cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Genetic Factors in Alcoholism: A Theoretical Model

Research into alcoholic phenomena has made great strides in recent years (1), Much of our understanding of tolerance, withdrawal from brain depressants, and postwithdrawal syndromes has arisen from careful observation of alcoholics, making comparisons with the physiological status of normal controls.
Community College Program Planning: A Method to Measure and Meet Community Need

ABSTRACTOffering academic programs that meet community need has long been a core mission of community colleges. However, determining which job skills and credentials are needed for employment in the community is challenging. In order to facilitate a holistic and community-based perspective, our 2-year community college developed a structured curricular planning model to guide programmatic decision-making based on regional economic and labor-market data. These procedures cumulatively inform comprehensive curricular planning related to program offerings and describe the relationship of this process to integrated planning. This model can assist other community colleges with designing processes to refine programing mix.
Investigation of burn effect on skin using simultaneous Raman-Brillouin spectroscopy, and fluorescence microspectroscopy

Burns are thermal injuries that can completely damage or at least compromise the protective function of skin, and affect the ability of tissues to manage moisture. Burn-damaged tissues exhibit lower elasticity than healthy tissues, due to significantly reduced water concentrations and plasma retention. Current methods for determining burn intensity are limited to visual inspection, and potential hospital x-ray examination. We present a unique confocal microscope capable of measuring Raman and Brillouin spectra simultaneously, with concurrent fluorescence investigation from a single spatial location, and demonstrate application by investigating and characterizing the properties of burn-afflicted tissue on chicken skin model. Raman and Brillouin scattering offer complementary information about a material's chemical and mechanical structure, while fluorescence can serve as a useful diagnostic indicator and imaging tool. The developed instrument has the potential for very diverse analytical applications in basic biomedical science and biomedical diagnostics and imaging.
The azygos lobe

The azygos lobe is a rare anomaly that developmentally arises when the right posterior cardinal vein penetrates the apex of the lung, instead of passing over it, and travels inferiorly taking pleural layers with it to entrap a portion of the right upper lobe. This article reviews the key computed tomography characteristics of azygos lobe, focusing on clinical implications. The following core competencies are addressed in this article: Medical knowledge. Republished with permission from: Wall J, Stawicki SP. Interesting clinical image: The azygos lobe. OPUS 12 Scientist 2009;3(2):28-29.
Structure of Crystalline Interfaces 1 1Editor's Note. This article is an important paper taken from the 1971 Symposium Program of the International Metallographic Society. Furthermore, this paper is judged as an outstanding contribution to the field of metallography and, for this reason, it is presented at this time in its original unabridged form.

The structure of crystalline interfaces, as observed by transmission electron microscopy, is reviewed with emphasis on the similarity of grain and interphase boundaries of the dislocation type. Small-angle grain boundaries and low misfit interphase boundaries between similar crystal structures largely condense their mismatch into arrays of interfacial dislocations having Burgers vectors in common with dislocations located in the bulk crystals. Large-angle grain boundaries near certain misorientations corresponding to good fit between the abutting grains contain dislocations with Burgers vectors which are not found in the bulk crystal. Partially coherent interphase boundaries between quite dissimilar crystals, for example, f.c.c. and b.c.c., may also contain such dislocations. Principally, because of the difficulties involved in the acquisition of interfacial dislocations, dislocation interphase boundaries, in particular, usually do not have the minimum energy structure.
Predictors and long-term health outcomes of eating disorders

Anorexia and bulimia nervosa may have long-term effects on overall and reproductive health. We studied predictors of self-reported eating disorders and associations with later health events. We estimated odds ratios (ORs) for these associations in 47,759 participants from the Sister Study. Two percent (n = 967) of participants reported a history of an eating disorder. Risk factors included being non-Hispanic white, having well-educated parents, recent birth cohort (OR = 2.16, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.01–2.32 per decade), and having a sister with an eating disorder (OR = 3.68, CI: 1.92–7.02). As adults, women who had experienced eating disorders were more likely to smoke, to be underweight, to have had depression, to have had a later first birth, to have experienced bleeding or nausea during pregnancy, or to have had a miscarriage or induced abortion. In this descriptive analysis, we identified predictors of and possible long-term health consequences of eating disorders. Eating disorders may have become more common over time. Interventions should focus on prevention and mitigation of long-term adverse health effects.
Plant Species Diversity in Restored and Created Delmarva Bay Wetlands

A primary goal of wetland restoration is to produce biologically diverse and resilient habitat, often to mitigate losses elsewhere. Many factors influence wetland biodiversity including hydrologic regime, soil chemistry, texture, and microtopographic variation. A better understanding of these relationships can provide valuable information to practitioners. This study sampled plant communities of eight created or restored Delmarva Bay wetlands a decade after project completion to identify drivers of plant diversity at multiple scales. Study wetlands varied in terms of size, hydroperiod, soil fertility, coarse woody debris application, and straw mulch type. Wetlands with shorter hydroperiods had higher herbaceous plant diversity, but both herbaceous and woody diversity declined as soil fertility increased. Coarse woody debris density was not related to any of the diversity variables measured. There was no difference in species richness, soil carbon, total N, C:N or exotic species cover between wetlands treated with wheat or barley straw. We found that alpha and beta diversity were significantly correlated with different independent variables in our study and were not intercorrelated, suggesting that beta diversity may be an additional tool to assess diversity in heterogeneous habitats like depression wetlands.
Evaluation of evidence-based practice of catheter associated urinary tract infections prevention in a critical care setting: An integrative review

Background and objective: An estimated 449,300 catheter-associated tract urinary infection (CAUTI) incidents affecting Americans and 13,000 CAUTI-related deaths in the United States every year. The purpose of the review was the appraisal and integration of the best evidence practice for preventing CAUTI interventions and strategies to guide safety and quality initiatives in order to improve patient care. Methods: A total of 20 articles complied with the exclusion and inclusion criteria. The articles were studied, and the chosen articles were categorized in two areas of study: CAUTI prevention, and nurse education and knowledge improvement. Results: The articles selected were reviewed to encompass a review on the articles offering the most applicable corresponding information involving catheter-associated urinary tract infections and competency-based education. Conclusions: Analysis of the data from the literature search indicates the potential lack of compliance of CAUTI infection control practices is an issue for CAUTI problem. So implementing the best evidence to enforce CAUTI bundles compliance for CAUTI prevention is a key to reduce CAUTI rates.
Monkey see, monkey do: The effect of social influence on selective‐exposure bias

Selective-exposure bias refers to the tendency to predominantly seek out attitude-consistent information and avoid attitude-inconsistent information. Although researchers have proposed and tested several underlying psychological factors that might contribute to this tendency, the potential role of social influence has not been addressed. In the present research, we address this issue. In four present experiments (total N = 645), participants’ selective-exposure bias was significantly reduced when the bias was portrayed as non-normative (vs. normative). In Experiment 4, we obtained evidence for the possibility that this social-norm manipulation could result in effects on attitudes through information selection. Overall, this research contributes novel evidence for the effect of social influence on selective-exposure bias. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
7 Origins of Order in Cognitive Activity

Origins of Order in Cognitive Activity Most cognitive scientists have run across The War of the Ghosts, a Native American story used by Bartlett (1932) in his classic studies of remembering. British college students read the story twice and recalled it in detail after 15 minutes, hours, days, months, or years “as opportunity offered” (p. 65). The compelling finding was that participants reinterpreted parts of the story, in addition to omitting details. The mystical story was reorganized and changed in the retelling to fit cultural norms of the British participants. In other words, errors in retelling the story were neither random nor arbitrary but fit together within a larger created narrative. The memory errors illustrate the ordinary constructive performance of cognition and the creation of orderly and sensible thought. Despite perpetually moving eyes, swaying body, and ambiguous stimuli, people perceive coherent and orderly objects. Despite the lack of explicit links between events, higher-order cognition fits thought and behavior within larger coherent narratives. However, the origin of such order remains a mystery. What is the basis of orderly thought, memory, speech, and other cognitive abilities? The origin of order in cognition is the topic of this chapter. We begin with a discussion of how order is explained within a traditional approach of information processing. Taking the shortcomings of this account seriously, we then turn to other disciplines – those that have framed the question of order more successfully.
Farmer-borrowers' selection of short- and intermediate-term loan contracts: traditional lenders versus nontraditional lenders

The emergence and growth of nontraditional lenders in short- and intermediate-term agricultural credit markets during the 1990s prompted a number of studies on the economic incentives and competitive strategies for input supply or manufacturing firms to create captive finance companies. Comparably, little work, however, has been done on the choice of nontraditional lenders from the borrower's perspective. This dissertation examines the farmer-borrower's decision-making process in choosing between traditional and nontraditional lenders when financing short- and intermediate-term loan contracts. The objective of this research is to provide a better understanding of the factors that influence farm-level demand for traditional and nontraditional credit. In addition, the research identifies factors that lenders could use as a marketing strategy to enhance the borrower's acceptance of a particular loan contract;The theoretical model describes a joint decision process through which the lenders determine the optimal terms of loan contracts, and the borrower selects the most appealing loan contract. The model suggests that certain cost and informational advantages may allow nontraditional lenders to offer more attractive loan terms or reach riskier borrowers compared to traditional lenders. Further, the model demonstrates that the borrower's loan contract acceptance decision is significantly affected by the contract attributes, such as loan size, interest rate, and collateral requirement, as well as the borrower's socioeconomic characteristics;An empirical model of the contract participation, or acceptance, decision was estimated from data obtained in the 1993 Iowa Farm Finance Survey. The model was estimated using a two-stage probit procedure. The first stage involved estimating the loan term variables offered in the lender's loan contract. The second stage involves estimating the borrower's participation equation;The empirical results support the hypotheses that loan term differentials, financial measures and borrower characteristics do have significant impacts on the farmer-borrower's choice of traditional and nontraditional lenders. However, interest rate, loan size and collateral incentives appear to be the most important factors influencing the borrower's decision. In other words, the financial loan terms appear to outweigh other socioeconomic factors in explaining the farmer-borrower's selection or use of nontraditional credit.
Subsidizing and Mandating Diversity: Residential Neighborhoods (Chapter 6)

This chapter reviews the fascinating history of legal efforts to increase economic and racial diversity in housing. One approach, exemplified by the New Jersey Supreme Court's landmark Mount Laurel decision, required municipalities to guarantee a certain number of affordable housing units through inclusionary zoning of residential developments. Another, exemplified by the endless Yonkers litigation, sought diversity as part of a civil rights remedy. A third is the Gautreaux litigation seeking to move public housing tenants to the suburbs. I use these and other policy disputes to examine the law's effectiveness in promoting diversity in an area dominated by powerful market pressures, a strong classicist ethos, and competing diversity claims.
Electromagnetic Radiation Distribution in a High Voltage Test Environment

The transient electric and magnetic fields radiated by the discharge of a high voltage impulse generator have well-known effects of creating serious interferences with the measuring and recording equipment. These effects may result in the mis-operation, or in the worst case, may damage the electronic circuitry of the measuring system. Measurements were performed to investigate the characteristics and distribution of electric and magnetic field components originating from the operation of a 3MV impulse generator. E-Field and H-Field were simultaneously recorded and measured independently. D-dot probes measuring the time rate of change of electrical displacement and loop probes observing the time rate of change of magnetic fields were used. The electromagnetic interferences in the vicinity of the impulse generator and control room and the dependence of these interferences on the charging voltage of the generator, elevation, and type of connection arrangements are investigated. The results and discussions from this study can be used for the cost-effective electromagnetic shielding of sensitive measurement equipment in large high voltage laboratories.
Optical Transmittance and Reflectance of Lanthanum Nickelate at Telecommunication Frequencies

The optical properties of lanthanum nickelate (LNO) films grown by chemical solution decomposition on sapphire substrates were measured and extracted. The relatively low imaginary part of the dielectric function indicates that LNO may perform well in plasmonic applications at traditional telecommunication frequencies.
The Role of Cryptographic Tokens and ICOs in Fostering Platform Adoption

Platform-specific digital tokens are becoming increasingly common with the proliferation of initial coin offerings (ICOs). In addition to a novel financing mechanism, such tokens can help address the coordination problem that is common in network adoption. We develop a model to investigate the use of tradable digital tokens to solve this coordination problem. Our analysis shows that platform-specific tokens, due to their tradability and consequent higher value if the platform succeeds, can provide another tool to overcome the coordination problem in a platform adoption setting and to support equilibria favorable to the platform. We find that if the platform is not facing capital constraints, the most profitable strategy is the traditional strategy to subsidize adoption. If the platform is capital constrained, however, then token issuance provides an alternative that is increasingly attractive as the platform's cost of capital increases. With tokens, the platform trades off future revenue for present revenue, which helps finance solving the coordination problem. In that sense, even pure utility tokens have certain characteristics of equity: (1) early adopters share the future gains if the platform succeeds, and (2) the tokens provide an alternative when traditional financing is too costly or not available to the platform.
Delivering the Diagnosis of Sex Chromosome Aneuploidy: Experiences and Preferences of Parents and Individuals.

Increased prenatal diagnoses of sex chromosome aneuploidies (SCAs) amid limited knowledge of their prognoses heighten the need to understand how families contend with the implications of an SCA. To...
Data compression

The exponential growth of computer applications in the last three decades of the 20th century has resulted in an explosive growth in the amounts of data moved between computers, collected, and stored by computer users. This, in turn, has created the field of data compression. Practically unknown in the 1960s, this discipline has now come of age. It is based on information theory, and has proved its value by providing us with fast, sophisticated methods capable of high compression ratios.This chapter tries to achieve two purposes. Its main aim is to present the principles of compressing different types of data, such as text, images, and sound. Its secondary goal is to outline the principles of the most important compression algorithms. The main sections discuss statistical compression methods, dictionary-based methods, methods for the compression of still images, of video, and of audio data. In addition, there is a short section devoted to wavelet methods, since these seem to hold much promise for the future.
Feasible management of archaeological heritage sites open to tourism

As archaeological heritage sites around the world begin to attract increasing numbers of tourists, there has been a growing call amongst heritage scholars and practitioners to assess the impact the...
Maternal high-fat diet results in cognitive impairment and hippocampal gene expression changes in rat offspring

Consumption of a high-fat diet has long been known to increase risk for obesity, diabetes, and the metabolic syndrome. Further evidence strongly suggests that these same metabolic disorders are associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment later in life. Now faced with an expanding global burden of obesity and increasing prevalence of dementia due to an aging population, understanding the effects of high-fat diet consumption on cognition is of increasingly critical importance. Further, the developmental origins of many adult onset neuropsychiatric disorders have become increasingly clear, indicating a need to investigate effects of various risk factors, including diet, across the lifespan. Here, we use a rat model to assess the effects of maternal diet during pregnancy and lactation on cognition and hippocampal gene expression of offspring. Behaviorally, adult male offspring of high-fat fed dams had impaired object recognition memory and impaired spatial memory compared to offspring of chow-fed dams. In hippocampus, we found decreased expression of Insr, Lepr, and Slc2a1 (GLUT1) among offspring of high-fat fed dams at postnatal day 21. The decreased expression of Insr and Lepr persisted at postnatal day 150. Together, these data provide additional evidence to suggest that maternal exposure to high-fat diet during pregnancy and lactation can have lasting effects on the brain, behavior, and cognition on adult offspring.
Computer-assisted assessment of colonic polyp histopathology using probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy.

Probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (pCLE) is a promising modality for classifying polyp histology in vivo, but decision making in real-time is hampered by high-magnification targeting and by the learning curve for image interpretation. The aim of this study is to test the feasibility of a system combining the use of a low-magnification, wider field-of-view pCLE probe and a computer-assisted diagnosis (CAD) algorithm that automatically classifies colonic polyps. This feasibility study utilized images of polyps from 26 patients who underwent colonoscopy with pCLE. The pCLE images were reviewed offline by two expert and five junior endoscopists blinded to index histopathology. A subset of images was used to train classification software based on the consensus of two GI histopathologists. Images were processed to extract image features as inputs to a linear support vector machine classifier. We compared the CAD algorithm’s prediction accuracy against the classification accuracy of the endoscopists. We utilized 96 neoplastic and 93 non-neoplastic confocal images from 27 neoplastic and 20 non-neoplastic polyps. The CAD algorithm had sensitivity of 95%, specificity of 94%, and accuracy of 94%. The expert endoscopists had sensitivities of 98% and 95%, specificities of 98% and 96%, and accuracies of 98% and 96%, while the junior endoscopists had, on average, a sensitivity of 60%, specificity of 85%, and accuracy of 73%. The CAD algorithm showed comparable performance to offline review by expert endoscopists and improved performance when compared to junior endoscopists and may be useful for assisting clinical decision making in real time.
Mapping Image Properties into Shape Constraints: Skewed Symmetry, Affine-Transformable Patterns, and the Shape-from-Texture Paradigm

In this paper we demonstrate two new approaches to deriving three-dimensional surface orientation information (“shape‘) from two-dimensional image cues. The two approaches are the method of affine-transformable patterns and the shape-from-texture paradigm. They are introduced by a specific application common to both: the concept of skewed symmetry. Skewed symmetry is shown to constrain the relationship of observed distortions in a known object regularity to a small subset of possible underlying surface orientations. Besides this constraint, valuable in its own right, the two methods are shown to generate other surface constraints as well. Some applications are presented of skewed symmetry to line drawing analysis, to the use of gravity in shape understanding, and to global shape recovery.
Food insecurity, gestational weight gain and gestational diabetes in the National Children's Study, 2009-2014.

Background Household food insecurity (HFI) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are both common during pregnancy, yet it is unknown if these two factors are related. We aimed to determine the independent and joint associations between HFI, gestational weight gain (GWG) and GDM among pregnant women in the USA. Methods We used data from 592 women in the National Children's Study, Initial Vanguard Study from 2009 to 2014. HFI was assessed using the Household Food Security Survey Module at the first study visit; GDM was assessed through questionnaires and medical chart review. Logistic regression models were used to investigate the exposures of HFI, GWG and their joint effect on GDM. Results Among participants, 20.1% were marginally food secure or food insecure and 7.4% were diagnosed with GDM. The elevated unadjusted association between HFI and GDM was attenuated after adjustment (aOR: 1.12; 95%CI: 0.47, 2.66). There was an elevated risk of GDM associated with inadequate GWG, (aOR: 2.42; 95%CI: 0.97, 6.00), but results were imprecise. There were no statistically significant associations in the joint exposure analysis. Conclusion The relationship between HFI and GDM is mostly explained by other covariates, but there is some evidence that inadequate GWG is a possible risk factor for GDM.
Pain management in the surgical ICU patient.

Purpose of review Acute pain management in the surgical ICU is imperative. Effective acute pain management hastens a patient's return to normal function and avoid the negative sequelae of untreated acute pain. Traditionally, opioids have been the mainstay of acute pain management strategies in the surgical ICU, but alternative medications and management strategies are increasingly being utilized. Recent findings Extrapolating from lessons learned from enhanced recovery after surgery protocols, surgical intensivists are increasingly utilizing multimodal pain regimens (MMPRs) in critically ill surgical patients recovering from major surgical procedures and injuries. MMPRs incorporate both oral medications from several drug classes and regional blocks when feasible. In addition, although MMPRs may include opioids as needed, they are able to achieve effective pain control while minimizing opioid exposure. Summary Even after major elective surgery or significant injury, opioid-minimizing MMPRs can effectively treat acute pain.
Technological Sustainability: Efficient and Green Process Intensification

Controlled hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) has gained the status of the most effective and efficient among green process intensification technologies, due to its cheapness, straightforward scalability, and superior process yields, in a wide area of application fields, such as drinking water disinfection, wastewater remediation, food liquid pasteurization and sterilization, biomass pretreatment, creation of ultra-stable nanoemulsions, and many others. HC has also gained a great reputation as a greener extraction method and for its effectiveness in the intensification of food and pharmaceutical processes. This chapter provides an overview of the technologies based on hydrodynamic cavitation, exploiting the unique capability to generate extremely energy-dense and reactive microenvironments, locally characterized by very high temperatures, intense pressure waves, and hydraulic jets, due to the process of generation, growth, and implosion of vapor bubbles in a liquid, at temperatures below the boiling point. The main methods, techniques, and applications of HC-based technologies are presented, along with the most significant contributions that HC processes can deliver to the food supply chain.
Simulation and Modeling of Time-Resolved X-Ray Detector for the Saturn Accelerator

We present the technology-aided computer design (TCAD) device simulation and modeling of a silicon p-i-n diode for detecting time-dependent X-ray radiation. We show that the simulated forward and reverse breakdown current–voltage characteristics agree well with the measured data under nonradiation environment by only calibrating carrier lifetimes for the forward bias case and avalanche model critical fields for the reverse bias condition. Using the calibrated parameters and other nominal material properties, we simulated the radiation responses of the p-i-n diode and compared with experimental data when the diode was exposed to X-ray radiation at Sandia’s Saturn facility and the Idaho State University (ISU) TriMeV facility. For Saturn’s Gaussian dose-rate pulses, we show three findings from TCAD simulations. First, the simulated photocurrents are in excellent agreement with the measured data for two dose-rate pulses with peak values of $1.16 \times 10 ^{10}$ and $1.88 \times 10 ^{10}$ rad(Si)/s. Second, the simulation results of high dose-rate pulses predict increased delayed photocurrents with longer time tails in the diode electrical responses due to excess carrier generation. Third, simulated peak values of diode radiation responses versus peak dose rates at different bias conditions provide useful guidance to determine the dose-rate range that the p-i-n diode can reliably detect in experiment. For TriMeV’s non-Gaussian dose-rate pulse, our simulated diode response is in decent agreement with the measured data without further calibration. We also studied the effects of device geometry, recombination process, and dose-rate enhancement via TCAD simulations to understand the higher measured response in the time after the peak dose-rate radiation for the p-i-n diode exposed to TriMeV irradiation.
A survey of herd-level risk factors for bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in nursing beef calves

Surveys by the USDA confirm that bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is the leading cause of death of nursing (preweaned) beef calves three weeks of age and older. Management modifications decrease BRD in some cattle populations; however, management-related risk factors for BRD in nursing calves are poorly characterized, making it difficult to develop evidence-based control measures.
The Reemergence of Kantian Ethics: Have We Adequately Responded to Hegel's Objections?

An abstract of the thesis of Gwen C. Thompson for the Master of Science in Political Science presented November 10, 1997. Title: The Reemergence of Kantian Ethics: Have We Adequately Responded to Hegel's Objections? The philosophies of Kant and Hegel have experienced a renaissance for the past thirty years, and a debate continues as to whether Hegel's objections to Kant's moral philosophy are sound, and/or whether Hegel's ethics are an improvement on Kant's. This debate takes many forms, and most recently, theorists have been interested in measuring Hegel's objections against contemporary theories following in the Kantian tradition. 'Critics,' (theorists defending Hegel's moral point of view) suggests such reconstructed theories leave themselves open to identical criticisms Hegel wielded at Kant almost 200 years ago. 'Defenders,' (theorists supporting Kant's moral philosophy, or a revised version) reply in one of two ways. They either suggest that Hegel's criticisms of Kant are unwarranted, meaning Hegel misinterprets Kant's ideas and/or purposes; or, they maintain that Kant's ethics are vulnerable to Hegel's objections, however some newer version of Kant's ethics is not because it has been purged of those Kantian elements which Hegel attacks. Clearly, both views render Hegel's critique of Kant obsolete. So, why are we witnessing such an aggressive resurgence of Hegelian-styled arguments in the contemporary literature? In seeking to answer this question, this thesis reconsiders Hegel's actual critique of Kant. In this way, the thesis falls into a specific category of political philosophy. It_ is a study in the 'history of ideas.' Rather than considering· the question of whether contemporary Critics or Defenders have the better argument concerning the merit of reconstructed Kantian theories, I intend to re-evaluate the soundness of Hegel's objections to Kantian ethics. Kant's moral and political thought on the proper ordering of society is deeply embedded in the pluralist democracies of the western world. As such, those Kantian ideas/elements should be defendable against Hegelian criticisms. Following an in-depth consideration of Hegel's critique of Kant, I argue that whereas Hegel accurately identifies weaknesses in the system of Kant's moral philosophy, his critique does not successfully achieve its goal. It does not show that Kant's ethical theory is an inadequate prescription for the rational agent seeking to act morally. Rather, it serves as a warning of the dangers inherent in democratic liberal theory. THE REEMERGENCE OF KANTIAN ETHICS: HA VE WE ADEQUATELY RESPONDED TO HEGEL'S OBJECTIONS?
Cyanophytochromes, Bacteriophytochromes, and Plant Phytochromes: Light-Regulated Kinases Related to Bacterial Two-Component Regulators

Publisher Summary Phytochromes (phys) are a family of photoreceptors used by higher plants to coordinate their growth and development to the ambient light environment. Through the unique photochromic properties of their bilin chromophore, phys behave as light-modulated switches sensitive to red and far-red light. The idea that phys are light-regulated protein kinases has been strongly supported recently with the discovery of phy-like proteins in cyanobacteria and eubacteria called cyanophytochromes (CphPs) and bacteriophytochromes (BphPs), respectively. CphPs and BphPs both contain an N-terminal sensor module homologous to higher plant phys that binds the bilin chromophore followed by a C-terminal transmitter module with sequence similarity to two-component histidine kinases common among other bacterial signaling systems. While phys use phytochromobilin as the chromophore, CphPs and BphPs likely use phycocyanobilin and biliverdin, respectively. Several of these CphPs and BphPs behave in vitro as histidine kinases using an associated response regulator as the phosphoacceptor. In the few cases studied, the CphP/BphP sensory chain ultimately affects motility or pigmentation, presumably as a way to enhance photosynthetic light capture or to protect the bacterium from light damage. In vitro studies with recombinant phys suggest that they are also light-regulated kinases. However, phys appear more related biochemically to serine threonine kinases, despite their evolutionary ancestory. This kinase activity could have multiple functions in plants that include initiating signal transduction as well as affecting localization, activity, and/or degradation of the photoreceptor.
Different vasodilator responses of human arms and legs

Forearm vascular responses to intra-arterial infusions of endothelium-dependent and -independent vasodilators have been thoroughly characterized in humans. While the forearm is a well-established experimental model for studying human vascular function, it is of limited consequence to systemic cardiovascular control owing to its small muscle mass and blood flow requirements. In the present study we determined whether these responses could be generalized to the leg. Based upon blood pressure differences between the leg and arm during upright posture, we hypothesized that the responsiveness to endothelium-dependent vasodilators would be greater in the forearm than the leg. Brachial and femoral artery blood flow (Q, ultrasound Doppler) at rest and during intra-arterial infusions of endothelium-dependent (acetylcholine and substance P) and -independent (sodium nitroprusside) vasodilators were measured in eight healthy men (22-27 years old). Resting blood flows in the forearm before infusion of acetylcholine, substance P or sodium nitroprusside were 25 +/- 4, 30 +/- 7 and 29 +/- 5 ml min(-1), respectively, and in the leg were 370 +/- 32, 409 +/- 62 and 330 +/- 30 ml min(-1), respectively. At the highest infusion rate of acetylcholine (16 microg (100 ml tissue)(-1) min(-1)) there was a greater (P < 0.05) increase in Q to the forearm (1864 +/- 476%) than to the leg (569 +/- 86%). Similarly, at the highest infusion rate of substance P (125 pg (100 ml tissue)(-1) min(-1)) there was a greater (P < 0.05) increase in Q to the forearm (911 +/- 286%) than to the leg (243 +/- 58%). The responses to sodium nitroprusside (1 microg (100 ml tissue)(-1) min(-1)) were also greater (P < 0.05) in the forearm (925 +/- 164%) than in the leg (326 +/- 65%). These data indicate that vascular responses to both endothelium-dependent and -independent vasodilator agents are blunted in the leg compared to the forearm.
Preliminary evaluation of multispectral iris imagery

The unique patterns of complex texture that are visible in iris images captured under near-infrared illumination are highly stable and can be used for high confidence biometric recognition. Similar patterns are visible in lighter colored irises under visible light. This paper presents an analysis of a database of iris images captured using multispectral illumination, from 405 nm to 1070 nm in wavelength. The analysis is based on matching performance using a Daugman-based commercial implementation of the iris recognition algorithm. We find that illumination wavelength has a very significant effect on iris recognition performance. (5 pages)
Lights, camera, action: Teaching ethical decision making through the cinematic experience

This article provides a description of how a movieexercise can be used to demonstrate to students thecomplexities of business ethics. Using the exerciseas an application of theory, and as a tool forcognitive development, it serves to deepen thestudents' understanding of complex ethical issues. Astep-by-step methodology, along with possiblevariations of the exercise, are provided. A list ofmovies is also provided, and the measurablepedagogical benefits of the exercise are discussed.
Evidence for a juvenile hormone receptor involved in protein synthesis in Drosophila melanogaster

The larval fat body of newly eclosed adults of Drosophila melanogaster was found to contain a single major binding protein specific for juvenile hormone (JH). Binding to this protein was saturable, of high affinity, and specific for JH III. The protein has a subunit molecular weight (Mr) of 85,000, as determined by photoaffinity labeling. The same or similar JH-binding protein was found in larval fat body and cuticle of third instar larvae and in male accessory glands and heads of newly eclosed adults. It was not found in several other tissues in adults. Male accessory gland cytosol from wild-type flies was found to contain a single binder with a dissociation constant (KD) of 6.7 nM for JH III; a binder in similar preparations from the methoprene-tolerant (Met) mutant had a KD value 6-fold higher. JH III stimulated protein synthesis in glands cultured in vitro, but this effect was reduced in Met flies as compared to wild-type flies, establishing a correlation between JH binding and biological activity of the hormone. In addition, glandular protein accumulation during the first 2 days of adult development was less in Met flies than in wild-type flies. These results strongly suggest that the binding protein we have identified mediates this JH effect in male accessory glands and thus is acting as a JH receptor.
Design and implementation of modular key management protocol and IP secure tunnel on AIX

This paper presents the design principles, architecture, implementation and performance of our modular key management protocol (MKMP) and an IP secure tunnel protocol (IPST) which protects the secrecy and integrity of IP datagrams using cryptographic functions. To use the existing IP infrastructure, MKMP is built on top of UDP and the IPST protocol is built by encapsulating IP datagrams.
Reflections on System Trustworthiness

Abstract We examine here a range of concerns relating to computer systems and networks, with particular attention to difficulties in system development, and the resulting vulnerabilities, threats, and risks. We examine some approaches that might achieve dramatic improvements in the ability to develop, operate, and use trustworthy systems. The problems and their solutions typically require a combination of technology and social policy.
t‐Butyl azidoformate

t-Butyl azidoformate product: t-Butyl azidoformate Keywords: nitrosation; tert-butyl azidoformate, potential explosive, headaches
Calcium Influx through L-type Channels Is Required for Selective Activation of Extracellular Signal-regulated Kinase by Gonadotropin-releasing Hormone

The hypothalamic decapeptide gonadotropin-releasing hormone stimulates mobilization of two discrete pools of calcium in clonal (alphaT3-1) and primary pituitary gonadotropes. A multidisciplinary approach was implemented to investigate the effects of discrete calcium fluctuations on the signaling pathways linking the gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor to activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases and immediate early genes. Blockade of calcium influx through nifedipine-sensitive voltage-gated calcium channels reduced buserelin-induced activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Fos while activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase and c-Jun was unaffected. Inhibition of buserelin-stimulated ERK activity by nifedipine was also observed in rat pituitary cells in primary culture. Direct activation of alphaT3-1 cell L-type calcium channels with the agonist Bay-K 8644 resulted in phosphorylation of ERK and induction of c-Fos. However, simple voltage-induced channel activation did not produce a sufficient calcium signal, since depolarization with 35 mM KCl failed to induce activation of ERK. Depletion of intracellular calcium stores with thapsigargin did not affect buserelin-induced ERK activation. An inhibitor of protein kinase C decreased calcium influx through nifedipine-sensitive calcium channels and phosphorylation of ERK induced by buserelin. Pharmacological inhibition of protein kinase C did not block Bay-K 8644-induced ERK activation. These observations suggest that calcium influx through L-type channels is required for GnRH-induced activation of ERK and c-Fos and that the influence of calcium lies downstream of protein kinase C.
Inhibition of human cytochrome P450 1A2 by flavones: a molecular modeling study.

Cytochrome P450 1A2 metabolizes a number of important drugs, procarcinogens, and endogenous compounds. Several flavones, a class of phytochemicals consumed in the human diet, have been shown to differentially inhibit human P450 1A2-mediated methoxyresorufin demethylase. A molecular model of this P450 was constructed in order to elucidate the molecular basis of the P450-flavone interaction. Flavone and its 3,5,7-trihydroxy and 3,5,7-trimethoxy derivatives were docked into the active site to assess their mode of binding. The site is hydrophobic and includes several residues that hydrogen bond with substituents on the flavone nucleus. The binding interactions of these flavones in the modeled active side are consistent with their relative inhibitory potentials, namely 3,5,7-trihydroxylflavone > flavone >3,5,7-trimethoxylflavone, toward P450 1A2-mediated methoxyresorufin demethylation.
A Matter of Life and Death: Criminal Law and the Death Penalty in South West Africa (SWA) under South African Rule, 1915–1939

AbstractThis article chronicles the history of criminal law in South West Africa (SWA) from 1915 to 1939, with a focus on the death penalty. The analysis encompasses South Africa's rule of SWA during World War I (WWI) and under the League of Nations Permanent Mandates Commission (PMC). The article secondarily explores the role criminal law played in South Africa's consolidation of control over SWA. It was primarily the diplomatic negotiations after WWI that granted South Africa a mandate over SWA. However, wartime legal reforms and cautious use of the death penalty helped lay the foundation for South Africa's anticipated rule of SWA after WWI. Furthermore, South Africa used its wartime record of criminal administration to convince the allies that it would administer SWA efficiently and humanely if granted a mandate. The PMC's reluctance to intervene in court procedures gave South Africa broad authority to administer the death penalty. However, South Africa did not use executions to suppress opposition to ...
An analytical study of the localized failure modes of concrete

A theoretical framework for the analysis of localized failure in concrete is presented. The theory is predicated upon the assumption that discrete failure planes arise as a result of a process of localization of damage. The onset of localized modes is characterized as a bifurcation phenomenon whereby local neighborhoods of the material depart from near-uniform straining in favor of highly localized deformation patterns. Simple bifurcation techniques are discussed which suffice to detect when localization initiates and to determine the geometry of the localized deformation modes. Localization techniques are seen to provide a simple yet effective means of extending the range of applicability of traditional distributed damage models to situations of localized failure. Numerical calculations for biaxial stress paths exhibit a good overall agreement with experimental observations.
A simplified account of polymorphic references

Abstract A proof of the soundness of Tofte's imperative type discipline with respect to a structured operational semantics is given. The presentation is based on a semantic formalism that combines the benefits of the approaches considered by Wright and Felleisen, and by Tofte, leading to a particularly simple proof of soundness of Tofte's type discipline.
Velocities In Hydrocarbons And Hydrocarbon-saturated Rocks And Sands

Compressional ultrasonic velocities were measured in pure alkanee, alkenes, and naphthenes (cycloparaffins) as a function of temperature. It was found that the velocities in all the hydrocarbons decreased with increasing temperature approximately linearly. Furthermore, the velocities show also a linear relationship with the inverse of the carbon number (or equivalently the molecular weight). Measured wave velocities in mixtures of the above hydrocarbons were found to obey very closely values calculated by a simple mixing model.
Conformal branching rules and modular invariants

Abstract Using the outer automorphisms of the affine algebra SU (n) , we show how the branching rules for the conformal subalgebra SU (pq) ⊃ SU (p) × SU (q) may be simply calculated. We demonstrate that new modular invariant combinations of SU (n) characters are obtainable from the branching rules.
Umbral Vade Mecum

In recent years the umbral calculus has emerged from the shadows to provide an elegant correspondence framework that automatically gives systematic solutions of ubiquitous difference equations --- discretized versions of the differential cornerstones appearing in most areas of physics and engineering --- as maps of well-known continuous functions. This correspondence deftly sidesteps the use of more traditional methods to solve these difference equations. The umbral framework is discussed and illustrated here, with special attention given to umbral counterparts of the Airy, Kummer, and Whittaker equations, and to umbral maps of solitons for the Sine-Gordon, Korteweg--de Vries, and Toda systems.
Lessons learned from employing multiple perspectives in a collaborative virtual environment for visualizing scientific data

This paper explores the concept of multiple perspectives to enhance collaboration by allowing remote participants to tailor their views, user-interfaces and roles to their particular needs and expertise. It describes a preliminary design study conducted on users of a collaborative CAVE-based virtual reality tool for visualizing occanographic data. Results will focus on the patterns of activity within this environment, in particular the manner in which participants transition between individual and group work during the course of a collaborative session.
Viral capsids as MRI contrast agents

Viral capsids have the potential for combined cell/tissue targeting, drug delivery, and imaging. Described here is the development of a viral capsid as an efficient and potentially relevant MRI contrast agent. Two approaches are outlined to fuse high affinity Gd3+ chelating moieties to the surface of the cowpea chlorotic mottle virus (CCMV) capsid. In the first approach, a metal binding peptide has been genetically engineered into the subunit of CCMV. In a second approach gadolinium-tetraazacyclododecane tetraacetic acid (GdDOTA) was attached to CCMV by reactions with endogenous lysine residues on the surface of the viral capsid. T1 and T2 ionic relaxivity rates for the genetic fusion particle were R1 = 210 and R2 = 402 mM−1s−1 (R2 at 56 MHz) and for CCMV functionalized with GdDOTA were R1 = 46 and R2 = 142 mM−1s−1 at 61 MHz. The relaxivities per intact capsid for the genetic fusion were R1 = 36,120 and R2 = 69,144 mM−1s−1 (R2 at 56 MHz) and for the GdDOTA CCMV construct were R1 = 2,806 and R2 = 8,662 mM−1s−1 at 61 MHz. The combination of high relaxivity, stable Gd3+ binding, and large Gd3+ payloads indicates the potential of viral capsids as high-performance contrast agents. Magn Reson Med 58:871–879, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Molecular mechanics of translation: a reciprocating ratchet mechanism.

A model is suggested for protein synthesis which depends upon conformational changes in tRNA and allosteric transitions in place of translocation.