported, reporting features, and product support. Current issues and future trends are discussed.
Changes in ecdysone content during postembryonic development of the wax moth, Galleria mellonella: the role of the ovary.

Abstract The ecdysone titers of representative developmental stages during the life cycle of Galleria mellonella were determined by radioimmunoassay. During the last larval instar two ecdysone peaks are present, the first peak occurring relatively late in the instar concurrent with the initiation of wandering and the second separated from the first by only 1.5 days. The second increase in ecdysone titer marks larval-pupal apolysis and is only slightly larger than the first peak in contrast to studies on other Lepidoptera. Two days after pupation a large ecdysone peak occurs denoting the beginning of pharate adult development and the titer declines thereafter. In female pharate adults, but not in males, the ecdysone titer rises to the maximum for the life cycle at about the time of adult eclosion and then declines slowly during the next 4 days. When larvae are gonadectomized, the resulting females no longer yield the ecdysone peak found under normal conditions at about the time of pupal-adult ecdysis. Extraction of ovaries from late pharate adult G. mellonella and analyses of ovarian in vitro secretory kinetics demonstrate unequivocally that the developing ovary synthesizes the ecdysones characterizing the female at the time of adult emergence. Further studies revealed that most of the ovarian ecdysones are associated with mature oocytes and are probably synthesized by the nurse and/or follicle cells. The ovarian ecdysoones are a mixture of α- and β-ecdysone and another molecular species tentatively identified as 2-deoxy-α-ecdysone.
Cholinergic innervation of the human cerebellum

Cholinergic innervation of the human cerebellum was investigated immunocytochemically by using a polyclonal rabbit antiserum against choline acetyltransferase. Immunoreactive structures were found throughout the cerebellar cortex but were localized predominantly in the vermis, flocculus, and tonsilla. These included (1) a population of Golgi cells in the granular layer; (2) a subpopulation of mossy fibers and glomerular rosettes; (3) thin, varicose fibers closely associated with the Purkinje cell layer and the molecular layer; and (4) a relatively dense network of fibers and terminals contributing to the glomerular formations in the granular layer. In the cerebellar nuclei, some cells stained positively for choline acetyltransferase, and a terminal field pattern could be detected with a distinct but sparse network of varicose fibers. Acetylcholine appears to be a primary transmitter in the vestibulocerebellar pathways at several levels, which may account for the potent effects of muscarinic antagonists in diminishing vestibular vertigo in humans. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The effect of systemic therapy on local-regional control in locally advanced breast cancer.

One hundred and seven patients with locally advanced breast cancer were prospectively referred for multimodality treatment on protocol using chemohormonal therapy to maximal response followed by local treatment and maintenance therapy. Forty-eight patients (45%) were diagnosed with Stage IIIA disease, 46 (43%) with Stage IIIB inflammatory cancer, and 13 (12%) with Stage IIIB non-inflammatory disease. Induction therapy consisted of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, methotrexate, and 5-fluorouracil with hormonal synchronization using tamoxifen and conjugated estrogens. Local treatment was determined by response to chemotherapy. Patients with a clinical parital response underwent mastectomy followed by local-regional radiotherapy while patients with a clinical complete response were biopsied for pathologic correlation. Those with residual disease received mastectomy followed by radiotherapy while those with a pathologic complete response received radiation only to the intact breast and regional nodes. With a median follow-up of 64 months, patients with IIIA disease had a significantly lower local-regional failure rate compared to IIIB inflammatory patients, with the 5-year actuarial local-regional failure rate as only site of first failure 3% for IIIA disease versus 21% for IIIB inflammatory cancer (p = .02), and local-regional failure as any component of first failure 12% versus 36% (p = .01), respectively. When local-regional failure was analyzed by repeat biopsy, 5/31 (16%) patients with a pathologic complete response treated with radiation only developed a local-regional failure versus 2/53 (4%) with residual disease treated with mastectomy and postoperative radiotherapy. The 5-year actuarial local-regional failure rate as first site of failure was 23% for radiation only versus 5% for mastectomy and post-operative radiotherapy (p = .07). The response to chemotherapy did not reliably predict local-regional control. Both relapse-free survival and overall survival were significantly better for IIIA versus IIIB patients; stratification by repeat biopsy did not however, significantly affect either relapse-free or overall survival.
Recent Developments in Early Intervention Efficacy Research: Implications for Family Involvement in P.L. 99-457.

Contemporary developments concerning the effectiveness of family involvement in early intervention programs are described within the framework of P.L. 99-457 and illustrated with recent investigations focusing on children at biological risk, those with cerebral palsy, and children with general developmental delays. Studies emphasizing parental involvement are discussed in the context of the quality of research, the application of contemporary developmental principles, and the specificity of the experimental designs and approaches. The research and public policy implications of efficacy research following the implementation of P.L. 99–457 also are discussed.
A Complex Systems Approach to the Spatial and Temporal Simulation of Florida Bay Algal Communities

Since the late 1980s, Florida Bay has been plagued by persistent algal blooms that have been economically and environmentally debilitating. A time-series of remotely sensed data collected by French SPOT satellites provide high-spatial-resolution data, with the spectral resolution sufficient to identify algal chlorophyll. This study used the satellite-image time-series data for algal-bloom classification and mensuration. A dynamic spatial simulation model was developed using the Interactive Data Language (IDL) and used to predict the spatial and temporal characteristics of the bloom. Theoretical applications of complex systems to natural analogues are discussed.
Gender, Job Authority, and Depression

Using the 1957–2004 data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, we explore the effect of job authority in 1993 (at age 54) on the change in depressive symptoms between 1993 and 2004 (age 65) among white men and women. Within-gender comparisons indicate that women with job authority (defined as control over others’ work) exhibit more depressive symptoms than women without job authority, whereas men in authority positions are overall less depressed than men without job authority. Betweengender comparisons reveal that although women have higher depression than men, women’s disadvantage in depression is significantly greater among individuals with job authority than without job authority. We argue that macro- and meso-processes of gender stratification create a workplace in which exercising job authority exposes women to interpersonal stressors that undermine health benefits of job authority. Our study highlights how the cultural meanings of masculinities and femininities attenuate or amplify healthpromoting resources of socioeconomic advantage.
Reply to Irwin on Free Trade

All free-trade nations are alike; every unfree nation is unfree in its own way. Though Douglas Irwin's comment on my 1991 article raises some interesting issues, overall I feel that his criticisms are misplaced. He gives greater emphasis to a different historical period than I chose to discuss in the article; his understanding of the notion of free trade and what it means to be a free trader differs from mine; he has misread and oversimplified my use of the trade statistics; and he is mistaken about British intentions with regard to the tariffs and excises on wine, beer, and other alcoholic beverages. Indeed, Irwin seems unaware of the complicated historical origins of the wine tariffs, of their essentially political and protectionist nature, and of the extent to which fiscal and other policy evolved in Britain in the wake of British trade measures specifically directed against France. By focusing on the nature and substance of British and French tariff policy at the end of the nineteenth century, despite my explicit emphasis on comparisons at midcentury (particularly the period from 1840 to 1860, before the Anglo-French Treaty of Commerce), Irwin misrepresents the substance of my original article.' He then uses the history of the late nineteenth century to reject my evidence of high average tariffs in Britain as a starting point for a re-examination of Anglo-French trade relationships, and claims to have shown that "France flunks and Britain passes the free-trade test." Because of my focus on the midcentury tariffs, I will not spend much time on Irwin's discussions of French agricultural tariffs or French protectionism in the late nineteenth century. Indeed, I did not and do not dispute the fact that the French were less free-trade oriented at the end of the nineteenth century than the British, nor that British maintenance of free trade policies at the very end of the century accounts for part of our mistaken view regarding her policies in the period from early to midcentury.2 Moreover, even the nominal average tariff measures that Irwin disapproves of reveal as much.3 Our disagreements lie elsewhere.
The structure of the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised: diagnostic and phenotypic implications

Background: Multivariate statistics can assist in refining the nosology and diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) and also contribute important information for genetic studies. The Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) is one of the most widely used assessment instruments in the field of PDD. The current study investigated its factor structure and convergence with measures of adaptive, language, and intellectual functioning. Methods: Analyses were conducted on 1,861 individuals with PDD between the ages of 4 and 18 years (mean = 8.3, SD = 3.2). ADI-R scores were submitted to confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Analyses were conducted according to verbal status (n = 1,329 verbal, n = 532 nonverbal) and separately for algorithm items only and for all items. ADI-R scores were correlated with scores on measures of adaptive, language, and intellectual functioning. Results: Several factor solutions were examined and compared. CFAs suggested that two- and three-factor solutions were similar, and slightly superior to a one-factor solution. EFAs and measures of internal consistency provided some support for a two-factor solution consisting of social and communication behaviors and restricted and repetitive behaviors. Measures of functioning were not associated with ADI-R domain scores in nonverbal children, but negatively correlated in verbal children. Conclusions: Overall, data suggested that autism symptomatology can be explained statistically with a two-domain model. It also pointed to different symptoms susceptible to be helpful in linkage analyses. Implications of a two-factor model are discussed.
Nonsurgical Management of Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma

The management of advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has evolved greatly in recent years. The role and benefit of debulking nephrectomy has been more clearly defined. Long-considered an immunoresponsive tumor, cytokines such as interferon-α (IFN-α) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) evolved into the standard initial treatment for advanced RCC through clinical trials in the 1980s and 1990s. More recently, a growing understanding of the biology underlying some RCC tumors has led to the clinical testing of therapeutics that target vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). These recent trials have produced robust clinical results that have evolved the standard of care and introduced new treatment options in this historically treatment-refractory disease. This chapter focuses on standard cytokine therapy for advanced RCC as well as VEGF-targeted approaches. In addition, certain aspects of supportive care, including treatment of central nervous system (CNS) metastases and use of bisphosphonates for bone metastases, are discussed.
Fuzzy multiple attribute evaluation of alternative land use futures

Alternative futures analysis (AFA) is used to evaluate and rank nine alternative land use futures for pro-environment and pro-development interest groups in Flathead County, Montana, using a fuzzy multiple attribute evaluation method. The nine alternative futures consisting of combinations of low, moderate, and high economic growth scenarios and current, moderately restrictive, and highly restrictive land use policies for the period 2000–2024 were simulated using the Ecosystem Landscape Modeling System. Alternative futures were ranked based on the total output of goods and services in the county estimated using the IMPLAN model, the developable county area available for development, and the total area developed in 8-km buffer areas for five protected areas in the county. Results indicate that although the rankings of the alternative futures differ for the two interest groups, the alternative future having a moderate growth rate with the current land use policy is the highest ranked alternative future for ...
The Role of Defensive Confidence in Preference for Proattitudinal Information: How Believing That One Is Strong Can Sometimes Be a Defensive Weakness

This series of studies identified individuals who chronically believe that they can successfully defend their attitudes from external attack and investigated the consequences of this individual difference for selective exposure to attitude-incongruent information and, ultimately, attitude change. Studies 1 and 2 validated a measure of defensive confidence as an individual difference that is unidimensional, distinct from other personality measures, reliable over a 2-week interval, and organized as a trait that generalizes across various personal and social issues. Studies 3 and 4 provided evidence that defensive confidence decreases preference for proattitudinal information, therefore inducing greater reception of counterattitudinal materials. Study 5 demonstrated that people who are high in defensive confidence are more likely to change their attitudes as a result of exposure to counterattitudinal information and examined the perceptions that mediate this important phenomenon.
On Test Generation With Test Vector Improvement

We investigate the introduction of a new step, referred to as test vector improvement, into test generation processes. After a fully specified test vector or a partially specified test cube t is generated at an arbitrary iteration of the test generation process, the test vector improvement step modifies t so as to increase the number of yet-undetected target faults that t detects. This is done in this paper using a simulation-based process. We show that even if t was generated using dynamic test compaction heuristics, it is possible to improve t further. When t is partially specified to accommodate test data compression, the test vector improvement step does not change the number of unspecified bits of t. The final result is a smaller test set and/or a higher fault coverage (if the test generation process does not detect all the detectable faults).
Notes on the academic job market and hiring strategies

Today's tight job market challenges colleges and universities in hiring. This article reviews the current job market and suggests strategies for a successful hiring effort.
Interferometric observations of a single stroke cloud‐to‐ground flash

VHF radiation source location measurements using an interferometric technique are presented for a single stroke cloud-to-ground lightning discharge. The discharge began with 100 ms of preliminary activity during which several horizontal streamers developed inside the cloud, one of which culminated in the development of a negative leader to ground and a return stroke. The return stroke was followed by a 10 ms quiet period in the radiation and by a single, fast ‘k-type‧ event which appeared to transport negative charge horizontally into the region of initial breakdown, completing the flash.
Biotreatment of hazardous organic wastes using rotating biological contactors

Treatment of several toxic organic compounds in Rotating Biological Contractor (RBC) units was examined in this study. The following compounds were included: 2-Chlorophenol; 2,4-dichlorophenol; 2,4,6-trichlorophenol; pentachlorophenol; 2-nitrophenol; diethyl phthalate and di-n-butyl phthalate.
Snow days? Snowmaking adaptation and the future of low latitude, high elevation skiing in Arizona, USA

Inter-annual snow reliability is a key short-term concern for Arizona's high elevation, low latitude ski resorts. Variability is linked to the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-warm phase conditions typically portend a good ski season and vice versa. To operate more consistently in the medium-term Arizona's two largest ski resorts plan to expand snowmaking. Snowmaking is a water and temperature constrained adaptation. One of the two resorts has overcome its water constraint by contracting with a municipality for treated wastewater. To assess the temperature constraint downscaled global coupled climate model temperature projections were compared to technical thresholds for the manufacture of snow at three time steps. In 2030, a period coincident with the lifetime of the investments, snowmaking will likely remain feasible. However, by 2050, temperatures will likely exceed technical thresholds in the shoulder seasons meaning that in years when natural snowfalls are poor the ski season may be curtailed. By 2080, without snowmaking efficiency improvements, warmer temperatures will make snowmaking increasingly more ex- pensive and resort managers may need to plan for a future where operations and snowmaking are shifted to higher elevation, shaded, more snow reliable runs.
La tipologia biblica y la introduccion a los Milagros de Nuestra Senora

Ubi autem abundavit delictum, superabundavit gratia. (Rom. 5:20) La introduccion a los Milagros de Nuestra Senora de Gonzalo de Berceo ha recibido harta atencion critica. Los eruditos, por ejemplo,...
A review on energy, economical, and environmental benefits of the use of CHP systems for small commercial buildings for the North American climate

The use of combined heating and power (CHP) systems to produce both electricity and heat is increasing rapidly due to their high potential of reducing primary energy consumption (PEC), cost, and emissions in domestic, commercial, and industrial applications. In addition to producing both electricity and heat, CHP systems can be coupled with vapor compression systems to provide cooling. This paper analyzes a natural gas engine CHP system together with a vapor compression system for different American climate zones. Performance is measured in terms of operational costs, PEC, and carbon dioxide emissions as a percent of a reference building. The objective of this paper is to compare the performance of a CHP system operating 24 h a day with a system that only operates during typical office hours. Furthermore, the system is optimized based on reducing PEC, minimizing costs, and reducing emissions. In addition, the benefits of CHP systems based on the Energy Star program and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program are presented. Results show that, in general, it is more beneficial to operate the CHP system during typical office hours than to operate the system 24 h a day. Also, the CHP system performance strongly depends on the location where it is installed. In addition to reductions in cost, primary energy, and emissions, CHP systems can help achieve the Energy Star label for commercial office buildings and help obtain LEED points that go toward achieving LEED certification status. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rapid Transposon Liquid Enrichment Sequencing (TnLE-seq) for Gene Fitness Evaluation in Underdeveloped Bacterial Systems

Whole-genome fitness analysis in microbes that uses saturating transposon mutagenesis combined with massively parallel sequencing (Tn-seq) is providing a measure of the contribution of each gene to a given growth condition. With this technique, gene fitness profiles and essential genes are discovered by simultaneous analyses of whether the absence of each gene product alters the growth kinetics of the bacterium. Here we modify the standard Tn-seq procedure to simplify and shorten the process by including delivery of the transposon through conjugation and liquid culture enrichment of the mutant pool, creating transposon liquid enrichment sequencing (TnLE-seq). To illustrate the success of these modifications and the robustness of the procedure, analyses of gene fitness of two cultures of the strictly anaerobic bacterium Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough were performed, with growth on lactate as the electron donor and sulfate as the electron acceptor. These data demonstrate reproducibility and provide a base condition for analysis of fitness changes in deletion mutants and in various growth conditions. The procedural modifications will facilitate the application of this powerful genetic analysis to microbes lacking a facile genetic system. Pilot studies produced 2.5 × 105 and 3.4 × 105 unique insertion mutants in the anaerobe Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough grown under typical laboratory conditions in rich medium. These analyses provided two similar high-resolution maps of gene fitness across the genome, and the method was also applied to growth in minimal medium. These results were also compared to the coverage obtained with a ca. 13,000-member cataloged transposon library constructed by sequencing transposon insertion sites in individual mutants.
Transaction support in a log-structured file system

The design and implementation of a transaction manager embedded in a log-structured file system are described. Measurements indicate that transaction support on a log-structured file system offers a 10% performance improvement over transaction support on a conventional read-optimized file system. When the transaction manager is embedded in the log-structured file system, the resulting performance is comparable to that of a more traditional, user-level system. The performance results also indicate that embedding transactions in the file system need not impact the performance of nontransaction applications. >
Proteomic analysis of a penicillin-tolerant rgg mutant strain of Streptococcus pyogenes

Objectives: To determine whether the transcriptional regulator Rgg contributes to penicillin-induced killing of Streptococcus pyogenes by altering a regulatory response to penicillin. Methods: Penicillin-induced killing of a wild-type and isogenic rgg mutant strain was assessed in broth and solid media and in the presence of cerulenin, which inhibits fatty acid biosynthesis (FAB). Proteins from wild-type and rgg mutant cultures, either exposed to penicillin or not, were characterized by twodimensional gel electrophoresis. Proteins of interest were identified with tandem mass spectrometry. Results: The MIC of penicillin was 0.012 mg/L for both the wild-type strain NZ131 and an isogenic rgg mutant strain. The wild-type strain lost 1.9 log10 cfu/mL (80-fold) after 24 h of exposure to 0.024 mg/L penicillin compared with controls; however, the mutant strain lost 0.3 log10 cfu/mL (2-fold) compared with controls. Changes in the proteome of wild-type and mutant cultures were assessed 1 and 4 h after exposure to penicillin. One hour exposure was associated with increased abundance (P < 0.05) of 12 proteins associated with FAB, the pentose phosphate pathway, glycolysis and stress responses in the wild-type strain. The abundance of 8 of 12 of these proteins was greater in samples obtained from the mutant strain, even prior to penicillin exposure. After 4 h of exposure, the abundance of 16 proteins was altered in one or both strains; however, a clear functional relationship was not evident. The addition of cerulenin slightly enhanced penicillin-induced killing of wild-type strain, which supported the proteomic results. Conclusions: The results suggest that penicillin-independent changes in the cytoplasmic proteome of an rgg mutant strain of NZ131 confer tolerance to penicillin-mediated killing.
Missed Opportunities for Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) Immunization in Mesoamerica: Potential Impact on Coverage and Days at Risk.

Background Recent outbreaks of measles in the Americas have received news and popular attention, noting the importance of vaccination to population health. To estimate the potential increase in immunization coverage and reduction in days at risk if every opportunity to vaccinate a child was used, we analyzed vaccination histories of children 11–59 months of age from large household surveys in Mesoamerica. Methods Our study included 22,234 children aged less than 59 months in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. Child vaccination cards were used to calculate coverage of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) and to compute the number of days lived at risk. A child had a missed opportunity for vaccination if their card indicated a visit for vaccinations at which the child was not caught up to schedule for MMR. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to compute the hazard ratio associated with the reduction in days at risk, accounting for missed opportunities. Results El Salvador had the highest proportion of children with a vaccine card (91.2%) while Nicaragua had the lowest (76.5%). Card MMR coverage ranged from 44.6% in Mexico to 79.6% in Honduras while potential coverage accounting for missed opportunities ranged from 70.8% in Nicaragua to 96.4% in El Salvador. Younger children were less likely to have a missed opportunity. In Panama, children from households with higher expenditure were more likely to have a missed opportunity for MMR vaccination compared to the poorest (OR 1.62, 95% CI: 1.06–2.47). In Nicaragua, compared to children of mothers with no education, children of mothers with primary education and secondary education were less likely to have a missed opportunity (OR 0.46, 95% CI: 0.24–0.88 and OR 0.25, 95% CI: 0.096–0.65, respectively). Mean days at risk for MMR ranged from 158 in Panama to 483 in Mexico while potential days at risk ranged from 92 in Panama to 239 in El Salvador. Conclusions Our study found high levels of missed opportunities for immunizing children in Mesoamerica. Our findings cause great concern, as they indicate that families are bringing their children to health facilities, but these children are not receiving all appropriate vaccinations during visits. This points to serious problems in current immunization practices and protocols in poor areas in Mesoamerica. Our study calls for programs to ensure that vaccines are available and that health professionals use every opportunity to vaccinate a child.
The Effect of Leadtime Uncertainty in a Simple Stochastic Inventory Model

We study a basic continuous-time single-item inventory model where demands form a compound Poisson process and leadtimes are stochastic. The performance measure of interest is the long-run average cost. Order costs are linear, so a base-stock policy is optimal. We focus on the behavior of the optimal base-stock level in response to stochastically larger or more variable leadtimes. We also investigate the behavior of the corresponding long-run average costs. We show that a stochastically larger leadtime requires a higher optimal base-stock level. However, a stochastically larger leadtime may not necessarily result in a higher optimal average cost, because sometimes the variability effects may dominate. On the other hand, a more variable leadtime always leads to a higher optimal average cost. The effect of leadtime variability on optimal policies depends on the inventory cost structure: A more variable leadtime requires a higher optimal base-stock level if and only if the unit penalty holding cost rate is high low. Similar results regarding the effect of leadtime demand are also discussed. In this latter case, the compound Poisson assumption is not necessary.
Functionalized Lateral Surface Coated Lasers for Chem-Bio Detection

We present a class of compact, monolithic, photonic sensors consisting of multiple section edge emitting lasers with functionalized lateral surface coatings for low level detection of chemical or biological agents. Specifically, we discuss 8 mum times 250 mum Pd-coated H2 sensors and configurations to reduce the minimum detection limit from 138 ppm for passive sensors to 1 ppm for active sensors. Compared with conventional optical H2 sensors that use fiber gratings, surface plasmon resonances, or surface reflectance, our sensors offer the advantages of smaller size, wider dynamic range, monolithic integration of laser source and detector, and 2-D scalability to arrays of sensors that are functionalized to detect different agents.
The Double Temporality of Lagaan: Cultural Struggle and Postcolonialism

Using postcolonial, psychoanalytic, sports, and cultural theory, this article explores the ways in which temporality constitutes a crucial element of the 2002 Bollywood movie, Lagaan. In critiquing this film about cricket, the article explicates how the political moment that is the Indian present functions as a problematic backdrop to Lagaan, which is set at the end of the 19th century. The film is read as text that inhabits, and articulates, a double temporality: Lagaan (“tax” in Hindi) is a movie that looks, simultaneously, to the colonized past and the postcolonial present. Cricket is posited as pivotalto the anticolonial project, and Lagaan demonstrates how the imagined “Indian” nation (which includes all of the Asian subcontinent) conflicts with the Indian and Pakistani nations that emerged after the Partition of the Raj. This article shows how these many ideological pressures operated in “Indian” society and affords gender a critical part in that analysis.
The association between implicit and explicit attitudes toward smoking and support for tobacco control measures.

INTRODUCTION This study examined the association between implicit and explicit attitudes toward smoking and support for tobacco control policies. METHODS Participants were from an ongoing longitudinal study of the natural history of smoking who also completed a web-based assessment of implicit attitudes toward smoking (N = 1,337). Multiple regression was used to test the association between covariates (sex, age, educational attainment, parent status, and smoking status), implicit attitude toward smoking, and explicit attitude toward smoking and support for tobacco control policies. The moderating effect of the covariates on the relation between attitudes and support for policies was also tested. RESULTS Females, those with higher educational attainment, parents, and nonsmokers expressed more support for tobacco control policy measures. For nonsmokers, only explicit attitude was significantly associated with support for policies. For smokers, both explicit and implicit attitudes were significantly associated with support. The effect of explicit attitude was stronger for those with lower educational attainment. CONCLUSIONS Both explicit and implicit smoking attitudes are important for building support for tobacco control policies, particularly among smokers. More research is needed on how to influence explicit and implicit attitudes to inform policy advocacy campaigns.
Ahead of the curve: How MITRE recruits and retains older workers

With an impending brain drain of retiring Baby Boomers looming on the horizon, many knowledge-driven organizations could soon find that their competitive advantage hinges on the ability to retain and recruit experienced older workers with critical skills. The MITRE Corporation shares the insights and practices that have enabled it to develop and motivate the mature, experienced, highly educated workforce that has driven its success for decades. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Functions, mechanisms and regulation of endophytic and epiphytic microbial communities of plants

Over the past several decades, we have come to appreciate that healthy plants host, within and on the surfaces of their tissues, endophytic and epiphytic fungi and bacteria that do not cause disease. Individual species (typically endophytes) of plants have been found to fall largely into one or more of three major functional groups: 1) Microbes that alleviate abiotic stress of the host; 2) Microbes that defend hosts from biotic stress (pathogens and herbivores); and 3) Microbes that support the host nutritionally through increased nitrogen, phosphorus, iron, etc. This functional aspect of plant microbiomes raises the potential to design and construct microbiomes for crop plants in order to enhance their cultivation with reduced agrochemical inputs and at lower cost. In order to design and construct functional microbiomes, we must first develop an understanding of the mechanisms by which plant microbiomes function. Examples of hypotheses for the abiotic stress tolerance mechanism include: 1) Oxidative stress protection by increased production of antioxidants produced either by the microbes or by hosts in response to microbes; 2) Ethylene reduction by production of ACC deaminase; and 3) Ammonia or ammonium detoxification and consequent oxidative stress avoidance. Mechanisms to explain biotic stress resistance generally include production of anti-herbivore or anti-pathogen defensive compounds by the microbe or by the host in response to the microbe (i.e., induced systemic resistance). Examples of hypothesized mechanisms to explain microbe-mediated enhanced plant growth include: 1) Stimulation of plant growth due to growth regulator production by microbes; 2) Increased absorption of nutrients by plants from the rhizosphere due to activities of microbes on roots; and 3) Increased supply of nitrogen obtained directly from diazotrophic microbes in plants. Factors by which plant endophyte communities are regulated are hypothesized to involve host-produced compounds that modify behavior of endophytic microbes, often reducing growth rates and suppressing pathogenic behaviors. These behavior-modifying compounds are proposed to include phenolic acids, quorum quenching compounds, and perhaps other secondary metabolites.
Abortive Adenovirus Infection and Host Range Determinants

The host range of a virus constitutes at one level the distribution of host organisms that it infects and at another level the tissues in that host that are targeted by the virus. Host range is determined by properties of both the virus and the potential host cell, due to the obligate parasitic nature of viruses. The expression of cell surface receptors for virus strongly correlates with susceptibility of the cell to infection, and cells that do not allow virus to bind are necessarily resistant. Thus host range is initially determined by the presence or absence of the appropriate interaction between extracellular host range determinants that are the virus attachment protein and the host receptor. Broad host range viruses generally bind to common molecules on the cell surface; for example, influenza binds to sialic acid-containing carbohydrates on cellular glycoproteins or glycolipids. Narrow host range viruses typically bind with high affinity to a specific protein, as exemplified by the binding of rhinovirus, poliovirus, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to specific members of the human immunoglobulin super family. Cell surface interactions are not the only determinants of host range, however. Cells that support all steps in multiplication of a virus are termed permissive (with maximum virus yields) or semipermissive (with less than maximum virus yields). Nonpermissive cells allow virus to bind but do not allow complete virus multiplication, and the subsequent abortive infection is caused by the block of one or more multiplication steps at the intracellular level.