cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Strategies for navigating large areas: A GIS spatial ecology analysis of the bearded saki monkey, Chiropotes sagulatus, in Suriname

Animals with long day paths and large home ranges expend a considerable amount of energy on travel. Studies have shown that in the interest of reducing energy expenditure, animals selectively navigate the landscape using a variety of strategies. However, these studies have generally focused on terrestrial animals. Here we present data on an exceedingly mobile arboreal animal, bearded saki monkeys, in a topographically variable landscape in Suriname. Using ArcMap and Google Earth, we explore two potential navigation strategies: the nonrandom use of travel areas and the use of ridges in slope navigation. Over a year of data collection, bearded sakis were found to use relatively long travel paths daily, use some areas more intensely than others for travel, and when travel paths were converted to strings of points, 40.3% and 63.9% of the points were located on (50 m from the main ridgeline) or near (100 m from the main ridgeline) ridge tops, respectively. Thus in a habitat of high relief we found support for intensive use of ridge tops or slopes close to ridge tops by bearded sakis. Selective habitat use may be related to surveying tree crowns for fruit by large, fast moving groups of bearded sakis or monitoring the presence of potential predators. Am. J. Primatol. 76:586–595, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Tobacco documents reveal questionable professional recertification by industry menthol expert

Jonathan Daniel Heck, PhD, a board certified toxicologist, career scientist at Lorillard Tobacco, and industry expert on menthol, served as an industry representative on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee (TPSAC) from 2010 through 2014. In 2011, Heck was the lead author of the “Industry Menthol Report; Menthol Cigarettes: No Disproportionate Impact on Public Health”1 submitted to the FDA. To become certified and maintain his status as a board certified toxicologist, Heck took a certification examination and multiple recertification examinations administered by the American Board of Toxicology. Initial certification required passage of a three-part examination. Recertification occurs through an open-book examination.2 On 11 July 1996, Heck sent a memo to his supervisor at Lorillard describing his plans for completing the American …
Health-related quality of life among prescription opioid-dependent patients: Results from a multi-site study.

Background Although prescription opioid use disorder has recently increased sharply in the United States, relatively little is known about the general well-being of this population. Assessment of quality of life in patients with substance use disorders has been recommended to improve clinical care. Objectives Health-related quality of life was examined in prescription opioid-dependent patients at entry to a national multi-site clinical trial, to compare quality of life scores in the study sample to other populations; further, background variables associated with quality of life in the literature were examined. Methods Prescription opioid-dependent patients (N = 653) were compared to general populations on the Medical Outcome Study Short Form-36 (SF-36) quality of life measure; and the association between patient background variables and quality of life was examined. Results Compared to a general population, the current sample of prescription opioid-dependent patients had worse physical (−1.7 points, p < .001) and mental quality of life (−12.3 points, p < .001) as measured by the SF-36, similar to other opioid-use disorder populations. Within our sample, women showed more impairment than men in mental quality of life (−4.3 points, p < .001); older patients scored worse on physical (−5.2 points, p < .001), but not mental, quality of life. Chronic pain was associated with poorer physical quality of life (−9.0 points, p < .001). Conclusions and scientific significance The growing focus on wellness underscores the importance of measuring quality of life in addition to substance use outcomes. Routine assessment of health-related quality of life can add an important dimension to overall evaluation of patients' treatment response. (Am J Addict 2014;XX:1 –7)
Simultaneous partial purification of sterol ester hydrolase and lipase from rabbit pancreas.

Sterol ester hydrolase and lipase from rabbit pancreatic aqueous extracts were partially purified simultaneously by a rapid method consisting of an initial 50% ammonium sulfate precipitation, followed by chromatography with sodium taurocholate on a 10% agarose gel column (0.5 million exclusion limit), followed by precipitation of both enzymes with heparin and MnCl2. Sterol ester hydrolase was 39-fold purified and lipase 42-fold purified, as compared to the initial extract. The enzymes could be partially separated by a DEAE ion exchange procedure, and exhibited different quantitative responses to several activators and inhibitors.
New transformation tricks from a barnyard retrovirus: Implications for human lung cancer

Studies of oncogenic retroviruses provided much of the intellectual foundation for our current understanding of the molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis. The now well-established role of protein tyrosine kinases and Ras in growth stimulation and the myriad ways by which dysregulated expression of growth control genes can lead to tumor development are concepts deeply rooted in retrovirology. Indeed, more than 50 oncogenes now known to be involved in human cancers were first discovered and studied in retroviral models (1). Nonetheless, only one retrovirus, human T cell lymphotrophic virus (HTLV), is oncogenic in humans, and, as we enter the 21st century, retroviral oncogenesis models may seem to be of largely historical interest. However, analyses of jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) by Maeda et al. (2) and Rai et al. (3) in this issue of PNAS reveal that oncogenic retroviruses still hold important secrets that may be directly relevant to human cancer. Analyses of jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus reveal that oncogenic retroviruses still hold important secrets that may be directly relevant to human cancer.
Geometric interpretation of the partition function of 2D gravity

We construct explicity the subspace in the infinite dimensional grassmannian corresponding to the τ-function of the 2D topological gravity. This allows us to give a simple proof of some conjectures on the equations defining this function.
Invariant imbedding in time-varying homogeneous nondispersive media

The invariant imbedding approach is applied to electromagnetic wave propagation in homogeneous temporally varying media. As a convenient example a plane wave is considered. The result is a coupled pair of complex first-order linear differential equations for the amplitude of the forward and backward propagating waves which arise when the index of refraction of the medium is changed in an arbitrary way from one steady-state value to another. This approach provides an alternative point of view in the analysis of time-varying medium devices such as electrooptic phase modulators.
Characterization of IHF Binding to DNA Four-Way Junctions and Forks

Integration Host Factor (IHF) is an architectural protein that binds and bends DNA, facilitating the formation of protein-DNA complexes important for gene regulation. IHF binds with high affinity to a specific consensus sequence and induces a 160° bend upon binding. We have shown that IHF binds DNA four way junctions (4WJ) that do not contain the consensus sequence with nanomolar affinity and 1:1 stoichiometry for the specific interaction. We have also observed that IHF binds DNA forks with nanomolar affinity. The binding to junctions and forks is in direct contrast to IHF binding to linear duplex DNA, which is typically 1000-fold weaker. In this study we investigate whether the presence of the IHF consensus sequence influences IHF binding to DNA junctions and forks. We utilized gel shift and fluorescence binding assays to measure affinity and have observed that the high affinity for these non-native structures is independent of the presence of the consensus sequence. We are further exploring how IHF binding influences junction conformation. Junction conformation is modulated by ion concentration where high concentrations of ions induces pairwise stacking of the helical arms resulting in quasi-continuous helices. In our investigations IHF binding to the non-consensus junction induces an open conformation. We are specifically examining the distortion of the junction and DNA fork substrates upon IHF binding using Forster Resonance Energy Transfer. Through these measurements, we are also exploring whether the mechanism of recognition differs between junctions and forks.
The λ gam protein inhibits RecBCD binding to dsDNA ends

Inactivation of the Escherichia coli RecBCD enzyme by the lambda Gam protein is an essential step that accompanies the lambda Red proteins for gene replacement using recombineering technology. It has been shown that Gam inhibits all the activities of RecBCD to the same extent. Nonetheless, some in vivo properties of recBCD mutants cannot be mimicked effectively by the expression of gam in vivo. An examination of the mechanism of Gam's inhibition of RecBCD was performed, and it was found that Gam inhibits the binding of RecBCD to double-stranded DNA ends, even if RecBCD is bound to DNA before its interaction with Gam. When ATP is added to the reaction to induce helicase activity, most of the reaction is inhibited by Gam, but residual amounts of unwinding are detected, despite a 40-fold excess of Gam/RecBCD. The same inhibitory effect of Gam was seen on RecBCD that had been modified by the P22 anti-RecBCD protein Abc2, though the inhibitory effect was diminished due to the tighter binding of Abc2-modified RecBCD to double-stranded DNA ends. These data suggest that cells containing Gam-expressing plasmids retain a small amount of uninhibited enzyme. Given the suspected instability of Gam in vivo, care must be taken when interpreting results from experiments containing Gam-inhibited RecBCD species. A revised model is proposed for Gam-induced radioresistance of E. coli to ionizing radiation.
The effect of a glycine derivative (CP 1552-S) on kindled seizures in rats

Abstract The effects of the glycine derivative. CP 1552-S (2- N -pentylaminoacetamide hydrochloride) were evaluated for potential anticonvulsant activity in rats which were cortically- or amygdaloid-kindled. Large doses (300–600 mg/kg, i.p.) of CP 1552 given 30 min before stimulation resulted in significant reductions in duration of afterdischarge after both partially-developed and fully-developed cortically-kindled seizures. The largest dose tested (600 mg/kg, i.p.) markedly reduced the duration of the elicited afterdischarge and the severity of seizure. This dose was associated with prestimulation sedation and a 50% incidence of post-afterdischarge spontaneous, electrical seizure activity. Against kindled amygdaloid seizures, CP 1552-S significantly reduced the duration of afterdischarge at 300 mg/kg (i.p.) without modifying the seizure and without prestimulation behavioral or electrical effects. The largest dose tested (600 mg/kg. i.p.) resulted in a significant reduction of the elicited duration of afterdischarge but was associated with a 25% incidence of prestimulation spontaneous electrical seizure activity and a 45% incidence of post-afterdischarge electrical seizure activity. When CP 1552-S (30–300 mg/kg, i.p.) was administered daily, prior to the amygdaloid kindling stimulus, no difference was noted in the rate of acquisition of the kindled amygdaloid response. It is concluded that the glycine derivative CP 1552-S, has little anticonvulsant activity against the acquisition or development of kindled amygdaloid seizures. It appears to have significant anticonvulsant effects against both cortically- and amygdaloid-kindled afterdischarges with little effect on the behavioral severity of the seizure. Further, large doses of CP 1552-S appeared to result in paradoxical post-afterdischarge and possibly prestimulation electrical seizure activity.
Ventralization of an indirect developing hemichordate by NiCl2 suggests a conserved mechanism of dorso-ventral (D/V) patterning in Ambulacraria (hemichordates and echinoderms)

Abstract One of the earliest steps in embryonic development is the establishment of the future body axes. Morphological and molecular data place the Ambulacraria (echinoderms and hemichordates) within the Deuterostomia and as the sister taxon to chordates. Extensive work over the last decades in echinoid (sea urchins) echinoderms has led to the characterization of gene regulatory networks underlying germ layer specification and axis formation during embryogenesis. However, with the exception of recent studies from a direct developing hemichordate ( Saccoglossus kowalevskii ), very little is known about the molecular mechanism underlying early hemichordate development. Unlike echinoids, indirect developing hemichordates retain the larval body axes and major larval tissues after metamorphosis into the adult worm. In order to gain insight into dorso-ventral (D/V) patterning, we used nickel chloride (NiCl 2 ), a potent ventralizing agent on echinoderm embryos, on the indirect developing enteropneust hemichordate, Ptychodera flava . Our present study shows that NiCl 2 disrupts the D/V axis and induces formation of a circumferential mouth when treated before the onset of gastrulation. Molecular analysis, using newly isolated tissue-specific markers, shows that the ventral ectoderm is expanded at expense of dorsal ectoderm in treated embryos, but has little effect on germ layer or anterior–posterior markers. The resulting ventralized phenotype, the effective dose, and the NiCl 2 sensitive response period of Ptychodera flava , is very similar to the effects of nickel on embryonic development described in larval echinoderms. These strong similarities allow one to speculate that a NiCl 2 sensitive pathway involved in dorso-ventral patterning may be shared between echinoderms, hemichordates and a putative ambulacrarian ancestor. Furthermore, nickel treatments ventralize the direct developing hemichordate, S. kowalevskii indicating that a common pathway patterns both larval and adult body plans of the ambulacrarian ancestor and provides insight in to the origin of the chordate body plan.
Effects of Sixty-Day Milk Yield on Postpartum Breeding Performance in Holstein Cows

The relationship between breeding performance and postpartum milk yield was evaluated using data collected in a prospective field project from 33 New York Holstein herds. Herds selected were enrolled in the New York Dairy Herd Improvement Cooperative program and received monthly or biweekly herd health visits from the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine. Factors other than milk yield (e.g., postpartum reproductive disorders, inseminator, housing) that influence breeding performance were controlled in multiple regression analyses. Milk yield had a slight linear antagonistic relationship with conception at first service, services per conception, and days open but not with interval from parturition to first service, interval between first and second services, or interval between second and third services. Services per conception and days open increased by .009 and .6, respectively, for each 100-kg increase in cumulative milk yield during the first 60 d of lactation. Postpartum reproductive disorders, service method (artificial vs. natural), inseminator (farmer vs. technician), and calving interval of the previous lactation had more important relationships than milk yield with measures of breeding performance.
Redundancy implementations and consideration of related failures in spacecraft electronic systems

Redundancy is a technique that has been used to improve space electronic systems reliability. The traditional implementation has been to incorporate redundancy by having the passive or active availability of two separate boxes that perform the same function. Technical advances have led to higher interconnect density at the part, circuit board, and electronic box levels. Coupled with these advances, the desire to keep weight and power requirements to a minimum while continually expanding overall system performance, has led to designs that incorporate lesser degrees of redundancy and no longer show the same degree of physical separation as in the past. This lack of separation can increase the probability of common cause and propagating failures, which compromise the capability that redundancy provides. In addition, the cycle time for manufacture and test of electronic units has been shortened significantly which increases the probability that prime and redundant units have experienced the same manufacturing and test processes and environments. Also, the probability of having parts from the same lot in multiple boxes has increased, thus leading to the potential of one part defect having a deleterious impact across multiple systems. Undoubtedly, advances in automation and improvement and standardization of manufacturing and test processes have been major contributors to reliability growth; however, the potential for common-cause failures should be explicitly realized both in the necessary manufacturing and test controls and in system reliability calculations. The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief overview of redundancy as it has been applied in the space industry. It will also discuss different types of redundancy implementations and vulnerabilities to dependent failures. Potential mitigations are discussed.
Power, defensive denigration, and the assuaging effect of gratitude expression

Abstract This article examines the interactive effects of power, competency threats, and gratitude expression on the tendency to denigrate others. The results of two experiments indicate that (1) power holders whose competence has been threatened are more likely than others to denigrate interaction partners, and (2) receiving gratitude expression has self-affirming effects for insecure power holders. Experiment 1 demonstrated that high-power, but not low-power, individuals who received threatening feedback about their competence denigrated the competence of their partners. Importantly, this tendency was ameliorated when subordinates expressed gratitude for previous help provided from the power holder. Experiment 2 demonstrated that the ameliorating effect of gratitude expression on threatened power holders' tendency to denigrate subordinates is mediated by increased perceptions of social worth. Implications for research on power, gratitude expression, and the self are discussed.
The genesis of climate change activism: from key beliefs to political action

Climate change activism has been uncommon in the U.S., but a growing national movement is pressing for a political response. To assess the cognitive and affective precursors of climate activism, we hypothesize and test a two-stage information-processing model based on social cognitive theory. In stage 1, expectations about climate change outcomes and perceived collective efficacy to mitigate the threat are hypothesized to influence affective issue involvement and support for societal mitigation action. In stage 2, beliefs about the effectiveness of political activism, perceived barriers to activist behaviors and opinion leadership are hypothesized to influence intended and actual activism. To test these hypotheses, we fit a structural equation model using nationally representative data. The model explains 52 percent of the variance in a latent variable representing three forms of climate change activism: contacting elected representatives; supporting organizations working on the issue; and attending climate change rallies or meetings. The results suggest that efforts to increase citizen activism should promote specific beliefs about climate change, build perceptions that political activism can be effective, and encourage interpersonal communication on the issue.
The effect of stimulus familiarity on the use of criteria and justifications in children's social reasoning.

Early studies of moral judgement described young children's thought as undifferentiated and oriented toward external features of transgressions. However, more recent evidence suggests that young children distinguish between domains of social transgression and justify moral judgements with reference to the transgression itself, rather than to external features such as rules, authority directives, or sanctions. The present study hypothesized a possible explanation for this discrepancy: that undifferentiated reasoning occurs with the use of unfamiliar stimulus events or stimulus events not clearly differentiated with respect to social domain. Sixty-one 6-, 8-, and 10-year-olds were interviewed about four types of social transgression: familiar moral, unfamiliar moral, familiar conventional, and unfamiliar conventional. Assessments were made of several dimensions of judgement hypothesized to be criterial for the differentiation of social domains; responses were also analysed for types of justification used. For familiar stimuli all age groups showed a differentiated understanding of moral and conventional issues, both in judgement and in justification. Younger subjects showed less differentiation in judgement than older subjects when stimuli were unfamiliar. Age differences were also found in the types of justification given, both for familiar and for unfamiliar moral issues. The findings indicate that stimulus familiarity is a more significant factor in the moral reasoning of younger than of older children.
On detection and estimation in atomic force microscopy at different scan speeds

Abstract A typical user of an atomic force microscope (AFM) judges the quality of information in the scan of a sample by the images generated from either the height signal (in contact mode) or the height, amplitude, and phase signals (in intermittent contact mode). As the speed of the tip across the sample is increased, these signals become corrupted by the dynamics in the actuators and other elements in the system. The amplitude and phase signals are derived from the motion of the cantilever during the scan and there have been alternative schemes proposed, such as transient mode AFM, that derive several other signals from the cantilever motion. In this work we study the utility of the height, amplitude, and other derived signals at different tip speeds for both imaging and for detection. The results are demonstrated through experiments using a grating sample scanned on an Agilent 5500 AFM.
A multi-objective program for quantitative subtyping of clinically relevant phenotypes

Identifying genetic variations that underlie human disease is very important to advance our understanding of the disease's pathophysiology and promote its personalized treatment. However, many disease phenotypes have complex clinical manifestations and a complicated etiology. Gene finding efforts for complex diseases have had limited success to date. Research results suggest that one way to enhance these efforts is to differentiate subtypes of a complex multifactorial disease phenotype. Existing subtyping methods rely on cluster analysis using only clinical features of a disorder without guidance from genetic data, resulting in subtypes for which genotype association may be limited. In this work, we seek to derive a novel computational method based on multi-objective programming that is capable of clinically categorizing a disease phenotype so as to discover genetically different subtypes. Our approach optimizes two objectives: (1) the cluster-derived subtypes should differ significantly on clinical features; (2) these subtypes can be well separated using candidate genes. This work has been motivated by clinical studies of opioid dependence, a serious, prevalent disorder that is heterogeneous phenotypically. Analyses on a sample of 1,470 European American subjects aggregated from multiple genetic studies of opioid dependence show that the proposed algorithm is superior to existing subtyping methods.
Christ's Birth of a Virgin Who Became a Wife: Flesh and Speech in Tertullian's De Carne Christi

This article explores the powerful efficacy of Tertullian's theological discourse in his treatise De came Christi. Departing from the conventional wisdom of evaluating early Christian theological texts according to their adherence to formal rhetorical models, which makes them vulnerable to postmodern criticism, this article advocates an alternative approach. It analyzes Tertullian's arguments by relating them directly to his central topic of discussion: the flesh of Christ. Tertullian's insistence on the physical concreteness of Christ's flesh, which connects Christ's human birth inseparably with his death and resurrection, serves to underscore what he calls "the law for our resurrection" (ch. 1). The article demonstrates that the physical concreteness of Christ's flesh so dominates Tertullian's theological discourse that it underlies even his well-known use of paradox. An example is found when Tertullian makes the truth of Christ's resurrection following his crucifixion dependent on how it mocks wordly wisdom (ch. 5). The article reveals specifically how a view of Tertullian's discourse as pivoting on the concreteness of Christ's flesh sheds light on his arguments regarding Christ's birth of a virgin (chs. 17-23). For Tertullian, Christ's flesh can only lay down the law for humanity's bodily resurrection if the divine Word heeds the "law of the opened body" (ch. 23) by undergoing a fully human birth. In his logic Christ's exit into this world, which opened his mother's womb, caused Mary to change from virgin to wife. Since Christ's birth is thus itself a signum contradicibile, Tertullian's discourse is stripped of its former dependence on paradoxes to describe its salvific novelty, gaining a new-found accuracy instead.
A Model for Generative CAI and Concept Selection.

This paper describes a model for generative computer-assisted instruction. This model has served as the basis for the design of a CAI system used to teach problem-solving in an introductory course in digital systems design. The system individualizes the instruction which each student receives in accordance with its record of his past performance. In addition, a heuristic technique is used to determine the best path for each student through the tree of course concepts. The refinement of this method of concept selection is described. An evaluation of the GCAI system and results of classroom usage are also presented.
Dynamic analysis of acoustic wave mediated multiferroic radiation via FDTD methods

A bulk acoustic wave (BAW) based multiferroic antenna structure is proposed, to overcome the platform effect associated with low-profile antennas. Numerical analysis based on the one-dimensional finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique, as well as analytical analysis is applied. The dynamic stress profile within the resonator and the radiation quality factors (Q factors) are simulated. In addition, the radiation of the electromagnetic waves acting as a damping load to the acoustic resonances is represented. The agreement between the numerical solutions and the analytical solutions provides a validation to the operating principle of the proposed antenna.
Does adding biological detail increase coexistence in an intraguild predation model

Abstract Understanding coexistence is a central concern for community ecologists. The limited combination of parameter values over which coexistence can occur in most models of competing species suggests that coexistence may not be a general phenomenon, yet observations of communities demonstrate that coexistence of competitors is common. In this paper, I use a well-studied host–parasitoid system, California red scale and its parasitoids, to explore whether intraguild predation (IGP) is a likely coexistence mechanism for these species and to motivate an exploration of how the level of biological detail in theoretical models influences conclusions about the likelihood of coexistence via IGP. Although prior work has shown that parasitoid and host densities in the field follow the patterns predicted by simple IGP theory, in this detailed model parameterized with empirically derived values, coexistence is not predicted. Thus, in spite of the concordance between field observations and simple model predictions, the current model demonstrates that IGP is unlikely to be the sole coexistence mechanism for the parasitoids of California red scale. Furthermore, IGP is an equalizing coexistence mechanism, and these results demonstrate that adding biological detail to this type of mechanism does not substantially increase the predicted coexistence region. This important result adds to the growing literature showing that simple models often can capture the fundamental processes operating in more complex models and may be sufficient to capture underlying ecological patterns. Because models lacking system-specific details are better able to produce general conclusions, the current result suggests that general theory may be used to gain insights into a diversity of ecological systems.
Phonon-assisted trapping by shallow impurity in quantum well

Abstract We have considered the capture of electron in a quantum well by shallow donor impurity due to the interaction with an acoustical phonon. Wave functions of the nine lowest bound states have been found by variational method. We have calculated the rates of transitions between the free states and bound states as well as between different bound states. In the case of phonon wavelength much smaller than the width of the well L the transition rates are proportional to e −5 (n e + 1 2 ± 1 2 ) L −6 , where e is the transferred energy, ne is a phonon occupation number.
Numerical simulation and theoretical analysis on boundary-layer instability affected by porous coating

The effect of porous coating on the instability of a Mach 5.92 flat-plate boundary layer is investigated by a combination of numerical simulation and theoretical analysis. It is motivated by Fedorov et al.’s experimental and theoretical studies considering the effect of an ultrasonically absorptive coating on hypersonic boundary-layer stability [1] and our previous numerical simulations on hypersonic boundary-layer receptivity [2, 3] . The steady base flow is obtained by solving compressible Navier-Stokes equations with a combination of a fifth-order shock-fitting method and a second-order total variation diminishing (TVD) scheme. Stability simulations consist of two steps: 1. periodic disturbances corresponding to single boundary layer wave (mode F or mode S) are superimposed on steady base flow at a cross-section of the boundary layer to show spatial development of the wave; 2. porous coating, modelled by pressure oscillation related wall blowing-suction, is used downstream of the superimposed wave to investigate its effect on boundary-layer instability. Stability characteristics of the hypersonic boundary layer are analyzed by linear stability theory. The numerical results show that porous coating only has local effects on the spatial developments of mode S and mode F. In case of mode S, porous coating destabilizes the Mack first mode whereas it stabilizes the Mack second mode. All the six cases of stability simulations show a larger peak amplitude of mode S, which means destabilization of the Mack first mode is quite significant. In case of mode F, all three cases of stability simulations show that mode F changes to mode S near the synchronization point and mode F is generally stabilized in porous region
130-W picosecond green laser based on a frequency-doubled hybrid cryogenic Yb:YAG amplifier

130-W average-power picosecond green laser pulses at 514.5 nm are generated from a frequency-doubled hybrid cryogenic Yb:YAG laser. A second-harmonic conversion efficiency of 54% is achieved with a 15-mm-long noncritically phase-matched lithium triborate (LBO) crystal from a 240-W 8-ps 78-MHz pulse train at 1029 nm. The high-average-power hybrid laser system consists of a picosecond fiber chirped-pulse amplification seed source and a cryogenically-cooled double-pass Yb:YAG amplifier. The M2 value of 2.7, measured at 77 W of second-harmonic power, demonstrates a good focusing quality. A thermal analysis shows that the longitudinal temperature gradient can be the main limiting factor in the second-harmonic efficiency. To our best knowledge, this is the highest-average-power green laser source generating picosecond pulses.
Monoallelic expression of multiple genes in the CNS.

The inheritance pattern of a number of major genetic disorders suggests the possible involvement of genes that are expressed from one allele and silent on the other, but such genes are difficult to detect. Since DNA methylation in regulatory regions is often a mark of gene silencing, we modified existing microarray-based assays to detect both methylated and unmethylated DNA sequences in the same sample, a variation we term the MAUD assay. We probed a 65 Mb region of mouse Chr 7 for gene-associated sequences that show two distinct DNA methylation patterns in the mouse CNS. Selected genes were then tested for allele-specific expression in clonal neural stem cell lines derived from reciprocal F1 (C57BL/6×JF1) hybrid mice. In addition, using a separate approach, we directly analyzed allele-specific expression of a group of genes interspersed within clusters of OlfR genes, since the latter are subject to allelic exclusion. Altogether, of the 500 known genes in the chromosomal region surveyed, five show monoallelic expression, four identified by the MAUD assay (Agc1, p (pink-eyed dilution), P4ha3 and Thrsp), and one by its proximity to OlfR genes (Trim12). Thrsp (thyroid hormone responsive SPOT14 homolog) is expressed in hippocampus, but the human protein homolog, S14, has also been implicated in aggressive breast cancer. Monoallelic expression of the five genes is not coordinated at a chromosome-wide level, but rather regulated at individual loci. Taken together, our results suggest that at least 1% of previously untested genes are subject to allelic exclusion, and demonstrate a dual approach to expedite their identification.
Application of Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy to the Study of Protein‐Ligand Interactions

La spectrometrie infrarouge couplee a la technique de transformation de Fourier permet de mesurer le spectre d'absorption d'une benzodiazepine liee de facon covalente a des lames de microscope en verre, en presence ou en absence d'une proteine receptrice du GABA preparee a partir de tissu d'encephale de Bovin
Mining social media: issues and challenges

The prevalence of social media offers a new kind of laboratory for behavioral study. In the era of the social Web, we are presented with unparalleled opportunities and novel challenges. In this talk, we will use some of our recent studies of human behavior to illustrate our endeavors to improve the understanding of human behaviors in social media. We explore how one can efficiently gauge what's happening in social media with an inordinate number of groups and growing; inquire whether one can disentangle the complicated connections among users to find their group memberships; look into user migration patterns in the presence of seemingly unlimited choices of social media services; and investigate ways of exploiting vulnerability to protect user privacy on a social networking site. We can benefit significantly from extant sociological theories and methodologies in carrying out interdisciplinary research that sheds lights in mining social media. The improved understanding of human behavior can help develop social media services that encourage more user participation with better experience in growing social media activities.
Palladium-catalyzed and sonically accelerated hydrogenations of olefins using formic acid as a hydrogen transfer agent

Abstract The formic acid/palladium-on-carbon couple was found to be an effective hydrogenating system. Ten olefins, including terminal and internal alkenes, a diene, a vinyl ether, and an α,β-unsaturated ketone, were hydrogenated in high yields at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Sonication of the reaction mixtures accelerated the reactions as did heating to reflux. Cyclopropylbenzene and diphenylacetylene were reduced quantitatively to n-propylbenzene and bibenzyl, respectively.
Computer integration in hotel and foodservice management education.

A study was conducted using the 108 affiliated institutions of the Council on Restaurant, Hotel, and Institutional Education in the United States to determine computer usage in hotel and foodservic...
Character Recognition as an Alternate Measure of Television Exposure Among Children: Findings From the Alam Simsim Program in Egypt

Evaluation of effects of mass media-based health interventions requires accurate assessments of exposure, which can be difficult to obtain when young children are the primary audience. Alam Simsim, the Egyptian version of Sesame Street, aired nationally in Egypt to teach preschoolers about numeracy, literacy, and gender-equitable attitudes. The purpose of this article was to assess the effect of the program through a first-of-its-kind household-level survey that interviewed caretakers (n = 426) and preschoolers (n = 486). The authors introduced and tested the efficacy of a parsimonious measure of exposure: children's recognition of the primary characters of the program. Overall, the authors' models explained as much as 53% of the variance in children's learning; exposure to the program was significantly associated with learning. Furthermore, the parsimonious measure of exposure was as effective as a more elaborate child-reported measure. Relative to these two measures of exposure, caretakers' report of children's viewing was not as good a predictor of learning.
3D optics: applications to imaging

We overview a class of optical imaging systems utilizing volume holograms as imaging elements. The three-dimensional (3D) nature of volume holograms as optical elements enables the realization of very general shift-invariant impulse responses and dispersion relationships. We present experimental results and computational approaches towards the analysis and optimization of 3D optical systems. The results indicate promising applications in profilometry of reflective objects and slice-wise hyper-spectral imaging of fluorescent objects without or with minimal scanning.
DISPLACEMENT OF A HYDROCARBON OIL FROM A METAL SURFACE USING A SURFACTANT SOLUTION

ABSTRACT Separation of oils from solid surfaces is important in cleaning and degreasing operations. Water and oils are immiscible requiring the use of an additive which is miscible with water yet has an affinity for oils. Surface active agents, known as surfactants, have this property, being miscible with water while having an affinity for hydrocarbons. In some cases, surfactant solutions displace oils from a solid surface (i.e., remove oil by replacing the oil/solid interfacial area with surfactant solution/solid interfacial area). The presence of alkalinity as well as surfactant concentration is known to affect the ability of a surfactant solution to wet the solid surface and displace the oil. Experiments have been performed to determine quantitatively the effects of surfactant concentration and pH on the displacement of an oil from a metal surface. The displacement is measured in terms of the contact angle formed by the oil on the solid surface in the presence of the surfactant solution, the amount of ...
Measurement of energy barriers to conformational change in poly-l-glutamic acid by temperature-derivative spectroscopy

Abstract Energy barriers in kinetics are typically determined by measuring the rate as a function of temperature. We have used an alternative and complementary technique, temperature-derivative spectroscopy, to characterize folding of poly- l -glutamic acid in response to a change in pH. After the solution pH is changed photolytically at low temperature (150 K) using a photogenerating acid, the solution is warmed while monitoring the helix–coil transition by its infrared absorption. At high initial pH, the secondary structure change occurs at 180 K. If the initial pH is near 6, helix formation occurs near 190 K. The results are interpreted in terms of the pre-exponential factor and enthalpy barrier for protein folding. Because the pH change is extrinsic to the system under study, this technique enables temperature-derivative spectroscopy to be used with any phenomenon that is pH dependent and with a wide range of spectroscopic measurement techniques.
Dexamethasone-induced Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptor Elevation in Murine Lymphoma Cells Is Not Required for Dexamethasone-mediated Calcium Elevation and Apoptosis

Glucocorticosteroid hormones, including dexamethasone, have diverse effects on immature lymphocyte function that ultimately lead to cell death. Previous studies established that glucocorticoid-induced alterations in intracellular calcium homeostasis promote apoptosis, but the mechanism by which glucocorticoids disrupt calcium homeostasis is unknown. Through gene expression array analysis, we found that dexamethasone induces a striking elevation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R) levels in two murine lymphoma cell lines, WEHI7.2 and S49.A2. IP3R elevation was confirmed at both mRNA and protein levels. However, there was not a strong correlation between IP3R elevation and altered calcium homeostasis in terms of either kinetics or dose response. Moreover, IP3R knockdown, by either antisense or small interfering RNA, did not prevent either calcium disruption or apoptosis. Finally, DT40 lymphoma cells lacking all three IP3R isoforms were just as sensitive to dexamethasone-induced apoptosis as wild-type DT40 cells expressing all three IP3R isoforms. Thus, although alterations in intracellular calcium homeostasis contribute to glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis, these calcium alterations are not directly attributable to IP3R elevation.
The effects of temperature, pH, and sediment on the fate and toxicity of 1-naphthol to the midge larvae Chironomus riparius

Abstract The effects of temperature, pH, sediment and humic acid on the toxicity and fate of 1‐naphthol to the midge larvae, Chironomus riparius, were determined in static 24‐hr toxicity tests. Partitioning of 14C‐1‐naphthol in systems identical to toxicity tests was examined to determine if toxicity results were supported by physical‐chemical measurements. Generally, 1‐naphthol toxicity increased with increasing temperature. Changes in pH did not affect toxicity except at pH 8 where 1‐naphthol was more toxic to the midge at 10 and 20 °C than at pH 4 or 6. In addition, there was no temperature effect at pH 8 as naphthol was equitoxic at all temperatures. The presence of sediment reduced toxicity in the temperate range (20–30 °C ) while humic acid had no effect on toxicity at any temperature. Partitioning data did not always support toxicity results, illustrating the importance of coupling bioassays with physical‐chemical studies when evaluating water soluble chemicals.
Effects of sample probe surface temperature on the detection of peptides by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry

Abstract It has been observed that in the analysis of peptide mixtures by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry some of the components are not detected and, usually, the ion yields of protonated peptide molecules do not reflect their relative molar abundance. This phenomenon has been attributed to the suppression of ionization of some of the mixture components by other components. It has been found that a change in the sample probe surface temperature, effected with a thermoelectrically-cooled probe, eliminates the suppression effects and, in some instances, even reverses them.
Interaction between the individual isoenzymes of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase and the inner lipoyl-bearing domain of transacetylase component of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex

Protein-protein interactions play an important role in the regulation of enzymic activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK). It is generally believed that the binding of PDK to the inner lipoyl-bearing domain L2 of the transacetylase component E2 of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex largely determines the level of kinase activity. In the present study, we characterized the interaction between the individual isoenzymes of PDK (PDK1-PDK4) and monomeric L2 domain of human E2, as well as the effect of this interaction on kinase activity. It was found that PDK isoenzymes are markedly different with respect to their affinities for L2. PDK3 demonstrated a very tight binding, which persisted during isolation of PDK3-L2 complexes using size-exclusion chromatography. Binding of PDK1 and PDK2 was readily reversible with the apparent dissociation constant of approx. 10 microM for both isoenzymes. PDK4 had a greatly reduced capacity for L2 binding (relative order PDK3>PDK1=PDK2>PDK4). Monomeric L2 domain alone had very little effect on the activities of either PDK1 or PDK2. In contrast, L2 caused a 3-fold increase in PDK3 activity and approx. 37% increase in PDK4 activity. These results strongly suggest that the interactions between the individual isoenzymes of PDK and L2 domain are isoenzyme-specific and might be among the major factors that determine the level of kinase activity of particular isoenzyme towards the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex.
Mitochondrial DNA genetic structure transcends natural boundaries in Great Lakes populations of woodland deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus gracilis)

The landscape of the Great Lakes region has been fragmented since the lakes formed starting about 20 000 years ago. Small mammals, such as deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus (Wagner, 1845)), inhabit...
Doctoral Projects in Progress in Theatre Arts, 2004

This is the fifty-second annual report of dissertations in progress in theatre arts in the United States. The entries contained in this report were solicited from those universities offering a doctoral degree in areas related to theatre, and the completeness and accuracy of the report depends largely on the immense cooperation of those students and faculty members who were kind enough to submit complete and timely information?either on line (preferred), by e-mail, regular postal mail, or fax. A future request for information will be mailed in October 2004 for the 2005 edition. Please contact the researcher if an
Use of Differential Scanning Calorimetry and Thermogravimetric Analysis To Characterize the Thermal Degradation of Crystalline Sucrose and Dried Sucrose−Salt Residues

Thermal degradation of pure sucrose in concentrated aqueous solution (100 °C, ∼65 °Brix) in the presence of KCl, LiCl, NaI, and Na2B4O7 was investigated. Polarimetry was used to quantify sucrose degradation, and pseudo-first-order kinetic constants of initial degradation rates were calculated. All salts significantly increased sucrose degradation; colored degradation products were only formed in the presence of Na2B4O7. Thermal degradation characteristics of crystalline sucrose and dried, crystalline residues from sucrose−salt model solutions heated at 100 °C for 0 and 3 h were further investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric (TG), and differential thermogravimetric (DTG) analyses. Rate of heating was 15 °C/min from 50 to 500 °C. DSC and TG studies confirmed the catalytic nature of salts on the thermal degradation of sucrose. Salts affected thermal degradation in various ways. The initial condensation degradation reactions were more rapid than expected, and subsequent eli...
Lean Product Development

The University of Kentucky’s Lean Systems Program recently merged with the Institute of Research for Technology Development (IR4TD) to provide broader and complete service to both domestic and international customers. The new organizational structure of IR4TD, including the Lean is shown in Fig. 1. Our immediate goal is to assist industry in implementing Lean thinking and strategies to improve performance. This lecture will focus on specific examples on achieving this goal using Lean principles and several lean tools that were developed by Toyota.