cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modeling human behavior during emergency evacuation using intelligent agents: A multi-agent simulation approach

It is costly and takes a lot of time for disaster employees to execute several evacuation drills for a building. One cannot glean information to advance the plan and blueprint of forthcoming buildings without executing many drills. We have developed a multi-agent system simulation application to aid in running several evacuation drills and theoretical situations. This paper combines the genetic algorithm (GA) with neural networks (NNs) and fuzzy logic (FL) to explore how intelligent agents can learn and adapt their behavior during an evacuation. The adaptive behavior focuses on the specific agents changing their behavior in the environment. The shared behavior of the agent places an emphasis on the crowd-modeling and emergency behavior in the multi-agent system. This paper provides a fuzzy individual model being developed for realistic modeling of human emotional behavior under normal and emergency conditions. It explores the impact of perception and emotions on the human behavior. We have established a novel intelligent agent with characteristics such as independence, collective ability, cooperativeness, and learning, which describes its final behavior. The contributions of this paper lie in our approach of utilizing a GA, NNs, and FL to model learning and adaptive behavior of agents in a multi-agent system. The planned application will help in executing numerous evacuation drills for what-if scenarios for social and cultural issues such as evacuation by integrating agent characteristics. This paper also compares our proposed multi-agent system with existing commercial evacuation tools as well as real-time evacuation drills for accuracy, building traffic characteristics, and the cumulative number of people exiting during evacuation. Our results show that the inclusion of GA, NNs, and fuzzy attributes made the evacuation time of the agents closer to the real-time evacuation drills.
Relative social standing and suicide ideation among Kenyan males: the interpersonal theory of suicide in context.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between subjective social status and suicide ideation in a sample of young Kenyan men (age 18–34 years). Situating insights from the interpersonal theory of suicide within social determinants of health framework, we consider whether lower subjective social status predicts lower collective self-esteem (CSE), hopelessness, less meaning in life and more loneliness, and whether these characteristics mediate associations between subjective social status and suicide ideation. A community-based, semi-rural sample (n = 532) of young men, aged 18–34 years, was collected using a standardized questionnaire. The survey questionnaire included the following validated scale items: the short form of the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults, CSE, Herth Hope Index, the Meaning in Life Questionnaire, and the Modified Scale for Suicide Ideation. Regression and mediation analyses were used to test hypotheses. Nearly 12% of respondents reported suicide ideation. Suicide ideation was significantly more common among survey respondents who reported lower subjective social standing. In the first of two mediation models, we found that lower CSE and more loneliness mediate the association between lower subjective social status and suicide ideation. In the second model, we found that respondents with lower CSE and more loneliness expressed lower hope and meaning in life, which also mediated pathways to suicide ideation. Findings show a novel synthesis of social determinants literature with the interpersonal theory of suicide. Suicide ideation, along with other mental and social outcomes, may figure more prominently than previously appreciated in the benefits of socio-economic equality. Those who do not participate equally in socio-economic development may be at greater risk of engaging in suicide ideation and behaviors. Suicide prevention research and programmatic responses should adopt a health equity perspective to ensure that prevention is targeted where people are more likely to engage in suicide ideation.
In Situ X-Ray Reflectivity and Voltammetry Study of Ru(0001) Surface Oxidation in Electrolyte Solutions

The electrochemical surface oxidation of Ru(0001) in acid solutions is limited to a one-electron process resulting in one monolayer oxygen uptake at potentials below the onset of bulk oxidation at ...
Classification of User Movement Data

In this paper, a comprehensive analysis of various classification techniques is used on user movement data. The dataset used here utilizes a Nexus One Android smartphone, equipped with accelerometer sensor devices. The data was transformed and applied to two deep learning techniques: Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Long Short Term Memory-Recurrent Neural Network (LSTM-RNN). The results obtained via CNN and LSTM-RNN are compared with the traditional classifiers such as k-Nearest Neighbors (k-NN) and Feed Forward Neural Network (FFNN). The results show that the deep learning approaches were outperformed by the traditional classifiers on the applied dataset. While deep learning techniques reached a maximum accuracy of 84% utilizing LSTM, k-NN obtained an accuracy of 99.6%.
Making Meaning of the Parent–Child Relationship: A Dialogic Analysis of Parent-Initiated Estrangement Narratives

This study employs relational dialectics theory to explore the meaning of the parent–child relationship from the perspective of parents who distanced themselves from their children. Contrapuntal an...
Shock-tube studies of Sarin surrogates

To further refine the existing high-temperature combustion chemistry mechanisms of Sarin surrogates or to develop new ones, the ignition delay times of mixtures containing various Sarin surrogates have been studied in the authors’ laboratory, namely dimethyl-methylphosphonate, diethyl-methylphosphonate (DEMP), and triethylphosphate, and the results are compared for the first time herein. They were each measured in a heated shock tube, with the DEMP-related ignition delay times being the new data reported in this paper. The Sarin surrogates were studied in neat mixtures with oxygen or seeded to baseline mixtures of hydrogen or methane at around 1.5 atm. Noticeable differences were observed between the ignition delay times of the three simulants, whether sole or mixed with a fuel. Comparisons of OH* time histories obtained from each surrogate highlight the similarities and differences in chemical structure among the different compounds. In mixtures with oxygen and Ar, the three surrogates present similar ignition delay times below 1380 K, whereas the ignition delay time results rapidly diverge above this temperature. When the surrogates were added into $$\hbox {H}_{2}/\hbox {O}_{2}$$ or $$\hbox {CH}_{4}/\hbox {O}_{2}$$ mixtures, large changes in the reactivity of the mixtures were observed. These changes in reactivity are however dependent on the surrogate, for each fuel investigated.
Structural effects on the binding of amine drugs with the diphenylmethyl functionality to cyclodextrins. I. A microcalorimetric study.

Solution calorimetry has been employed to evaluate the stability constants and enthalpy changes associated with complex formation between α-, β, or -γ-cyclodextrin (CD) and a group of amine compounds having the diphenylmethyl functionality. Data from thermal titrations of the compounds were analyzed using nonlinear least squares. The standard free energy decrease accompanying the formation of inclusion complexes is generally due to a negative standard enthalpy change (ΔH°). The standard entropy change (ΔS°) was negative, except in the case of complexes formed with γ-CD. Of the 13 compounds studied, only 2 formed complexes with 1:2 (compound: (β-CD) stoichiometry, terfenadine · HC1 and cinnarizine · 2HC1. All the others formed 1:1 complexes. The structural effect on the stability constants, thermodynamics, and inclusion geometry was explored by relating the calorimetric results to the chemical structures of the guest molecules and the cavity sizes of the CD molecules. The results suggest that one of the phenyl groups of the diphenylmethyl functionality resides in the CD cavity and is in van der Waals contact with the inside wall of the CD cavity. In the case of α- and β-CDs, van der Waals interaction dominates in the stabilization. On the other hand, the interaction between these compounds and γ-CD is largely entropically driven. Adiphenine · HC1 forms a more stable complex with β-CD than proadifen · HC1, suggesting that hydrogen bonding to the carbonyl oxygen by the hydroxyl group on the rim of the CD ring can influence the strength of the binding interaction.
Reverse Osmosis Properties of Ionic and Nonionic Polymer Membranes

The performance of a homogeneous polymer membrane in reverse osmosis may depend on various chemical and physical properties of the polymer and on the morphology of the membrane. Generalized criteria necessary for optimum reverse osmosis performance in terms of chemical structure of the macromolecule may not be evident. On the other hand, some physicochemical properties such as the equilibrium water content of the membrane may play a more important role than the chemical nature of the macromolecule. This seems to be particularly true for ionic polymeric membranes. Therefore, generalized criteria for an optimum reverse osmosis membrane may be sought from a study of the fundamental interaction between the polymeric membrane and water.
The effects of different versions of a gateway STEM course on student attitudes and beliefs

Substantial research has been conducted focusing on student outcomes in mathematics courses in order to better understand the ways in which these outcomes depend on the underlying instructional methodologies found in the courses. From 2009 to 2014, the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) studied Calculus I instruction in United States (US) colleges and universities in the Characteristics of Successful Programs of College Calculus (CSPCC). One aspect of this study attempted to understand the impact of these courses on student experience. In this paper, we describe results from an examination of the effect of course structure on students’ attitudes and beliefs across different versions of Calculus I at a large research university in the USA. To do this, we implemented a follow-up study of the national MAA study of calculus programs in part to identify potential relationships between various course structures and changes in attitudes and beliefs during the course. We compare our results both internally across these course structures and to the national data set. We find that the statistically significant changes measured in confidence and enjoyment exhibit differences across the different calculus implementations and that these changes are statistically independent of the underlying student academic backgrounds as shown by standardized test scores and high school GPA. This suggests that these observed changes in attitudes and beliefs relate to the experience in our varied course structures and not to the academic characteristics of students as they enter the course. In addition to our findings, we show how this national study can be used locally to study effects of courses on student affective traits.
The Effects of Ego and Industry Alliance Networks on Exploratory and Exploitative Conversion

This study investigates how alliance networks influence the conversion of inventive ideas into new products, and suggests that differences in the processes used to convert exploratory versus exploi...
Educating Rural Women about Gender Specific Heart Attack and Prodromal Symptoms

Problem: Heart Disease (HD) remains the leading cause of mortality among women. Improvement of outcomes for morbidity and mortality in females with HD has not occurred at the same rate as in males. Rural populations often have more barriers to seeking timely intervention than their urban counterparts. Purpose: To test the efficacy of using acronyms to educate rural women on female MI and prodromal symptoms as well as the appropriate response to these symptoms and to assess if knowledge gained was sustained for a 2-month period of time. Method: A quasi-experimental design with two groups with site randomization of educational intervention with N = 137 rural women (RUCC codes of 5 or higher). Factor analysis, validity and reliability testing for the 23 item Matters of Your Heart Scale (v. 2) are discussed. Findings: Comparing the two educational formats of acronym vs. no acronym showed no statistically significant difference on the Knowledge score t = .26, df = 134, p = .80 by group. Similar non-significant findings occurred for the major subscales. Some demographic groups did achieve significantly higher scores on the MOYH v. 2. A multiple regression indicated that the final model explained 90% of the variance in the dependent variable of Knowledge of female MI symptoms including the appropriate response to those symptoms (R2 = .90, adjR2, se = 1.65). Conclusions: Educating rural women to recognize gender specific heart attacks symptoms, possible warning symptoms, and the need to respond appropriately is an area where rural nurses can make a difference whether or not an acronym educational approach is used. Keywords: female, heart disease, MI, acronym, heart attack, rural DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14574/ojrnhc.v18i2.519
Inclusion, inspiration and lightness of touch

Whilst inclusion is a growing agenda, a difficulty in pointing to truly inspiring examples of inclusive design might indicate that it has yet to deeply engage designers and their clients. This will happen when it becomes more widely seen as a source of design inspiration as well as social obligation, when it comes to be seen as opening up exciting new territories, not just presenting new problems. Those seeking inclusively designed solutions have, in their turn to, become more receptive to design sensibilities. To be open to more challenging solutions and to place more value on the restraint that so often characterises the very best design; to aspire to a lightness of touch.
Abstract WP113: Racial Disparities in Patient Selection for Drip and Ship Thrombolytic Therapy for Acute Ischemic Stroke

Introduction: There is preliminary data indicating potential racial disparities in use of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) for acute ischemic stroke (AIS). We sought to compare “drip and ship” (DNS) ...
Sonographic Detection and Evaluation of Thrombosis in a Patient With Recent Pancreas Transplant

Simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplants are most commonly evaluated with sonography. Thorough understanding of the variety of surgical techniques, postoperative anatomy, and potential complica...
Myocardial energy replenishment and reversal of ischemic damage by substrate enhancement of secondary blood cardioplegia with amino acids during reperfusion

Twenty-five dogs underwent 45 minutes of normothermic ischemic arrest. Fifteen minutes after unclamping, no heart could support the systemic circulation. In all dogs, we prolonged bypass for 30 minutes in the beating empty state. In 15 dogs, we reclamped the aorta for 10 minutes and further lowered oxygen demands by the continuous infusion of a 37° C blood cardioplegic solution (K+ 30 mEq/L, pH 7.6, Ca++ I mEq/L). In 10 of these dogs, we added L-glutamate (0.026M) to the blood cardioplegic solution. Coronary blood flow (microspheres), metabolism (oxygen content plus ATP), left ventricular compliance (intraventricular balloon), and left ventricular performance (balloon and Starling curves) were measured during control and at 15 and 45 minutes after unclamping. During rearrest, postischemic hearts treated with L-glutamate showed the highest oxygen uptake (2.25 cc/100 gm/min)* and the best recovery of adenosine triphosphate (ATF) (75%).* In the working state, 45 minutes after unclamping, the hearts receiving L-glutamate were better able to augment left ventricular subendocardial flow (85% versus 47%)* and oxygen uptake (108% versus 83%).* Consequently, they had greater recovery of the rate of contraction, +dP/dt (83% versus 72%),* and relaxation, —dP/dt (83% versus 71%),* and the highest stroke work index (1.20 versus 0.74 gm-m/kg).* Rearresting the postischemic heart with a blood cardioplegic solution containing L-glutamate results in nearly complete reversal of ischemic damage. We suspect that L-glutamate increases postischemic ATP production by stimulating oxidative metabolism through replenishment of Kreb cycle intermediates lost during ischemia.
Sleep quality prediction in caregivers using physiological signals.

Abstract Most caregivers of people with dementia (CPWD) experience a high degree of stress due to the demands of providing care, especially when addressing unpredictable behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. Such challenging responsibilities make caregivers susceptible to poor sleep quality with detrimental effects on their overall health. Hence, monitoring caregivers’ sleep quality can provide important CPWD stress assessment. Most current sleep studies are based on polysomnography, which is expensive and potentially disrupts the caregiving routine. To address these issues, we propose a clinical decision support system to predict sleep quality based on trends of physiological signals in the deep sleep stage. This system utilizes four raw physiological signals using a wearable device (E4 wristband): heart rate variability, electrodermal activity, body movement, and skin temperature. To evaluate the performance of the proposed method, analyses were conducted on a two-week period of sleep monitored on eight CPWD. The best performance is achieved using the random forest classifier with an accuracy of 75% for sleep quality, and 73% for restfulness, respectively. We found that the most important features to detect these measures are sleep efficiency (ratio of amount of time asleep to the amount of time in bed) and skin temperature. The results from our sleep analysis system demonstrate the capability of using wearable sensors to measure sleep quality and restfulness in CPWD.
Online 3D Underwater Exploration and Coverage

This work proposes a novel 3-dimensional (3D) exploration and coverage methodology for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Exploration can be defined as the task of discovering an unknown region in the space. Most robotic exploration algorithms seek full coverage of the unknown region with data from one sensor (in the underwater domain, it is usually occupancy data from profiling sonars, or optical data from cameras). Our method is able to guide the robot so that full discovery and coverage is obtained in a single exploration for both occupancy data and optical data. Since the algorithm has to run in the AUV’s onboard computer, with limited processing power, our method is based around efficient operations that can be performed to an octree data structure. This work extends our previous 2-dimensional (2D) method, which has proved to work in real tests conducted with the Sparus II AUV. In this work, we have used three real datasets to generate environments for its exploration in simulation: an underwater seamount, a shipwreck and an underwater cave. Results using the Girona 500 AUV show the feasibility of our exploration approach in all tested scenarios.
Economic Injury Level for Bermudagrass Stem Maggot (Diptera: Muscidae) in Bermudagrass Forage Production in Texas

The bermudagrass stem maggot, Atherigona reversura Villeneuve (Diptera: Muscidae), was first reported damaging bermudagrass Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers grown for forage in 2010 in the southeastern United States. Injury results from individual larvae feeding internally on the vascular tissue just above the terminal node of the grass stem. Injury slows plant growth and reduces forage accumulation. To address the need for economic guidelines to manage this new pest, the relationship between the percent of stems damaged by bermudagrass stem maggot and forage yield was measured in commercial bermudagrass hay fields in northcentral Texas. Yield loss was estimated to be 9.97 kg/ha (8.90 lbs /acre) for each percentage of stems with bermudagrass stem maggot damage. This relationship was used to calculate economic injury levels for a range of hay market values and control costs. The impact of stem damage on protein content, energy, and digestibility of bermudagrass hay was also investigated. Although there was a significant trend for declining forage quality with increasing stem damage, stem damage explained very little of the model's variability.
Roadblocks to the Roadmap: A Negotiation Theory Perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict after Yasser Arafat

This article considers an important failure of bargaining that, inexplicably, receives little serious attention in scholarly journals: the decades-long inability of Israel and the Palestinians to negotiate a treaty to end their conflict and govern their relationship. We use interdisciplinary negotiation theory as a construct for understanding this failure and deriving the principles that should underlie any United States attempt to mediate the process and help create a new legal regime for the Middle East. Our approach to examining the Israeli-Palestinian impasse leads us to the following conclusions: The failure of the parties to date to reach an agreement based on the land-for-peace framework can be attributed to some combination of three common roadblocks to negotiation success: (a) the absence of a bargaining zone, such that no single set of agreement terms would be preferable to continued impasse for both parties; (b) internal division within one or both principal parties, such that an agent or a minority faction with the ability to block an agreement undermines a result that would benefit the party as a whole; and (c) mutual hard bargaining, such that both sides refuse to accept an agreement that would be preferable to impasse and instead hold out for an even more desirable agreement. Because the parties' rhetoric can be consistent with any of these explanations, only an omniscient observer could know for sure which of these three roadblocks (or combination thereof) are actually the but - for cause of the ongoing impasse. Consequently, any U.S.-sponsored peace initiative would be most likely to succeed in bringing peace to the Middle East if it were to include a conscious plan to overcome each of these roadblocks. We propose that such a plan should begin with the United States presenting a non-negotiable set of terms to the two disputing parties that they can either take or leave but not bargain over, maximize the chance that the parties will accept those terms by both including side payments to the parties as part of the proposed deal and simultaneously threatening to withhold political and economic support if the deal is rejected, and take specific steps to work with the disputants and allies to limit the power of Palestinians and Israelis who are opposed to an agreement to stand in its way.
Application-based QoE support with P4 and OpenFlow

Although Software-Defined Wide Area Networks (SD-WANs) are now widely deployed in several production networks, they are largely restricted to traffic engineering approaches based on layer 4 (L4) of the network protocol stack. Such approaches result in improved Quality-of-Service (QoS) of the network overall without necessarily focussing on the requirements of a specific application. However, the emergence of application protocols such as QUIC and HTTP/2 needs an investigation of layer 5-based (L5) approaches in order to improve users' Quality-of-Experience (QoE). In this paper, we leverage the capabilities of flexible, P4-based switches that incorporate protocol-independent packet processing in order to intelligently route traffic based on application headers. We use Adaptive Bit Rate (ABR) video streaming as an example to show how such an approach can not only provide flexible traffic management but also improve application QoE. Our evaluation consists of an actual deployment in a research testbed, Chameleon, where we leverage the benefits of fast paths in order to retransmit video segments in higher qualities. Further, we analyze real-world ABR streaming sessions from a large-scale CDN and show that our approach can successfully maximize QoE for all users in the dataset.
High-dimensional rank-based inference

Existing high-dimensional inferential methods for comparing multiple groups test hypotheses are formulated in terms of mean vectors or location parameters. These methods are applicable mainly for m...
Through the Years: Individualizing Instruction in Mathematics.

instruction provides ways to teach a group of students so that each pupil can take what is for him the "next step" in his development of mathematical understandings and competencies at the time when he is ready to move ahead. Individualizing instruction requires developing ways to permit the student to progress at his own rate according to his own style of learning and ways to motivate him to think creatively in formulating his mathematical concepts and knowledge of mathematics. In the field of elementary education, selected headlines relevant to the concern
Experimental implementation of wavefront sensorless real-time adaptive optics aberration correction control loop with a neural network

Recently, deep neural network (DNN) based adaptive optics systems were proposed to address the issue of latency in existing wavefront sensorless (WFS-less) aberration correction techniques. Intensity images alone are sufficient for the DNN model to compute the necessary wavefront correction, removing the need for iterative processes and allowing practical real-time aberration correction to be implemented. Specifically, we generate the desired aberration correction phase profiles utilizing a DNN based system that outputs a set of coefficients for 27 terms of Zernike polynomials. We present an experimental realization of this technique using a spatial light modulator (SLM) on real physical turbulence-induced aberration. We report an aberration correction rate of 20 frames per second in this laboratory setting, accelerated by parallelization on a graphics processing unit. There are a number of issues associated with the practical implementation of such techniques, which we highlight and address in this paper.
Analytic stability boundaries for compressional and global Alfvén eigenmodes driven by fast ions. II. Interaction via Landau resonance

Conditions for net fast ion drive are derived for beam-driven, co-propagating, sub-cyclotron compressional (CAE) and global (GAE) Alfven eigenmodes driven by the Landau resonance with super-Alfvenic fast ions. Approximations applicable to realistic neutral beam distributions and mode characteristics observed in spherical tokamaks enable the derivation of marginal stability conditions for these modes. Such conditions successfully reproduce the stability boundaries found from numerical integration of the exact expression for local fast ion drive/damping. Coupling between the CAE and GAE branches of the dispersion due to finite ω / ω c i and | k ∥ / k ⊥ | is retained and found to be responsible for the existence of the GAE instability via this resonance. Encouraging agreement is demonstrated between the approximate stability criterion, simulation results, and a database of NSTX observations of co-CAEs.
Reducing fire and burn risk in the operating room—testing of a novel device

Burn injury and operating room fires are significant risks for both surgical patients and staff. The purpose of this study was to examine the fire and burn risks associated with two types of fiberoptic light cables and evaluate the efficacy of a novel device in reducing the risk of these fire and burn injuries. A 300-W light source was connected sequentially to two standard fiberoptic cables (Storz and Olympus). The distal ends were buried in, or rested on, standard operating room materials including a cotton green towel and a blue propylene drape to assess the risk of fire formation or burn injury. The Gloshield device was then attached to the ends of the cables and the experiment was repeated. Trials simulating improper use of the device were then conducted with the Gloshield device placed either too deep or too shallow on the end of the light cable. All trials were conducted for a maximum of 10 min or until a positive result (burn or fire) was achieved. Trials were conducted in room air or with supplemental 100% oxygen and repeated for accuracy. Both the Storz and Olympus fiber optic cables were capable of producing burns in standard operating room towels and drapes in control trials. The Gloshield device prevented thermal injury when properly attached in all conditions. Improper use trials demonstrated that the device may be ineffective when not applied properly. The Gloshield device is effective in reducing the risk of thermal burn injury by protecting the distal ends of endoscopic light cables from operating room materials. However, the device needs to be attached appropriately in order to provide protective benefits.
The effect of the local administration of biological substances on the rate of orthodontic tooth movement: a systematic review of human studies.

The influence of different biological agents on the rate of orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) has been extensively reviewed in animal studies with conflicting results. These findings cannot be extrapolated from animals to humans. Therefore, we aimed to systematically investigate the most up-to-date available evidence of human studies regarding the effect of the administration of different biological substances on the rate of orthodontic tooth movement. A total of 8 databases were searched until the 16th of June 2020 without restrictions. Controlled randomized and non-randomized human clinical studies assessing the effect of biological substances on the rate of OTM were included. ROBINS-I and the Cochrane Risk of Bias tools were used. Reporting of this review was based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A total of 11 studies (6 randomized clinical trials and 5 prospective clinical trials) were identified for inclusion. Local injections of prostaglandin E1 and vitamin C exerted a positive influence on the rate of OTM; vitamin D showed variable effects. The use of platelet-rich plasma and its derivatives showed inconsistent results, while the local use of human relaxin hormone showed no significant effects on the rate of OTM. The limited and variable observation periods after the administration of the biological substances, the high and medium risk of bias assessment for some included studies, the variable concentrations of the assessed biological agents, the different experimental designs and teeth evaluated, and the variety of measurement tools have hampered the quantitative assessment of the results as originally planned. Despite the methodological limitations of the included studies, this systematic review provides an important overview of the effects of a variety of biological agents on the rate of tooth movement and elucidates the deficiencies in the clinical studies that have been conducted so far to evaluate the effectiveness of these agents in humans, providing some guidelines for future robust research. PROSPERO ( CRD42020168481 , www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero )
The YcnI protein from Bacillus subtilis contains a copper-binding domain

Bacteria require a precise balance of copper ions to ensure that essential cuproproteins are fully metalated while also avoiding copper-induced toxicity. The Gram positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis maintains appropriate copper homeostasis in part through its ycn operon. The ycn operon comprises genes encoding three proteins: the putative copper importer YcnJ, the copper-dependent transcriptional repressor YcnK, and the uncharacterized DUF1775 domain-containing YcnI. DUF1775 domains are found across bacterial phylogeny and bioinformatics analyses indicate that they frequently neighbor domains implicated in copper homeostasis and transport. Here, we investigated whether YcnI can interact with copper and, using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and inductively-coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) find that it can bind a single Cu(II) ion. We determine the structure of both the apo and copper-bound forms of the protein by X-ray crystallography, uncovering a copper binding site featuring a unique mono-histidine brace ligand set that is highly conserved among DUF1775 domains. These data suggest a possible role for YcnI as a copper chaperone and that DUF1775 domains in other bacterial species may also function in copper homeostasis.
Enhancing Tool Life by Manipulating the Die Elastic Strain Field During Extrusion

A die design architecture for axisymmetric forgings which minimizes the residual contact pressure at the die–workpiece interface during the ejection stroke is proposed. The underlying principle of this die design is that during the forging stroke a tapered die can move in the direction of the forging load thus inducing negative radial elastic strain on the die. When the forging load is removed, the elastic strain energy stored in the die is released thus reposition the die to its initial state. With this design architecture the workpiece can be ejected at no load. Finite element (FE) warm forging simulations for constant velocity joint and pinion gear blank were successfully carried out to evaluate the viability of the process. In addition to reducing residual contact pressure which enhances tribological conditions, the FE simulations conducted have shown that a total energy saving of up to 15% can be achieved with the proposed die designs.
Naked CDS Bans and the Bond Market: Empirical Evidence

During the 2010-2012 sovereign debt crisis in Europe, policy makers responded to the controversy surrounding CDS by implementing a series of policies that banned naked CDS trading. These policies serve as quasi-natural experiments that allow us to empirically identify the effect of naked CDS trading on the underlying bonds. We document that a temporary CDS ban increased bond market liquidity while a permanent ban decreased bond market liquidity. Thus, permanent versus temporary bans had opposite effects. An important policy implication is that permanently banning naked CDS trading adversely affected bond market liquidity, depressed bond prices, and thereby increased sovereign's borrowing cost exactly when governments were trying to avert a liquidity dry-up and credit risk spiral.
The Academic Library: Cowpath or Path to the Future?

This paper relates the traditional academic library to the expression, âdonât pave the cowpathâ. Originating in the IT world, this expression means to not integrate technology into an established practice without assessing whether the process is still effective or still needed. Even though sustaining technologies have simplified information retrieval and library tasks, library organizational structure and processes remain pretty much unchanged. This article discusses the cowpath that academic libraries have followed for decades and the challenges disruptive technologies pose to the traditional model. It looks at how one academic library rejected tradition, got off the cowpath and created a different kind of academic libraryâone that is innovative and fits the mission of an experimental new college. Â
Setting the Standards

On March 21, 1989, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) held a press conference in Washington, DC, to release the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM, 1989). The Curriculum and Evaluation Standards had been under development for almost five years (Crosswhite, Dossey, & Frye, 1989), and public interest was high; the press conference, which some had expected to be quite small, was moved to the larger venue of the Willard Hotel in downtown Washington. Since NCTM had not organized such a large media event before, it was an exciting time for the organization. As Marilyn Hala, an NCTM staff member, recalled: This is the first time I ever remember that we had a bank of six or seven video cameras in the back of the room. There were probably 200 people at the press conference in the Willard Ballroom. It was quite impressive! You had to walk by these members of the press — these cameras — to sit down.1
Tritium permeation through metals under steam conditions

In fusion reactor power plants the permeation of tritium from the coolant into the steam system must be minimized to prevent release of tritium to the environment. A very promising approach to this requirement is construction of the heat exchanger from a material that will be oxidized by the steam to form an almost impermeable oxide layer on the construction material. Studies of the permeation through nickel have shown that protium permeabilities are 1.6 and 1.5 times greater than tritium permeabilities at 1000 and 700/sup 0/K, respectively. Studies of the effects of in situ steam oxidation to reduce tritium permeation rates through Incoloy 800 have shown that the tritium permeabilities of some steam generator materials will probably be reduced by the formation of oxide coatings. The effects of severe thermal shock on the oxide coating on Incoloy 800 were observed to destroy the effectiveness of the oxide to impede permeation whereas mild temperature cycling had no effect on the permeation rates.
The Secret of TSL: The Revolutionary Discovery that Raises School Performance by William G. Ouchi

William G. Ouchi titles his book: The Secret of TSL: The Revolutionary Discovery that Raises School Performance, advertising his secret sauce for school reform. While many of his suggestions are pr...
Analysis of a class of tries with adaptive multi-digit branching

We study a class of adaptive multi-digit tries, in which the numbers of digits rn processed by nodes with n incoming strings are such that, in memoryless model (with n → ∞): $r_n \longrightarrow \frac{log n}{\eta} (pr.)$ where η is an algorithm-specific constant. Examples of known data structures from this class include LC-tries (Andersson and Nilsson, 1993), “relaxed” LC-tries (Nilsson and Tikkanen, 1998), tries with logarithmic selection of degrees of nodes, etc. We show, that the average depth Dn of such tries in asymmetric memoryless model has the following asymptotic behavior (with n → ∞): $D_n = \frac{log log n}{-log(1 - h/\eta)}(1 + o(1))$ where n is the number of strings inserted in the trie, and h is the entropy of the source. We use this formula to compare performance of known adaptive trie structures, and to predict properties of other possible implementations of tries in this class.
Amalgam: reactor response.

Although the number of research reports on dental composites far outnumbers those on amalgams in recent years, amalgam remains the popular clinical choice for posterior restorations. Recent research on corrosion phenomena, mechanical properties, and new compositions indicates that the useful properties of amalgam may still be improved. Given the current position of amalgam within the dental armamentarium, focused research on the physical chemistry and metallurgy of current and new amalgams may continue to pay dividends.
β2 Integrin Induces TCRζ–Syk–Phospholipase C-γ Phosphorylation and Paxillin-Dependent Granule Polarization in Human NK Cells

Cytotoxic lymphocytes kill target cells through polarized release of the content of lytic granules at the immunological synapse. In human NK cells, signals for granule polarization and for degranulation can be uncoupled: Binding of β2 integrin LFA-1 to ICAM is sufficient to induce polarization but not degranulation, whereas CD16 binding to IgG triggers unpolarized degranulation. In this study, we investigated the basis for this difference. IL-2–expanded human NK cells were stimulated by incubation with plate-bound ligands of LFA-1 (ICAM-1) and CD16 (human IgG). Surprisingly, LFA-1 elicited signals similar to those induced by CD16, including tyrosine phosphorylation of the TCR ζ-chain, tyrosine kinase Syk, and phospholipase C-γ. Whereas CD16 activated Ca2+ mobilization and LAT phosphorylation, LFA-1 did not, but induced strong Pyk2 and paxillin phosphorylation. LFA-1–dependent granule polarization was blocked by inhibition of Syk, phospholipase C-γ, and protein kinase C, as well as by paxillin knockdown. Therefore, common signals triggered by CD16 and LFA-1 bifurcate to provide independent control of Ca2+-dependent degranulation and paxillin-dependent granule polarization.
Regulator of G-protein signaling 2 repression exacerbates airway hyper-responsiveness and remodeling in asthma.

G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) are important regulators of cell functions in asthma. We recently reported that regulator of G-protein signaling (RGS) 2, a selective modulator of Gq-coupled GPCRs, is a key regulator of airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR), the pathophysiologic hallmark of asthma. Because RGS2 protein levels in airway cells were significantly lower in patients with asthma compared with patients without asthma, we further investigated the potential pathological importance of RGS2 repression in asthma. The human RGS2 gene maps to chromosome 1q31. We first screened patients with asthma for RGS2 gene promoter single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and found significant differences in the distribution of two RGS2 SNPs (A638G, rs2746071 and C395G, rs2746072) between patients with asthma and nonasthmatic subjects. These two SNPs are always associated with each other and have the same higher prevalence in patients with asthma (65%) as compared with nonasthmatic subjects (35%). Point mutations cor...
Simultaneous measurements of velocity and density in a turbulent nonpremixed flame

Simultaneous velocity and density measurements have been obtained throughout a turbulent nonpremixed flame under high Reynolds number conditions. The objective of the measurements was to obtain a better understanding of the structure of turbulent nonpremixed flames and the interaction between turbulence and combustion chemistry. The measurements were made with an apparatus which utilized both laser velocimetry and laser Rayleigh scattering. From these measurements it was shown previously that while the gradient diffusion submodel for the velocity-density correlations agreed with the radial correlation data, it was seldom consistent with the axial data. In the present paper the analysis of these data is extended to include information on flame intermittency, conditionally sampled results, and joint probability distributions of velocity and density. Comparison made with results in nonreacting and analogous nonpremixed reacting jets show that both mean and fluctuating quantities and conditionally sampled results are dependent on flow conditions and the presence of combustion. 28 references.
Compartmentalization of endocannabinoids into lipid rafts in a dorsal root ganglion cell line

Background and purpose: N-arachidonoyl ethanolamine (AEA) and 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG) are endogenous cannabinoids binding to the cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 to modulate neuronal excitability and synaptic transmission in primary afferent neurons. To investigate the compartmentalization of the machinery for AEA and 2-AG signalling, we studied their partitioning into lipid raft fractions isolated from a dorsal root ganglion X neuroblastoma cell line (F-11). Experimental approach: F-11 cells were homogenized and fractionated using a detergent-free OptiPrep density gradient. All lipids were partially purified from methanolic extracts of the fractions on solid phase cartridges and quantified using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). Protein distribution was determined by Western blotting. Key results: Under basal conditions, the endogenous cannabinoid AEA was present in both lipid raft and specific non-lipid raft fractions as was one of its biosynthetic enzymes, NAPE-PLD. The 2-AG precursor 1-stearoyl-2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycerol (DAG), diacylglycerol lipase α (DAGLα), which cleaves DAG to form 2-AG, and 2-AG were all co-localized with lipid raft markers. CB1 receptors, previously reported to partition into lipid raft fractions, were not detected in F-11 membranes, but CB2 receptors were detected at high levels and partitioned into non-lipid raft fractions. Conclusions and implications: The biochemical machinery for the production of 2-AG via the putative diacylglycerol pathway is localized within lipid rafts, suggesting that 2-AG synthesis via DAG occurs within these microdomains. The observed co-localization of AEA, 2-AG, and their synthetic enzymes with the reported localization of CB1 raises the possibility of intrinsic-autocrine signalling within lipid raft domains and/or retrograde-paracrine signalling. British Journal of Pharmacology (2008) 153, 380–389; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707561; published online 29 October 2007
NAIVE SINGULAR PERTURBATION THEORY

The paper demonstrates, via extremely simple examples, the shocks, spikes, and initial layers that arise in solving certain singularly perturbed initial value problems for first-order ordinary differential equations. As examples from stability theory, they are basic to many asymptotic techniques. First, we note that limiting solutions of linear homogeneous equations on t≥0 are specified by the zeros of , rather than by the turning points where a(t) becomes zero. Furthermore, solutions to the solvable equations for k=1, 2 or 3 can feature canards, where the trivial limit continues to apply after it becomes repulsive. Limiting solutions of the separable equation may likewise involve switchings between the zeros of c(x) located immediately above and below x(0), if they exist, at zeros of A(t). Finally, limiting solutions of many other problems follow by using asymptotic expansions for appropriate special functions. For example, solutions of can be given in terms of the Bessel functions Kj(t4/4e) and Ij(t4/4e) for j=3/8 and -5/8.
Retrieval of Aerosol Properties from SAGE III Limb Scattering Measurements: Future Applications for OMPS

SAGE III limb scattering (LS) radiances are inverted, producing stratospheric aerosol extinction profiles. Initial agreement with coincident solar occultation measurements is 25 ± 75%, and adding aerosol size distribution retrievals should increase extinction retrieval quality.
Flocculation of colloids suspended in a viscoelastic fluid undergoing shear

The effect of viscoelasticity on the kinetics of the shear-induced flocculation of colloids has been investigated theoretically and experimentally. A numerical technique for such three-dimensional problems called global residual minimization (GRM) has been developed as an alternative to finite element and finite difference methods. In the GRM method, minimization of the residual of the momentum balance is used as the selection criterion for the velocity-field solution. Trajectory simulations were carried out for spheres in a corotational Jeffreys fluid at a variety of Weissenberg numbers, We. For We ≤ 0.01, the effect of viscoelasticity is found to be negligible. For We = 1.0, flocculation rates are enhanced. For We = 10.0, a possibly large reduction in flocculation rate is indicated. Experiments were conducted using 600 nm radius polystyrene spheres in hydroxyethyl cellulose solutions. At shear rates corresponding roughly to We = 10.5 and 15.3, the flocculation rates were found to be at least an order of magnitude less than the rate expected in a Newtonian fluid. It is postulated that this reduction in flocculation rate is caused by the viscoelasticity of the suspending fluid.