cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Internal and overall motions of the translation factor eIF4E: cap binding and insertion in a CHAPS detergent micelle.

The mRNA cap-binding protein eIF4E is the limiting factor in the eIF4F translation initiation complex, which mediates the binding of the 40S ribosome to the mRNA. 15N relaxation studies have been used to characterize the backbone dynamics of deuterated eIF4E in a CHAPS micelle for the apoprotein, the m7GDP-bound form, and the dinucleotide (m7GpppA)-bound form, as well as for CHAPS-free eIF4E. Large differences in overall correlation time between the CHAPS-free form (11.8 ns) and samples containing different concentrations of CHAPS (15.9–19.4 ns) indicate that eIF4E is embedded in a large micelle in the presence of CHAPS, with a total molecular weight in the range of 40–60 kDa. CHAPS seems to restrict the mobility of the a2–b3 and a4–b5 loops which are thought to be embedded in the micelle. No significant changes in overall mobility were seen between the m7GDP-bound form, the m7GpppA-bound form, and the apoprotein. Amide hydrogen exchange data indicate the presence of slowly exchanging amides in two surface-exposed helices (a2 and a4), as well as the a4–b5 loop, indicating protection by the CHAPS micelle. The micelle covers the convex side of the protein away from the cap-binding site.
A multi-layered ontology for comparing relationship semantics in conceptual models of databases

Relationships are an integral part of the design of a database. Comparing and integrating relationships from heterogeneous databases requires that the relationships be mapped to each other or to a common classification. Identifying similarities and resolving differences in relationships across large data sources is a resource-intensive task that could benefit greatly from semi-automated approaches. A prerequisite to developing such approaches is a clear understanding of the semantics of relationships used in database design. This research presents a layered ontology for classifying the semantics of relationships. It consists of a core layer that captures the fundamental types of relationships between entities. A middle layer provides the internal context, obtained from entities surrounding the relationship, to interpret the fundamental types. The outer layer allows further interpretation using the external context, that is, the domain in which a relationship is being used. An initial assessment on relationships from a variety of application domains demonstrates that the ontology can be adequate and useful for comparing relationships across databases.
The effect of atropine on plasma gastrin response to feeding.

Plasma gastrin concentrations were determined by radioimmunoassay in 8 subjects given a test meal with and without prior atropinization. Gastrin levels increased in all subjects following feeding. Integrated increments in plasma gastrin responses over the 2-hr period following feeding were always greater under atropine than in the control studies. Particularly marked differences between atropine and control studies were observed in 3 patients with duodenal ulcer. One patient with pernicious anemia and high fasting plasma gastrin concentrations showed no significant sustained changes in concentration in the fasting state over a 2-hr period following atropine administration. It is concluded that the tonic release of gastrin in patients with anacidity is atropine-resistant and that the reduction in gastric acid secretion produced by atropine in acid-secreting subjects serves to blunt the normal inhibitory effect of antral acidification on gastrin secretion, thereby overcoming any possible atropine blockade of gastrin release in response to feeding.
Reversible heat stress-related loss of phosphorylated Alzheimer-type epitopes in Tau proteins of human neuroblastoma cells

Human neuroblastoma cells, LAN, were used to study the phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of tau proteins. These cells contained mainly a form of tau comparable to fetal brain tau in molecular weight (55 kDa). Neuroblastoma tau reacted with antibodies that recognize epitopes spanning the whole tau molecule (E-1, Alz50, Tau-1, and Tau46), and antibodies (PHF-1, NP8, and T3P) that recognize hyperphosphorylated tau (PHF-tau) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains. Exposure of the cells to 45 degrees C heat stress resulted in dephosphorylation of the epitopes recognized by PHF-1, NP8, and T3P. Transfer of the heat-stressed cells to 37 degrees C led to rephosphorylation of the dephosphorylated epitopes. Cells that had been treated with okadaic acid (OA), regardless of whether they were subsequently subjected to heat stress or heat stress and recovery, all contained tau with a molecular weight similar to that of control cells. These tau proteins, similar to tau in control cells, also reacted with antibodies to phosphorylated epitopes. However, unlike the tau from control or heat-stressed cells, the OA-treated and heat-stressed tau had decreased reactivity with Tau-1. Alteration of Tau-1 immunoreactivity has been reported to be an early event in AD neurodegeneration. The reduction of Tau-1 immunoreactivity observed in OA-treated samples could be restored by incubation of electroblots of isolated tau with alkaline phosphatase, indicating an induction of the Tau-1 epitope phosphorylation by OA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Innovative Governance in a Federal Europe: Implementing the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

A recent development in European law, less heralded, but no less path‐breaking than the Treaty of Lisbon, was the ratification by the EU of its first human rights treaty—the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Concluded as a mixed agreement, the CRPD's pioneering monitoring mechanisms demand a high level of cooperation from both the Union and its Member States. It, thus, provides an opportunity for the Union to further develop a distinctly European notion of federalism by the use of new, innovative governance mechanisms. This article looks at the Union as a federalist project through the prism of the mixed agreement, and specifically the ways that federalism may be balanced within it, using the CRPD as an example. Although the Union has an existing Code of Conduct under the Convention, it lacks true engagement with these issues, and this article proposes changes to that end.
Marketing Dèjá Vu: The Discovery of Integrated Marketing Communications

Integrated marketing communications (IMC) misrepresents the nature of marketing and systematically ignores at least 60 years of marketing literature. IMC reinvents marketing theory using different ...
Behavioral interventions to improve infection control practices

No single intervention has been successful in improving and sustaining such infection control practices as universal precautions and handwashing by health care professionals. This paper examines several behavioral theories (Health Belief Model, Theory of Reasoned Action and Theory of Planned Behavior, self-efficacy, and the Transtheoretic Model) and relates them to individual factors, also considering interpersonal and organizational factors. Further, this article includes recommendations of individual and organizational components to be addressed when planning a theoretically based intervention for improving infection control practices. A hypothetic framework to enhance handwashing practice is proposed.
INHERENT RISK: AN INVESTIGATION OF AUDITORS' JUDGMENTS.

Abstract The assessment of inherent risk is a judgment required of auditors by Statement on Auditing Standards 47 (Auditing Standards Board, AICPA, New York, 1983) that normatively affects the scope of work performed on audit engagements. This study explores the judgments of auditors concerning inherent risk in inventory. Four inherent risk factors were examined: turnover of the controller, financing pressure, the amount of complexity of overhead in inventory, and the quality of the personnel responsible for the inventory calculation. A human information processing approach employing ANOVA was utilized to determine the relative reliance on these factors in the inherent risk judgments of 65 practicing auditors. Correlation techniques were used to measure consensus, reliability, and self-insight. The results suggest that although all four inherent risk factors were important to auditors, quality of personnel was the most significant. Reliability was slightly lower than in previous research, but was still fairly high. Self-insight was moderate.
Predicting performance of a renewable energy-powered microgrid throughout the United States using typical meteorological year 3 data

Abstract Natural disasters are increasing in frequency and cost throughout the United States. Long term power outages frequently result from natural disasters, which leads to higher reliance on inefficient and cost ineffective gasoline or diesel powered generators to meet energy needs. The development of deployable renewable energy-powered microgrids as mobile power sources would allow energy demands to be met in portable and effective way, while reducing diesel fuel consumption. Characterizing system performance of renewable energy-powered microgrids prior to deployment would allow a future system to be appropriately sized to meet all required electrical loads at a given intermittent diesel generator operational frequency. Appropriate sizing of renewable energy powered microgrids and backup diesel generators would decrease system operation and transportation costs as well as define the appropriate amount of fuel to be kept on hand. This paper focuses on developing figures that represent the quantity of external AC or DC load a microgrid could supply as a function of intermittent diesel generator operational frequency. Typical meteorological year 3 (TMY3) data from 217 Class I locations throughout the United States were inserted into an operational frequency prediction model to characterize the quantity of external AC and DC load the system could supply at intermittent diesel generator operational frequencies of 1%, 5%, 10%, 25%, and 50%. Ordinary block Kriging analysis was performed to interpolate AC and DC load power between TMY3 Class I locations for each diesel generator operating frequency. Figures representing projected AC and DC external load were then developed for each diesel generator operating frequency.
Regulation of RANKL promoter activity is associated with histone remodeling in murine bone stromal cells

Receptor activator of NFkappa-B ligand (RANKL) is essential for osteoclast formation, function, and survival. Although RANKL mRNA and protein levels are modulated by 1,25(OH)2D3 and other osteoactive factors, regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we show that 2 kb or 2 kb plus exon 1 of a RANKL promoter sequence conferred neither 1,25(OH)2D3 response nor tissue specificity. The histone deacetylase inhibitors trichostatin A (TSA) and sodium butyrate (SB), however, strongly increased RANKL promoter activity. A series of 5'-deleted RANKL promoter constructs from 2,020 to 110 bp showed fourfold increased activity after TSA treatment. TSA also dose dependently enhanced endogenous RANKL mRNA expression with 50 microM of TSA treatment causing equivalent RANKL expression to that seen with 1 nM 1,25(OH)2D3. Using a chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay we showed that TSA significantly enhanced association of both acetylated histone H3 and H4 on the RANKL promoter, with H4 > H3. A similar increase in acetylated histone H4 on the RANKL gene locus was seen after 1,25(OH)2D3 treatment, but ChIP assay did not reveal localization of VDR/RXR heterodimers on the putative VDRE of the RANKL promoter. To explore the role of H4 acetylation of 1,25(OH)2D3 stimulated RANKL, we added both TSA and 1,25(OH)2D3 together. While the combination further increased acetylation of H4 on the RANKL locus, surprisingly, TSA inhibited 1,25(OH)2D3-induced RANKL mRNA expression by 70% at all doses of 1 ,25(OH)2D3 studied. These results suggest that TSA increases of endogenous expression of RANKL involve enhanced acetylation of histones on the proximal RANKL promoter. Preventing deacetylation, however, blocks 1,25(OH)2D3 action on this gene. Chromatin remodeling is therefore involved in RANKL expression.
Assessing Risk of Unintended Antigen Occurrence in Food: A Case Instance for Maize-Expressed LT-B

ABSTRACT Plant-based antigen production represents an innovative strategy for low cost vaccine production and delivery. Successfully advancing plant-made antigen production in open field systems requires understanding of confinement integrity and consequences of inadvertent occurrence in the food supply. The food safety implications of confinement loss and inadvertent antigen occurrence in the food supply can be effectively addressed using quantitative exposure assessment along with knowledge of properties of specific antigens. We report here a food safety risk assessment for the maize-expressed heat-labile enterotoxin subunit B of Escherichia coli (LT-B). In addition to dietary exposure assessment, food safety considerations for maize-expressed LT-B included assessment of allergenic potential, levels and sites of transgenic protein expression, history of use, post-translational glycosylation, protein processing and digestive stability, mammalian functionality and toxicity, and compositional characteristi...
The inverse protein folding problem on 2D and 3D lattices

In this paper we investigate the inverse protein folding (IPF) problem under the Canonical model on 3D and 2D lattices [W.E. Hart, On the computational complexity of sequence design problems, Proceedings of the First Annual International Conference on Computational Molecular Biology 1997, pp. 128-136; E.I. Shakhnovich, A.M. Gutin, Engineering of stable and fast-folding sequences of model proteins, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 90 (1993) 7195-7199]. In this problem, we are given a contact graph G=(V,E) of a protein sequence that is embeddable in a 3D (respectively, 2D) lattice and an integer 1=
Polarization of conversion electrons following beta decay

Because of the breakdown of the symmetry principles in weak interactions, β-decay provides a means of producing polarized nuclei. In allowed transitions only first rank polarization, and in forbidden transitions higher odd rank orientation, is produced. This orientation is manifested in the polarization of subsequent radiations. The present work contains an essentially complete discussion of the polarization of internal conversion electrons from theK-shell. In allowed transitions there is an appreciable longitudinal and also transverse polarization. The latter is in the plane of the momentum vectors of the β-particle and conversion electron. In general these polarizations also appear in forbidden transitions where contributions from higher odd rank orientation are present. In addition, the forbidden transitions are characterized by a component of polarization perpendicular to the β-conversion electron plane. This component, which arises from the even rank orientations (for example, alignment), is a «classical» effect of the coincidence observation. Unfortunately, this transverse polarization is very small (a few percent at most) under practical conditions. Expressions for the polarization components are given in terms of extensively tabulated angular correlation coefficients and «particle» parameters for the three types of polarization. Numerical results for the longitudinal and transverse in-the-plane polarization parameters are included for mixed as well as for pure multipole transitions. Particular decay schemes involving allowed and first forbidden unique β transitions are considered in detail and numerical values for these polarizations are given.
Continuum spectroscopy with a 10 C beam: Cluster structure and three-body decay

Resonance-decay spectroscopy is used to study particle-unbound excited states produced in interactions of $E/A=10.7 \mathrm{MeV}$ $^{10}\mathrm{C}$ on Be and C targets. After inelastic scattering, structures associated with excited states in $^{10}\mathrm{C}$ were observed at 5.22, 5.29, 6.55, 6.56, 6.57, and 8.4 MeV which decay into the $2p+2\ensuremath{\alpha}$ final state. This final state is created via a number of different decay paths, which include prompt and sequential two-proton decay to the ground state of $^{8}\mathrm{Be}$, $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ decay to $^{6}\mathrm{Be}{}_{\mathrm{g}.\mathrm{s}.}$, and proton decay to the 2.345-MeV state of $^{9}\mathrm{B}$. For the sequential two-proton decay states (5.22 and 6.55 MeV), angular correlations between the first two decay axes indicate that the spin of these states are nonzero. For the prompt two-proton decay of the 5.29-MeV state, the three-body correlations between the two protons and the core are intermediate between those measured for ground-state $^{6}\mathrm{Be}$ and $^{45}\mathrm{Fe}$ decays. The 6.55- and 6.57-MeV structures are most probably associated with the same level, which has a 14% two-proton decay branch with a strong ``diproton'' character and a 86% sequential two-proton decay branch. Correlations between the fragments following the three-body decay of the 2.345-MeV state of $^{9}\mathrm{B}$ can be approximately described by sequential $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ decay to the $^{5}\mathrm{Li}$ intermediate state. The 8.06- and 9.61-MeV $^{10}\mathrm{B}$ states that decay into the $d+^{6}\mathrm{Li}{}_{2.186}$ channel are confirmed. Evidence for cluster structure in $^{13}\mathrm{N}$ is obtained from a number of excited states that decay into the $p+3\ensuremath{\alpha}$ exit channel.
Internal stability of linear consensus processes

In a network of n agents, consensus means that all n agents reach an agreement on a specific value of some quantity via local interactions. A linear consensus process can typically be modeled by a discrete-time linear recursion equation or a continuous-time linear differential equation, whose equilibria include nonzero states of the form a1 where a is a constant and 1 is a column vector in ℝn whose entries all equal 1. Using a suitably defined semi-norm, this paper extends the standard notions of uniform asymptotic stability and exponential stability from linear systems to linear recursions and differential equations of this type. It is shown that these notions are equivalent just as they are for conventional linear systems. The main contributions of this paper are first to provide a simple, direct proof of the necessary graph-theoretic condition given in [1] for a discrete-time linear consensus process to be exponentially stable, and second to derive a necessary graph-theoretic condition for a piecewise time-invariant continuous-time linear consensus process to be exponentially stable.
Composing high‐performance schedulers: a case study from real‐time simulation

Dynamic, high-performance or real-time applications require scheduling latencies and throughput not typically offered by current kernel or user-level threads schedulers. Moreover, it is widely accepted that it is important to be able to specialize scheduling policies for specific target applications and their execution environments. This paper presents one solution to the construction of such high-performance, application-specific thread schedulers. Specifically, scheduler implementations are composed from modular components, where individual scheduler modules may be specialized to underlying hardware characteristics or implement precisely the mechanisms and policies desired by application programs. The resulting user-level schedulers' implementations can provide resource guarantees by interaction with kernel-level facilities which provide means of resource reservation. This paper demonstrates the concept of composable schedulers by construction of several compositions for highly dynamic target applications, where low scheduling latencies are critical to application performance. Claims about the importance and effectiveness of scheduler composition are validated experimentally on a shared-memory multiprocessor. Scheduler compositions are optimized to take advantage of different low-level hardware attributes and of knowledge about application requirements specific to certain applications, including a Time Warp-based real-time discrete event simulator. Experimental evaluations are based on synthetic workloads, on a real-time simulation blending simulated with implemented control system components, and on a dynamic robot control program. Measurements indicate that schedulers can be composed and specialized to offer performance similar to that of dedicated scheduling co-processors. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Eccentric Ringlet in the Maxwell Gap at 1.45 Saturn Radii: Multi-Instrument Voyager Observations

The Voyager spacecraft observed a narrow, eccentric ringlet in the Maxwell gap (1.45 Saturn radii) in Saturn's rings. Intercomparison of the Voyager imaging, photopolarimeter, ultraviolet spectrometer, and radio science observations yields results not available from individual observations. The width of the ringlet varies from about 30 to about 100 kilometers, its edges are sharp on a radial scale < 1 kilometer, and its opacity exhibits a double peak near the center. The shape and width of the ringlet are consistent with a set of uniformly precessing, confocal ellipses with foci at Saturn's center of mass. The ringlet precesses as a unit at a rate consistent with the known dynamical oblateness of Saturn; the lack of differential precession across the ringlet yields a ringlet mass of about 5 x 10^(18) grams. The ratio of surface mass density to particle cross-sectional area is about five times smaller than values obtained elsewhere in the Saturn ring system, indicating a relatively larger fraction of small particles. Also, comparison of the measured transmission of the ringlet at radio, visible, and ultraviolet wavelengths indicates that about half of the total extinction is due to particles smaller than 1 centimeter in radius, in contrast even with nearby regions of the C ring. However, the color and brightness of the ringlet material are not measurably different from those of nearby C ring particles. We find this ringlet is similar to several of the rings of Uranus.
Amlodipine/ARB fixed-dose combinations for the treatment of hypertension: focus on amlodipine/olmesartan combination.

The incidence of hypertension continues to increase worldwide and, according to recent estimates, its incidence is approximately 30% of the U.S. population. However, the control of blood pressure (BP) to recommended levels of or = 100 mmHg and systolic BP > or = 160 mmHg. There are several fixed-dose combination preparations already available, each with its individual indications. The recently FDA-approved fixed-dose combinations of amlodipine with either olmesartan or valsartan are very effective in treating hypertension and are safe and well tolerated. In addition to reducing BP, these new fixed-dose combinations have also demonstrated significant reductions in the inciendence of edema associated with amlodipine monotherapy, which makes them more acceptable to patients. In addition, due to the metabolic neutrality of both component drugs, these preparations are preferable for the treatment of hypertensive patients with diabetes or the metabolic syndrome, in addition to other cardiovascular risk factors.
The use of linked line segments for cluster representation and data reduction

Abstract Regardless of how one searches for clusters in data, the resulting cluster structures are often modelled as their respective centroids. However, the use of centroids in this manner implies the clusters are hyperspherical in shape. If the cluster shape is not hyperspherical, using the distance between individual observations and the centroid as a metric of an observation's cluster membership can be misleading. This report proposes the use of a linked line segment based model of cluster structure which is not biased towards any particular cluster shape. The effectiveness of the linked line segment approach is demonstrated in a data reduction exercise using simulated and real world data.
Radiation Enteritis following Radiotherapy for Prostatic Carcinoma

Two cases of radiation enteritis and small bowel obstruction are reported following supervoltage radiation therapy for carcinoma of the prostate. The mechanisms of radiation injury to the small bowel and contributing factors are discussed. It is suggested that lymph node staging procedures for carcinoma of the prostate be done extraperitoneally in order to avoid the enhanced sensitivity of small bowel to radiation injury following transperitoneal procedures.
Kinetic studies in ethylene polymerization with ziegler type catalysts. VI. Characterization of catalyst sites by polymerization experiments in the presence of deuterium

Ethylene polymerization in the presence of deuterium was investigated with the four catalyst systems resulting from Et3Al and Et2AlCl in combination with either TiCl4 or TiCl3. From the effect of catalyst ratio on the kind and the amount of deuterated products formed the existence of three kinds of titanium sites could be inferred. An H, D-exchange reaction involving the β-hydrogen of the growing chain was found to be characteristic for chain growth on Ti(IV) sites. The inactivity of BuLi or Et2Zn systems in such exchange reactions implied the existence of bimetallic complexes in alkylaluminum systems. The exclusive formation of CH2D groups in the polymer by a transfer reaction was found to be characteristic for chain growth on Ti(III) sites. The occurrence of an H,D-exchange reaction involving the monomer and the formaiton of deuterated ethanes was assigned to the presence of polymerization-inactive titanium hydride sites, formed at high catalyst ratios. Es wurde die Polymerisation von Athylen in Gegenwart von Deuterium untersucht unter Verwendung der vier durch Kombination von Et3Al und Et2AlCl mit TiCl4 und TiCl3 sich ergebenden Katalysatorsysteme. Aus dem Einflus der Katalysatorverhaltnisse auf Art und Menge der gebildeten Deuterierungsprodukte konnte auf die Bildung dreier verschiedener Titanzentren geschlossen werden. Eine H,D-Austauschreaktion am β-Wasserstoff der wachsenden Ketten erwies sich als charakteristisch fur das Kettenwachstum an Ti(IV)-Zentren. Die Abwesenheit einer solchen Austauschreaktion in BuLi- und Et2Zn Systemen legte die Annahme bimetallischer Komplexe in Alkylaluminiumsystemen nahe. Die ausschliesliche Bildung von CH2D-Gruppen im Polymeren durch Kettenubertragung kann als charakteristisch fur das Wachstum. an Ti(III)-Zentren angeschen werden. Das Auftreten einer H,D-Austauschreaktion mit dem Monomeren und die Bildung deuterierter Ahane wurde dem Vorhandensein polymerisationsinaktiver Titanhydride zugeordnet, die sich bei hohen Katalysatorverhaltnissen bilden.
Interlevel dielectric via etch process monitoring by atomic force microscopy

The use of AFM for in-line monitoring of an interlevel dielectric via plasma etching step is reported. By comparing etch depths, to via types contacting both Au- and W-based metals, the AFM can non-destructively determine whether micrometre-sized vias have been cleared. Owing to the etch selectivity of the SF/sub 6//O/sub 2/ plasma, the Au-based ohmic metal acts as an etch stop whereas the W-based refractory gate contact continues to etch.
GENETIC DISSECTION OF STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL COMPONENTS OF SYNAPTIC PLASTICITY. II. FASCICLIN II CONTROLS PRESYNAPTIC STRUCTURAL PLASTICITY

Increased neuronal activity (eag Shaker mutants) and cAMP concentration (dunce mutants) lead to increased synaptic structure and function at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction. Here, we show that the increase in synaptic growth is accompanied by an approximately 50% decrease in synaptic levels of the cell adhesion molecule Fasciclin II (Fas II). This decrease in Fas II is both necessary and sufficient for presynaptic sprouting; FasII mutants that decrease Fas II levels by approximately 50% lead to sprouting similar to eag Shaker and dunce, while transgenes that maintain synaptic Fas II levels suppress sprouting in eag Shaker and dunce. However, FasII mutants that cause a 50% increase in bouton number do not alter synaptic strength; rather, evoked release from single boutons has a reduced quantal content, suggesting that the wild-type amount of release machinery is distributed throughout more boutons.
The estimation of sibling genetic risk parameters revisited.

This report points out that some sibling genetic risk parameters can be regarded as the ratios of the characteristic values in the ascertainment subpopulation. Based on this observation, we reconsider Olson and Cordell's ([2000] Genet. Epidemiol. 18:217–235) and Cordell and Olson's ([2000] Genet. Epidemiol. 18:307–321) estimators, and re-derive these estimators. Furthermore, we provide the closed-form variance estimators. Simulation results suggest that our proposed estimators perform very well, and single ascertainment may be better than complete ascertainment for estimating these genetic parameters. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Solid state line scan cameras for measuring strain in soft tissues and implants.

The line scan camera, or LSC, is an inexpensive and easily applied technique for optical strain measurement of soft biomaterials. The LSC is based on a linear array of photodiodes; in gauging applications, where measurements between dark/light interfaces are important, the digital nature of the array can be exploited. Advantages of the LSC include low cost, high frequency response, applicability to front- or backlighted samples, insensitivity to stray and nonuniform lighting as well as to accidental overexposure, ease and linearity of calibration, and lack of temperature sensitivity. With the 1024 element arrays used herein, the relative resolution is theoretically limited to 1 part in 1024, or 0.1%; in practice, the relative resolution is somewhat poorer. LSCs have been successfully used in mechanical tests to measure the diameter of arteries and compliant vascular grafts, the longitudinal strain of vascular grafts, and the dynamic diameter of elastic tube models of graft/artery systems in pulsatile flow visualization experiments.
AGAP1, an Endosome-associated, Phosphoinositide-dependent ADP-ribosylation Factor GTPase-activating Protein That Affects Actin Cytoskeleton

We have identified three members of the AGAP subfamily of ASAP family ADP-ribosylation factor GTPase-activating proteins (Arf GAPs). In addition to the Arf GAP domain, these proteins contain GTP-binding protein-like, ankyrin repeat and pleckstrin homology domains. Here, we have characterized the ubiquitously expressed AGAP1/KIAA1099. AGAP1 had Arf GAP activity toward Arf1>Arf5>Arf6. Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate and phosphatidic acid synergistically stimulated GAP activity. As found for other ASAP family Arf GAPs, the pleckstrin homology domain was necessary for activity. Deletion of the GTP-binding protein-like domain affected lipid dependence of Arf GAP activity. In vivo effects of AGAP1 were distinct from other ASAP family Arf GAPs. Overexpressed AGAP1 induced the formation of and was associated with punctate structures containing the endocytic markers transferrin and Rab4. AP1 was redistributed from the trans-Golgi to the punctate structures. Like other ASAP family members, AGAP1 overexpression inhibited the formation of PDGF-induced ruffles. However, distinct from other ASAP family members, AGAP1 also induced the loss of actin stress fibers. Thus, AGAP1 is a phosphoinositide-dependent Arf GAP that impacts both the endocytic compartment and actin.
The Effect of Upstream Convection on Downstream Precipitation

Abstract Operational forecasters in the southeast and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States have noted a positive quantitative precipitation forecast (QPF) bias in numerical weather prediction (NWP) model forecasts downstream of some organized, cold-season convective systems. Examination of cold-season cases in which model QPF guidance exhibited large errors allowed identification of two representative cases for detailed analysis. The goals of the case study analyses are to (i) identify physical mechanisms through which the upstream convection (UC) alters downstream precipitation amounts, (ii) determine why operational models are challenged to provide accurate guidance in these situations, and (iii) suggest future research directions that would improve model forecasts in these situations and allow forecasters to better anticipate such events. Two primary scenarios are identified during which downstream precipitation is altered in the presence of UC for the study region: (i) a fast-moving convective (F...
Laboratory testing in the diagnosis and management of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.

Laboratory testing commonly used to assess the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) can be divided into three categories: (1) measurement of serum activities or concentrations of muscle-derived factors—such as enzymes, myoglobin, and other molecules—in order to assess muscle injury; (2) immunologic tests that detect markers of the disease process, including serum autoantibodies that have been associated with myositis; and (3) general laboratory tests that are used to assess the patient’s general status and medical condition. The laboratory assessment of muscle-derived factors that reflect muscle injury, and the determination of serum autoantibodies, play valuable roles in the diagnosis and management of the IIM. Enzyme elevations do not correlate with disease activity in all patients, however, and they must be interpreted within the clinical context. Autoantibodies can identify disease subsets with distinctive patterns of clinical manifestations, genetics, responses to therapy and prognosis, but diseasespecific autoantibodies are present in only half of patients with IIM. Recent studies have defined additional myositis autoantibodies that may improve our capacity to diagnose and manage the IIMs. The laboratory is a crucial component in the evaluation of patients with suspected IIM. Elevations of muscle enzyme activities in the serum represent one of the criteria of Bohan and Peter [87] and are included in nearly all criteria sets proposed. Recent criteria sets have also included detection of specific autoantibodies as tools in patient diagnosis. None of these tests is necessary or sufficient for diagnosis of IIM. Laboratory tests commonly used to assess IIM, including those described below, are essential tools for the diagnosis and management of myositis. Recent
Segmentation and recognition of roadway assets from car-mounted camera video streams using a scalable non-parametric image parsing method

Abstract This paper presents a non-parametric image parsing method for segmentation and recognition of roadway assets such as traffic signs, traffic lights, pavement markings, and guardrails from 2D car-mounted video streams. The method can be easily scaled to thousands of video frames captured during data collection and does not need training. Instead, it retrieves a set of most relevant video frames (e.g. highway vs. secondary road) which serve as candidates for superpixel-level annotation. It then obtains superpixels from the video frames and using the retrieval set encodes their visual characteristics using a histogram of different shape, appearance, and color descriptors. Neighborhood contexts are incorporated by using Markov Random Field (MRF) optimization and two types of semantic (e.g. guardrail) and geometric (e.g. horizontal) labels are simultaneously assigned to the superpixels. We introduce a new dataset from I-57 together with its ground truth and present experimental results on both I-57 and SmartRoad datasets. Experimental results with an average accuracy of 88.24% for recognition and 82.02% for segmentation show that our local visual features provide acceptable performance, while the method overall does not require any significant supervised training. This scalable method has potential to reduce the time and effort required for developing road inventories, especially for those such as guardrails and traffic lights that are not typically considered in 2D asset recognition methods.
Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease

Shortly after being elbowed in the flank during a pickup basketball game, a 35-year-old healthy man has severe, colicky abdominal pain followed by gross hematuria. He is hospitalized, and a renal ultrasound scan reveals bilateral polycystic kidneys and liver cysts, previously unknown to the patient. The blood pressure is 160/100 mm Hg. The serum creatinine concentration is 0.9 mg per deciliter (80 μmol per liter). The pain subsides in 2 days with analgesics, rest, and fluids; the gross hematuria resolves in 4 days, although microscopic hematuria persists. How should his case be further evaluated and managed? The Clinical Problem Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease is an inherited systemic disorder with major renal manifestations and, in some cases, abnormalities in the liver, the pancreas, the brain, the arterial blood vessels, or a combination of these sites. 1 The disease affects approximately 300,000 to 600,000 Americans of either sex, and without racial predilection. Each child of an affected parent has a 50% chance of inheriting the mutated gene, which is completely penetrant. Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease arises as a spontaneous mutation in approximately 5% of cases. However, in about one fourth of newly diagnosed cases, patients report no history of the disease, indicating that many familial cases go undetected. Affected patients have numerous fluid-filled cysts in the kidneys; these cysts may collect blood after mild or severe trauma or may be the site of pyogenic infection. In rare cases, a malignant neoplasm develops, although the incidence of renal cancer among affected patients is not increased, as compared with the incidence in the general population. Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease begins in utero, but signs of the disease may not be detected for several decades. Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease is caused by mutations in either of the two genes encoding plasma membrane–spanning polycystin 1 and polycystin 2 (PKD1 and PKD2, respectively). The polycystins regulate tubular and vascular development in the kidneys and other organs (liver, brain, heart, and pancreas) 2 and interact to increase the flow of calcium through a cation channel formed in plasma membranes by polycystin 2. A mutation of either polycystin can disrupt the function of the other, resulting in similar clinical presentations. However, mutations of PKD1 are more common than mutations of PKD2 (accounting for 85% of cases), are likely to be associated with more renal cysts, 3,4 and lead to renal insufficiency on average 20 years earlier (median ages at the time of death or end-stage failure, 53 and 69 years, respectively). 5
The kaolin-activated Thrombelastograph predicts bleeding after cardiac surgery.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the relationship of the kaolin-activated Thrombelastograph® (TEG) with postoperative bleeding and laboratory tests of coagulation in the setting of cardiac surgery with the routine use of ϵ-aminocaproic acid. Design: Prospective observational study. Setting: An adult heart center at a tertiary referral, university hospital. Participants: Thirty adult cardiac surgical patients. Interventions: The kaolin-activated TEG, platelet counts, prothrombin times, activated partial thromboplastin times, and fibrinogen levels were measured before induction of anesthesia, during cardiopulmonary bypass, and on arrival in the intensive care unit. Mediastinal and thoracostomy drainage were measured every hour for 4 hours after arrival in the intensive care unit. Measurements and Main Results: Correlation and multivariate linear regression modeling were used to describe relationships among coagulation tests, TEG parameters, and early postoperative bleeding. The TEG maximum amplitude (MA) parameter correlated well with postoperative bleeding (r = −0.6, p = 0.0018), more so than platelet count (r = −0.45, p = 0.02), fibrinogen level (r = −0.40, p = 0.06), or prothrombin time (r = 0.43, p = 0.02). The receiver operating characteristic curve c-index describing MA as a predictor for postoperative bleeding is 0.78. Abnormalities in all the laboratory test results were associated with an abnormal MA. Conclusions: In conclusion, the kaolin-activated TEG is associated with early coagulopathic bleeding. It may reflect the severity of a global coagulopathy affecting both platelets and coagulation factors and be a guide to incremental prohemostatic therapy in this setting.
Sandwich semigroups of binary relations

This paper introduces new semigroups of binary relations that arose naturally from investigating the transfer of information between automata and semigroups associated with automata. In particular we introduce a new multiplication on binary relations by means of an arbitrary but fixed “sandwich” relation. R.J. Plemmons and M. West have characterized Green's relations in the usual semigroup of binary relations, and we use these to investigate Green's relations in our semigroups. We give algorithms for constructing idempotents and regular elements in these new semigroups.
Investigation of membrane property and fuel cell behavior with sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) electrolyte: Temperature and relative humidity effects

Abstract Sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone)s (SPEEKs) with various sulfonation degrees were prepared and characterized for the intention of fuel cell applications. Two distinct water vapor activity regions characterized by different water vapor uptake behaviors were observed. Proton conductivity of SPEEK membranes increases with increasing sulfonation degrees and temperatures. SPEEK membranes with sulfonation degrees of 51 and 60% show proton conductivity higher than 0.01 S cm−1 at temperatures higher than 40 °C with 100% relative humidity (RH). Relative humidity has a stronger effect on the proton conductivity of SPEEK membranes than that of Nafion® membranes. Fuel cell performance with SPEEK membranes was studied at various temperatures and relative humidities. Good fuel cell performance was obtained with a SPEEK-51 membrane at 80 °C, 100% relative humidity and ambient pressure. Both temperature and relative humidity have important influence to the cell resistances and performances. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) as well as hydrogen crossover profiles show distinct features under different relative humidity conditions.
The effect of number and relatedness of verbal discriminanda upon differential eyelid conditioning

The effects on differential eyelid conditioning of the number and relatedness of visually presented words used as the reinforced and nonreinforced conditioned stimuli was investigated. Simple differential conditioning with one reinforced word and one nonreinforced word was contrasted with multiple conditioned discrimination where there were two, three, or four words in the reinforced and nonreinforced sets. Groups receiving more than one word per set were subdivided; for half of each group the words were all unrelated, and for the other half of the S s the words were conceptually related within each set, so that, for example, a S might be conditioned to blink to the concept “bodies of water” and not to the concept “fruit.” When unrelated words were employed, increasing the set size made for poorer terminal discrimination. If, however, the words were related, S s giving the V form of the eyelid CR were able to utilize the conceptual relatedness to preserve or possibly to enhance their terminal discrimination as the set size was increased. The S s giving the C form of the eyelid CR were evidently unable to utilize the conceptual relatedness of the verbal stimuli, and their terminal discrimination was markedly poorer when the set size was increased.
Sucrose threshold variation during the menstrual cycle

Abstract Sucrose thresholds were measured at three points during the menstrual cycle for 14 women who were not taking oral contraceptives. Thirteen men also were tested at similar intervals. Sucrose thresholds of the men remained constant throughout the experiment. During menstruation and postovulation, the thresholds of the women were similar to the thresholds of the men, whereas during preovulation the thresholds of the women were significantly lower. The stable sucrose thresholds of the men suggest that ovarian hormones may be involved in the variation in sucrose thresholds of the women. The increase in sensitivity of the women during preovulation may have been related to the high level of estrogen, whereas the decrease in sensitivity during postovulation may be due to some type of interaction between estrogen and progesterone.
Combined effect of fructose and NaCl on the viscosity of alumina nanopowder suspensions

Abstract Many ceramic processing operations involving powder suspensions aim to optimize the solids loading while maintaining low viscosity. Use of nanopowder suspensions are challenging as they exhibit unexpectedly high viscosities. Low molecular weight saccharides were added to decrease the viscosities of alumina nanopowder suspensions as they modify effective solids content. It was also recently reported that suspensions with very low ionic strengths exhibit lower viscosities as they create high repulsive barrier between the particles. In the present study, the effect of the combination of these two additives on the viscosity is reported. Low temperature differential scanning calorimetry (LT-DSC) and in situ attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) results showed that two additives act independently. Suspensions containing NaCl and fructose yield green compacts with lower porosity and higher strength.
Spectroscopy of the hole population in bound excited acceptor states during recombination in p-type Ge

Abstract We have designed a new type of far-infrared (FIR) pump-and-probe experiment to investigate the hole population in bound excited states of hydrogenic acceptors in germanium during hole capture. In our experiment holes are pumped from the acceptor ground state to the valence band by a blackbody emitter. The bound excited states of the acceptor are probed for captured holes by FIR-laser radiation with photon energies large enough to re-excite holes to the valence band. The re-excited holes are detected by measuring the FIR-laser induced photoconductive response of the Ge samples. We have been able to prove for the first time in a direct measurement that a fraction of the recombining holes are indeed captured into excited bound acceptor states.
Conformation of acetylcholine receptor in the presence of agonists and antagonists.

The conformations of acetylcholine receptor fromTorpedo californica in the absence and presence of agonists, antagonists, and local anesthetics were studied by circular dichroism (CD). Without ligands, the receptor had about 40% helix, 20% β-sheets, and 10% β-turns as analyzed from its far-UV CD spectrum. Its near-UV CD spectrum resembled that of acetylcholinesterase from the same source. None of the ligands studied altered the far-UV spectrum of the receptor. However, in the near-UV region, carbamylcholine and acetylcholine shifted the Phe and Tyr bands of AChR to less negative, whereas hexamethonium changed the Tyr bands to more negative, indicating that the site of binding of agonists and antagonists and their effect on the conformation of the receptor may be different. Decamethonium, procaine, and lidocaine had no effect on both the far- and near-UV CD spectra of acetylcholine receptor.
Plasmon Induced Photovoltage and Charge Separation in Citrate-Stabilized Gold Nanoparticles

The photoelectrochemistry of citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles on an ITO electrode is studied at low light intensity. Weak cathodic photovoltage develops under visible gold plasmon irradiation. Photovoltage results from adsorbed citrate oxidation by “hot” holes in the irradiated Au. Under identical conditions, Ag nanocrystals give a stronger photovoltage than Au nanocrystals. The photocurrent is linear in light intensity, and a complete citrate monolayer forms on the Au particles above 10−6 M aqueous concentration. At strongly oxidizing potentials, a photocurrent peak occurs which may be related to electron photoinjection from Au into the ITO substrate.