cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Molecular mechanisms of bio-catalysis of heme extraction from hemoglobin

Red blood cell hemolysis in sickle cell disease (SCD) releases free hemoglobin. Extracellular hemoglobin and its degradation products, free heme and iron, are highly toxic due to oxidative stress induction and decrease in nitric oxide availability. We propose an approach that helps to eliminate extracellular hemoglobin toxicity in SCD by employing a bacterial protein system that evolved to extract heme from extracellular hemoglobin. NEAr heme Transporter (NEAT) domains from iron-regulated surface determinant proteins from Staphylococcus aureus specifically bind free heme as well as facilitate its extraction from hemoglobin. We demonstrate that a purified NEAT domain fused with human haptoglobin β-chain is able to remove heme from hemoglobin and reduce heme content and peroxidase activity of hemoglobin. We further use molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to resolve molecular pathway of heme transfer from hemoglobin to NEAT, and to elucidate molecular mechanism of such heme transferring process. Our study is the first of its kind, in which simulations are employed to characterize the process of heme leaving hemoglobin and subsequent rebinding with a NEAT domain. Our MD results highlight important amino acid residues that facilitate heme transfer and will guide further studies for the selection of best NEAT candidate to attenuate free hemoglobin toxicity.
Nature as nurture: Rural older women's perspectives on the natural environment.

Rural older women are surrounded by nature, a dynamic context for human development. Informed by place attachment and attention restoration theory, and guided by a life course perspective, this qua...
Competency-Based Biochemistry Education in an Online Format - Interactive and Quantifiable

The primary objective of our competency-based biochemistry program is to enable each and every student to acquire and demonstrate full competency in biochemistry. Competency is determined by a pred...
The blebbishield emergency program overrides chromosomal instability and phagocytosis checkpoints in cancer stem cells

Genomic instability and immune evasion are hallmarks of cancer. Apoptotic cancer stem cells can evade cell death by undergoing cellular transformation by constructing "blebbishields" from apoptotic bodies. In this study, we report a novel linkage between genomic instability and phagocytosis evasion that is coordinated by the blebbishield emergency program. Blebbishield emergency program evaded genomic instability checkpoint, expressed genomic instability-associated genes at distinct phases of cellular transformation, exhibited chromosomal instability, and promoted increase in nuclear size. Blebbishields fused with immune cells to evade phagocytosis, and the resultant hybrid cells exhibited increased migration, tumorigenesis, metastasis, red blood cell recruitment to tumors, and induced hepatosplenomegaly with signatures of genomic instability, blebbishield emergency program, and phagocytosis evasion to offer poor prognosis. Overall, our data demonstrate that the blebbishield emergency program drives evasion of chromosomal instability and phagocytosis checkpoints by apoptotic cancer stem cells. Cancer Res; 77(22); 6144-56. ©2017 AACR.
A Cell-Cycle “Safe Space” for Surviving Chemotherapy

Live-cell imaging demonstrates that a subset of neuroblastoma cells evades chemotherapy-induced death if they are in early G1 phase of the cell cycle at the time of drug treatment and have sufficiently high levels of MYCN.
Serum Lipid and Protein Changes in Healthy Dyslipidemic Subjects Given a Selective Inhibitor of p70 S6 Kinase-1

The safety, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic effects of LY2584702, a selective inhibitor for p70 S6 serine/threonine protein kinase-1, were evaluated in healthy dyslipidemic volunteers. LY2584702 was tolerated well as a monotherapy and dose-dependently reduced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides by up to 60% and 50%, respectively, without significantly changing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in plasma. LY2584702 also dose-dependently decreased factor V activity. Alanine aminotransferase elevations were noted in 2 subjects when LY2584702 was given with atorvastatin. We suspect that the formation of 4-aminopyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine (4-APP) during metabolism may have contributed to some of the adverse effects of LY2584702, and the contribution of 4-APP to the pharmacology merits further investigation. Although clinical investigation of LY2584702 has been terminated because of hepatotoxicity risk, we suggest that a selective inhibitor of p70 S6 serine/threonine protein kinase-1 with a larger margin of safety and without the possibility of being metabolized to 4-APP may be useful in the treatment of dyslipidemia.
Cognitive Function, Consent for Participation, and Compliance With Wearable Device Protocols in Older Adults.

Background Population-based studies of older adults increasingly use wearable devices to measure activity and sleep. Whether cognitive impairment reduces consent and compliance has not been assessed. Methods In the context of a nationally representative cohort of community-dwelling adults aged 62-90, individuals were invited to participate in a sleep and activity substudy that required wearing a wrist actigraph for 72 consecutive hours. Cognitive function in the parent study was assessed with the survey adaptation of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, and individuals were categorized as normal, mild cognitive impairment, or dementia. Participants were asked to press an event marker on the actigraph when they started trying to fall asleep and when they awoke each day. Logistic and negative binomial regressions were used to link cognitive status to nonconsent, returning usable data, wearing the actigraph three full days, ever taking the device off-wrist during the 3-day study period, and pushing the event markers, controlling for demographics. Results Cognitive status was not associated with nonconsent, returning usable data, off-wrist, or missing days. However, individuals classified with dementia were more likely to miss bedtime and wake-up event markers. Individuals classified as mild cognitive impairment were more likely to miss wake-up event markers. Conclusions Impaired cognition does not seem to be a barrier to compliance with simply wearing a device but may affect compliance with additional action such as pressing event markers.
Electrostatic Potentials at Membrane-Solution Interfaces

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses electrostatic potentials at membrane solution interfaces. Lipids in the membranes of all cells and subcellular organelles are arranged in the form of a bilayer with the hydrocarbon tails sequestered away from the water and the polar head groups exposed to the aqueous environment. About 10%–20% of the lipids in the membranes of many cells and organelles bear a net negative charge, whereas positively charged lipids are extremely rare. The concentration of monovalent cations at the surface of the bilayer will be an order of magnitude higher than the concentration of these ions in the bulk aqueous phase. The surface potential produced by charged lipids is dependent on the salt concentration in the bulk aqueous phase and a seminal paper. The absence of proteins, polysaccharides, and other macromolecules present in biological membranes can be considered an advantage to test how well the theory of the diffuse double layer describes the electrostatic potential produced by charges on lipids. The chapter describes hydrophobic adsorption of charged molecules to bilayer membranes, the electrostatic potential produced by molecular dipoles at membrane-solution interfaces, and the electrostatic boundary potential produced by charges located in the interior of the membrane, a few angstroms from the interface. Few examples of the possible biological significance of these electrostatic surface potentials are also described.
Cuticular hydrocarbons of Drosophila virilis: Comparison by age and sex

Abstract The cuticular hydrocarbons of Drosophila virilis were isolated and identified by TLC, GC, HPLC, GC-MS and ozonolysis-GC techniques. The major classes of hydrocarbons in both sexes were 2-methylalkanes, ( Z )-11- and ( Z )-13-alkenes, and a mixture of n -( Z , Z )-alkadienes. The key isolation step for the alkadienes was high pressure liquid chromatography on a silver nitrate impregnated silica column. The silver nitrate-silica column afforded separation of the alkadienes based primarily on number of carbons between the double bonds. The most abundant alkadienes had double bonds separated by six methylene units, but alkadienes with 2, 8, 10 and 12 methylenes between double bonds were also present. The cuticular hydrocarbons of adult D. virilis changed dramatically in quantity and composition between eclosion and 8 days of age: 1. 1. The quantity of total hydrocarbons of flies of both sexes increased by 3-fold between the ages of 0 and 4 days. Between 4 and 8 days of age, the quantity on females remained unchanged, but on males there was an additional 2-fold increase in quantity of total hydrocarbons. 2. 2. With increased age the average chain length of the hydrocarbons decreased. 3. 3. ( Z )-10-Heneicosene, exclusively from male flies, was absent at eclosion, started to appear at about 4 days of age, and amounted to over half of the total hydrocarbons on 8-day-old male flies. 4. 4. Although no differences in ( Z )-11-pentacosene between sexes were observed at 4 days old, ( Z )-11-pentacosene on 8-day-old females was nearly 3 times more abundant than on 8-day-old males.
Minimizing Risk of Flood Loss in the National Flood Insurance Program

This paper will discuss the concept of risk in the National Flood Insurance Program enacted in 1968. The present program is different from the 1968 program in one important way—it contains incentives that make program participation nearly mandatory. The mandatory nature of the program was a conscious national policy decision to limit flood-plain development and thereby reduce the taxpayers’ burden of flood relief payments. The alternative was the previous situation in which flood relief payments had continued to escalate because of uncontrolled flood-plain development.
Holocaust Memory in the Digital Age. Survivors’ Stories and new Media Practices

Jeffrey Shandler’s latest volume appears at a time when the opportunity to ‘converse’ with holographic projections of survivors has become a reality at some institutions of Holocaust remembrance. W...
Automated support for mobile application testing and maintenance

Mobile applications are an essential part of our daily life. In fact, they can be used for tasks that range from reading the news to performing bank transactions. Considering the impact that mobile applications have in our lives, it is important for developers to test them and gain confidence that they behave as expected. However, testing mobile applications proves to be challenging. In fact, mobile companies report that they do not have enough time and the right methods to test. In addition, in the case of Android applications, the situation is further complicated by the "fragmentation" of the ecosystem. Developers not only need to ensure that an application behaves as expected but also need to make sure that the application does so on a multitude of different devices. Finally, because it is virtually impossible to release a bug free application, developers also need to quickly react to bug reports and release a fixed version of the application before customer loss. The research plan proposed in this paper, aims to provide novel techniques to automate the support for mobile application testing and maintenance. Specifically, it proposes techniques to: test apps more effectively and efficiently, tackle the problems caused by the "fragmentation" of the Android ecosystem, and help developers in quickly handling bug reports.
An analysis of environmental sustainability in small & medium‐sized enterprises: Patterns and trends

One of the greatest challenges facing the world today is climate change. The need to consistently advance with environmentally sustainable practices in today's businesses is crucial, and businesses are demanded to be more environmentally sustainable every day. This study conducts an analysis of the literature on small and medium‐sized enterprises' (SMEs) environmental sustainability by carefully examining 122 studies from 58 journals published from 2013 to 2019. We investigate the trends in drivers and barriers of sustainability adoption to inform both SMEs managers and policymakers. Our results also classify the reviewed studies on the basis of their methodologies and show the distribution of studies across industry sectors and locations in order to set directions for future research on sustainability practices of SMEs.
Vestibular and oculomotor abnormalities among HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected men and women: A pilot study.

Objective To determine if middle-aged and aging men and women with HIV disease (HIV+) should be screened for vestibular and oculomotor dysfunction. Methods Age- and sociodemographically matched HIV+ and HIV- men and women were tested on vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP), bi-thermic caloric testing, Dix-Hallpike maneuvers and saccades. Results HIV+ men had more caloric weakness than HIV- men. HIV+ subjects had more saccade abnormalities than HIV- subjects. A saccade abnormality was positively associated with being HIV+. Among the HIV+ sample, abnormalities were associated with increasing age, being male, ever taking monotherapy, and having an undetectable viral load. Only being male and having an undetectable viral load were statistically significant. Unilateral caloric weakness had a decreased prevalence with age per 10 years, and being HIV+ showed an increased prevalence. In HIV+ subjects only, these abnormalities decreased with age and being male but increased with undetectable viral load and ever taking antiretroviral monotherapy. No statistically significant differences were found. Conclusion Women are at greater risk of vestibular and oculomotor abnormalities than men. HIV+ adults are at greater risk than HIV- adults. Physicians who care for HIV+ men and women should monitor the symptoms of vestibular and oculomotor impairment.
Central Cognitive Processing Speed Is an Early Marker of Huntington's Disease Onset.

Background Several studies have suggested that cognitive processing speed may be useful for assessing early cognitive change in premanifest Huntington's disease (HD); however, current measures lack the ability to control for the effects of motor dysfunction commonly found in HD. The Computerized Test of Information Processing (CTiP) is a rapidly administered computerized tool that allows for the examination of central cognitive processing speed by using motor-corrected scores to account for motor dysfunction. Objective To examine central cognitive processing speed as an early marker of HD onset using the CTiP. Methods The CTiP and other measures were administered to 102 HD gene carriers and 55 healthy adults (HA). Gene carriers included presymptomatic HD (pre-HD; n = 33), prodromal HD (pro-HD; ie, individuals close to disease onset; n = 23), and mild-moderate HD (HD; n = 46). Results The HD group performed significantly slower than all other groups (HA, pre-HD, and pro-HD) on most subtests (Ps < .05). Moreover, the pro-HD group performed significantly slower than the HA group on both motor-corrected subtests (Ps < 0.05). Effect sizes associated with significant group differences between the pro-HD and HA groups on motor-corrected CTiP subtests (d = 0.73 and 0.84) were similar to effect sizes associated with group differences on the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (d = .82) and other traditional cognitive assessments (Montreal Cognitive Assessment, d = .75; Mini-Mental State Examination, d = .84). Conclusions The CTiP may be a useful marker of deficits in central cognitive processing speed in individuals close to manifest onset of HD.
Detecting COVID-19 infected pneumonia from x-ray images using a deep learning model with image preprocessing algorithm

As the rapid spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) worldwide, X-ray chest radiography has also been used to detect COVID-19 infected pneumonia and assess its severity or monitor its prognosis in the hospitals due to its low cost, low radiation dose, and broad accessibility. However, how to more accurately and efficiently detect COVID-19 infected pneumonia and distinguish it from other community-acquired pneumonia remains a challenge. In order to address this challenge, we in this study develop and test a new computer-aided detection and diagnosis (CAD) scheme. It includes pre-processing algorithms to remove diaphragms, normalize X-ray image contrast-to-noise ratio, and generate three input images, which are then linked to a transfer learning based convolutional neural network (VGG16 model) to classify chest X-ray images into three classes of COVID-19 infected pneumonia, other community-acquired pneumonia and normal (non-pneumonia) cases. To this purpose, a publicly available dataset of 8,474 chest X-ray images is used, which includes 415 confirmed COVID-19 infected pneumonia, 5,179 community-acquired pneumonia, and 2,880 non-pneumonia cases. The dataset is divided into two subsets with 90% and 10% of images to train and test the CNN-based CAD scheme. The testing results achieve 93.9% of overall accuracy in classifying three classes and 98.6% accuracy in detecting COVID-19 infected pneumonia cases. The study demonstrates the feasibility of developing a new deep transfer leaning based CAD scheme of chest X-ray images and providing radiologists a potentially useful decision-making supporting tool in detecting and diagnosis of COVID-19 infected pneumonia.
A Systematic Review of Psychosocial Nutrition Interventions for Young Adults.

Abstract Introduction Few have examined the effects of psychosocial nutrition interventions targeting young adults, a population with low fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption. This study investigated the impact of nutrition interventions with psychosocial content on improving young adult FV intake. Method This registered systematic review was guided by the Preferred Reported Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Results Searches on CINAHL, Embase, Medline PubMed, Ovid-Medline, PsychInfo, and Web of Science identified 4,113 records. Twenty-four randomized controlled trials were extracted. Eighteen studies found significant between-group differences in fruit and/or vegetable intake. Young adults with low income and racial-ethnic subgroups were underrepresented. A typology emerged as an organizing framework from the psychosocial intervention content. Interventions were anticipatory, socially engaged, a hybrid (anticipatory and socially engaged), or exposure-based. Studies also reported unintended consequences. Discussion Significant between-group differences were mostly reported by anticipatory, socially engaged, or hybrid interventions, aligning with young adult developmental needs through detailed planning, goal-setting tasks, and/or addressing social norms. Interventions with insignificant differences lacked engagement and adequate exposure. Implications for Research and Practice Demographically inclusive studies are imperative in addressing dietary disparities by socioeconomic status. A typology of interventions emphasizing content rather than theories or treatment strategies widens opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration. More research is needed to mitigate unintended consequences (boomerang effects) in which FV intake decreased postintervention or participants disengaged in activities intended to increase FV intake.
Analysis of Timoshenko–Ehrenfest beam problems using the Theory of Functional Connections

Abstract The numerical solution of boundary value problems in solid mechanics is dominated by the Finite Element Method (FEM). The present study provides an alternative numerical approach using the Theory of Functional Connections (TFC) for solving problems of this type. Here TFC is used to solve multiple beam problems using the Timoshenko–Ehrenfest beam theory which accounts for transverse shear strain. The results obtained are then compared to those obtained with both the FEM and the analytical approaches. For cases where the analytical solution is continuous and smooth, TFC out performs FEM both in terms of the L 2 norm of the residuals and the solution time. When the analytical solution is continuous and smooth, TFC results in an L 2 norm on the order of machine-error level precision. However, when the higher order derivatives of the analytical solution are discontinuous (i.e. when the applied load is discontinuous), TFC under performs compared to FEM. This is due to TFC approximating the solution by continuous functions when the true solution is piece-wise continuous. In terms of computational expense, TFC consistently solved the differential equations faster than FEM across each type of problem analyzed in this paper.
Characterization of the Endogenous DAF-12 Ligand and Its Use as an Anthelmintic Agent in Strongyloides stercoralis

A prevalent feature of Strongyloides stercoralis is a life-long and potentially lethal infection that is due to the nematode parasites ability to autoinfect and, thereby, self-replicate within its host. Here, we investigated the role of the parasites nuclear receptor, Ss-DAF-12, in governing infection. We identified {Delta}7-DA as the endogenous Ss-DAF-12 ligand and elucidated the hormones biosynthetic pathway. Genetic loss of function of the ligands rate-limiting enzyme demonstrated that {Delta}7-DA synthesis is necessary for parasite reproduction, whereas its absence is required for development of infectious larvae. Availability of the ligand permits Ss-DAF-12 to function as an on/off switch governing autoinfection, making it vulnerable to therapeutic intervention. In a preclinical model of hyperinfection, pharmacologic activation of DAF-12 suppressed autoinfection and markedly reduced lethality. Moreover, when {Delta}7-DA was administered with ivermectin, the current but limited drug of choice for treating strongyloidiasis, the combinatorial effects of the two drugs resulted in a near cure of the disease.
Underestimation of Jingle Fallacy Influences on Systems Acquisitions

This research paper analyzes the experiences of participants on projects at various stages of systems acquisition where jingle fallacy miscommunications impacted their projects' execution and outcomes. The participant's experiences, collected as part of a larger phenomenological study, represent both government and commercial project executions, primarily related to information technology solutions along with some hardware‐centric projects. This analysis focuses particularly on establishing a sharedness of participants' experiences and similarity of influences through disparate jingle fallacies across diverse acquisitions. The research findings regarding the participant's experiences reflect a common evolution of their jingle fallacy's lifecycles and their acquisition project impacts.
Formal Analysis of AI-Based Autonomy: From Modeling to Runtime Assurance

Autonomous systems are increasingly deployed in safety-critical applications and rely more on high-performance components based on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). Runtime monitors play an important role in raising the level of assurance in AI/ML-based autonomous systems by ensuring that the autonomous system stays safe within its operating environment. In this tutorial, we present VerifAI, an open-source toolkit for the formal design and analysis of systems that include AI/ML components. VerifAI provides features supporting a variety of use cases including formal modeling of the autonomous system and its environment, automatic falsification of system-level specifications as well as other simulation-based verification and testing methods, automated diagnosis of errors, and automatic specification-driven parameter and component synthesis. In particular, we describe the use of VerifAI for generating runtime monitors that capture the safe operational environment of systems with AI/ML components. We illustrate the advantages and applicability of VerifAI in real-life applications using a case study from the domain of autonomous aviation.
Correlation of Pre-Race Anxiety Using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 2-Item Scale

An estimated 40 million adults in the United States have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, making it the most common psychiatric disorder in the country. Although the data are conflicting and limited, engaging in or increasing exercise has been proposed for the management of anxiety and other mental health disorders. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a correlation between pre-race anxiety and running experience, sex, body mass index, age, and mental health history using the validated Generalized Anxiety Disorder 2-Item screening tool for anxiety. This study was a prospective trial of 403 adult runners who were scheduled to participate in a 5 K, 10 K, half marathon, or full marathon race. Each participant completed a survey consisting of epidemiologic variables and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 2-Item screening tool. Results revealed that the runners with more experience and increased mileage demonstrated a decrease in reported worrying on a daily to near-daily basis; whether this finding correlates with a decreased risk of developing an anxiety disorder has yet to be determined. Based on our findings, exercise as a prescription for the treatment and possibly prevention of anxiety should be considered.
The Evolving Understanding of Disproportionality and Disparities in Child Welfare

Racial disproportionality and disparities have long represented prominent concerns in child welfare. Recent research concerning differential rates of maltreatment among racial groups and increased awareness of differential risk factors has brought increased attention to this issue. These findings have led to calls to reevaluate efforts to address disproportionality, particularly those efforts that have focused on reducing racial bias within child welfare systems, with critics contending that it is not bias, but disproportionate need that results in disproportionality. Yet others contend that racial bias still plays a role in contributing to disproportionality, despite differences in rates of maltreatment. This chapter will address this debate and discuss how the understanding of disproportionality has evolved over time. The chapter will propose recommendations for addressing disproportionality and disparities based on current evidence that allows for the acknowledgement of differing risk and rates of maltreatment, while also acknowledging the potential for racial bias to exacerbate these differences.
Trends in antibody sequence changes during the somatic hypermutation process.

Probable germline gene sequences from thousands of aligned mature Ab sequences are inferred using simple computational matching to known V(D)J genes. Comparison of the germline to mature sequences in a structural region-dependent fashion allows insights into the methods that nature uses to mature Abs during the somatic hypermutation process. Four factors determine the residue type mutation patterns: biases in the germline, accessibility from single base permutations, location of mutation hotspots, and functional pressures during selection. Germline repertoires at positions that commonly contact the Ag are biased with tyrosine, serine, and tryptophan. These residue types have a high tendency to be present in mutation hotspot motifs, and their abundance is decreased during maturation by a net conversion to other types. The heavy use of tyrosines on mature Ab interfaces is thus a reflection of the germline composition rather than being due to selection during maturation. Potentially stabilizing changes such as increased proline usage and a small number of double cysteine mutations capable of forming disulfide bonds are ascribed to somatic hypermutation. Histidine is the only residue type for which usage increases in each of the interface, core, and surface regions. The net overall effect is a conversion from residue types that could provide nonspecific initial binding into a diversity of types that improve affinity and stability. Average mutation probabilities are ∼4% for core residues, ∼5% for surface residues, and ∼12% for residues in common Ag-contacting positions, excepting the those coded by the D gene.
Serotonin modulates retinotectal and corticotectal convergence in the superior colliculus.

A dense serotonin (5-HT)-containing projection to the superficial layers of the superior colliculus (SC) has been demonstrated in diverse mammalian species, but how 5-HT may affect visual signals within these laminae is largely unknown. This study undertook to investigate the distribution of 2 types of 5-HT receptors in the SC and to ascertain their physiological effects on transmission of visual signals to the SC from the retinotectal and corticotectual pathways. Autoradiography of tissue sections exposed to [3H]-8-OH-DPAT (8-hydroxy-dipropylaminotetraline) or to [125I]cyanopindolol plus isoproterenol showed that 5-HT1A and 5-HT1B receptors, respectively, were present in the superficial SC layers. In unilaterally enucleated animals, binding of ligand to 5-HT1B receptors was greatly reduced on the deafferented (contralateral) side, which is consistent with the possibility that these receptors are located on preterminal axons. Binding to 5-HT1A receptors was unaltered by enucleation. In recordings of superficial layer neurons from SC slices, application of 5-HT during blockade of 5-HT1A receptors with spiperone reduced the amplitude of EPSPs evoked by stimulation of the optic tract. The 5-HT concentration for a 50% reduction in EPSP amplitude was 6 microM. Under these conditions, there were no significant alterations in either membrane potential or input resistance concurrent with 5-HT mediated reduction in EPSPs. During extracellular in vivo recordings, 5-HT, applied by iontophoresis or micropressure or by endogenous release produced by electrical stimulation of the dorsal raphe nucleus, strongly suppressed visual activity in SC neurons. The effectiveness of 5-HT application was significantly stronger on responses evoked by electrical stimulation of the optic chiasm (an average response decrement of 92.2%) than on these evoked in the same neurons by stimulation of visual cortex (an average response reduction of 32.3%). These results support the following conclusions. The 5-HT1B receptors are located preferentially on optic axon terminals and exert presynaptic inhibition of retinotectal inputs. Secondly, 5-HT1A receptors probably have a postsynaptic localization and may affect activity of SC neurons irrespective of the source of input. The combined effect of 5-HT at both subtypes would bias SC visual activity toward information received from the corticotectal pathway.
Beta Phase Communities: Open Source Software as Gift Economy

In this paper, I discuss how gift economy tenets exist within capitalist systems and in what ways the alternative logic of gift economies could be used within capitalist firms to create a more fair economy overall, citing open source software within the technology sector as one example.To do this, I begin by striking a dialectic between John Milbank's theological and David Graeber's anthropological conceptions of gift economies, illuminating crucial aspects of each to uncover what alternative economic principles are applicable to standard capitalist economic ideologies.I then turn to a practical application of where these gift economy ideologies are already being utilized to a degree, arguing specifically that open source software provides an alternative economic logic for countless members of the technology sector. On a broad level, I hope to show that capitalism provides the means to alter itself within its own ethos, as certain economic ideologies – like gift economies – could potentially assuage those...
The application of deuterated sex pheromone mimics of the american cockroach (Periplaneta americana, L.), to the study of wright's vibrational theory of olfaction

A test of Wright's multiple vibrational frequency theory of olfaction was made in the infrared region from 1000 to 200 cm−1. This was done by deuterating (+) and (−) bornyl and isobornyl acetate in twelve combinations at the 1,2,8,9,10, and acetate positions. Deuterium was used to shift vibrational frequencies without changing the geometry, thus preserving Amoore's stereochemical theory. (+)-bornyl acetate is a synthetic sex attractant for the American cockroach, the (−)-bornyl acetate much less, and the isobornyl acetates are ineffective. Electroantennagram responses of these compounds plus four nondeuterated compounds were measured and correlated to the infrared spectra by a PLS pattern recognition program. The 225–265 (C-1 deformation) and 600–675 cm−1 regions of (+)-bornyl acetate correlated with insect activity. The 600–675 region contained four bands assigned to the in plane and out of plane bendings and the symmetric stretches of the quaternary carbons at C-1 and C-7.
The N=2 U(N) gauge theory prepotential and periods from a perturbative matrix model calculation

Abstract We perform a completely perturbative matrix model calculation of the physical low-energy quantities of the N =2 U(N) gauge theory. Within the matrix model framework we propose a perturbative definition of the periods ai in terms of certain tadpole diagrams, and check our conjecture up to first order in the gauge theory instanton expansion. The prescription does not require knowledge of the Seiberg–Witten differential or curve. We also compute the N =2 prepotential F (a) perturbatively up to the first-instanton level, finding agreement with the known result.
Fertility after cryptorchidism: epidemiology and other outcome studies.

Anincreasedriskofinfertilityandtheriskofthe development of germ cell tumors are the primary consequences of undescended testes. In this article, I summarize the recent data related to fertility as determined by reported paternity, semen analysis, and hormonal levels, briefly discuss the risk factors related to fertility, and review the information concerning the relation of age at orchiopexy to fertility. Much of the information was gathered from a large epidemiologic study of men who underwent orchiopexy for either unilateral or bilateral cryptorchidism during childhood at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, Pa). 1,2 Controls were men who had undergone other surgery in the same hospital, matched for age and surgical date with the cryptorchid men. Studies involving this entire cohort, which included 70% of the men who had undergone orchiopexy from 1955 to 1974, included a questionnaire concerning paternity and attempted paternity, health, relationships, lifestyle, and socioeconomic background. The questionnaire specifically excluded any pregnancies resulting from assisted reproductive techniques. The medical records were reviewed for the formerly cryptorchid men and the control group to obtain data including preoperative location and size of testis. Those men who had an absent or atrophictestisatsurgerywereexcluded.Thesubsetofthe cohort for the former group who were locally available also underwent hormonal studies (luteinizing hormone [LH], follicle-stimulating hormone [FSH], testosterone, inhibin B), semen analysis (including pH, volume, sperm density, percentage of normal sperm motility, and percentage of normal sperm morphology), and a physical examination, including testicularvolume.Althoughthosewithanabsenttestis on examination were excluded, those with diminished testicular volume, which included most men with bilateral cryptorchidism and most with unilateral cryptorchidism on the formerly undescended side, were not. All included men either reported or were found to have testes in the scrotum, although some were in the upper scrotum and some had limited mobility.
Failure patterns after linked semiconstrained total elbow arthroplasty for posttraumatic arthritis.

Background: Total elbow arthroplasty for the treatment of posttraumatic arthritis is associated with a relatively high failure rate. An understanding of these failures can lead to improved implant design and surgical technique. Methods: Eighty-four consecutive patients underwent eighty-five semiconstrained total elbow arthroplasties for the treatment of posttraumatic arthritis. Sixty-nine elbows with a retained primary prosthesis were followed for an average of nine years. Clinical results were graded with use of the Mayo Elbow Performance Score. Radiographs were assessed for mechanical failure, and all complications were recorded. Results: Sixteen primary arthroplasties (19%) failed. Causes of failure included isolated bushing wear (seven), infection (four), component fracture (three), and component loosening (two). The most common cause of early failure (failure after less than five years) was infection, whereas intermediate-term failure (failure after five to ten years) typically was due to bushing wear. Late failure (failure after more than ten years) was uncommon and involved component loosening or fracture. Seventy-five percent of the failures were in patients who were less than sixty years old at the time of surgery (p = 0.03). Progressive radiolucent lines were noted around four implants, three of which had clinically important loosening. Total elbow arthroplasty was associated with significant improvements in terms of pain, motion, and the Mayo Elbow Performance Scores (p ≤ 0.002). Sixty-eight percent of the patients achieved a good or excellent clinical result, and 74% were subjectively satisfied. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated a fifteen-year survival rate of 70% with revision or resection for any reason as the end point. Conclusions: Semiconstrained total elbow arthroplasty in patients with posttraumatic arthritis places high demands on the implant and is associated with a relatively high failure rate. Seventy-five percent of failures occur in patients less than sixty years of age, and infection continues to represent a frequent mode of early failure. Bushing wear and component loosening or fracture are seen more commonly in the intermediate and late term, whereas aseptic loosening remains relatively uncommon. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
A CONDITIONED REINFORCER MAINTAINED BY TEMPORAL ASSOCIATION WITH THE TERMINATION OF SHOCK

Two experiments were conducted to determine whether a stimulus can be established as a positive conditioned reinforcer by associating it with the termination of shock, but without training the animal to make any response in its presence. In the first, six rats were conditioned to press a bar to terminate shock on a variable ratio schedule; white noise was then substituted as the immediate consequence, with the shock terminating 30 sec after the last press in its presence. It was found that the rate of pressing in the absence of noise depended on the contingency between the pressing and the noise. The second experiment sought to determine whether the difference in rates before and after the onset of the noise was due to the reinforcement of prior responding by the onset of the noise or to the suppression of subsequent responding by differential reinforcement of competing behavior. Six more rats were trained in the same manner, but with shock terminating 30 sec after the onset of the noise, regardless of what the animal did in its presence. Again the rate was higher before the onset of the noise, indicating that pressing was indeed maintained by the noise as a conditioned reinforcer.
Effect of Ni thickness dependence on NiSi FUSI metal gate characteristics

Effect of Ni thickness on NiSi fully silicided (FUSI) metal gate material and device characteristics were investigated using X-ray diffraction, cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy, sheet resistance, and device capacitance-voltage (C-V) and current-voltage measurements. 450, 600, and 750 A Ni thicknesses were employed for full silicidation study of 800 A poly-Si gate on SiO 2 . The theoretically calculated Ni thickness (450 A) for full silicidation of 800 A poly-Si is insufficient, resulting in partial silicidation at the gate/SiO 2 interface. Excess Ni thickness (750 A) forms Ni-rich Ni 2 Si FUSI with higher sheet resistance than NiSi. It is also shown that the amount of flatband voltage shift (ΔV F B ) in C-V and hence the metal gate work function remains constant once the total silicidation is achieved. No degradations to the FUSI/SiO 2 interface as well as the electrical properties of gate dielectrics are observed with excess Ni.
Mechanism of the anthranilate synthetase reaction. Evidence against an intramolecular hydrogen transfer.

Abstract The mechanism of the anthranilate synthetase reaction was studied using chorismic acid specifically labeled with 14 C and 3 H and the partially purified enzyme from Salmonella typhimurium . The third hydrogen atom of the methyl group of pyruvate formed in the reaction does not originate from C-2 nor from any other ring position of chorismate. 3 H at C-2 of chorismate is not exchanged by the enzyme in the absence of glutamine. The data rule out an intramolecular hydrogen transfer from C-2 of chorismate to C-3′ of the side-chain, which had been proposed earlier, and strongly suggest that water is the ultimate source of the third hydrogen of the pyruvate methyl group. The observed low incorporation of 3 H from 3 HOH into the methyl group of pyruvate is explained by an isotope effect.
Can moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease be diagnosed by historical and physical findings alone

Abstract Background: The value of the history and physical examination in diagnosing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is uncertain. This study was undertaken to determine the best clinical predictors of COPD and to define the incremental changes in the ability to diagnose COPD that occur when the physical examination findings and then the peak flowmeter results are added to the pulmonary history. Subjects and methods: Ninety-two outpatients with a self-reported history of cigarette smoking or COPD completed a pulmonary history questionnaire and received peak flow and spirometric testing. The subjects were independently examined for 12 physical signs by 4 internists blinded to all other results. Multivariate analyses identified independent predictors of clinically significant, moderate COPD, defined as a forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV 1 ) less than 60% of the predicted value or a FEV 1 /FVC (forced vital capacity) less than 60%. Results: Fifteen subjects (16%) had moderate COPD. Two historical variables from the questionnaire—previous diagnosis of COPD and smoking (70 or more pack-years)—significantly entered a logistic regression model that diagnosed COPD with a sensitivity of 40% and a specificity of 100%. Only the physical sign of diminished breath sounds significantly added to the historical model to yield a mean sensitivity of 67% and a mean specificity of 98%. The peak flow result (best cutoff value was less than 200 L/min) significantly added to the models of only one of the four physicians for a mean final sensitivity of 77% and a specificity of 95%. Subjects with none of the three historical and physical variables had a 3% prevalence of COPD; this prevalence was unchanged by adding the peak flow results. Conclusion: Diminished breath sounds were the best predictor of moderate COPD. A sequential increase in sensitivity and a minimal decrease in specificity occurred when the quality of breath sounds was added first to the medical history, followed by the peak flow result. The chance of COPD was very unlikely with a normal history and physical examination.
Near-ir absorption in chemically vapor deposited a - SiN x :H films

We have measured the optical-absorption properties of plasma-enhanced chemically vapor deposited films of hydrogenated amorphous silicon nitride (a-${\mathrm{SiN}}_{\mathit{x}}$:H) over the energy range from 0.54 to 2 eV using photothermal deflection spectroscopy (PDS). Typical PDS spectra show a broad absorption tail with a large number of narrow absorption peaks. Using the phase sensitive feature of this spectroscopy we are able to separate nitride-related absorption from that arising from the fused quartz substrates. In addition to the broad, featureless band tail, whose magnitude is quite sensitive to optical excitation with light above \ensuremath{\sim}3.9 eV, we observe a number of narrow absorption peaks which are most likely overtones of localized vibrational modes. Specifically, we see peaks at 0.82 and 1.20 eV which we identify as the first and second harmonics of N-H stretching vibrations, and several other peaks whose origins remain undetermined. Prolonged UV excitation produces no detectable change in these vibrational modes, although large changes are seen in the underlying absorption tail. This reinforces previous suggestions that photoinduced changes in these films do not arise from rearrangement of the bonded hydrogen.
Portable Magnetic Gradiometer for Real-Time Localization and Classification of Unexploded Ordnance

We report progress toward achievement of a new magnetic tensor gradiometer technology that is being developed with support from the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP). The objective of this R & D effort is to provide a man-portable magnetic tensor gradiometer for real-time, point-by-point detection, localization and classification (DLC) of Unexploded Ordnance (UXO). The portable gradiometer processes data from triaxial fluxgate magnetometers to develop sets of rotationally invariant, "gradient-contraction-type" scalar parameters. The scalar parameters provide the basis for a unique "Scalar Triangulation and Ranging (STAR) method that determines the UXO's position and magnetic signature. In particular, our paper presents: a) A review of the magnetic STAR concept, b) Details of construction and operation of the portable STAR-type gradiometer, c) Results of computer simulations of the effects of fluxgate noise on the gradiometer's target-tracking performance and d) Results of experimental measurements of uncorrelated fluxgate noise and correlated gradient channel imbalance errors, e) Preliminary results from a gradient imbalance noise compensation algorithm. The R & D results indicate that the magnetic STAR concept potentially will provide an exceptionally valuable, motion-noise-resistant magnetic sensing technology for real-time, DLC of Unexploded Ordnance, and buried mines.
Deformational behavior of underground opening using a stress-seepage coupled model considering anisotropic characteristics

Fractures have a dominant effect on the mechanical response of a rock mass subjected to mining operations. A numerical finite element model describing the anisotropic property of elasticity and seepage was used in this study to assess the drift spacing at the Heishan metal mine in Hebei Province, China. The fractured rock mass is assumed to be transversely isotropic, and the influence of joint orientation on the anisotropic properties of elasticity of the surrounding rock mass around roadways was investigated. The associated stress field and fracture pattern of the surrounding rock mass were also numerically studied. The results indicate that the existence of joint planes greatly affects the stress field and fracture patterns, and the principal direction of joints can control the failure pattern of the surrounding rock mass around drifts.