cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Calibrating actigraphy to improve sleep efficiency estimates.

Actigraphy (ACT) can enhance treatment for insomnia by providing objective estimates of sleep efficiency; however, only two studies have assessed the accuracy of actigraphy-based estimates of sleep efficiency (ACT-SE) in sleep-disordered samples studied at home. Both found poor correspondence with polysomnography-based estimates (PSG-SE). The current study tested that concordance in a third sample and piloted a method for improving ACT-SE. Participants in one of four diagnostic categories (panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, comorbid post-traumatic stress and panic disorder and controls without sleep complaints) underwent in-home recording of sleep using concurrent ambulatory PSG and actigraphy. Precisely synchronized PSG and ACT recordings were obtained from 41 participants. Sleep efficiency was scored independently using conventional methods, and ACT-SE/PSG-SE concordance examined. Next, ACT data recorded initially at 0.5 Hz were resampled to 30-s epochs and rescaled on a per-participant basis to yield optimized concordance between PSG- and ACT-based sleep efficiency estimates. Using standard scoring of ACT, the correlation between ACT-SE and PSG-SE across participants was statistically significant (r = 0.35, P < 0.025), although ACT-SE failed to replicate a main effect of diagnosis. Individualized calibration of ACT against a night of PSG yielded a significantly higher correlation between ACT-SE and PSG-SE (r = 0.65, P < 0.001; z = 1.692, P = 0.0452, one-tailed) and a significant main effect of diagnosis that was highly correspondent with the effect on PSG-SE. ACT-based estimates of sleep efficiency in sleep-disordered patients tested at home can be improved significantly by calibration against a single night of concurrent PSG.
Effect of Late-Season Herbicide Applications on Inflorescence and Seed Production of Glyphosate-Resistant Giant Ragweed (Ambrosia trifida)

Giant ragweed is one of the most competitive annual broadleaf weeds in corn and soybean crop production systems in the United States and eastern Canada. Management of giant ragweed has become difficult due to the evolution of resistance to glyphosate and/or acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibitor herbicides and giant ragweed's ability to emerge late in the season, specifically in the eastern Corn Belt. Late-season herbicide application may reduce seed production of weed species; however, information is not available about late-season herbicide applications on giant ragweed seed production. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of single or sequential late-season applications of 2,4-D, dicamba, glyphosate, and glufosinate on inflorescence injury and seed production of glyphosate-resistant (GR) giant ragweed under greenhouse and field conditions (bare ground study). Single and sequential applications of glufosinate resulted in as much as 59 and 60% injury to giant ragweed inflorescence and as much as 78 and 75% reduction in seed production, respectively, under field and greenhouse conditions. In contrast, single or sequential applications of 2,4-D or dicamba resulted in ≥ 96% inflorescence injury and reduction in seed production in the field as well as in greenhouse studies. The results indicated that 2,4-D or dicamba are effective options for reducing seed production of glyphosate-resistant giant ragweed even if applied late in the season. Targeting weed seed production to decrease the soil seedbank will potentially be an effective strategy for an integrated management of GR giant ragweed.Nomenclature: 2,4-D amine; dicamba; glyphosate; glufosinate; giant ragweed, Ambrosia trifida L.; corn, Zea mays L.; soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr.
Natural Born Humans: Putting Culture, Science, and Religion Back Into Nature

In recent years, scientists and humanists have begun converging towards a new concept of humanity, one in which human culture, creativity, and power are seen as the product of nature, not its antithesis. Drawing on these insights, I suggest some ways in which scholars might embrace the concept of the ‘natural born human' to better recognize the powerful role of the natural material world in creating the human past and future. If a vital materiality informs every aspect of who we are as humans, then the scientific insights into this material world are not distinct from or contrary to humanism. To the contrary, science might be better understood as a manner of humanism and perhaps even akin to a materially grounded religion. Thus the old divide between science and the humanities might now be closing as we better recognize the inescapable material nature of the human animal in all of its dimensions.
Primary Outcome Measures for Early Phase ALS Trials – Are We Using the Best Measures? (P07.076)

OBJECTIVE: To identify the responsiveness of outcome measures used in recent ALS early-phase clinical trials. BACKGROUND: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease that affects 1 in 40,000 Americans, with 5000 new diagnoses each year in the United States. The only approved therapy for this disease, Riluzole, has a modest effect, delaying disease progression on average by 3 months. Identifying new treatments for ALS is, therefore, crucial. Unfortunately, despite promising animal studies, most recent clinical trials in ALS have failed to meet their primary endpoint. While this may be due to lack of drug efficacy, it is also important to examine the outcome measures chosen in these trials, to prevent effective therapies from being discarded injudiciously. The utilization of highly responsive outcome measures, i.e. measures that are sensitive to meaningful changes in disease status over time, especially during the early phase testing of an intervention, may also be helpful in eliminating ineffective interventions earlier from the pipeline. DESIGN/METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CCTR) from 2001 to 2012 to identify all recent early phase (I-II) clinical drug trials. From trials thus selected, we determined the primary outcome measures used, and calculated concordance between expected rate of change in the outcome measures, to the rate of change seen in previously published natural history studies and trials. RESULTS: Only a minority of the recent ALS trials actually had an expected rate of change concordant with predicted rate of change in outcome measure. Several trials used outcome measures other than ALSFRS, whose sensitivity remain unproven. CONCLUSIONS: Ascertaining drug efficacy in early phase clinical trials remains elusive due to the paucity of sensitive outcome measures, and the lack thereof of their proper use, likely due to study design constraints. Supported by: NINDS- K23NS072279 (SR). Disclosure: Dr. Stino has nothing to disclose. Dr. Ansari has nothing to disclose. Dr. Ramchandren has nothing to disclose.
A medicinal chemistry perspective for targeting histone H3 lysine-79 methyltransferase DOT1L.

Histone H3 lysine79 (H3K79) methyltransferase DOT1L plays an important role in the activation and maintenance of gene transcription. It is essential for embryonic development as well as normal functions of the hematopoietic system, heart, and kidney in adults. DOT1L has been found to be a drug target for acute leukemia with mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) gene translocations. The rearranged onco-MLL can recruit DOT1L, causing aberrant H3K79 methylation, overexpression of leukemia relevant genes, and eventually leukemogenesis. Potent DOT1L inhibitors possess selective activity against this type of leukemia in cell-based and animal studies, with the most advanced compound being in clinical trials. In the medicinal chemistry point of view, we review the biochemistry, cancer biology, and current inhibitors of DOT1L, as well as biophysical (including X-ray crystallographic) investigation of DOT1L–inhibitor interactions. Potential future directions in the context of drug discovery and development targeting DOT1L a...
Divergent pathways to isophthalates and naphthalate esters from methyl coumalate

Abstract Methyl coumalate readily reacts with enamines at ambient temperature to give lactones, which can be further transformed into isophthalates and tetrahydronaphthoates. Both cyclic and acyclic enamines show good reactivity. Dehydrogenation of tetrahydronaphthoate 4a was achieved on a hundred-gram scale.
Analysis of Diagnostic Test Ordering Habits Among Internal Medicine Residents.

This study analyzes electronic diagnostic test ordering habits of internal medicine resident physicians at an academic medical center and during academic year 2016-2017.
Assessing the nutrition and family usage of a backpack food program.

ABSTRACTAn ongoing issue with Federal child nutrition programs is lack of meal availability for low income children on weekends. Food banks and schools fill this void with “backpack” programs, food...
Gaussian Process-Based Wafer-Level Correlation Modeling and Its Applications

Semiconductor fabrication is one of the most intricate, multistep, human-made processes, taking place every day, producing trillions of transistors every second. The complexity of this manufacturing process naturally introduces variations with every stage affecting the produced devices differently. These variations can be observed at different granularity levels, within every die, across die at wafer level, across lots, and holistically for the entire production. Understanding and addressing such variations is the primary objective for many engineering roles, ranging from designers, to process engineers, and to test engineers. In this chapter, we focus on understanding and modeling wafer-level spatial and spatiotemporal variations through the use of Gaussian processes and we present various real-life applications of such modeling in test cost reduction, quality improvement, and yield learning.
Design of High-Speed Optical Receiver Module for 160Gb/s NRZ and 200Gb/s PAM4 Transmissions

In this paper, we propose a high-speed optical receiver module with four channels. The optical receiver module was composed of a four-channel PIN photodiode array and a four-channel linear transimpedance amplifier on a six-layer printed circuit board (PCB). The top and bottom layers of the PCB were used as the high-speed layers. The grounded coplanar waveguide structure was designed on the PCB for high-speed data transmissions. The interface of the optical receiver module was designed as the QSFP28 pin definition. According to the eye diagram and bit-error rate measurements, the optical receiver module can be achieved 160 Gb/s NRZ and 200 Gb/s PAM4 transmissions over 1 km single mode fiber [1].
Experimental Studies on Material Damping Characteristics of Carbon-Carbon Composites

Carbon-carbon (C/C) composites differ from conventional composites due to the presence of a "carbonized" matrix in the carbon fiber reinforcement. Carbon fibers impregnated with the resin form the composite, which then goes through a complex carbonization and graphitization process before it forms a C/C composite. In going through these processes, not only do the mechanical properties of the composite vary, but also its material damping. The damping property is a critical factor in controlling vibrations of structures made from these composites. The motivation for this study was to relate the vibration-based parameters to the microstructural changes that occur during processing of the C/C composites. The two parameters studied were the damping ratio value and the resonant frequency of the composite structure. The composite was fabricated using graphite fabric and phenolic resin as the matrix precursor (referred to as the "as-cured" stage). The composite was then subjected to a carbonization process (referred to as the carbonized stage) after which the damping ratio value was measured again. Finally, the damping ratio value of the carbonized composite was measured after subjecting it to a graphitization process (referred to as "graphitized" stage). The damping ratio value was measured on beam specimens using a modified half-power point method. The specimens were tested under a free-free support condition. The microstructure of the specimens at each of the processing stages was studied using optical microscopy. The results obtained indicate that the vibration based parameters, such as material damping and resonant frequency, are indeed sensitive to the changes in the microstructure of the composite as it is subjected to different processing cycles. The study implied that material damping can be used as a parameter to optimize the mechanical properties for the C/C composite by controlling the number of densification cycles.
Pediatric Acute Gvhd: Transcriptome Analysis of Gastrointestinal Biopsies Reveal a Unique Signature in Pediatric Acute GI Gvhd with Involvement of the ERK Pathway and Similarities with Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Introduction Studies of target organs at the time of acute graft versus host disease (GVHD) are needed to identify novel inflammatory and regulatory pathways. Methods We performed a prospective transcriptome analysis of gastrointestinal (GI) biopsies at diagnosis of acute GI GVHD and compared these to bone marrow transplant (BMT) patients without GVHD. Allogeneic BMT patients ≥2 years old undergoing endoscopy for clinical indications had 2 additional rectosigmoid mucosal biopsies for transcriptome analysis. Transcriptome data from 211 ulcerative colitis (UC) patients were included to uncover genes and pathways shared between GVHD and UC. Rectal biopsies from 20 children without inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) served as controls. Results Twenty-one patients underwent endoscopy pre (n=5) or post BMT (n=16). Median age of patients was 13.5 years (range 4.5 -25 years). Four patients were excluded from analyses (pre BMT colitis n=3, no lower GI biopsy n=1). Nine patients had acute GI GVHD, while 8 patients did not (Table 1). Principal component analysis shows patient clustering of those with and without GVHD, suggesting distinct transcriptomic mechanisms driving disease (Figure 1A). We identified 1310 significant genes, 144 of which were downregulated and 1266 upregulated in acute GVHD compared to no GVHD (Figure 1B). Top upregulated biological processes in GVHD revealed an innate antimicrobial response and associated cytokine signaling, notable for interferons. Top 20 differentially expressed genes in acute GVHD (Table 2), include CXCL9, CXCL10 and CXCL11, which are chemokines involved in GVHD, and IDO1 which regulates tryptophan metabolism. Four hundred and ninety shared genes were upregulated, and 126 genes were downregulated in GVHD and UC. Notable shared downregulated pathways involved butyrate metabolism (Table 3). DUOXA2, a gene involved in regulating innate antimicrobial responses in IBD, was the top upregulated genes in pediatric IBD and was the second highest differentially expressed gene in the acute GVHD, providing additional rationale for intestinal microbiome modulation in both diseases. Genes involving the ERK1/2 cascade (Table 4) were upregulated in acute GVHD (p=1.67 × 10 −3) providing rationale for exploring ERK1/2 inhibition as novel acute GVHD treatment. Conclusions Acute GI GVHD has a distinct transcriptome signature which includes pathways of innate antimicrobial responses highlighting the role for microbiome modulation. The ERK1/2 cascade pathway is upregulated, suggesting a novel target in acute GI GVHD. Acute GI GVHD has important similarities with the UC transcriptome, including upregulation of DUOXA2 and downregulation in butyrate metabolism in both.
Stories of success: a qualitative examination of contributors to excellence in school drinking water access.

Objective Drinking water instead of beverages with added sugar can help prevent obesity and cavities and promote overall health. Children spend much of their day in school, where they have variable access to drinking water. In 2010, federal and state law required California public schools to provide free potable water to students in areas where meals are served and/or eaten. The current study aims to identify factors associated with an excellent drinking water culture in schools. Design A qualitative assessment of barriers and facilitators to providing excellent water quality and access in a purposive sample of California schools. In-depth interviews with key informants were conducted using a snowball sampling approach, after which data were analysed using both inductive and deductive methods. Setting California public elementary, middle/junior and high schools. Participants Knowledgeable individuals involved in initiatives related to school drinking water accessibility, quality or education at each selected school. Results Thirty-four interviewees participated across fifteen schools. Six themes emerged as prominent facilitators to a school's success in providing excellent water access to students: active and engaged champions, school culture and policy, coordination between groups, community influences, available resources and environmentalism. Conclusions While policy is an important step for achieving minimum standards, resources and interest in promoting excellence in drinking water access and quality can vary among schools. Ensuring that schools have dedicated staff committed to advancing student health and promoting the benefits of water programs that are more salient to schools could help reduce disparities in drinking water excellence across schools.
When Tribes Sue States: How 'Federal Indian Law' Offers an Opportunity to Clarify Sovereign Immunity Jurisprudence

Sovereign immunity "goes to the very heart of the federal system and affects the allocation of power between the United States and the several States." From the early days of this Nation, when Chisholm v. Georgia was decided against the State by the Federalist-minded Supreme Court and was then summarily reversed by the Anti-Federalist-minded States with the Eleventh Amendment, sovereign immunity jurisprudence has been subject to shifting political winds between America's "divergent traditions" of republican and democratic theory. As a result, the jurisprudence has been rife with apparent contradictions. The confusion is largely based on the interplay between Article III, the provision underlying Chisholm, and the Eleventh Amendment, which amended Article III and reversed Chisholm. Perhaps because the Eleventh Amendment represents a victory for the States, they have since propagated it rather than Article III and the Tenth Amendment as the decisive factor in sovereign immunity cases. Indeed, at times the Court has cited the Eleventh Amendment as if the amendment itself were the font of the States' immunity, even in those cases which the amendment itself does not expressly address. Nonetheless, the inherent or "extra-textual" nature of the States' sovereign immunity has never been completely foreshadowed. As a result of these uncertainties, numerous approaches to sovereign immunity have been suggested. A number of commentators embrace the idea that States should seldom, if ever, be subject to suit in any court. Others suggest that sovereign immunity itself is a myth that should be entirely discarded. Some have exhorted the Supreme Court to dispense with its fiction ridden Eleventh Amendment jurisprudence, while others have attempted to limit the scope of the Eleventh Amendment to diversity cases, construing a waiver of State immunity over all federal question cases. The U.S. Supreme Court has attempted to temper the harshness of sovereign immunity by creating new fictions, such as in Ex Parte Young. Several federal circuit court cases and pending legislation regarding the relationship between States and Indian Tribes may provide the Court with the necessary opportunity to clarify the matter, even beyond "Federal Indian Law." The law of immunity is an issue of singular importance for Indian Tribes, just as it is with any sovereign. While Tribes are subject to certain laws and powers of both the United States and the several States, they are finding their legal and political relationships increasingly defined in sovereign immunity terms.
Technology Ecosystems: Rethinking Resources for Mental Health

Current technologies designed for mental health support often have low adoption rates and may not fit people's routines. However, recent literature demonstrates that individuals managing mental illness often incorporate a variety of technologies into their self-management routines, including texting, music, wearables, online communities, games, and social media. Therefore, adopting a perspective focused on understanding the technology ecosystem of mental health management may be a better approach than focusing on singular platforms and applications. In this CHI workshop, we will examine a constellation of digital and non-digital mental health support resources. We will discuss the needs and practices of individuals managing mental illness, how these needs relate to future ecosystems of technologies and services, and the potentials and repercussions of current technologies. By convening a group of interdisciplinary researchers and practitioners, we will collectively address these topics to create resources attentive to individuals' lived experiences with mental illness, goals with respect to management and recovery, and interactions with existing forms of resources, care, and technology.
Lifting the veil on TeachersPayTeachers.com: an investigation of educational marketplace offerings and downloads

TeachersPayTeachers.com (TpT) has emerged as an alternative to traditional curricular publishing houses; however, the critical investigation into this for-profit platform is limited. The aggregate ...
Astaxanthin Prevents Diet-Induced NASH Progression by Shaping Intrahepatic Immunity

Dietary change leads to a precipitous increase in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) from simple steatosis to the advanced form of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), affecting approximately 25% of the global population. Although significant efforts greatly advance progress in clarifying the pathogenesis of NAFLD and identifying therapeutic targets, no therapeutic agent has been approved. Astaxanthin (ASTN), a natural antioxidant product, exerts an anti-inflammation and anti-fibrotic effect in mice induced with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) and bile duct ligation (BDL); thus, we proposed to further investigate the potential effect of ASTN on a diet-induced mouse NASH and liver fibrosis, as well as the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms. By treating pre-development of NASH in mice induced with a choline-deficient, L-amino acid-defined, high-fat diet (CDAHFD), we have demonstrated that oral administration ASTN preventively ameliorated NASH development and liver fibrosis by modulating the hepatic immune response, liver inflammation, and oxidative stress. Specifically, ASTN treatment led to the reduction in liver infiltration of monocyte-derived macrophages, hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation, oxidative stress response, and hepatocyte death, accompanied by the decreased hepatic gene expression of proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, TGF-β1, and IL-1β. In vitro studies also demonstrated that ASTN significantly inhibited the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokine CCL2 in macrophages in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. Overall, in vivo and in vitro studies suggest that ASTN functions as a promising therapeutic agent to suppress NASH and liver fibrosis via modulating intrahepatic immunity.
Period Doubling and Chaos in Josephson Junctions and Other Phase-Locked Loops

A curious dynamical behavior known as period doubling and chaos is shared by Josephson junctions and simple recursive mathematical systems. This is in spite of their very different descriptions in terms of second-order, non-linear differential equations on the one hand and first-order, non-linear difference equations on the other. I show that phase-locked loops provide a bridge between the two types of systems. It appears that the limiting behavior, as chaos is approached by increasing some system parameter (for example, the amplitude of microwave excitation of the Josephson junction), is quantitatively identical — to a high degree of precision — in many different systems.
Magnetic Fields Reduce the Growth Inhibitory Effects of Tamoxifen in a Human Brain Tumor Cell Line

During the past decade, several epidemiological studies have examined the relationship of occupational exposure of electric and magnetic fields to the cancer of the central nervous system (CNS). Recently, Kheifets and colleagues1 published a meta-analysis of twenty-nine of these occupational exposure studies and concluded that there is a small but significant increase in the incidence of the cancer of the CNS among workers exposed to electric and magnetic fields. They found that risk was higher for gliomas in workers associated with the broad category of electrical occupations. They indicated that study design biases were not likely to have influenced the outcome of the above mentioned twenty-nine studies. We found their study interesting and decided to address the question of possible effects of magnetic fields on human brain tumor cell growth, in vitro.
The Distinctiveness of Property and Heritage

This piece takes up the competing concepts of property and heritage. Recent scholarship views property as a series of connections and obligations - rather than the traditional power to control, transfer or exclude. This new view of property may be safeguarding resources for future generations, but also imposes onerous obligations based on concerns over environmental protection, the protection of cultural resources, group rights, and even rights to digital property. Yet these obligations can also be imposed on subsequent generations, and certain obligations are imposed now based on the actions of past generations. This article examines the multigenerational aspects of property via a body of law which should be called heritage law. Heritage law now governs a wide range of activities some of which include: preventing destruction of works of art, preventing the theft of art and antiquities, preventing the illegal excavation of antiquities, preventing the mutilation and destruction of ancient structures and sites, creating a means for preserving sites and monuments, and even righting past wrongs. This piece justifies the new conceptualization in two ways. First, by showing that properly distinguishing property and heritage will allow us to better protect heritage with a richer, fuller understanding of the concept. And second by demonstrating how current definitions lead to imprecise analysis, which may produce troubling legal conclusions.A growing body of heritage law has extended the limitations periods for certain cultural disputes. This has shifted the calculus for the long-term control of real, movable, and even digital property. This can be acutely seen with respect to cultural repatriation claims - specifically the claims of claimants to works of art forcibly taken during World War II; or the claims by Peru to certain anthropological objects now in the possession of Yale University which were removed by Hiram Bingham in the early part of the 20th Century.
On the (In)Effectiveness of Some Commonly Proposed Anti-Corruption Reforms

Using a theoretical model of two-candidate political competition under probabilistic voting, I study the effectiveness of the following anti-corruption reforms: (i) higher wages for politicians, (ii) higher penalties for political corruption, and (iii) constitutional constraints on the tax rates and the public good levels. In the setup I study, the competing candidates may differ in their popularity, (non-verifiable) ability, and corruptibility. I find that the reforms are more likely to be effective when the candidates are (almost) identical. When the candidates differ significantly from each other, each reform may increase equilibrium level of corruption or reduce voters' welfare.
Serrated polyp detection rate during screening colonoscopy

Aim The adenoma detection rate is an important quality indicator for colonoscopy, but recently, serrated polyps of the large bowel have been recognized as important premalignant lesions. As they are often more difficult to see than adenomas, the detection rate of serrated polyps is set to become a more stringent indicator of quality in colonoscopy than adenoma detection rate. Here we aim to provide preliminary data on serrated polyp detection. Method This is a retrospective review of prospectively collected data. Colonoscopies were stratified by one of six colorectal surgeons, each of whom had performed more than 1000 colonoscopies. Exams were separated by indication and the number of patients with at least one adenoma or one serrated polyp recorded. Time of withdrawal in normal examinations was noted. Results Eighteen thousand and three colonoscopies were included. Average completion rate was 96.3 ± 1.2%. Mean serrated detection rate for all examinations was 20.6 ± 4.8% and for screening examinations only was 13.9 ± 5.0%. Corresponding means for adenoma detection were 31.5 ± 6.7% and 20.7 ± 4.1%, respectively. Simple regression of overall adenoma detection rate versus overall serrated detection rate was not significant (R = 0.571, P = 0.237), but was significant for screening exams (R = 0.854, P = 0.031). There was a strong relationship between time of withdrawal and serrated detection rate (screening, R = 0.908, P = 0.012; overall, R = 0.956, P = 0.003). Conclusion Taking time to withdraw the colonoscope is essential for maximum detection of serrated polyps. The ability to find adenomas does not necessarily correlate with an ability to find serrated polyps.
During Cytochrome c Maturation CcmI Chaperones the Class I Apocytochromes until the Formation of Their b-Type Cytochrome Intermediates

The c-type cytochromes are electron transfer proteins involved in energy transduction. They have heme-binding (CXXCH) sites that covalently ligate heme b via thioether bonds and are classified into different classes based on their protein folds and the locations and properties of their cofactors. Rhodobacter capsulatus produces various c-type cytochromes using the cytochrome c maturation (Ccm) System I, formed from the CcmABCDEFGHI proteins. CcmI, a component of the heme ligation complex CcmFHI, interacts with the heme-handling protein CcmE and chaperones apocytochrome c2 by binding its C-terminal helix. Whether CcmI also chaperones other c-type apocytochromes, and the effects of heme on these interactions were unknown previously. Here, we purified different classes of soluble and membrane-bound c-type apocytochromes (class I, c2 and c1, and class II c') and investigated their interactions with CcmI and apoCcmE. We report that, in the absence of heme, CcmI and apoCcmE recognized different classes of c-type apocytochromes with different affinities (nM to μM KD values). When present, heme induced conformational changes in class I apocytochromes (e.g. c2) and decreased significantly their high affinity for CcmI. Knowing that CcmI does not interact with mature cytochrome c2 and that heme converts apocytochrome c2 into its b-type derivative, these findings indicate that CcmI holds the class I apocytochromes (e.g. c2) tightly until their noncovalent heme-containing b-type cytochrome-like intermediates are formed. We propose that these intermediates are subsequently converted into mature cytochromes following the covalent ligation of heme via the remaining components of the Ccm complex.
Impulse and Momentum

In Chap. 8, Newton’s second law of motion is presented in the form of “equations of motion.” In Chap. 10, the concepts of work and energy are introduced. Based on the same law, “work-energy” and “conservation of energy” methods are devised to facilitate the solutions of specific problems in kinetics. In this chapter, the concepts of linear momentum and impulse will be defined. Newton’s second law of motion will be reformulated to introduce other methods for kinetic analyses based on the “impulse-momentum theorem” and the principle of “conservation of linear momentum.” These methods will then be applied to analyze the impact and collision of bodies.
Distichiasis causing recurrent corneal ulceration in two Friesian horses

Summary Two cases of distichiasis with subsequent recurrent superficial corneal ulceration are described in Friesian horses. Case 1 was a 9-year-old Friesian stallion with distichiae on the superior and inferior eyelids of both eyes corresponding to areas of recurrent superficial corneal ulceration. Case 2 was a 5-year-old Friesian gelding with a single distichia on the inferior lid associated with recurrent superficial corneal ulceration in the right eye. Case 1 underwent cryotherapy and epilation twice under standing sedation without resolution of distichiasis. A partial tarsal plate excision was then performed on the inferior left lid, which was the most severely affected. Cryotherapy was repeated one and 4 months post operatively due to recurrence. Cryotherapy was associated with skin depigmentation and repigmentation several months following the procedure. No recurrence has been reported up to 3 years following the fourth cryotherapy procedure. Case 2 was treated with epilation. Distichiasis should be included as a differential diagnosis when presented with a horse experiencing recurrent superficial corneal ulcerations. There has been no established breed association for Friesian horses and distichiasis but, due to the inherited nature of this condition in some human patients and dogs, this possibility should be investigated.
Web 2.0: A Social Informatics Perspective

This position paper argues that the Web 2.0 phenomenon is an important object of study for information systems research, and that a social informatics approach to understanding Web 2.0 is particularly relevant and useful. We discuss Wikipedia as an example of empirical research on Web 2.0 that can help bridge the divide between academic and popular discourse on new technology movements.
Valuing new random genetically modified (GM) traits with real options: The case of drought-tolerant wheat

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop an analytical model to value traits at different developmental phases and to determine the value of drought tolerance (DT) in wheat using GM technology. Design/methodology/approach – A stochastic binomial real-options model of GM traits was developed to estimate the value of a DT wheat trait. Findings – The results indicate that the value of DT wheat using GM technology is in-the-money at each development phase. The greatest value would accrue for the Prairie Gateway and Northern Great Plains regions in the USA. Research limitations/implications – The approach is useful for valuing high-cost risky investments in technology and results provide guidance for development strategies. Originality/value – The model is original and its applications to wheat are unique.
Functional characterization of a complex protein-DNA-binding domain located within the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 long terminal repeat leader region.

Abstract Transcriptional trans activation of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) long terminal repeat (LTR) by the viral tat trans activator is mediated by an LTR-specific sequence located immediately 3' to the start of transcription initiation. We have used a range of molecular techniques to examine DNA-protein interactions that occur in the vicinity of this cis-acting sequence. Our results demonstrate the existence of a sequence-specific DNA-protein interaction involving the HIV-1 leader DNA and map this binding event to between -2 and +21 base pairs relative to the HIV-1 LTR transcription start site. Evidence suggesting that this interaction involves three distinct protein-DNA contact sites extending along one side of the DNA helix is presented. Mutation of these sites was found to ablate protein-DNA binding yet was observed to have no effect on either the basal or tat trans-activated level of HIV-1 LTR-specific gene expression. We therefore conclude that this DNA-protein interaction has a function distinct from the regulation of HIV-1 LTR-specific gene expression.
Shared execution of clustering tasks

Clustering is a central problem in non-relational data analysis, with k-means being the most popular clustering technique. In various scenarios, it may be necessary to perform clustering over the same input data multiple times - with different values of k, different clustering attributes, or different initial centroids - before arriving at the final solution. In this paper, we propose algorithms for parallel execution of multiple runs of k-means clustering in a way that achieves substantial savings of IO and processing resources. Proposed algorithms can easily be implemented over Hadoop/MapReduce, Spark, etc., with savings in map and reduce phases. Extensive performance evaluation using real-world datasets show that the proposed algorithms result in up to 40% savings in response times when compared to other optimization techniques proposed in literature as well as open-source implementations. The algorithms scale well with increasing data sizes, values of k, and number of clustering tasks.
Antibody to virion structural proteins in mammals bearing avian sarcoma virus-induced tumors.

Abstract The production of antibody to virion structural proteins was examined in rabbits and hamsters bearing tumors induced by avian sarcoma virus (ASV). Antibody activity was analyzed by the immunoprecipitation of polypeptides from preparations of radiolabeled ASV virions. Antipolymerase and antiglycoprotein activities were monitored by inhibition of the enzyme activity of virion polymerase and by neutralization of focus formation by group D ASV, respectively. All sera from hamsters bearing primary ASV-induced tumors had antibody against the viral gs antigens, but no antipolymerase or antiglycoprotein activity was detectable. Most sera from hamsters bearing tumors induced by injection of cloned hamster tumor cells displayed anti-gs activity, and in addition, some sera exhibited anti-polymerase activity as well. All sera from rabbits bearing primary tumors contained antibody against the gs antigens and the virion polymerase, and some of these sera were shown to have antibody against the virion glycoprotein, gp85, as well.
Classification of Cm I energy levels using counterpropagation neural networks.

Two different types of counterpropagation neural networks are applied to the problem of classifying unknown Cm i energy levels. Four features\char22{}energy level, angular momentum, g factor, and isotope shift\char22{}are used to describe each level. One type of network is trained at the 100% level, while the other type is trained in excess of 96%. Performance on test sets is not as good, ranging from 81.2% to 93.7%. These results equal or surpass pattern recognition results obtained in an earlier study. Classifications for 12 odd-parity unknowns and 42 even-parity unknowns are also obtained and compared with the previous pattern recognition predictions.
Reaction of Ferulic Acid with Nitrite: Formation of 7-Hydroxy-6-methoxy-1,2(4H)-benzoxazin-4-one

Ferulic acid was reacted with nitrite under acidic conditions to give complex mixtures of products. Chromatographic purification afforded products that were characterized by 1H- and 13C-NMR spectra...
Plasma-material interactions in TFTR

This paper presents a summary of plasma-material interactions which influence the operation of TFTR with high current (≤ 2.2 MA) ohmically heated, and high-power (∼ 10 MW) neutral-beam heated plasmas. The conditioning procedures which are applied routinely to the first-wall hardware are reviewed. Fueling characteristics during gas, pellet, and neutral-beam fueling are described. Recycling coefficients near unity are observed for most gas fueled discharges. Gas fueled discharges after helium discharge conditioning of the toroidal bumper limiter, and discharges fueled by neutral beams and pellets, show R<1. In the vicinity of the gas fueled density limit (at ne = 5–6 × 1019 m−3) values of Zeff are ≦1.5. Increases in Zeff of ≦1 have been observed with neutral beam heating of 10 MW. The primary low Z impurity is carbon with concentrations decreasing from ∼10% to <1% with increasing ne. Oxygen densities tend to increase with ne, and at the ohmic plasma density limit oxygen and carbon concentrations are comparable. Chromium getter experiments and He2+/D+ plasma comparisons indicate that the limiter is the primary source of carbon and that the vessel wall is a significant source of the oxygen impurity. Metallic impurities, consisting of the vacuum vessel metals (Ni, Fe, Cr) have significant (∼10−4 ne) concentrations only at low plasma densities (ne <1019 m−3). The primary source of metallic impurities is most likely ion sputtering from metals deposited on the carbon limiter surface.
The stimulation of metallothionein synthesis in neuroblastoma IMR-32 by zinc and cadmium but not dexamethasone

Metallothioneins are a class of cysteine-rich and low molecular weight, metal-binding proteins that are inducible by a wide variety of agents, including metal ions, such as cadmium and zinc, glucocorticoid hormones, interferon, and tumor promoters. In an effort to delineate the regulation of the synthesis of the recently identified brain metallothionein-like protein, a study was undertaken to compare the induction of metallothionein in human neuroblastoma IMR-32 cells by zinc, cadmium, and dexamethasone using the human Chang liver cells as a control. Both cadmium (1 microM) and zinc (100 microM) significantly enhanced the incorporation of [35S]cysteine into metallothioneins isolated from both neuroblastoma and Chang liver cells. Dexamethasone in concentrations of 10 microM stimulated the synthesis of metallothionein in the Chang cells, whereas it had no effects on the synthesis of metallothionein in the neuroblastoma cells at concentrations ranging from 2.5--100 microM. The degree of stimulation of metallothionein synthesis in the Chang cells by cadmium and zinc was significantly higher than seen in neuroblastoma cells. The neuroblastoma IMR-32 exhibited less tolerance to the toxicity of both cadmium and zinc than the Chang cells, which may correlate with the inherent ability of these ions to induce metallothioneins in these dissimilar cells. The results of these studies are interpreted to indicate that the factors regulating the synthesis of metallothioneins in the Chang and neuroblastoma cells are not identical, suggesting also of the presence of dissimilar regulatory mechanisms in the liver and brain.
Increased drinking during withdrawal from intermittent ethanol exposure is blocked by the CRF receptor antagonist D-Phe-CRF(12-41).

Background: Studies in rodents have determined that intermittent exposure to alcohol vapor can increase subsequent ethanol self-administration, measured with operant and 2-bottle choice procedures. Two key procedural factors in demonstrating increased alcohol intake are the establishment of stable alcohol self-administration before alcohol vapor exposure and the number of bouts of intermittent vapor exposure. The present studies provide additional behavioral validation and initial pharmacological validation of this withdrawal-associated drinking procedure. Methods: Studies at 2 different sites (Portland and Scripps) examined the effect of intermittent ethanol vapor exposure (3 cycles of 16 hours of ethanol vapor+8 hours air) on 2-hour limited access ethanol preference drinking in male C57BL/6 mice. Separate studies tested 10 or 15% (v/v) ethanol concentrations, and measured intake during the circadian dark. In one study, before measuring ethanol intake after the second bout of intermittent vapor exposure, mice were tested for handling-induced convulsions (HICs) indicative of physical dependence on ethanol. In a second study, the effect of bilateral infusions of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) receptor antagonist d-Phe-CRF(12–41) (0.25 μg/0.5 μL) into the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) on ethanol intake was compared in vapor-exposed animals and air controls. Results: Intermittent ethanol vapor exposure significantly increased ethanol intake by 30 to 40%, and the mice had higher blood ethanol concentrations than controls. Intra-amygdala infusions of d-Phe-CRF(12–41) significantly decreased the withdrawal-associated increase in ethanol intake without altering ethanol consumption in controls. Following the second bout of intermittent vapor exposure, mice exhibited an increase in HICs, when compared with their own baseline scores or the air controls. Conclusions: Intermittent alcohol vapor exposure significantly increased alcohol intake and produced signs of physical dependence. Initial pharmacological studies suggest that manipulation of the CRF system in the CeA can block this increased alcohol intake.
Mitigating Malicious Updates: Prevention of Insider Threat to Databases

Insider threats cause serious damage to data in any organization and is considered as a grave issue. In spite of the presence of threat prevention mechanisms, insiders can continue to attack a database by figuring out the dependency relationships among data items. Thus, examining write operations performed by an insider by taking advantage of dependencies aids in mitigating insider threats. We have developed two attack prevention models, which involve logs and dependency graphs respectively, to monitor data items and prevent malicious operations on them. The developed algorithms have been implemented on a simulated database and the results show that the models effectively mitigate insider threats arising from write operations.
Scattering by two penetrable cylinders at oblique incidence. II. Numerical examples

Numerical calculations for the extinction cross sections and the Mueller scattering matrix elements (Sij) for two infinitely long, parallel cylinders are presented and discussed. These quantities are calculated in the far-field region of the cylinders and in a plane perpendicular to their axes. Both normal and oblique incidences are treated. This study shows that Sij are sensitive to the separation between the cylinders and give valuable information about their sizes and orientations. Furthermore, for two cylinders of arbitrary material at oblique incidence, the cross-polarized components are not equal, in contrast to the case of a single cylinder.
Lantibiotics from Geobacillus thermodenitrificans

The lantibiotic nisin has been used as an effective food preservative to combat food-borne pathogens for over 40 y. Despite this successful use, nisin’s stability at pH 7 is limited. Herein, we describe a nisin analog encoded on the genome of the thermophilic bacterium Geobacillus thermodenitrificans NG80-2. This analog termed geobacillin I was obtained by heterologous expression in Escherichia coli and subsequent purification. Extensive NMR characterization demonstrated that geobacillin I contains seven thioether cross-links, two more than the five cross-links found in nisin and the most cross-links found in any lantibiotic to date. The antimicrobial spectrum of geobacillin I was generally similar to that of nisin A, with increased activity against Streptococcus dysgalactiae, one of the causative agents of bovine mastitis. Geobacillin I demonstrated increased stability compared to nisin A. In addition to geobacillin I, the genome of G. thermodenitrificans NG80-2 also contains a class II lantibiotic biosynthetic gene cluster. The corresponding compound was produced in E. coli, and has a ring topology different than that of any known lantibiotic as determined by tandem mass spectrometry. Interestingly, geobacillin II only demonstrated antimicrobial activity against Bacillus strains. Seven Geobacillus strains were screened for production of the geobacillins using whole-cell MALDI-MS and five were shown to produce geobacillin I, but none produced geobacillin II.