cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
[3H]p-aminoclonidine binding to multiple α2-adrenoceptor sites in homogenates of cat frontal cortex and cat spinal cord

We have investigated the characteristics of [3H]p-aminoclonidine binding to homogenates of cat frontal cortex and of cat spinal cord. At 37°C, saturable [3H]p-aminoclonidine binding displayed rapid association and dissociation kinetics. Scatchard plots of data obtained from either tissue were consistently biphasic. Computer-assisted nonlinear least squares regression analysis based upon a one ligand/two binding site model was employed to resolve these plots into two linear components. The results of this analysis indicate that, for homogenates of either tissue, the KD of [3H]p-aminoclonidine binding, to the high and low affinity binding sites respectively, is approximately 0.5 nM and 9 nM. Mean Bmax values (fmol/mg protein), for the high and low affinity binding sites respectively, of 28 and 149 for homogenates of cat frontal cortex and 7.1 and 56 for homogenates of cat spinal cord were obtained. The results of competitive inhibition experiments, where 0.13 nM [3H]p-aminoclonidine was used, indicate that catecholamines compete for [3H]p-aminoclonidine binding sites in a stereoselective fashion, and that these sites possess a pharmacology characteristic of α2-adrenoceptors. The results of Hill analysis of the competition data suggest that α2-adrenoceptor agonists andα2-adrenoceptor antagonists possess selective affinity for these two α2-adrenoceptor binding sites. The two populations of saturable [3H]p-aminoclonidine binding sites appear to correspond to those α2-adrenoceptor ligand binding sites that have been referred to as the ‘super high’ and ‘high’ affinity state of the α2-adrenoceptors.
On the collapse arresting effects of discreteness

We examine the effects of discreteness on a prototypical example of a collapse exhibiting partial differential equation (PDE). As our benchmark example, we select the discrete nonlinear Schrodinger (DNLS) equation. We provide a number of physical settings where issues of the interplay of collapse and discreteness may arise and focus on the quintic, one-dimensional DNLS. We justify that collapse in the sense of continuum limit (i.e., of the L^~ norm becoming infinite) cannot occur in the discrete setting. We support our qualitative arguments both with numerical simulations as well as with an analysis of a quasi-continuum, pseudo-differential approximation to the discrete model. Global well-posedness is proved for the latter problem in H^s, for s>1/2. While the collapse arresting nature of discreteness can be immediately realized, our estimates elucidate the ''approach'' towards the collapse-bearing continuum limit and the mechanism through which focusing arises in the latter.
Spatial Empirics for Economic Growth and Convergence

This paper suggests some new empirical strategies for analyzing the evolution of regional income distributions over time and space. These approaches are based on extensions to the classical Markov transition matrices that allow for a more comprehensive analysis of the geographical dimensions of the transitional dynamics. This is achieved by integrating some recently developed local spatial statistics within a Markov framework. Insights to not only the frequency with which one economy may transition across different classes in the income distribution, but also how those transitions may or may not be spatially dependent are provided by these new measures. A number of indices are suggested as ways to characterize the space-time dynamics and are illustrated in a case study of U. S. regional income dynamics over the 1929–1994 period.
Effects of Phosphorylation on the unbound states of an intrinsically disordered protein: A Computational Approach

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDP) can exist as ensembles of disordered conformations under physiological conditions, and such intrinsic disorder often plays important roles in their functions. The kinase-inducible transactivation domain (KID) from cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) has distinct ordered structure with its binding partner KIX, but is mostly unstructured in unbound state. The phosphorylation on Ser133 residue of KID increases the binding potency of the peptide toward KIX, but its impacts the disordered states remain unclear. We have carried out atomistic simulations in an implicit solvent to study effects of above-mentioned phosphorylation on the structure of unbound KID peptide. The results reveal that while the phosphorylation does not affect the average residue helicities, but has importance consequences on the flexibility of the peptide as well as the length and population of the transient helical segments. In particular, phosphorylation appears to restrict the accessible conformational space of the loop connecting two helices, and reduces the entropic penalty of folding upon binding. This entropic contribution, estimated to be ∼1.5R from 4D joint backbone torsion distributions of Arg130 and Arg131 residues of KID, supplements the salt-bridges between pSer133 of KID and Lys662 and Tyr658 residues of KIX. This effect was not previously recognized due to inaccessibility of the structural details of the disordered ensembles from experiments. Success of these simulations is very encouraging, and demonstrates the feasibility of an implicit solvent-based computational framework for accurate atomistic simulation of IDPs.
The erosion of a friendship

Abstract The following story is about my childhood friend Amber and the loss of a close relationship. The story traces the relationship from grade school through adolescence. As we grew, we faced different obstacles, at first together and then apart. I follow in the footsteps of Ellis (1995) and Uematsu (1996) in discussing the advantages of writing about loss.
Inflation dynamics in a small emerging market

This study investigates the determinants of inflation in the Dominican Republic during 1991 to 2002, a period characterized by remarkable macroeconomic stability and growth. By developing a parsimonious and empirically stable error correction model using quarterly observations, the study finds that inflation is explained by changes in monetary aggregates, real output, foreign inflation and the exchange rate. Long-run relationships in the money and traded goods markets are found to exist, but only the disequilibrium from the money market exerts a significant impact on inflation.
Absence of evidence of pulmonary maturity at amniocentesis in term infants of diabetic mothers

A total of 153 patients' charts were reviewed over a 6-year period to assess the results of the practice of amniocentesis for diabetic mothers at term (greater than or equal to 37 weeks' gestation) before elective induction/delivery. The number of cases with absent phosphatidylglycerol were determined at each specific gestational age at or near term. Phosphatidylglycerol was present in 130, and phosphatidylglycerol was absent in 23 at first amniocentesis sampling. A significant proportion (approximately 21%) of those with gestational diabetes were phosphatidylglycerol-negative as late as 38 weeks' gestation. A similar proportion of overt diabetic patients were phosphatidylglycerol-negative as late as 39 weeks' gestation. These figures give the clinician some estimate of the likelihood of the absence of phosphatidylglycerol at or near term if amniocentesis is used before elective delivery in these patients.
Use of the “Fast Evaluation of Mobility, Balance, and Fear” in Elderly Community Dwellers: Validity and Reliability

Background and Purpose. Identifying elderly community dwellers who are at risk for falling was assessed using a comprehensive screening tool referred to as the “Fast Evaluation of Mobility, Balance, and Fear” (FEMBAF). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the concurrent validity and reliability of scores on the FEMBAF. Subjects. Thirty-five elderly persons living in the community (4 men, 31 women), with a mean age 79.9 years (SD=8.5, range=60–92), participated. Methods. Subjects were tested using the FEMBAF and three other instruments—the balance subscale of the Tinetti Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment (B-POMA), the Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction on Balance (CTSIB), and the Timed Up and Go Test. Scores on the FEMBAF were compared with scores on each the other instruments using Spearman rank-order correlation coefficients and analysis of covariance (with age as the covariate) for living status and diagnostic category. A comparison of the number of subjects classified as being at risk for falling was done descriptively for the FEMBAF, B-POMA, and CTSIB. Results. Associations ( r >.35) were found between the FEMBAF and each of the other instruments in the areas of FEMBAF risk-factor count, task completion, mobility, and strength. The FEMBAF classified a greater number of subjects as being at risk for falling (89%) compared with the B-POMA (43%) and the CTSIB (63%). The mean chance-corrected percentage of agreement between raters on the FEMBAF was κ=.95 (SD=.15) for assessment of risk factors and κ=.96 (SD=.12) for task completion. Conclusion and Discussion. The FEMBAF provides valid and reliable measurements of risk factors, functional performance, and factors that hinder mobility.
English in a multilingual Spain

IN RECENT years an increasing amount of literature has become available regarding the learning and use of English in a wide range of contexts, notably including continental Europe: cf. Berns 1995; Cenoz & Jessner 2000; Dushku 1998; Fonzari 1999; McCallen 1991; O'Reilly 1998; Petzold & Berns 2000; Phillipson & Skutnab-Kangas 1997; Schleppegrell 1991; and Van Essen 1997. However, little recent published work has explored the role of the language in Spain. The information provided here is based on on-site investigation, interviews with English teachers and other language specialists in Spain, and an examination of relevant curricular documents and other published sources. The aim of the article is to cover three areas in particular: the history of English in Spain; its current status in the nation's multilingual context; and the learning and teaching of the language nationwide of proficiency.
A Chemical Probe Targets DNA 5-Formylcytosine Sites and Inhibits TDG Excision, Polymerases Bypass, and Gene Expression

Dynamic regulation and faithful maintenance of proper DNA methylation patterns are essential for many cellular functions. 5-Formylcytosine (5fC), a newly discovered oxidized form of methylcytosine (mC), is involved in active DNA demethylation processes. The latest progress suggests exciting novel functional roles of this residue. Chemical tools are desired to further elucidate the functional roles of 5fC and to modulate dynamics of DNA demethylation and downstream biological processes. Here we designed and constructed a chemical probe, consisting of an aldehyde-targeting group and an intercalation group. This molecule can selectively react with 5fC and subsequently inhibit base excision by thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG) and cause significant pausing for both DNA and RNA polymerase elongation. Further investigation using a GFP reporter system in living cells revealed that the covalent modification in 5fC sites at 5′-UTR of the GFP gene greatly inhibited the GFP expression level. These results altogether confirmed our successful design and established a new approach for generating functional probes that target the formylcytosine sites and modulate 5fC-related biological processes.
Hemodynamic effects of indomethacin in chronically instrumented pregnant sheep

Indomethacin administration has produced decreases in uteroplacental blood flow in several animal studies; therefore, it has been suggested that the maintenance of uterine blood flow is critically dependent on the continued synthesis of vasodilating prostaglandins. However, vasoconstriction following indomethacin administration may be due to mechanisms other than reduced prostaglandin synthesis. We administered indomethacin (2, 5, or 10 mg/kg) intravenously to seven unanesthetized sheep in late pregnancy and determined the time courses of the uteroplacental and systemic hemodynamic responses, comparing these to the concurrent changes in circulating prostaglandins. Indomethacin administration resulted in rapid increases in systemic and uteroplacental vascular resistance (80% to 100%) and mean arterial pressure (approximately 30%) and in decreases in systemic (approximately 30%) and uteroplacental (0% to 30%) blood flows within 5 minutes. Vasoconstriction was transient, however, and after 60 minutes there was no evidence of uterine or systemic vasoconstriction, although systemic and uterine plasma prostaglandin levels remained reduced for 180 minutes. Thus substantial inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis existed without evidence of concurrent systemic or uteroplacental vasoconstriction, suggesting that uterine blood flow is not directly dependent on maintained prostaglandin synthesis in unstressed pregnant sheep. Furthermore, the transient indomethacin-induced vasoconstriction may not be due to inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis.
Minimum Cut Model for Spoken Lecture Segmentation

We consider the task of unsupervised lecture segmentation. We formalize segmentation as a graph-partitioning task that optimizes the normalized cut criterion. Our approach moves beyond localized comparisons and takes into account long-range cohesion dependencies. Our results demonstrate that global analysis improves the segmentation accuracy and is robust in the presence of speech recognition errors.
A high power 140 GHz quasioptical gyro-TWT

Summary form only given, as follows. Summary form only given. The experimental results from a wide-band high power 140 GHz quasioptical gyro-TWT will be presented. The gyroTWT amplifier is designed to generate 100 kW at 140 GHz with 38 dB gain and 3% saturated bandwidth. The interaction structure is a highly overmoded quasioptical open waveguide namely, a confocal waveguide which has the capability of up to 100 kW CW operation in the W-band (94 GHz) when built to industrial standards. The other novel features of the experiment include a quasioptical diffraction sever with a high average power capability. The latest experimental results in microsecond pulsed operation include peak power of 30 kW for a 68 kV, 6A beam and 10 kW of power over a 2 GHz bandwidth in unsaturated operation.
Peasant Resistance in Ethiopia: the Case of Weyane*

Weyane was a spontaneous, localized peasant uprising with limited objectives. It occurred in 1943 because several disaffected social groups in the eastern part of Tigrai believed that they could defeat or at least extract substantial concessions from a weak transitional government. The multiplicity of objectives roughly correspond to the divergent interests of the participants: the sectarian nobility wanted a greater share in the regional reallocation of power, the semi-pastoral communities of the lowlands were interested in pre-empting feudal incorporation, and the highland cultivators wanted to terminate the excessive demands of officialdom and militia. The convergence of these forces made Weyane possible; the disorganization of the ruling strata and the subsequent defection of a segment of the territorial nobility enormously enhanced the peasants' capacity for collective action. But this very heterogeneity comprised the peasants' objectives. The revolt lacked a coherent set of goals, nor did it have a specific program for social action. The rebels attacked neither the legitimacy of the monarchy nor the ideological basis of the Ethiopian aristocracy. In the end, Weyane buttressed the feudal order, and was probably instrumental in strengthening Ethiopia's neo-colonial link with the West. In the aftermath of rebellion, the Tigrai nobility did get its rights and prerogatives recognized, to the same extent that the nobility in the other northern provinces did. The government undercut the nobility's political autonomy, but paid the price of reinforcing their social position. On the other hand, in reaction to Weyane, the state destroyed the social basis of clan authority and autonomy, and reduced the Raya and Azebo to landless peasants. Weyane marked the end of conflict between centrifugal and centralizing forces, but did not eliminate the social roots of popular protest.
The effects of pressure gradients on turbulent flow near a smooth wall

A dimensional argument is presented leading to a functional form for the effective viscosity which embraces the hypothesis of a previous paper (Mellor & Gibson 1966; hereafter referred to as paper A) in the defect portion of a turbulent boundary layer. The new argument also suggests a way of determining the effective viscosity in the viscous sublayer when the flow is subjected to mainstream pressure gradients.It will be shown that the large wall-velocity profiles and the defect-velocity profiles automatically overlap, even in the absence of a logarithmic portion. It will be shown further that equilibrium flows are uniquely determined by β and R.
Evaluation and usability of programming languages and tools (plateau)

Programming languages exist to enable programmers to develop software effectively. But how efficiently programmers can write software depends on the usability of the languages and tools that they develop with. The aim of this workshop is to discuss methods, metrics and techniques for evaluating the usability of languages and language tools. The supposed benefits of such languages and tools cover a large space, including making programs easier to read, write, and maintain; allowing programmers to write more flexible and powerful programs; and restricting programs to make them more safe and secure. We plan to gather the intersection of researchers in the programming language, programming tool, and human-computer interaction communities to share their research and discuss the future of evaluation and usability of programming languages and tools. We are also interested in the input of other members of the programming research community working on related areas, such as refactoring, design patterns, program analysis, program comprehension, software visualization, end-user programming, and other programming language paradigms.
Discriminant validity of the Adult Attachment Interview

The Adult Attachment Interview is a semi-structured interview developed to investigate adults' attachment representations. Subjects are asked to describe their parents as caregivers, explain these descriptions, describe how their parents typically responded to distress, and discuss their current relationships with their parents. They are also asked to describe any significant losses and/or instances of abuse during childhood. Scoring focuses on the accessibility of early experiences to memory and the coherence and plausibility of the subject's narrative. Discriminant validity is always an important issue with such measures because IQ and other cognitively loaded variables offer plausible alternative interpretations or represent important correlates that should be treated as covariates when the measure is used. In addition, complex, multifaceted interviews always pose the risk of assessing general social adjustment rather than a more narrowly defined construct. This study examines the discriminant validity of the AAI vis-a-vis intelligence, social desirability, discourse style, and general social adjustment in a sample of 53 native-English-speaking, married women with preschool children. They were assessed with the AAI, a written IQ test, the Social Adjustment Scale, the Employment Experience Interview (discourse style), and a measure of social desirability. There were modest but significant correlations with IQ scores and social adjustment. There was no relation between AAI classifications and discourse style or social desirability. These results substantially strengthen the case for interpreting the AAI as an attachment-related measure.
Social orienting: reflexive versus voluntary control.

Many studies have shown that the direction of gaze of a face covertly facilitates the response to a target presented in the matching direction. In this study we seek to determine whether there exist separate reflexive and voluntary forms of such covert social orienting and how they interact with each other. We measured the effect of the predictive value of a gaze cue on manual choice reaction times. When the predictive value of the gaze cue was zero, a facilitatory cueing effect was still observed which peaked at a cue onset to target onset delay (CTD) of 150 ms and largely diminished beyond a CTD of 500 ms. When the gaze cue was 100% predictive of the future location of the target, at CTDs greater than 200, the predictive cue resulted in a significantly greater facilitation of response than occurred with a non-predictive cue. These results suggest that given enough time (about 200 ms), the social cue is interpreted and a willful or voluntary spatially-specific social cueing effect occurs. In addition, we found that a predictive cue resulted in a significant slowing of the observer’s responses up to a CTD of 200 ms. These findings show that, similar to non-social spatial orienting, there appear to be two forms of social orienting including a reflexive component and voluntary component. We suggest a model of social orienting in which the voluntary social orienting system modulates tonic inhibition of the reflexive social orienting system. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
How Growth Abnormalities Delay “Puberty” in Drosophila

In various organisms, including flies, amphibians, and mammals, major developmental transitions such as metamorphosis and puberty are triggered by specific hormones. The requirement for a hormone to proceed to the next stage allows the organism to reestablish the temporal coordination of development between multiple organs that might develop at slightly different rates. Additionally, organisms appear to have evolved mechanisms for delaying these transitions in situations where growth in an organ is abnormal or delayed. New evidence in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster indicates that DILP8, a protein of the insulin and relaxin family, delays the onset of metamorphosis under several conditions that alter growth in imaginal discs. Similar mechanisms might operate in disease states in humans where alterations in growth or tissue inflammation can delay puberty.
A New Arrangement of (β/α)8 Barrels in the Synthase Subunit of PLP Synthase

Pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP, vitamin B6), a cofactor in many enzymatic reactions, has two distinct biosynthetic routes, which do not coexist in any organism. Two proteins, known as PdxS and PdxT, together form a PLP synthase in plants, fungi, archaea, and some eubacteria. PLP synthase is a heteromeric glutamine amidotransferase in which PdxT produces ammonia from glutamine and PdxS combines ammonia with five- and three-carbon phosphosugars to form PLP. In the 2.2-A crystal structure, PdxS is a cylindrical dodecamer of subunits having the classic (β/α)8 barrel fold. PdxS subunits form two hexameric rings with the active sites positioned on the inside. The hexamer and dodecamer forms coexist in solution. A novel phosphate-binding site is suggested by bound sulfate. The sulfate and another bound molecule, methyl pentanediol, were used to model the substrate ribulose 5-phosphate, and to propose catalytic roles for residues in the active site. The distribution of conserved surfaces in the PdxS dodecamer was used to predict a docking site for the glutaminase partner, PdxT.
Multiscale thermoelastic analysis of random heterogeneous materials. Part I: Microstructure characterization and homogenization of material properties

This study is concerned with the modeling of heterogeneous materials with random microstructure and understanding their thermomechanical properties. Realistic random microstructures are generated for computational analyses using random morphology description functions (RMDFs). The simulated microstructures closely resemble actual micrographs of random heterogeneous materials. It is possible to simulate a wide range of random microstructures using this method, including: (a) particles of irregular shapes and sizes embedded in a matrix phase and (b) interpenetrating phase composite microstructures in which each material phase forms an interconnected network. In this first part of the work, the simulated RMDF microstructures are characterized using statistical techniques and their homogenized material properties computed using the asymptotic expansion homogenization (AEH) method. The material properties thus obtained are compared with analytical homogenization schemes and experimental data for several different material combinations and constituent volume fractions.
A methodology for conducting composite behavior model verification in a combat simulation

The United States Army's One Semi-Automated Forces (OneSAF) Objective System (OOS) is the next generation of Army high resolution combat models. Its development has leveraged the ever-increasing computing power available today to represent highly complex battlefield phenomena, particularly human behavior. In the fall of 2005, the Product Manager (PM) OneSAF asked us to conduct a verification of the orderable, composite behavior models within OOS. As a result, we developed and executed a unique process to verify those behaviors under tight resource constraints. Our methodology and test designs allowed us to evaluate the behaviors thoroughly with a minimum number of scenarios. Based upon our work, we were able to verify a number of composite behaviors and to provide valuable feedback to the PM OneSAF. In this paper, we provide an overview of the problem, a description of the methodology we developed, and a summary of our challenges and results.
E 1 - M 1 Damping Interference in the Electric Field Quenching of Metastable Ar 1 7 + Ions

k is the direction of observation. The anisotropy arises from interference between the M1 and induced E1 amplitudes for the decay. Theory predicts that the pseudo-T-odd invariant should contribute to the angular distribution through a term associated with the damping (finite lifetime) of the 2 p levels. The decay rate for the interference term is found to be 21.64s0.12d s 21 sr 21 sVycmd 21 . This corresponds to a 2s Lamb shift for Ar 171 of 38.6(1.4) THz. [S0031-9007(97)04308-1]
Developing coherent multiagent systems using JAFMAS

The Java-based Agent Framework for Multi-Agent Systems (JAFMAS) provides a generic methodology for developing speech-act based multiagent systems (MAS) along with a set of classes to support implementing these agents in Java. The methodology follows five stages: (i) agent identification, (ii) definition of each agent's conversations, (iii) determining the rules governing each agent's conversations, (iv) analyzing the coherency between all the conversations in the system, and (v) implementation. JAFMAS provides communication, linguistic and coordination support through sixteen Java classes. Communication support is provided for both directed and subject-based broadcast communication. Linguistic support is provided for speech-act (e.g. KQML) based communication languages. Coordination support comes from conceptualizing agent plans and their coordination as rule-based conversations represented by automata models.
Sideronatrite and metasideronatrite efflorescence formed in a coastal sea-spray environment

Sideronatrite [Na 2 Fe(SO 4 ) 2 (OH).3H 2 O] occurs as yellow botryoidal encrustations on low cliffs of weathered pyrite-bearing mudstones at Barton-on-Sea, Hampshire, England. Extensive areas of the cliffs, up to approximately 100 m 2 , are coated with sideronatrite and its low solubility in cold water secures its longevity. Dry samples of sideronatrite convert readily to metasideronatrite [Na 2 Fe(SO 4 ) 2 (OH).H 2 O], the reaction to sideronatrite being reversible. Sideronatrite, it is suggested, forms as a result of weathering of pyrite that is present in the argillaceous sediments and reaction with Na from the sea-salt spray.
Law's Suffering

Recent scholarship in areas of the law of loss (especially crime and tort) suggests that the law needs to pay more attention to pain. This essay examines legal redress for loss in various doctrines of private and public law in order to map the relation of law and suffering and explore how they shape each other. Law seems to compensate for the lack of law, for 'unjustified' or 'unusual' suffering, but not for experiences of suffering 'as such.' Is law wrong to do so? Is there some other pre-normative account of suffering to which law should respond? Can 'raw' suffering cut through legal language? Part one sets out the relation between suffering and wrong in the law. Part two examines how the law often elides the normative with the normal, the 'wrong' with what is unexpected. Part three suggests that the suffering that is the absence of the 'normal' is linked with our need for reliability and is a defense against our finitude. Part four explores the example of torture, the paradigm of lawless suffering 'for nothing' that undermines lawfulness itself. Part five discusses the aspects of 'suffering' or hurtful loss that are left out of law. I conclude that suffering in law is normative all the way down, resistant to any simplistic reductionism or unmediated 'experience' of the other. Suffering, moreover, is intimately tied in law to the frustration of our 'will to law.' The 'will to law,' a human desire for reliability and pattern that protects a finite being from a chaotic world, seeks to normalize the unusual and the aberrant. Even when law tries to compensate for 'actual' suffering, and tries to take suffering as a scientific object, the 'will to law' makes empirical suffering or pain difficult to measure, because sufferers adapt to the familiar, routine, and normal, and the familiar is not experienced or understood as suffering. Sufferers’ own 'will to law' makes the quotidian into the lawful and justified, thereby obscuring (or perhaps alleviating) their own suffering. Finally I look at forms of lawful pain or loss that are left unaddressed and therefore unredressed by the law’s conception of suffering: 1 normal 'background' pain or loss, 2) lawful pain or loss 'for a good reason,' and 3) the loss of our openness to change and disruption that our 'will to law' itself causes, and that is a loss of the capacity for suffering itself.
Altruism between romantic partners: Biological offspring as a genetic bridge between altruist and recipient

When the cost of altruism is low, individuals are more likely to help non-kin (i.e., friends and romantic partners) than kin. This trend is thought to reflect the fact that people tend to be emotionally closer with friends and romantic partners than kin. However, as the cost of altruism increases, altruistic preference shifts to kin. The present study highlights this phenomenon by examining altruism between siblings, romantic partners, romantic partners who have biological children together, and romantic partners who have adopted children together. Participants (n = 203) completed a questionnaire about altruism in low-, medium-, and high-cost situations. Participants gave more low-cost help to their romantic partners (regardless of whether they had a child together) than their siblings. More medium-cost help was given to romantic partners who had a child (biological and adopted) than siblings and romantic partners without children. In the high-cost condition, the estimated altruistic tendencies were stronger toward siblings and romantic partners who have a biological child than toward romantic partners with no children and partners with adopted children. Participants also believed they were more altruistic than their siblings and romantic partners.
Two genetic defects in a patient with complete deficiency of the b-subunit for coagulation factor XIII

A genomic DNA obtained from a female patient with complete b-subunit deficiency was examined by Southern blotting analysis and in vitro amplification. Nucleotide sequence analysis showed that adenosine-4161 at the acceptor splice junction of intron A/exon II was deleted in half of the amplified DNAs, resulting in a loss of the obligatory AG splicing sequence. The absence of adenosine-4161 was confirmed by cleavage with TaqI endonuclease of the amplified DNAs. Moreover, sequence analysis showed that guanosine-11499 coding for Cys 430 (TGC) in exon VIII was replaced by thymidine in half of the amplified DNAs, resulting in an amino acid change to Phe (TTC) and the destruction of a disulfide bond in the seventh Sushi domain. This mutation was also confirmed by cleavage with MboII endonuclease. Thus, the proband turned out to be a compound heterozygote of two separate defective alleles. Although half of the amplified DNAs for exon VIII of her daughter or son were cleaved by MboII, those for intron A were not cleaved by TaqI. The replacement of guanosine-11499 by thymidine in their exon VIII has also been confirmed by sequence analysis, indicating that they are heterozygous for one normal and one defective allele.
Quasi-linear relationship between Gibbs free energy of ATP hydrolysis and power output in human forearm muscle

The postulated strictly linear descriptions of the rate dependence of oxidative phosphorylation in skeletal muscle on the free energy of ATP hydrolysis (delta GP) over the range of physiological steady states fail to harmonize with reported findings of identical basal respiration rates in mammalian muscles at different delta GP values. The relevance of an extension of the strictly linear description to a description deriving from enzyme kinetics that predicts a sigmoidal dependence was investigated in human finger flexor muscle using 31P-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. At constant pH 7.0, the experimental variation of adenine nucleotide concentrations with power output, which reflects the rate of oxidative phosphorylation, was compared with predictions by various formulations of adenine nucleotide control of respiration. The quasi-linear sigmoidal description was found to be statistically equivalent but physiologically superior to the strictly linear description. The predicted maximal oxidatively sustained steady-state power output and rate-dependent sensitivity of respiration to changes in delta GP were in agreement both with theoretical considerations and with experimental observations in the present study and other studies of intact mammalian skeletal muscle.
Insects Associated with Spider Nests

Insects may be associated with spiders in a variety of ways. Some are external parasites on the spiders themselves, the larvaeclinging to the bodies and deriving nourishment there-from; some are internal parasites, living within the bodies of the spiders; others lay their eggs in the freshly made nests of the spiders, and the larvrae, when hatched, feed indiscriminately upon the eggs, then pupate and remain in the cocoon, being protected by it until they reach the adult stage; another type is the egg parasite, where the insect egg is laid within the egg capsule of the spider and there obtains enough nourishment from this one egg to supply its needs until it becomes adult; still other insects wander around from nest to nest feeding on the contents of various nests, but not remaining in any one nest in particular and not pupating in the nest, but near to it; this sort being predatory on the young spiders. The original observations recorded in this paper deal only with those insects which are associated in some way with the egg cocoons of the spiders. Since Dr. L. O. Howard's work in 1890–92, only scattered items have been added to our knowledge of this subject. The present paper is an attempt to bring together these items and to add to them the result of recent observations made by the writer.
Investigation on the quality of drinking water in rural areas of Tianjin

[Objective]To learn the quality of the drinking water in rural areas of Tianjin and to provide scientific basis for water improving work. [Methods]The sanitary quality of water samples collected from 120 sample locations (including 41 surface water locations and 79 underground water locations) of 12 counties were monitored and assessed according to the criteria of Sanitary Standard for Drinking Water enforced in rural areas. [Results]Fluoride index in underground water during plenty period and low water period much exceeded the maximum index and did not meat the sanitary standard. So is the bacteriological index in the surface water. [Conclusion]Great effort should be made to reduce fluoride in underground water and to help peasants to revive the filter regularly. Surface water should be sterilized in time.
Inhibition of surfactant by lung allograft extracts.

Studies of surfactant following lung reimplantation and transplantation have given contradictory data. Most of these studies have measured surface tension on a modified Wilhelmy balance as an indicator of surfactant but this method has certain limitations. We demonstrated a significant inhibition of surface tension in normal dog lung extracts by transplanted dog lung extracts. We concluded that surfactant may be present in lung extracts but inhibited by various substances, especially in diseased lungs. Therefore, if low surface tension does not develop, only a limited conclusion is warranted. Quantitative data showing increased surfactant turnover in lung allografts as compared to lung autografts or normals have been presented elsewhere.
A manufacturer's approach to development of matrix robust methods.

Use of matrix robust methods (MRM) to solve the problem of matrix-induced analytic errors appears to be a sound strategy. The development of MRM, however, is in an infancy stage. The principal barrier is the complexity of the matrix effect that involves interactions of the matrix, the analyte, and the technology base of the test method. Each of these three components has its own set of variables. The present article focuses on concepts and tactics to develop the MRM that appear promising on a path-forward basis. The author believes that the current environment favors probability of successful development of MRM
Driving new insights in asset utilisation by utilising RFID technology to deliver asset status updates in real-time

This paper focuses on the delivery of real-time asset visibility, in the form of automatic location and status updates to the asset management system. It presents a suitable architecture to capture and process asset location and status data in real-time to deliver an immediacy of information that is not traditionally available within the asset management function. It outlines three primary domains that deliver an end-to-end real-time location awareness asset management system: hardware, middleware and business applications domains. Firstly it presents an overview of several RFID technologies used to help underlie the delivery of asset location and status updates to the asset management system in a timely manner. Secondly it outlines how RFID-generated location and status data can be transformed through the middleware domain into contextually rich information useful to asset managers. This paper concludes by describing how this rich information can be exploited within the Asset Management System to deliver significant value to asset management practitioners. (6 pages)
Erratum to: Is Fecal Diversion Needed in Pelvic Anastomoses During Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC)?

The role of fecal diversion with pelvic anastomosis during cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is not well defined. A retrospective review of patients who underwent CRS and HIPEC between 2009 and 2016 was performed to identify those with a pelvic anastomosis (colorectal, ileorectal, or coloanal anastomosis). The study identified 73 patients who underwent CRS and HIPEC at three different institutions between July 2009 and June of 2016. Of these patients, 32 (44%) underwent a primary anastomosis with a diverting ileostomy, whereas 41 (56%) underwent a primary anastomosis without fecal diversion. The anastomotic leak rate for the no-diversion group was 22% compared with 0% for the group with a diverting ileostomy (p < 0.01). The 90-day mortality rate for the no-diversion group was 7.1%. The hospital stay was 14.1 ± 8.0 days in the diversion group compared with 17.9 ± 12.5 days in the no-diversion group (p = 0.12). Of those patients with a diverting ileostomy, 68% (n = 22) had their bowel continuity restored, 18% of which required a laparotomy for reversal. Postoperative complications occurred for 50% of those who required a laparotomy and for 44% of those who did not require a laparotomy (p = 0.84). Diverting ileostomies in patients with a pelvic anastomosis undergoing CRS and HIPEC are associated with a significantly reduced anastomotic leak rate. Reversal of the diverting ileostomy in this patient population required a laparotomy in 18% of the cases and had an associated morbidity rate of 50%.
Tumor necrosis factor inhibitors in psoriatic arthritis

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that can result in significant disability. With the emergence of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi), therapeutic outcomes in PsA have improved substantially. The clinical efficacy and the inhibition of radiographic progression demonstrated by TNFi have transformed the management of PsA. However, there is still an unmet need for a subset of patients who do not respond adequately to TNFi.Areas covered: This review provides an overview of the pharmacokinetics of TNFi, the efficacy of TNFi in PsA, and the role of immunogenicity of TNFi in the treatment of PsA. In addition, we address the use of TNFi in the setting of other medications utilized in the treatment of PsA and the potential future role of biosimilars.Expert commentary: Monoclonal antibodies exhibit complex and widely variable pharmacokinetics. The study of factors that can affect the pharmacokinetics, such as immunogenicity, is valuable to further define and unde...
Online Supervised Learning for Hardware-Based Multilayer Spiking Neural Networks Through the Modulation of Weight-Dependent Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity

In this paper, we propose an online learning algorithm for supervised learning in multilayer spiking neural networks (SNNs). It is found that the spike timings of neurons in an SNN can be exploited to estimate the gradients that are associated with each synapse. With the proposed method of estimating gradients, learning similar to the stochastic gradient descent process employed in a conventional artificial neural network (ANN) can be achieved. In addition to the conventional layer-by-layer backpropagation, a one-pass direct backpropagation is possible using the proposed learning algorithm. Two neural networks, with one and two hidden layers, are employed as examples to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed learning algorithms. Several techniques for more effective learning are discussed, including utilizing a random refractory period to avoid saturation of spikes, employing a quantization noise injection technique and pseudorandom initial conditions to decorrelate spike timings, in addition to leveraging the progressive precision in an SNN to reduce the inference latency and energy. Extensive parametric simulations are conducted to examine the aforementioned techniques. The learning algorithm is developed with the considerations of ease of hardware implementation and relative compatibility with the classic ANN-based learning. Therefore, the proposed algorithm not only enjoys the high energy efficiency and good scalability of an SNN in its specialized hardware but also benefits from the well-developed theory and techniques of conventional ANN-based learning. The Modified National Institute of Standards and Technology database benchmark test is conducted to verify the newly proposed learning algorithm. Classification correct rates of 97.2% and 97.8% are achieved for the one-hidden-layer and two-hidden-layer neural networks, respectively. Moreover, a brief discussion of the hardware implementations is presented for two mainstream architectures.
Towards Hardness of Approximation for Polynomial Time Problems

Proving hardness of approximation is a major challenge in the field of fine-grained complexity and conditional lower bounds in P. How well can the Longest Common Subsequence (LCS) or the Edit Distance be approximated by an algorithm that runs in near-linear time? In this paper, we make progress towards answering these questions. We introduce a framework that exhibits barriers for truly subquadratic and deterministic algorithms with good approximation guarantees. Our framework highlights a novel connection between deterministic approximation algorithms for natural problems in P and circuit lower bounds. In particular, we discover a curious connection of the following form: if there exists a \delta>0 such that for all \eps>0 there is a deterministic (1+\eps)-approximation algorithm for LCS on two sequences of length n over an alphabet of size n^{o(1)} that runs in O(n^{2-\delta}) time, then a certain plausible hypothesis is refuted, and the class E^NP does not have non-uniform linear size Valiant Series-Parallel circuits. Thus, designing a "truly subquadratic PTAS" for LCS is as hard as resolving an old open question in complexity theory.
Quasi-self-powered Infrastructural Internet of Things: The Mackinac Bridge Case Study

Autonomous, continuous and long-term monitoring systems are required to prognosticate failures in civil infrastructures due to material fatigue or extreme events like earthquakes. While current battery-powered wireless sensors can evaluate the condition of the structure at a given instant of time, they require frequent replacement of batteries due to the need for continuous or frequent sampling. On the other hand, self-powered sensors can continuously monitor the structural condition without the need for any maintenance; however, the scarcity of harvested power limits the range at which the sensors could be wirelessly interrogated. In this paper, we propose a quasi-self-powered sensor that combines the benefits of self-powered sensing and with the benefits of battery-powered wireless transmission. By optimizing both of the functionalities, a complete sensor system can be designed that can continuously operate between the structure's maintenance life-cycles and can be wirelessly interrogated at distances that obviates the need for taking the structure out-of-service. As a case study, in this paper we present the design considerations involved in prototyping quasi-self-powered sensors for deployment on the Mackinac Bridge in northern Michigan, with a target operational life span greater than 20 years.
Do Natural Disasters Really Lead to Forced Migration? Evidence from Indonesia

The paper examines the claim of forced migration due to increasing environmental calamities by studying how natural disasters shape household moving pattern in Indonesia. As household migration takes various forms, I separate it into two different types which are (1) split migration and (2) moving of the entire household. Contrary to our intuitive understanding, the study shows that more disasters actually drive down the two types of out-migration in ex-post. The paper goes on to explain the findings and discovers that earthquakes reduce household size, total earnings and non-business assets. Because households with smaller size, less total earnings and lower non-business assets are less likely to split, earthquakes reduce split migration by decreasing the values of those economic variables. On the other hand, eruptions drive up farm business assets and consequently lead to less moving of the entire household since greater holdings of farm business assets makes households less mobile to move out as a whole. Though earthquakes and eruptions reduce split migration, the trend of rising disaster occurrence in fact causes households to split more. Yet, the split-off households stay in the same village rather than going far off from their places of origin.