cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Minimax Stopping Rules When the Underlying Distribution is Uniform

Abstract An invariance-based method of obtaining the minimax stopping rule when sampling from an unknown uniform distribution is presented and applied to two problems, maximizing the probability of selecting the smallest observation and minimizing the expected quantile of the observation selected. In the first problem, the minimax rules use only the relative ranks of the observations; in the second problem they are shown to achieve asymptotic risk (3 + 2 √2)1/√2/n ≈ 3.4780/n, which is intermediate between the values ≈ 3.8695/n for the best rules based on relative ranks and 2/n when the distribution is known. Except for a few small values of the sample size, n, the minimax rules are the formal Bayes rules with respect to an improper a priori “density” whose a posteriori density given the first two observations is proper.
The effect of lysophosphatidylcholine on coronary and renal circulation in the rabbit

It has been shown that different lysophosphatidylcholines (LPC) possess relaxing properties in vascular strips. We report on the effect of intraatrial injection of LPC micelles into white New Zealand rabbits. Changes in renal and coronary flow were determined by radioactive microspheres. Coronary blood flow increased significantly following administration of LPC, while no significant changes were observed in renal blood flow, cardiac output and myocardial contractility. Coronary, renal and total vascular resistance, as well as mean arterial pressure, dropped significantly. Cardiac arrhythmia and hemolysis were not noted. The results demonstrate the vasorelaxant effect of LPCin vivo.
MR evaluation of CNS tumors: dose comparison study with gadopentetate dimeglumine and gadoteridol.

In phase II and III trials of gadoteridol (Gd-HP-D03A), a new nonionic, low-osmolar contrast agent, 40 patients with intracranial neoplasms underwent magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with experimental doses of 0.05-0.3 mmol/kg. Fifteen patients also underwent contrast studies with the standard dose (0.1 mmol/kg) of gadopentetate dimeglumine. Both gadopentetate dimeglumine and gadoteridol appear to have a similar effect when given in equal doses (0.1 mmol/kg, n = 5). Lesion enhancement and delineation were better at higher experimental doses (0.2 or 0.3 mmol/kg, n = 7) and worse at a lower experimental dose (0.05 mmol/kg, n = 3). Quantitative analysis of 10 lesions examined with identical imaging protocols revealed a directly proportional relationship (r = .975) between lesion contrast ratio and dose over a range of 0.05-0.3 mmol/kg. Phantom experiments support the clinical results. Improved enhancement, detection, and delineation of central nervous system (CNS) neoplasms resulting from increased injected d...
Cytology and biochemistry of brown cells in Crassostrea virginica collected at clean and contaminated stations.

This study examined brown cells of oysters, Crassostrea virginica, as potential indicators of pollution related stress. Regardless of collection station brown cells increased in connective tissue when it was inflamed. Significantly (α < 0·05) fewer brown cells were observed in connective tissue of oysters from the clean versus the contaminated station; no significant differences in size were apparent in brown cells or vesicles between the two stations. Brown cell vesicles in connective tissue of oysters from the clean station were a translucent light-brown color with inclusions in the larger vesicles, whereas in oysters from the contaminated station they were blackish-brown with 2–3 inclusions in all vesicles regardless of size. Auricles in oysters at the clean station had significantly (α < 0·05) more brown cells which were larger and contained more vesicles than those at the contaminated station. Significant differences did not occur among protein concentration, lysozyme, glutathione reductase and acid phosphatase activities in brown cells between clean and contaminated stations, however, significant differences occurred among protein concentration, lysozyme, glutathione reductase and acid phosphatase between brown cell fractions separated on a Percoll density gradient. These studies indicate that vesicles of oyster brown cells are lysosomes and these cells possess the requisites for detoxification and have the potential for use as a biomarker of exposure to contaminants and stress.
Filipiniana and Malaysiana collections at the Paul and Emily Douglas library: An annotated bibliography

Abstract Print and non-print materials pertaining to Teacher Education in Southeast Asia, specifically Malaysia and the Philippines are described.
Effect of histamine and histamine receptor antagonists on rat mesenteric microcirculation

Abstract Histamine release adjacent to mesenteric arterioles under conditions of ischemia causes vasodilation and increases regional blood flow. This is presumably a protective mechanism which may be blocked by the use of H 1 and H 2 antagonists. Mesenteric arterioles of 29 rats were observed with intravital microscopy. Diameter and erythrocyte velocity were measured and arteriolar flow was calculated. Histamine was topically applied to the vessels under view in sequentially increasing concentrations (10 −7 to 10 −4 , M ). Following systemic injection of an H 1 or H 2 receptor antagonist or ibuprofen, the application of 10 −4 M histamine was repeated. Topical histamine caused vasodilation (122% of control; P −4 M with a corresponding increase in erythrocyte velocity and calculated flow (118 and 177% of control, respectively; P 1 + H 2 > H 1 > H 2 ), while ibuprofen had no significant effect. In situations in which the gut is at risk for ischemia, the use of H 1 and/or H 2 receptor antagonists may seriously compromise the mesenteric microcirculation.
Determining pathogen and indicator levels in class B municipal organic residuals used for land application.

Biosolids are nutrient-rich organic residuals that are currently used to amend soils for food production. Treatment requirements to inactivate pathogens for production of Class A biosolids are energy intensive. One less energy intensive alternative is to treat biosolids to Class B standards, but it could result in higher pathogen loads. Quantitative microbial risk assessments models have been developed on land application of Class B biosolids but contain many uncertainties because of limited data on specific pathogen densities and the use of fecal indicator organisms as accurate surrogates of pathogen loads. To address this gap, a 12-mo study of the levels and relationships between Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and human adenovirus (HAdV) with fecal coliform, somatic, and F-RNA coliphage levels in Class B biosolids from nine wastewater treatment plants throughout the United States was conducted. Results revealed that fecal coliform, somatic, and F-RNA coliphage densities were consistent throughout the year. More important, results revealed that HAdV ( x = 2.5 × 10 3 genome copies dry g -1 ) and Giardia ( x = 4.14 × 10 3 cysts dry g -1 ) were in all biosolids samples regardless of treatment processes, location, or season. Cryptosporidium oocysts were also detected (38% positive; range: 0-1.9 × 10 3 oocysts dry g -1 ), albeit sporadically. Positive correlations among three fecal indicator organisms and HAdV, but not protozoa, were also observed. Overall, this study reveals that high concentrations of enteric pathogens (e.g., Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and HAdV) are present in biosolids throughout the United States. Microbial densities found can further assist management and policymakers in establishing more accurate risk assessment models associated with land application of Class B biosolids.
Topology Optimization for Piecewise Dynamic Models Using a Genetic Algorithm

It has been demonstrated in the previous research that the node connectivity in the graph encoding the topological neighborhood relationships between local models in a piecewise dynamic model may significantly affect the cooperative learning process. It was shown that a graph with a larger connectivity leads to a quicker learning adaption due to more rapidly decaying transients of the estimation of local model parameters. In the same time, it was shown that the accuracy could be degraded by a larger bias in the asymptotic portion of the estimations of local model parameters. The efforts in topology optimization should therefore strive towards a high accuracy of the asymptotic portion of the estimator of local model parameters while simultaneously accelerating the decay of the estimation transients. In this paper, we pursue minimization of the residual sum of squares of a piecewise dynamic model after a predetermined number of training steps. The optimization of inter-model topology is implemented via a genetic algorithm that manipulates adjacency matrices of the graph underlying the piecewise dynamic model. An example of applying the topology optimization procedure on a peicewise linear model of a highly nonlinear dynamic system is provided to show the efficacy of the new method.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Comments on Persian painting

In her paper Mrs. Swietochowski has drawn attention to a number of significant phenomena affecting the development of manuscript illustration in Iran. One factor is the association of a particular type of text with a particular form of illustration; e.g. technical or scientific texts normally contain numerous small scale illustrations.1 She also points out that illustrations in fifteenth century copies of historical texts tend to be both numerous and simple, while some copies of poetic texts have a few paintings of considerable complexity. She has suggested that these variations are related to the period when a text first came to be illustrated, to the impact of local or regional variations, to the rank and taste of the patron from whom the manuscript was produced and finally to the "traditionalism" of Persian art.
The Effect of a Single Species of Avian Predator on the Arthropods of Aerial Leaf Litter

Recent studies have shown that insectivorous birds can have an effect on their arthropod prey populations. Holmes et al. (1979) found that enclosures in the understory of a temperate deciduous forest had a pronounced effect on Lepidoptera larvae. Solomon et al. (1976) showed that codling moth larvae had higher survivorship inside cages in an apple orchard in England. Dahlston and Copper (1979) found that birds reduced the population of overwintering tussock moth pupal egg masses, and Askenmo et al. (1977) reported the impact of birds on spider populations in a spruce forest. In all of these studies, many sympatric bird species may have been responsible for the observed increased mortality of arthropods. Here we report on an exclosure experiment conducted in moist tropical forest understory in Panama. The results indicate that predation by one species of insectivorous bird, Myrmotherula fulviventris (Checker-throated Antwren, Formicariidae), had a pronounced effect upon the arthropod prey populations in a single, easily sampled microhabitat. On our study area Myrmotherulafulviventris spends 98% of its foraging time searching aerial leaf litter for arthropods. Aerial leaf litter consists of dead leaves that fall from canopy trees and get caught in vegetation and vine tangles. As the leaves dry and curl they are colonized by many types of arthropods. These arthropods are abundant and many species appear to be unique to aerial leaf litter (J. A. Gradwohl, personal observation). While two or more species of aerial leaf litter foragers often occur in lowland Neotropical forests (Ridgely 1976, Munn and Terborgh 1979, Wiley 1980), on our study site there is only one, M. fulviventris. We have observed two species of antbird that usually forage by gleaning live foliage, checking dead leaves on our study site (Myrmotherula axillaris and Thamnophilus punctatus, Greenberg and Gradwohl 1980), but this behavior is very rare (<5% of total foraging repertoire). Myrmotherula fulviventris lives in pairs or small family groups on small (: 1.5-3 ha) territories which are co-defended with Microrhopias quixensis (Formicariidae). These areas are traversed several times daily, and areas of high use correspond with the presence of dense vine tangles (Gradwohl and Greenberg 1980). The density of aerial leaf litter is greater in vine tangles because tangles catch more falling leaves than vegetation in the open understory. In this study we exclosed vine tangles for 6 wk and found that aerial leaf litter arthropods were nearly twice as common inside the enclosures as outside. Because they experience heavy use by antwrens and contain high densities of dead leaves, we made vine tangles the focus of our exclosure experiment.
Absolute integrated intensities of vapor-phase hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in the mid-infrared at atmospheric pressure

We report quantitative infrared spectra of vapor-phase hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) with all spectra pressure-broadened to atmospheric pressure. The data were generated by injecting a concentrated solution (83%) of H2O2 into a gently heated disseminator and diluting it with pure N2 carrier gas. The water vapor lines were quantitatively subtracted from the resulting spectra to yield the spectrum of pure H2O2. The results for the ν6 band strength (including hot bands) compare favorably with the results of Klee et al. (J Mol. Spectrosc. 195:154, 1999) as well as with the HITRAN values. The present results are 433 and 467 cm-2 atm−1 (±8 and ±3% as measured at 298 and 323 K, respectively, and reduced to 296 K) for the band strength, matching well the value reported by Klee et al. (S = 467 cm−2 atm−1 at 296 K) for the integrated band. The ν1 + ν5 near-infrared band between 6,900 and 7,200 cm−1 has an integrated intensity S = 26.3 cm−2 atm−1, larger than previously reported values. Other infrared and near-infrared bands and their potential for atmospheric monitoring are discussed.
Oxygen consumption and conservation during apnea in the anesthetized dog

Abstract Apnea was initiated by clamping off the tracheal tube in 6 anesthetized dogs. Bradycardia, reduction in cardiac output and peripheral vasoconstriction developed gradually throughout the entire apneic period. O 2 consumption during apnea was measured by monitoring the rate of O 2 removal from the lung (V L O 2 , from the arterial blood (Va O 2 , and from the venous blood (V V O 2 . Total O 2 consumption (V T O 2 was calculated by summing (V L O 2 -Va O 2 , Va O 2 andV V O 2 · V L O 2 , estimated by the product of arteriovenous O 2 content difference and cardiac output, decreased continuously during apnea. At the end of 80 sec the rate of O 2 removal from the lung was one-fourth of the pre-apneic rate, 5.29±O.51 ml-min −1 kg −1 . Oxygen disappearance from the blood was estimated by measuring arterial and venous O 2 content at 20-sec intervals and by assuming a constant blood volume throughout the apneic period of 86 ml/kg, 25% of which is in the arterial tree and 75% of which is in the venous compartment. During the last 20 sec of an 80-sec apnea, V V O 2 represented 69% of V T O 2 . The result indicated that V T O 2 during apnea was not significantly different from that of pre-apneic values. It is concluded from the present study that an oxygen conservation mechanism if existent, was not operative during an 80-sec apnea in the anesthetized dog.
PF-OLA: a high-performance framework for parallel online aggregation

Online aggregation provides estimates to the final result of a computation during the actual processing. The user can stop the computation as soon as the estimate is accurate enough, typically early in the execution. This allows for the interactive data exploration of the largest datasets. In this paper we introduce the first framework for parallel online aggregation in which the estimation virtually does not incur any overhead on top of the actual execution. We define a generic interface to express any estimation model that abstracts completely the execution details. We design a novel estimator specifically targeted at parallel online aggregation. When executed by the framework over a massive 8 TB TPC-H instance, the estimator provides accurate confidence bounds early in the execution even when the cardinality of the final result is seven orders of magnitude smaller than the dataset size and without incurring overhead.
It's about Space, It's about Time, Neuroeconomics and the Brain Sublime

Neuroeconomics has investigated which regions of the brain are associated with the factors contributing to economic decision making, emphasizing the position in space of brain areas associated with the factors of decision making—cognitive or emotive, rational or irrational. An alternative view of the brain has given priority to time over space, investigating the temporal patterns of brain dynamics to determine the nature of the brain's intrinsic dynamics, how its various activities change over time. These two ways of approaching the brain are contrasted in this essay to gauge the contemporary status of neuroeconomics.
Update on risk assessment in mentally disordered populations

Interest in violence risk assessment has grown in recent years, as risk assessment is relevant to a variety of decisions in law, mental health practice, and occupational settings. Although advances have been made in risk assessment in a variety of populations, including juveniles, mentally disordered offenders, sexual offenders, the domestically violent, and those involved in workplace violence, the present article focuses on the population of individuals with mental disorders but without criminal involvement. We review recent conceptual and empirical advances in this area, and describe the development of relevant risk assessment tools.
Molecular mechanisms of apoptosis induced by ajoene in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

Objective: Determine the biochemical pathways involved in induction of apoptosis by ajoene, an organosulfur compound from garlic. Research Methods and Procedures: Mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes were incubated with ajoene at concentrations up to 200 μM. Viability and apoptosis were quantified using an MTS-based cell viability assay and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), respectively. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was measured based on production of the fluorescent dye, dichlorofluorescein. Activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases extracellular signal-regulating kinase 1/2 (ERK) and c-Jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK) was shown by Western blot. Western blot was also used to show activation of caspase-3, translocation of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) from mitochondria to nucleus, and cleavage of 116-kDa poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP)-1. Results: Ajoene induced apoptosis of 3T3-L1 adipocytes in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Ajoene treatment resulted in activation of JNK and ERK, translocation of AIF from mitochondria to nucleus, and cleavage of 116-kDa PARP-1 in a caspase-independent manner. Ajoene treatment also induced an increase in intracellular ROS level. Furthermore, the antioxidant N-acetyl-l-cysteine effectively blocked ajoene-mediated ROS generation, activation of JNK and ERK, translocation of AIF, and degradation of PARP-1. Discussion: These results indicate that ajoene-induced apoptosis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes is initiated by the generation of hydrogen peroxide, which leads to activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases, degradation of PARP-1, translocation of AIF, and fragmentation of DNA. Ajoene can, thus, influence the regulation of fat cell number through the induction of apoptosis and may be a new therapeutic agent for the treatment of obesity.
Elimination of metabolic cooperation by glycyrrhetinic acid, an anti-tumor promoter, in cultured Chinese hamster cells

The effect of glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) on the metabolic cooperation between 6-thioguanine-resistant (6TGR) and sensitive (6TGS) Chinese hamster V79 H3 cells, was investigated. Because GA has been reported to inhibit strongly tumor formation in mouse skin induced by 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) plus teleocidin or DMBA plus 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), we expected that GA might restore the metabolic cooperation inhibited by TPA. The results were contrary to our expectations. GA (20-50 microM) acted cumulatively with TPA to inhibit metabolic cooperation even more, and GA (20-75 microM), by itself, was found to be a strong inhibitor of metabolic cooperation. GA was not mutagenic at the concentrations examined (0-100 microM).
Metal ion separations in thiocyanate media using a liquid anion exchanger

Abstract The liquid ion exchanger investigated, Alamine 336, may be used to effect numerous separations of metal ions in thiocyanate media. Some separations have been quantitatively demonstrated while others are suggested by the analogous behavior of metal ions in their particular extraction group. Under the mild conditions used in this study, i.e. room temperature and pressure, 10–30% (v/v) solution of exchanger in toluene, thiocyanate and acid concentrations less than 1.0 M, the physical handling of the amine was no problem. Phase separations were quick and clean for the solvent extraction work and there was no problem of extractant bleeding from the support in the reversed-phase column work.
Structure of polymers in the vicinity of convex impenetrable surfaces: the athermal case

Abstract The influence of the presence of a curved (convex) solid wall on the conformations of long, flexible polymer chains is studied in a dense polymer system and in the athermal limit by means of lattice Monte Carlo simulations. It is found that the chain conformation entropy drives a reduction of the density at the wall, similar to the flat wall case. The chain end density is higher next to the interface compared to the bulk polymer (segregation), with the difference increasing with chain length. The wall curvature does not significantly affect the segregation. The bonds are preferentially oriented in the direction tangential to the wall. The distance from the interface over which this effect is observed is about two bond lengths. Similar results are obtained when probing the preferential orientation of chain segments. In this case, the perturbed region has a thickness on the order of the considered probing chain segment length. This suggests that experimental results on the thickness of the ‘bonded layer’ next to a wall depend on the wavelength of the radiation employed for probing. The chains are ellipsoidal in the bulk and rotate close to the surface with the large semi-axis of the ellipsoid normal to the line connecting their center of mass with the filler center. Since there is no energetic interaction with the filler, no adsorption transition is observed, but the chains tend to wrap around the filler once the gyration radius becomes comparable to the filler radius.
The teratogenicity of anticonvulsant drugs: a progress report

Antiepileptic medication in pregnancy Exposure to anticonvulsant drugs during pregnancy is one of the most common potentially teratogenic exposures, occurring in 1 in 250 (0.4%) of pregnancies in a recent study in Boston.1 The teratogenicity of these drugs was first postulated in the 1960s, with a consensus developing in the 1970s that a distinctive anticonvulsant embryopathy was produced. Two theories developed as to the cause: (1) the mother's underlying epilepsy2 and (2) the anticonvulsant drug.3 All anticonvulsants marketed up to 1976 have been shown to be teratogenic, with varied manifestations and degrees of severity. Hopefully some of the “new” anticonvulsants marketed in the 1990s, for example, gabapentin (1993), lamotrigine (1994), and topiramate (1996), will be shown not to be teratogenic. I define a teratogenic effect as any harmful fetal effect from an exposure during pregnancy. Some effects are apparent at birth and others at older ages. The most common abnormalities identified in newborn infants are major malformations, midface and digit hypoplasia, microcephaly, and growth retardation. Experience has shown the importance of systematic evaluations4 for these outcomes, including definitions of the physical features being looked for, measurements, inclusion and exclusion criteria5 for major malformations, and regular assessments of the reproducibility of the findings.6, 7 ### Major malformations Theoretically each anticonvulsant drug could produce specific or distinctive abnormalities; a few have been identified. Five percent of valproic acid exposed infants in one large study8 and 1% of carbamazepine exposed infants9 had spina bifida; nothing distinctive about the spina bifida lesion has been reported and the frequency of other neural tube defects, such as anencephaly, is not increased. Long bone and preaxial deficiencies in valproic acid exposed infants have been reported.10 Stiff, tapered fingers with absent or very small nails in phenytoin exposed infants, in association with …
Incremental criticality and yield gradients

Criticality and yield gradients are two crucial diagnostic metrics obtained from statistical static timing analysis (SSTA). They provide valuable information to guide timing optimization and timing- driven physical synthesis. Existing work in the literature, however, computes both metrics in a non-incremental manner, i.e., after one or more changes are made in a previously-timed circuit, both metrics need to be recomputed from scratch, which is obviously undesirable for optimizing large circuits. The major contribution of this paper is to propose two novel techniques to compute both criticality and yield gradients efficiently and incrementally. In addition, while node and edge criticalities are addressed in the literature, this paper for the first time describes a technique to compute path criticalities. To further improve algorithmic efficiency, this paper also proposes a novel technique to update "chip slack" incrementally. Numerical results show our methods to be over two orders of magnitude faster than previous work.
MODELING THE DOUBLE WELL POTENTIAL CONFIGURATION OF TI+4: A FIRST STEP TOWARD A TRANSVERSE ISING MODEL FOR BST

ABSTRACT The dc and low-frequency dynamic responses of the complex BST-based solid solutions BaxSr1−x (B+B−)y Ti1 − 2y O3, where B+ and B− are charge-compensating B-site donors and acceptors (e.g., Sc+3 and Ta+5) replacing Ti atoms, can be treated at the microscopic level by using an order-disorder picture of the underlying ferroelectricity based on the transverse Ising model. Because the order-disorder picture postulates a double-well potential configuration for the ferroelectric displacement of least one ion, we model this configuration empirically for the most active ion in BST, Ti+4. The model is based on a variational treatment of the Schroedinger equation for the titanium ion, plus fitting to Raman linewidth data for the A1(TO) phonon in BaTiO3 and calculated energies for Ti interstitial formation.
Minimum area retiming with equivalent initial states

Traditional minimum area retiming algorithms attempt to achieve their prescribed objective with no regard to maintaining the initial state of the system. This issue is important for circuits such as controllers, and our work addresses this problem. The procedure described generates bounds on the retiming variables that guarantee an equivalent initial state after retiming. A number of possible sets of bounds can be derived, and each set is used to solve a minimum area retiming problem that is set up as a 0/1 mixed integer linear program, using a new technique that models the maximal sharing of flip-flops at latch outputs. The best solution is found through enumeration of these sets, terminated on achievement of a calculated lower bound. Experimental results show that after a small number of enumerations, optimal or near-optimal results are achievable.
Epidermal growth factor receptor in glioma: signal transduction, neuropathology, imaging, and radioresistance.

Aberrant epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling is common in cancer. Increased expression of wild type and mutant EGFR is a widespread feature of diverse types of cancer. EGFR signaling in cancer has been the focus of intense investigation for decades primarily for two reasons. First, aberrant EGFR signaling is likely to play an important role in the pathogenesis of cancer, and therefore, the mechanisms of EGFR-mediated oncogenic signaling are of interest. Second, the EGFR signaling system is an attractive target for therapeutic intervention. EGFR gene amplification and overexpression are a particularly striking feature of glioblastoma (GBM), observed in approximately 40% of tumors. GBM is the most common primary malignant tumor of the central nervous system in adults. In approximately 50% of tumors with EGFR amplification, a specific EGFR mutant (EGFRvIII, also known as EGFR type III, de2-7, ΔEGFR) can be detected. This mutant is highly oncogenic and is generated from a deletion of exons 2 to 7 of the EGFR gene, which results in an in-frame deletion of 267 amino acids from the extracellular domain of the receptor. EGFRvIII is unable to bind ligand, and it signals constitutively. Although EGFRvIII has the same signaling domain as the wild type receptor, it seems to generate a distinct set of downstream signals that may contribute to an increased tumorigenicity. In this review, we discuss recent progress in key aspects of EGFR signaling in GBM, focusing on neuropathology, signal transduction, imaging of the EGFR, and the role of the EGFR in mediating resistance to radiation therapy in GBM.
Calcium binding peptides from alpha-lactalbumin: implications for protein folding and stability.

The calcium binding protein α-lactalbumin folds via a molten globule intermediate. Calcium does not bind strongly to the unfolded protein or the molten globule, but does bind to the transition state between the molten globule and the native protein. Of interest are the structures formed in the transition state that promote calcium binding. To study the importance of local secondary structure on calcium binding, we have synthesized two peptides corresponding to the calcium binding site that include the flanking C-helix and 310-helix. The first peptide, elbow-A, consists of residues 72−100 from bovine α-lactalbumin, but with Cys 73, Cys 77, and Cys 91 replaced by alanines. In the second peptide, denoted elbow, the cysteines at position 73 and 91 are included and the nativelike disulfide bond is formed. Both peptides are monomeric and unstructured in aqueous solution and bind calcium weakly with apparent Kd's on the order of 10-2 M. In 50% trifluoroethanol (v/v), the peptides are 45% helical as judged by CD....
Performance evaluation of connectionless service for ATM networks

This paper investigates the performance of the direct approach to connectionless service over ATM. The direct approach utilizes connectionless servers, attached to or incorporated in a subset of the ATM switches, to provide a packet switching service. The number of connectionless servers and ATM connections utilized by the direct approach is found analytically and compared to alternative approaches. Furthermore, the effects of two architectural options that significantly impact the performance of connectionless servers, the packet forwarding scheme (packet-based and cell-based) and the flow control scheme (static rate control and a dynamic proportional rate control) are also evaluated.
Municipal Performance: Does Mayoral Quality Matter?

This article presents the first empirical study in a Latin-American country on the effects of managerial quality upon municipal performance in education. Using 6 years of data from 40 Colombian municipalities, I assess the influence of mayoral qualifications-education and job-related experience-on the percentage of the eligible population actually enrolled in school. After considering other political, economic, and demographic factors, the findings show that mayoral qualifications are associated with greater school enrollment. This positive influence, however, decreases under external constraints, such as the presence of illegal armed groups. The findings should apply in any setting where the provision of social services is decentralized and where the mayor also plays the role of city manager, performing both political and administrative functions. The study has implications for countries struggling to eradicate illiteracy as results show that mayoral human capital enhances educational performance.
Limonene Chemoprevention of Mammary Carcinoma Induction following Direct in Situ Transfer of v-Ha-ras

Abstract Monoterpenes, including limonene and its in vivo rat plasma metabolites, have been shown to be inhibitors of protein isoprenylation of small G proteins, including p21 ras. In addition, dietary limonene has been shown to be capable of preventing the development and causing the regression of chemically induced mammary carcinomas, many of which contain activated ras oncogenes. On the basis of these observations, it was hypothesized that a possible mechanism by which limonene exerts its effects on the chemoprevention and regression of mammary tumors involves the inhibition of protein isoprenylation of the small G protein p21. In the first study, we asked whether dietary limonene was able to prevent the development of mammary carcinomas which were induced using direct retroviral gene transfer of v-Ha-ras into the mammary parenchyma in situ. Limonene modified neither the rate of gene transfer nor the stability of gene expression. However, limonene did greatly inhibit the formation of mammary carcinomas induced by the insertion of activated ras. In a follow-up study, we asked whether chemoprevention by limonene was preferentially effective against a subset of chemically induced mammary carcinomas with activated ras. Rats were fed limonene to prevent the development of N-nitroso-N-methylurea-induced mammary tumors, a majority of which contain the activated Ha-ras oncogene. As expected, limonene administration increased the latency period and lowered the frequency of mammary carcinoma development as compared to controls. However, tumor characterization revealed that limonene treatment did not alter the percentage of carcinomas with activated ras. These studies are consistent with the above studies in that limonene is effective in preventing mammary carcinomas with activated ras. Interestingly, carcinomas without activated ras were prevented to the same extent as those with the activated oncogene.
A Unified Explanation of Quantum Phenomena? The Case for the Peer-to-Peer Simulation Hypothesis as an Interdisciplinary Research Program

In my 2013 article, "A New Theory of Free Will", I argued that several serious hypotheses in philosophy and modern physics jointly entail that our reality is structurally identical to a peer-to-peer (P2P) networked computer simulation. The present paper outlines how quantum phenomena emerge naturally from the computational structure of a P2P simulation. §1 explains the P2P Hypothesis. §2 then sketches how the structure of any P2P simulation realizes quantum superposition and wave-function collapse (§2.1.), quantum indeterminacy (§2.2.), wave-particle duality (§2.3.), and quantum entanglement (§2.4.). Finally, §3 argues that although this is by no means a philosophical proof that our reality is a P2P simulation, it provides ample reasons to investigate the hypothesis further using the methods of computer science, physics, philosophy, and mathematics. Quantum mechanics is an exquisitely well-verified theory of how our physical world operates at a microscopic level. However, it presents us with two very deep puzzles: one of interpretation and one of explanation. First, there is the question of how to interpret its equations. Although there are dozens of different interpretations of the equations of quantum mechanics, every mainstream interpretation appears problematic. 1 Second, there is the much deeper—and less well-understood—question of not just interpreting its equations, but of explaining why the world is quantum mechanical, that is, why the world operates according to such bizarre laws of nature. For, make no mistake about it, quantum mechanics is bizarre. According to quantum mechanics, microscopic objects such as electrons: A. Appear 2 to have properties of particles and of waves (wave-particle duality),
Self-determination theory in health care and its relations to motivational interviewing: a few comments

The papers of this special issue have the dual focus of reviewing research, especially clinical trials, testing self-determination theory (SDT) and of discussing the relations between SDT and motivational interviewing (MI). Notably, trials are reviewed that examined interventions either for behaviors such as physical activity and smoking cessation, or for outcomes such as weight loss. Although interventions were based on and intended to test the SDT health-behavior-change model, authors also pointed out that they drew techniques from MI in developing the interventions. The current paper refers to these studies and also clarifies the meaning of autonomy, which is central to SDT and has been shown to be important for effective change. We clarify that the dimension of autonomy versus control is conceptually orthogonal to the dimension of independence versus dependence, and we emphasize that autonomy or volition, not independence, is the important antecedent of effective change. Finally, we point out that SDT and MI have had much in common for each has emphasized autonomy. However, a recent MI article seems to have changed MI's emphasis from autonomy to change talk as the key ingredient for change. We suggest that change talk is likely to be an element of effective change only to the degree that the change talk is autonomously enacted and that practitioners facilitate change talk in an autonomy supportive way.
Catalytic Asymmetric Addition of an in‐situ Prepared Arylzinc to Cyclohexanecarboxaldehyde: (R)‐(+)‐α‐cyclohexyl‐3‐methoxy‐benzenemethanol

Lithium acetylacetonate 3-Iodoanisole Diethyl zinc (S)-3,3'-Bis-morpholinomethyl-5,5',6,6',7,7'8,8'-octahydro1-1'-bi-2-naphthol Cyclohexanecarboxaldehdye (R)-(+)-alpha-Cyclohexyl-3-methoxy-benzenemethanol Keywords: catalytic asymmetric addition; arylzinc; explosion hazard; diethyl zinc; intermediates; aldehydes; addition; waste disposal
mTORC1 and the regulation of skeletal muscle anabolism and mass

The mass and integrity of skeletal muscle is vital to whole-body substrate metabolism and health. Indeed, defects in muscle metabolism and functions underlie or exacerbate diseases like diabetes, r...
Design and Development Research

This chapter focuses on design and development research, a type of inquiry unique to the instructional design and technology field dedicated to the creation of new knowledge and the validation of existing practice. We first define this kind of research and provide an overview of its two main categories—research on products and tools and research on design and development models. Then, we concentrate on recent design and development research (DDR) by describing 11 studies published in the literature. The five product and tool studies reviewed include research on comprehensive development projects, studies of particular design and development phases, and research on tool development and use. The six model studies reviewed include research leading to new or enhanced ID models, model validation and model use research. Finally, we summarize this new work in terms of the problems it addresses, the settings and participants examined, the research methodologies employed used, and the role evaluation plays in these studies.
On seeing stuff: the perception of materials by humans and machines

The perception of objects is a well-developed field, but the perception of materials has been studied rather little. This is surprising given how important materials are for humans, and how important they must become for intelligent robots. We may learn something by looking at other fields in which material appearance is recognized as important. Classical artists were highly skilled at generating convincing materials. The simulation of material appearance is a topic of great importance in 3-D computer graphics. Some fields, such as mineralogy, use the concept of a habit, which is a combination of shape and texture, and which may be used for characterizing certain objects or materials. We have recently taken steps toward material recognition by machines, using techniques derived from the domain of texture analysis.
Glutamine-dependent inhibition of pial arteriolar dilation to acetylcholine with and without hyperammonemia in the rat

Glutamine has been shown to influence endothelial-dependent relaxation and nitric oxide production in vitro, possibly by limiting arginine availability, but its effects in vivo have not been well s...
Open-Air Bacterial Inactivation using a RF Powered Hollow-Slot Plasma Device

Summary form only given. The use of atmospheric pressure plasma sources for biomedical applications is primarily because of the capability to employ devices for bacterial inactivation at close to room temperature without the use of dangerous chemicals. This improves both the ease of bacterial inactivation and is important for treatment of heat-sensitive materials. Plasma based inactivation is much faster and cleaner compared to some of the conventional technologies like autoclaving and ethylene oxide treatment that are normally used for sterilization. Our research is focused on the impact on bacteria, of a wide area afterglow plume emitted from a hollow-slot electrode configuration that operates in open air and is RF powered. We employ a grounded hollow slot as the interface to the work piece so that the device may be hand held. In the work reported herein the device dimensions are; 7.62 cm long, 0.02 cm wide and 0.2 cm deep, but note 30 cm long versions are operable as well. Recessed behind the grounded slot is a powered electrode employing 60 MHz electrical drive. A mixture of argon and oxygen gases flows from the powered electrode through the grounded slots creating a plasma afterglow plume, which extends 1-8 mm past the open slot and is 7 cm long. The afterglow plume is line shaped and is visible in open-air operation. Use of rare gases is considered a disadvantage for some portable applications. We also report operation in pure air but indicate the limitations we uncovered. Using Escherichia coli as the test bacteria, we have witnessed promising results with a colony forming unit (CFU) reduction of seven logs, which meets commercial sterilization requirements of six logs removal. Moreover, this was accomplished with only 2 seconds total exposure time. The experiments to date demonstrate the potential of the open-air hollow-slot applicator to inactivate bacterial growth in a wide area environment with a device that could be hand held
Using Personality Tests in Leadership Development: Test Format Effects and the Mitigating Impact of Explanations and Feedback.

Organizations using personality tests in management development programs must choose from an array of personality tests and formats. The most common formats are normative (for example, Likert type) and forced choice. Although there are some potential advantages to using the forced-choice format for development, it is possible that participants may view the forced-choice format more negatively than the normative format. Hypothesis 1 proposed that participants would initially view the forced-choice format as less accurate, less respectful, less useful, and providing less test taker control. Hypothesis 2 proposed that an explanation of forced-choice format benefits would mitigate initial negative reactions. Finally, hypothesis 3 proposed that receiving test feedback would mitigate negative perceptions of forced-choice format accuracy and usefulness. The participants, 255 part-time M.B.A. students in a leadership development course, were randomly assigned to three experimental conditions: normative, forced choice with an explanation, and forced choice with no explanation.
Ranking of Agricultural Economics Departments by Citations

Ranking of agricultural economics departments based upon the number of articles or article pages does not take into account the impact or usefulness of these journal articles or other works to the profession. In this paper, an alternative ranking scheme is employed which utilizes citations from a broad array of publications of a department's faculty. Rankings are developed for agricultural economics units at 1862 land grant universities, 1890 land grant universities, independent U.S. universities, and Canadian universities, as well as an overall composite ranking and comparisons with economics departments.
Storage and Release of Soluble Hexavalent Chromium from Chromate Conversion Coatings Equilibrium Aspects of Cr VI Concentration

This work was supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, contract F49620-96-1-0479.
MOLECULAR GENETICS OF SULFUR ASSIMILATION IN FILAMENTOUS FUNGI AND YEAST

The filamentous fungi Aspergillus nidulans and Neurospora crassa and the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae each possess a global regulatory circuit that controls the expression of permeases and enzymes that function both in the acquisition of sulfur from the environment and in its assimilation. Control of the structural genes that specify an array of enzymes that catalyze reactions of sulfur metabolism occurs at the transcriptional level and involves both positive-acting and negative-acting regulatory factors. Positive trans-acting regulatory proteins that contain a basic region, leucine zipper-DNA binding domain, are found in Neurospora and yeast. Each of these fungi contain a sulfur regulatory protein of the beta-transducin family that acts in a negative fashion to control gene expression. Sulfur regulation in yeast also involves the general DNA binding protein, centromere binding factor I. Sulfate uptake is a highly regulated step and appears to occur in fungi, plants, and mammals via a family of related transporter proteins. Recent developments have provided new insight into the nature and control of the enzymes ATP sulfurylase and APS kinase, which catalyze the early steps of sulfate assimilation, and of the Aspergillus enzyme, cysteine synthase, which produces cysteine from O-acetylserine.
Taboo Topics: The Use of Controversial Issues for Student Research Projects

Controversial contemporary issues are highly involving topics for student research projects. These issues lend themselves to research investigation as well as meaningful discussions of ethical issues in marketing.
Heat-treated iron(III) tetramethoxyphenyl porphyrin chloride supported on high-area carbon as an electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction: Part II. Kinetics of oxygen reduction

Oxygen reduction was investigated at FeTMPP–Cl adsorbed on the Black Pearls carbon and heat-treated at temperatures from 200 to 1000°C. Kinetic parameters of the reaction and the dependence of the reaction rate on the heat-treatment temperature were established in acid and alkaline media. It was found that the O2 reduction rate increases with increase in the heat-treatment temperature of the electrocatalyst, reaching a plateau at 700≤T≤1000°C. The reaction rate was higher in alkaline solution on all electrocatalysts examined, but its dependence on the heat-treatment temperature was the same as in acid media. Like similar other macrocycle catalysts, FeTMPP–Cl/BP was found to be methanol-tolerant. The effect of sulfate, perchlorate, and phosphate anions was also investigated and no influence on the reaction rate was found. Activities of FeTMPP–Cl/BP and Pt/BP electrocatalysts were compared. FeTMPP–Cl/BP heat-treated at 700≤T≤1000°C showed similar activity to Pt/BP if they are compared in alkaline solution, but in acid solution, the reaction rate on the Pt electrocatalyst was higher. The controversy in the literature on the role of metallic Fe particles in O2 reduction catalysis is discussed. Comparison of present results with previous cyclic voltammetry and TEM investigations of the same electrocatalyst gave further evidence that some other products of the heat-treatment are responsible for the high activity of the catalyst.