cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Meiofaunal abundance and vertical zonation in a sublittoral soft bottom, with a test of the Haps corer

Total meiofauna abundance was estimated to be 4.7×106 individuals m-2 in a sublittoral soft bottom when sampled by SCUBA diving in the Oresund. Nematode abundance was 4.5×106 (equal to 1.4 g organic carbon), harpacticoid copepods 148×103, kinorhynchs 45×103 and ostracods 28×103·m-2. Three main groups of metabolic types are proposed. Almost all harpacticoid copepods, kinorhynchs and ostracods were found in the uppermost flocculent bottom layer and among the nematodes the non-selective detritus feeding species dominated; nematodes in this layer were mainly small. Epistrate feeding nematodes dominated between 1 and 4 cm depth; the size of nematodes varied greatly (less than 0.1 μl and up to 65 μl) with a mean body volume of 2.6 to 3.7 μl. Non-selective deposit feeding nematodes dominated totally deeper than 4-cm depth, i.e. in and below the redox-potential-discontinuity (RPD) layer. They were of median size and in species composition different from those above 4-cm depth. Haps corer samples underestimated nematode and harpacticoid copepod numbers in the top cm; the abundances were 66 and 48% respectively of those obtained by divers. Therefore, this sampling gear cannot be recommended for meiofauna studies on muddy bottoms covered with a flocculent detritus layer.
Application of interferometric wave propagation for refractive index measurements of solids

The output signal of a modified Michelson interferometer with a flat-parallel sample, whose normal is oriented at an arbitrary angle with respect to the laser path, placed in one arm is analyzed. The interferometric pattern as a function of angle is calculated, and used to determine the absolute refractive index.
Fracture-arrest capabilities of annularly reinforced cylindrical pressure vessels

The elastic-energy-release rate is experimentally determined in plastic models of annularly reinforced type cylindrical pressure vessels. The feasibility of effecting crack arest is demonstrated and the prediction of the arrested crack length is schematically indicated.
Application driven high level design in the era of heterogeneous computing

Escalating costs of semiconductor technology and its lagging performance relative to historic trends is motivating acceleration and specialization as more impactful means to increase system value. Targeted specialization is being increasingly pursued as an important way to achieve dramatic improvements in workload acceleration. This requires a broad understanding of workloads, system structures, and algorithms to determine what to accelerate / specialize, and how, i.e., via SW?; via HW?; or via SW+HW? which presents many choices, necessitating co-optimization of SW and HW. In this talk, we will focus on an application driven approach to high level design for software and system co-optimization, based on inventing new software algorithms, that have strong affinity to hardware acceleration.
Spin excitations in nuclei

Abstract The recent progress in the study of nuclear spin excitations is reviewed. The (e, e') measurement of the giant Ml state in 48 Ca and the systematics of the giant Gamow-Teller state seen in the intermediate energy (p, n) reaction give a clear picture of the spin-dependent dynamics. The effective interaction strength is consistent with previous knowledge of the nuclear force. However, the excitation strengths are much smaller than shell-model theory predicts. This may be understood at least partially by considering additional hadronic degrees of freedom.
Calcium activation produces a characteristic response to stretch in both skeletal and cardiac muscle

RESTING frog skeletal muscle, when stretched at a constant velocity, exhibits a force response which, for length changes less than about 0.2%, is elastic in nature. First observed by Hill1, this response was attributed to a short range elastic component (SREC) that was thought to be a property of a small number of cross bridges which, even in the resting state, extend from the myosin-containing thick filaments to interact with sites on the actin-containing thin filaments. This view was criticised2 on the grounds that the SREC stiffness remained approximately constant as the amount of thick and thin filament overlap was decreased by increasing muscle length. On the basis of the sliding filament theory3,4, SREC stiffness would be expected to decrease because reduced amounts of thick and thin filament overlap would result in a decreased number of cross bridges available in interact with thin filament sites. Flitney and Hirst5 have reported that in twitch contractions of frog skeletal muscle a short range elastic response is present and is similar in form to that of resting muscle. In this case, however, a directly proportional relationship was found between the short range stiffness and the amount of overlap between the thick and thin filaments, which suggests that this stiffness is a property of attached cross bridges. To investigate the possible presence of attached cross bridges in resting muscle, we have measured the calcium dependence of the short range stiffness in skeletal and cardiac muscle preparations in which the myofibrils were directly exposed to the bathing medium.
A Training Model for Drug Abuse Prevention: Content and Evaluation.

This article briefly describes the content and evaluation of a training center for drug abuse prevention. Through a series of four workshops conducted throughout Central Pennsylvania, teams of students, educators, and community leaders received intensive training in behavioral group counseling focused on alternatives to drug use. Evaluation along several criteria indicated that the goals of the training center were successfully achieved.
Implications of glucocorticoid therapy in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies

Glucocorticoids are the cornerstone of therapy in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM), despite adverse effects and suboptimal therapy success rates. Glucocorticoids are used in patients with IIM to suppress inflammatory and immune responses implicated in the pathogenesis of these diseases. Nevertheless, potential inhibitory effects of glucocorticoids on skeletal muscle mass, myogenesis and immune responses that promote skeletal muscle regeneration after muscle injury warrant attention. Glucocorticoids lead to skeletal muscle catabolism by modulating major pathways involved in regulating muscle mass. Glucocorticoids also inhibit muscle regeneration by decreasing myogenic cell proliferation and differentiation. Finally, glucocorticoids might have inhibitory effects on immune cells that have been shown to be an important component of the muscle regenerative response. Better understanding of the signalling pathways involved in restorative versus adverse effects of glucocorticoids in IIM could yield additional insight into the aetiopathogenesis of persistent muscle weakness in patients with IIM after glucocorticoid treatment, and help in the development of novel, targeted treatment options with fewer adverse effects.
Connectedness: A Review of the Literature With Implications for Counseling, Assessment, and Research

In this article, the authors review the current conceptual and empirical literature from a variety of disciplines dealing with the construct of connectedness. A working definition of connectedness is provided along with a discussion of its multidimensional nature and major characteristics. Its relationship with a variety of other variables is also presented. Particular attention is given to gender and cultural considerations in the experience and operationalization of connectedness. Recommendations for counseling, assessment, and research related to connectedness are provided.
Multitechnique surface spectroscopic studies of plasma modified polymers III. H2O and O2/H2O plasma modified poly(methyl methacrylate)s

The surfaces of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) films modified by O2H2O and H2O radio-frequency glow discharge plasmas were studied using electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA or XPS), low energy ion scattering (LEISS or ISS), Fourier transform IR spectroscopy (FTIR) with attenuated total reflectance (ATR) sampling, and critical surface energy from contact angle measurements. The extent and nature of modification with respect to promotion of a hydrophilic surface compared to the hydrophobic surface of the unmodified PMMA has been probed. Results show drastic decreases in C/O ratio at the near surface, which increases to that of the unmodified PMMA as deeper cross sections are analyzed. In addition peak fitting of ESCA data correlated with FTIR functional group information allows for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the resulting bonding and structure of the modified layer. From these results combined with the polarity and surface energy differences obtained from contact angle measurements, the structural changes are discussed with respect to plasma reaction mechanisms and differences in the structure of the modified polymer films.
Isolation, Identification and Function of the Chief Component of the Male Tarsal Scent in Black-tailed Deer

THE tarsal organ of deer of the genus Odocoileus is located, medially on the ankle (Fig. 1) and consists of sebaceous and apocrine sudoriferous glands as well as greatly enlarged arrector pili smooth muscle bundles1, which effect the erection of a long tuft of bright, stiff hairs. The hairs in the centre of the tuft are covered with a lipid film carrying the scent. The glands and urine are the possible sources of the tarsal scent. Tarsal organs are found only in tele-metacarpal deer (Odocoileinae); that is, in the New World genera Odocoileus, Blastocerus and Mazama, and in the Holarctic genera Alces and Rangifer2.
Species differences toward sweeteners

Abstract The understanding of the sense of taste in mammals has over the last few decades slowly changed from the misconception that all mammals are equal with regard to taste to a realization that there are profound differences between species. These differences probably pertain to all basic tastes, but have been especially documented with regard to the sweet taste. This study addresses two issues: the difference in taste fiber specificity between mammals and the related issue of species differences in ability to taste sweeteners. These issues are illustrated by single taste fiber recordings from hamster, pig, rhesus monkey and chimpanzee. The hamster, a rodent, is used as an animal model in taste research because of its especially well developed sweet taste sensitivity, but this study shows that many sweeteners do not taste sweet to the hamster. The same is true for the pig, an ungulate, and from this point of view quite unrelated to the human, but with similar internal anatomy, food preferences and diets, and therefore extensively used as an animal model. Even the rhesus monkey, an old world primate belonging to the same superfamily as human, Catarrhina, shows some differences in its sweet tasting ability and taste fibers specificity although much less so than the previously mentioned species. The only species in which studies of its sense of taste have not yet revealed any differences from the human sense of taste, is the chimpanzee, which by most accounts is our closest relative.
Robust control of quantum systems and in the presence of field fluctuations

The impact of control field fluctuations on the optimal manipulation of quantum dynamics phenomena is investigated. The presence of significant field fluctuations is shown to break down the evolution into a sequence of partially coherent robust steps. Robustness occurs because the optimization process reduces sensitivity to noise-driven quantum system fluctuations. This process takes advantage of the observable expectation value being bilinear in the evolution operator and its adjoint. The consequences of this inherent robustness bodes well for the future success of closed loop quantum optimal control experiments.
Evolution of parental favoritism among different-aged offspring

The theories of intrafamilial conflict and parental investment have yet to examine how parents’ decisions about resource allocation are influenced by the fact that their offspring may be different in age. Two counteracting effects of offspring growth on parental allocation of resources have deterred the development of a formal model: A parent may favor older offspring due to their greater reproductive value or favor younger offspring due to their higher marginal returns from extra resources. Using an evolutionary invasion analysis in class-structured populations, I present a formal model that explores how a parent should allocate its resources among different-aged offspring from the viewpoint of the parent. The parent’s evolutionarily stable strategy is to allocate its resources such that the marginal benefit to each offspring’s survival, weighted by the survival probability to the reproductive age, is equal to the marginal cost to the parent’s residual survival. Two general situations are considered in which younger offspring obtain higher marginal returns than older offspring. In nearly all circumstances, a parent is expected to bias its resources toward older offspring. The results may account for the widespread yet puzzling phenomenon of parental bias toward older offspring in view of previous theories of intrafamilial conflict. Key words: evolutionarily stable strategy, hatching asynchrony, invasion analysis, offspring age, parental investment, reproductive value. [Behav Ecol]
Urogenital Epithelial Cells as Simple Markers of Estrogen Response in Infants: Methods and Applications

Exposure to estrogen-mimicking chemicals during critical periods of development, such as infancy, may have adverse effects. However, these effects can be difficult to characterize in most epidemiologic studies. For example, growth of reproductive organs may be susceptible to estrogenic chemicals, but measuring it requires skilled ultrasound examination; timing of pubertal onset may be altered, but observing it requires long-term follow up. To address the need for a simple marker of response to estrogenic exposures in infants, we propose a novel application of a classic marker of estrogen response in adult women: cytological evaluation of urogenital epithelial cells. In this cross-sectional study of 34 female and 41 male infants, we demonstrate that epithelial cells can be obtained from swabs of the vaginal introitus (females) and urethral meatus (males), as well as from spun urine, and that these cells respond to differential estrogenic conditions, as indicated by the relative abundance of the superficial epithelial cell type. To model varying estrogen exposure, we sampled from infants who were either newborn (highly exposed to maternal estrogens), or 12 weeks old (12W) (negligibly exposed to estrogen). Newborns had a higher percentage of superficial cells (%S), as compared to 12W (mean ± standard error: 8.3 ± 1.8 vs. 0.9 ± 0.2) (p < 0.01), consistent with an estrogen response. This difference in %S from newborn to 12W was observed similarly for swab (-7.6 ± 1.7) and urine (-7.3 ± 2.6) specimens and for males (-9.6 ± 2.9) and females (-5.2 ± 2.1). Examination of urogenital epithelial cells can successfully demonstrate estrogen response in both sexes, using cell specimens collected from either swab or urine sampling. In future studies, this simple, non-invasive method may be applied to assess whether estrogen-mimicking chemicals produce an estrogenic response in infants.
Statistics for disinterested scientists.

Abstract This paper presents a brief introduction to some basic statistical tools and techniques with examples applied to biological data. Perhaps after becoming more familiar with statistics and more appreciative of their power in extracting information from data the previously fearful and skeptical researcher may be more inclined to make them an integral part of his research technique and also include them in his publications. For problems of greater difficulty, consultation at the early stages, preferably before undertaking the project, with a good biostatistician is suggested.
Condensation reactions of calix[4]arenes with unprotected hydroxyamines, and their resulting water solubilities

Abstract In this report, we describe a convenient method to create neutrally charged, water soluble calix[4]arenes that contain hydroxyamides attached to their lower rims. Selective amidation reactions of a diacid calix[4]arene with several unprotected hydroxyamines was achieved using 2-ethoxy-1,2-dihydroquinoline as the coupling agent. The solubilities of the derivatized calix[4]arenes depended on the structure of the hydroxyamide, as well as, the number of hydroxyl groups. Molecular simulations of the derivatized compounds in water revealed that intramolecular H-bond formation is an important component of solubility. Calix[4]arenes containing 10 hydroxyl groups were as soluble in water as a calix[4]arene that contained two carboxylates.
Angiotensin II and [Sar1,Ile5,Ala8]Angiotensin II Effect on Contractile Activity and Prostaglandin Production of in Vitro Pregnant Rat Uteri*

The effect of angiotensin II and [Sar1,Ile5,Ala8]-angiotensin II on uterine contractions and the relationship of uterine prostaglandins to these effects were studied. Uterine segments from pregnant rats were monitored in vitro for isometric contractile activity in Krebs-Ringer medium (95% O2-5% CO2; 37 C). The medium was sampled periodically and assayed for prostaglandin E2, prostaglandin F2 alpha, and 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-prostaglandin F2 alpha by RIA. Angiotensin II increased frequency of contractions and integrated contractile force in a dose-related fashion. Angiotensin II (1 microgram) resulted in increased prostaglandin (PG) production, but there was no clear dose-related effect. Indomethacin significantly reduced PG production (P < 0.001); however, the contractile response to angiotensin II was not affected. [Sar1,Ile5,Ala8]Angiotensin II had no effect on spontaneous contractile activity or PG production in uteri from 18 or 21 days of pregnancy, nor did [Sar1,Ile5,Ala8]angiotensin II affect oxytocin-stimulated uterine contractions. [Sar1,Ile5,Ala8]Angiotensin II (2.5 microgram) did inhibit (P < 0.05) uterine contractions induced by angiotensin II (0.5 microgram), but PG production was not affected. In conclusion, the studies described provide evidence that angiotensin II-induced uterine contractions of in vitro pregnant rat uteri are not dependent upon increased PG production.
KDM1 class flavin‐dependent protein lysine demethylases

Flavin-dependent, lysine-specific protein demethylases (KDM1s) are a subfamily of amine oxidases that catalyze the selective posttranslational oxidative demethylation of methyllysine side chains within protein and peptide substrates. KDM1s participate in the widespread epigenetic regulation of both normal and disease state transcriptional programs. Their activities are central to various cellular functions, such as hematopoietic and neuronal differentiation, cancer proliferation and metastasis, and viral lytic replication and establishment of latency. Interestingly, KDM1s function as catalytic subunits within complexes with coregulatory molecules that modulate enzymatic activity of the demethylases and coordinate their access to specific substrates at distinct sites within the cell and chromatin. Although several classes of KDM1-selective small molecule inhibitors have been recently developed, these pan-active site inhibition strategies lack the ability to selectively discriminate between KDM1 activity in specific, and occasionally opposing, functional contexts within these complexes. Here we review the discovery of this class of demethylases, their structures, chemical mechanisms, and specificity. Additionally, we review inhibition of this class of enzymes as well as emerging interactions with coregulatory molecules that regulate demethylase activity in highly specific functional contexts of biological and potential therapeutic importance.
The NBA Draft: A Put Option Analogy

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has a fixed salary schedule that allows us to examine this labor market to understand the incentives for players to enter the draft. Previous studies have ...
Nonconstant Returns to Scale and the Technical Change Frontier

I. Introduction, 483. — II. The model, 484. — III. Analysis of the model, 487. —IV. Conclusion, 492.
Radar Sensor Network Using a New Triphase Coded Waveform: Theory and Application

In radar sensor network (RSN), interference with each radar can be effectively reduced when waveforms are properly designed. In this paper, we firstly perform some theoretical studies on co-existence of phase coded waveforms in RSN. Then we give the definition of a new set of triphase coded waveforms called optimized punctured Zero Correlation Zone sequence-pair set (optimized punctured ZCZPS) and analyze their properties especially their optimized cross correlation property of any two sequence-pairs in the set. Furthermore, we apply our newly provided triphase coded waveforms and equal gain combination technique to the system simulation, and study the performances versus different number of radars in RSN, with Doppler shift or not. Simulation results show that detection performances of multiradars (utilizing our optimized punctured ZCZPS and equal gain combination), either under the Doppler shift condition or not, are superior to those of singler radar.
Robustness of time-division schedules for Internet broadcast

The model we consider consists of a server and many clients. The clients have a large incoming bandwidth and little or no outgoing bandwidth. The server repeatedly broadcasts information through the air to the clients. There are two information items with lengths l/sub 1/ and l/sub 2/, and demand probabilities p/sub 1/ and p/sub 2/. The demand probability of an item is simply the relative frequency of requests for that item by the clients, scaled such that the sum of the p/sub i/'s is 1. These items contain static data. This allows us to receive data out of order and use parts of different broadcasts to reassemble items. The metric we use to evaluate broadcast schedules is expected waiting time. This is the expected time a client must wait for an item, averaged over all items and clients, with weight p/sub i/ for item i.
Erratum to: Closed-Range Composition Operators on $${\mathbb{A}^2}$$ and the Bloch Space

We thank Nina Zorboska for pointing out an error in the proof of [2, Proposition 3.1]; a faux pas in our application of Julia’s Theorem. Indeed, we find that Proposition 3.1 does not hold in general (see Example 2.4 in this erratum). This impacts two operator-theoretic results in Section 3 of [2]; namely, Theorems 3.5 and 3.7. Theorem 3.5 (in [2]) does not hold in general. While statements (i) and (ii) of Theorem 3.7 are equivalent (cf. [1, Theorem 2.4]), statement (iii) implies, but is not a consequence of (i) and (ii) (in general). Both of these theorems hold under an additional hypothesis. We make all of this clear in our work here. And, although [2, Corollary 3.6] was established using Theorem 3.5, we find that this corollary holds in general; see the proof of Corollary 1.6 in this erratum. In order that our presentation be somewhat self-contained, we begin by reviewing the terminology of [2]. Let D denote the unit disk {z : |z| < 1} and let T denote its boundary {z : |z| = 1}. Let A denote normalized two-dimensional Lebesgue measure on D and let m denote normalized Lebesgue measure on T; normalized so that these are probability measures. The Bergman space A is the Hilbert space of functions f that are analytic in D such that
Inhibition of spermidine and spermine synthesis leads to growth arrest of rat embryo fibroblasts in G1

Following growth stimulation of rat embryo fibroblast (REF) cells previously arrested in G1 by serum deprivation, there occurs a large increase in the synthesis of the polyamines putrescine, spermidine and spermine. Methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone) (MGBG), a potent inhibitor of S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase can block the accumulation of both spermidine and spermine over a period of several days. Under such conditions REF cells treated with MGBG will approximately double in number and then become growth-arrested again predominantly in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. REF cells therefore appear to contain sufficient spermidine and spermine to progress through one cell cycle before the intracellular levels of these polyamines is reduced sufficiently to arrest growth in the absence of continued polyamine synthesis. Limitation of intracellular polyamine levels is therefore not the mechanism by which deprivation of serum growth factors arrests cell growth. While continued growth is nevertheless dependent on polyamine synthesis, this cell type is capable of limited proliferation in its absence. Addition of spermidine or spermine to MGBG-arrested REF cells results in a rapid resumption of proliferation demonstrating that either polyamine can fulfill the role played by these polyamines in the growth process. Low levels of spermidine and spermine therefore arrest this cell type at a resriction point in G1 at which it is decided whether the intracellular level of these polyamines is sufficiently high to enable a cell to enter into and complete a new cell cycle. This polyamine-sensitive restriction point is considered to be analogous to the restriction point(s) in G1 at which serum and nutrient limitation act.
The inflammation hypothesis in geriatric depression

Background A large body of research has focused on “mediating mechanisms” and predisposing brain abnormalities to geriatric depression, but little is known about its etiology. This paper examines whether age-related and comorbid disease-related immune deregulation is an etiologic contributor to geriatric depression. Methods This article reviews findings on neuroinflammation during the aging process and depression as well as studies of anti-inflammatory actions of classical antidepressants and antidepressant actions of anti-inflammatory agents. Results Aging results in increased peripheral immune responses, impaired peripheral-CNS immune communication, and a shift of the CNS into a pro-inflammatory state. These exaggerated and prolonged immune responses may lead to changes in the function of emotional and cognitive networks pertinent to geriatric depression and to behavioral changes reminiscent of the depressive and cognitive symptoms of geriatric depression. Some antidepressants may reduce the expression of inflammation markers. Limited data suggest that some anti-inflammatory agents may have antidepressant properties. Conclusions A synthesis of available findings suggests that aging-related and comorbid disease-related inflammatory processes may promote changes in the neural systems predisposing to geriatric depression or facilitating metabolic changes that mediate depressive syndromes. The “inflammation hypothesis” in geriatric depression cannot be tested in its entirety, but it can lead to testable hypotheses and data on mechanisms by which inflammatory processes promote geriatric depression. The significance of such an effort is that it may lead to a novel treatment development model bringing to bear recent advances of anti-inflammatory pharmacology to the treatment of depressed elderly patients. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
RESEARCH ARTICLE: Fostering Sustainability in Higher Education: A Mixed-Methods Study of Transformative Leadership and Change Strategies

As evidence of the earth's limited capacity to sustain human life mounts, institutions of higher education are being looked to for leadership in the effort to educate students about environmental c...
Is urine leukocyte esterase test a useful screening method to predict Chlamydia trachomatis infection in women

We evaluated the use of the leukocyte esterase test (LET) on first-catch urine specimens from women as a screening test to predict infection with Chlamydia trachomatis. For diagnosis, we used Abbott's ligase chain reaction (LCR) on urine specimens and isolation by tissue culture (TC) on cervical brushes. Of 4,053 women attending sexually transmitted disease and family planning clinics, 4.3% (n = 174) were positive by TC and 5.9% (n = 239) were positive by LCR. When LET was compared to TC, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 54.0, 67.0, 6.8, and 97.0%, respectively. The corresponding performance of LET versus LCR was 53.1, 67.3, 10.1, and 95.8%. Almost half of the laboratory-confirmed chlamydial infections were negative by LET. The low specificity probably reflects multiple causes of pyuria in women and results in a low positive predictive value. LET is neither sensitive nor specific as a predictor of chlamydial infection and cannot be recommended for use as a screening test for C. trachomatis with first-catch urine samples from females from low- or moderate-prevalence populations.
A seismic refraction and reflection study across the central San Jacinto Basin, Southern California

The San Jacinto Basin is a northwest‐trending, pull‐apart basin in the San Jacinto fault zone of the San Andreas fault system in southern California. About 24 km long and 2 to 4 km wide, the basin sits on a graben bounded by two strands of the San Jacinto fault zone: the Claremont Fault on the northeast and the Casa Loma Fault on the southwest. We present a case study of shallow structure (less than 1 km) in the central basin. A 2.75-km refraction line running from the northeast to southwest across the regional structural trend reveals a groundwater barrier (Offset I). Another line, bent southward and continued for 1.65-km, shows a crystalline basement offset (Offset III) near an inferred trace of the Casa Loma Fault. Although a basement refractor was not observed along the 2.75-km line, a mismatch between the estimate of its minimum depth and the basement depth determined for the 1.65-km line suggests that an offset in the basement (greater than 260 m) exists around the junction of the two refraction lin...
De novo finished 2.8 Mbp Staphylococcus aureus genome assembly from 100 bp short and long range paired-end reads.

Motivation: Paired-end sequencing allows circumventing the shortness of the reads produced by second generation sequencers and is essential for de novo assembly of genomes. However, obtaining a finished genome from short reads is still an open challenge. We present an algorithm that exploits the pairing information issued from inserts of potentially any length. The method determines paths through an overlaps graph by using a constrained search tree. We also present a method that automatically determines suited overlaps cutoffs according to the contextual coverage, reducing thus the need for manual parameterization. Finally, we introduce an interactive mode that allows querying an assembly at targeted regions. Results: We assess our methods by assembling two Staphylococcus aureus strains that were sequenced on the Illumina platform. Using 100 bp paired-end reads and minimal manual curation, we produce a finished genome sequence for the previously undescribed isolate
Stabilization of linearized 2D magnetohydrodynamic channel flow by backstepping boundary control

a b s t r a c t We present a boundary control law that stabilizes the Hartman profile for low magnetic Reynolds numbers in an infinite magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) channel flow. The proposed control law achieves stability in the L 2 norm of the linearized MHD equations, guaranteeing local stability for the fully
Association of Fruit and Vegetable Consumption During Early Adulthood With the Prevalence of Coronary Artery Calcium After 20 Years of Follow-Up: The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study.

Background— The relationship between intake of fruits and vegetables (F/V) during young adulthood and coronary atherosclerosis later in life is unclear. Methods and Results— We studied participants of the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, a cohort of young, healthy black and white individuals at baseline (1985–1986). Intake of F/V at baseline was assessed using a semiquantitative interview administered diet history, and coronary artery calcium was measured at year 20 (2005–2006) using computed tomography. We used logistic regression to adjust for relevant variables and estimate the adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals across energy-adjusted, sex-specific tertiles of total servings of F/V per day. Among our sample (n=2506), the mean (SD) age at baseline was 25.3 (3.5) years, and 62.7% were female. After adjustment for demographics and lifestyle variables, higher intake of F/V was associated with a lower prevalence of coronary artery calcium: odds ratio (95% confidence interval) =1.00 (reference), 0.78 (0.59–1.02), and 0.74 (0.56–0.99), from the lowest to the highest tertile of F/V, P value for trend P value for trend Conclusions— In this longitudinal cohort study, higher intake of F/V during young adulthood was associated with lower odds of prevalent coronary artery calcium after 20 years of follow-up. Our results reinforce the importance of establishing a high intake of F/V as part of a healthy dietary pattern early in life.
China Miracle Or Mirage

For centuries China has been seen as a backward country. It was dominated by the European powers and, since the middle of the last century, by a very doctrinaire communist government. However, in the last 10 15 years China has emerged as an economic giant with an economy growing at 10% + per annum operating in a decidedly capitalistic fashion. Thus, we have the paradox of an anti communistic economic system operating under an anti capitalistic political system. The question for the future is whether this economic miracle will continue into the 21 st century or is it but a temporary mirage and China will revert back to its previous secondary role on the worlds stage?
Using Molecular Fingerprinting to Infer Functional Similarity in Engineered Systems

Design of new and advanced materials with shape-shifting or origami-like capabilities is an area that bears a strong similarity to the design of electromechanical products yet has not leveraged such systematic approaches. In this paper, computational methods to design Metal Organic Responsive Frameworks (MORFs) — which are a theoretical type of material that can change their shape and porosity in response to light — are investigated. However, it is a significant challenge to computationally identify MORFs that are both feasible and useful, i.e., systemic invention (as opposed to discovery) of new MORFs. The proposed framework utilizes the typical product design process to iteratively generate new candidates, evaluate their properties, and then guide the generation of the next set of candidates. A materials designer could then leverage this knowledge to generate structures or substructures with specific functional goals in mind. In this paper an approach to inferring functional similarity of systems using structural information — based on both drug design and database-driven product design — is evaluated. The results demonstrate an observable correlation between structural fingerprints of electromechanical products and electromechanical function. This evidence, combined with the well-established similar property principle in drug design, supports the usage of molecular fingerprinting for providing high-level functional guidance in a MORF design framework based on purely structural information.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Hydraulic System Design of Wheeled Tractor Hoist with Self-propelled

It is concerned prevalently to develop and manufacture the wheeled tractor hoist with self-propelled at present by the oilfield in order to satisfy oilfield’s increasingly workover.Hydraulic system,being the key part,its design can mostly affect the capability of hoist.The hydraulic system of wheeled tractor hoist was designed,and its work principle and system characters were introduced.
Tracheoesophageal fistula, esophageal atresia, and tricuspid atresia.

The case described here is the third case of tracheoesophageal fistula, esophageal atresia, and tricuspid atresia to be reported in the literature. Other cardiac anomalies have been found in an appreciable proportion of patients with esophageal atresia.
The Effects of Urban Diversity on Geographic Polarization: Evidence from Hurricane Katrina Migration

Recent research suggests that suburbanization precipitated by the development of the Interstate Highway System drew Republican residents out of urban centers and gave rise to geographic political polarization between cities and suburbs (Nall 2015). In recent years, however, the rate of geographic political polarization has more than doubled while suburban growth declined and Interstate Highway construction ceased. In this paper, we argue that these recent trends can be explained by a complimentary "push migration" mechanism of demographic change facilitated by existing infrastructure in which increases to urban racial and ethnic diversity catalyze the out-migration of Republican leaning residents. Using a rapid, exogenous increase to Houston's African-American population as the result of Hurricane Katrina, we show that this mechanism can account for more recent increases in geographic polarization in the absence of concurrent changes to urban or suburban infrastructure.
Mothers of nationalism

The year 1955 was a turning point for women in Tanzania. John Hatch, the British representative of the Labour government, visited Dar es Salaam in June to meet with members of the fledging nationalist movement, the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU), and to encourage them to press for independence without violence. After witnessing a speech that the group's leader Julius Nyerere gave to a crowd of 25,000 people, Hatch posed a question to the officials he met: “I see there were a lot of people at Nyerere's meeting today … but do you have a women's section … I want to meet their leader.” They promised a meeting the following day. But, in the words of Bibi Titi Mohamed, who would become the women's leader: The truth is, they didn't have a woman then! … Everyone had locked their wives away [in the house]. Everyone refused. “Then what shall we do?” they asked themselves. Then Sheneda [one of the men] said, “I will go and collect Titi.” … her husband is my friend. I'll talk to him and she will come. The following day she was taken to the TANU office and introduced to John Hatch as “leader of the women's section.” From then on, after TANU officials contacted her husband asking his written permission, Bibi Titi Mohamed became the head of the party's women's section. Adopting a pattern unique to Tanzania, she mobilized her followers through ngoma , women's dance groups, which united Swahili-speaking women from all over the country. As was common across the continent during the 1950s, in many of her speeches, she appealed to women as mothers, emphasizing the ability to give birth as the source of their power: “I am telling you that we want independence. And we can't get independence if you don't want to join the party. We have given birth to all these men. Women are the power in this world. I am telling you that we have to join the party first.” So they went and joined the party. Bibi Titi Mohamed was a young Muslim woman born in the coastal city of Dar es Salaam in 1926. In an interview with historian Susan Geiger, she explained that her father was a businessman and her mother a farmer and housewife.
Synchronization of the climate system to orbital eccentricity insolation and the 100ky problem

T ‘100ky problem’ (1ky=1000 years) of the astronomical theory of the ice ages questions how the almost negligible ~100ky eccentricity forcing could power the ten massive glaciations of the last million years while the stronger ~400ky eccentricity forcing is nearly absent from the proxy records. Further, the astronomical theory does not explain how, without change in forcing, climatic oscillations switched from 41ky to 100ky at the mid-Pleistocene transition (MPT) 1.2 million years ago (1.2 Ma), or what caused the strong climatic response at the marine isotope stage (MIS) 11, the presence of power at frequencies absent in the external forcing, or the timing of glacial terminations. To resolve these inconsistencies many explanations have been put forward, from internal climatic oscillations without external forcing to external forcing other than the Milankovitch cycles, but the ultimate cause(s) remain elusive. I will introduce a unifying explanation that resolves all the above inconsistencies through a single process: nonlinear synchronization of the climate system’s internal oscillations to the eccentricity forcing. Synchronization is a fundamental nonlinear phenomenon and one basic mechanism of self-organization in complex system. The evidence suggests that after at least four million years of slow evolution, the climate system first synchronized to eccentricity at ~1.2Ma and has remained synchronized ever since. Synchronization powered the late Pleistocene glaciations, forced the frequency switch at the MPT, and caused the strong short-lived response at the MIS11 (~400ka).
Convict Voices: Women, Class, and Writing about Prison in Nineteenth-Century England

The study of Victorian imprisonment has contributed much in recent years to our critical assessments of the period’s literature and culture. We have had Jason Haslam’s Fitting Sentences: Identity i...
Justice for Democracy

This chapter first examines different notions of justice a. Justice is integral to democracy. Yet, the term “justice” is complex. What exactly does justice entail? This chapter begins to answer this question in light of democratic concerns and the information age. The chapter concludes by linking the ideas of justice for democracy with relevant skills, dispositions and school climate attributes.
Buried Catheters: How and Why?

Successful peritoneal dialysis requires a well-functioning catheter that can be used long-term. For the practitioner, there are many choices that must be made regarding catheter placement, including catheter design and mode of insertion. In 1993, Moncrief and Popovich described a new variation of catheter placement. Instead of immediately externalizing a peritoneal catheter, the distal end was embedded in the subcutaneous fat while the catheter was allowed to heal. The distal end was exteriorized at a later point and peritoneal dialysis was begun. The technique is described in this chapter and the outcomes, advantages and disadvantages are reviewed. Advantages include allowing providers and patients to prepare for peritoneal dialysis likely increasing utilization of peritoneal dialysis. In addition, this technique significantly reduces the probability of dialysate leaks and allows full-dose dialysis to be performed immediately after externalization. Although there are few controlled trials comparing the Moncrief-Popovich technique to standard catheter placement, data does suggest that this is an effective procedure that is associated with few complications.
The Western Spring Beauties, Claytonia lanceolata (Montiaceae): A Review and Revised Taxonomy For California

Abstract The taxonomic history of Claytonia lanceolata is fraught with confusion. Poor preservation of diagnostic characteristics on museum specimens and incomplete original descriptionsmade from limited reference material have resulted in inadequate characterization of morphological features and geographic distributions, particularly for plants in more xeric areas of California. In this paper, we investigate populations previously thought to belong to C. lanceolata and provide an updated taxonomy for Californian taxa based largely on morphological observations and geographic records. These data are corroborated by evidence of genetic polymorphisms and ecological divergence. Claytonia obovata was synonymized with C. lanceolata in 1966 and remained unrecognized until now because previous treatments misinterpreted morphological variation in C. lanceolata s. s. Claytonia peirsonii is a new combination for a species comprising four subspecies endemic to the Desert Southwest, three of which are new to science....
Gymnophthalmus underwoodi Grant, 1958 (Reptilia: Gymnophthalmidae), a new record for the island of Montserrat

Two species of gymnophthalmids are known to inhabit islands in the West Indies, the unisexual Gymnophthalmus underwoodi Grant, 1958 and the bisexual G. pleii Bocourt, 1881, but neither has been previously recorded on Montserrat. Small microteiid lizards were observed between 2008 and 2016 at 5 locations on Montserrat. Scale counts and mitochondrial 16S rDNA sequences of specimens confirmed them to be G. underwoodi . The widespread distribution of this ninth lizard species on Montserrat suggests that it has gone undetected for some time or has rapidly colonized the island.
Durability performance of rubberized mortar and concrete with NaOH-Solution treated rubber particles

Abstract This study experimentally investigated the durability of rubberized mortar and concrete samples with NaOH-solution treated rubber particles. The concrete samples without rubber particles were cast as control samples. The rubberized mortar or concrete samples were prepared with 15% as-received rubber and different contents of NaOH treated rubber (15%, 25%, 35% and 50% by volume of fine aggregate). The electrical resistivity, air-void measurement, and absorption tests were first conducted to evaluate the transport properties of rubberized concrete samples. The freeze-thaw durability tests on different concrete samples showed that the added rubber particles improved the freeze-thaw resistance of concrete. The effect was more significant for NaOH treated rubber particles than that of as-received rubber particles. The results of the alkali-silicate reaction (ASR) expansion test suggested that the ASR expansion was decreased in rubberized mortar compared to plain mortar. The 15% NaOH treated rubber replacement was most effective on reducing the ASR expansion among all of the rubberized mortar samples. The drying shrinkage increased with the content of rubber particles in mortar; however, the increased shrinkage in rubberized mortar appeared to be reduced when the additional rubber was treated with NaOH solution. These test results indicated that the rubberized concrete or mortar (with 15% or 25% NaOH-treated rubber replacement) samples have improved durability.
Public Health System Research in Public Health Emergency Preparedness in the United States (2009–2015): Actionable Knowledge Base

Background. In 2008, the Institute of Medicine released a letter report identifying 4 research priority areas for public health emergency preparedness in public health system research: (1) enhancing the usefulness of training, (2) improving timely emergency communications, (3) creating and maintaining sustainable response systems, and (4) generating effectiveness criteria and metrics.Objectives. To (1) identify and characterize public health system research in public health emergency preparedness produced in the United States from 2009 to 2015, (2) synthesize research findings and assess the level of confidence in these findings, and (3) describe the evolution of knowledge production in public health emergency preparedness system research.Search Methods and Selection Criteria. We reviewed and included the titles and abstracts of 1584 articles derived from MEDLINE, EMBASE, and gray literature databases that focused on the organizational or financial aspects of public health emergency preparedness activitie...