cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Teacher time spent on student health issues and school nurse presence

Elementary school teacher time spent on student health issues and the relationship to school nurse services was the focus of this 2-year study. A cross-sectional design was used to survey traditional and exceptional (special needs) classroom teachers about the time they spent on health issues and their perception of school nurse presence. The school nurses were surveyed regarding the impact of their presence on early releases due to illness. Study findings related to teacher perceptions indicate with school nurse presence there are fewer early releases, increased communication, less time spent on health issues, students with chronic illnesses are safer, and there is a resource available for health information. The data provide the groundwork for discussions to improve the communication of the nurses' schedules, increase teacher confidence in consistent nurse hours at their school and aid the nurse in protecting valuable on-site school hours from other interferences or commitments.
Jacqueline Lee: A late-blight-resistant tablestock variety

Jacqueline Lee has a bright golden skin, yellow flesh, attractive oval shape, and excellent cooking qualities that make it suitable for tablestock use. In addition, it has been determined to have a high level of foliar resistance to the US-8 genotype ofPhytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary under Michigan field and greenhouse conditions. It is a full-season variety with vine maturity similar to Snowden. Jacqueline Lee has high yield potential. It has a high set (14–16 tubers/hill) of medium sized tubers that leads to 65%–80% marketable yield. Tubers are low in internal and external defects. It has a scab reaction similar to Atlantic, and the tubers have been observed to have a long dormancy.
A Validation of Ebel's Method for Performance Standard Setting through its Application with Comparison Approaches to a Selected Criterion-Referenced Test

This paper seeks to describe the research and development into performance standard setting processes used by the U.S. Navy's Strategic Weapon System Training Program for developing Criterion-Referenced System Achievement Tests (C-R SAT) for selected Naval Enlisted Classifications (NECs) or job titles in the Strategic Weapon System (SWS). The design of the C-R SAT involves identification of essential skills and knowledge for each NEC. This process entails planned workshops involving selected senior fleet and supervisory personnel drawn from the NEC. Following this test development process each C-R SAT is then subjected to a performance standard setting process. As all performance standard setting methodologies are subjective, the decision was made to validate the Ebel process and its outputs. Two alternative performance standard setting methodologies were applied to data generated from the two versions (watch stander and supervisor) of a recently administered TRIDENT Technician C-R SAT.
Kalman filter-based approaches to hyperspectral signature similarity and discrimination

Kalman filter has been widely used in statistical signal processing for parameter estimation. Recently, a Kalman filter-based approach to spectral unmixing, referred to as Kalman filter-based linear unmixing (KFLU) was also developed for mixed pixel classification. However, its applicability to estimation and discrimination for hyperspectral signature characterization has not been explored where a hyperspectral signature is defined as a vector on a range of contiguous optical wavelengths of interest. This paper presents a new application of Kalman filtering in hyperspectral signature similarity and discrimination. In particular, it develops a Kalman filter-based signature estimator from which two Kalman filter-based discriminators can be derived for signature similarity and discrimination. The developed Kalman filter-based discriminators utilize a state equation to characterize a hyperspectral signature and a measurement equation to describe another hyperspectral signature, while the developed Kalman filter-based estimator makes use of state and measurement equations to describe the true signature and the observable signature respectively. The least squares error resulting from the Kalman filter-estimated hyperspectral signature is then used as the power for hyperspectral signature similarity and discrimination. Experimental results demonstrate that such Kalman filter-based discriminators are more effective than commonly used spectral similarity measures such as spectral angle mapper (SAM) or Euclidean distance.
Rheology of latex-modified grouts

Abstract The rheology of grouts containing latex was investigated. The two latex additives used were carboxylated styrene-butadiene and acrylic. The influences of superplasticizer, fly ash, and blast furnace slag on the rheology of latex-modified grouts were addressed. Shear stress-shear rate curves were determined for a variety of mix proportions. The time-dependent behaviour of selected grouts was also studied. It was determined that the yield stress and apparent viscosity are influenced by latex content and that the grouts are shear thinning at low water cement ratios. Latex imparts stability and thixotropy in grouts. Partial replacement of cement with either fly ash or slag diminishes the effect of latex on rheology.
How the Fast Fourier Transform Got its Name

Everyone agrees that the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) has revolutionized digital signal processing. However, no one knows with certainty the true history of the FFT. I had been as confused as everybody else until one day when I found in an old book store at Harvard Square a manuscript by Kipling which contained some unpublished Just-So Stories, one of which was entitled, "How the Fast Fourier Transform Got its Name." The time has now come to publish this historical account to quiet all rumors and hearsay.
Wicked problems: inescapable wickedity

The article explores the concept of wicked problems and proposes a reinvigorated application of this concept for wider educational use. This recommendation stems from the contributions of a number of scholars who frame some of the most contentious and recalcitrant educational issues as wicked problems. The present authors build upon these previous explorations of wickedity and initially apply it to literacy learning. They then discuss the relevance for wicked responses and wicked actions for the wider educational community (e.g. parents, teachers, policy-makers, teacher educators and educational researchers). The authors conclude with three proposals for understanding and addressing wickedity: (a) promoting careful observation and continuous curiosity, (b) increasing conversations with diverse stakeholders and (c) engaging in collective and distributed sense-making.
Small Fatigue Crack Growth and Failure Mode Transitions in a Ni-Base Superalloy at Elevated Temperature (Preprint)

Abstract A study of the long and small fatigue crack growth behavior in IN100 tested at 650 °C both with and without dwell periods is summarized. A significant small crack effect is evident in this alloy, and it is observed that the influence of loading variables on small crack behavior is profoundly different from that on long cracks. While a 6 s dwell has negligible effect on long crack growth rates, it results in more than an order of magnitude faster growth for small cracks (∼30 μm to 1 mm). Long crack growth is dominated by intergranular cracking both with and without 6 s dwell. Small crack growth mode depends on numerous factors including crack size, dwell time, exposure to environment, and character of initiation site. Transitions in small crack growth modes and the operative crack growth mechanisms are discussed.
Perspectives Against Interests: Sketch of a Feminist Political Theory of “Women”

Do women share interests? Seeking interests that women share is theoretically problematic and politically undesirable for feminists. Efforts to redefine interests as subjective, contingent and/or context sensitive are unsatisfying for those who want to link women's representation to the fact of their oppression, exploitation, and discrimination. Fortunately, we need not posit shared interests to make strong claims about the importance of women's representation. Nor do we need such a concept to explain why women work together across significant institutional barriers and social differences. Overlapping, entwined sets of global and local social structures define “women” as a social collectivity. Women in diverse organizational, social, and national contexts organize to alter this complex configuration, forging relations of solidarity and shared identities in the process. But this is not reducible to shared interests. Moreover, focusing on things that women have in common de-emphasizes issues that mainly confront marginalized groups of women and/or that are group or context specific but critical to achieving gender justice. Fortunately, feminist theorists have identified bases for political representation and mobilization that offer more useful accounts of social group politics (e.g., Mansbridge 1995; Mohanty 2003; Young 1997, 2000;). The idea of social perspective is one such concept.
Synthesis of a Soluble Ureido-Naphthyridine Oligomer that Self-Associates via Eight Contiguous Hydrogen Bonds

[structure; see text] An iterative synthetic route to organic-soluble ureido-naphthyridine oligomers has been developed. Use of this protocol allowed synthesis of a short ureido-naphthyridine oligomer, which presents a self-complementary DDAADDAA hydrogen bonding array (D = hydrogen bond donor, A = hydrogen bond acceptor). Strong self-association via eight hydrogen bonds was observed in organic solution.
Harnessing Excess Photon Energy in Photoinduced Surface Electron Transfer between Salicylate and Illuminated Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles

Photons absorbed by nanocrystalline TiO2 particles at 254 nm are found to be 7.7 times more efficient than those at 366 nm for driving the photocatalytic oxidation of salicylate S in aerated aqueous sols. The occurrence of this phenomenon is ascribed to the conjunction of (1) short diffusion times of photogenerated carriers to the surface of nanoparticles, a fact that allows chemical reaction to compete with energy relaxation, and (2) favorable donor Eo(S-/S•) redox potential and interfacial reorganization energy λR values, which make electron-transfer rates peak at energies inside the valence band of TiO2. Master equation kinetic modeling shows that electron transfer from S into hyperthermal valence band holes takes place at rates consistent with ksc ∼ 104 cm s-1 at optimal exoergicity, if the excess energy is dissipated into the crystal lattice within a few picoseconds. Hydroxyl ions as donors would require much slower thermalization rates.
Reduced protease inhibitory capacity in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms is reversed with surgical repair.

Abstract Background: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) disease is a complex degenerative process that is associated with elevated proteolytic activity. This increased proteolytic activity may be linked to an imbalance in the protease regulatory mechanisms. We hypothesize that reduced AAA plasma inhibitory capacity is related to increased elastolytic activity observed in patients with AAA, which promotes matrix degradation in the aortic wall and AAA expansion. Methods: Preoperative plasma from patients with AAA (n = 86; mean age, 75 ± 8 years) and healthy controls (n = 30; mean age, 72 ± 10 years) was assayed for inhibitory capacity. Postoperative plasma inhibitory capacity was evaluated with comparison of the activity of porcine pancreatic elastase on succinylated elastin substrate, in the presence and absence of AAA and control plasma. Results: AAA plasma showed a significantly reduced capacity to inhibit porcine pancreatic elastase (71.31% ± 1.47%) compared with control plasma (85.52% ± 1.70%; P P P Conclusion: AAA plasma has a significantly reduced inhibitory capacity, which varies with aortic diameter and returns to control levels after surgical repair of the AAA. This suggests that protease regulation is a dynamic balance that changes with AAA progression and may play an important role in AAA progression. (J Vasc Surg 2002;35:792-7.)
Constrictive pericarditis mimicking budd-chiari syndrome

Budd-Chiari syndrome and constrictive pericarditis share many clinical and histologic features. Clinicians must continue to reassess patients when given histologic data that are not specific for a particular disease entity, so that subtle clinical differences are recognized, appropriate diagnosis made, and therapy instituted.
Hsp47 Binds to the KDEL Receptor and Cell Surface Expression is Modulated by Cytoplasmic and Endosomal pH

Hsp47 is a novel glycoprotein that binds specifically to procollagen and is retained in the ER by its COOH-terminus RDEL peptide sequence (Satoh, M. et al. Jol. Cell Biol. 1996; 133: 469-83). In this paper, we report that erd2P, the KDEL receptor, is distributed, coprecipitates with, and binds to Hsp47. Also, under stress conditions and lowering of pHi, the cytoplasmic epitope of erd2P is not recognized by erd2P antibodies unless the cells are pretreated with NEM. Coincident with the masking of the cytoplasmic epitope of erd2P, following lowering of pHi, Hsp47 is not retained but eludes its retention receptor to be expressed on the cell surface. Alkalization of the endosomal compartments by treatment with NH4Cl or chloroquine also results in the loss of Hsp47 to the cell surface, presumably by inhibiting the retrieval of trans-Golgi network proteins from the cell surface. The expression of Hsp47 on the cell surface under conditions of stress and alteration of pHi and pHe posture Hsp47 as a serpin family protein that may modulate cell migration during development and invasion and metastasis in cancer.
Letters to the Editor: Faculty Resistance to Change (2)

In the January/February 2012 issue of Change, John Tagg reinforces, I hope unintentionally, the idea that faculty unreasonably resist change. I agree that we need to understand that resistance, but...
Raman studies of black phosphorus from 0.25 to 7.7 GPa at 15 K.

Raman scattering experiments from a polycrystalline sample of black phosphorus were done with a diamond-anvil cell from 0.25 to 11.6 GPa at a temperature of 15 K. Three Raman-active modes in the A11 orthorhombic (Cmca) phase were observed as a function of pressure to approximately 7.7 GPa, the point where black phosphorus has fully transformed to the rhombohedral (R3\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}m) structure. No Raman scattering was observed above 7.7 GPa. The frequency shifts with pressure at 15 K are approximately half those found at room temperature by previous workers.
Polarized and unpolarized intrinsic gluon distributions

Abstract Theoretical constraints on both the polarized and unpolarized intrinsic gluon distribution functions are developed. In particular, we study the behavior of the gluon polarization asymmetry in the nucleon in the small- and large-x regions, and relate the intrinsic distribution to the retarded part of the spin-dependent bound-state potential. A simple model for the polarized and unpolarized intrinsic distributions is proposed which incorporates the QCD constraints. The model predicts that the spin carried by intrinsic gluons in the nucleon is approximately 0.5.
Stability of feedback systems containing a single odd monotonic nonlinearity

In this paper the stability of a feedback system with a single odd monotonic nonlinearity is considered. It is shown that if a multiplier Z(s) having a specific form exists so that G(s) Z^{\pm1}(s) is positive real, the feedback system is asymptotically stable for every odd monotonic function lying in the first and third quadrants. The multiplier Z(s) suggested can have both complex poles and complex zesro. A simple example is included to demonstrate the applicability of the criterion developed.
The glycine‐glomus‐rhizobium symbiosis III. Endophyte effects on leaf carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus nutrition

Abstract Soybean plants [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] were grown in pots and inoculated with Rhizobium japonicum and/or Glomus mosseae (Nicol. & Gerd.) Gerd. & Trappe, either at planting or 20 days later. Nitrogen was supplied in the nutrient solution to plants without nitrogen‐fixing bacteria, and P was added to those without the mycorrhizal fungus. At harvest, 50 days after planting, all plants had leaves of similar dry mass. Each root symbiont grew best in the absence of the other. Growth of Glomus reflected the duration of its growing time and the presence and duration of competition from Rhizobium. Nodule weight in the tripartite associations, on the other hand, was inhibited only by the earlier introduction of Glomus. Dipartite associations and the plants inoculated with both root symbionts at planting had the highest concentration of leaf N, and the lowest was in those inoculated with both organisms at d 20. Leaf P was highest in plants inoculated only with Rhizobium, and lowest in those tripartite asso...
The Volunteer Citizen After Welfare Reform in the United States: An Ethnographic Study of Volunteerism in Action

In the United States, neoliberal strategies for social, economic, and state organization have been accompanied by frequent calls for volunteers to solve serious social problems. A case study of a community mobilization of middle-class volunteers to provide one-on-one support to families in poverty shows both possibilities and limitations. Volunteers provide social support to families in poverty, thus alleviating social isolation. Volunteers learn about systemic forces that cause poverty, its effects on families and communities, and about themselves and their capacities to engage in poverty work. However, social isolation is but one of many problems associated with poverty, and even a more knowledgeable amateur volunteer corps cannot take the place of substantial social, economic, and political change.
Design, processing, and materials for large-stroke actuators

ABSTRACT Adaptive optics (AO) applications in astronomy and vision scie nce require deformable mirrors with larger stroke, higher packing density and at lower cost than currently available technology. The use of high-aspect ratio Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) processing techniques to fabricate large-stroke actuators that can meet stroke, packing density and cost specifications for AO applications have b een explored. Different actuato r designs, materials and post-processing procedures fabricated in two different high-aspect ratio processes have been investigated. These manufacturing processes allow high-precision multilayer fabrication, and both parallel plate and comb drive actuator deformable mirror designs have been created. Multilayer fabr ication has reduced pull-in voltage requirements for large stroke comb-drive actuators. The design, modeling and simulation of these actuators are compared to experimental measurements of their pull-voltages, which char acterizes their stiffness and maximum stroke. Keywords: Adaptive Optics, Actuators, Large-Stroke, High Aspect Ratio MEMS
Chronic osteomyelitis of the mandible: diagnosis and management--an institution's experience over 7 years.

Purpose The objective of this study was to retrospectively evaluate and report the associated factors with the diagnosis and management of 24 patients with chronic osteomyelitis of the mandible seen at the authors' institution during the past several years. Patients and Methods Only cases of chronic osteomyelitis of the mandible not associated with antiresorptive medications or radiotherapy to the maxillofacial region were included in the study. After confirmation of the diagnosis, initial clinical and radiologic findings, treatment approach, and outcome were evaluated for each patient. Fourteen male and 10 female patients (average age, 53.75 yr; range, 22 to 83 yr) were included. Results The peak incidence of the disease was recorded in the fifth and sixth decades of life. An uneventful healing was observed in 20 patients (83.3%). One of 18 patients (5.5%) who underwent segmental resections developed a secondary infection and was managed with intravenously administered antibiotics. Three of 6 patients (50%) who were treated with marginal resections remained symptomatic after surgery. Conclusion Independent of the cause and presentation of the disease, complete resolution of the infection should be the main focus of management in patients with chronic osteomyelitis of the mandible, and findings of this retrospective study indicate that a conservative surgical approach is more likely to result in a less than ideal outcome.
Computational geometry and computer graphics

The interaction between computer graphics and computational geometry is explored through two scenarios. Spatial subdivisions studied from the viewpoint of computational geometry are shown to have found application in computer graphics. Hidden surface removal problems of computer graphics have led to sweep-line and area subdivision algorithms in computational geometry. Two promising research area with practical applications, precise computation and polyhedral decomposition, are examined. >
Unusual pattern of glistening formation on a 3-piece hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lens.

A 3-piece hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lens (IOL) was explanted from the left eye of a 68-year-old patient 26 days after implantation because of glistenings that impaired fundus visualization. The effect of the glistenings on the patient's visual function was unknown because of retinal issues. The fluid-filled vacuoles within the IOL optic were different from those described in clinical and experimental studies. They were initially observed 4 days after surgery and were very large. The glistening formation was reproduced experimentally by immersing the explanted IOL in balanced salt solution at 37°C and analyzing the IOL at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. An IOL of the same design was used as a control. Although both IOLs were subjected to the same laboratory conditions, gross and light microscopic analyses confirmed that the pattern of the glistening formation differed between them. Analyses of the explanted IOL and the control IOL under differential scanning calorimetry, as well as by attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, revealed slight differences between the IOLs.
Blind custodians: a database service architecture that supports privacy without encryption

We describe an architecture for a database service that does not assume that the service provider can be trusted. Unlike other architectures that address this problem, this architecture, which we call blind custodians, does not rely on encryption. Instead, it offers confidentiality by means of information dissociation: The server only stores “fragments” of information that are considered safe (i.e., each fragment does not violate privacy), while the client stores the associations between the fragments that are necessary to reconstruct the information. We argue that this architecture allows satisfactory confidentiality, while offering two important advantages: (1) It does not restrict the types of queries that can be submitted by clients (as encryption-based methods invariably do), and (2) it requires only light processing at the client, assigning the bulk of the processing to the server (as befits a true service). Moreover, the architecture permits flexible control over the level of confidentiality that should be maintained (at the cost of additional overhead).
Structural basis of GSK-3 inhibition by N-terminal phosphorylation and by the Wnt receptor LRP6.

Cells need to be able to respond to changes in the body, such as changes in hormone levels or the arrival of a pathogen such as a virus. Proteins acting in signaling pathways—where one protein switches ‘on’ or ‘off’ the next protein in the pathway—allow the detection of different changes or signals to be translated in the appropriate response. The properties of a protein often depend on its shape, and many proteins change shape when they are switched ‘on’ and ‘off’. Moreover, the ability to change shape allows a protein to interact with many other proteins and to be involved in many different signaling pathways. The enzyme GSK-3 is a protein that is involved in several pathways, and it controls other proteins by adding chemical tags, called phosphate groups, to them. Unlike many other enzymes, GSK-3’s default state is to be permanently switched on, and it can be switched off in a number of different ways. When a cell detects the hormone insulin, for example, another enzymes adds a phosphate group to a site near one end of GSK-3 to switch it off. Alternatively, when a cell recognises a different signaling molecule, called Wnt, a phosphate group is added to yet another protein, which then binds to and switches off GSK-3. To explore the workings of GSK-3 in greater detail, Stamos et al. solved the three-dimensional structure of the enzyme that had been switched off in these two ways. In the insulin pathway, the region near to one end of GSK-3 that contains the added phosphate group was shown to bind to and block the site on the enzyme that usually binds to its target (i.e., to the next protein in the signaling pathway). In the Wnt pathway, remarkably, the same site on GSK-3 was blocked in a very similar way by the piece of the other protein with the phosphate group added. GSK-3 is a potential drug target for the treatment of several diseases, such as diabetes and neurological disorders. However, as this enzyme is involved in multiple pathways, it has been hard to find drugs to treat any one condition without side effects. Uncovering subtle differences in how GSK-3 can be controlled in different pathways could, in the future, help with efforts to develop more specific drugs to target GSK-3 to treat these diseases.
Does Life in the United States Take a Toll on Health? Duration of Residence and Birthweight among Six Decades of Immigrants

We used data from the 1998-2009 waves of the National Health Interview Survey to investigate cohort differences in low birthweight among US-born children of mothers arriving in the United States between 1955 and 2009, cohort-adjusted patterns in low birthweight by maternal duration of residence in the United States, and cohort-adjusted patterns in low birthweight by maternal duration of US residence stratified by age at arrival and region of origin. We found a consistent deterioration in infant health with successive immigrant cohorts and heterogeneous effects of cohort-adjusted duration in the United States by age at arrival and region. Most notably, we found evidence that maternal health (as proxied by low birthweight) deteriorates with duration in the United States only for immigrant mothers who came to the United States as children. For mothers who arrived as adults, we found no evidence of deterioration. The findings underscore the importance of considering age at arrival and place of origin when studying post-migration health trajectories and provide indirect evidence that early life exposures are a key to understanding why the United States lags other developed nations in health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
The Rule of the People: Arendt, Archê, and Democracy

This article presents a novel critical account of a key concept in democratic theory, “rule,” via an unorthodox interpretation of Hannah Arendt's work. Many theorists treat democracy as one type of regime; others, stressing the importance of unruliness to democratic politics, challenge the reduction of democracy to a form of rule. Although this debate remains caught within conventional oppositions between order, closure, and continuity; and interruption, openness, and novelty, Arendt shows this whole matrix of oppositions to be an artifact of the dominance of a hierarchical understanding of rule. Her unusual critique of rule and her distinctive account of the meaning of “beginning” draw attention to an important dimension of political activity that lies off these axes of opposition, shedding new light on democratic agency and the forces that obstruct it.
The organization and structure of nerve and muscle in the jellyfish Cyanea capillata (coelenterata; scyphozoa).

The perirhopalial tissue and swimming muscle of Cyanea were examined with light microscopical and electron microscopical techniques. The perirhopalial tissue is a thin, triangular septum found on the subumbrellar surface of the animal. It separates part of the gastric canal system from the surrounding seawater, and is bound on two sides by radial muscle bands and on the third, the shorter side, by a rhopalium and the margin of the bell. The ectoderm of the perirhopalial tissue is composed of large, somewhat cuboidal, vacuolated, myoepithelial cells. The muscle tails of these cells form a single layer of radial, smooth muscle. Neurons of the “giant fiber nerve net” (GFNN), which form an extensive net over the perirhopalial tissue, lie at the base of the vacuolated portion of the myoepithelial cells. These neurons are visible in living tissue. The morphology of individual GFNN neurons was examined following intracellular injection of the fluorescent dye Lucifer Yellow. The neurons are usually bipolar and free of branches. At the electron microscope level, one usually finds that the GFNN neurons contain large vacuoles. The other characteristic feature of these cells is that they form symmetrical, or nonpolarized, synapses; that is, synaptic vesicles are found on both sides of the synapse. The swimming muscle is striated and composed of myoepithelial cells. Each myoepithelial cell has several muscle tails, and those of adjacent cells are linked to gether by desmosomes. The endoderm of the perirhopalial tissue also was examined. This investigation of the organization and ultrastructure of the perirhopalial tissue and surrounding muscle was undertaken to provide essential background information for an ongoing physiological study of the GFNN neurons and their synapses.
On Local Intrinsic Dimension Estimation and Its Applications

In this paper, we present multiple novel applications for local intrinsic dimension estimation. There has been much work done on estimating the global dimension of a data set, typically for the purposes of dimensionality reduction. We show that by estimating dimension locally, we are able to extend the uses of dimension estimation to many applications, which are not possible with global dimension estimation. Additionally, we show that local dimension estimation can be used to obtain a better global dimension estimate, alleviating the negative bias that is common to all known dimension estimation algorithms. We illustrate local dimension estimation's uses towards additional applications, such as learning on statistical manifolds, network anomaly detection, clustering, and image segmentation.
Snyder’s Ratios

In 1931, Dr. Laurence H. Snyder, a student of human inheritance, became interested in a report (Fox 1931) that people differed in their ability to taste the chemical phenylthiocarbamide (PTC). He tested members of 100 families (Snyder 1931), with results that strongly suggested that PTC taste blindness was inherited as a Mendelian recessive trait. All children from marriages between two nontasters were nontasters, while the frequency of nontaster children from marriages where one parent was a nontaster was greater than from marriages where both parents could taste PTC. Blakeslee and Salmon (1931) reported similar results in another series of 47 families.
Transient-mode multipactor discharge

Multipactor discharge is a resonant condition in which electrons impact material surfaces in phase with an alternating rf or microwave electric field. A growing and/or sustained discharge requires the electrode secondary electron coefficient, δ(E e ), to be greater than unity at the impacting electron energy (E e ). E 1 , the minimum energy for δ ≫ 1, is highly dependent on electrode surface preparation and conditioning, and contaminated surfaces will generally experience a lower E 1 than the same clean or “conditioned” surface. A transient or pulsed mode of multipactor discharge can exist when the rf voltage and the corresponding electron energy distribution occur near E 1 . Initially, a discharge may form if sufficient number of electrons have impact energies greater than E 1 . Yet, as surface contaminants are removed with subsequent electron impacts, E 1 can quickly increase, causing the electron impact energy to become insufficient for discharge-sustaining secondary emission. As a result, the discharge extinguishes until surface contaminants return. This new TMM discharge has been shown to occur indefinitely for a constant contamination source at a range of rf voltages. Both TMM frequency and intensity have been shown to depend on the contamination rate and the rf voltage relative to E 1 , and experimental TMM results are shown for copper and aluminum. Experimental results are presented along with supporting Monte Carlo electron-tracking simulation results.
Persistent sexual behavior in castrated, recombinant inbred mice.

In contrast to other male mice, many hybrid B6D2F1 males continue to mate after being castrated in adulthood. This persistent sexual behavior in the castrated hybrids presumably is based upon heterozygosity that might occur Within individual loci or between different loci. Those possibilities were discriminated by studying BXD recombinant inbred mice. In BXD strains, individual loci are homozygous, but heterozygosity has arisen between separate loci, Males in two of six BXD strains persisted in copulating for 5 mo after being castrated, Thus, itisconcluded thatretentionof masculine sexual behavior in castrated mice is a function of heterozygosity between loci,
Rapid Early Cambrian rotation of Gondwana

Based on the history of Mesozoic–Cenozoic plate motions, as well as simple dynamical considerations, a “speed limit” for tectonic plates has been suggested at ~20 cm/yr. Previous paleomagnetic data from the Early Cambrian of Gondwana are confl icting but generally imply rapid motions approaching that limit. Herein we describe results from a continuous paleomagnetic sampling of Lower to Middle Cambrian strata from the Amadeus Basin, central Australia. We fi characteristic remanence directions that show an ~60° declination shift through the section. Assuming a tectonically assembled Gondwana supercontinent by Early Cambrian time, this large vertical-axis rotation of its Australian sector corresponds to an equally large translation across paleolatitudes for its Brazilian and West African sectors. Analysis of all high-quality paleomagnetic data from Gondwana both confi rms and constrains the 60° rotation to have occurred toward the end of Early Cambrian time, at rates exceeding 16 +12 / –8 cm/yr. These observations suggest that either nonuniformitarian plate tectonics or an episode of rapid true polar wander occurred during the Cambrian “explosion” of animal life.
Identification and Characterization of a Novel α-Kinase with a von Willebrand Factor A-like Motif Localized to the Contractile Vacuole and Golgi Complex in Dictyostelium discoideum

We have identified a new protein kinase in Dictyostelium discoideum that carries the same conserved class of “α-kinase” catalytic domain as reported previously in myosin heavy chain kinases (MHCKs) in this amoeba but that has a completely novel domain organization. The protein contains an N-terminal von Willebrand factor A (vWFA)-like motif and is therefore named VwkA. Manipulation of VwkA expression level via high copy number plasmids (VwkA++ cells) or gene disruption (vwkA null cells) results in an array of cellular defects, including impaired growth and multinucleation in suspension culture, impaired development, and alterations in myosin II abundance and assembly. Despite sequence similarity to MHCKs, the purified protein failed to phosphorylate myosin II in vitro. Autophosphorylation activity, however, was enhanced by calcium/calmodulin, and the enzyme can be precipitated from cellular lysates with calmodulin-agarose, suggesting that VwkA may directly bind calmodulin. VwkA is cytosolic in distribution but enriched on the membranes of the contractile vacuole and Golgi-like structures in the cell. We propose that VwkA likely acts indirectly to influence myosin II abundance and assembly behavior and possibly has broader roles than previously characterized α kinases in this organism, which all seem to be MHCKs.
Differential transendothelial transport of adiponectin complexes

Background Adiponectin’s effects on systemic physiology and cell-specific responses are well-defined, but little is known about how this insulin-sensitizing and anti-inflammatory adipokine reaches its target cells. All molecules face active and passive transport limitations, but adiponectin is particularly noteworthy due to the diverse size range and high molecular weights of its oligomers. Additionally, its metabolic target organs possess a range of endothelial permeability.
Toward a sustainable agriculture: Need for clarification of concepts and terminology

Recently there has been a change in thinking among many agricultural leaders and researchers toward a major focus on agricultural sustainability. To make progress toward such sustainability requires a clear delineation of its concepts and components. In this paper, I attempt to clarify relevant concepts and terminology in an effort to facilitate communication and cooperation. I also recognize, however, the intense feelings involved in these definitions. More satisfactory definitions will come in time as research and practice continue.
Optimization of binding electrostatics: Charge complementarity in the barnase‐barstar protein complex

Theoretical and experimental studies have shown that the large desolvation penalty required for polar and charged groups frequently precludes their involvement in electrostatic interactions that contribute strongly to net stability in the folding or binding of proteins in aqueous solution near room temperature. We have previously developed a theoretical framework for computing optimized electrostatic interactions and illustrated use of the algorithm with simplified geometries. Given a receptor and model assumptions, the method computes the ligand-charge distribution that provides the most favorable balance of desolvation and interaction effects on binding. In this paper the method has been extended to treat complexes using actual molecular shapes. The barnase-barstar protein complex was investigated with barnase treated as a target receptor. The atomic point charges of barstar were varied to optimize the electrostatic binding free energy. Barnase and natural barstar form a tight complex (K(d) approximately 10(-14) M) with many charged and polar groups near the interface that make this a particularly relevant system for investigating the role of electrostatic effects on binding. The results show that sets of barstar charges (resulting from optimization with different constraints) can be found that give rise to relatively large predicted improvements in electrostatic binding free energy. Principles for enhancing the effect of electrostatic interactions in molecular binding in aqueous environments are discussed in light of the optima. Our findings suggest that, in general, the enhancements in electrostatic binding free energy resulting from modification of polar and charged groups can be substantial. Moreover, a recently proposed definition of electrostatic complementarity is shown to be a useful tool for examining binding interfaces. Finally, calculational results suggest that wild-type barstar is closer to being affinity optimized than is barnase for their mutual binding, consistent with the known roles of these proteins.
Mcsoionic purinone analogs. I. Initial theoretical considerations

Thirty mesoionic analogs of purin-6-one, -2-one and -2,6-dione have been formulated based upon reported simple monocyclie mesoionic systems and factors influencing their stability. lluckel molecular orbital calculations were performed for these structures employing the ω, ω′ -technique and the variation of resonance integrals with bond orders. The results provide predictions concerning the properties and stability of the analogs, assist the determination of reasonable synthetic goals, and serve as input for more sophisticated theoretical treatments.
Self-reported Parenting Practices in Dominican and Puerto Rican Mothers of Young Children

Explored self-reported parenting in a Hispanic sample of mothers living in the mainland United States using a cultural framework. Participants were 130 immigrant or first-generation Dominican and Puerto Rican mothers with a child between the ages of 2 and 6 years. Mothers completed questionnaires related to their parenting behavior and also filled out a detailed demographic form and a measure of acculturation. Results suggested that both Dominican and Puerto Rican mothers engage in high levels of praise and physical affection and low levels of harsh, inconsistent, and punitive parenting behaviors. Dominican and Puerto Rican parenting was similar on measures of authoritarian and permissive parenting, but differences emerged on a measure of authoritative parenting and when parenting was considered at the more detailed level of individual behaviors. Parenting was related to several demographic characteristics, including father's education level and child age; more specifically, higher paternal education and ...
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Analysis of Phenytoin and Sodium Phenytoin in Solid Dosage Forms

AbstractA rapid and specific nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic method was developed for determining phenytoin and its sodium salt in capsules and tablets. Acetamide was used as the internal standard and 0.5% sodium deuteroxide in deuterium oxide served as the NMR solvent. The concentration of drug per unit dose was calculated from the integration values for the resonance signals of phenytoin at about 7.40 ppm and of the internal standard at about 1.97 ppm. The average recovery value of phenytoin added to synthetic samples, in concentrations ranging from 84 to 122 mg, was 99.9 ± 0.2% (SD) with a coefficient of variation of 0.2%. The method using commercial products gave results comparable to those obtained by the titrimetric and gravimetric methods of USP XX. Excipients of tablets and capsules such as sucrose and lactose did not interfere with the determinations. The proposed method was found suitable for measuring the content uniformity of capsules and tablets, and offered a positive means of...
Juxtaposition and Non-motion: Varèse bridges early modernism to electroacoustic music

Edgard Varese's Poeme electronique can be viewed as a bridge between early twentieth-century modernism and electroacoustic music. This connection to early modernism is most clearly seen in its use of musical juxtaposition, a favoured technique of early modernist composers, especially those active in Paris. Juxtaposition and non-motion are considered here, particularly in relationship to Smalley's exposition of spectromorphology (Smalley 1986), which in its preoccupation with motion omits any significant consideration of non-motion. Juxtaposition and non-motion have an important history within twentieth-century music, and as an early classic of electroacoustic music, Poeme electronique is a particularly striking example of a composition that is rich in juxtapositions similar to those found in passages of early modernist music. Examining Poeme electronique through the lens of juxtaposition and non-motion reveals how the organisation of its juxtaposed sounds encourages the experience of sound structure suspended time.
Militarized occupations: evolution of Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom’s 1920s intersectional conversation

AbstractThis article brings together transnational feminism, intersectionality, and militarized occupations by recovering Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom’s (WILPF) 1920s intersectional conversation. Mary Church Terrell, Helen Curtis, Addie Hunton, Jane Addams, and Emily Balch negotiated WILPF’s stance on two occupations: the controversy over the French use of colonial troops in its occupation of Germany, and the US occupation of Haiti. My argument is that through the evolving intersectional conversation, WILPF came to understand the necessity of weaving racialized sexual politics into its analysis of and activism around the politics of militarized occupations. To develop the argument, I construct and apply an ideal type of an intersectional conversation that incorporates a notion of unbracketing substantive inequalities during the conversation. I conclude with some implications for today about what we can learn in the twenty-first century from a moment in an early twentieth-century gene...
Planted Forests and Trees Can Restore Landscapes and Alleviate Poverty

The importance of forests and trees outside forests as supporters of food security and poverty alleviation is increasingly being acknowledged. There is strong evidence that forest and trees outside forest play a crucial role in supporting sustainable livelihoods and promoting food security. Even though the importance of forests is evident for the survival of millions of people and for the well-being of the planet, massive areas of forests are destroyed and degraded. Forest degradation is more complex to monitor, measure, and assess than deforestation. This chapter explains why and how planted forests can restore degraded forests, landscapes and alleviate poverty. Forests may both be a geographical poverty trap causing poverty due to remoteness and a means to bring people out of poverty. Planted forest is the definition of planted trees in semi-natural forests and in plantations, productive and protective, which form a larger unified area of more than 0.5 ha. Establishing large blocks of high-input tree plantations may have either positive or negative impacts on local communities depending on the implementation of the plantation activities. Whether or not plantations increase or decrease employment and benefit local livelihoods depend on the activities they replace and in the way the wood is processed. The planted forests owned by smallholders are more diverse than large-scale plantations. This is partly a consequence of varying management techniques and assets available. An independent smallholder is usually self-supporting, producing edible crops alongside the planted forests. The use of trees in combination with field crop production has in several cases shown to improve the productivity of agriculture crops. Agroforestry is a land-use system where woody perennials (trees, shrubs, palms, bamboo etc.) are produced and managed on the same land-unit as agriculture (field crop and animal husbandry), horticulture and/or aquaculture production in some form of spatial or temporal sequence Many examples are presented in this chapter of planted forests that provide products, services and income opportunities to poor communities and at the same time meet environmental objectives.