cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A fourth gene in the bop gene cluster of Halobacterium halobium is co-regulated with the bop gene

Summary We have detected an additional gene in the bop gene cluster of the halophilic archaeon, Halobacterium halobium . This gene, denoted blp ( bacterio - o psin l inked p roduct) is located directly beyond the 3′ terminus of the bat gene and is transcribed in the opposite orientation. blp transcription paralleled bop transcription under various growth conditions in the wild-type and in the majority of mutants tested, including Bop regulatory mutants. Moreover, blp transcription was induced by low oxygen tension in a similar manner to that previously observed for bop transcription. These data suggest that the blp and bop genes are co-regulated by low oxygen tension. Striking sequence similarities observed up to 90 bp upstream of the blp and the bop genes may represent binding sites for regulatory factors mediating the oxygen response. Sequence identity between the -25 regions upstream of these two genes revealed a motif which is noncanonical with respect to the archeal consensus promoter and provides the best definition to date of the bop promoter.
Use of the hand refractometer in determining total serum proteins of infants and children.

Summary The present study has confirmed the reliability of total serum protein determinations as measured by the quick, simple technique of hand refractometry. The applicability of capillary blood samples for this purpose provides a means by which determination of total serum proteins becomes a rapid, bedside procedure, performed easily by either physician or nurse.
The Impact of Custom Semirigid Foot Orthotics on Pain and Disability for Individuals with Plantar Fasciitis

Study Design Single-group, pre-, and postintervention repeated measures design. Objective To determine the impact of custom semirigid foot orthotics on pain and disability for individuals with plantar fasciitis. Background Few studies have examined the efficacy of foot orthotics for plantar fasciitis, and no single study has yet examined the effects of semirigid foot orthotics on an established quality-of-life instrument. Methods and Measures Eight men and 7 women (mean ages 44.7 ± 9.0 years) who reported having plantar fasciitis symptoms for an average of 21.3 ± 23.7 months participated in the study. Subjects were timed for a 100-m walk at a self-selected speed, then they rated the pain they experienced during the walk using a 10-cm visual analog scale. Subjects also completed the pain and disability subsections of the Foot Function Index questionnaire. All measures were acquired before the fabrication of custom semirigid foot orthotics and 12 to 17 days following onset of foot orthotic use. Results Post...
Allosteric modulation of caspase 3 through mutagenesis.

A mutation in the allosteric site of the caspase 3 dimer interface of Val266 to histidine abolishes activity of the enzyme, and models predict that the mutation mimics the action of small molecule allosteric inhibitors by preventing formation of the active site. Mutations were coupled to His266 at two sites in the interface, E124A and Y197C. We present results from X-ray crystallography, enzymatic activity and molecular dynamics simulations for seven proteins, consisting of single, double and triple mutants. The results demonstrate that considering allosteric inhibition of caspase 3 as a shift between discrete ‘off-state’ or ‘on-state’ conformations is insufficient. Although His266 is accommodated in the interface, the structural defects are propagated to the active site through a helix on the protein surface. A more comprehensive view of allosteric regulation of caspase 3 requires the representation of an ensemble of inactive states and shows that subtle structural changes lead to the population of the inactive ensemble.
Characterization of poly(vinyl methyl ketone) using the inverse gas chromatography method

The inverse gas chromatography method was applied to the semicrystalline polymer poly(vinyl methyl ketone) (PVMK). The method was able to provide valuable information on the thermodynamic and surface properties of PVMK. Thirteen solutes with different chemical properties were used. They provided information on the type and strength of the polymer-solute interactions which were attributed to the melting behavior of PVMK. The melting temperature of PVMK was detected with precision using solutes that interacted strongly with PVMK. The interaction parameters χ 12 of PVMK-alkanes over the temperature range 70-180°C were obtained and were shown to be independent of temperature and number of carbons in the alkane series. The dispersive contribution of the surface energy of PVMK was measured as a function of temperature. The values ranged between 29.00 and 18.00 mJ/m 2 . The molar heat of sorption and the molar free energy of adsorption were calculated.
An evaluation of least-squares fits to COSY spectra as a means of estimating proton—proton coupling constants. I. Simulated test problems

A computational method is described that takes an initial estimate of the chemical shifts, line widths and scalar coupling constants for the protons in a molecule, and refines this estimate so as to improve the least-squares fit between an experimental COSY spectrum and the spectrum simulated from these parameters in the weak-coupling approximation. In order to evaluate the potential of such refinements for estimating these parameters from COSY experiments, the method has been applied to a large number of sample problems which were themselves simulated from standard conformations of the amino acids, along with 25 near-native conformations of the protein bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor. The results of this evaluation show that: (i) if the chemical shifts are known to within ca. 0.01 ppm and no noise or artifacts are present in the data, the method is capable of recovering the correct coupling constants, starting from essentially arbitrary values, to within 0.1 Hz in almost all cases. (ii) Although the precision of these estimates of the coupling constants is degraded by the limited resolution, noise and artifacts present in most experimental spectra, the large majority of coupling constants can still be recovered to within 1.0 Hz; the local minimum problem is not made significantly worse by such defects in the data. (iii) The method assigns an 'effective' line width to all the resonances, and in the process can resolve overlapping cross peaks. (iv) The method is not capable of determining the chemical shifts a priori, due to the presence of numerous local minima in the least-squares residual as a function of these parameters.
Mixing of large particles in two‐dimensional gas fluidized beds

The fluidization and solids mixing characteristics of very large particles were investigated in a two-dimensional gas fluidized bed. Bubble or slug induced drift and gross solids circulation appeared to be the predominant solids mixing mechanisms in this large particle bed. The contribution from wake mixing appeared to be negligible and radial mixing was more rapid than axial mixing. Apparently, segregation in the axial direction resulted from preferential transportation of the lighter particles upwards with rising bubbles and from interparticle competition to fill the voidage created by the rising bubbles. No appreciable segregation occurred in the radial direction. A nonstationary random walk model has been developed to characterize mixing and segregation of fluidized large particles. On a etudie les caracteristiques de la fluidisation et du melange des matieres solides de tres grosses particules dans un lit a deux dimensions et fluidise par un gaz. Les mouvements induits par les bulles et le pistonnage, ainsi que la circulation d'ensemble des solides semblent ětre les mecanismes predominant du melangeage des solides dans un lit de grosses particules. La contribution du melange due au sillage a paru negligeable et le melange radial s'est avere plus rapide que le melange axial. Apparemment, une segregation dans le sens axial a resulte du transport vers le haut des particules legeres, conjointement avec les bulles qui s'elevaient, et de la concurrence entre les particules pour remplir le vide cree par les bulles ascendantes. On a mis au point un modele de marche aleatoire et non stationnaire pour caracteriser le melange et la segregation des grosses particules fluidisees.
The effects of dietary protein on the hepatic enzymes of serine metabolism in the rabbit

Abstract The hepatic levels of activity of seven enzymes involved in serine metabolism have been measured in rabbits fed diets of varying protein content. Rabbits fed an 88% casein diet for 14 days had a marked increase in the activities of hydroxypyruvate: l -alanine transaminase, d -glycerate kinase, and serine dehydratase, and a significant decrease in the activities of 3-P-glycerate dehydrogenase, P-hydroxypyruvate: l -glutamate transaminase, and phosphoserine phosphatase, when compared to rabbits fed chow. Conversely, when a 2% casein diet was fed to the animals for the same time period, the hepatic activities of hydroxypyruvate: l -alanine transaminase, d -glycerate kinase, and serine dehydratase were lowered and that of 3-P-glycerate dehydrogenase was elevated over values found in chow-fed rabbits. No significant changes in the level of activity of d -glycerate dehydrogenase were observed with any of the diets investigated. Preliminary experiments with puromycin suggest that the observed increase in the hepatic level of activity of hydroxypyruvate: l -alanine transaminase in rabbits maintained on an 88% casein diet may be due to an altered rate of enzyme synthesis. The results are discussed with reference to serine anabolism and catabolism in rabbit liver.
Melting of gold clusters

Investigations of the thermal evolution of structural and dynamic properties of gold nanocrystalline clusters of variable size $({\mathrm{Au}}_{75},$ ${\mathrm{Au}}_{146},$ and ${\mathrm{Au}}_{459})$ were performed using extensive molecular-dynamics simulations employing embedded-atom interactions. These studies reveal that the thermal evolution of these clusters is punctuated by diffusionless solid-to-solid structural transformations from the low-temperature optimal structures (truncated-decahedra for ${\mathrm{Au}}_{75}$ and ${\mathrm{Au}}_{146},$ and a face-centered-cubic structure with a truncated-octahedral morphology for ${\mathrm{Au}}_{459})$ to icosahedral structures. These structural transformations are precursors to the melting transitions which occur at temperatures below the bulk melting temperature of crystalline gold, and they are intrinsic to the thermodynamics of the clusters. The melting scenario revealed by the simulations for these gold clusters differs from that involving thickening of a quasiliquid wetting surface layer, and in addition it does not involve at any stage of the thermal process dynamic coexistence where the cluster fluctuates between being entirely solid or liquid. For the larger cluster, ${\mathrm{Au}}_{459},$ a thermodynamic (icosahedral) solid-liquid coexistence state is found in the vicinity of the melting transition. The occurrence of polymorphic solid structures, that is a cluster containing simultaneously decahedral and icosahedral parts, is discussed in light of early observations of such structures via high-resolution electron microscopy.
Impact of Storage of Freshly Harvested Paddy Rice on Milled White Rice Flavor

ABSTRACT Between harvest and the start of drying, paddy rice may be held for more than 24 hr at moisture contents ranging from 16% to >26%. Microbes found on the freshly harvested rice grow under these conditions and produce a wide variety of volatile compounds that impact the flavor/aroma of the white rice obtained after drying and milling of the paddy rice. The contents of 10 volatile microbial metabolites were compared in white rice obtained from paddy rice harvested at differing moisture contents and immediately dried (0 hr) or held for 48 hr before drying. No increases in volatile microbial metabolite levels were observed in white rice obtained from paddy rice that was stored at 17–21% moisture contents for 48 hr. In white rice from paddy rice stored at ≥24% moisture content, 3-methyl-butanol, 2-methyl-butanol, acetic acid, 2,3- butandiol, and ethyl hexadecanoate increased markedly with time. Also in these samples, as determined by a descriptive panel, sour/silage and alfalfa/grassy/green bean flavor...
A new way to initiate mRNA degradation.

Removal of the poly(A) tail is the initial step in targeting an mRNA for degradation in budding yeast as well as in metazoans. But in fission yeast a new study reveals an additional pathway that adds uridines to the poly(A) tail of mRNA to initiate the degradation pathway.
Failure in the Production of Citrate Permease by Streptococcus diacetilactis

Summary Five strains of Streptococcus diacetilactis contained variants unable to form acetoin and gas from citrate. The variants differed from parent-type bacteria by not producing citrate permease, required for transporting citrate through the cell permeability barrier. Production of citritase by the acetoinless mutants distinguished them from cultures of Streptococcus lactis and Streptococcus cremoris .
STUDY OF AN ALGORITHM FOR ENERGY FLOW IN THE SiD DETECTOR

The development of a tracking algorithm for minimum ionizing particles based on the SiD detector design for a future e+e- linear collider is described. Their identification and reconstruction, using the electromagnetic calorimeter alone, is an important step towards an Energy Flow algorithm which can play a key role in the measurement of the jet energy and the identification of long-lived particles. Implementation and possible future improvements of this algorithm are discussed.
Fascicular Perineurium Thickness, Size, and Position Affect Model Predictions of Neural Excitation

The number of applications using neural prosthetic interfaces is expanding. Computer models are a valuable tool to evaluate stimulation techniques and electrode designs. Although our understanding of neural anatomy has improved, its impact on the effects of neural stimulation is not well understood. This study evaluated the effects of fascicle perineurial thickness, diameter, and position on axonal excitation thresholds and population recruitment using finite element models and NEURON simulations. The perineurial thickness of human fascicles was found to be 3.0% plusmn 1.0% of the fascicle diameter. Increased perineurial thickness and fascicle diameter increased activation thresholds. The presence of a large neighboring fascicle caused a significant change in activation of a smaller target fascicle by as much as 80% plusmn 11% of the total axon population. Smaller fascicles were recruited at lower amplitudes than neighboring larger fascicles. These effects were further illustrated in a realistic model of a human femoral nerve surrounded by a nerve cuff electrode. The data suggest that fascicular selectivity is strongly dependent upon the anatomy of the nerve being stimulated. Therefore, accurate representations of nerve anatomy are required to develop more accurate computer models to evaluate and optimize nerve electrode designs for neural prosthesis applications.
A Modified Peroxide Test for Detection of Lipid Oxidation in Dairy Products

Summary The use of a nonionic detergent (BDI reagent) for breaking the emulsion has been found a satisfactory means of obtaining fat for estimation of peroxide value by the ferric thiocyanate method. The procedure is applicable to milk, cream, and condensed and dried milk products. It appears to be very satisfactory for routine control purposes. Its reproducibility and sensitivity are excellent.
Kinematics and control of a fully parallel force-reflecting hand controller for manipulator teleoperation

Design of a parallel force-reflecting hand controller that implements a friction- and inertia canceling control loop about the entire mechanism based on wrench sensing in the mechanism handgrip is discussed. Kinematics of the controller under consideration is analyzed and results are presented using a closed-form solution for the inverse kinematics and Newton-Raphson's method for the forward kinematics. Results indicate that the force control scheme based on a handgrip force sensor provides smaller steady-state errors than the scheme without a handigrip sensor.
UNCOMMUNICATIVE PARTNERS: SOCIAL MOVEMENT MEDIA ANALYSIS AND RADICAL EDUCATORS

While the research literature on alternative media, participatory media, tactical media, social movement media, continues to expand and explore this significant realm of public communication, it tends at the present time to be very heavily analytical. This is vital work but, I will argue, insufficient to meet the social and economic demands of the day. A quite frequent absence in this research literature is, equally, attention to the interface between educational activities and socially committed media. It is as though thinking about media and thinking about education had been placed in solitary confinement, albeit in neighbouring cells. These issues demand urgent attention. The paper will focus principally on the potential in colleges and universities, but not only in those educational contexts, for constructive interactions from all “five corners” of the media firmament. These are, in no special order, media analysis, media activism, media arts, media industry professions and media policy-makers. There are moments and places of overlap between one or more of these, but too often, there are not. Sadly, although people and groups in this pentangle are deeply concerned with media communication, they rarely talk with each other, despite some progress in this direction within the current media reform movement in the USA.
The design of medical image databases: a distributed approach

In view of the physical and logical separation of medical image generation, retrieval, processing, and storage, a distributed design approach for picture archiving and communication system (PACS) database systems develops naturally and has many advantages over its centralized counterpart. An examination is made of the design requirements for a PACS database system and the design issues of a distributed PACS database system. An architecture of a distributed PACS data base is proposed, and some implementation considerations are discussed. >
Cytolethal distending toxin sequence and activity in the enterohepatic pathogen Helicobacter hepaticus.

ABSTRACT Little is known about the molecular pathogenesis of hepatitis and enterocolitis caused by enterohepatic Helicobacter species. Sonicates of the murine pathogen Helicobacter hepaticuswere found to cause progressive cell distension, accumulation of filamentous actin, and G2/M cell cycle arrest in HeLa cell monolayers. The genes encoding this cytotoxic activity were cloned fromH. hepaticus. Three open reading frames with closest homology to cdtA, cdtB, and cdtCfrom Campylobacter jejuni were identified. Sonicates of a laboratory strain of Escherichia coli carrying the clonedcdtABC gene cluster from H. hepaticusreproduced the cytotoxic activities seen with sonicates of H. hepaticus. Cytolethal distending toxin activity is a potential virulence determinant of H. hepaticus that may play a role in the pathogenesis of Helicobacter-associated hepatitis and enterocolitis.
A neurologist's perspective on pain and consciousness

Although pain requires consciousness, the relationship between the two is variable. Some patients with impaired consciousness may have pain or aversive experiences that closely resemble pain. The variable relationship between pain and consciousness suggests that these phenomena are mediated by significantly different neural mechanisms. Consequently, the methods and theories that apply to consciousness research may have limited utility when applied to pain research.
Team-based learning at ten medical schools: two years later.

PURPOSE In 2003, we described initial use of teambased learning (TBL) at 10 medical schools. The purpose of the present study was to review progress and understand factors affecting the use of TBL at these schools during the subsequent 2 years. METHODS Representatives from 10 schools evaluated in 2003 were again evaluated in 2005. They were interviewed by members of the Team Based Learning Collaborative using a semistructured interview process. Data were analysed by 2 researchers using the constant comparative method and were triangulated through sharing results with other interviewers at regular intervals to verify conclusions and form consensus. RESULTS TBL continued to be used in all but 1 school. At the 9 remaining schools, TBL was added to 18 courses, continued to be used in 19 and was discontinued in 13 courses. At some schools, it was discontinued in single courses in lieu of new, longitudinal integration courses in which TBL was a main instructional strategy. Faculty, student, course and institutional factors were associated with changes in TBL use. CONCLUSIONS Faculty, administration ⁄curriculum, students and characteristics of specific courses influence ongoing utilisation of TBL. Those who desire to implement TBL would do well to take these factors into account as they plan implementation efforts at their schools.
Immigration Law and the U.S.-Mexico Border

Americans from radically different political persuasions agree on the need to “fix” the “broken” U.S. immigration laws to address serious deficiencies and improve border enforcement. In “Immigration Law and the U.S.-Mexico Border,” Kevin Johnson and Bernard Trujillo focus on what, for many, is at the core of the entire immigration debate in modern America: immigration from Mexico. Johnson and Trujillo explore the long history of discrimination against U.S. citizens of Mexican ancestry in the United States and the current movement against “illegal aliens” — persons depicted as not deserving fair treatment by U.S. law. The authors argue that the United States has a special relationship with Mexico by virtue of sharing a 2,000-mile border and a “land-grab of epic proportions” when the United States “acquired” nearly two-thirds of Mexican territory between 1836 and 1853. The authors explain U.S. immigration law and policy in its many aspects — including the migration of labor, the place of state and local regulation over immigration, and the contributions of Mexican immigrants to the U.S. economy. Their objective is to help thinking citizens on both sides of the border sort through an issue with a long, emotional history that will undoubtedly continue to inflame politics until cooler, and better-informed, heads can prevail. The authors conclude by outlining possibilities for the future, sketching a possible movement to promote social justice.
Location privacy through secret sharing techniques

We present a novel architecture to protect the location and the identification of a mobile user. This architecture, called "share the secret - STS", simply divides the secret, i.e., the location of a user, and uses totally untrusted entities to distribute portions of this anonymous location information. STS avoids cryptography methods. As a lightweight scheme it can be applied to a network of nodes demonstrating low processing and computational power, such as the nodes of an ad-hoc network and sensors.
Necessary and sufficient conditions for full diversity order in correlated Rayleigh fading beamforming and combining systems

Transmit beamforming and receive combining are low complexity, linear techniques that make use of the spatial diversity advantage provided by transmitters and/or receivers employing multiple antennas. There has been a growing interest in designing beamforming schemes for frequency division duplexing systems that use a limited amount of feedback from the receiver to the transmitter. This limited feedback conveys a beamforming vector chosen from a finite set known to both the transmitter and receiver. These techniques often use a set of beamforming vectors where the probability of error expression can not be easily formulated or bounded. It is of utmost importance to guarantee that the sets of beamforming and combining vectors are chosen such that full diversity order is achieved. For this reason, necessary and sufficient conditions on the sets of possible beamformers and combiners are derived that guarantee full diversity order in correlated Rayleigh fading.
Passive velocity field control (PVFC). Part II. Application to contour following

When the contour following task is represented by a velocity field on the configuration manifold of the system, the coordination aspect of the problem is made explicit. The PVFC scheme developed in the Part I (ibid. vol.29(9) (2001)) can then be applied to track the defined velocity field. However, for some contours, an encoding velocity held on the configuration manifold does not exist or is difficult to define and, as a consequence, the PVFC cannot be directly applied. For systems whose configuration manifolds are compact Lie groups and the desired contour is represented by a parameterized trajectory, a general methodology is developed, using a suspension technique, to define a velocity field on a manifold related to the configuration manifold of the system for which PVFC can be applied. With this strategy, timing along the contour can be naturally varied online by a self-pacing scheme so that the contour tracking performance can be improved. The experimental results for a 2-DOF robot following a Lissajous contour illustrates and verifies the convergence and robustness properties of the PVFC methodology.
Everyday indicators of impaired cognition: Development of a new screening scale

Development of the Everyday Indicators of Impaired Cognition (EIIC) Scale to assess nursing home residents for performance errors in four domains of cognitive functioning is reported. The EIIC had strong content validity, with indices ranging from 0.7 to 1.0. Factor analyses of data from two independent samples (N = 198, N = 107) confirmed four factors: abstract thinking, judgment, language, and spatial skills. Cronbach's alpha for subscales ranged from 0.67 to 0.92; testretest reliabilities ranged from 0.49 to 0.80 with higher reliabilities occurring when time of retest matched time of original testing. Overall EIIC scores correlated to the short Memory-Orientation-Concentration (MOC) test and the Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE) at values supporting convergent validity (r = 0.67 and −0.74, respectively). Evidence for divergent validity is a small, negative, nonsignificant correlations (r = −0.15, −0.18) of the EIIC at Times 1 and 2 to the Bradburn Affect Balance Scale. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Initial evidence on whether use of professional fundraising services increases fundraising effectiveness

We provide initial evidence on whether use of professional fundraising services by US nonprofit organizations (NPOs) increases the effectiveness of NPOs' fundraising efforts. To a well-tested model of organization-level donations, we add an interaction term that captures the impact that professional fundraising fees an NPO incurs has on the effectiveness of an NPOs' spending on fundraising in raising donations. We find that professional fundraising fees has a significant positive impact on the effectiveness of fundraising efforts in raising donations for NPOs in the full, education, and health samples, but no impact for NPOs in the arts and human services samples. For NPOs in the full sample and NPOs in the education sample, one quarter of the effect of fundraising on donations stems from the positive impact of professional fundraising services on the effectiveness of fundraising in raising donations. For NPOs in the health sample, one half of the effect of fundraising on donations stems from the positive impact of professional fundraising services on the effectiveness of fundraising in raising donations. These results suggest that professional fundraising services significantly enhance the effectiveness of fundraising for these types of NPOs. While the results of this study seem to confirm the decisions of managers of education and health NPOs to utilize professional fundraising services, the results also suggest that managers of arts and human services NPOs may want to reconsider using professional fundraising services, at least the types of services they currently purchase and the way they currently utilize such services. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A new complication of left atrial catheters.

Left atrial catheters are commonly used to guide the intraoperative and postoperative care of patients with congenital heart disease. Complications associated with these catheters include air embolism to the systemic circulation, thrombosis at the catheter tip, bleeding after removal, retention of the catheter, and aortic or mitral prosthetic valve entrapment. A previously unreported complication of left atrial (LA) catheter placement is presented
Colorectal screening after polypectomy: a national survey study of primary care physicians.

The authors surveyed a random sample of internists and family physicians about their usual practice in obtaining surveillance colonoscopy after a diagnosis of a colonic polyp. Respondents chose a s...
On the failure of modern species concepts

The modern age of species concepts began in 1942, when Ernst Mayr gave concept names to several different approaches to species identification. A long list of species concepts then followed, as well as a complex literature on their merits, motivations and uses. Some of these complexities arose as a consequence of the semantic shift that Mayr introduced, in which procedures for identifying species were elevated to concepts. Much of the debate in recent decades over concepts, and over pluralism versus monism, can be seen as an unnecessary consequence of treating species identification criteria as if they were more fundamental concepts. Recently, biologists have begun to recognize both the shortcomings of a lexicon of multiple species concepts and a common evolutionary idea that underlies them.
Proper and improper modal solutions inhomogeneous stripline

A rigorous procedure is developed to determine the propagation constant for an inhomogeneous stripline, which consists of a perfectly conducting strip of infinitesimal thickness and finite width embedded in multiple dielectric layers between two perfectly conducting ground planes. An integral equation, formulated in terms of an electric field Green's function, is obtained by enforcing the boundary conditions on the strip. The current distribution and propagation constant are determined by solving the integral equation using a method of moments procedure. For several inhomogeneous stripline structures, both proper and improper dominant modal solutions are obtained. One of the most important practical cases, studied in detail, is that of the conventional stripline with an air-gap above the strip. >
Crowdsourcing Word Sense Definition

In this paper, we propose a crowdsourcing methodology for a single-step construction of both an empirically-derived sense inventory and the corresponding sense-annotated corpus. The methodology taps the intuitions of non-expert native speakers to create an expert-quality resource, and natively lends itself to supplementing such a resource with additional information about the structure and reliability of the produced sense inventories. The resulting resource will provide several ways to empirically measure distances between related word senses, and will explicitly address the question of fuzzy boundaries between them.
Codons support the maintenance of intrinsic DNA polymer flexibility over evolutionary timescales.

Despite our long familiarity with how the genetic code specifies the amino acid sequence, we still know little about why it is organized in the way that it is. Contrary to the view that the organization of the genetic code is a “frozen accident” of evolution, recent studies have demonstrated that it is highly nonrandom, with implications for both codon assignment and usage. We hypothesize that this inherent nonrandomness may facilitate the coexistence of both sequence and structural information in DNA. Here, we take advantage of a simple metric of intrinsic DNA flexibility to analyze mutational effects on the four phosphate linkages present in any given codon. Application of a simple evolutionary neutral model of substitution to random sequences, translated with alternative genetic codes, reveals that the standard code is highly optimized to favor synonymous substitutions that maximize DNA polymer flexibility, potentially counteracting neutral evolutionary drift toward stiffer DNA caused by spontaneous deamination. Comparison to existing mutational patterns in yeast also demonstrates evidence of strong selective constraint on DNA flexibility, especially at so-called “silent” sites. We also report a fundamental relationship between DNA flexibility, codon usage bias, and several important evolutionary descriptors of comparative genomics (e.g., base composition, transition/transversion ratio, and nonsynonymous vs. synonymous substitution rate). Recent advances in structural genomics have emphasized the role of the DNA polymer's flexibility in both gene function and whole genome folding, thereby implicating possible reasons for codons to facilitate the multiplexing of both genetic and structural information within the same molecular context.
Early Atherosclerosis and Pulsatile Flow in the Human Carotid Bifurcation

Three regions in the human arterial system are predisposed to the development of intimai thickening, including the formation of atherosclerotic plaques, which may lead to reductions in blood flow, causing clinical symptoms. These three regions include the coronary arteries, the infrarenal abdominal aorta and arteries to the lower limbs, and the carotid bifurcation. Together these three sites cause most of the clinical problems associated with atherosclerosis. Because these lesions localize in such a predictable manner and are usually well-defined in their axial extent, hemodynamic factors may play an important role in the preferential localization of atherosclerosis.
Clay Layer Consolidation Delimited Between Sheets with Small Permeability

The consolidation theory of compressible soils usually assumes that at the boundaries the drainage is free. That is, the surrounding layers are pervious. In this paper, the case in which the boundary layers have a low permeability is studied. When free drainage is thus inhibited, the boundary conditions at the drainage surface changes necessitating the use of an approximate technique of solution of the governing partial differential equation. Therefore, the solution is obtained by using the Galerkin Method. The solution obtained is compared with the “free drainage” case and conclusions are drawn therefrom. As expected, the consolidation in the case of restricted drainage proceeds at a much lower rate
Who wants solar water heaters and alternative fuel vehicles? Assessing social–psychological predictors of adoption intention and policy support in China

Abstract Renewable energy technologies, such as solar water heaters (SWHs) and alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs), have been widely adopted in China. Using an extended model of the Theory of Planned Behavior, we investigated how social–psychological factors (environmental attitudes, perceived behavioral control (PBC), subjective and descriptive norms, and renewable energy knowledge) affect individuals’ intention to adopt SWHs and AFVs and support renewable energy policies for a sample of 655 Chinese university students. Results of structural equation models indicate that environmental attitudes have strong positive effects on the intention to adopt SWHs and AFVs and support renewable energy policies. Renewable energy knowledge has a positive impact on these two dependent variables. In addition, subjective and descriptive norms and PBC positively influence the intention to adopt renewable energy technologies, but have no significant effect on support for renewable energy policies. Implications of the results are discussed.
A multiplexed immunoaggregation biomarker assay using a two-stage micro resistive pulse sensor

We present an immunoaggregation assay chip for multiplexed biomarkers detection. This chip is based on immunoaggregation of antibody functionalized microparticles (Ab-MPs) to quantify concentrations of multiple biomarkers simultaneously. A mixture of multiple types of Ab-MPs probes with different sizes and magnetic properties, which were functionalized by different antibodies, was used for the multiplexed assay. The interactions between biomarkers and their specific Ab-MPs probes caused the immunoaggregation of Ab-MPs. A two-stage micro resistive pulse sensor was used to differentiate and count the Ab-MP aggregates triggered by different biomarkers via size and magnetic property for multiplexed detection. The volume fraction of each type of Ab-MP aggregates indicates the concentration of the corresponding target biomarker. In our study, we demonstrated multiplexed detection of two model biomarkers (human ferritin and mouse anti-rabbit IgG) in 10% fetal bovine serum, using anti-ferritin Ab and anti-mouse IgG Ab functionalized MPs. We found that the volume fraction of Ab-MP aggregates increased with the increased biomarker concentrations. The detection ranges from 5.2 ng/ml to 208 ng/ml and 3.1 ng/ml to 5.12 × 104 ng/ml were achieved for human ferritin and mouse anti-rabbit IgG. This bioassay chip is able to quantitatively detect multiple biomarkers in a single test without fluorescence or enzymatic labeling process and hence is promising to serve as a useful tool for rapid detection of multiple biomarkers in biomedical research and clinical applications.
The Physiology of Swelling Phase of Spore Germination In Penicillium Atrovenetum

Spores of Penicillium atrovenetum swell before producing germ tubes and no germination occurred without prior swelling. Dead spores neither swelled nor produced germ tubes. Swelling required exogenous glucose, phosphate, and oxygen, but germ tube formation was dependent, in addition, on the presence of a nitrogen source in the medium. The optimum pH for both swelling and germ tube formation was between 4.0 and 8.0. Spores harvested from cultures more than 4 weeks old resulted in reduced percentages of swollen spores. Swelling was dependent on respiratory and synthetic processes, and carbon dioxide was produced during the entire swelling period. The inhibition of energy formation by azide and 2,4dinitrophenol as well as fluoride and malonate prevented swelling and carbon dioxide production. During swelling, RNA, DNA, protein, lipids and cell wall components were synthesized from glucose. Inhibitors of protein synthesis prevented swelling. Uracil-C14 was incorporated into RNA, and thymidine-H3 into DNA, during swelling. From glucose-C14, RNA was synthesized in greatest amounts followed by DNA and protein. Synthesis of RNA during swelling was also energy dependent and was stopped by azide. It is suggested that the swelling process during spore germination is associated with an intense metabolic activity and it is not just a passive process involving osmotic entry of water.
Mechanisms of coronary angiogenesis in response to stretch: role of VEGF and TGF-β

To test the hypotheses that cyclic stretch of1) cardiac myocytes produces factors that trigger angiogenic events in coronary microvascular endothelial cells (CMEC) and2) CMEC enhances the expressio...
Old and New Nationalisms, Pre-migration Political Legacies

In 2009, Hero Brinkman, a member of a Dutch parliamentary delegation to the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba and a member of Gert Wilders far right PVV (Partij voor de Vrijheid) (Party for Freedom), inflamed passions by suggesting that the Dutch islands be auctioned on eBay (Expatica, 2009). Over the last ten years, for the first time in Dutch history, the islands of the Antilles have become a focus of Dutch parliamentary debate (Oostindie, 2011:38). This suggests a rather tenuous attachment to and inclusion of the Dutch islands in constructions of Dutch nationalism and national identity. The attenuated connection is partially explained by the political development of Dutch nationhood and expansion in the Dutch Caribbean and now finds itself expressed in island-based nationalisms as well as new assertions of Dutch nationhood.
Advances in Ecological Studies on Zooplankton

Advances in ecological stuides on zooplankton were reviewed based on the published papers and authors' studies. Contents include long-term ecology, dynamics changes of zooplankton, predation ecology and effects of environmental factors such as temperature, food resources on zooplankton. Long-term studies on zooplankton are very important to understand changes of ecosystem, especially those driven by slow processes, rare or episodic events and highly variable, stable or complex processes. The major objectives of long-term investigations are to provide reliable estimates of base-line variation, to detect long-term trends in the mean level of base-line, to detect rare events and to provide information for meaningful, testable hypotheses. A lot of research results demonstrated that changes in zooplankton community structure were determined largely by fish in the water bodies, with high stocking rate of planktivorous fish, and also by predation of invertebrate animals such as some copepods. Water temperature, food resources etc. may cause a stable zooplankton community. Among the freshwater zooplankton community, Daphnia and Cyclops vicinus may be the key groups. Because Daphnia plays a key role in the top-down control of phytoplankton, and C. vicinus are key factors in aquatic food chain during the period of their maximum abundance. In addition, several research topics such as molecule biology of zooplankton, zooplankton ecology of the surface microlayer, influence of engineering water conservancy project on ecosystem and zooplankton, and batch culture of zooplankton were discusses.
HPLC method for the determination of basic orange in paprika

Objective:To use high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) method for determination of basic orange in paprika.Methods: Samples were weighed in 50 ml plastic centrifuge tube with 10 ml extraction.After ultrasonication and centrifugation,the supernatant was taken for filtration through the membrane and sample injection.The separations were performed with an XDB-C18 column(5 μm,4.6×250 mm) at flow rate of 1.0 ml/min.The mobile phase was acetonitrile-ammonium acetate(75+25).The diode array detector was applied.Results: The basic orange showed good linearity in the range of 1.0 μg/ml～50.0 μg/ml(r=0.9992) and better peak shape.The recoveries were 93.4% and the RSD was 0.61%.The detection limit was 0.3 μg/ml.Conclusion: The method for determination of basic orange by HPLC in paprika have the advantages of qualitative accuracy,high sensitivity,good recovery and reproducibility,fast operation,accurate and reliable results.
Evidence for the distinct nature of F2-isoprostane receptors from those of thromboxane A2

In rat glomeruli and mesangial cells, the thromboxane A2 (TxA2) mimetic, U-46,619, but not 8-iso-prostaglandin F2alpha (8-iso-PGF2alpha), reduced glomerular inulin space and increased inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate production, effects abolished by SQ-29,548. In competitive binding studies using 8-iso-[3H]PGF2alpha or [3H]SQ-29,548, mesangial cells displayed TxA2 binding sites but not ones for 8-iso-PGF2alpha. In contrast, rat aortic smooth muscle cells possessed specific binding sites for both TxA2 and 8-iso-PGF2alpha and displayed functional responses to both agonists, such as time- and dose-dependent activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases. In these cells, the mean dissociation constant value for the isoprostane receptor was 31.8 +/- 5.7 nM. When human TxA2 receptor cDNA was expressed in Xenopus oocytes injected with the Ca2+-specific photoprotein, aequorin, 8-iso-PGF2alpha gave much weaker responses than U-46,619. These studies provide the first radioligand binding characteristics of the F2-isoprostane receptor and demonstrate its specific and heterologous cellular localization. These studies support the distinct nature and biological significance of isoprostane receptors and provide a tool for their further molecular characterization.
Practical Teaching Aids for Online Classes

The seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education, developed by Arthur Chickering and Zelda Gamson, will be reviewed. The use of technology, especially web-based online technology, ...
Plant high-throughput phenotyping using photogrammetry and imaging techniques to measure leaf length and rosette area

Low-cost imaging systems for HTP in different environments.źAn automated pipeline with non-invasive sampling methods.Cross-platform capabilities with a degree of instrument independence.źImage optical distortion and perspective distortion corrections.Novel algorithms to detect plant center and measure leaf length. Plant phenotyping is central to understand causal effects of genotypes and environments on trait expression and is a critical factor in expediting plant breeding. Previously, plant phenotypic traits were quantified using invasive, time-consuming, labor-intensive, cost-inefficient, and often destructive manual sampling methods that were also prone to observer error. In recent years, photogrammetry and image processing techniques have been introduced to plant phenotyping, but cost efficiency issues remain when combining these two techniques within large-scale plant phenotyping studies. Using these high-throughput techniques in basic plant biology research and agriculture are still in the developmental stages but show great promise for rapid phenotyping, which will materially aid both science and crop improvement efforts.In this study, we introduce an automated high-throughput phenotyping pipeline using affordable imaging systems and image processing algorithms to build 2D mosaicked orthophotos. Chamber-based and ground-level field implementations are used to measure phenotypic traits such as leaf length and rosette area in 2D images. Our automated pipeline has cross-platform capabilities and a degree of instrument independence, making it suitable for various situations.
Differentiation of distinct long-lived memory CD4 T cells in intestinal tissues after oral Listeria monocytogenes infection

Mucosal antigen-specific CD4 T-cell responses to intestinal pathogens remain incompletely understood. Here we examined the CD4 T-cell response after oral infection with an internalin A 'murinized' Listeria monocytogenes (Lm). Oral Lm infection induced a robust endogenous listeriolysin O (LLO)-specific CD4 T-cell response with distinct phenotypic and functional characteristics in the intestine. Circulating LLO-specific CD4 T cells transiently expressed the 'gut-homing' integrin α4β7 and accumulated in the intestinal lamina propria and epithelium where they were maintained independent of interleukin (IL)-15. The majority of intestinal LLO-specific CD4 T cells were CD27- Ly6C- and CD69+ CD103- while the lymphoid LLO-specific CD4 T cells were heterogeneous based on CD27 and Ly6C expression and predominately CD69-. LLO-specific effector CD4 T cells transitioned into a long-lived memory population that phenotypically resembled their parent effectors and displayed hallmarks of residency. In addition, intestinal effector and memory CD4 T cells showed a predominant polyfunctional Th1 profile producing IFNγ, TNFα, and IL-2 at high levels with minimal but detectable levels of IL-17A. Depletion of CD4 T cells in immunized mice led to elevated bacterial burden after challenge infection highlighting a critical role for memory CD4 T cells in controlling intestinal intracellular pathogens.
Wrestling with Mosasaurs: Results of the Sternberg Museum of Natural History-Forsyth Library Fossil Digitization Pilot Project

Book chapter for Recent Developments in the Design, Construction and Evaluation of Digital Libraries