cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Motility and adhesion through type IV pili in Gram-positive bacteria

Type IV pili are hair-like bacterial surface appendages that play a role in diverse processes such as cellular adhesion, colonization, twitching motility, biofilm formation, and horizontal gene transfer. These extracellular fibers are composed exclusively or primarily of many copies of one or more pilin proteins, tightly packed in a helix so that the highly hydrophobic amino-terminus of the pilin is buried in the pilus core. Type IV pili have been characterized extensively in Gram-negative bacteria, and recent advances in high-throughput genomic sequencing have revealed that they are also widespread in Gram-positive bacteria. Here, we review the current state of knowledge of type IV pilus systems in Gram-positive bacterial species and discuss them in the broader context of eubacterial type IV pili.
General Principles of Surgery

Peripheral Ulcerative Keratitis (PUK) resulting from a myriad of conditions is extremely challenging to manage. Patients have to be co-managed with internal physicians and care has to be individualized. Management aims to firstly establish the diagnosis and underlying cause of the PUK, and to commence both local and systemic therapies when appropriate. The role of the Ophthalmologist is to manage the primary disease, monitor for complications and intervene surgically if necessary. With advancements in surgical techniques and better knowledge of the disease, earlier interventions have a role in curbing the disease process and reducing morbidity. Surgical interventions are not only useful in the active, progressive phase of the disease when conservative measures fail, but also play an important role in visual rehabilitation of the patient. This chapter aims to explore the various available surgical approaches to management of PUK, principles of surgical management and our technique of choice in management of these complex cases. We will illustrate with two case examples, the use of tectonic, C-shaped lamellar corneal grafts, and the appropriate postoperative management of the patient.
Socialization, selection, or both? The role of gene-environment interplay in the association between exposure to antisocial peers and delinquency

To better explain the near-universal association between peer and self-reported delinquency, three frameworks have been offered and have received varying degrees of support: (1) socialization or the social transmission of norms, attitudes, and behaviors among group members; (2) selection or the congregation of youth with similar traits and predispositions; and (3) enhancement or a combination of socialization and selection processes. Making use of sibling pairs and peer network data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, the current study compares all three frameworks using modified bivariate Cholesky models to simultaneously examine gene-environment correlations (rGE) and interactions (G × E). Findings revealed that peer deviance (as reported by peers themselves) moderated underlying influences on delinquency such that genetic influences decreased and environmental influences increased as peer deviance increased. While previous studies have reported additional patterns of moderation (e.g., increases in both genetic and environmental influences), such studies have relied on subjective measures of peer behavior, more restrictive measures of delinquency, and samples comprised of young children. The results revealed preliminary evidence in favor of the selection hypothesis, but the overall patterns of moderation stemming from the examined G × E fall in line more closely with the enhancement hypothesis of peer influence.
The direct connection of electronic components to power distribution primaries

Power electronic devices are finding increasing applications in the control, instrumentation, and switching in electric power distribution systems. Applications include solid state transformers and solid state fault interruption devices. Some of these devices may be connected directly to the distribution primaries (typically in the 15 kV class). This paper addresses the concerns related to the direct galvanic (ohmic) connection of solid state components directly to the distribution primaries. The focus of the paper is on the basic impulse insulation level (also known as the lightning impulse withstand level). The application of the International Electrotechnical Commission standard 60071 is discussed. Some results of impulse testing of distribution system components, based on applications in the Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery and Management Engineering Research Center (FREEDM), are reported.
Medicaid Coverage for Family Planning - Can the Courts Stop the States from Excluding Planned Parenthood?

A federal appeals court has decided a case involving Arkansas’ efforts to exclude Planned Parenthood from its Medicaid program, ruling that courts cannot intervene to halt injuries to beneficiaries...
The Chaplain as the Mediator Between the Patient and the Interdisciplinary Team in Ethical Decision Making: A Chaplaincy Case Study Involving a Quadriplegic Patient

Patients who have life changing injuries may have repeated hospitalizations. Because staff often change it may be difficult for these patients to build trusting relationships with care team members. This can cause problems when the patient faces difficult ethical decisions. The chaplain is sometimes in a unique position to build trust with the patient and to help the patient use spirituality and a sense of values in making these decisions. The following case study demonstrates this with “Wayne”, a spinal cord injury patient in his early twenties. Because of Wayne’s relationship with me as I visited with him over multiple admissions, as his chaplain, I was able to mediate between Wayne and the treatment team when he faced with an ethical decision.
HIV-2 Neurological Manifestations

One of the most underappreciated aspects of retroviral infection has been the serious neurological complications that commonly occur. In the case of HIV-1, it is known that shortly after infection, the virus enters the nervous system and can be recovered from it at almost any time during the ongoing years of infection. As immune dysfunction develops, there is increasing prevalence of both neurocognitive decline and peripheral neuropathy. Furthermore, opportunistic neurological conditions such as cryptococcal meningitis, toxoplasmic encephalitis, cytomegalovirus encephalitis, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, and primary CNS lymphoma develop as immunodeficiency emerges. The neurological complications, both central cognitive and peripheral nerve system related, are believed to be driven by the HIV virus itself but mediated through inflammatory responses and viral protein toxicities. While the severity of these problems has been attenuated by the development of effective antiretroviral therapy, the problems persist even in optimally treated patients. Thus, current HIV-1 patients are known to have ongoing neurocognitive impairment and peripheral neuropathy, which become clinically significant and especially concerning as patients age. Much less is known about the parallel situation with HIV-2 which is endemic inWest Africa and seen in populations emerging from West Africa.
Trajectories of Global Self-Worth in Adolescents with ADHD: Associations with Academic, Emotional, and Social Outcomes

Resilience models suggest that there are likely to be multiple trajectories of self-worth and that despite experiencing impairment, some youth with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may maintain a positive self-worth, which could buffer them against negative outcomes. The present study used a cohort-sequential longitudinal design to evaluate developmental trajectories of global self-worth in a sample of 324 middle-school-age adolescents (71% male) diagnosed with ADHD between ages 11 and 14 in predicting outcomes at age 15. Sex, medication status, and ADHD/oppositional defiant disorder symptom severity were included as covariates in the models. Using growth mixture modeling, 3 distinct self-worth trajectory groups were identified: (a) high and increasing (44.4% of participants), (b) moderate and decreasing (48.8%), and (c) low and decreasing (6.8%). Participants with high and increasing global self-worth were less likely to exhibit co-occurring depressive symptoms and had better social functioning and higher grades at age 15 relative to those in either decreasing trajectory. Implications of these findings for monitoring and supporting positive global self-worth for adolescents with ADHD are discussed.
The gene conferring susceptibility to spot blotch caused by Cochliobolus sativus is located at the Mla locus in barley cultivar Bowman

We identified, fine mapped, and physically anchored a dominant spot blotch susceptibility gene Scs6 to a 125 kb genomic region containing the Mla locus on barley chromosome 1H. Spot blotch caused by Cochliobolus sativus is an important disease of barley, but the molecular mechanisms underlying resistance and susceptibility to the disease are not well understood. In this study, we identified and mapped a gene conferring susceptibility to spot blotch caused by the pathotype 2 isolate (ND90Pr) of C. sativus in barley cultivar Bowman. Genetic analysis of F1 and F2 progeny as well as F3 families from a cross between Bowman and ND 5883 indicated that a single dominant gene (designated as Scs6) conferred spot blotch susceptibility in Bowman. Using a doubled haploid (DH) population derived from a cross between Calicuchima-sib (resistant) and Bowman-BC (susceptible), we confirmed that Scs6, contributed by Bowman-BC, was localized at the same locus as the previously identified spot blotch resistance allele Rcs6, which was contributed by Calicuchima-sib and mapped on the short arm of chromosome 1H. Using a genome-wide putative linear gene index of barley (Genome Zipper), 13 cleaved amplified polymorphism markers were developed from 11 flcDNA and two EST sequences and mapped to the Scs6/Rcs6 region on a linkage map constructed with the DH population. Further fine mapping with markers developed from barley genome sequences and F2 recombinants derived from Bowman × ND 5883 and Bowman × ND B112 crosses delimited Scs6 in a 125 kb genomic interval harboring the Mla locus on the reference genome of barley cv. Morex. This study provides a foundational step for further cloning of Scs6 using a map-based approach.
Dynamic connectivity and the effects of maturation in youth with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

The analysis of time-varying connectivity by using functional MRI has gained momentum given its ability to complement traditional static methods by capturing additional patterns of variation in human brain function. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a complex, common developmental neuropsychiatric disorder associated with heterogeneous connectivity differences that are challenging to disambiguate. However, dynamic connectivity has not been examined in ADHD, and surprisingly few whole-brain analyses of static functional network connectivity (FNC) using independent component analysis (ICA) exist. We present the first analyses of time-varying connectivity and whole-brain FNC using ICA in ADHD, introducing a novel framework for comparing local and global dynamic connectivity in a 44-network model. We demonstrate that dynamic connectivity analysis captures robust motifs associated with group effects consequent on the diagnosis of ADHD, implicating increased global dynamic range, but reduced fluidity and range localized to the default mode network system. These differentiate ADHD from other major neuropsychiatric disorders of development. In contrast, static FNC based on a whole-brain ICA decomposition revealed solely age effects, without evidence of group differences. Our analysis advances current methods in time-varying connectivity analysis, providing a structured example of integrating static and dynamic connectivity analysis to further investigation into functional brain differences during development.
Experimental Status of Hidden Variable Theories

The founders of quantum mechanics did not all agree that the new theory was the most complete possible description of the state of a physical system. The idea that the wave function represented a set of probability amplitudes which were acausally replaced by a single outcome as a result of a ‘measurement’ was resisted by many, most notably de Broglie and Einstein. One of the early attempts to provide a deterministic description of the behavior of individual systems by the introduction of new dynamical variables was de Broglie’s 1927 “theory of the double solution,” [1] which he soon abandoned in the face of much skepticism and a seemingly convincing proof by von Neumann [2] that no deterministic extension of quantum mechanics via the introduction of hidden variables was possible. A quarter of a century later, however, he re-examined the arguments of the probabilists and found them wanting. In 1953 de Broglie wrote [3] Von Neumann’s proof apparently forbids all interpretations of probability distributions in wave mechanics by means of a causal theory with hidden parameters. Now, the theories of the double solution and of the pilot wave, though unproved, nevertheless exist, and one might well wonder how their existence can be reconciled with von Neumann’s theory. Had he been writing in 1967, he could have added the work of Bohm and Bub [4] and of Wiener and Siegel [5] to the list of constructive hidden variables theories, and the theorems of Jauch and Piron [6], Gleason [7] and Kochen and Specker [8] to the mounting pile of proofs of the impossibility of hidden variables [9].
Blue genes and the mechanism of action of antidepressants.

Issue: Antidepressants may work by triggering a molecular cascade starting with the interaction of monoamines with their receptors and culminating in the up- and down-regulation of critical genes. Neurotransmitter receptor synthesis may be decreased, whereas neurotrophic factors such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor may be increased, leading to an antidepressant response.
Chapter 8 – Some Graphics Packages

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses several of the graphics packages available with Mathematica. Loading Graphics. m enables the user to take advantage of several commands that will improve the graphing capabilities previously available. The first command, PolarPlot, allows for the graphing of functions given in polar coordinates (r, θ). Bar graphs can be drawn using Graphics .m with BarChart [list]. For each number in list, Mathematica draws a rectangle of that height. These rectangles are drawn in order from left to right. The position of the element is given beneath each rectangle. Resizing is accomplished by clicking once anywhere inside the graphics cell. This encloses the graph in a box. If the cursor is moved to the lower right-hand corner and dragged, the graph can be enlarged to the desired size.
Measuring and Modeling Language Change

This tutorial is designed to help researchers answer the following sorts of questions: - Are people happier on the weekend? - What was 1861’s word of the year? - Are Democrats and Republicans more different than ever? - When did “gay” stop meaning “happy”? - Are gender stereotypes getting weaker, stronger, or just different? - Who is a linguistic leader? - How can we get internet users to be more polite and objective? Such questions are fundamental to the social sciences and humanities, and scholars in these disciplines are increasingly turning to computational techniques for answers. Meanwhile, the ACL community is increasingly engaged with data that varies across time, and with the social insights that can be offered by analyzing temporal patterns and trends. The purpose of this tutorial is to facilitate this convergence in two main ways: 1. By synthesizing recent computational techniques for handling and modeling temporal data, such as dynamic word embeddings, the tutorial will provide a starting point for future computational research. It will also identify useful tools for social scientists and digital humanities scholars. 2. The tutorial will provide an overview of techniques and datasets from the quantitative social sciences and the digital humanities, which are not well-known in the computational linguistics community. These techniques include vector autoregressive models, multiple comparisons corrections for hypothesis testing, and causal inference. Datasets include historical newspaper archives and corpora of contemporary political speech.
Analysis of three pitch-shifting algorithms for different musical instruments

Pitch-shifting is a process where the original pitch of the sound is increased or decreased without affecting the length of the sound clip being recorded. Pitch shifters are being embedded in most of the audio processors. They are used to generate desired audio effects while recording sounds and music. Some of the notable uses of pitch shifters are in cartoons and entertainment industry for producing very distinct and unique voice, electronic music to generate melodies, metallic music to generate unnatural sound effects, and so on. However, one of the major problems of the pitch shifting algorithms is that there is not a sole algorithm, which can deal efficiently with all types of music and sounds. Here, we are evaluating the performance of three different pitch-shifting algorithms: pitch shifting via phase vocoder using phase locking, PitchshiftOcean, and pitch shifting via TSM using WSOLA for five musical instruments including guitar, piano, violin, drum, and flute. The objective of this work is to define the changes in some of the spectral and time-domain characteristics of musical instruments because of the pitch-shifting process.
The Roles Bots Play in Wikipedia

Bots are playing an increasingly important role in the creation of knowledge in Wikipedia. In many cases, editors and bots form tightly knit teams. Humans develop bots, argue for their approval, and maintain them, performing tasks such as monitoring activity, merging similar bots, splitting complex bots, and turning off malfunctioning bots. Yet this is not the entire picture. Bots are designed to perform certain functions and can acquire new functionality over time. They play particular roles in the editing process. Understanding these roles is an important step towards understanding the ecosystem, and designing better bots and interfaces between bots and humans. This is important for understanding Wikipedia along with other kinds of work in which autonomous machines affect tasks performed by humans. In this study, we use unsupervised learning to build a nine category taxonomy of bots based on their functions in English Wikipedia. We then build a multi-class classifier to classify 1,601 bots based on labeled data. We discuss different bot activities, including their edit frequency, their working spaces, and their software evolution. We use a model to investigate how bots playing certain roles will have differential effects on human editors. In particular, we build on previous research on newcomers by studying the relationship between the roles bots play, the interactions they have with newcomers, and the ensuing survival rate of the newcomers.
Moving Away from Lecture in Undergraduate Mathematics: Managing Tensions within a Coordinated Inquiry-Based Linear Algebra Course.

This study describes how nine university professors managed their teaching when a shift from lecturing to inquiry-based learning was mandated in a large enrollment course, linear algebra for math majors. We describe the tensions that emerged and how they were resolved, in part via the production of worksheets that were used in teaching. We describe the way in which professional obligations towards the discipline and towards the institution shaped the tensions and the ways in which they were resolved by this group of faculty. We offer a conceptualization of the enactment of instruction that was prompted by the study and implications for continued investigation of change strategies in undergraduate mathematics.
Investigating Fashion Leaders and Non-Fashion Leaders Perception toward Trade-Offs in Eco-Friendly Clothing

Our purpose is to extend Hyun and Kim (2018) and Hyun et al. (2019) by investigating how fashion leaders and non-leaders respond to trade-offs between price and eco-friendliness. Specifically, extending upon the results from Hyunet al.’s (2019) pretest, we tested price as an independent construct that is separate from either utilitarian or hedonic attributes.
Surface stability of perovskite oxides under OER operating conditions: a first principles approach

The activity-stability conundrum has long been the Achilles' heel in the design of catalysts, in particular, for electrochemical reactions such as water splitting. Here, we use ab initio thermodynamics to delineate the surface stoichiometry of a group of perovskite oxides with different activities towards the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), in order to get a measure of their stability under OER operating conditions. In particular, we compare the surface stability of SrIrO3, SrRuO3 and SrTiO3, establishing atomistic insights into the stability and dissolution of these oxide surfaces.
Health sciences library leadership skills in an interprofessional landscape: a review and textual analysis

Academic medical libraries sit at the crossroads of the complex landscape of the health sciences. Medical librarians in these environments must navigate and lead endeavors and services that involve many professions. In addition to being excellent leaders in their own professions, medical librarians must also improve their skills in leading in an interprofessional context by informing themselves of the qualities and skills valued in connected professions. In this project, the authors set out to understand leadership principles from three professions closely affiliated with medical librarianship to identify a core interdisciplinary leadership skill set. To do so, we conducted a mapping review of the existing literature from the last five years around leadership in academic medicine, academic nursing, hospital administration, and medical librarianship to identify core leadership skills across the disciplines and discover potential differences. We used text analysis and descriptive analysis to extract skills that were mentioned and uncover trends in the identified literature. Modern medical librarians must extend their leadership beyond the internal library setting, particularly as they become more involved with connecting and collaborating with leaders across disciplines. To successfully navigate such an interdisciplinary landscape and enhance the impact of the library in the broader organization, it is important to have the skills and vocabulary of leadership across the various professions.
Does Patient Race Affect Physical Therapy Treatment Recommendations

Racial disparities in the medical treatment of adults with arthritis are well-documented. Disparities with physical therapy treatment have yet to be thoroughly evaluated. To investigate the association of patient’s race with physical therapy treatment recommendations for patients with arthritis. Online survey. Physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, student physical therapists, and student physical therapist assistants within a Southern California county completed an online survey that presented a case vignette with a randomly assigned photograph of a White or Black woman. Recommendations for the plan of care included frequency of visits and number of exercises in the home exercise program (HEP), referrals to other healthcare professionals, and explicit ranking of how patient characteristics impacted the treatment planning were compared between respondents who viewed the Black or White patient. Eighty-three participants completed the survey, and all participants reported that the patient was appropriate for physical therapy. Most participants (66.3%) reported that they would recommend a frequency of therapy of 2–3 times weekly. All participants recommended including a HEP. There were no statistically significant differences by patient race in recommendations for treatment frequency or referrals to other healthcare team members. HEP prescription was a median of four exercises, but participants who viewed the Black patient were more likely to recommend fewer exercises than those who viewed the White patient (p = 0.03). Explicitly, 96.1% of participants reported that race did not impact their treatment recommendations. In most aspects of treatment planning, the patient’s race did not impact recommendations by physical therapy professionals. The lower exercise prescription assigned to the Black patient may represent a disparity that merits further attention.
Severe skeletal deformity following post-traumatic condylar resorption: A case report

Abstract We present the unique case and treatment of condylar resorption of the temporomandibular joint due to childhood physical trauma in a 38-year-old woman. The patient suffered mandibular trauma as a child, developing severe facial skeletal deformities that caused significant esthetic and functional deficiencies. This case demonstrates that hemimandibular hypoplasia and condylar resorption in the setting of past trauma can be successfully treated with a LeFort 1 osteotomy, sagittal split mandibular osteotomy, inverted L mandibular osteotomy, genioplasty, and an anterior iliac crest bone graft without any significant complications or need for total joint replacement, resulting in substantial improvement in occlusion and facial symmetry.
Apolipoprotein E and Alzheimer's disease

Abstract Genetic variation in apolipoprotein E (APOE) influences Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk. APOE e4 alleles are the strongest genetic risk factor for late onset sporadic AD. The AD risk is dose dependent, as those carrying one APOE e4 allele have a 2–3-fold increased risk, while those carrying two e4 alleles have a 10–15-fold increased risk. Individuals carrying APOE e2 alleles have lower AD risk and those carrying APOE e3 alleles have neutral risk. APOE is a lipoprotein which functions in lipid transport, metabolism, and inflammatory modulation. Isoform specific effects of APOE within the brain include alterations to Aβ, tau, neuroinflammation, and metabolism. Here we review the association of APOE with AD, the APOE isoform specific effects within brain and periphery, and potential therapeutics.
Role of senescence in the chronic health consequences of COVID-19

While the full impact of COVID-19 is not yet clear, early studies have indicated that upwards of 10% of patients experience COVID-19 symptoms longer than 3 weeks, known as Long-Hauler's Syndrome or PACS (post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection). There is little known about risk factors or predictors of susceptibility for Long-Hauler's Syndrome, but older adults are at greater risk for severe outcomes and mortality from COVID-19. The pillars of aging (including cellular senescence, telomere dysfunction, impaired proteostasis, mitochondrial dysfunction, deregulated nutrient sensing, genomic instability, progenitor cell exhaustion, altered intercellular communication, and epigenetic alterations) that contribute to age-related dysfunction and chronic diseases (the "Geroscience Hypothesis") may interfere with defenses against viral infection and consequences of these infections. Heightening of the low-grade inflammation that is associated with aging may generate an exaggerated response to an acute COVID-19 infection. Innate immune system dysfunction that leads to decreased senescent cell removal and/or increased senescent cell formation could contribute to accumulation of senescent cells with both aging and viral infections. These processes may contribute to increased risk for long-term COVID-19 sequelae in older or chronically ill patients. Hence, senolytics and other geroscience interventions that may prolong healthspan and alleviate chronic diseases and multi-morbidity linked to fundamental aging processes might be an option for delaying, preventing, or alleviating Long-Hauler's syndrome.
Introduction: The Babel of Criticism

A philosophical novelist or dramatist poses a special problem to literary criticism. Can the critic be accurate enough from the philosophical point of view and still remain faithful in his description of the artistic achievements of his author? The answer, of course, is, “That all depends upon the author and the critic.”
Isolation of Rhizobium meliloti nod Gene Inducers from Alfalfa Rhizosphere Soil.

Methanolic extracts of alfalfa rhizosphere soil induce more nod gene transcription in Rhizobium meliloti than extracts of nonrhizosphere soil. Six peaks of nod-inducing activity were separated by high-performance liquid chromatography from rhizosphere soil extract, and one compound was identified by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectrometry, and UV-visible spectra as a formononetin-7-O-glycoside that activates both NodD1 and NodD2 proteins. The unanticipated presence of a glycoside in rhizosphere soil suggests either that large amounts of the glycoside were exuded by roots or that some glycosides are unexpectedly stable in soil.
Aquaporin-2 interactome in rat inner medullary collecting duct (1137.5)

Vasopressin regulates membrane trafficking of the water channel aquaporin-2 (AQP2). We ran LC-MS/MS analysis to identify AQP2 interacting proteins in native IMCD cells. Freshly isolated rat IMCD suspensions were treated with a vasopressin analog (dDAVP) or vehicle followed by in-cell crosslinking using a homobifunctional crosslinker BSOCOES, detergent solubilization, AQP2 immunoprecipitation, SDS-PAGE separation, and quantitative mass spectrometry of trypsin digests of gel pieces. The peptides passing stringent spectral quality thresholds were quantified (label-free) to identify those with high signal:noise (AQP2 antibody/preimmune IgG > 4). The overall analysis identified a total of 89 replicable AQP2-interacting proteins distributed throughout several cellular compartments (based on Gene Ontology analysis). 76 were found in dDAVP-treated samples and 66 in vehicle-treated samples (overlap 53). 16 have previously been found to undergo changes in phosphorylation in response to vasopressin including protein...
Nature of φX174 Linear DNA from a DNA Ligase-Defective Host

Linear DNAs have been prepared from {varphi}X phage and from {varphi}X RF II (double-stranded circular form of {varphi}X DNA, formed during infection and nicked in one or both strands) molecules derived from infection at the restrictive temperature of Escherichia coli ts7, a host mutant with a temperature-sensitive DNA ligase activity. The linear DNA from these phages can be circularized by annealing with fragments of {varphi}X RF DNA produced by the Haemophilus influenzae restriction nuclease. The circularization experiment indicated that the site of breakage of the linear phage DNAs is not unique nor confined to a particular region of the genome. These linear DNAs were less than 0.1% as infective as circular phage DNA. The linear, positive strand of late RF II DNA, however, is uniquely nicked in the region of the {varphi}X genome corresponding to cistron A. Although a low level of infectivity is associated with the linear DNA derived from late RF II, this infectivity appears to be a result of the association of linear positive and linear negative strands during the infectivity assay.
Advances in Flowering Plant Evolution

Flowering plants are the most important plants in the terrestrial ecosystem at most latitudes and altitudes and they are of direct and critical economic importance to our society in many dimensions. They are the most variable seed plants in terms of morphological characteristics and habit and are the most diverse of all plants. It is no surprise that they have been the objects of a great deal of attention from the research community. What is surprising is the scale of the uncertainty surrounding our basic knowledge of angiosperms. Angiosperm relationships are only now being resolved through the application of various algorithms to the combination of molecular genetics-derived data and morphological data. Yet the relationship of the angiosperms themselves to nonangiospermous seed plants, or understanding the origin of this major group, still remains a hotly contested mystery and explanations for the relative and stunning success of the angiosperms are still being debated. Even precise knowledge of timing in the history of angiosperms is unsettled due to conflicts between timing implied by existing fossil evidence and timing suggested from extrapolations from molecular clock timing models. Finally, questions remain as to the causes of the remarkable success of angiosperms relative to all other plants and seed plants in species numbers and ecological dominance. Recent advances provide insights into some of these persistent questions, whereas others remain unresolved in spite of advances in investigatory techniques now being applied to them. Key Concepts: The importance of an improved fossil record in understanding angiosperm evolution is considered with respect to angiosperm origins and success. The importance of new algorithms in reducing the level of subjectivity in assessments of flowering plant relationships is discussed. This article contains an appraisal of angiosperm aspects that might be related to their successful species diversity. The idea of inevitable subjectivity in attempts to determine angiosperm relationships based on morphological characters is discussed. Historical development of views on angiosperm relationships is considered in this article. Keywords: flowering plants; algorithm; molecular genetics; objectivity; abominable mystery
Of red roofs and hunting horns: Mendelssohn's song aesthetic, with an unpublished cycle (1830)

Despite considerable progress in many areas of Mendelssohn research in recent decades, his approximately 135 solo songs still require a reappraisal. To date, the relatively few studies that have considered the songs either have approached them from the perspective of the highly dramatic song aesthetic cultivated by Schubert, Schumann, and most composers of the later nineteenth century, or have considered them purely in terms of musical style, treating them as modestly romanticized extensions of the song aesthetic of the so-called Second Berlin School (most prominently represented by Mendelssohn's teachers Carl Friedrich Zelter and Ludwig Berger). However, the determining factor for both Mendelssohn's song aesthetic and the later reception of his songs was neither an inherently nondramatic approach to the genre nor a historically outmoded musical aesthetic. It was, rather, a profound skepticism regarding the communicative abilities of verbal language and the firm belief in music's ability to communicate in...
Social sensitivity and classroom team projects: an empirical investigation

Team work is the norm in major development projects and industry is continually striving to improve team effectiveness. Researchers have established that teams with high levels of social sensitivity tend to perform well when completing a variety of specific collaborative tasks. Social sensitivity is the personal ability to perceive, understand, and respect the feelings and viewpoints of others, and it is reliably measurable. However, the tasks in recent research have been primarily short term, requiring only hours to finish, whereas major project teams work together for longer durations and on complex tasks. Our claim is that, social sensitivity can be a key component in predicting the performance of teams that carry out major projects. Our goal is to determine if previous research, which was not focused on students or professionals in scientific or technical fields, is germane for people in computing disciplines. This paper reports the results from an empirical study that investigates whether social sensitivity is correlated with the performance of student teams on large semester-long projects. The overall result supports our claim that the team social sensitivity is highly correlated with successful team performance. It suggests, therefore, that educators in computer-related disciplines, as well as computer professionals in the workforce, should take the concept of social sensitivity seriously as an aid or obstacle to productivity.
GaSb-based laser diodes operating within spectral range of 2 – 3.5 µm

We present the performance parameters of GaSb-based diode lasers operating in spectral region from 2 to 3.36µm. CW output power levels of 120mW at 3µm, 60mW at 3.1µm, and 15mW at 3.36µm (285K) are reported.
Isolation and characterization of a lysine-sensitive aspartokinase from a multicellular plant.

Abstract The first characterization of an aspartokinase derived from a multicellular plant is described. The enzyme was reproducibly isolated and partially purified from etiolated shoots of Zea mays . Activity was dependent upon ATP, aspartate, Mg++ or Mn++, and enzyme concentration. β -aspartyl phosphate was demonstrated to be a product of the reaction. The plant aspartokinase exhibits a complex relationship between activity and aspartate concentration and is unusually sensitive to inhibition by lysine. An apparent Ki for lysine of 29 uM was estimated. Lysine maximally inhibited enzyme activity 80 to 85% and threonine reduced the activity by 10 to 20%. Several other amino acids, including leucine and methionine, had no apparent effect on the enzyme, whereas a lanine, valine and isoleucine activated the enzyme. Lysine also inhibited the activated form of the enzyme.
Electronically monitored adherence in outpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder: a comparison of first- vs. second-generation antipsychotics.

Abstract Objective To examine the effect of first- vs. second-generation antipsychotics on electronically monitored adherence in outpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Method The sample consisted of 61 outpatients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who took either a first-generation (N = 25) or second-generation (N = 36) oral antipsychotic during study participation. Treatment group designation (first-vs. second-generation antipsychotic) was based on the particular antipsychotic medication the patient was receiving as part of routine care at study entry (i.e., non-random assignment). Adherence to prescribed antipsychotic medication was assessed monthly over a 6-month study period using electronic monitoring (EM) of medication bottle opening. Various participant characteristics were collected at baseline to test for group differences and for potential associations with prospectively measured adherence. The primary data analysis was a mixed-model analysis of repeated measures. Results The analysis of EM adherence revealed no significant difference between those taking first-generation (6-month adjusted mean adherence = 64.35%) and second-generation antipsychotics (6-month adjusted mean adherence = 69.17%; Group effect, p = .29) and no significant Group X Period interaction (p = .13). Conclusion There was no statistical difference in EM adherence, over a 6-month period, between patients taking first- and second-generation antipsychotics. However, since the patients were not randomized, conclusions must be interpreted within the context of the quasi-experimental design used in the current study.
Models, Attention, and Awareness in SLA: A Response to Simard and Wong's "Alertness, Orientation, and Detection: The Conceptualization of Attentional Functions in SLA" (SSLA, 23, 103-124)

Simard and Wong (2001) raise serious concerns about the theoretical and empirical (Leow, 1998b) aspects of Tomlin and Villa's (1994) model, which postulates a fine-grained analysis of attention for SLA and the prediction that awareness at the level of detection is not crucial for further processing of second or foreign language (L2) data. According to Simard and Wong, Tomlin and Villa's frequently cited model has provided the “theoretical motivation for recent studies of input enhancement and especially of textual enhancement in SLA” (p. 104), an impact that needs to be viewed with caution (p. 105). To motivate their critique of Tomlin and Villa's model, the authors repeatedly question the validity of basing their model on “findings from the research contexts of psychology and neuroscience” (p. 105) and, in turn, put forward suggestions for a model of attention that they claim would better reflect the complex nature of SLA as well as suggestions for “new” research orientations relating to attention and awareness in SLA.
Phase equilibria in the Cs-Cr-O system

Abstract Phase and thermodynamic data have been used to construct a self-consistent Cs-Cr-O phase diagram. The cesium chromate which probably forms on the cladding inner surface in uranium—plutonium oxide fast reactor fuel pins is Cs 3 CrO 4 .
Rate-Dependent Variation in the Duration of the QRS Complex with Left Anterior Fascicular Block

The case of a 67-year-old man with combined ischemic and valvular heart disease is presented. Electrocardiographic abnormalities included left anterior fascicular block with a variable duration of the QRS complex. The width of the QRS complex was dependent on the length of the cycle, being broader with short than with long preceding R-R intervals. This is interpreted as a tachycardia-dependent focal block coexisting with a fixed delay in fascicular conduction.
David Tudor as Composer/Performer in Cage's Variations II

Understanding David Tudor's transition from performer to composer is critical to understanding his life and work. This task is made more complex, however, by the nature of Tudor's work as a performer. Because he specialized in the realization of indeterminate scores and entered into such close collaboration with avant-garde composers, the distinction between performer and composer is often unclear in Tudor's performances. The author discusses Tudor's realization of John Cage's Variations II as a case study in identifying the overlapping of performer and composer roles, both within this specific realization and within the context of Tudor's history. Because this realization has much more in common with Tudor's own compositions than with Cage's musical ideas, it can be considered more a composition by David Tudor than a composition by John Cage.
Binding and Electron Transfer between Putidaredoxin and Cytochrome P450cam. Theory and Experiments

We present a detailed atomic level view of the interactions between cytochrome P450cam (CYP101) and its natural redox partner, putidaredoxin (Pdx). A combined theoretical (Poisson−Boltzmann electrostatic calculations, electron transfer pathways, and molecular dynamics) and experimental (site-directed mutagenesis and kinetic analysis) study is used to pinpoint surface residues in both proteins that are important for electron transfer, binding, or both. We find a situation where the electrostatically complementary regions at the surface of both proteins overlap strongly with regions that have large electron transfer couplings to the redox centers. This means that a small surface patch in each protein is involved in binding and electron transfer. A dominant electron transfer pathway is identified, corresponding to an electron leaving the reduced Fe2S2 in Pdx, going through Cys39 and Asp38, and transferring across the interprotein interface to Arg112 (CYP101), then to a heme propionate group, and finally to t...
B physics on the lattice

Abstract Theoretical developments within the m Q → ∞ limit of QCD and their applications to B physics are reviewed. Effective actions, symmetry relations and perturbative matchings are discusssed of the continuum and lattice theories. An analysis of recent lattice results which emphasizes the situation for f B is presented.
Life history characteristics of Aphidius transcaspicus, a parasitoid of mealy aphids (Hyalopterus species).

Abstract Aphidius transcaspicus Telenga (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) is a solitary koinobiont endoparasitoid that has been selected for use as a biological control agent against the mealy plum aphid Hyalopterus pruni (Geoffroy) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in prune orchards in California. Using the alternative host Aphis fabae Scopoli (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on the host plant Vicia faba L., we determined the adult longevity and fecundity, and progeny development time and sex ratio of A. transcaspicus. Mated female parasitoids were given new, individually-enclosed, host-infested bean plants each day of her adult life. Mummified hosts were monitored daily for adult progeny emergence. Adult lifespan of parent females averaged 6.67 ± 0.56 days, and mean lifetime mummy production was 196.1 ± 19.9 per female. There was a significant linear relationship between total mummy production and both adult female weight at eclosion and adult female longevity. Mean development time of progeny was 13.3 ± 0.1 days, and varied significantly with sex and parent female age. Overall, 74% of parasitoid mummies survived to adult eclosion, but survival decreased with parent age. Lifetime sex ratio was 0.53 female, and sex ratios declined with female age. The intrinsic rate of natural increase was estimated to be 0.21, with net reproductive rate of 31.10, and mean generation time of 16.35 days.
Generalized gas-solid adsorption modeling: Single-component equilibria

Abstract Over the last several decades, modeling of gas–solid adsorption at equilibrium has generally been accomplished through the use of isotherms such as the Freundlich, Langmuir, Toth, and other similar models. While these models are relatively easy to adapt for describing experimental data, their simplicity limits their generality to be used with many different sets of data. This limitation forces engineers and scientists to test each different model in order to evaluate which one can best describe their data. Additionally, the parameters of these models all have a different physical interpretation, which may have an effect on how they can be further extended into kinetic, thermodynamic, and/or mass transfer models for engineering applications. Therefore, it is paramount to adopt not only a more general isotherm model, but also a concise methodology to reliably optimize for and obtain the parameters of that model. A model of particular interest is the Generalized Statistical Thermodynamic Adsorption (GSTA) isotherm. The GSTA isotherm has enormous flexibility, which could potentially be used to describe a variety of different adsorption systems, but utilizing this model can be fairly difficult due to that flexibility. To circumvent this complication, a comprehensive methodology and computer code has been developed that can perform a full equilibrium analysis of adsorption data for any gas-solid system using the GSTA model. The code has been developed in C/C++ and utilizes a Levenberg–Marquardt’s algorithm to handle the non-linear optimization of the model parameters. Since the GSTA model has an adjustable number of parameters, the code iteratively goes through all number of plausible parameters for each data set and then returns the best solution based on a set of scrutiny criteria. Data sets at different temperatures are analyzed serially and then linear correlations with temperature are made for the parameters of the model. The end result is a full set of optimal GSTA parameters, both dimensional and non-dimensional, as well as the corresponding thermodynamic parameters necessary to predict the behavior of the system at temperatures for which data were not available. It will be shown that this code, utilizing the GSTA model, was able to describe a wide variety of gas-solid adsorption systems at equilibrium. Additionally, a physical interpretation of these results will be provided, as well as an alternate derivation of the GSTA model, which intends to reaffirm the physical meaning.
CONTROL OF SURFACE PHOTOREACTIONS BY ALKALI COADSORPTION

Recent experimental studies of the promotion and suppression of photoreactions of molecules on solid surfaces by coadsorption of alkali atoms are reviewed.