cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Identification of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Nonstructural Protein 2 Residues Essential for Exploitation of the Host Ubiquitin System and Inhibition of Innate Immune Responses.

UNLABELLED Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of lower respiratory tract infection in young children worldwide. The RSV nonstructural protein 2 (NS2) is a multifunctional protein that primarily acts to antagonize the innate immune system by targeting STAT2 for proteasomal degradation. We investigated the structural determinants of NS2 important for interaction with the host ubiquitin system to degrade STAT2 during infection. We found that NS2 expression enhances ubiquitination of host proteins. Bioinformatics analysis provided a platform for identification of specific residues that limit NS2-induced ubiquitination. Combinations of multiple mutations displayed an additive effect on reducing NS2-induced ubiquitination. Using a reverse genetics system, we generated recombinant RSV (rRSV) containing NS2 ubiquitin mutations, which maintained their effect on ubiquitin expression during infection. Interestingly, STAT2 degradation activity was ablated in the NS2 ubiquitin mutant rRSV. In addition, NS2 ubiquitin mutations decreased rRSV replication, indicating a correlation between NS2's ubiquitin function and antagonism of innate immune signaling to enhance viral replication. Our approach of targeting NS2 residues required for NS2 inhibition of immune responses provides a mechanism for attenuating RSV for vaccine development. IMPORTANCE RSV has been circulating globally for more than 60 years, causing severe respiratory disease in pediatric, elderly, and immunocompromised populations. Production of a safe, effective vaccine against RSV is a public health priority. The NS2 protein is an effective target for prevention and treatment of RSV due to its antagonistic activity against the innate immune system. However, NS2-deleted RSV vaccine candidates rendered RSV overattenuated or poorly immunogenic. Alternatively, we can modify essential NS2 structural features to marginally limit viral growth while maintaining immune responses, providing the necessary balance between antigenicity and safety required for an effective vaccine. We coupled bioinformatics analysis with reverse genetics to introduce mutations into RSV's negative-sense genome. In this way we constructed rRSV NS2 ubiquitin mutants that limited NS2's ability to antagonize the innate immune system, thereby attenuating rRSV growth and increasing innate immune responses.
Analysis on symptomatic heritability of Plutella xylostella's resistance to abamectin

Symptomatic heritabilities of diamond back moth (Plutella xylostella's) resistances to abamectin from different areas were studied. Results showed that LC50 of Xuanhua population and Wuhan population to abamectin were 3.7 and 5.7 times that of susceptible population respectively; LC50 of Beijing population and Yunnan population were 15.7, 22.3 times that of susceptible population. Symptomatic heritabilities of diamond back moth's resistances were about 0.12 after 21 and 27 generations of breeding. Assuming symptomatic heritabilities of field population were half that of indoor populations, mortalities of abamection to Plutella xylostella were 50%, 70%, 80%, 90%. AVMs applicable times of abamection should be 17, 12, 10 and 8 respectively provided diamond back moth's resistances increase 10 times.
Real-time measures of context to improve fall-detection models

Real-time fall detection has been a challenging area of research and even more challenging as a viable commercial service, given the need for near perfect classification algorithms. True fall events are rare is monitored data sets, whereas confounding events for automated algorithms are quite frequent. In this paper we describe a decision theoretic approach to classification and alerting that incorporates context, such as location and activities, to improve probability and utility estimates for new classes, including near falls and known confounding events. We describe how to use monitored context to provide real-time assessment of true patient state to improve training data sets, as well as the use of context in improving classification, detection and alerting.
An Evaluability Assessment of the West Virginia Physical Activity Plan, 2015: Lessons Learned for Other State Physical Activity Plans.

BACKGROUND The US National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP) was released in 2009 as a national strategic plan to increase physical activity (PA). The NPAP emphasized implementing state and local PA programs. Dissemination of information about NPAP has been limited, however. COMMUNITY CONTEXT West Virginia is a predominantly rural state with high rates of chronic diseases associated with physical inactivity. In 2015 an evaluability assessment (EA) of the West Virginia Physical Activity Plan (WVPAP) was conducted, and community stakeholders were invited to participate in updating the plan. METHODS A good EA seeks stakeholder input, assists in identifying program areas that need improvement, and ensures that a full evaluation will produce useful information. Data for this EA were collected via national stakeholder interviews, document reviews, discussions among workgroups consisting of state and local stakeholders, and surveys to determine how well the WVPAP had been implemented. OUTCOME The EA highlighted the need for WVPAP leaders to 1) establish a specific entity to implement local PA plans, 2) create sector-specific logic models to simplify the WVPAP for local stakeholders, 3) evaluate the PA plan's implementation frequently from the outset, 4) use quick and efficient engagement techniques with stakeholders when working with them to select strategies, tactics, and measurable outcomes, and 5) understand the elements necessary to implement, manage, and evaluate a good PA plan. INTERPRETATION An EA process is recommended for other leaders of PA plans. Our project highlights the stakeholders' desire to simplify the WVPAP so that it can be set up as a locally driven process that engages communities in implementation.
A serendipitous cascade of rhodium vinylcarbenoids with aminochalcones for the synthesis of functionalized quinolines

A serendipitous five-step cascade of rhodium vinylcarbenoids with aminochalcones enables a unique synthetic approach to highly functionalized tri- and tetra-cyclic quinolines. The cascade reaction begins with the insertion of aminochalcone nitrogen into rhodium vinylcarbenoids followed by intramolecular aldol cyclization to provide a substituted indoline intermediate that undergoes an oxy-Cope rearrangement to provide a 9-membered azacycle, which then rearranges to the functionalized quinoline through an intramolecular aldol/dehydration sequence. With a catalyst loading as low as 0.1 mol%, the cascade reaction has proven to be general with a range of aminochalcones and vinylcarbenoids.
Associations of child emotion recognition with interparental conflict and shy child temperament traits

Severe early adversity, such as maltreatment and neglect, has been associated with alterations in children’s recognition of emotion. We sought to build on such findings by testing whether children’s exposure to interparental conflict, a much less severe form of adversity, is also associated with children’s emotion recognition. Further, we sought to examine the role of temperamental shyness in these associations. We presented 99 9- to 11-year-olds (56 males) with photographs of actors posing as a couple portraying interpersonal anger, happiness, and neutrality, and children classified the emotions in the photos. Children reported on interparental conflict, and their mothers reported on children’s shyness. Children’s perceptions of threat regarding interparental conflict interacted with trial type (angry, happy, neutral) to predict accuracy; greater threat perceptions predicted less accuracy for neutral expressions, a relatively ambiguous stimulus type. Additionally, shyness interacted with children’s threa...
Outpatient total shoulder arthroplasty: A cost-identification analysis

Abstract Background As demand for total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) rises, containing costs will become increasingly important. We hypothesize that performing ambulatory TSA procedures results in significant cost savings. Methods A model was created to evaluate cost savings. Hospital stay length and cost, pain control method and cost, and number of annual outpatient TSA procedures were estimated based on literature. Results Estimated cost savings per patient were $747 to $15,507 (base case $5594), total annual savings of $4.1M to $349M (base case $82M), and ten-year savings of $51M to $5.4B (base case $1.1B). Conclusion Ambulatory TSA procedures result in significant cost savings.
Short-term results of treating primary and recurrent anal fistulas with a novel extracellular matrix derived from porcine urinary bladder

Anal fistulas are difficult to treat because they are often recalcitrant to medical therapies and surgical treatment may lead to significant morbidities. A recent novel biologically derived graft from porcine urinary bladder (MatriStem(TM)) has shown great promise in experimental studies of tissue regeneration in diverse tissues. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the safety and short-term efficacy of MatriStem for treatment of anal fistulas. This was a retrospective study of patients treated from January 3, 2012 to March 3, 2014 at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. MatriStem was used to treat patients with anal fistulas by implanting it uniformly with a single application in all patients using a standardized protocol. Data were collected retrospectively from hospital records and office charts. Nineteen fistulas were treated with MatriStem. There were no adverse complications. Overall efficacy of MatriStem was 79 per cent with healing occurring in a mean time of 17 days and mean follow-up of seven months (range 1-26 months). MatriStem was effective in healing in 75 per cent of primary anal fistulas and 86 per cent of recurrent fistulas. MatriStem seems to be a safe and promising treatment for primary and recurrent anal fistulas, and warrants further study and clinical trials to substantiate widespread clinical use.
AUTOMATIC STATE SPACE AGGREGATION USING A DENSITY BASED TECHNIQUE

Abstract : applying reinforcement learning techniques in continuous environments is challenging because there are infinitely many states to visit in order to learn an optimal policy. To make this situation tractable, abstractions are often used to reduce the infinite state space down to a small and finite one. Some of the more powerful and commonplace abstractions, tiling abstractions such as CMAC, work by aggregating many base states into a single abstract state. Unfortunately, significant manual effort is often necessary in order to apply them to non-trivial control problems. Here we develop an automatic state space aggregation algorithm, Maximum Density Separation, which can produce a meaningful abstraction with minimal manual effort. This method leverages the density of observations in the space to construct a partition and aggregate states in a dense region to the same abstract state. We show that the abstractions produced by this method on two benchmark reinforcement learning problems can outperform fixed tiling methods in terms of both the convergence rate of a learning algorithm and the number of abstract states needed.
Hydrodynamics with gauge anomaly: Variational principle and Hamiltonian formulation

We present a variational principle for relativistic hydrodynamics with gauge-anomaly terms for a fluid coupled to an Abelian background gauge field. For this we utilize the Clebsch parametrization of the velocity field. We also set up the Hamiltonian formulation and the canonical framework for the theory. While the equations of motion only involve the density and velocity fields, i.e., the Clebsch potentials only appear in the combination which is the velocity field, the generators of symmetry transformations (including the Hamiltonian) depend explicitly on one of the Clebsch potentials, if the background field is time-dependent. For the special case of time-independent background fields, this feature is absent.
Effects of earthworms and white-tailed deer on roots, arbuscular mycorrhizae, and forest seedling performance

Changes in understory plant composition and biodiversity declines in northeastern North American forests are widespread. Preserving species and ecosystem function requires appropriate identification and management of important stressors. Coexistence of stressors, among them earthworm invasions and white-tailed deer, makes correct identification of mechanisms that cause diversity declines challenging. We used an established factorial experiment to assess survival and growth of native seedlings (Actaea pachypoda, Aquilegia canadensis, Cornus racemosa, Quercus rubra, and Prenanthes alba) in response to presence/absence of deer and earthworms. We expected deer and earthworms to reduce seedling survival and biomass, and we evaluated potential pathways to explain this impact (soil N and P concentrations and pools, root architecture, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi [AMF] colonization). We developed structural equation models (SEM) to identify specific pathways through which earthworms and deer were impacting plant species with different life histories. Seedling survival was not affected by our treatments nor the plant and soil variables we tested. Actaea biomass was smaller in earthworm-invaded plots, and with larger total N pools. In contrast, both deer and earthworm treatments were associated with lower soil nutrient concentrations, and earthworm-invaded plots had smaller N and extractable P pools. Actaea, Cornus, Prenanthes, and Quercus seedlings had a lower proportion of fine roots in earthworm-invaded plots, while fine roots in Aquilegia made up a higher proportion of the root system. AMF colonization in Quercus was reduced in sites colonized by earthworms, but AMF in other species were unaffected. Our SEMs showed high correlation among soil variables, but because we do not know which variables are drivers of this change and which are passengers, we can only conclude that they are changing together as deer and earthworms exert their respective influence. Different plant species responded in idiosyncratic ways to earthworm and deer effects on soil fertility, root architecture and limited effects on AMF colonization. While earthworm and deer-mediated changes to fine roots, soil nutrients, and AMF may lead to changes in plant performance over time, these changes rarely translated to lower plant performance in our seedlings.
A Wideband, Circularly Polarized, Directive Antenna With a Circular Reflector

A two-element, patch antenna with a single feed is presented to achieve wideband, circular polarization, and uni-directional radiation. The driven element of the antenna has a rotated, corner-truncated radiating patch to achieve circularly polarized radiation with an offset microstrip feedline in the front side. The back side of the driven element comprises a wide hexagonal slot, eight meander tips, and a parasitic patch in the center. A circular reflector is added behind the driven element to increase realized gain toward the front side direction of the driven element. A prototype of the antenna is fabricated for validation. In both simulation and measurement, the 3-dB axial ratio bandwidth is fully included in the −10-dB impedance bandwidth. In measurement, the proposed antenna has a −10-dB impedance bandwidth of 83% (1.58 GHz – 3.83 GHz), and a 3-dB axial ratio bandwidth of 49% (1.99 GHz – 3.27 GHz). Within the common band, the average realized gain is 6.1 dBic, and the peak realized gain is 8.6 dBic toward the front side direction of the antenna. The electrical size of the antenna is a kr of 1.69.
All You Have Gotten Is Tokenism

Tokenism is a sophisticated way of making institutions look progressive, while gender, race, and a host of other factors are the underlying hierarchy determining entrance and advancement in an institution. Psychologist Judith Long Laws provides an alternative foundation for our collective understanding of tokenism to the more often sited scholarship of Rosabeth Moss Kanter. Laws postulates that tokenism is built upon a mutually agreed to, although completely deceptive, relationship between two partners, the token and the sponsor. According to Laws, the relationship between token and sponsor is supported by a cultivated set of beliefs about the social system into which the token is being integrated. Their interaction is undergirded by agreements in several areas: exceptionalism, individualism, meritocratic mystique, boundary maintenance, definition of sponsor’s role, the relationship between token and sponsor, and management of stigma. The author uses Laws’ framework to illustrate his own tokenized experience in the workplace.
Children with ASD Use Joint Attention and Linguistic Skill in Pronoun Development.

Producing pronouns involves linguistic and social-cognitive knowledge because children must learn words and understand pronouns’ changing referents. This study examined pronoun production longitudi...
Low-Loss Unidirectional Acoustic Focusing Transducer in Thin-Film Lithium Niobate

In this work, we present gigahertz low-loss unidirectional acoustic focusing transducers in thin-film lithium niobate. The design follows the anisotropy of fundamental symmetric (S0) waves in X-cut lithium niobate. The implemented acoustic delay line testbed consisting of a pair of the proposed transducers shows a low insertion loss of 4.2 dB and a wide fractional bandwidth of 7.5% at 1 GHz. The extracted transducer loss is 1.46 dB, and the propagation loss of the S0 waves is 0.0126 dB/ $\mu \text{m}$ . The design framework is readily extendable to other acoustic modes, given consideration on the optimal orientation for power flow and electromechanical transduction.
Maternity Rights in Mexico: With References to the Spanish and American Codes

Mexico, the United States, and Spain approach maternity rights and benefits from differing perspectives within diverse legal frameworks. Maternity and pregnancy deserve legal protection in the workplace by virtue of their vital role to society. Women worldwide share a concern for maternity rights and benefits, but countries approach legal rights related to motherhood and pregnancy from differing perspectives. The laws in Mexico and Spain regarding maternity share many similarities, including protecting not only the mother and fetus, but also the infant and father. In contrast, the laws in the United States solely protect the mother and unborn fetus. The laws in the United States dealing with maternity tend to be more general than their Mexican and Spanish counterparts. The key to this difference lies in the foundation and rationale on which each legal regime is based. While Mexican and Spanish maternity rights are grounded in the unique circumstances of childbearing, the laws of the United States focus on establishing equality among workers. In seeking to address the needs of American families, the United States can learn much from Mexico's approach to maternity rights.
Nonparametric Specification Testing for Continuous-Time Models with Applications to Term Structure of Interest Rates

We develop a nonparametric specification test for continuous-time models using the transition density. Using a data transform and correcting for the boundary bias of kernel estimators, our test is robust to serial dependence in data and provides excellent finite sample performance. Besides univariate diffusion models, our test is applicable to a wide variety of continuous-time and discrete-time dynamic models, including time-inhomogeneous diffusion, GARCH, stochastic volatility, regime-switching, jump-diffusion, and multivariate diffusion models. A class of separate inference procedures is also proposed to help gauge possible sources of model misspecification. We strongly reject a variety of univariate diffusion models for daily Eurodollar spot rates and some popular multivariate affine term structure models for monthly U.S. Treasury yields.
Continuing the investigation of the sensing response of ionic polymer-metal composites: effects of geometry and orientation

The soft electroactive polymer material, ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC), has been used in various applications of soft-robotics for both its sensing and actuating capabilities. When used as a sensor, IPMCs are typically positioned in a rectangular cantilever orientation, where the produced voltage response is indicative of the displacement occurring as the IPMC is bent by an induced force. Upon changing the orientation of the IPMC sensor, alternative reproducible voltage responses occur depending upon which surface the induced force is acting upon. The results of this study can be used to optimize the design of soft-robot devices that use IPMCs as a main sensing component.
Teachers’ beliefs and practices with respect to translanguaging university mathematics in Iraq

Abstract The English as a medium of instruction (EMI) policy does not seriously consider teachers’ beliefs on the choice of English for their academic practices, objectives, and challenges in Iraqi universities. However, disciplinary discourses have become more translingual in academic settings across Iraq. This study investigated teachers’ beliefs around translanguaging (English and Arabic) university mathematics and how it can be enacted in their pedagogic practices within their naturalistic sites. The data comprised interviews, classroom observations, and documentary analysis of Google Classroom-based teaching and assessment materials. Following the thematic analysis, English was not identified as the only hub around which mathematics revolves in theory and practice, but rather mathematics discourses are more translanguaged and multi-semioticised as part of the individuals’ local meaning-making and knowledge-construction practices. The study also addresses beliefs against adopting an unspecific top-down EMI policy along with several recommendations for better EMI provision in the future.
Experimental depth dose curves of a 67.5 MeV proton beam for benchmarking and validation of Monte Carlo simulation

Purpose: To measure depth dose curves for a 67.5 ± 0.1 MeV proton beam for benchmarking and validation of Monte Carlo simulation. Methods: Depth dose curves were measured in 2 beam lines. Protons in the raw beam line traversed a Ta scattering foil, 0.1016 or 0.381 mm thick, a secondary emission monitor comprised of thin Al foils, and a thin Kapton exit window. The beam energy and peak width and the composition and density of material traversed by the beam were known with sufficient accuracy to permit benchmark quality measurements. Diodes for charged particle dosimetry from two different manufacturers were used to scan the depth dose curves with 0.003 mm depth reproducibility in a water tank placed 300 mm from the exit window. Depth in water was determined with an uncertainty of 0.15 mm, including the uncertainty in the water equivalent depth of the sensitive volume of the detector. Parallel-plate chambers were used to verify the accuracy of the shape of the Bragg peak and the peak-to-plateau ratio measured with the diodes. The uncertainty in the measured peak-to-plateau ratio was 4%. Depth dose curves were also measured with a diode for a Bragg curve and treatment beam spread out Bragg peak (SOBP) on the beam line used for eye treatment. The measurements were compared to Monte Carlo simulation done with geant4 using topas. Results: The 80% dose at the distal side of the Bragg peak for the thinner foil was at 37.47 ± 0.11 mm (average of measurement with diodes from two different manufacturers), compared to the simulated value of 37.20 mm. The 80% dose for the thicker foil was at 35.08 ± 0.15 mm, compared to the simulated value of 34.90 mm. The measured peak-to-plateau ratio was within one standard deviation experimental uncertainty of the simulated result for the thinnest foil and two standard deviations for the thickest foil. It was necessary to include the collimation in the simulation, which had a more pronounced effect on the peak-to-plateau ratio for the thicker foil. The treatment beam, being unfocussed, had a broader Bragg peak than the raw beam. A 1.3 ± 0.1 MeV FWHM peak width in the energy distribution was used in the simulation to match the Bragg peak width. An additional 1.3–2.24 mm of water in the water column was required over the nominal values to match the measured depth penetration. Conclusions: The proton Bragg curve measured for the 0.1016 mm thick Ta foil provided the most accurate benchmark, having a low contribution of proton scatter from upstream of the water tank. The accuracy was 0.15% in measured beam energy and 0.3% in measured depth penetration at the Bragg peak. The depth of the distal edge of the Bragg peak in the simulation fell short of measurement, suggesting that the mean ionization potential of water is 2–5 eV higher than the 78 eV used in the stopping power calculation for the simulation. The eye treatment beam line depth dose curves provide validation of Monte Carlo simulation of a Bragg curve and SOBP with 4%/2 mm accuracy.
Organic-Free Synthesis of CHA-Type Zeolite Catalysts for the Methanol-to-Olefins Reaction

Chabazite (CHA)-type zeolites are prepared from the hydrothermal conversion of faujasite (FAU)-type zeolites, dealuminated by high-temperature steam treatments (500–700 °C), and evaluated as catalysts for the methanol-to-olefins (MTO) reaction. The effects of temperature and partial pressure of water vapor during steaming are investigated. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Ar physisorption data show that the steam treatments cause partial structural collapse of the zeolite with the extent of degradation increasing with steaming temperature. 27Al MAS NMR spectra of the steamed materials reveal the presence of tetrahedral, pentacoordinate, and octahedral aluminum. NH3 and i-propylamine temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) demonstrate that steaming removes Bronsted acid sites, while simultaneously introducing larger pores into the CHA materials that make the remaining acid sites more accessible. Acid washing the steamed CHA-type zeolites removes a significant portion of the extra-framework aluminum, prod...
Studies on the Conformation and Interactions of Elastin

It is apparent at each level of microscopic examination that connective tissue components of the arterial wall are beautifully organized molecular constructs. Similarly, it is evident that transition from a healthy, elastic arterial wall to a diseased, sclerotic arterial wall involves changes in those molecular constructs — changes which can be described in terms of the forces that bind atoms, ions, and molecules together. Our interest centers on the molecular aspects of this transition, i.e., on the molecular pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.
Multiple kernel learning with random effects for predicting longitudinal outcomes and data integration.

Summary Predicting disease risk and progression is one of the main goals in many clinical research studies. Cohort studies on the natural history and etiology of chronic diseases span years and data are collected at multiple visits. Although, kernel-based statistical learning methods are proven to be powerful for a wide range of disease prediction problems, these methods are only well studied for independent data, but not for longitudinal data. It is thus important to develop time-sensitive prediction rules that make use of the longitudinal nature of the data. In this paper, we develop a novel statistical learning method for longitudinal data by introducing subject-specific short-term and long-term latent effects through a designed kernel to account for within-subject correlation of longitudinal measurements. Since the presence of multiple sources of data is increasingly common, we embed our method in a multiple kernel learning framework and propose a regularized multiple kernel statistical learning with random effects to construct effective nonparametric prediction rules. Our method allows easy integration of various heterogeneous data sources and takes advantage of correlation among longitudinal measures to increase prediction power. We use different kernels for each data source taking advantage of the distinctive feature of each data modality, and then optimally combine data across modalities. We apply the developed methods to two large epidemiological studies, one on Huntington's disease and the other on Alzheimer's Disease (Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, ADNI) where we explore a unique opportunity to combine imaging and genetic data to study prediction of mild cognitive impairment, and show a substantial gain in performance while accounting for the longitudinal aspect of the data.
A note on the visualization of wetting film structures and a nonwetting immiscible fluid in a pore network micromodel using a solvatochromic dye

[1] Micromodel technologies are a useful and important method to study pore-scale fluidic processes, using two-dimensional formats that enable direct visualization of processes within patterned microstructures. In this technical note, Nile red, 9-diethylamino-5H-benzo[alpha]phenoxazine-5-one, is demonstrated as a single dye whose solvatochromism enables selective visualization of two immiscible liquid fluids in a pore network micromodel containing a homogeneous array of pillars. Nile red dissolves in, and partitions between, hexadecane as a nonwetting fluid and polyethylene glycol 200 (PEG200) as a hydrophilic wetting fluid in a micromodel with silicon oxide surfaces. Both the absorption spectra and fluorescence emission spectra are sensitive to the solvent environment, such that the two phases can be distinguished by the observed color or the fluorescence emission band. Bright field, epifluorescence, confocal fluorescence, and hyperspectral microscopy methods were used to image the micromodel after displacing PEG200 in the model with hexadecane. Using a single solvatochromic dye facilitates direct visualization and identification of both phases anywhere in the micromodel on the basis of color and also enables collection of complementary fluorescent images for each phase. The use of Nile red with these imaging methods facilitates selective visualization of phase identity at specific locations; the interfaces between the two immiscible liquid phases; wetting behavior of the wetting phase within the pore network; and retention of the wetting phase as thin films around pillars and as bridges across the pore throats. The pillars and wetting phase bridges create a network of obstacles defining a tortuous flow path for the displacing nonwetting phase.
Protection of rat liver 80 S ribosomes against ricin A chain inactivation by proteins extracted from rat liver and wheat germ ribosomal subunits with ammonium chloride/magnesium chloride.

Proteins extracted from wheat germ 60 S ribosomal subunits and rat liver 60 S and 40 S ribosomal subunits with 3 M NH4Cl75 mM MgCl2 were able to prevent the ricin A chain-mediated inactivation of untreated 80 S rat liver ribosomes. The protection of polyphenylalanine synthetic capability of 80 S ribosomes was saturable and reached 100% protection in the presence of about 20 μg of extracted protein using a uniform set of assay conditions. No protection was observed using proteins extracted from wheat germ 40 S subunits or the core fraction of rat liver 60 S subunits or protein extracted from Escherichia coli ribosomes or ribosomal subunits. The conclusion that the protective effect of extracted 60 S subunit proteins was specific, was further strengthened by showing that unrelated proteins such as α-lactalbumin, bovine serum albumin and lysozyme, and polypeptides such as polylysine and poly(aspartic acid), also showed no protection. If 80 S ribosomes were first treated with ricin A chain and then incubated with proteins extracted from rat liver 60 S subunits, no protection was observed. Proteins extracted with NH4ClMgCl2 from 60 S rat liver subunits were applied to a carboxymethylcellulose column equilibrated with 6 M urea. Stepwise elution with increasing concentrations of LiCl resulted in seven fractions. One fraction (D) contained most of the protective factor; one fraction (E) contained a lesser amount of the protective factor. Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of fraction D showed the presence of ten proteins. These data are consistent with the idea that the enzymatic target of ricin A chain is protein is nature and that fraction D contains one or more proteins that appear to act as a inhibitor against ricin A chain.
Active data mining

We introduce an active data mining paradigm that combines the recent work in data mining with the rich literature on active database systems. In this paradigm, data is continuously mined at a desired frequency. As rules are discovered, they are added to a rulebase, and if they already exist, the history of the statistical parameters associated with the rules is updated. When the history starts exhibiting certain trends, specified as shape queries in the user-specified triggers, the triggers are fired and appropriate actions are initiated. To be able to specify shape queries, we describe the constructs for defining shapes, and discuss how the shape predicates are used in a query construct to retrieve rules whose histories exhibit the desired trends. We describe how this query capability is integrated into a trigger system to realize an active mining system. The system presented here has been validated using two sets of customer data.
Visible and Thermal Imaging of Sea Ice and Open Water from Coast Guard Arctic Domain Awareness Flights

Abstract : Our long-term goals are to better understand the interaction of sea ice with the regional and global climate and to improve the skill of predicting the evolution of the ice on daily to decadal time scales. The overall objective of the proposed research is to collect detailed information about the thermal and physical state of the ice and ocean surface in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas in order to better understand the physical processes that control the melt, to better represent them in numerical models, and to better predict the seasonal evolution of the ice cover.
NMR study of phase transitions in VT/sub 0.50/ and VT/sub 0.75/

Describes the preparation of polycrystalline VT and observations of phase transitions using pulse nuclear magnetic resonance measurements of triton relaxation times. Finds that the critical temperatures (T /SUB c/ ) for the phase transitions in the VT /SUB x/ samples follow the mass-dependent trends found for VH /SUB x/ and VD /SUB x/ and qualitatively obey the isotopic dependence predicted by the theoretical models of Entin et al. Presents table comparing experimental and calculated isotope effects.
Use of stereotactic body radiation therapy for medically inoperable multiple primary lung cancer

Introduction: To review outcomes of medically inoperable patients treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for multiple primary lung cancer (MPLC). Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 10 patients (21 lesions) treated with SBRT for synchronous (seven), metachronous (one) or synchronous/metachronous lung cancers. All patients were male, medically inoperable and had a median age of 66 years. Eight patients had bilateral disease and two had unilateral disease. All patients had a histological diagnosis in at least one of the two lesions and four patients (44.4%) had both lesions biopsied. There were 18 T1 lesions and three T2 lesions. SBRT was in three fractions of 20 Gy or five fractions of 11–12 Gy to each lesion. Results: Mean and median follow up were 18.8 and 15.5 months, respectively. At analysis, six patients (60.0%) are alive, and five of these living patients (83.3%) have no evidence of disease recurrence or progression. Four patients (44.4%) developed distant metastatic disease. Twenty lesions (95.2%) achieved in-field local control. No patients experienced acute pulmonary complications and only two patients (22.2%) experienced late grade I lung toxicity as per the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group toxicity criteria. Conclusion: SBRT for MPLC in medically inoperable patients is a safe, feasible and effective treatment approach.
Enumeration of phenanthrene-degrading bacteria by an overlayer technique and its use in evaluation of petroleum-contaminated sites

Bacteria that are capable of degrading polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were enumerated by incorporating soil and water dilutions together with fine particles of phenanthrene, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, into an agarose overlayer and pouring the mixture over a mineral salts underlayer. The phenanthrene-degrading bacteria embedded in the overlayer were recognized by a halo of clearing in the opaque phenanthrene layer. Diesel fuel- or creosote-contaminated soil and water that were undergoing bioremediation contained 6 x 10(6) to 100 x 10(6) phenanthrene-degrading bacteria per g and ca. 5 x 10(5) phenanthrene-degrading bacteria per ml, respectively, whereas samples from untreated polluted sites contained substantially lower numbers. Unpolluted soil and water contained no detectable phenanthrene degraders (desert soil) or only very modest numbers of these organisms (garden soil, municipal reservoir water).
Data filtering and regression in estimating slew motion timing model

In much high-speed automated equipment, such as placement machines in surface mount technology lines, the most important thing is to move certain device to specific positions quickly. The trajectory is not critical. These machines utilize slew motions. The process of such machines can be divided into a set of sequential tests moving between programmed points. In order to operate the machines efficiently, it is important to know the time it would take to move from any point to any other point, i.e. its timing model. The paper presents a method to estimate the timing model. The method is based on data filtering and curve fitting. The work was done on a placement machine but the method is applicable to other high-speed machines with slew motion.
Inlet Condition Effects on Particle Dispersion in a Shear Layer

The impact of the inlet conditions on particle dispersion in a post-transitional shear layer is investigated using two-dimensional simulations. The flow inlet conditions are varied between a monotonically changing inlet velocity profile (error-function) and one that exhibits a wake deficit. The particle field inlet conditions are varied by altering the particle inlet location. Monodisperse, dilute particle fields are considered. The numerical models for both the flow and particle fields are unsteady and Lagrangian. The applicability of a simplified form of the equation of particle motion is verified by comparing its solutions with those of a more comprehensive form. The maximization of dispersion for particles with intermediate Stokes numbers documented in previous studies is reproduced. So is the fact that increased proximity of particle introduction to the shear flow leads to enhanced dispersion. For the error-function flow, particles introduced close enough to the shear flow so that they get entrained ...
Unwrapping Glial Cells from the Synapse: What Lies Inside?

Glial cells comprise most of the mass of the brain, yet their functions are only starting to be defined. In their Perspective, Gallo and Chittajallu synthesize two papers in this week9s issue ( Iino et al and Oliet et al.) that add several items to glias9s list of known tasks. Bergmann glia of the cerebellum are necessary for maintenance of the synapse between Purkinje cells and the climbing fibers. Similarly, reduced clearance of glutamate from a synapse in the supraoptic nucleus activates an inhibitory glutamate receptor more than usual, increasing synaptic inhibition.
Should people with nocturnal leg cramps drink tonic water and bitter lemon

A literature search from 1993 to 1997 using MEDLINE and key-words beverages, muscle cramp, and quinine was performed. Three beverages containing quinine were examined in grocery stores. Analysis indicate that leg cramps are a common phenomenon associated with many comorbid disorders especially peripheral vascular and neurologic disorders. Thus, evaluation of a patient's complaining of leg cramps appropriately includes vascular, neurologic, and musculoskeletal examinations. Laboratory investigation of the symptom of leg cramps warrants as a minimum, assessment of thyroid function and determination of platelet counts and serum levels of electrolytes, calcium, and magnesium. A few small studies suggest that quinine is effective in decreasing the frequency of nocturnal leg cramps but not their severity or duration. Quinine consumed in commercial beverages has been reported to cause potentially fatal immunologically mediated hypersensitivity reactions. The concentration of quinine in commercial beverages varies greatly. Although commercial beverages containing quinine generally are labeled "Contains quinine," they typically lack both nutritional information about the amount of quinine and warnings of the health risks. It appears that 325 milligrams of quinine taken by mouth at bedtime typically relieves nocturnal leg cramps, but lower starting doses are appropriate for senior citizens and individuals with impaired renal function. In general, quinine in any form should be avoided by pregnant women and people with hepatic failure. Quinine consumed for the treatment of leg cramps should be prescribed and monitored by physicians, and people who consume quinine in commercial beverages must be warned of the health risks.
Computation of disparity in stereo images on the connection machine

ABSTRACT This paper describes a parallel real-time stereo segmentation algorithm and its performance on the Think-ing Machines Corporation's Connection Machine. Following Y. Yeshuran and IL Schwartz's work on thecepstral filter, we compute the disparity in stereo image pairs using an implementation of the image algebradeveloped especially for the Connection Machine. The algorithm utilizes the FFT-based cepstral filter ap-plied to interlaced patches of the stereo pairs, producing disparity vectors that provide depth information.The principle advantage of this technique is that it is non-4terative and maps well to massively parallel ar-chitectures. Alternatives to the FFT portion of the algorithm are explored, including the Hartley Transformand ad hoc methods. Some results are presented for realistic images and random dot stereograms. 1. INTRODUCTION The purpose of this paper is to report on a fast parallel stereo matching algorithm targeted for ThinkingMachines Corporation's Connection Machine. A cepstral filter algorithm described by Y Yeshuran andSchwartz' is implemented using the image algebra as developed by G. X. Ritter, et. al.2 The image algebra,when embedded in a computer programming language such as Fortran or Lisp, serves as a convenient andpowerful development environment for computer vision algorithms. Embeddings of the image algebra in theFortran language (targeted for the Sun SPARC architecture) and Lisp (for the Connection Machine) wereused for implementations of the algorithms described herein.The cepstral filter uses the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) to extract disparity information in interlaced
Fast Fourier Transforms

Basic aspects of fourier series definition of fourier series examples of fourier series fourier series of real functions pointwise convergence of fourier series further aspects of convergence of fourier series fourier sine series and cosine series convergence of fourier sine and cosine series the discrete fourier transform (DFT) the fast fourier transform (FFT) some applications of fourier series fourier transforms properties of fourier transforms inversion of fourier transforms convolution - an introduction the convolution theorem an application of convolution in quantum mechanics filtering, frequency detection, and removal of noise summation kernals arising from poisson summation fourier optics fresnel diffraction fraunhofer diffraction circular apertures the phase transformation induced by a thin lens imaging with a single lens user's manual for fourier analysis software some computer programmes the schwarz inequality.
New models for old: taking the neural network seriously.

TransitionAt Millenium’s end we are in transition between models of the brain. Theclassical, static model of unidirectional information ﬂow through a verticallyorganized network has repeatedly been recognized as simplistic and unphysi-ological. I propose that a foundation exists for it to be replaced in the newmillenium by a dynamic model based on horizontally organized continuousreciprocal interaction, as beﬁts a self-organizing and self-stabilizing autono-mous agent, that predicts and prepares. I nominate the following design char-acteristics of the forebrain as pointing to new concepts.Recursive OrganizationThe cortical mantel is a recursive network. Microcolumns of neurons ag-gregate as macrocolumns, that aggregate as processing units, that aggregateas trends, within the parallel reciprocally interactive global neuropil. Scat-tered polymodal areas complete the cortical network (Pandya, Seltzer, B it nowhere all comes together(Dennett & Kinsbourne, 1992). Correspondingly, no focal cortical lesion ex-tinguishes awareness globally. The network does not cobble fragments orfeatures into aggregates, but rather continually reshapes the activation topog-raphy. ‘‘Binding’’ does not arise; the pattern of neural activation yields thepercept, idea, or intention.An activation manifold offers explanatory potential beyond nodes andtheir interconnections. Levels of local activation determine neuropsychologi-
Toward a Reusable Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) Substrate by Soft-Landing Ion Mobility

Soft-landing ion mobility has been applied to the development of a reusable surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopic substrate. Sections of silicon wafers were cleaved and modified with 3-(mercaptopropyl) triethoxysilane. After modification, gold was deposited using a soft-landing ion mobility system at thermal kinetic energies. It was found that 30 min of deposition provided the optimal feature size for surface-enhanced Raman scattering, and thus deposition was completed in a pressure-dependent fashion. After gold deposition, caffeine was deposited from the solution phase and checked for Raman activity. The Raman spectroscopic signature for caffeine increased as an inverse function of pressure pertaining to surface coverage of captured Au particles. After Raman spectroscopic confirmation of caffeine, the 1 Torr surface was ultrasonically cleaned in deionized water and respotted with sodium bicarbonate solution. There was no interference on the sodium bicarbonate solution from residual caffeine on the surface.
Comparison of [3H]resiniferatoxin binding to spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia of newborn and adult rats

Abstract Capsaicin is frequently used in neurobiological investigations to selectively inhibit response by the primary sensory afferent neurons. The effectiveness of treatment depends significantly on the age of the animals; newborns are both quantitatively and qualitatively more sensitive than adults. In the present study, we used the [ 3 H]resiniferatoxin binding assay to determine whether this different susceptibility to capsaicin between newborns and adult animals may reflect differences either in receptor affinity or density. We report here that whole spinal cord membranes of neonates bound [ 3 H]RTX with similar affinity and positive cooperativity as did the spinal cord membranes from adult animals (K d values were 24.8 ± 3.7 and 26.8 ± 4.8 pM, respectively; Hill coefficients were 2.25 ± 0.03 and 2.17 ± 0.05, respectively). However, the receptor density was three - fold higher in the spinal cord membranes of neonates than of adult rats (B max values were 142 ± 13 and 43 ± 3 fmol/mg protein, respectively). We found no significant difference in the [ 3 H]RTX binding properties of dorsal root ganglia membranes of newborn and adult animals. Our results suggest than a higher density of the vanilloid receptor in the spinal cord (but not in the dorsal root ganglia) of newborn animals may contribute to the quantitative differences between the sensitivity of adult animals and neonates.