cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Cambrian radiation of bilaterians: Evolutionary origins and palaeontological emergence; earth history change and biotic factors

Abstract Evidence from a variety of research areas, including phylogenetic palaeobiogeographic studies of trilobites, indicates that there may be a fuse to the Cambrian radiation, with a duration on the order of 20–70 myr. Evolution in trilobites appears to have been powerfully influenced by the tectonic changes occurring at the end of the Neoproterozoic: especially the breakup of Pannotia. This continental fragmentation may have also elevated opportunities for vicariance and speciation in trilobites, and other metazoans, given that speciation rates at this time period were high, though not phenomenally so. This provides clear evidence that abiotic factors played an important role in motivating evolution during this key episode in the history of life; biotic factors probably also played a role. The evidence for the role of biotic factors is considered in light of information from some problematic Cambrian taxa. These may show affinities with modern problematic pseudocoelomate phyla, although Cambrian and modern exponents differ dramatically in body size.
Barriers and Facilitators to Implementing Primary Stroke Center Policy in the United States: Results From 4 Case Study States

Objectives. We identified barriers and facilitators to the state-level implementation of primary stroke center (PSC) policies, which encourage the certification or designation of specialized stroke treatment facilities and may address concerns such as transportation bypass, telemedicine, and treatment protocols.Methods. We studied the experiences of 4 states (Florida, Massachusetts, New Mexico, and New York) selected from the 18 states that had enacted PSC policies or were actively considering doing so. We conducted semistructured interviews during fieldwork in each case study state.Results. Our results showed that system fragmentation, gaps in human and financial resources, and complexity at the interorganizational and operational levels are common barriers and that policy champions, stakeholder support and communication, and operational adaptation are essential facilitators in the adoption and implementation of PSC policies.Conclusions. The identification of barriers and facilitators reveals the context...
FRSAD and the Ontology of Subjects of Works

Critics of the Functional Requirements for Subject Authority Data (FRSAD) model have argued that the Functional Requirements for Subject Authority Records (FRSAR) Working Group failed to make explicit the ontological assumptions underlying the model, and/or failed to make explicit the reasoning behind the choices that were made among competing conceptions. In this article, the philosophical assumptions underlying the design of the FRSAD model are identified and precisely described; the full range of alternatives are discussed and evaluated; and the implications of the Working Group's choices among those alternatives are clarified.
A Geometric Approach to Capacity Provisioning in WDM Networks with Dynamic Traffic

In this paper, we use an asymptotic analysis similar to the sphere-packing argument in the proof of Shannon's channel capacity theorem to derive optimal provisioning requirements for networks with both static and dynamic provisioning. We consider an TV-user shared-link model where Ws wavelengths are statically assigned to each user, and a common pool of Wd wavelengths are available to all users. We derive the minimum values of Ws and Wd required to achieve asymptotically non-blocking performance as the number of users N becomes large. We show that it is always optimal to statically provision at least enough wavelengths to support the mean of the traffic. We then consider allowing the shared wavelengths Wd to be switched in groups (or wavebands) rather than on an individual basis, and show that by employing waveband switching, a link with only a few switches per user can achieve the same performance as a link provisioned with unlimited switches per user using only marginally more wavelengths. We also derive the optimal band size and wavelengths required. Finally, we discuss adaptation of these results to the case of a finite and small number of users.
FINANCING AND HOUSE PRICES

Recent empirical evidence on the effect of below-market financing on house prices has suffered from estimation and interpretation problems. In this paper, a methodology is developed to solve these problems. Using data for mortgage revenue bonds, the methodology is tested with results indicating that all financing subsidy is capitalized into house prices.
Interaction process in computer-mediated and face-to-face groups

This paper presents a comparative description of interactions in computer-mediated (CMC) and face-to-face (FTF) groups. For each of six weeks 16 CMC and 14 FTF groups of students collaborated on group essay assignments. We coded all verbal messages during these essay tasks. We explored four questions: 1.) Do CMC and FTF groups differ in the frequency of interaction acts, overall and within interaction categories?; 2.) If so, which interaction categories are used more by CMC and which by FTF groups?; 3.) Do these patterns of interaction activity vary over time?; 4.) Are there systematic differences in interaction patterns over time between media? Results showed that there were substantial differences between CMC and FTF groups in both the amount and type of interaction for each of four main categories of interaction. There were substantial over-time effects, collapsed across media, for several of the categories of behavior, but there were no significant differences in the way CMC and FTF groups changed over time. Although there was extensive variation among groups within a given medium, we did find some consistent patterns of behavior for groups within each medium, some of them distinctive for the medium. Although we offer evidence for differences in interaction processes of FTF and CMC groups, we note that the conclusions one makes depends upon one's perspective about the purpose of groups.
Breast cancer survivors and fertility preservation: ethical and religious considerations.

Objectives To review religious and ethical considerations for health care professionals when discussing fertility preservation with young survivors. Data Sources Published research reports and articles, published guidelines, and web sites. Conclusion Although advances in assisted reproductive technology have increased fertility preservation options, not all treatments are acceptable or available for all young survivors. Implications for Nursing Practice The ongoing provision of information from health care professionals allows young survivors to make high-quality decisions about fertility across the survivorship continuum. Knowledge of the influence that religious beliefs and economics have on decisions help nurses to better understand and support patients during this difficult time.
Shrinkage estimation of reliability in the exponential distribution

In this paper we propose two shrinkage testimators for the reliability of the exponential distribution and study their properties. The optimum shrinkage coefficients for the shrinkage testimators are obtained based on a regret function and the minimax regret criterion. Shrinkage testimators are compared with a preliminary test estimator and with the usual estimator in terms of mean squared error. The proposed shrinkage testimators are shown to be preferable to the preliminary test estimator and the usual estimator when the prior value of mean life is close to the true mean life.
Long QT Syndrome

A 34-year-old female who is 4 months postpartum presents after a nocturnal seizure. She was awakened at night by an alarm clock to feed her baby, spoke briefly with her husband, and suddenly lost consciousness, appearing to have epileptic-type movements before spontaneously recovering. On further questioning, she reported several syncopal events over the past 15 years, once when standing suddenly, also thought at the time to be a seizure. Previous neurological investigations were normal. A 12-lead ECG (Figure 1A) revealed a corrected QT interval of 550 ms with low-amplitude, notched T-waves. Figure 1. Electrocardiographic traces from leads II and V5 ( A , C–F ) and lead II ( B ) in patients with long QT syndrome. A , ECG traces from the initial patient described showing low-amplitude, notched T-waves characteristic of LQT2. B , Alternating T-wave axis and morphology (T-wave alternans) leading to an episode of torsades de pointes (TdP) triggered by a ventricular ectopic beat. C , Traces from a previously asymptomatic individual who suffered significant QT prolongation (QTc 570 ms) and ventricular fibrillation following a head injury and intracranial hemorrhage. D , On recovery his QT interval normalized (QTc 440 ms), but ( E ) showed marked prolongation 2 minutes into recovery on exercise testing (QTc 550 ms). Genetic analysis identified deletion of 10 amino acid residues in KCNQ1 . F , Severe QT prolongation (QTc 740 ms) in a 9-year-old child presenting with nocturnal seizures. Despite propranolol therapy he continued to have short runs of TdP and underwent primary prevention ICD implantation. A functionally deleterious missense mutation previously associated with severe phenotype was identified in SCN5A (c.G1231A; p.V411M). Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is an inherited cardiac condition caused by genetically encoded abnormalities in cardiac ion channels, characterized clinically by palpitations, syncope, and sudden cardiac death, with varying degrees of QT prolongation and T-wave morphological …
The Supreme Court and the decline of constitutional aspiration

How should the U.S. Constitution be interpreted, and upon what philosophical basis? What were the intentions of its framers concerning judicial interpretation? the doctrine of natural rights? the finality of Supreme Court decisions? To what extent are these intentions relevant to modern politics and jurisprudence? These and other issues are given a balanced and fresh treatment in Professor Jacobsohn's timely study.
Comparative Study of Blu and ML Estimators of Location and Scale Parameters of an Extreme Value Distribution for Small Samples and Type I Censorship

The Maximum Likelihood (ML) and Best Linear Unbiased (BLU) estimators of the location and scale parameters of an extreme value distribution (Lawless [1982]) are compared under conditions of small sample sizes and Type I censorship. The comparisons were made in terms of the mean square error criterion. According to this criterion, the ML estimator of σ in the case of very small sample sizes (n < 10) and heavy censorship (low censoring time) proved to be more efficient than the corresponding BLU estimator. However, the BLU estimator for σ attains parity with the corresponding ML estimator when the censoring time increases even for sample sizes as low as 10. The BLU estimator of σ attains equivalence with the ML estimator when the sample size increases above 10, particularly when the censoring time is also increased. The situation is reversed when it came to estimating the location parameter μ, as the BLU estimator was found to be consistently more efficient than the ML estimator despite the improved perform...
Modeling the phase interaction in the momentum equations of a fluid-solid mixture

Abstract The phase interaction term in the momentum equations for the flow of a fluid-solid mixture is derived using a control volume/control surface approach. This approach has been used by the authors in an earlier work to obtain the solid phase stress. An extension of this approach provides a consistent derivation for the necessary constitutive equations for a laminar flow of a dilute fluid-solid mixture. A fundamental difference is observed between the present model and other models in the literature. The diffusion/anti-diffusion phenomenon caused by the concentration gradient is discussed. The resulting governing equations are applied to the case of a vertical flow where the phase interaction term is first evaluated according to a previous model in the literature, and then to the one presently obtained. The resulting solutions show that a significant difference exists in the flow behavior described by the two solutions.
Novel predictions from radiation target analysis.

Abstract The unsual technique of radiation inactivation has been used to determine the mass of many different macromolecules. Most of the radiation target sizes obtained agree with the known protein structures. However, in several cases the sizes obtained were not easily interpreted since they did not agree with values determined by more conventional methods. Subsequent studies have shown that many of these perplexing radiation target sizes were indeed correct, often revealing unanticipated details about the nature of the systems being studied.
Distinct roles of Rho1, Cdc42, and Cyk3 in septum formation and abscission during yeast cytokinesis

In yeast and animal cytokinesis, the small guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) Rho1/RhoA has an established role in formation of the contractile actomyosin ring, but its role, if any, during cleavage-furrow ingression and abscission is poorly understood. Through genetic screens in yeast, we found that either activation of Rho1 or inactivation of another small GTPase, Cdc42, promoted secondary septum (SS) formation, which appeared to be responsible for abscission. Consistent with this hypothesis, a dominant-negative Rho1 inhibited SS formation but not cleavage-furrow ingression or the concomitant actomyosin ring constriction. Moreover, Rho1 is temporarily inactivated during cleavage-furrow ingression; this inactivation requires the protein Cyk3, which binds Rho1-guanosine diphosphate via its catalytically inactive transglutaminase-like domain. Thus, unlike the active transglutaminases that activate RhoA, the multidomain protein Cyk3 appears to inhibit activation of Rho1 (and thus SS formation), while simultaneously promoting cleavage-furrow ingression through primary septum formation. This work suggests a general role for the catalytically inactive transglutaminases of fungi and animals, some of which have previously been implicated in cytokinesis.
Some Comparative Aspects of Carbamylation of Human Blood and of Hemoglobin with Cyanate and Carbamyl Phosphate

Carbamylation of hemoglobin in the intact erythrocyte proceeds more readily with cyanate than with carbamyl phosphate. Carbamylation of hemoglobins A and S with carbamyl phosphate is lower at pH 6 than at pH 7 and even more so in the presence of azide. Carbamylation of insulin and histone also proceeds more readily with cyanate than with carbamyl phosphate. Mg2+, which diminishes carbamyl phosphate decomposition to cyanate, decreases also histone carbamylation with carbamyl phosphate. At pH 3.9 and in the presence of azide no histone carbamylation with carbamyl phosphate could be detected. On the bases of these experiments it is concluded that carbamylation of hemoglobin and other proteins with carbamyl phosphate proceed through cyanate. Rapid incorporation of potassium [14C]cyanate and [14C]carbamyl phosphate into erythrocyte ghosts was obtained. A discussion of the above results in relation to the suggested use of hemoglobin in sickle cell disease is presented.
A surface science investigation of the water-gas shift reaction on Cu(111)

We have studied the kinetics of the water-gas shift reaction on a clean Cu(111) single-crystal surface using an apparatus which allows rapid transfer of the catalyst between a microreactor and an ultrahigh-vacuum chamber for surface preparation and postreaction surface analyses (AES, XPS, LEED). At 10 Torr H2O, 26 Torr CO, and 612 K, the reaction proceeds with an activation energy of 17 kcal mole−1 and reaction orders in H2O and CO pressures of zero and 0.5–1.0, respectively. The surface appears completely metallic and relatively free of adsorbed species in postreaction analysis, even when heavily preoxidized. The kinetics compare favorably with data for high-surface-area CuZnO or Cu-based catalysts, indicating that metallic Cu is the active ingredient in these. The rate is limited by dissociative adsorption of water under our conditions. We were unable to produce significant coverages of oxygen species on Cu(111) by dosing pure H2O at 10 Torr and 500–650 K. The mechanism is discussed in light of surface science measurements on Cu surfaces. The Cu(111) surface was also dosed with Zn from aqueous solution, and the resulting ZnOxCu(111) surfaces were tested for activity as water-gas shift catalysts. No marked changes in activity compared to clean Cu(111) were observed. A new method for increasing gas chromatographic sensitivities for low sampling pressures (< 1 atm) is also described.
EMG of the digastric muscle in gibbon and orangutan: Functional consequences of the loss of the anterior digastric in orangutans

Unlike all other primates, the digastric muscle of the orangutan lacks an anterior belly; the posterior belly, while present, inserts directly onto the mandible. To understand the functional consequences of this morphologic novelty, the EMG activity patterns of the digastric muscle and other potential mandibular depressors were studied in a gibbon and an orangutan. The results suggest a significant degree of functional differentiation between the two digastric bellies. In the gibbon, the recruitment pattern of the posterior digastric during mastication is typically biphasic. It is an important mandibular depressor, active in this role during mastication and wide opening. It also acts with the anterior suprahyoid muscles to move the hyoid prior to jaw opening during mastication. The recruitment patterns of the anterior digastric suggest that it is functionally allied to the geniohyoid and mylohyoid. For example, although it transmits the force of the posterior digastric during mandibular depression, it functions independent of the posterior digastric during swallowing. Of the muscles studied, the posterior digastric was the only muscle to exhibit major differences in recruitment pattern between the two species. The posterior digastric retains its function as a mandibular depressor in orangutans, but is never recruited biphasically, and is not active prior to opening. The unique anatomy of the digastric muscle in orangutans results in decoupling of the mechanisms for hyoid movement and mandibular depression, and during unilateral activity it potentially contributes to substantial transverse movements of the mandible. Hypotheses to explain the loss of the anterior digastric should incorporate these functional conclusions. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Kinetic and thermodynamic characterization of the common polymorphic variants of human methionine synthase reductase.

Human methionine synthase reductase (MSR) is a protein containing both FAD and FMN, and it reactivates methionine synthase that has lost activity due to oxidation of cob(I)alamin to cob(II)alamin. In this study, anaerobic redox titrations were employed to determine the midpoint reduction potentials for the flavin cofactors in two highly prevalent polymorphic variants of MSR, I22/L175 and M22/S175. The latter is a genetic determinant of plasma homocysteine levels and has been linked to premature coronary artery disease, Down's syndrome, and neural tube defects. The I22/L175 polymorphism has been described in a homocystinuric patient. Interestingly, this polymorphism is in the extended linker region between the two flavin domains, which may mediate or facilitate interaction with methionine synthase. In MSR I22/L175, the FMN potentials are −103 mV (oxidized/semiquinone) and −175 mV (semiquinone/hydroquinone) at pH 7.0 and 25 °C, and the corresponding FAD potentials are −252 and −285 mV, respectively. For the...
Modulation of antitumor immune responses by hematopoietic cytokines.

BACKGROUND Advances in immunotherapy for the treatment of patients with malignant disease have led to increasingly successful use of these methods in the clinical setting. This review presents findings from recent studies that have explored improved methods for the presentation of tumor-associated antigens and for the restoration of tumor specific immune responses using cytokine therapy. METHODS A review of human clinical trial research on immune cytokines from 1995 (MEDLINE) to the present was conducted. Particular attention was focused on articles that reported results from Phase II or later clinical studies in patients with malignant disease. RESULTS The defects in cellular immunity commonly seen in patients with malignancies often are expressed as tumor specific anergy. Reversing patient tolerance to tumor antigens may be accomplished by treatment with immunoregulatory cytokines, such as Flt-3 and granulocyte-macrophage–colony stimulating factor, that mature and activate dendritic cells. Published clinical studies indicate that granulocyte-macrophage–colony stimulating factor stimulates antigen-presenting cells and has promising antitumor activity as an adjunct or as stand-alone therapy for patients with malignant disease, including leukemia, melanoma, breast carcinoma, prostate carcinoma, and renal cell carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS Immune-modulating cytokines may be used alone or in combination with other treatments to help restore immune function, improve response to tumor-associated antigens, and reduce the toxic effects of standard antitumor therapies. The evolving understanding of how dendritic cells regulate immune responses and promising results from published studies of immune-enhancing cytokines in the treatment of patients with malignant disease support the conduct of randomized clinical trials to confirm the clinical benefit of these immunotherapeutic strategies. Cancer 2003;97:1797–809. © 2003 American Cancer Society. DOI 10.1002/cncr.11247
Myelin basic proteins of the rat central nervous system Purification, encephalitogenic properties, and amino acid compositions

Abstract Rat myelin basic protein isolated from chloroform-methanol-pretreated spinal cords has been resolved into two components by electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels at acid pH. The two components were separated by repeated fractionation on a Sephadex G-100 column and characterized by their ability to induce experimental allergic encephalomyelitis in guinea pigs and by their amino acid compositions. The larger component, which has the lower electrophoretic mobility, was found to be comparable to central nervous system myelin basic proteins of other mammalian species in encephalitogenic activity and amino acid composition. The smaller component, which comprised approximately three-fourths of the myelin basic protein extracted, was much less encephalitogenic than the larger, and its amino acid composition was somewhat different. Per 100 moles of total residues the smaller component is considerably richer in arginine and poorer in lysine than the larger component; however, both components contain approx. 23 moles of total basic residues and 14 moles of total acidic residues (including amides) per 100 moles of total residues. Per mole of protein the smaller component appears to have significantly fewer lysyl, glutamyl and/or glutaminyl, glycyl, alanyl, leucyl, tyrosyl, and phenylalanyl residues. It is suggested that the two components may be the products of two structurally related nonallelic genes; however, the possibility that the smaller component arise from the larger as the result of the action of a species-specific proteolytic enzyme system cannot be definitely excluded.
Cataloging the Publications of Dark Horse Comics: One Publisher in an Academic Catalog

Libraries receiving the corpus of a comics publisher are presented with challenges, especially regarding preservation and access for special and circulating collections. Libraries must consider user research needs and collection relevance. Library literature is consulted and recommendations are made regarding bibliographic description, subject analysis and non-traditional practices.
Mantle-derived fluids in diamond micro-inclusions

Micro-inclusions in diamonds from Zaire and Botswana differ in composition from the more common large inclusions of the peridotitic or eclogitic assemblages. These sub-micrometre inclusions resemble potassic magmas in their composition, but are enriched in H_2O, CO^(2−)_3 and K_2O and depleted in MgO. This composition represents a volatile-rich fluid or melt from the upper mantle, which was trapped in the diamonds as they grew.
Calcium is required for the reduction of sulfite from hydrogen in a reconstituted electron transfer chain from the sulfate reducing bacterium, Desulfovibriogigas

Summary Calcium is found a strong stimulator of sulfite reduction from hydrogen. A coupling protein of molecular weight 65,000 can be isolated from Desulfovibrio gigas . It functions in a reconstituted electron transfer chain between hydrogenase and sulfite reductase. Its N-terminal sequence shows high homologies with calcium or magnesium binding sites from other calcium-binding proteins.
Optical molecular imaging for early detection of cancer

We describe a comprehensive strategy to develop inexpensive, rugged and portable optical imaging systems for molecular imaging of cancer, which couples the development of optically active contrast agents with advances in functional genomics of cancer.
EHD Film Thickness Behavior in DMA Bearings. Part I—Experimental and Computational Techniques

A technique is described for experimentally determining the EHD film thicknesses in the ball-race contacts in the bearings of a typical dual-bearing despin mechanical assembly (DMA) employed in space satellites, without altering the bearing design or disturbing the normal operating mode of the bearings. The technique involves the measurement of the axial separation of the outer rings of the two bearings, from which the EHD film thicknesses in the ball-inner race and ball-outer race contacts in both bearings may be computed. The instrumentation, method of computation, and some typical results are presented. Presented at the 33rd Annual Meeting in Dearborn, Michigan, April 17–20, 1978
Dependence of color-mixture functions on choice of primaries.

The shape of the color-mixture curve for any primary is completely determined by the choice of the line in the chromaticity diagram representing the additive mixture of the other two primaries. Formulas for the linear combinations necessary to transform one set of color-mixture curves to another are given in terms of the slopes and axis-intercepts of the lines joining the new primaries, represented in the chromaticity diagram based on the original color-mixture functions.Orthogonal color-mixture functions are defined and an example is given, in which one of the color-mixture functions is proportional to the luminosity function. Formulas for deriving all other orthogonal sets of color-mixture functions are given. The importance of the concept of orthogonality in the analysis of the propagation of errors in spectrophotometric colorimetry is discussed.
Genetic Polymorphism in Caseins of Cow's Milk. VI. Amino Acid Composition of αs1-Caseins A, B, and C

Abstract The amino acid composition of highly purified preparations of the genetically controlled variants of α s1 -casein, A, B, and C has been determined. B and C are virtually identical in composition, the only significant difference being that C contains one more glycine residue per mole than B. The data suggest that in B the missing glycine might be replaced by glutamic acid. The differences between A and the other variants are numerous and more substantial and, at present, cannot be accounted for in terms of single amino acid substitutions.
Theory of the anomalous skin effect in normal and superconducting metals

Chambers' expression for the current density in a normal metal in which the electric field varies over a mean free path is derived from a quantum approach in which use is made of the density matrix in the presence of scattering centers but in the absence of the field. An approximate expression used for the latter is shown to reduce to one derived by Kohn and Luttinger for the case of weak scattering. A general space-and time-varying electromagnetic interaction is treated by first-order perturbation theory. The method is applied to superconductors, and a general expression derived for the kernel of the Pippard integral for fields of arbitrary frequency. The expressions derived can also be used to discuss absorption of electromagnetic radiation in thin superconducting films.
Deposition of LiTaO3 thin films on single crystal substrates by vapor phase hydrolysis of volatile LiTa(OC4H9)6 precursor

Abstract Epitaxial LiTaO3 films were grown on single crystal substrates using a single molecular precursor, LiTa(OButn)6. The deposition is achieved by vaporphase hydrolysis-polycondensation reactions in a low pressure MOCVD reactor. Rocking curve of LiTaO3 film grown on sapphire (0006) indicated high quality epitaxy. LiTa(OButi)6 and LiTa(OButt)6 precursors resulted in single phase β-Ta2O5 films.
Bonding thermosprayed silicon to glass-ceramic

Many materials, among them silicon, fail to form adherent coatings when thermosprayed onto smooth oxide glasses and glass-ceramics. Mechanical bonding is usually possible if the substrate surface is abraded before spraying, but this process also weakens the crack-sensitive substrate. This paper gives the results of examining alternate surface preparations which create a roughened substrate without the usual weakening of the finished article. The methods rely on the ability of mechanically damaged glass articles to heal, i.e. to decrease the flaw population during crystallization. The surface roughness essential to the mechanical bond is produced when the article is in the green or glassy state, and in a subsequent processing step the glass is converted to glass-ceramic by a crystallization heat treatment. The simplest application is the fabrication of roughened durable ceramic substrates for spraying after the crystallization step. Profilometry and measurements of silicon metal coating adhesion to a lithium aluminosilicate glass-ceramic indicate that for hard glasses the crystallization step does not reduce the surface roughness. When high temperature materials are to be used as coatings, the spraying step can be performed while the substrate in the glassy state, and then the entire article is subjected to the crystallization heat treatment. For a silicon-coated glass-ceramic, this method produces significantly improved adhesion over simple mechanical bonding.
Structural studies on lipids of Tetrahymena pyriformisw

Abstract 1. 1. The lipids of the ciliated protozoan, Tetrahymena pyriformis W, were isolated by solvent extraction and separated by silicic acid column chromatography into several components. The predominant phosphorus containing lipids were “phosphatidylethanolamine” and “phosphatidylcholine”, representing nearly 64 and 22%, respectively, of the total phosphorus. The remainder of the lipids were tentatively identified as: cardiolipin, ceramide aminoethylphosphonate, and an unknown lipid, probably a glycosphingolipid. 2. 2. The “phosphatidylethanolamine” was separated further on silicic acid columns, with a chloroform-acetic acid solvent system, into two fractions, one containing only the phosphonate analog (30% of the “phosphatidyl ethanolamine” phosphorus) and the other containing only the phosphate analog (70% of the “phosphatidyl-ethanolamine” phosphorus). The phosphonate was shown to be composed of 75% of 1-hexadecyl-2-acyl-sn-glyceryl-3-aminoethylphosphonate and 25% of 1,2-diacyl-s-n-glyceryl-3-aminoethylphosphonate. Various chemical and physical characteristics of these lipids are presented. It was possible to prepare 1-hexadecyl-sn-glyceryl-3-amino-ethylphosphonate in good yield by a base catalyzed methanolysis. 3. 3. The “phosphatidylcholine” was shown to consist of two major components, one was 1-hexadecyl-2-acyl-snm-glyceryl-3-phosphorylcholine (60% of the “phosphatidylcholine” phosphorus) and the other was 1,2-diacyl-sn-glyceryl-3-phosphorylcholine (40% of “phosphatidylcholine” phosphorus). No phosphonate phosphorus could be detected in these lipids. Various physical and chemical characteristics of these substances are presented.
Protonation State of Glu142 Differs in the Green- and Blue-Absorbing Variants of Proteorhodopsin†

Proteorhodopsins are a recently discovered class of microbial rhodopsins, ubiquitous in marine bacteria. Over 4000 variants have thus far been discovered, distributed throughout the oceans of the world. Most variants fall into one of two major groups, green- or blue-absorbing proteorhodopsin (GPR and BPR, respectively), on the basis of both the visible absorption maxima (530 versus 490 nm) and photocycle kinetics (∼20 versus ∼200 ms). For a well-studied pair, these differences appear to be largely determined by the identity of a single residue at position 105 (leucine/GPR and glutamine/BPR). We find using a combination of visible and infrared spectroscopy that a second difference is the protonation state of a glutamic acid residue located at position 142 on the extracellular side of helix D. In BPR, Glu142 (the GPR numbering system is used) is deprotonated and can act as an alternate proton acceptor, thus explaining the earlier observations that neutralization of the Schiff base counterion, Asp97, does no...
Contributions of Educational Technology to Persons with Special Gifts and Challenges

Persons having diminished physical or mental functioning as well as those intellectually gifted tend to be handicapped by educational programmes made for students of average ability. Special education is concerned with the design of materials and techniques to facilitate the achievement of the distinctive learning objectives of exceptional students. Educational technology, defined as a systematic process of identifying problems in the domain of learning and the finding of solutions to these problems, has much to contribute to the expansion of educational opportunity too long denied to persons with special gifts and challenges. At its best, educational technology serves to make learning more enriched, valid, individualized, accessible, and economical. Greater efforts are needed to realize more fully the potential benefits of educational technology to special populations as well as to ensure that these benefits are distributed more widely.
The Modal Logic of Discrepancy

Discrepancies between an agent’s goals and beliefs play an important, if implicit, role in determining what a rational agent is motivated to do. This is most obvious in cases where an agent achieves a complex goal incrementally and must deliberate anew as each milestone is reached. In such cases the concept of goal/belief discrepancy defines an appropriate space to which a degree-of-achievement yardstick can be applied. This paper presents soundness and completeness results concerning a logic for reasoning about goal/belief discrepancy, and it is suggested that a certain species of goal/belief discrepancy captures the concept of desire.
Developing Integrated Area Contingency Plans That Work

ABSTRACT For Area Contingency Plans (ACPs) to be truly useful in a response, they must meet the needs of the local, state and federal responders, as well as contain information on the needs of the ...
The relationship between parental alcoholism and adolescent psychopathology: A systematic examination of parental comorbid psychopathology

The relationship between parental alcohol dependence (with and without comorbid psychopathology) and adolescent psychopathology was examined in a sample of 665 13-17 year-old adolescents and their parents. Results indicated that adolescents who had parents diagnosed with alcohol dependence only did not significantly differ from adolescents who had parents with no psychopathology in regard to any of the measures of psychological symptomatology (substance use, conduct disorder, and depression) or clinical diagnoses (alcohol dependence, marijuana dependence, conduct disorder, or depression) assessed. In contrast, adolescents who had parents diagnosed with alcohol dependence and either comorbid drug dependence or depression were more likely to exhibit higher levels of psychological symptomatology. In addition, adolescents who had parents diagnosed with alcohol dependence, depression, and drug dependence were most likely to exhibit psychological problems. These findings underscore the importance of considering parental comorbid psychopathology when examining the relationship between parental alcoholism and offspring adjustment.
Motivation and Stakeholder Acceptance in Technology-driven Change Management: Implications for the Engineering Manager

Abstract:In this case study, we explore the dynamics of change management and organizational effectiveness. The experiences of a government agency with oversight authority in implementing a major technology initiative are discussed. The introduction of change is frequently met with resistance, especially if that change involves a re-engineering of basic work processes. Research suggests that employee motivation and morale in the face of major change initiatives can be impacted by leadership style. The normative decision model outlines how situational variables such as communication patterns, timing, and perceived need for change alter the level of participative decision making required for employee acceptance. Organizational change management strategies that include clear communication plans and training will meet with higher levels of employee satisfaction and acceptance. This article explores the application of theory in practice. Change management procedures are evaluated from the perspective of lesson...
Reasons for and Challenges of Recent Increases in Teen Birth Rates: A Study of Family Planning Service Policies and Demographic Changes at the State Level

Abstract Purpose After declining for over a decade, the birth rate in the United States for adolescents aged 15–19 years increased by 3% in 2006 and 1% again in 2007. We examined demographic and policy reasons for this trend at state level. Methods With data merged from multiple sources, descriptive analysis was used to detect state-level trends in birth rate and policy changes from 2000 to 2006, and variations in the distribution of teen birth rates, sex education, and family planning service policies, and demographic features across each state in 2006. Regression analysis was then conducted to estimate the effect of several reproductive health policies and demographic features on teen birth rates at the state level. Instrument variable was used to correct possible bias in the regression analysis. Results Medicaid family planning waivers were found to reduce teen birth rates across all ages and races. Abstinence-only education programs were found to cause an increase in teen birth rates among white and black teens. The increasing Hispanic population is another driving force for high teen birth rates. Discussion Both demographic factors and policy changes contributed to the increase in teen birth rates between 2000 and 2006. Future policy and behavioral interventions should focus on promoting and increasing access to contraceptive use. Family planning policies should be crafted to address the special needs of teens from different cultural backgrounds, especially Hispanics.
Plasma probes for the lunar surface

[1] Dust particles on the lunar surface, or on any other airless planetary surface, can be directly exposed to solar wind plasma and ultraviolet radiation, resulting in electrostatic charging and possible subsequent mobilization and transport. Although there are several independent observations indicating dust levitation and transport on the Moon, these processes are still poorly understood, and the development of specialized plasma and dust diagnostic tools will be necessary for future missions. Here we discuss a measurement technique that could characterize the near surface lunar plasma environment. We report on laboratory experiments using an asymmetric double probe with vastly different collection areas to characterize the sheath above a photoemissive surface in a vacuum chamber. The approach could form the basis of a future in situ experiment that probes the photoelectron layer on the lunar surface.
Renewable energy education at the Colorado School of Mines: A survey of development

Energy in general and renewable energy in particular are popular topics in engineering, physical science, and social science courses. K-12 students might play with roller coasters, solar cells, or toy windmills to learn about energy transformations; undergraduate students might take an environmental studies course that promotes energy conservation and the use of alternative energy resources; and graduate students might be charged with developing novel composite materials that enhance the performance of fuel cells. Renewable energy is a vast field quickly garnering public attention. Faculty, staff, and researchers within the Renewable Energy Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at the Colorado School of Mines have taken a number of steps to enhance the appreciation and understanding of this emerging area by developing a comprehensive educational program that focuses on preparing students for careers in renewable energy. This survey describes Center initiatives to (A) develop an energy minor curriculum with a track dedicated to renewable energy, (B) develop an upper division undergraduate engineering course on renewable energy, (C) form a student energy club, and (D) deliver a ten-week summer research program that engages undergraduate students in renewable energy. These provide a model program for incorporating renewable energy education into engineering curricula.
Local rely-guarantee reasoning

Rely-Guarantee reasoning is a well-known method for verification of shared-variable concurrent programs. However, it is difficult for users to define rely/guarantee conditions, which specify threads' behaviors over the whole program state. Recent efforts to combine Separation Logic with Rely-Guarantee reasoning have made it possible to hide thread-local resources, but the shared resources still need to be globally known and specified. This greatly limits the reuse of verified program modules.In this paper, we propose LRG, a new Rely-Guarantee-based logic that brings local reasoning and information hiding to concurrency verification. Our logic, for the first time, supports a frame rule over rely/guarantee conditions so that specifications of program modules only need to talk about the resources used locally, and the verified modules can be reused in different threads without redoing the proof. Moreover, we introduce a new hiding rule to hide the resources shared by a subset of threads from the rest in the system. The support of information hiding not only improves the modularity of Rely-Guarantee reasoning, but also enables the sharing of dynamically allocated resources, which requires adjustment of rely/guarantee conditions.
Neuronal functional diversity and collective behaviors: a scientific case.

A major issue in today’s neuroscience is how the brain complex and highly flexible organization emerges from its individual components. Robustness of neuronal properties with weak linkages between regulatory processes are suggested to account for the adaptive, tunable, multistable dynamics, the coding schemes and the complexity of neuronal functional (sub)systems. Interneurons and neurotransmitter diversity, resonance phenomena due to properties of the cell or network, time/frequency-dependent activation of dedicated neuronal assemblies, code- and frequency-specific oscillations interact in determining the brain functional setup and operations. Despite the scientific relevance, comprehensive theories are not yet available, but the scenario—however incomplete and incompletely characterized—is promising and warrants further investigation.
New Approaches for Managing Preeclampsia: Clues From Clinical and Basic Research

Abstract Purpose One of the most common, and most vexing, obstetric complications is preeclampsia—a major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity. Hallmarked by new-onset hypertension and a myriad of other symptoms, the underlying cause of the disorder remains obscure despite intensive research into its etiology. Although the initiating events are not clear, one common finding in preeclamptic patients is failure to remodel the maternal arteries that supply the placenta, with resulting hypoxia/ischemia. Intensive research over the past 2 decades has identified several categories of molecular dysfunction resulting from placental hypoxia, which, when released into the maternal circulation, are involved in the spectrum of symptoms seen in these patients—in particular, angiogenic imbalance and the activation of innate and adaptive immune responses. Despite these new insights, little in the way of new treatments for the management of these patients has been advanced into clinical practice. Indeed, few therapeutic options exist for the obstetrician treating a case of preeclampsia. Pharmacologic management is typically seizure prophylaxis, and, in severe cases, antihypertensive agents for controlling worsening hypertension. Ultimately, the induction of labor is indicated, making preeclampsia a leading cause of premature birth. Here, the molecular mechanisms linking placental ischemia to the maternal symptoms of preeclampsia are reviewed, and several areas of recent research suggesting new potential therapeutic approaches to the management of preeclampsia are identified.
Dough Rheology and Wet Milling of Hard Waxy Wheat Flours

To realize the full potential of waxy wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), the wet milling properties of waxy wheat flours including their dough-mixing properties were investigated. Flours of six waxy hard wheats, one normal hard wheat ('Karl 92'), and one partial waxy hard wheat ('Trego') were fractionated by the dough-washing (Martin) process, and the yields and recoveries of starch and gluten were compared. When waxy and normal wheat starches each were blended with a wheat gluten to give a mixture containing 14.5% protein, they gave very different mixograms even though the protein was the same in those blends. Waxy wheat starch absorbed more water than normal wheat starch, which apparently retarded hydration of gluten and dough development. Higher water content had to be used for some waxy wheat flours to develop optimum dough. Washing waxy wheat flour dough under a stream of water caused dough to become slack, spread out more on the sieve, and break apart into several pieces, which when thoroughly washed, coalesced into an elastic dough like the controls. By mixing a weak dough with 2% NaCl solution or by adding hemicellulase, stickiness of the dough subsided during the washing step and thereby improved the recovery of the gluten and starch fractions.
Influence of Ascites on Tobramycin Pharmacokinetics

Abstract: The influence of ascites on the disposition of tobramycin was examined in eight subjects with cirrhosis of the liver. Five of these subjects had resolution of ascites so they could be used as their own controls. While there was no significant effect of ascites on the clearance and half-life of tobramycin, the volume of distribution of tobramycin was significantly larger when ascites was present, 0.32 versus 0.26 liter/kg (P < 0.01). There was a trend for the volume of distribution to be larger in those patients with larger ascitic fluid volume.