cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Doing Without Love: Taking, Not Making, the Best of Patriotism

People’s motivations to contribute to the democratic polities of which they are citizens are often far weaker than the moral reasons for them to do so. Call this the civic motivation problem In particular, the combination of narrow self-interest and disinterested moral motivation is unlikely by itself to lead most people to contribute to civic life at anything like the levels we might desire. Free-riding problems loom large in mass democracies, and moral motivations are notoriously unreliable. A familiar and traditional solution to the civic motivation problem is to promote patriotism, understood first and foremost as love of country. Patriotic love promises to solve the civic motivation problem, but it is also associated with diminished ability to perceive one’s polity’s faults, both because “love is blind” – it inhibits critical thinking about its object – and because patriotic love is often most effectively aroused by a form of civic education or political socialization that offers an exaggeratedly rosy view of the polity, its history and current institutions. If patriotic love were the only way to solve the civic motivation problem, we might be best advised to accept the accompanying impairment of citizens’ critical judgment as a necessary evil. But the extensive debate about patriotic love has distracted scholars from three other sources of civic motivation that are often wrongly treated as inseparable from it. These other ‘patriotic’ motives are identification with one’s polity and habits of and tastes for acting in particular ways that are of value to that polity. I hope to show not only that these three motives are significantly less vulnerable than patriotic love to the charge of impairing civic judgment but also that they can withstand the various critiques of patriotism that emanate from cosmopolitanism and concerns about global justice (although these critiques helpfully remind us of the importance of promoting conceptions of a polity’s good that give significant weight to its moral record in its relations with other polities and their citizens). I consider and reject the claim that the moral desirability of citizens’ possessing special motives to contribute to their polity depends upon the moral merits of that polity. And I argue that although getting large numbers of citizens to identify strongly enough with their polity realistically requires the promotion of a shared civic identity with some culturally specific content, claims that this identity must be highly exclusive and ethnocentric are greatly exaggerated. By contrast with those political theorists who argue that we should make the best of patriotism by endorsing a moderate and moralized conception of it, I therefore propose that we take the best of patriotism, jettisoning what is arguably its central and defining element (love) and instead relying upon identification, habits, and tastes to solve the civic motivation problem.
Kinetic Analysis of In Vitro Pre-mRNA Splicing in HeLa Nuclear Extract

Kinetic analysis of in vitro splicing is a valuable technique for understanding splicing regulation. It allows the determination of specific contributions from functional elements for the efficient removal of introns. This chapter will describe the rationale and approach employed to use kinetic analysis to evaluate an in vitro splicing reaction using radiolabeled pre-mRNA incubated in splicing-competent HeLa nuclear extract (NE).
Synergistic insertion of two hydrophobic regions drives Sec-independent membrane protein assembly

Abstract We have studied the membrane insertion of two proteins from the inner membrane of Escherichia coli, both with two transmembrane segments connected by a short periplasmic loop: the M13 procoat protein and a mutant "inverted" leader peptidase. Neither molecule depends on the Sec machinery for insertion. We show that the introduction of a charged residue in the second transmembrane segment completely blocks insertion of both proteins. In contrast, a Sec-dependent procoat mutant, where the periplasmic region has been lengthened, inserts into the membrane even in the presence of a charged residue in the second hydrophobic domain. In addition, a large deletion within the second transmembrane domain of the leader peptidase mutant allows membrane translocation, but only under conditions where the SecA protein is functional. Furthermore, we show that the first hydrophobic domain is required for insertion of the short periplasmic loop of the "inverted" leader peptidase. These results suggest that Sec-independent insertion occurs by a synergistic entry of the two neighboring hydrophobic domains into the lipid bilayer.
Pareto Optimality in Nonconvex Economies with Infinite-dimensional Commodity Spaces

The paper contains applications of variational analysis to the study of Pareto optimality in nonconvex economies with infinite-dimensional commodity spaces satisfying the Asplund property. Our basic tool is a certain extremal principle that provides necessary conditions for set extremality and can be treated as a variational extension of the classical convex separation principle to systems of nonconvex sets. In this way we obtain new versions of the generalized second welfare theorem for nonconvex economies in terms of appropriate normal cones of variational analysis.
Safety-reliability of distributed embedded system fault tolerant units

In this paper we compare the relative performance of two fault tolerant mechanisms dealing with repairable and non-repairable components that have failed. The relative improvement in the reliability and safety of a system with repairable components is calculated with respect to the corresponding system where the components are not repairable. The fault tolerant systems under study correspond to a flexible arrangement of fault tolerant units (FTU's) suitable for dependable distributed embedded systems. A simple simulation-based methodology to numerically evaluate dependability functions of a wide variety of fault tolerant units is used. The method is based on simulation of stochastic Petri nets. A set of 15 FTU configurations belonging to five groups is analysed. The methodology allows a quick and accurate evaluation of dependability functions of any distributed embedded system design in terms of the type of FTU (i.e., node or application), replicas per group, replicas per FTU, with or without repair functionality, and shared replicas.
Two-stage model for time varying effects of zero-inflated count longitudinal covariates with applications in health behaviour research

This study proposes a two-stage approach to characterize individual developmental trajectories of health risk behaviors and delineate their time-varying effects on short-term or long-term health outcomes. Our model can accommodate longitudinal covariates with zero-inflated counts and discrete outcomes. The longitudinal data of a well-known study of youth at high risk for substance abuse are presented as a motivating example to demonstrate the effectiveness of the model in delineating critical developmental periods of prevention and intervention. Our simulation study shows that the performance of the proposed model improves as the sample size or number of time points increases. When there are excess zeros in the data, the regular Poisson model cannot estimate either the longitudinal covariate process or its time-varying effect well. This result, therefore, emphasizes the important role that the proposed model plays in handling zero-inflation in the data.
A genetic region downstream of the hydrogenase structural genes of Bradyrhizobium japonicum that is required for hydrogenase processing

Deletion of a 2.9-kb chromosomal EcoRI fragment of DNA located 2.2 kb downstream from the end of the hydrogenase structural genes resulted in the complete loss of hydrogenase activity. The normal 65- and 35-kDa hydrogenase subunits were absent in the deletion mutants. Instead, two peptides of 66.5 and 41 kDa were identified in the mutants by use of anti-hydrogenase subunit-specific antibody. A hydrogenase structural gene mutant did not synthesize either the normal hydrogenase subunits or the larger peptides. Hydrogenase activity in the deletion mutants was complemented to near wild-type levels by plasmid pCF1, containing a 6.5-kb BglII fragment, and the 65- and 35-kDa hydrogenase subunits were also recovered in the mutants containing pCF1.
An Ab-Initio Study of the Interaction of Atomic Hydrogen with Lithium Clusters

As is well known, the interaction of the atoms or molecules of the different gases with the various metallic surfaces is important in the investigation of chemisorption and catalytic processes. In recent years, there has been significant scientific work on the interaction of gases such as hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen, and some of the rare gases, with transition and other metals, including tungsten, copper, silver and platinum, and this work has contributed to the understanding of the energetics of chemisorption (Gasser, 1985; Tompkins, 1978). From a computational point of view, for obvious reasons, lithium is particularly convenient to work with, allowing the use of sophisticated techniques such as the Unrestricted Hartree-Fock Method with correlation included at various levels of approximation. This paper builds on the previous work of the authors (Ray, 1986; references therein) and other researchers (Beckmann and Koutecky, 1982; Pacchioni et al. 1984), and extends it to an ab-initio study of the interactions of atomic hydrogen with lithium clusters.
Isolation and culture of the marine rotifer, Colurella dicentra (Gosse, 1887), from a Mississippi Gulf Coast estuary

Few marine rotifer species (e.g. Encentrum linheii and Synchaeta cecilia) have been cultured successfully besides Brachionus plicatilis and B. rotundiformis, commonly used to rear larvae of many marine fish species. The development of culture techniques for marine rotifers smaller in size than the Brachionus species may be useful for rearing fish species for which the currently used prey are too large. We evaluated the possibility of culturing Colurella dicentra isolated from a Mississippi Gulf Coast estuary. An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of salinity (10–35 g L−1) on its population growth rate. Rotifers were fed Nannochloropsis oculata at a density of 100 000 cells mL−1 for 15 days. Colurella dicentra survived in water with a salinity of 10–47 g L−1. Densities of up to 300 rotifers mL−1 were sometimes attained in cultures. Salinity influenced C. dicentra production (P 0.05), but were higher (P=0.05) than numbers at 25 g L−1 (4240±1783), 30 g L−1 (1300±264 SD) and 35 g L−1 (100±101 SD). The population growth rate (r) of the rotifers was the highest at 15 g L−1 (0.37–0.42 day−1), and the lowest at 35 g L−1 (−0.33–0.06 day−1). This is the first report of C. dicentra in the estuarine waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and also the first time it has been cultured successfully.
Impact of digital imaging and communications in medicine workflow on the integration of patient demographics and ophthalmic test data.

Purpose To determine the impact of a Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) workflow on the linkage of demographic information to ophthalmic testing data. Design Evaluation of technology. Participants Six hundred ninety-nine visual field testing encounters performed by 6 ophthalmic technicians and the transfer error queue of 37 442 ophthalmic test results. Methods At 3 months before and 6 and 18 months after implementation of a DICOM workflow, technicians recorded the work required to enter, confirm, or edit patient demographics in each visual field device. We also determined the proportion of imaging tests sent to an error queue for manual reconciliation because of incorrect demographic information before and 3, 6, and 18 months after the DICOM workflow was established. Main Outcome Measures The proportion of testing encounters for which staff had to enter, edit, or merge patient demographics and the proportion of misfiled images. Results Staff entered, edited, or merged data for 48% of patients before implementation (n = 237). This decreased to 24% within 6 months and 20% within 18 months of implementing the DICOM archive (n = 230 and n = 232, respectively). Staff could locate a patient in a DICOM work list for 97% of encounters at 3 months and 99% at 18 months. Before implementation, 9.2% of the images required additional intervention to be associated with the correct patient (n = 3581). This decreased by 85% over 6 months to 1.4% (n = 9979; P P Conclusions Implementation of a DICOM-compatible workflow in an ophthalmology clinic reduced the need to enter or edit patient demographic information into imaging or testing devices by more than 50% and reduced the need to manage misfiled images by 76%. In a clinical environment that demands both efficiency and patient safety, the DICOM workflow is an important update to current practice.
TU-D-L100J-07: The Use of CT Dual-Energy Subtraction Imaging to Detect Kidney Stones Amid Iodinated Contrast Material

Purpose: Iodinated contrast excreted into the renal collecting systems and ureters is of similar CT attenuation as kidney stones, making stones difficult or impossible to detect in contrast‐enhanced CT scans. This necessitates precontrast imaging for kidney stone work‐up. Our purpose was to determine the ability of CT dual‐energy subtraction imaging to selectively remove iodine signal while preserving the signal from kidney stones. Method and Materials: A phantom containing twenty kidney stones with different composition (calcium oxalate monohydrate, calcium hydroxyapatite, uric acid) and size (2 – 6 mm) was scanned with the stones surrounded by water or an iodine/water solution (500, 1000, 1400, 1900, 2300 HU at 120 kV) using a dual‐source CTsystem (Siemens Definition) and 80/140 kV tube potentials. Iodine calibration curves were generated to determine the CT‐number ratio between the low and high‐kV images and energy subtraction images created. Patients with known stone disease were scanned using the same radiation dose as for single‐energy CT as part of clinically‐indicated examinations. Subtraction images were created and compared to images of the known stone location. Results:Image subtraction performed using the empirical calibration curves was successful in removing iodine signal and preserving stone signal for all evaluated stones. One calibration factor to remove iodine signal was successful for all concentrations below the saturation limit, demonstrating independence of the technique on iodine concentration. In initial patient studies, the stone(s) remained visible after subtraction of the iodine signal, demonstrating the potential of the technique in vivo. Conclusion: Dual energy CT can successfully remove iodine while preserving the signal associated with renal stones. This capability may allow the elimination of the non‐contrast phase of CT urogram studies, which may decrease the radiation dose to the patient by 50%. Conflict of Interest: Partial research support from Siemens Medical Solutions.
Review: Advances in Vascular Tissue Engineering Using Protein-Based Biomaterials

The clinical need for improved blood vessel substitutes, especially in small-diameter applications, drives the field of vascular tissue engineering. The blood vessel has a well-characterized structure and function, but it is a complex tissue, and it has proven difficult to create engineered tissues that are suitable for widespread clinical use. This review is focused on approaches to vascular tissue engineering that use proteins as the primary matrix or “scaffold” material for creating fully biological blood vessel replacements. In particular, this review covers four main approaches to vascular tissue engineering: 1) cell-populated protein hydrogels, 2) cross-linked protein scaffolds, 3) decellularized native tissues, and 4) self-assembled scaffolds. Recent advances in each of these areas are discussed, along with advantages of and drawbacks to these approaches. The first fully biological engineered blood vessels have entered clinical trials, but important challenges remain before engineered vascular tissues will have a wide clinical effect. Cell sourcing and recapitulating the biological and mechanical function of the native blood vessel continue to be important outstanding hurdles. In addition, the path to commercialization for such tissues must be better defined. Continued progress in several complementary approaches to vascular tissue engineering is necessary before blood vessel substitutes can achieve their full potential in improving patient care.
The benefit of environmental improvement in the southeastern United States: Evidence from a simultaneous model of cancer mortality, toxic chemical releases and house values*

A simultaneous model of house values, cancer mortality and total releases is estimated to study the economic cost of environmental health risks. Health risks include county level total releases from the Toxics Release Inventory, number of Superfund sites, and cancer mortality in the Southeastern U.S. The generalized spatial two stage least squares model is applied to obtain parameter estimates. Results suggest the average value of statistical life for a representative at the county level to be 4.77 million in 2000 dollars. Further, based on model simulations, we find that a 1 percent reduction in releases should result in the total benefits of $3.3 billion in perpetuity. Resumen Se estima un modelo simultaneo de valor de la vivienda, mortalidad por cancer y emisiones totales para estudiar el costo economico de los riesgos de salud medioambiental. Los riesgos de salud incluyen emisiones totales a escala de condado del Censo de Emisiones Toxicas, numero de sitios de Superfund y la mortalidad por cancer en el sureste de los EE.UU. Se aplica el modelo espacial generalizado de minimos cuadrados bietapico para obtener estimaciones de los parametros. Los resultados indican que el valor promedio estadistico de la vida a escala de condado es de US$4.77 millones en el ano 2000. Ademas, basado en simulaciones con un modelo, encontramos que una reduccion de un 1% en las emisiones deberia resultar en unos beneficios totales de US$3,300 millones a perpetuidad.
GENERATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF CARBONYL YLIDES FROM PYRAZOLINONE SPIROOXIRANES

Abstract Laser flash photolyses of 1-oxa-5,6-diazaspiro[2.4]hept-6-ene-4-onesI (Ar ≡ Ph, p-NO2Ph, p-CH3OPh; R1 ≡ CH3, Ph; R2, R3 ≡ CH3; R2 ≡ Ph, p-NO2Ph, p-ClPh, 2-naphthyl; R3 ≡ H) and of the symmetrical oxiraneII give rise to transients with absorption spectra in the visible region and lifetimes of the order of 0.3 – 10 μs in benzene at room temperature. Sensitization experiments in some cases indicate that the intermediate may arise from a triplet as well as a singlet excited state. Transients fromI are quenched by alcohols and 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene whereas that fromII is not. Steady state photolyses ofI in methanol give products consistent with the assignment of the structure of the transient as a carbonyl ylide incorporating the pyrazolinone ring.
The Influence of Administrators on the Teaching of Social Studies

Abstract Critics in large numbers claim that the social studies have not lived up to the requirement of dealing with controversy. One issue deserving examination is the influence of administrators on teacher decisions regarding materials, methods and topics. As part of a larger study, an investigation of Chief School Administrators in New Jersey was undertaken to determine their awareness of and support for the professional responsibilities of the teacher of social studies. The results suggest that the expressed support for dealing with controversial issues and critical thinking may not be as substantive as it first appears.
Critical role for the AIM2 inflammasome during acute CNS bacterial infection

Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is essential for eliciting protective immunity during the acute phase of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) infection in the central nervous system (CNS). We previously demonstrated that microglial IL-1β production in response to live S. aureus is mediated through the Nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, including the adapter protein ASC (apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase-1 recruitment domain), and pro-caspase 1. Here, we utilized NLRP3, ASC, and caspase 1/11 knockout (KO) mice to demonstrate the functional significance of inflammasome activity during CNS S. aureus infection. ASC and caspase 1/11 KO animals were exquisitely sensitive, with approximately 50% of mice succumbing to infection within 24 h. Unexpectedly, the survival of NLRP3 KO mice was similar to wild-type animals, suggesting the involvement of an alternative upstream sensor, which was later identified as absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2) based on the similar disease patterns between AIM2 and ASC KO mice. Besides IL-1β, other key inflammatory mediators, including IL-6, CXCL1, CXCL10, and CCL2 were significantly reduced in the CNS of AIM2 and ASC KO mice, implicating autocrine/paracrine actions of IL-1β, as these mediators do not require inflammasome processing for secretion. These studies demonstrate a novel role for the AIM2 inflammasome as a critical molecular platform for regulating IL-1β release and survival during acute CNS S. aureus infection.
Inhibition of Plasmin by β-Lactoglobulin Using Casein and a Synthetic Substrate

Bovine plasmin (EC 3.4.21.7) activity was measured on H-D-valyl-L-leucyl-L-lysyl-4-nitroanilide and acid casein in the presence of native and heat-denatured beta-lactoglobulin (denatured at 100 degrees C for 15 min before being mixed with plasmin solutions). Native or denatured beta-lactoglobulin was then heated with plasmin at 60 degrees C for 15 min. Enzyme activity again was estimated after this mild heat treatment. Native and denatured beta-lactoglobulin inhibited the action of plasmin on H-D-valyl-L-leucyl-L-lysyl-4-nitroanilide and casein. The mild heat treatment (60 degrees C for 15 min) caused stronger inhibition of the activity of plasmin against casein and the synthetic substrate. For H-D-valyl-L-leucyl-L-lysyl-4-nitroanilide, inhibition was competitive in unheated mixtures, but heating beta-lactoglobulin with plasmin changed inhibition type to mixed. This change suggests a heat-dependent interaction between plasmin and beta-lactoglobulin. Native beta-lactoglobulin was more inhibitory of plasmin's action against casein than was denatured beta-lactoglobulin. The converse was observed when plasmin activity was measured with the synthetic substrate.
The Hungry God: Hindu Tales of Filicide and Devotion

The folklore and classical literature of India abound with stories of parents who sacrifice their children. In this book the author examines one set of such tales - Hindu texts that bear similarities to the biblical aqedah, the account of Abraham's near-sacrifice of Isaac. In all the stories that Shulman explores, the sacrifice proceeds from a divine command and has no utilitarian explanation or rationale. Both the biblical and Indian aqedah texts are central to their cultures: later texts resume the narrative, rework its premises, and develop its paradigmatic character so that it comes to function as a "root metaphor" for its civilization. Shulman traces this history by unravelling the cumulative meanings of the Hindu, aqedah, particularly the Tamil tale of the Little Devotee and the stories of Sunahsepa and Suka. Throughout, Shulman is sensitive to the poignant tones and overtones of each text. His final chapter contrasts the Hindu tales of child sacrifice and their counterparts in Hebrew and Greek.
Synthesis and Structural Characterization of Cocrystals and Pharmaceutical Cocrystals: Mechanochemistry vs Slow Evaporation from Solution

The reliability of solvent drop grinding (SDG), also referred to as liquid assisted grinding, wet cogrinding, or mechanochemistry, to facilitate cocrystal formation is addressed with a series of model cocrystals and pharmaceutical cocrystals. The synthesis and single crystal structures of 17 new cocrystals that are sustained by COOH···Narom and OH···Narom supramolecular heterosynthons are presented. These cocrystals were prepared by both slow evaporation from solution and SDG. We also investigated whether or not SDG could be used to prepare previously reported carbamazepine (CBZ) pharmaceutical cocrystals. The following eight cocrystal formers were investigated in this context: 4,4′-bipyridine, 4-aminobenzoic acid/H2O, 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid, benzoquinone, terephthalaldehyde, saccharin, nicotinamide, and aspirin. Our results reveal that all of the cocrystals that were grown from solution and characterized by single crystal X-ray crystallography can also be prepared by SDG. SDG therefore appears to ...
Subcutaneous alemtuzumab for Sézary Syndrome in the very elderly.

Sezary Syndrome (SS) is an aggressive T-cell malignancy often presenting in advanced age and associated with poor prognosis. There is no standard therapy and because of co-morbidities, elderly patients are particularly challenging to treat. Alemtuzumab is an anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody that has activity in SS but is profoundly immunosuppressive, leading to great hesitation about its use in older patients. We treated five octogenarian patients with SS with subcutaneous (SQ) alemtuzumab, at relapse or as initial therapy, for 5-9 weeks. With the exception of transient grade 1-2 hematological toxicity and asymptomatic cytomegalovirus (CMV) (two patients) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) (one patient) reactivation, no other toxicities were observed. The clinical and hematological complete response (CR) rate was 100%. Three patients achieved durable responses (8+ to 17+ months). Alemtuzumab was safely administered and showed significant activity in very elderly SS patients.
Broadband terahertz modulation using subwavelength metallic slit arrays

Broadband modulation of freely propagating terahertz waves at room temperature is demonstrated using subwavelength metallic slit arrays. These devices enable the control of the extraordinary terahertz transmission through the metallic films by changing the geometrical parameters of the arrays. Our designs achieve an intensity modulation depth of 65% and modulation bandwidth of 2 THz. Implementation of these devices with micro-electro-mechanical fabrication techniques can led to very high modulation speeds.
A simple quantitative assay for ristocetin cofactor activity using microtiter plate and ELISA plate reader

Ristocetin cofactor activity is the test of choice for diagnosing von Willebrand disease. There is however no simple and precise quantitative method for its rapid determination in the clinical laboratory. We describe here a new approach for measuring ristocetin cofactor activity using an ELISA plate reader. Paraformaldehyde-fixed platelets, diluted plasma samples and ristocetin were mixed and incubated in the wells of a microtiter plate. Platelet agglutination was measured by light absorbance at 405 nm. Measurements of platelet agglutination at 1x to 64x dilution of a normal pooled plasma were used to construct a standard curve. Further characterization showed a significant linear correlation between results determined by the new method and by an aggregometer assay (p < 0.0001), and that the intra- and inter-assay variations were 6% and 17%, respectively. Therefore, the newly developed assay provides a simple and rapid way for precise quantitation of plasma ristocetin cofactor activity.
Sequencing and disease variation detection tools and techniques

Next-generation sequencing technology provides greater sequencing capacity to identify disease-causing variations. Currently there are many alignment tools and variation detection techniques, multiple SNP data sets used to filter out benign polymorphisms with the intent of enriching for disease-causing variations, and many tools and websites for annotating variations and performing pathogenicity prediction of variations. There is no consensus or standard with regards to which tools and corresponding parameter settings for each tool is appropriate for the different application of next-generation sequencing technologies for disease-causing variation identification. We have implemented an annotation pipeline that can easily use the output from different alignment tools (BLAT, BWA, BFAST, Bowtie) typically used to align sequence from next-generation sequencing and Sanger sequencing experiments. The Automated Sequence Analysis Pipeline (ASAP) reports variations using the HGVS standardized nomenclature[1] to facilitate comparison across tools and publications. To date, we have annotated the sequence from 13 exomes in an effort to identify disease-causing mutations.
Characterization of Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase-dependent Phosphorylation of the Hydrophobic Motif Site Thr389 in p70 S6 Kinase 1

Phosphorylation of the highly conserved hydrophobic motif site in AGC kinases is necessary for phosphotransferase activity. Phosphorylation of this motif (FLGFT389Y) in p70 S6 kinase (S6K1) is both rapamycin- and wortmannin-sensitive, suggesting a role for both mammalian target of rapamycin- and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-dependent pathways. We report here that co-expression of phosphoinositide-dependent kinase-1 (PDK1) and the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-regulated atypical protein kinase Cζ cooperate to increase both phosphorylation of the hydrophobic motif site Thr389, as well as the activation loop site Thr229. Interestingly, although PDK1 alone can promote an increase in Thr389 phosphorylation in both wild type S6K1 and a kinase-inactive mutant of S6K1, the cooperative effect between PDK1 and protein kinase Cζ required S6K1 activity. Furthermore, Akt, another phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase effector and regulator of S6K1, also increased Thr389phosphorylation in a S6K1 activity-dependent manner. Consistent with this, epidermal growth factor-induced Thr389 phosphorylation in wild type S6K1 persisted for up to 120 min, whereas kinase-inactive mutants of S6K1 displayed only a reduced and transient increase in Thr389 phosphorylation. We conclude that S6K1 activity is required for maximal Thr389 phosphorylation by mitogens and by multiple phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-dependent inputs including PDK1, PKCζ, and Akt, and we propose that autophosphorylation is an important regulatory mechanism for phosphorylation of the hydrophobic motif Thr389 site in S6K1.
Transient Measurements of Radiative Properties, Soot Volume Fraction and Soot Temperature in a Large Pool Fire∗

Multi-wavelength absorption/emission measurements of extinction coefficient, temperature, and soot volume fraction in a large (6 m by 6 m) JP8 pool fire using an in situ water-cooled fiberoptic probe are reported. These measurements provide the first in situ information on radiative properties, temperature, soot, and the associated time scales in large pool tires. Soot extinction coefficients on the order of 5 to 30m-1 were measured in the visible regime, indicating paths lengths for radiative transport in the infrared of approximately 0.1 to 0.3 m. Temperature measurements follow an approximately normal distribution with a mean of 1400 K. and a standard deviation of approximately 67 K. Integral length scales of approximately 0.25 m were deduced from the temperature data. This length scale corresponds to the size of the smaller combusting eddies visually observed in large fires. Soot concentration integral length scales of 1.4 m were determined from the absorption measurements. Soot volume fractions rangi...
Estimating mean field residue cover on midwestern soils using satellite imagery.

Knowledge of residue cover is crucial for targeting conservation efforts to reduce soil erosion, runoff, and associated environmental impacts ; however, a rapid, accurate, inexpensive methodology is not currently available. Previous studies have shown mixed results detecting crop residue using Landsat residue indices, but conditions generally included poor soil color contrast, emergent vegetation, or categorized residue cover. Our objectives were to evaluate a new normalized difference residue index (NDRI), along with other indices, over multiple image dates in 2005 and 2006 on dark soils in north-central Iowa. An automated method for field boundary delineation was used. The NDRI, using Landsat Bands 3 and 7, performed best overall, explaining 81% of the residue cover differences overall, 78% before emergence, and 9% after emergence. The normalized difference tillage index (NDTI), using Landsat Bands 5 and 7, also performed well explaining 68% of the variation overall, 86% before emergence, and 6% after emergence. Introduction of an empirical correction of the influence of green vegetation improved index performance. The NDTI outperformed the NDRI after green vegetation correction, explaining 67% of the variation versus 63%. The NDTI also returned the best RMSE (0.11) under preemergence conditions, and 0.15 after green vegetation correction. Generally, indices utilizing Landsat Band 7, which contain lignin and cellulose absorption bands absent in soil, returned the best residue detection results. Indices utilizing Landsat Band 4, where the reflectance of green vegetation is high, had difficulty detecting residue cover, especially after plant emergence.
Active Reconfiguration for Performance Enhancement in Articulated Wheeled Vehicles

Leg-wheel architectures for locomotion systems offer many advantages, not the least of which is reconfigurability of wheel-axle with respect to the chassis. Thus, locomotion systems with multiple leg-wheels now permit enormous reconfigurability of the chassis frame with respect to the ground frame. We seek to systematically exploit this ability to reconfigure within this highly-redundant system to enhance contact kinematics i.e., reducing the slippage and improving traction forces at wheel-ground interfaces. In addition, reconfiguration can also be used to mitigate undesirable system-level effects (such as judder) and lead to greatly improved estimation for navigation. In this paper, we examine a systematic analytical approach to the modeling, analysis and reconfiguration of articulated leg-wheel systems, to enhance both traction as well as stability-margin, while navigating over rough-terrains. The derivations will also be specialized to a particular example of an ultra-mobile actively-articulated vehicle to illustrate the developed procedure.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Development and optimization of an Agro-BGC ecosystem model for C4 perennial grasses

Abstract Extrapolating simulations of bioenergy crop agro-ecosystems beyond data-rich sites requires biophysically accurate ecosystem models and careful estimation of model parameters not available in the literature. To increase biophysical accuracy we added C4 perennial grass functionality and agricultural practices to the Biome-BGC (BioGeochemical Cycles) ecosystem model. This new model, Agro-BGC, includes enzyme-driven C4 photosynthesis, individual live and dead leaf, stem, and root carbon and nitrogen pools, separate senescence and litter fall processes, fruit growth, optional annual seeding, flood irrigation, a growing degree day phenology with a killing frost option, and a disturbance handler that simulates nitrogen fertilization, harvest, fire, and incremental irrigation. To obtain spatially generalizable vegetation parameters we used a numerical method to optimize five unavailable parameters for Panicum virgatum (switchgrass) using biomass yield data from three sites: Mead, Nebraska, Rockspring, Pennsylvania, and Mandan, North Dakota. We then verified simulated switchgrass yields at three independent sites in Illinois (IL). Agro-BGC is more accurate than Biome-BGC in representing the physiology and dynamics of C4 grass and management practices associated with agro-ecosystems. The simulated two-year average mature yields with single-site Rockspring optimization have Root Mean Square Errors (RMSE) of 70, 152, and 162 and biases of 43, −87, 156 g carbon m−2 for Shabbona, Urbana, and Simpson IL, respectively. The simulated annual yields in June, August, October, December, and February have RMSEs of 114, 390, and 185 and biases of −19, −258, and 147 g carbon m−2 for Shabbona, Urbana, and Simpson IL, respectively. These RMSE and bias values are all within the largest 90% confidence interval around respective IL site measurements. Twenty-four of twenty-six simulated annual yields with Rockspring optimization are within 95% confidence intervals of Illinois site measurements during the mature fourth and fifth years of growth. Ten of eleven simulated two-year average mature yields with Rockspring optimization are within 65% confidence intervals of Illinois site measurements and the eleventh is within the 95% confidence interval. Rockspring optimized Agro-BGC achieves accuracies comparable to those of two previously published models: Agricultural Land Management Alternatives with Numerical Assessment Criteria (ALMANAC) and Integrated Farm System Model (IFSM). Agro-BGC suffers from static vegetation parameters that can change seasonally and as plants age. Using mature plant data for optimization mitigates this deficiency. Our results suggest that a multi-site optimization scheme using mature plant data from more sites would be adequate for generating spatially generalizable vegetation parameters for simulating mature bioenergy crop agro-ecosystems with Agro-BGC.
Fiber type changes in denervated soleus muscles of the hyperthyroid rat

The thyroid status of rats is known to influence the histochemical and biochemical myosin adenosine triphosphatase (M-ATPase) activity of the soleus muscle. In the hypothyroid state, denervated soleus muscles are not subject to that influence. Our experiments indicated that in the hyperthyroid state fibers of the denervated soleus muscle show a profound change from acid-stable M-ATPase positive to acid-stable M-ATPase negative. We concluded that this change was induced by the hyperthyroid state and was not neurally mediated.
Functionally based prescriptive and nonprescriptive treatment for children and adolescents with school refusal behavior

The management of school refusal behavior in children and adolescents has long been a nettlesome process for clinicians. However, a functional analytic model of school refusal behavior has been proposed to assist clinicians in organizing, assessing, and treating this heterogeneous population. The present study examined, on a preliminary controlled basis, the treatment utility of this functional model and the School Refusal Assessment Scale (SRAS). Specifically, participants with acute school refusal behavior were initially assigned prescriptive (n = 4) or nonprescriptive (n = 4) treatment from child and parent SRAS ratings. Those receiving nonprescriptive treatment did so in a lagged design prior to prescriptive treatment. Results indicated that nonprescriptive treatment led to worsened percentage of time out of school and daily ratings of anxiety and depression. However, prescriptive treatment substantially ameliorated these problems. In addition, improvements were seen across child self-report measures and parent and/or teacher ratings of internalizing and externalizing behavior. Using a functional model, treatment may thus be assigned efficiently and effectively for this population.
Toward a neurophysiology of schizophrenia

THIS paper attempts to clarify the role of neurophysiologic studies and theories in the search for an understanding of schizophrenic illness; and outlines some principles upon which productive neurophysiologic investigation of schizophrenia can be based. It is hoped that some of the ideas presented here will stimulate more effective approaches to the study of the neural mechanisms that underlie the symptomatology of schizophrenic illnesses. Neurophysiology occupies the interface between cellular neurobiology and the behavioral sciences, but at present, it represents more of a no-man’s_land than a bridging discipline with respect to the psychobiology of schizophrenia. Both psychodynamic and biologic theories have been advanced in efforts to explicate the causation and psychological manifestations of schizophrenic illness. However, these proposals are both empirically and conceptually distant and often represent antagonistic rather than complementary viewpoints. Nevertheless, it is a truism that all behavior, whether normal or deviant, reflects the interaction of biological and environmental influences. The synthesis jointly mediated by genome and environment occurs at the cellular level, regardless of whether the influence under consideration represents a “psychological” one or some more obviously biological feature of the internal environment. Thus, all external stimuli must, in order to influence the experience and behavior of the organism, be transduced into neural activity, which may then, by a number of distinct mechanisms, produce transient or lasting modifications in the psychobiologic status of the individual. Although most attention is paid to sensory input, afferent neural activity directly influences various centrally mediated visceral and neuroendocrine mechanisms as well as systems modulating arousal and drive levels all of which play a crucial role in psychobiologic organization. The principal problem of modern psychobiology is the detailed specification of how these cellular processes are organized to provide a veridical internal representation of the external world and to control the organism’s behavioral adaptation to its physical and social environment. 1 will argue in this paper that investigation of the central neural mechanisms that underlie human experience and behavior is an essential component of research on the abnormal psychological processes of schizophrenic illness. It will further be argued that purely behavioral data are insufficient to permit the construction of psychological theories that are congruent with the biologic foundations of psychological processes. There are inherent ambiguities in the data from observation of behavioral output alone that make it difficult, if not impossible, to uniquely identify the central mechanisms that contribute to observed behaviors. Behavioral theories cannot be dismissed as without value, but must be recognized as incomplete formulations that require
Molecular Targeting of Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins Based on Small Molecule Mimics of Natural Binding Partners

An assay based on a solvent-sensitive fluorogenic dye molecule, badan, is used to test the binding affinity of a library of tetrapeptide molecules for the BIR3 (baculovirus IAP repeat) domain of XIAP (X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein). The fluorophore is attached to a tetrapeptide, Ala-Val-Pro-Cys-NH(2), through a thiol linkage and, upon binding to XIAP, undergoes a solvatochromic shift in fluorescence emission. When a molecule (e.g., a natural protein known to bind to XIAP or a tetrapeptide mimic) displaces the dye, the emission shifts back to the spectrum observed in water. As emission intensity is related to the binding of the tetrapeptide, the intensity can be used to determine the equilibrium constant, K, for the displacement of the dye by the tetrapeptide. The results permit residue-specific analysis of the interaction. Furthermore, we show that hydrophobic effects in the fourth position are general and can effectively increase overall affinity.
Sources of petroleum hydrocarbons in urban runoff

In an effort to provide a better understanding of the sources of petroleum hydrocarbons in urban runoff, petroleum products as well as probable source materials were analyzed for hydrocarbons and trace metals and then compared to urban runoff samples from four different land use areas. The petroleum products considered were No. 2 and No. 6 fuel oils, used and virgin crankcase oils, and gasoline. Source materials included street dust, roadside soil, roadside vegetation, and atmospheric fallout; and the land use categories were commercial, residential, interstate highway, and industrial areas. The samples were compared on the basis of hydrocarbon (saturated and aromatic) and trace metal (Cd, Pb, Mn, Cu, Fe, Zn) loadings and distributions. Results indicated that the hydrocarbon content in runoff at all four land use sites originated primarily from used crankcase oil, with a small amount of No. 2 fuel oil detected at the industrial site. Only a small portion of the crankcase oil component came from the sources surveyed, and the majority of this oil probably came from: (1) oil drops within the driving lanes on the road surfaces or deposits in parking areas, and/or (2) direct dumping of waste crankcase oil down storm drains.
Histopathology of European-corn-borer larvae treated with Bacillus thuringiensis

Abstract Crystalline paraspores of Bacillus thuringiensis var. thuringiensis fed to the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis, caused the midgut epithelial cells to slough off into the lumen and thus expose areas of the basement membrane to attack by vegetative rods. The crystal also induced a gut paralysis. Bacterial spores germinated readily after they were ingested by the larvae. The vegetative rods penetrated the peritrophic membrane and attacked the disorganized midgut epithelium, eventually penetrating the basement membrane. When the gut contents mixed with the hemolymph, the larva died. No vegetative rods were observed in the hemolymph of living larvae. A cap of cells of unknown origin deposited on the midgut wall was observed histologically in one larva. It may have prevented the pathogen from entering the hemolymph. General vacuolization of the midgut epithelium resulted from the disruption of microvilli in the goblet cells. Endoplasmic reticulum and lipidlike inclusions were absent in diseased epithelium. Globular cytoplasmic extrusions from the diseased epithelial cells of the midgut were observed only rarely in normal tissue. Corn-borer larvae responded identically at all larval ages.
IgE antibody to cat allergens in an allergic population

Abstract Clinical cat sensitivity and IgE antibody to cat allergens were studied in 200 consecutive patients who presented themselves for an allergy evaluation. Fifty-nine percent of the patients had no evidence of allergy to cats (group 1). Twenty-three percent of the patients had positive histories of allergy to cats and a positive prick test to cat epithelial extracts (group 2). The remaining 18% had either positive prick tests or positive histories alone (groups 3 and 4). The group of patients with strong evidence of allergy to cats (group 2) was on an average younger and had a higher incidence of asthma than did group 1 patients. Significant binding of IgE antibody to various insolubilized allergen preparations was defined as that binding which exceeded the 95% confidence interval for group 1 patients. Significant binding of IgE antibody to insolubilized cat allergen 1 was present in 65%, 15%, and 10% of groups 2, 3, and 4 patients, respectively. Significant binding of IgE antibody to insolubilized cat pelt extract was present in 28%, 11%, and 0% of group 2, 3, and 4 patients, respectively. Data for IgE antibody binding to insolubilized cat serum and cat albumin revealed no significant difference between the groups. It is concluded that cat allergen 1 is an important allergen in patients with strong evidence of allergy to cats.
AFDC and illegitimacy ratios: a vector-autoregressive model

The expansion of the government programme of Aid to Families of Dependent Children (AFDC) plays a major role in theoretical explanations of the sharply rising trend in US illegitimacy ratios–the proportion of births occurring to unwed mothers. To date, this role has not been supported by empirical evidence. The present study uses a new approach: time-series data and Granger causation. A series of tests shows robust causal impacts of AFDC on non-white illegitimacy ratios. A counterfactual simulation reveals that about half the increase in non-white illegitimacy ratios over the past two decades can be attributed to an ‘AFDC effect’.