cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spatial decision support systems: an overview of technology and a test of efficacy

Abstract A laboratory experiment was used to investigate the effects on decision-maker performance of using geographic information system (GIS) technology as a spatial decision support system (SDSS). GIS are increasingly being used for decision-making, yet research about their contributions to the performance of decision-makers has been lacking. This study makes a contribution to that apparent void. Volunteer subjects completed a site location task that required decisions to be made based upon spatially referenced information. Performance was operationalized as elapsed time and accuracy. The task environment was manipulated in two dimensions. In one dimension, task complexity was varied on two levels. In the other dimension, some subjects were provided a geographic information system as a decision aid; the rest were not. Significant differences were found between task solutions developed by SDSS users and those developed by non-SDSS users. SDSS users experienced shorter solution times and fewer errors for both levels of task complexity. The study builds upon and extends image theory as a basis for explaining efficiency differences resulting from different graphical displays of spatial information.
Simplified Surgical Approach to Bladder Outlet Obstruction Following Pubovaginal Sling

AbstractWe report a new technique of vaginal patch interposition to relieve bladder outlet obstruction after a suburethral sling procedure when the obstruction is caused by over correction of the urethrovesical angle. In this technique the sling is incised longitudinally in the midline and dissected laterally. A vaginal patch is obtained from the vaginal mucosa, then interposed and sutured between the 2 cut edges of the sling. This method is characterized by simplicity and low morbidity, while preserving the integrity of the suburethral sling to maintain continence.
Repeat transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for progressive hepatic carcinoid metastases provides results similar to first TACE.

Transarterial chemoemobolization (TACE) is commonly used to treat metastatic carcinoid tumors; however, the management of progressive disease is less clear. We sought to determine if patients with disease progression after TACE would benefit from repeat TACE. The records of 27 patients undergoing repeat TACE for radiologic or symptomatic progression after TACE for metastatic carcinoid were reviewed and compared to 122 undergoing first TACE. Overall and progression-free survivals were estimated by the Kaplan–Meier method. Mean disease-free interval after first TACE was 11.8 months. Radiologic response was observed in 61% compared to 82% after first TACE (p = 0.058); hormone response in 64% compared to 80% (p = 0.159); and symptomatic response in 77% compared to 92% (p = 0.053). The complication rate after repeat TACE was lower than after first TACE (p = 0.03). Median overall survival was similar after repeat (28.1 months) and first TACE (33.3 months) (p = 0.53). Progression-free survival was shorter after repeat TACE but not significantly so. No factor examined could predict survival after repeat TACE. Repeat TACE for patients with hepatic carcinoid metastases failing first TACE or having evidence of disease progression is safe and offers a viable treatment option.
Evaluating Reliability of Stochastic Flow Networks

This paper describes a highly efficient Monte Carlo sampling plan for evaluating the probability that the flow value in a stochastic flow network is greater than or equal to a prespecified level d. A stochastic flow network can characterize communication, transportation, and water or oil distribution systems. The paper first derives lower and upper bounds on the probability of interest and then describes how one can concentrate sampling in a specialized region of the arc capacity state space to increase the statistical efficiency of the resulting estimate. The paper also gives expressions for worst-case sample sizes needed to meet specified bounds on variances and coefficients of variation and illustrates the proposed sampling plan with an example.
Identification of a functionally important loop in Salmonella typhimurium ArnT

ArnT confers resistance to the antibiotic polymyxin in Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli through the modification of lipid A, a major component of the outer surface of Gram-negative bacteria. ArnT transfers a neutral aminoarabinose moiety onto the negative phosphate groups of lipid A, reducing the surface charge of the bacteria and preventing cationic peptides such as polymyxin from electrostatically recognizing and killing the bacteria. We previously reported the first expression, purification and functional analysis of ArnT from S. typhimurium (1). Our studies showed that ArnT is highly α-helical and described a new in vivo functional growth assay. Here, we use the cysteine-specific mPEG-mal to demonstrate that all eight of the native cysteines in S. typhimurium ArnT are in the reduced form and not involved in disulfide bonds, and show that the cysteine-free protein is structurally and functionally intact as characterized by circular dichroism and the in vivo growth assay. Following this initial characterization, in vivo expression and function profiles were surveyed for 31 consecutive mutations within a putative ArnT loop. These studies indentify for the first time 14 residues that are essential for function of the ArnT transferase and 3 additional residues that completely disrupt protein folding or insertion into the bacterial inner membrane.
Designing health plan contracts for people with disabilities

Purpose: In the USA, private businesses and the federal government contract with health plan companies to arrange and provide for specific health benefits and services. Most contracts are designed around acute care services for people without disabilities. We wanted to design a health benefit programme tailored to the needs of people with disabilities. Method: We convened two expert panels. The first, comprised of experts on government programme payments and benefit design, identified key services of a programme providing care for people with disabilities. The second panel, comprised of representatives of health plan companies, simulated the contract evaluation process. Results: Model health benefit programmes for people with disabilities are similar to programmes for people without disabilities, but should provide and pay for care co-ordination, non-medical benefits, and unlimited therapy while incorporating self-directed care. As existing health plan companies consider whether or not to sign a contract ...
The oral component of Sjögren's syndrome: pass the scalpel and check the water.

The labial salivary gland biopsy is a diagnostic test for the oral component of Sjogren's syndrome (SS) that has been the subject of controversy and re-examination for many years. Despite multiple recent challenges to the significance of this test, when correctly done, it remains one of the most informative, specific, and technically simple tests available for the oral component of SS. Because of compromised salivary gland function, patients with SS are at risk for dental caries. Within the past decade, a paradigm shift has occurred within the field of caries research. The caries process was previously thought irreversible once initiated. Research has shown that the "early" carious lesion can be remineralized. Thus, the "early" carious lesion may be prevented and even repaired. The process of remineralization requires appropriate conditions to occur, and one of those conditions is pH. Because water is often the preferred wetting agent/beverage for patients with SS, the data show that, with regard to pH, not all waters are created equal.
BODY MOVEMENT IN RELATION TO TYPE OF INFORMATION (PERSON‐ AND NONPERSON‐ORIENTED) AND COGNITIVE STYLE (FIELD DEPENDENCE)1

The occurrence of body-focused (self-touching) and object-focused (“free”) movements was investigated in a semi-structured interview involving two communicative tasks—person-oriented and non-person-oriented and two types of encoders (field-dependent and field-independent). Person-oriented information was accompanied by more continuous body touching movements (p < .001) and nonrepresentational (speech primacy) movements (p < .01). Representational (motor primacy) movements were more prevalent during the communication of non-person-oriented information (p < .001). Overall, field-dependent encoders produced more continuous body touching movements than field-independents (p < .05). It is proposed that body-focused movement is a reflection of the degree of uncertainty involved in generating information as a function of, among other factors, the type of information, the psychological differentiation of the encoder (field dependence) and the psychosocial uncertainty of the communicative setting. Object-focused movements seem to occur in relation to the type of information and listener availability.
Structural and mechanistic insights into Mps1 kinase activation

Mps1 is one of the several essential kinases whose activation is required for robust mitotic spindle checkpoint signaling. The activity of Mps1 is tightly regulated and increases dramatically during mitosis or in response to spindle damage. To understand the molecular mechanism underlying Mps1 regulation, we determined the crystal structure of the kinase domain of Mps1. The 2.7 A resolution crystal structure shows that the Mps1 kinase domain adopts a unique inactive conformation. Intramolecular interactions between the key Glu residue in the αC helix of the N-terminal lobe and the backbone amides in the catalytic loop lock the kinase in the inactive conformation. Autophosphorylation appears to be a priming event for kinase activation. We identified Mps1 autophosphorylation sites in the activation and the P+1 loops. Whereas activation loop autophosphorylation enhances kinase activity, autophosphorylation at the P+1 loop (T686) is associated with the active kinase. Mutation of T686 autophosphorylation site impairs both autophosphorylation and transphosphorylation. Furthermore, we demonstrated that phosphorylation of T676 may be a priming event for phosphorylation at T686. Finally, we identified two critical lysine residues in the loop between helices αEF and αF that are essential for substrate recruitment and maintaining high levels of kinase activity. Our studies reveal critical biochemical mechanisms for Mps1 kinase regulation.
Fluorescent dyes for multiphoton bio-imaging applications

Fluorescent dyes and probes are key components in multiphoton based fluorescence microscopy imaging of biological samples. While many commercially available fluorescent dyes have sufficed, most exhibit relatively low two-photon absorption (2PA) cross-section values in the tunability range of Ti:sapphire lasers commonly used in multiphoton microscopy imaging. Furthermore, available fluorophores may be plagued with either low fluorescence quantum yields and/or the additional problem of rapid photobleaching upon exposure to the high peak powers provided by fs laser sources. In order to address the demand for better performing dyes for two-photon based imaging, we have prepared a new series of reactive fluorophores tailored for multiphoton imaging. These fluorophores are based upon the fluorene ring system, known to exhibit high fluorescence quantum yields, typically > 0.7, and possess high photostability. They have been functionalized with moieties to act, e.g., as efficient amine-reactive fluorescent probes for the covalent attachment onto, e.g., proteins and antibodies. The synthesis and the single-photon spectral characteristics, as well as measured two-photon absorption cross sections of the reactive fluorophores in solution will be presented. Spectral characterizations of bovine serum albumin (BSA) conjugated with the new reactive probe will also be presented.
The remediation of elementary students' low social status through a teacher-centered consultation program

Abstract This study compared the effects of four classroom-based indirect teacher consultation methods (T 1 …T 4 ) on students' low sociometric status (SMS) in 72 third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade classes. T 1 determined whether teachers could improve the targeted students' SMS without receiving any ameliorative assistance, except for the low SMS students' names. In T 2 the names of the low status students were forwarded to their teachers with a behavior change booklet containing remedial suggestions. T 3 was identical to T 2 except that the teachers were also given a booklet listing the social and academic factors that contribute to, and sustain, low SMS. T 4 served as the control group; the teachers were not given the students' names or any intervention strategies. T 2 and T 3 were comparable in improving SMS, and both were significantly more effective than T 1 and T 4 in enhancing the targeted students' low social standing. Giving the teachers in T 1 the names of the students without offering intervention strategies diminished SMS. Changes in SMS for the students in T 2 and T 3 improved approximately one standard deviation.
Sorptive and Reactive Scavenger-Containing Sandwich Membranes as Contaminant Barriers

The barrier properties of composite membranes containing either zero-valent iron nanoparticles or powdered activated carbon mixed into an aqueous clay suspension and sandwiched between two sheets of high-density polyethylene were measured using carbon tetrachloride and trichloroethylene as model contaminants. The lag time to trichloroethylene breakthrough increased 17-fold when 24 wt % powdered activated carbon was mixed into the 400-μm -thick center layer of the composite. Zero-valent iron was successful in extending the lag time for carbon tetrachloride but not for trichloroethylene, presumably because the latter reaction with zero-valent iron is slow relative to diffusion. Approximately 30% of the total iron in the composite membrane was consumed before carbon tetrachloride breakthrough, a major improvement over the 2–3% reported previously for single-layer high-density polyethylene membranes containing iron nanoparticles. Simplified multilayer membrane models used to describe contaminant breakthrough ...
Petroleum geochemistry of oil and gas from Barbados: Implications for distribution of Cretaceous source rocks and regional petroleum prospectivity

Petroleum produced from the Barbados accretionary prism (at Woodbourne Field on Barbados) is interpreted as generated from Cretaceous marine shale deposited under normal salinity and dysoxic conditions rather than from a Tertiary source rock as previously proposed. Barbados oils correlate with some oils from eastern Venezuela and Trinidad that are positively correlated to extracts from Upper Cretaceous La Luna-like source rocks. Three distinct groups of Barbados oils are recognized based on thermal maturity, suggesting petroleum generation occurred at multiple levels within the Barbados accretionary prism. Biodegradation is the most significant process affecting Barbados oils resulting in increased sulfur content and decreased API gravity. Barbados gases are interpreted as thermogenic, having been co-generated with oil, and show mixing with biogenic gas is limited. Gas biodegradation occurred in two samples collected from shallow reservoirs at the Woodbourne Field. The presence of Cretaceous source rocks within the Barbados accretionary prism suggests that greater petroleum potential exists regionally, and perhaps further southeast along the passive margin of South America. Likewise, confirmation of a Cretaceous source rock indicates petroleum potential exists within the Barbados accretionary prism in reservoirs that are deeper than those from Woodbourne Field.
International Collaboration in Transorganizational Systems Development: The Challenges of Global Insourcing

AbstractThere are a number of compelling reasons for companies to look outside their own organizational and national boundaries for the skills and knowledge needed to compete in the global marketplace. Improving telecommunications infrastructures around the world and highly skilled talent pools in low cost nations are only a few of the drivers motivating companies to collaborate with partner firms located abroad. Such collaboration is, however, extremely difficult to control and coordinate. This paper examines a special case of global transorganizational insourcing in which two dispersed, semi-autonomous organizations within the same parent entity collaborate on a software development project. The project involves an American and Indian team working together to develop an enterprise-wide SAP application for Transangara Corporation, a large software publishing house headquartered in the United States. Using a transorganizational development (TOD) model, the study analyzes the reasons behind the failure of ...
The Spread of Grammaticalized Forms The Case of be+supposed to

This research considers the importance of pragmatic motivation in the diffusion of grammaticalized forms, focusing upon the changes in meaning of the construction be+supposed to and the ambiguity that emerges when multiple interpretations become available. The passive form of the main verb to suppose develops into a grammaticalized semimodal construction with deontic and epistemic senses. This work examines the ways that the ambiguity that develops when the pregrammaticalized and the grammaticalized forms coexist can itself propel the change: assisting in the initial spread of the grammaticalized usage and then suppressing the older pregrammaticalized form. Using the British National Corpus, the Chadwyck-Healey Database of Nineteenth-Century Fiction, and the ARCHER corpus, I find that the influences of genre and frequency can create pragmatic conditions which encourage the diffusion of grammaticalized forms between text types.
Endocervicosis of the Bladder

AbstractWe report a case of endocervicosis of the bladder. The tumor was successfully resected trans-urethrally. Histopathology of this rare condition is discussed and the literature is reviewed. The natural course of this entity is poorly documented and close followup is mandatory. When endocervicosis is differentiated confidently from adenocarcinoma, local treatment may be satisfactory.
A chemical failure mechanism for aluminum(III) 8-hydroxyquinoline light-emitting devices

A plausible degradation mechanism of aluminum(III) 8-hydroxyquinoline (Alq3)-based devices is presented. This is initiated by traces of moisture that facilitate a ligand exchange with the oxyquinoline moiety of Alq3, followed by a condensation polymerization of the freed 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-Hq) to produce a deep brown, nonemissive polymeric material and water (which can in turn free more 8-Hq). The polymer was found to be an efficient photoluminescence and electroluminescence quencher due to the introduction of nonemissive midgap states within the Alq3 HOMO/LUMO levels.
Privacy protection in record-keeping systems

Abstract Laws now in effect in several countries grant individuals certain privacy rights vis-a-vis record-keeping organizations in government an in the private sector that maintain personal data records about them. These laws require record-keeping organizations to implement procedures and technical measures that allow individuals to exercise their privacy rights and assure that data quality, confidentiality, and security are maintained. This paper presents an overview of the basic issues in privacy protection, discusses the implementation of privacy protection requirements, and examines certain special problems that arise in extending privacy protection to international data processing systems.
Education, work, and family formation in early adulthood

A multivariate analysis examined relationships among education, work, and family formation using data from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972. A consensus has emerged among behavioral scientists that these three variables affect each other mutually, but until recently, methodological limitations have made it difficult to study these mutual effects. The present study attacked these difficulties by usingLISREL procedures. The most important findings, perhaps, are that, among women, both working and pursuing higher education exert substantial negative influences on marrying and becoming a parent. These influences are substantially stronger than. influences in the opposite direction. Therefore, these results imply that, for women, delaying childbearing is more a consequence of decisions to pursue other activities than it is a cause of such decisions. Among men, pursuing higher education negatively influenced family formation but working did not. The most notable difference between men and women, however, was that forming a family exerted a positive influence on working among men but not among women. Locus of control exerted little influence on any outcome.
Quantifying information transfer in spike generation

Abstract We have made intracellular recordings from sustaining fibers of the crayfish eye that contain both post-synaptic potentials and the neuron's spike train. We separated the spike train from the post-synaptic potential using a wavelet-based technique known as denoising. We compared the information expressed in the post-synaptic potentials to that contained in the spike train. Information transfer efficacy was small (on the order of 10−3), but as large as could be given the sustaining fiber's low spike discharge rate. Thus, spike generation is as effective as could be expected.
The relationship between independent transfer skills and upper limb kinetics in wheelchair users.

Transfers are one of the most physically demanding wheelchair activities. The purpose of this study was to determine if using proper transfer skills as measured by the Transfer Assessment Instrument (TAI) is associated with reduced loading on the upper extremities. Twenty-three wheelchair users performed transfers to a level-height bench while a series of forces plates, load cells, and a motion capture system recorded the biomechanics of their natural transferring techniques. Their transfer skills were simultaneously evaluated by two study clinicians using the TAI. Logistic regression and multiple linear regression models were used to determine the relationships between TAI scores and the kinetic variables on both arms across all joints. The results showed that the TAI measured transfer skills were closely associated with the magnitude and timing of joint moments (P < .02, model R2 values ranged from 0.27 to 0.79). Proper completion of the skills which targeted the trailing arm was associated with lower average resultant moments and rates of rise of resultant moments at the trailing shoulder and/or elbow. Some skills involving the leading side had the effect of increasing the magnitude or rate loading on the leading side. Knowledge of the kinetic outcomes associated with each skill may help users to achieve the best load-relieving effects for their upper extremities.
An association between glutamine synthetase activity and adipocyte differentiation in cultured 3T3-L1 cells.

Abstract Confluent 3T3-L1 Swiss mouse fibroblasts acquired morphological and biochemical characteristics of adipocytes when maintained in medium containing 10% calf serum and added insulin. Identical cultures maintained in the absence of added insulin did not differentiate into adipocytes. Incubation of confluent cultures for 48 h with 0.25 μ m dexamethasone and 0.5 m m 1-methyl-3-isobutylxanthine yielded subsequent adipocyte differentiation when the culture medium contained 10% fetal calf serum. In contrast, differentiation did not occur when similarly treated cultures were maintained in medium containing 10% calf serum. The increase in glutamine synthetase which occurred during adipocyte differentiation was closely associated with an increased rate of triglyceride synthesis from acetate, with increased protein, and with increases in the activities of glycerol-3-P dehydrogenase and glucose-6-P dehydrogenase. Glutamine synthetase activity remained undetectable in insulin-treated confluent 3T3-C2 cells maintained under conditions which yielded high glutamine synthetase activity in 3T3-L1 cells. (3T3-C2 cells did not differentiate into adipocytes.) Glutamine accumulated in the culture medium of 3T3-L1 adipocytes, but it did not accumulate in the medium from identically treated 3T3-C2 cells. A half-maximal increase in glutamine synthetase specific activity occurred at a culture medium insulin concentration of 10 ng/ml. Neither adipocyte differentiation nor the rise in glutamine synthetase activity were substantially altered by maintaining confluent cultures in medium lacking added glutamine. Incubation of confluent 3T3-L1 cultures with 3 m ml -methionine sulfone, a reversible inhibitor of glutamine synthetase, increased by two-fold both the activity and the cellular content of glutamine synthetase. Incubation of confluent 3T3-L1 cultures with 4 m ml -glutamine and l -methionine- dl -sulfoximine, an irreversible inhibitor of glutamine synthetase activity, decreased glutamine synthetase activity to less than 5% of the activity in control cultures; however, neither cellular content of the enzyme nor synthesis rate of the enzyme were substantially altered. In the presence of added glutamine, neither methionine sulfone nor methionine sulfoximine had a significant effect on phenotypic adipocyte conversion. By contrast, when confluent cultures were incubated with methionine sulfoximine and no added glutamine, glutamine synthetase remained absent and there was no evidence of adipocyte conversion. Our data indicate (1) that added insulin is required for adipocyte differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells maintained in medium containing calf serum, (2) that glutamine synthetase activity increases during adipocyte conversion regardless of the culture conditions employed to achieve differentiation, and (3) that glutamine synthetase activity may be required for adipocyte differentiation when cultures are maintained in medium lacking added glutamine.
On neurofilament and neurotubule proteins from human autopsy tissue.

— Neurofilaments and neurotubules are the principal fibers of the mature normal neuron. In this study the protein subunits of these neurofibrils were isolated from human autopsy tissue, and compared by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and by two dimensional peptide maps of the tryptic digest of these proteins labelled with 125I. The α and the β monomers of neurotubule are related but distinct in their peptide maps, while the major neurofilament protein subunit (molecular weight, 50,000) is remarkably similar to β tubulin. The neurofilament fraction binds colchicine, but the specificity is not yet determined. Neurotubule and neurofilament are also similar in having minor proteins which coelectrophorese on the gels. These results suggest that neurofilament and neurotubule may share one or more protein subunits.
The Location of o- and m-Xylene in Silicalite by Powder X-ray Diffraction

The silicalite/o-xylene and silicalite/m-xylene complexes have been studied by room-temperature powder X-ray diffraction and flexible-lattice energy-minimization simulations. The locations and occupancies of the adsorbed xylene molecules are obtained by Rietveld refinement in the Pnma space group (silicalite/o-xylene, a = 19.9966(13) A, b = 19.9402(12) A, c = 13.3738(8) A; silicalite/m-xylene, a = 20.0509 (7) A, b = 19.9268(7) A, c = 13.3875(5) A; α = β = γ = 90°). The adsorption sites for o- and m-xylene are located near the channel intersections of silicalite, with the methyl groups oriented approximately into the straight and sinusoidal channels. At room temperature, o-xylene occupies all the channel intersection sites to achieve a loading of 4 molecules per unit cell, whereas m-xylene adsorbs to a loading of about 3 molecules per unit cell. There are two possible adsorption sites for the xylene molecules, which are related to each other by a mirror plane (perpendicular to the b axis). Unlike the case ...
Molecular responses differ between sensitive silver carp and tolerant bighead carp and bigmouth buffalo exposed to rotenone.

Some species of fish are more tolerant of rotenone, a commonly used non-specific piscicide, than others. This species-specific tolerance to rotenone has been thought to be associated with the uptake and the efficiency at which the chemical is detoxified. However, rotenone stimulates oxidative stress and superoxides, which are also toxic. Understanding the modes in which fish physiologically respond to rotenone is important in developing improved protocols for its application in controlling aquatic nuisance species. Using a molecular approach, we investigated the physiological and molecular mechanisms of rotenone resistance. Species-specific responses were observed when rotenone-sensitive silver, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, and both rotenone-resistant bighead carp, Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, and bigmouth buffalo, Ictiobus cyprinellus, were exposed to rotenone. Rotenone levels in plasma were highest 90 min after exposure in both silver carp and bigmouth buffalo, but bigmouth buffalo tolerated over twice the burden (ng mL−1 g−1) than silver carp. Expression of genes related with detoxification (cyp1a and gst) increased in silver carp, but either decreased or remained the same in bighead carp. Genes linked with oxidative stress in the cytosol (gpx, cat and sod1) and hsp70 increased only in silver carp after a 6-h exposure. Expression of genes associated with oxidative stress in the mitochondria (sod2 and ucp2) differed between silver carp and bighead carp. Expression of sod2 changed minimally in bighead carp, but expression of ucp2 linearly increased to nearly 85-fold of the level prior to exposure. Expression of sod2 and ucp2 did not change until 6 h in silver carp. Use of sod1 and sod2 to combat oxidative stress results in hydrogen peroxide production, while use of ucp2 produces nitric oxide, a chemical known to inhibit apoptosis. We conclude that the mechanism at which a fish handles oxidative stress plays an important role in the tolerance to rotenone.
Purification and some properties of a mammalian repair endonuclease

Abstract An endonuclease has been purified from rat liver to electrophoretic homogeneity on polyacrylamide gel. The elution pattern of the purified enzyme on the G75 Sephadex column suggests a molecular weight between 15000 and 20000. Sedimentation of substrate on neutral and alkaline sucrose gradients after incubation with the purified enzyme, or incubation of the 3 2P-labeled substrate with purified endonuclease and alkaline phosphatase demonstrated that the enzyme causes single strand nicks to appear in ultra violet- and acetylaminofluorene-bound double stranded DNA. The purified preparation is devoid of exonuclease and alkaline phosphatase activity and is without effect on denatured DNA. The nicked substrate becomes susceptible to an attack by bacterial DNA polymerase I as shown by a release of material absorbing at 260 nm, in the acid soluble fraction and an increased priming ability of the substrate for DNA polymerase I. The sequential attack of the substrate with the purified endonuclease, alkaline phosphatase and DNA polymerase I releases thymine dimers in the case of ultra violet irradiation and acetylaminofluorene base complexes in the case of acetylaminofluorene-bound DNA in the acid soluble.
Product term nonlinear lateral inhibition enhances visual selectivity for small objects or edges

Abstract Hartline-Ratliff recurrent linear lateral inhibition enhances contrast in a visual system but does not account for severely nonlinear small object selectivity often found in insect movement detector systems. It is shown here that product term recurrent nonlinear lateral inhibition, homologous to voltage sensitive conductance, can mediate the small object sensitivity.
Optical Roughness Measurements Of Industrial Surfaces

Optical Roughness Measurements of Industrial SurfacesDavid Gilsinn, Theodore Vorburger, Lin -xiang Cao,Charles Giauque, Fredric Scire, and E. Clayton TeagueCenter for Manufacturing EngineeringNational Bureau of StandardsGaithersburg, MD 20899AbstractThis paper reviews our efforts to develop the theory and instrumentation needed tomeasure surface roughness of manufactured surfaces by optical scattering methods. We areaddressing three key problems: developing a valid and sufficient optical scattering theoryfor this roughness range, applying appropriate mathematical inversion techniques so thatpractical roughness parameters can be calculated from scattering distributions, and finallyevaluating a compact commercial instrument for a wide variety of problems. Recent resultsfrom our group suggest that the simple phase screen approximation model of opticalscattering validly describes light scattering from machined metal surfaces with apredominant surface lay in the 0.01 um R to 3.0 pm R
Electromagnetic Induction Sensor Data to Identify Areas of Manure Accumulation on a Feedlot Surface

A study was initiated to test the validity of using electromagnetic induction (EMI) survey data, a prediction-based sampling strategy, and ordinary linear regression modeling to predict spatially variable feedlot surface manure accumulation. A 30- by 60-m feedlot pen with a central mound was selected for this study. A Dualem-1S EMI meter (Dualem Inc., Milton, ON, Canada) pulled on 2-m spacing was used to collect feedlot surface apparent electrical conductivity (EC a ) data. Meter data were combined with global positioning system coordinates at a rate of five readings per second. Two 20-site sampling approaches were used to determine the validity of using EMI data for prediction-based sampling. Soil samples were analyzed for volatile solids (VS), total N (TN), total P (TP), and Cl ― . A stratified random sampling (SRS) approach (n = 20) was used as an independent set to test models estimated from the prediction-based (n = 20) response surface sample design (RSSD). The RSSD sampling plan demonstrated better design optimality criteria than the SRS approach. Excellent correlations between the EMI data and the In(Cl ― ), TN, TP, and VS soil properties suggest that it can be used to map spatially variable manure accumulations. Each model was capable of explaining >90% of the constituent sample variations. Fitted models were used to estimate average manure accumulation and predict spatial variations. The corresponding prediction maps show a pronounced pen design effect on manure accumulation. This technique enables researchers to develop precision practices to mitigate environmental contamination from beef feedlots.
Cementum-Forming Cells Are Phenotypically Distinct from Bone-Forming Cells

Normal human cementum-derived cells (HCDCs), expanded in vitro, formed mineralized matrix when attached to a ceramic carrier and transplanted subcutaneously into immunodeficient mice. The mineralized matrix elaborated by transplanted HCDC exhibited several features identical to cementum in situ and was significantly different from bone deposited by similarly transplanted human bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs). No bone marrow formation and very few or no tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-positive cells (osteoclasts and osteoclastic precursors) were found in HCDC transplants. In contrast, in BMSC transplants both hematopoiesis and TRAP-positive cells were routinely observed. Furthermore, compared with BMSC-derived matrix, HCDC-derived matrix was less cellular, numerous empty lacunae were present, and fewer cells were found on the cementum matrix/ceramic carrier interface. The organization of collagen fibers in HCDC-derived matrix, as visualized by using the Picrosirus red staining method, was similar to cementum, with typical unorganized bundles of collagen fibers. In contrast, bone matrix elaborated by transplanted BMSC had lamellar structure, identical to mature bone in situ. Finally, cementocytes embedded in the cementum-like matrix were immunopositive for fibromodulin and lumican, whereas osteocytes within the bonelike matrix were negative. This pattern is consistent with the cementum and bone in situ, respectively. These results indicate that human cementum cells are phenotypically distinct from bone cells and provide further validation of the combined in vitro/in vivo model of human cementogenesis recently developed in our laboratory.
Prediction of loop geometries using a generalized born model of solvation effects.

We have carried out an extensive exploration of the possibility of predicting the structure of long loops in proteins, using an 8- and a 12-residue loop in ribonuclease A as models. The native X-ray structure is used as a template while allowing for template flexibility; this makes our work relevant to the problem of homology modeling in which the template is not precisely known. Energies are calculated with the AMBER* and AMBER94 molecular mechanics potentials and the generalized Born continuum solvation model; and conformational space is sampled by means of a combination of Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics methods. Our AMBER94 results demonstrate that we can successfully generate loops with low root-mean-square deviations from the native as well as excellent energetic rankings. Proteins 1999;35:173–183. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Application of finite-element analysis with optimisation to assess the in vivo non-linear myocardial material properties using echocardiographic imaging

An application of finite-element analysis with an optimisation technique to assess the myocardial material properties in diastasisin vivo is described. Using the data collected from an animal model, the three-dimensional geometry of the left ventricular chamber, at several times in diastole, was reconstructed. From the measurement of the ventricular chamber pressure during image acquisition, finite-element analysis was performed to predict the expansion during diastasis. Initially, by restricting the motion of the epicardial nodes and computing the reaction forces, an ‘equivalent pericardial pressure’ was determined and applied in subsequent analysis. The duration of diastasis was divided into three or four intervals and the analysis was performed at each interval to assess the material properties of the myocardium. Using such a step-wise linear approach, the non-linear material properties of the myocardium during passive expansion was determined. Our results demonstrated that the computed ‘equivalent pericardial pressure’ increased with and was smaller than the corresponding left ventricularchamber pressure. The passive myocardium exhibited a linear tangent modulus against chamber pressure relationship which is equivalent to an exponential stress/strain relationship, similar to those suggested byin vitro studies.
Hillock formation in lead films by grain boundary sliding

Abstract Lead films varying in thickness and grain size were deposited from the vapour onto substrates varying in their coefficient of thermal expansion. This way both the yield stress of the films and the thermal stress arising from temperature change could be varied. Hillock formation brought about by various numbers of thermal cycles between R.T. and 4.2 ? was observed in these films by SEM and the quantitative dependence of hillock volume on stress and grain size determined. These dependences together with detailed observations suggested that, under thermal stresses larger than the yield stress of the film, hillocks form by grain boundary sliding in the superplastic mode. A model is proposed in which the sliding rate is given as a product of slip band density and the rate of climb of absorbed slip dislocations in the grain boundary. Since both quantities depend linearly on stress—with the yield stress as the threshold stress—the experimentally observed second‐power dependence of sliding rate on stress...
Examining the role of mechanosensitive ion channels in pressure mechanotransduction in rat bladder urothelial cells.

Until recently, the bladder urothelium had been thought of only as a physical barrier between urine and underlying bladder tissue. Recent studies, however, have demonstrated that the urothelium is sensitive to mechanical stimuli and responds by releasing signaling molecules (NO, ATP). This study sought to investigate the role of select ion channels in urothelial cell (UC) pressure mechanotransduction. Using a custom-made pressure chamber, rat bladder UCs cultured on tissue culture plastic dishes were exposed to sustained hydrostatic pressure (5–20 cmH2O) for up to 30 min. When compared to the control, UCs exposed to 10 cmH2O (5 min), and 15 cmH2O (5 and 15 min), exhibited a significant (p < 0.05) increase in ATP release. In the absence of extracellular calcium, ATP release due to hydrostatic pressure was attenuated. Blocking the L-type voltage-gated channel with nifedipine during pressure exposure did not affect ATP release. However, blocking TRP channels, stretch-activated channels (SACs), and the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) with ruthenium red, gadolinium chloride, and amiloride, respectively, all abolished hydrostatic pressure-evoked ATP release. These results have provided evidence for the first time that cultured UCs are sensitive to hydrostatic pressure in the physiologically relevant range. The results of this study also provide evidence that one or multiple mechanosensitive ion channels play a role in the mechanotransduction of hydrostatic pressure, which supports the view that not only tissue stretch or tension, but also pressure is an important parameter for mechanosensing of bladder fullness.
The decomposition of thionitrites

The mechanism of thionitrite decomposition, both in vivo and in vitro, remains unclear. Thionitrite stability is highly variable; it is a complex function of thionitrite structure and environmental condition. Several recent advances clarify the role of unimolecular homlytic decomposition, metal-catalyzed reductive decomposition and higher-order enzymatic and non-enzymatic processes to the overall observed stability of thionitrites.
A reliable natural language interface to household appliances

As household appliances grow in complexity and sophistication, they become harder and harder to use, particularly because of their tiny display screens and limited keyboards. This paper describes a strategy for building natural language interfaces to appliances that circumvents these problems. Our approach leverages decades of research on planning and natural language interfaces to databases by reducing the appliance problem to the database problem; the reduction provably maintains desirable properties of the database interface. The paper goes on to describe the implementation and evaluation of the EXACT interface to appliances, which is based on this reduction. EXACT maps each English user request to an SQL query, which is transformed to create a PDDL goal, and uses the Blackbox planner [13] to map the planning problem to a sequence of appliance commands that satisfy the original request. Both theoretical arguments and experimental evaluation show that EXACT is highly reliable
Molecular-targeted therapy in malignant melanoma.

Malignant melanoma is a deadly disease in which standard treatment options have remained remarkably static over the past 30 years. Recent discoveries have expanded the understanding of the molecular processes critical to melanomagenesis. During this same time period, therapeutic agents have been developed that target these processes, leading to an explosion of preclinical research. Several agents that have shown promise in the preclinical setting have now entered clinical trials. To date, the success of these molecularly targeted approaches as single agents has been limited. Although more encouraging results have been seen when these agents have been used in combination with cytotoxic therapy, the specific contribution of the targeted agents to the observed anti-tumor effects remains to be established in randomized controlled Phase III trials. This article presents a review of the limitations of current therapy, a description of key pathogenic mechanisms for which inhibitors exist and a summary of therape...
Chromosomal evidence on the sporogony of Amblyospora californica (Microspora: Amblyosporidae) in Culex tarsalis (Diptera: Culicidae)

Amblyospora californica is a polymorphic, eukaryotic microsporidian. Three types of sporogony producing three types of spores occur in male larvae and female adults of its mosquito host, Culex tarsalis, and an alternate copepod host, Acanthocyclops vernalis. Development of A. californica in male larvae includes merogony and sporogony. Karyogamy and meiosis was observed in sporogony in male larvae but not in the female adult or in the copepod. Chromosomal evidence showed that sporogony included two consecutive meiotic divisions and a subsequent mitosis forming an octosporont, ultimately containing eight haploid, uninucleate mature spores. In this species, the haploid number of chromosomes is nine. Macrosporoblasts and macrospores, containing 1, 2 or more nuclei, can be seen in infected male larvae. The stage of sporogony in which cytokinesis was arrested seems to determine the number of nuclei. Those with only one nucleus, we believe are due to failed nuclear division at meiosis. Although A. californica displayed a process of karyogamy and meiosis similar to that of the species from Cx. salinarius, they may not be the same species because of the difference in their chromosome numbers.
Fecundity of the exotic applesnail, Pomacea insularum

International trade frequently moves mollusks around the globe, thereby increasing their opportunity to cause ecological and economic damage. Recent genetic studies have confirmed the identity of South American applesnails (Pomacea insularum) in the southeastern US, but limited literature exists on this species. Understanding fecundity provides direct insight into the invasive potential of mollusks. Our study documents P. insularum fecundity in Texas and offers comparisons with the closely related global invader P. canaliculata. We quantified P. insularum clutch and hatchling physical characteristics and examined field and laboratory hatching success. Clutches contained thousands of eggs (mean ¼ 2064 eggs), and clutch size tended to increase over the reproductive season. Clutches exhibited average field and laboratory hatching efficiencies (number of hatchlings/total number of eggs) near 70 and 30%, respectively. Notably, several clutches hatched at 80% or higher in the field. Exotic P. insularum deposit more eggs/clutch than the related invader P. canaliculata, but we do not yet know how seasonal hatching efficiencies compare. However, even with a conservative estimate of 1 to 10% survival to adulthood, the average P. insularum clutch yields 14 to 144 new applesnails. The high fecundity of P. insularum translates into considerable ecological impact because adult females can contribute .1 clutch/wk over an extended growing season in the southeastern US. The need for research has increased with the emergence of P. insularum populations in the fragile Florida Everglades. We advocate life-history studies like ours to help understand the invasion potential of applesnails and other invasive mollusks.
Design and evaluation of a roadway controller for freeway traffic

In this paper, a roadway controller that optimally coordinates speed limits and ramp metering to improve freeway traffic efficiency is designed using the model predictive control (MPC) methodology. The performance of the roadway controller is evaluated using a microscopic model, which is constructed and validated with field data from the Berkeley Highway Laboratory (BHL). Our simulation results demonstrate that the proposed controller reduces traffic congestion and the total time spent (TTS) in the network by up to 12%.
Separations of ragweed pollen allergens by electrophoresis in starch

Abstract Zone electrophoresis in starch of a water extract of low ragweed pollen resulted in 7 Folin reacting and 8 ninhydrin reacting electrophoretic peaks. Direet skin testing of ragweed-sensitive individuals by electrophoretically separated fractions demonstrated the presence of at least 3 allergens in the whole extract. The large Folin peak was strongly reactive in every patient tested. Not every patient, however, was highly reactive to the other 2 active fractions, suggesting that sensitivity to each fraction is independent of sensitivity to the others.