cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neural Consolidation and Ontological Variance: Metaphysical Constraints In Self-Emergence and Human Nature

The Future of Human Nature, Jurgen Habermas’ treatise on issues of genetic manipulation, invokes normative concerns arising out of a framework of a material re-ordering of human nature (2003). Implicit in Habermas’ critique is a presupposition causally linking the human ontological status to a material program intrinsic to the human body and its mechanistic generation of the mature individual. This presupposition persists through numerous recent accounts that follow his work which are taken at the level of the neural architecture, as well as in various neuroaugmentation proposals. Together these reflect an epistemological approach seeking to deduce human nature from an exclusively empirical assessment of neural operation, a philosophical praxis that has been termed cognitive ontology. This praxis adopts a paradigm widely employed for explication in living systems, now dominating discourse on the nature of reality and touted as the new mechanistic wave. Recourse to ascriptions of human nature grounded in a mechanical causal order, however, has been challenged by recent philosophical approaches for its severance of the metaphysical link between human properties and their predication in an entity, and the inversion of the conceptual order between ontology and epistemology. Unlike mechanistic approaches, these are related to formal organizational order; hence, they are termed non-causal or design explanations. This paper proposes that strictly mechanist, causal sequences also fail to account for systemic operation in cognition and need supplementation with formal causal notions. Accordingly, they also implicate a material instantiation of propertied faculties that conforms to metaphysical principles of unity and property predication, which is to say that the instantiation of self and faculty circuitries are necessarily determined by extrinsic and realist principles of material order. This has the important ethical consequence of siting value to the whole individual and not solely to the perceptual realization of human faculties as proposed in modern cognitive ontology accounts.
NMD abnormalities during brain development in the Fmr1-knockout mouse model of fragile X syndrome.

BACKGROUND Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is an intellectual disability attributable to loss of fragile X protein (FMRP). We previously demonstrated that FMRP binds mRNAs targeted for nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) and that FMRP loss results in hyperactivated NMD and inhibition of neuronal differentiation in human stem cells. RESULTS We show here that NMD is hyperactivated during the development of the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum in the Fmr1-knockout (KO) mouse during embryonic and early postnatal periods. Our findings demonstrate that NMD regulates many neuronal mRNAs that are important for mouse brain development. CONCLUSIONS We reveal the abnormal regulation of these mRNAs in the Fmr1-KO mouse, a model of FXS, and highlight the importance of early intervention.
How did you get to be Mexican? : a white/brown man's search for identity

Preface 1. Introduction 2. A "Latino" Law Student? Law 4 Sale at Harvard Law School 3. My Mother: One Assimilation Story 4. My Father: Planting the Seeds of a Racial Consciousness 5. Growing Up White? 6. College: Beginning to Recognize Racial Complexities A Family Gallery 7. A Corporate Lawyer: Happily Avoiding the Issue 8. A Latino Law Professor 9. My Family/Mi Familia 10. Lessons for Latino Assimilation 11. What Does It All Mean for Race Relations in the United States? Notes Bibliography Index
Variety in the Classroom Through Technology

What could be more boring than sitting through an entire semester of a ‘rules’ course? I mused when asked by my dean to teach Professional Responsibility about nine years ago. And the class met four hours a week which exacerbated the situation. I never liked boring classes and I don’t think anyone else does. And ‘rules’ courses (such as UCC based business transactions), civil and criminal procedure, and professional responsibility) more than others have the potential to be b-o-o-o-o-r-i-n-g. Is there anything worse than memorizing a bunch of rules? I accepted the challenge, lacking any reasonable alternative, and immediately began to ponder what might spice up the course. I theorized that the use of technology should offer an effective respite from the rigors of the traditional Socratic method.
Differential Harnack estimates for parabolic equations

Let (M,g(t)) be a solution to the Ricci flow on a closed Riemannian manifold. In this paper, we prove differential Harnack inequalities for positive solutions of nonlinear parabolic equations of the type $$\frac{\partial}{\partial t}f=\Delta f- f{\rm ln}f+Rf.$$ We also comment on an earlier result of the first author on positive solutions of the conjugate heat equation under the Ricci flow.
Message-optimal incremental snapshots

The problem of obtaining a global state or snapshot of a distributed processing system is considered. A message-efficient protocol is presented for obtaining incremental snapshots. First, worst-case lower bounds on the number of messages used by any protocol that solves the incremental snapshot problem are given, and then a protocol that is message-efficient is provided. This protocol obtains a snapshot of the system using the most recent snapshot. The message complexity of the incremental snapshot protocol matches the two lower bounds simultaneously, and hence the protocol is asymptotically message optimal. For applications in database systems, debugging distributed programs, monitoring events, or checkpointing, the protocol is asymptotically message optimal. Because of its simplicity, the protocol can be used readily, and since it uses the minimum number of additional messages, the throughput of the distributed system is not adversely affected. >
Network controlled frequency channel and bandwidth allocation scheme for IEEE 802.11a/n/ac wireless LANs: RATOP

The first giga-bit class wireless local area network (wireless LAN) below 6 GHz frequency (the IEEE 802.11ac standard) is attracting attention due to its capability of handling much more of the rapidly growing data traffic. The increased density of wireless LAN access points (APs), however, has induced inter-cell interference that severely degrades system performance. This problem seems to be getting worse with the increase of 802.11n- and 802.11ac-based APs, which establish basic service sets (BSSs) with wider channel bandwidths. In order to mitigate this problem, we propose an efficient radio resource allocation scheme called RATOP that can be applied to a managed wireless LAN system with a central coordinator. On the basis of channel monitoring results, capability, and data traffic information obtained from APs, the central coordinator computes the quasioptimal frequency channel and channel bandwidth of each AP in such a way that the given utility function is maximized. Numerous simulations with UDP traffic flows on the coexistence scenarios of 802.11a/n/ac show that the RATOP works well and reduces the number of overlapping BSSs by 65%–89%. As a result, the RATOP improves the minimum throughput and fairness among throughput of APs even when there exist foreign APs of other network domains that cannot be controlled by the coordinator.
Role of CO2 oxygenates and alkenes in the initiation of chain growth during the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the role of CO2 oxygenates and alkenes in the initiation of chain growth during the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS), which involves the production of many hydrocarbons and oxygenate products from CO and H2; this is especially true for synthesis using an iron catalyst. Alcohols produce hydrocarbons during the FTS that are not consistent with a simple initiation mechanism. Experimental results show that CO2 is produced directly from the alcohol and not by the reverse carbonylation reaction. CO2 also initiates chain growth in the FTS. It is proposed that the intermediate responsible for chain initiation in FTS using an iron catalyst is the same intermediate as encountered in the water-gas-shift reaction. The FTS mechanism with an iron based catalyst involves an oxygenate species that can be derived from both CO and CO2. The data generated during the studies, involving the addition of CO2 or alcohol, is consistent with a reaction mechanism that involves reactions as shown above for the alcohol. Thus, the intermediate that is involved in the water-gas-shift reaction is postulated to be an initiator for chain growth for the FTS reaction on the iron catalyst.
Oxidation of alcohols to acids and ketones byHansenula polymorpha

Hansenula polymorpha grown on a medium containing methanol and suspended in such a medium oxidized primary aliphatic alcohols to the carboxylic acid, including some containing four and five carbon atoms. Ethylene glycol was converted to glycolic acid and ethoxyethanol was converted to acetone. The secondary alcohol isopropanol was converted to acetone.
Anion gap, anion gap corrected for albumin, base deficit and unmeasured anions in critically ill patients: implications on the assessment of metabolic acidosis and the diagnosis of hyperlactatemia

Base deficit (BD), anion gap (AG), and albumin corrected anion gap (ACAG) are used by clinicians to assess the presence or absence of hyperlactatemia (HL). We set out to determine if these tools can diagnose the presence of HL using cotemporaneous samples. We conducted a chart review of ICU patients who had cotemporaneous arterial blood gas, serum chemistry, serum albumin (Alb) and lactate(Lac) levels measured from the same sample. We assessed the capacity of AG, BD, and ACAG to diagnose HL and severe hyperlactatemia (SHL). HL was defined as Lac > 2.5 mmol/L. SHL was defined as a Lac of > 4.0 mmol/L. From 143 patients we identified 497 series of lab values that met our study criteria. Mean age was 62.2 ± 15.7 years. Mean Lac was 2.11 ± 2.6 mmol/L, mean AG was 9.0 ± 5.1, mean ACAG was 14.1 ± 3.8, mean BD was 1.50 ± 5.4. The area under the curve for the ROC for BD, AG, and ACAG to diagnose HL were 0.79, 0.70, and 0.72, respectively. AG and BD failed to reliably detect the presence of clinically significant hyperlactatemia. Under idealized conditions, ACAG has the capacity to rule out the presence of hyperlactatemia. Lac levels should be obtained routinely in all patients admitted to the ICU in whom the possibility of shock/hypoperfusion is being considered. If an AG assessment is required in the ICU, it must be corrected for albumin for there to be sufficient diagnostic utility.
Chimeric exchanges within the bradykinin B2 receptor intracellular face with the prostaglandin EP2 receptor as the donor: importance of the second intracellular loop for cAMP synthesis

Abstract The prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) EP2 receptor (EP2R) type is G protein coupled (GPCR) and links to Gαs. Through this receptor PGE2 activates cAMP production. The bradykinin (BK) B2 receptor (BKB2R) is also a GPCR but links to Gαq and Gαi and does not activate cAMP production in response to bradykinin. In an attempt to convert the BKB2R into a Gαs-linked adenylate cyclase-activating receptor we proceeded to make global and discrete motif replacements of the intracellular (IC) face of the BKB2R with the corresponding regions of the human EP2R. With this approach we produced hybrid receptors which, when stably transfected into wild type (WT) Rat-1 cells, bound BK but produced cAMP. Replacement of the second loop (IC2), third loop (IC3), the entire C terminus, and the distal C terminus resulted in receptors which bound BK. However, only the IC2 and IC3 exchanges resulted in cAMP-producing receptors. Of these two regions, the IC2 exchange was by far the better cAMP-generating receptor, producing cAMP at approximately 6.6-fold above WT BKB2R or approximately one fourth the amount produced by WT EP2R-transfected Rat-1 cells. Both human and rat EP2R and human β2-adrenergic receptor exchanges of the IC2 produced equal quantities of cAMP. Focusing on the rBKB2R/hEP2R IC2 chimeras, the region consisting of residues 136–147 (BKB2R residue numbering) proved to contain a cAMP-generating motif. Within this region, the proximal six amino acids from the EP2R (HPYFYQ) at position 136–141 proved crucial for cAMP production (10-fold over WT BKB2R). The distal part of this region, the six residues at 142–147, played no role in cAMP production. On the other hand, the ALV motif of the BKB2R IC2, residues 133–135, proved important with respect to phosphatydilinositol (PI) turnover. Replacing the entire IC2 of BKB2R resulted in poor PI turnover, while including the AVL of BKB2R retained approximately half of the WT PI turnover. With respect to receptor uptake, all the IC2 mutants endocytosed as WT BKB2R (60% in 1 h). However, the exchange of the distal and the whole C termini resulted in a marked drop in endocytosis (30% in 1 h). These results demonstrate that the construction of a cAMP-producing BKB2/EP2 receptor hybrid is possible, with the IC2 region distal to DRYLALV proving important to Gαs linkage and the LALV motif within the IC2 of BKB2R and the region proximal to it proving important for Gαq and Gαi linkage. Additionally, our results confirm the importance of the distal C terminus in determining receptor uptake.
Biodegradation of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene byPhanerochaete chrysosporium: Identification of initial degradation products and the discovery of a TNT metabolite that inhibits lignin peroxidases

Biodegradation of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) by the wood-rotting BasidiomycetePhanerochaete chrysosporium was studied in a fixed-film silicone membrane bioreactor and in agitated pellected cultures. The initial intermediate products of TNT biodegradation were shown to be 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene (2amDNT) and 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene (4amDNT). These intermediates were also degraded byP. chrysosporium. However, their rates of degradation were slow and appeared to represent rate-limiting steps in TNT degradation. The fact that 2amDNT and 4amDNT were further degraded is of importance. In most other microbial systems these compounds are typically not further degraded or are dimerized to even more persistent azo and azoxydimers. Similar to previous studies performed in stationary cultures, it was shown that substantial amounts of [14C]-TNT were degrade to [14C]-carbon dioxide in agitated pelleted cultures. Lignin peroxidase activity (assayed by veratryl alcohol oxidation) virtually disappeared upon addition of TNT to ligninolytic cultures ofP. chrysosporium. However, TNT, 2amDNT, and 4amDNT did not inhibit lignin peroxidase activity, nor were they substrates for this enzyme. Subsequent studies revealed that 4-hydroxylamino-2,6-dinitrotoluene, an intermediate in TNT reduction, was a potent lignin peroxidase inhibitor. Further studies revealed that this compound was also a substrate for lignin peroxidase H8.
Deformation Mechanisms and Ductility of Nanostructured Al Alloys

Low tensile ductility is one of the critical challenges facing the science and technology of nanostructured materials. As an example, despite the fact that high strength is frequently observed in bulk nanostructured Al alloys, ductility and work hardening are often observed to decrease with decreasing grain size. In the present study, the tensile ductility of bulk nanostructured aluminum alloys processed via severe plastic deformation and consolidation of mechanically milled powders is analyzed. Adding coarse grains to the nanostructured matrix is proposed as an approach to improve ductility.
Beta decay rates of sd-shell nuclei in stellar interiors

Abstract Gamow-Teller matrix elements of sd-shell nuclei relevant for stellar evolution of massive stars are calculated by using the sd-shell model wave functions of Wildenthal. Emphasis is placed on the calculations of GT transitions between excited states, which are not obtainable by experiment. Our results are compared with the previous work by Fuller et al. and are found notably different in many cases. The beta decay rates, as calculated with and without the contributions of excited states, are demonstrated to be quite different under conditions of high density and high temperature.
Calibrated Bioresorbable Microspheres as an Embolic Agent: An Experimental Study in a Rabbit Renal Model

Abstract Purpose To evaluate the time frame of resorption and tissue response of newly developed bioresorbable microspheres (BRMS) and vessel recanalization after renal embolization. Materials and Methods Embolization of lower poles of kidneys of 20 adult rabbits was performed with BRMS (300–500 µm). Two rabbits were sacrificed immediately after embolization (day 0). Three rabbits were sacrificed after follow-up angiography at 3, 7, 10, 14, 21, and 30 days. The pathologic changes in the renal parenchyma, BRMS degradation, and vessel recanalization were evaluated histologically and angiographically. Results Embolization procedures were successfully performed, and all animals survived without complication. Infarcts were observed in all kidneys that received embolization harvested after day 0. Moderate degradation of BRMS (score = 1.07 ± 0.06) was observed by day 3. Of BRMS, 95% were resorbed before day 10 with scant BRMS materials remaining in the arteries at later time points. Partial vessel recanalization was observed by angiography starting on day 3, whereas new capillary formation was first identified histologically on day 7. Vascular inflammation associated with BRMS consisted of acute, heterophilic infiltrate at earlier time points (day 3 to day 10); this was resolved with the resorption of BRMS. Inflammation and fibrosis within infarcted regions were consistent with progression of infarction. Conclusions BRMS were bioresorbable in vivo, and most BRMS were resorbed before day 10 with a mild tissue reaction. Vessel recanalization occurred secondary to the resorption of BRMS.
Isozymes of rat urinary kallikrein.

Abstract Two isozymes of rat urinary kallikrein (A and B) have been purified and studied in detail. The enzymes were separated by chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and distinguished by electrophoresis and electrofocusing in polyacrylamide slab gels. The electrophoretic mobilities were not altered by treatment with neuraminidase but were shifted toward the cathode after complexing with aprotinin. Molecular weights of rat urinary kallikreins A and B were estimated to be 36,500 and 35,500, respectively, by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide slab gel electrophoresis. The enzymes did not differ in pH optimum, specific activity or substrate specificity, but differed slightly in heat stability. They were not distinguishable biologically, nor immunologically using an antiserum generated in a sheep against kallikrein B. Both kallikreins were activated by deoxycholate and several nonionic detergents. α- N -tosyl- L -arginine methyl ester (Tos- L -Arg OMe) hydrolysis by both forms was inhibited by aprotinin and stimulated by ovomucoid and lima bean trypsin inhibitors, whereas Tos- L -Arg-OMe hydrolysis was stimulated by soybean trypsin inhibitor at low concentrations and inhibited at high concentrations. Kinetic measurements of α- N benzoyl- L -arginine ethyl ester (Bz- L -Arg-OEt) hydrolysis by the two enzymes showed no significant differences in substrate affinity or in maximal velocity.
Maximizing signal-to-noise and contrast-to-noise ratios in FLASH imaging.

Abstract This paper presents an analysis of signal-to-noise and contrast-to-noise ratios from small tip angle, gradient reversal (FLASH) imaging. Analytic and numerical techniques are used to determine the delay times and tip angles that maximize signal-to-noise per unit time from a single tissue. Similar procedures are used to determine the delay times and tip angles that maximize both T1-induced and T-2 ∗ -induced contrast-to-noise per unit time for a pair of tissues as a function of tissue characteristics and pulse sequence sampling times. The advantage of optimized FLASH imaging over optimized spin-echo imaging is quantitated by comparing signal-to-noise and contrast-to-noise ratios per unit time from the two sequences. Images are used to confirm these numerical results, to compare noise levels resulting from gradient reversals versus 180° rephasing pulses and to assess the possible adverse effects of static magnetic field inhomogeneities on FLASH imaging.
Electrophysiological indices predict resumption of drinking in sober alcoholics

Eighty-nine alcoholics and 54 nonalcoholic controls were tested on measures of late component event-related potentials (ERPs) using a visual “oddball” stimulus task. The alcoholics had just completed inpatient alcoholism treatment programs and were 21–45 days sober. Approximately 13 months later, subjects returned for retesting; alcoholics were classified as resumers or abstainers based on their drinking patterns during the intertest interval. Using the ERP measures from the initial testing session, alcoholics differed significantly from controls in the multivariate analysis and on P300 amplitude (P3A). Resumer alcoholics showed significantly longer N200 latencies (N2L) than abstainer alcoholics. Discriminant function analyses predicting resumer/abstainer status from N2L, P3A and N1A indicated a 63% prediction rate, x2 = 5.67, p < 0.02. Addition of N2L to previously tested psychological and social predictor variables indicated an increase in the amount of variance explained. The results support a biopsychosocial model for understanding and predicting relapse in chronic alcoholics.
Properties of norepinephrine N-methyltransferase from rat, cat and chicken brain.

Abstract 1. Kinetic properties of norepinephrine N-methyltransferase (NMT) in ammonium sulfate fractions from rat, cat and chicken brain were studied. 2. For all three enzymes, Km values for S-adenosyl-methionine—the methyl-donating substrate—were lower than those for l -norepinephrine—the methyl-accepting substrate. For both substrates, Km values were lowest for cat, intermediate for rat, and highest for chicken brain NMT. 3. The enzymes from all three species were inhibited by excess concentrations of l -norepinephrine. 4. The enzymes were inhibited by various ring-substituted benzylamines and α-methylbenzylamines, and the structure-activity relationships and stereospecificity of this inhibition were similar for the enzymes from all three species. 5. Though quantitative differences exist, NMT from rat, cat and chicken brain seems to be qualitatively similar both in substrate kinetics and susceptibility to inhibitors.
They Just Fade Away: Mortality in the U.S. Venture Capital Industry

Organizational mortality events are better understood than the process by which organizations cease to be. Complementing research on organizing, we theorize about disorganizing. We propose that disorganizing organizations attempt to avoid mortality by reducing audience engagement. We also propose that, typically, such behaviors only delay the inevitable because reduced engagement diminishes audience appeal which, in turn, raises mortality hazards. Analyzing life histories of 1,891 organizations that experience protracted mortality processes, we find support for our arguments. Reducing engagement increases the mortality hazard for venture capital firms by reducing the firm's appeal to co-investors, but gradual reductions attenuate the effects of reduced engagement on both mortality and appeal. We discuss implications of these findings for organizational theory, entrepreneurs, and institutional investors.
Artificial intelligence in air combat games

Abstract A general framework for the utilization of large numbers of optimal pursuit-evasion algorithms, as applied to air combat, is described. The framework is based upon and is driven by artificial intelligence concepts. The method employed involves the valuation of alternative tactical strategies and maneuvers through a goal system and pilot-derived expert data bases. The system is designed to display the most promising strategies to the pilot for a final decision. Two aspects of the concept above are described here: the general framework and a specific implementation for a synthetic method of flight and fire control system optimization. Details of the implementation, based on off-the-shelf hardware and a standard programming lanuage, are also given. Potential utilization of these concepts includes other areas as well: submarine warfare and satellite based weapon systems are two possible additional applications. Nonmilitary applications are air traffic control and optimal scheduling.
Control of nucleation and growth in protein crystal growth

The potential advantages of nucleation and growth control through temperature, rather than the addition of precipitants or removal of solvent, are discussed. A simple light scattering arrangement for the characterization of nucleation and growth conditions in solutions is described. The temperature dependence of the solubility of low ionic strength lysozyme solutions is applied in preliminary nucleation and growth experiments.
Crowdsourcing Facial Responses to Online Videos

We present results validating a novel framework for collecting and analyzing facial responses to media content over the Internet. This system allowed 3,268 trackable face videos to be collected and analyzed in under two months. We characterize the data and present analysis of the smile responses of viewers to three commercials. We compare statistics from this corpus to those from the Cohn-Kanade+ (CK+) and MMI databases and show that distributions of position, scale, pose, movement, and luminance of the facial region are significantly different from those represented in these traditionally used datasets. Next, we analyze the intensity and dynamics of smile responses, and show that there are significantly different facial responses from subgroups who report liking the commercials compared to those that report not liking the commercials. Similarly, we unveil significant differences between groups who were previously familiar with a commercial and those that were not and propose a link to virality. Finally, we present relationships between head movement and facial behavior that were observed within the data. The framework, data collected, and analysis demonstrate an ecologically valid method for unobtrusive evaluation of facial responses to media content that is robust to challenging real-world conditions and requires no explicit recruitment or compensation of participants.
Antagonism of some vascular smooth muscle agonists by histamine and betahistine.

Abstract The effects of exposure of vascular smooth muscle cell in situ to dibenzyline, histamine, and betahistine NCl on the shortening action of catecholamines and polypeptides were examined. The method of image-shearing was employed to measure changes in thickness of single muscle cells in arteriolar wall in the mesentery of anesthetized rats. Before dibenzyline, increases in muscle cell thickness averaged 57.8 and 47.4%, respectively, with epinephrine and norepinephrine. Following topical dibenzyline (0.01 μg/ml/3min) stimulation with the same agents resulted in increases of only 3.9 and 2.2%, respectively, In the same target cell the increase in thickness (av 32.6%) with angiotensin before dibenzyline remained unmodified (av 32.3%) following alpha receptor blockade, while the cell became slightly hyperresponsive to vassopressin following dibenzyline (av 64.4% before and 73.3% after). Histamine and betahistine readily abolished the action of both the catecholamines and polypeptides alike. The antagonistic actions by histamine and betahistine, even by nonrelaxant amounts, take place also after initiation (4–6 sec) of contraction by the stimulants. These observations strongly suggest that: (a) The interfering action of histamine and betahistine HCl might be occurring at a nonspecific, common pathway for all stimulating molecules studied; (b) such actions most likely would effect some state of excitation-contraction coupling beyond the step of drug-receptor combination.
Kasai portoenterostomy: differences related to race.

Abstract Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the Kasai portoenterostomy in African-American and white children with respect to differences in presentation and outcome. Methods: A retrospective review of all children with biliary atresia who underwent a portoenterostomy at our institution over the last 15 years (n = 63) was performed. Sex, age at the time of Kasai, preoperative laboratory tests, success rates (defined as postoperative total serum bilirubin ≤ 2.0 mg/dL), and survival rate were recorded. Differences between African-American (AA; n=30) and white (W; n=33) children were analyzed. Long-term follow-up was available on 59 of 63 patients. Results: Sixty-three percent of all patients (40 of 65) were girls, and 48% were AA (30 of 63). A higher percentage of AA children (73%) were girls than were white children (55%), although this difference did not achieve statistical significance. African-Americans underwent portoenterostomy at a later age, had higher alkaline phosphatase levels, and higher AST. These differences were statistically significant. Preoperative ALT, total bilirubin level, and GGTP levels all were greater in African-Americans, although these differences did not achieve statistical significance. There was a trend toward decreased success and survival rate, although these results also were not statistically significant. Conclusions: African-Americans underwent primary therapeutic intervention for biliary atresia at an older age than white children with a trend toward less favorable results. These differences related to race may be attributed to greater difficulty in diagnosing jaundice or poorer access to health care in this patient population. Increased effort at identifying biliary atresia in AA children may lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment and improved outcomes. J Pediatr Surg 36:1196-1198. Copyright © 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company.
Field Behavior of an Integral Abutment Bridge Supported on Drilled Shafts

The abutments of integral bridges are traditionally supported on a single row of steel-H-piles that are flexible and that are able to accommodate lateral deflections well. In Hawaii, steel-H-piles have to be imported, corrosion tends to be severe in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and the low buckling capacity of steel-H-piles in scour-susceptible soils has led to a preference for the use of drilled shaft foundations. A drilled shaft-supported integral abutment bridge was monitored from foundation installation to in-service behavior. Strain gauge data indicate that drilled shaft foundations worked well for this integral bridge. After 45 months, the drilled shafts appear to remain uncracked. However, inclinometer readings provide a conflicting viewpoint. Full passive earth pressures never developed behind the abutments as a result of temperature loading because thermal movements were small and the long term movements were dominated by concrete creep and shrinkage of the superstructure that pulled the abutments towards the stream. In the stream, hydrodynamic loading during the wet season had a greater effect on the abutment movements than seasonal temperature cycling. After becoming integral, the upright members of the longitudinal bridge frame were not vertical because the excavation and backfilling process caused deep seated movements of the underlying clay resulting in the drilled shafts bellying out towards the stream. This indicates the importance and need for staged construction analysis in design of integral bridges in highly plastic clays. Also, the drilled shaft axial loads from strain gauges are larger than expected.
Peripheral blood monitoring of chronic myeloid leukemia during treatment with imatinib, second‐line agents, and beyond

BACKGROUND: The current study was conducted to compare simultaneously obtained bone marrow (BM) cytogenetics (CTG), peripheral blood (PB) and BM fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR) for BCR-ABL1 in monitoring response to treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors and homoharringtonine (HHT) in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). METHODS: PB and BM FISH (n = 112 samples) and/or Q-PCR (n = 132 samples) for BCR-ABL1 were simultaneously obtained in 70 patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) CML in chronic (68%), accelerated (16%), and blast phase (16%) before the initiation of therapy and during the course of treatment with imatinib (IM) (n = 40 patients), dasatinib (n = 20 patients), nilotinib (n = 4 patients), bosutinib (n = 18 patients), or HHT (n = 4 patients) for patients with newly diagnosed (n = 13 patients), IM-sensitive (n = 34 patients), IM-resistant (n = 30 patients), or IM-intolerant (n = 9 patients) disease. Eighteen patients were found to have Ph+ variants or karyotypic abnormalities in addition to the Ph+. RESULTS: Excellent correlations (r) were observed between PB and BM FISH (r = 0.95) and PB and BM Q-PCR (r = 0.87), as well as BM CTG and PB FISH (r = 0.89) and PB Q-PCR (r = 0.82). This correlation was not affected by the presence of the Ph+ variant or additional chromosomal abnormalities, the presence of ABL1 kinase domain mutations, phase of the disease, or treatment. CONCLUSIONS: PB FISH and Q-PCR appear to be reliable methods with which to monitor response to modern therapy in patients with all phases of CML. Cancer 2011. © 2010 American Cancer Society.
CHARACTERIZATION OF AGT1 ENCODING A GENERAL ALPHA -GLUCOSIDE TRANSPORTER FROM SACCHAROMYCES

Molecular genetic analysis is used to characterize the AGT1 gene encoding an alpha-glucoside transporter. AGT1 is found in many Saccharomyces cerevisiae laboratory strains and maps to a naturally occurring, partially functional allele of the MAL1 locus. Agt1p is a highly hydrophobic, postulated integral membrane protein. It is 57% identical to Mal61p, the maltose permease encoded at MAL6, and is also a member of the 12 transmembrane domain superfamily of sugar transporters. Like Mal61p, Agt1p is a high-affinity, maltose/proton symporter, but Mal61p is capable of transporting only maltose and turanose, while Agt1p transports these two alpha-glucosides as well as several others including isomaltose, alpha-methylglucoside, maltotriose, palatinose, trehalose and melezitose. AGT1 expression is maltose inducible and induction is mediated by the Mal-activator. The sequence of the upstream region of AGT1 is identical to that of the maltose-inducible MAL61 gene over a 469 bp region containing the UASMAL but the 315 bp sequence immediately upstream of AGT1 shows no significant homology to the sequence immediately upstream of MAL61. The evolutionary origin of the MAL1 allele to which AGT1 maps and the relationship of AGT1 to other alpha-glucoside fermentation genes is discussed.
Sodium nitroprusside inhibition of parathyroid hormone release is not mediated through cyclic GMP

Sodium nitroprusside effected a rapid, dose-dependent increase in intracellular cGMP accumulation in freshly dispersed bovine parathyroid cells. The effect was half-maximal between 10(-4) and 3 X 10(-4)M, maximal at 3 X 10(-3)M nitroprusside and could be amplified (approximately 50%) by the addition of methylisobutylxanthine (4 X 10(-4)M). The dose-response characteristics were similar to those previously described for the inhibition of cAMP accumulation and PTH release by this agent. Neither dibutyryl cGMP (10(-3)M) nor 8'-bromo-cGMP (10(-3)M) mimicked the inhibitory effect of nitroprusside on cAMP accumulation or PTH release. Dose-dependent stimulation of guanylate cyclase was found in a particulate preparation of parathyroid cells; activity was maximal at 10(-4)M nitroprusside while higher concentrations appeared to inhibit the enzyme. Nitroprusside significantly reduced both (-)isoproterenol and guanine nucleotide-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in the particulate preparation with maximum inhibition between 10(-3)-10(-2)M. cGMP concentrations as high as 10(-4)M did not affect agonist-stimulated cAMP synthesis. Thus, although the kinetic and dose-response characteristics of the nitroprusside effect on cGMP suggest a linkage to its previously described effects on cAMP and PTH secretion, no direct evidence was found to indicate a causal relationship between the two. Rather it would appear that the effects on the adenylate and guanylate cyclase enzymes occur in parallel, possibly the result of some common primary perturbation of cellular physiology.
CYSTEAMINE: DIFFERENTIAL X-RAY PROTECTIVE EFFECT ON CHINESE HAMSTER CELLS DURING THE CELL CYCLE.

Cysteamine present during x-irradiation protects synchronized Chinese hamster cells in culture against lethal damage at all stages of the cell cycle. The effect is greatest for cells irradiated at sensitive stages such as G1 and least for resistant cells; for example, late S (dose-modifying factors 4.2 and 2.7, respectively). The effect of 50 millimolar cysteamine is to render almost invariant the normally variant x-ray age response for lethality. This suggests that there are two components of x-ray damage, only one of which is age dependent, and it is against this component that cysteamine protects the cell. Cystamine, however, has no protective effect upon these cells at any stage of the cell cycle.
Machine Learning for Android Malware Detection Using Permission and API Calls

The Google Android mobile phone platform is one of the most anticipated smartphone operating systems on the market. The open source Android platform allows developers to take full advantage of the mobile operation system, but also raises significant issues related to malicious applications. On one hand, the popularity of Android absorbs attention of most developers for producing their applications on this platform. The increased numbers of applications, on the other hand, prepares a suitable prone for some users to develop different kinds of malware and insert them in Google Android market or other third party markets as safe applications. In this paper, we propose to combine permission and API (Application Program Interface) calls and use machine learning methods to detect malicious Android Apps. In our design, the permission is extracted from each App's profile information and the APIs are extracted from the packed App file by using packages and classes to represent API calls. By using permissions and API calls as features to characterize each Apps, we can learn a classifier to identify whether an App is potentially malicious or not. An inherent advantage of our method is that it does not need to involve any dynamical tracing of the system calls but only uses simple static analysis to find system functions involved in each App. In addition, because permission settings and APIs are alwaysavailable for each App, our method can be generalized to all mobile applications. Experiments on real-world Apps with more than 1200 malware and 1200 benign samples validate the algorithm performance.
Elliptic field calculation of a laminar diffusion flame adjacent to a vertical flat plate burner

Abstract This numerical study deals with the phenomenon of a diffusion flame on a vertical plate burner with methane injection. The unsteady governing conservation equations along with an exponential wideband model for gas radiation and an infinite reaction rate model for combustion are solved by finite-difference calculations. The numerical results are then compared with those of both the local non-similarity boundary-layer solution and the experimental data obtained in a previous study. It is shown that the finitedifference calculations produce results in better agreement with the experimental data in the region outside the flame sheet.
Kaluza-Klein Gluons as a Diagnostic of Warped Models

We study the properties of g{sup 1}, the first excited state of the gluon in representative variants of the Randall-Sundrum (RS) model with the standard model (SM) fields in the bulk. We find that measurements of the coupling to light quarks (from the inclusive cross section for pp-->g{sup 1}-->t[overline t]), the coupling to bottom quarks (from the rate of pp-->g{sup 1}b), as well as the overall width can provide powerful discriminants between the models. In models with large brane kinetic terms, the g{sup 1} resonance can even potentially be discovered decaying into dijets against the large QCD background. We also derive bounds based on existing Tevatron searches for resonant t[overline t] production and find that they require M{sub g{sup 1}} > {approx} 950 GeV. In addition, we explore the pattern of interference between the g{sup 1} signal and the nonresonant SM background, defining an asymmetry parameter for the invariant mass distribution. The interference probes the relative signs of the couplings of the g{sup 1} to light quark pairs and to t[overline t], and thus provides an indication that the top is localized on the other side of the extra dimension from the light quarks, as is typical in the RSmore » framework.« less
Attenuation in superconducting striplines

Measurements of the Q of stripline resonators yield values for the attenuation of Nb-Nb 2 O 5 -Pb striplines typical of those used in superconducting microcircuits. At 4 K the attenuation between 50 and 500 MHz is proportional to frequency and probably results from dielectric losses. Near the transition temperature of Pb, the attenuation begins to show the frequency-squared dependence associated with superconducting losses.
COVARIANT MODEL OF CHIRAL SYMMETRY BREAKING IN QCD

With the aim of developing covariant QCD-based models of hadrons we study dynamical chiral symmetry breaking in an ansatz approach to QCD. The quark self-energy is calculated from the Schwinger-Dyson equation using an ansatz for the proper quark-gluon vertex consistent with QCD symmetries. Both asymptotic freedom and behavior consistent with confinement are included in the dressed gluon propagator. With essentially one free parameter we find that we can obtain good results for physically relevant quantities including the pion decay constant fπ, the quark condensate , the scale parameter ΛQCD, and the constituent quark mass.
On human needs and moral appraisals

For a large and important range of cases the connection between ‘X needs y’ and ‘X ought to have y’, though not an entailment, is still non‐contingent. Sentences in which ‘needs’ occurs have several uses) one of which is normative; when such sentences are used to make statements, the statements constitute a good reason for asserting that what is needed ought to be done. It must, however, be recognized that such a reason may not be a sufficient reason for the moral appraisal that what is needed ought to be done. It is not self‐contradictory to assert ‘He needs it but he ought not to have it’, though in moral contexts if it is stated that someone needs something or that something is needed we are entitled to infer that, everything else being equal, he should have it or that it should be done. But often there are countervailing considerations which defeat that initial presumption. I attempt to support these contentions by 1) describing several key uses of “need sentences” and 2) by elucidating the relations ...
A Structure-Based Mechanism for Vesicle Capture by the Multisubunit Tethering Complex Dsl1

Vesicle trafficking requires membrane fusion, mediated by SNARE proteins, and upstream events that probably include "tethering," an initial long-range attachment between a vesicle and its target organelle. Among the factors proposed to mediate tethering are a set of multisubunit tethering complexes (MTCs). The Dsl1 complex, with only three subunits, is the simplest known MTC and is essential for the retrograde traffic of COPI-coated vesicles from the Golgi to the ER. To elucidate structural principles underlying MTC function, we have determined the structure of the Dsl1 complex, revealing a tower containing at its base the binding sites for two ER SNAREs and at its tip a flexible lasso for capturing vesicles. The Dsl1 complex binds to individual SNAREs via their N-terminal regulatory domains and also to assembled SNARE complexes; moreover, it is capable of accelerating SNARE complex assembly. Our results suggest that even the simplest MTC may be capable of orchestrating vesicle capture, uncoating, and fusion.
First-order phase transitions in a U(1)-lattice-gauge--Higgs theory

A U(1) lattice-gauge theory coupled to a radially variable scalar (Higgs) field in the fundamental representation is studied using Monte Carlo techniques. We present the phase diagram of the theory at zero temperature on a ${4}^{4}$ Euclidean lattice. First-order Higgs-Coulomb transitions, which suggest the realization of the Coleman-Weinberg mechanism, and first-order Higgs-confinement transitions are observed.
Occlusion of the Left Main Coronary Artery Os By a Tethered Aortic Valve Cusp

We report a 4-month-old girl who presented with poor ventricular function and was found to have occlusion of the left main coronary artery os by a tethered aortic cusp. The patient underwent surgical delamination of the aortic valve leaflet, revealing a normal left coronary os. After operative repair, her left ventricular function improved significantly. This diagnosis should be included in the differential in all children presenting with cardiac dysfunction.
Environmental stimulation of 129/SvJ mice causes increased cell proliferation and neurogenesis in the adult dentate gyrus

New neurons are continuously born in the dentate gyrus of the adult mouse hippocampus, and regulation of adult neurogenesis is influenced by both genetic and environmental determinants. Mice of the 129/SvJ strain have significantly less hippocampal neurogenesis than other inbred mouse strains [1] and do not perform well in learning tasks. Here, the impact of environmental stimuli on brain plasticity during adulthood of 129/SvJ mice was studied using 'enriched environments' where mice receive complex inanimate and social stimulation [2,3]. In contrast to our earlier reports on mice of the C57BL/6 strain - which are competent in learning tasks and in which environmental stimulation did not influence cell proliferation [4,5] - environmentally stimulated 129/SvJ mice were found to have twice as many proliferating cells in the dentate gyrus compared with mice in standard housing. Environmental stimulation fostered the survival of newborn cells in 129/SvJ mice; this effect had also been seen in C57BL/6 mice. Phenotypic analysis of the surviving cells revealed that environmental stimulation resulted in 67% more new neurons. In combination with our earlier results, these data indicate a differential impact of inheritable traits on the environmental regulation of adult hippocampal neurogenesis. In addition, we observed behavioral changes in environmentally stimulated 129/SvJ mice.
Early and late results of the modified Fontan procedure for doubleinlet left ventricle: The Mayo Clinic experience

Between May 1974 and March 1989, 155 patients with double-inlet left ventricle had the Fontan procedure performed at the Mayo Clinic. Age at operation ranged from nearly 2 to 41 years (median 10). The operative mortality rate from 1974 through 1980 (39 patients) was 21%, but from 1981 through 1989 (116 patients) it was reduced to 9%. The 17 late deaths were secondary to reoperation (n = 8), progressive myocardial failure (n = 5), sudden arrhythmia (n = 3) and bleeding varices (n = 1). Neither operative nor late mortality rate was significantly related to age at operation. At follow-up of 6 months to 11 years (mean 4.9 years) in 111 patients, 88% were in good or excellent condition and 12% were in fair or poor condition. The Fontan operation can be performed with a mortality risk of <10% in properly selected patients with double-inlet left ventricle. Late results are encouraging when contrasted with the clinical course of patients before this operative approach was utilized.