cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Extending the notion of pragmatic completion: The case of the responsive compound action unit

Abstract An important rule of turn taking is that, once a person gains the right to speak they are normally entitled to produce a single unit of talk, such as a single word, phrase, clause, or sentence. Conversation analysis has long recognized that, and attempted to describe how, this normal entitlement can be modified by pragmatic exigencies. Along these lines, this article demonstrates that a particular type of initiating action (referred to as a status inquiry) makes conditionally relevant a particular type of compound action unit ( Lerner, 1991 ) that minimally contains two ordered pieces of information, each of which occupies at least one sentential unit. Data are audiotapes of 193 calls between one of five customer-service representatives and customers calling an electronics organization to check on the status of equipment that they have previously sent in for repair. This article contributes to our understanding of how pragmatic concerns can uniquely structure participants’ understandings of what constitutes a possibly complete ‘unit’ of talk, as well as ‘allowable’ places for speakership.
Sequence conservation in the α and β subunits of pyruvate dehydrogenase and its similarity to branched-chain α-keto acid dehydrogenase

Amino acid sequence comparison of 8α and 6β subunits of the α-keto acid dehydrogenase (E1) component of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and branched-chain α-keto acid dehydrogenase complex from multiple species was performed by computer analysis. In addition to 2 previously recognized regions of homology in the α subunit, a 3rd region of extensive homology was identified in E1α, and may be one of the sites involved in subunit interaction. E1β contains 4 regions of extensive homology. Region 1 contains 10 amino acids that are homologous to a 10-amino acid stretch in Escherichia coli E1. Regions 2 and 3 have sequence homologies with other dehydrogenases suggesting that these regions may be involved in catalysis.
Surgical management of nasal obstruction

The proper evaluation of the patient with nasal obstruction relies on a comprehensive history and physical examination. Once the site of obstruction is accurately identified, the patient may benefit from a trial of medical management. At times however, the definitive treatment of nasal obstruction relies on surgical management. Recognizing the nasal septum, nasal valve, and turbinates as possible sites of obstruction and addressing them accordingly can dramatically improve a patient's nasal breathing. Conservative resection of septal cartilage, submucous reduction of the inferior turbinate, and structural grafting of the nasal valve when appropriate will provide the optimal improvement in nasal airflow and allow for the most stable results.
Mean residence time and variance in steady counterflow separations

Abstract Analytical expressions for the mean residence time and variance of species separated in steady couterflow have been derived. The counterflow column was modelled as a multiport sytem composed of discrete equilibrium stages with inlets and outlets closed to diffusion. Limiting cases of the relations for residence time and variance reduce to well-known expressions for fixed-bed separations. Mean residence times of species separated in fixed-bed and counterflow systems are compared.
Differential compartmentalization of vasopressin messenger RNA and neuropeptide within the rat hypothalamo-neurohypophysial axonal tracts: light and electron microscopic evidence.

Abstract Arginine vasopressin messenger RNA is axonally transported in the rat hypothalamo-neurohypophysial system [for review see Mohr et al. (1993) In Vasopressin (eds Gross P., Richter D. and Robertson C.L.), pp. 119–129, John Libbey Eurotext]. Upon chronic dehydration (2% saline-feeding for seven days), vasopressin messengerRNA within this axonal compartment is dramatically increased and appears aggregated in a selected subset of axonal swellings confined to the median eminence and posterior pituitary. In this study, we analysed the axonal distribution of the vasopressin messenger RNA within the hypothalamo-neurohypophysial tracts of control and saline-fed animals, and compared this distribution to that of the vasopressin peptide. Our data further support a selective aggregation of the vasopressin messenger RNA in a subset of distal axonal swellings and/or terminals of the median eminence and posterior pituitary. The selective aggregation is observed not only in saline-fed animals, but also in control animals. Although the osmotic stimulus dramatically enhances the axonal transport of vasopressin messenger RNA, the consequent general distribution pattern of the messenger RNA in the hypothalamo-neurohypophysial system is not changed. However, the physiological perturbation does increase the number of vasopressin messenger RNA-containing swellings within the median eminence and the posterior pituitary. In both saline-fed and control animals, the level of messenger RNA label within individual swellings appeared roughly similar to that found in the perikaryal cytoplasm of extra-hypothalamic vasopressinergic neurons. A detailed comparison of the axonal compartmentalization of vasopressin messenger RNA and vasopressin peptide demonstrates that the axonal distribution of vasopressin messenger RNA does not precisely overlap that of vasopressin peptide along the hypothalamo-neurohypophysial tract. In seven-day saline-fed animals, the majority of the messenger RNA-containing swellings of the median eminence also contain detectable vasopressin peptide; however in the same animals, nearly all the messenger RNA-containing swellings of the posterior pituitary appear devoid of vasopressin peptide. Therefore, our work strongly suggests that at least in the posterior pituitary, the vasopressin messenger RNA might be selectively targeted and aggregated in a selected subset of axonal swellings containing little if any vasopressin, and hence very few neurosecretory granules. Given this evidence that vasopressin messenger RNA and neuropeptide are differentially compartmentalized in axons of magnocellular neurons, we propose that vasopressin messenger RNA and peptide probably rely on different intracellular transport systems with respect to packaging, transport and/or aggregation within these selected axonal locations.
Heavy baryons - Recent and very new results

Recent results on observations, properties and decay modes of the charmed and beauty baryons will be reviewed. Candidates for several new high mass states which include a cleanly-identified daughter {Lambda}{sub c}{sup +} baryon are seen in data from the SELEX experiment at Fermilab. These states are candidates for doubly-charmed baryons: a {Xi}{sub cc}{sup ++} state and a {Xi}{sub cc}{sup +} state. These candidates are more than 5{sigma} signals in each case at masses of 3520 and 3460 MeV respectively.
A Quasi-Experimental Assessment of the National Impact of the 1981 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (Obra) On the Aid To Families With Dependent Children (Afdc) Program

The 1981 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) called for important changes in the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program. This article reports the findings of a study that tracked two nationally representative samples of AFDC cases to learn about caseload dynamics prior to and following OBRA's implementation. Simple comparisons and the use of life-table techniques revealed that amendments to the AFDC program had a significant impact on program participation and costs that was not offset by any change in work behavior. Various features of the evaluation design and their relationship to the study objectives are described.
Cytokines in tolerance to hyperoxia-induced injury in the developing and adult lung.

Cytokines are peptides that are produced by virtually every nucleated cell type in the body, possess overlapping biological activities, exert different effects at different concentrations, can either synergize or antagonize the effects of other cytokines, are regulated in a complex manner, and function via cytokine cascades. Hyperoxia-induced acute lung injury (HALI) is characterized by an influx of inflammatory cells, increased pulmonary permeability, and endothelial and epithelial cell injury/death. Some of these effects are orchestrated by cytokines. There are significant differences in the response of the developing versus the adult lung to hyperoxia. We review here cytokines (and select growth factors) that are involved in tolerance toward HALI in animal models. Increased cytokine expression and release have a cascade effect in HALI. IL-1 precedes the increase in IL-6 and CINC-1/IL-8 and this seems to predate the influx of inflammatory cells. Inflammatory cells in the alveolar space amplify the lung damage. Other cytokines that are primarily involved in this inflammatory response include IFN-γ, MCP-1, and MIP-2. Certain cytokines (and growth factors) seem to ameliorate HALI by affecting cell death pathways. These include GM-CSF, KGF, IL-11, IL-13, and VEGF. There are significant differences in the type and temporal sequence of cytokine expression and release in the adult and newborn lung in response to hyperoxia. The newborn lung is greatly resistant to hyperoxia compared to the adult. The delayed increase in lung IL-1 and IL-6 in the newborn could induce protective factors that would help in the resolution of hyperoxia-induced injury. Designing a therapeutic approach to counteract oxygen toxicity in the adult and immature lung first needs understanding of the unique responses in each scenario.
Effects of Free-Stream Turbulence and Surface Roughness on Film Cooling

A flat plate test section was used to study how high free-stream turbulence with large turbulence length scales, representative of the turbine environment, affect the film cooling adiabatic effectiveness and heat transfer coefficient for a round hole film cooling geometry. This study also examined cooling performance with combined high free-stream turbulence and a rough surface which simulated the roughness representative of an in-service turbine. The injection was from a single row of film cooling holes with injection angle of 30°. The density ratio of the injectant to the mainstream was 2.0 for the adiabatic effectiveness tests, and 1.0 for the heat transfer coefficient tests. Streamwise and lateral distributions of adiabatic effectiveness and heat transfer coefficients were obtained at locations from 2 to 90 hole diameters downstream.At small to moderate momentum flux ratios, which would normally be considered optimum blowing conditions, high free-stream turbulence dramatically decreased adiabatic effectiveness. However, at large momentum flux ratios, conditions for which the film cooling jet would normally be detached, high free-stream turbulence caused an increase in adiabatic effectiveness. The combination of high free-stream turbulence with surface roughness resulted in an increase in adiabatic effectiveness relative to the smooth wall with high free-stream turbulence. Heat transfer rates were relatively unaffected by a film cooling injection. The key result from this study was a substantial increase in the momentum flux ratios for maximum film cooling performance which occurred for high free-stream turbulence and surface roughness conditions which are more representative of actual turbine conditions.Copyright © 1996 by ASME
Multilayer Cloud Detection with the MODIS Near-Infrared Water Vapor Absorption Band

Data Collection 5 processing for the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard the NASA Earth Observing System EOS Terra and Aqua spacecraft includes an algorithm for detecting multilayered clouds in daytime. The main objective of this algorithm is to detect multilayered cloud scenes, specifically optically thin ice cloud overlying a lower-level water cloud, that presents difficulties for retrieving cloud effective radius using single layer plane-parallel cloud models. The algorithm uses the MODIS 0.94 micron water vapor band along with CO2 bands to obtain two above-cloud precipitable water retrievals, the difference of which, in conjunction with additional tests, provides a map of where multilayered clouds might potentially exist. The presence of a multilayered cloud results in a large difference in retrievals of above-cloud properties between the CO2 and the 0.94 micron methods. In this paper the MODIS multilayered cloud algorithm is described, results of using the algorithm over example scenes are shown, and global statistics for multilayered clouds as observed by MODIS are discussed. A theoretical study of the algorithm behavior for simulated multilayered clouds is also given. Results are compared to two other comparable passive imager methods. A set of standard cloudy atmospheric profiles developed during the course of this investigation is also presented. The results lead to the conclusion that the MODIS multilayer cloud detection algorithm has some skill in identifying multilayered clouds with different thermodynamic phases
Histone-DNA interactions in erythrocyte chromatin.

Abstract The circular dichroism and thermal denaturation properties of chromatin isolated from duck erythrocytes have been carefully examined as has the chromatography of sonicated erythrocyte chromatin on ECTHAM-cellulose. The circular dichroism spectrum and thermal denaturation profile resemble much more closely those of chromatin from liver than has been previously reported by other workers. The chromatography of erythrocyte chromatin on ECTHAM-cellulose gave results that differ dramatically from those obtained from chromatography of f1-containing chromatins on this weak anion exchanger, in that no variations in histone content, circular dichroism spectra or thermal denaturation profiles were observed in the eluted material. Coupled with our earlier finding of no variation in relative content of individual histones (Reeck, G. R. et al. (1974) Eur. J. Biochem . 49 , 407–414), we interpret the results of ECTHAM-cellulose chromatography of erythrocyte chromatin to indicate that f2c-depleted regions analogous to the f1-depleted regions found in f1-containing chromatins do not exist in duck erythrocyte chromatin.
The prediction of fatigue life under random loading: a diffusion model

Abstract A diffusion model is used to analyze the growth of a fatigue crack under random loading. The randomness in loading is embedded in the coefficients of the diffusion equation, whose solution leads to the determination of fatigue life. To demonstrate the potential of this method, some calculations are made using typical values for material properties. The results show that fatigue life under random loading is governed, in addition to material properties, by such statistics as the mean and the mean square value of the loading.
High-Pressure Mechanical Instability in Rocks

At a confining pressure of a few kilobars, deformation of many sedimentary rocks, altered mafic rocks, porous volcanic rocks, and sand is ductile, in that instabilities leading to audible elastic shocks are absent. At pressures of 7 to 10 kilobars, however, unstable faulting and stick-slip in certain of these rocks was observed. This high pressure-low temperature instability might be responsible for earthquakes in deeply buried sedimentary or volcanic sequences.
Surgical Pathology of Carcinoid Heart Disease: A Study of 139 Valves From 75 Patients Spanning 20 Years

Objective To quantitate the pathologic features of carcinoid plaques in a relatively large number of surgical specimens from a single institution. Patients and Methods Medical records, operative reports, and surgical specimens were reviewed from all patients with carcinoid heart disease who underwent cardiac valvular surgery at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn, between 1980 and 2000. Results The study group included 75 patients (45 men, 30 women) who ranged in age from 26 to 78 years (mean, 59 years). From these 75 patients, 139 valves had been excised surgically (73 tricuspid, 55 pulmonary, 6 mitral, 5 aortic). Pure regurgitation was the most common dysfunctional state of the tricuspid valve (80% [60/75]), mitral valve (97% [32/33]), and aortic valve (96% [23/24]). The pulmonary valve was more often both stenotic and insufficient (52% [37/71]) than purely regurgitant (30% [21/71]). In all cases, valve dysfunction was attributed to the presence of carcinoid plaques, which caused both thickening and retraction. Thickening was the result of both cellular proliferation and deposition of extracellular matrix. Proliferation of myofibroblasts was observed in all plaques and was mild in 49% (68/139) and moderate or severe in 51% (71/139). Extracellular matrix included collagen (in 99% of the 139 valves), myxoid ground substance (98% [136/139]), and elastin (20% [28/139]). Carcinoid plaques were also involved by neovascularization (94% [131/139]), chronic inflammation (94% [131/139]), and mast cell infiltration (64% [89/139]). Severe thickening was attributable primarily to collagen deposition in tricuspid valves and to myofibroblast proliferation and myxoid matrix in pulmonary valves. Conclusions Among patients undergoing valvular surgery for carcinoid heart disease, tricuspid and pulmonary valves represented 92% of the excised valves (128/139). Although numerous cellular and extracellular features were common to the carcinoid plaques, variability in their relative expression produced appreciable differences in the histologic appearance among the plaques.
Differential exposure, duration, and sensitivity of unionoidean bivalve life stages to environmental contaminants

Freshwater mussels (superfamily Unionoidea) are in serious global decline and in urgent need of protection and conservation. The declines have been attributed to a wide array of human activities resulting in pollution and water-quality degradation, and habitat destruction and alteration. Linkages among poor water quality, pollutant sources, and mussel decline in rivers and streams have been associated with results of laboratory-based tests of specific pollutants. However, uncertainties remain about the relationship of laboratory data to actual contaminant exposure routes for various mussel species, life stages, and in the habitats occupied during these exposures. We evaluated the pathways of exposure to environmental pollutants for all 4 life stages (free glochidia, encysted glochidia, juveniles, adults) of unionoidean mussels and found that each life stage has both common and unique characteristics that contribute to observed differences in exposure and sensitivity. Free glochidia typically are exposed only briefly (e.g., seconds to days) through surface water, whereas adults sustain exposure over years to decades through surface water, pore water, sediment, and diet. Juveniles live largely burrowed in the sediment for the first 0 to 4 y of life. Thus, sediment, pore water, and diet are the predominant exposure routes for this life stage, but surface water also might contribute to exposure during certain periods and environmental conditions. The obligate parasitic stage (encysted glochidia stage) on a host fish might be exposed from surface water while partially encysted or from toxicants in host-fish tissue while fully encysted. Laboratory methods for testing for acute and chronic exposures in water have advanced, and toxicant-specific information has increased in recent years. However, additional research is needed to understand interactions of life history, habitat, and long-term exposure to contaminants through water, pore water, sediment, and diet so that the risks of environmental exposures can be properly assessed and managed.
Attachment behavior of infants exposed prenatally to alcohol: Mediating effects of infant affect and mother-infant interaction.

Children exposed to alcohol prenatally have been found to be at risk for developmental and behavioral problems; however, the relation between maternal alcohol consumption and other environmental factors has not been fully explored in the literature. In this study, subjects were 44 firstborn infants of women over 30 years of age. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesis that maternal alcohol use during pregnancy was related to infant negative affect. Furthermore, negative affect was assumed to influence the mother-infant relationship. It was hypothesized that mothers of infants exhibiting negative affect would be less positive in interaction and that insecure infant attachment behavior would be more prevalent in these infants. Results of model testing confirmed the hypothesis. In addition, maternal alcohol consumption following pregnancy was not found to influence significantly either maternal interaction or infant attachment behavior.
Black body temperature, orbital elements, the Milankovitch precession index, and the Seversmith psychroterms

The temperature T of a black or gray body orbiting the Sun can be expressed in terms of spherical harmonics in latitude and longitude, its Keplerian orbital elements, and a variable describing rotation about its axis. Assuming that the Earth is a black or gray body without thermal inertia, the resulting equation for T exhibits previously unrecognized odd-degree zonal terms dubbed “Seversmith psychroterms.” They cause a hemispheric temperature difference which depends upon e sin ω S , where e is the orbital eccentricity and ω S is the Sun’s argument of perigee measured in an Earth-centered frame. The hemisphere containing perihelion is the cooler. For a gray body with the Earth’s average albedo of 0.3, an emissivity of unity, and an obliquity of 23.5°, the pole-to-pole temperature difference for the combined first and third degree spherical harmonic psychroterms can reach 3.4 K for the present eccentricity of 0.016, and 12.9 K for the maximum eccentricity of 0.06. While a thermally inertia-less black or gray body with boiling hot subsolar points and nights at absolute zero are poor models for the Earth, the Seversmith psychroterms will survive in more realistic models (although with smaller amplitudes) because the Earth radiates nonlinearly in T. The psychroterms acts in the direction opposite to the Milankovitch precession index, which also depends on e sin ω S : by warming the cool northern summers, the psychroterms make it harder for the traditional Milankovitch mechanism to operate. The Seversmith psychroterms could in fact be responsible for the ice sheets that cycle with e sin ω S , instead of the Milankovitch mechanism. By cooling the southern hemisphere for thousands of years when perihelion is in the south, the psychroterms may somehow cause the southern hemisphere to control the northern ice sheets associated with the 23 kyr and 19 kyr periods (kyr = 103 years), possibly through ice-albedo feedback in the sea ice surrounding Antarctica. Two other unexpected features besides the psychroterms are: while the average insolation increases with increasing e, the average temperature of the Earth paradoxically decreases; and the equator-to-pole temperature difference of 21 K on a gray body with an albedo equal to 0.3 and an emissivity of unity is actually smaller than the observed difference of 28 K on the real Earth.
Interactions in hypoxic and hypercapnic breathing are genetically linked to mouse chromosomes 1 and 5.

The genetic basis for differences in the regulation of breathing is certainly multigenic. The present paper builds on a well-established genetic model of differences in breathing using inbred mouse...
Fundamental problems of the free burning fire

The growth of knowledge about the free burning fire is observed to be of the slow evolutionary type of cut and try, as man has had to attack the unwanted fire through the centuries. Since such fires are the result of intimate interaction of geometry, chemistry, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer, each at an advanced level, it has not been possible prior to the present century—almost the present decade—to use accumulated scientific know-how; there simply was too small an accumulation. This condition is changing and changing rapidly. In this paper some of the problems of the free burning fire are described, an indication of the present state of understanding is given, and some suggestions are made for these avenues of approach that appear hopeful of successful attack in the near future. Specifically, fire spread over building materials, through buildings, and through forests, is described in sufficient detail to indicate where we are today, where we should be going, and what it might get us if we went. The innumerable detail problems which must be individually solved and combined to produce solutions to the larger problems are little more than hinted at in the discussion. But it is clear that many man-years of research, worth many millions of dollars, will be required to solve these problems, but with the cost of fire to society of many billions of dollars every year the indicated research is more than urgent.
Comment on "Radiative Absorption Enhancements Due to the Mixing State of Atmospheric Black Carbon"

Cappa et al. (Reports, 31 August 2012, p. 1078) suggest that black carbon (BC) in a mixture absorbs only ~6% more sunlight than when volatile chemicals are evaporated from the mixture, and state that "many climate models may overestimate warming by BC." However, the authors misinterpret at least some model results and omit optical focusing at high relative humidity and of involatile components. Thus, their conclusion about model error is not demonstrated.
Response of Dairy Cows to Two Systems of Distributing Annual Total Digestible Nutrients Over the Lactation Cycle

Abstract Dairy cows fed total digestible nutrients in equal daily amounts (Treatment 1) were compared with cows fed a majority, 60.8%, of their annual total digestible nutrients in the first 180 days postpartum (Treatment 2). One, two, or three lactations per cow were obtained from a herd of Holsteins and Brown Swiss (Herd 1) and a herd of Jerseys (Herd 2). Average 180-day 4% fat-corrected milk yields (lactations combined) for Treatments 1 and 2 were 3,- 698 and 4,207 kg in Herd 1 and 2,817 and 3,186 kg in Herd 2. The 180-day fat-corrected milk was greater for Treatment 2 in second and third lactations in Herd 2 but did not differ significantly between treatments in first, second, or third lactations in Herd 1 or in the first lactation in Herd 2. Annual (351 days in milk or less) fat-corrected milk yields for Treatments 1 and 2 were 5,516 and 5,806 kg in Herd 1 and 4,385 and 4,604 kg in Herd 2. Milk fat percent essentially was unaffected by treatment. Milk protein percent and, to a lesser extent, solids-not-fat percent were lower for Treatment 1. Annual weight gain was greater for Treatment 1 in the first lactation in Herd 1 but was not different significantly between treatments in all other groups. Annual fat-corrected milk/total digestible nutrients did not differ significantly between treatments in any lactation in either herd.
Magia Sexualis: Sex, Magic, and Liberation in Modern Western Esotericism

Although the forces of Eros and Magic have long been linked in western esoteric traditions, it is really not until the nineteenth century that we see the emergence of a large and sophisticated body of literature on the art of sexual magic. This article examines the rise of sexual magic in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, placing it in the context of the larger discourse surrounding sexuality in American and British society of the Victorian era. Specifically, I focus on the teachings of the American spiritualist Paschal Beverly Randolph; the infamous "Great Beast 666," Aleister Crowley; and the founder of the first Tantrik Order in America, Pierre Bernard. Following the lead of Michel Foucault, I argue that this new literature on sexual magic was part of the larger interest in sex that pervaded Victorian culture. Far from being a period of repression and prudery, the Victorian era witnessed an unprecedented explosion of discourse on sex, particularly in its "deviant" and nonproductive forms. The rise of sexual magic at once reflects and yet also subverts many of the sexual values of mainstream Victorian culture. At the same time, however, I argue that Randolph, Crowley, and Bernard were all in their own ways somewhat ahead of their times and foreshadowed much of the obsession with sex and its liberation in contemporary America at the turn of the millennium.
Thermal Convection and Thermal Conductivity of Nondilute 3He-4He Mixtures*

We present measurements of the critical temperature difference for the onset of thermal convection and the effective thermal conductivity in two3He-superfluid-4He mixtures. The mixtures were 6.8% and 9.8% by molar volume of3He in4He and the measurements were made from 0.65 K to just above the superfluid transition temperature for each mixture. The measurements were made as part of an effort to visualize convective flow patterns in helium mixtures using optical shadowgraph techniques. We discuss the implications of our results for this effort.
Montana, Anaconda, and the Price of Pollution

The words“Anaconda” and “Montana” are intertwined in history.1 Early histories of Montana focused mostly on the emergence and dominance of the Anaconda Copper Mining Company. The “War of the Copper...
Stoping and assimilation in a granodiorite stock at Jamestown, Colorado

At Jamestown, Colorado, a granodiorite stock of late Cretaceous or early Eocene age has intruded into pre-Cambrian schists and granites. Though there is some evidence that the magma intruded partly by pushing aside the enclosing rocks, there is also considerable evidence that stoping and assimilation played an important part in the emplacement of the stock. Schist breccia at the border and several small xenoliths scattered in the stock seem to represent various stages in the process of assimilation. The granodiorite stock is in the Jamestown Mining District, 33 miles northwest of Denver, and at the extreme northeast end of the Front Range mineral belt. It is one of the earliest of a series of porphyry intrusions that show a close genetic relationship to the ore deposits of the District.
Capture and representation of human walking in live video sequences

Extracting human representations from video has vast applications. In this paper, we present a knowledge-based framework to capture metarepresentations for real-life video with human walkers. The system models the human body as an articulated object and the human walking as a cyclic activity with highly correlated temporal patterns. We extract for each of the body parts its motion, shape, and texture. Once available, this structural information can be used to manipulate or synthesize the original video sequence, or animate the walker with a different motion in a new synthesized video.
A live-attenuated pneumococcal vaccine elicits CD4+ T-cell dependent class switching and provides serotype independent protection against acute otitis media.

Acute otitis media (AOM) caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae remains one of the most common infectious diseases worldwide despite widespread vaccination. A major limitation of the currently licensed pneumococcal vaccines is the lack of efficacy against mucosal disease manifestations such as AOM, acute bacterial sinusitis and pneumonia. We sought to generate a novel class of live vaccines that (1) retain all major antigenic virulence proteins yet are fully attenuated and (2) protect against otitis media. A live vaccine candidate based on deletion of the signal recognition pathway component ftsY induced potent, serotype-independent protection against otitis media, sinusitis, pneumonia and invasive pneumococcal disease. Protection was maintained in animals coinfected with influenza virus, but was lost if mice were depleted of CD4+ T cells at the time of vaccination. The live vaccine induced a strong serum IgG2a and IgG2b response that correlated with CD4+ T-cell mediated class switching. Deletion of genes required for microbial adaptation to the host environment is a novel live attenuated vaccine strategy yielding the first experimental vaccine effective against pneumococcal otitis media.
Mind the gaps: testing for hiatuses in regional radiocarbon date sequences

Long gaps in regional radiocarbon sequences are often considered evidence for occupation hiatuses, but they might also be a product of stochastic processes of occupation and limited numbers of dates. Here we show that, if radiocarbon dates over a span of time are distributed as a Poisson random variable (such that any point in that span has an equal probability of being dated), the gaps between dates will approximate a negative exponential distribution, with many short gaps and a few long ones. Long gaps between dates are to be expected under these conditions, even in the absence of true occupation hiatuses. This exponential distribution of gap lengths is robust even when the uniform probability assumption is relaxed, though true hiatuses have a distinctive, if subtle, signature. We use this model to assess the regional radiocarbon sequence from Qinghai Lake basin, western China, which shows two long possible occupation hiatuses during the period 12,500e4200
Advantages of a third-generation β-blocker in patients with diabetes mellitus

beta-Blocker use improves outcomes even more for the patient with diabetes mellitus than for the patient without diabetes with a history of acute myocardial infarction or coronary artery disease. beta-Blockers facilitate shifting the metabolism of the myocardium away from free fatty acid toward glucose utilization, thereby reducing the cardiac workload and myocardial ischemia. beta-Blockers are also able to reverse the fetal gene induction program to reverse myocardial remodeling and improve ventricular function. Side effects of beta-blockers in the patient with diabetes include increased insulin resistance with worsening glycemic control, elevated triglyceride levels, and lowered levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Increased frequency of hypoglycemia and its lack of recognition can also be a problem in the insulin-deficient patient but is a minimal problem with the patient with type 2 diabetes. In addition, vasoconstriction, caused by unopposed alpha-activity, can worsen peripheral vascular disease. However, carvedilol, a nonselective beta-blocker with vasodilating and insulin-sensitizing properties, can largely circumvent these problems and is the ideal beta-blocker for the patient with diabetes.
Effects of Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists on the Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death in Patients With Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background— Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is an important cause of death in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) may attenuate this risk. The objective of this meta-analysis was to assess the impact of MRAs on SCD in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Methods and Results— We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, and other databases through March 30, 2012, without language restrictions. We included trials that enrolled patients with left ventricular ejection fraction of ≤45%, randomized subjects to MRAs versus control and reported outcomes on SCD, total and cardiovascular mortality. Eight published trials that enrolled 11 875 patients met inclusion criteria. Of these, 6 reported data on SCD and cardiovascular mortality, and 7 reported data on total mortality. No heterogeneity was observed among the trials. Patients treated with MRAs had 23% lower odds of experiencing SCD compared with controls (odds ratio, 0.77; 95% confidence interval, 0.66–0.89; P =0.001). Similar reductions were observed in cardiovascular (0.75; 95% confidence interval, 0.68–0.84; P <0.001) and total mortality (odds ratio, 0.74; 95% confidence interval, 0.63–0.86; P <0.001). Although publication bias was observed, the results did not change after a trim and fill test, suggesting that the impact of this bias was likely insignificant. Conclusions —MRAs reduce the risk of SCD in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Comparative effectiveness studies of MRAs on SCD in usual care as well as studies evaluating the efficacy of other therapies to prevent SCD in patients receiving optimal MRA therapy are needed to guide clinical decision-making.
Two Distinct Dimerization Interfaces Differentially Modulate Target Gene Specificity of Nuclear Hormone Receptors

Several nuclear receptors including the all-trans retinoic acid receptor RAR, form heterodimers with the 9-cis retinoic acid receptor, RXR. RXR-RAR heterodimers show an impressive flexibility in DNA binding and can recognize palindromic, inverted palindromes and direct repeats of the core half-site sequence AGGTCA. Dimerization interfaces in the DNA-binding domains of RXR, RAR, and thyroid hormone receptor (TR) that promote selective binding to strictly spaced direct repeats have previously been identified. However, an additional dimerization domain is present within the ligand-binding domains (LBDs) of these receptors. Here we localize a transferable 40-amino acid region within the LBDs of RXR, RAR, TR, and chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter transcription factor that is critical for determining identity in the heterodimeric interaction and for high-affinity DNA binding. This region overlaps almost perfectly with a helical segment in the RXR LBD crystal structure that was recently demonstrated to be part of the dimer interface. Our data suggest a sequential pathway for nuclear receptor dimerization whereby the LBD dimerization interface initiates the formation of solution heterodimers that, in turn, acquire the capacity to bind to a number of differently organized repeats. Formation of a second dimer interface within the DNA-binding domain (DBD) restricts receptors to direct repeat targets. Accordingly, the combination of an obligatory (LBD) and an optional (DBD) dimerization domain imparts a dynamic DNA-binding potential to the heterodimerizing receptors that both increases the diversity of the hormonal response as well as providing a restricted set of target sequences in direct repeat elements that ensures physiological specificity.
Performance virtualization for large-scale storage systems

Current data centers require storage capacities of hundreds of terabytes to petabytes. Time-critical applications such as online transactions processing depend on getting adequate performance from the storage subsystem: otherwise, they fail. It is difficult to provide predictable quality of service at this level of complexity, because I/O workloads are extremely variable and device behavior is poorly understood. Ensuring that unrelated but competing workloads do not affect each other's performance is still more difficult, and equally necessary. We present SLEDS (Service Level Enforcement Discipline for Storage), a distributed controller that provides statistical performance guarantees on a storage system built from commodity components. SLEDS can adaptively handle unpredictable workload variations so that each client continues to get the performance it needs even in the presence of misbehaving, competing peers. After evaluating the SLEDS on a heterogeneous mid-range storage system, we found that it is vastly superior to the raw system in its ability to provide performance guarantees, while only introducing a negligible overhead.
Modeling and evaluation of the system reliability effects of direct load control

Direct load control, a form of load management in which portions of the system load are under the direct operational control of the utility, is discussed. The load can be modified, within limits, to match the available generating capacity, thereby minimizing the occurrence of uncontrolled load loss. Accordingly, direct load control renders the system load a function of available system capacity. Therefore, accurate modeling of system reliability effects of direct load control requires that the temporal correlation between system load and available generating capacity be preserved. This is most readily done using Monte Carlo simulation. A Monte Carlo simulation model and results obtained with it are described. >
Prokayrotic Ubiquitin-Like Protein (Pup) Proteome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Prokaryotic ubiquitin-like protein (Pup) in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the first known post-translational small protein modifier in prokaryotes, and targets several proteins for degradation by a bacterial proteasome in a manner akin to ubiquitin (Ub) mediated proteolysis in eukaryotes. To determine the extent of pupylation in Mtb, we used tandem affinity purification to identify its “pupylome”. Mass spectrometry identified 55 out of 604 purified proteins with confirmed pupylation sites. Forty-four proteins, including those with and without identified pupylation sites, were tested as substrates of proteolysis in Mtb. Under steady state conditions, the majority of the test proteins did not accumulate in degradation mutants, suggesting not all targets of pupylation are necessarily substrates of the proteasome under steady state conditions. Four proteins implicated in Mtb pathogenesis, Icl (isocitrate lyase), Ino1 (inositol-1-phosphate synthase), MtrA (Mtb response regulator A) and PhoP (phosphate response regulator P), showed altered levels in degradation defective Mtb. Icl, Ino1 and MtrA accumulated in Mtb degradation mutants, suggesting these proteins are targeted to the proteasome. Unexpectedly, PhoP was present in wild type Mtb but undetectable in the degradation mutants. Taken together, these data demonstrate that pupylation regulates numerous proteins in Mtb and may not always lead to degradation.
Preventing bacterial colonization using colloidal crystals.

We investigated the adhesion and colony formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 on a solid coated in close-packed spheres of polystyrene. The objective was to determine the effect of surface topography on the early stages of biofilm formation. Solids were pretreated with serum and then exposed to bacteria under low shear for one day in a center for disease control biofilm reactor. Whereas flat sheets are covered in large colonies after one day, a close-packed layer of 630–1550 nm monodisperse spheres prevents colony formation. Moreover, the film of spheres reduces the density of P. aeruginosa adhered to the solid by an average of 80%. Our data show that when P. aeruginosa adheres to the spheres, the distribution is not random. For 630 nm and larger particles, P. aeruginosa tends to position its body in a 2-fold site. We rationalize the selectivity on the basis of energy minimization for adhesion: sites differ in the deformation needed to achieve a given contact area. We rationalize the inhibition of colonization by the 630–1550 nm spheres in terms of the lack of adjacent favorable positions for bacteria. A close-packed layer of polystyrene spheres also delays colony formation on a medical-grade stainless-steel needle over a period of one day. This suggests that a colloidal crystal approach to biofilm inhibition might be applicable to a variety of materials and geometries.
Order of singularity applied to linear operators

We extend the notion of order of singularity for complex-valued functions, as originally set forth by Hadamard, to Banach algebra-valued functions. Restricting our attention to linear operators whose spectral radius is one, we obtain a connection between the rate of growth of the norm of iterates of a linear operator and the rate of growth of the norm of the resolvent of the operator near the spectrum of the operator. In the finite dimensional case, we obtain an upper bound on the size of the Jordan block corresponding to an eigenvalue of maximum modulus.
Centers of motion associated with EF-Tu binding to the ribosome.

ABSTRACTStructural centers of motion (pivot points) in the ribosome have recently been identified by measurement of conformational changes in rRNA resulting from EF-G GTP hydrolysis. This series of measurements is extended here to the ribosome's interactions with the cofactor EF-Tu. Four recent EF-Tu bound ribosome structures were compared to unbound structures. A total of 16 pivots were identified, of which 4 are unique to the EF-Tu interaction. Pivots in the GTPase associated center and the sarcin-ricin loop omitted previously, are found to be mobile in response to both EF-Tu and EF-G binding. Pivots in the intersubunit bridge rRNAs are found to be cofactor specific. Head swiveling motions in the small subunit are observed in the EF-Tu bound structures that were trapped post GTP hydrolysis. As in the case of pivots associated with EF-G, the additional pivots described here are associated with weak points in the rRNA structures such as non-canonical pairs and bulge loops. The combined set of pivots shoul...
Mixed-Ligand Approach to Design of Heterometallic Single-Source Precursors with Discrete Molecular Structure

Heterometallic single-source precursors for the Pb/Fe = 1:1 oxide materials, PbFe(β-dik)4 (β-dik = hexafluoroacetylacetonate (hfac, 1), acetylacetonate (acac, 2), and trifluoroacetylacetonate (tfac, 4)), have been isolated by three different solid-state synthetic methods. The crystal structures of heterometallic diketonates 1, 2, and 4 were found to contain polymeric chains built on alternating [Fe(β-dik)2] and [Pb(β-dik)2] units that are held together by bridging M–O interactions. Heterometallic precursors are highly volatile, but soluble only in coordinating solvents, in which they dissociate into solvated homometallic fragments. In order to design the heterometallic precursor with a proper metal/metal ratio and with a discrete molecular structure, we used a combination of two different diketonate ligands. Heteroleptic complex Pb2Fe2(hfac)6(acac)2 (5) has been obtained by optimized stoichiometric reaction of an addition of homo-Fe(acac)2 to heterometallic Pb2Fe(hfac)6 (3) diketonate that can be run in s...
Morphine Enhances Lateral Hypothalamic Self-Stimulation in the Rat

SummaryMorphine sulfate (10 mg/kg, subcutaneously) suppressed self-stimulation 1–2 hr after injection but augmented it 5–6 hr postadministration. Complete tolerance to the depressant effect was developed after three daily injections. The excitatory effect, however, tended to increase throughout the 5 day testing period.
Domain Independent Knowledge Base Population from Structured and Unstructured Data Sources

In this paper we introduce a system that is designed to automatically populate a knowledge base from both structured and unstructured text given an ontology. Our system is designed as a modular end-to-end system that takes structured or unstructured data as input, extracts information, maps relevant information to an ontology, and finally disambiguates entities in the knowledge base. The novelty of our approach is that it is domain independent and can easily be adapted to new ontologies and domains. Unlike most knowledge base population systems, ours includes entity detection. This feature allows one to employ very complex ontologies that include events and the entities that are involved in the events.
The detection of content-based invalid responding: a meta-analysis of the MMPI-2-Restructured Form's (MMPI-2-RF) over-reporting validity scales.

Objective: This study synthesized research evaluation of the effectiveness of the over-reporting validity scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) f...
Intense Laser Modulation of Acoustoelectric Interactions

A strong modulation of acoustoelectric current and phonon intensity in n-GaAs by 3000 W, Q-switched YAG laser pulses is reported. The response to the light pulse is greatly dependent on the stage in the evolution of the acoustoelectrically amplified domain. The interpretation of these effects is based on the photo-excitation of electrons from deep traps greatly in excess of the dark population of ~ 7x1014 cm−3 at 300 K.