cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Amino acid replacements resulting from super-suppression of nonsense mutants of iso-1-cytochrome c from yeast.

Abstract The eight class I, set 1 super-suppressor genes, SUP2, SUP3, SUP4, SUP5, SUP6, SUP7, SUP8 and SUP11 are not closely linked and map at distinct loci throughout the genome of yeast. Each of these suppressors causes the production of 5 to 10% of the normal amount of iso-1-cytochrome c when it is individually coupled to the ochre (UAA) mutant cy1 -2. All eight iso-1-cytochromes c contain a residue of tyrosine at position 20 which corresponds to the site of the ochre codon. Several of these super-suppressors also were shown to act on cy1 -9, but at a much lower efficiency. It was shown that iso-1-cytochrome c from one of the suppressed cy1 -9 strains contains a tyrosine at position 2, which corresponds to the site of the ochre codon in this mutant. It is suggested that the gene product of the eight super-suppressors is tyrosine transfer RNA.
Perceived Expectations for Acculturation: The Transitioning of Hispanics into Southern Communities

Hispanics are a rapidly growing population that has sought resettlement in nontraditional locations across the United States. Movement in and out of cultural homogeneous communities has implications for an individual's perceived expectations for cultural change. Hispanics (N = 10) in two Southern states were asked questions using semi-structured interviews surrounding their acculturation experiences. Using a grounded theory approach, several themes emerged involving the perceived acceptance of their culture, previous and current ethnic composition of their community, cultural values and behaviors underpinning interaction, and perceived pressures to maintain and change their culture. The comfort and discomfort in interacting with other cultural groups often elicited pressure to change, suppress, or maintain one's culture. Targeted intervention efforts addressing community-level acculturative expectations and individual acculturative difficulties with intercultural interaction may assist Hispanics entering ...
Eulerian approach for multiphase flow simulation in a glass melter

A glass furnace, consisting of a combustion space and a glass melter, uses combustion heat to melt sand and cullet into liquid glass to make products. Glass quality is mainly dependent on the temperature, glass composition, and the level of impurities in a glass melter, which include solid batch/cullet particles, liquid glass, and gas bubbles. A comprehensive computational model using an Eulerian approach has been developed to simulate multiphase flows in a glass melter. It includes all the phases, divides solid particles or gas bubbles into various size groups, and treats each group as a continuum. The derived mass, momentum, and energy conservation equations of the flow are solved for local properties for each phase. The simulation considers the heating and melting of the batch (mainly from the radiative heat from combustion and from the convective heat from the molten glass), the formation and transport of bubbles, and the heating and mixing of the liquid glass. The approach was incorporated into a multiphase reacting flow computational fluid dynamics code that simulates overall glass furnace flows to evaluate the glass quality and furnace efficiency.
Utility of Two PANSS 5-Factor Models for Assessing Psychosocial Outcomes in Clinical Programs for Persons with Schizophrenia

Using symptom factors derived from two models of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) as covariates, change over time in consumer psychosocial functioning, medication adherence/compliance, and treatment satisfaction outcomes are compared based on a randomized, controlled trial assessing the effectiveness of antipsychotic medications for 108 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia. Random effects regression analysis was used to determine the relative performance of these two 5-factor models as covariates in estimating change over time and the goodness of fit of the regression equations for each outcome. Self-reported psychosocial functioning was significantly associated with the relief of positive and negative syndromes, whereas patient satisfaction was more closely and significantly associated with control of excited/activation symptoms. Interviewer-rated psychosocial functioning was significantly associated with relief of positive and negative symptoms, as well as excited/activation and disoriented/autistic preoccupation symptoms. The VDG 5-factor model of the PANSS represents the best “goodness of fit” model for assessing symptom-related change associated with improved psychosocial outcomes and functional recovery. Five-factor models of the syndromes of schizophrenia, as assessed using the PANSS, are differentially valuable in determining the predictors of psychosocial and satisfaction changes over time, but not of improved medication adherence/compliance.
T cell activation and cytokine release in streptococcal toxic shock-like syndrome

A 5-year-old girl with streptococcal toxic shock-like syndrome during varicella infection had high levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-6 but no interleukin-1 or interleukin-2 in the serum. Intravenous administration of γ-globulin coincided with clinical improvement and with reduction of the levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-6. The data suggest that streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxins trigger synthesis of tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-6 In vivo: intravenously administered γ-globulin may down-regulate the cytokine response.
ANALYSIS OF A GENERAL POPULATION GENETIC MODEL OF MEIOTIC DRIVE.

The explicit algebraic analysis of any population model which takes non-Mendelian segregation into account is generally a cumbersome affair because the frequency of the gene which causes the abnormal segregation is not the same in male and female gametes. Models of this kind generate a messy set of simultaneous nonlinear equations from which the equilibria of gene frequency may be extracted. In specific applications it is often sufficient to solve the equations numerically, behaving as if they had no literal solution. This procedure is inelegant, and it may lead to some practical problems. If an equilibrium cannot be found for a given set of parameters, for example, then one has to try to decide if there is in fact no equilibrium for the parameters or if the iterative procedure happens to diverge for that particular set. When the analytic roots are available this problem never arises. The purpose of this article is to present the detailed solution of a model of meiotic drive which Lewontin (1968) has suggested would be helpful in understanding the evolutionary dynamics of the t-alleles in the house mouse. Because mice tend to breed in small endogamous family units, however, the deterministic model is only a very rough approximation to what would be expected to occur in nature, and to gain better insight one is forced to undertake Monte Carlo simulation of small populations (Lewontin and Dunn, 1960; Lewontin, 1968). Another striking example of non-Mendelian segregation occurs in the segregation distorter system in Drosophila melanogaster. Since local Drosophila populations are at least one and probably two orders of magnitude larger than local mouse populations (Wright et al., 1942), stochastic fluctuations in gene frequency are of minor importance as compared with the effects of selection and meiotic drive. Therefore, the deterministic model is probably a reasonable approximation to Drosophila populations, as well as to other large populations in which non-Mendelian segregation of an autosomal gene occurs (such as wheat, Loegering and Sears, 1967). The model to be analyzed is actually more general than the one proposed by Lewontin (1968) as this one allows for arbitrary segregation ratios in the two sexes. One disappointment is that the equilibria turn out to be quite complicated. On the other hand, the analysis does lead to a remarkably simple criterion for predicting when nontrivial gene frequency equilibria will occur and for determining the stability or instability of these equilibria.
Patterns in the Development of Self-Analytic Groups

This study first presents convergences and controversies in current theories and empirical findings on the phases of development of self-study groups. Hypotheses about sequence of phases are derive...
Ozone Inhalation Promotes CX3CR1-Dependent Maturation of Resident Lung Macrophages That Limit Oxidative Stress and Inflammation

Inhalation of ambient ozone alters populations of lung macrophages. However, the impact of altered lung macrophage populations on the pathobiology of ozone is poorly understood. We hypothesized that subpopulations of macrophages modulate the response to ozone. We exposed C57BL/6 mice to ozone (2 ppm × 3 h) or filtered air. At 24 h after exposure, the lungs were harvested and digested and the cells underwent flow cytometry. Analysis revealed a novel macrophage subset present in ozone-exposed mice, which were distinct from resident alveolar macrophages and identified by enhanced Gr-1(+) expression [Gr-1 macrophages (Gr-1 Macs)]. Further analysis showed that Gr-1(+) Macs exhibited high expression of MARCO, CX3CR1, and NAD(P)H:quinone oxioreductase 1. Gr-1(+) Macs were present in the absence of CCR2, suggesting that they were not derived from a CCR2-dependent circulating intermediate. Using PKH26-PCL to label resident phagocytic cells, we demonstrated that Gr-1 Macs were derived from resident lung cells. This new subset was diminished in the absence of CX3CR1. Interestingly, CX3CR1-null mice exhibited enhanced responses to ozone, including increased airway hyperresponsiveness, exacerbated neutrophil influx, accumulation of 8-isoprostanes and protein carbonyls, and increased expression of cytokines (CXCL2, IL-1β, IL-6, CCL2, and TNF-α). Our results identify a novel subset of lung macrophages, which are derived from a resident intermediate, are dependent upon CX3CR1, and appear to protect the host from the biological response to ozone.
RU-486: legal and policy issues confronting the Food and Drug Administration.

PIP: The debate surrounding access to RU-486 in the US resurfaced in July 1992 when a pregnant California Resident attempted to challenge the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) import ban by going through customs at Kennedy International Airport with 12 prescription RU-486 pills she obtained in England. The pills were confiscated and the US Supreme Court denied the woman's request to recover the pills by a 7-2 vote. In 1993, on the 20th anniversary of the Roe v Wade abortion decision, President Clinton instructed the FDA to assess the real health and safety risks of the drug and rescind the ban if politics turns out to be the central issue. FDA has no criteria for measuring acceptable levels of safety, and drug approval is a lengthy process. Moreover, clinical trials are not initiated until a pharmaceutical company applies for FDA approval, which Roussel-Uclaf, RU-486's developer, has not done despite a wealth of safety and effectiveness data amassed in Europe. In fact, fearing a consumer boycott of its other products by US anti-abortion groups, Roussel-Uclaf has limited American researchers' access to RU-486. Despite the pro-choice climate of the Clinton Administration, it is unlikely that RU-486 will be available any time soon to US women, and physicians are concerned that a black market for the drug will emerge. This likelihood has serious consequences for people with Cushing's disease, nonmalignant brain tumors, breast cancer, and other medical conditions that may be responsive to RU-486. Given the experience with the introduction of oral contraceptives, marketed before long-term health consequences had been sufficiently explored, it is essential that FDA researchers investigate the impact of RU-486 on future children, future fertility, its interaction with other medications and contraceptives, and its effects on other bodily systems. At the same time, any risk-benefit assessment must be based on scientific merit, and access to Ru-486 cannot be denied on political or moral grounds.
Retinol-binding protein 4 is associated with impaired glucose tolerance but not with whole body or hepatic insulin resistance in Mexican Americans

Retinol-binding protein-4 (RBP4), a novel protein secreted mainly by adipose tissue, has been associated with insulin resistance in obese subjects and in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We examined the relationship between plasma RBP4 levels, expression of RBP4 in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue, and insulin sensitivity in Mexican Americans with varying degrees of obesity and glucose tolerance. Seventy-two subjects [16 lean normal-glucose-tolerant (NGT), 17 obese NGT, and 39 subjects with impaired fasting glucose/impaired glucose tolerance/T2DM] received an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp. Insulin secretion was measured as insulinogenic index during OGTT. In a subset of subjects, hepatic glucose production was measured by 3-[3H]glucose infusion, biopsies of the vastus lateralis muscle and subcutaneous adipose tissue were obtained under basal conditions, and quantitative RT-PCR was performed to measure the RBP4 mRNA gene expression. Plasma RBP4 was significantly elevated in impaired glucose tolerance/T2DM compared with NGT lean or obese subjects. Plasma RBP4 levels correlated with 2-h glucose, triglycerides, and hemoglobin A1c. There was no association between RBP4 levels and whole body insulin sensitivity measured with either the euglycemic insulin clamp or OGTT, basal hepatic glucose production rates, and the hepatic insulin resistance index. There was no correlation between plasma RBP4 levels and indexes of insulin secretion. RBP4 mRNA expression in skeletal muscle was similar in lean NGT subjects, obese NGT subjects, and T2DM subjects. There was no difference in RBP4 mRNA expression in adipose tissue between lean and obese NGT subjects or between NGT and T2DM individuals. Plasma RBP4 levels are elevated in T2DM and associated with impaired glucose tolerance, but not associated with obesity or insulin resistance or impaired insulin secretion in Mexican Americans.
Sampling-based dimension reduction for subspace approximation

We give a randomized bi-criteria algorithm for the problem of finding a k-dimensional subspace that minimizesthe Lp-error for given points, i.e., p-th root of the sum of p-th powers of distances to given points,for any p ≥ 1. Our algorithm runs in time O (mn · pk3 (k/e)2p) andproduces a subset of size O (pk2 (k/e)2p) from the given points such that, withhigh probability, the span of these points gives a (1+e)-approximation to the optimal k-dimensionalsubspace. We also show a dimension reduction type of result for this problem where we can efficiently find asubset of size O (pk2(p+1) + (k/e)p+2) such that, with high probability, theirspan contains a k-dimensional subspace that gives (1+e)-approximation to the optimum. We prove similarresults for the corresponding projective clustering problem where we need to find multiple k-dimensional subspaces.
Hyperphagic Effects of Brainstem Ghrelin Administration

The role of ghrelin in feeding control has been addressed from a largely hypothalamic perspective, with little attention directed at ingestive consequences of stimulation of the peptide's receptor, the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R), in the caudal brainstem. Here, we demonstrate a hyperphagic response to stimulation of GHS-R in the caudal brainstem. Ghrelin (150 pmol) delivered to the third and fourth ventricles significantly and comparably increased cumulative food intake, with maximal response approximately 3 h after injection. The meal patterning effects underlying this hyperphagia were also similar for the two placements (i.e., significant reduction in the time between injection and first-meal onset, an increase in the number of meals taken shortly after the injection, and a trend toward an increase in the average size of the first meals that approached but did not achieve statistical significance). In a separate experiment, ghrelin microinjected unilaterally into the dorsal vagal complex (DVC) significantly increased food intake measured 1.5 and 3 h after treatment. The response was obtained with a 10-pmol dose, establishing the DVC as a site of action with at least comparable sensitivity to that reported for the arcuate nucleus. Taken together, the results affirm a caudal brainstem site of action and recommend further investigation into multisite interactions underlying the modulation of ingestive behavior by ghrelin.
Aggressor alignment for worst-case crosstalk noise

In this paper, we study signal alignment resulting in maximum peak interconnect coupling noise. We consider three cases. In the first one, we assume that arbitrary arrival times of input signals are feasible. In the second case, we assume that timing windows are given for each aggressor input. The victim is quiet for the above two cases. In the third case, the victim net has a propagated noise from the previous stage and timing windows are given for both the propagating noise and the aggressor inputs. We propose a simple procedure to find aggressor alignment for worst-case coupling in all the cases.
Can the American High School Become an Avenue of Advancement for All

Summary As the twenty-first century opens, says Robert Balfanz, the United States is developing a deep social consensus that American high schools should ensure that all adolescents graduate from high school prepared for postsecondary schooling and training. Balfanz asks how well high schools are succeeding in this mission and whether they can ultimately fulfill it. Balfanz first surveys the structure and demographics of today’s high schools. Forty percent of white students attend high schools that are 90 percent or more white, while roughly one-third of Latino and African American students attend high schools that are 90 percent or more minority. Minority students are also much more likely than white students to attend high schools that confront the challenges of concentrated poverty. In predominantly white, affluent suburban school districts, nearly every student arrives ready for high school work and then graduates. In all-minority inner city schools in high-poverty neighborhoods, most entering students lack a good middle school education and only half to two-thirds graduate.
Identification of Mycoplasmas in Urine from Persons Infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Voided urine samples from persons with and without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection were examined for mycoplasmas. Mycoplasma hominis organisms were identified in cultures of urine from 32 (18%) of 180 HIV-positive individuals and from 8 (21%) of 38 HIV-negative individuals. In contrast, glucose-utilizing mycoplasmas were identified in the urine of 30 (17%) of the HIV-positive individuals and in none of those who were HIV-negative. Assays of growth inhibition around disks containing specific antisera identified 14 of the 30 glucose-utilizing mycoplasmas as Mycoplasma fermentans
The Museum für Deutsche Geschichte and German National Identity

Not far from the Brandenburger Tor on Unter den Linden, visitors to the Museum fur Deutsche Geschichte (MfDG) entered Berlin's most beautiful Baroque building. Built by Europe's finest architects under the auspices of Prussia's Kings, the Zeughaus once held a collection of the nation's weapons and Prussia's trophies of war. But since its restoration in the 1950s, this eighteenth-century edifice's long sculptured hallways and high-ceilinged rooms housed the Marxist story of the German people's struggle; images of Prussian peasants, Silesian weavers, and hardened revolutionaries were arranged in glass cases, displayed upon walls and surrounded by Socialist banners, Communist papers, and early Protestant texts. Resurrected from the annals of Germany's past, these images were brought together to fashion a German history, to create the foundation for an East German national identity, and to provide legitimization for the Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands (SED).
The Impact of Intimate Partner Violence on Low-Income Women’s Economic Well-Being The Mediating Role of Job Stability

This study sought to extend our understanding of the mechanisms by which intimate partner violence (IPV) harms women economically. We examined the mediating role of job instability on the IPV-economic well-being relationship among 503 welfare recipients. IPV had significant negative effects on women's job stability and economic well-being. Job stability was at least partly responsible for the deleterious economic consequences of IPV, and the effects lasted up to three years after the IPV ended. This study demonstrates the need for services and policies that address barriers to employment as a means of improving the economic well-being of low-income women with abusive partners.
Multi-filamentation and temporal compression of an elliptical beam in the anomalous dispersion regime

We investigate spatio-temporal focusing of an elliptically-shaped beam in a bulk medium with a Kerr nonlinearity and anomalous dispersion. Strong spatio-temporal localization of the mode is observed via multi-filamentation and temporal compression.
Monitoring the Degradation of Commercial Microbial Rennet Preparations

Abstract Fractionation on a DEAE-Sephadex A-50 column was used to study the degradation of microbial rennets derived from Mucor miehei . A comparison was made between the crude culture filtrate, derived from the growth of the microorganism in submerged culture condition on wheat bran medium, and commercial preparation Marzyme and Rennilase. The elution protein profiles lacked some of the peaks associated with the crude culture filtrate however, the milk-coagulating activity eluted out at approximately the same NaCl molarity (.45 M ). Each brand name product had a characteristic elution pattern, which did not vary between their thermostable and thermolabile enzyme preparations. With storage at 4°C the elution protein profiles of the thermolabile enzyme preparations changed in a distinctive manner characteristic of the brand name. With the Marzyme series, the milk-coagulating activity eluted out at the same NaCl molarity, whereas other established peaks increased in area. The milk-coagulating activity, from Rennilase, eluted from the column at a lower NaCl concentration (.35 M ). The changes were evidence of enzyme degradation, which was manifested by a general decrease in specific enzyme activity. By using column chromatography it was possible to monitor the stages of degradation with time.
MSFC Investigations of Beta Cloth Darkening Due to Ultraviolet Radiation Interactions

A common component of multi-layer insulation blankets is beta cloth, a woven fiberglass cloth impregnated with Teflon. It is planned for extensive use on the International Space Station (ISS). The Environmental Effects Group of the Marshall Space Flight Center Materials, Processing and Manufacturing Department has investigated the impact of atomic oxygen (AO) and ultraviolet (UV) radiation on the optical properties of plain and aluminized beta cloth, both in the laboratory and as part of long-duration flight experiments. These investigations indicate that beta cloth was susceptible to darkening in the presence of UV radiation, dependent on the additives used. The presence of AO countered some, if not all, of the UV degradation.
Dynamic Effects of Joint-Leveling Procedure on Pressure at the Distal Radioulnar Joint

Purpose Wrist joint-leveling procedures for decompression of the radiocarpal and ulnocarpal joints are accompanied by the risk for subsequent disorders of the adjacent distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ). This study evaluated the dynamic change of the pressure pattern at the DRUJ after joint-leveling procedures. Methods Thirteen fresh-frozen adult cadaveric upper extremities were used. A segment of the radius was excised at its midshaft to allow lengthening and shortening via a mini external fixator attachment. Dynamic pressure sensors were inserted into the DRUJ and the ulnocarpal joint. Axial loads were applied to the extensor carpi radialis brevis, extensor carpi radialis longus, extensor carpi ulnaris, flexor carpi radialis, and flexor carpi ulnaris for a total of 89 N with or without 30 N of radioulnar loading. The dynamic pressure distribution for full range of forearm rotation was recorded from 6 mm of radial shortening to 6 mm of radial lengthening in increments of 1 mm. Results The peak pressures at the DRUJ before the joint-leveling procedures averaged 3.3 MPa without radioulnar loading and 5.0 MPa with radioulnar loading. The peak pressures with axial and radioulnar loading increased 85% at 6 mm of lengthening and only 8% at 6 mm of shortening. The peak pressures at the DRUJ for radial lengthening of 4 mm or more were significantly greater than that of the original length. Pressure at the ulnocarpal joint increased in proportion to the amount of radial shortening and decreased with radial lengthening. Conclusions Radial lengthening but not radial shortening significantly increases the peak pressure at the DRUJ.
Observations of electrons in the intense pulse neutron source (IPNS) rapid cycling synchrotron (RCS)

In the process of accelerating protons from 50 to 450 MeV at 30 Hz, low-energy electrons are generated within the IPNS RCS vacuum chamber. Electrons from background gas stripping are detected using an Ionization Profile Monitor (IPM) to generate integrated, horizontal charge distributions of the single-harmonic bunch during acceleration. Recently, a Retarding Field Analyzer (RFA) was installed in the RCS to look for evidence of beam-induced multipacting by measuring the electrons ejected by the space charge of the beam. A wide-band, high-gain transimpedance amplifier has been built to observe time structure in the electron signal detected with the RFA. Though a noisy power supply prevented full I-V characteristics from being obtained, interesting features are observed; especially, after the period of phase modulation between the rf cavities that is deliberately introduced during the cycle. The phase modulation generates a longitudinal quadrupole oscillation in the bunch, which is believed to enhance beam stability. Preliminary results indicate that electron multipacting is not significant in the RCS. The effects of background gas neutralization are considered and details of the RFA measurements are presented.
Coronary artery imaging with multidetector computed tomography: A call for an evidence-based, multidisciplinary approach

Modern multidetector computed tomography systems are capable of a comprehensive assessment of the cardiovascular system, including noninvasive assessment of coronary anatomy. Multidetector computed tomography is expected to advance the role of noninvasive imaging for coronary artery disease, but clinical experience is still limited. Clinical guidelines are necessary to standardize scanner technology and appropriate clinical applications for coronary computed tomographic angiography. Further evaluation of this evolving technology will benefit from cooperation between different medical specialties, imaging scientists, and manufacturers of multidetector computed tomography systems, supporting multidisciplinary teams focused on the diagnosis and treatment of early and advanced stages of coronary artery disease. This cooperation will provide the necessary education, training, and guidelines for physicians and technologists assuring standard of care for their patients.
Time-dependent recordkeeping fatigue among youth completing health diaries of unintentional injuries.

Abstract Problem Increasingly, investigators are asking youth to self-report daily activity patterns and health outcomes in diary studies. This study assesses recordkeeping fatigue with respect to data quality and event reporting among youth participating in a health diary study. Method Unintentional injury data were collected during a 13-week longitudinal diary study of Ohio youth exposed to agricultural hazards. Two analyses were conducted using data from 2000. Analysis 1 examined trends in discernable recordkeeping errors (DREs) over the course of follow-up. Analysis 2 assessed trends in injury reporting over follow-up. Results The percentage of items containing a DRE showed a slight, non-significant decline throughout follow-up. Injury reporting declined significantly (p Summary There was no compelling evidence of respondent fatigue with respect to DREs. The observed decline in injury reporting is problematic because estimates of youth injury incidence in health diary studies may vary depending upon the length of the follow-up period.
Modification of Lipoproteins by Very Low-Carbohydrate Diets

Very low-carbohydrate diets (VLCDs) are popular, but remain controversial. This review summarizes the latest studies that have examined the effects of VLCDs on lipoproteins and related risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Prospective studies indicate that VLCDs improve the lipoprotein profile independently of weight loss. Although not as effective at lowering LDL cholesterol (LDL-C), VLCDs consistently improve postabsorptive and postprandial triacylglycerols (TAGs), HDL cholesterol (HDL-C), and the distribution of LDL-C subfractions to a greater extent than low-fat diets. VLCDs also improve proinflammatory markers when associated with weight loss. Studies usually report mean lipid responses, but individual data indicate a large degree of variability in the magnitude and in some cases the direction (e.g., LDL-C) of lipoprotein responses to both low-fat and VLCDs. Such variability makes it hard to defend a single diet recommendation, especially considering the potential for low-fat/high-carbohydrate diets to exacerbate TAG, HDL-C, and other characteristics of the metabolic syndrome. Considering the effectiveness of VLCDs in promoting fat loss and improving the metabolic syndrome, discounting or condemning their use is unjustified. We encourage a more unbiased, balanced appraisal of VLCDs.
Molecular beam epitaxy

A tutorial review of molecular beam epitaxial (MBE) growth of elemental, compound and alloy semiconductor films is presented. MBE is carried out on a heated substrate under ultra-high-vacuum (UHV) conditions (total pressure >
Keyjacking: the surprising insecurity of client-side SSL

In theory, PKI can provide a flexible and strong way to authenticate users in distributed information systems. In practice, much is being invested in realizing this vision via client-side SSL and various client keystores. However, whether this works depends on whether what the machines do with the private keys matches what the humans think they do: whether a server operator can conclude from an SSL request authenticated with a user's private key that the user was aware of and approved that request. Exploring this vision, we demonstrate via a series of experiments that this assumption does not hold with standard desktop tools, even if the browser user does all the right things. A fundamental rethinking of the trust, usage, and storage model might result in more effective tools for achieving the PKI vision.
Behavior, Appetite, and Urinary Cortisol Responses by Adult Female Pigtailed Macaques to Cage Size, Cage Level, Room Change, and Ketamine Sedation

Pigtailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina) and longtailed macaques (M. fascicularis) show behavioral, ecological, and possible temperament differences, and their responses to the laboratory environment might therefore be quite different. We tested pigtailed macaques under the same conditions that were investigated in a previous study with longtailed macaques, using the same comprehensive set of physiological and behavioral measures of stress. First, eight adult females' adaptation to a new room in regulation-size cages was monitored, and in the third week their responses to ketamine sedation were measured. Then they spent two weeks singly housed in each of four cage sizes (USDA regulation size, one size larger, one size smaller, and a very small cage). Half of the subjects were in upper-level cages and the remainder in lower-level cages for the entire study. Cage size, ranging from 20% to 148% of USDA regulation floor area, was not significantly related to abnormal behavior, self-grooming, manipulating the environment, eating/drinking, activity cycle, cortisol excretion, or biscuit consumption. Locomotion and frequency of behavior change were significantly reduced in the smallest cage, but did not differ in cage sizes ranging from 77% to 148% of regulation size. The only manipulation to produce an unequivocal stress response, as measured by cortisol elevation and appetite suppression, was ketamine sedation. Room change and cage changes were associated with minimal cortisol elevation and appetite suppression. Wild-born females showed more appetite suppression after room change than captive-born females. No differences were related to cage level. Pigtailed macaques strongly resembled longtailed macaques except they showed weaker responses to the new room and cage change, probably because the pigtails had spent more time in captivity. These findings support the conclusion that increasing cage size to the next regulation size category would not have measurable positive effects on the psychological well-being of two species of laboratory macaques.
Current Status of Biomaterials: Use and Development

The rationale for including a talk on biomaterials in a conference on cardiovascular engineering is that engineers and materials scientists have over the years designed devices to replace various organs or perform certain functions in the body, and that the properties of the biomaterials as well as the design of the device influence the events that occur when such devices come into contact with blood and tissues.
Experimental Analysis of InfiniBand Transport Services on WAN

InfiniBand architecture (IBA) has emerged as a standard system-area interconnect in industry for both data-center and high performance computing. While IBA continues to evolve with more capabilities, it has yet to permeate the field of grid and pervasive computing across wide area. This requires a software infrastructure to take the full advantage of IBA networking mechanisms without being dwarfed by the long distances. In this paper, we present a detailed analysis of InfiniBand transport services for their suitability to data transfer and message passing in the wide area. Three of the common InfiniBand transport services have been examined, including reliable connection (RC), unreliable connection (UC), and unreliable datagram (UD). Our analysis indicates that UC and UD are better suited to provide high bandwidth for MPI on wide-area networks (WAN). We have also demonstrated that the current existing MPI implementations, designed over RC and UD, can be tuned to provide improved MPI bandwidth on WAN. Furthermore, by developing a UC-based MPI implementa-tion, we have shown that, at a distance of 8600 miles, MPI over UC can improve MPI bandwidth by as much as 100%.
New Approach for Investigating Reaction Dynamics and Rates with Ab Initio Calculations

Herein, we demonstrate a convenient approach to systematically investigate chemical reaction dynamics using the metadynamics (MetaD) family of enhanced sampling methods. Using a symmetric SN2 reaction as a model system, we applied infrequent metadynamics, a theoretical framework based on acceleration factors, to quantitatively estimate the rate of reaction from biased and unbiased simulations. A systematic study of the algorithm and its application to chemical reactions was performed by sampling over 5000 independent reaction events. Additionally, we quantitatively reweighed exhaustive free-energy calculations to obtain the reaction potential-energy surface and showed that infrequent metadynamics works to effectively determine Arrhenius-like activation energies. Exact agreement with unbiased high-temperature kinetics is also shown. The feasibility of using the approach on actual ab initio molecular dynamics calculations is then presented by using Car–Parrinello MD+MetaD to sample the same reaction using o...
What consistency does your key-value store actually provide?

Many key-value stores have recently been proposed as platforms for always-on, globally-distributed, Internet-scale applications. To meet their needs, these stores often sacrifice consistency for availability. Yet, few tools exist that can verify the consistency actually provided by a key-value store, and quantify the violations if any. How can a user check if a storage system meets its promise of consistency? If a system only promises eventual consistency, how bad is it really? In this paper, we present efficient algorithms that help answer these questions. By analyzing the trace of interactions between the client machines and a key-value store, the algorithms can report whether the trace is safe, regular, or atomic, and if not, how many violations there are in the trace. We run these algorithms on traces of our eventually consistent key-value store called Pahoehoe and find few or no violations, thus showing that it often behaves like a strongly consistent system during our tests.
Stigmatizing Images in Obesity Health Campaign Messages and Healthy Behavioral Intentions

Background Antiobesity campaigns blaming individual behaviors for obesity have sparked concern that an emphasis on individual behavior may lead to stigmatization of overweight or obese people. Past studies have shown that perpetuating stigma is not effective for influencing behavior. Purpose This study examined whether stigmatizing or nonstigmatizing images and text in antiobesity advertisements led to differences in health-related behavioral intentions. Method Participants in this experiment were 161 American adults. Measures included self-reported body mass index, weight satisfaction, antifat attitudes, and intention to increase healthy behaviors. Results Images in particular prompted intention to increase healthy behavior, but only among participants who were not overweight or obese. Conclusion Images and text emphasizing individual responsibility for obesity may influence behavioral intention among those who are not overweight, but they do not seem to be effective at altering behavioral intentions among overweight people, the target audience for many antiobesity messages. Images in antiobesity messages intended to alter behavior are influential and should be selected carefully.
DIRTY AND CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES

Pollution from fossil fuel use is a global problem. Studies have shown that a worsening of environmental quality has adverse effects on worker productivity and health. In this study, there is an inexhaustible natural resource that deteriorates environmental quality and affects productivity. There also exists a perfect substitute clean backstop, which is initially too costly to operate and whose costs can be reduced through investments in knowledge. Depending on the endowment of environmental quality, the optimal solution shows that the planner should only use the resource or only the backstop until a constant steady state is reached in which the polluting resource and backstop are used in fixed proportions. We show that investments in alternative technologies from the very beginning can help an economy make the eventual switch to clean energy sources, thereby attaining better environmental quality.
Comparative Photoluminescence Measurement and Simulation of Vertical-Cavity Semiconductor Laser Structures

We present comparisons of photoluminescence (PL) data for various vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) and distributed quantum well structures taken with the pump beam (and the collection path) in two different configurations: normal to the surface of the sample; and perpendicular to a cross-section of the epitaxial layers. We demonstrate that the cross-sectional PL (XPL) technique can resolve individual features in the structures, and that the surface-normal PL (NPL) spectra are perturbed by the multilayer mirrors in the VCSELs. We elucidate a potential method for transforming between the NPL spectra and the non-perturbed XPL spectra and evaluate the sensitivity of this method to various measurement as well as material parameters. This simulation technique is well-suited to wide parametric variations of the dispersion curves for the complex dielectric constant of the materials, the pump field distribution, and the depth profile of the gain medium.
Relations between species diversity and diet in communities of ants

The food collected by all species of ants in eleyen communities was sampled, and the niche breadths and overlaps calculated. In communities of the Mojave Desert, the mean niche breadths were found to be relatively constant, regardless of changes in elevation or species diversity. Niche overlaps, however, were positively correlated with species diversity. With increases in latitude in the Great Basin Desert, the food niche breadths increased and overlaps decreased. Niche breadths were, not significantly correlated with species diversity in the Great Basin communities. The effect of diffuse overlap (amount of overlap in diet received by a species from all other species in the community) was to increase the rate at which overlap increased with species diversity. Running head: diets of ants.
Bi-variable control for turbine system

Turbine engine system controlled by single variable propellant flow control has some shortcomings such as low energy translation efficiency.This paper puts forward a bi-variable control method,in this method,the open loop controls the number of working nozzles,the closed loop controls the capacity of variable displacement fuel pump.An improved adaptive control algorithm is used for the closed loop control.Comparing bi-variable control to single variable control,the system can get energy translation efficiency more than 30% and turbine forward temperature lower than 250 K.The simulation results show that the bi-variable control method is simple,can make the turbine engine system get high efficiency and work steadily.This method is fit for anti-ship and anti-submarine autonomous under water vehicle.5 figs,6 refs.
A Comparative Study of Digital Images versus 35-Millimeter Images

Digital imaging is an alternative to 35-mm Kodachromes and may be a useful tool to the physician. The purpose of this study was to compare the quality of digital images to 35-mm images and then compare the two methods based on the ability to make the correct diagnosis. Dermatology patients were photographed with both a digital camera and a 35-mm camera. Images from 22 patients were compared and graded on four criteria (sharpness of image, contrast, depth of field, and trueness of color). Diagnoses were then made from 30 pairs of images of different patients. In all graded areas the 35-mm images scored significantly higher. The correct diagnosis was made in 69.6% of the digital images compared to 77.3% of the 35-mm images, a difference that was not statistically significant. One may conclude that digital images hold promise for present and future use in dermatology and other areas of medicine.
Changes in forage quality, ingestive mastication, and digesta kinetics resulting from switchgrass maturity.

Five maturities of switchgrass hay harvested at 14-d intervals (vegetative through 20% heading) were fed to Hereford steers (297 kg) in a 5 × 5 Latin square. Relationships with switchgrass matu- rity were negative and quadratic ( P < .05) for DMI and cubic ( P < .05) for digestible DMI. Declines in apparent digestibilities of DM, ADF, and cellulose were cubic ( P < .05), whereas these were quadratic ( P < .05) for NDF, hemicellulose, and CP. Whole masticates from the least, mid, and most mature hays showed linear ( P < .05) declines in DM concentration and IVDMD with increasing maturity, whereas NDF concentrations increased linearly ( P < .05). Mean retention time of gastrointestinal DM increased linearly ( P < .01) from 64 to 94 h from the least to the most mature hay, and the associated rate of passage declined linearly ( P < .01) from 3.3 to 2.1%/h. Sieving of masticate DM showed a reduced proportion of large particles ( ≥ 2.8 mm) and an increased proportion of small particles ( ≤ .5 mm) with advancing forage maturity. More than 94% of the sieved fecal DM passed a 1.0-mm sieve, but particle sizes showed the same relationship with forage maturity as noted for masticate DM. This occurred despite the comminution from the rumination and digestive processes.
Group Signatures: Provable Security, Efficient Constructions and Anonymity from Trapdoor-Holders.

To date, a group signature construction which is efficient, scalable, allows dynamic adversarial joins, and proven secure in a formal model has not been suggested. In this work we give the first such construction in the random oracle model. The demonstration of an efficient construction proven secure in a formal model that captures all intuitive security properties of a certain primitive is a basic goal in cryptographic design. To this end we adapt a formal model for group signatures capturing all the basic requirements that have been identified as desirable in the area and we construct an efficient scheme and prove its security. Our construction is based on the Strong-RSA assumption (as in the work of Ateniese et al.). In our system, due to the requirements of provable security in a formal model, we give novel constructions as well as innovative extensions of the underlying mathematical requirements and properties. Our task, in fact, requires the investigation of some basic number-theoretic techniques for arguing security over the group of quadratic residues modulo a composite when its factorization is known. Along the way we discover that in the basic construction, anonymity does not depend on factoring-based assumptions, which, in turn, allows the natural separation of user join management and anonymity revocation authorities. Anonymity can, in turn, be shown even against an adversary controlling the join manager. ∗Research partly supported by NSF Career Award CNS-0447808.
Outcomes and management of type A intramural hematoma

Background: Initial optimal management of acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) with intramural hematoma (ATAIMH) remains controversial, especially between centers in the Eastern vs . Western worlds. We examined the literature and our experience to report outcomes after repair of ATAIMH. Methods: We reviewed the hospital, follow-up clinic records and online mortality databases for all patients who presented to our center for open repair of ATAAD between 1999 and 2014. Preoperative characteristics, early and long-term outcomes were compared between classic ATAAD vs . ATAIMH. Survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier and log-rank statistics. Results: Of the 523 repaired ATAAD, 101 patients (19%) presented with IMH and 422 (81%) had classic dissection. ATAIMH were significantly older (64.8±12.9 vs . 56.8±14.6 years; P<0.001), more commonly females (39% vs . 26%; P=0.010), had poor baseline renal function (i.e., glomerular filtration rate) (P<0.017), more retrograde dissections (27% vs . 8.3%; P<0.001), and less distal malperfusion (5% vs . 15%; P<0.001). Age greater than 60 years, female sex, retrograde dissection, and Marfan syndrome were strongly correlated with ATAIMH. Time to repair for ATAIMH was longer (median, 55.3 vs . 9.8 hours; P<0.001) with one death in ATAIMH within three days of presentation (0.9% vs . 6%; P=0.040). In all, 30-day mortality in ATAIMH was not different from classic ATAAD (12% vs .16%; P=0.289). A significantly lower incidence of postoperative dialysis in ATAIMH was noted (10% vs . 19%; P=0.034). When adjusted for age and renal function, late survival was improved with IMH (P<0.039). Conclusions: ATAIMH continues to be associated with significant morbidity and mortality, comparable to classic aortic dissection. A multidisciplinary management approach involving aggressive medical management and risk stratification for timely surgical intervention, along with genetic profiling, is recommended for optimal care. Long-term monitoring is mandatory to assess compliance to medical therapy and recognition of evolving complications.