cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Studying volatility predictors in open source software

Volatile software modules, for the purposes of this work, are defined as those that are significantly more change-prone than other modules in the same system or subsystem. There is significant literature investigating models for predicting which modules in a system will become volatile, and/or are defect-prone. Much of this work focuses on using source code-related characteristics (e.g., complexity metrics) and simple change metrics (e.g., number of past changes) as inputs to the predictive models. Our work attempts to broaden the array of factors considered in such prediction approaches. To this end, we collected data directly from development personnel about the factors they rely on to foresee what parts of a system are going to become volatile. In this paper, we describe a focus group study conducted with the development team of a small but active open source project, in which we asked this very question. The results of the focus group indicate, among other things, that a period of volatility in a particular area of the system is often predicted by a pattern characterized by inactivity in a certain area (resulting in that area becoming less mature than others), increased communication between developers regarding opportunities for improvement in that area, and then the emergence of a champion who takes the initiative to start working on those improvements. The initial changes lead to more changes (both to extend the improvements already made and to fix problems introduced), thus leading to volatility.
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY IN METASTABLE BISMUTH EUTECTIC ALLOYS.

Abstract The superconducting transition temperature T c has been measured inseveral bismuth eutectic alloys after exposure to 30 kbar pressure. It is found that the changes observed in T c can be related to changes in the normal state resistivity of these samples.
Finite-Time Tracking Using Sliding Mode Control

Finite-time stability involves dynamical systems whose trajectories converge to an equilibrium state in finite time. In various tasks that the real world systems have to perform, the execution time is critical, and thus, it is important to enforce that the system trajectories that converge to a desired state do so in finite time. In this paper, we consider a general class of fully actuated mechanical systems described by Euler-Lagrange dynamics and the class of underactuated systems represented by mobile robot dynamics that are required to reach and maintain the desired trajectory in finite time. Specifically, we develop feedback controllers using sliding mode approach that guarantee finite-time tracking. The approach is based on designing non-smooth sliding surfaces such that, while on the sliding surface, the error states converge to the origin in finite time thus ensuring finite-time tracking. We demonstrate the efficacy of our approach by implementing it for a scenario when multiple dynamic agents are required to move in a fixed formation with respect to the formation leader.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Chinese Immigrants’ Perceptions of the Police in New York City:

This article examines Chinese immigrants’ perceptions of the police in New York City. It identifies the areas of these immigrants’ concerns related to the interaction with the police. Data are analyzed based on a survey conducted with 151 Chinese immigrants in the boroughs of Queens, Manhattan, and Brooklyn between July and August 2004. The findings include the following: (a) Individuals who had previous contact with police rated police as less favorable, (b) those who rated police as helpful when they called the police for help expressed greater satisfaction toward police, and (c) a strong majority of respondents stated that more bilingual police were needed in the city. In general, the quality of police contact, rather than the quantity of police contact, mattered the most to respondents. Improving the quality of police services, recruiting more bilingual officers, and deepening understanding of cultural differences should enhance immigrants’ satisfaction with the police.
Serum protein relationships among several species of Galapagos lava lizards (genus Tropidurus)

1. 1. The serum proteins of three Galapagos lava lizards, Tropidurus albemarlensis, Tropidurus delanonis and a poorly defined species from the Island of Daphne were studied by means of immunodiffusion and immunoelectrophoresis. 2. 2. From these immunological studies it was determined that the serum proteins of T. albemarlensis are antigenically more closely related to the serum proteins of the Daphne group of lava lizards than to those of T. delanonis. 3. 3. The Daphne reptile is tentatively grouped with the species T. albemarlensis on the basis of similarities in morphology, geographical location and immunochemical data.
Mars2020 sample acquisition and caching technologies and architectures

The goal of the Mars2020 mission is to acquire up to 28 rock/regolith samples and 3 blanks (or 34 rock/regolith samples and 3 blanks), and cache these for the future sample return mission. Honeybee Robotics investigated three architectures; however only two showed promise. In the One Bit One Core (OBOC) architecture, individual drill bits with core samples are cached. This is the least complex architecture and results in the total mass (cache+bits+rocks) of less than 2 kg and Orbital Sample diameter of 19 cm for the 31 cores case and slightly more (<2.4 kg cache and 20 cm OS) for the 37 cores. In the One Breakoff System One Core (OBSOC) architecture, the breakoff tube and the sleeve with cores are removed from the drill bit and cached. The architecture also uses one time use bit assemblies (plus spares). This architecture results in the lowest cache mass and OS diameter but the trade is complexity and sampling system mass. The OBSOC cache mass is ∼1.5 kg and ∼1.86 kg for the 31/37 cases respectively, while the OS diameter is 17 cm and 17.5 cm for the 31/37 cases respectively. All architectures use SLOT bit that allows inspection of rock samples along their lengths prior to caching. The paper also introduces several key technologies developed by Honeybee Robotics over the past 15 years, including the SLOT caching bit, the Powder and Regolith Acquisition Bit, Rock Abrasion and Brushing Bit (RABBit), PreView Bit, Percussive and Core Breakoff technologies.
How Do Osmolytes affect the Stability of Polycystin-1 PKD Domains?

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease is one of the most common life-threatening genetic diseases, and is a leading cause of renal failure. The majority of cases are caused by mutations in the PKD1 gene, which encodes for polycystin-1 (PC1). PC1 is a large membrane protein that has a long N-terminal extracellular region (about 3000 aa) with a multimodular structure including sixteen Ig-like PKD domains. PC1's extracellular domain may function as a mechanical antenna that senses mechanical cues such as shear flow converting them into signaling processes that control cell differentiation and growth. PC1 is expressed along the renal tubule, where it is exposed to a wide range of concentrations of urea (from 5mM in the proximal tubule to up to ∼800mM in the collecting duct). Urea is known to destabilize proteins. Other osmolytes found in the kidney such as sarcosine, betaine and trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) are known to counteract urea's negative effects on proteins. Here we used nano-mechanical techniques to study the effects of osmolytes on the biophysical properties of PC1's PKD wild-type and mutant domains. Upon increasing the concentration of urea we observe a systematic decrease in the mechanical stability. We also found that the refolding rate constant is slow down by urea (as much as ∼5-fold at 2M). Moreover, we found that stabilizing osmolytes can effectively counteract the effect of urea at a ratio of 1:1 (urea/sarcosine) or 1:0.5 (urea/TMAO). We recently reported that some pathogenic missense mutations can significantly destabilize PKD domains. Interestingly, we found that stabilizing osmolytes increase the mechanical strength of a mutant domain. Our studies have the potential to provide new therapeutic approaches (e.g. through the use of osmolytes or chemical chaperones) for rescuing destabilized and misfolded mutant PKD domains.
Antagonist-precipitated and discontinuation-induced withdrawal in morphine-dependent rhesus monkeys

Rationale Upon discontinuation of chronic opioid treatment, withdrawal typically peaks in 1–3 days and decreases markedly within 1 week; however, persistent physiological changes have been reported long after other signs have waned.
Zur komplexometrischen Titration von Aluminium und Eisen und der Summe beider

Eisen und Aluminium, sowie die Stimme beider lassen sich in stark essigsaurer, kochender Losung direkt mit Komplexon titrieren. Als Indicator wird PAN in Gegenwart von etwas Kupferkomplexonat verwendet. Zur Einstellung des optimalen pH-Wertes von etwa 3 ist nach besonderer Vorschrift zu verfahren, um die Bildung von nur sehr langsam reagierenden, hoher hydratisierten Stufen des Aluminiums zu vermeiden. Die Bestimmung wird durch Ca, Mg, Mn und Ti nicht gestort. Die Genauigkeit ist bei Titrationen mit 0,01–0,1 m Komplexonlosungen bei sehr gutem Endpunkt ±1–2 Tropfen Maslosung.
Predictive value of quantitative dipyridamole-thallium scintigraphy in assessing cardiovascular risk after vascular surgery in diabetes mellitus.

Abstract Cardiac complications represent a major risk to patients undergoing vascular surgery. Diabetic patients may be particularly prone to such complications due to the high incidence of concomitant coronary artery disease, the severity of which may be clinically unrecognized. Attempts to stratify groups by clinical criteria have been useful but lack the predictive value of currently used noninvasive techniques such as dipyridamole-thallium scintigraphy. One hundred one diabetic patients were evaluated with dipyridamole-thallium scintigraphy before undergoing vascular surgery. The incidence of thallium abnormalities was high (80%) and did not correlate with clinical markers of coronary disease. Even in a subgroup of patients with no overt clinical evidence of underlying heart disease, thallium abnormalities were present in 59%. Cardiovascular complications, however, occurred in only 11% of all patients. Statistically significant prediction of risk was not achieved with simple assessment of thallium results as normal or abnormal. Quantification of total number of reversible defects, as well as assessment of ischemia in the distribution of the left anterior descending coronary artery was required for optimum predictive accuracy. The prevalence of dipyridamole-thallium abnormalities in a diabetic population is much higher than that reported in nondiabetic patients and cannot be predicted by usual clinical indicators of heart disease. In addition, cardiovascular risk of vascular surgery can be optimally assessed by quantitative analysis of dipyridamole-thallium scintigraphy and identification of high- and low-risk subgroups.
Frustration and language intensity

(1965). Frustration and language intensity. Speech Monographs: Vol. 32, No. 2, pp. 107-111.
Class I chitinases in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) : characterization, expression and purification

Abstract Chitinases help defend plants from pathogens. We have previously reported the isolation of a cDNA clone and a genomic clone of Class I chitinase genes from cotton (Gossypium hirsutum). Here we report the results of further investigations of Class I chitinase genes in cotton. These include the characterization of an additional cDNA clone, an estimate of the number of copies in the cotton genome, and experimental evidence for ethylene-induced expression. The Class I chitinase genes have very similar nucleotide sequences (over 98% identity). Based on Southern analysis, we estimate that there are approximately four copies of the cotton chitinase per haploid genome. Analysis of total RNA extracted from ethylene-treated plantlets showed that chitinase transcript levels increase after 12 h of treatment. A ∼31 kDa protein present in ethylene treated extracts has chitinolytic activity and cross-reacts with a rabbit antiserum raised against a cotton chitinase fusion protein. Using chitin affinity chromatography of ethylene treated extracts, we purified a 31.5 kDa protein band with chitinolytic activity. This protein band has been confirmed to be composed of Class I cotton chitinase by N-terminal peptide sequence analysis. The first 20 amino acids are identical to those predicted for the Class I cotton chitinases based on our cDNA and genomic nucleotide data. The purified Class I cotton chitinase preparation was analyzed by two dimensional electrophoresis. Three different isoelectric isomers were present in stained 2-D gels, and all three proteins cross-reacted with the cotton chitinase fusion protein antiserum. The predominant constituent of the affinity purified 31.5 kDa preparation has an isoelectric point of ∼7.0 and is glycosylated. There are additional isoelectric isomers with a pIs of 6.2 and 5.8 that are not glycosylated.
Animal-Assisted Therapy in the Treatment of Substance Dependence

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) on the therapeutic alliance with an adult, residential, substance abuse population in group therapy. We used randomized samples and controlled conditions to establish the effects of chosen variables that influence outcome. A total of 231 people took part in the study (control group [without therapy dog]: n = 96; experimental group [with therapy dog]: n = 135) in which there were 26 group sessions. The results of the study indicate that, overall, the therapeutic alliance is enhanced with the addition of a therapy dog: the AAT group had a more positive opinion of the therapeutic alliance, as measured using the Helping Alliance Questionnaire (HAQ-II), than the control group (ANOVA: F(1,229) = 25.44, p < 0.001). Clients seeking treatment for a dual diagnosis, clients with state social service involvement, and clients seeking treatment for alcohol addiction had similar opinions of the therapeutic alliance, whether in ...
Biochemical Characterization of γ-75 k Secalins of Rye II. Disulfide Bonds

ABSTRACT Aggregated γ-75k secalins were isolated by preparative reversed-phase (RP) HPLC of the prolamin fraction of rye flour Danko and were digested with thermolysin. The resulting peptides were preseparated by gel permeation HPLC into eight fractions (G1–G8). Peptides that were linked by disulfide bonds (cystine peptides) were identified by means of differential chromatography (RP-HPLC before and after the reduction of disulfide bonds). The cystine peptides present in fractions G3–G7 were isolated by preparative RP-HPLC and characterized by sequence analysis and, in parts, by mass spectrometry. Accordingly, the eight cysteine residues of the C-terminal domain of γ-75k secalins were linked in the same positions as the intramolecular disulfide bonds of γ-gliadins of wheat. The cysteine residue located at position 12 of the N-terminal domain and characteristic for γ-75k secalins was linked by an intermolecular disulfide bond with a corresponding residue of the same protein type. This cysteine residue is l...
Rural Retirement Arrangements in Seventeenth- To Nineteenth-Century Austria: a Cross-Community Analysis

The peasant retirement arrangement known in Austria as Ausgedinge, is established by the transfer of a farm holding to an heir in exchange for the lifelong provision of shelter, food and other services to the retirees. Since the retirement of the old peasant is closely linked to the marriage of the successor, this arrangement leads to a specific stem-family household in which the head-of- household position rests with the younger generation. The article compares the frequency of retirement arrangements across a wide range of Austrian villages and small towns, controlling for age distribution as well as the various structural and cultural characteristics of these units. The data used are census-type parish registers (soul books) from the early seventeenth to the late nineteenth century. Households with retirement arrangements are found to be rare; only a small pro portion of the elderly were formally retired. The increase of retirement ar rangements during the nineteenth century cannot be attributed to cha...
Fast water oxidation using iron.

Photolysis of water, a long-studied strategy for storing solar energy, involves two half-reactions: the reduction of protons to dihydrogen and the oxidation of water to dioxygen. Proton reduction is well-understood, with catalysts achieving quantum yields of 34% when driven by visible light. Water oxidation, on the other hand, is much less advanced, typically involving expensive metal centers and rarely working in conjunction with a photochemically powered system. Before further progress can be made in the field of water splitting, significant developments in the catalysis of oxygen evolution are needed. Herein we present an iron-centered tetraamido macrocyclic ligand (Fe-TAML) that efficiently catalyzes the oxidative conversion of water to dioxygen. When the catalyst is combined in unbuffered solution with ceric ammonium nitrate, its turnover frequency exceeds 1.3 s−1. Real-time UV−vis and oxygen monitoring of the active complex give insights into the reaction and decay kinetics.
Attentional Control Moderates Fearful Responding to a 35% CO2 Challenge

Abstract Attentional control (AC) is an individual difference variable indexing the ability to voluntarily focus attention and shift attention when desired. AC is thought to impact the experience of fear by facilitating the disengagement of attention from threat and promoting the deployment of attentional resources toward regulatory or coping strategies. Whereas previous research has focused on visual threat cues, in the current study we examined whether this model also applies to interoceptive threat by evaluating the extent to which individual differences in AC moderated the relationship between trait anxiety and self-reported fear in response to a single vital capacity inhalation of a 35% CO 2 , 65% balanced O 2 gas mixture. The sample comprised a large nonclinical group of young adults ( N = 128). Results indicated that AC moderated the relationship between trait anxiety and fearful responding to the challenge. Findings suggest that AC plays a significant and clinically important role in modulating self-reported fear.
Cdk1 coordinates cell-surface growth with the cell cycle

The mechanisms that control cell growth during the cell cycle are poorly understood. In budding yeast, cyclin dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1) triggers polarization of the actin cytoskeleton and bud emergence in late G1 through activation of the Cdc42 GTPase. However, Cdk1 is not thought to be required for subsequent growth of the bud. Here, we show that Cdk1 has an unexpected role in controlling bud growth after bud emergence. Moreover, we show that G1 cyclin-Cdk1 complexes specifically phosphorylate multiple proteins associated with Cdc24, the guanine nucleotide-exchange factor (GEF) that activates the Cdc42 GTPase. A mutant form of a Cdc24-associated protein that fails to undergo Cdk1-dependent phosphorylation causes defects in bud growth. These results provide a direct link between Cdk1 activity and the control of polarized cell growth.
Stimulated echoes: Description, applications, practical hints

Stimulated echoes are formed from three or more radio frequency pulses. Pulse sequences that use stimulated echoes are extremely versatile because of the availability of three pulses for timing variations and for encoding spatial or chemical shift information. This paper concentrates on the uses of stimulated echoes and on techniques for obtaining them reliably and reproducibly. (Through this understanding, the elimination of undesired stimulated echoes in other pulse sequences should be more straightforward,) Applications include volume-selective spectroscopy; diffusion spectroscopy; and various forms of imaging, such as zoom imaging, chemical-shift-selective imaging, flow imaging, diffusion imaging, multislice imaging, fast imaging, and combinations thereof. 0 1996 john Wiley & Sons, Inc.
New Synthetic Methodology for the Construction of 7-Substituted Farnesyl Diphosphate Analogs

Through the use of a 1,2-metalate rearrangement, six 7-substituted farnesol analogs were generated in a concise manner. This new synthetic route allowed us to quickly prepare several diverse farnesyl diphosphate analogs with interesting biological activities against mammalian protein-farnesyl transferase.
A Sub- $\lambda$ -Size Modulator Beyond the Efficiency-Loss Limit

Electrooptic modulators (EOMs) are key devices in performing the conversion between the electrical and optical domains in data communication links. With respect to a road map for photonic computing, future EOMs are required to be highly scalable, should feature strong modulation performance, and must not consume much power during operation. In light of these requirements, here, we investigate indium-tin-oxide (ITO) as an electrooptic switching material. The results show that ITO is capable of changing its extinction coefficient by a factor of 136. Utilizing these findings, we analyze an ultracompact (i.e., sub- λ long λ = 1310 nm) electroabsorption modulator based on a plasmonic MOS-mode design. In our analysis, we investigate the performance, i.e., the extinction ratio and insertion loss of the device as a function of various geometric parameters of the device. The optimized device is 0.78 λ long and features an extinction ratio and on-chip insertion loss of about 6 dB/μm and 0.7 dB, respectively. Furthermore, we suggest a metric to benchmark electroabsorption modulators and show that silicon plasmonics has potential for high-end switching nodes in future integrated photonic circuits.
Chemotaxis of Peripheral Blood and Lung Leukocytes Obtained from Tobacco and Marijuana Smokers

†Supported by U.S. Public Health Service CRC Grant RR-00865 and National Institutes of Health Grant 2R01-DA-03018.
Haptic devices as a paradigm to enhance learning/function--theory and empirical studies.

Haptics is a modern term employed to describe both afferent and efferent flows of forces with humans. The appropriate design of these force flow fields when coordinated with information to and from computers and other devices to physically challenged individuals can empower the performance of certain tasks previously not attainable. Extensive empirical work presented herein has demonstrated that proper augmentation of particular dynamic force fields, synchronised with certain cognitive tasks, can lead to improved functionality. More specifically, studies in spasticity, weaken responses and having delayed human response can benefit from these exposures to force fields applied suitably. From a theoretical perspective, the use of the well-known Fitts' law provides a unifying framework from which one can quantify the benefits derived from the proper exposure to force fields. Another area where haptics offers an exciting new platform to transfer information to and from humans includes subliminal haptics. This ...
THE IMPACT OF SOCIETAL RISK ATTITUDES ON TERRORISM AND COUNTERTERRORISM

We analyze decisions made by a group of terrorists and a target government in a zero-sum game in which the terrorists minimize, and the government maximizes, the expected utility of the median voter in the target country. The terrorists' strategy balances the probability and the severity of the attack while the government chooses the level of investment reducing the probability and/or mitigating the severity of attacks. We find that risk aversion affects the strategies of both the government and the terrorists, leading to more severe, less frequent attacks but not necessarily more counterterrorism expenditures.
Cesium and strontium exchange by the framework potassium titanium silicate K3HTi4O4(SiO4)3·4H2O

Potassium titanium silicate with a semicrystalline framework of the formula K3HTi4O4(SiO4)3·4H2O has been prepared under mild hydrothermal conditions and its protonic form, H4Ti4O4(SiO4)3·8H2O, was obtained by acid treatment of the potassium compound. A comparative ion exchange testing of the H4Ti4O4(SiO4)3·8H2O towards alkali and alkaline earth metals in a broad pH and concentration range was carried out. It was found that potassium titanium silicate is a moderately weak cation exchanger, possessing high ion exchange capacity (up to 4–5 meq/g) and showing preference for heavy alkali and alkaline earth metals uptake. The selectivity of K3HTi4O4(SiO4)3·4H2O towards Cs+ and Sr2+ ions in alkaline and acid media in the presence of competitive inorganic ions and certain organic compounds was also studied. The data obtained suggest that despite the existence of well defined tunnel structure with parameters fitting for cesium ion in the K3HTi4O4(SiO4)3·4H2O, potassium titanium silicate could remove cesium (and strontium) efficiently only under some specific conditions, namely, at pH close to neutral and in the absence of competitive ions and especially of organic complexing agents.
Knowledge of maternal HIV/AIDS and child adjustment: The moderating role of children's relationships with their mothers

The current study examined whether child-reported maternal warmth and support moderated the association between knowledge of maternal illness and child psychosocial adjustment among 86 low-income, African American mothers with HIV/AIDS and their non-infected children. Mother-child relationship quality moderated the association between children's knowledge of maternal HIV/AIDS and children's externalizing, but not internalizing, difficulties. Consistent with the stress-buffering hypothesis, a warm and supportive mother-child relationship afforded a more robust buffer against externalizing difficulties for children who knew of their mother's illness than for children who did not. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed.
Angiography-negative primary central nervous system vasculitis: a syndrome involving small cerebral vessels

Primary central nervous system vasculitis (PCNSV) is a rare and poorly understood syndrome. We describe the clinical findings in 8 patients who appear to have a distinct subset of PCNSV. We identified 101 consecutive patients with PCNSV who were seen between January 1, 1983, and December 31, 2003. The diagnosis was based on conventional angiography in 70 patients and on central nervous system biopsy in 31 patients. Six of the 31 patients also had angiograms showing changes of vasculitis. Thus, 76 patients of the cohort had abnormal angiograms. Eight of the 101 patients had normal angiograms ("angiography-negative") but had brain biopsies that showed vasculitis. We compared the clinical and laboratory findings and outcomes of the 8 patients with angiography-negative PCNSV with those of the 76 patients with PCNSV whose angiograms showed evidence of vasculitis ("angiography-positive"). In comparison with the 76 patients with angiography-positive PCNSV, the 8 patients with angiography-negative PCNSV more commonly had 1) a cognitive disorder (87.5% vs. 43.4%; p =.024); 2) cerebrospinal fluid abnormalities (a protein level >or=700 mg/L or a white blood cell count >or=10 x 10(6)/L) (100% vs. 35.5%; p =.034); and 3) meningeal or parenchymal enhancing lesions on magnetic resonance imaging (75.0% vs. 23.9%; p =.007). Other differences between the 2 groups were observed but were not significantly different. All patients with angiography-negative PCNSV responded to treatment and none died. Angiography-negative PCNSV appears to be a distinct subtype of cerebral vasculitis with small vessel involvement beyond the resolution of conventional angiography and is associated with a favorable outcome.
Systematic Seismic Design for Manageable Loss in Wood-Framed Buildings:

Abstract Light frame wood structures make up the vast majority of the residential building stock in the United States. Because of this, earthquake-induced losses for this category of building from a significant earthquake would have a substantial financial impact on the regional economy, as well as on the building owner. Current wood-framed structural design philosophy focuses only on life safety and only limits damage through implicit assumptions. The concept of loss-based seismic design is introduced in this paper with typical loss-based design statements explicitly formulated with the intent of addressing the concerns, e.g., financial loss, of the building end-user. The loss-based design procedure was established based on a loss estimation framework that relied on the existing concept of assembly-based vulnerability (ABV). With the help of an automated dynamic and loss analysis package developed for wood-framed structures (SAPWood™) at Colorado State University, loss-based seismic design for a typical ...
Trends in tooth loss among U.S. employed adults from 1971 to 1985

Tooth retention is improving among employed adults in the United States. A comparison of data from a 1971–74 study and a 1985–86 study is used to establish trends in tooth loss among adults. The data show that tooth retention among employed U.S. adults improved almost 15 percent in the decade between the two studies, and edentulism was almost cut in half.
Salicylate uniquely induces a 27-kDa protein in tubercle bacillus

Salicylate was found to uniquely induce a 27-kDa protein in Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex organisms but not in Mycobacterium smegmatis or Escherichia coli. The structural analogue antitubercular para-amino-salicylate also induced the 27-kDa protein but to a somewhat lower level than salicylate. Other structural analogues such as benzoic acid and acetyl salicylic acid (aspirin) did not induce the 27-kDa protein. Western blot analysis indicated that the 27-kDa protein was localized mainly in the cytoplasm. The 27-kDa protein was not expressed at different growth phases in the absence of salicylate. The 27-kDa protein was identified as a putative benzoquinone methyltransferase (Rv0560c), which has several homologues in the M. tuberculosis genome. The cloned 27-kDa gene was found to express constitutively in E. coli, M. smegmatis and BCG with or without salicylate.
Evaluation of the preservation of shrimp samples with Davidson’s AFA fixative for infectious myonecrosis virus (IMNV) in situ hybridization

Abstract The potential negative effect of prolonged storage of shrimp tissues in Davidson’s AFA fixative on in situ hybridization (ISH) signal was demonstrated previously for Taura syndrome virus (TSV), which has a single-stranded RNA genome. In this study we evaluated if prolonged storage of infectious myonecrosis virus (IMNV) infected shrimp in Davidson’s AFA (Alcohol, Formaldehyde, Acetic acid) fixative will degrade its double-stranded RNA genome resulting in false negative ISH reactions. Twenty-one shrimp (3 g) specific-pathogen-free Litopenaeus vannamei were used in this study. Three shrimp were used as negative control and 18 shrimp were inoculated with a tissue homogenate prepared from frozen IMNV-infected L. vannamei obtained from Brazil in 2003 (positive control). Shrimp were collected at Day 12 post-injection and fixed in Davidson’s AFA for five different preservation times (1, 2, 4, 7 and 10 days). After the different fixation times, the Davidson’s AFA was replaced with several changes of 70% ethanol until the pH was stable. IMNV lesions were confirmed in all positive control shrimp by routine H & E histology and ISH. Myonecrosis lesions were strongly positive by ISH at all five preservation times evaluated. Hence, in the present report it was found that the length of time (up to 10 days) in Davidson’s AFA did not have a deleterious effect on the ISH reaction for IMNV.
Bicritical and tricritical phenomena in uniaxial ferromagnets

The phase diagrams of a spin-1 uniaxial ferromagnetic model with both exchange anisotropy and single-ion anisotropy ($D$) are studied in the mean-field approximation. In the absence of an external magnetic field a bicritical point (BCP) is found in the ($D,T$) plane for the transverse ($K$) to parallel ($J$) coupling ratio $\frac{K}{J}g0.462$. As the exchange anisotropy is decreased the BCP moves towards the temperature axis. In the limit of the isotropic exchange the BCP is located on the $T$ axis. In the presence of a field along the parallel (transverse) direction two symmetric lines of tricritical points (TCP) are generated in the ($D$, ${H}_{z}({H}_{\ensuremath{\perp}})$, $T$) space. These lines meet at the BCP. For a significantly wide range of $\frac{D}{J}$ and $\frac{K}{J}$ values TCP prevails in the (${H}_{z} ({H}_{\ensuremath{\perp}})$, $T$) plane. Application of a transverse (parallel) field generates the wing coexistence surfaces. The whole thermodynamic space is experimentally accessible. Outside the above ranges, one may still have a TCP in the (${H}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}$, $T$) plane, but not in the (${H}_{z}$,$T$) phase diagram. Some special features of the (${H}_{z}$,$T$) phase diagram are also discussed.
High-power photodetector modules for microwave photonic applications

Recently, microwave photonic techniques have emerged to address the challenges that microwave systems face under high-frequency or wideband conditions. To a large extent, the performance of microwave photonic systems depends on the performance of individual optoelectronics devices, such as high power photodiodes. Here, we report a fullypackaged photodetector module based on InGaAs/InP modified uni-traveling carrier (MUTC) photodiode. The modules demonstrated a 3-dB bandwidth up to 50GHz and a record-high output power of 14.0 dBm at 50GHz.
Ethical issues occurring within nursing education

The large body of literature labeled "ethics in nursing education" is entirely devoted to curricular matters of ethics education in nursing schools, that is, to what ought to be the ethics content that is taught and what theory or issues ought to be included in all nursing curricula. Where the nursing literature actually focuses on particular ethical issues, it addresses only single topics. Absent from the literature, however, is any systematic analysis and explication of ethical issues or dilemmas that occur within the context of nursing education. The objective of this article is to identify the spectrum of ethical issues in nursing education to the end of prompting a systematic and thorough study of such issues, and to lay the groundwork for research by identifying and provisionally typologizing the ethical issues that occur within the context of academic nursing.
Data Structures Courses: Past, Present, and Future

The "Data Structures" course is arguably one of the most important for computer science majors. In this talk, I will discuss how this course has evolved over the last three decades, and discuss some topics we might want to start thinking about in the next decade.
Traditional medical practices and medicinal plant usage on a Bahamian Island.

The traditional medical system of a small Bahamian island is explored through a health survey of 83% of the population and an analysis of the activities and materials of the two main native health ‘professionals’ — the healing specialist and the ‘herbalist’. The present findings suggest that the Bimini medical system has historically been efficacious in the treatment and management of many health problems on the island. Part of the success may be attributed to the resourceful utilization of indigenous medicinal plant species, several of which contain chemical substances that may be curatively effective against a number of diseases as claimed. In recent years the island has experienced a relatively smooth process of medical modernization including the increased availability of ‘Westernized’ health care and the gradual supplementation of the herbal remedies by imported patent and prescription medications.
Analog and digital feedback for magnetostrictive transducer linearization

Terfenol-D is a `giant' magnetostrictive material offering mechanical strains on the order of 1000 X 10-6 m/m. Dynamic transducers constructed using Terfenol-D as the motion source offer displacements based on approximately +/- 500 (mu) strain. These transducers are known to be nonlinear; however, in some applications they can be treated as linear systems and their behavior approximated by the classic pair of linear transduction equations. This approximation is made in this study to facilitate analysis. Several simple analog and digital controllers are used with acceleration feedback to improve transducer linearity. A nonlinearity of particular importance when using Terfenol-D transducers is wave form distortion. The distortion is a result of nonlinear strains vs. magnetization relationships and the magnetic hysteresis occurring within the Terfenol-D. The net result is the presence of integer harmonics in the transducer voltage, current, and output velocity. Assuming the harmonics to be disturbances, an expression is developed for predicting the change in harmonic amplitudes of acceleration as a function of frequency and parameters for the controller, load, and transducer. Experimental measurements comparing controlled and uncontrolled output accelerations are presented to validate the approach. A significant extension of the linear range of transducer behavior, due to feedback control, is also demonstrated.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Kinetics and Mechanism of Transaldimination of Amino Acids and Aromatic Amines with Pyridoxal

Kinetics and mechanism of transaldimination of amino acids and aromatic amines with pyridoxal have been studied by means of UV spectroscopy and polarimetry. It has been shown that aminal intermediates are formed in reaction of the Schiff’s bases with p-aminobenzoic acid and β-alanine. The structure of aminal and Schiff’s base is determined by the spatial arrangement of the amino acid and aromatic fragments with respect to the pyridine ring plane. The presence of OH and CH2-OH groups in the o-positions in pyridoxal structure turns amino groups by 90° with respect to the pyridine ring. The scheme of Schiff’s bases transaldimination by amino acids and biological amines has been developed according to stereospecific, energy, and geometric factors.
Self-Diffusion and Correlation Effects in Ordered AuZn Alloys

Simultaneous self-diffusion measurements of Zn and Au in near-equiatomic highly ordered AuZn ($B2$ structure) single-crystal specimens having 49.0, 50.0, 51.0 at.% Zn nominal composition were made over a temperature range of 428-650 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C using ${\mathrm{Zn}}^{65}$ and ${\mathrm{Au}}^{195}$ radioactive tracers and the serial lathe sectioning technique. Employing a modified energy-discrimination method for nuclear counting, it was possible to measure the ratio of diffusivities $\frac{{D}_{\mathrm{Zn}}}{{D}_{\mathrm{Au}}}$-in addition to their individual values-following simultaneous diffusion of the two radioactive tracers in the same specimen. The diffusion parameters $Q$ and ${D}_{0}$ and the entropy of activation factor were computed in the composition range studied and compared with the corresponding quantities in the disordered Zn-base monovalent alloys ($A2$ structure). The magnitude of the ratio of the correlation factors in ordered and disordered phases was found to be consistent with the correlated six-atom-vacancy-jump diffusion mechanism in the highly ordered alloys. The self-diffusion data for Au and Zn in ${\ensuremath{\beta}}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{AuZn}$ alloys also provides strong evidence for the presence of a nonequilibrium vacancy-defect structure on the Zn-rich side of stoichiometry.
The lead-bismuth peritectic reaction

Abstract The peritectic reaction in lead-bismuth alloys was studied by observing the solid-liquid and solid-solid reactions that occurred during selected critical temperature ranges in the alloy system and by noting the rates and mechanisms of these reactions. Isothermal treatments and variations in the cooling rate were used to effect changes in the room temperature microstructure. These changes were then related to the reactions that occurred at elevated temperatures. It was found that (1) the peritectic reaction, or the growth of the peritectic phase at the expense of both the primary and liquid phases, proceeds slowly by volume diffusion through the peritectic rim in lead-bismuth alloys, even at temperatures 35 °C below the equilibrium peritectic temperature; (2) under isothermal conditions below the peritectic temperature, the final disappearance (reaction) of the liquid phase is extremely sluggish and the liquid rearranges itself into large intergranular pools; and (3) the formation of a bismuth-rich phase, which is indicative of the eutectic reaction, cannot be suppressed by any of the continuous cooling rates used in this investigation.
Paleoclimatic inferences from paleopedology and magnetism of the Permian Maroon Formation loessite, Colorado, USA

The Maroon Formation in the eastern Eagle basin (Colorado) consists of >700 m of lithified loess with >200 paleosols interpreted as Protosols and Argillisols on the basis of field, petrographic and geochemical data. Additionally, magnetic susceptibility aids assessment of the intensity of pedogenesis. Bulk magnetic susceptibility (χ b ) through the section repeatedly fluctuates between low values (average 3.51 × 10 −8 ± 1.59 × 10 −8 m 3 /kg) in parent loessite and higher values (average 5.70 × 10 −8 ± 2.70 × 10 −8 m 3 /kg) in paleosols. Moreover, magnetic susceptibility positively correlates with abundance of clay-sized material as well as Al 2 O 3 and K 2 O and effectively distinguishes Protosols and Argillisols. Low- temperature demagnetization indicates the presence of ultra-fine-grained magnetite. The integration of geochemical, petrographic, and rock magnetic data suggest that changes in magnetic susceptibility reflect pedogenesis and relate primarily to climate- and time-dependent pedogenic production and concentration of ultra-fine- grained magnetite. The Maroon Formation loess and associated soils accumulated in an overall arid system, documented in part by formation of incipiently formed paleosols developed into Argillisols by eolian clay and carbonate additions rather than by in situ clay formation. However, the paleosols showing bulk magnetic susceptibility values of greater than 200 χ b document a high- frequency (10 4 −10 5 yr) fluctuation between arid times of loess accumulation and slightly wetter times of reduced silt influx and resultant pedogenesis. This fluctuation likely reflects glacial-interglacial climate shifts that operated in low-latitude Pangea during icehouse conditions. These results suggest that climate-related magnetic susceptibility variations within loess successions can be preserved and useful in very ancient (pre– Pliocene–Pleistocene) sequences.
A numerical and experimental study of coaxial jets

An algebraic stress model and the standard k-epsilon model is applied to predict the mean and turbulence quantities for axisymmetric, nonswirling coaxial jets without confinement. To investigate the effects of numerical (false) diffusion on the predicted results, three different discretization schemes, namely, hybrid, power-law, and the flux-spline, are employed. In addition, an experimental study is conducted to provide data of good quality, especially near the inlet, for model assessment. The results show that the use of the algebraic stress model leads to better agreement between the numerical results and experimental data.
Controls on Natural Nitrogen-15 and Carbon-13 Abundances in Forest Soil Organic Matter

We used δ 15 N and δ 13 C measurements to study formation and decay of soil organic matter in surface soils of two oak (Quercus spp.) forests in Wisconsin. There were two controls of soil isotopic compositions: new litter inputs and overall isotopic fractionation during decomposition. Litter inputs lowered soil δ 15 N and δ 13 C values while decomposition increased δ 15 N and δ 13 C values. Leaf and root litter inputs averaged −3.8 and −1.6‰ δ 15 N and −27.3 and −28.2‰ δ 13 C, respectively. Field experiments showed that low surface soil δ 15 N and δ 13 C values resulted when litter inputs were high. Laboratory experiments showed that overall isotopic fractionation during decomposition left residual soil N and C enriched in 15 N and 13 C, and could explain the high δ 15 N and δ 13 C values observed in deeper forest soils (+5.9‰ δ 15 N and −23.6‰ δ 13 C for 10 to 20 cm soils)
Impurity effects in transition metal silicides

Impurities can affect the properties of silicides directly by virtue of their presence. Impurities can also influence the processes by which silicides are formed. The effect of impurities on the reaction of transition metal films with a silicon substrate induced by thermal annealing are well documented. The interpretation of these results is discussed. It is shown that impurity redistribution is a major factor in determining how significant the effect of an impurity is. Redistribution observed for dopant impurities is also discussed.
Growth and server availability of the NCSTRL digital library

This paper reports on measurements of the NCSTRL digital library taken over a two-year period. We report the growth of the system along two dimensions: number of participating institutions and number of documents indexed by the system. We also report an aspect of reliability for this distributed digital library system.
Discussion: “Turbidites and turbidity currents from Alpine ‘flysch’ to the exploration of continental margins” by Mutti et al. (2009), Sedimentology, 56, 267–318

In a recent review article, Mutti et al. (2009) have discussed their views on turbidites and related models. I have been an ardent critic of these ‘turbidite’ concepts and models during the past 25 years (Shanmugam, 2006, 2008, 2009). However, the sole purpose of this Discussion is to set the record straight concerning some statements that have been made by Mutti et al. regarding my failure to give the due credit to the original ‘turbidite’ concepts of Sanders (1965). For example, Mutti et al. (2009) stated that: ‘‘It seems appropriate to mention briefly, at this point, the considerable confusion added to turbidite facies analysis by a number of papers by Shanmugam (2000a, 2003), for example. This author at first tried to deny the turbidite origin of the coarse-grained divisions observed in many turbidite beds, typified by the ‘a’ division of the Bouma sequence, by advocating sandy debris flows for their transport and deposition – essentially a revival of the discussion put forward by Sanders (1965) without making due reference to it’’. This is a serious charge, which implies plagiarism on my part. Therefore, it is imperative that I set the record straight. The fact is that I have been an avid advocate of Sanders’ concepts in my lectures and printed publications. For example: