cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Simian TRIM5α Proteins Reduce Replication of Herpes Simplex Virus

Old World monkey TRIM5α proteins are known to block the replication of human immunodeficiency virus and other retroviruses in a species-specific fashion. In this report, we show that specific forms of simian TRIM5α proteins can restrict herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection. To define the effect of TRIM5α on HSV replication, we examined HSV infection in HeLa cell lines that stably express simian and human orthologs of TRIM5α proteins. We demonstrated that several simian TRIM5α proteins can restrict HSV replication, with the TRIM5α protein of rhesus macaques showing the strongest inhibition of HSV infection. We also found that the level of the inhibition of virus replication was viral strain-specific. TRIM5α is likely to inhibit HSV at the early stage of infection; however, at later times of infection, the levels of TRIM5α are significantly decreased. Thus, some TRIM5α proteins exhibit antiviral effects that extend beyond retroviral infections, but HSV may be able to reduce this restriction by reducing TRIM5α levels during the later phases of virus replication. Our results also argue that TRIM5α is only part of the reduced level of HSV replication in rhesus macaques, which are known to be less susceptible to HSV infection than other primates.
AWARENESS OF RACIAL AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY IN JAPANESE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS' ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEXTBOOKS

This article explores how cultural attitudes about race and ethnicity are taught in the English language textbooks as a part of Japan's school curriculum. A content analysis of Japanese junior high school textbooks on English as a foreign language published from 1987 to 2002 was conducted. Four hypotheses were investigated relating to 1) the diversity of countries, 2) the inclusion of Asia, 3) the diversity of individuals, and 4) the portrayal of the United States and Japan. The results suggest that while Japan's English language textbooks did represent diverse countries, they did not represent the diversity of racial and ethnic groups. Moreover, although ambiguity about race and ethnicity did exist, there also appeared to be attempts to respond to the changing realities impacted by globalization.
Expansions in Products of Heine—Stieltjes Polynomials

It is shown that products of polynomials introduced by Heine and Stieltjes form orthogonal bases in suitable function spaces. A theorem on the expansion of analytic function in these bases is proved.
Food consumption and growth of three esocids: Field tests of a bioenergetic model

Abstract We quantified diet and compared field estimates of growth and daily ration with predictions from a bioenergetic model for young-of-year muskellunge Esox masquinongy, northern pike E. lucius, and tiger muskellunge E. masquinongy × E. lucius introduced into five Ohio reservoirs. Gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum dominated esocid diets (77–97% by weight) through autumn but were absent by spring. Diets in late autumn and spring included sunfishes Lepomis spp. and brook silversides Labidesthes sicculus. Northern pike and tiger muskellunge grew faster than muskellunge through the first year. Food consumption was highest for tiger muskellunge, followed by northern pike, then muskellunge. Growth rates and rations were highest immediately after stocking, declining through autumn to their lowest levels in December and spring. A bioenergetic model underestimated final mass by a factor of two to three for all esocids; predictions for food consumption were better than those for growth but still overestimated o...
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of in-situ fractured reaction bonded silicon nitride

The grain boundary chemistry of reaction bonded silicon nitride (RBSN) and the effect of iron species and content on this chemistry is investigated using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy. RBSN specimens were fractured in-situ and the shape and energy of the Si, N, C, O, and Fe photoelectron peaks were examined and compared for the range of specimens. Data are reported for semiconductor grade RBSN, Fe-doped semiconductor grade RBSN, and metallurgical grade RBSN specimens. Results indicate that the grain boundaries have an elemental composition of Si, N, O, and C; however, there are important chemical differences depending on the purity of the starting material. In the RBSN made from metallurgical grade silicon, the grain boundaries have a distinct ''oxide-like'' layer, with a subregion of Si/sub 3/N/sub 4/. No distinct oxide layer was observed in the RBSN made from semiconductor grade silicon, where the O appears to be uniformly incorporated into the Si/sub 3/N/sub 4/.
Evaluation of the role of heterogeneous oxidation of alkenes in the detection of atmospheric acetaldehyde

Abstract Unexpectedly high values for acetaldehyde have been observed in airborne measurements using a proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry instrument. The acetaldehyde values increase with increasing ambient ozone levels with a ratio up to 5 pptv acetaldehyde per ppbv of ozone in the free troposphere. The elevated values of acetaldehyde cannot easily be explained from known tropospheric chemistry. Here, we investigate the possibility that the elevated acetaldehyde signals are due to a sampling artifact. Laboratory experiments show that the elevated signals are not due to changes of the ion chemistry in the instrument, or from the instrument materials reacting with ozone. The heterogeneous oxidation of a number of unsaturated organic compounds is investigated as a possible source for a chemical artifact produced in the instrument inlet. The products of the heterogeneous reactions are consistent with gas phase chemistry, and the ozonolysis of some alkenes does produce acetaldehyde when they have the appropriate hydrocarbon structure. The amount of reactive material in the free troposphere expected to accumulate in the aircraft inlet is unknown, and the exact origin of reactive compounds that contribute to the artifact production remains unresolved.
Takayasu' s Arteritis (Type III) in an 8-Year-Old Girl: A Takayasu's Arteritis (Type III) in an 8-Year-Old Girl: A Multimodality Approach to Staged Revascularization of the Heart, Head, and Abdominal Viscera—A Case Report

Takayasu's arteritis is a rare disease involving the aorta and its branches. The peak incidence of the disease occurs in the third decade of life, and less than 10% of cases involve children. The authors present here a case of severe and progres sive type III Takayasu's arteritis requiring coronary, cerebral, and visceral revascularization in an eight-year-old girl. A multimodality approach was used including saphenous vein coronary artery bypass, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty of the carotid and subclavian arteries, and visceral thromboendar terectomy.
A polymer-bound cavitand.

An amino-footed cavitand, 1, was attached to an insoluble polystyrene support, and the uptake of organic guest molecules by the resulting polymer 3 from xylene or toluene solutions was achieved.
Frictional Convergence in a Decaying Weak Vortex

AbstractCross-isobaric flow and Ekman pumping are investigated in the frictional spindown of an initially barotropic vortex in a stratified atmosphere. Consistent with early work by Holton and others, it is found that the stratification limits the vertical penetration of the secondary circulation driven by friction, resulting in more rapid spindown than in the unstratified case. As a result, the cross-isobaric flow and Ekman pumping are weaker and shallower than classical calculations ignoring the stratification would lead one to believe. The effect of stability becomes stronger as the vortex becomes smaller for fixed boundary layer depth. For weak geostrophic vortices with horizontal scales of several hundred kilometers or less, such as tropical easterly waves, the reduction is particularly pronounced, which raises questions about the efficacy of Ekman pumping in forcing convection in such vortices. These results suggest a revised conceptual model for the role of Ekman pumping in the atmosphere. The theo...
Unsupervised channel adaptation for language identification using co-training

Language identification (LID) of speech signals in conditions like adverse radio communication channel is a challenging problem. In this paper, we address the scenario of improving the performance of a LID system on mis-matched radio communication channels (not seen in training) given a small amount of speech data without language labels. We develop a co-training procedure using two diverse acoustic LID systems to improve the performance by effectively utilizing the adaptation data. The acoustic LID systems use different features, projection methods and back-end classifiers. Assuming that the classification errors for the diverse LID systems are independent, the co-training procedure improves the classification accuracy of each system. Various LID experiments are performed on the mis-matched channels in a leave-one-out setting for a variety of noise conditions. In these experiments, with small amounts of unsupervised data from the new channel, we show that the proposed co-training procedure provides significant improvement (average relative improvement of 32 %) over the baseline scenario of no-adaptation and noticeable improvements of about 10 % over a self-training framework.
The Continued Importance of Quality Parent–Adolescent Relationships During Late Adolescence

The quality of adolescents' relationships with residential parents has been found to predict many different health and behavioral youth outcomes; strong associations have also been found between these outcomes and family processes, and between relationship quality and family processes. Data from Rounds 1–5 of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1997 were used to examine hypotheses about the influence of the parent–adolescent relationship on subsequent adolescent mental well-being and delinquency, as mediated by family processes. Using structural equation modeling, we found that the influence of a positive residential parent–adolescent relationship on better mental well-being and fewer delinquency was entirely mediated by family routines, parental monitoring, and parental supportiveness, net of sociodemographic controls.
SPECTROSCOPY OF EXOTIC NUCLEI USING HEAVY-ION TRANSFER REACTIONS

The ($^{11}\mathrm{B}$, $^{8}\mathrm{B}$), ($^{11}\mathrm{B}$, $^{11}\mathrm{C}$), and ($^{11}\mathrm{B}$, $^{13}\mathrm{N}$) reactions were studied at 86 MeV as a technique for the mass measurement and spectroscopy of exotic nuclei.
Frog sciatic nerve myelin: a chemical characterization.

— The lipid and protein compositions of PNS myelin from two species of frogs, Xenopus laevis and Rana catesbiana, are compared with each other and with those of the rat. The relative proportions of PNS myelin lipids in the two frog species and rat are very similar except for a somewhat higher phosphatidyl choline content in frog myelin. The protein compositions of frog PNS myelin of the two species are also much alike, but a protein smaller than P2 is found in Xenopus, which is not seen in Rana. The results are discussed in terms of results found by others in other species and the compositions are compared with those of the corresponding CNS myelin.
Design of InGaN/GaN/AlGaN VCSELs using the effective frequency method

The effective frequency method is applied to analyze complex optical structures of nitride-based intracavity-contacted VCSELs. Numerical results indicate that higher-order lateral modes would be favored in nitride-based intracavity-contacted VCSELs due to strong current-crowding effect. A semi-transparent contact design is proposed to provide more uniform gain distribution within the active region and maintain lasing in the fundamental lateral mode.
Genetic Variation Is the Major Determinant of Individual Differences in Leukocyte Endothelial Adhesion

Objective To determine the genetic contribution to leukocyte endothelial adhesion. Methods Leukocyte endothelial adhesion was assessed through a novel cell-based assay using human lymphoblastoid cell lines. A high-throughput screening method was developed to evaluate the inter-individual variability in leukocyte endothelial adhesion using lymphoblastoid cell lines derived from different donors. To assess heritability, ninety-two lymphoblastoid cell lines derived from twenty-three monozygotic twin pairs and twenty-three sibling pairs were compared. These lymphoblastoid cell lines were plated with the endothelial cell line EA.hy926 and labeled with Calcein AM dye. Fluorescence was assessed to determine endothelial cell adhesion to each lymphoblastoid cell line. Intra-pair similarity was determined for monozygotic twins and siblings using Pearson pairwise correlation coefficients. Results A leukocyte endothelial adhesion assay for lymphoblastoid cell lines was developed and optimized (CV = 8.68, Z′-factor = 0.67, SNR = 18.41). A higher adhesion correlation was found between the twins than that between the siblings. Intra-pair similarity for leukocyte endothelial adhesion in monozygotic twins was 0.60 compared to 0.25 in the siblings. The extent to which these differences are attributable to underlying genetic factors was quantified and the heritability of leukocyte endothelial adhesion was calculated to be 69.66% (p-value<0.0001). Conclusions There is a heritable component to leukocyte endothelial adhesion. Underlying genetic predisposition plays a significant role in inter-individual variability of leukocyte endothelial adhesion.
The Minimally Invasive Management of Visceral Artery Aneurysms and Pseudoaneurysms

Objective Minimally invasive methods (MIMs) are now available for the management of visceral artery aneurysms and pseudoaneurysms (visceral artery aneurysms [VAA]). The purpose of this study was to review our 10-year experience with the MIM of treating VAA. Methods All patients evaluated from June 1999 to June 2009 with VAAs were reviewed. Demographics, therapy, and results were analyzed. Results MIM was attempted in 185 aneurysms in 176 patients. Initial intervention was successful in 98% ofaneurysms. Sixty-three (34%) aneurysms were located in the splenic artery, 56 (30%) in the hepatic, 28 (15%) in the gastroduodenal, 16 (8.6%) in the pancreaticoduodenal, six (3.2%) in the superior mesenteric, four (2.1%) in the gastric, four (2.1%) in the celiac, four (2.1%) in the gastroepiploic, two (1%) in the inferior mesenteric, and one (0.5%) in the middle colic artery. Pseudoaneurysms were more common than true aneurysms (64% vs 36%). Bleeding was the indication for intervention in 86 aneurysms (46%). Initial treatment was successful in 177 aneurysms (98%). Reintervention was required in five (3%) aneurysms within 30 days. Coiling was used alone in 139 aneurysms (75%) and in combination with at least one other technique in 20 (11%) cases. Thirty-day aneurysm-related mortality was 3.4% (six deaths). Five additional deaths occurred during 30-day follow-up, although none was related to complications of the aneurysms (2.8%). Conclusions MIM for visceral artery aneurysms can be used alone or in combination to effectively treat VAAs in elective or emergent conditions.
Enhancer binding factors AP-4 and AP-1 act in concert to activate SV40 late transcription in vitro

The simian virus 40 (SV40) transcriptional enhancer is composed of multiple cis-acting DNA sequence motifs, each individually having a two- to fourfold effect on the efficiency of transcription. When various distinct cis-elements act in combination, however, a dramatic enhancement of transcription initiation often results. SV40-enhancer A-domain sequences were previously shown to be important for early and late transcription in vivo. Here we report the isolation of the enhancer binding factor AP-4, which recognizes a motif in this domain. Purified AP-4 activates SV40 late transcription in vitro, and this stimulation is augmented by the addition of transcription factor AP-1 which binds to adjacent sequences in the A-domain, suggesting coordinate action of the two factors for transcriptional enhancement. AP-1 also represses late transcription from a major in vitro start site which is poorly used in vivo, indicating that AP-1 can act as both a positive and negative regulator of SV40 late transcription. Thus by manipulating the levels of different trans-acting factors in vitro, we can recreate the pattern of SV40 late initiation observed during the viral lytic cycle in vivo.
Integration of soil applied neonicotinoid insecticides and acibenzolar-S-methyl for systemic acquired resistance (SAR) control of citrus canker on young citrus trees

Abstract Soil application of systemic neonicotinoid insecticides for control of psyllid vectors of Huanglongbing disease on young citrus trees also produces season-long SAR control of citrus canker caused by Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri Schaad et al. The neonicotinoids imidacloprid (IMID) and thiamethoxam (THIA) were compared with soil or sprinkler applications of the commercial SAR inducer acibenzolar-S-methyl (ASM) and foliar sprays of copper hydroxide (CH) and/or streptomycin (STREP) to evaluate their effects on the percentage of canker-infected leaves on 2-yr-old ‘Vernia’ orange and 3-yr-old ‘Ray Ruby’ grapefruit trees in Southeast Florida. All treatments significantly reduced the incidence of foliar canker compared to the untreated check. Soil drenches of ASM and season long rotations with IMID and THIA were highly effective for suppressing foliar canker on young grapefruit and orange trees under weather conditions absent of high intensity rains or tropical storms. Sprinkler application of ASM was less effective than soil drench. The level of control for SAR treatments was comparable to eleven 21-day interval sprays of CH and/or STREP. SAR induced by soil-applied insecticides provides substantial benefits for canker disease management on young citrus trees that may be augmented with ASM.
Neon Bulbs and the Unknotting of ARCS in Manifolds

We give several generalizations of the light bulb trick. These show that in a variety of settings there is a unique isotopy class of arcs connecting two points.
The endothelial microenvironment in the venous valvular sinus: thromboresistance trends and inter-individual variation

The valve sinuses of the deep venous system are frequent sites of venous thrombus initiation. We previously reported that, in comparison with the non-valvular lumenal endothelium, the valve sinus endothelium had decreased expression of von Willebrand factor (vWF) and increased expression of endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR) and thrombomodulin (TM), suggesting alteration in the procoagulant/anticoagulant balance. We hypothesized that increased stasis in the deeper recesses of the venous valves would be associated with a gradient of increased thromboresistance. Expression of EPCR, TM, and vWF was analyzed via quantitative confocal immunofluorescence in residual saphenous veins collected following coronary artery bypass procedures. In agreement with our hypothesis, endothelial expression of vWF in the valve sinus decreased from the uppermost to the deepest region of the valve sinus. In contrast to our hypothesis, EPCR expression decreased from the uppermost to the deepest region of the valve sinus (p < 0.001) and TM expression remained unchanged throughout the valve sinus. Comparison of the non-valvular lumenal endothelium with the valve sinus endothelium demonstrated significantly decreased vWF expression (p < 0.001) in the valvular sinus consistent with our previous report; however, we did not observe statistically significant differences in EPCR or TM expression in this comparison. In addition, remarkable inter-individual variation in expression of these three proteins was also observed. These findings suggest that the genesis of these observations is more complex than predicted by our initial hypothesis, likely due, at least in part, to the complex rheology of the valvular sinus microenvironment.
Spinodal decomposition during the hadronization stage at RHIC

The expansion of strongly interacting matter formed in high-energy nuclear collisions drives the system through the region of phase coexistence. The present study examines the associated spinodal instability and finds that the degree of amplification may be sufficient for the emergence of spinodal patterns that may be utilized as a diagnostic of the hadronization phase transition.
An efficient and economic site-specific deuteration strategy for NMR studies of homologous oligonucleotide repeat sequences

We describe herein the use of a 2H-labeling strategy to achieve specific assignments of considerably overlapped cross peaks in the 1H-NMR spectrum of a DNA trinucleotide repeat sequence. Our strategy focuses on site-specific 2H-labeling of base moieties to simplify the NMR spectral regions which contain the major portion of the structural information. To achieve efficient preparation of 2H8- or 2H6-labeled DNA and RNA nucleosides and nucleotides, the existing synthetic and purification procedures were significantly improved. Our experiments demonstrate that pyrimidine H6 deuteration reactions may be carried out using non-deuterated base reagents with DMSO-d6 as a 2H donor. These reactions are simple and economic to perform and produce base deuterated nucleosides and nucleotides in high yield. The 2H-labeled residues have been incorporated into oligonucleotides with minor modifications of the existing reaction conditions. Using the homologous CGG repeat sequence, d(CGG)5, as an example, the effectiveness of the site-specific base deuteration strategy is demonstrated. In the otherwise extensively overlapped spectra of d(CGG)5, 2H-labeling has permitted unambiguous identification of a sequential connectivity at a central CG step and confirmation of several other NOE assignments. This information is critical for elucidation of the structure and the folding of the CGG repeat sequences and will contribute to the intensive effort to understand the mechanisms of triplet expansion, which has been implicated in the development of a number of hereditary neurodegenerative diseases. In addition to the two dimensional spectral simplification in a key spectral region using site-specific 2H8/2H6-labeling, the potential applications of the prescribed strategy in homonuclear three dimensional experiments are also discussed.
The quasi-partition algebra

Abstract We introduce the quasi-partition algebra Q P k ( n ) as a centralizer algebra of the symmetric group. This algebra is a subalgebra of the partition algebra and inherits many similar combinatorial properties. We construct a basis for Q P k ( n ) , give a formula for its dimension in terms of the Bell numbers, and describe a set of generators for Q P k ( n ) as a complex algebra. In addition, we give the dimensions and indexing set of its irreducible representations. We also provide the Bratteli diagram for the tower of quasi-partition algebras (constructed by letting k range over the positive integers).
Electron beam dose distributions near standard inhomogeneities

At a recent workshop on electron beam dose planning, a set of standard geometries was defined to facilitate the comparison of electron beam treatment planning algorithms and dosimetric measurements. The geometries consist of one-, two- or three-dimensional inhomogeneities embedded near the entrance surface of a water phantom. In the three-dimensional case, the inhomogeneities are small cylinders of air or aluminium located on the beam axis. The authors have used a small (1 mm square by 0.1 mm thick) p-type silicon detector to measure the dose distributions behind these inhomogeneities for broad beams of 10 and 20 MeV electrons. The effect of the inhomogeneities is to perturb the dose in their vicinity by as much as 50% over a range of a few millimetres. These results provide a stringent test of techniques for calculating dose distributions. Current clinical algorithms do not accurately predict the dose distributions, but detailed Monte Carlo simulations are shown to be in good agreement with the experimental results.
Use of a relationship between J(13CH) and τ to evaluate anisotropic contributions to τ-anisotropies in the τ-values of the group IV tetramethyl derivatives

A linear relationship is reported between 13CH spin-spin coupling constants, J(13CH), and proton chemical shifts, τ, for a restricted series of methyl derivatives. The existence of this relationship is rationalized and the relationship is employed: (a) to justify an earlier interpretation of the chemical shift data for the tetramethyl derivatives of the group IV elements; (b) to conclude that the chemical shift data cannot be employed to evaluate electronegativities of the central group IV element in these compounds; (c) to aid in evaluating the anisotropic contributions to the chemical shifts of the methyl halides and other compounds. The 13CH spin-spin coupling constants indicate that the hybridization of the methyl carbon atom in the tetramethyl derivatives of the group IV elements changes with the effectiveness of central element-carbon overlap.
Regional 133xenon cerebral blood flow and cerebral 99mTc-HMPAO uptake in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder before and during treatment

We previously reported increased regional cerebral cortical uptake and decreased caudate nucleus uptake of 99m Tc-HMPAO in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) before treatment compared to matched normal controls. In the present study, we determined whether or not these changes persisted during treatment. Single-photon emission computed tomography was used to measure regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) by 133 Xe inhalation and regional cerebral uptake of 99m Tc-HMPAO in eight adult male OCD patients before and during treatment with clomipramine, and in eight age-matched normal male controls. With 133 Xe, there were no significant differences in rCBF between the patients with OCD and their matched controls, and no significant differences in rCBF in the patients before and during treatment. Significantly increased HMPAO uptake in the orbital frontal cortex, posterofrontal cortex, and high dorsal parietal cortex bilaterally occurred in the OCD patients before treatment compared to their matched controls, and there were significant reductions of HMPAO uptake, into the normal range, in all these areas in the patients during treatment. Significantly reduced HMPAO uptake in the caudate nucleus bilaterally occurred in the patients before treatment compared to their matched controls, and these reductions persisted during treatment. This study provides additional support for the involvement of both the orbital frontal cortex and the caudate nuclei in the pathophysiology of OCD.
Detection of synchronous cancers by fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography during primary staging workup for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in Taiwan.

Aim The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the ability of fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) in the detection of synchronous cancers during staging workup for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Materials and Methods We performed a retrospective chart review of 426 Taiwanese patients with esophageal cancer who received FDG-PET/CT during their primary staging workup between December 2006 and December 2011. We defined synchronous cancers as those occurring within 6 months of the FDG-PET/CT scan. All of the synchronous lesions were confirmed by histology or imaging follow-up. The study patients were followed for at least 18 months or were censored on the date of last follow-up. Results Fifty patients were excluded from analysis because of the presence of distant metastases. Of the remaining 376 patients, 359 were diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). We identified 17 patients with synchronous cancers, and all of them had a diagnosis of SCC. Synchronous head and neck cancers were the most frequent (n=13, 76.4%), followed by gastrointestinal cancers (colon cancer, n=2; hepatocellular carcinoma, n=1), and renal cell carcinoma (n=1). FDG-PET/CT successfully detected 15 synchronous cancers (12 head and neck cancers, 2 colon cancers, and 1 renal cell carcinoma). In contrast, conventional workup detected only 9 synchronous cancers (7 head and neck cancers, 1 hepatocellular carcinoma and 1 renal cell carcinoma). The sensitivity of FDG-PET/CT and conventional workup in detecting synchronous cancers were 88.2% and 52.9% respectively. Conclusion The most frequent synchronous lesions in patients with esophageal SCC were head and neck cancers in Taiwan. Our data indicate that FDG-PET/CT is superior to conventional workup in the detection of synchronous tumors during primary staging for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
Activation of the sphingomyelin signaling pathway in intact EL4 cells and in a cell-free system by IL-1 beta

The mechanism of interleukin-1 (IL-1) signaling is unknown. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha uses a signal transduction pathway that involves sphingomyelin hydrolysis to ceramide and stimulation of a ceramide-activated protein kinase. In intact EL4 thymoma cells, IL-1 beta similarly stimulated a rapid decrease of sphingomyelin and an elevation of ceramide, and enhanced ceramide-activated protein kinase activity. This cascade was also activated by IL-1 beta in a cell-free system, demonstrating tight coupling to the receptor. Exogenous sphingomyelinase, but not phospholipases A2, C, or D, in combination with phorbol ester replaced IL-1 beta to stimulate IL-2 secretion. Thus, IL-1 beta signals through the sphingomyelin pathway.
In vitro reconstitution of lipid-dependent dual topology and postassembly topological switching of a membrane protein

Phospholipids could exert their effect on membrane protein topology either directly by interacting with topogenic signals of newly inserted proteins or indirectly by influencing the protein assembly machinery. In vivo lactose permease (LacY) of Escherichia coli displays a mixture of topological conformations ranging from complete inversion of the N-terminal helical bundle to mixed topology and then to completely native topology as phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) is increased from 0% to 70% of membrane phospholipids. These topological conformers are interconvertible by postassembly synthesis or dilution of PE in vivo. To investigate whether coexistence of multiple topological conformers is dependent solely on the membrane lipid composition, we determined the topological organization of LacY in an in vitro proteoliposome system in which lipid composition can be systematically controlled before (liposomes) and after (fliposomes) reconstitution using a lipid exchange technique. Purified LacY reconstituted into preformed liposomes of increasing PE content displayed inverted topology at low PE and then a mixture of inverted and proper topologies with the latter increasing with increasing PE until all LacY adopted its native topology. Interconversion between topological conformers of LacY was observed in a PE dose-dependent manner by either increasing or decreasing PE levels in proteoliposomes postreconstitution of LacY, clearly demonstrating that membrane protein topology can be changed simply by changing membrane lipid composition independent of other cellular factors. The results provide a thermodynamic-based lipid-dependent model for shifting the equilibrium between different conformational states of a membrane protein.
Notes and Comments: On the uniqueness of convex-ranged probabilities

In Marinacci (2000), the following theorem was proved. Theorem 1. (Marinacci (2000) Let P and Q be two finitely additive probabilities on a λ -system Σ . Suppose that P is convex-ranged and that Q is countably additive. If there exists an A + ∈ Σ with 0<P(A + )<1 such that $P(A^{\ast })=P(B) \Longrightarrow Q(A^{\ast })=Q(B)$ whenever B∈ Σ , then P=Q. Mathematics Subject Classification (2000): 28A10, 91B06 Journal of Economic Literature Classification: C60, D81
The relative difficulty of a subject-generated rule in an attribute identification task

Comparisons of attribute identification difficulty were made among a S-generated conceptual rule (double conjunction) and two commonly studied conceptual rules (biconditional and exlusive disjunction). The three rules described identical subsets of stimuli. The double conjunction was the easiest. The other two rules did not differ in difficulty. There were also effects due to practice and the salience of the relevant attributes, but there were no significant interactions among the three variables (rule, practice, attribute salience).
Truth-Maker Semantics for Intuitionistic Logic

I propose a new semantics for intuitionistic logic, which is a cross between the construction-oriented semantics of Brouwer-Heyting-Kolmogorov and the condition-oriented semantics of Kripke. The new semantics shows how there might be a common semantical underpinning for intuitionistic and classical logic and how intuitionistic logic might thereby be tied to a realist conception of the relationship between language and the world.
Infrared radiance analysis from the SNPP airborne field campaign

Experimental field campaigns, including satellite under-flights with well-calibrated FTS sensors aboard high-altitude aircraft, are an essential part of the satellite measurement system validation task aimed at improving observations of the Earth’s atmosphere, clouds, and surface for enabling enhancements in weather prediction, climate monitoring capability, and environmental change detection. The Suomi NPP (SNPP) airborne field campaign was conducted during the 6 - 31 May, 2013 timeframe based out of Palmdale, CA, and focused on under-flights of the SNPP satellite with the NASA ER-2 aircraft in order to perform cal/val of the satellite instruments and their corresponding data products. Aircraft flight profiles were designed to under-fly multiple satellites within a single sortie, when feasible, to address satellite sensor validation and cross-validation; specifically, in addition to under-flying SNPP, flight profiles were defined to also obtain data coincident with the NASA A-train (i.e. AQUA), MetOP-A, and MetOP-B satellites to enable intercomparisons with instruments aboard those platforms (i.e. AIRS, IASI, and CrIS). This presentation focuses on radiance analysis from the SNPP airborne field campaign with a particular emphasis on NAST-I intercomparisons with the Crosstrack Infrared Sounder (CrIS).
On the construction of systematic tEC/AUED codes

A new approach for the construction of systematic tEC/AUED codes is presented. These new constructions improve many values of the upper bound on the redundancy of the code for t=1 and 2. >
Enhanced-discretization space time technique (EDSTT)

Abstract The enhanced-discretization space–time technique (EDSTT) was developed for the purpose of being able to, in the context of a space–time formulation, enhance the time-discretization in regions of the fluid domain requiring smaller time steps. Such requirements are often encountered in time-accurate computations of fluid–structure interactions, where the time-step size required by the structural dynamics part is smaller, and carrying out the entire computation with that time-step size would be too inefficient for the fluid dynamics part. In the EDSTT-single-mesh (EDSTT-SM) approach, a single space–time mesh, unstructured both in space and time, would be used to enhance the time-discretization in regions requiring smaller time steps. In the EDSTT-multi-mesh (EDSTT-MM) approach, we complement the space–time concept of the deforming-spatial-domain/stabilized space–time (DSD/SST) formulation with the multi-mesh concept of the enhanced-discretization interface-capturing technique (EDICT). In applications to fluid–structure interactions, the structural dynamics modeling is based on a single space–time mesh and the fluid dynamics modeling is based on two space–time meshes. The structural dynamics interface nodes in the space–time domain also belong to the second fluid mesh, which accommodates the time-step requirement of the structural dynamics. We apply the EDSTT-SM and EDSTT-MM approaches to a number of test problems to demonstrate how these methods work and why they would be desirable to use in time-accurate computations.
Evidence for Oceanic Control of Interannual Carbon Cycle Feedbacks

Large-scale carbon-cycle feedbacks within Earth's climate system can be inferred from the statistical correlation of atmospheric CO2 and other climate observations. These statistical relationships can serve as validation targets for global carbon-cycle models. Fourier-transform coherence between atmospheric CO2 mea- sured at Mauna Loa, Hawaii, and Hadley Centre global-average temperatures changed in the late 20th century at interannual frequencies, from a 6-month time lag to a 90° phase lag that scaled CO2 fluctuations to a time-integral of the global-average tempera- ture anomaly. Wavelet coherence estimates argue that this change occurred with a recognized ocean-circulation climate transition during the late 1970s. General features of these CO2-temperature correlations are confirmed using global-average tempera- ture from other sources and atmospheric CO2 measured at other locations, though only the Mauna Loa CO2 record is long enough to resolve well the coherence properties before the 1970s transition. The CO2-coherence phase for the global- average surface-air temperature time series from NASA-GISS and the lower- troposphere temperature series from the MSU satellite is more complex than for the Hadley-Centre dataset, the only estimate that incorporates sea-surface temperature (SST) observations. Near f 0.25 cyc/year, 4-year oscillation period, the CO2- coherence is particularly strong for the Hadley-Centre gridpoint temperature-anomaly time series from low-latitude oceans. This suggests that sea-surface temperature is a primary driver of the correlation, at least for the 0.2 < f < 0.5 cyc/yr bandpass where the El-Nino/Southern-Oscillation (ENSO) climate process dominates. Outside the ENSO bandpass coherence is significant between 14 long-running GLOBALVIEW CO2-observing sites and the sea-level-pressure-based Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) time series, consistent with wind stress and mixed-layer-thickness influences on ocean-atmosphere CO2 flux, independent of temperature fluctuations. Evidence for terrestrial biosphere influence is strongest in the leading principal component of GLOBALVIEW CO2-variability at f 0.25 cpy, where a larger amplitude and a 4-month phase shift distinguish the mid- and high- latitude Northern Hemisphere CO2 fluctuations from those of the tropics and the Southern Hemisphere. The terrestrial signal we infer, however, coheres more strongly with oceanic-gridpoint temperatures than to continental-gridpoint temperatures.
Incorporating Spirituality and Religion Into the Treatment of African American Clients

This article discusses the process of incorporating spirituality and religion into the treatment of African American clients. It addresses religious diversity within the African American community. The roles of spirituality and religion as survival and coping mechanisms for overcoming racism, adversity, and loss are emphasized. The cases presented in this article discuss religious and spiritual issues of African American clients at different life cycle stages and are illustrative of the presenting problems encountered by counseling psychologists in a variety of mental health settings including counseling centers, clinics, hospitals, community agencies, and private practices. Although extensive research on the role of religion and spirituality in the lives of African Americans is now available, this article makes an important contribution to the literature and to practicing counseling psychologists by providing detailed case examples, particularly those that illustrate the application of these issues in cr...
On Dealing with Sampling Rate Mismatches in Blind Source Separation and Acoustic Echo Cancellation

The lack of a common clock reference is a fundamental problem when dealing with audio streams originating from or heading to different distributed sound capture or playback devices. When implementing multichannel signal processing algorithms for such kind of audio streams it is necessary to account for the unavoidable mismatches between the actual sampling rates. There are some approaches that can help to correct these mismatches, but important problems remain to be solved, among them the accurate estimation of the mismatch factors, and achieving both accuracy and computational efficiency in their correction. In this paper we present an empirical study on the performance of blind source separation and acoustic echo cancellation algorithms in this scenario. We also analyze the degradation in performance when using an approximate but efficient method to correct the rate mismatches.
Effects of sequential pollination on the success of "fast" and "slow" pollen donors in Hibiscus moscheutos (Malvaceae).

Competition among pollen grains for the chance to fertilize ovules typically involves two stages: arrival times on stigmas and/or the growth of pollen tubes through styles. In a previous study of Hibiscus moscheutos, we found that individual pollen donors often differed in pollen tube competitive ability. Here we determined whether short delays in pollen arrival time altered the average success of ‘‘fast’’ and ‘‘slow’’ pollen donors when both types of pollen experienced the same delays. Hand-pollination experiments were carried out using four pairs of pollen donors that differed in competitive ability. We allowed delays of 15 or 30 min between the first and second pollen donor and then determined seed paternity using allozyme markers. The second donor typically sired fewer seeds than pollen that arrived earlier, but, contrary to expectation, ‘‘faster’’ pollen did not always sire significantly more seeds than ‘‘slower’’ pollen when each was applied after delays of the same duration. In two of the four pairs of donors, differences that were seen following simultaneous pollinations disappeared when each type of pollen was applied following identical delays of 15 or 30 min. This unexpected response suggests that the dynamics of pollen tube competition are more complex than anticipated.
On the use of the periodicity condition in cross-flow tube

This paper presents the results of measurements and numerical predictions of turbulent cross-flow through an in-line 7×7 bundle configuration with a constant transverse and longitudinal pitch-to-diameter ratio of 1.44. The experiments are conducted to measure the pressure around tubes, using DPS differential pressure scanner with air flow, in square channel at a Reynolds number of 35000 based on the gap velocity and the tube diameter. The commercial ANSYS FLUENT is used to solve the unsteady Reynolds–Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations. The primary aim of the present study is to search for a turbulent model that could serve as an engineering design tool at a relatively low computational cost. The performances of the Spalart-Allmaras, the RNG k-e, the Shear Stress Transport k-ω and the second moment closure RSM models are evaluated by comparing their simulation results against experimental data. The second objective is to verify the validity of the periodicity assumption taken account in the most previous numerical works by considering the filled bundle geometry. The CFD results show that the Spalart-Allmaras model on the fine mesh are comparable to the experiments while the periodicity statement did not produce consistently the flow behavior in the 7×7 tube bundle configuration.
Phase Stability in Nanocrystals: A Predictive Diagram for Yttria–Zirconia

Predicting the polymorphic stability of nanocrystals entails taking into account the thermodynamic effects from solid–vapor interfaces. With recent advances in microcalorimetry, it is finally possible to obtain reliable surface energy data which allow building of predictive diagrams, such as the usual phase diagrams for bulk crystals, for nanocrystals. Yttria doped zirconia (YZ) is currently utilized in a variety of applications; making it one of the most studied oxide systems to date. However, the polymorphism of nanocrystalline YZ (nYZ) is much less understood as compared to its bulk counterpart, and the stability conditions of cubic, tetragonal, monoclinic, and amorphous polymorphs at the nanoscale is so far only empirically defined. In this work, we present a new predictive nanoscale phase diagram for nYZ using unprecedented data on surface energies and bulk enthalpies acquired by microcalorimetry. The phase diagram shows the stable zirconia polymorph as a function of the composition and size. This is a useful tool and an important and novel advancement to relatively untouched bulk phase diagrams, which holds the key for reliable materials' design.
Evaluation of the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration Equation for Dosing Antimicrobials

Background:Since the derivation of the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MORD) equation for estimating glomerular filtration rate (GFR), investigators determined that it cannot be used for drug dosing. In 2009, the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) derived an equation that was more accurate than the MORD estimation of GFR. Therefore, questions exist about which method should be preferred in making dosage adjustments for renally eliminated antimicrobials.Objective:To determine whether a difference exists when making antimicrobial dosage adjustments in patients with CKD based on estimation of GFR using the CKD-EPI and Cockcroft-Gault equations.Methods:A database of 409 patients with CKD admitted to a tertiary care facility was used. GFR was calculated using both the CKD-EPI equation(s) and the Cockcroft-Gault equation and compared using correlation and Bland-Altman methodology. Dosage discordance rates of antimicrobials were determined.Results:Average GFRs for all patients usi...
Quadtrees as a representation for irregularly shaped fields in radiotherapy applications

The choice of data representations in treatment planning software impacts on the accuracy of the treatment plan and the total computation time. We present the quadtree data structure as one such representation for irregularly shaped fields in a three-dimensional electron pencil-beam algorithm. The quadtree subdivides the irregular field into pencil-beams of unequal size and considerably reduces the number of pencil-beams needed in the dose calculation while preserving the calculational accuracy. Small pencil-beams are concentrated around the field edges to provide optimal resolution and computational accuracy in penumbra regions. The quadtree simplifies the evaluation of the pencil-beam fluence at a given depth, and removes systematic errors present in alternative implementations. The quadtree algorithm results in a ten-fold performance improvement when compared to alternative implementations for the irregular field.
Polycystic Liver Disease: A Study of Cyst Fluid Constituents

Cyst fluid from a patient with polycystic liver disease was obtained by needle aspiration using ultrasound guidance. The constituents of the fluid resembled the "bile salt-independent" fraction of human bile and supports the hypothesis that such cysts are lined by a functioning, secretory bile duct epithelium.