cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The determination of government expenditure for short-term forecasting and policy simulation models

Abstract This paper analyzes the way short-term forecasting and policy simulation models currently treat government expenditure and the extent to which available research is indicative of future developments for this sector. Emphasis is placed on the problems of, and the necessity for, developing endogenous equations for the various transfers and goods and services expenditures. Consideration is also given to the adaption of budget estimates to form endogenous or exogenous variables for the models, the distinctive problems of including state and local government sectors, and the interaction of the different parts of government expenditure with the rest of the model.
Detection of neonates with mild congenital hypothyroidism (primary) or isolated hyperthyrotropinemia: an increasingly common management dilemma

Anywhere from 10% to 40% of neonates detected by newborn screening programs have mild congenital hypothyroidism (thyroid-stimulating hormone [TSH] 6 to 20 mU/l with borderline low free T4) or isolated hyperthyrotropinemia. The increasing frequency of such cases appears to be chiefly the result of lowering screening TSH cutoffs. In some cases, the etiology is a mild form of dysgenesis or dyshormonogenesis; most cases, however, on imaging have gland in situ of unexplained etiology. Re-evaluation after age 3 years shows some with transient hypothyroidism, a minority with permanent hypothyroidism, while the majority have persistent, mild TSH elevation and normal free T4. There is limited data on neurodevelopmental outcome to guide management. In cases where the TSH is trending down and free T4 is normal, we recommend re-checking serum TSH and free T4 at weekly intervals. If serum TSH does not normalize by 4 weeks of age, we recommend treatment, with re-evaluation after age 2-3 years.
Premenopausal osteoporosis, an overlooked consequence of anorexia nervosa

Many young women with anorexia nervosa develop premenopausal osteoporosis. In particular, female athletes have a much higher incidence of disordered eating than their peers and therefore are at a much higher risk of stress fractures and other traumatic bone pathology. This review summarizes factors affecting the development of premenopausal osteoporosis in these patients and identifies potential targets for intervention.
Steady transfer of a monolayer between two Langmuir troughs via the Marangoni effect

Abstract We have studied the transfer of a surfactant covered film between two Langmuir troughs over a bridge-shaped glass slide when the surfactant concentrations in the two troughs were maintained at different values. We applied the Landau-Levich theory to this problem, assuming the Deryagin-Landau disjoining pressure for water films on glass. The theoretical relationship between the rate of transfer and the surface pressure differential in the two troughs is in good agreement with the experiment.
In vitro studies on chondrogenesis; the uptake of radioactive sulfate during cartilage induction.

Abstract 1. 1. The induction of chick vertebral cartilage by spinal cord and notochord was studied in tissue culture with the use of radioactive sulfate. The incorporation of radioactive sulfate into the induced cartilage was used to detect the formation of sulfated polysaccharides. 2. 2. Chondroitin sulfate(s) were extractable from the cultures only when a distinguishable cartilage matrix was present. It was confirmed that in the absence of an inducing agent (spinal cord or notochord), somites formed neither cartilage nor any characteristic macromolecular constituents of cartilage (collagen and chondroitin sulfates). 3. 3. Chondroitin sulfate(s) were the only acid polysaccharides present in the induced cartilage. Keratosulfate, in addition to chondroitin sulfate, is detected in older chick vertebral cartilage. The presence of chondroitin sulfate was detected independently by analysis for uronic acid.
Bone marrow microenvironment and the identification of new targets for myeloma therapy.

The development of multiple myeloma (MM) is a complex multi-step process involving both early and late genetic changes in the tumor cell as well as selective supportive conditions by the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment. Indeed, it is now well established that MM cell-induced disruption of the BM homeostasis between the highly organized cellular and extracellular compartments supports MM cell proliferation, survival, migration and drug resistance through activation of various signaling (for example, PI3K/Akt, JAK/Stat-, Raf/MEK/MAPK-, NFκB- and Wnt-) pathways. Based on our enhanced understanding of the functional importance of the MM BM microenvironment and its inter-relation with the MM cell resulting in homing, seeding, proliferation and survival, new molecular targets have been identified and derived treatment regimens in MM have already changed fundamentally during recent years. These agents include thalidomide, its immunomodulatory derivative lenalidomide and the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib, which mediate tumor cytotoxicity in the BM milieu. Ongoing studies are further delineating MM pathogenesis in the BM to enhance cytotoxicity, avoid drug resistance and improve patient outcome.
Experimental validation of advanced explosive/metal interactions

The extremely high power density stored in explosives drives their selection of use in military, mining, demolition, cladding, shock consolidation of powders, shock-induced chemical synthesis and magnetic flux compression processes. The use of distributed initiation locations has emerged as a primary method to customize the detonation front and create desirable output. Explosive/metal systems with multiple, distributed initiation locations create detonation states that do not follow the simple line of sight, or Huygens model and, hence, advanced detonation physics with associated theory are required. The theory of detonation shock dynamics (DSD) is one such description used to provide high fidelity modeling of complex wave structures. A collection of experiments using simultaneous ultra-high speed digital framing and streak film cameras is presented as a means of obtaining spatial and temporal characteristics of complex detonation fronts that validate the DSD descriptions. The method of test, operational conditions and results are given to demonstrate the use of high rate imaging of detonation events and how this validates our understanding of the physics and the capability of advanced detonation wave tracking models.
Small-Scale Airfoil Aerodynamic Efficiency Improvement by Surface Temperature and Heat Transfer

The improvement of aerodynamic efficiency of small-scale airfoils using surface temperature and heat transfer is investigated using numerical simulations, asymptotic analysis, and experimental work. The basic idea is to take a direct advantage of heat transfer that dominates microscale systems to enhance lift, reduce drag, and increase the envelope of operation of airfoils. This is achieved by cooling the upper surface and heating the lower surface of the airfoil. The numerical simulations show that, although varying surface temperature does not produce significant impact at the full-scale (Reynolds numbers > 10 6 ), because the thickness of the thermal boundary layer is very small compared to the airfoil chord, its effect is very pronounced at the microscale, where the thermal and velocity boundary layers are larger. The asymptotic theory demonstrates that most of the effect actually comes from the heat transfer in the much smaller nose region of the small-scale airfoil. The experimental apparatus consists of a microrotor system that uses the Peltier effect to produce different temperatures on the surfaces of the blades
Simulation and analysis of cyclic queues

Cyclic queue models have been used in the past to determine fleet size and evaluate fleet performance. Analytic solutions can only be obtained for exponential service times or exponential service times plus a generalized transition time. We have carried out several hundred simulations of cyclic queues with non-exponential service times and have developed a technique for estimating the effect of non-exponential distributions using the analytic results as a basis. Most of the work presented here deals with single-lobe systems. We also present some results for multi-lobed cyclic queues which introduce new problems of analysis and evaluation.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SECONDARY ORBITAL INTERACTIONS IN THE STABILIZATION OF ISOMERIC TRANSITION STATE STRUCTURES IN THE CYCLOPROPENE ADDITION TO FURAN

Abstract Density Functional Theory (DFT) computational studies were performed on two isomeric transition state structures for the cyclopropene cycloaddition to furan in order to determine the importance of secondary orbital interactions(SOI) on the stability of transition state structures.
Signal processing methods to improve high resolution ECG signal averaging

Coherent signal averaging as a method to enhance signal to noise ratio (SNR) relies on the determination of a fiducial point for temporal alignment of signals. Various alignment methods have been proposed but they produce alignment errors when the signal is corrupted with noise, resulting in a low-pass filtering effect on the averaged signal. In high resolution ECG, alignment errors can affect late potential detection. In this paper, a method is presented to reduce the alignment error using cross correlation and pre-processing of the ECG. Simulations using real ECG signals and additive gaussian noise indicate a 30% to 50% reduction on the alignment error standard deviation when compared to previous studies.
The magnitude of the energy imbalance in obesity is generally underestimated

As the efforts to defeat the obesity epidemic amplify around the world, it is important to understand the true magnitude of the energy imbalance associated with excess weight. The energy imbalance in a weight gain situation is the difference between the number of calories ingested and the total caloric expenditure on the same day. In this regard, it would be useful to quantify the size of the energy imbalance in a number of states such as in early and late weight gain. However, there is another dimension to the topic that has begun to receive some attention, and it is an issue of the utmost importance. It has to do with the so-called ‘energy gap.’ The energy gap is defined as the difference in the amount of calories consumed or expended between normal weight individuals and persons at various levels of excess weight but when weight stability is present.
Accuracy vs Efficiency Trade-offs in Optical Flow Algorithms

There have been two thrusts in the development of optical flow algorithms. One has emphasized higher accuracy; the other faster implementation. These two thrusts, however, have been independently pursued, without addressing the accuracy vs efficiency trade-offs. Although the accuracy?efficiency characteristic is algorithm dependent, an understanding of a general pattern is crucial in evaluating an algorithm as far as real-world tasks are concerned, which often pose various performance requirements. This paper addresses many implementation issues that have often been neglected in previous research, including temporal filtering of the output stream, algorithms' flexibility, and robustness to noise, subsampling, etc. Their impacts on accuracy and/or efficiency are emphasized. We present a survey of different approaches toward the goal of higher performance and present experimental studies on accuracy vs efficiency trade-offs. A detailed analysis of how this trade-off affects algorithm design is manifested in a case study involving two state-of-the-art optical flow algorithms: a gradient and a correlation-based method. The goal of this paper is to bridge the gap between the accuracy- and the efficiency-oriented approaches.
Ensemble multivariate analysis to improve identification of articular cartilage disease in noisy Raman spectra

The development of new methods for the early diagnosis of cartilage disease could offer significant improvement in patient care. Raman spectroscopy is an emerging biomedical technology with unique potential to recognize disease tissues, though difficulty in obtaining the samples needed to train a diagnostic and excessive signal noise could slow its development into a clinical tool. In the current report we detail the use of principal component analysis--linear discriminant analysis (PCA-LDA) on spectra from pairs of materials modeling cartilage disease to create multiple spectral scoring metrics, which could limit the reliance on primary training data for identifying disease in low signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) Raman spectra. Our proof-of-concept experiments show that combinations of these model-metrics has the potential to improve the classification of low-SNR Raman spectra from human normal and osteoarthritic (OA) cartilage over a single metric trained with spectra from the same healthy and OA tissues. Scatter plot showing the PCA-LDA derived human-disease-metric scores versus rat-model-metric scores for 7656 low signal-to-noise spectra from healthy (blue) and osteoarthritic (red) cartilage. Light vertical and horizontal lines represent the optimized single metric classification boundary. Dark diagonal line represents the classification of boundary resulting from the optimized combination of the two metrics.
A specific progesterone receptor of myometrial cytosol from the rhesus monkey.

Abstract A specific progesterone receptor of rhesus monkey myometrial cytosol is described. Characterization of the receptor by sucrose density gradient centrifugation showed two peaks at 4 s and 7.5 s . The 4 s peak seen in all groups (castrate; castrate + estrogen treated; castrate + estrogen and progesterone treated) contained little specific progesterone binding but the 7.5 s peak, seen only in the estrogen treated animal, was specific for progesterone. Competition studies showed the receptor affinities to be P > 5αP > melengestrol acetate norgestrel > DOC. There was little competition from corticosteroids and 5βP, 17αOHP. Receptor levels, measured from Scatchard plot analysis of equilibrium data, were 7.0 ± 4.2 fmol/mg cytosol protein (castrate), 45.2 ± 3.7 (E-treated), 10.5 ± 5.3 (E + P treated)s. The K A was similar in all three groups and was approximately 5 × 10 −9 M.
Limb salvage and wound coverage in patients with large ischemic ulcers: A multidisciplinary approach with revascularization and free tissue transfer

Abstract Purpose: Large ischemic wounds, particularly with exposed bone or tendons, may not heal even after successful revascularization. We have taken an aggressive approach for limb salvage that uses autogenous vein grafting and simultaneous microvascular free tissue transfer. Methods: In the past year, seven patients (average age 67 years; range 56 to 79) with ischemic disease and distal ulceration underwent revascularization for limb salvage and free tissue transfer. Each had a nonhealing wound (average size 80 cm 2 ), present for 8.6 months (range 2 to 24 months). Simultaneous vein bypass and free tissue transfer was performed in four (57%) of the seven patients. Results: All flaps were initially viable; however, one was lost on day 4 because of hypotension and congestive heart failure. One patient with a successful flap died at 1 month of pneumonia. Minor wound complications were seen in four (57%) of seven patients. Five of the seven patients had the wounds heal completely and are ambulatory at an average follow up of 10 months. Conclusions: Our aggressive approach was successful in preserving limb length and function in 71% of our patients. We perform simultaneous procedures whenever possible to minimize operative and hospitalization times. We believe that this combined approach optimizes the treatment of ischemic limbs with large ulcers. (J VASC SURG 1993;18:648-55.)
Mixed ligand chelates of copper(II)

Abstract Potentiometric studies of the interaction between Cu(II) and various bidentate chelating agents are described. Chelation reaction steps are given for those single ligand chelates of Cu(II) formed in solution in a 1:1 and a 1:2 molar ratio of Cu(II) with the respective ligands, and for those mixed ligand chelates of Cu(II) formed in solution in a 1:1:1 molar ratio of Cu(II) to one of a series of diprotonated diamine primary ligands, and one of a series of secondary acidic ligands. Formation constants for the corresponding single ligand chelates and mixed ligand chelates of Cu(II) were calculated. The series of primary ligands employed was 1,10-phenanthroline, N-hydroxyethylethylenediamine, N, N, N′, N′-tetramethylethylenediamine, and 2,2′-dipyridyl; the series of secondary ligands employed was 1,2-dihydroxybenzene-3,5-disulfonic acid, 1,8-dihydroxy-3,6-naphthalenedisulfonic acid, pyrocatechol, 8-hydroxy-5-quinolinesulfonic acid, salicylic acid, 5-sulfosalicylic acid, and oxalic acid.
Daily Fluctuations in Campground Use: An Econometric Analysis

Many recreation activities are characterized by fluctuating use levels over time. This paper presents a theoretical and quantitative analysis of fluctuations in campground use series. Theoretical use functions are specified as the reduced form of a demand and supply system, where the derived demand for campground use is based upon the household production approach to consumer demand theory. A pooled time-series cross-section econometric use model is specified, and its estimated parameters are presented. In addition, campground use series are modeled incorporating Box-Jenkins time-series analysis techniques. Econometric predictions are more accurate relative to autoregressive-integrated-moving-average (ARIMA) predictions.
Raman spectroscopic studies of dimyristoylphosphatidic acid and its interactions with ferricytochrome c in cationic binary and ternary lipid-protein complexes.

The vibrational Raman spectra of both pure 1-alpha-dimyristoylphosphatidic acid (DMPA) liposomes and DMPA multilayers reconstituted with ferricytochrome c at pH 7 and pH 4, with either sodium or calcium as the cation, are reported as a function of temperature. Multilayers composed of a 1:1 mol ratio DMPA and dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine with perdeuterated acyl chains (DMPC-d54) have also been reconstituted with approximately 10(-4) M ferricytochrome c for Raman spectroscopic observation. Total integrated band intensities and relative peak height intensity ratios, two spectral Raman scattering parameters used to characterize bilayer properties, are sensitive to the presence of both ferricytochrome c and the cation in the reconstituted liposomes. Temperature profiles, derived from the various Raman intensity parameters for the 3,100–2,800 cm-1 lipid acyl chain C-H stretching mode region specifically reflect bilayer perturbations due to the interactions of ferricytochrome c. At pH 4 the calcium DMPA multilamellar gel to liquid crystalline phase transition temperatures Tm, defined by either the C-H stretching mode I2850/I2880 and I2935/I2880 peak height intensity ratios, are 58.5 +/- 0.5 degrees C and 60.0 +/- 0.3 degrees C, respectively. This difference in Tm's resolves the phase transition process into first an expansion of the lipid lattice and then a melting of the lipid acyl chains. At pH 7 the calcium DMPA liposomes show no distinct phase transition characteristics below 75 degrees C. For sodium DMPA liposomes reconstituted with ferricytochrome c at either pH 4.0 or pH 7.0, spontaneous Raman spectra show altered lipid structures at temperatures above 40 degrees C. Resonance Raman spectra indicate that ferricytochrome c reconstituted in either calcium or sodium DMPA liposomes changes irreversibly above Tm. For either the binary lipid or ternary lipid-protein systems reconstituted with DMPC-d54, linewidth parameters of the DMPC-d54 acyl chain CD2 symmetric stretching modes at 2,103 cm-1 provide a sensitive measure of the conformational and dynamic properties of the perdeuterated lipid component, while the 3,000 cm-1 C-H spectral region reflects the bilayer characteristics of the DMPA species in the complex. Although calcium clearly induces a lateral phase separation in the DMPA/DMPC-d54 system at pH 7.5 (Kouaouci, R., J.R. Silvius, I. Grah, and M. Pezolet. 1985. Biochemistry. 24:7132–7140), no distinct lateral segregation of the lipid components is observed in the mixed DMPA/DMPC-d54 lipid system in the presence of either ferricytochrome c or the sodium and calcium cations at pH 4.0.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Mantle compression affects seismic wave propagation

To try to understand the direction of motion of the Earth's mantle, which lies hidden beneath tens of kilometers of crust, researchers have relied on the property of seismic anisotropy. When seismic shear waves pass through some types of materials, known as anisotropic materials, the speed of the wave can vary depending on the direction in which it is moving. Traditionally, scientists have assumed that the direction in which waves move more quickly aligns with the direction of mantle motion. For subduction zones, however, this general rule seemed to break down—a discrepancy exists between numerical model simulations and observed seismic data.
Random acts of kindness: The intelligent and context-aware future of reciprocal altruism and community collaboration

In today's world of increasing scarcity of resources and economic stagnation, we still see rapid developments in computer science and user experience towards increasingly mobile, intelligent and context-aware computing systems. These innovations represent a new frontier for transformative innovation on a societal level. They hold the promise of breakthroughs in how people can collaborate through dynamically coordinated, efficient and reciprocal service transactions to improve the quality of life for all. I fix your car, you do a neighbor's taxes, she designs my new kitchen, and so on. Existing organizations, which are already pursuing the goal of leveraging untapped community potential, do exist. These are known as as timebanks and community exchanges and have been around and increasing in number for quite some time, but they have grown only slowly in relation to the need for their services. This is partly due to a lack of adequate resources devoted towards setting up and running them and also to constraints in the design of the systems that they rely on to coordinate the transactions between community participants. This paper highlights the possibilities for today's researchers and innovators to turbocharge community collaboration by developing the required technologies. It is based on past research and our own ongoing research conducted towards building a mobile app for timebanking. The guiding vision is to develop more intelligent and context-aware systems to support on-the-fly service brokering that will greatly increase the scope and efficiency of acts of reciprocal altruism.
Perspectives on confidential care for adolescent girls.

PURPOSE We wanted to obtain perspectives of mothers and daughters on facilitators of and barriers to with adolescent girls’ timely access to risk-appropriate reproductive care. METHODS We conducted 5 separate focus groups with Latina and black mothers and their adolescent daughters. All participants resided in impoverished neighborhoods of New York City. Participants addressed mothers’ roles in helping girls initiate gynecologic care, perceived role of physicians in daughters’ sexual health, including the provision of confidential care, and perceived need for girls’ gynecologic care. Data were analyzed using qualitative data analysis methods. RESULTS Mothers see themselves as their daughters’ primary protectors against daughters’ poor reproductive outcomes. Many believe that confidential care promotes risky behavior and undermines mothers’ efforts to protect girls. Mothers endorse facilitating gynecologic care and entering alliances with physicians but see the need for care as arising only after girls’ sexual debut. Unfortunately, maternal awareness of sexual activity is low. Adolescent girls express considerable discomfort around reproductive health care and negotiating maternal involvement, and they fear breaches in confidentiality. CONCLUSIONS A lack of trust in health care clinicians and the mother’s gatekeeper role are key barriers to girls’ transition to reproductive care. Consistently including a confidential component to health care visits in early adolescence, with preparation for both mothers and daughters, may reduce the distrust and discomfort.
Transmission of step functions by loop antennas

The characteristics of pulses received by an antenna when it is placed in the field of another antenna excited with step functions are studied. The transmitting and receiving antennas are rectangular loops loaded at their midpoint with a resistance to avoid ringing. The received pulses computed on the basis of an elementary radiation integral compare well with measurements.
Simulation study of a novel self-powered active suspension system for automobiles

It has been shown in literature that a semi-active automotive suspension system can provide significant benefits compared to a passive suspension but cannot quite match the performance of a fully active suspension. However the advantage of a semi active suspension is that it consumes negligible energy and utilizes a variable damper whose damping coefficient is changed in real time, while a fully active suspension consumes significant power for its operation. This paper explores a new zero energy active suspension system that combines the advantages of the active and semi-active systems. Unlike a semi-active system in which the energy is always dissipated using a variable damper, the proposed system harvests and recycles energy to achieve active operation. It is found that the system performs as well as the active system with energy to spare for higher frequencies, while at low frequencies (below 0.8 Hz) there is inadequate energy for fully active operation.
Prevalence of anticardiolipin antibody in isolated mitral or aortic regurgitation, or both, and possible relation to cerebral ischemic events.

Abstract Anticardiolipin antibodies (acLa) are associated with a thrombotic tendency (often involving cerebral ischemic events), are frequently present with systemic lupus erythematosus and have been found together with cardiac valve abnormalities. Previous studies evaluated patients characterized by the presence of acLa or lupus, precluding assessment of the frequency of acLa in those with valvular disease. This study aims to establish the prevalence of acLa in patients with valve disease in the absence of lupus and, furthermore, to determine the influence of acLa on the risk of cerebral events in valve disease. Eighty-seven consecutive patients with mitral or aortic regurgitation, or both, prospectively underwent enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay testing for immunoglobulin G (IgG) and M acLa, as did 24 normal subjects. AcLa values ≥3 SD above the normal mean were considered “positive.” Prior cerebral events were defined retrospectively. Of 87 patients with valvular disease, 26 had positive IgG acLa levels compared with 0 of 24 normal subjects (p
Etherfuse: an ethernet watchdog

Ethernet is pervasive. This is due in part to its ease of use. Equipment can be added to an Ethernet network with little or no manual configuration. Furthermore, Ethernet is self-healing in the event of equipment failure or removal. However, there are scenarios where a local event can lead to network-wide packet loss and duplication due to slow or faulty reconfiguration of the spanning tree. Moreover, in some cases the packet loss and duplication may persist indefinitely.To address these problems, we introduce the EtherFuse, a new device that can be inserted into an existing Ethernet to speed the reconfiguration of the spanning tree and suppress packet duplication. EtherFuse is backward compatible and requires no change to the existing hardware, software, or protocols. We describe a prototype EtherFuse implementation and experimentally demonstrate its effectiveness. Specifically, we characterize how quickly it responds to network failures, its ability to reduce packet loss and duplication, and its benefits on the end-to-end performance of common applications.
Evaluating Echelon Stock R, nQ Policies in Serial Production/Inventory Systems with Stochastic Demand

This paper studies echelon stock R, nQ policies in serial production/inventory systems with stochastic demand. We provide a recursive procedure to compute the steady state echelon inventory levels of the systems, which can be used to evaluate the long-run average holding and backorder costs as well as other performance measures. The procedure is based upon an observation of a relationship between the inventory status of adjacent stages in a serial system. We also device exact formulas for replenishment frequencies and setup costs. Our results apply to both continuous-review systems with compound Poisson demand and periodic-review systems with independent, identically distributed demands. A preliminary numerical study was conducted to explore the cost effectiveness of echelon stock R, nQ policies. For two-stage systems with simple Poisson demand, we compared among the minimum costs of echelon stock R, nQ policies, a lower bound on the minimum achievable costs, and the minimum costs of installation stock R, nQ policies. Finally, we present a modification of an existing approximate evaluation procedure.
The in Vivo Characterization of Translesion Synthesis Across UV-Induced Lesions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Insights Into Polζ- and Polη-Dependent Frameshift Mutagenesis

UV irradiation, a known carcinogen, induces the formation of dipyrimidine dimers with the predominant lesions being cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) and pyrimidine (6-4) pyrimidone adducts (6-4PPs). The relative roles of the yeast translesion synthesis DNA polymerases Polζ and Polη in UV survival and mutagenesis were examined using strains deficient in one or both polymerases. In addition, photoreactivation was used to specifically remove CPDs, thus allowing an estimate to be made of the relative contributions of CPDs vs. 6-4PPs to overall survival and mutagenesis. In terms of UV-induced mutagenesis, we focused on the +1 frameshift mutations detected by reversion of the lys2ΔA746 allele, as Polζ produces a distinct mutational signature in this assay. Results suggest that CPDs are responsible for most of the UV-associated toxicity as well as for the majority of UV-induced frameshift mutations in yeast. Although the presence of Polη generally suppresses UV-induced mutagenesis, our data suggest a role for this polymerase in generating some classes of +1 frameshifts. Finally, the examination of frameshift reversion spectra indicates a hierarchy between Polη and Polζ with respect to the bypass of UV-induced lesions.
Spectral (Finite) Volume Method for Conservation Laws on Unstructured Grids

The framework for constructing a high-order, conservative spectral (finite) volume (SV) method is presented for two-dimensional scalar hyperbolic conservation laws on unstructured triangular grids. Each triangular grid cell forms a spectral volume (SV), and the SV is further subdivided into polygonal control volumes (CVs) to supported high-order data reconstructions. Cell-averaged solutions from these CVs are used to reconstruct a high-order polynomial approximation in the SV. Each CV is then updated independently with a Godunov-type finite volume method and a high-order Runge?Kutta time integration scheme. A universal reconstruction is obtained by partitioning all SVs in a geometrically similar manner. The convergence of the SV method is shown to depend on how a SV is partitioned. A criterion based on the Lebesgue constant has been developed and used successfully to determine the quality of various partitions. Symmetric, stable, and convergent linear, quadratic, and cubic SVs have been obtained, and many different types of partitions have been evaluated. The SV method is tested for both linear and nonlinear model problems with and without discontinuities.
Annual ovarian cycle and other reproductive traits of female Red River Pupfish (Cyprinodon rubrofluviatilis) in the Red River drainage of Texas

Abstract We examine variation in ovarian traits over a 24-month period in Cyprinodon rubrofluviatilis, an inhabitant of highly variable stream environments in the southern Great Plains of western Texas and Oklahoma. The smallest females bearing clutches are ca. 20 mm in standard length. Ovarian traits indicate that maximum reproduction occurred from March into July, but some degree of reproduction was potentially possible throughout the year. Most ovaries had atretic oocytes as early as September when the gonadosomatic index and the percentage of females with clutches were declining, but a small proportion had mature eggs in all fall and winter months (0–2%, average 0.8%, October–January, across all years) except, possibly due to sampling error, in October. Detailed analysis of females from April and July indicate greater reproduction in 2002 than in 2003 and greater in spring than in mid-summer. There was marginal evidence from estimates of dry weight of oocytes that females invest more energy in individ...
Spectral archives: extending spectral libraries to analyze both identified and unidentified spectra

Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) experiments yield multiple, nearly identical spectra of the same peptide in various laboratories, but proteomics researchers typically do not leverage the unidentified spectra produced in other labs to decode spectra they generate. We propose a spectral archives approach that clusters MS/MS datasets, representing similar spectra by a single consensus spectrum. Spectral archives extend spectral libraries by analyzing both identified and unidentified spectra in the same way and maintaining information about peptide spectra that are common across species and conditions. Thus archives offer both traditional library spectrum similarity-based search capabilities along with new ways to analyze the data. By developing a clustering tool, MS-Cluster, we generated a spectral archive from ∼1.18 billion spectra that greatly exceeds the size of existing spectral repositories. We advocate that publicly available data should be organized into spectral archives rather than be analyzed as disparate datasets, as is mostly the case today.
Automatic synthesis and verification of hazard-free control circuits from asynchronous finite state machine specifications

The author describes algorithms and techniques underlying a CAD system for automatic synthesis and verification of control circuits based on asynchronous finite state machine (AFSM) specifications. AFSM specifications are transformed into signal transition graphs, and then into state graphs. Techniques for hazard-free synthesis techniques from state graphs are described. An efficient two-level hierarchical technique based on state graph contraction and D. Dill's verifier (ACM Distinguished Dissertation Series) is used to verify the logic implementations against the state graph. A CAD prototype called CLASS, (Cirrus Logic Asynchronous Synthesis System) has been used to successfully synthesize and verify the HP Labs benchmark and various other real applications. >
Existence of contractive projections on preduals of JBW *-triples

In 1965, Ron Douglas proved that if X is a closed subspace of an L 1 -space and X is isometric to another L 1 -space, then X is the range of a contractive projection on the containing L 1 -space. In 1977 Arazy–Friedman showed that if a subspace X of C1 is isometric to another C1-space (possibly finite dimensional), then there is a contractive projection of C1 onto X. In 1993 Kirchberg proved that if a subspace X of the predual of a von Neumann algebra M is isometric to the predual of another von Neumann algebra, then there is a contractive projection of the predual of M onto X. We widen significantly the scope of these results by showing that if a subspace X of the predual of a JBW∗-triple A is isometric to the predual of another JBW ∗ -triple B, then there is a contractive projection on the predual of A with range X ,a s long asB does not have a direct summand which is isometric to a space of the form L ∞ (Ω,H), where H is a Hilbert space of dimension at least two. The result is false without this restriction on B.
Gun Shows and Gun Violence: Fatally Flawed Study Yields Misleading Results

A widely publicized but unpublished study of the relationship between gun shows and gun violence is being cited in debates about the regulation of gun shows and gun commerce. We believe the study is fatally flawed. A working paper entitled "The Effect of Gun Shows on Gun-Related Deaths: Evidence from California and Texas" outlined this study, which found no association between gun shows and gun-related deaths. We believe the study reflects a limited understanding of gun shows and gun markets and is not statistically powered to detect even an implausibly large effect of gun shows on gun violence. In addition, the research contains serious ascertainment and classification errors, produces results that are sensitive to minor specification changes in key variables and in some cases have no face validity, and is contradicted by 1 of its own authors' prior research. The study should not be used as evidence in formulating gun policy.
Effect of Methoxychlor and Estradiol on Cytochrome P450 Enzymes in the Mouse Ovarian Surface Epithelium

Although the ovarian surface epithelium (OSE) is responsive to hormones and endocrine-disrupting chemicals, little information is available on the metabolizing capabilities of the OSE. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that the OSE is capable of expressing genes regulating phase I metabolism of estrogen and the estrogenic endocrine disruptor methoxychlor (MXC). To test this hypothesis, we isolated mouse OSE cells and cultured them with vehicle (dimethylsulfoxide; DMSO), 3 microM MXC, or 0.1 microM 17beta-estradiol (E2) +/- the anti-estrogen ICI 182,780 (1 microM) for 14 days. After culture, the cells were subjected to quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction for cytochrome P450s (CYPs) 1A1, 1B1, 2C29, and 1A2, and estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha). Our results indicate that E2 and MXC did not alter the expression of CYP1A1 or CYP1A2. In contrast, E2 significantly increased expression of CYP1B1 compared to controls (DMSO = 0.93 +/- 0.1, E2 = 3.12 +/- 0.64 genomic equivalents (GE), n = 4, p < or = 0.01). The E2-induced increase in CYP1B1 was abolished by co-treatment with ICI 182,780 (0.41 +/- 0.17 GE). MXC treatment did not affect CYP1B1 expression. Both MXC and E2 increased expression of CYP2C29 (DMSO = 0.02 +/- 0.003; MXC = 0.04 +/- 0.008; E2 = 0.46 +/- 0.03 GE, n = 4, p < or = 0.05). MXC- and E2-induced elevations in CYP2C29 were abolished by co-treatment with ICI 182,780 (0.02 +/- 0.005; 0.02 +/- 0.07 GE). In addition, E2 increased ERalpha expression 15-fold compared to controls (DMSO = 1.10 +/- 0.09, E2 = 15.0 +/- 3.60 GE, n = 3, p < or = 0.05), and ICI 182,780 abolished the E2-induced increase in ERalpha expression (1.85 +/- 1.09 GE). MXC treatment did not affect ERalpha expression. These data indicate that the OSE expresses enzymes known to metabolize native and xenoestrogens and that MXC and E2 modulate expression of some of them through ER-linked mechanisms.
Implant Defined Anti-Guided Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser Arrays

Anti-guided vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) arrays can be designed to consistently operate in-phase, i.e., with a narrow, on-axis peak in the far field. However, the fabrication of such arrays typically requires anisotropic etching and epitaxial regrowth steps. We have found that anti-guiding behavior can be realized in implant-defined VCSEL arrays. The primary advantage is that the laser arrays can be designed to operate in-phase without requiring any fabrication steps more complicated than those used for conventional implant VCSELs. We present our array structure, a theoretical treatment of the anti-guiding confinement, and experimental results showing the behavior characteristic of anti-guided arrays.
Somatostatin and a long-acting analogue, octreotide acetate. Relevance to dermatology.

Somatostatin, release inhibitor hormone or factor, was first isolated from hypothalamic extracts by Guillemin and Gerich 1 in 1972. As is illustrated in Altman and associates' work, 2 published in this issue of theArchives, this hormone and its analogues may be useful in treating a variety of diseases caused by the excess of certain hormones and mediators of inflammation. The 14-amino acid peptide was subsequently identified in pancreas (D cells of the islets of Langerhans), stomach, small intestine, and throughout the central and peripheral nervous systems. The amino acid sequence of somatostatin and its synthesis in the laboratory were quickly followed by many pharmacologic and physiologic studies, which revealed that somatostatin has many actions in addition to inhibiting the secretion of growth hormone (Table 1). 3 The original authors recognized that somatostatin might have clinical applications in the management of acromegaly and juvenile diabetes. However, several undesirable characteristics
Conformational and electronic consequences in crafting extended, π-conjugated, light-harvesting macrocycles.

The synthesis of a new series of free-base, Ni(II) and Zn(II) 2,3,12,13-tetra(ethynyl)-5,10,15,20-tetraphenyl porphyrins is described. Upon heating, two of the four ethynyl moieties undergo Bergman cyclization to afford the monocyclized 2,3-diethynyl-5,20-diphenylpiceno[10,11,12,13,14,15-jklmn]porphyrin in 30 %, 10 %, and trace yields, respectively. The structures of all products were investigated by using quantum chemical calculations and the free-base analogue was isolated and crystallized; all compounds show significant deviation from the idealized planar structure. No fully-cyclized bispiceno[20,1,2,3,4,5,10,11,12,13,14,15-fghij]porphyrin was isolated from the reaction mixture. To understand why only two of the four enthynyl groups undergo Bergman cyclization, the reaction coordinates were examined by using DFT at the PWPW91/cc-pVTZ(-f) level coupled to a continuum solvation model. The barrier to cyclization of the second pair of ethynyl groups was found to be 5.5 kcal mol(-1) higher than the first, suggesting a negative cooperative effect and significantly slower rate for the second cyclization. Cyclization reactions for model porphyrin-enediynes with ethene- and H-functionality substitutions at the meso-phenyl rings were also examined, and found to have a similar barrier to diradical formation for the second cyclization event as for the first in these highly planar molecules. By enforcing an artificial 30° cant in two of the pyrrole rings of the porphyrin, the second barrier was increased by 2 kcal mol(-1) in the ethene model system; this suggests that the disruption of the π conjugation of the extended porphyrin structure is the cause of the increased barrier to the second cyclization event.
Mystery of the Toxic Flea Dip: An Interactive Approach to Teaching Aerobic Cellular Respiration

We designed an interrupted case study to teach aerobic cellular respiration to major and nonmajor biology students. The case is based loosely on a real-life incident of rotenone poisoning. It places students in the role of a coroner who must determine the cause of death of the victim. The case is presented to the students in four parts. Each part is followed by discussion questions that the students answer in small groups prior to a classwide discussion. Successive parts of the case provide additional clues to the mystery and help the students focus on the physiological processes involved in aerobic respiration. Students learn the information required to solve the mystery by reading the course textbook prior to class, listening to short lectures interspersed throughout the case, and discussing the case in small groups. The case ends with small group discussions in which the students are given the names and specific molecular targets of other poisons of aerobic respiration and asked to determine which process (i.e., glycolysis, citric acid cycle, or the electron transport chain) the toxin disrupts.
SARS‐CoV heptad repeat 2 is a trimer of parallel helices

In severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, the envelope heptad repeat 2 (HR2) plays a critical role in viral entry. Moreover, HR2 is both the target for novel antiviral therapies and, as an isolated peptide, presents a potential antiviral therapeutic. The structure of HR2, as determined by NMR spectroscopy in the presence of the co-solvent trifluoroethanol (TFE), is a trimer of parallel helices, whereas the structure of HR2, as determined by X-ray crystallography, is a tetramer of anti-parallel helices. In this work, we added a nitroxide spin label to the N-terminal region of HR2 and used paramagnetic relaxation enhancement to assess the orientation of the HR2 helices under different solution conditions. We find that the relaxation effects are consistent with an orientation corresponding to a trimer of parallel helices in both the presence and absence of TFE. This work suggests that the different orientation and oligomerization states observed by NMR and X-ray are due to the 11 additional residues present at the N-terminus of the NMR construct.
Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents mitigate pathology in a mouse model of pseudoachondroplasia

Pseudoachondroplasia (PSACH), a severe short-limb dwarfing condition, results from mutations that cause misfolding of the cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP). Accumulated COMP in growth plate chondrocytes activates endoplasmic reticulum stress, leading to inflammation and chondrocyte death. Using a MT-COMP mouse model of PSACH that recapitulates the molecular and clinical PSACH phenotype, we previously reported that oxidative stress and inflammation play important and unappreciated roles in PSACH pathology. In this study, we assessed the ability of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents to affect skeletal and cellular pathology in our mouse model of PSACH. Treatment of MT-COMP mice with aspirin or resveratrol from birth to P28 decreased mutant COMP intracellular retention and chondrocyte cell death, and restored chondrocyte proliferation. Inflammatory markers associated with cartilage degradation and eosinophils were present in the joints of untreated juvenile MT-COMP mice, but were undetectable in treated mice. Most importantly, these treatments resulted in significantly increased femur length. This is the first and only therapeutic approach shown to mitigate both the chondrocyte and long-bone pathology of PSACH in a mouse model and suggests that reducing inflammation and oxidative stress early in the disease process may be a novel approach to treat this disorder.
High Levels of Genetic Polymorphism in the Insular Endemic Herb Jepsonia malvifolia

Jepsonia malvifolia is a long-lived perennial herb endemic to the Channel Islands of southern California and Guadalupe Island, Mexico. Twelve populations of J. malvifolia on San Clemente Island were surveyed for their genotype at 21 allozyme loci, revealing high levels of genetic polymorphism. For all individuals across San Clemente Island, 95.2% of loci are polymorphic with A p = 2.90 and H e = 0.179. Populations averaged 60.2% polymorphic loci with A p = 2.42 and H e = 0.158. Most variation is found within rather than among populations (G S T = 0.101), although differentiation among populations is significant. Genetic identities range from 0.936 to 0.999 with mean I = 0.975. There is no significant relationship between genetic and geographic distance. Gene flow among populations is Nm = 9.5 based on private alleles and Nm = 2.2 based on F S T . Outcrossing rates based on fixation indices average t = 0.753, indicating a primarily outcrossed mating system. The genetic variation observed is unusually high for an insular endemic herb and indicates that J. malvifolia is unlikely to be endangered by genetic factors.