cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Identification of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase of epithelial cells as a second molecule that binds to Porphyromonas gingivalis fimbriae

Binding of Porphyromonas gingivalis to the host cells is an essential step in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease. P. gingivalis binds to and invades epithelial cells, and fimbriae are thought to be involved in this process. In our earlier studies, two major epithelial cell components of 40 and 50 kDa were identified as potential fimbrial receptors. Sequencing of a cyanogen bromide digestion fragment of the 50-kDa component resulted in an internal sequence identical to keratin I molecules, and hence this cytokeratin represents one of the epithelial cell receptors for P. gingivalis fimbriae. In this study, the 40-kDa component of KB cells was isolated and its amino-terminal sequence determined. The N-terminal amino sequence was found to be GKVKVGVNGF and showed perfect homology with human glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). Furthermore, purified P. gingivalis fimbriae were found to bind to rabbit muscle GAPDH. Antibodies directed against internal peptide 49–68 and 69–90 of fimbrillin were shown to inhibit the binding of P. gingivalis and of fimbriae to epithelial cells. Antibodies against these peptides also inhibited the binding of fimbriae to GAPDH. Our results confirmed that the amino-terminal domain corresponding to amino residues 49–68 of the fimbrillin protein is the major GAPDH binding domain. These studies point to GAPDH as a major receptor for P. gingivalis major fimbriae and, as such, GAPDH likely plays a role in P. gingivalis adherence and colonization of the oral cavity, as well as triggering host cell processes involved in the pathogenesis of P. gingivalis infections.
Electrocaloric characterization of a poly(vinylidene fluoride- trifluoroethylene-chlorofluoroethylene) terpolymer by infrared imaging

The electrocaloric effect in thin films of a poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene chlorofluoroethylene) terpolymer (62.6/29.4/8 mol. %, 11–12 μm thick) is directly measured by infrared imaging at ambient conditions. The adiabatic temperature change is estimated to be 5.2 K for an applied electric field of 90 V/μm. The temperature change is independent of the operating frequency in the range of 0.03–0.3 Hz and is stable over a testing period of 30 min. Application of this terpolymer is promising for micro-scale refrigeration.
Method for determination of nonlinear attainable moment sets

A method for generating attainable moment sets for left-right pairs of nonlinear control effectors on aircraft is presented. It is shown that the determination of the attainable moment set boundary can be posed as a constrained, nonlinear optimization problem. The first-order necessary conditions for a point to be on the boundary are simply the Kuhn-Tucker first-order necessary conditions. An algorithm is given where the Kuhn-Tucker points for a given point in the pitch-roll plane are constructed for each control effector configuration that forms a candidate boundary. The Kuhn-Tucker points are then checked for feasibility, and the points on the boundary are those that produce extremal values of the objective function. The nonlinear attainable moment set boundary is used to determine feasibility of moment commands generated by the flight control system. Infeasible commands are clipped to the boundary of the attainable moment set. If a commanded moment is feasible, a constrained optimization problem is solved for the control surface deflections.
ABUNDANCES OF TRANS-IRON ELEMENTS IN SOLAR ENERGETIC PARTICLE EVENTS

We report the first comprehensive observation of the abundances of heavy elements of atomic number Z in the range 34 ≤ Z ≤ 82 in solar energetic particle (SEP) events as observed on the Wind spacecraft. In large gradual SEP events, abundances of the element groups 34 ≤ Z ≤ 40, 50 ≤ Z ≤ 56, and 70 ≤ Z ≤ 82, relative to Fe, are similar to corresponding coronal abundances within a factor of ~2 and vary little with time during the events. However, in sharp contrast, abundances of these ions from impulsive flares increase dramatically with Z so that abundances of Fe, 34 ≤ Z ≤ 40, and 50 ≤ Z ≤ 56, relative to O, are seen at ~10, ~100, and ~1000 times their coronal values, respectively.
User-trainable video annotation using multimodal cues

This paper describes progress towards a general framework for incorporating multimodal cues into a trainable system for automatically annotating user-defined semantic concepts in broadcast video. Models of arbitrary concepts are constructed by building classifiers in a score space defined by a pre-deployed set of multimodal models. Results show annotation for user-defined concepts both in and outside the pre-deployed set is competitive with our best video-only models on the TREC Video 2002 corpus. An interesting side result shows speech-only models give performance comparable to our best video-only models for detecting visual concepts such as "outdoors", "face" and "cityscape".
Precision of impedance cardiography measurements of cardiac output in pacemaker patients.

Objective hemodynamic assessment of pacemaker patients is necessary for gauging responses to changes in programming or other conditions that affect the circulation. Impedance cardiogrphy permits noninvasive, repetitive determinations of cardiac output at short intervals, but data regarding variability of this method in patients with pacemakers is unavailable. Thirty-eight patients with implanted pacemakers (24 DDD, 14 VVI) and six normal subjects were studied, A computerized impedance cardiograph was used to calculate cardiac output from the product of the first derivative of the thoracic impedance signal (dZ/dt), the ventricular ejection time, and heart rate. Each patient was studied while supine after a period of at least 15 minutes of rest and repeated impedance measurements (about ten) were performed. Fourteen patients were studied in sinus rhythm, 24 were studied during DDD pacing, and 32 patients were studied during VVI pacing. Cardiac and stroke indices were calculated 706 times on the basis of 11,296 accepted beats. Variability was assessed by methods that analyzed serial measurements and variability between two consecutive and nonconsecutive measurements. The mean indices and coefficients of variation of two measurements and of serial measurements in sinus rhythm and during DDD pacing were 4%; in VVI it was 6%. The precision of impedance Cardiography in all pacing modes, as demonstrated by analysis of variability, indicates that detected changes of stroke volume and cardiac output > 7% on serial (two and more) measurements, performed by the same operator and during the same session, represent true hemodynamic alterations with 95% confidence. Conclusions are that the precision of impedance Cardiography may be comparable or superior to other commonly used techniques and that the data obtained by this technique is valuable investigationally and clinically.
Doped calcium–aluminium–phosphate cements for biomedical applications

Calcium–aluminium–phosphate cements (CAPCs) for biomedical applications, mainly intended for applications in the dental field as non-resorbable fillers, were obtained by reacting Ca-aluminates compounds, i.e. CaO·Al2O3 (CA) and CaO·2 Al2O3 (CA2), with Al(H2PO4)3 aqueous solution. Hydroxyapatite was also introduced as a bioactive dispersed phase. Suitable elements like Sr and La were used to increase the radiopacity of the set yielded pastes towards X-ray wavelength used in clinical diagnostic radiographic equipments. La and Sr doped Ca-aluminates powders have been synthesized by solid state reaction at 1,400°C from a mixture of CaCO3, Al2O3, La2O3 and SrCO3. The characteristics of the obtained powders were analyzed and related to the starting compositions and synthesis procedures. The microstructure, setting time, radiopacity and compressive strength of the CAPCs have been investigated and discussed.
Ventilating Poultry Houses With Filtered Air Under Positive Pressure to Prevent Airborne Diseases

Abstract INTRODUCTION THE need for disease-free poultry flocks has increased in recent years. Vaccine manufacturers require fertile eggs that are free of specific viruses, poultry breeders seek to produce breeding stocks that are free of most diseases, and poultry disease research workers require a constant supply of fertile eggs and chicks that are free of disease agents and antibodies. The concept of ventilating with filtered air under positive pressure (FAPP) to isolate disease-free animals from contaminated surroundings was credited to the 19th century German workers, Nuttall and Thierfelder, in a review by Luckey (1963). Luckey also reviewed work by Reyniers and others who developed modern FAPP isolation equipment for laboratories and demonstrated that chickens could be maintained in a disease-free status from hatch through reproduction. The use of FAPP systems in small isolators has become routine in some laboratories for producing disease-free chicks, as well as for isolating susceptible chicks from…
Tachykinins and ovarian function in mammals

Tachykinins are bioactive peptides whose presence has been demonstrated in endocrine glands, where they likely exert a paracrine modulatory activity on hormonal secretions. In the ovary, tachykinins have been shown to be present in nerve fibers, blood vessels, and in granulosa, luteal and interstitial cells. Tachykinin gene expression was shown in granulosa and luteal cells. Tachykinins have also been found in the follicular fluid. Substance P (SP) has been demonstrated to significantly affect the release of hormonal steroids by ovarian cells in vitro. While some authors found that SP stimulated the release of steroids, others found an inhibitory effect by the same tachykinin. Gonadotropins decrease tachykinin concentrations in the ovary. The neonatal treatment of rats with capsaicin, a drug that depletes SP in primary afferent neurons, resulted in a modest reduction in the reproductive success in rats. The experimental results listed in this review suggest that tachykinins are synthesized in the ovary, in the granulosa and luteal cells. Tachykinins are likely intraovarian modulators of the secretion of hormonal steroids. Their stores in the ovary are likely regulated by pituitary gonadotropins.
Effect of an on-body ergonomic aid on oxygen consumption during a repetitive lifting task

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine if an on-body personal lift assistive device (PLAD) 1 affected oxygen consumption during a continuous lifting task and to investigate if any effect could be explained by differences in muscle activity or lifting technique. The PLAD, worn like a back-pack, contains a spring-cable mechanism that assists the back musculature during lifting, lowering, and forward bending tasks. Males ( n = 15) lifted and lowered a box loaded to 10% of their maximum back strength at 6 times/minute for 15-minutes using a free-style technique under two conditions: wearing and not wearing the PLAD. Oxygen consumption was collected continuously for the first condition; then the participants rested until their heart rates returned to resting levels before repeating the protocol for the second condition. Knee flexion was monitored using Liberty sensors at the hip, knee, and ankle. EMG of the thoracic and lumbar erector spinae (TES, LES), biceps femoris, rectus femoris and gluteus maximus were gathered using a Bortec AMT-8 channel system. VO2 measures were averaged across the duration (15 min) for each condition. Results showed no differences between oxygen consumption during the PLAD and no PLAD conditions. When wearing the PLAD, the TES demonstrated an 8.4% EMG reduction when lowering the box while the biceps femoris showed a 14% reduction while lifting the box. Knee angles, used as a proxy for stoop or squat lifts, were highly variable for both conditions. In conclusion, the PLAD had no effect on oxygen consumption and, therefore, neither workers nor employers should increase the tasks demands when wearing this ergonomic aid. Relevance to industry While the PLAD reduced musculoskeletal effort required by back musculature, loads or rates of lifting should not be increased since there is no change in the overall physical demand of the task.
Improving High-Dimensional Physics Models Through Bayesian Calibration With Uncertain Data

We address the problem of calibrating model parameters in computational models to match uncertain and limited experimental data using a Bayesian framework. We employ a modified version of the Bayesian calibration framework proposed by Kennedy and O’Hagan [15], to perform calibration of large dimensional industrial problems. Results for two nonlinear industrial problems with 15 and 100 calibration parameters are presented. The unique advantages of the Bayesian framework are presented along with a discussion on the challenges in calibrating large number of parameters with uncertain and limited data.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Electrochemical and Infrared Studies of the Reduction of Organic Carbonates

The reduction potentials of five organic carbonates commonly employed in lithium battery electrolytes, ethylene carbonate ~EC!, propylene carbonate ~PC!, diethyl carbonate ~DEC!, dimethyl carbonate ~DMC!, and vinylene carbonate ~VC! were determined by cyclic voltammetry using inert ~Au or glassy carbon! electrodes in tetrahydrofuran/LiClO4 supporting electrolyte. The reduction potentials for all five organic carbonates were above 1 V ~vs. Li/Li 1 !. PC reduction was observed to have a significant kinetic hindrance. The measured reduction potentials for EC, DEC, and PC were consistent with thermodynamic values calculated using density functional theory ~DFT! assuming one-electron reduction to the radical anion. The experimental values for VC and DMC were, however, much more positive than the calculated values, which we attribute to different reaction pathways. The role of VC as an additive in a PC-based electrolyte was investigated using conventional constant-current cycling combined with ex situ infrared spectroscopy and in situ atomic force microscopy ~AFM!. We confirmed stable cycling of a commercial li-ion battery carbon anode in a PC-based electrolyte with 5 mol % VC added. The preferential reduction of VC and the solid electrolyte interphase layer formation therefrom appears to inhibit PC cointercalation and subsequent graphite exfoliation.
THE MEAT SUPPLY OF COLONIAL CUERNAVACA

ABSTRACT Economic activities were closely regulated in medieval cities and in the new municipalities later set up in the Spanish Empire. Writers of early colonial times supported the idea of the just price and were opposed to middlemen and monopolies, except the meat supply was monopolized by municipal governments for the public good. Enlightenment doctrines of free commerce finally supplanted the older body of thought concerning the marketplace. Beef and mutton prices from meat supply contracts for Cuernavaca show that supplies of livestock and prices were affected by weather to some extent, less by epidemics, and to an indeterminate extent by the intention that the price should be just and reasonably stable.
Rethinking Equality of Opportunity: Comment on Adam Swift’s How Not to be a Hypocrite

Adam Swift objects to private schools on the grounds of equal opportunity and efficiency, and to both private and selective public schools on the grounds of solidarity and improving the academic ac...
DIMENSIONAL SALIENCE AND SHORT-TERM MEMORY RECOGNITION IN MENTALLY RETARDED CHILDREN

Summary.-The purpose of this investigation was to test the a prior; assumption that three-dimensional materials facilitate shorc-term memory recognition in 10 educable mentally retarded children. Measures from signal detection theory were used to differentiate between strength of memory and response bias. Significantly better recognition was found with three-dimensional material than two-dimensional representations. Primacy and recency effects, as well as a response bias for middle positions, were found in both treatment conditions. Present findings support Haltom's (1970) hierarchy of stimulus salience. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of dimensionality on the short-term memory recognition of mentally retarded children. A secondary concern was to test the a prior; assumption that recognition performance is facilitated by three-dimensional objects compared with their pictorial representations. The importance of three-dimensional saliency for fostering cognitive development has been discussed by Piaget and Inhelder (1956), and Gibson ( 1969). The use of three-dimensional objects has been considered fundamental to classrooms for instructional purposes (Bloom, Davis, & Hess, 1965), and thteedimensional material has been widely used for the remediation of shorc-term deficits (Carroll, 1973; Haltom, 1970; Maechtlen & Berch, 1974). However, the experimental evidence to date on the use of three-dimensional stimuli for recognition from memory has been inconclusive, especially as it applies to retarded children (Iscoe & Sernler, 1964; Maechtlen & Berch, 1974). In contrast to Gibson's (1969) and Piaget and Inhelder's (1956) assumptions of threedimensional salience, Bradley ( 1969), deHaan and Wischner ( 1963), Devor and Stern (1970), using mentally retarded populations, found that recognition on short-term memory tasks was significantly better for pictures than objects. Pragmatic concern for the expense as well as the effectiveness of three-dimensional material in the classroom, plus the need for effective educational remediation of short-term memory deficits of mentally retarded children indicates a need for further study.
Farming in an Urbanizing Environment: Agricultural Land Use Conflicts and Right to Farm

45(1): 1-10. Deere, Carmen Diana, and Robert Wasserstrom 1980 Ingreso familiar y trabajo no agricola entre 10s pequefios productores de America Latin y el Caribe. Paper presented to Seminario Intemacional sobre la Production Agropecuaria y Forestal en Zonas de Ladera en America Latina. Tumalba, Costa Rica. Foweraker, Joseph 1981 The Struggle for Land: A Political Economy of the Pioneer Frontier in Brazil, 1930 to the Present. New York: Cambridge University Press. Hecht, Susanna 1984 Cattle Ranching in Amazonia: Political and Ecological Considerations. In Frontier Expansion in Amazonia. Marianne Schmink and Charles Wood, eds. Pp. 366-400. Gainesville: University of Florida Press. Painter, Michael, Carlos A. Perez-Crespo, Martha Llanos Albomoz, Susan Hamilton, and William L. Partridge 1984 New-Lands Settlement and Regional Development: The Case of San Julian, Bolivia. Working Paper, CooperativeAgreement on Settlement and Natural Resource Systems Analysis. Binghamton, New York: Institute for Development Anthropology/Clark University. Partridge, William 1984 The Human Tropics Cattle Ranching Complex: Cases from Panama Reviewed. Human Organization 43(1):76-80. Pompermayer Malori Jose 1984 Strategies of Private Capital in the Brazilian Amazon. In Frontier Expansion in Amazonia. Marianne Schmink and Charles Wood, eds. Pp. 419-438. Gainesville: University of Florida Press. Rivikre d'Arc, Helene 1980 Public and Private Policies in Agricultural Santa Cruz. In Land, People and Planning in Contemporary Amazonia. Francoise Barbira-Scazzocchio, ed. Pp. 154-16 I . Cambridge: Centre of Latin American Studies. Schmink, Marianne 1982 Land Conflicts in Amazonia. American Ethnologist 9(2): 341-357. Scudder, Thayer 1981 The Development Potential of New Lands Settlement in the Tropics and Sub-Tropics: A Global State-of-the-Art Evaluation with Specific Emphasis on Policy Implications. Binghamton, NY: Institute for Development Anthropology. Willis, William S., Jr. 1969 Skeletons in the Anthropological Closet. In Reinventing Anthropology. Dell Hymes, ed. Pp. 121-152. New York: Random House. Wood, Charles, and Marianne Schmink 1979 Blaming the Victim: Small Farmer Production in an Amazonian Colonization Project. Studies in Third World Societies 7:77-93.
Lymphocyte Depletion in Experimental Hemorrhagic Shock in Swine

Hemorrhagic shock results in systemic activation of the immune system and leads to ischemia-reperfusion injury. Lymphocytes have been identified as critical mediators of the early innate immune response to ischemia-reperfusion injury, and immunomodulation of lymphocytes may prevent secondary immunologic injury in surgical and trauma patients. Yorkshire swine were anesthetized and underwent a grade III liver injury with uncontrolled hemorrhage to induce hemorrhagic shock. Experimental groups were treated with a lymphocyte depletional agent, porcine polyclonal anti-thymocyte globulin (PATG) (n = 8) and compared to a vehicle control group (n = 9). Animals were observed over a 3 day survival period. Circulating lymphocytes were examined with FACS analysis for CD3/CD4/CD8, and central lymphocytes with mesenteric lymph node and spleen staining for CD3. Circulating and lung tissue16 infiltrating neutrophils were measured. Circulating CD3 lymphocytes in the blood and in central lymphoid organs (spleen/lymph node) were stained and evaluated using FACS analysis. Immune-related gene expression from liver tissue was quantified using RT-PCR. The overall survival was 22% (2/9) in the control and 75% (6/8) in the PATG groups, p = 0.09; during the reperfusion period (following hemorrhage) survival was 25% (2/8) in the control and 100% (6/6) in the PATG groups, p = 0.008. Mean blood loss and hemodynamic profiles were not significantly different between the experimental and control groups. Circulating CD3+CD4+ lymphocytes were significantly depleted in the PATG group compared to control. Lymphocyte depletion in the setting of hemorrhagic shock also significantly decreased circulating and lung tissue infiltrating neutrophils, and decreased expression of liver ischemia gene expression. Lymphocyte manipulation with a depletional (PATG) strategy improves reperfusion survival in experimental hemorrhagic shock using a porcine liver injury model. This proof of principle study paves the way for further development of immunomodulation approaches to ameliorate secondary immune injury following hemorrhagic shock.
Holographic evaluation of resolution in amorphous chalcogenide inorganic photoresists.

Amorphous chalcogenide films are evaluated holographically as inorganic resists. In particular, the resolution of As2S3 films is determined experimentally. The exposure characteristics of As2S3 films for holographic storage and lithographic pattern generation are studied. An empirical model is discussed. Light diffraction for in situ monitoring of process conditions is employed, covering the Raman-Nath and Bragg regimes. The modulation transfer function of As2S3 inorganic photoresists is presented. A minimum feature dimension of 100 nm delineated in As2S3 is obtained.
Addition of Genes for Cellobiase and Pectinolytic Activity in Escherichia coli for Fuel Ethanol Production from Pectin-Rich Lignocellulosic Biomass

Ethanologenic Escherichia coli strain KO11 was sequentially engineered to contain the Klebsiella oxytoca cellobiose phosphotransferase genes (casAB) as well as a pectate lyase (pelE) from Erwinia chrysanthemi, yielding strains LY40A (casAB) and JP07 (casAB pelE), respectively. To obtain an effective secretion of PelE, the Sec-dependent pathway out genes from E. chrysanthemi were provided on a cosmid to strain JP07 to construct strain JP07C. Finally, oligogalacturonide lyase (ogl) from E. chrysanthemi was added to produce strain JP08C. E. coli strains LY40A, JP07, JP07C, and JP08C possessed significant cellobiase activity in cell lysates, while only strains JP07C and JP08C demonstrated extracellular pectate lyase activity. Fermentations conducted by using a mixture of pure sugars representative of the composition of sugar beet pulp (SBP) showed that strains LY40A, JP07, JP07C, and JP08C were able to ferment cellobiose, resulting in increased ethanol production from 15 to 45% in comparison to that of KO11. Fermentations with SBP at very low fungal enzyme loads during saccharification revealed significantly higher levels of ethanol production for LY40A, JP07C, and JP08C than for KO11. JP07C ethanol yields were not considerably higher than those of LY40A; however, oligogalacturonide polymerization studies showed an increased breakdown of biomass to small-chain (degree of polymerization, ≤6) oligogalacturonides. JP08C achieved a further breakdown of polygalacturonate to monomeric sugars, resulting in a 164% increase in ethanol yields compared to those of KO11. The addition of commercial pectin methylesterase (PME) further increased JP08C ethanol production compared to that of LY40A by demethylating the pectin for enzymatic attack by pectin-degrading enzymes.
Money as a Mechanism in a Bewley Economy

We study what features an economic environment might possess, such that it would be Pareto efficient for the exchange of goods in that environment to be conducted on spot markets where those goods trade for money. We prove a conjecture that is essentially due to Bewley [1980, 1983]. Monetary spot trading is nearly efficient when there is only a single perishable good (or a composite commodity) at each date and state of the world; random shocks are idiosyncratic, privately observed, and temporary; markets are competitive; and the agents are very patient. This result is a fairly close analogue, for trade using outside, fiat money, of a recent characterization by Levine and Zame [2002] of environments in which spot trade using inside money, in the form of one-period debt payable in a commodity, is nearly Pareto efficient. We also study a example where expansionary monetary mechanism Pareto dominates laissez-faire or contractionary monetary mechanism in an environment with impatient agents.
CloVR-ITS: Automated internal transcribed spacer amplicon sequence analysis pipeline for the characterization of fungal microbiota

Besides the development of comprehensive tools for high-throughput 16S ribosomal RNA amplicon sequence analysis, there exists a growing need for protocols emphasizing alternative phylogenetic markers such as those representing eukaryotic organisms. Here we introduce CloVR-ITS, an automated pipeline for comparative analysis of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) pyrosequences amplified from metagenomic DNA isolates and representing fungal species. This pipeline performs a variety of steps similar to those commonly used for 16S rRNA amplicon sequence analysis, including preprocessing for quality, chimera detection, clustering of sequences into operational taxonomic units (OTUs), taxonomic assignment (at class, order, family, genus, and species levels) and statistical analysis of sample groups of interest based on user-provided information. Using ITS amplicon pyrosequencing data from a previous human gastric fluid study, we demonstrate the utility of CloVR-ITS for fungal microbiota analysis and provide runtime and cost examples, including analysis of extremely large datasets on the cloud. We show that the largest fractions of reads from the stomach fluid samples were assigned to Dothideomycetes, Saccharomycetes, Agaricomycetes and Sordariomycetes but that all samples were dominated by sequences that could not be taxonomically classified. Representatives of the Candida genus were identified in all samples, most notably C. quercitrusa, while sequence reads assigned to the Aspergillus genus were only identified in a subset of samples. CloVR-ITS is made available as a pre-installed, automated, and portable software pipeline for cloud-friendly execution as part of the CloVR virtual machine package ( http://clovr.org ). The CloVR-ITS pipeline provides fungal microbiota analysis that can be complementary to bacterial 16S rRNA and total metagenome sequence analysis allowing for more comprehensive studies of environmental and host-associated microbial communities.
The efficacy of fire and fuels reduction treatments in a Sierra Nevada pine plantation

Plantations are the most common means of reforestation following stand-replacing wildfires. As wildfires continue to increase in size and severity as a result of fire suppression or climate change, establishment of plantations will likely also increase. Plantations’ structural characteristics, including dense, uniform spacing and abundant ladder fuels, present significant wildfire hazards. Large-scale fuels reduction techniques may be necessary to reduce potential fire behavior in plantations and to protect surrounding forests. In the present study, four different manipulations aimed at reducing potential fire behavior in a Sierra Nevada pine plantation are compared. The treatments include: mechanical shredding, or mastication, of understorey vegetation and small trees; mastication followed by prescribed fire; fire alone; and controls. Fire behavior modeling shows that mastication is detrimental whereas prescribed fire is effective in reducing potential fire behavior at moderate to extreme weather conditions. Predicted fire behavior was compared with actual values from the prescribed burns in an effort to explore the limitations of fire modeling. Fire behavior predictions were similar to field observations in the more structurally homogeneous stands, but differed greatly where mastication created forest openings and patchy fuels distributions. In contrast to natural stands, the homogeneity of pine plantations make the results of the present work applicable to other regions such as the south-eastern US, where similar fuels reduction techniques are used to increase fire-resistance and stand resilience.
Comparative Genomic Analysis of Campylobacter jejuni Strains Reveals Diversity Due to Genomic Elements Similar to Those Present in C. jejuni Strain RM1221

Analysis of the complete genomic sequence of Campylobacter jejuni strain RM1221 identified four large genomic elements, Campylobacter jejuni-integrated elements (CJIEs), that were absent from C. jejuni strain NCTC 11168. To further investigate the genomic diversity of Campylobacter, we conducted a comparative genomic analysis from a collection of 67 C. jejuni and 12 Campylobacter coli strains isolated from various geographical locations and clinical and veterinary sources. Utilizing PCR, we demonstrated that 55% of the C. jejuni strains examined were positive for at least one RM1221-like genomic element and 27% were positive for two or more of these CJIEs. Furthermore, many C. coli strains were positive for either genomic element CJIE1 or CJIE3. To simultaneously assess for the presence or absence of several genes that comprise the various CJIEs, we developed a multistrain C. jejuni DNA microarray that contained most of the putative coding sequences for strains NCTC 11168 and RM1221. A comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) analysis of 35 of the 67 C. jejuni strains confirmed the presence of genomic elements similar to those in strain RM1221. Interestingly, the DNA microarray analysis demonstrated that these genomic elements in the other C. jejuni strains often exhibited modular patterns with some regions of the CJIEs present and other regions either absent or highly divergent compared to strain RM1221. Our CGH method also identified 18 other intraspecies hypervariable regions, such as the capsule and lipooligosaccharide biosynthesis regions. Thus, the inclusion of genes from these integrated genomic elements and the genes from the other intraspecies hypervariable regions contributes to a better assessment of the diversity in C. jejuni and may increase the usefulness of DNA microarrays as an epidemiological genotyping tool. Finally, we also showed that in CJIE1, a Campylobacter Mu-like phage, is located differentially in other strains of C. jejuni, suggesting that it may integrate essentially randomly.
Considering Generality in the Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Single-Case Research: A Response to Hitchcock et al.

This paper responds to the commentary provided by Hitchcock et al. (J Behav Educ, 2015) which provides updated information on the procedures for considering the generality of an intervention using the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) single-case guidelines. The new information provided by Hitchcock et al. is useful and provides insight into the processes and procedures used by the WWC to make practice and policy recommendations. Moreover, the additional information requires the results of the original Maggin et al. (J Behav Educ 23: 287–311, 2014) paper to be updated and the additional attention to these issues is applauded. The Hitchcock et al. commentary also provides an occasion to consider the concept of generality within single-case research and to consider the role systematic reviews can have in documenting the conditions under which a functional relation is and is not likely to be replicated. It is asserted that systematic reviews of single-case research should be used to catalog the universe of replication attempts for a specified functional relation in order to better understand the individuals and contexts under which results can be expected to generalize. This process requires careful examination of both successful and unsuccessful replication attempts and the consideration of descriptive- and functional-level variables. This response will, therefore, provide an overview of the concept of generality from a single-case standpoint, consider the criteria outlined in the Hitchcock et al. commentary from this perspective, and conclude with recommendations and encouragement to the field to address these issues in future systematic reviews of single-case research. The intent is to engender discussion and development in this area with the broader goal of expanding the influence of single-case research within the domains of practice, policy, and research.
Diabetes rapidly induces contractile dysfunctions in isolated ventricular myocytes.

To determine whether diabetes-induced cardiac dysfunction is due to contractile dysfunction at the single-cell level, mechanical properties and Ca2+ transients were evaluated in ventricular myocyte...
Graphene oxide as a p-dopant and an anti-reflection coating layer, in graphene/silicon solar cells

It is shown that coating graphene–silicon (Gr/Si) Schottky junction based solar cells with graphene oxide (GO) improves the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the cells, while demonstrating unprecedented device stability. The PCE has been shown to be increased to 10.6% (at incident radiation of 100 mW cm−2) for the Gr/Si solar cell with an optimal GO coating thickness compared to 3.6% for a bare/uncoated Gr/Si solar cell. The p-doping of graphene by the GO, which also serves as an antireflection coating (ARC) has been shown to be a main contributing factor to the enhanced PCE. A simple spin coating process has been used to apply GO with thickness commensurate with an anti-refection coating (ARC) and indicates the suitability of the developed methodology for large-scale solar cell assembly.
Relevant change detection: a framework for the precise extraction of modified and novel web-based content as a filtering technique for analysis engines

Tracking the evolution of websites has become fundamental to the understanding of today's Internet. The automatic reasoning of how and why websites change has become essential to developers and businesses alike, in particular because the manual reasoning has become impractical due to the sheer number of modifications that websites undergo during their operational lifetime, including but not limited to rotating advertisements, personalized content, insertion of new content, or removal of old content. Prior work in the area of change detection, such as XyDiff, X-Diff or AT&T's internet difference engine, focused mainly on ``diffing'' XML-encoded literary documents or XML-encoded databases. Only some previous work investigated the differences that must be taken into account to accurately extract the difference between HTML documents for which the markup language does not necessarily describe the content but is used to describe how the content is displayed instead. Additionally, prior work identifies all changes to a website, even those that might not be relevant to the overall analysis goal, in turn, they unnecessarily burden the analysis engine with additional workload. In this paper, we introduce a novel analysis framework, the Delta framework, that works by (i) extracting the modifications between two versions of the same website using a fuzzy tree difference algorithm, and (ii) using a machine-learning algorithm to derive a model of relevant website changes that can be used to cluster similar modifications to reduce the overall workload imposed on an analysis engine. Based on this model for example, the tracked content changes can be used to identify ongoing or even inactive web-based malware campaigns, or to automatically learn semantic translations of sentences or paragraphs by analyzing websites that are available in multiple languages. In prior work, we showed the effectiveness of the Delta framework by applying it to the detection and automatic identification of web-based malware campaigns on a data set of over 26 million pairs of websites that were crawled over a time span of four months. During this time, the system based on our framework successfully identified previously unknown web-based malware campaigns, such as a targeted campaign infecting installations of the Discuz!X Internet forum software.
Sustainable Agriculture Undergraduate Degree Programs: A Land-Grant University Mission

There has been considerable growth in the number undergraduate degree programs in sustainable agriculture (SA) in universities and colleges across the country in the past 25 years. As a subset of this national trend, land-grant universities (LGUs) are emerging as catalysts in innovative SA program development, in part due to the LGU tripartite mission of education, extension, and research. This mission compels LGUs to develop undergraduate degree offerings to engage student, faculty, and community stakeholders who are increasingly interested in SA. In this article, which is an outcome of a gathering of faculty, staff and students from SA programs at LGUs at a workshop prior to the 4th National Sustainable Agriculture Education Association Conference in August 2011, we discuss the justification for SA programming at LGUs, the emergence of SA major and minor degrees at 11 LGUs to date, the common successes and challenges of current SA programs, strategies for improving existing SA programming, and systematic approaches for expanding SA education impact across institutional lines. We also introduce several additional topic-based articles that resulted from workshop dialogue that appear in this issue of the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, including civic engagement efforts in SA education through community-university partnerships, a critical documentation of the implicit inclusion of values into SA education, and efforts to internationalize SA curriculum.
Robust Surface Evolution and Mesh Deformation for Three Dimensional Aircraft Icing Applications on a Swept GLC-305 Airfoil

This paper presents the application of a mesh generation strategy for problems involving deforming geometries produced by three-dimensional ice accretion simulations, which are more challenging than corresponding two-dimensional problems. A technique to deform a discrete surface as it evolves due to the accretion of ice is described. The surface evolution algorithm is based on a face-offseting approach. A fast algebraic technique to propagate the computed surface deformations into the surrounding volume mesh while maintaining geometric mesh quality is also presented. Results are presented for a complex glaze ice on a rectangular planform wing with a constant GLC-305 airfoil section and rime ice and glaze shapes on a swept, tapered GLC-305 wing also with a GLC-305 cross section.
Transient analysis for an electric dipole on a disk ground screen

The time domain response of the radiation field of a vertical electric dipole antenna located on a circular metallic disk is considered. The disk which is perfectly conducting is on the surface of a flat homogeneous ground. It is shown that the radiation field approaches the steady-state value within a few carrier cycles. The results are relevant to long-distance high frequency radio propagation when the transmitting or receiving antenna is located over poorly-conducting ground.
A parametric study of the delay-retention effect.

The delay-retention effect—the facilitation of retention following reinforcement delay during acquisition—still appears when the value of delay is as long as 30 sec.
Real Exchange Volatility and Economic Openness

We suggest a pseudo economic openness that has a linear relationship with the real exchange rate volatility. The pseudo economic openness implies that the real exchange rate volatility is a concave function of pure economic openness. Therefore, the pseudo economic openness should be used to analyze the real exchange rate volatility instead of pure economic openness. Comparison between the pseudo openness and the pure openness using real data is provided.
Compositional Changes to Low Water Content Bio-oils during Aging: An NMR, GC/MS, and LC/MS Study

Bio-oil generated by the fast pyrolysis of biomass is an unstable material, undergoing chemical and physical transformations as the oil ages at room temperature. In this study, electrostatic precipitator (ESP) pine wood-derived bio-oil, which contains less water and does not undergo phase-separation upon aging, was characterized following accelerated aging. Bulk oil properties (percent water and viscosity) were found to increase in ways similar to conventional bio-oils. The unaged and aged bio-oil samples were characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), solvent fractionation, solution 13C NMR, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), and chip-based nanoelectrospray ionization, liquid chromatography, quadrupole time-of-flight (nanoESI-LC-Q-TOF) MS/MS. Using the formation of the silyated derivatives to extend the range of detectable compounds, GC/MS analysis was used to identify specific compounds that showed elevated reactivity, extending the understanding of reactivity characteristics beyon...
Investigation on rodents at Xunke port in Heilongjiang Province

Objective To investigate species composition and seasonal fluctuation of rodents at Xunke port in Heilongjiang Province.Methods Rodents were caught by the snap trap in the farmlands,in the woodside meadows and in the river banks.Results A total of 1 117 rodents were caught in 3 habitats of Xunke port in Heilongjiang Province during January to December in 2009,belonging to 3 families 8 genera 9 species.The dominant species was Apodemus agrarius(43.42%) at Xunke port.A.agrarius was the dominant species in the farmland(68.63%),and in the river banks(37.66%).Myodes rutilus was the dominant species in the woodside meadows(43.94%).The active seasons of rodents were in 12 months for A.agrarius,A.peninsulae and M.rutilus;in 9 months for Mus musculus;in 8 months for Rattus norvegicus;in 7 months for Cricetulust barabensis;in 5 months Spermophilus undulatus and Eutamias sibiricus.During active seasons,there were 2 peaks for A.agrarius,and only one peak for M.rutilus,A.peninsulae,M.musculus,R.norvegicus,C.barabensis and S.undulatus.Conclusion The investigation provides the evidence for the further study on species composition,ecology and control of rodents at Xunke port in Heilongjiang Province.
Robust Pole Placement via Improved Global Harmony Search Algorithm

An improved global harmony search( IGHS) algorithm was proposed,and a novel position updating strategy was introduced in the IGHS algorithm. The interval solution can be generated dynamically with the proposed algorithm,and the ability of searching the solution space through the position updating strategy is improved,which prevents the phenomena of premature convergence and falling into a local optimum. The algorithm is employed in the robust pole placement problems,and it is easy to implement arbitrary pole placement for the linear control systems,and the convex conversion process in conventional condition number optimizations is not needed. Finally simulation investigation is carried out for a multivariable system, and the simulation result demonstrates the better robustness of the closed-loop system gained by the proposed algorithm.
Chemical Transformation of Yeast

Transformation of chemically competent yeast cells is a method for introducing exogenous DNA into living cells. Typically, the DNA is either a plasmid carrying an autonomous replication sequence that allows for propagation or a linear piece of DNA to be integrated into the genome. The DNA usually also carries a marker that allows for selection of successfully transformed cells by plating on the appropriate selective media.
[Study on the distribution of superantigen of group A streptococcus isolated from children in Beijing, 2011].

Objective To analyze the prevalence of super-antigens (SAgs) of group A streptococcus (GAS) isolated from Beijing pediatric patients in 2011,and to explore the relationship between emm types,characteristics of patients and SAgs.Methods A total of 635 isolates of GAS were collected from children in 36 hospitals in Beijing from May to July,2011.Thirteen currently known SAg genes were tested by real-time PCR,and emm gene was performed by PCR and sequencing of N-terminal gene fragrnents of M protein.Results Prevalence rates of 13 SAg genes spe A,speB,speC,speF,speG,speH,spe I,speJ,speK,speL,speM,smeZ,ssa were 22.4 ％,100.0 ％,99.4％,99.7％,99.7％,76.4％,76.2％,21.7％,0.6％,1.1％,2.2％,99.7％ and 98.0％,respectively.A total of 26 SAgs profiles were observed according to the SAgs inclusion.There were significant differences in frequencies of speA,speH,spel and speJ between emm 1 and emm 12 strains (P ＜ 0.05).In isolates from patients with pharyngeal infection,the prevalence rates for speK and speL were higher while the frequency for ssa was lower than that from scarlet fever cases (P＜0.05).Conclusion The frequencies of speB,speF,smeZ,speG,,speC,and ssa were high among strains isolated while speM,speL and speK were relatively low from children in Beijing,2011.SAg genes appeared to be associated with the emm types.In this study,differences of frequency for speA and speC from strains colleted from patients with scarlet fever and pharyngeal infection had not been found. Key words: Group A streptoccccus; Superantigen; emm typing; Children
Everything Rational Is a Syllogism: Inferentialism

The syllogism is of fundamental importance for Hegel insofar as it is intimately connected to our rationality. As the third and last chapter on the section on subjectivity it works as the portal to the constitution of objectivity. It is the moment at which objectivity is born, so to speak. Dealing with the section on the syllogism shall reveal what type of object constitutes “what is.” The inferential process at work in the syllogism will reveal it to be the only adequate site for the objectivity of the object to become. The constitution of this object is social; it occurs in Spirit, in the “we” of the community. Thus, it occurs in the syllogism insofar as only by means of it are we capable of holding each other accountable for and entitled or not to the commitments undertaken. We are beings that give and expect reasons for our actions and beliefs. This is what makes us rational.