cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Computational prediction of homodimerization of the A3 adenosine receptor.

Abstract Increasing evidence suggests that G protein-coupled receptors form functional dimers or larger oligomeric complexes through homo- or heterodimerization, and that various transmembrane (TM) domains contribute dimerization interfaces. In this study, monomeric receptor structures – either the monomeric crystallographic structure of bovine rhodopsin or an A3 adenosine receptor (AR) homology model – were dimerized by computational methods assuming various TM contact regions, optimized, and compared. The semi-empirical oligomeric structure of mouse rhodopsin studied in a native disc membrane with atomic force microscopy was used to establish the distance between monomers in the initial dimeric models. Among eight variations of symmetrical homodimers of bovine rhodopsin, the favored dimeric assembly closely resembled the semi-empirical model, in which TM domains 4 and 5 were the contact site, thus validating this approach. We used similar methods to generate eight homodimers of the A3AR and found the favored dimeric interface similarly to be TM4–5. By this method, dimeric variations – TM1–2, TM2–3, TM2–4, TM3–4, TM4–5, TM5–6, TM6–7, and TM7–1 – were constructed with the SYBYL 7.0 program by using a novel “fit-centroids-normal” method. Fitting atoms considered one of eight TM–TM centroids or seven-TM centroids, two centroids of each monomer, and a normal atom passing through the plane containing all centroids. Following molecular dynamics, the most energetically favorable contact modes were identified. In addition to TM4–5, which was favored in both rhodopsin and A3AR dimeric models, TM1–2 dimers in which helices 8 also contacted each other were judged favorable. The largest contact surface area between the monomers among the various homodimers, determined by van der Waals calculation with the MOLCAD surface program, was for the TM4–5 dimer. This contact surface also showed a high degree of shape complementarity. In addition, the TM4–5 dimers made by this theoretical method were more stable than the semi-empirically determined dimer.
Gender and exemplarity east of the middle Rhine: Jesus, Mary and the saints in manuscript context

The available source material for the intellectual, religious and cultural history of the Rhine-Main region in the eighth century is outstanding, due to the many surviving manuscripts produced in the region during that time period. In this paper I demonstrate how a historically contextualised analysis of the manuscript evidence can lead to a significant re-evaluation of gender ideology in an early medieval society. The manuscript evidence allows us to investigate the reception and adaptation of inherited gender models by male and female religious communities, and illuminates the cultural significance to eighth-century male and female readers of heroines assigned to the earliest days of the Church. Comparison of three manuscripts which can be allocated to male and female communities – two containing exegetical material penned by Gregory the Great and read liturgically for dominical and martyr festivals, the third Marian writings and the passiones of four female martyrs – demonstrates the importance of gender identification in the reception of this material. Writers and copyists in one community of religious women in the Rhine-Main region in the eighth century were concerned to present both Roman martyrs and Biblical women as positive models for women without reference to hierarchical notions of gender. Mary, for example, is put forward as a ‘new Eve’ who has freed women of every estate (not just virgins) from the curse of Eve, whilst the commemoration of female martyrs – fully human figures who were temporally and geographically less remote than Mary and biblical models – further strengthened the egalitarian message provided by this exegesis. A proper understanding of gender identities, and of the meanings of the cult of the Roman martyrs, in the early middle ages can only proceed from this type of properly contextualised analysis.
Predictors of hematological abnormalities in patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with interferon and ribavirin

Hematological abnormalities including neutropenia, anemia, and thrombocytopenia are commonly seen in patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with pegylated interferon and ribavirin. The aim of this study was to identify factors which would help to predict the development of hematological abnormalities in patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with pegylated interferon and ribavirin. During a 4-year period, all patients with chronic hepatitis C started on treatment with pegylated interferon and ribavirin were identified. Patients were defined as having hematological abnormalities if they had the presence of either anemia, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, or a combination of the above during treatment with pegylated interferon and ribavirin. A total of 136 patients with chronic hepatitis C were included in this study. Fifty-two (38.2%) of the patients developed significant hematological abnormalities during treatment with pegylated interferon and ribavirin with 28 (20.6%), 30 (22.1%), and 11 (8.1%) developed neutropenia, anemia, and thrombocytopenia, respectively. Genotype 1, history of hypertension, low baseline platelet count, low baseline hemoglobin, as well as a raised creatinine were significant factors associated with the development of hematological abnormalities. Significant hematological abnormalities are commonly present in patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with pegylated interferon and ribavirin. This study identifies pretreatment parameters that may help identify high-risk patients who are more likely to develop hematological abnormalities during treatment for chronic hepatitis C.
Virus-induced cell pathology as viewed in the scanning electron microscope.

The surface ultrastructure of HEp-2 cells undergoing cytopathology induced by herpes simplex virus (HSV), respiratory syncytial virus (RS), parainfluenza 3 virus (para-3) or vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) was examined by scanning electron microscopy. Each virus induced characteristic alterations of the HEp-2 surface. HSV syncytium formation was accompanied by the accumulation of surface projections over the periphery of underlying nuclei, whereas RS and para-3-induced syncytia did not show similar rearrangements of surface projections. These data suggest that scanning electron microscopy may be useful in defining virus-cell interactions.
Unstable heterochromatin in Fanconi's anemia cells

Previous investigations in our lab have indicated that cells of patients with Werner's syndrome (WS), a premature aging disorder, contain unstable heterochromatin. That instability results in heterochromatin being sloughed off the surface of chromosomes during high temperature incubation in phosphate buffer. In addition, WS interphase chromocenters are sloughed off into patches and rings during such incubation. Recent investigations in our lab have promulgated the hypothesis that the phenomenon of sister chromatid exchange (SCE) may, likewise, be produced by sloughing off of unstable heterochromatin from the chromosome surface. This hypothesis predicts that cells exhibiting a high SCE frequency, such as Fanconi's anemia (FA), may likewise contain unstable heterochromatin. In order to test this hypothesis, FA cells were subjected to SCE staining conditions, confirming the presence of unstable heterochromatin.
Imaging tree root systems in situ

The study of root growth and development in soil has been intellectually and technically challenging. In response to concern about increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), resulting from increase in global energy use, the cycling of carbon has become the object of many intensive investigations.. Terrestrial ecosystems are a huge, natural biological scrubber for CO 2 currently sequestering, directly from the atmosphere, about 22% of annual anthropogenic carbon emissions. It is assumed that a significant fraction of this carbon uptake goes into roots. Presently, there are no means by which root morphology, distribution, and mass can be measured without serious sampling artifacts that alter these properties. This is because the current methods are destructive and labor intensive. A non-invasive, imaging procedure for examining roots in situ would be a powerful tool quantifying subsurface storage, as well as for documenting changes in root structure. Preliminary results using a high frequency, 1.5 Ghz, impulse Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) for non-destructive imaging of tree root systems in situ are presented. Two 3D reconstructed images taking advantage of the polarization effect are used to assess root morphology and dimensions. The constraints, limitations, and potential solutions for using GPR for tree root systems imaging and analysis are discussed.
Photoisomerization of a dye-altered β-1,4 glucan sheet induces the crystallization of a cellulose-composite

Dye-altered β-1,4 glucan sheets synthesized by the bacterium Acetobacter xylinum in the presence of the fluorescent brightener Tinopal LPW™ were induced to crystallize into cellulose microfibrils by a novel photoisomerization of the dye molecules. Reducing the rate of dye removal led to more uniform microfibril dimensions, narrower ribbon width, and a greater microfibril helical pitch. The induced microfibrils are theorized to represent a composite of parallel glucan chains with dye molecules intercalated and deforming the cellulose lattice. It is speculated that during cellulose synthesis in general, glucan minisheets could associate by a constriction in the extrusion pore of the cellulose synthase complexes.
Histidine decarboxylase in gastric tissues of primates

Abstract Histidine decarboxylase activity was identified in the gastric mucosa of monkeys and man and in a human gastric carcinoid tumor. Crude homogenates of gastric mucosal tissue but not of the carcinoid tumor also demonstrated 5-hydroxytryptophan decarboxylase activity; this activity disappeared completely during purification procedures that resulted in increased specific activity of histidine decarboxylase. In all respects studied these histidine decarboxylases had properties that were very similar to or identical with histidine decarboxylases prepared from other mammalian sources: in particular, the apparent K m varied inversely with pH; the pH optimum varied inversely with substrate concentration; activity of the enzyme was enhanced by pyridoxal 5′-phosphate but not by benzene and inhibited by both brocresine and hydrazino-analog of histidine but not by α-methyl-dopa. In both monkeys and men histidine decarboxylase activity was greater in the fundus than it was in the antrum of the stomach. These findings indicate that the enzyme necessary for histamine biosynthesis is present in gastric tissues of primates and thus remove one theoretical objection to the hypothesis that histamine may mediate gastric acid secretion in primates.
Theoretical Studies of the Reaction Mechanisms of Dimethylsulfide and Dimethylselenide with Peroxynitrite

The mechanisms of the reactions of dimethylsulfide (DMS) and dimethylselenide (DMSe) with peroxynitrite anion, ONOO-, and peroxynitrous acid, HOONO, were studied at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level of theory. It was shown that the gas-phase reactions with ONOO- proceed via an O-atom (O3) transfer (two-electron oxidation) mechanism and produce the corresponding oxides (DMSO and DMSeO, respectively) and NO2- anion. The rate-determining barrier, the O−O bond cleavage, is found to be higher by 6−7 kcal/mol for DMS than for DMSe, indicating that DMSe is more reactive toward ONOO- than DMS. The inclusion of solvent effects decreases the rate-determining barrier and makes it <13.5 kcal/mol in aqueous solution for the DMS reaction. These data indicate that neither DMS nor DMSe catalyze the direct peroxynitrite → nitrate isomerization. It was shown that the reaction of DMS with cis-HOONO might proceed via two distinct pathways, stepwise and concerted, and is much faster than that with ONOO-. The stepwise pathway start...
Authentic engagement: Assessing the effects of authenticity on student engagement and information literacy in academic library instruction

Purpose – The purpose of this case study is to measure the impact of authenticity – the operation of one’s true self in one’s daily activities – on student engagement and learning in the context of information literacy instruction. Design/methodology/approach – The study was conducted during information literacy instruction for English 105 classes at the House Undergraduate Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A classroom modeling exercise was developed to help students choose authentic topics of interest. Students then filled out a questionnaire to assess whether choosing authentic topics led to increased engagement and increased learning according to Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) Information Literacy Competency Standards compared to students in the control group. Results were analyzed using an independent samples t-test. Findings – The data illustrate that the exercise successfully helped students choose authentic topics and that these students’ motivation to learn was higher than students in the control group. Students in the experimental group also, on average, rated their learning of ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards significantly higher than students in the control group. Originality/value – The study provides the first empirical data confirming the positive impact of authenticity on student motivation and learning in the context of information literacy instruction. An implication of the study is that it is possible not only to provide students with resources – as the traditional role of librarians might have it – but also that librarians can have a positive and substantial impact on the content students choose to work on, and the degree to which they care about it. The impact of this particular result could radically change the way instruction librarians view the nature and scope of their pedagogical role in academic libraries.
Evaluation of .5% and 1% Iodophor Teat Dips on Commercial Dairies

Two postmilking teat dips containing .5 and 1% iodine were evaluated for approximately 8 mo under conditions of natural exposure to mastitis pathogens on four commercial dairy farms. In the two herds using .5% iodophor, incidence of intramammary infection with Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus agalactiae was reduced 68.3 and 46.2%, respectively. When numbers of new infections with both pathogens were combined, efficacy for the .5% iodophor was 62.3%. In the two herds using 1% iodophor, incidence of intramammary infection with Staph. aureus and Strep. agalactiae was reduced 52.4 and 70.7%, respectively. When numbers of new infections with both pathogens were combined, efficacy for the 1% iodophor was 64.3%. Efficacy of teat dips was variable against coagulase-negative staphylococci and Corynebacterium bovis.
The New Quantum Theory and the Zeeman Effect.

The treatment of the Zeeman effect from the point of view of Schroedinger's theory presents certain difficulties. Let us consider the case of a hydrogen atom in a homogeneous magnetic field of the strength H.
Contagious Diseases in the United States from 1888 to the Present

Using data from digitized weekly surveillance reports of notifiable diseases for U.S. cities and states for 1888 through 2011, the authors derived a quantitative history of disease reduction in the United States, focusing particularly on the effects of vaccination programs.
Derivation of optical flow using a spatiotemporal-frequency approach

We advance in this paper the spatiotemporal-frequency (STF) approach for computing the optical flow of a time-varying image. STF flow derivation provides an attractive alternative to earlier approaches based on (1) feature correspondence, (2) spatiotemporal gradients, and (3) Fourier-phase changes. After briefly surveying these three earlier approaches to flow computation, we provide an historical overview of the development of the STF approach. Then an improved STF method for flow derivation that has recently been developed by the authors is presented along with experimental results that demonstrate its use. The STF yields a dense time and spatially varying 2D optical flow field for each image frame. We conclude by showing that STF derivation (a) promises substantially improved performance over the flow computation methods, and (b) provides a partial explanation of motion coherence as observed in human vision.
DEMAND COLLABORATION: EFFECTS ON KNOWLEDGE CREATION, RELATIONSHIPS, AND SUPPLY CHAIN PERFORMANCE

While demand collaboration is crucial to supply chain performance, there is divergence over what demand collaboration really means. Currently, one perspective stresses the use of electronic communication systems for real-time data exchange (e.g., EDI, VMI) to increase speed of response and reduce costs, thereby improving operational efficiencies. Another perspective stresses relational elements to create close, long-term links. These links, facilitated largely through the use of non-electronic communication channels, serve the purpose of developing complementary capabilities, sharing more information, and engaging in more joint planning. In this study, we provide a framework that considers both elements of demand collaboration individually and jointly. The relative effectiveness of the various forms of demand collaboration is assessed via the use of a controlled simulation experiment.
The association of satellited chromosomes with specific chromosomal regions in cultured human somatic cells

SUMMARY The associations of satellited chromosomes with other chromosomes have been determined in photomicrographs of 423 human somatic cells in mitosis. It is found that the frequency with which a satellited chromosome lies in juxtaposition to a particular chromosome is not purely a function of the length of that chromosome (as might be expected if the assumption were true that satellited chromosomes are distributed at random throughout the cell.) The non-random distribution of satellited chromosomes uncovered by the study is attributed to associations at specific chromosome regions. The most common association was the well-known and often multiple one occurring between the short arms of satellited chromosomes. A relatively high frequency of associations also occurred between the short arms of satellited chromosomes and specific non-satellited regions of chromosomes 2, 6, 18, 19, 21 and/or 22. Much less frequent associations occurred also with specific regions of chromosomes 1, 3 and 17. A feature common to all significant associations is that they tend to occur close to sites where secondary constrictions have been demonstrated. This finding suggests that these associations may indicate the position of active nucleolus-organizer sites. It is also postulated that chromosome associations are the result of nucleolus fusion during interphase. Evidence from organisms other than man is presented in support of the hypothesis that a tendency to chromosome association between ‘nucleolar chromosomes’ may be a general phenomenon. The possible implications of chromosome association with respect to the aetiology of human chromosomal aberrations is discussed. The writers are grateful to Dr James H. Renwick for suggestions on the presentation of the data, and to Marie E. Ferguson-Smith for preparing the figures. This investigation was supported in part by Research Grant 7841 from the Division of General Medical Sciences, the United States Public Health Service.
Phase II pharmaceutical metabolites acetaminophen glucuronide and acetaminophen sulfate in wastewater

Environmental context. Excretion of pharmaceuticals and their metabolites by humans and animals, flushing unused pharmaceuticals and inadequate water treatment result in the occurrence of these chemicals as pollutants in wastewater, surface water and drinking water. In this research, the pharmaceutical agent acetaminophen (paracetamol, Tylenol) and its glucuronide and sulfate metabolites were examined as a model system for monitoring wastewater influent and effluent. The true risk to ecosystems and humans from the occurrence of pharmaceuticals in our water supply can only be estimated if accurate concentrations of parent pharmaceutical chemicals as well as their metabolites are measured. Abstract. An analytical method was developed to separately determine acetaminophen and its Phase II metabolites, acetaminophen glucuronide and acetaminophen sulfate, from wastewater in a single extract. The method developed will serve as a model for screening for the presence of other non-steroidal pharmaceutical compounds and their Phase II metabolites in wastewater. Acetaminophen glucuronide was not present in the wastewater influent tested to verify the analytical protocol, whereas concentrations of acetaminophen and acetaminophen sulfate in the influent were reproducible over time. A Phase I metabolite, p-aminophenol, was also determined to occur in the wastewater influent. Concentrations of the analytes-of-interest, detected in effluent samples collected after secondary treatment, but before UV treatment, were highly variable and were undetectable after UV treatment before release to surface water.
Style normalization for canonical X-to-O mappings

An X-to-O mapping takes an XML schema as input and returns an object model as output; this object model is meant for programmatic, schema-aware access to XML data. The provision of X-to-O mappings involves various challenges; one of them is addressed by the present paper: variation in style of schema organization, which should not unduly affect the outcome of X-to-O mappings. We devise transformations for style normalization (and conversion); these transformations operate at both levels of the X-to-O mapping: schemas and object models. An important byproduct of the present work is to showcase functional OO programming as a viable setup for devising software transformations.
Heme biosynthesis on the incorporation of iron into protoporphyrin

The enzyme(s) responsible for converting protoporphyrin and iron to heme has been studied using rat-liver prepations and 59Fe as a tracer. The enzyme is located in the mitochondrial fraction. It has optimum activity at pH 7.4 and is stimulated significantly by GSH and DPN or DPNH. Less stimulation is shown by TPN, TPNH, FAD, histidine and homocysteine. Preincubation of the enzyme with protoporphyrin and DPN indicates that the formation of an intermediate occurs before iron is chelated.
Acidic peptide conjugates in mammalian liver.

Abstract Examination of the trichloroacetic acid-soluble fraction of several mammalian tissues has revealed the presence of a variety of peptides that have acidic properties and that are closely associated with material showing maximum absorbance at about 268 mμ. These conjugates contained from two to seven different amino acids. Although the peptides and the materials absorbing u.v. were closely associated during the early stages of the purification, they disassociated in the course of further fractionation. The nature of the linkage between these components remains to be established.
Activators of Nuclear Hormone Receptors, PPARα and FXR, Accelerate Maturation of the Epidermal Permeability Barrier In Utero • 321

Activators of Nuclear Hormone Receptors, PPARα and FXR, Accelerate Maturation of the Epidermal Permeability Barrier In Utero • 321
A study of the Coriolis effect on the fluid flow profile in a centrifugal bioreactor

Increasing demand for tissues, proteins, and antibodies derived from cell culture is necessitating the development and implementation of high cell density bioreactors. A system for studying high density culture is the centrifugal bioreactor (CCBR), which retains cells by increasing settling velocities through system rotation, thereby eliminating diffusional limitations associated with mechanical cell retention devices. This article focuses on the fluid mechanics of the CCBR system by considering Coriolis effects. Such considerations for centrifugal bioprocessing have heretofore been ignored; therefore, a simpler analysis of an empty chamber will be performed. Comparisons are made between numerical simulations and bromophenol blue dye injection experiments. For the non-rotating bioreactor with an inlet velocity of 4.3 cm/s, both the numerical and experimental results show the formation of a teardrop shaped plume of dye following streamlines through the reactor. However, as the reactor is rotated, the simulation predicts the development of vortices and a flow profile dominated by Coriolis forces resulting in the majority of flow up the leading wall of the reactor as dye initially enters the chamber, results are confirmed by experimental observations. As the reactor continues to fill with dye, the simulation predicts dye movement up both walls while experimental observations show the reactor fills with dye from the exit to the inlet. Differences between the simulation and experimental observations can be explained by excessive diffusion required for simulation convergence, and a slight density difference between dyed and un-dyed solutions. Implications of the results on practical bioreactor use are also discussed.
Simple model for swelling-induced stresses in a supported polymer thin film

Solvent transport in multilayer thin film structures can induce damaging stresses. It is important to understand these quantitatively for the design of processing methods for microelectronics manufacture. As a model for such systems, this article focuses on the connection between solvent transport in a thin, supported film and the induced bending curvature of the film/substrate combination. We develop a simple mechanical model to calculate the bending curvature based on the transport-induced stresses. A phenomenological moving boundary description of non-Fickian solvent transport often found in glassy polymers has been used. The evaluation of dimensionless bending curvature for a number of generic cases is presented. As an application of the model, experimental data for a polymide (PI)/quartz-n-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) system involving significant swelling (15–20%) of the PI film is analyzed. The analysis shows that the measured bending during the transport of NMP in the PI film compares well with that predicted based on an “intermediate,” non-Fickian diffusion mechanism of NMP, consistent with the finding obtained from a laser interferometric study. Estimation of the swelling-induced stress shows that it is large and as significant as that due to thermal “curing.”
Statistical Evaluation of Complex Input-Output Transformations

This paper presents a new, statistical approach to evaluating software products that transform complex inputs into complex outputs. This approach, called multistage stratified input/output (MSIO) sampling, combines automatic clustering of multidimensional I/O data with multistage sampling and manual examination of data elements, in order to accurately and economically estimate summary measures of output data quality. We report results of two case studies in which MSIO sampling was successfully applied to evaluating complex graphical outputs.
New techniques for the assessment and optimal management of growth and standing crop variation in the cultured freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii

Abstract The current ‘traditional’ prawn pond management system really does not ‘manage’, but rather accommodates prawn production characteristics and was instituted with a minimum knowledge of prawn biology and husbandry. As such, the traditional system is not optimal because it does not rely on a strong empirical knowledge base. Prawn culture has succeeded up until now because Macrobrachium rosenbergii is easily cultured and will give 500–1000 kg ha −1 year −1 without much effort. This is sufficient in many areas of the world but not in others where economic conditions have break-even production requirements of nearly 1 tonne greater than this. The traditional system relying on selective harvesting with large seine nets is seriously inefficient which not only leads to lost revenue but under-manages pond growth since unculled large animals suppress the growth of unculled smaller ones. The degree to which this occurs was not known to the designers of the traditional system who had no way of knowing (as we do now from our research results) the extremely large compensatory growth capability of small prawns in the absence of large ones. The traditional system also does not manage sexual dimorphic growth because no technology exists which can be used to create monosex broods or manipulate the sex ratio in ponds. Accurate production models are not available because traditional ponds are rarely sampled and/or rarely drained. This, along with inefficient harvests, results in a co-mingling of cohort stocking classes. It is impossible to get accurate survival and growth data because of this and because it is so time consuming to sample commercial ponds and process the data on a regular basis. This paper describes four new engineering and ‘bioengineering’ techniques which are under development and can overcome all the drawbacks of the traditional system: (1) surgical sex reversal to create monosex broods; (2) genetic tagging of stocking and resident cohorts to assess survival and growth; (3) size grading and 100% efficient harvesting using pond draining and a machine grader-harvester; and (4) a semi-automated computer assisted prawn sample data management system which uses sonic digitization of prawn sample data.
Prosody/parse scoring and its application in ATIS

Prosodic patterns provide important cues for resolving syntactic ambiguity, and might be used to improve the accuracy of automatic speech understanding. With this goal, we propose a method of scoring syntactic parses in terms of observed prosodic cues, which can be used in ranking sentence hypotheses and associated parses. Specifically, the score is the probability of acoustic features of a hypothesized word sequence given an associated syntactic parse, based on acoustic and "language" (prosody/syntax) models that represent probabilities in terms of abstract prosodic labels. This work reports initial efforts aimed at extending the algorithm to spontaneous speech, specifically the ATIS task, where the prosody/parse score is shown to improve the average rank of the correct sentence hypothesis.
Dropouts in Two-Year Colleges: Better Prediction with the Use of Moderator Subgroups

Abstract Failure to identify and account for the effects of moderator variables, variables that intervene in and affect the relationship between two variables, has been an important reason for the low explanatory power of a large portion of educational research. This study illustrates the use of pre-existing subgroups as moderator variables and the consequent increase in efficiency of the analysis of data. Data on 32 variables, consisting of measures on personality, family background, attitudes, aspiration, and academic ability, were collected on an entering class of an urban community college. These variables were used as predictors in a regression analysis, and the status of the freshmen at the end of one year as dropouts or persisters was treated as the dependent variable. The categories of sex, ethnicity, and curriculum were tested for their moderating effect, and significant slope differences were found for the categories of all three variables. In view of this, sex and curriculum were used as subgro...
Which Product Is Better

Methods are provided for analyzing data of the “prefer A, prefer B, or no preference” type. These methods take proper account, of the “no preference” results and avoid the ad hoc treatments of these responses that are sometimes employed. Some of these treatments are listed by Odesky (1967). An exact solution is given, and some straightforward approximate methods are derived and illustrated.
Electrochemical Biosensor for Rapid and Sensitive Detection of Magnetically Extracted Bacterial Pathogens

Biological defense and security applications demand rapid, sensitive detection of bacterial pathogens. This work presents a novel qualitative electrochemical detection technique which is applied to two representative bacterial pathogens, Bacillus cereus (as a surrogate for B. anthracis) and Escherichia coli O157:H7, resulting in detection limits of 40 CFU/mL and 6 CFU/mL, respectively, from pure culture. Cyclic voltammetry is combined with immunomagnetic separation in a rapid method requiring approximately 1 h for presumptive positive/negative results. An immunofunctionalized magnetic/polyaniline core/shell nano-particle (c/sNP) is employed to extract target cells from the sample solution and magnetically position them on a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) sensor. The presence of target cells significantly inhibits current flow between the electrically active c/sNPs and SPCE. This method has the potential to be adapted for a wide variety of target organisms and sample matrices, and to become a fully portable system for routine monitoring or emergency detection of bacterial pathogens.
On Optimal Tiered Structures for Network Service Bundles

Network operators offer a variety of tiered services in which users may select only from a small set of tiers which offer progressively higher levels of service. Service bundling, whereby several services are combined together and sold as a single package, is also common in the telecommunications market. We consider the problem of determining optimal tiering structures for service bundles using tools from economics and utility theory. Our work provides insight into the selection and pricing of Internet tiered services.
Diffusion-Mediated Transport¶and the Flashing Ratchet

Diffusion-mediated transport is a phenomenon in which a unidirectional motion of particles is achieved as a result of two opposing tendencies: diffusion, which spreads the particles uniformly through the medium and transport, which concentrates the particles at some special sites. The flashing-ratchet version of the Brownian motor, a simple model for protein motors, where the switching between transport and diffusion is periodic, illustrates diffusion-mediated transport.
Cluster ion structures formed by positive and negative chemical ionization of lactic and other hydroxyacids

Both positive ion and negative ion chemical ionization mass spectra of hydroxycarboxylic acids (hydroxyethanoic acid, 3-hydroxypropanic acid, 2-hydroxypropanoic acid and 1-phenyl-1-hydroxyethanoic acid) show intense oligomeric ions when the samples are evaporated into a chemical ionization source. The observation of oligomeric anionic and cationic species is unusual, and the parallel behavior observed between the positive and negative ion mass spectra is striking. These results are explicable in terms of evaporation of oligomers and their dehydration products from the hot probe, although gas phase clustering reactions of singly charged ions are not excluded. Hydrogen bonding and dehydration provide bonding within each cluster. The structures of the ions have been confirmed by recording the collision induced dissociations of individual cluster ions via their mass analyzed ion kinetic energy spectra. Temperature dependence of the chemical ionization mass spectra provides a method for distinguishing hydrogen bonding from covalent bonding and gives further structural information on the cluster ions.
Robust bus-stop identification and denoising methodology

The analysis of public transportation data is receiving an increasing amount of attention from the research community in the past few years. This interest is fueled by the widespread installation and open access to a variety of sensor technologies for collecting data on the state of the transport system in many cities around the world. Different cities provide different data sources and in many cases the only common dataset is represented by GPS data of the vehicle fleet. Very often, the data contain erroneous or missing information that should be corrected before proceeding with their analysis. In this paper, we propose a methodology to de-noise scheduled bus stops and detect time schedule information using GPS AVL (Automatic Vehicle Location) data. The methodology performs different sequential steps: i) cleaning process and detection of trips; ii) bus stop extraction; ii) bus stop clustering; iv) feature extraction; v) classification model construction and application. Moreover, the impact on the whole process of different methods applied in different steps is empirically evaluated on datasets with different temporal extent.
Computational Study of the Citrate Synthase Catalyzed Deprotonation of Acetyl-Coenzyme A and Fluoroacetyl-Coenzyme A: Demonstration of a Layered Quantum Mechanical Approach

The reaction of the enzyme citrate synthase was studied using the ONIOM method, in which different layers of the system are evaluated using different levels of quantum mechanical theory. A 10 A radius model of the citrate synthase active site and surrounding protein environment was studied using MOZYME as the low level to describe the larger portion of the system. MOZYME is a semiempirical method in which the computational time scales linearly with the size of the system, enabling quantum mechanical calculations on fairly large molecular systems. Higher level ab initio methods were used to evaluate the reactive portion of the substrate and active site functionality directly involved in the reaction. This novel ONIOM−MOZYME method produced results that agree with previous studies that predict an enolate intermediate in the citrate synthase catalyzed deprotonation of acetyl-coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA). The calculated activation energy for enolate formation (14.8 kcal/mol) is very close to the experimentally det...
Estimation of three-dimensional grain size distribution from microstructural serial sections

Abstract Particle/grain size distribution is an important attribute of microstructures. However, direct estimation of three-dimensional particle/grain size distribution has never been performed in opaque material microstructures due to lack of a suitable serial sectioning technique. In this contribution, application of a montage-based efficient serial sectioning technique is presented for direct unbiased estimation of three-dimensional grain size distribution. The technique is used for estimation of three-dimensional grain size distribution of tungsten grains in a liquid phase-sintered (LPS) microstructure. It is shown that the montage-based serial sectioning technique is very efficient. It yields 25–100 times larger high-resolution three-dimensional serially sectioned volume as compared to that obtained from the same number of serial sections. The larger reconstructed microstructural volume provides sufficient number of particles/grains for a reliable estimation of detailed size distribution.
Agroforestry in Liberia: household practices, perceptions and livelihood benefits

In Liberia emphases have been placed on reducing deforestation and increasing food security through the transition of smallholder farmers from shifting cultivation to permanent agricultural systems, including tree cropping and agroforestry systems. A structured survey instrument was administered to 80 households in Bong and Lofa counties, Liberia to assess the socio-cultural feasibility of increasing tree cropping and agroforestry practices among smallholder farmers. The survey investigated household use, perceptions and impediments towards tree cropping and agroforestry and livelihood impacts of these practices, including income diversification and food security. Income was the driving motivation for tree cropping, and insecure land tenure was the most significant impediment. Tree cropping households tended to be male-headed, and differed in age distribution. Households that practiced tree cropping had improved income diversification, and those which used agroforestry practices experienced enhanced food security. Respondent perceptions regarding competition between tree crops and herbaceous crops often prevented incorporation of agroforestry practices. Nearly all households practiced shifting cultivation, independent of whether or not they cultivated trees. This suggests that a transition away from shifting cultivation to agroforestry systems will require greater efforts to address socio-political factors, including cultural perceptions and traditions, land tenure, gender, and household demographics.
Adaptive exact-fit storage management

Tested against extremes in the characteristics of arrival patterns to dynamic allocation software, the working-set approach outperforms the FIFO method except in the case of completely random request patterns—where the working-set method performs as well as the FIFO method.
Pre-Discharge Event Recording in Infants with Resolving Apnea of Prematurity (AOP) Treated with Caffeine Citrate

Pre-Discharge Event Recording in Infants with Resolving Apnea of Prematurity (AOP) Treated with Caffeine Citrate
Evaluating Strategies for Ranching in the 21st Century: Successfully Managing Rangeland for Wildlife and Livestock

Evaluating Strategies for Ranching in the 21st Century: Successfully Managing Rangeland for Wildlife and Livestock DOI:10.2458/azu_rangelands_v30i2_anderson
Personality Assessment in the Gorilla and Its Utility As a Management Tool

Goals of the Gorilla Species Survival Plan (SSP) include increased captive propagation, maintenance of genetic diversity, and consideration of the psychological well-being of the population. The SSP Propagation Group has attempted to accomplish these goals through recommendations based on assessment of genetic, behavioral, and demographic variables. A need is recognized for the development of a methodology to assess behavioral variables that contribute to the success of animal moves. Personality profiles have been used in the past to aid animal management decisions in laboratory settings. This paper describes personality assessment techniques, reviews historical perspectives on primate personality assessment, and reports on a study to assess gorilla personality. The Gorilla Behavior Index (GBI), a subjective assessment instrument consisting of behaviorally based adjectives, was completed for 298 of 303 captive gorillas over 1 year of age. The results were subjected to common factor analysis, resulting in the identification of four main factors: extroverted, dominant, fearful, and understanding. Frequency distributions were calculated illustrating the ranges of each factor. Potential management uses for the GBI scores are discussed. 0 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The crystal structure of phosphinothricin in the active site of glutamine synthetase illuminates the mechanism of enzymatic inhibition.

Phosphinothricin is a potent inhibitor of the enzyme glutamine synthetase (GS). The resolution of the native structure of GS from Salmonella typhimurium has been extended to 2.5 A resolution, and the improved model is used to determine the structure of phosphinothricin complexed to GS by difference Fourier methods. The structure suggests a noncovalent, dead-end mechanism of inhibition. Phosphinothricin occupies the glutamate substrate pocket and stabilizes the Glu327 flap in a position which blocks the glutamate entrance to the active site, trapping the inhibitor on the enzyme. One oxygen of the phosphinyl group of phosphinothricin appears to be protonated, because of its proximity to the carboxylate group of Glu327. The other phosphinyl oxygen protrudes into the negatively charged binding pocket for the substrate ammonium, disrupting that pocket. The distribution of charges in the glutamate binding pocket is complementary to those of phosphinothricin. The presence of a second ammonium binding site within...
Emergency Department Evaluation of Acute Pelvic Pain in the Adolescent Female

Adolescent females presenting to the emergency department (ED) with acute pelvic pain may have diagnoses with significant morbidity and in some cases, mortality. An adolescent female with a complaint of acute pelvic pain can create a challenging clinical situation for busy ED providers. Differentiating between acute and chronic pain, and determining gynecologic vs other origins is an important first step. A thorough knowledge of adolescent development and the legal requirements of confidential care are helpful in sorting through these complicated complaints. Assessing for sexual activity and risk taking, pregnancy, and other sexual health components is critical to a thorough assessment and accurate diagnostic plan. Using an organ-specific approach to the reproductive system, this article will focus on urgent and sometimes life-threatening gynecologic causes of acute pelvic pain in the adolescent female in the context of an ED visit.
Sex in primetime television: 1979 versus 1989

One week of primetime network television from 1989 was content analyzed with a coding scheme previously used to examine sex on television in 1979. At a time when AIDS and high rates of teenage pregnancy call for sexual responsibility, the study found that sexual behavior and language have not diminished over the 10‐year period. Instances of suggestive sexual displays and noncriminal sex acts declined, while sexual touching increased. Explicit intercourse, not in evidence in 1979, was shown in 1989. Issues of safe sex, sexually transmitted disease, and contraception are rarely addressed. Sex in primetime occurs predominantly among the unmarried, and white males typically initiate sexual acts and words.
Vitamin D and Pregnancy: Skeletal Effects, Nonskeletal Effects, and Birth Outcomes

The function and requirement of vitamin D during pregnancy for both mother and fetus have remained a mystery. This fact was highlighted by The Cochrane Review in 2000, which reported a lack of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with respect to vitamin D requirements during pregnancy. Unfortunately, during the past decade only a single RCT has been performed with respect to vitamin D requirements during pregnancy. In this review we will discuss vitamin D metabolism during pregnancy as well as the consequences of vitamin D deficiency on skeletal, nonskeletal, and birth outcomes using birth observational data and data from our recent RCT. New RCT data strongly support previous observational studies in that improving nutritional vitamin D status will improve birth outcomes. The new RCT data indicate that 4,000 IU/day vitamin D3 during pregnancy will “normalize” vitamin D metabolism and improve birth outcomes including primary cesarean section and comorbidities of pregnancy with no risk of side effects.
Activation of serotonin 3 receptors changes in vivo auditory responses in the mouse inferior colliculus

Metabotropic serotonin receptors such as 5-HT1A and 5-HT1B receptors shape the level, selectivity, and timing of auditory responses in the inferior colliculus (IC). Less is known about the effects of ionotropic 5-HT3 receptors, which are cation channels that depolarize neurons. In the present study, the influence of the 5-HT3 receptor on auditory responses in vivo was explored by locally iontophoresing a 5-HT3 receptor agonist and antagonists onto single neurons recorded extracellularly in mice. Three main findings emerge from these experiments. First, activation of the 5-HT3 receptor can either facilitate or suppress auditory responses, but response suppressions are not consistent with 5-HT3 effects on presynaptic GABAergic neurons. Both response facilitations and suppressions are less pronounced in neurons with high precision in response latency, suggesting functional differences in the role of receptor activation for different classes of neuron. Finally, the effects of 5-HT3 activation vary across repetition rate within a subset of single neurons, suggesting that the influence of receptor activation sometimes varies with the level of activity. These findings contribute to the view of the 5-HT3 receptor as an important component of the serotonergic infrastructure in the IC, with effects that are complex and neuron-selective.