cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Natural History of Myoclonic Astatic Epilepsy (Doose Syndrome) and Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome

The purpose of this article is to present a short review of the natural history of myoclonic astatic epilepsy (MAE; Doose syndrome) and the Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS). In the 1989 classification of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE, 1989), MAE and LGS were initially included in group 2.2: "Cryptogenic or symptomatic generalized epilepsies and syndromes." The subsequent classification of the Proposed Diagnostic Scheme for People with Epileptic Seizures and with Epilepsy (see Ref. 8) placed MAE in axis 3 in the "generalized epilepsy" group and LGS, severe myoclonic epilepsy of infancy (SMEI or Dravet syndrome) and atypical benign partial epilepsy/pseudo-Lennox syndrome (ABPE/PLS) in the "epileptic encephalopathy" group. The semiology of MAE and LGS and their differential diagnosis from SMEI and ABPE/PLS are described. Before the onset of SMEI, MAE, and ABPE/PLS, the development of the child is usually normal. In contrast, in LGS, development is frequently retarded at the onset, depending on the etiopathogenesis of the underlying brain disease. The course of MAE is highly variable with regard to seizure outcome (complete remission in some cases, persistent epilepsy in others) and cognitive development (normal or delayed). The course of LGS and SMEI is generally poor, both with regard to the epilepsy and to the cognitive development whereas the course and seizure outcome of ABPE/PLS is favorable; the patients will be seizure-free at puberty. However, the neuropsychological outcome is less favorable; most patients remain mentally retarded.
Interfacial mechanics of push-out tests: theory and experiments

Abstract The thermo-mechanical characterization of interfaces in composite systems (PMC/MMC/IMC/CMC) is one of the challenging problems in composite mechanics and engineering. Each system has its own distinguishing features; however, in MMCs and IMCs the study is rendered more complex due to the evolving chemical species (both temporally and spatially), and the multi-axial state of residual stresses. Before MMCs or IMCs can be used in actual applications, the role of interfaces in not only the strengthening but also toughening mechanisms needs to be clearly understood. For evaluating the interfacial mechanical properties of interfaces, thin slice push-out test has emerged as the de-facto standard. Though, conceptually the testing procedure is simple, interpretation of the test results is not. It is essential to conduct very careful experiments, make precise meso- and macroscopic chemical/structural/mechanical observations and perform a thorough theoretical/numerical simulation before the test data can be used in a quantitative manner. In this paper, a comprehensive analysis of the push-out test is presented based on the theoretical/numerical and experimental research work of the authors’ group during the past few years. In this work, thin slice push-out tests were conducted primarily on Titanium Matrix Composites at various test temperatures (room and elevated) with different processing conditions (temperature and time). Different composite systems with Titanium based matrices (Ti–6Al–4V, Timetal 21S, Ti–15Nb–3Al) uniaxially reinforced with Silicon Carbide fibers (SCS-6) were chosen for the study. Effect of the evolution of interfacial chemistry and architecture (in matrix, coating and reaction zone) on both shear strength τs and frictional strength τf were studied. A novel finite element analysis based on nonlinear finite element method was implemented, in which not only the initiation but propagation of interfacial cracks are simulated. In the analysis, both shear stress and fracture energy based criteria are used to model the initiation of (closed) cracks. Quantitative values of τs, τf, GI and GII are then extracted based on the experimental data and the numerical simulation. A critical review of stress and energy based interface-modeling approaches and their applicability to various boundary value problems are made.
Enzymatic hydrolysis of organosolv Kanlow switchgrass and its impact on cellulose crystallinity and degree of polymerization

In this work the potential of organosolv treated Kanlow switchgrass for ethanol production was determined and the changes imparted to cellulose crystallinity and degree of polymerization (DP) along the course of enzymatic hydrolysis were assessed. The organosolv pretreatment yielded a substrate that was readily hydrolyzed by cellulases allowing 92.0% recovery of the glucan present in untreated switchgrass after 72 h of enzymatic hydrolysis. Cellulose crystallinity remained approximately constant after organosolv pretreatment and additionally during the course of enzymatic hydrolysis (8 h of enzymatic hydrolysis). The degree of polymerization decreased upon organosolv pretreatment. During enzymatic hydrolysis the DP decreased for the first two hours and thereafter remained approximately constant (4–8 hours). The polydispersity index showed a small increase along the course of enzymatic hydrolysis (0–8 hours). The obtained results indicated the occurrence of a “peeling off” type mechanism.
Raman Spectroscopy of A Novel Diluted Magnetic Semiconductor: Cubic Cd1−xMnxSe.

In contrast to the bulk diluted magnetic semiconductor (DMS) Cd 1−x Mn x Se which occurs with the wurtzite structure, its epilayers grown on (001) GaAs substrate by Molecular Beam Epitaxy exhibit the cubic zinc-blende structure. Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence studies on this novel DMS show (1) a “two-mode” behavior of the zone center optical phonons, (2) the Raman line associated with the spin-flip in the Zeeman split S = 5/2 ground state of Mn 2+ , and (3) large Raman shifts associated with the spin-flip of donor-bound electrons. The large magnetic field dependence in (3) with saturation at high fields and low temperature shows that the s-d exchange interaction characteristic of DMS's is also manifested strikingly in the zinc-blende phase of Cd 1−x Mn x Se.
SERVICE EMPLOYMENT IN LARGE, MEDIUM, AND SMALL METROPOLITAN AREAS IN THE UNITED STATES

The role of services in regional development has been one of the core topics of research in industrial geography. The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between service employment and labor-market characteristics. The effect of localization economies on the distribution of service employment also is examined. The results show that the response of services to labor-market characteristics is relatively similar between large-and medium-sized metropolitan areas compared to large- and small-sized metropolitan areas. The significance of low-order white-collar and pink-collar work forces in attracting service employment at all levels of the metropolitan hierarchy implies that the impact on skills and earnings would be moderate. Manufacturing concentration, low labor quality, and a perception of higher wages are deterrents to growth in services, whereas localization economies and high-order labor are significant in determining certain types of service employment in metropolitan areas.
Comparative Toxicity of Fourteen Insecticides to Two Species of Carpenter Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Although carpenter ants are important pests of wooden structures throughout the United Statesand Canada, little isknown about the toxicity of insecticides to these insects. We tested 14 insecticides (3 carbamates, 7 organophosphates, and 4 pyrethroids) against two species of carpenter ants, Camponotus novaeboracensis (Fitch) and C. pennsylvanicus (De Geer), with a residual bioassay. Deltamethrin and diazinon were the most toxic to C. novaeboracensis and C. pennsylvanicus , respectively. Pyrenone and propoxur were the least toxic. A comparison of the sensitivity of carpenter ants with four other insect species, tested under identical conditions, revealed that carpenter ants were among the most sensitive.
Direct effects of a hypothalamic extract on hormone secretion by a pituitary mammo-somatotropic tumor.

A transplantable rat pituitary tumor (W15), which secretes large amounts of prolactin and growth hormone (GH), was found to contain very little prolactin per 100 mg of tissue but to release large amounts of prolactin into the plasma. Upon incubation for 4 hr, the tumor released about 25 times more prolactin into the medium than was initially present in the fresh tissue. When the tumor was incubated together with rat hypothalamic extract for 4 hr, prolactin release was significantly depressed, whereas GH release was significantly increased. Rat cerebral cortical extract had no effect on release of prolactin or GH by the incubated tumor. These results indicate that hormone secretion by the W15 pituitary tumor can be altered by the direct action of a hypothalamic extract in vitro, even though the tumor appears to be free of hypothalamic control in vivo. (Endocrinology 80: 131, 1967)
A unique carboxyl-terminal insert domain in the hematopoietic-specific, GTPase-deficient Rho GTPase RhoH regulates post-translational processing.

RhoH is a hematopoietic-specific, GTPase-deficient member of the Rho GTPase family that was first identified as a hypermutable gene in human B lineage lymphomas. RhoH remains in a constitutively active state and thus its effects are regulated by expression levels or post-translational modifications. Similar to other small GTPases, intracellular localization of RhoH is dependent upon the conserved “CAAX” box and surrounding sequences within the carboxyl (C) terminus. However, RhoH also contains a unique C-terminal “insert” domain of yet undetermined function. RhoH serves as adaptor molecule in T cell receptor signaling and RhoH expression correlates with the unfavorable prognostic marker ZAP70 in human chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Disease progression is attenuated in a Rhoh−/− mouse model of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and treatment of primary human chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells with Lenalidomide results in reduced RhoH protein levels. Thus, RhoH is a potential therapeutic target in B cell malignancies. In the current studies, we demonstrate that deletion of the insert domain (LFSINE) results in significant cytoplasmic protein accumulation. Using inhibitors of degradation pathways, we show that LFSINE regulates lysosomal RhoH uptake and degradation via chaperone-mediated autophagy. Whereas the C-terminal prenylation site is critical for ZAP70 interaction, subcellular localization and rescue of the Rhoh−/− T cell defect in vivo, the insert domain appears dispensable for these functions. Taken together, our findings suggest that the insert domain regulates protein stability and activity without otherwise affecting RhoH function.
Unified Challenges in Nano-CMOS High-Level Synthesis

The challenges in nano-CMOS circuit design include the following: variability, leakage, power, thermals, reliability, and yield. This talk will focus on interdependent consideration of these challenges during high-level (aka architectural or behavioral) synthesis. The majority of the existing design techniques related to these challenges are at the device or logic level of circuit abstraction and few are at the architectural level, however, the research is full swing in this direction. At the architecture level, there are balanced degrees of freedom to vary design parameters and take fast and correct design decisions at an early phase of the design cycle without propagating the design errors to lower levels of circuit abstraction, where it is costly to correct them. In addition, designing at higher levels of abstraction is an efficient way to cope with complexity, facilitate design verification, and increase design reuse. For maximizing yield of circuit design in the presence of variability the designers can rely on pre- silicon or post-silicon techniques. The pre-silicon techniques are statistical optimization approaches of design phases that use statistical power, leakage, and timing analysis for design space exploration and maximize the parametric yield. A variety of approaches for scheduling, resource sharing, and module selection techniques have been proposed in current literature in this respect. The post-silicon techniques are approaches like adaptive body biasing and adaptive supply voltage which are used to tune the fabricated chips such that the circuit yield can be optimized. This talk will discuss all these techniques proposed in the context of HLS.
The Lissajous transformation II. Normalization

Normalization of a perturbed elliptic oscillator, when executed in Lissajous variables, amounts to averaging over the elliptic anomaly. The reduced Lissajous variables constitute a system of cylindrical coordinates over the orbital spheres of constant energy, but the pole-like singularities are removed by reverting to the subjacent Hopf coordinates. The two-parameter coupling that is a polynomial of degree four admitting the symmetries of the square is studied in detail. It is shown that the normalized elliptic oscillator in that case behaves everywhere in the parameter plane like a rigid body in free rotation about a fixed point, and that it passes through butterfly bifurcations wherever its phase flow admits non isolated equilibria.
Beyond the “Babel problem”: Defining simulations for the social studies

Abstract Simulation research has become a growing area of interest in the social studies in recent years. Problematically, the term simulation is used without consistency among practitioners and researchers. The conceptual confusion regarding what simulations are (or are not) muddies the field and makes it difficult for scholars to make sense of this phenomenon or to talk about simulations across findings. In order to bring clarity to the field, this paper is framed around two conceptual and analytic constructs: conceptual analysis and the theory of language games. In this paper, I will provide a rationale for why the social studies field requires a specific definition for simulations. Next, simulations will be defined using four specific criteria: verisimilitude, dynamism, active human agents, and pedagogical mediation. Finally, simulations will be differentiated from three related phenomena with which they are often conflated: games, role-plays, and models.
Passage Flow Structure and Its Influence on Endwall Heat Transfer in a 90 deg Turning Duct: Mean Flow and High Resolution Endwall Heat Transfer Experiments

Three-dimensional measurements of the mean velocity field have been made in a square-cross-sectional, strongly curved, 90 deg turbulent duct flow. The mean radius to duct width ratio was 2.3. The study was performed as part of an overall investigation of the physics of endwall convective heat transfer. All three components of the velocity vector and the static and total pressure fields were measured using a five-hole probe at four duct cross sections: inlet, 0, 45, and 90 deg. Preliminary turbulence measurements using a single sensor hot wire at the inlet cross section were also obtained to provide streamwise fluctuation levels through the boundary layer. The endwall heat transfer coefficient distribution was determined using a steady-state measurement technique and liquid crystal thermography. A high-resolution heat transfer map of the endwall surface from far upstream of the curve through the 90 deg cross section is presented. The three-dimensional velocity field measurements indicate that a highly symmetric, strong secondary flow develops in the duct with a significant transfer of streamwise momentum to the transverse directions. The cross-stream vorticity components within the measurement plane were estimated using the five-hole probe data and an inviscid form of the incompressible momentum equation. The development of themore » total and static pressure fields, the three-dimensional mean velocity field, and all three components of the vorticity field are discussed. The endwall heat transfer distribution is interpreted with respect to the measured mean flow quantities.« less
Crash: Using a Popular Film as an Experiential Learning Activity in a Multicultural Counseling Course

Crash (P. Haggis, 2004) depicts the intersection of race, ethnicity, religion, and social class in a culturally and politically charged environment. The result is a film that places the viewer in situations that are void of simple right and wrong solutions. The authors describe an experiential learning activity that is based on using Crash to stimulate student awareness and reflection as a part of their affective development. Reactions from students to the use of Crash as a teaching tool are shared. Implications for counselor educators and supervisors electing to use this film to address multicultural counseling competence are presented.
Rhombomere transplantation repatterns the segmental organization of cranial nerves and reveals cell-autonomous expression of a homeodomain protein

The developing vertebrate hindbrain consists of segmental units known as rhombomeres. Hindbrain neuroectoderm expresses 3′ Hox 1 and 2 cluster genes in characteristic patterns whose anterior limit of expression coincides with rhombomere boundaries. One particular Hox gene, referred to as Ghox 2.9, is initially expressed throughout the hindbrain up to the anterior border of rhombomere 4 (r4). Later, Ghox 2.9 is strongly upregulated in r4 and Ghox 2.9 protein is found in all neuroectodermal cells of r4 and in the hyoid crest cell population derived from this rhombomere. Using a polyclonal antibody, Ghox 2.9 was immunolocalized after transplanting r4 within the hindbrain. Wherever r4 was transplanted, Ghox 2.9 expression was cell-autonomous, both in the neuroectoderm of the graft and in the hyoid crest cell population originating from the graft. In all vertebrates, rhombomeres and cranial nerves (nerves V, VII+VIII, IX, X) exhibit a stereotypic relationship: nerve V arises at the level of r2, nerve VII+VIII at r4 and nerves IX-X extend caudal to r6. To examine how rhombomere transplantation affects this pattern, operated embryos were stained with monoclonal antibodies E/C8 (for visualization of the PNS and of even-numbered rhombomeres) and HNK-1 (to detect crest cells and odd-numbered rhombomeres). Upon transplantation, rhombomeres did not change E/C8 or HNK-1 expression or their ability to produce crest cells. For example, transplanted r4 generated a lateral stream of crest cells irrespective of the site into which it was grafted. Moreover, later in development, ectopic r4 formed an additional cranial nerve root. In contrast, transplantation of r3 (lacks crest cells) into the region of r7 led to inhibition of nerve root formation in the host. These findings emphasize that in contrast to spinal nerve segmentation, which entirely depends on the pattern of somites, cranial nerve patterning is brought about by factors intrinsic to rhombomeres and to the attached neural crest cell populations. The patterns of the neuroectoderm and of the PNS are specified early in hindbrain development and cannot be influenced by tissue transplantation. The observed cell-autonomous expression of Ghox 2.9 (and possibly also of other Hox genes) provides further evidence for the view that Hox gene expression underlies, at least in part, the segmental specification within the hindbrain neuroectoderm.
β-Defensins Activate Human Mast Cells via Mas-Related Gene X2

Human β-defensins (hBDs) stimulate degranulation in rat peritoneal mast cells in vitro and cause increased vascular permeability in rats in vivo. In this study, we sought to determine whether hBDs activate murine and human mast cells and to delineate the mechanisms of their regulation. hBD2 and hBD3 did not induce degranulation in murine peritoneal or bone marrow–derived mast cells (BMMC) in vitro and had no effect on vascular permeability in vivo. By contrast, these peptides induced sustained Ca2+ mobilization and substantial degranulation in human mast cells, with hBD3 being more potent. Pertussis toxin (PTx) had no effect on hBD-induced Ca2+ mobilization, but La3+ and 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (a dual inhibitor of inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptor and transient receptor potential channels) caused substantial inhibition of this response. Interestingly, degranulation induced by hBDs was substantially inhibited by PTx, La3+, or 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate. Whereas human mast cells endogenously express G protein–coupled receptor, Mas-related gene X2 (MrgX2), rat basophilic leukemia, RBL-2H3 cells, and murine BMMCs do not. Silencing the expression of MrgX2 in human mast cells inhibited hBD-induced degranulation, but had no effect on anaphylatoxin C3a-induced response. Furthermore, ectopic expression of MrgX2 in RBL-2H3 and murine BMMCs rendered these cells responsive to hBDs for degranulation. This study demonstrates that hBDs activate human mast cells via MrgX2, which couples to both PTx-sensitive and insensitive signaling pathways most likely involving Gαq and Gαi to induce degranulation. Furthermore, murine mast cells are resistant to hBDs for degranulation, and this reflects the absence of MrgX2 in these cells.
Resistance to Legality

The contingency of legality creates opportunities for individuals and collective associations to oppose its norms and requirements. This article examines the context and dimensions of resistance or opposition to legality, why resistance occurs, the strategies and tactics used to conduct resistance, the outcomes of acts of resistance, and whether resistance is a meaningful social and political activity.
Predictors of success in implementing HIV prevention in rural America: a state-level structural factor analysis of HIV prevention targeting men who have sex with men.

Relatively few studies have examined the impact of modifying structural factors on HIV prevention efforts in the United States despite their high potential for lowering HIV prevalence rates. The aim of this study was to identify state-level characteristics of successful HIV prevention implementation. Structured interviews with 73 key informants in 13 rural states identified ‘more successful’ and ‘less successful’ states in HIV prevention. States were compared on demographic, religious, gay community, and funding variables. The 7 more successful states had both a wider variety and more MSM-targeted interventions. Overall funding, degree of epidemic, and “ruralness” were not significantly associated with success. Rather, successful states had less religious and Evangelical Protestant adherents and more ‘gay community’ infrastructure. They also spent a greater proportion of funds contracting community-based organizations and on MSM-targeted programming. Success in HIV prevention varies across rural states. Key demographic, social and economic indicators distinguish success in HIV prevention.
The Genome Sequence Database (Gsdb): Meeting the Challenge of Genomic Sequencing

The genome sequence database (GSDB) is a complete, publicly available relational database of DNA sequences and annotation maintained by the National Center for Genome Resources (NCGR) under a Cooperative Agreement with the US Department of Energy (DOE). GSDB provides direct, client- server access to the database for data contributions, community annotation and SQL queries. The GSDB Annotator, a multi-platform graphic user interface, is freely available. Automatically updated relational replicates of GSDB are also freely available.
Deploying Video-on-Demand Services on Cable Networks

Efficient video-on-demand (VoD) is a highly desired service for media and telecom providers. VoD allows subscribers to view any item in a large media catalog nearly-instantaneously. However, systems that provide this services currently require large amounts of centralized resources and significant bandwidth to accommodate their subscribers. Hardware requirements become more substantial as the service providers increase the catalog size or number of subscribers. In this paper, we describe how cable companies can leverage deployed hardware in a peer- to-peer architecture to provide an efficient alternative We propose a distributed VoD system, and use real measurements from a deployed VoD system to evaluate different design decisions. Our results show that with minor changes, currently deployed cable infrastructures can support a video-on-demand system that scales to a large number of users and catalog size with low centralized resources.
Easing program comprehension by sharing navigation data

Large software projects often require a programmer to make changes to unfamiliar source code. This paper describes a set of tools, called Team Tracks, designed to ease program comprehension by showing the source code navigation patterns of fellow development team members. One technique shows a list of related items, given that the user is viewing a given method or class. Another technique shows the favorite classes, by showing a class hierarchy view that hides less frequently visited classes, methods, and members. Two user studies, a laboratory study and a field study, were run to evaluate the effectiveness of these techniques. The results of the two studies demonstrate that sharing navigation data can improve program comprehension and is subjectively preferred by users.
Use of Physical Restraints in Adult Critical Care: A Bicultural Study

BACKGROUND Although controversial, physical restraints are commonly used in adult critical care units in the United States to prevent treatment interference and self-inflicted harm. Use of physical restraints in Norwegian hospitals is very limited. In the United States, an experimental design for research on use of restraints has not seemed feasible. However, international research provides an opportunity to compare and contrast practices. OBJECTIVES To describe the relationship between patients' characteristics, environment, and use of physical restraints in the United States and Norway. METHODS Observations of patients and chart data were collected from 2 intensive care units (n = 50 patients) in Norway and 3 (n = 50 patients) in the United States. Sedation was measured by using the Sedation-Agitation Scale. The Nine Equivalents of Nursing Manpower Use Score was used to indicate patients' acuity level. RESULTS Restraints were in use in 39 of 100 observations in the United States and not at all in Norway (P = .001). Categories of patients were balanced. In the Norwegian sample, the median Nine Equivalents of Nursing Manpower Use Score was higher (37 vs 27 points, P < .001), patients were more sedated (P < .001), and nurse-to-patient ratios were higher (1.05:1 vs 0.65:1, P < .001). Seven incidents of unplanned device removal were reported in the US sample. CONCLUSIONS Critical care units with similar technology and characteristics of patients vary between nations in restraint practices, levels of sedation, and nurse-to-patient ratios. Restraint-free care was, in this sample, safe in terms of treatment interference.
Enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) using CO2 as working fluid—A novel approach for generating renewable energy with simultaneous sequestration of carbon

Responding to the need to reduce atmospheric emissions of carbon dioxide, Brown [Brown, D., 2000. A Hot Dry Rock geothermal energy concept utilizing supercritical CO2 instead of water. In: Proceedings of the Twenty-Fifth Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering, Stanford University, pp. 233–238] proposed a novel enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) concept that would use carbon dioxide (CO2) instead of water as heat transmission fluid, and would achieve geologic sequestration of CO2 as an ancillary benefit. Following up on his suggestion, we have evaluated thermophysical properties and performed numerical simulations to explore the fluid dynamics and heat transfer issues in an engineered geothermal reservoir that would be operated with CO2. We find that CO2 is superior to water in its ability to mine heat from hot fractured rock. Carbon dioxide also offers certain advantages with respect to wellbore hydraulics, in that its larger compressibility and expansivity as compared to water would increase buoyancy forces and would reduce the parasitic power consumption of the fluid circulation system. While the thermal and hydraulic aspects of a CO2-EGS system look promising, major uncertainties remain with regard to chemical interactions between fluids and rocks. An EGS system running on CO2 has sufficiently attractive features to warrant further investigation.
A Spontaneous Translational Fusion of Bacillus cereus PlcR and PapR Activates Transcription of PlcR-Dependent Genes in Bacillus anthracis via Binding with a Specific Palindromic Sequence

Transformation of Bacillus anthracis with plasmid pUTE29-plcR-papR carrying the native Bacillus cereus plcR-papR gene cluster did not activate expression of B. anthracis hemolysin genes, even though these are expected to be responsive to activation by the global regulator PlcR. To further characterize the action of PlcR, we examined approximately 3,000 B. anthracis transformants containing pUTE29-plcR-papR and found a single hemolytic colony. The hemolytic strain contained a plasmid having a spontaneous plcR-papR intergenic region deletion. Transformation of the resulting plasmid pFP12, encoding a fused PlcR-PapR protein, into the nonhemolytic B. anthracis parental strain produced strong activation of B. anthracis hemolysins, including phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C and sphingomyelinase. The fused PlcR-PapR protein present in a lysate of B. anthracis containing pFP12 bound strongly and specifically to the double-stranded palindrome 5′-TATGCATTATTTCATA-3′ that matches the consensus PlcR-binding site. In contrast, native PlcR protein in a lysate from a B. anthracis strain expressing large amounts of this protein did not demonstrate binding with the palindrome. The results suggest that the activation of PlcR by binding of a PapR pentapeptide as normally occurs in Bacillus thuringiensis and B. cereus can be mimicked by tethering the peptide to PlcR in a translational fusion, thereby obviating the need for PapR secretion, extracellular processing, retrieval into the bacterium, and binding with PlcR.
ASSESSING THE EXTENT TO WHICH ROADLESS AREAS COMPLEMENT THE CONSERVATION OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

We assessed the extent to which inventoried roadless areas (IRAs) on USDA Forest Service lands contain biophysical features that complement the conservation reserve network (e.g., national parks, designated wilderness areas, and wildlife refuges) in the United States. We compared the percentage of land area in IRAs and conservation reserves across three geographic divisions (Alaska, East, and West), 83 ecoregions, 10 elevation zones, and 11 land-cover classes. We also summarized variation in the size class distribution of IRAs. Of the 83 ecoregions evaluated in the United States, 28 have >12% of their total area in conservation reserves. If IRAs are considered with conservation reserves, the number of ecoregions exceeding the 12% threshold increases from 28 to 32. When only national forest land in the ecoregions is considered, the area of designated wilderness exceeds 12% in 18 of the 45 ecoregions summarized. If IRAs are considered along with designated wilderness, the number of ecoregions exceeding the ...
The effect of high and low dosages of paraoxon in β-naphthoflavone-treated rats

Aliesterases (carboxylesterases) are serine esterases that can serve a protective role for the target acetylcholinesterase (AChE) during organophosphorus insecticide intoxication because the former esterases are alternate phosphorylation sites. The levels of aliesterase activity in liver and plasma and AChE activity in brain regions were investigated after the intravenous administration of paraoxon (P = O) into female rats. The rats were pretreated intraperitoneally with beta-napthoflavone (BNF), which decreases hepatic aliesterase activity following a 3 day in vivo treatment, and/or tri-o-tolyl phosphate (TOTP) to inhibit aliesterases. The liver aliesterases were inhibited less by P = O in BNF-treated rats than in control rats, which suggests that either BNF exposure may have resulted in aliesterases that are less sensitive to P = O inhibition or BNF may have altered P = O's availability. The BNF treatment did not seem to alter the degree of inhibition of the brain AChE activity following the low dosage of paraoxon (0.04 mg/kg). However, the brain AChE activity in the P = O/TOTP/BNF-treated rats was lower than that in the P = O/TOTP-treated rats, suggesting that BNF also caused changes in systems affecting the disposition of P = O in addition to the changes in the hepatic aliesterases. At the high dosage of paraoxon (0.12 mg/kg), the AChE and aliesterase activities showed a pattern similar to that of the low dosage. This suggests that the aliesterases, as altered by BNF exposure, even when nearly completely inhibited, did not alter the response of the target enzyme, AChE, and, therefore, the magnitude of the toxic response.
The threshold weight of a graph

The threshold weight of a graph G is introduced as a measure of the amount by which G differs from being a threshold graph. The threshold graphs are precisely the graphs whose threshold weights are 0. At the opposite extreme is the class of graphs for which the threshold weight is the maximum possible. Such graphs are defined as heavy graphs. Among the results are as following: A theorem that specifies the threshold weight of any triangle-free graph; necessary and sufficient conditions for a heavy graph in terms of the solvability of a system of linear inequalities; some sufficient conditions for a graph to be heavy and a necessary condition (conjectured to be sufficient, as well) for a heavy graph in terms of its cliques.
A Simple Procedure to Generate Optimum Test Patterns for Parity Logic Networks

A simple procedure to produce a minimum length test set for a parity network is presented. If M is the largest fan in of any EX-OR gate element in the tree, 2M test patterns are chosen by considering only 2M test sequences, of length 2M, assigned to each signal line.
Fine needle biopsy of head and neck masses

Fine needle biopsy of head and neck masses has been in widespread practice for many years. Although generally producing a high yield, the most frequent reason for failure of fine needle biopsy is the lack of an adequate or diagnostic sample. An inadequate sample may occur if it is difficult to localize the lesion, if physicians smear their own slides with poor technique, or if there is excess blood in the sample. Many methods of fine needle biopsy are currently being used quite successfully. We present our methods and refinements which are designed to maximize diagnostic yield.
Use of ``Entertainment'' Chimpanzees in Commercials Distorts Public Perception Regarding Their Conservation Status

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are often used in movies, commercials and print advertisements with the intention of eliciting a humorous response from audiences. The portrayal of chimpanzees in unnatural, human-like situations may have a negative effect on the public’s understanding of their endangered status in the wild while making them appear as suitable pets. Alternatively, media content that elicits a positive emotional response toward chimpanzees may increase the public’s commitment to chimpanzee conservation. To test these competing hypotheses, participants (n=165) watched a series of commercials in an experiment framed as a marketing study. Imbedded within the same series of commercials was one of three chimpanzee videos. Participants either watched 1) a chimpanzee conservation commercial, 2) commercials containing ‘‘entertainment’’ chimpanzees or 3) control footage of the natural behavior of wild chimpanzees. Results from a postviewing questionnaire reveal that participants who watched the conservation message understood that chimpanzees were endangered and unsuitable as pets at higher levels than those viewing the control footage. Meanwhile participants watching commercials with entertainment chimpanzees showed a decrease in understanding relative to those watching the control footage. In addition, when participants were given the opportunity to donate part of their earnings from the experiment to a conservation charity, donations were least frequent in the group watching commercials with entertainment chimpanzees. Control questions show that participants did not detect the purpose of the study. These results firmly support the hypothesis that use of entertainment chimpanzees in the popular media negatively distorts the public’s perception and hinders chimpanzee conservation efforts.
Parachute Asymmetry in Ares Development Tests

A pilot parachute, a drogue parachute, and a cluster of three main parachutes have been designed and tested for use in recovering the first stage of the Ares I rocket. Through the various parachute drop tests and the Ares I-X flight development test, observations have been made about load asymmetries within a parachute. The main parachute cluster configuration was found to experience a significantly greater amount of asymmetry than that of a single-parachute configuration. The sources and types of load asymmetry are investigated in detail. Terminology is proposed to aide in distinguishing the nuances of asymmetry. The results are compared to the Space Shuttle Program’s Solid Rocket Booster parachute load measurements in order to anchor the observations made in the Ares Program.
Microwave-bandwidth optical receiver systems

A theoretical and experimental evaluation of optical communications systems capable of microwave bandwidths is presented. The optical transmitter, modulator, and detection techniques are discussed with respect to both direct-detection and optical heterodyne receivers, and experiments in a nonlaboratory environment are described. At the high optical power levels or photon rates which are fundamentally necessary for gigahertz instantaneous bandwidths, it is found that signal-shot-noise limited operation may be obtained with new wideband photodetectors incorporating internal gain. Direct-detection receivers are thus generally superior to heterodyne receivers in these systems. A comparison is made of the relative merits of alternative systems and their dependence on various parameters such as information capacity, range, and background illumination.
A Medicinal Plant Collection from Montserrat, West Indies

This paper focuses on medicinal plants found on the Caribbean island of Montserrat; however, other plant uses were also documented when found. Two hundred seventy-two taxa from seventy-eight families are listed along with habitat information and ethnobotanical notes when pertinent. Brief treatments of the islands' vegetation and geographical conditions are also included. Montserrat is a tropical island with a diverse flora and a rich heritage of plant folklore, the latter encompassing traditions passed down from Africans, Caribbean Amerindians, and Europeans. Prior to the recent volcanic eruptions, the author did a taxonomic study of ethnobotanically important plants found on Montserrat. Although the main purpose of this study was to gather ethnobotanical information, a number of plants which are not known to be ethnobotanically important to Montserratians were collected in order to augment our knowledge of the flora of the island. The island's recent devastating volcanic eruptions (resulting in the deaths of several informants and obliteration of large tracts of vegetation) have made the data collected in this project all the more significant.
Contemporary methods to investigate seed and bud dormancy

Abstract Dormancy is a state of shifted physiological activities with cessation of growth. It occurs in seeds and vegetative propagules and enables plants to survive in adverse growing conditions. Traditional studies on dormancy-related problems have mostly focused on hormone changes along with environmental factors that have achieved great insight on these processes at the physiological level. The molecular nature and cellular basis of signals that carry out the processes of dormancy or dormancy breaking are largely unknown. Recent advances in plant genetics and genomics have provided assorted ways to investigate questions concerning dormancy. Various approaches such as developing genetic maps with DNA-based markers, e.g., amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), analyzing mutant lines, conducting quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis, two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, differential display, microarray, have been performed to res...
An Artifact for Improving Effective Medication Adherence

In this paper, we focus on medication adherence and interventions to improve the level of medication adherence. We define Effective Medication Adherence (EMA) and study several interventions, including mobile reminders and context aware reminders, to improve the patterns of Effective Medication Adherence. The research question we address is: How context-aware reminders improve the Effective Medication Adherence? In this paper, we present a preliminary design of Health-IT artifact to implement multiple types of reminders. The performance results will be presented at the conference.
Quantitative mapping of time-temperature-strain effects on sensitization of type 316 stainless steels

Austenitic stainless steels (SS) are susceptible to the development of sensitization, or grain boundary chromium depletion (GBCD), during thermomechanical (TM) processing and fabrication treatments. Precipitation of chromium-rich M{sub 23}C{sub 6} carbides occurs on grain boundaries during TM treatment, leading to chromium-depletion in the vicinity of the interface. The induction of sensitization has been a recurring cause for intergranular (IG) corrosion and IG stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of primary and secondary power plant components for many years, and is also now being recognized as a potential cause for failure in SS containers used for storage and transport of nuclear and toxic waste materials. Research on sensitization development is, thus, important for understanding phenomena of IG corrosion and IGSCC in SS. Evaluation of thermal and strain cycle effects on carbide precipitation-chromium depletion development in SS also provides a key towards fundamentally understanding mechanisms of precipitate nucleation-growth in materials. While thermal effects on GBCD in SS have been studied for a range of isothermal and continuous cooling heat treatments, research on strain-induced sensitization has only been performed for limited strain and heat treatment schedules. Bain et al observed that straining of Type 304 SS about 50% caused development of accelerated, but less severe,more » sensitization due to precipitation of carbides within transgranular (TG) versus grain boundary regions. Later Tedmon, Vermilyea and Broecker found that TG depletion could also be rapidly desensitized (healed) during heat treatment. Bariant and Ritter observed TG corrosion in heavily deformed Types 304 and 316 SS during (450-800{degrees}C) heat treatment, but considered the onset of sensitization to be enhanced over annealed SS due to absence of previously reported rapid healing.« less
A radical intermediate in the conversion of pentachlorophenol to tetrachlorohydroquinone by Sphingobium chlorophenolicum.

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) hydroxylase, the first enzyme in the pathway for degradation of PCP in Sphingobium chlorophenolicum, is an unusually slow flavin-dependent monooxygenase (kcat = 0.02 s–1) that converts PCP to a highly reactive product, tetrachlorobenzoquinone (TCBQ). Using stopped-flow spectroscopy, we have shown that the steps up to and including formation of TCBQ are rapid (5–30 s–1). Before products can be released from the active site, the strongly oxidizing TCBQ abstracts an electron from a donor at the active site, possibly a cysteine residue, resulting in an off-pathway diradical state that only slowly reverts to an intermediate capable of completing the catalytic cycle. TCBQ reductase, the second enzyme in the PCP degradation pathway, rescues this nonproductive complex via two fast sequential one-electron transfers. These studies demonstrate how adoption of an ancestral catalytic strategy for conversion of a substrate with different steric and electronic properties can lead to subtle yet (l...
Using water Raman intensities to determine the effective excitation and emission path lengths of fluorophotometers for correcting fluorescence inner filter effect.

Fluorescence and Raman inner filter effects (IFE) cause spectral distortion and nonlinearity between spectral signal intensity with increasing analyte concentration. Convenient and effective correction of fluorescence IFE has been an active research goal for decades. Presented herein is the finding that fluorescence and Raman IFE can be reliably corrected using the equation Icorr/Iobsd = 10dxAx + dmAm when the effective excitation and emission path lengths, dx and dm, of a fluorophotometer are determined by simple linear curve-fitting of Raman intensities of a series of water Raman reference samples that have known degrees of Raman IFEs. The path lengths derived with one set of Raman measurements at one specific excitation wavelength are effective for correcting fluorescence and Raman IFEs induced by any chromophore or fluorophore, regardless of the excitation and emission wavelengths. The IFE-corrected fluorescence intensities are linearly correlated to fluorophore concentration over 5 orders of magnitud...
Analyzing heterogeneity in the effects of physical activity in children on social network structure and peer selection dynamics

BACKGROUND Social networks influence children and adolescents' physical activity. The focus of this paper is to examine the differences in the effects of physical activity on friendship selection, with eye to the implications on physical activity interventions for young children. Network interventions to increase physical activity are warranted but have not been conducted. Prior to implementing a network intervention in the field, it is important to understand potential heterogeneities in the effects that activity level have on network structure. In this study, the associations between activity level and cross sectional network structure, and activity level and change in network structure are assessed. METHODS We studied a real-world friendship network among 81 children (average age 7.96 years) who lived in low SES neighborhoods, attended public schools, and attended one of two structured aftercare programs, of which one has existed and the other was new. We used the exponential random graph model (ERGMs) and its longitudinal extension to evaluate the association between activity level and various demographic factors in having, forming, and dissolving friendship. Due to heterogeneity between the friendship networks within the aftercare programs, separate analyses were conducted for each network. RESULTS There was heterogeneity in the effect of physical activity on both cross sectional network structure and the formation and dissolution processes, both across time and between networks. CONCLUSIONS Network analysis could be used to assess the unique structure and dynamics of a social network before an intervention is implemented, so as to optimize the effects of the network intervention for increasing childhood physical activity. Additionally, if peer selection processes are changing within a network, a static network intervention strategy for childhood physical activity could become inefficient as the network evolves.