cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Molecular Cloning of the Gene for Mouse Leukotriene-C4 Synthase

Leukotriene C4 (LTC4) synthase (LTC4S), an integral membrane protein, catalyzes the conjugation of leukotriene A4 with reduced glutathione to form LTC4, the biosynthetic parent of the additional cysteinyl leukotriene metabolites. An XmnI-digested fragment of a P1 clone from a 129 mouse ES library contained the full-length gene of 2.01 kb for mouse LTC4S. The mouse LTC4S gene is comprised of 5 exons of 122, 100, 71, 82 and 241 nucleotides, with intron sizes that range from 76 nucleotides to 937 nucleotides. The intron/exon boundaries are identical to those of the human genes for LTC4S and 5′-lipoxygenase-activating protein (FLAP). Primer extension demonstrated a single transcription-initiation site 64 bp 5′ of the ATG translation-start site. Nucleotide sequencing of 1.2 kb of the 5′ flanking region revealed multiple putative sites for activating protein-2, CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein, and polyoma virus enhancer-3. Fluorescent in situ hybridization mapped the mouse LTC4S gene to mouse chromosome 11, in a region containing the genes for interleukin 13 and granulocyte/macrophage-colony-stimulating factor, and orthologous to the chromosomal location of 5q35 for the human LTC4S gene. Thus, the mouse LTC4S gene is similar in size, introdexon organization and chromosomal localization to the human LTC4S gene. Recent mutagenic analysis of the conjugation function of human LTC4S has identified R51 and Y93 as critical for acid and base catalysis of LTA4 and reduced glutathione, respectively. A comparison across species for proteins that possess LTC4S activity reveals conservation of both of these residues, whereas R51 is absent in the FLAP molecules. Thus, within the glutathione S-transferase superfamily of genes, alignment of specific residues allows the separation of LTC4S family members from their most structurally similar counterparts, the FLAP molecules.
Autoimmune Manifestations in Common Variable Immunodeficiency

About 20% of subjects with common variable immune deficiency (CVID) develop an autoimmune complication, most often immune thrombocytopenia or hemolytic anemia. While the pathogenesis of autoreactivity is unknown for CVID subjects in general, and to a greater extent in those with autoimmunity, there is a loss of switched memory B cells. About 7–8% of CVID subjects have mutations in the transmembrane activator and calcium-modulating cyclophilin ligand interactor (TACI), a significant association with this immune defect, although the same mutations may be found in normal relatives and rarely in healthy blood donors. In addition to generalized B cell dysfunction, defective elimination of autoimmune B cells has been demonstrated.
"Overlaying" in 19th-century England: infant mortality or infanticide?

This paper examines a prevailing cultural interpretation of high infant mortality rates among the 19th-century English working class. It argues that most deaths attributed to “overlaying” or “smothering” were probably not the results of infanticide but rather due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Recent research on SIDS is discussed in support of this hypothesis, followed by a description of the demographic and nutritional conditions of 19th-century British working-class populations. Finally, the class-cultural biases of the “infanticide” hypothesis are suggested.
ApoE4 delays dendritic spine formation during neuron development and accelerates loss of mature spines in vitro.

The e4 allele of the gene that encodes apolipoprotein E (APOE4) is the greatest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), while APOE2 reduces AD risk, compared to APOE3. The mechanism(s) underlying the effects of APOE on AD pathology remains unclear. In vivo, dendritic spine density is lower in APOE4-targeted replacement (APOE-TR) mice compared with APOE2- and APOE3-TR mice. To investigate whether this apoE4-induced decrease in spine density results from alterations in the formation or the loss of dendritic spines, the effects of neuron age and apoE isoform on the total number and subclasses of spines were examined in long-term wild-type neurons co-cultured with glia from APOE2-,APOE3-andAPOE4-TRmice. Dendritic spinedensity andmaturationwereevaluatedbyimmunocytochemistryvia thepresenceofdrebrin(anactin-bindingprotein)withGluN1 (NMDAreceptorsubunit)andGluA2(AMPAreceptorsubunit) clusters. ApoE isoform effects were analyzed via a method previously established that identifies phases of spine formation (day-in-vitro, DIV10‐18), maintenance (DIV18‐21) and loss (DIV21‐26). In the formation phase, apoE4 delayed total spine formation. During the maintenance phase, the density of GluN1 +GluA2 spines did not change with apoE2, while the density of these spines decreased with apoE4 compared to apoE3, primarily due to the loss of GluA2 in spines. During the loss phase, total spine density was lower in neurons with apoE4 compared to apoE3. Thus, apoE4 delays total spine formation and may induce early synaptic dysfunction via impaired regulation of GluA2 in spines.
Distributed joint source-channel code for spatial-temporally correlated Markov sources

A new distributed joint source-channel code (DJSCC) is proposed for a communication network with spatial-temporally correlated Markov sources. The DJSCC is performed by puncturing the information bits of a systematic linear block code but leaving the parity bits intact, and transmitting the information and parity bits with unequal energy allocations. At the receiver, the spatial data correlation is exploited with a new multi-codeword message passing (MCMP) decoding algorithm. The MCMP decoder performs decoding by exchanging information between codewords from correlated sources, whereas conventional message passing (MP) algorithms exchanges soft information only inside a codeword. The inter-codeword soft information exchange of MCMP yields additional performance gains over the MP algorithm. In recognition that the signals at the receiver are distorted observations of the Markov source and thus can be modeled by a hidden Markov model (HMM), we propose to exploit the temporal data correlation by adding a HMM decoding module to the MCMP decoder. The HMM decoder iteratively exchanges soft information with the MCMP decoder, and this results in significant performance gains over conventional systems.
Pharmacology of traumatic brain injury

The intensity of experimental and clinical research to identify a neuroprotective drug for the treatment of traumatic brain injury is motivated by the devastating morbidity and mortality of this condition. Encouraging experimental work has led so far to disappointing clinical trials and the identification of new potential therapeutic targets is critically dependent on a better understanding of the chronic pathophysiology triggered by the initial insult. Future advances in the pharmacological treatment of traumatic brain injury are likely to include the evaluation of sequentially timed therapies combining multiple and targeted agents, and manipulation of the newly discovered neurogenic potential of the adult brain together with the refinement of traditional interventions to block specific cytotoxic cascades.
Kinetic Analysis of a Recombinant UDP-N-acetyl-D-galactosamine:Polypeptide N-Acetylgalactosaminyltransferase

Abstract A mammalian expression vector was designed to express a secreted soluble form of the UDP-GalNAc:polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase (polypeptide GalNAc transferase) with a metal binding site (HHWHHH) at the NH2 terminus. The recombinant enzyme was purified to homogeneity from COS-7 cell media by sequential chromatography on columns of NiCl2-chelating Sepharose, Affi-Gel blue, and Sephacryl S-100. Kinetic parameters of recombinant and native polypeptide GalNAc transferase were comparable for the donor UDP-GalNAc and for the peptide acceptors AcTPPP, EPO-T (PPDAATAAPLR), and HVF (PHMAQVTVGPGL). Initial velocity and product inhibition studies were carried out with purified recombinant polypeptide GalNAc transferase and the substrates UDP-GalNAc and peptide EPO-T. Initial velocity data was consistent with a sequential type mechanism in which binding of both substrates precedes product release. Product inhibition analysis using UDP showed competitive inhibition against UDP-GalNAc and a noncompetitive inhibition against peptide EPO-T. The dead end peptide analogue EPO-G (PPDAAGAAPLR) was a noncompetitive inhibitor of UDP-GalNAc and a competitive inhibitor of peptide EPO-T. Collectively, the results suggest that the most probable kinetic mechanism for the enzyme is one in which both substrates must bind in a random order prior to catalysis. Interestingly, the K for EPO-T is similar to the K for EPO-G, suggesting that peptide interaction with the polypeptide GalNAc transferase does not require a hydroxyamino acid.
Reduction of Forced Error in Closed-Loop Systems

This paper illustrates a method for reducing the forced-dynamic error in servomechanisms by design based on error coefficients. After a brief review of the dependence of the forced dynamic error upon error coefficients, the relationship between error coefficients and the parameters of a servomechanism is derived. This relationship is then used to show how closed-loop systems can be modified to obtain favorable error coefficients that reduce the forced-dynamic error. The method has been tested by simulation, and photographs of simulator response show how the effect of additional integrations can be achieved by error-coefficient adjustment.
Routine Neonatal Procedures: Risk/Benefit Calculations and Informed Consent

: The effect on the number of tests and procedures on full-term newborns of medical teaching, quality of medical care, research, malpractice, third party reimbursements, and metabolic screening are discussed. Aspects of informed consent are described in relation to common procedures, especially sepsis, meningitis, jaundice and circumcision. These three are selected as representing a spectrum of newborn procedures from one with much benefit and little risk, to one with little benefit and much risk. Before we can decide a risk/benefit ratio for any procedure, we must know the incidence of the disease, the severity, the effectiveness of the diagnostic procedure, and the benefits and risks of the treatment.
Developing Preservice Teachers' Reflection: Examining the Use of Video

Abstract The current study compared the effects of video-based reflection versus a memory-based reflection (i.e., no video) on scores for written reflections of preservice teachers who were completing a special education method course. The results of a counterbalanced design show that the use of a videotape was associated with slightly higher mean scores on written reflections than those of the written reflections based on students' memories. These results are significant for individual questions on the reflection questionnaire. Social validity data show that students preferred video-based reflection over memory-based reflection. Implications for the use of videotaped lessons as a tool for teacher reflections are discussed.
Through-space and through-bond electron transfer within positively charged peptides in the gas phase

Abstract Processes by which an electron, initially attached to a protonated or fixed-charge side chain, can (i) undergo through-bond transfer to migrate to an S S σ* orbital and cleave a disulfide linkage, or (ii) undergo through-space transfer from that charged site to another positively charged side chain are examined using ab initio electronic structure methods. Earlier work from this group along these lines is extended in two directions: 1. The spacer units along which through-bond electron transfer occurs are extended to include olefinic as well as aliphatic units (because polypeptide backbones and side chains contain π as well as σ bonds). 2. The electron binding energies of positively charged side chains can vary substantially. In earlier work, protonated amine NH3+ and fixed-charge N(CH3)3+ units were used as model systems. In this work, two positive units with more similar electron binding strengths are employed to see whether more facile electron transfer occurs when two such groups collide. The primary findings are 1. That through-bond electron transfer through combined olefinic–aliphatic linkages is not qualitatively different (in rate) than through aliphatic linkages. 2. That through-bond transfer can occur to S S bonds at experimentally relevant rates but only over ca. 7 intervening bonds. 3. That through-space transfer from one positive side chain to another can occur but only if the electron binding strengths of the two side chains’ positive sites are similar.
Ensemble' Boltzmann Units have Collective Computational Properties like those of Hopfield and Tank Neurons

There are three existing connection::;t models in which network states are assigned a computational energy. These models-Hopfield nets, Hopfield and Tank nets, and Boltzmann Machines-search for states with minimal energy. Every link in the net­ work can be thought of as imposing a constraint on acceptable states, and each vio­ lation adds to the total energy. This is convenient for the designer because constraint satisfaction problems can be mapped easily onto a network. Multiple constraints can be superposed, and those states satisfying the most constraints will have the lowest energy. Of course there is no free lunch. Constraint satisfaction problems are generally combinatorial and remain so even with a parallel implementation. Indeed, Merrick Furst (personal communication) has shown that an NP-complete problem, graph col­ oring, can be reduced to deciding whether a connectionist network has a state with an energy of zero (or below). Therefore designing a practical network for solving a problem requires more than simply putting the energy minima in the right places. The topography of the energy space affects the ease with which a network can find good solutions. If the problem has highly interacting constraints, there will be many local minima separated by energy barriers. There are two principal approaches to search­ ing these spaces: monotonic gradient descent, introduced by Hopfield [1] and refined by Hopfield and Tank [2]; and stochastic gradient descent, used by the Boltzmann Machine [3]. While the monotonic methods are not guaranteed to find the optimal solution, they generally find good solutions much faster than the Boltzmann Machine. This paper adds a refinement to the Boltzmann Machine search algorithm analogous to the Hopfield and Tank technique, allowing the user to trade off the speed of search for the quality of the solution.
Sumoylation of the astroglial glutamate transporter EAAT2 governs its intracellular compartmentalization

EAAT2 is a predominantly astroglial glutamate transporter responsible for the majority of synaptic glutamate clearance in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS). Its dysfunction has been linked with many neurological disorders, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Decreases in EAAT2 expression and function have been implicated in causing motor neuron excitotoxic death in ALS. Nevertheless, increasing EAAT2 expression does not significantly improve ALS phenotype in mouse models or in clinical trials. In the SOD1-G93A mouse model of inherited ALS, the cytosolic carboxy-terminal domain is cleaved from EAAT2, conjugated to SUMO1, and accumulated in astrocytes where it triggers astrocyte-mediated neurotoxic effects as disease progresses. However, it is not known whether this fragment is sumoylated after cleavage or if full-length EAAT2 is already sumoylated prior to cleavage as part of physiological regulation. In this study, we show that a fraction of full-length EAAT2 is constitutively sumoylated in primary cultures of astrocytes in vitro and in the CNS in vivo. Furthermore, the extent of sumoylation of EAAT2 does not change during the course of ALS in the SOD1-G93A mouse and is not affected by the expression of ALS-causative mutant SOD1 proteins in astrocytes in vitro, indicating that EAAT2 sumoylation is not driven by pathogenic mechanisms. Most interestingly, sumoylated EAAT2 localizes to intracellular compartments, whereas non-sumoylated EAAT2 resides on the plasma membrane. In agreement, promoting desumoylation in primary astrocytes causes increased EAAT2-mediated glutamate uptake. These findings could have implications for optimizing therapeutic approaches aimed at increasing EAAT2 activity in the dysfunctional or diseased CNS.
Aluminum Sand Casting Interfacial Heat Flux Estimation Based on Corrected Temperature Measurements

The estimation of the heat flux at the interface between a solidifying metal casting and mold is a frequently investigated topic. Accurate knowledge of the interfacial heat transfer can be used in solidification simulation to reduce the time and cost of the casting design process. A common and well-established approach to estimating the interfacial heat flux is the solution of the inverse heat conduction problem. Temperature measurements from thermocouples imbedded in the sand mold are used as inputs to the inverse solver. It is well-documented that imbedded thermocouples which are subjected to high temperature gradients will yield biased temperature measurements. By accounting for the sensor dynamics with an appropriate model, the measured temperatures can be corrected to mitigate the effect of the bias error in the estimation of the heat flux. In a previous work, experimentally measured temperatures were obtained from aluminum sand castings and the interfacial heat transfer was evaluated. In other works, the temperature measurement error was demonstrated and the kernel method for correcting measured temperatures was demonstrated with a numerical experiment. In this paper, the simulation of the response of a thermocouple with a three-dimensional computational model is used with the kernel method to correct the experimentally measured temperatures. The previous interfacial heat flux estimates are updated by solving the inverse heat conduction problem with the corrected temperatures as the inputs.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
JProver: Integrating Connection-Based Theorem Proving into Interactive Proof Assistants

JProver is a first-order intuitionistic theorem prover that creates sequent-style proof objects and can serve as a proof engine in interactive proof assistants with expressive constructive logics. This paper gives a brief overview of JProver's proof technique, the generation of proof objects, and its integration into the Nuprl proof development system.
Legal Norms and Political Reality

The practice of diplomatic asylum in Latin America seems to have been more the result of that area’s own conditions and antecedents than the result of conscious application of European practices. We see repeated here much the same pattern of development that appeared in European practice. Churches first served as places of sanctuary and were replaced by foreign embassies, legations and even consulates with the coming of independence. There can be no doubt, of course, that the foreign diplomatic representatives were familiar with the practice which had existed in Europe at an earlier date and it is impossible to tell exactly what influence this might have had upon their decisions to grant asylum. The earliest cases which give us any idea of attitudes on the part of the governments involved appear about the middle of the nineteenth century. In these cases there is evidence that the diplomatic agents recognized that the practice was no longer sanctioned in Europe but justified their action in terms of Latin American experience. It is not known whether the practice referred to, which obviously took place in the first twenty-five years of the independence period, originated as an extension of European experience but in view of the antecedents of the colonial period it is more likely that it was a local development growing out of turbulent conditions, familiarity with the earlier practice of religious asylum and the fact that the newly established governments, anxious for recognition by the major powers, were not inclined to violate the immunity of diplomatic premises.
Fruit flies, bile acids, and Parkinson disease A mitochondrial connection?

Parkinson disease (PD) has been strongly associated with systemic defects in mitochondrial function. The best characterized of these is probably reduced activity of complex I of the electron transport chain, which was first reported more than 25 years ago,1 after the discovery of the pro-parkinsonian toxin, MPTP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine), and its mechanism of action: inhibition of complex I.2 Proof-of-concept that a systemic impairment of complex I can reproduce the selective nigrostriatal degeneration and Lewy pathology of PD came from the rotenone model of PD in rats in 2000.3 Shortly thereafter, it became clear that certain autosomal recessive forms of PD are caused by mutations in genes that affect mitochondrial function or quality control, such as parkin and PINK1 . Moreover, both parkin and PINK1 mutations are associated with a loss of complex I activity.4,5
A volume emission model for the radiobrightness of prairie grass

The radiobrightness of snow-free northern prairie at the SSM/I frequencies of 19.35, 37.0, and 85.5 GHz is dominated by absorption and emission by the grass canopy. The authors measured the radiobrightness at SSM/I frequencies of grassland near Sioux Falls, South Dakota, every 15 minutes from October, 1992, through early April, 1993. The apparent H-polarized emissivities for snow-free periods were generally above 0.95. These high emissivities can only be explained by emission from the grass canopy. The vertical distributions of mass and moisture in prairie grass were used to develop a volume emission model for grass over moist soil. The volume emission model was derived from a formally correct version of the radiative transfer equation where radiant intensities were normalized by the refractive index squared. For the 7 cases that were analyzed, scatter darkening was insignificant at 19.35 GHz and significant in only two cases at the higher SSM/I frequencies. >
FPGA acceleration of rigid-molecule docking codes

Modelling the interactions of biological molecules, or docking, is critical both to understanding basic life processes and to designing new drugs. The field programmable gate array (FPGA) based acceleration of a recently developed, complex, production docking code is described. The authors found that it is necessary to extend their previous three-dimensional (3D) correlation structure in several ways, most significantly to support simultaneous computation of several correlation functions. The result for small-molecule docking is a 100-fold speed-up of a section of the code that represents over 95% of the original run-time. An additional 2% is accelerated through a previously described method, yielding a total acceleration of 36× over a single core and 10× over a quad-core. This approach is found to be an ideal complement to graphics processing unit (GPU) based docking, which excels in the protein-protein domain.
Performance Comparison of Optical Circuit and Burst Switching for Distributed Computing Applications

Intertask communications in distributed computing applications are modeled using both the frequency of communications and the ratio of data transmission time over computing time to evaluate the performance of static OCS, dynamic OCS, and OBS.
Structure of the binding site for nonnucleoside inhibitors of the reverse transcriptase of human immunodeficiency virus type 1

The dipyridodiazepinone Nevirapine is a potent and highly specific inhibitor of the reverse transcriptase (RT) from human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). It is a member of an important class of nonnucleoside drugs that appear to share part or all of the same binding site on the enzyme but are susceptible to a variety of spontaneous drug-resistance mutations. The co-crystal-structure of HIV-1 RT and Nevirapine has been solved previously at 3.5-A resolution and now is partially refined against data extending to 2.9-A spacing. The drug is bound in a hydrophobic pocket and in contact with some 38 protein atoms from the p66 palm and thumb subdomains. Most, but not all, nonnucleoside drug-resistance mutations map to residues in close contact with Nevirapine. The major effects of these mutations are to introduce steric clashes with the drug molecule or to remove favorable protein-drug contacts. Additionally, four residues (Phe-227, Trp-229, Leu-234, and Tyr-319) in contact with Nevirapine have not been selected as sites of drug-resistance mutations, implying that there may be limitations on the number and types of resistance mutations that yield viable virus. Strategies of inhibitor design that target interactions with these conserved residues may yield drugs that are less vulnerable to escape mutations.
Observation of the Parametric Amplification in Nonlinear Left-Handed Transmission Line Metamaterials

This paper discusses the use of parametric amplification to address the losses in left-handed nonlinear transmission line (NLTL) metamaterials. The paper introduces a new amplifying NIM, where the energy in a pump wave at one frequency is transferred to the energy in a weak signal wave at another frequency, amplifying it. An 8.3 db parameteric amplification was observed in a LH NLTL media when both the pump and the signal waves fall into the LH region. This approach can also be scaled from its current L-band form into THz, infrared, or ultimately visible form. Extending the results to a two-dimensional structure and taking advantage of the orthogonality between the pump and the signal waves that is possible in a two-dimensional system would enable embedded amplification to occur within the NIM, thus overcoming the losses that dominate their performance
Theory of Multiple-Pulse NMR at Low and Zero Fields

Abstract Coherent averaging with time-dependent magnetic fields at low and zero static magnetic fields encounters several features which are unfamiliar in high-field magnetic resonance. The principal differences are that magnetic field pulses act generally on all spin species in the sample and that the Hamiltonian contains additional terms that are normally discarded in a high static magnetic field. We illustrate how the full Hamiltonian or different terms of the Hamiltonian may be averaged to zero by sequences of 90° rotations around the x , y , and z axes. The two limiting cases of ideal delta-function pulses and windowless sequences are treated. We also show that the duality between rotations of space coordinates and spin coordinates allows one to replace spatial reorientations of the sample, such as magic-angle spinning, by time-dependent magnetic fields. Sequences of delta-function pulses at zero field are analogous to recursive expansion schemes of multiple-pulse sequences at high field. The terms of the full Hamiltonian appear also in the average Hamiltonian of high-field pulse sequences and can be manipulated by the same sequence of configurations as in zero-field multiple-pulse NMR.
Effect of active drug metabolites on plasma level-response correlations.

Application of pharmacokinetic principles to patient therapy requires prior elucidation of the relationship between the plasma concentration of a drug and its pharmacological effects. This relationship is complicated by the fact that many drugs are converted to active metabolites so that observed effects represent a composite of the pharmacological activity of a drug and its metabolites. In fact, discrepancies between the observed duration of drug action and the biological half-life of a given drug should suggest that an active drug metabolite may have been formed. As is illustrated by the anticonvulsant drug methsuximide, drug metabolite levels may be so much higher than those of the parent drug that only the metabolite levels are of routine clinical significance. In other cases, levels of both the parent drug and one or more metabolites must be considered together and combined according to their relative potency to give an index of total pharmacological activity. This situation poses obvious difficulties with respect to the ease and safety of drug therapy with these agents. It generally would seem preferable to treat patients with drugs that are converted to inactive metabolites or are excreted largely unchanged.
Emergence and Persistence of β-Lactamase—Producing Bacteria in the Oropharynx Following Penicillin Treatment

• The emergence and persistence of aerobic and anaerobic β-lactamase—producing bacteria (BLPB) were investigated in 26 children treated with penicillin for otitis media or pharyngitis and in 28 nontreated control children. β-Lactamase—producers were isolated in three (12%) of the treated children before therapy, in 12 (46%) seven to ten days after completion of therapy, in nine (35%) 40 to 45 days after therapy, and in seven (27%) 85 to 90 days after therapy. These organisms were present in three (11%) of the nontreated children, and the number of patients harboring BLPB stayed constant throughout the three-month follow-up. The predominant BLPB were Bacteroides species ( Bacteroides melaninogenicus group, Bacteroides oralis , and Bacteroides orisbuccae), Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophilus influenzae , and Branhamella catarrhalis . The emergence and persistence of BLPB after penicillin therapy may have important implications for the antimicrobial management of infections of the upper respiratory tract. ( Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1988;114:667-670)
Self-Reported Psychopathic Traits and Their Relation to Intentions to Engage in Environmental Offending:

The extent and impact of white-collar offending has drawn the attention of many researchers. However, despite its association with both general and violent criminal behavior, the role that psychopathic traits plays in white-collar crime has been researched less. In an effort to better understand this relationship, psychopathic personality traits were assessed among a sample of 265 undergraduate students using the Psychopathic Personality Inventory—Revised, along with attitudes supportive of environmental offending and intentions to engage in a specific form of environmental offending (toxic dumping). The current study assessed if psychopathic traits were associated with intentions to engage in toxic dumping, as well as the extent to which attitudes supportive of environmental offending would mediate this relationship. Results suggest that both attitudes and certain traits associated with psychopathy uniquely explain intention to engage in toxic dumping. However, a mediating effect was not found. Implicati...
Social and Economic Factors and Negro Voter Registration in the South

The vote is widely considered the southern Negro's most important weapon in his struggle for full citizenship and social and economic equality. It is argued that “political rights pave the way to all others.” Once Negroes in the South vote in substantial numbers, white politicians will prove responsive to the desires of the Negro community. Also, federal action on voting will be met with less resistance from the white South—and southerners in Congress—than action involving schools, jobs, or housing. Such, at least, seems to have been the reasoning behind the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and 1960, both of which deal primarily with the right to vote. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and his predecessor, Herbert Brownell, are both reported to believe that the vote provides the southern Negro with his most effective means of advancing toward equality, and recent actions of the Justice Department seem to reflect this view. Many Negro leaders share this belief in the over-riding importance of the vote. Hundreds of Negro registration drives have been held in southern cities and counties since 1957. Martin Luther King, usually considered an advocate of non-violent direct action, recently remarked that the most significant step Negroes can take is in the “direction of the voting booths.” The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, historically identified with courtroom attacks on segregation, is now enthusiastically committed to a “battle of the ballots.” In March, 1962, the Southern Regional Council announced receipt of foundation grants of $325,000 to initiate a major program to increase Negro voter registration in the South. The Congress of Racial Equality, the NAACP, the National Urban League, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee are among the organizations now participating in the actual registration drives.
A lower bound for the correct subset-selection probability and its application to discrete-event system simulations

Ordinal optimization concentrates on finding a subset of good designs, by approximately evaluating a parallel set of designs, and reduces the required simulation time dramatically for discrete-event simulation and optimization. The estimation of the confidence probability (CP) that the selected designs contain at least one good design is crucial to ordinal optimization. However, it is very difficult to estimate this probability in DES simulation, especially for complicated DES with large number of designs. This paper proposes two simple lower bounds for quantifying the confidence probability. Numerical testing is presented.
Beyond silicon biotechnology: new routes to structure-directed nanofabrication

With a precision of nanostructural control that exceeds present human capabilities, marine biological systems fabricate 3-dimensionally organized multifunctional high-performance silicon-based materials at low temperatures and near-neutral pH. Four years ago, we proposed that "silicon biotechnology" could augment traditional routes of high-performance materials synthesis by adapting the proteins, genes and molecular mechanisms governing the biological formation of silicon-based materials in marine organisms. That vision is now becoming a reality. The fundamental molecular biology of silica production in living organisms is now being elucidated, and aspects of these processes are being harnessed for industrially and technologically relevant processes. Working with the silica needles produced by marine sponges, our laboratory discovered that the proteins we named "silicateins" catalyze and structurally direct the polymerization of silica from silicon alkoxides at neutral pH and low temperature. The silicateins are true enzymes, closely related to a well-known family of hydrolases. Site-directed mutagenesis (genetic engineering) of the cloned recombinant DNAs coding for the silicateins has allowed us to confirm the mechanism of catalysis we postulated for the enzymatic polycondensation of siloxanes from the alkoxide substrates, and has been used to increase the rate of catalysis as well. These studies enabled the synthesis of self-assembling "biomimetic" catalysts that incorporate the functionalities we identified as essential for catalysis in the natural enzymes, yielding new structure-directing catalysts of polymerization. The silicateins and their biomimetic counterparts catalyze the structure-directing synthesis from a wide range of precursors, yielding not only silica, but organometallic silsesquioxanes (and other complex organosilicon materials) as well. Most recently, we discovered that the silicateins also catalyze and structurally direct the condensation of alkoxide-like conjugates of metals such as titanium at neutral pH and low temperature. Perhaps most remarkably, molecular recognition results in preferential alignment of the resulting nanocrystallites of the mineral. The result is the first enzyme-catalyzed, nanostructure-directed polymerization of titanium dioxide. Successful extension to other semiconductors including gallium oxide and zinc oxide recently has been accomplished. Potential uses for electronic applications, sensors, energy transducers, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals are indicated. Encouraged by these results, a major manufacturer and a leading biotechnology firm recently announced a multimillion dollar strategic alliance aimed at the commercialization of silicon biotechnology. Other firms are following.
Asynchronous differential TDOA for non-GPS navigation using signals of opportunity

Non-GPS navigation techniques that use signals of opportunity (e.g. TV/AM broadcast signals with known source locations) without aid of satellite-based location systems (e.g. GPS) are promising since they use readily available strong signals that are not susceptible to blockage or jamming. However, problems such as large asynchronous clock offsets among receivers and large broadcast signal frequency offsets arise because broadcast signals are not dedicated for ranging purposes. In this paper, we propose an asynchronous differential time-difference-of-arrival (TDOA) positioning method to overcome the problems of biased signal frequencies and asynchronous receiver clocks. The proposed method eliminates the need for synchronous receiver clocks in the TDOA method and relaxes the tight timing constraint between receivers as required by the double-difference method in the differential GPS (dGPS).
Terminology and core curricula in natural family planning.

22 physician-providers who serve natural family planning (NFP) programs mostly in the private sector gathered to formulate a standard terminology for the field. The Billings and sympto-thermal methods are the 2 methods taught by this group. The sypto-thermal method helps a woman predict ovulation by detecting changes in her cervical mucus and in the cervix itself. Ovulation is confirmed by monitoring the temperature shift as well as by observing the cessation of mucus buildup closing of the cervix and firmness of the os. Those women using the Billings ovulation method predict fertility by the appearance of the cervical mucus its sensation color and elasticity. Sperm will only survive if the cervical mucus is of the fertile type. It is also helpful to recognize mucus patterns of anovulation during breastfeeding weaning and premenopause. Use-effective rates which only reflect pregnancy are inadequate in evaluating NFP. A series of definitions are presented which in the future will help to analyze NFP data to accurately reflect NFP effectiveness. The terms included are: total pregnancies planned pregnancy rate pregnancy avoidance method effectiveness rate method-related pregnancies informed choice pregnancies teaching-related pregnancies and unresolved pregnancies. All NPF teaching programs include instruction in basic reproductive physiology and in the recognition of the fertile phase. The cervical mucus factor is emphasized in ovulation method groups while thermal and other parameters are given equal weight in the sympto-thermal groups. It is the intent of NPF to teach couples to distinguish the fertile phase by using the fertility markers and to have them integrate this information into their sexual decision making. Success is dependent on teacher skill and the ability to inspire confidence in the method. Recognition of the mucus patterns of ovulation and anovulation are crucial in assessing infertility. All family providers under Title 10 must by law offer either NFP instruction or referrals to sites which do. A directory of non-Title 10 providers of NFP Services is available for $4.00 from the Human Life and NFP Foundation 205 South Patrick Street Alexandria Virginia 22314.
Older Adults’ Functional Performance and Health Knowledge After a Combination Exercise, Health Education, and Bingo Game

Combining exercise, health education, and the game of bingo may help older adults remain independent. The objective was to determine whether a 10-week health promotion program (Bingocize®) improves functional performance and health knowledge in older adults. Participants were assigned to experimental (n = 13) or control (n = 14) groups. The intervention was administered twice per week at two independent living facilities. Pre and postfunctional performance and health knowledge were measured. Mixed between-within subject ANOVA was used to detect differences between groups (p < .05). Improvements were found in all dependent variables except lower body flexibility, systolic blood pressure, and health knowledge. Adherence was 97.31% ± 2.59%. Bingocize® has the potential to help older adults remain independent by improving functional performance. Statistical improvements in health knowledge were not found, but future researchers may explore modifying the health education component or using a different measure of health knowledge to detect changes.
Education and Dissemination: Lab-to-Market-to-Classroom

In this paper, we present a work plan for the dissemination of refreshable, photoactuatable tactile displays to the visually impaired, serving both Lab-to-Market and Lab-to-Classroom initiatives. The work plan is designed in accordance with the logic model, which identifies an overlap amongst classroom, market, and laboratory. This overlap seems to nucleate when a technology in developmental phase is deployed in a classroom with high affinity to such technology. In this scheme, students are stakeholders whom help decide both content and applications to be included in the developing curriculum, and provide technology feedback, effectively leading to increased consumer acceptance. The identified Lab-to-Market-to-Classroom continuum could be the missing link where to nurture sustainable scientific, technological, and curricular development.
QSAR Modelling of Dormancy-Breaking Chemicals

Previously, the activity of dormancy-breaking chemicals of red rice (Oryza sativa L.) has been correlated with octanol/water partition coefficients (Log Ko/w). However, this model was chosen empirically. In this study, quantitative structure vs. biological activity relationships (QSAR) were analyzed more rigorously using Molecular Analysis Pro, a PC-based computational chemistry program. The entire set of alcohols, carboxylic acids, esters, aldehydes and ketones (n = 42) could still be modeled to Log Ko/w (r 2 = 0.61, p< 0.0001) similar to previously published results (n = 25). A stable, two-variable model adding density as a bulk steric factor better described the data (r 2 = 0.85). However, free energy changes per methylene group for homologous series of linear alcohols or monocarboxylic acids were 639 cal/mole and 236 cal/mole, respectively, for dormancy-breaking activity. Therefore, alcohols and carboxylic acids were also evaluated separately. While either monocarboxylic acids or primary alcohols could each be described by Log Ko/w, addition/substitution of descriptors for size, shape, density, or dipole moment provided improved QSAR models. These new QSARs provide further guidance for designing dormancy-breaking chemicals of enhanced efficacy.
Sigfried Giedion, Space, Time and Architecture, the Growth of a New Tradition

(1944). Sigfried Giedion, Space, Time and Architecture, the Growth of a New Tradition. The Art Bulletin: Vol. 26, No. 2, pp. 134-138.
Advertising diversity: ad agencies and the creation of Asian American consumers

The discursive turn from “yellow peril” to “model minority” has been neither perfectly linear nor fully realized. Nor has the current dominant positioning of Asian Americans as model minorities que...
O.J. Simpson Facts and Fictions: O.J. and reality

What we refer to as “reality” is really a maplike mental image, the end product of a process that begins with light refraction in the environment and ends in the intricate and complex dynamics of the mind. (Seward Barry 1997, p. 15) The “reality” we see is rich with narrative possibilities. For example, I find it strangely apropos that Simpson's slow-speed waltz with the law, which was greeted by cheering crowds along the Interstate 405, featured the distraught celebrity stretched out in the back of a white Ford Bronco, while his somber return to taunts and jeers outside a Santa Monica courthouse, to judgment day, found him sitting in the front of a black Chevrolet Suburban. Black. White. My mind – because it is shaped by particular concerns and kinds of knowledge – could use these contrasting images to construct an O.J. narrative that is quite different from yours. This realization, of course, is the point. For I have argued throughout this book that the Simpson case involved much more than just the murder of two individuals, a police investigation, and the subsequent legal proceedings. Guilty or innocent, Orenthal James Simpson became the focal point of a first-order media event , a societal-wide celebration and contestation of dominant knowledge about reality. In chapter 1, you will recall, I proposed a theoretical model that outlined the process by which the case inflamed public passions and became known as the “Trial of the Century.”
Understanding diabetes and the role of psychology in its prevention and treatment

Diabetes is a common, chronic, and costly condition that currently affects millions of individuals in the United States and worldwide with even greater numbers at high risk for developing the disease. Dramatic increases in diagnosed diabetes are projected for the decades to come meaning that most people will be affected by diabetes; either personally or through a family member. This article introduces the special issue of the American Psychologist focused on diabetes by providing an overview of the scope of diabetes and the importance of psychologists for improving disease management and quality of life. This includes an overview of the contributions of the behavioral and social sciences toward improved diabetes prevention and treatment. Finally, the article will point to opportunities for psychologists to close the gaps in the research, develop practice competencies, and increase training opportunities to meet the challenges of diabetes today and in the future.
Progressive failure analysis for the interaction of interlaminar and intralaminar failure modes in composite structures with an initial delamination

This paper is concerned with the development of a failure initiation and progressive failure analysis (PFA) method for advanced composite structures. The present PFA model is capable of predicting interactive out-of-plane and in-plane failure modes observed in fiber reinforced composite laminates including interlaminar behavior and matrix microdamage at the mesoscale. A probability analysis tool is coupled with the PFA to account for uncertainty in modelling parameters caused by material variability and manufacturing inconsistencies. The progressive damage response of a laminated composite panel with an initial delamination is studied and used to demonstrate the PFA modelling framework that is presented here.
Simulation Modeling as a Tool for Synthesis of Stock Identification Information

Abstract Simulation models are useful and flexible tools that can be used to synthesize information gained from multiple stock identification methods. The assimilation of information from many sources into a population dynamics model can provide a holistic view of stock structure. Application of spatially explicit models within the simulation framework allows the testing of varying hypotheses regarding stock structure and connectivity. Additionally, using this approach we can examine the ecological, assessment, and management implications of complex spatial structure for the fish resource. This chapter summarizes the simulation modeling framework and how it can be applied to investigate population structure. We highlight how stock identification data can be incorporated into simulations and review recent advances in spatial modeling techniques. We conclude with a discussion of seminal case studies, which illustrate how simulation models have impacted our understanding of stock structure in fish populations. Ultimately, simulation models have many limitations because they are simplified abstractions of large and complex natural systems. However, when carefully vetted and used with strict adherence to the scientific method, simulations can be powerful and invaluable tools for examining spatial population structure.