cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Linkages among physical and biological properties in tidepools on the Maine Coast

Tidepools experience significant gradients in ecologically relevant physical variables along the transition from ocean to terrestrial habitat (vertical axis) and from open coast to inner bays (horizontal axis). Associations amongst physical and biological variables, divided into algal, invertebrate and vertebrate (fish) groups, were examined in a tidepool survey dataset. Physical variables and the three biological groups were submitted separately to a principal component analysis (PCA). PCA scores were evaluated with Pearson correlation coefficients across the sampling units (tidepools) to identify significant correlations. Initially little structure in the data and no correlation amongst variables was present. At the onset of summer, correlations were confined amongst physical variables and algal and invertebrate components, followed in the late summer with correlations between invertebrate and fish components. By the fall, correlations were confined to fish and algal/invertebrate components. Species relationships followed a seasonal cycle with a succession from little to no structure, the forming of low trophic level relationships in the early summer to high trophic level relationships in late summer-fall, and deconstruction of structure with the onset of fall-winter storms and ice scour. The seasonal pattern, and well established vertical gradient, has nested within it species composition changes along a horizontal wave energy gradient. The horizontal gradient results in a shift from species which are physiologically adapted to extreme salinities and temperatures to those which are physically adapted to high wave-energy environments.
A synaptically controlled, associative signal for Hebbian plasticity in hippocampal neurons

The role of back-propagating dendritic action potentials in the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) was investigated in CA1 neurons by means of dendritic patch recordings and simultaneous calcium imaging. Pairing of subthreshold excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) with back-propagating action potentials resulted in an amplification of dendritic action potentials and evoked calcium influx near the site of synaptic input. This pairing also induced a robust LTP, which was reduced when EPSPs were paired with non-back-propagating action potentials or when stimuli were unpaired. Action potentials thus provide a synaptically controlled, associative signal to the dendrites for Hebbian modifications of synaptic strength.
The generation mechanism of mixed Rossby-gravity waves in the equatorial troposphere

Numerical experiments are performed to clarify the excitation mechanism of mixed Rossby-gravity (Yanai) waves in the tropical troposphere, as well as the selection of zonal wavenumbers four through five and of the five-day period. The results show that the nonlinear wave-CISK mechanism can select the same wavenumber and period of Yanai waves as observed, that in the absence of asymmetries in lateral forcing, symmetric Kelvin modes are dominant over antisymmetric Yanai modes, and that if lateral antisymmetric forcing with arbitrary periods is given, the correct spectral peak of Yanai waves becomes apparent. It is shown how the nonlinear wave-CISK mechanism selects the observed spectral peaks in zonal wavenumber and frequency. The question of why symmetric modes dominate antisymmetric Yanai waves is addressed, as is the reason why the tropical atmosphere selects the periods of Yanai waves independently of those of lateral forcing.
THE IMPACTS OF TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE ON PROPERTY VALUES: A HIGHER‐ORDER SPATIAL ECONOMETRICS APPROACH

We evaluate the impacts of enhanced transportation systems on property values for U.S. manufacturing firms, allowing for higher-order spatial error correlation. We use a state-level model of production cost and input demand that recognizes the pro- ductive contribution of public transportation infrastructure stocks. Our findings include significant impacts on property shadow values and input composition from both public highway and airport investment. We also find that these effects have a spatial dimen- sion that depends on the proximity of the transport system; at least one and as many as three spatial error lags are significant in our estimating equations. Further, recognizing production growth from transportation system improvements augments the associated incentives for private capital investment.
Abstract 2307: MiR-365 regulates lung cancer and developmental gene TTF-1

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL Thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF-1 or NKX2-1) is an essential fetal lung developmental factor which can be recurrently activated by gene amplification in adult lung cancer. We have discovered the first microRNA (i.e., miR-365) that directly regulates TTF-1 by interacting with its 3′-untranslated region. The finding that miR-365 is expressed in tissues beyond TTF-1 expression suggests the existence of other targets, which was substantiated by a subsequent gene expression profiling assay. In line with the microRNA/target relationship, the expression patterns of miR-365 and TTF-1 were in an inverse relationship in human lung cancer. Exploration of human lung cancer genomics data uncovered that TTF-1 gene amplification was significantly associated with DNA copy number loss at one of the two genomic loci encoding the precursor RNA of mature miR-365 (i.e., mir-365-1). This implies the existence of genetic selection pressure to lose the repressive miR-365 that would otherwise suppress amplified TTF-1. In studying how this microRNA/target relationship affects TTF-1 function in transforming growth factor beta-induced epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), we detected a signaling loop between TGFbeta and miR-365 and this loop reinforced suppression of TTF-1 via miR-365. Surprisingly, mir-365 also targeted an EMT-promoting gene HMGA2, which may at least in part explain the difficulty for detection of EMT related phenotypes associated with miR-365. In summary, these data connect the lung transcriptional program to the microRNA network. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2307. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-2307
Rapid and continuous monitoring of cerebral perfusion by magnetic resonance line scan assessment with arterial spin tagging

A new approach is presented for rapid and continuous monitoring of cerebral perfusion which is based upon line-scan MR column imaging with arterial spin tagging (AST) of endogenous water. Spin tagging of arterial water protons is accomplished using adiabatic fast passage inversion, followed by acquisition of the perfusion sensitive MR signal from a column placed at the desired level through the brain using line scan localization techniques. A perfusion sensitive line scan is followed by a non-perfusion sensitive line scan, and perfusion is calculated pixel-by-pixel from the intensity difference of the two lines. Continuous perfusion measurements are reported with temporal resolution of 10 s in pixels of volume 0.027 cm3 or less. Examples of the methodology are given during hypercapnic challenge induced with carbon dioxide, and during an ischemic event induced by reversible middle cerebral artery occlusion. The method is also used to characterize the signal response as a function of arterial inversion time and post inversion acquisition delay. These methods permit rapid and continuous monitoring of cerebral perfusion with high spatial resolution, and can be interleaved with MR measurements of diffusion and T1 to follow the progression of cerebral events during physiological or pharmacological intervention. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Determination of cyanolipids in seed oils of the sapindaceae by means of their NMR spectra

Abstract Analysis of the NMR spectra has been developed as a method for the measurement of the type and amount of cyanolipids in seed oils. The cyanolipids of 6 species of Sapindaceae are reported.
QR-based algorithms for multichannel adaptive least squares lattice filters

A pair of multichannel least-squares lattice filter algorithms is presented. Each m-channel filter stage is numerically stable and computationally efficient, with a computational complexity of O(m/sup 2/). Both algorithms are based on the recursive QR decomposition of the forward and backward error matrices in each filter stage. The first algorithm uses orthogonal Givens rotations to compute the QR decomposition. The second algorithm uses fast Givens rotations for greater efficiency. Simulation results are presented, as well as an example of the algorithms' application in the enhancement of magnetoencephalographic signals. >
Promises Not Kept: Globalization and Humanity's Future

Globalization with a Human Face. Edited by Jung Min Choi, John W. Murphy, Manuel J. Caro. Westport: Praeger Publishers, 2004. 184 pp., $79.95 cloth (ISBN: 0-275-97916-4), $87.95 eBook (ISBN: 0-313-05742-7). Globalization with a Human Face , edited by Jung Min Choi, John Murphy, and Manuel Caro, seeks to analyze in a critical manner the true impact of globalization on civilization from the perspective of the masses, mainly in the developing world. In this endeavor the book succeeds in presenting an alternative worldview from that depicted by the pro-globalization advocates at conferences such as Davos, the WTO meetings, and the G-8 conclaves. This book will find a sympathetic audience among the protestors who are arriving in increasing numbers at these conferences. The inhabitants of the Davos world conceive of globalization as a very positive force both economically and culturally, in that the predicted economic growth and development resulting from a globalized world will also bring forth a modernized society that will enjoy a higher quality of life. The editors and contributors to Globalization with a Human Face seek to present the opposite view: that globalization undermines local culture and does not allow for personal autonomy. There is a lack of control over the process of globalization, especially on the part of ordinary people in developing countries. This is troubling to the contributors, who want to counter the historical inevitability of globalization with a scenario that allows for more personal autonomy and less subservience to the visions of those who gather at Davos. The chapters in Globalization with a Human Face are diverse, and incorporate political, economic, and cultural aspects of a more globalized world. Given their diversity, it is worth summarizing their main points. In the introduction, Choi, Murphy, and Caro make the point that globalization “from below” is a fair way to characterize the overall thematic nature of the chapters …
Ionizing Collisions of Very Fast Particles and the Dipole Strength of Optical Transitions

This note discusses how the Bethe theory of ionizing collisions should be adapted to gases other than atomic hydrogen. Experimental data on primary ionization, analyzed by the method of McClure, yield the value of the total dipole strength for ionization, $\ensuremath{\int}{I}^{\ensuremath{\infty}}{|{x}_{W}|}^{2}\mathrm{dW}$, an atomic property which is otherwise poorly known and whose relationship to the diamagnetic susceptibility should be of interest.
An electron spin resonance study of interactions between phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine in oriented membranes.

A detailed electron spin resonance (ESR) study of mixtures of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-phosphatidylcholine (POPC) and phosphatidylserine (POPS) in oriented multilayers in the liquid crystalline phase is reported with the purpose of characterizing the effects of headgroup mixing on the structural and dynamical properties of the acyl chains. These studies were performed over a range of blends of POPC and POPS and temperatures, utilizing the spin-labeled lipids 16-phosphatidylcholine and 5-phosphatidylcholine as well as cholestane (CSL). The ESR spectra were analyzed by nonlinear least-squares fitting using detailed spectral simulations. Whereas CSL shows almost no variation in ordering and rotational dynamics versus mole fraction POPS, (i.e. XPS), and 5-PC shows small effects, the weakly ordered end-chain labeled 16-PC shows large relative effects, such that the orientational order parameter, S is at a minimum for XPS = 0.5 where it is about one-third the value observed for XPS = 0 and 1. This is directly reflected in the ESR spectrum as a substantial variation in the hyperfine splitting with XPS. The least-squares analysis also shows a reduction in rotational diffusion coefficient, R perpendicular by a fractor of 2 for XPS = 0.5 and permits the estimation of S2, the ordering parameter representing deviations from cylindrically symmetric alignment. These results are contrasted with 2H NMR studies which were insensitive to effects of mixing headgroups on the acyl chains. The ESR results are consistent with a somewhat increased disorder in the end-chain region as well as a small amount of chain tilting upon mixing POPC and POPS. They demonstrate the high sensitivity of ESR to subtle effects in chain ordering and dynamics.
The numeric representation of knowledge and logic: two artificial intelligence applications in medical education

MEDCAT (medical diagnosis, consultation, and teaching) is a program that makes diagnoses from empiric data stored in patient records, explains its reasoning in response to questions (consultant mode), and uses its logical and communicative skills to instruct medical students in the proper approach to medical diagnosis (student mode). MEDCAT's reasoning can be modified by free-format discussion with physicians. CATS (computerized anatomical teaching system) is an entirely separate program designed to teach gross anatomy. Like MEDCAT, it has a consultant mode that the student may use to explore the program's reasoning, and a student mode in which the program takes the initiative. A prominent feature of CATS is its ability to discover meaningful general principles that reduce the need for memorization. Despite important differences in the subject matter, the data structure and code are very similar in the two programs. Both use a powerful natural-language interface that parses the input and generates the output.
Horseshoes in the driven, damped pendulum

Abstract Folding and horseshoes are found in two dimensional maps computed from simulations of the driven, damped pendulum. A simple model illustrates how horseshoes produce fractal boundaries of the basins of attraction for separate steady state solutions. Fractal basin boundaries result in noise amplification through extrinsic intermittency, and in long transients when the dimension of the boundary approaches that of the phase space. Folding of the phase space beyond a crisis, in which chaotic attractors collide with the boundary that separates their basins of attraction, produces complex, intermittent dynamical behavior. Both noise and crisis induced intermittency can produce power spectra S(ω) ∝ 1 ω α , with α ≅ 1, over several decades in frequency ω.
Determination of selenium in nickel-based materials by hydride-generation atomic absorption spectrometry

Abstract Nickel seriously interferes with the determination of selenium by the hydride-generation technique, but is readily removed by precipitation with sodium hydroxide. After filtration and acidification of the solution, selenium can be determined down to 0.1 mg kg −1 in nickel-based samples.
Measuring Physical Activity in Older Adults with and without Early Stage Alzheimer’s Disease

We compared subjective reports of physical activity with objective measures of physical fitness including cardiorespiratory capacity, body composition, and physical performance in 146 older adults with and without early stage Alzheimer's disease (ESAD). Respondents reported primarily unstructured and low-intensity activities, including walking and housework. Individuals with ESAD participated in fewer and lower intensity physical activities than those without ESAD. In those without ESAD, housework was related to lower body mass index, leisure walking was related to faster speed on a timed walking test, and participation in sports was related to higher peak oxygen intake. In individuals with ESAD, reported physical activities did not predict any of the physical fitness, body composition, or physical performance measures. We conclude that measures of physical activity require expansion of unstructured and low intensity activities to improve sensitivity in sedentary populations, especially in older adults with ESAD.
Identification of Galactose-6-Phosphate in Galactosæmic Erythrocytes

GALACTOSAEMIA is a hereditary metabolic disease characterized by the absence of galactose-1-phosphate uridyl transferase1 with accumulation of galactose-1-phosphate2. Yet, in the liver, small quantities of galactose-1-phosphate may be utilized and incorporated into uridine diphosphate galactose by the pyrophosphorylase3. In vitro studies with crystalline, muscle phosphoglucomutase have shown that galactose-1-phosphate can be converted to galactose-6-phosphate4. This communication presents evidence of galactose-6-phosphate during the utilization of galactose by galactosaemic erythrocytes.
Abolition of actin-bundling by phosphorylation of human erythrocyte protein 4.9.

Protein 4.9, first identified as a component of the human erythrocyte membrane skeleton, binds to and bundles actin filaments1. Protein 4.9 is a substrate for various kinases, including a cyclic AMP(cAMP)-dependent one, in vivo and in vitro2–7. We show here that phosphorylation of protein 4.9 by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase reversibly abolishes its actin-bundling activity, but phosphorylation by protein kinase C has no such effect. A quantitative immunoassay showed that human erythrocytes contain 43,000 trimers of protein 4.9 per cell, which is equivalent to one trimer for each actin oligomer in these red blood cells. As analogues of protein 4.9 have been identified together with analogues of other erythroid skeletal proteins in non-erythroid tissues of numerous vertebrates8, phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of protein 4.9 may be the basis for a mechanism that regulates actin bundling in many cells.
Software project management under incomplete and ambiguous specifications

It is noted that large system development and government contracts still adhere to a classical life-cycle approach to software development. A major problem in the classical approach is the completeness and clarity of the user requirements. Some author shave suggested that alternative paradigms are more timely. One such paradigm is the use of prototype software models. The author believes that prototyping is an appropriate approach that can be used as a significant feature of the more formal life-cycle process, with little overall reduction in project control. He explores three aspects of such a development process. First, the underlying assumptions and the evolution of the current life-cycle management control method are discussed. The differing perspectives of the software designer and the user are discussed. A conceptual framework that graphically portrays this difference is proposed. Second, requirements are assumed to be ambiguous and incomplete. The contents of a requirements document are discussed with the perspective that requirements will always be incomplete until late in the development cycle. Third, prototyping activities have a primary objective of reducing ambiguity. Different prototyping strategies are appropriate for different phases of the development cycle. An altered life cycle (which includes prototyping as a format part of the process) is used to trace the evolution of the requirements document from an ambiguous objective to a system reference document. >
Poz-itively transformational: Sex workers and HIV/AIDS education

HIV and AIDS are complex events that offer numerous opportunities for adult education. However, mainstream education on this issue has often not been relevant to a number of subpopulations, including sex workers. This chapter explores sources and content of HIV/AIDS education in the sex work industry (including art and the Internet) and suggests possibilities to theorize a convention-defying adult education—one that is poz-itively transformational.
Current trends in material management in the shipbuilding industry

Material management in the shipyard industry has aroused considerable interest in recent years. It has been emphasised that the effective handling, storage, and flow of materials determine the successful operation of a warehouse. Production, planning, and scheduling are also important and vital in determining shop floor schedules because they minimise processing cost and material inventory cost. There is a need for proper planning and control of processes and materials, including procurement, storage, and inventory, making the process cost effective. Monitoring and tracking in the industry are thus very important in fulfilling the aforementioned objectives. Group technology also plays an important role in material management for grouping and coding. It has been reported that proper grouping and coding of materials not only reduce labour and material handling, but also reduce time and the shifting of parts to different places. This paper addresses several aspects of material management that need to be considered for efficient material handling and inventory management processes. The various aspects of material management, including material handling, inventory management, planning and scheduling, procurement and receiving, monitoring and tracking, controlling, and statusing are highlighted. It should, however, be mentioned that these facets of material management may overlap, and should not be considered in isolation. For best results, the interactions of different facets should be considered in controlling the overall economy of the industry. Recent trends of material management are also summarised. An effort has been made in this perspective to visualise the state-of-the-art in material management with special emphasis on the shipbuilding industry. Several new techniques and trends have been reported for a more efficient and cost-effective material management. These new techniques have great potential for implementation in the shipbuilding industries and need to be explored in relation to greater competition in the global market.
Molecular cloning and characterization of the porcine CD18 leukocyte adhesion molecule

: Leukocyte adhesion molecules play an important role in regulating immunocyte trafficking into peripheral tissues. CD 18 is the common β-chain of the β2-integrin class of leukocyte adhesion molecules. Porcine CD 18 cDNA was cloned using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), subcloned, and sequenced (GenBank accession number U13941). The deduced 769 amino acid sequence for porcine CD18 contains a 22 amino acid signal sequence, a cysteine-rich domain, and a 23 amino acid transmembrane domain. Porcine CD18 showed 79.3% cDNA sequence identity and 83.2% amino acid sequence identity with human CD 18. Northern blot analysis revealed that porcine CD 18 mRNA was expressed constitutively at high levels in freshly isolated alveolar macrophages, and levels declined approximately 50% over a 12 hr culture period. Peripheral blood cells and spleen cells expressed lower amounts of CD 18 mRNA. Anti-human and anti-canine CD 18 antibodies were tested for xeno-reactivity against porcine CD18, and more than 62% freshly isolated unstimulated alveolar macrophages were stained with anti-CD 18 antibodies. Porcine macrophage CD 18 transcript levels and cell surface expression detected by flow cytometry were not significantly altered following stimulation with LPS or human promflammatory cytokines, including interferon-γ(IFN-γ), interleukin-α (IL-1α), IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα), and IL-6. Thus, CD 18 gene expression by porcine alveolar macrophages appears not to be regulated by human proinflammatory cytokines. These reagents may be useful for studying the role of adhesion molecules in the immunobiology of porcine models of allo- and xenotransplantation
THE D1 AND D12 SUBUNITS ARE BOTH ESSENTIAL FOR THE TRANSCRIPTION TERMINATION FACTOR ACTIVITY OF VACCINIA VIRUS CAPPING ENZYME

Transcription termination by vaccinia virus RNA polymerase during synthesis of early mRNAs requires a virus-encoded termination factor (VTF). VTF is but one of many activities associated with the vaccinia virus mRNA capping enzyme, a heterodimer of 95- and 33-kDa subunits encoded by the D1 and D12 genes, respectively. Although the three catalytic domains involved in cap formation have been assigned to individual subunits or portions thereof, the structural requirements for VTF activity are unknown. We now report that both full-length subunits are required for transcription termination. The 844-amino acid D1 subunit by itself, which is fully active in triphosphatase and guanylyltransferase functions, has no demonstrable VTF activity in vitro. Neither does the D12 subunit by itself. The heterodimeric methyltransferase domain of D1 (residues 498 to 844) and D12 subunits also has no VTF activity. VTF is not affected by a K-to-M mutation of the guanylyltransferase active site at position 260 (K260M) that abolishes enzyme-GMP complex formation or by a H682A/Y683A double mutation of the D1 subunit, which abrogates methyltransferase activity. Thus, the structural requirements for termination are distinct from those for nucleotidyl transfer and methyl transfer.
Estimating the Link Function in Multinomial Response Models under Endogeneity and Quadratic Loss

Author(s): Judge, George G.; Mittelhammer, Ron C | Abstract: This paper considers estimation and inference for the multinomial response model in the case where endogenous variables are arguments of the unknown link function. Semiparametric estimators are proposed that avoid the parametric assumptions underlying the likelihood approach as well as the loss of precision when using nonparametric estimation. A data based shrinkage estimator that seeks an optimal combination of estimators and results in superior risk performance under quadratic loss is also developed.
Implementing database access control policy from unconstrained natural language text

Although software can and does implement access control at the application layer, failure to enforce data access at the data layer often allows uncontrolled data access when individuals bypass application controls. The goal of this research is to improve security and compliance by ensuring access controls rules explicitly and implicitly defined within unconstrained natural language texts are appropriately enforced within a system's relational database. Access control implemented in both the application and data layers strongly supports a defense in depth strategy. We propose a tool-based process to 1) parse existing, unaltered natural language documents; 2) classify whether or not a statement implies access control and whether or not the statement implies database design; and, as appropriate, 3) extract policy elements; 4) extract database design; 5) map data objects found in the text to a database schema; and 6) automatically generate the necessary SQL commands to enable the database to enforce access control. Our initial studies of the first three steps indicate that we can effectively identify access control sentences and extract the relevant policy elements.
DSP based real-time rate detection with cycle length and morphology monitoring

A DSP-based real-time rate detection algorithm developed in a LabVIEW system is described. The algorithm detects atrium and ventricle depolarization as shown in their intracardiac or surface electrical recording. By using proper bandpass filtering, low value clipping, peak detection of rectified signal or its first derivative, adaptive threshold, refractory blanking, a reliable rate counting can be achieved. In addition to the rate counting, peak values and locations are used for reconstruction of waveform for morphology monitoring. Beat-to-beat cycle length and depolarization width can be also easily obtained and displayed in time domain and in a return map. A scatter diagram is used to display the relationship between amplitudes of atrium electrogram and ventricle electrogram. Cross correlation is used to monitoring morphology changes. From the results, the algorithm appears to be useful for real time monitoring of electrophysiology studies and for further development of sensing algorithms for detection and classification of tachycardias in implantable and external antitachycardia devices. >
Purification and characterization of an alpha-glucosidase from a hyperthermophilic archaebacterium, Pyrococcus furiosus, exhibiting a temperature optimum of 105 to 115 degrees C.

Pyrococcus furiosus is a strictly anaerobic hyperthermophilic archaebacterium with an optimal growth temperature of about 100 degrees C. When this organism was grown in the presence of certain complex carbohydrates, the production of several amylolytic enzymes was noted. These enzymes included an alpha-glucosidase that was located in the cell cytoplasm. This alpha-glucosidase has been purified 310-fold and corresponded to a protein band of 125 kilodaltons as resolved by 10% sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme exhibited optimum activity at pH 5.0 to 6.0 and over a temperature range of 105 to 115 degrees C. Kinetic analysis conducted at 108 degrees C revealed hydrolysis of the substrates p-nitrophenyl-alpha-D-glucopyranoside (PNPG), methyl-alpha-D-glucopyranoside, maltose, and isomaltose. Trace activity was detected towards p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside, and no activity could be detected towards starch or sucrose. Inhibition studies conducted at 108 degrees C with PNPG as the substrate and maltose as the inhibitor yielded a Ki for maltose of 14.3 mM. Preincubation for 30 min at 98 degrees C in 100 mM dithiothreitol and 1.0 M urea had little effect on enzyme activity, whereas preincubation in 1.0% sodium dodecyl sulfate and 1.0 M guanidine hydrochloride resulted in significant loss of enzyme activity. Purified alpha-glucosidase from P. furiosus exhibited remarkable thermostability; incubation of the enzyme at 98 degrees C resulted in a half life of nearly 48 h. Images
The Development of Wahhabi Reforms in Ghana and Burkina Faso, 1960–1990: Elective Affinities between Western-Educated Muslims and Islamic Scholars

This essay examines the relationship between Western notions of modernity and Wahhabi-inclined Islamic reform in Ghana and Burkina Faso (Upper Volta until 1984) during the early decades of independence. I will highlight ways in which Western/secular education facilitated the early diffusion of this genre of reform. Over the past decade or so, historians have explored the extent to which the appeal of the Wahhabi movement in urban West Africa, toward the end of French and British colonialism, can be traced to Muslim attempts to find a middle ground between Western “modernity” and authentic spiritual purity. In what follows, I employ comparative, ethnographic, and historical analyses to draw attention to the pivotal roles Western-educated urban Muslim professionals played in the development of this reform. Despite the active participation of these professionals in transforming the Wahhabi message into urban mass movements, scholars have paid scant attention to the factors that drew them to the Wahhabi doctrine in the first instance.
Hemodialysis in Acute Renal Failure: Does the Membrane Matter?

Patients who develop hospital-acquired acute renal failure (ARF) that require dialytic support have high mortality rates. The potential impact of dialyzer membrane biocompatibility on clinical outcomes in ARF has been a subject of ongoing controversy. This article summarizes the clinical trials published to date that have examined the effect of dialyzer membrane biocompatibility on clinical outcomes of patients with ARF who require intermittent hemodialysis. A redirection of research endeavors in the field of dialysis in ARF is also argued.
The Precursor scan. A new type of experiment in neutralization–reionization mass spectrometry

A new scan technique utilizing the tandem quadrupole acceleration–deceleration mass spectrometer is described. The technique is based on combined monitoring of neutral and ion precursors that fragment following collisional electron transfer to give rise to a selected low-mass neutral species and its ion, respectively. PO˙ is found to be a stable neutral species formed by dissociations of a variety of oxidized phosphorus compounds, such as di- and trialkyl phosphites, phosphates and phosphonic esters. These compounds can be selectively monitored through PO˙. precursor scans in multi-component mixtures. Interferences from isobaric neutral species, 35CIC˙, CH3S˙, CH330SiH2˙, and their precursors are discussed. Neutralization–reionization spectra of phosphorus-containing radicals, PO˙, CH3OPH˙, CH3OPOH˙, ˙P(OCH3)2 and (CH3O)2PO˙, are also reported.
An 82μA/MHz microcontroller with embedded FeRAM for energy-harvesting applications

In recent years energy-harvesting technology has become much more mature. The energy source is free and widely available. However, there are some limitations that energy-harvesting devices need to cope with, to build a reliable system. First of all the peak current of typical energy-harvesting power sources is quite limited [1] and the system's active power must be as low as possible. A second limitation is the possibility of interruption or fluctuation of power source. For example, solar energy is only available during the day, and thermal or vibrational energy sources may change depending on environmental conditions. As a consequence, systems must retain state and information despite possible power outages. Flash or EEPROM as today's standard non-volatile memory is slow in write access and has high peak current demands due to the required charge pump for erase and write cycles. Flash technology has limited write endurance in the order of 105 write cycles requiring a Wear Leveling algorithm [2] for large cycle state storage. SRAM could be used for fast, low-power read/write [3], but it requires a separate battery for state retention.
A method of deriving dynamic security regions of power systems

A method for calculating dynamic security regions of power systems is developed. A dynamic security region is defined as the inverse image of the Liapunov region of the post-fault system under a mapping determined by the fault-on dynamics and the post-fault network. The region is defined in the pre-fault system state space.
Moving Academic Department Functions to Social Networks and Clouds: Initial Experiences

This paper discusses about moving academic department functions to social networks and clouds. Making these choices is easier when department members understand both the technologies themselves and the digital culture of their users.
Familiarity Breeds Searching Infants Reverse Their Novelty Preferences When Reaching for Hidden Objects

What infants appear to know depends heavily on how they are tested. For example, infants seem to understand object permanence (that objects continue to exist when no longer perceptible) within the first few months of life when this understanding is assessed through looking measures, but not until several months later when it is assessed through search measures. One explanation of such results is that infants gradually develop stronger representations of objects through experience, and that stronger representations are required for some tasks than for others. The current study confirms one prediction from this account: Stronger representations of familiar objects (relative to novel objects) should support greater sensitivity to their continued existence. After seeing objects hidden, infants reached more for familiar than novel objects, in striking contrast to their robust novelty preferences with visible objects. Theoretical implications concerning the origins of knowledge are discussed.
Use of microarray hybrid capture and next-generation sequencing to identify the anatomy of a transgene

Transgenic animals are extensively used to model human disease. Typically, the transgene copy number is estimated, but the exact integration site and configuration of the foreign DNA remains uncharacterized. When transgenes have been closely examined, some unexpected configurations have been found. Here, we describe a method to recover transgene insertion sites and assess structural rearrangements of host and transgene DNA using microarray hybridization and targeted sequence capture. We used information about the transgene insertion site to develop a polymerase chain reaction genotyping assay to distinguish heterozygous from homozygous transgenic animals. Although we worked with a bacterial artificial chromosome transgenic mouse line, this method can be used to analyse the integration site and configuration of any foreign DNA in a sequenced genome.
Synchrony in the new world: an example of archaeoethnology

Christopher Chase-Dunn and colleagues have demonstrated cycles of synchronous growth and decline in cities in East Asia and in the Mediterranean. They argue that synchrony is rooted in systems of economic and political interdependence, cutting across broad regions of the world for long periods of history. Using a new strategy for cross-cultural research in the anthropological sciences—archaeoethnology, the cross-cultural analysis of archaeological cultures in a diachronic mode—the author examines whether settlement synchrony has occurred in the New World and if so, whether it implies widespread economic and political interdependencies across long periods of time.
Investigating the effect of marine-derived nutrients from spawning salmon on macroinvertebrate secondary production in southeast Alaskan streams

It is generally accepted that juvenile salmonid production is linked, via bottom-up pathways, to marine-derived nutrient (MDN) inputs from spawning salmon. Many studies have used standing stock biomass estimates of aquatic macroinvertebrates to infer relationships between MDN and secondary production in streams that receive spawners. However, no study has measured aquatic macroinvertebrate secondary production in relation to MDN. To assess the relationship between MDN and aquatic insect production, we measured secondary production of the 5 dominant mayfly genera (Baetis spp., Drunella spp., Cinygmula spp., Epeorus spp., and Rhithrogena spp.) and chironomids throughout the primary growing season in 2 streams in southeastern Alaska. Both streams had upstream reaches blocked from spawning salmonids by a waterfall barrier and downstream reaches that received large spawning runs of pink and chum salmon. Four of the mayfly genera studied (Drunella spp., Cinygmula spp., Epeorus spp., and Rhithrogena spp.) had significantly greater production in upstream than in spawning reaches. Secondary production of Baetis spp. was similar between upstream and spawning reaches. Chironomid production was significantly greater in spawning than in upstream reaches. However, biomass of each taxon was maximized in the spring and summer before the primary period of MDN input. These patterns indicate that another factor, primarily spawning disturbance, is an important driver of benthic insect secondary production in these streams and might provide the community structure within which MDN subsidies occur. If these patterns are common in streams that receive salmon runs, then secondary production- mediated links between MDN and juvenile salmonid production might be mostly the result of responses of chironomids and other benthic organisms with similar life histories.
Analyses of one-step liquid hydrogen production from methane and landfill gas

Abstract Conventional liquid hydrogen (LH 2 ) production consists of two basic steps: (1) gaseous hydrogen (GH 2 ) production via steam methane reformation followed by purification by means of pressure swing adsorption (PSA), and (2) GH 2 liquefaction. LH 2 produced by the conventional processes is not carbon neutral because of the carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emission from PSA operation. A novel concept is herein presented and flowsheeted for LH 2 production with zero carbon emission using methane (CH 4 ) or landfill gas as feedstock. A cryogenic process is used for both H 2 separation/purification and liquefaction. This one-step process can substantially increase the efficiency and reduce costs because no PSA step is required. Furthermore, the integrated process results in no CO 2 emissions and minimal H 2 losses. Of the five flowsheets presented, one that combines low and high temperature CO/CH 4 reforming reactions in a single reactor shows the highest overall efficiency with the first and second law efficiencies of 85% and 56%, respectively. The latter figure assumes 10% overall energy loss and 30% efficiency for the cryogenic process.
Nitrogen mass balance in fields irrigated with liquid swine waste

Over the past 15-years, swine-producing confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) have proliferated throughout the Southeastern United States, particularly in North Carolina. Waste at these facilities is collected in open-air lagoons and the liquid phase is land-applied as fertilizer by sprinkler irrigation. Numerous investigations have focused on individual aspects of the fate of nitrogenous liquid waste, but none has attempted a comprehensive analysis of post-application transformations and losses. On three occasions, we experimentally applied liquid swine waste at typical industry doses of 1.2 and 2.5 cm-ha (40–130 kg N ha−1) to carefully defined plots in an active spray field on a representative North Carolina CAFO and constructed a nitrogen mass balance for the waste by assessing most N pools and transformations in post-application observation periods of 14–19 days. We consistently recovered more N than applied, by an average of 126%. This was likely due to mineralization of endogenous organic-N, a reservoir that was not measured. Plant assimilation clearly represented the most important N sink for this fertilizer type, accounting for 25–117% of the applied N. Offsite loss to leaching and volatilization and onsite accumulation in the inorganic phase and in microbial biomass all assumed secondary and roughly equal importance; each term represented about 5–20% of the applied N. Denitrification was inconsequential in N loss from a mass standpoint, accounting for ≤2% of the effluent. The post-application fate of N in liquid swine waste did not differ fundamentally from other organic and inorganic fertilizers, as the relative importance of all loss and storage terms fell within the ranges of values given for other fertilizers. However, liquid swine waste did differ from other N fertilizers in the rate of processing. Transformations occurred rapidly due to the immediate post-application contact of liquid swine waste-N with plant roots and microbes in a form (NH4 +–N) immediately available for use.
Fathers’ Involvement in Preadolescents’ Diabetes Adherence and Glycemic Control

Objective To examine the relationship of paternal involvement in diabetes care with adherence and glycemic control. Methods One hundred and thirty-six mothers and fathers of preadolescents (aged 9–12 years) with type 1 diabetes reported on paternal involvement. Adherence was measured by interview and blood glucose meter downloads. Mothers’ and fathers’ ratings of paternal involvement in diabetes care were compared. We evaluated three structural equation models linking paternal involvement with adherence and glycemic control. Results Mothers and fathers reported similar amounts of paternal involvement, yet mothers rated paternal involvement as more helpful. The data supported a model indicating links between more paternal involvement and higher HbA1c and between lower adherence and higher HbA1c. Mediation and moderation models were not supported. Discussion Although paternal involvement was not directly associated with treatment adherence, it was associated with poorer glycemic control. Some fathers may increase their involvement in response to suboptimal glycemic outcomes.
Age Stereotypes Held Earlier in Life Predict Cardiovascular Events in Later Life

When older individuals apply negative age stereotypes to themselves, they can adversely influence a wide range of outcomes (Levy, Slade, Kunkel, & Kasl, 2002). These outcomes include a greater cardiovascular response to stress and worse health behaviors, such as higher tobacco use (Levy, Hausdorff, Hencke, & Wei, 2000; Levy & Myers, 2004), both of which have been linked to the risk of cardiovascular events (Jiang et al., 1996).
Large-scale bot detection for search engines

In this paper, we propose a semi-supervised learning approach for classifying program (bot) generated web search traffic from that of genuine human users. The work is motivated by the challenge that the enormous amount of search data pose to traditional approaches that rely on fully annotated training samples. We propose a semi-supervised framework that addresses the problem in multiple fronts. First, we use the CAPTCHA technique and simple heuristics to extract from the data logs a large set of training samples with initial labels, though directly using these training data is problematic because the data thus sampled are biased. To tackle this problem, we further develop a semi-supervised learning algorithm to take advantage of the unlabeled data to improve the classification performance. These two proposed algorithms can be seamlessly combined and very cost efficient to scale the training process. In our experiment, the proposed approach showed significant (i.e. 2:1) improvement compared to the traditional supervised approach.
ALIGNING SENTENCES IN BILINGUAL CORPORA USING LEXICAL INFORMATION

In this paper, we describe a fast algorithm for aligning sentences with their translations in a bilingual corpus. Existing efficient algorithms ignore word identities and only consider sentence length (Brown et al., 1991b; Gale and Church, 1991). Our algorithm constructs a simple statistical word-to-word translation model on the fly during alignment. We find the alignment that maximizes the probability of generating the corpus with this translation model. We have achieved an error rate of approximately 0.4% on Canadian Hansard data, which is a significant improvement over previous results. The algorithm is language independent.
Tiempo, espacio y acción colectiva : espacio político/geografía política

Cet article n'a pas pour object d'exposer une histoire de la geographie politique ni meme d'offrir des donnees sur la presente renaissance de la discipline. Il s'agit plutot de discuter d'abord en quoi consiste la geographie politique, ce qui depend de l'analyse de certaines problematiques cle. En second lieu, on discute sur ce qu'une definition impose a notre practique de recherche. Troisiemement, on examine un texte recent de l'historien Charles Tilly sur la formation de l'etat, qui nous ressemble une reformulation de la geographie politique.
Baseline susceptibility of Planococcus ficus (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) from California to select insecticides.

ABSTRACT Between 2006 and 2008, 20 populations of Planococcus ficus (Signoret), from Coachella and San Joaquin Valleys of California were measured in the laboratory for susceptibility to buprofezin, chlorpyrifos, dimethoate, methomyl, and imidacloprid. Toxicity was assessed using a petri dish bioassay technique for contact insecticides and by a systemic uptake technique for imidacloprid. Mixed life stages were tested for susceptibility to all insecticides except for buprofezin, which was measured against early and late instars (first, second, and third). Dose—response regression lines from the mortality data established LC50 and LC99 values by both techniques. Responses of populations from the two geographical locations to all five insecticides varied, in some cases significantly. Variations in susceptibility to each insecticide among sample sites showed a sevenfold difference for buprofezin, 11-fold to chlorpyrifos, ninefold to dimethoate, 24-fold to methomyl, and 8.5-fold to imidacloprid. In spite of su...