cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
WebMGA: a customizable web server for fast metagenomic sequence analysis

The new field of metagenomics studies microorganism communities by culture-independent sequencing. With the advances in next-generation sequencing techniques, researchers are facing tremendous challenges in metagenomic data analysis due to huge quantity and high complexity of sequence data. Analyzing large datasets is extremely time-consuming; also metagenomic annotation involves a wide range of computational tools, which are difficult to be installed and maintained by common users. The tools provided by the few available web servers are also limited and have various constraints such as login requirement, long waiting time, inability to configure pipelines etc. We developed WebMGA, a customizable web server for fast metagenomic analysis. WebMGA includes over 20 commonly used tools such as ORF calling, sequence clustering, quality control of raw reads, removal of sequencing artifacts and contaminations, taxonomic analysis, functional annotation etc. WebMGA provides users with rapid metagenomic data analysis using fast and effective tools, which have been implemented to run in parallel on our local computer cluster. Users can access WebMGA through web browsers or programming scripts to perform individual analysis or to configure and run customized pipelines. WebMGA is freely available at http://weizhongli-lab.org/metagenomic-analysis . WebMGA offers to researchers many fast and unique tools and great flexibility for complex metagenomic data analysis.
As-soak control of the InAs-on-GaSb interface

Abstract We have investigated the effect of a brief As 2 -soak at the GaSb surface on the nature of the InAs-on-GaSb interface. We find that As 2 efficiently removes Sb from GaSb and that a controlled As 2 -soak may be a necessary step in forming a “GaAs-like” interface without structural or optical degradation. We observe that the thickness of the “GaAs-like” interfacial layer and the band-edge transition wavelength in InAs/GaSb superlattices both increase with increasing As 2 -soak duration.
Amperometric determination of carbon dioxide using a gold electrode modified by the underpotential‐deposited cadmium

An underpotential-deposited cadmium layer formed on a gold electrode was used to amperometrically determine PCO2 in an aqueous medium. This electrode reduces nitrate anions in an aqueous solution. The reduction current produced can be related to the proton concentration. Thus, when dissolved CO2 is present in a nitrate solution it alters the proton concentration, which can then be measured amperometrically. Experimental investigation of this system and a Nafion coated gold electrode were both carried out. The effect of oxygen present in the system is also discussed.
Shelf life and quality of freshly squeezed, unpasteurized, polyethylene-bottled citrus juice.

Florida's chief orange and grapefruit cultivars were used to produce five freshly squeezed, unpasteurized, polyethylene-bottled juices using commercial conditions. Juices were stored at different temperatures. Shelf life depended primarily on storage temperature: −1.7°C, 20–23 days; 1.1°C, 16–22 days; 4.4°C, 10–16 days; and 7.8°C, 5–8 days. Staleness was the primary off-flavor limiting shelf life at the three lower temperatures while spoilage with diacetyl was primarily responsible at 7.8°C. At the three lower temperatures, microbial counts generally decreased markedly during storage, while at 7.8°C, an increase was generally noted. Ascorbic acid retention after 2 wk of storage at the three lowest storage temperatures was about 91–93% for two orange juices and 86–88% for the grapefruit juice.
Unusual Prime Number Sequences

CERTAIN quadratic series abound in prime numbers1. Take, for example, the following Sequence in which the consecutive differences are 2, 4, 6, 8, etc. These are all prime numbers; the next term in this series is no longer a prime but equal to the square of the first term. The longest series of this kind known at present consists of forty prime numbers. It begins with 41, 43, 47, 53 … and ends with … 1373, 1447,1523,1601, a truly extraordinary sequence. The series starting 101, 103, 170 contains sixty-eight primes and thirty-two non-primes.
Acute Renal Failure Post High Dose Methotrexate Infusion Successfully Managed with High Dose Folinic Acid and High Flux Dialysis

High dose methotrexate infusion has become the standard of care in pediatric and adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia management. Adequate hydration, alkalinization of urine and optimal folinic acid rescue are the key factors in the prevention of toxicity. The development of acute renal failure after high dose methotrexate infusion is very rare, albeit a few cases have been reported in literature. Various options have been available in addition to high dose folinic acid rescue, such as ultra filtration dialysis, continuous extracorporeal therapy, thymidine and Glucarpidase infusion to directly counter act excess methotrexate. In a developing country with limited reserves, managing a patient who develops acute renal failure immediately after high dose methotrexate is a nightmare without Glucarpidase. We report here a case that has been managed successfully with intensive supportive measures alone.
Identification of the ω-hydroxylase of Pseudomonas oleovorans as a nonheme iron protein requiring phospholipid for catalytic activity☆

Fatty acid and alkane hydroxylation by the inducible, cyanide-sensitive enzyme system of Pseudomonas oleovorans involves three enzymes: NADH-rubredoxin reductase, rubredoxin, and an ω-hydroxylase. The ω-hydroxylase is a yellow protein containing one atom of iron per polypeptide chain of molecular weight 42,000. Catalytic activity is lost upon removal of the iron and is restored when ferrous ions are incubated with the apohydroxylase. Hydroxylase preparations from which most of the phospholipid has been removed exhibit decreased activity unless supplemented with a phospholipid fraction from this bacterium or with dilauroylglyceryl-3-phosphorylcholine.
Volatile compounds produced by irradiation of butterfat

Anhydrous butterfat was irradiated at 6 megarads in a special glass reaction flask, and the headspace and total condensate samples were examined by wide-range (−180C to 125C) gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry. The nature and amounts of volatile compounds were not greatly influenced by whether the butterfat was irradiated under oxygen or under vacuum, nor (apart fromn-alkanoic acids) by storage for 1 and 9 weeks.
Sialoglycoproteins of murine RAW117 large cell lymphoma/lymphosarcoma sublines of various metastatic colonization properties.

Abstract A metastatic model for large-cell lymphoma/lymphosarcoma has been developed by sequential selection in vivo of the murine RAW117 cell line for enhanced liver metastasis or in vitro for loss of lectin-binding properties. The metastatic variants obtained from such selections show alterations in cell surface lectin-binding components, such as the wheat germ agglutinin (WGA)-reactive Sialoglycoproteins. Detergent lysates from RAW117 cells were analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) followed by reaction with 125I-labeled WGA. The [125I]WGA became bound to a diffuse band of Mr 120000–200000 in the gels that overlapped with the major sialoglycoprotein band revealed by the periodate-sodium borotritide labeling. However, the [125I]WGA reactivity diminished when gels were pretreated with mild acid to remove sialic acid in situ. The binding of [125I]WGA to the glycoprotein(s) was greater in the high liver-colonizing RAW117-H10 subline than in the parental RAW117-P line. Another lectin with different saccharide specificity, Ricinus communis agglutinin I (RCAI), became bound to a similar class of Sialoglycoproteins, as well as to glycoproteins of lower Mr, but only when the gels were pretreated with mild acid to remove sialic acid. These differences in the relative RCAI-binding intensities after chemical removal of sialic acid were similar to those seen with WGA and indicate that differences in WGA reactivity of this class of sialoglycoproteins were not due to increased sialylation of the carbohydrate chains. Sialic acid was removed from RAW117 cells by neuraminidase treatment, and lysates were analysed for [125I]RCAI reactivity after electrophoresis. The migration of the glycoproteins was not affected by neuraminidase, indicating that the diffuseness of the major sialoglycoprotein band was not due to differences in sialylation. [125I]WGA reactivity to the sialoglycoprotein components, before and after Smith degradation in situ, strongly suggests that the oligosaccharide back-bones are highly branched and asparagine-linked. Only the high Mr portion of the diffuse sialoglycoprotein band was stained with peanut agglutinin (PNA) after in situ removal of sialic acid. To determine whether the expression of the sialoglycoprotein was causally related to liver metastasis, the amounts of sialoglycoproteins in RAW117 cells obtained by in vitro selection for increased or decreased metastasis were examined. Binding of [125I]WGA to intact cells and affinity chromatography of vectorially radiolabeled cell surface proteins on WGA-agarose were performed, and the results indicated that the in vitro selected high liver-colonizing RAW117 variants possesses high WGA reactivity similar to the in vivo selected RAW117-H10 cells.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: HOW SMART FIRMS CREATE PRODUCTIVE TIES

Benjamin L Hallen and Kathleen M Eisenhardt, ‘Catalyzing strategies and efficient tie formation: How entrepreneurial firms obtain investment ties’, Academy of Management Journal, May 3, 2011.
A Geometric Method to Subdivide the Patapsco Formation of Southern Maryland into Informal Mapping Units for Hydrogeologic Use

The Patapsco Formation of southern Maryland is a thick, heterogeneous sequence of unconsolidated rocks occurring in the upper part of the Potomac Group. Experience suggests that it functions as a multi-aquifer unit of hydraulic complexity. In the absence of definitive geologic criteria an adaptation of Hakes9 (1963) technique of perspective correlation is used to subdivide the Patapsco Formation into consistently denned mapping units. These units are useful for delineating vertical and horizontal changes in such parameters as sand percentage and coefficient of transmissibility.
The “How” and “Why” of Flirtatious Communication Between Marital Partners

Flirtatious communication between spouses is an understudied, yet important, phenomenon which may differentiate which marriages will persevere. Flirting with a spouse potentially derives positive benefits for each partner and for the relationship. The researchers in this study examined marital partners’ flirtatious behaviors, flirtatious motivations, relational maintenance, commitment, and satisfaction. Married participants (N = 164), whose mean age was 36.29, reported that flirting was motivated by a desire for sexual activity and the desire to create a private world with the spouse. Women engaged in maintenance behaviors and attentive flirting more than men. Assurances were a positive predictor of both satisfaction and commitment. Conflict management was a negative predictor of commitment, and esteem motivations were a negative predictor of satisfaction. Overall, flirting appeared to operate similarly to maintenance communication in marital couples.
Comparisons of efficacy and tolerance of moricizine with other antiarrhythmic agents in the treatment of chronic ventricular arrhythmias.

Abstract Comparative trials of a new drug with standard antiarrhythmic agents are important for establishing relative efficacy and tolerance. For moricizine, such trials have included comparisons with propranolol, disopyramide and quinidine. Furthermore, the Cardiac Arrhythmia Pilot Study compared moricizine in postinfarction patients with encainide and flecainide. These trials show moricizine to be superior in efficacy to a β blocker (propranolol) and disopyramide and equivalent to quinidine. Although the class IC drugs (encainide and flecainide) showed somewhat greater efficacy in the Cardiac Arrhythmic Pilot Study, they are now known to increase the risk of mortality in postinfarction patients. Moricizine was also shown to be well tolerated in these trials and associated with fewer discontinuations than propranolol, disopyramide and quinidine. Thus, moricizine is a promising new agent when profiled against other drugs frequently used for therapy of chronic ventricular arrhythmias.
Ten Years of the OR Practice Section

The OR Practice Section of Operations Research is approaching its tenth anniversary. This note examines and interprets the nature of the papers that it has attracted and argues that they suggest vigor in the practice of operations research.
Co-infection with HIV-I and HTLV-I/II In Intravenous Drug Users in Suburban New York City, With Comparison to Other Geographic Areas.

Co-infection with human T-lymphotropic virus types I or II (HTLV-I or -II) may be a cofactor in the progression of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. We assessed the frequency of simultaneous infection with these retroviruses among intravenous drug users from Westchester County, N.Y., a suburb of New York City. Comparison was made with similar studies in the United States and Europe.
On Design of Rateless Codes over Dying Binary Erasure Channel

In this paper, we study a practical coding scheme for the dying binary erasure channel (DBEC), which is a binary erasure channel (BEC) subject to a random fatal failure. We consider the rateless codes and optimize the degree distribution to maximize the average recovery probability. In particular, we first study the upper bound of the average recovery probability, based on which we define the objective function as the gap between the upper bound and the average recovery probability achieved by a particular degree distribution. We then seek the optimal degree distribution by minimizing the objective function. A simple and heuristic approach is also proposed to provide a suboptimal but good degree distribution. Simulation results are presented to show the significant performance gain over the conventional LT codes.
The CPSF30 Binding Site on the NS1A Protein of Influenza A Virus Is a Potential Antiviral Target

The emergence of influenza A viruses resistant to the two existing classes of antiviral drugs highlights the need for additional antiviral drugs, particularly considering the potential threat of a pandemic of H5N1 influenza A viruses. Here, we determine whether influenza A virus replication can be selectively inhibited by blocking the ability of its NS1A protein to inhibit the 3′-end processing of cellular pre-mRNAs, including beta interferon (IFN-β) pre-mRNA. Pre-mRNA processing is inhibited via the binding of the NS1A protein to the cellular CPSF30 protein, and mutational inactivation of this NS1A binding site causes severe attenuation of the virus. We demonstrate that binding of CPSF30 is mediated by two of its zinc fingers, F2F3, and that the CPSF30/F2F3 binding site on the NS1A protein extends from amino acid 144 to amino acid 186. We generated MDCK cells that constitutively express epitope-tagged F2F3 in the nucleus, although at only approximately one-eighth the level of the NS1A protein produced during virus infection. Influenza A virus replication was inhibited in this cell line, whereas no inhibition was observed with influenza B virus, whose NS1B protein lacks a binding site for CPSF30. Influenza A virus, but not influenza B virus, induced increased production of IFN-β mRNA in the F2F3-expressing cells. These results, which indicate that F2F3 inhibits influenza A virus replication by blocking the binding of endogenous CPSF30 to the NS1A protein, point to this NS1A binding site as a potential target for the development of antivirals directed against influenza A virus.
A framework for the credit-apportionment process in rule-based systems

A framework for the credit-apportionment process is described. Such a framework is vital in studying the credit-apportionment problem because it provides a formal basis for the problem analysis and algorithm design. The framework includes: a system-environment model, which integrates the effects of payoffs with other relevant parts of a rule-based system to model various internal and external activities of the rule-based system; and principles of usefulness, which define the inherent usefulness of rule actions and provide the semantic aspect of the credit-apportionment process. This framework formulates the credit-apportionment problem as a problem of estimating and approximating the inherent usefulness from payoffs. Two conclusions from the framework are that: the usefulness of rule action is a function of the context in which the rule activates; and the scalar-valued rule strength is not adequate for the purpose of a credit-apportionment. These conclusions led to the development of a credit-apportionment algorithm, the context-array bucket-brigade algorithm. >
Antenatal betamethasone improves postnatal transition in late preterm lambs with persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn.

Antenatal betamethasone improves postnatal transition in late preterm lambs with persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn
Erosional response to northward-propagating crustal thickening in the coastal ranges of the U.S. Pacific Northwest

We measured basin-scale erosion rates, using cosmogenic 10 Be concen- trations in quartz, from fluvial sediment in rivers draining the coastal mountain ranges of the U.S. Pacific Northwest between 40° and 47° N. Apparent erosion rates are 0.1 to 0.2 mm yr !1 throughout the Oregon Coast Ranges north of 43° N, and increase to the south to 0.6 to 1.1 mm yr !1 in the northern California coast ranges near 40° N. We propose that these observations display the erosional response to northward-migrating crustal thickening associated with subduction of the Mendocino Triple Junction. North-south variations in erosion rate, range elevation, and metrics of landscape relief and steepness are consistent with the hypotheses that i) their primary cause is northward-migrating crustal thickening; ii) erosion rates are strongly controlled by topographic relief and weakly, if at all, controlled by climate; and iii) the dependence of erosion on relief is nonlinear and obeys a threshold-relief relationship.
Gene Transfer of the Catabolic Inhibitor TIMP-1 Increases Measured Proteoglycans in Cells from Degenerated Human Intervertebral Discs

STUDY DESIGN Cells from degenerated intervertebral discs were transduced with an adenoviral vector delivering cDNA of the catabolic inhibitor, TIMP-1, and alterations in the measured proteoglycan were assessed. OBJECTIVES To assess the potential of TIMP-1 to favorably modify the proteoglycan content of degenerated intervertebral disc cells. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Gene therapy with anabolic factors has resulted in increased proteoglycan synthesis in intervertebral disc cells. Biochemical analysis of degenerated discs has revealed elevated levels of the catabolic enzymes, matrix metalloproteinase, suggesting an intimate role of these factors in the degenerative process. The use of TIMP-1, an endogenous inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase, via gene therapy may provide an additional method to alter the degenerative processes occurring in the intervertebral disc. MATERIALS AND METHODS Degenerated intervertebral disc were isolated from eight patients undergoing elective surgical procedures. Cells were cultured in monolayer and transduced with different concentrations of either an adenoviral-tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (Ad-TIMP-1) or adenoviral-bone morphogenic protein-2 (Ad-BMP-2) construct. Cells were cultured in a three-dimensional pellet and proteoglycan synthesis was assessed via 35S-sulfur incorporation. RESULTS Gene delivery of TIMP-1 and BMP-2 increased measured proteoglycan synthesis at each concentration assessed. IVD cells treated with Ad-TIMP-1 demonstrated an optimal response at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 100. Cells treated with Ad-BMP-2 demonstrated a progressive increase in proteoglycan synthesis with increasing viral concentrations. CONCLUSIONS Successful delivery of the anticatabolic gene, TIMP-1, results in increased measured proteoglycan in cultured degenerated disc cells. This finding supports catabolic inhibition as a promising avenue of research for the treatment of degenerative disc disease via gene therapy.
A steady-state solution for the optimal pavement resurfacing problem

This paper presents a solution approach for the problem of optimising the frequency and intensity of pavement resurfacing, under steady-state conditions. If the pavement deterioration and improvement models are deterministic and follow the Markov property, it is possible to develop a simple but exact solution method. This method removes the need to solve the problem as an optimal control problem, which had been the focus of previous research in this area. The key to our approach is the realisation that, at optimality, the system enters the steady state at the time of the first resurfacing. The optimal resurfacing strategy is to define a minimum serviceability level (or maximum roughness level), and whenever the pavement deteriorates to that level, to resurface with a fixed intensity. The optimal strategy does not depend on the initial condition of the pavement, as long as the initial condition is better than the condition that triggers resurfacing. This observation allows us to use a simple solution method. We apply this solution procedure to a case study, using data obtained from the literature. The results indicate that the discounted lifetime cost is not very sensitive to cycle time. What matters most is the best achievable roughness level. The minimum serviceability level strategy is robust in that when there is uncertainty in the deterioration process, the optimal condition that triggers resurfacing is not significantly changed.
Cochlear function among HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative men and women.

OBJECTIVES There is limited research about cochlear function in adults who are human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive (+). The aim of the present study was to collect measures of cochlear function in a large sample of adults with, or at risk for, HIV infection, to evaluate associations between HIV status, HIV treatment, and cochlear function. DESIGN Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) were used to evaluate cochlear function in 506 participants; 329 men, 150 of whom were HIV+, and 177 women, 136 of whom were HIV+. DPOAEs were measured at frequencies 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, and 6000 Hz. A DPOAE nonresponse (NR) was defined as an absolute DPOAE level less than -15 dB SPL or a difference between the absolute DPOAE level and the background noise level less than 6 dB. The total number of NRs was calculated for each ear. The associations of demographic variables, HIV status, and HIV treatment with number of NRs were evaluated with univariate and multivariate ordinal regression models. RESULTS There was a statistically significant increase in the odds of higher numbers of NRs with age, being male, and being non-Black, but not with HIV status. Among HIV+ participants, there were no statistically significant associations of the HIV disease status or treatment variables with higher number of NRs. CONCLUSION The authors found no evidence of impaired cochlear function by HIV disease status or highly active antiretroviral therapy-treated HIV infection in this cross-sectional study.
Epigenetic differences in cytogenetically normal versus abnormal acute myeloid leukemia

Background: Methylation of tumor suppression genes (TSGs) is common in myeloid malignancies. However, application of this as a molecular marker for risk stratification in patients with AML is limited. Design and Methods: To elucidate the impact of patterns of TSG methylation on outcome in cytogenetically normal patients, 106 samples from patients with having normal cytogenetic AML were evaluated for methylation of 12 genes by MSP. For sake of comparison, samples from patients with AML and abnormal cytogenetics (n=63) were also evaluated. Results: Methylation frequencies in the whole group (n=169) were similar to previous reports for CDH1 (31%), ER (31%), FHIT (9%), p15INK4b (44%), p73 (25%), and SOCS1 (75%). Methylation of CTNNA1 was observed in 10%, CEBP-α in16%, CEBP-δ in 2%, MLH1 in 24%, MGMT in 11% and DAPK in 2% of AML samples. We find that DNA methylation was more prevalent in patients with normal compared to karyotypically abnormal AML for most genes; CEBPα (20% vs 9%), CTNNA1 (14% vs 4%), and ER (...
A computational study of the influence of viscoelasticity on the interfacial dynamics of dip coating flow

Abstract The effect of viscoelasticity on the interfacial dynamics of air displacing a viscoelastic fluid under the presence of gravity, i.e., the dip coating flows is examined. A stabilized finite element method coupled with a pseudo-solid domain mapping technique is used to carry out the computations. The fluid is modeled by the Finitely Extensible Non-linear Elastic Chilton–Ralison (FENE-CR) constitutive equation. Simulations at various Ca and Bo are performed in order to determine the limiting condition for dip coating where the flow characteristics become independent of Bo. For all values of Ca and Bo studied, the flow is characterized by recirculation near the interface. To this end the film thickness scaled with the capillary length, as a function of Wi, at low Ca and high Bo collapses onto a single curve, and agrees with the analytical expression for the film thickness in the low Wi limit. As the value of Ca is increased, the corresponding value of Bo that is required to collapse the results onto a single curve, i.e., the dip coating flow limit, is correspondingly higher. For a fixed Ca and Wi, increasing Bo results in a decrease in the film thickness, an increase in the size of the recirculation region and an increase in the strain rates subsequently leading to an increase in the normal stresses. We show that the interfacial dynamics in the dip coating flow are qualitatively similar to those observed in the Hele-Shaw flow. Specifically, at low Wi, film thinning occurs and as the value of Wi is increased, the formation of normal elastic stress boundary layers in the capillary transition region is observed. This is accompanied by a sharp increase in the film thickness and a compression of the air–liquid interface in the capillary transition region.
On schizophreniform crisis and on schizophrenia.

(2009). On Schizophreniform Crisis and on Schizophrenia. Psychiatry: Vol. 72, No. 2, pp. 139-142.
Magnetic Fields of Vortices in a Superconducting Thin Film

Abstract The magnetic ﬁelds associated with a single superconducting vortex traversing a thin ﬁlm are calculated. The formulation of Pearl, which has been used for a geometry in which for z 0 one has superconducting material, is extended to the case of a thin ﬁlm. For the thin ﬁlm, the ﬂux in the mid-plane is less than a ﬂux quantum unless one uses a very large radius. For instance a 100 nm ﬁlm with a 130 nm penetration depth (λ) has only 80% of a ﬂux quantum within a radius of 1.5 μm = 11.5 λ. At 10 μm 96% is enclosed. The magnetic ﬁeld near the surface in both geometries has a signiﬁcant radial component. The ﬁelds for a vortex array are then obtained by summing the ﬁelds from nearby vortices. The measurability of the ﬁeld distributions is discussed.
Persistent infection with bovine herpesvirus-1 (infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus) in cultured hamster cells.

Summary Bovine herpes virus-1 infection in hamster embryo cells was found to be dependent upon input multiplicity; productive infection was achieved at input multiplicities greater than one, while persistent infection was established when input multiplicities were about 0.5. This persistence was characterized by a noncyclic, minimal degree of cytopathic effect with a low level of released virus. Maintenance of the persistently infected cultures did not re quire external supportive measures. Subcultivation of the persistently infected cultures led to virus replication followed by CPE and then cell regrowth. Within 3 to 4 weeks after sub cultivation a persistent infection was re-established. The possible mechanism for the bo vine herpesvirus persistence in hamster cells is discussed.
A basic theorem in the computation of ellipsoidal error bounds

In thispaper we formulate and prove the basic principles of a procedure for computing a bound on the error in the numerical solution of a system of linear differential equations. The bound on the error at each integration step is expressed in terms of an ellipsoid whose size and orientation is determined by the computations. To illustrate the procedure, Bessel's equation (of order zero) is integrated over the interval 2?x?3 at steps of length 0.1 and bounds on the error are given for each step.
An annealing approach to associative recall in the CBM model

It is demonstrated how simulated annealing can be used in CBM (classifier-based model) associative retrieval to overcome the problems associated with gradient descent. It is shown that, with its use, the CBM can find a solution as required by the associative recall problem even in extremely disadvantageous object-space topologies where gradient descent fails. Simulated annealing is more robust than conventional gradient descent in reaching a globally optimal solution, as the results are independent of the initial placement of the cue. The use of fixed-temperature finite-length transition chains is shown to yield faster convergence than that of one inhomogeneous temperature chain, as used by H. Szu (1987). A modification of D.S. Johnson's (1986) formula for determining the initial temperature is likewise found to produce improved results. Appropriate terminating conditions are determined empirically, and solutions are shown to be within an acceptable accuracy level
Pair-correlation functions for partially ionized hydrogen

A method is presented for calculating the pair-correlation functions for a high-density quantum-mechanical plasma of protons and electrons. The Slater sum is approximated in the form of a classical Boltzmann factor with the Coulomb potentials replaced by effective potentials. The effective potentials contain the classical potential plus quantum corrections. The quantum effects may be separated into symmetry effects, diffraction effects, and coupling between the two. This method is exact at infinite temperatures and is tested here down to temperatures at which there is about 40% ionization. The pair-correlation functions are obtained from a Monte Carlo calculation. The fraction of electrons in the ground state of an atom is also calculated; an approximate formula for this fraction is $(\frac{1}{2})[1\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{erf}(\frac{b\mathrm{ln}T}{{T}_{0}})]$, where $b$ and ${T}_{0}$ are simple fitted functions of the density.
Serum protein concentrations and bone mineral content in aging normal men

Low serum protein levels and low dietary protein intakes possibly influence bone metabolism. To evaluate the relationships among serum protein concentrations, protein intakes, and bone mineral content (BMC), we have examined two populations of normal men. BMC was measured at two radial sites and a vertebral site. Aging was associated with a fall in BMC at all sites. Serum albumin levels also fell with age and were related to BMC. Albumin concentrations were associated with BMC when other variables (calcium and protein intake, vitamin D levels, parathyroid hormone, and urinary calcium) also were considered. Thus, alterations in protein metabolism may affect BMC and may play a role in the genesis of senile osteopenia.
Locus of Illness Control: A Cross-Cultural Study

A comparative study of rural Haitian and southern Appalachian health beliefs revealed significant differences both within and between groups regarding perceived control over illness. Data consisted of scores (N = 293) on the Locus of Illness Control Scale, a 15-item forced-choice instrument designed to include two subscales, one focused on illness prevention, the other on cure. Both cultural groups scored more externally on the cure dimension than they did on prevention. Group differences, however, were reversed for the subscales. While Appalachians apparently expect greater success in preventing illness, interestingly, Haitians show greater perceived ability to cure illness. The findings have implications for traditional views of "fatalistic" cultures, for the refinement of concepts related to health locus of control, and for the practical utility of standardized instruments among populations that vary in health problems and therapeutic resources.
The Pūjās in Historical and Political Controversy: Colonial and Post-Colonial Goddesses

This essay uses the lens of the Bengali Śākta Pūjās—public annual festivals to Durgā, Kālī, and Jagaddhātrī—as a means of illustrating the history of English-Indian relations in miniature during the entire period of British rule in Bengal, from the mid-eighteenth century until 1947 and beyond. Each period surveyed— the late eighteenth century to the 1830s, the 1830s to 1857, 1858 through the First Partition of Bengal to World War I, the 1920s to Independence, and the 1950s to today—juxtaposes British and Indian views of and approaches to the Pūjās and situates those views and approaches within the larger context of the prestige market, colonialism, nationalism, communalism, and party politics.
Signal interception: performance advantages of cyclic-feature detectors

The problem of detecting the presence of spread-spectrum phase-shift-keyed signals in variable noise and interference backgrounds is considered, and the performances of four detectors are evaluated and compared. The detectors include the optimum radiometer, the optimum modified radiometer that jointly estimates the noise level and detects the signal, and the maximum-SNR spectral-line regenerator for spectral-line frequencies equal to the chip rate and the doubled carrier frequency. It is concluded that the spectral-line regenerators can outperform both types of radiometers by a wide margin. The performance advantages are quantified in terms of receiver operating characteristics for several noise and interference environments and receiver collection times. >
Effects of chromosome constitution on growth and longevity of human skin fibroblast cultures

Employing standardized cell-culture methods, 10 euploid and 22 constitutionally aneuploid human skin fibroblast strains were assessed in triplicate for total growth potential, growth rates, population-doubling times, and cloning. In addition, longitudinal growth rate studies were carried out with otherwise isogenic 45,X and 47,XXX clonal cultures derived from a mosaic parental strain. Growth rates and longevities were cell-strain specific and highly reproducible among sister cultures of a given strain. There was no systematic correlation between chromosome constitution and any of the measured growth parameters. Trisomic as well as monosomic strains showed the same degree ofvariability with respect to these parameters as did euploid cultures. In particular, 4 trisomy 21 strains were not unusually short-lived, nor were clones with the 47,XXX constitution compared to those with 45,X karyotypes. We therefore conclude that the cumulative number of in vitro doublings preceding senescence of fibroblast-like cells cultured from skin does not differ significantly among cultures derived from humans who have a normal karyotype, trisomy 13, 18, or 21, the 45,X constitution, or various combinations of extra X and Y chromosomes.
Optimal tuning of tokamak plasma equilibrium controllers in the presence of time delays

When designing the control loops for tokamaks, it is important to acknowledge the effects of time delays. An assumption sometimes made for tokamaks having superconducting coils is that these extra time delays will not have any undesirable effects on control. In fact, introducing extra delays into the axisymmetric control loops of certain supercon-ducting tokamaks can have significant detrimental consequences. Aside from qualitative observations, the detrimental effects of extra time delays in tokamak control loops are not always well understood outside the control community. This study exposes and quantifies the detrimental effects imposed by time delays in the control loop in superconducting tokamaks, by focusing on plasma current control and radial position control in a vertically stable circular plasma in the KSTAR tokamak. Delays in the power supplies, data acquisition, and vessel structure are taken into account. Extremum-seeking-based optimal tuning of PID controllers is proposed as a possible method for remediating the negative effects of time delays. The Nyquist dual locus technique is employed to assess stability of the optimally tuned closed-loop system in the presence of time delays.
Adolescent Development within a Family Context

This special issue of the Journal of Early Adolescence is devoted to articles which explore family relations during early adolescence. The topics examined in these 10 articles include parent and peer relations, intrafamily conflict, the association between puberty and family relations, the relationship between family behavior and adolescent cognitive, self-concept, and identity development, resiliency and vulnerability, coping strategies, the effects of divorce on adolescents, and single-parent families. In this introduction the main points of each article are briefly summarized, and strengths and limitations are pointed out.
Accelerated Development of Malignant Lymphomas in AKR Mice Injected at Birth with 7,12-Dimethylbenz(a) Anthracene.∗

SummarySubcutaneous injection of 100 μg of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene in 0.05 ml trin-caprylin in newborn AKR mice considerably shortened the latent period of malignant lymphomas. All malignant lymphomas observed in the treated group before the time of appearance of the first lymphoma in the controls were of the stem-cell type.
Survey of industrial information technology

We survey the state-of-the-art with regard to industrial information technology. After a brief review of what the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society is doing in its new Technical Subcommittee on Industrial Information Technology, we review both the practical and the research opportunities in this relatively new but fast-growing sector of the marketplace. We discuss progress with respect to Internet architecture in support of remote monitoring and control, with examples of each: Java programming; multimedia; multicast; network edge services; wireless data access; and data privacy and security.
Cloning and Origin of the Two Forms of Chicken Vitamin D Receptor

Abstract The cDNA for the chicken vitamin D receptor (VDR) has been cloned in full length by screening cDNA libraries from chicken intestine and chicken kidney. The chicken kidney cDNA library constructed by both oligo(dT) and random primer methods yielded several full-length clones. These contained a 66-bp additional coding sequence at the 5′ end in comparison to the cDNAs of human, rat, and mouse VDR. The Japanese quail VDR cDNA was also cloned in full length. We found that the 5′ coding sequence reported previously had been artifactually inverted. Both chicken and quail cDNAs have three conserved ATG sites for translation initiation with the 3′ one corresponding to the only ATG site found in the mammalian cDNAs. Northern blot analysis showed that the VDR gene is expressed as a single 2.69-kb transcript in chicken intestine and kidney. An analysis of the avian multiple ATG sites revealed that the first ATG is in a suboptimal context of TCCATGT, while the second ATG is in AGCATGG, matching the optimal context: R −3 NNATGG +4 . As a result, the two forms of chicken VDR (cVDR) (form A, 60.3 kDa; form B, 58.6 kDa) likely arise from the first and second ATG sites of a single mRNA during translation. Mutational analysis confirmed this belief. The wild-type construct starting from the first ATG site with its original context was subcloned into pCMV5 expression vector and expressed in COS-1 cells. Two receptor proteins, exactly comigrating with the form A and form B cVDRs isolated from chicken intestine, were detected by immunoblotting. Point mutations optimizing the first ATG context led to exclusive production of form A, while knocking out the first ATG site resulted in the sole generation of form B. Form A translated from the first ATG site has 451 amino acids, and form B from the second ATG has 437 amino acids. Comparison between avian and mammalian VDRs indicated that VDR is essentially conserved in DNA binding and ligand binding domains. The significant difference especially at the N-terminus demonstrates divergence of this receptor during evolution of these species.
Background and recruitment data for the U.S. Diabetes Prevention Program.

The objective of the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) is to prevent or delay the development of type 2 diabetes in those high-risk individuals who have tested positive for impaired glucose tolerance on an oral glucose tolerance test. The DPP is a multicenter randomized clinical trial in the U.S. with three intervention arms-lifestyle, metformin, and placebo-with 1,000 participants in each arm who will be recruited over a 3-year recruitment period and will be followed for 3 years after the study-wide closing date for recruitment, resulting in a 3- to 6-year participant follow-up interval. The primary outcome is the development of diabetes according to the revised American Diabetes Association criteria, confirmed with a repeat test. Recruitment ended in the spring of 1999. As of 14 October 1998, the DPP had screened 133,683 individuals, of whom 26,518 had an oral glucose tolerance test, resulting in 3,048 randomized participants (585 of who were former troglitazone arm participants). Of the randomized participants, ∼45% belong to an ethnic minority group, 67% are women, and 10% are >=65 years old. In conclusion, recruitment of subjects for the DPP has been highly successful, particularly with respect to recruitment of minority participants.
Micro-RNAs in gastrointestinal and liver disease.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, noncoding RNAs controlling the activity of 30% of all proteincoding genes by inhibiting target mRNA translation and inducing its degradation. Growing evidence demonstrates that miRNAs take part in regulating almost every cellular process, and that aberrant miRNA expression is a hallmark of disease, including human cancer. 1 Gastrointestinal (GI) and liver tumors are common and there is an urgent need to identify critical targets for therapeutic intervention. Such candidates may be miRNAs. In this review, we discuss the most important advances.
A novel continuous centrifugal bioreactor for high‐density cultivation of mammalian and microbial cells

A continuous centrifugal bioreactor (CCBR), developed to study the growth and productivity of dense suspensions cultures, has been applied to both fermentation and mammalian cell cultivation processes. With this approach, high-density nonflocculent cultures are maintained in a tapered fluidized bed by balancing the drag forces on the cells due to following substrate with the centrifugal forces. The Sysyem was first used to produce ethanol by fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae; then with H21A1 mouse hybridoma cells secreting monoclonal antibody (MoAb), lgM. Results of this research show the feasibility of using the CCBR for both production of secreted products and as a research tool for studying cell metabolism and production kinetics. Media recycle may be used to modify the behavior of the system form a plug flow apparatus to a continuous stirred reactor (CSTR).
Institutions, the Rise of Commerce, and the Persistence of Laws: Interest Restrictions in Islam & Christianity

Why was economic development retarded in the Middle East relative to Western Europe, despite the Middle East being far ahead for centuries after the fall of Rome? A theoretical model inspired and substantiated by the history of interest restrictions suggests that this outcome emanates in part from the greater degree to which early Islamic political authorities derived legitimacy from religious authorities relative to those in Europe. This entailed a feedback mechanism in Europe in which the rise of commerce led to the secular (and eventually religious) relaxation of interest restrictions while also diminishing the Church’s ability to legitimize political authorities. These interactions did not occur in the Islamic world despite equally amenable economic conditions.
Boundary Activities in `Boundaryless' Organizations: A Case Study of a Transformation to a Team-Based Structure:

This paper reports a case study that analyzes changes in organizational boundary activities carried out in a bank during and after restructuring from a functional to a team-based structure. Results suggest that the need for spanning, buffering, and bringing up boundaries does not disappear as organizations become `boundaryless'. Rather, boundary activities increase in significance and migrate to lower organizational levels. Several propositions are generated for future research.
Exploring Adaptive Power Saving Schemes for Mobile VoIP Devices in IEEE 802.11 Networks

Current IEEE 802.11 power saving schemes provide limited savings for VoIP specific wireless traffic. This paper characterizes traffic from the two most popular VoIP service providers in the United States with hopes of developing an improved approach to save power. It proposes a novel scheme, named Adaptive Microsleep (AMS), as well as an alternative scheme named Non-Adaptive Microsleep (NAMS). Both AMS and NAMS are well suited for power saving on mobile VoIP devices by increasing the amount of time the devices spend in a low- power sleep state, but doing so without introducing additional delays that would noticeably deteriorate voice quality. Simulations show that both schemes successfully satisfy both of these primary goals, saving up to 83% power, while also meeting a secondary goal of not requiring large infrastructure changes to 802.11.
Growth factor receptor monoclonal antibodies and cancer immunotherapy.

With the description of the hybridoma technique by Kohler and Milstein (7), it became apparent that monoclonal antibodies were novel reagents with potential applications in the diagnosis and treatment of malignant diseases. It was hoped that the antigenic specificity intrinsic to these new immunological reagents could be translated into methods of attacking cancers with a degree of specificity not attainable by other modes of treatment. These hopes have remained largely unfulfilled owing to the great difficulty in identifying tumor-specific target antigens (2). However, despite the lack of absolute targeting specificity, advances have been made in the use of monoclonal antibodies as vehicles to deliver toxins, drugs, and radioisotopes to malignant cells. Clinical trials with monoclonal antibodies to tumor-associated antigens are under way (3). Malignancies of B and T cells are exceptions in that these cells produce unique antigens that are essential components of normal humoral arid cellular immune responses. Thus, the idiotypes of surface immunoglobulins and the variable regions of T-cell receptors are highly specific antigenic determinants on malignant lymphocytes, which can be exploited as targets for monoclonal antibodies. In perhaps the most impressive use of monoclonal antibodies to treat a human malignancy, a patient with a B-cell lymphoma went into complete clinical remission for 6 years following anti-idiotypic antibody therapy (4).