cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Site-directed mutagenesis of the human dopamine D2 receptor

Abstract Based on amino acid sequence and computer modeling, two conflicting three-dimensional models of the dopamine D2 receptor have been proposed. One model (Dahl et al., 1991, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88, 8111) suggests that dopamine interacts with aspartate 80 of transmembrane (TM) 2 and asparagine 390 of TM6 with the transmembranes arranged in a clockwise manner, while a second model (Hibert et al., 1991, Mol. Pharmacol. 40, 8) suggests that dopamine interacts with aspartate 114 of TM3 and the serines of TM5 (194 and 197) with the transmembranes arranged in a counterclockwise manner when viewed from the extracellular space. The present study tests the latter model by selectively mutating aspartate 114 and serines 194 and 197 of the human dopamine D2 receptor by site-directed mutagenesis. In addition, two methionines (116 and 117) were mutated to evaluate whether residues near aspartate (114) of the dopamine D2 receptor are critical in differentiating dopamine receptor agonists from adrenoceptor agonists. Removal of the negative charge with the mutation of aspartate (114) to either asparagine or glycine led to a total loss of both agonist and antagonist binding. Individual or dual methionine mutations in positions 116 and 117, to make the dopamine D2 binding pocket more closely resemble the β2-adrenoceptor, did not result in a change in selectivity toward noradrenergic agonists or antagonists. The serine mutations revealed interesting differences between the dopamine D2 receptor and the adrenoceptors. In particular serine 197 appeared more important than serine 194 for agonist binding. In addition, the binding of one agonist (N-0437) was unaffected by individual serine mutations, while the binding of some antagonists, such as raclopride and spiperone, was significantly altered. These findings are discussed in relation to ligand structure and their interactions with the putative binding pocket.
The Application of Three Impulse Cascade in Drum Water Level Control System

Steam boiler supplies steam of certain quality in industry process according to the changes of load. It is important of most power plants and has been concerned with analyzing power system dynamics in various works. Drum water level is one of the main processes in the boiler. Because of the phenomenon of false water level, three measurement signals including drum water level, water supply flow and steam flow are introduced. In this paper three impulses Cascade control system with fuzzy PID control is presented, and simulation is performed based on MATLAB.
Stress and dental asymmetry in a population of Japanese children.

We studied the significance of the magnitude of fluctuating dental asymmetry in 489 Japanese children by regression analysis. The search was for the predictability of asymmetry from levels of five factors assumed to be relevant parameters of prenatal stress. The five factors were derived by principal components analysis to simplify the interrelationships between birth weight, gestational age, maternal age, parity, sex, year of birth, socioeconomic status, and F, the coefficient of inbreeding. Only the regression of asymmetry on a factor representing a secular effect related to sex ratio was statistically significant; however, the relationship was too small to be biologically meaningful. The significance of individual asymmetry is thus equivocal, and this is discussed in terms of the meaning of asymmetry vis a vis overall fitness and developmental homeostasis. We conclude that experimental research will be necessary to elucidate not only the determinants of dental asymmetry but the relationship between these determinants and mortality and morbidity.
The potential for accurately measuring behavioral and economic dimensions of consumption, prices, and markets for illegal drugs.

There are numerous analytic and methodological limitations to current measures of drug market activity. This paper explores the structure of markets and individual user behavior to provide an integrated understanding of behavioral and economic (and market) aspects of illegal drug use with an aim toward developing improved procedures for measurement. This involves understanding the social processes that structure illegal distribution networks and drug users’ interactions with them. These networks are where and how social behaviors, prices, and markets for illegal drugs intersect. Our focus is upon getting an up close measurement of these activities. Building better measures of consumption behaviors necessitates building better rapport with subjects than typically achieved with one-time surveys in order to overcome withholding and underreporting and to get a comprehensive understanding of the processes involved. This can be achieved through repeated interviews and observations of behaviors. This paper also describes analytic advances that could be adopted to direct this inquiry including behavioral templates, and insights into the economic valuation of labor inputs and cash expenditures for various illegal drugs. Additionally, the paper makes recommendations to funding organizations for developing the mechanisms that would support behavioral scientists to weigh specimens and to collect small samples for laboratory analysis—by providing protection from the potential for arrest. The primary focus is upon U.S. markets. The implications for other countries are discussed.
Cumulative Voting and Electoral Competition: The Illinois House

Focusing upon the unique cumulative voting-multiple member district electoral system employed in the selection of members to the lower chamber of the Illinois General As sembly, this article reexamines several propositions about electoral competition which have resulted from analyses of plurality voting-single member district electoral systems. Competition for and the results of races for house seats during the 1966 to 1976 period constitute the data base of the present study. Although a number of patterns are revealed, the key finding suggested by our analysis is that this peculiar Illinois electoral mechanism appears to have the effect of stimulating intraparty competition in primary elections, particularly in the "weak" party in "safe" one-party districts, while at the same time putting a damper on interparty competition during the general election campaign.
Earth science: Geomagnetism under scrutiny.

New calculations show that the electrical resistance of Earth's liquid-iron core is lower than had been thought. The results prompt a reassessment of how the planet's magnetic field has been generated and maintained over time. See Letter p.355 The thermal and electrical properties of iron are important for understanding the thermal evolution of the deep Earth and the power available to drive the dynamo that generates Earth's magnetic field. These parameters have previously been estimated by extrapolating results from conditions with lower pressure or temperature, but Monica Pozzo and colleagues now present a calculation from first principles of these parameters at the pressure and temperature of Earth's outer core. Both conductivities are found to be two to three times higher than earlier estimates, prompting a re-evaluation of power estimates for the dynamo. The results greatly restrict models for powering the geodynamo, and indicate that the top of the core must be thermally stratified.
Dependence of Heat Transfer to a Pulsating Stagnation Flow on Pulse Characteristics

A detailed boundary-layer model is implemented to ascertain the influence of pulse shape, frequency, and amplitude on instantaneous and time-averaged convective heat transfer in a planar stagnation region formed beneath an incident periodic, pulsating flow with temperature-dependent kinematic viscosity and thermal conductivity. Interactions between low-frequency/high-amplitude flow pulsations and the nonlinearities in the governing equations lead to reductions in time-averaged Nusselt numbers up to 16%. Predictions are in good agreement with experimental results. A means to suppress heat transfer is thus suggested that may have practical application to gas turbines where blades are exposed to a periodic flow. Phase portraits, Poincare maps, Fourier spectra, and Lyapunov exponents are used to elucidate the most complex solutions.
The electrodynamics of spin density waves

Abstract The electrodynamics of the spin density wave ground state is explored by examining optical experiments conducted over a broad spectral range. Both collective mode and single particle excitations are recovered in (TMTSF) 2 PF 6 with significant mass enhancement associated with the dynamics of the collective mode. The relation between frequency and field dependent transport is also explored.
The selective removal of Co(II) from Ni(II) by coprecipitation with manganese in ammoniacal solutions

Abstract The coprecipitation of cobalt(II) and nickel(II) with manganese in ammoniacal solutions has been studied. It was found that cobalt and nickel were precipitated with the aid of manganese at pH 9.3–10.2. However, the rate of precipitation of manganese was about five times that of cobalt. The recovery of these divalent ions by precipitation increased as the pH of the solution increased, while the selectivity of cobalt against nickel decreased with the increase of pH. The partial pressure of oxygen had also an important role in the precipitation of manganese and cobalt but little effect on the up-take of nickel. As the oxygen pressure increased, manganese and cobalt oxidized at a fast rate and the rate of coprecipitation of cobalt with manganese increased. Typically, more than 90% of cobalt was recovered readily by coprecipitation with manganese, while very little nickel was removed from the solution.
Robot's economic repeatability

Abstract The economic feasibility of a new venture plays a decisive role in its acceptability in the marketplace. The application of robots in assembly processes is no exception. Being relatively new in assembly of industrial components, thorough investigation and experimentation usually precedes robot integration in production systems. In today's marketplace several classes of robots are available with diversed specification range and operational cost. One of the most important robot specifications in assembly is its repeatability. In the same class of robots, those with smaller repeatability range are usually more expensive to operate. In this paper a mathematical model is introduced to aid the practicing engineers in choosing the most economical robot for the considered assembly processes. The model relates the interaction between the random nature of the dimensions of the parts presented for assembly, the clearance between the mating surfaces and the robots repeatability and its operational cost, and determines their effect on the probability of successful assembly. The results of the model are tabulated showing the acceptable clearance range of the assembled parts and the optimum robot's repeatability range for the process under consideration.
Comparison of the antinociceptive activity of intraventricularly administered acetylcholine to narcotic antinociception

Abstract Intraventricularly administered acetylcholine inhibits mouse tail-flick latency in a dose-dependent manner with an ED 50 of about 20 μg. This antinociceptive activity is not mimicked by biogenic amine neurotransmitters (i.e. norepinephrine, epinephrine, dopamine, serotonin or histamine) and is not markedly affected by selective depletors of brain catecholamines or serotonin. However, pretreatment with reserpine or tetrabenazine dramatically reduces acetylcholine-induced antinociception. Tolerance develops rapidly to the antinociceptive effects of acetylcholine. Cross-tolerance to morphine in acetylcholine-tolerant mice is minimal, but the antinociceptive activity of acetylcholine is markedly reduced in mice chronically pretreated with morphine. Acetylcholine-induced antinociception differs from narcotic antinociception in the reversed stereoselectivity of several narcotic antagonists and in the in vivo pA 2 values for inhibition by naloxone. Therefore, the antinociceptive activity of intraventricularly administered acetylcholine cannot be described as a specific narcotic action.
Radical prostatectomy Patterns of local failure and survival in 67 patients

Abstract Sixty-seven patients with localized carcinoma of the prostate were treated by radical prostatectomy unaided by adjunctive hormonal therapy. Seven patients (10%) have been lost to follow-up, and 13 patients (19 %) have died of other causes without evidence of prostate cancer. The crude or direct survival free of disease for traced patients with clinical Stage B1 nodules (11) and clinical B2 lesions (20) followed for at least fifteen years is 36 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively; the crude or direct survival free of disease for pathologic B (29) and C (12) tumors followed for fifteen years is 31 per cent and 8 per cent, respectively. The local failure incidence at fifteen years for pathologic Stage B tumors is 17 per cent and for pathologic C tumors 31 per cent. Capsular invasion alone on histologic examination did not increase the rate of local or distant failure above that noted for tumors that were entirely intracapsular. However, seminal vesicle invasion is associated with a 44 per cent local failure and 66 per cent distant failure rate. The interval between radical prostatectomy and first failure averaged sixty-nine months (median 56 months) and with hormonal therapy the interval between first failure and death averaged seventy months (median 62 months). The patients who underwent radical prostatectomy in this series represent 22 per cent of the 318 patients presenting with localized prostate cancer between 1960 and 1974. A 1.5-cm nodule was found in 5.5 per cent of the presenting population, and all but one of these patients were treated by radical prostatectomy.
Bed Forms and Sediment Characteristics along the Thalweg on the Tanana River near Nenana, Alaska, USA

Sediment sampling and longitudinal river-bottom surveys were conducted along the thalweg on the Tanana River near the city of Nenana, Alaska, USA, to provide basic information for the engineering design requirements of hydrokinetic devices to be deployed in the area. The study reach was located at approximately 64°33'50"N and 149°04'W. The Tanana is a large glacier-fed river, with open-water flow conditions from May to October. The river presents a single channel in the study area. Granulometric analyses of sediment moving near the riverbed reveals the coexistence of three distinctive types of sediment along the study reach: 1) nearly uniform fine sand; 2) bimodal distributions containing fine sand and medium gravel; and 3) medium gravel. Preliminary relationships between sediment loads and discharge were developed. Dunes with small superimposed dunes were found along the reach. The basic geometric parameters (i.e., wavelength and height) of dunes were measured, and steepness was calculated. In general, dune wavelength increased with increasing discharge. Dune wavelengths ranged from 41 to 67 m, while small-dune wavelengths ranged from 13 to 16 m. Steepness increased slightly with increasing discharge.
TU-C-342-04: Advances in Endovascular Image-Guided Interventions

In a recent Medical Physics “Vision 2020” paper (Medical Physics 35(1): 301–309, Jan 2008), the authors reviewed the state of endovascular image‐guided interventions (EIGI) and offered some predictions for the future. Here we review the current status of the field and of some of these advances. First, endovascular devices (such as clot busting tools, stents and their catheter delivery systems, and blood flow modifiers) are becoming finer, more complex, and are enabling the replacement of invasive surgical procedures with minimally invasive EIGI procedures. Innovative methods of actuating motion at the catheter tip, such as the use of external magnetic fields, are being introduced. Second, along with improvements in devices,imagingsystems that provide real‐time high‐resolution image guidance are being developed including a Solid State X‐ray Image Intensifier based on electron multiplying charge coupled devices (EMCCDs) that provide large on‐chip gain to overcome instrumentation noise such as that characteristic of current flat panel detectors. SSXIIs also have very high resolution capable of exceeding 10 lp/mm yet with no lag or ghosting. Third, the new high‐resolution region‐of‐interest (ROI) detectors can be used in combination with large conventional detectors for dual‐detector cone‐beam computer tomography (CB‐CT) to visualize ROIs within larger objects yet with minimal truncation artifact and with reduced integral dose. Fourth, during an interventional procedure, limited projection views can be taken to generate full 3D representations of the vasculature with accurate determination of vessel lumen morphology to enable computer fluid dynamic (CFD) calculations which in turn can be used to plan further EIGI treatment within the patient treatment time. Finally, as EIGI procedures become more complex, the consequent patient dose especially where improved image quality is implemented must be more carefully monitored. For example, we found that patient dose actually increased for certain electro‐physiology (EP) procedures performed in our EP Lab following replacement of a mobile c‐arm with a fixed unit capable of generating improved image quality. In conclusion, while progress is being made toward fulfilling the predictions made by the authors in the Vision 2020 paper published early in 2008, EIGI remains open to continuing exciting advancements. Educational Objectives: 1. Appreciate the progress being made in improved EIGI devices and imagingsystems. 2. Understand the operation of new high‐resolution micro‐angiographic systems including the SSXII and the operation of dual‐detector ROI CB‐CT systems. 3. Understand the role of limited view acquisition for providing 3D images. 4. Appreciate the patient exposure burden during EIGI procedures. [Supported in part by NIH Grants R01 EB002873, R01 NS43924, R01 EB00842501, R01 HL52567, UB Foundation IRDF, and an equipment grant from Toshiba Medical Systems Corp.].
pH-induced folding/unfolding of staphylococcal nuclease : determination of kinetic parameters by the sequential-jump method

On the basis of previous stopped-flow pH-jump experiments, we have proposed that the acid- and alkaline-induced folding/unfolding transition of staphylococcal nuclease, in the time range 2 ms to 300 s, follows the pathway N0 in equilibrium with D1 in equilibrium with D2 in equilibrium with D3, in which D1, D2, and D3 are three substates of the unfolded state and N0 is the native state. The stopped-flow "double-jump" technique has been employed to test this mechanism and to determine the rate constants which would not be accessible by the direct pH jump because of the lack of fluorescence signal, i.e., the rates for the conversion of D1 to D2 and of D2 to D3. In the forward jump, a protein solution kept at pH 7.0 was mixed with an acidic or alkaline solution to the final pH of 3.0 or 12.2, respectively. The mixed solution was kept for varying periods of time, called the delay time, tD. A second mixing (the back jump) was launched to bring the protein solution back to pH 7.0. The time course of the Trp-140 fluorescence signals recovered in the back jump was analyzed as a function of tD. Kinetics of the unfolding were found to be triphasic by the double-jump method, contrary to the monophasic kinetics observed by the direct pH jump. Complex kinetics of unfolding are expected with the proposed kinetic scheme.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Global distributions of Fe, Al, Cu, and Zn contained in Earth's derma layers

Abstract To improve the usefulness and accuracy of modeling Earth's anthrobiogeochemical metal cycles, global maps at approximately 1° × 1° are produced of the concentrations and masses of Fe, Al, Cu, and Zn contained in continental sediments and soils. The maps generated utilize inverse distance weighting (IDW) and cokriging to generate new estimates for geospatially weighted mean global concentrations for these metallic micronutrients. Sediment metal concentration maps are generated from IDW of sediment samples; global soil maps are produced via cokriging upon an underlying parent rock dataset composed of both surface bedrock and sediment samples. Derived are independent estimates for the global mean concentrations in continental sediments (Fe = 3.1 wt.%, Al = 6.1 wt.%, Cu = 45 μg/g, Zn = 86 μg/g) and soils (Fe = 2.5 wt.%, Al = 3.9 wt.%, Cu = 17 μg/g, Zn = 50 μg/g). While continental sediment concentrations for Cu are within the range of previous estimates, Zn concentrations are relatively higher, ~ 20 μg/g above previous estimates. Fe and Al are slightly depleted (~ 1 wt.%) in continental sediments relative to previous estimates, likely ascribable to sampling bias and error inherent in the comparative methodologies. Besides an estimated global mean, metal concentrations in soils are also broken down by FAO soil group. Metal masses in sediments and soils remain within 30% of previous, non-spatial estimates. These maps also illustrate the discernable spatial variability across the Earth's surface. Despite data gaps, maps of metal mass show regional patterns such as the high quantities of Al in the soils and biomass of the Amazonia and Congo regions. Concentrations of metals are relatively high in the anthrosols of China. Finally, this analysis highlights those areas for which generating and providing publically available geochemical data should be prioritized. For instance, gypsisols, lixisols, and nitisols have little to no analytical data available on metal contents. A sensitivity analysis suggests that the most poorly constrained soil metal concentrations occur in the thick, old tropical soils of central Africa and the anthrosols of eastern China.
Improving effective yield through error tolerant system design

This paper illustrates that the effective chip yield (memory) can be improved up to 10x by incorporating error tolerance in the system design rather than incorporating design for yield at the circuit stage. The proposed approach leverages the fact that some applications - by construction - are inherently error tolerant and therefore do not require a strict bound of 100% correctness to function. This concept is elaborated upon using a wireless communication system framework as a case study for application aware yield enhancement.
Inhibition of grain growth by second phase particles: three dimensional Monte Carlo computer simulations

Description de la methode de simulation permettant l'analyse de l'interaction entre les particules et les joints de grains,et de la relation entre la grosseur des grains et la fraction volumique des particules.
A new synthesis for methyl/trifluoromethyl organometallic compounds by low temperature cocondensation of trifluoromethyl radicals and main group methyl alkyls

Abstract The reaction of trifluoromethyl radicals produced in a radio frequency discharge of hexafluoroethane with trimethylphosphine, tetramethyltin, dimethylmercury, tri-methylbismuth and tetramethyllead gave complexes with methyl and trifluoromethyl substituents. The compounds dimethyl(trifluoromethyl)phosphine, trimethyl(trifluoromethyl)tin, methyl(trifluoromethyl)mercury, bis(trifluoromethyl)mercury, dimethyl(trifluoromethyl)bismuth, bis(trifluoromethyl)methylbismuth, trimethyl(trifluoromethyl)lead and bis(trifluoromethyl)dimethyllead were isolated along with the new compound, tris(trifluoromethyl)methyllead. The synthesis and physical properties of the compounds are reported.
A simple method for the determination of individual rate constants for substrate hydrolysis by serine proteases

A simple method is presented for the determination of individual rate constants for substrate hydrolysis by serine proteases and other enzymes with similar catalytic mechanism. The method does not require solvent perturbation like viscosity changes, or solvent isotope effects, that often compromise nonspecifically the activity of substrate and enzyme. The rates of substrate diffusion into the active site (k1), substrate dissociation (k-1), acylation (k2), and deacylation (k3) in the accepted mechanism of substrate hydrolysis by serine proteases are derived from the temperature dependence of the Michaelis-Menten parameters kcat/Km and kcat. The method also yields the activation energies for these molecular events. Application to wild-type and mutant thrombins reveals how the various steps of the catalytic mechanism are affected by Na+-binding and site-directed mutations of the important residues Y225 in the Na+ binding environment and L99 in the S2 specificity site. Extension of this method to other proteases should enable the derivation of detailed information on the kinetic and energetic determinants of protease function.
Combinatorial ion implantation – a smart technique applied to synthesize CdSe-nanocrystals

Abstract The understanding, discovery and optimization of new complex functional materials requires combinatorial synthesis techniques and suitable fast screening and analysis methods. This approach to catch the wide field of possible parameter combinations is state of the art in various sectors of science. To introduce this concept into the field of ion implantation, we developed an implanter target end station, equipped with two computer controlled apertures, to synthesise on a 4 inch wafer a rectangular pattern of distinct dose and stoichiometry combinations of the components of the optically active II–IV compound semiconductor CdSe. An automated photoluminescence (PL) measurement setup is used to perform fast screening of the optical properties. The two elements Cd and Se are implanted into thermally grown silicon dioxide on silicon. Afterwards the wafers are annealed at 1000 °C in argon atmosphere for different times in a rapid thermal processor. As a result a layer of CdSe nanocrystals in the implanted surface near region is formed. Already after only 30 s annealing, large particles with a diameter of 100 nm, surrounded by smaller (
Energetic trade‐offs between immunity and reproduction in male japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix)

We investigated a postulated trade-off between reproduction and immune function by comparing the energetic costs of an immune response with phytohemagglutinin challenge (or injection) in castrated (low testosterone [T]) and intact (high T) Japanese Quail (Coturnix coturnix). Intact birds had higher resting metabolic rate (RMR) and significantly lower immune response than castrates. RMR of intact birds did not change in response to an immune challenge, suggesting that maintenance of reproductive tissues and associated high T is both immunosuppressive and energetically costly. Despite having a greater immune response than intact quail, castrates had a lower pre-challenge RMR than intact birds and paradoxically tended to decrease RMR during an immune challenge. This paradox may be because of pro-inflammatory cytokines that are released during immune responses. Cytokines promote energy conservation through malaise and soporific behaviors, possibly explaining the co-occurrence of a relatively strong immune response and a decrease in nocturnal RMR in castrates. The lower immune response in intact birds may not elicit as great a response of pro-inflammatory cytokines owing to an already elevated RMR from reproductive state, thus reducing any effect on RMR. The suppressed immune response and elevated RMR in intact birds may be because of T; however, we cannot separate the effects of T per se from the metabolic requirements of reproductive tissues.
Max-plus summation of Fenchel -transformed semigroups for solution of nonlinear Bellman equations

Abstract Max-plus methods have been explored for solution of first-order, nonlinear Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman partial differential equations (HJB PDEs) and corresponding nonlinear control problems. These methods exploit the max-plus linearity of the associated semigroups. In particular, although the problems are nonlinear, the semigroups are linear in the max-plus sense. These methods have been used successfully to compute solutions. Although they provide certain advantages, they still generally suffer from the curse-of-dimensionality. The natural analog to the Laplace transform in ordinary spaces is the Fenchel transform over max-plus spaces, the range space being referred to as the dual space. One can transform the semigroup operators into operators on the dual space. There are natural operations on the transformed operators which may be used to construct solutions of nonlinear control problems. Natural building blocks correspond to transforms of operators for linear/quadratic problems. In this paper, a method for exploiting operations in the Fenchel transform space is used to develop a method for certain problems such that the computational growth in the most time-consuming portion of the computations can be hugely reduced. Although the curse-of-dimensionality is not entirely avoided, the computational cost reductions are very high for some classes of problems.
History of suicide attempts in pediatric bipolar disorder: factors associated with increased risk

Background Despite evidence indicating high morbidity associated with pediatric bipolar disorder (BP), little is known about the prevalence and clinical correlates of suicidal behavior among this population.
A Minimum Error Vanishing Point Detection Approach for Uncalibrated Monocular Images of Man-Made Environments

We present a novel vanishing point detection algorithm for uncalibrated monocular images of man-made environments. We advance the state-of-the-art by a new model of measurement error in the line segment extraction and minimizing its impact on the vanishing point estimation. Our contribution is twofold: 1) Beyond existing hand-crafted models, we formally derive a novel consistency measure, which captures the stochastic nature of the correlation between line segments and vanishing points due to the measurement error, and use this new consistency measure to improve the line segment clustering. 2) We propose a novel minimum error vanishing point estimation approach by optimally weighing the contribution of each line segment pair in the cluster towards the vanishing point estimation. Unlike existing works, our algorithm provides an optimal solution that minimizes the uncertainty of the vanishing point in terms of the trace of its covariance, in a closed-form. We test our algorithm and compare it with the state-of-the-art on two public datasets: York Urban Dataset and Eurasian Cities Dataset. The experiments show that our approach outperforms the state-of-the-art.
Covalent functionalization of zinc oxide nanowires for high sensitivity p-nitrophenol detection in biological systems

Abstract High-quality zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires were synthesized using the atmospheric chemical vapor deposition technique and were appropriately characterized. Subsequently, the nanowire surface was covalently grafted with 1-pyrenebutyric acid (PBA) fluorophore, and surface-sensitive X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy were utilized to confirm the functionalization of 1-pyrenebutyric acid on the nanowire surface. Additionally, photoluminescence (PL) measurements were used to evaluate the optical behavior of pristine nanowires. Through fluorescence quenching of 1-pyrenebutyric acid by p -nitrophenol, a detection limit of 28 ppb was estimated. Based on these findings, ZnO nanowires functionalized with 1-pyrenebutyric acid are envisaged as extremely sensitive platforms for the ultra-trace detection of p -nitrophenol in biological systems.
Improving neural network prediction of amino acid levels in feed ingredients.

Abstract Artificial neural networks (ANN) were trained to predict the amino acid (AA) profile of feed ingredients. The ANN more effectively identified the complex relationship between nutrients and feed ingredients than linear regression (LR). Three types of ANN (NeuroShell 2): three-layer backpropagation (BP3), Ward Backpropagation (WBP), a general regression neural network (GRNN); and LR (SAS Proc GLM) were used to predict the AA level in corn, soybean meal, meat and bone meal, fish meal, and wheat based on proximate analysis. In contrast to a past study, a variety of alternative ANN training parameters were examined to improve ANN performance. Predictive performance was judged on the basis of the maximum R2 value resulting from all defaults tested. Advanced selection of ANN training parameters led to further improvement in performance, especially within the GRNN architecture. In 34 of 35 ANN developed, the maximum R2 value for each individual AA in each feed ingredient was higher for GRNN than for LR, BP3, or WBP prediction methods. For example, the highest R2 value for Met in corn was 0.32 for LR, 0.40 for 3LBP, 0.51 for WBP, and 0.95 for GRNN analysis. Predictive performance was also improved overall as compared to results of a previous study. For example, corn maximum R2 values (GRNN) for Met, TSAA, and Trp were: 0.78, 0.81 and 0.44, previously, and 0.95, 0.96 and 0.88, in the current study. Current soybean meal maximum R values (GRNN) were: Met, 0.92; TSAA, 0.94; and Lys, 0.90. Current meat and bone mean maximum R2 values (GRNN) were: Met, 0.97; TSAA, 0.97; and Lys, 0.97. The ANN computation is a successful alternative to statistical regression analysis for predicting AA levels in feed ingredients.
Analysis of avermectin and moxidectin residues in milk by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry using an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization/atmospheric pressure photoionization source

Abstract The avermectins—ivermectin (IVR), doramectin (DOR), eprinomectin (EPR)—and also the milbemycin moxidectin (MOX) are anthelmintic compounds that may be administered to cattle. Different ionization techniques, including atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI), were evaluated for the detection of these residues in milk. The ionization response of these compounds using APPI was compared with that obtained by atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI), a combination of APPI and APCI, and electrospray. It was found that the relative response of these drugs with different ionization protocols varied depending on the compound and the mobile phase. When monitoring negative ions, the use of the UV lamp increased the MS response. However, the best response for these compounds was obtained by operating the APCI/APPI source in the positive ion mode without any discharge current applied to the corona needle, whether the UV lamp was on or not. Using this mode of ionization, an MS–MS method was established to monitor the product ion scans of the sodiated molecular ions with an ion trap instrument. Milk fortified with these compounds (0.5–20 ng g −1 ) and milk samples from dosed animals were analyzed after isolating the residues with a simple solid phase extraction method. EPR, DOR and IVR were confirmed in all of the extracts analyzed. MOX was confirmed in all samples fortified at 5 ng g −1 or higher. Acceptable recoveries (≥60%) and relative standard deviations (R.S.D. values ≤ 20%) were observed for the residues at the following levels: EPR and IVR (1–20 ng g −1 ); DOR and MOX (5–20 ng g −1 ).
Cells to surgery quiz: March 2015.

1Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA Image appears with permission from VisualDx. © Logical Images, Inc. JID and Logical Images, Inc., have cooperated to offer the Cells to Surgery Quiz, incorporating diagnostic images from VisualDx’s vast database. Questions relate to the image as well as to selected articles in JID, which are listed after the questions. Answers will be posted as supplementary material. We hope you enjoy this challenge.
Plasma dopamine β-hydroxylase species dependence and the in vitro influence of NEM, copper, and pH☆

Abstract We have applied a sensitive radiochemical assay to measure DBH activities in several species at their pH optima and to estimate the effects of copper and N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) in the assay. The enzyme incubation was performed at 37° with 5 μl of diluted plasma and 5 × 10−4 m [14C]tyramine in 0.17 m sodium acetate at pH 4.0–6.0. Activities were determined from the formation of [14C]octopamine, after periodate oxidation and extraction, measured by using liquid scintillation counting. Regardless of species, maximal activities could be obtained at low substrate concentrations only by adding 3.5 to 10 μ m copper to the assay. Following the addition of NEM, DBH activities were suboptimal. Incremental NEM additions to a spectrophotometric assay at saturating tyramine concentrations resulted in maximal activity only in human plasma. With optimal copper in the radioenzymatic assay, representative human values ranged from 2.1 ± 0.2 to 7.4 ± 0.4 nmole/min/ml of plasma (mean ± SEM) at pH 5.5. Rat, rabbit, and dog ranged 100-fold less in activity and varied with respect to pH optimum. Studies with purified internal standards defined the influence of copper and NEM on endogenous inhibitor neutralization. Our results support the proposal that precise determinations of plasma DBH activities are limited by conditions within the assay.
Colonial legacies, land policies and the millennium development goals: Lessons from Cameroon and Sierra Leone

Abstract This paper undertakes a comparative analysis of the land policies of Cameroon and Sierra Leone and arrives at the following conclusions: 1] the land policies of the two countries embody the politico-administrative philosophies of their erstwhile colonial master nations; 2] despite their marked differences, the policies share some features in common; and 3] land policies are critical in efforts to achieve the millennium development goals (MDGs). The analysis further shows that: 1] the land policy of Sierra appears better positioned than Cameroon’s to guarantee access to land for all as well as ensure environmental sustainability; and 2] Cameroon’s land policy appears to outperform Sierra Leone’s with respect to fulfilling the preconditions for eradicating extreme poverty and hunger by ensuring land tenure security, maintaining uniform land laws, and facilitating land markets.
Effect of oxygen on the operation of a single-cell thermionic fuel element

Abstract The operation of thermionic converters (TICs) has been shown to be influenced by the presence of tracer amounts of oxygen in the cesium vapor filled interelectrode gap. The induced changes, however, depend on the oxygen and cesium partial pressures and the materials and temperatures of the electrodes. The effects of oxygen on the loss rate from a tungsten emitter surface, by sublimation and formation of volatile tungsten oxides, as a function of oxygen partial pressure were investigated. Results showed that the deposit of the tungsten oxides on the cooler collector affect the converter performance, owing to the induced changes in the collector's oxygenated–cesiated work function and the effective emissivity of the electrodes. Parametric analyses were performed which investigated the effects of introducing tracer amounts of oxygen in the interelectrode gap on the performance parameters of a fission-heated single-cell Thermionic Fuel Element (TFE). These parameters are the electrodes work functions and effective emissivity, the TFE volt–ampere characteristics, the axial distributions of the current density and the electrodes temperatures, and the tungsten loss rate from the emitter surface.
Test review of the medical symptom validity test.

The Medical Symptom Validity Test (MSVT; Green, 2004) is a brief computerized measure of cognitive effort and memory. According to the test author (P. Green, personal communication, May 2009), the ...
Understanding the disparity: predictors of virologic failure in women using highly active antiretroviral therapy vary by race and/or ethnicity.

BACKGROUND Stark racial/ethnic disparities in health outcomes exist among those living with HIV in the United States. One of 3 primary goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy is to reduce HIV-related disparities and health inequities. METHODS Using data from HIV-infected women participating in the Women's Interagency HIV Study from April 2006 to March 2011, we measured virologic failure (HIV RNA >200 copies/mL) after suppression (HIV RNA < 80 copies/mL) on highly active antiretroviral therapy. We identified predictors of virologic failure using discrete time survival analysis and calculated racial/ethnic-specific population-attributable fractions (PAFs). RESULTS Of 887 eligible women, 408 (46%) experienced virologic failure during the study period. Hispanic and white women had significantly lower hazards of virologic failure than African American women [Hispanic hazard ratio, (HR) = 0.8, 95% confidence interval: (0.6 to 0.9); white HR = 0.7 (0.5 to 0.9)]. The PAF of virologic failure associated with low income was higher in Hispanic [adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) = 2.2 (0.7 to 6.5), PAF = 49%] and African American women [aHR = 1.8 (1.1 to 3.2), PAF = 38%] than among white women [aHR = 1.4 (0.6 to 3.4), PAF = 16%]. Lack of health insurance compared with public health insurance was associated with virologic failure only among Hispanic [aHR = 2.0 (0.9 to 4.6), PAF = 22%] and white women [aHR = 1.9 (0.7 to 5.1), PAF = 13%]. By contrast, depressive symptoms were associated with virologic failure only among African-American women [aHR = 1.6 (1.2 to 2.2), PAF = 17%]. CONCLUSIONS In this population of treated HIV-infected women, virologic failure was common, and correlates of virologic failure varied by race/ethnicity. Strategies to reduce disparities in HIV treatment outcomes by race/ethnicity should address racial/ethnic-specific barriers including depression and low income to sustain virologic suppression.
Redistancing by flow of time dependent eikonal equation

Construction of signed distance to a given interface is a topic of special interest to level set methods. There are currently, however, few algorithms that can efficiently produce highly accurate solutions. We introduce an algorithm for constructing an approximate signed distance function through manipulation of values calculated from flow of time dependent eikonal equations. We provide operation counts and experimental results to show that this algorithm can efficiently generate solutions with a high order of accuracy. Comparison with the standard level set reinitialization algorithm shows ours is superior in terms of predictability and local construction, which, for example, are critical in local level set methods. We further apply the same ideas to extension of values off interfaces. Together, our proposed approaches can be used to advance the level set method for fast and accurate computations of the latest scientific problems.
Progression on Nickelodeon? Gender-Role Stereotypes in Toy Commercials

A content analysis was conducted to examine gender-role stereotypes in toy commercials airing during the after-school hours in October, 2004, on the U.S. Nickelodeon network. The sample included 455 toy commercials, which were analyzed for the type of toy, number of identifiable boys and girls, gender portrayal, gender orientation, age of children, type of interaction, setting, and color of setting. The majority of girl and boy characters were featured in gender-specific toy commercials, and there were more identifiable girls than boys. Almost one-half of the characters were children (6-to-10-years old) who predominantly played indoors, in mixed colored settings, and engaged in cooperative play. Boys were more likely than girls to be shown outdoors and playing competitively.
Manure as a Source of Antibiotic-Resistant Escherichia coli and Enterococci: a Case Study of a Wisconsin, USA Family Dairy Farm

The spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the environment is raising serious public health concerns, and manure is being increasingly recognized as a major source of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In this research, we isolated Escherichia coli and enterococci from manure produced in a Wisconsin, USA family dairy farm to determine their resistance to six representative antibiotics. The average densities for E. coli and enterococci were 6.37(±4.38) × 107 colony formation units (CFU) g−1 and 1.60(±1.57) × 104 CFU g−1, respectively. The E. coli isolates were found to be resistant to cephalothin, ampicillin, tetracycline, and erythromycin. In addition to these four antibiotics, the Enterococcus isolates were also resistant to gentamicin and ciprofloxacin. Additionally, we examined the survival and growth of E. coli and enterococci in dairy manure over a period of ~3 days. While the densities of enterococci remained stable over the study period, the concentrations of E. coli on average increased by 1.5 log10 units. Further tests of the bacterial antibiotic resistance over time showed no significant changes in the prevalence of antibiotic resistance. This result indicated that slightly aged manure could represent a larger source of antibiotic-resistant E. coli than fresh manure and the accumulation of antibiotic-resistant E. coli and enterococci in the agricultural fields must be accounted for in the modeling of the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the environment.
Photonic-based low phase noise frequency synthesis for RF-to-millimeter wave carriers and wideband RF-to-IF down-conversion

We present a photonic method for tunable high frequency carrier generation and wideband tunable RF frequency down-conversion with low phase noise. The phase noise of the photonic generated RF/IF signal is limited by the RF signal generator used to synthesize the optical local oscillators. We show phase noise measurements of photonic frequency synthesized carriers at 24 GHz and down-conversion measurements with +24 dBm OIP3 and positive gain from 5 – 20 GHz RF and 100 MHz IF, with ADC-limited digitization.
Mutations within the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 gp160 envelope glycoprotein alter its intracellular transport and processing

Intracellular transport and processing of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope precursor polyprotein, gp160, proceeds via the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi complex. We examined gp160 processing during the production of HIV-1 virions in transfected HeLa cells using wild-type and env mutant proviral molecular clones. Results from pulse-chase analyses indicated that a single amino acid substitution within a highly conserved domain of the env gene impaired gp160 export from the ER, leading to an increase in oligomeric forms of gp160 and a decrease in gp120 production. In contrast, gp160 which contained a mutated cleavage site was able to traverse the ER/Golgi complex, even in the absence of proteolytic processing, and become incorporated into budding virions. These findings indicate that export from the ER is a point in the intracellular trafficking of gp160 that is crucial to the production of the mature envelope components.
Demonstrations and Knowledge of Results in Motor Skill Acquisition

In learning motor skills, different types of information can be utilized to reinforce correct execution of the skill. Over the years, augmented information after the movement (i.e., knowledge of results) has been the most widely studied and has received attention as the most important variable for learning. Recently, however, researchers have begun to focus on modeling or providing information prior to movement as another important aspect of skill learning. The present experiment compared a KR 100% condition with a KR 33% condition, with a final modeling plus KR condition on the acquisition and immediate transfer retention of a timing task. The results showed that all groups reached the same performance level by the end of acquisition. However, over the immediate transfer phase, subjects who had received modeling plus KR during acquisition, increased their errors. Delayed retention produced no significant group effects.