cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Isolation and Characterization of a cDNA from the Rat Brain that Encodes Hemoprotein Heme Oxygenase-3

Two isozymes of heme oxygenase (HO), HO-1 or HSP32 and the constitutive form HO-2, have been characterized to date. We report the discovery of a third protein species and refer to it as HO-3. HO-3 is the product of a single transcript of approximately 2.4 kb and can encode a protein of approximately 33 kDa. The HO-3 transcript is found in the spleen, liver, thymus, prostate, heart, kidney, brain and testis and is the product of a single-copy gene. The predicted amino acid structure of HO-3 differs from both HO-1 (HSP32) and HO-2 but is closely related to HO-2 (approximately 90%). Escherichia coli expressed and purified HO-3 protein does not cross react with polyclonal antibodies to either rat HO-1 or HO-2, is a poor heme catalyst, and displays hemoprotein spectral characteristics. The predicted protein has two heme regulatory motifs that may be involved in heme binding. These motifs and the hemoprotein nature of HO-3 suggest a potential regulatory role for the protein in cellular processes which are heme-dependent.
Molecular Weight Dependence of Fragility in Polystyrene

Segmental relaxation was measured for a series of polysytrenes (PS) of varying molecular weight. The normalized Arrhenius plots of segmental relaxation times (fragility curves) become less steep for shorter chain lengths. Since the shape of the relaxation function is invariant to molecular weight, such behavior is a deviation from the usual correlation between time and temperature dependencies. Although the dependence of relaxation times on Tg-normalized temperature is weaker (less fragile), lower molecular weight PS has a larger heat capacity change at Tg. This result is at odds with an interpretation of temperature dependencies in terms of the degrees of freedom available to the glass upon transition to the viscous liquid.
Putting the Brakes on Inflammation to Control Sepsis

More than 500,000 people in the United States acquire sepsis each year, and 40% of them die, at a cost of $16 billion. Difficult to diagnose and treat, sepsis is typically caused by blood-borne infections that induce a wave of systemic inflammation. This acute inflammatory response can have devastating consequences to host tissues, leading to organ failure and subsequent death. None of the numerous phase 3 clinical trials testing potential single-target therapies has resulted in a viable treatment. Now, a report by Zhang et al . suggests that targeting a broad array of inflammatory pathways might have a greater likelihood of success. They show that vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 (VEGFR-3), best known for regulating lymphangiogenesis, and its ligand VEGF-C are protective during sepsis, in which they slow down multiple sepsis-related inflammatory processes. In 20 septic patients, VEGF-C levels were markedly increased in serum, whereas VEGF-C was barely detectable in healthy controls, making this molecule a candidate biomarker for sepsis. Mice in which VEGF-C was prevented from binding to its receptor VEGFR-3 became highly susceptible to sepsis. They exhibited uncontrolled expression of the key inflammatory cytokines interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor–α (TNF-α), and IL-1β and the chemokines CCL2 and CXCL10. In the absence of VEGF-C signaling, nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), a crucial transcription factor that induces these genes, was activated, demonstrating that VEGF-C normally constrains NF-κB activity. Elaborated from the same cells that express the potentially damaging inflammatory cytokines, VEGF-C represents a self-control mechanism to prevent uncontrolled inflammation. The elevated VEGF-C expression in septic patients is likely not sufficient to control the inflammatory response. Collectively, these experiments show that the VEGFR-3–VEGF-C axis is induced in response to bacterial cues and that it acts to down-regulate inflammation and modify not just one, but multiple pathways that can cause tissue-damaging immune responses. Boosting the strength of this signaling pathway with drugs could help to keep out-of-control cytokines and chemokines in check during sepsis. Because organ failure from overzealous immune responses can lead to death before antibiotics can control infection, infusion of VEGF-C could prolong patient survival by providing a larger time window for antibiotics to work. VEGF-C signaling is a naturally evolved system, designed to fine-tune and reduce inflammatory responses. Unlike current treatment regimes, therefore, it would not leave the patient immunocompromised. Putting the brakes on inflammation may be better than completely crippling it. Y. Zhang et al. , Activation of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 in macrophages restrains TLR4-NF-κB signaling and protects against endotoxin shock. Immunity 40 , 501–514 (2014). [[Abstract]][1] [1]: http://www.cell.com/immunity/abstract/S1074-7613(14)00082-X
Why go to the moon? The many faces of lunar policy

Abstract What is it about the Moon that captures the fancy of humankind? A silvery disk hanging in the night sky, it conjures up images of romance and magic. It has been counted upon to foreshadow important events, both of good and ill, and its phases for eons served humanity as its most accurate measure of time. This paper discusses the Moon as a target for human exploration and eventual settlement. This paper will explore the more than 50-year efforts to reach the Moon, succeeding with space probes and humans in Project Apollo in the 1960s and early 1970s. It will then discuss the rationales for spaceflight, suggesting that human space exploration is one of the least compelling of all that might be offered. The paper will then discuss efforts to make the Moon a second home, including post-Apollo planning, the Space Exploration Initiative, and problems and opportunities in the 2004 Vision for Space Exploration, and cancellation of that program in 2010.
Locomotor-activated neurons of the cat. II. Noradrenergic innervation and colocalization with NEα1a or NEα2b receptors in the thoraco-lumbar spinal cord

Norepinephrine (NE) is a strong modulator and/or activator of spinal locomotor networks. Thus noradrenergic fibers likely contact neurons involved in generating locomotion. The aim of the present study was to investigate the noradrenergic innervation of functionally related, locomotor-activated neurons within the thoraco-lumbar spinal cord. This was accomplished by immunohistochemical colocalization of noradrenergic fibers using dopamine-β-hydroxylase or NEα1A and NEα2B receptors with cells expressing the c-fos gene activity-dependent marker Fos. Experiments were performed on paralyzed, precollicular-postmamillary decerebrate cats, in which locomotion was induced by electrical stimulation of the mesencephalic locomotor region. The majority of Fos labeled neurons, especially abundant in laminae VII and VIII throughout the thoraco-lumbar (T13-L7) region of locomotor animals, showed close contacts with multiple noradrenergic boutons. A small percentage (10–40%) of Fos neurons in the T7-L7 segments showed colocalization with NEα1A receptors. In contrast, NEα2B receptor immunoreactivity was observed in 70–90% of Fos cells, with no obvious rostrocaudal gradient. In comparison with results obtained from our previous study on the same animals, a significantly smaller proportion of Fos labeled neurons were innervated by noradrenergic than serotonergic fibers, with significant differences observed for laminae VII and VIII in some segments. In lamina VII of the lumbar segments, the degree of monoaminergic receptor subtype/Fos colocalization examined statistically generally fell into the following order: NEα2B = 5-HT2A ≥ 5-HT7 = 5-HT1A > NEα1A. These results suggest that noradrenergic modulation of locomotion involves NEα1A/NEα2B receptors on noradrenergic-innervated locomotor-activated neurons within laminae VII and VIII of thoraco-lumbar segments. Further study of the functional role of these receptors in locomotion is warranted.
Liquid crystal assemblies in biologically inspired systems

In this paper, which is part of a collection in honour of Noel Clark’s remarkable career on liquid crystal (LC) and soft matter research, we present examples of biologically inspired systems, which form LC phases with their LC nature impacting biological function in cells or being important in biomedical applications. One area focuses on understanding network and bundle formation of cytoskeletal polyampholytes (filamentous actin, microtubules and neurofilaments (NFs)). Here, we describe studies on NFs, the intermediate filaments of neurons, which form open network nematic LC hydrogels in axons. Synchrotron small-angle-X-ray scattering studies of NF protein dilution experiments and NF hydrogels subjected to osmotic stress show that NF networks are stabilised by competing long-range repulsion and attractions mediated by the NF’s polyampholytic sidearms. The attractions are present both at very large inter-filament spacings, in the weak sidearm-interpenetrating regime, and at smaller inter-filament spacings,...
Physiological dependence of brain methionine and S-adenosylmethionine concentrations on serum amino acid pattern.

— Animals maintained on rat chow and water ad libitum in quarters illuminated for 12 h/day show diurnal rhythms in serum methionine and brain S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) concentrations. Brain methionine exhibits no such variation, nor does the ratio of serum methionine to the serum concentrations of six neutral amino acids which are believed to compete with methionine for uptake into brain. Administration of methionine to rats in doses that elevate serum methionine, but keep it within the daily physiological range, significantly increases brain concentrations of both methionine and SAM. The acute feeding of either a protein-free or a 40% casein meal also increases brain methionine and SAM, but does not affect serum methionine; however, both diets also increase the ratio of serum methionine to tyrosine, an amino acid whose postprandial concentration is indicative of the concentrations of the other amino acids that compete with methionine for transport into brain. These findings suggest that brain methionine levels increase physiologically after eating as a result of changes in the serum amino acid pattern. Furthermore, such naturally occurring increases in brain methionine appear to be associated with elevations in brain SAM.
Reliability Implications in the Design of Fault Current Limiters

This paper is principally concerned with the implications of FCL reliability upon the design and application of fault current limiters. The paper examines the following important questions: I) Can devices which are designed to meet present functional specificationis for fault current limiters be made compatible witlh the implicit need for reliability and economy? 2) Sinice no device will ever be fully reliable, what are the consequenices of FCL failure, anld what constitutes reasonable backup protectioni? 3) Cain the nieeds whlichi have spawned the quest for the FCL be met better in a manner more consistent with the essential needs for economy and reliability by modifying the functional specifications? t 4) For puirposes of backup protection, would a limiter which responds only after the first current loop has been allowed to pass be of any worth? 5) Are there any significant improvements or benefits in the tolerance of apparatus to momentary currents if severe fault currents are limited to a single current loop?
Customer acquisition costs: the costs of growing business in public libraries

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the associated customer acquisition costs of public libraries. The intention of the paper is to develop awareness of the hidden costs associated with customer acquisition, and develop assessment tools or models to effectively manage the resources associated with customer acquisition to aid library administrators in strategic budgeting and planning.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is prepared through review of the library and business literature associated with customer acquisitions. No definitive data on customer turnover rates or models of assessing customer acquisitions cost are identified in the review of the literature.Findings – While not identified or managed systematically, the calculation of customer acquisition costs, customer turnover rates, and the effective management of associated customer acquisition cost is strategically imperative for public libraries. Public libraries generally do not track customer turnover or the associated costs ...
Nonstrictly hyperbolic waves in elasticity

Abstract We consider a system modeling the dynamics of a nonlinear elastic string. This 6×6 system is nonstrictly hyperbolic, having two families with multiplicity two. Moreover, the distinct wavespeeds cross, giving a further degeneracy. It is essential to consider the multiplicity of eigenvalues when checking entropy conditions to ensure uniqueness. Because the nonlinearity appears through a single scalar function T(u), the Riemann problem can be analyzed in detail by a construction analogous to Oleinik's. We solve the Riemann problem for this system with large data, and give a qualitative description of the interactions of nonlinear waves of arbitrary strength.
Pathology of the pancreas in bone marrow transplant patients

Review of 51 autopsy cases of patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy followed by bone marrow transplantation revealed a high prevalence of pancreatic ductal and acinar changes compared with control groups. Forty-five percent (23 of 51) of bone marrow transplant cases had squamous metaplasia of the pancreatic ducts compared with 10% of randomly selected control cases. Although squamous metaplasia was more common in bone marrow transplant patients receiving chemotherapy, it was not associated with whole body radiation, allogeneic transplantation, or specific drugs. Squamous metaplasia was more common in patients dying 30 days or more after transplantation. Dilatation of the pancreatic acini was present in 78.4% of transplant cases, 35.0% of control cases, and 50.0% of a group of 12 breast cancer patients treated with conventional doses of chemotherapy without bone marrow transplantation. This lesion was associated with uremia. Oncocytic change of the acinar epithelium was present in 52.9% of transplant cases, no control cases, and 41.7% of breast cancer cases. Squamous metaplasia of the pancreas is common in bone marrow transplant patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy and may be a late manifestation of toxic injury to the ducts. A high prevalence of acinar dilatation was associated with terminal uremia. Oncocytic change of acinar epithelium was associated with chemotherapy.
Scaling behavior in shaving cream

The coarsening of a three-dimensional foam is studied with multiple light-scattering techniques. Scaling behavior is observed with the average bubble diameter growing in time as ${\mathit{t}}^{\mathit{z}}$ where z=0.45\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.05. Changes in the packing conditions during coarsening give rise to a dynamical process that also exhibits temporal scaling. Neighboring bubbles undergo sudden structural rearrangement events at a rate per unit volume that decays as ${\mathit{t}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{y}}$ where y=2.0\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.2.
Robust multigrid solution of the shallow-water balance equations

Abstract Balance Equation models describing accurate, gravity-wave-free states on the so-called "slow manifold" of the Primitive Equations are of wide and growing interest, both theoretical and practical, for geophysical fluid dynamics. As a particular example with only two spatial dimensions, the Shallow-Water Balance Equations are a coupled, highly nonlinear, nonsymmetric system of partial differential equations, for which only ad hoc solvers of limited robustness have previously been developed. Two multigrid algorithms are presented, one explicit and one implicit in time, which are shown by analysis and numerical examples to be efficient and robust solution techniques for this system. These examples include modons and Shallow-Water turbulence at finite Rossby number. It is found that, in some regimes of physical parameters, quite large time steps can be taken with the implicit solver, with little loss of accuracy or efficiency. This is interpreted as due to significantly slower evolutionary rates of the dominant patterns compared to parcel trajectory rates.
Lipoprotein-Associated Phospholipase A2, a Novel Inflammatory Biomarker and Independent Risk Predictor for Cardiovascular Disease

Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) is a member of the phospholipase A2 superfamily, a family of enzymes that hydrolyze phospholipids. Circulating Lp-PLA2 is a marker of inflammation that plays a critical role in atherogenesis; its inhibition may have antiatherogenic effects. Epidemiological data have consistently demonstrated the association of increased levels of Lp-PLA2 with increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). In general, studies from the West of Scotland Coronary Prevention Study, Monitoring Trends and Determinants in Cardiovascular Diseases, and Rotterdam cohorts have shown that the association of Lp-PLA2 with CHD is not attenuated upon multivariate analysis with traditional risk factors and other inflammatory markers. In addition, in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities cohort, Lp-PLA2 was particularly useful in identifying CHD risk among patients with a baseline low-density lipoprotein less than 130 mg/dl. Studies in subjects with coronary artery disease have also shown associations between Lp-PLA2 and cardiovascular risk. Polymorphisms of the Lp-PLA2 gene have been reported, with varying significance, in Japanese and Caucasian populations. Overall, epidemiological studies suggest that measurement of Lp-PLA2 in plasma may be useful in identifying individuals at high risk for cardiac events.
Recent trends in nonmedical use of drugs reported by students in two suburban New Jersey communities

Abstract Recent findings in follow-up studies of student nonmedical drug use have indicated that adolescent drug use in the United States is likely to be leveling off. This paper reports trends in student drug use measured by means of repeat surveys conducted in two suburban communities in New Jersey, and compares these trends with those observed in other diverse school populations. Patterns of utilization of specific drugs and categories of drugs are examined, for each sex and school class, using three measurement criteria—experimentation, involvement, and multiple drug use. The New Jersey survey findings are in general agreement with repeat surveys conducted elsewhere. Although teenage experimentation with one or more of a wide variety of illegal substances continues to increase, it appears that, with the possible exception of marijuana, young people are not becoming more committed to the regular use of these substances. However, the New Jersey studies revealed marked age—sex differences in the patterns of usage not only between nearby communities but also within the same community, suggesting that local conditions within a community may have an important effect upon male—female drug use patterns. Some implications of the survey findings for community drug abuse prevention programs are discussed.
Out of Place: Geographical Fiction(s) in Håkan Nesser’s Inspector Van Veeteren Series

AbstractIn his review of the 2008 BBC production of ‘Wallander’, based on Henning Mankell’s 1995 crime novel ‘Villospar’ (‘Sidetracked’), Paul Hoggart proposes that ‘[i]f you want to get under the skin of a foreign culture, skip the guided tours of cathedrals and art galleries, and read its crime thrillers’. Which culture is it then, one wonders, that reveals itself through a reading of Hakan Nesser’s Inspector Van Veeteren series? Unlike Mankell’s Wallander, who generally operates within the greater Ystad area in southern Sweden, Van Veeteren lives and works in a geographically unspecific location somewhere in Northern Europe, coded with place names reminiscent mainly of Flanders and The Netherlands but also incorporating references in the form of personal names and geographical denotations that could best be described as pan-European. Whereas the specificity of place is integral to – arguably even the defining characteristic of – the crime novels of Swedish writers such as Mankell, Sjowall-Wahloo, Liza ...
Postoperative ad lib feeding for hypertrophic pyloric stenosis.

Abstract Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare three methods of postoperative feeding after pyloromyotomy for hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (HPS). Methods: The authors reviewed retrospectively the charts of 308 patients who underwent pyloromyotomy for HPS from 1984 to 1997. Nineteen patients had prolonged hospitalization for other reasons and were excluded from the study, leaving 289 patients for analysis. All procedures were performed by a single group of pediatric surgeons. The individual preferences of these surgeons resulted in three different feeding schedules: R, strictly regimented (>12 hours nothing by mouth, then incremental feeding over ≥24 hours), I, intermediate (>8 hours nothing by mouth, then incremental feeding over Results: Of the 289 patients, 248 (80.5%) were boys. The average age of the patients was 5.64 weeks (range, 1 to 21 weeks). A total of 265 of 289 (92%) were full term. Thirty-nine of 289 (13.5%) had a family history positive for pyloric stenosis. A total of 104 of 289 (36%) were first-born infants, 89 of 289 (31%) were second born. The diagnosis of pyloric stenosis was made by a combination of physical examination findings and diagnostic image for most patients. An "olive" was palpated in 60.6% of the patients. Sixty percent (60.4%) of patients had an upper gastrointestinal series performed, and 42.5% were examined by ultrasonography. Overall, 53% of the patients had postoperative emesis. Only 3.5% had emesis that persisted greater than 48 hours after surgery. Patients fed ad lib after pyloromyotomy had slightly more emesis (2.2 A v 1.2 R, and 0.7 I episodes, P = .002), but tolerated full feedings sooner than patients fed with a regimented or intermediate schedule. No patient required additional therapy or readmission after tolerating two consecutive full feedings, suggesting that this might be a suitable discharge criterion for most patients with HPS.
Utility of the Social and Communication Questionnaire in the Differentiation of Autism from ADHD

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often occur together. However, since symptoms of hyperactivity and inattention often occur in individuals with autism, distinguishing between the two conditions can be difficult. The purpose of this paper is to determine if the Social and Communication Questionnaire (SCQ), a commonly used screening measure for autism, can differentiate between the two conditions. Nineteen participants with ASD (17 males; mean age 10 years; SD 3.9) were compared with 57 participants with ADHD (43 males; mean age 8.4 years; SD 2.8); and 22 participants with ASD+ADHD (19 males; mean age 9.2 years; SD 2.8). Significant differences were found between the ASD and ADHD groups (13.43 versus 7.08, p < 0.0001) but not between the ASD and the mixed ASD+ADHD groups. A multinomial regression analysis identified the following nine questions as being especially important in differentiating between the ASD and ADHD groups: 6, 7, 13, 14, 26, 27, 33, 36 and 37. Implications of these findings are discussed.
An exact renormalization model for earthquakes and material failure: statics and dynamics

Abstract Earthquake events are well-known to posses a variety of empirical scaling laws. Accordingly, renormalization methods offer some hope for understanding why earthquake statistics behave in a similar way over orders of magnitude of energy. We review the progress made in the use of renormalization methods in approaching the earthquake problem. In particular, earthquake events have been modeled by previous investigators as hierarchically organized bundles of fibers with equal load sharing. We consider by computational and analytic means the failure properties of such bundles of fibers, a problem that may be treated exactly by renormalization methods. We show, independent of the specific properties of an individual fiber, that the stress and time thresholds for failure of fiber bundles obey universal, albeit different, scaling laws with respect to the size of the bundles. The application of these results to fracture processes in earthquake events and in engineering materials helps to provide insight into some of the observed patterns and scaling - in particular, the apparent weakening of earthquake faults and composite materials with respect to size, and the apparent emergence of relatively well-defined stresses and times when failure is seemingly assured.
HLA class II-restricted binding of muramyl peptides to B lymphocytes of normal and narcoleptic subjects.

Abstract The propensity of narcolepsy, a clinical sleep disorder of unknown etiology, is virtually totally included within the HLA-DR2, DQw1 (DRw15, Qw6) phenotype. The disorder is characterized by decreased sleep latency, early onset of rapid eye movement sleep, and a paucity of noctural slow-wave sleep. Muramyl peptides, naturally occurring bacterial cell wall peptiodoglycans, potently enhance the duration and amplitude of slow-wave sleep in animals, bind to murine monoclear r cells, and exhibit a major histocompatibility complex-restricted immunoadjuvant effect in mice. We examined the binding of muramyl peptides to peripheral blood mononuclear leukocytes of HLA-typed normal ( n = 13) and narcoleptic ( n = 10) sunjects. Muramyl peptides bound specifically and with high affinity to normal B-butt not T-lymphocyte-enriched preparations. There was no significant specific binding to B-cell-enriched preparations from narcoleptic patients. Furthermore, B-lymphocyte-enriched preparations of normal individuals who had the HLA-DR2,DQw1 phenotype ( n = 8) exhibited a lower level of specific binding than those of normals who did not have this phenotype ( n = 5, p
Coadsorption of oxygen and carbon monoxide on RU(001)

Abstract The adsorption and desorption of oxygen (carbon monoxide) on Ru(001) partially covered with carbon monoxide (oxygen) has been studied using uptake and flash desorption techniques. Complementary LEED and AES data have also been obtained. The presence of oxygen lowers both the initial sticking coefficient and the saturation coverage of carbon monoxide. Below O2 exposures of 1.5 L, CO adsorption/desorption characteristics are the same for annealed (700 K) and unannealed oxygen. For O2 exposures greater than 2 L, annealing at 700 K reduces the amount and binding energy of adsorbed CO. These effects are correlated with the penetration of oxygen into the region beneath the Ru surface on annealing. The saturation amount of CO coadsorbed with oxygen is a strong function of oxygen exposure up to 1.5 L (θO ⋍ 0.25) but only weakly dependent on oxygen exposure thereafter. Carbon monoxide readily adsorbs on surfaces exposed to several thousand langmuirs of oxygen (θO ⋍ 0.5). At 320 K preadsorbed CO is not displaced by exposure to oxygen at 320 K, while at 400 K it is readily displaced almost exclusively as CO.
Dineopentyl Phosphate Hydrolysis : Evidence for Stepwise Water Attack

Phosphate ester hydrolysis is ubiquitous in biology, playing a central role in energy production, signaling, biosynthesis, and the regulation of protein function among other things. Although the mechanism of action of the enzymes regulating this reaction has been the focus of intensive research in the past few decades, the correct description of this apparently simple reaction remains controversial. A clear understanding of the mechanism that takes place in solution is crucial to be able to evaluate whether proposals for the enzyme-catalyzed mechanisms are reasonable. For the pH-independent hydrolysis of phosphate diesters, several kinetically equivalent mechanisms are plausible, including hydroxide attack on the neutral phosphate. However, it is very difficult to measure the rate of this reaction directly by experimental methods, so it has been evaluated by examining the rate of hydrolysis of neutral phosphate triesters, where a methyl group has replaced a proton. This may not be an accurate model of the neutral phosphate diester and does not provide information about a reaction pathway that is concerted with nucleophilic attack to generate a similar phosphorane. We have carefully mapped out free energy surfaces for both hydroxide and water attack on the dineopentyl phosphate anion and for water attack on the neutral diester. In doing so, we have accurately reproduced existing experimental data and demonstrate that water attack proceeds through an associative mechanism with proton transfer to the phosphate to generate a phosphorane intermediate. Our data show that the substrate-as-base mechanism is viable for phosphate ester hydrolysis, which may have important implications for the studies of phosphate ester hydrolysis by enzymes.
Size matters: Installed maximal unit size predicts market life cycles of electricity generation technologies and systems

Abstract The electricity generation technologies and systems are complex and change in very dynamic fashions, with a multitude of energy sources and prime movers. Since an important concept in generator design is the “economies of scale”, we discover that the installed maximal unit size (capacity) of the generators is a key “envelope-pushing” characteristic with logistical behaviors. The logistical wavelet analysis of the max unit sizes for different fuels and prime movers, and the cumulative capacities, reveals universal quantitative features in the aggregate evolution of the power industry. We extract the transition times of the max sizes (spanning 10–90% of the saturation limits) for different technologies and systems, and discover that the max size saturation in the 90–99% range precedes the saturation of cumulative capacities of the corresponding systems in the US. While these universal laws are still empirical, they give us a simple yet elegant framework to examine the evolution of the power industry and markets in predictive, not just descriptive, terms. Such laws give us a quantitative tool to spot trends and predict future development, invaluable in planning and resource allocation based on intrinsic technology and system market life cycles.
Percutaneous lysis of epidural adhesions--evidence for safety and efficacy.

Abstract Background: Percutaneous lysis of epidural adhesions isdone worldwide. Over 1.7 million of these procedures weredone in the U.S.A. by 2006. This interventional pain manage-ment technique is used to treat chronic low back pain (LBP)and/or radiculopathy. The primary object of the approach isto target drug delivery to areas of pathology in the spinalepidural space. The procedure involves removing barriers,such as epidural ﬁbrosis, that prevent drug from reachingtarget sites. Literature search: Primary sources of information for thismanuscript include: (1) 2 systematic literature reviews thatinclude literature published through September 2006; (2)expert opinions; and (3) peer reviewed publications fromSeptember 2006 to January 2008. The focus was on percuta-neous entry using catheters via the sacral hiatus to treat painin the lumbosacral region. Results: The evidence is strong for short-term efﬁcacy(3 months) and moderate for long-term efﬁcacy (greaterthan 3 months). Complications do occur, but limited litera-ture exists that documents incidence.
Analysis of the Detection of Organophosphate Pesticides in Aqueous Solutions Using Hydrogen-Bond Acidic Coating on SH-SAW Devices

The work presented in this paper focuses on the synthesis and characterization of a hybrid organic/inorganic chemically sensitive layer for rapid detection and analysis of OPs in aqueous solutions using SH-SAW devices. Coated SH-SAW devices on 36° YX-LiTaO and 42.75° YX-Quartz (ST-90° X Quartz), are used to determine the optimum operating conditions for achieving rapid sensor responses with high sensitivity. Three analytes (parathion-methyl, parathion, and paraoxon), having similar molecular mass and volume, are used to evaluate the performance of the hybrid organic/inorganic coating in terms of sensor properties of interest including sensitivity, selectivity, reproducibility. It is shown that the coating has a high degree of partial selectivity and sensitivity towards the analytes. With the present non-optimized chemical sensor, a limit of detection of 60 (ppb), 20 (ppb) and 100 (ppb) is estimated for parathion-methyl, parathion, and paraoxon, respectively, when using a 0.5 -thick BPA-HMTS sensing layer. Concentrations as low as 500 (ppb) parathion have been measured. This concentration is significantly much lower than the typical concentrations found on agricultural produce (≥10 ppm).
Large conformational changes in MutS during DNA scanning, mismatch recognition and repair signalling

MutS protein recognizes mispaired bases in DNA and targets them for mismatch repair. Little is known about the transient conformations of MutS as it signals initiation of repair. We have used single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) measurements to report the conformational dynamics of MutS during this process. We find that the DNA-binding domains of MutS dynamically interconvert among multiple conformations when the protein is free and while it scans homoduplex DNA. Mismatch recognition restricts MutS conformation to a single state. Steady-state measurements in the presence of nucleotides suggest that both ATP and ADP must be bound to MutS during its conversion to a sliding clamp form that signals repair. The transition from mismatch recognition to the sliding clamp occurs via two sequential conformational changes. These intermediate conformations of the MutS:DNA complex persist for seconds, providing ample opportunity for interaction with downstream proteins required for repair.
Is User-Validation Necessary for a Spanish Translation of the Microsoft Product Reaction Cards Tool?

Current research on Hispanic consumers focuses on Hispanics as a market segment, not their user experience, usability preferences, or cultural differences. This study evaluated the effectiveness of three versions of the Microsoft Product Reaction Cards (MPRC) tool in Spanish when capturing user experience feedback from Hispanic consumers. Since the MPRC tool has never been used in Spanish there was a need to determine whether a user-validated translation can enhance user feedback from Hispanic Consumers better than a direct translation or a translator-validated translation of the same tool. The goal was to determine whether there were any differences in the feedback elicited from Hispanic participants based on the type of Spanish translation of the MPRC tool they were provided (direct translation, translator-validated, and user-validated). The direct translation of the MPRC was done by using the first choice provided in Spanish to the English word in Google Translate. The exact wording provided in Spanish...
SCUBA: Secure Code Update By Attestation in sensor networks

This paper presents SCUBA (Secure Code Update By Attestation), for detecting and recovering compromised nodes in sensor networks. The SCUBA protocol enables the design of a sensor network that can detect compromised nodes without false negatives, and either repair them through code updates, or revoke the compromised nodes. The SCUBA protocol represents a promising approach for designing secure sensor networks by proposing a first approach for automatic recovery of compromised sensor nodes. The SCUBA protocol is based on ICE (Indisputable Code Execution), a primitive we introduce to dynamically establish a trusted code base on a remote, untrusted sensor node.
Location-based communication services

Our demo shows end-user-oriented location-based services based on application-layer, human understandable location descriptions.
Modified equilibrium temperature models for cold-water streams

[1] Water temperature determines the spatial distribution of fish species, including cold-water fish such as trout, and is driven by the balance of the heat flux across the water surface and the heat flux across the sediment surface. In this study, a modified equilibrium temperature model was developed for cold-water streams that includes the effect of groundwater inflow. The modified equilibrium temperature model gives estimates of daily average stream temperature based on climate conditions, riparian shading, stream width, and groundwater input rate and temperature. For a small tributary stream with relatively uniform riparian shading, the modified equilibrium temperature was found to be a good predictor of daily average stream temperature, with a root-mean-square errors (RMSE) of 1.2°C. The modified equilibrium temperature model also gave good estimates (1.4°C RMSE) of daily average stream temperature for a larger stream when riparian shading was averaged over sufficiently long distances. A sensitivity analysis using the modified equilibrium temperature model confirmed that water temperature in cold-water streams varies strongly with riparian shading, stream width, and both groundwater inflow rate and temperature. These groundwater parameters therefore need to be taken into account when climate change impacts on stream temperature are projected. The stream temperature model developed in this study is a useful tool to characterize temperature conditions in cold-water streams with different levels of riparian shading and groundwater inputs and to assess the impact of future land use and climate change on temperature in these streams.
Land‐Grant University‐Industry Relationships in Biotechnology: A Comparison with the Non‐Land‐Grant Research Universities1

The results of a 1986 survey of 185 biotechnology faculty in the land-grant colleges of agriculture are presented. Comparisons are made to a previous survey of biotechnology faculty in nonagricultural research universities. The survey investigates issues raised by industrial involvement in university biotechnology research and the impact of the new biosciences on the agricultural colleges. It was found that college of agriculture biotechnologists have more recently received their highest degrees, show more industrial involvement, and are more positive about the possible benefits of that involvement than their nonagricultural university counterparts. Industrial funding proved to be a significant exogenous variable affecting the activities and attitudes of agricultural college biotechnology faculty. Those with higher levels of industrial funding appear to have lower university productivity.
Tuberculosis and illicit drug use: review and update.

Illicit drug users continue to be a group at high risk for tuberculosis (TB). Here, we present an updated review of the relationship between TB and illicit drug use, and we summarize more than a decade of new research. Drug users, and injection drug users in particular, have driven TB epidemics in a number of countries. The successful identification and treatment of TB among illicit drug users remain important components of a comprehensive TB strategy, but illicit drug users present a unique set of challenges for TB diagnosis and control. New diagnostic modalities, including interferon-g‐release assays, offer potential for improved diagnosis and surveillance among this group, along with proven treatment strategies that incorporate the use of directly observed therapy with treatment for drug abuse. Special considerations, including coinfection with viral hepatitis and the rifampin-methadone drug interaction, warrant clinical attention and are also updated here.
GHz aluminum nitride optomechanical wheel resonators

Aluminum nitride (AlN) has been widely used in microeletromechanical resonators for its excellent electromechanical properties. Here we demonstrate the use of AlN as an optomechanical material that simultaneously offers low optical and mechanical loss. Integrated AlN microring resonators in the shape of suspended rings exhibit high optical quality factor (Q) with loaded Q up to 125,000. Optomechanical transduction of the Brownian motion of a GHz contour mode yields a displacement sensitivity of 6.3×10−18 m/√Hz in ambient air.
The Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics of Acrylamide: Implications for Mechanisms of Toxicity and Human Risk Estimation

(1996). The Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics of Acrylamide: Implications for Mechanisms of Toxicity and Human Risk Estimation. Drug Metabolism Reviews: Vol. 28, No. 4, pp. 527-590.
Threshold list subset detector for turbo MIMO systems

A threshold based list detector is presented for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system. The detector is based on subset-sum algorithm. The algorithm make use of a low complexity sub optimal minimum mean square error (MMSE) detector to find the bit reliabilities, and uses these reliabilities to generate list of possible candidate data vectors. It is shown through analysis that this detector can be designed to ensure a specific bit error performance with respect to the optimum maximum likelihood detector. The proposed threshold list subset sum detector (T-LSS) is extended for coded turbo MIMO transmission. Unlike other detectors proposed in the literature, the T-LSS detector generates list for each outer iteration.
Establishing Pair-Wise Keys in Heterogeneous Sensor Networks

Many applications that make use of sensor networks require secure communication. Because asymmetric-key solutions are difficult to implement in such a resource-constrained environment, symmetric-key methods coupled with a priori key distribution schemes have been proposed to achieve the goals of data secrecy and integrity. These approaches typically assume that all sensors are similar in terms of capabilities, and hence deploy the same number of keys in all sensors in a network to provide the aforementioned protections. In this paper we demonstrate that a probabilistic unbalanced distribution of keys throughout the network that leverages the existence of a small percentage of more capable sensor nodes can not only provide an equal level of security but also reduce the consequences of node compromise. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach on small networks using a variety of trust models and then demonstrate the application of this method to very large systems. The approach and analysis presented in this paper can be applied to all protocols that use probabilistic keys including those that employ broadcast mechanisms, hash functions or polynomials for the generation of keys.
Absorption and scattering of light by small particles: the interference structure

We point out errors in the derivation of the periodicity of the interference structure of the Mie extinction curve, recently published in ABSORPTION AND SCATTERING OFLIGHTBY SMALL PARTICLES, by C. F. Bohren and D. R. Huffman (Wiley, New York, 1983).
Thermal Imaging of Hot-Mix Paving Operations for Quality Assessment: State of the Practice in Texas

In the mid-1990s, thermal imaging was identified as a technology that might locate segregation in hot-mix paving operations. In 2000, work started in Texas to evaluate the utility of infrared imaging for identifying segregation. Work conducted in Texas verified that temperature differentials did relate to changes in important hot-mix asphalt properties. This early work also showed that temperature differentials greater than 25°F (13.9°C) typically indicated problems in Texas mixes. With confidence in the utility of the technology, and recommended limits for temperature uniformity, Texas recently made substantial progress tailoring thermal data collection technology and data processing capabilities to hot-mix paving operations. The development and application of the current state of the practice for evaluating paving operations with thermal imaging in Texas are presented. The current methodology in Texas uses the Pave-IR system, which consists of a transverse bar with 10 infrared sensors immediately behind...
Analysis of interfraction and intrafraction variation during tangential breast irradiation with an electronic portal imaging device.

Purpose: To evaluate the daily setup variation and the anatomic movement of the heart and lungs during breast irradiation with tangential photon beams, as measured with an electronic portal imaging device. Methods and materials: Analysis of 1,709 portal images determined changes in the radiation field during a treatment course in 8 patients. Values obtained for every image included central lung distance (CLD) and area of lung and heart within the irradiated field. The data from these measurements were used to evaluate variation from setup between treatment days and motion due to respiration and/or patient movement during treatment delivery. Results: The effect of respiratory motion and movement during treatment was minimal: the maximum range in CLD for any patient on any day was 0.25 cm. The variation caused by day-to-day setup variation was greater, with CLD values for patients ranging from 0.59 cm to 2.94 cm. Similar findings were found for heart and lung areas. Conclusions: There is very little change in CLD and corresponding lung and heart area during individual radiation treatment fractions in breast tangential fields, compared with a relatively greater amount of variation that occurs between days.
Relating Stress of Mothers of Children With Developmental Disabilities to Family–School Partnerships

Abstract Although mothers of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) experience high levels of stress and schools constitute an important resource, the relation remains unkn...
Ligand-induced domain motion in the activation mechanism of a G-protein-coupled receptor

Rapidly accumulating information about the structures and functions of transmembrane proteins in the class of G-protein-coupled receptors is facilitating the exploration of molecular details in the processes of cellular signal transduction. We have described recently a 3-D molecular model of the transmembrane portion of the 5-HT2A type of receptor of the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT), constructed from such convergent empirical and theoretical considerations, and have used it for a computational simulation of the mechanisms of ligand-induced receptor activation and signal transduction. The molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of the interaction between the receptor model and ligands of different pharmacological efficacies pointed to a set of specific conformational changes propagated from the ligand binding site to a distal region of the receptor that is essential for signal transduction. The ligand-induced changes were found to correlate well with the known pharmacological properties, but it remained unclear how the binding of the small 5-HT2A receptor agonist molecules in the distal binding pocket could give rise to the specific conformational changes in a distant part of the receptor. As the MD simulations showed the secondary structure of the helical transmembrane domains of the receptor to be well maintained, and the conformational changes to involve mainly translations and rotations of the helices in the bundle relative to one another, an algorithm was developed to treat the ligand-induced conformational changes as rigid domain movements of transmembrane helices.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS).