cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cloning, Sequencing, and Characterization of the Gene Encoding Flagellin, flaC, and the Post-translational Modification of Flagellin, FlaC, from Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC824

Abstract Clostridium acetobutylicum is an anaerobic, motile, industrially important organism. In order to investigate the relationship between motility and solvent production, the gene which encodes the flagellin was cloned, sequenced and the corresponding amino acid sequence deduced. The gene was designated flaC, based upon significant amino acid sequence similarity with flagellin proteins from other organisms. The flaC gene was found to be 825 bp in length which could potentially encode a 275-amino acid protein, with a calculated molecular weight of 29 505Da. Primer extension analysis revealed the presence of a single transcriptional start site 72 bp upstream of the flaC translation start codon, with an inverted repeat present downstream of the structural gene that has the characteristics of a stem-loop structure and thus may act as a rho-independent transcription terminator. The putative promoter that was identified shared strong similarity toσ28 -type promoters that have been identified upstream of flagellin genes in other species. Previous work using western immunoblots had identified that the flagellin protein was a ca. 42-kDa protein, yet this did not agree with the size expected based on nucleotide sequence analysis. PCR analysis revealed that there was no re-arrangement of the flaC structural gene. To further characterize the difference between the two observations, FlaC was investigated for a post-transnational modification such as glycosylation. Protein analysis revealed that the FlaC protein was glycosylated, with a terminal sialyl residue as demonstrated by treatment with neuraminidase.
Effect of Tetrabenazine on Motor Function in Patients with Huntington Disease

Introduction Tetrabenazine (TBZ) reduces chorea related to Huntington disease (HD); however, it is uncertain whether this effect improves functionally relevant motor skills such as hand coordination and balance. The objective of this study was to provide pilot data regarding three motor function tests, which might be useful in monitoring symptom progression and therapeutic response, pending formal validation.
Adolescent bipolar disorder: a nine-year experience

The clinical records of 53 adolescent inpatients diagnosed with bipolar disorder were re-evaluated to examine their profiles and differential diagnoses. Seventy-two percent satisfied DSM-III-R Bipolar Disorder criteria and most presented with manic or mixed mood symptoms. Half were psychotic. Non-affective psychosis, unipolar depression, organic syndromes and disruptive behavioral disorders complicated the differential diagnoses, particularly among younger boys. The well-documented bipolars were characterized by affective symptoms prior to the first admission and shorter hospitalizations than the remaining subjects. A recent trend towards overdiagnosis of bipolar disorder is suggested in some patients.
Mitigating Unwanted Photophysical Processes for Improved Single-Molecule Fluorescence Imaging

Organic fluorophores common to fluorescence-based investigations suffer from unwanted photophysical properties, including blinking and photobleaching, which limit their overall experimental performance. Methods to control such processes are particularly important for single-molecule fluorescence and fluorescence resonance energy transfer imaging where uninterrupted, stable fluorescence is paramount. Fluorescence and FRET-based assays have been carried out on dye-labeled DNA and RNA-based systems to quantify the effect of including small-molecule solution additives on the fluorescence and FRET behaviors of both cyanine and Alexa fluorophores. A detailed dwell time analysis of the fluorescence and FRET trajectories of more than 200,000 individual molecules showed that two compounds identified previously as triplet state quenchers, cyclooctatetraene, and Trolox, as well as 4-nitrobenzyl alcohol, act to favorably attenuate blinking, photobleaching, and influence the rate of photoresurrection in a concentration-dependent and context-dependent manner. In both biochemical systems examined, a unique cocktail of compounds was shown to be optimal for imaging performance. By simultaneously providing the most rapid and direct access to multiple photophysical kinetic parameters, smFRET imaging provides a powerful avenue for future investigations aimed at discovering new compounds, and effective combinations thereof. These efforts may ultimately facilitate tuning organic dye molecule performance according to each specific experimental demand.
Tradeoff between height and relative growth rate in a dominant grass from the Serengeti ecosystem

We determined the relationship between plant height and whole-plant relative growth rate (g g-1 day-1) for ten genotypes of Sporobolus kentrophyllus collected from an intensively grazed site on the Serengeti Plains, Tanzania. Plants were grown for 7 weeks in a greenhouse in Syracuse, N.Y., and harvested weekly. Plants that received simulated bovine urine showed a negative relationship between plant height and growth rate, suggesting a genetic tradeoff between competitive ability if ungrazed (height) and ability to recover from grazing (growth rate). There was no height-growth rate relationship under nitrogen addition rates similar to field mineralization rates. In addition, faster-growing, shorter plants tended to have relatively higher above-ground growth rates than slower-growing, taller plants. These results suggest that natural selection has maintained a gradient of morphologies within this species ranging from short, rapidly growing genotypes adapted to intense grazing conditions to tall, slow-growing, grazer-susceptible genotypes that are superior light competitors in absence of herbivory.
How does observer training affect imaging performance in digital mammography

Simulated mass lesions, superimposed onto an anthropomorphic breast phantom, were x-rayed using a small field of view digital mammography system. Eight radiologists and four scientists viewed the phantom images on a display monitor in a darkened room. Five readers had prior experience of reading these type of images. Readers assessed the probability of a simulated mass being present in each ROI, with the resultant data used to plot the corresponding Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves, and determine the corresponding area under the ROC curve (Az). Readers viewed the same set of images five successive times in a single session, and the time taken to read each image was recorded. The average time to complete the study for all twelve observers was 24 minutes (71 seconds/image). Experienced readers were quicker than novices, and radiologists were quicker than the scientists. The average Az value for the twelve readers for this detection task was 0.842 +/- 0.037 with coefficient of variations for individual readers ranging from 2.1% to 7.7%. Differences in imaging performance between the radiologists and scientists were very small. Analysis of the trends in measured imaging performance for each reader viewing successive (repeat) images showed that there was no improvement in imaging performance with increasing experience.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Ethical responsibility in feminist research: challenging ourselves to do activist research with women in poverty

For those who seek to conduct qualitative research that makes a positive difference in the lives of women in poverty, feminist research methodologies offer the most productive guide. Researchers must partner with those we study and foreground participants’ own perceptions of their challenges, while analyzing structural discrimination and identifying ‘sites of possibilities’ to leverage social and policy change. Attempting to follow all the recommendations of feminist methodologists can, however, overwhelm researchers with desirable but difficult ethical demands. Bloom and Sawin examine their ethnographic projects relative to the recommendations of key feminist methodologists, identifying patterns of success and failure. We then draw on Walker’s feminist model of ‘nongeneric accountability’ to argue that treating feminist methodologists’ models as inflexible rules reinscribes patriarchal ethics. It is both more effective for social change and more feminist to negotiate research commitments with our researc...
High throughput fluorescence-based conformation-sensitive gel electrophoresis (F-CSGE) identifies six unique BRCA2 mutations and an overall low incidence of BRCA2 mutations in high-risk BRCA1-negative breast cancer families

Mutational analysis of cancer susceptibility genes has opened up a new era in clinical genetics. In this report we present the results of mutational analysis of the BRCA2 coding sequences in 105 high-risk individuals affected with breast cancer and/or ovarian cancer and previously found to be negative for mutations of the BRCA1 coding sequence in our laboratory. These individuals have a positive family history with three or more cases of breast cancer and/or ovarian cancer at any age from the same side of the family tree. In order to perform a high throughput and reliable mutational analysis of the BRCA genes, we have adapted the conformation-sensitive gel electrophoresis mutation-scanning assay to a fluorescent platform. The advantages are speed, reproducibility and enhanced resolving power of the scanning method. Four unique mutations, including one missense and three frameshift mutations, were identified in the pool of 60 non-Jewish patients (7%). Two cases of the 6174delT mutation were identified in the 45 Ashkenazi Jewish individuals studied (5%). In addition, two novel frameshift mutations, not characteristic of the Jewish subgroup, were identified. Thus there were four mutations in total in this ethnic subgroup (9%). The six mutations identified in this combined patient pool, excluding the 6174delT mutations, are novel and have not been previously reported in the Breast Cancer Information Core (BIC) database. The results indicate that BRCA2 mutations account for the disease in less than 10% of this patient population. In addition, there is no significant difference in frequency of BRCA2 mutations between the Ashkenazi Jewish and non-Jewish families in our clinical patient pool.
Out-of-Frame T Cell Receptor Beta Transcripts Are Eliminated by Multiple Pathways In Vivo

Non-productive antigen receptor genes with frame shifts generated during the assembly of these genes are found in many mature lymphocytes. Transcripts from these genes have premature termination codons (PTCs) and could encode truncated proteins if they are not either inactivated or destroyed by nonsense-mediated decay (NMD). In mammalian cells, NMD can be activated by pathways that rely on the presence of an intron downstream of the PTC; however, NMD can also be activated by pathways that do not rely on these downstream introns, and pathways independent of NMD can inactivate PTC-containing transcripts. Here, through the generation and analysis of mice with gene-targeted modifications of the endogenous T cell receptor beta (Tcrb) locus, we demonstrate that in T cells in vivo, optimal clearance of PTC-containing Tcrb transcripts depends on the presence of an intron downstream of the PTC.
Electrochemical in-situ reaction cell for X-ray scattering, diffraction and spectroscopy

An electrochemical in-situ reaction cell for hard X-ray experiments with battery electrodes is described. Applications include the small angle scattering, diffraction, and near-edge spectroscopy of lithium manganese oxide electrodes.
Tissue monoamine and plasma corticosterone concentrations following sympathetic alteration during acute endotoxicosis in chickens.

Abstract 1. Splenic and heart ventricular NE levels and plasma corticosterone concentrations were increased following E. coli endotoxin administration in three-week-old chicks. 2. Chicks receiving either reserpine or propranolol injection before endotoxin exhibited increased NE in both tissues while only splenic 5-HT increased in birds receiving propranolol and endotoxin. 3. The effects of acute bacterial infection in chickens involves the peripheral nervous system neurotransmitters, NE and 5-HT, in the regulation of immune response.
Near-field detection of laser-induced thermal waves in optical materials

Laser-induced thermal waves are widely used for materials research and other applications. For low absorption optical materials the thermal waves are typically detected by collinear photothermal deflection spectroscopy (CPDS). The available theory of CPDS is based on the approximation of geometric optics, which, while being straightforward and having been extensively used, has obvious shortcomings. For example, to calculate the signal of CPDS, the probe beam size is assumed to be infinitely small. In real applications, however, the probe beam always has a finite dimension, which results in a diffraction effect and leads to unexpected experimental error. In order to overcome such shortcomings, there is a need to develop a more sophisticated theoretical model that can encompass both photothermal deflection and diffraction effects, and give precise predictions of the nature of both effects. In this paper we present a comprehensive diffraction theory suitable for treating the effect of pulsed CPDS. The work is an extension of the theoretical model previously developed for the mirage effect. It provides a detailed theoretical analysis of the laser-induced optical diffraction effect and helps to optimize the experimental parameters. It is a useful tool not only for quantitatively describing CPDS but also for the traditional thermal lens spectroscopy. With the application of the Fresnel diffraction theory, both techniques can be treated in a unified model. A summary of the theoretical modeling and experimental studies will be presented, with an emphasis on the advantages of using a near-field detection scheme for achieving the best sensitivity and stability.
Oil Spill Containment by a Flexible Boom System

Abstract In this paper, a specific boom arrangement is quantitatively analyzed. The boom arrangement was led by a flexible ramp boom, which used the energy of the incoming flow to attain a desirable angle of inclination. It consisted of a number of flaps to adjust itself to non-uniform flow conditions. Vinyl sheets of varying bending stiffness were used to achieve necessary deflections. The ramp boom was setup with three conventional booms downstream. Open channel experiments were carried out for a large number of dimensionless parameters. Volume analysis was performed to determine the amount of the collected oil. The effects of Reynolds number, Froude number, depth ratio, oil relative viscosity, oil relative density, number of flaps and inclination angle on the collection efficiency of the boom system were investigated. The separation distances of the consecutive booms were also investigated. The variation of the scales of the geometric parameters with respect to the draft of the ramp boom and the variation of the above-mentioned dimensionless parameters aided in determining the optimum interval for the total span of the boom system. The critical limiting ratios of total span of the ramp boom system to the draft of the ramp boom were determined as 9.9 and 14.6. The optimum collection efficiency of 100% was obtained at a maximum flow speed of 0.305 m/s corresponding to a Froude number of 0.51. This value would correspond to a prototype flow speed of 1 m/s (about 2 knots) with Froude number scaling.
Applications of GIS to the Modeling of NonPoint Source Pollutants in the Vadose Zone: A Conference Overview

Because of their ubiquitous nature and potential chronic health effects, nonpoint source (NPS) pollutants have become a focal point of attention by the general public, particularly regarding pollution of surface and subsurface drinking water sources. The NPS pollutants pose a technical problem because of the areal extent of their contamination that increases the complexity and sheer volume of data far beyond that of point-source pollutants. The spatial nature of the NPS pollution problem necessitates the use of a geographic information system (GIS) to manipulate, retrieve, and display the large volumes of spatial data. This overview provides a brief introduction and review of the modeling of NPS pollutants with GIS and a brief discussion of some of the papers presented at the ASA-CSSA-SSSA 1995 Bouyoucos Conference entitled Applications of GIS to the Modeling of Nonpoint Source Pollutants in the Vadose Zone.
Intratumoral Gene Therapy Injections with a Multipronged, Multi–Side Hole Needle for Rectal Carcinoma

Interventional radiologists can deliver therapeutics directly to a tumor via needle injection. One of the major limitations of directly injected gene therapies is limited delivery, penetration, and transfection efficiency of the genetic vector, which in many cases directly limits the therapeutic effect. Numerous preclinical oncology models exist which rely upon direct injection of DNA plasmid or vector through an end-hole needle and into a tumor. Selection of a physically more efficient device with more needles and more side holes could improve distribution of the therapeutic agent.[1] Small hepatocellular carcinomas have been effectively treated with alcohol injections via a multi-pronged, multi-side hole needle. [2] TNFerade (GenVec, Gaithersburg, MD) is an attenuated adenovirus vector whose cargo is the gene encoding for tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα), a potent cytokine that can be tumorocidal and also makes nearby tumor cells more sensitive to chemotherapy and to radiation therapy. TNFerade is turned on by a promoter that is turned on by radiation. [3] TNFerade also causes a “bystander effect” whereby affected cells do not necessarily need to be transfected with virus, but can respond to the TNFα product programmed by the gene. Despite the bystander effect, injectable therapeutics may suffer from lack of exposure to tumor tissue or a limited distribution in target tumor. Optimizing the physical distribution of such a therapeutic agent should be a goal of the interventional radiologist performing direct gene therapy injections. 5 patients with T3, T4, or N+ rectal cancer were treated as part of a clinical trial with weekly transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) guided injections, monitored under direct TRUS visualization [fig 1]. Patients received injections via a Quadrafuse needle (Rex Medical, Conshohocken, PA & Alliance Medical, Austin, TX) [fig 1] with three prongs, each with three side holes, or a custom Bernardino needle (Cook Medical, Bloomington, IN) with three side holes. Five weekly injections of 4 × 1010 particle units TNF-erade were combined with 50.4 Gy of external beam radiation, chemotherapy with capecitibine, and surgical resection. No complications were seen from the 25 injection procedures in 5 patients. [3] Fig 1 Multi-prong, multi-side hole needle in rectal cancer monitoring gene therapy injection with ultrasound. Ultrasound shows central cannula (open arrow) has deployed prong (closed arrow) with side holes, to better distribute therapeutic agent. Direct injection of gene therapy is highly inefficient, which may limit transfection and theoretically limit therapeutic efficacy. Interventional radiologists should consider the speculative benefits of multi-pronged and multi-side hole needles when directly injecting gene therapies.
Production of a Toxin Counterpart by Nontoxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae

SummaryA nontoxigenic strain of C. diphtheriae, when grown in medium of low iron concentration, produced a nontoxic extracellular protein in amounts similar to the toxin produced by toxigenic β-prophage-infected cells of the same parent strain. Excretion of both the nontoxic protein and toxin was found to be completely suppressed by increasing the environmental iron concentration. A variety of analytical procedures indicated that the nontoxic protein has many chemical and physical similarities to diphtheria toxin, but differs in immunochemical and biological properties. These findings strongly support the concept that diphtheria toxin is a protein component of cytochrome and thus help to provide insight into the probable mechanisms of production and excretion of this bacterial exotoxin.
Toward the creation of NMR databases in chiral solvents for assignments of relative and absolute stereochemistry: NMR desymmetrization of meso compounds.

Examples of 13C NMR desymmetrization of meso compounds are presented. On analysis of the NMR profiles of 1,3-diols, the additivity is recognized to predict the NMR profiles of 1,3,5-tirols.
Light scattering from a pair of conducting, osculating spheres

The fields from a system composed of two conducting, osculating spheres are derived using an extension of Mie theory. The boundary conditions are satisfied on both surfaces by expanding the fields in terms of vector spherical harmonics and translating them between the coordinate systems of the two spheres. We give explicit expressions for the far-field and the cross-sections. Order-of-scatter methods diverge when finding the scattered field coefficients, so the coefficients must be found directly. Splittings are discovered in the solutions of the scattered field, and we find very good agreement between the average of the solutions with experimental microwave backscatter measurements.
Risk and business cycles: Reply to Rosser

Abstract Rosser's thoughtful and careful review of my book on business cycles reflects a different methodological stance than my own. I believe that economic theory and macroeconomics cannot escape using the concept of risk, even though, as Rosser points out, risk is not a simple unidimensional magnitude in many circumstances. I view the rational expectations assumption as a useful way of presenting a theory, rather than as a descriptive account of real‐world expectations.
N-nitrosation of amines by NO2 and NO: a theoretical study.

Gas-phase nitrosation of amines implies a nonionic pathway different from the nitrosonium nitrosation via acidification of nitrite. Electronic structure calculations discussed in this work suggest a free radical mechanism, in which NO2 abstracts a hydrogen atom from the nitrogen in primary and secondary amines to form an intermediate complex of an aminyl radical and nitrous acid. The aminyl radical intermediate is then quenched by nitric oxide, leading to the formation of nitrosamine. High-level calculations (CBS-QB3) show that alkyl substitutions on amines can activate the H-abstraction reaction. Thus, while H-abstraction from NH3 was found to exhibit a reaction barrier (ΔH⧧) of 106 kJ/mol, similar calculations indicate that the corresponding barriers decrease to 72 and 45 kJ/mol for methylamine and dimethylamine, respectively. Heterocyclic secondary amines have also been investigated in a similar manner. The five-membered-ring (5-m-r) amine appears to be the most reactive: pyrrolidine (ΔH⧧ = 30 kJ/mol)...
Precision of biometry, keratometry, and refractive measurements with a partial coherence interferometry-keratometry device

Purpose To evaluate the precision of the axial length (AL), keratometry (K), anterior chamber depth (ACD), astigmatism, and minus astigmatic cylinder axis measurements by a partial coherence interferometry (PCI)–keratometry device. Setting Private practice, Lynwood, California. Methods This prospective comparative observational study analyzed measurements in the second eye to have cataract surgery. Before surgery in the first eye, AL, K, ACD, astigmatism, and cylinder axis in both eyes were measured with an IOLMaster PCI device. The measurements were repeated approximately 1 month later, before second eye-surgery. The 2 sets of measurements were compared. Results The study evaluated 121 eyes of 121 patients. The interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for AL was 0.999 in all 3 signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) categories; the highest difference range was with an SNR below 100. Astigmatism, K, and cylinder axis had a high correlation in flat corneas (K reading Conclusions The precision of the PCI measurements was extremely high for AL with low fluctuations (95% limits of agreement [LoA], 0.06 mm) and was relatively high for K readings with higher fluctuations (95% LoA, 0.55 D) and for ACD (95% LoA, 0.2 mm). The precision of astigmatism and cylinder axis was high in flat corneas and relatively low in steeper corneas. Financial Disclosure Neither author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
Metal-induced crystallization of hydrogenated amorphous Si films

Abstract Metals films of Au, Al and Pd deposited on hydrogenated amorphous Si cause the formation of crystalline Si at temperatures well below its normal crystallization temperature of >650°C. The structural aspects are explored by SEM, TEM, scanning Auger microprobe (SAM), and interference enhanced Raman scattering (IERS). The structural changes are correlated with changes of the current voltage characteristics of the resulting Schottky barriers.
Efficacy of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors for prevention of stroke.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors (statins) are effective in preventing fatal and nonfatal strokes in patients at increased risk of coronary artery disease.
Measurements of magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor instability growth in solid liners on the 20 MA sandia Z facility

The magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor (MRT) instability is ubiquitous to pinch plasmas compressed by magnetic pressure, and is an important factor in determining whether a cylindrical liner can reach the axis in a relatively intact form. While there are many RT characterization experiments, there are few well-characterized MRT experiments and none for fast (∼100 ns) z-pinch implosions in which the magnetic pressure typically quickly dominates over material strength. We will present data from our initial two campaigns to study the growth of MRT instabilities.
Late Holocene Climate and Cultural Changes in the Southwestern United States

Columnar stalagmites in caves of the Guadalupe Mountains during the late Holocene record a 4000-year annually resolved climate history for the southwestern United States. Annual banding, hiatuses, and high-precision uranium-series dating show a present day-like climate from 4000 to 3000 years ago, following a drier middle Holocene. A distinctly wetter and cooler period from 3000 to 800 years ago was followed by a period of present day-like conditions, with the exception of a slightly wetter interval from 440 to 290 years before the present. The stalagmite record correlates well with the archaeological record of changes in cultural activities of indigenous people. Such climate change may help to explain evidence of dwelling abandonment and population redistribution.
Efficient laser operation of diode-pumped Nd:KGd(WO 4 ) 2 crystal at 1.067 μm

The spectral properties and laser performance of a Nd KGd(WO4)2 (Nd:KGW) rod pumped by a laser diode have been studied. The Nd:KGW can be doped with a much higher Nd3+ concentration and has a wider absorption linewidth around 808 nm compared with Nd:YAG. At low repetition rates, the Nd:KGW exhibited good lasing properties with a lower threshold. The maximum optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of the diode laser pumped Nd:KGW laser at 1.067 μm has been determined to be 34.3% with a slope efficiency of 43.1%.
Si film electrical characterization in SOI substrates by the HgFET technique

Abstract A mercury-based “pseudo-MOSFET” is described which can be used to measure many electrical properties of the Si film in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates, including the electron and hole mobilities, flat band and threshold voltages, BOX charge, interface state density, drive currents, output conductance, transconductances, and doping levels. In the HgFET, the source and drain are made by Hg electrodes on the Si film and the buried oxide/substrate forms the gate. An HF surface treatment is used which temporarily passivates the Si surface and deposits a short-lived ionic charge. Measurements are made over time as this charge dissipates and the surface state density increases. Comparisons with evaporated metal “ringFETS” and FETs made with Hall bars show that the same electrical parameters are obtained with all three devices. Data are shown for over 200 SOI wafer lots with Si layer thicknesses from 55 to 200 nm. Estimates are given for the accuracy of the different electrical parameters.
Automated identification of analyzable metaphase chromosomes depicted on microscopic digital images

Visual search and identification of analyzable metaphase chromosomes using optical microscopes is a very tedious and time-consuming task that is routinely performed in genetic laboratories to detect and diagnose cancers and genetic diseases. The purpose of this study is to develop and test a computerized scheme that can automatically identify chromosomes in metaphase stage and classify them into analyzable and un-analyzable groups. Two independent datasets involving 170 images are used to train and test the scheme. The scheme uses image filtering, threshold, and labeling algorithms to detect chromosomes, followed by computing a set of features for each individual chromosome as well as for each identified metaphase cell. Two machine learning classifiers including a decision tree (DT) based on the features of individual chromosomes and an artificial neural network (ANN) using the features of the metaphase cells are optimized and tested to classify between analyzable and un-analyzable cells. Using the DT based classifier the Kappa coefficients for agreement between the cytogeneticist and the scheme are 0.83 and 0.89 for the training and testing datasets, respectively. We apply an independent testing and a 2-fold cross-validation method to assess the performance of the ANN-based classifier. The area under and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve is 0.93 for the complete dataset. This preliminary study demonstrates the feasibility of developing a computerized scheme to automatically identify and classify metaphase chromosomes.
AMINO ACID LEVELS IN FED AND FASTED JUVENILE DIABETICS

Circulating amino acid levels were measured in 5 juvenile diabetics and 4 controls one hour before and one hour after breakfast and lunch. All subjects were maintained on identical diets in a clinical research center prior to and during the testing. All diabetic subjects were treated with NPH insulin on one day and regular insulin on another. Taken as a group, the diabetics were not different from the controls except for a lower alanine content in the blood. This was true whether they were taking NPH or regular insulin treatment and regardless of the fed or fasted state. However, striking differences were noted within the diabetic group. Two of the 5 diabetic subjects exhibited very high glycine levels, high serine levels and low levels of alanine, valine, leucine and isoleucine. The other three exhibited low threonine, alanine and methionine levels. In all cases the differences were significant at the 0.01 level. There were no significant differences in the glucose levels of the two groups. The amino acid differences persisted even on the days when normal pre and post prandial blood glucoses were achieved with regular insulin treatment. The data indicate that differences in the circulating amino acids of juvenile diabetics do exist. Whether these differences are due to homeostatic control of the disease or whether they are due to fundamental sub-group differences in substrate utilization or absorption remains to be proven.
Deciphering a linear congruential encryption

It is shown that the multiplier, the increment, and the seed value of a linear congruential random number generator on a binary computer can be deduced from the leading bits of the "random" numbers that are generated.
Absence of a VVDZ discontinuity in AdS(AdS)

We clarify the role of gauge invariance for the theory of an AdS4-brane embedded in AdS5. The presence of a non-vanishing mass parameter even for the lightest KK mode of the graviton indicates that all of the spin-2 modes propagate five polarization states. Despite this fact, it was shown earlier that the classical theory has a smooth limit as the mass parameter is taken to zero. We argue that locality in the fifth dimension ensures that this property survives at the quantum level.
The impact of budget deficits in the interwar period

Abstract Five- and six-variable vector autoregressions are estimated, and the effects of deficits on interest rates, money, production, and prices are analyzed through the computation of likelihood ratio tests, variance decompositions and impulse response functions. A Monte Carlo simulation technique is used to estimate standard errors. Systems are analyzed for two alternative time periods that have been used to represent the interwar period. The study concludes that July 1922–June 1938 is the more appropriate period for analyzing deficits. Our results indicate that deficits have no major effects on the non-fiscal variables in this period.
Pupil size and ocular pressure after sympathectomy and prostaglandin-catecholamine treatment

Interaction between prostaglandin E1 and norepinephrine relative to effects on ocular pressure and pupil size was studied in albino rabbits in which unilateral cervical sympathetic ganglionectomy was performed. The operated animals, at the time of prostaglandin-norepinephrine interaction studies, were pretreated with phenoxybenzamine prior to each study. That dose of norepinephrine which was ineffective in altering ocular effects of prostaglandin in unoperated animals was now effective in antagonizing the ocular effects of prostaglandin in ganglionectomized animals. Supersensitivity of norepinephrine relative to these drug interaction studies was thus demonstrated.
Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome: New Insights on Thrombogenic Mechanisms

ABSTRACT The anti phospholipid antibody syndrome is a thrombophilic condition manifested by vascular thrombosis or recurrent pregnancy loss together with the presence of antibodies against anionic phospholipid protein complexes. These antibodies are detected by their reactivity to the anionic phospholipids (or protein phospholipid complexes) in solid-phase immunoassays or by their property of inhibiting phospholipid-dependent coagulation reactions (the "lupus anticoagulant" effect). The pathophysiologic mechanisms of this syndrome have remained obscure because of the apparent multiplicity of antigenic determinants recognized by the antibodies and also because of the many effects which have been described for them. This article reviews current concepts of the anti phospholipid disease process and evidence for the hypothesis that thrombosis in this syndrome is a result of the displacement of annexin-V, an anionic phospholipid- binding protein with potent anticoagulant activity, from phospholipid surfaces. The authors propose that under physiologic conditions, annexin-V plays a thromboregulatory role at the vascular-blood interface by shielding anionic phospholipids from complexation with coagulation proteins in circulating blood. Thrombosis in the antiphospholipid syndrome is due to disruption of the annexin shield by antiphospholipid (and cofactor) antibodies which results in the increased exposure of thrombogenic phospholipids. Accumulated data are consistent with' the hypothesis that the disruption of annexin-V binding to anionic phospholipid surfaces plays an important thrombogenic role in the antiphospholipid syndrome.
Surface characterization study of InP(100) substrates using ion-scattering spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy and electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis I: Comparison of substrate-cleaning techniques

Abstract A surface characterization study has been performed on native oxides formed on InP(100) surfaces after the application of various substrate-cleaning techniques; solvent cleaning, ozone etching and two different wet-chemical-etching processes. Several surface analytical techniques, including electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and ion-scattering spectroscopy (ISS) have been used in this study. The data obtained from the different surfaces show that these surfaces are very complex and that the compositions and chemical species present vary considerably with the substrate-cleaning technique used. ISS, AES and ESCA probe varying depths beneath the surface, so comparison of the data is essentially a non-destructive depth profile of the near-surface regions of the samples examined.
Human Health Risks Associated with Formalin Treatments Used in Aquaculture: Initial Study

Abstract No studies exist that address the health risks to humans resulting from environmental exposure to formaldehyde used to treat fish diseases. This study monitored formaldehyde exposure during two treatment scenarios to better ascertain the health risk. When a single 110-L tank was treated as an indefinite bath treatment at 250 mg/L formaldehyde, mean short-term exposure limit (STEL) averaged 0.76 ± 0.73 mg/L and permissible exposure limit (PEL) was 0.152 ± 0.10 mg/L, 10 cm from the source. One meter from the source, mean STEL and PEL were 0.45 ± 0.35 mg/L and 0.070 mg/ L ± 0.013 mg/L, respectively. The second scenario involved a 530-L flow-through tank treated at 250 mg/L as a 1-h flow-through treatment. Mean STEL averaged 1.61 ± 0.344 mg/L and mean PEL averaged 0.14 ± 0.012 mg/L, 10 cm from the source. One meter from the source, mean STEL and PEL were 0.97 ± 0.744 mg/L and 0.172 ± 0.0495 mg/L, respectively. For both scenarios, STEL and PEL were below the recommended exposure limits set by the U.S....
How The Recovery Act’s Federal Coordinating Council Paved The Way For The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided $1.1 billion for comparative effectiveness research and established the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research to direct that investment. The council laid a critical foundation for comparative effectiveness research in the steps it took to gather information, invite public input, set priorities, coordinate project solicitations, and stress the importance of evaluating research investments. Although the council has been superseded by a successor—the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute—the experiences of the council can and should inform the work of the new institute as it begins its operations.
General circulation model CO2 sensitivity experiments: Snow-sea ice albedo parameterizations and globally averaged surface air temperature

Two experiments are performed with the NCAR Community Climate Model (CCM) coupled to a swamp ocean with annually averaged solar forcing. A swamp ocean model is one in which the ocean temperature is computed from a surface energy balance. Both experiments are run with present (1 × CO2) and doubled (2 × CO2) amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). The first tests the sensitivity of the model to a snow and sea-ice-albedo formulation which facilitates relatively greater ice melt. The second assesses the model response when the basic state of the model in the control run is colder due to a 2% decrease in solar constant. Both are compared to a previous experiment with the same model using a different snow and sea-ice-albedo formulation and the present value of the solar constant. It is found that the globally averaged surface air temperature increase due to a doubling of CO2 is highly dependent on (1) the type of snow-sea-ice-albedo formulation used such that the parameterization which better facilitates relatively greater ice melt exhibits a greater sensitivity to increased CO2, and (2) the basic state of the control run such that the colder the basic state, the greater the warming due to increased CO2.
Globalisation from below? Toward a radical democratic technopolitics

(1999). Globalisation from below? Toward a radical democratic technopolitics. Angelaki: Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 101-113.
Continuous development HPTLC and sequential wavelength scanning for the simultaneous determination of nine clinically important β‐blocking drugs

High performance thin-layer chromatography was used for the separation of nine therapeutically important and structurally similar β-adrenoceptor blocking drugs on silica gel plates. In situ scanning of the plate in the reflectance mode gave detection limits in the low nanogram range depending on the individual drug and the wavelength selected for its determination. Scanning the HPTLC plate at several wavelengths can be used to aid the identification of partially resolved components. Continuous development and continuous multiple development techniques are compared for the simultaneous separation of the drug mixture.
Motion estimation using a neural network

A neural system approach for the implementation of a proposed motion-estimation algorithm is presented. The two-dimensional translational displacement vector is assumed to be uniform among all observables in the area of interest. This assumption simplifies the analysis, and reduces the motion estimation problem to one of image registration. The displacement vector is calculated by relating the maximization of a proposed similarity measure in the image-registration algorithm to the minimization of the network energy function in the neural implementation. The similarity criterion incorporated in the image-registration algorithm uses a coincident bit counting (CBC) method to obtain the number of matching bits between the frames of interest. The CBC method performs favorably compared with traditional techniques, and also renders simpler implementation in conventional computing machines. >
Role of transalkylation reactions in the conversion of anisole over HZSM-5

Conversion of anisole, a typical component of bio-oil, was studied over an HZSM-5 zeolite at varying space times (W/F), reaction temperatures, type of carrier gas, and concentration of water in the feed. Several bimolecular and unimolecular reactions are proposed to explain the evolution of products observed. The bimolecular reactions include the following transalkylation reactions: (a) anisoles to phenol and methylanisole; (b) phenol and methylanisole to cresols; (c) phenol and anisole to cresol and phenol; (d) methylanisole and cresol to phenol and xylenol. A pseudo first-order kinetic model based on these bimolecular reactions was found to describe well the observed product distribution as a function of W/F. It is observed that shape selectivity effects prevail over electrophilic substitution and thermodynamic equilibrium effects in the formation of methylanisole isomers. However, the opposite is true for the distribution of cresol isomers. The kinetic analysis indicates that the contribution of unimolecular reactions such as isomerization is much lower than that of bimolecular reactions. The carrier gas composition was found to have a moderate effect on catalyst activity. When H2 was used as a carrier, catalyst stability showed a moderate improvement in comparison to the runs under He. However, a remarkable increase in catalytic activity was observed upon the addition of water in the feed.
Enhancing Real-Time Event Service for synchronization in object oriented distributed systems

Distributed object computing middleware such as CORBA, RMI, and DCOM have gained wide acceptance and has shielded programmers from many tedious and error-prone aspects of distributed programming. In particular, CORBA event service has been used extensively in embedded systems. We propose an aspect oriented approach to develop synchronization code for distributed systems that use event service as the underlying communication middleware. Our approach is to factor out synchronization as a separate aspect, synthesize synchronization code and then compose it with the functional code. We use high-level "global invariants" to specify the synchronization policies which are then automatically translated into synchronization code for the underlying event service. To implement synchronization efficiently using the event service, we propose enhancements to the semantics of the event service. Specifically, we define the notion of condition events and exactly k semantics. Given these enhancements, we describe a synthesis procedure to translate global invariants into synchronization code based on events. We describe the implementation of the enhancements on the Tao's Real-Time Event Service. We present experimental results to demonstrate that the enhanced event service leads to more efficient implementation of synchronization. We feel that our methodology and the enhanced Real-Time Event Service will lead to more confident use of sophisticated synchronization policies in distributed object oriented systems.
Murine Polyomavirus Requires the Endoplasmic Reticulum Protein Derlin-2 To Initiate Infection

The pathways by which viruses enter cells are diverse, but in all cases, infection necessitates the transfer of the viral genome across a cellular membrane. Polyomavirus (Py) particles, after binding to glycolipid and glycoprotein receptors at the cell surface, are delivered to the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The nature and extent of virus disassembly in the ER, how the viral genome is transported to the cytosol and subsequently to the nucleus, and whether any cellular proteins are involved are not known. Here, we identify an ER-resident protein, Derlin-2, a factor implicated in the removal of misfolded proteins from the ER for cytosolic degradation, as a component of the machinery required for mouse Py to establish an infection. Inhibition of Derlin-2 function by expression of either a dominant-negative form of Derlin-2 or a short hairpin RNA that reduces Derlin-2 levels blocks Py infection by 50 to 75%. The block imposed by Derlin-2 inhibition occurs after the virus reaches the ER and can be bypassed by the introduction of Py DNA into the cytosol. These findings suggest a mode of Py entry that involves cytosolic access via the quality control machinery in the ER.
Comparison of gamma interferon, tumor necrosis factor, and direct cell contact in activation of antimycobacterial defense in murine macrophages

We compared the abilities of gamma interferon (IFN-gamma), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), and sensitized murine lymph node lymphocytes to activate syngeneic murine peritoneal macrophages to inhibit the growth of intracellular Mycobacterium bovis BCG in vitro. IFN-gamma could activate antimycobacterial defense only when added to macrophage cultures prior to their infection with BCG. TNF-alpha was without any effect. In contrast, BCG-sensitized lymphocytes could induce antimycobacterial defenses when added after macrophages had been infected with BCG. The cell-mediated effect required direct contact between effector lymphocytes and the targets (BCG-infected macrophages), as revealed in studies in which these cell populations were separated by a semipermeable membrane. Cyclosporin A, which inhibits the production of relevant macrophage-activating lymphokines, did not abrogate the ability of sensitized lymphocytes to activate antimycobacterial effects in infected macrophages. Furthermore, only BCG-sensitized lymphocytes, and not Listeria-sensitized lymphocytes, could activate the antimycobacterial effects. These lymphocytes were not cytotoxic to the infected macrophages. The presence of anti-TNF-alpha antibody in cocultures reduced the antimicrobial effects. We propose that the activation of antimycobacterial defense in macrophages can occur by direct physical contact with sensitized lymphocytes. This process may be due to lymphocyte membrane-associated TNF-alpha, as we previously demonstrated in our studies of antileishmanial defense.