cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Weathering of petroglyphs: direct assessment and implications for dating methods

Petroglyphs weather at varying rates, compared tothe unengraved host rock into which they are carved. Most petroglyphs are significantly harder or significantly softer than surrounding rock, depending on the nature of weathering. Variability and intensity of weathering probably introduces error into radiocarbon, rock varnis and micreoerosion dating methods.
Collisions with Proteins on DNA Reveal a Small Functional Pore Size in the Cohesin Complex

Cohesin is essential for the hierarchical organization of the eukaryotic genome, and plays important roles in the regulation of gene expression, DNA replication and genome integrity. How cohesin interacts with DNA and chromatin remains poorly understood. Here we use single molecule microscopy to directly observe the loading of single cohesin complexes onto DNA. We show that cohesin can undergo rapid 1-dimensional diffusion along DNA, but individual nucleosomes, nucleosome arrays and other protein obstacles can significantly restrict cohesin mobility. This suggests that the effective size of the central pore is substantially smaller than predicted by current models when cohesin is bound to DNA. We also demonstrate that cohesin is readily pushed by a DNA motor protein, providing a physical explanation for how cohesin accumulates at regions of convergent transcription. These findings have direct implications for understanding how cohesin and other SMC proteins interact with and distribute along chromatin.
Facile heme vinyl posttranslational modification in a hemoglobin.

Iron-protoporphyrin IX, or b heme, is utilized as such by a large number of proteins and enzymes. In some cases, notably the c-type cytochromes, this group undergoes a posttranslational covalent attachment to the polypeptide chain, which adjusts the physicochemical properties of the holoprotein. The hemoglobin from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 (GlbN), contrary to the archetypical hemoglobin, modifies its b heme covalently. The posttranslational modification links His117, a residue that does not coordinate the iron, to the porphyrin 2-vinyl substituent and forms a hybrid b/c heme. The reaction is an electrophilic addition that occurs spontaneously in the ferrous state of the protein. This apparently facile type of heme modification has been observed in only two cyanobacterial GlbNs. To explore the determinants of the reaction, we examined the behavior of Synechocystis GlbN variants containing a histidine at position 79, which is buried against the porphyrin 4-vinyl substituent. We found th...
Ideal strength and phonon instability in single-layer MoS 2

Ideal tensile stress strain relations for single-layer MoS${}_{2}$ are investigated based on first-principle calculation, for biaxial tension and uniaxial tension along zigzag and armchair directions. The predicted ideal tensile strengths and elastic moduli are in excellent agreement with the very recent experimental measurements of Bertolazzi et al. [ACS Nano 5, 9703 (2011)] and Castellanos-Gomez et al. [Adv. Mater. 24, 772 (2012)]. It is identified that the tensile strength of single-layer MoS${}_{2}$ are dictated by out-of-plane soft-mode phonon instability under biaxial tension and uniaxial tension along the armchair direction. This failure mechanism, different from that of the truly two-dimensional material graphene, is attributed to the out-of-plane atomic relaxation upon tensile strain. Investigation of the electronic structures of single-layer MoS${}_{2}$ under tensile strain shows the material becomes an indirect semiconductor at small tensile strain ($l2$$%$) and turns into metallic before reaching the ideal tensile strength.
Impacts of Neoliberal Managerial Practices on Faculty Engagement in Student Learning Assessment

Faculty perceptions of student learning assessment were examined in the context of neoliberal trends in higher education in this exploratory survey study. For this preliminary study, a small department consisting of sixteen faculty members was surveyed. Responding faculty rated themselves as highly engaged in assessment, and rated course uses of assessment as more important than institutional uses of assessment. Faculty perceived administrators as placing more importance on institutional uses over course uses, though the gap between administrators and faculty was less in course uses than in institutional uses. Faculty ratings of neoliberal manifestations at their institution varied considerably, with a perceived institutional focus on job training over liberal arts education the most substantial item. Together, these findings set the stage for future research into whether neoliberal trends impact faculty engagement student learning assessment.
Impacts of Cadmium Pollution of Zhuzhou Section of Xiangjiang River on Cadmium Concentration of Source Water of Changsha and Discussion on Its Emergency Processing Measures

Objective To monitor the concentration of cadmium from source water and finished water of waterworks in Changsha after the incident of cadmium pollution,and to adopt the emergency processing measures for ensuring the citizens' drinking water safety. Methods According to the Sanitary Standard for Drinking Water Quality (GB/T5750-1985),flameless atomic absorption spectrometry was used to detect the concentration of cadmium. Results The concentrations of cadmium from source water of waterworks in surveillance period were all above the national standard and showed the tendency of increase first and decrease later.After putting lime cream in the entrance of source water of waterworks and increasingly putting water-treatment flocculants,the concentration of cadmium from finished water of waterworks had slipped below the national standards. Conclusions Cadmium pollution of Zhuzhou Section of Xiangjiang River has significant effect on cadmium concentration of source water of waterworks in Changsha,and cadmium concentration of source water is significantly increased and moreover is above the national standard.The results indicate that emergency processing measures,including putting lime cream and increasingly putting water-treatment flocculants,are very effective.
Reforming Financial Industry Executive Compensation Practices to Manage Risk, Build Long-Term Value, and Assure Legal Compliance: Lessons of the 'London Whale' Trade for Volcker Rule Implementation

How executive pay -- particularly cash-based incentive bonuses -- is structured can have as much if not greater consequences for firm-wide and systemic risk than the gross amount of executive pay. The public policy debate over executive pay in the banking sector has placed too much emphasis on whether executive pay is excessive and not enough on whether particular executive pay policies are constructed in a manner that protects the interests of shareholders and the public in risk management, long-term value creation, and legal compliance. After a brief general overview of executive compensation in the financial industry, this paper considers the role of cash-based executive compensation in the 2008 financial crisis. It then briefly surveys legal and industry-initiated reforms of executive compensation enacted or proposed to date. Finally, by examining the infamous London Whale trade at JPMorgan Chase, the chapter demonstrates the need for innovative approaches to executive compensation more closely aligned with risk mitigation and legal compliance with the Volcker Rule.
The Effects of Novel Stimuli on Water Ingestion in Bobwhite Quail (Colinus Virginianus)

Fifteen adult bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) were exposed to a series of single- and two-bottle preference tests in order to evaluate sensory sensitivity, habituation, and the effect of novelty. Control animals were exposed only to distilled water to provide a baseline whereas experimental birds were presented colored or flavored water in corresponding, counterbalanced test sequences. Although the initial presentation of a novel color or flavor led to a marked reduction in intake, subsequent presentations of color, but not flavor, led to rapid habituation. Implications of the strength of avoidance of gustatory stimuli are discussed.
Antifungal use in immunocompetent, critically ill patients with pneumonia does not improve clinical outcomes

Abstract Purpose To determine if treating bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) culture-positive patients with antifungal therapy impacted mortality compared to not treating due to presumed colonization. Methods We conducted a retrospective study of immunocompetent, critically ill adult patients from 2010 to 2014. Patients with a BAL culture-positive for Candida or unspeciated yeast and a clinical suspicion of pneumonia were included. The treatment group received an antifungal agent for at least 5 days, and the control group received either no antifungal therapy or an antifungal agent for less than 48 h. Recruitment occurred in a 2:1 ratio of untreated versus treated patients. Results Seventy-five patients were included. In-hospital mortality was similar between treated and untreated groups (24% vs. 26%, P = 0.85). Length of stay and duration of mechanical ventilation also did not differ between the two groups. Conclusion We did not observe a difference in mortality or clinical outcomes in patients treated with antifungal agents. Presumptive antifungal therapy for BAL-positive Candida or yeast in immunocompetent patients did not result in improved clinical outcomes.
Increased Prevalence of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Patients with Mutations in Genes Encoding the Receptor Subunits for TGFβ.

Background TGFβ is a multifunctional cytokine that is critical in regulating mucosal immunity. Murine studies have revealed that disruption of canonical TGFβ signaling leads to systemic inflammation including colitis. Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS) results from heterozygous mutations in the genes encoding the subunits of the TGFβ receptor. Methods All patients with confirmed mutations in TGFBR1 or TGFBR2, seen in the Johns Hopkins Connective Tissue Disorders clinic, were asked to participate in the study. Ninety-three consecutive patients were enrolled, including 4 with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Using the Illumina Immunochip array, we undertook an exploratory analysis to evaluate the potential genetic risk factors that could predict which patients with LDS would develop IBD. Results We report an increased prevalence of IBD in patients with LDS types I and II. We describe the course of several patients. In this small sample, the 3 whites with IBD had a genetic risk score in the top 6 highest scores of patients evaluated. Conclusion We report a 10-fold increase in the prevalence of IBD in patients with LDS compared with the general population. Onset of disease in 3 of the 4 patients was at less than 18 years, and the clinical course in 2 of the 4 was severe with a poor response to traditional medications. Further evaluation of the genetic risk score is needed to determine whether it can predict which patients with LDS are most likely to develop IBD. This case series of patients with LDS with IBD suggests that defective TGFβ signaling may have an influence on IBD risk.
Fetal and Neonatal Renal Failure and Renal Transplant

Major advances have been made over the past few decades in caring for neonates with chronic renal disease. Although dialysis registries report infants as a high-risk population for poor outcomes, these children can be effectively maintained on dialysis until they are ready for receiving a transplant. Early identification of the presence of chronic renal disease is helpful in preparing for postnatal complications and to counsel parents on potential outcomes of infants with chronic kidney disease.
Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of the Threatened Giant Arapaima in Southwestern Guyana: Implications for Their Conservation

Information on population genetic structure and connectivity among populations is essential for the implementation of effective conservation and management strategies for threatened species. The giant Arapaima is one of the most heavily exploited and threatened freshwater fishes in Guyana. Using nuclear microsatellite markers and mitochondrial (mtDNA) sequences (partial 16S rRNA gene, tRNA-Leu gene, and ND1 gene), we evaluated the genetic structure of Arapaima from the Essequibo and Branco (i.e., Amazon) river basins in Guyana. Both markers showed low genetic diversity compared to previously reported studies of Arapaima from the Amazon. Only two mtDNA haplotypes were recovered in Guyana that differed in a single nucleotide position. One was novel and restricted to the Branco basin; the other had previously been reported from the Amazon but, in this study, was restricted to the Essequibo basin. Surprisingly, STRUCTURE analysis of microsatellite markers grouped Arapaima from Guyana into three distinct clust...
Value creation and the probability of success in merger and acquisition transactions

This paper presents and tests a hypothesis that expands existing explanations of value creation in merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions. The main premise is that value creation is determined by not only the target’s pre-acquisition value, as indicated by numerous studies in extant literature, but also by the acquirer’s competency (among other factors) demonstrated by their pre-merger financial ratios. The paper shows that M&A transactions create value in the longer-run and the gain is commensurate with the acquirer’s historical performance and the target’s pre-acquisition value. Further, the paper employs statistical procedures and model-building techniques in order to develop and validate parsimonious Altman-style predictive models. The models reasonably identify successful M&A deals and are statistically significant and consistent with a few existing theories. Specifically, the evidence on liquidity supports internal capital markets hypothesis but does not support the theories of agency problems, while the evidence on financial leverage supports the view that lower debt enhances corporate control.
Utilizing a Segmented Fuel Cell to Study the Effects of Electrode Coating Irregularities on PEM Fuel Cell Initial Performance

An understanding of the impact of coating irregularities on beginning of life polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEMFC) performance is essential to develop and establish manufacturing tolerances for its components. Coating irregularities occurring in the fuel cell electrode can either possess acceptable process variations or potentially harmful defects. A segmented fuel cell (SFC) is employed to understand how 100% catalyst reduction irregularities ranging from 0.125 to 1 cm2 in the cathode electrode of a 50 cm2 sized cell impact spatial and total cell performance at dry and wet humidification conditions. By analyzing the data in a differential format the local performance effects of irregularity sizes down to 0.25 cm2 were detected in the current distribution of the cell. Slight total cell performance impacts, due to irregularity sizes of 0.5 and 1 cm2, were observed under dry operation and high current densities.
Nuclear Performance of Liquid-Metal Fast Breeder Reactors Designed to Preclude Energetic Hypothetical Core Disruptive Accidents

A study of various core designs was conducted to investigate design features pertaining to the preclusion of energetic hypothetical core disruptive accidents. The design data and core layouts for d...
Evolving Public Health from Population Health to Population Health Management

Population health management (PHM) focuses on individuals at risk for chronic conditions who also have the highest health-care costs. This chapter covers the (1) definitions of population health and population health management; (2) challenges in coordinated care; (3) strategic imperatives for development, implementation, and evaluation of PHM; (4) use of electronic health records and other data; and (5) prospects for PHM practice and research.
The use of lexical and sublexical cues in speech segmentation by second language learners of English

This study examined the use of lexical and sublexical cues in speech segmentation by Mandarin L2 learners of English, focusing on two types of lexical cue, lexical knowledge and semantic relatedness, and three coda (sublexical) cues, /n, s, ŋ/ due to their varying phonotactic probabilities in Mandarin and English. Thirty-five native English speakers and 30 L2 learners participated in two experiments. Experiment 1 showed that learners were able to use lexicality as a cue to segment L2 speech. The lexicality effect significantly interacted with L2 proficiency. Experiment 2 showed that learners did not use semantic cues to the same extent as native listeners did. All participants experienced more difficulty with word boundary identification preceded by /s/. This difficulty may stem from weak allophonic cues of /s/ in English. L2 learners with better proficiency may be better at recognizing familiar words from continuous speech, thus more efficiently utilizing the lexicality cue.
Sanctuary Cities: Public Attitudes Toward Enforcement Collaboration Between Local Police and Federal Immigration Authorities:

Local law enforcement has dramatically increased its cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, while other localities refuse to cooperate. Although scholars have examined how sanctuary citi...
Estimating the Impacts, Damages and Benefits of Fuel Cycles: Insights from an Ongoing Study

The purpose of this paper is to share some insights from an ongoing study of fuel cycle externalities. The fuel cycles being studied involve the use of coal, biomass, oil, hydro, natural gas, uranium, wind, and photovoltaic sources to generate electric power. Conservation options are also to be addressed.
Written off: mental health stigma and the loss of human potential

‘A big part of the way that stigma impacts people with severe mental illnesses is by negating or dismissing the contribution of their stories’ (p. 175). Yanos, currently a professor of psychology a...
Development of a Tetravalent Anti-GPA33/Anti-CD3 Bispecific Antibody for Colorectal Cancers

Despite progress in the treatment of colorectal cancer, curing metastatic colorectal cancer remains a major unmet medical need worldwide. Here, we describe a T-cell-engaging bispecific antibody (T-BsAb) to redirect polyclonal cytotoxic T cells to eradicate colorectal cancer. A33, a murine antibody specific for GPA33, was humanized to huA33 and reformatted to huA33-BsAb, based on a novel IgG(L)-scFv platform by linking the anti-CD3 huOKT3 scFv to the carboxyl end of the light chain. This T-BsAb was stably expressed in CHO cells and purified as a stable monomer by HPLC, retaining immunoreactivity by FACS through 30 days of incubation at 37°C. In vitro, it induced activation and expansion of unstimulated T cells and elicited potent T-cell-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity against colon and gastric cancer cells in an antigen-specific manner. In vivo, huA33-BsAb inhibited the colon and gastric cancer xenografts, in both subcutaneous and intraperitoneal tumor models. More importantly, both microsatellite instable and microsatellite stable colorectal cancer were effectively eliminated by huA33-BsAb. These preclinical results provide further support for the use of IgG(L)-scFv platform to build BsAb, and especially one targeting GPA33 for colorectal cancer. These preclinical results also support further development of huA33-BsAb as a potential immunotherapeutic. Mol Cancer Ther; 17(10); 2164-75. ©2018 AACR.
Problems in Applying Piaget to Reading, or Letting the Bird Out of the Cage:

The phenocopy concept in Piaget's biological model is used as a backdrop to evaluate applications of Piagetian theory to the process of reading and learning to read. Research and implications from ...
The Varying Effects of Neighborhood Disadvantage on College Graduation: Moderating and Mediating Mechanisms:

This study estimates the effect of neighborhood disadvantage on bachelor’s degree attainment with data from a long-term follow-up of the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods. We fo...
Mediating modesty on Saudi YouTube: from postfeminist to posthuman performance

In 2015, pioneering Saudi vlogger Juju Sajer revealed her face on YouTube after three years of performing in relative invisibility. She used her beauty vlog for small family dramas as well as beaut...
A generalized computational framework to streamline thermodynamics and kinetics analysis of metabolic pathways

Metabolic engineering is a critical biotechnological approach in addressing global energy and environment challenges. Most engineering efforts, however, consist of laborious and inefficient trial-and-error of target pathways, due in part to the lack of methodologies that can comprehensively assess pathway properties in thermodynamics and kinetics. Metabolic engineering can benefit from computational tools that evaluate feasibility, expense and stability of non-natural metabolic pathways. Such tools can also help us understand natural pathways and their regulation at systems level. Here we introduce a computational toolbox, PathParser, which, for the first time, integrates multiple important functions for pathway analysis including thermodynamics analysis, kinetics-based protein cost optimization and robustness analysis. Specifically, PathParser enables optimization of the driving force of a pathway by minimizing the Gibbs free energy of least thermodynamically favorable reaction. In addition, based on reaction thermodynamics and enzyme kinetics, it can compute the minimal enzyme protein cost that supports metabolic flux, and evaluate pathway stability and flux in response to enzyme concentration perturbations. In a demo analysis of the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle and photorespiration pathway in the model cyanobacterium Synechocystis PCC 6803, the computation results are corroborated by experimental proteomics data as well as metabolic engineering outcomes. This toolbox may have broad application in metabolic engineering and systems biology in other microbial systems.
A Structured Reset Process to Benefit Team Resilience

The concept of teams recovering from disruptions or challenging performance episodes has been termed “team resilience” and shares similarities with, but is distinct from, individual resilience. Emp...
Therapy of Newly Diagnosed Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)

From the 1970s when “7+3” was first employed until only recently, the topic of “Therapy of Newly Diagnosed AML” would have been relatively limited. However, four features have changed this therapeutic landscape. One, there has been experimentation with increased regimen intensity along with approval of five new agents for newly diagnosed disease (and three others approved in the relapse setting). Second, we have made substantial gains in our understanding of both pretreatment disease and patient characteristics that can help guide regimen selection. Third, improvements in supportive care have not only allowed patients to live longer with their disease but also allowed for increasing of treatment intensity upfront, especially for patients who historically have not been considered candidates for such therapy. And finally, there is broader access to allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (the role of allogeneic transplant as part of this approach will be discussed in Chap. 7). Within this new therapeutic landscape, we can now risk stratify patients a priori and offer different treatment regimens tailored to an individual situation. This chapter will outline a contemporary approach to balancing disease features and risk with patient comorbidities in choosing initial AML therapy.
Inferring Single-Cell 3D Chromosomal Structures Based on the Lennard-Jones Potential.

Reconstructing three-dimensional (3D) chromosomal structures based on single-cell Hi-C data is a challenging scientific problem due to the extreme sparseness of the single-cell Hi-C data. In this research, we used the Lennard-Jones potential to reconstruct both 500 kb and high-resolution 50 kb chromosomal structures based on single-cell Hi-C data. A chromosome was represented by a string of 500 kb or 50 kb DNA beads and put into a 3D cubic lattice for simulations. A 2D Gaussian function was used to impute the sparse single-cell Hi-C contact matrices. We designed a novel loss function based on the Lennard-Jones potential, in which the e value, i.e., the well depth, was used to indicate how stable the binding of every pair of beads is. For the bead pairs that have single-cell Hi-C contacts and their neighboring bead pairs, the loss function assigns them stronger binding stability. The Metropolis-Hastings algorithm was used to try different locations for the DNA beads, and simulated annealing was used to optimize the loss function. We proved the correctness and validness of the reconstructed 3D structures by evaluating the models according to multiple criteria and comparing the models with 3D-FISH data.
A simple definition of 'intentionally'

Cognitive scientists have been debating how the folk concept of intentional action works. We suggest a simple account: people consider that an agent did X intentionally to the extent that X was causally dependent on how much the agent wanted X to happen (or not to happen). Combined with recent models of human causal cognition, this definition provides a good account of the way people use the concept of intentional action, and offers natural explanations for puzzling phenomena such as the side-effect effect. We provide empirical support for our theory, in studies where we show that people's causation and intentionality judgments track each other closely, in everyday situations as well as in scenarios with unusual causal structures. Study 5 additionally shows that the effect of norm violations on intentionality judgments depends on the causal structure of the situation, in a way uniquely predicted by our theory. Taken together, these results suggest that the folk concept of intentional action has been difficult to define because it is made of cognitive building blocks, such as our intuitive concept of causation, whose logic cognitive scientists are just starting to understand.
On Sparse High-Dimensional Graphical Model Learning For Dependent Time Series.

We consider the problem of inferring the conditional independence graph (CIG) of a sparse, high-dimensional stationary multivariate Gaussian time series. A sparse-group lasso-based frequency-domain formulation of the problem based on frequency-domain sufficient statistic for the observed time series is presented. We investigate an alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) approach for optimization of the sparse-group lasso penalized log-likelihood. We provide sufficient conditions for convergence in the Frobenius norm of the inverse PSD estimators to the true value, jointly across all frequencies, where the number of frequencies are allowed to increase with sample size. This results also yields a rate of convergence. We also empirically investigate selection of the tuning parameters based on Bayesian information criterion, and illustrate our approach using numerical examples utilizing both synthetic and real data.
Estimating prevalence of PTSD among veterans with minoritized sexual orientations using electronic health record data.

Objective: Questionnaire studies show people with minoritized sexual orientations (MSOs) face increased risk for conditions including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study replicated Harrington et al.'s (2019) electronic health record probabilistic algorithm to evaluate lifetime PTSD prevalence in Veterans Health Administration (VHA)-using veterans. Method: In 115,853 MSO veterans and a 1:3 matched (on sex assigned at birth, and age at and year of first VHA visit) sample of non-MSO veterans. Each veteran was given a probability of "likely PTSD" (0.0-1.0) and thresholds (e.g., 0.7) applied to minimize false positive classifications. Results: Veterans with MSO were 2.35 times, CI [2.33, 2.38], more likely to have "likely PTSD" than veterans with non-MSO. The prevalence of "likely PTSD" using the rule-based International Classification of Diseases (ICD) approach was 40.8% among the MSO group compared to 22.0% among the non-MSO group after excluding those with bipolar or schizophrenia diagnoses and those with limited VHA engagement. Without those exclusions, prevalence was slightly higher in both groups (46.1% vs. 24.3%, respectively; prevalence ratio: 1.90). Despite increased prevalence of exposure to military sexual trauma (MST; MSO = 20.7%; non-MSO = 8.3%) and double "likely PTSD" among MSO veterans, they were less likely to have a service-connected PTSD disability than their matched non-MSO (MSO = 78.1%; non-MSO = 87.6%) comparators. Conclusions: VHA-using veterans with MSO were twice as likely to have "likely PTSD" and exposure to MST than veterans with non-MSO. Veterans with MSO were less likely to be service connected for PTSD than non-MSO counterparts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Changes in Intake and Major Food Sources of Flavonoids among U.S. Adults between 1999-2002 and 2007-2010

Epidemiologic evidence has implicated that dietary flavonoids or flavonoid rich foods are associated with a reduced risk of certain chronic diseases. However, incomplete food composition data and changes in diet over time likely affect the accuracy of flavonoid intake estimates. The current study was conducted to: 1) demonstrate an updated method of combining food consumption data and USDA flavonoid database; 2) estimate the current intake and major food sources of dietary flavonoids of US adults; and 3) determine if dietary intake and sources of flavonoids changed during the past decade. Differences over time in the average daily intake and food sources of flavonoids were estimated using 24-hour dietary recall data from NHANES 1999-2002 (n = 8,833) and 2007-2010 (n = 9,801). The total flavonoid intake of US adults aged 蠅19 years was similar between 1999-2002 (201.8 mg/d) and 2007-2010 (199.9 mg/d) with tea being the major food source of flavonoids. However, intake of anthocyanidins increased during this ...
Dependence of photosynthesis and energy dissipation activity upon growth form and light environment during the winter

Two very distinctive responses of photosynthesis to winter conditions have been identified. Mesophytic species that continue to exhibit growth during the winter typically exhibit higher maximal rates of photosynthesis during the winter or when grown at lower temperatures compared to individuals examined during the summer or when grown at warmer temperatures. In contrast, sclerophytic evergreen species growing in sun-exposed sites typically exhibit lower maximal rates of photosynthesis in the winter compared to the summer. On the other hand, shaded individuals of those same sclerophytic evergreen species exhibit similar or higher maximal rates of photosynthesis in the winter compared to the summer. Employment of the xanthophyll cycle in photoprotective energy dissipation exhibits similar characteristics in the two groups of plants (mesophytes and shade leaves of sclerophytic evergreens) that exhibit upregulation of photosynthesis during the winter. In both, zeaxanthin + antheraxanthin (Z + A) are retained and PS II remains primed for energy dissipation only on nights with subfreezing temperatures, and this becomes rapidly reversed upon exposure to increased temperatures. In contrast, Z + A are retained and PS II remains primed for energy dissipation over prolonged periods during the winter in sun leaves of sclerophytic evergreen species, and requires days of warming to become fully reversed. The rapid disengagement of this energy dissipation process in the mesophytes and shade sclerophytes apparently permits a rapid return to efficient photosynthesis and increased activity on warmer days during the winter. This may be associated with a decreasing opportunity for photosynthesis in source leaves relative to the demand for photosynthesis in the plant's sinks. In contrast, the sun-exposed sclerophytes – with a relatively high source to sink ratio – maintain PS II in a state primed for high levels of energy dissipation activity throughout much of the winter. Independent of whether photosynthesis was up- or downregulated, all species under all conditions exhibited higher levels of soluble carbohydrates during the winter compared to the summer. Thus downregulation of photosynthesis and of Photosystem II do not appear to limit carbohydrate accumulation under winter conditions. A possible signal communicating an altered source/sink balance, or that may be influencing the engagement of Z + A in energy dissipation, is phosphorylation of thylakoid proteins such as D1.
Labor in the elderly primipara

Abstract In our series of 48 cases, 13 had a morbidity, 2 mothers died, and 2 babies were stillborn. Over three-fourths of the patients were delivered per vaginum while 23 per cent were delivered by cesarean section. The patients who were forty years old and over had a shorter average labor than those under forty, but more of them had to be delivered by forceps or cesarean section.
Commensal Bacteria Exacerbate Intestinal Inflammation but Are Not Essential for the Development of Murine Ileitis

The pathogenesis of Crohn’s disease has been associated with a dysregulated response of the mucosal immune system against intraluminal Ags of bacterial origin. In this study, we have investigated the effects of germfree (GF) conditions in the SAMP1/YitFc murine model of Crohn’s disease-like ileitis. We show that the bacterial flora is not essential for ileitis induction, because GF SAMP1/YitFc mice develop chronic ileitis. However, compared with disease in specific pathogen-free (SPF) mice, ileitis in GF mice is significantly attenuated, and is associated with delayed lymphocytic infiltration and defective mucosal expression of Th2 cytokines. In addition, we demonstrate that stimulation with purified fecal Ags from SPF, but not GF mice leads to the generation of IL-4-secreting effector lymphocytes. This result suggests that commensal bacteria drive Th2 responses characteristic of the chronic phase of SAMP1/YitFc ileitis. Finally, adoptive transfer of CD4-positive cells from GF, but not SPF mice induces severe colitis in SCID recipients. These effects were associated with a decreased frequency of CD4 + CD25 + Foxp3 + T cells in the mesenteric lymph nodes of GF mice compared with SPF mice, as well as lower relative gene expression of Foxp3 in CD4 + CD25 + T cells in GF mice. It is therefore apparent that, in the absence of live intraluminal bacteria, the regulatory component of the mucosal immune system is compromised. All together, our results indicate that in SAMP1/YitFc mice, bacterial flora exacerbates intestinal inflammation, but is not essential for the generation of the chronic ileitis that is characteristic of these mice.
Daydreaming in humans and computers

This paper examines daydreaming: spontaneously recalling or imagining personal or vicarious experiences in the past or future. The following functions of daydreaming, for both humans and computers, are discussed: support for processes of creativity, future planning and rehearsal, learning from successes and failures, emotion modification, and motivation. A computational theory of daydreaming is being implemented and tested in a computer program called DAYDREAMER. A prototype version of DAYDREAMER which produces several daydreams (in English) is currently running.
A human data entry and notification system to monitor the delivery of meals in a hospital setting

To combat the risk of hyperglycemia while in the hospital, a patient’s insulin delivery should be correlated with blood glucose levels and meal consumption. At present, there is a particularly acute disconnect between insulin delivery and meal consumption. There are simply no formal processes for communicating the status of meal delivery, and thereby too much variation in the timing of meal delivery. To address this problem, a needs assessment was performed which included observations, surveys, and interviews with various stakeholders from nursing and dietary as well as information technology. As a result, a new process was developed, where 1) catering associates enter time estimates upon imminent departure from the kitchen, and 2) nurses are notified of the time estimates prior to meal arrival. Graphical user interfaces were designed to afford data entry in limited time, with little required training. A database is used to capture and convey information between the interfaces. As well, there is a means whereby catering associates, as well as managers, can review past performance and compliance. The system was preliminarily evaluated in terms of heuristic evaluation, color contrast, GOMS, and user scenarios (N=5). Then, initial field tests were performed with catering associates (N=2). The results indicate that human data entry is done in less than 30 seconds for basic scenarios, and 60 seconds for more complex scenarios; and that data entry is intuitive to learn. By only the fourth scenario, the duration of task completion was near theoretical estimates.
The future of academic writing

Contemporary academic debates about online publishing raise important questions about the future of scholarly writing practices as more academics begin to explore the multinodal and participatory digital environment, seeking not only to study it but also to engage in the praxis and community building it makes possible. Through exploring why media studies scholars might choose to participate in online endeavors like In Media Res, I want to show how digital interactive technologies might enable a rethinking of the forms and functions of scholarly writing.
Small molecule Gβγ inhibition reduces pathologic activation of cardiac fibroblasts (LB563)

Heart failure (HF) is a devastating disease characterized by cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis and inflammation. Excess signaling through Gβγ subunits leads to chronic β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) downregulation, mediated predominantly by β-AR kinase 1 (GRK2) in complex with phosphoinositide 3 kinase γ (PI3Kγ). Our recent work has demonstrated the therapeutic potential of the small molecule Gβγ-GRK2 inhibitor Gallein in limiting HF progression. Chronic activation of cardiac fibroblasts (CF), critical yet underappreciated myocardial cells, is a key contributor to pathologic cardiac remodeling. We hypothesized that Gβγ-GRK2 inhibition may limit pathologic CF activation. CFs were stimulated with Isoproterenol (Iso, β-AR agonist) or Angiotensin II +/- Gallein for 24hr. Gallein treatment attenuated the induction in the expression of α smooth muscle actin (αSMA), a marker of pathologic CF activation, several inflammatory cytokines and collagen, as assessed by qRT-PCR. Gβγ inhibition also mitigated the induction in ...
Megacolon; with particular reference to Hirschsprung's disease.

The results described in this paper confirm that excision of the aganglionic segment is the rational treatment of Hirschsprung’s disease. Although the operation may have formidable complications, it is justified; if left untreated the majority of these children die.
No Scope for Scope

One of the most frequently used notions in linguistics, logical analysis of language, and in logic itself is the notion of scope. The scopes of quantifiers and of other logically active expressions are one of the most important determinants of the logical form of the sentences of both formal and natural languages. Yet in the way this notion is currently employed, it embodies a confusion which makes its use viciously misleading. The first aim of this paper is to expose the flaw in question. In the future no linguist, logician or philosopher should use the notion of scope without having first cleared up its meaning. In linguistics, the concept will even turn out to be worthless as a primitive notion.
Refractory clays from the Kriushansk deposits

Composition chimique, granularite et proprietes physicomecaniques de ces argiles et des refractaires derives
The day Patrick Swayze died.

I can't remember if I cried When I read about his widowed bride, But something touched me deep inside The day the music died. —Don McLean, American Pie (1971) I'm not a media scholar, but my life i...
Structure of the Rio Grande rift in southern New Mexico and West Texas based on gravity interpretation

The Rio Grande rift, which is marked by a positive heat-flow anomaly in southern New Mexico, has been the subject of a gravity study based on 4,500 stations which cover a strip across New Mexico. The area consists of a series of basins and intervening ranges formed during Miocene time. This basin-and-range structure is strongly reflected in the Bouguer gravity anomalies, which range from -125 mgal over unlifts to -190 mgal over basins. Lineaments in trends of gravity anomalies are oblique to the predominant north-south trend of the rift and suggest that, in detail, the crust broke upon fractures oblique to the large-scale north-south trend. Thicknesses of Cenozoic sediments, determined from gravity measurements, range from 2 to 3 km in basins. The gravity effect of sediments is removed by stripping, and a broad +30-mgal gravity anomaly is located over the rift. Regional and residual Bouguer gravity anomaly maps were constructed. The source of the 30-mgal gravity high is interpreted to ba a shallow slab of basalt or a deep upwarp of the mantle that results in crustal attenuation. The low-velocity zone may project up toward the base of the crust under the Basin and Range province. Experiments and the observedmore » fault pattern suggest an extensional origin for the Rio Grande rift fracture system.« less
Cyclic shifts and an exponential formula

Abstract With x and y noncommutative indeterminates, a natural presentation of z = log( e x e y ) as a sum of group conjugates of x and y is shown to depend on the fact that the terms involving the cyclic shifts of any fixed word other than x or y in the power series presentation of z sum to zero.
Novel x-ray mask inspection tool based on transmission x-ray conversion microscope

We present the design and preliminary experimental results on a novel x-ray mask inspection tool based on a transmission x-ray secondary electron conversion microscope (TXsecM). The x-ray beam transmitted through the mask impinges onto a high quantum yield photoemissive cathode located at the plane where the wafer will be placed in the stepper. The cathode converts photons into low energy secondary electrons with narrow bandwidth, and the electrons are then imaged by a specially designed low voltage electrostatic lens column with 1200X magnification. Therefore, the micrographs thus obtained represent an accurate map of the x-ray radiation on the resist in an actual production exposure. TXsecM is an ideal tool for x-ray mask inspection as well as image formation analysis in real time. The design goal is to achieve 20nm spatial resolution.
Sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy studies of protein adsorption on oxide-covered Ti surfaces

Sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy has been applied to study protein adsorption on native oxide-covered polycrystalline Ti surfaces. We demonstrated that both H2O2 solution cleaning and plasma treating can effectively eliminate the unavoidable natural hydrocarbon contamination formed during storage of Ti samples in air. As the presence and potential biological role of this contamination has been a concern of recent studies of inorganic biomaterial interfaces, comparison of the protein adsorption behaviors on the contaminated and cleaned Ti samples has been performed using SFG. Various experiments indicate that hydrocarbon contamination does not greatly affect adsorption of soft proteins on native oxide-covered Ti surfaces. Additional SFG studies show that methyl groups of adsorbed bovine serum albumin have a relatively ordered structure on oxidized Ti, which is slightly affected by the cleaning method. Our data also reveal time-dependent changes of the protein structures during the ad...
Simulation Environment to Predict the Effect of Eddy Currents on Image Quality in MRI

Gradient coils generate a magnetic field with a linear spatial variation that superimposes over the main magnetic field of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system; such superimposition of the magnetic fields enables the encoding of the spatial position in MRI. A rapid change in the gradient field induces eddy currents in the conducting structures of an MRI system, resulting in the production of image artifacts. An objective of the gradient coil design phase is to predict both the coil's performance with respect to eddy currents and the image quality (IQ) before the coil is manufactured. In this paper, an integrated simulation environment is presented that combines the gradient coil design with an image formation simulation to predict the IQ. Here, an unshielded, uni-planar gradient set was simulated. Further, a study was conducted to determine the effect of frequency on the eddy currents induced in the conducting structures of the main magnet coil while exciting the uni-planar gradient set. The knowledge acquired from this study was applied to the IQ simulation, and a time-dependent simulation of a gradient echo pulse sequence was performed. The IQ of the uni-planar gradient set was predicted, and the input and reference images as well the images distorted by the eddy currents are shown.
Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Wild-Type and Mutant Forms of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis MscL Channel

The crystal structure of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis homolog of the bacterial mechanosensitive channel of large conductance (Tb-MscL) provides a unique opportunity to consider mechanosensitive signal transduction at the atomic level. Molecular dynamics simulations of the Tb-MscL channel embedded in an explicit lipid bilayer and of its C-terminal helical bundle alone in aqueous solvent were performed. C-terminal calculations imply that although the helix bundle structure is relatively unstable at physiological pH, it may have been stabilized under low pH conditions such as those used in the crystallization of the channel. Specific mutations to the C-terminal region, which cause a similar conservation of the crystal structure conformation, have also been identified. Full channel simulations were performed for the wild-type channel and two experimentally characterized gain-of-function mutants, V21A and Q51E. The wild-type Tb-MscL trajectory gives insight into regions of relative structural stability and instability in the channel structure. Channel mutations led to observable changes in the trajectories, such as an alteration of intersubunit interactions in the Q51E mutant. In addition, interesting patterns of protein-lipid interactions, such as hydrogen bonding, arose in the simulations. These and other observations from the simulations are relevant to previous and ongoing experimental studies focusing on characterization of the channel.
Climbing the Himalayas: A cross‐cultural analysis of female leadership and glass ceiling effects in non‐profit organizations

Purpose – The present study aims at contributing to the knowledge of organizational communication and cross‐cultural leadership by examining the relationship between cultural values and expected female leadership styles in non‐profit organizations in Taiwan and the US.Design/methodology/approach – In total, 307 Rotarians in Taiwan and the US completed a survey meant to reveal their cultural values and expected female leadership styles. In addition, the method of semi‐structured interviews was used to raise the participants' consciousness of and critical reflections upon social practices regarding female leadership.Findings – The research results are threefold. First, among the three major leadership styles, Rotarians in both countries expect female leaders to display transformational leadership. Second, laissez‐faire leadership style can be better explained by the variables of cultural values and country than transformational and transactional leadership styles. Finally, to successfully confront gender di...