cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
NMR studies of the reaction of formaldehyde with the imidazole side chain of histidine: A reactive amino acid in enzyme catalysis

Abstract The reaction of imidazole and imidazole derivatives with formaldehyde can be demonstrated with NMR techniques. The results show that only one nitrogen of the imidazole ring reacts to form a N-hydroxymethyl derivative in alkaline solution. Under acidic conditions both nitrogen positions can support N-hydroxymethyl derivatives. This reaction represents a useful tool for the further investigation of enzyme mechanisms involving the imidazole nucleus.
Experiment design for measuring the probability of detection in remote sensing: how many objects and how many passes

Buried threat detection system (e.g., GPR, FLIR, EMI) performance can be summarized through two related statistics: the probability of detection (PD), and the false alarm rate (FAR). These statistics impact system rate of forward advance, clearance probability, and the overall usefulness of the system. Understanding system PD and FAR for each target type of interest is fundamental to making informed decisions regarding system procurement and deployment. Since PD and FAR cannot be measured directly, proper experimental design is required to ensure that estimates of PD and FAR are accurate. Given an unlimited number of target emplacements, estimating PD is straightforward. However in realistic scenarios with constrained budgets, limited experimental collection time and space, and limited number of targets, estimating PD becomes significantly more complicated. For example, it may be less expensive to collect data over the same exact target emplacement multiple times than to collect once over multiple unique target emplacements. Clearly there is a difference between the quantity and value of the information obtained from these two experiments (one collection over multiple objects, and multiple collections over one particular object). This work will clarify and quantify the amount of information gained from multiple data collections over one target compared to collecting over multiple unique target burials. Results provide a closed-form solution to estimating the relative value of collecting multiple times over one object, or emplacing a new object, and how to optimize experimental design to achieve stated goals and simultaneously minimize cost.
Comparison of intraoperative dosimetric implant representation with postimplant dosimetry in patients receiving prostate brachytherapy

Abstract Purpose: To compare the results of intraoperative dosimetry with those of CT-based postimplant dosimetry in patients undergoing prostate seed implantation. Methods and Materials: Seventy-seven patients with T1–T3 prostate cancer received an ultrasound-guided permanent seed implant (36 received 125I, 7 103Pd, and 34 a partial 103Pd implant plus external beam radiation therapy). The implantation was augmented with an intraoperative dosimetric planning system. After the peripheral needles were placed, 5-mm axial images were acquired into the treatment planning system. Soft tissue structures (prostate, urethra, and rectum) were contoured, and exact needle positions were registered. Seeds were placed with an applicator, and their positions were entered into the planning system. The dose distributions for the implant were calculated after interior needle and seed placement. Postimplant dosimetry was performed 1 month later on the basis of CT imaging. Prostate and urethral doses were compared, by using paired t tests, for the real-time dosimetry in the operating room (OR) and the postimplant dosimetry. Results: The mean preimplant prostate volume was 39.8 cm3, the postneedle planning volume was 41.5 cm3 (p Conclusions: Although small differences exist between the OR and CT dosimetry results, these data suggest that this intraoperative implant dosimetric representation system provides a close match to the actual delivered doses. These data support the use of this system to modify the implant during surgery to achieve more consistent dosimetry results.
Reassessing target antigens for adoptive T-cell therapy

Adoptive T-cell therapy can target and kill widespread malignant cells thereby inducing durable clinical responses in melanoma and selected other malignances. However, many commonly targeted tumor antigens are also expressed by healthy tissues, and T cells do not distinguish between benign and malignant tissues if both express the target antigen. Autoimmune toxicity from T cell-mediated destruction of normal tissue has limited the development and adoption of this otherwise promising type of cancer therapy. A review of the unique biology of T-cell therapy and of recent clinical experience compels a reassessment of target antigens that traditionally have been viewed from the perspective of weaker immunotherapeutic modalities. It is important that target antigens chosen for adoptive T-cell therapy are expressed by tumors and not by essential healthy tissues. The risk of adverse autoimmune events can be further mitigated by generating antigen receptors using strategies that reduce the chance of cross-reactivity against epitopes in unintended targets. In general, a circumspect approach to target selection and thoughtful preclinical and clinical studies are pivotal to the ongoing advancement of these promising treatments.
Time Period and Birth Cohort Differences in Depressive Symptoms in the U.S., 1982–2013

Across four surveys (N = 6.9 million), Americans reported substantially higher levels of depressive symptoms, particularly somatic symptoms, in the 2000s–2010s compared to the 1980s–1990s. High school students in the 2010s (vs. the 1980s) reported more somatic symptoms (e.g., trouble sleeping, thinking, and remembering; shortness of breath) and were twice as likely to have seen a professional for mental issues. College students in recent years (vs. the 1980s) were more likely to report feeling overwhelmed and to believe they were below average in mental and physical health, but were less likely to say they felt depressed. Total Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scores were higher among adults in 2000 (vs. 1988), especially somatic symptoms. Teens displayed less suicidal ideation in 2011 versus 1991 and were slightly less likely to commit suicide. Thus, more subtle symptoms of depression became more prevalent even as some overt indicators of depression became less prevalent.
Perspectives on … Multiculturalism and Library Exhibits: Sites of Contested Representation

This article analyzes a multicultural library exhibit presenting the Palestinian/Israeli conflict as a site of contested representation. Qualitative methodology is used to interrogate the exhibit and its audience reception. Drawing on insights from critical pedagogy, implications for libraries arising from this case study are given and suggestions are made for transforming controversy into educative situations.
Interview with Laura Fortunato, Winner of the 2011 Gabriel W. Lasker Prize

An international jury composed of Michael Crawford (University of Kansas, USA), Dennis O’Rourke (University of Utah, USA), and Stephen Shennan (University College London, UK) has awarded the Gabriel Ward Lasker Prize 2011 to Dr. Laura Fortunato for her articles entitled “Reconstructing the History of Residence Strategies in Indo-European–Speaking Societies” and “Reconstructing the History of Marriage Strategies in Indo-European–Speaking Societies” considered as the best contribution to the 83rd volume of Human Biology (2011). Laura Fortunato is an Omidyar Fellow at the Santa Fe Institute in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She received her Ph.D. in anthropology from University College London in 2009; her doctoral research focused on the evolution of kinship and marriage systems (Fortunato 2009). In particular, she has investigated the evolution of marriage strategies (Fortunato and Archetti 2010; Fortunato 2011a), wealth transfers at marriage (Fortunato et al. 2006; Fortunato and Mace 2009), residence strategies (Fortunato and Jordan 2010; Fortunato 2011b), and inheritance strategies (Fortunato, in review). Laura’s current research activities apply conceptual and methodological tools developed in evolutionary biology to a diverse range of topics in anthropology, from matrilineal kinship organization to cultural evolution.
Universal non-compact operators between super-reflexive Banach spaces and the existence of a complemented copy of Hilbert space

Suppose that 1<p≦2, 2≦q<∞. The formal identity operatorI:lp→lqfactorizes through any given non-compact operator from ap-smooth Banach space into aq-convex Banach space. It follows that ifX is a 2-convex space andY is an infinite dimensional subspace ofX which is isomorphic to a Hilbert space, thenY contains an isomorphic copy ofl2 which is complemented inX.
Effect of scanning of medical images on the performance of lifting

A wavelet-lifting scheme that maps integers to integers, performs all calculations in-place, and is computationally efficient is used in this paper. It processes 2-D medical images row by row producing an equivalent 1-D signal. The interdependency of pixels in 2-D medical images is known to vary in different regions. Thus, some lifting schemes decorrelate the resultant signal more efficiently than others do. The effect of different scanning approaches on the performance of several lifting schemes is presented.
Pre-Collegiate Factors Influencing the Self-Efficacy of Engineering Students

Background Many engineering colleges have the goal of increasing the quality and number of students choosing to pursue engineering and therefore are heavily invested in programs that expose pre-collegiate students to engineering. Most commonly, these institutions are involved with summer outreach programs and weekend or fieldtrip opportunities for students to visit engineering campuses, and some curriculum development. A lesser, often untapped resource for engineering colleges is through K-12 technology and pre-engineering teacher training. Purpose(Hypothesis) This study addresses the long term effects of pre-collegiate engineering experiences on student selfefficacy. It is hypothesized that the greater the rigor of a pre-colligate experience, the more it will contribute to a student's self-efficacy related to engineering studies. The pre-collegiate experiences examined in this study include pre-engineering classes, multi-day programs, engineering hobbies, working in an engineering environment, extra-curricular engineering programs, and single-day field trips. Design/Method The long term effects of pre-collegiate experiences were evaluated by comparing the self-efficacy of firstyear students who had the experiences to first-year students who did not have the experiences. Results Significant differences in self-efficacy were only found between groups of students who had pre-engineering classes and engineering hobbies versus students who did not have these experiences. Conclusion Based on the findings, engineering colleges with the goal of increasing the self-efficacy of engineering students should consider focusing resources on developing K-12 technology and pre-engineering teachers. Additional recommendations for practice, pedagogical implications, and areas for further research are offered.
Focusing Polycapillary Optics and Their Applications

A summary of focusing X ray polycapillary optics is presented including history, theory, modeling, and applications development. The focusing effects of polycapillary optics come from the overlap of the beams from thousands of small hollow glass tubes. Modeling efforts accurately describe optics performance to allow for system development in a wide variety of geometries. The focusing of X ray beams with polycapillary optics yields high gains in intensity and increased spatial resolution for a variety of clinical, lab-based, synchrotron or in situ analysis applications.
Matching fluid and structure meshes for aeroelastic computations : a parallel approach

Abstract Matcher is a program that generates the data structures needed for handling arbitrary and non-conforming fluid/structure interfaces in aeroelastic computations. In this paper, we describe the key issues addressed by Matcher and overview the underlying parallel algorithm. We highlight its parallel performance on the iPSC860/32 for a complete aircraft configuration where the fluid mesh contains 439,272 tetrahedra and 77,279 vertices and the structural model contains 7520 triangular shell elements and 3841 nodes.
A 20-Year Series of Orbital Exenteration

We reviewed patient records of 99 consecutive orbital exenterations performed between 1969 and 1988. Patients ranged in age from 2 to 86 years (mean, 55.9 years). Classification of cases on histopathologic criteria showed 32 exenterations were performed for squamous cell carcinoma originating in the paranasal sinus (13), skin (12), conjunctiva (six), and lacrimal sac (one). Orbital exenteration was performed for treatment of other epithelial malignancy in basal cell carcinoma (eight), sebaceous carcinoma (six), adenoid cystic carcinoma (five), undifferentiated carcinoma (four), adenocarcinoma (two), intraepithelial carcinoma of the conjunctiva (two), benign mixed tumor (one), and transitional cell carcinoma (one). Exenterations were performed for melanoma of the conjunctiva (ten), nasosinus (three), skin (two), orbit (two), and choroid (one). Exenterations were also performed as treatment for mucormycosis (five), meningioma (three), fibrosarcoma (two), rhabdomyosarcoma (two), hemangiopericytoma (two), orbital cellulitis (one), fibrous histiocytoma (one), schwannoma (one), lymphangioma (one), benign lymphoepithelial lesion (one), and undifferentiated malignancy (one).
Heat Pump Ground Coil Analysis With Thermal Interference

When two horizontal ground coils are buried in the same trench, one on top of the other, the total energy exchange between coils and ground increases drastically over that of a single coil for the same trench length. However, because of the thermal interference between the two coils, the overall performance of the two-coil trench is very difficult to determine. Traditionally this type of problem is handled by the line source mirror-image approach. However, in applying the line source approach, the strength of the source is not known precisely and must be estimated. Most designers will estimate this value very conservatively in order to be on the safe side, and this will result in a longer coil than is actually needed. This paper provides a detailed mathematical model to describe the operation of the two-coil system that can calculate more realistically the performance of the ground coils, which in turn could make the ground coil heat pump system more economically competitive with other heating and cooling systems. This model is better than the line source approach for calculating the performance of two coils in the same trench. It can be used for design purposes, or used to check such coilmore » designs by other methods.« less
88 Comparison of monovalent and divalent ion distributions around a DNA duplex with molecular dynamic simulation and Poisson–Boltzmann approach

Ion interactions with nucleic acids (both DNA and RNA) are an important and evolving field of investigation. Positively charged cations may interact with highly negatively charged nucleic acids via simple electrostatic interactions to help screen the electrostatic repulsion along the nucleic acids and assist their folding and/or compaction. Cations may also bind at specific sites and become integral parts of the structures, possibly playing important enzymatic roles. Two popular methods for computationally exploring a nucleic acid’s ion atmosphere are atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and the Poisson–Boltzmann (PB) equation. In general, monovalent ion results obtained from MD simulations and the PB equation agree well with experiment. However, Bai et al. (2007) observed discrepancies between experiment and the PB equation while examining the competitive binding of monovalent and divalent ions, with more significant discrepancies for divalent ions. The goal of this project was to thoroughly inv...
Constructing Personality Tests to Meet a Structural Criterion: Application of the Interpersonal Circumplex

ABSTRACT Construct validation of personality tests begins when items are selected according to substantive and structural postulates; nevertheless, substance has generally been emphasized to the neglect of structure. The present approach shows how a structural model—the interpersonal circumplex—could be used to ensure that test items for measures of interpersonal problems (e.g., loneliness, nonassertiveness) faithfully mirror the theoretical characteristics of their constructs. New item statistics are derived with applicability to item analysis and test construction, and the equivalence of item-curve fitting and circumplex scoring is illuminated.
Divorce Insurance: Mitigating the Adjudication Period Financial Crisis

Divorce can subject both parties in a troubled marriage to one of the most emotionally and financially trying periods they will experience in their life. Much attention has been given toward life after divorce—either the decisions such as custody of children that will influence this, or the changed circumstances that both parties will find themselves facing. Yet the period from filing to final grant of a divorce poses additional challenges on top of the emotional uncertainties suffered during this period. Total household expenses might double or triple as a result of spouses seeking separate residences, legal bills, added travel, and other expenses forced by a divorce. At the same time, disruptions in one's personal life due to a divorce can disrupt job performance, and in certain situations, even make it difficult or impossible to work; household income can drop accordingly. This article proposes a workable insurance solution to alleviate this second lesser known challenge that a changed financial situat...
Computational Experience with the Davidon Method Applied to Optimal Control Problems

The Davidon method as extended by Tripathi and Narendra [1], [2] is applied to optimal control problems with terminal state constraints adjoined to the cost functional as penalty functions. The results of two numerical examples indicate that this algorithm provides an attractive alternative to conjugate gradient algorithms.
Amino-acid metabolism in forest soil—Isolation and turnover of organic matter covalently labelled with 35s-methionine

Abstract Organic matter was extracted with pyrophosphate-NaOH buffer, pH 8.0 from the 02 horizon of a hardwood forest and exposed to 15S-methionine for 18 h to allow the incorporation of the aminoacid into the extract. Compared with other amendments, supplementation of the incorporation medium with Na2SO4 yielded the highest recoveries of the labelled organic matter. This material was chemically recalcitrant, requiring treatment for 6 h at 121°C with 6 m NaOH for complete release of the incorporated methionine. A and B horizon soils from several forests were exposed to labelled material following dialysis to remove unlabelled components and a minor 35S-labeIled component. All samples began to release 35S-methionine after 48 h. Further metabolism of this amino-acid included mineralization and conversion to cysteine. A portion of the sulfate-S generated from mineralization was incorporated into organic matter and was recovered only by acid and alkali extraction. 35S-labelled methionine and cysteine were also found in these latter fractions, indicating that these amino-acids had been directly incorporated into organic material during exposure.
Energetics of association in poly(lactic acid)-based hydrogels with crystalline and nanoparticle-polymer junctions.

We report the energetics of association in polymeric gels with two types of junction points: crystalline hydrophobic junctions and polymer−nanoparticle junctions. Time−temperature superposition (TT...
Microsurgical repair of the parotid duct

Because of its relatively small caliber lumen, traumatic injuries of the parotid duct appropriately lend themselves to microsurgical repair. With the evolution of more modern techniques and materials, inert nylon microsutures placed under magnification permit an ideal atraumatic anastomosis of the divided ends of the parotid duct. Such an exact approach may also obviate the need for long-term stenting across the site of repair, which remains a controversial issue. © Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Point-by-Point Method of Determining Contact Angles from Dynamic Wilhelmy Plate Data for Oil/Brine/Solid Systems

The wetting behavior of crude-oil/brine/rock systems can have a dominant effect on processes by which oil is recovered from underground reservoirs. A working knowledge of the crude-oil/brine/solid interactions that govern wetting behavior is needed. Application of the dynamic Wilhelmy plate technique to a variety of wettability conditions induced by adsorption from crude oil shows that the conventional method of determining advancing and receding contact angles from force-distance records is not always applicable. A point-by-point interpretation is presented and applied to a variety of situations. These include slippage of the three-phase line of contact and time-dependent wetting phenomena related to adsorption kinetics. For such complex wetting conditions, direct observation of the behavior of the three-phase line of contact is a necessary part of ensuring that interpretations of the force-distance record are reasonable.
A parting of the ways: Colonial Africa and South Africa, 1946–48

Bill Freund stands out among historians of Africa for his research in different parts of the continent. I make no claims to be following Bill's path, but hope to bring some of what I have learned f...
Failure Rate of Achilles Tendon Allograft in Primary Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Purpose This study was performed to determine the failure rate of patients undergoing primary anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with an Achilles tendon allograft by a single surgeon with the same surgical technique, graft fixation, and postoperative rehabilitation. The Achilles tendon allograft was obtained from a single source. Methods Of 158 patients who underwent primary ACL reconstruction with Achilles tendon allograft, 144 were followed up at a mean of 40 months. The mean age was 29.5 years at the time of surgery. Evaluation included a questionnaire at serial follow-up visits, physical examination, and return to play. Results Of 144 patients, 8 (5.6%) sustained traumatic reruptures or had evidence of laxity failure. Patients were divided into 4 age groups: less than 18 years, 18 to 25 years, 26 to 40 years, and 41 years or greater. Failure rates of 8.7%, 8.8%, 5.7%, and 0%, respectively, were found. A χ 2 contingency test was performed comparing patients aged 25 years or younger and those aged over 25 years with a resulting P value of .5811. No statistically significant difference between the groups of failures was seen. Conclusions The results of our study show that the failure rate for freeze-dried Achilles tendon allograft in primary ACL reconstruction was 8 of 144 (5.6%). When these patients were followed up for a minimum of 24 months, we found failure rates of 8.7%, 8.8%, 5.7%, and 0% in those aged less than 18 years, 18 to 25 years, 26 to 40 years, and 41 years or older, respectively. No statistically significant difference between the groups of failures was seen. Level of Evidence Level IV, case series.
Decomposing Modal Quantification

Providing a compositional interpretation procedure for discourses in which descriptions of complex dependencies between interrelated objects are incrementally built is a key challenge for natural language semantics. This article focuses on the interactions between the entailment particle therefore, modalized conditionals and modal subordination. It shows that the dependencies between individuals and possibilities that emerge out of such interactions can receive a unified compositional account in a system couched in classical type logic that integrates and simplifies van den Berg's dynamic plural logic and the classical Lewis-Kratzer analysis of modal quantification. The main proposal is that modal quantification is a composite notion, to be decomposed in terms of discourse reference to quantificational dependencies that is multiply constrained by the various components that make up a modal quantifier. The system captures the truth-conditional and anaphoric components of modal quantification in an even-handed way and, unlike previous accounts, makes the propositional contents contributed by modal constructions available for subsequent discourse reference.
Beverage preference, drinking, and social stress in an urban community

In a survey of 311 residents of an urban community, 238 drinkers were classified by the beverage he or she drank most often. Beer, wine, and liquor drinkers, while differing by age, sex, and social class, did not differ with respect to other social characteristics. Four psychosocial stress factors were regressed on two consumption measures, with a different predictor of heavier drinking found to be significant for each beverage group. These findings in a cross-sectional study of normal drinkers parallel findings of studies of alcoholic and problem drinkers.
Fourth-Grade Pupils Study a Number System with Base Five

A SUCCESSFUL program in elementary mathej matics emphasizes the ability of pupils to do quan titative thinking and to understand arithmetic as a closely-knit system of ideas, principles and pro cesses. In order for elementary arithmetic pupils to think or communicate efficiently in the language of elementary mathematics, they must have an un derstanding of the nature and characteristics of the number system used. The Hindu-Arabic decimal number system is the foundation upon which the system of arithmetic is constructed. One of the basic objectives of the modern ele mentary arithmetic program is to have pupils de velop an understanding of the number system we use. The development of this understanding is often hampered by mental sets on the part of teachers and pupils and/or varying meanings of the terms used in explanation and discussion. Since, in many respects, children develop their understanding of our number system in much the same way that the system itself developed, one method of improving or increasing this under standing may be to allow elementary pupils to de velop a number system with base other than ten, using a minimum of "old" terms, and discovering relationships between the newly-developed system and the Hindu-Arabic system. The study of number systems with bases other than ten has generally been restricted to the en richment programs of pupils more advanced in grade level with the expressed purpose of increas ing their understanding of numbers and number system. A procedure which helps pupils to de velop a more complete understanding of our num ber system earlier in the elementary grades would have advantages in 1) classroom time and effort saved from reteaching and remedial work, 2) pu pils' successes in the arithmetical skills and con cepts to be achieved, and 3) possible increased motivation toward study of mathematics. Authors of texts dealing with methods of teach ing arithmetic discuss this problem very briefly, if at all, and generally infer that the properties | HAROLD H LERCH
Determination of Particle Effective Density in Urban Environments with a Differential Mobility Analyzer and Aerosol Particle Mass Analyzer

Effective densities of atmospheric aerosols in various locations of the Los Angeles Basin were determined by a DMA-APM technique. Effective density was calculated by comparing voltage distributions of sampled atmospheric aerosols with PSL particles of known density. The five sites chosen for field experiments were: (1) Interstate-710 Freeway, impacted by heavy-duty diesel vehicles; (2) State Route CA-110, open only to gasoline vehicles; (3) Riverside, a receptor site known for secondary particle formation; (4) University of Southern California, a typical urban and industrial environment; and (5) Coast for marine aerosol. The size range selected for this study was from 50 nm to 414 nm. While 50 nm particles exhibited a single effective density multiple effective densities were measured for each of the other particle sizes as significant fractions of these particles are transported from background sources. Regardless of location, 322–414 nm particle effective densities were considerably lower than unity. Th...
Identification of Proteins Encoded by Avian Reoviruses and Evidence for Post-translational Modification

Abstract Twelve avian reovirus strain 176 proteins, 10 structural (λ1, λ2, λ3, μ1, μ2/μ2C, σ1, σ2, σ3, and σ4), and 2 nonstructural (μNS and σNS) were identified and characterized by electrophoretic analysis of purified virions and infected cell lysates. Three of the identified proteins (μ1, μNS, and σ4) have not been previously described. In pulse-chase experiments, 10 of the proteins (λ1, λ2, λ3, μ1, μ2, μNS, σ1, σ2, σNS, σ3) were shown to be primary translation products, whereas μ20 was shown to be a post-translational cleavage product of μ2.
Glial and glycoconjugate boundaries during postnatal development of the central nervous system.

The localization of glycosylated molecules and glia has been studied during early postnatal development in the mouse central nervous system (CNS) using autoradiographic detection of radiolabeled fucose incorporation, and in sections processed either for histochemistry or immunocytochemistry following binding of labeled lectins or an antibody to glial fibrillary acidic protein. Radiolabeled sugar incorporation, lectin binding of glycoconjugates, and glial labeling all reveal borders between nuclei within the diencephalon, midbrain, and brainstem through the first postnatal week. Glycoconjugate and glial boundaries exist throughout the CNS during pattern formation events, and they also are seen in relation to fine aspects of developing functional organization within individual structures (e.g. segmentation associated with the representation of mystacial vibrissae within the brainstem trigeminal complex). The observation that each of the probes employed in this study fails to label boundary organization during later postnatal times suggests that the distribution and chemistry of the glial/glycoconjugate network are dynamic, and they change in accordance with distinct maturational states of the nervous system.
Gag Influences Transformation by Abelson Murine Leukemia Virus and Suppresses Nuclear Localization of the v-Abl Protein

Like the v-Onc proteins encoded by many transforming retroviruses, the v-Abl protein is expressed as a Gag-Onc fusion. Although the Gag-derived myristoylation signal targets the v-Abl protein to the plasma membrane, the protein contains the entire MA and p12 sequences and a small number of CA-derived residues. To understand the role of Gag sequences in transformation, mutants lacking portions of these sequences were examined for the effects of these deletions on v-Abl function and localization. Deletion of the N-terminal third of p12 or all of p12 enhanced the transformation of both pre-B cells and NIH 3T3 cells. In contrast, deletions in MA or a deletion removing all of Gag except the first 34 amino acids important for myristoylation highly compromised the ability to transform either cell type. Although all of the mutant proteins retained kinase activity, those defective in transformation were reduced in their ability to activate Erk, suggesting a role for Gag sequences in v-Abl signaling. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed that a v-Abl protein retaining only the first 34 amino acids of Gag localized to the nucleus. These data indicate that Gag sequences are important for normal v-Abl signaling and that they suppress nuclear localization of the molecule.
Complex spatial images for multiparameter distortion-invariant optical pattern recognition and high-level morphological transforms

Detection of distorted target images is a common problem in optical pattern recognition. Many distortion-invariant filter designs have been developed. However, while detecting the distorted target, the value of the distortion parameters is lost. We introduce a method of optical morphology that transforms rotated target objects into a single line of bright dots. The location of these lines indicates the location of a target and the angle indicates the rotation of the target. We use a set of complex filter images referred to as super images configured in a correlation filter bank to accomplish this form of morphological transformation. The mathematical characteristics of super images are discussed and examples of their usage are demonstrated numerically.
Pixel-based overlays for navigating a galaxy of observations

These preliminary results show that pixel-based overlays have the potential to generate scalable, graphical representations of astronomy data. This approach may allow us to overcome bandwidth and screen-space current limitations in astronomy database visualization by following a WebGL - PHP client-server architecture. The advantages of this approach are its versatility and visual scalability (to the pixel level), enabling the visual analysis of large datasets. The resulting versatility allows for flexible control over the visualization and the client-side scripts. Accessing graphics hardware through WebGL further provides the users with a rich, graphics-accelerated web experience. Preliminary feedback from astronomy researchers emphasizes the benefits of visual analysis to this field.
Biology of the Mi-2/NuRD Complex in SLAC (Stemness, Longevity/Ageing, and Cancer):

The dynamic chromatin activities of Mi-2/Nucleosome Remodeling and Histone deacetylation (Mi-2/NuRD) complexes in mammals are at the basis of current research on stemness, longevity/ageing, and cancer (4-2-1/SLAC), and have been widely studied over the past decade in mammals and the elegant model organism, Caenorhabditis elegans. Interestingly, a common emergent theme from these studies is that of distinct coregulator-recruited Mi-2/NuRD complexes largely orchestrating the 4-2-1/SLAC within a unique paradigm by maintaining genome stability via DNA repair and controlling three types of transcriptional programs in concert in a number of cellular, tissue, and organism contexts. Thus, the core Mi-2/NuRD complex plays a central role in 4-2-1/SLAC. The plasticity and robustness of 4-2-1/SLAC can be interpreted as modulation of specific coregulator(s) within cell-specific, tissue-specific, stage-specific, or organism-specific niches during stress induction, ie, a functional module and its networking, thereby conferring differential responses to different environmental cues. According to “Occam’s razor”, a simple theory is preferable to a complex one, so this simplified notion might be useful for exploring 4-2-1/SLAC with a holistic view. This thought could also be valuable in forming strategies for future research, and could open up avenues for cancer prevention and antiageing strategies.
Evolution of the vestibulolateral lobe of the cerebellum in electroreceptive and nonelectroreceptive teleosts

The organization of the vestibulolateral lobe of the cerebellum is described in electroreceptive and closely related nonelectroreceptive teleost fishes. The vestibulolateral lobe includes an eminentia granularis and a lobus caudalis. The eminentia granularis is a lateral line-recipient, granule cell zone which in weakly electric fish (i.e., electroreceptive fish with an electric organ) has anterior and posterior divisions associated respectively with a mechanoreceptive medial medullary nucles and an electroreceptive lateral line lobe. A lobus caudalis includes a separate granule cell zone-the pars medialis, a molecular layer, and large Purkinje-like cells. Compared with weakly electric mormyrids, the pars medialis is hypertrophied in weakly electric gymnotoids and electroreceptive silurids. However, the pars medialis is also hypertrophied in nonelectroreceptive teleosts, suggesting it is a granule cell zone not associated with electroreception and perhaps the lateral line system.
Teaching Lessons Learned

This is a continuing series of quarterly articles on lessons learned and best practices in civil engineering education. The intent of the series is to reinforce good practices, describe new or developing practices, and provide a forum for what works well and what does not. It is hoped that this series will be an important quarterly read for all civil engineering educators and all those interested in what’s going on in civil engineering education today. Authors and topics will vary from issue to issue. Contact the associate editor, Mark Evans, if you wish to contribute to an upcoming issue.
The Effects of Severe Thermal and Pressure Transients on the Survival of Internally Coated Tubes

The effects of severe thermal and pressure transient pulses on the interior of coated tubes have been analyzed using finite-element methods. For the modeling, an axisymmetric mesh was developed and used to assess the transient, thermal- and stress-states and the propensity for fracture related damage. For all calculations, temperature dependent thermophysical and elastic properties were used during the analysis. The model also utilized uniform heating and pressure across the ID surface imposed via convective coefficients and a piece-wise linear pressure function over time. Results for the strictly elastic analysis indicated that both had a significant influence on the maximum circumferential (hoop) stresses and temperatures and that the compressive thermal-stresses help to offset any tensile components generated by the internal pressure on the ID. Preliminary calculations also investigated the influence of these factors when a crack was introduced at the interface of the coating and substrate.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
GENDER, NEIGHBORHOOD DANGER, AND RISK-AVOIDANCE STRATEGIES AMONG URBAN AFRICAN-AMERICAN YOUTHS*

Research consistently reveals that fear of crime and perceived risk are demographically and ecologically patterned. Women and individuals in disadvantaged community settings report increased fear and perceptions of risk. For women, these fears and perceptions are tied to concerns about sexual violence specifically, whereas for individuals in distressed neighborhoods, crime rates, “incivilities,” and poor police-community relations are often identified as important correlates. Here, we build from the insights of previous research by examining the gendered nature of perceived risk and risk-management strategies among urban African-American adolescents. Our findings suggest that both risk and risk-avoidance strategies are strikingly different for young women and young men and are shaped by the gendered organizational features of neighborhood life. We propose that future research will benefit by continuing to investigate how social vulnerabilities function in tandem to structure risks across ecological settings.
A novel three dimensional fluid-structure interaction finite element model of wave propagation in SAW device: Application to biosensing & microfluidics

The key issues related to biosensor technology include selectivity, sensitivity, response and recovery times, and detection limit; most of these limitations stem from biofouling resulting from the binding of undesirable moieties such as non-specific proteins to the sensor surface. Thus, removal of non-specifically bound (NSB) proteins remains a significant challenge in biosensing applications. Operation of biosensors in liquid media necessitates an investigation of the fluid-device interaction to understand the mechanisms of biofouling elimination. In this study, we report for the first time, a fully coupled three dimensional transient finite element fluid-solid interaction (FSI) model of the SAW device subject to liquid loading to investigate the streaming velocity fields and forces induced by SAW device. Our simulation results suggest that the SAW-fluid interaction creates a pressure gradient in the direction of acoustic wave propagation in the fluid, leading to an acoustically driven streaming phenomenon known as SAW streaming which can be used for removal of non-specifically bound (NSB) proteins. Computed velocity fields indicate that the normal component of fluid velocity is smaller than the tangential component along the propagation direction. Thus, the SAW induced drag force, arising from the tangential component of fluid velocity and leading to particle advection is an important mechanism in biofouling removal from the SAW device surface and the normal component would prevent the reattachment of the particles to the device surface. Apart from microfluidic applications, this work broadly applies to all transducers used for biological species sensing that suffer from fouling and non-specific binding of protein molecules to the device surface.
Thermal Stability of Amorphous Ni-Nb Thin Films for Use as Diffusion Barriers

The interdiffusion and crystallization reactions between amorphous Ni-Nb alloy films and Si substrates and several overlayer metals have been monitored by x-ray diffraction and high resolution Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy. Free standing amorphous thin films of Ni-Nb alloys crystallize in one hour at temperatures between 600–625 °C and show little dependence of the crystallization temperature, Tx, on composition over the range from 30–80 at.% Ni. However, in films that are sputter deposited onto Si substrates Tx tends to increase with increasing Nb composition. Ni60Nb40 samples without overlayers crystallize at 650–700 °C. Enhancement of the thermal stability to 700–750 °C is achieved with a Nb overlayer. In contrast, a Ni overlayer can reduce Tx to 450 °C. At the film/substrate interface silicide formation reactions with Ni from the film contribute to a destabilization of the amorphous alloy. The modification of Tx with Ni, Nb, and other overlayers appears to be related to changes in the reaction kinetics associated with penetration of the overlayer into the film.
Snow depth, soil freezing, and fluxes of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane in a northern hardwood forest

Soil‐atmosphere fluxes of trace gases (especially nitrous oxide (N2O)) can be significant during winter and at snowmelt. We investigated the effects of decreases in snow cover on soil freezing and trace gas fluxes at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, a northern hardwood forest in New Hampshire, USA. We manipulated snow depth by shoveling to induce soil freezing, and measured fluxes of N2O, methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) in field chambers monthly (bi-weekly at snowmelt) in stands dominated by sugar maple or yellow birch. The snow manipulation and measurements were carried out in two winters (1997/1998 and 1998/1999) and measurements continued through 2000. Fluxes of CO2 and CH4 showed a strong seasonal pattern, with low rates in winter, but N2O fluxes did not show strong seasonal variation. The snow manipulation induced soil freezing, increased N2O flux and decreased CH4 uptake in both treatment years, especially during winter. Annual N2O fluxes in sugar maple treatment plots were 207 and 99mgNm � 2 yr � 1 in 1998 and 1999 vs. 105 and 42 in reference plots. Tree species had no effect on N2 Oo r CO2 fluxes, but CH4 uptake was higher in plots dominated by yellow birch than in plots dominated by sugar maple. Our results suggest that winter fluxes of N2O are important and that winter climate change that decreases snow cover will increase soil:atmosphere N2O fluxes from northern hardwood forests.
State Formation in Community Spaces? Decentralization of Control over Forests in the Kumaon Himalaya, India

In the early part of this century, 1916 and 1921 were especially dry years in the Kumaon region of the Indian Himalaya. In each of these years, forest fires racked the countryside, burning beyond the power of the colonial British government to control or extinguish. It was not just the dry weather that was to blame. Villagers in Kumaon set the forest on fire; the dry weather merely helped their efforts along. The containment of this “planned incendiarism” was one of the main planks of the scientific forestry that the colonial state had begun to introduce in the hills in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, and especially from around 1910.
Development and characterization of an artificial hair cell based on polyurethane elastomer and force sensitive resistors

The performance of polyurethane (PU) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomers are compared in a battery of tests showing that the two PU formulations tested compare very favorably with PDMS mechanically and in terms of adhesion, while sacrificing some resistance to solvents and chemicals. PU is then used to form the structure and sensing elements of an all-polymer artificial hair cell. The demonstrated artificial hair cells are composed of a PU cilium on top of force sensitive resistors (FSRs) that detect cilium motion. The FSR is a mixture of carbon nanoparticles and PU, patterned using a newly developed method. Sensitivity of the demonstrated device (245 ppm/mum of tip deflection) is improved by an order of magnitude over previous single-axis polymer AHCs with additional improvements in robustness. Both carbon black and multi-walled nanotubes are tested as conductive fillers, with MWNT providing increased sensitivity
Cutoff attenuator for azimuthally symmetric transverse magnetic mode in a cylindrical waveguide

A theory of the cutoff attenuator for the azimuthally symmetric lowest order transverse electric mode in a cylindrical waveguide is developed. Illustrative numerical results of the insertion loss as well as the frequency response of the attenuator are presented.
Modeling Optical Breakdown in Dielectrics During Ultrafast Laser Processing

Laser ablation is widely used in micromachining, manufacturing, thin-film formation, and bioengineering applications. During laser ablation the removal of material and quality of the features depend strongly on the optical breakdown region induced by the laser irradiance. The recent advent of amplified ultrafast lasers with pulse durations of less than 1 ps has generated considerable interest because of the ability of the lasers to process virtually all materials with high precision and minimal thermal damage. With ultrashort pulse widths, however, traditional breakdown models no longer accurately capture the laser–material interaction that leads to breakdown. A femtosecond breakdown model for dielectric solids and liquids is presented that characterizes the pulse behavior and predicts the time- and position-dependent breakdown region. The model includes the pulse propagation and small spatial extent of ultrashort laser pulses. Model results are presented and compared with classical breakdown models for 1-ns, 1-ps, and 150-fs pulses. The results show that the revised model is able to model breakdown accurately in the focal region for pulse durations of less than 10 ps. The model can also be of use in estimating the time- and position-resolved electron density in the interaction volume, the breakdown threshold of the material, shielding effects, and temperature distributions during ultrafast processing.