cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The First Upper Triassic Vertebrate Locality in Antarctica

In December 1999 we collected bones of two small reptiles from Upper Triassic mudstone on Mount Dearborn in southern Victoria Land, Antarctica. One specimen includes indeterminate limb fragments of a small reptile and the other is a tusk of a small dicynodont. We found both specimens in loose clasts on a slope of fine-grained strata above the second major channel-form sandstone above the base of member C in the Lashly Formation. The fossils occur in medium gray mudstone of the same lithology as the surrounding bedrock. Lashly member C at Mount Dearborn and in southern Victoria Land is composed of fining-upward cycles. At Mount Dearborn the cycles begin with channel-form, medium- to fine-grained sandstone. Quartz pebbles and cobbles occur at the base and in lenses with mudstone clasts. Lenses of coal occur along bedding planes and scours. The cycles fine upward gradually from sandstone to siltstone and carbonaceous mudstone with coal at the top. The Dicroidium flora is better preserved in the upper part of the cycles. A palynomorph assemblage from one of the bone-bearing samples suggests a Late Triassic (Carnian) age for the locality. This is the first report of Upper Triassic vertebrates in Antarctica and also of terrestrial vertebrates in Victoria Land. All previous vertebrate localities have been in non-carbonaceous beds in the central Transantarctic Mountains. The discovery expands the sequence of tetrapod occurrences in Lower, Middle and Upper Triassic and Lower Jurassic rocks in the Transantarctic Mountains. It appears that reptilian faunas managed to inhabit high latitudes (>60°), at least intermittently, for a period of 50 million years, suggesting a relatively warm climate for parts of Antarctica during those times.
Photoprocesses in self-assembled complexes of oligopeptides with metalloporphyrins

Ion-pair complexes between the cationic metalloporphyrins, tetrakis(N-methyl-4-pyridyl)porphyrin (Pd(II)TMPyP4+ and Zn(II)TMPyP4+), and anionic pentapeptides consisting of a string of four glutamic acid residues terminated either by tyrosine (Glu4Tyr) or by tryptophan moieties (Glu4Trp) have been assembled and studied by steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopy. Evidence for ion association between porphyrin and peptide was provided by the effect of peptide concentration on the ground state absorption spectra of the porphyrin. Flash photolysis experiments showed that, in the presence of peptide, Pd(II)TMPyP4+ triplet decay was described by the sum of two exponential terms. The fast decay component (6.6 ± 0.2 106 s-1 for the Tyr variant and 1.4 ± 0.15 107 s-1 for the Trp analog) was found to be independent of peptide concentration. The slow decay component showed a linear increase in value with peptide concentration, and a bimolecular rate constant of 6.2 × 109 M-1 s-1 was extracted for both peptides. T...
On finding minimum routes in a network with turn penalties

In some highway engineering work it is necessary to find a route between two points in a city's street and freeway network such that a function of time and distance is minimized. Such a route is called a “best” route, and finding such a route is not a difficult task. The Moore Algorithm1 accomplishes this quite nicely, and using that algorithm and a procedure developed by Hoffman and Pavley2 (programmed by them for the IBM 650) it is even possible to find the “Nth best path.”
Identification asymmetry of parafoveal stimulus pairs

Three experiments, involving 8, 10, and 10 naive participants, respectively, were conducted to examine the phenomenon in which the peripheral member of a parafoveally appearing stimulus pair is more accurately identified than the central. In the first experiment, the asymmetry was observed with stimulus pairs which had but one distinguishing feature; this could have implications for the notion that feature perturbations between stimuli provide the basis for the effect. The second experiment eliminated an explanation based upon acuity at the position of the midpoint of the stimulus configuration, since the asymmetry remains when this position is held constant. The involvement of response or decision factors seems unlikely, since the third experiment found the effect with blocked presentations involving responses to only one member of the pair. It is concluded that accounts which appeal to difficulties in separating stimuli from the overall pair configuration fail to explain more accurate identification of the peripheral stimulus when the pair is positioned at a constant distance from fixation.
Leader or Manager: The Minority Department Chair of the Majority Department

This essay takes up the discussion and corresponding debate about leaders and managers. It does so by looking at the long neglected topic of minority department chairpersons within the organization...
Microporous metal-organic frameworks with high gas sorption and separation capacity

The design, synthesis, and structural characterization of two microporous metal-organic framework structures, [M(bdc)(ted)0.5]·2DMF-0.2H 2 O (M=Zn (1), Cu (2); H2bdc=1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid; ted=triethylenediamine; DMF: N,N-dimethylformamide) is reported. The pore characteristics and gas sorption properties of these compounds are investigated at cryogenic temperatures, room temperature, and higher temperatures by experimentally measuring argon, hydrogen, and selected hydrocarbon adsorption/desorption isotherms. These studies show that both compounds are highly porous with a pore volume of 0.65 (1) and 0.52 cm 3 g -1 (2). The amount of the hydrogen uptake, 2.1 wt % (1) and 1.8 wt % (2) at 77 K (1 atm; 1 atm =101 325 Pa), places them among the group of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) having the highest H 2 sorption capacity. [Zn(bdc)(ted) 0.5 ]·2 DMF·0.2 H 2 O adsorbs a very large amount of hydrocarbons, including methanol, ethanol, dimethylether (DME), n-hexane, cyclohexane, and benzene, giving the highest sorption values among all metal-organic based porous materials reported to date. In addition, these materials hold great promise for gas separation.
Program partitioning for NUMA multiprocessor computer systems

Abstract Program partitioning and scheduling are essential steps in programming non-shared-memory computer systems. Partitioning is the separation of program operations into sequential tasks, and scheduling is the assignment of tasks to processors. To be effective, automatic methods require an accurate representation of the model of computation and the target architecture. Current partitioning methods assume today′s most prevalent models - macro dataflow and a homogeneous/two-level multicomputer system. Based on communication channels, neither model represents well the emerging class of NUMA multiprocessor computer systems consisting of hierarchical read/write memories. Consequently, the partitions generated by extant methods do not execute well on these systems. In this paper, we extend the conventional graph representation of the macro-dataflow model to enable mapping heuristics to consider the complex conununication options supported by NUMA architectures. We describe two such heuristics. Simulated execution times of program graphs show that our model and heuristics generate higher quality program mappings than current methods for NUMA architectures.
A study of γ-ray transitions in 26Al

Abstract The decay scheme of excited levels of 26 Al up to 4000 keV, produced by the reaction 24 Mg( 3 He, p) 26 Al ∗ , has been investigated. The two-parameter p-γ coincidence spectra indicate decay modes for some levels which differ from the literature. Our results are consistent with the existence of a triplet near 2070 keV, as indicated by recent 25 Mg(p, γ) work. The upper member of the triplet, at 2071.5 keV, has been found to branch > 91% to the 228 keV first excited state and J π = 1 + , T = 0 third excited state. Directional correlation measurements made with axially symmetric reaction geometry lead to definite spin assignments J = 1 for the three levels at 1850, 2071.5 and 2740 keV.
Cross‐state findings on families leaving welfare

Fourteen states and large counties received federal funding in 1998 to use a combination of administrative and survey data to monitor the condition of families leaving welfare. This chapter provides an overview of these studies.
AGE AND RULE‐BREAKING IN PRISON A Test of Sociocultural Interpretations

Age differences in rule-breaking have been widely noted and widely explained, but rarely if ever have sociological explanations been subjected to actual test. This study examines such age differences among women in prison and lends support to the notion that age differences are more characteristic of inmates with urban backgrounds than of inmates with rural or small town backgrounds. Moreover, among urban inmates age differences appear to be due to age-related normative orientations and commitments rather than age “itself” or related losses of “energy,”“daring,” or “vigor.” Finally, the study supports recurring arguments that non-constitutional characteristics of inmates can shape normative and behavioral conflict within the prison.
Energy transduction in quinone inhibition of insect feeding

Abstract Variously substituted 1,4-naphthoquinones inhibited (deterred) feeding by Periplaneta americana. Certain sensilla on the antennae were important receptors for the deterrent stimulus. Dendritic branches of sensory neurons in the sensilla are exposed to the exogenous inhibitory chemicals via pores which penetrate the cuticle. The order of relative degree of complexing of a given naphthoquinone to density-gradient fractions of antennal homogenates rich in nerve membrane fragments matched the order of relative deterrency of that chemical to feeding. Sulphhydryl groups of protein in the antennae were important sites of reaction. Energy transduction at the receptor site involved complexing of the quinone with the receptor chemical and the ultimate reduction of the quinone to its quinol. Energy transfer between sulphhydryl groups and quinones provided a mechanism which could bring about a change in conformation of the receptor macromolecule which could allow inorganic ion flows to generate the action potential of the neuron.
A General Polynomial Sieve

An important component of the index calculus methods for finding discrete logarithms is the acquisition of smooth polynomial relations. Gordon and McCurley (1992) developed a sieve to aid in finding smooth Coppersmith polynomials for use in the index calculus method. We discuss their approach and some of the difficulties they found with their sieve. We present a new sieving method that can be applied to any affine subspace of polynomials over a finite field.
A cube-connected cycles architecture with high reliability and improved performance

The cube-connected cycles (CCC) architecture is an attractive parallel computation network, because it is suitable for VLSI implementation while preserving all the desired features of hypercubes. However, the CCC tends to suffer from considerable performance degradation when a fault arises. In this work, a fault-tolerant CCC which exhibits significantly enhanced reliability is proposed. Reconfiguration in response to an operational fault in this fault-tolerant CCC is simple and can be performed in a distributed manner. When compared with the CCC, the proposed design in the absence of faults gets performance improvement as a result of faster broadcasting and PE-to-PE communication. The layout of this structure is discussed, and its area overhead is found to be moderate if the PE size is much larger than the link/switch size. Therefore, this design approach is particularly useful for situations where the PE is relatively complex. >
Text Messaging as a Tool for Behavior Change in Disease Prevention and Management

Mobile phone text messaging is a potentially powerful tool for behavior change because it is widely available, inexpensive, and instant. This systematic review provides an overview of behavior change interventions for disease management and prevention delivered through text messaging. Evidence on behavior change and clinical outcomes was compiled from randomized or quasi-experimental controlled trials of text message interventions published in peer-reviewed journals by June 2009. Only those interventions using text message as the primary mode of communication were included. Study quality was assessed by using a standardized measure. Seventeen articles representing 12 studies (5 disease prevention and 7 disease management) were included. Intervention length ranged from 3 months to 12 months, none had long-term follow-up, and message frequency varied. Of 9 sufficiently powered studies, 8 found evidence to support text messaging as a tool for behavior change. Effects exist across age, minority status, and nationality. Nine countries are represented in this review, but it is problematic that only one is a developing country, given potential benefits of such a widely accessible, relatively inexpensive tool for health behavior change. Methodological issues and gaps in the literature are highlighted, and recommendations for future studies are provided.
The alcohol industry in developing countries

Although the alcohol industry takes many different forms in the wide diversity of developing countries, recent trends in alcohol production and worldwide trade show that globalized alcoholic beverages are playing a leading role in developing societies. Although most alcohol is produced and consumed locally, and the headquarters of most of the largest alcohol manufacturers are in developed countries, the production structure of these commodities explains their influence. Looking at the production of globalized alcohol as a commodity chain suggests the importance of the last two links in the chain, namely marketing and advertising. Heavy reliance on these links raises high entry barriers, increases profitability, and puts the global transnationals increasingly in charge of creating the imagery of drinking. This export of brands and brand images rather than actual products in turn influences how alcohol and what alcohol is being consumed. While global companies use the sophisticated marketing technologies ho...
Dietary change among migrant and nonmigrant Mexican‐American families in Northern California

Dietary data were obtained from 71 migrant and 69 nonmigrant low‐income first‐generation Mexican‐American families. Among preschool children, average consumption from all food groups except vegetables was adequate. Most adults stated that their diet had improved since moving to the U.S. Dietary change was characterized by increased consumption of both “basic” and “new” foods, especially among nonmigrants, with considerable retention of “traditional” foods. There was no correlation between degree of change in traditional foods and degree of change in basic or new foods. Dietary change was thus a function of two or more independent trends. Different socioeconomic factors were related to the three components of dietary change. Bilingual children influenced adoption of new foods. Length of residence in the U.S. was not related to degree of dietary change. More migrants than nonmigrants held traditional beliefs proscribing certain foods during illness, pregnancy, or lactation.
Molecular Phylogenetics and Taxonomy of the Genus Thysanocarpus (Brassicaceae)

The relationships and taxonomy of the genus Thysanocarpus (Brassicaceae) are reassessed based on molecular phylogenetic analyses of nuclear ribosomal (ITS) and chloroplast (trnh-F) sequences and a critical re-examination of morphology and nomenclatural types. Based on these results, Thysanocarpus is well-supported as a member of tribe Thelypodieae, but no illuminating phylogenetic structure is found within the tribe. The independent origin of similar fruit morphology in Thysanocarpus and Athysanus is confirmed. Within Thysanocarpus,seven species are recognized: T. conchuliferus, T. curvipes, T. desertorum, T. erectus, T. laciniatus, T. radians, and T. rigidus comb. nov. Thysanocarpus laciniatus is found to have originated through hybridization. However, T. desertorum and T. rigidus, which have previously been included within T. laciniatus (as T. laciniatus var. hitchcockii and T. laciniatus var. rigidus,respectively), do not share that species' hybrid origin and are distinct both phylogenetically and morphologically. Within T. curvipes,five subspecies are recognized: T. curvipes subsp. amplectens comb. nov., T. curvipes subsp. curvipes, T. curvipes subsp. elegans comb. nov., T. curvipes subsp. longistylus comb. nov., and T. curvipes subsp. eradiatus comb. nov. Thysanocarpus curvipes subsp. elegans and T. curvipes subsp. longistylus form clades in ITS and/or trnL-F cladograms as well as showing morphological distinction. The remaining three subspecies are recognized based on a combination of morphology and geography.
Telomere Phenotypes in Females with Heterozygous Mutations in the Dyskeratosis Congenita 1 (DKC1) Gene

Dyskeratosis congenita (DC) is a telomere-mediated syndrome defined by mucocutaneous features. The X-linked mode of inheritance accounts for half the cases, and is thought to predominantly manifest in childhood as bone marrow failure. We identified two male probands who presented in the fifth decade with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and cancer. Their pedigrees displayed consecutively affected generations. Five of six females (83%) manifested mucocutaneous features of DC, and two had wound-healing complications. No mutations in autosomal dominant telomere genes were present, but exome sequencing revealed novel variants in the X-chromosome DKC1 gene that predicted missense mutations in conserved residues, p.Thr49Ser and p.Pro409Arg. Variants segregated with the telomere phenotype, and affected females were heterozygotes, showing skewed X-inactivation. Telomerase RNA levels were compromised in cells from DKC1 mutation carriers, consistent with their pathogenic role. These findings indicate that females with heterozygous DKC1 mutations may be at increased risk for developing penetrant telomere phenotypes that, at times, may be associated with clinical morbidity.
Quantitative cardiac SPECT reconstruction with reduced image degradation due to patient anatomy

Patient anatomy has complicated effects on cardiac SPECT images. The authors investigated reconstruction methods which substantially reduced these effects for improved image quality. A 3D mathematical cardiac-torso (MCAT) phantom which models the anatomical structures in the thorax region were used in the study. The phantom was modified to simulate variations in patient anatomy including regions of natural thinning along the myocardium, body size, diaphragmatic shape, gender, and size and shape of breasts for female patients. Distributions of attenuation coefficients and Tl-201 uptake in different organs in a normal patient were also simulated. Emission projection data were generated from the phantoms including effects of attenuation and detector response. The authors have observed the attenuation-induced artifacts caused by patient anatomy in the conventional FBP reconstructed images. Accurate attenuation compensation using iterative reconstruction algorithms and attenuation maps substantially reduced the image artifacts and improved quantitative accuracy. The authors conclude that reconstruction methods which accurately compensate for nonuniform attenuation can substantially reduce image degradation caused by variations in patient anatomy in cardiac SPECT. >
Tropospheric response to stratospheric perturbations in a relatively simple general circulation model

[1] The sensitivity of the tropospheric extratropical circulation to thermal perturbations of the polar stratosphere is examined in a dry primitive equation general circulation model with zonally symmetric forcing and boundary conditions. For sufficiently strong cooling of the polar winter stratosphere, the winter-hemisphere tropospheric jet shifts polewards and strengthens markedly at the surface; this is accompanied by a drop in surface pressure at high latitudes in the same hemisphere. In addition, this extratropical tropospheric response is found to be very similar to the model's leading pattern of internal variability. These results are tested for robustness at several horizontal and vertical resolutions, and the same tropospheric response is observed at all but the lowest resolution tested. The behavior of this relatively simple model is broadly consistent with recent observational and modeling studies of trends in extratropical atmospheric variability.
Modeling metabolism and stage-specific growth of Plasmodium falciparum HB3 during the intraerythrocytic developmental cycle.

The human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum goes through a complex life cycle, including a roughly 48-hour-long intraerythrocytic developmental cycle (IDC) in human red blood cells. A better understanding of the metabolic processes required during the asexual blood-stage reproduction will enhance our basic knowledge of P. falciparum and help identify critical metabolic reactions and pathways associated with blood-stage malaria. We developed a metabolic network model that mechanistically links time-dependent gene expression, metabolism, and stage-specific growth, allowing us to predict the metabolic fluxes, the biomass production rates, and the timing of production of the different biomass components during the IDC. We predicted time- and stage-specific production of precursors and macromolecules for P. falciparum (strain HB3), allowing us to link specific metabolites to specific physiological functions. For example, we hypothesized that coenzyme A might be involved in late-IDC DNA replication and cell division. Moreover, the predicted ATP metabolism indicated that energy was mainly produced from glycolysis and utilized for non-metabolic processes. Finally, we used the model to classify the entire tricarboxylic acid cycle into segments, each with a distinct function, such as superoxide detoxification, glutamate/glutamine processing, and metabolism of fumarate as a byproduct of purine biosynthesis. By capturing the normal metabolic and growth progression in P. falciparum during the IDC, our model provides a starting point for further elucidation of strain-specific metabolic activity, host–parasite interactions, stress-induced metabolic responses, and metabolic responses to antimalarial drugs and drug candidates.
Cytoarchitecture of nucleus sphericus in the common boa, Constrictor constrictor

The normal anatomy of nucleus sphericus in the common boa (Constrictor constrictor) is described here on the basis of routine light microscopic and Golgi material. Nucleus sphericus is a cup-shaped aggregation of cells lying in the forebrain posterior to the anterior commissure and consisting of three concentric layers. The marginal layer is subependymal, is continuous rostrally with the anterior commissure, and contains fusiform cells with discoidal dendritic fields tangent to the mural layer, Marginal cell axons entwine mural cell dendrites. The mural layer forms the walls of the cup and appears as a closed ring of cells in transverse sections. Mural cell dendrites extend radially into the marginal and hilar layers and horizontally within the mural layer. All of these dendrites are profusely covered by dendritic spines with conical heads and slender stalks. Mural cell axons ascend to the marginal layer. The hilar layer forms the cup's cavity containing scattered cells whose dendrites extend in all directions and whose axons approach the cup's mouth. Afferent fibers in the nucleus run predominately at right angles to mural cell dendrites bearing varicosities at irregular intervals.
UL26-Deficient Human Cytomegalovirus Produces Virions with Hypophosphorylated pp28 Tegument Protein That Is Unstable within Newly Infected Cells

The human cytomegalovirus UL26 open reading frame encodes proteins of 21 and 27 kDa that result from the use of two different in-frame initiation codons. The UL26 protein is a constituent of the virion and thus is delivered to cells upon viral entry. We have characterized a mutant of human cytomegalovirus in which the UL26 open reading frame has been deleted. The UL26 deletion mutant has a profound growth defect, the magnitude of which is dependent on the multiplicity of infection. Two very early defects were discovered. First, even though they were present in normal amounts within mutant virions, the UL99-coded pp28 and UL83-coded pp65 tegument proteins were present in reduced amounts at the earliest times assayed within newly infected cells; second, there was a delay in immediate-early mRNA and protein accumulation. Further analysis revealed that although wild-type levels of the pp28 tegument protein were present in UL26 deletion mutant virions, the protein was hypophosphorylated. We conclude that the UL26 protein influences the normal phosphorylation of at least pp28 in virions and possibly additional tegument proteins. We propose that the hypophosphorylation of tegument proteins causes their destabilization within newly infected cells, perhaps disrupting the normal detegumentation process and leading to a delay in the onset of immediate-early gene expression.
Heterogeneity in the Relationship Between Ethnicity, BMI, and Fasting Insulin

OBJECTIVE — To determine whether the association of BMI and fasting insulin is modified by ethnicity. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS — Non-Hispanic black (black), non-Hispanic white (white), and Mexican-American men and women aged 20 – 80 years from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988 –1994) were included in this study. Linear regression models with an interaction term were used to test whether ethnicity modified the association between BMI and fasting insulin. RESULTS — Fasting insulin was 19, 26, 20, and 19% higher in black women than white women with BMI levels of 22, 22–24, 25–27, and 28 –30 kg/m 2 , respectively. These differences between black and white women converged at BMI levels 30 kg/m 2 . Mexican-American women had fasting insulin levels that were 17, 22, 20, and 16% higher than those of white women at BMI levels of 25–27, 28 –30, 31–33, and 34 kg/m 2 , respectively, but were not different in individuals with BMI levels25 kg/m 2 . Adjusting for established risk factors did not attenuate these associations in women. Differences in fasting insulin among men were not as apparent. CONCLUSIONS — These findings suggest that the effect of obesity on insulin sensitivity is different for Americans in ethnic minorities. In black subjects, fasting insulin is higher at lean weight when compared with white and Mexican-American subjects. In Mexican-American subjects, fasting insulin is higher in overweight individuals when compared with white and black subjects. These findings are more pronounced in women than in men. This result reinforces the importance of designing prevention programs that are tailored to meet the needs of specific populations. Investigation of possible explanations for these differences seems warranted. Diabetes Care 25:1351–1357, 2002
The SCL gene is formed from a transcriptionally complex locus.

Abstract We describe the structural organization of the human SCL gene, a helix-loop-helix family member which we believe plays a fundamental role in hematopoietic differentiation. The SCL locus is composed of eight exons distributed over 16 kb. SCL shows a pattern of expression quite restricted to early hematopoietic tissues, although in malignant states expression of the gene may be somewhat extended into later developmental stages. A detailed analysis of the transcript(s) arising from the SCL locus revealed that (i) the 5' noncoding portion of the SCL transcript, which resides within a CpG island, has a complex pattern of alternative exon utilization as well as two distinct transcription initiation sites; (ii) the 5' portions of the SCL transcript contain features that suggest a possible regulatory role for these segments; (iii) the pattern of utilization of the 5' exons is cell lineage dependent; and (iv) all of the currently studied chromosomal aberrations that affect the SCL locus either structurally or functionally eliminate the normal 5' transcription initiation sites. These data suggest that the SCL gene, and specifically its 5' region, may be a target for regulatory interactions during early hematopoietic development.
Design Margin Exploration of Spin-Torque Transfer RAM (SPRAM)

We proposed a combined magnetic and circuit level technique to explore the design methodology of Spin-Torque Transfer RAM (SPRAM). A dynamic magnetic model of magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ), which is based upon measured spin torque induced magnetization switching behavior, is also proposed. The response of CMOS circuitry is characterized by SPICE and used as the input of our MTJ model to simulate the dynamic behavior of SPRAM cell. By using this technique, we explored the design margin of SPRAM cell with one-transistor-one-MTJ (ITU) structure. Simulation results show that our technique can significantly reduce the design pessimism, compared to conventional SRPAM cell model.
Extrusion-Cooking of Sorghum Containing Different Amounts of Amylose

Three sorghums containing different amounts of amylose (12.2, 21.5, and 26.7%) were decorticated, ground and extruded at three extrusion moisture levels (17, 32, and 45%). Highly expanded and brittle sorghum extrudates with high degrees of starch cooking were produced at 17% extrusion moisture content. All sorghum extrudates exhibited a V-amylose x-ray diffraction pattern. Functional characteristics, such as expansion, enzyme-susceptible starch ratio, and water solubility, indicated that low amylose extrudates were more cooked than other varieties. Thin porridges prepared from extruded sorghums had an intermediate consistency, smooth texture, roasted flavor and white color. Thin porridges (atoles) from extrudates containing 21.5% amylose, were preferred by a sensory panel over those from extrudates containing 12.2 and 26.7% amylose.
Active Transcription of rRNA Operons Is a Driving Force for the Distribution of RNA Polymerase in Bacteria: Effect of Extrachromosomal Copies of rrnB on the In Vivo Localization of RNA Polymerase

In contrast to eukaryotes, bacteria such as Escherichia coli contain only one form of RNA polymerase (RNAP), which is responsible for all cellular transcription. Using an RNAP-green fluorescent protein fusion protein, we showed previously that E. coli RNAP is partitioned exclusively in the nucleoid and that stable RNA synthesis, particularly rRNA transcription, is critical for concentrating a significant fraction of RNAP in transcription foci during exponential growth. The extent of focus formation varies under different physiological conditions, supporting the proposition that RNAP redistribution is an important element for global gene regulation. Here we show that extra, plasmid-borne copies of an rRNA operon recruit RNAP from the nucleoid into the cytoplasmic space and that this is accompanied by a reduction in the growth rate. Transcription of an intact rRNA operon is not necessary, although a minimal transcript length is required for this phenotype. Replacement of the ribosomal promoters with another strong promoter, Ptac, abolished the effect. These results demonstrate that active synthesis from rRNA promoters is a major driving force for the distribution of RNAP in bacteria. The implications of our results for the regulation of rRNA synthesis and cell growth are discussed.
Electrospray ionization of a whole virus: analyzing mass, structure, and viability.

Electrospray ionization (ESI) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) were the result of decades of research effort dedicated toward analyzing intact biomolecules. The practicality of these ionization methods fueled the explosion of mass spectrometry witnessed in the past decade. In fact, the widespread utility of ESI and MALDI led to the awarding of the 2002 Nobel prize in Chemistry to Fenn and Tanaka for their roles in developing these techniques. The focus of this article is largely on ESI, which has the unique ability to gently generate gas-phase ions directly from solution. Initially, the ability to transfer intact proteins and nucleic acids into the gas phase was reason enough for excitement, yet soon after it was shown that even noncovalent interactions could survive the ESI ionization/desolvation process. The first noncovalent interactions observed included a protein heme and receptor ligand complexes, multimeric enzyme inhibitor complexes, and, ultimately, whole-virus analysis was achieved.
Consideration of Control System and Memory Contributions in Practical Resource-Constrained Scheduling for Low Power

This paper presents a fast and efficient heuristic resource-constrained scheduling algorithm that works to reduce power consumption by maximally utilizing the resources operating at multiple voltages while at the same time maintaining a low latency. Unlike other resource-constrained scheduling algorithms, our algorithm also takes into account the contribution from the control system or circuitry as well as the memory required. By doing so, we are able to gain more insight into the items affecting power, area, and timing as well as the tradeoffs. Scheduling with the control system and memory in mind, we see that there is a direct relationship between the number of resources, the number of control cycles, and the memory needed, which affect the overall power, area, and timing. Experimental results show that taking these extra factors into account we are able to achieve an average power savings that is better than the power savings from other resource-constrained scheduling algorithms.
The vesico-urethral pressuregram analysis of urethral function under stress

Abstract About one-third of older multiparous women are prone to stress urinary incontinence (SUI): unwanted urine loss during activities which suddenly raise intra-abdominal pressure. In this paper we describe and test a method for visualizing and analyzing the function of the urinary continence control system (CCS) under stress. Intravesical and intraurethral pressure changes from the resting state were recorded at proximal, mid-, and distal urethral locations during increasingly severe coughs and cross-plotted on a ‘vesico-urethral pressuregram’. The slope (α) and intercept ( χ 0 ) resulting from a linear regression analysis of these data were used to develop a continence equation which can be used to predict the equilibrium point pressure ( P E ): the intravesical pressure at which urine will leak to the intraurethral pressure recording site. We tested the null hypothesis that these parameters would not differ in six young, nulliparous continent women (mean ± S.D. age: 30 ± 3.5 yr) and six multiparous SUI women (52.3 ± 8.0 yr, parity: 1.7 ± 0.8), or between urethral locations. Significant differences in continence equation parameters were found between groups and in different urethral locations. In the SUI group static factors calculated from the term (1 − α) contributed 27% of the mean (S.D.) midurethral P E value, 145 (46) cm H 2 O, while dynamic factors, estimated from α, contributed 735 of this value. Valuable insights for improving the diagnosis and treatment of SUI may be obtained by analyzing the relative contribution of α and χ 0 to urethral closure during physical stress.
Second Dialect Acquisition: A Sociophonetic Perspective

Many people change aspects of their accent after moving to a new region. What kinds of changes are made, and why does it matter? Studies of second dialect acquisition (SDA) indicate that geographically mobile speakers change specific dialect features in ways that reflect the complex interaction of linguistic, social, and developmental factors in language use. This article reviews these findings from a sociophonetic perspective, paying particular attention to their theoretical implications, the methodological issues associated with studying SDA, and avenues for future research.
Sport-Based Youth Development in Practice: The Long-Term Impacts of an Urban After-School Program for Girls

Sport-based youth development (SBYD) programs based on strong and enduring relationships between youth and mentors have the potential to make lasting impacts on both groups. The current study was a follow up to initial research conducted with five adolescent girls who participated in a university-affiliated SBYD after-school program, Sport Hartford (Authors, 2009). Sport Hartford connected female college student-athlete mentors with preadolescent girls living in the North End of Hartford, Connecticut. The program was a campus-community partnership between a local university and the City's Park and Recreation Division. Mentee to mentor ratios were kept low (3:1) and the two-hour sessions, two days a week, for 28 weeks encompassed instruction in nontraditional sport for underserved girls, nutrition education, and life skill lessons grounded in SBYD. The current study aimed to demonstrate the enduring impact and positive outcomes a SBYD program for girls can have on participants. Formal interviews were conducted in 2009-10 with each girl and, in three cases, their mothers. In addition, consistent check-ins with the girls and their mothers occurred from 2009 to present. A multilevel social capital framework was applied to examine the impact of both the program and the connections formed between the participants and mentors. Findings suggest that the intentionality with which relationships were formed between mentors and participants led to enduring positive impacts. Specifically, the strong bonds Sport Hartford encouraged between the girls' family members and Sport Hartford mentors exhibited college as the natural path after high school. In addition, the social capital the participants gained through their individual networks and connection to Sport Hartford directed them toward healthy behaviors. Most importantly, Sport Hartford has been, and continues to be, a trusted structure within the participants' community, and this trust provides lasting and enduring relationships. The findings of this study provide a number of implications for professional practice. For example, this study demonstrated that the relationships between individuals in a SBYD program are crucial toward personal development and fostering a sense of belonging. In addition, our study supported the notion that program outcomes are more desirable when parental support is incorporated into programing as it is also a key component in the mentor-mentee relationship (Mahoney & Stattin, 2000). Specifically, the involvement of mothers into youth programming for girls has a greater potential for the accrual of social capital and thus an enduring relationship with program staff. Finally, programmers working with underserved girls should strive to incorporate dedicated female staff into their programs.
Myelin/Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein

Myelinogenesis is an essential, highly regulated event that occurs during early mam-malian development whereby internodal axonal segments are enveloped by compacted multilamellar membranes. A single oligodendrocyte in the central nervous system (CNS) has the capacity to extend numerous processes, which develop into elaborate specialized membranes that ensheathe multiple larger diameter axonal segments. Historically, CNS myelin had been characterized as a relatively inert membrane with a relatively simple pro-file of proteins, including proteolipid proteins (PLP, DM20), myelin basic proteins (MBP), myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG), and 2’,3’ -cyclic nucleotide 3’-phosphodi-esterase (CNP). However it is now clear that myelin is an extremely dynamic structure with many quantitatively minor proteins that clearly play significant roles in myelination.
An Empirical Study on the Effect of Negation Words on Sentiment

Negation words, such as no and not, play a fundamental role in modifying sentiment of textual expressions. We will refer to a negation word as the negator and the text span within the scope of the negator as the argument. Commonly used heuristics to estimate the sentiment of negated expressions rely simply on the sentiment of argument (and not on the negator or the argument itself). We use a sentiment treebank to show that these existing heuristics are poor estimators of sentiment. We then modify these heuristics to be dependent on the negators and show that this improves prediction. Next, we evaluate a recently proposed composition model (Socher et al., 2013) that relies on both the negator and the argument. This model learns the syntax and semantics of the negator’s argument with a recursive neural network. We show that this approach performs better than those mentioned above. In addition, we explicitly incorporate the prior sentiment of the argument and observe that this information can help reduce fitting errors.
Notice Letters and Notice Pleading: The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the Sufficiency of Environmental Citizen Suit Notice

Citizen suit provisions are common in federal environmental statutes, and almost all contain a notice letter requirement: before filing suit -- generally 60 days before -- the citizen must notify the alleged violator and the regulatory agencies in charge of the intent to file suit. In Hallstrom v. Tillamook County, 493 U.S. 20 (1989), the U.S. Supreme Court read this notice letter timing requirement strictly, requiring dismissal of citizen suits when the citizen does not wait the full statutory period before filing suit. Since Hallstrom, federal courts have been increasingly strict about the CONTENTS of citizen-suit notice letters as well as the timing, even though the content requirements are regulatory, not statutory, and even though the EPA has generally required only sufficient information to permit the recipients to identify the problem. This article argues that strict requirements for notice letter content effectively supersede, as a practical matter, the notice pleading standard in the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. This article further argues that neither the environmental statutes nor the EPA's regulations require this result and that the Supreme Court in other contexts has expressly forbidden federal courts to allow statutes to displace the Rules' requirements without a thorough and proper Federal Rule supersession analysis.
Tetracyanobiimidazole: A Polyploid of Distinction

The cyano substituted imidazoles have electronic structures profoundly different from ordinary imidazoles. We review here the chemistry of 4,4′,5,5′-tetracyano-2,2′-biimidazole and especially its reactions as a ligand for low valent metals. Because of the acidity of the N-H protons, (pK1 = 2.1, pK2 = 5.5,) complexes of this ligand are always of the dianion. The survey includes compounds of Rh(I), Ir(I), Cu(I), Pt(II), and Mo(0).
Value within otolaryngology: Assessment of the cost-utility analysis literature

Objective To assess the characteristics and quality of cost utility analyses (CUA) related to otolaryngology within the CEA registry and to summarize their collective results.
Sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor 1 agonists: a patent review (2013-2015)

ABSTRACTIntroduction: The sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) regulates diverse biological functions including cell proliferation, endothelial cell chemotaxis, angiogenesis, immune cell trafficking, mitogenesis, heart rate. The first-in-class S1P1,3–5-R pan-agonist fingolimod (FTY720) was approved by the FDA and EMEA for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, though the most common adverse effect is bradycardia which occurs in the early stage of treatment and resolves within the first 24 h despite continuing treatment. The underlying mechanism of the cardiovascular effects is the activation of G-protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channel by the S1P1-R. Several second generation S1P1-R agonists with distinct selectivity, pharmacokinetics and safety profile from FTY720 are under development for the treatment of autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases.Areas covered: This review provides a summary of the patent literature from 2013 up to November 2015 on the S1P1-R agonist mol...
Multiple Residues of Several Chlorinated Pesticides on Pears

Residue analyses were performed on pears treated with six different mixtures of chlorine-containing pesticides. Analysis by spectrophotometry and micro-coulometric gas chromatography were used to assess the application to harvest intervals needed to assure compliance with the multiple residue interpretations of the residue laws. Excellent agreement between the two methods was obtained. As expected, the use of combinations of pestcides of the same toxicological class prolongs considerably the length of the safe application to harvest interval.
Identification of Pathogen Causing Maize Ear Rot and Inoculation Technique in Southwest China

393 isolates belonging to 15 species were isolated from 190 samples collected from 16 locations in southwest China in 2010-2011.The separating rate of Fusarium verticillioides was the highest,reaching to 40.20 %,and the second was Fusarium graminearum with 15.01 % of separating rate.Three methods,including silk channel injection,silk channel spraying and kernel injection,were compared for screening the best inoculation method.The results showed that kernel injection caused higher severity compared with other three methods.In addition,44 main hybrids planted in Southwest China were evaluated for resistance to ear rot by kernel injecting with Fusarium verticillioides in field.There was significant difference in the level of resistance among these hybrids.None of high resistant hybrid was screened,meanwhile Zhengda 619,Zhengda 818,Dika 007,Nongle 988,Zhenghong 505,Shenzhu 7 were indentified to be resistant hybrids.
Preface to the special issue of Catena on achieving sustainability through conservation in a changing world

Abstract This special issue of Catena is dedicated to the topic of soil conservation and soil erosion by wind and water. The topic is of particular importance today with the recognition that we live in a rapidly changing world that presents many challenges associated with population pressures and migrations, and their associated demands on the precious soil resource that we depend on for our survival. These pressures exist within the context of a rapidly changing climate that presents its own unique problems that are new to human experience. The research reported here represents a variety of topics that cover both wind and water erosion processes and understanding. This body of work is not intended as a comprehensive overview of our understanding of the scientific field, but rather a snapshot of selected studies on critical topics from around the world.
Protect, correct, and eject : Ostracism as a social influence tool

Ostracism—ignoring and excluding—is an evolutionarily adaptive response that protects groups from burdensome members either by correcting the misbehavior while promoting sameness and civility, or, if correction is not achieved, then ejecting the member, resulting again in a homogeneous, albeit smaller, group. Over 20 years of research demonstrates that ostracism is a powerful tool of social influence. Being the target of ostracism activates brain regions associated with pain, threatens fundamental needs, worsens mood, and causes behavior changes aimed at fortifying threatened needs. We review research showing three functions of ostracism: (1) to protect—shielding groups from threatening members; (2) to correct—signaling to individuals that their behavior needs modification to remain in the group; and (3) to eject—permanently removing deviant individuals who resist correction. Although ostracism is a powerful and effective social influence tool, it can cause unintended and potentially dangerous consequences for those who employ it. Keywords: ostracism, social exclusion, rejection, Cyberball, social susceptibility, aggression, solitude, social pain