cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mechanical response and multilevel structure of biomimetic hydroxyapatite/polygalacturonic/chitosan nanocomposites

Abstract Using an in situ mineralization process that is biomimetic we have synthesized new nanocomposites of chitosan/hydroxyapatite in 50–50 ratio(ChiHAP50), polygalacturonic acid/hydroxyapatite in 50–50 ratio (PgAHAP50) and Chitosan/hydroxyapatite/Polygalacturonic acid (ChiPgAHAP50). Polygalacturonic acid (PgA) is electrostatically complementary to chitosan, and thus is expected to provide stronger interfacial interactions and improve mechanical response. Atomic force imaging of fractured and polished surfaces suggests a multilevel organization in the hydroxyapatite/biopolymer nanocomposite. The AFM images of ChiPgAHAP50 nanocomposite display presence of chitosan rich and polygalacturonic rich domains. These chitosan rich and PgA rich domains are made of smaller globular shaped particles in which, hydroxyapatite nano-particles are embedded in the biopolymer matrix. The average size of the hydroxyapatite particles in PgAHAP50, ChiHAP50 and ChiPgAHAP50 were found to be 25, 42 and 34 nm respectively. The elastic moduli determined from nanoindentation of PgAHAP50, ChiHAP50 and ChiPgAHAP50 composites are 29.81, 17.56 and 23.62 GPa respectively. Hardness values of the three composites in the same order were found to be 1.56, 0.65 and 1.14 GPa respectively. Macro-mechanical tests showed significant enhancement in elastic moduli, strain to failure and compressive strength of ChiPgAHAP50 composites over ChiHAP50 and PgAHAP50.
Utilization of nitrate by Beggiatoa alba

Beggiatoa alba B18LD utilizes both nitrate and nitrite as sole nitrogen sources, although nitrite was toxic above 1 mM.B. alba coupledin vivo acetate oxidation, but not sulfide oxidation, with nitrate and nitrite reduction.B. alba could not, however, grow anaerobically with nitrate as the sole electron acceptor. Furthermore, the incorporation of acetate into macromolecules under anaerobic conditions with nitrate as the sole electron acceptor was less 10% of the incorporation with oxygen as the electron acceptor. The product of nitrate reduction byB. alba was ammonia; N2 or N2O were not produced. The nitrate reductase activity inB. alba was soluble and it utilized reduced flavins or methyl viologen and dithionite as electron donors. Pyrimidine nucleotides were not used as in vitro electron donors, either alone or with flavins in coupled assays. TheB. alba nitrate reductase activity was competitively inhibited with chlorate and was only mildly inhibited by azide and cyanide. Nitrate was not required for induction of theB. alba nitrate reductase, and neither oxygen nor ammonia repressed its activity. Thus,B. alba nitrate reductase appears to be an assimilatory nitrate reductase with unusual regulatory properties.
Nonlinear Retention Relationships in Reversed-Phase Chromatography

Recent experimental studies of retention and selectivity patterns of different reversed-phase columns demonstrated that the commonly used assumption of a linear relationship between the logarithm of the retention factor and the solvent composition is a simplification. Due to the difficulties associated with this assumption, a new simple equation was developed that permits the description of curvature in this relationship. The equation can be integrated and used as a general model for the interpretation of retention data in gradient chromatography. In this paper, we present the new equation and discuss its implications in detail, including a few examples where it serves better than the classical linear equation.
Order in the “Arbitrary”: The Distribution, Content, and Temporal Cycles of English Merchant Tribute in Eighteenth-Century Yemen

AbstractDrawing on the documents of the English East India Company, along with comparative material from the Dutch East India Company and sources in Arabic, this article looks closely at the distribution, content, and timing of merchant tribute in relation to the practices of trade in eighteenth-century Yemen. The goal is to uncover the patterns surrounding English commercial gift practices at a time when European merchants were flocking to the southern Arabian Peninsula to procure coffee beans. This study casts gifts as central and regularized parts of the cycle of exchange, rather than as non-transactional or incidental social accessories of the Indian Ocean trade, thereby allocating an important place for gifts within early modern cross-cultural commercial interactions.
Circular Single-Stranded Synthetic DNA Delivery Vectors for MicroRNA

Single-stranded (ss) circular oligodeoxynucleotides were previously found to undergo rolling circle transcription (RCT) by phage and bacterial RNA polymerases (RNAPs) into tandemly repetitive RNA multimers. Here, we redesign them to encode minimal primary miRNA mimics, with the long term aim of intracellular transcription followed by RNA processing and maturation via endogenous pathways. We describe an improved method for circularizing ss synthetic DNA for RCT by using a recently described thermostable RNA ligase, which does not require a splint oligonucleotide to juxtapose the ligating ends. In vitro transcription of four templates demonstrates that the secondary structure inherent in miRNA-encoding vectors does not impair their RCT by RNAPs previously shown to carry out RCT. A typical primary-miRNA rolling circle transcript was accurately processed by a human Drosha immunoprecipitate, indicating that if human RNAPs prove to be capable of RCT, the resulting transcripts should enter the endogenous miRNA processing pathway in human cells. Circular oligonucleotides are therefore candidate vectors for small RNA delivery in human cells, which express RNAPs related to those tested here.
Markets and Hierarchies and (Mathematical) Economic Theory

Over the past decade transaction-cost economics has been partially translated in the more mathematical language of game theory, and understanding of the costs of transactions has been deepened, refined and extended. But the translation is incomplete: a great deal of human behaviour is missed, and doing game theory with more life-like models of individuals will bring theory closer to phenomena. Transaction-cost economics, particularly the economics of relational contracts, provides a major arena for these developments, since the important issues of bounded rationality and individual behavior are central to the topic. Copyright 1996 by Oxford University Press.
Immunological distinction between the possible origins of enzymatic activity in a polypeptide fragment of staphylococcal nuclease.

WE have used an immunological approach to demonstrate that the residual enzymatic activity in a large polypeptide fragment of staphylococcal nuclease is an intrinsic property of the fragment and not an artefact due to contamination with intact enzyme. These results are consistent with present concepts of the folding of polypeptide fragments to form structures similar to the native protein and may offer a method for the investigation of other macromolecular systems.
A theory of reading.

This article presents an explanatory model of reading competence, correlating different levels of linguistic, procedural, and neurological description in an information-processing paradigm. The overall design is an orthographic-to-phonological base form coding, differentiated lexical access, syntactic-structural derivation by means of an analysis-by-synthesis algorithm, and optional phonological and semantic interpretive processes at the level of syntactic surface structure. The model seeks to integrate and explain a representative sample of experimental phenomena. Major conclusions are that intact simultaneous functioning and awareness of abstract linguistic entities are necessary elements in the development of adult reading competence.
CDMS experiment: current status and future

We present the current status of the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS). The five tower detector array, total 30 detectors, are running stable since October 2006. We have accumulated more than 900 kg-days of low background data. We also summarize the prospect of SuperCDMS project.
Effect of Marangoni Convection on Solidification of Phase Change Materials Infiltrated in Porous Media in Presence of Voids

Void formation is encountered in the form of air pockets during preparation of composite thermal energy storage systems, consisting of phase change materials (PCM) infiltrated into a high-conductivity porous structure. The presence of voids within the pores of a porous structure degrades the thermal and phase change behavior of such composites. Recent work devoted to multiphase modeling of the infiltration of PCM in liquid state into porous media and formation of voids showed that among the various contributing driving forces (i.e. gravity, pressure gradient and interfacial forces), the interfacial forces (resulting from surface tension and contact angle) play a significant role at the pore level. Additionally, modeling the solidification and melting of PCM within the pores in presence of a void revealed that there is a temperature gradient along the interface between the PCM and void. Considering the surface tension as the major driving force at the pore level, this temperature gradient is large enough to give rise to a gradient in surface tension that then triggers the Marangoni convection at the interface. Thus, as a convection mechanism, it affects the phase change process as well as the interface shape. Therefore, in this paper, the effects of the Marangoni convection on PCM solidification time and shape of the interface was investigated at the pore level. A numerical approach was employed for solidification of a PCM based on the combination of the Volume-of-fluid (VOF) and enthalpy-porosity methods, including the variation of the surface tension with temperature, i.e. Marangoni effects. A two-dimensional model of a pore was developed based on the average geometric features of the pores in a porous structure with interconnecting pores. Following the grid independence study, the transient simulation of solidification was performed, whereas the PCM within the pore and the air within the void were treated as incompressible liquid and compressible gas, respectively. The liquid density change during the solidification was included to explicate the formation of shrinkage void and its distribution within the pores. The PCM solidification time and shape of the final interface between the PCM and air pocket (representing the amount and distribution of the shrinkage void evolving during the solidification) were extracted and compared between the cases with and without Marangoni convection. For verification purposes, the volume of the predicted infiltration void is in agreement with experimental measurements and the volume of the shrinkage void shows a good agreement with theoretical volume change. The final shape of the interface was justified and turned out to be in agreement with the prevailing Marangoni convection pattern.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Rational design of binary halide scintillators via data mining

Abstract We introduce a new search strategy for the development of novel inorganic scintillators. For designing new scintillation host media having the improved properties, the potential candidate materials were chosen by using a chemical selection scheme based on a multi-dimensional similarity metric. For the quantitative assessment of the chosen materials, predictive models based on informatics were built by correlating a set of key parameters which reflect the features of the host materials with the performance of inorganic scintillators. The resulting design rules generated from the relationships serve as a guide to identify HfI 4 and TaI 5 as two new host lattices with high light yield. The method we have outlined here serves as a new computational template based statistical learning method to search for new inorganic scintillators with targeted properties.
Vibration-rotation bands of N214O16 at 4.5μ

Abstract Measurements of the vibration-rotation bands of the nitrous oxide molecule occurring at 4.5μ yielded improved values for some of the rotational constants of this molecule.
19F-MRS studies of fluorinated drugs in humans

The use of 19F-NMR as a noninvasive probe to measure directly the pharmacokinetics of drugs at their target (effector) site(s) is illustrated in this article by human studies with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). This drug, and several of its metabolites, have been measured in vivo in animals and in patients using standard clinical MRI systems. Using a pharmacokinetic imaging approach the parameter that can be measured most readily is the tumoral t(1/2) of 5-FU. Patients whose tumoral t(1/2) of 5-FU is equal to/greater than 20 min are designated as "trappers", and those whose tumoral t(1/2) of 5-FU is less are nontrappers. Trapping of 5-FU in tumors is a necessary, albeit not a sufficient condition, for response. Problems associated with the technical aspects of these measurements have been discussed, as well as how modulators and other agents will affect the tumoral t(1/2) of 5-FU. The rationale for the biological processes underlying the fate of 5-FU in humans has been illustrated with the use of a 12 compartment model, where several of the steps have been discussed and the consequences of their inhibition/stimulation related to the noninvasive studies that can be performed with modulators of the action of 5-FU. These 19F-NMR studies have now been extended to other fluoropyrimidines, some of which are prodrugs of 5-FU, and others where the fluorine atoms are on the ribose ring. These studies also reveal information that has both scientific and clinical significance. The studies presented here illustrate some of the potential and some of the usefulness of 19F-MRS in patient management and in drug development. It is a technique that has proven itself.
Improving Web-Based Instruction: Using Action Research to Enhance Distance Learning Instruction

Abstract This study evolved as an instructor took over a course that recently had been converted to a web-based course. While navigating the web-based course the instructor and students recognised several issues and concerns (instructional alignment, lack of interactivity, poorly designed test questions and confusing instructions for assignments). Study participants were students enrolled in the online course. Date were collected from students, teaching assistants, and the instructor to explore the issues involved with this course, and included student focus group interviews, descriptive student surveys, student feedback, student work and an instructor journal. Qualitative methods were employed in this study and all data sources served as triangulating resources, allowing the researchers to confirm emerging trends. Data were organised chronologically and initial trends were sought. Within the chronological patterns that emerged, data were further organised into similar themes and categories. This process ...
Diabetes Prevalence and Risk Factors Among Vietnamese Adults: Findings From Community-Based Screening Programs

Worldwide diabetes prevalence is projected to increase from 8.3% (382 million adults) in 2013 to 8.8% (592 million adults) by 2035 (1), with more than 80% of cases in low- and middle-income countries. Consistent with this global trend, estimated prevalence of diabetes in Vietnam has risen from 2.9% in 2010 (2) to 5.4% in 2013 (1). However, these estimates derive from studies of hospital admissions or small samples and underrepresent Vietnam’s large rural population. We contribute to the literature by estimating the prevalence of diabetes and exploring its determinants using data from 2011–2013 community diabetes screening programs among adults in rural and urban areas of northern Vietnam. Eligible residents were nonpregnant individuals aged 30–69 years, with at least one risk factor for diabetes verified by physicians. Anthropometry and blood pressure were measured, and lifestyle factors were ascertained …
Adult subventricular zone neural stem cells as a potential source of dopaminergic replacement neurons

Clinical trials engrafting human fetal ventral mesencephalic tissue have demonstrated, in principle, that cell replacement therapy provides substantial long-lasting improvement of motor impairments generated by Parkinson’s Disease. The use of fetal tissue is not practical for widespread clinical implementation of this therapy, but stem cells are a promising alternative source for obtaining replacement cells. The ideal stem cell source has yet to be established and, in this review, we discuss the potential of neural stem cells in the adult subventricular zone as an autologous source of replacement cells. We identify three key challenges for further developing this potential source of replacement cells: 1) improving survival of transplanted cells, 2) suppressing glial progenitor proliferation and survival, and 3) developing methods to efficiently produce dopaminergic neurons. Subventricular neural stem cells naturally produce a dopaminergic interneuron phenotype that has an apparent lack of vulnerability to Parkinson’s Disease-mediated degeneration. We also discuss whether olfactory bulb dopaminergic neurons derived from adult subventricular zone neural stem cells are a suitable source for cell replacement strategies.
The value of diastolic function parameters in the prediction of left atrial appendage thrombus in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation

Background Left ventricular diastolic impairment and consequently elevated filling pressure may contribute to stasis leading to left atrial appendage thrombus (LAAT) in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF). We investigated whether transthoracic echocardiographic parameters can predict LAAT independent of traditional clinical predictors.
Jules Gavarret's Principes Généraux de Statistique Médicale

The burgeoning support for evidence-based medicine in the 21st century has made clear why physicians must depend on quantitative data generated by clinical trials for decisions about treatment. The value to them of data reported from trials depends in part on the adequacy of a trial’s design and how carefully the trial carried out an appropriate design. In addition, if the conclusions reached in a trial are to be reliable, they must be justified by appropriate statistical assessment of the data reported. Today’s ubiquity of statistical analysis of data from clinical trials developed mainly during the second-half of the 20th century. But the concept of needing numerical data to justify conclusions about treatments goes back at least three centuries. An early major attempt to assess with quantitative data the validity of a medical treatment came in the first half of the 18th century, when James Jurin and other English physicians gathered data on differences in mortality from smallpox inoculation as a preventive treatment compared with mortality from naturally-acquired smallpox. Jurin’s judgments, however, came simply from inspecting those mortality data and not from critical statistical analysis of the validity of conclusions that might be drawn from them; such statistical methods had not surfaced for applications in medicine. His use of such mortality data can be described as descriptive statistics – crudely put, ‘simply eyeballing the data’. Jurin’s simple statistical assessment of quantitative data was only one of an increasing number of such assessments in 18th century Britain. But these judgments relied, in essence, on comparing mortality or morbidity proportions in groups of treated and untreated persons. Even the concept of considering the value of data for judgments began to be entertained. For example, in 1785 Gilbert Blane noted that: ‘There is . a great difficulty attending all practical inquiries in medicine; for in order to ascertain truth, in a manner that is satisfactory to a mind habituated to chaste investigation, there must be a series of patient and attentive observations upon a great number of cases, and the different trials must be varied, weighed, and compared, in order to form a proper estimate of the real efficacy of different remedies and modes of treatment.’
In situ coarsening study of inverse micelle-prepared Pt nanoparticles supported on γ-Al2O3: pretreatment and environmental effects

The thermal stability of inverse micelle prepared Pt nanoparticles (NPs) supported on nanocrystalline γ-Al2O3 was monitored in situ under different chemical environments (H2, O2, H2O) via extended X-ray absorption fine-structure spectroscopy (EXAFS) and ex situ via scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Drastic differences in the stability of identically synthesized NP samples were observed upon exposure to two different pre-treatments. In particular, exposure to O2 at 400 °C before high temperature annealing in H2 (800 °C) was found to result in the stabilization of the inverse micelle prepared Pt NPs, reaching a maximum overall size after moderate coarsening of ∼1 nm. Interestingly, when an analogous sample was pre-treated in H2 at ∼400 °C, a final size of ∼5 nm was reached at 800 °C. The beneficial role of oxygen in the stabilization of small Pt NPs was also observed in situ during annealing treatments in O2 at 450 °C for several hours. In particular, while NPs of 0.5 ± 0.1 nm initial average size did not display any significant sintering (0.6 ± 0.2 nm final size), an analogous thermal treatment in hydrogen leads to NP coarsening (1.2 ± 0.3 nm). The same sample pre-dosed and annealed in an atmosphere containing water only displayed moderate sintering (0.8 ± 0.3 nm). Our data suggest that PtOx species, possibly modifying the NP/support interface, play a role in the stabilization of small Pt NPs. Our study reveals the enhanced thermal stability of inverse micelle prepared Pt NPs and the importance of the sample pre-treatment and annealing environment in the minimization of undesired sintering processes affecting the catalytic performance of nanosized particles.
Domain-guided novelty detection for autonomous exploration

In this work, novelty detection identifies salient image features to guide autonomous robotic exploration. There is little advance knowledge of the features in the scene or the proportion that should count as outliers. A new algorithm addresses this ambiguity by modeling novel data in advance and characterizing regular data at run time. Detection thresholds adapt dynamically to reduce misclassification risk while accommodating homogeneous and heterogeneous scenes. Experiments demonstrate the technique on a representative set of navigation images from the Mars Exploration Rover "Opportunity." An efficient image analysis procedure filters each image using the integral transform. Pixel-level features are aggregated into covariance descriptors that represent larger regions. Finally, a distance metric derived from generalized eigenvalues permits novelty detection with kernel density estimation. Results suggest that exploiting training examples of novel data can improve performance in this domain.
Spectrum opportunity detection with weak and correlated signals

We present a novel score detector for temporal spectrum opportunity detection in cognitive radio by exploiting the differences in both energy and correlation of the empty band and the occupied band. Motivated by the challenge of detecting a weak primary user's signal without precise knowledge of the signal, where the conventional energy detector faces the limit of “SNR wall”, we assume a simple model which captures a key difference between noise and primary user's signal - their correlation structures. Besides the merit of incorporating signal correlation, our score detector also avoids the computational complexity of covariance matrix inversion incurred by the corresponding maximum likelihood statistic assuming signal correlation. We provide a theoretical approximation to the false-alarm-rate of the score detector, which can be used to determine the threshold efficiently. We demonstrate that our approximation is quite accurate, and that our score detector has an advantage when the signal is weak and correlated.
Ecosystem and physiological controls over methane production in northern wetlands

Peat chemistry appears to exert primary control over methane production rates in the Canadian Northern Wetlands Study (NOWES) area. We determined laboratory methane production rate potentials in anaerobic slurries of samples collected from a transect of sites through the NOWES study area. We related methane production rates to indicators of resistance to microbial decay (peat C: N and lignin: N ratios) and experimentally manipulated substrate availability for methanogenesis using ethanol (EtOH) and plant litter. We also determined responses of methane production to pH and temperature. Methane production potentials declined along the gradient of sites from high rates in the coastal fens to low rates in the interior bogs and were generally highest in surface layers. Strong relationships between CH4 production potentials and peat chemistry suggested that methanogenesis was limited by fermentation rates. Methane production at ambient pH responded strongly to substrate additions in the circumneutral fens with narrow lignin: N and C: N ratios (delta CH4/delta EtOH = 0.9-2.3 mg/g) and weakly in the acidic bogs with wide C: N and lignin: N ratios (delta CH4/delta EtOH = -0.04-0.02 mg/g). Observed Q(sub 10) values ranged from 1.7 to 4.7 and generally increased with increasing substrate availability, suggesting that fermentation rates were limiting. Titration experiments generally demonstrated inhibition of methanogenesis by low pH. Our results suggest that the low rates of methane emission observed in interior bogs during NOWES likely resulted from pH and substrate quality limitation of the fermentation step in methane production and thus reflect intrinsically low methane production potentials. Low methane emission rates observed during NOWES will likely be observed in other northern wetland regions with similar vegetation chemistry.
Transcriptional regulation of β-defensin gene expression in tracheal epithelial cells

Innate immunity provides an ever-present or rapidly inducible initial defense against microbial infection. Among the effector molecules of this defense in many species are broad-spectrum antimicrobial peptides. Tracheal antimicrobial peptide (TAP) was the first discovered member of the β-defensin family of mammalian antimicrobial peptides. TAP is expressed in the ciliated epithelium of the bovine trachea, and its mRNA levels are dramatically increased upon stimulation with bacteria or bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We report here that this induction by LPS is regulated at the level of transcription. Furthermore, the transfection of reporter gene constructs into tracheal epithelial cells indicates that DNA sequences in the 5′ flanking region of the TAP gene, within 324 nucleotides of the transcription start site, are responsible in part for mediating gene induction. This region includes consensus binding sites for NF-κB and nuclear factor interleukin-6 (NF IL-6) transcription factors. Gel mobility shift assays indicate that LPS induces NF-κB binding activity in the nuclei of these cells, while NF IL-6 binding activity is constitutively present. The gene encoding human β-defensin 2, a human homologue of TAP with similar inducible expression patterns in the airway, was cloned and found to have conserved NF-κB and NF IL-6 consensus binding sites in its 5′ flanking region. Previous studies of antimicrobial peptides from insects indicated that their induction by infectious microbes and microbial products also occurs via activation of NF-κB-like and NF IL-6-like transcription factors. Together, these observations indicate that a strategy for the induction of peptide-based antimicrobial innate immunity is conserved among evolutionarily diverse organisms.
Using Human Neuroimaging to Examine Top-down Modulation of Visual Perception

Both univariate and multivariate analysis methods largely have focused on characterizing how measurements from neural firing rates, EEG electrodes, or fMRI voxels change as a function of stimulus parameters or task demands –they focus on characterizing changes in neural signals. However, in cognitive neuroscience we are often interested in how these changes in neural signals collectively modify representations of information. We compare methods whereby activation patterns across entire brain regions can be used to reconstruct representations of information to more traditional univariate and multivariate analysis approaches. We highlight findings using these methods, focusing on how a representation-based analysis approach yields novel insights into how information is encoded, maintained and manipulated under various task demands.
Genomic characterization of the human peptidyl-prolyl-cis-trans-isomerase, mitochondrial precursor gene: assessment of its role in familial dilated cardiomyopathy.

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a common cause of morbidity and mortality, with >30% of cases being inherited. In one family with autosomal dominant familial dilated cardiomyopathy (FDCM), we localized the gene to the region of 10q21–10q23 and have performed candidate positional gene cloning. The peptidyl-prolyl-cis-trans-isomerase, mitochondrial precursor (PPIF: previously known as cyclophilin 3) is a protein that is part of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore, the activation of which is involved in the induction of necrotic and apoptotic cell death. Since it is encoded by a gene located within this FDCM critical region, PPIF was considered a potential candidate gene for FDCM. In order to screen patient genomes for evidence of disease-associated mutations, the genomic organization of this gene was determined. BAC libraries were screened by PCR, using primers designed from the published cDNA sequence, and positive clones were identified. This enabled the gene to be further localized to between the CEPH markers D10S1777 and D10S201. The DNA from a BAC clone was digested and subcloned into pUC18. Following identification of a subclone by whole-cell PCR, the gene was characterized by DNA sequencing; five introns were identified, and the sequences of the intron-exon boundaries were characterized. Additionally, 450 bp of DNA sequence upstream of the published cDNA were obtained and a potential transcription initiation site and promoter sequence were identified. DNA analysis of the entire PPIF coding region (including the intron-exon boundaries) of two affected and one unaffected family member revealed no mutations, therefore excluding this gene as the cause of FDCM in this family.
Fecal excretion of hepatitis A virus in humans

To define more completely the period of fecal excretion of virus during hepatitis A virus infection, we studied 24 fecal samples from six children with clinical illness during an epidemic of type A hepatitis. As determined by immune electron microscopy, the six patients had detectable viral excretion before or by the time of the first abnormality in serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (alanine aminotransferase). Viral excretion reached a peak early and declined to undetectable levels before levels of serum enzyme reached a peak. These data accord with epidemiologic evidence that the person who already has symptoms and signs of type A hepatitis is unlikely to transmit the infection to others. Immune electron microscopy, therefore, may be a better index to the period of communicability than studies of experimental infection in human subjects. This conclusion would imply that precautions against fecal contamination are not usually necessary for patients hospitalized with type A hepatitis.
Improving Data Availability through Dynamic Model-Driven Replication in Large Peer-to-Peer Communities

Efficient data sharing in global peer-to-peer systems is complicated by erratic node failure, unreliable network connectivity and limited bandwidth. Replicating data on multiple nodes can improve availability and response time. Yet determining when and where to replicate data in order to meet performance goals in large-scale systems with many users and files, dynamic network characteristics, and changing user behavior is difficult. We propose an approach in which peers create replicas automatically in a decentralized fashion, as required to meet availability goals. The aim of our framework is to maintain a threshold level of availability at all times. We identify a set of factors that hinder data availability and propose a model that decides when more replication is necessary. We evaluate the accuracy and performance of the proposed model using simulations. Our preliminary results show that the model is effective in predicting the required number of replicas in the system.
Building design with fibre reinforced materials

The applications of modern fibrous reinforced composites in buildings usually must exploit unique characteristics which the materials possess: optical translucency, formability, corrosion resistance, radar transparency, light weight and ease of maintenance. Otherwise, economic factors constrain their use simply as replacements for conventional structural materials, unless the structure is mobile and weight savings are important. The widest structural use has occurred in chemical plant buildings, as pipes, tanks, vats, tubes and shrouds, where corrosion resistance is needed. Second most important is ground radome use. In both, special design criteria are imposed by certain characteristics of the material: long-time stresses must be kept to a small fraction of laboratory test strength values, and mechanical and thermal fatigue limits are very low. Both constraints derive from locally high internal stresses within the composite which promote resin matrix fractures, and eventual disintegration of the material. Recent developments suggest this can be remedied, using the same principles which operate in high impact polystyrene.
Destroy to save

We study the problem of how to allocate m identical items among n > m agents, assuming each agent desires exactly one item and has a private value for consuming it. We assume the items are jointly owned by the agents, not by one uninformed center, so an auction cannot be used to solve our problem. Instead, the agents who receive items compensate those who do not.This problem has been studied by others recently, and their solutions have modified the classic VCG mechanism. This approach guarantees strategy-proofness and allocative efficiency. Further, in an auction setting, VCG guarantees budget balance, because payments are absorbed by the auctioneer. In our setting, however, where payments are redistributed to the agents, some money must be burned in order to retain strategy-proofness.While strategy-proofness is necessary for truthful implementation, allocative efficiency (allocating the m items to those that desire them most), is not always an appropriate goal in our setting. Rather, we contend that maximizing social surplus is. In service of this goal, we study a class of mechanisms that may burn not only money but destroy items as well. Our key finding is that destroying items can save money, and hence lead to greater social surplus.More specifically, our first observation is that a mechanism is strategy-proof iff it admits a threshold representation. Given this observation, we restrict attention to specific threshold and payment functions for which we can numerically solve for an optimal mechanism. Whereas the worst-case ratio of the realized social surplus to the maximum possible is close to 1 when m = 1 and 0 when m = n -- 1 under the VCG mechanism, the best mechanism we find coincides with VCG when m = 1 but has a ratio approaching 1 when m = n -- 1 as n increases.
Volume-activated chloride permeability can mediate cell volume regulation in a mathematical model of a tight epithelium

Cell volume regulation during anisotonic challenge is investigated in a mathematical model of a tight epithelium. The epithelium is represented as compliant cellular and paracellular compartments bounded by mucosal and serosal bathing media. Model variables include the concentrations of Na, K, and Cl, hydrostatic pressure, and electrical potential, and the mass conservation equations have been formulated for both steady-state and time-dependent problems. Ionic conductance is represented by the Goldman constant field equation (Civan, M.M., and R.J. Bookman. 1982. Journal of Membrane Biology. 65:63-80). A basolateral cotransporter of Na, K, and Cl with 1:1:2 stoichiometry (Geck, P., and E. Heinz. 1980. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 341:57-62.) and volume-activated basolateral ion permeabilities are incorporated in the model. MacRobbie and Ussing (1961. Acta Physiologica Scandinavica. 53:348-365.) reported that the cells of frog skin exhibit osmotic swelling followed by a volume regulatory decrease (VRD) when the serosal bath is diluted to half the initial osmolality. Similar regulation is achieved in the model epithelium when both a basolateral cotransporter and a volume-activated Cl permeation path are included. The observed transepithelial potential changes could only be simulated by allowing volume activation of the basolateral K permeation path. The fractional VRD, or shrinkage as percent of initial swelling, is examined as a function of the hypotonic challenge. The fractional VRD increases with increasing osmotic challenge, but eventually declines under the most severe circumstances. This analysis demonstrates that the VRD response depends on the presence of adequate intracellular chloride stores and the volume sensitivity of the chloride channel.
PHAGOTROPHY IN GYMNODINIUM FUNGIFORME (PYRRHOPHYTA): THE PEDUNCLE AS AN ORGANELLE OF INGESTION1

The non-photosynthetic phagotrophic dinoflagellate, Gymnodinium fungiforme Anissimova, ingests prey cytoplasm through a highly extensible structure called the peduncle. Although the peduncle is not observable when G. fungiforme is swimming, it protrudes 8–12 μm from the sulcal-angular vicinity of the cell during feeding, and is approximately 3.3 μm wide when the cytoplasm of its prey is flowing through it. A circular-oval ring of overlapping microtubules, the ‘microtubular basket’ may be seen in transmission electron microscope sections of G. fungiforme and it is inferred that this structure is a cross section of a retracted peduncle. The microtubular basket-peduncle complex is discussed in relation to similar structures in other dinoflagellates and to the tentacle of the suctorian ciliates which have a homologous ingestion system.
Experimental Mathematics Involving Orthogonal Polynomials

An account is given of computational work in support of conjectured inequalities for zeros of Jacobi polynomials, the sharpness of Bernstein’s inequality for Jacobi polynomials, and the positivity of certain quadrature formulae of Newton–Cotes, Gauss–Radau, and Gauss–Lobatto type. The use of symbolic computation is described for generating Gauss quadrature rules with exotic weight functions, specifically weight functions decaying super-exponentially at infinity, and weight functions densely oscillatory at zero.
Musical Proportions at the Basis of Systems of Architectural Proportion both Ancient and Modern

In architecture, systems of proportions facilitate technical and aesthetic requirements, ensure a repetition of ratios throughout the design, have additive properties that enable the whole to equal the sum of its parts, and are computationally tractable. Three systems of architectural proportion meet these requirements: a system used during Roman times, a system of musical proportions used during the Renaissance, and Le Corbusier’s Modulor. All three draw upon identical mathematical notions already present in the system of musical proportions. While the Roman system is based on the irrational numbers √2 and θ = 1 + √2, the Modulor is based on the Golden Mean, ϕ = (1 + √5)/2. Both can also be approximated arbitrarily closely (asymptotically) by integer series. Underlying the Roman system is the “law of repetition of ratios” and the geometrical construction known as the “Sacred Cut,” both of which geometric expressions of the additive properties of the Roman systems and ensure the presence of musical proportions. The discussion concludes with a system of “modular coordination” based on both musical proportions of Alberti and Fibonacci numbers.
Quantifying statistical uncertainty for dependent input models with factor structure

Simulation used for the performance assessment of stochastic systems is usually driven by input models estimated from real-world data, which introduces both input and simulation uncertainty to the performance estimates. For many complex systems, because the components of input models are mutually dependent, an efficient estimation of dependence could improve the system performance assessment. Since the dependence could be caused by underlying common factors, we explore Gaussian copula factor models to characterize input models with dependence. We propose a Bayesian framework to quantify both input and simulation uncertainty. The input uncertainty is quantified by the posterior of input models and then propagated to output means by direct simulation, with the simulation estimation error characterized by the posterior distributions of system mean responses. This Bayesian framework delivers credible intervals that quantify the overall uncertainty of system performance estimates. Our approach is supported by both asymptotic theory and empirical study.
Effect of vagus on the monophasic action potential of auricular muscle.

SummaryThe effects of vagal stimulation on the form of the monophasic action potential of auricular muscle are listed along with the technics for demonstrating them. Evidence is presented for the viewpoint that auricular muscle, following vagal stimulation, acts like a single cell capable of giving graded electrical, as well as mechanical, responses.
Productive potential: evaluating residential urban agriculture

AbstractSustainability as a topic in landscape architecture addresses a cross section of environmental and social needs. While transportation alternatives, water quality and air quality are common considerations in sustainable urban development metrics, food provisioning seldom is. This research examines one potential variable determined by environmental designers that can play a critical role in supporting a sustainable food system: residential urban agriculture or the potential to produce food within a residential lot considering existing lot size and configuration. This study evaluates the potential for existing residential lots to provide for the caloric needs of residents in four case study communities within the San Francisco Bay Area and defines a new metric for evaluating a community’s relative productive potential.
High Pressure Processing Effects on Lipids Thermophysical Properties and Crystallization Kinetics

This review examines the combined pressure–thermal effects on thermophysical and crystallization properties of lipids. Pressure treatment transiently accelerates the phase transition and shifts the melting temperature of lipids by 10 °C/100 MPa–20 °C/100 MPa. It also transiently alters various thermophysical properties of lipids including density, viscosity, thermal conductivity, and specific heat. The interdependence phase transition of lipids with their corresponding thermophysical properties is highlighted. The magnitude and rate of pressure application influences the mechanism of lipid crystallization under pressure. For example, slow multi-step modest pressure buildup (100–200 MPa) promotes heterogeneous nucleation and slow crystallization which result in stable crystal structures. Increasing the magnitude of pressure by 400–500 MPa accelerates the nucleation rate significantly. On the other hand, rapid single-step pressurization, regardless of pressure level, induces instantaneous volumetric crystallization of less stable crystal structure which is subsequently modified into stable crystal polymorphs during depressurization. High pressure crystallization is also influenced by temperature, pressure holding time, compression rate, compression cycle, and lipid compositions. The effects of pressure treatment are more pronounced in saturated fatty acids compared to unsaturated ones, and it is shown that triglycerides crystallize more slowly under pressure than free fatty acids.
The nursing of children with henoch-schonlein nephritis of pulse treatments with methylprednisolone and cytoxan.

Objective:To observe the clinical nursing of treatments with Methylprednisolone(MP)and Cytoxan(CTX) to the children with Henoch-Schonlein Nephritis(HSPN),Sum up methods and give systematized nursing for them.Methods: MP was 15-30 mg/(kg·d) and less than 1 000 mg one day,adding glucose saline solution 250 ml of intravenous drip,or three consecutive days for a course of treatment,after the change of oral prednisolone 1 mg/(kg·d).CTX adding Glucose saline solution 250 ml of intravenous drip,for two days for a course of treatment.The CTX dose of every time was 20-25 mg/(kg·次).We implement holistic nursing and observation of treatment and calculate effective percentage during treatment.Results:MP and CTX treatments was satisfied with the overall effect of nursing.Conclusion: The nursing is the pulse treatments satisfaction with results achieved an important factor,good psychological care,diet guidance,adverse drug reactions on the observation and timely manner to avoid induced factors,targeted discharged missionaries to improve and the quality of life of patients with essential treatments.
Effects of Text Content and Beliefs on Informal Argument Evaluation

We examined the influence of reading a one-sided text on informal argument evaluation. After reporting initial beliefs in a separate online prescreening, subjects with polarized beliefs read a beli...
Examining Cholinergic Synaptic Signaling in the Thalamic Reticular Nucleus

This protocol describes how to obtain monosynaptic cholinergic responses in neurons of the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) by making use of extracellular stimulation techniques. These methods are easy to implement and allow for the study of various forms of cholinergic synaptic plasticity and modulation. For many synapses throughout the mammalian brain, short-term plasticity is mediated by endocannabinoids released from postsynaptic neurons that activate presynaptic type I cannabinoid receptors (CB1Rs), resulting in the inhibition of presynaptic Ca2+ channels and a reduction of release probability. Neurons in the TRN are known to liberate endocannabinoids that can control transmitter release at GABAergic terminals. However, expression of CB1Rs on cholinergic terminals contacting the TRN has not been demonstrated. Here we outline strategies aimed to record stable postsynaptic responses and to quantify changes in cholinergic synaptic strength, using presynaptic modulation of acetylcholine (ACh) release by a CB1R agonist as an illustrative example.