cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Simulations of Anionic Lipid Membranes: Development of Interaction-Specific Ion Parameters and Validation using NMR Data

Overbinding of ions to lipid head groups is a potentially serious artifact in simulations of charged lipid bilayers. In this study, the Lennard-Jones radii in the CHARMM force field for interactions of Na+ and lipid oxygen atoms of carboxyl, phosphate, and ester groups were revised to match osmotic pressure data on sodium acetate and electrophoresis data on palmitoyloleoyl phosphatidylcholine (POPC) vesicles. The new parameters were then validated by successfully reproducing previously published experimental NMR deuterium order parameters for dimyristoyl phosphatidylglycerol (DMPG) and newly obtained values for palmitoyloleoyl phosphatidylserine (POPS). Although the increases in Lennard-Jones diameters are only 0.02–0.12 A, they are sufficient to reduce Na+ binding, and thereby increase surface areas per lipid by 5–10% compared with the unmodified parameters.
Elongated conformers of charge states +11 to +15 of bovine ubiquitin studied using ESI-FAIMS-MS

Recent advancements in high-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) have led to significant improvements in the application of this technology to the study of protein conformers. Compared with previous work, the maximum value of the separation voltage (i.e., the dispersion voltage) has increased, thereby enabling multiple, elongated conformers of individual charge states of bovine ubiquitin to be separated in the gas phase (e.g., four conformers of each of the +11 and +12 charge states were separated). The use of a carrier gas mixture of 40% nitrogen and 60% helium changed the separation selectivity compared with pure nitrogen and enhanced the signal intensity, especially for the +14 and +15 charge states (the latter was not detected in a nitrogen carrier gas). Conformer cross sections were determined using the FAIMS/energy-loss method and found to be similar within a given charge state. The cross sections for conformers of charge states +13, +14, and +15 plateau at about 2000 A2 suggesting that the structure of bovine ubiquitin is essentially unfolded after the addition of the 13th proton.
Maintenance of hepatic glutathione homeostasis and prevention of acetaminophen-induced cataract in mice by L-cysteine prodrugs.

Administration of acetaminophen (ACP, 3.0 mmol/kg, i.p.) to beta-naphthoflavone-induced C57 BL/6 mice led to the formation of bilateral cataracts within 8 hr with a 71% incidence. The hepatic glutathione (GSH) levels were reduced 99% and lenticular GSH levels reduced 42% in cataractous mice. Cataract formation was completely prevented by the co-administration of the L-cysteine prodrugs 2(R, S)-methylthiazolidine-4(R)-carboxylic acid (MTCA) and 2(R, S)-n-propylthiazolidine-4(R)-carboxylic acid (PTCA) in two divided i.p. doses totaling 4.5 mmol/kg. 2-Oxo-L-thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid (OTCA) was nearly equipotent, yielding only one cataract in 16 mice, but D-ribose-L-cysteine (RibCys, 5/16) and N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC, 9/14) were much less effective. Hepatic and lenticular GSH were maintained at near normal levels by MTCA, PTCA and OTCA. These results suggest that maintenance of adequate cellular GSH levels in the presence of ACP protects against cataract induction.
The Mechanisms Underlying Bay K 8644—Stimulated Phasic Myometrial Contractions:

OBJECTIVE Phasic myometrial contractions appear to be produced by calcium transients resulting from the activation of the phosphatidylinositol-signaling pathway. Bay K 8644, an L-type calcium channel activator, produces an increase in frequency and intensity of phasic myometrial contractions. These studies were performed to test the hypothesis that Bay K 8644-stimulated contractions were mediated through mechanisms involving phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C activation and cytosolic calcium oscillation-like mechanisms. METHODS In vitro contraction studies and intracellular calcium imaging were performed on longitudinal strips of uterine tissue obtained from mature virgin Sprague-Dawley rats. Isometric contraction data were computer digitized, analyzed for contraction area, and normalized for cross-sectional area. Dose-response studies were performed using previously reported inhibitors of cytosolic calcium oscillation mechanisms. In addition, qualitative inositol-phosphate production studies were performed after prelabeling uterine tissue in vitro with 3H-inositol. Subsequently, the labeled inositol phosphates were separated and recovered using anion exchange chromatography. RESULTS Bay K 8644 produced periodic calcium transients or oscillations along with a dose-related increase in contractile activity and a significant increase in inositol-phosphate production. In contrast, neomycin (an inhibitor of phospholipase C), adenine (an inhibitor of calcium-induced calcium release), nifedipine (an L-type calcium channel blocker), and EGTA (a calcium chelator) significantly inhibited Bay K 8644-stimulated contractile activity. CONCLUSIONS These results are consistent with the hypothesis that Bay K 8644, through its facilitation of increased intracellular calcium, results in the activation of the phosphatidylinsitol-signaling pathway and cytosolic calcium oscillation-like phenomena, thereby resulting in the generation of phasic myometrial contractions.
Air jet impingement heat transfer from modified surfaces

Abstract Experiments were performed to characterize heat transfer to a normally impinging air jet from surfaces modified with arrays of fin-type extensions. Heat transfer enhancement for six fin geometries was evaluated by comparison with results for a smooth, flat surface. Average Nusselt numbers (¯Nu) and overall system effectiveness (ɛ) are reported as functions of fin type, jet Reynolds number (Re), and nozzle-to-plate spacing (z/d) for two nozzle diameters. Enhancement of the absolute rate of heat transfer, as compared to the smooth surface, was demonstrated by a factor ranging from 1.5 to 4.5. The system effectiveness as a function of Re exhibited strong fin type dependence due to significant variations in the total surface area and average Nusselt number. The fin type dependence of ¯Nu as a function of Re was found to be a result of variations in the turbulence level, fluid velocity, and the percentages of total surface area exposed to normal, oblique, and parallel flow. The average Nusselt number correlated well in the form ¯Nu = A Rem. For the modified surfaces, the system effectiveness decreased monotonically with increasing z/d in contrast to the smooth surface behavior.
How Google Tests Software

Pioneering the Future of Software Test Do you need to get it right, too? Then, learn from Google. Legendarytesting expertJames Whittaker, until recently a Google testing leader,and two top Google experts reveal exactly how Google tests software, offering brand-new best practices you can use even if youre not quite Googles sizeyet! Breakthrough Techniques You Can Actually Use Discover 100% practical, amazingly scalable techniques for analyzing risk and planning teststhinking like real usersimplementing exploratory, black box, white box, and acceptance testinggetting usable feedbacktracking issueschoosing and creating toolstesting Docs & Mocks, interfaces, classes, modules, libraries, binaries, services, and infrastructurereviewing code and refactoringusing test hooks, presubmit scripts, queues, continuous builds, and more. With these techniques, you can transform testing from a bottleneck into an acceleratorand make your whole organization more productive!
Religious faith in Mexican-American families dealing with chronic childhood illness.

Purpose: To explore Mexican-American family experiences with chronic childhood illness, from the perspective of parents, and report findings about the influence of religious faith on families' spiritual and secular responses to illness. Mexican-Americans are often characterized as religious, fatalistic, and passive, but families' perceptions of the consequences of their daily faith and its meaning in the face of chronic childhood illness is not well understood. Design: Descriptive. The sample included 25 parents from 19 families living with children with a variety of chronic conditions. Data were collected in 1995–1996. Methods: Interpretive, using symbolic interaction as the framework, and in-depth interviewing for data collection. Findings: Parents professed a variety of beliefs and devotional practices. Six unifying dimensions of religious faith were related to parental caretaking and decision making for the family: (a) God determined the outcome of the child's illness, (b) God and health care for the child were closely linked, (c) parents took an active role in facilitating God's will, (d) families had obligations to God, (e) intercession with God by others was often sought by or offered to the family, and (f) faith encouraged optimism. Conclusions: Families were not fatalistic in the sense of feeling outcomes were predetermined and unalterable. Family members took spiritual and secular actions to assure the best possible familial and professional care for their child and sought to influence God's good will on behalf of the child and family.
Definitions of friendship in the third age: age, gender, and study location effects

Friendship is not institutionalized in American society; hence, perceptions of it vary. Rather than studying sources of this variation, most scholars ignore the complexity, bemoan the difficulty it causes in analysis, or eliminate it. We examined the frequency of use of previously studied and emergent characteristics of friendship as definitional criteria and the age, gender, and cultural patterns associated with them. Data are from two North American cities: the Andrus Study of Older Adult Friendships in southeastern United States (28 women and 25 men, age 55 to 84), and the Social Relations Project in western Canada (39 women and 25 men, age 55 to 87). Definitions of friendship differed across age and gender groups within each culture, but most striking is cross-cultural variation.
Cellular Retinoid Binding Proteins and Retinoic Acid Receptor β are Modulated by Retinoic Acid and Dexamethasone in Postnatal Rat Lung † 1777

Background: We have previously shown in rats: 1) Normal subdivision (septation) of alveolar saccules occurs during the first two postnatal weeks, 2) Dexamethasone (DEX) treatment impairs septation, and 3) Treatment with all-trans retinoic acid (RA) increases the number of alveoli and prevents the DEX-induced inhibition of septation. Cellular retinol binding protein I (CRBP I) and cellular retinoic acid binding protein I (CRABP I) are cytoplasmic proteins that modulate the concentration of RA. Retinoic acid receptor β (RARβ) is a nuclear receptor that may mediate the action of RA.
The fluorescence of uranium thioxide hydrates.

The hydrates of uranium trioxide have been found to be fluorescent when exposed to ultraviolet light. The fluorescence spectra of the different hydrates have been measured. The anhydrous oxides do not fluoresce.
Self correcting quantum random number generators using tapered amplifiers

We present a new implementation of a quantum random number generator that consists of tapered amplifier optical semiconductor devices and an array of random number registration techniques, including quantum feedback/forward control for removing bias.
Using Theory to Understand Public Support for Collective Actions that Impact the Environment: Alleviating Water Supply Problems in a Nonarid Biome

Objectives. There is increasing public debate over how to meet future water supply needs in historically water-abundant areas such as the American southeast. Citizens, policymakers, and others are struggling to find ways to meet these needs and to design political strategies for implementing them. This article examines water supply problems facing many communities in the southeast and how social theory can be used to better understand public support for collective actions designed to alleviate them. It presents a framework synthesizing recent work of Dunlap and Jones on the conceptual foundations of environmental concern research with Ajzen and Fishbein's theory of reasoned action in order to understand public support for building a dam to meet local water supply needs. Methods. The linkages postulated by the model were empirically tested using mail-survey data obtained from a random sample of 433 adult residents of Cumberland County, Tennessee. Results. Results demonstrate that public support for building the dam is weak. Conclusion. Knowledge of public beliefs, norms, and attitudes about its construction and potential impact, however, can provide policymakers, natural resource professionals, and local stakeholder groups with a solid understanding of why residents support, oppose, or are unsure about building a dam to alleviate water supply problems in this county.
Ionic liquids in analytical chemistry: fundamentals, advances, and perspectives.

265 Application of IL-DLLME in the Analysis of Pharmaceutical Entities 265 IL-DLLME in the Analysis of Metal Ions 266 Application of IL-DLLME in the Analysis of Organic Environmental Pollutants 266
Abnormal grain growth in friction stir processed alloys

Abnormal grain growth can be a critical issue during the post-processing heat treatment of friction stir welded or processed aluminum alloys. Various theories have been proposed to elucidate the origin of this behavior. This viewpoint paper addresses the issues with reference to the mechanisms involved and their implications for friction stirred microstructures.
Xanthomonas perforans colonization influences Salmonella enterica in the tomato phyllosphere

Salmonella enterica rarely grows on healthy, undamaged plants, but its persistence is influenced by bacterial plant pathogens. The interactions between S. enterica, Xanthomonas perforans (a tomato bacterial spot pathogen), and tomato were characterized. We observed that virulent X. perforans, which establishes disease by suppressing pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP)-triggered immunity that leads to effector-triggered susceptibility, created a conducive environment for persistence of S. enterica in the tomato phyllosphere, while activation of effector-triggered immunity by avirulent X. perforans resulted in a dramatic reduction in S. enterica populations. S. enterica populations persisted at ~10 times higher levels in leaves coinoculated with virulent X. perforans than in those where S. enterica was applied alone. In contrast, S. enterica populations were ~5 times smaller in leaves coinoculated with avirulent X. perforans than in leaves inoculated with S. enterica alone. Coinoculation with virulent X. perforans increased S. enterica aggregate formation; however, S. enterica was not found in mixed aggregates with X. perforans. Increased aggregate formation by S. enterica may serve as the mechanism of persistence on leaves cocolonized by virulent X. perforans. S. enterica association with stomata was altered by X. perforans; however, it did not result in appreciable populations of S. enterica in the apoplast even in the presence of large virulent X. perforans populations. Gene-for-gene resistance against X. perforans successively restricted S. enterica populations. Given the effect of this interaction, breeding for disease-resistant cultivars may be an effective strategy to limit both plant disease and S. enterica populations and, consequently, human illness.
High degree of conservation in the hepatitis B virus core gene during the immune tolerant phase in perinatally acquired chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

Abstract Background: Mutations in the hepatitis B virus genome have been implicated in the persistence of hepatitis B virus infection and the pathogenesis of hepatitis B virus related liver disease. In view of the heterogeneity in published sequences, data from cross-sectional studies of unrelated subjects cannot differentiate true mutations from infections with variant sequences. Aims/Methods: We compared the hepatitis B virus core gene sequences of 42 HBsAg positive subjects from 11 Chinese families with those of the index patients (maternal carriers) to determine the frequency and rate of true hepatitis B virus core gene mutations in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection. Results: Completely identifical nucleotide sequences were present in all the family members and index patients in two families, suggesting that the hepatitis B virus core gene can be conserved for more than 20 years. The high degree of sequence conservation in these families is related to the young age of the subjects (mean 19.2±8.9 years), the fact that they were all HBeAg positive and that 75% of them had persistently normal aminotransferase levels. Longitudinal studies confirmed that mutations were rare in those who remained HBeAg positive with normal amino-transferase levels (immune tolerant phase), but significantly more common in HBeAg positive subjects who had elevated aminotransferase levels and in those who cleared HBeAg (immune clearance phase), the rates of nucleotide and amino acid changes were respectively: 0.28±0.12 vs 1.30±0.26/10 3 nt position/yr and 0.04±0.01 vs 0.18±0.5/10 2 codon/yr. Conclusions: Identical nucleotide differences could be found in the sequences of all the subjects in some families. These differences were more likely to be due to intra-familial transmission of stable variants. Sequence analysis based on comparisons with published sequences would have led to over-reporting of mutations. The hepatitis B virus core gene can remain highly conserved for more than two decades during the immune tolerant phase of perinatally acquired chronic hepatitis B virus infection. However, significant changes can occur within 2–3 years during the immune clearance phase.
More sharing when there is less: insights on spider sociality from an orb-weaver's perspective

I examined the potential genetic and environmental determinants of population differences in the foraging behaviour of the colonial spider Parawixia bistriata by using reciprocal transplant and prey manipulation experiments. The population differences noted from a previous study are primarily associated with the degree to which this spider captures prey as a group: P. bistriata show a higher frequency of group capture of prey in dry habitats with lower prey levels than in wet habitats where prey levels are higher. I recorded data on the tendency to capture and feed in groups and the number of individuals feeding on that prey. The transplant experiments revealed population differences in the tendency to capture prey as a group. Individuals from dry habitat showed a greater tendency to participate in group capture and feeding of prey in their native habitat than did individuals from wet habitat or than individuals that were transplanted to dry and wet habitats. In addition, the size of capture and feeding groups showed a significant habitat effect. Individuals from wet habitat did not differ in their tendency to attack prey when transplanted to dry habitat, suggesting that P. bistriata from wet habitat represents an ecotype that lacks behavioural plasticity. In contrast, individuals from dry habitat showed a plastic response. Potential causes of the behavioural plasticity shown by spiders from dry habitat are discussed. Group-foraging behaviour can have a significant effect on the fitness of these spiders, as suggested by their success under low prey conditions.
Chinese Immigrant Food Habits: A study of the nature and direction of change

THIS STUDY researches the food habits of a randomly selected group of 102 Chinese immi grant mothers who live in two locations in New York City, one predominantly Chinese, namely China town, and th...
Clausewitz and the Fading Dialectic of War

American strategic theorists used to urge that the United States adopt a Clausewitzian point of view on international conflict, that we treat war as something undertaken to serve the larger aims of policy, with the conduct of war subordinated to the larger considerations of policy. Under contemporary conditions, however, this notion of warfare is not appropriate. The experience of warfare since the time of Clausewitz shows that his distinction between war in the abstract and war in the concrete is not any kind of dialectical unity; rather, political war and total war (the concrete manifestation of Clausewitz's war in the abstract) are two distinct phenomena, and our technological and ideological positions discourage political war. War is no longer an instrument of state policy, a means whereby those who rule the state attain their values; instead, it is increasingly the fact or possibility of war which determines the values of the state.
Preference of laboratory rats for potentially enriching stimulus objects

In an effort to identify suitable stimulus objects which could be placed into standard laboratory cages in order to provide rats with a degree of environmental enrichment, the preference of rats to spend time near 15 diverse objects was measured in a free-choice paradigm. Rats showed no preference for objects such as pipes and partitions which we had reasoned might satisfy a wall-hugging tendency. They also showed no preference for objects which we had reasoned to be potentially interesting as manipulanda. The rats did show reliable preferences for spending time with some, but not all, chewable objects. A block of wood predrilled with holes was the most attractive, and we cautiously recommend that researchers consider providing laboratory rats with such an object to allow them the opportunity to exercise a fundamental, species-typical behaviour-chewing.
High-Dose-Rate Intraoperative Radiation Therapy for Recurrent Head-and-Neck Cancer

Purpose To report the use of high-dose-rate intraoperative radiation therapy (HDR-IORT) for recurrent head-and-neck cancer (HNC) at a single institution. Methods and Materials Between July 1998 and February 2007, 34 patients with recurrent HNC received 38 HDR-IORT treatments using a Harrison-Anderson-Mick applicator with Iridium-192. A single fraction (median, 15 Gy; range, 10–20 Gy) was delivered intraoperatively after surgical resection to the region considered at risk for close or positive margins. In all patients, the target region was previously treated with external beam radiation therapy (median dose, 63 Gy; range, 24–74 Gy). The 1- and 2-year estimates for in-field local progression-free survival (LPFS), locoregional progression-free survival (LRPFS), distant metastases-free survival (DMFS), and overall survival (OS) were calculated. Results With a median follow-up for surviving patients of 23 months (range, 6–54 months), 8 patients (24%) are alive and without evidence of disease. The 1- and 2-year LPFS rates are 66% and 56%, respectively, with 13 (34%) in-field recurrences. The 1- and 2-year DMFS rates are 81% and 62%, respectively, with 10 patients (29%) developing distant failure. The 1- and 2-year OS rates are 73% and 55%, respectively, with a median time to OS of 24 months. Severe complications included cellulitis (5 patients), fistula or wound complications (3 patients), osteoradionecrosis (1 patient), and radiation-induced trigeminal neuralgia (1 patient). Conclusions HDR-IORT has shown encouraging local control outcomes in patients with recurrent HNC with acceptable rates of treatment-related morbidity. Longer follow-up with a larger cohort of patients is needed to fully assess the benefit of this procedure.
The law of value and laws of statistics: sectoral values and prices in the US economy, 1977–97

This study replicates findings that sectoral prices and values are highly correlated cross-sectionally, and that deviations between them are small. Yet after controlling for variations in industry size that produce 'spurious correlation', I find no reliable evidence that relative values have any influence upon relative prices. The smallness of price--value deviations thus does not result from such an influence; it is shown instead to result from a lack of dispersion in the data. Values turn out to be no better predictors of prices than any other random variable with the same probability distribution. Copyright 2002, Oxford University Press.
A technique for low power dynamic circuit design in 32nm double-gate FinFET technology

In this paper, a new technique is presented for low power high-speed dynamic circuits design using double gate FinFET. In this technique, the clock signal is used to control the threshold voltage of the front gate; the threshold voltage of the front gate is reduced during the evaluation phase for a fast transition and increased during the pre-charge or standby phase to reduce the leakage current (this is accomplished by connecting the back gate to the clock signal of the dynamic circuit). By controlling the threshold voltage of the FinFET, the proposed technique achieves a power reduction of up to 34%, and no delay compared to other approaches at a 32 nm feature size.
Tunable infrared modulator and switch using Stark shift in step quantum wells

A tunable infrared modulator and/or switch using intersubband Stark shift in a step quantum well is discussed. The device utilizes the intersubband absorption and the large change of separation between energy levels in the step quantum well under an applied electric field. The incident infrared beam on the device is either absorbed or transmitted depending on the energy separation of the levels, and thus the modulation can be achieved by adjusting the energy levels with an applied electric field. The extremely short lifetime of the intersubband transition makes this modulator suitable for application in high-speed long-wavelength optical communications. >
Views from a cognitive scientist: cognitive representations underlying discourse are sometimes social

Most areas of the cognitive and social sciences assume that knowledge representations are constructed and used during communication and that much of its content is social. Those of us who build com...
Tropical hornbills (Aceros cassidix, Aceros undulatus, and Buceros hydrocorax) use ballistic transport to feed with their large beaks

The most common and plesiomorphic mechanism of food transport in tetrapods is lingual-based. Neognathous birds use this mechanism for exploiting a large diversity of food resources, whereas paleognathous birds use cranioinertial mechanism with or without tongue involvement. Food transport in three hornbills' species (Aceros cassidix, A. undulatus, and Buceros hydrocorax) is defined by a ballistic transport mechanism. Only one transport cycle is used for moving the food from the tip of the beak to the pharynx. The tongue never makes contact with the food nor is it used to expand the buccal cavity. In hornbills, filmed through high-speed video, time to food release occurred between 0.11 and 0.16 sec before time to maximum gape. The ballistic curves show similar patterns. Maximum gape angle is significantly different between the three species. Each species show a different kinematic and motor pattern of head movements associated with ballistic transport. In A. undulatus, head rotation follows a continuous pattern similar to that reported earlier in toucans. A. cassidix rotates head downward at the time of maximum gape to permit food to reach the pharynx without touching the mandible. B. hydrocorax elevates the head along the transport cycle to avoid contact with the food to the cavity of the upper beak. Selection of large food items in the diet may explain the evolutionary trend of using ballistic transport in the feeding behavior of hornbills, which play a key role in tropical forest ecology by dispersing seeds.
Roles of TRPM8 Ion Channels in Cancer: Proliferation, Survival, and Invasion

The goal of this article is to provide a critical review of the transient receptor potential melastatin-subfamily member 8 (TRPM8) in cancers, with an emphasis on its roles in cellular proliferation, survival, and invasion. The TRPM8 ion channels regulate Ca²⁺ homeostasis and function as a cellular sensor and transducer of cold temperature. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that TRPM8 is aberrantly expressed in a variety of malignant solid tumors. Clinicopathological analysis has shown that over-expression of TRPM8 correlates with tumor progression. Experimental data have revealed important roles of TRPM8 channels in cancer cells proliferation, survival, and invasion, which appear to be dependent on the cancer type. Recent reports have begun to reveal the signaling mechanisms that mediate the biological roles of TRPM8 in tumor growth and metastasis. Determining the mechanistic roles of TRPM8 in cancer is expected to elucidate the impact of thermal and chemical stimuli on the formation and progression of neoplasms. Translational research and clinical investigation of TRPM8 in malignant diseases will help exploit these ion channels as molecular biomarkers and therapeutic targets for developing precision cancer medicine.
Aspects of Religious Morality in Early Greek Epic

In Laws 8.835b–842a Plato puzzles over the question of how the lawgiver is to inculcate proper behavior in matters of sexual activity. The problem is made more difficult by the fact that he would like to define proper sexual activity much more narrowly than any Greek legislator before him ever had. He would limit it to acts between man and wife which are capable of resulting in conception (838e–39a). Every other sexual manifestation, homosexual or heterosexual, is to be forbidden.
Broad exploration or precise specificity: Two basic information seeking patterns among students: Research Articles

This article investigates whether information seeking patterns can be related to discipline differences, study approaches, and personality traits. A quantitative study of 305 master's thesis students' information behavior found that their information seeking tended to be either exploratory or precise. Statistical analyses showed that inner traits seemed more influential than discipline characteristics on information behavior. Exploration or specificity was manifested in terms of both the level and scope of information students wished to retrieve and the way they searched for it. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Place of Ethical Theory in Business Ethics

Ethical theory is a major critical resource for serious discussion of ethical problems, including those in business ethics. Why this is so will become clear once we frame an adequate conception of ethical theory and describe the scope of business ethics. I begin with a section that considers what kind of enterprise ethical theory is and what sorts of problems in business it can help address. I then proceed to explore some dimensions of ethical theory, some leading theories important for business ethics, and some concrete illustrations of the connections between ethical theory and specific problems in business ethics.
Structural and Functional Analyses Reveal Insights into the Molecular Properties of the Escherichia coli Z Ring Stabilizing Protein, ZapC.

In Escherichia coli cell division is driven by the tubulin-like GTPase, FtsZ, which forms the cytokinetic Z-ring. The Z-ring serves as a dynamic platform for the assembly of the multiprotein divisome, which catalyzes membrane cleavage to create equal daughter cells. Several proteins effect FtsZ assembly, thereby providing spatiotemporal control over cell division. One important class of FtsZ interacting/regulatory proteins is the Z-ring-associated proteins, Zaps, which typically modulate Z-ring formation by increasing lateral interactions between FtsZ protofilaments. Strikingly, these Zap proteins show no discernable sequence similarity, suggesting that they likely harbor distinct structures and mechanisms. The 19.8-kDa ZapC in particular shows no homology to any known protein. To gain insight into ZapC function, we determined its structure to 2.15 A and performed genetic and biochemical studies. ZapC is a monomer composed of two domains, an N-terminal α/β region and a C-terminal twisted β barrel-like domain. The structure contains two pockets, one on each domain. The N-domain pocket is lined with residues previously implicated to be important for ZapC function as an FtsZ bundler. The adjacent C-domain pocket contains a hydrophobic center surrounded by conserved basic residues. Mutagenesis analyses indicate that this pocket is critical for FtsZ binding. An extensive FtsZ binding surface is consistent with the fact that, unlike many FtsZ regulators, ZapC binds the large FtsZ globular core rather than C-terminal tail, and the presence of two adjacent pockets suggests possible mechanisms for ZapC-mediated FtsZ bundling.
Dispersion Statistics and Sequential Sampling Plan for Adult Pear Psylla

Reported here are dispersion statistics associated with a beating-tray method of sampling and sequential sampling procedures which optimize time spent estimating adult pear psylla densities. Psylla pyricola Foerster adults do not form cohesive groups or colonies such as aphids, but they do show a definite contagious distribution. Beating-tray samples taken during the early growing season, before foliage had developed, were slightly more variable, suggesting they were less efficient in estimating density than those taken after foliage developed. Insecticide applications did not affect the dispersion of pear psylla adults. Calculated stop lines for estimating adult pear psylla densities within 50% of the mean indicate minimum samples of 5, 8, and 12 trays at error levels of P = 0.2, 0.1, and 0.05.
Aneurysmal third-nerve palsies presenting with pleocytosis

Aneurysms are a common and dangerous cause of third-nerve palsy. Although present MR studies are able to detect aneurysms as small as 2 to 3 mm, [1,2] their resolution remains inferior to conventional angiography. Occasionally, MR angiography (MRA) fails to detect moderate-size (5 to 10 mm) aneurysms with a potential for compressing the third nerve. [3] To avoid the risks of unnecessary conventional angiography, radiologic evaluation of a cryptic third nerve palsy typically begins with MRI and MRA. If these tests do not provide a diagnosis, LP is performed. CSF blood or xanthochromia suggests an aneurysm, whereas pleocytosis indicates infection or the meningeal spread of tumor. Two patients with aneurysmal compression of the third nerve had pleocytosis--unaccompanied by xanthochromia--as a misleading finding with potentially …
Perfusion Neuroimaging Abnormalities Alone Distinguish National Football League Players from a Healthy Population

Background: National Football League (NFL) players are exposed to multiple head collisions during their careers. Increasing awareness of the adverse long-term effects of repetitive head trauma has raised substantial concern among players, medical professionals, and the general public. Objective: To determine whether low perfusion in specific brain regions on neuroimaging can accurately separate professional football players from healthy controls. Method: A cohort of retired and current NFL players (n = 161) were recruited in a longitudinal study starting in 2009 with ongoing interval follow up. A healthy control group (n = 124) was separately recruited for comparison. Assessments included medical examinations, neuropsychological tests, and perfusion neuroimaging with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Perfusion estimates of each scan were quantified using a standard atlas. We hypothesized that hypoperfusion particularly in the orbital frontal, anterior cingulate, anterior temporal, hippocampal, amygdala, insular, caudate, superior/mid occipital, and cerebellar sub-regions alone would reliably separate controls from NFL players. Cerebral perfusion differences were calculated using a one-way ANOVA and diagnostic separation was determined with discriminant and automatic linear regression predictive models. Results: NFL players showed lower cerebral perfusion on average (p < 0.01) in 36 brain regions. The discriminant analysis subsequently distinguished NFL players from controls with 90% sensitivity, 86% specificity, and 94% accuracy (95% CI 95-99). Automatic linear modeling achieved similar results. Inclusion of age and clinical co-morbidities did not improve diagnostic classification. Conclusion: Specific brain regions commonly damaged in traumatic brain injury show abnormally low perfusion on SPECT in professional NFL players. These same regions alone can distinguish this group from healthy subjects with high diagnostic accuracy. This study carries implications for the neurological safety of NFL players.
Single DNA molecule jamming and history-dependent dynamics during motor-driven viral packaging

The molecular motors that package DNA into viruses stall frequently under conditions promoting DNA–DNA attraction. Single-molecule experiments suggest the stalling is due to a nonequilibrium jamming transition induced by the attractive interactions.
Design of Practice Guides and the Effect Studying Tests About Computer Applications Basis Course Based On Web

The paper first analyzes target and function of CAI Software on computer applications basis course,offers the technology frame,and carries out realization with web technology and database technology.
ESTUARINE ANGIOSPERMS: PRODUCTIVITY AND INITIAL PHOTOSYNTHATE DISPERSION IN THE ECOSYSTEM

Abstract: A number of species of angiosperms are adapted to high salinity wetland environments. They are organized into communities that form recognizable entities from the arctic to the tropics. Seagrass beds, marshes and mangrove swamps are systems which have largely detritus-based food webs. Mangrove swamps in the tropics represent the ecosystem equivalent of the marshes which are prevalent at higher latitudes. In the subtropics, the two intermingle and seagrass beds are adjacent to both in most waters where light penetration is sufficient. Beaches often derive their organic nutrition from detritus in adjacent marshes, swamps and seagrass beds. Some representatives of these three systems rank among the most productive examples of natural or managed ecosystems. Most of the measurements available on primary productivity and initial photosynthate dispersion are limited to aerial production. Those data available on underground production indicate root system growth is often as great as shoot development. In spite of the importance of detritus in these systems, relatively little emphasis has been placed on the early stages (senescence, organic material leaching, microbial colonization, and community metabolic activity) of that food web. As membranes lose their integrity during senescence it appears that organic carbon dispersion by leaching is quantitatively more important than gaseous respiratory losses. Later, when the dead plants become heavily colonized by bacteria and fungi, the microbes mediate the net leaching rate. Environmental conditions influence both the rates and the proportion of gases and larger molecules produced. Both physical and biological factors are important in determining the particle size of the detritus which is exported from these systems. In addition to their role in primary production, the vegetation in these wetlands provides shelter for adult and young planktonic and pelagic organisms and forms a substrate for epiphytes. Furthermore, the plants slow water current velocities, thereby reducing erosion and promoting sediment accretion.
Merleau-Ponty on Embodied Cognition: A Phenomenological Interpretation of Spinal Cord Epidural Stimulation and Paralysis

In a study in Brain (2014), Dr. Susan Harkema and her fellow researchers demonstrated that the input of an electronic epidural stimulator in the lower spinal cord of four completely paralyzed patients allowed them to regain voluntary movement in their toes, defying the longstanding scientific position regarding sensory and motor complete paralysis. Harkema herself admits that she thought this achievement was impossible at the outset, as she believed that the body is incapable of movement without receiving complex signals from the brain. Many cognitive neuroscientists continue to maintain this standpoint of Cartesian dualism. In response, I argue that the insights of Maurice Merleau-Ponty provide a possible explanation of the results of this new research. Merleau-Ponty insisted that I am my body and that the body has its own kind of knowledge about the world. This framework serves as the backdrop for recent phenomenological studies in cognitive neuroscience. In this vein, this essay will consider how Merleau-Ponty’s account of embodiment provides an ample model for explaining the findings of Susan Harkema’s current spinal cord research. Essays Philos (2016)17:69-93 | DOI: 10.7710/1526-0569.1557 Published online: 8 July 2016. © Brock Bahler 2016 Contact author: bab145@pitt.edu Merleau-Ponty on Embodied Cognition | Bahler
CHAPTER 55 – TNF Receptor Associated Factors

The TNF-receptor-associated factors (TRAFs), which currently consist of six members (TRAFl-6) in mammals, have emerged to be the major adapter proteins for these receptors. Through versatile protein-protein interactions,TRAFs link receptor activation to downstream kinase activation and eventually the stimulation of nuclear factor KB (NF-KB) and AP-1 transcriptional activity. Collectively, a wide range of cellular effects including cell survival, proliferation, and differentiation may be elicited by TRAP signaling. The TRAFs participate in receptor signal transduction by either direct association with receptors or indirect interaction through additional adapter proteins, in at least three distinct pathways. Members of the TNF receptor superfamily that do not contain intracellular death domains, such as TNF-R2 and CD40, recruit TRAFs directly via short sequences in their intracellular tails. The Epstein-Barr virus transforming protein LMPl has also been shown to directly recruit TRAFs for viral survival and cell transformation. Members of the TRAF family are characterized by the presence of a novel TRAF domain at the C terminus which in turn consists of a coiled-coil domain followed by a conserved TRAF-C domain 1. The TRAF domain plays an important role in TRAF function by mediating self-association, receptor interaction, and interactions with other signaling proteins such as TRADD and IRAK.
Real-time distributed decomposition for large-scale distributed fault diagnosis over dynamic graphs

As the size and complexity of the system increase, centralized approaches will eventually be insufficient. Recently, distributed fault diagnosis (DFD) methods have been studied, where the global physical system is decomposed into different subsystems, each monitored by a local fault diagnoser (LFD). The performance of the DFD system is largely determined by its decomposition scheme. In a network system with connections constantly and randomly changing overtime (called a dynamic graph), an adaptive real-time decomposition method should be used. In this paper, based on a three-layer DFD architecture, a distributed grouping algorithm is proposed for real-time decomposition of the global physical network system with constantly and randomly changing connections. Stability analysis shows that the algorithm has a finite convergence property, and computer experiments further show the effectiveness of the algorithm.
Perspective and point of view: Accounting for subjectivity

This article sorts out the main uses of the terms ’point of view’, ’viewpoint’, ’perspective’, and ’subjectivity’. I distinguish two main uses: expressions of communication, content of mind, and evaluation, which convey point of view; and expressions of perception and perspective, which convey perspective. The basis for the distinction is the linguistic forms and the interpretations which they license. Often more than one form is involved. I suggest that linguistic analyses of these phenomena require a ’composite approach’ which recognizes that several linguistic forms must be recognized in the expression of subjectivity. The framework of Discourse Representation Theory allows this approach. I give the outlines of a composite analysis in this framework and propose rules for interpreting indirect speech.
Training and Credentialing in Robotics

Since the introduction of robotics in minimally invasive surgery in the 1990s, many new devices and advances in technique have been developed. In addition, access and exposure have been increasing, with currently more than 3266 da Vinci Surgical Systems (dVSS, Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA) in hospitals worldwide accounting for 570,000 procedures in 2014 [1]. Overall, the use of robotics in minimally invasive surgery has reportedly produced significant improvement in many aspects of surgery, including decreased postoperative pain, decreased physiologic insult, faster recovery times, and improved cosmesis [2–4]. Compared to laparoscopic surgery, robotic surgery provides better visualization and dexterity in many situations. Patient demand, physician demand, and industry involvement have driven the advancement of both laparoscopic and robotic surgery. The trend toward minimally invasive techniques in general, and robotics in particular, has significantly altered the focus and characteristics of surgical training programs. Open surgical training, and the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) curriculum, is now required by governing bodies such as the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to obtain board certification and has been vetted as safe and effective surgical training [5–13]. With the rapid expansion of robotics in general surgery and surgical subspecialties, the education and certification materials are not as well developed nor as well regulated as earlier surgical techniques (e.g., laparoscopic surgery). Similar to laparoscopic surgery training, the future of robotic surgery training should feature objective metrics in a curriculum that can be broadly applied across training institutions and also allow for specific subspecialty training.
The Future of Environmental Enforcement

On November 4, 2016, DOJ’s Environment and Natural Resources Division convened an extraordinary group of legal scholars and practitioners to discuss “The Future of Environmental Law.” Speaking before the presidential election but mindful of the transition possibilities, the symposium panelists identified and discussed cutting-edge issues in administrative law, natural resources law, and environmental enforcement that will be crucial going forward for both government lawyers and the environmental law profession as a whole. Here, we present transcripts of these discussions, which have been edited for style, clarity, and space considerations.
Shape Controlled Synthesis of Au/Ag/Pd Nanoalloys and Their Oxidation-Induced Self-Assembly into Electrocatalytically Active Aerogel Monoliths

The synthesis of size and shape controlled Au/Ag/Pd alloy nanoparticles (NPs) and their self-supported assembly into monolithic aerogels for electro-oxidation of ethanol is reported. Two distinct morphologies of ultrasmall (3–5 nm) Au/Ag/Pd alloy NPs were produced via stepwise galvanic replacement of thiol-coated Ag NPs. The resultant nanoalloys were self-assembled into large, free-standing, aerogel superstructures that exhibit direct NP connectivity, high surface area (269 ± 18.1–76 ± 6.4 m2/g) and mesoporosity (2–50 nm), and high electrocatalytic activity via controlled oxidation of the surfactant ligands. The gelation kinetics have been tuned by varying the oxidant/surfactant molar ratio that governs the acidity of sol–gel reaction and consequently the extent of Ag dealloying with in situ generated HNO3. As-synthesized Au/Ag/Pd aerogels exhibit polymeric or colloidal gel morphology that can be manipulated by varying the shape and composition of precursor NPs. The electrocatalytic activity of ternary al...