cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Physical and chemical evidence for metallofullerenes with metal atoms as part of the cage

SINCE the discovery of fullerenes1, efforts have been made to trap metal atoms inside fullerene cages2, and both endohedral3,4 and exohedral5,6 metallofullerenes have been synthesized. There is, however, a third possibility: a 'networked' metallofullerene, where the metal atom is incorporated into the carbon cage. Here we report the results of experiments to study the structure and reactivity of gas-phase fullerenes doped with niobium (NbCn+ with n = 28–50). These experiments, which use injected-ion drift-tube tech-niques, indicate that for fullerenes containing an even number of carbon atoms the metal is endohedral, but for fullerenes with an odd number of carbon atoms, the niobium metal is bound as a part of the carbon cage. Thus, networked metallofullerenes appear to be a stable class of metallofullerene. We suggest that such metallo-fullerenes can form if the metal atom retains sufficient electron density to form several strong covalent metal–carbon bonds.
High-frequency acoustic observations of benthic spatial and temporal variability

A bottom-mounted sonar operating at 40 kHz has been used to measure the variation of bottom acoustic scattering over extended time intervals at two shallow sites as part of the Coastal Benthic Boundary Layer Special Research Project. The acoustic data were analyzed using a correlation method that measures the spatial and temporal dependence of benthic change. The rate of decorrelation was two orders of magnitude more rapid at a sandy site near Panama City, Florida, USA, than at a silty site in Eckernforde Bay, Germany, and both sites were characterized by hot spots or localized regions of activity.
Magnetic lineations on the flanks of the Marquesas Swell: Implications for the age of the seafloor

Four magnetic anomaly profiles across the Marquesas swell were obtained on the Crossgrain expedition of the R/V Thomas Washington in April 1987. The data cover a poorly dated region of the Pacific between the Galapagos and Marquesas fracture zones. Magnetic lineations trending approximately 350° in the vicinity of the swell were identified as anomalies 20 through 29, differing from identifications proposed by previous workers. Our identifications imply that the seafloor beneath the Marquesas Islands formed at a half-spreading rate of approximately 40-45 mm/yr during Paleocene and early Eocene time (65 to 50 Ma). The offset across the Marquesas fracture zone apparently increased from approximately 700 to 850 km between the times of anomalies 21 and 13.
On the existence of positive solutions for semilinear elliptic equations with Neumann boundary conditions

We give sufficient conditions for the existence of positive solutions to some semilinear elliptic equations in unbounded Lipschitz domainsD ⊂ ℝ d (d≥3), having compact boundary, with nonlinear Neumann boundary conditions on the boundary ofD. For this we use an implicit probabilistic representation, Schauder's fixed point theorem, and a recently proved Sobolev inequality forW 1,2(D). Special cases include equations arising from the study of pattern formation in various models in mathematical biology and from problems in geometry concerning the conformal deformation of metrics.
Dissident religious movements in the service of women's power

It is a well-known fact that women in Latin America lack access to institutionalized positions of leadership and power. However, religious healing cults are one noninstitutionalized avenue for women to gain leadership and power positions. This article focuses on a Spiritualist cult in Mexico, hierarchically structured, in which the leaders are usually women. It is suggested that sectarian movements with a multitude of male and female followers open to women positions of authority, as well as an avenue for economic mobility independent of their husbands. For these women, membership in the cult is not only an expression of powerlessness in society, as scholars have asserted, but is a mode of acquiring power through positions of leadership in the public domain. The special role of women in dissident religious cults has not previously been explored in the literature.
Feynman path-integral approach to the Aharonov-Bohm effect

The Aharonov-Bohm effect is investigated in the Feynman path-integral formulation of quantum mechanics. We consider an idealized situation with an electron moving in a magnetic-field-free region outside a solenoid whose radius to length ratio is very small. The nonvanishing vector potential term in the Lagrangian is written as an angular-velocity-dependent potential. In order to account for a singularity due to the presence of the solenoid itself, a periodic constraint is imposed on the path integral. The propagator can then be evaluated using the polar-coordinate methods of Peak and Inomata. It is found that the propagator has the general form $K({\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{r}}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}},{\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{r}}}^{\ensuremath{'}};\ensuremath{\tau})=\ensuremath{\Sigma}{n}^{}{\ensuremath{\chi}}_{n}{K}_{n}({\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{r}}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}},{\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{r}}}^{\ensuremath{'}};\ensuremath{\tau})$ where the sum is taken over all classes of homotopic paths and the ${\ensuremath{\chi}}_{n}$ are a one-dimensional representation of the homotopy group. This is the form of the propagator as conjectured by Schulman.
The purification and physicochemical properties of a lytic enzyme induced by coliphage N20F

Abstract 1. 1. The lytic enzymes induced by the infection of Escherichia coli by three mutants of bacteriophage N20F' have been isolated and purified by column chromatography. The lytic enzyme induced by each mutant has two pH optima, one at pH 5.5 and the other at pH 8.5. Relatively high concentrations of carboxylic acids and divalent cations enhance the pH 5.5 activity but inhibit at pH 8.5. However, in the presence of law concentrations of these chemicals the pH 5.5 activity is drastically reduced, while there is no effect on the pH 8.5 activity. A monomer-dimer transition has been observed for this protein. Under conditions of high carboxylic acid and divalent cation concentration monomers are the chief molecular species at both pH 5.5 and pH 8.5. Conversely, the enzymes exist perdominantly as dimers when the concentrations of both these chemicals are lowered. These experiments indicate that monomers are involved in the enzymatic activity at pH 5.5 while dimers are responsible for the activity seen under alkaline conditions. 2. 2.The amino acid content of the three mutant enzymres has been determined. End group analyses show that alanine is the N-terminal amino acid of the lytic enzymes induced by each mutant. However, the C-terminal amino acids are different. Differences in amino acid composition and C-terminal amino acids are also reflected in differences in the peptide “fingerprint maps” that were obtained. These resuts suggest that the three spintaneous mutants may arise by a “frame shift” mutation.
Examining the latitudinal diversity gradient in Paleozoic terebratulide brachiopods: should singleton data be removed?

Abstract Studies of taxonomic diversity over time commonly count and compare first- and last-appearance data (FADs and LADs) over a succession of temporal intervals, and interpret them with respect to taxon origination and extinction. Singleton taxa, which first appear and last appear in the same temporal interval, are often removed from analyses because they might result from preservational biases rather than evolutionary processes, or they might represent non-independent FADs and LADs. Should singleton taxa always be excluded? We argue that in the case of Paleozoic terebratulide brachiopods, although they may be sensitive to biases in sampling intensity, singleton genera should be included in diversity studies because they do not appear to result from more typical biases, such as Lagerstatten and temporal interval length, that arguably can result in artificially high numbers of singleton genera. Singleton genera can be critical and effective when used to test hypotheses regarding the existence and gener...
Radical synthesis of trialkyl, triaryl, trisilyl and tristannyl phosphines from P4

A reaction scheme has been devised according to 3 RX + 3 Ti(III) + 0.25 P4 → PR3 + 3 XTi(IV), wherein RX = PhBr, CyBr, Me3SiI or Ph3SnCl, with contrasting results in the case of more hindered RX. The scheme accomplishes the direct radical functionalization of white phosphorus without the intermediacy of PCl3.
MicroRNA-196a regulates bovine newborn ovary homeobox gene (NOBOX) expression during early embryogenesis

Oocyte-derived maternal RNAs drive early embryogenesis when the newly formed embryo is transcriptionally inactive. Recent studies in zebrafish have identified the role of microRNAs during the maternal-to-embryonic transition (MET). MicroRNAs are short RNAs that bind to the 3' UTR of target mRNAs to repress their translation and accelerate their decay. Newborn ovary homeobox gene (NOBOX) is a transcription factor that is preferentially expressed in oocytes and essential for folliculogenesis in mice. NOBOX knockout mice are infertile and lack of NOBOX disrupts expression of many germ-cell specific genes and microRNAs. We recently reported the cloning and expression of bovine NOBOX during early embryonic development and our gene knockdown studies indicate that NOBOX is a maternal effect gene essential for early embryonic development. As NOBOX is a maternal transcript critical for development and NOBOX is depleted during early embryogenesis, we hypothesized that NOBOX is targeted by microRNAs for silencing and/or degradation. Using an algorithm "MicroInspector", a potential microRNA recognition element (MRE) for miR-196a was identified in the 3' UTR of the bovine NOBOX mRNA. Expression analysis of miR-196a in bovine oocytes and during early embryonic development indicated that it is expressed both in oocytes and embryos and tends to increase at the four-cell and eight-cell stages. Ectopic expression of NOBOX and miR-196a in HeLa cells inhibited the expression of NOBOX protein compared to the control cells without miR-196a. Similarly, the activity of a luciferase construct containing the entire 3' UTR of bovine NOBOX was suppressed, and the regulation was abolished by mutations in the miR-196a binding site indicating that the predicted MRE is critical for the direct and specific binding of miR-196a to the NOBOX mRNA. Furthermore, ectopic expression of miR-196a mimic in bovine early embryos significantly reduced the NOBOX expression at the both mRNA and protein levels. Collectively, our results demonstrate that miR-196a is a bona fide negative regulator of NOBOX during bovine early embryogenesis.
Governors as Economic Problem Solvers A Research Commentary

Despite the important role governors have played in shaping states’ economic development strategies, existing quantitative studies of state economic development policymaking have paid only scant attention to the factors that influence governors’ decisions about economic development policy. This study investigates these factors using a unique data set of gubernatorial economic development proposals generated by content analyzing hundreds of major legislative addresses delivered by governors during the 12-year period from 1995 to 2006. The findings reveal that gubernatorial economic development policymaking is only partially an attempt to solve a state’s economic problems. Economic policy making by governors appears to be driven largely by a desire to compete for new business investment during periods of economic expansion.
Using genomics to help predict drug interactions

This article proposes using genomic information to help tailor the output of a drug interaction program for a patient. This paper focuses on a particular CYP450 enzyme to illustrate adding genomic information to an existing drug interaction database. The data are formatted as an Extensible Markup Language (XML) document. The additional interaction information based on genomics for a patient is added to an XML document using XML tags. The suggestion is to combine specifics about a patient's genome with genomic information in the drug interactions database to increase the accuracy and details of a drug interaction program.
A Special Issue Devoted to Gold Deposits in Northern Nevada: Part 2. Carlin-Type Deposits

This is the second of two special issues of Economic Geology devoted to gold deposits in northern Nevada. Readers interested in a general overview of these deposits, their economic significance, their context within the tectonic evolution of the region, and synoptic references on each gold deposit type are directed to the preface of the first special issue (John et al., 2003). Volume 98, issue 2, contains five papers that address regional aspects important to the genesis of gold deposits in northern Nevada and five papers that present detailed studies of epithermal deposits and districts. All of the regional papers are pertinent to Carlin-type gold deposits, because they address the age of mineralization (Arehart et al., 2003), origin and evolutionary history of the northwest-striking mineral belts that localize many deposits (Grauch et al., 2003), nature of the middle and lower crust below these mineral belts (Howard, 2003), district- to deposit-scale stream sediment and lithogeochemical anomalies (Theodore et al., 2003), and stratigraphy and structure of a district located along a northeast-striking lineament (Peters et al., 2003). The nine papers in this second special issue focus on an array of problems pertinent to genetic and exploration models for Carlin-type deposits in northern Nevada (Fig. 1). These investigations sort out and characterize the sequence of deformational, igneous, and hydrothermal events in mining districts, constrain the age of mineralization, map paleothermal gradients, identify structures and lithologies that are preferentially mineralized, ascertain processes of ore formation, determine sources of ore fluid components, and define fluid flow paths. A common theme among these papers is inheritance, whereby older features in the mineral belts influence ore formation in subsequent Carlin-type hydrothermal systems. Three types of inheritance are inferred by one or more of these investigations: (1) structural inheritance, where older faults are reactivated during subsequent contractional and/or …
Epigenetics and cancer

Epigenetic modifications are central to many human diseases, including cancer. Traditionally, cancer has been viewed as a genetic disease, and it is now becoming apparent that the onset of cancer is preceded by epigenetic abnormalities. Investigators in the rapidly expanding field of epigenetics have documented extensive genomic reprogramming in cancer cells, including methylation of DNA, chemical modification of the histone proteins, and RNA-dependent regulation. Recognizing that carcinogenesis involves both genetic and epigenetic alterations has led to a better understanding of the molecular pathways that govern the development of cancer and to improvements in diagnosing and predicting the outcome of various types of cancer. Studies of the mechanism(s) of epigenetic regulation and its reversibility have resulted in the identification of novel targets that may be useful in developing new strategies for the prevention and treatment of cancer.
Primary productivity in the Arctic Ocean: Impacts of complex optical properties and subsurface chlorophyll maxima on large-scale estimates

[1] The Arctic Ocean is an optically complex environment and presents unique challenges for ocean color satellite remote sensing. Phytoplankton pigment packaging, high concentrations of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM), and the frequent presence of subsurface chlorophyll a (Chl a) maxima (SCM), complicate satellite measurement of surface Chl a. However, the impact of likely errors in surface Chl a on satellite-based estimates of depth-integrated daily net primary production (NPP) have yet to be quantified. Here we use a large in situ Chl a and primary production database (ARCSS-PP) to calculate the magnitude of the error that likely results from both omission of SCM and overestimated phytoplankton biomass when satellite-based Chl a is used as input to an NPP algorithm. Results show that errors in pan-Arctic NPP, due to omission of the SCM, increase from 0.2% in January to 16% in July and are largest in the Beaufort and Chukchi Sea. Over an annual cycle, the error is approximately 8%. Errors in regional NPP resulting from overestimates of surface Chl a by Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor can be larger, particularly when surface Chl a and NPP are low, but are partially offset by underestimates in NPP due to omission of NPP at the SCM. As a result, the combined effect of underestimates in NPP due to omission of the SCM and overestimates in NPP due to high satellite Chl a yields a total error in annual pan-Arctic, depth-integrated NPP of <1%. The reasons for this surprisingly low error are discussed.
Observer control in a tracking problem via model predictive control

The paper describes a model predictive control (MPC) approach for optimally (in a receding horizon sense) controlling the trajectory of a mobile tracker to minimize errors in estimating the state of another, moving object. With the use of the MPC approach, pointwise-in-time state and control constraints can be enforced for the mobile tracker, and its control system can react dynamically to changing operating conditions (such as new obstacles appearing or disappearing). After a discussion of this problem in a general setting, the paper focuses on a case study of the mobile tracker and moving object on a plane. The mobile tracker can measure the distance to the moving object and this measurement is affected by noise. The effect of the noise may increase if the line of sight from the mobile tracker to the moving object deviates from the orientation of the moving tracker or it passes through interference zones and, in addition, the mobile tracker has to stay clear of the obstacles.
Pericallosal artery aneurysm treatment using Y-configuration stent-assisted coil embolization: a report of four cases

Background Pericallosal artery aneurysms at the bifurcation represent a special endovascular technical challenge given their distal location, commonly wide-neck morphology, small parent vessel diameter and potentially high recurrence rate after coiling given the bifurcation location. Y-configuration stent-assisted coil embolization techniques have been reported for the treatment of wide-neck aneurysms located at other vascular bifurcations and only rarely with A2 bifurcation aneurysms. Methods A neurointerventional database was reviewed for identification of all cases of A2 bifurcation aneurysms that were treated with Y-stent configuration. The authors report clinical, technical and outcome data on four patients with pericallosal aneurysms who were treated with a Y-configuration stent-assisted coil embolization technique. Results A Y-configuration stent placement in the anterior cerebral artery/A2 bifurcation was successfully achieved in all four patients without significant technical difficulties. One patient presented with a previously ruptured and partially treated aneurysm and three patients with incidentally found aneurysms. All four patients had a Y-configuration stent placement in one setting. The Y-configuration allowed for complete occlusion of all four aneurysms with no recurrence or arterial occlusion on mean angiographic follow-up of 13.5 months (6–28). Conclusion Treating wide-neck pericallosal artery aneurysms at the bifurcation with Y-configuration stent placement is feasible and effective. This technique may be considered as a therapeutic option for wide-neck aneurysms that pose a difficult technical challenge.
Biogeochemical modeling at mass extinction boundaries: Atmospheric carbon dioxide and ocean alkalinity at the K/T boundary

The causes of mass extinctions and the importance of major bio-events in the history of life are subjects of considerable scientific interest. A large amount of geological, geochemical, and paleontological information now exists for the Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T) boundary (66 Myr BP). These data are used here to constrain a newly developed time-dependent biogeochemical cycle model that is designed to study transient behavior of the earth system. Model results suggest significant fluctuations in ocean alkalinity, atmospheric CO2, and global temperatures at the K/T boundary, brought about by the extinction of calcareous plankton and reduction in pelagic CaCO3 and organic carbon sedimentation rates. Oxygenisotope analyses and other paleoclimatic data provide some evidence that such climatic fluctuations may have occurred, but stabilizing feedback processes may have acted to reduce the ocean-alkalinity and carbon dioxide fluctuations.
A novel gentamicin resistance gene in Enterococcus.

Enterococcus gallinarum SF9117 is a veterinary isolate for which the MIC of gentamicin is 256 micrograms/ml. Time-kill studies with a combination of ampicillin plus gentamicin failed to show synergism against SF9117. A probe representing aac(69)-aph(2") did not hybridize to DNA from SF9117. A 3.2-kb fragment from plasmid pYN134 of SF9117 was cloned and conferred resistance to gentamicin in Escherichia coli DH5 alpha. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed the presence of a 918-bp open reading frame whose deduced amino acid sequence had a region with homology to the C-terminal domain of the bifunctional enzyme AAC(69)-APH(2"). The gene is designated aph(2")-Ic, and its observed phosphotransferase activity is provisionally designated APH(2")-Ic. An intragenic probe hybridized to the genomic DNA from an Enterococcus faecium isolate from the peritoneal fluid of one patient and to the plasmid DNA of an Enterococcus faecalis isolate from the blood of another patient. An enterococcal isolate containing this novel resistance gene might not be readily detected in clinical laboratories that use gentamicin at 500 or 2,000 micrograms/ml for screening for high-level resistance.
Diagnostic intelligence mechanisms for multisensory robotic systems

The authors address two important problems related to soft failure detection identification, and recovery in multisensory robotic systems: the problem of accidental robot payload variations (load dropping) and the problem of recovery of 3-D dynamic information related to object recognition. A control/diagnostics scheme based on the four-parameter control configuration is designed to accommodate payload variations and hybrid range/intensity sensor is proposed for 3-D dynamic information recovery. >
NEUTRON STUDIES OF PRETRANSITIONAL FLUCTUATIONS ABOVE STRUCTURAL TRANSITIONS IN METALS

Structural phase transitions in (3-D) metals usually involve simple (Burgers) transformations among the well known structures, fcc, bcc, hcp and metastably, the omega phase. Accompanying these crystallographic changes are various macroscopic shears and microscopic shuffles depending upon what kinds of symmetry changes are ultimately involved. Most of the transitions are first order, however, and it has been of continuing interest to explore the extent to which a lattice dynamical basis can be given to such phase changes. Neutron scattering, coupled with X-ray studies, is in principle an ideal tool for looking at this problem and limited evidence exists for mode softening and/or pretransitional fluctuations in some of these systems. The majority of systems do not, however, exhibit dramatic soft mode behavior, as is seen, for example, in Nb3Sn, and in many cases the lattice dynamical response appears normal. The influence of defects on the neutron scattering is also briefly alluded to.
Dynamics of an age‐structured population drawn from a random numbers table

I constructed age-structured populations by drawing numbers from a random numbers table, the constraints being that within a cohort each number be smaller than the preceding number (indicating that some individuals died between one year and the next) and that the first two-digit number following 00 or 01 ending one cohort’s life be the number born into the next cohort. Populations constructed in this way showed prolonged existence with total population numbers fluctuating about a mean size and with long-term growth rate (r) ≈ 0. The populations’ birth rates and growth rates and the females’ per capita fecundity decreased significantly with population size, whereas the death rates showed no significant relationship to population size. These results indicate that age-structured populations can persist for long periods of time with long-term growth rates of zero in the absence of negative-feedback loops between a population’s present or prior density and its birth rate, growth rate, and fecundity, contrary to the assumption of density-dependent regulation hypotheses. Thus, a long-term growth rate of zero found in natural populations need not indicate that a population’s numbers are regulated by density-dependent factors.
The Impact of Microbial Metabolism on Marine Dissolved Organic Matter

Microbes mediate global biogeochemical cycles through their metabolism, and all metabolic processes begin with the interaction between the microbial cell wall or membrane and the external environment. For all heterotrophs and many autotrophs, critical growth substrates and factors are present within the dilute and heterogeneous mixture of compounds that constitutes dissolved organic matter (DOM). In short, the microbe-molecule interaction is one of the fundamental reactions within the global carbon cycle. Here, I summarize recent findings from studies that examine DOM-microbe interactions from either the DOM perspective (organic geochemistry) or the microbe perspective (microbial ecology). Gaps in our knowledge are highlighted and future integrative research directions are proposed.
Interannual Variability of Patterns of Atmospheric Mass Distribution

Using the 40-yr European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Re-Analysis (ERA40) for 1958 to 2001, adjusted for bias over the southern oceans prior to 1979, an analysis is made of global patterns of monthly mean anomalies of atmospheric mass, which is approximately conserved globally. It differs from previous analyses of atmospheric circulation by effectively area weighting surface or sea level pressure that diminishes the role of high latitudes. To examine whether global patterns of behavior exist requires analysis of all seasons together (as opposite seasons occur in each hemisphere). Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis, R-mode varimax-rotated EOF analysis, and cyclostationary EOF (CSEOF) analysis tools are used to explore patterns and variability on interannual and longer time scales. Clarification is given of varimax terminology and procedures that have been previously misinterpreted. The dominant global monthly variability overall is associated with the Southern Hemisphere annular mode (SAM), which is active in all months of the year. However, it is not very coherent from month to month and exhibits a great deal of natural unforced variability. The third most important pattern is the Northern Hemisphere annular mode (NAM) and associated North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), which is the equivalent Northern Hemisphere expression. Neither of these is really a global mode, although they covary on long time scales in association with tropical or external forcing. For monthly data, the second mode is coherent with Nino-3.4 sea surface temperatures and thus corresponds to El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), which is truly global in extent. It exhibits more coherent evolution with time and projects strongest onto the interannual variability, where it stands out by far as the dominant mode in the CSEOF analysis. The CSEOF analysis extracts the patterns phase locked with annual cycle and reveals their evolution throughout the year. Standard EOF and varimax analyses are not able to evolve with time of year unless the analysis is stratified by season. Varimax analysis is able to extract the SAM, NAM, and ENSO modes very well, however.
The Role of High Performance Liquid Chromatography in Radiochemical/Radiopharmaceutical Synthesis and Quality Assurance

High Performance Liquid Chromatography(HPLC) is a versatile tool in radiopharmaceutical chemistry. Instrumentation, methods and applications have been reviewed as recently as 19861. HPLC has been used for numerous areas associated with the production of radiopharmaceuticals including: analysis of radiochemical and chemical starting materials; determination of both labelled and unlabelled reaction products; optimization of reaction conditions; purification, including separation from chemical and radiochemical impurities; determination of specific activity; determination of radiochemical and chemical purity; determination of the stability of the radiolabelled product during storage, including determination of radiolysis products; validation of other methods of analysis, such as TLC; determination of metabolites.
Proprioception with the proximal interphalangeal joint of the index finger: Evidence for a movement sense without a static-position sense

Proprioceptive ability with the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) and metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints of the index finger in human subjects was examined using a method that could assess static-position sense independently of movement sense (Clark et al., 1985). The similarity in location and function of these joints would suggest similar proprioceptive mechanisms, but proprioceptive ability was found to be quite different for the two joints. The method of distinguishing a static-position sense from a movement sense was based on whether a subject's ability to detect a small change in joint position was impaired when the rate of rotation was progressively reduced. An awareness of static-position should not depend on the rate at which a joint is placed into position. However, if subjects use movement signals to detect changes in joint position, slowing the rate of displacement should reduce the intensity of these signals and make the displacements more difficult to detect. This method indicated a static-position sense with the MCP joint but only a movement sense with the PIP joint. It was confirmed that sensory input from regions of skin not stretched or deformed by rotation of the joint can influence proprioceptive sensibility with the fingers. Anaesthesia of the tip of the index finger or of the thumb blunted subject's perceptions of movement of the PIP joint of the index finger. However, anaesthesia of the PIP joint itself had no observable effect on the ability to sense movement of the joint.
Type IV secretion: intercellular transfer of macromolecules by systems ancestrally related to conjugation machines.

Bacterial conjugation systems are highly promiscuous macromolecular transfer systems that impact human health significantly. In clinical settings, conjugation is exceptionally problematic, leading to the rapid dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes and other virulence traits among bacterial populations. Recent work has shown that several pathogens of plants and mammals –Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Bordetella pertussis, Helicobacter pylori and Legionella pneumophila– have evolved secretion pathways ancestrally related to conjugation systems for the purpose of delivering effector molecules to eukaryotic target cells. Each of these systems exports distinct DNA or protein substrates to effect a myriad of changes in host cell physiology during infection. Collectively, secretion pathways ancestrally related to bacterial conjugation systems are now referred to as the type IV secretion family. The list of putative type IV family members is increasing rapidly, suggesting that macromolecular transfer by these systems is a widespread phenomenon in nature.
Control Charts for Multivariate Processes

Abstract This article uses the concept of data depth to introduce several new control charts for monitoring processes of multivariate quality measurements. For any dimension of the measurements, these charts are in the form of two-dimensional graphs that can be visualized and interpreted just as easily as the well-known univariate X, X, and CUSUM charts. Moreover, they have several significant advantages. First, they can detect simultaneously the location shift and scale increase of the process, unlike the existing methods, which can detect only the location shift. Second, their construction is completely nonparametric; in particular, it does not require the assumption of normality for the quality distribution, which is needed in standard approaches such as the χ2 and Hotelling's T 2 charts. Thus these new charts generalize the principle of control charts to multivariate settings and apply to a much broader class of quality distributions.
Conversion Of HMOs And Hospitals: What's At Stake?

PROLOGUE: “The debate about for-profit health care is fueled as much by values as by evidence,” wrote Brad Gray and Walter McNerney in The New England Journal of Medicine. “Some objections to for-profit health care stem from the belief that it is fundamentally inconsistent with the values and purpose that should animate health care organizations … on behalf of the needs of patients and communities.” Although these words were written in 1986, their veracity still resounds more than ten years later. In this paper Brad Gray frames the debate as it exists for the 1990s. He refrains from making a judgment on the desirability of nonprofit versus for-profit status and conversions from one to the other. Instead, he offers the health policy community a reasoned, well-organized framework within which to examine this often contentious issue. Gray is director of the Division of Health and Science Policy at the New York Academy of Medicine. He came to the academy in 1996 after eight years on the faculty of Yale Univer...
The application of k-space in pulse echo ultrasound

K-space is a frequency domain description of imaging systems and targets that can be used to gain insight into image formation. Although originally proposed in ultrasound for the analysis of experiments involving anisotropic scattering and for the design of acoustic tomography systems, it is particularly useful for the analysis of pulse echo ultrasonic imaging systems. This paper presents analytical and conceptual techniques for estimating the k-space representation of pulse echo imaging systems with arbitrary transmit and receive array geometries and apodizations. Simple graphical methods of estimating the first and second order statistics of speckle are presented. Examples are presented that utilize k-space to gain insight regarding the performance of spatial and frequency compounding and to describe the impact of synthetic receive aperture geometry on beamforming and speckle statistics. The Van Cittert-Zernike theorem is presented in k-space, and techniques for improving echo coherence are discussed.
Early cognitive development in learning autonomous control systems

The author considers processes of early cognitive development (ECD) in learning autonomous control systems (LACS). The similarities and differences existing at the stage of ECD of humans and LACS are stated. It is shown that the two types of learning typical for LACS, i.e. quantitative (QL) and conceptual (CD), require different algorithmic structures. The roles of QL and CD in ECD are discussed. Examples from animated nature are considered, which imply the possible structure of systems for ECD in various LACS. The concept of the baby robot is devised as a tool for investigating ECD processes. This is an automaton moving autonomously in a state space of a problem under consideration, learning the state space, the problem, and the rules of operation. The baby robot is expected to be instrumental in the analysis of the mechanisms of autonomous generation of knowledge bases. The structure of a baby robot is considered to be a seed structure for building up self-organizing cognitive processes in robotics. >
Formation of spherical colloidal thorium basic sulfate particles

Abstract Spherical colloidal particles of narrow size distribution were obtained by aging at elevated temperatures solutions of thorium salts in the presence of sulfate ion. The solids so obtained consisted of thorium basic sulfate. No such sols could be generated with other anions (chloride, nitrate, or perchlorate) .
CPM: context-aware power management in WLANs

In this paper, we present a novel approach for tuning power modes of wireless 802.11 interfaces. We use K-means and simple correlation techniques to analyze user's interaction with applications based on mouse clicks. This provides valuable contextual hints that are used to anticipate future network access patterns and intent of users. Based on those hints, we adapt the power mode of the wireless network interface to optimize both energy usage and bandwidth usage. Evaluation results (based on real data gathered from interaction with a desktop) show significant improvements over earlier power management schemes.
Physiologic Concentrations of Zinc Affect the Kinetics of Copper Uptake and Transport in the Human Intestinal Cell Model, Caco-2

Copper uptake was enhanced and copper transport was reduced in Caco-2 cells cultured in media containing high concentrations of zinc. Here we show that physiologic zinc concentrations also affect copper movement into and out of Caco-2 cells. Cells were seeded onto Falcon membranes with high pore density and maintained in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum, nonessential amino acids, glucose and glutamine. In one experiment, the cells were exposed to media containing either 5 or 25 micromol zinc/L from d 14 to 21 after seeding. Then, copper uptake and transport, in both apical and basolateral directions, were measured by using 64Cu. Cells exposed to 25 micromol zinc/L had a 25% higher (P 0.05) than from the apical side. Transport of 64Cu across the cell layer in both directions was 50% less (P < 0.05) in cells exposed to 25 micromol zinc/L vs. 5 micromol zinc/L. In another experiment, zinc-exposed cells were labeled with 64Cu and efflux of the label to the apical and basolateral sides was measured over time. The rate of efflux to the apical side was linear and not affected by zinc. However, there was a 37% reduction (P < 0.05) in 64Cu efflux to the basolateral side by the higher zinc concentration. Curve-fit analysis showed that the basolateral efflux was made up of an exponential and a linear component. Cellular zinc concentrations were proportional to the zinc concentrations in the media. Although the data suggest that high media zinc inhibited the copper efflux transporter and enhanced the influx transporter, copper did not accumulate in the cell.
Exploitation and outcome

Exploitation is interacting with another in a way that takes unfair advantage of that person. Exploitation is thought to be morally wrong even when it would bring about the best attainable outcome, hence conflicts with the consequentialist morality that holds one ought always to do whatever would bring about the best outcome. This essay aims to reconcile norms against exploitation and act consequentialism. A puzzle about exploitation is raised and resolved.
The Resolution of Unwanted Vibrations in Rotating Machinery

The field of rotating machinery dynamic analysis has evolved over the past 60 years from the calculation of zero damped critical speeds using mechanical calculators to the computation of multi-rotor and multi-bearing damped response and stability analysis with unbelievable speed and accuracy. This capability has also required the advances in the understanding of antifriction and hydrodynamic bearings as well as both liquid and gas seals. The understanding and calculation of the aerodynamic forces from axial flow and radial flow compressors and turbines is still less than perfect and requires the application of special equations developed from practical experience. It seems then that practical experience is in fact the key to understanding the internal forces that influence the radial vibrations of the rotor shaft. That being said, it could be argued that the resolution of unwanted vibrations might require practical experience to be successful. This line of reasoning has prompted the author to document the practical experience that has allowed some very difficult machinery problems to be resolved with a combination of analytical tools, prior experience, and a dash of in-depth reasoning. The analytical tools can be purchased, the experience can be gained in a life time, but the gift of in-depth reasoning is priceless. Solving a problem that has a known cause and remedy is rewarding but when a problem from an unknown cause can be finally solved, that is the most rewarding of all. This paper will document the process of solving some very interesting problems that have occurred in the last 40+ years.
Fibrinogenolytic Afibrinogenemia After Envenomation by Western Diamondback Rattlesnake(Crotalus atrox)

The absence of fibrinogen and the presence of plasmic fragments X, Y, D, and E were demonstrated in a patient bitten by a western diamondback rattlesnake, Crotalus atrox. The factor VIII level and the platelet count were within normal limits. There were distinct changes of protease inhibitors in the patient's plasma. Alpha-1-protease inhibitor was elevated. Antithrombin-III was only slightly decreased after the envenomation, but alpha 2-antiplasmin and alpha 2-macroglobulin were initially significantly lowered, returning to normal values in 38 and 3 days, respectively. Plasmin-alpha 2-antiplasmin complex was present until day 10 after the envenomation. However, purified plasminogen was not activated in vitro by the venom. Cultured endothelial and smooth muscle cells from human blood vessels released an increased amount of plasminogen activator upon incubation with the venom. The release did not result from cell lysis. Platelets in normal human platelet-rich plasma were aggregated by 10 micrograms/ml of the venom, without serotonin secretion. The aggregation kinetics and serotonin secretion induced by adenosine diphosphate (ADP) or arachidonate were not significantly affected by the venom at 1-10 micrograms/ml. It is concluded that the predominant mechanism of afibrinogenemia in the patient after Crotalus atrox bite resulted from primary fibrinogenolysis and not from a consumptive coagulopathy. The lytic state seemed to be induced through an indirect activation of plasminogen by vascular plasminogen activator, which was probably released from endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells by the snake venom.
Jus Algoritmi: How the National Security Agency Remade Citizenship

Classified U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) documents released in the summer of 2013 detailed a trove of controversial surveillance programs, igniting a debate about state power and the rights of citizens. But how can citizenship be evaluated in a digital, networked world? In response to this question, the NSA created an algorithmic, data-based version of citizenship (and foreignness), where a user is legally foreign if his or her “selectors” are “at least 51 percent confidence” foreign. These selectors, which can include telephone numbers, Internet protocol addresses, or language, became effectual arbiters of citizenship online. This article explains what algorithmic citizenship means, what the NSA’s citizenship and foreignness look like, and what the implications are when a formal rubric of U.S. citizenship is based exclusively on algorithmic interpretations of communications data.
Abstract 4057: Negative regulation of prostate specific membrane antigen by androgen is mediated byTMPRSS2-ERGgene fusion in VCaP prostate cancer cells

Prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a type II transmembrane glycoprotein over-expressed in prostate carcinoma. Elevated PSMA expression has been correlated with aggressive disease and risk of early recurrence after radical prostatectomy. This molecule is also expressed in the neovasculature of multiple nonprostate solid tumors. Consequently, this unique cell marker has been targeted for diagnosis and therapy of prostate cancer (PCa) and other malignancies. Recently studies have shown that a significant fraction of PCa harbor a signature gene fusion between the androgen-responsive TMPRSS2 gene and transcription factors in the ETS family - most commonly ERG. The TMPRSS2-ERG fusion is likely the cause for over-expression of ERG in PCa. PSMA, unlike ERG, is negatively regulated by androgen. Elucidation of the relationship between TMPRSS2 gene fusions and PSMA expression could reveal mechanisms to alter PSMA expression and disease course. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether PSMA gene expression could be regulated by the TMPRSS2-ERG fusion in prostate cancer cells. We employed VCaP cells, which harbor TMPRSS2-ERG fusion, and LNCaP cells, which lack the fusion. Our data showed that after 24h androgen R1881 treatment, ERG and TMPRSS2-ERG mRNA level were increased in VCaP cells and unchanged in LNCaP cells. PSMA and androgen receptor (AR) mRNA level were dramatically decreased in VCaP cells and only modestly decreased in LNCaP cells. Treatment with the androgen antagonist flutamide partially restored PSMA and AR expression in androgen-treated VCaP cells. Knocking down ERG by siRNA in VCaP cells enhances PSMA expression both in the presence and absence of R1881. When LNCaP cells transfected with TMPRSS2-ERG fusion transcripts, PSMA was down-regulated both in the presence or absence of R1881. Using PSMA-based luciferase reporter assays, we found TMPRSS2-ERG fusion can inhibit PSMA activity at the transcriptional level. Our data indicated that negative regulation of PSMA by androgen is mediated by TMPRSS2-ERG gene fusion in VCaP prostate cancer cells. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4057.
Response of individual muscles of the guinea pig to large doses of testosterone propionate.

SummaryMale guinea pigs were castrated at 68 days of age and injected daily for 65 days with 5, 10 or 25 mg/day of testosterone propionate. The 2 smaller doses maintained the rate of growth of the body and that of 48 individual muscles with the exception of the temporal and digastric. The highest dose not only maintained the rate of growth of the muscles but increased many slightly above normal.
Laser Based, Single Trapped Ion Optical Atomic Clock with 1 × 10−17 Uncertainty Evaluated using the Time-Dilation Effect

An atomic frequency reference using a single trapped ion has been evaluated to 1.2×10^-17 uncertainty by exploiting the experimentally observed cancellation of micromotion induced Stark and time dilation shifts on the 88^Sr^+ 445-THz S-D transition.
Concanavalin A inhibition of tissue factor (thromboplastin) activity.

Studies with the jackbean lectin, concanavalin A, were undertaken to clarify the relationship between tissue factor and the cell membrane of cultured fibroblasts. Concanavalin A blocks the coagulant activity of tissue factor of cultured human skin fibroblasts and also rabbit brain. The inhibitory effect, which is dose-dependent and reversed by alpha-methyl-D-mannopyranoside, cannot be explained by an effect on other reactants necessary for clot formation. These results support the contention that tissue factor is located on the cell surface. Since concanavalin A does not affect adhesion-related phenomena in cultured cells, these results also suggest that tissue factor produced by trypsinized fibroblasts is a consequence rather than the cause of cell adhesion and that tissue factor is not synonymous with the adhesive site on the cell surface.