cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Measurements of microbial community activities in individual soil macroaggregates

Abstract The functional potential of single soil macroaggregates may provide insights into the localized distribution of microbial activities better than traditional assays conducted on bulk quantities of soil. Thus, we scaled down enzyme assays for β-glucosidase, N -acetyl-β- d -glucosaminidase, lipase, and leucine aminopeptidase to measure of the enzyme potential of individual macroaggregates (250–1000 μm diameter). Across all enzymes, the smallest macroaggregates had the greatest activity and the range of enzyme activities observed in all macroaggregates supports the hypothesis that functional potential in soil may be distributed in a patchy fashion. Paired analyses of ATP as a surrogate for active microbial biomass and β-glucosidase on the same macroaggregates suggest the presence of both extracellular β-glucosidase functioning in macroaggregates with no detectable ATP and also of relatively active microbial communities (high ATP) that have low β-glucosidase potentials. Studying function at a scale more consistent with microbial habitat presents greater opportunity to link microbial community structure to microbial community function.
Evidence against a temperature-dependent conformational change in urocanase from Pseudomonas putida.

Abstract Enzymatic activity of urocanase )4-imidazolone-5-propionate hydro-lyase, EC 4.2.1.49) has an unusual resistance to temperature changes, and a temperature-dependent conformational change has been suggested (Hug, D.H. and Hunter, J.K. (1974) Biochemistry 13, 1427–1431). A conformational change or dissociation has been proposed in the range 29–31°C (Cohn, M.S., Lynch, M.C. and Phillips, A.T. (1975) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 377, 444–453). In this work no evidence was found for a temperature-dependent conformational change or dissociation. Arrhenins plots of K m and V max were linear; the sedimentation coefficient was independent of temperature; tryptophanyl fluorescence was a linear function of temperature; and heat capacity calorimetry showed no transitions below 60°C.
Defining lithostratigraphic boundaries in homogeneous strata—A case study

Abstract Confusion exists in the literature as to: ( 1 ) which strata are included in the Esopus Formation in New York, U.S.A.; ( 2 ) what is their aggregate thickness; ( 3 ) where the unit's lithostratigraphic boundaries are; and even (4) what these strata should be called. The apparent homogeneity of Esopus beds and paucity of fossils therein account for much of this confusion. Data from detailed field investigations and laboratory analyses were assembled and examined with the aid of a digital computer. Results of these studies show that the Onesquethaw Esopus Formation, ranging from about 200 ft. in thickness near Catskill to about 250–275 ft. near Kingston, New York, may be subdivided into two or three members on the basis of field and petrographic characteristics. X-ray diffraction data and emission-spectrographic analyses support this subdivision. The essentially non-calcareous Esopus beds, thus, are clearly separable from the underlying Port Ewen Limestone and Glenerie Limestone, and from the overlying Schoharie Limestone and Onondaga Limestone, all upper Lower Devonian formations. Of 36 variables tested, the following Pearson correlations with extreme levels of significance (0.0005, or 99.95%) were found to characterize Esopus beds among the sequences studied: the mineral ratios, (kaolinite:illite) and (quartz:feldspar), (kaolinite:illite) and (dolomite:feldspar), (dolomite: feldspar) and (quartz:illite); and, the trace element pairs, B-V, Ba-Ga, Ba-Rb, Ba-Sc, Be-V, Cr-Sr, Cu-Rb, Cu-Sr, and Ni-V. Members of the Esopus Formation are also characterized by geochemical and mineralogical relationships and occurrence trends. Methods used in this study should be applicable throughout the world.
Albumin deposition in dermal capillary basement membrane in parents of type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic patients.

Skin biopsies were performed to examine dermal capillary basement membranes for albumin by immunofluorescence microscopy in children and young adults with Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes from simplex and multiplex families, their non-diabetic parents and control subjects. Circumferential vessel staining for albumin was 12.0 ±14.4% (mean ± SD) in diabetic patients from multiplex families, 18.8 ±20.0% in diabetic patients from simplex families, and 18.5 ±24.2% in unaffected parents from simplex families. These values were significantly higher (p < 0.005) than those obtained in unaffected parents from multiplex families (0.4 ± 0.9%) or control subjects (0.8 + 1.7%). There was no statistically significant difference between Type 1 diabetic probands from simplex or multiplex families and unaffected parents from simplex families. In the simplex families, positive capillary staining for albumin was present only in parents from families in which the diabetic proband had positive staining. In the parents, the presence of dermal capillary staining for albumin did not correlate with an abnormal glucose tolerance test or the presence of cytoplasmic islet cell antibodies. These observations suggest an abnormality in the dermal capillary basement membrane in some unaffected parents of Type 1 diabetic patients from simplex families.
A bacterial siren song: intimate interactions between Neisseria and neutrophils

Interactions between the pathogenic neisseriae (Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis) and neutrophils are central to the progression of both gonorrhoea and meningococcal meningitis. Here, Criss and Seifert review these interactions and propose a model in which this relationship promotes, rather than blocks, the infection cycle.
SEROLOGICAL STUDIES ON THE BLOOD OF THE PRIMATES : I. THE DIFFERENTIATION OF HUMAN AND ANTHROPOID BLOODS.

While the precipitin tests do not differentiate, according to the results of previous workers, between the serum proteins of man and chimpanzee, a clear-cut differentiation between the blood cells of man and the anthropoids was obtained by means of hemagglutinins. According to our tests on bloods of whites and negroes, constant racial serological differences among human bloods, if they exist at all, are certainly smaller than the differences between the bloods of man and the anthropoid apes. The serological differences between man and the lower monkeys appear to be no greater than those between the anthropoid apes and the lower monkeys. These findings confirm the opinion that the anthropoid apes do not rank in the genealogical tree between lower monkeys and man.
Bloodstream infections in a geriatric cohort: a population-based study.

Abstract Purpose Health care-associated infections are those that do not meet the definition of nosocomial but are acquired by patients with extensive exposure to the health care system placing them at higher risk for resistant organisms. This category is particularly common among elderly patients. The objective of this study was to describe and compare the epidemiologic characteristics of community-acquired, health care-associated and nosocomial bloodstream infections in a geriatric population. Methods A population-based, retrospective study of all patients aged 65 years or greater with positive blood cultures (n=636) identified between January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2005 in Olmsted County, Minnesota. Exposures and clinical information were ascertained through complete chart review, utilizing the resources of the Rochester Epidemiology Project. A total of 347 incident patients with bloodstream infection were identified. Bloodstream infections were described as community-acquired, health care-associated or nosocomial using standardized definitions. Variables analyzed included source, isolate, risk factors, and mortality. Results The distribution of bloodstream infection cases that were community-acquired, health care-associated, and nosocomial was 159 (46%), 151 (44%), and 37 (10%), respectively. The prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among S. aureus isolates was 54% and 44% for health care-associated and nosocomial cases, respectively. Fourteen-day mortality among bloodstream infection cases was the same in health care-associated and nosocomial infections (15% vs 14%), and was less in community-acquired (6%) cases ( P =.04). Conclusions The category of health care-associated infection identified a unique group of geriatric patients at increased risk of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection and with increased mortality.
Limiting semantics of numerical programs

Abstract This paper treats semantics of numerical programs generally, but is principally concerned with limits as error tends to zero. We define three kinds of semantics for a simple programming language whose only data type is a real number type: a family of finite accuracy semantics, which explicitly represent numerical error, and two types of limiting program semantics. One limiting semantics models the limit as machine roundoff error becomes small; the other models the limit over programs as the mathematical error inherent in the algorithm used tends to zero. These three kinds of program semantics are based on domains that are similar to those commonly used in denotational semantics, but are continuous rather than algebraic, a slightly weaker property. Using these continuous bounded-complete domains , we are able to show that the two kinds of limiting semantics are in fact limits of the finite accuracy semantics.
Synthesis of Glutathione in the Preimplantation Mouse Embryo

Depletion and repletion of glutathione in two-cell to blastocyst stage mouse embryos was examined. Reduced (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) were measured by fluorimetric HPLC after derivatization of extracted embryo samples with dansyl chloride. Addition of buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) to culture medium for 16 h decreased GSH levels in both two-cell and blastocyst stage embryos; however, GSH decreased more drastically in blastocysts. Addition of diethyl maleate (DEM) to culture medium depleted GSH in both two-cell and blastocyst stage embryos. After removal of DEM, GSH levels returned to normal in blastocysts, and addition of BSO or removal of cystine from medium blocked GSH repletion. Two-cell stage embryos were unable to recover GSH levels after depletion and exhibited decreased in vitro development. Addition of methionine to culture medium was unable to substitute for cystine as a source of cysteine in glutathione synthesis, indicating that the embryos do not use the cystathionine pathway. Embryos collected early on Day 3 of development were unable to recover GSH levels within 5 h, whereas embryos collected late on Day 3 recovered GSH within 5 h. Addition of cycloheximide to culture medium at noon on Day 3 of development decreased the ability of blastocysts to recover their GSH levels late on Day 3. These data indicate that GSH turnover and synthesis increases between the two-cell and blastocyst stages. The increase in the ability of embryos to synthesize GSH on Day 3 is dependent on protein synthesis. Cleavage stage embryos have limited capacity to synthesize GSH and appear susceptible to adverse effects of toxicants or conditions that deplete glutathione.
Sampling Theory Applied to Measurement and Analysis of Temperature for Climate Studies

Of all the errors discussed in climatology literature, aliasing errors caused by undersampling of unsmoothed or improperly smoothed temperature data seem to be completely overlooked. This is a serious oversight in view of long-term trends of 1 K or less. Adequate sampling of properly smoothed data is demonstrated with a Hamming digital filter. It is also demonstrated that hourly temperatures, daily averages, and annual averages free of aliasing errors can be obtained by use of a microprocessor added to standard weather sensors and recorders.
Isolation in the CEA hierarchy

Examining various kinds of isolation phenomena in the Turing degrees, I show that there are, for every n>0, (n+1)-c.e. sets isolated in the n-CEA degrees by n-c.e. sets below them. For n≥1 such phenomena arise below any computably enumerable degree, and conjecture that this result holds densely in the c.e. degrees as well. Surprisingly, such isolation pairs also exist where the top set has high degree and the isolating set is low, although the complete situation for jump classes remains unknown.
Voluntary Disclosures and Analyst Feedback

We study the resource allocation role of voluntary disclosures when feedback from financial markets is potentially useful to managers in undertaking value maximizing actions. Managers weigh the short-term price implications of disclosure against the long-term efficiency gains due to feedback while financial analysts strategically produce information. The model can explain why managers disclose bad information (e.g., grim outlook), that reduces the stock price, and why prices respond more strongly to bad news relative to good news. We find that not all firms enjoy the same quality of feedback, and that feedback, by itself, does not induce more disclosure but less.
Influence of post-cystectomy complications on cost and subsequent outcome.

Purpose: Of commonly performed urological cancer procedures radical cystectomy is associated with the highest morbidity and mortality. The impact of each individual type of complication or a combination of them on various outcome measures, such as mortality, charges and length of stay, is unclear. We quantified the impact of specific post-cystectomy complications and combinations thereof in terms of mortality, charges and length of stay.Materials and Methods: All 6,577 patients undergoing radical cystectomy for bladder cancer were identified from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (1998 to 2002). The prevalence of different International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification coded complications following cystectomy were determined. Outcome variables of interest were in-hospital mortality, total charges and length of stay. The association between types of complications and measured outcomes were examined using univariate and multivariate...
Student IEP Participation and Academic Achievement Across Time

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act mandates that students with disabilities be provided the necessary special education and related services that will allow them the benefit of a free and appropriate public education. Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) are the product of a team planning process that facilitates the coordination of such services for all students with disabilities in public schools who receive special education services. The purpose of the current study was to examine the association of student IEP participation with academic achievement across time. Although research has indicated the potential value of student participation in IEP meetings in developing self-determination skills, the relationship between student participation in IEP meetings and academic achievement has yet to be empirically examined. This article provides evidence that supports a positive association between student IEP participation and academic outcomes for students with disabilities at the elementar...
Postmortem Sperm Procurement

AbstractPurpose: We determined the prevalence of requests for postmortem sperm procurement and the degree to which procurement is performed by those working in the field of infertility.Materials and Methods: Structured telephone interviews were conducted with personnel at 273 assisted reproductive facilities in the United States and Canada. The number of facilities reporting requests and the number of facilities reporting that they performed the procedure were determined.Results: The prevalence of requests for postmortem sperm procurement was much greater than initially anticipated. A total of 82 requests was reported at 40 facilities in 22 different states between 1980 and 1995. More than half of the reported requests (43) were made between 1994 and 1995. Of the 82 requests 25 were honored at 14 facilities in 11 different states. No requests or procedures were reported from Canada.Conclusions: Medical advances in postmortem sperm procurement, cryopreservation and in vitro fertilization permit retrieval o...
Use of the local Knox statistic for the prospective monitoring of disease occurrences in space and time

The detection of clusters of events occurring close together both temporally and spatially is important in finding outbreaks of disease within a geographic region. The Knox statistic is often used in epidemiology to test for space-time clustering retrospectively. For quicker detection of epidemics, prospective methods should be used in which observed events in space and time are assessed as they are recorded. The cumulative sum (CUSUM) surveillance method for monitoring the local Knox statistic tests for space-time clustering each time there is an incoming observation. We consider the design of this control chart by determining the in-control average run length (ARL) performance of the CUSUM chart for different space and time closeness thresholds as well as for different control limit values. We also explain the effect of population density and region shape on the in-control ARL and discuss other distributional issues that should be considered when implementing this method.
The Use and Interpretation of Tie Signs in a Public Setting: Relationship and Sex Differences

This investigation increases our understanding of the uses of nonverbal tie signs in cross-sex friendships and dating relationships, and addresses the role that these displays play in the experience of these two relationships. Specifically, we (i) observed the behavior of cross-sex friends and daters in college bars (study 1), (ii) asked individuals to assess the reasons why they used affection displays in college bars with either a friend of the opposite sex or a dating partner (study 2), and (iii) asked participants for their perceptions of why their dating partner or cross-sex friend uses affection displays with them when at a college bar (study 3). We examined the influence of sex and relationship type in each of these domains. The results significantly extend past research on tie signs and cross-sex friendships by incorporating observational data of tie signs with sender and receiver perceptions of the functions underlying these observed behaviors.
Homeownership and School Outcomes of Children: Evidence from PSID Child Supplement Data

Using the PSID Child Supplement and PSID main datasets, we examine whether homeownership has positive effects on child outcomes after correcting for selectivity bias and controlling for the independent effects of home environment, neighborhood quality, residential stability, and income. After correcting for selectivity bias we find no independent effect of homeownership, but we noted positive, significant effects of home environment and neighborhood quality on child outcomes. Subsidized homeownership can lead to better child outcomes to the extent that it places a child in a better home environment, in a more stable residence, and in a better neighborhood.
Development of a chemical process modeling environment based on CAPE-OPEN interface standards and the Microsoft .NET framework

Abstract Chemical process simulation has long been used as a design tool in the development of chemical plants, and has long been considered a means to evaluate different design options. The CAPE-OPEN interface standards were developed to allow process modeling components to be used in any compliant process modeling environment. Use of the CAPE-OPEN interfaces and the .NET framework will allow the application described here to develop into a distributed, cross platform simulation and process control environment that can be easily extended to incorporate novel chemical process computing applications. The current effort is the development of a process simulator built to use process modeling components that implement the CAPE-OPEN interfaces. This paper describes the process modeling components and the process modeling environment developed as part of an application intended to evaluate the processes that generate wastes in a metal finishing process. Ultimately, this program will be made available to the general community as an open-source application.
Curie temperatures of titanomagnetite in ignimbrites: Effects of emplacement temperatures, cooling rates, exsolution, and cation ordering

Pumices, ashes, and tuffs from Mt. St. Helens and from Novarupta contain two principal forms of titanomagnetite: homogeneous grains with Curie temperatures in the range 350–500°C and oxyexsolved grains with similar bulk composition, containing ilmenite lamellae and having Curie temperatures above 500°C. Thermomagnetic analyses and isothermal annealing experiments in combination with stratigraphic settings and thermal models show that emplacement temperatures and cooling history may have affected the relative proportions of homogeneous and exsolved grains and have clearly had a strong influence on the Curie temperature of the homogeneous phase. The exsolved grains are most common where emplacement temperatures exceeded 600°C, and in laboratory experiments, heating to over 600°C in air causes the homogeneous titanomagnetites to oxyexsolve rapidly. Where emplacement temperatures were lower, Curie temperatures of the homogeneous grains are systematically related to overburden thickness and cooling timescales, and thermomagnetic curves are generally irreversible, with lower Curie temperatures measured during cooling, but little or no change is observed in room temperature susceptibility. We interpret this irreversible behavior as reflecting variations in the degree of cation ordering in the titanomagnetites, although we cannot conclusively rule out an alternative interpretation involving fine-scale subsolvus unmixing. Short-range ordering within the octahedral sites may play a key role in the observed phenomena. Changes in the Curie temperature have important implications for the acquisition, stabilization, and retention of natural remanence and may in some cases enable quantification of the emplacement temperatures or cooling rates of volcanic units containing homogeneous titanomagnetites.
Correction factor measurements for multiple detectors used in small field dosimetry on the Varian Edge radiosurgery system

Purpose: Accurate dosimetry of small fields remains a challenge to the clinical physicist. Choosing the appropriate detector and determination of k Q clin , Q msr f clin , f msr factors continue to be an area of active research. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the output factors for a dedicated stereotactic accelerator using multiple dosimeters designed for use in small fields and evaluate published k Q clin , Q msr f clin , f msr factors relative to measured values using a commercial scintillating fiber. Methods: Four microionization chambers, a commercial plastic scintillation detector, and a semiconducting diode were used to measure output factors for a linear accelerator. Field sizes ranging from 6 × 6 to 0.6 × 0.6 cm2 were measured in a water phantom at 10 cm depth for 100 cm SSD. All microionization chambers were mounted in both vertical and horizontal configurations. Fields were normalized to the output at 5 × 5 cm2. Output correction factors, k Q clin , Q msr f clin , f msr , were calculated as the ratio of a detector response relative to the scintillating fiber response for a given clinical field size, f clin. Results: Ionization chambers consistently under-responded for small fields relative to the scintillating fiber. Variations in response between horizontal and vertical mounting were most notable for the microchambers, with the vertical mounting which reduced the magnitude of the necessary correction factor, k Q clin , Q msr f clin , f msr , for the microionization chambers ranging from 1.1 to 1.2 for the smallest field size at all energies. The semiconducting diode over-responded by 7% for the smallest field size across all energies, resulting in a k Q clin , Q msr f clin , f msr of ∼0.93. Conclusions: The commercial scintillating fiber, which produces accurate and consistent ratios of dose to water for nonstandard fields, can be used to measure correction factors for various detectors used in a clinical setting. This can allow for comparison of measured correction factors to previously published values.
Cross-sectional area changes in peripheral vein grafts monitored by three-dimensional ultrasound imaging

Vein grafts are placed to bypass diseased arteries in the lower limb when symptoms such as pain during walking, rest pain, and tissue necrosis occur. Frequent surveillance of these grafts is recommended since early detection and revision of stenoses improves the likelihood of long-term patency. We are using three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound imaging to measure progressive changes in vein graft geometry. Cross-sectional area measurements in planes normal to the vessel center axis are calculated from 3D surface reconstructions. Data sets from serial studies are registered in a common coordinate system using anatomical reference points and cross-sectional area measurements are compared at matched sites. Extended studies have tracked patients requiring surgical revision to enlarge the vessel lumen in stenotic regions of their grafts. Follow-up periods on 5 cases range from 30 to 79 weeks to date. Each revised graft segment demonstrated a decrease in cross-sectional area over time, ranging from 25% to 77%, averaged over the length of the revision. The sequential area measurements, combined with 3D surface displays, provide a record of remodeling patterns and rates at specific sites within the grafts.
Experiments in estimation of independent 3D motion using EM

In this paper we address the problem of multiple 3D rigid body motion estimation from the optical flow. We use the differential epipolar constraint to measure the consistency of the local flow estimates with 3D rigid body motion and employ a probabilistic interpretation of the overall flowfield in terms of mixture models. The estimation of 3D motion parameters as well as the refinement of the initial motion segmentation is carried out using an Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm. The algorithm is guaranteed to improve the overall likelihood of the data. The proposed technique is a step towards estimation of 3D motion of independently moving objects in the presence of egomotion.
Characterizing Mobile Open APIs in smartphone apps

Mobile applications used in smartphones are in- creasingly using Open APIs, and the trend is likely to continue in the foreseeable future. However, the performance of the Open APIs integrated in smartphone apps (Mobile Open APIs) remains hidden from app developers and app users because of the lack of a method to isolate the Open API calls from the whole app execution process. In this paper, we present the very first effort on characterizing Mobile Open APIs and analyzing their performance in terms of four metrics: response latency, network traffic, energy consumption, and CPU usage. We first develop APIExtractor (APIX), a software tool to extract the Mobile Open API calls as fine-grained as in the function level from Android app files (.apk). Then the popularity of the Open API functions were ranked by running APIX on 200 top popular apps downloaded from the Android app store. We then perform in-depth case studies on the the top 17 most popular Mobile Open APIs, by wrapping each of them in a specifically designed app (called APISymphone) and test the apps on both Wi-Fi and cellular network. Furthermore, we conduct a global scale measurements of the Mobile Open APIs by using Amazon Elastic Computing service. Our comprehensive measurement- based results provides very intriguing as well as interesting insights to the performance characteristics of Mobile APIs.
Syntactic image parsing using ontology and semantic descriptions

We present an ontology-guided, symbol-based, image parser which involves the use of semantic, spoken language descriptions of entities in images as well as the real-world spatial relationships defined between these entities. Our parsing approach explicitly describes objects and the relationships between them with linguistically meaningful modes of colors, textures and [coarse] expressions of shapes. The image parser is built on a syntactic image grammar-based framework and performs a (near) global optimization using superpixels as an initial set of subpatterns. It hypothesizes the entities in images using their local semantic attributes and verifies them globally using their more global features and their relative spatial locations,. Evaluations of the parser are performed on selected images which we make publicly available along with their manual segmentations and our labeling results.
Hermeneutics and Tradition: the Role of the Past in Jurisprudence and Theology

The current disarray within the field of theology is readily apparent to anyone having even a cursory acquaintance with the issues and problems that have generated the most intense discussions during the past decade. Although substantive issues continue to elicit divergent perspectives, problems of method have increasingly come to the fore in theological discussion. The historical roots of this methodological crisis in theology have been long in the making. Whether one calls it the “eclipse of biblical narrative” with Hans Frei, the collapse of the “house of authority” as Edward Farley does, or the emergence of “theology as imaginative construction” as Gordon Kaufman does, theology is experiencing a radical revolution in the criteria and warrants which characterize persuasive argumentation. Put briefly, there is a growing sentiment that theology can no longer invoke authorities to buttress its claims but must make its case in a public forum without privileged warrants. Appeals to Scripture, tradition, or institutional decrees lack the sanction once accorded them.
A 10-bit, 20-MS/s, 35-mW pipeline A/D converter

This paper describes a 10-bit 20-MS/s pipeline A/D converter implemented in 1.2-/spl mu/m CMOS technology which achieves a power dissipation of 35 mW at full speed operation. Circuit techniques used to achieve this level of power dissipation include operation on a 3.3 V power supply, optimum scaling of capacitor values through the pipeline, and digital correction to allow the use of dynamic comparators. Measured performance includes 0.6 LSB of INL, 59.1 dB of SNDR for 100 kHz input at 20 MS/s. At Nyquist sampling (10 MHz input), SNDR is 55.0 dB. >
Decomposition-Based Assembly Synthesis of Space Frame Structures Using Joint Library

This paper presents a method for identifying the optimal designs of components and joints in the space frame body structures of passenger vehicles considering structural characteristics, manufacturability and assembleability. Dissimilar to our previous work based on graph decomposition, the problem is posed as a simultaneous determination of the locations and types of joints in a structure and the cross sections of the joined structural frames, selected from a predefined joint library. The joint library is a set of joint designs containing the geometry of the feasible joints at each potential joint location and the cross sections of the joined frames, associated with their structural characteristics as equivalent torsional springs obtained from the finite element analyses of the detailed joint geometry. Structural characteristics of the entire structure are evaluated by finite element analyses of a beam-spring model constructed from the selected joints and joined frames. Manufacturability and assembleability are evaluated as the manufacturing and assembly costs estimated from the geometry of the components and joints, respectively. The optimization problem is solved by a multi-objective genetic algorithm using a direct crossover. A case study on an aluminum space frame (ASF) of a middle size passenger vehicle is discussed.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Oral Hypoglycemic Agents in Pregnancy

Multiple studies have been published illustrating the use of oral hypoglycemic agents in pregnancy. Glyburide and metformin have been shown to be as effective as insulin for the treatment of gestational diabetes. Both are safe with breastfeeding. Although both glyburide and metformin appear safe for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus, more studies are needed to support this practice.
Two-dimensional optimum block adaptive filtering algorithms for image restoration and enhancement

Two new fast gradient algorithms are presented employing convergence factors which are optimized in the least-squares sense, and which perform two-dimensional block adaptive filtering. These two algorithms are termed the two-dimensional optimum block algorithm with individual adaptation of parameters (TDOBAI) and the two-dimensional optimum block adaptive algorithm (TDOBA). Using computer simulation, the convergence properties of the TDOBAI and TDOBA algorithm are investigated and compared with the two-dimensional block least-mean-square (TDBLMS) algorithm which uses a convergence factor that is constant for each 2D coefficient at each block iteration. It is also shown that for the TDOBAI and TDOBA algorithms, the convergence, speed and accuracy of adaptation are greatly improved at the expense of a modest increase in computational complexity, as compared to the TDBLMS algorithm. The effectiveness of the algorithms is demonstrated in 2D system modeling, restoration (2D additive noise cancellation) and enhancement of artificially degraded images. >
THE USE OF INSULIN AS AN ADJUNCT IN THE TREATMENT OF BONE AND JOINT TUBERCULOSIS

An analysis of the results of insulin administration to fifteen patients with bone and joint tuberculosis affords some evidence that, in selected [SEE FIG-2 FIG-3 IN SOURCE PDF] cases, may justify this therapy. The younger patients, who were given a well-balanced diet in an environment considered to be most conducive to the treatment of bone and joint tuberculosis, showed an average improvement in weight, which would not seem to be specifically affected by the injected insulin. All of the patients did show greater interest in their food, so that no urging was necessary in order to persuade them to eat their regular meals. There was a simultaneous improvement in the general appearance of wellbeing, which those who were in immediate attendance attributed to the insulin therapy. The most definite evidence of a specific response with respect to gain in weight which attended and followed the insulin injections was in the cases of two older children, aged eleven and thirteen years, whose general course had not been at all satisfactory prior to beginning this treatment. While both of these children showed splendid gains, which continued after the therapy was stopped, we are not able to postulate ate conclusions from so short a series. It seems wiser to conclude that insulin is not indicated as a routine procedure in the treatment of bone and joint tuberculosis. For patients who are finicky eaters and who, under the best of environmental conditions, do not gain, or who actually lose in weight, insulin injections should be tried. The results shown in Figure 5 may encourage the expectation of an appetite response and an increase in weight attendant upon an improved intake, digestion, and utilization of food.
Pushing the limits of structurally-diverse light-harvesting Ru(II) metal-organic chromophores for photodynamic therapy

Abstract The synthesis of Ru(II) derivatives [(AnthbpyMe)(bpy)Ru(dpp)]2+ (2) and [(AnthbpyMe)2Ru(dpp)]2+ (3), and the analysis of their excited state properties as well as their photocytotoxicity against glioma cells are reported. Complexes 2 and 3 absorb visible light with metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) transitions at λmax = 459 nm (16,000 M−1 cm−1) and λmax = 461 nm (21,000 M−1 cm−1), respectively. The complexes exhibit bichromatic properties with the 3MLCT emission centered at λem = 661 nm and λem = 663 nm for 2 and 3, respectively, while the anthracene motif(s) has emission from 450–560 nm. The anthracene unit(s) quench the 3MLCT to give quantum yields (lifetime, τ) of Φem = 0.0059 (τ = 398 ns) and Φem = 0.0011 (τ = 414 ns) for 2 and 3, respectively. The quenching rates were found to be 6.61 × 105 s−1 for 2 and 5.64 × 105 s−1 for 3. Electrochemistry reveals an irreversible anthracene oxidation at 1.23–1.28 V, while the RuIII/II oxidation process occurs at a potential of 1.53–1.55 V. The complexes displayed a quasi-reversible reduction couple attributed to dpp0/−1 at 0.98 V. Cytotoxicity of both complexes towards F98 glioma cells was moderate in the absence of light and substantially enhanced with visible light.
Carbapenem- and Colistin-Resistant Enterobacter cloacae from Delta, Colorado, in 2015

Resistance to carbapenems in Enterobacteriaceae is a clinical problem of growing significance. Difficulty in treating multidrug-resistant Gram-negative organisms with conventional antibiotics has led to a renewed and increasing use of polymyxin compounds, such as colistin. Here, we report the isolation of carbapenem- and colistin-resistant Enterobacter cloacae from a polymicrobial lower extremity wound in an ambulatory patient. Whole-genome sequencing demonstrated the presence of chromosomal blaIMI-1 and blaAmpC, as well as numerous efflux pump genes.
Connecting Mothers and Infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Abstract Parents may find themselves at a loss when it comes to navigating the challenges that arise when their newborn is being cared for in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Nurses are key sources of support to guide parents in their journey. From prenatal counseling to discharge preparations, parents who partner with nurses and the health care team are better able to assume their roles as parents. Overcoming the stress associated with NICU care is possible with creative partnerships that empower parents to build self-confidence and competence in their role as parents. Interventions are suggested to guide staff to assess individual family’s needs and structure care delivery to improve patient outcomes. Support for nursing staff is essential to maximize empathetic care of families in crisis in the NICU.
Abstract 275: Association Between Pulse Pressure and A1c

Background: Increased pulse pressure (PP) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality in men and women. Increased PP has also been shown to be a stronger predictor of CVD mortality, than systolic (S), diastolic (D), or mean blood pressure (BP). Changes in PP amplitude are also associated with other metabolic syndrome components. PP is increased in obesity and increases at a greater rate in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM); and may contribute to the risk and "opinion" that labels DM-CVD-risk as equivalent to previous myocardial infarction. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the metabolic marker, Hemoglobin A1c (A1c), during the early stage of DM development is also associated with a readily available clinical vascular marker, PP. Such an observation may provide an opportunity to detect and start preventive treatment earlier and provide a possible path to begin investigating the mechanisms of hypertensive-diabetic CVD. Methodology: Complete basel...
Silver Nanoparticles to Enhance the Efficiency of Thin-Film Solar Cells

Silver nanoparticles are applied to the front surface of thin-film a-Si to reduce reflection and transmission losses. We use FDTD simulations to investigate the effect of varying particle size and shape on the absorption of light.
Controlling Supplier Opportunism in Industrial Relationships

The recent marketing literature reflects a growing interest in relationship management issues. In particular, several recent studies have drawn on transaction cost and agency theory to examine how ...
Growth inhibition of a biotinless mutant of Escherichia coli by purines and pyrimidines.

SummaryThe growth of biotinless mutant, Escherichia coli 58, in a medium containing aspartic acid to replace partially the biotin requirment, was inhibited by adenine, adenosine-3′-or 5′-Phosphate, ATP, uracil, cytosine, hypoxanthine, and, to a lesser extent, by thymine and xanthine. Adenosine-2′-Phosphate was not inhibitory. None of these compounds was inhibitory when biotin was added to the growth medium of strain 58, nor were they inhibitory to the parent Strain E. coli K 12 which does not require biotin. When succinate or α-ketoglutarate, instead of aspartate, were added to the basal medium, adenine and its derivatives were less inhibitory and the other purines and pyrimindines did not significant inhibit the growth of the biotinless mutant.
Accurate and Facile Determination of the Index of Refraction of Organic Thin Films Near the Carbon 1 s Absorption Edge

A practical and accurate method to obtain the index of refraction, especially the decrement $\ensuremath{\delta}$, across the carbon $1s$ absorption edge is demonstrated. The combination of absorption spectra scaled to the Henke atomic scattering factor database, the use of the doubly subtractive Kramers-Kronig relations, and high precision specular reflectivity measurements from thin films allow the notoriously difficult-to-measure $\ensuremath{\delta}$ to be determined with high accuracy. No independent knowledge of the film thickness or density is required. High confidence interpolation between relatively sparse measurements of $\ensuremath{\delta}$ across an absorption edge is achieved. Accurate optical constants determined by this method are expected to greatly improve the simulation and interpretation of resonant soft x-ray scattering and reflectivity data. The method is demonstrated using poly(methyl methacrylate) and should be extendable to all organic materials.
Wolf (Canis lupus) Generation Time and Proportion of Current Breeding Females by Age.

Information is sparse about aspects of female wolf (Canis lupus) breeding in the wild, including age of first reproduction, mean age of primiparity, generation time, and proportion of each age that breeds in any given year. We studied these subjects in 86 wolves (113 captures) in the Superior National Forest (SNF), Minnesota (MN), during 1972–2013 where wolves were legally protected for most of the period, and in 159 harvested wolves from throughout MN wolf range during 2012–2014. Breeding status of SNF wolves were assessed via nipple measurements, and wolves from throughout MN wolf range, by placental scars. In the SNF, proportions of currently breeding females (those breeding in the year sampled) ranged from 19% at age 2 to 80% at age 5, and from throughout wolf range, from 33% at age 2 to 100% at age 7. Excluding pups and yearlings, only 33% to 36% of SNF females and 58% of females from throughout MN wolf range bred in any given year. Generation time for SNF wolves was 4.3 years and for MN wolf range, 4.7 years. These findings will be useful in modeling wolf population dynamics and in wolf genetic and dog-domestication studies.
Latin America solidarity: the Colombian coal campaign

Before looking at a solidarity campaign that has emerged in response to the human and labor rights abuses within the multinational-dominated Colombian coal industry, the following briefly traces the history of Latin America solidarity movements within Latin America more broadly. What we suggest is that although the contemporary Colombia solidarity movement grows most immediately from the Central America solidarity movement of the 1980s, it also draws on a wide range of progressive forces that have emerged or reemerged in the 1990s, including a US labor movement that is moving beyond Cold War thinking; an environmental movement that is working from an increasingly global understanding of labor and human rights; a fair trade movement that offers alternative models of development; consumer activism that has begun to take social and environmental justice seriously; and an indigenous-ethnic movement that offers a variety of challenges to both northern activists and neoliberal capitalism. The multiplicity of progressive forces, each with their respective issues, offers a challenge and opportunity to North-South solidarity in general and to our campaign in particular. Central America solidarity had roots in the ways that religious and revolutionary thought began to link with each other in the 1960s and 1970s. After the Cuban revolution, the Second Vatican Council, followed by meetings of the Latin American bishops in Puebla, Mexico and Medellin, Colombia, traced (or revived) a form of progressive Catholicism that asked Catholics to fulfill God's will by working for social justice, on earth, including through revolutionary change. In Brazil in the early 1960s and Chile in the early 1970s, leftist-elected governments opened spaces for popular and labor mobilization and raised hopes for a model of revolutionary change through democratic means. The overthrow of Goulart in Brazil in 1964 and Allende in Chile in 1973 each led to huge waves of repression against the left, and the exodus of left-leaning students, intellectuals and
Mechanisms of Thrombosis and thrombolysis

The processes of thrombosis—thrombus growth, dissolution, and migration—are inextricably connected. Thrombus formation involves activation of platelets, activation of the coagulation system, and the processes of fibrin dissolution. The central feature of each of these contributions is the action of thrombin to generate the fibrin network from circulating fibrinogen. Excess vascular fibrin formation or excess fibrin degradation can contribute to thrombus growth or hemorrhage, respectively. Plasminogen activators have been exploited to dissolve significant (symptomatic) thrombi; however, all substances that promote plasmin formation retain the potential to increase the risk of hemorrhage.
Effect of Synthesis Temperature, UV-Ozone Treatment, and Nanowire Diameter on the Failure of Silver Nanowire Electrodes

Silver nanowires (SNWs) have shown much promise as a lower cost flexible transparent electrode alternative to indium tin oxide. However, the stability of SNW electrodes has been brought into question. In this work, we studied the failure of SNW electrodes for different synthesis conditions and nanowire diameters with and without ultraviolet (UV)-ozone treatment. Transparent electrodes fabricated from nanowires synthesized at lower temperatures were found to have a lifetime of 53 days: the longest reported lifetime to the best of our knowledge for electrodes fabricated with nanowires less than 100 nm in diameter. In trials for transparent electrodes fabricated with SNW with average diameters of 80 nm, UV-ozone-treated films reached ultimate failure two days later than nontreated electrodes. This was attributed to the formation of silver oxide on the nanowires, which served as a protective layer and slowed the degradation process. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed SNW electrodes made with an average nanowire diameter of 80 nm failed due to broken connections at the nanowire junctions. On the other hand, SNW electrodes made with an average diameter of 233 nm failed along the nanowires themselves, which suggests a different failure mechanism. The UV-ozone-treated larger diameter nanowire electrodes failed after 127 days, and the failure date of the nontreated SNW electrode remained undetermined after 153 days of continuous operation.
The ATPase Motor Turns for Type IV Pilus Assembly

In this issue of Structure, Mancl et al. (2016) elucidate the crystal structure of the PilB ATPase domain in complex with ATPγS and unveil how ATP binding and hydrolysis coordinates conformational change. Their results reveal a distinct symmetric rotary mechanism for ATP hydrolysis to power bacterial pilus assembly.