cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Vegetative and optical characteristics of four-row crop canopies

Abstract The estimation of canopy vegetative parameters from reflected radiation would provide valuable information for assessing crop stress. Vegetative and optical properties of cotton, soya beans, grain sorghum and sunflower were measured at three growth stages at different solar zenith angles. Scattering and absorption coefficients and asymptotic reflectance in thematic mapper bands TM 1, 2, 3 and 4 were determined from measured reflectance, transmittance and absorptancc. Plant height, ground cover, leaf area index, leaf overlap index, foliage density and leaf angle were measured at each sampling date. Increasing leaf area increased the scattering coefficient value in band TM4 while the band TM 3 coefficient value remained unchanged. Absorption coefficient value changes in bands TM 4 and TM 3 with leaf area were opposite to those of scattering coefficients. Increases in solar zenith angle caused increased scattering in TM 4 for all crops; however, in TM 3 increases occurred only in cotton and soya bea...
Nanocomposites: Economy at the nanoscale

Exploiting the interplay between entropic and enthalpic contributions in block copolymer–nanoparticle blends permits construction of composites with specified structures. Disassembly can then provide well-defined structural units as building blocks for future applications.
Crystallization of resolvase, a repressor that also catalyzes site-specific DNA recombination.

Abstract Resolvase, a site-specific recombination enzyme involved in transposition of movable elements of DNA, has been crystallized. The space group is P6222 (or enantiomorph P6 4 22, a = b = 59.7 A , c = 169.4 A ), with a monomer in the crystallographic asymmetric unit.
Prime-time for real-time Q-RT-PCR in good-prognosis AML?

Good-prognosis acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is associated with 3 chromosome translocations (8;21, INV(16)/16;16, and 15;17) that generate the fusion genes AML1/ETO, CBF β /MYH11, and PMLRAR α, respectively. Each fusion gene provides a disease-specific mRNA detectable by reverse transcriptase
A CMOS platform for the integration of heterogeneous arrays of carbon nanotubes and graphene chemiresistors

We propose a “CMOS for nanoassembly” method to assemble carbon nanotubes and graphene on CMOS chip for gas sensing application. CNT's and graphene have been demonstrated as extremely sensitive chemiresistors for a wide range of analytes. The upper metal layers of the CMOS chip contain sixty electrodes of both planar and three-dimensional geometries. Each electrode is addressable through on chip circuitry. The electrodes are fully exposed by post-process dry etching. Chemiresistive assemblies of nanoscale single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) flakes are assembled onto the exposed electrodes by controlled dielectrophoresis (DEP), which is the motion of a polarizable particle in a dielectric medium. The utility of the platform is shown for gas sensing. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time functional graphene and carbon nanotubes sensor elements have been integrated onto a single CMOS chip. Previous results indicate that the expansion of the chip to include other chemiresistive nanomaterials is entirely feasible.
Kβ-detected XANES of framework-substituted FeZSM-5 zeolites

The valence and local symmetry of iron in framework-substituted FeZSM-5 with a high Fe dilution (Si/Fe = 360) was studied by means of Kβ-detected X-ray absorption spectroscopy. This technique combines high-resolution (ΔE ∼1 eV) fluorescence detection of the 3p to 1s (Kβ) transition with the X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) at the Fe K-edge. An absorption-like spectrum is recorded by detecting the Kβ fluorescence intensity as a function of the incident energy that is scanned through the K absorption edge. Kβ-detected XANES spectra allow for a more precise separation of the weak K pre-edge structure from the main edge as compared to conventional absorption spectroscopy. Subsequent analysis and interpretation of the pre-edge spectral features therefore is more accurate. The pre-edge is sensitive to changes in the local coordination and oxidation state of Fe. Using this technique we were able to quantitatively determine the degree of iron extraction out of a zeolite framework upon steaming. With t...
Broad-bandwidth Optical Amplification and Efficient Wavelength Conversion in Silicon Waveguides

We use phase-matched four-wave mixing in appropriately designed silicon waveguides to demonstrate optical amplification over a 29 nm range and efficient wavelength conversion in the range from 1511 nm to 1591 nm.
A parametric polyphase domain approach to blind calibration of timing mismatches for M-channel time-interleaved ADCs

We propose a blind calibration algorithm for removing the distortion created by timing mismatches in time-interleaved analog-to-digital converters (TIADCs). A polyphase domain model of the TIADC which is parameterized by the timing mismatches is introduced. The model is used to derive correction and estimation methods which work in tandem. The adaptive blind estimation method only requires a slight amount of oversampling. Further the overall calibration method has a low complexity, can track drifting timing mismatches, and has an easily updateable correction network.
Comparison of current U.S. and Canadian cigarette pack warnings.

Cigarette smoking is the single most preventable cause of death in the United States. From 1985 to date, one of four mandatory cigarette warnings proposed by the Comprehensive Smoking Education Act of 1984 has been displayed on cigarette packages. In addition to cigarette warnings, states like California, Massachusetts, Arizona, Oregon and Maine have implemented “Tobacco Control Programs” (TCP) to reduce the overall number of smokers. However, the decline in the rate of smoking is not occurring fast enough to meet the national health objective by 2010. The present U.S. cigarette warnings are verbal in form and provide information, which is inadequate but appropriate to make it legally adequate. On the other hand, warnings in other countries such as Canada and Brazil are more descriptive and specific and are accompanied by vivid and sometimes gruesome pictures. In the present study, six pictorial Canadian labels and four U.S. verbal labels were analyzed for potential effectiveness among eighty subjects usi...
Preliminary phytochemical investigation of Euphorbia millii.

Abstract Euphorbia millii (Des Moulins) was investigated. β-Sitosterol, cycloartenol, and β-amyrin acetate were isolated from the petroleum ether extract. The presence of lupeol and euphol as minor constituents was demonstrated by GC, and the existence of flavonoids in the methanol extract was shown.
Two-photon Imaging of Intracellular Hydrogen Peroxide with a Chemoselective Fluorescence Probe

We present two-photon molecular imaging of hydrogen peroxide production in mouse hippocampal neuronal cells using Peroxyfluor-6 acetoxymethyl ester, a highly sensitive, small-molecule probe for selective imaging of H2O2 within the living cells.
Waste-Based Management in Residential Construction

The strength of housing construction has a profound effect on the national economy and the society. As a consequence, achieving high productivity, quality, and safety are considered of high priority for this industry segment. This paper proposes to replace the traditional management approach for site operation with a management philosophy that has as its sole and unifying objective the elimination of process waste. It will be demonstrated that a waste-based management philosophy creates a culture of continuous improvements and innovative progress driven by the goal to reduce wastes from injuries to unproductive work activities. Wall framing and masonry construction are used to demonstrate how the waste-based management approach functions. The results of the test case application provide evidence that paying attention to minimizing resource wastes at all levels, from laborer to site manager, will produce drastic effects on productivity, safety, and quality of residential construction.
A heterozygote–homozygote test of Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium

The century-old Hardy–Weinberg law remains fundamental to population genetics. Typically Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium is tested in unrelated individuals using a χ2 goodness-of-fit test that compares expected and observed numbers of heterozygotes and homozygotes. In this report, we propose a likelihood ratio test for Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium that accommodates a mixture of pedigree and random sample data. The underlying statistical model depends on a parameter γ determining the ratio of heterozygous genotypes to homozygous genotypes among pedigree founders. As our heterozygous–homozygous test accommodates markers with dominant and recessive alleles, it can handle the phase ambiguities encountered in combining several linked single nucleotide polymorphisms into a single supermarker. No prior haplotyping is necessary. Our experience on real and simulated data suggests that the heterozygous–homozygous test has good type-one error and power.
METAL COMPLEXES OF MONOCARBON CARBORANES: A NEGLECTED AREA?

Tom McGrath joined Gordon Stone's group at Baylor in the fall of 1999, following a chance meeting at IMEBORON X.[ 1 ] An initial, one-year appointment has extended to an association over almost eleven years, with Tom working first as a postdoctoral researcher and more recently as a faculty colleague. During that period – indeed for most of Gordon's time at Baylor – research in the Stone group has primarily focused on metal-monocarborane chemistry and what follows here is a brief (albeit subjective) summary of the highlights of that work.
From theory of mind to a theory of distributed shared sense-making

The current study proposes conceptualizing human intellectual activity in terms of mutually constitutive interactions among a distributed network of sense-making systems, rather than as individual cognition/learning situated in sociocultural context or as individual participation/apprenticeship in collective social practice. The model of distributed shared sense-making incorporates mutually constitutive interactions among sense-making systems, among mental models of sense-making systems, and between sense-making systems and their mental models. The model provides an integrated theoretical framework to support empirical examination of interactions among humans, and among humans and their cultural tools--in particular, their technological tools. The study uses the proposed theoretical framework to interpret teacher-student developing interactions in a technology-rich middle-school science classroom over the course of a year of scaffolded introduction to inquiry-based science instruction.
Modifiers of timing and possible triggers of acute myocardial infarction in the thrombolysis in myocardial infarction phase II (TIMI II) study group

Abstract Objectives. The aim of this study was to provide insight into the mechanism of acute myocardial infarction by determining the modifiers of timing and possible triggers of onset of infarction. Background. A higher frequency of onset of acute myocardial infarction has been reported in the morning with a peak in the 1st 3 h after awakening. This observation suggests that the onset of infarction may be triggered by activity in the morning and at other times ot the day. Methods. The clinical history of the 3,339 patients entered into the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction phase II study was analyzed to determine characteristics predicting a higher frequency of infarction between 6 am and noon, and onset of infarction during exertion. Results. A higher proportion (34.4%) of infarctions began in the morning (6 am to noon) compared with other limes of the day. Characteristics independently predicting a higher frequency between 6 am to noon were no beta-adrensrgic blocking agent use in the 24 h before infarction, no discomfort other than the index pain in the preceding 48 h, occurrence of the infarction on a weekday and no history of current smoking. In 18.7% of patients, infarction occurred during moderate or marked physical activity. Independent predictors cf exertion-related infarction included male gender, bo history of current smoking, while race, no use of calcium channel blocking agents or nitrates in the preceding 24 h, the absence of either chest pain at rest in the 3 weeks before infarction or any pain in the preceding 48 h, the absence of new onset angina and the presence of exertional pain in the preceding 3 weeks. Compared with patients whose infarction occurred at rest or during mild activity, those with exertion-related infarction had fewer coronary vessels with ≥60% stenosis (p = 0.002) and were more likely to have an occluded infarct-related vessel after thrombolytic therapy (p = 0.01). Conclusions. Further study of the timing and activity at onset of infarction may provide insight into the pathophysiologic mechanisms causing acute myocardial infarction and provide clues to preventive measures.
Self-Assembled Fibers of a Discotic Liquid Crystal

We report on the controlled self-assembly of phthalocyanine-based discotic molecules into molecular fibers in organic solvents and on the fabrication of one-dimensional donor-acceptor blends.
Deterministic Tree Networks for River Drainage Basins

This paper shows that the dendritic patterns formed by low-resistance channels in a river drainage basin are reproducible and can be deduced from a single principle that acts at every step in the development of the pattern: the constrained minimization of global resistance in area-to-point flow. The river basin is modeled as a two-dimensional territory with Darcy flow through a saturated heterogeneous porous medium with uniform flow addition per unit area. From one step to the next, small elements of the porous medium are dislodged and removed in ways that minimize the global flow resistance. The removed elements are replaced by channels with lower flow resistance. The channels form a dendritic pattern that is deterministic, not random. The finest details of this structure are sensitive to internal properties and external forcing, i.e. variations in the local properties of the flow medium, and the manner in which the total area-to-point flow rate varies as the structure develops. Remarkably insensitive to such effects are the basic type and rough size of the flow structure (channels versus no channels, dendrite, number of branches) and the minimized global resistance to flow.
Distribution of magnetization of a cold ferromagnetic cluster beam

Above a critical temperature, a supported single domain ferromagnetic particle responds to an applied magnetic field as if it were a paramagnet with a very large spin. Its average magnetization is given by the Langevin equation as expected from simple thermodynamic considerations. The average magnetization of an ensemble of unsupported ferromagnetic clusters also approximately follows the Langevin equation even for small clusters in a low-temperature ensemble. The reason is not obvious because there is no heat bath for low-energy clusters so that elementary thermodynamic requirements for the Langevin equation are not satisfied. We investigated the magnetic deflections of cobalt clusters (${\text{Co}}_{N}$, $12\ensuremath{\le}N\ensuremath{\le}200$) using molecular-beam methods over a wide range of temperatures $(20\ensuremath{\le}T\ensuremath{\le}100\text{ }\text{K})$ and magnetic fields $(0\ensuremath{\le}B\ensuremath{\le}2\text{ }\text{T})$. A distribution of magnetization is observed for the cluster beams. Previously, we showed that the average magnetization of the cluster beam follows Langevin function closely for all temperatures and magnetic fields investigated, and proposed an avoided-crossing model that takes into account interacting spin-rotational states. In this paper, we report a comprehensive study of the magnetization distribution and present in depth the avoided-crossing model. The model explains both the average and the width of the magnetization distributions of the cluster beam in terms of the ensemble temperature without requiring that individual clusters have defined temperatures. We also show that the spin-relaxation model is the high-temperature limit of the avoided-crossing model.
Amiloride reduces intensity responses of human fungiform papillae

Microdrop stimulation of human fungiform papillae was used to confirm that the drug amiloride reportedly reduces the taste response to NaCl and sucrose. Amiloride caused magnitude reductions of saltiness in most subjects and of sweetness for some but not all subjects. More of the subjects showed a reduction in response to NaCl than a reduction to sucrose and there were individual differences in the strength of the reduction of magnitude.
P53 gene mutations in acute myelogenous leukaemia

A polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) assay was used to identify the exons which contained point mutations in the conserved regions (exons 4-8) of the p53 gene in 49 acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML) patients. SSCP analysis in our study was consistent with the results of subsequent direct DNA sequencing in detecting point mutational change in exons 5 and 8 of one AML patient and in exons 7 and 8 of two additional AML patients. The mutations were located at codons 245 and 273, which have been found in many other tumours, and codons 178 and 290, which have not been reported previously. All of the p53 proteins in which we detected point mutations were immunoprecipitated by the p53 monoclonal antibody PAb 240, which has been shown to recognize a mutant conformation of p53 protein. Thus, our results indicate that functional inactivation of the p53 gene by point mutational change might be one of the mechanisms underlying disease progression of AML.
Electrical activity of the human hypothalamus and midbrain during sleep.

Abstract A 32-year-old psychomotor epileptic underwent surgical implantation of recording electrodes in several subcortical sites including posterior hypothalamus and midbrain tegmentum. We monitored during both REM and nonREM sleep periods eye movements, cortical EEG, and the electrical activity of these subcortical structures. In the first REM period, hypothalamus showed 3-persecond rhythmic activity, while in later REM periods bursts of distinct potentials temporally related to eye movements occurred in midbrain. By joining the midbrain and hypothalamus observations in this patient with previous hippocampal recordings in other patients, 3,6 we have attempted to compare human REM sleep with the REM sleep of laboratory animal species. While this article was in press, Wilson and Nashold 14 reported bursts of high voltage sharp potentials in midbrain RF during REM in patients with intractable pain.
Interrelationships of Microorganisms in Cream. II. Lactobacillus casei, Bacillus subtilis, and Streptococcus lactis

Summary 1.When sterile cream was inoculated with Lactobacillus casei and incubated at 10°, 20°, and 30° C., the maximum tryptophan was 9.4 p.p.m. and occurred in the 30° C. sample after 7 days incubation. 2.When Streptococcus lactis and L. casei were inoculated into sterile cream, S. lactis had no influence on L. casei population. L. casei slightly inhibited the maximum S. lactis population attained, and after 10 days at 30° C. the S. lactis count decreased to 20 per milliliter. The maximum tryptophan produced by the combination of S. lactis and L. casei was 29.6 p.p.m. and occurred in the 20° C. sample after 7 days incubation. 3.When Bacillus subtilis was inoculated into sterile cream, the organism population and amount of proteolysis increased as the temperature increased, with a maximum tryptophan value of 46 p.p.m. occurring in the 30° C. sample after incubation for 3 days. 4.When S. lactis and B. subtilis were inoculated into sterile cream, substantial proteolysis occurred at all temperatures. The B. subtilis population declined rapidly after the maximum S. lactis population was attained. 5.Bitter flavors suggestive of proteolysis were uniformly present in cream containing 18 to 25 or more p.p.m. of tryptophan. Tryptophan values of 10 p.p.m. or more were usually associated with cream scoring 90 (grade B) or lower, but all cream of this quality did not possess high tryptophan values. 6.None of the organisms or combinations used in this work produced W.I.A. values high enough to be significant from the quality standpoint.
Spatial relationship modeling and indexing for XML multimedia data retrieval

Multimedia information becomes available for many sources around the world exponentially; man people would like to use this information for various purposes, making the multi media database to be accessed by many users. This challenging situation led to the need for a solution that quickly and efficiently searches for and/or filters various types of multimedia information of user interest. MPEG-7 is a multimedia content description standard that describes multimedia contents so users can search, browse, and retrieve the contents more efficiently and effectively than they could using today's leading text-based search engines. The significance of spatial relationships has been pointed out by a number of researchers in spatial and image databases. Spatial relationship representations used by GIS (Geographic Information System) community are not enough to express image contents because they lack the expressive power. Therefore we propose the new improved spatial relationships that are suitable for expressing contents of images. In order to retrieve the desired multimedia contents, we have to search the appropriate Description Schemes (DSs) that describes structure and semantics of the multimedia data. MPEG-7 does not describe any indexing mechanism of those DSs. We may need some indexing mechanism in order to make it fast and efficient retrieval.
Simulation of the Performance of Various PFPE Lubricants Under Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording Conditions

Heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) is proposed for the next generation of hard disk drives. In HAMR systems, a laser beam heats the disk magnetic layer to the Curie temperature. This may cause the thin film lubricant coating the disk to deplete due to evaporation and surface tension gradient. In this study, we perform simulations for the Z-tetraol family of lubricants with four hydroxyl end-groups, including Z-tetraol 1200 as a low molecular weight member of the family and Z-tetraol 2200 as a high molecular weight of the family, and also for ZTMD (2,200 Da) with eight hydroxyl groups as a multi-dentate lubricant, which is manufactured based on the Z-tetraol family. All studies are performed for four cases of lubricant thicknesses including 5, 7, 12, and 14A. These numbers are chosen in order to provide a fair comparison with a previous study for Z-dol. We also investigate the relative effects of evaporation with respect to the thermocapillary shear stress. It is found that after a 2 ns illumination of the laser, a trough and two side ridges across the down-track direction can be seen in the lubricant. The performances of the lubricants can be ranked mainly based on the trough depth and also evaporation such that better lubricants show less deformation and trough depth under equal conditions of thermal spot size and peak temperature. We also found that all of the lubricants deplete rapidly and their depletion speed decreases gradually.
Effect of Sn on the Reactivity of Cu Surfaces

Periodic, density functional theory (DFT-GGA) calculations, using PW91 (self-consistently) and RPBE functionals, have been employed to determine preferred binding sites, adsorbate structures, and binding energies for the adsorption of atomic (H, N, O, S, and C), molecular (NO and CO), and radical (OH) species on Cu(111) and CuSn(0001) alloy surfaces. Our results indicate the following order in the binding energies from the least to the most strongly bound: NO < CO < H < OH < N < O < S < C for Cu-terminated CuSn(0001). On Cu(111), the corresponding relative order of adsorbates from the least strongly bound to the most strongly bound is CO < NO < H < OH < N < O < S < C. On the Sn-terminated CuSn(0001) surface, CO does not adsorb and the relative order of adsorbates from the least strongly bound to the most strongly bound is NO < H < OH < N < S < O < C. For all adsorbates, the binding on Cu-terminated CuSn(0001) is stronger than on Cu(111), resulting from a combination of electronic and strain effects cause...
Evolutionary resealing of a split RNA: Reversal of gene permutation

One of the most intriguing proposals in RNA evolution, that spliceosomal RNAs derive from a group II intron, invokes an evolutionary splitting of the ancestor (Sharp 1991). Conversely, it is hard to imagine the earliest forms of complex RNAs being as large as their modern counterparts, and fusion of originally separate RNA modules has been proposed for the evolution of the ribosome, self-splicing introns, and even tRNA.
An optimal information method for mobile manipulator dynamic parameter identification

High-performance robot-control algorithms often rely on system-dynamic models. For field robots, the dynamic parameters of these models may not be well known. The paper presents a mutual-information-based observability metric for the online dynamic parameter identification of a multibody system. The metric is used in an algorithm to optimally select the external excitation required by the dynamic system parameter identification process. The excitation is controlled so that the identification favors parameters that have the greatest uncertainty at any given time. This algorithm is applied to identify the vehicle and suspension parameters of a mobile-field manipulator, and is found to be computationally more efficient and robust to noise than conventional methods. Issues addressed include the development of appropriate vehicle models, compatible with the onboard sensors. Simulations and experimental results show the effectiveness of this algorithm.
Real-time decision support information gathering system for financial domain

The challenge of the investment domain is that a large amount of diverse information can be potentially relevant to an investment decision, and that, frequently, the decisions have to be made in a timely manner. In this setting, an investor has to make decisions considering not only the possible complexity and without full knowledge of the environment, but also the real-time situation of the current market. This presents the potential for better decision support, but poses the challenge of building a decision support agent that gathers information from different sources and incorporates it for timely decision support. These problems motivate us to investigate ways in which the investors can be equipped with a flexible real-time decision support system to be practical in time-critical situations. The flexible real-time decision support system considers a tradeoff between decision quality and computation cost. For this purpose, we propose a system that uses the Object-Oriented Bayesian Knowledge Base (OOBKB) design to create a decision model at the most suitable level of detail to guide the information gathering activities, and to produce an investment recommendation within a reasonable length of time. The more detailed models, located at the bottom of the class hierarchy, are more time consuming to work with and may require more information gathering, but provide better quality of decision support. The more abstract models, located higher in the class hierarchy, can be evaluated faster but result in less precise recommendations. To determine the suitable level of detail we define and use the notion of urgency, or the value of time. Using it, our system can trade off the quality of support the model provides versus the cost of using the model at a particular level of detail. The decision models our system uses are implemented as influence diagrams. Using a suitable influence diagram, our system computes the value of consulting the various information sources available on the web, uses web agents to fetch the most valuable information, and evaluates the influence diagram thereby producing the buy, sell and hold recommendations. We validate our system with experiments in a simplified investment domain. The experiments show that our system produces a quality recommendation under different urgency situations. The contribution of our system is that it provides the flexible decision recommendation for an investor under time constraints in a complex environment.
Thermal decomposition of poly(α,α,α′,α′-tetrafluoro- p -xylylene) in nitrogen and oxygen

The thermal decomposition of poly(α,α,α′,α′-tetrafluoro-p-xylylene) (parylene AF-4) films with thicknesses of ca. 7.5 and 10 μm has been studied by both dynamic (10°C min−1) and isothermal TG in either nitrogen or oxygen atmospheres. In dynamic studies with nitrogen, gross decomposition occurs between 546.7±1.4 and 589.0±2.6°C, with 26.8±4.4% of the initial mass remaining at 700°C. With oxygen as the purge gas, the onset of decomposition shifts slightly to 530.8±4.2°C. The end of the transition at 587.4±2.6°C is within experimental error of the nitrogen value, but no polymer remains above 600°C. Isothermal data were obtained at 10°C intervals from 420 to 490°C in nitrogen, and from 390 to 450°C in oxygen. Plots of log(Δ%wt/Δt)vs. T−1 are linear throughout the specified range for oxygen and from 420 to 470°C for nitrogen. The calculated activation energies of (147±16) kJ mol−1 and (150±12) kJ mol−1 in N2 and O2, respectively, are equal within experimental error.
Detecting autozygosity through runs of homozygosity: A comparison of three autozygosity detection algorithms

A central aim for studying runs of homozygosity (ROHs) in genome-wide SNP data is to detect the effects of autozygosity (stretches of the two homologous chromosomes within the same individual that are identical by descent) on phenotypes. However, it is unknown which current ROH detection program, and which set of parameters within a given program, is optimal for differentiating ROHs that are truly autozygous from ROHs that are homozygous at the marker level but vary at unmeasured variants between the markers. We simulated 120 Mb of sequence data in order to know the true state of autozygosity. We then extracted common variants from this sequence to mimic the properties of SNP platforms and performed ROH analyses using three popular ROH detection programs, PLINK, GERMLINE, and BEAGLE. We varied detection thresholds for each program (e.g., prior probabilities, lengths of ROHs) to understand their effects on detecting known autozygosity. Within the optimal thresholds for each program, PLINK outperformed GERMLINE and BEAGLE in detecting autozygosity from distant common ancestors. PLINK's sliding window algorithm worked best when using SNP data pruned for linkage disequilibrium (LD). Our results provide both general and specific recommendations for maximizing autozygosity detection in genome-wide SNP data, and should apply equally well to research on whole-genome autozygosity burden or to research on whether specific autozygous regions are predictive using association mapping methods.
Loss of DNA Polymerase β Stacking Interactions with Templating Purines, but Not Pyrimidines, Alters Catalytic Efficiency and Fidelity *

Structures of DNA polymerases bound with DNA reveal that the 5′-trajectory of the template strand is dramatically altered as it exits the polymerase active site. This distortion provides the polymerase access to the nascent base pair to interrogate proper Watson-Crick geometry. Upon binding a correct deoxynucleoside triphosphate, α-helix N of DNA polymerase β is observed to form one face of the binding pocket for the new base pair. Asp-276 and Lys-280 stack with the bases of the incoming nucleotide and template, respectively. To determine the role of Lys-280, site-directed mutants were constructed at this position, and the proteins were expressed and purified, and their catalytic efficiency and fidelity were assessed. The catalytic efficiency for single-nucleotide gap filling with the glycine mutant (K280G) was strongly diminished relative to wild type for templating purines (>15-fold) due to a decreased binding affinity for the incoming nucleotide. In contrast, catalytic efficiency was hardly affected by glycine substitution for templating pyrimidines (
Growth of InSb and InAs(1-x)Sb(x) by OM-CVD

Organometallic chemical vapor deposition (OM-CVD) growth of InSb and InAs(1-x)Sb(x) has been obtained using triethylindium (TEI), trimethylantimony (TMS), and arsine (AsH3) on (100) GaAs, (100) InSb, and (111)-B InSb substrates. InSb with excellent morphology was achieved on both (100) InSb and (111)-B InSb substrates. The measured electron mobility at 300 K of undoped InSb grown on (100) GaAs semi-insulating substrates was 40,000 sq cm/V-s at a carrier concentration of ND-NA = 2.0 x 10 to the 16th per cu cm. Carrier concentration of ND-NA = 1.2 x 10 to the 15th per cu cm has been measured at 77 K. InAs(1-x)Sb(x) (x = 0.07-0.75) with mirror-like surfaces have been grown on (100) InSb and InAs substrates. This composition range of x between 0.55 and 0.75 (Eg = 0.1 eV) has been successfully achieved for the first time. Solid composition variations as a function of growth temperature and InSb substrate orientations are also discussed.
Dissolution Kinetics of Biogenic Carbonates--Effects of Mineralogy, Microstructure, and Solution Chemistry: ABSTRACT

Previous models of early carbonate diagenesis assume mineralogy controls alteration sequence, with magnesian calcites dissolving more rapidly than aragonites. Results of this study indicate that: (1) mineralogic effects can be overridden by microstructure; and (2) dissolved magnesium enchances dissolution rates. The study determined laboratory dissolution rates of biogenic grains found in modern carbonate environments and evaluated the relative importance of grain mineralogy, microstructure, and solution chemistry by determining dissolution rates at various undersaturations in seawater and in freshwater solutions containing different amounts of dissolved magnesium. Although aragonitic grains dissolved more rapidly than low-magnesian calcites of the same grain size, most aragonites also dissolved as fast, or faster than, magnesian calcites containing 12 to 17 mole % MgCO3. Mineralogy alone, then, is not the sole control on reactivity. Dissolution rate is also affected by microstructure. Microstructure determines the amount of surface area available for dissolution and may exert greater control over reactivity than End_Page 639------------------------------ mineralogy. For example, the porous but smooth surface of an echinoid (magnesian calcite) dissolves much more slowly than aragonitic coral and gastropod grains, which have more complex microstructures. The presence of dissolved magnesium enhances rates of dissolution, but does not strongly affect the relative reactivity between different grain types. The absolute dissolution rates show a strong progressive decrease in magnesium-depleted solutions. Thus, assumption of mineralogic control over grain reactivity during early diagenesis is an oversimplification. Microstructure and solution chemistry emerge as important variables with predictive power for modeling both porosity development and diagenetic evolution within carbonate sequences. End_of_Article - Last_Page 640------------
Nesting habitat use by river chubs in a hydrologically variable Appalachian tailwater

As hydrologic alteration continues to affect aquatic biodiversity, knowledge of the spawning requirements of fishes, especially 'keystone' or 'foundation' species, is critical for conservation and management. The objectives of this study were to quantify the spawning micro- and mesohabitat use of river chub Nocomis micropogon, a gravel mound nesting minnow, in a hydrologically regulated river in North Carolina, USA. At the microhabitat scale, substrate sizes on nests were compared with pebble counts in 1-m 2 adjacent quadrats. Average depths and current velocities at nests were compared with measurements from paired transects. At the mesohabitat scale, generalised linear mixed models (GLMMs) were used to identify the importance of average bed slope, average depth and percentages of rock outcrops (a measure of flow heterogeneity and velocity shelters) for predicting nest presence and abundance. To relate nesting activities to hydrologic alteration from dam operation, nest dimensions were measured before and after a scheduled discharge event approximately six times that of base flow. Additionally, linear regression was used to predict changes in the use of flow refugia and overhead cover with increased fluvial distance from the dam. Microhabitats in which nests were placed had, on average, slower current velocities and shallower depths. Gravel diameters of nests were significantly smaller than substrate particles adjacent to nests. GLMMs revealed that mesohabitats with nests were shallower, had more moderate slopes and greater proportions of rock outcrops than mesohabitats without nests. The scheduled discharge event significantly flattened nests. Near the dam, nests were built in close proximity (≤2 m) to velocity shelters; this relationship diminished with distance from the dam. River chubs are spawning habitat specialists. Because multiple species rely on river chub nests for reproduction and food, the needs of this species should be considered when managing instream flows.
Unloading Effects of Molsidomine on Peripheral Circulation and Cardiac Hemodynamics in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction

The unloading mechanisms and site of peripheral action of the new antian ginal drug molsidomine was compared with isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN) in 14 patients with acute myocardial infarction using a Swan-Ganz catheter and venous occlusion plethysmography. Sublingual molsidomine (2-4 mg) in creased calf venous capacitance (CVC) (0.42 ± 0.18 to 0.64 ± 0.09 ml/100 ml, p<0.05) from 30 to 240 minutes, while simultaneously lowering of PCWP (25.9 ± 4.9 to 15.8 ± 7.3 mmHg, p<0.05) and CVP (9.3 ± 3.7 to 5.8 ± 3.5 cmH2O, p<0.05). Calf blood flow (CBF), calf vascular resistance (CVR), CI, TSPR and SWI were not affected significantly. Molsidomine reduced preload more than 240 minutes after its administration. Sublingual ISDN increased CBF into the initial 15 minutes (1.19 ± 0.49 to 1.83 ± 0.98 ml/100ml/min, p<0.05) and CVC from 5 to 60 minutes (0.42 ± 0.19 to 0.68 ± 0.24 ml/100ml p<0.01) while simultaneously lowering PCWP (24.3 ± 2.2 to 14.6 ± 4.5 mmHg, p<0.01) and CVP (9.0 ± 2.8 to 5.5 ± 3.5 cmH2O, p<0.05). Neither d...
Random-walk model for the saturation of 1 f noise amplitudes

The equivalence between multistate trapping and the continuous-time random walk (CTRW) is used to model the excess low-frequency current noise in the presence of an applied voltage. Tunaley's CTRW model for $\frac{1}{f}$ noise gives the noise-power spectrum $P(f)$ in terms of the waiting-time distribution $\ensuremath{\psi}(t)$. This distribution can in turn be expressed in terms of a dimensionless trap concentration $G$ and a probability distribution of release rates $p(r)$. The noise-power spectrum is given as an explicit nonlinear functional of ($\frac{G}{1+G}$) and of $p(r)$. When $G\ensuremath{\ll}1$ we recover the usual linear superposition of Lorentzian spectra. An important feature of the model is the saturation of $P(f)$ for large $G$. We consider two possibilities for $p(r)$. When $p(r)$ is of power-law form we obtain interesting analytic results, but we suggest why this situation does not apply to experiment. When $\mathrm{ln}r$ has a distribution with a broad maximum, we have a generalization of the activation-energy model of Dutta and Horn which seems a likely candidate for a variety of experimental situations. In particular we suggest that $\mathrm{fP}(f)$ is a slowly varying function of frequency which is not of power-law form.
Do inclusionary zoning policies equitably disperse affordable housing? A comparative spatial analysis

This article examines the impact of inclusionary zoning (IZ) policies on the production and spatial distribution of low-income housing at the neighborhood level. Using an original, geo-coded property-specific database of more than 11,000 IZ units built between 1980 and 2000 in Montgomery County, Maryland, and Suffolk County, New York, this study provides the first evidence of the locational determinants of IZ unit production and spatial clustering by census tracts. Using a comparative analytic approach, the impact of institutional framework—more specifically, the difference between jurisdictions with regional versus local housing and land use authority—is examined in relation to the effectiveness of IZ programs in promoting an equitable dispersal of low-income housing units. This analysis provides evidence of spatial concentrations of IZ units built between 1980 and 2000, although the characteristics of neighborhoods in which clustering occurs differ between the two study areas.
Behind Closed Doors: The Pedagogy and Interventionist Practice of Digital Storytelling.

Through arts-based research and digital storytelling, the author investigates the representation of psychiatric disabilities in this article and proposes that digital storytelling can be an interventionist artistic and pedagogical process through which to challenge dominant stigmatizing representations of psychiatric disability.
Chemoradiotherapy for unresectable pancreatic cancer.

Treatment options for unresectable pancreatic cancer, including concurrent chemoradiotherapy, chemotherapy alone, and chemotherapy followed by chemoradiotherapy, are largely ineffective and result in a median survival of approximately 10–12 months. Although quality data on the benefit of radiotherapy in unresectable pancreatic cancer are lacking, it seems unlikely that the low-efficacy chemotherapy used for pancreatic cancer would control gross disease. Current regimens deliver low, ineffective doses of radiation and are associated with high rates of local failure. New technological advances, such as intensity-modulated radiotherapy, now allow the safe delivery of high-dose, highly conformal radiotherapy concurrently with full systemic doses of chemotherapy. We review new knowledge related to pattern of failure, target definition, and target motion and discuss the implications of these data on modern radiotherapy treatment planning and delivery. While it is clear that breakthroughs in treatment would come mostly from advances in systemic therapy, the evidence suggests that radiotherapy should not fall out of use, but rather be intensified.
Is There an Emotional Cost of Completing High School? Ecological Factors and Psychological Distress Among LGBT Homeless Youth

This study explored the nexus of home and school climate on the psychological distress of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) homeless youth, as well as their experiences during high school. Of the LGBT homeless youth (N = 89) surveyed, 39.3% reported not completing high school. Most participants did not seek support from school staff nor did they report attending a school with a Gay-Straight Alliance. Significantly higher levels of psychological distress were found among high school graduates and those reporting LGBT harassment at home; however, harassment experienced at school was not statistically related to psychological distress. Findings are discussed.
Development of the ultrasonic toothbrush.

An ultrasonic motor drives the small head of a recently developed toothbrush. In two preliminary experiments, participating patients, including a mentally retarded individual, were able to remove plaque from their teeth effectively and efficiently. The effectiveness of the ultrasonic toothbrush is shown with use of pictures of the oral health status of a patient before a prophylaxis, after she had used the ultrasonic device for two weeks, and then after she had brushed with a hand toothbrush for two weeks.
A calculation of the purification achievable for a region of a bacterial genome on the basis of its resistance to heat-induced strand separation.

Abstract Some regions of a bacterial genome can be partially purified on the basis of their relatively high resistance to heat-induced complete separation of their strands. A method is described here for calculating the order of purification that should be achievable using this purification procedure. The method is used with previously published data on Bacillus subtilis DNA of mol. wt. 20·10 6 . For this DNA it is estimated that about 10% of the genome should be purifiable by a factor of three or more. About 3% of the genome should be purifiable by a factor of ten or more.
Light-scattering studies of phase-demixing of polystyrene/poly(o-chlorostyrene) blends

The phase separation of blends of polystyrene and poly(o-chlorostyrene) has been studied by observing the changing small-angle light-scattering profile with time. As a blend is heated to a temperature at which it undergoes phase separation, a light-scattering maximum is observed which grows in intensity and moves to smaller angles with time. This maximum is associated with a characteristic spacing which increases at a rate which becomes greater at higher temperature or with lower molecular weight. This spacing varies with a power of time as might be expected for domain growth occurring by a viscous flow mechanism. The integrated scattering intensity (invariant) is found to increase initially with time and then remain constant, as is characteristic of phase separation followed by phase ripening.
The hidden diversity of ribosomal peptide natural products

A recent report in BMC Biology on the discovery and analysis of biosynthetic genes for ribosomal peptide natural products confirms that these pathways are much more common and diverse than previously suspected, contributing substantially to the chemical arsenal employed by bacteria.
Roll stabilization by anti-roll passive tanks

Since the most severe roll motion occurs at resonance (known as synchronous rolling), the best way of reducing it is to increase the damping. The most common means of doing so is by the installation of bilge keels. If more control is required, both anti-roll tanks and fins are used. Tanks have the advantage of being able to function when the ship is not underway. The use of tanks with liquid free surfaces for reducing roll motion of ships is an old idea. Many researchers have studied the design of anti-roll tanks. However, most of the past effort has concentrated on studying the performance of anti-roll tanks in damping the roll motion of the ship. Little attention has been paid to the fluid motion inside the tank itself. Another important issue is the tank tuning. Proper tuning of the anti-roll tank, to match the ship's natural frequency, is very important in reducing the roll motion. This paper concentrates on the most familiar type, which is the U-tube passive tank as a mechanical absorber of roll motion. A detailed study, covering tank damping, mass, location relative to the ship CG, and tuning, is presented. New suggestions and observations are stated concerning tank damping and tuning.
A model of bank contagion through lending

Abstract While the theoretical literature on bank contagion has focused mainly on deposit withdrawals, a disturbance on the lending side can also propagate through the system. We find that commonly observed features of banking crises can be rationalized in terms of a simple oligopoly model of bank lending. Informational externalities can result in banks over-committing to risky lending, and finding themselves in difficulties even if they were not consciously taking advantage of the deposit-put option implicitly offered by government guarantees. Liberalization of entry can also disturb an oligopolistic equilibrium and induce banks to shift to a riskier stance—this effect will be stronger if the old banks have a higher cost-base with quasi-fixed factors of production.