cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Three-Dimensional Object Recognition System: Ranging Camera And Algorithm

A scanning triangulation -based laser range- finder is described, along with a preliminaryversion of an algorithm for 3 -D object recognition. The ranging camera employs a novel de-sign which should ultimately enable a range sample rate of approximately 100 kHz with anaccuracy of lcm at ranges <3m. The system employs a spherical coordinate scanning geometry;a laser beam emerges vertically from a hollow shaft and is reflected by a cubic mirrorrotating on a horizontal shaft, yielding a vertical (polar angle) scan. A motor rotates theentire system through a slower 360° azimuthal scan. A detection system including a slittedwheel and photo- multiplier, located meter above the mirror, repeatedly measures the anglebetween the vertical and the line of sight to the laser spot. This and the vertical scanangle is used by an LSI -11 computer to compute range. The field of view is a broad "equa-torial" band of nearly 37 steradians. An algorithm is presented for recognition of objectsknown to the system. The surface of each object is approximated by a union of convexpolyhedra, represented as a Boolean combination of linear inequalities. A shell is producedenclosing the surface but not the interior. Then sets of contiguous points from a range -picture are tested for consistency with some rotation and translation of the polyhedralmodel of each object. The algorithm is tolerant of occlusion and random errors.IntroductionThe automatic recognition of solid objects in a scene is a difficult problem if only con-ventional brightness images are used. The extraction of 3 -D geometric information from suchpictures requires knowledge of the physics of reflection as well as complicated word -know-ledge about probable patterns of scene illumination and surface reflectance characteristics.On the other hand, range -pictures directly provide 3 -D coordinates of surface points in a
A search for interstellar nitrous oxide

An extensive search for interstellar nitrous oxide (N2O) has been made at two different frequencies, 75.4 and 100.5 GHz, in a number of molecular sources. No N2O signal was detected; however, a number of other spectral lines including two new transitions of methyl formate and several new unidentified lines were measured.
Long-term clonidine effects on autonomic function in essential hypertensive man

Acute studies of clonidine suggest that it lowers blood pressure by central enhancement of baroreflex sensitivity coupled with diminished evidence of sympathetic outflow, but longterm clonidine data have not been conclusive. We examined effects of one month of low dose clonidine (0.4 +/- 0.15 mg/day) alone in 13 essential hypertensive men, assessing several biochemical indices of sympathetic function, as well as physiologic parameters, including baroreflex sensitivity, the cold pressor test, and the hypotensive response to alpha adrenergic blockade. Clonidine diminished mean arterial pressure (from 104 +/- 5 to 84 +/- 3 mmHg; p less than 0.01), without associated changes in several biochemical parameters of sympathetic outflow (urinary excretion of catecholamines, metanephrines, and vanillylmandelic acid; all p greater than 0.1). Circulatory baroreflex function was not enhanced by clonidine, during either the amylnitrite test or the phenylephrine test, before or after parasympathetic blockade with atropine. The cold pressor test, an index of efferent sympathetic pressor function, was also unaltered. The enhanced mean arterial pressure response to phentolamine during clonidine therapy (from a fall of 14.8 +/- 4.3 to 39.4 +/- 5.2 mmHg, p less than 0.01), suggested an increase in alpha adrenergic vascular tone, perhaps mediated by clonidine's alpha agonist properties in vascular smooth muscle. The antihypertensive mechanism of longterm low dose clonidine cannot reliably be ascribed either to baroreflex enhancement or to suppression of sympathetic outflow.
Elemental fractionation and magnetic properties of melt-based Y1Ba2Cu3Oz containing excess Tb or Pt

Scanning electron microscopy of certain partially melted Y-Ba-Cu-O materials containing minority metal oxide species (Y:Tb:Ba:Cu = 1:0.1:2:3 or Y:Ba:Cu with Pt impurities), accompanied by both EDX and EMP analysis, indicates that the minority species (Tb or Pt) is quantitatively concentrated in a relatively small number of 123-type grains. High magnetic susceptibility and magnetization observed for these materials indicate that such elemental distribution is not detrimental to superconducting behavior.
Association of Plasma B Lymphocyte Stimulator Levels and Disease Activity in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Objective To determine the association of plasma B lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) levels, immunosuppressive therapy, and other clinical parameters with disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods Two hundred forty-five SLE patients were evaluated prospectively over a 2-year period at 4 centers. Assessments were performed every 3–6 months. Univariate analysis was used to determine the association among the Safety of Estrogens in Lupus Erythematosus: National Assessment (SELENA) version of the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) score, serum anti–double-stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA), and plasma BLyS levels. A multivariate repeated-measures model incorporating immunosuppressive therapy was utilized. Results Ninety-two percent of the patients were female. Sixty-seven percent were white, 31% African American, and 2% Asian (all of these groups may include Hispanic). Mean values at baseline were as follows: age 41.5 years, disease duration 8.1 years, SELENA–SLEDAI 3.3 (median 2, range 0–18), BLyS 5.57 ng/ml, IgG 1,439 mg/dl, C3 104.4 mg/dl, and C4 21.3 mg/dl; among those positive for anti-dsDNA, the median titer was 1:40 (range 1:10–1:1,280). Univariate analysis showed that plasma BLyS levels were associated with anti-dsDNA titers (P = 0.0465) and SELENA–SLEDAI scores (P = 0.0002). In multivariate analyses, a greater increase in the SELENA–SLEDAI score from the previous visit was associated with higher BLyS levels at the previous visit (P = 0.0042) and with a greater increase in the BLyS level from the previous visit (P = 0.0007). Conclusion The findings of association between a greater increase in the BLyS level from the previous visit and a greater increase in the SELENA–SLEDAI score at the subsequent visit, and between an elevated BLyS level at the previous visit and a greater SELENA–SLEDAI score at the subsequent visit, demonstrate a relationship between circulating BLyS levels and SLE disease activity. These results lend support to the notion that BLyS is a candidate for therapeutic targeting in SLE.
ATMOSPHERIC/SPACE ENVIRONMENT SUPPORT LESSONS LEARNED REGARDING AEROSPACE VEHICLE DESIGN AND OPERATIONS

In modern government and aerospace industry institutions the necessity of controlling current year costs often leads to high mobility in the technical workforce, "one-deep" technical capabilities, and minimal mentoring for young engineers. Thus, formal recording, use, and teaching of lessons learned are especially important in the maintenance and improvement of current knowledge and development of new technologies, regardless of the discipline area. Within the NASA Technical Standards Program Website http://standards.nasa.gov there is a menu item entitled "Lessons Learned/Best Practices". It contains links to a large number of engineering and technical disciplines related data sets that contain a wealth of lessons learned information based on past experiences. This paper has provided a small sample of lessons learned relative to the atmospheric and space environment. There are many more whose subsequent applications have improved our knowledge of the atmosphere and space environment, and the application of this knowledge to the engineering and operations for a variety of aerospace programs.
Chlorofluorocarbons, Stratospheric Ozone, and the Antarctic ‘Ozone Hole’

The momentous subject of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and their effect on The Biosphere's stratospheric ozone shield is treated rather generally but in sufficient depth where necessary in three main sections dealing with (i) scientific background and current status of ongoing investigation, (ii) the major technological uses of CFCs and available or foreseeable alternatives to them, and (iii) the policy status and regulatory activity involving present or proposed future restrictions in CFC emissions.It being unlikely that life, at least as we know it, would have developed on Earth without an ozone layer in the stratosphere to ‘filter off’ harmful ultraviolet rays from solar radiation, the prospect of continuing manufacture in developing countries of its destroyers is highly alarming, especially as these destructive CFCs may take more than a decade from emission to reach the levels around 40 km altitude at which they do the most harm.
Catalysis of aerobic olefin oxidation by a ruthenium perhaloporphyrin complex

Abstract The perhalogenated porphyrin ruthenium complex (TFPPCl 8 )Ru(CO) (TFPPCl 8 = octachlorotetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin) catalyzes aerobic oxidation of olefins at room temperature. Cyclohexene is oxidized primarily at the allylic position, and styrene primarily to benzaldehyde, indicating a radical autoxidation mechanism. Reactions are enhanced by visible light. Reaction with m -chloroperbenzoic acid converts the ruthenium complex to (TFPPCl 8 )Ru(O) 2 , but such oxo complexes do not appear to participate in catalytic aerobic oxidation.
Control of film characteristics by modulating intensity and space

Usually, images and other signals are recorded on photographic media using either density modulation, as in ordinary photographs, or spatial pulse modulation, as in halftone image reproduction. This paper presents an analysis of a modulation technique that combines density and spatial modulation. It is shown that the technique studied can provide a large class of average-transmittance functions. This class includes linear, power, and logarithmic functions. Design formulas for screens that give these functions are derived. It is shown that the average-transmittance function of films exposed through a screen of this design is independent of film characteristics for a suitably chosen, film-dependent exposure range.
Incidence and persistence of Haemophilus influenzaetype b upper airway colonization in patients with meningitis

T H E CO M MITT E E on Infectious Diseases of the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children with invasive Haemophilus influenzae type b disease receive rifampin therapy before discharge from the hospitaU This recommendation is based on the possibility that children may yet carry the organism in the upper airway despite completion of antimicrobial treatment. The published evidence that persistence of carriage occurs is limited to a total of 10 cases in the English language literature2 -4 We studied Hib meningitis in a prospective fashion and determined the rate of persistence of carriage of Hib in the upper airway. METHODS Children with Hib meningitis diagnosed by recovery of the organism from cerebrospinal fluid were enrolled in the study. Nasopharyngeal and throat swab specimens were obtained as soon as possible after admission by culturing with a rayon-tipped swab. The swabs were inoculated on chocolate agar and on heart infusion agar and heart infusion broth, both supplemented with 5% Fildes reagent and 4 ug/ml vancomycin hydrochloride. After overnight incubation, the broth was subcultured on chocolate agar. The HIB was identified by colony morphology, Gram stain morphology, growth requirement for both X and V factors, and staphylococcal coagglutination (Phadebact; Pharmacia Diagnostics, Piscataway, N.J.). Culture positive results were categorized semiquantitatively. Light growth was defined as growth limited to the first two of four quadrants of streaking or growth in the enrichment broth only. A few isolates were further characterized by
Computer vision system for an autonomous mobile robot

The purpose of this paper is to compare three methods for 3- D measurements of line position used for the vision guidance to navigate an autonomous mobile robot. A model is first developed to map 3-D ground points into image points to be developed using homogeneous coordinates. Then using the ground plane constraint, the inverse transformation that maps image points into 3-D ground points is determined. And then the system identification problem is solved using a calibration device. Calibration data is used to determine the model parameters by minimizing the mean square error between model and calibration points. A novel simplification is then presented which provides surprisingly accurate results. This method is called the magic matrix approach and uses only the calibration data. A more standard variation of this approach is also considered. The significance of this work is that it shows that three methods that are based on 3-D measurements may be used for mobile robot navigation and that a simple method can achieve accuracy to a fraction of an inch which is sufficient in some applications.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
TU‐A‐214‐01: Cardiac Dedicated Ultrafast SPECT Cameras: New Designs and Medical Physics Implications

Myocardial perfusion imaging using nuclear cardiology techniques has been widely used in clinical practice because of its well documented value in the diagnosis and prognosis of coronary artery disease. Recently, industry has developed innovative designs of dedicated solid‐state cardiacSPECTcameras that constrain all detector area to imaging just the heart. New software that recovers image resolution and limits image noise has also been implemented. These SPECT innovations are resulting in shorter study time and/or reduced radiation dose to patients, promoting easier scheduling, higher patient satisfaction and, importantly, higher image quality. Implications to the medical physicist working in laboratories using these new hardware and software technologies deal with novel approaches for: acceptance testing, measuring imaging performance, performing quality control, implementing new protocols, and optimizing efficiency while reducing radiation dose. This presentation discusses these new implications to medical physicists and describes the software and hardware innovations for cardiac‐centric SPECTimaging which provide a strong foundation for the continued success of myocardial perfusion SPECTimaging. Objectives: 1. Teach the principles of solid state SPECTimaging 2. Make audience aware of benefits of new imaging hardware and software 3. Make audience aware of medical physics implications of new technology
Ideological Bias: A Data Quality Control Factor for Cross-Cultural Research

Raoul Naroll (1962, 1970) has advanced various control variables to help determine the accuracy of ethnographic reports for cross-cultural analysis. Some of these are: 1) length of stay in the field, 2) familiarity with the native language, and 3) completeness and length of ethnographic report. Here I examine ideological bias as another control factor, one associated with the effects of social, political, economic or moral ideology on data quality. From a worldwide sample of twenty societies I show that ideological bias appears to be a significant data quality control factor, and I present five indexes of ideological bias.
Response-Set Size and Paired-Associate Learning

4 groups of 15 students each learned a single unmixed list of 13 pairs for five anticipation trials followed by a free-recall test. The lists contained pairs of nonsense syllables that rhymed, changed middle letter, reversed the letter order, or were unrelated. All lists involving rules were superior to the list of unrelated pairs. In order of increasing effectiveness the rules were rhyming, middle-letter change, letter reversal. Performance was inversely related to response-set size. The more restrictive rules resulted in increased free recall of the pairs. Results supported the hypothesis that rules are beneficial to the extent that they reduce response-set size.
The lignin component of humic substances: Distribution among soil and sedimentary humic, fulvic, and base-insoluble fractions

Abstract Vanillyl, syringyl and cinnamyl phenols occur as CuO oxidation products of humic, fulvic and base-insoluble residual fractions from soils, peat and nearshore marine sediments. However, none of these lignin-derived phenols were released by CuO oxidation of deepsea sediment or its base-extractable organic fractions. Lignin analysis indicated that peat and coastal marine sediments contained significantly higher levels of recognizable vascular plant carbon (20–50%) than soils and offshore marine sediments (0–10%). Although accounting for less than 20% of the total sedimentary (bulk) lignin, lignin components of humic acid fractions compositionally and quantitatively resembled the corresponding bulk samples and baseinsoluble residues. Recognizable lignin, presumably present as intact phenylpropanoid units, accounted for up to 5% of the carbon in peat and coastal humic acids but less than 1% in soil humic acids. Fulvic acid fractions uniformly yielded less lignin-derived phenols in mixtures that were depleted in syringyl and cinnamyl phenols relative to the corresponding humic acid fractions. Within the vanillyl and syringyl families the relative distribution of acidic and aldehydic phenols is a sensitive measure of the degree of oxidative alteration of the lignin component The high acid/aldehyde ratios and the low phenol yields of soils and their humic fractions compared to peat and coastal sediments indicate extensive degradation of the lignin source material. Likewise, the progressively higher acid/aldehyde ratios and lower phenol yields along the sequence: plant tissues (plant debris)-humic acids-fulvic acids suggest that this pattern represents the diagenetic sequence for the aerobic degradation of lignin biopolymers.
Productivity, Real Wages, and Economic Growth

I. Facts and theory, 189. — II. Elements of the model, 192. — III. The operation of the model: nonmathematical, 193. — IV. Capital requirements, 197. — V. Mathematical recapitulation, 198. — VI. A numerical illustration, 204.
BS-KNN: An Effective Algorithm for Predicting Protein Subchloroplast Localization

Chloroplasts are organelles found in cells of green plants and eukaryotic algae that conduct photosynthesis. Knowing a protein’s subchloroplast location provides in-depth insights about the protein’s function and the microenvironment where it interacts with other molecules. In this paper, we present BS-KNN, a bit-score weighted K-nearest neighbor method for predicting proteins’ subchloroplast locations. The method makes predictions based on the bit-score weighted Euclidean distance calculated from the composition of selected pseudo-amino acids. Our method achieved 76.4% overall accuracy in assigning proteins to 4 subchloroplast locations in cross-validation. When tested on an independent set that was not seen by the method during the training and feature selection, the method achieved a consistent overall accuracy of 76.0%. The method was also applied to predict subchloroplast locations of proteins in the chloroplast proteome and validated against proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana. The software and datasets of the proposed method are available at https://edisk.fandm.edu/jing.hu/bsknn/bsknn.html.
Isolation and Characterization of Temperature-Sensitive Mutants of Venezuelan Encephalitis Virus

Abstract Ten temperature-sensitive mutants of Venezuelan encephalitis virus were derived from a hamster-virulent strain by treatment with N -methyl- N′ -nitro- N -nitrosoguanidine. Three mutants were relatively thermolabile, and four were RNA − . No mutant induced cytopathology in cell cultures infected at a restrictive temperature.
Radiological manifestations of sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is an immune system disorder characterised by non-necrotising granulomas. Pulmonary involvement is the most common presentation of sarcoidosis, but it can manifest in any organ. Other commonly involved organ systems include the lymph nodes (especially the intrathoracic nodes); the skin; the eyes; the liver; the heart; and the nervous, musculoskeletal, renal, and endocrine systems. The typical and atypical imaging features of multisystemic involvement of sarcoidosis have been discussed with review of the gamut of radiological manifestations of thoracic, cardiac, CNS, abdominal and musculoskeletal sarcoidosis.
Petrographic Study of the Refractory Performance of High-Fusing Dental Alloy Investments: II. Silica-Bonded Investments

Petrographic study of the refractory performance of silica-bonded investments revealed that recrystallized silica bonds consisting of tridymite and cristobalite are formed during burnout. The major reaction product created during casting is eskolaite. Liquefaction and sintering in the investment at and near its interface with the casting plugs pores and may lower permeability.
Determination of the Ionic Conductivity of Ionized Air with a Resonant Cavity

A resonant cavity technique has been employed to measure the ratio of the average ionic mobility, ?i , to the ionic recombination constant, k , for ionized air (water content 1.1 ± 0.1% by volume). The measured value is ?i/k = 0.8×108(m-1V-1). The result is compared with measurements made with other techniques. A possible basis for the variation of published values is the variation of humidity in the air sample measured.
Delayed Spatial Assimilation: Multigenerational Incorporation of the Mexican–Origin Population in Los Angeles:

This article examines the nature and degree of spatial integration across generations among young adults of Mexican origin in metropolitan Los Angeles. Drawing on a new, unique data set that covers...
Perinatal glucocorticoids alter dentate gyrus electrophysiology

Perinatal glucocorticoid administration produces permanent spatial discrimination learning deficits in rats, presumably referable to changes in the development of neural systems subserving such functions. Because the hippocampal dentate gyrus and its afferent/efferent circuitry appear selectively vulnerable to neonatal steroid treatments, we have examined adult rats treated with neonatally administered glucocorticoids using electrophysiological methods. The techniques were chosen to reveal the topographic and neurophysiologic responsiveness of the major afferent supply to the dentate gyrus. Rats of both sexes received either a high dose (100 mg/kg) or low dose (1 mg/kg) of the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone on postnatal day four, with control subjects receiving an injection of saline. These dosages have been shown to disrupt hippocampal dependent learning [6,38]. Laminar depth profile analyses of entorhinal cortex-dentate gyrus afferents revealed a significant shift in the spatial distribution of evoked extracellular population synaptic potentials (EPSPs) in glucocorticoid treated subjects. Stimulus-response functions also differed between glucocorticoid treated and control subjects. While response amplitudes at threshold stimulus intensities did not differ between groups, at higher stimulus intensities population spike potentials and associated EPSPs differed in glucocorticoid versus control subjects.
Electrical breakdown in capacitor dielectric films: Scaling laws and the role of self-healing

Despite a great number of reports on high-energy density dielectric materials, very little attention is paid to determining realistic energy densities of larger scale devices made of these materials. These materials are typically evaluated with very short duration voltage withstand tests on very small sample areas, typically on the order of a few seconds and a few cm2. Conversely, full-scale devices require very long operational lifetimes on the order of years, and dielectric areas as large as several hundreds of m2. Practical components must also include additional material such as major insulation and packaging, resulting in volumetric efficiencies much less than 100%. Increases in total dielectric area, operating time, and packaging inefficiencies reduce practical energy densities by one to two orders of magnitude. Here we highlight the limitations of scaling up such results to high energy density capacitors as well as demonstrate the effect of self-healing and its necessity in high-energy-density, high-total-energy devices.
Viral infections: beneficial role of eosinophils

In this issue of Blood , Phipps and coworkers present evidence that eosinophils contribute to innate antiviral immunity of the lung without adversely affecting airway hyperresponsiveness. Increased numbers of interleukin-5 (IL-5)–dependent eosinophils are recruited into the lungs of asthma
Elucidation of glycolipid structure by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

The primary structure of the oligosaccharide moiety of a glycosphingolipid can be elucidated by employing high-field proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Information with respect to the composition and configuration of its sugar residues, and the sequence and linkage sites of the oligosaccharide chain can be obtained by employing a variety of one- and two-dimensional techniques. The latter include both scalar and dipolar correlated two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy. These techniques are also useful in establishing the solution conformation (secondary structure) of the oligosaccharide moiety. Examples in utilizing these techniques in elucidating the primary and secondary structures of glycolipids are presented.
Computational Approach to the Statistical Mechanics of Protein Folding

A statistical mechanical approach to the protein folding problem is developed based on computer simulations. The properties of proteins related to conformation and folding are determined from the density of states of the protein. A new simulation procedure, the Entropy Sampling Monte Carlo method, is used to determine accurately the density of states of the protein. To enhance the efficiency of sampling the conformational space of a protein, two techniques (a conformational-biased chain regrowth procedure and a jump-walking method) were introduced into the simulation. Applications of the approach to study a number of model polypeptides and a small protein, Bovine Pancreatic Trypsin Inhibitor, have been carried out. The results obtained demonstrate that the new approach is more powerful and produces richer information about the thermodynamics and folding behavior of proteins than conventional simulation methods.
Things Japanese: Something old, something new

Bernstein, Gail Lee. Haruko's World: A Japanese Farm Woman and Her Community. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1983. xvii + 199 pp. including maps, photographs. $15.00 cloth. Lebra, Takie Sugiy...
Rottlerin-induced BKCa channel activation impairs specific contractile responses and promotes vasodilation.

Background Activation of large conductance calcium-activated potassium (BKCa) channels is cardioprotective for ischemic injury and can enhance vasorelaxation. Rottlerin has recently been identified as a potent BKCa activator. We demonstrated that rottlerin improves cardiac function and increases coronary flow when used as a cardioplegia additive in rat and mouse models of cardioplegic arrest and reperfusion. In this study we examined the effectiveness and specificity of the putative BKCa activator rottlerin on vascular reactivity in response to specific contractile and dilatory agonists. Methods Aortic rings from wild-type (wt) and BKCa knock-out (KO) mice were mounted in a tissue bath with force transducers. The vasodilatory effect of rottlerin was evaluated after pre-constriction with U46619. Dose responses to the contractile agonists U46619 and phenylephrine (PE), and vasodilation responses to rottlerin, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) were performed after pretreatment with rottlerin. Similar studies were performed in pig coronary vessels. Results The BKCa KO mouse aortic rings exhibited spontaneous contraction and had greater contractile responses to U46619 and reduced vasodilation to SNP compared with wt mice. The wt and KO responses to phenylephrine were similar. Rottlerin dose dependently dilated wild-type vessels, but not in BKCa KO animals. Pretreatment with rottlerin caused depressed U46619 responses, but had no effect on PE, SNP, or H2S-mediated responses. However, pig coronary vessels pretreated with rottlerin exhibited reduced contractile responses and enhanced nitric oxide-dependent dilation. Conclusions Rottlerin directly causes vasodilation through BKCa channel dependent mechanisms. The BKCa channel activator pretreatment enhances vasodilatory responses and impairs specific vasoconstrictive agonists.
Empowering women's citizenship

Abstract This paper addresses the question of whether citizenship is used as a basis for social change, and if so, how. We first examine the meanings of citizenship as a qualification that encompasses more than just political rights, and as a formally granted status that is mediated by informal structures. We then build the concept of an ‘empowering citizenship’. Specifically, we demonstrate that women themselves often turn the situation around and use their de jure status as citizens (through employment and political activism) to challenge the de facto barriers to full social inclusion that they encounter, such as gendered divisions of labor and discrimination in education and employment. Interviews of women in Pueblo, Colorado are used to solidify the proposed links between women's political and economic standing and the negotiation of citizenship.
Transformation Efficiency of RasQ61 Mutants Linked to Structural Features of the Switch Regions in the Presence of Raf

Summary Transformation efficiencies of Ras mutants at residue 61 range over three orders of magnitude, but the in vitro GTPase activity decreases 10-fold for all mutants. We show that Raf impairs the GTPase activity of RasQ61L, suggesting that the Ras/Raf complex differentially modulates transformation. Our crystal structures show that, in transforming mutants, switch II takes part in a network of hydrophobic interactions burying the nucleotide and precatalytic water molecule. Our results suggest that Y32 and a water molecule bridging it to the γ-phosphate in the wild-type structure play a role in GTP hydrolysis in lieu of the Arg finger in the absence of GAP. The bridging water molecule is absent in the transforming mutants, contributing to the burying of the nucleotide. We propose a mechanism for intrinsic hydrolysis in Raf-bound Ras and elucidate structural features in the Q61 mutants that correlate with their potency to transform cells.
A study of the electron–ion dissociative recombination rate constants of the isotopomers of protonated carbon monoxide (HCO+) and formaldehyde (H3CO+)

Abstract The room temperature electron–ion dissociative recombination (e–IDR) rate constants (αe) for the isotopomers of protonated carbon monoxide (HCO+) and protonated formaldehyde (H3CO+) have been measured using a flowing afterglow equipped with an electrostatic Langmuir probe. The isotopomers included in this study and their corresponding e–IDR rate constants are H312CO+, 7.4 × 10−7 cm3 s−1; H313CO+, 6.8 × 10−7 cm3 s−1; H12CO+, 2.0 × 10−7 cm3 s−1; H13CO+, 1.8 × 10−7 cm3 s−1; D12CO+, 1.6 × 10−7 cm3 s−1; and D13CO+, 1.4 × 10−7 cm3 s−1. The recombination rate constants for the measured isotopomers exhibit a decrease in the rate constant with the addition of a heavy isotope. This effect is greater with a hydrogen/deuterium substitution than with a 12C/13C substitution. The comparison of the current data with previously published data is discussed.
Admission decisions in the psychiatric emergency room

Abstract Psychiatric admissions through an Emergency Room at a metropolitan state hospital were studied for a 3-month period. Only those with the presence of some degree of danger to self or others were included in the sample, and 74 out of 99 were admitted. Fifteen items were identified that discriminated between those admitted and those who were not. They included suicide attempts, assaultive threats, court referrals, duration of illness, previous hospitalization, use of LSD, previous arrests, inability to care for self, and lack of place to stay.
Investigating the effects of marketing variables and unobserved heterogeneity in a multinomial probit model

Abstract The authors investigate the effects of marketing variables and household heterogeneity in a multinomial probit model of brand choice. The household specific vector of intrinsic brand preferences and price sensitivity is assumed to be distributed across households following some underlying probability distribution. This unknown underlying distribution is approximated by a discrete distribution with a finite number of supports in the estimation. The method of simulated moments is used in the estimation of the model parameters. The empirical application of the methodology using scanner panel data on the purchases of saltine crackers enables one to (a) study the effects of marketing variables on brand choice probabilities while allowing for similarities across choice alternatives, (b) recover differential patterns of competition across brands, (c) decompose the pattern of inter-brand competition into a component due to perceived similarities across choice alternatives and a component due to heterogeneity, and (d) determine the extent of variation in price sensitivity across households for the product category under investigation.
Cholesterol effects on the interaction of cardiolipin with anti-cardiolipin antibody

Abstract (1) Human antibodies to cardiolipin, phosphatidic acid and phosphatidylserine were assessed by binding to nitrocellulose paper and subsequent reaction with an enzyme-linked or radioactively labelled second antibody to human IgG. (2) The addition of cholesterol to constant amounts of cardiolipin impregnated in the nitrocellulose paper resulted in a profound fall in antibody binding beginning at a 0.5 to 1 molar ratio of cholesterol to cardiolipin and stabilizing at about 15% of the original level. (3) Antibody binding to phosphatidic acid and phosphatidylserine also showed extensive cholesterol-induced inhibition beginning at a slightly lower molar ratio of cholesterol to phospholipid. (4) The structural array of neither the cardiolipin alone impregnated in nitrocellulose nor the phospholipid together with cholesterol is known. It is possible that the specific cardiolipin phase structure required for human antibody recognition was disrupted by cholesterol.
Purification and Cloning of a Brefeldin A-inhibited Guanine Nucleotide-exchange Protein for ADP-ribosylation Factors

Abstract Activation of ADP-ribosylation factors (ARFs), ∼20-kDa guanine nucleotide-binding proteins that play an important role in intracellular vesicular trafficking, depends on guanine nucleotide-exchange proteins (GEPs), which accelerate replacement of bound GDP with GTP. Two major families of ARF GEPs are known: ∼200-kDa molecules that are inhibited by brefeldin A (BFA), a fungal metabolite that blocks protein secretion and causes apparent disintegration of Golgi structure, and ∼50-kDa GEPs that are insensitive to BFA. We describe here two human brain cDNAs that encode BFA-inhibited GEPs. One is a ∼209-kDa protein 99.5% identical in deduced amino acid sequence (1,849 residues) to a BFA-inhibited ARF GEP (p200) from bovine brain. The other smaller protein, which is ∼74% identical (1,785 amino acids), represents a previously unknown gene. We propose that the former, p200, be named BIG1 for (brefeldin A-inhibited GEP1) and the second, which encodes a ∼202-kDa protein, BIG2. A protein containing sequences found in BIG2 had been purified earlier from bovine brain. Human tissues contained a 7.5-kilobase BIG1 mRNA and a 9.4-kilobase BIG2 transcript. The BIG1 andBIG2 genes were localized, respectively, to chromosomes 8 and 20. BIG2, synthesized as a His6 fusion protein in Sf9 cells, accelerated guanosine 5′-3-O-(thio)triphosphate binding by recombinant ARF1, ARF5, and ARF6. It activated native ARF (mixture of ARF1 and ARF3) more effectively than it did any of the nonmyristoylated recombinant ARFs. BIG2 activity was inhibited by BFA in a concentration-dependent manner but not by B17, a structural analog without effects on Golgi function. Although several clones for ∼50-kDa BFA-insensitive ARF GEPs are known, these new clones for the ∼200-kDa BIG1 and BIG2 should facilitate characterization of this rather different family of proteins as well as the elucidation of mechanisms of regulation of BFA-sensitive ARF function in Golgi transport.
Post-Mortem Changes in Extractability of Myofibrillar Protein from Chicken Pectoralis

SUMMARY Protein extractability from chicken pectoralis was measured after the muscle had aged in ice for various periods from 30 min to 24 hr post-mortem. The extraction solution was KCl in phosphate buffer at pH 7.0 and ionic strength 1.0. Residue from the salt extraction was treated with 0.1 N NaOH to remove additional myofibrillar proteins and the remainder was considered stromal protein. Sarcoplasmic protein, non-protein nitrogen and stromal protein remained constant for all aging periods at 33%, 16% and 7% of the total nitrogen, respectively, Myosin extractability decreased rapidly during the first 3–4 hr of aging while the alkali soluble protein increased and actomyosin was extracted at a low, constant level. Following 4–6 hr of aging the alkali soluble protein became constant, and actomyosin appeared in the extract in increasing quantities as myosin continued to decline. The sum of myosin, actomyosin and alkali soluble protein was constant for all aging times at 44% of ihe muscle nitrogen. Actomyosin formation was accompanied by increased hydration of the myofibrillar proteins as indicated by increased swelling of the residue from salt extraction with greater aging time. The initial accumulation of alkali soluble protein and subsequent release of actomyosin correspond to the time course of toughening and tenderization in chicken muscle. Both of these observations may reflect initial binding of myosin to the nonextractable thin filaments, followed by disintegration or detachment of these filaments from the Z membrane.
Pro-apoptotic role of NF-κB: Implications for cancer therapy

Nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) is generally viewed as anti-apoptotic and oncogenic, leading to a quest for its inhibitors. However, recent evidence suggests that in some situations NF-kappaB may promote apoptosis. Depending on the specific cell type and the stimulus involved, NF-kappaB activation may lead to either anti- or pro-apoptotic response. Both these effects can be mediated by NF-kappaB in a context-dependent manner by selectively regulating its target genes. In this review, we discuss the evidence for NF-kappaB's pro-apoptotic role and explore the possible mechanisms behind it. We emphasize that rather than trying to inhibit NF-kappaB in cancer therapy, agents should be developed to unleash its pro-apoptotic ability.
Markovian chains and the role of history in succession.

Marhovian chains are probabilistic matrix models used to simulate the dynamics of systems in which each transition depends upon the present state of the system, but is independent of the pathway that brought the system to its present state. Their application to ecological succession has not been especially fruitful. Appropriate Markovian models could be used to test successional hypotheses analogous to the Marhovian assumptions. However, serious mathematical and empirical difficulties thwart the development of adequate models, primarily because of the importance of historical and spatial factors in succession.
Injection time effects on LWI with microwave driven non-degenerate ground states

We present an analytical calculation to determine the atomic injection time effects on lasing without inversion (LWI) in a three level lambda system with its ground state driven by an arbitrarily strong classical microwave field. We systematically take into account subtle effects associated with the injection times. We derive an expression for the optical coherences and show that one gets amplification of the field without population inversion which is governed by a temporal phase, in addition to the initial (random) phases of the ground state coherence.
Vortex: variation-aware training for memristor X-bar

Recent advances in development of memristor devices and crossbar integration allow us to implement a low-power on-chip neuromorphic computing system (NCS) with small footprint. Training methods have been proposed to program the memristors in a crossbar by following existing training algorithms in neural network models. However, the robustness of these training methods has not been well investigated by taking into account the limits imposed by realistic hardware implementations. In this work, we present a quantitative analysis on the impact of device imperfections and circuit design constraints on the robustness of two popular training methods -- "close-loop on-device" (CLD) and "open-loop off-device" (OLD). A novel variation-aware training scheme, namely, Vortex, is then invented to enhance the training robustness of memristor crossbar-based NCS by actively compensating the impact of device variations and optimizing the mapping scheme from computations to crossbars. On average, Vortex can significantly improve the test rate by 29.6% and 26.4%, compared to the traditional OLD and CLD, respectively.
Cyanidin 3-arabinoside-5-glucoside, an anthocyanin with a new glycosidic pattern, from flowers of “Red Wing” azaleas

Abstract Cyanidin 3-arabinoside-5-glucoside, the first representative of this glycosidic class, was isolated from flowers of the azalea (Rhododendron) cultivar “Red Wing”. Other anthocyanins present in these tissues were cyanidin 3-glucoside, cyanidin 3-galactoside, cyanidin 3-arabinoside, and cyanidin 3,5-diglucoside.
Qualification and Screening Results of COTS Transceivers for Avionics Applications

This paper describes the test methods and results used to determine the acceptability of specific COTS transceivers for use in a 1 Gigabit/second military avionics application. Sample transceivers from two suppliers were characterized and subjected to environmental testing. Characterization parameters, tested between -40degC and +115degC, were transmitter average optical output power, extinction ratio, peak to peak optical power, jitter, eye diagrams and receiver sensitivity. Environmental testing consisted of vibration, mechanical shock, temperature cycling, cold storage, and 85/85 humidity/temperature testing. The results of this testing was then compared to the requirements of the application
Ion-Pairing Interactions between Co(en)(3)(3+) and the (23)Na NMR Frequency Shift Reagent TmDOTP(5)(-).

Three new formulations of TmDOTP(5)(-) (DOTP(8)(-) = 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,11-tetrakis(methylenephosphonate)) have been prepared in an effort to develop a low-osmolality form of the (23)Na frequency shift reagent (SR). Equally concentrated (0.32 M) solutions of (MegH)(4)HTmDOTP (Meg = N-methylglucamine or meglumine), Na(4)HTmDOTP, and [Co(en)(3)](4/3)HTmDOTP have solution osmolalities of 1245, 1040, and 707 mOsm/kg, respectively, comparable to the ionic and non-ionic gadolinium-based MRI contrast agent preparations in clinical use. An analysis of (23)Na and (59)Co frequency shifts induced by TmDOTP(5)(-) indicated that Co(en)(3)(3+) can form both 1:1 and 2:1 adducts with TmDOTP(5)(-) with (log) binding constants of 3.1 +/- 0.4 and 2.5 +/- 0.4, respectively. These values were comparable with those obtained by analysis of the (1)H frequency shifts observed for Co(en)(3)(3+) upon binding to HoDOTP(5)(-). The (1)H shifts of Co(en)(3)(3+) signals induced by YbDOTP(5)(-) at pH 7.4 were fitted best by a 1:1 binding model with a conditional binding constant of 3.1 +/- 0.2. The (59)Co and (1)H limiting frequency shifts of Co(en)(3)(3+) could be fitted with a dipolar shift model in which the Co atom of the Co(en)(3)(3+) cation is located 5.0 +/- 0.3 A from the Ln atom of the LnDOTP(5)(-) chelate, and with an angle of 40 +/- 0.2 degrees between the Co-Ln vector and the 4-fold symmetry axis of the LnDOTP(5)(-) complex. Ion pairing of Co(en)(3)(3+) and TmDOTP(5)(-) was significant enough in both saline and human blood plasma to reduce the effectiveness of the (23)Na frequency SR. Comparisons between all formulations suggested that Na(4)HTmDOTP represents the best compromise of lower osmolality with minimal reduction of SR shift potency.
Phase coherence adaptive processor for automatic signal detection and identification

A continuously adapting acoustic signal processor with an automatic detection/decision aid is presented. Its purpose is to preserve the signals of tactical interest, and filter out other signals and noise. It utilizes single sensor or beamformed spectral data and transforms the signal and noise phase angles into "aligned phase angles" (APA). The APA increase the phase temporal coherence of signals and leave the noise incoherent. Coherence thresholds are set, which are representative of the type of source "threat vehicle" and the geographic area or volume in which it is operating. These thresholds separate signals, based on the "quality" of their APA coherence. An example is presented in which signals from a submerged source in the ocean are preserved, while clutter signals from ships and noise are entirely eliminated. Furthermore, the "signals of interest" were identified by the processor's automatic detection aid. Similar performance is expected for air and ground vehicles. The processor's equations are formulated in such a manner that they can be tuned to eliminate noise and exploit signal, based on the "quality" of their APA temporal coherence. The mathematical formulation for this processor is presented, including the method by which the processor continuously self-adapts. Results show nearly complete elimination of noise, with only the selected category of signals remaining, and accompanying enhancements in spectral and spatial resolution. In most cases, the concept of signal-to-noise ratio looses significance, and "adaptive automated /decision aid" is more relevant.© (2006) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Link between O2SiH infrared band amplitude and porous silicon photoluminescence during ambient O3 oxidation.

We carefully evaluate how porous silicon (pSi) surface oxidation by ozone (O3) and the resulting changes in nanocrystallite surface chemistries (e.g., SiOSi, SiHx (x = 1-3), OySiH (y = 1-2), and SiOH) influence the pSi photoluminescence (PL). We discover a relationship between the pSi PL and the O2SiH band amplitude.
1H, 13C, and 15N NMR assignments for the Bacillus subtilis yndB START domain

The steroidogenic acute regulatory-related lipid transfer (START) domain is found in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes, with putative functions including signal transduction, transcriptional regulation, GTPase activation and thioester hydrolysis. Here we report the near complete 1H, 15N and 13C backbone and side chain NMR resonance assignments for the Bacillus subtilis START domain protein yndB.