cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Political Career of a Prototype: Visual Representation in Design Engineering

This study focuses on the political career of the drawing/prototype pair, a linked series of visually oriented sets, that resides in the borderland between research/development and production in industrial design engineering. In this frontier space both consensus and conflict occur between groups and between individuals. Attention to the metamorphosis of design through interactions centered around the interlinked drawing/prototype pair reveals the social construction of a piece of technology and the group process of the emerging design. Moreover, this examination reveals the strength of visual representations as actants in the design process. Whether three-dimensional plastic prototypes or two-dimensional drawings on paper, visual representations play a crucial role in interactions that organize work, organize knowledge, and recruit and organize resources, political support, and power.
Study of superconductor bearings for a 35 kWh superconductor flywheel energy storage system

A Superconductor Flywheel Energy Storage system (SFES) is used as an electro-mechanical battery which transforms electrical energy into mechanical energy and vice versa. A 35 kWh SFES using hybrid bearing sets was developed in KEPRI. Mechanical properties of HTS bearings are the critical factors for stability of the flywheel and the main parameter in designing the system. The properties of the HTS bearing were studied. The stiffness and the damping coefficient of the HTS bearing were 346.6 ± 6.7 kN/m and 1255 ± 102 N s/m, respectively. The damping coefficient was twelve times bigger than the estimate value. Therefore, we concluded that there were some external damping mechanisms. Finally, the 35 kWh SFES was test operated up to 4000 rpm. After passing two predicted critical speeds, the amplitude of vibration decreased and reached a stable rotation state.
Development of a Novel Proteomic Approach for the Detection of Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the Bladder in Urine

Development of noninvasive methods for the diagnosis of transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder remains a challenge. A ProteinChip technology (surface enhanced laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry) has recently been developed to facilitate protein profiling of biological mixtures. This report describes an exploratory study of this technology as a TCC diagnostic tool. Ninety-four urine samples from patients with TCC, patients with other urogenital diseases, and healthy donors were analyzed. Multiple protein changes were reproducibly detected in the TCC group, including five potential novel TCC biomarkers and seven protein clusters (mass range, 3.3 to 133 kd). One of the TCC biomarkers (3.4 kd) was also detected in bladder cancer cells procured from bladder barbotage and was identified as defensin. The TCC detection rates provided by the individual markers ranged from 43 to 70% and specificities from 70 to 86%. Combination of the protein biomarkers and clusters, increased significantly the sensitivity for detecting TCC to 87% with a specificity of 66%. Interestingly, this combinatorial approach provided sensitivity of 78% for detecting low-grade TCC compared to only 33% of voided urine or bladder-washing cytology. Collectively these results support the potential of this proteomic approach for the development of a highly sensitive urinary TCC diagnostic test.
Constructing the ‘tellables’: An English–Chinese comparative study of question–word interrogatives in interviews of celebrities on talk shows

Based on twelve celebrity interviews in Mandarin Chinese and American English, broadcast in a range of talk-radio/television programs in the U.S. and China, the current study is a comparative analysis of interviewers’ questioning practices and the cultural underpinnings of those questions. The analysis focuses on the interviewers’ question-word interrogatives in the discourse context of multiple Turn Construction Units (multi-TCUs). The study demonstrates similar interviewing strategies between two datasets including couching queries in partial knowledge of the guest’s “celebrity-induced experiences,” and using the presupposition function of question-word interrogatives to “control” responses. Significant differences exist: The English interviews primarily reference the guest’s behaviors/activities as context for query, and frame the interviewee’s first-person accounts as particularizations of commonly shared ‘tellables.’ The Chinese interviews tend to use external reference-points, particularly the behavior and sentiments of others, thus constructing a comparative/contrastive angle from which the guest relays first-person accounts.
Pancreatic disease simulating urinary tract disease

Pancreatic pseudocyst may encroach directly on a kidney and ureter, and present symptoms and radiological changes suggestive of a primary urinary tract lesion. The possibility of pancreatic pseudocyst should be considered in differential diagnosis of atypical avascular mass lesions of the kidney and in abdominal masses in the presence of signs of renal disease. Three cases of renal involvement simulating intrinsic renal disease on intravenous urography are presented. In two of them, arteriographic studies suggested primary renal disease. A fourth case showed ureteral displacement simulating a large retroperitoneal mass lesion. Various radiologic procedures in evaluating pancreatic pseudocyst are briefly discussed. It is emphasized that even with more sophisticated angiographic procedures, diagnostic pitfalls in the differentiation of pancreatic from renal disease remain.
Effect of Crossover on the Statistical Power of Randomized Studies

Randomized studies involving long-term follow-up are vulnerable to the effects of unplanned crossover. In surgical studies, such crossover usually occurs when control patients become more symptomatic and undergo operation. In several large studies of coronary bypass grafting, crossover ranged from 25% to 38%. The most common way of dealing with this problem is to apply the "intention-to-treat" principle, which analyzes such crossovers with their originally assigned groups. Besides the logical problem of counting a control patient who actually undergoes operation as "nonsurgical," a more subtle problem arises in terms of statistical power. When statistical power is low, a truly effective treatment may be mistakenly labeled as no better than control, causing a potentially valuable form of therapy to be ignored or discarded. This analysis demonstrates that crossover may have a profound effect on the statistical power of randomized studies and presents a method for predicting the effect of such crossover on statistical power.
A least‐squares finite element method for time‐dependent incompressible flows with thermal convection

SUMMARY The time-dependent Navier-Stokes equations and the energy balance equation for an incompressible, constant property fluid in the Boussinesq approximation are solved by a least-squares finite element method based on a velocity-pressure-vorticity-temperature-heat-flux (u-P-w- T-q) formulation discretized by backward finite differencing in time. The discretization scheme leads to the minimization of the residual in the 12-norm for each time step. Isoparametric bilinear quadrilateral elements and reduced integration are employed. Three examples, thermally driven cavity flow at Rayleigh numbers up to lo6, lid-driven cavity flow at Reynolds numbers up to lo4 and flow over a square obstacle at Reynolds number 200, are presented to validate the method. The past decade has witnessed a great deal of progress in the area of computational fluid dynamics. Numerous flow problems have been successfully solved by finite difference, finite volume and finite element methods. Most finite element methods are based on the Galerkin method, 9 ' the Taylor-Galerkin method and the Petrov-Galerkin method. 3-5 Mixed-order interpolation and penalty approach are commonly used in these methods. It is well known that these methods often lead to large, sparse, unsymmetric linear systems which are difficult to solve numerically. This explains why finite element analysis for three-dimensional fluid flow problems is not a common practice. To overcome this difficulty, we propose and develop a Least-Squares Finite Element Method (LSFEM) for time-dependent incompressible flow problems. The linear systems resulting from the discretization of LSFEM are always symmetrical and positive-definite. Therefore, they can be solved more easily and efficiently. This is the main reason for investigating the least-squares finite element approach. Least-squares finite element methods have already been applied with some success to com- pressible Euler and hyperbolic equations. Jiang and Carey6- ' and Jiang and Povinelli' used an implicit method for compressible flows. To further the capabilities of the method, Lefebvre et al.' applied unstructured triangular meshes to compressible flow problems. For transient advection problems, Donea and Quartapelle lo classified four different LSFEM approaches: characteristic LSFEM proposed by Li," LSFEM by Carey and Jiang," Taylor LSFEM by Park and Liggett l3 and space-time LSFEM by Nguyen and Reynen.I4
A Two-Body Formulation for Solder Joint Shape Prediction

Solder shape prediction is essential for accurate fatigue life determination and joint design optimization. In the present paper, a new solution approach using the surface tension theory is developed to simultaneously predict standoff height, wetted surface area, contact angles, and solder shape by including energy effects between a molten solder body and an arbitrarily shaped solid body. Existing models for solder shape prediction do not appear to determine all characteristics including joint standoff height, wetted surface area, and contact angles simultaneously. A general two-body axisymmetric finite element code is developed and coupled with a constrained optimizer to solve four illustrative examples. These examples include the shape of a sessile droplet on a fixed pad, a flip-chip joint, a sessile droplet on a free surface, and a typical ceramic ball grid array solder joint. In all four examples, the results predicted by the present approach compare favorably with available experimental and numerical results.
The Impact of Commercial Break Position on Advertising Effectiveness in Different Mood Conditions

This study investigated the composite impact of commercial break position and program-generated mood on television advertising effectiveness. A two-way mixed-repeated experiment was conducted with three commercials breaks and two mood conditions (positive and negative). The results indicated that commercial break position effects are more salient in affecting ad performance than mood effects generated by program context. The overall findings suggested that ads placed in the first breaks are more effective than those placed in the later breaks. Interaction effects between break position and context-induced moods were also examined.
SU-E-T-310: Targeting Safety Improvements Through Analysis of Near-Miss Error Detection Points in An Incident Learning Database

Purpose: Radiation treatment planning involves a complex workflow that can make safety improvement efforts challenging. This study utilizes an incident reporting system to identify detection points of near-miss errors, in order to guide our departmental safety improvement efforts. Previous studies have examined where errors arise, but not where they are detected or their patterns. Methods: 1377 incidents were analyzed from a departmental nearmiss error reporting system from 3/2012–10/2013. All incidents were prospectively reviewed weekly by a multi-disciplinary team, and assigned a near-miss severity score ranging from 0–4 reflecting potential harm (no harm to critical). A 98-step consensus workflow was used to determine origination and detection points of near-miss errors, categorized into 7 major steps (patient assessment/orders, simulation, contouring/treatment planning, pre-treatment plan checks, therapist/on-treatment review, post-treatment checks, and equipment issues). Categories were compared using ANOVA. Results: In the 7-step workflow, 23% of near-miss errors were detected within the same step in the workflow, while an additional 37% were detected by the next step in the workflow, and 23% were detected two steps downstream. Errors detected further from origination were more severe (p<.001; Figure 1). The most common source of near-miss errors was treatment planning/contouring, with 476 near misses (35%). Of those 476, only 72(15%) were found before leaving treatment planning, 213(45%) were found at physics plan checks, and 191(40%) were caught at the therapist pre-treatment chart review or on portal imaging. Errors that passed through physics plan checks and were detected by therapists were more severe than other errors originating in contouring/treatment planning (1.81 vs 1.33, p<0.001). Conclusion: Errors caught by radiation treatment therapists tend to be more severe than errors caught earlier in the workflow, highlighting the importance of safety checks in dosimetry and physics. We are utilizing our findings to improve manual and automated checklists for dosimetry and physics.
Laboratory studies of butane nucleation on organic haze particles: application to Titan's clouds.

Titan, Saturn's largest satellite, has a thick nitrogen/methane atmosphere with various hydrocarbons present in minor amounts. Recent observations suggest that CH4 may condense to form clouds near the moon's tropopause. Titan's methane cloud formation is probably triggered by a sequential nucleation of hydrocarbons onto Titan's haze material as tropospheric convection occurs due to differential heating of the surface or as the haze settles through the lower stratosphere. To better constrain Titan's cloud formation mechanism, investigations of the nucleation of several hydrocarbons will be necessary. Butane was chosen for this study because it has a relatively high freezing point and is estimated to be present at 200 part per billion levels. If this amount of butane were to condense on each haze particle, a visible cloud would be observed. Laboratory measurements at T = 125 K were performed to determine the relative ease of solid butane nucleation onto laboratory-produced tholin particles having an element...
Applications of Universal Kriging to an Aquifer Study in New Jersey

This article describes the use of kriging for optimizing data collection and utility in a regional ground-water investigation of the Potomac-Raritan-Magothy aquifer system in central New Jersey. Kriging was used to (1) estimate the altitude of an aquifer surface, (2) estimate hydraulic conductivities from point data, and (3) estimate the associated kriged errors. The selection of locations for additional data collection, based on the kriged errors, was effective in terms of improving the aquifer surface data base. In another application, hydraulic conductivity values were kriged, first using equal weights, then unequal weights to account for the reliability of the data. The weighting values that were used for unequal weighting were estimated by an analysis of variance. Although inclusion of the data reliability in the kriging will increase the kriged errors, the accuracy of the range of uncertainty in the interpolated values also increases.
Analyzing three-dimensional ultrastructure of human cervical tissue using optical coherence tomography

During pregnancy, the uterine cervix is the mechanical barrier that prevents delivery of a fetus. The underlying cervical collagen ultrastructure, which influences the overall mechanical properties of the cervix, plays a role in maintaining a successful pregnancy until term. Yet, not much is known about this collagen ultrastructure in pregnant and nonpregnant human tissue. We used optical coherence tomography to investigate the directionality and dispersion of collagen fiber bundles in the human cervix. An image analysis tool has been developed, combining a stitching method with a fiber orientation measurement, to study axially sliced cervix samples. This tool was used to analyze the ultrastructure of ex-vivo pregnant and non-pregnant hysterectomy tissue samples taken at the internal os, which is the region of the cervix adjacent to the uterus. With this tool, directionality maps of collagen fiber bundles and dispersion of collagen fiber orientation were analyzed. It was found that that the overall preferred directionality of the collagen fibers for both the nonpregnant and pregnant samples were circling around the inner cervical canal. Pregnant samples showed greater dispersion than non-pregnant samples. Lastly, we observed regional differences in collagen fiber dispersion. Fibers closer to the inner canal showed more dispersion than the fibers on the radial edges.
Does Low Vitamin D Amplify the Association of COPD With Total and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality

Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been shown to be associated with lower levels of vitamin D, and the latter has been associated with total and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. Hypothesis We hypothesized that lower vitamin D levels will further enhance the association of COPD and its severity with total and CVD mortality. Methods We studied 7746 US adults age ≥40 years without known CVD (mean age, 59.8 years) and followed up through 2006 (8.2 ± 2.5 years) for total and CVD mortality. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were categorized as tertiles: first tertile, 73.6 nm/L. Severity of COPD was classified on the basis of forced expiratory volume per second (FEV1): mild COPD (FEV1 ≥80%) and moderate or severe COPD (FEV1 <80%), and requires a FEV1/forced vital capacity ratio <70%. With Cox regression, we examined the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for total and CVD mortality according to COPD/vitamin D category, using those with no COPD in the first tertile of vitamin D as the reference group. Results From Cox regression, unadjusted HRs increased successively with increasing COPD severity and decreasing vitamin D group to 4.5 (95% CI: 3.3-6.1) for total and 3.4 (95% CI: 2.2-5.3) for CVD mortality among those with moderate/severe COPD who were in the first tertile of vitamin D. After adjustment for age, sex, ethnicity, and other risk factors, these associations were attenuated but remained increased. Conclusions Lower levels of vitamin D may be associated with further increases in total and CVD mortality associated with COPD; however, age and cardiovascular risk factors appear to explain much of this association.
Chemical shift bound derivatives for molecules containing first-row atoms

The primary and secondary first and second derivatives of the NMR isotropic chemical shift with respect to bond length modification have been calculated in the gauge invariant atomic orbital (GIAO) perturbed Hartree-Fock approach for some 177 first-row nuclei in 63 molecules using the mixed basis heavy: 6-311G(d)/hydrogen: 4-31. The shift derivative with respect to multiple bond length changes correlates linearly with the shift itself while changes involving single bonds behave differently
MH - A FORTRAN 77 PROGRAM TO COMPUTE THE MANTEL-HAENSZEL STATISTIC FOR DETECTING DIFFERENTIAL ITEM FUNCTIONING

This software program computes the Mantel-Haenszel statistic that is used for detecting differential item functioning (DIF). The main features of the program are (a) the capability of using total test score or a "purified" test score as the internal criterion for matching examinees, (b) using an external criterion for matching examinees if one is available, (c) complete descriptive statistics on the test data, (d) complete reference and focal group performance data for items flagged as DIF, (e) additional DIF statistics, and(f) availability of mainframe and PC versions. The program can currently handle up to 100 items. There is no limit on the number of examinees per group.
Communicating Quality to Consumers

Considers the extent of the marketers need to communicate quality to the consumer and the best ways of doing so. Examines the results of an experiment involving consumers. Suggests that some communication of quality is generally better than no such communication, although whether specific or non‐specific quality appeals should be used depends on the relative price of the brand.
What affects nonprofit survival

This article describes mortality patterns for nonprofit organizations in a major U.S. metropolitan area between 1980 and 1988. Twenty percent of the nonprofits in a panel ceased operations during this period. Mortality rates were found to vary widely. In some instances, high mortality was found in parts of the sector that were growing rapidly. Overall, nonprofits that ceased to operate were younger and smaller, used fewer strategies to attract funders, and had less diversified income streams than survivors. These patterns also varied substantially. The results point to the drawbacks of using limited or commonsense information and the necessity of theory-based research.
Reconstitution of the solubilized cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum potassium channel Identification of a putative Mr ∼80 kDa polypeptide constituent

Abstract Recent evidence has indicated that potassium ion movement through sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) K + channels is an important countercurrent for Ca 2+ release from SR. We used Chaps-solubilized SR vesicles and sucrose density gradient centrifugation to identify components of the canine cardiac SR K + channel. To overcome the difficulty of the absence of a high-affinity specific ligand, we have successfully applied the planar lipid bilayer reconstitution technique to identify and functionally assay for the solubilized SR K + channel. We found that Chaps solubilization of the channel did not change the protein's functional properties. The cardiac SR K + channel sediments as a 15–20S protein complex. A polypeptide of M r ∼80 kDa was found to specifically comigrate with the 15–20S gradient fractions and might be a major constituent of the cardiac SR K + channel.
Electromagnetic properties of Pt-194 and the question of its triaxiality

In a precision Coulomb excitation experiment, particle spectroscopy with ..cap alpha.. particles, as well as particle-..gamma.. coincidence techniques involving ..cap alpha.. and /sup 16/O beams were employed to investigate the reduced static and transition matrix elements for the low lying collective states in /sup 194/Pt. The ..cap alpha.. spectroscopy was carried out in the 7.0 to 17.5 MeV range to check for deviations from pure Coulomb excitation. Besides the familiar Coulomb-nuclear interference which sets in at higher energies, the low energy data show a systematic deviation which is attributed to the combined effects of atomic screening and vacuum polarization. Semiclassical and quantum mechanical coupled channel codes were used to analyze the data. Both sets of data were analyszed in terms of the reduced transition matrix elements that connect the 0/sup +/, 2/sup +//sub 1/, 2/sup +//sub 2/, 4/sup +//sub 1/, 4/sup +//sub 2/, and 3/sup -/ excited states. We also report on the spectroscopic quadrupole moment of the 2/sup +//sub 2/, and 4/sup +//sub 1/ states. The results are compared with several models, including the microscopic pairing-plus-quadrupole model of Kumar and Baranger, and the Davydov's phenomenological asymmetric rigid rotor model. These two models predict a soft-..gamma.., and assume a rigid-..gamma..more » potential energy surface for /sup 194/Pt, respectively. If chi/sup 2/ values were to be used as a measure of the ''goodness of fit'' to the available data, the pairing-plus-quadrupole model (chi/sup 2/ = 0.6) would then be favored over the assymmetric rigid rotator model (chi/sup 2/ = 3.3).« less
Tuberculosis in the Native American: Indigenous or Introduced?

An analysis of the current and historical literature is presented in order to assess the weight of evidence for the existence of tuberculosis among the Native Americans of North America before the time of Columbus. Literature related to pertinent artifacts, biologic specimens, geographic and geologic history, epidemiology, and early travelogues and histories in considered. While the evidence does not convincingly confirm or deny the presence of this disease in America's earliest human history, an understanding of the factors related to the epidemiology of tuberculosis is of value for both social and public health reasons.
On criteria for measures of compositional difference

Simple perceptions about the nature of compositions lead through logical necessity to certain forms of analysis of compositional data. In this paper the consequences of essential requirements of scale, perturbation and permutation invariance, together with that of subcompositional dominance, are applied to the problem of characterizing change and measures of difference between two compositions. It will be shown that one strongly advocated scalar measure of difference fails these tests of logical necessity, and that one particular form of scalar measure of difference (the sum of the squares of all possible logratio differences in the components of the two compositions), although not unique, emerges as the simplest and most tractable satisfying the criteria.
Dynamic Connectivity at Rest Predicts Attention Task Performance

Consistent spatial patterns of coherent activity, representing large-scale networks, have been reliably identified in multiple populations. Most often, these studies have examined “stationary” connectivity. However, there is a growing recognition that there is a wealth of information in the time-varying dynamics of networks which has neural underpinnings, which changes with age and disease and that supports behavior. Using factor analysis of overlapping sliding windows across 25 participants with Parkinson disease (PD) and 21 controls (ages 41–86), we identify factors describing the covarying correlations of regions (dynamic connectivity) within attention networks and the default mode network, during two baseline resting-state and task runs. Cortical regions that support attention networks are affected early in PD, motivating the potential utility of dynamic connectivity as a sensitive way to characterize physiological disruption to these networks. We show that measures of dynamic connectivity are more reliable than comparable measures of stationary connectivity. Factors in the dorsal attention network (DAN) and fronto-parietal task control network, obtained at rest, are consistently related to the alerting and orienting reaction time effects in the subsequent Attention Network Task. In addition, the same relationship between the same DAN factor and the alerting effect was present during tasks. Although reliable, dynamic connectivity was not invariant, and changes between factor scores across sessions were related to changes in accuracy. In summary, patterns of time-varying correlations among nodes in an intrinsic network have a stability that has functional relevance.
An overview of the IXO Observatory

The International X-ray Observatory (IXO) project is the result of a merger between the NASA Con-X and ESA/JAXA XEUS mission concepts. A facility-class mission, IXO will address the leading astrophysical questions in the "hot universe" through its breakthrough optics with 20 times more collecting area at 1 keV than any previous X-ray observatory, its 3 m2 collecting area with 5 arcsec angular resolution will be achieved using a 20m focal length deployable optical bench. To reduce risk, two independent optics technologies are currently under development in the U.S. and in Europe. Focal plane instruments will deliver a 100-fold increase in effective area for high-resolution spectroscopy, deep spectral imaging over a wide field of view, unprecedented polarimetric sensitivity, microsecond spectroscopic timing, and high count rate capability. IXO covers the 0.1-40 keV energy range, complementing the capabilities of the next generation observatories, such as ALMA, LSST, JWST, and 30-m ground-based telescopes. These capabilities will enable studies of a broad range of scientific questions such as what happens close to a black hole, how supermassive black holes grow, how large scale structure forms, and what are the connections between these processes? This paper presents an overview of the IXO mission science drivers, its optics and instrumental capabilities, the status of its technology development programs, and the mission implementation approach.
Understanding the Role of Experience in Younger and Older Adults' Interactions with a Novel Technology

Successful performance with novel technologies may be enhanced if prior knowledge can be used to guide the interaction. However, knowledge alone may be insufficient to minimize age-related differences in technology interactions. The goal of the present study was to examine age-related differences in the use of a novel everyday technology, the Flip video camcorder, when experience with comparable technologies was controlled. Younger adults and older adults with a similar level of general technology experience were video recorded as they completed three tasks while thinking aloud. Comparisons of self-reported prior experience with technologies comparable to the Flip indicated similar, significant levels of experience. In spite of similar experience, younger adults performed significantly faster than older adults on two of the three tasks. Younger adults were also more likely to perform optimally on these tasks. In contrast, older adults were more likely to only partially complete two of the three tasks. Old...
Efficient Weakly-Secure Network Coding Schemes against Wiretapping Attacks

Network coding is promising for improving network throughput in various networking systems. However, the systems adopting network coding are vulnerable to wiretapping attacks, in which adversaries wiretap on a subset of links and solve for information symbols that are intended to be decoded only by receivers. A number of solutions have been proposed to prevent information leakage to wiretappers, however, they either enlarge the finite field over which the coding is done and thus consume more communication bandwidth, or reduce the multicast rate due to inserting random numbers into the source. In this paper, we propose two efficient coding schemes against wiretapping attacks. Our schemes are weakly-secure, i.e., the wiretapper can obtain some linear combination of the information symbols, but he cannot solve for any single one. Both schemes utilize a permutation function to randomize the message vector sent by the source. The first scheme inserts only one random symbol into the source; the second scheme inserts no random symbols at all and thus achieves the maximum multicast capacity. Moreover, the second scheme retains the same finite field size as insecure coding schemes, thus does not consume more bandwidth to transmit symbols and encoding coefficients. Our schemes are lightweight: the permutation function can be implemented using Linear Feedback Shift Register (LFSR) or its variants, which can be efficiently implemented in hardware.
The NH2 Terminus of the Epithelial Sodium Channel Contains an Endocytic Motif

An epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) is composed of three homologous subunits: alpha, beta, and gamma. To elucidate the function of the cytoplasmic, NH(2) terminus of rat ENaC (rENaC) subunits, a series of mutant cDNAs was constructed and the cRNAs for all three subunits were expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Amiloride-sensitive Na(+) currents (I(Na)) were measured by the two-electrode voltage clamp technique. Deletion of the cytoplasmic, NH(2) terminus of alpha (Delta2-109), beta (Delta2-49), or gamma-rENaC (Delta2-53) dramatically reduced I(Na). A series of progressive, NH(2)-terminal deletions of alpha-rENaC were constructed to identify motifs that regulate I(Na). Deletion of amino acids 2-46 had no effect on I(Na): however, deletion of amino acids 2-51, 2-55, 2-58, and 2-67 increased I(Na) by approximately 4-fold. By contrast, deletion of amino acids 2-79, 2-89, 2-100, and 2-109 eliminated I(Na). To evaluate the mechanism whereby Delta2-67-alpha-rENaC increased I(Na), single channels were evaluated by patch clamp. The single-channel conductance and open probability of alpha,beta,gamma-rENaC and Delta2-67-alpha,beta,gamma-rENaC were similar. However, the number of active channels in the membrane increased from 6 +/- 1 channels per patch with alpha,beta,gamma-rENaC to 11 +/- 1 channels per patch with Delta2-67-alpha,beta,gamma-rENaC. Laser scanning confocal microscopy confirmed that there were more Delta2-67-alpha,beta, gamma-rENaC channels in the plasma membrane than alpha,beta, gamma-rENaC channels. Deletion of amino acids 2-67 in alpha-rENaC reduced the endocytic retrieval of channels from the plasma membrane and increased the half-life of the channel in the membrane from 1.1 +/- 0.2 to 3.5 +/- 1.1 h. We conclude that the cytoplasmic, NH(2) terminus of alpha-, beta-, and gamma-rENaC is required for channel activity. The cytoplasmic, NH(2) terminus of alpha-rENaC contains two key motifs. One motif regulates the endocytic retrieval of the channel from the plasma membrane. The second motif is required for channel activity.
Oxidation of the (111) Surface of an Al-Be Alloy: Effect of a BeO Layer

Growth of a thin BeO layer on the (111) surface of a dilute Al-Be alloy has been studied under oxidizing condition. At 500°C, in the presence of oxygen, Be atoms diffuse to the surface to form BeO. This oxide grows epitaxially with its (0001) basal plane orientation parallel to Al(111). During room temperature oxygen exposure of the Al(111) surface precovered with a BeO layer, it was found that oxygen diffused through the BeO overlayer and formed amorphous Al2O3 at the Al-BeO interface. The thin BeO film remained well ordered even when separated from the substrate by the amorphous layer. The effect of various coverages of BeO on the kinetics of oxidation of Al(111) at room temperature was studied; the influence of the BeO was found to be small in comparison with the case of a polycrystalline sample with predominantly (001) textures.
Naturally-occurring epoxy acids. III. Methods for their isolation

The adaptation of a wide range of isolation methods to the separation of epoxy components from seed oils has been accomplished. The application of these methods to samples ranging from a few micrograms to 50 g. or more has been considered, and recommendations as to the most suitable methods for specific sample sizes are made. Most of the procedures described are equally suitable for the isolation of hydroxy and other oxy-acids and esters. Some of them, in conjunction with gas-liquid chromatography, provide methods for total analysis of oils containing oxy-acids, which are more accurate and convenient than current analytical methods.
Selective I/O scan: a diagnosable design technique for VLSI systems

Abstract The diagnosis of faults to replaceable units at the system or board level can be enhanced by selective insertion of serial scan shift registers as test points within or between the replaceable units. A systematic approach to the selection of locations for such test points in order to realize a target diagnostic resolution to the replaceable unit level is proposed. The approach is based on a combination of three models, a structural model for system interconnection and test signal propagation, a syndrome model for system diagnosability analusis, and a probabilistic model for module failure and syndrome occurrence. On the basis of these models, the average number of replaceable units which are projected to be identified as potentially faulty in a diagnosis is formulated as a single parameter diagnostic measure for a system. A test point placement algorithm is presented which makes use of this measure plus a secondary heuristic. The algorithm uses local optimization in the sense that test points are selected one at a time until the replaceable unit diagnosability target is met. The approach is particularly applicable to systems and boards using VLSI chips because of the high ratio of logic circuits to input-output pins and interchip interconnections.
Readiness to change, norms, and self-efficacy among heavy-drinking college students.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between the readiness to change of college heavy drinkers and their normative and self-efficacy beliefs. Method: A multiple regression method analyzed the association in a heavy-drinker subsample (n=306; men = 53.3%) drawn from a survey of a convenience sample of college students in two large-size midwestern universities. Results: Precontemplation was most strongly associated with the descriptive and injunctive norms of campus peers as well as friends. Contemplation was significantly associated with descriptive and injunctive norms of friends. The size of association between readiness and normative beliefs decreased as the readiness progressed. Both precontemplation and contemplation were negatively associated with self-efficacy. Conclusions: Differences in readiness to change are related to different normative and self-efficacy beliefs to different degrees. Incorporating these differences could improve the effectiveness of future int...
Single-step nitrification models erroneously describe batch ammonia oxidation profiles when nitrite oxidation becomes rate limiting.

Nitrification involves the sequential biological oxidation of reduced nitrogen species such as ammonium-nitrogen (NH(4)(+)-N) to nitrite-nitrogen (NO(2)(-)-N) and nitrate-nitrogen (NO(3)(-)-N). The adequacy of modeling NH(4)(+)-N to NO(3)(-)-N oxidation as one composite biochemical reaction was examined at different relative dynamics of NH(4)(+)-N to NO(2)(-)-N and NO(2)(-)-N to NO(3)(-)-N oxidation. NH(4)(+)-N to NO(2)(-)-N oxidation and NO(2)(-)-N to NO(3)(-)-N oxidation by a mixed nitrifying consortium were uncoupled using selective inhibitors allylthiourea and sodium azide. The kinetic parameters of NH(4)(+)-N to NO(2)(-)-N oxidation (q(max,ns) and K(S,ns)) and NO(2)(-)-N to NO(3)(-)-N oxidation (q(max,nb) and K(S,nb)) were determined by a rapid extant respirometric technique. The stoichiometric coefficients relating nitrogen removal, oxygen uptake and biomass synthesis were derived from an electron balanced equation. NH(4)(+)-N to NO(2)(-)-N oxidation was not affected by NO(2)(-)-N concentrations up to 100 mg NO(2)(-)-N L(-1). NO(2)(-)-N to NO(3)(-)-N oxidation was noncompetitively inhibited by NH(4)(+)-N but was not inhibited by NO(3)(-)-N concentrations up to 250 mg NO(3)(-)-N L(-1). When NH(4)(+)-N to NO(2)(-)-N oxidation was the sole rate-limiting step, complete NH(4)(+)-N to NO(3)(-)-N oxidation was adequately modeled as one composite process. However, when NH(4)(+)-N to NO(2)(-)-N oxidation and NO(2)(-)-N to NO(3)(-)-N oxidation were both rate limiting, the estimated lumped kinetic parameter estimates describing NH(4)(+)-N to NO(3)(-)-N oxidation were unrealistically high and correlated. These findings indicate that the use of single-step models to describe batch NH(4)(+) oxidation yields erroneous kinetic parameters when NH(4)(+)-to-NO(2)(-) oxidation is not the sole rate-limiting process throughout the assay. Under such circumstances, it is necessary to quantify NH(4)(+)-N to NO(2)(-)-N oxidation and NO(2)(-)-N to NO(3)(-)-N oxidation, independently.
The Hydrated Electron, The Hydroxyl Radical, and Hydrogen Peroxide in Radiation Damage in Cells†

Spores of Bacillus megaterium, in suspension, are used to study the biological effects of the three principal products of radiolysis of water, i.e., e−aq, OH and H2 O2. A model is proposed accounting for the action of OH and H2 O2. This model involves two reactions: in which RH2 is a “target” molecule, and is a lethally damaged molecule. Experimental evidence is given supporting this model. These studies of the effects of radiolysis products of water are extended by studies using sensitizers such as biacetyl, NO−3, and Ag+ in varying concentrations. Evidence for a possible relationship between peak sensitivities in anoxic conditions and chemical properties of the sensitizers is discussed. These results are also discussed with regard to the oxygen effect, and the general chemical characteristics of an efficient tumor sensitizer are outlined.
A method for quantifying SPECT uniformity

Field uniformity is an important parameter for monitoring the performance of SPECT imaging systems. However, it is difficult to apply objective measures of uniformity because of the large variance associated with reconstructed images. In the proposed method, annular sampling of the SPECT uniformity image is used to reduce the noise level without decreasing the magnitude of uniformity artifacts. The reconstructed uniformity image is sectioned into annular rings centered on the center of rotation to match the expected distribution of uniformity artifacts. Statistical fluctuations are reduced by averaging the counts within the annular rings, allowing the use of objective measures of field uniformity such as integral uniformity. Application of the annular sampling technique on simulated and phantom uniformity images showed that the technique could reliably quantify SPECT uniformity artifacts at acceptable count levels. As a result this method can be used to objectively evaluate SPECT field uniformity in systems which utilize parallel collimation and circular orbits.
Dose-response effects of secobarbital on human memory.

The fundamental purpose of this experiment was to obtain empiric, replicatable, dose-response data from human subjects on the psychological effects of a common psychoactive drug. Six normal humans were first trained for six sessions on a series of tasks involving different aspects of memory and attention. Their individual sensitivity to secobarbital was also determined. After training, they were tested at zero and three levels of drug on a doubleblind basis. The drug levels for a given subject were selected so that the highest level was just under that which would make the subject untestable. The four point dose-response curves were replicated three times for each subject.
Green beards and kindred spirits: A preliminary mathematical model of altruism toward nonkin who bear similarities to the giver

Abstract This brief mathematical model of "the green beard effect" is an attempt to extend the concept of kin selection beyond kin, to help explain the broad reach of cooperation sometimes observed in civilized societies. We assume that individual differences in human behavior are founded on genes as well as environment and therefore that reproductive success is a long-term determinant of human affairs. We further assume that many of the genetic sources of behavioral heterogeneity among individuals are not highly concentrated along family lines. The perceptive altruists we model reach out into the population at large, giving increases in fitness to those whose phenotypes include one or another aspect of some behavioral trait the altruist values in himself and others. The model points to factors that influence whether an individual prefers to be altruistic toward those with whom he or she shares rare qualities or more common distinguishing qualities; these factors include the exhaustibility of the altruist's reserves, and the necessity of concentrating efforts locally versus the possibility of effectively broadcasting a particular sort of benefit.
Effects of iron cycling on 210Pb dating of sediments in an Adirondack lake, USA

In three cores from an acidic lake in the Adirondack State Park of New York, iron cycling accounted for diagenetic enrichment of up to 14% of sediment dry mass. The accuracy of the sediment accumulation rates calculated from the constant rate of supply (c.r.s.) model and the dating and sediment accumulation rates calculated from the constant initial concentration (c.i.c.) 210Pb models were affected by post-depositional movement of iron about the sediment–water interface and through the sediment. Dating biases from iron diagenesis reached as high as 57% and biases to calculated sediment accumulation rates ranged up to approximately 15%. In general, however, the difference between the iron-corrected and uncorrected dating was not much greater than the error expected from routine analytical precision. However, under circumstances of low sediment accumulation rates and high iron enrichment, significant deviations in dating and sediment accumulation calculations for both c.r.s. and c.i.c. 210Pb models may beco...
GWAS in IMIDs

Dysregulation of the immune system is a fundamental disease mechanism, yet is incompletely understood. Human genetics offers one approach to understand dysregulation of the immune system in human diseases. Until recently, a major bottleneck has been the identification of DNA variants (alleles) that contribute to risk of disease. Through international collaborations, many groups have employed genome-wide mapping approach on thousands of samples using common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). These studies, termed genome-wide association studies (GWAS), have discovered >150 loci that confer risk of common autoimmune diseases such rheumatoid arthritis (RA), type 1 diabetes (T1D), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), celiac disease, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). For most of these autoimmune diseases, these risk alleles explain approximately 25% of disease burden, whereas >50% of autoimmune disease risk is thought to be genetic, indicating that additional risk alleles remain to be discovered. In addition to finding new risk alleles, a next critical step is to understand how these alleles disrupt normal immune function. In this way, the field of human genetics hopes to gain insight into fundamental mechanisms that lead to autoimmunity, which in turn could help guide the development of novel therapies.
Motor Co-Activation of Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy in Siblings

Investigators at UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK, used functional magnetic resonance imaging to study the effect of cognitive effort during a working memory task as a trigger of myoclonic jerks in 15 unaffected siblings (10 female; age range 18-65 years, median 40 yrs) of 11 patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (6 female; age range 22-54 yrs, median 35).