cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optimization of transition-edge calorimeter performance

Abstract Calorimeters that exploit the superconducting-to-normal transition are used to detect individual photons from near-infrared to γ-ray wavelengths. Across this wide range, absorption efficiency, speed, and energy resolution are key performance parameters. Here, we describe recent improvements in the resolution of X-ray and γ -ray transition-edge sensors (TESs). Using the measured dependencies of the high-frequency unexplained noise in TESs, we have optimized the design of our TES X-ray sensors and achieved FWHM energy resolutions of 2.4 eV at 5.9 keV in Constellation-X style sensors and ∼2.9 eV at 5.9 keV in larger sensors suitable for materials analysis. We have also achieved a FWHM energy resolution of 42 eV at 103 keV in a TES calorimeter optimized for the detection of hard X-rays and γ -rays.
2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin inhibits steroidogenesis in the rat testis by inhibiting the mobilization of cholesterol to cytochrome P450scc.

Abstract Testosterone synthesis in 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo- p -dioxin (TCDD)-treated rats is decreased because pregnenolone production by the testis is inhibited. This inhibition can only be caused by a reduction in the activity of the mitochondrial enzyme which converts cholesterol into pregnenolone (cytochrome P450 scc ), and/or by an impairment in the multistep process by which luteinizing hormone (LH) stimulates the mobilization of cholesterol to this enzyme. Seven days after rats were treated with 100 μg TCDD/kg, testicular cytochrome P450 scc activity (assayed with 20α-hydroxycholesterol as substrate) was decreased to 45% of control. If this decrease were responsible for the inhibition of testicular steroidogenesis in vivo , substrate pools for cytochrome P450 scc in the testis would be increased. Yet TCDD decreased the amount of cholesterol that was readily available to cytochrome P450 scc in isolated testis mitochondria (the reactive cholesterol pool), even when steroidogenesis was maximally stimulated in vivo with the LH analogue human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). These decreases in substrate pools were not due to a reduction in mitochondrial capacity for reactive cholesterol. We conclude that the 55% decrease in cytochrome P450 scc activity is not severe enough to inhibit testicular steroidogenesis in vivo . Instead, TCDD must act by inhibiting the LH-stimulated mobilization of cholesterol to cytochrome P450 scc . This conclusion is supported by two observations. First, when pregnenolone formation was blocked by treating rats with the cytochrome P450 scc inhibitor aminoglutethimide, TCDD greatly reduced the rate at which hCG caused reactive cholesterol to accumulate in testis mitochondria in vivo . Second, TCDD inhibited both testosterone synthesis and the mobilization of cholesterol to cytochrome P450 scc within 1 day. The steroidogenic inhibition does not appear to be due to an LH receptor defect, because TCDD inhibited dibutyryl cAMP- and hCG-stimulated steroid secretion by isolated perfused testes to comparable extents. We conclude that TCDD inhibits testicular steroidogenesis predominantly if not exclusively by inhibiting the mobilization of cholesterol to cytochrome P450 scc , and that this inhibition occurs subsequent to cAMP formation.
Modification of the Mann-Whitney test

A modification of the Mann–Whitney test was introduced by Lemmer (1987) in hopes of gaining power. A Monte Carlo investigation was performed, but important questions were left unanswered. We widen the investigation to a whole class of modifications, and then provide some answers. some answers are theoretical and some are from simulation. We also propose in the context of this problem how null hypothesis simulation can lead to estimates of Pitman efficiency against contiguous alternatives; this seems to be an important new idea.
0-dimensional compactifications and Boolean rings

A subset of a topological space which is both closed and open is referred to as a clopen subset. Here, a 0-dimensional space is a Hausdorff space which has a basis of clopen sets. Here, a 0-dimensional space is a Hausdorff space which has a basis of clopen sets. By a compactification αX of a completely regular Hausdorff space X, we mean any compact space which contains X as a dense subspace. Two compactifications αX and γX are regarded as being equivalent if there exists a homeomorphism from αX onto γX which keeps X pointwise fixed. We will not distinguish between equivalent compactifications. With this convention, we can partially order any family of compactifications of X by defining αX ≧ γX if there exists a continuous mapping from γX onto αX which leaves X pointwise fixed. This paper is concerned with the study of the partially ordered family [X] of all 0-dimensional compactifications of a 0-dimensional space X.
Pay for performance: rationale and potential implications for urology.

Purpose: Pay for performance represents a new paradigm for physician reimbursement based on the value based purchasing of health care services. Government and private payers have expressed an interest in moving toward this system with several pay for performance programs already in place. The rationale behind this initiative and what it means for the practicing urologist are discussed.Materials and Methods: MEDLINE® and Internet based research focusing on the topics of health care quality, measures used to implement pay for performance, and private and public sector experience with pay for performance to date were reviewed.Results: Health care quality can be assessed through 3 types of measures, including structure, process and outcome. Structure measures involve the environment where services are provided, whereas process measures capture how a particular provider delivers health care. Outcome assessment involves the results of the services provided. These measures are best used when they are used in coo...
The Individuality and Connectedness Q-sort: A measure for assessing individuality and connectedness in dyadic relationships

A Q-sort, based on Grotevant and Cooper’s (1986) model of individuation, was developed to assess individuality and connectedness in dyadic relationships. A criterion sort for each construct was developed on the basis of ratings from eight experts. The mean intercorrelation among the eight raters was .85 for individuality and .89 for connectedness. This Q-sort was then used to rate 46 middle-class Caucasian parents who were previously assessed OD similar constructs using a micro-coding method, the Family Discourse Code (Condon, Cooper, & Grotevant, 1984). Correlations between similar constructs were significant. This Q-sort has five improvements over the Family Discourse Code: Behaviors representing the absence as well as the presence of a construct are coded; salience as well as frequency of behavior determines item placement; coders do not require knowledge of the theoretical underpinnings of items; there is less chance of response bias; and it provides a means of standardizing the assessment of individuality and connectedness across samples.
Stellar mixing III. The case of a passive tracer

In Papers I–II, we derived the expressions for the turbulent diffusivities of momentum, temperature T , and mean molecular weight μ. Since the scalar T -μ fields are active tracers (by influencing the density and thus the velocity field), whereas passive tracers such as 7 Li are carried along by the flow without influencing it, it would be unjustified to use the diffusivities of the T -μ fields to represent the diffusivity of passive tracers. In this paper, we present the first derivation of a passive tracer diffusivity. Some key results are: a) In the general 3D case, the passive tracer diffusivity is a tensor given in algebraic form; b) the diffusivity tensor depends on shear, vorticity, T ,a ndμ-gradients, thus including double diffusion and differential rotation; c) in the 1D version of the model, the passive tracer diffusivity is a scalar denoted by Kc ;d ) indoubly stable regimes, ∇μ > 0, ∇− ∇ ad 0, ∇−∇ ad > 0, Kc is larger than that of the μ-field; f) in salt fingers regimes ∇μ < 0, ∇−∇ ad < 0, Kc is smaller than that of the μ-field; and finally, g) in the only case we know of a direct measurement of a passive tracer diffusivity, the oceanographic North Atlantic Tracer Release Experiment (NATRE), the model reproduces the data quite closely.
The effect of body mass index on the outcome of critically ill surgical patients.

Background: The incidence of obesity is rising, and an increasing number of obese patients are admitted to surgical intensive care units (SICUs). However, it is not clear whether obesity is an independent risk factor for increased morbidity and mortality in SICU patients. We examined the effect of obesity on morbidity and mortality in patients admitted to the SICU in this study. Method: We reviewed prospectively acquired SICU data in normal and obese patients with an SICU length of stay >24 hours. Comparability of the groups was assessed using a χ2 test or Fisher exact test, as appropriate, for categorical variables and analysis of variance (ANOVA) or the Kruskal-Wallis test, as appropriate, for continuous variables. Results: Of the 1792 consecutive patients evaluated, 711 had a normal body mass index (BMI), and 993 were either preobese or obese. There was no statistically significant difference across the 5 BMI groups with respect to any of the 3 comorbidity indices (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health E...
Narrative spaces between intractability outside the clinic.

In this essay, the author reflects on her experience conducting field research outside an abortion clinic amid volatile protests and counterprotests. She identifies moments of convergence in the oppositional groups’ narrative explanations for participating in the weekly protests, and contemplates the possibilities for dialogue in these sorts of intractable conflicts. She concludes with reflections on communication scholars’ roles in engaging with polarizing health narratives.
Apo and ligand-bound structures of ModA from the archaeon Methanosarcina acetivorans.

The trace-element oxyanion molybdate, which is required for the growth of many bacterial and archaeal species, is transported into the cell by an ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter superfamily uptake system called ModABC. ModABC consists of the ModA periplasmic solute-binding protein, the integral membrane-transport protein ModB and the ATP-binding and hydrolysis cassette protein ModC. In this study, X-ray crystal structures of ModA from the archaeon Methanosarcina acetivorans (MaModA) have been determined in the apo­protein conformation at 1.95 and 1.69 A resolution and in the molybdate-bound conformation at 2.25 and 2.45 A resolution. The overall domain structure of MaModA is similar to other ModA proteins in that it has a bilobal structure in which two mixed α/β domains are linked by a hinge region. The apo MaModA is the first unliganded archaeal ModA structure to be determined: it exhibits a deep cleft between the two domains and confirms that upon binding ligand one domain is rotated towards the other by a hinge-bending motion, which is consistent with the `Venus flytrap' model seen for bacterial-type periplasmic binding proteins. In contrast to the bacterial ModA structures, which have tetrahedral coordination of their metal substrates, molybdate-bound MaModA employs octahedral coordination of its substrate like other archaeal ModA proteins.
Isoflurane Anesthesia Initiated at the Onset of Reperfusion Attenuates Oxidative and Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Injury

This study demonstrates that in mice subjected to hypoxia-ischemia (HI) brain injury isoflurane anesthesia initiated upon reperfusion limits a release of mitochondrial oxidative radicals by inhibiting a recovery of complex-I dependent mitochondrial respiration. This significantly attenuates an oxidative stress and reduces the extent of HI brain injury. Neonatal mice were subjected to HI, and at the initiation of reperfusion were exposed to isoflurane with or without mechanical ventilation. At the end of HI and isoflurane exposure cerebral mitochondrial respiration, H2O2 emission rates were measured followed by an assessment of cerebral oxidative damage and infarct volumes. At 8 weeks after HI navigational memory and brain atrophy were assessed. In vitro, direct effect of isoflurane on mitochondrial H2O2 emission was compared to that of complex-I inhibitor, rotenone. Compared to controls, 15 minutes of isoflurane anesthesia inhibited recovery of the compex I-dependent mitochondrial respiration and decreased H2O2 production in mitochondria supported with succinate. This was associated with reduced oxidative brain injury, superior navigational memory and decreased cerebral atrophy compared to the vehicle-treated HI-mice. Extended isoflurane anesthesia was associated with sluggish recovery of cerebral blood flow (CBF) and the neuroprotection was lost. However, when isoflurane anesthesia was supported with mechanical ventilation the CBF recovery improved, the event associated with further reduction of infarct volume compared to HI-mice exposed to isoflurane without respiratory support. Thus, in neonatal mice brief isoflurane anesthesia initiated at the onset of reperfusion limits mitochondrial release of oxidative radicals and attenuates an oxidative stress. This novel mechanism contributes to neuroprotective action of isoflurane. The use of mechanical ventilation during isoflurane anesthesia counterbalances negative effect of isoflurane anesthesia on recovery of cerebral circulation which potentiates protection against reperfusion injury.
Interaction of hemopexin with water-soluble porphyrins

Abstract Polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis and filtration on Bio-Gel P-10 indicate that rabbit hemopexin binds deuteroporphyrin and 2,4-disulfonic acid deuteroporphyrin (dsDp) but not ethylenediamine-substituted protoporphyrin. Formation of the dsDp-hemopexin complex, produces a red shift in Soret maxima from 402 to 426 nm. Concomitant with this shift, the four-banded spectrum in the visible region changes to one with two absorption maxima at 554 and 590 nm. Fluorescence quenching data indicate the formation of an equimolar complex of hemopexin and dsDp with apparent dissociation constant of 1.8 × 10 −6 m . The fluorescence emission maxima are at 623 nm for dsDp, at 603 nm for dsDp di-cation and at 590 nm for dsDp-hemopexin. The spectral changes following the interaction of dsDp with hemopexin may be interpreted to indicate that the porphyrin is in a less polar environment with an altered symmetry of the porphyrin nucleus. Since the dsDp-hemopexin spectrum resembles that of the di-cation we suggest that the pyrrole nitrogens of dsDp are protonated by or hydrogen bonded to two amino acids in the heme-binding site of hemopexin.
Thermally induced abrupt collapse of a large-radius donor state in a ferromagnetic semiconductor

Abstract A donor electron in a ferromagnetic semiconductor interacts with magnons and atomic displacements. The free energy can have two coexisting minima. With increasing temperature that of the severely localized donor falls relative to that of the large-radius donor. Ultimately the large-radius donor collapses to a severely localized state.
New cathode materials for rechargeable lithium batteries : The 3-D framework structures Li3Fe2(XO4)3 (X= P, As)

Electrochemical insertion of lithium into four Li3Fe2(XO4)3polymorphs (X=P or As) with 3-D framework structures was carried out in “Li/LiClO4(PC:DME)/cathode” coin cells. Approximately 2 Li per formula unit could be reversibly inserted into the three different structures, which corresponds to the reduction of all Fe3+to Fe2+between 2.5 and 3.5 V vs lithium. The position of the Fe3+/Fe2+redox couple below the lithium-anode Fermi energy is nearly independent of the structure and of whetherX=P or As. There is, however, a clear dependence of (i) the shape of theVccvsxcurves for Li3+xFe2(XO4)3and (ii) the charge–discharge rate capabilities on the crystal structure of the cathode material.
Predictable Enzymatic Glycosylation

An innovative approach for manipulating glycosyltransferase-catalyzed glycosylation has now been developed (Truman et al.). Created using a domain-swapping strategy, these chimeric glycotransferases have predictable substrate specificity and may lead to the breakthrough developments in the preparation of carbohydrate-containing molecules of biological interest.
The pattern of tube-sharing in Micro deutopus gryllotalpa (Crustacea: Amphipoda)

Abstract The amphipod crustacean Microdeutopus gryllotalpa builds tubes on solid substrata. Mature animals usually reside in individual tubes. When more than one individual is present in a tube it is always a single heterogametic pair. Tube-sharing occurs with the greatest frequency 12 h before the female's moult. Following the female's moult, most males leave the tube. The pattern of tube-sharing is the behavioural analoque of precopulation in epibenthic amphipods. It is demonstrated that (1) no more than two individuals are found in a tube because (2) one individual will not permit another individual of the same sex to cohabit the same tube, and (3) the female determines the time of tube-sharing, for most females tube-share only shortly before they moult. It is hypothesized that after the male leaves the female's tube, he cruises from tube to tube until he gains entry into the tube of another receptive female.
The Shuram and subsequent Ediacaran carbon isotope excursions from southwest Laurentia, and implications for environmental stability during the metazoan radiation

Current understanding of secular changes in the carbon isotopic composition of mid- to late Ediacaran carbonates suggests a relatively long, steady recovery of the global ocean from the Shuram negative excursion, followed by a smaller negative excursion at the Precambrian-Cambrian boundary. New radiometric, stratigraphic, and carbon isotope data from thick exposures of the upper Johnnie Formation in the Panamint Range of eastern California, combined with data from carbonate-rich facies of the Stirling Quartzite in the Funeral Mountains, confirm an Ediacaran age for these strata and provide a more complete record of isotopic variations during this time interval than previously determined from SW Laurentia and other key sections around the globe. A siltstone in the lower part of the Johnnie Formation yielded a detrital zircon grain with an age of 640.33 ± 0.09 Ma, lowering the maximum radiometric age constraint on the Johnnie Formation by >400 m.y., consistent with an Ediacaran age based on chemo- and biostratigraphic data. In contrast to previous C isotope compilations from this region, which were generally based on relatively thin portions of the Cordilleran miogeocline near its depositional hinge, the more basinward exposures exhibit a recovery from values near –12‰ to 0‰ within the upper part of the Johnnie Formation. Details in the shape of the chemostratigraphic profile through the upper Johnnie Formation closely match those in profiles through the Wonoka Formation in South Australia (which lies above the basal Ediacaran global stratotype section and point) and the Shuram-Buah interval in Oman, confirming temporal correlation and suggesting genesis through changes in the isotopic composition of the global ocean. The Shuram excursion in SW Laurentia is followed by at least three smaller Ediacaran to earliest Cambrian isotopic excursions recorded within, from oldest to youngest, the uppermost Johnnie Formation, the middle Stirling Quartzite, and the lower Wood Canyon Formation. These data indicate that the negative excursion associated with the base of the Cambrian is not a unique post-Shuram event, and that post-Shuram, pre-Cambrian animal evolution occurred in an environment of repeated large-magnitude fluctuations in the carbon isotopic composition of the global ocean.
Thermal Creep of Irradiated Zircaloy Cladding

As part of an effort to investigate spent-fuel behavior during dry-cask storage, thermal creep tests are being performed with defueled Zircaloy-4 cladding segments from two pressurized water reactors — Surry at ≈36 GWd/MTU burnup and H. B. Robinson at ≈67 GWd/MTU burnup, with corresponding fast (E > 1 MeV) fluence levels of 7×1025 and 14×1025 n/m2. The Surry rods are particularly relevant because they were stored in an inert-atmosphere (He) cask for 15 years. The Robinson rods were received after reactor discharge and pool storage. Commensurate with their high burnup, the Robinson cladding has significant waterside corrosion and hydrogen uptake. Test results to-date indicate good creep ductility for both claddings in the 360–400°C and 160–250 MPa (hoop-stress) regime. Partial recovery of radiation hardening may have occurred during the long tests at 400°C, which led to improved creep ductility. Creep-rate sensitivity is significant for stress and even more so for temperature. The higher hydrogen content in the Robinson material appears to have no detrimental effect on creep behavior at the test temperature. One Robinson sample, which ruptured in the weld region at 205°C during cooling from 400°C under stress (190 MPa), precipitated all visible hydrides in the radial direction.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Generalized Social Anxiety Disorder in Adolescents: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Early identification and treatment of social anxiety disorder (SAD) is critical to prevent development of a chronic course of symptoms, persistent functional impairment, and progressive psychiatric comorbidity. A small but growing literature supports the effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for anxiety disorders, including SAD, in adolescence. The present randomized controlled trial evaluated the efficacy of group vs. individual CBT for adolescents with generalized SAD in relation to an educational/supportive psychotherapy that did not contain specific CBT elements. All three treatments were associated with significant reductions in symptoms and functional impairment, and in improved social skills. No differences between treatments emerged on measures of symptoms, but the CBT conditions demonstrated greater gains on behavioral measures. The implications of the findings are discussed.
A Study of Heat Transfer and Particle Motion Relative to the Modified Chemical Vapor Deposition Process

Heat transfer and particle motion relative to the modified chemical vapor deposition process have been studied for general values of the torch speed. Three-dimensional temperature fields have been obtained over the entire cross section of the tube and the effects of tube rotation and localized torch heating in the axial and circumferential directions have been studied
N-terminal residues in Cx43 and Cx40 determine physiological properties of gap junction channels, but do not influence heteromeric assembly with each other or with Cx26

The cytoplasmic N-terminal domain in the connexins (Cx) has been implicated in determining several properties including connexin hetero-oligomerization, channel gating and regulation by polyamines. To elucidate the roles of potentially crucial amino acids, we produced site-directed mutants of connexins Cx40 and Cx43 (Cx40E12S,E13G and Cx43D12S,K13G) in which the charged amino acids at positions 12 and 13 were replaced with serine and glycine as found in Cx32. HeLa, N2a and HEK293 cells were transfected and studied by immunochemistry and double whole-cell patch clamping. Immunoblotting confirmed production of the mutant proteins, and immuno-fluorescence localized them to punctuate distributions along appositional membranes. Cx40E12S,E13G and Cx43D12S,K13G formed homotypic gap junction channels that allowed intercellular passage of Lucifer Yellow and electrical current, but these channels exhibited negligible voltage-dependent gating properties. Unlike wild-type Cx40, Cx40E12S,E13G channels were insensitive to block by 2 mM spermine. Affinity purification of material solubilized by Triton X-100 from cells co-expressing mutant Cx43 or mutant Cx40 with wild-type Cx40, Cx43 or Cx26 showed that introducing the mutations did not affect the compatibility or incompatibility of these proteins for heteromeric mixing. Co-expression of Cx40E12S,E13G with wild-type Cx40 or Cx43 dramatically reduced voltage-dependent gating. Thus, whereas the charged amino acids at positions 12 and 13 of Cx40 or Cx43 are not required for gap junction assembly or the compatibility of oligomerization with each other or with Cx26, they strongly influence several physiological properties including those of heteromeric channels.
Caffeine-Induced Calcium Release in Sea Urchin Eggs and the Effect of Continuous versus Pulsed Application on the Mitotic Apparatus

Unfertilized and fertilized eggs of the sea urchins Strongylocentrotus purpuratus and Lytechinus pictus, injected with the fluorescent probe calcium green dextran (Molecular Probes, Inc.) and monitored with single cell fluorimetry, rarely responded to 10 mM caffeine, but with 20 mM caffeine they produced a transient rise in intracellular calcium. Unfertilized eggs of both species produced a sharp peak approximately 2/3 the height of the normal fertilization peak, with the L. pictus response usually slightly lower and more variable. Image-intensified video microscopy of S. purpuratus eggs showed that this release originated in the center of the egg as well as in the cortex. When caffeine was applied to fertilized eggs within 10-15 min after the fertilization peak, during the period of elevated calcium, the size of the resulting calcium release increased with the elapsed time between the peak and the time of caffeine application. For example, there was no release when caffeine was applied at the height of the peak. When caffeine was washed out after the calcium level returned to baseline, there was a secondary peak (in the absence of caffeine) whose size decreased in proportion to the elapsed time. The source of this secondary calcium release is not known. Caffeine applied after the fertilization peak had returned to baseline produced a transient peak that was not followed by a secondary peak. The caffeine response gradually increased during the cell cycle. Although 10 mM caffeine did not produce a measurable calcium release, light microscopy of fixed and sectioned material showed that fertilized eggs incubated throughout the cell cycle in 7-10 mM caffeine-sea water had greatly reduced numbers of microtubules. Eggs treated at prometaphase with 10 mM caffeine rapidly lost a formed mitotic apparatus by shortening of the spindle and movement of the two centrosomes to the metaphase plate. Within 15 min all the mitotic apparatus-associated vesicles, which are known to sequester calcium, aggregated into two dense spheres of packed membranes located at the sites of the former asters. Microtubules and asters rapidly recovered when caffeine was removed. These observations suggest: (1) that the caffeine-sensitive store contributes to the fertilization calcium release and is an important sink for calcium after the fertilization peak, (2) that the caffeine-sensitive store in unfertilized eggs is located in the central part of the egg as well as in the cortex, and (3) that the caffeine-sensitive store is associated with the membrane system of the mitotic apparatus and may serve as a regulator of microtubule polymerization.
Market Influence of Portfolio Optimizers

The paper reports on a study of the feedback effects induced by portfolio optimizers on the underlying asset prices. Through their interaction with reference traders, who trade based on some aggregate incomes process, they are assumed to move asset prices away from the standard log‐normal model. With market clearing as the main constraint, the approximate dynamics of the asset price are solved analytically assuming that the wealth of the portfolio optimizers is small relative to the total market capitalization of the stock. The influence of portfolio optimizers when their wealth is not so small is also calculated numerically. There is good agreement between the numerical and analytical results when the wealth of the optimizers is small. It is found that portfolio optimizers influence the price of the risky asset so as to decrease its volatility. The optimal allocation to the risky asset also changes as a result of the portfolio optimizers' actions. In general, it is advantageous to hold more of the risky ...
Production, purification, and characterization of a fusion protein of carbonic anhydrase from Neisseria gonorrhoeae and cellulose binding domain from Clostridium thermocellum.

Carbon dioxide capture technologies have the potential to become an important climate change mitigation option through sequestration of gaseous CO2. A new concept for CO2 capture involves use of immobilized carbonic anhydrase (CA) that catalyzes the reversible hydration of CO2 to HCO3− and H+. Cost-efficient production of the enzyme and an inexpensive immobilization system are critical for development of economically feasible CA-based CO2 capture processes. An artificial, bifunctional enzyme containing CA from Neisseria gonorrhoeae and a cellulose binding domain (CBD) from Clostridium thermocellum was constructed with a His6 tag. The chimeric enzyme exhibited both CA activity and CBD binding affinity. This fusion enzyme is of particular interest due to its binding affinity for cellulose and retained CA activity, which could serve as the basis for improved technology to capture CO2 from flue gasses. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2009
Kidney disease in the setting of liver failure: core curriculum 2013

glomerulonephritis, also have been reported. A search for cryoglobulins is indicated in all patients presenting with proteinuria (protein excretion .0.5 g/24 h), low complement level, and typical purpuric rash. Treatment is targeted to the hepatitis virus, and remission of the kidney disease can occur with eradication. However, treatment itself may lead to further deterioration of kidney function. In cases of rapidly progressive kidney failure, plasma exchange with or without rituximab may be used. Kidney biopsy may be necessary to determine the underlying cause of decreased kidney function, but carries an almost 12% risk of significant bleeding. Both percutaneous and transjugular approaches have been reported with similar complication rates, but transjugular biopsy is associated with smaller samples that are sometimes difficult to interpret. Biopsy information, when available, is useful not only to diagnose the underlying kidney disease, but also to estimate its chronicity and hence the chances of recovering kidney function after successful liver transplantation (discussed later). If not otherwise contraindicated, any patient with liver disease and proteinuria should be suspected of having an underlying glomerular lesion that can lead to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and should be considered for a kidney biopsy. There are several infectious diseases that are associated with concurrent hepatic damage and kidney disease. Varicella, cytomegalovirus, syphilis, leprosy, schistosomiasis, and salmonella all have been associated with liver disease and membranous glomerulonephritis. Toxoplasmosis, Epstein-Barr virus, leptospirosis, coccidiomycosis, and malaria can cause liver disease and variable renal pathologies. In addition to intrinsic glomerular disease, drug and toxin exposure can cause concomitant kidney and liver disease. The most common offenders are listed in Table 2. In addition to the drugs listed, toxins such as carbon tetrachloride, trichloroethylene, chloroform, Amanita phalloides, and arsenic can damage both organs. Treatment is supportive and removal of the offending agent is necessary. Dialysis or plasmapheresis (specifically for Amanita poisoning) to remove toxins may be indicated in some instances.
Back Stage and Behind the Curtain

Blue Helmets and Black Markets: The Business of Survival in the Siege of Sarajevo. By Peter Andreas. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2008. 208 pp., $25.00 hardcover (ISBN13: 978-0-8014-4355-8). Traditional analyses of peace operations and military intervention have largely focused on the same actors and events that dominate news headlines. Nation-states, international organizations, and occasionally key subnational actors dominate the narratives. In addition, the spotlight is largely kept on military and security-related concerns, with macro-indicators and actions that represent critical junctures at the forefront. For example, the voluminous studies on UN and NATO intervention in Bosnia give significant attention to combat interactions, diplomatic initiatives, and ultimately the Dayton Accords. The book here breaks the mold by examining the players and actions that most scholars and commentators miss when they examine interventions. The siege of Sarajevo from 1992 to 1995 was perhaps the most famous incident in the Bosnia War. Peter Andreas redirects the reader beyond the well-documented saga of UN, NATO, and Serb forces to the actions that took place at the micro-level. It is a tale of crime, corruption, and unintended consequences whose effects are still felt today in the Balkans. The author's overarching conclusion is that behind the scenes, the international community's efforts at humanitarian assistance to the besieged population was a terrible failure, largely because those efforts empowered corrupt forces (exogenous and endogenous to the city) who increased the suffering …
Stable analytical inversion solution for processing lidar returns

A simple analytical method is presented that shows some potential for application to the problem of extracting attenuation and backscatter coefficients in an inhomogeneous atmosphere from the return signal of a monostatic single-wavelength lidar system. The method assumes the validity of the single-scattering lidar equation and a power law relationship between backscatter and attenuation. For optical depths greater than unity the inversion method can be applied in principle using only information contained in the signal itself. In contrast to a well-known related analytical inversion solution, the new solution form is shown to be stable with respect to perturbations in the signal, the postulated relationship between backscatter and attenuation, and the assumed or estimated boundary value of attenuation.
Contributions of clinical medicine to renal physiology

The strong influence of clinical medicine on the development of renal physiology in the 20th century is a natural consequence of the striking disorders imposed by disease on the volume and composition of the fluids of the body. Clinicians well grounded in physiology were able to seize unusual opportunities provided by sick patients to elucidate principles of homeostatic control applicable to health as well as to disease. Three examples of such contributions, primarily originating at the bedside, are discussed: the role of potassium in metabolic alkalosis, the function of the parathyroid glands as exemplified by the syndrome of hyperparathyroidism, and the discovery of a humoral factor, distinct from parathyroid hormone, that may regulate phosphate excretion by the kidneys.
Human Factors in Digital Rights Management for Consumer Products

Digital Rights Management (DRM) is a means through which copyrights can be protected using technology rather than the legal system. It is controversial because it allows content creators to control the level of access that users have to content they have purchased to a much greater degree than ever before. In additional to preventing illegal piracy, DRM allows content creators to prohibit the “Fair Uses” that the legal system has consistently protected. Human factors practitioners involved in the design of electronic devices that use copyrighted media, including computers, music players, gaming systems, cell phones, digital video recorders, and others, must recognize the effects of DRM on consumer product design. When analyzing user requirements, the interaction between DRM software and user behaviors must be considered. User interfaces should be designed to make the constraints imposed by DRM and the access that is supported easily visible. Including a consideration of DRM and its interactions with inter...
Xenon Tetrafluoride: Crystal Structure

On the basis of a three-dimensional x-ray analysis, the xenon tetrafluoride molecule in the solid is planar; the approximate symmetry is D4h. The average distance between the xenon and the fluorine is 1.92 ± 0.03 A.
The Word Completion Memory Test (WCMT): a new test to detect malingered memory deficits

Abstract In recent years, much research has focused on developing tests to detect malingering. A drawback of existing tests is their poor ability to detect malingerers possessing more “sophisticated” knowledge of neuropsychological deficits. The current study presents preliminary validation data on a new measure, the Word Completion Memory Test (WCMT), which is the first malingering test to utilize a sophisticated coaching methodology in its development. The WCMT was administered to control participants, memory-impaired patients, and coached simulators. The coached simulators were provided with specific information about and examples of memory deficits commonly experienced following closed head injury (CHI; e.g., anterograde vs. retrograde amnesia). They also read a detailed scenario describing the lifestyle and motivations likely experienced by CHI litigants, and then practiced their roles by taking a quiz about their deficits. Results showed that 93% of coached simulators and 100% of control and memory-impaired participants were correctly classified by the WCMT.
BCG-induced macrophage suppression in mice: Suppression of specific and nonspecific antibody-medicated and cellular immunologic responses

Abstract The intravenous injection of killed BCG in an oil-in-saline emulsion (BCG-E) results in the development of intense chronic granulomatous inflammation in the lungs and spleen of C57B1/6 (B6) but not CBA mice. B6 mice injected intravenously with BCG-E exhibited marked suppression of antibody responsiveness and delayed hypersensitivity to sheep erythrocytes, as well as proliferation in response to PPD. In contrast, CBA mice similarly treated with BCG-E were not suppressed in any of these reactivities. The spleen is an important organ in this phenomenon since suppression was reversed by splenectomy and could be transferred to normal recipients with spleen cells from BCG-treated mice. Spleen cells responsible for suppression were adherent to plastic petri plates, removed with carbonyl iron, and were not eliminated with either anti-Thy-1 or anti-immunoglobulin serum + C. This study indicates that macrophages from BCG-inflamed spleen are capable of potent suppression of both antibody- and cellular-mediated immunologic reactivity.
Quantized distributed load balancing with capacity constraints

Current research in the field of distributed consensus algorithms fails to adequately address physical limitations of real systems. This paper proposes a new algorithm for quantized distributed load balancing over a network of agents subject to upper-limit constraints. More precisely, loads are integer values, and nodes are constrained to remain under maximum load capacities at all times. Convergence to a set of desired states is proven for all connected graphs, any feasible initial load distribution, and separation and connectivity conditions on nodes with small maximum capacities. Simulations illustrate our results.
You can't build a bridge without a solid foundation: training, support, documentation and communication - the right foundation

Rolling out an administrative system in a decentralized business model can easily produce a result that is both a technical success and public relations failure. This paper will revisit the two systems rollouts at Tufts that inaugurated a support, training and communications strategy that reinforced a new way of doing business in an academic environment. The Tufts' solution is a directorate that owns support, training, documentation and web services. Together, it is supported by the communications arm of the IT organization.The result is a dramatic improvement in both the quantity and quality of customer services. An equal partner with MIS, Networking, and Academic Computing, Tufts' Support Services department brokers the implementation process so that customers feel represented prepared and supported. New IT initiatives are no longer met with the "Oh no" mentality; in its place is a revitalized community that sees value in computing technologies. We currently enjoy:An end-user desktop training department--with a curriculum of over 40 courses--that offers monthly training and consulting on our three campusesThe development of a first and second tier support training curriculum to insure consistency and quality in support services across our three campusesAn elevated skill and service level in our HelpdeskCampus-wide meeting forums where University interest groups exchange information and voice concerns with the IT OrganizationAn internal and external communications strategy, with a newsletter platform to facilitate public relationsWeb services to facilitate both the web needs of our IT organization and of our customers..This paper will benefit IT directors, managers, Help Desk professionals, trainers, support specialists and customer service professionals as they strategize regarding the best way to service their customers.
Chemical individuality: Concept and outlook

Sir Archibald Garrod's concept of chemical individuality introduced a century ago provided the basis for the entire discipline of inborn errors of metabolism. Human disorders are defined by variation in disease-causing mutations, environmental influences, genetic factors other than the primary genetic defect, and evolution itself. Myriad examples support the prescience of Garrod with respect to these issues, each of which has therapeutic implications. Just as Garrod predicted that the future of biochemical genetics would be intertwined with the concept of chemical variability, we might forecast that variation will influence emotions, dreams, and the human thinking process itself.
The Dysfunctional Attitude Scale: Psychometric properties and relation to depression in an unselected adult population

The Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (DAS), a self-report inventory of beliefs derived from Beck's (1967) cognitive theory of depression to measure depressionogenic “schemas” constituting predispositions to depression, was developed in student populations. The DAS was jointly administered with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to 275 hospital employees and their spouses, 105 males and 170 females, and its psychometric properties were examined. Six-week test-retest reliability of the DAS was .73 (p <.001). Modest item-total correlations and lack of factorial equivalence between the two short forms of the DAS suggest it is best conceptualized and treated as a whole. This conclusion is lent support by the DAS's alpha coefficient of .90. The DAS and the BDI were correlated .41. Reliability and validity data for the DAS thus support its use as a measure of depressionogenic beliefs in the unselected adult population. Mean scores on the DAS did not differ significantly as a function of gender, failing to support differential distribution of a predisposition to depression that is cognitive in nature.
Equine marker genes. Polymorphism for transferrin alleles, TfF1 and TfF2, in Thoroughbreds.

Summary The equine transferrin F variant is distinguishable into two types, F1 and F2, on alkaline polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Gene frequencies in 63 related Thoroughbreds are 0.39 and 0.19 for TfF1TfF2, respectively. In contrast the frequencies for these two alleles in 375 related Standardbreds is 0.00 and 0.59.
Asymptotic methods for peristaltic transport of a heat-conducting fluid

Abstract Two asymptotic methods based upon Stokes and long-wave approximations are developed for the study of transporting a heat-conducting fluid through a flexible tube by peristaltic motion of the tube well. The asymptotic methods are justified rigorously and the existence of a unique generalized solution of the governing equations is proved if a condition in terms of the Reynolds number and other nondimensional parameters is satisfied.
Cognitive functioning and sociopolitical ideology revisited

extremism theory, and (c) context theory. The subjects consisted of 195 Swedish high school students from five different high schools in greater Stockholm. The results showed no index convergence for the concepts of cognitive complexity and cognitive flexibility although general construct validity was found for the cognitive assessments instruments used. The results also revealed that four dimensions of sociopolitical ideology (general conservatism, racism, sexual repression, and authoritarian aggression) showed weak but statistically reliable relationships to cognitive flexibility and cognitive complexity from one cognitive assessment instrument. The nature of the results gave strong support to authoritarian personality theory and partial support to context theory. No support could be found for the extremism theory.
Experimental social innovation and client-centered job-seeking programs

The complexity of most social problems and a growing human services shortfall dictate that we reevaluate our approach to planned social change. Simplistic one-shot evaluations of social interventions are unlikely to yield the kind of information that will help us identify true social innovations, understand and refine their instrumental processes, and thereby optimize their effects. However, incremental progress in these areas is possible through the pursuit of ESI or other systematic and rigorous approaches to outcome research.
The retina as a two-dimensional detector array in the context of color vision theories and signal detection theory

A comprehensive discussion on the human retina and its color-mechanism topography as a two-dimensional photodetector array being the first phase of the human visual sensory processor is presented. The treatment is a logical deduction from optimum statistical detection theory and its application to biological sensory systems. The evolution of color vision and of the application of statistical communications theory to sensory systems and the issues common to both that merge them into a unified research thrust in vision are briefly reviewed. The basic problems of retinal topography and available data are surveyed in detail to provide the constraints for the model. The model performance is confronted with actual visual performance data, particularly threshold and discrimination data. It is concluded that the theory of statistical communications and associated techniques of signal detectability, combined with the existing empirical findings provide a most powerful means to investigate sensory communication. As argued in earlier researches of sensory communications based on the same approach, a different new concept is defined for the sensory system and the various issues raised in the problem formulation.
Discrete generalized functions

A mapping from the Gaussian integers into the complex numbers is called a discrete function. Duffin [I] has studied properties of discrete functions. In his study, Duffin makes use of certain types of operators which we will call Duffin operators. More precisely, an operator F mapping the collection il of all discrete functions into itself is a Duffin operator if and only if there are finite sets {wO , w1 ,..., w,} of Gaussian integers and (a0 , a, ,..., a,} of complex numbers such that for each q~ E A, F(y) is the function whose value at the Gaussian integer w is given by
Collision avoidance in a dense RFID network

In this work, we develop a CSMA-based MAC protocol to avoid reader-reader and reader-tag collisions in a dense RFID network. The network is implemented using mote-based RFID readers. To implement the MAC protocol,we develop an appropriate carrier sensing circuit using an RFID tag as an antenna and the mote as an apparatus to sample received signal strength. We have augmented a commercially available OEM RFID module with such carrier sensing capability and interfaced it with motes. Performance evaluation shows much superior performance relative to a naive and a randomized protocol in dense deployment environments both in regards to accuracy and time per tag read.