cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Control of calcium oxalate crystal structure and cell adherence by urinary macromolecules

Control of calcium oxalate crystal structure and cell adherence by urinary macromolecules. Crystal polymorphism is exhibited by calcium oxalates in nephrolithiasis, and we have proposed that a shift in the preferred crystalline form of calcium oxalate (CaOx) from monohydrate (COM) to dihydrate (COD) induced by urinary macromolecules reduces crystal attachment to epithelial cell surfaces, thus potentially inhibiting a critical step in the genesis of kidney stones. We have tested the validity of this hypothesis by studying both the binding of monohydrate and dihydrate crystals to renal tubule cells and the effect of macromolecular urinary solutes on crystal structure. Renal tubule cells grown in culture bound 50% more CaOx monohydrate than dihydrate crystals of comparable size. The effects of macromolecules on the spontaneous nucleation of CaOx were examined in HEPES-buffered saline solutions containing Ca2+ and C2O42- at physiologic concentrations and supersaturation. Many naturally occurring macromolecules known to be inhibitors of crystallization, specifically osteopontin, nephrocalcin and urinary prothrombin fragment 1, were found to favor the formation of calcium oxalate dihydrate in this in vitro system, while other polymers did not affect CaOx crystal structure. Thus, the natural defense against nephrolithiasis may include impeding crystal attachment by an effect of macromolecular inhibitors on the preferred CaOx crystal structure that forms in urine.
On the origin of the absorption spectra of quasi-stellar and BL Lacertae objects

The possibility is reexamined that multiple absorption spectra of QSOs are due to gas in the disks, coronae, or halos of intervening galaxies. Using the same catalog and parameters as Burbidge et al. (1977) but assuming that the cosmological constant is approximately equal to the critical value instead of equal to zero, it is found that the discrepancy of several orders of magnitude between the predicted and observed multiplicities reported by Burbidge et al. (1977) is drastically reduced and that the observed multiplicity distribution is theoretically obtainable. The intervening-galaxy hypothesis cannot be rejected on the basis of this test.
Role of acidic and aromatic amino acids in Rhodobacter capsulatus cytochrome c1. A site-directed mutagenesis study.

The roles of two evolutionarily conserved aromatic residues in the cytochrome c1 component of the Rhodobacter capsulatuscytochrome bc1 complex, phenylalanine 138 and tyrosine 194, were analyzed by site-directed mutagenesis, in combination with biophysical and biochemical measurements. Changing Phe138 to either alanine or valine, but not to tyrosine, results in redox heterogeneity of cytochrome c1. Replacement of Phe138 by an aliphatic amino acid also caused changes in the EPR spectrum of the cytochrome and resulted in decreases in the steady-state Vmax for the hydroquinone/cytochrome c oxidoreductase activity of cytochrome bc1 complexes containing the mutated cytochrome c1. These findings indicate that the presence of an aromatic residue at position 138 is essential for maintaining the native environment of the cytochrome c1 heme. In contrast, replacement of Tyr194 by aliphatic amino acids had no significant effect on either the Em of cytochrome c1 or the steady-state activity parameters. Site-directed mutagenesis of glutamate and aspartate residues in a conserved acidic patch (region 2) on Rb. capsulatus cytochrome c1 suggests that these negatively charged residues do not play a role in the docking of cytochrome c2 with the cytochrome bc1 complex.
Antagonism of ethanol narcosis by thyrotropin releasing hormone.

Abstract Thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) reduced the narcosis and hypothermia produced by ethanol in mice. This action of TRH does not appear related to release of thyroid hormone or to the effects of a metabolite of TRH. The ability of TRH to reduce the actions of ethanol after intracisternal injection suggests that the mechanism of the ethanol antagonism is central in origin. The antagonism of ethanol by TRH does not appear to be related to an amphetamine-like stimulant action.
IL-18R1 and IL-18RAP SNPs may be associated with bronchopulmonary dysplasia in African-American infants

The genetic contribution to the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in prematurely born infants is substantial, but information related to the specific genes involved is lacking. Genotype analysis revealed, after multiple comparisons correction, two significant single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs), rs3771150 (IL-18RAP) and rs3771171 (IL-18R1), in African Americans (AAs) with BPD (vs. AAs without BPD; q < 0.05). No associations with Caucasian (CA) BPD, AA or CA respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), or prematurity in either AAs or CAs were identified with these SNPs. Respective frequencies were 0.098 and 0.093 in infants without BPD and 0.38 for each SNP in infants with BPD. In the replication set (82 cases; 102 controls), the P values were 0.012 for rs3771150 and 0.07 for rs3771171. Combining P values using Fisher’s method, overall P values were 8.31 × 10−7 for rs3771150 and 6.33 × 10−6 for rs3771171. We conclude that IL-18RAP and IL-18R1 SNPs identify AA infants at risk for BPD. These genes may contribute to AA BPD pathogenesis via inflammatory-mediated processes and require further study. We conducted a case–control SNP association study of candidate genes (n = 601) or 6,324 SNPs in 1,091 prematurely born infants with gestational age <35 weeks, with or without neonatal lung disease including BPD. BPD was defined as a need for oxygen at 28 days.
Musical Soundtracks as a Schematic Influence on the Cognitive Processing of Filmed Events

Previous research has demonstrated that the accompanying music of a film can influence both the affective impact of a scene as well as its subsequent remembering. The intent here was to investigate whether the affect of music can also contribute to a story9s comprehension by guiding the course of selective attending and providing a more elaborative encoding of characters9 actions, motivations, and inherent temperament. These ideas were examined by presenting participants with three ambiguous film clips accompanied by positive, negative, and no music. Immediately after viewing each clip, some participants were asked to extrapolate the film9s ending, evaluate the personality and motivations of the main character(s), and complete a series of bipolar adjective ratings about the film9s actions. In addition, other participants returned a week later for a surprise recognition test that assessed their memory for certain objects within each film. Results revealed that relative to the control group of no music, positive and negative music significantly biased viewers9 interpretation and subsequent remembering of a film in a mood-congruent fashion. These findings are discussed in terms of the schematic influences of music upon the cognitive processing of visual scenes.
Properties of thermoplastic elastomeric polypropylene Simulations of the effects of molecular weight and molecular weight distribution

The present investigation employs Monte Carlo techniques to model crystallization in stereoblock polypropylene. Of particular interest was determining how its properties might depend on the molecular weight and molecular weight distribution (polydispersity) of the chains. The simulations indicate that degrees of crystallinity and melting points should generally increase with increase in molecular weight and with decrease in polydispersity. The elongation modulus, based on the crystallites acting as temporary crosslinks in an elastomeric network, generally behaved similarly but were less sensitive to these variables. This decreased sensitivity is apparently due to the assumption that the elastic moduli depended only on the number density of the crystallites, without account for size effects, such as large crystallites, also functioning as filler particles.
Risk of losing insurance during the transition into adulthood among insured youth with disabilities.

To compare insured youth (age 15–25 years) with and without disabilities on risk of insurance loss. We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation 2001. Descriptive statistics characterized insured youth who maintained and lost insurance for at least 3 months over a 3-year time frame. We conducted logistic regression to calculate the association between disability and insurance loss. Adjustment variables were gender, race, ethnicity, age, work or school status, poverty status, type of insurance at study onset, state generosity, and an interaction between disability and insurance type. This study includes 2,123 insured youth without disabilities, 320 insured youth with non-severe disabilities, and 295 insured youth with severe disabilities. Thirty-six percent of insured youth without disabilities lost insurance compared to 43% of insured youth with non-severe disabilities and 41% of insured youth with severe disabilities (P = .07). Youth with non-severe disabilities on public insurance have an estimated 61% lower odds of losing insurance (OR: 0.39; 95% CI: 0.16, 0.93; P = .03) compared to youth without disabilities on public insurance. Further, youth with severe disabilities on public insurance have an estimated 81% lower odds of losing insurance (OR: 0.19; 95% CI: 0.09, 0.40; P < .001) compared to youth without disabilities. When examining youth with private insurance, we find that youth with severe disabilities have 1.63 times higher odds (OR: 1.63; 95% CI: 1.03, 2.57; P = .04) of losing health insurance compared to youth without disabilities. Insurance type interacts with disability severity to affect odds of insurance loss among insured youth.
More on molecular electronics.

Two recent news stories by Robert Service (“Next-generation technology hits an early midlife crisis,” 24 Oct., News Focus, p. 556; “Nanodevices make fresh strides toward reality,” 21 Nov., News of the Week, p. 1310) provide the impression that the field of molecular electronics stalled and then suddenly revived. The specific contributions described in the 21 Nov. news story are just two of a large number of breakthroughs that have been reported by many research groups over the past several years. Progress in the field has been continuous and is accelerating dramatically.
A Mechanistic Explanation of Channels in Debris Beds

A mechanistic explanation of channeling during boiling in unconsolidated particulate debris beds is formulated by combining a free-body force diagram and the capillary pressure-saturation curve for porous media. The model is consistent with the principles of two-phase flow in porous media and provides boundary conditions for the flow equations in the unchanneled region. Experimental evidence for spherical particles presented here implies that the solid matrix in the channeled region cannot maintain a shear force and therefore behaves like a fluid without being fluidized in the classical sense.
What Not to Do When You Go into Private Practice

Educational objectives: To teach participants to recognize potential pitfalls in selecting private practice partners, locations, types of practice, and other long-term planning, and to explain specific problems with financial planning, contracts, building rents, equipment, marketing, and expectations for the first year.
The ribosome revealed.

Fifty years is a long time. In 1955 – the year IUB (later renamed IUBMB) was established – it was known that protein synthesis is associated with ribonucleoprotein particles, which are abundant in cytoplasm, and that the small RNAs – now called tRNAs – are also involved, but no one knew what a ‘ribosome’ was because the word had not yet been coined [1]. Macromolecular crystallography was also in a primitive state. In the previous year, Perutz and coworkers had shown that phases for protein diffraction patterns can be determined by heavy atom isomorphous replacement [2], but more than a decade was to elapse before the promise of this discovery was first fully realized and an atomic-resolution structure of a protein obtained.
The Ball and Socket Articulating Spacer for Infected Total Knee Arthroplasty

Abstract Articulated antibiotic impregnated cement spacers permit knee motion and may facilitate patient mobilization during 2-stage treatment of infected total knee arthroplasty (TKA). However, molds for articulating knee spacers are not always readily available. We have treated 13 infected total knee arthroplasties with large bone defects or collateral ligament loss using the rubber bulb portion of an irrigation syringe and a bipolar trial to create a ball and socket articulating spacer. This technique was successful in controlling infection in 9 of 13 knees. All patients were able to ambulate independently with the spacer in place using a walker or crutches, including one patient with bilateral spacers. At an average follow-up of 28 months after reimplantation, average knee flexion was 98°.
Gefitinib-Sensitizing EGFR Mutations in Lung Cancer Activate Anti-Apoptotic Pathways

Gefitinib (Iressa, Astra Zeneca Pharmaceuticals) is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and induces dramatic clinical responses in nonsmall cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) with activating mutations within the EGFR kinase domain. We report that these mutant EGFRs selectively activate Akt and signal transduction and activator of transcription (STAT) signaling pathways, which promote cell survival, but have no effect on extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling, which induces proliferation. NSCLC cells expressing mutant EGFRs underwent extensive apoptosis after small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of the mutant EGFR or treatment with pharmacological inhibitors of Akt and STAT signaling and were relatively resistant to apoptosis induced by conventional chemotherapeutic drugs. Thus, mutant EGFRs selectively transduce survival signals on which NSCLCs become dependent; inhibition of those signals by gefitinib may contribute to the drug's efficacy.
Prevalence of chronic kidney disease and progression of disease over time among patients enrolled in the Houston West Nile virus cohort.

Introduction In experimental models of West Nile virus (WNV) infection, animals develop chronic kidney infection with histopathological changes in the kidney up to 8-months post-infection. However, the long term pathologic effects of acute infection in humans are largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to assess renal outcomes following WNV infection, specifically the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods In a cohort of 139 study participants with a previous diagnosis of WNV infection, we investigated the prevalence of CKD using the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI) criteria based on the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formula and urinary abnormalities, and assessed various risk factors and biomarkers. Results Study participants were primarily male (60%) and non-Hispanic white (86%) with a mean age of 57 years. Most (83%) were four to nine years post-infection at the time of this study. Based on the KDOQI definition, 40% of participants had evidence of CKD, with 10% having Stage III or greater and 30% having Stage I–II. By urinary dipstick testing, 26% of patients had proteinuria and 23% had hematuria. Plasma NGAL levels were elevated in 14% of participants while MCP-1 levels were increased in 12%. Over 1.5 years, the average change in eGFR was −3.71 mL/min/1.73 m2. Only a history of Neuroinvasive WNV disease was independently associated with CKD following multivariate analysis. Discussion We found a high prevalence of CKD after long term follow-up in a cohort of participants previously infected with WNV. The majority of those with CKD are in Stage I-II indicating early stages of renal disease. Traditional risk factors were not associated with the presence of CKD in this population. Therefore, clinicians should regularly evaluate all patients with a history of WNV for evidence of CKD.
Diffuse interface field approach to modeling and simulation of self-assembly of charged colloidal particles of various shapes and sizes

Abstract A novel mesoscale simulation approach to modeling the collective interactions of charged colloidal particles allowing investigation of complex self-assembly processes is presented. Diffuse interface field variables are used to describe the shape, size, location and orientation of each individual particle within the computational domain. In addition, these field variables are used to determine the spatially resolved particle charge density distributions as well as the magnitude and direction of the electric field throughout the medium. Individual particle positions and rotations are updated in time as a result of long-range electrostatic and short-range repulsive forces and torques. Illustrative results of the model’s capability to evolve both monodisperse and binary distributions of charged particles of various shapes and charge characteristics are presented.
Determination of borate in extracts of gypsiferous soils by single column ion chromatography

Abstract A high performance liquid chromatography apparatus with a resin based anion exchange column and a conductivity detector were used to develop a method for borate separation and quantification in extracts of gypsiferous soils. An eluant containing 5 mMNaOH and 0.5 mMNa‐benzoate was found to produce satisfactory chromato‐grams. Calibration curves were linear in the range l to 7 mg B/L. The recovery of ? in spiked samples had a mean and coefficient of variation of 99.6 and 2.2 percent, respectively. The presence of divalent cations caused baseline instability that was remedied by exchange with H+using Dowex 50–8X. The presence of sulfate extended analysis time and was removed by precipitation with BaCl2. Coloration by organic matter does not interfere with ? determination by this method, but individual simple organic acids may mask the borate peak
Variability of East African rainfall based on multiyear Regcm3 simulations

The International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) regional climate model version 3 (ICTP-RegCM3) multiyear simulations of East Africa rainfall during the October–December, short rains season are evaluated. Two parallel runs; based on NCEP reanalysis and NASA FvGCM lateral boundary conditions are performed. The simulated monthly and seasonal rainfall climatology as well as the interannual variability are found to be fairly consistent with the observations. The model climatology over specific homogeneous climate subregions, except central Kenya (CKE) highlands, also reasonably agrees with the observed. The latitude-time evolution (intraseasonal variability) of the simulated seasonal rainfall exhibits two distinct modes of behavior. The first is a quasistationary mode associated with high rainfall throughout the season within the equatorial belt between 1°S and 2°N. The second mode is associated with the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ)-driven southward migration of regions of rainfall maxima as the season progresses, which is also consistent with the observed. Furthermore, observed rainfall variability over distinct homogeneous climate subregions is also fairly reproduced by the model, except over central Kenya highlands and northeastern parts of Kenya. The spatial correlation between the simulated seasonal rainfall and some of the global teleconnections (DMI and Nino3.4 indices) shows that the regional model conserves some of the observed regional ‘hot spots’ where rainfall-ENSO/DMI associations are strong. At the same time, unlike observations, the model reveals that along the East Africa Rift Valley and over western parts of the Lake Victoria Basin, the association is weak, perhaps an indication that nonlinear interactions between local forcing (captured by the model) and large-scale systems either suppress or obscur the dominant influence of the teleconnections on rainfall over certain parts. Copyright © 2006 Royal Meteorological Society.
Repletion of nutritional parameters in surgical patients receiving peptide versus amino acid elemental feedings

Abstract Although it was earlier assumed that protein must be completely hydrolyzed to amino acids for absorption, evidence exists of a dual system for uptake of both amino acids and di- and tripeptides. Research has shown that feedings with a large portion of nitrogen as the smallest peptides or as intact protein are more desirable in most conditions than free amino acid formulas; however, less is known about the nutritional efficacy of feeding medium-chain to larger peptides. Furthermore, elemental feedings have been traditionally formulated to be low in fat. Twenty surgical patients admitted to the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center were randomized to either a moderate-fat, peptide enteral formula with majority of peptide chain lengths five to 40, or to a low fat, all-free amino acid formula. After one week, serum prealbumin, transferrin and cholesterol concentrations improved in the peptide-fed group and declined slightly in the amino acid-fed group. The peptide formula was equally tolerated compared to the all-free amino acid formula, in spite of its moderate fat content, in all subjects including those fed via jejunostomy.
CORR Insights®: Results of clubfoot management using the Ponseti method: do the details matter? A systematic review.

This CORR Insights® is a commentary on the article “Results of Clubfoot Management Using the Ponseti Method: Do the Details Matter? A Systematic Review” by Zhao and colleagues available at: DOI: 10.1007/s11999-014-3463-7. The author certifies that he, or any member of his immediate family, has no funding or commercial associations (eg, consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, patent/licensing arrangements, etc) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article. All ICMJE Conflict of Interest Forms for authors and Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research ® editors and board members are on file with the publication and can be viewed on request. The opinions expressed are those of the writers, and do not reflect the opinion or policy of CORR ® or the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons®. This CORR Insights® comment refers to the article available at doi:10.1007/s11999-014-3463-7.
Synchronous Tunable Optical Pulses

Synchronous tunable optical pulses at 2 widely separated wavelengths are generated in a single Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. The pulses are collinear and synchronous, essentially independent level of pumping, solely through resonator design. Outputs are mixed or doubled producing red, orange, and green pulses, reminescent of at stop light, Synchronous Tunable Optical Pulses.
Real-world emissions and calculated reactivities of organic species from motor vehicles

To obtain real-world motor vehicle emission rates for the hydrocarbon ozone precursors, a series of experiments was conducted in the Fort McHenry Tunnel, Baltimore, Maryland and in the Tuscarora Mountain Tunnel, Pennsylvania. Air samples collected in the tunnels were analyzed for approximately 200 non-methane hydrocarbon (NMHC) species up to C20, and formaldehyde. Emission rates were determined from tunnel inlet and outlet fluxes. Traffic composition analysis allowed emissions to be split into light-duty (LD; mostly spark-ignition) and heavy-duty (HD; mostly diesel) contributions. LD emissions of NMHC at Tuscarora were 293 mg/veh-mile, with paraflins constituting 35%, olefins 23%, aromatics 42%, and 6 mg/veh-mile of formaldehyde. At Fort McHenry, LD hydrocarbon emissions were 615 mg/veh-mile, with 38% paraffins, 18% olefins, and 44% aromatics, and 7 mg/veh-mile of formaldehyde. In both tunnels, HD emissions were approximately double LD emissions, but with higher percent paraffins, lower percent olefins, and an order of magnitude more formaldehyde. Through use of reactivity adjustment factors, the reactivity of the NMHC emissions with respect to ozone formation was assessed. Reactivity followed emissions, with HD emissions approximately twice the reactivity of LD emissions (on a per vehicle-mile basis). The mass specific reactivity (g-O3/g-emission) was nearly constant among all vehicles. The effect of grade (assessed at Fort McHenry) was approximately a factor of 2 for both emissions and reactivity. However, since fuel-specific emissions (g-emission/gallon fuel consumed for LD and HD vehicles were nearly independent of grade at Fort McHenry, the fuel-specific ozone reactivity (g-O3/gallon fuel consumed) was also nearly constant over the down- and up-grades.
Human Complement Protein C2 ALTERNATIVE SPLICING GENERATES TEMPLATES FOR SECRETED AND INTRACELLULAR C2 PROTEINS

Alternative splicing of the primary transcript for human complement protein C2 generates templates for translation of a secreted (C2 long) protein and an intracellular (C2 short) form in liver, bronchoalveolar macrophages, and fibroblasts. The approximate ratio of C2 long to C2 short mRNA is 2:1. The C2 short mRNA does not contain the 396-base pair encompassed by exons 2 and 3 of the full-length C2 long and thus lacks codons for the 5 carboxyl-terminal residues of the signal peptide. Synthesis of C2 in cells transfected with full-length RNA corresponding to each of the transcripts show that C2 long is secreted within a half-time of approximately 1 h and that C2 short is not secreted. Cell-free biosynthesis in the presence of microsomes demonstrate that this intracellular C2 protein (70 kDa) is apparently capable of traversing the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum. Though the function of the intracellular C2 protein is unknown, it is abundant in all cell types that express the C2 gene.
Employers large and small: A review article

Brown, Hamilton and Medoff add little to the advancement of our understanding of small businesses by giving us another book that arouses passions, stimulates the controversy hungry news media, but leaves the reader with a sense of unfulfilled promise. They convincingly prove only three of their eight elements. Their good analysis on the work environment topic is lost in the morass of small business sector re-definition and erroneous political action committee research assumptions.
Solution structure of prokaryotic ribosomal protein S17 by high-resolution NMR spectroscopy.

The solution structure of a primary 16S rRNA-binding ribosomal protein, S17, was investigated by two- and three-dimensional homonuclear and heteronuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Almost complete chemical shift assignments for the 1H, 15N, and 13C resonances have been obtained. The NMR data have been rigorously analyzed using a combination of distance geometry, back-calculation, and simulated annealing refinement techniques, and a high-resolution three-dimensional structure has been deduced. The protein consists of a single twisted antiparallel β-pleated sheet with Greek-key topology. The five β-strands are connected by extended loops that are flexible compared to the β-sheet core structure and appear not to adopt one definite conformation in solution. Two of these loops contain many of the residues that have been implicated in binding ribosomal RNA. The location and distribution of these residues and other positively charged side chains on the protein surface suggest an interaction with two distin...
Correlated states of an electron system in a wide quantum well.

Magnetotransport experiments on a low-disorder electron system in an 800 A wide GaAs quantum well reveal a dramatic evolution from a double- to a single-layer system as the electron density is decreased or the system is made asymmetric. At an intermediate density of 9.7×10 10 cm -2 , we observe fractional quantum Hall states at Landau level filling factors of v=3/5, 1/2,and 1/3, with an insulating phase separating the v=1/2 and 1/3 liquid states
Evolution of phase transformation and reorientation during stress arrest in shape memory alloys

Stress arrest of loading or unloading during pseudoelastic phase transformations in shape memory alloys has shown to exhibit creep-like phenomenon even at strain rates that can be considered quasi-static and devoid of any thermal effects. This phenomenon termed as pseudo-creep is manifested as positive (negative) accumulation in strain during loading (unloading) when arrested at constant stress. Pseudo-creep is also found to occur during reorientation loading, where thermomechanical coupling is absent. In this paper, we report results of extensive studies conducted on poly-crystal Ni-Ti wires for stress arrest of loading and unloading at normalized strain rates ranging from 4.25E-7 (virtually isothermal conditions) to 4.25E-5 in conjunction with a video multi-extensometry technique developed in our laboratory to measure spatially non-uniform deformations in the sample and have recorded evolution in phase transformations or reorientation in three consecutive segments of the wire (constituting the total gauge length for video multi-extensometry) during stress arrest.
Multifrequency High-Field Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Characterization of the Peroxyl Radical Location in Horse Heart Myoglobin Oxidized by H2O2

The peroxyl radical location in horse heart myoglobin (Mb) oxidized with H2O2 was examined by 9−287 GHz electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy along with the radicals formed upon oxidat...
Constraints on a nonthermal history from Galactic dark matter spikes

In this paper we examine whether indirect detection constraints on dark matter associated with a nonthermal history may be significantly improved when accounting for the presence of Galactic substructure in the form of dark matter spikes. We find that significant constraints may be derived from the nonobservation of an excess of diffuse gamma rays and from the properties of bright gamma-ray point sources observed by the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope, but these constraints depend sensitively on the details of the formation of the first stars and their subsequent black hole remnants. However, we also find that, especially if WIMPs annihilate primarily to quarks or gauge bosons, it is possible to extract meaningful and conservative bounds on the annihilation cross section.
X-ray studies of aligned magnetic stripe domains in perpendicular multilayers

We have investigated the stripe domain structure and the magnetic reversal of perpendicular Co/Pt based multilayers at room temperature using magnetometry, magnetic imaging and magnetic x-ray scattering. In-plane field cycling aligns the stripe domains along the field direction. In magnetic x-ray scattering the parallel stripe domains act as a magnetic grating resulting in observed Bragg reflections up to 5th order. We model the scattering profile to extract and quantify the domain as well as domain wall widths. Applying fields up to {approx}1.2 kOe perpendicular to the film reversibly changes the relative width of up versus down domains while maintaining the overall stripe periodicity. Fields above 1.2 kOe introduce irreversible changes into the domain structure by contracting and finally annihilating individual stripe domains. We compare the current results with modeling and previous measurements of films with perpendicular anisotropy.
FTR-option formulation and pricing

Abstract Recent changes in electricity markets have advocated the use of Local Marginal Prices (LMP) for congestion management and pricing. From the perspective of market participants, the LMPs pose a risk since they are not known before a transaction on the grid is made. Financial transmission rights (FTR) are instruments that help market participants hedge this risk and are issuable in two flavors—obligations and options. While pricing obligations are much easier, pricing FTR options pose a significant challenge. In this paper we develop a computational method for pricing FTR options. We also discuss the problem of designing financial instrument sets that assure revenue adequacy for the issuer. We point out the difficulty in assuring revenue adequacy when FTR options are present and propose a scheme for overcoming the difficulty. The proposed pricing method can be used to compute prices of options and obligations in the primary market or as a reliable pricing tool to compute option prices in the secondary market. Finally using a test network we present and discuss numerical results.
An analytical model for performance evaluation of operating room schedules in orthopedic surgery

In orthopedic surgery department, multiple surgeries are carried out in the same operating room every day. Each surgery may have a random duration, differs from the scheduled time, which results in room idle time and patient waiting time. One of the major factors affecting the idle and waiting times is the schedule of surgeries in the operating room. To better sequence of surgeries to reduce idle time and waiting time, an effective performance evaluation method is needed. Although discrete event simulation can be used to evaluate the performance of surgery schedules, it suffers from long simulation time, which makes difficult in scheduling optimization. In this paper, an analytical model to evaluate the performance of operating room schedules in orthopedic surgery department is introduced. Using such a model, the expected idle time and waiting time for a given surgery schedule can be calculated accurately. Such a work provides substantial easiness for optimization of operating room schedules and investigation of the impact of different schedules.
The function of the autonomic nervous system during spaceflight

Introduction Despite decades of study, a clear understanding of autonomic nervous system activity in space remains elusive. Differential interpretation of fundamental data has driven divergent theories of sympathetic activation and vasorelaxation.
Spherocylindrical refractive errors and visual acuity.

Background. Understanding the relation between refractive error and visual acuity is complicated if astigmatic blur is present. No models are in widespread use that allow the combination of spherical and astigmatic errors for the purpose of predicting visual performance. Methods. Models for combining spherical and astigmatic errors are discussed, and predictions of these models using data from the literature are presented. Results. Three models for combining astigmatic with spherical errors are shown to predict visual acuity performance in uncorrected myopic refractive errors. A dioptric vector addition model is shown to have advantages over other candidate models. Conclusions. It is possible to combine spherocylindrical refractive errors into a single value when the objective is to correlate these values with visual acuity performance
Revenue maximization and distributed power allocation in cognitive radio networks

Cognitive radio is an enabling technology that allows unlicensed users to opportunistically access the spectrum in order to enhance the spectrum efficiency. In this paper, we consider a cognitive system wherein there exists a primary relay network and a secondary network. In order to efficiently exploit the available spectrum and gain revenues whenever the primary relay infrastructure is not utilized, the primary network leases its unused bandwidth and the idle relay node to the secondary users. As a reimbursement, the secondary users make payments to the primary network based on the service they receive. We first characterize the interactions between the primary and secondary users using a buyer/seller model. Specifically, the price is determined by the primary network such that the revenue is maximized. On the buyer side, given the specified price, the secondary users competitively access the spectrum and employ the primary relay node to forward their packets. Then, we model each secondary user as a selfish player, which aims at maximizing its own benefit through power allocation, and analyze the competition among the secondary users within the framework of non-cooperative game theory. It is shown that, in the game played by the secondary network, there always exists a unique Nash equilibrium point that can be achieved through distributed iterations. Next, we propose a low-complexity algorithm, in which the primary network charges the secondary users at a sub-optimal price and gains close-to-optimal revenues. Extensive simulations are conducted to verify the performance of the proposed methods from both a primary as well as a secondary network perspective.
Enhanced Folding and Processing of a Disulfide Mutant of the Human Asialoglycoprotein Receptor H2b Subunit

Unfolded forms of the H2b subunit of the human asialoglycoprotein receptor, a galactose-specific C-type lectin, are degraded in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), whereas folded forms of the protein can mature to the cell surface (Wikstrom, L., and Lodish, H. F.(1993) J. Biol. Chem. 268, 14412-14416). There are eight cysteines in the exoplasmic domain of the protein, forming four disulfide bonds in the folded protein. We have constructed double cysteine to alanine mutants for each of the four disulfide bonds and examined the folding and metabolic fate of each of the mutants in transfected 3T3 fibroblasts. We find that mutation of the two cysteines nearest to the transmembrane region (C1) does not prevent proper folding of the protein, whereas mutations of the other three disulfides prevent proper folding of the protein and all of the mutant proteins are degraded in the ER. A normal (∼20%) fraction of the C1 mutant protein exits the endoplasmic reticulum and is processed in the Golgi complex, and it does so at a faster rate compared to the wild-type. Furthermore, the folded form of this mutant protein is more resistant to unfolding by dithiothreitol than the wild-type. The C1 mutant protein is expressed on the cell surface and can form a functional receptor with the H1 subunit with similar binding affinities for natural ligands as that of the wild-type receptor. The same fraction of newly made mutant and wild-type proteins (∼80%) remain in the ER, but the mutant protein is degraded more quickly. Thus, the presence of the C1 disulfide bond in the wild-type receptor both reduces the rate of protein folding and exit to the Golgi and slows the rate of ER degradation of the portion (∼80%) of the receptor that never folds properly.
Atrial flutter/atrial fibrillation associated with lacosamide for partial seizures

Lacosamide (LCM) is a novel antiepileptic drug that exerts a strong antiepileptic effect via slow inactivation of voltage-gated sodium channels. LCM has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment of partial seizures at doses up to 400mg/day. Clinical trials have employed doses up to 600mg/day. LCM has been associated with atrial fibrillation at high doses (600mg/day) in patients with diabetes who had risk factors for heart disease. To our knowledge, atrial flutter or atrial fibrillation has not been reported in people with epilepsy. We report atrial flutter/atrial fibrillation at high doses of LCM (600mg/day) in a patient with epilepsy who had no significant risk factors for heart disease, which resolved following discontinuation of LCM. The literature regarding LCM-related cardiac death and arrhythmia is discussed. Physicians should be aware of the potential cardiac effects of this novel antiepileptic drug.
Long-Term Performance of Pavement with High Recycled Asphalt Content: Case Studies

This paper summarizes the findings of several case studies on the long-term performance of recycled asphalt pavement (RAP). The goal of these studies was to provide the paving community with documentation on the long-term performance of roadway sections with a high amount of RAP compared with virgin sections on the basis of available information. Roadway sections that contained more than 20% RAP and that had been in place for at least 10 years were identified across the United States with the help of local agencies. The long-term performances of these various recycled sections were compared directly with mixtures made with similar virgin materials via measurements of distress criteria. These distress criteria included rutting, cracking, ride quality, and any overall performance rating that the local agencies used to evaluate their pavement sections. The virgin sections were placed in the same general location and time frame as the recycled sections. The sections with high RAP content, on average, tended t...
Molecular basis of latency in pathogenic human viruses

Several human viruses are able to latently infect specific target cell populations in vivo. Analysis of the replication cycles of herpes simplex virus, Epstein-Barr virus, and human immunodeficiency virus suggests that the latent infections established by these human pathogens primarily result from a lack of host factors critical for the expression of viral early gene products. The subsequent activation of specific cellular transcription factors in response to extracellular stimuli can induce the expression of these viral regulatory proteins and lead to a burst of lytic viral replication. Latency in these eukaryotic viruses therefore contrasts with latency in bacteriophage, which is maintained primarily by the expression of virally encoded repressors of lytic replication.
Designed synthesis of CeO2 nanorods and nanowires for studying toxicological effects of high aspect ratio nanomaterials.

While it has been shown that high aspect ratio nanomaterials like carbon nanotubes and TiO2 nanowires can induce toxicity by acting as fiber-like substances that damage the lysosome, it is not clear what the critical lengths and aspect ratios are that induce this type of toxicity. To answer this question, we synthesized a series of cerium oxide (CeO2) nanorods and nanowires with precisely controlled lengths and aspect ratios. Both phosphate and chloride ions were shown to play critical roles in obtaining these high aspect ratio nanostructures. High-resolution TEM analysis shows that single-crystalline CeO2 nanorods/nanowires were formed along the [211] direction by an “oriented attachment” mechanism, followed by Ostwald ripening. The successful creation of a comprehensive CeO2 nanorod/nanowire combinatorial library allows, for the first time, the systematic study of the effect of aspect ratio on lysosomal damage, cytotoxicity, and IL-1β production by the human myeloid cell line (THP-1). This in vitro toxi...
Crack deflection: Implications for the growth of long and short fatigue cracks

The influences of crack deflection on the growth rates ofnominally Mode I fatigue cracks are examined. Previous theoretical analyses of stress intensity solutions for kinked elastic cracks are reviewed. Simple elastic deflection models are developed to estimate the growth rates of nonlinear fatigue cracks subjected to various degrees of deflection, by incorporating changes in the effective driving force and in the apparent propagation rates. Experimental data are presented for intermediate-quenched and step-quenched conditions of Fe/2Si/0.1C ferrite-martensite dual phase steel, where variations in crack morphology alone influence considerably the fatigue crack propagation rates and threshold stress intensity range values. Such results are found to be in good quantitative agreement with the deflection model predictions of propagation rates for nonlinear cracks. Experimental information on crack deflection, induced by variable amplitude loading, is also provided for 2020-T651 aluminum alloy. It is demonstrated with the aid of elastic analyses and experiments that crack deflection models offer a physically-appealing rationale for the apparently slower growth rates of long fatigue cracks subjected to constant and variable amplitude loading and for the apparent deceleration and/or arrest of short cracks. The changes in the propagation rates of deflected fatigue cracks are discussed in terms of thelocal mode of crack advance, microstructure, effective driving force, growth mechanisms, mean stress, slip characteristics, and crack closure.
On the Formation of Whitecaps by a Threshold Mechanism. Part I:. Basic Formalism

Abstract In this paper and the two which follow we seek to evaluate the hypothesis that deep water whitecapping is predictable in terms of a threshold mechanism involving the vertical acceleration; i.e., that whitecapping occurs in regions of fluid where the surface wave motions require the downward acceleration to exceed some dynamical threshold. Our point of view is macroscopic and wave-oriented. We do not seek to analyze or describe in any detail motions within a whitecap itself; rather we concentrate on assessing the geometrical and geometro-statistical consequences of the threshold assumption and on comparing these consequences with observation. This first paper develops the descriptive framework for he investigation and examines several statistical predictions of a threshold model. The concept of a breaking variable is introduced and its statistics are related to the directional wave spectrum. The surface geometry of whitecap events is discussed and three classes of geometrical moments are defined. ...
A model of the effects of audit task complexity

Abstract A model is proposed for examining the effects of audit judgment performance. The model is developed from a review of literatures in accounting, management, and psychology. Seven testable propositions are derived. Using the model, previous audit judgment research on ratio analysis and going-concern concern evaluations is reanalyzed to examine the relation between task complexity and judgment performance, while controlling for the possible interactive effects of skill. For these tasks, increases in (task complexity/skill) are related to decreases in judgment performance. However, for the ratio analysis task, this relation is driven primarily by skill.
Non-chaotic behaviour in three-dimensional quadratic systems

It is shown that three-dimensional dissipative quadratic systems of ordinary differential equations with a total of four terms on the right-hand side of the equations do not exhibit chaos. This complements recent work of Sprott who has given many examples of chaotic quadratic systems with as few as five terms on the right-hand side of the equations. PACS Number: 0545