cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
HFE gene variants, iron, and lipids: a novel connection in Alzheimer’s disease

Iron accumulation and associated oxidative stress in the brain have been consistently found in several neurodegenerative diseases. Multiple genetic studies have been undertaken to try to identify a cause of neurodegenerative diseases but direct connections have been rare. In the iron field, variants in the HFE gene that give rise to a protein involved in cellular iron regulation, are associated with iron accumulation in multiple organs including the brain. There is also substantial epidemiological, genetic, and molecular evidence of disruption of cholesterol homeostasis in several neurodegenerative diseases, in particular Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Despite the efforts that have been made to identify factors that can trigger the pathological events associated with neurodegenerative diseases they remain mostly unknown. Because molecular phenotypes such as oxidative stress, synaptic failure, neuronal loss, and cognitive decline, characteristics associated with AD, have been shown to result from disruption of a number of pathways, one can easily argue that the phenotype seen may not arise from a linear sequence of events. Therefore, a multi-targeted approach is needed to understand a complex disorder like AD. This can be achieved only when knowledge about interactions between the different pathways and the potential influence of environmental factors on them becomes available. Toward this end, this review discusses what is known about the roles and interactions of iron and cholesterol in neurodegenerative diseases. It highlights the effects of gene variants of HFE (H63D- and C282Y-HFE) on iron and cholesterol metabolism and how they may contribute to understanding the etiology of complex neurodegenerative diseases.
The energy cost of adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats.

Objective To test the hypothesis that rats with adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) need more metabolic energy to maintain body weight than healthy control rats or rats with AIA treated with methotrexate (MTX). Methods Rat AIA was induced by Mycobacterium butyricum injection at the base of the tail. The MTX-treated group was injected with MTX (1.0 mg/kg/week) in phosphate buffered saline. Negative controls (i.e., disease-free) and the MTX-treated group were pair-fed with positive controls (i.e., untreated AIA rats) to ensure equal mean body weights. Results An additional 0.85 gm of food per day per rat was needed by the positive control group and 0.54 gm per day by the MTX-treated group to maintain a body weight comparable with that of the negative control group during days 5–15 post–adjuvant injection. During days 15–34 post–adjuvant injection an additional 1.4 gm of food per day per rat was needed by the positive controls and 0.62 gm by the MTX-treated group. Conclusion The results of this study indicate that adjuvant arthritis has a metabolic cost, which increases substantially as the disease becomes clinically apparent (days 15–34). MTX treatment does not completely eliminate the caloric cost of the disease. During days 5–15 post–adjuvant injection, an average of 6% of the total calories eaten by the positive controls was metabolized to support subclinical inflammation and other physiologic processes of this disease. During the active phase of the disease (i.e., clinical inflammation), this value increased to 18% of total calories.
Gastroschisis: Small hole, big cost

Abstract Background/Purpose: This study was designed to assess the outcome and financial costs incurred for the treatment of gastroschisis. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of all patients with gastroschisis at a single institution over the past decade (n = 69). Hospital costs were determined and standardized to December 2001 dollars. Results: Of the 69 patients, average gestational age at delivery was 35.9 weeks. Thirty-six patients had a primary fascial closure; 33 had a silo placed. The mean time to first feeding was 22 days and full feeding, 33 days. Average length of stay was 47 days. There were 3 deaths (2 shortly after birth, and one 131 days later owing to sepsis). The average cost of hospitalization and physician fees for patients with gastroschisis was $123,200. Using multivariate regression analysis, significant variables ( P Conclusions: Cost of care associated with treatment for gastroschisis is high. Strategies designed to reduce cost must limit gastrointestinal, respiratory, and operative complications and reduce length of stay. J Pediatr Surg 37:1669-1672. Copyright 2002, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights Reserved.
How the Upper Bound Conjecture Was Proved

I can trace the path of the proof of the Upper Bound Conjecture (UBC) for spheres back to high school. I went to high school in Savannah, Georgia. Around the age of 13 I became interested in mathematics, but there was no one who could give me proper guidance. One person, most likely an Armstrong Junior College professor named Stubbs, did suggest that I join the Mathematical Association of America and receive their journal The American Mathematical Monthly, so I did this. Almost all of the articles were above my head. One paper [4], however, really caught my attention. It was entitled “Preferential arrangements.” A preferential arrangement of an n-element set S would nowadays be called an ordered set partition. It is essentially a linear ordering of the elements of S, allowing ties. More precisely, it is a sequence (B1, . . . , Bk) of pairwise disjoint nonempty subsets of S whose union is S. Thus there are thirteen preferential arrangements of {1, 2, 3}, given by 1-2-3, 1-3-2, 2-1-3, 2-3-1, 3-1-2, 3-2-1, 12-3, 13-2, 23-1, 1-23, 2-13, 3-12, 123. Let f(n) denote the number of preferential arrangements of an n-element set. The paper by Gross states the result that
Measures of left ventricular dyssynchrony and the correlation to clinical and echocardiographic response after cardiac resynchronization therapy.

There is still no standardized measure of left ventricular (LV) dyssynchrony or definition of response in candidates of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). Recipients of CRT underwent echocardiographic assessment of LV dyssynchrony before and immediately after implantation of a CRT device. Patients were followed for 6 months postimplantation. A total of 44 patients (64 ± 12 years, 30 men, and 26 with ischemic cardiomyopathy) were included in this analysis. There was a significant decrease in both radial (304 ± 137 vs 121 ± 85 ms, p
16 - 25 micron spectroscopy of the Trapezium and BN-KL source in Orion.

Spectrophotometric observations from 16 to 25 microns of the Trapezium and the Becklin-Neugebauer-Kleinmann-Low (BN-KL) object in Orion are reported. These observations were obtained with a liquid-helium-cooled grating spectrometer. The observations of the Trapezium show a relatively flat spectrum between 16 and 25 microns, which is consistent with a 20-micron emission peak similar to that previously found at 10 microns. The BN-KL source has a smooth spectrum over the same range, showing little absorption such as characterizes the 10-micron spectrum of this source. This lack of a deep 20-micron absorption is attributed to complex radiative-transfer processes within the molecular cloud.
Integrating remotely sensed and ground observations for modeling, analysis, and decision support

Earthquake science and emergency response require integration of many data types and models that cover a broad range of scales in time and space. Timely and efficient earthquake analysis and response require automated processes and a system in which the interfaces between models and applications are established and well defined. Geodetic imaging data provide observations of crustal deformation from which strain accumulation and release associated with earthquakes can be inferred. Data products are growing and tend to be either relatively large in size, on the order of 1 GB per image with hundreds or thousands of images, or high data rate, such as from 1 second GPS solutions. The products can be computationally intensive to manipulate, analyze, or model, and are unwieldy to transfer across wide area networks. Required computing resources can be large, even for a few users, and can spike when new data are made available or when an earthquake occurs. A cloud computing environment is the natural extension for some components of QuakeSim as an increasing number of data products and model applications become available to users. Storing the data near the model applications improves performance for the user.
Size Exclusion/HPLC of Heated Water Soluble Bovine and Porcine Muscle Proteins

Proteins (280 nm absorbance) in water extracts from bovine semi-membranosus and porcine longissimiu were separated by size exclusion (SEC) high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC). SEC/HPLC profiles showed six heat sensitive fractions ≥ 10,000 daltons. These fractions ranged from peak 1 at 375,800 daltons in bovine and 170,000 daltons in porcine down to myoglobin, peak 6, at 15,200 and 19,500 daltons for bovine and porcine, respectively. SEC/HPLC showed the loss of certain peaks at specific time/temperature treatments. Heat labile porcine proteins ≥ 10,000 daltons represented about 41.5 area percent of the total extractable components after heating to 60°C. In bovine, this represented about 37.5 area percent. In both species, heating at 70°C for 30 min or at 75°C for 0 min resulted in protein solubility loss to about 1 area percent or less.
Politics and National Character: The Case of Mexico

has attended attempts to explain particular national patterns of politics in institutional and structural terms, national-character stereotypes have always provided "underground" counterexplanations of considerable plausibility. Thus, British politics are stable, peaceful, and orderly, it is said, because the British people are like that; French politics are violent, individualistic, and ideological because the French people are like that.
Ultra-fast multiwavelet analysis using phase-encoded JTC

In this paper we present a technique for multiwavelet analysis using a phase-encoded optoelectronic joint transfer correlator (JTC). The optoelectronic joint transform correlator (JTC) is presented and analyzed as an effective optoelectronic correlator for ultra-fast wavelet analysis. By multiplexing reference wavelets in phase, mutiwavelet analysis is performed in a single correlation. The architecture of the proposed system and computer simulations are presented.
AGU Celebrates 83 Geophysicists at 2013 Honors Tribute

The 2013 AGU Honors Tribute, celebrated on Wednesday, 11 December 2013, honored 83 AGU geophysicists for their passion for scientific excellence and outstanding achievements in advancing and communicating science to ensure a better future for humanity. The work conducted by this distinguished group of scientists, leaders, educators, and communicators truly embodies AGU's vision to “advance and communicate science and its power to ensure a sustainable future.”
Foraminifera from Pleistocene Gubik Formation of Northern Alaska: ABSTRACT

About 70 species of Foraminifera have been obtained from wells and seismic shotholes of Naval Petroleum Reserve 4. The majority of the species are now living off the coast of Alaska, and in the Arctic seas. Approximately one third of the species are Miliolidae, the remainder mostly Polymorphinidae, Nonionidae, and Elphidiidae, with a smaller number of Nodosariidae, Cassidulinidae, and a few rotaliform genera. The complete absence of planktonic species, in contrast to Recent Pleistocene faunas of southern Alaska, is probably due to the local shallow water conditions during the Pleistocene. End_of_Article - Last_Page 132------------
The effects of developmental and/or direct lead exposure on FR behavior in the rat

Abstract In the present study, 21-day old female rats were exposed to daily doses of 750 mg/kg of lead acetate via a restricted water intake regimen for 70–80 days prior to mating. Treatment was then continued throughout gestation and nursing. At weaning, litters from half of the treated and control mothers were placed on treatment for the remainder of the experiment. This manipulation yielded four groups for testing: Group Pb/Pb, developmental and direct, postweaning exposure; Group Pb/C, developmental exposure only; Group C/Pb, direct exposure only; and Group C/C, no exposure to lead acetate treatment. Beginning at 42–49 days of age, offspring were shaped to bar press on a Fixed Ratio 20 (FR20) schedule of reinforcement and then received 20 sessions each 20 min in length. Analyses revealed that Group Pb/Pb received significantly fewer reinforcements/min across sessions than the other three groups and also took significantly longer to emit each 20 response block. Contrary to previous reports in the literature, it is suggested that rats may not be impervious to postweaning lead exposure, particularly when there is a history of developmental exposure.
Pathways into homelessness: An epidemiological analysis

An understanding of the causes of homelessness helps in designing and evaluating interventions.
Answer to August 2011 Photo Quiz

Answer: Cytomegalovirus cervicitis. Figure 1 depicts an endocervical epithelial cell with cytopathic effects typical of cytomegalovirus (CMV). This characteristic morphology resulting from CMV infection may be seen in nearly every tissue type, including the lungs, central nervous system,
Enabling a microfluidic immunoassay for the developing world by integration of on-card dry reagent storage

As part of an effort to create a point-of-care diagnostic system for the developing world, we present a microfluidic flow-through membrane immunoassay with on-card dry reagent storage. By preserving reagent function, the storage and reconstitution of anhydrous reagents enables the devices to remain viable in challenging, unregulated environmental conditions. The assay takes place on a disposable laminate card containing both a porous membrane patterned with capture molecules and a fibrous pad containing an anhydrous analyte label. To conduct the assay, the card is placed in an external pumping and imaging instrument capable of delivering sample and rehydrated reagent to the assay membrane at controlled flow rates to generate quantitative results. Using the malarial antigen Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein II (PfHRP2) as a model, we demonstrate selection of dry storage conditions, characterization of reagent rehydration, and execution of an automated on-card assay. Gold-antibody conjugates dried in a variety of sugar matrices were shown to retain 80-96% of their activity after 60 days of storage at elevated temperatures, and the release profile of the reconstituted reagent was characterized under flow in microfluidic channels. The system gave a detection limit in the sub-nanomolar range in under nine minutes, showing the potential to expand into quantitative, multi-analyte analysis of human blood samples.
Application of inverse gas chromatography to the study of the surface properties of modified layered minerals

Abstract Inverse gas chromatography at infinite dilution has been used to study the effects of modifications of cationic (montmorillonite) and anionic (hydrotalcite) clays. By using alkanes and alkenes as probe molecules both the dispersive component of the surface energy and the surface acidic sites were characterized. The introduction of polymers into the structure of these minerals significantly changed their chemical character. Carbonization of samples whose interlayer spaces were saturated with polymers produced new carbon-modified materials. These composite materials became microporous while retaining their initial acid/base surface properties.
Modeling of the site preference in ternary B2-ordered Ni–Al–Fe alloys

The underlying equilibrium structure, site substitution behavior, and lattice parameter of ternary Ni-Fe-Al alloys are determined via Monte Carlo-Metropolis computer simulations and analytical calculations using the BFS method for alloys for the energetics. As a result of the theoretical calculations presented, a simple approach based on the energetics of small atomic clusters is introduced to explain the observed site preference schemes.
576 URINARY IRON DOSE RESPONSE TO SUBCUTANEOUS (SQ) DESFERRIOXAMINE (DF) AND ORAL ASCORBIC ACID (VIT. C) IN CONGENITAL HYPOPLASTIC ANEMIA

Urinary iron excretions with DF and vit. C were evaluated over 48-hour periods in an iron overloaded 9-year-old male with congenital hypoplastic anemia. SQ DF was 85% as effective as I.V. DF. A 12-hour SQ infusion produced the highest excretion during treatment but had a significant effect for 36 hours. Dose response curves were determined for each drug with continuous 12-hour SQ infusions. Using a constant vit. C dose of 500 mg p.o./d and increasing doses of DF, 36 hr. urinary iron increased from 22.5 mg with 1 gm DF to 56.2 mg with 4 gm DF (linear correlation coefficient 0.96, p 0.05). Continuous EKG and frequent echocardiogram monitoring showed no arrythmias or other changes in cardiac function with doses up to 3 gm vit. C. Our data shows that increased iron excretion continues for 36 hours following 12-hour SQ infusions of DF. A linear increase in excretion occurred with SQ DF doses up to 4 gm. Raising the vit. C dose from 0.5 to 3 gm per day did not result in a significant increase in iron excretion.
Modulation of physiological brain hyperthermia by environmental temperature and impaired blood outflow in rats

To study the role of ambient temperature and brain blood outflow in modulating physiological brain hyperthermia, temperatures in two brain structures (nucleus accumbens or NAcc and hippocampus or Hippo) and a non-locomotor head muscle (musculus temporalis) were monitored in rats exposed to three arousing stimuli (placement in the cage or environmental change, 3-min social interaction with a female rat, 3-min innocuous tail-pinch) under three conditions (intact animals at 23 °C or control, intact animals at 29 °C, animals with chronically occluded jugular veins at 23 °C). While each stimulus in each condition induced hyperthermia, with more rapid and stronger changes in brain structures than muscle, there were significant differences between conditions. At 29 °C, animal placement in the cage resulted in stronger temperature increase and larger brain-muscle differentials, while basal temperatures in Hippo and muscle (but not in NAcc) were higher than control. At 29 °C, hyperthermia during social interaction was smaller but more prolonged, while the response to tail-pinch was similar to that seen at normal environmental temperatures. Animals with chronically occluded jugular veins had similar basal temperatures but showed much weaker hyperthermia than intact animals during each stimulus presentation; temperature increases in brain structures, however, were much stronger than in the muscle. Our data suggest that the brain is able to decrease neural activation induced by environmental challenges under conditions of impaired blood outflow and restricted heat dissipation to the external environment.
Effect of humidity on the failure of ethylene vinyl acetate/soda lime glass interfaces using small tensile specimens

The vulnerability of adhesive joints and surface coatings under stress to environmental attack by water continues to be of considerable interest. Using tensile specimens of small dimension and minimizing exposure time we are able to maximize the importance of vapor phase attack of the bond line and to essentially eliminate bulk diffusion. We report simultaneous video observations and load measurements during failure of an ethylene vinyl acetate adhesive on soda lime glass. Samples with one millimeter diameter attachment areas were mounted on a microscope stage in a small, controlled environment chamber, allowing for rapid changes in humidity. The time required for the pre-existing defects to grow to detectable size (10 μm diameter) was a strong function of applied stress and humidity, consistent with chemically enhanced crack growth initiated at a preexisting defect. Subsequent, visible crack growth showed a much weaker dependence on applied stress and humidity, consistent with growth limited by the diffu...
Meta-analysis of fertilization experiments indicates multiple limiting nutrients in northeastern deciduous forests

It is widely accepted that N limits primary production in temperate forests, although colimitation by N and P has also been suggested, and on some soils, Ca and base cations are in short supply. I ...
RLT insights into lift-and-project closures

This paper examines relationships between the two methods for constructing polyhedral outer-approximations of mixed 0-1 linear programs known in the literature as the level-1 Reformulation–Linearization-Technique (RLT) and the elementary closure of lift-and-project (L&P) cuts based on the level-1 L&P. The latter can be obtained, via a transformation of variables, as a relaxed version of the former through the removal of constraints. Whereas both approaches derive formulations in lifted spaces by scaling problem constraints with suitable multipliers, a key difference is that the multipliers used by the RLT are defined in terms of the binary variables of the given problem. As a consequence, these multipliers, in contrast to those used in the L&P, portend important advantages, including the ability to handle nonlinear expressions, to recognize redundant inequalities, and to exploit special structures. This paper compares the two methods, and uses RLT constructs to provide insights into the L&P approach. Some particular insights are illustrated on the quadratic assignment and MAX-2SAT problems, with level-2 RLT and level-2 L&P comparisons also given for the latter problem.
Turning of nerve growth cones induced by neurotransmitters

Pathfinding by growing nerve processes in the developing nervous system depends on the turning response of the growing tip, the growth cone, to extracellular guidance cues. There is evidence in vivo and in cell culture that some growth cones exhibit chemotropic behaviour, but the identity of endogenous chemoattractants remains elusive. Neurotransmitters appear early in the developing embryo and may have morphogenic roles in development. In cell culture a number of neurotransmitters were found to induce growth inhibition or retraction of neurites. Here we report positive turning responses of the nerve growth cone in a defined extracellular gradient of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh). The growth cone response depends on the activation of neuronal nicotinic ACh receptors, requires the presence of extracellular Ca2+, and appears to be mediated by Ca(2+)-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II. Fluorescence imaging of cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) at the growth cone showed a small but significant evaluation of [Ca2+]i within minutes of the onset of ACh application and before the turning of the growth cone. These findings suggest that neurotransmitters may serve as specific chemoattractants for growth cone guidance and that cytosolic Ca2+ may act as a second messenger in the cytoplasm of the growth cone to initiate the turning response.
Race, antiracism and anthropology

Leo Kuper, ed. Race, Science and Society. New York: Columbia University Press, 1975. 370 pp. Tables, appendix, bibliography, references, and index. $12.00 (cloth) $4.95 (paper). Leo Kuper. Race, Class, and Power. Chicago: Aldine Publishing Company, 1975. vii + 345 pp. Bibliography and index. $14.95.
DEUTERON INACTIVATION OF ADSORBED MONOLAYERS OF BOVINE SERUM ALBUMIN

Abstract The inactivation with deuterons of bovine serum albumin molecules adsorbed to a plane surface of barium stearate is found to be identical with that of albumin monolayers made by spreading the protein on a water surface and transferring to a metal plate. The activity of the BSA is measured by its ability to combine specifically with the homologous rabbit antiserum. Better experimental conditions in this work made it possible to distinguish two types of antigenic sites operating in BSA molecules, a large type involved in about 75% of the serological activity, and a much smaller site. The larger type is roughly spherical with a molecular weight of about 7000 or 10 % of the molecule, but the smaller site is probably less than 1 % of the size of the molecule.
Individual and Work Group Influences on Turnover Intention Among Public Child Welfare Workers: The Effects of Work Group Psychological Safety

Abstract The antecedents and consequences of workgroup psychological safety were examined in a statewide study of 1040 public child welfare workers nested within 239 supervisory work units. Work group psychological safety mediated the effects of individual-level antecedents on turnover intention. Structural equation results indicated that when controlling for supervisory work unit-level clustering, a worker's perception of supervisory support and their office administrators' attention to human resources were significantly and positively associated with a worker's level of work group psychological safety. In turn, group psychological safety was significantly and positively associated with workers' intent to remain employed in their current organization. These findings underscore the importance of the supervisory work group in shaping individual attitudes and behavioral intentions, as well as the importance of including work units in the conceptual, measurement, and analytic models used in future studies of staff retention.
Urinary excretion of meso‐2,3‐dimercaptosuccinic acid in human subjects

The urinary excretion of meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA), which is an effective chelating agent for lead, was determined after the oral administration of 10 mg DMSA/kg to six normal young men. The DMSA that was absorbed was extensively biotransformed. After 14 hours only 2.53% of the administered DMSA was excreted in the urine as unaltered DMSA and 18.1% as altered forms. The unaltered DMSA was 12% of the total DMSA found in the urine. The altered form(s) of DMSA was 88% of the total urinary DMSA. The altered DMSA can be converted to unaltered DMSA by electrolytic reduction, which indicates that the altered forms of DMSA are disulfides. The excretion of altered DMSA reached a peak between 2 and 4 hours after DMSA administration. There were small but statistically significant increases in the excretion of zinc, copper, and lead after DMSA administration. DMSA did not influence the urinary excretion of 27 other metals and elements. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (1989) 45, 520–526; doi:10.1038/clpt.1989.67
Calculation of Tc in a Normal-Superconductor Bilayer Using the Microscopic-Based Usadel Theory

Abstract The Usadel equations give a theory of superconductivity, valid in the diffusive limit, that is a generalization of the microscopic equations of the BCS theory. Because the theory is expressed in a tractable and physical form, even experimentalists can analytically and numerically calculate detailed properties of superconductors in physically relevant geometries. Here, we describe the Usadel equations and review their solution in the case of predicting the transition temperature TC of a thin normal-superconductor bilayer. We also extend this calculation for thicker bilayers to show the dependence on the resistivity of the films. These results, which show a dependence on both the interface resistance and heat capacity of the films, provide important guidance on fabricating bilayers with reproducible transition temperatures.
Osmotic regulation of seamless tube growth

Most organs are composed of tubes of differing cellular architectures, including intracellular 'seamless' tubes. Two studies examining the morphogenesis of the seamless tubes formed by the excretory canal cell in Caenorhabditis elegans reveal a previously unappreciated role for osmoregulation of tubulogenesis: hyperosmotic shock recruits canalicular vesicles to the lumenal membrane to promote seamless tube growth.
EFFECT OF HEMOLYTIC STREPTOCOCCI ON TISSUE CELLS.

SummaryHuman tonsil and liver cells and human monocytes and lymphocytes were inoculated with hemolytic streptococci belonging to serological groups A, C, and G. A large inoculum of bacteria invariably resulted in complete destruction of the above tissue cells. Smaller inocula of bacteria gave variable results ranging from complete destruction of tissue cells to complete destruction of the streptococci and in some cases apparently a symbiotic relationship in which both tissue cells and bacteria survived. Human heart cells were susceptible to damage by a larger number of strains of streptococci than were monkey kidney cells. Used medium in which streptococci and tissue cells had grown had no observable effect on human heart, human tonsil, monkey kidney, or monkey heart cells. Streptolysin O (reduced and non-reduced), streptolysin S, streptococcal hyaluronidase, and Todd-Hewitt broth in which streptococci had grown had no observable effect on the above tissue cells.
Quantifying System Vulnerability as a Performance Measure for Systems Investment Evaluation and Decision-making

Civil engineering systems are vulnerable to natural and man-made threats. In recent years, agencies are paying increased attention to investments that are geared towards reducing system vulnerability. For purposes of analyzing the effectiveness of such investments and also for vulnerability monitoring, a procedure is needed to quantify the level of system vulnerability at any time. This paper identifies vulnerability types and presents a general procedure for establishing system vulnerability. The procedure quantitatively assesses the threat likelihood and consequence. Threat likelihood is expressed as a function of the system environment (threat type); and consequence, is expressed as a function of the system attributes. Specifically, the consequence of failure due to the threat is evaluated on the basis of possible failure modes and the extent of public exposure in the event of failure. Public exposure, a function of the occupancy (or traffic) and the class of the system, reflects the effect of system failure on users and the surrounding community.
Solvent Reorganization in Long-Range Electron Transfer: Density Matrix Approach

The dynamics of charge transfer from a photoexcited donor to an acceptor coupled through a bridge is investigated by using a correlation-function approach in Liouville space that takes into account solvent dynamics with an arbitrary distribution of time scales. The time- and frequency-resolved fluorescence spectrum from the acceptor is used to probe the scaling of the ET rate with bridge size. The crossover between the coherent tunneling (transfer) and the incoherent sequential (transport) regimes and its implications on the nature of ET processes in DNA are discussed.
Cardiac Dysrhythmias in Children

As our understanding of heart rate and rhythm disorders is changing, so too is the terminology. Hence, the words in the title of this article are "cardiac dysrhythmias" rather than "cardiac arrhythmias." The word "arrhythmia" means totally without rhythm. The only rhythm abnormality that fits this definition is fibrillation, either atrial or ventricular. The word "dysrhythmia," meaning an abnormal rhythm, conveys our meaning more precisely. FREQUENCY The number of pediatric patients with cardiac dysrhythmias is increasing, mainly because a common sequela of cardiac surgery is damage to the specific conduction system and working myocardium. Dysrhythmias also are being recognized more frequently in children who have no structural heart disease. This discovery is probably due to increased awareness on the part of pediatricians that certain cardiac dysrhythmias in otherwise normal children are important. We must not let this new awareness lead to overenthusiasm that might label a child with a benign dysrhythmia a "cardiac patient." A basic tenet in evaluating the pediatric patient with a dysrhythmia is that very few dysrhythmias in children with otherwise normal hearts are life-threatening, although some are persistent and even disabling. On the other hand, any rhythm abnormality in a child with an abnormal heart should be viewed with concern.
Motor activity and verbal behavior.

The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of motor activity upon verbal behavior. 120 8th grade students served as Ss distributed among 6 experimental samples. Although Ss failed to condition verbally, and no interaction effect was found between verbal conditioning and motor activity, it was found that Ss engaged in a motor activity (finger tapping) significantly more often selected verbs denoting gross motor activity than did Ss not so engaged. The results are interpreted to support Razran's (1961) contention of the importance of proprioceptive and motor-interoceptive signals upon words and their equivalents.
Fractal antennas for conformal phased arrays

A new form of widebandwidth thin fractal antenna with a ground plane is introduced that can be conformally placed on any arbitrary surface. Parameters associated with antenna, its response for various stages and use of these antennas in an array is discussed.
Mobile augmented reality interaction techniques for authoring situated media on-site

We present a set of mobile augmented reality interaction techniques for authoring situated media: multimedia and hypermedia that are embedded within the physical environment. Our techniques are designed for use with a tracked hand-held tablet display with an attached camera, and rely on "freezing" the frame for later editing.
Response of double cropping suitability to climate change in the United States

In adapting US agriculture to the climate of the 21st century, a key unknown is whether cropping frequency may increase, helping to offset projected negative yield impacts in major production regions. Combining daily weather data and crop phenology models, we find that cultivated area in the US suited to dryland winter wheat–soybeans, the most common double crop (DC) system, increased by up to 28% from 1988 to 2012. Changes in the observed distribution of DC area over the same period agree well with this suitability increase, evidence consistent with climate change playing a role in recent DC expansion in phenologically constrained states. We then apply the model to projections of future climate under the RCP45 and RCP85 scenarios and estimate an additional 126–239% increase, respectively, in DC area. Sensitivity tests reveal that in most instances, increases in mean temperature are more important than delays in fall freeze in driving increased DC suitability. The results suggest that climate change will relieve phenological constraints on wheat–soy DC systems over much of the United States, though it should be recognized that impacts on corn and soybean yields in this region are expected to be negative and larger in magnitude than the 0.4–0.75% per decade benefits we estimate here for double cropping.
The Role of Subcommittees After the Republican Revolution

House Republicans in the 104th Congress chose not to adopt Democratic rules reserving a role for subcommittees in policymaking, the Subcommittee Bill of Rights (SBR). Although the SBR did increase subcommittee power, subcommittees sometimes had considerable influence prior to the reforms as well. The question is whether and how much their role diminished under the Republicans. In fact, some Republican panels chose to devolve some of their power in the absence of the SBR. I suggest that we understand committee and subcommittee policymaking capacity as partial and contingent and that subcommittees can exercise influence in the absence of formal protections such as the SBR. I find that subcommittees are reappointed at the same rate as under the Democrats and are used as partisan tools to block minority party legislation and that they provide a source of influence for subcommittee chairs and an opportunity for logrolling.
Structural resonance and mode of flutter of hummingbird tail feathers

Feathers can produce sound by fluttering in airflow. This flutter is hypothesized to be aeroelastic, arising from the coupling of aerodynamic forces to one or more of the feather's intrinsic structural resonance frequencies. We investigated how mode of flutter varied among a sample of hummingbird tail feathers tested in a wind tunnel. Feather vibration was measured directly at ~100 points across the surface of the feather with a scanning laser Doppler vibrometer (SLDV), as a function of airspeed, U air. Most feathers exhibited multiple discrete modes of flutter, which we classified into types including tip, trailing vane and torsional modes. Vibratory behavior within a given mode was usually stable, but changes in independent variables such as airspeed or orientation sometimes caused feathers to abruptly ‘jump’ from one mode to another. We measured structural resonance frequencies and mode shapes directly by measuring the free response of 64 feathers stimulated with a shaker and recorded with the SLDV. As predicted by the aeroelastic flutter hypothesis, the mode shape (spatial distribution) of flutter corresponded to a bending or torsional structural resonance frequency of the feather. However, the match between structural resonance mode and flutter mode was better for tip or torsional mode shapes, and poorer for trailing vane modes. Often, the 3rd bending structural harmonic matched the expressed mode of flutter, rather than the fundamental. We conclude that flutter occurs when airflow excites one or more structural resonance frequencies of a feather, most akin to a vibrating violin string. * f : frequency L : characteristic length (e.g. aerodynamic chord) PSD : power spectral density, mass specific R1–5 : tail feathers (rectrices): R1, innermost; R5, outermost SLDV : scanning laser Doppler vibrometer t : feather vane thickness U air : airspeed U * : critical airspeed at which aerodynamic energy exceeds damping, and the feather enters limit-cycle flutter α : angle of attack: angle of the feather relative to airflow, corresponding to rotation about the feather's longitudinal ( Y )-axis. β : sweep angle: angle of the feather relative to airflow, corresponding to rotation about the Z -axis, perpendicular to the plane of the feather vane
An Application of 3-D MEMS Packaging: Out-of-Plane Quadrupole Mass Filters

This paper reports the design, fabrication, and characterization of low-cost out-of-plane quadrupole mass filters that use commercially available dowel pins as electrode rods. The quadrupoles implement a 3-D MEMS packaging technology that relies on deep-reactive ion etching (DRIE)-patterned deflection springs for alignment. Quadrupoles with rod diameter ranging from 0.25 to 1.58 mm and aspect ratio of 30 to 60 were built and tested at RF frequencies of 1.44, 2.0, and 4 MHz. Assembled devices operated in the first stability region achieved a maximum mass range of 650 amu, while a minimum half-peak width of 0.4 amu at mass 28 was obtained in the second stability region. Operation in the second stability region provides a means to higher resolution, smoother peaks, and removed peak splitting at the expense of transmission. The ultimate resolution of the reported quadrupoles is also discussed.
A transductive extension of maximum entropy/iterative scaling for decision aggregation in distributed classification

Many ensemble classification systems apply supervised learning to design a function for combining classifier decisions, which requires common labeled training samples across the classifier ensemble. Without such data, fixed rules (voting, Bayes rule) are usually applied. [1] alternatively proposed a transductive constraint-based learning strategy to learn how to fuse decisions even without labeled examples. There, decisions on test samples were chosen to satisfy constraints measured by each local classifier. There are two main limitations of that work. First, feasibility of the constraints was not guaranteed. Second, heuristic learning was applied. Here we overcome both problems via a transductive extension of maximum entropy/improved iterative scaling for aggregation in distributed classification. This method is shown to achieve improved decision accuracy over the earlier transductive approach on a number of UC Irvine data sets.
Molecular dynamics simulations of friction between alkylsilane monolayers

Alkylsilane monolayer films are used in the fabrication of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) as anti-stiction coatings. Recently, these films are also being considered as anti-friction coating for MEMS parts that operate under conditions of friction, such as gears, motors, etc. Study of frictional behaviour of these films is of significant interest from the performance point of view. In this work we use the method of molecular dynamics (MD) to study the friction between two rigid silica substrates coated with alkylsilane monolayers. The friction coefficient, friction force and normal force on the films are obtained as a function of separation between the substrates, temperature of the films and velocity of the substrates. The results of simulations are compared with the thermal activation model of Briscoe and Evans (1982 Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A 380 389). The frictional behaviour of the films as a function of separation between the substrates follows the thermal activation model. The MD simulations in the present work show that the normal force (or pressure) on the films is dependent on the temperature and the substrate velocity. This is in contrast to the thermal activation model in which the pressure on the films is assumed to be independent of these variables. The simulation results are seen to be in agreement with a modified thermal activation model which takes into account the dependence of pressure on the temperature and substrate velocity.
An orchid bee of the genus Eulaema in Early Miocene Mexican amber (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

The first fossil orchid bee from Early Miocene Mexican amber is described and figured. Eulaema ( Apeulaema ) zigrasi Engel, new species, represents the first non-meliponine bee fossil documented from Mexican amber as well as the first fossil of its genus. The new species is distinguished from its congeners and comments are briefly made regarding the geological history of Euglossini.
Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus (Human Herpesvirus 8) Contains Two Functional Lytic Origins of DNA Replication

We used a transient-transfection replication assay to identify two functional copies of the human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8) lytic origin of DNA replication (oriLyt). BCLB-1 cells were transfected with HHV8 subgenomic fragments containing the putative lytic origin along with a plasmid expressing viral transactivator open reading frame (ORF) 50. The HHV8 left-end oriLyt (oriLyt-L) lies between ORFs K4.2 and K5 and is composed of a region encoding various transcription factor binding sites and an A+T-rich region and a G+C repeat region. The right-end oriLyt (oriLyt-R) maps between ORF 69 and vFLIP, a region similar to the RRV oriLyt, and is an inverted duplication of oriLyt-L.
Acid phosphatase in the tail of Xenopus laevis during development and metamorphosis.

Quantitative and qualitative changes in acid phosphatase during growth and metamorphosis of the tail of Xenopus laevis have been investigated. Enzyme activity was assayed by two methods using different substrates, p-nitrophenyl phosphate and β-glycerophosphate. The enzyme was found to be consistently more active with p-nitrophenyl phosphate. Specific activity of whole tail homogenates assayed by both methods remains constant during development and early metamorphosis, and then rises sharply as the rate of tail regression begins to accelerate. Total phosphatase activity of whole tail homogenates rises linearly during development and early metamorphosis, and then maintains a high level during the first half of the period of tail regression. After this it declines. Regional localization of acid phosphatase activity has been determined in different parts of the tail: dorsal fin, ventral fin, and muscle. Changes in the apparent Km and pH optimum of acid phosphatase occur during tail regression. These properties remain constant during development and early metamorphosis, and are then found to change approximately in parallel with changes in enzyme activity during tail resorption. Possible implications of these biochemical events are discussed.
Morbidity and timing of colostomy closure in trauma patients

The reported morbidity of colostomy closure in trauma patients varies from 5 to 27 per cent. Low morbidity rates are cited as a factor favouring colostomy creation and against expanded indications for primary repair in the treatment of colonic injuries. In order to assess the morbidity of colostomy closure, we reviewed all colonic injuries from 1979 to 1991 at our institutions. In all, 86 trauma patients who underwent colostomy creation and closure were identified. There were 82 men and four women with an age range of 16 to 74 years (mean 28.1 years). Of these, 95 per cent (N = 82) resulted from penetrating trauma. Of the patients, 63 per cent (N = 54) received end colostomies and 81 per cent (N = 70) of the patients had associated injuries. Of the patients, 38 per cent (N = 33) had a complication with their initial operation. There were no deaths after colostomy closure, but a total morbidity of 24.4 per cent (N = 21) was noted. There were 11 anastomotic complications (two of which required repeat laparotomy) and nine wound infections. The average length of stay was 10.4 days. Morbidity was concentrated in the group who had complications at their initial hospitalization. This was especially true if these patients underwent closure earlier than 3 months after injury. Conversely, if the first operation was uncomplicated, waiting longer than 3 months to perform colostomy closure did not improve results further.
Formal Methods of Cultural Analysis

Our focus is on methods of cultural analysis, and specifically on those methods that are formal in the sense that they rely upon the purposeful gathering (or simulating) of cultural data and a systematic analysis that involves at least some mathematically based technique. The meaning of culture is more complex, as scholars have understood cultural phenomena in very different ways across the decades and across the disciplines. These different goals in cultural analysis give rise to different types or styles of formal methods of cultural analysis. We briefly review the history of these methods in the social sciences and conclude with a description of some of the main arenas within which formal methods of cultural analysis are being deployed and actively developed today.
Palmitate uptake by cultured hepatocytes: albumin binding and stagnant layer phenomena

We compared uptake of palmitate by hepatocyte monolayers with uptake by polyethylene membranes under conditions of identical binding and stirring. Hepatocytes and polyethylene display similar clearances when the fatty acid is free, reflecting partial rate limitation by diffusion across the unstirred water layer. When palmitate is 99.8% bound to albumin, however, hepatocytes clear free fatty acid about seven times faster than does polyethylene. We analyzed the uptake of palmitate by polyethylene at two different pHs to isolate the diffusive resistance of the unstirred layer and to show that codiffusion of bound and free palmitate to the hepatocyte surface accounts for only approximately 20% of the albumin-dependent increment in the clearance of free palmitate. The clearance data are supported by independent measurements of the stagnant layer thickness obtained from indicator dilution data and by an electrochemical method. The findings suggest that hepatocytes facilitate the dissociation of albumin-palmitate complexes. Alternatively, albumin may modulate the uptake capacities of hepatocytes and/or polyethylene.