cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Monte Carlo simulations of quantum systems on massively parallel supercomputers

A large class of quantum physics applications uses operator representations that are discrete integers by nature. This kind of application typically uses integer data representations and the resulting algorithms are dominated entirely by integer operations. An efficient algorithm for one such application has been implemented on the Intel Touchstone Delta and iPSC/860. The algorithm uses a multispin coding technique which allows significant data compactification and efficient vectorization of Monte Carlo updates. The algorithm regularly switches between two data decompositions, corresponding naturally to different Monte Carlo updating processes and observable measurements such that only nearest-neighbor communications are needed within a given decomposition. On 128 nodes of Intel Delta, this algorithm updates 183 million spins per second (compared to 21 million on CM-2 and 6.2 million on a Cray Y-MP). A systematic performance analysis shows a better than 90% efficiency in the parallel implementation.
LPV control and analysis under uncertain initial conditions

Abstract This paper is focused on the control of discrete-time linear parameter-varying (LPV) systems with uncertain initial conditions. The synthesis objective is to design a feedback LPV controller that ensures that the closed-loop system is asymptotically stable and some performance inequality is satisfied for all permissible parameter trajectories. The performance measure used is similar to the l 2 -induced norm except that the initial state and the disturbance input are considered to reside in two separate norm balls; that is, the supremum of the l 2 -norm of the performance output is minimized subject to the initial state taking values in a unit Euclidean ball and the disturbance input taking values in a unit l 2 -norm ball. The paper provides convex analysis and synthesis conditions for solving this problem and demonstrates that using nonstationary LPV controllers instead of standard LPV ones could result in a significantly improved performance. The paper also shows how to determine bounding envelopes for the performance output using the analysis result. An illustrative example concludes the paper.
Protocols to Dissolve Amorphous Urate Crystals in Urine.

OBJECTIVE Amorphous urate crystals can obscure significant findings during a routine urinalysis. There is no standardized protocol to minimize their effect. MATERIALS AND METHODS We tested 210 urine specimens. Three specimens had high red blood cell (RBC) or white blood cell (WBC) counts. Fifty-six specimens formed amorphous urates. Sediment from these specimens was treated with 50 mM sodium hydroxide (NaOH) at a 1:2 and/or 1:4 dilution. We warmed 22 specimens with crystals at various temperatures. RESULTS Amorphous urate crystals formed in concentrated urine with an acidic pH. Adding 50 mM NaOH dissolved amorphous urates, revealing the presence of underlying bacteria and yeast, but WBC and RBC counts were grossly decreased. Prewarming unspun specimens to 60°C for 90 seconds dissolved most amorphous urates. CONCLUSION The protocol to eliminate amorphous urate crystals is to prewarm the specimen before testing. Adding 50 mM NaOH to sediment dissolves amorphous urates to enhance the visibility of bacteria and yeast but has a deleterious effect on WBC and RBC.
Efficient Projection-Free Online Convex Optimization with Membership Oracle.

In constrained convex optimization, existing methods based on the ellipsoid or cutting plane method do not scale well with the dimension of the ambient space. Alternative approaches such as Projected Gradient Descent only provide a computational benefit for simple convex sets such as Euclidean balls, where Euclidean projections can be performed efficiently. For other sets, the cost of the projections can be too high. To circumvent these issues, alternative methods based on the famous Frank-Wolfe algorithm have been studied and used. Such methods use a Linear Optimization Oracle at each iteration instead of Euclidean projections; the former can often be performed efficiently. Such methods have also been extended to the online and stochastic optimization settings. However, the Frank-Wolfe algorithm and its variants do not achieve the optimal performance, in terms of regret or rate, for general convex sets. What is more, the Linear Optimization Oracle they use can still be computationally expensive in some cases. In this paper, we move away from Frank-Wolfe style algorithms and present a new reduction that turns any algorithm A defined on a Euclidean ball (where projections are cheap) to an algorithm on a constrained set C contained within the ball, without sacrificing the performance of the original algorithm A by much. Our reduction requires O(T log T) calls to a Membership Oracle on C after T rounds, and no linear optimization on C is needed. Using our reduction, we recover optimal regret bounds [resp. rates], in terms of the number of iterations, in online [resp. stochastic] convex optimization. Our guarantees are also useful in the offline convex optimization setting when the dimension of the ambient space is large.
The Functional Organization of the Auditory Brainstem in the Mustache Bat and Mechanisms for Sound Localization

The ability of bats to orient and successfully avoid obstacles in total darkness has been of interest to scientists for more than two centuries. Although audition has always been strongly associated with this ability, general acceptance of orientation by sound came only around 1940 with the elegant studies of Griffin and his colleagues (Griffin and Galambos 1941; Galambos and Griffin 1942; an excellent summary of this work is provided in Griffin 1958). They showed that bats are not only able to navigate through complex environments but they also can detect, identify and locate prey in the night sky by emitting loud ultrasonic calls and listening to the echoes that are reflected from nearby insects. Griffin (1944) coined the term echolocation to describe this form of biological sonar. However, it was not until the early 1960s that Alan Grinnell (Grinnell 1963 a,b,c,d) and Nobuo Suga (1964a, b) published the first reports of neural processing of ultrasonic signals by echolocating bats. A few years later, in 1967, Grinnell (1967) reported that the evoked potentials from the inferior colliculus of the mustache bat, a species that had not previously been studied, differed from comparable neural potentials seen in any other animal. The unique feature was that the thresholds of the neural potentials were very sharply tuned to about 60 kHz, the dominant frequency of the mustache bat’s orientation calls.
Gender, Power, and Emigration From Mexico

The prevailing model of migration in developing countries conceives of a risk-diversifying household in which members act as a single entity when making migration decisions. Ethnographic studies challenge this model by documenting gender hierarchy in family decisions and arguing that, in many contexts, men and women have differing views on the value of migration. We assess these perspectives using longitudinal survey data from Mexico. We show that Mexican households are heterogeneous in terms of women’s decision-making authority and control over resources, and this variation predicts the subsequent emigration of their male partners to the United States. We then use data from a policy experiment to demonstrate that an exogenous increase in a woman’s control over household resources decreases the probability that her spouse migrates. Our findings support the presence of important gender differences in how migration is valued. They also suggest that women’s role in these decisions is inadvertently underrepresented in studies of migrant families. Staying is also a migration decision, and it is more likely in homes in which women have greater authority. From a policy perspective, the results suggest that Mexican migration is influenced not only by increases in household resources but also by which members of the household control them.
Human IMP dehydrogenase: Kinetics and regulatory properties

Abstract Human IMP dehydrogenase has been partially purified from placenta and characterized. The enzyme activity is located in the cytosol. The Michaelis constants for IMP and NAD are 14 and 46 μM, respectively. In addition, the enzyme requires a monovalent cation for maximal activity and the apparent K m for K + is 17 mM. The purine ribonucleotides XMP, GMP, and AMP inhibit the enzyme in a manner which is competitive with respect to IMP. The K i values are 30 μM, 100 μM, and 530 μM, respectively. The enzyme is also sensitive to inhibition to a lesser degree by pyrimidine ribonucleotides. The pharmacologic agents, 6-mercaptopurine ribonucleotide, allopurinol ribonucleotide and mycophenolic acid are also inhibitors of human IMP dehydrogenase. A kinetic analysis indicates an ordered sequential reaction mechanism in which IMP binds first and XMP is released last.
A Quantum Treatment of Public Goods Economics

Quantum generalizations of conventional games broaden the range of available strategies, which can help improve outcomes for the participants. With many players, such quantum games can involve entanglement among many states which is difficult to implement, especially if the states must be communicated over some distance. This paper describes a quantum approach to the economically significant n-player public goods game that requires only two-particle entanglement and is thus much easier to implement than more general quantum mechanisms. In spite of the large temptation to free ride on the efforts of others in the original game, two-particle entanglement is sufficient to give near optimal expected payoff when players use a simple mixed strategy for which no player can benefit by making different choices. This mechanism can also address some heterogeneous preferences among the players. PACS: 03.67-a; 02.50Le; 89.65.Gh
Integrating mRNA and Protein Sequencing Enables the Detection and Quantitative Profiling of Natural Protein Sequence Variants of Populus trichocarpa

Next-generation sequencing has transformed the ability to link genotypes to phenotypes and facilitates the dissection of genetic contribution to complex traits. However, it is challenging to link genetic variants with the perturbed functional effects on proteins encoded by such genes. Here we show how RNA sequencing can be exploited to construct genotype-specific protein sequence databases to assess natural variation in proteins, providing information about the molecular toolbox driving cellular processes. For this study, we used two natural genotypes selected from a recent genome-wide association study of Populus trichocarpa, an obligate outcrosser with tremendous phenotypic variation across the natural population. This strategy allowed us to comprehensively catalogue proteins containing single amino acid polymorphisms (SAAPs), as well as insertions and deletions. We profiled the frequency of 128 types of naturally occurring amino acid substitutions, including both expected (neutral) and unexpected (non-neutral) SAAPs, with a subset occurring in regions of the genome having strong polymorphism patterns consistent with recent positive and/or divergent selection. By zeroing in on the molecular signatures of these important regions that might have previously been uncharacterized, we now provide a high-resolution molecular inventory that should improve accessibility and subsequent identification of natural protein variants in future genotype-to-phenotype studies.
Toxicity of exfoliated-MoS2 and annealed exfoliated-MoS2 towards planktonic cells, biofilms, and mammalian cells in the presence of electron donor

We demonstrate for the first time that suspensions of single-layered MoS2 nanosheets can act as photocatalytic antimicrobial materials under visible light in the presence of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) as an electron donor. The antimicrobial capacity of exfoliated MoS2 (Ex-MoS2) was found to be 5.7 times higher than that of annealed exfoliated MoS2 (Ae-MoS2) against planktonic cells in the presence of 40 ppm EDTA. This difference in the antimicrobial performance was attributed to the 1T-phase of Ex-MoS2, which presents higher electron conductivity than that of Ae-MoS2. This higher electron conductivity of Ex-MoS2 led to increase generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), as observed by the superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide production assays under visible light. Additionally, Ex-MoS2 could also inactivate 65% of mature E. coli K12 biofilms without significant cytotoxicity to mammalian fibroblast cells. The suspension of single-layered MoS2 nanosheets opens up new opportunities for the development of advanced functional nanomaterials for biomedical and environmental applications.
Smoke Visualization of Boundary-Layer Transition on a Spinning Axisymmetric Body

References 1 Schlichting, H., Boundary Layer Theory, 6th Ed., McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1968, pp. 369-370. Waston, E. J., "A Solution of the Navier-Stokes Equation Illustrating the Response of the Laminar Boundary Layer to a Given Change in the External Stream Velocity," Quarterly Journal of Mechanics and Applied Mathematics, Vol. 11, April 1958, pp. 302325. Liu, C. Y., "Note on the Unsteady Asymptotic Suction Solutions to the Boundary Layer Equations," Proceedings of the Astronautical Society of the Republic of China, Vol. 4, Dec. 1971, pp. 96-99. Liu, C. Y., "Asymptotic Suction Flow of Power Law Fluid," Journal of Aircraft, Vol. 7, July 1973, pp. 135-136. Zierep, J., "Das Rayleigh-Stokes-Problem fur die Ecke," Acta Mechanica, Vol. 34, July 1979, pp. 161-165. Liu, C. Y. and Ismail, K.A.R., "Asymptotic Solution of Free Convection Near a Corner of Two Vertical Porous Plates Embedded in Porous Medium," Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol. 7, Nov. -Dec. 1980, pp. 457-463.
Maternal Protein Restriction Reduces Expression of Angiotensin I-Converting Enzyme 2 in Rat Placental Labyrinth Zone in Late Pregnancy

Both the systemic and the uteroplacental renin-angiotensin system (RAS) display dramatic changes during pregnancy. However, whether gestational protein insufficiency affects the expressions of RAS in the placenta remains unknown. In this study, we hypothesized that the expression of Ace2 in the placental labyrinth was reduced by maternal protein restriction. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a normal diet or a low-protein diet (LP) from Day 1 of pregnancy until they were killed at Day 14 or Day 18. The labyrinth zone (LZ) of the placenta was then dissected and snap frozen for expression analysis by quantitative real-time PCR of Ace, Ace2, Agtr1a, Agtr1b, and Agtr2. Formalin-fixed placentas were used for immunohistochemical analysis on ACE and ACE2 proteins. The findings include 1) the expression of Ace2 in rat LZ was reduced by maternal protein restriction in late pregnancy; 2) ACE protein was mainly present in syncytiotrophoblasts, whereas ACE2 protein was found predominantly in fetal mesenchymal tissue and fetal capillaries; 3) Agtr1a was predominant in the rat LZ, and its mRNA levels, but not protein levels, were reduced by LP; 4) expressions of Ace, Ace2, and Agtr1a in the rat LZ and their response to LP occurred in a gender-dependent manner. These results may indicate that a reduced expression of Ace2 and perhaps an associated reduction in angiotensin (1–7) production in the placenta by maternal protein restriction may be responsible for fetal growth restriction and associated programming of adulthood hypertension.
Sample crushing, sieving, metering, and Distribution System

This paper describes development and testing of the Precision Sample Metering and Distribution System (PSMDS), an automated system for crushing, sieving, metering, and distributing of samples to scientific instruments. The crushing is achieved via combined effect of compression and attrition. The subsequent sieving and transport of crushed powered into a metering device is done pneumatically. Sieving uses a 150 micron sieve inside a Gas Jet Sieve, a size requirement driven by CheMin instrument on MSL mission. The sample is gravity fed into sample cups, and a vibrating feed tube allows accurate metering of sample volume. The PSMDS was tested at Mars pressures and CO2 atmosphere and produced the intended end-to-end result. The metered samples averaged 0.234 grams with standard deviation of 0.05 gram. Cross-contamination between samples was mitigated by processing two “throwaway” samples to clear out contaminating material.
Prostate cancer detection in a clinical urological practice by ultrasonography, digital rectal examination and prostate specific antigen

The prostate cancer detection rate from screening by digital rectal examination and tactilely guided prostate biopsy is approximately 1.7%. Among 1,807 men a detection rate of 14.6% was achieved in a clinical urological practice by physician-conducted prostate ultrasonography, digital rectal examination and determination of serum prostate specific antigen. Results are presented in 5-year increments as well as for the group as a whole. The possible benefit to be derived from an improved detection rate is undetermined. Recommendations are made regarding the clinical use of these diagnostic modalities.
Anxiety sensitivity, controllability, and experiential avoidance and their relation to drug of choice and addiction severity in a residential sample of substance-abusing veterans.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate anxiety-related psychological risk factors (e.g., anxiety sensitivity, perceived uncontrollability, emotional avoidance) and their relation to drug of choice and addiction severity in an inpatient residential substance abuse population. Fully detoxified veterans (N=94) meeting criteria for Axis I substance abuse disorders were enrolled in a 28-day residential substance abuse treatment program and completed the following measures at intake and discharge: Anxiety Sensitivity Index, Body Sensations Questionnaire (BSQ), Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI; intake only), and the Anxiety Control Questionnaire (ACQ). Consistent with the expectation, veterans who reported more distress over bodily sensations (anxiety sensitivity, BSQ) and depressive symptoms (BDI) were more likely to avoid experiencing negative affect (AAQ) and perceived themselves as lacking in control (ACQ). Further, extent of avoidance, and to a lesser extent, controllability, discriminated between participants as a function of primary and comorbid diagnostic status, whereas anxiety sensitivity did not. No relation was found between anxiety sensitivity and drug of choice, and relations between assessed psychological factors and domains of addiction severity were mixed. Findings suggest that heightened bodily sensitivity, emotional avoidance, and perceived uncontrollability are common sequelae of patients seeking residential substance abuse treatment, but they do not contribute uniquely to drug of choice and measures of addiction severity. Theoretical and treatment implications are discussed with particular emphasis on approaches that may increase coping with untoward bodily cues, decrease avoidance of negative affect, and improve patient's sense of personal control over their responses and the environment.
IR detection of H atoms produced by IR multiphoton dissociation

Abstract Hydrogen atoms produced by irradiation of alkenes with a focused CO 2 TEA laser react with Cl 2 , forming vibrationally excited HCl, from which IR emission can be monitored. The application of this experimental technique to the study of H- atom reactions is discussed.
Confirmation of Iminoacridan Structure of Singly Protonated 9‐Aminoacridine

Abstract The occurrence of the second absorption band of singly protonated 9‐aminoacridine, which arises from an acridinium ring‐localized transition, at anomalously short wavelength indicates the disruption of the aromaticity of the central ring of the singly charged cation. The shifting of the two longest wavelength absorption bands and the fluorescence band of 10‐methyl‐9‐aminoacridine monocation, a model of singly protonated 9‐aminoacridine which is constrained to dissociate from the exocyclic nitrogen atom, to shorter wavelengths, upon dissociation, indicates the imine‐like nature of the 10‐methyl derivative. These observations support the conclusion that the predominant site of positive charge in singly protonated 9‐aminoacridine is the exocyclic nitrogen atom, even though the heterocyclic nitrogen atom is the site of protonation of the neutral molecule.
Chemical recycling of PET flakes into yarn

Polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate are widely used in textile fibers, films, and packaging of food and beverages. Originally driven by environmental reasons, recycling of postconsumer polyester bottles into textile fibers is now becoming commercially attractive. We studied the chemical recycling wherein part of the virgin raw-materials during preparation of polyester was replaced by washed post consumer polyester. During the process, the postconsumer polyester undergoes partial depolymerization before repolymerization. Role of reactor-agitator configuration in achieving the solid-slurry and solid-melt mixing, and in depolymerization, was studied. Finally, suitability of the polymer for melt spinning and drawing of polymer into yarn was examined. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011
Preliminary study of 2-D multiple scattering

Abstract Described herein is 1) a partial review of experimental and theoretical studies of multiple scatter in one-dimensional systems, 2) an experimental system for studying multiple scatter in two dimensions, and 3) some preliminary results on the characterization of the equipment and back scatter from a diluted commercial paint suspension.
Extraction of ATP-phosphohydrolase activity from epididymal bull sperm and ultrastructure of flagellar degradation

Abstract ATP-phosphohydrolase activity was solubilized from isolated epididymal bull spermatozoa flagella by a variety of extractants. The effects of isolation and chemical degradation on specific structural components within the flagellum were visualized electron microscopically. Low ionic strength solutions solubilized 30% of the ATPase activity and 10% of the protein content. High ionic strength KCl solubilized 50% of the ATPase activity and 10% of the protein content. Distinctions between mechanical effects of isolation and mechanical and chemical effects of extraction were determined. As demonstrated by transmission electron microscopy while 10 mM Tris/250 mM sucrose, pH 7.4, caused slight and generalized extraction of all flagellar components, alkaline 0.5 M KCl caused increased discontinuity and disorganization of flagellar structure as well as the solubilization of specific flagellar structures, including B and central pair microtubules, dynein, nexin, radial arms, secondary fibers and an extractable matrix from the outer dense fiber/satellite fiber complex. The A microtubules of the axoneme and the substructure of the outer dense fiber/satellite fiber complex exhibited similar structural stability. Simple criteria for reducing subjectivity in ultrastructural data are proposed.
Functional divergence caused by ancient positive selection of a Drosophila hybrid incompatibility locus.

Interspecific hybrid lethality and sterility are a consequence of divergent evolution between species and serve to maintain the discrete identities of species. The evolution of hybrid incompatibilities has been described in widely accepted models by Dobzhansky and Muller where lineage-specific functional divergence is the essential characteristic of hybrid incompatibility genes. Experimentally tractable models are required to identify and test candidate hybrid incompatibility genes. Several Drosophila melanogaster genes involved in hybrid incompatibility have been identified but none has yet been shown to have functionally diverged in accordance with the Dobzhansky-Muller model. By introducing transgenic copies of the X-linked Hybrid male rescue (Hmr) gene into D. melanogaster from its sibling species D. simulans and D. mauritiana, we demonstrate that Hmr has functionally diverged to cause F1 hybrid incompatibility between these species. Consistent with the Dobzhansky-Muller model, we find that Hmr has diverged extensively in the D. melanogaster lineage, but we also find extensive divergence in the sibling-species lineage. Together, these findings implicate over 13% of the amino acids encoded by Hmr as candidates for causing hybrid incompatibility. The exceptional level of divergence at Hmr cannot be explained by neutral processes because we use phylogenetic methods and population genetic analyses to show that the elevated amino-acid divergence in both lineages is due to positive selection in the distant past—at least one million generations ago. Our findings suggest that multiple substitutions driven by natural selection may be a general phenomenon required to generate hybrid incompatibility alleles.
Canonical decomposition of the general relativistic initial value problem

A canonical transformation is employed to implement a conformal transformation of the configuration variables of general relativity. The transformation is so chosen that the spatial constraints become algebraic in the trace of the momentum density. The temporal constraint is then found to have the form of York and O'Murchadha. The role played by the York coordinate condition in decoupling the constraint equations is examined, and a procedure to solve the constraint equations without employing such a coordinate condition is sketched.
Identification of marker chromosomes in a human medulloblastoma cell line (D283 Med).

The human medulloblastoma cell line, D283 Med, appears to be cytogenetically stable even after passage 121. Stem line number was determined to be 46, with intact X and Y chromsomes. The cell line is characterized by the presence of four marker chromosomes (M1 to M4).
Kinetically different, multiple forms of glutamate decar☐ylase in rat brain

Abstract Four molecular forms of rat-brain glutamate decar☐ylase were resolved by hydrophobic interaction chromatography on phenyl-Sepharose and affinity chromatography on ATP-agarose. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of purified enzyme and immunoblots of SDS gels indicated a subunit molecular weight of approximately 60, 000 for each form of the enzyme, and cross-linking with dimethyl suberimidate prior to electrophoresis indicated that each form has dimeric subunit structure. Immunoblots of non-denaturing gels showed differing electrophoretic mobilities among the forms. The kinetic properties of the 4 enzyme forms were found to be significantly different. The K m for glutamate ranged from 0.17 ± 0.05 to 1.18 ± 0.08mM, and there was a greater than two-fold range in their rates of inactivation by glutamate and GABA in the absence of pyridoxal 5′-phosphate. In subcellular fractionation experiments the forms with greater electrophoretic mobility were recovered in the synaptosomal fraction, and the form with the lowest electrophoretic mobility was the most abundant in the postmicrosomal supernatant. Calcium-dependent binding of glutamate decar☐ylase in crude enzyme preparations to phospolipid vesicles was observed, but none of the purified enzyme forms showed an appreciable degree of binding to the vesicles.
Hele-shaw flow with a cusping free boundary

Abstract Hele-Shaw flow with suction for an incompressible fluid in a porous medium is introduced as a nontrivial model problem for two-dimensional transient free boundary problems. In this model an initially smooth free boundary can move with unbounded velocities and develop cusps. Two analytic solutions are worked out for a special geometry with which numerical results can be compared. It is then shown that the method of lines can reasonably well reproduce the analytic solutions, although at the expense of long computer times. Some strategies for improving the efficiency of the method of lines, including a multi-grid method, are described.
Effects of Component Interactions on the Aqueous Solubilities and Dissolution Rates of the Explosive Formulations Octol, Composition B, and LX-14

The effects of component interactions on aqueous solubilities and dissolution rates were determined for the explosive formulations octol, composition B, and LX-14 and for mixtures of three separate explosive compounds that make up these formulations. Experiments were performed over the temperature range of (10−30)°C at a constant mixing rate of 2.5 revolutions per second (rps), and data were measured using high-pressure liquid chromatography with UV detection. Formulation results are compared to results of nonbound mixtures of individual explosive compounds and to results of explosive compounds studied separately. The solubilities determined for the formulations and the various mixtures were comparable to the solubilities of the explosive compounds studied independently. The dissolution rates of the explosive compounds in various nonbound mixtures were also comparable to the rates determined independently. However, the dissolution rates for explosive compounds in the formulations were generally lower than...
Impulsive inelastic scattering of O+(4S) by isotopic hydrogen molecules

Abstract We present experimental evidence that at relative energies above 10 eV the non-reactive inelastic scattering of O + by H 2 , D 2 , and HD arises from impulsive elastic scattering of 0 + by individual H or D atoms. The relation of this impulsive non-reactive scattering to the reactive scattering from these systems is briefly discussed.
Dynamic Asymptotically Ideal Models and Finite Approximation

We extend Barnett and Jonas's asymptotically ideal model (AIM) to model for the possibility that the data were generated by a dynamic process. Prediction errors for dynamic and static AIM models are compared for various simulated datasets. Monetary data are also used to evaluate the AIM specifications. There is substantial evidence that an AR(1) correction considerably improves the quality of low-order finite approximations of AIM with the cost of estimating only one additional parameter. Furthermore, restricting a dynamic AIM to approximate only linear homogenous functions often results in severe misspecification.
The RNA Pol II Elongation Factor Ell3 Marks Enhancers in ES Cells and Primes Future Gene Activation

Enhancers play a central role in precisely regulating the expression of developmentally regulated genes. However, the machineries required for enhancer-promoter communication have remained largely unknown. We have found that Ell3, a member of the Ell (eleven-nineteen lysine-rich leukemia gene) family of RNA Pol II elongation factors, occupies enhancers in embryonic stem cells. Ell3's association with enhancers is required for setting up proper Pol II occupancy at the promoter-proximal regions of developmentally regulated genes and for the recruitment of the super elongation complex (SEC) to these loci following differentiation signals. Furthermore, Ell3 binding to inactive or poised enhancers is essential for stem cell specification. We have also detected the presence of Pol II and Ell3 in germ cell nuclei. These findings raise the possibility that transcription factors could prime gene expression by marking enhancers in ES cells or even as early as in the germ cell state.
Reciprocating and fixed probe measurements of density and temperature in the DIII-D divertor

Abstract This paper describes divertor density and temperature measurements using both a new reciprocating Langmuir probe (XPT-RCP) which plunges vertically above the divertor floor up to the X-point height and swept, single, Langmuir probes fixed horizontally across the divertor floor. These types of measurements are important for testing models of the SOL and divertor which then are used to determine engineering design criteria for plasma facing components in reactor size tokamaks. The 6 mm diameter fixed single probes (19 domed and 2 flat at radially equivalent locations) are incorporated into the lower divertor floor at 19 radial locations and swept at 250 Hz. These probes are critical for determining plasma detachment from the floor during operation with high density, highly radiating divertors. By sweeping the divertor strike point across the fixed probes, different regions of the target plate incident flux profile can be sampled and a high resolution spatial profile can be obtained from each probe tip as the strike point moves past. The X-point reciprocating probe (XPT-RCP) provides ne and Te profiles with high spatial (2 mm) and temporal (0.5 ms) resolution from the target plate to the X-point along a single vertical chord at the same radial location as a fixed probe tip at a different azimuthal location. The probe ne and Te are compared to the divertor Thomson scattering (DTS) ne and Te (eight vertical points at 20 Hz, RThomson = RX-point-rcp). Recent observations have also shown divertor densities from 3 × 1019 to 4 × 1020 m−3 near the target plate with the highest densities observed with D2 gas puffing. Electron temperature is typically of the order of 15–25 eV at the target rising to about 70 eV near the X-point. Lower temperature, higher density plasmas are observed along the inner leg. Generally good agreement among the XPT-RCP, the fixed floor probes, and the DTS is observed. Differences between these diagnostic measurements will also be discussed with respect to different operating regimes and conditions.
Purification, cloning, and expression of an apyrase from the bed bug Cimex lectularius. A new type of nucleotide-binding enzyme

An enzyme that hydrolyzes the phosphodiester bonds of nucleoside tri- and diphosphates, but not monophosphates, thus displaying apyrase (EC 3.6.1.5) activity, was purified from salivary glands of the bed bug, Cimex lectularius. The purified C. lectularius apyrase was an acidic protein with a pI of 5.1 and molecular mass of approximately 40 kDa that inhibited ADP-induced platelet aggregation and hydrolyzed platelet agonist ADP with specific activity of 379 units/mg protein. Amplification of C. lectularius cDNA corresponding to the N-terminal sequence of purified apyrase produced a probe that allowed identification of a 1.3 kilobase pair cDNA clone coding for a protein of 364 amino acid residues, the first 35 of which constituted the signal peptide. The processed form of the protein was predicted to have a molecular mass of 37.5 kDa and pI of 4.95. The identity of the product of the cDNA clone with native C. lectularius apyrase was proved by immunological testing and by expressing the gene in a heterologous host. Immune serum made against a synthetic peptide with sequence corresponding to the C-terminal region of the predicted cDNA clone recognized both C. lectularius apyrase fractions eluted from a molecular sieving high pressure liquid chromatography and the apyrase active band from chromatofocusing gels. Furthermore, transfected COS-7 cells secreted a Ca2+-dependent apyrase with a pI of 5.1 and immunoreactive material detected by the anti-apyrase serum. C. lectularius apyrase has no significant sequence similarity to any other known apyrases, but homologous sequences have been found in the genome of the nematode C. elegans and in mouse and human expressed sequence tags from fetal and tumor EST libraries.
Homotropic regulation of dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase from bovine kidney.

Abstract Dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase from bovine kidney catalyzes NAD-linked redox reaction of lipoamide. Hates of the catalyzed reaction were studied in both directions. Saturation curves for NAD and lipoamide are nonhyperbolic, suggesting homotropic cooperative interactions of these substrates with the enzyme. The cooperative effect was analyzed by Hill plots according to the diagnostic procedure of Levitzki and Koshland. Dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase is subject to homotropic regulation in which NAD acts as a negative cooperative effector, whereas lipoamide acts as a positive cooperative effector. At high concentrations, dihydrolipoamide normalizes the saturation curve of NAD, while NADH tends to enhance the cooperative interaction of lipoamide with the enzyme.
Future imperfect: The limitations of clinical prediction models and the limits of clinical prediction

Stepwise regression procedures are often used to identify a small set of variables that serve as important predictors of clinical outcome and to construct prediction models based on those variables. Several theoretical and practical limitations of this process are discussed and highlighted with a variety of examples from published reports. Wider appreciation of these limitations should encourage the development of more relevant models, and thereby improve the quality of clinical prediction.
Effects of Salinity on Yersinia ruckeri Infection of Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout

Abstract Juvenile rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss and brown trout Salmo trutta acclimated to freshwater or salinities of 9.0‰ or less were exposed to Yersinia ruckeri, the bacterial pathogen that causes enteric redmouth disease (ERM). Both species of fish were kept in the same recirculating systems after bacterial exposure. Rainbow trout mortality was significantly (P < 0.05) different in each salinity: 96.5% in freshwater, 89.5% in water of 1.1‰ salinity, 81.3% in 3.0‰ salinity, and 75.0% in 9.0‰ salinity (model SE = 1.0). All deaths occurred between 3 and 12 d after exposure to Y. ruckeri. Only 2.3% of brown trout in all salinities died, and differences among treatments were not significant. For both fish species, Y. ruckeri was isolated from liver, spleen, and trunk kidney of fish dying during this experiment, and lesions of rainbow trout were consistent with ERM. Yersinia ruckeri was not isolated from brown trout surviving for 21 d after bacterial exposure but was isolated from 3 of 24 surviving rai...
Optimum test design strategies

Abstract This paper is concerned with the development of optimum test design strategies. Models are developed where the total cost of testing is minimized with respect to the number of items to be tested as decision variables. Models are also developed where both the design cost and the warranty cost is considered. The optimization problem develops the value of the design goal as a function of the reliability level to be demonstrated by testing.
Clinical Correlates and Treatment Response of the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale Auxiliary Items

The current study examined clinical correlates and treatment response as they relate to auxiliary clinical characteristics (i.e., insight; avoidance; indecisiveness; sense of responsibility; pervasive slowness; pathological doubt; duration of obsession-free and compulsion-free intervals) in 172 adults with OCD. A trained evaluator administered the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale and the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-IV. As well, patients completed the Obsessive Compulsive Inventory-Revised; Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition; State-Trait Anxiety Inventory; RAND 36-Item Health Survey; and Sheehan Disability Scale. Results indicated numerous associations between auxiliary OCD features and both depressive and anxious symptoms as well as impaired health and functioning. All auxiliary features, excluding insight, were reduced following cognitive-behavioral therapy. In particular, changes in symptom-free intervals; avoidance; and indecisiveness were most reliably associated with reductions in core OCD features. The lack of a relationship with insight did not come as a surprise, as insight is considered a relatively stable construct in those with OCD. Implications of these findings in the assessment and treatment of patients with OCD are highlighted.
Effects of a Vibrating Mouse on Computer Users' Work Behaviors and Performance

This study investigated the effects of a computer mouse that vibrates after 10 seconds of inactivity to remind the user to release their grip and rest their hand. A laboratory experiment tested the reactions of 11 female and 7 male participants to this vibrating mouse against a conventional mouse to see how it affected Ps performance of 5 tasks, their resting behavior and their mouse preference. No effects on task performance were found between the two conditions. The vibrating mouse induced significantly more resting behavior (p=0.02) and marginally more hand removals (p=0.06). However, it also induced significantly more unsupported hand hovering (p=0.00). Some Ps found that the vibrating mouse was disruptive to their performance. Further investigation of the effects of task type and user technique on the use of the vibrating mouse is needed.
Coronary artery motion compensation in spiral CT

Because of motion artifacts, spiral Computer Tomography (CT) is not presently a widely useful diagnostic tool in cardiac imaging. There are two time scales in CT data acquisition. The first is the time-scale of a single projection which is roughly a half millisecond. The second time-scale is that of a single rotation of the x-ray source which is about 400 ms. For diagnostic purposes, the fastest components of the heart cycle are on the order of 5 ms. Those of general interest are in the range of about 100 ms. Full-rotation CT acquisition is slower than required for freezing the cardiac motion of interest. This mismatch in speed causes motion artifacts in the reconstructed images. We focus our attention on accurately measuring lumen dimensions and on visualizing lesion architecture. This analysis requires local imaging; it does not require global motion compensation. The methods we use relate to one-dimensional motion tracking and motion compensation applied to the projection data. Dynamic programming is used for the tracking. Following the projection processing, the CT reconstruction algorithm then acts on the motion-corrected projection data to produce the reconstructed image. In addition to applying motion compensation to the projections, we also use region-of-interest (ROI) CT reconstruction algorithms in order to utilize the locally motion-corrected projection data without generating artifacts. Those artifacts come from missing projection data that should come from outside ROI. In our case the ROI is the cross-section of the vessel being imaged.
Models for the enzymatically active state of cytochrome p-450

Ab initio and semiempirical molecular orbital calculations are made for a heme-containing model of the biologically active state of cytochrome P-450 and for two chemical models of the enzyme, chromyl chloride (CrO2Cl2) and peroxytrifluoroacetic acid (CF3COOOH), known to yield similar oxidation products. The heme model for the transient activated state of P-450 is made by analogy to a more stable active complex (compound I) formed by another heme enzyme, horse radish peroxidase with peroxides. The main aim of these studies is to characterize the active state, and in particular the electrophilic oxygen transferred to substrates by these enzymes. All models for the active state of P-450 have negatively charged oxygen atoms and low-energy virtual or half-filled orbitals with substantial oxygen character. These combined results suggest that the electrophilic activity of the oxygen in all these compounds is related to overlap rather than charge-controlled interactions with nucleophilic substrates. Calculations for a model of compound I itself yield a π cation porphyrin radical with two unpaired electrons in highly covalent nearly degenerate (dπ–Oπ) iron-oxygen orbitals. Electric field gradients and quadrupole splittings calculated for both compound I and its reduced form (compound II) are in good agreement with experiment.
Instrumentation, metrology, and standards: key elements for the future of nanomanufacturing

Nanomanufacturing is the essential bridge between the discoveries of nanoscience and real world nanotech products and is the vehicle by which the Nation and the World will realize the promise of major technological innovation across a spectrum of products that will affect virtually every industrial sector. For nanotech products to achieve the broad impacts envisioned, they must be manufactured in market-appropriate quantities in a reliable, repeatable, economical and commercially viable manner. In addition, they must be manufactured so that environmental and human health concerns are met, worker safety issues are appropriately assessed and handled, and liability issues are addressed. Critical to this realization of robust nanomanufacturing is the development of the necessary instrumentation, metrology, and standards. Integration of the instruments, their interoperability, and appropriate information management are also critical elements that must be considered for viable nanomanufacturing. Advanced instrumentation, metrology and standards will allow the physical dimensions, properties, functionality, and purity of the materials, processes, tools, systems, products, and emissions that will constitute nanomanufacturing to be measured and characterized. This will in turn enable production to be scaleable, controllable, predictable, and repeatable to meet market needs. If a nano-product cannot be measured it cannot be manufactured; additionally if that product cannot be made safely it should not be manufactured. This presentation introduces the Instrumentation, Metrology, and Standards for Nanomanufacturing Conference at the 2007 SPIE Optics and Photonics. This conference will become the leading forum for the exchange of foundational information and discussion of instrumentation, metrology and standards which are key elements for the success of nanomanufacturing.
A note on ‘nationality’ and ‘native tongue’ as census categories in 1979

The author examines how data on ethnic groups in the 1979 Soviet census should be treated. In particular the meaning of such categories as "nationality" and "native tongue" is illustrated using material obtained from recent emigrants from the USSR mainly Soviet Germans emigrating to the Federal Republic of Germany in 1979. The implications for the interpretation of Soviet census results are considered (ANNOTATION)
Reputation Isn't Everything

Calculating Credibility: How Leaders Assess Military Threat. By Daryl G. Press Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2005. 240 pp., $32.50 (ISBN: 0-8014-4343-1). In Calculating Credibility , Daryl Press takes on a major issue in the field of security studies: the role of reputation in decision makers' assessments of military threats. Not only does Calculating Credibility provide a welcome addition to the surprisingly meager literature on threat perception (for earlier contributions, see Pruitt 1965; Knorr 1976; Cohen 1979; for more recent efforts, see Farnham 2001, 2003), it also touches on the debate between neorealists and their critics regarding the relative importance of material and nonmaterial interests in judging threat (see, for example, p. 27, note 70; and Waltz 1979). Press's basic proposition is that, contrary to conventional wisdom (that is, “Past Actions theory”), a state's credibility during a crisis is not assessed in terms of its “history of keeping or breaking commitments” (p. 3). Rather, in judging credibility, decision makers act according to “Current Calculus theory,” believing “threats and promises that are backed by sufficient power and serve clear interests” (pp. 8–9). Press tests his hypothesis by analyzing three case studies: (1) The series of pre-World War II crises in which the British and French appeased Adolf Hitler's Germany, (2) the three Berlin crises in which the Soviet Union confronted Britain and the United States between 1958 and 1961, and (3) the Cuban missile crisis between the United States and the Soviet Union in the fall of 1962. He finds that Current Calculus theory performs very well in all three cases, whereas Past Actions theory performs “very poorly, even though the cases stack the deck in its favor” (p. 5). Press defines “the credibility of a threat … as the perceived likelihood that the threat will be carried out if the conditions that are supposed to trigger it are met” (p. 10). Past Actions theory measures credibility in terms …