cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Consumer Choice Strategies: Simplifying Vs. Optimizing:

Designing effective marketing programs requires forecasting the choice strategy a consumer will use in a given decision environment. Both simplifying and optimizing considerations may affect the st...
Teaching Multicultural Leadership Using a Social Constructionist Approach.

Multicultural leadership education may be enhanced through the use of social construction literature as a theoretical frame. Here, I present a brief overview of social construction theory and demonstrate how its tenets overlap with the goal of encouraging students’ intercultural competence. I then provide two classroom activities that illustrate how I have used social construction to explain and examine interaction across diverse groups, as well as student feedback regarding the activities’ efficacy.
Added Mass of a Model Round Parachute Canopy during Inflation

The added mass of a model round parachute canopy during various stages of inflation was computed using a commercial finite element-based solver. Images from an experiment in which a small scale round canopy model was inflated under infinite mass conditions were employed to create a set of solid models. Eight instants during inflation were selected and the potential flowfield about the models at these instants was computed assuming a uniform freestream. Subsequently, the added mass component associated with translation along the symmetry axis was calculated. The computed added mass for the eight cases was greater than the enclosed fluid mass and could not be correlated with the latter. The ratio of added mass to the enclosed mass varied from 1.2 at the ‘sock’ stage to 4.1 at the ‘over-inflated’ stage. A correlation was developed to estimate the added mass as a linear combination of the enclosed fluid mass and the added mass of a disk having the same area as the canopy mouth.
An endoscopic study of the greater palatine nerve.

BackgroundUsing an endoscopic approach, lateral sphenoid air cells and terminal branches of the internal maxillary artery often can be accessed through the pterygomaxillary fossa; however, injury t...
Does a low-sodium diet reduce blood pressure?

Reducing sodium intake does lead to a slightly lower average blood pressure. However, no evidence from controlled trials proves that reducing sodium intake decreases morbidity or mortality, or proves that modest sodium restriction is harmful.
Surgical Management of Abomasal Disease

Abomasal diseases are common in cattle. Many of these diseases can be managed surgically. This article briefly discusses the various surgical diseases affecting the abomasum. The pathogenesis, surgical procedures, and prognosis are reviewed. Abomasal displacements in cattle are a focus, because surgical correction of these conditions represents the bulk of abomasal surgeries in ruminants. Surgical principles of conventional surgery as well as minimally invasive techniques for correction of abomasal displacements are discussed. The surgical management of other abomasal diseases such as intraluminal abomasal obstructions and abomasal ulcers are also reviewed.
A sphere decoding approach for the vector Viterbi algorithm

High speed multi-input multi-output (MIMO) communication systems suffer from inter-channel and inter-symbol-interference (ICI and ISI). The vector Viterbi algorithm (VVA) is a maximum likelihood sequence detection (MLSD) algorithm for MIMO frequency selective channels. MLSD algorithms are desired because they minimize the probability of sequence detection error. However, they suffer from very high computational complexity. In this work, we show how a sphere decoding like algorithm can be used to reduce the complexity of VVA while preserving its optimality. For a 2 × 2 MIMO system with 16-QAM signal constellation, our algorithm cuts VVA's complexity by 50% at an SNR of 10 dB and by 60% at an SNR of 15 dB.
Sequence Learning: What's the Hippocampus to Do?

The medial temporal lobe is crucial for some forms of memory, but its role in implicit learning has remained in question. A brain imaging study by Schendan et al., in this issue of Neuron, provides direct evidence of medial temporal lobe activation during implicit learning of motor sequences.
Arthroscopic-assisted exploration of the axillary nerve through a posterior open approach: A novel technique

Summary Introduction Previous studies have described a segment of the axillary nerve (AN) that cannot be surgically explored through standard open surgical approaches (blind zone). This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of combining the standard posterior approach to the AN by using an arthroscope to visualize all segments of the AN. Material and methods Four fresh-frozen shoulders in two adult human torsos were included in the study. A standard posterior approach was performed on each shoulder, and a dry arthroscopy was performed through the surgical opening in an attempt to visualize all the segments of the AN. A surgical clip was placed at the most proximal and anterior segment of the AN that could be visualized with the arthroscope. A standard open deltopectoral approach was then performed to determine the exact location of the surgical clip and its relation to the origin of the AN. Results All segments of the AN (including the blind zone) were visualized from the quadrilateral space to their origin from the posterior cord in all four specimens. The surgical clip was found at an average of 1 cm (range from 0.5 to 1.5 cm) from the origin of the AN from the posterior cord. Conclusions This cadaveric study shows that it is feasible to visualize all segments of the AN (including the blind zone) using this novel approach that combines the use of the standard posterior approach to the AN with dry arthroscopic exploration. Clinical studies are necessary to evaluate the utility of this novel approach.
Literacy Achievement Trends at Entry to First Grade.

Recent shifts in policy and practice have brought an increasingly more academic focus to the early grades, evidenced in rising standards and the now widely accepted notion that kindergarten is the ...
Polytomous Logistic Regression

In this chapter, the standard logistic model is extended to handle outcome variables that have more than two categories. Polytomous logistic regression is used when the categories of the outcome variable are nominal, that is, they do not have any natural order. When the categories of the outcome variable do have a natural order, ordinal logistic regression may also be appropriate.
MICROPUMP DESIGN FOR OPTIMUM PRESSURE/FLOW CHARACTERISTICS

Until now there have been no reports of design techniques that include a means for developing pumps that can pump against higher pressure loads at the cost of less volume flow rate delivered to the load or vice versa. We address this problem for membrane micropumps that incorporate no-moving-parts valves (NMPV). A design approach is presented that utilizes a linear low-order model, finite element analysis to optimize piezoelectric actuation, and an algorithm to interrogate a design space of membrane thickness and valve size for any specified pressure load. The results indicate that optimum designs are relatively far from existing pumps and that significant improvements are possible. These gains appear to be due to the ability of the design approach to select non-obvious combinations of membrane stiffness and valve size to better “tune” the system, which is crucial in the case of NMPV pump, because excellent resonant behavior can make up for the fact that the valves do not open and close. Another important observation was that the optimal design point for pressure was not the same as for flow. This result is an indication that pumps can be designed for pressure or flow through careful design.
Disrupt toxicity testing: It’s the dose rate that makes the poison

Dimensions of time that are relevant to molecular mechanisms are not incorporated into conventional toxicity testing methodologies. Historically, this was due to technological limitations. These li...
Assessment of area spread of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus in three clusters of swine farms.

Despite decades of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) research, outbreaks with emerging and re-emerging PRRS virus (PRRSV) strains are not uncommon in North America. The role of area spread, commonly referred but not limited to airborne transmission, in originating such outbreaks is currently unknown. The main objective of this study was to explore the role of area spread on the occurrence of new PRRSV cases by combining information on genetic similarity among recovered PRRSV isolate's open-reading frame (ORF) 5 sequences and publicly available weather data. Three small regions were enrolled in the study for which high farm-level participation rate was achieved, and swine sites within those regions were readily sampled after reporting of an outbreak in a sow farm. Oral fluid PCR testing was used to determine PRRSV status of farms, and wind roses were generated for assessment of prevailing wind directions during 2-14 days preceding the outbreak. Under the conditions of this study, the data did not support the area spread theory as the main cause for these outbreaks. We suggest that for future studies, analysis of animal movement and other links between farms such as personnel, equipment and sharing of service providers should be incorporated for better insights on source of the virus. Furthermore, the development of rapid and easy diagnostic methods for ruling out resident PRRSV is urgently needed.
Perception of Sound

At this point in our study of sound it is appropriate to say something about how we humans perceive and register sound waves approaching us. There are many applications of sound-type waves, of course, where the measurement and registration of sound are not done through the innate organs we have for that purpose. For example, high-frequency sound waves are used for therapeutic purposes in medicine, where instruments measure the correct dose, as well as the effect of the waves. When measuring seismic waves, we also use instruments. Even in the manufacture of musical instruments, instrumental analysis is used in conjunction with expert aural opinion. The same is true in building auditoriums or in testing “hi-fi” equipment. Yet for many purposes for which you are interested in learning about sound and music, the receptor and arbiter will be you, that is, your ears and brain.
Ferromagnetic transition in superdense matter and neutron stars

The conditions for dense nuclear matter to undergo a ferromagnetic transition are estimated, and shown to be applicable to neutron stars. The relativistic equation of state for interacting hard-core nucleons at T = 0 is developed, and used in integrating the general-relativistic hydrodynamic-equilibrium equation for the Schwarzschild metric. The calculation yields the boundaries between unmagnetized, partially magnetized and fully magnetized nuclear matter in the star, and also the total mass and the radius of the star. The latter two quantities, as functions of central density, are in qualitative agreement with other calculations of the equilibrium properties of a star composed of interacting nuclear matter.
Structuring of Nonionic Surfactant Micelles

Micellar solutions of nonionic surfactants Brij 35 and Tween 20 are confined between two solid smooth surfaces by CP-AFM in order to know the effect of surface charge and the deformability of the colloids on their corresponding structuring compared the previously studied charged and rigid silica nanoparticles. The experimentally-detected oscillatory forces due to the layer-by-layer expulsion of the micelles are in good agreement with the theoretical predictions for hard-sphere fluids. While the experimentally measured force versus distance curve has non-equilibrium portions, which represent “jumps” from one to another branch of the respective equilibrium oscillatory curve, the theoretical model permit reconstruction of the full oscillatory curve. Thereby, the strength and range of the ordering could be determined. In the case of Brij 35 at concentrations less than 150 mM, spherical micelles are present. The oscillation wavelength is close to the micelle diameter and the decay length increases with the rise of concentration. The different dependence of the characteristic lengths on the system parameters for uncharged micelles, in comparison to the charged particles, is related to the different interaction involved. For elongated micelles (at concentration 200 mM), no harmonic oscillations are observed; instead, the oscillation peak-to-peak distance increases with the decrease of film thickness due to the reorientation of the elongated micelles. In the case of Tween 20, the force oscillations are almost suppressed, which implies that the micelles of this surfactant are labile and demolished by the hydrodynamic shear stresses resulting from the colloidal-probe motion. The comparison of the results for these two surfactants demonstrates that in some cases the soft micelles can be destroyed by the CP-AFM, while in other cases they can be stable and behave as rigid particles. This behavior correlates with the characteristic times of the slow micellar relaxation process for these surfactants. In general, an optimum scanning speed is necessary to be defined for the system to rearrange after the expulsion of former layers of the micelles and thus obtain the force profiles.
The Sharing Economy: A Geographically Weighted Regression Approach to Examine Crime and the Shared Lodging Sector:

The sharing economy has gained great market share within the lodging sector by offering cost-effective accommodation solutions. However, it is also troubled by increasing criminal incidents. This study examined the global relationship between the density of Airbnb and crimes in Florida, explored how the relationships vary at the county level. The results suggested that crime-lodging associations vary by listing types but not crime types. Only the Shared Room type consistently exhibited positive associations with both property and violent crimes, while Private Room and Entire Home exhibited negative associations. Local variations were identified by geographically weighted regression, which could be explained by the local tourism development and ethnic diversity degree. We suggested equal efforts in preventing both property and violent crimes in home sharing business. Also regional differences need to be considered when responding to shared lodging crimes.
Evaluating effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy within multimodal treatment for chronic groin pain after inguinal hernia repair

The development of chronic groin pain after inguinal hernia repair is a complex problem with many potential factors contributing to its development. Surgical options for alleviation of symptoms are limited and only performed by a few centers dedicated to its treatment. Opportunities to apply the principles of a prehabilitation program, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), aim to improve the surgical outcomes for this condition. A multi-disciplinary hernia team has implemented a clinical quality improvement (CQI) effort in an attempt to better measure and improve outcomes for patients suffering with chronic groin pain after inguinal hernia repair. Between April 2011 and August 2018, 129 patients (157 groins) underwent surgical treatment for chronic groin pain after inguinal hernia repair. Data were collected to compare outcomes for those undergoing preoperative CBT and patients who did not have CBT prior to their operation. Of 129 total patients, baseline demographics were similar in terms of gender, age, and BMI. In total, 27 patients (32 groins) underwent prehabilitation with CBT (20.93%). We found none of the patients who underwent preoperative CBT had new postoperative pain and all patient procedures were able to be performed on an outpatient basis. Overall, 15 (14.7%) patients had no improvement in symptoms after surgery from the non-CBT group, whereas there was improvement in chronic pain for all patients who underwent CBT. This attempt at process improvement demonstrated beneficial effects for patients who had CBT as part of a prehabilitation program prior to a surgical procedure to attempt to relieve groin pain after inguinal hernia repair. As with any CQI analysis, other factors may have contributed to these outcomes and these results may be different in another local environment.
Wnt/β‐Catenin Signaling Plays a Protective Role in the Mdr2 Knockout Murine Model of Cholestatic Liver Disease

Background and aims The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway has a well-described role in liver pathobiology. Its suppression was recently shown to decrease bile acid (BA) synthesis, thus preventing the development of cholestatic liver injury and fibrosis after bile duct ligation (BDL). Approach and results To generalize these observations, we suppressed β-catenin in Mdr2 knockout (KO) mice, which develop sclerosing cholangitis due to regurgitation of BA from leaky ducts. When β-catenin was knocked down (KD) in KO for 2 weeks, hepatic and biliary injury were exacerbated in comparison to KO given placebo, as shown by serum biochemistry, ductular reaction, inflammation, and fibrosis. Simultaneously, KO/KD livers displayed increased oxidative stress and senescence and an impaired regenerative response. Although the total liver BA levels were similar between KO/KD and KO, there was significant dysregulation of BA transporters and BA detoxification/synthesis enzymes in KO/KD compared with KO alone. Multiphoton intravital microscopy revealed a mixing of blood and bile in the sinusoids, and validated the presence of increased serum BA in KO/KD mice. Although hepatocyte junctions were intact, KO/KD livers had significant canalicular defects, which resulted from loss of hepatocyte polarity. Thus, in contrast to the protective effect of β-catenin KD in BDL model, β-catenin KD in Mdr2 KO aggravated rather than alleviated injury by interfering with expression of BA transporters, hepatocyte polarity, canalicular structure, and the regenerative response. Conclusions The resulting imbalance between ongoing injury and restitution led to worsening of the Mdr2 KO phenotype, suggesting caution in targeting β-catenin globally for all cholestatic conditions.
America Still Held Hostage: The Hostage Crisis Generation and Public Opinion about Iran Deal

The hostage crisis of 1979 was a defining moment in the history of US-Iran relationship that left a lasting impact on the generation of the Americans who witnessed it and deeply affected their attitudes toward Iran and Iran-related policies. In this paper, we use a case study of the Iran nuclear deal to put this idea to the test. We hypothesize that the hostage crisis generation is less likely to support the Iran nuclear deal than the post-hostage crisis generation. Using data from the 2015 Chicago Council Survey of American Public Opinion and U.S. Foreign Policy, we conduct a formal statistical analysis. The results of our OLS regression analysis show that there is a statistically significant difference between foreign policy attitudes of the two generations, irrespective of partisanship and ideology that are usually considered the main determinants of public opinion on foreign policy.
Cardiovascular Disease-Related Pregnancy Complications Are Associated with Increased Maternal Levels and Trajectories of Cardiovascular Disease Biomarkers During and After Pregnancy

Background: Having a pregnancy complicated by hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) and/or having a small or preterm baby put a woman at risk for later cardiovascular disease (CVD). It is uncer...
Current concepts in breast cancer genomics: An evidence based review by the CGC breast cancer working group.

Abstract Background Genomic abnormalities in breast cancer have been described according to diverse conceptual frameworks, including histologic subtypes, clinical molecular subtypes, intrinsic DNA, RNA, and epigenetic profiles, and activated molecular pathways. Methods The Cancer Genomics Consortium (CGC) Breast Cancer Workgroup performed an evidence based literature review to summarize current knowledge of clinically significant genomic alterations in breast cancer using CGC levels of evidence. Targetable or disease-defining alterations were prioritized. Results We summarized genomic alterations in breast cancer within a framework of existing clinical tools for diagnosis, risk stratification, and therapeutic management. Using CGC levels of evidence, we catalog copy number profiles, gene expression profiles, and mutations in clinically significant genes. We also describe emerging molecular markers such as methylation profiling and immunotherapy biomarkers. Conclusion A summary of currently available information on breast cancer genomics will enhance precision medicine by serving as an interpretive resource for clinical laboratory geneticists, providing a foundation for future practice guidelines, and identifying knowledge gaps to address in future research.
Joint estimation of heterogeneous exponential Markov Random Fields through an approximate likelihood inference

Abstract In biomedical research, increasing attention has been paid to the discovery of regulatory relationships among heterogeneous biological features. We present a new statistical framework to jointly learn multiple heterogeneous exponential Markov Random Fields. We establish an approximate likelihood inference problem regularized by an embedded group lasso penalty, and propose an efficient algorithm in the Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers framework. We also establish structure recovery consistency for the proposed joint network learning. The practical merits of the proposed integrative structural learning method are demonstrated through simulations and real applications to discovering regulatory relationships among heterogeneous biological variables from distinct but related types of cancer.
Individual differences in effective interview design: Factors affecting question choice

Despite the evidence that structured interviews are superior to unstructured interviews, interviewers remain reluctant to use them for personnel selection. The current research replicated and extended recent research examining how individual differences relate to the ability to identify effective interview questions. Question judgments were made across questions that varied substantially in quality and across two different jobs. Across two samples of data, respondents evaluated past behavioral and traditional interview questions more favorably than oddball questions and questions about job‐irrelevant competencies. Furthermore, general mental ability and social aptitude were strongly related to skill in identifying effective interview questions, with results suggesting these traits are associated with customizing questions to specific job contexts.
A Daily Examination of African American Adolescents' Racial Discrimination, Parental Racial Socialization, and Psychological Affect.

This study examined 164 African American adolescents' (Mage = 15) daily reports of racial discrimination and parental racial socialization over 21 days. The study examined same-day and previous-day associations of adolescents' discrimination and socialization experiences with their positive and negative psychological affect. It further explored whether racial socialization messages buffered discrimination's effects on affect when messages were received during the same day and on the day prior to discrimination. Findings indicated the deleterious effect of racial discrimination (associated with more negative affect) and highlighted the importance of examining youth's short-term coping in critical developmental years. Findings also showed how messages promote positive youth emotions. However, daily moderating associations differed from prior survey studies, suggesting the importance of examining short-term processes.
Whiskey, Women and Tax: The Unexpected and Interlocking History of the 16th, 18th and 19th Amendments

Before they became the most famous pair of advocates in the U.S. women’s suffrage movement, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were temperance activists. Advocating for the prohibition of alcohol in a world in which women lacked both political and property rights, they sought to curb other social ills: family poverty, unemployment, domestic violence, and violent crime. Through the early 20th Century, however, the U.S. relied heavily on excise taxes, particularly those on liquor, to fund government operations. The passage and ratification of the 16th Amendment, authorizing a federal income tax, was needed before the 18th Amendment, prohibiting alcohol, could be passed. In turn, the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote, was ratified, in part, on the strength of the time-honored argument that women should not face taxation without representation. Old enemies die hard, however. The ratification of the Susan B. Anthony Amendment prohibiting denial of the ballot on the basis of sex required that suffrage activists counter the (then illegal) liquid advocacy of well-known whiskey distillers and brewers. This article recounts the complex and interlocking history of women’s suffrage, prohibition, and the federal income tax.
Sustainability in CSR Messages on Social Media: How Emotional Framing and Efficacy Affect Emotional Response, Memory and Persuasion

The present study explores how companies use social media messages to communicate about the dangers of plastic pollution. Drawing from the emotions-as-frames model and the limited capacity model of...
Impacts of continued exposure to a susceptible host genotype on aggressiveness of Phytophthora nicotianae isolates adapted to multiple sources of partial resistance.

Pathogen adaptation can threaten the durability of partial resistance. Mixed plantings of susceptible and partially resistant varieties may prolong the effectiveness of partial resistance, but little is known about how continued exposure to a susceptible genotype can change the aggressiveness of pathogen isolates adapted to a source of partial resistance. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of continued exposure to a highly susceptible tobacco genotype on isolates of P. nicotianae that had been adapted to partial resistance. Isolates of P. nicotianae previously adapted on two sources of partial resistance were continually exposed to either the original host of adaptation or a susceptible host. After six generations of host exposure, isolates obtained from the partially resistant and the susceptible hosts were compared for their aggressiveness on the resistant host and for differences in expression of genes associated with pathogenicity and aggressiveness. Results suggested exposure to the susceptible tobacco genotype reduced aggressiveness of isolates from partial resistance in K 326 Wz/--, but not of isolates from partial resistance from Fla 301. Quantification of pathogenicity-associated gene expression using qRT-PCR suggested the rapid change in aggressiveness of isolates adapted to Wz-sourced partial resistance may have resulted from modification in gene expression in multiple genes.
Relicensure Requirements and Board Re-Evaluation

Recent legislation at the state level, responding to public pressures against growing bureaucracy and concerns over continued professional development, has made it essential that professional engineers and engineering societies actively evaluate the status of professional registration and work responsively toward its improvement. It is necessary at this time to demonstrate the value of registration laws and boards to the public. The objectives of professional engineering registration are presented, questions relating to the laws and registration requirements are raised, and two immediate concerns — sunset laws and continuing professional development — are discussed, in the context of the profession's responsibility to act constructively.
Disaster Law and Climate Change

This chapter describes the international legal regimes that address natural disaster and that address climate change. It also identifies a gap in program coverage and examines how the global community is wrestling with the issue. Consider a serious disaster risk that is amplified by climate change. What legal program should kick in? Should we call on policies intended for disaster-risk reduction (DRR) or for climate-change adaptation (CCA)? Or do we need something new and distinct? The border between DRR and CAA is, as we will see, contested. Where one draws the line depends on science, economic interests, and social values. This chapter begins by examining some facts about disasters, climate change, and the relationship between the two. It then describes the legal regimes that address DRR and climate change (including CCA). Finally, this chapter investigates the current debate about how climate-related disasters should be understood and addressed.
Understanding the Decline in the Labor Force Participation of Teenagers

In the current recovery, an anomaly is that the decline in the unemployment rate appears to be a result of declining labor force participation rather than of an increase in the employment-population ratio. An examination of the changes in labor force participation rates demonstrates both that overall labor force participation has declined and that the age group with the largest decline in participation is teenagers (ages 16 - 19). A large and rapid decline in teen LFPR accounts for about half the total decline in labor force participation. This paper examines the changes in teen labor force participation and finds that about 40% the decline in teen labor force participation can be explained by changes in teen school enrollment rates and in teen unemployment rates. I also find that teen LFPRs since 2000 have been significantly below their predicted level.
Mathematics of Program Construction Applied to Analog Neural Networks

The mathematics of program construction has been developed over three decades to design correct digital programs in a systematic fashion. This mathematics has demonstrated its critical importance in the design of deterministic as well as nondeterministic programs, and in the design of both synchronous and self-timed circuits. This short note is to explore the use of this mathematics in the design of continuous systems such as analog neural networks.
Beyond the ABC-Model: Regulation of Floral Homeotic Genes

Abstract The ABC‐model explains the genetic basis for the specification of floral organ identities, stating that A‐function is required for the sepal, (A + B)‐functions are necessary for the petal, (B + C)‐functions are needed for the stamen, and C‐function is essential for the carpel. Molecular cloning revealed that all ABC‐genes encode transcriptional regulators and most are MADS‐box genes. This chapter focuses on molecular genetic studies that have identified numerous genes that affect A‐, B‐, and C‐functions by regulating specific genes that are required for A‐, B‐, or C‐function. These genes act at both the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels and encode a variety of regulatory proteins. Discoveries and analyses of these genes provide further understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying floral development and lay a foundation for greater advances in this fertile field of plant development. Future studies using genomic and evolutionary approaches promise to reveal an expanding knowledge of the floral molecular machinery.
Isolation and Characterization of an Anaerobic, Cellulolytic Bacterium, Clostridium cellulovorans sp. nov

A new anaerobic, mesophilic, spore-forming cellulolytic bacterium is described. Cellulose is cleared within 24 to 48 h around colonies formed in cellulose agar roll tubes. Cells stain gram negative and are nonmotile rods which form oblong spores either centrally or subterminally in a clostridial swelling. Colonies are irregular with an opaque edge and a center devoid of both vegetative cells and spores. Cellulose, xylan, pectin, cellubiose, glucose, maltose, galactose, sucrose, lactose, and mannose serve as substrates for growth. H/sub 2/, CO/sub 2/, acetate, butyrate, formate, and lactate are produced during fermentation of cellulose or cellobiose. The temperature and pH for optimum growth are 37/sup 0/C and 7.0, respectively. The DNA composition is 26 to 27 mol% guanine plus cytosine. This bacterium resembles Clostridium lochhheadii in morphological and some biochemical characteristics but is not identical to it. The name Clostridium cellulovorans sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 743B (ATCC 35296).
Exciton Polaritons in Optical Microcavities and Their Prospects for Electrically Pumped Organic Lasers

Summary form only given. We discuss the study of strongly coupled states based on optically pumped molecular organic thin films deposited in vacuum. These states have applications to nonlinear optics, and more speculatively, to coherent light emission. Our studies extend to several different molecular organic species, as well as coupled Wannier-Frenkel exciton states in hybrid organic/inorganic quantum well semiconductor systems. The prospects of employing these fundamental excitations for nonlinear optical devices are discussed.
Molecular-dynamics investigation of early film growth of Pt/Au(100) and Au/Pt(100) and an interdiffusive growth mode.

We simulate the early vapor deposition of Pt on reconstructed Au(100), and also Au on reconstructed Pt(100), with surface-embedded-atom-method potentials and the molecular-dynamics code DAMSEL utilizing simulated annealing. The early growth of Pt/Au(100) exhibits a type of interdiffusive growth where the Pt burrows into the Au substrate, forming a bumpy, mounded surface. The predicted growth is a consequence of the pliable nature of the reconstructed Au(100) substrate, and the ease with which it accommodates interlayer replacement diffusion. For Au/Pt(100), in agreement with low-energy electron-diffraction analyses, Au loses its quasihexagonal reconstruction at about 0.5-ML coverage, whereupon it grows layer by layer on Pt(100), pseudomorphic with the Pt(100) bulklike substrate, until a quasihexagonal reconstruction reappears at 2 ML.
Revisiting "Play": Analyzing and Articulating Acts of Inquiry

The early childhood profession needs to establish a different discourse to describe what has been referred to as “play” in early childhood. The authors draw from literature on inquiry theory to provide a theoretical lens for discussion and offer a model for inquiry through the Project Approach for the early childhood setting. The authors posit that early childhood educators need to clarify and extend the definition of play by distinguishing between play that occurs outside of the classroom as opposed to play that occurs as part of classroom curriculum. Further, educators need to develop the language for analyzing acts of inquiry and articulating these processes to parents and the public. An examination of the inquiry process of one preschool learner offers one way to begin articulating classroom inquiry and demonstrates how each instance of inquiry is a complex, reflective, and semiotic act.
URDU CHARACTER RECOGNITION USING FOURIER DESCRIPTORS FOR OPTICAL NETWORKS

This work deals with the problem of recognition of Urdu characters using Fourier descriptors for optical networks. In particular, the scope of this work has been to develop a robust Urdu characters pattern classification, representation, and recognition system, which can classify patterns even if they are deformed by transformations like rotation, scaling, and translation or any combination of these, in the presence of noise. Fourier descriptors are used to uniquely describe, classify, and recognize Urdu characters within one sub-class, that provide a remarkably simple way to draw definite conclusions from vague, ambiguous, noisy or imprecise information. Although current information transmission media i.e. cable, Ethernet etc. may still be used for communications but we proposed new technology i.e. WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplexing) due to its high speed and low loss transmission. Finally experimental results are presented to show the power and robustness of the proposed technique for Urdu character recognition.
Gaseous fuel generation by magma-thermal conversion of biomass

A wide range of upper crustal magma bodies provide suitable thermal energy sources for conversion of waterbiomass mixtures to higher quality gaseous fuels. The compositions, concentrations, and energy contents of the generated fuel gases appear to be relatively insensitive to the type of magma body, but the rates at which fuels can be generated is strongly dependent on magma type. Fuel generation rates for basaltic magmas would be at least 2-3 times greater than those for andesitic magmas and 5-6 times those for rhyolitic magmas. CH/sub 4/ would be the main gas that can be generated in important quantities from magma-thermal energy under most circumstances. CO would never be important, and significant H/sub 2/ generation would be restricted to shallow basaltic magmas.
Alfred Thayer Mahan's style on sea power: A paramessage conducing to ethos

With an 1890 book called The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, Alfred Thayer Mahan had a profound and far‐reaching impact upon subsequent world events. In large measure, Mahan's effectiveness was derived from his style in discourse. Evidence for this assumption is found in the reactions of Mahan's readers, in their correspondence to him or about him. Analysis and synthesis of those situationally bound responses to discourse account for a rhetorical function of style in language as para‐message conducing to ethos.
Age- and sex-related differences in alcohol and nicotine effects in C57BL/6J mice

The present studies were aimed to identify possible age- and/or sex-related differences in the effects of alcohol and nicotine. Study 1 examined age-related differences in alcohol and nicotine effects. Adolescent and adult C57BL/6J male mice were injected with alcohol or nicotine. Results indicated that alcohol and nicotine induced hypothermia and reduced locomotor activity in both adolescent and adult mice. In both dependent variables, adults were more affected than adolescents that received the same alcohol or nicotine dose. Study 2 examined possible sex-related differences in the effects of these drugs. Results replicated the aged-related differences revealed in Study 1 after alcohol or nicotine administration in male mice. No sex-related differences were observed in alcohol effects. However, young animals of both sexes and adult females appeared to be more resistant to nicotine effects. In both studies, blood alcohol concentrations and cotinine plasma concentrations were assessed. These results suggest that young C57BL/6J mice are more resistant to both alcohol and nicotine effects. In addition, adult females may be more resistant to acute nicotine effects on temperature and locomotion.
Chronic low frequency stimulation reduces myosin phosphorylation in rabbit fast twitch muscle.

The effect of 1 – 12 days of electrical stimulation (10 Hz) on the ability to phosphorylate the P-light chain of myosin was studied in rabbit tibialis anterior muscle. Myosin phosphorylation was induced by exposure of the stimulated muscle and that of the contralateral leg to a single conditioning stimulus train (5 Hz) for 25 s via the motor nerve. Isometric tension was measured as were the myosin light chain composition and the activities of the enzymes responsible for phosphorylation and dephosphorylation. A computer simulation of the potential effect of a stimulation-induced disruption of Ca2+ metabolism on phosphorylation was also performed. Chronic stimulation for as little as 1 day eliminated light chain phosphorylation and reduced the myosin light chain kinase activity by approximately 36%. Conversely, phosphatase activity and light chain composition were unaffected. The model demonstrated that a slight depression in the magnitude of the Ca2+ transient could potentially attenuate phosphorylation. T...
Enhancer-promoter communication at the Drosophila engrailed locus

Enhancers are often located many tens of kilobases away from the promoter they regulate, sometimes residing closer to the promoter of a neighboring gene. How do they know which gene to activate? We have used homing P[en] constructs to study the enhancer-promoter communication at the engrailed locus. Here we show that engrailed enhancers can act over large distances, even skipping over other transcription units, choosing the engrailed promoter over those of neighboring genes. This specificity is achieved in at least three ways. First, early acting engrailed stripe enhancers exhibit promoter specificity. Second, a proximal promoter-tethering element is required for the action of the imaginal disc enhancer(s). Our data suggest that there are two partially redundant promoter-tethering elements. Third, the long-distance action of engrailed enhancers requires a combination of the engrailed promoter and sequences within or closely linked to the promoter proximal Polycomb-group response elements. These data show that multiple mechanisms ensure proper enhancer-promoter communication at the Drosophila engrailed locus.
Crimes Against Children: Sexual Violence and Legal Culture in New York City, 1880–1960 – By Stephen Robertson

Like rights, wrongs have a history. Even wrongs as universally reviled as sexual attacks on children are not timeless or uniform. As the author adeptly argues for New York City in Crimes Against Ch...
Context-sensitive monitoring and evaluation for the World Bank

This article sketches a preliminary design for a new system of monitoring and evaluation in support of a program on New Bank Practices in Civic Engagement, Empowerment, and Respect for Diversity (CEERD) in the World Bank. The new practices bring to the foreground uncertainties and ambiguities arising from the human factors in empowerment and development. Consequently, a system of monitoring and evaluation must be context-sensitive, taking into account differences and changes in context. Meaningful indicators of success or failure, and assumptions about responsibility for them, cannot be specified reliably in project agreements in advance of implementation. Specification in advance could inhibit the improvisations necessary to deal with unanticipated problems and opportunities in the implementation process on the ground.
Taste reactivity in rats following lesions of the zona incerta or amygdala.

Abstract Rats with amygdala lesions (n=12) and rats with zona incerta lesions (n=12) were compared to normal rats (n=12) in their response to various taste stimuli. Five concentrations each of sucrose, sodium chloride, quinine hydrochooride, and hydrochloric acid were presented to all animals in single bottle tests during a schedule of restricted fluid access. Results indicated that both groups of rats with lesions had significantly lower baseline water consumption than normal rats. Using taste consumption measures expressed as a percent of water baseline, it was found that zona incerta lesions did not significantly alter normal taste reactivity. Animals with zona incerta lesions did fail to show normal habituation to a 0.0001 M quinine solution over repeated presentations. Lesions of the amygdala resulted in an increase in consumption of the acid solutions; consumption of sucrose, quinine, and sodium chloride was normal across concentrations. Amygdala damaged rats failed to show normal neophobia when first presented with the 0.0001 M quinine solution. It was concluded that taste response functions of rats with lesions of the zona incerta or amygdala remain essentially normal following surgery but that subtle changes in reactivity do occur, particularly with regard to neophobia.
Chiral tetradentate amine and tridentate aminocarbene ligands: Synthesis, reactivity and X-ray structural characterizations

Abstract (1R,2R)-diaminocyclohexane (1) and (1R,2R)-diaminodiphenylethylenediamine (2) were used as building blocks for the synthesis of chiral tetradentate diquinolyl-diamine and related diquinolyl-dihydroimidazolium salts. A neutral chiral palladium(II) complex was synthesized by reaction of palladium acetate with the tetradentate diquinolyl diamine derived from 2 and used as a homogeneous catalyst for the Heck reaction between styrene and haloarenes. A chiral tridentate aminocarbene was generated in situ by deprotonation of the dihydroimidazolium salt derived from 1 and allowed to react with CuI to give a new chiral quinolyl-carbene copper(I) complex.
Structural insight into the assembly of TRPV channels.

Transient receptor potential (TRP) proteins are a large family of polymodal nonselective cation channels. The TRP vanilloid (TRPV) subfamily consists of six homologous members with diverse functions. TRPV1-TRPV4 are nonselective cation channels proposed to play a role in nociception, while TRPV5 and TRPV6 are involved in epithelial Ca²⁺ homeostasis. Here we present the cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of functional, full-length TRPV2 at 13.6 A resolution. The map reveals that the TRPV2 cytoplasmic domain displays a 4-fold petal-like shape in which high-resolution N-terminal ankyrin repeat domain (ARD) structures can be unambiguously fitted. Fitting of the available ARD structures for other TRPV subfamily members into the TRPV2 EM map suggests that TRPV subfamily members have highly homologous structural topologies. These results allowed us to postulate a structural explanation for the functional diversity among TRPV channels and their differential regulation by proteins and ligands.
Cutting insert and work piece materials for minimum quantity lubrication

There is considerable interest in utilizing either dry or minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) as an alternative to flood cooling due to environmental concerns with flood coolant such as excessive misting and disposal of the used coolant. Dry machining can result in high tool wear and also built up edge problems on the cutting tool. The objective of this research was to study the effect of work piece material and tool material on the machining characteristics, in this case reaming, of aluminum using MQL. In particular, a high tin casting and three different tool materials: carbide, DLC and PCD were studied. The high tin casting was found to produce lower cutting temperature and lower spindle power. The PCD coated insert performed the best in terms of lowest temperature rise, lowest spindle power and highest part quality.
Inhibition of contractile vacuole function in vivo by antibodies against myosin-I

MYOSIN-I is thought to supply the force for movement of cell membranes relative to actin filaments (reviewed in refs 1, 2), but confirmation of this hypothesis has been difficult because of the presence of multiple isoforms of myosin-I and other unconventional myosins in most cells3. We report here the first evidence that a myosin-I isoform is essential for a specific class of intracellular membrane movements in vivo. In Acanthamoeba, the contractile vacuole is an autonomous structure which fuses with the plasma membrane to control the water content of the cell. Because myosin-IC is the only myosin-I isoform concentrated in the contractile vacuole complex4,5, and a protein antigenically related to myosin-IC is located on or near the Dictyostelium (slime mould) contractile vacuole6, we thought this organelle might provide the best opportunity to demonstrate a relationship between myosin-I and membrane motility. Antibodies that inhibit the activity of Acanthamoeba myosin-IC in vitro interfere with expulsion of excess water by the contractile vacuole in vivo, leading to overfilling of this organelle and cell lysis. Myosin-IC may generate the force required to contract the vacuole and may also be involved in transfer of water to the contractile vacuole during refilling.