cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The ubiquitous glass transition

Traditionally the glass transition has been limited to the process of a liquid converting to a non-crystalline solid. Here the definition is enlarged to include all processes by which a random structural element is “frozen in”. Such transitions have a long history and a wide diversity of systems experience them.
Effect of excess Fe on cd or Pb absorption by rats

Absorption of cadmium and lead from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of adult rats was measured after gavage with solutions of 109Cd or 210Pb. Before the radionuclide gavage, animals were either fed or fasted for 24 h, or fasted and given a supplemental gavage of ferric or ferrous iron. Fasting caused a slight increase in 109Cd absorption that was not statistically significant; ferrous iron caused a three-fold increase; and ferric iron increased absorption 14-fold. In contrast, fasting increased 210Pb absorption fivefold, and the oxidizing agents ferric iron and quinhydrone blocked the effect of fasting. Gavage of 8-d-old rats with 109Cd and either ferric or ferrous iron doubled the amount of cadmium retained in the carcass and substantially decreased the amount retained in the GI tract. Some of the large fraction (60-70%) of 109Cd stored in the mucosa of the intestine was absorbed into the body with time. An excess of ferric iron had an opposite effect on the retention of lead in the carcasses of 8-d-old rats, decreasing it from 53% of the gavaged dose to 3%; the effect on the amount retained in the intestine was similar, decreasing it from 16% to 8%. These results suggest that the mechanisms for transport of cadmium and iron across the intestine may be similar in the adult and neonatal rat, but that the oxidizing effect of ferric iron on cadmium absorption is much greater in the adult.
Building better help: user characteristics' effect on library help design

The goal of this study is to examine the effect of user help seeking characteristics on their perception of library help design principles, formats and tools. Structural equation modeling (SEM) of a questionnaire survey results showed a number of significant regression relationships. Analysis of open-ended survey questions revealed existing user behaviors such as preferred help formats and gave insights into the likelihood of using a help system.
325 DUST MITE ALLERGY AND RESTRICTION BY HLA-CLASS II IMMUNE RESPONSE GENES

From a population-based study cohort of 1812 elementary school children we selected 129 nine year old unrelated children to investigate the clinical relevance of HLA-cIass II molecules in the regulation of immune response to the dust mite allergen Der p I. Individuals were selected on the basis of skin prick test results which were validated by measurement of specific IgE (sIgE). Three different groups were defined according to sIgE determinations: Group I (n=20) included controls without detectable sIgE; in group II (n=22) were patients with sIgE to antigens other than Der p I; group III patients (n = 85) had sIgE to Der p I and other allergens. In total, 43 different HLA class II alleles were determined by sequence specific oligonucleotide typing with PCR amplified patient DNA. Gene frequencies were determined for every allele in the three study groups and no statistically significant difference could be demonstrated between children sensitized to Der p I and controls. In addition, the association of HLA class II haplotypes with clinical phenotypes was investigated. A positive association was found between DRB *0100/*0300/*1100 and/or DPB *0201/*0401 in patients suffering from asthma, hay fever or atopy (p≤0.01). Detection of a rising number of the above mentioned alleles was associated with an increasing risk of presenting with a clinical history of allergic disease. Similarily, there is evidence for a negative association between the presence of DQB *0303/*0503 and/or DRB *0200/*0700 and a clinical history of eczema, hayfever and atopy (p≤0.01). Thus, the findings of our epidemiological study do not confirm the clinical relevance of HLA-class II molecules for IgE responses to dust mite allergen. However, certain HLA haplotypes were clearly associated with a significantly increased risk for the presence of allergic disease.
Abstract B32: Dynamic whole-genome methylomes reveal hidden diversity of CpG islands at multiple biological levels

CpG islands mark epigenetic regulatory hotspots of mammalian genomes. Numerous studies have demonstrated essential roles of CpG islands in regulation of gene expression, developmental processes, genomic imprinting, aging, and cancer. These regulatory effects rest critically on correct (or the lack of) DNA methylation of CpG islands, and aberrant DNA methylation of CpG islands are hallmarks of cancer. However, how DNA methylation of CpG islands occurs across different cell types, and how variation of CpG islands methylation relates to their functions, remain poorly understood. Here we present a global analysis of DNA methylation of CpG islands in the human genome. We examined variation of CpG island methylation across five complete methylomes of distinctive origins (whole blood, prefrontal cortex, sperm, embryonic stem cells and fibroblast). Our goal was to identify distinctive characteristics of CpG islands with respect to their epigenetic variation in normal tissues. Our analysis reveals that, contrary to the prevailing notion, CpG islands mark the most highly variably methylated regions in the human genome. Many CpG islands exhibit highly methylome-specific patterns of DNA methylation. Remarkably, DNA methylation patterns of CpG islands reflect their distinctive nature at many biological levels, including genomic characteristics such as lengths and nucleotide composition, functional differences as evidenced by distinctive gene ontology enrichments, and evolutionary features. Moreover, CpG islands implicated in cancers and those associated with aging show intriguing differences in their genomic, epigenomic and functional features. These findings indicate distinctive nature of CpG islands at genomic, epigenomic and functional levels. These new knowledge provides novel insights into deciphering the regulatory mechanisms of CpG islands in human health and diseases and may be used to improve empirical studies of DNA methylation variation across different biological conditions, and furthermore ultimately to aid development of better diagnostic markers. Note: This abstract was not presented at the conference. Citation Format: Jia Zeng, Hema Nagrajan, Soojin V. Yi. Dynamic whole-genome methylomes reveal hidden diversity of CpG islands at multiple biological levels. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Chromatin and Epigenetics in Cancer; Jun 19-22, 2013; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(13 Suppl):Abstract nr B32.
Expression and purification of a soluble tissue factor fusion protein with an epitope for an unusual calcium-dependent antibody

The use of bacterial signal peptides to target recombinant mammalian proteins to the periplasmic space of Escherichia coli (to promote proper disulfide bond formation) has met with variable success. We report the design and use of a bacterial expression vector to direct recombinant fusion proteins to the periplasmic space of E. coli: it contains the signal peptide from the pelB gene of Erwinia carotovora linked to a small peptide epitope for an unusual calcium-dependent antibody (HPC4). HPC4 binds to the epitope in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner, but the epitope itself does not bind Ca2+. We have used this system to express a biologically active, soluble form of tissue factor, the protein responsible for triggering the blood clotting cascade. Soluble tissue factor was secreted into the culture medium at 1-2 mg/liter, from which it could be readily purified using immobilized HPC4 antibody. The HPC4 epitope could be removed by digestion with thrombin or factor Xa, although a free amino terminus was not required for function since soluble tissue factor was equally active with the epitope still in place. This vector/epitope system permits large-scale expression and purification of recombinant soluble tissue factor and should be generally applicable to the isolation of other recombinant proteins. Furthermore, the epitope confers Ca(2+)-dependent binding of the fusion protein to HPC4 antibody while avoiding the creation of a new metal binding site on the fusion protein itself. Tb3+ can bind in this Ca2+ site near Trp, allowing this site to serve as a means of attaching a fluorescent probe to tissue factor.
Neogene folding and faulting in southern Monterey Bay, Central California, USA

Abstract The goal of this study was to determine the Neogene structural history of southern Monterey Bay by mapping and correlating the shallow tectonic structures with previously identified deeper occurring structures. Side scan sonographs and Uniboom seismic reflection profiles collected in the region suggest that deformation associated with both compressional and transcurrent movement is occurring. Strike-slip movement between the North American and Pacific plates started as subduction ceased 21 Ma, creating the San Andreas fault system. Clockwise rotation of the Pacific plate occurred between 3.4 and 3.9 Ma causing orthogonal convergence between the two plates. This plate rotation is responsible for compressional Neogene structures along the central California coast. Structures exhibit transpressional tectonic characteristics such as thrust faulting, reverse faulting and asymmetrical folding. Folding and faulting are confined to middle Miocene and younger strata. Shallow Mesozoic granitic basement rocks either crop out or lie near the surface in most of the region and form a possible decollement along which the Miocene Monterey Formation has decoupled and been folded. Over 50% of the shallow faults strike normal (NE-SW) to the previously identified faults. Wrench fault tectonics complicated by compression, gradual uplift of the basement rocks, and a change in plate convergence direction are responsible for the observed structures in southern Monterey Bay.
Systemic stress response after laparoscopic and open gastric bypass

Abstract BACKGROUND: The magnitude of the systemic stress response is proportional to the degree of operative trauma. We hypothesized that laparoscopic gastric bypass (GBP) is associated with reduced operative trauma compared with open GBP, resulting in a lower systemic stress response. STUDY DESIGN: Forty-eight patients with a body mass index of 40 to 60 were randomly assigned to laparoscopic (n = 26) or open (n = 22) GBP. Blood samples were measured at baseline and at 1, 24, 48, and 72 hours postoperatively. Metabolic (insulin, glucose, epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, ACTH, cortisol), acute phase (C-reactive protein), and cytokine (interleukin [IL]-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α) responses were measured. Catabolic response was also measured by calculating the nitrogen balance at 24 and 48 hours postoperatively. RESULTS: The two groups of patients were similar in terms of age, gender, and preoperative body mass index. The mean operative time was longer for laparoscopic GBP than for open GBP (229 ± 50 versus 207 ± 43 minutes). After laparoscopic and open GBP, plasma concentrations of insulin, glucose, epinephrine, dopamine, and cortisol increased; IL-8 and TNF-α remained unchanged; and negative nitrogen balances occurred at 24 and 48 hours. There was no significant difference in these parameters between groups. Concentrations of norepinephrine, ACTH, C-reactive protein, and IL-6 levels also increased, but these levels were significantly lower after laparoscopic GBP than after open GBP (p CONCLUSIONS: Systemic stress response after laparoscopic GBP is similar to that after open GBP, except that concentrations of norepinephrine, ACTH, C-reactive protein, and IL-6 are lower after laparoscopic than after open GBP. These findings may suggest a lower degree of operative injury after laparoscopic GBP.
A note on equity across groups in facility location

An equity model between groups of demand points is proposed. The set of demand points is divided into two or more groups. For example, rich and poor neighborhoods and urban and rural neighborhoods. We wish to provide equal service to the different groups by minimizing the deviation from equality among groups. The distance to the closest facility is a measure of the quality of service. Once the facilities are located, each demand point has a service distance. The objective function, to be minimized, is the sum of squares of differences between all pairs of service distances between demand points in different groups. The problem is analyzed and solution techniques are proposed for the location of a single facility in the plane. Computational experiments for problems with up to 10,000 demand points and rectilinear, Euclidean, or general lp distances illustrate the efficiency of the proposed algorithm. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2011
Bathymetry of Gulf of Mexico: ABSTRACT

The Gulf of Mexico can be divided into two major provinces: a carbonate province on the east and a terrigenous one on the west. The steep side slopes of the Campeche (Yucatan) and Florida (U.S.A.) escarpments are not fault scarps, but were formed during the Cretaceous by carbonate deposition along the seaward edge of the subsiding continental block. After the algal banks or reefs that formed the steep side slopes died, sediment progradation and upbuilding formed the shelf and the smooth and gentle upper continental slope. Seaward progradation extended to the top of the escarpments and buried the algal banks. The continental margin within the terrigenous province between De Soto Canyon and Campeche Canyon was formed by upbuilding and outbuilding. The resulting sedimentary framework has been altered by salt intrusions. The Sigsbee escarpment at the seaward edge of the sedimentary framework was also formed by salt intrusion. Diapiric structures are not limited to the continental margin, but extend into the center of the Gulf of Mexico basin. Structures in the center of the basin appear to be restricted to the eastern margin of the Sigsbee abyssal plain and are aligned in a northeasterly direction. This trend and concentration, if real, may delineate a fracture zone extending from De Soto Canyon to the Golfo de Campeche. End_of_Article - Last_Page 2172------------
The Temporal Stability of the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability for Elementary-Aged Learning-Disabled Children

The temporal stability of the Woodcock-Johnson Full Scale Cognitive Index and the Verbal, Reasoning, Perceptual Speed, Memory, Oral Language, and Broad Reasoning cluster scales were investigated. A sample of 57 elementary-aged learning-disabled children were studied. Results indicated that only the Full Scale Index and the Verbal and Oral Language cluster scales demonstrated adequate stability over a six-month interval. That is, they exceeded the .80 standard for screening instruments. None of the coefficients exceeded the .90 standard suggested for use for major educational decisions. Small but statistically significant gains in mean standard score performance occurred for all measures from one test administration to another. Implications and direction for subsequent research were presented.
Theory of Long Period Magnetic Relaxation

A discussion is given of the long period changes in magnetization in a mild steel specimen subjected to alternating stresses while in a weak magnetic field. The magnetization changes appear to occur with two time constants, of the order of three months and five years. A formal treatment of the phenomena is given along the lines of the time-dependent barrier potential used by Snoek in discussing other magnetic relaxation processes. The increase in the potential barrier is pictured as caused by the mechanical relaxation of local strains.
DRUG-INDUCED DISSOCIATION BETWEEN EVOKED RETICULAR POTENTIALS AND THE EEG.

Abstract 1. 1. Sixteen drugs were given i.v. to curarized rabbits to clarify neuropharmacologic relationships between single shock responses in midbrain reticulum to single sciatic shocks and EEG patterns. The results revealed that drugs can produce marked dissociation between the two phenomena. 2. 2. Physostigmine, catechol and relatively high doses of methamphetamine or d-amphetamine, in that order of effectiveness, induced EEG activation and consistently abolished the reticular evoked response. Lower doses of the amphetamines and,various doses of methylphenidate, caffeine and, especially, pentetrazol often produced EEG activation without impairing, and may even enhance, the evoked response. 3. 3. High doses of paraldehyde and high doses of pentobarbital abolished or markedly diminished the reticular single shock responses while producing EEG synchronization. Similar tracings followed convulsant doses of pentetrazol. 4. 4. Lower doses of pentobarbital or paraldehyde and wide dose ranges of chlorpromazine, thioridazine, phenoxybenzamine, chlordiazepoxide, imipramine, atropine, scopolamine and JB-329 also produced EEG synchronization but failed to impair, and often augmented, the evoked reticular potential. 5. 5. Using drug combinations: (a) some drugs blocked all the electrographic actions of others (e.g., scopolamine antagonized physostigmine), whereas others completely failed to exert any blocking effects (e.g., phenoxybenzamine failed to alter the actions of physostigmine) and (b) some agents blocked only partially the bioelectric effects of others. 6. 6. These results emphasize that different neuropharmacological mechanisms act upon the midbrain reticular formation, whether directly or indirectly, and indicate this reticulum is not pharmacologically homogeneous or isolated.
Dutch disease economics and the Colombian export boom

Abstract Dutch disease models predict a primary export boom may result in deindustrialization due to an appreciating real exchange rate. This paper examines the effects on the Colombian economy of large increases in foreign exchange earnings from coffee and illegal drug exports. As predicted by Dutch disease models, the relative price of nontraded goods rose and the real exchange rate appreciated. Once the boom was over, both were slow to return to previous levels. Nontraded sectors are shown to have increased their growth rates during the boom years, while traded goods experienced slower growth. Non-coffee exports also grew more slowly. Econometric estimation shows that the real exchange rate was sensitive to the price of coffee and fiscal expansion, that sectoral production adjusts to the exchange rate and level of absorption as predicted, and that non-coffee exports respond to changes in the real exchange rate and foreign demand. The paper concludes with a discussion of economic policy in response to the export boom.
A new preparation of S-100 protein from rat and bovine brains.

The S-100 nervous system protein was purified from bovine and rat brains by a modification of the original procedure. The main modification consisted in substituting a step of calciumdependent binding of S-100 to a phenyl-Sepharose column for the original step of chromatography on G-200 Sephadex. The proteins were pure as determined by SDS gel electrophoresis. HPLC on a reversed phase and on a size-separation column, and by immunological criteria. The bovine S-100 behaved as previously described, during calcium binding, by displaying a conformational change as evidenced by increase in native fluorescence.
Evolution in the Genus Zea: Lessons from Studies of Nucleotide Polymorphism

The genus Zea consists of the cultivar maize and six wild taxa. All taxa in the genus hybridize with one another, and the genus appears to be of relatively recent origin. The genus Zea has long been of interest to evolutionary and molecular geneticists, and a plethora of studies have established that maize and the teosintes are genetically diverse. This high diversity, coupled with relatively recent divergence among taxa, makes Zea an excellent model system for studying the distribution of nucleotide diversity both among recently diverged taxa and among a crop and its wild relatives. Nucleotide diversity has been studied in a number of maize loci. These studies have documented tremendous nucleotide variation in maize, and they suggest that allelic lineages in the maize gene pool can be quite long-lived. For example, it has been estimated that allelic lineages have existed for several million years at both the Adh 1 and the Adh2 locus, suggesting that the common ancestor to Zea taxa was highly polymorphic. These studies have also found ample evidence of recombination in maize loci, suggesting that recombination plays an important role in generating haplotype diversity. A recent study of the regulatory locus c1, a regulatory gene in the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway, belies this general picture. Alleles from the c1 locus have been sampled from maize and teosintes. The sampled alleles fall into two discrete groups, corresponding to two distinct functional classes. Both classes are found in teosinte, but only one of these classes is found in maize. The c1 locus is less diverse than any other maize locus yet examined. It is hypothesized that low nucleotide diversity at the c1 locus is a consequence of selection, probably artificial by the early domesticators of maize.
THE CONUNDRUM OF LOWER GASTROINTESTINAL BLEEDING

Lower gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is considered massive and serious in nature if transfusions of 3 to 5 units of blood are required over 24 hours to maintain stability 22 68 ; other criteria include hematocrit under 30, orthostatic changes in blood pressure, and a requirement for any quantity of transfused blood products. 49 Massive hematochezia occurs principally in the elderly, with the average age of such patients around 60 years in most series 7 and a mortality of up to 21%. 4,22,33,36 It is indeed a conundrum for a number of reasons: First, bleeding may originate from any portion of the GI tract. Second, the bleeding is often intermittent, and the source may be difficult or impossible to identify when it is not actively bleeding. Third, this is a condition in which emergency surgery, with significant morbidity and mortality, may be required before a specific diagnosis, or even a specific site of bleeding, can be identified. Fourth, even radical surgical therapy may not prevent recurrent bleeding. Fifth, there is no universally applicable sequence of investigations or treatments. Several pathologic entities may result in massive lower GI bleeding; however, the most common sources include diverticula, arteriovenous malformations, inflammatory bowel disease, neoplasms, and internal hemorrhoids (Table 1). Further, the clinician can often narrow the differential diagnosis to the more common causes by age group (Table 2).
Prospective investigation of a subcutaneous, implantable central venous access device for therapeutic plasma exchange in adults with neurological disorders

Standard alternatives to antecubital access for long-term therapeutic plasma exchange, including percutaneous polyurethane or tunneled silicone catheters, are associated with complications and inconvenience for the patient. We have investigated the Bard CathLink 20, a subcutaneously implantable central venous access device, as an alternative for outpatient plasma exchange. The CathLink 20 consists of a funnel-shaped titanium port connected to a soft polyurethane-derived catheter and is accessed percutaneously using an 18-gauge catheter-over-needle Angiocath. Six patients with paraproteinemic polyneuropathies underwent 64 outpatient plasma exchanges using the CathLink 20 for access, 31 using 2 CathLink 20's (draw and return), 20 using a single CathLink 20 as the draw site and 13 using a single CathLink 20 as the return site. Mean (+/- SD) plasma removed was 3,680 +/- 551 ml in 115.2 +/- 25.3 min. Apheresis personnel were able to access the ports in 1.23 +/- 0.6 attempts per port per procedure. Six of 70 planned procedures were aborted: 3 because of failure of an antecubital access site and 3 because of catheter occlusion resolved using a thrombolytic agent. Whole blood flow rate was approximately 54 ml/min, and plasma flow rate was about 32 ml/min for 135 min. Access pressures were stable at -150 to -200 torr (P = 0.1395). Return line pressures varied between 90 and 130 torr (P = 0.0147). No patient required hospitalization during the study. Though not optimized for apheresis, the CathLink 20 provides a reasonable option for chronic apheresis patients who lack adequate peripheral venous access.
Putting values into words: An examination of the text characteristics of values articulation☆

Abstract Acceptance-based behavioral therapies (ABBTs) are aimed at helping clients cultivate an accepting stance towards their internal experiences and encouraging values articulation and action. A sizeable experimental literature documents the specific utility of increasing acceptance (e.g., Eifert and Hefner, 2003 , Levitt et al., 2004 ), but less is known about the values component of these therapies. The present exploratory study preliminarily investigated the linguistic text characteristics of values articulation narratives, the potential impact of individual difference variables on values writing text characteristics, and the relationship between text characteristics and anticipatory anxiety in preparation for a stressful laboratory challenge in a sample of 63 undergraduates. Values writing was characterized by expression of positive emotion and insight and both of these text characteristics were negatively associated with anticipatory anxiety. Both self-reported acceptance and high self-esteem were negatively associated with the expression of anxiety in values narratives. Treatment and research implications are discussed.
Food supplementation and timing of reproduction: does the responsiveness to supplementary information vary with latitude?

Food supplementation usually advances the timing of laying. Here, we report a meta-analysis of 35 food supplementation studies demonstrating that species at high latitudes are less responsive to food supplementation than those at lower latitudes. Because the length of the breeding season varies with latitude, species at high latitudes may rely mostly upon photic cues and be less responsive to other environmental information. Lower latitude species, where times suitable for breeding vary from year-to-year, are predicted to be more responsive to “supplementary” information to adjust reproduction to coincide with conditions that favor the successful rearing of young. Studies by Wingfield et al. (Gen Comp Endocrinol 101:242–255, 1996; Gen Comp Endocrinol 107:44–62, 1997; Gen Comp Endocrinol 131:143–158, 2003) suggest a physiological underpinning to this reduced responsiveness to supplementary information in high-latitude species. Given that temperature increases resulting from global climate change are most pronounced at high latitude, reduced plasticity to respond to these changes in individuals of high-latitude species could cause high-latitude breeders to be poorly synchronized with a resource base that emerges earlier than usual. If high-latitude breeders indeed lack sufficient individual-level plasticity to cope effectively with climate fluctuations, effective optimization of reproductive timing in a rapidly changing environment would require similarly rapid evolutionary change. It remains to be seen whether this will be possible.
Managed Care and Mental Health Services: Lessons for Health Care Providers

Managed health care has grown rapidly during the past decade and is likely to continue its expansion during the next several years. Psychiatric services have been subject to especially stringent efforts to control costs, including intensive utilization review and formation of provider networks that primarily utilize master level professionals. Psychiatrists' re sponses to these changes have ranged from antago nistic to proactive. The most effective actions are proactive ones that attempt to shape these new health care systems. A thorough understanding of the impact of managed care upon psychiatry and of psychiatrists' responses can help providers in other medical spe cialties as they develop their own strategies to cope with the changing health care environment.
Thermal profiles of förster energy transfer preliminary studies of luminescent probes of protein dynamics in transferrin and calmodulin

Abstract Fluorescence energy transfer, the transfer of energy from a donor to an acceptor via a dipole/induced dipole mechanism, has long been used to measure distances between donors and acceptors in proteins and other macromolecules. Because the transfer can occur over time scales larger than protein bending and breathing modes, multiple conformational states can be sampled. The analysis of these states is weighted by the donor-acceptor distance; shorter distances carry more weight, because the energy transfer depends on the inverse sixth power of the distance. The usefulness of fluorecence energy transfer in probing these large amplitude protein motions is studied here. The method involves measuring the nergy transfer efficiency while perturbing the protein conformation with heat. As the temperature increases, the amplitudes of vibrations increase, and fluorescence energy transfer should also increase if the donor and acceptor are in flexible region of the protein. This hypothesis was tested in two different protein systems; calmodulin, a calcium- activated regulatory protein, and transferrin, a blood serum iron shuttle. The preliminary studies show a differential sensitivity of the transfer efficiency to heat for the systems. Normalized energy transfer over 10 A in calmodiulin from a tyrosine donor to a Tb(III) acceptor increases 40% from 297 to 322 K. Normalized energy transfer over 42 A in transferrin from a Tb(III) donor to an Fe(III) acceptor increase 35% over the same temperature range. In marked contrast to these systems, energy transfer from tyrosine to a chelated Tb(III) shows anomalously high temperature- dependence.
An Efficient Key Distribution Scheme for Establishing Pairwise Keys with a Mobile Sink in Distributed Sensor Networks

Security services such as authentication and pair-wise key establishment are critical in sensor networks. They enable sensor nodes to communicate securely with each other using cryptographic techniques. In this paper, we propose a novel key predistribution scheme that enables a mobile sink to establish a secure data communication link with any sensor nodes on the fly. The proposed scheme is based on the polynomial pool-based key pre-distribution scheme and the scheme in [7]. The security analysis in this paper indicates that for a given node density of d sensors within the communication range of the mobile sink and with certain probabilities q and p, our scheme assures, with high probability, that any sensor node can establish a pair-wise key with the mobile sink. It remains perfectly secure up to the capture of a certain fraction of sensor nodes.
Elements of Cloud Adoption

Sharing experiences in transitioning from traditional computing paradigms to the cloud can provide a blueprint for organizations to gauge the depth and breadth of cloud-enabled technologies.
Ionic interaction with bone mineral VI response of the calcium phosphate mineral to calcifying solutions.

Abstract Four synthetic calcium phosphate samples with different Ca/P or cation/P ratios were submitted to 45 Ca 2+ and 32 PO 4 3- exchange for seven days in a standard solution approximating the 'physiologic' concentrations for Ca PO 4 Na and Cl. The samples exhibited different affinities for Ca 2+ and PO 4 3- directly dependent on the composition of the solid. Optical and x-ray diffraction techniques were employed to detect changes in the solid phases. Variations directly related to the partition of Ca 2+ and PO 4 3- into the solids and kinetics of isotope exchange were observed. Relative changes (before and after chemical treatment) were measured after pyrolysis of the samples. Interpretation of the data required knowledge of the phase equilibria in the CaO-P 2 O 5 -H 2 O and CaO-P 2 O 5 systems and the crystal chemistry of calcium phosphate apatites. Bone mineral is subject to long term exchange and equilibration with the surrounding serum. Maturation of bone crystallites may parallel the exchange reactions of the synthetic calcium phosphates.
Psychosocial indicators via hand tremor

We propose hand tremor as a new type of input that can corroborate psychosocial conditions. An Android application was able to distinguish tremor variability differences between people with and without diagnosed hand tremor. Tremor measurements also corroborated self-assessment of sleep quality. Hand tremor evaluation may be a monitorable, implicit input to systems that respond to various psychosocial states. We encourage researchers to consider how interface design changes when using implicit sensors such as tremor sensing.
Cysts in cultured fetal rat kidneys

The formation of cysts has been studied in kidneys removed from day-15 and day-18 rat fetuses and cultured in a mixture of medium 199 (Morgan et al., '50) for periods of up to 15 days. Gas phases of 95% O2 and 5% CO2, and 95% air and 5% CO2, were employed, the latter being considered more satisfactory. In day-15 kidneys cysts formed from the ampullary portions of the collecting tubules after 2 days whereas cysts derived from nephrons were not seen until 9 days of culturing. The latter arose from developing juxtamedullary nephrons. In day-18 kidneys cysts from collecting tubules and nephrons were both present after 3 days of culturing. The latter, in this instance, originated mostly in immature midcortical nephrons, the juxtamedullary mephrons having undergone rapid degeneration. The tubular portion of the nephron seemed to be the primary site of dilatation. Under culture conditions cysts of nephrons thus formed from immature actively developing nephrons and not from those that were mature. Cysts associated with collecting tubules arose from the ampullary (terminal) portions of the latter in both day-15 and day-18 cultured kidneys. The study of cultured mammalian fetal kidneys can provide information on the nature and genesis of renal cysts. It is possible that the same technique also may be helpful for examining the effects of teratogens directly on the kidney.
INSTALLING A REALISTIC JOB PREVIEW: TEN TOUGH CHOICES

Thirty years of research on the realistic job preview (RJP) has established its validity, and recent utility analysis suggests that RJPs can lead to substantial employee-replacement cost savings. Despite the research attention given to RJPs, relatively little has been written on how to implement them. This paper raises ten issues concerning the initiation, development, and implementation of RJPs. These ten issues are framed as “tough choices,” since one usually must choose between two desirable courses of action. Recommendations are made for each of the ten choices on the basis of previous RJP research, relevant theory, and the practical experiences of the author.
Visible-near infrared spectroscopy for detection of Huanglongbing in citrus orchards

This paper evaluates the feasibility of applying visible-near infrared spectroscopy for in-field detection of Huanglongbing (HLB) in citrus orchards. Spectral reflectance data from the wavelength range of 350– 2500 nm with 989 spectral features were collected from 100 healthy and 93 HLB-infected citrus trees using a visible-near infrared spectroradiometer. During data preprocessing, the spectral data were normalized and averaged every 25 nm to reduce the spectral features from 989 to 86. Three datasets were generated from the preprocessed raw data: first derivatives, second derivatives, and a combined dataset (generated by integrating preprocessed raw data, first derivatives and second derivatives). The preprocessed datasets were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA) to further reduce the number of features used as inputs in the classification algorithm. The dataset consisting of principal components were randomized and separated into training and testing datasets such that 75% of the dataset was used for training; while 25% of the dataset was used for testing the classification algorithms. The number of samples in the training and testing datasets was 145 and 48, respectively. The classification algorithms tested were: linear discriminant analysis, quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA), k-nearest neighbor, and soft independent modeling of classification analogies (SIMCA). The reported classification accuracies of the algorithms are an average of three runs. When the second derivatives dataset were analyzed, the QDA-based classification algorithm yielded the highest overall average classification accuracies of about 95%, with HLB-class classification accuracies of about 98%. In the combined dataset, SIMCA-based algorithms resulted in high overall classification accuracies of about 92% with low false negatives (less than 3%).
POPULATION DISPARITIES IN ASTHMA

▪ Abstract The prevalence of asthma in the United States is higher than in many other countries in the world. Asthma, the most common chronic disease of childhood in the United States, disproportionately burdens many socioeconomically disadvantaged urban communities. In this review we discuss hypotheses for between-country disparities in asthma prevalence, including differences in “hygiene” (e.g., family size, use of day care, early-life respiratory infection exposures, endotoxin and other farm-related exposures, microbial colonization of the infant bowel, exposure to parasites, and exposure to large domestic animal sources of allergen), diet, traffic pollution, and cigarette smoking. We present data on socioeconomic and ethnic disparities in asthma prevalence and morbidity in the United States and discuss environmental factors contributing to asthma disparities (e.g., housing conditions, indoor environmental exposures including allergens, traffic air pollution, disparities in treatment and access to care...
Modulation of Kingella kingae Adherence to Human Epithelial Cells by Type IV Pili, Capsule, and a Novel Trimeric Autotransporter

ABSTRACT Kingella kingae is an emerging bacterial pathogen that is being recognized increasingly as an important etiology of septic arthritis, osteomyelitis, and bacteremia, especially in young children. Colonization of the posterior pharynx is a key step in the pathogenesis of K. kingae disease. Previous work established that type IV pili are necessary for K. kingae adherence to the respiratory epithelium. In this study, we set out to identify additional factors that influence K. kingae interactions with human epithelial cells. We found that genetic disruption of the gene encoding a predicted trimeric autotransporter protein called Knh ( Kingella NhhA homolog) resulted in reduced adherence to human epithelial cells. In addition, we established that K. kingae elaborates a surface-associated polysaccharide capsule that requires a predicted ABC-type transporter export operon called ctrABCD for surface presentation. Furthermore, we discovered that the presence of a surface capsule interferes with Knh-mediated adherence to human epithelial cells by nonpiliated organisms and that maximal adherence in the presence of a capsule requires the predicted type IV pilus retraction machinery, PilT/PilU. On the basis of the data presented here, we propose a novel adherence mechanism that allows K. kingae to adhere efficiently to human epithelial cells while remaining encapsulated and more resistant to immune clearance. IMPORTANCE Kingella kingae is a Gram-negative bacterium that is being recognized increasingly as a cause of joint and bone infections in young children. The pathogenesis of disease due to K. kingae begins with bacterial colonization of the upper respiratory tract, and previous work established that surface hair-like fibers called type IV pili are necessary for K. kingae adherence to respiratory epithelial cells. In this study, we set out to identify additional factors that influence K. kingae interactions with respiratory epithelial cells. We discovered a novel surface protein called Knh that mediates K. kingae adherence and found that a surface-associated carbohydrate capsule interferes with the Knh-mediated adherence of organisms lacking pili. Further analysis revealed that pilus retraction is necessary for maximal Knh-mediated adherence in the presence of the capsule. Our results may lead to new strategies to prevent disease due to K. kingae and potentially other pathogenic bacteria.
Towards a quantitative mechanistic understanding of the thermal cycling of SnAgCu solder joints

Microelectronics manufacturers continue to subject a wide range of products or representative test vehicles to accelerated thermal cycling tests. Most such testing is focused on comparisons, whether among alternatives or to an established requirement. However, more often than commonly recognized such comparisons may not reflect the relative performances in service. In fact, most current models have been shown to fail to account for important systematic trends as well as being inconsistent with our current understanding of the failure rate controlling damage mechanism. An alternative mechanistically justified model for the thermal fatigue life of SnAgCu solder joints has been proposed. Damage and failure occurs by recrystallization of the large Sn grains across the high strain region of the joint, followed by crack growth along the resulting network of high angle grain boundaries. The recrystallization was shown to be the damage rate controlling mechanism, except for extremely high strain assemblies and/or harsh cycling conditions, i.e. if we can predict the recrystallization we can predict the number of cycles to failure. So far the model accounts for a variety of important trends and offers guidance as to the interpretation and generalization of accelerated test results. General extrapolations towards service conditions will, however, require the specific functional dependence of the rate of recrystallization on the stress and the precipitate distributions. Another potential difficulty is that constitutive relations are extracted from single sided creep experiments while the dislocation cell structures built up under cyclic loading are certain to be different. Furthermore, the repeated `annealing' during the high temperature dwell affects the hardening. Even if these effects could be ignored the ongoing evolution of the constitutive relations would still effectively prevent the extraction of the above-mentioned functional dependence from comparisons between thermal cycling results and FEM. A special experiment is ongoing in which stresses and strains on the solder joints can be controlled and measured directly, allowing the testing of individual assumptions underlying the proposed model. Preliminary results are presented and compared to results of thermal cycling across different temperature ranges.
Consequences of changing climate and geomorphology for bioenergetics of juvenile sockeye salmon in a shallow Alaskan lake

– In high northern latitudes, a wide range of geomorphic processes associated with fluvial, glacial and permafrost activity may interact with climate change to produce unexpected changes in lake thermal regimes with attendant effects on ecological processes. We coupled output from a hydrodynamics model of lake thermal structure to a bioenergetics model to assess how alternative scenarios of climate change, geomorphic evolution and habitat restoration in a shallow Alaskan lake may affect juvenile sockeye salmon bioenergetics and growth. In particular, we evaluated the metabolic costs of different thermal regimes and the potential for changes in consumption to offset those costs. Increased water temperatures associated with future climate increased metabolic costs which were partially offset if fish were able to maintain feeding rates, expressed as a constant proportion of maximum consumption. In this lake, water levels have declined substantially in the last 50 years. Simulated restored lake level had negligible effects on lake temperature and thus on sockeye salmon growth when compared to current conditions. Maintaining lake connectivity to inlet tributaries (cooling lake temperature) was crucial in reducing sockeye salmon metabolic costs particularly with further drops in lake level and climate warming. While considerable research is focused on predicting future thermal and geomorphic conditions in aquatic ecosystems, these processes are rarely considered together, especially for lakes. Understanding the biological responses to geomorphic–climate interactions will be required for developing scenarios for coping with ecosystem responses to global change and evaluating restoration alternatives, especially in high-latitude systems that support economically and culturally important fisheries.
A PPO Promoter from Betalain-Producing Red Swiss Chard, Directs Petiole- and Root-Preferential Expression of Foreign Gene in Anthocyanins-Producing Plants

A 1670 bp 5'-flanking region of the polyphenol oxidase (PPO) gene was isolated from red Swiss chard, a betalain-producing plant. This region, named promoter BvcPPOP, and its 5'-truncated versions were fused with the GUS gene and introduced into Arabidopsis, an anthocyanins-producing plant. GUS histochemical staining and quantitative analysis of transgenic plants at the vegetative and reproductive stages showed that BvcPPOP could direct GUS gene expression in vegetative organs with root- and petiole-preference, but not in reproductive organs including inflorescences shoot, inflorescences leaf, flower, pod and seed. This promoter was regulated by developmental stages in its driving strength, but not in expression pattern. It was also regulated by the abiotic stressors tested, positively by salicylic acid (SA) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) but negatively by abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellin (GA), NaCl and OH(-). Its four 5'-truncated versions varied in the driving strength, but not obviously in expression pattern, and even the shortest version (-225 to +22) retained the root- and petiole- preference. This promoter is, to our knowledge, the first PPO promoter cloned and functionally elucidated from the betalain-producing plant, and thus provides not only a useful tool for expressing gene(s) of agricultural interest in vegetative organs, but also a clue to clarify the function of metabolism-specific PPO in betalain biosynthesis.
State estimation for continuous-time systems with perspective outputs from discrete noisy time-delayed measurements

We address the state estimation of a class of continuous-time systems with implicit outputs, whose measurements arrive at discrete-time instants, are time-delayed, noisy, and may not be complete. The estimation problem is formulated in the deterministic H infin filtering setting by computing the value of the state that minimizes the induced L2-gain from disturbances and noise to estimation error, while remaining compatible with the past observations. To avoid weighting the distant past as much as the present, a forgetting factor is also introduced. We show that, under appropriate observability assumptions, the optimal estimate converges globally asymptotically to the true value of the state in the absence of noise and disturbance. In the presence of noise, the estimate converges to a neighborhood of the true value of the state. The estimation of position and attitude of an autonomous vehicle using measurements from an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and a monocular charged-coupled-device (CCD) camera attached to the vehicle illustrates these results. In the context of this application, the estimator can deal directly with the usual problems associated with vision systems such as noise, latency and intermittency of observations