cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Environment-Dependent Photophysics of Polymer-Bound J Aggregates Determined by Time-Resolved Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Time-Resolved Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscopy

Exciton migration and annihilation dynamics in J aggregates comprised of a pseudoisocyanine (PIC) dye and poly(vinyl sulfate) (PVS) are studied by time-correlated, single-photon-counting (TCSPC) methods coupled with near-field scanning optical microscopy (TCSPC-NSOM) and also by conventional, far-field TCSPC. Far-field TCSPC studies of the aggregates in aqueous solution demonstrate that the exciton lifetime in the absence of annihilation (at low excitation intensities) is 789 ± 36 ps with biexponential exciton decay occurring at high excitation intensities due to exciton annihilation. Analysis of the intensity-dependent decay with conventional exciton decay theories demonstrates that the observed decay dynamics are consistent with exciton migration limited to finite molecular domains. In contrast to the solution studies, deposition of a thin PIC/PVS aggregate film onto fused quartz results in a dramatic reduction in the exciton lifetime to ∼10 ps. This lifetime demonstrates only modest dependence on excit...
Status of knowledge of the fundamental constants of physics and chemistry as of January 1959

Abstract If at a given epoch one wishes a consistent system of values of the fundamental constants of physics and chemistry, that is to say a system consistent with all the accepted laws interrelating these quantities and as consistent as possible with all the reliable precision data then available, it is emphasized in this paper that one cannot treat the problem in a piecemeal way, one constant at a time, but one is forced to adopt a unified approach involving a complete analysis and synthesis of all the data simultaneously. The least-squares adjustment of 1955 by Cohen, DuMond, Layton, and Rollett is briefly reviewed as an example. A wealth of new data has been accumulated since the 1955 adjustment and a list of 26 examples of such new determinations, either completed or in process, is presented, described, and discussed. When the results of certain of these redeterminations, now well advanced, have become definitely available it is felt that a new least-squares adjustment will be in order. The desirability of such periodic reassessments as well as their unavoidable shortcomings are discussed. A graphic record of past performance shows that the “best values” so obtained tend satisfactorily to stabilize within ever narrower error ranges which at each epoch are satisfactorily close to (usually in fact inside ) the error ranges of prior adjustments.
Detection, sequence patterns and function of unusual DNA structures

Unusual DNA structures were detected by an electrophoretic procedure in which DNA fragments were separated according to size on agarose gels and then by shape on polyacrylamide gels. Fragments from yeast centromeres migrated faster in polyacrylamide than predicted from their base composition and size and this property was attributed to a nonrandom distribution of oligomeric A tracts that exhibited minima at 10-11 base intervals. Fragments from seven loci in 107 kb of DNA migrated anomalously slow and these fragments contained blocks of A2-6 in a 10-11 base periodicity which is indicative of bent DNA. The most pronounced bent sequences were found within yeast ARS1 and centered at 245 and 240 bp from the left and right ends of the adenovirus genome. Each sequence is approximately 150 bp away from a replication origin and the adenovirus sequences are within 50 bp of enhancers. Nuclear matrix attachment sites, which are also adjacent to enhancers, contain sequences characteristic of bent DNA. These results suggest that bent structures reside at the base of DNA loops in chromosomes.
A decisional balance measure and the stages of change model for weight loss.

Two studies were conducted to explore the cognitive and motivational aspects related to progression through the stages of intentional change in weight loss and control. Study I developed a Decision...
Inactivation of activin-dependent transcription by kinase-deficient activin receptors.

Activin, a member of the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily, binds to two classes of cell surface receptors. These receptors, designated type I and type II, are structurally related members of transmembrane serine kinase superfamily. Antibodies specific for either type I or type II activin receptor can coprecipitate complexes containing both affinity-labeled receptors from activin-responsive cells. Two type I receptors show cell-specific expression and associate with the ligand-binding, type II receptors. To investigate the roles of the cytoplasmic receptor domains in signaling through a heteromeric ligand receptor complex, we have made kinase-deficient activin receptors and correlated their losses in kinase activity with inhibitory effects on an activin-dependent transcriptional response in activin-responsive cell lines. Wild-type activin type II receptors phosphorylate activin type I receptors in transfected COS cells. In contrast, kinase-deficient activin type II receptors fail to phosphorylat...
Access to cyclopropyl cations via carbene fragmentation

Photolysis of cyclopropyloxychlorodiazirines affords cyclopropyloxychlorocarbenes whose fragmentations provide access to ion pairs, which feature cyclopropyl cations.
Wireless hippocampal neural recording via a multiple input RF receiver to construct place-specific firing fields

This paper reports scientifically meaningful in vivo experiments using a 32-channel wireless neural recording system (WINeR). The WINeR system is divided into transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) parts. On the Tx side, we had WINeR-6, a system-on-a-chip (SoC) that operated based on time division multiplexing (TDM) of pulse width modulated (PWM) samples. The chip was fabricated in a 0.5-µm CMOS process, occupying 4.9 × 3.3 mm2 and consuming 15 mW from ±1.5V supplies. The Rx used two antennas with separate pathways to down-convert the RF signal from a large area. A time-to-digital converter (TDC) in an FPGA converted the PWM pulses into digitized samples. In order to further increase the wireless coverage area and eliminate blind spots within a large experimental arena, two receivers were synchronized. The WINeR system was used to record epileptic activities from a rat that was injected with tetanus toxin (TT) in the dorsal hippocampus. In a different in vivo experiment, place-specific firing fields of place cells, which are parts of the hippocampal-dependent memory, were mapped from a series of behavioral experiments from a rat running in a circular track. Results from the same animal were compared against a commercial hard-wired recording system to evaluate the quality of the wireless recordings.
A Review of Life Distributions

"Everything you ever wanted to know about distributions for non-negative random variables but were afraid to ask." This book is an amazing tome covering numerous distributions on the nonnegative real line. As the authors indicate in the preface, it is entirely about distributions and has no estimation theory. Readers should have a solid background in probability theory?the authors suggest a master's level in statistics?to make full use of the book. Important results, for example, the Glivenko-Cantelli theorem, various stochastic ordering results, log-concavity, or topics from real analysis and probability are discussed in a very readable way. The goal of the authors is to characterize strategies for construct ing probability distributions for the nonnegative real line. They do so by showing how many common distributions can arise from nonparametric, qualitative conditioning, that is, axiomatic, semiparametric, and fully parametric. Many common distributions can be derived from these four principles and the princi ples are illustrated using common distributions such as the exponential and its generalizations such as the gamma or Weibull, as well as lesser known distribu tions such as the logT family, which includes the log-normal and log-Cauchy as special cases. The primary use of life distributions in behavioral science is, of course, the study of reaction time, but many results also inform choice models. Much of this literature is highly technical and not always clearly related to the literature on survival analysis in biostatistics and sociology, which also make use of life distributions. Anyone wanting to get a strong hold on the technical literature in any of these areas would be greatly aided by this volume.
Actin polymerization under pressure: a theoretical study.

An extended Flory-Huggins-type equilibrium polymerization theory for compressible systems is used to describe experimental data for the unusual pressure and temperature dependence of the equilibrium polymerization of G-actin to F-actin. The calculations provide rich insights into the reaction mechanism and the thermodynamics of actin polymerization at the molecular level. Volume changes associated with individual steps of the mechanism are calculated to be ΔVactiv=(s1*−s1)υ0=+1553ml∕mol for the activation reaction, ΔVdim=(s2−s1*)υ0=−3810ml∕mol for dimerization, and ΔVprop=(sP−s1)υ0=+361ml∕mol for the propagation reaction, where s1υ0, s1*υ0, s2υ0, and sPυ0 are the monomer volumes in the G-actin monomer, the activated G-action, the dimer, and higher polymers, respectively. Comparison with experimental measurements is made, and discrepancies are discussed.
Desulphurization of coal-derived char using mixtures of steam and methane

Abstract Results of a laboratory scale experimental study on the desulphurization of coal char by steam-methane mixtures are presented. The char was prepared from a high sulphur, medium volatile, bituminous coal. The variables studied were temperature and reacting gas composition. The concentration of sulphur, specific surface area, pore size distribution and char reactivity were determined before and after the desulphurization reaction. A significant amount of sulphur was removed when coal char was reacted with 3–20 mol% steam in steam-methane mixtures in the temperature range 703–823 K. Carbon gasification was effectively eliminated by this technique. Although small increases in both the specific surface area and pore volume occurred, the reactivity of the char was practically unaffected by the desulphurization reaction.
A New Message: Compassionate Conservatism, African Americans, and the Republican Party

In 1997 and 1998, several Republican gubernatorial candidates in the South put forth a new message of “compassionate conservatism” on the campaign trail. This paper examines two of those campaigns in great detail by using interviews with political actors and analysis, content analysis of the states newspapers, and exit poll data. I show how two Republicans have attempted to win Black support: by building a relationship of trust in the Black community, stressing their religious background, and proposing a few programs that would provide African Americans some economic support. While the majority of African Americans are likely to continue voting for Democrats, Republicans do have the potential to significantly alter Democratic coalitions. I conclude that Republican appeals to Black voters will force Democrats to pay greater attention to African Americans which, in turn, will make the parties more responsive to Blacks.
American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists' Proposed Threshold Limit Value for Noise

Abstract The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists has proposed a Threshold Limit Value for Noise. The limit for broad band noise would be 92 decibels, as measured on the A-scale of a sound level meter (dBA), for exposure of 4 to 8 hours per day; 97 dBA for 2 to 4 hours; 102 dBA for 1 to 2 hours; and 107 dBA for less than 1 hour. The limit for narrow bands of noise or pure tones would be 5 decibels lower than that for broad band noise. A limit of 140 decibels peak sound-pressure level for impulsive or impact noise is recommended.
MELANOGENESIS FROM TOPICAL MECHLORETHAMINE AND ANALOGUES IN SKIN OF HAIRLESS MICE AND IN VITILIGO

Progressive repigmentation occurred in vitiliginous skin of two patients topically treated with aqueous solutions of mechlorethamine. Hairless mice were found to provide what seems to be a satisfactory cutaneous system for evaluating potential melanogenic properties of topically applied test compounds.
Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson in Bali: Their Use of Photography and Film

In 1939 Gregory Bateson and Margaret Mead returned from three years of research in Bali and New Guinea, where they had innovated in their use of photography and film as ethnographic media. A world at war soon drew them away to other concerns, but not before they had produced a photographic ethnography in 1942. Around 1950 Mead returned to the material, assembling another photographic study and a series of six films. Although in its time Bateson and Mead's Balinese work was greeted with some puzzlement, by now these books and films have achieved the status of classics. In many ways they began the field of visual anthropology, and to this day there is little that can be compared to their work. Despite this landmark status, their project has been subjected to surprisingly little reconsideration (Collier 1967:5-6; de Brigard 1975:26-27; Heider 1976:27-30). As the first extended treatment of their use of photography and film in Bali, this essay offers a historical overview of their project, and then turns to a consideration of one out of the many relevant theoretical issues-the objectivity of their record.' Though involved mainly with a visual medium, Bateson and Mead faced the same problems of representation as their colleagues relying solely on words. Thus, this essay will trace their process of turning "raw" field notes into finished ethnographies (Clifford and Marcus 1986).
Effect of antiarrhythmic drugs on mortality after myocardial infarction

Abstract The theoretical potential for a preventive or prophylactic effect of antiarrhythmic drugs (excluding beta blockers) in the treatment of coronary patients with ventricular arrhythmias has not been realized. Randomized controlled clinical trials conducted during the early hospital phase after an acute myocardial infarction as well as after discharge have not demonstrated an effect on patient survival. Three possible explanations exist. First, treatment of ventricular arrhythmias does not improve prognosis. Although this explanation is supported by the overall trial results, it is contrary to massive evidence from animal, clinical and epidemiologic studies. Second, treatment of ventricular arrhythmias does prolong life but benefit has not been observed in the trials. Limitations in applied methods, including insufficient sample sizes, may have obscured a true favorable intervention effect. Third, control of ventricular arrhythmias helps some patients but harms others. Concomitant treatment with digitalis and diuretics and, possibly, arrhythmogenic properties of the investigational drugs themselves might have confounded the overall results. The second in particular, but also the third explanation, are the most plausible. Only 1 of the 20 controlled clinical trials considered for this review required presence of ventricular arrhythmias as an entry criterion. All trials were small; the largest number of patients enrolled in a single trial was 610 and the highest number of deaths in a trial was 49. To resolve the uncertainty, increased attention to methodologic issues, such as selection of appropriate study populations, intervention strategies and larger sample sizes, is required. Only then will it be possible to determine whether antiarrhythmic drugs exert a life-prolonging effect.
Effect of age on the outcome of angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction among Patients treated at the mayo clinic

Abstract PURPOSE: Elderly patients, especially those 80 years of age and older, have been excluded from most studies of thrombolysis or primary coronary angioplasty in patients with acute myocardial infarction. We compared the outcomes of elderly patients who underwent coronary angioplasty with the outcomes of younger patients and determined whether there were any temporal trends in survival. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We reviewed the outcomes of 1,597 consecutive patients who underwent primary coronary angioplasty between 1979 and 1997, including 127 patients who were 80 years of age or older (mean [±SD] age, 83 ± 3 years, 47% male). Their in-hospital and long-term outcomes were compared with those of 524 patients who were 70 to 79 years old, 527 patients who were 60 to 69 years old, and 419 patients who were 50 to 59 years old. The oldest group of patients was divided into two groups, based on whether they had intervention through the end of 1993 (n = 56) or between 1994 and 1997 (n = 71). The survival rate of the patients who had no complications and left the hospital was compared with expected survival based on age- and sex-adjusted data. RESULTS: Patients 80 years of age or older had more adverse baseline characteristics, including risk factors and comorbid conditions, than the younger patients. The clinical success rate of primary angioplasty in this group was lower than those in the other three groups (61% versus 74% in those aged 70 to 79 years, 73% in those aged 60 to 69 years, and 81% in those aged 50 to 59 years, P P P = 0.0006) and in-hospital mortality declined (16% versus 29%, P = 0.07). During follow-up, mortality in the oldest age group in whom angioplasty was successful was significantly greater than in the three younger groups, but was similar to the expected survival in the general US population. CONCLUSIONS: The mortality associated with primary angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction in octogenarians remains high, although there has been significant improvement in the clinical success rate. The long-term prognosis following a successful angioplasty is not different from that in an age- and sex-adjusted U.S. white population.
Expression of meadowfoam Des5 and FAE1 genes in yeast and in transgenic soybean somatic embryos, and their roles in fatty acid modification

Abstract Meadowfoam (Limnanthes spp.) species are unique in that their seeds are rich in the unusual fatty acids Δ5-eicosenoic acid (C20:1Δ5) and the diene, C22:2Δ5, Δ13. Previously the cloning of Δ5 desaturase (Des5) and fatty acid elongase 1 (FAE1) meadowfoam genes and their expression in soybean were reported. Here, we present the first successful expression of the Limnanthes Des5 in yeast, resulting in the desaturation of C16:0, C18:0 and C20:0 to their corresponding cis Δ5 isomers. In soybean (Glycine max L.), Limnanthes Des5/FAE1 double transformant somatic embryos fed with radiolabeled C14:0 or C16:0 could elongate these substrates to C18:0, C20:0 and C22:0 and C24:0. However, radiolabeled C18:1Δ9 or C20:1Δ11 were not elongated to their respective monounsaturated very long-chain products, confirming that the cloned Limnanthes FAE1 homolog gene product was specific for elongating saturated fatty acids. To understand better the biosynthetic pathway for C22:2Δ5, Δ13, soybean somatic embryos transformed with the Des5 cDNA were fed in culture with 〚1-14C〛C 22:1Δ13 fatty acid, which resulted in the biosynthesis of 〚1-14C〛-labeled C22:2Δ5, Δ13. Cell-free preparations enriched with detergent-solubilized Δ5 desaturase activity extracted from both developing meadowfoam seeds and from Des5 transgenic soybean embryos, produced 14C-22:2Δ5, Δ13 when supplied with 〚1-14C〛 C22:1-CoA. Thus, both the in vivo and in vitro experiments showed that the biosynthesis of C22:2Δ5, Δ13 can occur in somatic soybean embryos transformed with the Limnanthes Des5 cDNA, and confirmed that the pathway for C22:2 biosynthesis in meadowfoam involves further desaturation of erucoyl-CoA by a Δ5-regiospecific desaturase.
Demonstration of microcantilever-based sensor array with integrated microfluidics

We report the integration of a nanomechanical sensor consisting of 16 silicon microcantilevers and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidics. With our recently developed in-plane photonic transduction method we routinely achieve microcantilever transduction responsivities in the range of 0.5-1.1 μm -1 , which is comparable to the best reported for the laser reflection readout method used in atomic force microscopy (AFM). Prior work has established that differential surface stress as low as 0.23 mN/m is readily measurable with our arrays. In this paper we show biotin-streptavidin sensing with a differential surface stress of ~2.3 mN/m as a first step toward characterizing integrated microcantilever array/microfluidic sensors.
Part-set cueing and lexical decisions: Testing an inhibitory account

Providing some elements of a studied set during testing (part-set cues) can impair memory for the remaining elements (noncues)—a counterintuitive effect that has recently been attributed to inhibition of noncues. To test for such inhibition using a lexical decision task, we manipulated semantic and episodic relationships, such that cues and noncues were related only semantically, only episodically, or both semantically and episodically. Results showed that part-set cueing evoked inhibition, slowing lexical decisions for noncues that were related to cues both semantically and episodically, consistent with previous results involving the retrieval practice paradigm. However, either type of relationship alone was insufficient to slow decisions, despite previous evidence of impaired memory in similar conditions when tested with other measures such as free recall. The latter results raise questions regarding the extent to which inhibition can account for cueing-induced impairment when cues and noncues are relat...
Technique and Results of Robotic Pulmonary Lobectomy Using Four Arms

Robotic assistance has been increasingly utilized for pulmonary lobectomy. Although the technical aspects of the operation require special training, robotic lobectomy possesses subjective advantages for the surgeon including better visualization of structures, the ability to control the camera rather than relying on an assistant to do so, increased range of motion of instruments, and improved ergonomics. Perioperative outcomes and overall survival following robotic lobectomy have been shown to be similar to VATS lobectomy.
Characterization of Short Time Labeled Adenosine Monophosphate-rich Ribonucleic Acids of Soybean.

The total population of newly synthesized 32P-AMP-rich RNA has been separated into two major types based on repeated fractionation on methylated albumin-kieselguhr columns. The purified D-RNA which elutes, under our experimental conditions, primarily in the salt gradient has a GMP/AMP ratio of about 0.8 and an AMP + UMP content of about 56 mole per cent. The purified TB-RNA which preferentially remains bound to the column in the salt gradient has a GMP/AMP ratio of about 0.4 to 0.45 and an AMP + UMP content of about 65 mole per cent. In addition to being distinguished by their fractionation on the methylated albumin-kieselguhr column and base composition analysis, purified D-RNA and TB-RNA have different size distributions on sucrose gradient and acrylamide gel fractionation, are differentially associated with polyribosomes and have different stabilities in the tissue.
A novel variant of the immunoglobulin fold in surface adhesins of Staphylococcus aureus: crystal structure of the fibrinogen-binding MSCRAMM, clumping factor A.

We report here the crystal structure of the minimal ligand-binding segment of the Staphylococcus aureus MSCRAMM, clumping factor A. This fibrinogen-binding segment contains two similarly folded domains. The fold observed is a new variant of the immunoglobulin motif that we have called DE-variant or the DEv-IgG fold. This subgroup includes the ligand-binding domain of the collagen-binding S.aureus MSCRAMM CNA, and many other structures previously classified as jelly rolls. Structure predictions suggest that the four fibrinogen-binding S.aureus MSCRAMMs identified so far would also contain the same DEv-IgG fold. A systematic docking search using the C-terminal region of the fibrinogen gamma-chain as a probe suggested that a hydrophobic pocket formed between the two DEv-IgG domains of the clumping factor as the ligand-binding site. Mutagenic substitution of residues Tyr256, Pro336, Tyr338 and Lys389 in the clumping factor, which are proposed to contact the terminal residues (408)AGDV(411) of the gamma-chain, resulted in proteins with no or markedly reduced affinity for fibrinogen.
Working the Early Modern Archive: The Search for Lady Ingram

This paper is part of a Literature Compass cluster arising from a panel entitled ‘Working the Early Modern Archive’, originally presented at the 2005 MLA conference held in Washington DC. This session, arranged by the MLA Division on Methods of Literary Research, was chaired by Elizabeth Hageman (University of New Hampshire) and included papers by Jennifer Summit (Stanford University) on readers and medieval manuscripts, Lena Cowen Orlin (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) using a case study of archival research and the discovery and recovery of missing 16th-century materials, and Robert J. Griffin (Texas A&M University) on the relationship between archival research and theoretical approaches. The two pieces included in this Literature Compass special panel cluster highlight the different ways in which archival research continues to shape and to invigorate 16th- and 17th-century literary studies: ‘Working the Early Modern Archive: The Search for Lady Ingram’, Lena Cowen Orlin, Literature Compass 4 (2007), 10.1111/j.1741-4113.2007.00425.x ‘Working with Anonymity: A Theory of Theory vs. Archive’, Robert J. Griffin, Literature Compass 4 (2007), 10.1111/j.1741-4113.2007.00426.x ‘The Search for Lady Ingram’ introduces the subjects of one of the first family group portraits from England. A 1557 panel long misidentified as ‘Lady Ingram and Her Two Boys Martin and Steven’ is revealed to represent instead Alice Barnham and her two sons. Early modern archives are generally held to be uninforming about women, especially of Alice Barnham's merchant class, but in this case the records of the London parishes of St. Mildred Poultry and St. Clement Eastcheap, the London Drapers’ Company, the London Court of Aldermen, St. Thomas's Hospital, and the Court of Bridewell yield up a rich biography. They also provide some insight into a Tudor woman's private life as a committed Protestant during the reign of Mary I, as mother of a deceased third child, and as commissioner of an early and remarkable painting. These documents and a family memoir written by her grandson also go against the grain of prevailing narratives about patriarchy, to suggest that Alice Barnham was a woman of considerable independence of means and of spirit.
JN: OS for an embedded Java network computer

In early 1996, the Computer Science Department at UC Santa Cruz agreed with National Semiconductor to design a custom embedded operating system to support the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). Our goal was to tightly integrate Java with a realtime kernel on a small, single-chip, embedded PC attached to the Internet. By the end of 1996, we had succeeded in implementing the first operating system designed and developed in an academic environment specifically to support Java. This article reviews the lessons we learned from what is most likely the first custom designed operating system-other than JavaSoft's JavaOS-that runs the complete JVM. Our current system, the Java nanokernel (JN), supports a simple Web server written in Java and provides a Java interface to a color Connectix camera.
Combining radiation therapy with interstitial radiation-inducible TNF-α expression for locoregional cancer treatment

Brachytherapy (BRT) is used in the treatment of human cancers, including the cervix, breast, prostate and head and neck cancers. The primary advantage of BRT lies in the spatial conformation of the radiation deposition. Previously, we have shown that similar techniques (using hollow metallic cylinders) may be used to deliver gene-therapy vectors capable of expressing the radiation-sensitizing cytokine, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, within a restricted volume of tissue. Herein, we report radiation sensitization of cancer cells using a TNF-α expressing vector driven by the radiation-inducible immediate-early gene-1 (IEX-1) promoter (pIEX-TNF-α). TNF-α, determined by ELISA assays using culture medium, increased between 5 and 10 fold, 48 h following exposure to radiation, and radiation sensitization was comparable with that observed in cells in which TNF-α was constitutively expressed under cytomegalo viral (CMV) promoter using the plasmid vector (pCMV-TNF-α). This efficiency of induced TNF-α radiation sensitization was also observed in cervix (SW756) and prostate tumor (PC-3) xenograft models. IEX-1-driven TNF-α expression following external radiation exposure resulted in enhanced regression of tumor xenografts as compared with radiation alone. A feasibility of using radioactive Pd-103 seeds with GeneSeeds was further examined using PC-3 xenograft models. The data showed substantial tumor growth suppression following co-implantation with a metal seed containing Pd-103. Taken together, these results show the enhanced effect on tumor regression by treatment with radiation-inducible TNF-α expression in combination with radiation and support for the IEX-1 promoter as a useful regulator for temporal activation of radiation-sensitizing gene expression.
Monitoring Translation Kinetics One Ribosome at a Time

We have used optical tweezers to monitor the codon-by-codon translation of a messenger RNA by a single ribosome. A base-paired stem-loop (a hairpin) is held between two beads; the force on the mRNA and the distance between the beads is measured as a function of time. As translation proceeds through the hairpin, the end-to-end extension of the RNA increases in a trajectory of pause-translocation-pause… steps. The pauses are of order seconds; the translocation steps correspond to a movement of the ribosome by three nucleotides, and occur in less than 25 ms. The mean pause times, and their distribution depend on force on the messenger RNA; lower forces cause longer pauses. Force on the ends of the hairpin lower the barrier to translation. Decreasing the concentrations of elongation factors, EF-G and EF-Tu, increase the pause times, as expected. However, we have not yet found any effect of force, or of concentrations of elongation factors, on translocation times.
The von Liebig Hypothesis

Using a celebrated sample of corn response to nitrogen and phosphorus collected by Heady and Pesek, it is shown that a von Liebig model with Mitscherlich regimes is the best interpreter of the experimental data. This assertion is based upon the results of nonnested hypothesis tests among five alternatives. An extension of the test to switching regression models reinforces the superiority of the von Liebig hypothesis for this sample. Cost functions, dual to von Liebig production functions, have continuous derivatives with respect to the parameters and may be easier to estimate when input prices are available.
Ultrafast solvation dynamics of human serum albumin: correlations with conformational transitions and site-selected recognition.

Human serum albumin, the most abundant protein found in blood plasma, transports a great variety of ligands in the circulatory system and undergoes reversible conformational transitions over a wide range of pH values. We report here our systematic studies of solvation dynamics and local rigidity in these conformations using a single intrinsic tryptophan (W214) residue as a local molecular probe. With femtosecond resolution, we observed a robust bimodal distribution of time scales for all conformational isomers. The initial solvation occurs in several picoseconds, representing the local librational/rotational motions, followed by the dynamics, in the tens to hundreds of picoseconds, which result from the more bonded water in the tryptophan crevice. Under the physiological condition of neutral pH, we measured ∼100 ps for the decay of the solvation correlation function and observed a large wobbling motion at the binding site that is deeply buried in a crevice, revealing the softness of the binding pocket and the large plasticity of the native structure. At acidic pH, the albumin molecule transforms to an extended conformation with a large charge distribution at the surface, and a similar temporal behavior was observed. However, at the basic pH, the protein opens the crevice and tightens its globular structure, and we observed significantly faster dynamics, 25−45 ps. These changes in the solvation dynamics are correlated with the conformational transitions and related to their structural integrity.
Importance of quantitative genetic variations in the etiology of hypertension

Importance of quantitative genetic variations in the etiology of hypertension. Recent progress has been remarkable in identifying mutations which cause diseases (mostly uncommon) that are inherited simply. Unfortunately, the common diseases of humankind with a strong genetic component, such as those affecting cardiovascular function, have proved less tractable. Their etiology is complex with substantial environmental components and strong indications that multiple genes are implicated. In this article, we consider the genetic etiology of essential hypertension. After presenting the distribution of blood pressures in the population, we propose the hypothesis that essential hypertension is the consequence of different combinations of genetic variations that are individually of little consequence. The candidate gene approach to finding relevant genes is exemplified by studies that identified potentially causative variations associated with quantitative differences in the expression of the angiotensinogen gene ( AGT ). Experiments to test causation directly are possible in mice, and we describe their use to establish that blood pressures are indeed altered by genetic changes in AGT expression. Tests of differences in expression of the genes coding for the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and for the natriuretic peptide receptor A are also considered, and we provide a tabulation of all comparable experiments in mice. Computer simulations are presented that resolve the paradoxical finding that while ACE inhibitors are effective, genetic variations in the expression of the ACE gene do not affect blood pressure. We emphasize the usefulness of studying animals heterozygous for an inactivating mutation and a wild-type allele, and briefly discuss a way of establishing causative links between complex phenotypes and single nucleotide polymorphisms.
Interactive image segmentation using probabilistic hypergraphs

This paper introduces a novel interactive framework for segmenting images using probabilistic hypergraphs which model the spatial and appearance relations among image pixels. The probabilistic hypergraph provides us a means to pose image segmentation as a machine learning problem. In particular, we assume that a small set of pixels, which are referred to as seed pixels, are labeled as the object and background. The seed pixels are used to estimate the labels of the unlabeled pixels by learning on a hypergraph via minimizing a quadratic smoothness term formed by a hypergraph Laplacian matrix subject to the known label constraints. We derive a natural probabilistic interpretation of this smoothness term, and provide a detailed discussion on the relation of our method to other hypergraph and graph based learning methods. We also present a front-to-end image segmentation system based on the proposed method, which is shown to achieve promising quantitative and qualitative results on the commonly used GrabCut dataset.
Exploring the Narrative Process: An Analysis of the Adoption Stories Mothers Tell Their Internationally Adopted Children

Grounded in the interpretive paradigm, the present study examined adoption stories told in families formed through international adoption. The purpose of the study was to investigate the process through which mothers tell their internationally adopted children the adoption story and the functions adoption stories serve for members of these families. Telephone interviews with eleven adoptive mothers illuminate the interactive and dynamic nature of adoption stories as well as myriad functions the storytelling process serves for both the adopted children and parents, namely, offering children positive reinforcement, building familiarity with adoption-related talk, conveying a complete history, and attempting to help children avoid fantasy. The findings provide important implications for researchers and adoptive parents by contributing to the Family Adoption Communication model and highlighting the unifying and educational nature of stories and the storytelling process.
Color-electric instabilities in baryons and dibaryons?

Abstract It is shown that the wavefunctions used in conjunction with Harvey's quark potential to study baryons and dibaryons are far from the variational equilibrium. Once self-consistency is imposed, we find that the color-electric interaction yields no configuration mixing in the nucleon. It is further reckoned, following an estimate, that configuration mixing in the six-quark system might be greatly reduced at equilibrium.
Diagnosticity of an online query technique for measuring pilot situation awareness in nextgen

An online probe technique for measuring situation awareness and workload was evaluated for its ability to detect changes in awareness and workload caused by changes in roles and responsibilities for traffic separation. Three plausible NextGen concepts of operation were evaluated: Pilot primary (pilots responsible for traffic separation), ATC primary (ATC responsible for most traffic separation) and Automation Primary (automated conflict detection and resolution agent responsible for most traffic separation). Pilots were queried about task relevant information throughout a ninety-minute scenario. Queries were categorized into conflict, command and communications, and status information. Situation awareness was measured in terms of response latency and accuracy to the queries. Response latency to conflict queries changed with concept of operation, suggesting that online queries for specific task-relevant information can determine changes in situation awareness for task-specific information.
Into the depths of ataxia

Ataxia is a lethal neurological disease characterized by incoordination, postural abnormalities, difficulties with gait, and problems with clarity of speech. The etiology of ataxia is divided equally between hereditary and sporadic forms. Regardless of cause, the cerebellar cortex is often a target in ataxia. Thus, how a disruption in cerebellar cortex might lead to ataxia is of considerable interest. A report in this issue of the JCI links ataxia to enhanced hyperexcitability of neurons in the deep cerebellar nuclei.
Organizational decision support systems

Abstract Decision support systems have traditionally been discussed within the context of individual or group decision making. In this paper we study decision support systems from an organizational perspective. We propose a framework for designing an organizational decision support system that is based on a network of knowledgebased systems. Nodes of this network interact with each other, as well as various other organizational systems, to provide comprehensive decision support. This network is also utilized to provide effective support for formal multi-participant decision making.
Learning to diminish the effects of proactive interference: Reducing false memory for young and older adults

Results from two experiments revealed that prior experience with proactive interference (PI) diminished PI’s effects for both young and older adults. Participants were given two rounds of experience, with different materials, in a situation that produced PI. Comparisons with a control condition showed that the effects of PI on accuracy and on high-confidence intrusion errors (false memory) were reduced on the second round, as compared with those on the first. Also, the ability of confidence to diagnose accuracy of responding improved across rounds. Effects of prior experience with PI depended on feedback given at the time of test (Experiment 1). At least in part, the diminishment of PI resulted from participants’ allocating more attention to interference items during study in the second round than in the first (Experiment 2). Implications of the results for interpreting age differences in PI and false memory are discussed.
Geosynchronous earth orbit base propulsion - Electric propulsion options

Electric propulsion and chemical propulsion requirements for a geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) base were analyzed. The base is resupplied from the Space Station's low earth orbit. Orbit-transfer Delta-Vs, nodal-regression Delta-Vs and orbit-maintenance Delta-Vs were considered. For resupplying the base, a cryogenic oxygen/hydrogen (O2/H2) orbital transfer vehicle (OTV) is currently-baselined. Comparisons of several electric propulsion options with the O2/H2 OTV were conducted. Propulsion requirements for missions related to the GEO base were also analyzed. Payload data for the GEO missions were drawn from current mission data bases. Detailed electric propulsion module designs are presented. Mission analyses and propulsion analyses for the GEO-delivered payloads are included.
Neuropeptide Y gene expression in the arcuate nucleus is increased during preovulatory luteinizing hormone surges.

Recent studies have suggested that neuropeptide Y (NPY) plays an important role in the induction of the preovulatory LH surge. The present study was performed in order to determine if a change in NPY gene expression within arcuate nucleus NPY neurons is associated with the generation of the preovulatory LH surge. In Exp 1, in situ hybridization was used to measure NPY messenger RNA (mRNA) levels in the arcuate nucleus of female rats at 0900 h and every 2 h from 1400-2200 h on the day of proestrus (PRO). Comparisons between groups showed a clear, stepwise increase in NPY gene expression throughout the day of PRO. At 1600 h, when LH values were significantly greater than 0900 h values, NPY mRNA labeling intensities in the arcuate nucleus were significantly greater than 0900 h levels (P < 0.01). By 1800 h, the time at which the LH surge peaked, NPY mRNA levels also peaked and were nearly 3-fold greater than levels observed at 0900 h (P < 0.01). NPY mRNA levels at 2000 h and 2200 h remained elevated above 090...
Rational Choice and the Economic Analysis of Law

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, when law and economics was a new field in the legal curriculum and just becoming a regular part of academic legal discourse, the use of microeconomic theory to discuss traditional legal topics aroused interest but also suspicion and hostility. There were many reasons for this suspicion and hostility, but prominent among them was the feeling that the economists' account of human decision making was so terribly flawed that conclusions derived from that account ought to be taken with a very large grain of salt, if not rejected outright. To take one example, the economic theory of the decision to commit a crime asserted that the potential criminal evaluated the expected costs and expected benefits of the criminal act and committed the crime only if the expected benefits exceeded the expected costs. Among the many implications of that hypothesis is one that holds that capital punishment, because it raises the expected costs as high as they can be raised, will have a substantial deterrent effect on the decision to commit a capital offense.1
THE RELATION OF LEUKOSIS TO SARCOMA OF CHICKENS : I. SARCOMA AND ERYTHROLEUKOSIS (STRAIN 13).

A transmissible strain of sarcoma (Strain 13) is described that took its origin in a chicken inoculated with leukosis of Strain 1. The virus of Strain 13 produces sarcoma in the breast muscle injected with it and after intravenous inoculation it produces diffuse sarcomatosis of the spleen, bone marrow, and several other organs. The available evidence suggests that Strain 13 is caused by a single virus with ability to produce diffuse endothelial growth in the blood-forming organs associated with extensive hematomata, and erythroblastic proliferation. The strain can be readily transmitted by material free from live cells and preserved by drying. As small amounts of blood as 0.00001 cc. from chickens with sarcomatosis of the internal organs transmit Strain 13 by the intravenous route. By implantation sarcoma of Strain 13 can be transferred to chickens that are resistant to repeated inoculations with leukotic viruses.
The Long Arc of Recovery: Characterizing Intimate Partner Violence and Its Psychosocial Effects Across 17 Years:

Little is known about how intimate partner violence (IPV) affects women’s long-term mental health. Using 17 years of data from adolescent mothers, this study (a) empirically identified three subgroups based on patterns of IPV exposure during 4 years of their adolescence; (b) found that subgroup membership was a predictor of psychosocial outcomes in the subsequent 13 years, and (c) showed that the long-term effects of IPV exposure persisted even while controlling for the role of early poverty. By their 30s, women had recovered from IPV such that there were no significant differences between groups at the final time point.
Interaction of aromatic derivatives with single-walled carbon nanotubes.

Fluorescence of semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) normally exhibits diameter-dependent oxidative quenching behaviour. This behaviour can be changed substantially to become an almost diameter-independent quenching phenomenon in the presence of electron-withdrawing nitroaromatic compounds, including o-nitrotoluene, 2,4-dinitrotoluene, and nitrobenzene. This change is observed for SWNTs suspended either in sodium dodecyl sulfate or in Nafion upon titration with hydrogen peroxide. Benzene, toluene, phenol, and nitromethane do not show such change. These findings suggest the possibility of forming an electron donor–acceptor complex between SWNTs and nitroaromatic compounds, resulting in leveling the redox potential of different SWNT species. The observation appears to provide a new method for modifying the electrochemical potentials of SWNTs through donor–acceptor complex formation.
Modeling and sensitivity analysis of circuit parameters for flip-chip interconnects using neural networks

This paper presents a neural network-based technique for modeling and analyzing the electrical performance of flip-chip transitions. A lumped element model using a simple pi equivalent circuit is used to characterize the electrical properties of the flip-chip bond. Statistical experimental design is used to extract the electrical parameters for flip-chip characterization from measurements and full-wave simulations up to 35 GHz. The extracted data is used to train back-propagation neural networks to obtain an accurate model of the pi equivalent circuit components and s-parameters as a function of layout parameters. The prediction error of the models is less than 5%. The models are used to obtain response surfaces for the entire range of variation of layout parameters. The neural network models are subsequently used to perform sensitivity analysis. All electrical parameters are shown to be sensitive to conductor overlap. The inductance and capacitance of the pi equivalent circuit are sensitive to the bump height. However, the return loss (S11) is insensitive to the change in bump height. The coplanar waveguide width has a significant impact on the s-parameters, as it affects the matching of flip-chip transitions
Multiple Solutions for the Nonhomogeneous P-Laplacian with Critical Sobolev-Hardy Exponent

In this paper, using variational methods, we prove the existence of at least two solutions of problem (1.1) under some restrictions on h(x), 'lembda' and q.