cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Generalizing locomotion style to new animals with inverse optimal regression

We present a technique for analyzing a set of animal gaits to predict the gait of a new animal from its shape alone. This method works on a wide range of bipeds and quadrupeds, and adapts the motion style to the size and shape of the animal. We achieve this by combining inverse optimization with sparse data interpolation. Starting with a set of reference walking gaits extracted from sagittal plane video footage, we first use inverse optimization to learn physically motivated parameters describing the style of each of these gaits. Given a new animal, we estimate the parameters describing its gait with sparse data interpolation, then solve a forward optimization problem to synthesize the final gait. To improve the realism of the results, we introduce a novel algorithm called joint inverse optimization which learns coherent patterns in motion style from a database of example animal-gait pairs. We quantify the predictive performance of our model by comparing its synthesized gaits to ground truth walking motions for a range of different animals. We also apply our method to the prediction of gaits for dinosaurs and other extinct creatures.
Sleep disturbance and cardiometabolic risk factors in early pregnancy: a preliminary study.

Abstract Background Cardiometabolic (CM) risk factors are linked to increased morbidity. Disturbed sleep is associated with CM risk factors in late pregnancy, but little is known about sleep in early pregnancy and CM risk factors. Methods Diary and actigraphy-assessed sleep information, as well as CM outcomes (blood pressure (BP) and body mass index (BMI)), were collected thrice from pregnant women ( N =161) in early pregnancy: T1 (10–12weeks), T2 (14–16weeks) and T3 (18–20weeks). The sleep variables evaluated included sleep onset latency (SOL), wake after sleep onset (WASO) and total sleep time (TST). Sleep variables were dichotomised using established clinical cut-offs. Results BMI and BP significantly changed across time. Women with persistent SOL⩾20min had greater BMI than women without persistent SOL⩾20min prior to covariate adjustment at T1 and T2, but at T3 the BMI values converged. Similar results were observed for persistent WASO⩾30min. Persistently long WASO, as measured by actigraphy, was associated with elevated SBP, after controlling for covariates. Conclusions Consistent with anecdotal evidence, it appears as if a subset of women report substantial difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep during early pregnancy and this may augment the risk of higher BP and BMI. Understanding these relationships is important as CM risk factors are linked to maternal and infant morbidity. Assessing sleep in early pregnancy may bestow time necessary for appropriate intervention.
Calculation of the vibrational frequencies and structure of zirconium tetrahydroborate

Abstract The normal mode frequencies and corresponding vibrational assignments of zirconium tetrahydroborate (Zr(BH 4 ) 4 ) in T symmetry are examined theoretically using the Gaussian98 set of quantum chemistry codes. All normal modes were successfully assigned to one of the six types of motion (BH stretch, ZrB stretch, BZrB bend, HBH bend, BH 4 wag, and BH 4 twist) predicted by a group theoretical analysis. By comparing the vibrational frequencies with infrared and Raman spectra available in the literature, a set of scaling factors was derived. Theoretical IR and Raman intensities are reported. Quantum chemical calculations predict that the molecule does not possess strict T d symmetry. The T d structure possesses one negative eigenvalue. The minimum energy structure possesses T symmetry.
INBREEDING AND ITS FITNESS EFFECTS IN AN INSULAR POPULATION OF SONG SPARROWS (MELOSPIZA MELODIA)

Inbreeding depression is thought to be a major factor affecting the evolution of mating systems and dispersal. While there is ample evidence for inbreeding depression in captivity, it has rarely been documented in natural populations. In this study, I examine data from a long-term demographic study of an insular population of song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) and present evidence for inbreeding depression. Forty-four percent of all matings on Mandarte Island, British Columbia, were among known relatives. Offspring of a full-sib mating (f = 0.25) experienced a reduction in annual survival rate of 17.5% on average. Over their lifetime, females with f = 0.25 produced 48% fewer young that reached independence from parental care. In contrast, male lifetime reproductive success was not affected by inbreeding. Reduced female lifetime reproductive success was mostly due to reduced hatching rates of the eggs of inbred females. Relatedness among the parents did not affect their reproductive success. Using data on survival from egg stage to breeding age, I estimated the average song sparrow egg on Mandarte Island to carry a minimum of 5.38 lethal equivalents (the number of deleterious genes whose cumulative effect is equivalent to one lethal); 2.88 of these lethal equivalents were expressed from egg stage to independence of parental care. This estimate is higher than most estimates reported for laboratory populations and lower than those reported for zoo populations. Hence, the costs of inbreeding in this population were substantial and slightly above those expected from laboratory studies. Variability in estimates of lethal equivalents among years showed that costs of inbreeding were not constant across years.
Possible slurry routes inside tumbling mills and hydrocyclones as deduced from an RTD model

L'ecoulement de boues dans un broyeur rotatif ou dans un hydrocyclone peut suivre deux voies differentes. La boue peut tout simplement etre deviee de la charge. Ceci est verifie par une distribution de temps de sejour a deux pics. Un modele mathematique est mis en place pour interpreter cette allure de la distribution de temps de sejour. Les deux modeles, adaptes chacun a chaque appareil, sont similaires
Syntactic/semantic techniques in pattern recognition: A survey

This paper surveys some of the contemporary work in syntactic/semantic pattern recognition, with emphasis on four topics that are active research areas. These areas-grammatical inferrence, probabilistic models, syntactic errorcorrection, and grammars with attributes-present challenging questions both as to theory and as to practice.
SV40 enhancer and large-T antigen are instrumental in development of choroid plexus tumours in transgenic mice

We have shown recently that choroid plexus tumours frequently develop in transgenic mice which have developed from fertilized eggs injected with DNA molecules containing both simian virus 40 (SV40) early-region genes and metallothionein (MT) fusion genes1, and several lines of mice have now been established in which all of the offspring that inherit the foreign DNA succumb to these tumours at 3–5 months of age (ref. 1 and our unpublished data). Several other tissues, notably thymus and kidney, occasionally also show pathological changes. SV40 large-T antigen protein and messenger RNA are always present in affected tissues at much greater concentrations than in unaffected tissues, suggesting that SV40 early-region genes are preferentially activated in choroid plexus, thymus and kidney and that this activation frequently leads to tumorigenesis in the choroid plexus1. To determine which regions of the original constructs are important for this tumorigenesis, we have now tested several derivatives and report here that the large-T antigen is sufficient, that the MT fusion gene is dispensable and that the SV40 enhancer (72-base-pair repeat region) has an important role in directing tumours to the choroid plexus. Deletion of the SV40 enhancer region alone commonly leads to peripheral neuropathy, as well as liver and pancreatic tumours, which are the subject of the accompanying paper. Evidence is presented that these pathologies may result from an enhancing effect of the MT sequences on large-T antigen genes, made possible by removal of the otherwise dominant SV40 enhancer.
14. Use of windbreaks for home energy conservation

Abstract Windbreaks are effective in reducing energy needs for home heating by reducing air-exchange rates in homes. Air exchange in homes is caused by pressure differences caused either by temperature differences between inside and outside air or wind forces on the exterior surfaces of the home. Windbreaks are only effective in reducing air exchange caused by wind forces. Thus, wind-breaks are more effective in saving energy in windy climates. Available data indicate that annual energy savings for home heating using windbreaks can be up to 10–15% in the northeastern U.S.A. and 15–25% in the northcentral U.S.A. Economic analyses indicate that windbreaks are cost effective with the value of heating energy savings exceeding costs for windbreak establishment and maintenance over a 20-year windbreak life.
Extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 and Akt contribute to triclosan-stimulated proliferation of JB6 Cl 41-5a cells

Triclosan is a broad spectrum anti-bacterial agent widely used in many personal care products, household items, medical devices, and clinical settings. Human exposure to triclosan is mainly through oral and dermal routes. In previous studies, we found that sub-chronic dermal exposure of B6C3F1 mice to triclosan induced epidermal hyperplasia and focal necrosis; however, the mechanisms for these responses remain elusive. In this study, using mouse epidermis-derived JB6 Cl 41-5a cells, we found that triclosan stimulated cell growth in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Enhanced cell proliferation was demonstrated by a substantial increase in the percentage of BrdU-positive cells, an elevation in the protein levels of cyclin D1 and cyclin A, and a reduction in the protein level of p27Kip1. Western blotting analysis revealed that triclosan induced the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2), c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK), p38, and Akt. Pre-treatment of the cells with PD184352, an inhibitor of the upstream kinase MEK1/2, or with wortmannin, an inhibitor of phosphoinositide 3-kinase, blocked triclosan-mediated phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and Akt, respectively, and substantially suppressed triclosan-stimulated cell proliferation, whereas the JNK inhibitor SP600125 or the p38 inhibitor SB203580 had little to no effect on triclosan-stimulated cell proliferation. The phosphorylation activation of ERK1/2 and Akt was further confirmed on the skin of mice dermally administered triclosan. These data suggest that the activation of ERK1/2 and Akt is involved in triclosan-stimulated proliferation of JB6 Cl 41-5a cells.
Should Cost Be Considered in the Overall Evaluation of Phase II Clinical Trials of New Antineoplastic Therapies? A Response to the Essay from Dr. Eddie Reed

In his thoughtful response to my essay “Should Cost Be Considered in the Overall Evaluation of Phase II Clinical Trials of New Antineoplastic Therapies?” Reed has made a number of valid and important points. The “costs” I described (drug acquisition costs for the chemotherapeutic and bone marrow colony-stimulating agents) clearly represent only one component of the “costs” associated with chemotherapy. In addition, there are a number of examples where “expensive medications” (e.g., effective antibiotics; bone marrow colony-stimulating agents in patients undergoing autologous bone marrow transplantation) significantly reduce the overall cost of medical care associated with a specific medical condition.
Optimization of the image cache throughput for a large-scale PACS archive

With the increasing number of PACS image display workstations deployed in clinical operations, a PACS image server needs to be tuned more effectively to achieve optimal system throughput. There are many factors that affect the performance of image transfer, including the application software program, the storage subsystem, and the network system. This paper primarily addresses the issues involving the image storage subsystem. Related research has been done to address the issues in network system and application software. One primary factor that affects the overall performance of a PACS image server is the throughput and reliability characteristics of the magnetic storage devices for image caching. A redundant array of inexpensive disks (RAID) is a mean to provide reliable and high performance storage. The UCLA PACS image server relies on a software-based RAID system to fulfill the bandwidth requirement and reliability demand. An extensive evaluation on various hardware and software parameters in the I/O subsystem has been conducted to derive an optimal configuration, which specifically attempts to address the following questions: How many disks should be in a stripe group? What is the optimal stripe chunk size? How big should the maxcontig be? What should be the IO request size? And how many concurrent I/O accesses should be allowed?© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Fusion of voice, gesture, and human-computer interface controls for remotely operated robot

This paper presents an overview of a robot teleoperation system using voice, gesture, and human-computer interface (HCI) controls. The system consists of three basic software components including (a) acquisition and recognition of control commands from multiple inputs, (b) client-server network communication, and (c) command fusion and execution by a robot and its arm. The inputs for recognition of control commands come from (1) wired or wireless microphones, (2) wired orientation sensors mounted on human arms, and (3) HCI devices, such as a mouse, a keyboard or a text file with the sequence of control commands. The set of gesture commands is based on the US Navy lexicon for navigating aircrafts on the ground. Fusion of multiple commands is performed by (a) analyzing time delays and (b) assigning different priorities to commands and the clients issuing those commands. Consistent and conflicting commands are considered before a selected command is executed by a robot. For an emergency control, a video signal is sent to a monitoring station.
The Mechanism of Reflection Type Reentry: A Simulation Study

Introduction Reflection is a special type of reentry in which an electrical wave front travels in a forward direction through tissue that is then re-excited by a wave front that propagates backward. This type of reentry has been studied computationally in 1-dimensional fibers and verified experimentally. Different hypotheses explaining reflected reentry have been proposed based on the structure and heterogeneity of the tissue properties, but the mechanism remains uncertain. Methods and results We used the bidomain model to represent cardiac tissue and the Luo-Rudy model to describe the active membrane properties. We consider an ischemic region in a volume of ventricular myocardium. Our results show that a slow depolarization in the ischemic border zone caused by electrotonic coupling to depolarized tissue in the normal region creates a delay between proximal and distal regions that produces enough electrotonic current in the distal region to re-excite the proximal region. Conclusion Our simulation shows that an early afterdepolarization (EAD) is not the source of the reflection. It depends on the pacing interval and stimulus strength necessary to maintain enough time delay between proximal and distal regions.
Decomposition contact response (DCR) for explicit finite element dynamics

We propose a new explicit contact algorithm for finite element discretized solids and shells with smooth and non-smooth geometries. The equations of motion are integrated in time with a predictor-corrector-type algorithm. After each predictor step, the impenetrability constraints and the exchange of momenta between the impacting bodies are considered and enforced independently. The geometrically inadmissible penetrations are removed using closest point projections or similar updates. Penetration is measured using the signed volume of intersection described by the contacting surface elements, which is well-defined for both smooth and non-smooth geometries. For computing the instantaneous velocity changes that occur during the impact event, we introduce the decomposition contact response method. This enables the closed-form solution of the jump equations at impact, and applies to non-frictional as well as frictional contact, as exemplified by the Coulomb frictional model. The overall algorithm has excellent momentum and energy conservation characteristics, as several numerical examples demonstrate. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Nonlinear adaptive torque-ripple cancellation for step motors

The modeling of torque-ripple in hybrid step motors and its cancellation using adaptive linearization control are discussed. Although the nonlinear adaptive control of this problem can fit into a general framework, a representation of the torque-ripple which reduces the number of adapted parameters per torque-ripple harmonic by half is used. By doing so, it is possible to prove conditions on exogenous signals to guarantee the persistency of excitation of the regressor, and hence the exponential stability of the unperturbed system. It is shown that the adaptive system is robust to a class of state- and parameter-dependent modeling errors and disturbances even when the adaptation gain and convergence rate of the unperturbed system become small. The adapted parameter errors are proved to converge to a neighborhood of zero whose radius can be made small by slow adaptation. The proposed control scheme is verified in an experiment in which a 32-dB reduction in torque-ripple component at the rotor pole frequency is observed. >
Recombinant Collagen Studies Link the Severe Conformational Changes Induced by Osteogenesis Imperfecta Mutations to the Disruption of a Set of Interchain Salt Bridges

The clinical severity of Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), also known as the brittle bone disease, relates to the extent of conformational changes in the collagen triple helix induced by Gly substitution mutations. The lingering question is why Gly substitutions at different locations of collagen cause different disruptions of the triple helix. Here, we describe markedly different conformational changes of the triple helix induced by two Gly substitution mutations placed only 12 residues apart. The effects of the Gly substitutions were characterized using a recombinant collagen fragment modeling the 63-residue segment of the ;1 chain of type I collagen containing no Hyp (residues 877-939) obtained from Escherichia coli. Two Gly → Ser substitutions at Gly-901 and Gly-913 associated with, respectively, mild and severe OI variants were introduced by site-directed mutagenesis. Biophysical characterization and limited protease digestion experiments revealed that while the substitution at Gly-901 causes relatively minor destabilization of the triple helix, the substitution at Gly-913 induces large scale unfolding of an unstable region C-terminal to the mutation site. This extensive unfolding is caused by the intrinsic low stability of the C-terminal region of the helix and the mutation induced disruption of a set of salt bridges, which functions to lock this unstable region into the triple helical conformation. The extensive conformational changes associated with the loss of the salt bridges highlight the long range impact of the local interactions of triple helix and suggest a new mechanism by which OI mutations cause severe conformational damages in collagen.
PEG-poly(amino acid) Block Copolymer Micelles for Tunable Drug Release

To achieve tunable pH-dependent drug release in tumor tissues. Poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(aspartic acid) [PEG-p(Asp)] containing 12 kDa PEG and pAsp (5, 15, and 35 repeating units) were prepared. Hydrazide linkers with spacers [glycine (Gly) and 4-aminobenzoate (Abz)] were introduced to PEG-p(Asp), followed by drug conjugation [doxorubicin (DOX)]. The block copolymer-drug conjugates were either reconstituted or dialyzed in aqueous solutions to prepare micelles. Drug release patterns were observed under sink conditions at pH 5.0 and 7.4, 37°C, for 48 h. A collection of six block copolymers with different chain lengths and spacers was synthesized. Drug binding yields were 13–43.6%. The polymer-drug conjugates formed <50 nm polymer micelles irrespective of polymer compositions. Gly-introduced polymer micelles showed marginal change in particle size (40 ± 10 nm), while the size of Abz-micelles increased gradually from 10 to 40 nm as the polymer chain lengths increased. Drug release patterns of both Gly and Abz micelles were pH-dependent and tunable. The spacers appear to play a crucial role in controlling drug release and stability of polymer micelles in combination with block copolymer chain lengths. A drug delivery platform for tunable drug release was successfully developed with polymer micelles possessing spacer-modified hydrazone drug-binding linkers.
Validation of a teamwork perceptions measure to increase patient safety

Background TeamSTEPPS (Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety) is a team-training intervention which shows promise in aiding the mitigation of medical errors. This article examines the construct validity of the TeamSTEPPS Teamwork Perceptions Questionnaire (T-TPQ), a self-report survey that examines multiple dimensions of perceptions of teamwork within healthcare settings. Method Using survey-based methods, 1700 multidisciplinary healthcare professionals and support staff were measured on their perceptions of teamwork. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between the five TeamSTEPPS dimensions: Leadership, Mutual Support, Situation Monitoring, Communication, and Team Structure. Results The analysis indicated that the T-TPQ measure is more reliable than previously thought (Cronbach's α=0.978). Further, our final tested model showed a good fit with the data (x2 (df) 3601.27 (546), p<0.0001, Tucker–Lewis Index (TLI)=0.942, Comparative fit index (CFI)=0.947, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA)=0.057), indicating that the measure appears to have construct validity. Further, all dimensions correlated with one another, but were shown to be independent constructs. Conclusions The T-TPQ is a construct-valid instrument for measuring perceptions of teamwork. This has beneficial implications for patient safety and future research that studies medical teamwork.
ANTBIRD GUILDS IN THE LOWLAND CARIBBEAN RAINFOREST OF SOUTHEAST NICARAGUA

Abstract Some 20 species of antbirds occur in lowland Caribbean rainforest in southeast Nicaragua where they form five distinct guilds on the basis of habitat preferences, foraging ecology, and foraging behavior. Three guilds are habitat-based, in Edge, Forest, and Gaps within forest; two are behaviorally distinct, with species of army ant followers and those foraging within mixed-species flocks. The guilds each contain 3–6 antbird species. Within guilds, species are segregated by body size differences between member species, and in several guilds are evenly spaced on a logarithmic scale of body mass. Among guilds, the factors by which adjacent body sizes differ vary between 1.25 and 1.75. Body size differences may be related to differences in preferred prey sizes, but are influenced also by the density of the vegetation in which each species customarily forages. Resumen. Unas 20 especies de aves hormigueras viven en el bosque tropical perennifolio, sureste de Nicaragua, donde se forman cinquo gremios dis...
Publication Rates of Governmental and Nonprofit Manuscripts Among Twenty-Five Leading Academic Accounting Journals

We examine publication rates of governmental and nonprofit accounting and reporting manuscripts among 25 leading academic accounting journals for the ten year period ending in 2005. Overall, we find that governmental and nonprofit manuscripts constitute approximately three percent of the publications appearing in the leading journals. However, the frequency of publication varies considerably among these journals. We also examine the distribution of governmental and nonprofit publications across subject matter. Our analysis confirms that financial accounting topics are the dominant subject matter in academic journals (both overall and among governmental and nonprofit manuscripts) but that nonprofit taxation and governmental and nonprofit auditing and managerial manuscripts are published. We found no publications of accounting education articles specific to the teaching of governmental or nonprofit accounting or reporting.
Computer Reliability and Public Policy: Limits of Knowledge of Computer-Based Systems

Perhaps no technological innovation has so dominated the second half of the twentieth century as has the introduction of the programmable computer. It is quite difficult if not impossible to imagine how contemporary affairs—in business and science, communications and transportation, governmental and military activities, for example—could be conducted without the use of computing machines, whose principal contribution has been to relieve us of the necessity for certain kinds of mental exertion. The computer revolution has reduced our mental labors by means of these machines, just as the Industrial Revolution reduced our physical labor by means of other machines.
Young's integral inequality on time scales revisited.

A more complete Young's integral inequality on arbitrary time scales (unbounded above) is presented.
Effects of Common Carp on Aquatic Ecosystems 80 Years after “Carp as a Dominant”: Ecological Insights for Fisheries Management

The introduction of fishes into habitats outside their native range may result in dramatic ecosystem alterations. Circumpolar introductions of common carp Cyprinus carpio commonly induce perturbations to shallow lakes, inducing a phase shift from clear to turbid water. Cahn (1929) first reported a phase shift following common carp introduction. Since then, ecologists have sought to understand ecosystem responses to common carp perturbation. We present a synthesis on how common carp can affect aquatic ecosystems through a middle-out framework due to their capability to alter bottom-up and top-down processes. Common carp affect bottom-up processes by modifying nutrient and turbidity concentrations and phytoplankton abundance and diversity through benthic foraging, whereas zooplankton and benthic invertebrates can be affected by top-down processes through predation and reduced foraging efficiency. Common carp also reduce aquatic macrophytes that may switch lakes from the clear to turbid water equilibrium. Re...
AA.AG@helix.ends: A:A and A:G base-pairs at the ends of 16 S and 23 S rRNA helices.

Abstract This study reveals that AA and AG oppositions occur frequently at the ends of helices in RNA crystal and NMR structures in the PDB database and in the 16 S and 23 S rRNA comparative structure models, with the G usually 3′ to the helix for the AG oppositions. In addition, these oppositions are frequently base-paired and usually in the sheared conformation, although other conformations are present in NMR and crystal structures. These A:A and A:G base-pairs are present in a variety of structural environments, including GNRA tetraloops, E and E-like loops, interfaced between two helices that are coaxially stacked, tandem G:A base-pairs, U-turns, and adenosine platforms. Finally, given structural studies that reveal conformational rearrangements occurring in regions of the RNA with AA and AG oppositions at the ends of helices, we suggest that these conformationally unique helix extensions might be associated with functionally important structural rearrangements.
The 2005 Leona Tyler Award Address Person-Environment Psychology and Work: Theory, Implications, and Issues

This address was presented at the 2005 conference of the American Psychological Association in Washington, DC. In this address, the author discusses person-environment fit as a fulcrum concept that is assumed to influence a wide variety of psychological phenomena ranging from satisfaction to performance to personality consistency to subjective well-being. Limitations, contemporary models, applied implications, and issues are discussed. In conclusion, he suggests that we need longitudinal work of all kinds to study the dynamic developmental interaction between the person and the environment and to more effectively understand the person-environment process and outcomes for the individual.
Functional Consequences of Wnt-induced Dishevelled 2 Phosphorylation in Canonical and Noncanonical Wnt Signaling

Dishevelled (Dvl) proteins are intracellular effectors of Wnt signaling that have essential roles in both canonical and noncanonical Wnt pathways. It has long been known that Wnts stimulate Dvl phosphorylation, but relatively little is known about its functional significance. We have previously reported that both Wnt3a and Wnt5a induce Dvl2 phosphorylation that is associated with an electrophoretic mobility shift and loss of recognition by monoclonal antibody 10B5. In the present study, we mapped the 10B5 epitope to a 16-amino acid segment of human Dvl2 (residues 594–609) that contains four Ser/Thr residues. Alanine substitution of these residues (P4m) eliminated the mobility shift induced by either Wnt3a or Wnt5a. The Dvl2 P4m mutant showed a modest increase in canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling activity relative to wild type. Consistent with this finding, Dvl2 4Pm preferentially localized to cytoplasmic puncta. In contrast to wild-type Dvl2, however, the P4m mutant was unable to rescue Wnt3a-dependent neurite outgrowth in TC-32 cells following suppression of endogenous Dvl2/3. Earlier work has implicated casein kinase 1δ/ϵ as responsible for the Dvl mobility shift, and a CK1δ in vitro kinase assay confirmed that Ser594, Thr595, and Ser597 of Dvl2 are CK1 targets. Alanine substitution of these three residues was sufficient to abrogate the Wnt-dependent mobility shift. Thus, we have identified a cluster of Ser/Thr residues in the C-terminal domain of Dvl2 that are Wnt-induced phosphorylation (WIP) sites. Our results indicate that phosphorylation at the WIP sites reduces Dvl accumulation in puncta and attenuates β-catenin signaling, whereas it enables noncanonical signaling that is required for neurite outgrowth.
Methanol toxicity in a newborn.

Background: Methanol poisoning during human pregnancy rarely has been described. We report the first human newborn with a documented methanol concentration resulting from maternal exposure. Case Re...
Seed dispersal by the Florida box turtle (Terrapene Carolina bauri) in pine rockland forests of the lower Florida Keys, United States

Seed dispersal by animals is one of the most important plant-animal mutualisms, but saurochory, the dispersal of seeds by reptiles, has received little attention. We investigated the role of the Florida box turtle (Terrapene carolina bauri) as a seed dispersal agent in pine rockland forests of the lower Florida Keys and examined the effect of turtle digestion on seed germination. We obtained seeds of 11 species with fleshy fruits and 2 species with non-fleshy fruits (a grass and legume) from the feces of 145 box turtles collected on Key Deer National Wildlife Refuge from 1999 to 2000. We planted the seeds of nine species and germination percentage (percentage of seeds that germinated during the experiment) varied from 10% to 80%. Comparative germination experiments were conducted with Thrinax morrissii, Serenoa repens, and Byrsonima lucida. We compared the germination percentage and germination rate (number of days from planting to seedling emergence) of seeds from three treatments (seeds recovered from feces, control seeds with pulp, and control seeds without pulp) and continued these experiments for up to 2 years. Passage through the box turtle digestive tract greatly enhanced the germination percentage and germination rate of S. repens, but decreased the germination percentage of B. lucida and T. morrissii, and decreased germination rate for T. morrissii. Subsequent destructive seed viability tests revealed that many ungerminated T. morrissii seeds remained viable, suggesting long-term seed dormancy may occur, even after passage through the turtle digestive system. In addition, the proportion of ungerminated seeds which remained viable was greater for seeds recovered from turtle feces than from control seeds with pulp. Furthermore, removal of fleshy pulp either manually or by the turtle digestive system may allow T. morrissii to escape insect predation.
A new version of the Chang transformation

A new decoupling transformation is proposed for singularly perturbed linear systems. This transformation has the advantage over the previous one in that, in order to find such a transformation, only one algorithm is required, and the computation can be done in parallel, because the transformation matrices are obtained from two independent equations that are identical in form. >
Site-directed mutagenesis of firefly luciferase active site amino acids: a proposed model for bioluminescence color.

Under physiological conditions firefly luciferase catalyzes the highly efficient emission of yellow-green light from the substrates luciferin, Mg-ATP, and oxygen. In nature, bioluminescence emission by beetle luciferases is observed in colors ranging from green (530 nm) to red (635 nm), yet all known luciferases use the same luciferin substrate. In an earlier report (Branchini, B. R., Magyar, R. M., Murtiashaw, M. H., Anderson, S. M., and Zimmer, M. (1998) Biochemistry 37, 15311-15319), we described the effects of mutations at His245 on luciferase activity. In the context of molecular modeling results, we proposed that His245 is located at the luciferase active site. We noted too that the H245 mutants displayed red-shifted bioluminescent emission spectra. We report here the construction and purification of additional His245 mutants, as well as mutants at residues Lys529 and Thr343, all of which are stringently conserved in the beetle luciferase sequences. Analysis of specific activity and steady-state kinetic constants suggested that these residues are involved in luciferase catalysis and the productive binding of substrates. Bioluminescence emission spectroscopy studies indicated that point mutations at His245 and Thr343 produced luciferases that emitted light over the color range from green to red. The results of mutational and biochemical studies with luciferase reported here have enabled us to propose speculative mechanisms for color determination in firefly bioluminescence. An essential role for Thr343, the participation of His245 and Arg218, and the involvement of bound AMP are indicated.
Adaptive file transfers for diverse environments

This paper presents dsync, a file transfer system that can dynamically adapt to a wide variety of environments. While many transfer systems work well in their specialized ontext, their performance comes at the cost of generality, and they perform poorly when used elsewhere. In contrast, dsync adapts to its environment by intelligently determining which of its available resources is the best to use at any given time. The resources dsync can draw from include the sender, the local disk, and network peers. While combining these resources may appear easy, in practice it is difficult because these resources may have widely different performance or contend with each other. In particular, the paper presents a novel mechanism that enables dsync to aggressively search the receiver's local disk for useful data without interfering with concurrent network transfers. Our evaluation on several workloads in various network environments shows that dsync outperforms existing systems by a factor of 1.4 to 5 in one-to-one and one-to-many transfers.
Silicon in beer and brewing.

BACKGROUND: It has been claimed that beer is one of the richest sources of silicon in the diet; however, little is known of the relationship between silicon content and beer style and the manner in which beer is produced. The purpose of this study was to measure silicon in a diversity of beers and ascertain the grist selection and brewing factors that impact the level of silicon obtained in beer. RESULTS: Commercial beers ranged from 6.4 to 56.5 mg L−1 in silicon. Products derived from a grist of barley tended to contain more silicon than did those from a wheat-based grist, likely because of the high levels of silica in the retained husk layer of barley. Hops contain substantially more silicon than does grain, but quantitatively hops make a much smaller contribution than malt to the production of beer and therefore relatively less silicon in beer derives from them. During brewing the vast majority of the silicon remains with the spent grains; however, aggressive treatment during wort production in the brewhouse leads to increased extraction of silicon into wort and much of this survives into beer. CONCLUSION: It is confirmed that beer is a very rich source of silicon. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry
Social media use by community-based organizations conducting health promotion: a content analysis

Background: Community-based organizations (CBOs) are critical channels for the delivery of health promotion programs. Much of their influence comes from the relationships they have with community members and other key stakeholders and they may be able to harness the power of social media tools to develop and maintain these relationships. There are limited data describing if and how CBOs are using social media. This study assesses the extent to which CBOs engaged in health promotion use popular social media channels, the types of content typically shared, and the extent to which the interactive aspects of social media tools are utilized. Methods: We assessed the social media presence and patterns of usage of CBOs engaged in health promotion in Boston, Lawrence, and Worcester, Massachusetts. We coded content on three popular channels: Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. We used content analysis techniques to quantitatively summarize posts, tweets, and videos on these channels, respectively. For each organization, we coded all content put forth by the CBO on the three channels in a 30-day window. Two coders were trained and conducted the coding. Data were collected between November 2011 and January 2012. Results: A total of 166 organizations were included in our census. We found that 42% of organizations used at least one of the channels of interest. Across the three channels, organization promotion was the most common theme for content (66% of posts, 63% of tweets, and 93% of videos included this content). Most organizations updated Facebook and Twitter content at rates close to recommended frequencies. We found limited interaction/ engagement with audience members. Conclusions: Much of the use of social media tools appeared to be uni-directional, a flow of information from the organization to the audience. By better leveraging opportunities for interaction and user engagement, these organizations can reap greater benefits from the non-trivial investment required to use social media well. Future research should assess links between use patterns and organizational characteristics, staff perspectives, and audience engagement.
Modest, Industrious, and Loyal: Reinterpreting Conflicting Evidence for Women's Roles:

Scholars have long recognized the diverse and contradictory evidence for women's activities in the Roman world. Women are expected to be modest and subordinate to men; yet they are also found in le...
The effect of modifying the self-etchant bonding protocol on the shear bond strength of orthodontic brackets.

Abstract Objective: To compare the shear bond strength (SBS) of orthodontic brackets when the self-etching primer (SEP) and the bracket adhesive are light cured either separately or simultaneously. Materials and Methods: Seventy-five human molars were randomly divided into five equal groups. Brackets precoated with Transbond XT composite adhesive were used. The five protocols were: Group 1 (control), the SEP Transbond Plus was applied, brackets placed, and adhesive light cured for 20 seconds; Group 2, SEP Adper Prompt L-Pop was applied, light cured, brackets placed, and light cured; Group 3, the same SEP as in Group 2 was used, however, the SEP and bracket adhesive were light cured together; Group 4, SEP Clearfil S3 Bond was applied, light cured, brackets placed, and light cured; and Group 5, the same SEP as in group 4 was used, however, the SEP and the adhesive were light cured together. The teeth were debonded using a universal testing machine, and the enamel was examined for residual adhesive. Analysis...
Investigation of Compaction and Sand Migration Effect on Permeability and Non-Darcy Coefficient With Pore-Scale Simulations

Compaction and sand migration are some of the main problems for the loosely consolidated and unconsolidated high rate gas reservoirs. A reliable estimation of the well productivity depends on accurate modeling of permeability and inertial effects. Therefore, the key objective of this paper is to quantify the flow parameters change in the case of compaction and sand migration, and the development of permeability and the non-Darcy coefficient correlations that can be used in reservoir simulations. The compaction effects are simulated by increasing grains diameters with the same ratio. Permeability and the non-Darcy coefficients are calculated from lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). Results indicate that permeability decrease is not directional and the change in permeability can be estimated from porosity change with a Kozeny-Carman type relation with an exponent of 3.2. A Kozeny-Carman type relation between the non-Darcy coefficient and permeability is also found with an exponent −1.303. For high compressibility reservoirs, estimation of the inertial effects from the correlations developed as a function of permeability and porosity may also lead to underestimation of the inertial effects.Sand migration causes pore-throat plugging that leads to significant reduction in permeability. Permeability impairment due to sand or fines migration is usually estimated from Kozeny-Carman type relation based on porosity. There is no study in the literature on how the inertial effects are changed with permeability impairment due to sand or fines migration. Sand particle plugging locations are found from the network simulations for different pore volume reduction, and corresponding permeability and the non-Darcy coefficient are calculated from LBM. It is found that permeability change with sand plugging is direction dependent: permeability reduction in the flow direction is twice compared to other directions. Porosity reduction does not depend on only pore-throat plugging, porosity can be decrease due to compaction and pore-surface deposition. Therefore, a correlation is developed to estimate permeability from pore-throat sand concentration. Even though permeability change is directional, the trend between permeability and the non-Darcy coefficient is similar and the magnitude of exponent in Kozeny-Carman type relation is larger, −1.803, compared to that of compaction.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Adequacy of follow-up after an abnormal fecal occult blood test (FOBT) result

6035 Background: Annual fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) is the only colon cancer screening shown to reduce colon cancer incidence and mortality in randomized controlled trials. The true benefits ...
On the Determination of Optimal Trajectories Via Dynamic Programming

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the application of the theory of dynamic programming to the numerical solution of problems in the calculus of variations. The basic step in dynamic programming is the recognition of the fact that the calculus of variations is a particular example of a multistage decision process of continuous type. Various problems arising in the study of optimal trajectories can be formulated as questions within the calculus of variations. Standard variational techniques then transform the original problems into those of solving nonlinear differential equations subject to two-point boundary conditions. The general one-dimensional variational problem of minimizing is a routine problem that can quickly and accurately be solved using dynamic programming techniques in conjunction with digital computers. The technique of polynomial approximation can be used to tabulate functions of several variables in a quick and efficient way. This technique helps in using the functional equation approach to solve multidimensional variational problems.
Multipole Moments of Lipid Headgroups

As implied by their names, polar lipids have non-uniform distribution of electric charge. In particular, the dipole moment of phosphatidylcholine is on the order of 5 eA. Dipole-dipole interactions, therefore, play a significant role in the overall lipid interactions at the lipid-water interface. In addition, given the proximity of neighboring lipid headgroups, higher multipole moments can also be relevant. Treating the lipid head group as a collection of partial charges, we investigated correlations between dipole-dipole, dipole-quadrupole, and quadrupole-quadrupole moments for lipid head groups obtained from all atom membrane simulations. We discuss the effects of near-neighbor interactions as well as correlations at larger length scales. Lipid headgroup interactions and correlations as described here are relevant to lipid phase transitions as well as to interactions with membrane insertions such as ion channels and transmembrane protein domains in general.
Oxidized Ferric and Ferryl Forms of Hemoglobin Trigger Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Injury in Alveolar Type I Cells

Lung alveoli are lined by alveolar type (AT) 1 cells and cuboidal AT2 cells. The AT1 cells are likely to be exposed to cell-free hemoglobin (Hb) in multiple lung diseases; however, the role of Hb redox (reduction-oxidation) reactions and their precise contributions to AT1 cell injury are not well understood. Using mouse lung epithelial cells (E10) as an AT1 cell model, we demonstrate here that higher Hb oxidation states, ferric Hb (HbFe(3+)) and ferryl Hb (HbFe(4+)) and subsequent heme loss play a central role in the genesis of injury. Exposures to HbFe(2+) and HbFe(3+) for 24 hours induced expression of heme oxygenase (HO)-1 protein in E10 cells and HO-1 translocation in the purified mitochondrial fractions. Both of these effects were intensified with increasing oxidation states of Hb. Next, we examined the effects of Hb oxidation and free heme on mitochondrial bioenergetic function by measuring changes in the mitochondrial transmembrane potential and oxygen consumption rate. In contrast to HbFe(2+), HbFe(3+) reduced basal oxygen consumption rate, indicating compromised mitochondrial activity. However, HbFe(4+) exposure not only induced early expression of HO-1 but also caused mitochondrial dysfunction within 12 hours when compared with HbFe(2+) and HbFe(3+). Exposure to HbFe(4+) for 24 hours also caused mitochondrial depolarization in E10 cells. The deleterious effects of HbFe(3+) and HbFe(4+) were reversed by the addition of scavenger proteins, haptoglobin and hemopexin. Collectively, these data establish, for the first time, a central role for cell-free Hb in lung epithelial injury, and that these effects are mediated through the redox transition of Hb to higher oxidation states.