cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cloning and characterization of Rrp1, the gene encoding Drosophila strand transferase: carboxy-terminal homology to DNA repair endo/exonucleases

We previously reported the purification of a protein from Drosophila embryo extracts that carries out the strand transfer step in homologous recombination (Lowenhaupt, K., Sander, M., Hauser, C. and A. Rich, 1989, J. Biol. Chem. 264, 20568). We report here the isolation of the gene encoding this protein. Partial amino acid sequence from a tryptic digest of gel purified strand transfer protein was used to design a pair of degenerate oligonucleotide primers which amplified a 635 bp region of Drosophila genomic DNA. Recombinant bacteriophage were isolated from genomic and embryo cDNA libraries by screening with the amplified DNA fragment. These bacteriophage clones identify a single copy gene that expresses a single mRNA transcript in early embryos and in embryo-derived tissue culture cells. The cDNA nucleotide sequence contains an open reading frame of 679 amino acids within which are found 5 tryptic peptides from the strand transfer protein. Expression of this cDNA in E. coli produces a polypeptide with the same electrophoretic mobility as the purified protein. The deduced protein sequence has two distinct regions. The first 427 residues are basic, rich in glutamic acid and lysine residues and unrelated to known proteins. The carboxy-terminal 252 residues are average in amino acid composition and are homologous to the DNA repair proteins, Escherichia coli exonuclease III and Streptococcus pneumoniae exonuclease A. This protein, which we name Rrp1 (Recombination Repair Protein 1), may facilitate recombinational repair of DNA damage.
The incidence of specific DIS/DSM‐III mental disorders: data from the NIMH Epidemiologic Catchment Area Program

Incidence data are presented for the 7 most frequent specific categories of mental disorder available in the NIMH Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) program (major depressive disorder; panic disorder; phobic disorder; obsessive-compulsive disorder; drug abuse/dependence; alcohol abuse/dependence; cognitive impairment). The DSM-III case definitions in the ECA Program are according to the implementation of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS). Rates of incidence are presented specific for age, sex, and site, and pooled smoothed curves for the relationship of age to incidence, specific for sex are shown. The 7 disorders have distinctly different relationships to sex and age of onset.
Increasing antimicrobial resistance: therapeutic implications for enterococcal infections.

Enterococcus was designated a genus distinct from the streptococci in 1984. Enterococci cause a variety of monomicrobial and polymicrobial infections, mainly in compromised patients. These infections include bacteremia, urinary and biliary tract infections, intra-abdominal sepsis, and decubitus and diabetic foot ulcers. Enterococcal infections may be acquired from the patient’s endogenous intestinal flora or exogenously from a fecally contaminated environment. Enterococci are inherently resistant to many antimicrobial agents and readily acquire additional resistances, which is likely the reason that enterococci have become prominent nosocomial pathogens. Only the combination of a cell wall-active antibiotic to which the Enterococcus is susceptible (ie, certain β-lactams or vancomycin) plus an aminoglycoside (ie, gentamicin or streptomycin) is bactericidal, and is required for cure of endocarditis, meningitis and probably infection in neutropenic patients; bacteriostatic activity is sufficient to treat most other infections. Treatment of infections caused by strains resistant to b-lactams, glycopeptides and aminoglycosides has become problematic due the limited number of therapeutic options. No medical therapy is reliably effective for endocarditis caused by strains resistant to all cell wall-active antibiotics and all aminoglycosides. New antimicrobial agents, such as linezolid and quinupristin/dalfopristin, have recently become available, but their activity against enterococci is mainly bacterostatic.
Magnetovolume effect in Fe-rich rare-earth compounds : Nd5Fe17H16

Abstract Curie temperatures ( T c ) of Fe-rich rare-earth compounds are very sensitive to the changes in the hybridization. This is responsible for the well-known large increase in T c of 2–17 compounds with interstitial and substitutional modifications. The Nd 5 Fe 17 compound has attracted some attention recently as a possible permanent-magnet material. Hydrogenation of this compound (Nd 5 Fe 17 H 16 ) produces 14.4% volume expansion and increases its T c and magnetization by 14% and 20%, respectively. Because of the large number of atom per unit cell in this crystal (264 atoms) and the lack of information on the positions of hydrogen atoms, we perform first-principle electronic structure calculations for different volumes to study the effect of interstitial impurities such as H on the magnetic properties of Nd 5 Fe 17 This is a resonable procedure because the primariy effect of minimally hybridizing impurity such as H is the magnetovolume effect. Because of the similar close-packed environment in Fe-rich compounds and fcc iron these calculations are repeated for fcc iron and the varition of T c with the average Wigner–Seitz radius is quite similar for the two systems giving a universal curve for Fe-rich compounds. The calculated results are also in good agreement with the experimental data for Nd 5 Fe 17 H 16 .
Gain compression in a quantum cascade laser: Connection between high frequency tuning and bending of LI curve

This paper studies relation between high-frequency chirping of a quantum-cascade laser and the curvature of its light-current characteristic. Assuming negligible thermal backfilling and a photon lifetime of 9ps, a gain-compression effect explains both experimental observations.
Magneto-optic Kerr effect sensors for fiber optic applications

A novel sensor technique using a magnetic thin film as the sensing element and the magneto- optic Kerr effect as the optical read technique has been tested experimentally through magnetic field measurements. Sensitivity results obtained using a simple free space ellipsometry measurement system show a magnetic field sensitivity near 10-3 Oe at low frequencies. Calculations indicate that sensitivities of order 10-6 Oe are possible with improvements in the optical system and the magnetic film sensing element. This technique appears to be implementable in a small fiber optic-compatible device, with foreseen advantages including a very high bandwidth, good thermal stability, and the use of a single optical path.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The problem of fiber pullout

The problem of pullout of a long high-modulus rectilinear bar (fiber) embedded in an elastic half-space (matrix) is considered before and while local debonding occurs. An approximate analytical solution to the problem is presented. The problem is then analyzed numerically by means of the finite element method. The results obtained by both approaches, analytical and numerical, are compared. The discrepancy usually appears very small.
Expected IPS variations due to a disturbance described by a 3-D MHD model

The variations of interplanetary scintillation due to a disturbance described by a three-dimensional, time-dependent, MHD model of the interplanetary medium are calculated. The resulting simulated IPS maps are compared with observations of real disturbances and it is found that there is some qualitative agreement. It is concluded that the MHD model with a more realistic choice of input conditions would probably provide a useful description of many interplanetary disturbances.
Synchronization mechanisms for distributed event-driven computation

We analyze distributed event-driven computation on message-passing parallel computing systems. Synchronization is the mechanism that ensures that causality in the ordering of stochastically generated events for execution during the computation is maintained. We characterize distributed event-driven computation into weakly coupled (weak interactions) and strongly coupled (strong interactions) distributed systems and propose and analyze a number of new algorithms for efficient synchronization. The analytical results for steady state performance are complemented with detailed simulations of the transient performance. We show that synchronization enforced separately from computation results in an efficient implementation. Effects of the memory hierarchy and communication delays are also incorporated.
Quantification and prediction of extreme events in a one-dimensional nonlinear dispersive wave model

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Naval Engineering Education Center (NEEC), Grant 3002883706)
Advanced Practice Nursing Education: Challenges and Strategies

Nursing education programs may face significant difficulty as they struggle to prepare sufficient numbers of advanced practice registered nurses to fulfill the vision of helping to design an improved US healthcare system as described in the Institute of Medicine's “Future of nursing” report. This paper describes specific challenges and provides strategies to improve advanced practice nursing clinical education in order to ensure that a sufficient number of APRNs are available to work in educational, practice, and research settings. Best practices are identified through a review of classic and current nursing literature. Strategies include intensive interprofessional collaborations and radical curriculum revisions such as increased use of simulation and domestic and international service work. Nurse educators must work with all stakeholders to create effective and lasting change.
Cooperation in a three-way arms race

Abstract A three-way arms race can be modeled as an iterated game with the payoff determined by the average performance over the past. We show that there exists a robust strategy for any one player which cannot be exploited by the other players, but for which mutual disarmament is a global attractor if the strategy is used by all three players.
Therapeutic approaches to innate immunity: severe sepsis and septic shock

Severe sepsis leading to shock is the principal cause of death in non-cardiac intensive care units. This condition develops because of a dysregulation in host responses, such that the mechanisms initially recruited to fight infection produce life-threatening tissue damage and death. Recent advances in our understanding of innate immunity, and the interaction between the inflammatory and the haemostatic cascades, are affording new opportunities for therapeutic development. This article discusses selected pathophysiological mechanisms that might yield to therapeutic intervention, considers rationales for the resurrection of previously failed drugs, and highlights new targets that have shown promise in preclinical studies.
Zone II flexor tendon repair: Effects of vitamins A, E, β-carotene

Abstract Ninety-six adult Leghorn chickens each had the flexor profundus tendon in each middle toe sharply divided in Zone II with immediate repair (pentabarbital, ketamine anesthesia). Animals were then randomly assigned to receive unsupplemented standard chick chow or the chow supplemented with vitamin A (150,000 IU/kg chow), Vitamin E (1000 IU/kg chow), or β-carotene (90 mg/kg chow). Eight animals from each of the four groups were examined at 7, 30, or 45 days post repair. After sacrifice, in situ composite wound breaking strength was measured in the amputated toe by constant speed tensiometry. Vitamin A-supplemented animals demonstrated breaking strength more than double that of control at each post-operative test day, while those animals receiving supplemental Vitamin E had breaking strength less than half that of control at Day 7 and Day 45. These results are statistically significant. Tensiometry curves differed markedly at all time points among the groups: Vitamin A curves being broader, higher, and having more spikes. These differences in the tensiometry curves, both qualitative and quantitative, may be due to differences in intrinsic tendon healing or to differences in adhesion formation or a combination of both. β-Carotene supplementation had modest effect. We conclude that supplemental dietary vitamin A increases the breaking strength of composite tendon wounds and that supplemental dietary vitamin E decreases it.
Statistical Results on Control Variables with Application to Queueing Network Simulation

The development and application of control variables for variance reduction in the simulation of a wide class of closed queueing networks is discussed. These networks allow multiple types of customers, priorities and blocking. Alternative methods of generating confidence intervals from independent replications of a simulation are investigated. A result is given which quantifies the loss in variance reduction caused by the estimation of the optimum control coefficients. This loss is an increasing function of the number of control variables. Good variance reduction is obtained providing that the number of control variables remains small.
Application of dn/dc data for the determination of partial specific volumes of dissolved macromolecules. II. Partial specific volume of ovalbumin in aqueous solution

The theory of an interferometric method for determining partial specific volumes of macromolecules is briefly reviewed. The experimental technique developed in this laboratory is described. Detailed results are given on the partial specific volume of ovalbumin in aqueous solution and its dependence on pH and KCl concentration. The results are compared, as far as possible, with dilatometric results obtained in another laboratory. The contribution of a change in partial specific volume of the macromolecules and in the partial specific volume of the water associated with them to the results is analyzed, and the scope of a possible complication due to changes in molecular polarizability is pointed out.
Intercellular calcium waves in glia

Glial cells are capable of communicating increases in [Ca2+]i from a single cell to many surrounding cells. These intercellular Ca2+ waves have been observed in glia in multiple different preparations, including dissociated brain cell cultures, glial cell lines, organotypic brain slice cultures, and intact retinal preparations. They may occur spontaneously, or in response to a variety of stimuli. Ca2+ waves occurring under different conditions in different preparations may have distinctive patterns of initiation and propagation, and distinctive pharmacological characteristics consistent with the involvement of different intracellular and intercellular signaling pathways. This paper presents original data supporting a combination of gap junction and extracellular messenger-mediated signaling in mechanically induced glial Ca2+ waves. Additional new observations provide evidence that a rapidly propagated signal may precede the glial Ca2+ wave and may mediate rapid glial-neuronal communication. This original data is discussed in the context of a review of the literature and current concepts regarding the potential mechanisms, physiological and pathological roles of this dynamic pattern of glial intercellular signaling. GLIA 24:39–49, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Designing a processor from the ground up to allow voltage/reliability tradeoffs

Current processor designs have a critical operating point that sets a hard limit on voltage scaling. Any scaling beyond the critical voltage results in exceeding the maximum allowable error rate, i.e., there are more timing errors than can be effectively and gainfully detected or corrected by an error-tolerance mechanism. This limits the effectiveness of voltage scaling as a knob for reliability/power tradeoffs. In this paper, we present power-aware slack redistribution, a novel design-level approach to allow voltage/reliability tradeoffs in processors. Techniques based on power-aware slack redistribution reapportion timing slack of the frequently-occurring, near-critical timing paths of a processor in a power- and area-efficient manner, such that we increase the range of voltages over which the incidence of operational (timing) errors is acceptable. This results in soft architectures — designs that fail gracefully, allowing us to perform reliability/power tradeoffs by reducing voltage up to the point that produces maximum allowable errors for our application. The goal of our optimization is to minimize the voltage at which a soft architecture encounters the maximum allowable error rate, thus maximizing the range over which voltage scaling is possible and minimizing power consumption for a given error rate. Our experiments demonstrate 23% power savings over the baseline design at an error rate of 1%. Observed power reductions are 29%, 29%, 19%, and 20% for error rates of 2%, 4%, 8%, and 16% respectively. Benefits are higher in the face of error recovery using Razor. Area overhead of our techniques is up to 2.7%.
Locke and Hume: Bearings on the legal obligation of the Negro

Casual observation of the judicial process leads to an obvious conclusion: Citizens of a nation are subject to its laws. The truth of this statement, however, does not validate the further proposition that citizens of a nation ought to be subject to its laws. In other words, the nornaative does not necessarily follow from the descriptive. That most Germans obeyed the Nazi regime, for example, is not sufficient ground for inferring that they ought to have followed that authority. Clearly, for normative assertions to be given serious consideration, they must rest on a more adequately warranted basis. Is there ample justification, however, for the claim that a nation's citizenry ought to be subject to its laws? If rigorous proof of normative propositions is essential to their justification, then it is apparently impossible to demonstrate them as certain or even highly probable without the benefit of arbitrary re-definition of terms or the acceptance of system-building postulates as self-evident axioms. There are, however, less demanding methods for dealing with the normative. Of the numerous approaches to legal obligation, two will be considered: one of these may be termed the American-traditional, and the other, the Humeanpragmatic. While they may not provide an absolute solution to the general normative problem at issue, these two, approaches do furnish answers within limited contexts. It is a prime purpose of this paper to apply these methods to one specific problem involving the legal imperative, the situation of some American Negroes. These people, under threat of penalty, must obey the law, but ought they to do so? Tradition's answer, which rests on a theologicallygrounded postulate, is properly obtained from John Locke's second dissertation on civil government, from which the founding intellectuals drew some of their philosophical justification both for the genesis of the United States and for the legal obligation of its citizens.X And a relevant pragmatic ap-
Sulfoxaflor and the sulfoximine insecticides: Chemistry, mode of action and basis for efficacy on resistant insects

Abstract The sulfoximines, as exemplified by sulfoxaflor ([ N -[methyloxido[1-[6-(trifluoromethyl)-3-pyridinyl]ethyl]- λ 4 -sulfanylidene] cyanamide] represent a new class of insecticides. Sulfoxaflor exhibits a high degree of efficacy against a wide range of sap-feeding insects, including those resistant to neonicotinoids and other insecticides. Sulfoxaflor is an agonist at insect nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and functions in a manner distinct from other insecticides acting at nAChRs. The sulfoximines also exhibit structure activity relationships (SAR) that are different from other nAChR agonists such as the neonicotinoids. This review summarizes the sulfoximine SAR, mode of action and the biochemistry underlying the observed efficacy on resistant insect pests, with a particular focus on sulfoxaflor.
Partial words and the critical factorization theorem

The study of combinatorics on words, or finite sequences of symbols from a finite alphabet, finds applications in several areas of biology, computer science, mathematics, and physics. Molecular biology, in particular, has stimulated considerable interest in the study of combinatorics on partial words that are sequences that may have a number of "do not know" symbols also called "holes". This paper is devoted to a fundamental result on periods of words, the critical factorization theorem, which states that the period of a word is always locally detectable in at least one position of the word resulting in a corresponding critical factorization. Here, we describe precisely the class of partial words w with one hole for which the weak period is locally detectable in at least one position of w. Our proof provides an algorithm which computes a critical factorization when one exists. A World Wide Web server interface at http://www.uncg.edu/mat/cft/has been established for automated use of the program.
Optimality of the RiskMetrics VaR Model

Abstract Using different loss functions in estimation and forecast evaluation of econometric models can cause suboptimal parameter estimates and inaccurate assessment of predictive ability. Though there are not general guidelines on how to choose the loss function, the modeling of Value-at-Risk is a rare instance is which the loss function for forecasting evaluation is well defined. Within the context of the RiskMetrics ™ methodology, which is the most popular to calculate Value-at-Risk, we investigate the implications of considering different loss functions in estimation and forecasting evaluation. Based on U.S. equity, exchange rates, and bond market data we find that there can be substantial differences on the estimates under alternative loss functions. On calculating the 99% VaR for a 10-day horizon, the RiskMetrics ™ model for equity markets overestimates substantially the decay factor. However, the out-of-sample performance is not systematically superior by using the estimates under the correct loss function.
Evaluation Practices of Educational Programs Reviewed by the Joint Dissemination Review Panel, 1980-1983.

Practices in educational program evaluation were examined through analyses of reports submitted to the U.S. Department of Education's Joint Dissemination Review Panel (JDRP) during the years 1980-1983. Through its review process, the JDRPjudges whether educational programs have demonstrated effectiveness in attaining stated goals. Content analyses of 232 JDRP reports yielded descriptive profiles of the educational programs and their evaluations. Comparisons between JDRP-approved and nonapproved programs were made. Regression analyses were used to relate differences in evaluation methodology to differences in the size of educational effects detected by the programs.
Human Trafficking and the New Slavery

Human trafficking is an issue that has grabbed the attention of the world over the past 15 years. But meaningful progress and research are still held back by a number of debates between academics, policy makers, and activists. Agreeing upon a consistent definition and methods of measuring trafficking presents a challenge, as does the continued focus on the sex trafficking of women into prostitution to the exclusion of other types of trafficking and genders. Debates over what type of crime trafficking is and what drives it (organized crime, human rights, migration policies) have also had important impacts on the way that the phenomenon is conceptualized and dealt with at the national and international levels. This article outlines these debates and suggests directions for future research that can reveal the complexities of the phenomenon but also clarify our understandings of the lived experiences of people involved and the processes that drive it.
Sensitivity of Performance in the Erlang-A Queueing Model to Changes in the Model Parameters

This paper studies the M/M/sM queue, i.e., the M/M/s queue with customer abandonment, also called the Erlang-A model, having independent and identically distributed customer abandon times with an exponential distribution (the M), focusing on the case in which the arrival rate and the number of servers are large. The goal is to better understand the sensitivity of performance to changes in the model parameters: the arrival rate, the service rate, the number of servers, and the abandonment rate. Elasticities are used to show the percentage change of a performance measure caused by a small percentage change in a parameter. Elasticities are calculated using an exact numerical algorithm and simple finite-difference approximations. Insight is gained by applying fluid and diffusion approximations. The analysis shows that performance is quite sensitive to small percentage changes in the arrival rate or the service rate, but relatively insensitive to small percentage changes in the abandonment rate.
The Effects of Individual Power on Earnings

In a large national sample of college and university faculty, individual earnings were affected by individual-level power, controlling for other individual, departmental, academic, field, and organization-level determinants of salaries. Specifically, having an outside job offer, having more extensive communication with individuals in other institutions, bringing in outside research grants, and being active and influential in departmental and institutional governance had both direct effects on salaries and increased the return to individual productivity, experience, and credentials. Individual influence was substantively important in affecting salaries and offers a theoretically coherent interpretation of many results in the literature on the structure of earnings inequality.
Zoonoses resources on the internet

Abstract Diseases that can be passed between humans and animals are referred to as zoonotic. Of the known pathogens that plague humanity, 49% are zoonotic. Recent worldwide changes have caused an increase in cases of zoonoses and an actual increase in types of diseases. Specific areas of change include the increase in the number of pets and the changing role of the human-animal bond, the increase in the global movement of people and agricultural products, and the emergence of new diseases. Media coverage and an increase in the actual number of cases of existing and emerging zoonotic diseases have increased the need for consumers to find information about these diseases. Excellent resources are available on the Internet for consumers looking for valid and qualified information about emerging and existing zoonotic
A comparison of combination chemotherapy and combined modality therapy for locally advanced gastric carcinoma

This controlled trial compared the survival of 90 patients with locally advanced gastric carcinoma treated with either chemotherapy alone (5-FU and methyl-CCNU) or external radiotherapy of 5000 rad combined with the same chemotherapy. The minimum period of followup is 4 years. During the initial 12 months, combined modality therapy was associated with an increased number of early deaths attributable to progression of tumor within the radiation field, or nutritional and hematologic complications. During the second to fourth years of followup, patients treated with combined radiation therapy have shown a significantly lower death rate compared to those treated with chemotherapy alone, with eight of 45 patients alive and disease-free. Patients who received only chemotherapy, in contrast, have demonstrated a continued probability for tumor relapse and death, with three of 45 patients alive at 4 years. Palliative resection of the primary tumor was associated with an improved survival, independent of the form of postoperative therapy employed. It is possible that the superior late survival achieved with combined modality therapy in this program can be further improved with measures to decrease the toxicity of upper abdominal irradiation, and with the use of more effective forms of chemotherapy.
A stereo system for 3-D measurements in robot workspaces

The authors describe a stereo system for robot vision applications. The geometry of the system is designed to make use of a simple and efficient camera calibration procedure that requires only three world points of known coordinates. The system introduces new variables that relate the output digital image directly to the viewed 3-D object. In addition, it combines the advantages of the area based and feature-based matching approaches. Experimental results indicate that the method is capable of extracting 3-D information of real objects with satisfactory accuracy. >
Composable Behavioral Models and Schematic-Based Simulation of Electrokinetic Lab-on-a-Chip Systems

This paper presents composable behavioral models and a schematic-based simulation methodology to enable top-down design of electrokinetic (EK) lab-on-a-chip (LoC). Complex EK LoCs are shown to be decomposable into a system of elements with simple geometry and specific function. Parameterized and analytical models are developed to describe the electric and biofluidic behavior within each element. Electric and biofluidic pins at element terminals support the communication between adjacent elements in a simulation schematic. An analog hardware description language implementation of the models is used to simulate LoC subsystems for micromixing and electrophoretic separation. Both direct current (dc) and transient analysis can be performed to capture the influence of system topology, element sizes, material properties, and operational parameters on LoC system performance. Accuracy (relative error generally less than 5%) and speedup $(≫hbox100times)$ of the schematic-based simulation methodology are demonstrated by comparison to experimental measurements and continuum numerical simulation.
Adverse outcomes of osteoporotic fractures in the general population.

Osteoporotic fractures exact a terrible toll on the population with respect to morbidity and cost, and to a lesser extent mortality, which will increase dramatically with the growing elderly population. Attention has focused on the 12-20% excess deaths after hip fracture, but most are caused by underlying medical conditions unrelated to osteoporosis. More important is fracture-related morbidity. An estimated 10% of patients are disabled by hip fracture, and 19% require institutionalization, accounting for almost 140,000 nursing home admissions annually in this country. Distal forearm and vertebral fractures less commonly result in nursing home placement, but about 10% of postmenopausal women have vertebral deformities that cause chronic pain, and a substantial minority have poor function after forearm fracture. These fractures interfere greatly with the activities of daily living, and all of them can have a substantial negative impact on quality of life. Annual expenditures for osteoporotic fracture care in the United States ($17.5 million in 2002 dollars) are dominated by hip fracture treatment, but vertebral fractures, distal forearm fractures, and importantly, the other fractures related to osteoporosis contribute one-third of the total. Although all fracture patients are at increased risk of future fractures, few of them are currently treated for osteoporosis, and only a subset (i.e., those with vertebral fractures) are considered candidates for many clinical trials. Eligibility criteria should be expanded and fracture end-points generalized to acknowledge the overall burden of osteoporotic fractures.
Phylogeny of Amorpheae (Fabaceae: Papilionoideae)

The legume tribe Amorpheae comprises eight genera and 240 species with variable floral form. In this study, we inferred a phylogeny for Amorpheae using DNA sequence data from the plastid trnK intron, including matK, and the nuclear ribosomal ITS1, 5.8S, and ITS2. Our data resulted in a well-resolved phylogeny in which the tribe is divided into the daleoids ( Dalea, Marina,and Psorothamnus), characterized by generally papilionaceous corollas, and the amorphoids (Amorpha, Apoplanesia, Errazurizia, Eysenhardtia,and Parryella), characterized by non-papilionaceous flowers. We found evidence for the paraphyly of Psorothamnus and for the monophyly of Dalea once D. filiciformisis transferred to monophyletic Marina. Errazurizia rotundata is more closely related to Amorpha than to the other errazurizias, and Eysenhardtia is supported to be monophyletic. The monotypic Parryella and Apoplanesia are placed within the amorphoids. Among Papilionoideae, trnK/matK sequence data provide strong evidence for the monophyly of Amorpheae and place Amorpheae as sister to the recently discovered dalbergioid clade.
Effect of Phosphate Deficiency on Pulp Alkaline Phosphatase and Ca2+-, Mg2 + -ATPase Activity in Rats

Phosphate deficiency imposed on weanling rats for two wk resulted in a 40% increase in alkaline phosphatase activity of incisor pulp, without a significant change in Ca2+-, Mg2+-ATPase activity. The results are consistent with a separate identity for the two enzymes, but their physiological roles remain obscure.
Linking dislocation dynamics and chemical reactivity on strained metal films

The interaction of a model strained metal film with oxygen is studied by scanning tunneling microscopy. Two monolayers of copper on Ru(0001) present a well-defined dislocation network composed of threading dislocations and Shockley partial dislocations separating areas of fcc and hcp stacking. We find that oxygen first reacts with these threading dislocations. Then, for exposures up to ~0.4 L O 2 , new threading dislocation arrays appear on the surface. With the addition of more oxygen, the mesoscopic structure of the film changes from a striped array of Shockley partials to a disordered array of triangular fcc regions bounded by dislocations, as oxygen proceeds to etch away the hcp areas of the copper film. © 1998 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Carbon Coated Metal Nanoparticles for Electrocatalysis

To promote the performance of nanoparticle electrocatalysts, a facile hydrothermal method is developed to generate core–shell nanocomposites with a metal catalyst core and a carbon shell. In this method, glucose serves as the reducing agent and carbon precursor while cetyltrimethylammonium surfactants serve as both pore structure-directing agents and nanoparticle capping agent. The accessibility of the metal catalyst core was examined by gas-phase ethylene hydrogenation and the electrocatalytic activity was tested by formic acid oxidation (FOR). The selection of halide counter ions used during the synthesis was found to be critical. The optimized sample of Pd-carbon nanocomposite exhibits a FOR current density of 2.55 mA/cm2, which is higher than that of un-coated Pd nanoparticles with no support (0.89 mA/cm2) and with carbon nanotube support (1.08 mA/cm2).
Liquefaction of Unsaturated Sands

AbstractRecent laboratory tests and field observations have revealed that unsaturated sands are susceptible to liquefaction. Systematic investigation of liquefaction potential of unsaturated sands is, however, lacking. In this paper, a coupled hydromechanical elastoplastic constitutive model for unsaturated sands is calibrated using available laboratory test results. A parametric study is then conducted using the calibrated constitutive model to investigate the effects of initial degree of saturation, relative density, and effective confining pressure on the liquefaction resistance of unsaturated sands. The results suggest that the liquefaction resistance of unsaturated sands increases with decreasing degree of saturation and increasing relative density and effective confining pressure. The results also reveal that the effect of degree of saturation on liquefaction resistance is more pronounced near 100% degree of saturation. The results of the parametric study are then condensed to create a design chart ...
Kreyol-Ye, Kadjen-Ye, E Lalwa a Langaj Dan Lalwizyann (Creoles, Cajuns, and Language Law in Louisiana)

This article, written in Cajun French and English, examines the word “Creole” and the history of laws about the French language in Louisiana. In recent decades, a growing awareness of the historical diminution of linguistic minorities and their languages around the world has led to increased efforts to preserve the cultural heritage of such minorities. In Louisiana, after decades of relegating Cajun French to second class status, in 1968 the Louisiana legislature created the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL), a state agency tasked with preserving “Louisiana’s French language, heritage and culture.” The act establishing CODOFIL mandated that the Council “do any and all things necessary to accomplish the development, utilization, and preservation of the French language as found in the State of Louisiana.” But instead of teaching Cajun French, most Louisiana schools taught standard French, the purpose of CODOFIL was never fully realized, and both the Cajun French language, and culture, are still at risk of disappearing. (A version of this article, in standard French, is available at 60 Loyola Law Review 297 (2014) and at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2572642).
Alpha-particle decay of 162 Hf, 157 Lu, and 158 Lu

The ..cap alpha..-particle decays of /sup 162/Hf and of /sup 157,158/Lu were investigated in bombardments of /sup 144,147/Sm by /sup 20/Ne and /sup 19/F ions, respectively. The characteristics of these ..cap alpha.. emitters are as follows: (1) /sup 162/Hf, E/sub ..cap alpha../ = 4.311(10) MeV, T/sub 1/2/approx.40 sec; (2) /sup 157/Lu, E/sub ..cap alpha../ = 4.999(5) MeV, T/sub 1/2/ = 5.0(5) sec; and (3) /sup 158/Lu, E/sub ..cap alpha../ = 4.666(5) MeV, T/sub 1/2/ = 9(2) sec. These data are compared with values available in the literature.
Sparse non-negative matrix language modeling for geo-annotated query session data

The paper investigates the impact on query language modeling when using skip-grams within query as well as across queries in a given search session, in conjunction with the geo-annotation available for the query stream data. As modeling tool we use the recently proposed sparse non-negative matrix estimation technique, since it offers the same expressive power as the well-established maximum entropy approach in combining arbitrary context features. Experiments on the google.com query stream show that using session-level and geo-location context we can expect reductions in perplexity of 34% relative over the Kneser-Ney N-gram baseline; when evaluating on the '"local" subset of the query stream, the relative reduction in PPL is 51%— more than a bit. Both sources of context information (geo-location, and previous queries in session) are about equally valuable in building a language model for the query stream.
Coding strategies, the Choquet game, and domain representability

Abstract We prove that if the NONEMPTY player has a winning strategy in the strong Choquet game on a regular space X then NONEMPTY has a winning coding strategy in that game (a strategy that only depends on the previous 2 moves). We also prove that any regular domain representable space is generalized subcompact.
Modeling excitable cells using hybrid automata

Hybrid automata are an increasingly popular modeling formalism for systems that exhibit both continuous and discrete behavior. Intuitively, a hybrid automaton is an extended finite-state automaton, the states of which encode the various phases of continuous dynamics a system may undergo, and the transitions of which are used to express the switching logic between these dynamics. Excitable cells are a good example of biologically inspired hybrid systems: trans-membrane ion fluxes and voltages may vary continuously but the transition from the resting state to the excited state is generally considered an all-or-nothing discrete response. In this work, we first show that two existing models of excitable cells fall into the hybrid automata framework. We then design a specific kind of hybrid automata: Cycle-Linear Hybrid Automata (CLHA), to model multiple physiological properties of excitable cells including action potential, restitution and hyper-polarization. Spatial simulation demonstrates that our model is 8 times faster than the traditional models. We present how machine learning techniques are applied to automatically learn the parameters of CLHA from existing data and how reachability analysis is used to verify critical conditions for the excitement of neurons. A formal analysis of abnormal excitation (early afterdepolarization) in cardiac tissue is also included. At last, a rational CLHA with more physiological details is presented.
Protection of the immature myocardium. An experimental evaluation of topical cooling, single-dose, and multiple-dose administration of St. Thomas' Hospital cardioplegic solution.

Low cardiac output in infants after cardiac operations continues to be a problem, yet little experimental work has been done to evaluate the various methods of protecting the immature myocardium. In this study, we have used an isolated working heart model to test three methods of myocardial protection in 3- to 4-week-old rabbit hearts: (1) topical cooling, (2) single-dose cardioplegia plus topical cooling, and (3) multiple-dose cardioplegia plus topical cooling. Myocardial temperature was maintained at 10° C during ischemia, and St. Thomas’ Hospital solution was used for cardioplegia. Sets of 18 hearts were subjected to 60,90, or 120 minutes of ischemia, and within each set six hearts were protected by all three methods. After 90 and 120 minutes of ischemia, the percent recovery of aortic flow (expressed as mean ± standard error of the mean) was lower in hearts protected with multiple-dose cardioplegia plus topical cooling (61.5% ± 4.8%, 50.7% ± 14.2%) than in those protected with topical cooling (92.4% ± 5.7%, 94.3% ± 12.8%) or single-dose cardioplegia plus topical cooling (86.4% ± 5.3%, 90.2 ± 3.6%). However, adenosine triphosphate, creatine phosphate, and glycogen levels were adequately preserved in all groups. Both topical cooling and single-dose cardioplegia provide effective protection for the immature rabbit heart during ischemia, but multiple-dose cardioplegia plus topical cooling results in inadequate preservation of hemodynamic function, despite adequate preservation of myocardial high-energy phosphate stores.
New material of the pterosaur Eopteranodon from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation, western Liaoning, China

The diagnostic features of Eopteranadon are amended on the basis of new material. The amended features are as follows: the neural spines in the mid cervical vertebrae are absent; the ratio of the length of the deltopectoral crest to the humerus length is approximately 0.25; and the length of the metacarpal Ⅳ is almost equal to the length of the second wing phalange; the ratio of the length of wing phalange 2 to wing phalange 1 is approximately 0.76. The new specimen of Eopteranadon is slightly different from its holotype, probably due to ontogenetic development.
Operative repair of pressure ulcers.

Surgical management of pressure ulcers ranges from debridement and advancement flap closure for simple ulcers to sensate flaps, expanded flaps, free-tissue transfers, and fillet flaps for more complex ulcers and defects. Some pressure ulcers recur following surgery or conservative treatment, and the surgical options for management of these difficult recurrent ulcers are limited. The geriatric population offers an even more difficult problem as patients suffer invariably from underlying medical and systemic diseases that may affect surgery or the rehabilitation program.
Molecular Regulation of Cushion Morphogenesis

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses where and how the cardiac cushions form, the constituency of the cushions, progress in deciphering the molecular regulatory networks governing the functional formation of the valve leaflets, and partitioning of a four-chambered heart. Immediately following looping of the primitive heart tube, regional expansion of the extracellular matrix (cardiac jelly) separating the outer myocardial lining and the inner endothelial lining of the heart occurs to initiate endocardial cushion morphogenesis by a process called epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). This process occurs initially in the atrioventricular (AV) canal region and later in the outflow tract (OFT) to produce cushion mesenchyme. In the atrioventricular canal two main masses of cushion tissue, the dorsal or inferior atrioventricular cushion and the ventral or superior atrioventricular endocardial cushion, originate from the epithelial–mesenchymal transition. There are two lateral cushions that contribute to the mural leaflets of the atrioventricular valves. The atrioventricular canal becomes divided into two distinct right and left orifices when the two main cushion masses fuse to form the atrioventricular septum intermedium and divide the common atrioventricular canal into a right-sided tricuspid orifice and left-sided, mitral orifice. These cushions successfully establish unidirectional blood flow even before they become mesenchymalized.
Maximizing higher derivatives of unknown maps with stochastic extremum seeking

We present a stochastic generalization to the scalar Newton-based extremum seeking algorithm which through measurements of an unknown map, maximizes the map's higher derivatives. The proposed method perturbs the estimate of the optimal parameter with the sinusoid of Brownian motion about the boundary of a circle. Then by properly demodulating the map output of the randomly perturbed estimate, the extremum seeking algorithm maximizes the nth derivative only through measurements of the map. The Newton-based extremum seeking approach removes the dependence of the convergence rate on the unknown Hessian of the higher derivative, an effort to improve performance over standard gradient-based extremum seeking. Our design stems from the existing multivariable Newton-based extremum seeking algorithm where a differential Riccati equation estimates the inverse Hessian of the function to be maximized. Algebraically computing a direct estimate of the inverse Hessian is susceptible to singularity, where-as employing the Riccati filter removes that potential. We prove local stability of the algorithm for general nonlinear static maps via stochastic averaging theory developed for extremum seeking.
Genotoxicity of recycling electronic waste in Idhna, Hebron District, Palestine

AbstractMost Electronic waste (e-waste) ends up in landfills while some is recycled. A major site for e-waste recycling in Palestine is the village of Idhna in the Hebron District and most of this waste originates from Israel. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of e-waste on human DNA damage and chromosome breaks. The test sample was 46 non-smoker individuals with direct exposure to e-waste, either employed in the workshops or resident in Idhna. Genotoxicity data were compared with a control sample of sixteen unexposed individuals from Bethlehem and Al-Aizariya (Bethany). DNA damage was evaluated using the Comet assay while chromosome aberrations were tested by using conventional cytogenetic techniques. We noted an average of 4.83 aberration/cell/subject in test samples while in controls the average was 0.75. Chromosome aberration frequency was statistically different between exposed and control samples for total aberrations, for chromatid and chromosome breaks, and for formation of r...