cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inhibitory effect of amidino-substituted heterocyclic compounds on the amidase activity of plasmin and of high and low molecular weight urokinase and on urokinase-induced plasminogen activation.

Abstract A number of heterocyclic mono- and diamidines were examined for their inhibitory effect on urokinase and on plasmin. Interaction with both enzymes was competitive in nature, and a comparison of the inhibition constants revealed similarities as well as differences in the binding conditions between the two active sites. The most potent inhibitor in the series was represented by bis (5-amidino-2-benzimidazolyl)methane with Ki values of 2.3 × 10−6 M and 2.6 × 10−6 M for high molecular weight urokinase and plasmin, respectively. The high and low molecular weight forms of urokinase were very similar in their susceptibility to inhibition by amidines. In plasminogen activation assays the inhibitory influence of the compounds did not parallel antiurokinase potency as expressed by the Ki values. This paradoxical behavior is still unexplained, but additional interaction of the compounds with plasminogen has to be considered.
Effect of "in vivo" training on experimental desensitization of a phobia.

2 groups of Ss were treated for phobic reaction to snakes with the method of desensitization based on reciprocal inhibition. The group which received “in vivo” training with the phobic object, in a...
The 6a oxygen of the pterocarpan glycinol is derived from molecular oxygen

Abstract Previous studies on the biosynthesis of pterocarpan phytoalexins in soybean, Glycine max , suggest that one of the late steps in the pathway is aliphatic hydroxylation of 3,9-dihydroxypterocarpan to 3, 6 a , 9-trihydroxypterocarpan (glycinol). We have confirmed this hypothesis by 18 O labelling and tandem mass spectrometry. Glycinol synthesized by UV-irradiated cotyledons in the presence of 18 O 2 contained up to three labelled oxygen atoms per molecule; H 2 , 18 O labelled the remaining two oxygens. One of the atoms labelled by 18 O 2 was the 6 a oxygen. The pathway for biosynthesis of glycinol in soybean thus differs significantly from that for the 6α-hydroxypterocarpan pisatin in pea.
Data transmission over Inmarsat in TCP/IP environment

The International Maritime Satellite (Inmarsat) communication service can be used to provide a wide area network (WAN) connection for a local area network (LAN) to the home LAN from almost anywhere on the earth. The communication link of the WAN connection is achieved through the satellite network of Inmarsat and a land-earth digital telephone network, such as Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN). We determined the throughput data rate of data transmission in the TCP/IP environment over the Inmarsat link and compared it with the throughput data rate over a null-modem link (assumed to be error free) for the WAN connection. We also used the protocol boosters that provide forward error correction for the TCP/IP environment to test the improvement of data transmission over the satellite link. Communication over satellite tends to be noisy and delay prone. However, our analysis shows that the Inmarsat satellite-ISDN link is so reliable that the data transmission rate is nearly an error-free link in the TCP/IP network, and the application of forward error correction on the network causes a reduction in throughput data rate.
Sensitive electrochemical immunoassay for 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene based on functionalized silica nanoparticle labels

Abstract We present a poly(guanine)-functionalized silica nanoparticle (NP) label-based electrochemical immunoassay for sensitively detecting 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT). This immunoassay takes advantage of magnetic bead-based platform for competitive displacement immunoreactions and separation, and use electroactive nanoparticles as labels for signal amplification. For this assay, anti-TNT-coated magnetic beads interacted with TNT analog-conjugated poly(guanine)-silica NPs and formed analog-anti-TNT immunocomplexes on magnetic beads. The immunocomplexes coated magnetic beads were exposed to TNT samples, which resulted in displacing the analog conjugated poly(guanine) silica NPs into solution by TNT. In contrast, there are no guanine residues releasing into the solution in the absence of TNT. The reaction solution was then separated from the magnetic beads and transferred to the electrode surface for electrochemical measurements of guanine oxidation with Ru(bpy) 3 2+ as mediator. The sensitivity of this TNT assay was greatly enhanced through dual signal amplifications: (1) a large amount of guanine residues on silica nanoparticles are introduced into the test solution by displacement immunoreactions and (2) a Ru(bpy) 3 2+ -induced guanine catalytic oxidation further enhances the electrochemical signal. Some experimental parameters for the nanoparticle label-based electrochemical immunoassay were studied and the performance of this assay was evaluated. The method is found to be very sensitive and the detection limit of this assay is ∼0.1 ng mL −1 TNT. The electrochemical immunoassay based on the poly[guanine]-functionalized silica NP label offers a new approach for sensitive detection of explosives.
Appraisal-Coping Goodness of Fit: A Daily Internet Study

Using an Internet daily diary methodology, this study tested the goodness of fit hypothesis, which highlights the importance of the match between controllability appraisals and coping efforts in adjustment to stressful events. For 28 days, 190 undergraduates described their most stressful event and its controllability, how they coped, and their daily positive and negative mood. Individuals demonstrated fit across situations, with control appraisals associated positively with problem-focused coping and negatively with emotional approach coping and avoidance coping. A pooled within-person interaction indicated that problem-focused coping had a stronger positive association with positive mood when dealing with high versus low control stressors. Significant variation also was found in several other within-person interactions between control appraisals and coping, and some evidence was found for the notion that individual differences in the degree of matching coping to control appraisals were associated with p...
Modulation of tendon fibroplasia by exogenous electric currents

A chicken tendon explant model system has been developed to investigate the effects of extremely-low-frequency (ELF), low-amplitude, unipolar, square wave pulsed electric fields on fibroplasia in vitro. An electric field parameter set consisting of 1-Hz, 1-ms duration pulses, with a time-averaged current density of 7 mA/m2 (peak current density 7 A/m2) induced maximal (32%) increase in fibroblast proliferation in tendon explants exposed for 4 days. Exposure to the same field at an average current density of 1.8 mA/m2 had no effect on fibroblast proliferation, whereas exposure to current densities on greater than 10 mA/m2 inhibited proliferation and relative collagen synthesis, without affecting noncollagen protein synthesis. Fibroplasia was significantly increased in explants oriented parallel to applied electric fields having current densities of 3.5 or 7 mA/m2, but there was no detectable effect on explants oriented perpendicular to the same electric field. Fibroblast proliferation and relative collagen synthesis were inversely proportional to donor age for chickens in the 3- to 16-week age group used in this study. For these dependent variables (proliferation and relative collagen synthesis), there was no interaction between donor age and ELF electric field exposure.
Approaches for processing spectral measurements of reflected sunlight for space situational awareness

The proliferation of small, lightweight, 'micro-' and 'nanosatellite' (largest dimension < 1m ) has presented new challenges to the space surveillance community. The small size of these satellites makes them unresolvable by ground-based imaging systems. The core concept of using Non-Imaging Measurements (NIM) to gather information about these objects comes from the fact that after reflection on a satellite surface, the reflected light contains information about the surface materials of the satellite. This approach of using NIM for satellite evaluation is relatively new. In this paper, we discuss the accuracy of using these spectral measurements to match an unknown spectrum to a database containing known spectra. Several approaches have been developed and are presented in this paper. The first method is an artificial neural network designed to process central moments of real measured spectra. This spectrum database is the Spica database provided by the Maui Surveillance Site (MSSS), Hawaii USA and consists in spectra from more than 100 different satellites. The average rate of correct identification is 84%. The second approach is based on the ability of spectral signal processing to estimate relative abundances of materials from the measurement of a single spectrum; this method is called spectral unmixing. Material spectra were provided by the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) to create synthetic spectra. An approach based on the Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm was used to estimate relative abundances and presence of materials in a synthetic spectrum. The results for material identification and abundance estimation are presented as a function of signal-to-noise ratio. For the EM method, the overall correct estimation rate is 95.1% and the average error on the fractional composition estimation is 19.7%.© (2004) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Self-Assembly of 1-D n-Type Nanostructures Based on Naphthalene Diimide-Appended Dipeptides

n-Type 1D nanostructures are formed from the β-sheet assembly of dipeptides bearing a 1,4,5,8-naphthalenetetracarboxylic acid diimide (NDI) side chain into either helical nanofibers or twisted nanoribbons. Amyloid-like 1-D helical nanofibers and twisted nanoribbons assemble in an aqueous solution depending on the placement of the NDI group. β-Sheet-type hydrogen bonding and π−π association play important roles in directing the assembly process. A delicate balance between electrostatic repulsion and hydrophobic interactions is critical for self-assembly. Fluorescence lifetime and anisotropy experiments indicate that the nature of the intermolecular organization and packing within the nanostructures critically impacts intermolecular energy migration π-electron delocalization.
Assessing the use of the brand personality scale in team sport

It has long been recognised that brands have a personality and may have a role in the management of sport brands. Aaker's [(1997) Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 34, No. 3, pp.347?356] brand personality scale (BPS) is perhaps the most notable and groundbreaking measurement tool to assess these characteristics. The current study attempts to examine the applicability, validity and reliability of the BPS in the context of sport. The results of the analysis suggest that the BPS is not fully applicable to the area of sport and further development of the scale is needed in order to improve the reliability and validity. These findings support the previous literature questioning the generalisability of the BPS and provide a number of suggestions for future theoretical development.
Protocol to Include Ecosystem Service Constraints in a Wind Farm Cost Model

AbstractThe Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) has been leading an Ocean Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) aimed at zoning the state’s coastal waters to accommodate offshore wind farm developments. In previous SAMP related work, the authors had considered the wind farm siting issue as an optimization problem between wind resources and technological constraints. In the present analysis, the additional constraints on wind farm siting of ecosystem services “cost”, in particular ecological and social services, are explored in an ecosystem-based management (EBM) conceptual framework. An ecological typology of the coastal area is developed on the basis of ecological variables, using spatial multivariate principal component and cluster analyses. Then, the sensitivity of the resulting ecological subregions to wind farm impact is assessed through the construction of ecological services impact indexes. A fishery service index is used to assess the fisheries services constraints. Ecosystem se...
Familiarity and Group Productivity

The effects of familiarity on group productivity were examined. Familiarity refers to the specific knowledge workers have of their jobs, co-workers, and work environment. In this study of coal-mining crews, absenteeism led to staffing changes that affected the level of familiarity in the work group. Data from 26 crews in two underground coal mines indicate that lower levels of familiarity are associated with lower productivity.
Modeling symmetry, asymmetry, and change in ordered scales with midpoints using adjacent category logit models for discrete data

Likert scales and bipolar adjective scales are often used to measure attitudes and opinions. To model the dependence of the scale on covariates, investigators typically (1) assign interval scores to scale categories, using these in regression analyses; (2) collapse categories to compare responses above and below a middle category; or (3) estimate a model for the cumulative distribution, for example, a proportional odds model. Problems with Approaches (1) and (2) are obvious. However, Approach (3) is not easily used to address the concerns of researchers who work with these scales because cumulative probabilities are employed. Thus, this article constructs adjacent category logit models for analyzing such scales. The models, which incorporate discrete covariates, are linear in the logits, hence equivalent to log-linear models. The Appendix shows how to fit the models using standard software for estimating log-linear models. To illustrate, the author models the distribution of political views in the 1977 General Social Survey by sex and education, as well as a 20-year series on sex rule attitudes, using new model for trends
Ab initio predictions of the lowest electronic states, structures vibrational frequencies of phenylphosphinidene

Abstract The singlet-triplet energy splitting of phenylphosphinidene is predicted to be −21 kcal/mol at the Davidson corrected TC-CISD/6-31G∗ / /CISD/6-31G∗ level of theory. The ΔEs-t of phenylphosphinidene is the same as that of phenylnitrene, which also has a triplet ground state. The open-shell singlet and closed shell singlet states reverse their order when the group 15 elements is changed from N to P. Comparisons between NR and PR (R H, methyl and phenyl) show that the phenyl group strongly stabilizes the S0 state of phenylnitrene whereas there is no significant change in ΔEs-t for phenylphosphinidene. Methyl substitution leaves Δs-t unchanged for both nitrene and phosphinidene.
Harlem Renaissance and Beyond: Literary Biographies of 100 Black Women Writers, 1900-1945

The lives and works of 100 black women novelists, short-story writers, playwrights, poets, essayists, critics, historians, journalists, and editors are chronicled in this book. All wrote between 1900 and 1945 and among those examined are Zora Neale Hurston, Katherine Dunham and Angelina Weld Grimke. Drawing on archival research and interviews, the book traces its subjects' contribution to literature, their concerns about race and gender, and their influences on their modern day counterparts in American literature. The book also explores the political, economic, and social awareness of the time.
Banded liquid–liquid Taylor‐Couette‐Poiseuille flow

It has been reported that several distinct flow patterns may result when two immiscible liquids undergo Taylor vortex flow in the annular gap between a fixed outer cylinder and a rotating concentric inner cylinder. One such flow pattern (banded flow) apparently arises when less dense disperse phase droplets migrate to Taylor vortex cores due to the centrifugal force associated with the rotation of the vortices. Using the hypothesis that centrifugally driven droplet migration to vortex cores competes with turbulent diffusion, a simple criterion for predicting when banded flow patterns arise shows consistency with numerical simulations and experiments.
Microinjection of GABA-A agonist muscimol into the dorsal but not the ventral hippocampus impairs non-mnemonic measures of delayed non-matching-to-position performance in rats

Abstract Anatomical studies of afferent and efferent connections suggest that the hippocampus may have more than one information processing role that varies along the septo–hippocampal axis. The present study was conducted to test whether a distinct functional specialization for the dorsal versus ventral extents of the hippocampus could be detected. The effects of a GABA-A receptor agonist, muscimol, microinjected into either the dorsal or ventral hippocampus on an operant, spatial delayed non-matching-to-position (DNMTP) task were measured. A decrease in the number of trials completed per session and disruption of several DNMTP discrimination parameters were produced by muscimol microinjected into the dorsal hippocampus but not into the ventral hippocampus. Muscimol injected into either site did not impair the measure of working memory, delayed choice accuracy. These results are consistent with the view that hippocampal function varies along the septo–temporal axis, and that the dorsal hippocampus is relatively more critical to visual discrimination performance than the ventral hippocampus.
Challenges Facing the Mature Radiologist: A Guide

Radiologists who are chronologically advanced (or mature, as the authors prefer to call them) are faced with many special issues, obstacles, and opportunities. These are in many ways unique and different from the circumstances involving those who are recently out of training or in midcareer. The authors discuss some of these circumstances. They look at the challenges facing mature radiologists through the prism of considerable personal experience, and they hope to offer some insight and suggestions as to how one might respond to these issues.
An optimally data efficient isomorphism inference algoithm

The time, space, and data complexity of an optimally data efficient isomorphism identification algorithm are presented. The data complexity, the amount of data required for an inference algorithm to terminate, is analyzed and shown to be the minimum possible for all possible isomorphism inference algorithms. The minimum data requirement is shown to be ⌈log2 (n)⌉, and a method for constructing this minimal sequence of data is presented. The average data requirement is shown to be approximately 2 log2(n). The time complexity is O(n2log2(n)) and the space requirement is O(n2)
Long-term earthquake clustering

SUMMARY We analyse statistically the long-term properties of several instrumental earthquake catalogues. Complete catalogues exhibit both short- and long-term clustering for earthquakes of all depth ranges. After accounting for the effect of short-term clustering, we find that in residual (declustered) catalogues, long-term clustering, not periodicity, characterizes the occurrence of all earthquakes-shallow, intermediate, and deep. The degree of clustering in residual catalogues is the same for earthquakes in different depth ranges. Circumstantial evidence indicates that the long-term v,ariation of seismicity is governed by a power-law temporal distribution; as in short-term clustering, it is scale invariant. The fractal dimension of an earthquake set on the time axis is of the order of 0.8-0.9. Therefore, mainshock occurrence is closer to a stationary Poisson process than standard aftershock sequences of shallow earthquakes.
Two-photon spectroscopy of silicon using femtosecond pulses at above-gap frequencies

Measurement of femtosecond single-pulse and time-resolved absorbance in an optically thin silicon film is used to extract the direct two-photon absorption (TPA) coefficient βTPA of silicon over a wide spectral range; it is also used to distinguish other nonlinear absorption channels, even with the fundamental pulse far above the indirect gap. We find that βTPA varies as follows: 15 cm/GW < βTPA < 36 cm/GW ± 6 cm/GW over the two-photon energy range 4.0 eV < 2hν < 4.5 eV, consistent with available calculated values. The spectral structure of the results is related to the underlying band structure. The results show that second-order absorption nonlinearities dominate for fluences up to 0.07 J/cm2, just below the single-shot melting threshold. At fluences above this level a much stronger nonlinearity dominates.
Optical recordings of the effect of electrical stimulation on action potential repolarization and the induction of reentry in two-dimensional perfused rabbit epicardium.

BACKGROUNDProlonged membrane depolarization induced by an electric shock in the heart may produce propagation block leading to repetitive beats. We studied prolonged depolarization and its role in repetitive beats in a thin epicardial layer of endocardially prefrozen arterially perfused rabbit heart.METHODS AND RESULTSA laser scanner recorded optical action potentials at 63 sites within a 1-cm2 area on the left ventricle of hearts stained with potentiometric fluorescent dye. Pacing (S1) produced propagation across the myofibers; then, a 3-millisecond shock (S2) given in the S1 refractory period produced an electric field that decreased in strength with distance along the fibers. The S2 strengths at the center of the scanned region (C) were 2.1 +/- 0.2 or 5.6 +/- 0.3 V/cm (mean +/- SD, n = 4). Repetitive beats occurred in 50% of hearts when C was 2.1 V/cm and in 100% of hearts when C was 5.6 V/cm. With each occurrence of repetitive beats, prolonged depolarization of the shocked action potential occurred wi...
Genetic Classification of “Norwalk-like Viruses”

Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction has been used worldwide for the diagnosis of Norwalk-like virus (NLV) infection, yet a commonly accepted genetic classification scheme has not been established. Amino acid sequences from four regions of open-reading frame 2 (ORF2) were used to analyze 101 NLV strains, including 2 bovine strains. On the basis of this analysis, a genetic classification scheme is proposed that differentiates 99 human strains into 2 major genetic groups consisting of 5 and 10 genetic clusters, respectively. The 2 bovine strains constitute a newly defined third major genetic group composed of 2 putative clusters represented by each strain. This classification scheme is well supported by the analysis of the entire ORF2 sequences from 38 strains selected to represent the genetic diversity of the human strains used above. This scheme should provide a firm scientific basis for the unified classification of NLV strains detected around the world.
What Elements of XP are being Adopted by Industry Practitioners

This research focused on the factors that impact implementing agile software development methodologies. Extreme programming is the most commonly implemented agile methodology. Information on agile methodology implementation was collected via an online survey instrument distributed to members of software process improvement user groups. During the course of the research, it was discovered that very few organizations implement all of the XP principles. Organizations are also modifying the XP principles to suit their corporate cultures and development environments. This research measured the degree to which each of the XP principles has been adopted and modified by industry practitioners
SURCH: Distributed Aggregation over Wireless Sensor Networks

In this paper, we present SURCH, a novel decentralized algorithm for efficient processing of queries generated in sensor networks. Unlike existing techniques, SURCH is fully distributed and does not require the existence or construction of a communication infrastructure. It exploits the broadcast nature of wireless communication to optimize query propagation and evaluation. In SURCH, partial results are aggregated en route while the query spreads through the network. The key features of SURCH include its ability to avoid unnecessary communication, balanced node workload, and resilience to node failures. Performance results illustrate that SURCH outperforms alternative techniques for a variety of aggregation and selection queries.
Genetic Variation in Rare and Common Plants

▪ Abstract Isozyme variation in 247 plant species is summarized as 57 generic-level comparisons of rare and common species. All species-level measures of variation (Ps, As, APs, Hes) and mean population-level measures (Pp, Ap, APp, Hep, and Ho) show reductions significant at the p < 0.001 level, but FIS and FST did not differ significantly, reflecting the similarity of breeding system in congeneric species and disparate ranges often sampled for rare and common species. The reduction in gene flow (Nm) among populations of rare species was significant when estimated from FST, but not when estimated from private alleles. Species monomorphic for isozymes are predominantly endemic and self-fertile. Although census populations of virtually all rare species are higher than levels at which theory would predict genetic erosion, and higher than levels protected by the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA), rare plants evidently have more significant reductions in genetic variation and gene flow than have been recognize...
Challenges and Opportunities: A Report of the 1998 Library Survey of Internet Users at Seton Hall University.

This survey aims to collect data to enable Seton Hall University librarian faculty and administration to analyze user satisfaction with information services provided through the Internet’s World Wide Web. Seton Hall faculty and students completed 786 questionnaires. About 80 percent of the respondents reported that they used the Web on a daily or weekly basis. The results reveal valuable information about the Internet users’ search strategies and their levels of satisfaction in using the Web. Analysis of the data suggests three challenges for academic librarians and five opportunities in providing Internet information services.
Start here: Social ontology and research strategy

Theory is about starting points. Research usually relies on theory to justify starting with pre-commitments to independent variables, background factors, or structural conditions that will explain historically and geographically varying phenomena, which are treated as dependent, fungible, superficial upshots, or otherwise secondary and essentially inferior. I propose that we start by trying to describe the phenomena to be explained as they exist for the people living them. For this, we need theory of another sort, a theory of social ontology that indicates the lines of inquiry required to produce a complete description. If we start research by describing the nature of social phenomena as they are experienced, it will make a difference in structuring data gathering; in developing a research craft capable of seeing practice, interaction maneuvers, and tacit embodiment; in shaping a research agenda; and, ultimately, in where we end substantively.
Polynomial time query processing in temporal deductive databases

We study conditions guaranteeing polynomial time computability of queries in temporal deductive databases. We show that if for a given set of temporal rules, the period of its least models is bounded from the above by a polynomial in the database size, then also the time to process yes-no queries (as well as to compute finite representations of all query answers) can be polynomially bounded. We present a bottom-up query processing algorithm BT that is guaranteed to terminate in polynomial time if the periods are polynomially bounded. Polynomial periodicity is our most general criterion, however it can not be directly applied. Therefore, we exhibit two weaker criteria, defining inflationary and I-periodic sets of temporal rules. We show that it can be decided whether a set of temporal rules is inflationary. I-periodicity is undecidable (as we show), but it can be closely approximated by a syntactic notion of multi-separability.
A Herpes Simplex Virus Scaffold Peptide That Binds the Portal Vertex Inhibits Early Steps in Viral Replication

Previous experiments identified a 12-amino-acid (aa) peptide that was sufficient to interact with the herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) portal protein and was necessary to incorporate the portal into capsids. In the present study, cells were treated at various times postinfection with peptides consisting of a portion of the Drosophila antennapedia protein, previously shown to enter cells efficiently, fused to either wild-type HSV-1 scaffold peptide (YPYYPGEARGAP) or a control peptide that contained changes at positions 4 and 5. These 4-tyrosine and 5-proline residues are highly conserved in herpesvirus scaffold proteins and were previously shown to be critical for the portal interaction. Treatment early in infection with subtoxic levels of wild-type peptide reduced viral infectivity by over 1,000-fold, while the mutant peptide had little effect on viral yields. In cells infected for 3 h in the presence of wild-type peptide, capsids were observed to transit to the nuclear rim normally, as viewed by fluorescence microscopy. However, observation by electron microscopy in thin sections revealed an aberrant and significant increase of DNA-containing capsids compared to infected cells treated with the mutant peptide. Early treatment with peptide also prevented formation of viral DNA replication compartments. These data suggest that the antiviral peptide stabilizes capsids early in infection, causing retention of DNA within them, and that this activity correlates with peptide binding to the portal protein. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that the portal vertex is the conduit through which DNA is ejected to initiate infection.
Texture Coding in the Rat Whisker System: Slip-Stick Versus Differential Resonance

Rats discriminate surface textures using their whiskers (vibrissae), but how whiskers extract texture information, and how this information is encoded by the brain, are not known. In the resonance model, whisker motion across different textures excites mechanical resonance in distinct subsets of whiskers, due to variation across whiskers in resonance frequency, which varies with whisker length. Texture information is therefore encoded by the spatial pattern of activated whiskers. In the competing kinetic signature model, different textures excite resonance equally across whiskers, and instead, texture is encoded by characteristic, nonuniform temporal patterns of whisker motion. We tested these models by measuring whisker motion in awake, behaving rats whisking in air and onto sandpaper surfaces. Resonant motion was prominent during whisking in air, with fundamental frequencies ranging from approximately 35 Hz for the long Delta whisker to approximately 110 Hz for the shorter D3 whisker. Resonant vibrations also occurred while whisking against textures, but the amplitude of resonance within single whiskers was independent of texture, contradicting the resonance model. Rather, whiskers resonated transiently during discrete, high-velocity, and high-acceleration slip-stick events, which occurred prominently during whisking on surfaces. The rate and magnitude of slip-stick events varied systematically with texture. These results suggest that texture is encoded not by differential resonant motion across whiskers, but by the magnitude and temporal pattern of slip-stick motion. These findings predict a temporal code for texture in neural spike trains.
Farm Politics and American Democracy

TWO CRITICAL EXAMINATIONS of the effects of farm politics upon American democracy have been published recently, and both will be examined in this article.* The first writer to be considered asserts that farm politics has thwarted the rise of American democracy by creating a class-based power structure in agriculture. According to this interpretation, the rise of a dominant farm pressure group prevents government from dealing equal justice to all common men. The question here is one of political sociology. That is, the problem is raised of achieving democratic purposes by means of the political organization and procedures that democracy calls into being. The second writer deals with American ptolicy to strengthen the family farm because it is held to be the peculiar cradle of the staunchest supporters of democracy. At bottom, this is a psychological interpretation: its problem is one of democratic citizenship.
Real-Time Structural Damage Identification of Time-Varying Systems

This paper presents an investigation of real-time structural damage identification for time-varying systems, such as aircraft with changing flight condition. The on-line damage detection is implemented by comparing the changes of the identified model, which is updated by synthesizing time-domain input/output data, with the changes of the analytical model due to damage. The study is based on the identified models with various model structures, state space model, transfer function, and Auto-Regressive eXogenous (ARX) model. Some identified parameters are much more sensitive to noise, and the inclusion of these parameters in damage identification may significantly reduce the reliability of damage detection with false indications of damage. A technique is presented for the selection of the identified parameters for damage identification. The investigation is demonstrated by application to the Benchmark Active Controls Technology (BACT) wind-tunnel model with time-varying dynamic pressure and Mach number.
Estimation of Market Information Shares: A Comparison

This note investigates via Monte Carlo simulation the finite-sample performance of two identification schemes that provide unique measures of Hasbrouck-type information share in price discovery. The Lien and Shrestha (2009) method is based on factorization of the full correlation matrix and the Grammig and Peter (2013) method is based on different correlations of price innovations in the tails and in the center of the distributions. We find that the GP method performs poorly under the chosen data generation processes. The LS method provides at most marginal improvement over the method based upon the upper/lower bound midpoint of the Hasbrouck measure. The results, therefore, support the common practice of the midpoint approach. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark
Werner syndrome: Clinical features, pathogenesis and potential therapeutic interventions

Werner syndrome (WS) is a prototypical segmental progeroid syndrome characterized by multiple features consistent with accelerated aging. It is caused by null mutations of the WRN gene, which encodes a member of the RECQ family of DNA helicases. A unique feature of the WRN helicase is the presence of an exonuclease domain in its N-terminal region. Biochemical and cell biological studies during the past decade have demonstrated involvements of the WRN protein in multiple DNA transactions, including DNA repair, recombination, replication and transcription. A role of the WRN protein in telomere maintenance could explain many of the WS phenotypes. Recent discoveries of new progeroid loci found in atypical Werner cases continue to support the concept of genomic instability as a major mechanism of biological aging. Based on these biological insights, efforts are underway to develop therapeutic interventions for WS and related progeroid syndromes.
Using Video to Enhance Reflective Practice: Student Teachers’ Dialogic Examination of Their Own Teaching

ABSTRACTIn this qualitative study, five student teachers engaged in dialogic viewing of video of their own teaching with their university supervisor. The questions guiding this research included: (1) What do teacher candidates notice as they watch videos of themselves teaching in the company of their university supervisor?; (2) How does dialogic viewing affect teacher candidates’ noticing?; and (3) What are teacher candidates’ attitudes towards watching themselves teach, independently and in the company of their university supervisor? The findings reveal an increase in the depth and shift in the focus of student teachers’ reflections on their own teaching, and positive attitudes toward the process. Additionally, it points to potential implications for practice and future research around the use of dialogic viewing.
MicroRNA Let-7f Mediates Mitochondrial Respiratory Deficit Induced by Repeated Ethanol Exposure and Withdrawal in HT22 Cells

Aims: The expression of gene and gene product is typically inhibited by a small noncoding RNA (microRNA) or DNA methylation. The aim of this study is to investigate mechanisms involving microRNA let-7f by which the repeated cycles of ethanol exposure and withdrawal provoke mitochondrial respiratory damage. Study Design: The rat or cell model of repeated withdrawal from a high dose of ethanol exposure was used to mimic human alcoholics who repeat the cycles of heavy drinking and unsuccessful attempts at abstaining. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, between June 2011 and March 2014. Methodology: Male adult rats received an ethanol program, consisting of two cycles of ethanol exposure (4 weeks) and withdrawal (2 weeks). At the end of the ethanol program, one hemisphere of each rat was used to measure the level of let-7f using TaqMan let-7f primers and qPCR. The other hemisphere was used to measure the methylation of cytosine in let-7f gene using bisulfite conversion and pyrosequencing. Separately, HT22 cells (mouse hippocampal cells) were exposed to an ethanol program, consisting of two cycles of ethanol exposure (20 hours) and withdrawal (4 hours). During the entire ethanol program, the cells were treated with let-7f antagomir (inhibitor) or a Short Communication International Neuropsychiatric Disease Journal, 2(6): 303-315, 2014 304 methylation-inducing methyl-donor. The role of let-7f in mitochondria was assessed by quantifying a mitochondrial enzyme, cytochrome c oxidase-IV (COX subunit IV) and realtime mitochondrial respiration using an immunoblot method and XF respirometry, respectively. Results: The level of let-7f increased (2.4±0.5 fold increase), whereas the methylation of let-7f gene decreased in the brain of rats that underwent repeated ethanol exposure and withdrawal (called “repeated-ethanol/withdrawal”). The methyl-donor treatment completely abolished the increase in let-7f induced by repeated-ethanol/withdrawal. let-7f antagomir treatment also abolished the inhibiting effect of repeated-ethanol/withdrawal on COX-IV and mitochondrial respiration. Conclusion: These data suggest that repeated-ethanol/withdrawal provokes the dysregulation of let-7f, thereby damaging brain mitochondria. Mitochondria-associated microRNA may be a potential research and drug target to manage alcoholism.
Highly Strained (InAs)M/(GaAs)N Multiple Quantum Well Based Resonant Tunneling Diodes on GaAs (100) Substrates and Their Application in Optical Switching

We report the realization of (a) an optically bistable switch using a strained resonant tunneling diode (RTD) and (b) highly strained RTDs exhibiting simultaneously high peak current densities (Jp) and peak-to-valley current ratios (PVR) suitable for high-speed electronic switching. Both of these make use of RTDs with (InAs)M/(GaAs)N strained short period multiple quantum well regions with AlAs barriers in a triple-well, double barrier structure. For the former, high contrast ratio (20:1) and an on state reflectivity of 46.5 % has been obtained at room temperature in an optically bistable switch involving a strained InGaAs/GaAs (100) multiple quantum well based asymmetric Fabty-Perot reflection modulator, detector, and a strained RTD and a Si field effect transistor. For the latter, we have obtained a Jp of 125 kA/cm2 with a PVR of 4.7 at room temperature.
Nicotinic acid in chick nutrition.

SummaryThe growing chick requires a dietary source of nicotinic acid for optimal growth, and for the prevention of chick “blacktongue” as shown by the use of highly purified rations. The minimal level of this vitamin needed is approximately 1.8 mg per 100 g of ration.
Multi-scale Analysis of the Crystallization of Amorphous Germanium Telluride

The crystallization properties of the phase change material (PCM) germanium telluride (GeTe) are investigated. It is shown that the critical nucleus radius of a crystalline cluster is smaller than 1.4nm when the annealing temperature is lower than 600K, indicating an extremely promising scaling scenario. It is revealed that the elastic energy, which is largely ignored in existing PCM crystallization studies, plays an important role in determining various crystallization properties and the ultimate scaling limit of the PCM. By omitting the influence of elastic energy, the critical formation energy (critical nuclei radius) will be underestimated by 41.7% (22.4%), and the nucleation rate will be overestimated by 74.2% when the annealing temperature is 600 K. The methodology proposed here is capable of quantitatively calculating the nucleation rate and growth speed of amorphous PCM from first principle calculations, which is relevant to computational design and optimization of PCM.
Investigation and analysis of school drinking water in Yutian,Hebei

Objective:To analyze the quality condition of elementary and middle schools′ drinking water in Yutian to provide the scientific basis for food-borne disease prevention and control.Methods: Detecting and analyzing 33 elementary and middle school drinking water before and in term from rural and city schools.Results: The qualified rates of school drinking water in term was 90.9%,before term was 63.6%.Conclusion: It is the most important to supervise,strengthen defecation and disinfection of source water and tap water,and regular analysis for elementary and middle school drinking water before term begins.
FPGA Implementation of RM-BTC Codec using Log-MAP Algorithm

Turbo Codes have been an attractive topic in coding theory community since they were introduced in 1993 due to their powerful error correcting capability and superior coding gain. Thanks to their astounding performance, Turbo codes are used in 3rd generation wireless communication and satellite communication system. Fore these applications, efficient implementation of Turbo Codes, i.e., development of codecs providing high throughput with low power consumption and small chip area are of growing importance.
Conclusion: lessons for policy

Identities, emotions, and the nuclear choice The previous four chapters on France, Australia, Argentina, and India have demonstrated the explanatory utility of the theoretical framework developed in Chapter 2. In spite of the vast differences in the geographical, temporal, and political contexts of the four country cases, the theory's key variable – leaders' national identity conceptions (NICs) – did in fact systematically differentiate those who felt the need to decide for nuclear weapons from those who did not. Specifically, leaders with oppositional nationalist NICs experienced feelings of fear and pride when confronting their key comparison other, and those feelings in turn sparked strong desires to acquire the bomb. By contrast, leaders without oppositional nationalist NICs did not follow this pattern. Moreover, the desire for the bomb created a strong probability of a political decision for it; and once a political decision to acquire the bomb was in fact made, actual nuclear weapons arsenals ended up coming into existence. Chapter 3 presented the results of the rigorous measurement strategy for leaders' NICs. Of the dozens of leaders covered in this book, it found only five who unambiguously qualified as holding oppositional nationalist NICs vis-a-vis some external other. Two of these, Pierre Mendes France of France and Atal Behari Vajpayee of India made the crucial decisions to endow their states with a nuclear arsenal. Another, John Gorton of Australia, tried mightily to overcome the resistance of his Cabinet and do the same, but his efforts fell short.
The Integration of Treatment and Evaluation

What constitutes “success” or “failure” in the treatment situa­tion? Is the therapist’s assessment of the client’s adjustment or change resultant of treatment the criterion? Do we concern ourselves with the client’s perceptions of their well being? Can we assess their functioning in society as a criterion measure?
A Direct Proof of the Integral Formulae for the Inverse Hyperbolic Functions

In the same vein as a Classroom Capsule of Arnold Insel on the arctangent, we present a direct geometric derivation of the integral formulae for the inverse hyperbolic functions. We then use these ...
Understanding Polyol Decomposition on Bimetallic Pt–Mo Catalysts—A DFT Study of Glycerol

Catalytic dehydrogenation and C–C and C–O bond cleavage for glycerol decomposition on bimetallic Pt–Mo alloy model catalysts are studied using periodic density functional theory. The scaling relationship developed for monometallic systems for fast binding energy prediction has been tested and validated on both Pt-skin and Pt3Mo-skin bimetallic surfaces. Using only the binding energies of atomic C and O for corresponding alloy surfaces, this simple relationship is shown to be an extremely efficient approach to speeding up the catalytic trend analysis for bimetallic alloy catalysts. Similar to Pt(111), it is found that the Pt-skin surface also favors dehydrogenation via C–H bond cleavage and faster C–C bond cleavage over C–O bond cleavage, but the overall activity decreases compared with pure Pt. On Pt3Mo-skin surfaces, the overall reaction becomes much more exothermic, but Mo species significantly affect the selectivity by favoring the C–O bond cleavage. Thermodynamic analyses also predict that surface Mo ...
Positive and negative signaling in B lymphocytes.

Stimulation of B lymphocytes through the antigen-receptor, surface immuno- globulin (sIg) activates B lymphocytes to proliferate and secrete soluble antigen- specific Ig. Numerous studies over the past decade have at least in part uncovered the complex biochemistry of the activation process through sIg; these studies will be reviewed below. Binding of antigen through sIg is the first step in the humoral response to foreign antigens. Antigen binding is specific and, so, initiates and is fundamentally responsible for the dominant feature of the immune system, i.e., antigen specificity. Thus, only B lymphocytes with an appropriate sIg surface receptor, formed by genomic rearrangement during B-cell development, are able to respond to antigen and later to helper T lymphocytes.