cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Influence of Energy-Saving and Environment-Protection Dispatch on Power Grid Enterprise

Based on the current situation of energy-saving and emission reduction in power industry,the paper analyzed the possible influence of environment-protection and energy-saving dispatch on power grid enterprise from several aspects in detail,such as power network structure and economical operation,it also pointed out the problems dispatch will face possibly,aiming at the influence of dispatch model on power grid enterprise,it put forward some countermeasures and suggestions,which provide reference for energy- saving and environment-protection dispatch for power grid enterprise next.
Demonstration of Optical Parametric Oscillation in β-BaB2O4 in the Visible and Near Infrared

Crystal growth experiments carried out in our laboratory have led to the routine production of large β-BaB2O4 crystal boules of 060mm x 12mm1, Single crystals as large as 1 cm3 have been cut from these boules for characterization and device applications1-3. The SHG tuning curves obtained from these crystals are in excellent agreement with those reported in the literature1, indicating that our crystals are identical to the ones grown by Jiang and coworkers4. We report here experimental results on the use of these crystals in a visible to near-IR optical parametric oscillator, including the important blue-green region, for the first time. In addition, we report the observation of parametric luminescence over the entire type I phase matching range from ~0.3-3.3 µm with the 354.7 nm and 266 nm pump beams, A previously reported demonstration of optical parametric oscillation in β-BaB2O4 crystals from Pujian Institute was based on the frequency doubled output of a Nd:YAG laser at 532 nm with the optical parametric oscillation limited to the 0.9-1.2 µm spectral range5.
Culturally Adapted Behavioral Activation A Treatment Approach for a Latino Family

The scarcity of accessible culturally competent service providers and a general sense of mistrust in Eurocentric-based mental health settings exacerbate the lack of help seeking and effective therapeutic engagement for Latinos. Thus, clinical interventions that account for diverse values and worldviews may be an important step in the helpful treatment of U.S. Latino populations. Behavioral activation (BA), an evidence-based intervention for the treatment of depression, was recently evaluated through a preliminary clinical trial study in a community clinic primarily serving Spanish-speaking Latinos, and the results were promising. A culturally adapted version of BA was developed for Latinos, which took into consideration the cultural value of familismo (a collectivist worldview and preference for maintaining close connections to family); however, BA has not been previously applied to Latino families. The current case study presents the clinical treatment of a Mexican American family living in the southwest...
Proton Pump Inhibitor Use and Risk of Hip Fracture in Kidney Transplant Recipients

Background Posttransplantation bone disease is a significant problem, with few well-evidenced therapeutic options. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are associated with hip fracture in the general population and are widely prescribed for kidney transplant recipients. Study Design A case-control study. Setting & Participants From the US Renal Data System, we identified from diagnoses and procedures 231 kidney transplant recipients with a first hip fracture. Cases were matched at the hip fracture index date with 15,575 controls on age, sex, race, and transplantation year. Predictor PPI use. Outcomes First hip fracture. Results In the year prior to the index date, a PPI was prescribed to 65.4% of cases and 57.4% of controls. Additionally, in 34.6% of cases and 28.9% of controls, a PPI was prescribed for >80% of the year preceding the index date (higher PPI users). Unadjusted ORs of hip fracture associated with any and higher PPI use were 1.55 (95% CI, 1.18-2.05) and 1.65 (95% CI, 1.2-2.27), respectively. When adjusted for baseline demographic, clinical, and pharmacologic covariables, any and higher PPI use remained associated with hip fracture, with ORs of 1.39 (95% CI, 1.04-1.84) and 1.41 (95% CI, 1.02-1.95), respectively. Limitations Potential residual confounding through either incorrectly ascertained or unavailable confounders; cohort limited to Medicare beneficiaries receiving low-income subsidy. Conclusions In summary, PPI use was associated with hip fracture risk in the US kidney transplant population.
Software Compliance: The factors impacting compliance

Organizations and monitoring agencies continue to express concern over software piracy because of the ethical, legal and financial implications of noncompliance. This study focuses on how software license noncompliance is actually a factor in software piracy. Many organizations use a variety of software tools distributed over their workforce and tracking license compliance for turnover, upgrades, and functional reassignments is problematic. The result of this study indicates that if organizations promote an environment in which software compliance and ethical beliefs are maintained, then penalties and legal consequences are less a driver of compliance intentions. Additionally, age has a moderating effect on intent to comply indicating that as employee age increases, software piracy resulting from license noncompliance is less likely.
Testing Depression in Mice: a Chronic Social Defeat Stress Model

A vast challenge within neuropsychiatric research has been the development of animal models that accurately reflect symptoms associated with affective disorders. An ethologically valid model that has been shown to be effective in studying depression is the chronic social defeat stress model. In this model, C57BL/6J mice are subjected to chronic social defeat stress induced by CD-1 aggressor mice for 10 consecutive days. Discussed here is a protocol describing the screening process of the CD-1 aggressor mice, the confrontations between the C57BL/6J and CD-1 aggressor mice, and analysis of social avoidance scores as an indication of depression-like behaviors.
Facial attributes: Accuracy and adversarial robustness

Abstract Facial attributes, emerging soft biometrics, must be automatically and reliably extracted from images in order to be usable in stand-alone systems. While recent methods extract facial attributes using deep neural networks (DNNs) trained on labeled facial attribute data, the robustness of deep attribute representations has not been evaluated. In this paper, we examine the representational stability of several approaches that recently advanced the state of the art on the CelebA benchmark by generating adversarial examples formed by adding small, non-random perturbations to inputs yielding altered classifications. We show that our fast flipping attribute (FFA) technique generates more adversarial examples than traditional algorithms, and that the adversarial robustness of DNNs varies highly between facial attributes. We also test the correlation of facial attributes and find that only for related attributes do the formed adversarial perturbations change the classification of others. Finally, we introduce the concept of natural adversarial samples, i.e., misclassified images where predictions can be corrected via small perturbations. We demonstrate that natural adversarial samples commonly occur and show that many of these images remain misclassified even with additional training epochs, even though their correct classification may require only a small adjustment to network parameters.
N-back Versus Complex Span Working Memory Training

Working memory (WM) is the ability to maintain and manipulate task-relevant information in the absence of sensory input. While its improvement through training is of great interest, the degree to which WM training transfers to untrained WM tasks (near transfer) and other untrained cognitive skills (far transfer) remains debated and the mechanism(s) underlying transfer are unclear. Here we hypothesized that a critical feature of dual n-back training is its reliance on maintaining relational information in WM. In experiment 1, using an individual differences approach, we found evidence that performance on an n-back task was predicted by performance on a measure of relational WM (i.e., WM for vertical spatial relationships independent of absolute spatial locations), whereas the same was not true for a complex span WM task. In experiment 2, we tested the idea that reliance on relational WM is critical to produce transfer from n-back but not complex span task training. Participants completed adaptive training on either a dual n-back task, a symmetry span task, or on a non-WM active control task. We found evidence of near transfer for the dual n-back group; however, far transfer to a measure of fluid intelligence did not emerge. Recording EEG during a separate WM transfer task, we examined group-specific, training-related changes in alpha power, which are proposed to be sensitive to WM demands and top-down modulation of WM. Results indicated that the dual n-back group showed significantly greater frontal alpha power after training compared to before training, more so than both other groups. However, we found no evidence of improvement on measures of relational WM for the dual n-back group, suggesting that near transfer may not be dependent on relational WM. These results suggest that dual n-back and complex span task training may differ in their effectiveness to elicit near transfer as well as in the underlying neural changes they facilitate.
The effect of providing climate and health information on support for alternative electricity portfolios

Support for addressing climate change and air pollution may depend on the type of information provided to the public. We conduct a discrete choice survey assessing preferences for combinations of electricity generation portfolios, electricity bills, and emissions reductions. We test how participants' preferences change when emissions information is explicitly provided to them. We find that support for climate mitigation increases when mitigation is accompanied by improvements to air quality and human health. We estimate that an average respondent would accept an increase of 19%–27% in their electricity bill if shown information stating that either CO2 or SO2 emissions are reduced by 30%. Furthermore, an average respondent is willing to pay an increase of 30%–40% in electricity bills when shown information stating that both pollutants are reduced by 30% simultaneously. Our findings suggest that the type of emissions information provided to the public will affect their support for different electricity portfolios.
Correction: Impact of the synthesis method on the solid-state charge transport of radical polymers

Correction for ‘Impact of the synthesis method on the solid-state charge transport of radical polymers’ by Yiren Zhang et al., J. Mater. Chem. C, 2018, 6, 111–118.
Reporting hospitals' antibiotic timing in pneumonia: adverse consequences for patients?

OBJECTIVE To determine whether publicly reporting hospital scores on antibiotic timing in pneumonia (percentage of patients with pneumonia receiving antibiotics within 4 hours) has led to unintended adverse consequences for patients. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective analyses of 13,042 emergency department (ED) visits by adult patients with respiratory symptoms in the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, 2001-2005. METHODS Rates of pneumonia diagnosis, antibiotic use, and waiting times to see a physician were compared before and after public reporting, using a nationally representative hospital sample. These outcomes also were compared between hospitals with different antibiotic timing scores. RESULTS There were no differences in rates of pneumonia diagnosis (10% vs 11% of all ED visits, P = .72) or antibiotic administration (34% vs 35%, P = .21) before and after antibiotic timing score reporting. Mean waiting times to be seen by a physician increased similarly for patients with and without respiratory symptoms (11-minute vs 6-minute increase, respectively; P = .29). After adjustment for confounders, hospitals with higher 2005 antibiotic timing scores had shorter mean waiting times for all patients, but there were no significant score-related trends for rates of pneumonia diagnosis or antibiotic use. CONCLUSION Despite concerns, public reporting of hospital antibiotic timing scores has not led to increased pneumonia diagnosis, antibiotic use, or a change in patient prioritization.
Tumor Necrosis Treatment and Imaging of Solid Tumors

A novel approach to cancer imaging and therapy utilizing necrotic cells as targets for the selective binding of monoclonal antibodies has been developed in our laboratory. Tumor Necrosis Therapy (TNT) represents a radical departure from current methods that employ monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to bind to tumor-associated cell surface antigens and require the use of different antibodies for each type of tumor. In contrast, TNT is based upon the hypothesis that MAbs against intracellular antigens that are found in all cells and are retained by dying cells show preferential localization in malignant tumors due to the presence of abnormally permeable, degenerating cells not found in normal tissues. It has long been recognized that rapidly dividing tumors contain a proportion of degenerating or dead cells, but, with attention focused upon attempts to kill the dividing cells, the degenerating component has largely been ignored. Calculations of tumor cell loss have revealed that, in contrast to normal tissues, 30–80% of the progeny of tumor cell divisions shortly undergo degeneration. In tumors, the imperfect vasculature and impaired phagocytic response permit the accumulation of degenerating cells, often with the formation of large areas of necrosis, long recognized by pathologists to be a typical feature of malignant tumors. Thus, the accumulation within tumors of a high proportion of dying cells constitutes a major distinction between malignant tumors and normal tissues, where sporadic cell death occurs at a relatively low rate and is accompanied by a rapid and orderly removal of necrotic elements from the tissue. Since degenerating cells have permeable cell surface membranes not observed in viable cells, TNT MAbs enter and bind to their intracellular antigens in necrotic areas of the tumor. Contrarily, TNT antibodies diffusing in viable regions of the tumor and normal tissues do not bind and are removed from the circulation by normal clearance mechanisms. Hence, TNT provides a novel approach for specifically targeting necrotic regions of tumors and can be used to deliver diagnostic and therapeutic reagents into the central core of tumors.
The mood-emotion loop

This paper aims to clarify and reformulate the conceptual relationship between emotions and moods in light of recent researches in philosophy and cognitive psychology. I argue that the mechanism of mood may produces cognitive biases that affect the appraisals involved in emotions, whereas the mechanism of emotion may produce physiological and behavioral responses that affect the energy level being monitored by mood. These two distinct mechanisms can affect each other repeatedly and continuously, which form the mood-emotion loop. I argue that this model may help explain the interaction between emotions and mood, and may shed light on the understanding of the regulation of emotion and mood disorders.
Health Care Provider Perceptions of Consumer-Grade Devices and Apps for Tracking Health: A Pilot Study

Background: The use of Web- or mobile phone–based apps for tracking health indicators has increased greatly. However, provider perceptions of consumer-grade devices have not been widely explored. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine primary care physicians’ and advanced practice registered nurses’ perceptions of consumer-grade sensor devices and Web- or mobile phone–based apps that allow patients to track physical activity, diet, and sleep. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional mailed survey with a random sample of 300 primary care physicians and 300 advanced practice registered nurses from Michigan, USA. Providers’ use and recommendation of these types of technologies, and their perceptions of the benefits of and barriers to patients’ use of the technologies for physical activity, diet, and sleep tracking were key outcomes assessed. Results: Most of the respondents (189/562, 33.6% response rate) were advanced practice registered nurses (107/189, 56.6%). Almost half of the sample (93/189, 49.2%) owned or used behavioral tracking technologies. Providers found these technologies to be helpful in clinical encounters, trusted the data, perceived their patients to be interested in them, and did not have concerns over the privacy of the data. However, the providers did perceive patient barriers to using these technologies. Additionally, those who owned or used these technologies were up to 6.5 times more likely to recommend them to their patients. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that many providers perceived benefits for their patients to use these technologies, including improved communication. Providers’ concerns included their patients’ access and the usability of these technologies. Providers who encountered data from these technologies during patient visits generally perceive this to be helpful. We additionally discuss the barriers perceived by the providers and offer suggestions and future research to realize the potential benefits to using these data in clinical encounters.
Amelioration of Cardiometabolic Risk Factors With a Pecan-rich Diet in Overweight and Obese Adults

Evidence from in vitro and observational studies indicates tree nuts may reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), though support from controlled feeding...
Ethanol determination using automated analyzers: limitations and pitfalls

Abstract Ethanol is one of the most frequently encountered toxic substances in both clinical and forensic settings. From a societal standpoint, substantial costs are incurred due to the excessive use of ethanol, both in terms of loss of life and economic burden. The effects of ethanol on humans (pharmacodynamics) has been extensively studied over the past several decades. Our understanding of how the human body metabolizes and eliminates ethanol (pharmacokinetics) has also been extensively studied and allowed rather sophisticated methods to analyze ethanol levels in various bodily fluids. Ethanol testing is often requested in life-threatening emergency settings, as well as for monitoring patients in alcohol and other drug treatment programs and when evaluating patients' suitability for organ transplant. The large number of non-clinical (forensic) applications of ethanol testing are well outside the scope of this chapter. Many clinical laboratories currently utilize automated chemistry analyzers to perform rapid testing of ethanol on bodily fluids, especially serum or plasma and urine. Proper performance and interpretation of the results require an understanding of the analytical interferences as well as pre- and post-analytical considerations. Beyond ethanol testing, testing of other markers designed to assess ethanol use are also commonly utilized in the clinical laboratory. Ethanol testing has been in use for decades and does not appear to be leaving the clinical laboratory anytime in the near future.
S3'19 -- Wireless of the Students, by the Students, and for the Students Workshop

The Wireless of the Students, by the Students, and for the Students (S3) Workshop provides a unique venue for graduate students around the world to present, discuss, and exchange ideas on cross-cutting research on mobile wireless networks. As its name suggests, the workshop is organized by students, and the technical sessions are given by student presenters. The workshop aims at fostering early-career development among students and exposing them to the workings of academic life. It provides a venue for students to learn about each other's' work and discover opportunities for collaboration. The workshop invites students to submit papers, posters, and demos. All submissions are peer-reviewed by the student program committee.
Eat me(at): phantom animality and spectral posthumanism in Antiviral (2012)

Recent scholarship pays increasing attention to human-animal relations and the question of the animal. This article advances these developments by utilizing a cultural materialist perspective withi...
Social Anhedonia is Associated with Low Social Network Diversity in Trauma‐Exposed Adults

Social anhedonia has been proposed to contribute to social isolation in several psychiatric disorders, but it has not been examined in relation to deficits in social connection that also characterize posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A growing body of evidence emphasizes the health importance of structural features of social networks, including their size and complexity. The current study examined the association between social anhedonia and social network features in a sample of trauma-exposed participants with and without PTSD as well as in non-trauma-exposed controls. Participants (N = 101; n = 37 healthy controls, n = 23 trauma-exposed without PTSD; n = 41 lifetime PTSD) completed self-report measures of social anhedonia (Revised Social Anhedonia Scale) and structural social network features, including social network size, diversity, and the number of embedded networks (Social Network Index). Relative to healthy controls, participants with PTSD reported significantly lower social network sizes and fewer embedded networks. In the combined trauma-exposed sample, higher ratings of social anhedonia were associated with lower social network diversity, r(62) = -.43, p < .001, an effect that remained statistically significant after controlling for PTSD and depression symptom severity. These results suggest that elevated social anhedonia in trauma-exposed individuals may contribute to disruptions in social network structure consistent with social isolation.
Novel analysis of a micropillar coupled acoustic wave sensor

Abstract Acoustic wave sensors are being developed for many emerging applications such as in semiconductor fabrication, biological diagnostics and polymer characterization. Traditional acoustic wave sensing devices such as quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) rely on polymer thin films coated on quartz plates to detect chemical and biological agents. It has been found that significant sensitivity enhancement of QCM devices can be achieved by simply attaching a polymer micropillar film onto the QCM substrate (QCM-P) to enable a unique coupled resonance between the micropillars and quartz substrate. In the present work, an equivalent circuit model integrating mechanical vibration of micropillars and electrical load impedance of piezoelectric substrate was developed to predict the frequency shift and Q-factor of the QCM-P devices when operating in air and liquid environments. In the model, the vibration of micropillars was solved simultaneously with the liquid loading on the pillar surface. The resultant hydraulic force was integrated into the circuit model to predict the load impedance on the sensor surface. The developed model was validated by experimental results for QCM-P devices operating in air and water with different micropillar heights. It will serve as a powerful tool to predict the performance of the QCM-P devices for different applications.
Efficient On-Chip Communication for Parallel Graph-Analytics on Spatial Architectures

Large-scale graph processing has drawn great attention in recent years. Most of the modern-day datacenter workloads can be represented in the form of Graph Processing such as MapReduce etc. Consequently, a lot of designs for Domain-Specific Accelerators have been proposed for Graph Processing. Spatial Architectures have been promising in the execution of Graph Processing, where the graph is partitioned into several nodes and each node works in parallel. We conduct experiments to analyze the on-chip movement of data in graph processing on a Spatial Architecture. Based on the observations, we identify a data movement bottleneck, in the execution of such highly parallel processing accelerators. To mitigate the bottleneck we propose a novel power-law aware Graph Partitioning and Data Mapping scheme to reduce the communication latency by minimizing the hop counts on a scalable network-on-chip. The experimental results on popular graph algorithms show that our implementation makes the execution 2-5x faster and 2.7-4x energy-efficient by reducing the data movement time in comparison to a baseline implementation.
Milgram and Hart on Resisting Oppressive Regimes

This paper examines “the Resistance argument,” one of HLA Hart’s arguments for legal positivism. For Hart, a positivist concept of law that separates law from morality compares favourably to non-positivist ones for it facilitates resistance against oppressive regimes. Since law is separable from morality, the argument goes, law loses part of its “aura of majesty” and thereby, the legality of a norm is not a conclusive reason for citizen obedience. Molina-Ochoa argues that the evidence provided from the Milgram Experiments about obedience to authority figures provides empirical support for Hart’s hypothesis. The author also suggests that these experiments provide elements to doubt of non-positivist concepts of law, particularly those in which law displays some form of moral correctness, such as the one advanced by Robert Alexy.
The fate of sepia in small populations of Drosophila melanogaster.

Asepia gene found inD. melanogaster collected in North Carolina, and wildtype flies from North Carolina, Bogota, Barcelona, and California were used to strt 120 cultures that were maintained by mass transfers of adults every third week for more than a year. The frequency ofsepia was determined in these cultures at the termination of the experiment. Thesepia gene was present in considerable frequency (16%–65%) in all backgrounds except one; in cultures involving wildtype chromosomes from North Carolina, it was virtually eliminated. Each of the wildtype backgrounds exhibited a characteristic final frequency ofsepia, suggesting that they had reached at least quasi-stable equilibria. Although it is likely that the retention ofsepia depended upon the superiority of flies heterozygous for this mutant, the technique does not reveal whethersepia itself was involved in the apparent heterosis.
Mapping Critical Residues in the Epithelial Sodium Channel (LB292)

The epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) is responsible for sodium re-absorption in the kidneys, lungs, and other epithelial tissues, which contributes to overall fluid homeostasis. While the intracell...
Phosphorylation of dystrophin and α-syntrophin by Ca2+-calmodulin dependent protein kinase II

A Ca(2+)-calmodulin dependent protein kinase activity (DGC-PK) was previously shown to associate with skeletal muscle dystrophin glycoprotein complex (DGC) preparations, and phosphorylate dystrophin and a protein with the same electrophoretic mobility as alpha-syntrophin (R. Madhavan, H.W. Jarrett, Biochemistry 33 (1994) 5797-5804). Here, we show that DGC-PK and Ca(2+)-calmodulin dependent protein kinase II (CaM kinase II) phosphorylate a common site (RSDS(3616)) within the dystrophin C terminal domain that fits the consensus CaM kinase II phosphorylation motif (R/KXXS/T). Furthermore, both kinase activities phosphorylate exactly the same three fusion proteins (dystrophin fusions DysS7 and DysS9, and the syntrophin fusion) out of a panel of eight fusion proteins (representing nearly 100% of syntrophin and 80% of dystrophin protein sequences), demonstrating that DGC-PK and CaM kinase II have the same substrate specificity. Complementing these results, anti-CaM kinase II antibodies specifically stained purified DGC immobilized on nitrocellulose membranes. Renaturation of electrophoretically resolved DGC proteins revealed a single protein kinase band (M(r) approximately 60,000) that, like CaM kinase II, underwent Ca(2+)-calmodulin dependent autophosphorylation. Based on these observations, we conclude DGC-PK represents a dystrophin-/syntrophin-phosphorylating skeletal muscle isoform of CaM kinase II. We also show that phosphorylation of the dystrophin C terminal domain sequences inhibits their syntrophin binding in vitro, suggesting a regulatory role for phosphorylation.
A comparison of the jab step vs. the cross-over step in running a short distance.

Abstract In an effort to determine the better method of starting and running to the right, two methods, the jab step and the cross-over step, were compared. Thirty male students, 13–17 years old, were timed at four testing stations, 5, 11, 22, and 37 feet from the start. Reliabilities were very high. Analysis of variance revealed the cross-over step to be significantly faster than the jab step at each timing station.
Fluorescence cystoscopy for nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer: is the honeymoon over for the blue light special?

Manyinvestigatorsarecurrentlyfocusingonwaystodecrease1)thesocietalcostofbladdercancer(eg,with the use of urine-based biomarkers to lengthen the interval between cystoscopic examinations) and 2) the recurrencerateofbladdercancer(eg,withtheuseofadjuvanttherapiesandnovelopticaltechnologiestopermitmorethoroughblad-der tumor detection and eradication). This last strategy—improved detection and visualization of lesions—is targeted atthecauseofearlyrecurrence,whichisunderthecontrolofthetreatingsurgeon,namelytheabilitytorenderapatientsur-gicallytumorfree.Fluorescencecystoscopy,alsoknownasphotodynamicdiagnosisorbluelightcystoscopy,involvesintravesicalinstil-lationofaphotosensitizingagentfollowedbycystoscopywithafluorescentlightsource.
Suppression of Mutant Phenotypes of the Agrobacterium tumefaciens VirB11 ATPase by Overproduction of VirB Proteins

The Agrobacterium tumefaciens VirB11 ATPase is postulated to assemble with VirB proteins and the VirD4 protein into a transport system which is dedicated to the export of oncogenic nucleoprotein particles to plant cells. To gain genetic evidence for interactions between VirB11 and other subunits of this transport system, we screened a PCR-mutagenized virB11 library for alleles that diminish the virulence of the wild-type strain A348. Two classes of alleles displaying negative dominance were identified. One class failed to complement a delta virB11 mutation, indicating that the corresponding mutant proteins are nonfunctional. The second class complemented the delta virB11 mutation, indicating that the mutant proteins are fully functional in strains devoid of native VirB11. Mutations of both classes of alleles were in codons for residues clustered in two regions of VirB11, both located outside the Walker A nucleotide binding motif. All dominant alleles were suppressed at least to some extent by multicopy expression of the virB9, virB10, and/or virB11 genes. Taken together, results of these investigations indicate that (i) a functional T-complex transporter is composed of more than one VirB11 subunit and (ii) VirB11 undergoes complex formation with VirB9 and VirB10 during transporter biogenesis.
Variable normal-state transport properties of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8-y.

The normal-state thermoelectric power S and resistivity \ensuremath{\rho} of crystalline ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}$${\mathrm{CaCu}}_{2}$${\mathrm{O}}_{8\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{y}}$ are strongly influenced by oxygen configuration. In general, the temperature dependences of the coefficients follow simple empirical expressions. For the ab-plane and c-axis thermopower, S\ensuremath{\sim}A+BT, while for the ab-plane resistivity, \ensuremath{\rho}\ensuremath{\sim}${T}^{\ensuremath{\alpha}}$ exp[\ensuremath{\Delta}/${k}_{B}$T]. Only A and \ensuremath{\Delta} depend on oxygen configuration. These expressions may hold also for other classes of high-${T}_{c}$ superconducting oxides and are suggestive of and place restrictions on normal-state transport models; normal-state transport models should in turn relate to superconductivity mechanisms.
Warfare and the Evolution of Social Complexity: A Multilevel-Selection Approach

Multilevel selection is a powerful theoretical framework for understanding how complex hierarchical systems evolve by iteratively adding control levels. Here I apply this framework to a major transition in human social evolution, from small-scale egalitarian groups to large-scale hierarchical societies such as states and empires. A major mathematical result in multilevel selection, the Price equation, specifies the conditions concerning the structure of cultural variation and selective pressures that promote evolution of larger-scale societies. Specifically, large states should arise in regions where culturally very different people are in contact, and where interpolity competition – warfare – is particularly intense. For the period of human history from the Axial Age to the Age of Discovery (c.500 BCE–1500 CE), conditions particularly favorable for the rise of large empires obtained on steppe frontiers, contact regions between nomadic pastoralists and settled agriculturalists. An empirical investigation of warfare lethality, focusing on the fates of populations of conquered cities, indicates that genocide was an order of magnitude more frequent in steppe-frontier wars than in wars between culturally similar groups. An overall empirical test of the theory’s predictions shows that over ninety percent of largest historical empires arose in world regions classified as steppe frontiers.
Inhibition by ice cream of the antidotal efficacy of activated charcoal

A study was conducted to determine if ice cream and sherbet interfered with the adsorption of aspirin onto activated charcoal both in vivo and in vitro. An aqueous suspension of 20 g activated charcoal decreased the absorption of 1 g aspirin by 65%; the same dose of activated charcoal with 50 g of ice cream reduced aspirin absorption by only 42% under otherwise identical conditions. In vitro tests showed that different ice creams and sherbet decrease the adsoprtion of aspirin onto activated charcoal. Thus, although ice cream is useful for preparing palatable suspensions of activated charcoal, it decreases appreciably the antidotal efficacy of the adsorbent.
What Is Life

The question “What is life?” was proposed as “An activity to convey the complexities of this simple question” by Prud’Homme-Genereux (2013). This activity was successfully carried out with freshman undergraduate students, but “could easily be adapted for a high school or even an elementary school audience.” I believe it is such a fundamental question that it probably should be introduced in some form as early as possible in biology classes and revisited periodically as students mature in their biological knowledge. For example, determining whether a plant or animal is living or dead sometimes depends on the environment (such as temperature or the availability of liquid water) or the technology (instrumentation sensitivity) used to detect metabolism. This ABT article cites a frozen frog (in “hibernation”) as …
Wildfire Exposure Analysis on the National Forests in the Pacific Northwest, USA

We analyzed wildfire exposure for key social and ecological features on the national forests in Oregon and Washington. The forests contain numerous urban interfaces, old growth forests, recreational sites, and habitat for rare and endangered species. Many of these resources are threatened by wildfire, especially in the east Cascade Mountains fire-prone forests. The study illustrates the application of wildfire simulation for risk assessment where the major threat is from large and rare naturally ignited fires, versus many previous studies that have focused on risk driven by frequent and small fires from anthropogenic ignitions. Wildfire simulation modeling was used to characterize potential wildfire behavior in terms of annual burn probability and flame length. Spatial data on selected social and ecological features were obtained from Forest Service GIS databases and elsewhere. The potential wildfire behavior was then summarized for each spatial location of each resource. The analysis suggested strong spatial variation in both burn probability and conditional flame length for many of the features examined, including biodiversity, urban interfaces, and infrastructure. We propose that the spatial patterns in modeled wildfire behavior could be used to improve existing prioritization of fuel management and wildfire preparedness activities within the Pacific Northwest region.
Enriching the lambda calculus with contexts: toward a theory of incremental program construction

A context in the λ-calculus is a term with some holes. Hole filling differs from β-substitution in that name capture is intended. This seemingly simple feature transcends static scope and lies at the heart of modular and object-oriented programming. Still, the name capture feature of hole filling is at odds with hygienic β-substitution. In this paper we conservatively extend the λ-calculus to incorporate the notion of contexts without jeopardizing the β-rule. We perceive contexts as source code and λ-terms as target code. Context filling is encoded as compilation operations and the enriched calculus is a theory of separate compilation and incremental program construction. Linking of separately-developed programs is done by coherent renaming of free variables.We apply our context-enriching schema to the λ-calculus extended with definitions and devise a calculus of first-class modules. We show that module linking can be modeled solely by the renaming of import and export variables. We add relinkable variable references to model virtual method references essential to object systems.The inclusion of contexts introduces parameters whose linking is based on names (symbols, identifiers, or keywords). We simulate in the context-enriched calculus other extensions of the λ-calculus with name-based programming notions such as Dami's λ-calculus with names, Ait-Kaci and Garrigue's label-selective λ-calculus, Lamping's transparent data parameters, and our quasi-static procedures.
THE END OF AMERICA: THE BEGINNING OF CANADA ‐A REPLY TO THE COMMENTARY

I presented ‘The End of America: The Beginning of Canada' as a speculative piece of geographical interpretation. Judging by the length of the foregoing commentary and the number of written responses I have personally received, it is evident that my speculations have aroused considerable interest. I welcome the opportunity to clarify my argument. Rather than replying point by point to all the issues raised in the commentary, I will focus my remarks on what I take to be the central objection.
Relationship of alcohol expectancies to problem drinking among college women

Purpose: To evaluate the stability of expectancies about alcohol and their ability to prospectively explain drinking patterns and the occurrence of alcohol-related problems among college freshman women. Methods: College women (n = 120) completed a standardized measure of expectations and subjective evaluations of positive and negative outcomes associated with drinking and a questionnaire assessing drinking patterns and common alcohol-related problems at both the beginning and end of the school year. Ninety percent of the students were Caucasian with a mean age of 17.9 years (SD = 0.5). Results: Students' positive and negative outcome expectations and their subjective evaluations at the beginning of the year were significantly correlated with drinking patterns at the end of the year (p's Conclusions: Alcohol outcome expectations and their subjective evaluations were relatively stable across the freshman year for these college women. Alcohol expectancies on entry into college explained significant amounts of variability in drinking behavior and the occurrence of alcohol-related problems during the subsequent freshman year. Students' attitudes toward perceived outcomes may be more important than the perceived likelihood of the outcomes themselves.
A cylindrical print element system for a serial impact printer

For an impact serial printer, like a typewriter terminal, it is desirable to print fast and to print with a minimum of maintenance. For printing to take place, the carrier containing the print element must be in the correct position along the print line and the character selection must be made by the proper positioning the print element. This paper discusses a cylindrical thin-walled print element containing an entire Character array on its outside surface. The print element is rotated and translated independently by two prime movers (motors). The cylindrical print element geometry and the prime movers are optimized to minimize the time required for character selection. Surface area, stress, inertia, torque, and motor requirements are considered. Selection times and printing rates are computed for simulated printing conditions.
Evidence for active synthesis of two allelic b locus markers by single lymphocytes from heterozygous rabbits.

Abstract The double expression on single cells of both b 4 and b 6 allotypic markers by the mixed antiglobulin technique was observed on single peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from heterozygous rabbits which were treated with pronase and incubated overnight to allow for regrowth of surface immunoglobulin (Ig). The percent of double staining rosettes observed after lymphocyte processing prior to pronase stripping ranged from 10–30%. Following pronase treatment at concentrations allowing for maximum stripping but assuring high cellular viability, the total rosetting population was reduced to 1–3% in the majority of cases. Occasionally, pronase stripping was less effective. Overnight incubation in serum free medium resulted in the reappearance of surface Ig with double staining rosettes ranging from 8–30%. Exposure of b 6 or b 4 normal rabbit serum to b 4 or b 6 cells, respectively, resulted in uptake of b 6 in which most of the passively acquired Ig eluted off during overnight incubation, while negligible uptake of b 4 was seen. Coincubation of normal b 4, 4 PBL which presumably are capable of donating Ig with pronase treated b 6, 6 PBL and vice versa also resulted in the absence of mixed rosettes. That simultaneous active synthesis of both allelic markers results in double allotype expression was demonstrated by kinetics data. Supporting this was the observation that only after washing of cycloheximide inhibited cells did allotype reexpression resume.
Levinas and the Palestinians

Levinas is often credited with introducing a strong notion of ethics into postmodern thought. But his commitment to Zionism, his views on the Palestinian people, and his underformulated theory of justice raise questions about the desirability of his thinking for politics. In this study, the well-known encounter between Levinas and the Palestinians is addressed in order to determine how his philosophy of ethics can be deployed for political ends. As the philosopher famously concerned with the connection between self and the Other, the relation between Levinas, Israel and the Palestinians stands as the natural political test of his ethics. Based on this encounter, it is demonstrated that Levinasian justice is too unsafe as a prescription for a political order. Only when Levinas' ethics as first philosophy is supported by love as first politics is his Messianic polity acceptable.
Systemic effects of epinephrine in the frog.

The intact frog (R. pipiens) is both very sensitive to i.v. injection of l-epinephrine (E) in small amounts (a few micrograms), and very tolerant to large doses (several milligrams) of the hormone. A small dose increased the P.D. and the short circuit current (Is) in skin, and strongly increased the strength of auricular contraction of the heart in vivo; ventricular contractions decreased, and heart rate remained normal. Large doses of E depressed P.D. and Is after, occasionally, elevating both for a brief period following treatment. The mucous glands of the skin emptied their content shortly after E, then began to fill again with secretory materials in spite of uninterrupted E infusions. Ventricular and auricular contractions were remarkably little altered and there were no significant changes in heart rate. Changes were seen, however, in the ECG, e.g.: inversion of the P and T waves. No alteration in the QRS complex or in the rhythm was ever noted. Serum glucose remained within normal limits. A transient calorigenic effect, lasting for 10–20 minutes occurred, in which the O2 consumption rose from a normal of 6 to 7 ml/100 g/hr to several times this value. Unanesthetized frogs tolerated without great harm 10 mg of E given s.c. within one hour. Signs of prostration and a moderate increase in respiration were noted for some time following treatment. Great tolerance of frogs to hormones which do play a physiological role is also known for thyroxine and insulin, but is especially notable for epinephrine which is least tolerated by warmblooded animals treated with large doses of E. The reasons for these species differences are unknown.
Measurement of two-wave mixing gain in GaAs with a moving grating

Abstract Two-wave mixing gain in photorefractive GaAs:Cr using the moving grating technique has been measured. The results compare well to theory when a value of τ di /τ 2 measured by other techniques is used and when electrode shadowing is taken into account in estimating the electric fields inside the material.
The Physiological Response of Chinook Salmon Smolts to Two Methods of Radio-Tagging

Abstract Smolts of hatchery-reared chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha were radio-tagged by gastric insertion or surgical implant, and their physiological response was measured and compared to that of control fish. Plasma levels of cortisol, glucose, and lactate were measured before tagging and at 3 h, 24 h, 7 d, and 14 d after tagging. Significant increases in concentrations of cortisol, glucose, and lactate occurred at 3 h after tagging in both treatment groups. After 24 h cortisol levels were still elevated in both groups of tagged fish, whereas the levels of glucose and lactate had returned to normal for the surgically implanted fish but still remained higher than those of the controls for gastrically implanted fish. After 7 and 14 d, differences between treatment and control fish were not significant. Body size and physiological response to tagging among fish 14–26 cm showed no correlation. The results show that radio-tagging is indeed stressful for chinook salmon smolts but that the presence of ...
Novel role for pectin methylesterase in Arabidopsis: A new function showing ribosome-inactivating protein (RIP) activity

Ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs, EC 3.2.2.22) are plant enzymes that can inhibit the translation process by removing single adenine residues of the large rRNA. These enzymes are known to function in defense against pathogens, but their biological role is unknown, partly due to the absence of work on RIPs in a model plant. In this study, we purified a protein showing RIP activity from Arabidopsis thaliana by employing chromatography separations coupled with an enzymatic activity. Based on N-terminal and internal amino acid sequencing, the RIP purified was identified as a mature form of pectin methylesterase (PME, At1g11580). The purified native protein showed both PME and RIP activity. PME catalyzes pectin deesterification, releasing acid pectin and methanol, which cause cell wall changes. We expressed the full-length and mature form of cDNA clones into an expression vector and transformed it in Escherichia coli for protein expression. The recombinant PME proteins (full-length and mature) expressed in E. coli did not show either PME or RIP activity, suggesting that post-translational modifications are important for these enzymatic activities. This study demonstrates a new function for an old enzyme identified in a model plant and discusses the possible role of a protein's conformational changes corresponding to its dual enzymatic activity.
Adverse effects of mouthwash use. A review

Many persons use mouthrinses as a part of their routine oral hygiene. Although rinses impart some benefits to users, improper use of mouthrinses may result in various side effects. This paper reviews the adverse effects of mouthwash use as reported in the English-language literature.