cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Enhanced Encoding with Improved Fuzzy Decision Tree Testing Using CASP Templates

A novel protein model assessment technique using an improved fuzzy decision tree was tested using CASP8 and CASP9 templates. The testing was conducted in three phases. In the first two phases, templates were classified without explicit scoring. In phase three, a new scoring method was created for performance evaluation. The new protein model assessment technique was compared with several common prominent model assessment techniques for CASP competitions. The performance was analyzed based on correlation between our scores and GDT_TS scores of the templates. Finally, it is concluded that although the novel protein model assessment technique resulted in reduced correlation when compared to best competitors in CASP, its uniqueness in using the improved fuzzy decision tree and a single model stands as a new paradigm in the protein model assessment field.
Natural Disasters and Electric Infrastructure

We've become extremely dependent on reliable electric power in our modern society. This dependence becomes starkly visible during extended power outages. Improved backup and recovery methods are needed to cope with this dependence. We also have a parallel dependence on communications with similar need for resilience and rapid recovery.
A generalization of Reiner's mathematical model for wet sand

Abstract In this paper we modify the constitutive relation derived by Reiner (1945) , to describe dilatancy in wet sand, by suggesting that the shear viscosity would depend on the shear rate and the volume fraction. We then look at the flow of a saturated densely packed bed of particles (with liquid in the pores) between two horizontal flat plates. We obtain exact solutions for a very special case.
Improved determination of biplane imaging geometry from two projection images and its application to three-dimensional reconstruction of coronary arterial trees.

A technique has been developed for accurate estimation of three-dimensional (3D) biplane imaging geometry and reconstruction of 3D objects based on two perspective projections acquired at arbitrary orientations, without the need of calibration. The required prior information (i.e., the intrinsic parameters of each single-plane imaging system) for determination of biplane imaging geometry includes (a) the distance between each focal spot and its image plane, SID (the focal-spot to imaging-plane distance); (b) the pixel size, p size (e.g., 0.3 mm/pixel); (c) the distance between the two focal spots ff ¯ or the known 3D distance between two points in the projection images; and (d) for each view, an approximation of the magnification factor, MF (e.g., 1.2), which is the ratio of the SID and the approximate distance of the object to the focal spot. Item (d) is optional but may provide a more accurate estimation if it is available. Given five or more corresponding object points in both views, a constrained nonlinear optimization algorithm is applied to obtain an optimal estimate of the biplane imaging geometry in the form of a rotation matrix R and a translation vector t that characterize the position and orientation of one imaging system relative to the other. With the calculated biplane imaging geometry, 3D spatial information concerning the object can then be reconstructed. The accuracy of this method was evaluated by using a computer-simulated coronary arterial tree and a cube phantom object. Our simulation study showed that a computer-simulated coronary tree can be reconstructed from two views with less than 2 and 8.4 mm root-mean-square (rms) configuration (or relative-position) error and absolute-position error, respectively, even if the input errors in the corresponding 2D points are fairly large (more than two pixels=0.6 mm ). In contrast, input image error of more than one pixel ( =0.3 mm ) can yield 3D position errors of 10 cm or more when other existing methods based on linear approaches are employed. For the cube phantom images acquired from a routine biplane system, rms errors in the 3D configuration of the cube and the 3D absolute position were 0.6–0.9 mm and 3.9–5.0 mm, respectively.
Optical Encryption Based on Cancellation of Analog Noise

We propose an optical encryption technique where the data is encrypted with wideband analog noise. Matching both the phase and amplitude of the noise is required, providing a large key space for the encryption process.
THE CASE OF THE NATIONAL SOLIDARITY PROGRAM IN MEXICO: A STUDY IN COMPARATIVE POLICY TERMINATION

Many policy scholars have noted that the policy termination literature has to date compiled an inadequate set of studies from which to posit theoretic propositions. Comparative policy analysis is in much the same position. This paper addresses both of these concerns by, first, offering a case study of a major policy initiative in Mexico, Pronasol, and second, using American policy termination frameworks, posing the possibility of comparative policy termination endeavors. Not surprising, the study suggests that the congruencies between the Mexican and American termination experiences are not always exact, but there are some useful generalizations that may be made. Most specifically, the crucial contribution of exogenous political and ideological conditions is reinforced by both nations' termination activities.
Identification of Gsr1 in Arabidopsis Thaliana: A Locus Inferred to Regulate Gene Expression in Response to Exogenous Glutamine

An altered response to methylamine (MA) has been used to identify genes involved in nitrogen metabolism in many microbes and as an uncoupler of proton motive force in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The aim of this study was to attempt the use of MA to identify critical genes for response to exogenous nitrogen sources in Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress). EMS mutagenesis and selection on MA were used to identify a series of mutants that showed increased sensitivity to MA but failed to identify any MA resistant mutants. The eight sensitive mutants were allelic as judged by segregation and map location so one mutant, gsr1-1, was selected for intensive analysis. Co-segregation of gsr1 with DNA markers showed the gene was on chromosome 5 between markers CA72 and nga151, an interval of about 0.42 Mbp. The co-segregating mutant phenotypes associated with gsr1 included; yellow color caused by a reduction in chloroplast number; reduced chlorophyll content; decreased nitrate reductase (EC 1.7.1.3) activity in the root; and increased glutamate dehydrogenase (EC 1.4.1.2) activity in root and shoot. Decreased transcripts included those encoding several nitrogen metabolism enzymes. In contrast, the mutation increased only 4 and 7 transcript abundances by more than two fold. RT-PCR showed that in the dark, regulation of transcript abundance by exogenously applied glutamine and to a lesser extent sucrose were altered. Gene action of the gsr1 mutant was recessive for chloroplast number but co-dominant for transcript abundances and co-dominant for enzyme activities. Supplementary data from the analysis of preliminary microarray data from AFGC used 10,560 targets and two reverse labeled slides to show that more than 351 ESTs were increased in transcript abundance by more than 2 fold in the green plants. In yellow plants only seventy-three ESTs were up-regulated in transcript abundance by more than 2 fold. Therefore, the gsr1 locus may regulate responses to endogenous and exogenous glutamine in an organ-specific fashion that could coordinately regulate the activity of genes enzymes and metabolic pathways that determine cellular nitrogen, carbon and bioenergetic (redox) status.
Comminution of Fe80B20 metallic glass

Abstract Fe80B20 (Metglas 2605) in an unrelaxed state was comminuted by vibratory milling, cryomilling and jet milling. Surface area, particle size and morphology were examined as a function of comminution parameters. After comminuting the as-received glassy ribbon for 20 min, a surface area of 2.48 m2/g was obtained by cryomilling compared with 0.97 m2/g by vibratory milling. A maximum surface area of 3.46 m2/g was obtained by cryomilling for 150 min. The maximum surface obtained by vibratory milling was 1.01 m2/g after 60 min. Little deformation was observed by SEM or optical microscopy for products produced by cryomilling or vibratory milling. Jet milling was not effective in increasing the surface area or reducing particle size and appears to have no effect on the morphology of the feed material. No structural changes were observed either by XRD or by TEM diffraction for any comminution product. Also, no change in the crystallization temperature or enthalpy of crystallization, as measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), of the comminuted products, as compared with the as-quenched glass, was observed for any of the comminution methods utilized. Thus, both the vibratory milling and cryomilling of Fe80B20 increased the surface area with no effect on the glass structure or stability. The effectiveness of the cryomilling appears to come from comminution below the ductile to brittle transition temperature.
Symptomatic perioperative venous thromboembolism is a frequent complication in patients with a history of deep vein thrombosis

Objectives Patients who undergo surgery are at risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE), and a history of prior deep vein thrombosis (DVT) increases that risk. This study determined the incidence and risk factors for symptomatic perioperative VTE in patients with a prior diagnosis of DVT. Methods All lower extremity DVTs, diagnosed between January 2002 and December 2006, were identified through a vascular database. Patients who had subsequent surgery were reviewed. The following data were evaluated: location of DVT, time interval between DVT and surgery, type of surgery, common clinical VTE risk factors, postoperative venous duplex scans, computed tomography (CT) scans of the chest, and ventilation-perfusion scans. Results A total of 372 patients with prior DVT underwent 1081 subsequent surgical procedures. One hundred nine patients undergoing 211 procedures had a follow-up venous duplex scan within 30 days after surgery. Of them, 46% received an inferior vena caval (IVC) filter, and pulmonary emboli were diagnosed in 3 patients ( P = .22, Mann–Whitney). High-risk surgeries were associated with a >three-fold increased risk for recurrence, when compared with low-risk procedures (34% vs 11%; P = .009, χ 2 ). Perioperative VTE recurrence was not influenced by the location of the original thrombus or other VTE risk factors. Conclusion In patients with prior DVT, perioperative symptomatic recurrence is common and is associated with high-risk procedures. A longer time interval between a DVT episode and subsequent surgery may decrease the risk of recurrence, but large clinical trials are needed to confirm this. Further prospective evaluations are needed to identify and treat patients at greatest risk for recurrence.
On CMORPH Rainfall for Streamflow Simulation in a Small, Hortonian Watershed

AbstractThe objective is to assess the use of the Climate Prediction Center morphing method (CMORPH) (~0.073° latitude–longitude, 30 min resolution) rainfall product as input to the physics-based fully distributed Gridded Surface–Subsurface Hydrologic Analysis (GSSHA) model for streamflow simulation in the small (21.4 km2) Hortonian watershed of the Goodwin Creek experimental watershed located in northern Mississippi. Calibration is performed in two different ways: using rainfall data from a dense network of 30 gauges as input, and using CMORPH rainfall data as input. The study period covers 4 years, during which there were 24 events, each with peak flow rate higher than 0.5 m3 s−1. Streamflow simulations using CMORPH rainfall are compared against observed streamflows and streamflow simulations using rainfall from a dense rain gauge network. Results show that the CMORPH simulations captured all 24 events. The CMORPH simulations have comparable performance with gauge simulations, which is striking given th...
Effective implementation of integrated CAD/CAM: A model

A model of the organizational conditions of effective implementation of integrated CAD/CAM is developed. The central proposition is that the conditions of successful implementation cannot in general be created concurrently with the technological effort of CAD/CAM integration. The model proposes that integration effectiveness is principally a function of the skills, procedures, strategies, and culture which preexist the integration of CAD and CAM systems. In this model, technological characteristics and project management methods play a subordinate role.
A filtration method for measuring cellular uptake of [14C]methylamine and other highly permeant solutes.

Abstract A filtration technique has been developed for study of the uptake of [14C]methylamine by Azotobacter vinelandii. This dual filter arrangement requires a precision microporus polycarbonate film which overlays a paper filter. Cellular uptake of radioactivity is terminated by vacuum filtration of the reaction micture onto the polycarbonate filter without dilution or washing. Filtration was complete in 0.7 s with retention of less than 0.2% of the extracellular radioactivity. The dual filter method gave 20-fold higher levels for intracellular methylamine than filtration followed by washing. Without washing, nitrocellulose filters retained 18 times more extracellular [3H]sorbitol and 80 times more extracellular [14C]methylamine than polycarbonate filters. Use of an underlying paper filter did not significantly improve the performance of nitrocellulose filters. However, addition of a paper filter reduced extracellular methylamine and sorbitol retention on polycarbonate filters by 77 and 86%, respectively. This method is generally applicable to measurement of the uptake of highly permeant molecules by cells and subcellular organelles.
Gas chromatography of substituted phenylureas by flash-heater methylation with trimethylanilinium hydroxide☆

Abstract A simple method for the methylation of substituted phenylureas with trimethylanilinium hydroxide (methelute) is described. The methylation reaction product was the 3-N-methyl analog of the substituted phenylurea. Seven phenylureas with a variety of structures were analyzed using six different chromatographic columns. The gas chromatographic response was linear with increased concentration of the 3-N-methyl analogs of monuron and diuron for both synthetic standards and flash-heater reaction products. Maximum methylation was obtained when the ratio of methylating reagent to phenylurea was approximately 2.5:1. This methylation technique provides for rapid qualitative and quantitative chromatography of substituted phenylureas without side-chain decomposition.
Normal structural bonding and defects in covalent amorphous solids

Abstract Although the 8- N rule of covalent bonding is generally obeyed in amorphous semiconductors, well-defined defect centers exist and these control the electronic properties of the solids. The defects have two distinct reasons for their presence—they can arise from either strains upon material preparation or thermodynamic considerations. The strain-related defects characterize those amorphous solids in which the average coordination number is larger than approximately 2.4; their concentration is ordinarily very sensitive to the preparation techniques. In contrast, thermodynamically induced defects arise because of their low creation energy, and a minimum concentration characterizes any given material. These ideas have led to a resolution of several major puzzles with regard to the electronic properties of the two major classes of amorphous semiconductors—chalcogenide glasses and amorphous silicon-based alloys. Pure amorphous silicon is overconstrained and has large defect densities, but these can be reduced by many orders of magnitude if the material is alloyed with monovalent atoms such as hydrogen or fluorine. On the other hand, amorphous As 2 Se 3 always contains a high defect density, for thermodynamic reasons. In addition to the concentration of defects present in a given material, its electronic properties depend critically also on the nature of these defects. In particular, the sign of the effective correlation energy of the defect with the lowest creation energy is of the utmost importance.
Managing Soft-Errors in Transactional Systems

Multicore architectures are becoming increasingly prone to soft-errors – i.e., transient faults caused by external physical phenomena such as electric noise and cosmic particle strikes. With increasing core counts, the soft-error rate is growing due to the accelerating transistor density on chips. The impact of these errors on business-critical applications that are being deployed on multicore hardware can be significant. We present an active replication-based approach that fully masks such errors for transactional applications. We partition computational cores, fully replicate objects across partitions, and concurrently execute transactional requests on all partitions, thereby enabling completely local object accesses. Transactional requests are globally ordered and delivered across partitions using optimistic atomic broadcast. Hardware message passing--an important emerging trend in multicore architectures--is exploited to mitigate communication costs. We report preliminary results obtained with an implementation of our approach on a 36-core Tilera TILE-Gx hardware, with an on-chip scalable mesh network.
Unipolar orientation stability of the sex univalent in the grasshopper (Melanoplus sanguinipes)

The behavior of the X chromosome in living Melanoplus sanguinipes primary spermatocytes was examined utilizing phase contrast microscopy and micromanipulation. During early prometaphase I, the X univalent establishes a unipolar orientation which is normally stable. In 28 cells, the X chromosome did not reorient once during a total of 122 h of observation. Though normally stable, the X chromosome can be induced to reorient by micromanipulation. An anomalous increase in X reorientation was observed in one testicular preparation. Stable unipolar orientation is an intrinsic characteristic of the X chromosome and was not displayed by two small autosomal univalents discovered in one cell. The two autosomal univalents, resulting from asynapsis or desynapsis, oscillated back and forth within the spindle, averaging 26.0 and 17.6 min respectively between reorientation events. The behavior of the M. sanguinipes X chromosome reveals an orientation stability mechanism that does not involve tension created by forces from opposing kinetochoric spindle fibers.
Reading Improvement and its Correlates

Over a 3-yr. period, 3 summer reading clinics were held at a diagnostic center. California Reading Test (Form X or W) was administered to the children during their first day at the clinic while an ...
Glucocorticoids, sympathetic activity, and presynaptic alpha 2-adrenoceptor function in humans

The sympathetic nervous system and the pituitary-adrenocortical system are two of the body's main stress effector systems. Animal studies have indicated that exogenously administered glucocorticoids inhibit sympathetic outflows and interfere with the function of presynaptic alpha 2-adrenoceptors modulating neuronal norepinephrine (NE) release. The present study tested whether glucocorticoids produce similar effects in humans. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over experiment, 15 healthy subjects took 20 mg prednisone or placebo orally daily each morning for 1 week, followed by the other drug after a 1-week washout. On the last day of each treatment week, blood samples were drawn for assays of plasma levels of catechols and ACTH before and after iv infusion of the alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonist yohimbine (YOH) (0.125 mg/kg bolus, 0.001 mg.kg-1.min-1 infusion). In 7 subjects, directly recorded peroneal skeletal muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) was also measured at baseline and after YOH infusion at the end of both treatment weeks. Prednisone decreased plasma NE levels and MSNA compared with levels after placebo (1.09 +/- 0.11 nmol/L vs. 1.40 +/- 0.13 nmol/L, P < 0.01; 30 +/- 4 bursts/min vs. 36 +/- 3 bursts/min, P < 0.05) without affecting blood pressure or pulse rate. YOH increased mean arterial blood pressure by 12% (P < 0.001) and heart rate by 7% (P < 0.05); prednisone did not alter these effects of YOH. YOH-induced proportionate increments in plasma NE levels averaged about 10 times those in MSNA. Prednisone did not affect the YOH-induced proportionate increments in plasma NE levels (placebo, 243%; prednisone, 237%) or MSNA (placebo, 22%; prednisone, 23%). The decrements in MSNA and plasma NE levels after prednisone treatment indicate that glucocorticoids inhibit sympathoneural outflows in humans. The 10-fold larger NE than MSNA response to YOH confirms substantial inhibitory modulation of NE release by alpha 2-adrenoceptors on noradrenergic terminals, and the similarity of responses to YOH after prednisone or placebo suggests that glucocorticoid-induced sympathoinhibition occurs independently of altered modulatory function of alpha 2-adrenoceptors on noradrenergic terminals.
Random thoughts on the consequences of a reduction in military expenditures

I have organized my paper in the form of speculative answers to three general questions. First, what are some of the things we know about military expenditures and the operations of the military establishment? Second, what have been the dimensions and nature of the Vietnam buildup, and what does our experience suggest about the adjustment problems likely to follow its termination? Finally, what can be said about the impact and consequences of some form of arms limitation? 1. What do we know about United States military expenditures and defense operations ? They are large and constitute the bulk of all goods and service outlays of the federal government. In the fiscal 1969 budget, national defense programs were estimated to account for $79.8 billion--43.7 per cent of the government's total expenditures for the year. Vietnam operations account for about one-third of defense expenditures. Military expenditures have not grown as rapidly as the over-all economy and thus represent a slightly smaller proportion of GNP than they did during the Korean War. I Only a relatively small number of industries (largely durable goods producers) are heavily involved in defense work, and only a few of their constituent companies account for the larger part of defense contracts. There is some evidence, however, that in recent years this concentration has lessened somewhat. Table 1 indicates a drop of roughly ten percentage points in the share of military prime contract awards accounted for by the top one hundred companies to 65.5 per cent between FY 1961 and FY 1967. This move toward deconcentration may well be a temporary phenomenon reflecting the peculiar needs of the Vietnam conflict. Forty-five firms have been on the list every year since fiscal 1959, and a number of others have put in frequent appearances. The distribution of military contract awards among the various regions of the country is quite uneven and changes over time. These points are illustrated in Table 2. Since the Korean War (FY 1952), the value of prime defense contracts awarded has dropped from 25 per cent to 17 per cent in the Middle Atlantic states; dropped from 27 per cent to 13 per cent in the East North Central region; and climbed sharply in the South, particularly in the South Central area, rising from 6 per cent to 17 per cent. The share of the Pacific Coast states, plus Alaska and Hawaii, at 20
A prospective study of the incidence and natural history of femoral vascular complications after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty

Abstract Over a 14-month period patients undergoing 144 percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty procedures were evaluated for the presence of complications at the femoral puncture site. After percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty each patient was examined by a surgeon, and then a color-flow duplex scan of the groin was obtained. On the initial scan eight pseudoaneurysms, three arteriovenous fistulas, one combined arteriovenous fistula-pseudoaneurysm, and one thrombosed superficial femoral artery were detected for a major vascular complication rate of 9%. Pseudoaneurysm formation was associated with the use of heparin after removal of the arterial sheath. Seven pseudoaneurysms (initial extravascular cavity size range 1.3 to 3.5 cm) were followed with weekly duplex scans, and all thrombosed spontaneously within 4 weeks of detection. The three patients with isolated arteriovenous fistulas were each followed for at least 8 weeks, and the arteriovenous fistulas persisted. Early surgical intervention for postcatheterization femoral pseudoaneurysms is usually unnecessary as thrombosis often occurs spontaneously. We would advocate an operative approach for pseudoaneurysms that are symptomatic, expanding, or associated with large hematomas. Iatrogenic femoral arteriovenous fistulas should be considered for elective repair, but this may be delayed for several weeks without adverse sequelae. (J VASC SURG 1991;13:328-36.)
Site selection for a ‘sure service terminal’

Abstract This paper reports a use of the AHP in solving a facility location problem faced by a large multinational corporation. The problem is that of deciding where to locate service terminals for the spare parts division. The AHP was introduced and successfully used to solve the problem. A distinct feature noticed by the authors is that the managers developed a sense of ownership in the findings of the study because the AHP facilitates their involvement at every level. Consequently the findings and conclusions were readily implemented in their business plan.
Early Ceramics from Calabar, Nigeria: Towards a History of Nsibidi

1 A woman wearing print cloth with a pattern of conjoined arcs, the nsibidi sign for love. Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria, 1997. PHOTO COURTESY OF EKPO EYO. R ecent excavations in the region of Calabar, Nigeria, have brought to light an important corpus of archaeological ceramics, including vessels, headrests, and anthropo morphic objects. Interpretation of these ceramics bears upon our understanding of the graphic system known as nsibidi (or nsibiri), a central and defining characteristic of Cross River visual culture still employed by men and women throughout the region today. Considered one of the indigenous African scripts, nsibidi records, transmits, and conceals various kinds of information using a wide, fluid vocabulary of geomet ric and naturalistic signs placed on objects including calabashes, brassware, textiles (FIGS. 1-2), masquerade paraphernalia (FIG. 3), and wood sculpture, and on surfaces including the ground, the walls of buildings, and even human skin. Yet little is known of the history of nsibidi prior to the early twentieth century, when it caught the attention of colonial officials.' The Calabar ceramics, incorporating such a great variety of discrete motifs-including arcs, arrows, chevrons, concentric circles, crosses, lozenges, spirals, and stars-evidence an iconog raphy readily comparable to nsibidi. Moreover, the decoration found on the anthropomorphic figurines suggests that ancient people may have embellished their own bodies in a manner similar to the use of modern nsibidi and other motifs as body decoration. Hence, a close study of the archaeological ceramics, which span the period from the fifth to the fifteenth century CE, provides some historical depth to this important visual tradition and allows for a deeper understanding of art history in the Cross River region.2 Reviewing the varied historical contexts of nsibidi while keeping in mind its inherently "multimedia" quality allows us to begin consideration of its relationship to archaeological ceramics and their likely place within a culture (or cultures) sim ilarly permeated with meaningful signs inscribed on any num ber of different materials.
Scanning tunnelling spectroscopic studies of dirac fermions in graphene and topological insulators

We report novel properties derived from scanning tunnelling spectroscopic (STS) studies of Dirac fermions in graphene and the surface state (SS) of a strong topological insulator (STI), Bi_2Se_3. For mono-layer graphene grown on Cu by chemical vapour deposition (CVD), strain-induced scalar and gauge potentials are manifested by the charging effects and the tunnelling conductance peaks at quantized energies, respectively. Additionally, spontaneous time-reversal symmetry breaking is evidenced by the alternating anti-localization and localization spectra associated with the zero-mode of two sublattices while global time-reversal symmetry is preserved under the presence of pseudo-magnetic fields. For Bi_2Se_3 epitaxial films grown on Si(111) by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), spatially localized unitary impurity resonances with sensitive dependence on the energy difference between the Fermi level and the Dirac point are observed for samples thicker than 6 quintuple layers (QL). These findings are characteristic of the SS of a STI and are direct manifestation of strong topological protection against impurities. For samples thinner than 6-QL, STS studies reveal the openup of an energy gap in the SS due to overlaps of wave functions between the surface and interface layers. Additionally, spin-preserving quasiparticle interference wave-vectors are observed, which are consistent with the Rashba-like spin-orbit splitting.
Plasmonic-controlled single molecule fluorescence near defined metallic nanostructures

Creating a versatile set of highly stable fluorophores capable of high emission rate is crucial to studies of the individual function of biomolecules. There are continuing efforts to increase the sensitivity of fluorescence. These efforts include modifications in the spectral properties of the probes, increasing the detection efficiencies of the instruments, or the use of amplification methods. Our previous results show that plasmonic-controlled fluorescence provides a novel physical mechanism to enhance fluorescence intensity, reduce blinking and increase photostability. The further development of fluorophore-metal interactions for single molecule detection requires defined structures. For example, we investigate the effects of the defined silver nanospheres fabricated by wet chemistry methods coupling to nearby organic fluorophores. Additionally, we are developing nanoparticles incorporated into the Quantum Dot (QD) system. Coupling between the plasmon resonance effect and the quantum size effect of the QD or the organic fluorophore may develop new aspects of nano-composite material systems and also widen applications for noble imaging probes.
Rapid cross-linking of proteins by 4-ketoaldehydes and 4-hydroxy-2-alkenals does not arise from the lysine-derived monoalkylpyrroles.

Exposure of proteins to 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE) results in conversion of lysines in part to 2-pentylpyrroles that can be formed in higher yield by exposure to the isomeric 4-oxononanal. Since bot...
Estimation of the reversed-phase liquid chromatographic lipophilicity parameter log k'w using ET-30 solvatochromism

Abstract The estimation of the reversed-phase liquid chromatographic lipophilicity parameter log k′w has been studied using the solvatochromic ET(30) polarity scale. Over 200 sets of chromatographic retention data were used to compare the log k′w estimates made from the volume percent of organic modifier (%) and ET(30) models of mobile phase strength. It was found that linear extrapolations of log k′ versusET(30) plots to the polarity of unmodified aqueous mobile phase gave a more reliable value of log k′w than linear regressions of log k′ versus volume percent. This evaluation was based upon the relative value of the 95% confidence interval about log k′w, the point of intersection of log k′ versus solvent strength plots for different modifiers, the scatter of estimations with different modifiers and the goodness-of-fit of the data to the linear model. Estimations of log k′w using the solvatochromic approach are found to give a more sensitive lipophilicity description than the volume percent approach. Recommended procedures for carrying out lipophilicity estimations with reversed-phase liquid chromatography are also discussed.
Quasi-two-dimensional excitons in (Zn,Cd)Se/ZnSe quantum wells : reduced exciton-LO-phonon coupling due to confinement effects

Quasi-two-dimensional (2D) excitons in (Zn,Cd)Se/ZnSe quantum wells were investigated. We observed a confinement-induced enhancement of the exciton binding energy to a value greater than the longitudinal-optical (LO) -phonon energy. This unusual condition results in an effective reduction of the exciton--LO-phonon coupling. As a consequence, excitonic absorption features in this quantum-well system are well preserved to room temperature and beyond.
A Comparative Hematological Study of Peromyscus in Louisiana and Colorado

Peromyscus gossypinus and Peromyscus nuttalli were collected near Ruston, Louisiana from 1 September 1960 to 1 June 1961. Peromyscus maniculatus was collected near Gothic, Colorado from 1 August 1961 to 20 August 1961 and in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument from 23 August 1961 to 1 September 1961. Blood was taken from each animal collected and hematological measurements were made. Erythrocyte counts, hemoglobin concentrations and hematocrits were found to be higher for Peromyscus in Colorado than in Louisiana. Leukocyte counts, mean corpuscular volumes and mean corpuscular hemoglobins were higher for Peromyscus in Louisiana than in Colorado. Differences were also observed in the electrophoretic hemoglobin migration patterns between the species while mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentrations were similar in all species. Major hematological differences were found to occur between P. maniculatus at Gothic, Colorado and P. maniculatus at the Black Canyon, Colorado, and between P. gossypinus and P. nuttalli in Louisiana.
Treating Pediatric Overweight Through Reductions in Sedentary Behavior: A Review of the Literature

Reducing sedentary behavior has been proposed as a modality for treating pediatric overweight. Small randomized controlled trials suggest that targeting reductions in sedentary behavior, rather than targeting increases in physical activity, can be an effective modality in addressing this problem. In some cases, targeting reductions in sedentary behavior has been shown to be more effective than targeting physical activity directly, resulting in greater reductions in overweight measures such as body mass index and percent overweight. Reductions in sedentary behavior may allow more opportunity to reallocate this time to physical activity. It also may result in reduced intake of high-calorie foods. This article reviews the evidence in the literature for targeting reductions in sedentary behavior as a modality in treating pediatric overweight.
Exact, closed-form representations for the time-domain surface impedances of a homogeneous, lossy half-space

In this paper, we derive exact, closed-form representations for the transverse electric and transverse magnetic time-domain, surface impedances associated with a plane wave that is obliquely incident on a homogeneous, lossy half-space. The time-domain surface impedances are expressed in terms of modified Bessel functions and incomplete Lipschitz-Hankel integrals. The limitations on the validity of a previously published approximate expression are also discussed.
Reducing Subspaces for a Class of Multiplication Operators

Let [ ] be the open unit disk in the complex plane [Copf ]. The Bergman space L2a([ ]) is the Hilbert space of analytic functions f in [ ] such thatformula herewhere dA is the normalized area measure on [ ]. Ifformula hereare two functions in L2a([ ]), then the inner product of f and g is given byformula hereWe study multiplication operators on L2a([ ]) induced by analytic functions. Thus for φ ∈ H ∞([ ]), the space of bounded analytic functions in [ ], we defineformula herebyformula hereIt is easy to check that Mφ is a bounded linear operator on L2a([ ]) withformula here
Historical Legacies, Information and Contemporary Water Science and Management

Hydrologic science has largely built its understanding of the hydrologic cycle using contemporary data sources (i.e., last 100 years). However, as we try to meet water demand over the next 100 years at scales from local to global, we need to expand our scope and embrace other data that address human activities and the alteration of hydrologic systems. For example, the accumulation of human impacts on water systems requires exploration of incompletely documented eras. When examining these historical periods, basic questions relevant to modern systems arise: (1) How is better information incorporated into water management strategies? (2) Does any point in the past (e.g., colonial/pre-European conditions in North America) provide a suitable restoration target? and (3) How can understanding legacies improve our ability to plan for future conditions? Beginning to answer these questions indicates the vital need to incorporate disparate data and less accepted methods to meet looming water management challenges.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus transmission and infections in a neonatal intensive care unit despite active surveillance cultures and decolonization: challenges for infection prevention.

Objective. To characterize the epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) transmission and infections in a level IIIC neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and identify barriers to MRSA control.Setting and design. Retrospective cohort study in a university-affiliated NICU with an MRSA control program including weekly nares cultures of all neonates and admission nares cultures for neonates transferred from other hospitals or admitted from home.Methods. Medical records were reviewed to identify neonates with NICU-acquired MRSA colonization or infection between April 2007 and December 2011. Compliance with hand hygiene and an MRSA decolonization protocol were monitored. Relatedness of MRSA strains were assessed using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE).Results. Of 3,536 neonates, 74 (2.0%) had a culture grow MRSA, including 62 neonates with NICU-acquired MRSA. Nineteen of 74 neonates (26%) had an MRSA infection, including 8 who became infected before they were identified as MRSA col...
The role of senior student affairs officers in supporting LGBT students: Exploring the landscape of one's life

As leaders and community builders, senior student affairs officers face the challenge to end the hostility, oppression, and invisibility that often characterize the experiences of LGBT students on college campuses.
Learning service behavior with progressive testing

We describe a comprehensive methodology for discovering service similarity (substitutability) by testing. Our solutions do not rely on the service descriptions provided by their authors and they avoid common information retrieval techniques. Our work addresses a variety of challenges raised throughout the process. These include: (1) the generation of unbiased test samples based on individual domains and their statistical properties; (2) the use of progressive sampling and Rand index convergence to minimize sample size; (3) the classification of services by their input and output structures (single values, sets of values, sequences of values, and tables), and the development of corresponding similarity measures; (4) the optimal alignment of services that have multiple inputs and outputs of the same type; (5) the management of two types of service exceptions (null values); (6) the selection of clustering methods that are most appropriate to the sets of services being clustered; and (7) the caching of tests, results, similarities, clusters and other statistical information to enable cluster evolution. Initial testing with a prototype implementation validated our methodology, yielding high accuracy at surprisingly small test sizes.
Integral Equation Analysis of Scattering From Multilayered Periodic Array Using Equivalence Principle and Connection Scheme

An integral equation approach is presented to analyze the two-dimensional (2-D) scattering from multilayered periodic array. The proposed approach is capable of handling scattering from the array filled with different media in different layers. Combining the equivalence principle algorithm (EPA) and connection scheme (EPACS), it can be avoided to find and evaluate the multilayered periodic Green's functions. For 2N identical layers, the elimination of the unknowns between top and bottom surfaces can be accelerated using the logarithm algorithm. More importantly, based on EPACS, an approach is proposed to effectively handle the semi-infinitely layered case in which a unit consisting of several layers is repeated infinitely in one direction.
Racial and ethnic identity: Their relationship and their contribution to self -esteem

This study explores the relationship between racial identity, ethnic identity, other-group orientation, and self-esteem among 126 Black and 292 White students. Pearson product-moment correlations for Blacks revealed that those holding anti-Black and pro-White attitudes showed low ethnic group attachment, whereas those with internalized attitudes showed high ethnic attachment. There was no relationship between ethnic and racial group attachment among Whites, but a significant relationship was found between racial identity and other-group orientation. Multiple regression analyses for Blacks indicated that racial and ethnic identity explained a significant proportion of the variability in self-esteem. The results for Whites indicated that racial and ethnic identity variables did not contribute meaningfully to the variance in self-esteem. Two orientations to multicultural work-visible racial-ethnic group and salience models-were introduced and discussed in light of the results' implications for research and p...
Taspase1: A Threonine Aspartase Required for Cleavage of MLL and Proper HOX Gene Expression

The Mixed-Lineage Leukemia gene (MLL/HRX/ALL1) encodes a large nuclear protein homologous to Drosophila trithorax that is required for the maintenance of HOX gene expression. MLL is cleaved at two conserved sites generating N320 and C180 fragments, which heterodimerize to stabilize the complex and confer its subnuclear destination. Here, we purify and clone the protease responsible for cleaving MLL. We entitle it Taspase1 as it initiates a class of endopeptidases that utilize an N-terminal threonine as the active site nucleophile to proteolyze polypeptide substrates following aspartate. Taspase1 proenzyme is intramolecularly proteolyzed generating an active 28 kDa alpha/22 kDa beta heterodimer. RNAi-mediated knockdown of Taspase1 results in the appearance of unprocessed MLL and the loss of proper HOX gene expression. Taspase1 coevolved with MLL/trithorax as Arthropoda and Chordata emerged from Metazoa suggesting that Taspase1 originated to regulate complex segmental body plans in higher organisms.
Accelerating the performance of particle swarm optimization for embedded applications

The ever increasing popularity of particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is recently attracting attention to the embedded computing world. Although PSO is in general considered to be computationally efficient algorithm, its direct software implementation on complex problems, targeted on low capacity embedded processors could however suffer from poor execution performance. This paper first evaluates the performance of the standard PSO algorithm on a typical embedded platform (using a 16-bit microcontroller). Then, a modular, flexible and reusable architecture for a hardware PSO engine, for accelerating the algorithm's performance, will be presented. Finally, implementation test results of the proposed architecture targeted on Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technology will be presented and its performance compared against software executions on benchmark test functions.
Complexity over Uncertainty in Generalized Representational Information Theory (GRIT): A Structure-Sensitive General Theory of Information

What is information? Although researchers have used the construct of information liberally to refer to pertinent forms of domain-specific knowledge, relatively few have attempted to generalize and standardize the construct. Shannon and Weaver (1949) offered the best known attempt at a quantitative generalization in terms of the number of discriminable symbols required to communicate the state of an uncertain event. This idea, although useful, does not capture the role that structural context and complexity play in the process of understanding an event as being informative. In what follows, we discuss the limitations and futility of any generalization (and particularly, Shannon's) that is not based on the way that agents extract patterns from their environment. More specifically, we shall argue that agent concept acquisition, and not the communication of states of uncertainty, lie at the heart of generalized information, and that the best way of characterizing information is via the relative gain or loss in concept complexity that is experienced when a set of known entities (regardless of their nature or domain of origin) changes. We show that Representational Information Theory perfectly captures this crucial aspect of information and conclude with the first generalization of Representational Information Theory (RIT) to continuous domains.
A new role for P-selectin in shear-induced platelet aggregation.

Background—P-selectin, expressed on platelets on activation, mediates rolling of platelets on endothelial cells, but its role in shear-induced platelet aggregation is not known. Methods and Results—Platelets were exposed to either a single pulse (30 seconds) or 3 pulses (10 seconds) of high shear stress (150 to 200 dynes/cm2) each followed by low shear stress (10 dynes/cm2) for 4.5 minutes or 90 seconds, respectively, at 37°C to resemble more closely in vivo conditions such as those in stenotic arteries. Under these conditions, platelet aggregation was significantly increased compared with low or high shear stress alone. Monoclonal anti–P-selectin antibodies inhibited shear-induced platelet aggregation, especially when induced by the combination of high and low shear stress, by ≈70% and had an additive effect on the inhibition by abciximab (anti–glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa antibody). However, anti–P-selectin antibody inhibited shear-induced platelet aggregation only at 37°C, not at 22°C, whereas abciximab ...
Cohesins localize with CTCF at the KSHV latency control region and at cellular c-myc and H19/Igf2 insulators

Cohesins, which mediate sister chromatin cohesion, and CTCF, which functions at chromatin boundaries, play key roles in the structural and functional organization of chromosomes. We examined the binding of these two factors on the Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) episome during latent infection and found a striking colocalization within the control region of the major latency transcript responsible for expressing LANA (ORF73), vCyclin (ORF72), vFLIP (ORF71), and vmiRNAs. Deletion of the CTCF-binding site from the viral genome disrupted cohesin binding, and crippled colony formation in 293 cells. Clonal instability correlated with elevated expression of lytic cycle gene products, notably the neighbouring promoter for K14 and vGPCR (ORF74). siRNA depletion of RAD21 from latently infected cells caused an increase in K14 and ORF74, and lytic inducers caused a rapid dissociation of RAD21 from the viral genome. RAD21 and SMC1 also associate with the cellular CTCF sites at mammalian c-myc promoter and H19/Igf2 imprinting control region. We conclude that cohesin subunits associate with viral and cellular CTCF sites involved in complex gene regulation and chromatin organization.