cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
E-government: an overview

Information technology has fundamentally altered many aspects of daily life, including interactions with the government. The role of the Internet continues to increase as more citizens use it to find pertinent information, purchase goods and services, and to participate in virtual communities. By capitalizing on the Internet revolution, governments can create new channels of communication and new methods for participation via e-government. The changing environment, coupled with citizen and business demands, encourages government involvement in e-government initiatives and related uses of information technologies. This essay offers an overview of the historical premises, theoretical constructs, and associated typologies of e-government. These typologies posit a framework for understanding e-government, its potential benefits, and its related challenges.
Engineered nanomaterials in terrestrial systems: Interactions with co-existing contaminants and trophic transfer

Abstract Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are being introduced to soils and can interact with co-existing contaminants. The impacts of ENMs/co-contaminant exposure on plants are highly variable. Interactions of carbon- or metal-based ENMs with pollutants often result in a decreased co-contaminant toxicity, but are species- and exposure-scenario dependent. Moreover, current research suggests that it is possible for ENMs to be transferred through the food chain. This work presents an overview of the current efforts that have been made to understand the role of ENMs in the fate of other chemicals in terrestrial environments and the impacts on higher trophic levels.
Traumatic Brain Injury, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, and Alzheimer Disease.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major health and economic burden. With increasing aging population, this issue is expected to continue to rise. Neurodegenerative disorders are more common with aging population in general regardless of history of TBI. Recent evidence continues to support a relation between a TBI and neurocognitive decline later in life (such as in athletes and military). This article summarizes the pathologic and clinical effects of TBI (regardless of severity) on the later development of dementia in individuals 65 years or older.
Bringing in Legal Terms of Art to Guide the Mental Health Work

The intersection of medicine and the law is uniquely positioned within mental health in many respects. As a mental health professional, we must be equipped with a scientific means by which to gather, present, reproduce, and defend our opinions and findings as objectively as possible. The interface between mental health and the judicial system is precisely where we exercise this “art based on science.” Introducing psychiatric material and setting the stage for this specialized work, we must grow knowledge of a different field that is categorically separate in its objectives, training, and implementation. In other words, most of us have little to no formal education in the law, and may find it intimidating, even prohibitively so, to consider work in this most fascinating field of forensics. What we aim to explore in this chapter is a foundational, although superficial, overview of some key legal definitions and concepts that are needed at a lowest to understand.
Unique composition and hyperstability of the ventral disc, Giardias complex microtubule organelle

Giardia is a common protistan parasite that causes diarrheal disease worldwide. Motile trophozoites colonize the small intestine, attaching to the villi with the ventral disc, a unique and complex microtubule (MT) organelle. Attachment to the host epithelium allows Giardia to resist peristalsis during infection of the host gastrointestinal tract. Despite our emerging view of the complexity of ventral disc architecture, we are still in the very preliminary stages of understanding how specific structural elements contribute to disc stability or generate forces for attachment. The ventral disc is a large, dome-shaped, spiral MT array decorated with microribbon-crossbridge protein complexes (MR-CB) that extend upward into the cytoplasm. Using a new high salt method for disc biochemical fractionation followed by shotgun proteomic analyses and validation by GFP-tagging, we identified 54 new disc-associated proteins (DAPs). Of 87 DAPs confirmed to date, 54 localize only to the disc, and the remainder localize to additional structures such as the flagella, basal bodies, or median body. Almost one third of DAPs lack any homology to proteins in other eukaryotes and another one third simply contain ankyrin repeat domains. Many DAPs localize to specific structural regions of the disc, including the ventral groove region and disc margin. We also demonstrate that the disc is a stable structure lacking canonical MT dynamic instability and show that the disc structure and composition remain intact after detergent extraction in up to 2M potassium chloride. Future genetic, biochemical, and functional analyses of DAPs will be central toward understanding disc architecture, assembly and dynamics.
Predicting US county economic resilience from industry input-output accounts

Resilience is defined as a system’s ability to initially resist and then recover from a shock. Here we apply this concept to examine the performance of U.S. counties during the Great Recession. The...
Post-transplant Psychosocial and Mental Health Care of Pancreas and Visceral Transplant Recipients

For patients who have undergone successful pancreas or multivisceral/intestinal (MV/I) transplantation, freedom from the demands of intrusive daily self-care associated with dependence on insulin or parenteral nutrition becomes a reality. Improved quality of life is generally achieved, but not without adjustments and potential psychological complications. Among children receiving MV/I transplant, underdeveloped feeding behaviors and preexisting developmental delays may require clinical attention. While limited data exist for post-transplant psychological concerns with pancreas and MV/I transplant, available information was gathered to not only assist in post-transplant patient care but to also facilitate pre-transplant education and care planning.
A Data-Driven Real-Time Irrigation Control Method Based on Model Predictive Control

The efficiency of irrigation systems is critically important for reducing water consumption in agricultural production process, especially with water scarcity nowadays being more and more severe all over the world. Empirical irrigation that often leads to over-watering and results in low yield and water waste should be prevented and substituted by advanced automatic irrigation systems. In this work, we focus on the data-driven real-time irrigation control and propose a model predictive control (MPC)-based approach to achieve desired plant root-zone deficit level given variable precipitation and evapotranspiration as disturbance. To take future weather into irrigation decision making, specialized local weather prediction is realized for local irrigation spots where regional weather forecast is less reliable, and the formulation of a dynamic uncertainty set is introduced to account for prediction errors and used in robust MPC design. The proposed approach is evaluated through a real-world case study in which we demonstrate that the implementation of the data-driven realtime irrigation control system effectively facilitates the control of plant root-zone deficit level for local irrigation spots.
It’s Illegal! – Marijuana Related Businesses and the Accounting Profession

Recent legislation has resulted in legalized marijuana in more than half of the US states, with moreexpected. The industry is increasingly turning to CPA’s for assistance with tax compliance and theirabundance of cash. Professionals need to be aware that no Federal protection exists for recreational marijuana and that Federal laws like RICO and Money Laundering pose tremendous risks to all aspect of the marijuana industry. Professional ethics have important implications for CPAs, exposure to investigations and related sanctions can occur directly, and indirectly through criminal or regulatory investigations of clients.
An evaluation of remotely sensed indices for quantifying burn severity in arid ecoregions

It is sometimes assumed the sparse and low statured vegetation in arid systems would limit the effectiveness of two remote-sensing derived indices of burn severity: the difference Normalised Burn Ratio (dNBR) and relativised difference Normalised Burn Ratio (RdNBR). We compared the relationship that dNBR, RdNBR and a ground-based index of burn severity (the Composite Burn Index, CBI) had with woody cover and woody density 1 year after burning in five fires that occurred in the Mojave Desert during 2005. Data were collected within 437 plots spanning geographic and elevation gradients representative of vegetation associations in low- ( 1700 m) zones. Statistically, dNBR and RdNBR were both effective measures of severity in all three elevation zones; woody cover and density had steep exponential declines as the values of each remote-sensing index increased. We found though that dNBR was more ecologically interpretable than RdNBR and will likely be of most relevance in the Mojave Desert. It will be necessary though to test these, as well as other remote-sensing burn-severity indices, across more desert regions before inferences can be made of the generality of the patterns we observed.
Performance of cows and summer-born calves and economics in semi-confined and confined beef systems

ABSTRACT Objectives Cow and calf performance in a semi-confined cow-calf production system was compared with total confinement using summer-born calves. Material and Methods The experiment was conducted over 3 yr in eastern Nebraska (ENREC) and 2 yr in western Nebraska (PREC) in a randomized complete block design. Lactating, crossbred beef cows (n = 127 at ENREC; n = 56 at PREC) with summer-born calves were used from November to April. Treatments were (1) dry-lot feeding or (2) cornstalk grazing with supplementation. Dry-lot pairs were limit fed a crop residue and distillers–based diet to meet energy requirements of a lactating cow. A dried distillers grain–based pellet was supplemented to pairs on cornstalks at a rate of 2.4 kg of DM/pair daily. Dry-lot cow-calf pairs were limit fed 12.1 kg of DM/d throughout the trial. Results and Discussion At ENREC, cows wintered on cornstalks lost BW and had a 0.46-unit decrease in BCS (P Implications and Applications A partial budget suggests that lower winter production inputs compensate for reduced performance of calves when cow-calf pairs are wintered on cornstalks, making residue grazing a viable option in partial confinement systems.
Post-POEM reflux: who’s at risk?

Per-Oral Endoscopic Myotomy (POEM) is a less invasive alternative to laparoscopic Heller myotomy for patients with achalasia. While a partial fundoplication is often performed concurrently with laparoscopic myotomy, an endoscopic approach does not offer this and leaves patients prone to post-operative reflux. The objectives of this study were to (1) identify patients with post-POEM reflux using BRAVO pH and endoscopic evaluations, and (2) investigate risk factors associated with post-POEM reflux and esophagitis to optimize patient selection for POEM and identify those who will benefit from a proactive approach to post-operative reflux management. A retrospective review of a prospectively collected database of patients who underwent POEM between January 2011 and July 2017 at a single institution was performed. Demographics along with pre-POEM and post-POEM variables were obtained. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed, using p values ≤ 0.05 for statistical significance. Forty-six patients were included, with a mean follow-up of 358 days. Mean age was 58 (19.2); 61% were female. Thirty-six patients underwent 48-h BRAVO pH testing after POEM, which revealed abnormal esophageal acid exposure in 15 patients (41.7%). There was a correlation between positive BRAVO results and presence of preoperative esophagitis (p = 0.02). Only 13% of patients had symptom-related reflux episodes based on the Symptom Associated Probability of the BRAVO study. Post-operative endoscopy revealed 6 patients with esophagitis, compared to 4 patients who had esophagitis on preoperative endoscopy. Only higher preoperative Eckardt score was significantly associated with endoscopic evidence of esophagitis post-POEM. Reflux is common after POEM. A majority of patients with a positive BRAVO study are asymptomatic, which is concerning. Objective follow-up is of paramount importance with upper endoscopy and ambulatory pH monitoring being the gold standard. Elevated preoperative Eckardt score and esophagitis are associated with post-POEM reflux. This population warrants close surveillance.
Results from South Florida Experiment

Respondents were randomly assigned either to a control group or to a group that was shown a local map of flooding predicted to occur as a result of a Category 3 hurricane in the respondent’s city or county. Based on previous survey research, we had expected the maps to have an impact on perceived risk of sea-level rise, susceptibility of the home to flooding, and support for various mitigation measures. Instead, we found that those exposed to the maps were less likely to say they believed that climate change is occurring or that climate change is responsible for more extreme storms. This pattern was especially marked among Republicans. The most important predictors of sea-level rise attitudes were political party identification, gender and education as well as scores on the science questions. For beliefs about impacts on property values, the strongest predictor was political party affiliation.
Face to face with death: the role of religion in coping with suffering

Abstract Human suffering is a focal point of religion, yet it also poses a problem for many religions: how could a loving God or sacred deity allow evil into the world and pain to torment humanity? Suffering is an existential concern that often erodes meaning, results in cracks in people’s fundamental assumptions about the world, and leaves people prone to existential anxiety. Moreover, suffering also makes threats of death unavoidable or undeniable—they must be directly confronted. In this chapter, I review the existential function of religion; discuss how the nature and content of religious beliefs play a role in how people manage the threats of death created by suffering; and consider how religious responses to death include fighting, freezing, fleeing, and flourishing. I conclude by discussing future areas of research to advance the scientific study of religion through the perspective of existential psychology.
The Current and Future State of Vaccines, Antivirals and Gene Therapies Against Emerging Coronaviruses

Emerging coronaviruses (CoV) are constant global public health threats to society. Multiple ongoing clinical trials for vaccines and antivirals against CoVs showcase the availability of medical interventions to both prevent and treat the future emergence of highly pathogenic CoVs in human. However, given the diverse nature of CoVs and our close interactions with wild, domestic and companion animals, the next epidemic zoonotic CoV could resist the existing vaccines and antivirals developed, which are primarily focused on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS CoV). In late 2019, the novel CoV (2019-nCoV) emerged in Wuhan, China, causing global public health fear. In this review, we will summarize the key advancements of current vaccines and antivirals against SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV as well as discuss the challenge and opportunity in the current 2019-nCoV crisis. At the end, we advocate the development of novel platform technologies that could allow quick manufacturing and administration of broad-spectrum countermeasures in an outbreak setting. We will discuss the potential of AAV-based gene therapy technology for in vivo therapeutic antibody delivery to combat 2019-nCoV outbreak and the future emergence of severe CoVs.
Can a Broader Corporate Purpose Redress Inequality? The Stakeholder Approach Chimera

Economic inequality is soaring and the consensus in some circles is that corporations’ myopic focus on profits is largely to blame. At first glance a stakeholder approach would seem an appealing solution: surely if the purpose of corporations were not wealth maximization for shareholders but rather to create value for all constituents — thus including employees, customers, suppliers, and communities — we would make strides towards combating inequality, the theory goes. Corporations themselves, through their powerful lobbying group, the Business Roundtable, recently disclaimed shareholder primacy and embraced stakeholder theory. However, far from successfully redressing inequality, a stakeholder approach is unlikely to achieve meaningful redistribution of power and resources to weaker constituents and would likely work in the opposite direction. We suggest that a stakeholder approach gives corporate executives both a sword and a shield with which to preserve their advantageous status quo. First, executives can justify stepped up lobbying efforts as part of their mandate to consider the interests of all constituents, capturing the agenda with respect to distributing more power and resources to weaker constituents. Second, because a switch to a stakeholder approach would appear as a significant change — despite not actually accomplishing meaningful redistribution — it would require significant political capital to be adopted, and once adopted would occupy an out-sized portion of legislative and regulatory space, depleting energy and resources necessary to pass reform that is more likely to actually impact inequality. In fact, in reviewing the likely drivers of inequality, we find that key factors include higher concentration leading to the shrinking of the labor share and increased monopsony in labor markets, the gradual weakening of worker protections from labor market institutions, and giving up on progressive taxation as a re-distributive mechanism. Broadening corporate purpose alone would do next to nothing to impact these fields, so to address rampant economic inequality corporate scholars will need to eschew the academic silo and reach across disciplines to identify more effective policies.
Transcriptomic response of Arabidopsis thaliana exposed to hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls (OH-PCBs).

AbstractHydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls (OH-PCBs) are toxic contaminants produced by biotic or abiotic transformation of PCBs. In this study, we have tested the toxicity of 2,5-dichlorobiphe...
Markov Data-Based Reference Tracking of Tensegrity Morphing Airfoils.

This letter presents a data-based control design for reference tracking applications. This design finds the optimal control sequence, which minimizes a quadratic cost function consisting of tracking error and input increments over a finite interval [0,N]. The only information needed is the first N+1 Markov parameters of the system. This design is employed on a tensegrity morphing airfoil whose topology has been described in detail in this letter. A NACA 2412 airfoil with specified morphing targets is chosen to verify the developed design. The principle developed in this letter is also applicable to other structural control problems.
Comprehensive profiling of extracellular RNA in HPV-induced cancers using an improved pipeline for small RNA-seq analysis

Extracellular RNAs (exRNAs) have attracted great attention due to their essential role in cell-to-cell communication as well as their potential as non-invasive disease biomarkers. However, at present, there is no consensus on the best method to profile exRNA expression, which leads to significant variability across studies. To address this issue, we established an experimental pipeline for comprehensive profiling of small exRNAs isolated from cell culture. By evaluating six RNA extraction protocols, we developed an improved method for robust recovery of vesicle-bound exRNAs. With this method, we performed small RNA sequencing of exosomes (EXOs), microvesicles (MVs) and source cells from 14 cancer cell lines. Compared to cells, EXOs and MVs were similarly enriched in tRNAs and rRNAs, but depleted in snoRNAs. By miRNA profiling analysis, we identified a subset of miRNAs, most noticeably miR-122-5p, that were significantly over-represented in EXOs and MVs across all 14 cell lines. In addition, we also identified a subset of EXO miRNAs associated with cancer type or human papillomavirus (HPV) status, suggesting their potential roles in HPV-induced cancers. In summary, our work has laid a solid foundation for further standardization on exRNA analysis across various cellular systems.
Dynamic conformal arcs-based single-isocenter VMAT planning technique for radiosurgery of multiple brain metastases.

Abstract Multiple small beamlets in the delivery of highly modulated single-isocenter HyperArc VMAT plan can lead to dose delivery errors associated with small-field dosimetry, which can be a major concern for stereotactic radiosurgery for multiple brain lesions. Herein, we describe and compare a clinically valuable dynamic conformal arc (DCA)-based VMAT (DCA-VMAT) approach for stereotactic radiosurgery of multiple brain lesions using flattening filter free beams to minimize this effect. Original single-isocenter HyperArc style VMAT and DCA-VMAT plans were created on 7 patients with 2 to 8 brain lesions (total 35 lesions) for 10 MV- flattening filter free beam. 20 Gy was prescribed to each lesion. For identical planning criteria, DCA-VMAT utilizes user-controlled field aperture shaper before VMAT optimization. Plans were evaluated for conformity and target coverage, low- and intermediate dose spillages to brain volume that received more than 30% (V30%) and 50% (V50%) of prescription dose. Additionally, mean brain dose, V8, V12 and maximal dose to adjacent organs-at-risk (OAR) including hippocampi were reported. Total monitor units, beam modulation factor, treatment delivery efficiency, and accuracy were recorded. Comparing with original VMAT, DCA-VMAT plans provided similar tumor dose, target coverage and conformity, yet tighter radio-surgical dose distribution with lower dose to normal brain V30% (p = 0.009), V50% (p = 0.05) and other OAR including lower dose to hippocampi. Lower total number of monitor units and smaller beam modulation factor reduced beam on time by 2.82 min (p
50565 CTSA collaboration to support K-12 school re-opening in the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT IMPACT: The mobilization of a CTSA-sponsored team with multi-disciplinary translational science expertise enabled the university to provide a range of T1-T4 expertise to a large, complex school district that resulted in permanent learning and data science infrastructure. OBJECTIVES/GOALS: The Clinical Translational Science Institute (CTSI) formed a multidisciplinary science team to provide expertise in support of the re-opening of in-person learning in the second-largest U.S. school district during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: The assembled interdisciplinary science team provided expertise in epidemiology, machine learning, causal inference and agent-based modeling, data and improvement science, biostatistics, clinical and laboratory medicine, health education, community engagement, and experience in outbreak investigation and management. The team included TL1 pre and postdoctoral fellows and mobilized scientists from multiple professional schools and T1-T4 stages of translational research. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Tangible outcomes achieved using this team approach included the development of practical metrics for use in the school community, a learning process, the integration of preventive design elements into a testing and tracing program, and targeted and data-driven health education. The team, for example, generated new data displays for community engagement and collaborated with the school district in their use to visualize, learn from, and act on variation across a 700 square mile region. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF FINDINGS: Novel translational methods can be used to establish a learning environment and data science infrastructure that complements efforts of public health agencies to aid schools in the COVID-19 pandemic. These new capabilities apply to COVID-19 testing and vaccines and can be mobilized for future population health challenges faced by school districts.
Research on IMS Security Access and Mechanism in Power System

IMS in power system brings both multimedia services and security threats. Based on the requirements of information security and IMS architecture, an optimal access algorithm based on non-key exchange encryption and elliptic curve cryptography is proposed. The new algorithm inherits the advantages that IMS AKA mechanism can deal with attack, and solves DoS attack and SPIT attack which can not be solved. In addition, the optimized computational performance is enhanced, the cost is reduced and the authentication time is reduced.
Displacement chromatography on cyclodextrin silicas. V: Separation of the enantiomers of 5,10-dideazatetrahydrofolic acid

Abstract A displacement chromatographic method has been developed for the preparative separation of the enantiomers of 5,10-dideazatetrahydrofolic acid on a β-cyclodextrin silica column. The retention behavior of the chiral solute was studied in detail to find the separation conditions which provide the largest chiral selectivity values: the κ′vs. acetonitrile modifier concentration, the κ′vs. pH, the κ′vs. citrate buffer concentration and the κ′vs. 1/T relationships; also, the α vs. acetonitrile concentration, the α vs. pH, the α vs. citrate buffer concentration and the log α vs. 1/T relationships have been determined. Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, more retained and more strongly adsorbed than the chiral solute, was selected as displacer for the separation. With an α value of 1.14, good preparative chiral separations were observed both in the displacement mode and in the overloaded elution mode.
Oversharing: Facebook Discovery and the Unbearable Sameness of Internet Law

In the wake of the rise of social networking sites, courts and litigants are struggling to define the limits of civil discovery of such information. Some courts have applied the same rules to social networks that apply to all other documents: relevant materials responsive to a party’s requests must be produced. But a significant number of courts have created an entirely new procedure, applicable only to discovery of social networking materials, by ordering parties receiving such requests to not simply produce responsive documents, but to provide the opposing party with access to their entire account. Indeed, in several cases, courts have ordered the production of a party’s username and password, potentially compromising the security of other sites as well. These decisions are mistaken. Nothing in the applicable state or federal rules governing discovery requires or even permits a court to order a person to allow another party to obtain documentary evidence directly from the source. Instead, the rules require that person only to produce responsive materials within the scope of discovery. Although it has not often been recognized, this production procedure serves a privacy-protective function: nonresponsive, irrelevant, or otherwise objectionable documents are seen only by one’s own counsel until a court specifically orders them to be turned over. There is no demonstrated need for a different procedure for social networks. By ordering parties to provide opposing counsel with unfettered access to entire accounts, including nonresponsive or irrelevant posts, photographs, and comments, both from the user and from all of the user’s friends and family, courts are needlessly violating the privacy of individuals even more than discovery already requires. Although there are times when the novel technological situation posed by the Internet, and its concomitant social transformations, require reinterpretation of a longstanding rule, this is not one of those times.
Condensed Zinc Particle Size Determined by a Time Discrete Sampling Apparatus

This paper describes an experiment in which a novel sampling technique is employed to determine the size distribution of zinc particles originating through homogeneous condensation of zinc vapor expanding with a helium carrier gas through a supersonic nozzle. Decelerating a skimmed portion of the nozzle flow by mixing with quiescent air at matched pressure was found to be an effective method of sampling. The particles were collected on a cylinder shuttered in a way which permitted several time discrete samplings within a very short time span. Electron microscope analysis of the particles sampled showed a narrow distribution of sizes with 80% of the particles having diameters within a 100 A range and a peak number of particles having diameters about 135 A.
The Convergence of Analogical and Dialectic Imaginations in Legal Discourse

The dialogue over the role of narrative in the making and interpreting of law and in legal practice is often stalemated by confusion about the complex relationships between narrative and other forms of legal reasoning. Are narrative and rules opposing methods for interpretation and persuasion? Does narrative theory assert that lawyers can win cases by presenting a sympathetic story, without regard for the governing rule of law? If so, it is no wonder that conversations about narrative theory are so difficult. This article explores the relationship between narrative and other forms of legal interpretation and persuasion. It relies on David Tracy’s concepts of the “analogical” imagination (finding meaning in story and metaphor) and the “dialectic” imagination (approaching story and metaphor with suspicion, preferring instead to find meaning from systematic reasoning). The article examines the roles of narrative in law creation (how judges decide questions of law) and in legal hermeneutics (what lawyers do with rules). The article concludes that poetry and prose (stories and rules) each have an important role to play and must remain in constructive relationship with each other.
Multi-drug resistance efflux pumps confer additional resistance against host innate immune defense via induction of genes for biofilm formation and virulence (MPF3P.803)

Multi-drug resistance, resistance-nodulation-differentiation efflux pumps in gram-negative bacteria are membrane protein complexes that extrude a wide variety of drugs before they can act on their bacterial target. However, they are not merely pumps for physical transport of drugs but their expression level is also up-regulated by the presence of drugs inside the bacteria, which, in turn, facilitates the release of quorum-sensing molecules and subsequent induction of genes responsible for biofilm formation and virulence. It is our hypothesis that efflux mediated biofilm formation and virulence expression offer gram-negative bacteria additional resistance not only against drugs but also against host innate immune defense. In order to test our hypothesis, we performed real-time qPCR studies on Fluidigm platform to monitor the expression of (i) the efflux genes and their regulators, (ii) the genes for synthesis of quorum sensing molecules and their regulators, and (iii) the genes for biofilm formation and virulence. For this, we used Pseudomonas aeruginosa and its efflux and quorum sensing mutants. The gene expression studies were performed for planktonic cells and nascent and mature biofilms in the presence and absence of a drug, ciprofloxacin. We were able to show efflux mediated expression of biofilm and virulence genes, which resulted in the abrogation of host innate immune defense in a cellular assay.
Two computationally difficult set covering problems that arise in computing the 1-width of incidence matrices of Steiner triple systems

Two minimum cardinality set covering problems of similar structure are presented as difficult test problems for evaluating the computational efficiency of integer programming and set covering algorithms. The smaller problem has 117 constraints and 27 variables, and the larger one, constructed by H.J. Ryser, has 330 constraints and 45 variables. The constraint matrices of the two set covering problems are incidence matrices of Steiner triple systems. An optimal solution to the problem that we were able to solve (the smaller one) gives some new information on the 1-widths of members of this class of (0,1)-matrices.
Fascismo y dictaduras latinoamericanas. Reseña de: Migue Rojas Mix, El dios de Pinochet: Fisonomía del fascismo iberoamericano, Buenos Aires, Prometeo Libros, 2007

Miguel Rojas Mix explica como las dictaduras militares del Cono Sur, entre 1964 y 1989, legitimaron su represion y usurpacion del poder diseminando ciertos mitos superpuestos. Su analisis depende en gran parte de ejemplos chilenos, aunque tambien cita fuentes argentinas, brasilenas y uruguayas. Aunque el autor reconoce que habia algunas diferencias entre estos regimenes, su principal proposito es delinear elementos en comun, que caracteriza como formas distintivamente latinoamericanas del fascismo. Las dictaduras propagaron un nacionalismo «jingoista» que fusiono al regimen con las fuerzas militares y la nacion. Creyendo en un ordenamiento jerarquico de la sociedad, se opusieron al conflicto de clases, tachandolo de ser artificial y destructivo. Veian a los que se oponian a estas ideas que abogaban por estrechos intereses de clase como antipatrioticos. Sin embargo, los regimenes no eran verdaderamente nacionalistas, ya que promovian el imperialismo extranjero cultural y economico. La derrota de los poderes del Eje habia obligado a muchos latinoamericanos de extrema derecha a distanciarse, al menos retoricamente, del fascismo, y algunos
Reliability Based Criteria for Reinforced Concrete Design

Probabilistic limit states design concepts have evolved over the past decade because of the potential that they afford for simplifying the design process and placing it on a consistent basis for various construction materials. Several different criteria formats have been proposed, which have the common feature that their various load and resistance factors have a reliability basis. Two such criteria for reinforced concrete design are examined in this paper. The development of practical reliability based design criteria is also illustrated. While these are consistent with appropriate measures of design uncertainty and reliability and have a well-established rationale, they retain the simple characteristics of existing criteria with which designers in the United States feel comfortable.
Identification and characterization of high and low affinity transport systems for reduced glutathione in liver cell canalicular membranes.

Driving forces and substrate specificity for transport of reduced glutathione (GSH) across rat liver cell canalicular membrane were examined in vesicles isolated from this plasma membrane domain. In contrast to previous studies indicating a single saturable component of canalicular GSH transport, the present results demonstrate the presence of both high and low affinity components with apparent Km values of 0.24 +/- 0.04 and 17.4 +/- 2.1 mM and Vmax values of 0.09 +/- 0.01 and 2.3 +/- 0.3 nmol.mg-1.20 s-1, respectively. The Km values in two previously published reports are discordant, 0.33 versus 16 mM, but are comparable with the two transport components identified in the present study. To further characterize these GSH transport mechanisms, [3H]GSH uptake by canalicular vesicles was measured at concentrations of 50 microM, where transport is expected to occur largely on the high affinity component, and at 5 mM, where the low affinity system should predominate. Neither component of GSH transport was affected by ATP or a Na+ gradient, but both were stimulated by a valinomycin-induced membrane potential, indicating electrogenic transport pathways. The high affinity component was cis-inhibited by glutathione S-conjugates (1 mM), other gamma-glutamyl compounds (5 mM), and 4,4‘-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2‘-disulfonic acid (0.1 mM), whereas these agents had no effect on the low affinity component at similar inhibitor concentrations. Sulfobromophthalein (BSP, 0.1 mM) inhibited both GSH transport components. However, neither component was affected by taurocholate (0.5 mM) or L-glutamate (10 mM). The inhibition by S-butylglutathione, the GSH analogue ophthalmic acid, and by BSP was competitive in nature, although BSP also produced a slight decrease in Vmax, suggesting a mixed type of inhibition. Ophthalmic acid and some glutathione S-conjugates were also able to trans-stimulate high affinity GSH uptake. These results indicate the presence of at least two ATP-independent, electrogenic glutathione transport mechanisms on the canalicular membrane; the high affinity component may function to deliver some glutathione S-conjugates, gamma-glutamyl compounds, and other anions into bile, whereas the low affinity system probably functions as a high capacity transporter capable of delivering large amounts of GSH into bile.
A mutation in the yeast heat-shock factor gene causes temperature-sensitive defects in both mitochondrial protein import and the cell cycle.

Abstract Yeast cells containing the recessive mas3 mutation display temperature-sensitive defects in both mitochondrial protein import and the cell division cycle. The import defect is characterized by two pools of mitochondrial precursors and a dramatically slower rate of posttranslational import. The effect of mas3 on cell cycle progression occurs within one cell cycle at the nonpermissive temperature and retards progression through the G2 stage. The mas3 mutation maps to the gene encoding yeast heat-shock transcription factor (HSF), and expression of wild-type HSF complements the temperature-sensitive defects. The mas3 lesion has no apparent effect on protein secretion. In mas3 cells, induction of a major heat-shock gene, SSA1, is defective at 37 degrees C. The properties of the mas3 mutant cells indicate that HSF mediates the response to stress of two basic cellular processes: mitochondrial protein import and cell cycle progression.
PROTECTIVE IMMUNITY TO SHIGA-LIKE TOXIN I FOLLOWING ORAL IMMUNIZATION WITH SHIGA-LIKE TOXIN I B-SUBUNIT-PRODUCING VIBRIO CHOLERAE CVD 103-HGR

This study addresses a mechanism for inducing systemic immunity to Shiga-like toxins by oral administration of a Shiga-like toxin I B-subunit-expressing Vibrio cholerae vaccine strain [CVD 103-HgR(pDA60)]. Two sets of three rabbits were given either CVD 103-HgR or CVD 103-HgR(pDA60) orally. All rabbits immunized with CVD 103-HgR(pDA60) developed neutralizing serum antibodies to Shiga-like toxin I. None of the controls developed such antibodies.
KTE2: an engine for kinetic typography

In this paper we describe a Kinetic Typography Engine, which allows the creation of text animation sequences. Kinetic typography can bring written text closer to the realm of film by adding expressive power to it. Thus kinetic typography can be used to enhance the digital communication between people. The engine supports various animation effects, some inspired by traditional animation, and others specifically for use with kinetic typography, and has an extensible architecture that allows new effects to be added in future. The engine can also be easily integrated into third party applications to support a wide range of uses.
Remark on the morphology-dependent resonance in the decay rate spectrum for molecules near a spherical surface

Abstract It is known that in the decay rate spectrum for molecules near a spherical surface, an extra morphology-dependent resonance structure appears in addition to the usual surface plasmon resonance (ω sp ≈ω p bulk /√3). Here an alternative but more physical interpretation of these peaks is given, where it is seen that the morphology-dependent peak can be described only in a dynamic retarded theory.
Rauwolfia serpentina in the Treatment of Angina Pectoris

Fifteen subjects with coronary artery disease and angina pectoris were given alternate courses of the alseroxylon fraction of Rauwolfia serpentina and placebo. Fourteen improved on the drug as determined by independent clinical evaluations and the "Daily Report Card" data. Seven developed normal electrocardiograms, 2-step tests or ballistocardiograms, that previously had been abnormal. Alseroxylon appeared to induce an unusually prolonged therapeutic effect that was revealed only by an individual "sequential" analysis of each course of drug and placebo. The nature of the underlying mechanism is not clear. Serious hypotensive responses and acute depressive reactions are infrequent at the dosage levels used, but do occur.
Evidence for diffusion-limited kinetics during electromigration-induced step bunching on Si(1 1 1)

Abstract We have measured how the initial terrace width l 0 on vicinal Si(1 1 1) surfaces influences the rate of step bunching and the minimum terrace width within a bunch when direct-current heated at 940–1290 °C. A comparison of this data with analytic solutions and numerical simulations of the conventional “sharp-step” model give strong evidence that the kinetic length d is relatively small ( d diffusion-limited in both regimes I and III when l 0 > 20 nm, and hence that the adatom attachment- and terrace diffusion-hopping rates are of comparable magnitude. We also observe similar scaling with initial terrace width in temperature regime II (∼1040–1190 °C), in which step-up current is required for bunching, suggesting a similar step bunching mechanism in all three temperature regimes.
The Source of the Transient Serotoninergic Input to the Developing Visual and Somatosensory Cortices in Rat

Abstract For approximately the first two weeks of life, dense serotonin immunoreactivity closely matches the pattern of thalamocortical axons innervating both the granular portion of the primary somatosensory cortex and area 17 in rodents [D'Amato et al. (1987) Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. 84 , 4322–4326; Fujimiya et al. (1986) J. comp. Neurol. (1986) 246 , 191–201; Rhoades et al. (1990) J. comp. Neurol. 293 , 190–207]. This serotonin immunoreactivity is not contained in thalamocortical axons [Rhoades et al. (1990) 293 , 190–207] but its source has never been demonstrated. In the present study, a variety of approaches were used to address this issue. The combination of electron microscopy and immunocytochemistry showed that all serotonin immunoreactivity in the developing cerebral cortex was contained in axons and that the terminals of many of these fibers made synapses with the dendrites of cortical cells. Treatment with fluoxetine, a specific inhibitor of serotonin uptake, did not result in a loss of the cortical pattern of serotonin immunoreactivity, indicating that immunoreactive fibers were not labeled solely as a result of serotonin uptake. The combination of retrograde tracing from the primary somatosensory cortex and area 17 with immunocytochemistry demonstrated numerous double-labeled cells in nucleus raphe dorsalis and the median raphe nucleus. Smaller numbers of double-labeled neurons were located in the B9 cell group and the region of the lateral midbrain tegmentum. Large electrolytic lesions that included most of the nucleus raphe dorsalis and median raphe nucleus, but which left the B9 group and more caudal serotoninergic cells undamaged, caused either a substantial reduction in density or complete disappearance of the serotonin pattern in both hemispheres. Unilateral electrolytic lesions of the medial forebrain bundle resulted in a loss of the pattern only on the side of the damage. Injection of the neurotoxin 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine directly into the mesencephalon either abolished or substantially reduced the density of the cortical serotonin immunoreactivity. Injections that produced substantial cell loss in the median raphe nucleus, but only minor cell loss in the nucleus raphe dorsalis had little effect upon the cortical pattern of serotonin immunoreactivity. These results indicate that the dense serotonin immunoreactivity which appears transiently in the visual and somatosensory cortices of perinatal rodents is contained in serotoninergic axons that arise from cells in the nucleus raphe dorsalis and perhaps also the median raphe nucleus.
Atherosclerosis and Inflammation

Is atherosclerosis an inflammatory disease that can occur even in the presence of “low” or “healthy” plasma concentrations of cholesterol, as Gary Taubes' article “Does inflammation cut to the heart of the matter?” (News Focus, 12 April, p. [242][1]) implies? The answer lies in what
Evidence for recent climate change on Mars from the identification of youthful near-surface ground ice

Ground ice in the crust and soil may be one of the largest reservoirs of water on Mars1,2,3. Near-surface ground ice is predicted to be stable at latitudes higher than 40° (ref. 4), where a number of geomorphologic features indicative of viscous creep and hence ground ice have been observed5. Mid-latitude soils have also been implicated as a water-ice reservoir6, the capacity of which is predicted to vary on a 100,000-year timescale owing to orbitally driven variations in climate7. It is uncertain, however, whether near-surface ground ice currently exists at these latitudes, and how it is changing with time. Here we report observational evidence for a mid-latitude reservoir of near-surface water ice occupying the pore space of soils. The thickness of the ice-occupied soil reservoir (1–10 m) and its distribution in the 30° to 60° latitude bands indicate a reservoir of (1.5–6.0) × 104 km3, equivalent to a global layer of water 10–40 cm thick. We infer that the reservoir was created during the last phase of high orbital obliquity less than 100,000 years ago, and is now being diminished.
Stable Scale Factor Performance of an In-line Sagnac Interferometer Current Sensor

One of the major concerns in designing fiberoptic current sensors is the stabilization of the scale factor against changes in birefringence in the sensing head. It is the purpose of this paper to show a design for the in-line Sagnac interferometer current sensor that achieves a stable scale factor without requiring the use of either a precise quarter waveplate (?/4) or an annealed fiber sensing coil.