cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ASSOCIATION BETWEEN RADIOGRAPHIC PATTERN AND OUTCOME IN FOALS WITH PNEUMONIA CAUSED BY Rhodococcus equi

Our objective was to characterize the association between types of radiographic findings and outcome in foals with pneumonia caused by Rhodococcus equi. Admission lateral thoracic radiographs of 62 foals with culture-confirmed R. equi pneumonia were reviewed retrospectively. A scoring system was developed to individually assess the severity of alveolar pattern, interstitial pattern, tracheobronchial lymphadenopathy, pleural effusion, and the number of nodular opacities and cavitary lesions. Individual scores were added to obtain a total radiographic score ranging from 0 (normal) to 22. Forty-three of 62 foals (69%) survived to discharge. The median total radiographic score of nonsurvivors (14; range, 9-16) was significantly (P = 0.007) higher than that of survivors (11; range, 4-15). Foals with a total radiographic score of greater than or equal to 15 were 6.15 times (95% CI: 1.35 to 28.2) less likely to survive than foals with a lower score (P = 0.019). A multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify the potential associations between specific types of radiographic lesions and outcome. The model was statistically significant (P = 0.002) and correctly classified 75.8% of foals. Only severity of alveolar pattern and number of cavitary lesions made statistically significant contributions to the model. There was no significant association between concurrent isolation of other bacteria along with R. equi and the types or severity of radiographic lesions. Based on the results of this study, severity of alveolar pattern and number of cavitary lesions are the radiographic findings significantly associated with a poor outcome in foals with R. equi pneumonia.
Economic Analysis of Integrated Continuous and Batch Pharmaceutical Manufacturing: A Case Study

The capital, operating, and overall costs of a dedicated continuous manufacturing process to synthesize an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and formulate it into tablets are estimated for a production scale of 2000 t of tablets per year, with raw material cost, production yield, and API loading varied over broad ranges. Costs are compared to batch production in a dedicated facility. Synthesis begins with a key organic intermediate three synthetic steps before the final API; results are given for key intermediate (KI) costs of $100 to $3000/kg, with drug loadings in the tablet of 10 and 50 wt %. The novel continuous process described here is being developed by an interdisciplinary team of 20 researchers. Since yields are not yet well-known, and continuous processes typically have better yields than batch ones, the overall yields of the continuous processes with recycling were set equal to that of the batch process. Without recycling, yields are 10% lower, but less equipment is required. The continuou...
Connectedness of offset digitizations in higher dimensions

In this paper we investigate properties of a digital object obtained by taking the integer points within an offset of a certain radius of the object. Our considerations apply to digitizations of arbitrary path-connected sets in an arbitrary dimension n. Corollaries are derived for the important special case of surfaces, as well as for offsets of disconnected sets.
The Hard Truth

Bayesian methodology provides the means to combine prior knowledge about competing models of reality and available data to draw inferences about the validity of those models. The posterior quantifies the degree of certainty one has about those models. We propose a method to determine the uncertainty in a specific feature of a Bayesian solution. Our approach is based on an analogy between the negative logarithm of the posterior and a physical potential. This analogy leads to the interpretation of gradient of this potential as a force that acts on the model. As model parameters are perturbed from their maximum a posteriori (MAP) values, the strength of the restoring force that drives them back to the MAP solution is directly related to the uncertainty in those parameter estimates. The correlations between the uncertainties of parameter estimates can be elucidated.
Oviposition site selection on oats: the effect of plant architecture, plant and leaf age, tissue toughness, and hardness on cereal leaf beetle, Oulema melanopus

In sequentially planted oat stands, the cereal leaf beetle (CLB), Oulema melanopus (L.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Lemini), is found in greater numbers, and lays more eggs, on later planted (younger) oats (Avena sativa L.) (Poaceae). Plant characteristics that could explain this ovipositional preference were examined in a series of experiments. Cage and open field whole plant preference tests confirmed the attraction of ovipositing females to younger oats. A cage effect illustrated the role of plant architecture (plant height) in CLB host selection. Two multiple-choice and one no-choice excised leaf experiments determined that characteristics of individual leaves associated with leaf insertion level (leaf number from base to apex) and age influence ovipositional site selection. Leaves of higher insertion level have higher nitrogen content, but fewer eggs are laid on those leaves. Two experiments examining the interaction between total leaf nitrogen and leaf insertion level showed that only leaf insertion level affected oviposition choice. Published literature suggests variation in secondary plant compounds cannot explain O. melanopus ovipositional preference among leaves. Grass leaves of higher insertion level have more extensively developed cells associated with tissue toughness and hardness. The data and supporting literature suggest tissue toughness and hardness are deterring oviposition on oat leaves of higher insertion level. However, newly eclosed larvae are able to feed on leaves usually avoided as oviposition sites. The explanation for this result may be a lack of correlation between host suitability and ovipositional preference.
Antibiotic-resistant mutants of Bacillus subtilis conditional for sporulation.

Among spontaneously occurring antibiotic-resistant mutants of Bacillus subtilis 168 we have identified a sub-class that is conditionally sporulative. Mutants in this sub-class are resistant to antibiotic during vegetative growth but are sensitive during sporulation. Mutants conditionally-resistant to erythromycin, kanamycin, spectinomycin, and streptomycin have been isolated and characterized by phase contrast microscopy and with respect to their ability to synthesize heat-resistant endospores or the sporulation-associated enzyme alkaline phosphatase. The results suggest that several entirely different genetic lesions may result in this single phenotype. This group includes mutants whose properties suggest that both the 30S and 50S ribosomal subunits may be altered concomitant with early spore specific metabolism. The blockage imposed by antibiotic may be at or near Stage 2 of sporulation.
Role of Orbitofrontal Cortex Connections in Emotion

The orbitofrontal cortex is extensively connected with diverse neural areas that underlie its participation in emotional function. It receives extensive sensory input and sends output to areas important for emotional processing and expression, including medial temporal cortical areas, hypothalamic and brain stem autonomic areas, and the amygdala. In the rat, the functional relationship between the orbitofrontal cortex and amygdala has been investigated in numerous recent studies. Clearer understanding of the complex connections between the rat orbitofrontal cortex and the amygdala is fundamental to elucidating the functional contributions of these pathways. Recent work shows that, as in the primate, the subdivisions of the rat orbitofrontal cortex issue different patterns of projections to the amygdala, with intriguing variations in the relative distribution of projections to the sensory-related basal areas compared with output areas, such as the central nucleus. Notably, as has been observed in the monkey, the rat orbitofrontal cortex targets the intercalated nuclei, which contain GABAergic interneurons and provide local inhibitory influences within the amygdala. The complex connections between the orbitofrontal cortex and the amygdala, as well as other areas involved in emotion, suggest important implications for the role of the orbitofrontal cortex in anxiety disorders, in which emotional expression is not appropriate to the situation.
Transformer failure modes and planned replacement

Transformers are usually very reliable and durable items of electrical equipment, so much so that their performance is often taken for granted, especially in a power station environment where there are often many more immediate claims on the attention of maintenance engineers. Unfortunately, when a fault occurs in a transformer, it can develop catastrophically and failures are usually very expensive if not uneconomic to repair, often resulting in the loss of what is the most expensive plant item in a substation. Costs of resulting loss of generation or transmission restraints until a replacement can be effected can also be severe. There has been considerable interest in the subject of life management of transformers. Planned replacement is the ideal from the point of view of maintaining system reliability in the face of an ageing population of transformers. To implement such a policy, information on failure modes and asset health is required, which necessitates a careful programme of inspections of redundant units, basic research and condition assessments.
Photo-Induced and Electrooptic Properties of (Pb,La)(Zr,Ti)O3 Films

Photo-induced changes in the hysteresis behavior of sol-gel derived Pb(Zr, Ti)O3 (PZT) and (Pb, La)(Zr, Ti)O3 (PLZT) films have been characterized. The film photosensitivity has been evaluated with respect to the magnitude of the effects, the time response and the spectral dependence. Photo-induced hysteresis changes exhibit a stretched-exponential time dependence, which implies a dispersive mechanism. The spectral dependence is strongly peaked at the band edge (−3.4 eV), which indicates that generation of electron-hole pairs in the material is critical. The photo-induced hysteresis changes are reproducible and stable, which indicates that the controlling charge traps are stable. However, improvements in film photosensitivity will be required to develop these materials for optical memory applications.
Measurements of the gain, time resolution, and spatial resolution of a 20×20 cm2 MCP-based picosecond photo-detector

Abstract Microchannel plates (MCPs) allow for micron-level spatial imaging and picosecond-level time resolution, making them a good choice for the next generation of photo-detectors aiming for precision time-of-flight measurements. The Large-Area Picosecond Photo-Detector Collaboration (LAPPD) is currently developing a 20×20 cm2, thin, planar, glass-body detector with two MCPs in chevron geometry with 8° bias angle. The modular design of the strip-line anode allows covering large areas while keeping the number of electronics channels low. We have built a complete detector system approximating the final detector design. We have measured a gain of up to 2×107, time-of-flight resolution of up to 35 ps, differential time resolution of ~ 6 ps , and spatial resolution of better than 1 mm.
Comment: DoIt and Do It Well

Discussion on the article "Bayesian Computation Using Design of Experiments-Based Interpolation Technique"
Importin β Mediates Nuclear Translocation of Smad 3

Smad proteins are intracellular mediators of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) and related cytokines. Although ligand-induced nuclear translocation of Smad proteins is clearly established, the pathway mediating this import is yet to be determined. We previously identified a nuclear localization signal (NLS) in the N-terminal region of Smad 3, the major Smad protein involved in TGF-beta signal transduction. This basic motif (Lys(40-)Lys-Leu-Lys-Lys(44)), conserved among all the pathway-specific Smad proteins, is required for Smad 3 nuclear import in response to ligand. Here we studied the nuclear import pathway of Smad 3 mediated by this NLS. We demonstrate that the isolated Smad 3 MH1 domain displays significant specific binding to importin beta, which is diminished or eliminated by mutations in the NLS. Full-size Smad 3 exhibits weak but specific binding to importin beta, which is enhanced after phosphorylation by the type I TGF-beta receptor. In contrast, no interaction was observed between importin alpha and Smad 3 or its MH1 domain, indicating that nuclear translocation of Smad proteins may occur through direct binding to importin beta. We propose that activation of all of the pathway-specific Smad proteins (Smads 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, and 9) exposes the conserved NLS motif, which then binds directly to importin beta and triggers nuclear translocation.
MIMO Wiretap Channels With Unknown and Varying Eavesdropper Channel States

In this paper, a class of information theoretic secrecy problems is addressed where the eavesdropper channel state is completely unknown to the legitimate parties. In particular, a Gaussian MIMO wiretap channel is considered, where the eavesdropper channel state can vary from one channel use to the next, and the overall channel state sequence is known only to the eavesdropper. When the eavesdropper has fewer antennas than the transmitter and its intended receiver, a positive secrecy rate in the sense of strong secrecy is proved to be achievable and shown to match with the converse in secure degrees of freedom. This yields the conclusion that secure communication is possible regardless of the location or channel states of the eavesdropper. Additionally, it is observed that, the present setting renders the secrecy capacity problems for some multiterminal wiretap-type channels more tractable as compared to the case with full or partial knowledge of eavesdropper channel states. To demonstrate this observation, secure degrees of freedom regions are derived for the Gaussian MIMO multiple access (MAC) wiretap channel and the two-user Gaussian MIMO broadcast (BC) wiretap channel, where the transmitter(s) and intended receiver(s) have the same number of antennas.
p63 is a prosurvival factor in the adult mammary gland during post-lactational involution, affecting PI-MECs and ErbB2 tumorigenesis

In embryogenesis, p63 is essential to develop mammary glands. In the adult mammary gland, p63 is highly expressed in the basal cell layer that comprises myoepithelial and interspersed stem/progenitor cells, and has limited expression in luminal epithelial cells. In adult skin, p63 has a crucial role in the maintenance of epithelial stem cells. However, it is unclear whether p63 also has an equivalent role as a stem/progenitor cell factor in adult mammary epithelium. We show that p63 is essential in vivo for the survival and maintenance of parity-identified mammary epithelial cells (PI-MECs), a pregnancy-induced heterogeneous population that survives post-lactational involution and contain multipotent progenitors that give rise to alveoli and ducts in subsequent pregnancies. p63+/− glands are normal in virgin, pregnant and lactating states. Importantly, however, during the apoptotic phase of post-lactational involution p63+/− glands show a threefold increase in epithelial cell death, concomitant with increased activation of the oncostatin M/Stat3 and p53 pro-apoptotic pathways, which are responsible for this phase. Thus, p63 is a physiologic antagonist of these pathways specifically in this regressive stage. After the restructuring phase when involution is complete, mammary glands of p63+/− mice again exhibit normal epithelial architecture by conventional histology. However, using RosaLSL-LacZ;WAP-Cre transgenics (LSL-LacZ, lox-stop-lox β-galactosidase), a genetic in vivo labeling system for PI-MECs, we find that p63+/− glands have a 30% reduction in the number of PI-MEC progenitors and their derivatives. Importantly, PI-MECs are also cellular targets of pregnancy-promoted ErbB2 tumorigenesis. Consistent with their PI-MEC pool reduction, one-time pregnant p63+/− ErbB2 mice are partially protected from breast tumorigenesis, exhibiting extended tumor-free and overall survival, and reduced tumor multiplicity compared with their p63+/+ ErbB2 littermates. Conversely, in virgin ErbB2 mice p63 heterozygosity provides no survival advantage. In sum, our data establish that p63 is an important survival factor for pregnancy-identified PI-MEC progenitors in breast tissue in vivo.
Predicting changes in children's popularity : the role of family relations

Abstract This study evaluated the association between family relations and changes in children's popularity during the school year when controlling for the influence of important third variables. Participants were 24 third-grade children and their parents. Sociometric nominations were used to measure popularity, and multiple self-report and observational measures were used to assess family relations. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that perceptions of positive family relations and observed paternal receptivity to children's proposed solutions on a teaching task were linked with favorable changes in peer acceptance even when the effects of the children's social competence and academic competence were statistically controlled. These findings support the view that positive family relations facilitates the development of children's peer relations.
Biomarkers for early detection of Alzheimer pathology.

The increasing prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and the devastating consequences of late-life dementia motivates the drive to develop diagnostic biomarkers to reliably identify the pathology associat
Head-disk interface contact mechanics for ultrahigh density magnetic recording

Abstract Extremely smooth surfaces, high relative speeds, and remarkably low flying heights are required in ultrahigh density magnetic recording. As a consequence, higher contact stresses and shear strains can be encountered at the head–disk interface (HDI) due to the enhancement of asperity interactions. Detailed knowledge of the damage due to inelastic deformation at asperity microcontacts is therefore of paramount importance to the durability of high-performance disk drives. A comprehensive elastic–plastic contact analysis for the HDI that is based on a realistic surface topography description and a finite element model is presented in this publication. Magnetic head and smooth and textured rigid disk surfaces were scanned with an atomic force microscope (AFM) at various scales in order to determine the corresponding fractal parameters. Surface topographies equivalent to those of a slider in contact with smooth and textured disks were determined from a fractal analysis of the obtained AFM surface images. The equivalent surface corresponding to smooth disk surfaces was incorporated into a finite element model of the thin-film disk medium to provide a more realistic approximation of the actual surface topographies. Simulation results for the contact pressure at asperity microcontacts and subsurface von Mises equivalent stress, maximum tensile stress, and equivalent plastic strain are interpreted in terms of the carbon overcoat thickness and maximum surface interference distance. The evolution of plasticity and likelihood of cracking in the carbon and magnetic layers of smooth rigid disks are discussed. It is shown that AFM measurements, fractal surface characterization, and finite element modeling can be combined in contact analyses of layered media possessing realistic surface topographies and mechanical properties typical of engineering components.
Cable theory of protein receptor trafficking in a dendritic tree

We develop an application of linear cable theory to protein receptor trafficking in the surface membrane of a neuron's dendritic tree. We assume that receptors diffuse freely in the dendritic membrane but exhibit periods of confined motion through interactions with small mushroomlike protrusions known as dendritic spines. We use cable theory to determine how receptor trafficking depends on the geometry of the dendritic tree and various important biophysical parameters such as membrane diffusivity, the density of spines, the strength of diffusive coupling between dendrites and spines, and the rates of constitutive recycling of receptors between the surface of spines and intracellular pools. We also use homogenization theory to determine corrections to cable theory arising from the discrete nature of spines.
Modulation of hydrophobic interactions by proximally immobilized ions

Chemical force microscopy measurements show that the immobilization of specific cationic groups near non-polar domains produces pronounced changes in the domains’ hydrophobic interaction strengths: charged ammonium groups double interaction strengths, whereas guanidinium groups eliminate measurable interactions. The so-called hydrophobic effect is the basis of many well-known interfacial, colloidal and biophysical phenomena, including the immiscibility of oil and water and the beading of water on nonpolar surfaces. It arises as a result of the structuring of water near non-polar surfaces, but although we understand hydrophobic interactions in simple systems, most biologically and technologically relevant structures are another matter. These more complex systems are characterized by intricate patterns of non-polar, polar and charged domains in close proximity. Derek Ma and colleagues now show that cations placed near a non-polar domain strongly modulate its hydrophobic interactions, with some cations doubling the strength of the interactions, whereas others eliminate it. The findings imply that in addition to established strategies for optimizing molecular recognition or self-assembly, judicious placing of charged groups near hydrophobic domains can also be used to tune the hydrophobic forces driving such processes. The structure of water near non-polar molecular fragments or surfaces mediates the hydrophobic interactions that underlie a broad range of interfacial, colloidal and biophysical phenomena1,2,3,4. Substantial progress over the past decade has improved our understanding of hydrophobic interactions in simple model systems1,5,6,7,8,9,10, but most biologically and technologically relevant structures contain non-polar domains in close proximity to polar and charged functional groups. Theories and simulations exploring such nanometre-scale chemical heterogeneity find it can have an important effect8,10,11,12, but the influence of this heterogeneity on hydrophobic interactions has not been tested experimentally. Here we report chemical force microscopy measurements on alkyl-functionalized surfaces that reveal a dramatic change in the surfaces’ hydrophobic interaction strengths on co-immobilization of amine or guanidine groups. Protonation of amine groups doubles the strength of hydrophobic interactions, and guanidinium groups eliminate measurable hydrophobic interactions in all pH ranges investigated. We see these divergent effects of proximally immobilized cations also in single-molecule measurements on conformationally stable β-peptides with non-polar subunits located one nanometre from either amine- or guanidine-bearing subunits. Our results demonstrate the importance of nanometre-scale chemical heterogeneity, with hydrophobicity not an intrinsic property of any given non-polar domain but strongly modulated by functional groups located as far away as one nanometre. The judicious placing of charged groups near hydrophobic domains thus provides a strategy for tuning hydrophobic driving forces to optimize molecular recognition or self-assembly processes.
Yeast ribosomal protein L26 is located at the ribosomal subunit interface as determined by chemical cross-linking

Previous studies suggested that yeast ribosomal protein L26 was a candidate for the ribosomal subunit interface region. The present study used protein-protein cross-linking to identify neighboring proteins in intact 80S ribosomes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To facilitate identification of cross-linked pairs involving L26, 80S ribosomes were first treated with 5-iodoacetamidofluorescein to selectively label L26. Protein cross-links were produced with dithiobis[succinimidyl] propionate or N-succinimidyl-3-[2-pyridyldithio] propionate and analyzed by electrophoresis on two-dimensional diagonal polyacrylamide gels containing SDS. L26 was detected under UV and its cross-linked partner, detectable after staining with Coomassie blue, was located below the diagonal and was coincident with L26 on a single vertical axis. The identity of the partner was determined by its co-migration with 60S and 40S ribosomal protein markers on two-dimensional gels. Two protein pairs involving L26 and 40S subunit proteins were identified. The finding provided experimental evidence to support that L26 is located at the ribosomal subunit interface. A model that incorporates the present findings and the published data on intra-subunit protein pairs is proposed for the yeast 80S ribosome.
Connectives and narrative text: The role of continuity

Connectives are text devices that signal the relation between adjacent sentences. Recently there has been a surge of research interest in the role played by connectives in on-line processing. The present research tested the hypothesis that connectives will impact on-line processing to the extent that they signal a text event that represents a departure from the continuity of the events stated in the text. In Experiment 1, participants generated sentences to follow a stimulus sentence. An additive, causal, or adversative connective (or no connective) was provided to serve as the first word of the participants’ sentence. Results showed that sentences generated in response to additive or causal connectives depicted text events that were continuous with the stimulus text. In contrast, sentences generated in response to adversative connectives depicted discontinuous text events. In Experiments 2 and 3, participants read coherent sentence pairs containing inappropriately placed additive, causal, or adversative connectives. Support for the continuity hypothesis was found when it was shown that adversative connectives led to the greatest amount of processing disruption, as measured by longer reading time on the postconnective sentence (Experiment 2) and lower ratings of coherence (Experiment 3). Future research in this area is discussed.
Determination of the absolute configuration of (−)-S-(2-carboxypropyl)-L-cysteine

Abstract The absolute configuration of the naturally occurring amino acid (−)-S-(2-carboxypropyl)-L-cysteine has been determined by asymmetric synthesis.
Low-mass muscle actuators using electroactive polymers (EAP)

NASA is seeking to reduce the mass, size, consumed power, and cost of the instrumentation used in its future missions. An important element of many instruments and devices is the actuation mechanism and electroactive polymers offer an effective alternative to current actuators. In this study, two families of electroactive polymer materials were investigated, including bending ionomers and longitudinal electrostatically driven elastomers. These materials were demonstrated to effectively actuate manipulation devices and their performance is being enhanced in this on-going study. The recent observations are reported in this paper, which also include cryovac tests at conditions that simulate Mars environment. Tests at T = -140°C and P ~ 1 Torr, which are below Mars conditions, showed that the bending actuator was still responding with a measurable actuation displacement. Analysis of the electrical characteristics of the ionomer showed that it is a current driven material rather than voltage driven. Measurements of transient currents in response to a voltage step shows a time constant on the order of few seconds with a response speed that is enhanced with the decrease in drive voltage. The ionomer main limitation is its requirement for being continuously moist. Tests showed that while the performance degrades as the material becomes dry, its AC impedance increases, reaching an order of magnitude higher than the wet ionomer. This response provides a gauging indication of the material wetness status. Methods of forming the equivalent of a skin to protect the moisture content of the ionomer are being sought and a limited success was observed using thick platinum electroding as well as when using polymeric coating.
Phase I study of the novel taxane CT-2103 in patients with advanced solid tumors

CT-2103 (Cell Therapeutics, Seattle, Wash.) is a water-soluble macromolecular conjugate of paclitaxel to a polyglutamate backbone, designed to enhance tumor permeability and to improve intratumoral delivery of paclitaxel. Preclinical studies indicate that CT-2103 has substantial antitumor efficacy in xenograft tumor models. We performed a phase I trial in patients with advanced solid tumors to determine the maximum tolerated doses (MTD) of CT-2103 when administered as short intravenous infusion every 3 weeks. Seven patients received a total of 16 cycles (range 1–3) of CT-2103 at doses of 235 and 270 mg/m2. Two of five patients treated at 235 mg/m2 and one of two patients treated at 270 mg/m2 experienced grade 3/4 neutropenia. Four patients experienced a marked increase in PTT within 30 min of the start of infusion. Neuropathy was more severe than expected. Two patients developed grade 3 neuropathy that prompted a 50% dose reduction of CT-2103 and persisted for 8 months in one, and over a year in the other. Three patients experienced grade 1 or 2 neuropathy. Neurotoxicity was cumulative and prevented patients from receiving prolonged administration of CT-2103. The unexpectedly high rate of cumulative toxicity observed in our study needs to be taken into consideration in future trials of CT-2103. Prior taxane use may not be a predictor of severe neurotoxicity.
Synthesis of an E-BODIPY based fluorescent Co-polymer containing organoboron quinolate units

A novel fluorescent co-polymer with an organoboron quinolate and an E -BODIPY (BODIPY: 4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3a-4a-diaza- s -indacene) moiety was synthesized with the aim of producing a donor-acceptor polymeric system where the organoboron quinolate acts as the donor and the E -BODIPY moiety is the acceptor. The polymer has three prominent absorption bands: 264 nm (corresponding to the organoboron quinolate), 397 nm (corresponding to the organoboron quinolate and BODIPY) and 516 nm (corresponding to the E -BODIPY moiety). Excitation of the organoboron quinolate at 264 nm resulted in emission at 525 nm, giving a 261 nm Stokes shift. Energy transfer from the donor (organoboron quinolate) unit to the acceptor (BODIPY) explains the origin of this large Stokes shift.
Substrate conversion by fungal spores entrapped in solid matrices.

Abstract Conditions for the operation of a fungal spore-continuous column process are described wherein sucrose inversion is used as a model detection system. ECTEOLA-cellulose, acting as a solid support, provided good retention and flow-rate characteristics in columns prepared with Aspergillus and Penicillium spores. Spore columns so prepared were stable and needed only a cursory washing before storage or re-use. Germination on the column was negligible. The interactions occurring between variations in spore concentration, substrate concentration, and flow rate are reported, including the effect each has upon product yield.
Dielectric Relaxation Processes in Ethanol

THE existence of secondary regions of dielectric dispersion for a number of polar liquids has been inferred by several workers from radio-frequency and microwave dispersion data, as these extrapolate at high frequencies to values considerably larger than the square of the refractive index. Notable examples of this behaviour are water and the lower aliphatic alcohols1, for which at temperatures from 0° to 60° C. the principal dipole dispersion region lies in the range of centimetre to metre wave-lengths. Saxton2 has discussed the question in detail for water, methyl and ethyl alcohols, and found that his data, together with results in the wave-length region 50–150μ, could be described by postulating a damped resonance dispersion in the millimetre wave-length region.
Robust Recognition-by-Parts Using Transduction and Boosting with Applications to Biometrics

Summary form only given. The ability to recognize objects, in general, and living creatures, in particular, in photographs or video clips, is a critical enabling technology for a wide range of applications including health care, human-computer intelligent interaction, search engines for image retrieval and data mining, industrial and personal robotics, surveillance and security, and transportation. Despite almost 50 years of research, however, today's object recognition systems are still largely unable to handle the extraordinary wide range of appearances assumed by common objects [including human faces] in typical images. Some of the challenges for modern pattern recognition that have to be addressed in order to advance and make practical both detection and categorization include open set recognition, occlusion and masking, change detection and time-varying imagery, lack of enough data for training, and proper performance evaluation and error analysis. Open set recognition operates under the assumption that not all the test (unknown) probes have mates in the gallery (training set), occlusion and masking hide and disguise parts of the input, image contents vary across both the spatial and temporal dimensions, the amount of data available for learning and adaptation is limited, and errors are not uniformly distributed across patterns. The recognition-by-parts approach proposed here to address the challenges listed above is driven by transduction and boosting. Transduction employs local estimation and inference to find a compatible labeling of joined training and test data. Active learning further promotes the recognition process by making incremental choices about what is best to learn and when in order to accumulate the evidence needed to disambiguate among alternative interpretations. The interplay between labeled ("training") and unlabeled ("test"') data points mediates between semi-supervised learning and transduction. The additional information coming from the unlabeled data points includes consn-aints and hints about the meaningful relations and regularities affecting their very discrimination. Boosting combines in an iterative fashion part-based, model-free, and non-parametric simple weak classifiers, whose contents and relative ranking are driven by their "strangeness" characteristics. The scope of the proposed approach covers also stream-based data points and includes change detection. The benefits of the proposed discriminative recognition-by-parts approach include a priori setting of rejection thresholds, no need for image segmentation, robustness to occlusion, clutter, and disguise. Examples drawn from biometrics illustrate the proposed approach and show its feasibility and utility.
Are you being sabotagedby your coworkers

Men and women are both guilty of sabotaging coworkers, but men and women do it differently and for different reasons. Men tend to do it more overtly and for more work-related reasons. However, women are more covert; their reasons are motivated more by jealousy of another's success or their own insecurity. Once women are betrayed by another, they take it more personally than their male counterparts. Men confront the betrayer and move on; that is business. Women do not confront the betrayer and see betrayal in the workplace as being let down by their friends. Women need to treat business relationships and situations as business, not as friendships.
CLEO III, a detector to measure rare B decays and CP violation

The symmetric e+e− collider CESR is undergoing a series of upgrades allowing for luminosities in excess of 2 × 1033 cm−2s−1. The most important goals of the upgrade are precision measurement of standard model parameters Vcb, Vub, VtdVts, fDs, and searching for CP violation and standard model violations in rare B decays. A new detector upgrade, called CLEO III, has started which includes a new silicon-wire drift chamber tracking system and a Ring Imaging Cherenkov Detector, RICH, using a LiF radiator and CH4-TEA gas based photon detector.
Development and implementation of a team-centered shoulder dystocia protocol.

OBJECTIVE To develop and evaluate a team-centered shoulder dystocia protocol. METHODS This project was undertaken in two phases. The first phase consisted of protocol development, during which a basic protocol was initially developed on the basis of targeted interviews with obstetric care providers and then refined through iterative performances of the protocol. The second phase consisted of dissemination of the final protocol to obstetric providers using low-fidelity simulation. Quantitative analysis was performed regarding the frequency with which key protocol components were undertaken during the unit-wide simulation drills. RESULTS Qualitative data analysis revealed several potential impediments to optimal team function during a shoulder dystocia, including lack of understanding that a shoulder dystocia was occurring, difficulty with efficient summoning of additional staff, lack of role clarity, reduced situational awareness, and variable documentation. A protocol that seeks to overcome these impediments can be successfully introduced to obstetric personnel through simulated shoulder dystocia drills, during which providers become increasingly more likely to incorporate different actions of the protocol during a simulated shoulder dystocia. CONCLUSIONS Low-fidelity simulations can be used to introduce and improve the aspects of teamwork that may be useful for the management of shoulder dystocia.
1-Pentadecene Production in Tribolium confusum.

Odoriferous glands of Tribolium confusum produce volatile compounds which are stored in special reservoirs. Besides the previously reported 2-methyl- and 2-ethyl-1,4-benzoquinones, a new compound, 1-pentadecene, was isolated. The acyclic C14H26O ketone previously reported was not present. 1-Pentadecene is thought to facilitate absorption of the admixed quinones by Tribolium enemies.
Placental Alanine Transport: An Apparent Contradiction Between Transplacental Flux and Umbilical Uptake. † 1436

Placental Alanine Transport: An Apparent Contradiction Between Transplacental Flux and Umbilical Uptake. † 1436
WAVELET ENERGY SPECTRUM FOR TIME-FREQUENCY LOCALIZATION OF EARTHQUAKE ENERGY

The authors recently developed a method for time-frequency signal analysis of earthquake records using Mexican hat wavelets. Ground motions in earthquakes are postulated as a sequence of simple penny-shaped ruptures at different locations along a fault line and occurring at different times. In this article, a wavelet energy spectrum is proposed for time-frequency localization of the earthquake input energy. The ground acceleration generated by a simple penny-shaped rupture is used as the basis to form the mother wavelet. The symmetric Mexican hat wavelet is chosen as the mother wavelet. The spectrum is presented pictorially in a two-dimensional, time-frequency domain. The proposed wavelet energy spectrum can be used to observe the evolution of the frequency contents of earthquake energy over time and distance of the site from the epicenter in a more accurate manner than the traditional time series (accelerogram) or frequency domain (Fourier amplitude spectrum) representation. It can be viewed as a microscope for looking into the time-frequency characteristics of earthquake acceleration records. The wavelet energy spectrum provides frequency evolution information to be used in the structural design process. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol 13, 133–140, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ima.10038
Prevalence and risk factors for depressive symptoms in persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background Although depression is a risk factor for adverse outcomes in chronic illness, little is known about the prevalence or risk factors for depressive symptoms in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
The linguistic example

Good language descriptions liberally illustrate their claims with examples. The author must select and order examples, and provide accompanying information. The example may include a reference number, the example in multiple forms (phonetic, phonemic, morphemic or morphophonemic, written), brackets and categories, glosses, translation, punctuation, functional annotations, grammatical judgements, subscripts, empty categories, ellipses marking, information about the author and language variety, attention-directing mechanisms, and so forth. Formatting these diverse sorts of information is a non-trivial task; suggestions are given for “best practice.” The delivery of documents on screens (rather than on paper) makes possible some dynamic enhancements such as inspecting an example’s textual context, toggling on/off various types of information, controlling highlighting and conflation.
(S)-Citramalic acid, a useful chiral synthon for the synthesis of 15-deoxy-16(S)-hydroxy-16-methylprostaglandins

(S)-Citramalic acid, a readily available microbial metabolite has been efficiently transformed into (2S)-2-methyl-2-hydroxy-1-hexanol (7), an important chiral synthon for the synthesis of 15-deoxy-16(S)-hydroxy-16-methylprostaglandins.
Modeling the emission and dispersion of volatile organics from surface aeration wastewater treatment facilities

Abstract A methodology has been developed for predicting volatile organic concentration levels immediately downwind of wastewater treatment facilities, as well as further away, under neutral or stable atmospheric conditions. For the case of a ground-level well-mixed continuous-flow basin with intense mechanical aeration at the surface, the rates of mass transfer of organic pollutants to the atmosphere are obtained by assuming that the entire resistance to mass transfer resides in the stagnant film at the liquid phase interface. The atmospheric transport of the organic emissions downwind are then predicted by a three-dimensional atmospheric dispersion equation, considering dry deposition as a sink mechanism and accounting for variations of wind velocity and vertical diffusivity with height above the ground. The variation of downward concentration levels with Henry's constant is examined for different atmospheric stabilities, deposition velocities, surface roughnesses and basin surface areas.
AN ANALYSIS OF THE COMMUNICATION EFFECTIVENESS OF PUBLIC PLANNING MAPS

Effective public participation in the formulation of plans for designing or altering the local environment requires local citizens to have an understanding of the physical setting and spatial relationships within the area in which proposed development is to take place. The method of plan presentation is vital to the achievement of the objectives of public planning participation. The presentation of plan information succeeds to the extent that it permits the local citizens to visualize how a proposed development fits into the existing physical setting with which they are, by experience, quite familiar. The most widely used visualization tool is the planning map. The purpose of the research reported herein is to create and test the relative communication efficiency of two alternative planning map designs. Pour assurer la participation effective du public dans la formulation de projets destines a la conception ou a la modification de l'environnement local, il faut que les citoyens d'une localite comprennent ...
Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of aspartokinase III from Escherichia coli.

Aspartokinase III catalyzes the commitment step in the aspartate metabolism pathway, the phosphorylation of aspartic acid. The Escherichia coli enzyme has been crystallized in the presence of its natural substrate (aspartic acid) and Mg-ADP and diffraction data has been collected at a synchroton source. The crystals belong to the orthorhombic space group C2221, with unit-cell parameters a = 60.44, b = 190.31, c = 99.55 A, and data 99.3% complete to 2.7 A. Solving the structure of AK III will provide the first structure of an aspartokinase from any organism.
Transcranial Assessment and Visualization of Acoustic Cavitation: Modeling and Experimental Validation

The interaction of ultrasonically-controlled microbubble oscillations with tissues and biological media has been shown to induce a wide range of bioeffects that may have significant impact on therapy and diagnosis of brain diseases and disorders. However, the inherently non-linear microbubble oscillations combined with the micrometer and microsecond scales involved in these interactions and the limited methods to assess and visualize them transcranially hinder both their optimal use and translation to the clinics. To overcome these challenges, we present a framework that combines numerical simulations with multimodality imaging to assess and visualize the microbubble oscillations transcranially. In the present work, microbubble oscillations were studied with an integrated US and MR imaging guided clinical FUS system. A high-resolution brain CT scan was also co-registered to the US and MR images and the derived acoustic properties were used as inputs to two- and three-dimensional Finite Difference Time Domain simulations that matched the experimental conditions and geometry. Synthetic point sources by either a Gaussian function or the output of a microbubble dynamics model were numerically excited and propagated through the skull towards a virtual US imaging array. Using passive acoustic mapping (PAM) that was refined to incorporate variable speed of sound, we were able to correct the aberrations introduced by the skull and substantially improve the PAM resolution. The good agreement between the simulations incorporating microbubble emissions and experimentally-determined PAMs suggest that this integrated approach can provide a clinically-relevant framework and more control over this nonlinear and dynamic process.
Should economics educators care about students' academic freedom?

Is it the duty of economics educators to help their students achieve a threshold level of intellectual independence? Should the learning goals of the undergraduate economics major include the ability to think for oneself – to reach reasoned conclusions – in the face of analytical, empirical and normative uncertainties? The authors examine these ethical questions through the lens of academic freedom, specifically the academic freedom of students. They argue that academic freedom provides a robust rationale for extending the standard educational goal of 'thinking like an economist' to include the liberal art of reflective judgment.
Approximate density matrices and Husimi functions using the maximum entropy formulation with constraints

The entropy of an electronic system is defined in terms of the Husimi function, a nonnegative distribution function in phase space. The Husimi function is calculated by maximizing the entropy subject to the constraints that the Husimi function give a Gaussian convolution of the desity when integrating over the momentum coordinates and that its second moment with respect to momentum give a sum of Gaussian convolutions of the density and the kinetic energy density. The result is compared with the Wigner function. Equations are given for calculating the density matrix from the Husimi function. The resulting equation for the exchange energy requires a difficult numerical integration. An alternate method is used to obtain the density matrix from an approximate partially collapsed Husimi matrix that gives the maximum entropy Husimi function as its diagonal. The results are exact for the harmonic oscillator ground state. Exchange energies calculated for H and the He isoelectronic series through C+4 show slight improvements over those calculated using a maximum entropy Wigner function.