cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Framework to Assess Risk of Illicit Trades Using Bayesian Belief Networks

Recent years have seen the initiatives against illicit trades gain significant traction at both national and global levels. A crucial component in this fight is correct assessment of the risks posed by different trades across different regions. To aid in this cause, we provide a risk prediction framework based on Bayesian Belief Networks. It involves the development of a causal model incorporating variables related to the rise/decline of the illicit trade volume. The influence of these variables are determined by training on available data that are allowed to update over time. Implementation on a sample case study shows relatively low prediction accuracy of our model. Factors constraining its performance are analyzed and possible ways to avert them are discussed. We expect this framework to act as a decision support tool to the policymakers and strengthen them in the fight against illicit trades.
Contemporary Literacies and Technologies in English Language Arts Teacher Education: Shift Happens!

Three leaders of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Conference on English Education (CEE) reflect on the changes that have occurred in English language arts teacher education in the past 15 years since the first edition of Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education (CITE Journal) was published. The authors take a historical look at the development of the CEE and CITE Journal relationship, reflect on the inaugural article in the CITE Journal English Language Arts Teacher Education section and the principles it presented, and provide a history of the evolution of NCTE/CEE belief statements, resolutions, and standards for teacher preparation as they relate to 21stcentury literacies and technologies. The piece provides a snapshot of current practices in English language arts teacher preparation and considers the future of the field.
How to secure your email address book and beyond

Email viruses (or worms) have become a severe threat to the business utility of email systems. In spite of existing countermeasures such as email virus scanners, many people (including the authors) constantly receive suspicious emails. Most, if not all, email viruses proliferate by exploiting the email address books on the infected hosts, simply because the address books are not protected by any means whatsoever. In this paper we explore a novel method to protect email systems, based on appropriately encrypting the email addresses in the email address books and email boxes (or folders). To our knowledge, this work is the first to investigate robust methods for protecting email addresses. We have implemented two prototype systems based on our method, one for a cell phone platform and the other for a desktop platform. Simulation study shows that our method is effective, even if only some users deployed our mechanisms.
Nano-Fabricated Size Exclusion Chromatograph

This paper describes the development of a nano-fabricated size exclusion Chromatograph (nSEC) based on the principle that molecules traveling through a microcolumn containing nano-fabricated features will have characteristic elution times that directly correlate to molecular weight. Compared to conventional size exclusion chromatography, the nSEC offers greater control over the size exclusion process; mass fabrication; integration of the separation column with associated valves, pumps, and detectors; and dramatic reductions in instrument mass and power requirements.
Ion Heating in the Cusp

Data from satellite observations and theoretical simulations of ion heating in the magnetospheric cusp region are compiled in tables, graphs, and diagrams and discussed. Consideration is given to the mixing of ionospheric and magnetosheath plasmas, the instability of downward-flowing ring distributions of H(+) and He(2+) to lower-hybrid waves, and oxygen and hydrogen heating at finite k(parallel). A range of unstable propagation angles of + or - 20 deg about the perpendicular is estimated for M(H)/M(e) = 50, including superthermal and background electron dynamics.
Water vapor estimates using simultaneous dual-wavelength radar observations

[1] A technique for the estimation of humidity in the lower troposphere using simultaneous dual-wavelength radar observations is proposed and tested. The method compares the reflectivity from clouds and precipitation of a non-attenuated wavelength (S-band, 10 cm) and an attenuated wavelength (Ka-band, 8 mm) to compute the clear-air gaseous attenuation at the attenuated wavelength. These estimates are of total gaseous attenuation on radar ray segments that extend from the radar to a cloud/precipitation echo or from one echo to another. The attenuation estimates are then used to compute the path-integrated humidity, which is plotted at the midpoint of the ray segments. Using estimates at several elevation angles and different ranges, a profile of humidity through the lower troposphere can be retrieved. The retrieved humidity compared favorably to proximity in situ soundings with root mean square difference values between the retrieval and sounding ranging from 0.14 to 0.85 g m−3 (approximately 2–6% relative error, respectively).
A Cell-Mediated Immune Model of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in the Rabbit

A model of ulcerative colitis related to cellular immunity has previously been produced by sensitization of the colon of guinea pigs with dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB). We have confirmed and extended these studies in rabbits. Rabbits were skin-sensitized to DNCB and challenged 10 days later with an intrarectal instillation of DNCB. The histology of the colon was examined at various time intervals. Three days after challenge the mucosa was ulcerated; there were crypt abscesses and epithelial basophilia with increased mitotic figures. The increased inflammatory infiltrate in the lamina propria contained polys as well as mononuclear cells. Submucous edema was common in this phase. This was compatible with active ulcerative colitis. These lesions changed to those consistent with the healing phase of ulcerative colitis at 2 weeks, and at 5 weeks there was still mild crypt disorganization and loss along with a paucity of goblet cells and submucous fibrosis. Rabbits that received repeated instillations of DNCB converted from a negative delayed hypersensitivity skin response to rabbit-colon extract to a positive response. Thus, a nonspecific cellular immune reaction in the colon produces histological changes compatible with ulcerative colitis and leads to the production of lymphocytes which are sensitized to colonic antigen.
The effect of partial extraction of dynein arms on the movement of reactivated sea-urchin sperm.

Sea-urchin sperm were extracted with o.5 M KCl for 45 s at room temperature in the presence of Triton X-100, and then transferred to reactivating solution containing 1 mM ATP. The flagellar beat frequency of these KCl-extracted sperm (16 beats/s) was only about half that of control Triton-extracted sperm that had not been exposed to 0.5 M KCl (31 beats/s), although the form of their bending waves was not significantly altered. Examination by electron microscopy showed that the extraction with 0.5 M KCl removed the majority of the outer arms from the doublet tubules, leaving the inner arms apparently intact. By varying the duration of the KCl-extraction, it was shown that the rate of decrease in beat frequency paralleled the rate of disappearance of the arms. Prolonging the extraction time beyond 45 s at room temperature, or 4 min at o °C, had little further effect on beat frequency. ATPase measurements suggested that 6o-65% of the dynein in the original axonemes had been solubilized when the extraction with KCl was permitted to go to completion. These results indicate that the generation and propagation of flagellar bending waves of essentially typical form are not prevented by the removal of the outer row of dynein arms from the doublet tubules. In terms of the sliding filament model of flagellar bending, the results suggest that the rate of sliding between tubules under these conditions is proportional to the number of dynein arms present. The lack of significant change in wave form implies that the total amount of sliding that occurs during each bending cycle is not affected by the reduced number of dynein arms, but is regulated independently in some manner by the elastic forces generated by other structures in the bent axoneme.
Primary and secondary room temperature molten salt electrochemical cells

Abstract Three primary cells (a, b, and c) and two secondary cell candidates (d and e) were examined in room temperature molten salt electrolytes containing either 1-methyl-3-ethylimidazolium chloride (MEICI) (a, b, d, and e), or 1-methyl-3-ethylimidazolium bromide (MEIBr) (c). (a) Al anode/AlCl 3 -MEICl ( N = 0.37)//FeCl 3 -MEICl ( N = 0.33)/W cathode (b) Al anode/AlCl 3 -MEICl ( N = 0.37)//WCl 6 -MEICl ( N = 0.33)/W cathode (c) Al anode/AlBr 3 -MEIBr ( N = 0.33)/Br 2 /RVC, Pt cathode (d) Zn anode/AlCl 3 -MEICl ( N = 0.33)//AlCl 3 -MEICl ( N = 0.60)/Al cathode (e) Cd anode/AlCl 3 -MEICl ( N = 0.33)//AlCl 3 -MEICl ( N = 0.60)/Al cathode where N is the mole fraction of aluminium halide in the melt. An IONACC® anion exchange membrane separated the anolyte and catholyte solutions in cells (a) and (b), while in cells (d) and (e) a NAFION® cation exchange membrane separated the anolyte and catholyte solutions. In cell (c) a phase boundary separated the anolyte and catholyte solutions, with reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) acting as the anode current carrier.
High-resolution four-dimensional surface reconstruction of the right heart and pulmonary arteries

Determination of the surface of the heart is a challenging problem due to the heart's motion and the potential importance of subtle geometric features. The Meyer watershed has been shown to be an effective solution to this problem in images of the left ventricle in at least two medical image types. In this paper the technique is extended, first of all, by application to the right ventricle (RV) in an image from the Dynamic Spatial Reconstructor (DSR). Additionally, several important issues related to its general application are addressed including: (1)image anisotropy, (2)4D processing and (3) valve localization. The Meyer watershed model itself is also discussed in some detail with respect to its implementation and general properties. A simple by-product of surface reconstruction of the RV in the DSR images is that of the pulmonary arteries.
Vessel segmentation using 3D elastica regularization

Vascular diseases are among the most important health problems. Vessel segmentation is a very critical task for stenosis measurement and simulation, diagnosis and treatment planning. However, vessel segmentation is much more challenging than blob-like object segmentation due to the thin elongated anatomy of the blood vessels, which can easily appear disconnected in the acquired images due to noise and occlusion. In this paper, we present a generic vessel segmentation approach that extracts the vessels by globally minimizing the surface curvature. The low curvature model enforces surface continuity and prevents the formation of false positives (leakages) and false negatives (holes). We present two contributions: First, we introduce a generic 3D vessel segmentation model by penalizing the boundary surface curvature. Second, we introduce an attraction force as a generalization of the boundary length in the elastica model, which guarantees a complete global solution and avoids shrinkage bias of length regularization. Our results will illustrate that the approach works efficiently across different acquisition modalities and for different applications.
The Process of Structure-Based Drug Design

The field of structure-based drug design is a rapidly growing area in which many successes have occurred in recent years. The explosion of genomic, proteomic, and structural information has provided hundreds of new targets and opportunities for future drug lead discovery. This review summarizes the process of structure-based drug design and includes, primarily, the choice of a target, the evaluation of a structure of that target, the pivotal questions to consider in choosing a method for drug lead discovery, and evaluation of the drug leads. Key principles in the field of structure-based drug design will be illustrated through a case study that explores drug design for AmpC β-lactamase.
Reculturing for Collaboration and Leadership

Abstract The findings of a study identifying primary “motivators” for redesigning 3 selected schools as professional learning communities for teacher collaboration are reported. Using a survey questionnaire, teachers were asked to identify leadership sources for implementing new programs and teaching practices. Principals were seen as important for motivation, but they were not always the strongest advocates of innovation. There was ambivalence about the perceived effect of the principal-vice-principal team. Teachers considered informal collaboration to be more effective in terms of leadership provision for change than the more formal structures of planned collaboration. The results prompt new considerations of the role of assistant principal in reculturing schools as well as of the perceived benefit of collaboration by design.
Microbial production of (S)-1-phenyl-1,3-propanediol by stereospecific reduction of 3-hydroxy-1-phenylpropane-1-one

Abstract A novel microbial method of synthesizing (S)-1-phenyl-1,3-propanediol [(S)-PPD] was developed in this study. Our laboratory stock cultures were screened for microorganisms that stereospecifically produced (S)-PPD from 3-hydroxy-1-phenylpropane-1-one (HPPO) using an intact cell system. Of the 828 strains examined (321 bacteria, 233 yeasts and 274 molds), certain strains of Williopsis saturnus var. mrakii and Cryptococcus albidus were found to produce (S)-PPD with over 99% enantiomeric excess (e.e.). Screening identified W. saturnus var. mrakii AJ-5620 as the most productive strain, and this strain was used for further experiments. The (S)-PPD-producing reaction using intact W. saturnus var. mrakii AJ-5620 cells was carried out by successive feeding of HPPO. A total (S)-PPD yield of 9.9 g/l was produced in 20 h. The molar yield was 81% and the optical purity of the (S)-PPD produced was over 99% e.e.
Role of Erk1/2, p70s6K, and eNOS in isoflurane-induced cardioprotection during early reperfusion in vivo.

Objectif Ľadministration ďisoflurane pendant la reperfusion precoce qui suit une occlusion prolongee de ľartere coronaire diminue la taille de ľinfarctus myocardique en activant la transduction du signal de la phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K). Les kinases extracellulaires reliees au signal (Erk1/2) representent un mecanisme redondant par lequel le signalement des elements en aval a partir de PI3K, incluant la s6 kinase de proteines ribosomales 70-kDA (p70s6K) et ľoxyde nitrique synthase endotheliale (eNOS), peuvent etre actives pour reduire la lesion de reperfusion. Nous avons teste ľhypothese que les Erk1/2, p70s6K et eNOS assuraient la mediation du postconditionnement induit par ľisoflurane dans des myocardes de lapin in vivo.
The longitudinal effects of behavioral, health, and socio-demographic factors on body mass index among older Chinese adults.

To examine the effects of behavioral, health, and socio-demographic factors on being overweight or obese among older Chinese adults. This research uses panel data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey, which was designed to examine how social and economic transformation affected the health and nutritional status of residents. For these analyses, we used all available information on adults aged 60 years or older surveyed in 1997, 2000, 2004, and 2006 (N = 3,591). Body mass index (BMI) was dichotomized as normal (18.5–24.9 kg/m2) and overweight (25.0–29.9 kg/m2)/obese (≥30 kg/m2). Generalized estimating equations were used to estimate population-averaged (marginal) effects. The combined prevalence of overweight or obese was approximately 33%. Moderate or heavy non-leisure physical activities (OR = 0.39; 95% CI = 0.32–0.49) and smoking (OR = 0.69; 95% CI = 0.57–0.84) decreased the odds of being overweight or obese, while drinking alcohol (OR = 1.25; 95% CI = 1.05–1.50) increased the odds. For individuals in all income levels, the amount of non-leisure physical activity strongly affected the BMI among the older Chinese adults. Active lifestyle interventions may help counter what could otherwise be a growing obesity epidemic in China.
Comparative evaluation of cytokine profiles and reactive gliosis supports a critical role for interleukin-6 in neuron-glia signaling during regeneration.

Using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), we have studied the temporal expression of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), interleukin-6 (IL-6), transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) mRNAs in three axotomy paradigms with distinct functional outcomes. Axotomy of adult rat facial motoneurons results in neuronal regeneration, axotomy of neonatal facial motoneurons results in neuronal apoptosis, and axotomy of rubrospinal neurons results in neuronal atrophy. Our RT-PCR findings show that a significant and sustained upregulation of IL-6 mRNA is associated uniquely with the regeneration of adult facial motoneurons. Histochemical studies using IL-6 immunohistochemistry show intense IL-6 immunoreactivity in axotomized adult facial motoneurons. Assessment of reactive glial changes with astroglial and microglial markers reveals that the reactive gliosis following adult facial nerve axotomy is more intense than that observed in either of the other two paradigms. Exposure of cultured microglial cells to IL-6 stimulates microglial proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. Cultured microglia also show expression of IL-6 receptor mRNA, as determined by RT-PCR. Our findings support the idea that reactive gliosis is required for neuron regeneration to occur, and more specifically, they suggest that neuron-derived IL-6 serves as a signalling molecule that induces microglial proliferation during motoneuron regeneration.
UPTAKE OF METHYLAMINE (AN AMMONIUM ANALOGUE) BY MACROCYSTIS PYRIFERA (PHAEOPHYTA)

The ammonium analogue, methylamine, is taken up rapidly from dilute solution by Macrocystis pyrifera (L.) C. A. Agardh. /sup 14/C-methylamine was used to characterize the transport system, with respect to dependence on external concentration, temperature, pH and substrate specificity. The results suggest that methylamine enters the algal tissue via a specific mediated transport system. Uptake of methylamine showed no consistent relation to the N content of the plant tissue, but was highly dependent on the portion of plant sampled and severely affected by cutting the tissue. The strong inhibition of methylamine uptake by ammonium and lesser inhibition by other alkylamines suggests that the uptake system functions as an ammonium permease. Uptake of /sup 14/C-methylamine can be used as a highly sensitive measure of NH/sub 4//sup +/ uptake activity and should be a useful tool for studying NH/sub 4//sup +/ uptake in the laboratory and field.
Potential mechanisms for the augmentation of atherosclerosis and atherosclerotic disease by cigarette smoking.

Abstract Cigarette smoking is clearly associated with increased risk of atherosclerotic disease, but the mechanisms underlying the association are not known. In the direction of increasing the risk of atherosclerotic disease, smokers have more extensive advanced atherosclerosis, slightly higher serum concentrations of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, slightly lower concentrations of HDL cholesterol, higher erythrocyte counts and hemoglobin concentrations, and higher fasting blood-glucose concentrations than do nonsmokers. In the direction of decreasing risk, smokers are leaner and have lower blood pressures than nonsmokers. Observed effects which also may augment atherosclerosis in smokers as compared to nonsmokers include leucocytosis and increased hepatic mixed function oxygenase activity. This review of available evidence indicates that cigarette smoking probably contributes to atherosclerotic disease by a variety of mechanisms.
Influence of surface segregation on the elastic property of Pt–Ni alloy nanowires

Abstract In this work, we examined the influence of surface segregation on the elastic property of Pt–Ni nanowires by comparing the Young’s modulus of the segregated and non-segregated nanowires calculated using density functional theory. For the Pt–Ni nanowires with three different cross-sectional shapes, it was found that the Young’s moduli of the segregated nanowires were higher than that of the non-segregated ones. Furthermore, our study suggests that the surface segregation process could change the atomic arrangements in the surface region, increase the number of Pt–Ni bonds across the outermost and second surface layers, and thus enhance the Young’s modulus of the segregated Pt–Ni nanowires.
Storytelling as a Theory-Building Activity.

The present study examines the activity of storytelling at dinnertime in English‐speaking, Caucasian‐American families. Our findings demonstrate that, through the process of story co‐narration, family members draw upon and stimulate critical social, cognitive, and linguistic skills that underlie scientific and other scholarly discourse as they jointly construct, deconstruct, and reconstruct theories of everyday events. Each story is potentially a theory of a set of events in that it contains an explanation, which may then be overtly challenged and reworked by co‐narrators. Our data suggest that complex theory‐building through storytelling is promoted by (and constitutive of) interlocutors’ familiarity with one another and/or the narrative events. As such, long before children enter a classroom, everyday storytelling among familiars constitutes a commonplace medium for socializing perspective‐taking, critical thinking, and other intellectual skills that have been viewed as outcomes of formal schooling.
Perception of self and significant others by male and female alcoholics

Alcoholic and nonalcoholic adult males and females (N = 100) judged self and three intimate others on four personality characteristics. Multivariate analysis of covariance indicated that alcoholics viewed themselves and their fathers as more unhappy, less sociable, and less productive and persistent; they judged their mothers as more unhappy and less productive and persistent, and they rated their spouses as more unhappy and less sociable than did nonalcoholics. Also, alcoholics were more variable in their evaluation of self and intimate others.
Current Status of Fine Needle Aspiration for Thyroid Nodules

When not to perform fine needle aspiration of a thyroid nodule In summary, FNA of thyroid nodules has become one of the most useful, safe, and accurate tools in the diagnosis of thyroid pathology. Thyroid nodules that should be considered for FNA include any firm, palpable, solitary nodule or nodule associated with worrisome clinical features (rapid growth, attachment to adjacent tissues, new hoarseness, or palpable lymphadenopathy). FNA should also be performed on nodules with suspicious ultrasonographic features (microcalcifications, rounded shape, predominantly solid composition); dominant or atypical nodules in multinodular goiter; complex or recurrent cystic nodules; or any nodule associated with palpable or ultrasonographically abnormal cervical lymph nodes. Finally, FNA should be performed on any abnormal-appearing or palpable cervical lymph nodes. The management of thyroid nodules based on FNA findings is summarized in Table 2. It can be argued that in certain circumstances the results of thyroid FNA do not change the surgical management of a thyroid nodule, and thus preoperative FNA may be unnecessary. These cases include solitary nodules in patients who have a strong family history of thyroid cancer, multiple endocrine neoplasia type II, or radiation to the head and neck. These patients when they have thyroid nodules have at least a 40% risk for thyroid cancer and frequent multifocal or bilateral disease and should undergo total thyroidectomy with or without central neck lymph node dissection. Patients who have multinodular goiter and compressive symptoms, patients who have Graves disease and a thyroid nodule, or patients who have large (greater than 4 cm) or symptomatic unilateral thyroid nodules could also be considered for total thyroidectomy or lobectomy as indicated without preoperative FNA. Finally, patients who have a solitary hyperfunctioning nodule on radioiodine scan and a suppressed TSH have an extremely low incidence of malignancy and may be considered for therapeutic thyroid lobectomy or radioiodine ablation as indicated without undergoing FNA biopsy.
Olfactory bulbectomy and play fighting in juvenile rats

To determine the influence on play fighting of inputs to the brain that arise in or course through the olfactory bulbs juvenile male and female rats were bilaterally bulbectomized at 23 or 24 days of age. The frequency of play fighting and play initiation was observed in tests conducted in the home cage. Bulbectomy did not affect the frequency of play fighting or play initiation by males, but slightly increased the frequency of play fighting without altering play initiation in females. Since peripheral anosmia has only modest effects on play fighting, neither the chemosensory nor the modulatory influences of the olfactory bulbs on limbic system activity appear to be especially important in the control of play by juvenile rats.
A procedure for estimating Bacillus cereus spores in soil and stream-sediment samples — A potential exploration technique

Abstract The presence of bacterial spores of the Bacillus cereus group in soils and stream sediments appears to be a sensitive indicator of several types of concealed mineral deposits, including vein-type gold deposits. The B. cereus assay is rapid, inexpensive, and inherently reproducible. The test, currently under investigation for its potential in mineral exploration, is recommended for use on a research basis. Among the aerobic spore-forming bacilli, only B. cereus and closely related strains produce an opaque zone in egg-yolk emulsion agar. This characteristic, also known as the Nagler of lecitho-vitellin reaction, has long been used to rapidly indentify and estimate presumptive B. cereus . The test is here adapted to permit rapid estimation of B. cereus spores in soil and stream-sediment samples. Relative standard deviation was 10.3% on counts obtained from two 40-replicate pour-plate determinations. As many as 40 samples per day can be processed. Enough procedural detail is included to permit investigation of the test in conventional geochemical laboratories using standard microbiological safety precautions.
MicroRNA-212 Post-Transcriptionally Regulates Oocyte-Specific Basic-Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factor, Factor in the Germline Alpha (FIGLA), during Bovine Early Embryogenesis

Factor in the germline alpha (FIGLA) is an oocyte-specific basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor essential for primordial follicle formation and expression of many genes required for folliculogenesis, fertilization and early embryonic survival. Here we report the characterization of bovine FIGLA gene and its regulation during early embryogenesis. Bovine FIGLA mRNA expression is restricted to gonads and is detected in fetal ovaries harvested as early as 90 days of gestation. FIGLA mRNA and protein are abundant in germinal vesicle and metaphase II stage oocytes, as well as in embryos from pronuclear to eight-cell stage but barely detectable at morula and blastocyst stages, suggesting that FIGLA might be a maternal effect gene. Recent studies in zebrafish and mice have highlighted the importance of non-coding small RNAs (microRNAs) as key regulatory molecules targeting maternal mRNAs for degradation during embryonic development. We hypothesized that FIGLA, as a maternal transcript, is regulated by microRNAs during early embryogenesis. Computational predictions identified a potential microRNA recognition element (MRE) for miR-212 in the 3’ UTR of the bovine FIGLA mRNA. Bovine miR-212 is expressed in oocytes and tends to increase in four-cell and eight-cell stage embryos followed by a decline at morula and blastocyst stages. Transient transfection and reporter assays revealed that miR-212 represses the expression of FIGLA in a MRE dependent manner. In addition, ectopic expression of miR-212 mimic in bovine early embryos dramatically reduced the expression of FIGLA protein. Collectively, our results demonstrate that FIGLA is temporally regulated during bovine early embryogenesis and miR-212 is an important negative regulator of FIGLA during the maternal to zygotic transition in bovine embryos.
Anticholinesterase abuse in myasthenia gravis

Cette etude apporte la preuve que la toxicite chronique des anticholinesterases est un probleme important chez les malades atteints de myasthenie grave et propose un moyen plus efficace d'utiliser les anticholinesterases chez ces malades
Creating and Implementing a Vision For the School

Administrators, confronted by complex tasks, economic restrictions, and community concerns, need clear visions to guide their schools and staffs toward effective learn ing. How can they clarify and...
A framework for automated mechanical assembly planning

Abstract In this paper, a framework for automated mechanical assembly planning is discussed. The paper addresses three major issues: conceptual assembly design representation, assemblability analysis, and assembly plan generation. The objective of the study is to develop an effective way to model and plan for the assembly of a product. It is hoped that noty assembly planning can be automated, but also the feedback provided by the planning system can help to improve the design from a manufacturing point of view. Since the feasibility of automating the assembly plan generation depends on whether the assembly design is represented in a complete, unambiguous, and easy to use form, the design representation is the first issue addressed. In order to ensure the “manufacturability” of an assembly, the assemblability of the design must be analyzed at the early design stage. This analysis can be viewed as a rough planning. It provides the designer a quick feedback, thus the design can be changed before it is finalized. Before the actual assembly can be conducted, a detailed assembly plan must be prepared. Such an assembly plan is used for shop scheduling, and sometimes assembly system design.
Stereospecific, mechanism-based, suicide inhibition of a cytochrome P450 involved in ecdysteroid biosynthesis in the prothoracic glands of Manduca sexta

Abstract The first required step in ecdysteroid (molting hormone) biosynthesis, dietary cholesterol (C) conversion to 7-dehydrocholesterol (7dC) via 7,8-dehydrogenation, is mediated by a microsomal cytochrome-P 450 , monooxygenase specific to the larval prothoracic gland. A subsequent series of unknown “black-box” oxidations of 7dC result in the unusual ring geometry (cis-A/B) and functionality (6-keto-7-ene-14-α-ol) of the ecdysteroids and has been thought to involve the initial formation of α-5,6-epoxy-7-dehydrocholesterol (αepo7dC). Pharmacological studies indicated that conversion of C to 7dC in prothoracic gland homogenates was strongly and equally inhibited by the isomeric cholesterol substrate analogues α- and β-5,6-epoxycholesterol (α- and βepoC) and α- and β-5,6-iminocholesterol (α- and βiminoC). With respect to the conversion of C to ecdysteroids by disrupted glands, however, the two α-isomeric substrates were 10-fold more inhibitory than were their β-analogues. Indeed, αiminoC was as active as the non-specific pyrimidyl cytochrome-P 450 , monooxy-genase inhibitor fenarimol that shows moderate toxicity in many insect species. All four cholesterol analogues competitively inhibited cholesterol 7,8-dehydrogenation, but only αepoC and possibly αiminoC were desaturated to Δ 7 -products. Although the K m (and K i s ) for all the substrates were similar (1.7-6.0 × 10 −5 M ), the V max for αepoC dehydrogenation was eight-fold higher than that of C, making it a superior substrate for following this reaction in ecdysteroidogenic tissues rich in endogenous C. The 7,8-dehydrogenation of αepoC and αiminoC by prothoracic glands would produce the potentially reactive intermediates, αepo7dC and αimino7dC, respectively. They, in turn, could then undergo facile, acid-catalyzed ring-opening to the allylic-stabilized carbo-cation electrophiles. These very reactive, transient species, if formed in the active site of the monooxygenase, would then alkylate either the heme group or the apoprotein of the cytochrome or both, leading to the irreversible inhibition of the enzyme. The present data show that αepoC and probably αiminoC are mechanism-based suicide inhibitors of the enzyme catalyzing cholesterol 7,8-dehydrogenation and may be the prototypes of a new class of selective insect control agents.
Alternate path reactions in chronopotentiometry the reduction of benzaldehyde

Abstract The theory of alternate path reactions in chronopotentiometry is developed. Alternate path reactions differ from normal stepwise reactions of an electroactive substance in that the product of the first reaction does not react further during the second chronopotentiometric wave. This causes the second wave to be shorter than it is with normal stepwise reactions. The transition time equation for alternate path reactions at both planar and spherical electrodes is derived. The two-step reduction of benzaldehyde at the slow-dropping mercury electrode has been studied as an example of such a process since the product of the first reaction, hydrobenzoin, is not reducible to the product of the second step, benzyl alcohol.
Segment Self-Repulsion is the Major Driving Force of Influenza Genome Packaging

The genome of influenza A virus consists of eight separate RNA segments, which are selectively packaged into virions prior to virus budding. The microscopic mechanism of highly selective packaging involves molecular interactions between packaging signals in the genome segments and remains poorly understood. We propose that the condition of proper packaging can be formulated as a large gap between RNA-RNA interaction energies in the viable virion with eight unique segments and in improperly packed assemblages lacking the complete genome. We then demonstrate that selective packaging of eight unique segments into an infective influenza virion can be achieved by self-repulsion of identical segments at the virion assembly stage, rather than by previously hypothesized intricate molecular recognition of particular segments. Using Monte Carlo simulations to maximize the energy gap, without any other assumptions, we generated model eight-segment virions, which all display specific packaging, strong self-repulsion of the segments, and reassortment patterns similar to natural influenza. The model provides a biophysical foundation of influenza genome packaging and reassortment and serves as an important step towards robust sequence-driven prediction of reassortment patterns of the influenza virus.
The role of specific immunoglobulins in antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity assays during Babesia bovis infection.

A stabilate prepared from Babesia bovis-infected Boophilus microplus ticks was used to infect intact adult cattle. Whole sera and immunoglobulin fractions from representative sera were tested by complement fixation (CF), indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA), and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) assays. The last test utilized 51Cr-labeled chicken erythrocytes coated with Babesia bovis antigen as targets. Mononuclear cell preparations, obtained from peripheral blood of normal donors and consisting of lymphocytes with 2–6% large monocytes, were used as the source of effector cells. Antibody activity was detected by all tests between 14 and 16 days following infection. Specific IgM and IgG1 were reactive in both CF and IFA tests, although the development of high titers was attributable to IgG, alone. The ADCC activity was restricted to IgG1 fractions and was greater in those sera or fractions with greater CF activity. No activity was demonstrated in IgG2 fractions by any test used.
NMR data processing using iterative thresholding and minimum l(1)-norm reconstruction.

Iterative thresholding algorithms have a long history of application to signal processing. Although they are intuitive and easy to implement, their development was heuristic and mainly ad hoc. Using a special form of the thresholding operation, called soft thresholding, we show that the fixed point of iterative thresholding is equivalent to minimum l1-norm reconstruction. We illustrate the method for spectrum analysis of a time series. This result helps to explain the success of these methods and illuminates connections with maximum entropy and minimum area methods, while also showing that there are more efficient routes to the same result. The power of the l1-norm and related functionals as regularizers of solutions to underdetermined systems will likely find numerous useful applications in NMR.
Michigan's Approach to Medicaid Expansion and Reform

Michigan's approach to expanding and reforming Medicaid may be a model for other Republican-dominated states that might choose to expand coverage for low-income adults, introduce market-oriented reforms, and limit the impact on their budget.
Antiquarian teratology books available in reprint form

Several reprint editions of antiquarian books dealing with malformations have been published in recent years, but their existence is not widely known. Original editions of these works are rare, expensive, and not available in most institutional libraries, which makes these reprints especially welcome. Several currently available works of potential interest to teratologists are described and critiqued. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Retrofit Storm Water Retention Volume for Low Impact Development

The concept of low impact development (LID) applies decentralized on-site runoff source control to storm water management. LID is an integration of bioretention and vegetated landscapes to maintain a catchment's hydrologic and ecological functions. In current practice, the LID implementation is quantified for the specified watershed development. During the dynamic development process, the existing LID facilities have to be improved according to the incremental changes in the watershed. This technical note presents an on-site hydrologic approach to relate the required incremental storm water retention volume to the alteration of surface imperviousness in the tributary area. This approach allows the storm water retention volume to be tailored according to the stage of the watershed development. Cumulatively, the total storage volume can be achieved though multiple stages of the watershed development. The incremental retention volume is found to be related to the local average event rainfall depth. Design charts were produced and normalized by the local average rainfall event depth for generalized applicability.
Macroscopic quantum tunneling and thermal activation in dc SQUID

Abstract We have studied the transition rate from the zero-voltage state in a dc SQUID as a function of applied flux and temperature. We observe a crossover from thermal activation to macroscopic quantum tunneling at a flux-dependent temperature. The thermal rates are sggnificantly suppressed, suggesting that the potential barrier for escape is effectively enhanced by the interaction of the macroscopic degrees of freedom in the two-dimensional dc SQUID potential.
Filled and unfilled temperature-dependent epoxy resin blends for lossy transducer substrates

In the context of our ongoing investigation of low-cost 2-dimensional (2-D) arrays, we studied the temperature- dependent acoustic properties of epoxy blends that could serve as an acoustically lossy backing material in compact 2-D array-based devices. This material should be capable of being machined during array manufacture, while also providing adequate signal attenuation to mitigate backing block reverberation artifacts. The acoustic impedance and attenuation of 5 unfilled epoxy blends and 2 filled epoxy blends - tungsten and fiberglass fillers - were analyzed across a 35degC temperature range in 5degC increments. Unfilled epoxy materials possessed an approximately linear variation of impedance and sigmoidal variation of attenuation properties over the range of temperatures of interest. An intermediate epoxy blend was fitted to a quadratic trend line with R2 values of 0.94 and 0.99 for attenuation and impedance, respectively. It was observed that a fiberglass filler induces a strong quadratic trend in the impedance data with temperature, which results in increased error in the characterization of attenuation and impedance. The tungsten-filled epoxy was not susceptible to such problems because a different method of fabrication was required. At body temperature, the tungsten-filled epoxy could provide a 44 dB attenuation of the round-trip backing block echo in our application, in which the center frequency is 5 MHz and the backing material is 1.1 mm thick. This is an 11 dB increase in attenuation compared with the fiberglass-filled epoxy in the context of our application. This work provides motivation for exploring the use of custom-made tungsten-filled epoxy materials as a substitute PCB-based substrate to provide electrical signal interconnect.
Another dimension for assessment of speech-sound discrimination: latency of response.

Sz/mmary.-The relationship of speech-sound-discrimination skills and speed of responding was investigated by presenting monosyllabic nouns in three different listening conditions to a total of 72 nursery, kindergarten, and first-grade children divided into three equal-sized groups. Speed of responding was related to the age of subjects, accuracy of responding, and context of presenmrion of stimulus items. There was a consistent decrease in latency of responding as age increased. Error responses had greater response latencies than correct responses. Response latencies for different contexts of presentation of stimulus items were longest for the paired-comparison context and shortest for the carrier-phrase context. Speed of responding could be considered as an additional parameter when evaluating speech-sound-discrimination skills. Although the most commonly used procedure for measuring speech-sounddiscrimination skills is to obtain a numerical count of the number of correct and incorrect responses, other scoring formats may give even more information about discrimination performance. Investigacions of other auditory-processing skills such as auditory memory suggest that alternative formats can be used to quantify the processing of auditory stimuli (Gough, 1965; Slobin, 1966). In separate studies of the effect of linguistic complexity on accuracy of processing, Gough (1965) and Slobin (1966) found that correct responses and response speed could be employed to evaluate the retention and recall of auditory information. They found a significant relationship between the accuracy of processing of a sentence and its grammatical complexity, and between the accuracy and speed of responding. As sentences increased in grammatical complexity, more errors in processing occurred. Similarly, as complexity increased, there was a corresponding increase in the amount of time for responding. At all levels of complexity, they found that correct responses took less "processing time" than errors. Speech-sound-discrimination skills, like auditory memory, involve the processing of linguistic as well as acoustic aspects of auditory information (Schwartz & Goldman, 1974). Perhaps some of the procedures that psycholinguistic researchers have employed in assessing short-term auditory memory could be applied to the evaluation of speech-sound discrimination. While it seems logical to assume that latency of responding on speech-sound-discrimination tasks is affected by the same variables as auditory memory, i.e., linguistic context, com
Highly efficient Agrobacterium tumefaciens -mediated transformation of celery ( Apium graveolens L.) through somatic embryogenesis

A protocol was developed for rapid and efficient production of transgenic celery plants via somatic embryo regeneration from Agrobacterium tumefaciens- inoculated leaf sections, cotyledons and hypocotyls. These explants were excised from in vitro seedlings of the cvs. XP166 and XP85 and inoculated with A. tumefaciens strain EHA105 containing the binary vector pBISN1. PBISN1 has the neomycin phosphotransferase gene (nptII) and an intron interrupted β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene (gusA). Co-cultivation was carried out for 4 d in the dark on callus induction medium (CIM): Gamborg B5 + 2.79 μM kinetin + 2.26 μM 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) supplemented with 100 μM acetosyringone. Embryogenic calluses resistant to kanamycin (Km) were then recovered on CIM + 25 mg l−1 Km + 250 mg l−1 timentin after 12 weeks. Subsequently, a large number of Km-resistant and GUS-positive transformants, tens to hundreds per explant were regenerated via somatic embryogenesis on Gamborg B5 + 4.92 μM 6 (γ,γ-dimethylallylamino)-purine (2iP) + 1.93 μM α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) + 25 mg l−1 Km + 250 mg l−1 timentin after 8 weeks. Using this protocol, the transformation frequency was 5.0% and 5.0% for leaf sections, 17.8% and 18.3% for cotyledons, and 15.9% and 16.7% for hypocotyl explants of cvs. XP85 and XP166, respectively. Stable integration of the model transgenes with 1–3 copy numbers was confirmed in all ten randomly selected transgenic events by Southern blot analysis of gusA. Progeny analysis by histochemical GUS assay showed stable Mendelian inheritance of the transgenes. Thus, A. tumefaciens-mediated transformation of cotyledons or hypocotyls provides an effective and reproducible protocol for large-scale production of transgenic celery plants.
Plasma cholinesterase levels of mountain plovers (Charadrius montanus) wintering in central California, USA

Declines of over 60% in mountain plover (Charadrius montanus) populations over the past 30 years have made it a species of concern throughout its current range and a proposed species for listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Wintering mountain plovers spend considerable time on freshly plowed agricultural fields where they may potentially be exposed to anticholinesterase pesticides. Because of the population status and wintering ecology of plovers, the objectives of our study were to use nondestructive methods to report baseline plasma cholinesterase (ChE) levels in free-ranging mountain plovers wintering in California, USA, and to assess whether sampled birds showed signs of ChE inhibition related to anticholinesterase chemical exposure. We compared plasma ChE activity for mountain plovers sampled from the Carrizo Plain (an area relatively free of anticholinesterase pesticide use) with similar measures for plovers from the Central Valley (where anticholinesterase pesticides are widely used). Analyses for ChE inhibition indicated that none of the plovers had been recently exposed to these chemicals. However, mean ChE levels of plovers from the Central Valley were significantly higher (32%) than levels reported for plovers from the Carrizo Plain. This result differs from our original assumption of higher exposure risk to mountain plovers in the Central Valley but does suggest that some effect is occurring in the ChE activity of mountain plovers wintering in California.