cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electrical properties of the gate oxide and its interface with Si in U-shaped trench MOS capacitors: The impact of polycrystalline Si doping and oxide composition

Abstract We have examined boron penetration from heavily boron-doped p + -polycrystalline-Si gate into the gate dielectric/Si-sidewall interface and into bulk Si of U-shaped trench metal-oxide-Si capacitor. We have found that the inclusion of a thin nitride layer atop the thermal gate oxide inhibits boron penetration from the boron-doped p + -polycrystalline-Si gate into the dielectric/Si-sidewall interface and into bulk Si. The incorporation of the nitride layer on top of the thermal oxide to produce a two-layer gate dielectric, however, is observed to result in a significantly weaker dielectric, which breaks down at relatively low electric fields. This is the first time that degradation in breakdown qualities of thermal oxides in the presence of nitride layers is reported. Interface state bands are observed by deep level transient spectroscopy. These bands cover most of the Si bandgap and are of comparable concentrations in capacitors with different gate dielectric compositions (e.g., bare oxide, nitride-on-oxide or oxynitride) irrespective of the polycrystalline-Si gate doping (e.g., boron-doped p + or phosphorus-doped n + ). These energy bands are argued to be independent of gate dopant atoms as well as independent of nitrogen atoms coming from the oxynitride in the gate dielectric.
Removal of ammonium bromide, ammonium chloride, and zinc acetate from ionic liquid/organic mixtures using carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide can be used to remove ammonium salts and zinc acetate from ionic liquid/organic mixtures at 25 °C. The amount of CO2 required to achieve this separation is minimal.
Heavy chain diseases

Heavy chain diseases (HCDs) are rare B-cell lymphoplasma-cell proliferative disorders characterized by production of truncated monoclonal immunoglobulin heavy chains without associated light chains. HCDs involving the three main immunoglobulin classes have been described; α-HCD is the most common and has the most uniform presentation, γ- and μ-HCDs have variable clinical presentations and histopathologic features. HCDs can be thought of as variant types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma: α-HCD presents as an extranodal marginal-zone lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymph-node tissue, γ-HCD as lymphoplasmacytoid non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and μ-HCD as small lymphocytic non-Hodgkin lymphoma or chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Diagnosis of HCD requires documentation of a deleted immunoglobulin heavy chain without a bound light chain in the serum or urine. Prognosis is variable, and no standardized effective treatment programs are available except for α-HCD, which in its early stage may respond to antibiotics.
Does the recurrence of pregnancy-associated breast cancer during subsequent pregnancy 10 years after mastectomy support the unique hormonal milieu of pregnancy as a cause of tumorigenesis? A case and literature review.

CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2008 Abstracts Abstract #3058 We report a case of pregnancy-associated chest wall recurrence of breast adenocarcinoma 10 years following mastectomy and reconstruction for initial pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC). This represents the first reported case in the literature of a pregnancy-associated recurrence of pregnancy-associated breast cancer. The patient had no episodes of recurrent breast cancer during the interim 10 years, and only experienced a recurrence with a rapidly growing left chest mass during the subsequent pregnancy. Thus, the possibility that the malignancy may have been triggered by the pregnancy cannot be ignored. Although prior studies following breast cancer patients and their subsequent pregnancy have not shown an increase risk of recurrence, these studies were performed in “all comers” with breast cancer, and would not have had the statistical power to distinguish a small subset of patients with an increased risk, such as PABC patients. As a result, these patients have been assumed to be at no greater risk for recurrence with pregnancy and have been advised as such. It is reasonable to assume that PABC patients may, in fact, represent a unique subset of breast cancer patients with the unique hormonal milieu of pregnancy playing a mechanistic role in the propagation and proliferation of the disease. In this case a patient with prior PABC had a rapidly growing progesterone receptor positive breast cancer during a subsequent pregnancy. Further, studies have indicated that there is a possibility that the hormone status of women during pregnancy may in fact lead to a change in tumor characteristics, and therefore their risks. This instance would support the concern and represent the sentinel report describing a new subset of breast cancer with a unique spectrum of risk factors. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(2 Suppl):Abstract nr 3058.
Collisionally activated dissociation spectra of protonated methyl N-alkanoates studied using a triple quadrupole

The collisionally activated dissociation (CAD) spectra of protonated methyl n-alkanoates CH3 (CH2)nCOOCH3 with n = 1−9 were studied using a triple quadrupole. The influence of hydrocarbon chain length and collision energy on characteristic fragment ions such as those due to the loss of methanol was examined. It was found that most characteristic fragment ions became less important in the CAD spectra with increasing chain length of the esters and finally disappeared in the higher members of the series. Special care would have to be taken when trying to use such neutral losses in analysis for identifying the presence of a certain class of compounds.
Upset due to a single particle caused propagated transient in a bulk CMOS microprocessor

Data pattern advances observed in preset, single event upset (SEU) hardened clocked flip-flops, during static Cf-252 exposures on a bulk CMOS microprocessor, were attributable to particle caused anomalous clock signals, or propagated transients. SPICE simulations established that particle strikes in the output nodes of a clock control logic flip-flop could produce transients of sufficient amplitude and duration to be accepted as legitimate pulses by clock buffers fed by the flip-flop's output nodes. The buffers would then output false clock pulses, thereby advancing the state of the present flip-flops. Masking the clock logic on one of the test chips made the flip-flop data advance cease, confirming the clock logic as the source of the SEU. By introducing N/sub 2/ gas, at reduced pressures, into the SEU test chamber to attenuate Cf-252 particle LETs, a 24-26 MeV-cm/sup 2//mg LET threshold was deduced. Subsequent cyclotron tests established an LET threshold of 30 MeV-cm/sup 2//mg (283 MeV Cu at 0 degrees ) for the generation of false clocks. >
Colpidium-Produced RNA as a Growth Stimulant for Tetrahymena*

SYNOPSIS. During logarithmic growth, Colpidium campylum produced a complex, heat-stable material which elevated the reproductive ate of Tetrahymena subsequently inoculated into the culture. This material stimulated only early stages in the growth of Tetrahymena—effect accompanied by an increased number and size of food vacuoles. The Colpidium product was found to be RNA, precipitable from the medium by acetone. Lipids and proteins or peptides were also present in the complex; these appeared to protect the RNA from the action of chemical and physical agents.
Small molecule inhibition of PAX3-FOXO1 through AKT activation suppresses malignant phenotypes of alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma

Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS) comprises a rare highly malignant tumor presumed to be associated with skeletal muscle lineage in children. The hallmark of the majority of ARMS is a chromosomal translocation that generates the PAX3-FOXO1 fusion protein, which is an oncogenic transcription factor responsible for the development of the malignant phenotype of this tumor. ARMS cells are dependent to the oncogenic activity of PAX3-FOXO1 and its expression status in ARMS tumors correlates with worst patient outcome, suggesting that blocking this activity of PAX3-FOXO1 may be an attractive therapeutic strategy against this fusion-positive disease. In this study, we screened small-molecule chemical libraries for inhibitors of PAX3-FOXO1 transcriptional activity using a cell-based readout system. We identified the Sarco/Endoplasmic Reticulum Ca2+-ATPases (SERCA) inhibitor thapsigargin as an effective inhibitor of PAX3-FOXO1. Subsequent experiments in ARMS cells demonstrated that activation of AKT by thapsigargin inhibited PAX3-FOXO1 activity via phosphorylation. Moreover, this AKT activation appears to be associated with the effects of thapsigargin on intracellular calcium levels. Furthermore, thapsigargin inhibited the binding of PAX3-FOXO1 to target genes and subsequently promoted its proteosomal degradation. In addition, thapsigargin treatment decreases the growth and invasive capacity of ARMS cells while inducing apoptosis in vitro. Finally, thapsigargin can suppress the growth of an ARMS xenograft tumor in vivo. These data reveal that thapsigargin-induced activation of AKT is an effective mechanism to inhibit PAX3-FOXO1 and a potential agent for targeted therapy against ARMS.
Performance Measurements of Web Services-Based Applications

Testing of Web services is very different when compared with desktop software testing. Scalability and performance are the most important characteristics for evaluating a Web service application. In this paper, the methodology for testing the scalability and performance of a specific Web services application is presented, and the results of the testing are analyzed
Radical prostatectomy does not improve survival compared to observation for localised prostate cancer in a prospective randomised trial.

Commentary on: Wilt TJ, Brawer MK, Jones KM, et al. Prostate Cancer Intervention versus Observation Trial (PIVOT) Study Group. Radical prostatectomy versus observation for localized prostate cancer. N Engl J Med 2012; 367: 203– 13.[OpenUrl][1][CrossRef][2][PubMed][3][Web of Science][4] The beneficial role of prostate cancer screening and treatment has recently been called into question. The results of two recent trials have provided conflicting results with regard to the ability of prostate cancer screening to reduce prostate cancer-specific mortality.1 The Prostate Cancer Intervention versus Observation Trial (PIVOT) goes one step further by attempting to assess the efficacy of radical prostatectomy compared with observation, on overall and prostate cancer specific, survival in patients with localised prostate cancer. While there have been two trials conducted previously to address this issue, both took place prior to the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) era and they produced conflicting results.2 ,3 This … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DNew%2BEngland%2BJournal%2Bof%2BMedicine%26rft.stitle%253DNEJM%26rft.issn%253D0028-4793%26rft.aulast%253DWilt%26rft.auinit1%253DT.%2BJ.%26rft.volume%253D367%26rft.issue%253D3%26rft.spage%253D203%26rft.epage%253D213%26rft.atitle%253DRadical%2Bprostatectomy%2Bversus%2Bobservation%2Bfor%2Blocalized%2Bprostate%2Bcancer.%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1056%252FNEJMoa1113162%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F22808955%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1056/NEJMoa1113162&link_type=DOI [3]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=22808955&link_type=MED&atom=%2Febmed%2F18%2F4%2F139.atom [4]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=000306522900004&link_type=ISI
Distributed interacting multi-pattern data association tracking algorithm

A distributed interacting multi-pattern data association tracking algorithm is developed. Multi-pattern data association is based on a novel approach for tracking multiple targets using multiple patterns extracted from measurement sequences. To save the communication bandwidth, the distributed interacting multi-pattern data association tracking algorithm is based on exchanges of combined target tracks, which creates a unique difficulty in developing an optimal fusion algorithm. The difficulty is overcome by developing an equivalent platform model which then propagates the fused tracks needed for the distributed fusion algorithm.
Review of the Hylomyscus denniae group (Rodentia: Muridae) in eastern Africa, with comments on the generic allocation of Epimys endorobae Heller

ABSTRACT The status and distribution of eastern African populations currently assigned to Hylomyscus denniae are reviewed based on morphological and morphometric comparisons. Three species are considered valid, each confined largely to wet montane forest above 2000 meters: H. denniae (Thomas, 1906) proper from the Ruwenzori Mountains in the northern Albertine Rift (west-central Uganda and contiguous D. R. Congo); H. vulcanorum Lonnberg & Gyldenstolpe, 1925 from mountains in the central Albertine Rift (southwestern Uganda, easternmost D. R. Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi); and H. endorobae (Heller, 1910) from mountains bounding the Gregory Rift Valley (west-central Kenya). Although endorobae has been interpreted as a small form of Praomys, additional data are presented that reinforce its membership within Hylomyscus and that clarify the status of Hylomyscus and Praomys as distinct genus-group taxa. The 12 species of Hylomyscus now currently recognized are provisionally arranged in six species groups (H. aeta, ...
Algorithmic redistribution methods for block-cyclic decompositions

This article presents various data redistribution methods for block-partitioned linear algebra algorithms operating on dense matrices that are distributed in a block-cyclic fashion. Because the algorithmic partitioning unit and the distribution blacking factor are most often chosen to be equal, severe alignment restrictions are induced on the operands, and optimal values with respect to performance are architecture dependent. The techniques presented in this paper redistribute data "on the fly," so that the user's data distribution blocking factor becomes independent from the architecture dependent algorithmic partitioning. These techniques are applied to the matrix-matrix multiplication operation. A performance analysis along with experimental results shows that alignment restrictions can then be removed and that high performance can be maintained across platforms independently from the user's data distribution blocking factor.
Two Strategies for Leveraging Teams Toward Organizational Effectiveness: Scenario Planning and Organizational Ambidexterity

The purpose of this article is to position two key tools (which may already be in use in organizations) as tools for leveraging teams toward organizational effectiveness. These tools are scenario planning, and organizational ambidexterity. Scenario planning has already been positioned as HRD’s strategic learning system, and organizational ambidexterity is an emerging framework. These two tools have team building components that could be featured to take advantage of this function. The task of this article is to reposition these strategic tools with an emphasis on how they leverage teams as their primary means for improving organizational effectiveness. The key components of each are described, focusing on how teams can be used as the primary mode for accomplishing the purposes of each tool.
Milking frequency, estradiol cypionate, and somatotropin influence lactation and reproduction in dairy cows.

Abstract Our objectives were to determine lactational and reproductive outcomes in response to increased milking frequency (MF), injection of estradiol cypionate (ECP), and treatment with bovine somatotropin (bST). Lactating dairy cows (n=144) were blocked by lactation number (1 vs. 2+) and assigned randomly to a 2×2×2 factorial experiment consisting of 8 treatment combinations: 1) MF consisting of 4× daily milking (4×) for the first 30 d in milk (DIM) vs. 2× daily milking (2×), with all cows milked 2× after 30 DIM; 2) 10mg of ECP given postpartum at 8±3 DIM versus controls that received ECP diluent (oil); and 3) biweekly bovine somatotropin (bST), starting sometime after 60 DIM, versus no bST. Ovulation before the first artificial insemination was synchronized by using Heatsynch (GnRH injection 7 d before PGF 2α followed in 24h by ECP), and cows were artificially inseminated after detected estrus or at 48h after ECP, whichever came first. Pregnancy was assessed by transrectal ultrasonography 28 to 30 d after artificial insemination. Daily yield and weekly components of milk were measured during the first 90 DIM. Intervals to first and second postpartum ovulation were unaffected by treatment, but cows were in estrus earlier after 2× (24±4 d) than 4× (41±4 d) daily MF, and sooner after ECP (25±3 d) than after oil (39±4 d) treatment. Pregnancy rates among 4× cows increased for ECP versus oil (52.8 vs. 27.8%) more than for cows with 2× MF treated with ECP versus oil (50.0 vs. 39.4%). Increased MF increased daily milk yields and energy-corrected milk yields during the first 30 DIM. Although milk yields were increased acutely by ECP during the 10 d after its injection, subsequent milk yields were decreased for ECP-treated cows previously milked 4× daily. Treatment with bST increased overall daily milk yields most in cows previously milked 2× daily and treated with oil and those milked 4× daily and treated with ECP. We concluded that early postpartum ECP injection increased pregnancy rates, but generally had detrimental effects on milk yields after 30 DIM for ECP-treated cows previously milked 4× daily, unless those cows also were treated with bST.
Nitrogen and phosphorus transport in runoff from compost berms on a simulated military training landscape.

Compost mulches have potential to significantly offset on- and off-site environmental impacts resulting from mechanical soil disturbances and training manoeuvres on military training ranges. N and ...
Conducting the Needs Assessment

Learn a Needs Assessment protocol specific to ASD program planning Increase understanding of how data inform program planning decisions
New Silicon (111) Surface (7×7) Reconstruction Benzene-Like Ring Model

A new silicon (111) surface (7×7) reconstruction model is proposed. The model for the unit mesh consists of 13 benzene like rings formed by lowering triples of top layer atoms and 12 raised top layer atoms, with three of the rings combining to give depressed corners. The construction of the model is based on some considerations of the physical properties of the surface and on cluster calculations using the semi-empirical MNDOgeometrical optimization method. A cluster calculations with 9 silicon atoms gave the ring structure as an energy minimized result and also gives evidence that the two halves of the unit mesh should be at different height levels. A 13 silicon atom “flower” cluster calculation gave the height of the raised atoms to be .851A. The structure of the unit mesh resembles two types of (2×2) structure which can be formed from the rings and raised atoms (“flowers”), one of which is readily transformed into pi-bonded chain or molecular structures. The model gives a good qualititative account of the various hills and valleys seen in scanning tunneling microscopy, and since lateral displacement is small, it agrees with low energy channeling experiments. In addition good agreement with Cardillo s helium atom scattering experiment and Yang et al. s LEED experiment is found as the model has different heights for the two halves of the unit mesh and characteristics of a mixture of two types of structure.
Architecture and design of a real-time parallel processor

The authors present a novel architecture and its design for a real-time parallel array processor for high-speed digital signal processing applications. The processor generates sequential output data from a stream of input data and a set of predetermined coefficients. The processor has been designed and functionally simulated by the VHSIC Hardware Description Language. The processor includes a pipelined array of multiplier-accumulator circuits which provide parallel operation to the processor. The processor does not use parallel operation for data input rates lower than the data processing rate, but the degree of parallelism is increased up to 3 for data input rates higher than the data processing rate. This increase in the degree of parallelism enhances the data throughput more than twofold over that of any of the current conventional architecture processors that are used in similar applications. >
Approaches and Issues in Location-Aware Continuous Authentication

Convergence of technologies enabling physical and information security makes it possible to combine the features of location-aware and continuous authentication in a single system. We discuss the design of a location-aware continuous authentication system and discuss different implementation approaches that would strike a balance between usability and security of such a system. Issues of location privacy arising from using such systems are also discussed.
Deductive verification of alternating systems

Alternating systems are models of computer programs whose behavior is governed by the actions of multiple agents with, potentially, different goals. Examples include control systems, resource schedulers, security protocols, auctions and election mechanisms. Proving properties about such systems has emerged as an important new area of study in formal verification, with the development of logical frameworks such as the alternating temporal logic ATL*. Techniques for model checking ATL* over finite-state systems have been well studied, but many important systems are infinite-state and thus their verification requires, either explicitly or implicitly, some form of deductive reasoning. This paper presents a theoretical framework for the analysis of alternating infinite-state systems. It describes models of computation, of various degrees of generality, and alternating-time logics such as ATL* and its variations. It then develops a proof system that allows to prove arbitrary ATL* properties over these infinite-state models. The proof system is shown to be complete relative to validities in the weakest possible assertion language. The paper then derives auxiliary proof rules and verification diagrams techniques and applies them to security protocols, deriving a new formal proof of fairness of a multi-party contract signing protocol where the model of the protocol and of the properties contains both game-theoretic and infinite-state (parameterized) aspects.
Reporter mRNAs cleaved by Rnt1p are exported and degraded in the cytoplasm

For most protein coding genes, termination of transcription by RNA polymerase II is preceded by an endonucleolytic cleavage of the nascent transcript. The 3' product of this cleavage is rapidly degraded via the 5' exoribonuclease Rat1p which is thought to destabilize the RNA polymerase II complex. It is not clear whether RNA cleavage is sufficient to trigger nuclear RNA degradation and transcription termination or whether the fate of the RNA depends on additional elements. For most mRNAs, this cleavage is mediated by the cleavage and polyadenylation machinery, but it can also be mediated by Rnt1p. We show that Rnt1p cleavage of an mRNA is not sufficient to trigger nuclear degradation or transcription termination. Insertion of an Rnt1p target site into a reporter mRNA did not block transcription downstream of the cleavage site, but instead produced two unstable cleavage products, neither of which were stabilized by inactivation of Rat1p. In contrast, the 3' and 5' cleavage products were stabilized by the deletion of the cytoplasmic 5' exoribonuclease (Xrn1p) or by inactivation of the cytoplasmic RNA exosome. These data indicate that transcription termination and nuclear degradation is not the default fate of cleaved RNAs and that specific promoter and/or sequence elements are required to determine the fate of the cleavage products.
An Empirical Test of Causal Inference Between Role Perceptions, Satisfaction with Work, Performance and Organizational Level.

Previous research has suggested that organizational level may explain to a significant extent the differential impact of role perceptions (i.e., role ambiguity and role conflict) on employee satisfaction and performance. Causal inferences could not be drawn from these studies because of the predominant use of static correlational methods. In this study, in a hospital setting, a six-month time-lag between data collection periods was used to develop causal inferences. The results supported the hypothesis that role ambiguity was a source of causal inference with satisfaction with work at the higher organizational level, while role conflict was a source of causal inference with satisfaction with work at the lower organizational level. The source and direction of causal influence with respect to role perceptions and performance was supported only at the higher organizational level.
Virtualizing the data plane through source code merging

Virtualization is a key technology that enables multiple research groups to test new protocols simultaneously on the same physical network and also allows service providers to incrementally add new services. In this paper we focus on virtualization of the data plane, allowing for customized packet handling in each virtual network.Much work has been done on virtualization technology. However, this has been focused on the user application experience or on a fixed networking stack. Rather than running custom data planes in user space or running separate guest operating systems, both of which come at a performance hit, we propose running a single kernel-level custom data-plane by synthesizing the configuration of the per-virtual-network data planes.In this paper we present this idea using Click, where packet processing is specified as an interconnection of fixed networking tasks. We then demonstrate the idea using an unvirtualized Linux kernel as the target platform, showing how we provided isolation between the customized data plane.
Risk Factors for Abnormal Developmental Trajectories in Young Children With Congenital Heart Disease

Background—Children with congenital heart disease are at risk for developmental delay. This study sought to identify early risk factors for abnormal developmental trajectories in children with congenital heart disease. Methods and Results—Children with congenital heart disease at high risk for developmental delay, without known genetic abnormality, and with ≥3 assessments by the use of the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition, were studied. Logistic regression was used to assess the impact of patient and clinical factors on cognitive, language, and motor score trajectories; classified as: average or improved if all scores were ≥85 (<1 standard deviation below the mean) or increased to ≥85 and never decreased; or abnormal if all scores were <85, fell to <85 and never improved, or fluctuated above and below 85. Data on 131 children with 527 Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition assessments were analyzed. Subject age was 5.5 to 37.4 months. Overall, 56% had ...
It started with Watson and Crick, but it sure didn't end there: Pitfalls and possibilities beyond the classic double helix

The Watson-Crick double helix is perhaps the most predictable and programmable of all intermolecular interactions. In addition to its biological role in the cell, double helical DNA is used for DNA-based computation and for DNA nanotechnology. The success of these applications has been based on the reliability of Watson-Crick base pairing, and, in the latter case, circumventing the linearity of the double helix. We survey some of the alternative base pairing structures that can be found in synthetic systems, indicating motifs that can be propagated and giving examples of mispairing that can occur within the double helical context. We discuss some of the more common covalent modifications of nucleic acids. We also indicate the structural interplay of special sequences and negative supercoiling. In addition to the caveats that we present involving unexpected results in nucleic acid systems, we show that the process of reciprocal exchange and the generalization of complementarity can be used to generate branched DNA motifs for use in DNA nanotechnology or DNA-based computation. We show that these motifs can be used for the directed construction of DNA objects, for the generation of specific designed patterns in two-dimensional lattices, for computation by self-assembly, and for the fabrication of DNA-based nanodevices. The use of non-Watson-Crick DNA leads inherently both to errors and to thrilling possibilities. Successfully juggling these aspects of generalized nucleic acid structure is an exciting challenge to investigators in the area.
Influence of Temperature on Glucose Utilization by Pseudomonas fluorescens

The influence of temperature on the conversion of glucose into cell material and into energy for maintenance was determined for Pseudomonas fluorescens by a steady-state turbidity method and by a substrate utilization method. Conversion of glucose into cell material was measured as yield; conversion of glucose into energy for maintenance was measured as specific maintenance, the minimum dilution rate in continuous culture below which a steady state is not possible. The values obtained by the two methods were nearly identical; with both, the yield and specific maintenance decreased with decreasing temperature. The specific maintenance consumption rate (milligrams of glucose taken up per milligram of cell dry weight per hour at zero growth) was also calculated by the substrate utilization method and found to decrease with decreasing temperature. However, the amount of glucose consumed per generation for maintenance increased with decreasing temperature. This increased glucose consumption for maintenance may provide a partial explanation for the decrease in yield at low temperatures. Small amounts of glucose were also converted into pigment at all temperatures tested, with the greatest amount formed at 20 C.
Evidence that a linear megaplasmid encodes enzymes of aliphatic alkene and epoxide metabolism and coenzyme M (2-mercaptoethanesulfonate) biosynthesis in Xanthobacter strain Py2.

The bacterial metabolism of propylene proceeds by epoxidation to epoxypropane followed by a sequence of three reactions resulting in epoxide ring opening and carboxylation to form acetoacetate. Coenzyme M (2-mercaptoethanesulfonic acid) (CoM) plays a central role in epoxide carboxylation by serving as the nucleophile for epoxide ring opening and the carrier of the C(3) unit that is ultimately carboxylated to acetoacetate, releasing CoM. In the present work, a 320-kb linear megaplasmid has been identified in the gram-negative bacterium Xanthobacter strain Py2, which contains the genes encoding the key enzymes of propylene oxidation and epoxide carboxylation. Repeated subculturing of Xanthobacter strain Py2 under nonselective conditions, i.e., with glucose or acetate as the carbon source in the absence of propylene, resulted in the loss of the propylene-positive phenotype. The propylene-negative phenotype correlated with the loss of the 320-kb linear megaplasmid, loss of induction and expression of alkene monooxgenase and epoxide carboxylation enzyme activities, and the loss of CoM biosynthetic capability. Sequence analysis of a hypothetical protein (XecG), encoded by a gene located downstream of the genes for the four enzymes of epoxide carboxylation, revealed a high degree of sequence identity with proteins of as-yet unassigned functions in the methanogenic archaea Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum and Methanococcus jannaschii and in Bacillus subtilis. The M. jannaschii homolog of XecG, MJ0255, is located next to a gene, MJ0256, that has been shown to encode a key enzyme of CoM biosynthesis (M. Graupner, H. Xu, and R. H. White, J. Bacteriol. 182: 4862-4867, 2000). We propose that the propylene-positive phenotype of Xanthobacter strain Py2 is dependent on the selective maintenance of a linear megaplasmid containing the genes for the key enzymes of alkene oxidation, epoxide carboxylation, and CoM biosynthesis.
On the effect of communication delays in failure diagnosis of decentralized discrete event systems

We study the effect of communication delays on the performance of a coordinated decentralized architecture for failure diagnosis of untimed discrete event systems. The architecture consists of local sites communicating with a coordinator that is responsible for diagnosing the failures occurring in the system. A protocol that realizes the architecture is defined by the diagnostic information generated at the local sites, the communication rules used by the local sites, and the decision rule used by the coordinator to infer the occurrence of failures. The authors previously (2000) addressed the performance of a set of protocols under the assumption that messages sent from various local sites to the coordinator are received in the order in which they are sent globally. In this work we relax this assumption. We modify the coordinator's decision rule for one of the protocols analyzed in [6] to account for the reception of out of order messages at the coordinator's site. We discover conditions on the system structure under which the modified protocol performs as well as the centralized diagnostic scheme of Sampath et al. (1995).
Practical suggestions for helping emergency nurses handle mass casualties.

Disaster plans need practical approaches to ensure that all staff function well. This article describes how a disaster plan was customized within a department. Decision trees have been created for each staff position (manager, supervisor, resource nurse, staff nurse) as well as for key processes (triage and supplies). Simplicity is the key because it decreases confusion before and during the disaster. These templates and processes can be easily understood and applied in any ED or setting. Language: en
Representation of the Spatial Frequency Content of Errors on Optical Surfaces

It is increasingly important to quantify the spatial frequency content of errors on an optical surface. There are a variety of possible mathematical approaches, and this paper evaluates advantages and disadvantages of the standard techniques.
Causes of Congenital Malformations

The genetic epidemiology of congenital malformations (CMs) and interaction with environmental causes are reviewed from the Arkansas Center for Birth Defects, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Little Rock, AS.
An L1 Adaptive Pitch Controller for Miniature Air Vehicles

One of the challenges in designing low level control loops for Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) is that the manufacturing process for airframes is not consistent enough to ensure uniform aerodynamic properties. Therefore, there is a signiflcant need for robust adaptive control techniques that are computationally simple. Conventional Model Reference Adaptive Controllers (MRAC) have proved to be very useful in a number of ∞ight tests over the past years. However, a major drawback of this control architecture is that during the transient the control signal or the system output can exhibit large oscillations. This requires intensive Monte-Carlo testing for all possible variations in all possible scenarios before each ∞ight test. This paper presents preliminary results for a novel adaptive control technique that is both computationally simple, and has uniform bounded transient response. The efiectiveness of the proposed control scheme is demonstrated through simulation results produced by a medium-fldelity hardware-in-the-loop simulator as well as ∞ight test results on a flve foot wingspan unmanned air vehicle.
JAK/STAT regulation of Aspergillus fumigatus corneal infections and IL-6/23-stimulated neutrophil, IL-17, elastase, and MMP9 activity

IL-6 and IL-23 (IL-6/23) induce IL-17A (IL-17) production by a subpopulation of murine and human neutrophils, resulting in autocrine IL-17 activation, enhanced production of reactive oxygen species, and increased fungal killing. As IL-6 and IL-23 receptors trigger JAK1, -3/STAT3 and JAK2/STAT3 phosphorylation, respectively, we examined the role of this pathway in a murine model of fungal keratitis and also examined neutrophil elastase and gelatinase (matrix metalloproteinase 9) activity by IL-6/23-stimulated human neutrophils in vitro. We found that STAT3 phosphorylation of neutrophils in Aspergillus fumigatus-infected corne as was inhibited by the JAK/STAT inhibitor Ruxolitinib, resulting in impaired fungal killing and decreased matrix metalloproteinase 9 activity. In vitro, we showed that fungal killing by IL-6/23-stimulated human peripheral blood neutrophils was impaired by JAK/STAT inhibitors Ruxolitinib and Stattic, and by the retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor γt inhibitor SR1001. This was also associated with decreased reactive oxygen species, IL-17A production, and retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor γt translocation to the nucleus. We also demonstrate that IL-6/23-activated neutrophils exhibit increased elastase and gelatinase (matrix metalloproteinase 9) activity, which is inhibited by Ruxolitinib and Stattic but not by SR1001. Taken together, these observations indicate that the regulation of activity of IL-17-producing neutrophils by JAK/STAT inhibitors impairs reactive oxygen species production and fungal killing activity but also blocks elastase and gelatinase activity that can cause tissue damage.
Inconvenient Truths A Response to the Article by David Stoesz, “The Child Welfare Cartel”

David Stoesz offers a sweeping critique of the Children’s Bureau and social work education by claiming the existence of a “child welfare cartel.” He also attacks the quality of social work educatio...
Hydrogen Sulfide Therapy in Diabetes-Accelerated Atherosclerosis: A Whiff of Success.

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in diabetes (1). Atherosclerosis occurs earlier and with greater severity in the population with diabetes, leading to a much higher risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, and limb ischemia and amputation. Although numerous factors contribute to the etiology of atherosclerosis, oxidative stress and inflammation play a fundamental role and both processes are exacerbated in diabetes. Given the rapidly growing worldwide incidence of diabetes, there is a critical need for new therapies that target atherogenesis and its clinical manifestations in patients with diabetes. The gasotransmitters nitric oxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO), and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) have emerged as crucial regulators of vascular disease in diabetes (2). Although NO and CO have been extensively studied, less is known regarding the role of H2S in diabetes. H2S is a colorless, water-soluble gas with the characteristic smell of rotten eggs. It is generated by the metabolism of cysteine by the enzymes cystathionine β-synthase and cystathionine γ-lyase or by the concerted action of cysteine amino transferase and 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase (Fig. 1). H2S is also produced nonenzymatically from glucose, glutathione, thiosulfate, and sulfur-containing proteins and by the bacterial reduction of sulfur in the intestinal tract (3,4). Although long considered a toxic gas, studies in the past decade have revealed important physiological roles for H2S. H2S promotes blood flow by dilating blood vessels and inhibiting platelet aggregation (3,5). It also exerts potent antioxidant, antiapoptotic, anti-inflammatory, and angiogenic responses. H2S …
Fish nursery habitat function of the main channel, floodplain tributaries and oxbow lakes of a medium-sized river.

Small, adventitious tributaries (<3 orders of magnitude smaller than the stream it flows into) are a conspicuous feature of many river–floodplain systems, but their value as fish reproduction and nursery habitat is not well understood compared to oxbow lakes and the main river channel (MRC). Moreover, connectivity of tributaries to the MRC is often less impacted by anthropogenic modifications (e.g., dams and levees) compared to oxbow lakes. From April to July 2012, larval and juvenile fish were collected in the Fourche LaFave River (Arkansas, USA) system to better understand fish nursery habitat function of tributaries relative to oxbow lakes and the MRC. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling ordination of juvenile and larval fish genera revealed distinct fish assemblages in MRC and floodplain habitats. Ordination of juvenile fish at the species level resulted in distinct fish assemblages in tributary versus oxbow lake habitats. Tributaries had more unique species and higher abundance of shared species than oxbow lakes and MRC. Additionally, of the 46 species identified, all but six were collected in lower tributary reaches. Connectivity was strongly associated with both ordinations and was important in describing patterns of fish variation among habitats and between tributaries. Of the tributaries sampled, the least fragmented stream had the most similar fish assemblages between upper and lower sections. Findings of this study revealed tributaries are an important, yet overlooked, feature in the river–floodplain model. Especially in years of drought, channel–floodplain connectivity can be limited, but tributaries can be used by fishes for reproduction and nursery habitat.
The Vulnerability of Biodiversity to Rapid Climate Change

Over recent decades, conservation biologists and land stewards have become increasingly aware of the need to incorporate rapid changes in climate as a threat to biodiversity in conservation planning and practice. This chapter (1) generalizes future outlooks for climate and discusses uncertainties in these outlooks, (2) reviews key aspects of the vulnerability of biodiversity to climate change, considered from genetics through landscapes, and (3) concludes presenting strategies for handing this vulnerability and associated uncertainty in conservation planning. In summary, biodiversity is vulnerable to changing climate conditions across its breadth and depth – that is to say, altering composition, structure, and function of species genetics and populations and of communities, ecosystems, and landscapes. This vulnerability is highly interwoven across these levels and across temporal and spatial scales, as well as being context dependent. Consequently, the task of incorporating climate vulnerability into conservation planning is essential but challenging. Inherent limitations in predicting outcomes of vulnerability’s complex dynamics, coupled with uncertainties in future forcings, make it difficult at best to anticipate specific consequences. A ‘vulnerability approach’ to conservation planning focuses on enhancing species and ecosystem adaptive capacity, employing strategies to lower risks from uncertainties. Complementary strategies – some analogous to financial and business planning tenets for coping with uncertainty – include expert elicitation, multiple planning horizons, scenario planning, a no-regrets goal, and adaptive management.
Untrapping Kinetically Trapped Ions: The Role of Water Vapor and Ion-Source Activation Conditions on the Gas-Phase Protomer Ratio of Benzocaine Revealed by Ion-Mobility Mass Spectrometry.

The role of water vapor in transforming the thermodynamically preferred species of protonated benzocaine to the less favored protomer was investigated using helium-plasma ionization (HePI) in conjunction with ion-mobility mass spectrometry (IM-MS). The IM arrival-time distribution (ATD) recorded from a neat benzocaine sample desorbed to the gas phase by a stream of dry nitrogen and ionized by HePI showed essentially one peak for the O-protonated species. However, when water vapor was introduced to the enclosed ion source, within a span of about 150 ms the ATD profile changed completely to one dominated by the N-protonated species. Under spray-based ionization conditions, the nature and composition of the solvents have been postulated to play a decisive role in defining the manifested protomer ratios. In reality, the solvent vapors present in the ion source (particularly the ambient humidity) indirectly dictate the gas-phase ratio of the protomers. Evidently, the gas-phase protomer ratio established at the confinement of the ions is readjusted by the ion-activation that takes place during the transmission of ions to the vacuum. Although it has been repeatedly stated that ions can retain a “memory” of their solution structures because they can be kinetically trapped, and thereby represent their solution-based stabilities, we show that the initial airborne ions can undergo significant transformations in the transit through the intermediate vacuum zones between the ion source and the mass detector. In this context, we demonstrate that the kinetically trapped N-protomer of benzocaine can be untrapped by reducing the humidity of the enclosed ion source.
The child study movement: early growth and development of the symbolized child.

Publisher Summary The child study movement brought to a focus a number of motives and needs in American society in the late nineteenth century. Child study was not a simple outgrowth of either scientific progress or social change. It was something that happened at a meeting place of science and society. Several groups in society, not identical in their interests, engaged with scientists and scholars who were not unanimous in their visions of ways and means and possibilities. G. Stanley Hall was an emblematic figure in all this, in part an actor intent on his own vision, in part an impresario, setting forth a stage on which various groups could project their disparate interests in child study. Six groups with six motives took an interest in child study. Scientists of the late nineteenth century saw in child study a legitimate arena for the search for rationality and lawfulness in human behavior. Leaders of higher education were concerned less about form and more about the efficacy of child study. American education had several demands upon child study, corresponding to changes that were appearing in the late nineteenth century in early education, elementary education, and high schools. The social workers and child savers were a conglomerate group with diverse needs for child study. They wanted channels of communication through which they could discuss the work they were doing and its efficacy and through which they could receive news of others doing similar work. Parents formed a large and interested audience for child study. Like all the “in service” audiences, the parents wanted ideas about the possibilities and limits of their efficacy and responsibility.
Diazonium-functionalized thin films from the spontaneous reaction of p-phenylenebis(diazonium) salts

Salts of the diazonium coupling agent p-phenylenebis(diazonium) form diazonium-terminated conjugated thin films on a variety of conductive and nonconductive surfaces by spontaneous reaction of the coupling agent with the surface. The resulting diazonium-bearing surface can be reacted with various organic and inorganic nucleophiles to form a functionalized surface. These surfaces have been characterized with voltammetry, XPS, infrared and Raman spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Substrates that can be conveniently and quickly modified with this process include ordinary glass, gold, and an intact, fully assembled commercial screen-printed carbon electrode. The scope and convenience of this process make it promising for practical surface modification.