cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SAAT: sonication-assisted Agrobacterium-mediated transformation

Plant transformation via Agrobacterium can be limited by both host specificity and the inability of Agrobacterium to reach the proper cells in the target tissue. Described here is a new and efficient Agrobacterium-based transformation technology that overcomes these barriers and enhances DNA transfer in such diverse plant groups as dicots, monocots, and gymnosperms. This new technology, called sonication-assisted Agrobacterium-mediated transformation (SAAT), involves subjecting the plant tissue to brief periods of ultrasound in the presence of Agrobacterium. Scanning electron and light microscopy reveal that SAAT treatment produces small and uniform fissures and channels throughout the tissue allowing the Agrobacterium easy access to internal plant tissues. Unlike other transformation methods, this system has the potential to transform meristematic tissue buried under several cell layers. SAAT increases transient transformation efficiency in several different plant tissues including leaf tissue, immature cotyledons, somatic and zygotic embryos, roots, stems, shoot apices, embryogenic suspension cells and whole seedlings. A 100- to 1400-fold increase in transient β- glucuronid ase expression has been demonstrated in various tissues of soybean, Ohio buckeye, cowpea, white spruce, wheat and maize. Stable transformation of both soybean and Ohio buckeye has been obtained using SAAT of embryogenic suspension culture tissues. For soybean, SAAT treatment was necessary to obtain stable transformation with this tissue
On maximum weight objects decomposable into based rectilinear convex objects

Our main concern is the following variant of the image segmentation problem: given a weighted grid graph and a set of vertical and/or horizontal base lines crossing through the grid, compute a maximum-weight object which can be decomposed into based rectilinear convex objects with respect to the base lines. Our polynomial-time algorithm reduces the problem to solving a polynomial number of instances of the maximum flow problem.
Lysosomal processing of amyloid precursor protein to A beta peptides: a distinct role for cathepsin S.

Abstract To investigate the potential contribution of the lysosomal compartment in the processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP) to amyloid beta-peptides (A beta s), we stably overexpressed a series of lysosomal proteases (the cysteine proteases, cathepsins B, L and S, and the aspartic protease, cathepsin D) in a human kidney epithelial cell line (293) transfected to express high levels of beta APP. Preliminary experiments indicated that 293 cells endogenously synthesize cathepsins B, L and D, but not cathepsin S. A beta secretion was assessed by immunoprecipitation and ELISA and found to be increased approximately 2-fold following cathepsin S expression, but to be unchanged (cathepsins B, L) or decreased (cathepsin D) in the other double transfectants. E-64d, an inhibitor of lysosomal cysteine proteases, significantly reduced A beta secretion by the cathepsin S transfectants, but had no effect on cells expressing the other proteases. Radiosequencing of A beta secreted by cathepsin S-expressing cells revealed that a previously unreported variant beginning at Met -1 (relative to the most common A beta N-terminus, Asp -1) accounted for most of the increase in A beta secretion. Immunostaining of human brain sections revealed cathepsin S in cortical neurons and glia in samples of brain from patients with Alzheimer's disease. These results provide evidence in living cells for a pathway in which cathepsin S generates A beta from amyloidogenic fragments of beta APP in the endosomal/lysosomal compartment. This pathway appears to be inducible, distinct from a constitutive pathway used by 293 and other cells to generate A beta, and may be relevant to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.
Dynamic Power Convertor Development for Radioisotope Power Systems at NASA Glenn Research Center

The Thermal Energy Conversion Branch at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) is supporting the development of high-efficiency power convertors for use in Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS). Significant progress was made towards such a system that utilized Stirling conversion during the 2001 to 2015 timeframe. Flight development of the Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG) was cancelled in 2013 by the Department of Energy (DOE) and NASA Headquarters primarily due to budget constraints, and the Advanced Stirling Convertor (ASC) technology contract was subsequently concluded in 2015. A new chapter of technology development has recently been initiated by the NASA RPS Program. This effort is considering all dynamic power convertor options, such as Stirling and Brayton cycles. Four convertor development contracts supporting this effort were awarded in 2017. The awarded contracts include two free-piston Stirling, one thermoacoustic Stirling, and one turbo-Brayton designs. The technology development contracts each consist of up to three phases: Design, Fabricate, and Test. As of May 2018, all contracts have completed the Design Phase, and each underwent a design review with an independent review board. Three of the contracts are planned to execute the Phase 2 option for fabrication. Convertors manifesting from these development efforts will then undergo independent validation and verification at NASA facilities, which will consist of convertor performance and RPS viability demonstrations. Example tests include launch vibration simulation, performance mapping over the environmental temperature range, and static acceleration exposure. In parallel with this renewed development effort, NASA GRC is still demonstrating free-piston Stirling convertor technology using assets from previous projects. The Stirling Research Laboratory (SRL) is still operating several convertors from previous development projects which have similarities and relevance to current contract designs. Four of which are flexure-bearing based, and another six are gas-bearing based. One of the flexure-bearing convertors has accumulated over 110,000 hours of operation, and holds the current record for maintenance-free heat-engine run-time. Another flexure-bearing convertor was recently manually shutdown after 105,620 hours of operation, then disassembled and inspected. This inspection produced a wealth of information about the effects of this amount of runtime on the technology's components. One of the engineering unit flexure-bearing convertors recently underwent launch simulation vibration test, a static acceleration exposure up to 20 g, and was then placed on extended operation. Amongst the gas-bearing convertors, the longest running unit has accumulated over 70,000 hours of operation. Four high-fidelity gas-bearing convertors from the ASRG project are still operating continuously, for which the longest runtime has reached 28,000 hours.
Preoperative Assessment and Optimization

Intraoperative anesthetic care is dictated by a number of factors. An understanding of the patient’s medical status and reserve is critical in the planning and administration of a successful anesthetic that idealizes surgical conditions while optimizing patient safety. The preoperative evaluation and medical optimization of the patient presenting for otolaryngology procedures is central to the role of the anesthesiologist, and it is essential that all otolaryngologists have a working knowledge of the concepts and importance of the preoperative patient assessment. While the focus of this chapter is medical in nature, the psychological and potential medical-legal importance of a thorough preoperative visit cannot be overstated. Most patients admit to being more frightened of the anesthetic than the surgery and the ability of the anesthesiologist to gain the patient’s trust and alleviate their anxiety while simultaneously obtaining a pertinent anesthetic history and physical, and informing them of the likely risks and benefits of the proposed anesthetic and monitoring, is equally important as is administering sound intraoperative care.
Hemoglobin and Myoglobin

Publisher Summary Hemoglobin and myoglobin have the ability to combine with molecular oxygen at high oxygen pressures and to release the bound oxygen molecules at low oxygen pressures. Because of this reversible oxygenation reaction, these proteins, together with chlorocruorin, hemerythrin, and hemocyanine, bear the responsibility of transport and storage of molecular oxygen for respiratory processes in the animal kingdom. All vertebrates have hemoglobin in their red cells and myoglobin in the cells of red muscle. But these respiratory proteins occur in lower species of animals and in the root nodules of leguminous plants. This chapter discusses the aspects of hemoglobin and myoglobin studies that are related to their oxygenation properties, with an emphasis on recent developments. Hemoglobin and myoglobin are made of two constituent parts, a protein part called globin and a metalloporphyrin, which serves as the prosthetic group, called heme. Heme and globin can be separated by the acid-acetone treatment, and if the separation is effected at low temperature, the two components can be recombined to regenerate hemoglobin or myoglobin.
On the character of Sn acting on subspaces of Fqn

Let F"q denote the finite field with q elements. The symmetric group S"n acts on the set G"n","q of all linear subspaces of F"q^n by permuting coordinates. We show that the normalized character of the associated permutation representation of S"n approaches the trivial character as n approaches infinity. We also consider the case of the wreath product of F"q^x and S"n acting on G"n","q, and formulate a conjecture that would yield the asymptotic number of distinct equivalence classes of q-ary linear codes.
Antibody biomarker for de novo Parkinson disease: attempted validation

Parkinson disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with motor symptoms that result from degeneration of midbrain dopaminergic neurons. Biomarker research seeks to identify the disease during the pre-symptomatic phase, which is a time when therapeutic intervention will be most helpful. Previously, we screened a combinatorial peptoid library to search for antibodies that are present at much higher levels in the serum of PD patients than in control subjects. One such compound, called the PD2 peptoid, was 84% accurate for the identification of de novo PD when employed as the capture agent in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. This peptoid recognized an IgG3 antibody, and IgG3 levels were also found to be significantly higher in PD vs. control serum. In that study we used samples from the NINDS Parkinson’s Disease Biomarker Program. The current study sought to validate that finding using serum samples from de novo and control subjects in the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative study. We found no difference in levels of antibodies captured by the PD2 peptoid in the de novo PD vs. control subjects, and no difference in IgG3 serum levels in the two groups. The failure to replicate our previous study appears to be due to the lack of difference in serum IgG3 levels between the PD and control subjects in the current study. Failure to replicate previous results dashes hopes for a non-invasive biomarker of pre-symptomatic Parkinson’s disease (PD). The synthetic, peptide-like molecule PD2 had shown promise for accurately identify PD by binding to significantly higher levels of IgG3 antibody in people with early stage PD than in healthy controls. When Dwight German at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, United States, and colleagues sought to validate these findings in serum samples from subjects in a larger longitudinal study of PD progression, they found no significant differences between the levels of PD2-bound IgG3 in newly diagnosed patients who had not yet begun taking medication and control subjects who did not show symptoms of PD over a 5-year period. The serum IgG3 levels were similar between the two groups indicating that high levels of IgG3 may not be indicative of early stage PD as was originally proposed.
Gauge Field Theory

This chapter explains the development of the gauge field theory at the classical and quantum levels for both the abelian and nonabelian cases. It discusses the dual aspects of gauge invariance and ghosts and explains the development of the path integral formulation of quantum electrodynamics as an example of a constrained path integral. This technique is the generalization to the field theory of the quantum mechanical method for implementing the gauge condition developed in the chapter. The chapter also discusses the properties of Lie algebras and the nonabelian extension of the Yang–Mills field. In the chapter, the technique of minimal coupling is developed for nonabelian gauge-matter interactions. The chapter further explains the application of the technique of constrained path integrals to the path integral representation of the Yang–Mills field. The chapter also introduces the concept of the gauge field as a one-form and discusses its topological properties.
Geriatric Assessment Predicts Hospitalization Frequency and Long-Term Care Use in Older Adult Cancer Survivors

PURPOSE:The association between geriatric assessment (GA)–identified impairments and long-term health care use in older cancer survivors remains unknown. Our objective was to evaluate whether a GA ...
Dual Quaternion Synthesis of Constrained Robots

This paper presents a synthesis methodology for robots that have less than six degrees of freedom, termed constrained robots. The goal is to determine the physical parameters of the chain that fit its workspace to a given set of spatial positions. Our formulation uses the dual quaternion form of the kinematics equations of the constrained robot. Here we develop the theory and formulate the synthesis equations for the spatial RPR robot. Their solution ensures that the three dimensional workspace of this robot contains a given set of four spatial positions.
Optimizing electron transfer from CdSe QDs to hydrogenase for photocatalytic H2 production

A series of viologen related redox mediators of varying reduction potential has been characterized and their utility as electron shuttles between CdSe quantum dots and hydrogenase enzyme has been demonstrated. Tuning the mediator LUMO energy optimizes the performance of this hybrid photocatalytic system by balancing electron transfer rates of the shuttle.
Conservation and Divergence of Related Neuronal Lineages in the Drosophila Central Brain

Summary Wiring a complex brain requires enormous cell specificity. This specificity is laid out via a developmental process where neural stem cells produce countless diverse neurons. To help elucidate this process and resolve the considerable dynamic specificity, we need to observe the development of multiple neuronal lineages. Drosophila central brain lineages are predetermined, comprised of a fixed set of neurons born in pairs in a specific order. To reveal specific roles of lineage identity, Notch-dependent sister fate specification, and temporal patterning in morphological diversification, we mapped approximately one quarter of the Drosophila central brain lineages. While we found large aggregate differences, we also discovered similar patterns of morphological specification and diversification. Lineage identity plus Notch state govern primary neuronal trajectories, whereas temporal fates diversify terminal elaborations in target-specific manners. In addition, we identified ‘related’ lineages of analogous neuron types produced in similar temporal patterns. Two stem cells even yield identical series of dopaminergic neuron types, but with completely disparate sister neurons. These phenomena suggest that large changes in morphological diversity can be the consequence of relatively small differences in lineage fating. Taken together, this large-scale lineage mapping study reveals that relatively simple rules drive incredible neuronal complexity.
Robust Weyl points in a one-dimensional superlattice with transverse spin-orbit coupling

Weyl points, synthetic magnetic monopoles in the three-dimensional momentum space, are the key features of topological Weyl semimetals. The observation of Weyl points in ultracold atomic gases usually relies on the realization of high-dimensional spin-orbit coupling (SOC) for two pseudospin states (i.e., spin 1/2), which requires complex laser configurations and precise control of laser parameters, thus, has not been realized in experiment. Here, we propose that robust Weyl points can be realized using one-dimensional triple-well superlattices (spin-1/three-band systems) with two-dimensional transverse SOC achieved by Raman-assisted tunnelings. The presence of the third band is responsible to the robustness of the Weyl points against system parameters (e.g., Raman laser polarization, phase, incident angle, etc.). Different from a spin-1/2 system, the nontrivial topology of Weyl points in such spin-1 system is characterized by both spin vector and tensor textures, which can be probed using momentum-resolved Rabi spectroscopy. Our proposal provides a simple yet powerful platform for exploring Weyl physics and related high-dimensional topological phenomena using high pseudospin ultracold atoms.
Reduced-Order Dispatch Model for Simulating Marginal Emissions Factors for the United States Power Sector

This study develops a reduced-order power plant dispatch model and uses it to simulate marginal emissions factors (MEFs) for the 2014–2017 United States (U.S.) electric grid at the North American E...
An FPGA Decision Tree Classifier to Supervise a Communication SoC

Wireless communication protocols are used in all smart devices and systems. This work is part of a proposed supervisory circuit that classifies the operation of a communication SoC, in particular, a Bluetooth (BT) SoC, at a low sampling frequency by monitoring the RF output power and input supply current. In essence, the goal is to inexpensively fabricate an RF envelope detector, power supply current monitor, and classifier on a low-cost, low-frequency integrated circuit. When the supervisory circuit detects abnormal behavior, it can shut off power to the BT chip. We extract simple descriptive features from the input and output power signals. Then, we train a machine learning (ML) model to classify the different BT operation modes, such as advertising and transmit/receive modes. In this work, we implemented the ML classifier and feature extraction on an FPGA with 100% matching with the corresponding MATLAB code. In the experimental setup, which included a function generator and an on-board ADC, errors in the FPGA-sampled values degraded the match slightly to 99.26%. Finally, a low-power ASIC is synthesized from the Verilog code in $0.18-\mu \mathrm{m}$ CMOS, with an estimated area of 0.0152 mm2 and power of $9.43 \mu \mathrm{W}$.
Stealth Democracy: Authoritarianism and Democratic Deliberation

In Stealth Democracy, Hibbing and Theiss-Morse seek to show that much of the American public desires “stealth democracy”--a democracy run like a business with little deliberation or public input. The authors maintain that stealth democracy beliefs are largely reasonable preferences, and the public does not want and would react negatively to a more deliberative democracy. This paper introduces an opposing “authoritarian stealth democrats thesis” that suggests that stealth democracy beliefs may be driven by authoritarianism and a variety of related orientations including poor political perspective taking and low cognitive engagement. These orientations may be ameliorated through democratic deliberation. Hypotheses are tested with survey and experimental data from deliberations with a RDD sample of 568 Pittsburgh residents and of 99 Canadian young adults. Using confirmatory factor analysis and OLS regression with cluster-robust standard errors, the paper finds that authoritarianism and related orientations strongly explain stealth democracy beliefs among deliberation participants and that deliberation significantly reduces stealth democracy beliefs and factors behind these beliefs.
Biosynthesis of a Cell Wall Glucomannan in Mung Bean Seedlings

Abstract A particulate enzyme fraction was isolated from mung bean seedlings which catalyzed the transfer of mannose from guanosine diphosphate d-mannose-14C and glucose from GDP-d-glucose-14C into an alkali-insoluble glucomannan. The incorporation of 14C-glucose into the polysaccharide was dependent on the presence of GDP-d-mannose in the incubation mixtures, whereas the incorporation of 14C-mannose was strongly inhibited by adding GDP-d-glucose. Mg++ was required for the incorporation of mannose but not for glucose incorporation; the optimum concentration of Mg++ was about 1 x 10-2 m. Both reactions showed a sharp pH optimum at 7.5 in Tris buffer and were slightly inhibited by phosphate buffer. Complete hydrolysis of the insoluble polysaccharide synthesized from GDP-d-mannose-14C released most of the radioactivity as 14C-mannose, although traces of activity were also present in glucose. On the other hand, in the polysaccharide synthesized from GDP-d-glucose-14C and GDP-d-mannose, all of the radioactivity was in glucose. The insoluble polysaccharide was characterized by the examination of the soluble 14C-oligosaccharides released by a variety of treatments including enzymatic hydrolysis, partial acid hydrolysis, or acetolysis. From the 14C-mannose-labeled polymer a number of oligosaccharides were isolated which had varying ratios of mannose to glucose from 1:1 to 3 or 4:1. A 14C-disaccharide was isolated and partially identified as β-d-mannopyranosyl-d-glucopyranose. An identical 14C-disaccharide was isolated from the polymer synthesized in the presence of GDP-d-glucose-14C and GDP-d-mannose, except that the radioactivity was in glucose. The identity of these disaccharides indicated that 14C-mannose and 14C-glucose were incorporated into the same polymer. The disaccharides as well as the polymer were susceptible to hydrolysis by enzymes that cleaved β linkages. Methylation and then hydrolysis of several of the 14C-mannose-labeled oligosaccharides or the 14C-mannose-labeled insoluble polymer liberated two radioactive methylated sugars which were tentatively identified as 2,3,4,6-tetramethylmannose and 2,3,6-trimethylmannose, suggesting a 1 → 4-linked polymer. The linkage was confirmed by periodate oxidation studies. Complete oxidation of several of the 14C-mannose-labeled oligosaccharides followed by reduction and hydrolysis led to the formation of 14C-glycerol and 14C-erythritol, indicating that the 14C-mannose was attached by 1 → 4 linkages. Radioactive erythritol was also obtained from a 14C-glucose-labeled oligosaccharide. Based on the mannose to glucose ratios in the larger oligosaccharides, the product formed from GDP-d-mannose-14C or GDP-d-glucose-14C (in the presence of GDP-d-mannose) appears to be a β-(1 → 4)-linked glucomannan containing 3 or 4 mannose units per glucose molecule.
STS Currents against the “Anti-Science” Tide

This essay considers some possible relationships that STS scholars can have with activists who are resisting attacks on environmental science. STS scholars can document the counter-currents to the “anti-science” moment, work in partnership with activists outside of academia, use access to institutional resources to give environmental movements strength, use STS research to help activists better understand the policy process and the history of science funding, and help people to develop a sociological imagination about science and the environment.
Transfusion in Elective Aortic Root Replacement: Analysis of the STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database.

Background Data on blood use in proximal aortic surgery is limited. This study sought to establish quality benchmarks in the pattern of transfusion during elective aortic root replacement. Methods The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database was queried to identify all patients who underwent primary elective aortic root replacement between July 2014 and June 2017. Multivariable negative binomial regressions were used to determine whether perioperative transfusion was associated with demographic or procedural factors. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed for clinical outcomes. Results Of 5559 patients analyzed, 38.95% (n = 2165) received no blood products. Patients who had a valve-sparing root replacement were less likely to undergo transfusion than those who received composite roots (bioprosthetic or mechanical valves) or homografts. The 30-day mortality for all patients was 2.57% (n = 143). Transfusion was associated with an increased risk of death at 30 days (odds ratio [OR], 1.833; P = .012), more frequent reoperation for bleeding (OR, 1.766; P Conclusions Elective aortic root replacement can be performed with acceptable requirements for blood products. Composite root replacement has a greater likelihood of transfusion than does a valve-sparing procedure. Transfusion is independently associated with more complications after elective aortic root surgery, including 30-day mortality.
Revisiting narcissism and contingent self-esteem: A test of the psychodynamic mask model

Abstract The “psychodynamic mask model” of narcissism posits that narcissists' self-esteem is inherently fragile. Available research provides inconsistent and ambiguous support for this model. In light of weaknesses associated with some previous tests, we provided novel evidence on whether narcissism dimensions relate to an indicator of “contingent self-esteem;” here, contingent self-esteem was operationally defined as the literal relation between self-esteem and self-reported satisfaction in various life domains. Using a sample of 450 MTurk participants, we examined whether several narcissism constructs moderate the relation between self-esteem and self-reported satisfaction in various life domains. In general, relations between self-esteem and satisfaction in various life domains decreased as a function of two different indicators of grandiose narcissism; by contrast, relations between self-esteem and satisfaction in various life domains were generally enhanced (albeit weakly and non-significantly) as a function of a vulnerable narcissism indicator. In sum, grandiose narcissism appeared related to reduced contingent self-esteem and vulnerable narcissism appeared mostly unrelated to contingent self-esteem. We discuss these findings in relation to previous evidence on narcissism and contingent self-esteem and evaluating the mask model.
Single Laboratory Experiment Integrating the Synthesis, Optical Characterization, and Nanocatalytic Assessment of Gold Nanoparticles

We report on a simple, rapid, and room-temperature undergraduate-level experiment for gold nanoparticle synthesis, analysis, and utilization as a catalyst for the sodium-borohydride-assisted reduct...
There Can Be no Other Reason for this Behavior: Issues in the Ascription of Knowledge to Humans and AI

While machine learning techniques have been used to model categorization/decision making tasks that are beyond the capabilities of traditional AI, these new models are typically uninterpretable, i.e., the reasons for their decisions are not clear. Some have argued that, in developing machines that can report the reasons for their decisions, developers should take, as a guide, human explanations for behavior, which make reference to mental states (e.g., knowledge/belief). This proposal is correct, but unattainable given certain characteristics of current AI. To explain, this article draws on recent discourse-analytic research showing that ascriptions of knowledge/belief presume behavioral performances to instantiate particular sorts of broader dispositions. This is reflected by the possibility of ascribing knowledge/belief to an agent on the basis that there can be no other explanation for their observed behavior. The behavior of AI trained through machine learning is unpredictable in ways that precludes such certainty. Consequently, while it is certainly possible to program machines to report mental states of knowledge/belief to account for their decisions, the failure of current AI to engage in typically human forms of life means that such ascribed mental states are inevitably meaningless.
Skin Cancer in Pregnancy

Cutaneous malignancies that occur during pregnancy require appropriate detection and management. In this chapter, the incidence, prognosis and management of various cutaneous malignancies that arise during pregnancy will be reviewed.
African Challenges to the International Criminal Court: An Example of Populism?

Recent global efforts of the United States and England to withdraw from international institutions, along with recent challenges to human rights courts from Poland and Hungary, have been described as part of a growing global populist backlash against the liberal international order. Several scholars have even identified the recent threat of mass withdrawal of African states from the International Criminal Court (ICC) as part of this global populist backlash. Are the African challenges to the ICC part of a global populist movement developing in Africa? More fundamentally, how are the African challenges to the ICC examples of populism, if at all? In this paper, I show that, while there is considerable overlap between the strategies used by particular African leaders to challenge the ICC and those typically considered populist, as well as a discernible thin populist ideology to sustain them, there is insufficient evidence of a larger anti-ICC populist movement in Africa. Although Africa is not as united against the ICC as the populist narrative suggests, the recent challenges to the Court from Africa pose a significant challenge to the Court, as the institution is still in the early stages of building its legitimacy.
Pharmacotherapy of Addiction to Amphetamine-Type Stimulants

Amphetamine-like stimulants (ATS) use is second to marijuana as the most widely used illicit substances worldwide with an estimated 59 million people using these at least once a year. Their use is associated with significant morbidity including cardiovascular complications, psychosis, and mortality. A wide range of modalities including psychotherapeutic and pharmacologic interventions are available for the treatment of dependence to amphetamine-type stimulants. Although many clinical trials are currently in progress for treating addiction to ATS, there is no FDA-approved medication for the indication. In the meantime, it is highly recommended that the available treatment should be started early and should be comprehensive, integrated, and long term.
Ethics in Human Resources: An Exercise Involving New Employwees

This situation-based exercise introduces the concept of an ethical dilemma – a situation in which two or more values are in conflict. Ethical dilemmas in business concern four major areas: human resources, customer confidence, conflicts of interest, and the use of corporate resources (Treviňo & Nelson, 2010). Ethical dilemmas are most difficult to identify when they combine several different areas. New employees are especially vulnerable because they are often overwhelmed with information and have not yet been socialized into the company’s organizational and ethical culture. Human Resource Management can play a critical rolefostering an ethical culture by providing orientation and training for all employees. The following case challenges students by placing them in the midst of a realistic business ethics situation.
Biomechanical Motion Planning for a Wearable Robotic Forearm

Supernumerary robotic devices in the form of wearable arms enhance a user's reachable workspace and provide them with additional capabilities. However, the user may experience considerable force and moment loads on their body due to the robot's motion. In this letter, we present a simulation and trajectory planning framework that aims to minimize the load on a user's muscles while operating a Wearable Robotic Forearm (WRF). Using a high-fidelity model of the human arm, we construct a term for biomechanical costs that is subsequently added to the overall cost function for a motion planner. For evaluation, the planner is initialized with shortest paths linearly interpolated between ten start and goal state pairs in the configuration space, as well as with paths optimized for reaction moments using a local search. We find that the biomechanical planner coupled with locally-optimized initialization reduces mean human muscle fiber forces by up to 23.47% compared to the linearly interpolated trajectories.
The Role of Zinc Particle Size and Loading in Cathodic Protection Efficiency

THE ROLE OF ZINC PARTICLE SIZE AND LOADING IN CATHODIC PROTECTION EFFICIENCY By Qiang Wang, Master of Science A Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2012 Major Director: Dr. BRIAN HINDERLITER, Ph. D Associate professor, Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Metallic additives, also known as anticorrosive pigments, can provide sacrificial cathodic protection and complement the barrier protection afforded by heterogeneous organic coatings to metallic substrates. The unique systematic study of the corrosion resistance of an epoxy coating reinforced with different sizes (80nm, 500nm, 10um) and continuous multiple pigment volume concentration (0, 2%, 10%, 20%, 45%) below global critical pigment volume concentration of zinc particles were studied. The thesis is developing the fundamental understanding to optimize corrosion protection and predicting the protection with time. The properties of these cathodic coatings were investigated by a single-frequency electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and open circuit potential xiv (OCP) measurements that can be used as to understand cathodic protective state. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) has been applied here for modeling and simulating part of actual experiments. This thesis will help understanding the sensitivity and efficiency to various size and loading of metallic additives for corrosion protection.
Consideration of mineral rights in eminent domain proceedings

The balancing of public improvements and the protection of property rights in eminent domain cases should seek to adequately compensate a mineral owner's loss without deterring needed improvements. The authors focus on the provisions of the Louisiana Constitution for full compensation to the full extent of loss, then explore the nature of the interest which is acquired by the expropriator. They examine the appropriateness of a taking and a damage analysis, and address the issue of the valuation of mineral rights where they have either been taken or damaged by the expropriating authority.
The Complement System as a Hurdle to Xenotransplantation

This chapter discusses the role of complement in the pathogenesis of tissue injury in xenograft rejection and reviews methods to inhibit complement activation as part of strategies to achieve xenograft survival. It begins with a brief overview of the complement system. The complement system is composed of 35 plasma and membrane-associated proteins, which include control proteins and receptors on cell membranes that recognize various fragments that result from complement activation. The membrane-associated complement regulators are of great interest to xenotransplantation. Although soluble complement inhibitors that can be used in vivo are beginning to be developed, small nontoxic molecules that inhibit complement efficiently are not yet available. Some of the large molecules that have been successful to abrogate hyperacute rejection (HAR) of the xenograft in experimental animals may be useful, at least temporarily, to reduce reperfusion injury and prevent HAR. A recent report indicates that a hexadecemeric multiple peptide of the C1q-binding site from human IgGi inhibits lysis of pig red cells by human serum, with an I50 value of 1 μM. This study suggests that peptides derived from the C1q binding region of immunoglobulins could hold promise to inhibit activation of the classical complement pathway.
The implications of capital investment for future profitability and stock returns : an over-investment perspective

This paper examines whether overinvestment can partially explain the negative association between capital investments (long term asset accruals), future profitability and stock returns. Capital investment has a robust negative implication for future profitability. The negative association is stronger when firms have greater investment discretion, i.e., for those firms with higher free cash flow and lower leverage. Moreover, the negative association between investment, future profitability and stock returns is almost exclusively driven by positive discretionary investment, i.e., where overinvestment is more likely to occur, rather than by negative discretionary investment, where overinvestment is much less likely. Evidence in this study provides an underlying explanation for Titman, Wei and Xie (2003)’s notion that managers’ empire building behavior is responsible for the negative association between capital investment and future stock returns. In addition, to the extent that long term asset accruals capture investment intensity, the results here may also provide an alternative interpretation of the long term asset accrual anomaly.
Mechanism Generation for Limit Analysis of Frames

A method is presented for the automatic generation of the required basic mechanisms for use in a limit (collapse) analysis of a planar structure. Constraint equations are written to ensure rigid body motion of all members and at the same time releases are introduced in a systematic fashion. The set of equations thus generated may be solved resulting in a set of basic mechanisms. These mechanisms are expressed in terms of the assembled structure’s external degrees-of-freedom so that some additional modification is necessary to put them in the usual form of relative deformations for each member. The procedure only requires the joint geometry of the structure and the member connectivity. The method is therefore ideal for programming and removes the necessity for hand generation of the basic mechanisms in a limit analysis.
Organ Theft Legends

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Veronique Campion-Vincent Translators: Simpson Jacqueline Year: 2005 Pages: xii + 236 Publisher: University Press of Mississippi ISBN: 1578065933 (hard cover). Prices: $45.00 USD(hard cover).
Design and Fabrication of Conventional and Unconventional Superconductors

The design and fabrication of conventional and unconventionally processed Ti-Nb base and Al5-compound-base, respectively, composite superconductors is discussed in a nine section review. The first two sections introduce the general properties of alloy and compound superconductors, and the design and processing requirements for the production of long lengths of stable low loss conductor. All aspects of flux jump stability, and the general requirements of cryogenic stabilization are addressed. Conductor design from an a.c.-loss standpoint; some basic formulae describing hysteretic and eddy current losses and the influences on a.c. loss of filament diameter, strand (conductor) diameter, twist pitch, and matrix resistivity are discussed. The basic techniques used in the fabrication of conventional multifilamentary conductors are described.
Experimental and theoretical dynamics of isoelectric focusing - Elucidation of a general separation mechanism

The transient states in isoelectric focusing were monitored using a potential gradient array detector. Electric field profiles are presented which show the formation of transient moving boundaries, as well as the approach of the steady-state distribution, during the focusing of two- and three-component systems. The results are completely consistent with corresponding computer-simulation data. The focusing process is comprised of two sequential phases, a relatively rapid separation phase and a much slower stabilizing phase. It was found that the second phase can last as much as 20 times longer than the separation of the constituents.
Tunable excited state energy transfer in EuxLa1-x[Ag0.75Au0.25(CN)2]3

Abstract A series of heterobimetallic crystals doped with various concentrations of Eu 3 + ions have been studied using steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopy. We report the details of energy transfer between the Ag ( CN ) 2 - / Au ( CN ) 2 - donors and Eu 3 + ions in these single crystals. While characteristic luminescence from the Eu 3 + ions is found to be the result of both radiative and non-radiative electronic energy transfer from the mixed-metal donors, the dominant energy transfer mechanism is found to change with increasing dopant concentration. Radiative energy transfer is found to dominate at very low concentrations, while exchange is the proposed mechanism at high concentrations. For moderate doping (10% Eu 3 + ), an excitonic diffusion model is proposed and we are able to calculate the rate of energy transfer.
'Ahead of the Lawmen': Law and Morality in Disney Animated Films 1960-1998

This article examines the relationship between law and morality in a selection of animated Disney movies released between 1960 and 1998. The authors analyze all of the fully-animated, G-rated movies that grossed $100 million or more (adjusted for inflation) which shaped the childhood of lawyers practicing today. We find that the predominant representation of the relationship between law and morality is that they are at odds. Law most often is portrayed as having no relationship to morality or, even worse, as an obstacle to justice. These findings have implications for theories of law and morality, justice, and ethics. These findings also raise provocative questions concerning the role of mass media and popular culture on children’s moral development and understanding of the role of law.
On data structures in associative memories

This report discusses the capability of an associative memory to search some useful data bases. The report utilizes a simplified cell and a collection of "assembler language" instructions to show how sets and trees can be searched in the memory. An OR rail and an EXCLUSIVE OR rail are discussed in relation to their use to search ordered and unordered sets, strings and tree data structures. Linked data structures are also discussed. This report is oriented towards the software aspects of the associative memory to lead to further research in the design of high level languages that utilize the capability of the rails.
Statistical Properties of Protein-Protein Interfaces

The properties of 1172 protein complexes (downloaded from the Protein Data Bank (PDB)) have been studied based on the concept of circular variance as a buriedness indicator and the concept of mutual proximity as a parameter-free definition of contact. The propensities of residues to be in the protein, on the surface or form contact, as well as residue pairs to form contact were calculated. In addition, the concept of circular variance has been used to compare the ruggedness and shape of the contact surface with the overall surface.
Thin-layer hydrodynamic biamperometric end-point detection: application to the coulometric titration of arsenic(III) with bromine

Abstract A sandwich-type thin-layer cell has been applied to hydrodynamic biamperometric end-point detection in coulometric titrations. The detector cell, constructed from two pieces of teflon, has platinum indicator electrodes and is placed in a flow loop attached to the coulometric titration cell. The thin-layer cavity has a volume of 6.5 μl and a thickness of 51μm, which are obtained using teflon tape as a spacer. A peristaltic pump maintains a continual flow through the loop. The titration cell is a closed vessel completely filled with the solution to be titrated. Operational amplifier circuits control the potential difference applied across the two thin-layer electrodes, and to measure the current developed in the thin-layer cell. Noise arising from the pulsed nature of the flow is reduced by a factor of 25 by using an electronic filter. The titration of arsenic(III) with electrogenerated bromine was used to study the performance of the system. Concentrations from 24 ppb to 1.6 ppm can be determined with relative inaccuracies of +4 and +0.1%, respectively.
Directed mutagenesis identifies amino acid residues involved in elongation factor Tu binding to yeast Phe-tRNAPhe.

Abstract The co-crystal structure of Thermus aquaticus elongation factor Tu·guanosine 5′- [β,γ-imido]triphosphate (EF-Tu·GDPNP) bound to yeast Phe-tRNAPhe reveals that EF-Tu interacts with the tRNA body primarily through contacts with the phosphodiester backbone. Twenty amino acids in the tRNA binding cleft of Thermus Thermophilus EF-Tu were each mutated to structurally conservative alternatives and the affinities of the mutant proteins to yeast Phe-tRNAPhe determined. Eleven of the 20 mutations reduced the binding affinity from fourfold to >100-fold, while the remaining ten had no effect. The thermodynamically important residues were spread over the entire tRNA binding interface, but were concentrated in the region which contacts the tRNA T-stem. Most of the data could be reconciled by considering the crystal structures of both free EF-Tu·GTP and the ternary complex and allowing for small (1.0 A) movements in the amino acid side-chains. Thus, despite the non-physiological crystallization conditions and crystal lattice interactions, the crystal structures reflect the biochemically relevant interaction in solution.
Assessment of anti-scarring therapies in ex vivo organ cultured rabbit corneas.

Abstract The effects of a triple combination of siRNAs targeting key scarring genes were assessed using an ex vivo organ culture model of excimer ablated rabbit corneas. The central 6 mm diameter region of fresh rabbit globes was ablated to a depth of 155 microns with an excimer laser. Corneas were excised, cultured at the air–liquid interface in defined culture medium supplemented with transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFB1), and treated with either 1% prednisolone acetate or with 22.5 μM cationic nanoparticles complexed with a triple combination of siRNAs (NP-siRNA) targeting TGFB1, TGFB Receptor (TGFBR2) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF). Scar formation was measured using image analysis of digital images and levels of smooth muscle actin (SMA) were assessed in ablated region of corneas using qRT-PCR and immunostaining. Ex vivo cultured corneas developed intense haze-like scar in the wounded areas and levels of mRNAs for pro-fibrotic genes were significantly elevated 3–8 fold in wounded tissue compared to unablated corneas. Treatment with NP-siRNA or steroid significantly reduced quantitative haze levels by 55% and 68%, respectively, and reduced SMA mRNA and immunohistostaining. This ex vivo corneal culture system reproduced key molecular patterns of corneal scarring and haze formation generated in rabbits. Treatment with NP-siRNAs targeting key scarring genes or an anti-inflammatory steroid reduced corneal haze and SMA mRNA and protein.