cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development and mechanistic studies of an optimized receptor for trimethyllysine using iterative redesign by dynamic combinatorial chemistry.

A new small molecule receptor, A2N, has been identified that binds specifically to trimethyllysine (Kme3) with sub-micromolar affinity. This receptor was discovered through the iterative redesign of a monomer known to incorporate through dynamic combinatorial chemistry (DCC) into a previously reported receptor for Kme3, A2B. In place of monomer B, the newly designed monomer N introduces an additional cation–π interaction into the binding pocket, resulting in more favorable binding to Kme3 by 1.3 kcal mol−1, amounting to a 10-fold improvement in affinity and a 5-fold improvement in selectivity over Kme2. This receptor exhibits the tightest affinity and greatest selectivity for KMe3-containing peptides reported to date. Comparative studies of A2B and A2N provide mechanistic insight into the driving force for both the higher affinity and higher selectivity of A2N, indicating that the binding of KMe3 to A2N is both enthalpically and entropically more favorable. This work demonstrates the ability of iterative redesign coupled with DCC to develop novel selective receptors with the necessary affinity and selectivity required for biological applications.
Microheterogeneity of enzymes and deactivation

The influence of microheterogeneity on enzyme inactivation kinetics is presented. Examples of different enzymes are given where microheterogeneity has been detected by different techniques. The different statistical models are presented which include the influence of microheterogeneity on enzyme inactivation kinetics and stability. As the microheterogeneity of the enzyme increases, there is a sharper decline in the normalized activity during the initial stages of the deactivation but a greater stability and activity, compared to similar homogeneous enzyme, as the deactivation proceeds. Microheterogeneity makes the deactivation reaction have a higher apparent order of reaction. The implications of microheterogeneity on enzyme inactivations are high lighted by different examples. The analysis provides fresh physical insights into the chemistry, subpopulations, structure, and function of enzymes.
Physical activity and atherosclerosis in the adult chicken.

Summary Three physical activity categories were established for 314 adult male and female White Leghorns by use of different sized cages. Minimum activity (simulating sedentary living) was represented by individual cages measuring 12 in. × 18 in. by 14 or 20 in., maximum activity by floor pens measuring 10 ft. × 10 ft. by 8 ft. and intermediate (females only) by community cages measuring 5 ft. × 3 ft. by 1.5 ft. The chickens were 18–20 months old at the start of the test which lasted 18 months. Several diets were used, including one considered atherogenic by virtue of enrichment with whole egg powder. Atherosclerosis of the thoracic and abdominal aorta was evaluated by visual scoring, morphometric measurement of vessel thickness and determination of vessel lipid concentration. All birds dying during the course of the study were also examined for atherosclerosis. No significant differences ascribable to cage size were found, indicating that the normal range of physical activity of the chicken has little effect on spontaneous atherosclerosis of the aorta.
Significance of Left Axis Deviation in Patients with Chronic Left Bundle Branch Block

Abstract Forty-nine patients with chronic left bundle branch block and a normal frontal axis were compared with 53 patients with left bundle branch block and left axis deviation. The following clinical variables were more frequent (P In conclusion, among patients with left bundle branch block, those with left axis deviation have a greater incidence of myocardial dysfunction, more advanced conduction disease and greater cardiovascular mortality than those with a normal axis.
Exciton linewidth due to scattering from free carriers in semiconducting quantum well structures

Abstract The contribution to the exciton linewidth in semiconducting quantum well structures due to the scattering of excitons by free carriers is calculated. It is found that this contribution becomes very important in limiting the exciton linewidth when a high density of free carriers is present or at low temperatures where the scattering of the excitons by optical and acoustic phonons is reduced. This contribution to the linewidth in quantum well structures is found to increase with the free carrier concentration and to extremely broaden and exciton peak at high carrier concentrations. At lower carrier concentrations, where the carriers behave as a nondegenerate gas of particles, the contribution to the exciton linewidth due to scattering by free carriers increases with temperature.
The Image of Arab and Islam in Introduction to Sociology College Textbooks in the United States

Sociology textbooks play a central role in educational process of teaching Sociology. This is very obvious in an introduction course. Introduction courses tend to be very large. In major universities, sociology courses attract as many as 500 to 1000 students. The enrollees tend to be drawn from various disciplines ranging from hard core sciences to social sciences. Furthermore, many of the instructors who teach introduction to sociology tend be new, of junior ranks, and lack experience. Thus, instructors who teach introduction to sociology tend to rely heavily upon the textbook to organize their lectures and presentations in order to give an organized overview of the subject matter and present a clear picture of the essentials of the field. Diversity1 and globalization2 are two important variables that have gained popularity and importance among sociologists, and many social scientists, in recent years. Sociologists use these tools to present and analyze sociological data and information. Thus, these two variables have significantly changed both the coverage and the presentation of introductory sociology textbooks in the last decade or so. Diversity and globalization have increased the coverage of foreign cultures and societies. The purpose of this paper is to study the coverage of Islam and the Arabs in introductory sociology textbooks. The study will cover 20 textbooks published in the 1995–2000 by major publishing companies in the U.S. which are used at colleges and universities throughout the country. The choice of textbooks at the college level in a given course relies, in most cases, on the instructor who teaches the course. Therefore a given textbook may be used in different parts of the country. Content analysis techniques will be used to analyze and evaluate the coverage of both Islam and the Arabs. The introductory Sociology texts will be evaluated in terms of whether they give a balanced, measured, impartial, and an objective picture of the Arabs and Muslims.
Separation of some black rollerball pen inks by capillary electrophoresis : Preliminary data

Capillary electrophoresis, a relatively new analytical technique providing high resolution and requiring a minimal amount of sample, was used in the analysis of ten liquid black rollerball pen inks. The method yielded differentiable electropherograms with an analysis time of 15 min or less.
RRR-α-Tocopheryl succinate is a less bioavailable source of vitamin E than all-rac-α-tocopheryl acetate for red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus

Abstract Bioavailability of the succinate ester of α-tocopherol has never been investigated with aquatic animals to date. Therefore, a 12-week feeding trial was conducted to compare bioavailability of α-tocopheryl acetate and α-tocopheryl succinate by slope ratio analysis. The semi-purified diets were supplemented with either 0 (basal), 10, 20 and 40 IU vitamin E/kg as all-rac-α-tocopheryl acetate or 10, 20, or 40 IU vitamin E/kg as RRR-α-tocopheryl succinate. Red drum juveniles were conditioned by feeding the basal diet for 8 weeks prior to the experimental period to reduce whole-body tocopherols. Fish initially averaging 12.2 ± 0.4 g/fish (mean ± SD) were fed experimental diets at a rate approaching apparent satiation for 12 weeks. Weight gain and feed efficiency responses of fish fed diets were not significantly altered by the type or level of vitamin E supplemented. However, α-tocopherol levels in liver and plasma were significantly (P
Calcium waves in dissociated retinal glial (Müller) cells are evoked by release of calcium from intracellular stores

Calcium imaging techniques were used to study intracellular free calcium ion regulation in isolated Muller cells in response to changes in extracellular potassium concentration and to caffeine and ryanodine. Muller cells were dissociated from the adult tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) retina and studied using the calcium indicator Fura-2 and video imaging microscopy techniques. Our results demonstrate that elevation of extracellular potassium in the presence of extracellular calcium evokes an increase in intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) throughout the length of the Muller cell. In contrast, in the absence of extracellular calcium, elevation of extracellular potassium can trigger a long latency, wave-like increase in [Ca2+]i that begins in the apical region of the Muller cell and moves toward the endfoot. A similar calcium wave can be evoked in Muller cells when they are exposed to caffeine or ryanodine, agents that cause release of calcium from intracellular stores in many cell types. These data suggest that [Ca2+]i may be altered in Muller cells through an extracellular pathway as well as through a ryanodine-sensitive intracellular release mechanism. The functional consequences of these changes in [Ca2+]i remain to be elucidated.
Issues and challenges for the distance independent environment

Instructors are familiar with an infrastructure that supports both instructor and students occupying the same classroom, and with most instructional delivery taking place while they are all present. This same-time/same-place delivery system is currently the norm, and few instructors are familiar with other types of delivery. In this article, the author outlines changes in infrastructure that are frequently necessary when one breaks from the traditional same-time/same-place model. Not all of these are applicable to all implementations of distance independent education. The author hopes that this article will serve as a basic guideline to the issues that an instructor must tackle in moving from the same-time/same-place model to various forms of distance independent education.
Immobilization of proteins on agarose beads, monitored in real time by bead injection spectroscopy

A novel approach to real-time monitoring of protein immobilization resulted in the surprising finding that current immobilization protocols are far from optimized.
Self‐regulation, strategic leadership and paradox in organizational change

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a dispositional model using self‐regulation as a foundation for the strategic leadership of organizational change.Design/methodology/approach – This paper reviews the self‐regulation literature and regulatory‐focus theory in particular, and integrates this literature within the strategic leadership and organizational change literatures to present a dispositional model with propositions about the relationships between these literatures.Findings – Strategic leadership of organizational change should allow for co‐existent states of both continuity and change. Leadership teams should include a mix of individuals with promotion and prevention foci of self‐regulation and should provide for a regulatory fit that cascades throughout the organization.Practical implications – Leaders should increase their self‐awareness of promotion and prevention styles of self‐regulation and rely on a mix of individuals that increase the chances of valuing and enhancing both conti...
Comparison of shockwave lithotripsy outcomes in patients receiving sufentanil or lidocaine spinal anesthesia.

Purpose. To determine whether the use of intrathecal sufentanil, which allows the patient to move during shockwave lithostripsy (SWL), affects treatment outcomes and operative and recovery times co...
An Information Foraging Model of Knowledge Creation and Spillover Dynamics in Open Source Science

Motivation and problem-domain preferences of scientists can affect aggregate level emergence and growth of problem domains in science. An agent-based model based on information foraging and expectancy theory is introduced to examine the impact of rationality and openness on the growth and evolution of scientific domains. To promote reproducibility of the simulation, a standard documentation protocol is used to specify the conceptual model. In the presented virtual socio-technical model, scientists with different preferences search for problem domains to contribute knowledge, while considering their motivational gains. Problem domains become mature and knowledge spills occur over time to facilitate creation of new problem domains. Experiments are conducted to demonstrate emergence and growth of clusters of domains based on local interactions and preferences of scientists. Based on findings, potential avenues of future research are delineated.
The State of the Science on Dietary Sweeteners Containing Fructose: Summary and Issues to Be Resolved

This article highlights the discussion of the issues that had been raised during the International Life Sciences Institute North America- and USDA Agricultural Research Service-sponsored workshop surrounding the consumption of fructose. One conclusion of the discussion was that the metabolic effects of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and sucrose appear to be similar in humans. However, there have been few studies directly comparing the effects of fructose to other caloric sweeteners, such as glucose, HFCS, and sucrose. Differential effects may include those related to insulin sensitivity, triglyceride and lipoprotein levels, and glycated protein levels. Further exploration of the differences between nutritive sweeteners should be the basis of a research agenda. Studies should also further investigate factors that might affect the results, such as the amount and form of the sweetener consumed, the macronutrient composition of the basal diet, the length of the study, and the characteristics of the subjects. Meanwhile, health professionals could help consumers by providing simple messages, such as the importance of consuming lower levels of energy, including those from all caloric sweeteners.
Mass-Yield Curve of First-Chance Fission from Proton- and Deuteron-Induced Fission of Ra 226

Information has been obtained on the mass distribution and kinetic energy release for fission of $^{226}\mathrm{Ra}$ induced by protons and deuterons at moderate bombarding energies (20 MeV). The mass distribution, which is triple peaked, has previously been interpreted in terms of two separate fission "modes": a single symmetric peak, characteristic of symmetric fission, associated with higher excitation energies; and a double-peaked distribution, characteristic of asymmetric fission, associated with lower excitation energies. It is shown that by a proper choice of proton and deuteron bombarding energies, and by a proper weighting of their respective mass-yield curves, the mass distribution for the fission of a single species, $^{228}\mathrm{Ac}$, can be determined for a single excitation energy. At excitation energies near 25 MeV this mass distribution for $^{228}\mathrm{Ac}$ is shown to be a single symmetric peak, in agreement with the hypothesis of two fission components. It is shown further that the measured kinetic energy distributions can also be interpreted in terms of the two-component hypothesis.
Variable Selection With the Strong Heredity Constraint and Its Oracle Property

In this paper, we extend the LASSO method (Tibshirani 1996) for simultaneously fitting a regression model and identifying important interaction terms. Unlike most of the existing variable selection methods, our method automatically enforces the heredity constraint, that is, an interaction term can be included in the model only if the corresponding main terms are also included in the model. Furthermore, we extend our method to generalized linear models, and show that it performs as well as if the true model were given in advance, that is, the oracle property as in Fan and Li (2001) and Fan and Peng (2004). The proof of the oracle property is given in online supplemental materials. Numerical results on both simulation data and real data indicate that our method tends to remove irrelevant variables more effectively and provide better prediction performance than previous work (Yuan, Joseph, and Lin 2007 and Zhao, Rocha, and Yu 2009 as well as the classical LASSO method).
Outliers and Residual Distributions in Logistic Regression

Abstract Detection of outliers and other diagnostics based on residuals have gained widespread use in linear regression. Logistic regression has been both blessed and hindered by this development. Certainly logistic regression requires procedures to detect global and local model weaknesses. Thus the wealth of work done in linear regression provides guides and suggestions that may, with care and ingenuity, be applied to logistic regression. Several innovative attempts in this direction have been made by authors such as Tsiatis (1980), Pregibon (1979, 1981), Landwehr, Pregibon, and Shoemaker (1984), and Cook and Weisberg (1982). Unfortunately the similarities that allow such techniques to adapt to logistic regression seem, in addition, to hide many of the differences. Two such differences are discussed here. The first examines the effect of events of small probability on estimation in logistic regression. The simple conclusion is that to estimate the probability of success p in an area in which p is small, ...
Lessons from two field tests on pipeline damage detection using acceleration measurement

Early detection of pipeline damages has been highlighted in water supply industry. Water pressure change in pipeline due to a sudden rupture causes pipe to vibrate and the pressure change propagates through the pipeline. From the measurement of pipe vibration the rupture can be detected. In this paper, the field test results and observations are provided for implementing next generation of SCADA system for pipeline rupture detection. Two field tests were performed on real buried plastic and metal pipelines for rupture detection. The rupture was simulated by introducing sudden water pressure drop caused by water blow-off and valve control. The measured acceleration data at the pipe surfaces were analyzed in both time and frequency domain. In time domain, the sudden narrow increase of acceleration amplitude was used as an indication of rupture event. For the frequency domain analysis, correlation function and the short time Fourier Transform technique were adopted to trace the dominant frequency shift. The success of rupture detection was found to be dependent on several factors. From the frequency analysis, the dominant frequency of metal water pipe was shifted by the water pressure drop, however, it was hard to identify from the plastic pipeline. Also the influence of existing facility such as airvac on pipe vibrations was observed. Finally, several critical lessons learned in the viewpoint of field measurement are discussed in this paper.
Biodegradation kinetics of Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b at low concentrations of chloroform in the presence and absence of enzyme competition by methane

Abstract The kinetics of chloroform and trichloroethylene (TCE) degradation by the methanotroph, Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b, were measured in batch kinetic experiments. The experiments focused on initial concentrations of around 100 μg/l for chloroform and around 1 mg/l for TCE. The pseudo first-order rate constants ranged from 0.2 to 0.41/mg TSS-day for chloroform and from 0.5 to 3.31/mg TSS-day for TCE in the absence of methane. Comparison of the TCE rate constants to other work indicates that the organisms were producing the soluble form of their methane monooxygenase. The presence of methane caused significant enzyme competition at methane concentrations as low as 0.35 mg/l, resulting in smaller chloroform rate constants. The decreases in the rate constant were consistent with the predictions of an enzyme competitive inhibition model, which indicated a half saturation coefficient for methane in the order of 0.3 mg/l. The predominant degradation products from chloroform was carbon dioxide.
Life Balance: How to Convert Professional Success into Personal Happiness

A review is presented of the book “Life Balance: How to Convert Professional Success Into Personal Happiness,” by Alan Weiss.
BMP signaling in skeletal development.

Development of the vertebrate skeleton, a complex biological event that includes diverse processes such as formation of mesenchymal condensations at the sites of future skeletal elements, osteoblast and chondrocyte differentiation, and three dimensional patterning, is regulated by many growth factors. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), members of the TGF-β superfamily, play a pivotal role in the signaling network and are involved in nearly all processes associated with skeletal morphogenesis. BMP signals are transduced from the plasma membrane receptors to the nucleus through both Smad pathway and non-Smad pathways, and regulated by many extracellular and intercellular proteins that interact with BMPs or components of the BMP signaling pathways. To gain a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the role of BMP in early skeletal development, it is necessary to elucidate the BMP signaling transduction pathways in chondrocytes and osteoblasts. The major objective of this review was to summarize BMP signaling pathways in the context of craniofacial, axial, and limb development. In particular, this discourse will focus on recent advances of the role of different ligands, receptors, Smads, and BMP regulators in osteoblast and chondrocyte differentiation during embryonic development.
A device for investigating adaptation to sensory rearrangement.

Summary A device is described that is a useful tool for studying the conditions under which adaptation to visual rearrangement occurs. This device has provisions for creating independent discordances among the visual, proprioceptive, and auditory directions of external targets. It also has provisions for automatically recording pointing responses to these targets during pre- and postexposure measurement conditions.
Distribution of cetaceans in the offshore Gulf of Mexico

In order to comprehend better the distribution of Gulf of Mexico cetaceans, all available records of whales and dolphins in the offshore Gulf were assembled and analysed. This included sightings, strandings and captures of all species, except the Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus, from all sources, except the recently completed GulfCet project. An attempt was made to confirm species identification for each of the records. A total of 1223 records was available for analysis. Twentyseven species of cetaceans have been confirmed to occur in the offshore Gulf of Mexico. All of the baleen whales, with the possible exception of the Bryde's Whale Balaenoptera edeni appear to be extralimital in the Gulf. The Sperm Whale Physeter macrocephalus is, by far, the most common great whale in this body of water. All previous records of Common Dolphins Delphinus spp. in the Gulf are rejected as either incorrect or unreliable, and there is currently no convincing evidence that dolphins of the genus Delphinus occur in the Gulf. The Atlantic Spotted Dolphin Stenella frontalis is the only species, other than the Bottlenose Dolphin, that regularly occurs over the continental shelf. The Pantropical Spotted Dolphin Stenella attenuata is the most common species of small cetacean in oceanic waters of the Gulf, but many other species also occur there in significant numbers.
A dynamically biased neutron detector for background reduction with a fast neutron time-of-flight spectrometer

Abstract A neutron time-of-flight system has been developed which has dynamically changing bias levels rather than the single fixed level used by the conventional neutron time-of-flight system. This method of biasing was developed to reduce background in the study of (n, n′) reactions. Additionally, the dynamically biased system has the following features: (1) A neutron detection efficiency which is approximately proportional to the total neutron-proton scattering cross section. (2) A neutron energy response which, in theory, has no lower limit. In practice, however, one may wish to impose a bias just above the photomultiplier noise. (3) Improved time resolution for neutron detection.
Kinetics of retrovirus production and decay.

There has been only limited success in using recombinant retroviruses to transfer genes for the purposes of human gene therapy, in part because the average number of genes delivered to the target cells (transduction efficiency) is often too low to achieve the desired therapeutic effect [Miller, AD. 1990. Blood 76:271-278; Mulligan RC. 1993. Science 260:926-932; Orkin SH, Motulsky AG. 1995. Report and recommendations of the panel to assess the NIH investment in research on gene therapy. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health.]. One strategy to improve transduction efficiency is to focus on understanding and improving the processes used to produce recombinant retroviruses. In this report, we characterized the dynamics of retrovirus production and decay in batch cultures of virus producer cells using a simple mathematical model, a recombinant retrovirus encoding the Escherichia coli lacZ gene, and quantitative assays for virus activity and number. We found that the rate at which recombinant retroviruses spontaneously lose their activity (decay) is a strong function of temperature, decreasing roughly 2-fold for every 5 degrees C reduction in temperature, whereas the rate at which retroviruses are produced is only weakly affected by temperature, decreasing about 10% for every 5 degrees C reduction in temperature. In addition, we developed a simple mathematical model of virus production and decay that predicted that the virus titer in batch cultures of virus producer cells would reach a maximum steady-state at a rate that is inversely proportional to the virus decay rate and to a level that is proportional to the ratio of the virus production rate to the virus decay rate. Consistent with the model, we observed that the steady-state levels of virus titer increased more than 3-fold when the cell culture temperature was reduced from 37 to 28 degrees C. Despite their higher titers, virus stocks produced at 28 degrees C, when used in undiluted form so as to mimic human gene transfer protocols, did not transduce substantially more cells than virus stocks produced at 37 degrees C. The implications of our findings on the production of retroviruses for use in human gene therapy protocols are discussed.
Protein and protein assembly based material structures

Assembly of nanoscale materials and functional hierarchical structures is a big challenge now faced by nanotechnology. Learning from biology, using proteins and protein assembled structures as scaffolds to control the synthesis and organization of materials like living tissues provides the perfect solution to this problem. Proteins can function as versatile building blocks with genetically programmed properties and also offer the capability of hierarchical assembly with nanoscale precision. In this feature article we will review recent progress in using protein structure based scaffolds in creating material structures.
MRS. SEACOLE PRESCRIBES HYBRIDITY: CONSTITUTIONAL AND MATERNAL RHETORIC IN WONDERFUL ADVENTURES OF MRS. SEACOLE IN MANY LANDS

In an 1857 Saturday Review article of the novel Two Years Ago, T. C. Sanders characterizes Charles Kingsley's ideal man: he “fears God and can walk a thousand miles in a thousand hours – [he] breathes God's free air on God's rich earth, and at the same time can hit a woodcock, doctor a horse, and twist a poker around his fingers” (qtd. in Haley 108). Tom Thurnall, the fearless, constitutionally robust, well-traveled doctor and hero of Two Years Ago, fits these requirements. His physical strength also manifests itself as a charmed immunity to illness: during a cholera epidemic in Aberalva (a fictional Cornish town), “[Tom] thought nothing about death and danger at all . . . Sleep he got when he could, and food as often as he could; into the sea he leapt, morning and night, and came out fresher each time” (Kingsley, Years 288). Charles Kingsley's own self-proclaimed medical and religious philosophies give clear insight into Two Years Ago's intended effects. A sanitary reformer in the mould of Edwin Chadwick and Florence Nightingale, Kingsley felt that disease arose from crowding, filth, and poisonous vapors. Kingsley's contemporaries named his perspective “muscular Christianity,” recognizing that Kingsley “strong arms” his readers by inspiring in them fear and uncertainty about their own health practices and then shows them the way, with examples like Tom, to an active, devout lifestyle.
The use of bevacizumab in the management of ovarian cancer: an argument for single-agent rather than combination therapy

Bevacizumab is a biologically and clinically active antineoplastic agent in the management of epithelial ovarian cancer. While phase III trial data have revealed the favorable impact on progression-free survival associated with combining the agent with cytotoxic chemotherapy, at the current time a strong argument can be made (based on both efficacy and cost-effectiveness considerations) that a more rational approach to utilizing bevacizumab in ovarian cancer would be to administer the drug as a single agent in the platinum-resistant setting.
A planetary radio astronomy discussion of the 1.55 cm microwave emission of the Earth

Using 1.55 cm observations of the earth made by the Electrically Scanned Microwave Radiometer (ESMR) experiment on Nimbus 5, the appearance of the earth from Venus is simulated. A single antenna unable to resolve the earth's disk would give a time-averaged disk temperature of 183 K. In one rotation, the disk temperature would vary from 194 K to 172 K. During the 1973 inferior conjunction, a radio telescope with 1 arc sec resolution would resolve most of the major surface features of the earth.
BiCMES and BiCMOD: bipolar-FET logic configurations for high speed applications

The performance of eight different BiCMOS logic configurations is discussed. The Z-type structure is found to be the most promising. The characteristics of Z-type inverters for Si MESFET and GaAlAs MODFET technologies are analyzed. The analysis shows that bipolar complementary structures, in general, can provide superior performance to other logic structures, and that BiCMES and BiCMOD structures can operate at higher speeds and lower power than BiCMOS. >
Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus in Ohio During 1991

During August and September of 1991, an epizootic of eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus in horses occurred in Wayne and Holmes countries, OH. This was the first recorded epizootic of EEE virus in the state. Twelve horses were confirmed positive for EEE virus through virus isolation or seroconversion, and seven additional horses with compatible symptoms were in close spatial and temporal proximity to the confirmed cases and were presumed to have died from EEE virus. The outbreak was centered around the Killbuck Wildlife Area, a 2,147-ha tract maintained by the state, half of which consists of wooded swamp and marsh. Mosquitoes were collected in upland areas before the epizootic and in the swamp basin at the end of the epizootic to identify the mosquito species involved in EEE virus transmission. We collected and tested 22,095 specimens for the presence of virus. EEE virus was isolated from one pool of the most likely epizootic vector, Coquillettidia perturbans (Walker). The minimum infection rate for EEE virus in this species was 0.1/1,000. Dense populations of Aedes vexans (Meigen) and Culex salinarius Coquillett occurred in the area, but their densities peaked after the epizootic. It is unlikely that these species were involved in epizootic transmission. IgM antibody to EEE virus was detected in three bird species collected in the swamp.
Wood frog adaptations to overwintering in Alaska: new limits to freezing tolerance.

We investigated the ecological physiology and behavior of free-living wood frogs [Lithobates (Rana) sylvaticus] overwintering in Interior Alaska by tracking animals into natural hibernacula, recording microclimate, and determining frog survival in spring. We measured cryoprotectant (glucose) concentrations and identified the presence of antifreeze glycolipids in tissues from subsamples of naturally freezing frogs. We also recorded the behavior of wood frogs preparing to freeze in artificial hibernacula, and tissue glucose concentrations in captive wood frogs frozen in the laboratory to −2.5°C. Wood frogs in natural hibernacula remained frozen for 193±11 consecutive days and experienced average (October–May) temperatures of −6.3°C and average minimum temperatures of –14.6±2.8°C (range −8.9 to −18.1°C) with 100% survival (N=18). Mean glucose concentrations were 13-fold higher in muscle, 10-fold higher in heart and 3.3-fold higher in liver in naturally freezing compared with laboratory frozen frogs. Antifreeze glycolipid was present in extracts from muscle and internal organs, but not skin, of frozen frogs. Wood frogs in Interior Alaska survive freezing to extreme limits and durations compared with those described in animals collected in southern Canada or the Midwestern United States. We hypothesize that this enhancement of freeze tolerance in Alaskan wood frogs is due to higher cryoprotectant levels that are produced by repeated freezing and thawing cycles experienced under natural conditions during early autumn.
Visuo-Motor Coordination in Bipedal Humanoid Robot Walking

Complex visual tasks may be tackled with remarkably simple neural architectures generated by a co-evolutionary process of active vision and feature selection. This hypothesis has recently been tested in several robotic applications such as shape discrimination, car driving, indoor/outdoor navigation of a wheeled robot. Here we describe an experiment where this hypothesis is further examined in goal-oriented humanoid bipedal walking task. Hoap-2 humanoid robot equipped with a primitive vision system on its head is evolved while freely interacting with its environment. Unlike wheeled robots, bipedal walking robots are exposed to largely perturbed visual input caused by their own walking dynamics. We show that evolved robots are capable of coping with the dynamics and of accomplishing the task by means of active, efficient camera control.
Scientific History and Experimental History

The promise of scientific history and scientifically informed history is more modest today than it was in the nineteenth century, when a number of intellectuals hoped to transform history into a scientific mode of inquiry that would unite the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, and reveal profound truths about human nature and destiny. But Edmund Russell in Evolutionary History and Jared Diamond and James A. Robinson in Natural Experiments of History demonstrate that historians can write interdisciplinary, comparative analyses using the strategies of nonexperimental natural science to search for deep patterns in human behavior and for correlates to those patterns that can lead to a better, though not infallible, understanding of historical causality.
The estimation of cone spectral sensitivities

Methods for estimating the cone spectral sensitivities are reviewed (selectively). Techniques applied to the normal eye include measurement of flicker photometric sensitivity against colored backgrounds; creation of temporary artificial dichromacy by colored bleaches; observations of the afterimages of colored bleaching lights; and transient photopic saturation by flashed backgrounds. Results from these techniques agree well with cone sensitivities estimated from studies of congenital dichromats, and these estimates are further supported by appropriately comparing normal with anomalous trichromatic matches. The indicated sensitivities for red- and green-sensitive cones peak at 566 and 543 nm, respectively. Factor analysis of color-matching functions indicates normal variation of the order of 1–1.5-nm standard deviation.
STEADY‐STATE LABOR TURNOVER AS OPTIMAL HOUSEHOLD BEHAVIOR*

. Models of the firm with costly labor turnover and models of migration with location-specific consumption amenities are two standard explanations of the co-existence of persistent wage differentials with extensive labor mobility. Labor turnover models postulate a worker quit function where the quit rate is inversely related to the regional wage differential in the steady state. We use amenity-consumption models of migration to show conditions under which this postulate is consistent with household utility maximization. Our model extends standard amenity-consumption analysis by making the value of amenities contingent on the “state” of the household. These household states are defined in terms of demographic, education, and health characteristics and are assumed to follow a Markov process.
Behavior of the ionosphere and thermosphere subject to extreme solar cycle conditions

[1] A 1-D global average ionosphere and thermosphere (GAIT) model is used to examine the climatological behavior of the upper atmosphere, subject to both extremely low and high solar flux. These extremes are justified, in part, by the Maunder Minimum and Grand Maximum epochs described by J. A. Eddy, as well as other studies involving cosmogenic isotopes and Sun-like stars. As the irradiance falls below normal solar minimum levels, the concentration of O+ decreases rapidly relative to the molecular ions, such that the ratio foF2/foF1 approaches unity. When subject to exceptionally high solar fluxes, the ionospheric peak electron density (NmF2) unexpectedly plateaus, remaining relatively constant even as the photon flux continues to increase. In both cases, the state of the underlying thermosphere, particularly the neutral gas temperature, is found to be largely responsible. Model trends are discussed in relation to ionospheric observations, specifically the preponderance of so-called ionospheric G conditions at solar minimum and foF2 saturation at solar maximum, as well as the problem of Earth's global helium budget.
Development of the two-stage rapid estimate of adult literacy in dentistry.

Objective: This work proposes a revision of the 30 item Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Dentistry (REALD-30), into a more efficient and easier-to-use two-stage scale. Methods: Using a sample of 1405 individuals (primarily women) enrolled in a Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), the present work utilizes principles of item response theory and multi-stage testing to revise the REALD-30 into a two- stage test of oral health literacy, named Two-Stage REALD or TS-REALD, which maximizes score precision at various levels of participant ability. Results: Based on the participant's score on the five-item first-stage (i.e., routing test), one of three potential stage-two tests is administered: a four-item Low Literacy test, a six-item Average Literacy test, or a three-item High Literacy test. Conclusions: The reliability of scores for the TS-REALD is >0.85 for a wide range of ability. The TS-REALD was found to be predictive of perceived impact of oral conditions on well-being, after controlling for educational level, overall health, dental health, and a general health literacy measure. While containing approximately one-third of the items on the original scale, the TS-REALD was found to maintain similar psychometric qualities.
A three-layer-mesh bridging domain for coupled atomistic–continuum simulations at finite temperature: Formulation and testing

Although concurrent multiscale methods have been well developed for zero-temperature simulations, improvements are needed to meet challenges pertaining to finite-temperature simulations. Bridging domain method (BDM) is one of the most efficient and widely-used multiscale atomistic–continuum techniques. It is recently revealed that the BDM coupling algorithm has a cooling effect on the atoms in the bridging domain (BD), and application of thermostats to rectify the cooling effect in the original BDM formulation is unstable. We propose improvement of the BDM formulation for finite-temperature simulations by employing a three-layer mesh structure in the BD, consisting of coarse, meso, and atomic meshes. The proposed method uses a mesh-independent physics-based discrimination between thermal and mechanical waves to define and introduce a meso mesh that is independent of the finite-element (FE) mesh. Temperature stability in the BD is achieved by constraining only the mechanical part of atomic motion to the FE displacements while unconstrained thermal vibrations are thermostatted using local thermostats in the BD. The new architecture of three-layer-mesh BD effectively mitigates the temperature cooling effect encountered by the conventional BDM as well as suppresses the spurious mechanical wave reflection. Numerical simulations have shown the robustness and accuracy of the proposed multiscale method at finite temperature.
Aluminum: Organometallic Chemistry

The synthesis, reactivity, structures, and applications of the organometallic compounds of aluminum are reviewed. The chapter starts with a discussion of traditional synthetic approaches to aluminum alkyls, aryls, hydrides, and halides and continues with a discussion of their structures and reactivity. The following section focuses on the emerging organometallic chemistry of Al(0), Al(I), and Al(II) and specifically highlights recent developments in aluminum–aluminum bonding, insertions of small molecules and elements into AlAl bonds, and the isolation of large metalloid clusters such as . Organoaluminum heterocycles and cage compounds are the subjects of the next section. This section briefly describes common structural motifs and has separate subsections devoted to cage iminoalanes, alkylaluminoxanes, and alkylaluminophosphinates, -phosphates, -phosphonates, and -arsonates. Structural relationships amongst these groups of compounds and comparisons to secondary building units in aluminophosphate molecular sieves are presented. The importance of alkylaluminoxanes to catalytic activity is also discussed. This chapter includes an independent section on cationic organoaluminum complexes. Although this includes more traditional cationic complexes ligated by crown ether and neutral nitrogen-donor ligands, the section emphasizes recent developments in generating two- and three-coordinate cationic complexes. Alkide and hydride abstractions by trityl salts of weakly coordinating anions and tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane are described. Common anion decomposition pathways and successful cationic systems for oligomerizing and polymerizing alkenes are discussed. Two additional sections describe the applications of organoaluminum compounds to organic synthesis and applications in industry. Readers are referred to leading works that more adequately describe the extensive use of organoaluminum reagents in organic synthesis. Current and past applications of organoaluminum compounds for the production of long-chain alkenes and alcohols, as cocatalysts for Ziegler–Natta and metallocene-catalyzed polymerization of alkenes and dienes, and catalysts for propene dimerization and epoxide polymerization are summarized. Safety issues regarding the handling and disposal of pyrophoric organoaluminum reagents and waste are also discussed. One hundred and twenty-six reviews and original works are cited. Keywords: alane; aluminoxane; alumenium ion; aluminum; Aufbau; catalysis; clusters; organoaluminum
Effects of alcoholism severity and smoking on executive neurocognitive function.

Aims Neurocognitive deficits in chronic alcoholic men are well documented. Impairments include memory, visual- spatial processing, problem solving and executive function. The cause of impairment could include direct effects of alcohol toxicity, pre-existing cognitive deficits that predispose towards substance abuse, comorbid psychiatric disorders andabuseof substancesotherthanalcohol.Cigarettesmokingoccursathigherratesinalcoholismandhasbeenlinked to poor cognitive performance, yet the effects of smoking on cognitive function in alcoholism are often ignored. We examined whether chronic alcoholism and chronic smoking have effects on executive function.Methods Alcoholism and smoking were examined in a community-recruited sample of alcoholic and non-alcoholic men (n = 240) using standard neuropsychological and reaction-time measures of executive function. Alcoholism was measured as the average level of alcoholism diagnoses across the study duration (12 years). Smoking was measured in pack-years. Results Both alcoholism and smoking were correlated negatively with a composite executive function score. For component measures, alcoholism was correlated negatively with a broad range of measures, whereas smoking was correlated negatively with measures that emphasize response speed. In regression analyses, both smoking and alco- holism were significant predictors of executive function composite. However, when IQ is included in the regression analyses, alcoholism severity is no longer significant. Conclusions Both smoking and alcoholism were related to executive function. However, the effect of alcoholism was not independent of IQ, suggesting a generalized effect, perhapsaffectingawiderangeof cognitiveabilitiesof whichexecutivefunctionisacomponent.Ontheotherhand,the effect of smoking on measures relying on response speed were independent of IQ, suggesting a more specific processing speed deficit associated with chronic smoking.
Effects of thiouracil and sitosterol on diet-induced hypercholesterolemia and lipomatous arterial lesions in the rat.

Abstract A semisynthetic diet high in saturated fat and cholesterol was fed to albino rats for 15 weeks. A moderate increase in serum cholesterol and a marked increase in liver cholesterol resulted. Microscopic examination of heart and kidney revealed minimal lipid deposition in arterial walls in only 1 of 6 animals. The incorporation of 0.2 per cent of thiouracil in the diet resulted in significantly higher levels of serum cholesterol and a reduced concentration of cholesterol in the liver. Of the 6 animals in this group, 3 displayed microscopic renal infarcts, and in 4 of them lipomatous arterial lesions were found in either heart or kidney, or in both. The further addition of 5 per cent of sitosterol to the diet partially inhibited the accumulation of cholesterol in serum and liver, and decreased the incidence of arterial lesions.
Trust Me, I Believe in God: Candidate Religiousness as a Signal of Trustworthiness

Religion plays a prominent role in American politics, and candidates often attempt to display their religiousness in a variety of ways. For example, in spite of the association between conservatism...
Sexual Assault Prevention Efforts in the U.S. Air Force A Systematic Review and Content Analysis

The issue of sexual assault in the U.S. military is problematic and prevalent. All military branches have undertaken an effort to develop and implement sexual assault prevention programs (SAPPs), yet these programs lack a rigorous and independent evaluation process, limiting an understanding of effectiveness. We examined the four official SAPPs that have been used within the U.S. Air Force (USAF) over the past decade by comparing their content and process with best practice suggestions for SAPPs. Content of the four USAF SAPPs was evaluated on 47 different criteria grouped into the following program elements: content, process, and outcome. Independent ratings of the criteria were reliable, and results indicated strengths and opportunities for improvement. Most notably, evidence of an objective program evaluation system is lacking. Recommendations for improving SAPPs are offered.