cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A framework for developing intelligent real‐time scheduling systems

The authors describe the adaptation of a hierarchical management-control framework to the design of intelligent real-time scheduling systems. Originally developed for the analysis of organizations where dynamics are governed solely by the reactions of human decision makers, the control framework provides insights concerning design requirements for decision systems that react in human-like fashion within narrow domains of expertise. The framework emphasizes the dynamic balance of autonomy and decentralization required to achieve planned goals within a hierarchical organization. Applying this framework, design specifications for knowledge-based scheduling systems are developed, which are responsive to organizational dynamics as required for schedule control and replanning. An illustration is given that addresses kitchen scheduling in full-service restaurants. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Hum Factors Man 16: 385–408, 2006.
Children's understanding of reputations

In the present study, the authors investigated age differences in children's understanding (a) that a person's behavior may contribute to the formation of a shared opinion within the peer group and (b) that origins of a reputation can be direct or indirect. The authors read stories in which a target character engaged in either prosocial or antisocial interactions with peers to children in kindergarten, 2nd, and 4th grade. They then asked the children to judge how various peers viewed the target character. Children's explanations indicated that children in all of those age groups understood that firsthand experience influenced peers' opinions, and by 2nd grade, children understood that indirect experience or gossip also might have contributed to an individual's reputation.
Electrostatic forces contribute to interactions between trp repressor dimers.

The trp repressor of Escherichia coli (TR), although generally considered to be dimeric, has been shown by fluorescence anisotropy of extrinsically labeled protein to undergo oligomerization in solution at protein concentrations in the micromolar range (Fernando, T., and C. A. Royer 1992. Biochemistry. 31:3429–3441). Providing evidence that oligomerization is an intrinsic property of TR, the present studies using chemical cross-linking, analytical ultracentrifugation, and molecular sieve chromatography demonstrate that unmodified TR dimers form higher order aggregates. Tetramers and higher order species were observed in chemical cross-linking experiments at concentrations between 1 and 40 microM. Results from analytical ultracentrifugation and gel filtration chromatography were consistent with average molecular weight values between tetramer and dimer, although no plateaus in the association were evident over the concentration ranges studied, indicating that higher order species are populated. Analytical ultracentrifugation data in presence of corepressor imply that corepressor binding destabilizes the higher order aggregates, an observation that is consistent with the earlier fluorescence work. Through the investigation of the salt and pH dependence of oligomerization, the present studies have revealed an electrostatic component to the interactions between TR dimers.
Unique phase retrieval with explicit support information.

A condition is presented that is sufficient to permit the unique specification of a discrete function of compact support from its autocorrelation. The condition is on the convex hull of the function’s support; it requires explicit knowledge of that convex hull, although the criterion is not otherwise restrictive.
Analog neural networks with local competition. II. Application to associative memory.

We analyze the attractors of associative-memory neural networks in which analog neurons compete locally. These networks are well suited for a variety of feature-extraction, pattern-classification, and data-compression tasks. For networks storing a finite number of patterns, we present bifurcation diagrams for the pattern overlaps. For networks storing an extensive number of patterns, we present phase diagrams showing attractor types as a function of pattern-storage fraction and neuron-transfer-function steepness. We also report results for the storage capacity of k-winner associative memories in the limit of infinite neuron gain. Numerical investigations of computer-generated networks confirm the phase diagrams.
Photon harvesting by surface-bound polymers: poly (2-vinylnaphthalene-alt-methacrylic acid) sensitization of pyrenebutyric acid on zeolite

Abstract A surface-bound polymer, poly(2-vinylnaphthalene-alt-methacrylic acid)(P(2VN-alt-MA)), was used to sensitize a surface-bound chromophore, pyrenebutyric acid (PBA), when the surface was zeolite-Y. Two solvent systems were used, tetrahydrofuran and methanol. Adsorption experiments of PBA on zeolite suggested that PBA absorbed into the bulk as well as the outer surface of the zeolite. Steady-state fluorescence spectra showed little or no excimer formation when pyrenebutyric acid was absorbed onto zeolite at low loadings, while the polymer exhibited some naphthalene excimer, especially in the non-solvent methanol. When both P(2VN-alt-MA) and PBA were adsorbed on the same surface, four fluorescence components were observed: naphthalene monomer and excimer, PBA monomer, and background fluorescence from the zeolite. While it is not possible to determine the quantum yields of the surface-bound species, a multiparameter minimization program was used to deduce the relative contribution of each component to the fluorescence spectra. A similar procedure was used to deconvolute the excitation spectra. The fluorescence of PBA, excited at 285 nm, was enhanced by a factor of 2–6 in the presence of the polymer relative to directly excited PBA. The quantum efficiency of PBA sensitization ( x ) was estimated using the deconvuluted fluorescence and excitation spectra. The most efficient sensitization ( x = 0.41) was observed with zeo/poly-/ PBA/CH 3 OH, where the polymer was adsorbed before the PBA. Lifetime and quenching studies of PBA by nitromethane indicated that PBA is quenched at about the same rate for all samples. The choice of solvent affected the appearance of the fluorescence spectra, but did not systematically affect the enhancement factors or the quantum efficiencies. The order of addition of the polymer and PBA to the zeolite strongly affected the photophysics of the system.
Differential Signaling by the Epidermal Growth Factor-like Growth Factors Neuregulin-1 and Neuregulin-2

The neuregulins comprise a subfamily of epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like growth factors that elicit diverse cellular responses by activating members of the ErbB family of receptor tyrosine kinases. Although neuregulin-1 and neuregulin-2 are both binding ligands for the ErbB3 and ErbB4 receptors, they exhibit distinct biological activities depending on cellular context. In MDA-MB-468 human mammary tumor cells, neuregulin-2beta (NRG2beta) inhibits cell growth, whereas neuregulin-1beta (NRG1beta) does not. In these cells, NRG2beta appears to preferentially act through the EGF receptor, stimulating receptor tyrosine phosphorylation and the recruitment of phospholipase C-gamma, Cbl, SHP2, and Shc to that receptor. NRG1beta preferentially acts through ErbB3 in these cells by stimulating the tyrosine phosphorylation and recruitment of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and Shc to that receptor. In MDA-MB-453 cells, both NRG1beta and NRG2beta stimulate the tyrosine phosphorylation of the ErbB2 and ErbB3 receptors to similar extents, but only NRG1beta potently stimulates morphological changes consistent with their differentiation. The profiles of SH2 domain-containing proteins that are efficiently recruited to activated receptors differ for the two factors. These observations indicate that despite their overlapping receptor specificity, the neuregulins exhibit distinct biological and biochemical properties. Since both of these cell lines express only two of the known ErbB receptors, our results imply that EGF-like ligands might elicit differential signaling within the context of a single receptor heterodimer.
A categorical semantics for fuzzy predicate logic

The object of this study is to look at categorical approaches to many valued logic, both propositional and predicate, to see how different logical properties result from different parts of the situation. In particular, the relationship between the categorical fabric I introduced at Linz in 2004 and the Fuzzy Logics studied by Hajek (2003) [5], Esteva et al. (2003) [1], and Hajek (1998) [4], comes from restricting the kind of structures used for truth values. We see how the structure of the various kinds of algebras shows up in the categorical logic, giving a variant on natural deduction for these logics. Quantification typically needs more completeness than is present in the algebras used in Hajek (1998) [4], hence the need for safe interpretations. The categorical setting gives a predicate logic without variables. The language in the more traditional sense comes from a structure built on a particular freely generated Cartesian category. Formulas have a clear meaning in that more restricted context. Interpretation of the language in other categorical fabrics is given by application of a product preserving functor. Traditional completeness results relate to this kind of interpretation. Completeness can also be understood as showing that the derivable truths in the general fabric are the necessary truths: those which are true in all of the possible worlds.
Threatened fishes of the world: Moxostoma congestum (Baird and Girard, 1854) (Catostomidae)

Common name: Gray Redhorse. Conservation status: Considered threatened (Propst 1999; CONABIO 2002; Jelks et al. 2008). Identification: Dorsal and lateral region olive to yellowish, ventral region whitish to pale yellow (Thomas et al. 2007). Dorsal and caudal fins dusky in inter-radial spaces (Sublette et al. 1990). D 11–12, A 6–7, P 15–16, lateral line scales 44–46 (Sublette et al. 1990). Distribution: Moxostoma congestum occupies upland streams from the Brazos drainage in Texas to the Rio Soto la Marina drainage in Mexico (Jenkins 1980; Conner and Suttkus 1986). Abundance: Relative abundance typically less than 1% (Platania 1990; Cantu and Winemiller 1997; Watson 2006; Bean et al. 2007). Habitat and ecology: Occupies clear streams (Rose and Echelle 1981) and is associated with deep (>0.8 m), low current velocity (<0.1 m·s) habitats such as large runs and pools (Bean et al. 2007). Benthic invertivore (Cowley and Sublette 1987; Bean and Bonner 2008) with diet primarily of aquatic insects (47%), mollusks (42%), and amphipods (5%). Most common aquatic insects were Diptera and Ephemeroptera larvae (Bean and Bonner 2008). Reproduction: Individuals spawn over two periods; first in late February or early March and again in late April or early May; single or multiple clutches per period unresolved (Bean and Bonner 2008). Developing oocytes absent in females <392 mm (Bean and Bonner 2008). Spawns in groups of two to seven individuals over gravel and cobble substrate in tails of pools (Martin 1986; Miller et al. 2005). Threats: Populations have declined in streams with reduced water quality and discharge (Hoagstrom 2001). Depletion of surface water is a major cause of decline (Sublette et al. 1990) and threatens habitats where M. congestum occurs (Bowles and Arsuffi 1993). Conservation recommendations: Protection through management of water quality and quantity where populations persist.
Broad-wavelength-range chemically tunable block-copolymer photonic gels

Responsive photonic crystals have been developed for chemical sensing using the variation of optical properties due to interaction with their environment. Photonic crystals with tunability in the visible or near-infrared region are of interest for controlling and processing light for active components of display, sensory or telecommunication devices. Here, we report a hydrophobic block-hydrophilic polyelectrolyte block polymer that forms a simple one-dimensional periodic lamellar structure. This results in a responsive photonic crystal that can be tuned via swelling of the hydrophilic layers by contact with a fluid reservoir. The glassy hydrophobic layer forces expansion of the hydrophilic layer along the layer normal, yielding extremely large optical tunability through changes in both layer thickness and index of refraction. Polyelectrolyte polymers are known to be highly responsive to a range of stimuli. We show very large reversible optical changes due to variation of the salt concentration of a water reservoir. These one-dimensional Bragg stacks reflect incident light from the ultraviolet-visible region to the near-infrared region (lambda(peak)=350-1,600 nm) with over a 575% change in the position of the stop band. Our work demonstrates the extremely high responsivity possible for polyelectrolyte-based photonic materials.
After drug-eluting stent placement, 6 months of dual antiplatelet therapy was noninferior to 12 months

Source Citation Colombo A, Chieffo A, Frasheri A, et al. Second-generation drug-eluting stent implantation followed by 6- versus 12-month dual antiplatelet therapy: The SECURITY randomized clinical...
Bifunctional Anti-Huntingtin Proteasome-Directed Intrabodies Mediate Efficient Degradation of Mutant Huntingtin Exon 1 Protein Fragments

Huntington's disease (HD) is a fatal autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder caused by a trinucleotide (CAG)(n) repeat expansion in the coding sequence of the huntingtin gene, and an expanded polyglutamine (>37Q) tract in the protein. This results in misfolding and accumulation of huntingtin protein (htt), formation of neuronal intranuclear and cytoplasmic inclusions, and neuronal dysfunction/degeneration. Single-chain Fv antibodies (scFvs), expressed as intrabodies that bind htt and prevent aggregation, show promise as immunotherapeutics for HD. Intrastriatal delivery of anti-N-terminal htt scFv-C4 using an adeno-associated virus vector (AAV2/1) significantly reduces the size and number of aggregates in HDR6/1 transgenic mice; however, this protective effect diminishes with age and time after injection. We therefore explored enhancing intrabody efficacy via fusions to heterologous functional domains. Proteins containing a PEST motif are often targeted for proteasomal degradation and generally have a short half life. In ST14A cells, fusion of the C-terminal PEST region of mouse ornithine decarboxylase (mODC) to scFv-C4 reduces htt exon 1 protein fragments with 72 glutamine repeats (httex1-72Q) by ~80-90% when compared to scFv-C4 alone. Proteasomal targeting was verified by either scrambling the mODC-PEST motif, or via proteasomal inhibition with epoxomicin. For these constructs, the proteasomal degradation of the scFv intrabody proteins themselves was reduced<25% by the addition of the mODC-PEST motif, with or without antigens. The remaining intrabody levels were amply sufficient to target N-terminal httex1-72Q protein fragment turnover. Critically, scFv-C4-PEST prevents aggregation and toxicity of httex1-72Q fragments at significantly lower doses than scFv-C4. Fusion of the mODC-PEST motif to intrabodies is a valuable general approach to specifically target toxic antigens to the proteasome for degradation.
The Validity of Childhood Sexual Abuse Checklists in the Popular Psychology Literature: A Barnum Effect?

Because many psychotherapy clients consult popularly available childhood sexual abuse (CSA) checklists to determine whether they have abuse histories, clinicians need to be cognizant of these checklists' potential strengths and weaknesses. In particular, endorsement of CSA checklists may be attributable to the Barnum effect. One hundred ninety-six female undergraduates, 39 with self-reported CSA histories, rated lists of CSA checklist items and Barnum items for self-descriptiveness. CSA and Barnum checklist scores were moderately correlated. The CSA checklist significantly distinguished women with versus without a history of abuse, but not when global distress was controlled. Consequently, clinicians should exert caution when assigning books containing popular CSA checklists.
Prolonged hypotension secondary to mesenteric traction during a transabdominal approach to a thoracoabdominal aneurysm.

R ECENT REPORTS have demonstrated a correlation between the prostacyclin metabolite 6-keto-PGF,, and decreased systemic vascular resistance (SVR) occurring during mesenteric traction.‘” A case is reported in which repair of a thoracoabdominal aneurysm was planned but aborted secondary to a severe mesenteric traction response. This response consisted of a decreased SVR, increased cardiac index (CI), little or no change in the pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP), and facial flushing.
OPTIMAL IMPLEMENTATION DELAYS: WHEN SHOULD POLICIES BE ANNOUNCED?

While a delay between the publication and implementation of a policy can make the time-consistent solution capture the expectational effects that make commitment superior to discretion, this comes at the cost of a suboptimal present-period policy. This cost is larger the longer the delay, and the more extreme the prevailing conditions, making the optimal duration of an implementation delay vary over time as initial conditions change. Therefore, we integrate over these to choose the implementation delay that will do best on average. The optimal delay is usually of intermediate length, balancing commitment gains with the loss of responsiveness to contemporary needs.
The D246V Mutant of DNA Polymerase β Misincorporates Nucleotides EVIDENCE FOR A ROLE FOR THE FLEXIBLE LOOP IN DNA POSITIONING WITHIN THE ACTIVE SITE

DNA polymerase beta, a member of the X family of DNA polymerases, is known to be involved in base excision repair. A key to determining the biochemical properties of this DNA polymerase is structure-function studies of site-specific mutants that result in substitution of particular amino acids at critical sites. In a previous genetic screen, we identified three 3'-azido-2',3'-dideoxythymidine 5'-triphosphate-resistant mutants, namely E249K, D246V, and R253M, of polymerase beta in the flexible loop of the palm domain. In this work, we perform an extensive kinetic analysis to investigate the role of the D246V mutant on polymerase fidelity. We find that D246V misincorporates T opposite template bases G and C. The mechanistic basis of misincorporation appears to be altered DNA positioning within the active site. We provide evidence that the fidelity of D246V is greatly affected by the base that is 5' of the templating base. We propose that the Asp residue at position 246 helps to maintain the proper positioning of the DNA within the polymerase active site and maintains the fidelity of polymerase beta. Altogether, the results suggest that the flexible loop domain of polymerase beta plays a major role in its fidelity.
The Transforming Power of the Machine: Popular Religion, Ideology, and Secularization among Polish Immigrant Workers in the United States, 1880–1940

In the last fifteen years or so, a generation of European social historians, armed with an integrated understanding of society, class, culture, and politics, has demystified the history of religion. In particular, they have probed the complicated relationship between institutional and popular belief in the time when Roman Catholicism formed the ideological mainstay of landed power in the precapitalist European countryside. Even apart from the Reformation, they have shown that orthodox religion faced a raft of powerful popular challenges. Superstition, magic, and other "pagan"-or folk carryovers still survived. Even when accepted, orthodox religion often underwent subversive transmutation at the hands of supposedly docile and devout underclasses who reinvested its practices with new meanings, reappropriated its symbols for their own ends, and sometimes thereby used it as a resource against the pr dations of society's rulers. In the process, they transformed the Church's own religion from a theology of subjugation into an arena for popular struggle, resistance, expression, and assertion.1 The mass migration that brought rural Europeans to urban, industrial America in the late nineteenth century did not eliminate religion as a theater of conflict. Yet while historians of nineteenth-century Europe have examined the tensions between ortho doxy and popular religion that often punctuated rural Europe's passage to commercial and industrial capitalism,2 American social historians have largely ignored this conflict, especially insofar as it involved working-class immigrants who experienced that passage while coming to America.3 This may not be surprising, given that a penchant for institutional history and a predilection for functionalist sociological models generally have colored scholarly treatments of immigrant religion in America. But the immigrants' extrainstitutional popular religious beliefs found no ready place in immigration historiography also because, like most histories, the history of immigrant religion has focused not on the losers but on the winners. In America, religious orthodoxy largely triumphed in its battle against popular religion. Despite this outcome, it is the contention of this article that the struggle between popular belief and orthodoxy nonetheless represents an important moment in immi grant social history as it opens a window on class and power relations within the immigrant world and also between that world and the larger American society, which immigrants entered or, at least, abraded against. Accordingly the article will explore
Electrophoretic Integration of Polyaniline on NIST Microhotplate for Gas Sensing

We present a method for controlled deposition of polyaniline from a colloidal suspension. Stable suspensions of polyaniline colloids were formed by dispersing polyaniline/formic-acid solutions into acetonitrile. It is demonstrated that the positively charged polyaniline colloids can be electrophoretically patterned onto microfabricated device features with great precision and control. Futhermore, the electrophoretically deposited polyaniline films reveal a nanoporous morphology, which greatly enhances the gas diffusion that leads to improved sensor performance.
Studies on isoenzymes of human amylase: evidence for a circulating amylase not of pancreatic or salivary origin.

Abstract 1. 1. Pancreatic and salivary isoamylases are inactivated by heating to 65°C. 2. 2. Pancreatic and salivary isoamylases are inactivated by exposure to trypsin. 3. 3. Most of the amylase activity of normal serum and urine is resistant to heating and trypsin. 4. 4. Pancreatic and salivary amylases have greater activity towards Amylose Azure than do the amylases of normal serum and urine. 5. 5. The amylase appearing in serum and urine during pancreatitis resembles pancreatic amylase. 6. 6. These findings suggest that most of the amylase activity of normal serum and urine does not originate in the pancreas or salivary glands.
Estimating differences in volumetric flat bone growth in pediatric patients by radiation treatment method.

Purpose: To estimate potential differences in volumetric bone growth in children with sarcoma treated with intensity-modulated (IMRT) and conformal (CRT) radiation therapy using an empiric dose-effect model. Methods and Materials: A random coefficient model was used to estimate potential volumetric bone growth of 36 pelvic bones (ischiopubis and ilium) from 11 patients 4 years after radiotherapy. The model incorporated patient age, pretreatment bone volume, integral dose >35 Gy, and time since completion of radiation therapy. Three dosimetry plans were entered into the model: the actual CRT/IMRT plan, a nontreated comparable IMRT/CRT plan, and an idealized plan in which dose was delivered only to the planning target volume. The results were compared with modeled normal bone growth. Results: The model predicted that by using the idealized, IMRT, and CRT approaches, patients would maintain 93%, 87%, and 84%, respectively (p = 0.06), of their expected normal growth. Patients older than 10 years would maintain 98% of normal growth, regardless of treatment method. Those younger than 10 years would maintain 87% (idealized), 76% (IMRT), or 70% (CRT) of their expected growth (p = 0.015). Post hoc testing (Tukey) revealed that the CRT and IMRT approaches differed significantly from the idealized one but notmore » from each other. Conclusions: Dose-effect models facilitate the comparison of treatment methods and potential interventions. Although treatment methods do not alter the growth of flat bones in older pediatric patients, they may significantly impact bone growth in children younger than age 10 years, especially as we move toward techniques with high conformity and sharper dose gradient.« less
An evaluation of the relatedness of proteins based on comparison of amino acid sequences

Abstract A procedure based on comparing amino acid residues was developed to examine the statistical consequences of practices commonly applied in sequence comparisons. A simple numerical method was devised to group amino acids into “homology sets” which allow consistent rather than ad hoc assignments of similar amino acids throughout polypeptide chains. By comparing sequences generated from random number tables it was possible to examine quantitatively the change in expectations contributed by the introduction of gaps into sequences. This method was also used to evaluate possibilities of gene duplication and recurring sequences resulting from convergent evolution for particular structural or functional requirements. Several specific proteins were investigated as illustrative examples. Rules of thumb were developed to indicate significant relatedness of two sequences beyond the expectations of chance.
Designing Lateral Organizations: An Analysis of the Benefits, Costs, and Enablers of Nonhierarchical Organizational Forms*

Twenty-first century organizations will require designs that enable them to cope with turbulent environments. Organizations have experimented with lateral organizational designs for this purpose, but research evidence concerning these forms is sparse. We analyzed data obtained from 512 employees within eight diverse organizations implementing flexible lateral organizations. Using a sequence comparison methodology, we were able to identify and categorize the major costs, benefits, and enablers associated with implementing these forms of complex organizations. Propositions for effectively managing lateral relations were tested and managerial implications were explored.
Structural Change in Supply Response Analysis of Corn Acreage

In most previous work on supply response analyses, estimated parameters were assumed constant over time. This study compared results from time-varying parameter models for U.S. corn acreage with OLS results. The time-varying parameter models imply larger effects of prices and faster adjustment than the constant parameter model. Further, this study provides elasticity estimates that reflect structural changes over time. In particular, corn acreage has become less responsive to changes in prices through time.
Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite as a Platform for Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

Abstract Compared to pyrolytic graphite (PG) and pyrolytically coated polycrystalline graphite (PCPG), which are commonly employed substrates for graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS), highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) is characterized by a high degree ofc-axis alignment with relatively few active sites and imperfections present on the surface. The usefulness of HOPG and commercial PG platforms for the determination of lead, copper, and aluminum by GFAAS was compared. Qualitative comparison of the absorption profiles and temperature optimizations suggest that lead, copper with a chemical modifier (palladium), and aluminum interact similarly with the two graphite substrates, while copper without a modifier interacts less strongly with HOPG than with PG. These results are in agreement with previous studies that have demonstrated that copper interacts strongly with PG and PCPG. HOPG and PG were employed for the determination of a pine needles standard reference material (SRM) and Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) samples. The analyses of the SRM gave good agreement with the certified value using both substrates, and comparable values were obtained for the samples. These results suggest that HOPG may be useful as a model for PG or PCPG when techniques such as scanning tunneling microscopy that require a high degree ofc-axis alignment are employed.
Family Firm IPO Performance and Market Signals

Recently, the interests in the performance of family firms in the capital market are on the rise. However studies on long-term performance give us little information about the performance of family firms in the initial public offering (IPO) markets. Building on agency theory, we investigated the effect of three IPO signals in family firm IPOs. Practices such as the appointment of outside non-family directors and waiting longer before going public significantly reduce underpricing. In addition, family owners' intent to retain large percentage of share in the long run is an indication of original shareholders' level of confidence in their own companies. Such confidence helps reduce after market investors' uncertainty and thus underpricing. On the other hand, family ownership at the IPO positively moderates the impact of non-family directors on underpricing.
The determination of plasma electron density from refraction measurements

A mathematical analysis is developed which allows the axial electron density of an axisymmetric plasma to be determined without inverting an integral equation. The required input includes the angle of refraction of a laser beam as a function of incident beam lateral displacement. Data at several wavelengths are required to eliminate contributions to the refractivity due to atoms and ions. Either long laser wavelengths or large electron densities are necessary to cause measurable refraction angles. Experimental data have been collected at several wavelengths for a stable argon arc discharge at atmospheric pressure. The analysis of these data yield electron densities which are in good agreement with thermodynamic calculations.
Direct Measurement of Time-Dependent Domain Coarsening in Giant Unilamellar Vesicles

Liquid domains appear on giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) composed of a ternary mixture of saturated phospholipids, unsaturated phospholipids, and cholesterol when the temperature is quenched below the miscibility transition temperature. If the vesicle is taut, domains diffuse freely in the membrane and coalesce when they collide. This process is called coarsening. As the domains coarsen, the average radius of the domains increases with time as tx, where x is the power law exponent of radius growth. The power law exponent has been predicted to be 1/3 [Gomez et al., Saeki et al.] or 1/4 [Yanagisawa et al.]. The power law exponent has been measured previously for liquid domains in vesicle membranes as 0.15 [Saeki et al.] and 2/3 [Yanagisawa et al.]. Here we present an independent measurement of the power law exponent.Gomez, J., Sagues, F., & Reigada, R. (2008). Use of an enhanced bulk diffusion-based algorithm for phase separation of ternary mixture. The Journal of Chemical Physics , 184115-1-184115-9.Saeki, D., Hamada, T., & Yoshikawa, K. (2006). Domain-Growth Kinetics in a Cell-Sized Liposome. Journal of the Physical Society of Japan, 013602-1-013602-3.Yanagisawa, M., Imai, M., Masui, T., Komura, S., & Ohta, T. (2007). Growth Dynamics of Domains in Ternary Fluid Vesicles. Biophysical Journal , 115-125.
Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus variants lacking transcription inhibitory functions demonstrate highly attenuated phenotype

Alphaviruses represent a significant public health threat worldwide. They are transmitted by mosquitoes and cause a variety of human diseases ranging from severe meningoencephalitis to polyarthritis. To date, no efficient and safe vaccines have been developed against any alphavirus infection. However, in recent years, significant progress has been made in understanding the mechanism of alphavirus replication and virus-host interactions. These data have provided the possibility for the development of new rationally designed alphavirus vaccine candidates that combine efficient immunogenicity, high safety, and inability to revert to pathogenic phenotype. New attenuated variants of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) designed in this study combine a variety of characteristics that independently contribute to a reduction in virulence. These constructs encode a noncytopathic VEEV capsid protein that is incapable of interfering with the innate immune response. The capsid-specific mutations strongly affect neurovirulence of the virus. In other constructs, they were combined with changes in control of capsid translation and an extensively mutated packaging signal. These modifications also affected the residual neurovirulence of the virus, but it remained immunogenic, and a single immunization protected mice against subsequent infection with epizootic VEEV. Similar approaches of attenuation can be applied to other encephalitogenic New World alphaviruses. IMPORTANCE Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) is an important human and animal pathogen, which causes periodic outbreaks of highly debilitating disease. Despite a continuous public health threat, no safe and efficient vaccine candidates have been developed to date. In this study, we applied accumulated knowledge about the mechanism of VEEV replication, RNA packaging, and interaction with the host to design new VEEV vaccine candidates that demonstrate exceptionally high levels of safety due to a combination of extensive modifications in the viral genome. The introduced mutations did not affect RNA replication or structural protein synthesis but had deleterious effects on VEEV neuroinvasion and virulence. In spite of dramatically reduced virulence, the designed mutants remained highly immunogenic and protected mice against subsequent infection with epizootic VEEV. Similar methodologies can be applied for attenuation of other encephalitogenic New World alphaviruses.
Acoustic and associative coding in short-term memory

Short lists of word-digit pairs were presented to 456 college student subjects. One of the words was repeated as a memory probe either immediately after list presentation or after a short rehearsal interval. The stimulus words were either acoustically identical or associatively related (UP, DOWN). Both acoustic identity and associative relatedness produced a memory decrement which decreased with rehearsal. One interpretation of these results is that the primary memory trace is a multiple-dimension one and that, given time, subjects can recover non-acoustic information from it. The data also indicate that the “fate” over time is different for acoustically similar and associatively related items.
Rapid progress on the vertebrate tree of life

Among the greatest challenges for biology in the 21st century is inference of the tree of life. Interest in, and progress toward, this goal has increased dramatically with the growing availability of molecular sequence data. However, we have very little sense, for any major clade, of how much progress has been made in resolving a full tree of life and the scope of work that remains. A series of challenges stand in the way of completing this task but, at the most basic level, progress is limited by data: a limited fraction of the world's biodiversity has been incorporated into a phylogenetic analysis. More troubling is our poor understanding of what fraction of the tree of life is understood and how quickly research is adding to this knowledge. Here we measure the rate of progress on the tree of life for one clade of particular research interest, the vertebrates. Using an automated phylogenetic approach, we analyse all available molecular data for a large sample of vertebrate diversity, comprising nearly 12,000 species and 210,000 sequences. Our results indicate that progress has been rapid, increasing polynomially during the age of molecular systematics. It is also skewed, with birds and mammals receiving the most attention and marine organisms accumulating far fewer data and a slower rate of increase in phylogenetic resolution than terrestrial taxa. We analyse the contributors to this phylogenetic progress and make recommendations for future work. Our analyses suggest that a large majority of the vertebrate tree of life will: (1) be resolved within the next few decades; (2) identify specific data collection strategies that may help to spur future progress; and (3) identify branches of the vertebrate tree of life in need of increased research effort.
Developmental genetics of vertebrate glial–cell specification

Oligodendrocytes and astrocytes are macroglial cells of the vertebrate central nervous system. These cells have diverse roles in the maintenance of neurological function. In the embryo, the genetic mechanisms that underlie the specification of macroglial precursors in vivo appear strikingly similar to those that regulate the development of the diverse neuron types. The switch from producing neuronal to glial subtype-specific precursors can be modelled as an interplay between region-restricted components and temporal regulators that determine neurogenic or gliogenic phases of development, contributing to glial diversity. Gaining insight into the developmental genetics of macroglia has great potential to improve our understanding of a variety of neurological disorders in humans.
The Zeros of Faber Polynomials for an m-Cusped Hypocycloid

The Faber polynomials for a region of the complex plane are of interest as a basis for polynomial approximation of analytic functions. In this paper we determine the location, density, and asymptotic behavior of the zeros of Faber polynomials associated with the closed region bounded by the m-cusped hypocycloid with parametric equation z = exp(i?) + 1(m ? 1)exp(?(m ? 1)i?), 0??<2?, m 2,3,4,... . For m = 2, the Faber polynomials are simply the classical Chebyshev polynomials for the segment ?2,2]; thus our results can be viewed as a study of the algebraic and asymptotic properties of generalized Chebyshev polynomials.
Optimum combinations of sorting and merging

In 1979, G. K. Manacher showed that the Ford-Johnson sorting algorithm [FJA], acting on t real numbers, can be beaten for an infinite set of values t. These values form a partial cover of constant density not close to 1 over an initial sequence of each band running from uk = ⌊(4/3)2k⌋ to uk+l - 1. This early result depended on showing that the Hwang-Lin merging algorithm [HLA], merging m elements with n, m ≠ n, could be surpassed by cm comparisons, where c is an arbitrary small positive constant.In this paper, it is shown that the FJA can be beaten for a set of integers of asymptotic density 1 under the greatly weakened assumption that the HLA can be surpassed by only (1/2 + ϵ)log m comparisons, with ϵ a small positive constant. The even weaker assumption that no improvement in the HLA exists, but that an isolated value to exists for which the FJA can be surpassed by only (1 + ϵ)log to comparisons yields the same result. Only for a set of “refractory” integers of size about t1/2 in the neighborhood of each uk does the FJA fail to be beaten.All these results depend on a new technique for obtaining optimum sort-merge sequences for best-possible sorting given a merging method. The technique turns out to be amenable to precise asymptotic analysis. When the technique is applied using the most powerful known merging algorithm [Christen's], the density mentioned above is still 1, but islands of refractory points still remain, this time forming sets provably of size Θ(log2t) in the neighborhood of each uk.It is shown that if “information theoretic” merging were achievable, the FJA could be beaten for all t > u10 = 1365. From these results and a few others, we adduce evidence in support of our main conjecture: that even optimum combinations of optimum merging and Ford-Johnson sorting will not beat the FJA when t = uk, but will instead produce refractory regions of size Θ(log2t) in the neighborhood of each λ.
Evidence for an extracellular zinc-veneer in rodent brains from experiments with Zn-ionophores and ZnT3 knockouts.

Ionic zinc is found at a high concentration in some glutamatergic vesicles of the mammalian brain. Ionic zinc is also found chelated to macromolecules in the extracellular space, constituting what has been called the “zinc veneer”. In this communication we show that the zinc ionophore, pyrithione, can be used to demonstrate the presence of the veneer. Application of pyrithione without added ionic zinc to rodent hippocampal slices mobilizes extracellular zinc, which can be detected intracellularly by the zinc probe FluoZin-3. In addition, we show that ZnT3 null mice, which lack the transporter responsible for stocking synaptic vesicles, nevertheless do have a zinc veneer, albeit diminished compared to wild type animals. The presence of the zinc veneer in ZnT3 null mice may account for the absence of any marked deficit in these animals.
Whose absentee votes are returned and counted: The variety and use of absentee ballots in California

Absentee voting is becoming more prevalent throughout the United States. Although there has been some research focused on who votes by absentee ballot, little research has considered another important question about absentee voting: which absentee ballots are counted and which are not? Research in the wake of the 2000 presidential election has studied the problem of uncounted ballots for precinct voters but not for absentee voters. Using data from Los Angeles County – nation's largest and most diverse voting jurisdiction – for the November 2002 general election, we test a series of hypotheses that certain types of voters have a higher likelihood that their ballots will be counted. We find that uniform service personnel, overseas civilians, voters who request non-English ballots and permanent absentee voters have a much lower likelihood of returning their ballot, and once returned, a lower likelihood that their ballots will be counted compared with the general absentee voting population. We also find that there is little partisan effect as to which voters are more likely to return their ballots or have their ballots counted. We conclude our paper with a discussion of the implications of our research for the current debates about absentee voting.
Human nature and judicial interpretation of equal employment law

Regional differences in judicial rulings on equal employment law are explored in the context of social identity theory. The notion of a human tendency to join status-based groups, socially identify with prominent group members, adopt the groups' shared mental models, and behave in ways to extend group influence, provides a good fit with judicial rulings observed in two US Federal Circuit Courts, the 7th and the 9th. To the extent such tendencies are natural and thus common across diverse populations, considerable specificity in policy language may be needed to offset interpretational localization emanating from regional belief systems held by locally prominent high status groups. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Phylogenetic relationships of the lower Cyclorrhapha (Diptera: Brachycera) based on 28S rDNA sequences

Cyclorrhaphan Diptera are an extremely successful clade of ecologically and phylogenenetically important flies. Despite their significance the relationships among lower cyclorrhaphans ('Aschiza') remain controversial in spite of several morphologically based phylogenetic analyses. We sequenced a 2.7-kb fragment of 28S rDNA for taxa representing all lower cyclorrhaphan families (except Ironomyiidae), four schizophoran families, and seven empidoid out-group taxa. Phylogenetic analysis of these data strongly supports a monophyletic Cyclorrhapha (including the enigmatic taxon Opetia nigra) that is divided into two clades - a well-supported Eumuscomorpha (Syrphidae + Pipunculidae + Schizophora), and a weakly-supported Platypezoidea (all non-Eumuscomorpha). Consequently, the former grouping known as Aschiza, which included syrphids and pipunculids, is not a valid monophyletic clade. Within Platypezoidea, most of our analyses place Lonchopteridae as sister group to Opetiidae, and strongly support the monophyly of Sciadoceridae + Phoridae. Among the Eumuscomorpha we do not recover the monophyly of Syrphoidea (Syrphidae + Pipunculidae). Instead, all analyses place Pipunculidae as the sister group to Schizophora. This novel finding has never been proposed based on morphological data and will require more data (both molecular and morphological) and taxa to confirm.
Low-cost phase change material as an energy storage medium in building envelopes: Experimental and numerical analyses

Abstract A promising approach to increasing the energy efficiency of buildings is the implementation of a phase change material (PCM) in the building envelope. Numerous studies over the last two decades have reported the energy saving potential of PCMs in building envelopes, but their wide application has been inhibited, in part, by their high cost. This article describes a novel PCM made of naturally occurring fatty acids/glycerides trapped into high density polyethylene (HDPE) pellets and its performance in a building envelope application. The PCM–HDPE pellets were mixed with cellulose insulation and then added to an exterior wall of a test building in a hot and humid climate, and tested over a period of several months. To demonstrate the efficacy of the PCM-enhanced cellulose insulation in reducing the building envelope heat gains and losses, a side-by-side comparison was performed with another wall section filled with cellulose-only insulation. Further, numerical modeling of the test wall was performed to determine the actual impact of the PCM–HDPE pellets on wall-generated heating and cooling loads and the associated electricity consumption. The model was first validated using experimental data and then used for annual simulations using typical meteorological year (TMY3) weather data. This article presents the experimental data and numerical analyses showing the energy-saving potential of the new PCM.
Use of Cumulative Sums of Squares for Retrospective Detection of Changes of Variance

Abstract This article studies the problem of multiple change points in the variance of a sequence of independent observations. We propose a procedure to detect variance changes based on an iterated cumulative sums of squares (ICSS) algorithm. We study the properties of the centered cumulative sum of squares function and give an intuitive basis for the ICSS algorithm. For series of moderate size (i.e., 200 observations and beyond), the ICSS algorithm offers results comparable to those obtained by a Bayesian approach or by likelihood ratio tests, without the heavy computational burden required by these approaches. Simulation results comparing the ICSS algorithm to other approaches are presented.
Kinetic properties of phosphoglycolate phosphatase from Pisum sativum and Phaseolus vulgaris

High activities of phosphoglycolate phosphatase were observed in Pisum sativum and Phaseolus vulgaris leaves. The low values for Km phosphoglycolate and the Ka values for the activation by Mg2+ and Cl&− are consistent with the efficient hydrolysis of phosphoglycolate in these plants. This is confirmed by the absence of detectable phosphoglycolate in photosynthetically active leaves of Pisum sativum.