cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lysophospholipid Micelles Sustain Diacylglycerol Kinase in Active and Stable Form for Biochemical and Structural Studies

One of the challenges in the study of membrane proteins is that many methods require the proteins be soluble and stable in aqueous solution, which can be solved by the use of detergent micelles to provide an environment that mimics the hydrophobic environment of biological membranes. Yet, it remains to be determined which detergents are the best in sustaining the structural conformation and biological function of the proteins of interest. In this study, we used Escherichia coli DAGK, which is an integral membrane protein, to screen detergent conditions that can maintain the catalytic activity of the protein and are suitable for structural studies using NMR spectroscopy. We learned that preparation of E. coli DAGK in lysophospholipids, LMPC and LMPG, allows the protein to be catalytically active as observed using a spectrophotometric assay. We also found that the 15N-TROSY-HSQC spectrum quality of these samples is comparable to that of a sample prepared in dodecylphosphocholine (DPC), which is the detergent used to determine the structure of E. coli DAGK in the absence of the substrates. In addition, we noticed that in the two lysophospholipid conditions, even though addition of substrates does not alter peak dispersion on the 15N-TROSY-HSQC spectrum of DAGK significantly, we can map the catalytic site by monitoring the peaks that shifts as the substrates are titrated. Altogether, our data indicate that the use of lysophospholipids in sample preparation allows us to acquire structural information of DAGK in its active conformation with the substrates bound at the catalytic site.This work is supported by NIH grant R01 GM47485.
Recognizing occluded MSTAR targets

This paper presents an approach for recognizing occluded vehicle targets in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images. Using quasi-invariant local features, SAR scattering center locations and magnitudes, a recognition algorithm is presented that successfully recognizes highly occluded versions of actual vehicles from the MSTAR public data. Extensive experimental results are presented to show the effect of occlusion on recognition performance in terms of Probability of Correct Identification, Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves and confusion matrices. The effect of occlusion on performance of this recognition algorithm is accurately predicted. Combined effects such as occlusion and measured positional noise, as well as occlusion and other observed extended operating conditions (e.g., articulation) are also addressed. Although excellent forced recognition results can be achieved at very high (70%) occlusion, practical limitations are found due to the similarity of unoccluded confuser vehicles to highly occluded targets.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
CELL-TO-CELL TRANSPORT OF MOVEMENT-DEFECTIVE CUCUMBER MOSAIC AND TOBACCO MOSAIC VIRUSES IN TRANSGENIC PLANTS EXPRESSING HETEROLOGOUS MOVEMENT PROTEIN GENES

To determine if the movement proteins (MPs) of cucumber mosaic cucumovirus (CMV) and tobacco mosaic tobamovirus (TMV) are complementary in function, transgenic plants expressing genes encoding TMV or CMV MP were inoculated with movement-defective mutants of TMV and CMV. Transgenic plants expressing the MP gene of CMV strain S (subgroup II) complemented the cell-to-cell and systemic spread of a movement-defective mutant of CMV strain Fny (subgroup I) but not the local or systemic spread of a movement-defective mutant of TMV. Plants that contained the MP gene from CMV-S were not resistant to wild-type TMV infection. When inoculated with a movement-defective mutant of TMV that produced beta-glucuronidase, transgenic plants with the CMV MP gene supported only subliminal infection. Conversely, immunodetection and in situ localization techniques revealed that transgenic plants accumulating the TMV MP supported cell-to-cell spread, but not systemic transport, of a movement-defective CMV. These studies suggest that the transgenic TMV MP shares some of the functions with the CMV MP required to transport CMV, whereas the transgenic CMV MP is deficient in functions that are needed to mobilize the spread of TMV infection.
Coping with ongoing knowledge acquisition from collaborating hierarchies of experts

The Knowledge Elicitation System (ELI 2) and its predecessor (ELI 1) have been in use for about three years and have developed knowledge bases for about a dozen expert systems thus far. ELI interviews experts to uncover domain issues, criteria, heuristics, constraints, models, data bases, antecedent tradeoff possibilities and importance weights, and certainty factor estimates. It helps construct rapid prototypes, but more importantly it helps manage the growth and maintenance of large heterogeneous knowledge bases over extended periods of time.
Developing Nurse Leaders in Health Policy: An Education and Practice Partnership:

This article describes the Washington Health Policy Institute and the Health Policy Leadership Program as a leadership and policy partnership to develop nursing leaders who will serve as mentors and role models to effectively lead through internal and external change. The leadership program helps future nurse leaders understand the policy-making process on many fronts—political, economic, social, technological, and international. The challenges facing this nation regarding health care access, quality, and cost are monumental. Only through well-educated and savvy nurse leaders who understand the political realities as well as the agenda-setting and policy formulation processes will health care change occur.
The passivation of electrodeposited chromium due to electrochemical pretreatment

Abstract Electrodeposited chromium was pretreated by subjecting it to direct current (DC) and alternating voltage (AV). The corrosion behavior of the pretreated chromium samples was examined in 0.5 M H 2 SO 4 using standard potentiodynamic polarization techniques. The data indicate that the application of DC modulation results in a dramatic decrease (up to 93%) in the corrosion current, while the corrosion potential shifts in a more noble direction for the samples from which the oxide layer was removed prior to the electrochemical treatment. Although alternating voltage (AV) modulation of chromium deposits also results in a significant decrease in the corrosion current (up to 89%) for the samples from which the oxide layer was removed prior to the electrochemical treatment, the DC pretreatment in general appears to be more suitable than the AV modulation. DC pretreatment of the as-deposited chromium from which the oxide layer was not removed does not result in a decrease in corrosion current.
Hydrogen attack of carbon steel

A model is developed for the kinetics of nucleation and growth of methane bubbles in the hydrogen attack of carbon steel. It is concluded that at high temperatures the time to incubate fissuring along grain boundaries is determined by the rate of iron diffusion away from microscopic growing bubbles. At lower temperatures and/or higher hydrogen pressures carbon supply is limiting. The equations fit the observed incubation times if the bubble density is high (~107/cm2) and essentially independent of temperature (T) and hydrogen pressure (P) over a wide range. It is postulated that the number of growing bubbles is limited at high nucleation rates (lowT and highP) by carbon starvation. At hiT and lowP chemisorption to lower the solid-vapor surface energy or fine inclusions are required to aid nucleation. A quantitative analysis of these processes leads to several predictions which can be checked experimentally.
18O kinetic isotope effects in non-heme iron enzymes: probing the nature of Fe/O2 intermediates.

Contrasted here are the competitive 18O/16O kinetic isotope effects (18O KIEs) on kcat/Km(O2) for three non-heme iron enzymes that activate O2 at an iron center coordinated by a 2-His-1-carboxylate facial triad: taurine dioxygenase (TauD), (S)-(2)-hydroxypropylphosphonic acid epoxidase (HppE), and 1-aminocyclopropyl-1-carboxylic acid oxidase (ACCO). Measured 18O KIEs of 1.0102 ± 0.0002 (TauD), 1.0120 ± 0.0002 (HppE), and 1.0215 ± 0.0005 (ACCO) suggest the formation in the rate-limiting step of O2 activation of an FeIII-peroxohemiketal, FeIII−OOH, and FeIV═O species, respectively. The comparison of the measured 18O KIEs with calculated or experimental 18O equilibrium isotope effects (18O EIEs) provides new insights into the O2 activation through an inner-sphere mechanism at a non-heme iron center.
Targeting Retroviral Zn Finger-DNA Interactions: A Small-Molecule Approach Using the Electrophilic Nature of trans-Platinum-Nucleobase Compounds

Noncovalent interactions are ubiquitous in ternary systems involving metal ions, DNA/RNA, and proteins and represent a structural motif for design of selective inhibitors of biological function. This contribution shows that small molecules containing platinated purine nucleobases mimic the natural DNA(RNA)-tryptophan recognition interaction of zinc finger peptides, specifically the C-terminal finger of HIV NCp7 protein. Interaction with platinum results in Zn ejection from the peptide accompanied by loss of tertiary structure. Targeting the NCp7-DNA interaction for drug design represents a conceptual advance over electrophiles designed for chemical attack on the zinc finger alone. These results demonstrate examples of a new platinum structural class targeting specific biological processes, distinct from the bifunctional DNA-DNA binding of cytotoxic agents like cisplatin. The results confirm the validity of a chemical biological approach for metallodrug design for selective ternary DNA(RNA)-protein interactions.
Comparing cross-language query expansion techniques by degrading translation resources

The quality of translation resources is arguably the most important factor affecting the performance of a cross-language information retrieval system. While many investigations have explored the use of query expansion techniques to combat errors induced by translation, no study has yet examined the effectiveness of these techniques across resources of varying quality. This paper presents results using parallel corpora and bilingual wordlists that have been deliberately degraded prior to query translation. Across different languages, translingual resources, and degrees of resource degradation, pre-translation query expansion is tremendously effective. In several instances, pre-translation expansion results in better performance when no translations are available, than when an uncompromised resource is used without pre-translation expansion. We also demonstrate that post-translation expansion using relevance feedback can confer modest performance gains. Measuring the efficacy of these techniques with resources of different quality suggests an explanation for the conflicting reports that have appeared in the literature.
A biofabrication approach for controlled synthesis of silver nanoparticles with high catalytic and antibacterial activities

Abstract We report simple, facile and size-controllable synthesis of uniform Ag nanoparticles with tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) as a biomediator in the absence of external reducing agents. UV–vis and TEM analysis show that Ag nanoparticles with average diameter of 2, 4 and 9 nm were obtained by simply tuning the ratio of TMV/Ag(NH3)2+. The Ag formation in the presence of TMV showed autocatalytic growth followed by coalescence. The as-prepared TMV-mediated Ag nanoparticles show substantially higher catalytic and antibacterial activities than previous results. For the 4-nitrophenol hydrogenation reaction, the rate constants per surface area for 2 and 9 nm Ag nanoparticles were determined to be 0.64 and 1.2 L m−2 s−1 respectively. Both Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion test and tube culture results demonstrate high antibacterial activity of TMV-mediated Ag particles against Escherichia coli, with minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) of 2.3 and 2.5 ppm for 2 and 9 nm Ag nanoparticles respectively. We expect that our biomediated Ag synthesis approach can be readily extended to other biomaterials and metal nanoparticle systems.
Making Sense of Usefulness: An Avenue toward Satisfaction in Later Life:

Studies of later life assert that sense of usefulness impacts life satisfaction. This study determines what impacts sense of usefulness. The sample consists of 108 older adults, ages sixty through ninety, who were involved with community organizations. The research instrument was a forty-five-item questionnaire. Findings identify five correlates of sense of usefulness: continuity in respect from younger ages (p < .01), involvement with family (p < .05), involvement with a significant other (p < .01), involvement with community (p < .01), and meeting one's expectations for old age (p < .01). “Continuity in respect,” “meeting one's expectations,” and “sense of usefulness” combine into a scale that correlates with satisfaction in later life (p < .001). Results contribute to theoretical understanding of later life development and suggest directions for work with the aging client system.
Controlled broadband load modules for generic noise injection at package and board level

Noise injection into power supply rails during chip validation can offer insight for effective power delivery design and to assist product certification. There are no available commercial solutions that offer broadband stimuli application for such aim. The paper suggests few implementations for such modules, emphasizing generic interfaces and the specific application pros and cons. Some prototyping attempts were made and both of their modeling and empirical results are included. The data indicate a strong contribution of the module interface parasitical properties to the resulting spectral range and distortion of the module loading stimuli versus the desired reference.
Studies on the thymus of the mammal. XV. Sites of aminopeptidase activity in the thymus of the mouse.

Sites of aminopeptidase activity in the thymus of the mouse were compared in material incubated in L-leucyl-beta-naphthylamide and in L-leucyl-4-methoxy-beta-naphthylamide hydrochlorides as substrates. Sites of activity were most clearly demonstrated in frozen sections, postfixed in cold acetone, incubated in L-leucyl-4-methoxy-beta-naphthylamide hydrochloride with Naphthanil Diazo Blue B and mounted in glycerogel. In thymuses of young mice, septa, medullary arteries and arterial capillaries were most strongly stained. Cortical lymphocytes and most medullary lymphocytes lacked aminopeptidase activity. In older mice, the high reactivity of the medulla contrasted sharply with the mostly unreactive cortex. In the medulla, the walls of the blood vessels, mesenchymal reticular cells and lymphocytes in the region of blood vessels were reactive. In the cortex, capsule, septa, and arterial capillaries were reactive; mesenchymal reticular cells, weakly so, and lymphocytes, unreactive. It would appear that much of the activity demonstrated by biochemical methods applied to thymic homogenates is a measure of reactive blood vessels and medullae. The general reaction of the medulla and the presence there of scattered, highly reactive cells lends added weight to the conclusion that the metabolic activities within the medulla are not the same as in the cortex.
Efficient web browsing on small screens

A global increase in PDA and cell phone ownership and a rise in the use of wireless services have caused mobile browsing to become an important means of Internet access. However, the small screen of such mobile devices limits the usability of information browsing and searching. This paper presents a novel method that automatically adapts a desktop presentation to a mobile presentation, proceeding in two steps: detecting boundaries between different information blocks and then representing the information to fit in small screens. Distinct from other approaches, our approach analyzes both the DOM structure and the visual layout to divide the original Web page into several subpages, each of which includes closely related content and is suitable for display on the small screen. Furthermore, a table of contents is automatically generated to facilitate the navigation between different subpages. An evaluation of a prototype of our approach shows that the browsing usability is significantly improved.
Lay theories in affective forecasting: The progression of affect

Abstract Various studies have investigated the precision with which individuals forecast the duration of their affective states that result from events. It is hypothesized that these forecasts rely on lay theories about the progression of affect over time such that lay theories of decreasing affect lead to shorter estimates of the duration of affect than do lay theories of continuing affect. Two studies subtly primed lay theories of progression—one priming theories of affect progression specifically, and the other priming theories of progression more generally—and demonstrated that the accessibility of these lay theories influenced affective forecasts as hypothesized. Study 2 demonstrated that the impact of these lay theories was less pronounced under high elaboration conditions. Results and implications for the inaccuracy of affective forecasts are discussed.
The ratio of carbon monoxide to molecular hydrogen in interstellar dark clouds

LTE (C-13)O column densities are compared with the corresponding values of beam-convolved visual extinction at more than 100 locations within 38 different interstellar dark clouds. A roughly linear correlation is found to exist between these two quantities for visual extinctions in the range from about 1.5 to 5 mag. It is argued that this correlation can be extended up to about 10 mag and that the standard gas-to-extinction ratio can be expected to remain valid in the sources studied. The correlation of LTE (C-13)O column density with visual extinction is used to obtain an equation for the H2 column density associated with a given (C-13)O column density. It is shown that if the clouds studied are assumed to be chemically homogeneous, the equation obtained implies that at least 12% of all gas-phase carbon is in the form of CO. Comparison of the observational data with various theories proposed for molecule formation in dark clouds indicates that Langer's (1977) ion-molecule scheme accounts well for the observations when the fractionation channel of Watson et al. (1976) is included.
Macroscopic phototactic behavior of the purple photosynthetic bacterium Rhodospirillum centenum.

Most photosynthetic microorganisms have the capability of photosensing light quality and intensity. Movement of motile photosynthetic microorganisms to locales that offer optimal physical and chemical conditions for light-dependent growth provides obvious selective advantages. Among phototrophs, many cyanobacteria and algae migrate towards or away from the direction of light, a process termed phototaxis. In contrast, anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria are believed to respond to changes in light intensity in a manner that is not related to the direction of light, a process that is often described by the term “photophobic”. We recently reported that “swarm colonies” of the purple photosynthetic bacterium Rhodospirillum centenum are capable of macroscopically visible phototactic behavior. In the present study we further characterize the phototactic behavior of R. centenum swarm colonies and provide an action spectrum that delineates regions of the spectrum that elicit positive and negative phototaxis.
Type II Supernovae SN 1987A and SN 1993J

The optical and ultraviolet emission from the type II supernova SN 1987A is currently powered by the radioactive decay of titanium-44. In contrast, the emission from SN 1993J is dominated by radiation from the interaction of the supernova shock wave with a dense, stellar wind released before the explosion. The dense wind around SN 1987A was displaced by the fast wind from the compact progenitor star, and the interaction of the supernova with dense gas is now being detected at x-ray and radio wavelengths. The expected neutron stars or black holes at the centers of these supernovae are not yet significant power sources.
The Role of the Saccharomyces Cerevisiae CCC1 Gene in the Homeostasis of Manganese Ions

We previously reported that oxidative damage in yeast lacking copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1) can be alleviated through mutations in PMR1, encoding a calcium P-type ATPase homologue that also functions in manganese homeostasis. In an attempt to further understand the relationship between manganese ions, PMR1 and SOD1, we conducted a search for manganese homeostasis genes that interact with PMR1. A genomic library was screened for genes that, when overexpressed, suppress the manganese hypersensitivity associated with pmr1 mutations. A single clone was isolated that reduced manganese toxicity in both the pmr1 mutant and PMR1 wild-type yeast. This gene was identified as CCC1, previously shown to function in calcium metabolism. Our studies indicate that, like PMR1, CCC1 functions in the homeostasis of both calcium and manganese ions. The Ccc1p polypeptide was found to localize to a Golgi-like organelle in yeast cells. Ccc1p co-fractionated with a Golgi marker in subcellular fractionation studies and, with immunofluorescence microscopy, Ccc1p exhibited a punctate pattern of staining typical of yeast Golgi. Our studies suggest that Ccc1p may act to sequester manganese ions in this organelle and limit the intracellular availability of the metal. First, overexpression of CCC1 reduced manganese cytotoxicity without lowering total accumulation of the metal. Second, overexpression of CCC1 appeared to limit the intracellular availability of the manganese ions needed to support aerobic growth of SOD1 mutants. We provide a model in which Ccc1p and Pmr1p work together to control the intracellular partitioning of manganese ions.
Action of heparin on mammalian nuclei. II. Cell-cycle-specific changes in chromatin organization correlate temporally with histone H1 phosphorylation

Abstract The interaction of the polyanion heparin with the inner histones of chromatin has been used to detect changes in chromatin organization associated with cell-cycle traverse. Synchronized populations of Chinese hamster cells were obtained either in early G1 or near the G 1 S boundary. The rate of interaction of heparin with chromatin-associated inner histones was measured using nuclei isolated from synchronized cell populations in different phases of the cell cycle. A G1-specific decrease in rate of interaction of heparin with inner histones was observed and found to be independent of the presence of hydroxyurea during traverse of G1. A further decrease in heparin-inner histone interaction occurred in late S and G2. These changes correlate temporally with the interphase phosphorylation(s) of histone H1. This correlation is discussed within the framework of current models of higher order chromatin structure (i.e. organization above the nucleosome level). Analysis of the cooperativity of interaction of heparin with inner histones was performed using the kinetic analog of the Hill equation. This analysis suggests that the organization of inner histones on chromatin does not undergo large variations during the cell cycle.
Grain Filling Parameters and Protein Content in Selected Winter Wheat Populations: II. Associations

Understanding the relationship between grain filling (GF) characteristics, earliness, and N accumulation would aid in improving grain size and grain protein content in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). A significant association of early anthesis, long GF duration, low GF rate, and high protein concentration was found in a set of F 1 hybrids and their parents from a 4 × 4 diallel cross involving Chinese and U.S. cultivars. This association was also found in an F 2 population of a cross between an early hard red winter Chinese wheat and a late soft white winter U.S. cultivar [...]
GUN CULTURES, MAJORITY NATIONALISM, AND THE PROMINENCE OF FEAR: REFLECTIONS ON ANTI-SIKH HATE CRIMES

I write in the shadow of the shootings at the Wisconsin gurudwara at Oak Creek, having just learned that yet another Wisconsin Sikh has been targeted because of his appearance. It appears as if the...
Distribution of rainfall and soil moisture content in the soil profile under citrus tree canopy and at the dripline

The plant canopy intercepts rain and thus can alter the distribution of water under the canopy as compared to that along the dripline. The effects of a citrus (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) tree (25-year-old, Valencia orange) canopy on the distribution of rainfall and soil moisture content within the soil profile either along the dripline (D) or under the canopy near the trunk (inner side; I), and midway between I and Dripline (M) were evaluated, on the east and west sides of trees planted along north-south rows. Results of eleven storm events in 1995 (mean of east and west sides) revealed that the amounts of precipitation at the D, M, and I positions were 97–140, 47–94, and 52–79% of the incident rainfall, respectively. Thus, canopy interception of incident rainfall was quite appreciable. The soil moisture content was greater along the dripline compared to that at the M and I positions, particularly in the deeper (≥60 cm) soil profile. The water flux was significantly greater at the dripline than under the canopy indicating a greater leaching potential of soil-applied fertilizers and other chemicals when placed along the dripline. A substantial reduction in the rainfall and water flux under the canopy as a result of canopy interception suggests that application of fertilizer and chemicals under the canopy could minimize leaching losses.
Investigating the Boundaries of Reading Units across Ages and Reading Levels.

In Experiments 1 and 2 first-, third-, and seventh-grade children and college subjects circled the letter a while reading passages constructed of words familiar to first graders. First graders made more errors on the letter a embedded in a word than on the word a, whereas the converse was true of the other age groups. In Experiments 3 and 4 first-, second-, fourth-, and seventh-grade children and college students read passages and circled the letter t, making more errors on the common word the than on other words and on correctly spelled than on misspelled words. The effect of misspelling the other words increased with age and reading skill. Our combined results suggest that reading unit size increases with age and reading ability and that, whereas younger children, like adults, unitize common words, the unitization of less common words increases as word configurations become more familiar.
A Gas Dynamics Method Based on the Spectral Deferred Corrections (SDC) Time Integration Technique and the Piecewise Parabolic Method (PPM)

We present a computational gas dynamics method based on the Spectral Deferred Corrections (SDC) time integration technique and the Piecewise Parabolic Method (PPM) finite volume method. The PPM framework is used to define edge-averaged quantities, which are then used to evaluate numerical flux functions. The SDC technique is used to integrate solution in time. This kind of approach was first taken by Anita et al in [1]. However, [1] is problematic when it is implemented to certain shock problems. Here we propose significant improvements to [1]. The method is fourth order (both in space and time) for smooth flows, and provides highly resolved discontinuous solutions. We tested the method by solving variety of problems. Results indicate that the fourth order of accuracy in both space and time has been achieved when the flow is smooth. Results also demonstrate the shock capturing ability of the method.
Instability of electrons drifting through ions across a magnetic field

In many plasma devices, electrons stream transversely through crossed electric and magnetic fields while the ions do not achieve their equilibrium drift. Collision-free shock models, PIG discharges and similar configurations provide these conditions. The two-stream instability (Buneman, 1959) may be anticipated, but one might also expect some inhibition of such an instability by the magnetic field. A detailed calculation reveals that the magnetic field, indeed, reduces the instability growth rate. However the reduction is not substantial; it goes like (ωplasma/ωcyclotron)1/3 approximately. The usual turbulence and dissipation will result and this could account for the entropy charge in the collision-free shock as well as for enhanced cross-field diffusion.
A class of generalized lattice filters

It is shown that the digital lattice filter utilized as a predictor in speech processing is a special case of a broad class of filters with identical properties in which the delay element is replaced by an arbitrary analog or digital all-pass filter. The performance of three filters in this class, the delay element and single-pole analog and digital all-pass sections, are compared for the special estimation application.
Suspension of accrual in phase II cancer clinical trials

Purpose:Phase II cancer clinical trial designs commonly incorporate an interim analysis for lack of efficacy. To strictly and ethically implement such designs, one should suspend accrual in cases w...
ALTERED CUTANEOUS CONDITIONS IN THE SKIN OF TUBERCULOUS GUINEA PIGS AS DEMONSTRATED WITH A VITAL DYE

1. In the skin of the tuberculous guinea pig while it is allergic, the spread of a vital dye, pontamine sky blue, and the drainage of the dye into the vascular system take place much more slowly than in the normal animal. 2. In the skin of moribund tuberculous guinea pigs, animals no longer allergic, dye spreads more rapidly than in the normal animal. 3. The spread of dye is somewhat restricted in the skin of guinea pigs infected with a hemolytic Streptococcus. The animals were allergic. 4. The findings suggest that the dye method may disclose altered tissue conditions in the allergic state.
Functional evolution of the pregnane X receptor

The pregnane X receptor (PXR; NR1I2) is a nuclear hormone receptor (NR) that transcriptionally regulates genes encoding transporters and drug-metabolising enzymes in the liver and intestine. PXR activation leads to enhanced metabolism and elimination of xenobiotics and endogenous compounds such as hormones and bile salts. Relative to other vertebrate NRs, PXR has the broadest specificity for ligand activators by virtue of a large, flexible ligand-binding cavity. In addition, PXR has the most extensive sequence diversity across vertebrate species in the ligand-binding domain of any NR, with significant pharmacological differences between human and rodent PXRs, and especially marked divergence between mammalian and nonmammalian PXRs. The unusual properties of PXR complicate the use of in silico and animal models to predict in vivo human PXR pharmacology. Research into the evolutionary history of the PXR gene has also provided insight into the function of PXR in humans and other animals.
Sex Differences in Paranormal Beliefs among Undergraduate College Students

Beliefs in and experience of the paranormal were assessed in 125 college-aged undergraduate students. Crawford and Christensen's 1995 12-item Extrasensory Perception Survey was administered before and after taking a course in general psychology. Men scored significantly higher than women on scale values (1–5) for beliefs regarding life after death, the existence of extrasensory perception, having at least one extrasensory experience, and UFOs with people from other places visiting our planet. There were no significant differences (within subjects) between beliefs before versus after the course, yet mean scores from pre- and posttests showed that belief in life after death, belief in precognitive experience in dreams, and belief in the existence of extrasensory perception ranked highest over-all in endorsement while beliefs in physical contacts with ghosts, auras, and psychokinesis ranked lowest. Sex differences were discussed in the context of the hypothesis of social marginality.
Spatial Associations of Midtropospheric Circulation and Upper Mississippi River Basin Hydrology

This paper identifies the associations that exist between the summer midtropospheric circulation and the hydrology of the Upper Mississippi River Basin (UMRB). The major objectives consist of the identification of spatial associations between midtropospheric height anomalies and UMRB precipitation frequency and maximum stream discharge, and the calculation of the occurrence probabilities of precipitation frequency and maximum stream discharge for the various midtropospheric anomaly patterns. A data matrix containing a spatial record of mean monthly values of 700 mb heights, monthly precipitation frequencies, and monthly maximum stream discharges is subjected to a principal component analysis in order to obtain the dominant spatial associations of midtropospheric circulation and UMRB hydrology. A catalog of the associations is assembled and used to calculate the occurrence probabilities of various categories of maximum stream discharge and precipitation event frequency for different midtropospheric circulation patterns. Variability of precipitation frequency and maximum stream discharge within the UMRB is associated with midtropospheric height anomalies of opposing sign positioned to the west and east of the basin. The probability of months experiencing above-average conditions of precipitation frequency and maximum discharge is greatest for months with an anomalous southerly or southwesterly flow over the basin. Below-average values of precipitation frequency and maximum discharge have the highest probability of occurring in months with anomalous northerly or northwesterly components of air flow.
Iron transporters in marine prokaryotic genomes and metagenomes

Summary In the pelagic environment, iron is a scarce but essential micronutrient. The iron acquisition capabilities of selected marine bacteria have been investigated, but the recent proliferation of marine prokaryotic genomes and metagenomes offers a more comprehensive picture of microbial iron uptake pathways in the ocean. Searching these data sets, we were able to identify uptake mechanisms for Fe3+, Fe2+ and iron chelates (e.g. siderophore and haem iron complexes). Transport of iron chelates is accomplished by TonB-dependent transporters (TBDTs). After clustering the TBDTs from marine prokaryotic genomes, we identified TBDT clusters for the transport of hydroxamate and catecholate siderophore iron complexes and haem using gene neighbourhood analysis and co-clustering of TBDTs of known function. The genomes also contained two classes of siderophore biosynthesis genes: NRPS (non-ribosomal peptide synthase) genes and NIS (NRPS Independent Siderophore) genes. The most common iron transporters, in both the genomes and metagenomes, were Fe3+ ABC transporters. Iron uptake-related TBDTs and siderophore biosynthesis genes were less common in pelagic marine metagenomes relative to the genomic data set, in part because Pelagibacter ubique and Prochlorococcus species, which almost entirely lacked these Fe uptake systems, dominate the metagenomes. Our results are largely consistent with current knowledge of iron speciation in the ocean, but suggest that in certain niches the ability to acquire siderophores and/or haem iron chelates is beneficial.
Evaluation of Mycoplasma Inactivation during Production of Biologics: Egg-Based Viral Vaccines as a Model

Although mycoplasmas are generally considered to be harmless commensals, some mycoplasma species are able to cause infections in pediatric, geriatric, or immunocompromised patients. Thus, accidental contamination of biologics with mycoplasmas represents a potential risk for the health of individuals who receive cell-derived biological and pharmaceutical products. To assess the efficiency of inactivation of mycoplasmas by the agents used in the manufacture of egg-derived influenza vaccines, we carried out a series of experiments aimed at monitoring the viability of mycoplasmas spiked into both chicken allantoic fluid and protein-rich microbiological media and then treated with beta-propiolactone, formalin, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, Triton X-100, and sodium deoxycholate, which are agents that are commonly used for virus inactivation and disruption of viral particles during influenza vaccine production. Twenty-two mycoplasma species (with one to four strains of each species) were exposed to these inactivating agents at different concentrations. The most efficient inactivation of the mycoplasmas evaluated was observed with either 0.5% Triton X-100 or 0.5% sodium deoxycholate. Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide at concentrations of ≥0.08% was also able to rapidly inactivate (in less than 30 min) all mycoplasmas tested. In contrast, negligible reductions in mycoplasma titers were observed with 0.0125 to 0.025% formaldehyde. However, increasing the concentration of formaldehyde to 0.1 to 0.2% improved the mycoplasmacidal effect. Incubation of mycoplasmas with 0.1% beta-propiolactone for 1 to 24 h had a marked mycoplasmacidal effect. A comparison of the mycoplasma inactivation profiles showed that strains of selected species (Mycoplasma synoviae, Mycoplasma gallisepticum, Mycoplasma orale, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and Acholeplasma laidlawii) represent a set of strains that can be utilized to validate the effectiveness of mycoplasma clearance obtained by inactivation and viral purification processes used for the manufacture of an inactivated egg-based vaccine.
Complexes of Iron Cations with N-Phenylglycinate or Oxalic Acid

N-phenyglycine plays a very important role in obtaining adhesion of restorative composites to dentin and enamel (Bowen et al., 1982a). In a systematic investigation, ferric or ferrous N-phenylglycinate complexes formed when aqueous ferric nitrate or ferrous chloride was combined with solutions of potassium N-phenylglycinate in stoichiometric proportions. The molal ratios of iron ion to N-phenylglycinate ion in each complex were confirmed by osmolality measurements with a freezing-point osmometer. The reaction of aqueous solutions of oxalic acid with ferric nitrate indicated formation of ferric oxalate complexes with a stoichiometry of Fe2(oxalate)3 in solution, using Job's method of continuous variations (1925;1928).
Efficacy of various Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner var. kurstaki formulations and dosages in the field against the hemlock looper, Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaria (Guen.) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), in Newfoundland.

Aerially applied Thuricide 48LV, Thuricide 64B, Futura XLV, and water-based formulations of Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner var. kurstaki (B.t.), were tested for effectiveness to control the hemlock looper, Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaria (Guen.), in balsam fir, Abies balsamea (L.) Mill., stands. Thuricide 64B, applied twice at a dosage of 30 Billion International Units (BIU) per hectare in 1.78 L/ha, was the most effective, reducing the larval population by 100%.
LV Thrombus Detection by Routine Echocardiography: Insights Into Performance Characteristics Using Delayed Enhancement CMR

Objectives This study sought to evaluate performance characteristics of routine echo for left ventricular thrombus (LVT). Background Although the utility of dedicated echocardiography (echo) for LVT is established, echo is widely used as a general test for which LVT is rarely the primary indication. We used delayed-enhancement cardiac magnetic resonance (DE-CMR) as a reference to evaluate LVT detection by routine echo. Methods Dedicated LVT assessment using DE-CMR was prospectively performed in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Echoes were done as part of routine clinical care. Echo and CMR were independently read for LVT and related indexes of LVT size, shape, and image quality/diagnostic confidence. Follow-up was done for embolic events and pathology validation of LVT. Results In this study, 243 patients had routine clinical echo and dedicated CMR within 1 week without intervening events. Follow-up supported DE-CMR as a reference standard, with >5-fold difference in endpoints between patients with versus without LVT by DE-CMR (p = 0.02). LVT prevalence was 10% by DE-CMR. Echo contrast was used in 4% of patients. Echo sensitivity and specificity were 33% and 91%, with positive and negative predictive values of 29% and 93%. Among patients with possible LVT as the clinical indication for echo, sensitivity and positive predictive value were markedly higher (60%, 75%). Regarding sensitivity, echo performance related to LVT morphology and mirrored cine-CMR, with protuberant thrombus typically missed when small (p ≤ 0.02). There was also a strong trend to miss mural thrombus irrespective of size (p = 0.06). Concerning positive predictive value, echo performance related to image quality, with lower diagnostic confidence scores for echoes read positive for LVT in discordance with DE-CMR compared with echoes concordant with DE-CMR (p Conclusions Routine echo with rare contrast use can yield misleading results concerning LVT. Echo performance is improved when large protuberant thrombus is present and when the clinical indication is specifically for LVT assessment.
Scalable VLSI architecture for GF(p) Montgomery modular inverse computation

Modular inverse computation is needed in several public key cryptographic applications. In this work, we present two VLSI hardware implementations used in the calculation of Montgomery modular inverse operation. The implementations are based on the same inversion algorithm, however, one is fixed (fully parallel) and the other is scalable. The scalable design is the novel modification performed on the fixed hardware to make it occupy a small area and operate within better or similar speed. Both hardware designs are compared based on their speed and area. The area of the scalable design is on average 42% smaller than the fixed one. The delay of the designs, however, depends on the actual data size and the maximum numbers the hardware can handle. As the actual data size approaches the hardware limit the scalable hardware speedup reduces in comparison to the fixed one, but still its delay is practical.
Efficient Optimization of an MDL-Inspired Objective Function for Unsupervised Part-Of-Speech Tagging

The Minimum Description Length (MDL) principle is a method for model selection that trades off between the explanation of the data by the model and the complexity of the model itself. Inspired by the MDL principle, we develop an objective function for generative models that captures the description of the data by the model (log-likelihood) and the description of the model (model size). We also develop a efficient general search algorithm based on the MAP-EM framework to optimize this function. Since recent work has shown that minimizing the model size in a Hidden Markov Model for part-of-speech (POS) tagging leads to higher accuracies, we test our approach by applying it to this problem. The search algorithm involves a simple change to EM and achieves high POS tagging accuracies on both English and Italian data sets.
Eyes on Target: What Neurons Must do for the Vestibuloocular Reflex During Linear Motion

A gaze-stabilization reflex that has been conserved throughout evolution is the rotational vestibuloocular reflex (RVOR), which keeps images stable on the entire retina during head rotation. An ethological newer reflex, the translational or linear VOR (TVOR), provides fast foveal image stabilization during linear motion. Whereas the sensorimotor processing has been extensively studied in the RVOR, much less is currently known about the neural organization of the TVOR. Here we summarize the computational problems faced by the system and the potential solutions that might be used by brain stem and cerebellar neurons participating in the VORs. First and foremost, recent experimental and theoretical evidence has shown that, contrary to popular beliefs, the sensory signals driving the TVOR arise from both the otolith organs and the semicircular canals. Additional unresolved issues include a scaling by both eye position and vergence angle as well as the temporal transformation of linear acceleration signals into eye-position commands. Behavioral differences between the RVOR and TVOR, as well as distinct differences in neuroanatomical and neurophysiological properties, raise multiple functional questions and computational issues, only some of which are readily understood. In this review, we provide a summary of what is known about the functional properties and neural substrates for this oculomotor system and outline some specific hypotheses about how sensory information is centrally processed to create motor commands for the VORs.
The Hollywood Gospel and its Scholars: Lessons from Stigmata

Stigmata, a 1999 film, dramatizes the recovery of a lost Jesus gospel by placing it within the story of the possession of an atheist beautician, who is also a stigmatic. The discovery of the reason for her possession and her exorcism leads ultimately to the publication of the lost, now found gospel. Stigmata cadges selections from the Gospel of Thomas together to create this gospel, which is a version of the Hollywood gospel hallowing the heroic individual above all things and empowering the fantasy of the subjective, expressive individual. This Hollywood gospel—unlike the Gospel of Thomas—is also scientific (or, at least, empirical and pragmatic), materialist, and democratic. It is, in short, a belated, peculiarly American form of gnosticism. Intriguingly, Stigmata’s drama also sheds some light on scholarship, revealing among other things the cultural embeddedness of scholarship and its interaction with popular fiction, particularly at the points of lost gospels and the notion of heroic individuals struggling against corrupt institutions.