cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fast Helix Formation in the B Domain of Protein A Revealed by Site-Specific Infrared Probes

Comparison of experimental and computational protein folding studies can be difficult because of differences in structural resolution. Isotope-edited infrared spectroscopy offers a direct measure of structural changes involved in protein folding at the single-residue level. Here we demonstrate the increased resolution of site-specific infrared probes to the peptide backbone in the B domain of staphylococcal protein A (BdpA). 13C═18O-labeled methionine was incorporated into each of the helices using recombinant protein expression. Laser-induced temperature jumps coupled with infrared spectroscopy were used to probe changes in the peptide backbone on the submillisecond time scale. The relaxation kinetics of the buried helices, solvated helices, and labeled positions were measured independently by probing the corresponding bands assigned in the amide I region. Using these wavelength-dependent measurements, we observe a fast nanosecond phase and slower microsecond phase at each position. We find at least part...
Electron Energy Loss Microspectroscopy: Small Particles in Silicon

The method of electron energy loss spectroscopy in a transmission electron microscope is applied to the analysis of small particles in silicon. Elemental and chemical microanalysis is demonstrated on nitrogen and oxygen-associated defects in silicon, using silicon-based standards.
A Comparison of Two Middle School Backpacks with Varying Comfort Features under an Increasing Load

With an increase in schoolchildren reporting back pain, health officials are concerned over the long-term effects of carrying backpacks. One possible concern could be the type of backpack children are wearing. Two backpacks with varying comfort features were compared through a series of physiological and psychophysical measurements. It was found that there were no differences between the two backpacks and that choosing a backpack should possibly be a personal choice.
Exquisite Cultural Connotation in the Decoration of Shan Shan Provincial Guild Hall (SSPGH) in Sheqi

Based on the research on the decoration of SSPGH, the author deduced that it presented four characteristics of traditional culture: first, businessman's concept of seeking for progress, knowledge, value, happiness, good credit and prosperous front; second, second, the national creative spirit of hard struggle and plain living; third, the philosophical combining idea of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism; fourth, exquisite art of decoration.
Applying Case Management Principles to Support Analytics Process Management

Analytics Process Management (APM) is an emerging branch of Business Process Management that is focused on supporting Business Analysts and others as they apply analytics approaches, algorithms, and outputs in order to discover and/or repeatedly produce business-relevant insights and apply them into on-going business operations. While APM is now occurring in many businesses, it is typically managed in ad hoc ways using a variety of different tools and practices. This paper proposes to use principles from Case Management (or equivalently, Business Artifacts) to provide a foundational structure for APM. In particular, six key classes of Case Types are identified, that can model the vast majority of activities and data being manipulated in APM contexts. These Case Types can simplify support for managing provenance, auditability, repeatability, and explanation of analytics results. The paper also identifies two key adaptations of the classical Case Management paradigm that are needed to support APM. The paper validates the proposed Case Types and adaptations by examining two recent systems built at IBM Research that support Business Analysists in the use of analytics tools.
Cryosurgery for Disseminated Superficial Actinic Porokeratosis

Disseminated Actinic Porokeratosis is an epidermal keratinization disorder of erythematous patches and plaques with well-demarcated raised borders, usually on the legs and forearms, in response to ultraviolet radiation. Topical retinoids, florouracil, and imiquimod have been used with limited success. Cryosurgery produces good responses for individual lesions.
Review of thalamocortical resting-state fMRI studies in schizophrenia

Brain circuitry underlying cognition, emotion, and perception is abnormal in schizophrenia. There is considerable evidence that the neuropathology of schizophrenia includes the thalamus, a key hub of cortical-subcortical circuitry and an important regulator of cortical activity. However, the thalamus is a heterogeneous structure composed of several nuclei with distinct inputs and cortical connections. Limitations of conventional neuroimaging methods and conflicting findings from post-mortem investigations have made it difficult to determine if thalamic pathology in schizophrenia is widespread or limited to specific thalamocortical circuits. Resting-state fMRI has proven invaluable for understanding the large-scale functional organization of the brain and investigating neural circuitry relevant to psychiatric disorders. This article summarizes resting-state fMRI investigations of thalamocortical functional connectivity in schizophrenia. Particular attention is paid to the course, diagnostic specificity, and clinical correlates of thalamocortical network dysfunction.
Content learning: A third reason for using literature in teaching reading

Abstract The purpose of this year‐long study was to compare the amount of historical content information learned by students in classrooms using historical novels in place of basal readers with the amount of historical information learned by students in traditional classrooms. Students’ knowledge of U.S. history was assessed at the beginning and at the end of the school year using an oral free‐recall measure. Students’ oral responses to open‐ended questions were tape‐recorded, transcribed, and categorized as details, main ideas, extended thinking, and then totalled. Students whose teachers used historical fiction novels in place of basal readers recalled significantly more details, main ideas, and total amount of historical information. Students’ written responses to a debriefing survey indicate that they greatly prefer the use of novels for reading instruction. This study suggests that the use of historical novels for reading instruction can increase students’ learning of content information.
High performance imaging using arrays of inexpensive cameras

Digital cameras are becoming increasingly cheap and ubiquitous, leading researchers to exploit multiple cameras and plentiful processing to create richer and more accurate representations of real settings. This thesis addresses issues of scale in large camera arrays. I present a scalable architecture that continuously streams color video from over 100 inexpensive cameras to disk using four PCs, creating a one gigasample-per-second photometer. It extends prior work in camera arrays by providing as much control over those samples as possible. For example, this system not only ensures that the cameras are frequency-locked, but also allows arbitrary, constant temporal phase shifts between cameras, allowing the application to control the temporal sampling. The flexible mounting system also supports many different configurations, from tightly packed to widely spaced cameras, so applications can specify camera placement. Even greater flexibility is provided by processing power at each camera, including an MPEG2 encoder for video compression, and FPGAs and embedded microcontrollers to perform low-level image processing for real-time applications. I present three novel applications for the camera array that highlight strengths of the architecture and the advantages and feasibility of working with many inexpensive cameras: synthetic aperture videography, high speed videography, and spatiotemporal view interpolation. Synthetic aperture videography uses numerous moderately spaced cameras to emulate a single large-aperture one. Such a camera can see through partially occluding objects like foliage or crowds. I show the first synthetic aperture images and videos of dynamic events, including live video accelerated by image warps performed at each camera. High-speed videography uses densely packed cameras with staggered trigger times to increase the effective frame rate of the system. I show how to compensate for artifacts induced by the electronic rolling shutter commonly used in inexpensive CMOS image sensors and present results streaming 1560 fps video using 52 cameras. Spatiotemporal view interpolation processes images from multiple video cameras to synthesize new views from times and positions not in the captured data. We simultaneously extend imaging performance along two axes by properly staggering the trigger times of many moderately spaced cameras, enabling a novel multiple-camera optical flow variant for spatiotemporal view interpolation.* *This dissertation is a compound document (contains both a paper copy and a CD as part of the dissertation). The CD requires the following system requirements: Windows MediaPlayer or RealPlayer.
Pharmacogenomics: Principles and Relevance to Oncology Nursing

Background Pharmacogenomics is the fastest growing field in precision medicine. Based on current use, oncology encompasses the largest share of the precision medicine market, necessitating that oncology nurses understand the principles of pharmacogenomics and how it affects clinical practice. . Objectives This article will define precision medicine and pharmacogenomics and will provide examples of pharmacogenomic tests, including those associated with tumor markers, and nursing implications. . Methods Educational and clinical resources are supplied for oncology nurses to expand their pharmacogenomics expertise. . Findings The knowledge surrounding precision medicine and pharmacogenomics will position oncology nurses to engage in current research, improve practice, and educate patients. As the focus of health care remains on reducing costs and improving morbidity and mortality, the reduction in adverse drug reactions will continue to be highlighted. Tailoring medications based on individual responses will not only help improve patient outcomes but also potentially affect the cost of health care as these genetic tests become a standard of care.
First GD-OES results on various deuterium ion fluences implanted in tungsten

Abstract Glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GD-OES) was used to investigate the deep depth profile of deuterium in tungsten exposed to deuterium ions at various fluences. Deuterium was found to continue to decrease in intensity at depths 10–20 µm, even at the lowest fluences, well beyond the probing depths of conventional deuterium measurement techniques. The detection sensitivity was sufficient to allow for definite separation in spectra for all fluences used in the present experiments. The integrated deuterium signal from GD-OES measurement was compared with total deuterium content for samples implanted with deuterium with fluences ranging from 1.0 × 1020 D/m2 to 1.0 × 1022 D/m2. The result showed a clear trend, where the intensity scales with implanted deuterium fluence to the 0.25 power. These results motivate further experiments and calibration of the system for future absolute retention measurements using GD-OES.
Sensitivity of Freight and Passenger Rail Fuel Efficiency to Infrastructure, Equipment, and Operating Factors

After labor expenses, the cost of fuel is the largest operating budget expense item for freight and passenger rail operations in the United States. Because fuel is such a costly component of operations, the railroad industry is constantly researching and testing new methods either to reduce the volume of fuel consumed or to switch to less-expensive fuels and sources of energy. An understanding of the factors that affect fuel consumption and their interactions is valuable for analyzing the feasibility of a given technology. Such knowledge allows for more intelligent extrapolation of simulation and laboratory results across a range of routes and in-service operating conditions. This research investigates the relative effects of infrastructure, equipment, and operating parameters on fuel efficiency for freight and passenger railroads on a mixed-use corridor. Partial factorial experiments investigate the effects of multiple factors on freight and passenger train fuel efficiency. Rail simulation software is us...
Abstract 3865: Interleukin-18 is a Potent Inducer of EMMPRIN Expression Both in vitro and in vivo, and Their Crosstalk Induces MMP9 Expression via PI3K-Akt-IKK-NF-{kappa}B Signaling

Introduction : We have shown that interleukin (IL)-18 plays a role in myocardial injury and remodeling via induction of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and other proinflammatory cytokines. Since the matricellular protein EMMPRIN (basigin/CD147) is a potent inducer of MMPs, we investigated if IL-18 and EMMPRIN expression is cross-regulated, and whether IL-18-induced MMP9 expression is EMMPRIN-dependent. Methods and results : IL-18 potently induced EMMPRIN expression and secretion in adult mouse cardiomyocytes (ACM; inhibited by IL-18 neutralizing antibodies and IL-18BP-Fc). IL-18 stimulated both Sp1 and NF- κ B activations in ACM. In neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes (NMCM), IL-18 stimulated EMMPRIN promoter activity was inhibited by mithramycin and over-expressed mutant Sp1, but not by dominant negative (dn) p65, dnI κ B- α , or kdIKK β . Mutation of the Sp1 binding sites blunted IL-18-stimulated EMMPRIN promoter activity. Transduction with adenoviral dominant negative constructs showed that IL-18 mediated Sp1 activation and EMMPRIN induction through a MyD88/IRAK/TRAF6/JNK2 pathway. In contrast, similar approaches showed that EMMPRIN induced IL-18 via PI3K, Akt, IKK, and NF- κ B. Importantly, both IL-18 and EMMPRIN induced MMP9 mRNA, protein, enzyme activity and promoter activity via NF- κ B activation. EMMPRIN knockdown partially inhibited IL-18-induced MMP9 expression. IL-18 and EMMPRIN had no affect on cardiomyocyte viability, but IL-18 (not EMMPRIN) induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy via PI3K-Akt-p70S6K signaling. Administration of IL-18, but not neutralized IL-18, daily for 7 days recapitulated IL-18 effects in vitro by inducing cardiomyocyte hypertrophy (increased cross-sectional area), enhanced EMMPRIN expression (localized to cardiomyocyte sarcolemma), and increased MMP9 expression and activity in LV extracts. Conclusions : Our studies define an IL-18-EMMPRIN-MMP9 pathway in myocardial remodeling. IL-18 and EMMPRIN regulate each other’s expression and induce MMP9 in an NF- κ B-dependent manner. Since IL-18 induces MMP9 expression in part via EMMPRIN, and IL-18 but not EMMPRIN induces cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, IL-18 is a potential therapeutic target in post-infarct myocardial injury, hypertrophy and remodeling.
Imbalance in Multiplex Networks

The study of balance and imbalance in signed networks has been a key topic for over 80 years. Starting with Heider's theory of structural balance and Harary's balance theorem, the measurement and understanding of structural balance in networks has grown exponentially. Most theoretical and empirical studies, however, focus on the conceptualization, measurement, and analysis of imbalance in single networks. We offer a methodology for measuring imbalance in multiplexes. We show that a multiplex composed of l layers can be imbalanced even if all of its component networks are balanced. We also demonstrate the differences between structural imbalance in individual layers of a multiplex and structural imbalance in the multiplex as a whole. These findings are then illustrated with data on international alliance and conflict in international relations and roll call votes in the U.S. Senate. We end our paper by discussing the theoretical and empirical implications of our analyses.
High abundance of an invasive species gives it an outsized ecological role

Many communities are shifting composition, with losses of native species and increases of non‐indigenous species (NIS). At its extreme, such alteration of ecological guilds can result in simplification with a single NIS performing an ecological role once carried out by a suite of natives. This alteration has occurred in many rivers of the south‐eastern U.S.A., where the invasive filter‐feeding freshwater clam Corbicula fluminea has proliferated following the nearly complete extirpation of native mussels. We investigated the factors controlling the distribution and abundance of Corbicula, as well as estimated the ecological service it provides via water filtration. With a nested design, we surveyed multiple transects within four to six sites within each of four rivers that spanned three large catchments in the Georgia piedmont, collecting data on Corbicula density and physical habitat characteristics associated with its presence. We found Corbicula present in over half of the 1,536 sampled 0.044 m² sampled plots, 90 of the 93 transects that spanned the width of the river, and all 1–2 km sample sites, underscoring the clam's ubiquity in the study region. At the river scale, Corbicula densities ranged from 50–212 Corbicula m⁻², although individual sites ranged from 7–483 Corbicula m⁻². Corbicula was more abundant in areas with higher proportions of gravel, and less abundant with higher proportions of bedrock. A hierarchical model with river, site, and these two substrate variables explained 32% of the variation in Corbicula density. Using observed densities and published per capita feeding rates, we calculated system‐wide collective filtration rates provided by Corbicula. In the four rivers surveyed and based on estimated residence times for median flows for the summer of 2012, Corbicula is estimated to filter water as many as seven times during median flows and 18 times during minimum flows before water flows out of a 10‐km reach. Due to high abundances and per biomass filtration rates, Corbicula plays an important role in these rivers. Invasive species, biotic homogenisation, and the loss of functional redundancy may mean that many more rivers are similar to our studied rivers, with a single, often invasive, species dominating ecosystem function. Understanding the influence of biotic homogenisation on ecosystem function is of foremost importance to evaluate the resilience of natural systems.
An average of generalized Dedekind sums

Abstract We study a generalization of the classical Dedekind sum that incorporates two Dirichlet characters and develop properties that generalize those of the classical Dedekind sum. By calculating the Fourier transform of this generalized Dedekind sum, we obtain an explicit formula for its second moment. Finally, we derive upper and lower bounds for the second moment with nearly identical orders of magnitude.
The Action-oriented Stakeholder Engagement for a Resilient Tomorrow (ASERT) framework: an effective, field-tested approach for engaging stakeholders

The Action-Oriented Stakeholder Engagement for a Resilient Tomorrow (ASERT) framework enables a participatory approach for adaptation actions related to social-ecological resilience to sea level rise. This framework was field-tested in the Hampton Roads region of coastal Southeastern Virginia in 2016. Results show that structured public involvement, through collaborative sessions that couple geospatial and visualization tools with dialogic processes, improves the quality of information co-produced with stakeholders. The four key principles of ASERT—(1) an inclusive process, (2) an emphasis on gaining local knowledge and context, (3) integrated engagement, and (4) an explicit focus on incorporation of change mechanisms—can provide both policymakers and stakeholders with a dialogic approach that can better inform planning efforts to use local resources to build social-ecological resilience.
North Dakota Senate Race: A Right Turn

While predominantly a red state, North Dakota had a long history of supporting Republicans for statewide offices and presidential elections and electing Democrats to the US House and Senate. Elected to the Senate by a slim margin in 2012, Heidi Heitkamp was defending a seat that had been held by Democrats since 1960. She was challenged by Kevin Cramer, a three-term representative for North Dakota’s lone congressional district. Cramer initially decided not to run for the seat only to be called by President Trump, who encouraged him to do it for the country. Cramer’s victory likely marks the return of one-party rule in North Dakota.
Forceps-assisted vaginal delivery: the landscape of obstetrics and gynecology resident training.

The objective of this study was to determine the current landscape of forceps-assisted vaginal delivery (FAVD) training in the USA (US) amongst obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) residents. We inve...
One Ce, Two Ce, Three Ce, Four? An Intermetallic Homologous Series to Explore: A n+1 B n X 3n+1

Low-dimensional solids are highly anisotropic by nature and show promise as new quantum materials, leading to exotic physical properties not realized in three-dimensional materials. To discover cor...
Evolution of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium during colonization and infection in immunocompromised pediatric patients

Patients with hematological malignancies or undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation are vulnerable to colonization and infection with multidrug-resistant organisms, including vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm). Over a 10-y period, we collected and sequenced the genomes of 110 VREfm isolates from gastrointestinal and blood cultures of 24 pediatric patients undergoing chemotherapy or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for hematological malignancy at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. We used patient-specific reference genomes to identify variants that arose over time in subsequent gastrointestinal and blood isolates from each patient and analyzed these variants for insight into how VREfm adapted during colonization and bloodstream infection within each patient. Variants were enriched in genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism, and phenotypic analysis identified associated differences in carbohydrate utilization among isolates. In particular, a Y585C mutation in the sorbitol operon transcriptional regulator gutR was associated with increased bacterial growth in the presence of sorbitol. We also found differences in biofilm-formation capability between isolates and observed that increased biofilm formation correlated with mutations in the putative E. faecium capsular polysaccharide (cps) biosynthetic locus, with different mutations arising independently in distinct genetic backgrounds. Isolates with cps mutations showed improved survival following exposure to lysozyme, suggesting a possible reason for the selection of capsule-lacking bacteria. Finally, we observed mutations conferring increased tolerance of linezolid and daptomycin in patients who were treated with these antibiotics. Overall, this study documents known and previously undescribed ways that VREfm evolve during intestinal colonization and subsequent bloodstream infection in immunocompromised pediatric patients.
The Female Basketball Player

The number of female athletes, including female basketball players, at all levels of competition has steadily grown over the past several decades. Basketball remains the third most popular high school level sport for females [1]. Since the creation of the WNBA in 1996, the number of collegiate women’s basketball teams has grown. While management of many injuries and medical conditions is similar for both male and female athletes, there are important anatomical and physiological differences between the sexes. These differences influence the risk of injury as well as athletic performance. Also unique to female athletes, pregnancy during training and competition may occur.
Bell sleeve meets elegance: Two-piece Lace garment

I was challenged to create a collection of my choice. I researched trends through various websites such as WGSN. Through my research, I found that see-through, ruffle/gathers, and cutouts were some of the trends of Spring 2020. In my line I wanted to create pieces that had a designer look to them but with moderate prices. One of the looks I created was this two-piece ensemble that incorporated my design goals and the trends of Spring 2020. This piece included the trends of see-through fabrics, gathers, and cut-outs. The entire piece has lace throughout it. The lace is see-through but not too see-through. This garment gives the wearer elegance while still showing skin. The two-piece shows sophistication and women’s vulnerability. The lace is placed in a specific spot so it’s equal on both sides of the front skirt. The silhouette is tight and shows off curves. The bell sleeves add volume and fun to the whole garment. The purpose was met in my design because it follows my design aesthetic and also the trends of Spring 2020.
U.S. Supreme Court Amicus Brief of Jonathan R. Nash in Support of Respondents, Ford Motor Co. v. Montana Eighth Judicial District Court, Nos. 19-368 & 19-369

The Supreme Court in Daimler AG v. Bauman, 571 U.S. 117 (2014), justified its decision to constrict general personal jurisdiction by reciting the desire to make the law surrounding constitutional personal jurisdiction governed more by “[s]imple jurisdictional rules.” Id. at 137 (quoting Hertz Corp. v. Friend, 559 U.S. 77, 94 (2010)). Yet the law governing general jurisdiction prior to Goodyear Dunlop Tire Operations, S.A. v. Brown, 564 U.S. 915 (2011), and Daimler was substantially rule-like. Further, by shrinking the scope of general jurisdiction, the Court’s holdings will have the effect of forcing more plaintiffs into the realm of specific jurisdiction, where standards generally dominate. Whatever benefit was gained by making general jurisdiction marginally more rule-like is lost to the reality that more plaintiffs will now have to navigate the standard-like dominion of specific jurisdiction. The cases at bar provide one such example. Prior to Goodyear and Daimler, it would have been largely undisputed—with rule-like precision—that the Montana and Minnesota state courts had general jurisdiction over Ford Motor Co. After Goodyear and Daimler, it is clear that these courts lacked general jurisdiction. This has left the plaintiffs to claim specific jurisdiction over Ford. The Court should embrace a more predictable approach to specific jurisdiction under which, if the defendant continuously sells the injury-causing product in the forum state (even if the particular item or widget at issue was not originally sold in the forum state) and the injury occurs in the forum state, then the defendant’s contacts with the forum state relate to the claim.. Such an approach offsets the existing pressure toward jurisdictional standards and is consistent with the Court’s goal of ensconcing rules along personal jurisdictional boundaries. The Court should accordingly affirm the judgments below on that basis.
Spermatogonial Dio3 as a potential germ line sensor for thyroid hormone-driven epigenetic inheritance †.

Thyroid hormone-clearing type 3 deiodinase is located in spermatogonia, where it may serve as a critical modulator of the thyroid hormone exposure of the male germ line and its epigenetic information, with implications for neurodevelopmental and endocrine disorders in subsequent generations.
Visual Legal Scholarship

When viewed across disciplines, the traditional scholarship is not limited to published articles or books, but can also be music concerts, solo performances, design competitions and acting performances. Each discipline has its own categories of scholarship deemed worthy of the academy for the field, and for consideration in tenure and promotion decisions. Is it time that legal scholarship be extended to the media of the new millennia, and look to other fields for setting visual scholarship standards?
High-resolution crystal structure of the Borreliella burgdorferi PlzA protein in complex with c-di-GMP: new insights into the interaction of c-di-GMP with the novel xPilZ domain.

In the tick-borne pathogens, Borreliella burgdorferi and Borrelia hermsii, c-di-GMP is produced by a single diguanylate cyclase (Rrp1). In these pathogens, the Plz proteins (PlzA, B and C) are the only c-di-GMP receptors identified to date and PlzA is the sole c-di-GMP receptor found in all Borreliella isolates. Bioinformatic analyses suggest that PlzA has a unique PilZN3-PilZ architecture with the relatively uncommon xPilZ domain. Here, we present the crystal structure of PlzA in complex with c-di-GMP (1.6 A resolution). This is the first structure of a xPilz domain in complex with c-di-GMP to be determined. PlzA has a two-domain structure, where each domain comprises topologically equivalent PilZ domains with minimal sequence identity but remarkable structural similarity. The c-di-GMP binding site is formed by the linker connecting the two domains. While the structure of apo PlzA could not be determined, previous fluorescence resonance energy transfer data suggest that apo and holo forms of the protein are structurally distinct. The information obtained from this study will facilitate ongoing efforts to identify the molecular mechanisms of PlzA-mediated regulation in ticks and mammals.
Influence of sample volume on nitrate N and O isotope ratio analyses with the denitrifier method

RATIONALE Analyses of the isotope ratios of nitrogen (15 N/14 N) and oxygen (18 O/16 O) in nitrate (NO3- ) with the denitrifier method require relatively high sample volumes at low concentrations (≤ 1 μM) to afford sufficient analyte for mass spectrometry, resulting in isotopic offsets compared to more concentrated samples of the same isotopic composition. METHODS To uncover the origins of isotopic offsets, we analyzed the N and O isotope ratios of the NO3- reference materials spanning concentrations of 0.5-20 μM. We substantiated the incidence of volume-dependent isotopic offsets, then investigated whether they resulted from (a) incomplete sample recovery during N2 O sparging, (b) blanks - bacterial, atmospheric, or in reference material solutions - and (c) oxygen atom exchange with water during the bacterial conversion of NO3- to N2 O. RESULTS Larger sample volumes resulted in modest offsets in d15 N, but substantial offsets in d18 O. N2 O recovery from sparging was less complete at higher volumes, resulting in decreases in d15 N and d18 O due to associated isotope fractionation. Blanks increased detectably with volume, whereas oxygen atom exchange with water remained constant within batch analyses, being neither sensitive to sample volume nor salinity. The sizeable offsets in d18 O with volume are only partially explained by the factors considered in our analysis. CONCLUSION Our observations argue for bracketing of NO3- samples with reference materials that emulate sample volumes (concentrations) to achieve improved measurement accuracy and foster inter-comparability.
Calculator Use on the GRE® revised General Test Quantitative Reasoning Measure

Previous research on calculator use in standardized assessments of quantitative ability focused on the effect of calculator availability on item difficulty and on whether test developers can predict these effects. With the introduction of an on-screen calculator on the Quantitative Reasoning measure of the GRE® revised General Test, it is possible to explore calculator use in more detail. This study investigates calculator usage for the GRE examinee population across examinee and item characteristics. Results suggest that calculator usage in the GRE is very common (75% of responses used a calculator) but is less prevalent for low and high ability examinees and for male, Black, and Hispanic examinees. Items associated with lower levels of calculator usage tended to be more difficult, required less time to answer, and did not present a real-world application. Quantitative comparison items were also associated with less calculator usage, but other item type and content distinctions showed small differences in usage. Most items exhibited a positive relation between calculator usage and response accuracy (after controlling for examinee ability), that is, responses that used the calculator were more likely to be correct. Items that did not show an association between calculator use and accuracy tended to be easier and had less overall usage of the calculator.
A History of Change in the Third Mission of Higher Education: The Evolution of One-Way Service to Interactive Engagement.

This investigation traces the history of change in public higher education as it relates to its third mission, from the traditional service to the contemporary engagement. The article begins with the emergence of U.S. higher education institutions in the 1600s and documents the changes era by era to the present. In each era, higher education's third mission contributed what society needed and positioned the institution to receive the democracy's support and its financial resources. This investigation and a subsequent study creating a framework for third mission activities are steps toward wider understanding and appreciation of this important segment of higher education.
Crawling the Web

The large size and the dynamic nature of the Web make it necessary to continually maintain Web based information retrieval systems. Crawlers facilitate this process by following hyperlinks in Web pages to automatically download new and updated Web pages. While some systems rely on crawlers that exhaustively crawl the Web, others incorporate “focus” within their crawlers to harvest application- or topic-specific collections. In this chapter we discuss the basic issues related to developing an infrastructure for crawlers. This is followed by a review of several topical crawling algorithms, and evaluation metrics that may be used to judge their performance. Given that many innovative applications of Web crawling are still being invented, we briefly discuss some that have already been developed.
Supersymmetric dark matter and lepton flavor violation

We study lepton flavor-violating (LFV) processes within a supersymmetric type-I seesaw framework with flavor-blind universal boundary conditions, properly accounting for the effect of the neutrino sector on the dark matter relic abundance. We consider several possibilities for the neutrino Yukawa coupling matrix and show that in regions of SUSY parameter space that yield the correct neutralino relic density, LFV rates can differ from naive estimates by up to 2 orders of magnitude. Contrary to common belief, we find that current LFV limits do not exclude neutrino Yukawa couplings larger than top Yukawa couplings. We introduce the ISAJET-M program that was used for the computations.
Rule 11 Report: The Undefined Professional Responsibility of Clients: The Furthest Reach of Rule 11

This term, the Supreme Court decided its third case involving Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which governs sanctions for filing inadequately investigated motions, pleadings, and other papers in federal court. In Business Guides, Inc. v. Chromatic Communications Enterprises, Inc., the Court extended the reach of Rule 11 sanctions to clients who sign legal papers. The author discusses the significance of this decision, focusing on the potential impact on attorney-client relations.As almost every litigating attorney knows, the subject of Rule 11 sanctions now haunts bar meetings, continuing legal education programs, local legal watering holes, and courthouse hallways. There is ample reason for this pervasive anxiety: the quality and quantity of lawyers who have been vexed by the rule is impressive. And, like big fish stories, big sanction stories make big headlines, as well as enduring legal lore. Since the amendment of Rule 11 in 1983, federal practitioners have been struggling to conduct their professional livelihoods without running afoul of the provision. And yet thousands of attorneys have been caught up in the Rule 11 maelstrom, attested by the volume of reported and unreported sanctions issuing from federal district judges.Needless to say, the Court's holding in Business Guides opens new vistas concerning the professional responsibility of lawyers in advising their clients at the threshold of the attorney-client relationship. Must lawyers advise clients that clients are independently sanctionable for signing pleadings, and that any errors on the part of the client, even errors made in good faith, may result in the lawyer giving Rule 11 testimony against the client? In addition, Business Guides seems destined to raise issues implicating attorney-client privilege, and waiver of that privilege. Does the possibility of Rule 11 sanctions constitute a waiver of privilege that is analogous to instances of such waiver in the context of malpractice defense, fee disputes, and bar proceedings?Finally, the Business Guides decision suggests, by the 5-4 split on the Court, that the Rules Enabling Act challenge to the basic validity of the Rule is by no means a dead letter. If anything, the marshalling of four dissenting justices to agree that the majority's approach stretches the authority of judicial rulemaking to its outermost limits suggests that future litigants will continue to press this argument. In the alternative, the dissenting opinion on the Rules Enabling Act argument may send a signal to the Advisory Committee to think long and hard about recasting certain provisions of the 1983 amended Rule.
Comparing gender expression, gender nonconformity, and parents' responses of female-to-male and male-to-female transgender youth: Implications for counseling

Abstract Twenty-four female-to-male (FTM) and 31 male-to-female (MTF) transgender youth reported on their gender development and expression, and parental responses to their gender nonconformity. Both groups of youth felt different from others of their same birth sex at a mean age of seven and one-half years. The age when parents suggested they were different was younger for the MTF than the FTM youth. The MTF youth were called “sissy” at an earlier age than the FTM were called “tomboy.” Parents of FTM youth encouraged them to act in more traditional gender typical ways at a younger age than the MTF. The MTF youth considered themselves transgender two years earlier than the FTM youth. More parents of MTF youth felt that their children needed counseling than the parents of the FTM youth. While the majority of both groups reported past verbal victimization, comparatively more MTF youth reported being physically victimized. Implications of the developmental trajectories and experiences of transgender youth fo...
Evaluation of the Balanced Menus Challenge: a healthy food and sustainability programme in hospitals in Maryland.

Objective The Balanced Menus Challenge (BMC) is a national effort to bring the healthiest, most sustainably produced meat available into health-care settings to preserve antibiotic effectiveness and promote good nutrition. The present study evaluated the outcomes of the BMC in the Maryland/Washington, DC region. Design The BMC is a cost-effective programme whereby participating hospitals reduce meat purchases by 20 % of their budget, then invest the savings into purchasing sustainably produced meat. A mixed-methods retrospective assessment was conducted to assess (i) utilization of the BMC 'implementation toolkit' and (ii) achievement of the 20 % reduction in meat purchases. Previous survey data were reviewed and semi-structured interviews were conducted. Setting Hospitals located in the Maryland/Washington, DC region, USA, that adopted the BMC. Subjects Twelve hospitals signed the BMC in the Maryland/Washington, DC region and six were available for interview. Results Three hospitals in the Maryland/Washington, DC region that signed the BMC tracked their progress and two achieved a reduction in meat procurement by ≥20 %. One hospital demonstrated that the final outcome goal of switching to a local and sustainable source for meat is possible to achieve, at least for a portion of the meal budget. The three hospitals that reduced meat purchases also received and used the highest number of BMC implementation tools. There was a positive correlation between receipt and usage of implementation tools (r=0·93, P=0·005). Conclusions The study demonstrates that hospitals in the Maryland/Washington, DC region that sign the BMC can increase the amount of sustainably produced meat purchased and served.
GM2 ganglioside and pyramidal neuron dendritogenesis

GM2 ganglioside, although scarce in normal adult brain, is the predominant ganglioside accumulating in several types of lysosomal disorders, most notably Tay-Sachs disease. Pyramidal neurons of cerebral cortex in Tay-Sachs, as well as many other types of neuronal storage disorders, are known to exhibit a phenomenon believed unique to storage disorders: growth of ectopic dendrites. Recent studies have shown that a common metabolic abnormality shared by storage diseases with ectopic dendrite growth is the abnormal accumulation of GM2 ganglioside. The correlation between increased levels of GM2 and the presence of ectopic dendrites has been found in both ganglioside and nonganglioside storage disorders, the latter including sphingomyelin-cholesterol lipidosis, mucopolysaccharidosis, and α-mannosidosis. Quantitative HPTLC analysis has shown that increases in GM2 occur in proportion to the incidence of ectopic dendrite growth, whereas, other gangliosides, including GM1, lack similar increases. Immunocytochemical studies of all nonganglioside storage diseases which exhibit ectopic dendritogenesis have revealed heightened GM2 ganglioside-immunoreactivity in the cortical pyramidal cell population, whereas neurons in normal adult brain exhibit little or no staining for this ganglioside. Further, studies examining disease development have consistently shown that accumulation of GM2 gangliosideprecedes growth of ectopic dendrites, indicating that it is not simply occurring secondary to new membrane production. These findings have prompted an examination for a similar relationship between GM2 ganglioside and dendritogenesis in cortical neurons of normal developing brain. Results show that GM2 ganglioside-immunoreactivity is consistently elevated in immature neurons during the period when they are undergoing active dendritic initiation, but this staining diminishes dramatically as the dendritic tress of these cells mature. Collectively, these studies on diseased and normal brain offer compelling evidence that GM2 ganglioside plays a pivotal role in the regulation of dendritogenesis in cortical pyramidal neurons.
Design and methods of a double blind randomized placebo-controlled trial of extended-release naltrexone for HIV-infected, opioid dependent prisoners and jail detainees who are transitioning to the community.

Background People with opioid dependence and HIV are concentrated within criminal justice settings (CJS). Upon release, however, drug relapse is common and contributes to poor HIV treatment outcomes, increased HIV transmission risk, reincarceration and mortality. Extended-release naltrexone (XR-NTX) is an evidence-based treatment for opioid dependence, yet is not routinely available for CJS populations.
Fluctuation effects in the conductivity of lead films

Abstract Resistive transitions near T c of lead films about 500 A thick have been studied as a function of temperature and of magnetic field applied perpendicular to the plane of the specimen. By extrapolating to large field, the normal-state resistance, R n , was determined at each temperature, permitting an absolute measurement of the extra conductance due to fluctuations. Both above and below T c , the results in a field are in excellent agreement with the functional form proposed by Abrahams et al . Below T c , the factor normalizing the extra conductance is found to be 1.5( e 2 16 h ) (T c −T) T c . In zero field, above T c , the reciprocal of the extra conductance is linear in temperature between R R n = 0.48 and 0.94, with slope [ 1.3(e 2 16 h )] -1 . Above 1.1 T c , the extra conductance varies approximately exponentially with temperature, in agreement with recent observations on aluminum. It is suggested that the excessive conductivity far from T c may be related to that observed close to T c .
Overproduction of recombinant proteins in plants

Recombinant protein production in microbial hosts and animal cell cultures has revolutionized the pharmaceutical and industrial enzyme industries. Plants as alternative hosts for the production of recombinant proteins are being actively pursued, taking advantage of their unique characteristics. The key to cost-efficient production in any system is the level of protein accumulation, which is inversely proportional to the cost. Levels of up to 5 g/kg biomass have been obtained in plants, making this production system competitive with microbial hosts. Increasing protein accumulation at the cellular level by varying host, germplasm, location of protein accumulation, and transformation procedure is reviewed. At the molecular level increased expression by improving transcription, translation and accumulation of the protein is critically evaluated. The greatest increases in protein accumulation will occur when various optimized parameters are more fully integrated with each other. Because of the complex nature of plants, this will take more time and effort to accomplish than has been the case for the simpler unicellular systems. However the potential for plants to become one of the major avenues for protein production appears very promising.
Free energy perturbation calculations with combined QM/MM potentials complications, simplifications, and applications to redox potential calculations

The present work deals with a formal discussion on complications associated with using combined quantum mechanical and molecular mechanical (QM/MM) potentials in free energy perturbation simulations. Because quantum mechanical potentials are not trivially separable and because of the difficulty associated with QM calculations for “fractional” electronic Hamiltonians, conventional computational strategies cannot be straightforwardly applied to free energy simulations with QM/MM potentials. Here, we propose a unique coupling scheme, termed the “dual-topology-single-coordinate” scheme, in which the two chemical states are forced to adopt the same set of Cartesian coordinates during the perturbation simulation; the method is exact because the free energy difference is independent of the coupling path, although a formal proof is also given. The scheme combines the merits of the conventional dual- and single-topology approaches: both coupling potential and free energy derivative are straightforward to compute ...
ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CULTURAL LITERACY AND SCHOLASTIC ACHIEVEMENT AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN SECONDARY EDUCATION

The relationship between cultural literacy and scholastic achievement among 81 university students in secondary education was investigated. Cultural literacy was assessed by the American Cultural Literacy Test, an objective test of 100 multiple-choice items based on the terms in Hirsch's book on cultural literacy. Scholastic achievement was assessed by final examination score and the number of points received from the midterm and final examinations and the term paper used in an introductory course in educational psychology. The literacy test was reliable with a Kuder-Richardson 20 value of .94 and its scores correlated .55 with course point totals and .53 with final examination scores. In addition, the literacy test scores correlated .33 with the subjects' ages.
The observation of diffusion as an effective vibrational relaxation rate in CO 2

A differential absorption signal of 10.6-μ radiation by a CO 2 cell in the alternating presence and absence of a partially saturating beam on a different transition is observed as a function of increasing pressure of helium. The linear increase with pressure at low pressures is explained as a result of diffusion acting as a strong effective vibration relaxation rate. The behavior as a function over the entire observed pressure range is well described by combining simple collision and diffusion effects.