cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessing measurement invariance of familism and parental respect across race/ethnicity in adolescents

Familism and parental respect are culturally derived constructs rooted in Hispanic and Asian cultures, respectively. Measures of these constructs have been utilized in research and found to predict delays in substance use initiation and reduced levels of use. However, given that these measures are explicitly designed to tap constructs that are considered important by different racial/ethnic groups, there is a risk that the measurement properties may not be equivalent across groups. This study evaluated the measurement equivalence of measures of familism and parental respect in a large and diverse sample of middle school students in Southern California (n = 5646) using a multiple group confirmatory factor analysis approach. Results showed little evidence of measurement variance across four racial/ethnic groups (African American, Hispanic, Asian, and non-Hispanic White), supporting the continued use of these measures in diverse populations. Some differences between latent variable means were identified – specifically that the Hispanic group and the white group differed on familism. No evidence of invariance was found. However, the item distributions were highly positively skewed, indicating a tendency for youth to endorse the most positive response, which may reduce the reliability of the measures and suggests that refinement is possible.
Familiarity is related to conceptual implicit memory: An examination of individual differences

Explicit memory is thought to be distinct from implicit memory. However, growing evidence has indicated that explicit familiarity-based recognition memory judgments rely on the same process that supports conceptual implicit memory. We tested this hypothesis by examining individual differences using a paradigm wherein we measured both familiarity and conceptual implicit memory within the same participants. In Experiments 1a and 1b, we examined recognition memory confidence ROCs and remember/know responses, respectively, to estimate recollection and familiarity, and used a free association task to measure conceptual implicit memory. The results demonstrated that, across participants, familiarity, but not recollection, was significantly correlated with conceptual priming. In contrast, in Experiment 2, utilizing a similar paradigm, a comparison of recognition memory ROCs and explicit associative cued-recall performance indicated that cued recall was related to both recollection and familiarity. These results are consistent with models assuming that familiarity-based recognition and conceptual implicit memory rely on similar underlying processes.
Electrochemical reduction of the bis(cyclo-octadiene)rhodium monocation: generation and fate of the 17-electron radical

The electrochemical reduction of the monocation of bis-(cyclo-octadiene)Rh[(COD)2Rh+] has been studied in chlorinated hydrocarbons and d6-acetone by cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry and exhaustive coulometry. Successive one-electron reductions are observed for the couples (COD)2Rh+/(COD)2Rh and (COD)2Rh/(COD)2Rh− at -1.34 V vs. Fc and -1.93 V vs. Fc respectively. The 17-electron Rh(0) radical (COD)2Rh abstracts a Cl atom from CH2Cl2 to give the dinuclear complex [(COD)Rh(μ-Cl)]2 in high yield at 298 K. At subambient temperatures this reaction is suppressed and the dominant decomposition product is apparently (COD)Rh(C8H13), formed by H atom abstraction by (COD)2Rh from solvent and/or adventitious water. Electrolysis products were characterized by electron spin resonance (ESR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectrometry. The reactivity of the radical is rationalized by a bonding model in which the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) is dx2−y2 with some diolefin mixing. ESR measurements are consistent with this model and suggest that the COD ligands form a ligand field around Rh which is closer to square planar than to tetrahedral.
Intracerebral hemorrhage-induced neuronal death.

Objective The mechanisms underlying neural injury in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) remain uncertain. The present two-part study investigated cell death in the region of ICH and its association with caspase-3 activation. Methods ICH was produced in adult rats by injection of 100 microl of autologous blood or saline into the right basal ganglia. The animals' brains were removed at 6 hours or at 1, 3, 7, or 14 days after hemorrhage. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate-biotin in situ nick end-labeling (TUNEL) was used to detect deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fragmentation. TUNEL-positive cells were quantified. Caspase-3 activation was measured by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Double labeling was used to compare TUNEL with caspase-3 distribution and to identify the cell types affected. TUNEL-positive cells were also quantified at 6 hours, 1 day, and 3 days after injection of 5 U of thrombin into the right basal ganglion. Results At 6 hours, TUNEL-positive cells appeared in the ICH model (but not in the saline control brains) and were present for more than 2 weeks after ICH, peaking at 3 days. Western blot analysis revealed that the increase in immunoreactivity for the activated caspase-3 precedes that of DNA fragmentation, peaking at 1 day after ICH and declining thereafter. Immunohistochemistry analysis showed nucleus translocation of caspase-3 after ICH. Double-labeling studies demonstrated that both neurons and astrocytes surrounding the clot were TUNEL-positive. In addition, TUNEL and caspase-3 were colocalized in the same cells. Intracerebral thrombin injection elicited DNA fragmentation similar to that observed after the injection of blood. Conclusion Double-strand breaks in genomic DNA and induction of caspase-3 were demonstrated adjacent to parenchymal hematoma in the animals' brains. These results provide evidence that cell loss after ICH is associated with activation of caspase-3.
Continuity of psychopathology in a community sample of adolescents.

ABSTRACT Objective To examine the continuity between the primary (first) diagnosis and secondary (second) diagnosis of those adolescents who have more than one episode of psychiatric disorder. Data were examined to determine whether the second episode “breeds true” (i.e., remains within the same diagnostic category as the first) or involves a different disorder. Method The sample consisted of 236 youngsters selected from the larger (n = 1,507) population of adolescents (aged 14 through 18 years) from the Oregon Adolescent Depression Project who had been assessed on two occasions, approximately 1 year apart. Results Results support the continuity hypothesis for the categories of disorder studied (major depression, anxiety, disruptive, substance use), with the exception of dysthymia. Primary dysthymia did not result in the diagnosis of secondary dysthymia, because most adolescents who had dysthymia had not recovered within the time frame of the study and were chronic cases, often with secondary anxiety. Also presented are data on age of onset of disorder (lowest for anxiety and highest for substance use) and information on remission intervals between episodes (well time) (lowest for substance use and highest for anxiety). Conclusion The findings are interpreted as providing support for the “breed true” hypothesis, although clearly not all second episodes are identical with the first. While the psychosocial factors examined did not predict the nature of the second disorder, this clearly needs further study.
Chromosomal aberrations and sister-chromatid exchanges in tool and die workers.

Abstract Because tool and die workers are exposed to a number of potentially genotoxic agents, including mutagenic metals, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, and nitrosamines, and may be at increased cancer risk, the present study was undertaken to test whether chromosomal damage in peripheral blood cells is associated with work in the tool and die industry. Lymphocyte cultures were established from 27 tool and die fabrication workers from one manufacturing plant who had worked in the trade for more than 15 years. 15 of these workers also had some form of malignancy at the time of the study, but had not been treated with radiation or chemotherapies that could themselves induce chromosomal damage. The frequencies of chromosomal aberrations and sister-chromatid exchanges (SCEs) were measured in workers and the data compared with those of a control group consisting of 7 non-fabrication workers from the same plant and 8 age-matched community controls. In addition, the relative rates of lymphocyte proliferation were estimated for each group by analyzing the percentages of first-, second- and third-division mitotic cells after 72 h of culture. The results of the chromosomal studies show that tool and die workers have significantly increased frequencies of aberrations whether engaged in fabrication work or not, compared to control subjects. The frequency of SCEs and the frequencies of 1st, 2nd and 3rd division figures are not different among the study groups. Among workers who are engaged in fabrication, including those who are cancer patients, the frequency of more complex aberrations (i.e., interstitial deletions and small acentric fragments) is increased. In a five-year follow-up of these workers, 2 of the 13 workers with these aberrations developed some form of colon cancer. Whether the presence of interstitial deletions and small acentric fragments is related to the occupation of these workers, or is tangentially related to the development of cancer, is presently under consideration.
Narcissistic traits scale: validity evidence and sex differences in narcissism

Abstract A previous failure to observe sex differences in the Narcissistic Traits Scale (NTS) was reexamined by assessing both the validity of the NTS and the degree to which it measured maladaptive as opposed to adaptive narcissism. Correlations with age, depression, anxiety, other measures of narcissism and self-immaturity, and emotional and cognitive empathy all supported the validity of the NTS as an index of mostly unhealthy self-functioning. Males in fact proved to be higher in the specifically more maladjusted aspects of narcissism. Most generally, this investigation once again documented the complexity of self-reported narcissism.
Dielectric and Piezoelectric Properties of Barium Titanate

The dielectric constant and loss of barium titanate and barium-strontium titanate have been measured at biasing field strengths from 0 to 5 megavolts per meter, at temperatures from -50\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C to +135\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C and at frequencies from 0.1 to 25 megacycles. The measurements versus temperature indicate the expected agreement with the Curie-Weiss law at temperatures above the Curie point. Measurements versus field strength indicate that the electric field intensity can be expressed as a simple function of the electric displacement, consisting of a linear and a cubic term. At temperatures below the Curie point the results are more complicated, presumably because there are spontaneously polarized domains which give rise to hysteresis and remanence. At field strengths low enough to avoid hysteresis and remanent polarization, no anomalies in the dielectric characteristics versus frequency have been observed. When polarized, however, by a momentary application of a strong d.c. field, a resonance spectrum appears in these ceramics. These resonances are attributed to a piezoelectric effect which exists only in the polarized samples. The piezoelectric voltage developed upon squeezing a specimen of polarized barium titanate has been measured directly with a vacuum tube electrometer. Both the longitudinal effect (electric field parallel to mechanical stress) and the transverse effect (field perpendicular to stress) have been observed.
EVIDENCE FOR CHARGE INDEPENDENCE IN MEDIUM WEIGHT NUCLEI

The neutron spectra from the V/sup 51/(p,n)Cr/sup 51/ reaction exhibit a peak at a Cr/sup 51/ excitation energy of 6.5 Mev. The properties of this peak suggest that a direct, chargeindependent, charge-exchange reaction occurs in this region to a Cr/sup 51/ state that is analogous to the V/sup 51/ initial state. Charge independence is shown to imply that the Qvalue for the reaction to the analogous final state equals the Coulomb energy difference DELTA E/sub c/ between the initial and final nuclei. Q- and DELTA E/sub c/ -values are found to agree closely for (p,n) reactions on V/sup 51/, Fe/sup 56/, and Co/sup 59/. (T.F.H.)
Optical fiber packaging by lead (Pb)-free solder in V-grooves

Abstract Etched V-grooves along the [1 1 0] direction on (0 0 1) surface of Si wafers have been used to achieve high precision alignment between fibers in opto-electronic devices by epoxy-bonding. Nevertheless, the positioning of fibers using epoxy-bonding lacks long-term stability. We developed a novel technology of using metallic solder bonding instead of the organic epoxy-bonding. The challenge is because of the fact that solder does not wet SiO 2 surface. To circumvent this problem, electron-beam evaporation was used to deposit a multi-layered metallic coating on the surfaces of fibers and V-grooved chips. Three types of coatings were investigated, and they are Ti/Au, Ti/Cu/Au, and Ti/Ni/Au. These metallic film coatings have good adhesion on the fiber and the V-groove. We utilized a low melting point Pb-free solder, eutectic 43Sn57Bi (in wt.%), with a melting point of 139 °C to bond an array of fibers to V-grooved chips. The mechanical and optical tests illustrated that we can achieve precision alignment of fibers by the soldering method and the bonded structure is stable at room temperature. The metallic solder bonding can be hermetic and it can isolate the optical device from ambient environment.
Technical Advances Toward an Endoscopic–Phototransducer Approach to Investigation of Velopharyngeal Physiology

Purpose This study aimed to examine the response characteristics of a new generation phototransducer and to test new recording and processing procedures when used with endoscopy to track velopharyn...
The political economics of investment Utopia: public–private partnerships for urban infrastructure finance

This article explores the policy disconnect between the pursuit of private investment return and the public desire for enhanced social value from public–private partnership (P3) investments in urban infrastructure. Investors view infrastructure finance as an opportunity for relatively safe, high-return investing. But infrastructure-financing architecture to achieve high private returns frequently clashes with financing models that sustain long-term social benefits. The full implications of relational tensions in the structuring of P3s are analyzed. The principal policy conclusion is that, because of these tensions, the use of P3s for this purpose should be restricted.
Institutions and deviance: Art and psychiatry

Deviance is esteemed in the art world, and all great artists have broken with the traditions that preceded them and rebelled against their contemporaries. Yet in society deviance is more often than not condemned. Our apparently contradictory attitudes toward artistic and social deviance are explicable in light of the conservative nature of institutions and the nature of comprehensibility and psychiatry.
Spatiotemporally separated antigen uptake by alveolar dendritic cells and airway presentation to T cells in the lung

Asthma pathogenesis is focused around conducting airways. The reasons for this focus have been unclear because it has not been possible to track the sites and timing of antigen uptake or subsequent antigen presentation to effector T cells. In this study, we use two-photon microscopy of the lung parenchyma and note accumulation of CD11b+ dendritic cells (DCs) around the airway after allergen challenge but very limited access of these airway-adjacent DCs to the contents of the airspace. In contrast, we observed prevalent transepithelial uptake of particulate antigens by alveolar DCs. These distinct sites are temporally linked, as early antigen uptake in alveoli gives rise to DC and antigen retention in the airway-adjacent region. Antigen-specific T cells also accumulate in the airway-adjacent region after allergen challenge and are activated by the accumulated DCs. Thus, we propose that later airway hyperreactivity results from selective retention of allergen-presenting DCs and antigen-specific T cells in airway-adjacent interaction zones, not from variation in the abilities of individual DCs to survey the lung.
BarleyExpress: a web-based submission tool for enriched microarray database annotations

Summary: BarleyExpress is a web-based microarray experiment data submission tool for BarleyBase, a public data resource of Affymetrix GeneChip® data for plants. BarleyExpress uses the Plant Ontology vocabularies and enhances the MIAME guidelines to standardize the annotation of microarray gene expression experiments. In addition, BarleyExpress provides explicit support for factorial experiment design and template loading methods to ease the submission process for large experiments. Availability: http://barleybase.org Contact: julied@iastate.edu Supplementary information: BarleyExpress Users Manual.
Teaching microcontrollers with hands-on hardware experiments

The Department of Computing and Math Sciences at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi has developed a Digital Systems Laboratory that affords Computer Science and Engineering Technology students state-of-the-art training tools. This paper presents the major components of the laboratory and describes one of the hands-on software and hardware experiments developed for teaching a senior-level course in microprocessors and microcontrollers.
The Roman Inquisition: A Papal Bureaucracy and Its Laws in the Age of Galileo. By Thomas F. Mayer. (Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2013. Pp. vii, 385. $79.95.)

Specialists in the field of early modern European papal governance and canon law will eagerly welcome this author's new book, but it will not appeal much to casual readers interested in the darker ...
The Performing Prince

Earlier this year I turned on the BBC television World Service to find an image of Prince Harry, the younger of the future crown princes of Great Britain, astride a polo pony in an exhibition game of polo at the Meadowbrook Club in Long Island. He was making a brief ceremonial visit to New York to lay a wreath at the site of Ground Zero and followed it up with some interviews and this unusual match. Now polo is not a national game in Britain like cricket or football (soccer and/or rugger). It is mostly played under the auspices of private clubs and ordinary folk will only see it if it is screened because a member of the royal family is playing. The game is an archaic revival, originating in central Asia, brought to Britain from India in the nineteenth century and since modified. I would say that as an expensive game and a team game for the elite it is highly appropriate to a young prince, especially as it requires swift reflexes and skilled horsemanship. It invites comparison with the Lusus Troiae (‘‘Troy Game’’) re-introduced to Rome by Caesar, a ritual event in which elite Roman youth performed intricate choreographed manoeuvres on horseback (Suetonius, Divus Julius 39). Suetonius pointedly says that Augustus put on the Troy Game because he thought it a becoming and ancient practice for the nature of elite families to make itself known (notescere): so the game was directed to the self-presentation of future nobles and princes to the people of Rome (Divus Augustus 43.2). Virgil features the first instance of this game, its etiology so to speak, as a tradition of the Julian gens in Aeneid 5.548–78. The point I want to make is that monarchies – new or established – develop an appropriate training for their princes, and an appropriate way for the young men to be presented to their subjects. The princes William and Harry both followed their public
Expression of type I adenylyl cyclase in intrinsic pathways of the hippocampal formation of the macaque (Macaca nemestrina).

The mossy fiber pathway of the hippocampal formation and type 1 adenylyl cyclase (AC1) have been implicated in long-term potentiation and memory function. Using immunohistochemical labeling and light microscopy we demonstrated intense labeling of AC1 in the mossy fibers and less intense labeling in the molecular layers of both the dentate gyrus and fields CA1, CA2 and CA3 of the hippocampus, i.e. in terminal fields of the perforant pathway. These findings indicate that, in the non-human primate, AC1 is found in the mossy fibers and in terminal fields of the perforant pathway where it may play a role in long term potentiation similar to that demonstrated in the rodent.
Subtrochanteric valgus osteotomy for chronically dislocated, painful spastic hips.

BACKGROUND: Many treatments have been proposed for a painful chronically dislocated hip in a child with spasticity who is unable to walk. The valgus subtrochanteric femoral osteotomy was originally described as a treatment for a missed congenital hip dislocation in a young adult who was able to walk. The purpose of this study was to investigate the outcomes of a modified Hass subtrochanteric valgus osteotomy for the treatment of symptomatic chronic hip dislocations in patients with spasticity due to neuromuscular disorders. METHODS: Patients were identified by surgical codes. Medical records were reviewed for surgical indications, complications, and results. Preoperative and postoperative radiographs were assessed. Caregivers were contacted and asked to complete a brief survey detailing the pain that the patient experienced with daily activities before and after surgery as well as other information. RESULTS: Thirty-one Hass osteotomies in twenty-four consecutive patients were performed by one surgeon between 1995 and 2005. Although fifteen patients (63%) had at least one complication (including urinary tract infection, pneumonia, hardware failure, and heterotopic bone formation), the majority of the patients were doing well at an average of forty-four months postoperatively. The duration for which the patient could sit, ease of transfers, and ease of diaper changes had all improved according to the caregivers. Fourteen of fifteen caregivers who replied to the question stated that they were satisfied with the operative results and would have the procedure done again if they had the decision to make. CONCLUSIONS: The modified Hass osteotomy provides children who have symptomatic hip dislocations due to neuromuscular disorders with reproducible pain relief and improves ease of positioning by their caregivers. The complication rate, although high, was comparable with that of similar surgical procedures in this patient population. Concurrent femoral head resection at the time of the proximal femoral osteotomy was not necessary in this group of patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence. ORIGINAL ABSTRACT CITATION: “Subtrochanteric Valgus Osteotomy for Chronically Dislocated, Painful Spastic Hips” (2006;88:[2624-31][1]). [1]: /lookup/volpage/88/2624
Optical control of protein activity by fluorescent protein domains

Fluorescent proteins (FPs) are widely used as optical sensors, whereas other light-absorbing domains have been used for optical control of protein localization or activity. Here, we describe light-dependent dissociation and association in a mutant of the photochromic FP Dronpa, and we used it to control protein activities with light. We created a fluorescent light-inducible protein design in which Dronpa domains are fused to both termini of an enzyme domain. In the dark, the Dronpa domains associate and cage the protein, but light induces Dronpa dissociation and activates the protein. This method enabled optical control over guanine nucleotide exchange factor and protease domains without extensive screening. Our findings extend the applications of FPs from exclusively sensing functions to also encompass optogenetic control.
Inpatient treatment for war‐related post‐traumatic stress disorder: Initial findings on a longer‐term outcome study

Symptom checklists and a follow-up questionnaire were mailed to the first 180 graduates of an inpatient Post Traumatic Stress Treatment program. Eighty-six of the 180 responded to the survey. Their responses were compared to measures obtained on them while they were inpatients at the treatment program. Significant differences were found on one symptom checklist, while positive trends toward symptom reduction were noted on another. Demographic characteristics of the respondents were discussed, as were responses to open-ended questions regarding in what ways the program helped most and least. Changes in a positive direction were noted in the area of self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, and symptoms of numbing and arousal. PTSD-related intrusive symptoms had the least clear-cut improvement. Implications of these findings for inpatient treatment and aftercare are reviewed, with suggestions for future applied research.
COMPARISON OF MINIMAL MEDIA AND INOCULUM CONCENTRATION TO DECREASE THE LYSINE GROWTH ASSAY RESPONSE TIME OF AN ESCHERICHIA COLI LYSINE AUXOTROPH MUTANT

Abstract Microbiological assays involving an Escherichia coli lysine auxotroph have been developed previously for the estimation of lysine bioavailability. To facilitate routine use of an auxotrophic E. coli lysine mutant for a microbial assay, our objectives in this study were to improve the assay with respect to shortening the assay time via increasing inoculum levels, and examine two different minimal media, a minimal salts medium (M9) and a more extensively supplemented minimal medium (DM). The maximum optical density (MOD) response of the E. coli in M9 medium was significantly (p < 0.05) lower than the MOD in the DM medium. However, the time to reach MOD in M9 medium was significantly (p < 0.05) shortened when compared to the time in the DM medium. The total assay time was also significantly shortened from a mean time 13.98 h to 8.19 h by using higher inoculum levels. The results from the study indicated that the E. coli lysine auxotroph bioassay time is shortened by cultivation of the assay bacteria in a more minimal medium and utilization of a more concentrated inocula.
The efficacy of catheters coated with minocycline and rifampin in the prevention of catheter-related bacteremia in cancer patients receiving high-dose interleukin-2

Summary High-dose interleukin-2 (HDIL-2) has proven to be an effective treatment for metastatic renal cell carcinoma and melanoma. Previous studies have shown an increase in catheter-related bacteremia (CRB) in patients on HDIL-2. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of minocycline and rifampin-coated catheters (M/R-C) in reducing CRB in cancer patients on HDIL-2. This was a retrospective study where non-coated catheters (NC-C) and M/R-C were used for the administration of HDIL-2 before and after December 2004, respectively. Data collected included demographics, cancer type, catheter type, antibiotic prophylaxis, and infection rates. A total of 107 episodes of catheter use for HDIL-2 were evaluated in 78 patients (30 episodes in patients with M/R-C vs. 77 with NC-C). A total of nine episodes of CRB were identified, all in patients with NC-C (M/R-C 0% vs. NC-C 12%; p = 0.06). The median time to bacteremia was 11 days (range 1–315 days). A log-rank test showed a trend that the M/R-C group had lower probability of getting CRB than the NC-C group ( p =0.06). The use of M/R-C in patients on HDIL-2 therapy for advanced melanoma and renal cell carcinoma may have reduced the risk of CRB to nil. CRB still occurred despite antibiotic prophylaxis in patients with NC-C.
Experimental Diabetes Increases Insulinlike Growth Factor I and II Receptor Concentration and Gene Expression in Kidney

Insulinlike growth factor I (IGF-I) is a mitogenic hormone with important regulatory roles in growth and development. One of the target organs for IGF-I action is the kidney, which synthesizes abundant IGF-I receptors and IGF-I itself. To study the involvement of IGF-I and the IGF-I receptor in the development of nephropathy, one of the major complications of diabetes mellitus, we measured the expression of these genes in the kidney and in other tissues of the streptozocin-induced diabetic rat. The binding of 125 I-labeled IGF-I to crude membranes was measured in the same tissues. We observed a 2.5-fold increase in the steady-state level of IGF-I–receptor mRNA in the diabetic kidney, which was accompanied by a 2.3-fold increase in IGF-I binding. In addition to this increase in IGF-I binding to the IGF-I receptor, there was also binding to a lower-molecular-weight material that may represent an IGF-binding protein. No change was detected in the level of IGF-I–peptide mRNA. Similarly, IGF-II–receptor mRNA levels and IGF-II binding were significantly increased in the diabetic kidney. IGF-I– and IGF-II-receptor mRNA levels and IGF-I and IGF-II binding returned to control values after insulin treatment. Because the IGF-I receptor is able to transduce mitogenic signals on activation of its tyrosine kinase domain, we hypothesize that, among other factors, high levels of receptor in the diabetic kidney may also be involved in the development of diabetic nephropathy. Increased IGF-II–receptor expression in the diabetic kidney may be important for the intracellular transport and packaging of lysosomal enzymes, although a role for this receptor in signal transduction cannot be excluded. Finally, the possible role of IGF-binding proteins requires further study.
Correlation between the effect of sonic irradiation on the microfibrils of chitin and cellulose and the polarity of their chains

The effect of sonication on the morphology of microfibrils of chitins and celluloses was correlated with the polarity of their constituent chains. For given conditions, fibrillation of the microfibrils takes place when the polarity of the chains is antiparallel but not when it is parallel. If this correlation may be extended to cases of unknown structure, it permits an inference about the parallelity or antiparallelity of the chains of samples of both polymers where polarity cannot be determined directly.
Cysteine-191 in aspartate aminotransferases appears to be conserved due to the lack of a neutral mutation pathway to the functional equivalent, alanine-191.

It was previously suggested that the conserved Cys-191 of aspartate aminotransferases (AATases) is conserved, not because it is essential, but because it is frozen in the sequence, with no neutral corridor to traverse to the similar phenotype of Ala-191 (Gloss et al., Biochemistry 31:32–39, 1992). This hypothesis has now been tested by additional mutations. All possible one-base mutations from Cys were made at position 191. All of these variants display kinetic parameters (kcat and kcat/KM values) that differ from the wild-type enzyme by 30% or more. The non-conserved cysteines that are predominantly Ala in other AATase sequences (Cys-82, Cys-192, and Cys-401) were mutated to Ser to test the corollary that a neutral Cys → Ala corridor does exist for these positions. These Cys → Ser mutations yielded enzymes with wild-type-like kinetic parameters. The pKa values of the internal aldimines of the mutants, Cys-191 → Ser, Phe, Tyr, and Trp are higher than that of wild type by 0.6–0.8 pH units. The stabilities to urea denaturation of the Cys-191 mutants are similar to that of wild type, while those of the non-conserved cysteines show greater variation. Examination of the three-dimensional environment of the five cysteines showed that the van der Waals contacts of Cys-191 are more conserved than are those of the non-conserved cysteines. These data provide further support for the above hypothesis.
Centimetric sea surface height accuracy using the Wide-Swath Ocean altimeter

In this paper, we present error sources and predicted performance of the Wide-Swath Ocean altimeter, an instrument which has been proposed as an experiment for the NASA/CNES Ocean Surface Topography Mission. The data obtained by this instrument will allow the detailed study of ocean mesoscale phenomena, with a space-time resolution which cannot be achieved by a single conventional nadir altimeter.
Instabilities in boundary-layer flows on a curved surface

Recent theoretical findings show that the curvature of streamsurfaces naturally warping in the crossflow direction of a three-dimensional boundary layer can maintain centrifugal forces, provoking unsteady short-scaled vortices. The wave/vortex eigenmode coupling takes place in the linear stage of disturbance evolution and results in streamwise absolute instability. The two-dimensional flow past a curved cylindrical surface under consideration here provides an example where centrifugal forces are associated with the fixed curvature of a solid wall bending in the direction of the main stream. The spiral-type Gortler vortices develop in proximity to the surface and their interaction with the Tollmien–Schlichting eigenmodes creates a mechanism driving disturbances both downstream and upstream of a perturbing agency. The vortex eigenmodes arising from centrifugal forces are balanced out by the normal-to-wall pressure gradient. Some higher-order terms need to be kept in its expansion to achieve the modal coupling. As a consequence, a side band appears in the spectra of eigen-frequencies and wavenumbers featuring the classical triple-deck scheme. The extended composite asymptotic model proves to be self-consistent, with the Cauchy problem well-posed in the limit of large Reynolds numbers. It follows from the extended model that the boundary layer on a concave surface, much like the one with crossflow, suffers absolute instability in the streamwise direction. This unusual property may lead to earlier transition or, conversely, be exploited to artificially excite the nonlinear vortex structures with delayed transition.
Exact C-function and C-theorem on affine-Virasoro space

Abstract An exact C-function which is an action for the Virasoro master equation, is obtained on affine-Virasoro space. The solutions of the master equation are fixed points of an associated flow, which obeys a C-theorem. The closed sub-flow SO( n ) diag a flow on the space of graphs and the associated Morse polynomials are known generating functions in graph theory. The general flow also implies a method for prediction of sporadic conformal deformations. We note the resemblance of this system to the expected form of an exact renormalization group equation.
Current and recurrent challenges in human resource management

This article reviews recent research progress and identifies future research needs relevant to two somewhat different constituencies in HRM: the HR executive, and the operating level HR manager. Issues primarily of concern to the former include attuning HR policies to the organization's strategy, managing human resources in an international context, dealing with mergers and acquisitions, and downsizing. Researchers have just begun to explore these critical problems, and much remains to be done. Daily issues of more concern to operating level HR practitioners include selection, training, compensation, and performance appraisal. These topics have been much more thoroughly researched, though existing knowledge is not being applied as well as it could be.
First Report of Pythium Root Rot of Rau Ram (Polygonum odoratum).

Polygonum odoratum (= Persicaria odorata), known as rau ram or sang hum, is native to southeastern Asia and is a common herb in Vietnamese cuisine (1). It has been studied most extensively for its aromatic compound content (2). In Florida, rau ram commonly is grown hydroponically in greenhouses using large, cement beds with recirculated water. The plants form dense mats from which new growth is trimmed for market. During January of 2002, a severe dieback was observed in one production house in Saint Lucie County, FL. Plants with less severe symptoms were yellowed and stunted. Roots of symptomatic plants were largely decayed with root symptoms beginning as a tip necrosis. The cortex of severely affected roots slipped off easily, leaving a stringy vascular system. Plating of symptomatic tissue from 20 randomly selected plant samples was performed with multiple general and selective media including potato dextrose agar, corn meal agar with pimaricin, ampicillin, rifampicin, and pentachloronitrobenzene (PARP)...
Differential sensitivity of exchange vessel hydraulic conductivity to atrial natriuretic peptide.

Acute plasma volume reduction by atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) may be mediated, at least in part, by increased exchange vessel water conductivity (Lp). The present study tests the hypothesis that physiological levels of ANP acutely and reversibly elevate single capillary Lp. Paired, in situ measurements of Lp were obtained using the modified Landis technique in individually perfused mesenteric capillaries of the frog, Rana pipiens. Control Lp measurements ranged from 0.1 to 40 x 10(-7) cm.s-1.cmH2O-1 (with a median value of 2.5 x 10(-7] in 81 microvessels perfused with frog Ringer solution containing dialyzed bovine serum albumin. Vessels were recannulated and perfused with one or more concentrations of human ANP (hANP) spanning the physiopathological range: 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10, and 100 nM. When possible, a final recannulation and Lp determination was performed in the absence of hANP. A median 2.2-fold rapid Lp increase was observed compared with control at each peptide concentration. Lp changes persisted for the duration of exposure to hANP, returning to control levels on withdrawal of the peptide. True and venular capillaries exhibited similar Lp responses: median 2.2- and 2.4-fold elevations, respectively. Sixty percent of true and venular capillaries exhibited twofold or greater hANP-induced increases in Lp, whereas only 25% of arteriolar capillaries exhibited such a response. Thus a differential sensitivity to the peptide exists across the exchange vessel network. The observations of this study demonstrate that physiological levels of ANP are capable of modulating exchange vessel Lp, one means by which the peptide may acutely alter plasma volume.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia Monocytes Uniformly Display a Population of Monocytes With CD11c Underexpression

Objectives: To examine the utility of CD11c expression on monocytes in normal controls and patients with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) (n = 23) with flow cytometric immunophenotyping. Methods: Twenty-three CMML samples and 10 control bone marrows submitted for lymphoma staging without evidence of disease were examined. Results: Monocytes in CMML samples ranged from 4% to 35%. Expression of at least one aberrant monocytic marker was found on the monocytes in 18 (82%) of 22 evaluable cases. The most common aberrancy was underexpression of CD11c (n = 15), while none of the bone marrow controls showed underexpression of CD11c. Conclusions: A distinct heterogeneous population of monocytic cells with underexpression of CD11c was identified in all these cases. CD11c underexpression was independent of other aberrancies, including HLA-DR underexpression (n = 14), aberrant CD56 expression (n = 11), and underexpression of CD33, CD38, and CD14 (n = 6, 5, and 5, respectively), supporting the utility of CD11c expression status on monocytes in establishing a CMML
Recognition of apoptotic cells by viable cells is specific, ubiquitous, and species independent: analysis using photonic crystal biosensors

Apoptotic recognition is innate and linked to a profound immune regulation (innate apoptotic immunity (IAI)) involving anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive re- sponses. Many of the molecular and mechanistic details of this response remain elusive. Although immune outcomes can be quantified readily, the initial specific recognition events have been difficult to assess. We developed a sensitive, real-time method to detect the rec- ognition of apoptotic cells by viable adherent responder cells, using a photonic crystal bio- sensor approach. The method relies on characteristic spectral shifts resulting from the spe- cific recognition and dose-dependent interaction of adherent responder cells with nonadherent apoptotic targets. Of note, the biosensor provides a readout of early recogni- tion-specific events in responder cells that occur distal to the biosensor surface. We find that innate apoptotic cell recognition occurs in a strikingly species-independent manner, consis- tent with our previous work and inferences drawn from indirect assays. Our studies indicate obligate cytoskeletal involvement, although apoptotic cell phagocytosis is not involved. Because it is a direct, objective, and quantitative readout of recognition exclusively, this bio- sensor approach affords a methodology with which to dissect the early recognition events associated with IAI and immunosuppression.
An antidote for Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the leading cause of bacterial infections in the United States. Severe invasive MRSA infections, which include pneumonia, are difficult to treat because the bacteria are resistant to antibiotics. A new report now shows that immunization against α-hemolysin (Hla), a cytolytic toxin secreted by most S. aureus strains, protects mice against lethal pneumonia. This finding represents the first successful vaccine strategy for the treatment of staphylococcal pneumonia.
Using KML and Virtual Globes to Access and Visualize Heterogeneous Datasets and Explore Their Relationships Along the A-Train Tracks

Keyhole Markup Language (KML), the de facto standard for representing, visualizing and transmitting geospatial data on Virtual Globes, lately approved by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), Inc., has been widely used by the Earth Science communities. Most of the popular virtual globe systems, such as Google Earth and Microsoft Virtual Earth support KML format. This new online approach is changing the way in which scientists and the general public interact with three-dimensional geospatial data in a virtual environment. The so-called A-Train, a series of seven U.S. and international Sun-synchronous satellites, flying in tight formation just seconds to minutes apart, across the local afternoon equator, has been producing abundant measurements of vertical profiles of atmospheric parameters. This paper first discusses the key technical points for access to and visualization of three-dimensional Earth science data by using KML and Virtual Globes. Then, the Virtual Globes are taken as a virtual three-dimensional platform to synergize horizontal data and vertical profiles along the A-Train tracks to explore the scientific relationships among multiple physical phenomena. Two kinds of scientific scenarios are investigated: a) The relationships among cloud, aerosol and atmospheric temperature, and b) the relationships among cloud, wind and precipitation. The seamless visualization and synergy of multiple versatile datasets facilitate scientists to easily explore and find critical relationships between some phenomena that would not be easily found otherwise.
Assessing the impacts of climate change and tillage practices on stream flow, crop and sediment yields from the Mississippi River Basin

Abstract This study evaluated climate change impacts on stream flow, crop and sediment yields from three different tillage systems (conventional, reduced 1–close to conservation, and reduced 2–close to no-till), in the Big Sunflower River Watershed (BSRW) in Mississippi. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was applied to the BSRW using observed stream flow and crop yields data. The model was calibrated and validated successfully using monthly stream flow data (2001–2011). The model performances showed the regression coefficient (R2) from 0.72 to 0.82 and Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency index (NSE) from 0.70 to 0.81 for streamflow; R2 from 0.40 to 0.50 and NSE from 0.72 to 0.86 for corn yields; and R2 from 0.43 to 0.59 and NSE from 0.48 to 0.57 for soybeans yields. The Long Ashton Research Station Weather Generator (LARS-WG), was used to generate future climate scenarios. The SRES (Special Report on Emissions Scenarios) A1B, A2, and B1 climate change scenarios of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) were simulated for the mid (2046–2065) and late (2080–2099) century. Model outputs showed slight differences among tillage practices for corn and soybean yields. However, model simulated sediment yield results indicated a large difference among the tillage practices from the corn and soybean crop fields. The simulated future average maximum temperature showed as high as 4.8 °C increase in the BSRW. Monthly precipitation patterns will remain un-changed based on simulated future climate scenarios except for an increase in the frequency of extreme rainfall events occurring in the watershed. On average, the effect of climate change and tillage practice together did not show notable changes to the future crop yields. The reduced tillage 2 practices showed the highest responses of erosion control to climate change followed by the reduced tillage 1 and conventional tillage in this study.
A New Discounting Model for Teaching Finance

The mathematics of continuous compounding is not limited to the valuation of continuously compounded financial instruments and flow annuities, but rather it is a versatile and robust model that may be used for valuation of all financial contracts normally encountered. It consists of a simple, consistent, coherent and conceptually appealing set of equations that apply without modification to the complete range of applications. The discrete stepwise model of compounding, by contrast, is a redundant innovation that is more complicated than the generalized model and limited in scope.
Abnormal Data Resisting Method in Digital Substation

One of the main differences between digital substation and conventional substation is the application of electronic transformer. In the substation electromagnetic environment,the occasional output abnormal data of electronic transformer will lead to incorrect behaviors of protections,and reduce the reliability of power supply. According to the characteristics for the abnormal data of electronic current transformer,an abnormal data resisting method based on sampling data amplitude comparison is proposed. The simulation results and practical engineering applications show that the proposed method has high reliability without influencing the action speed of protection.
A hybrid adaptive observer for the speed and flux estimation of induction motors

The paper presents a speed adaptive observer for the induction motor (IM) drive that can be used in a sensorless implementation. The observer is based on the model of the IM in the stationary reference frame: it uses linear feedback terms to estimate the fluxes and an adaptive law to estimate the speed. The feedback gains are designed using Lyapunov's nonlinear stability method. The investigation finds that the initial design only performs in limited speed range - as the speed increases, the speed estimate of the observer becomes inaccurate. Based on the initial design, the paper develops a hybrid observer: this uses a speed signal as an additional input (this input speed signal is relatively inaccurate - it can be an initial estimate of the motor speed or an estimate of the synchronous speed). It is shown that the hybrid design can be tuned to perform well in wide speed range: it yields relatively accurate estimates of the fluxes and speed. The theoretical developments are supported with simulations and experiments.