cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Identification of deleterious non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms using sequence-derived information

As the number of non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs), also known as single amino acid polymorphisms (SAPs), increases rapidly, computational methods that can distinguish disease-causing SAPs from neutral SAPs are needed. Many methods have been developed to distinguish disease-causing SAPs based on both structural and sequence features of the mutation point. One limitation of these methods is that they are not applicable to the cases where protein structures are not available. In this study, we explore the feasibility of classifying SAPs into disease-causing and neutral mutations using only information derived from protein sequence. We compiled a set of 686 features that were derived from protein sequence. For each feature, the distance between the wild-type residue and mutant-type residue was computed. Then a greedy approach was used to select the features that were useful for the classification of SAPs. 10 features were selected. Using the selected features, a decision tree method can achieve 82.6% overall accuracy with 0.607 Matthews Correlation Coefficient (MCC) in cross-validation. When tested on an independent set that was not seen by the method during the training and feature selection, the decision tree method achieves 82.6% overall accuracy with 0.604 MCC. We also evaluated the proposed method on all SAPs obtained from the Swiss-Prot, the method achieves 0.42 MCC with 73.2% overall accuracy. This method allows users to make reliable predictions when protein structures are not available. Different from previous studies, in which only a small set of features were arbitrarily chosen and considered, here we used an automated method to systematically discover useful features from a large set of features well-annotated in public databases. The proposed method is a useful tool for the classification of SAPs, especially, when the structure of the protein is not available.
Approaches to quantum cosmology

Different proposals for the wave function of the Universe are analyzed, with an emphasis on various forms of the tunneling proposal. The issues discussed include the equivalence of the Lorentzian path integral and outgoing-wave-proposals, the definitions of the outgoing waves and of superspace boundaries, topology change, and the corresponding modification of the Wheeler-DeWitt equation. Also discussed are the generic'' boundary condition and the third quantization approach.
Impaired postexercise cardiovascular autonomic modulation in middle-aged women with type 2 diabetes

BackgroundType 2 diabetes is associated with cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction. Postexercise autonomic modulation may be different in obese individuals with and without type 2 diabetes. We examined postexercise responses in nondiabetic and diabetic women aged 40–60 years.MethodsHemodynamics, high-frequency and low-frequency of RR interval, low-frequency of systolic blood pressure variability and baroreflex sensitivity were evaluated before and after a 20 min walk at ~65% of VO2 peak in eight lean, 12 obese without type 2 diabetes and eight women with type 2 diabetes. Postexercise measurements were obtained at 10–15, 20–25 and 30–35 min.ResultsSystolic blood pressure decreased at 10 (P<0.001) and 20 min (P<0.01) in all groups. Total peripheral resistance decreased at 10 min in all women, but the subsequent increase at 20 min was greater (P<0.01) in lean than in diabetic women. Log-transformed low-frequency of systolic blood pressure increased (P<0.01) at 10 and 20 min in all women, but the increase at 1...
Three new species of penstemon (Scrophulariaceae) from the Intermountain Region

Penstemon goodrichii of sect.Cristati andP. navajoa andP. moriahensis of sect.Glabri are described, illustrated and mapped. Their relationships to kindred species are discussed.
Apixaban: an emerging oral factor Xa inhibitor

Apixaban, an oral direct factor Xa inhibitor, is currently in late stage clinical development for the prevention and treatment of thromboembolic diseases. In comparison with current treatment standards for venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis, apixaban has shown decreased rates of clinically significant bleeding with mixed results in terms of non-inferiority for VTE events. Secondary treatment of VTE with apixaban is currently in phase III clinical study after earlier trials showed comparable safety and efficacy outcomes. The APPRAISE-1 trial, a phase II investigation of apixaban versus placebo following acute coronary syndrome showed a higher risk of clinically significant bleeding in addition to a trend toward decreased ischemic events. A large, international phase III clinical study (APPRAISE-2) of apixaban following acute coronary syndrome is currently underway. Large, phase III studies testing apixaban for the prevention of vascular events in subjects with non-valvular atrial fibrillation are also ongoing.
The lack of an adult seat belt law in New Hampshire: Live free and die?

New Hampshire (NH) is the only state with no adult seat belt law. The lack of a restraint law may stem from a reluctance to infringe on individual freedoms. Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) is located in NH, only 4 miles from the Vermont (VT) border. As a result, residents of both states are well represented in the Emergency Department (ED) population. This provided an opportunity to investigate the relationship between opinions, behaviors and the presence or absence of a restraint law. Adult DHMC ED patients were surveyed with respect to seat belt use in states with and without restraint laws, risk taking behaviors, and feelings of infringement on personal freedom. The results demonstrated no difference in restraint use between NH and VT residents while traveling in a state with a seat belt law. However, significantly fewer NH residents reported restraint use when traveling in a state without a seat belt law. These dissimilarities were not explained by differences in risk taking behaviors or by differences in feelings of infringement on freedom. This suggests that actual seat belt use reflects adherence to the law rather than concerns over personal freedom. This may inspire a reassessment of the acceptability of an adult restraint law in New Hampshire.
Fetal panting: Yet another response to the external vibratory acoustic stimulation test

Fetal panting at a rate of 119 respiratory movements per minute, persisting for 40 minutes after external vibratory acoustic stimulation, was noted in a fetus at 33 weeks' gestation. Subsequent fetal outcome was good. The possible underlying pathophysiologic mechanism is discussed.
Current Concepts in the Treatment of Major Obstetric Hemorrhage

Major obstetric hemorrhage (MOH) is one of the top three causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States and the main cause of maternal death in the developing world. The growing number of multiple cesarean deliveries, augmented labors, pregnant women of advanced maternal age, maternal obesity, or abnormal placentation have a direct correlation with the observed increase in peripartum blood loss. As awareness of the morbidity and mortality associated with MOH increases, new diagnostic and therapeutic modalities are evolving to address this public health threat. This review presents current opinions and recent clinical advances in the diagnosis and management of, and resuscitation after, massive obstetric hemorrhage.
Three loci related to the src oncogene and tyrosine-specific protein kinase activity in Drosophila.

Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) is an acutely oncogenic avian retrovirus which induces sarcomas in animals and transforms fibroblasts in cell culture. Genetic analysis indicates that the viral src gene (v-src) mediates neoplastic transformation1. The product of v-src is a 60,000 molecular weight (MW) phosphoprotein (pp60v-src) possessing the enzymatic activity of a tyrosine-specific protein kinase2–6. The viral src gene is derived from a cellular gene (c-src) which also encodes a 60,000 MW phosphoprotein (pp60c-src) with tyrosine-specific protein kinase activity4–10. Both birds and mammals are known to possess c-src7,8. Shilo and Weinberg have reported that the genome of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, contains nucleotide sequences that are homologous to v-src11. We report here the molecular cloning and chromosomal mapping of three loci from the Drosophila genome that contain such sequences. We also show that Drosophila contain both phosphotyrosine and a tyrosine-specific protein kinase activity immunoprecipitated by antisera directed against pp60v-src. It should now be possible to identify the precise locus that encodes a src-specific protein kinase in Drosophila, and to explore the role of c-src in the growth and development of D. melanogaster.
Plasminogen activator in chick fibroblasts: Induction of synthesis by retinoic acid; synergism with viral transformation and phorbol ester

Abstract This paper reports the effect of vitamin A and its derivatives, the retinoids, on plasminogen activator (PA) synthesis in chick embryo fibroblast cultures (CEF). Low concentrations of retinoic acid (RA) (10 −6 -10 −10 M) and the retinoids stimulated PA synthesis in CEF; the maximal stimulation achieved, 9–10 fold, was somewhat lower than that obtained with optimal concentrations of the potent tumor promoter phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). This action of RA required protein and mRNA synthesis but, in contrast to enzyme induction by PMA and/or sarcoma virus transformation, retinoid effects were not significantly inhibited by elevated concentrations of cAMP. In inducing and/or stimulating PA production, the effects of RA and sarcoma virus transformation were synergistic rather than additive. Analogous synergism was observed between RA and PMA, but only at suboptimal concentrations of the latter. RA did not affect PA production in normal or transformed cultures maximally stimulated by PMA. These findings may help to elucidate the role of retinoids in promoting tumor growth, tissue remodeling and teratogenesis.
The effect of various preservatives on microorganisms isolated from deteriorated syrups.

Abstract The activity of eight chemical preservatives and one hundred and twenty-six different proportions of twenty-six different mixtures of two, three, four, and five esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid was tested against four microorganisms isolated from pharmaceutical syrups. Storage tests were conducted in syrup, U. S. P., and diluted syrup (42.5% sucrose w/v) under two different storage conditions for 60 days. o-Phenylphenol was most effective against the mold fungi and the yeast and benzyl p-hydroxybenzoate was the most effective against the bacterium. The following preservatives appeared to be the most effective for syrup, U. S. P.: o-phenylphenol at 1:15,000; propyl p-hydroxybenzoate at 1:5000; methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, and benzyl esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid in the proportion 15:15:15:15:40 w/w at 1:7500. Mixtures of the p-hydroxybenzoates exhibited a potentizing effect in both the antimicrobial tests and storage studies. Antimicrobial studies using the FD&C colors showed that FD&C Red No. 3 was effective against the bacterium at 1:20,000, and FD&C Orange No. 1 was effective against the bacterium at 1:4700 and against the yeast at 1:3000.
Electron and nuclear magnetic relaxation in La2CuO4 and related cuprates.

The nuclear-magnetic-resonance spin-lattice relaxation time ({ital T}{sub 1}) and electron-paramagnetic-resonance (EPR) linewidth ({Gamma}{sub {perpendicular}}{sup {ital s}}) are calculated for La{sub 2}CuO{sub 4}. The large broadening of the EPR at room temperature is shown to narrow with increasing temperature as ({xi}/{ital a}){sup 3}, where {xi} is the two-dimensional spin-correlation length and {ital a} is the lattice constant. The NMR {ital T}{sub 1} at first lengthens with increasing temperature as ({xi}/{ital a}){sup {minus}1}, then shortens above {ital T}{similar to}{ital J}/2, where {ital J} is the in-plane exchange coupling. Explicit values are calculated for {ital T}{sub 1} and {Gamma}{sub {perpendicular}}{sup 2}.
Making sense of injustices in a classed world: working-poor girls' discursive practices and critical literacies

Drawing from a larger ethnographic study, this article engages post-structural theories of language and critical feminist theories of social class to examine two fourth-grade, White, working-poor girls' narratives about their urban neighbourhood in the United States. The author argues that young girls should be perceived as social theorists informed by multiple discourses and that their discursive practices can be analysed and used for pedagogical purposes. Working against the typically deficit, pathological or sympathetic readings of poor children's life narratives, this article presents the girls as intellectual workers who are constructing theories that may or may not align with discourses informing critical literacies pedagogies for social change.
Factors affecting the development of the capacity for ATP formation in isolated chloroplasts

Abstract Full development of the capacity for ATP formation in isolated thylakoid membranes coincides with the beginning of illumination. Indeed, the yield of ATP per ms of illumination is about twice as great during the first 15 ms of high-intensity illumination as it is thereafter. The presence of valinomycin and K + prevents the formation of a membrane potential (as indicated by the obliteration of most of the change in absorbance at 518 nm) and at the same time delays the formation of the capacity for ATP synthesis for many milliseconds. Presumably, phosphorylation is initially dependent on a rapidly formed membrane potential, whereas after a delay a ΔpH sufficient to drive ATP formation forms. The actual duration of this delay depends on the phosphoryl group transfer potential (i.e., ΔG ATP ) of the ATP-synthesizing reaction. If the delay in the presence of valinomycin and K + represents the time required to develop a ΔpH capable of driving phosphorylation by itself, then the effect of ΔG ATP on the duration of the delay suggests that the onset of phosphorylation is determined by the magnitude of the electrochemical potential of protons and not by factors affecting the activation of the coupling factor enzyme. The initial ATP formation, which is almost entirely dependent on the electrical potential, should not be affected by the electrically neutral exchange of cations catalyzed by nigericin. When the external pH is 7.0 this seems to be true, since the ATP synthesis which is initially sensitive to valinomycin and K + is largely insensitive to nigericin and K + . However, when the external pH is 8.0 the response to nigericin is exactly the opposite and the ATP formation which is sensitive to valinomycin is also abolished by nigericin. These data suggest that there may be either an energetic requirement for both a ΔpH and membrane potential at alkaline pH or a non-energetic requirement for a minimum proton activity in the initiation of phosphorylation.
Nonequilibrium kinetics of neutral atoms confined in a harmonic potential

Abstract The nonequilibrium behavior of neutral atoms confined in a harmonic potential is simulated by a Monte Carlo method. Atoms obey Maxwell-Boltzmann statistics. Initially, the probability distribution function (pdf) for each of the three energy components, E x , E y and E z , is taken to be a truncated exponential with cutoff E c . Collisions between atoms are simulated assuming s wave scattering in the center-of-mass frame. Because the energy distributions in the three different dimensions were indistinguishable, all three energy components are assumed to have the same pdf. The time-varying pdf for the energy components is modeled as a mixture of two pdf's. Each of the two pdf's in the mixture is a truncated exponential; one applies to energies below the cutoff, the other pdf applies to energies above the cutoff. Each truncated exponential is characterized by a time-dependent decay parameter. A statistical model for the time-dependent decay parameters, and a mixture parameter, is developed.
The initiating steps of a Type II fatty acid synthase in plasmodium falciparum are catalyzed by pfACP, pfMCAT, and pfKASIII

Malaria, a disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium, is one of the most dangerous infectious diseases, claiming millions of lives and infecting hundreds of millions of people annually. The pressing need for new antimalarials has been answered by the discovery of new drug targets from the malaria genome project. One of the early findings was the discovery of two genes encoding Type II fatty acid biosynthesis proteins: ACP (acyl carrier protein) and KASIII (β-ketoacyl-ACP synthase III). The initiating steps of a Type II system require a third protein: malonyl-coenzyme A:ACP transacylase (MCAT). Here we report the identification of a single gene from P. falciparum encoding pfMCAT and the functional characterization of this enzyme. Pure recombinant pfMCAT catalyzes malonyl transfer from malonyl-coenzyme A (malonyl-CoA) to pfACP. In contrast, pfACPtrans, a construct of pfACP containing an amino-terminal apicoplast transit peptide, was not a substrate for pfMCAT. The product of the pfMCAT...
Community-onset methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in an urban HIV clinic

Objectives To determine the proportion of skin/soft tissue infections (SSTIs) and to determine risks for MRSA infection caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in HIV-infected out-patients. Methods We conducted a prospective study of SSTIs in HIV-infected out-patients. A questionnaire was used to record MRSA risk factors and treatment. In vitro testing for antibiotic susceptibility, inducible clindamycin resistance, panton-valentine leucocidin (PVL) toxin, and the staphylococcal chromosomal cassette mec (SCCmec) type was performed using standardized methods. Treatment outcomes included resolution of primary site of infection, nonresolution of infection and reinfection and were confirmed at clinic visit and/or telephone follow-up. Results Forty-one of 44 patients had an SSTI caused by MRSA. African-Americans comprised 21 of 41 MRSA patients. The median CD4 count of MRSA patients was 411 cells/μL. Four patients required hospitalization and three patients had secondary bacteraemia. Twenty-one of 41 MRSA patients had healthcare-associated (HCA) MRSA risk factors including a history of prior MRSA infection (n=9) and hospitalization within 6 months (n=11). Other prevalent MRSA risk factors included receipt of systemic antibiotics within 6 months (n=21) and previous incarceration (n=19). Twenty-two patients had a significant non-HIV-related comorbid illness. The majority of isolates were susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline, and clindamycin. Inducible clindamycin resistance was detected in 0 of 16 erythromycin-resistant, clindamycin-susceptible MRSA isolates. Twenty-one of 24 isolates tested positive for SCCmec type IV. Twenty-four of 24 isolates tested positive for the PVL gene. Antibiotic treatment was discordant (bacteria nonsusceptible to antibiotic used) in eight MRSA patients. The primary SSTI resolved in 37 of 40 MRSA patients. Recurrence of infection at a site other than the primary site was relatively common (11 patients). Conclusions We found a high rate of MRSA causing SSTI in community-dwelling patients. The majority of isolates were positive for PVL and SCCmec IV, which is typical of community-associated MRSA isolates causing SSTIs in the general population. Inducible clindamycin resistance was not detected. Most patients had MRSA risk factors. The initial site of infection resolved in most cases but subsequent MRSA infection was relatively common.
The SDP-1 Stored-Program Computer

A stored-program computer could be used to advantage on small scientific spaeeraft because of its flexibility. This paper describes the design and programming of a stored-program computer specifically adapted to this particular application. In order to be suitable for use in a small scientific spacecraft, a computer must have the following characteristics: reliability, low power drain, light weight, small size, problem-solving power, and flexibility. To meet these requirements, a computer was designed that has 1024 words of program memory and 512 words of data memory. The words are 12 bits in length and both memories are randomly accessed. In order to protect the program, the program memory is of the nondestrutive read-out type. The data memory is the conventional read/write variety. The computer is organized such that the power drain is small and less hardware is required by restricting parallel gating of information, number of registers, and number and complexity of instructions. Considerable effort has been devoted to programming the computer. Analysis shows that it takes on the order of two milliseconds to perform one of the floating-point operations. These limitations should be acceptable; the computer is not expected to be required to perform extremely complex or lengthy computations.
The mechanical properties of lead-titanate/polymer 0–3 composites

Abstract The stiffness and brittleness of pure piezoelectric ceramics limit the application of these materials as embedded sensors within composites. Thin-film compliant sensors have recently been developed by incorporating piezoelectric ceramic particles in a polymer matrix. When embedded in thicker composite structures, these thin-film sensors may be useful in monitoring internal mechanical conditions such as the evolution of damage. The mechanical properties of 0–3 composite films of calcium-modified lead titanate in Epon 828 epoxy and poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) matrices have been investigated in this work. The linear viscoelastic properties of these thin-film composites are measured, and the influences of strain, frequency, and ceramic content on these properties are investigated. Analytical and finite-element modeling are used to predict the effective viscoelastic properties of the composites, and these predictions are compared with the experimental results. The storage moduli predicted by these models are comparable to experimental results, while the predicted loss moduli are significantly less than the measured loss moduli. It is shown that the introduction of a third “interphase” layer at the ceramic/polymer boundary within the finite element model results in a better fit to the experimental data.
Isolation and ultrastructure of freshwater strains ofPlanctomyces

Four strains of a freshwaterPlanctomyces species—different in a number of respects from those hitherto described—have been isolated and their morphology and ultrastructure examined by transmission electron microscopy. The ovoid or spherical prokaryotic cells have a cell envelope consisting of outer and inner membranes, but apparently lacking a peptidoglycan wall layer. The cell envelopes of these osmotically sensitive organisms are stabilized in the presence of 5 mM MgSO4 or CaCl2; in the absence of divalent cations, autolysis is a common occurrence. Reproduction of these motile, stalked bacteria occurs by an asymmetric budding process in nonaxenic enrichment cultures and in pure cultures grown in very dilute (0.005% or less) peptone medium; but in higher concentrations of nutrients, division is more frequently symmetric and the multifibrillar stalks or appendages are seldom detectable. The cell diameters and the proportion of motile, flagellated cells as a stage of the life cycle are variable features, dependent on cultural conditions.
Genetic abnormalities specifically associated with varying metastatic potential of prostate cancer cell lines as detected by comparative genomic hybridization.

Abstract Established recently are two in vivo prostate tumor progression models in which subclones of the PC3M and LNCaP cell lines were selected for varying growth characteristics and metastatic potential after successive orthotopic implantation in the prostate of nude mice. In this study, we used comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) to compare the chromosomal abnormalities between the parental cell lines and their respective variants and to determine if specific chromosomal abnormalities can be identified that are associated with different growth properties. PC3M and its derivative cell lines PC3M-Pro4 and PC3M-LN4 shared gains of 8q22–qter, 10q21–q22, and Xq27–qter and loss of 13q33–qter. PC3M-Pro4, a derivative line that produced significantly larger tumors in the prostate, had a unique gain of 3q13. In contrast, PC3M-LN4, the derivative line that produced significantly larger metastatic tumors in the lymph nodes and had higher incidences of distant metastases, had a specific gain of 1q21–q22 and losses of 10q23–qter and 18q12–q21. In the second in vivo model, LNCaP and its derivative cell lines shared gain of 3q27–qter and loss on 13q21–qter. The derivative line that produced significantly larger tumors in the prostate, LNCaP-Pro5, had a unique gain on 13q12–q13. In comparison, LNCaP-LN3, a derivative line that had a significantly higher incidence of lymph node metastases and produced significantly larger metastatic tumors in the lymph nodes, had specific losses of 16q23–qter and 21q. Interestingly, some regions of loss (e.g., 10q23→qter, 16q23→qter, and 18q12→q21) detected in the variant cell lines correlated well with abnormalities seen in clinical prostate cancer cases. Thus, our data suggest not only that these cell lines are relevant in vivo models for prostate cancer progression, but also that CGH is a valuable tool for uncovering chromosomal regions that are important for aggressive growth and metastsis of prostate cancer cells.
Classical conditioning of the rabbit nictitating membrane response: Effects of reinforcement schedule on response maintenance and resistance to extinction

Two experiments were conducted to assess the effects of the introduction of schedules of partial reinforcement (PRF), subsequent to continuous reinforcement training, on the maintenance and resistance to extinction of the rabbit’s nictitating membrane CR. Substantial response levels were maintained by schedules of reinforcement as lean as 15%, and the performance decrements, when observed to be reliable, could not be localized to the immediate effects of one, two, or three consecutive nonreinforced trials by the examination of conditional response probabilities. Moreover, reliable PRF extinction effects were obtained. The relevance of these findings to the purported empirical divergence of PRF effects on classical and instrumental conditioning were discussed.
Seismocardiography-Based Detection of Cardiac Quiescence

Cardiac-computed tomography angiography (CTA) is a minimally invasive imaging technology for characterizing coronary arteries. A fundamental limitation of CTA imaging is cardiac movement, which can cause artifacts and reduce the quality of the obtained images. To mitigate this problem, current approaches involve gating the image based on the electrocardiogram (ECG) to predict the timing of quiescent periods of the cardiac cycle. This paper focuses on developing a foundation for using a mechanical alternative to the ECG for finding these quiescent periods: the seismocardiogram (SCG). SCG was used to determine beat-by-beat systolic and diastolic quiescent periods of the cardiac cycle for nine healthy subjects, and 11 subjects with various cardiovascular diseases. To reduce noise in the SCG, and quantify these quiescent periods, a Kalman filter was designed to extract the velocity of chest wall movement from the recorded SCG signals. The average systolic and diastolic quiescent periods were centered at 29% and 76% for the healthy subjects, and 33% and 79% for subjects with cardiovascular disease. Both inter and intrasubject variability in the quiescent phases were observed compared to ECG-predicted phases, suggesting that the ECG may be a suboptimal modality for predicting quiescence, and that the SCG provides complementary data to the ECG.
Large anhydrous polyalanine ions: evidence for extended helices and onset of a more compact state.

Ion mobility measurements and molecular modeling calculations have been used to examine the conformations of large multiply charged polyalanine peptides. Two series of [Alan+3H]3+ conformations whi...
Think Piece: The Purloined Mainframe: Hiding the History of Computing in Plain Sight

We are unconstrained by the shackles of decades of prior scholarship and find ourselves with an abundance of relevant, important topic areas for which there is high demand. We are fortunate that our focus lies on a moving technological area that constantly presents us with new material for research. Moreover, the history of computing is a foundational field for even newer, hotter fields of inquiry such as the Internet and "new media" studies.
Sex Steroid Influence on Hepatic Gluconeogenesis and Glycogen Formation1

Hepatic gluconeogenesis and glycogen formation were studied in female rats following 21 days of parenterally administered sex steroids to assess the effects of these hormones on liver carbohydrate metabolism and their role in the development of insulin antagonism during pregnancy. Estradiol, progesterone or the two hormones in combination were administered in sesame oil, and control rats received oil alone. Daily dosages of estradiol and progesterone did not exceed 5 μg or 5 mg, respectively. 128 Animals were subdivided into 2–hr and 24–hr fasted groups. Percentage conversion of intravenous alanine— U–14C or pyruvate–3–14C into glucose–14C was followed over a 30 min interval. Suppression of this conversion was most consistently produced with the combined regimen in association with increased percentages of precursor radioactivity appearing in hepatic glycogen. Plasma insulin concentrations were significantly increased in all sex steroidtreated animals relative to control values as was the liver glycogen c...
Limiting dilution analysis of in vivo-activated (IL-2 responsive) peripheral blood lymphocytes in HIV-1-infected subjects.

The progression of infection with human immunodeficiency virus, type 1 (HIV-1), is associated with a loss of helper T cell function, but the mechanism for this loss (e.g., decreased absolute number of helper cells, altered function of helper cells, or both) has not been delineated. Many studies have suggested that T-cell production of and/or responsiveness to the T cell growth factor interleukin-2 (IL-2) declines over the course of HIV-1 infection. Using a highly quantitative 6-day limiting dilution assay (LDA), we investigated whether the number and the proliferative capacity of circulating IL-2 responsive cells in patients with AIDS differ from those in patients in earlier stages of HIV-1 infection (asymptomatic or AIDS-related complex) and healthy seronegative individuals. The frequency of IL-2 responsive cells declined progressively in asymptomatic seropositive subjects, those with ARC, and those with AIDS. In contrast, the proliferative capacity of individual IL-2 responsive cells, as reflected by the magnitude of thymidine uptake per precursor, was reduced only in patients with frank AIDS and was normal in asymptomatic subjects and in those with ARC. These results suggest that the development of AIDS in the setting of HIV-1 infection may reflect a combination of qualitative as well as quantitative changes in lymphocyte function. They also suggest that analysis of lymphocyte responsiveness to IL-2 may provide a useful approach to prediction of the development of AIDS in individuals infected with HIV-1.
Acknowledgement design for collision-recovery-enabled wireless erasure networks

Current medium access control mechanisms are based on collision avoidance and collided packets are discarded. The recent work on ZigZag decoding departs from this approach by recovering the original packets from multiple collisions. In this paper, we view each collision as a linear combination of the original packets at the senders. The transmitted, colliding packets may themselves be a coded version of the original packets.
Characterization of sleep disturbance in Cornelia de Lange Syndrome

Abstract Objective Prior studies have suggested that sleep disturbance is common in Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS); however, the nature of this sleep disturbance has not been well characterized. In this study, we evaluate the prevalence of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) and sleepiness in children and young adults with CdLS. Methods Caregivers of 22 patients with CdLS completed 3 validated Pediatric Sleep Questionnaires: the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire (PSQ), Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale (PDSS), and OSA18. Results Both measures of SDB (OSA18 and PSQ) suggest that 35–36% of these patients may have moderate to severe SDB. This is much higher than the general population estimates of 1–4% for SDB with a relative risk of 5.2 (95% CI: 2.8–9.9). Correlation between the OSA18 and PSQ was significant (R = 0.67; 95% CI: 0.33–0.85, p = 0.0007). Confirming these results among patients with a high probability of SDB (based upon OSA18 scores ≥60), there was a non-significant trend toward increased sleepiness with a relative risk of 2.0 (95% CI: 0.73–5.7, p = 0.31) on the PDSS and 2.9 (95% CI: 0.93–9.1, p = 0.08) on the PSQ sleepiness scale. In those patients with low probability of SDB (OSA18 Conclusions Sleep disordered breathing and sleepiness appear to be common in CdLS although small sample sizes limit further conclusions. Additional studies with larger sample size and confirmation with polysomnography are needed to further explore the nature and extent of sleep disturbance in this population.
Opportunistic routing using prefix ordering and self-reported social groups

We present a new approach for opportunistic information dissemination. In contrast to prior approaches to disruption-tolerant networking that focus on physical aspects of connectivity, our approach is based on exploiting the social plane to improve the efficiency with which the physical network infrastructure is used. We integrate the use of social-group information with an approach to routing that eliminates the use of destination-based routing tables. We show that our approach provides correct unicast routing, and compare its performance against that of epidemic routing and an disruption-tolerant, address-based routing scheme. The results from our simulation experiments illustrate that eliminating flooding in connected components of a network and using the social plane to guide information dissemination render substantial performance improvements over traditional methods for routing in disruption-tolerant networks.
A Longitudinal Examination of Links between Mother-Child Attachment and Children's Friendships in Early Childhood

A longitudinal study examined associations between child-mother attachment security and children's friendships at two points in early childhood. Comparisons of secure-secure and secure-insecure friend pairs revealed that the interactions of secure-secure pairs were more positive at age 4 and more positive and co-ordinated at age 5.
Protein Nanoarrays Generated By Dip-Pen Nanolithography

Dip-pen nanolithography was used to construct arrays of proteins with 100- to 350-nanometer features. These nanoarrays exhibit almost no detectable nonspecific binding of proteins to their passivated portions even in complex mixtures of proteins, and therefore provide the opportunity to study a variety of surface-mediated biological recognition processes. For example, reactions involving the protein features and antigens in complex solutions can be screened easily by atomic force microscopy. As further proof-of-concept, these arrays were used to study cellular adhesion at the submicrometer scale.
The Impact of Democratic Transition on Elections and Parties in South Korea

With the 'third wave of democratization', South Korea joined the democracy club in the late 1980s. Although electoral performance and the party system have changed since the transition to democracy, there has been little systematic examination of the changes. In this article, we conduct an empirical test after developing a theoretical argument about why democratization leads to change. Before democratization, the manipulation of electoral laws and the urban–rural cleavage dominated Korean elections. After democratization, the electoral rules stabilized and opposition parties were given a fair chance to win the election. However, the average life of political parties shortened because of regionalism and personalism. There is now reason to believe that personalism may be set to diminish, thus encouraging authentic structural cleavages to emerge and shape Korean party politics in the coming years.
Economic metal recovery from fly ash

Although most coal combustion ash produced in the United States is discarded as a waste (⩾52 million metric tons per year), results are presented to show that fly ash can be an economical source of Al2O3, Fe2O3, and possibly several other metals, many of which are presently being imported. Although several metal recovery processes were studied, only the two of greatest economic potential and widest applicability were given detailed economic evaluation; the direct acid leach of ash with HCl (a minimum treatment process) and a pressure digestion acid leach (a maximum recovery process). Results show that both methods can remove from fly ash all metals that would otherwise be available for release to the environment after disposal and that a major portion of the leached metals can be separated in saleable form. Economic analyses indicate that the direct acid leach process is most attractive. A capital investment of $38.2 million will be required to handle 9.07 × 105 metric tons (dry basis) of ash per year, producing a net yearly cash flow of $15.2 million. Additional economic benefits will result from the recovery of these metals through elimination of the higher ash disposal costs that may be required for fly ash containing trace metals. National benefits will also result from reduced importation of metals and ores.
Chemical depth profiling of photovoltaic backsheets after accelerated laboratory weathering

ABSTRACT Polymeric multilayer backsheets provide protection for the backside of photovoltaic (PV) module from the damage of moisture and ultraviolet (UV). Due to the nature of multilayer films, certain material property characterization of a backsheet could only be studied by examining its cross-section parallel to the thickness direction of the film. In this study, commercial PPE (polyethylene terephthalate (PET)/PE T/ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)) backsheet films were aged on the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) SPHERE (Simulated Photodegradation via High Energy Radiant Exposure) with UV irradiance at 170 W/m 2 (300 nm to 400 nm) under accelerated weathering conditions of 85°C and two relative humidity (R.H.) levels of 5% (low) and 60% (high). Cryo-microtomy was used to obtain cross-sectional PPE samples with a flat surface parallel to the thickness direction, and chemical depth profiling of multilayers was conducted by Raman microscopic mapping. Atomic force microscopy with peak force tapping mode was used complementarily for cross-sectional imaging. The results rev ealed that the PPE backsheet films were comprised of five main layers, including pigmented-PET, core PET, inner EVA, pigmented-EVA and outer EVA, along with their interfacial regions and two adhesive layers. UV and moisture degradation on the outer pigmented PET layer was clearly observed; while the damage on the core PET layer was less significance, indicating that the outer pigmented PET layer effectively reduced the damage from UV. In high R.H. exposure, both adhesive layers were severely deteriorated. It was found that the EVA layers were susceptible to moisture at elevated temperature, especially for the pigmented-EVA. Based on the results of accelerated weathering, this depth profiling study brings new understanding to the mechanisms of failure observed in polymeric multilayer backsheets during field exposure. Keywords: photovoltaic, backsheet, polymeric multilayer, Raman imaging, cross-section, accelerated weathering/aging
Serum Lipoids and Complementary Activity.

SummaryActive, dehydrated complement showed no reduction of power when extracted in the cold with absolute alcohol, ether and petroleum ether. It was not possible to remove more than 50% of the total phospholipids of active, dehydrated complement by the methods described. Fresh complement was readily denatured by the solvents employed, namely, absolute alcohol, absolute ether, and petroleum ether. Treatment of active, dehydrated complement with chloroform, benzene and pyridine led to no change in initial titers. No evidence of a 5th component in the sense of Toda and Misuse was found. No relationship was found between the phospholipid contents of the serums of guinea pigs fed a vitamin-C deficient diet and their lowered complementary activities.
Align in the Sand

Many animal species form large organized groups, but how information is shared within swarms, flocks, and heards is not clear. Studies of locust swarms reveal distinct transitions from disordered to ordered phases.
A graph-based system for network-vulnerability analysis

This paper presents a graph-based approach to network vulnerability analysis. The method is flexible, allowing analysis of attacks from both outside and inside the network. It can analyze risks to a specific network asset, or examine the universe of possible consequences following a successful attack. The graph-based tool can identify the set of attack paths that have a high probability of success (or a low effort cost) for the attacker. The system could be used to test the effectiveness of making configuration changes, implementing an intrusion detection system, etc. The analysis system requires as input a database of common attacks, broken into atomic steps, specific network configuration and topology information, and an attacker profile. The attack information is matched with the network configuration information and an attacker profile to create a superset attack graph. Nodes identify a stage of attack, for example the class of machines the attacker has accessed and the user privilege level he or she has compromised. The arcs in the attack graph represent attacks or stages of attacks. By assigning probabilities of success on the arcs or costs representing level-of-effort for the attacker, various graph algorithms such as shortest-path algorithms can identify the attack paths with the highest probability of success.
Optimal control of discrete linear processes with quadratic cost

A direct method 18 given for solving the optimal control problem Xk+1+ Bukk=0,,N — l with quadratic cost functional. The matrices A, B,,Q, H are all allowed to be singular. The process is not assumed to be completely controllable. The coefficients are assumed to have the property that there exists a scalar μ such that Q + B ∗( — μA∗+I)−1-μH(μ — A)−1 B is invertible.
Application of the continuation method to root locus. A natural homotopy system

The homotopy continuation method has been employed to solve many chemical engineering problems involving nonlinear equations. It has not been employed to draw root locus in process control. The application of the continuation method makes it possible to draw root locus more accurately and more efficiently, particularly for control systems with a time delay. For such systems, two problems related to the starting points and the crossings must be solved first. Methods to locate the starting points and to handle crossings are also discussed.
Sulfide mineralogy and geochemistry, edited by D. J. Vaughan

Book Review: Sulfide Mineralogy and Geochemistry, D. J. Vaughan (Ed.). Mineralogical Society of America and the Geochemical Society (2006).
Outdoor recreation and global climate change: Resource management implications for behaviors, planning, and management

Abstract Global climate change is of great concern for a substantial portion of the earth's population. A growing body of evidence suggests that global climate changes will affect future outdoor recreation opportunities and patterns of behavior. These changes will influence both the site and the user of the outdoor environment. This paper provides an overview of how global climate changes may affect outdoor recreation and potential strategies for dealing with these changes.
The Risks and Rewards of Investing in Commodity–Based Indices

In recent years new exchange traded and over–the–counter commodity indices have come into existence. This article reviews the construction of major investable commodity indices and compares their risk and return characteristics with those stock, bond, real estate, managed futures, and hedge fund indices, as well as those of active commodity managers. Each commodity index is examined both as a stand–alone investment and as part of a well–diversified portfolio with equities and bonds.
The impact of add-on catalytic devices on pollutant emissions from unvented kerosene heaters

Many studies have documented pollutant emission rates from kerosene heaters. Carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}), nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO{sub 2}), formaldehyde (HCHO), suspended particles, and semivolatile and nonvolatile organic compounds, including some nitrated and non-nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, can be emitted by kerosene heaters. Recently, several add-on catalytic devices designed to reduce some pollutant emissions have become commercially available. The tests described here were designed to measure the impact of these devices on pollutant emissions from unvented kerosene heaters. Emissions of CO, NO, NO{sub 2}, HCHO, and total suspended particles were investigated in this study. In addition, analyses of particulate sulfur and chromium were conducted for some tests.
Predictors of Early Discontinuation of Dual-Antiplatelet Therapy: Room for Improvement

found that 20% of patients had discontinued clopidogreltherapy within 6 months of receiving a bare-metal stent orDES. Results from the Prospective Registry Evaluating Myo-cardial Infarction: Events and Recovery Registry showed that14% of acute coronary syndrome patients had discontinuedDAT within the first 30 days following placement of aDES
Generation and detection of very short-wavelength surface acoustic waves at nano-interfaces

Using an ultrafast laser to excite 2D nanostructures, and coherent extreme ultraviolet light to detect the resulting acoustic response, we observe and characterize the shortest-wavelength (35 nm) surface acoustic waves to date.
Cancer and Inflammation: An Old Intuition with Rapidly Evolving New Concepts*

Recent scientific advances have contributed much to the dissection of the complex molecular and cellular pathways involved in the connection between cancer and inflammation. The evidence for this connection in humans is based on the association between infection or chronic sterile inflammation and cancer. The decreased incidence of tumors in individuals who have used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is supportive of a role for inflammation in cancer susceptibility. The increased incidence of tumors in overweight patients points to a role for adipose tissue inflammation and energy metabolism in cancer. Energy metabolism, obesity, and genetic instability are regulated in part by the relationship of the organism with commensal bacteria that affect inflammation with both local and systemic effects. Different aspects of inflammation appear to regulate all phases of malignant disease, including susceptibility, initiation, progression, dissemination, morbidity, and mortality.