cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Topology optimization of steel frame structures with constraints on overall and individual member instabilities

Abstract A computationally efficient structural topology optimization framework is proposed for design of steel frame structures with user-defined factors of safety against overall structure (global) and individual member instabilities. The objective function is minimization of either compliance or the maximum of von Mises stresses within the frame structure. Within optimization, overall structure buckling modes are found via an eigenvalue analysis, a subset of “pseudo modes” are identified using a newly proposed methodology and are discarded to obtain a set of real eigenvalues. Moreover, individual member buckling loads are estimated with Euler buckling analysis and are aggregated into a single constraint. The minimum of each instability constraint is then estimated with separate differentiable negative p-norm functions. Sensitivities of these newly developed constraints are explicitly derived for application of gradient-based optimizers. The topology of four frame structures featuring moment-resisting connections and member cross-sectional properties mapped from the American Institute of Steel Construction design manual are optimized with the proposed algorithm to verify its effectiveness in optimizing structural performance while maintaining factors of safety against overall and individual member instabilities. The interaction effects of preventing instabilities at different safety levels and the choice of objective function on the final designs and their performances are investigated.
Finding One’s Anchor: A Conversation With Reece Peterson:

Reece Peterson has published widely on educational policy and the impact on children with significant behavioral challenges. He has served in many roles but always with an emphasis on providing sup...
Lipid Droplets as Organelles.

Abstract Long considered inert fat storage depots, it has become clear that lipid droplets (LDs) are bona fide organelles. Like other organelles, they have a characteristic complement of proteins and lipids, and undergo a life cycle that includes biogenesis, maturation, interactions with other organelles, and turnover. I will discuss recent insights into mechanisms governing the life cycle of LDs, and compare and contrast the LD life cycle with that of other metabolic organelles such as mitochondria, peroxisomes, and autophagosomes, highlighting open questions in the field.
Update on Incorporating Biomarkers with Imaging Findings for the Detection and Management of Cardiotoxicity

Modern cancer therapy comes at a cost of increased risk of cardiotoxicity. The purpose of our paper is to provide an updated review highlighting research incorporating biomarkers and imaging findings for the detection of subclinical cardiac dysfunction and management of cancer treatment-related cardiotoxicity. Biomarkers, particularly troponin, NTproBNP, and myeloperoxidase, have been shown to have a predictive role in the development of cancer treatment-related cardiotoxicity. Early reductions in global longitudinal strain and the more recently reported, circumferential strain, have been shown to be predictive of subsequent cardiotoxicity. Integrating troponin levels with longitudinal strain may have incremental value in predicting future cardiotoxicity. Initiating troponin-guided heart failure therapy following cancer treatment may impact the development of cardiotoxicity. Strain-guided heart failure therapy is currently under investigation. Early detection of subclinical cardiac dysfunction in high-risk cancer patients and subsequent medical intervention using biomarkers and imaging may help to alter the course of cancer treatment-induced cardiotoxicity. Current guidelines and expert consensus offer a general framework for monitoring high risk patients for cardiotoxicity. However, additional research is needed to provide a more sophisticated and structured approach in detecting and managing subclinical cardiac dysfunction with hopes of minimizing subsequent cardiotoxicity.
The Bukiet-Jones Theory of Weak Detonation Waves in Curvilinear Geometry

Front tracking is a numerical method which uses exact mathematical knowledge of idealized solution singularities within the computational process. This fact is typical of a broadly based scientific motivation for the study of nonlinear waves, wave interactions and Riemann problems in one and higher dimensions. Such a study is pertinent for a variety of physical systems, including oil reservoirs, real materials with realistic equation of state and constitute relations, chemically reactive fluids and plasmas.
ACTIVITY OF NOREPINEPHRINE-CONTAINING LOCUS COERULEUS NEURONS IN THE UNANESTHETIZED SQUIRREL MONKEY

Discharge activity of individual locus coeruleus (LC) neurons was recorded through moveable metal microelectrodes in awake monkeys seated in a chair which allowed arm, leg and head movements. Activity was monitored under the following conditions: 1) presentation of an array of sensory stimuli, 2) spontaneous or elicited movements, 3) periods of up to 1.5 hr with no sensory stimulation, 4) presentation and consumption of food. LC neurons exhibited increased discharge rates during spontaneous EEG desynchronization and in response to many stimuli, including food.
On the density principle for rational functions

Let E be a subspace of C(X) and define R(E):={g/h: g,heE;h>0}. We prove that R(E) is dense in C(X) if for every X 0⊂X there exists xeX 0 such that E contains an approximation to a δ-function at the point x on the set X 0. We use this principle to study the density of Muntz rationals in two variables.
Community health representatives: a valuable resource for providing coronary heart disease health education activities for Native Americans.

(1989). Community Health Representatives: A Valuable Resource for Providing Coronary Heart Disease Health Education Activities for Native Americans. Health Education: Vol. 20, No. 6, pp. 16-31.
Pathways Approaches for Post-traumatic Stress Disorders

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a psychophysiological disorder, characterized by chronic sympathetic nervous system activation; persisting perceptual/sensory vigilance for threats; recurrent distressing memories of the event, including intrusive memories, flashbacks lived as if in the present moment, and nightmares; and a persisting negative emotional state including fear and shame. The psychophysiological basis for this disorder calls for psychophysiologically based interventions. This chapter presents the case narrative of a 29-year-old national guardsman, exposed to combat trauma, and later to civilian trauma in public safety work. His treatment followed the Pathways model, comprised of multi-modal interventions, beginning with self-directed behavioral changes, then the acquisition of skills (including self-hypnosis), and finally professional treatment including clinical hypnosis and EMDR.
The Core, Periphery, and Beyond: Stock Market Comovements among EU and Non‐EU Countries

Using linear and nonlinear correlations, copulas, quantile dependence and lower tail dependence, we find that (1) equity markets of the advanced European Union (EU) countries comove more closely with each other than with the peripheral economies, (2) comovements with non‐EU countries are lower, (3) relative comovement structure before, during, and after the global financial crisis has been very stable, and (4) the level of comovements remained virtually the same between the crisis and post‐crisis periods. Our results are robust to controlling for Fama‐French, U.S. and global risk factors, as well as monetary policy, market interest rates, exchange rates, and uncertainty.
Blockchain Technology and Its Applications in FinTech

In this short paper we introduce the basics of blockchain technology including its many advantages and why and how they possess a number of attractive attributes for the banking and financial-services industry to simplify business processes while maintaining safe, trustworthy records of business agreement and transactions. In particular, some typical examples of applying blockchain in Financial Technology (FinTech) are discussed, including such as applying Bitcoin to drive various new business services, and implementing smart contracts based on blockchain technology to oversee the execution of legal transactions in real time. In addition, a pioneer effort of building up a distributed-ledger consortium model is addressed in the near future work.
Diffusion Mechanisms of Radiolytic Species in Irradiated Al (Oxy-)Hydroxides

Rare-event simulations (climbing image nudged elastic band and metadynamics) were performed using density functional theory (DFT) and a hybrid exchange-correlation functional to elucidate and quantify the diffusion mechanisms of radiation-induced species (O–, H0, and H2) in boehmite (γ-AlOOH) and gibbsite (γ-Al(OH)3). The two Al (oxy-)hydroxide phases are known to have much different radiolytic activities, particularly in terms of H2 production, which involves the formation and recombination of hydrogen radicals, but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. The DFT calculations revealed that O– diffusion occurred via proton-coupled hole transfer with high energy barriers in both phases. In contrast, energy barriers for H0 transfers were generally lower in boehmite than in gibbsite, suggesting a more facile diffusion in boehmite of H radicals to the surface, where H2 formation can take place. Another key difference was the ability of H0 and H2 to diffuse across the structural layers in gibbsite but not in...
Integrated Circuit Processing

A well orchestrated sequence of a limited number of processes permits the arrangement of an enormous number of interconnected individual devices on a single wafer forming an integrated circuit.
Schools in vulnerable contexts: Galapagos Islands’ principals and accountability

Rural and remote areas present challenges in the organization of schools, especially when implementing new practices. In this study, we examine the leadership challenges faced by principals in the Galapagos Islands, under the Ministry of Education in Ecuador. The purpose of this case is to examine the work of principals leading schools in this unique context observing the expectations and demands for principals under a newly implemented accountability system. Significant in this study is the examination of leadership in highly vulnerable contexts, including the remote islands of Galapagos, and leadership values respective to the success of schools and communities.
Trend Analysis of Multiple Extreme Hourly Precipitation Time Series in the Southeastern United States

AbstractAnnual trends in extreme hourly precipitation time series were examined at 50 first-order weather stations across the southeastern United States from 1960 to 2017. Results indicated that th...
Military Necessity: The Art, Morality and Law of War

What does it mean to say that international humanitarian law (IHL) strikes a realistic and meaningful balance between military necessity and humanity, and that the law therefore 'accounts for' military necessity? To what consequences does the law 'accounting for' military necessity give rise? Through real-life examples and careful analysis, this book challenges received wisdom on the subject by devising a new theory that not only reaffirms Kriegsrason's fallacy but also explains why IHL has no reason to restrict or prohibit militarily unnecessary conduct on that ground alone. Additionally, the theory hypothesises greater normative significance for humanitarian and chivalrous imperatives when they conflict with IHL rules. By combining international law, jurisprudence, military history, strategic studies, and moral philosophy, this book reveals how rational fighting relates to ethical fighting, how IHL incorporates contrasting values that shape its rules, and how law and theory adapt themselves to war's evolutions.
Higher plasma asparaginase activity after intramuscular than intravenous Erwinia asparaginase.

It is unclear if dosing intervals for Erwinase can be extended with intramuscular (i.m.) versus intravenous (i.v.) dosing. Children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia received Erwinase at 30 000-42 000 IU/m2 i.v. or i.m. I.m. Erwinase (n = 22) achieved activity above 0.1 IU/mL for longer than i.v. Erwinase (n = 33) (3.4 vs 2.9 days, P = 0.0007). With 30 000 IU/m2 Monday, Wednesday, Friday, more patients achieved adequate concentrations over the weekend with i.m. vs i.v. dosing (P = 5 × 10-36 ). A schedule with i.v. doses on Monday and Wednesday and i.m. doses on Friday of 30 000 IU/m2 maintained activity > 0.1 IU/mL over the weekend in 80% of patients.
Resistance monitoring to four insecticides and mechanisms of resistance in Lygus lineolaris Palisot de Beauvois (Hemiptera: Miridae) populations of southeastern USA cotton.

BACKGROUND Economically damaging infestations of the tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), have become more frequent in Virginia and North Carolina cotton since 2013 and 2010, respectively. Foliar insecticide use has increased dramatically in response. Efficacy data (LC50 ) are needed to evaluate L. lineolaris susceptibility and resistance levels (RR50 ) to commonly used and recommended insecticides for managing this pest in the southeastern USA. RESULTS Elevated resistance levels to acephate and bifenthrin were measured in L. lineolaris populations collected from wild and cultivated hosts in Virginia, North Carolina and northern Alabama when compared to a susceptible laboratory population. High levels of bifenthrin resistance were observed in 2018 and 2019. Mixed-function oxidase and esterase (EST) inhibitors, piperonyl butoxide and S,S,S-Tributyl phosphotrithioate, respectively, had a synergistic effect on bifenthrin with resistant populations of L. lineolaris. Bifenthrin-resistant L. lineolaris populations expressed elevated levels of cytochrome P450 (CYP450 ) monooxygenase and general EST activity. Results suggest that insecticide resistance is present in some locations and that CYP450 and EST activity in L. lineolaris contribute to pyrethroid resistance in the southeastern USA. CONCLUSIONS Results can serve as a baseline for continued monitoring of L. lineolaris insecticide resistance and inform insecticide resistance management strategies that help southeastern USA cotton producers to minimize inputs and slow resistance development. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.
”The Unavoidable Interaction Between the Object and the Measuring Instruments”: Reality, Probability, and Nonlocality in Quantum Physics

This article aims to contribute to the ongoing task of clarifying the relationships between reality, probability, and nonlocality in quantum physics. It is in part stimulated by Khrennikov’s argument, in several communications, for “eliminating the issue of quantum nonlocality” from the analysis of quantum entanglement. I argue, however, that the question may not be that of eliminating but instead that of further illuminating this issue, a task that can be pursued by relating quantum nonlocality to other key features of quantum phenomena. I suggest that the following features of quantum phenomena and quantum mechanics, distinguishing them from classical phenomena and classical physics—(1) the irreducible role of measuring instruments in defining quantum phenomena, (2) discreteness, (3) complementarity, (4) entanglement, (5) quantum nonlocality, and (6) the irreducibly probabilistic nature of quantum predictions—are all interconnected, so that it is difficult to give an unconditional priority to any one of them. To argue this case, I shall consider quantum phenomena and quantum mechanics from a nonrealist or, in terms adopted here, “reality-without-realism” (RWR) perspective. This perspective extends Bohr’s view, grounded in his analysis of the irreducible role of measuring instruments in the constitution of quantum phenomena.
Beta-Blockers and Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Growth: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background Aortic aneurysms are worrisome because of their predisposition to dissection and rupture. Beta-blockers are considered first line therapy for aortic aneurysms. The following meta-analysis assess if beta-blockers diminish aortic aneurysm growth. Methods A literature search was performed to collect information on clinical trials that have assessed aortic aneurysm growth between beta-blockers and placebo. The primary endpoint was aortic aneurysm growth rate per year. A forest plot with a random effects model was used for analysis. Results Eight clinical trials were included in the analysis. Beta-blockers showed a statistically non-significant effect on aortic aneurysm growth (standard mean difference -0.44; 95% CI [-0.44, 0.00]). Conclusion Beta-blockers do not significantly influence aortic aneurysm growth. Further studies are required to find a suitable medical therapy to reduce growth rates.
When Law is Complicit in Gender Bias: Ending De Jure Discrimination Against Women as an Important Target of Sustainable Development Goal 5

Ending all forms of discrimination against women and girls is not only a basic human right, but also crucial to accelerating sustainable development. The very first target of Goal 5. 1.1 calls to end all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere and the indicator for the goal is: “Whether or not legal frameworks are in place to promote, enforce and monitor equality and non-discrimination on the basis of sex”. In many countries around the world the legal frameworks themselves allow for both direct (de jure) and indirect (de facto) discrimination against women. This essay identifies some areas of de jure discrimination in laws regulating women’s family lives that explicitly impact both their personal and public lives and examines some recent law reform in this area.
Integrative Wireless Device for Remote Continuous Blood Biomarker Monitoring

To perform precision medicine in real-time at home, a device capable of long-distance continuously monitoring target biomolecules in unprocessed blood under dynamic situations is essential. In this study, an integrative buffer-free wireless device is developed to measure drug concentrations in the blood of patients in real-time for remote clinical healthcare. To demonstrate its capability, the drug molecules (i.e., small-molecule drug doxorubicin, DOX) are continuously measured in the unprocessed whole blood of live animals (e.g., rats). The dynamic changes of drug concentrations with the sub-minute temporal resolution are recorded for an extended period of time (8 hours). As an advance in remote diagnosis, this device would benefit the public by enabling long-distance precision medicine to prevent pandemics in advance.
World Trade Center Survivor with Post Solid-Organ Transplant Plasma Cell Neoplasm.

Abstract Plasma cell neoplasms (PCNs) in post solid organ transplant is a rare occurrence. To date, there is no standardized protocol for treatment. Management is further complicated in World Trade Center (WTC) survivors who present with post- solid organ transplant PCNs. This poses a challenge in management in order to reconcile the use of necessary immunosuppressive therapy (IST) with chemotherapy or immunotherapy and the potential toxic side effects. We report a case of a 59 year old WTC survivor with a history of orthotopic liver transplant (2015) for NASH cirrhosis on IST who was diagnosed with IgG lambda multiple myeloma (MM) in June 2019. The induction regimen of cyclophosphamide, bortezomib and dexamethasone (CyBorD) was initiated. Labs and clinical evaluation showed a very good partial response (VGPR). In January 2020, the patient presented with transaminitis and hyperbilirubinemia. CT abdomen and pelvis indicated multiple low-attenuation hepatic lesions. Ultrasound-guided core liver biopsy revealed malignant plasma cell neoplasm. The patient underwent endoscopic retrograde cholaniopancreatography (ERCP) with intraductal biliary stent placement in an attempt to alleviate the extrinsic obstruction from the hepatic lesions. The procedure was unsuccessful and the patient subsequently developed overt jaundice and progressive ascites. He was started on modified dexamethasone, cyclophosphamide, etoposide and cisplatin (DCEP). Unfortunately, liver failure progressed with enlarging liver lesions, at which point the patient elected hospice and died. This case highlights the fulminant course of PCNs post solid organ transplant. This is an area of unmet need for standardized treatment regimen in these poor prognostic cases. In addition, the case illustrates the complexity involved with management of such patients. A multidisciplinary medical team is needed to manage such patients’ complicated disease course.
Was Arthur Andersen Different?: An Empirical Examination of Major Accounting Firm Audits of Large Clients

Enron and other corporate financial scandals focused attention on the accounting industry in general and on Arthur Andersen in particular. Part of the policy response to Enron, the criminal prosecution of Andersen eliminated one of the few major audit firms capable of auditing many large public corporations. This article explores whether Andersen's performance, as measured by frequency of financial restatements, measurably differed from that of other large auditors. Financial restatements trigger significant negative market reactions and their frequency can be viewed as a measure of accounting performance. We analyze the financial restatement activity of approximately 1,000 large public firms from 1997 through 2001. After controlling for client size, region, time, and industry, we find no evidence that Andersen's performance significantly differed from that of other large accounting firms.
Association of keyboarding fluency and writing performance in online-delivered assessment

Abstract Keyboard-based writing has become increasingly important in everyday living and professional working. However, keyboarding literacy is presumed in most situations; there lack systematic studies on keyboarding and its association with writing processes and qualities of written products. Using the keystroke data of over 1300 middle-school students, we investigated keyboarding fluency, a key subskill of writing transcription measured by an internally reliable metric, and its association with writing process, score, and text characteristics extracted by NLP techniques. We find that: keyboarding fluency is a reliable individual-level property, subject to demographic and linguistic factors of gender, ethnicity, and grade; there exists a threshold keyboarding fluency, which varies by writing purposes and reflects the minimum level of keyboarding skill at which other writing processes are least affected; and more and less fluent typists (differentiated by the threshold) show different text production, transcription, and editing behaviors during writing processes, and distinct linguistic qualities in written products. These findings imply a keyboarding threshold hypothesis and are informative to different stakeholders including practitioners, researchers, test developers, and policy makers. They also provide practical implications for teaching and learning writing in classrooms under a digital environment and help generate personalized feedback on improving writing practice.
Achieving Social Equity in the Cannabis Industry

As legal cannabis begins to infiltrate most American states and public support grows for federal legalization, the national discussion has shifted from if cannabis should be legalized to how it should be legalized. A significant part of this debate has centered around the need to use cannabis legalization to address the lasting harm done to communities of color through federal prohibition. A fair and just framework for the legal cannabis industry cannot be achieved without sufficient efforts to foster social equity within the industry and to right the wrongs done by decades of prohibition. While most states with legal cannabis have recognized this issue and have taken some steps to address it, state action as a whole has been mostly ineffective and does not adequately reflect the scale of the problem. This paper argues that broad federal action is needed to achieve true social equity in the cannabis industry, action that goes beyond recognizing the problems and works to change the stigma surrounding drug use and its historical relation to communities of color.
Reproductive anatomy and gametogenesis in Shipleya inermis (Cestoda: Dioecocestidae).

Study of the reproductive anatomy in 65 strobilae of the dioecious cestode Shipleya inermis Fuhrmann, 1908 (Acoleata: Dioecocestidae) showed that a common genital duct, probably arising through fusion of the vas deferens and the proximal portion of the vaginal duct, compensated functionally for the loss of a patent vagina. Gonochorism was characteristic, but rudimentary genital organs of the opposite sex were present in 26 % of males and 9 % of females; two strobilae (3 %) were hermaphroditic. Hermaphrodites had normally developed male organs and were capable of cross-fertilization as males; their female organs were much reduced in size but were functional, and eggs or fertilized ova in the uteri indicated that self-fertilization occurred. Gametogenesis was traced, mainly in chromosomal preparations. The diploid chromosomal complement in embryos and germ-line cells consisted of four pairs of homologues (2n = 8, n = 4, FN = 14). Based on observation in female cestodes of one pair of chromosomes having non-homologous or non-pairing segments due to influence of heterochromatin, the authors suggest that females produce gametes of two types relative to heterochromatic DNA, while males are homogametic, and that sex-determining effects are associated therein. In males, meiosis included chromosomal pairing and recombination, after which heterochromatin was eliminated from germline cells through fragmentation. Other biological characteristics of S. inermis in the hosts, Limnodromus spp. (Charadriiformes), are briefly discussed.
Jurisdiction, Transfer, and Pretrial: Using Fed. R. Civ. P. 16 to Resolve Forum Convenience Disputes

The article argues that Federal District Judges should exercise their managerial powers under Rule 16 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure to resolve forum convenience disputes, (i.e., challenges to the personal jurisdiction or venue of a court), in early pre-trial conference negotiation meetings rather than through the normal, but extremely wasteful, expensive, and time consuming, route of motion practice. The article suggests that the extremely complex multi-factored analyses for making forum convenience decisions, especially those ascertaining personal jurisdiction, has resulted in a body of decisional law that makes it difficult to predict reasonable outcomes, and that is moreover inconsistent with settled understandings regarding the adjudication of constitutional and statutory claims. These unfortunate results are compounded by the ability of defendants to secure interlocutory appeals to challenge District Judge decisions to honor plaintiff’s initial choice of forum, adding substantial expense and significant delay to the adjudication of the merits of a plaintiff’s claim. In cases targeted by the proposal, federal diversity cases filed against non-residents defendants, the use of early Rule 16 conferences could substantially reduce the judicial resources necessary to adjudicate the large volume of such cases that appear on the federal docket.
Does perfluorocarbon deoxygenate during partial liquid ventilation

Perfluorocarbons accumulate in the dependent regions of the lungs, which may result in regional hypoxia if ventilation with oxygen is insufficient to oxygenate the dependent perfluorocarbon-filled alveoli. In this issue of Critical Care, Max et al present data that demonstrate a decrease in arterial oxygen tension (PaO2) at 30 min compared to that observed at 5min after administration of FC 3280. These data suggest failure of on-going attributed to the oxygen ventilation/oxygenation to support the initial increase in PaO2dissolved in the administered perfluorocarbon. Studies such as this one demonstrate that development of the optimal partial liquid ventilation (PLV) technique is ongoing.
Influence of alcoholism and gender on the relationship between personality and drinking motivation

Background Alcoholic men and women tend to have differential patterns of associated comorbid psychiatric disorders, distinct cognitive and emotional abnormalities, and varying corresponding structural and functional brain abnormalities. Further, although converging, there remain gender differences in sociocultural norms related to alcohol use behaviors. As such, men and women may be motivated to use and abuse alcohol for different reasons. Previous literature has suggested a role for personality in drinking motives, but this relationship generally has been assessed as a risk factor for adolescents and young adults rather than in an adult population. The goal of the present study was to determine how alcoholism and gender are related to the associations between personality traits and drinking motivation.
An Economic Analysis of Counterfeit Goods: the Case of China

The paper provides an economic analysis of two types of counterfeit goods under market equilibrium and under market failure respectively. Section one answers why consumers demand fake goods, the counterfeiters’ incentives, dynamics of short-run equilibrium and changes in the long run. Counterfeiting, as a market behavior, lasts as long as the pleasure from consuming and super profit from producing exist. Section two analyzes six non-market factors behind the large-scale production in China. There are institutional, economic and social reasons that keep this illegal industry flourishing. Measures improving these factors should be effective to prevent a crackdown on the industry.
Time Domain Transforms

This chapter gives the exact mathematical details of the time‐domain transform used in many modern vector network analyzers (VNAs). The VNA time domain transform is developed from the definition of the Fourier transform, by applying the various limits and compensations that are necessary when used in the VNA. The chapter provides some important details of Fourier analysis as applied to device measurements using VNAs. Since the data is measured in the frequency domain, the transformations are most interested in the inverse Fourier transform (IFT), generating the time‐domain response from the frequency‐domain data. Since measured frequency response of networks consists of discrete data, it is appropriate to discuss the discrete version of the IFT to determine the associated time response. The fast Fourier transform and inverse fast Fourier transform are well‐known algorithms for calculating the Fourier transform pair of a discrete data set.
Incompatibility Exhibited by Colicin Plasmids E1, E2, and E3 in Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli strains were made multiply colicinogenic for the colicin plasmids E1, E2, or E3 (Col E1, Col E2, or Col E3, respectively) by both a deoxyribonucleic acid transformation system and bacterial conjugation. The multiply colicinogenic bacteria constructed exhibited an immunity to the colicins produced by all the plasmids they carried and also produced colicins corresponding to all the plasmids they carried. An incompatibility was observed among the plasmids. In doubly colicinogenic cells where the presence of two plasmids was established, Col E2 was lost more frequently than Col E3. In triply colicinogenic cells, Col E1, Col E2, and Col E3 were lost, with Col E3 being lost least frequently. A significant reduction in the acquisition of a conjugationally transferred Col E1 plasmid by cells colicinogenic for Col E1 was demonstrated.
H2 Production by Selenomonas ruminantium in the Absence and Presence of Methanogenic Bacteria

Selenomonas ruminantium is a nonsporeforming anaerobe that ferments carbohydrates primarily to lactate, propionate, acetate and CO2. H2 production by this species has not been previously reported. We found, however, that some strains produce trace amounts of H2 which can be detected by sensitive gas chromatographic procedures. H2 production is increased markedly, in some cases almost 100-fold, when the selenomonads are co-cultured with methane-producing bacteria. Growth of the methane-producing bacteria depends on H2 production by the selenomonads and the subsequent use of H2 for the reduction of CO2 to CH4. Although no free H2 accumulates in the mixed cultures, the amount of H2 formed by the selenomonads can be calculated from the amount of methane produced. These studies indicate that the conventional methods for measuring H2 production by pure cultures do not provide an adequate estimate of an organism's potential for forming H2 in an anaerobic ecosystem when H2 is rapidly used, e.g., for formation of CH4.
Diabetes Severity, Metabolic Syndrome, and the Risk of Erectile Dysfunction

Introduction Erectile dysfunction (ED) is more common in men with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), obesity, and/or the metabolic syndrome (MetS).
Metabolic alpha-hydroxylation of N-nitrosomorpholine and 3,3,5,5-tetradeutero-N-nitrosomorpholine in the F344 rat.

We studied the metabolism in the male F344 rat of N -nitrosomorpholine and of 3,3,5,5-tetradeutero- N -nitrosomorpholine; the latter is less carcinogenic and less mutagenic than is N -nitrosomorpholine. α-Hydroxylation (3- or 5-hydroxylation) of N -nitrosomorpholine by liver microsomes and a reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-generating system produced (2-hydroxyethoxy)acetaldehyde, which was identified as its 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone derivative. When we administered N -nitrosomorpholine to rats i.p., we did not detect (2-hydroxyethoxy)acetaldehyde in the urine, but we did identify (2-hydroxyethoxy)acetic acid (16% of the dose). We also identified N -nitroso(2-hydroxyethyl)glycine (33% of the dose) from β-hydroxylation (2- or 6-hydroxylation), N -nitrosodiethanolamine (12%), and unchanged N -nitrosomorpholine (1.5%) in the urine. The deuterated analogs of the above metabolites were isolated from the urine of rats treated with 3,3,5,5-tetradeutero- N -nitrosomorpholine in yields as follows: (2-hydroxyethoxy)acetic acid (3.4%); N -nitroso(2-hydroxyethyl)glycine (37%); N -nitrosodiethanolamine (12%); N -nitrosomorpholine (0.4%). These data demonstrate that deuterium substitution in the α-positions of N -nitrosomorpholine caused a decrease in the extent of α-hydroxylation and indicate that α-hydroxylation is the mechanism of activation of N -nitrosomorpholine.
Reconfigurable array antenna using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) actuators

The paper demonstrates a patch antenna integrated with a novel microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) actuator for reconfiguring the operating frequency. Experimental results demonstrate that the center frequency can be reconfigured by as much as 1.6 percent of the nominal operating frequency at K-band. In addition, a novel on-wafer antenna pattern measurement technique is demonstrated.
Residue-by-Residue View of In Vitro FUS Granules that Bind the C-Terminal Domain of RNA Polymerase II

Phase-separated states of proteins underlie ribonucleoprotein (RNP) granules and nuclear RNA-binding protein assemblies that may nucleate protein inclusions associated with neurodegenerative diseases. We report that the N-terminal low-complexity domain of the RNA-binding protein Fused in Sarcoma (FUS LC) is structurally disordered and forms a liquid-like phase-separated state resembling RNP granules. This state directly binds the C-terminal domain of RNA polymerase II. Phase-separated FUS lacks static structures as probed by fluorescence microscopy, indicating they are distinct from both protein inclusions and hydrogels. We use solution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to directly probe the dynamic architecture within FUS liquid phase-separated assemblies. Importantly, we find that FUS LC retains disordered secondary structure even in the liquid phase-separated state. Therefore, we propose that disordered protein granules, even those made of aggregation-prone prion-like domains, are dynamic and disordered molecular assemblies with transiently formed protein-protein contacts.
A processor-time-minimal schedule for the standard tensor product algorithm

The paper, using a directed acyclic graph (dag) model of algorithms, investigates precedence constrained multiprocessor schedules for the n/spl times/n/spl times/n/spl times/n directed mesh. Its completion requires at least 4n-3 multiprocessor steps. Time-minimal multiprocessor schedules that use as few processors as possible are called processor-time-minimal. For the 4D mesh, such a schedule requires at least (2/3)n/sup 3/+n/3 processors. This lower bound is shown to be exact by constructing a processor-time-minimal multiprocessor schedule that can be realized on a systolic array whose topology is a 3-dimensional twisted torus. >
Multilevel Analysis: An Introduction to Basic and Advanced Multilevel Modeling (2nd Edition)

Tom A. B. Snijders & Roel J. Bosker. Los Angeles, CA: Sage, 2012, 354 pp. $45.00 (softcover). In the second edition of Multilevel Analysis: An Introduction to Basic and Advanced Multilevel Modeling...
Mixed oligoastrocytomas: a survival and prognostic factor analysis.

Seventy-one patients with supratentorial mixed oligoastrocytomas underwent surgery only (5 patients) or surgery with postoperative radiation therapy (66 patients) between 1960 and 1982. The median survival for these 71 patients was 5.8 years and the 5-, 10-, and 15-year survival rates were 55, 29, and 17%, respectively--values significantly different from those of an age- and sex-matched normal reference population. Uni- and multivariate survival analyses were applied to 14 possible prognostic factors, including the following: patient factors--age, sex, and seizures; tumor factors--site, size, side, computed tomographic enhancement, and calcification; pathological factors--tumor grade and dominant cellular component; and treatment factors--extent of surgical resection, lobectomy, and radiation dose and field. Of these factors, tumor grade, as determined by the Kernohan method, was the most strongly associated with survival. The 60 patients with Grades 1 and 2 tumors had a median survival of approximately 6.3 years and 5- and 10-year survival rates of 58% and 32%, respectively, compared with 2.8 years (36 and 9%, respectively) for the 11 patients with Grades 3 and 4 tumors. Age or = 5000 cGy were other factors significantly associated with improved survival in both uni- and multivariate models. Three of five patients not receiving postoperative radiation therapy experienced tumor recurrence and died. Seven of eight patients from whom tissue was obtained at the time of tumor progression demonstrated anaplastic transformation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Actual vs perceived EMS response time.

Objective. To compare patients' perceptions of ambulance response times with the actual ambulance response times to aid quality assurance efforts in EMS management. Methods. A convenience sample of patients presenting to an urban ED via EMS were asked a series of four questions pertaining to response time, scene time, time to definitive care, and their expectations of response time. These times were then compared with actual times from the EMS dispatch center. Times were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) followed by discriminant analysis. Results. There was a significant difference between the perceived and actual times for all three questions, by both multivariate analysis and univariate analysis (p < 0.0001). Patients tended to overestimate the actual response times (12.4 min vs 9.1 min) but underestimate the on-scene times (9.1 min vs 12.4 min) and times to definitive care (29.4 min vs 35.0 min). Conclusion. Patients are inaccurate in their estimations of time. Response times ar...
Degradation of association and projection white matter systems in alcoholism detected with quantitative fiber tracking.

Background Excessive alcohol use can cause macrostructural tissue shrinkage with regional preference for frontal systems. The extent and locus of alcoholism's effect on white matter microstructure is less known. Methods Quantitative fiber tracking derived from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) assessed the integrity of samples of 11 major white matter bundles in 87 alcoholics (59 men, 28 women) and 88 healthy control subjects (42 men, 46 women). Fiber integrity was expressed as fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), quantified separately for longitudinal diffusivity (λL), a putative index of axonal integrity, and transverse diffusivity (λT), a putative index of myelin integrity. Results Alcoholism affected FA and diffusivity, particularly λT, of several fiber bundles. Frontal and superior sites (frontal forceps, internal and external capsules, fornix, and superior cingulate and longitudinal fasciculi) showed greatest abnormalities in alcoholics relative to control subjects. More posterior and inferior bundles were relatively spared. Lifetime alcohol consumption correlated with regional DTI measures in alcoholic men but not women. When matched for alcohol exposure, alcoholic women showed more DTI signs of white matter degradation than alcoholic men in several fiber bundles. Among all alcoholics, poorer performance on speeded tests correlated with DTI signs of regional white matter degradation. Conclusions This survey of multiple brain fiber systems revealed a differential pattern of alcoholism's effect on regional FA and diffusivity with functional consequences attributable in part to compromised fiber microstructure with prominence in signs of myelin degradation. Sex-based differences suggest that women are at enhanced risk for alcoholism-related degradation in selective white matter systems.
Environmental controls over isoprene emission in deciduous oak canopies

In summer 1992, isoprene emission was measured on intact leaves and branches of Quercus alba (L.) at two heights in a forest canopy. Isoprene emission capacity (measured at 30 degrees C and a photosynthetic photon flux density of 1000 micro mol m(-2) s(-1)) was significantly higher in sun leaves than in shade leaves when expressed on a leaf area basis (51 versus 31 nmol m(-2) s(-1); P < 0.01). Because leaf mass per unit area (LMA, g m(-2)) was higher in sun leaves than in shade leaves, emissions of sun and shade leaves expressed on a dry mass basis did not differ significantly (99 versus 89 micro g C g(DW) (-1) h(-1); P = 0.05). Similar measurements in 1995 were consistent with the 1992 data, but data from leaves in more shaded locations demonstrated that isoprene emission capacity decreased with decreasing growth irradiance, irrespective of units of expression. Isoprene emission capacity in leaves of Q. coccinea Muenchh. and Q. velutina Lam. also declined steeply with canopy depth. Emission capacity, on a dry mass basis, showed no obvious pattern with canopy position in Q. prinus L. There was no difference in the temperature response of sun versus shade leaves of Q. alba, but shade leaves exhibited a greater quantum efficiency and saturated at lower irradiance than sun leaves. Rates of isoprene emission measured on branches of Q. alba were approximately 60% of those measured on individual leaves, as a result of self-shading within branch enclosures. It is recommended that within-canopy variation in isoprene emission capacity be incorporated into regional emission models.
Nucleosides. CXIX. Substrate specificity and mechanism of action of cytidine deaminases of monkey plasma and mouse kidney.

Abstract Cytidine deaminase (cytidine aminohydrolase, EC 3.5.4.5), partially purified from monkey plasma and mouse kidney, has been studied for its substrate specificity and mechanism of action as part of an effort to develop antineoplastic nucleoside analogs that are resistant to enzymic deamination. Steady-state initial rate studies with the enzyme from both sources indicate that uridine is a competitive inhibitor ( K i = 2.8 and 3.4 × 10 −3 M for monkey plasma and mouse kidney deaminase, respectively) with respect to cytidine ( K m = 2.8 × 10 −5 and 1.8 × 10 −4 M for monkey plasma and mouse kidney deaminase, respectively) and ammonium chloride at 2 × 10 −2 M is without inhibitory effect at pH 7.6 or 9.5. The reaction sequence is consistent with a mechanism in which cytidine is the first substrate to interact with the enzyme with the release of uridine as its second product. 1-Methyl-Ψ-isocytidine serves as a substrate; Ψ-isocytidine and 3-deazacytidine do not. Furthermore, Ψ-isocytidine, 2′-deoxy-Ψ-isocytidine and ara-Ψ-isocytosine are potent competitive inhibitors with respect to cytidine in the deaminase reaction ( K i = 7.5 × 10 −5 M, 1.2 × 10 −5 M and 9.2 × 10 −6 M, respectively, for the deaminase from monkey plasma). From substrate specificity and inhibition studies, a mechanism of enzymic deamination of cytosine nucleosides had been proposed which suggests an electrophilic attack by the enzyme at the N-3 position of cytidine which causes electron deficiency at C-4 in the enzyme-substrate complex. Subsequent nucleophilic attack by water at the C-4 position would allow the elimination of ammonia and the dissociation of the enzyme to release uridine as its final product.
Predictors of attrition in a cohort study of HIV infection and methamphetamine dependence

Longitudinal cohort studies of HIV and substance use disorders play an important role in understanding these conditions, but high rates of attrition can threaten their integrity and generalizability. This study aimed to identify factors associated with attrition in a 5-year observational cohort study of 469 individuals with and without HIV infection and methamphetamine (MA) dependence. Rates of attrition in our four study groups were approximately 24% in HIV-MA-, 15% in HIV+MA-, 56% in HIV-MA+, and 47% in HIV+MA+ individuals. Predictors of attrition in the overall cohort included history of MA, alcohol, and other substance dependence, learning impairment, reduced cognitive reserve, and independence in activities of daily living (all ps < .05), but varied somewhat by clinical group. Of particular note, enrollment in a neuroimaging substudy was associated with significantly boosted rates of retention in the MA groups. Results from this investigation highlight the complexity of the clinical factors that influence retention in cohort studies of HIV-infected MA users and might guide the development and implementation of targeted retention efforts.