cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Heterologous expression and secretion of a Streptomyces scabies esterase in Streptomyces lividans and Escherichia coli.

Abstract The esterase gene from Streptomyces scabies FL1 was cloned and expressed in Streptomyces lividans on plasmids pIJ486 and pIJ702. In S. lividans, the esterase gene was expressed during later stages of growth and was regulated by zinc, as is seen with S. scabies. The 36-kDa secreted form of the esterase was purified from S. lividans. N-terminal amino acid sequencing indicated that the processing site utilized in S. lividans for the removal of the signal sequence was the same as that recognized for processing in S. scabies. Western blots (immunoblots) revealed the presence of a 40-kDa precursor form of the esterase in cytoplasmic extracts. A 23-amino-acid deletion was introduced into the putative signal sequence for the esterase. When this deleted form of the esterase was expressed in S. lividans, a cytoplasmic 38-kDa precursor protein was produced but no secreted esterase was detected, suggesting the importance of the deleted sequence for efficient processing and secretion. The esterase gene was also cloned into the pUC119 plasmid in Escherichia coli. By using the lac promoter sequence, the esterase gene was expressed, and the majority of the esterase was localized to the periplasmic space.
Sterilization and Disposal of Agricultural Quarantine Waste

Approximately 150 million people and almost $40 billion worth of agricultural commodities go through U.S. international ports annually. Ports seize animal and plant products potentially contaminated with high risk diseases that then must be decontaminated before entering the waste stream. Currently, there are only 3 methods of decontamination accepted by the Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service at U.S. ports and borders including incineration, high temperature cooking, and discharge of ground waste as sewage. In this study we assess the efficacy of a relatively new decontamination technology, alkaline digestion, to mitigate infectious agents. Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs), a member of the protein misfolding diseases (ex: Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases), were chosen as the infectious agent for this study because they rank as the hardest to kill microbe/pathogen, affect both human and animal species worldwide and are shed by infected hosts into the environment establishing highly infectious biota. Chronic wasting disease (CWD), an emerging TSE of cervid species (deer, elk, moose) in North America, has recently been spotlighted as a potential concern for European countries, and recapitulates human and animal TSE pathogenesis and shedding. For these reasons CWD is ideal for mitigation studies. We processed CWD positive and negative materials by alkaline digestion under standard temperature and pressure at time intervals of 2, 4, and 6 h. Samples were retrieved after digestion, were neutralized and inoculated intracerebrally into transgenic mice expressing the cervid protein to determine remaining prion infectivity. In addition, the samples (pre and post alkaline digestion) were tested for amplification competent prions by Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification (PMCA). Preliminary results suggest a lack of amplification competent prions in samples processed by alkaline digestion at 2, 4, and 6 h cycles as compared to nondigested samples. This work will provide a basis for future studies designed to unravel the mechanisms associated with the ability of prions to bind surfaces enhancing prion mitigation strategies for TSEs and by extension, other protein misfolding diseases.
Lifetime calcium intake and physical activity habits: independent and combined effects on the radial bone of healthy premenopausal Caucasian women

Lifetime calcium intake and lifetime physical activity (PA) habits of 181 healthy premenopausal Caucasian women (aged 20-50) were studied. Nondominant arm was measured by single-photon absorptiometry at the distal (Dis) or 5-mm site and the midshaft (Mid) or two-thirds site of the radius. Values of bone mineral content (BMC), bone width (BW), and bone mineral density (BMD) were obtained. An intermediate or high lifetime Ca (greater than 500 mg/d) was significantly associated with a greater DisBMC (p = 0.0031), DisBMD (p = 0.0031), MidBMC (p = 0.0015), and MidBMD (p = 0.0015) when adjusted for PA. Similarly, with Ca adjusted for, a high lifetime PA (greater than or equal to 45 min of moderate to strenuous activity four times a week) was significantly associated with greater DisBMC (p = 0.0032), DisBMD (p = 0.0022), MidBMC (p = 0.0012), MidBW (p = 0.0173), and MidBMD (p = 0.0546). These findings suggest important roles for both adequate Ca intake and PA habits in enhancing peak adult skeletal mass and a trade-off between these two variables, when each was intermediate or higher.
Identification of Wireless Devices of Users Who Actively Fake Their RF Fingerprints With Artificial Data Distortion

Variations in the RF chain of radio transmitters caused by imperfections of manufacturing processes can be used as a signature to uniquely associate wireless devices with a given transmission. In our previous work, we proposed a model-based approach that allows for identification of wireless devices based on signatures obtained with time domain analysis of a pair of received and decoded signals. Here, we consider strong adversaries who intentionally introduce distortions to the data symbols before the symbols are exposed to the transmitter's inherent nonlinearities, with the intention of faking the signatures of their devices while still allowing for proper data decoding. The method proposed in this work is based on spectral analysis and on the observation that nonlinear components cause in-band distortion and spectral regrowth of the signal that is dependent on the parameters of the nonlinearity. Hence, by analysis of the in-band distortion of the spectrum as well as the spectral regrowth, we show that wireless devices can be successfully identified even when the users are digitally modifying their data symbols. The utility of the proposed identification approach is demonstrated with simulations based on parameters obtained from the measurements of commercially employed WLAN RF transmitters
A versatile counter telescope for neutron-induced charged-particle reactions and finite geometry correction

Abstract An easily assembled counter telescope for neutron-induced charged particle reactions is described. The number and the dimensions of the proportional counters used for energy loss measurement can be easily changed, and either solid-state or CsI detectors incorporated as stopping detector. The telescope has been used successfully in 6 Li ( n , z) and 9 Be( n , z) reactions after good pulse height resolution was obtained for the summed output of the proportional counters. The methods of calculation and program listing are given to determine the finite-geometry aperture function at any scattering angle, assuming the circular target and stopping detector are separated by an internal circular aperture with a smaller diameter.
Images in clinical medicine. Nail in the aorta.

Figure 1. A 32-year-old man who had attempted suicide with a nail gun directed at his heart just to the left of the sternum presented to the emergency room with cardiac tamponade. The chest x-ray film (Panel A) revealed a nail (arrow), apparently in the heart. A two-dimensional transesophageal echocardiogram in the transverse plane at the level of the aorta revealed that the nail (open arrow) was 1 cm distal to the aortic leaflets (Panel B). The nail penetrated the right ventricle (RV), just proximal to the pulmonic valve (PV), adhering the right ventricle to the aorta (AO). A horizontal . . .
Negative staining in the detection of viruses in clinical specimens

Abstract Viruses have unique morphology and are therefore good candidates for negative staining. Negative staining with phosphotungstic acid (PTA) or uranyl acetate has facilitated the detection of many viruses in clinical specimens. Enhancement procedures have included the use of centrifugation and agar diffusion for concentrating virus particles, the use of solid phase capture reagents to trap virus particles and the use of secondary antibodies and electron dense markers to help visualize them. Techniques currently in use and employing negative staining include direct EM, immune electron microscopy (IEM), solid phase immune electron microscopy (SPIEM), colloidal gold-labeled protein A (PAG), solid phase IEM employing a second decorator antibody (SPIEMDAT), and solid phase IEM using colloided gold-labeled secondary antibodies (SPEIMDAGT). IEM methods assist with the detection of small viruses or viruses present in low numbers while PAG offers increased sensitivity over direct EM and IEM. In our experience the serum-in-agar (SIA) method is the most sensitive of the PAG IEM techniques for detection of rotavirus particles in clinical specimens. SPIEMDAT enhances the detection of small viruses which are often missed by other techniques due to background staining in specimens. SPEIMDAGT employing colloidal gold-labeled secondary antibody has increased sensitivity and offers the advantage of detecting viral antigen when whole virus particles are not visible. IEM techniques have recently been used for typing viruses using either monospecific antisera or monoclonal antibodies and colloidal gold-labeled secondary antibody.
Comparison Criticality in Sorting Algorithms

Fault tolerance techniques often presume that the end-user computation must complete flawlessly. Though such strict correctness is natural and easy to explain, it's increasingly unaffordable for extreme-scale computations, and blind to possible preferences among errors, should they prove inevitable. In a case study on traditional sorting algorithms, we present explorations of a criticality measure defined over expected fault damage rather than probability of correctness. We discover novel 'error structure' in even the most familiar algorithms, and observe that different plausible error measures can qualitatively alter criticality relationships, suggesting the importance of explicit error measures and criticality in the wise deployment of the limited spare resources likely to be available in future extreme-scale computers.
Knock-down of Amphiregulin Inhibits Cellular Invasion in Inflammatory Breast Cancer

We have previously shown that SUM-149 human breast cancer cells require an amphiregulin (AREG) autocrine loop for cell proliferation. We also demonstrated that AREG can increase epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) stability and promote EGFR localization to the plasma membrane. In the present studies we successfully knocked-down AREG expression in SUM-149 cells by lentiviral infection of AREG shRNA. In the absence of AREG expression, SUM-149 cell growth was slowed, but not completely inhibited. Furthermore, cells infected with AREG shRNA constructs showed an increase in EGFR protein expression by Western blot. Immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy showed that following AREG knock-down, EGFR continued to localize to the cell surface. Soft agar assays demonstrated that AREG knock-down cells retain anchorage-independent growth capacity. Additionally mammosphere forming assays and Adefluor staining analysis showed that knock-down of AREG expression did not affect the expression of stem cell phenotypes. However, following AREG knock-down, SUM-149 cells demonstrated a dramatic decrease in their ability to invade a Matrigel matrix. Consistent with this observation, microarray analysis comparing cells infected with a non-silencing vector to the AREG knock-down cells, identified genes associated with the invasive phenotype such as RHOB and DKK1, and networks associated with cell motility such as integrin-linked kinase signaling, and focal adhesion kinase signaling. AREG was also found to modulate WNT and Notch signaling in these cells. Thus, AREG functions in regulating the invasive phenotype, and we propose that this regulation may be through altered signaling that occurs when AREG activates plasma membrane localized EGFR.
A Computer System for Environmental Sample Analysis and Data Storage and Analysis

A mini-computer based environmental sample analysis and data storage system has been developed. The system is used for analytical data acquisition, computation, storage of analytical results, and tabulation of selected or derived results for data analysis, interpretation and reporting. This paper discusses the structure, performance and applications of the system.
New science, old convictions − Texas Senate Bill 344: identifying further necessary reform in forensic science

In June 2013, Texas Senate Bill 344 (SB 344) was signed into law after strong Innocence Project support. SB 344 has since transformed the Texan judicial landscape. Known as the 'Junk Science Writ', SB 344 enables the court to grant habeas corpus relief based on scientific evidence that '(1) was not available to be offered by a convicted person at the convicted person's trial; or (2) contradicts scientific evidence relied on by the state at trial'. Inmates, such as the 'San Antonio Four', whose convictions were based upon what is now considered 'faulty' medical and forensic testimony, have been released under SB 344. Yet, science, as a field dependent on innovation, is inherently prone to debunking the scientific and forensic methods the law has relied upon to convict individuals. This commentary identifies policy behind SB 344, how SB 344 may influence the perception of science in the courtroom, and how 'junk science' is defined and/or limited. Furthermore, this commentary concludes that to achieve justice in the legal system through habeas relief based on 'junk science', it is necessary to revitalize and standardize forensic science.
Socioeconomic Status Is Associated with Depressive Severity Among Patients with Advanced Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer: Treatment Setting and Minority Status Do Not Make a Difference

Introduction: Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the lead- ing cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality. Unfortunately, patients with NSCLC have relatively poor survival rates compared with patients diagnosed with most other types of cancer. Accordingly, managing physical and mental health symptoms are important treat- ment goals. In the current investigation, we sought to determine whether individual socioeconomic status (SES; as indexed by level of education), racial/ethnic minority status, and hospital type (pub- lic versus tertiary care center) were associated with NSCLC cancer patients' depressive severity. Importantly, we investigated whether NSCLC patients' individual SES was more or less prognostic of their depressive severity compared with minority status and the hospital context where they received treatment. Methods: Patients scheduled for chemotherapy were assessed for depressed mood by the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). Data were collected at baseline and at approximately 6, 12, and 18 weeks. Results: NSCLC patients with less education had more depres- sive severity than those with more education. Treatment setting and minority status were not associated with depressive severity. The interaction between education level and treatment setting predicting depressive severity was not significant, suggesting that the associa- tion between education level and depressive severity did not differ by treatment setting. Conclusion: Our study brings heightened awareness to the sub- stantial, persistent SES differences that exist in depressive severity among late-stage NSCLC patients. Furthermore, these findings seem to persist, regardless of minority status and whether the patient is treated at a public hospital or tertiary cancer center.
Replacement of pteroylglutamic acid by folinic acid for the chick.

SummaryStudies on the biological activity of synthetic folinic acid show that it may replace pteroylglutamic acid in the diet of the chick.
Trace elements in municipal solid waste incinerator fly ash

Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) significantly reduces volume and mass by as much as 80%, prolonging the life span of landfills. The concentration of heavy metals in the ash and their ability to leach into ground water is a serious concern when siting and designing MSWI ash landfills. Improved technology captures most heavy metals in the ash. The distribution of elements among the different ash particle sizes was determined by NAA. The bottom ash residue was separated into fractions ranging from ≥9.5 mm to ≤0.3 mm. The fly ash was separated into fractions from ≥250 μm to ≤20 μm. Landfills usually bury a mixture of both. The combined ash was separated into fractions over the entire range from >9.5 mm to <20 μm. Thermal and epithermal neutron irradiations of size fractionated MSW bottom, fly and combined ash were performed to determine the distribution of various metals within the ash. Compared to normal soil, the ashes contained elevated amounts of numerous elements. Concentrations of the more enriched elements (Ag, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Sb, Se, Sr and Zn) in fly ash were of particular interest as source markers.
Temporal patterns in the facilitation of Sidman avoidance by lateral hypothalamic stimulation

Rats were trained to run in a wheel to avoid electric shock on a Sidman schedule. Lateral hypothalamic stimulation facilitated avoidance responding. The aftereffect of lateral hypothalamic stimulation was a depression of avoidance responding if the stimulation had mixed rewarding and aversive properties.
Laser cavity squeezing using optimal servo controller in optomechanical sensors

In this paper, the linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) control method is used to tackle the problem of mode-squeezing in optomechanical sensors. Coherent-feedback quantum control is synthesized by incorporating both shot noise and back-action noise to attenuate the output noise well below the shot noise level. The effectiveness of the proposed control strategy in squeezing the cavity output beam is demonstrated by simulation.
Deformable structure registration of bladder through surface mapping.

Cumulative dose distributions in fractionated radiation therapy depict the dose to normal tissues and therefore may permit an estimation of the risk of normal tissue complications. However, calculation of these distributions is highly challenging because of interfractional changes in the geometry of patient anatomy. This work presents an algorithm for deformable structure registration of the bladder and the verification of the accuracy of the algorithm using phantom and patient data. In this algorithm, the registration process involves conformal mapping of genus zero surfaces using finite element analysis, and guided by three control landmarks. The registration produces a correspondence between fractions of the triangular meshes used to describe the bladder surface. For validation of the algorithm, two types of balloons were inflated gradually to three times their original size, and several computerized tomography(CT) scans were taken during the process. The registration algorithm yielded a local accuracy of 4 mm along the balloon surface. The algorithm was then applied to CT data of patients receiving fractionated high-dose-rate brachytherapy to the vaginal cuff, with the vaginal cylinder in situ. The patients’ bladder filling status was intentionally different for each fraction. The three required control landmark points were identified for the bladder based on anatomy. Out of an Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved study of 20 patients, 3 had radiographically identifiable points near the bladder surface that were used for verification of the accuracy of the registration. The verification point as seen in each fraction was compared with its predicted location based on affine as well as deformable registration. Despite the variation in bladder shape and volume, the deformable registration was accurate to 5 mm , consistently outperforming the affine registration. We conclude that the structure registration algorithm presented works with reasonable accuracy and provides a means of calculating cumulative dose distributions.
Rigidity properties of nonexpansive mapping

On donne les definitions et on discute de la dualite entre applications retracts non-dilatation et la classe des projections metriques. On montre une relation entre les ombres de Korookin et les enveloppes retractibles. On etudie la structure fibree d'un retract non-dilatation
Employee absenteeism as an affective event

Abstract We consider theoretical and empirical developments in personality, affect, and absenteeism research. Specifically, we investigate the relationship between these three constructs and propose a theoretical perspective about the importance of affect in mediating the effect that personality has on absenteeism. One of our main goals is to look at both positive and negative consequences of absenteeism. We propose a model of the personality types that have a higher likelihood of using absenteeism to their benefit (i.e., to “recharge” and change negative affect) and therefore have the absence be functional (i.e., positive affect and higher productivity upon returning to the job) rather than dysfunctional (i.e., negative affect and person is still unproductive or has less productivity than before the absence event). We conclude by emphasizing the theoretical contributions that this model makes and by suggesting ways in which the model could be tested.
An hydrodynamic explanation of mitotic figures

The distinctly polar arrangement of the chromatin substance about the astral centers in dividing cells, combined with the pronounced curvature of the astral rays and of the spindle fibers, have demanded the assumption of some polar force as universally operative. On such an assumption it is of course necessary to assume further that astral centers represent either opposite or like poles. On the alternative of opposite poles, we should expect, with any force so far proposed, a configuration of astral rays simulating that of iron filings between opposite magnetic poles, coupled with a mutual attraction of the astral centers. On the other alternative, we should similarly expect a configuration of astral rays and spindle fibers simulating that of iron filings between like magnetic poles, coupled with a mutual repulsion of the astral centers. Actually, we have neither of these conditions, but instead, a configuratian like that of iron filings between opposite magnetic poles and at the same time an apparent rep...
Betting on the future? Double down on libraries

Purpose – This article aims to describe three recent books that forecast the future of libraries. Design/methodology/approach – The article focuses on the transformative changes taking place in collections and technical services. Findings – The article finds that open access has secured a strong foothold in the information world. Originality/value – The article provides a vision of the future that is largely positive for libraries.
Characterization of peptides in human cerebrospinal fluid

The report of endorphin-like activity in human CSF [7] has stimulated us to study peptides in various CSF specimens. At first we attempted to fractionate CSF by gel-filtration and paper-mapping procedures. By these techniques, we have isolated a peptide (Gly-Ala3-Val-Leu) contaminated with glutamic acid (or glutamine), which could not be removed by either of these methods. An HPLC method was developed for peptide fractionations on a RP-18 column with a gradient of 18 mM ammonium acetate and acetonitrile. This system has been evaluated with synthetic peptides of molecular weight up to about 1850, and has the advantages that the buffer salts may be removed by lyophilization and separations are performed at or near neutral pH thus minimizing alterations in the structure of the peptides. The retention characteristics of peptides on a C18 column is a function of the pH of the buffer. This facilitates the characterization of peptides since each may be identified by its unique chromatographic behavior at different pH values on one column.
Polarographic study of Sn(IV) chloride-pyridine N-oxide complexes in acetonitrile

Abstract Polarograms recorded of Sn(IV) chloride in acetonitrile in the presence of controlled quantities of each of nine substituted pyridine N-oxide ligands demonstrated the formation of stable and soluble complexes with a stoichiometry dependent upon the nature and position of the ring substituent. The polarographic data associated with each complex and the free ligands are used to substantiate a proposed bonding model which explains the dependency of the complex formula on the ligand structure. The salt SnCl 4 ·5H 2 O was employed as a source of Sn(IV) and the complete polarographic behaviour of this salt in acetonitrile is described as a basis for the interpretation of complex reduction behaviour.
Ionization in Pure Gases and the Average Energy to Make an Ion Pair for Alpha and Beta Particles

A series of measurements has been made of the relative currents produced in different gases by beta particles from ${\mathrm{Ni}}^{63}$ and from tritium sources in an ionization chamber. In all cases only relative current measurements with argon as a standard gas have as yet been made. The value of $W$, the average energy to make an ion-pair computed relative to argon as a standard, is found to be the same for ${\mathrm{Ni}}^{63}$ and tritium sources. If these relative ${W}_{\ensuremath{\beta}}$ values are plotted as abscissas against previously determined ${W}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}$ values for polonium alpha particles as ordinates, a marked difference is observed in the gases investigated. For hydrogen and the noble gases the plotted points lie closely on a 45 degree straight line through the origin. Thus for these gases the ratio $\frac{{W}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}}{{W}_{\ensuremath{\beta}}}$ is constant. This constant may well be unity, but this is not proved as yet by these results. For all other gases so far investigated, the plotted points lie above the 45 degree line, indicating a higher efficiency of ionization (and a lower $W$) for the beta particles than for the polonium alpha particles. These results are in accord with the findings of Gray and Gurney. Gurney's results have been extended here to include a greater variety of gases for reduced alpha particles of approximately 1-Mev energy. Two postulates are advanced to explain the behavior of ${W}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}$ and ${W}_{\ensuremath{\beta}}$ here found.
Intersystem crossing rates of pentacene in naphthalene at 1.9 K following single-mode laser excitation

The rates of nonradiativ decay and the spectra of pentacene in naphthalene are reported. The experiments were carried out at 1.9 K using a single-mode dye laser. The results in the naphthalene host are consistent with our earlier observation of transients in the p-terphenyl host, and suggest a slow rate for intersystem crossing in the molecule.
Norepinephrine turnover in iron deficiency: effect of two semi-purified diets.

Summary The effects of two dietary treatments on norepinephrine turnover in iron deficiency were examined. These studies were designed to bridge the gap between previous studies of poor thermoregulation in iron deficiency which used a diet (HMW, Hubbel-Mendel-Wakeman formulation) relatively high in fat (46% of calories) and moderate in carbohydrate (46% of calories) and the more recent studies of thermogenesis in iron deficiency which use the AIN-76 recommended diet which is relatively low in fat (11% of calories) and high in carbohydrate (67% of calories). Iron deficient rats grew less well and had depressed thyroid hormone concentrations regardless of dietary treatment group. The HMW diet significantly increased norepinephrine turnover in heart in iron deficient animals relative to AIN diet but had no effect in controls. Brown adipose tissue norepinephrine turnover was threefold higher in HMW rats fed a low iron diet, and only 67 percent higher in control rats. This study demonstrates that certain modest macronutrient manipulations affect norepinephrine content and turnover more in iron deficients than controls. However, abnormalities in thyroid hormone concentrations persist in iron deficient animals regardless of these dietary treatments.
Footprinting the sites of interaction of antibiotics with catalytic group I intron RNA

Aminoglycoside inhibitors of translation have been shown previously to inhibit in vitro self-splicing by group I introns. Chemical probing of the phage T4-derived sunY intron shows that neomycin, streptomycin, and related antibiotics protected the N-7 position of G96, a universally conserved guanine in the binding site for the guanosine cofactor in the splicing reaction. The antibiotics also disrupted structural contacts that have been proposed to bring the 5' cleavage site of the intron into proximity to the catalytic core. In contrast, the strictly competitive inhibitors deoxyguanosine and arginine protected only the N-7 position of G96. Parallels between these results and previously observed protection of 16S ribosomal RNA by aminoglycosides raise the possibility that group I intron splicing and transfer RNA selection by ribosomes involve similar RNA structural motifs.
Concentration of Dissolved Amino Acids from Saline Waters by Ligand-Exchange Chromatography

Amino acids dissolved in salt solutions may be concentrated and removed from the solution by ligand exchange on copper-Chelex 100 resin. Competing inorganic ligands do not interfere, and ion exchange with cations does not occur; thus loss of metal ion from this column is avoided. To test the potentiality of ligand exchange for chromatography, the type and nature of the dissolved amino compounds in sea water were investigated. The data revealed that the bulk of the dissolved amino compounds is present in a combined rather than a free state.
Using simulations of reduced precision arithmetic to design a neuro-microprocessor

This article describes some of our recent work in the development of computer architectures for efficient execution of artificial neural network algorithms. Our earlier system, the Ring Array Processor (RAP), was a multiprocessor based on commercial DSPs with a low-latency ring interconnection scheme. We have used the RAP to simulate variable precision arithmetic to guide us in the design of arithmetic units for high performance neurocomputers to be implemented with custom VLSI. The RAP system played a critical role in this study, enabling us to experiment with much larger networks than would otherwise be possible. Our study shows that back-propagation training algorithms only require moderate precision. Specifically, 16b weight values and 8b output values are sufficient to achieve training and classification results comparable to 32b floating point. Although these results were gathered for frame classification in continuous speech, we expect that they will extend to many other connectionist calculations. We have used these results as part of the design of a programmable single chip microprocessor, SPERT. The reduced precision arithmetic permits the use of multiple arithmetic units per processor. Also, reduced precision operands make more efficient use of valuable processor-memory bandwidth. For our moderate-precision fixed-point arithmetic applications, SPERT represents more than an order of magnitude reduction in cost over systems with equivalent performance that use commercial DSP chips.
The relations among putative biorisk markers in schizotypal adolescents: minor physical anomalies, movement abnormalities, and salivary cortisol.

Background Evidence suggests that prenatal insult may play a role in the etiology of psychotic disorders. Minor physical anomalies (MPA) are an indicator of abnormal fetal development and are elevated in individuals at genetic and behavioral risk for psychosis. Yet, there has been little empirical research on the relationships between MPAs and other neurobiological risk indicators. We hypothesized that the frequency of MPAs (an external marker of prenatal central nervous system [CNS] disruption) would be associated with two other biomarkers suggestive of disruptions in fetal neurodevelopment: movement abnormalities (an indicator of striatal abnormalities) and heightened cortisol secretion (an indicator of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal [HPA]/hippocampal function). Methods Participants with schizotypal personality disorder (SPD; n = 39) and both normal (n = 47) and other personality disorders (n = 28) control subjects were administered structured diagnostic interviews and assessed for MPAs, movement abnormalities, and salivary cortisol. Results Schizotypal personality disorder participants showed significantly greater MPAs and movement abnormalities and higher cortisol than both the normal and other personality disorders groups. Hierarchal linear regression analyses revealed that higher rates of MPAs were linked with greater movement abnormalities and salivary cortisol. Conclusions The findings suggest that MPAs serve as a marker of neurodevelopmental abnormalities that affect striatal and hippocampal regions.
You Can’t Save Alone: Commitment in Rotating Savings and Credit Associations in Kenya

Abstract This article examines one reason why individuals develop and maintain local‐level financial savings organizations known as rotating savings and credit organizations, or Roscas. Economic theories suggest that individuals form Roscas to finance the purchase of a lumpy durable good, in response to intrahousehold conflict over savings, or to provide themselves with insurance. The article proposes an additional hypothesis for Rosca participation: saving requires discipline, and some Roscas may be formed to provide a collective mechanism for commitment in the presence of time‐inconsistent preferences. Data from 70 Roscas located in western Kenya indicate that the commitment hypothesis is plausible and broadly consistent with the design and patterns of participation in these Roscas. As many Rosca participants put it, “You can’t save alone.”
Large Eddy Simulations of a Bubbly Mixing Layer

In this paper we present the results of the application of a Lagrangian particle dynamics (LPD) method and a random flow generation technique (RFG) developed by the authors used in conjunction with large eddy simulations (LES) applied to the case of a two-phase bubbly mixing layer. The objective is to validate the present hybrid Lagrangian-Eulerian approach within the context of LES. The dynamics of the vortices and bubble concentrations reproduced in simulations are in a good agreement with experimental data.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
The selective acetylation of primary alcohols in the presence of secondary alcohols in carbohydrates

Abstract Treatment of primary-secondary sugar diols with ethyl acetate in the presence of Woelm neutral alumina produced selectively the corresponding primary monoacetates in good yield. No di-acetate was formed in a detectable amount.
Potassium Content of Illite

The average potassium oxide content of 18 Paleozoic two-layer monoclinic illites is 8.75 percent. There is an excellent linear relation between the ratio of the intensities of the reflections at 10 angstroms and 5 angstroms (10 A/5 A) and the potassium oxide content. The frequency distribution curve of the 10 A/5 A intensity ratio of 249 Paleozoic illite-rich shales is approximately normal. The modal value is 2.0, equivalent to 9.3 percent potassium oxide, and the average ratio is 2.47, equivalent to approximately 8.5 percent potassium oxide. The illite layers of many of the mixed layer illites-montmorillonites have from 8 to 10 percent potassium oxide. With a minimum number of assumptions realistic structural formulas for the two members of a mixed-layer illite-montmorillonite can be calculated.
Molecular insights on context-specific role of profilin-1 in cell migration

Profilin-1 (Pfn1) is a ubiquitously expressed actin-monomer binding protein that has been linked to many cellular activities ranging from control of actin polymerization to gene transcription. Traditionally, Pfn1 has been considered to be an essential control element for actin polymerization and cell migration. Seemingly contrasting this view, a few recent studies have shown evidence of an inhibitory action of Pfn1 on motility of certain types of carcinoma cells. In this review, we summarize biochemistry and functional aspects of Pfn1 in normal cells and bring in newly emerged action of Pfn1 in cancer cells that may explain its context-specific role in cell migration.
On the fly learning of mobility profiles for routing in pocket switched networks

In this paper, we propose a novel routing protocol, PRO, for profile-based routing in pocket switched networks. Differing from previous routing protocols, PRO treats node encounters as periodic patterns and uses them to predict the times of future encounters. Exploiting the regularity of human mobility profiles, PRO achieves fast (low-delivery-latency) and efficient (low-message-overhead) routing in intermittently connected pocket switched networks. PRO is self-learning, completely decentralized, and local to the nodes. Despite being simple, PRO forms a general framework, that can be easily instantiated to solve searching and querying problems in adhoc smartphone networks. We validate the performance of PRO on real world traces and compare its performance with that of previous approaches.
Contact-stimulated proliferation of cultured mouse epidermal cells by 3T3 feeder layers: Inhibition of proliferation by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)

Mouse epidermal cells can be subcultured at 31 degrees C onto an irradiated BALB/c 3T3 clone A31 feeder layer. A31 cells (supposedly derived from embryonic fibroblasts) were found to be specifically required for the optimal production of keratinizing epidermal colonies in secondary culture. This effect was not transmitted through the medium nor by the culture surface, since A31 cells plated on one end of a flask did not stimulate epidermal cell proliferation at the other end, even if the other end had previously held A31 cells. Epidermal cell contact with metabolizing A31 cells was probably necessary for the effect; fixed or freeze-thawed A31 cells were ineffective. The tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, recently shown to interfere with contact-mediated transfer of label (metabolic cooperation) between Swiss 3T3 cells and cells of an established epidermal line in vitro, also blocked epidermal colony formation. The A31-epidermal cell interaction is apparently not a typical mesenchymal-epithelial interaction, since the basement membrane would prevent this contact in intact skin.
Conditioning as a Function of the Interval between the Conditioned and the Original Stimulus

Resume Quand on a conditionne un mouvement d'eloignement du doigt a un stimulus auditif, le nombre des reponses conditionnees a ete influence par les intervalles de temps entre le stimulus conditionne et le stimulus non conditionne. Quand on a presente premierement le stimulus non conditionne, le conditionnement s'est montre possible, mais les pourcentages (entre 6 et 12) ont ete peu eleves. La relation simultanee n'a pas ete la plus puissante, car seulement 10 pour cent de conditionnement a resulte de son usage. Quand on a presente premierement le stimulus conditionne, la quantite de conditionnement est restee toujours petite, sauf pour les intervalles entre 0,2 et 0,6 secondes; avec ceux-ci, le pourcentage de conditionnement a ete aussi eleve que 58. L'exercice a eu l'effet de diminuer le nombre des reponses conditionnees qui ont paru, plutot que de les augmenter. Mais quand on n'a pas presente le stimulus conditionne non renforce pendant les trois premieres periodes d'exercice, la quantite de condition...
A comparison of average and discounted cost models for the dynamic lot size inventory problem

Abstract It is a common practice in the inventory literature to use average cost models as approximations to the theoretically correct discounted cost models. An average cost model minimizes the average undiscounted cost per period, while a discounted cost model minimizes the total discounted cost over the problem horizon. This paper attempts to answer an important question: How good are the results (the total discounted costs) for the average cost models compared to those for the discounted cost models? This question has been conclusively answered for the simplest inventory model where the demand rate and other parameters are assumed to remain constant in time. This paper addresses this issue for the first time for the case where demand rates are allowed to be nonstationary in time. A discounted cost model has been developed in the paper to carry out this comparison. It is shown that a simple dynamic programming algorithm can be used to find optimal order policies for the discounted cost model. The effect of the varying interest rates and other parameters on the relative performance of the average cost model has been studied by developing an insightful analysis and also by doing a computational study. The results show that, while the average cost model can cost as much as about 26% more than the discounted cost model in extreme cases, this increase is not significant for the parameter values in the range of the common interest.
Imaging survey for faint companions with shaped pupil masks

A combination of Spergel’s innovative gaussian-shaped pupil masks with future space-based and ground-based adaptive optics telescopes will offer great sensitivity for direct imaging of faint companions including brown dwarfs and extra-solar planets around nearby stars. Here we propose a quick way to fully achieve its potential for deep contrast imaging surveys with a great speed in a conventionally designed telescope. In our approach, two Gaussian pupil masks set on each side of the secondary obscuration, slightly penetrating the telescope spider structures, are placed in a cryogenic pupil plane in an infrared (IR) camera to allow the collimated telescope beams to pass through. This simple design will enable ~10 -6 deep contrast imaging while enjoying diffraction-limited imaging from the full telescope aperture for discovering faint companions closest to the primary. The survey speed with this design will be at least 3-4 times faster than a conventional coronagraph due to its simple alignment. This contrast should allow an image survey for Jupiter-like planets to ~ 20 pc in the thermal IR with next generation large ground-based and space based telescopes. A combination of this shaped pupil mask with an apodizing focal plane mask will enable deeper contrast than the pupil mask alone. However, it takes a much longer time to align the system, so this mode will be used for characterization of faint companion systems from the candidates identified from the survey. A prototype gaussian pupil mask in the Penn State near IR Imager and Spectrograph (PIRIS) has been tested at the Mt. Wilson 100 inch telescope with high order natural guide star adaptive optics (AO) and has demonstrated its tremendous potential. The contrast is about 10 -3 -10 -4 beyond 7 λ/Δ. The contrast is about 5 times better than the direct AO image, and comparable to an IR coronagraph in the same instrument. Recent lab experiments show that 3x10 -6 at ~ 4 λ/Δ can be reached with a combination of a Gaussian pupil mask with an apodizing focal plane mask.
A Vinyl Streamer Tag for Shrimp (Penaeus spp.)

Abstract This paper describes a vinyl streamer tag for use on shrimp (Penaeus spp.). The tag is light and flexible, and has little if any effect on shrimp movement or behavior. In laboratory tests, the streamer was retained by the shrimp and caused no detectable tagging mortality, while considerable mortality occurred in shrimp tagged with a Petersen tag. In field tests over a 30-day period, there were limited dislocation and loss of streamer tags, but the dye used to color the vinyl material faded. Suggestions for modification of the streamer tag are made to alleviate these two problems. Mortality in shrimp tagged with the streamer did not differ significantly from that of untagged shrimp.
Sensitivity analysis for the dynamic response of viscoplastic shells of revolution

A computational procedure is presented for evaluating the sensitivity coefficients of the dynamic axisymmetric response of viscoplastic shells of revolution. The analytical formulation is based on Reissner's large deformation shell theory with the effects of transverse shear deformation, rotatory inertia and moments turning around the normal to the middle surface included. The material model is chosen to be isothermal viscoplasticity, and an associated flow rule is used with a von Mises effective stress. A mixed formulation is used with the fundamental unknowns consisting of six stress resultants, three generalized displacements and three velocity components. Spatial discretization is performed using finite elements, with discontinuous stress resultants across element interfaces. The temporal integration is performed by using an explicit central difference scheme (leap-frog method) with an implicit constitutive update. The sensitivity coefficients are evaluated using a direct differentiation approach. Numerical results are presented for a spherical cap subjected to step loading, and a circular plate subjected to impulsive loading. The sensitivity coefficients are generated by evaluating the derivatives of the response quantities with respect to thickness, mass density, Young's modulus, and two of the material parameters characterizing the viscoplastic response. Time histories of the response and sensitivity coefficients are presented, along with spatial distributions of these quantities at selected times.
Factor analysis of the aftereffects of drinking in alcoholics.

Research that deals with the causes of alcoholism has been hampered by the absence of factor analyses that deal specifically with ethanol's aftereffects. We factor analyzed 100 alcoholics' reports of the effects that they experience after alcohol consumption. Five factors emerged--Hangover, Euphoria, Flushing, Seizures, and Sleepiness. They are described and discussed. Future investigators may find them helpful in assessing theories on the etiology of alcoholism and in studies of ethanol's effects on subsets of alcohol abusers. Language: en
A closer look at transcription intelligibility for speakers with dysarthria: evaluation of scoring paradigms and linguistic errors made by listeners.

Purpose This study addressed the effects of 3 different paradigms for scoring orthographic transcriptions of dysarthric speech on intelligibility scores. The study also examined whether there were ...
A New Algorithm for Image Edge Extraction Using a Statistical Classifier Approach

This correspondence describes a new algorithm for extracting edges from natural images. Starting from a simple image model, the algorithm poses the problem of edge extraction as a statistical classifier problem. The algorithm is capable of extracting and detecting edges from images even in the presence of noise. A step by step mathematical derivation of the algorithm reveals the flexibility of the algorithm with pertinent parameters that can be varied for the specific need of the user. Finally, the proposed edge operator is compared to the well-known Marr-Hildreth's edge operator.
Structural Evolution of Extended Defects in Nonstoichiometric Solids

Abstract A defect theory for a better fundamental understanding of the structural evolution of extended defects in nonstoichiometric solids is presented. Some novel concepts relating to defects in nonstoichiometric oxides and their role have been proposed in terms of equilibrium concentrations and supersaturations of point defects, the latter being accommodated into extended shear planes, and into other broader types of planar boundaries all serving to accommodate nonstoichiometry. Our model of supersaturation underpins the mechanism of nucleation of dislocation loops in the formation of crystallographic shear planes suggested in the model of Professor Anderson, and fundamental concepts of diffusion controlled solid state chemical reactions in general. In situ electron microscopy (EM) in controlled gas environments, atomic resolution EM, and correlated chemical experiments on reactivity have been utilized to understand the physics and chemistry of defect structures.