cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Demonstration of a peptide:N-glycosidase in the endoplasmic reticulum of rat liver.

Prompted by previous observations that polymannose oligosaccharides are released from newly synthesized glycoproteins [Anumula and Spiro (1983) J. Biol. Chem. 258, 15274‐15282], we examined rat liver endoplasmic reticulum (ER) for the presence of endoglycosidases that could be involved in an event presumed to be a function of the protein quality control machinery. Our investigations indicated that a peptide:N-glycanase (PNGase) is present in ER membranes that has the capacity to release from radiolabelled glycopeptides glucosylated as well as nonglucosylated polymannose oligosaccharides terminating at their reducing end in a di-N-acetylchitobiose sequence (OS-GlcNAc # ). This enzyme, which was found to be luminal in orientation, was most active in the pH range 5‐5‐7‐0 and although it had no exogenous bivalent-cation requirements it was inhibited by
Concept of Patterns & Visualization

Loosely defined, patterns may refer to regularities exhibited in a phenomenon, or the existence of certain structures in an entity of particular interest. For example, maple leaves have a palmate as a basic venation patterns. Tornado and twister are weather phenomenon with a spiral rotating wind circulation pattern. “DNA” is a polymer with a linear structural pattern of sub-units known as “nucleotides” — composed of phosphate, sugar, and base [Clark and Russell 1997]; where there are four bases: A (Adenine), T (Thymine), G (Guanine), and C (Cytosine).
Fast GPU Implementation of a Scan-Specific Deep Learning Reconstruction for Accelerated Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Parallel Imaging is a technique commonly used in most clinical Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans to mitigate the problem of long scan-times. In parallel imaging, information from multiple receiver antennas with different spatial sensitivities is combined to allow reconstruction from undersampled image information. Robust Artificial-neural-networks for k-space Interpolation (RAKI) has been recently proposed enabling parallel imaging reconstruction in MRI using convolutional neural networks (CNN) trained solely on a calibration signal corresponding to that image. While RAKI has demonstrated improved reconstruction performance compared to established techniques, its reconstruction time is prolonged due to the repeated application of the CNN, and the necessity of a training-phase for each receiver image. In this study, we propose an optimized RAKI implementation based on GPU parallel programming. The training phase duration is substantially shortened by optimizing the number of iterations and allowing for adaptively updated learning rates without compromising visual reconstruction quality. Efficient use of GPU resources was facilitated by a parallelized implementation of the training of multiple networks using CPU multiprocessing. The proposed implementation demonstrates more than 60-fold reduction in the reconstruction speed of clinical sample data compared with conventional sequential implementation, thus, easing the integration of RAKI in clinical applications.
First Demonstration of Ge Ferroelectric Nanowire FET as Synaptic Device for Online Learning in Neural Network with High Number of Conductance State and G max /G min

In this paper, optimum weight update scheme for improved linearity and asymmetry of channel conductance potentiation and depression in a Germanium ferroelectric (FE) nanowire FET (NWFET) was experimentally demonstrated and simulated for the first time. It was found that −5 V, 320 pulses and +5V, 256 pulses both with 50 ns pulse width were the optimum pulsing conditions for potentiation and depression process, respectively. With the optimized scheme, non-linearity for potentiation and depression were extracted to be $\alpha_{p}=1.22$ and $\alpha_{d}=-1.75$ , respectively resulting in asymmetry $(\vert \alpha_{p}-\alpha_{d}\vert)$ of 2.97 based on models embedded in MLP simulator and NeuroSim [1]. $\mathrm{G}_{\max}/\mathrm{G}_{\min}$ ratio (few hundreds) and number of conductance states (>256) are both very large. 9 alternating consecutive conductance updates (potentiation followed by depression) were executed to observe variability in conductance profiles. Multilayer perceptron neural network was simulated over 1 million MNIST images with extracted experimental parameters which yielded in online learning accuracy of ∼ 88%.
Stoking the Fire

Abstract This essay uses qualitative elements to examine characteristics of inspirational teachers through the eyes of teacher candidate autobiographical essays. Based on narratives written by 35 college students, three teacher educators examined the responses through several lenses, including: the characteristics the inspirational teachers had in common, and the impact the teachers had on the students. Seven emerging themes indicate that truly inspirational teachers go beyond the normal call of their duties, sometimes in intangible ways. Also indicated is the notion that knowledge and instructional strategies are not sufficient for making a teacher inspirational. Implications for teacher education are discussed.
Power of the Past, Celebrate the Present, Force of the Future—Part 6: NASN—The Next 50 Years:

NASN is celebrating 50 years of supporting the health needs of children and the practice needs of the school nurses who provide those services. This is the sixth and last in a series exploring the power of NASN's past, its celebration of the present and preparing for NASN to be a force of the future. This article builds on the historical precedents of NASN's history to develop a vision for its next 50 years. Examining the changing landscape of healthcare provides the outline of NASN's potential to advance child health.
Total Synthesis as a Vehicle for Collaboration

"Collaboration" is not the first word most would associate with the field of total synthesis. In fact, the spirit of total synthesis is all-too-often reputed as being more competitive, rather than collaborative, sometimes even within individual laboratories. However, recent studies in total synthesis have inspired a number of collaborative efforts that strategically blend synthetic methodology, biocatalysis, biosynthesis, computational chemistry, and drug discovery with complex molecule synthesis. This Perspective highlights select recent advances in these areas, including collaborative syntheses of chlorolissoclimide, nigelladine A, artemisinin, ingenol, hippolachnin A, communesin A, and citrinalin B. The legendary Woodward-Eschenmoser collaboration that led to the total synthesis of vitamin B12 is also discussed.
Pore-scale modeling of carbonates

Abstract Carbonate rocks display complex pore textures with heterogeneities that extend over several length scales. Identifying and capturing the significant pore space properties in a computationally tractable model is therefore nontrivial. Pore-scale models bridge predictions of transport properties from sub-pore to core scale and attempts have been made to render such methods cost-effective. This chapter reviews several methods for fabricating pore-scale models of carbonate rocks and discusses approaches to simulating their fluid flow and solute transport properties. The advantages and limitations of each method in reducing the reservoir development uncertainties are explained. We argue that pore-scale models can play an important role in predicting the petrophysical properties of carbonate rocks. Even more importantly, they provide sensitivity analyses of pore-scale features on macroscopic transport observations and offer explanations for anomalous flow behaviors.
Mapping the Factors that Impact Technological Fluency for Black Youth in Low Income Communities

Black youth in low income, underserved communities are no strangers to technology--by way of cellphones, digital media, and the presence of computers in schools. Scholars have found that these youth possess basic technological familiarity, yet they lack the technological fluency that would enable them to leverage technology in creating solutions to issues within the Black community [1]. Therefore, grooming these students as the next generation of creators in an increasingly technological world—which highly depends on the ability to map technologies to personally motivating technological solutions--is highly challenging. Limited accessibility to high cost educational tools is a confounding issue that further exacerbates this technological fluency divide for Black and minority youth attending public institutions in low income communities. Our initial research on this topic expands upon previous research to examine the features of technological fluency building activities that commonly emerge in low income, minority serving schools in comparison to those that appear in high income schools. The goal is to understand where technological fluency building activities fall short within the space, in order to address these gaps with a set of necessary tools. We will present our initial methodology design, review of related work in the field, and current findings and observations in our poster presentation.
Modeling Worm Propagation and Insider Threat in Air-Gapped Network using Modified SEIQV Model

Computer worms pose a major threat to computer and communication networks due to the rapid speed at which they propagate. Biologically based epidemic models have been widely used to analyze the propagation of worms in computer networks. For an air-gapped network with an insider threat, we propose a modified Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Quarantined-Vaccinated (SEIQV) model called the Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Quarantined-Patched (SEIQP) model. We describe the assumptions that apply to this model, define a set of differential equations that characterize the system dynamics, and solve for the basic reproduction number. We then simulate and analyze the parameters controlled by the insider threat to determine where resources should be allocated to attain different objectives and results.
Conscience in Commerce

According to much current law and theory, a retail business that sells a particular good to one customer cannot refuse to sell that same good to another customer simply because of the latter’s identity. Thus, in many jurisdictions, wedding florists and cake bakers must sell their wares to both same- and opposite-sex couples, and reception hall owners must rent their spaces to both the NAACP and the Christian KKK. Call the principle underpinning this policy the “Equal Access” principle: The principle holds that a vendor can choose the products he sells but not the customers he serves. It lies at the core of recent cases in which religion and sexual orientation, or religion and gender identity, have clashed in the commercial sphere, and it is pervasive among commentators who seek to ensure that the marketplace remain a discrimination-free zone. This Article champions the egalitarian spirit of Equal Access but it argues that the principle itself is unworkable, unreliable, and perhaps even incoherent. Equal Access permits impermissible discrimination and forbids refusals of service that in fact promote equality’s ends. Further, Equal Access derives support from a problematic conception of the retail sphere – one that sees commerce as amoral and so cannot even make sense of a vendor’s interest in exercising their conscience at work. In place of this morally neutered conception, this Article aims to vindicate a picture of the marketplace as richly moral. And in place of Equal Access, the Article aims to offer a more principled and nuanced account of when and why retail discrimination is impermissible. That account would forbid identity-based discrimination but permit refusals of service for projects that foster hate toward protected groups, even where the hate-based project is intimately linked to a protected characteristic (as with religious groups that mandate white supremacy). Far from perpetuating discrimination, these refusals instead promote anti-discrimination norms, and they help realize the vision of the morally inflected marketplace that the Article defends.
Therapeutic Activity of Type 3 Streptococcus pneumoniae Capsule Degrading Enzyme Pn3Pase.

Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn) serotype 3 (Spn3) is considered one of the most virulent serotypes with resistance to conventional vaccine and treatment regimens. Pn3Pase is a glycoside hydrolase that we have previously shown to be highly effective in degrading the capsular polysaccharide of type 3 Spn, sensitizing it to host immune clearance. To begin assessing the value and safety of this enzyme for future clinical studies, we investigated the effects of high doses of Pn3Pase on host cells and immune system. We assessed the enzyme’s catalytic activity following administration in mice, and performed septic infection models to determine if prior administration of the enzyme inhibited repeat treatments of Spn3-challenged mice. We assessed immune populations in mouse tissues following administration of the enzyme, and tested Pn3Pase toxicity on other mammalian cell types in vitro. Repeated administration of the enzyme in vivo does not prevent efficacy of the enzyme in promoting bacterial clearance following bacterial challenge, with insignificant antibody response generated against the enzyme. Immune homeostasis is maintained following high-dose treatment with Pn3Pase, and no cytotoxic effects were observed against mammalian cells. These data indicate that Pn3Pase has potential as a therapy against Spn3. Further development as a drug product could overcome a great hurdle of pneumococcal infections.
Longitudinal-Scanline-Based Arterial Traffic Video Analytics with Coordinate Transformation Assisted by 3D Infrastructure Data:

High-resolution vehicle trajectory data can be used to generate a wide range of performance measures and facilitate many smart mobility applications for traffic operations and management. In this p...
The Immunopathology of Giant Cell Arteritis Across Disease Spectra

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a granulomatous systemic vasculitis of large- and medium-sized arteries that affects the elderly. In recent years, advances in diagnostic imaging have revealed a greater degree of large vessel involvement than previously recognized, distinguishing classical cranial- from large vessel (LV)- GCA. GCA often co-occurs with the poorly understood inflammatory arthritis/bursitis condition polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and has overlapping features with other non-infectious granulomatous vasculitides that affect the aorta, namely Takayasu Arteritis (TAK) and the more recently described clinically isolated aortitis (CIA). Here, we review the literature focused on the immunopathology of GCA on the background of the three settings in which comparisons are informative: LV and cranial variants of GCA; PMR and GCA; the three granulomatous vasculitides (GCA, TAK, and CIA). We discuss overlapping and unique features between these conditions across clinical presentation, epidemiology, imaging, and conventional histology. We propose a model of GCA where abnormally activated circulating cells, especially monocytes and CD4+ T cells, enter arteries after an unknown stimulus and cooperate to destroy it and review the evidence for how this mechanistically occurs in active disease and improves with treatment.
Poverty Reduction in the United States During its Middle-Income Stage of Development

This paper is one of three country studies of successful anti-poverty measures during upper middle-income levels, the other two being Japan and the Republic of Korea. Though the US did not advance an explicit anti-poverty agenda until the 1960s, assisting the economically distressed was a key priority of the New Deal. Average education, life expectancy and earnings all increased during 1920-1960. Poverty fell by two-thirds to around 22 percent as the mean income rose and income inequality fell beginning in the 1940s. Economic gaps among Black Americans, women, the South, and rural areas converged, though these gaps persist to this day. Migration, urbanization, and the structural shift away from agricultural jobs transformed the economy. These, along with factors such as strong collective bargaining and access to education, helped keep low incomes rising amidst overall growth. New Deal policies that impacted market incomes (labor laws, farm subsidies, education) fueled poverty reduction more than transfers (direct relief, work relief, social insurance). Though welfare programs helped lower the poverty gap and were important policy innovations, the payment levels were too low to bring people out of poverty—defined in a manner appropriate for a country on the cusp of high income—until well after 1960.
Sequence risk and bond tents

In this paper, we perform an analysis of sequence risk in a portfolio (defined here as the risk of a one-time 20% market loss from an enemy we call Mr. Market) with a Monte Carlo simulation of many different "fixed" lifetime returns. The worst possible case is if you have a market loss right at or near retirement (that is when you have the most money to lose). Interestingly, bonds are a poor hedge against this, unless of course you knew exactly when the loss was going to occur. Bonds can actually increase your probability of running out of money because of their poor return, at least with the assumptions that we have made. Taken in homeopathic amounts, bonds can limit the worst-case scenario, however.
Differential adhesion regulates neurite placement via a retrograde zippering mechanism.

During development, neurites and synapses segregate into specific neighborhoods or layers within nerve bundles. The developmental programs guiding placement of neurites in specific layers, and hence their incorporation into specific circuits, are not well understood. We implement novel imaging methods and quantitative models to document the embryonic development of the C. elegans brain neuropil, and discover that differential adhesion mechanisms control precise placement of single neurites onto specific layers. Differential adhesion is orchestrated via developmentally-regulated expression of the IgCAM SYG-1, and its partner ligand SYG-2. Changes in SYG-1 expression across neuropil layers result in changes in adhesive forces, which sort SYG-2-expressing neurons. Sorting to layers occurs, not via outgrowth from the neurite tip, but via an alternate mechanism of retrograde zippering, involving interactions between neurite shafts. Our study indicates that biophysical principles from differential adhesion govern neurite placement and synaptic specificity in vivo in developing neuropil bundles.
Fundamentals of Sludge Dewatering in Freezing Beds

After several years of research, the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) has developed a new unit operation for sludge dewatering called a freezing bed. The freezing bed uses natural freeze-thaw to dewater sludge. Essentially, it is the cold regions counterpart to the drying bed. Pilot and full-scale studies conducted in the United States have demonstrated that freezing beds can dewater both water and wastewater treatment sludges to greater than 20% total solids content. The best results were obtained with alum sludge, which was dewatered to 82% solids. The design of freezing beds will depend on the depth of sludge that can be frozen and thawed at the proposed site. Mathematical models capable of calculating the design depth are presented.
Thomas E. Jordan, A Review of “The Quality of Life in Seventeenth-Century Ireland”

In “The Quality of Life in Seventeenth-Century Ireland,” Thomas Jordan brings a historian’s perspective to quality-of-life studies. The book raises questions about the determinants of quality-of-life, tangible outcomes and appropriate measures to assess societal well-being.
Reduction in Food Away from Home Is Associated with Improved Child Relative Weight and Body Composition Outcomes and This Relation Is Mediated by Changes in Diet Quality

Abstract Background Reducing consumption of food away from home is often targeted during pediatric obesity treatment, given the associations with weight status and gain. However, the effects of this dietary change on weight loss are unknown. Objective Our aim was to evaluate associations between changes in dietary factors and child anthropometric outcomes after treatment. It is hypothesized that reduced consumption of food away from home will be associated with improved dietary intake and greater reductions in anthropometric outcomes (standardized body mass index [BMI] and percent body fat), and the relationship between food away from home and anthropometric outcomes will be mediated by improved child dietary intake. Design We conducted a longitudinal evaluation of associations between dietary changes and child anthropometric outcomes. Child diet (three 24-hour recalls) and anthropometric data were collected at baseline and 16 weeks. Participants/setting Participants were 170 overweight and obese children ages 7 to 11 years who completed a 16-week family-based behavioral weight-loss treatment as part of a larger multi-site randomized controlled trial conducted in two cohorts between 2010 and 2011 (clinical research trial). Intervention Dietary treatment targets during family-based behavioral weight-loss treatment included improving diet quality and reducing food away from home. Main outcome measures The main outcome measures in this study were child relative weight (standardized BMI) and body composition (percent body fat). Statistical analyses We performed t tests and bootstrapped single-mediation analyses adjusting for relevant covariates. Results As hypothesized, decreased food away from home was associated with improved diet quality and greater reductions in standardized BMI ( P P Conclusions These results suggest that reducing food away from home can be an important behavioral target for affecting positive changes in both diet quality and anthropometric outcomes during treatment.
Spatial-rank order selection filters

Publisher Summary This chapter explores the joint use of spatial and rank (SR) ordering information in a selection filter framework and applies the methods developed to several common image processing problems. The chapter begins with a theoretical discussion of maximum likelihood (ML) estimation that motivates the use of rank order in the processing of signals with heavy-tailed distributions. The ML development leads to several rank order selection filters, which are then extended to the general class of selection filters. The chapter then introduces a general framework for relating the spatial and rank orderings of samples. It also presents a discussion of broad class of SR selection filters, beginning with permutation filters, which utilize the full SR ordering information. The factorial growth in the number of SR ordering limits the size of permutation filter window that can be utilized in practice. To efficiently utilize partial SR information in the filtering process, M permutation and colored permutation filters are developed. These methods utilize the rank order information of specific spatial samples and allow ordering equivalences to be established in order to efficiently utilize the most important SR information in a given application. This chapter extends the SR selection filtering framework to include augmented observation sets that may include functions of the observed samples.
Localization and Catabolism of Cyanogenic Glycosides

The catabolism of cyanogenic glycosides is initiated by cleavage of the carbohydrate moiety by one or more beta-glycosidases, which yields the corresponding alpha-hydroxynitrile. Until recently, the mode by which cyanogenic disaccharides are hydrolysed was largely unclear. Investigation of highly purified beta-glycosidases from plants containing cyanogenic disaccharides has now indicated that these compounds may be degraded via two distinct pathways, depending on the plant species. beta-Glycosidases from Davallia trichomanoides and Vicia angustifolia hydrolysed (R)-vicianin and (R)-amygdalin at the aglycone-disaccharide bond producing mandelonitrile and the corresponding disaccharide. Alternatively, hydrolysis of cyanogenic disaccharides in Prunus serotina, almonds, and Linum usitatissimum involves stepwise removal of the sugar residues. The nature of these enzymes and of other beta-glycosidases responsible for hydrolysis of simple cyanogenic monosaccharides is discussed. Hydroxynitriles may decompose either spontaneously or enzymically in the presence of a hydroxynitrile lyase to produce hydrogen cyanide and an aldehyde or ketone. The major kinetic and molecular properties of hydroxynitrile lyases purified from species accumulating aromatic and aliphatic cyanogens are reviewed. Cyanogenesis occurs rapidly only after cyanogenic plant tissues are macerated, allowing glycosides access to their catabolic enzymes. The possible nature of the compartmentation which prevents cyanogenesis under normal physiological conditions is discussed in relation to our knowledge of the tissue and subcellular localizations of cyanogens and catabolic enzymes.
Do Selling Brokers Influence Mutual Fund Investors' Purchase Decision? Evidence from Mutual Fund Managers' Use of 12b-1 Fees

This paper investigates how mutual fund managers use 12b-1 fees to motivate selling brokers. Cross-sectional evidences show that the changes in brokerage payment out of 12b-1 fees are positively related to funds previous performance. Given good performance, increasing selling brokerage payment does increase fund inflow. It seems that fund managers will use 12b-1 fees to motivate selling brokers to promote their shares when their past performance is good. It also implies that selling brokers influence over investors purchase decision are conditional on funds past performance. They can persuade investors into buying more recently well performed funds shares, but they can not make them buy more poorly performed funds share. Evidence also shows that the existence of selling brokers will strengthen the convex relation between fund inflow and performance.
Laboratory evaluation of fan/filter units' aerodynamic and energy performance

The paper discusses the benefits of having a consistent testing method to characterize aerodynamic and energy performance of FFUs. It presents evaluation methods of laboratory-measured performance of ten relatively new, 1220 mm x 610 mm (or 4 ft x 2 ft) fan-filter units (FFUs), and includes results of a set of relevant metrics such as energy performance indices (EPI) based upon the sample FFUs tested. This paper concludes that there are variations in FFUs' performance, and that using a consistent testing and evaluation method can generate compatible and comparable FFU performance information. The paper also suggests that benefits and opportunities exist for our method of testing FFU energy performance to be integrated in future recommended practices.
Results of the in-training examination of the American College of Radiology for Residents in RAdiation Oncology.

There have been eight in-training examinations for residents in radiation oncology since the American College of Radiology (ACR) administered its first in-training examination in 1984. In-training examinations are presently administered in 20 of 24 medical specialties (1). Sponsorship of the in-training examination is through organizations other than the specialty board in over half of the specialties. A previous paper summarized the results of the ACR experience with an in-training examination over the first 4 years (4). This paper provides a summary of the overall results of 8 years of experience with the intraining examination in radiation oncology.
Wikipedia driven autonomous label assignment in wrapper induced tables with missing column names

As the volume of information available on the internet is growing exponentially, it is clear that most of this information will have to be processed and digested by computers to produce useful information for human consumption. Unfortunately, most web contents are currently designed for direct human consumption in which it is assumed that a human will decipher the information presented to him in some context and will be able to connect the missing dots, if any. In particular, information presented in some tabular form often does not accompany descriptive titles or column names similar to attribute names in tables. While such omissions are not really an issue for humans, it is truly hard to extract information in autonomous systems in which a machine is expected to understand the meaning of the table presented and extract the right information in the context of the query. It is even more difficult when the information needed is distributed across the globe and involve semantic heterogeneity. In this paper, our goal is to address the issue of how to interpret tables with missing column names by developing a method for the assignment of attributes names in an arbitrary table extracted from the web in a fully autonomous manner. We propose a novel approach by leveraging Wikipedia for the first time for column name discovery for the purpose of table annotation. We show that this leads to an improved likelihood of capturing the context and interpretation of the table accurately and producing a semantically meaningful query response.
Virological and immunological connotations of apoptotic and anti-apoptotic forces in neoplasia

Against the background of its earliest recognition, programmed cell death (PCD) or apoptosis (A) is presented in its fundamental biological contexts. Techniques of its demonstration are listed. Former original works of the authors encompass designs for genetically engineered oncolytic viruses. Presented here are observations on mesenchymal stromal cells of the bone marrow serving as feeder layers to chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells (recently rediscovered elsewhere as subverted "nurse cells" protecting CLL cells from A). A-resistant human melanoma cells are shown to expropriate the Fas ligand to Fas receptor (CD95; APO-1) (FasL-->FasR) system for their autocrine growth loop not only in melanoma cells coexpressing CD95 and its ligand but also in CD95-positive melanoma cells undergoing divisions when exposed to CD95 ligand. Bi-directional A-induction is demonstrated upon the encounter of cytotoxic lymphocytes and targeted tumor cells as exemplified with lymphomas; and chemotherapy-induced A of malignant cells as exemplified by paclitaxel-induced PCD of Reed-Sternberg (RS) cells in a case of chemotherapy-resistant Hodgkin's disease (HD). A list of interventions capable of inducing A in tumor cells is provided. These interventions are of potential therapeutic value. The balance of apoptotic and anti-apoptotic forces in virally infected normal and malignant cells is discussed.
Multivariate analysis of the impacts of NAS investments: A case study of a capacity expansion at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport

Multivariate statistical analysis is used to estimate the impacts of a major capacity expansion at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The model relates the Daily Flight Time Index (DFTI) to demand, weather, origin airport congestion, and the expansion itself. The effect of the capacity expansion on DFTI is found to depend strongly on visibility. On average, the index in the post-expansion period is 1.3 min less as a consequence of investment. This change includes a larger reduction in departure delay that is offset by an increase in taxi time. Moreover, the reduction caused by the expansion has been more than offset by increases in the DFTI resulting from other factors, notably increased demand and worse weather.
Preparation of Nanotubular PDMS/PVC Molds for Reduced Catheter Inflammation and Infection

Inflammation and infection of catheters (and polymeric medical devices in general) is a significant problem. Previous studies have demonstrated that metals with nanotubular surface features can decrease both inflammatory and bacteria functions. With this in mind, this study aimed to create polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/polyvinyl chloride (PVC) molds out of anodized titanium (Ti) in order to transfer this novel antibacterial surface roughness to polymers. In addition, such polymers were further tested for inflammatory and bacteria responses.
Managing Psychosis in Patients with Parkinson's Disease

Managing psychosis is one of the most difficult challenges in the care of patients with Parkinson's disease. This complication occurs in 10 to 15 percent of such patients and consists of visual hal...
Local structure of multiferroic Tb Mn 2 O 5 : Evidence for an anomalous Tb-O distribution

The temperature dependent local structure of TbMn2O5 was determined by x-ray-absorption spectroscopy. An anomalous Tb-O distribution is found. At high temperature, it is broad but resolves into two distinct peaks below 180 K. The distributions sharpen below the Tb magnetic ordering temperature 10 K. The distortions in the Tb-O distribution, away from the Pbam structure, are consistent with rotations of the MnOx polyhedra about the c axis and suggest that Tb-O bond polarization may play a significant role in the observed ferroelectric properties of this system.
A synthetic substrate for tRNA splicing.

A novel method for the synthesis of precursor tRNA as substrate for in vitro splicing is reported. A construct consisting of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae pre-tRNAPhe gene under the control of a bacteriophage T7 promoter was assembled from a set of synthetic oligonucleotides and cloned into an M13 vector. By the use of T7 RNA polymerase, BstNI-runoff transcripts were produced. The resulting pre-tRNA-was shown to possess mature termini and was accurately spliced by highly purified yeast tRNA-splicing endonuclease and ligase. Using this synthetic pre-tRNA, the kinetic parameters of the tRNA-splicing endonuclease were also determined. Use of this system provides several advantages for the study of tRNA-splicing mechanisms. Mutant tRNA precursors can be readily synthesized. It is also possible to synthesize large quantities of pre-tRNA for structural studies.
Application of a two-dimensional grid solver for three-dimensional problems

A two-dimensional elliptic grid solver is presented and its application to various three-dimensional configurations, both internal and external, is demonstrated. The method uses proper forcing terms to cluster grid points near boundaries with a specified grid spacing and allows grid lines to intersect the boundaries at a specified angle. By segmenting the region, grid results are generated for sharp leading edged configurations and wing-vertical tail combinations.
Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in the federally endangered fat threeridge mussel ( Amblema neislerii )

We isolated and characterize 16 microsatellite loci from Amblema neislerii, a federally endangered freshwater mussel. Fifteen of 16 loci were polymorphic with an average of 11.62 alleles per locus and an average observed and expected heterozygosity of 0.63 and 0.75, respectively. Fourteen of 16 loci conformed to Hardy–Weinberg expectations and all pairs of loci showed no significant genotypic disequilibrium. These microsatellite loci will serve as important tools in ongoing conservation efforts of A. neislerii.
Global fair trade: Humanizing globalization and reintroducing the normative to international political economy

ABSTRACT Since the mid-1990s fair trade has gained consumers and public attention, but international political economy (IPE) scholars have had little to say about this new phenomenon. Since the fair trade concept is based on consumer behavior that incorporates moral and ethical choices, it cannot easily be explained by mainstream IPE theories which are predominantly based on the rational actor model. This paper examines the fair trade movement, discusses its history, its impressive growth and the ethical and social agenda it promotes. Fair trade is an anomaly that cannot be explained by mainstream rationalist ontologies. Instead, the authors argue, IPE theories need to consider classical political economy works which reveal many valuable insights regarding moral and/or ethical concerns. By reintroducing normative considerations fair trade can reconnect consumer and producer, move our theories beyond merely rationalist ontologies and humanize globalization.
The UV-continuum Properties of Lyα-selected Galaxies at z = 6.5

We report the first space-based very deep near-infrared continuum observations of a uniform sample of z = 6.5 galaxies with log(L(Lyα)) = 42.5-43 erg s–1 selected from narrowband line searches and with spectroscopically confirmed Lyα emission. The 1.4 μm Hubble Space Telescope WFC3 observations are deep enough (AB(1σ) = 28.75) to measure individual continuum magnitudes at this redshift for all of the objects. We compare the results with continuum-selected samples at the same redshift and find that Lyα emission is present in 24% of all galaxies with M AB(1350 A) < -20 at z = 6.5. The error in this quantity is dominated by systematic uncertainties, which could be as large as multiplicative factors of three. The Lyα galaxies are extended but small (size <1 kpc), and have star formation rates of approximately 10 M ☉ yr–1. We find a mean L(Lyα)/νL ν at 1400 A to be 0.08, with the seven objects showing a range from 0.026 to 0.26, implying that there is little sign of destruction of the Lyα line. All of the properties of the z = 6.5 sample appear to be very similar to those of Lyα emitters at lower redshifts.
Inventing Electric Potential

Investigations with electrometers in the 1770s led Volta to envision mobile charge in electrical conductors as a compressible fluid. A pressure-like condition in this fluid, which Volta described as the fluid’s “effort to push itself out” of its conducting container, was the causal agent that makes the fluid move. In this paper I discuss Volta’s use of analogy and imagery in model building, and compare with a successful contemporary conceptual approach to introducing ideas about electric potential in instruction. The concept that today is called “electric potential” was defined mathematically by Poisson in 1811. It was understood after about 1850 to predict the same results in conducting matter as Volta’s pressure-like concept—and to predict electrostatic effects in the exterior space where Volta’s concept had nothing to say. Complete quantification in addition to greater generality made the mathematical concept a superior research tool for scientists. However, its spreading use in instruction has marginalized approaches to model building based on the analogy and imagery resources that students bring into the classroom. Data from pre and post testing in high schools show greater conceptual and confidence gains using the new conceptual approach than using conventional instruction. This provides evidence for reviving Volta’s compressible fluid model as an intuitive foundation which can then be modified to include electrostatic distant action. Volta tried to modify his compressible fluid model to include distant action, using imagery borrowed from distant heating by a flame. This project remained incomplete, because he did not envision an external field mediating the heating. However, pursuing Volta’s strategy of model modification to completion now enables students taught with the new conceptual approach to add distant action to an initial compressible fluid model. I suggest that a partial correspondence to the evolving model sequence that works for beginning students can help illuminate Volta’s use of intermediate explanatory models.
Positive Youth Development and Foster Care Youth: A Digital Perspective

The virtual world of the Internet may be used to support positive youth development. Accessing resources in educational, employment, health, and social domains is enhanced by the ability to effectively use digital technology. Foster youth are at risk for poor developmental outcomes and may face barriers to competent use of the Internet. We discuss the benefits and risks of Internet use and the importance of digital literacy to protect against risks, and we offer suggestions on ways that child welfare agencies, case managers, and foster parents can work with youth to support safe and effective use of digital technology.
Scanned-wavelength-modulation spectroscopy near 2.5 μm for H2O and temperature in a hydrocarbon-fueled scramjet combustor

The design and demonstration of a two-color tunable diode laser sensor for measurements of temperature and H2O in an ethylene-fueled model scramjet combustor are presented. This sensor probes multiple H2O transitions in the fundamental vibration bands near 2.5 μm that are up to 20 times stronger than those used by previous near-infrared H2O sensors. In addition, two design measures enabled high-fidelity measurements in the nonuniform flow field. (1) A recently developed calibration-free scanned-wavelength-modulation spectroscopy spectral-fitting strategy was used to infer the integrated absorbance of each transition without a priori knowledge of the absorption lineshape and (2) transitions with strengths that scale near-linearly with temperature were used to accurately determine the H2O column density and the H2O-weighted path-averaged temperature from the integrated absorbance of two transitions.
Molecular and functional characterization of a carbon starvation gene of Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli induces the synthesis of at least 30 proteins at the onset of carbon starvation, two-thirds of which are positively regulated by the cyclic AMP (cAMP) and cAMP receptor protein (CRP) complex. Two of the cAMP-CRP-dependent genes mapped to 14 and 93 minutes of the chromosome and are designated cstA and cstB, respectively. The cstA promoter region was cloned and localized to a 600 base-pair fragment downstream from the iron-regulated entCEBA-P15 operon. Carbon starvation-inducible transcription initiated at three sites spaced one turn of the DNA helix apart. All had--10 sequences similar to consensus E sigma 70 promoters and poor--35 sequences. Deletion of a putative CRP binding site abolished carbon starvation-mediated induction. Sequence analysis of the cstA coding region revealed the presence of three sequential open reading frames potentially encoding two hydrophobic proteins of 60,223 Da and 15,201 Da and a hydrophilic protein of 7467 Da. Overexpression of the cstA region produced starvation-inducible proteins of the expected sizes. Suggestive evidence was obtained that cstA is involved in peptide utilization.
Experiences of African American Empowerment: A Jamesian Perspective on Agency.

This essay draws from the work of William James and three African American pragmatists, W.E.B. Du Bois, Ralph Ellison and Cornel West, to explore the moral relevance of the self as an empowered agent among African American youth. The focus is on Jamesian agency as a function of the individual's awareness of options in context, the self-empowerment that allows one to access those options, and the resulting behaviour that actualises perceived potentials. Case examples clarify how the awareness of self as an active and choice-making agent normally has moral primacy for African Americans. These examples draw on both justice and care perspectives to clarify the possibilities of human development and social change through highly developed human agency.
Dimension and Size Effects in Ferroelectrics

The characteristic sizes of perovskite ferroelectrics have been examined by mean-field theory in a three dimensional base, leading to a detailed evaluation of the ultimate limits of physical sizes in nanostructured ferroelectrics with the stable polar phase in situations where the influence of depolarizing field can be neglected. Consequently, the dielectric susceptibility of nanostructured ferroelectrics is also derived for a three dimensional case. The size dependencies on the phase transition temperatures of perovskite ferroelectris, such as BaTiO3, PbTiO3, and Pb(Zr0.5Ti0.5)O3, are calculated by considering crystallographic anisotropy. In addition we have numerically evaluated the dielectric coefficient of Pb(Mg,Nb)O3 near the Curie temperature range based on its microstructure.
Public perceptions of the need for criminalization of sexual harassment

This article presents the findings of a descriptive, exploratory survey, conducted in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to measure definitions of and attitudes toward sexual harassment, frequency and nature of occurrence of sexual harassment, and the endorsement of criminal penalties for sexual harassers. The analysis revealed four basic types of definitions in use by the subjects. Although three-fourths of the subjects included the work environment in their definitions, sexual harassment was found to be as prevalent on the street and in public places as in the work place. Rate of endorsement of penalties varied with the nature of the offensive acts. Endorsement of a need for legislation criminalizing sexual harassment varied from about 64 percent to about 85 percent according to the environment in which the harassment occurred.
Production of human lysozyme in biofilm reactor and optimization of growth parameters of Kluyveromyces lactis K7.

Lysozyme (1,4-β-N-acetylmuramidase) is a lytic enzyme, which degrades the bacterial cell wall. Lysozyme has been of interest in medicine, cosmetics, and food industries because of its anti-bactericidal effect. Kluyveromyces lactis K7 is a genetically modified organism that expresses human lysozyme. There is a need to improve the human lysozyme production by K. lactis K7 to make the human lysozyme more affordable. Biofilm reactor provides high biomass by including a solid support, which microorganisms grow around and within. Therefore, the aim of this study was to produce the human lysozyme in biofilm reactor and optimize the growth conditions of K. lactis K7 for the human lysozyme production in biofilm reactor with plastic composite support (PCS). The PCS, which includes polypropylene, soybean hull, soybean flour, bovine albumin, and salts, was selected based on biofilm formation on PCS (CFU/g), human lysozyme production (U/ml), and absorption of lysozyme inside the support. To find the optimum combination of growth parameters, a three-factor Box–Behnken design of response surface method was used. The results suggested that the optimum conditions for biomass and lysozyme productions were different (27 °C, pH 6, 1.33 vvm for biomass production; 25 °C, pH 4, no aeration for lysozyme production). Then, different pH and aeration shift strategies were tested to increase the biomass at the first step and then secrete the lysozyme after the shift. As a result, the lysozyme production amount (141 U/ml) at 25 °C without pH and aeration control was significantly higher than the lysozyme amount at evaluated pH and aeration shift conditions (p < 0.05).
Extended Learning Time and Student Accountability: Assessing Outcomes and Options for Elementary and Middle Grades.

This article considers the relative impacts of student accountability policies and extended learning programs on the achievement gains of elementary and middle grade students. It shares qualitative and quantitative analyses of an extended learning time initiative implemented in conjunction with a high-stakes testing and retention policy. The influences of the extended learning initiative on students, teachers, and school organizations are described, and the achievement effects associated with the initiative are compared to those associated with the retention policy. Findings are interpreted in light of demands made by the No Child Left Behind Act and the concerns of policy makers and administrators as to how best to employ incentives, sanctions, and/or supplemental supports to promote student and school achievement. In closing, researchers are invited to pursue work that uncovers the specific effects of these strategies among particular students and learning contexts.
Effect of Abscisic Acid and Auxins on the Growth of Tobacco Callus

Summary Abscisic acid (ABA) alone or in presence of indole-3-acetic acid plus α-naphthaleneacetic acid was found to stimulate the growth of callus obtained from haploid tobacco plants. This enhancement occurred only when relatively low levels of these growth substances were employed. Higher concentrations resulted in inhibition. Thus, earlier known synergism when ABA is added to cytokinins or gibberellins must include auxins in this category.