cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dynamics of the cluster model of protein folding

The cluster model of protein folding [Kanehisa, M. I. & Tsong, T. Y. (1978) J. Mol. Biol.124, 177–194] is further investigated for the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of protein folding–unfolding transitions. A cluster is a locally formed ordered region in the polypeptide chain due to cooperative interactions among residues. In the cluster model a cooperative term is assigned as proportional to the surface area of a globular cluster. This assignment is compared with that for the helix–coil transition of homopolypeptides, where the cooperative term is proportional to the two ends of a linear helical sequence. The dynamics of the cluster model exhibit a slow phase, which is well-separated from other faster phases, because of the cooperative interaction of the macrosystem. This slow phase not only appears within the transition region, but can also persist well below the transition region if the cooperativity depends on the external condition. The amplitudes of certain kinetic phases can vary depending on the choice of physical parameters monitoring the reaction. Thus the same reaction may display different time courses. The qualitative aspects of the folding dynamics are as follows. In one case the rate-limiting formation of a critical-size cluster is followed by its rapid growth, while in the other the rate-limiting step appears in a later stage, where preformed smaller clusters merge into larger ones. The former case is similar to the dynamics of the helix–coil transition, and the latter represents a stepwise mechanism of protein structure formation.
Emerging Medical Technologies and Emerging Conceptions of Health

Using ideas gleaned from the philosophy of technology of Martin Heidegger and Hans Jonas and the philosophy of health of Georges Canguilhem, I argue that one of the characteristics of emerging medical technologies is that these technologies lead to new conceptions of health. When technologies enable the body to respond to more and more challenges of disease, we thus establish new norms of health. Given the continued development of successful technologies, we come to expect more and more that our bodies should be able to respond to ever-new challenges of environment and disease by establishing ever-new norms of health. Technologies may aim at the prevention and treatment of disease, but they also bring about modifications of what we consider normal for the human being. Thus, new norms of health arise from technological innovation.
The Cyclic Towers of Antwerpen problem-A challenging Hanoi variant

The Cyclic Towers of Antwerpen problem consists of three variations on the Cyclic Towers of Hanoi problem, involving the exchange or rotation of three stacks of rings (red, white, blue), subject to the usual Hanoi rules plus the additional constraint that rings can only move clockwise. An optimal algorithm (minimal number of ring moves) is presented for one of the three variations, along with formulas for how many moves are needed for solution and how many optimal algorithms exist; (non-optimal) solutions for the other two variants are presented, with the formation of provably optimal algorithms remaining an open issue.
Positron emission tomography in mitochondrial diseases.

1. Ontogeny of glucose utilization rates in brain Studies of cerebral glucose metabolism with positron emission tomography (PET) and 2-deoxy2-[ 18 F]fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) in infants and children can provide important information on human brain functional development relevant to the study of mitochondrial disorders. The pattern of glucose metabolism in the human neonatal brain is markedly different from that of adults; typically, four brain regions are metabolically prominent: sensorimotor cortex, thalamus, brainstem and cerebellar vermis [1,2]. Phylogenetically, these are relatively old structures which dominate the behavior and mediate primitive intrinsic reflexes of newborns. During the first year, the ontogeny of cerebral glucose metabolism proceeds in phylogenetic order, correlating well with behavioral maturation of the infant. By 1 year, cerebral glucose metabolic patterns qualitatively resemble that of normal young adults [2,3]. Quantitative analysis of local cerebral metabolic rates for glucose (LCMRglc) shows that the brain follows a protracted glucose metabolic maturational course. Neonatal LCMRglc values, which are about 30% lower than adult rates, rapidly increase to exceed adult values by 2‐3 years in the cerebral cortex and remain at these high levels until about 8‐10 years, when LCMRglc decline to reach adult rates by 16‐18 years [2,3]. Correlation of these cerebral glucose metabolic trends with other neurodevelopmental events suggests that the ascending portion of rapid LCMRglc increase corresponds to the period of rapid overproduction of synapses and nerve terminals known to occur in the human brain. The ‘plateau’ period during which LCMRglc exceeds adult values corresponds to the period of increased cerebral energy demand as a result of transient exuberant connectivity. That segment of the metabolic maturational curve describing the LCMRglc decline corresponds to the period of selective elimination or ‘pruning’ of excessive connectivity, and marks the time when developmental plasticity markedly dimishes in humans [3]. This interpretation is supported by studies in animal models. For example, the kitten brain also goes through a protracted period of metabolic maturation, including a phase when LCMRglc exceeds values for the adult cat [4]. Furthermore, the ascending portion of the LCMRglc maturational curve for the kitten visual cortex, seen between 3 weeks and 3 months, corresponds to the ‘critical period’ and period of rapid synaptogenesis for this structure in the cat. Similarly, there is a correspondence
Oxygen Delivery in Critically III Patients: Relationship to Blood Lactate and Survival

Forty-four critically ill patients with or without adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) were studied in an attempt to define critical levels of oxygen delivery. Blood lactate was used as the indicator of tissue hypoxia independent of cardiac output. Survival was good (55 percent) and blood lactate near normal for those with oxygen delivery more than 8 ml/kg/min. Below this level, survival was poor (14 percent) and blood lactate markedly increased. There were significant nonlinear correlations of lactate with O 2 delivery (r = – .735, p
Use of observed transitions for classification of dynamic systems - Application to cool flames

Abstract The dynamics of cool flames are often described by maps of the boundaries between qualitatively different types of behavior. A scheme is presented for the identification of these boundaries (bifurcations) in the dynamic behavior. This information yields important insight into the behavior of the system and is helpful in mathematical model development and selection. Even more discriminating information is obtained by finding the nature of singular points existing at the intersection of several bifurcation sets. A systematic identification requires a classification of all the possible singular points. Such a classification is presented for a certain class of frequently occurring systems having widely separated time scales. The methodology is illustrated by the analysis of observations in propane and acetadehyde oxidation.
Long-term Survival of Molteno Glaucoma Drainage Devices

Purpose: To evaluate the long-term outcome of the Molteno implant drainage device using survival analysis. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed on 77 eyes of 71 patients that underwent Molteno implantation for intractable glaucoma unresponsive to conventional management from October 1984 to April 1990 at the University of Washington Eye Center and had at least 6 months of follow-up data. Success was defined as a postoperative intraocular pressure of 22 mmHg or lower with (qualified success) or without (complete success) glaucoma medications and no additional glaucoma surgery, phthisis, or loss of light perception. Results: The median follow-up was 44 months (range, 6–107 months). Indications for Molteno implantation were aphakia/pseudophakia (n = 24), neovascular glaucoma (n = 20), uveitic glaucoma (n = 12), failed trabeculectomy (n = 9), traumatic glaucoma (n = 8), and congenital glaucoma (n = 4). The total success was 57% (23% complete; 34% qualified) at the last follow-up. Kaplan-Meier survival curves demonstrated a continuous and relatively linear attrition of success over at least 5 1/2 postoperative years. The uveitic glaucoma group had the highest success rate of 75%. Eyes with neovascular glaucoma failed significantly more frequently than those with uveitic glaucoma ( P P Conclusion: The Molteno implant drainage device offers a reasonable long-term outcome in eyes with intractable glaucomas. However, an ongoing rate of failure, not unlike that seen after other filtration surgery, is to be expected.
Mitigating Vibration Along an Arbitrarily Supported Elastic Structure Using Multiple Two-Degree-of-Freedom Oscillators

Simple spring-mass systems are often deployed as vibration absorbers to quench excess vibration in structural systems. In this paper, multiple two-degree-of-freedom oscillators that translate and rotate are used to mitigate vibration by imposing points of zero displacement, or nodes, along any arbitrarily supported elastic structure during harmonic excitations. Nodes can often be enforced along an elastic structure by attaching suitably chosen two-degree-of-freedom oscillators. In application, however, the actual selection of the oscillator parameters also depends on the tolerable translational and rotational vibration amplitudes of the attached oscillators, because if these vibration amplitudes are large, then theoretically feasible solutions would not be practical to implement. In this paper, an efficient approach is developed that can be used to tune the oscillator parameters that are required to induce nodes, while satisfying the tolerable vibration amplitudes of the oscillators. Instead of solving for the oscillator parameters directly, the restoring forces exerted by the springs are computed instead. The proposed approach is simple to apply, efficient to solve, and more importantly, allows one to easily impose the tolerable translational and rotational vibration amplitudes of the two-degree-of-freedom oscillators. A design guide for choosing the required oscillator parameters is outlined, and numerical experiments are performed to validate the proposed scheme of imposing nodes along a structure at multiple locations during harmonic excitations.
Arl13b-regulated cilia activities are essential for polarized radial glial scaffold formation

The construction of cerebral cortex begins with the formation of radial glia. Once formed, polarized radial glial cells divide either symmetrically or asymmetrically to balance appropriate production of progenitor cells and neurons. Following birth, neurons use the processes of radial glia as scaffolding for oriented migration. Radial glia therefore provide an instructive structural matrix to coordinate the generation and placement of distinct groups of cortical neurons in the developing cerebral cortex. We found that Arl13b, a cilia-enriched small GTPase that is mutated in Joubert syndrome, was critical for the initial formation of the polarized radial progenitor scaffold. Using developmental stage-specific deletion of Arl13b in mouse cortical progenitors, we found that early neuroepithelial deletion of ciliary Arl13b led to a reversal of the apical-basal polarity of radial progenitors and aberrant neuronal placement. Arl13b modulated ciliary signaling necessary for radial glial polarity. Our findings indicate that Arl13b signaling in primary cilia is crucial for the initial formation of a polarized radial glial scaffold and suggest that disruption of this process may contribute to aberrant neurodevelopment and brain abnormalities in Joubert syndrome-related ciliopathies.
Evaluation of irrigation canal networks to assess stream connectivity in a watershed

We used digital data sets, aerial photos and direct field observations in a geographical information system to evaluate the stream habitat in an Idaho watershed affected by agriculture. We found that the scale of the digital data sets affected the outcome of the assessment due to the presence of dewatered stream channels in the drainage. We analysed the spatial configuration of irrigation canals in the watershed to determine if the contemporary stream network connectivity could be attributed to human- caused or to natural hydrological processes. Many irrigation canals were significantly longer than would have been expected if these canals were constructed to capture water from the closest portion of the abandoned stream channels. Our findings provide evidence that some of these tributary streams had reaches that were likely ephemeral or intermittent at the time of canal construction. Our approach for assessing stream and irrigation network connectivity in pastoral and agricultural lands should aid managers in prioritizing the effective and appropriate reconnection efforts. Published in 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Indium arsenide tunnel diodes

Abstract The tunnel-current density through a very narrow p-n junction depends exponentially on the reduced effective mass of the charge carriers and the bandgap. Therefore, indium arsenide appears to be a promising material for fast tunnel diodes at room temperature ( m r ⋍0·05 , E g ⋍0·33 eV), giving higher frequency limits for a given doping level or lower doping (lower capacity) for a given gain-bandwidth product. Tunnel diodes have been made by alloying InCd and InZn dots on InAs crystals which had been doped with 2 × 1016 to 6 × 1018 Te atoms/cm3. The resulting I–V characteristics vary with doping level and temperature from classical p-n curves to Esaki curves of 10:1 peak to valley current ratios. The best ratios at room temperature are about 2:1. Good units with high current density do not show any structure indicative of phonon participation. However, lower-current units do show two conductance minima in the rising part of the forward characteristic at 4°K. The high-current units also show a different temperature dependence of the peak current and of the peak voltage than those of lower current density. This leads to the tentative conclusion that the characteristics of the low-current units are determined by phonon-assisted tunneling, while in the high-current units the direct tunneling process is dominant. In the I–V characteristic of units made from low-doped material an interesting cusp structure is found. This resembles the “phonon” structure above, but is dependent on the surface condition of the diode. A measurement of the rise time of a switching pulse across the diode proved to be limited by the circuit to 10−9 sec. This and other indirect measurements allow an estimate of a gain-bandwidth product, for the faster diodes, of 3 kMc/s.
Structuring relations in on-the-job networks

Abstract I examine the social relational dimensions of work in a large corporation. Analysis of on-the-job networks, consisting of various ties regularly involved in carrying out routine jobs, indicates the considerable and systematic influence of prescribed organizational structure in shaping emergent relational patterns. In particular, ego's formal hierarchical position is a major factor in constraining and structuring variations in the networks. Ties are also found to be differentiated and selectively bundled along the organizational hierarchy with respect to relational content. The preferred model bridges the dichotomy between formal, prescribed networks and informal, emergent networks, relating the two in a specific way. Furthermore, the model fleshes out the implications of kinds of ties in hierarchical organizational settings.
Compressible Navier–Stokes Computations for Slider Air-Bearings

Two-dimensional computations of the compressible Navier-Stokes equations are used to study the flow at the inlet and outlet of slider air-bearings operating under conditions typical of computer disk-storage devices
Factors Contributing to Achievement in the Study of First Semester College German

Many investigations have been reported re garding the prediction of success in modern language. Algernon Coleman and Clara Bres love King (i) have stated, however, that there is less agreement than might be ex pected in regard to the importance of various factors contributing to language achievement. The present study was undertaken to inves tigate the importance of factors commonly believed to be pertinent to success in the study of first semester German at the University of Illinois. The criterion for success was the total score of the Cooperative German Test, Ele mentary Form 0. This test was administered during the first week of the second semester, I039^40> to 130 Liberal Arts and Sciences freshmen who had completed the first semester and who were enrolled in the second semester of elementary German.
Variable-rate coding for meteor-burst communications

The performance of variable-rate Reed-Solomon error-control coding for meteor-burst communications is considered. The code rate is allowed to vary from codeword to codeword within each packet, and the optimum number of codewords per packet and optimum rates for the codewords are determined as a function of the length of the message and the decay rate for the meteor trail. The resulting performance is compared to that obtained from, fixed-rate coding. Of central importance is the derivation of tractable expressions for the probability of correct decoding for bounded-distance decoding on a memoryless channel with a time-varying symbol error probability. A throughout measure is developed that is based on the probability distribution of the initial signal-to-noise ratio. >
Navigating race in the market for human gametes.

When people go shopping for gametes, their first and most important criterion is the donor's race. In so choosing, they are making wrong and invidious assumptions about what race is. They are also assuming that their child will develop her sense of self within those parameters. The effect is harmful both for children and for society at large. People should be able to recognize racial categories as they construct their own identities, but those categories should not limit their self-identification from the very outset.
Pasteurella multocida infections in West Suffolk

During the 3-year period 1980-1982, Pasteurella multocida was isolated from 19 patients, each with a history of animal contact. One patient, a slaughterman, whose exposure was occupational, developed meningitis. These case reports illustrate unusual features of human infections with this zoonotic pathogen.
Are ecological and evolutionary theories scientific

Scientists observe nature, search for generalizations, and provide explanations for why the world is as it is. Generalizations are of two kinds. The first are descriptive and inductive, such as Boyle's Law. They are derived from observations and therefore refer to observables (in this case, pressure and volume). The second are often imaginative and form the axioms of a deductive theory, such as Newton's Laws of Motion. They often refer to unobservables (e.g. inertia and gravitation). Biology has many inductive generalizations (e.g. Bergmann's Rule and 'all cells arise from preexisting cells') but few, if any, recognized universal laws and virtually no deductive theory. Many biologists and philosophers of biology have agreed that predictive theory is inappropriate in biology, which is said to be more complex than physics, and that one can have nonpredictive explanations, such as the neo-Darwinian Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection. Other philosophers dismiss nonpredictive, explanatory theories, including evolutionary 'theory', as metaphysics. Most biologists do not think of themselves as philosophers or give much thought to the philosophical basis of their research. Nevertheless, their philosophy shows in the way they do research. The plethora of ad hoc (i.e. not universal) hypotheses indicates that biologists are reluctant inductivists in that the search for generalization does not have a high priority. Biologists test their hypotheses by verification. Theoretical physicists, in contrast, are deductive unifiers and test their explanatory hypotheses by falsification. I argue that theoretical biology (concerned with unobservables, such as fitness and natural selection) is not scientific because it lacks universal laws and predictive theory. In order to make this argument, I review the differences between verificationism and falsificationism, induction and deduction, and descriptive and explanatory laws. I show how these differ with a specific example of a successful and still useful (even if now superseded as explanatory) deductive theory, Newton's Theory of Motion. I also review some of the philosophical views expressed on these topics because philosophers seem to be even more divided than biologists, which is not at all helpful. The fact that biology does not have predictive theories does not constitute irrefutable evidence that it cannot have them. The only way to falsify this philosophical hypothesis, however, is to produce a predictive theory with universal biological laws. I have proposed such a theory, but it has been presented piecemeal. At the end of this paper, I bring the pieces together into a deductive theory on the evolution of life history traits (e.g. clutch size, mating relationships, sexual size dimorphism).
Brave new brain : conquering mental illness in the era of the genome

PART I: BROKEN BRAINS AND TROUBLED MINDS 1. Brave New Brain: Confronting the Burden of Mental Illness 2. A Waking Nightmare: Mental Illness and Ordinary People 3. Broken Brains, Troubled Minds: Being Blinded by False Dichotomies PART II: MIND MEETS MOLECULE 4. The Brain: The Mind's Dynamic Orchestra 5. Mapping the Genome: The Blueprint of Life ... and Death 6. Mapping the Mind: Using Neuroimaging to Observe How the Brain Thinks PART III: THE BURDEN OF MENTAL ILLNESS 7. Understanding What Mental Illnesses Are: The Past is Prologue to Progress 8. Schizophrenia: A Mind Divided 9. Mood Disorders: Riding the Emotional Roller Coaster 10. Dementias: A Death in Life 11. Anxiety Disorders: The Stress Regulator Goes Wild PART IV: BRAVE NEW BRAIN 12. O Brave New World: Conquering Mental Illness in the Era of the Genome References and Suggested Readings
Identification of Novel Functional Regions Important for the Activity of HOXB7 in Mammalian Cells

Members of the HOX family of homeobox transcription factors play a role in pattern formation in diverse developmental systems. The clearly documented role of HOX genes in the proliferation and differentiation of primary hematopoietic cells and cell lines provides a convenient system to pursue a biochemical analysis of HOX gene function in mammalian cells. To explore the role of HOXB7 in myeloid hematopoiesis, a number of mutations and deletions in the gene were constructed that targeted sequences with known functions or in regions that had not been examined previously. The wild-type and mutant B7 constructs were introduced into the murine myelomonocytic cell line, 32D, and assayed for their effects on G-CSF-induced myeloid differentiation. Wild-type HOXB7 inhibited the differentiation of 32D cells, whereas mutations in the Pbx-binding pentapeptide motif or the DNA-binding homeodomain, as well as internal deletions of the N-terminal unique region, blocked this effect. Interestingly, mutations eliminating two target sites for casein kinase II, the glutamate-rich C terminus, or the first 14 amino acids of HOXB7, led to enhanced 32D differentiation. A model proposing a role for these regions of HOXB7 is presented.
A Comparison Study Between Two Parallel Hybrid Control Concepts

Two parallel HEV control concepts: ‘thermostat’ and ‘power split’ are compared in this paper. To achieve a substantial improvement in fuel economy, the ‘thermostat’ or ‘on/off’ control technique intended to improve the fuel efficiency of a series HEV has been adopted and designed for parallel HEV. Among different ‘power split’ concepts developed for parallel hybrids only the ‘electrically assist’ algorithm is considered in this paper. These two control concepts are compared for three parallel HEV architectures: pre-transmission, post-transmission and continuous variable transmission hybrids. The comparison study also includes the effect of hybridization factor—the ratio of the electric power to the total propulsion power. The matrices of comparison are level of performance, energy consumption and exhaust emissions. The SAE J1711 partial charge test procedure is followed. The full hybrid propulsion system is simulated using two EVHEV software packages: ‘V-ELPH’ developed by Texas A&M University and ‘ADVISOR’ from NREL. Based on the simulation results, the paper defines an optimum range of hybridization factor for the two control concepts.
Role of glycosylation in the renal electrogenic Na+-HCO3- cotransporter (NBCe1).

The electrogenic Na+-HCO 3 − cotransporter NBCe1 is important for the regulation of intracellular pH (pHi) and for epithelial HCO 3 − transport in many tissues, including kidney, pancreas, and brai...
Quantitative Mitochondrial DNA Mutation Analysis by Denaturing HPLC

Background: In recent years, denaturing HPLC (DHPLC) has been widely used to screen the whole mitochondrial genome or specific regions of the genome for DNA mutations. The quantification and mathematical modeling of DHPLC results is, however, underexplored. Methods: We generated site-directed mutants containing some common mutations in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) tRNA(leu) region with different mutation loads and used PCR to amplify the gene segment of interest in these mutants. We then performed restriction digestion followed by slow reannealing to induce heteroduplex formation and analyzed the samples by use of DHPLC. Results: We observed a quadratic relationship between the heteroduplex peak areas and mutant loads, consistent with the kinetics of heteroduplex formation reported by others. This was modeled mathematically and used to quantify mtDNA mutation load. The method was able to detect a mutation present in a concentration as low as 1% and gave reproducible measurements of the mutations in the range of 2.5%–97.5%. Conclusion: The quantitative DHPLC assay is well suited for simultaneous detection and quantification of DNA mutations.
Use, Understanding, and Beliefs about Complementary and Alternative Medicines among Emergency Department Patients

Objectives To describe the extent of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among emergency department (ED) patients, to evaluate patients' understanding of CAMs, and to determine gender differences in beliefs about CAMs. Methods This study was a convenience sampling of patients seen in an urban ED. Patient demographics were recorded. A questionnaire was administered that assessed patients' knowledge and use of CAMs. Patients were also asked about their beliefs on safety, medication interactions, and conveying information about these substances to their physicians. Results A total of 350 ED patients were included in the study; 87% had heard of at least one of the CAMs. There was no difference between genders or races concerning knowledge about CAMs. The most commonly known CAMs were ginseng (75%), ginkgo biloba (55%), eucalyptus (58%), and St. John's wort (57%). Forty-three percent of the responders had used CAMs at some time and 24% were presently using CAMs. The most commonly used CAMs were ginseng (13%), St. John's wort (6%), and ginkgo biloba (9%). All CAMs were considered to be safe by 16% of the patients. Only 67% would tell their doctors they were using CAMs. Females were more likely than males to believe that CAMs do not interact with other medications (15% vs 7%, difference 8%, 95% CI = 2% to 15%). Conclusions Complementary and alternative medicines are familiar to most patients and used by many of them. Despite this, a large percentage of patients would not tell their physicians about their use of alternative medications. Emergency medicine providers should be aware of the commonly used CAMs, and questions about their use should be routinely included in ED exams.
Cognitive and affective identification: Exploring the links between different forms of social identification and personality with work attitudes and behavior

Summary Individuals often identify with groups in order to either reduce perceived uncertainty or to feel better about who they are as individuals. This suggests that cognitive and affective identification are two distinctive forms of social identification in organizational settings. Because neurotic individuals are highly motivated to reduce perceived uncertainty, they will tend to identify cognitively with groups. Extraverted individuals, on the other hand, are highly motivated to enhance how they feel about themselves and thus identify affectively with groups. Across three studies, we develop measures of cognitive and affective identification and then show that neuroticism is positively related to cognitive identification, whereas extraversion is positively related to affective identification. We also find that affective identification provides incremental predictive validity over and above cognitive identification in the prediction of organizational commitment, organizational involvement, and organizational citizenship behaviors. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Context-Centric Speech-Based Human–Computer Interaction

This paper describes research that addresses the problem of dialog management from a strong, context-centric approach. We further present a quantitative method of measuring the importance of contextual cues when dealing with speech-based human–computer interactions. It is generally accepted that using context in conjunction with a human input, such as spoken speech, enhances a machine's understanding of the user's intent as a means to pinpoint an adequate reaction. For this work, however, we present a context-centric approach in which the use of context is the primary basis for understanding and not merely an auxiliary process. We employ an embodied conversation agent that facilitates the seamless engagement of a speech-based information-deployment entity by its human end user. This dialog manager emphasizes the use of context to drive its mixed-initiative discourse model. A typical, modern automatic speech recognizer (ASR) was incorporated to handle the speech-to-text translations. As is the nature of these ASR systems, the recognition rate is consistently less than perfect, thus emphasizing the need for contextual assistance. The dialog system was encapsulated into a speech-based embodied conversation agent platform for prototyping and testing purposes. Experiments were performed to evaluate the robustness of its performance, namely through measures of naturalness and usefulness, with respect to the emphasized use of context. The contribution of this work is to provide empirical evidence of the importance of conversational context in speech-based human–computer interaction using a field-tested context-centric dialog manager.
Weighted-output based approach for self-checking combinational logic design

This paper presents a technique for designing self-checking logic circuits by using residue codes. There are no restrictions or assumptions made about the implementation of the circuit. For any single stuck-at fault that causes bidirectional error at the output, all pairs of faulty output lines that show bidirectional errors are identified. Based on the bidirectional dependency between the outputs, a minimum set of residue weights are assigned to the output lines so that any error at the outputs can be detected. >
Medicine, Animal Experimentation, and the Moral Problem of Unfortunate Humans

We live in an age of great scientific and technological innovation, and what seemed out of the question or at least very doubtful only a few years ago, today lies almost within our grasp. In no area is this more true than that of human health care, where lifesaving and life-enhancing technologies have given, or have the enormous potential in the not so distant future to give, relief from some of the most terrible human illnesses. On two fronts in particular, xenograft or cross-species transplantation and genetic engineering of animals on behalf of gene therapy in humans, such relief appears very promising, if not actually on the horizon. Certainly, extensive research work on both fronts is underway both in the United States and abroad.
The painful reunion : the remedicalization of homosexuality and the rise of the queer.

This article considers the late 19th-century medical invention of the category of the homosexual in relation to homosexuality’s moment of deliverance from medicine in the 1970s, when it was removed as a category of mental aberration in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM). With the rise of the AIDS pandemic in gay communities in the early 1980s, I argue that homosexuals were forcibly returned to the medical sphere, a process I call “the painful reunion.” Reading a collection of queer narratives across the 20th century, I show that historical and contemporaneous medical events prompted the mobilization of seropositive and queer artists at century’s end to rehabilitate, revise, and offend the historiography of queer illness. Collectively, my conclusions redefine our understandings of queer theory and queer politics as distinctively 1990s projects invested in the present to ones that purposefully aim to challenge the past.
A technique for generating regional climate scenarios using a nearest‐neighbor algorithm

[1] A K-nearest neighbor (K-nn) resampling scheme is presented that simulates daily weather variables, and consequently seasonal climate and spatial and temporal dependencies, at multiple stations in a given region. A strategy is introduced that uses the K-nn algorithm to produce alternative climate data sets conditioned upon hypothetical climate scenarios, e.g., warmer-drier springs, warmer-wetter winters, and so on. This technique allows for the creation of ensembles of climate scenarios that can be used in integrated assessment and water resource management models for addressing the potential impacts of climate change and climate variability. This K-nn algorithm makes use of the Mahalanobis distance as the metric for neighbor selection, as opposed to a Euclidian distance. The advantage of the Mahalanobis distance is that the variables do not have to be standardized nor is there a requirement to preassign weights to variables. The model is applied to two sets of station data in climatologically diverse areas of the United States, including the Rocky Mountains and the north central United States and is shown to reproduce synthetic series that largely preserve important cross correlations and autocorrelations. Likewise, the adapted K-nn algorithm is used to generate alternative climate scenarios based upon prescribed conditioning criteria.
Orientation of a Series of CO2 Reduction Catalysts on Single Crystal TiO2 Probed by Phase-Sensitive Vibrational Sum Frequency Generation Spectroscopy (PS-VSFG)

We report the average molecular orientation of a series of rhenium bipyridyl CO2 reduction catalysts adsorbed onto a rutile TiO2(001) single crystal surface. The molecular conformation of these catalysts on electrode surfaces is expected to affect their overall catalytic efficiency, since the catalytic Re center must be free to coordinate a CO2 molecule in working systems. Phase-sensitive vibrational sum frequency generation spectroscopy (PS-VSFG) and ab initio SFG simulation and conformation search were used to determine the molecular tilt angles of five such complexes, Re(LnA)(CO)3Cl [LnA = 2,2′-bipyridine-4,4′-(CH2)n-COOH, n = 0–4] (abbreviated as ReCnA), as a function of the length of their anchoring groups. Results show that both the short and long axes of the catalytic bipyridine ring tilt further toward the TiO2(001) surface as the number of methylene groups in the anchoring groups increases. The increasing tilt angles are shown to correlate with an increasing conformational difference between the ...
Computerized Cone Penetration Test for Soil Classification: Development of MS-Windows Software

Computerized MS-Windows Visual Basic software of a cone penetration test (CPT) for soil classification was developed as part of an extensive effort to facilitate the implementation of CPT technology in many geotechnical engineering applications. Five CPT soil engineering classification systems were implemented as a handy, user-friendly, software tool for geotechnical engineers. In the probabilistic region estimation and fuzzy classification methods, a conformal transformation is first applied to determine the profile of soil classification index (U) with depth from cone tip resistance (qc) and friction ratio (Rf). A statistical correlation was established in the probabilistic region estimation method between the U index and the compositional soil type given by the Unified Soil Classification System. Conversely, the CPT fuzzy classification emphasizes the certainty of soil behavior. The Schmertmann and Douglas and Olsen methods provide soil classification charts based on cone tip resistance and friction ra...
COMMUNITY COLLEGES: Doling Out Federal Dollars

Seldom in the history of higher education have community colleges and universities had to face a financial crisis as severe and as widespread as that with which they are confronted today. The Carnegie Commission on Higher Education has labeled the current period as nothing less than a depression. As they struggle for financial solvency, many community colleges and universities are looking to the federal. government to assume a greater financial commitment than was expected or even desired in the past. They are ruso looking for some guidelines as to the policy the government will follow in allocating aid so they can combine it with their current resources in planning the future. Although the federal government has traditionally resisted direct aid to colleges, the age-old question of states' rights was set aside in 1958 when reactions to Sputnik impelled it to change its policy. Through the National Defense Education Act (NDEA) and subsequent measures, large sums were allocated to colleges during the 1960s. Now, a reversal of this policy seems imminent. The National Commission on the Financing of Postsecondary Education, established by the Education Amendments of 1972, is charged with the broad responsibility of studying the " impact of past , present, and anticipated private, local, state, and federal support for postsecondary education, the appropriate role for the states in support of higher education, alternative student assistance programs, and the potential federal, state, and private participation in such programs." A preliminary draft of the commission's findings indicated it would support President Nixon's New Federalism. This draft included a recommendation that Congress adopt a form of special revenue sharing which places responsibility on state agencies for allo-
Heterologous Envelope Immunogens Contribute to AIDS Vaccine Protection in Rhesus Monkeys

Because a strategy to elicit broadly neutralizing anti-human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) antibodies has not yet been found, the role of an Env immunogen in HIV-1 vaccine candidates remains undefined. We sought to determine whether an HIV-1 Env immunogen genetically disparate from the Env of the challenge virus can contribute to protective immunity. We vaccinated Indian-origin rhesus monkeys with Gag-Pol-Nef immunogens, alone or in combination with Env immunogens that were either matched or mismatched with the challenge virus. These animals were then challenged with a pathogenic simian-human immunodeficiency virus. The vaccine regimen included a plasmid DNA prime and replication-defective adenoviral vector boost. Vaccine regimens that included the matched or mismatched Env immunogens conferred better protection against CD4+ T-lymphocyte loss than that seen with comparable regimens that did not include Env immunogens. This increment in protective immunity was associated with anamnestic Env-specific cellular immunity that developed in the early days following viral challenge. These data suggest that T-lymphocyte immunity to Env can broaden the protective cellular immune response to HIV despite significant sequence diversity of the strains of the Env immunogens and can contribute to immune protection in this AIDS vaccine model.
Myc recruits P-TEFb to mediate the final step in the transcriptional activation of the cad promoter.

The c-Myc protein is up-regulated in many different types of cancer, suggesting that a detailed understanding of Myc function is an important goal. Our previous studies have focused on determining the mechanism by which Myc activates transcription using the target gene cad as an experimental model. Previously, we found that Myc activates cad transcription at a post-RNA polymerase II recruitment step and that the Myc transactivation domain interacts with a number of cdk-cyclin complexes. We now extend these studies to determine the role of these cyclin-cdk complexes in Myc-mediated transactivation. We have found that cyclin T1 binding to Myc localizes to the highly conserved Myc Box I, whereas cdk8 binding localizes to the amino-terminal 41 amino acids of the Myc transactivation domain. We showed that recruitment of cdk8 is sufficient for activation of a synthetic promoter construct. In contrast, the ability of Myc to activate transcription of thecad promoter correlates with binding of cyclin T1. Furthermore, recruitment of cyclin T1 to the cad promoter via a Gal4 fusion protein or through protein-protein interaction with the HIV-1 Tat protein can also activate cad transcription. These results suggest that Myc activates transcription by stimulating elongation and that P-TEFb is a key mediator of this process.
The importance of fungi to man.

Completion of the Saccharomyces cerivisiae genome sequence and that of several bacterial genomes has led to a great rallying around the cause for sequencing of other small genomes. This has been most apparent in bacteria where sequencing projects are either complete or under way for no fewer than 38 different species. In contrast, the sequencing of small eukaryotic genomes lags far behind. The only large-scale public sequencing efforts currently under way in microbial eukaryotes are for the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe and for the protozoan parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Completion of these genomes is sure to yield greater insights into the general functions required for eukaryotic life and will permit researchers to address a number of fundamental questions. However, even coupled with the genome sequences from humans and other animals, the genome sequences from this small number of eukaryotes will not be sufficient to describe life with a nucleus. The primary purpose of this article is to point out the merits of sequencing the genomes of additional microbial eukaryotes, in particular the genetically amenable filamentous fungi. There are an estimated >1 million filamentous fungal species and some members of this diverse group of organisms can be found in virtually every ecosystem. These organisms conduct a variety of processes not seen in yeast, many of which have significant impacts on man (Table 1). For instance, some filamentous fungi
Assessing the Effects of Public Participation

This article presents the results of research designed to test participatory democracy assertions that high-quality public participation can affect participants' beliefs in desirable ways. It examines the relationships between exposure to quality participation and participant beliefs about the trustworthiness and responsiveness of a public agency and the value of including different viewpoints in public meetings. After participation in quality project meetings, participants were significantly more likely to believe the agency was responsive to public concerns. The results indicate that some specific aspects of quality participation are positively associated with expectations about the agency's responsiveness and performance. Positive associations were also found with tolerance for differences of opinion. These results have important implications for public administrators and theorists of participatory democracy.
A probabilistic model of theory formation

Concept learning is challenging in part because the meanings of many concepts depend on their relationships to other concepts. Learning these concepts in isolation can be difficult, but we present a model that discovers entire systems of related concepts. These systems can be viewed as simple theories that specify the concepts that exist in a domain, and the laws or principles that relate these concepts. We apply our model to several real-world problems, including learning the structure of kinship systems and learning ontologies. We also compare its predictions to data collected in two behavioral experiments. Experiment 1 shows that our model helps to explain how simple theories are acquired and used for inductive inference. Experiment 2 suggests that our model provides a better account of theory discovery than a more traditional alternative that focuses on features rather than relations.
Optical treatments for acne

Light-based treatments for acne are becoming increasingly commonplace in dermatology. This article reviews various light approaches in acne therapy. Methods are discussed from an anatomical and a functional perspective. The emphasis is on the practicality of treatment as well as the pros and cons of various devices. Also, a review of the recent literature is presented. The article is intended to give the reader a panoramic view of this still-young and developing area. Most likely, light-based acne treatment will receive more popularity as dermatologists learn how to integrate this type of therapy within the context of more established drug agents.
A Comparison of the Macrofaunal Communities Inhabiting a Crassostrea virginica Oyster Reef and Oyster Aquaculture Gear in Indian River Bay, Delaware

Abstract The eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) is a vital species in the estuaries of the mid-Atlantic United States. Whereas their filtering activity and biodeposition play an important role in the ecology of these systems, the reefs they form are one of the few sources of hard bottom habitat for fouling organisms and are the foundation of a rich biological community. This species has experienced drastic declines throughout the mid-Atlantic region in the last two centuries due to overfishing, habitat loss, and disease. Much interest and effort is now focused on restoring this important commercial and ecological resource. Whereas oyster reef restoration is central to the recovery of this species and the habitat it creates, oyster aquaculture can provide many of these same services albeit on a smaller scale. This is a two-part study, assessing the macrofaunal communities associated with subtidal modified rack and bag aquaculture, conducted over the summer and fall of 2006. The first part of this study...
Multi-objective Optimization

Multi-objective optimization is an integral part of optimization activities and has a tremendous practical importance, since almost all real-world optimization problems are ideally suited to be modeled using multiple conflicting objectives. The classical means of solving such problems were primarily focused on scalarizing multiple objectives into a single objective, whereas the evolutionary means have been to solve a multi-objective optimization problem as it is. In this chapter, we discuss the fundamental principles of multi-objective optimization, the differences between multi-objective optimization and single-objective optimization, and describe a few well-known classical and evolutionary algorithms for multi-objective optimization. Two application case studies reveal the importance of multi-objective optimization in practice. A number of research challenges are then highlighted. The chapter concludes by suggesting a few tricks of the trade and mentioning some key resources to the field of multi-objective optimization.