cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mechanical assistance in the surgical treatment of massive abdominal pannus

A 32 year-old male patient was effectively immobilized secondary to morbid obesity. He underwent a gastric bypass which reduced his weight from 647 lbs to 376 lbs over 12 months. A massive abdominal panniculus persisted limiting his ability to pursue an effective exercise program and maintain appropriate hygiene. The patient was operated upon with the aid of Steinman pins to pierce the dependant portion of the pannus and an orthopaedic suspension device to facilitate its elevation. Operative excision of the 19.93 kg pannus proceeded in a rapid fashion with minimal difficulties in pannus manipulation. The technique of excision, its benefits and the case history are reviewed.
Characterization of HLA DR2 and DQ8 transgenic mouse with a new engineered mouse class II deletion, which lacks all endogenous class II genes

Abstract Human autoimmune diseases are a class of complex immune system disorders characterized by loss of tolerance to self-antigens. HLA class II molecules play a central role in the initiation, propagation and prolongation of the disease process. HLA class II transgenic mice with mouse endogenous class II gene Ab knockout were used successfully in several mouse models for human autoimmune diseases, such as IDDM, SLE and EAE in our Lab. However, these mice carry the functional mouse Eb gene from the Aβ0/0construct and could express Eβ/DRα(Eα) molecules and shape the T cell repertoire in these mice. Recently, we have obtained the new MHCIIΔ/Δmice that are devoid of all endogenous conventional mouse MHC class II genes. When these mice are mated with our HLA class II transgenic mice, only human class II genes are expressed. The DR and DQ molecules expressed in these mice shape the T cell repertoire and regulate the immune response. Therefore, this new class of HLA transgenic mice is the first to be completely “humanized” in their MHC class II genes and will be an invaluable mouse model for human MHC class II associated autoimmune diseases.
Heat exchanger simulations involving phase changes

Abstract Heat exchangers in which phase changes occur are widely applied in industry. Condensing vapor streams and boiling liquid streams are important components in almost all flowsheets of chemical processes. The accurate modeling of these systems is important at the design stage so that heat exchangers with adequate heat-transfer area are purchased and installed. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate that some caution must be exercised in developing simulation models for heat exchangers when liquid is vaporized or vapor is condensed. Use of simple standard heat exchanger models can lead to incorrect differential temperature driving forces and gross under-estimation of heat-transfer area.
A neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in crayfish neurons.

Abstract In warm-blooded vertebrates, neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are distinguished from muscle endplate receptors by their ligand affinities and sensitivity to several toxins. In the crayfish optic lobe, synaptic and acetylcholine (ACh)-elicited responses are blocked by toxins (F-toxin and neosurgatoxin) selective for neuronal nAChRs and are insensitive to the α-neurotoxins selective for endplate nAChRs.
Metabolism of actinic skin tumors: incorporation of 14C-acetate into lipids.

Biochemical parameters of normal and actinically induced tumorous skin were compared. Similar respiratory rates and respiratory quotients were observed. However, both quantitative and qualitative differences occur in these tissue's ability to incorporate14C-acetate into lipids.
Acute toxicity of copper, zinc and manganese in single and mixed salt solutions to juvenile longfin dace, Agosia chrysogaster

The acute toxicity of copper, zinc and manganese and copper-zinc and copper-manganese mixtures were determined for juvenile longfin dace, Agosia chrysogaster in hard water bioassays (mean=218 mg 1−1 CaCO3). Copper-zinc was the most lethal toxicant (96-h L.c.50= 0.21 mg 1−1 copper and 0.28 mg 1−1 zinc) and exhibited a more than additive toxicity which was in contrast to the additive toxicity of copper-manganese mixtures (96-h L.c.50= 0.45 mg 1−1 copper and 64.0 mg 1−1 manganese). The toxicity of copper (96-h L.c.50= 0.86 mg 1−1) and zinc (96-h L.c.50= 0.79 mg 1−1) to the fish was similar but both were considerably more lethal than manganese (96-h L.c.50= 130 mg 1−1).
Swift GRB MIDEX mission

Swift is a first-of-its-kind multiwavelength transient observatory for gamma-ray burst astronomy. It has the optimum capabilities for the next breakthroughs in determining the origin of gamma-ray bursts and their afterglows, as well as for using bursts to probe the early Universe. Swift will also monitor the soft gamma repeaters and perform the first sensitive hard X-ray survey of the sky. The mission is being developed by an international collaboration and consists of three instruments, the Burst Alert Telescope (BAT), the X-ray Telescope (XRT), and the Ultraviolet and Optical Telescope (UVOT). The BAT, a wide-field gamma-ray detector, will detect >100 gamma-ray bursts per year with a sensitivity 5 times that of BATSE. The sensitive narrow-field XRT and UVOT will be autonomously slewed to the burst location within 20 to 70 seconds to determine 0.3-5.0 arcsec positions and perform optical, UV, and X-ray spectrophotometry. Strong education/public outreach and follow-up programs will help to engage the public and the astronomical community. Swift launch is planned for September 2003.
Phylogenetic distribution of the hepatic enzyme system for reducing naloxone to 6α- and 6β-naloxol in vertebrates

Abstract 1. 1. Livers from a variety of vertebrate species were examined for reduction of naloxone to 6α- and 6β-naloxol. 2. 2. Bird and reptile livers possessed relatively high rates of enzyme activity and formed predominantly 6α-naloxol. 3. 3. Livers from fish and amphibia showed generally low rates of naloxone reduction and more equal amounts of 6α- and 6β-naloxol. 4. 4. Naloxone reduction in mammal livers was intermediate in activity and resulted primarily in 6β-naloxol even though guinea pigs were a particularly interesting exception. 5. 5. It was not possible to relate product stereoselectivity to phylogenetic development.
Urodynamic changes after tension-free sling procedures: Mycromesh-Plus® vs TVT sling®

Assortments of suburethral sling procedures have become increasingly important in the treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI). This study compared a consecutive series of patients undergoing two types of no-tension, midurethral sling procedures: a traditional pubovaginal technique and graft (modified polytetrafluoroethylene graft; Mycromesh-Plus® [MMP]) and the more recently introduced tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) sling. We observed for differences in success rates, urodynamic parameters, and complications of the two procedures. One group received a MMP sling, which was placed at the midurethra without tension. The other group underwent a minimally invasive TVT sling. Multichannel urodynamic studies were performed pre- and postoperatively. Cure rates for SUI were similar for the two groups (95 vs 95%). Urgency and urge incontinence symptoms improved substantially in both groups. Comparison of pre- and postoperative urodynamic indices demonstrated no differences in changes in average functional urethral lengths, changes in maximum urethral closure pressures, or improvement in pressure transmission ratios. Both groups showed a decrease in urethral mobility postoperatively. However, the TVT group demonstrated a lesser degree of change. While the TVT group did spontaneously void earlier than the MMP group (5.7 vs 9.7 days, p < 0.05), this did not result in significantly different postvoid residual volumes (71 vs 101 mL). Complications, including need for self-catheterization and sling revision or removal, and urinary tract infections also were fewer in the TVT group. This study demonstrated that the TVT sling affords an equivalent cure of SUI with similar urodynamic changes but significantly fewer complications than the more traditional MMP sling.
The Thermodynamics of Irreversible Processes. I. The Simple Fluid

The rate of increase of the entropy of a simple viscous fluid, capable of conducting heat, is investigated in greater detail than has hitherto been customary. It is shown that, if Kelvin's hypothesis concerning the absolute temperature be adopted, and the usual law of viscosity be assumed, the requirements of the second law are satisfied.
Automatic reinforcement: Oxymoron or hypothetical construct?

Two usages of automatic reinforcement are emerging in the applied literature relating to the self-injury of people with developmental disabilities. One usage of automatic reinforcement is to explain a controlling response-reinforcer relation in the absence of experimental demonstration. The second usage employs the term descriptively to distinguish between response-reinforcer relations mediated by the social environment and those produced directly by a response. It is concluded that the first usage is essentially a contradiction in terms (an oxymoron) and should be avoided by researchers. In its second usage, automatic reinforcement is proposed to note the lack of social mediation of a response-reinforcer relation; this usage can facilitate further research by limiting the possible conditions maintaining behavior. Overall, what appears at issue with the usage of automatic reinforcement is how to most effectively occasion the discovery of unknown functional relations when our current hypotheses prove inadequate.
POETS, CRITICS, AND GOD-TALK

She'd had no end of myths about immortals coming down and taking human bodies, dying human deaths. Helen knew how to interpret that scripture: if gods could do this human thing, then we could as well. That plot as the mind's brainchild, awareness explaining itself to itself.…She'd had the bit about the soul fastened to a dying animal. What she needed, in order to forgive our race and live here in peace, was faith's flip side … how body stumbled onto the stricken celestial, how it taught itself to twig time and what lay beyond time. (Powers, 319–320)
Sector Structure of the Quiet Interplanetary Magnetic Field

Imp-I satellite observations of interplanetary magnetic field revealing regular longitudinal sector structure in magnetic field rotating with Sun
Synthesis and comparative chemistry of the early-late transition metal heterobimetallacycles CpCp′Ta(CH2)2Ir(CO)(L) and their main-group element-late transition metal analogues R2P(CH2)2Ir(CO)(L)

Abstract The synthesis of two tantalum-iridium heterodinuclear complexes formed by the reaction of CpCp′Ta(CH2)(CH3) with IndIr(CO)2 is presented (Cp′ Cp (1a); indenyl (1b)). An X-ray diffraction study of the compound (Ind)CpTa(CH2)2Ir(CO)2 was performed: the Ta(CH2)2Ir ring is planar and the TaIr bond length is 2.858(1) A. These compounds react with phosphines to form substitution and addition products. The crystal structure of the PEt3 adduct Cp2Ta(CH2)2Ir(CO)2(PEt3) (2) is presented; the geometry about the iridium center of 2 is midway between a square-based pyramid and a trigonal bipyramid, and the TaIr bond length is 2.881(1) A. Compound 1a reacts with MeI to form the six-coordinate iridium oxidative addition product Cp2Ta(CH2)2Ir(CO)2(CH3)I. The compound Cp2Ta(CH2)2Ir(CO)(PPh3) (3) reacts with MeI in an analogous manner (k2nd  7.61 ± 0.43 M−1 s−1, THF, −5 °C). In order to assess the effect of the early metal on the chemistry at the late transition metal center, the chelating phosphorus ylide analogues R2P(CH2)2Ir(CO)(PPh3) (RPh (6a), Me (6b)) were synthesized by treatment of the ylide anion, R2P(CH2)2Li with Vaska's complex (PPh3)2Ir(CO)Cl. An X-ray diffraction study performed on 6a showed that the Ir(CoH2)2P metallacycle, in contrast to that of the Ta-Ir compounds, is non-planar. The ylide P-Ir distance 2.746(1) A is beyond bonding interaction. Compounds 6a (k2nd  7.55 ± 0.30 M−1 s−1, THF, −5 °C) and 6b (k2nd  17.9 ± 1.4 M−1 s−1, THF, −5 °C) react with CH3I in a fashion analogous to that of the TaIr complexes. Unlike compound 3, both 6a and 6b are highly fluxional in solution due to the dissociation of the PPh3 ligand from the Ir center. In addition, the metallacycle undergoes rapid ring inversion in solution, even at −90 °C. These studies suggest the early metal fragment can act as an electron sink and source for the late transition metal fragment through a direct TaIr bond interaction.
Ratings of the familiarity of idioms’ figurative meanings and the likelihood of literal meanings among U.S. college students

Samples of college students from three states (Ohio, New Hampshire, Illinois) rated 390 idioms on familiarity of their figurative meanings. The Illinois samples also rated the likelihood of encountering the idioms’ literal meanings. Results suggested some modest regional differences in idiom familiarity, and consistent with Popiel and McRae (1988), the likelihood of encountering an idiom’s literal meaning is relatively independent of the familiarity of its figurative meaning. The 314 idioms rated by more than 75% of the subjects are listed with the idioms’ familiarity ratings, as are the 20 most and least familiar idioms for each of the three states. The 248 idioms rated by at least 75% of the Illinois subjects and the idioms’ figurative and literal ratings are also presented.
Role of Niemann-Pick C1–Like 1 (NPC1L1) in Intestinal Sterol Absorption

The absorption of cholesterol by the proximal small intestine represents a major pathway for the entry of cholesterol into the body pools. This cholesterol is derived primarily from the bile and the diet. In adult humans, typically several hundred milligrams of cholesterol reach the liver from the intestine daily, with the potential to impact the plasma low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) concentration. There are three main phases involved in cholesterol absorption. The first occurs intraluminally and culminates in micellar solubilization of unesterified cholesterol which facilitates its movement up to the brush border membrane (BBM) of the enterocyte. The second phase involves the transport of cholesterol across the BBM by Niemann-Pick C1 Like-1 (NPC1L1), while the third phase entails a series of steps within the enterocyte involving the esterification of cholesterol and its incorporation, along with other lipids and apolipoprotein B48 (apo B48), into nascent chylomicrons (CM). The discovery of the role of NPC1L1 in intestinal sterol transport occurred directly as a consequence of efforts to identify the molecular target of ezetimibe, a novel, potent, and specific inhibitor of sterol absorption that is now widely used in combination therapy with statins for the management of hypercholesterolemia in the general population. Some aspects of the role of NPC1L1 in cholesterol absorption nevertheless remain controversial and are the subject of ongoing research. For example, one report suggests that NPC1L1 is located not in the plasma membrane but intracellularly where it is thought to be involved in cytosolic trafficking of cholesterol, while another concludes that a protein other than NPC1L1 is responsible for the high affinity binding of cholesterol on intestinal BBM. However, other new studies which show that the in vivo responsiveness of different species to ezetimibe correlates with NPC1L1 binding affinity further support the widely held belief that NPC1L1 does facilitate sterol uptake by the enterocyte and is the target of ezetimibe. Added to this is the unequivocal finding that deletion of the gene for NPC1L1 in mice results in a near complete prevention of cholesterol absorption and an accelerated rate of fecal neutral sterol excretion. In summary, the development of ezetimibe and the identification of NPC1L1 as a key player in sterol absorption have taken research on the molecular control of this pathway to an exciting new level. From this it is hoped that we will now be able to determine more precisely what effect, if any, other classes of lipid lowering agents, particularly the statins, might exert on the amount of intestinal cholesterol reaching the liver.
Lattice theory predictions of nonrandom behavior in square-well fluids

A new attractive term for the equation of state (EOS) of square-well fluids has been developed by using an off-lattice mean-field term in an approximate solution for the lattice gas. van der Waals theory predicts that the attractive contribution to the compressibility factor is proportional to the inverse of temperature and volume. However, there are deviations from van der Waals behavior due to both molecular repulsions and molecular attractions. Here, deviations due to repulsions are predicted by first-order perturbation theory and deviations due to attractions are predicted by an approximation to the Ising model. It is shown that this new EOS shows very good agreement with simulation data for square-well fluids. The derivation of the lattice term allows rigorous extension of the EOS to mixtures without using empirical mixing rules. The EOS is applied to mixtures with an extreme difference in the attractive potentials (i.e., mixtures of hard-sphere and square-well molecules of the same core size). This exaggerates the deviations from random mixing. Mixtures of equal-sized, square-well molecules with different well depths are discussed also. Agreement with perturbation theory and computer simulations is very good.
Problems and uses of color in cartography: examples from Michigan State University

Students at Michigan State University design postcard-size maps to learn about the nature of design and to gain experience in executing design decisions. Student maps demonstrate the use of color for its various functions. Both students and faculty have also engaged in a variety of color-related cartographic research projects. Research results include a printed approximation of the Munsell Student Charts for use in selecting colors for maps, a better understanding of how to design maps for people with color- vision impairments, an understanding of the effects of color on scale perception, a model for assessing the adequacy of color selections relative to problems caused by surround, and systematization of color schemes for mapping. A current project is attempting to find a set of computer monitor RGB values that approximates the characteristics of the OSA Uniform Color Scales. A review of these works serves to illustrate the role and importance of color in the art and science of mapping and also the interplay of art and science in the area of color in cartography.
Political geographers of the past IV George Renner and the great map scandal of 1942

Abstract The trim, praise and clearcut appearance that a well drawn map presents lends it an air of scientific authenticity that may or may not be deserved (John K. Wright, 1942: 527).
Inhibition by actinomycin D of the initiation of chitin biosynthesis in the crayfish.

Abstract 1. 1. The specific RNA species needed for chitin biosynthesis in the crayfish seem to be newly synthesized during the premolt period of each molting cycle. Actinomycin D was found to inhibit chitin biosynthesis only during this time. Synthesis of these RNA species seems to begin about 24 hours before the beginning of cuticle secretion and to stop soon after ecdysis. 2. 2. These RNA species appear to be very stable. The time when their synthesis stops coincides with the time of maximum chitin synthesis. Thereafter, reduction in rate of chitin synthesis may be due to gradual breakdown of these RNAs.
The discs-large tumor suppressor gene of Drosophila encodes a guanylate kinase homolog localized at septate junctions

Mutations of the lethal(1)discs large-1 (dlg) tumor suppressor gene of Drosophila cause neoplastic overgrowth of the imaginal discs. Sequencing of a near full-length cDNA predicts a protein containing a domain homologous to yeast guanylate kinase and a region homologous to SH3, a putative regulatory motif in nonreceptor protein tyrosine kinases and other signal transduction proteins. Immunofluorescence analysis using antibodies directed against fusion peptides shows that the dlg gene product is localized in an apical belt of the lateral cell membrane, at the position of the septate junction. The results suggest that a signal transduction process involving guanine nucleotides occurs at the septate junction and is necessary for cell proliferation control in Drosophila epithelia.
Influenza virus infection in adult solid organ transplant recipients.

Background: Solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients have been reported to be more susceptible to influenza virus. However, little is known about the clinical epidemiology and the implications of influenza viral infection among SOT recipients. Methods: Cohort study of influenza viral infection in SOT recipients at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Results: Between November 1990 and April 2000, 30 cases of influenza were diagnosed in SOT recipients at our center, including influenza A (n = 22) and influenza B (n = 8). These included recipients of lung (n = 19), liver (n = 5) and kidney (n = 6) transplants. The incidence of influenza viral infection was 41.8 cases/1000 person years (PYs), 2.8 cases/1000 PYs and 4.3 cases/1000 PYs among lung, liver and renal transplant patients, respectively (p < 0.0001). Symptoms were reported in all patients and included malaise, myalgia/arthralgia, fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Secondary bacterial pneumonia occurred in five patients (17%). Other complications were seen in three SOT recipients (2 liver and 1 kidney) and included: myocarditis, myositis, and bronchiolitis obliterans. Biopsy of the transplanted organ was performed in 21 SOT recipients (18 lung, 1 liver and 2 kidney) at the time of influenza viral infection. Overall, 62% (13/21) showed variable degrees of acute allograft rejection, and included 61% (11/18) of lung, and 100% (2/2) of kidney transplant recipients. Conclusions: Influenza infection is associated with significant morbidity in different groups of SOT recipients. Studies are needed to determine if yearly chemoprophylaxis with antiviral drugs might benefit this patient population.
Differential geometry via harmonic functions

In this talk, I will discuss the use of harmonic functions to study the geometry and topology of complete manifolds. In my previous joint work with Luen-fai Tam, we discovered that the number of infinities of a complete manifold can be estimated by the dimension of a certain space of harmonic functions. Applying this to a complete manifold whose Ricci curvature is almost non-negative, we showed that the manifold must have finitely many ends. In my recent joint works with Jiaping Wang, we successfully applied this general method to two other classes of complete manifolds. The first class are manifolds with the lower bound of the spectrum $\lambda_1(M) >0$ and whose Ricci curvature is bounded by $$ Ric_M \ge -{m-2 \over m-1} \lambda_1(M). $$ The second class are stable minimal hypersurfaces in a complete manifold with non-negative sectional curvature. In both cases we proved some splitting type theorems and also some finiteness theorems.
The Changing Mind of the South: The Exposed Nerve

I PREMISE THAT THERE has been such a thing as a southern folk, clearly if not definably more a single people than any other Americans, composed of two grades of persons, both of whom have been truly part of the same folk, and yet one of whom, the Negro Southerners, because they were ruled by the other did not sense and hallow as did the whites their folk integrity and their distinctness from the rest of the nation. And because white Southerners have consciously known that they were set apart, they have struggled to define themselves, have striven for self-identity, and with every Cash or Percy-or Faulkner-asking "Who am I?" have moved nearer the point which comes in every self-examination, where discovery means either release or reunion. Who is there who is not tired of this search, who would not rather give it up before he has to choose between release, and rejection, or recoil into the mind of the South, who would rather not stop short in self-discovery and become what history makes of him? And indeed, there has been a re-directing of the South's self-study. The intellectual and artistic concern is changing, has changed, from a deep, self-combative hoeing and chopping of souls and history and eternity, and toward commitment to the active issues of the day. The dark, Faulknerian, problems recede. The classic interpreters of the South began with the conviction that there was a "South" and a "Southerner," and they hunted for definitions. Because the interpreters were themselves Southerners, dredging their prey up through their memories and revealing it as a Protean substance, their definitions were never abstract, and they never tired of examining countless aspects. Nor did they, however, ever yield the belief that something constant and essential lay under the aspects. The Southerner was to be known as a being, and not an active one at that. Only the public figures of the South defined
Integrating meta-path selection with user-guided object clustering in heterogeneous information networks

Real-world, multiple-typed objects are often interconnected, forming heterogeneous information networks. A major challenge for link-based clustering in such networks is its potential to generate many different results, carrying rather diverse semantic meanings. In order to generate desired clustering, we propose to use meta-path, a path that connects object types via a sequence of relations, to control clustering with distinct semantics. Nevertheless, it is easier for a user to provide a few examples ("seeds") than a weighted combination of sophisticated meta-paths to specify her clustering preference. Thus, we propose to integrate meta-path selection with user-guided clustering to cluster objects in networks, where a user first provides a small set of object seeds for each cluster as guidance. Then the system learns the weights for each meta-path that are consistent with the clustering result implied by the guidance, and generates clusters under the learned weights of meta-paths. A probabilistic approach is proposed to solve the problem, and an effective and efficient iterative algorithm, PathSelClus, is proposed to learn the model, where the clustering quality and the meta-path weights are mutually enhancing each other. Our experiments with several clustering tasks in two real networks demonstrate the power of the algorithm in comparison with the baselines.
Techniques for embracing intra-cell unbalanced bit error characteristics in MLC NAND flash memory

Multi-level per cell (MLC) technique has been widely used to improve the storage density of NAND flash memory. However, bits stored in each MLC memory cell are subject to different bit error rates. In current practice, bits stored in each cell belong to different pages and all the pages are protected using the same ECC tuned for the worst-case scenario, which results in over-protection for other pages and hence reduced storage capacity. In this work, we first develop a flash memory channel model to capture the dominant noise sources such as cell-to-cell interference and random telegraph noise. Using this model, we demonstrate the significant intra-cell unbalanced bit error characteristics for MLC NAND flash memory. We further develop two techniques that can better address this issue to minimize the overall redundancy overhead and hence improve effective capacity. Firstly, we propose an aggregated page programming scheme by modifying the recently emerging full-sequence MLC NAND flash memory programming strategy, which can ensure all the pages experience the same overall bit error rates so that the coding rate of BCH code can be increased by more than 6%. Secondly, in the implementation of non-binary ECC such as RS code, we propose to combine a bit-error-rate-aware symbol grouping scheme in order to further reduce the required coding redundancy.
How economic rewards affect cooperation reconsidered

Abstract Recent studies suggest that payoffs in cents, compared to dollars, produce less defection in a repeated prisoner’s dilemma game. We are unable to replicate these findings with conventional economic procedures or in a direct replication.
Analytics for similarity matching of IT cases with collaboratively-defined activity flows

Handling IT support cases efficiently is very important for operational excellence of IT organizations. Many IT service centers receive thousands of cases per day, some of which are similar to previously reported cases. To improve efficiency it is important to build upon lessons learned from past cases in the resolution of new cases. Therefore, a desired functionality of case management tools is finding similar previous cases to an open one, in order to leverage information about previous cases to effectively find resolution. A new generation of tools for IT case management, e.g., IT Support Conversation Manager, enables collaborative and adaptive process definition for IT case resolution. Leveraging collaborative and social networking technology makes the case information model increasingly richer and more structured compared to flat textual format case reports in traditional IT case management systems. We have developed an automated method for matching IT support cases that takes into account multiple information attributes including the collaborative flow of activities during case handling. We evaluated the system and the early evaluation results show that this method achieves a higher accuracy and comparable efficiency to text-based similarity approaches.
Nuclear magnetic resonance and conformational energy calculations of repeat peptides of tropoelastin: Correlation of 1J(15N-1H) with nonplanarity of peptide moiety

Conformational energy calculations and 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies in CDCI3 of a tripeptide, N-Ac-Gly1-L-Val2-Gly3-OMe, suggested the occurrence of an II-membered hydrogen-bonded ring, or γ-turn conformation. The theoretical calculations indicated that the conformation occurs when there is a distortion of the planarity of the peptide moiety. An 15N NMR study of the tripeptide in CDCI3 was undertaken to see if these spectral parameters might correlate with deviations from planarity. 1H, 13C, and 15N NMR studies were also carried out on the dipeptide N-Ac-L-Val1-Gly2-OMe, which argue for the occurrence of an 8-membered hydrogen-bonded ring, or C8 conformation and even greater distortions from peptide planarity. Therefore a theoretical investigation of this problem, using both the empirical and molecular orbital calculations in the CNDO/2 approximation, was undertaken, the results of which indicate large distortions of the planarity of the peptide moiety. While further work is required before the detailed functional dependence of NMR parameters to planarity of the peptide moiety can be established, a systematic variation of the 1J(15N-1H) coupling constant with peptide planarity is observed for the molecules discussed.
Classifying entities into an incomplete ontology

Exponential growth of unlabeled web-scale datasets, and class hierarchies to represent them, has given rise to new challenges for hierarchical classification. It is costly and time consuming to create a complete ontology of classes to represent entities on the Web. Hence, there is a need for techniques that can do hierarchical classification of entities into incomplete ontologies. In this paper we present Hierarchical Exploratory EM algorithm (an extension of the Exploratory EM algorithm [7]) that takes a seed class hierarchy and seed class instances as input. Our method classifies relevant entities into some of the classes from the seed hierarchy and on its way adds newly discovered classes into the hierarchy. Experiments with subsets of the NELL ontology and text datasets derived from the ClueWeb09 corpus show that our Hierarchical Exploratory EM approach improves seed class F1 by up to 21% when compared to its semi-supervised counterpart.
Interactions among symbionts of Oropsylla spp. (Siphonoptera: Ceratophyllidae).

ABSTRACT We used high-throughput DNA sequencing to explore bacterial communities of three species of Oropyslla fleas [Oropsylla hirsuta (Baker), Oropsylla montana (Baker), and Oropsylla tuberculata cynomuris (Jellison) ] and detected seven bacterial lineages related to known insect symbionts. No significant co-occurrence patterns were detected among bacterial lineages, but relative abundance data suggest that the two most common lineages (Bartonella and Rickettsiales) interact negatively. Furthermore, presence of these two lineages significantly reduced bacterial diversity within fleas.
The Impact of the Early Studies Following the 1886 Charleston Earthquake on the Nascent Science of Seismology

Our earliest ideas about seismology developed in discrete steps following the study of major earthquakes. The first such step involved the studies following the Neapolitan earthquake of 1857 by Irish geophysicist, civil engineer, and inventor Robert Mallet (1810–1881), often called “the father of seismology.” Mallet’s interest in earthquakes was drawn following the 1839 Comrie earthquake swarm on the edge of the Scottish highlands (Wood, 1988). Mallet (1848) disagreed with Lyell (1830) over the explanation of a pair of obelisks that had been twisted in opposite directions without being overthrown by the devastating earthquakes that ruined Calabria in southern Italy in 1783. He suggested a simple mechanical explanation in his presentation to the Royal Irish Academy in February 1846 on the nature of earthquake motion. He claimed his paper, entitled “On the dynamics of earthquakes; being an attempt to reduce their observed phenomena to the known laws of wave motion in solids and fluids,” was the first attempt to bring earthquake phenomena within a range of exact science (Mallet, 1848). Mallet provided a cogent definition of an earthquake as “the transit of a wave of elastic compression in any direction… through the surface and the crust of the earth, from any center of impulse…” (Davidson, 1927). He imagined an earthquake to be produced “either by the sudden flexure and constraint of the elastic materials forming a portion of the earth’s crust, or by the sudden relief of this constraint by the withdrawal of the force, or by their giving way, and becoming fractured” (Davidson, 1927). Mallet’s opportunity to further develop his ideas about earthquakes came following the occurrence of the Great Neapolitan earthquake on 16 December 1857. This earthquake near Padua in southern Italy, with an estimated magnitude of 6.9–7.0, was associated with more than 11,000 deaths. Using photography, which …
The protease inhibitor, N-acetyl-L-leucyl-L-leucyl-leucyl-L-norleucinal, decreases the pool of major histocompatibility complex class I-binding peptides and inhibits peptide trimming in the endoplasmic reticulum.

N-acetyl-L-leucyl-L-leucyl-L-norleucinal, (LLnL), which inhibits proteasomes in addition to other proteases, was found to prolong the association of major histocompatibility complex class I molecules with the transporters associated with antigen processing (TAP), and to slow their transport out of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). LLnL induced a reversible accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins and changed the spectrum of peptides bound by class I molecules. These effects can probably be attributed to proteasome inhibition. Unexpectedly, in the TAP-deficient cell line .174, the rate of intracellular transport of human histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA) A2 was also reduced by LLnL, and the generation of most HLA-A2-associated signal sequence peptides was inhibited. The inhibition of HLA-A2 transport in .174 cells was found to be less sensitive to LLnL than in wild-type cells, and a similar difference was found for a second protease inhibitor, benzyloxycarbonyl-L-leucyl-L-leucyl-L-phenylalanilal. These data suggest that under some conditions such inhibitors can block trimming of peptides by an ER peptidase in addition to inhibiting cytosolic peptide generation.
Stiffness matrix of the four‐node quadrilateral element in closed form

The stiffness matrix of a plane four-node quadrilateral finite element is given in closed form. When expressed as a FORTRAN subroutine and compared with the classical method of forming the stiffness matrix using Gaussian integration, the approach gives a CPU time speed-up of the order of 2–3 on a vector machine and of the order of 4–5 on a scalar machine. The technique used to generate the terms of the stiffness matrix made use of a computer algebra system which could clearly be extended to generate the matrices for other elements types.
Overwintering of Western equine encephalitis virus.

Summary1) Adult garter snakes (Thamnophis spp.) inoculated intraperitoneally, overwintered WEE virus for at least 139 days. There was a steady decline in virus, with only 1 of 14 showing a viremia after 92 days hibernation. With warm spring weather, (139 days after virus inoculation) 9 of 14 animals exhibited a viremia with blood titers varying from 10-1 to 10-3.5. 2) Two of 4 garter snakes inoculated with WEE virus and kept at 4°C, for 17 days harbored the virus in the blood, but not the brain. One snake harbored the virus in the brain but not in the blood. No virus was detected in either blood or brain after 17 days at 4°C in one of the snakes.
A structural bioinformatics approach for identifying proteins predisposed to bind linear epitopes on pre-selected target proteins

We have developed a protocol for identifying proteins that are predisposed to bind linear epitopes on target proteins of interest. The protocol searches through the protein database for proteins (scaffolds) that are bound to peptides with sequences similar to accessible, linear epitopes on the target protein. The sequence match is considered more significant if residues calculated to be important in the scaffold-peptide interaction are present in the target epitope. The crystal structure of the scaffold-peptide complex is then used as a template for creating a model of the scaffold bound to the target epitope. This model can then be used in conjunction with sequence optimization algorithms or directed evolution methods to search for scaffold mutations that further increase affinity for the target protein. To test the applicability of this approach we targeted three disease-causing proteins: a tuberculosis virulence factor (TVF), the apical membrane antigen (AMA) from malaria, and hemagglutinin from influenza. In each case the best scoring scaffold was tested, and binders with Kds equal to 37 μM and 50 nM for TVF and AMA, respectively, were identified. A web server (http://rosettadesign.med.unc.edu/scaffold/) has been created for performing the scaffold search process with user-defined target sequences.
Coefficient of glucose variation is independently associated with mortality in critically ill patients receiving intravenous insulin

Both patient- and context-specific factors may explain the conflicting evidence regarding glucose control in critically ill patients. Blood glucose variability appears to correlate with mortality, but this variability may be an indicator of disease severity, rather than an independent predictor of mortality. We assessed blood glucose coefficient of variation as an independent predictor of mortality in the critically ill. We used eProtocol-Insulin, an electronic protocol for managing intravenous insulin with explicit rules, high clinician compliance, and reproducibility. We studied critically ill patients from eight hospitals, excluding patients with diabetic ketoacidosis and patients supported with eProtocol-insulin for < 24 hours or with < 10 glucose measurements. Our primary clinical outcome was 30-day all-cause mortality. We performed multivariable logistic regression, with covariates of age, gender, glucose coefficient of variation (standard deviation/mean), Charlson comorbidity score, acute physiology score, presence of diabetes, and occurrence of hypoglycemia < 60 mg/dL. We studied 6101 critically ill adults. Coefficient of variation was independently associated with 30-day mortality (odds ratio 1.23 for every 10% increase, P < 0.001), even after adjustment for hypoglycemia, age, disease severity, and comorbidities. The association was higher in non-diabetics (OR = 1.37, P < 0.001) than in diabetics (OR 1.15, P = 0.001). Blood glucose variability is associated with mortality and is independent of hypoglycemia, disease severity, and comorbidities. Future studies should evaluate blood glucose variability.
Structural and Functional Support in the Prediction of Smoking Cessation in Caregivers of Children with Asthma.

Caregivers of children with asthma smoke at rates similar to the general population. Research on the relative importance of structural or functional social support in smoking cessation has been mixed. Participants were smokers (N = 154) who were caregivers of children with asthma. Both functional (Interpersonal Support Evaluation List) and structural social support (living with another smoker, partner status, and the proportion of smoking friends) were measured at baseline. Participants received an asthma-education and smoking cessation intervention based on Motivational Interviewing. Biochemically-verified abstinence was assessed at six months post treatment. Results indicated that functional support predicted smoking abstinence even when controlling for relevant covariates and structural support (OR = .896, p = .025). Exploratory analyses revealed that this effect was driven primarily by the self-esteem ISEL subscale. Smoking cessation that focuses on building general functional support, particularly se...
Macro-op scheduling: relaxing scheduling loop constraints

Ensuring back-to-back execution of dependent instructions in a conventional out-of-order processor requires scheduling logic that wakes up and selects instructions at the same rate as they are executed. To sustain high performance, integer ALU instructions typically have single-cycle latency, consequently requiring scheduling logic with the same single-cycle latency. Prior proposals have advocated the use of speculation in either the wakeup or select phases to enable pipelining of scheduling logic to achieve higher clock frequency. In contrast, this paper proposes macro-op scheduling which systematically removes instructions with single-cycle latency from the machine by combining them into macro-ops, and performs nonspeculative pipelined scheduling of multi-cycle operations. Macro-op scheduling also increases the effective size of the scheduling window by enabling multiple instructions to occupy a single issue queue entry. We demonstrate that pipelined 2-cycle macro-op scheduling performs comparably or even better than atomic scheduling or prior proposals for select-free scheduling.
The role of cyclin D2 and p21/waf1 in human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 infected cells

The human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) Tax protein indirectly influences transcriptional activation, signal transduction, cell cycle control, and apoptosis. The function of Tax primarily relies on protein-protein interactions. We have previously shown that Tax upregulates the cell cycle checkpoint proteins p21/waf1 and cyclin D2. Here we describe the consequences of upregulating these G1/S checkpoint regulators in HTLV-1 infected cells. To further decipher any physical and functional interactions between cyclin D2 and p21/waf1, we used a series of biochemical assays from HTLV-1 infected and uninfected cells. Immunoprecipitations from HTLV-1 infected cells showed p21/waf1 in a stable complex with cyclin D2/cdk4. This complex is active as it phosphorylates the Rb protein in kinase assays. Confocal fluorescent microscopy indicated that p21/waf1 and cyclin D2 colocalize in HTLV-1 infected, but not in uninfected cells. Furthermore, in vitro kinase assays using purified proteins demonstrated that the addition of p21/waf1 to cyclin D2/cdk4 increased the kinase activity of cdk4. These data suggest that the p21/cyclin D2/cdk4 complex is not an inhibitory complex and that p21/waf1 could potentially function as an assembly factor for the cyclin D2/cdk4 complex in HTLV-1 infected cells. A by-product of this assembly with cyclin D2/cdk4 is the sequestration of p21/waf1 away from the cyclin E/cdk2 complex, allowing this active cyclin-cdk complex to phosphorylate Rb pocket proteins efficiently and push cells through the G1/S checkpoint. These two distinct functional and physical activities of p21/waf1 suggest that RNA tumor viruses manipulate the G1/S checkpoint by deregulating cyclin and cdk complexes.
Genetic Control of Host Responses to Endotoxin

Two pathophysiological effects of endotoxin in mice have been shown to be under the major influence of polygenic inheritance. The first, endotoxemia, was measured by LD(50) assays on hybrids and backcross hybrids of the resistant C(3)H/HeJ and the susceptible A/HJe strains. The LD(50) values of the F1 hybrids and the backcross hybrids were intermediate between the respective parental types. The second effect, the intraperitoneal extravascular leukocyte response to small doses of endotoxin, also was found to follow characteristic patterns of polygenic inheritance. As estimated from an analysis of the variance of mice of the F1 and F2 generations, the degree of genetic determination is approximately 54% for the neutrophil response and 82% for the monuclear response.
Links Between Remembered Childhood Emotion Socialization and Adult Adjustment Similarities and Differences Between European American and African American Women

The purpose of this paper was to examine whether recollections of mothers' emotion socialization practices during childhood are linked to adult emotional well-being as indexed by depression, trait anger, and cardiac vagal tone, and whether these effects vary for African American and European American women. Participants included 251 women (128 European American; 123 African American) who ranged in age from 18 to 44 years (M = 25 years). Multigroup confirmatory factor analyses indicated strong measurement and factor invariance across African American and European American participants. Remembered non-supportive emotion socialization was linked with elevated depressive symptoms for European American women, but not African American women and with elevated trait anger for both groups. Remembered supportive emotion socialization was linked with higher resting vagal tone for both groups. The results provide some support for the view that non-supportive emotion socialization may be more detrimental for European Americans than African Americans.
A simple and reliable system for measuring the refractive index of liquids using a position-sensitive detector

A simple and yet efficient apparatus for the measurement of the refractive index of liquids has been developed, with the purpose of controlling adulteration in liquids of everyday use. In the system, the index of refraction of the liquid under test is determined by measuring the lateral displacement of a laser beam, that passes obliquely through a rectangular cell filled with the liquid under characterization. The lateral displacement is accurately determined by a position-sensitive detector. A careful analysis of the errors that can be obtained with the system has been carried out, that yielded calibration curves for easy on-line correction. To characterize the performance of the system, a series of tests has been performed on simple liquids, under controlled conditions. The residual errors have proven to be within one part over 10/sup 3/. The proposed system is suitable for easy automation, obtaining simple and accurate measurements that can be performed also for volatile compounds. >