cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Use of spiral computerized tomography in lieu of angiography for preoperative assessment of living renal donors

AbstractPurpose: We evaluate whether spiral computerized tomography (CT) can be used in lieu of renal angiography for preoperative assessment of living renal donors, with special attention to multiplicity of renal vasculature.Materials and Methods: A total of 47 living renal donor candidates were evaluated with spiral CT and all but 2 underwent donor nephrectomy. Patients were divided into early and late groups because there was a learning curve with spiral CT. In the early group 18 donors underwent renal angiography as well as spiral CT and 10 underwent nephrectomy after spiral CT only. In the late group 5 had dual radiographic evaluation for ambiguities in spiral CT interpretation and 12 underwent nephrectomy after spiral CT only. Spiral CT was performed and interpreted blind to angiographic results, and vice versa.Results: Spiral CT identified 50 of 52 renal arteries (96%) found at surgery overall and 23 of 25 (92%) found at surgery after spiral CT only. Two accessory arteries were missed in the 10 ear...
Spectrum of Gluino Bound States

Abstract Using the bag model to first order in α s we find that if ligth gluinos exist they will appear as constituents of electrically charged bound states which are stable against strong interaction decay. We review the present experimental constraints and conclude that light, long-lived charged hadrons containing gluinos might exist with lifetimes between 2 × 10 −8 and 10 −14 s.
The importance of theory in cognitive behavior therapy: a perspective of contextual behavioral science.

Abstract For the past 30 years, generations of scholars of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) have expressed concern that clinical practice has abandoned the close links with theory that characterized the earliest days of the field. There is also a widespread assumption that a greater working knowledge of theory will lead to better clinical outcomes, although there is currently very little hard evidence to support this claim. We suggest that the rise of so-called “third generation” models of CBT over the past decade, along with the dissemination of statistical innovations among psychotherapy researchers, have given new life to this old issue. We argue that theory likely does matter to clinical outcomes, and we outline the future research that would be needed to address this conjecture.
Ciliary neurotrophic factor stimulates nuclear hypertrophy and increases the GFAP content of cultured astrocytes.

Studies using transgenic mice that overexpress ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), direct injection of CNTF into brain parenchyma, and ectopic expression of CNTF by an adenoviral vector have demonstrated that CNTF activates astrocytes. Paradoxically, studies to date have failed to show an effect of CNTF on the expression of GFAP by cultured astrocytes. Therefore, the goal of this study was to use nuclear hypertrophy and GFAP expression as indices of glial activation to compare the responsiveness of forebrain type 1 and type 2 astrocytes to CNTF. As reported by others, CNTF did not increase GFAP in type 1 astrocytes; however, it rapidly increased their nuclear size by 20%. Nuclear hypertrophy was apparent within 4 h after CNTF exposure and persisted for at least 48 h. In contrast, type 2 astrocyte GFAP increased 2-fold over the course of 48 h of CNTF treatment. During this same treatment period type 2 astroglial nuclei enlarged by 25%. We conclude that CNTF stimulates both type 1 and type 2 astrocytes directly. Together with our in vivo studies (Levison et al., 1996: Exp. Neurol. 141: 256), these data support the concept that CNTF is responsible for many of the progressive astroglial changes that appear after CNS injury and disease.
The surgical approach to lateral meniscal repair

Peripheral lateral meniscal tears are amenable to meniscal repair. Rasp abrasion and fibrin clot deposition along with vascular access channels are advances that, one hopes will increase healing rates of meniscal repairs. A basic principle that is not emphasized in the literature is how to perform the surgical approach to the lateral meniscus for safe placement of a meniscal repair retractor. This article reviews the anatomical planes of which the surgeon must be cognizant to facilitate retractor placement.
Lexical Information Processing During Sentence Comprehension.

This article reports two experiments, a phoneme monitoring experiment and a sentence completion experiment, conducted with matched materials on subjects drawn from the same population. There are three major conclusions: ( a ) That in the case of ambiguous lexical items, all meanings are retrieved, but following a decision stage only one is transferred to working memory; ( b ) that the two experimental tasks investigated do not tap the same psycholinguistic processes; and ( c ) that there is a lexical retrieval stage operable in both comprehension and production which affects response latencies.
The political economy of global carbon emissions reductions

Abstract The discussion about what reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are required and how the emissions rights might be distributed globally has fostered the belief that there is a fundamental conflict between the rich nations of the “North” and the poor but populous nations of the “South.” The argument is that grandfathering the rights will only reinforce existing global inequalities, while per capita distribution of the rights would lead to such huge transfers of wealth to the South as to be unacceptable to the North. However, a very simple general equilibrium model highlighting key elements of the global economy shows that this perception is incorrect under a plausible interpretation of the goal of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to “avoid dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.” Instead of using an economic damage function to determine the optimal level of emissions reductions, the model's utility functions are calibrated to reflect scientific understanding of what would be required to stabilize the atmosphere at safe concentrations of greenhouse gases. Among policy options that would accomplish this, the United States has a preference for grandfathering the allocation of emissions rights over a per capita allocation, but this preference is not strong and could be offset by other geopolitical considerations.
Analysis of mixtures of ionic compounds using Fast Atom Bombardment and a triple analyzer mass spectrometer

Abstract The combination of fast atom bombardment (FAB) and mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (MS/MS) has been applied to the analysis of cyclic peptides and anionic surfactants.
Treatment With DAV for Advanced-Stage Hemangiosarcoma in Dogs

Hemangiosarcoma (HSA) is an aggressive disease that is fairly common in the dog. The authors evaluated a doxorubicin, dacarbazine, and vincristine (DAV) combination protocol in dogs with nonresectable stage II and stage III HSA. Twenty-four dogs were enrolled in this prospective, phase 2 study. Doxorubicin and dacarbazine were administered on day 1 while vincristine was administered on days 8 and 15. The protocol was repeated every 21 days for a maximum of six cycles or until disease progression. Toxicity and efficacy were assessed by clinical and laboratory evaluation and by questionnaires completed by the owners. Of the 24 included dogs, 19 were evaluable for response. The response rate (including five complete responses and four partial responses) was 47.4%. Median time to tumor progression was 101 days and median overall survival was 125 days. Significant toxicities were noted, including 41 high-grade hematologic and 12 high-grade gastrointestinal toxic events. Five dogs discontinued treatment due to chemotherapy-related toxicities, but no treatment-related deaths occurred. Multivariate analysis identified patient age (relative risk [RR], 2.3, P=0.049) to be negatively associated with time to progression whereas dacarbazine dose reductions (RR, 0.06, P=0.031) were positively associated with time to progression. Dacarbazine dose reduction was the sole factor positively associated with overall survival (RR, 0.28, P=0.015). In conclusion, the DAV combination appears to offer clinical responses and may prolong survival in dogs with advanced-stage HSA.
Sequential Grazing of Cool- and Warm-Season Pastures

Pasture productivity in Iowa is often limited by low productivity of cool-season grasses during summer. Our overall objectives were to (i) evaluate the impact of legumes on the productivity and nutritive value of cool-season pastures, (ii) evaluate warm-season grasses for summer grazing, and (iii) determine the effects of pasture sequence on the productivity of season-long grazing systems. Cool-season pastures consisted of smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.) alone or in mixture with birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.), alfalfa (Medicago saliva L.), or kura clover (Trifolium ambiguum M. Bieb.). Warm-season pastures were monocultures of big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman) or switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.). Kura clover was the only legume that persisted well over time, and because of this, pastures interseeded with kura clover maintained a higher nutritive value than either those interseeded with alfalfa or birdsfoot trefoil. This resulted in higher total liyeweight gains for cattle grazing sequences that included pastures interseeded with kura clover. In general, rotating cattle to warm-season grass pastures during summer was less advantageous than having them remain on cool-season pastures at a lower stocking rate because warm-season pasture nutritive value was lower and declined more rapidly. However, despite lower nutritive value and consequently animal performance, sequences with warm-season grass pastures did perform well under some conditions and may be a desirable alternative under some circumstances. Having a warm-season grass pasture in the grazing sequence provides an opportunity to relieve cool-season pastures when growth conditions become limiting and introduces flexibility into the management system.
Hydrogen and oxygen isotopic compositions of waters from fumaroles at Kilauea summit, Hawaii

Condensate samples were collected in 1992 from a high-temperature (300° C) fumarole on the floor of the Halemaumau Pit Crater at Kilauea. The emergence about two years earlier of such a hot fumarole was unprecedented at such a central location at Kilauea. The condensates have hydrogen and oxygen isotopic compositions which indicate that the waters emitted by the fumarole are composed largely of meteoric water, that any magmatic water component must be minor, and that the precipitation that was the original source to the fumarole fell on a recharge area on the slopes of Mauna Loa Volcano to the west. However, the fumarole has no tritium, indicating that it taps a source of water that has been isolated from atmospheric water for at least 40 years. It is noteworthy, considering the unstable tectonic environment and abundant local rainfall of the Kilauea and Mauna Loa regions, that waters which are sources to the hot fumarole remain uncontaminated from atmospheric sources over such long times and long transport distances. As for the common, boiling point fumaroles of the Kilauea summit region, their 18O, D and tritium concentrations indicate that they are dominated by recycling of present day meteoric water. Though the waters of both hot and boiling point fumaroles have dominantly meteoric sources, they seem to be from separate hydrological regimes. Large concentrations of halogens and sulfur species in the condensates, together with the location at the center of the Kilauea summit region and the high temperature, initially suggested that much of the total mass of the emissions of the hot fumarole, including the H2O, might have come directly from a magma body. The results of the present study indicate that it is unreliable to infer a magmatic origin of volcanic waters based solely on halogen or sulfur contents, or other aspects of chemical composition of total condensates.
Treatment of peripartum cardiomyopathy with mechanical assist devices and cardiac transplantation.

Background Peripartum cardiomyopathy is a life threatening illness. If maximal medical therapy fails, patients may then be treated with mechanical circulatory support devices and (or) cardiac transplantation. Our purpose is to demonstrate the long-term efficacy of these surgical interventions. Methods A retrospective review of 18 patients diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy from 1994 to 2009 was conducted. Results Eighteen patients were referred with a median of seven year delay between onset of symptoms and presentation. Eight (44%) had medical therapy with only one death at five years, seven are alive, and two patients are awaiting transplantation. Six patients were implanted with devices. From this group, there were two hospital deaths, one native heart recovery, and three heart transplants with 100% survival. Four patients (21%) were treated with transplantation alone and all survived. Combined device and (or) transplant survival was 80% at one year. Conclusions The natural history of this group varied; 38% of the medically treated patients are stable on medical therapy (3 of 8) and 67% of the device patients (4 of 6) are alive. One of six device patients (17%) was successfully bridged to native heart recovery. Mechanical assist devices can be used as a bridge to recovery or as a bridge to cardiac transplantation for the treatment of peripartum cardiomyopathy patients who fail medical management. In addition, cardiac transplantation alone is also a viable treatment option for patients who fail medical management and do not require a mechanical assist device.
Proteomic analysis of Vibrio cholerae outer membrane vesicles

Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) produced by Gram-negative bacteria provide an interesting research material for defining cell-envelope proteins without experimental cell disruption. OMVs are also promising immunogenic platforms and may play important roles in bacterial survival and pathogenesis. We used in-solution trypsin digestion coupled to mass spectrometry to identify 90 proteins present in OMVs of Vibrio cholerae when grown under conditions that activate the TCP pilus virulence regulatory protein (ToxT) virulence regulon. The ToxT expression profile and potential contribution to virulence of these proteins were assessed using ToxT and in vivo RNA-seq, Tn-seq, and cholera stool proteomic and other genome-wide data sets. Thirteen OMV-associated proteins appear to be essential for cell growth, and therefore may represent antibacterial drug targets. Another 12 nonessential OMV proteins, including DegP protease, were required for intestinal colonization in rabbits. Comparative proteomics of a degP mutant revealed the importance of DegP in the incorporation of nine proteins into OMVs, including ones involved in biofilm matrix formation and various substrates of the type II secretion system. Taken together, these results suggest that DegP plays an important role in determining the content of OMVs and also affects phenotypes such as intestinal colonization, proper function of the type II secretion system, and formation of biofilm matrix.
Novel MEMS Devices and Silicon Micromachined Components for High Frequency Circuits

This paper discusses recent developments in MEMS devices and Si-micromachined circuits. Specifically, the issue of poor isolation in individual MEMS switches is addressed in the context on creative designs that lead to the development of very-high isolation MEMS switch architectures operating in a very broad frequency range. Furthermore, Si-micromachined circuits appropriate for use in modern communications systems are described, and novel K- thru W-band 3D multi- layer architectures are presented.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Genetic association study in psychiatry: analytical evaluation and a recommendation.

Recent analysis of the candidate gene, association study for psychiatric disorders have concluded that most statistically significant results are likely to be false positives because there are a large number of potential candidate loci and a low a priori probability that a given candidate locus will in fact be trait relevant. Hence, it was recommended that the α level (P level) be lowered for association studies. The present study demonstrates that lowering the α level to some fixed, predetermined value is not a recommended strategy. Rather, the probability of false positives (and false negatives) depends on such parameters as the prevalence of the disorder, the prevalence of the genotypes at the candidate locus, and the relative risk. In some areas of the parameter space, the adjustment to α may be modest. In other areas, however, even the requirement of one or more independent replications of the original results gives false positive rates exceeding 80% or 90%. Hence, the P levels required to minimize false positives may have to be changed from one statistical test to another even within the same study. A procedure for adjusting the probability level for a test of association between genotypes and a disorder is given. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Assembly of desmosomal cadherins into desmosomes is isoform dependent.

Desmosomes are intercellular adhesive junctions that exhibit cell- and differentiation-specific differences in their molecular composition. In complex epithelia, desmosomes contain multiple representatives of the desmosomal cadherin family, which includes three desmogleins and three desmocollins. Rules governing the assembly of desmosomal cadherin isoforms into desmosomes of different cell types are unknown. Here we compared the assembly properties of desmoglein 2 (Dsg2) and desmocollin 2 (Dsc2), which are widely expressed, with Dsg1 and Dsc1, which are expressed in the differentiated layers of complex epithelia, by introducing myc-tagged forms into simple and squamous epithelial cells that do not express Dsg1 or Dsc1. Dsc2.myc and Dsg2.myc assembled efficiently into desmosomes in every cell type in spite of significant shifts in the stoichiometric relationship between desmogleins and desmocollins. In contrast, Dsc1a.myc, Dsc1b.myc, and Dsg1.myc did not stably incorporate into desmosomes in any line. Coexpression of Dsc1a.myc or Dsc1b.myc and Dsg1.myc did not lead to their colocalization and failed to enhance incorporation of either cadherin into desmosomes. Dsg1.myc, but not Dsc1a, Dsc1b, disrupted desmosome assembly in a cell-type-specific manner, and disruption correlated with the recruitment of Dsg1.myc, but not Dsc1a or Dsc1b, into a Triton-insoluble pool. The plakoglobin:E-cadherin ratio decreased in Dsg1-expressing cells with disrupted desmosomes, but a decrease was also observed in a Dsc1a line. Thus, a modest reduction of plakoglobin associated with E-cadherin is apparently not sufficient to disrupt desmosome assembly. Our results demonstrate that desmosome assembly tolerates large shifts in cadherin stoichiometry, but is sensitive to isoform-specific differences exhibited by desmogleins and desmocollins.
The efficacy of training cooperating teachers

Abstract This study investigated outcomes of a clinical faculty training program designed to prepare cooperating teachers for supervising pre-service teachers. Drawing on multiple data sources from more than a decade of implementation, researchers investigated initial outcomes of the program for cooperating teachers, student teachers, and new teachers. Findings suggest that the training resulted in a greater sense of efficacy for aspects of the role and may lead to more effective evaluation practices by clinical faculty and to stronger performances by student teachers. The lack of other significant results may have implications for policies related to the evaluation of teacher preparation programs.
Shape-selective binding of nitriles to the inorganic cavitand, V12O324−

Abstract The benzonitrile guest-host complex [C 6 H 5 CN ⊂V 12 O 24 4− )] has been prepared by thermal dehydration of H 2 V 10 O 28 4− in C 6 H 5 CN. Single crystal X-ray structural analysis of its solvated tetraphenylphosphoniumsalt 1 2 {(V 12 O 32 )[P(C 6 H 5 ) 4 ] 4 -(C 6 H 5 CN) 6 } [ b = 19.392(9), b =11.679(4), c = 30.881(15), β = 107.78(4), P2/c-C 2h 4 (No. 13)] revealed the presence of P(C 6 H 5 ) 4 + cations, C 6 H 5 CN molecules of solvation, and discrete [C 6 H 5 CN⊂(V 12 O 32 4− )] ions in which an benzonitrile molecule is located in the center of a V 12 O 32 4− cavitand. The V 12 O 32 4− ion binds CH 3 CN in preference to C 6 H 5 CN in C 6 H 5 NO 2 with K eq =10±3 for the equation CH 3 CN + [C 6 H 5 CN⊂(V 12 O 32 4− )] =C 6 H 5 CN + [CH 3 CNc(V 12 O 32 4− )]. According to computer modeling studies, van der Waals forces can account for the gross structural features of [CH 3 CN⊂(V 12 O 32 4− )] and [C 6 H 5 CN⊂(V 12 O 32 4− )], but metal-ligand interactions are responsible for preventing a close approach of the guest molecules to the interior walls of the host cavity.
Rhinovirus-Specific T Cells Recognize both Shared and Serotype-Restricted Viral Epitopes

To characterize rhinovirus (RV)-specific T cells, RV16- and RV49-specific CD4 T cells were cloned from peripheral blood, and cytokine secretion and serotype specificity were defined. Each RV-specific clone secreted high levels of interferon-gamma, and several also produced interleukin-4 and -5. To test serotype specificity, each clone was incubated separately with five different RV serotypes. Although 2 of 31 clones proliferated only in response to the virus used in cloning, the rest had significant proliferation in response to 2-5 different serotypes. Thus, RV-specific T cells can be activated by either serotype-specific or shared viral epitopes, raising the possibility that repeated activation of T cells by shared viral determinants in vivo could induce potent recall T cell responses. It is likely that enhanced T cell responses to shared viral epitopes contribute to antiviral activity, airway inflammation, or both.
Is There Life After the Death of the Computational Theory of Mind

In this paper, I explore the implications of Fodor's attacks on the Computational Theory of Mind (CTM), which get their most recent airing in The Mind Doesn't Work That Way. I argue that if Fodor is right that the CTM founders on the global nature of abductive inference, then several of the philosophical views about the mind that he has championed over the years founder as well. I focus on Fodor's accounts of mental causation, psychological explanation, and intentionality.
Comments in reply

In his response Joel Wainwright deploys some passages from Kant to draw out some of the theoretical and political differences between Kojin Karatani and Michel Foucault.
URBAN PLANNING AND RESIDENTIAL SEGREGATION: THE EFFECT OF A NEIGHBORHOOD-BASED CITIZEN PARTICIPATION PROJECT

A community development process oriented toward involving the public is encouraged, but the details of public participation have been more recommended than prescribed. City authorities have used a variety of techniques to seek public participation, ranging from public hearings and appointed citizen advisory committees to local neighborhood elections of representatives for community development decisionmaking. Birmingham, Alabama chose the localized electoral method of citizen participation. The Birmingham plan is evaluated every two years, and an important part of this evaluation is citizen review of neighborhood boundaries. As a result of regular review, citizens have an opportunity to determine by boundary definition the racial and class compositions of their own neighborhoods. The current study assesses the effect of citizen definition of neighborhood planning areas on the level of segregation in the communities.
Optical model spin-orbit potential of15N

Using a strongly mismatched transfer reaction,138Ba (14C,15N), the spin orbit potential for15N projectiles has been derived in terms of the reaction asymmetry. The strength and sign of the L·S-potential are consistent with a previous determination using an (16O,15n) reaction; the signisopposite to that for nucleons and agrees with a model where the last P1/2 nucleon is responsible for the L·S potential.
Lansce RF System Refurbishment

The Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) is in the planning phase of a refurbishment project that will sustain reliable facility operations well into the next decade. The LANSCE accelerator was constructed in the late 1960s and early 1970s and is a national user facility that provides pulsed protons and spallation neutrons for defense and civilian research and applications. The refurbishment will focus on systems that are approaching "end of life" and systems where modern upgrades hold the promise for significant operating cost savings. The current baseline consist of replacing all the 201 MHz RF systems, upgrading a substantial fraction of the 805 MHz RF systems to high efficiency klystrons, replacing the high voltage systems, and replacing the low level RF cavity field control systems. System designs will be presented. The performance improvements will be described and the preliminary cost and schedule estimates will be discussed.
Finite Reynolds number effect on the rheology of a dilute suspension of neutrally buoyant circular particles in a Newtonian fluid

Abstract Knowledge of suspension rheology can help in the prediction of its behavior under various flow conditions. Considerable theoretical effort has been made to model the macroscopic properties of suspensions of rigid particles in a Newtonian fluid, but for the most part it has been limited to zero particle Reynolds number. In this paper we investigate the effect of finite particle Reynolds number on the macroscopic properties of suspensions of rigid circular particles in a Newtonian fluid in the dilute limit (no interaction between particles). Two-dimensional numerical simulations are performed. Navier–Stokes equations are solved for the fluid without neglecting any terms. It is seen that the viscosity of the suspension shear thickens. The first normal stress difference is negative and increases in magnitude as the Reynolds number is increased.
Enforcing Secure and Privacy-Preserving Information Brokering in Distributed Information Sharing

Today's organizations raise an increasing need for information sharing via on-demand access. Information brokering systems (IBSs) have been proposed to connect large-scale loosely federated data sources via a brokering overlay, in which the brokers make routing decisions to direct client queries to the requested data servers. Many existing IBSs assume that brokers are trusted and thus only adopt server-side access control for data confidentiality. However, privacy of data location and data consumer can still be inferred from metadata (such as query and access control rules) exchanged within the IBS, but little attention has been put on its protection. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to preserve privacy of multiple stakeholders involved in the information brokering process. We are among the first to formally define two privacy attacks, namely attribute-correlation attack and inference attack, and propose two countermeasure schemes automaton segmentation and query segment encryption to securely share the routing decision-making responsibility among a selected set of brokering servers. With comprehensive security analysis and experimental results, we show that our approach seamlessly integrates security enforcement with query routing to provide system-wide security with insignificant overhead.
Superimposition and timing of deformations in the Mount Morrison roof pendant and in the central Sierra Nevada, California

The Mount Morrison roof pendant, the only roof pendant in the central Sierra Nevada containing Paleozoic fossils, is complexly deformed and contains three generations of structures, including folds, reverse faults, schistosities, and lineations. All three generations of structures occur in the Ordovician-Silurian(?) metasedimentary rocks, whereas only the younger two are recorded in the Pennsylvanian-Permian(?) metasedimentary rocks and the Permian(?)-Jurassic(?) metavolcanic rocks. The average strike directions of axial planes of folds are north-south, N25°W, and N60°W in the first, second, and third generations, respectively. Generations of structures having similar styles, orientations, and relative age relations occur in other pendants of the central Sierra Nevada. The pendant is interpreted as a thin sequence with tight isoclinal folds instead of a thick homoclinal sequence. The first deformation occurred during Devonian or Mississippian time, perhaps during the Antler orogeny. Uplift, erosion, and volcanism occurred in Late Permian time between the first and second deformations, perhaps as an expression of the Sonoma orogeny. The second generation structures formed in several pulses between Early Triassic and Early Cretaceous time, as indicated by temporal relations between deformed wall rocks and younger, crosscutting granitic plutons. The third generation structures formed between Early and Late Cretaceous time, during which these structures were crosscut by granitic rocks. The wall rocks of the batholith may form an anticlinorium instead of a synclinorium. Other roof pendants in the axial portion of the batholith may be relatively old, because they contain the same three sets of structures as found in the Ordovician-Silurian(?) rocks of the Mount Morrison roof pendant. Locally, various age belts of granitic rocks have shielded roof pendants from subsequent deformation.
All-Atom Simulation and Coarse-Grained Analysis of the Rigor Actomyosin System

Interactions of actin filaments with myosin motor proteins are important for a variety of cellular functions. The myosin mechanochemical cycle is a complicated sequence of steps including ATP hydrolysis by myosin, binding and unbinding of myosin with actin, and phosphate release from myosin during the force-producing “powerstroke.” No high-resolution crystal structure of actomyosin exists, however low resolution data from cryo-EM has allowed a characterization of the rigor state (ATP free) of actomyosin at an atomic level of detail. Here we present the first simulation study at an all-atom level of detail of the myosin II S1 domain in the rigor state interacting with a fully periodic actin filament. Additionally, we study myosin II in the rigor and post-rigor states in the absence of actin. Through a combination of all-atom level and coarse-grained (CG) analysis, we are able to identify effects of myosin binding on the actin filament, the effects on myosin dynamics of being bound to actin, and differences in the collective motions between simulated myosin states. CG level analysis allows further characterization of the influence of myosin binding on the definitions of domains which exhibit collective motion for the actin monomers in the periodic filament, and the identification of CG domains of myosin which interact strongly with actin domains based on a heterogeneous elastic network model analysis.
Influence of substrate on the amino acid profile and macromolecular composition of a Brevibacterium species

Brevibacterium JM98A (ATCC 29895) was grown aerobically in carbon-limited continuous culture on the following substrates: gluconic acid, galactose, fumaric acid, glutamic acid, and aspapagine. Both whole and trichloacetic acid(TCA)-ex-tracted cells were analyzed for their amino acid compositions. No significant variations of amino acid profile were induced by change of substrate. Only the valine content varied significantly with growth rate. Some significant variations were observed between whole and extracted cell samples, primarily in the levels of the essential amino acids threonine, cystine, and valine.
TATA-Binding Protein Mutants That Are Lethal in the Absence of the Nhp6 High-Mobility-Group Protein

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae Nhp6 protein is related to the high-mobility-group B family of architectural DNA-binding proteins that bind DNA nonspecifically but bend DNA sharply. Nhp6 is involved in transcriptional activation by both RNA polymerase II (Pol II) and Pol III. Our previous genetic studies have implicated Nhp6 in facilitating TATA-binding protein (TBP) binding to some Pol II promoters in vivo, and we have used a novel genetic screen to isolate 32 new mutations in TBP that are viable in wild-type cells but lethal in the absence of Nhp6. The TBP mutations that are lethal in the absence of Nhp6 cluster in three regions: on the upper surface of TBP that may have a regulatory role, near residues that contact Spt3, or near residues known to contact either TFIIA or Brf1 (in TFIIIB). The latter set of mutations suggests that Nhp6 becomes essential when a TBP mutant compromises its ability to interact with either TFIIA or Brf1. Importantly, the synthetic lethality for some of the TBP mutations is suppressed by a multicopy plasmid with SNR6 or by an spt3 mutation. It has been previously shown that nhp6ab mutants are defective in expressing SNR6, a Pol III-transcribed gene encoding the U6 splicing RNA. Chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments show that TBP binding to SNR6 is reduced in an nhp6ab mutant. Nhp6 interacts with Spt16/Pob3, the yeast equivalent of the FACT elongation complex, consistent with nhp6ab cells being extremely sensitive to 6-azauracil (6-AU). However, this 6-AU sensitivity can be suppressed by multicopy SNR6 or BRF1. Additionally, strains with SNR6 promoter mutations are sensitive to 6-AU, suggesting that decreased SNR6 RNA levels contribute to 6-AU sensitivity. These results challenge the widely held belief that 6-AU sensitivity results from a defect in transcriptional elongation.
Semi-Supervised Classification of Network Data Using Very Few Labels

The goal of semi-supervised learning (SSL) methods is to reduce the amount of labeled training data required by learning from both labeled and unlabeled instances. Macskassy and Provost (2007) proposed the weighted-vote relational neighbor classifier (wvRN) as a simple yet effective baseline for semi-supervised learning on network data. It is similar to many recent graph-based SSL methods and is shown to be essentially the same as the Gaussian-field harmonic functions classifier proposed by Zhu et al. (2003) and proves to be very effective on some benchmark network datasets. We describe another simple and intuitive semi-supervised learning method based on random graph walk that outperforms wvRN by a large margin on several benchmark datasets when very few labels are available. Additionally, we show that using authoritative instances as training seeds --- instances that arguably cost much less to label --- dramatically reduces the amount of labeled data required to achieve the same classification accuracy. For some existing state-of-the-art semi-supervised learning methods the labeled data needed is reduced by a factor of 50.
Enhancement of Electrical Properties of Electrically Conductive Adhesives (ECAs) by Using Novel Aldehydes

To improve the electrical properties of electrically conductive adhesives (ECAs), different types of aldehydes, salicylaldehyde and transcinnamaldehyde, were introduced into ECA formulations. During the curing process, the aldehydes acted as a reducing agent and reduced metal oxide in ECAs. At the same time, aldehydes could consume ambient oxygen and prevent the oxidation of the metal fillers in the ECA. The oxidation product of aldehydes, carboxylic acids with shorter molecular chains, could partially replace or remove the long chain stearic acid (C 18) surfactant on the lubricated Ag flakes and enhance the electrons tunneling between the Ag flakes in the ECAs. As such, the multiple effects of aldehydes in ECAs improved the conductivity significantly. Dynamic mechanical analysis and thermomechanical analysis studies indicated the improved performance for mechanical and physical properties of ECAs as well
Knife-edge thin film field emission cathodes

Cathodes made of thin-film field emission arrays (FEA) have the advantages of high current density, pulsed emission, and low bias voltage operation. We have developed a technology to fabricate knife-edge field emission cathodes on (110) silicon wafers. The emitter geometry is optimized for efficient modulation at high frequency. The cathode fabrication progress and preliminary analysis of their applications in RF power sources are presented. >
Analysis of trifluralin, methyl paraoxon, methyl parathion, fenvalerate and 2,4-D dimethylamine in pond water using solid-phase extraction

A method was developed for the simultaneous extraction of trifluralin, methyl paraoxon, methyl parathion, fenvalerate, and 2,4-D dimethylamine salt in pond water using a solid-phase C18 column. After elution from the C18 column, the eluate was analyzed on a capillary gas Chromatograph equipped with an electron-capture or flame photometric detector.
Availability and performance oriented availability modeling of Webserver cache hierarchies

Large scale Webserver configurations are widely implemented by Internet portals, and hence have evolved to rely upon numerous performance and high availability system mechanisms. The principle objective of this paper is to provide a method to compare key hierarchical features of Webserver configurations with respect to availability. Towards this goal, we model their structure and behavioral characteristics using stochastic reward nets. Several performance and availability measures are also introduced to compare two configurations: (1) a single cluster with multiple servers each featuring a percentage of its workload cached in main memory and (2) a two cluster site, a minimal star architecture providing benefits of geographic hierarchy. These are differentiated by the varying rates of cache service afforded by in-memory and on-disk caching, and the varying rates of cache service imposed by network latency in a distributed hierarchy. Both rely behaviorally upon the cache array routing protocol (CARP) to provide parent-child hierarchical caching, distributed parallel processing, hash based load balancing and dynamic repair and failover to peer systems. Principally, our results show that using a local cache hierarchy of both in-memory and disk caching significantly offsets the disadvantage of increased network latency occasioned by a geographically centralized site. Specifically, a geographic hierarchy alone is shown to be a much less efficient means of accommodating a heavy "read" workload.
New Private Library in Sha'alan

A description of the holdings and services of Maktabat Etana, a private library in the Sha'alan neighborhood of Damascus.
Tuning a Bayesian Knowledge Base

For a knowledge-based system that fails to provide the correct answer, it is important to be able to tune the system while minimizing overall change in the knowledge-base. There are a variety of reasons why the answer is incorrect ranging from incorrect knowledge to information vagueness to incompleteness. Still, in all these situations, it is typically the case that most of the knowledge in the system is likely to be correct as specified by the expert(s) and/or knowledge engineer(s). In this paper, we propose a method to identify the possible changes by understanding the contribution of parameters on the outputs of concern. Our approach is based on Bayesian Knowledge Bases for modeling uncertainties. We start with single parameter changes and then extend to multiple parameters. In order to identify the optimal solution that can minimize the change to the model as specified by the domain experts, we define and evaluate the sensitivity values of the results with respect to the parameters. We discuss the computational complexities of determining the solution and show that the problem of multiple parameters changes can be transformed into Linear Programming problems, and thus, efficiently solvable. Our work can also be applied towards validating the knowledge base such that the updated model can satisfy all test-cases collected from the domain experts.
Strict Liability Versus Negligence in Indiana Harbor

Judge Richard Posner's opinion in Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad Co. v. American Cyanamid Co. offers an economic interpretation of Restatement (Second) of Torts Section 520, which imposes strict liability on actors who conduct abnormally dangerous activities. This paper, which was prepared for a University of Chicago Law Review Symposium in honor of Judge Posner, provides a critique of the opinion and argues that Judge Posner's analysis is at many points unpersuasive. The problem lies in substantial part with the questionable logic of the Restatement criteria for the assignment of strict liability.
Thiamine sparing action of ascorbic acid on Lactobacillus fermenti 36.

Summary1. Ascorbic acid has been found to have thiamine sparing action on the growth of L. jermenti 36. The addition of both ascorbic acid and thiamine gives a greater growth response than either one when added alone. 2. Addition of pyrithiamine inhibits the utilization of ascorbic acid for growth of L. jermenti 36 in a thiamine-free medium. This result shows that ascorbic acid may function in part by stimulating the synthesis of thiamine. 3. Addition of iodoacetate, 2,4-dinitrophenol or sodium fluoride to the thiamine assay medium containing either thiamine or ascorbic acid shows the difference in inhibition of growth of L. jermenti 36. These results indicate that ascorbic acid must also function in a different metabolic pathway as compared to thiamine in carbohydrate metabolism. 4. It was found that L. jermenti 36 was able to synthesize thiamine when ascorbic acid was present. With the presence of both ascorbic acid and thiamine in the assay medium, the cell was found to contain more thiamine than the c...
Valuing year-to-go hydrologic forecast improvements for a peaking hydropower system in the Sierra Nevada

We assessed the potential value of hydrologic forecasting improvements for a snow-dominated high-elevation hydropower system in the Sierra Nevada of California, using a hydropower optimization model. To mimic different forecasting skill levels for inflow time series, rest-of-year inflows from regression-based forecasts were blended in different proportions with representative inflows from a spatially distributed hydrologic model. The statistical approach mimics the simpler, historical forecasting approach that is still widely used. Revenue was calculated using historical electricity prices, with perfect price foresight assumed. With current infrastructure and operations, perfect hydrologic forecasts increased annual hydropower revenue by $0.14 to $1.6 million, with lower values in dry years and higher values in wet years, or about $0.8 million (1.2%) on average, representing overall willingness-to-pay for perfect information. A second sensitivity analysis found a wider range of annual revenue gain or loss using different skill levels in snow measurement in the regression-based forecast, mimicking expected declines in skill as the climate warms and historical snow measurements no longer represent current conditions. The value of perfect forecasts was insensitive to storage capacity for small and large reservoirs, relative to average inflow, and modestly sensitive to storage capacity with medium (current) reservoir storage. The value of forecasts was highly sensitive to powerhouse capacity, particularly for the range of capacities in the northern Sierra Nevada. The approach can be extended to multireservoir, multipurpose systems to help guide investments in forecasting.
Adverse cardiac events in 56,000 orthopaedic trauma patients: Does anatomic area make a difference?

Abstract Purpose Postoperative cardiac events in orthopaedic trauma patients constitute severe morbidity and mortality. It is therefore increasingly important to determine patient risk factors that are predictive of postoperative myocardial infarctions and cardiac arrests. This study sought to assess if there is an association between anatomic area and cardiac complications in the orthopaedic trauma patient. Patients and methods From 2006–2013, a total of 361,402 orthopaedic patients were identified in the NSQIP database using Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes. Of these, 56,336 (15.6%) patients were identified as orthopaedic trauma patients broken down by anatomic region: 11,905 (21.1%) upper extremity patients (UE), 29,009 (51.5%) hip/pelvis patients (HP), and 15,422 (27.4%) lower extremity patients (LE) using CPT codes. Patients were defined as having adverse cardiac events if they developed myocardial infarctions or cardiac arrests within 30 days after surgery. Chi-squared analysis was used to determine if there was an association between anatomic area and rates of cardiac events. Multivariate logistical analysis was used with over 40 patient characteristics including age, gender, history of cardiac disease, and anatomic region as independent predictors to determine whether anatomic area significantly predicted the development of cardiac complications. Results There were significant differences in baseline demographics among the three groups: HP patients had the greatest average age (77.6 years) compared to 54.8 years for UE patients and 54.1 years in LE patients (p Conclusion There is a significant difference in adverse cardiac events following orthopaedic trauma based on anatomic region. Hip/Pelvis surgery appeared to be a significant risk factor in developing an adverse cardiac event. Further studies should investigate why hip/pelvic patients are at a higher risk of adverse cardiac events.
Les modèles expérimentaux dans l'ischémie cérébrale: Application à l'étude de Duxil

Resume A cote des modeles experimentaux qui tentent de reproduire, par imitation, les symptomes de l'ischemiecerebrale humaine, on distinguera les diverses techniques, souvent biochimiques, qui ne permettent que d'elucider des mecanismes d'action cellulaires ou sub-cellulaires. Les modeles experimentaux de l'ischemie cerebrale sur lesquels s'appuie la strategie d'un tri judicieux de molecules nouvelles doivent prendre en compte les differences essentielles qui distinguent et originalisent certaines especes ; la gerbille possede un polygone de Willis incomplet et en outre 30 p. 100 des animaux n'ont pas de communication inter-hemispherique, les deux arteres cerebrales anterieures etant independantes ; le chat et le chien presentent une vasoreactivite cerebrale a la dopamine inverse de celle de l'homme ; le lapin n'a qu'une sensibilite tres faible a l'action vasoconstrictrice cerebrale de la noradrenaline et de certaines prostaglandines ; le rat est connu pour son hyperactivite metabolique cerebrale, qui se traduit par une consommation elevee en oxygene et en glucose, et par une grande sensibilite a l'ischemie. Il est habituel de distinguer des modeles d'ischemie globale complete, d'ischemie globale incomplete, d'ischemie focale et d'ischemie multifocale. Pour chacun des modeles qui seront presentes a titre d'exemples, on remarquera que la duree de l'ischemie et le siege de celle-ci sont des caracteres experimentaux essentiels, conditionnant la gravite des lesions produites. Celles-ci sont evaluees d'apres des criteres fonctionnels, histologiques, hemodynamiques ou biochimiques. Dans le cas particulier de Duxil, l'experimentation animale met en evidence, dans divers modeles d'ischemiecerebrale, une correction des troubles neurocomportementaux, une limitation de l'extension de la zone necrosee et une diminution de l'œdeme dans la zone de penombre (modele de l'occlusion de l'artere cerebrale moyenne), phenomenes qui s'expliquent par une diminution de la fuite du potassium vers le milieu extracellulaire et par une reduction de l'accumulation du calcium intracytoplasmique. Une action favorable de Duxil sur le metabolisme energetique cellulaire en situation d'ischemie sous-tend ces effets therapeutiques.