cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Charge Optimization Theory for Induced-Fit Ligands

The design of ligands with high affinity and specificity remains a fundamental challenge in understanding molecular recognition and developing therapeutic interventions. Charge optimization theory addresses this problem by determining ligand charge distributions that produce the most favorable electrostatic contribution to the binding free energy. The theory has been applied to the design of binding specificity as well. However, the formulations described only treat a rigid ligand—one that does not change conformation upon binding. Here, we extend the theory to treat induced-fit ligands for which the unbound ligand conformation may differ from the bound conformation. We develop a thermodynamic pathway analysis for binding contributions relevant to the theory, and we illustrate application of the theory using HIV-1 protease with our previously designed and validated subnanomolar inhibitor. Direct application of rigid charge optimization approaches to nonrigid cases leads to very favorable intramolecular electrostatic interactions that are physically unreasonable, and analysis shows the ligand charge distribution massively stabilizes the preconformed (bound) conformation over the unbound. After analyzing this case, we provide a treatment for the induced-fit ligand charge optimization problem that produces physically realistic results. The key factor is introducing the constraint that the free energy of the unbound ligand conformation be lower or equal to that of the preconformed ligand structure, which corresponds to the notion that the unbound structure is the ground unbound state. Results not only demonstrate the applicability of this methodology to discovering optimized charge distributions in an induced-fit model, but also provide some insights into the energetic consequences of ligand conformational change on binding. Specifically, the results show that, from an electrostatic perspective, induced-fit binding is not an adaptation designed to enhance binding affinity; at best, it can only achieve the same affinity as optimized rigid binding.
Enzymes of sphingolipid metabolism in plants.

Publisher Summary The predominant sphingolipids in plant tissues are glucosylceramides and complex glycophosphosphingolipids, the inositolphosphorylceramides (InsPCers). The latter are demonstrated in only a few plant tissues but comprise a structurally diverse group of molecules, exhibiting variability in the number and arrangement of monosaccharides linked to the inositol head group. Ceramides and free long chain bases are also present at low concentrations in plant tissues. Considerable structural diversity exists among the glucosylceramides from various plant tissues with respect to long chain base and fatty acid composition: these results have been summarized previously. The most abundant long chain bases in plant glucosylceramides (and ceramides) are isomers of 4,8-sphingadienine, 4-hydroxy-8-sphingenine, and 8-sphingenine, α-Hydroxy fatty acids account for >90% of the total fatty acids of glucosylceramide. Saturated C 16 to C 24 acyl chains are most abundant, although monounsaturated hydroxy fatty acids are common in some cereals. 4-Hydroxysphinganine and 4-hydroxysphingenine, together with saturated C 24 hydroxy fatty acid, are prevalent in InsPCers. Sphingolipid metabolism in plants was investigated only recently and focused on demonstrating and characterizing the in vitro activities of the major enzymatic steps. Assay procedures for these reactions, optimized for plant preparations, are discussed in this chapter. Methods of preparing membrane fractions appropriate for these assays are described.
High resolution antenna arrays with randomly spaced elements

Large phased arrays have received great attention in recent years as the high resolution antennas become in increasing demand. More recently the Advisory Panel of Radio Telescopes of the National Science Foundation[1] has adopted the resolutions on the need of a decimeter radio telescope with a 1' of arc beam. A preliminary study for the Benelux project[2] also considered a few antenna arrays for Mills-Cross type telescope. Motivated by such activities the present investigation was made in an attempt to develop a new technique in the design of high resolution antenna arrays.
Who Needs Books

Books in the Digital Age . The Transformation of Academic and Higher Education Publishing in Britain and the United States. By John B. Thompson . Polity, Cambridge, 2005. 480 pp. $79.95, £65. ISBN 0-7456-3477-X. Paper, $29.95, £19.99. ISBN 0-7456-3478-8. The author explores the changes that are taking place in academic publishing and the implications these may have for the future of scholarly books.
Identification of intramural epithelial networks linked to peribiliary glands that express progenitor cell markers and proliferate after injury in mice

Anatomical and molecular relationships among hepatic and biliary cells are critical to normal development and to the regenerative response following an injury. In the liver, molecular circuits targeting hepatocytes, cholangiocytes, and non-parenchymal cells work coordinately to control embryogenesis and to restore lobular organization and functional integrity after an insult 1, 2. Although these principles may apply to the development and repair of the intra- and extrahepatic biliary tract, the functional relationships among individual cell types and molecular pathways in bile ducts are less well defined 3. Recent advances suggest that the embryogenesis of individual segments of the extrahepatic biliary tract (gallbladder, cystic duct, hepatic ducts, and the common bile duct) is regulated at least in part by separate genes, as supported by the isolated defects in mice with mutations in Inversin, Foxf1, Hes1 or Lgr4 4-7. Interestingly, a molecular signature of embryonic endoderm has also been reported in cells of peribiliary glands (PBGs), which appear to have phenotypic plasticity typical of cells with progenitor properties 8. PBGs are clusters of epithelial cells adjacent to the mucosal lining of intra- and extrahepatic bile ducts, described in several animal species including mice and humans9-12. PBG cells express a range of proteins, such as mucins, lysozyme, and pancreatic enzymes, which may be relevant to normal bile duct physiology 13, 14. In addition, the report that Sox17 and Pdx1 are expressed in PBGs in a fashion that is distinct from the adjacent epithelial lining of fetal bile ducts implies a potential role for PBGs as a niche of multipotent stem cells within the extrahepatic bile duct (EHBD) 8. Here, we sought further insight into the cellular composition of PBGs and its molecular relationships with the epithelium proper of the duct mucosa. Our working hypothesis was that PBGs are populated by mature and undifferentiated cells capable of proliferation in pathological states. To test this hypothesis, we developed a novel whole-mount in situ immunostaining technique that preserves the anatomical integrity of gallbladder and EHBDs in suckling and adult mice. Applying confocal microscopy and 3-dimensional (3D) reconstruction, we identified PBGs within the submucosal compartment along the entire length of the ductular system, except the gallbladder. Most notably, we discovered that PBGs elongate to form complex epithelial networks that course and branch within the walls, expressing cytokeratin 19, Sox17 and Pdx1 and demonstrating cellular proliferation after viral infection and bile duct ligation.
Treatment changes following aberrant urine drug test results for patients prescribed chronic opioid therapy.

Background/objective: Urine drug testing (UDT) may be used to help screen for prescription opioid misuse. There are little data available describing usual pain care practices for patients who have aberrant UDT results. The goal of this research was to evaluate the clinical care for patients prescribed chronic opioid therapy (COT) and have an aberrant UDT . Design: Retrospective cohort study . Setting: VA Medical Center in the Pacific Northwest . Participants: Patients with chronic pain who were prescribed COT and had a UDT result that was positive for an illicit or nonprescribed substance . Main outcome measures: This was an exploratory study designed to document usual care practices . Results: Participants' (n = 83) mean age was 49.5 (SD = 9.6) and 81.5 percent were male. The most common substances detected on UDT were marijuana (69 percent) or a nonprescribed opioid (25 percent); 18 percent had a UDT positive for two or more substances. Plans to modify treatment were documented in 69 percent of cases. The most common treatment change after aberrant UDT results was instituting more frequent UDTs, which occurred in 43 percent of cases. Clinicians documented plans to alter their opioid prescribing (eg, terminating opioids, requiring more frequent fills, changing opioid dose, or transitioning to another opioid) in 52 percent of cases, but implemented these changes in only 24 percent . Discussion: Current methods for optimizing treatment after obtaining aberrant UDT results should be enhanced. To improve the utility of UDT to reduce prescription opioid misuse, additional interventions and support for clinicians need to be developed and tested .
Studies on the mechanisms by which transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) protects against allergic encephalomyelitis. Antagonism between TGF-beta and tumor necrosis factor.

Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) is an autoimmune disease in which peripheral lymphoid cells are activated by immunization with myelin proteins and become effector cells that traverse the central nervous system (CNS) capillaries and initiate inflammatory demyelinating lesions. The administration of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) has been shown previously to decrease the incidence and severity of EAE. In our studies we have determined: 1) the effects of TGF-beta injected at different intervals after the EAE-inducing immunization; 2) the effect of TGF-beta on the development of sensitized T cells, as assayed by the proliferative responses of T cells from lymph nodes and peripheral blood; 3) the extent of lymphoid cell infiltration in CNS of TGF-beta-treated and control mice; and 4) the role of endogenous TGF-beta and TNF in determining the severity of both acute and relapsing EAE. The onset of acute-EAE in SJL mice, induced by immunization with spinal cord homogenate in CFA and pertussigen, is on days 10 to 15. Although daily i.p. injections of 0.2 to 2 micrograms TGF-beta 1 or TGF-beta 2 on days 5 to 9 after immunization are highly protective, injections on days 1 to 5 or 9 to 13 are not. Moreover, anti-TGF-beta accelerates and aggrevates EAE when given on days 5 and 9, but not on day 12. Anti-TNF, injected on days 5 and 9, provides a comparable degree of protection as does TGF-beta. Similarly, in relapsing EAE, anti-TGF-beta increases, whereas anti-TNF decreases the incidence and severity of relapses. TGF-beta treatment on days 5 to 9 does not influence the appearance of sensitized cells in peripheral blood and lymph nodes, but does prevent the accumulation of T cells in brain and spinal cord, as assayed on days 15 to 20. It is concluded that the protective effect of TGF-beta is exerted at the level of the target organ, CNS and/or its vascular endothelium, rather than through a direct effect on lymphoid cells, and that there is a small window of 4 days in which TGF-beta exerts its protective effect.
A noise filtering method using neural networks

During the data collecting and labeling process it is possible for noise to be introduced into a data set. As a result, the quality of the data set degrades and experiments and inferences derived from the data set become less reliable. In this paper we present an algorithm, called ANR (automatic noise reduction), as a filtering mechanism to identify and remove noisy data items whose classes have been mislabeled. The underlying mechanism behind ANR is based on a framework of multi-layer artificial neural networks. ANR assigns each data item a soft class label in the form of a class probability vector, which is initialized to the original class label and can be modified during training. When the noise level is reasonably small (< 30%), the non-noisy data is dominant in determining the network architecture and its output, and thus a mechanism for correcting mislabeled data can be provided by aligning class probability vector with the network output. With a learning procedure for class probability vector based on its difference from the network output, the probability of a mislabeled class gradually becomes smaller while that of the correct class becomes larger, which eventually causes a correction of mislabeled data after sufficient training. After training, those data items whose classes have been relabeled are then treated as noisy data and removed from the data set. We evaluate the performance of the ANR based on 12 data sets drawn from the UCI data repository. The results show that ANR is capable of identifying a significant portion of noisy data. An average increase in accuracy of 24.5% can be achieved at a noise level of 25% by using ANR as a training data filter for a nearest neighbor classifier, as compared to the one without using ANR.
Feedstock cost analysis of corn stover residues for further processing

Abstract In this paper, we evaluate the costs for collecting, handling, and hauling corn stover to an ethanol conversion facility. We estimate costs for a conventional baling system at varying levels of feedstock demand or conversion facility size. Our results generally indicate that stover can be collected, stored, and hauled for about $43.10–51.60/dry ton using conventional baling equipment for conversion facilities ranging from 500 to 4000 dry tons/day. The cost difference between facility sizes is due to transportation. Transportation, collection and baling, and farmer payments account for over 90% of total delivered costs. These estimates are based on average corn stover resource availability assumptions and are inclusive of all costs including farmer payments. Under conditions of high resource availability costs can be lowered by $6–10/dry ton. Delivered costs increase considerably under low resource availability conditions.
Ocular symptoms and signs associated with suramin sodium treatment for metastatic cancer of the prostate

Purpose Therapy with suramin sodium has been associated with photophobia, iritis, optic atrophy, and vortex keratopathy. We studied the ocular findings in patients who underwent treatment with suramin sodium for metastatic cancer of the prostate. Methods In a prospective study, 114 patients who underwent treatment with suramin sodium for cancer of the prostate had an ophthalmologic examination within two weeks of onset of treatment and two weeks after termination of therapy. Additional examinations were performed on patients who developed ocular symptoms during suramin sodium therapy. Results Nineteen (16.6%) of 114 patients developed ocular symptoms and signs while taking suramin sodium. Thirteen of these patients developed bilateral corneal epithelial whorllike deposits. In ten patients, the corneal deposits were associated with foreign body sensation and lacrimation. Symptoms in all of these patients resolved with topical lubricants. Three patients developed asymptomatic corneal deposits. Seven patients had blurred vision and were found to have a mean hyperopic shift in refractive error of 1.13 ± 0.45 diopters (range, 0.75 to 2.00 diopters) that persisted throughout their treatment course. None of these patients had a decrease in best-corrected visual acuity. Conclusions In this study, ocular symptoms and signs associated with suramin sodium were common but were not considered a dose-limiting toxicity. Hyperopic shift in refractive error is a previously unreported ocular finding in association with suramin sodium therapy.
Emergency intravenous access through the femoral vein

A study was undertaken to assess the efficacy and safety of femoral venous catheterization for resuscitation of critically ill patients in the emergency department setting. From May 1982 to April 1983, 100 attempts were made at percutaneous insertion of a large-bore catheter into the femoral veins of patients presenting to our emergency department in cardiac arrest or requiring rapid fluid resuscitation. Eighty-nine attempts were successful. Insertion was generally considered easy, and flow rates were excellent. The only noted complications were four arterial punctures and one minor groin hematoma. This study suggests that short-term percutaneous catheterization of the femoral vein provides rapid, safe, and effective intravenous access.
Seasonal changes of fine root density in the Southern Californian chaparral.

Fine root extractions from soil cores of a south facing slope in the Southern Californian chaparral were used to study the dynamics of feeder root growth in a summer-dry area. The studies were concentrated on the root systems of Adenostoma fasciculatum, Arctostaphylos glauca, Ceanothus greggii, and Rhus ovata. The total fine root biomass of Adenostoma fasciculatum increased from 0.6 g dm-3 in early spring to 3.6 g dm-3 in late summer. Considering the specific soil conditions at this site and earlier gained information on fine root distribution with depth, the value of 3.6 g dm-3 converts to 1.58 kg m-2 of ground shaded by the shrub canopy. The observed seasonal biomass increase is mainly due to the accumulation of dead root material in the soil when low soil moisture contents presumably inhibited decomposition processes. The total length of living fine roots also increased during the season, e.g. from 0.8 m dm-3 to more than 5 m dm-3 (0.35 km m-2 to 2.2 km m-2) in A. fasciculatum. Unusual summer rains in the research year stimulated vigorous fine root growth at a time when the normally low soil moisture would prohibit further fine root growth. The average fine root diameters and total lengths of fine roots beneath one square meter of ground surface allowed an estimate of root area indices (RAI) analogous to the leaf area indices (LAI). The data provide evidence for a significant fine root turnover in the chaparral.
New Directions for Research on the Role of Parents and Teachers in the Development of Gender-Related Math Attitudes: Response to Commentaries

We frame our response to the commentaries by Cheryan (2011), Lane (2011), and Shapiro and Williams (2011), in terms of two broad points made by Lane (2011). First, we agree that the various constructs that we termed “math attitudes”—including math-gender stereotypes, math anxiety, math self-concepts, and achievement motivation in math—are in fact distinct (Gunderson et al. 2011b). Nevertheless, we argue that investigating common mechanisms underlying the transmission of these constructs from adults to children is a productive approach because it can lead to general interventions to boost children’s performance and dispositions toward math. Second, we argue that research on the development of gender-related math attitudes exists at the intersection of multiple research areas, including research on attitudes (broadly defined), math, gender, social learning, and child development, and that drawing on well-developed theories in these areas can lead to novel research questions and predictions. The three excellent commentaries broaden the scope of our article on gender-related math attitudes to include the transmission of implicit attitudes from adults to children, stereotype threat, and gender roles in math-related careers (Cheryan 2011; Gunderson et al. 2011b; Lane 2011; Shapiro and Williams 2011).
A peripheral sensory basis for behavioral regulation.

Abstract 1. 1. The assumption of receptor constancy was examined in the (blowfly) taste system in relation to nutritional factors. 2. 2. Sensitivity was found to be radically altered by nutritional history, though not nutritional state. Receptor sensitivity increased with deprivation, became reduced after feeding, and increased again upon subsequent deprivation. 3. 3. The peripheral receptor changes can account for large segments of the fly's behavior and will contribute adaptively to others. 4. 4. Efferent control of receptor sensitivity is postulated. Since peripheral activity also modulates central excitation, instability will be possible in this system. Adaptive regulation could be provided by coupling to endogenous activity cycles.
Growth velocity assessment in paediatric AIDS: smoothing, penalized quantile regression and the definition of growth failure

The analysis of growth records in paediatric anti-HIV clinical trials plays an important role in trial evaluation. Growth failure may be a manifestation of progressive disease or treatment toxicity, and is commonly specified as a major trial outcome event indicating poor treatment performance. Despite new therapeutic advances against HIV proliferation in infected patients, accurate monitoring and interpretation of somatic growth in paediatric AIDS remains clinically important, in light of uncertainties regarding relationship between viral load reductions and achievement of favourable somatic growth profiles. Our aim in this paper is to construct a criterion for growth failure that discriminates patients whose risk of death subsequent to growth failure is elevated to a clinically significant degree. To construct the criterion, individual growth curves and velocities are modelled using loess smoothing, penalized likelihood quantile regressions are fit to model age-specific growth velocity distributions for gender-stratified cohorts, and proportional hazards model selection is conducted to identify features of velocity series that are informative on the survival distribution. The resulting growth-failure criterion is expected to be useful for disease staging in resource-limited medical environments where T-cell counts and viral load measures are unavailable.
Surface plasmons and topological insulators

We study surface plasmons localized on interfaces between topologically trivial and topologically non-trivial time reversal invariant materials in three dimensions. For the interface between a metal and a topological insulator the magnetic polarization of the surface plasmon is rotated out of the plane of the interface; this effect should be experimentally observable by exciting the surface plasmon with polarized light. More interestingly, we argue that the same effect also is realized on the interface between vacuum and a doped topological insulator with non-vanishing bulk carrier density.
Least Cost Dairy Cattle Ration Formulation Model Based on the Degradable Protein System

Abstract Protein requirement equations for lactating dairy cattle based on 1985 NRC recommendations were incorporated into a linear programming model for computerized least cost dairy ration formulation. To incorporate the 1985 NRC protein system into a linear programming model for dairy cattle diet formulation, transfer activities were used in the model to represent variables in the protein system and accounting constraints were used to represent the biological relationships that define the protein requirements. Example dairy ration formulations based on the 1985 NRC protein system are presented for three milk yields.
Radiofrequency Ablation of Primary and Metastatic Hepatic Malignancies

Radiofrequency interstitial tissue ablation is a local ablative therapy in which tumors are destroyed in situ by thermal coagulation and protein denaturation through frictional heating produced by tissue ionic agitation from high-frequency alternating current. This technology can be used to destroy primary and metastatic hepatic lesions generally considered nonresectable or nonoperable, thus providing patients with these tumors, who have few treatment options, a relatively safe and effective alternative with the potential for improved chance of survival. Knowledge of the broad spectrum of potential complications associated with radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is essential for prevention, early detection, and proper management. Combining RFA with other modalities such as surgical resection or hepatic artery infusional chemotherapy is feasible, has increased the pool of operable patients, and may improve treatment efficacy and clinical outcome in properly selected patients. The approach to perform RFA percutaneously, laparoscopically, or during laparatomy should take into consideration tumor characteristics, imaging and technical limitations, and the role of other treatment modalities. Therefore, patients considered for RFA should be evaluated within the context of a multidisciplinary approach to insure proper patient selection and coordination of adjunct therapy.
School-Based Management and Arts Education: Lessons from Chicago

School-based management, or local school control, is an organizational school reform effort aimed at decentralizing school decision-making that has become prevalent in districts throughout the United States. Using the groundbreaking Chicago system of local school control as an exemplar, this article outlines the implications of such reform efforts for arts education, especially in a time of increasing centralization at the level of federal education policy. Following a brief examination of Chicago's path to school-based management and its impact on the district's arts programs, this article describes both the challenges and the opportunities that such reforms may provide for arts education.
No Lurking Inconsistency

Daly (1999) claims there is a deep inconsistency in viewing evolution as a purposeless process while acknowledging that purpose exists in the natural world. He sees this inconsistency as a threat to scientific arguments for conservation biology and as grounds for disqualifying "Neo-Darwinist biologists and ecologists" from contributing to discussions concerning conservation. We believe these claims to be unfounded. Authors must be precise about the use of words such as purpose. Wh-en scientists say that, prior to the dawn of life, the universe was without purpose, they mean there is no evidence of a plan or intentional force that shaped development of the physical universe. For example, it makes no sense to ask "What is the purpose of sodium? or What is the purpose of planets?" Through these questions we are asking about a prior intent that led to the formation of sodium or planets, and there is no evidence of any such force or plan. All evidence indicates that life arose from this purposeless and lifeless universe by purely mechanical processes; life did not arise for a purpose. Once life arose on Earth and began to exhibit genetic variation, different life forms experienced differential survival and reproductive success within certain environmental (abiotic and biotic) conditions. That is, natural selection began to shape life forms as a consequence of how they "matched" certain environmental opportunities and constraints. As a result, organisms show what Simpson (1964) called "apparent purposefulness." Organisms have structures and functions that seem to serve a purpose-eyes for perceiving objects, hearts for pumping blood, and shells for protection. On another level, animals that have not eaten for some time are stimulated to begin foraging or hunting, and it is not inappropriate to say that they are searching for food; hunting is for a purpose. But hunting is like all adaptations, a feature of an organism that has contributed to its survival and reproduction in specific environments; such features arose as a consequence of purposeless mutations and were selected by a purely mechanistic process unguided by an a priori purpose. The development of human-level neural capacity came about through natural selection but gave humans capabilities that were almost certainly not selected for. At least some of our capacity for inorganic or "cultural evolution" -the ability to discover and pass on new ideas, technologies, and behaviours without a change in our genetic makeup-is one of these new abilities. Humans have been able to use their cognitive power to frame "purposes" -to do things for reasons or to act with "free will"in ways other animals have not. Thus, a process (evolution) that is completely purposeless and completely mechanistic has led to a life form that is capable of generating "purpose" cognitively. Referring to cultural evolution as the "new evolution," Simpson (1967: 293) explained:
What a wonderful world — simplicity within complexity

In this lecture, Louis Armstrong's transformational Jazz, as exemplified by his signature recital of 'What a Wonderful World,' will take us to the ever evolving World of Nuclear Physics. In particular, I will focus on the discovery of simplicities, or symmetry patterns, in complex nuclear systems. And as Jazz is to music, so too Nuclear Physics is a restless endeavor – the dissonance of forlorn flattened notes tracking with the intrigue of symmetry and its breaking in nuclei. I will also discuss some recent approaches to nuclear structure at this dawn of the 21st century, linking the intrigue of quarks and gluons with the fundamental science of the strong and weak interactions to the emergence of simplicity within complexity unveiled in atomic nuclei.
The Correlation of Digestive Vacuole pH and Size with the Digestive Cycle in Paramecium caudatum1

ABSTRACT. The temporal changes in the size and pH of digestive vacuoles (DV) in Paramecium caudatum were reevaluated. Cells were pulsed briefly with polystyrene latex spheres or heat-killed yeast stained with three sulfonphthalein indicator dyes. Within 5 min of formation the intravacuolar pH declined from ∼7 to 3. With the exception of a transient and early increase in vacuolar size, vacuole condensation occurred rapidly and paralleled the acidification so that vacuoles reached their lowest pH and minimal size simultaneously. Neutralization and expansion of vacuole size began when vacuoles were GT8 min old. No labeled vacuoles were defecated prior to 21 min after formation but almost all DV were defecated within 1 h so that the digestive cycle of individual vacuoles ranged from 21 to 60 min. Based on these size and pH changes, the presence of acid phosphatase activity, and membrane morphology, digestive vacuoles can be grouped into four stages of digestion. The DV-I are GT6 min old and undergo rapid condensation and acidification. The DV-II are between 4 to 10 min old and are the most condensed and acidic vacuoles. The DV-III range in age from 8 to ∼20 min and include the expanding or expanded vacuoles that result from lysosomes fusing with DV-II. The DV-IV are GD21 min old, and since digestion is presumably completed, they can be defecated. The rise in intravacuolar pH that accompanies vacuole expansion suggests that lysosomes play a role in vacuole neutralization in addition to their degradative functions. The acidification and condensation processes in DV-I appear to be unrelated to lysosomal function, as no acid phosphaiase activity has been detected at this stage, but may be related to phagosomal functions important in killing food organisms, denaturing proteins prior to digestion, and preparing vacuole membrane for fusion with lysosomes.
Continuous ground-based multiwavelength airglow measurements

[1] A new spectrograph instrument, called the Continuous High-resolution Instrument for Multiwavelength Echelle Spectroscopy (CHIMES), has been designed to make simultaneous and spatially overlapping ground-based measurements of the green line and red line airglow emissions (5577 A and 6300 A) continuously, 24 hours-a-day. The spectrograph uses a 50 mm long, 50 μm wide slit, and varies the exposure time at different times of day (daytime, twilight, and nighttime), from 2 s in daytime to 10 min at night. It utilizes an Echelle grating to achieve dispersion of 0.05 A/pixel at 5577 A. Daytime 6300 A and 5577 A airglow from this instrument are extracted by comparing the measured spectra to direct solar spectra and extracting small increases in flux in the Fraunhofer absorption lines at those wavelengths, after compensating for the Ring effect contribution. We present the first ground-based measurements of the daytime 5577 A airglow, as well as example measurements of daytime, twilight, and nighttime airglow signatures.
An unusual long RP tachycardia: What is the mechanism?

A 43-year-old woman with frequent palpitations since childhood underwent diagnostic electrophysiologic evaluation. She had failed treatment with both metoprolol and flecainide. Transthoracic echocardiography was normal, and her 12-lead electrocardiogram showed no ventricular preexcitation. At baseline, atrio-His (AH) and His-ventricular intervals measured 103 and 54 ms, respectively, dual atrioventricular (AV) node physiology was not observed, ventriculoatrial (VA) conduction was intermittent at a pacing cycle length (PCL) of 600 ms, and nonsustained runs of tachycardia occurred spontaneously and became incessant on administration of isoproterenol (0.5 G/min) (Figure 1, upper panel). Tachycardia terminated fter administration of 3 mg of adenosine (Figure 1, ower panel). Figure 2 shows a ventricular premature epolarization (VPD) delivered during tachycardia when he His bundle is refractory (upper panel) and an attempt t entrainment of tachycardia from the ventricle (lower anel). Figure 3 shows successful entrainment of tachyardia from both the ventricle (upper panel) and the trium (lower panel) at a cycle length 10 ms shorter than tachycardia. Based upon these findings, what is the mechanism of tachycardia?
Computer science for the artist

Computers are faster and cheaper than ever before and at the same time user interface advances make powerful applications more accessible to the non-computer scientist. In a diverse range of industries, it is now essential for non-computer scientists to create, modify and interact with sophisticated computer applications. Although improved interfaces like high-level scripting languages and visual programming environments, have changed the skill set needed to use the computer, a conceptual understanding of computing and computer interfaces is still required. The very advances allowing direct computer use by non-computer scientists have actually increased the need for computer literacy. Thus computer science departments should expand and enhance course offerings to give non-majors the conceptual understanding and skills they need to become sophisticated users/developers in their particular fields. This paper describes a series of courses developed at Ithaca College that are designed to provide multimedia programming skills and concepts to liberal arts majors.
Semiconductor lasers: Taken for a spin

A built-in semiconductor/nanomagnet interface acts as a spin filter in a conventional laser to produce circularly polarized emission without the need for external spin-polarized pumping.
Toxicity of anin situ oil shale process water to rainbow trout and fathead minnows

Anin situ oil shale process water, designated Omega-9 water, was used in flow-through bioassays with fathead minnows, rainbow trout and rainbow trout eggs. Of the two fish species, rainbow trout were more sensitive to acute exposure to Omega-9 water with 96-hour LC50 dilutions of 0.51% and 0.41% in two independent determinations. In embryo-larval studies, the length of fry from eggs hatched and maintained in 0.16% process water was significantly less than that of eggs hatched in control water. A solution of the 13 major inorganic constituents of Omega-9 water, with a 96-hour LC50 of 0.56% for rainbow trout, showed that inorganics accounted for most of the acute toxicity of Omega-9 water.
The Zavanelli maneuver for relief of abdominal dystocia associated with gastroschisis

A patient with acute hydramnios and advanced preterm labor at 34 weeks was seen after gastroschisis had been diagnosed by second-trimester fetal ultrasonography. The fetus also had meconium peritonitis and acute ascites. The distended abdomen did not decompress spontaneously during the second stage of labor. Severe abdominal dystocia was resolved with the Zavanelli maneuver (cephalic replacement) and cesarean delivery. This is the first reported use of the Zavanelli maneuver for abdominal dystocia.
Trypanosoma lewisi and T. cruzi: Effect of infection on gestation in the rat

Abstract Termination of pregnancy occurred in the rat after infection with Trypanosoma lewisi early in gestation. Rats were inoculated on Day 2 of pregnancy and the uteri were excised and examined on Days 10 and 14 of gestation. There were no detectable differences in size in the fetuses of infected and control females at Day 10, but by Day 14 young of infected females were being reabsorbed, and their weight was markedly less than that of control young. A bioassay of estrogens and progestogens based on the decidual cell response indicated that there was a sufficient hormone level to maintain pregnancy beyond Day 10, so the mechanism of action by which fetal death was produced did not appear to be hormone depletion. The crucial changes in fetal weight occurred between Days 12 and 14 of gestation in rats infected with T. lewisi on Day 2 of gestation. Trypanosoma cruzi caused little or no pathologic change in the pregnant laboratory rat throghout the period of gestation and infected females gave birth to apparently normal young.
Multivariate analysis of extreme metocean conditions for offshore wind turbines

Abstract Most offshore wind turbines (OWTs) are designed according to the international standard IEC 61400-3 which requires consideration of several design load cases under 50-year extreme storm conditions during which the wind turbine is not operational (i.e. the rotor is parked and blades are feathered). Each of these load cases depends on combinations of at least three jointly distributed metocean parameters, the mean wind speed, the significant wave height, and the peak spectral period. In practice, these variables are commonly estimated for the 50-year extreme storm using a simple but coarse method, wherein 50-year values of wind speed and wave height are calculated independently and combined with a range of peak spectral period conditioned on the 50-year wave height. The IEC Standard does not provide detailed guidance on how to calculate the appropriate range of peak spectral period. Given the varying correlation of these parameters from site-to-site, this approach is clearly an approximation which is assumed to overestimate structural loads since wind and wave are combined without regard to their correlation. In this paper, we introduce an alternative multivariate method for assessing extreme storm conditions. The method is based on the Nataf model and the Inverse First Order Reliability Method (IFORM) and uses measurements or hindcasts of wind speed, wave height and peak spectral period to estimate an environmental surface which defines combinations of these parameters with a particular recurrence period. The method is illustrated using three sites along the U.S. Atlantic coast near Maine, Delaware and Georgia. Mudline moments are calculated using this new multivariate method for a hypothetical 5 MW OWT supported by a monopile and compared with mudline moments calculated using simpler univariate approaches. The results of the comparison highlight the importance of selecting an appropriate range of the peak spectral period when using the simpler univariate approaches.
Auroral Ionization and Magnetic Disturbances

An examination of radio studies of auroral ionization shows that an average ionization density of about 5×105 electrons per cm3 is sufficient to explain the normal radar echo. The magnetic disturbances produced by current systems in the ionosphere are closely related both to the ionization and the luminosity of the aurora. The magnetic variations are also associated with increases in the speeds of motion of the ionization. The increased ionization manifest in the aurora, together with its increased speed of motion, brings about the magnetic changes observed at the ground. The rapid speeds of auroral motions observed both visually and by radio means are at the upper end of a continuous curve of drift motions that increase with increasing magnetic disturbance.
Social Support in a Men’s Online Eating Disorder Forum

Recent research has shown social support to be a useful theoretical framework when investigating women’s online eating disorder forums. We sought to identify the types of social support present and the various functions each serve for members of a men’s online forum. To answer the research questions, we conducted a deductive thematic analysis of 358 posts by 89 members of a UK-based men’s eating disorder forum. Consistent with past research on women’s forums, the most common types of support were informational, emotional and personal disclosure. In addition, advice emerged as a unique and prominent category of social support. Five broad themes of social support are also discussed and implications for future research using the social support framework were provided.
Aspect-dependent variations in regolith creep revealed by meteoric 10Be

Although variations in insolation and emergent feedbacks among soil moisture, vegetation, and soil cohesion are commonly invoked to explain topographic asymmetry that depends on aspect, few studies have directly quantified the efficiency of regolith transport along hillslopes of opposing aspect. We utilize meteoric 10 Be concentrations in regolith (n = 74) to determine mass flux along equatorial-facing and polar-facing hillslopes in three forested upland watersheds in and adjacent to the Susquehanna Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory in central Pennsylvania (USA). In combination with regolith depth measurements and high-resolution topography, these fluxes allow us to evaluate transport rate laws and the efficiency of regolith creep. Concentrations of meteoric 10 Be in regolith along six separate transects imply that regolith flux is similar along all hillslopes, despite differences in topographic gradient and regolith thickness. Comparison of flux with regolith depth and topographic gradient reveals that transport depends on regolith depth, and that regolith creep is twice as efficient along low-gradient, south-facing slopes with thin regolith as compared to steep, north-facing slopes mantled with thicker regolith. We suggest that the observed topographic asymmetry in these watersheds has evolved over geologic time as a result of differences in the frequency of freeze-thaw events between hillslopes of opposing aspect.
Impression management on reality TV: Emotion in parental accounts

Abstract Parental responsibility and blame are central issues in discussions of children's health. When parents are confronted about their children's unhealthy lifestyles—as they are by a nutrition expert at the beginning of each episode of an intervention-based reality television show about improving child wellbeing, Honey We’re Killing the Kids—they must negotiate responsibility for their children's poor eating and exercise habits while simultaneously protecting their identities as competent parents. Drawing on theorizing on impression management and social accountability, I examine how 25 parents appearing on the show are depicted as responding to the expert's presentation of computer-generated projections, or visual hypothetical narratives, that show their children physically developing into overweight, unhealthy adults. In their responses to these future-oriented narratives, the parents use excuses and apologies to take responsibility in ways that attempt to save parental face and thereby repair their damaged identities. Specific linguistic and paralinguistic devices used include response cries, future-oriented non-conclusive verbs, statements of one's emotions, and emotional displays like crying. This study contributes to identifying forms and functions of parental accounting strategies on reality TV, and especially the role of emotion, while also advancing our understanding of how identity work is accomplished through narrative responses.
Cost of diabetes-related amputations in minorities.

The objective of this study was to identify the direct cost and length of hospitalization of diabetes-related lower extremity amputations among Hispanics, African Americans, non-Hispanic whites, and Asians. The authors used a database from the office of Statewide Planning and Development in California that identified all hospitalizations for lower extremity amputations in the state in 1991. Amputation level was defined by the ICD-9-CM codes 84.11-84.18. The total hospital charges for diabetes-related lower extremity amputations for the state of California in 1991 was $141 million. The mean hospital charge (HC) per patient with all ethnic groups combined was $27,930; and the mean length of stay (LOS) was 15.9 days. African Americans had significantly higher mean charges ($32,383) and longer stays (17.3 days) compared to all other ethnic groups ( p p p
On the theory of stabilized superconducting wires.

Stabilized superconductors, discussing ideal compound conductor, flux-flow gate and heating effects
Interpretation of cytogenetic and molecular results in patients treated for CML

The International Randomized Study of Interferon vs. STI571 (IRIS) trial that investigated the use of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) imatinib (versus interferon) changed the treatment and outcome of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Long-term follow-up of IRIS patients has defined response parameters and methods of tracking residual disease with cytogenetic testing of bone marrow metaphases and molecular monitoring of BCR-ABL transcripts using quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Cytogenetic and molecular responses are now considered useful surrogates for long-term outcome. Early and robust response to imatinib predicts positive long-term outcomes. However, 15-25% of patients fail initial treatment or become intolerant of imatinib and need increased doses or alternate treatment. Second-line treatment with the second-generation TKIs nilotinib and dasatinib have resulted in favorable rates of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival. Data from the ENESTnd (nilotinib) and DASISION (dasatinib) trials in newly diagnosed chronic-phase CML patients demonstrated more robust and rapid complete cytogenetic (77-80%) and major molecular responses (43-46%) at 12 months compared with imatinib (65-66% and 22-28%). The relationship between a complete cytogenetic response at 12 months and long-term PFS supports a role for second-generation TKIs as first-line treatment of newly diagnosed chronic-phase CML.
MIXNET for Radio Frequency Identification

Privacy concerns have been raised with current and forthcoming implementations of RFID tags. The two main concerns are tracking and inventorying. Cryptosystems are being developed in order to curtail these potential abuses. Conventional cryptosystems that permit re-encryption do so only for a player with the knowledge of the public key corresponding to a given ciphertext. This kind of approach does not scale and is not practical. However, universal re-encryption in a MIXNET can be implemented without the servers holding any knowledge of public keys. Using existing techniques to implement an asymmetric cryptosystem with universal re-encryption in a MIXNET, we examine the ramifications of building such a system and also simulate its behavior with a Java implementation.
Experimental lathyrism: in vitro model systems.

Fur 11 bekannte lathyrogenische Substanzen wurden In-vitro-Modellsysteme entwickelt. Die gunstigste Dosierung entsprach der hochsten atoxischen Konzentration des Lathyrogens.
Huge tension cavity in primary pulmonary tuberculosis in an infant

Summary We report a case of primary pulmonary tuberculosis in a ten-month-old negro infant, the pathologic features of which—cavitation, bronchogenic spread, and absence of acute miliary dissemination—resembled those of postprimary tuberculous infection. The primary cavity in this case was of singularly large size, and is the first tension cavity to be specifically described in an infant. Clinically, the cavity showed distinct tympany. The literature on cavernous pulmonary tuberculosis in infancy is summarized; attention is directed to a small group of cases with findings similar to ours, that seems to constitute a rather typical clinicopathologic syndrome in primary pulmonary tuberculosis.