cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Velocity Effects on Fullerene and Oxide Nanoparticle Deposition in Porous Media

Products of nanochemistry have been proposed in a number of applications ranging from soil stabilization and cosmetics to groundwater remediation. A fundamental understanding of the transport properties of these materials is essential to assess their efficacy and environmental impact in such applications. In this work, we consider the effect of flow on nanoparticle transport and deposition in porous media. The transport of three aqueous suspensions of fullerenes in a well-characterized porous medium is compared with that of two oxide nanomaterials at two flow rates. Despite significant differences in surface chemistry and size, the fullerenes exhibited an unexpected and similar breakthrough behavior at the higher flow rate. A striking characteristic of the fullerene breakthrough curves obtained at the higher Darcy velocity was an initial enhancement in nanoparticle deposition shortly after the passage of the first pore volume of suspension, followed by an increase in passage. This velocity-sensitive "affinity transition" in the initial deposition of nanoparticles in the porous medium was observed for fullerene-based materials only at the higher velocity and was in no case observed for silica or titania nanoparticles. The removal of fullerene-based nanoparticles was observed to converge to a level that was independent of flow velocity, suggesting that under these conditions time scales for attachment or reorganization on the surface are greater than the time scale for transport to collector surfaces.
Queues, random graphs and branching processes

In this paper it is shown that certain basic results of queueing theory can be used successfully in solving various problems of random graphs and branching processes.
Trustworthy geographically fenced hybrid clouds

Adoption of hybrid clouds by enterprises has been hampered by the inability of current hybrid cloud infrastructures to provide scalable and efficient mechanisms (1) to ensure the trustworthiness and integrity of the software stack executing a hybrid application workload, or (2) to enforce governmental privacy, data jurisdiction and audit regulations by ensuring that remote data and computation do not cross specified geographic boundaries.This paper presents our vision of trustworthy geographically fenced hybrid clouds (TGHC), a generic, scalable and extensible middleware system to automatically bridge the gap between applications with their integrity and geo-fencing policies, and raw hardware infrastructure. It describes TGHCs modularly, by (a) outlining the challenges in certifying the trustworthiness of cloud computing infrastructures and in geo-fencing computation, including scalability limitations of existing solutions, (b) presenting scalable mechanisms to transform bare metal servers into trusted IaaS computing pools through integrity measurement, management and monitoring that leverage open, off-the-shelf hardware technologies like Intel TPM, (c) introducing workload specification languages to specify integrity and geo-fencing policies on hybrid workloads, and (d) extending IaaS systems to ensure that workload bursting from private data centers to public clouds uses trusted computing pools and respects geographic boundaries during initial placement of virtual machines (VMs) and further migration.We also present early results from our implementation illustrating the feasibility of our proposed architecture, and outline future research challenges in engineering and effectively using TGHCs.
Insight into the Functional Consequences of Inherited Variants of the hMYH Adenine Glycosylase Associated with Colorectal Cancer: Complementation Assays with hMYH Variants and Pre-steady-state Kinetics of the Corresponding Mutated E. coli Enzymes

The oxidized guanine lesion 7,8-dihydro-8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (OG) is highly mutagenic, resulting in G:C to T:A transversion mutations in the absence of repair. The Escherichia coli adenine glycosylase MutY and its human homolog (hMYH) play an important role in the prevention of mutations associated with OG by removing misincorporated adenine residues from OG:A mismatches. Previously, biallelic mutations of hMYH have been identified in a British family (Family N) with symptoms characteristic of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), which is typically associated with mutations in the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene. Afflicted members of this family were compound heterozygotes for two mutations in hMYH, Y165C and G382D. These positions are highly conserved in MutY across phylogeny. The current work reveals a reduced ability of the hMYH variants compared to wild-type (WT) hMYH to complement the activity of E.coli MutY in mutY((-)) E.coli. In vitro analysis of the corresponding mutations in E.coli MutY revealed a reduction in the adenine glycosylase activity of the enzymes. In addition, evaluation of substrate affinity using a substrate analog, 2'-deoxy-2'-fluoroadenosine (FA) revealed that both mutations severely diminish the ability to recognize FA, and discriminate between OG and G. Importantly, adenine removal with both the mutant and WT E.coli enzymes was observed to be less efficient from a mismatch in the sequence context observed to be predominantly mutated in tumors of Family N. Interestingly, the magnitude of the reduced activity of the E.coli mutant enzymes relative to the WT enzyme was magnified in the "hotspot" sequence context. If the corresponding mutations in hMYH cause similar sensitivity to sequence context, this effect may contribute to the specific targeting of the APC gene. The lack of complementation of the hMYH variants for MutY, and the reduced activity of the Y82C and G253D E.coli enzymes, provide additional circumstantial evidence that the somatic mutations in APC, and the occurrence of FAP in Family N, are due to a reduced ability of the Y165C and G382D hMYH enzymes to recognize and repair OG:A mismatches.
AdS5 supersymmetry in N = 1 superspace

We use N = 1 superspace to construct the supersymmetric matter couplings of vector and hyper multiplets in a five-dimensional anti-de Sitter spacetime background. For hypermultiplets, we find that AdS5 supersymmetry requires the scalar fields to lie on a hyper-Kahler manifold endowed with a certain type of holomorphic Killing vector.
Doped channel pseudomorphic GaAs/InGaAs/AlGaAs hetero-structure FETs

We report experimental and theoretical results obtained for pseudomorphic InGaAs Doped Channel Heterostructure FETs (DCHFET) that demonstrate the advantages of this device over other heterostructure FETs. We demonstrate high transconductance beta value, and saturation current and low output conductance and subthreshold current. These improvements are due to a higher density of carriers in the channel, the carrier confinement in the quantum well device structure, and the superior transport properties of InGaAs. Transconductances of 350 mS/mm and beta-values of 440 mS/V-mm were measured for 1-µm enhancement mode DCHFETs. Transconductances as high as 471 mS/mm and drain saturation currents as high as 660 mA/mm were measured for 0.6 µm depletion mode DCHFETs.
Use of a force-plate actometer for detecting and quantifying vertical leaping induced by amphetamine in BALB/cJ mice, but not in C57BL/6J, DBA/2J, 129X1/SvJ, C3H/HeJ, and CD-1 mice

Abstract The force-plate actometer is a relatively new computer-based instrument with high temporal and spatial resolution that has been used to measure the behavioral effects of genetic restriction (e.g., inbred mice) and drugs (e.g., dopaminergic agonists and antagonists) on a variety of behaviors in rodents, including locomotor activity, stereotypies, tremor, and wall rearing. In the present study, the force-plate actometer was used to measure the differential effects of amphetamine-induced (10.0 mg/kg) vertical leaping in five inbred mouse strains (BALB/cJ, C57BL/6J, DBA/2J, 129X1/SvJ, and C3H/HeJ) and one outbred stock (CD-1). Across a 13-day, five-injection procedure, mice of the BALB/cJ strain leaped an average of 82 times per 60-min session; the C57BL/6J, DBA/2J, 129X1/SvJ, C3H/HeJ strains and CD-1 stock always showed zero or near zero levels of vertical leaping following amphetamine treatment. The quantitative precision afforded by the force-plate actometer revealed that the mean duration of the leaps by the BALB/cJ strain was 0.18 s, and the corresponding peak force averaged 87.4 g per leap, which was more than 400% of the average body weight of this strain. Although no evidence of behavioral sensitization was indicated for amphetamine's effects on vertical leaping, sensitization to amphetamine's effects on spatial confinement (i.e., bouts of low mobility) was observed in all mouse types. Results indicate that the force-plate actometer is an instrument well suited for detecting and quantifying both vertical leaping and collateral behaviors induced by amphetamine in mice.
Lipid metabolism during aging of high-α-linolenate-phenotype potato tubers

Abstract Previous studies demonstrated that high levels of α-linolenate in cell membranes of potato tubers (achieved by overexpressing fatty acid desaturases) enhances lipid peroxidation, oxidative stress, and tuber metabolic rate, effectively accelerating the physiological age of tubers. This study details the changes in lipid molecular species of microsomal and mitochondrial membranes from wild-type (WT) and high-α-linolenate tubers during aging. The microsomal and mitochondrial polar lipids of high-α-linolenate tubers were dominated by 18:3/18:3 and 16:0/18:3 molecular species. Relative to WT tubers, high-α-linolenate tubers had a substantially higher 16:0/18:n to 18:n/18:n molecular species ratio in mitochondria and microsomes, potentially reflecting a compensatory response to maintain membrane biophysical properties in the face of increased unsaturation. Phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) accounted for 53 and 37% of polar lipids, respectively, in mitochondria from younger WT and high-α-linolenate tubers. The relative proportions of these phospholipids (PL) did not change during aging of WT tubers. In contrast, PE increased to dominate the PL pool of mitochondria during aging of high-α-linolenate tubers. While aging effected an increase in mitochondrial 18:3-bearing PCs and PEs in WT tubers, the concentration of 18:3-bearing PCs fell with a concomitant increase in 18:3-bearing PEs during aging of high-α-linolenate tubers. These age- and high-α-linolenate-induced changes had no effect on the respiration rate and functional integrity of isolated mitochondria. Differential increases in the respiration rates of WT and high-α-linolenate tubers during aging were therefore a consequence of unsaturation-dependent alterations in the microenvironments of cells. Microsomal 18:3-bearing PCs, PEs, digalactosyldiacylglycerols (DGDG), and monogalactosyldiacylglycerols all increased in WT tubers during aging. In contrast, a selective loss of 18:3-bearing PCs and DGDGs from microsomes of high-α-linolenate tubers likely reflects a greater susceptibility of membranes to peroxidative catabolism during aging. Aging resulted in an increase in sterol/PL ratio in microsomes from WT tubers, due primarily to a decline in PL. In high-α-linolenate tubers, the increase in sterol/PL ratio during aging was due to increases in Δ 5-avenasterol and stigmasterol, indicating membrane rigidification and likely contributing to increased membrane permeability. Age-induced changes in 18:3-bearing lipids in membranes of transformed tubers are discussed relative to the development of oxidative stress and accelerated aging.
Comparison and choice: Relations between similarity processes and decision processes

Research and theory in decision making and in similarity judgment have developed along parallel paths. We review and analyze phenomena in both domains that suggest that similarity processing and decision making share important correspondences. The parallels are explored at the level of empirical generalizations and underlying processing principles. Important component processes that are shared by similarity judgments and decision making include generation of alternatives, recruitment of reference points, dynamic weighting of aspects, creation of new descriptors, development of correspondences between items, and justification of judgment. Preparation of this article was supported by National Science Foundation Grants 92-11277 and 91-10245.
Antigens coming to a sticky end

Abstract Three new structures of carbohydrate-binding molecules help explain how these proteins can recognize a broad array of carbohydrates with varying affinities.
Posterior vaginal prolapse and bowel function

Abstract Objective: This study's objectives were to describe symptoms related to bowel dysfunction in women with uterovaginal prolapse and to compare these symptoms according to extent of posterior vaginal prolapse. Study Design: One hundred forty-three women completed a questionnaire assessment of bowel function and underwent standardized physical examination according to the International Continence Society's system for grading uterovaginal prolapse. Results: The mean age was 59.2 years (SD 11.8 years); 78% of the women were postmenopausal. According to the furthest extent of posterior vaginal prolapse at point Bp, 22 (15.5%) were in stage 0, 46 (32.4%) were in stage I, 50 (35.2%) were in stage II, 23 (16.2%) were in stage III, and 1 (0.7%) was in stage IV. Ninety-two percent of women reported having bowel movements at least every other day. When asked whether straining was required for them to have a bowel movement, 38 (26.6%) reported never or rarely, 71 (49.6%) reported sometimes, 20 (14.0%) reported usually, and 14 (9.8%) reported always. When asked whether they ever needed to help stool come out by pushing with a finger in the vagina or rectum, 98 (69.0%) reported never or rarely, 30 (21.1%) reported sometimes, 8 (5.6%) reported usually, and 6 (4.2%) reported always. Twenty-three women (16.1%) had fecal incontinence, with 11 having loss of control of stool less often than once a month and 12 having it more often than once a month. When asked whether to rate how much they were bothered by their bowel function on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being not at all and 10 being extremely, 51.7% of women chose 1 to 4, 20.3% chose 5 to 7, and 28% chose ≥8. There were no clinically significant associations between any of the questions related to bowel function and severity of posterior vaginal prolapse. Conclusion: Women with uterovaginal prolapse frequently have symptoms related to bowel dysfunction, but this is not associated with the severity of posterior vaginal prolapse. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 1998;179:1446-50.)
Real-time image processing techniques for noncontact temperature measurement

A noncontact temperature measurement technique based on thermal expansion of materials is presented. The technique, diffraction-order spot analysis, is based on monitoring diffraction angle variations due to grating expansion. Because of the pressing need for noncontact temperature measurements during semiconductor processing, silicon was chosen as the demonstration material. The diffraction method requires a grating of suitable spatial frequency etched onto the surface of the Si wafer. Two symmetrically disposed incident beams are used to provide a differential measurement that is independent of sample tilt to the first order. An automated data acquisition and analysis system was developed for continuous monitoring of two diffraction-order angles. From the order separation, a relative temperature change can be calculated in near real time. Image processing techniques based on centroid operation were used to calculate diffraction-order displacement with subpixel accuracy. For comparison with optical data, simultaneous temperature measurements from a thermocouple bonded to the Si sample were recorded. Good agreement between optical and thermocouple measurements was obtained. Temperature resolution was inversely proportional to the number of grating lines. A resolution of ± 0.37°C is demonstrated for a 3000-line grating over a 20 to 750°C temperature range.
Micro-interconnection reliability: Thermal, electrical and mechanical stress

The results of stress tests on 50 μm-pitch Pb-free microbump interconnect 3D Si structures are summarized. It was found that thermal processes alone compete strongly with electromigration at stress currents of 50 and 100 mA. Typical test sites exhibited a gradual increase in relative resistance increase over time. While large changes in bump interconnection resistance did occur for some sites, the interconnections were resistant to full open electrical failure, even after subjected to mechanical shock following long-term EM stress. Underfilled samples were more robust than non-underfilled samples. Overall, the results suggest that for application in 3D Si stacks, microbumps can support higher power densities than those used currently with standard pitch bump interconnections.
Influence of exogenous progesterone on early embryonic development in the mare.

Abstract The influence of exogenous progesterone on the development of equine oviductal embryos was determined based upon the recovery of Day-7 uterine blastocysts from treated mares (n = 13) that were given 450 mg progesterone daily between Days 0 and 6 and from untreated control mares (n = 13). Daily administration of 450 mg progesterone in oil significantly (P 8 13 versus 6 13 , respectively). Embryonic development, assessed by morphologic evaluation, embryo diameter, and number of cell nuclei was not significantly different for embryos from treated and from control mares. The results of this study indicate that administration of progesterone beginning on the day of ovulation does not affect the embryo recovery rate or embryonic development, based on evaluation of uterine blastocysts recovered at Day 7 after ovulation.
Antibodies to quinolinic acid and the determination of its cellular distribution within the rat immune system

Antibodies to quinolinic acid were produced in rabbits with protein-conjugated and gold particle-adsorbed quinolinic acid. Quinolinic acid immunoreactivity was below detection limits in carbodiimide-fixed rat brain. In contrast, strong quinolinic acid immunoreactivity was observed in spleen cells with variable, complex morphology located predominantly in the periarterial lymphocyte sheaths. In the thymus, quinolinic acid immunoreactivity was observed in cells with variable morphology, located almost exclusively in the medulla. Lymph nodes and gut-associated lymphoid tissue contained many, strongly stained cells of similar complex morphology in perifollicular areas. Immunoreactivity in liver and lung was restricted to widely scattered, perivascular cells and alveolar cells respectively. Additional stained cells with complex morphology were observed in bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue, in skin, and in the lamina propria of intestinal villi. Follicles in all secondary lymphoid organs were diffusely stained, ranging from mildly to moderately immunoreactive in spleen, to intensely immunoreactive in gut-associated lymphoid tissue. These results suggest that quinolinic acid is an immune system-specific molecule. Two hypothetical schemes are proposed to account for high levels of quinolinic acid in specific cells of the immune system.
Succulent Sins, Personalized Politics, and Mainstream Media's Tabloidization Temptation

This study uses an experiment to analyze how mainstream journalism's use of tabloid writing techniques affects online credibility. Participants read four news stories and rated their credibility using McCroskey's Source Credibility Scale. Participants found stories written with a tabloid style less credible than more traditional stories. Tabloidized soft news stories were more credible than tabloidized hard news stories. Results suggest that online news media may damage their credibility by using tabloidized writing techniques to increase readership. Furthermore, participants were less likely to enjoy stories written in a tabloidized style. An application of act utilitarianism suggests that tabloidization is an unethical method for increasing news readership.
Far Infrared Photoresponse Of Two-Dimensional Granular YBa2Cu3O7-x Films

The optical response of granular films of YBa2Cu3O7-x to pulsed far infrared radiation has been measured. The infrared light energies ranged from 2.5 to 19 meV. Direct coupling to intergrain Joseph-son currents dominates the 3.2 meV photoresponse. Such direct coupling effects are considerably reduced for 10.9 and 19.1 meV light. These results will be interpreted in terms of possible magnitudes for the superconducting energy gap in YBCO.© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Quantification of the impact of multifaceted initiatives intended to improve operational efficiency and the safety culture: A case study from an academic medical center radiation oncology department

Abstract Purpose We have systematically been incorporating several operational efficiency and safety initiatives into our academic radiation oncology clinic. We herein quantify the impact of these initiatives on prospectively collected, clinically meaningful, metrics. Methods and Materials The data from 5 quality improvement initiatives, each focused on a specific safety/process concern in our clinic, are presented. Data was collected prospectively: operational metrics recorded before and after implementation of the initiative were compared using statistical analysis. Results from the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) patient safety culture surveys administered during and after many of these initiatives were similarly compared. Results (1) Workload levels for nurses assisting with brachytherapy were high (National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) scores >55-60, suggesting, "overwork"). Changes in work flow and procedure room layout reduced workload to more acceptable levels (NASA-TLX P P P P 50% to P Conclusions Quality improvement initiatives can be successfully implemented in an academic radiation oncology department to yield measurable improvements in operations resulting in improvement in patient safety culture.
Concise, protecting group free total syntheses of (+)-sattabacin and (+)-4-hydroxysattabacin

Abstract The first asymmetric total syntheses of the antiviral natural products (+)-sattabacin and (+)-4-hydroxysattabacin are reported. Both total syntheses are remarkably concise and were completed without the use of protecting groups. These syntheses allowed the unambiguous assignment of the absolute configuration of both natural products. The syntheses of these natural products, which exhibit marked antiviral activity, are readily amenable to the preparation of structural analogs and progress in this regard is also reported.
Anidulafungin: a drug evaluation of a new echinocandin

Background: Over the past two decades, the frequency and type of invasive fungal infections have increased greatly and thus have driven the need for new antifungal agents. Anidulafungin is the newest addition to the echinocandin armamentarium. Objective: The intention of this review is to provide a drug evaluation of anidulafungin, including its spectrum of activity, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, clinical efficacy, adverse event profile, and its role in the treatment of invasive candidiasis. Methods: A PubMed search was performed to gather the most current and pertinent articles. Conclusions: Clinical trials have demonstrated anidulafungin's efficacy and tolerability in invasive candidiasis. Anidulafungin is not associated with any drug–drug interactions and does not require dosage adjustment in patients with renal and/or hepatic impairment.
The maximal size of protein to diffuse through the nuclear pore is larger than 60 kDa

Abstract It has generally been believed that the diffusion limit set by the nuclear pore for protein is 60 kDa. We here studied the cellular localization of several artificial proteins and found that the diffusion limit set by the nuclear pore is not as small as previously thought. The results indicate that the maximal size of protein to diffuse through the nuclear pore complex could be quite larger than 60 kDa, thus greatly extending the diffusion limit that the nuclear pore can accommodate.
Using fructose-1,6-diphosphate during hypothermic rabbit-heart preservation: a high-energy phosphate study.

Abstract Background: In this study, we evaluated the effects of fructose-1,6-diphosphate (FDP) on high-energy phosphate metabolism during 18-hour hypothermic rabbit-heart preservation. Methods: Under general anesthesia and artificial ventilation, hearts from 42 adult New Zealand white rabbits were harvested, flushed, and preserved in St. Thomas solution at 4 o C for 18 hours. In the study group ( n = 15), FDP (5 mmol/liter) was added to the St. Thomas solution, whereas in the control group ( n = 17), fructose (5 mmol/liter) was added. Another 10 hearts did not undergo hypothermic storage, but were used as the normal group for high-energy phosphate concentration comparison. Results: After 18 hours of hypothermic preservation, myocardial high-energy phosphate content decreased in both preservation groups. In the study group, left ventricular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content was 33% of that in the normal hearts, but in the control group, ATP decreased to 14% of normal. Adenosine diphosphate (ADP) content, energy charge, and ATP-to-ADP ratio showed similar decreases. The high-energy phosphate profile (content in the atria and ventricles and the ratio of ATP to ADP to AMP) was maintained in the study group but not in the control group. High-energy phosphate metabolites such as inosine monophosphate (IMP), inosine, and hypoxanthine increased in both preservation groups , but the increase was more prominent in the control group. Conclusion: Adding FDP to St. Thomas solution attenuated the depletion of high-energy phosphate concentration in the preserved hearts. This difference was especially prominent in the left and right ventricles. The protective effect of FDP during hypothermic heart preservation deserves further study.
Nested Levels of Institutions State Rules and City Property Taxes

The new institutionalism concentrates on the nature and effects of rules, and intergovernmental relations on the levels of government. This article integrates these foci to present a model of neste...
Simplified Laparoscopic Partial Nephrectomy Using a Single-layer Closure and No Bolsters for Renal Tumors

Objectives Surgical outcomes for a simplified LPN technique using a single-layer closure were reviewed for central and peripheral renal tumors. Methods A total of 159 consecutive patients who underwent LPN were identified using a single-institution database. Renal tumors abutting the collecting system or renal sinus were considered central. After tumor excision, the tumor bed was repaired using a single layer closure by passing partially straightened CPX needles beneath the entire cut surface. Pathologic and postoperative outcomes were compared between the central tumor group (CTG) and the peripheral tumor group (PTG). Results There were 83 and 76 patients in the CTG and PTG, respectively. When compared with the PTG, the CTG had a larger mean tumor size (3.4 vs 2.3 cm, P P P = .0002), but this did not result in a significant difference in postoperative creatinine clearance (86 vs 87, P = .842). Conclusions During LPN, a single-layer closure without bolsters is safe and effective, and early surgical outcomes are similar for central and peripheral tumors.
An oxygen-bonded c8-deoxyguanosine nucleoside adduct of pentachlorophenol by peroxidase activation: evidence for ambident c8 reactivity by phenoxyl radicals.

The ability of the carcinogenic environmental toxin pentachlorophenol (PCP, 1) to react with DNA bases has been assessed using MS and NMR. Treatment of PCP (100 μM) with horseradish peroxidase (HRP/H2O2) or myeloperoxidase (MPx/H2O2, from human leukocytes) in the presence of excess deoxyguanosine (dG, 2 mM) led to the isolation and identification of the oxygen-bonded C8−dG nucleoside adduct 4. The reaction was absolutely specific for dG; no detectable adduct(s) was observed from HRP/H2O2 and PCP in the presence of deoxyadenosine, deoxycytidine, or thymidine. Formation of 4 was also specific for peroxidase activation that is known to oxidize PCP into the phenoxyl radical. Treatment of PCP/dG with rat liver microsomes (RLM) failed to generate 4; instead, an adduct derived from the benzoquinone electrophile tetrachloro-1,4-benzoquinone (chloranil) was observed in the extracted ion chromatogram from the RLM/NADPH-treated PCP/dG sample. The adduct 4 is the first structurally characterized O-bonded phenolic DNA...
Computer-program description. Computation of rotationally symmetric laplacian potentioals

A method of computing Laplacian potentials for rotationally symmetric Dirichlet boundary-value problems is developed. The algorithm is valid for N surfaces of revolution of arbitrary cross-section, and gives the potentials both inside the surfaces of revolution. The solution is obtained by solving the integral equation formulation using a step approximation to the source and point matching for testing. Sample computations are given, and a general computer program is available.
Transcription of the single actin gene ofCandida albicans during the yeast-to-mycelium conversion

Abstract The existence of a single actin gene in theCandida albicans genome was confirmed by Southern blot experiments. Northern blot analysis was used to examine actin gene transcription during the yeast-to-mycelium (Y-M) conversion ofC. albicans. A threefold increase in actin transcription was detected during the first half hour of the Y-M conversion; maximum accumulation of actin mRNA was observed at 2 hr and then gradually declined. Actin mRNA accumulation from cells maintained as yeasts increased approximately 30% during the first half hour and then increased at a slower rate for the first hour when compared to that of the corresponding mycelial cells. In contrast to the decreasing accumulation of actin mRNA for mycelial cells at corresponding time points, actin mRNA accumulation from yeast cells is steadily increasing at 4 and 6 hr postconversion. No correlation between methylation status and gene expression was observed since methylated bases were detected in both yeast and mycelial DNA.
An analysis of the errors in John Flamsteed's Mural Arc observations

Abstract An accurate analysis of the random and systematic (bias) errors of Flamsteed's Mural Arc and the observations made using it could not be made until the end of the twentieth century. It is only in the last decades that the quantitative representation of the Astronomical Reference Frame and the Astronomical Constants have reached the required precision. In this study, it is possible to predict the true time of a meridian transit of a star (subject to an uncertainty in ΔT ) and the true observed zenith distances (subject to the uncertainty in the refraction). These can be compared to Flamsteed's clock times of wire crossings and readings of the Mural Arc. Statistical analyses have been applied to a sufficient number of observations to determine standard deviations. Bias errors can be modeled by least squares fits to Flamsteed's determinations.
Cómo valorar los sistemas de propiedad a partir de datos arqueológicos

Processual archaeologists have been reluctant to address the nature of prehistoric property regimes. Ethnological evidence suggests a predictable development of such regimes over the evolutionary range of human societies. Examination of patterns of elite expenditure and household consumption can be used to evaluate such evolutionary scenarios in concrete cases.
Measuring the Performance of State Transportation Agencies: Three Perspectives

State transportation agencies (STAs) are under increasing pressure to implement organizational and program performance measures, and they naturally look to the theories and practices of transportation planning and engineering for guidance. However, to meet the new expectations for performance measurement, STAs also should consider the perspectives of two other disciplines: business management and public administration. The reasons for the current interest in performance measurement are reviewed, and then the perspectives of each of the three disciplines are identified and compared. Five aspects of performance measurement are considered: reasons for measuring performance, incorporating stakeholder perspectives, dimensions for measurement, comparisons as a basis for measurement, and guidelines for performance measures and measurement systems. Side-by-side comparisons are offered to promote a better understanding of each discipline's perspective, interrelationships, and basic differences. For instance, each ...
Cancer in relation to occupational exposure to perchloroethylene

Exposure to perchloroethylene (PCE) occurs in a number of occupational settings in which organic solvents are used, and, in particular, is widely prevalent in the dry-cleaning industry. This review summarizes the results of studies of the occurrence of the individual types of cancer in dry cleaners. Two of those cancers of greatest a priori concern (because of results in PCE-exposed experimental animals)--liver cancer and leukemia--have not occurred with increased frequency among persons employed in the dry-cleaning industry. Rates were elevated by about a factor of two for esophageal and bladder cancers, but not increased clearly for any other site. The excess mortality from esophageal cancer was well beyond the limits of chance, based on a total of 23 deaths that occurred in the two principal cohort-studies of dry cleaners. There was some indication of a particularly high risk associated with prolonged employment and a long interval since first employment. However, the possible confounding effect of the combination of cigarette smoking and heavy alcohol consumption, a very strong risk factor for the development of esophageal cancer, could be taken into account only partially in these studies. With regard to bladder cancer, the limited data available suggest that the observed increased risk could be due to exposure to other solvents than PCE used in dry cleaning. The potential influence of occupational exposure to PCE on the occurrence of esophageal and bladder cancer needs continued examination in further follow-up of existing cohorts of dry cleaners, the assembly of additional cohorts, and in large case-control studies that ascertain occupational exposures in some detail.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in a Large African American Population, Does It Differ from Caucasians? (P01.098)

Objective: To compare clinical and epidemiological features of ALS in African Americans versus Caucasians. Background Recent epidemiologic studies suggest a lower incidence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) among African, Hispanic and Asian ethnicities than Caucasians. The epidemiologic and clinical features of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients have been rarely described in African American patients. Design/Methods: We retrospectively identified 207 patients diagnosed with ALS based on the revised El Escorial criteria (60 African Americans and 147 Caucasians). We compared the epidemiological and clinical features of these two groups, focusing on age, clinical presentation, survival, and co morbidities. Results: African American patients had a significantly younger mean age of disease onset than Caucasian (54.8 ± 15.6 years vs. 60.7 ± 12.0, p=.01) and were diagnosed earlier (56.4 ± 15.2 years vs. 62.0 ± 11.8, p=.01). In a multivariable Cox proportional hazard model, survival rates were not different between the groups (p=.345). Younger patients (≤60 years) from both groups had longer survival (p=.002). Average age of death was higher in Caucasians than African Americans (64.6 ± 11.3 vs. 59.3 ± 14.3, p=.01). Older Caucasian males were more likely to present with upper motor neuron predominant ALS than their African American counterparts (p=.01). Conclusions: In this large study population, African American ALS patients presented and got diagnosed at a younger age than Caucasians. Because they had similar overall survival rates to Caucasians, African Americans tended to die younger. Consistent with prior studies, younger patients in both groups had longer survival. Upper motor neuron predominant ALS at presentation was more common in older Caucasian males. Disclosure: Dr. Kazamel has nothing to disclose. Dr. Cutter has received personal compensation for activities with Sanofi-Aventis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Cleveland Clinic, Daiichi Pharmaceutical Corporation, GlaxoSmithKline, Inc., Genmab Biopharmaceuticals, Eli Lilly & Company, Medivation, Modigenetech, Ono Pharmaceutical, PTC Therapeutics, Teva Neuroscience, Vivus, University of Pennsylvania, NHLBI, NINDS, NMSS, Alexion, Bayhill Therapeutics, Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Celgene, Novartis, Consortium of MS Centers, Genzyme Corporation, Klein-Buendel Incorporated, Nuron Biotech, Peptimmune, Somnus Pharmaceuticals, Sandoz, University of Texas Southwestern and Visioneering Technologies, Inc. Dr. Cutter has received compensation for serving on the board of Pythagoras, INC. Dr. Cutter has received research support from various pharmaceutical corporations. Dr. King has nothing to disclose.
Social Skills and Social Perception of LD and Nonhandicapped Elementary-School Students:

Twenty-six pairs of elementary-aged LD and nonhandicapped children were assessed individually on social perception (empathy) and social skills measures. Empathy was determined by the children's responses to stories involving various emotional situations, and was defined both as their tendency to identify with the emotion another person is experiencing (empathy-1) as well as their ability to label emotions in others (empathy-2). Social skill was measured by teacher ratings of the subjects on the Social Behavior Assessment (SBA). With the exception of the Task-Related category on the SBA, statistically significant differences were not found between the two subject groups on the empathy and social skills measures. Moderate correlations between social skill and empathy were obtained only for the nonhandicapped children. Empathy−1 and −2 appeared to measure distinct skills, thus relating differently to the social skills assessed. These findings question the assumed relationship between social skill and social ...
Prototype-Driven Learning for Sequence Models

We investigate prototype-driven learning for primarily unsupervised sequence modeling. Prior knowledge is specified declaratively, by providing a few canonical examples of each target annotation label. This sparse prototype information is then propagated across a corpus using distributional similarity features in a log-linear generative model. On part-of-speech induction in English and Chinese, as well as an information extraction task, prototype features provide substantial error rate reductions over competitive baselines and outperform previous work. For example, we can achieve an English part-of-speech tagging accuracy of 80.5% using only three examples of each tag and no dictionary constraints. We also compare to semi-supervised learning and discuss the system's error trends.
A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Symbols: A Sociologist's View of the Economic Pursuit of Truth

Open up a typical world atlas, and you observe that it is divided into two parts. The first part is the largest in terms of pages, consisting of numerous maps. The second part is the index of places that can be found on the maps. The index typically lists places in alphabetical order; to the right of each place is its location, usually specified in terms of longitude and latitude along with a page number on which the specific longitude and latitude combination can be found among the maps. To a large degree, the information in the index is redundant with the information in the maps. The longitude and latitude information contained in the index is simply an alternative way of representing the maps' visual information. Yet, most would probably agree that the usefulness of the index without the associated maps is limited. Indeed, if you were handed the index and told to try to make sense of the information contained in the index, for example, to identify the relative positions of a few dozen cities, you would probably only be able to do so by using the longitude and latitude information to plot your own visual representation of the city locations. Once represented in this fashion, it would be much easier both to convey and to retain truths about the physical world. While the atlas provides one example of how visual imagery can often be better at conveying certain truths or facts about the world, there are others. For example, the cognitive psychologists Gilles Fauconnier and Mark Turner (2002) have recently drawn on Arthur Koestler's riddle of the Buddhist monk in his work The Act of Creation to make a similar point. The riddle proceeds as follows:
An organic `metal'?

LITTLE1 has proposed a mechanism by which an electron–electron (e–e) interaction in certain organic polymers and macromolecules might result in a high superconducting transition temperature. This e–e mechanism requires a combination of two systems consisting of a conducting or semiconducting polymeric compound forming a spine, with highly polarisable side chains attached to the spine. According to Little, the addition of such side chains can increase the e–e attraction in the spine to the point where it becomes energetically favourable to enter the superconducting state. This e–e mechanism of superconductivity has led to lively discussions, primarily concerned with superconductivity in quasi one and two-dimensional systems2,3, and the magnitude of the e–e attraction4,5. It has been shown theoretically3 that, depending on, the nature of the interaction between the electrons, a quasi one-dimensional system may exist in different states: metallic, dielectric, antiferromagnetic and superconducting. It has also been shown experimentally that the organic charge transfer salt N-methyl-pehnazinium tetracyanoqui-nodimethan has ‘metallic’ properties at temperatures above 200 K with a continuous transition to a small-band-gap insulator below 200 K (ref. 6).
Linking Entity Resolution and Risk

A major emerging problem among consumer finance institutions is that customers that are not well recognized might be riskier than customers that are fully recognized. Fortunately, financial institutions count with external vendors databases that indicate the level of recognition of their customers. However, this information is normally presented as features with partial scores that must be aggregated into an overall matching accuracy score. This score indicates how similar a record is to a master database that contains the best available public information about a specific customer. In addition, information management and risk management departments of financial institutions may have very different models. Hence, it is necessary to connect the customer recognition information with risk models. This paper studies this problem in two parts: (1) generation of a matching accuracy score to quantify the status of entity resolution between consumer records of a major financial company and an external database, and (2) evaluation of the relationship between the matching accuracy score and several risk segments. As a final result, an overall matching accuracy score is obtained for every customer using the most current account information and a learning algorithm. The matching accuracy score is an indicator of the level of customer recognition. This matching accuracy score is correlated with the FICO score (FICO is a risk score generated by the company Fair Isaac & Co. The maximum value of FICO is 850. In this paper, values above 720 are considered Superprime, between 661–719 are Prime, 600–660 are Near Prime, and less than 600 or not available are Subprime).
MECHANISMS OF PHOTOREDUCTIONS AND HYDROGENOLYSIS OF PYRIMIDINE NUCLEOSIDES AND THEIR PHOTODIMERS

— Photoreduction of uridine to dihydrouridine in the presence of sodium borohydride is shown to be specific for uridine in nucleic acids. This selective reaction provides a method for the production of dihydrouridine in tRNA and messenger RNA in order to investigate its physiological role. Though the photoreduction stops at the dihydrouridine stage, dihydrouridine undergoes selective hydrogenolysis (dark reaction) to -γ-hydroxypropylurea; this reaction is used analytically to detect dihydrouridine in tRNA, and in sequence studies. Thymidine differs from uridine, as the photoreduction does not stop at the dihydrothymidine level, but there is a rapid hydrogenolysis and ring opening. The mechanism and stereochemistry of the hydrogenolysis of dihydrothymidine, photohydrate of thymidine, and photodimers of thymidine are described. The reaction seems capable of being developed into an analytical procedure to determine the photoproducts formed on u. v. irradiation of DN A. RESUMEN Se ha demostrado que la fotorreduccion de la uridina a dihidrouridina en presencia de borohidruro de sodioes especifica para uridina en acidos nucleicos. Esta reaccion selectiva provee un mecanismo para la incorporacion de dihidrouridina en t-RNA y “messenger RNA. La fotorreduccion se detiene a nivel de la dihidrouridina, que luego mediante una hidrogenolisis forma γ-hidroxipropil urea, esta reaccion se usa para detectar dihidrouridina en t-RNA. La timidina difiere de la uridina en que la fotorreduccion no se detiene a nivel de la dihidrotimidina, sino que sufre una rapida hidrogenolisis con apertura del anillo. Se describen los mecanismos y la estereoquimica de la hidrogenolisis de la dihidrotimidina, fotohidrato de timidina y fotodimero de timidina. La reaccion es desarrollada en un procedimiento analitico para determinar los fotoproductos formados en DNA irradiado con luz u.v.
Overexpression of yeast spermidine synthase impacts ripening, senescence and decay symptoms in tomato

Polyamines (PAs) are ubiquitous, polycationic biogenic amines that are implicated in many biological processes, including plant growth and development, but their precise roles remain to be determined. Most of the previous studies have involved three biogenic amines: putrescine (Put), spermidine (Spd) and spermine (Spm), and their derivatives. We have expressed a yeast spermidine synthase (ySpdSyn) gene under constitutive (CaMV35S) and fruit-ripening specific (E8) promoters in Solanum lycopersicum (tomato), and determined alterations in tomato vegetative and fruit physiology in transformed lines compared with the control. Constitutive expression of ySpdSyn enhanced intracellular levels of Spd in the leaf, and transiently during fruit development, whereas E8-ySpdSyn expression led to Spd accumulation early and transiently during fruit ripening. The ySpdSyn transgenic fruits had a longer shelf life, reduced shriveling and delayed decay symptom development in comparison with the wild-type (WT) fruits. An increase in shelf life of ySpdSyn transgenic fruits was not facilitated by changes in the rate of water loss or ethylene evolution. Additionally, the expression of several cell wall and membrane degradation-related genes in ySpdSyn transgenic fruits was not correlated with an extension of shelf life, indicating that the Spd-mediated increase in fruit shelf life is independent of the above factors. Crop maturity, indicated by the percentage of ripening fruits on the vine, was delayed in a CaMV35S-ySpdSyn genotype, with fruits accumulating higher levels of the antioxidant lycopene. Notably, whole-plant senescence in the transgenic plants was also delayed compared with WT plants. Together, these results provide evidence for a role of PAs, particularly Spd, in increasing fruit shelf life, probably by reducing post-harvest senescence and decay.