cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Exotic Grasses and Nitrate Enrichment Alter Soil Carbon Cycling Along an Urban‐Rural Tropical Forest Gradient

Urban areas are expanding rapidly in tropical regions, with potential to alter ecosystem dynamics. In particular, exotic grasses and atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition simultaneously affect tropical urbanized landscapes, with unknown effects on properties like soil carbon (C) storage. We hypothesized that (H1) soil nitrate (NO3 (-) ) is elevated nearer to the urban core, reflecting N deposition gradients. (H2) Exotic grasslands have elevated soil NO3 (-) and decreased soil C relative to secondary forests, with higher N promoting decomposer activity. (H3) Exotic grasslands have greater seasonality in soil NO3 (-) vs. secondary forests, due to higher sensitivity of grassland soil moisture to rainfall. We predicted that NO3 (-) would be positively related to dissolved organic C (DOC) production via changes in decomposer activity. We measured six paired grassland/secondary forest sites along a tropical urban-to-rural gradient during the three dominant seasons (hurricane, dry, and early wet). We found that (1) soil NO3 (-) was generally elevated nearer to the urban core, with particularly clear spatial trends for grasslands. (2) Exotic grasslands had lower soil C than secondary forests, which was related to elevated decomposer enzyme activities and soil respiration. Unexpectedly, soil NO3 (-) was negatively related to enzyme activities, and was lower in grasslands than forests. (3) Grasslands had greater soil NO3 (-) seasonality vs. forests, but this was not strongly linked to shifts in soil moisture or DOC. Our results suggest that exotic grasses in tropical regions are likely to drastically reduce soil C storage, but that N deposition may have an opposite effect via suppression of enzyme activities. However, soil NO3 (-) accumulation here was higher in urban forests than grasslands, potentially related to of aboveground N interception. Net urban effects on C storage across tropical landscapes will likely vary depending on the mosaic of grass cover, rates of N deposition, and responses by local decomposer communities.
Self-Testing Promotes Superior Retention of Anatomy and Physiology Information

The testing effect shows that learning is enhanced by the act of recalling information after exposure. Although the testing effect is among the most robust findings in cognitive science, much of its empirical support is from laboratory studies and it has been applied as a strategy for enhancing learning in the classroom in a limited fashion. The purpose of this investigation was to replicate the testing effect in a university anatomy and physiology course and to extend the applicability of it to independent student study. Students repeatedly studied three sets of passages that described structures and concepts pertaining to (1) cardiac electrophysiology, (2) ventilation and (3) endocrinology. Each student was randomly assigned to study one of those three passage sets by reading it three consecutive times (R–R–R), another by reading and then rereading it while taking notes (R–R + N) and the third by reading it, recalling as much as possible (i.e., self-testing) and then rereading it (R–T–R). Retention assessed after 1 week was significantly greater following R–T–R (53.95 ± 1.72) compared to R–R–R (48.04 ± 1.83) and R–R + N (48.31 ± 1.78). Evidence is also presented that suggests students benefited from instructions to self-test when preparing for exams on their own. The testing effect, then, can be generalized to real-life settings such as university anatomy and physiology courses and to independent study situations.
Geographic variation in Parauchenoglanis ngamensis (Boulenger 1911), (Siluriformes: Auchenoglanididae)

ABSTRACT The catfish, Parauchenoglanis ngamensis (Auchenoglanididae), is distributed in the Kasai and upper Zambezi-Okavango basins in southern Africa. The Kasai Basin population can be distinguished from the upper Zambezi-Okavango basins population by a less robust humeral process of the cleithrum, a longer external mandibular barbel, and less pigmentation on the body and fins. A population at Lake Calundo, appears to represent a portion of a cline within the species or a hybrid zone between two forms in the Kasai and upper Zambezi-Okavango basins.
Phenyl Substituted 4-Hydroxypyridazin-3(2H)-ones and 5-Hydroxypyrimidin-4(3H)-ones: Inhibitors of Influenza A Endonuclease

Seasonal and pandemic influenza outbreaks remain a major human health problem. Inhibition of the endonuclease activity of influenza RNA-dependent RNA polymerase is attractive for the development of new agents for the treatment of influenza infection. Our earlier studies identified a series of 5- and 6-phenyl substituted 3-hydroxypyridin-2(1H)-ones that were effective inhibitors of influenza endonuclease. These agents identified as bimetal chelating ligands binding to the active site of the enzyme. In the present study, several aza analogues of these phenyl substituted 3-hydroxypyridin-2(1H)-one compounds were synthesized and evaluated for their ability to inhibit the endonuclease activity. In contrast to the 4-aza analogue of 6-(4-fluorophenyl)-3-hydroxypyridin-2(1H)-one, the 5-aza analogue (5-hydroxy-2-(4-fluorophenyl)pyrimidin-4(3H)-one) did exhibit significant activity as an endonuclease inhibitor. The 6-aza analogue of 5-(4-fluorophenyl)-3-hydroxypyridin-2(1H)-one (6-(4-fluorophenyl)-4-hydroxypyridazin-3(2H)-one) also retained modest activity as an inhibitor. Several varied 6-phenyl-4-hydroxypyridazin-3(2H)-ones and 2-phenyl-5-hydroxypyrimidin-4(3H)-ones were synthesized and evaluated as endonuclease inhibitors. The SAR observed for these aza analogues are consistent with those previously observed with various phenyl substituted 3-hydroxypyridin-2(1H)-ones.
Viscoelastic Characterization of High Fiber Content Filament Wound Polyurethane Matrix Composites

Abstract Elastomeric matrix composites (EMCs) consisting of a polyurethane matrix unidirectionally reinforced with high volume fractions of high strength fibers have interesting and unique mechanical properties such as high strength and stiffness in the fiber direction and high ductility perpendicular to the fibers. The aim of this investigation is to explore the quasi-static mechanical properties of glass and carbon fiber EMCs in the direction transverse to the fibers and to measure and model the creep of the monolithic matrix material and the transverse creep of the glass EMC. In the quasi-static tests, glass and carbon EMCs followed a monotonic stress—strain curve that was essentially flat from approximately 1–2% to over 10% strain. The maximum stresses obtained in the quasi-static tests were approximately 3.5 and 7 MPa in the carbon and glass EMCs, respectively. The monolithic matrix and the glass EMC loaded transversely to the fibers both showed highly nonlinear creep behaviors. The former creep beha...
Electrical Properties of Transition Metal-Doped (Mn,Co)3O4 Spinels and Their Interaction with Chromia for SOFC Interconnect Coatings

Spinel oxide ceramic coatings have been shown effective to reduce oxidation rate and chromium volatilization of ferritic stainless steels SOFC interconnect. In this work, the effects of transition metal (TM) doping in (Mn,Co)3O4 (TM=Fe) spinels on the reaction with chromia and electrical conductivity at high temperature were studied. Iron additions lead to a decrease in conductivity, but do not increase the extent of reaction except for the higher Fe content of 0.7 in MnCo2-xFexO4. Even at this highest Fe content, Fe was not present in the high-chromium reaction layer.
State-Society Relations in the People's Republic of China Post-1949

This review essay provides an analytical review of the most important works on the evolving nature of the state-society relationship in China post-1949. The goal is to question the most important analyses rather than to provide a new theoretical framework.
Chronic cough and tuberculosis in children

Cough is one of the major symptoms in children with tuberculosis(TB).As TB is an infectious disease,it is very important to make early diagnosis and provide timely treatment for chronic cough caused by TB and prevent TB wide spread.So,diagnosis of TB should not be neglected in children with chronic cough.Dry cough is the early common symptom when the pulmonary lesions are not obvious.When caseation and cavitation in the lungs are formed,cough is often accompanied by sputum.Sometimes,yipping,spasmodic or even violent cough will be experienced in the cases with lymph fistula of the bronchi.
WE-B-BRC-01: Current Methodologies in Risk Assessment

Prospective quality management techniques, long used by engineering and industry, have become a growing aspect of efforts to improve quality management and safety in healthcare. These techniques are of particular interest to medical physics as scope and complexity of clinical practice continue to grow, thus making the prescriptive methods we have used harder to apply and potentially less effective for our interconnected and highly complex healthcare enterprise, especially in imaging and radiation oncology. An essential part of most prospective methods is the need to assess the various risks associated with problems, failures, errors, and design flaws in our systems. We therefore begin with an overview of risk assessment methodologies used in healthcare and industry and discuss their strengths and weaknesses. The rationale for use of process mapping, failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) and fault tree analysis (FTA) by TG-100 will be described, as well as suggestions for the way forward. This is followed by discussion of radiation oncology specific risk assessment strategies and issues, including the TG-100 effort to evaluate IMRT and other ways to think about risk in the context of radiotherapy. Incident learning systems, local as well as the ASTRO/AAPM ROILS system, can also be useful in the risk assessment process. Finally, risk in the context of medical imaging will be discussed. Radiation (and other) safety considerations, as well as lack of quality and certainty all contribute to the potential risks associated with suboptimal imaging. The goal of this session is to summarize a wide variety of risk analysis methods and issues to give the medical physicist access to tools which can better define risks (and their importance) which we work to mitigate with both prescriptive and prospective risk-based quality management methods. Learning Objectives: 1.Description of risk assessment methodologies used in healthcare and industry 2.Discussion of radiation oncology-specific risk assessment strategies and issues 3.Evaluation of risk in the context of medical imaging and image quality E. Samei: Research grants from Siemens and GE
Eschweilera awaensis and Grias subbullata (Lecythidaceae), two new species from northwestern Ecuador

Eschweilera awaensis and Grias subbullata, two new species known from the wet forests of northwestern Ecuador, are described. Eschweilera awaensis occurs in Esmeraldas, Los Rios, and the westernmost parts of the Pichincha provinces between 25–650 m elevation. Grias subbullata, is known only from two localities in the Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas province between 900–1670 m elevation. The new species are illustrated and their relationships with similar species are discussed.
Communication in the Context of Cultural Diversity

I have chosen to speak on the topic of communication in the context of cultural diversity at this international phenomenology congress in Korea because the setting provides a peculiarly appropriate laboratory for thought experiments on the dynamics of communication across cultural perspectives. We are all familiar with the well known couplet penned by Rudyard Kipling: “East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet.” I want to show that this utterance by Kipling is problematic at best and profoundly mistaken at worst.
Capillary Bridging as a Tool for Assembling Discrete Clusters of Patchy Particles

Janus and patchy particles are emerging as models for studying complex directed assembly patterns and as precursors of new structured materials and composites. Here we show how lipid-induced capillary bridging could serve as a new and nonconventional method of assembling patchy particles into ordered structures. Iron oxide surface patches on latex microspheres were selectively wetted with liquid lipid, driving the particle assembly into two- and three-dimensional clusters via interparticle capillary bridge formation. The liquid phase of the bridges allows local reorganization of the particles within the clusters and assists in forming true equilibrium configurations. The temperature-driven fluid-to-gel and gel-to-fluid phase transitions of the fatty acids within the bridge act as a thermal switch for cluster assembly and disassembly. By complementing the experiments with Monte Carlo simulations, we show that the equilibrium cluster morphology is determined by the patch characteristics, namely, their size, number, and shape. This study demonstrates the ability of capillary bridging as a versatile tool to assemble thermoresponsive clusters and aggregates. This method of binding particles is simple, robust, and generic and can be extended further to assemble particles with nonspherical shapes and complex surface chemistries enabling the formation of sophisticated colloidal molecules.
Phase degradation in BxGa1−xN films grown at low temperature by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy

Abstract Using metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy, a comprehensive study of B x Ga 1−x N growth on GaN and AlN templates is described. BGaN growth at high-temperature and high-pressure results in rough surfaces and poor boron incorporation efficiency, while growth at low-temperature and low-pressure (750–900 °C and 20 Torr) using nitrogen carrier gas results in improved surface morphology and boron incorporation up to ~7.4% as determined by nuclear reaction analysis. However, further structural analysis by transmission electron microscopy and x-ray pole figures points to severe degradation of the high boron composition films, into a twinned cubic structure with a high density of stacking faults and little or no room temperature photoluminescence emission. Films with 1% TEB flow, the crystal structure becomes dominated by the cubic phase. Only when the TEB flow is zero (pure GaN), does the cubic phase entirely disappear from the x-ray pole figure, suggesting that under these growth conditions even very low boron compositions lead to mixed crystalline phases.
The Pupae of Culicomorpha—Morphology and a New Phylogenetic Tree

The pupae of each of the families of the Culicomorpha are described and, for the first time, their structures homologized.A glossary provides a standard set of terms to be applied to each structure, including a common chaetotaxy. A cladisticanalysis incorporates information from each life stage, including a number of new features discovered from the pupalstage, to provide a new phylogenetic hypothesis, as well as indicating autapomorphies for each family. Analysisincluded states for one egg, 21 larval, 33 pupal, and 37 adult characters. The Chironomidae is the sister group of allremaining Culicomorpha, the Ceratopogonidae is the sister group of Thaumaleidae + Simuliidae and these three arenewly recognized as members of the re-defined superfamily Simulioidea. The superfamily Culicoidea are the sistergroup of the Simulioidea and include, as previous work has already demonstrated, the Dixidae as the sister group ofCorethrellidae + Chaoboridae + Culicidae. Corethrellidae is the sister group of Chaoboridae + Culicidae. Thesuperfamily Chironomoidea now includes only Chironomidae.Analysis of the fossil record shows that the Chironomidae (and the Culicomorpha) originated in the Triassic andboth Simulioidea and Culicoidea were present by 176 million years ago in the Jurassic. Phylogenetic patterns are used tointerpret bionomic features such as differences in the nature of blood-feeding by adult females, daytime or nighttimefeeding by adult females, and occurrence of immature stages in aquatic habitats. Chironomidae do not feed on blood asadults and have likely diversified by invading virtually all aquatic habitats as larvae. Its sister group is more than twiceas diverse and feeding on vertebrate blood is strongly correlated with high diversification within the Simulioidea +Culicoidea (likely because a reliable source of protein was available to dispersing females since the Triassic fromterrestrial vertebrates). Families with blood-feeding females have larger numbers of species than do those without thisbehaviour. Each family in the Simulioidea + Culicoidea have specialized larval habitats or specialized habits, largely inaquatic habitats where Chironomidae are either not, or are marginally present, suggesting a level of competitive exclusion by the Chironomidae.
Immunoglobulin A Dermatoses

Immunoglobulin A (IgA) dermatoses represent a distinct but diverse category of immunologic skin diseases, including linear IgA bullous dermatosis, dermatitis herpetiformis, IgA subcorneal pemphigus, IgA intraepidermal pemphigus and IgA vasculitis (Henoch-Schonlein purpura).
The Many Colors of Love in Niẓāmī's 'Haft Paykar:' Beyond the Spectrum

This article is a study of the many 'colors' of love in Niẓāmī Ganjavī's Haft paykar ( The Seven Figures ), with special attention paid to the (evidently) dichotomous poles of white (purity) and black (concupiscence). The argument is divided into four sections: after introducing the Haft paykar and summarizing some of the scholarship that has been done to crack the code of its color symbolism, I survey these thematic poles as they occur in several landmark medical, philosophical, and poetic texts of Islamic tradition. This provides the basis for an in-depth discussion of the Stories of the Black and White Domes in the Haft paykar , where I observe how the two episodes, when read from this context, seem to support a linear progression from 'black' love to 'white,' with the latter presumably marking the point of apotheosis. In the final section, however, I consider how the stories resist such a straightforward reading, and indeed recursively feed into each other in such a way to suggest that neither color of love can fully exist or function without the other. I propose that the contrast of white and black in the Haft paykar is not sufficiently read as a static dichotomy of symbols; it rather evokes a dynamic interplay of light and shadow that hints at a reality beyond the sum of its parts, a pre-prismatic totality of which all colors of love are merely those refractions visible to the naked eye.
Measuring the Extent and Limits of Colonial Change in Mesoamerica

This essay reviews the following works: Dreaming of Dry Land: Environmental Transformation in Colonial Mexico City. By Vera S. Candiani. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2014. Pp. xxix + 376. $60.00 cloth. ISBN: 9780804788052. Return to Aztlan: Indians, Spaniards, and the Invention of Nuevo Mexico. By Danna A. Levin Rojo. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2014. Pp. xii + 307. $34.95 cloth. ISBN: 9780806144344. Conquest and Survival in Colonial Guatemala: A Historical Geography of the Cuchumatan Highlands, 1500–1821. By W. George Lovell. 4th ed. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2015. Pp. xviii + 306. $34.95 paper. ISBN: 9780773545274. The Death of Aztec Tenochtitlan, the Life of Mexico City. By Barbara E. Mundy. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2015. Pp. ix + 246. $75.00 cloth. ISBN: 9780292766563. Maya Ideologies of the Sacred: The Transfiguration of Space in Colonial Yucatan. By Amara Solari. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2013. Pp. xi + 212. $55.00 cloth. ISBN: 9780292744943.
μ-Calpain (CAPN1), calpastatin (CAST), and growth hormone receptor (GHR) genetic effects on Angus beef heifer performance traits and reproduction.

Abstract Genetic marker effects and type of inheritance are estimated with poor precision when minor marker allele frequencies are low. An Angus population was subjected to marker assisted selection for multiple years to equalize CAPN1 haplotypes, CAST, and GHR genetic marker frequencies. The objective was to estimate the pleiotropic effects of these carcass quality oriented markers for body weight, reproduction, and first calf performance traits in 174 replacement beef females which were managed under 2 post-weaning development protocols. Heifers were weighed at 11-, 12-, and 13-mo, at first breeding season pregnancy evaluation, and prior to first calving season. Pubertal status was determined at 11-, 12-, and 13-mo of age. Antral follicles were counted, reproductive tracts were scored, and tract dimensions were measured at 13-mo. Body condition and hip height were scored and measured at pregnancy evaluation and prior to calving season. Heifer pregnancy and weaning rates and ordinal birth date were recorded. Calf body weights at birth and weaning were analyzed. Single df linear contrasts for recessive effects of the GHR heterozygous genotype showed significant decreases of 2.5–3.6% in 11-, 12-, and 13-mo heifer body weights and heifer weight prior to calving. The additive differences between GHR homozygotes were small and not significant for all body weights measured but a 1 wk difference in calf birth date was significant. For all 13-mo uterine measurements, scores, and antral follicle counts, only the CAST dominance contrast for medium antral follicle count was significant. The CAPN1 haplotype with a strong additive effect for increased beef tenderness also had a significant additive effect on calving date. Heifers homozygous for the tender haplotype calved 7.9 days later than heifers homozygous for the tough haplotype. Most heifer reproductive traits were not significantly affected by CAST and CAPN1 markers that are widely used to improve beef tenderness by selection and breeders should not be concerned with how these markers affect reproduction and other heifer traits with the possible exception of CAPN1 effects on calving date.
Oil Wealth, Winning Coalitions, and Duration of Civil Wars:

New research has begun to underscore the complicated relationship between democratic institutions and the duration of civil wars. Specifically, greater constraints placed on executives often lead t...
Homotopy Type Theory

Homotopy Type Theory is a new, homotopical interpretation of constructive type theory. It forms the basis of the recently proposed Univalent Foundations of Mathematics program. Combined with a computational proof assistant, and including a new foundational axiom – the Univalence Axiom – this program has the potential to shift the theoretical foundations of mathematics and computer science, and to affect the practice of working scientists. This talk will survey the field and report on some of the recent developments.
Examining the Effects of Instructional Leadership on School Academic Press and Student Achievement

The purpose of the current study was (1) to determine if three observed variables (teacher academic press, parent academic press, and student academic press) would come together to create the laten...
Eight types of “baby boomer” entrepreneurs:

This study developed a typology of eight heterogeneous types of baby boomer entrepreneurs and extended the occupational choice model regarding driving factors for entrepreneurialism in this populat...
A flexible Synthetic Control Method for modeling policy evaluation

Abstract We extend the Synthetic Control Method (SCM) of Abadie et al. (2010) for policy evaluation through a flexible nonparametric construction of the weights for estimating the synthetic (or counterfactual) time pattern of a treated unit. We present a comparison of both methods to assess the effects of adopting the Euro as national currency on Italian exports. Results show that both methods provide a small pre-treatment prediction error. However, when departing from the beginning of the pre-treatment period, the nonparametric SCM slightly outperforms the parametric one.
Progesterone and Progestin Mimics

Progesterone is synthesized primarily in the ovary and in the placenta during pregnancy from cholesterol in a pathway beginning with the formation of pregnenolone, which is the precursor molecule to all classes of the steroid hormones. Its action, mediated by progesterone receptor proteins, is essential for the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy, as well as by regulating menstrual bleeding, tissue repair, and inflammation. It also plays a major role in mammogenesis and lactation in humans and animals. Numerous compounds that mimic the activities of native progesterone have been synthesized for clinical use in reproductive medicine, treatment of inflammation, and cancer therapy.
Surface Condition Surveys in Ice Covered Waters using Acoustic Reverberation

Acoustic reverberation time is investigated, by scale-model experiments, for its suitability as a readily-measured index of the physical surface conditions in ice-covered waters. As such, it is envisioned as the basis of expedient survey techniques for such potential applications as trapped oil detection or ice road condition monitoring. The scaled experiments, to establish feasibility, are conducted in a small tank with naturally grown ice cover, anechoic-lined side walls, and a hard bottom, imitating thereby a horizontally-extended underwater environment, like an ice-covered sea. An impulsive source generates sound up through low ultrasonic frequencies (to 90 kHz), wavelengths of which are suitability short relative to the tank dimensions that near-ideal diffuse-field reverberant conditions are surmised to prevail; decay time of the impulse (“reverberation time”) is extracted from a hydrophone signal. Results suggest high sensitivity of the reverberation time to ice coverage (vs. absence), and somewhat lower sensitivity, albeit still promising for survey techniques, to other such features as variations in ice thickness, or the presence of trapped oil; this is suggestive of likely feasibility of the proposed survey techniques at full scale.
Extensive morphological variability in asexually produced planktic foraminifera

Marine protists are integral to the structure and function of pelagic ecosystems and marine carbon cycling, with rhizarian biomass alone accounting for more than half of all mesozooplankton in the oligotrophic oceans. Yet, understanding how their environment shapes diversity within species and across taxa is limited by a paucity of observations of heritability and life history. Here, we present observations of asexual reproduction, morphologic plasticity, and ontogeny in the planktic foraminifer Neogloboquadrina pachyderma in laboratory culture. Our results demonstrate that planktic foraminifera reproduce both sexually and asexually and demonstrate extensive phenotypic plasticity in response to nonheritable factors. These two processes fundamentally explain the rapid spatial and temporal response of even imperceptibly low populations of planktic foraminifera to optimal conditions and the diversity and ubiquity of these species across the range of environmental conditions that occur in the ocean.
Physiology of Skin Pigmentation

The skin is the largest organ in the body and the body’s first line of defense against harmful pathogens. The layers of the skin and their physiological functions are continuous throughout the skin of all ethnicities. Regardless of the obvious similarities in skin, there are differences in the mechanisms of skin of color that not only cause the presentation of conditions to appear dissimilar to Caucasian skin, but these differences also predispose ethnic skin to certain dermatological conditions. While scientific research on ethnic skin has of recent become more investigated, there are still strides to be made in fully understanding skin of color. Putting ethnic skin at the forefront of research will work to close the health disparities gap and allow providers to treat ethnic patients confidently and efficiently.
Effects of managerial overconfidence and ability on going-concern decisions and auditor turnover

Abstract I examine how the appearance of managerial overconfidence and managerial ability affect 1) auditors' decisions to issue a going concern opinion and 2) auditor dismissal rates after issuing a going concern opinion. Managerial attributes are likely to have an influence on auditors' decisions because auditors obtain and evaluate information about client management's remedy plans when there is substantial doubt about the entity's ability to continue as a going concern. While prior literature on managerial overconfidence classifies all managers who demonstrate overconfident behaviors in one group, I argue that the literature needs to take managerial ability into consideration when measuring overconfidence. I find that auditors are more likely to issue a going concern opinion to clients with seemingly overconfident managers only when the management who appears overconfident is also incompetent. I also find that auditors are more likely to be dismissed after issuance of a going concern opinion when the client company has seemingly overconfident management. Finally, I find that the association between managerial overconfidence and auditor dismissal subsequent to issuance of a going concern opinion is stronger when management is relatively more powerful than the company's audit committee.
Distinguishing Blau Syndrome from Systemic Sarcoidosis

The purpose of this review is to provide a framework to distinguish Blau syndrome/Early Onset Sarcoidosis and Sarcoidosis clinically. We also discuss relevant differences in genetics, pathogenesis, and management of these diseases. Blau syndrome and Sarcoidosis share the characteristic histologic finding of noncaseating granulomas as well as some similar clinical characteristics; nevertheless, they are distinct entities with important differences between them. Blau syndrome and Early Onset Sarcoidosis are due to one of numerous possible gain-of-function mutations in NOD2, commonly presenting before age 5 with a triad of skin rash, arthritis, and uveitis. However, as more cases are reported, expanded clinical manifestations have been described. In systemic Sarcoidosis, there are numerous susceptibility genes that have been identified, and disease is thought to result from an environmental exposure in a genetically susceptible host. It most often presents with constitutional symptoms and pulmonary involvement and typically affects adolescents and adults. This paper reviews the similarities and differences between Blau syndrome and Sarcoidosis. We also discuss the importance of distinguishing between them, particularly with regard to prognosis and outcomes.
Reservoir Computing System using Biomolecular Memristor

Reservoir Computing (RC) is a highly efficient machine learning algorithm specially suited for processing temporal dataset. RC system extracts features from input by projecting them into a high dimensional space. A major advantage of RC framework is that it only requires the readout layer to be trained which significantly reduces the training cost for complex temporal data. In recent years, memristors have become extremely popular in neuromorphic applications due to their attractive analogy to biological synapses. Alamethicin-doped, synthetic biomembrane can emulate key synaptic functions due to its volatile memristive property which can enable learning and computation. In contrast to its solid-state counterparts, this two-terminal biomolecular memristor features similar structure, switching mechanism, and ionic transport modality as biological synapses while consuming considerably lower power. In this work, we have shown biomolecular memristor-based reservoir system to solve tasks such as classification and time-series analysis in a simulation based environment. Our work may pave the way towards highly energy efficient and biocompatible memristor-based reservoir computing systems capable of handling complex temporal tasks in hardware in the near future.
Conditioned soils reveal plant-selected microbial communities that impact plant drought response

Rhizobacterial communities can contribute to plant trait expression and performance, including plant tolerance against abiotic stresses such as drought. The conditioning of microbial communities related to disease resistance over generations has been shown to develop suppressive soils which aid in plant defense responses. Here, we applied this concept for the development of drought resistant soils. We hypothesized that soils conditioned under severe drought stress and tomato cultivation over two generations, will allow for plant selection of rhizobacterial communities that provide plants with improved drought resistant traits. Surprisingly, the plants treated with a drought-conditioned microbial inoculant showed significantly decreased plant biomass in two generations of growth. Microbial community composition was significantly different between the inoculated and control soils within each generation (i.e., microbial history effect) and for the inoculated soils between generations (i.e., conditioning effect). These findings indicate a substantial effect of conditioning soils on the abiotic stress response and microbial recruitment of tomato plants undergoing drought stress.
A low-area decimation filter for ultra-high speed 1-bit /spl Sigma//spl Delta/ A/D converters

We present a low-area and low-power implementation of the first antialiasing and decimation filter following an ultra-high speed 1-bit /spl Sigma//spl Delta/ A/D converter operating between 430-600Msps in a wireless transceiver. This filter is implemented as a sinc/sup 4/ polyphase structure that decimates by 16. Reduction in area is achieved by interleaving I and Q data and by implementing each phase of the filter as a hard-wired lookup table. The filter provides more than 150 dB of rejection in 400 kHz band and more than 87 dB of rejection in 4 MHz band making it suitable for multistandard wireless applications. It is implemented in 90-nm digital CMOS process and the combined area for both I and Q channels is less than 3800 gates.
A Peptide from the Beta-strand Region of CD2 Protein that Inhibits Cell Adhesion and Suppresses Arthritis in a Mouse Model

Cell adhesion molecules play a central role at every step of the immune response. The function of leukocytes can be regulated by modulating adhesion interactions between cell adhesion molecules to develop therapeutic agents against autoimmune diseases. Among the different cell adhesion molecules that participate in the immunological response, CD2 and its ligand CD58 (LFA-3) are two of the best-characterized adhesion molecules mediating the immune response. To modulate the cell adhesion interaction, peptides were designed from the discontinuous epitopes of the β-strand region of CD2 protein. The two strands were linked by a peptide bond. β-Strands in the peptides were nucleated by inserting a β-sheet-inducing Pro-Gly sequence with key amino acid sequences from CD2 protein that binds to CD58. Using a fluorescence assay, peptides that exhibited potential inhibitory activity in cell adhesion were evaluated for their ability to bind to CD58 protein. A model for peptide binding to CD58 protein was proposed based on docking studies. Administration of one of the peptides, P3 in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in the mouse model, indicated that peptide P3 was able to suppress rheumatoid arthritis in mice.
Perceptions of self-esteem in a welfare-to-wellness-to-work program.

Objective: The study investigates welfare recipients' perceptions of personal self-esteem in relationship with their participation in a welfare-to-wellness-to-work program. Design and Sample: The cross-sectional, mixed-methods design examined a convenience sample of 33 participants who attended a welfare-to-wellness-to-work program called Work Wellness: The Basics that is based in an agency called Wellness Works!. Measures: A demographic survey, Rosenberg's Self-Esteem scale, and qualitative interviews were used. Results: Even with normal self-esteem scores, the participants credited the program with decreasing negative thoughts and improving self-esteem. The themes identified include program, self-esteem, mental health, and domestic violence. Conclusion: Information about the benefits of a holistic wellness program and its relationship with self-reported enhanced self-esteem can be used to assist with health promotion, policy, and the development of innovative programs that assist with transition from public assistance.
3D Cardiac Anatomy Reconstruction Using High Resolution CT Data

Recent advances in CT technology have allowed thh development of systems with multiple rows of detectors snd rapid rotation. These new imaging systems have permitted the acquisition of high resolution, spatially registered, and cardiac gated 3D heart data. In this paper, we present a framework that makes use of these data to reconstruct the 3D cardiac anatomy with resolutions that were not previously possible. We use an improved 3D hybrid segmentation framework which integrates Iibbs prior models, deformable models, and the marching cubes method to achieve a sub-pixel accuracy of the reconstruction of cardiac objects. To improve the clnvergence at concavities on the object surface, we introduce a new type of external force, which we call the scalar gradient. The scalar gradient is derived from a gray level edge map using local configuration information and nan help the deformable models converge into deep concavities on object’s surface. The 3D segmentation and reconstruction have been conducted on 8 high quality CT data sets. Important features, shch as the structure of papillary muscles, have been well captured, which may lead to a new understanding of the cardiac anatomy and function. All experimental results have been evaluated bl clinical experts and the validation shows the method has a very strong performance.
A New Assay of Thymidylate Synthetase Activity Based on the Release of Tritium from Deoxyuridylate-5-3H

The tritium atom of deoxyuridylate-5-3H is obligatorily displaced in the thymidylate synthetase reaction and equilibrates with water. Accordingly, a new and simple assay for the enzyme has been devised which is based on the measurement of the tritium released. This method shows essentially the same substrate requirements and pH optimum as the spectrophotometric assay. It has the advantage of much greater sensitivity and lower blanks and is applicable to crude extracts without modification. The ratio of tritium released to dihydrofolate formed is less than 1.0 and is considered to be the result of an isotope effect.
The use of a MEMS mirror for closed loop adaptive optics in the human eye

Summary from only given. Both a MEMS mirror and a liquid crystal spatial light modulator (LC-SLM) have been incorporated into the current Rochester adaptive optical system and are being characterized for use with the human eye.
Did Bartonella henselae contribute to the deaths of two veterinarians

Bartonella henselae, a flea-transmitted bacterium, causes chronic, zoonotic, blood stream infections in immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients throughout the world. As an intra-erythrocytic and endotheliotropic bacterium, B. henselae causes a spectrum of symptomatology ranging from asymptomatic bacteremia to fever, endocarditis and death. Veterinary workers are at occupational risk for acquiring bartonellosis. As an emerging, and incompletely understood, stealth bacterial pathogen, B. henselae may or may not have been responsible for the deaths of two veterinarians; however, recent evidence indicates that this genus is of much greater medical importance than is currently appreciated by the majority of the biomedical community.
SJO: Mapping Fashion and Masculinities in the Costa Rican Capital

AbstractThis article is a descriptive mapping of the Costa Rican capital, San Jose. I discuss the different ecologies of men's fashion as produced by the city, emphasizing how the physical landscape of the city informs, and perhaps defines, the sartorial choices of the men that inhabit it. The resulting range of performed masculinities reflects the relationships established between men and their near environment, primarily their clothes and the spaces they occupy in San Jose. I also look at spaces that provide interconnections between different masculinities and spaces that are points of crossover from one network to another. This mapping presents information about the connection between masculinities, fashion, and space for Costa Rican men as it highlights the layering that results from important differences in age, social class, power, privilege, taste, and other parameters. The article describes a variety of environments, including the casual and bohemian styles at the Universidad de Costa Rica, clothi...
F-Prime Factors of Escherichia coli

An F-prime factor is a circular DNA molecule which consists of most, or all, of the conjugal fertility factor F (see chapter 5 by Curtiss et al.) in addition to a portion of the bacterial genome. F-prime factors have been most extensively studied in Escherichia coli, and a recent review (Low, 1972) provides detailed references for the properties outlined below.
Lattice Dynamics of ZnTe: Phonon Dispersion, Multiphonon Infrared Spectrum, Mode Grüneisen Parameters, and Thermal Expansion

A four-parameter rigid-ion model utilizing an effective ionic charge is used for the determination of phonon dispersion, phonon density of states, and the Debye characteristic temperature of ZnTe. Structures in the infrared spectrum of ZnTe are assigned to multiphonon combinations of various critical-point phonon frequencies. Using the long-wavelength optic-mode phonon frequencies as well as the elastic constants and their respective pressure derivatives as input data, the mode Gr\"uneisen parameters, the Gr\"uneisen constant, and the coefficient of thermal expansion of ZnTe are calculated.
A feasibility analysis of binary fixed-slash and floating-slash number systems

Design and analysis of finite precision rational number systems based on fixed-slash and floating-slash representation is pursued. Natural formats for binary fixed-slash and binary floating-slash number representation in computer words are described. Compatibility with standard integer representation is obtained. Redundancy in the' representation is shown to be minimal. Arithmetic register requirements are considered. Worst case and average case rounding errors are determined, and the concept of adaptive variable precision in the rounding is developed.
Interaction between two isoforms of the NF2 tumor suppressor protein, merlin, and between merlin and ezrin, suggests modulation of ERM proteins by merlin.

The product of the neurofibromatosis type II (NF2) tumor suppressor gene, merlin, is closely related to the ezrin-radixin-moesin (ERM) family, a group of proteins believed to link the cytoskeleton to the plasma membrane. Mutation in the NF2 locus is associated with Schwann cell tumors (schwannomas). The two predominant merlin isoforms, I and II, differ only in the carboxy-terminal 16 residues and only isoform I is anti-proliferative. Merlin lacks an actin-binding domain conserved among ezrin, radixin and moesin. Because merlin, ezrin and moesin are co-expressed in Schwann cells, and all homodimerize, we have examined whether merlin and ezrin dimerize with one another. We found by immunoprecipitation and yeast two-hybrid assays that both merlin isoforms interact with ezrin. The interaction occurs in a head-to-tail orientation, with the amino-terminal half of one protein interacting with the carboxy-terminal half of the other. The two merlin isoforms behave differently in their interaction with ezrin. Isoform I binds only ezrin whose carboxy-terminus is exposed, whereas isoform II binds ezrin regardless of whether ezrin is in the open or closed conformation. The heterodimerization of merlin is a much stronger interaction than the interaction between either merlin isoform and ezrin, and can inhibit merlin-ezrin binding. This suggests that, in vivo, merlin dimerization could regulate merlin-ERM protein interaction, and could thus indirectly regulate other interactions involving ERM proteins. J. Neurosci. Res. 62:491–502, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
921-69 Transcatheter Closure of the Persistently Patent Ductus Arteriosus Using Occluding Coils

Transcatheter coil closure (TCC) of the Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) was attempted in 29 patients (pts) with a median age of 3.2 years (6 months-55 yearsl and a median weight of 14.0 kg (4.3-Bl kg). Previously, 114 pts with PDA underwent closure with the Rashkind umbrella device in our institution but this device is no longer available. Ducti measured 0.5–5.0 mm (mean = 1.B mm) at the narrowest point. A single coil was implanted in 12 pts, two in 15 and three in 2. The first coil implanted had a diameter twice the minimal internal diameter of the PDA and a length sufficient for at least 4 loops. One to 1.5 loops were delivered in the main pulmonary artery. and the remaining loops were released in the aortic ductal diverticulum. Coil embolization occurred in 3 pts: all coils were successfully retrieved. In another patient 3 coils were removed from the PDA. after proper placement. because of left pulmonary artery obstruction. Coil re-implantation was successful in all of these patients. Aortography, performed 10 minutes after coil implantation, showed complete closure in 25/29 pts (86%). Four hours after the procedure, 27/29 pts (93%1 had no evidence of PDA by color flow Doppler. Thirteen pts were done as outpatients, 13 were discharged in 24 hr, and 3 had prolonged hospitalization for other medical problems. Follow-up ranged from 1 month to 4 years in 27/29 pts. None had detectable murmurs. Small residual PDA shunt by color flow Doppler persisted in 2 pts. No aortic obstruction, pulmonary artery stenosis. hemolysis, or late coil migration has been observed. These results compare favourably with our Rashkind device occlusion results where the closure rate was 52% by angiography (p l 0.01) and 71% by color flow Doppler (p = 002) at discharge. Furthermore, the cost of TCC was 25% less than the Rashkind device occlusion, and 40% less than surgical closure. Conclusion TCC of small to moderate PDA is an effective technique without significant morbidity. It appears significantly more effective and costefficient than the Rashkind device occlusion, and it can be done safely as an outpatient procedure.
High molecular weight forms of relaxin in pregnant sow ovaries.

Abstract The existence of a prohormone for relaxin has been investigated by purification from extracts of pregnant sow ovaries. Radioimmunoassay of column fractions from large scale extraction of frozen pregnant sow ovaries detected two species of high molecular weight relaxin immunoactivity besides the 6,300 dalton relaxin. On further purification, these two species were resolved into three forms with apparent molecular weights of 19,000, 13,000 and 10,000 daltons respectively. Each was biologically active and could be converted by trypsin to the 6,300 dalton relaxin. They may represent intermediates of relaxin.