cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Arylated polypeptides of sarcophagid cuticle

Abstract Proteins 1St and 12He from larval cuticle of Sarcophaga bullata contain, respectively, 35 and 20% of the amino acid residues as tyrosine. The isoelectric points are 4.51 and 5.30, and the molecular weights 23,000 and 26,000. Protein 12He constitutes 1% of the total borate-soluble polypeptide, and differs in amino acid composition, N- terminal sequence and molecular weight from the nearest neighbour on focused gels. Segregation of a portion of the tyrosyl residues in protein 12 He is indicated by the terminal sequence H2N-tyr-tyr-tyr-tyr. Highly aromatic regions with monophenolic substituents have also been identified in basic peptides recovered from fully sclerotized puparial cases suggesting the polyaryl regions of the aromatic larval proteins serve as initiation centres for cross-linking. The total peptidylated benzenoid substances of puparial cases, however, is greatly in excess of the aromatic amino acid titre of the larval proteins, including several classes of compounds unique to sclerotized protein. Unlike larval material, the aromatic groups are at least 2 residues removed from the N- terminus . Whereas larval proteins absorb maximally at 278 nm, aryl peptides from puparia shift the u.v.-peak to 255–259 nm. Puparial aromatic species decompose in strong acid at 150°C, where tyrosine, phenylalanine and histidine from larval proteins are stable. The phenolic hydroxyl groups of larval protein are not conjugated, occuring uniquely as tyrosine. In puparia, at least half the monophenols are masked as revealed by transalkylation to a thetin acceptor. Although free polyphenols can be extracted from puparia, peptide-bound aromatics fail to respond to reagents indicative of the ortho- or meta- diphenol function. The findings support a model with at least 2 cross-linking mechanisms; an initiation step via intrinsic tyrosyls followed by addition of arylating species derived from external tanning precursors.
On the Emergence of Living Systems

If the problem of the origin of life is conceptualized as a process of emergence of biochemistry from proto-biochemistry, which in turn emerged from the organic chemistry and geochemistry of primitive earth, then the resources of the new sciences of complex systems dynamics can provide a more robust conceptual framework within which to explore the possible pathways of chemical complexification leading to living systems and biosemiosis. In such a view the emergence of life, and concomitantly of natural selection and biosemiosis, is the result of deep natural laws (the outlines of which we are only beginning to perceive) and reflects a degree of holism in those systems that led to life. Further, such an approach may lead to the development of a more general theory of biology and of natural organization, one informed by semiotic concepts.
Introducing XMOB: Extremity Movement Observation Framework for Upper Body Pose Tracking in 3D

We introduce a vision based, marker less upper body pose tracking approach that first tracks the 3D movements of extremities, including head and hands. Then based on the knowledge of upper body model, these extremity movements are used to predict the whole upper body motion as an inverse kinematics problem. The experimental validation showed the promise of applying this approach in several smart environments and HCI situations, e.g. user activity observation in driving scene, meeting room, teleconference scene.
Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 in porcine ovarian granulosa cells: Gene cloning, promoter mapping, and follicle-stimulating hormone regulation

The role and regulation of IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) in the ovary is not fully understood. We cloned and determined the sequence of 12,257 bp of the pig IGFBP-3 gene that includes 4,296 bp of the flanking promoter sequence. The porcine IGFBP-3 promoter sequence shares two highly conserved regions with the human and bovine IGFBP-3 promoters and a mouse DNA clone. The first is a 38 bp region between -1095 and -1058, whereas the second is a 73-bp region between -63 and +10 of the pig sequence. Projected translation of the open reading frame of our sequence gave a peptide sequence identical to that determined by peptide sequencing, but with 27 additional amino acids upstream of this sequence and is highly similar to the human, bovine, rat, and mouse IGFBP-3 peptides. Using RT-PCR we demonstrated that FSH regulates IGFBP-3 mRNA expression in a biphasic manner, with an early induction (maximal at 3 h) and an inhibition at 24 h after FSH treatment. The inhibition at 24 h was not due to changes in IGFBP-3 mRNA stability. A similar pattern of FSH modulation of the IGFBP-3 gene transcription was demonstrated by the reporter activity of granulosa cells transiently transfected with IGFBP-3 promoter constructs. The site for FSH stimulation of the IGFBP-3 gene was localized to the sequence between -61 and -48 relative to the transcription start site. Regulation of IGFBP-3 transcription by FSH suggests a role for IGFBP-3 in follicular development that may be independent of IGF-I.
Tissue specific promoters improve specificity of AAV9 mediated transgene expression following intra-vascular gene delivery in neonatal mice.

The AAV9 capsid displays a high natural affinity for the heart following a single intravenous (IV) administration in both newborn and adult mice. It also results in substantial albeit relatively lower expression levels in many other tissues. To increase the overall safety of this gene delivery method we sought to identify which one of a group of promoters is able to confer the highest level of cardiac specific expression and concurrently, which is able to provide a broad biodistribution of expression across both cardiac and skeletal muscle. The in vivo behavior of five different promoters was compared: CMV, desmin (Des), alpha-myosin heavy chain (α-MHC), myosin light chain 2 (MLC-2) and cardiac troponin C (cTnC). Following IV administration to newborn mice, LacZ expression was measured by enzyme activity assays. Results showed that rAAV2/9-mediated gene delivery using the α-MHC promoter is effective for focal transgene expression in the heart and the Des promoter is highly suitable for achieving gene expression in cardiac and skeletal muscle following systemic vector administration. Importantly, these promoters provide an added layer of control over transgene activity following systemic gene delivery.
Emergence of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus USA 300 clone as the predominant cause of skin and soft-tissue infections.

In this study of 384 persons with microbiologically confirmed community-onset Staphylococcus aureus skin and soft-tissue infection, community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (M...
Flexibility of motor pattern generation across stimulation conditions by the neonatal rat spinal cord.

Previous studies have demonstrated that “locomotor-like” rhythmic patterns can be evoked in the isolated neonatal rat spinal cord by several means, including pharmacological neuromodulation and ele...
Defect characterization and tolerance of QCA sequential devices and circuits

This paper analyzes the defect tolerance of sequential devices and circuits implemented by molecular quantum-dot cellular automata (QCA). Initially, a novel QCA SR-type flip-flop is proposed; this flip-flop is the first sequential device for QCA and it takes into account the timing issues associated with the adiabatic switching of this technology. Using a defect model by which single additional and missing cells are considered in a molecular implementation, simulation results are provided for a logic-level characterization of the defects. Also for sequential circuits, defect tolerance is pursued and shown to affect the functionality of basic QCA devices, resulting mostly in unwanted inversion and stuck-at faulty behavior at logic level.
Reciprocal resource sharing in P2P environments

Peer-to-peer (P2P) systems enable users to share resources in a networked environment without worrying about issues such as scalability and load balancing. Unlike exchange of goods in a traditional market, resource exchange in P2P networks does not involve monetary transactions. This makes P2P systems vulnerable to problems including the free-rider problem that enables users to acquire resources without contributing anything, collusion between groups of users to incorrectly promote or malign other users, and zero-cost identity that enables nodes to obliterate unfavorable history without incurring any expenditure. Previous research addresses these issues using user-reputation, referrals, and shared history based techniques. Here, we describe a multi-agent based reciprocity mechanism where each user's agent makes the decision to share a resource with a requesting user based on the amount of resources previously provided by the requesting user to the providing user and globally in the system. A robust reputation mechanism is proposed to avoid the differential exploitations by the free-riders and to prevent collusion. Experimental results on a simulated P2P network addresses the problems identified above and shows that users adopting the reciprocative mechanism outperform users that do not share resources in the P2P network. Hence, our proposed reciprocative mechanism effectively suppresses free-riding.
Algebraic Riccati equations and infinitesimal V-stability, a Grobner basis approach

We investigate the connection between infinitesimal V-stability of solutions to the algebraic Riccati equations, the Hamiltonian eigenstructure of the solutions, and the quadratic differential of the corresponding Riccati map. Infinitesimal V-stability of critical points of the Riccati map is crucially related to stability of the Riccati map and characterizes the behavior of these solutions under perturbations of problem data. Grobner bases are used to implement the calculations.
A High-Sensitivity Fully Passive Neurosensing System for Wireless Brain Signal Monitoring

A high-sensitivity, fully passive neurosensing system is presented for wireless brain signal monitoring. The proposed system is able to detect very low-power brain-like signals, viz. as low as $-$ 82 dBm (50 $\mu\hbox{V}_{\rm pp}$ ) at ${\rm f}_{\rm neuro}>\hbox{ 1 kHz}$ . It is also able to read emulated neural signals as low as $-$ 70 dBm (200 $\mu\hbox{V}_{\rm pp}$ ) at ${\rm f}_{\rm neuro}>\hbox{ 100 Hz}$ . This is an improvement of up to 22 dB in sensitivity as compared with previously reported neural signals. The system is comprised of an implanted neurosensor and an exterior interrogator. The neurosensor receives an external carrier signal and mixes it with the neural signals prior to retransmitting to the interrogator. Of importance is that the implanted neurosensor is fully passive and does not require a battery nor rectifier/regulator but is concurrently wireless for unobtrusive neurosensing with minimal impact to the individual's activity. To achieve this remarkable high sensitivity, the sensing system employed: 1) a subharmonic mixer using an anti-parallel diode pair; 2) a pair of implanted/interrogator antennas with high transmission coefficient $\vert{S}_{21}\vert$ ;and 3) a matching circuit between the implanted antenna and the mixer. This neurosensing system brings forward a new possibility of wireless neural signal detection using passive brain implants.
Design and performance of the LCLS cavity BPM system

In this paper we present the design of the beam position monitor (BPM) system for the LCLS undulator, which features a high-resolution X-band cavity BPM. Each BPM has a TM010 monopole reference cavity and a TM110 dipole cavity designed to operate at a center frequency of 11.384 GHz. The signal processing electronics features a low- noise single-stage three-channel heterodyne receiver that has selectable gain and a phase locking local oscillator. We will discuss the system specifications, design, and prototype test results.
Hospitality service employees’ coping styles: The role of emotional intelligence, two basic personality traits, and socio-demographic factors

Abstract This study examines the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and three coping strategies (task-, emotion-, and avoidance-oriented coping) using an adult, hospitality industry population specifically in hotel and restaurant work environments. The hierarchical regression indicates that EI is by far the most dominant predictor of task coping among all selected explanatory variables; EI does not have much influence on emotion coping after the entry of two basic personality traits (neuroticism and extraversion); and EI is significantly related to avoidance coping encompassing distraction and social diversion. In addition, this study reveals the role played by age and work experience in individual coping efforts and a high possibility of female workers as a task-oriented coper in hospitality work settings.
Frequency entrainment for micromechanical oscillator

We demonstrate synchronization of laser-induced self-sustained vibrations of radio-frequency micromechanical resonators by applying a small pilot signal either as an inertial drive at the natural frequency of the resonator or by modulating the stiffness of the oscillator at double the natural frequency. By sweeping the pilot signal frequency, we demonstrate that the entrainment zone is hysteretic and can be as wide as 4% of the natural frequency of the resonator, 400 times the 1/Q∼10−4 half-width of the resonant peak. Possible applications are discussed based on the wide range of frequency tuning and the power gain provided by the large amplitude of self-oscillations (controlled by a small pilot signal).
Multicasting in mobile backbone based ad hoc wireless networks

The synthesis of efficient and scalable multicasting schemes for mobile ad hoc networks is a challenging task. Multicast protocols typically construct a tree or mesh structure to distribute messages to multicast group members. Generally, these implementations impose scalability and efficiency limitations since they employ protocols that are based on a flat-topology networking architecture. We present three multicast algorithms that employ a dynamically synthesized mobile backbone network (MBN) to achieve efficient message distribution among members of multicast groups. Using the synthesized backbone network (BNet), we have a hierarchical networking architecture that enables a multicast protocol to achieve low control overhead and high transmission efficiency. The multicast algorithms under investigation are: (1) BNet flooding multicast algorithm (BFMA); (2) shared backbone multicast subnetwork (SBMS); (3) hybrid multicast algorithm (HMA). Our simulation and mathematical analysis results demonstrate the enhanced performance achieved by these MBN-based multicast algorithms when compared to ODMRP, and provide performance comparisons for these algorithms
Negotiating the “Weites Feld”: Realism and Discursive Performance in Nietzsche and Effi Briest

(2002). Negotiating the “Weites Feld”: Realism and Discursive Performance in Nietzsche and Effi Briest. The Germanic Review: Literature, Culture, Theory: Vol. 77, No. 3, pp. 233-253.
Mathematical Theory of the Four-Electrode Tube

This paper gives the mathematics of the four-electrode tube, including in the most general case expressions for the plate and two grid currents in terms of applied voltages in the two grid circuits and the impedances of all three circuits. The results are exact, variation in the amplification factors being included. Because of the complexity of the general equations, these expressions for the currents have been developed: I, in terms of one grid-filament voltage and external impedances in plate and other grid circuit, assuming no voltage in latter; II, in terms of grid-filament voltages of both grid circuits and external impedance in plate circuit; III, in terms of applied voltages in both grid circuits and external impedances in plate and two grid circuits. The results of I show the effect of an external impedance in the non-control grid of a "screen-grid" or "space-charge-grid" tube; II covers the approximate theory of a "double-function" tube; III gives a more exact and comprehensive theory of the tube in any use.
MULTIPLE SCHEDULE COMPONENT DURATION: A RE‐ANALYSIS OF SHIMP AND WHEATLEY (1971) AND TODOROV (1972)

The tendency for relative response rate to approach matching as multiple schedule component duration decreases has been interpreted as confirming a prediction of Herrnstein's multiple schedule equation. However, the equation predicts that absolute response rate will decrease in both multiple schedule components as component duration decreases. The absolute response-rate data of two studies of component duration do not support this prediction; absolute rate either increased or remained relatively constant.
Modern Prescription Theory and Application: Realistic Expectations for Speech Recognition With Hearing Aids

A major decision at the time of hearing aid fitting and dispensing is the amount of amplification to provide listeners (both adult and pediatric populations) for the appropriate compensation of sensorineural hearing impairment across a range of frequencies (e.g., 160–10000 Hz) and input levels (e.g., 50–75 dB sound pressure level). This article describes modern prescription theory for hearing aids within the context of a risk versus return trade-off and efficient frontier analyses. The expected return of amplification recommendations (i.e., generic prescriptions such as National Acoustic Laboratories—Non-Linear 2, NAL-NL2, and Desired Sensation Level Multiple Input/Output, DSL m[i/o]) for the Speech Intelligibility Index (SII) and high-frequency audibility were traded against a potential risk (i.e., loudness). The modeled performance of each prescription was compared one with another and with the efficient frontier of normal hearing sensitivity (i.e., a reference point for the most return with the least r...
Metastatic breast cancer cells colonize and degrade three-dimensional osteoblastic tissue in vitro

Metastatic breast cancer cells (BCs) colonize a mineralized three-dimensional (3D) osteoblastic tissue (OT) grown from isolated pre-osteoblasts for up to 5 months in a specialized bioreactor. Sequential stages of BC interaction with OT include BC adhesion, penetration, colony formation, and OT reorganization into “Indian files” paralleling BC colonies, heretofore observed only in authentic pathological cancer tissue. BCs permeabilize OT by degrading the extra-cellular collagenous matrix (ECM) in which the osteoblasts are embedded. OT maturity (characterized by culture age and cell phenotype) profoundly affects the patterns of BC colonization. BCs rapidly form colonies on immature OT (higher cell/ECM ratio, osteoblastic phenotype) but fail to completely penetrate OT. By contrast, BCs efficiently penetrate mature OT (lower cell/ECM ratio, osteocytic phenotype) and reorganize OT. BC colonization provokes a strong osteoblast inflammatory response marked by increased expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6. Furthermore, BCs inhibit osteoblastic bone formation by down-regulating synthesis of collagen and osteocalcin. Results strongly suggest that breast cancer disrupts the process of osteoblastic bone formation, in addition to upregulating osteoclastic bone resorption as widely reported. These observations may help explain why administration of bisphosphonates to humans with osteolytic metastases slows lesion progression by inhibiting osteoclasts but does not bring about osteoblast-mediated healing.
Nuclear collective excitations: A relativistic density functional approach

Density functional theory provides the most promising, and likely unique, microscopic framework to describe nuclear systems ranging from finite nuclei to neutron stars. Properly optimized energy density functionals define a new paradigm in nuclear theory where predictive capability is possible and uncertainty quantification is demanded. Moreover, density functional theory offers a consistent approach to the linear response of the nuclear ground state. In this paper, we review the fundamental role played by nuclear collective modes in uncovering novel excitations and in guiding the optimization of the density functional. Indeed, without collective excitations the determination of the density functional remains incomplete. Without collective excitations, the equation of state of neutron-rich matter continues to be poorly constrained. We conclude with a discussion of some of the remaining challenges in this field and propose a path forward to address these challenges.
Activation of Pyruvate Oxidase and Interaction with Membrane Components

Pyruvate oxidase is one of several flavoprotein dehydrogenases that feed electrons into the E. coli respiratory chain. The enzyme catalyzes the oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate to acetic acid and CO2 (Hager, 1957). Although usually a minor component in E. coli, it can be induced to higher levels in mutant strains and provides a pathway for pyruvate catabolism alternative to that of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. Pyruvate oxidase is a tetramer with identical subunits of 60,000 daltons (Williams and Hager, 1960; O’Brien et al., 1976). Each subunit has a tightly bound flav in adenine dinucleotide (FAD), and the addition of a second cofactor, thiamin pyrophosphate, is necessary to elicit catalytic activity. Enzymatic activity is easily monitored spectrophotometrically using ferricyanide as an artificial oxidant.
Enhancing gas chromatography-time of flight mass spectrometry data analysis using two-dimensional mass channel cluster plots.

A novel data reduction and representation method for gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOFMS) is presented that significantly facilitates separation visualization and analyte peak deconvolution. The method utilizes the rapid mass spectral data collection rate (100 scans/s or greater) of current generation TOFMS detectors. Chromatographic peak maxima (serving as the retention time, tR) above a user specified signal threshold are located, and the chromatographic peak width, W, are determined on a per mass channel (m/z) basis for each analyte peak. The peak W (per m/z) is then plotted against its respective tR (with 10 ms precision) in a two-dimensional (2D) format, producing a cluster of points (i.e., one point per peak W versus tR in the 2D plot). Analysis of GC-TOFMS data by this method produces what is referred to as a two-dimensional mass channel cluster plot (2D m/z cluster plot). We observed that adjacent eluting (even coeluting) peaks in a temperature programmed separation can h...
Development of a near-IR TDL probe for rapid species measurements in large pool fires

Researchers at Sandia have been experimentally and numerically investigating large-scale pool fires for several years, because of the risk that these fires pose to critical engineered systems during transport accident scenarios.
Shock Train Formation in COIL Lasers

A large-eddy simulation / Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (LES/RANS) model is used to simulate a supersonic nozzle and diffuser with secondary mass injection, operating at low pressures and Reynolds number. Two simulations with varied back pressure are performed with the goal of assessing the ability to capture the location and strength of the shock train in the diffuser section. The model is able to accurately predict the location of the pressure rise in both cases, but the rate of pressure recovery at the wall is slower than indicated by experimental data. Analysis of the flow data shows the creation of persistent corner vortices that provide a pathway for upstream propagation of the back pressure, but otherwise the level of turbulence mixing between the boundary layer and free-stream in the vicinity of the pressure rise is low, and the performance of the hybrid LES/RANS model remains sensitive to the choice of wall model.
Fringe and Suburb: A Confusion of Concepts

hypotheses concerning population differentiation. The formal relations between the Shevky typology and other significant attributes of population remain to be discovered. The problems of this research were to determine the generality of the Shevky system of social area analysis. A further program of research concerning the above problems has been undertaken by the authors in an attempt to relate the concepts of social interaction to the broader organizing trends which seem to lay the outlines for behavior in any society.
Computational Investigations of Deploying Load Control Microtabs on a Wind Turbine Airfoil

Flow about a wind turbine airfoil with a deploying microtab device has been numerically simulated by solving unsteady turbulent compressible two-dimensional, Navier-Stokes equations with the OVERFLOW 2 solver. Using a Chimera/overset grid topology, microtabs were placed at 95% of chord of a S809 airfoil. Microtab heights on the order of 1% of chord, deployed on the order of one (1) characteristic time unit were utilized. The effects of freestream angle of attack on the aerodynamic response was also investigated. Validation studies with experimental results for static deployed microtabs and a dynamically deployed spoiler were also performed to ensure accurate temporal and spatial resolution of the numerical simulations.
MRI as Adjunct in Diagnosis of Meningitis

Investigators from the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, PA, reviewed the literature on the role of MRI as an adjunct for diagnosing meningitis.
Synthesis and characterization of pendant phenyl ester-substituted thiophene based copolymers

Abstract In an attempt to synthesize low band gap copolymers, three new monomers 3-ethyl-2-(2,5-dibromothiophene)-3-ylacetate ( ETA) , 3-phenylethyl-2-(2,5-dibromothiophene)-3-ylacetate ( PTA ), and 3,3-diphenylpropyl-2-(2,5-dibromothiophene)-3-ylacetate ( DPTA ) were synthesized. ETA , PTA , and DPTA were copolymerized with 2,5-bis(trimethylstannyl)thiophene to yield poly [3-ethyl 2-(thiophene-3-yl)acetate-2,2′-thiophene] ( PETAT ), poly[3-phenylethyl 2-(thiophene-3-yl)acetate-2,2′-thiophene] ( PPTAT ) and poly[3,3-diphenylpropyl 2-(thiophene-3-yl)acetate-2,2′-thiophene] ( PDPTAT ) respectively. Additionally, these mildly electron-donating monomers as well as 2,5-bis(trimethylstannyl)thiophene were incorporated with the electron withdrawing monomer, 4,7, dibromobenzo[ c ]-1,2,5-thiadiazole ( BT ), to develop three push-pull polymeric systems; poly[3-ethyl 2-(thiophene-3-yl)acetate-2,2′-thiophene-2,6-diyl-alt-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole-4,7-diyl] ( PETATBT ), poly[3-phenylethyl 2-(thiophene-3-yl)acetate-2,2′-thiophene-2,6-diyl-alt-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole-4,7-diyl] ( PPTATBT ), and poly[3,3-diphenylpropyl 2-(thiophene-3-yl)acetate-2,2′-thiophene-2,6-diyl-alt-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole-4,7-diyl] ( PDPTATBT ). Copolymers PETAT, PPTAT, and PDPTAT exhibit band gaps from 1.94–1.92 eV respectively, where as PETATBT, PPTATBT, and PDPTATBT show a reduction in the band gaps to 1.66–1.48 eV. The impact of the phenyl moiety was investigated using atomic force microscopy; increased order within films of PPTAT and PPTATBT can be attributed to the increased π-π stacking in the solid state from the pendant phenyl moiety.
Gene therapy for the treatment of cardiovascular disease.

Although currently experimental, gene therapy promises hope for eleven million adults in the United States with symptomatic cardiovascular disease. This article presents the most current information on administration of gene therapy as well as the basic concepts of angiogenesis, viral vectors, and gene delivery systems. Screening procedures, patient care issues, and potential adverse events are reviewed.
Intracellularly Labeled Fusiform Cells in Dorsal Cochlear Nucleus of the Gerbil. I. Physiological Response Properties

Fusiform cells in the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN) of barbiturate-anesthetized Mongolian gerbils were characterized physiologically and labeled with neurobiotin. This report is based on 17 fusiform cells for which there was reasonable confidence in the association between physiological data and recovered anatomy. The qualitative morphology of these cells was no different from that reported in previous studies. The acoustic response properties were generally consistent with those described in the barbiturate-anesthetized cat. Most responses were of the pauser or buildup type, but a dependence on stimulus frequency and intensity was observed. Stimulus-evoked sustained depolarizations and large, long-lasting afterhyperpolarizations were common membrane potential features. The cells in this study showed a greater tendency to discharge regularly than did those of the cat, likely as a result of the longer interstimulus interval used. Barbiturate anesthesia appears to mask an interspecies difference in DCN physiology that is apparent in unanesthetized, decerebrate preparations. The response of these fusiform cells to a depolarizing current pulse could be altered by the presence of a hyperpolarizing prepulse. Buildup, pauser, and chopper patterns could each be created using appropriate combinations of hyperpolarizing and depolarizing pulse amplitudes. Thus the adult gerbil appears to express the inactivating potassium conductance previously shown to affect fusiform cell firing patterns in vitro. The results further demonstrate that the effects of these potassium currents are readily observed in vivo. Finally, the fusiform cells in this study were quite variable with respect to a number of response properties, including the resting potential, input resistance, spontaneous activity, relative noise index, normalized tone slope, and regularity histogram shape. This diversity likely results from cell-to-cell variations in the balance of activity within the relatively complex network to which the fusiform cells belong, although effects of impalement may contribute to the extent of the diversity.
Characteristics Relating to Ovarian Cancer Risk: Collaborative Analysis of 12 US Case-Control Studies III. Epithelial Tumors of Low Malignant Potential in White Women

Epithelial ovarian neoplasms of low malignant potential, also called borderline ovarian tumors, have various features of malignancy, but they do not invade the ovarian stroma. Women with these tumors usually are younger when diagnosed and have better prognoses than do women with invasive tumors. There have been few epidemiologic studies of borderline tumors, and it is unclear whether there are etiologic differences between the two types of tumor behavior. Combined data from nine case-control studies, conducted from 1974 to 1986 and representing 327 white women with tumors of low malignant potential and 4,144 white controls, were used to evaluate the relation between these tumors and personal characteristics related to invasive ovarian cancer. The risk profile for tumors of low malignant potential was found to be similar to that for invasive tumors, with two exceptions: Compared with that of invasive tumors, risk of borderline tumors was less clearly reduced among women who had used oral contraceptives and more clearly elevated among women with a history of infertility.
Structure–function analysis and genetic interactions of the Luc7 subunit of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae U1 snRNP

Luc7 is an essential 261-amino acid protein subunit of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae U1 snRNP. To establish structure-function relations for yeast Luc7, we conducted an in vivo mutational analysis entailing N- and C-terminal truncations and alanine scanning of phylogenetically conserved amino acids, including two putative zinc finger motifs, ZnF1 and ZnF2, and charged amino acids within the ZnF2 module. We identify Luc7-(31-246) as a minimal functional protein and demonstrate that whereas mutations of the CCHH ZnF2 motif are lethal, mutations of the ZnF1 CCCH motif and the charged residues of the ZnF2 modules are not. Though dispensable for vegetative growth in an otherwise wild-type background, the N-terminal 18-amino acid segment of Luc7 plays an important role in U1 snRNP function, evinced by our findings that its deletion (i) impaired the splicing of SUS1 pre-mRNA; (ii) was synthetically lethal absent other U1 snRNP constituents (Mud1, Nam8, the TMG cap, the C terminus of Snp1), absent the Mud2 subunit of the Msl5•Mud2 branchpoint binding complex, and when the m(7)G cap-binding site of Cbc2 was debilitated; and (iii) bypassed the need for the essential DEAD-box ATPase Prp28. Similar phenotypes were noted for ZnF1 mutations C45A, C53A, and C68A and ZnF2 domain mutations D214A, R215A, R216A, and D219A These findings highlight the contributions of the Luc7 N-terminal peptide, the ZnF1 motif, and the ZnF2 module in stabilizing the interactions of the U1 snRNP with the pre-mRNA 5' splice site and promoting the splicing of a yeast pre-mRNA, SUS1, that has a nonconsensus 5' splice site.
The Law of Insurance Claim Practices: Beyond Bad Faith

This article provides a fresh perspective on the law of bad faith in first-party insurance cases. In these cases, the company is alleged to have failed to pay a valid claim submitted by the policyholder, delayed payment of a claim or forced litigation to obtain what the policyholder is owed. A basic premise of the article is that “bad faith” is an ill-advised term for this area. The primary focus in these cases should be whether the company has honored its obligation to observe fair claim practices. “Bad faith,” as that term is normally understood, plays a part, but it is a secondary part, prohibiting opportunism by the company. Therefore, this area should be understood simply as the law of claim practices. The article first describes the development and present state of the law providing a cause of action for the failure to observe fair claim practices. That development rests on the obligation of good faith implied in every contract, including insurance contracts. It then explains more fully that obligation and how it relates to claim practices, and it draws the implications of that explanation to state and apply the appropriate rule for evaluating a company’s claim practices: The company may not act opportunistically, and it must promptly, fairly, and objectively process, investigate, evaluate, and resolve the claim. Finally, the article explains the damages that should be available to a policyholder for violation of this rule. The analysis in the article provides a basis for reexamining the law of first-party claim practices generally. It has its greatest application, however, in two groups of jurisdictions which together comprise the large majority of American jurisdictions. One group does not recognize a cause of action for violation of claim practices standards, and the other permits an action only where the company not only lacked a reasonable basis for its action in delaying or denying a claim, but also knew or recklessly disregarded its lack of a reasonable basis. Both of these positions fail to apply properly the obligation of good faith in light of the relationship between an insurance company and its policyholder.
The effectiveness of heterostyly in preventing illegitimate pollination in dish-shaped flowers.

Heterostyly is thought to have evolved because it confers efficiency of cross-pollination. While it can be an alternative to an incompatibility mechanism in tube-shaped flowers, its effectiveness in dish-shaped flowers, such as those of Fagopyrum esculentum, has not been demonstrated. Stigmatic pollen loads were examined over the daily course of pollination in a planted field of this crop species. Natural pollination by bees resulted in 23% of the pollen on pin flowers and 69% on thrum flowers being legitimate. Both flower morphs therefore received the two pollen types in about the same proportions. Pin pollen constituted 74% of the pollen delivered to stigmata, even though the two morphs are present in equal numbers. Pin flowers collected about 75 pollen, and thrum flowers about 25 pollen by the end of the day of anthesis. The net result was about 15 compatible pollen per flower on both floral morphs. These results indicate that heterostyly is associated with excess pin-pollen delivery rather than excess legitimate-pollen delivery in F. esculentum.
Research Life Lesson 4: Your Career Is an Ultramarathon, Not a Sprint

Of all the life lessons I would like to present, the idea of going slowly and thinking about the long haul is critical to keeping your sanity and being successful, and is thus probably the most important. As one looks back on a career, it can seem that time goes by very quickly. You can still recall the days when you were just starting out, working with a mentor, perhaps seeing your first paper accepted and your name in print, or submitting your first grant application. And before your know it, 20 or 30 or 40 years have elapsed and you are about to retire.
Exploiting Maximal Overlap for Non-Contiguous Data Movement Processing on Modern GPU-Enabled Systems

GPU accelerators are widely used in HPC clusters due to their massive parallelism and high throughput-per-watt. Data movement continues to be the major bottleneck on GPU clusters, more so when data is non-contiguous, which is common in scientific applications. CUDA-Aware MPI libraries optimize the non-contiguous data movement processing using latency oriented techniques such as using GPU kernels to accelerate the packing/unpacking operations. Although they optimize the latency of a single operation, the inherent restrictions of the designs limit their efficiency for throughput oriented patterns. Indeed, none of the existing designs fully exploit the massive parallelism of the GPUs to provide high throughput and efficient resources utilization by enabling maximal overlap. In this paper, we propose novel designs for CUDA-Aware MPI libraries to achieve efficient GPU resource utilization and maximal overlap between CPUs and GPUs for non-contiguous data processing and movement. The proposed designs take advantage of several CUDA features, such as Hyper-Q/multi-streams and callback function, to deliver high performance and efficiency. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first such study to provide high throughput and efficient resource utilization for non-contiguous MPI data processing and movement to/from GPUs. The performance evaluation with the proposed designs using DDTBench shows up to 54%, 67%, 61% performance improvement on the SPECFEM3D_oc, SPECFEM3D_cm and WRF_y_sa benchmarks respectively for intra-node inter-GPU ping-pong experiments. The proposed designs also deliver up to 33% improvement on the total execution time over the existing designs for the HaloExchange-based application kernel that models the communication pattern of the MeteoSwiss weather forecasting model over 32 GPU nodes on Wilkes GPU cluster.
Birds Must Be Eliminated: Air Architecture and the Planetary Reenactment of the Modern Void

This article analyzes Air Architecture, a work the artist Yves Klein developed with the help of architects Werner Ruhnau and Claude Parent, with the aim of situating it as an alternative intervention in the urban debates of the late 1950s. It reads Air Architecture in relation to the procedures that Klein used in his artistic work to understand how the project accomplishes two main goals: first, to highlight the strategic value that emptiness and the resulting void spaces had for urban modernism, and second, to critically examine the validity of that strategy in facing the emergence of a global urban society and the social transformation from industrialism to consumerism during the 1950s.
Silk gene expression of theridiid spiders: implications for male-specific silk use

Spiders (order Araneae) rely on their silks for essential tasks, such as dispersal, prey capture, and reproduction. Spider silks are largely composed of spidroins, members of a protein family that are synthesized in silk glands. As needed, silk stored in silk glands is extruded through spigots on the spinnerets. Nearly all studies of spider silks have been conducted on females; thus, little is known about male silk biology. To shed light on silk use by males, we compared silk gene expression profiles of mature males to those of females from three cob-web weaving species (Theridiidae). We de novo assembled species-specific male transcriptomes from Latrodectus hesperus, Latrodectus geometricus, and Steatoda grossa followed by differential gene expression analyses. Consistent with their complement of silk spigots, male theridiid spiders express appreciable amounts of aciniform, major ampullate, minor ampullate, and pyriform spidroin genes but not tubuliform spidroin genes. The relative expression levels of particular spidroin genes varied between sexes and species. Because mature males desert their prey-capture webs and become cursorial in their search for mates, we anticipated that major ampullate (dragline) spidroin genes would be the silk genes most highly expressed by males. Indeed, major ampullate spidroin genes had the highest expression in S. grossa males. However, minor ampullate spidroin genes were the most highly expressed spidroin genes in L. geometricus and L. hesperus males. Our expression profiling results suggest species-specific adaptive divergence of silk use by male theridiids.
SEM characterization of two advanced fuel alloys: U-10Zr-4.3Sn and U-10Zr-4.3Sn-4.7Ln

Abstract Tin is being investigated as a potential additive to metallic fuel to control fuel-cladding chemical interaction (FCCI). A primary cause of FCCI is the lanthanide fission products moving to the fuel periphery and interacting with the cladding. This interaction will lead to wastage of the cladding and eventually to a cladding breach. The current study is a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) characterization of as-cast and annealed U-10Zr-4.3Sn and U-10Zr-4.3Sn-4.7Ln, where Ln = 53Nd-25Ce-16Pr-6La. The present study shows that tin preferentially binds the lanthanides, which will prevent lanthanide migration and interaction with the cladding.
Peak pain relief is delayed and duration of relief is extended following intravenous phentolamine infusion. Preliminary report.

Background and Objectives. Intravenous phentolamine infusion (ivP) has been shown to produce pain relief in some patients with sympathetically maintained pain. Animal models of neuropathic pain have reported decreases in pain behavior lasting 5 days following phentolamine injection. However, no clinical study has prospectively assessed pain relief for longer than 24 hours. The aim of this preliminary report was to assess prospectively daily pain relief scores for 1 week following ivP. Methods. Thirty-seven consecutive patients with neuropathic pain were asked to complete a pain relief scale for 7 days following ivP. All patients were first administered 35 mg ivP. At least 1 week later, 16 patients were administered ivP at a higher dose, 50 mg or 75 mg. Data from a total of 45 infusions were collected. Results. Sixteen patients experienced pain relief from ivP. Twenty-seven infusions resulted in pain relief. Peak pain relief was delayed in 25 of 27 (93%) positive ivP: 7 patients experienced the onset of peak response the night immediately following an infusion, 13 the next day, 3 2 days later, and 1 each 4 and 5 days after infusion. All 16 patients who reported pain relief following ivP experienced at least 2 days of relief with each infusion. Eight patients experienced at least 1 week of pain relief. No differences in pain relief scores were seen with higher-dosage ivP. Conclusions. A delay in peak pain relief was reported following 25/27 ivPs. Peak pain relief occurred most often at least 24 hours after infusion completion. In these patients, duration of pain relief was at least 2 days. Placebo controlled studies are needed to verify these observations.
On a generalization of Lie(k): A CataLAnKe theorem

Abstract We initiate a study of the representation of the symmetric group on the multilinear component of an n-ary generalization of the free Lie algebra, which we call a free LAnKe. Our central result is that the representation of the symmetric group S 2 n − 1 on the multilinear component of the free LAnKe with 2 n − 1 generators is given by an irreducible representation whose dimension is the nth Catalan number. This leads to a more general result on eigenspaces of a certain linear operator, which has additional consequences. We also obtain a new presentation of Specht modules of staircase shape as a consequence of our central result.
Seasonal forecasting of winds, waves and currents in the North Pacific

This study assesses the skill of seasonal forecasts for the environmental variables of surface wind speed, ocean surface current speed and significant wave height in the North Pacific. The ultimate...
Physical Activity in Cancer Survivors During "Re-Entry" Following Cancer Treatment.

INTRODUCTION The transition from active cancer treatment into survivorship, known as re-entry, remains understudied. During re-entry, clinicians can educate survivors on the benefits of healthy behaviors, including physical activity, as survivors adjust to life after cancer. We examine the prevalence of adherence to established aerobic physical activity guidelines (≥150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week) in addition to related medico-demographic factors among cancer survivors during re-entry. METHODS Data from 1,160 breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer survivors participating in the American Cancer Society's National Cancer Survivor Transition Study were examined. Multinomial logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios (AOR) for various medico-demographic variables in relation to 4 established levels of physical activity (inactive, insufficiently active, 1-<2 times the guideline level, and ≥2 times the guideline level [referent group]). RESULTS Overall, 8.1% were inactive, 34.1% were insufficiently active, 24.3% were within 1 to less than 2 times the guidelines, and 33.4% exceeded guidelines by 2 or more times. Inactive people had significantly higher odds of being women (AOR, 1.88; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10-3.23) and having lower education levels (AOR, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.21-3.38) compared with those who exceeded guidelines by 2 or more times. Each additional comorbidity was associated with a 26% increase in odds of inactivity (AOR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.08-1.47). CONCLUSION Patient education on the benefits of regular physical activity is important for all cancer survivors and may be especially important to review after treatment completion to promote healthy habits during this transition period. Survivors who are women, are less educated, and have comorbid conditions may be less likely to be compliant with physical activity guidelines.
The current approach to the diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndromes

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are heterogeneous hematopoietic neoplasms that share key clinical and biologic features, including peripheral blood cytopenias, morphologic dysplasia, ineffective and clonal hematopoiesis, and a variable risk of transformation to acute myeloid leukemia. Diagnostic evaluation of MDS relies on morphologic assessment of the peripheral blood and bone marrow, conventional cytogenetics, and exclusion of secondary causes of dysplasia. The diagnosis of MDS has important clinical consequences, but it can be challenging and requires distinction from mimics. In this review, the principles of bone marrow interpretation with respect to the diagnosis and classification of MDS in the current era will be discussed, including accurate morphologic interpretation, use of flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry, appropriate use of cytogenetics, and the emerging role of molecular genetics.