cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Actinyl-cation interactions: experimental and theoretical assessment of [Np(vi)O2Cl4]2- and [U(vi)O2Cl4]2- systems.

The interaction of the actinyl (AnO22+) oxo group with low-valent cations influences the chemical and physical properties of hexavalent actinides, but the impact of these intermolecular interactions on the actinyl bond and their occurrence in solution and solid state phases remain unclear. In this study, we explore the coordination of alkali cations (Li+, Na+, K+) with the [NpO2Cl4]2− coordination complexes using single-crystal X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations and compare to the related uranyl system. Three solid-state coordination compounds ([Li(12-crown-4)]2[NpO2Cl4] (LiNp), [Na(18-crown-6)H2O]2[NpO2Cl4] (NaNp), and [K(18-crown-6)]2[NpO2Cl4] (KNp) have been synthesized and characterized using single-crystal X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. Only Li+ cations interact with the neptunyl oxo in the solid-state compounds and this results in a red-shift of the NpO22+ symmetric stretch (ν1). Raman spectra of Np(VI) solutions containing lower Li+ concentrations display a single peak at ∼854 cm−1 and increasing the amount of Li+ results in the ingrowth of a second band at 807 cm−1. DFT calculations and vibrational analysis indicate the lower frequency vibrational band is the result of interactions between the Li+ cation and the neptunyl oxo. Comparison to the related uranyl system shows similar interactions occur in the solid state, but subtle differences in the actinyl-cation modes in solution phase.
V2a Neurons Constrain Extradiaphragmatic Respiratory Muscle Activity at Rest

Breathing requires precise control of respiratory muscles to ensure adequate ventilation. Neurons within discrete regions of the brainstem produce oscillatory activity to control the frequency of breathing. Less is understood about how spinal and pontomedullary networks modulate the activity of respiratory motor neurons to produce different patterns of activity during different behaviors (i.e., during exercise, coughing, swallowing, vocalizing, or at rest) or following disease or injury. Here, we use a chemogenetic approach to inhibit the activity of glutamatergic V2a neurons in the brainstem and spinal cord of neonatal and adult mice to assess their potential roles in respiratory rhythm generation and patterning respiratory muscle activity. Using whole-body plethysmography (WBP), we show that V2a neuron function is required in neonatal mice to maintain the frequency and regularity of respiratory rhythm. However, silencing V2a neurons in adult mice increases respiratory frequency and ventilation, without affecting regularity. Thus, the excitatory drive provided by V2a neurons is less critical for respiratory rhythm generation in adult compared to neonatal mice. In addition, we used simultaneous EMG recordings of the diaphragm and extradiaphragmatic respiratory muscles in conscious adult mice to examine the role of V2a neurons in patterning respiratory muscle activity. We find that silencing V2a neurons activates extradiaphragmatic respiratory muscles at rest, when they are normally inactive, with little impact on diaphragm activity. Thus, our results indicate that V2a neurons participate in a circuit that serves to constrain the activity of extradiaphragmatic respiratory muscles so that they are active only when needed.
RapidCDC: Leveraging Duplicate Locality to Accelerate Chunking in CDC-based Deduplication Systems

I/O deduplication is a key technique for improving storage systems' space and I/O efficiency. Among various deduplication techniques content-defined chunking (CDC) based deduplication is the most desired one for its high deduplication ratio. However, CDC is compute-intensive and time-consuming, and has been recognized as a major performance bottleneck of the CDC-based deduplication system. In this paper we leverage the existence of a property in the duplicate data, named duplicate locality, that reveals the fact that multiple duplicate chunks are likely to occur together. In other words, one duplicate chunk is likely to be immediately followed by a sequence of contiguous duplicate chunks. The longer the sequence, the stronger the locality is. After a quantitative analysis of duplicate locality in real-world data, we propose a suite of chunking techniques that exploit the locality to remove almost all chunking cost for deduplicatable chunks in CDC-based deduplication systems. The resulting deduplication method, named RapidCDC, has two salient features. One is that its efficiency is positively correlated to the deduplication ratio. RapidCDC can be as fast as a fixed-size chunking method when applied on data sets with high data redundancy. The other feature is that its high efficiency does not rely on high duplicate locality strength. These attractive features make RapidCDC's effectiveness almost guaranteed for datasets with high deduplication ratio. Our experimental results with synthetic and real-world datasets show that RapidCDC's chunking speedup can be up to 33x higher than regular CDC. Meanwhile, it maintains (nearly) the same deduplication ratio.
Behandeling van cliënten met meervoudig zelfbeschadigend gedrag

Als mensen interventies in het kader van Stap 4 nodig hebben (zie fig. II.1 in de inleiding van deel II), hebben zij complexe, ernstige problemen. In de eerste editie van dit boek (Walsh 2006) noemde ik het gedrag dat deze individuen vertonen ‘polydestructief’. Daarmee bedoel ik dat er bij hen sprake is van een combinatie van meerdere directe en indirecte zelfbeschadigende gedragspatronen (zie H. 3). Mensen kunnen bijvoorbeeld blijk geven van directe vormen van zelfbeschadiging, zoals terugkerende suicidepogingen, atypische/ernstige zelfverwonding (bijv. zelfverwonding waarna meerdere hechtingen nodig zijn, openhalen van gehechte wonden, genitale zelfverwonding, ingestie van vreemde voorwerpen) en typische, laag-letale zelfverwonding. Wat indirecte zelfbeschadiging betreft kan er sprake zijn van gebruik van verslavende middelen, eetstoornissen, uiteenlopend risicogedrag en zich niet houden aan voorgeschreven psychofarmaca. Deze individuen zijn letterlijk ‘wandelende verzamelingen van zelfbeschadigende gedragspatronen’ en zijn uitermate moeilijk te behandelen. Zij hebben doorgaans interventies nodig op het niveau van Stap 4. Deze worden in dit hoofdstuk en het volgende hoofdstuk besproken.
Comparison of Current Suppression Methods to enhance Short Circuit Capability of 1.2 kV SiC Power MOSFETs: A New Approach using a Series-Connected, Gate-Source-Shorted Si Depletion-Mode MOSFET vs Use of a Series Resistance

Silicon Carbide power MOSFETs are being adopted to replace Si IGBTs in power conversion applications. However, when compared to Si IGBTs, commercial SiC power MOSFETs have inferior short-circuit (SC) capability, which is an impediment to motor drive applications. SC ruggedness for SiC power MOSFETs can be improved by using a series resistance to reduce SC currents, but this adversely affects on-state and switching performance. This paper presents a new method, using a series-connected, gate-source-shorted (GSS) Si depletion-mode (DM) MOSFET, to enhance the SC capability of SiC power MOSFETs. The impact of the new method on normal circuit operation is compared to that using a series resistance for the first time in this paper. The SC capability of a 1.2 kV SiC power MOSFET is shown to improve from 4.8μs to 7.9μs using the new concept with only 17% increase in on-resistance and 11% increase in switching loss, whereas using a series resistance produces a similar SC performance improvement with 62% increase in on-resistance and 42% increase in switching loss. The new method also provides a voltage sensing node at the drain of the GSS Si DM MOSFET, which can be used to monitor the on-state current level and to detect SC events.
CORTICOSTEROID TAPERING AND DISCONTINUATION IN A PHASE 2 STUDY OF RILONACEPT IN RECURRENT PERICARDITIS

Corticostroids (CSs) are often used long-term in patients (pts) with recurrent pericarditis (RP) who do not respond to first-line treatment with NSAIDs and colchicine. CSs are associated with substantial comorbidities. We report the CS-sparing effect of rilonacept (inhibitor of IL-1α/IL-1β, major
Fabrication and Self-sensing Control of Soft Electrothermal Actuator

Abstract Soft electrothermal actuators have attracted wide attention due to their high flexibility, adaptability and light weight. These characteristics give them great potentials to be used in biomimetic and soft robotics applications. In this paper, an electrothermal actuator with directly printed microfilament heater was designed, fabricated and characterized. The soft actuator used polyimide (PI) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as the structural materials due to their large mismatch of thermal expansion. A microfilament heater was electrohydrodynamic (EHD) printed using a low melting point alloy Bi58/Sn42, and embedded in-between the PI and PDMS layers. The fabricated actuator achieved a maximum curvature of 1.0 cm−1 under a supply voltage as low as 3 V. Resistive self-sensing technology was used to sense the deflection of the actuator and to develop the closed-loop control of the actuator. The bending curvature of the actuator is resulted from the temperature change of the actuator, which can be detected by the electrical resistance change of the embedded heater as they are linearly related. A PID controller was designed for the closed-loop operation of the actuator. Compared with the open-loop operation, the closed-loop controlled actuator demonstrated more rapid and precise response. The developed electrothermal actuator was successfully demonstrated for applications as a soft lifter and soft gripper.
Disassembly Sequence Planning Considering Human-Robot Collaboration

Disassembly currently is a labor-intensive process with limited automation. The main reason lies in the fact that disassembly usually has to address model variations from different brands, physical uncertainties resulting from component defects or damage during usage, and incomplete product information. To overcome these challenges and to automate the disassembly process through human-robot collaboration, this paper develops a disassembly sequence planner which distributes the disassembly task between human and robot in a human-robot collaborative setting. This sequence planner targets to address potential issues including distinctive products, variant orientations, and safety constraints of human operators. The proposed disassembly sequence planner identifies the locations and orientations of the to-be-disassembled items, determines the starting point, and generates the optimal dis-assembly sequence while complying with the disassembly rules and considering the safe constraints for human operators. This algorithm is validated by numerical and experimental tests: the robot can successfully locate and disassemble the pieces following the obtained optimal sequence, and complete the task via collaboration with the human operator without violating the constraints.
Hölder Continuity of Solutions to the Kinematic Dynamo Equations

We study the propagation of regularity of solutions to a three dimensional system of linear parabolic PDE known as the kinematic dynamo equations. The divergence free drift velocity is assumed to be at the critical regularity level with respect to the natural scaling of the equations.
SARS-CoV-2 transmission in intercollegiate athletics not fully mitigated with daily antigen testing

BackgroundHigh frequency, rapid turnaround SARS-CoV-2 testing continues to be proposed as a way of efficiently identifying and mitigating transmission in congregate settings. However, two SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks occurred among intercollegiate university athletic programs during the fall 2020 semester despite mandatory directly observed daily antigen testing. MethodsDuring the fall 2020 semester, athletes and staff in both programs were tested daily using Quidels Sofia SARS Antigen Fluorescent Immunoassay (FIA), with positive antigen results requiring confirmatory testing with real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We used genomic sequencing to investigate transmission dynamics in these two outbreaks. ResultsIn Outbreak 1, 32 confirmed cases occurred within a university athletics program after the index patient attended a meeting while infectious despite a negative antigen test on the day of the meeting. Among isolates sequenced from Outbreak 1, 24 (92%) of 26 were closely related, suggesting sustained transmission following an initial introduction event. In Outbreak 2, 12 confirmed cases occurred among athletes from two university programs that faced each other in an athletic competition despite receiving negative antigen test results on the day of the competition. Sequences from both teams were closely related and unique from strains circulating in the community, suggesting transmission during intercollegiate competition. ConclusionsThese findings suggest that antigen testing alone, even when mandated and directly observed, may not be sufficient as an intervention to prevent SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks in congregate settings, and highlights the importance of supplementing serial antigen testing with appropriate mitigation strategies to prevent SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in congregate settings. SummaryHigh frequency, rapid turnaround SARS-CoV-2 testing continues to be proposed as a way of efficiently identifying and mitigating transmission in congregate settings. However, here we describe two SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks occurred among intercollegiate university athletic programs during the fall 2020 semester.
Moral disengagement, locus of control, and belief in a just world: Individual differences relate to adherence to COVID-19 guidelines

We examined relationships between moral disengagement, locus of control, and just world beliefs and adherence to COVID-19 containment measures. We predicted that these individual differences would be more influential for adherence than beliefs about the pandemic (e.g., its origins and one's perceived susceptibility to infection). COVID-19-related measures of these three individual differences were each significantly associated with adherence even after controlling for demographics and pandemic beliefs although beliefs about the severity of the virus and the benefits of containment measures also significantly related to adherence. Beliefs were associated with the individual difference measures and political orientation. Moral disengagement, the strongest individual difference predictor, was associated with lower support for each pandemic containment precaution (e.g., mask wearing). These results can be used to frame messages to increase adherence to public health measures.
Inducible transcriptional condensates drive 3D genome reorganization in the heat shock response

Mammalian developmental and disease-associated genes concentrate large quantities of the transcriptional machinery by forming membrane-less compartments known as transcriptional condensates. However, it is unknown whether these structures are evolutionarily conserved, capable of stress-inducible gene activation or involved in 3D genome reorganization. Here, we identify inducible transcriptional condensates in the yeast heat shock response (HSR). HSR condensates are biophysically dynamic spatiotemporal clusters of the sequence-specific transcription factor Heat shock factor 1 (Hsf1) with Mediator and RNA Pol II. Uniquely, HSR condensates drive the coalescence of multiple Hsf1 target genes, even those located on different chromosomes. Binding of the chaperone Hsp70 to a site on Hsf1 represses clustering, while an intrinsically disordered region on Hsf1 promotes condensate formation and intergenic interactions. Mutation of both Hsf1 determinants reprograms HSR condensates to become mammalian-like: constitutively active without intergenic coalescence. These results suggest that transcriptional condensates are ancient and flexible compartments of eukaryotic gene control.
The Eschatology of 1 Peter: Considering the Influence of Zechariah 9-14

1. Introduction 2. The eschatological programme of Zechariah 9-14 and its reception 3. 1 Peter 2.25 and Zechariah's shepherd-king 4. 1 Peter's fiery trials and the eschatological programme of Zechariah 9-14 5. Echoes of Zechariah 9-14 in 1 Peter 6. Zechariah 9-14 as the substructure of 1 Peter's eschatological programme 7. Conclusion.
Strategies for Effective On-Farm Hazard Surveillance Visits

ABSTRACT Hazard audits on over 600 farms in New York have been conducted as part of the Farm Family Health and Hazard Surveillance Project funded through NIOSH. Several lessons have been learned from the experience. Since farmers may view the visit by a member of the surveillance team as intrusive, the initial telephone contact must assure the volunteer participant that confidentiality will be maintained and only a minimal time commitment on their part is required. Our experiences have shown that following an established protocol will ensure successful gathering of valid research data and also provide for educational opportunities with the farmers.
Identification of Two Distinct Lactate Dehydrogenases in Rhodospirillum rubrum

The activities of pyridine nucleotide-independent d- and l-lactate dehydrogenases were detected in membranes from Rhodospirillum rubrum grown under aerobic and phototrophic conditions. Crossed immunoelectrophoretic analysis revealed two antigenically distinct enzymes that were further distinguished by specificity for d- and l-stereoisomers of lactate and by the sensitivity of the d-lactate dehydrogenase to inhibition by oxamate and oxalate. Images
Qualitative Modeling and Heterogeneous Control of Global System Behavior

Multiple model approaches to the control of complex dynamical systems are attractive because the local models can be simple and intuitive, and global behavior can be analyzed in terms of transitions among local operating regions. In this paper, we argue that the use of qualitative models further improves the strengths of the multiple model approach by allowing each local model to describe a large class of useful non-linear dynamical systems. In addition, reasoning with qualitative models naturally identifies weak sufficient conditions adequate to prove qualitative properties such as stability. We demonstrate our approach by building a global controller for the free pendulum. We specify and validate local controllers by matching their structures to simple generic qualitative models. This process identifies qualitative constraints on the controller designs, sufficient to guarantee the desired local properties and to determine the possible transitions between local regions. This, in turn, allows the continuous phase portrait to be abstracted to a simple transition graph. The degrees of freedom in the design that are unconstrained by the qualitative description remain available for optimization by the designer for any other purpose.
Salt Screening and Selection

Salt screening and selection is a critical factor for the developability of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). The main benefit to screening, identifying, and selecting the optimal salt form early in the lifecycle is to improve the bioavailability of the compound while addressing its associated physicochemical, stability, and mechanical properties. The role of the scientist in the screening process involves the selection of the counterions and solvents and to bring valuable experience during the crystallization process. There are numerous manual and automated assisted strategies across the pharmaceutical industry for salt screening; however, determining crystalline salts that have a low potential for polymorphism is the common goal. The selection of the optimal salt not only improves the manufacturing and marketability of the drug product but also positions and protects the intellectual property of the product through composition of matter patents. Keywords: salt screening; salt selection
University-Community Partnership Centers

Abstract In academic settings, community research, and the service that goes along with it, is often not valued as much as other methods of research. The more qualitative and labor intensive nature of applied research often raises concerns about whether pre-tenured faculty can publish the sufficient quantity and quality of work necessary to achieve tenure. This paper describes successful collaborations through a university-based Community Partnership Center with members of community-based organizations in low-income inner-city neighborhoods, social work students, and faculty. Two case examples illustrate the co-authors' involvement with the Center as pre-tenured faculty. The article outlines the challenges and benefits of involvement with an established center for university-community partnerships. With careful planning and coordination, such centers can be excellent vehicles through which to achieve important mutual benefits for community-based organizations, student learning, and faculty responsibilitie...
A Serum Response Factor-Dependent Transcriptional Regulatory Program Identifies Distinct Smooth Muscle Cell Sublineages

The SM22alpha promoter has been used as a model system to define the molecular mechanisms that regulate smooth muscle cell (SMC) specific gene expression during mammalian development. The SM22alpha gene is expressed exclusively in vascular and visceral SMCs during postnatal development and is transiently expressed in the heart and somites during embryogenesis. Analysis of the SM22alpha promoter in transgenic mice revealed that 280 bp of 5' flanking sequence is sufficient to restrict expression of the lacZ reporter gene to arterial SMCs and the myotomal component of the somites. DNase I footprint and electrophoretic mobility shift analyses revealed that the SM22alpha promoter contains six nuclear protein binding sites (designated smooth muscle elements [SMEs] -1 to -6, respectively), two of which bind serum response factor (SRF) (SME-1 and SME-4). Mutational analyses demonstrated that a two-nucleotide substitution that selectively eliminates SRF binding to SME-4 decreases SM22alpha promoter activity in arterial SMCs by approximately 90%. Moreover, mutations that abolish binding of SRF to SME-1 and SME-4 or mutations that eliminate each SME-3 binding activity totally abolished SM22alpha promoter activity in the arterial SMCs and somites of transgenic mice. Finally, we have shown that a multimerized copy of SME-4 (bp -190 to -110) when linked to the minimal SM22alpha promoter (bp -90 to +41) is necessary and sufficient to direct high-level transcription in an SMC lineage-restricted fashion. Taken together, these data demonstrate that distinct transcriptional regulatory programs control SM22alpha gene expression in arterial versus visceral SMCs. Moreover, these data are consistent with a model in which combinatorial interactions between SRF and other transcription factors that bind to SME-4 (and that bind directly to SRF) activate transcription of the SM22alpha gene in arterial SMCs.
Reducing patient eligibility criteria in cancer clinical trials.

PURPOSETo discuss patient eligibility criteria in phase III cancer clinical trials in the larger setting of the complexity of these trials, to review the various reasons for imposing restrictive eligibility requirements, to discuss the problems caused by these requirements, to argue that these requirements should be greatly relaxed in most cancer clinical trials, to provide some guiding principles and practical suggestions to facilitate such a relaxation, and to give an example of how eligibility requirements were reduced in a recent clinical trial in acute lymphocytic leukemia.METHODSImplicit and explicit reasons for including eligibility criteria in clinical trials are reviewed. Safety concerns and sample size issues receive special attention. The types of problems restrictive eligibility criteria cause with respect to scientific interpretation, medical applicability, complexity, costs, and patient accrual are described.RESULTSA list of three items that each eligibility criterion should meet in order to...
INHIBITION OF VASOPRESSIN RELEASE IN RATS BY CHLORPROMAZINE AND RESERPINE.

The effect of chlorpromazine and reserpine on pituitary vasopressin release was determined in rats which were deprived of water and in rats which were injected with hypertonic saline. Chlorpromazine and reserpine inhibited pituitary vasopressin depletion under both types of dehydration procedures and did not alter the reaccumulation rate of pituitary vasopressin. Syrosingopine andSU 9064, analogues of reserpine which do not stimulate the adrenal cortices, did not inhibit vasopressin depletion. The administration of chlorpromazine to adrenalectomized dehydrated rats likewise did not inhibit vasopressin depletion. The possible mechanism for the neuropharmacological blockage of vasopressin release, including the role of the adrenal cortices, is discussed. (Endocrinology 74: 889, 1964)
The Cyber Scenario Modeling and Reporting Tool (CyberSMART)

This paper introduces the CyberSMART software tool for use in cyber incident preparedness exercises. CyberSMART provides the cyber exercise community with a web-based tool for gathering data from numerous sources and for effectively using that data to plan complex functional and tabletop exercises. This work was supported by the United States Department of Homeland Security, Science and Technology Directorate under contract number NBCHC060088, in partnership with the National Cyber Security Division.
A Doppler echocardiographic examination of the normal aortic valve and left ventricular outflow tract.

We studied the left ventricular (LV) outflow tract and aortic valve to establish normal values for the measurements employed in the continuity equation and to relate aortic valve area to LV outflow tract dimensions, body surface area and stroke volume
Induction of abortion in feedlot heifers with cloprostenol (ICI 80,996)

Abstract Abortion was induced in two groups of feedlot heifers with cloprostenol. Response varied with the stage of gestation and dose of cloprostenol. Results of this limited trial indicate that cloprostenol is a safe and effective abortifacient in feedlot heifers at a dose of 250 μg to day 120 of gestation and at a dose of 500 μg from day 121 to day 150.
Accurate and efficient method for quantification of urinary histamine by gas chromatography negative ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry

Abstract Because of the recognized inaccuracy and unreliability of currently available methods for the quantification of histamine in biological fluids, a method for quantification of urinary histamine by stable isotope dilution assay with negative ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry has been developed. Following the addition of [ 2 H 4 ]histamine to 1 ml of urine, histamine is extracted into butanol, back-extracted into HCl, derivatized to the pentafluorobenzyl derivative (CH 2 C 6 F 5 ) 3 -histamine, extracted into methylene chloride, and then quantified with negative ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry by selected ion monitoring of the ratio of ions m z 430 434 . Twenty samples can be assayed in 2 days. Precision of the assay is ±2.7% and the accuracy is 97.6%. Lower limits of sensitivity are approximately 100–500 fg injected on-column. This assay provides a very sensitive, accurate, and efficient method for the quantification of histamine in human urine.
Stability studies on fluorescein isothiocyanate--bovine serum albumin conjugate.

Abstract Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) was conjugated to bovine serum albumin (BSA) and the properties of the conjugate were analyzed chromatographically, electrophoretically, and immunoelectrophoretically. The conjugate was shown to be a stable molecule which retains its integrity even in in vivo experiments. It has an average degree of saturation, FITC BSA = 1.404 , which makes it sufficiently fluorescent as a tracer in transport studies.
Gated adatoms on graphene studied with first-principles calculations

A first-principles pseudopotential density functional method for studying the gating of adatoms on graphene is presented. A variation in gate voltage is assumed to vary the number of electrons in the adatom-graphene system. The method is applied to the cases of Li and Co on graphene. The projected density of states, charge density, and local electrostatic potential are computed as a function of gate voltage. In the case of Li, the calculations show that the Li adatom can be ionized by changing the gate voltage, and that the ionization is accompanied by a sharp change in the electrotstatic potential of the adatom. In the case of Co, correlation in the $3d$ shell is treated using the LDA $+$ $U$ method, with several values of the $U$ parameter considered. For $U=2$ eV or greater, an ionization effect analogous to the case of Li is found for the Co adatom. This result is consistent with recent scanning tunneling spectroscopy experiments for Co on graphene.
THE COMPETITIVE RELATIONSHIP OF THREE WOODLAND SEDGES AND ITS BEARING ON THE EVOLUTION OF ANT‐DISPERSAL OF CAREX PEDUNCULATA

The dispersal of seeds by ants, myrmecochory, is a frequent feature among herbs from many families in mesic temperate forests. These ant-dispersed plants have a special fat body, the elaiosome, incorporated in each diaspore, the unit of dispersal. The elaiosome is food for the ants of many species, whose workers carry the seed + elaiosome unit to their nest, where the elaiosome is eaten and the seed discarded unharmed with other nest debris. The seed then germinates, often dispersed from the parent plant. This plant-ant relationship differs from activities of the true harvester ants which gather and eat the seeds themselves. Some seeds transported by harvester ants may accidentally escape predation and germinate (Cole, 1932; Tevis, 1958). This plantharvester ant interaction is not mediated by an elaiosome bait, involves a great loss of seed to the plant species during dispersal, and is quite different from the antdispersal of Carex pedunculata to be discussed here. The presence of ants as potential dispersal agents will not alone result in their dispersing seeds. Because enhanced dispersal, generally, is associated with early successional species or with poor competitive ability in both plants and animals, investigations of naturally competing species should contribute to an understanding of dispersal mechanisms. I report here the results of competition experiments among three woodland sedges in the genus Carex (Cyperaceae), of which C. pedunculata is ant-dispersed, and discuss the implications of these experiments for the life history of C. pedunculata and for the development and patterning of the forest herb stratum.
Development of the Human Robot Interaction Workload Measurement Tool (HRI-WM)

Humans interacting with robots face a complex task. Often the exchanges are mediated through an interface and impact the workload associated with a particular task. Within a human-robot system, an ...
Giving to Organizations that Help People in Need: Differences across Denominational Identities

This article uses multiple-year data to examine charitable giving to organizations that help people in need of food, shelter, or other basic necessities. Families that give to basic necessity organizations in any single year are a mix of occasional givers and regular givers. Controlling for family characteristics that affect giving, giving to basic necessity organizations does not vary across Christian denominations and nonaffiliated families in any notable way. However, Jewish families are both more likely to give and, when they do give, give larger amounts. Given recent policy interest in how churches, synagogues, and mosques help with the voluntary provision of a safety net for people in need, the results draw attention to the importance of a research agenda focused on the differences between occasional givers and regular givers and on explaining why Jewish families give more to organizations that help people in need.
Group Intentions and Oppression

A reductive theory of collective intentionality would imply that the ‘official’ intentions of an oppressive political authority cannot be constructed from the intentions of individuals when they follow the authority's rules. This makes it difficult to explain the unraveling of official group plans through time in a seemingly consistent fashion, and the corresponding source of coercion. A non-reductive theory, on the other hand, cannot capture whether the actions of individuals in an oppressive society are free or coerced, so long as a manifest institutional structure and rules are in place. I put forward a hybrid account of group intentionality that is capable of articulating why oppressive political power is illegitimate, which comes down to the official and individual intentions in joint group actions diverging in such a way that individuals are not governed on the basis of dependent reasons.
Juvenile attitudes towards the police: The importance of subcultural involvement and community ties

Citizens' attitudes toward police have been examined in a variety of contexts during the past several decades. Additionally, the importance of juveniles' attitudes towards the police has received considerable attention during the past decade. The current article examines attitudes toward police from a large, multi-site study of sixth to ninth grade youths. Three specific questions were examined: (1) What is the influence of police contact (generally and by different types of contact) on juvenile attitudes toward the police? (2) How does involvement in delinquent subcultures affect these attitudes? (3) How do community contexts and ties influence juvenile attitudes toward the police? Results suggested that community ties and involvement in delinquent subcultures substantially mediate the influence of police contact on juveniles' attitudes toward the police.
Synthesis and Characterization of NH-triazole-Bound Rhodium(I) Complexes: Substituted-Group-Controlled Regioselective Coordination

4,5-Disubstituted NH-1,2,3-triazoles (TRIA) were used to coordinate with Rh(I) metal cation, forming a new class of triazole-bridged [Rh(COD)(TRIA)]2 complexes in near-quantitative yields. X-ray cr...
Improving the performance of electrochemical microsensors based on enzymes entrapped in a redox hydrogel

Microsensors based on carbon fiber microelectrodes coated with enzyme-entrapping redox hydrogels facilitate the in vivo detection of substances of interest within the central nervous system, including hydrogen peroxide, glucose, choline and glutamate. The hydrogel, formed by cross-linking a redox polymer, entraps the enzymes and mediates electron transfer between the enzymes and the electrode. It is important that the enzymes are entrapped in their enzymatically active state. Should entrapment cause enzyme denaturation, the sensitivity and the selectivity of the sensor may be compromised. Synthesis of the redox polymer according to published procedures may yield a product that precipitates when added to aqueous enzyme solutions. Casting hydrogels from solutions that contain the precipitate produces microsensors with low sensitivity and selectivity, suggesting that the precipitation disrupts the structure of the enzymes. Herein, we show that a surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), can prevent the precipitation and improve the sensitivity and selectivity of the sensors.
Measurement of local cerebral blood flow by impedance changes.

Abstract A method is described for continuously monitoring local cerebral blood flow by recording pulsatile electrical impedance changes with a sensitive ac bridge and electroencephalograph. An in vitro calibration of the system is presented. Blood flow was measured by the impedance method in several brain areas of anesthetized and unanesthetized cats subjected to various physiological and pharmacological alterations to demonstrate the validity of the method. Separation of cerebral from systemic circulatory changes and the effects of known cerebral vasoconstrictors and dilators were demonstrated. Differential effects of certain drugs on blood flow in different brain areas were detected by this method.
Catalysis of the oxidative folding of bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A by protein disulfide isomerase.

The major oxidative folding pathways of bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A at pH 8.0 and 25 degrees C involve a pre-equilibrium steady state among ensembles of intermediates with zero, one, two, three and four disulfide bonds. The rate-determining steps are the reshuffling of the unstructured three-disulfide ensemble to two native-like three-disulfide species, des-[65-72] and des-[40-95], that convert to the native structure during oxidative formation of the fourth disulfide bond. Under the same regeneration conditions, with oxidized and reduced DTT, used previously for kinetic oxidative-folding studies of this protein, the addition of 4 microM protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) was found to lead to catalysis of each disulfide-formation step, including the rate-limiting rearrangement steps in which the native-like intermediates des-[65-72] and des-[40-95] are formed. The changes in the distribution of intermediates were also determined in the presence and absence of PDI at three different temperatures (with the DTT redox system) as well as at 25 degrees C (with the glutathione redox system). The results indicate that the acceleration of the formation of native protein by PDI, which we observed earlier, is due to PDI catalysis of each of the intermediate steps without changing the overall pathways or folding mechanism.
READING EUROPEAN LITERATURE: MARIE VON EBNER-ESCHENBACH AND HER CIRCLE

Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach’s detailed journals, which cover over half a century, reveal what she, her family, and friends such as Ida Fleischl and Betty Paoli read that was originally not written in German, how they became acquainted with these texts, and, to a lesser extent, their reactions to the texts. Analysis of this data suggests that Ebner read from a ‘cosmopolitan’ subject position in that texts and performances are seen as crafted artistic products whose structural elements are universal and can seemingly be transported and translated easily from one culture to another with no consideration of their particular historical, cultural, ethnic or national roots. This attitude towards texts may be linked to Ebner’s status as a Hapsburg aristocrat as well as the influence of Goethe’s ideas on world literature.
Polyploidy Induced in Brook Trout by Cold Shock

Abstract Freshly fertilized eggs of brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, were cold-shocked, after 1 minute of water hardening, in a 5% glycerol solution at −1.5 C for 2 hours. Egg mortality was significantly increased by this process. A chromosome analysis indicated that 33% of the brook trout hatched from cold-shocked eggs from females induced to spawn were mosaic polyploids, compared with 12% of the fry from noninduced females. No exclusively triploid brook trout were found by chromosome analysis. Frequency distributions of erythrocyte nuclear volumes indicated a higher incidence of mosaic polyploidy among fish than did chromosome counts for the same specimens. The reasons for this inconsistency are not known.
Repair in ribosomal RNA genes is deficient in xeroderma pigmentosum group C and in Cockayne's syndrome cells.

Abstract Previous studies have demonstrated transcription-coupled DNA repair in mammalian genes transcribed by RNA polymerase II but not in ribosomal RNA genes (rDNA), which are transcribed by RNA polymerase I. The removal of UV-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) from rDNA in repair-proficient human cells has been shown to be slow but detectable and apparently not coupled to transcription. We studied the induction and removal of CPD from rDNA in cultured cells from two repair-deficient human disorders. Primary xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group C (XP-C) cells, whether proliferating or nondividing, removed no CPD fromm either rDNA strand in 24 h post-UV, a result which supports earlier conclusions that XP-C cells lack the general, transcription-independent pathway of nucleotide excision repair. We also observed lower than normal repair rDNA in Cockayne's syndrome (CS) cells from complementation groups A and B. In agreement with previous findings, the repair of both strands of the RNA polymerase II-transcribed dihydrofolate reductase gene was also deficient relative to that of normal cells. This strongly suggests that the defect in CS cells is not limited to a deficiency in a transcription-repair coupling factor. Rather, the defect may interfere with the ability of repair proteins to gain access to all expressed genes.
An Approach to the Study of Transport and Dispersion of Threat Agents in a Subway Station

The objective of the proposed research is to assess the exposure of subway riders and workers to threat agents introduced in the subway environment. This article presents the study plan, considerations, and expected outcomes of a novel approach to study this issue. A modular scale model of a subway station has been erected from Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York design specifications. This model will be used in a series of experiments to analyze airflow and dispersion patterns in the wake of a moving train and in an empty tunnel. Particle image velocimetry will be used to measure transient velocity profiles and concentration profiles.
Developmental changes in DNA methylation and covalent histone modifications of chromatin associated with the ε-, γ-, and β-globin gene promoters in Papio anubis

Abstract The baboon is a suitable and relevant animal model to study the mechanism of human globin gene switching. This investigation addresses the role of DNA methylation and histone coding in globin gene switching in the baboon, Papio anubis. Bisulfite sequencing and chromatin immunoprecipitation studies were performed in erythroid cells purified from fetuses of varying gestational ages and from adult bone marrow to analyze the manner that changes in DNA methylation of the e-, γ-, and β-globin promoters and association of ac-H3, ac-H4, H3-dimeK4, H3-dimeK36, and H3-dimeK79 with the e-, γ-, and β-globin promoters occur during development. Changes in DNA methylation of the e- and γ-globin gene promoters during transitional stages of globin gene switching were consistent with the stochastic model of methylation and a role of DNA methylation in gene silencing. Enrichment of ac-H3, ac-H4, and pol II at the promoters of developmentally active genes was observed, while the pattern of distribution of H3-dimeK4 and H3-dimeK79 suggests that these modifications are found near both currently and formerly active promoters. Enrichment of H3-dimeK36 at the silenced e-globin gene promoter was observed. These studies demonstrate that coordinated epigenetic modifications in the chromatin structure of the β-like globin gene promoters accompany the highly regulated changes in expression patterns of these genes during development.
Managing FX risk during the Euro crisis

Since the start of the Great Recession in 2007, treasurers have been challenged to manage cash flow uncertainty—including the impact of exchange rate (FX) changes. Today, FX risk management has become particularly important for companies doing business in the Eurozone. But current hedge ac-counting practices cannot accurately predict future cash flows in FX risk management. In this article, the authors help treasurers and CFOs analyze those accounting deficiencies in the Eurozone context. They also discuss the strategic implications of the hedge accounting problem. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The β-cyclodextrin-accelerated hydrolysis of Aryl sulfates: A model for enzymic catalysis through binding

Abstract The reversible binding and catalyzed hydrolysis of Aryl sulfates by β-cyclodextrin has been studied over the pH range 2.92-13.2 and at several temperatures. Analysis of the pH-rate curves, various thermodynamic and Arrhenius parameters, substituent effects and titration of the inorganic sulfate formed on hydrolysis leads to a catalytic mechanism which does not involve nucleophilic participation by β-cyclodextrin. A unimolecular mechanism analogous to that of the uncatalyzed process is proposed. The significance of these data is discussed especially in relation to the concept of strain and distortion in enzymatic catalysis.
Vitamin D status and acute lower respiratory infection in early childhood in Sylhet, Bangladesh.

Aim: Acute lower respiratory tract infection (ALRI) is the most important global cause of childhood death. Micronutrient deficiencies may increase the risk of ALRI. A case–control study was conducted to assess the association between vitamin D status and ALRI in rural Bangladesh. Methods: Children aged 1–18 months hospitalized with ALRI (cases) were individually matched to controls on age, sex, and village (N = 25 pairs). The mean serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration [25(OH)D] in cases and controls was compared using paired t-test. The unadjusted and adjusted odds of ALRI were assessed by multivariate conditional logistic regression. Results: Mean [25(OH)D] was significantly lower among ALRI cases than controls (29.1 nmol/L vs. 39.1 nmol/L; p = 0.015). The unadjusted odds of ALRI was halved for each 10 nmol/L increase in [25(OH)D] (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.30–0.96). Adjustment for confounders increased the magnitude of the association. Conclusion: Vitamin D status was associated with early childhood ALRI in a matched case–control study in rural Bangladesh. Randomized trials may establish whether interventions to improve vitamin D status can reduce the burden of ALRI in early childhood.
Dissolution of insulating oxide materials at the molecular scale

Our understanding of mineral and glass dissolution has advanced from simple thermodynamic treatments to models that emphasize adsorbate structures. This evolution was driven by the idea that the best understanding is built at the molecular level. Now, it is clear that the molecular questions cannot be answered uniquely with dissolution experiments. At the surface it is unclear which functional groups are present, how they are arranged, and how they interact with each other and with solutes as the key bonds are activated. An alternative approach has developed whereby reactions are studied with nanometre-sized aqueous oxide ions that serve as models for the more complicated oxide interface. For these ions, establishing the structure is not a research problem in itself, and bond ruptures and dissociations can be followed with much confidence. We review the field from bulk-dissolution kinetics to the new isotope-exchange experiments in large oxide ions.
Preventive Care in Chronic Liver Disease

OBJECTIVE: To identify preventive care measures that are appropriate for and specific to patients with chronic liver disease and to provide recommendations and information that can be shared with patients.