cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Surface reliefs computed from micrographs of isolated heavy metal shadowed particles

A method of reconstructing the surface topography of isolated heavy metal shadowed particles has been devised which employs both the distribution of metal deposit on the specimen, and the lengths of shadows cast within the specimen or onto the support film beyond it. It is shown that in ideal conditions the Fourier transform of an image of a shadowed object will show a zero line perpendicular to the direction of metal deposit, independent of whether shadows are cast or not. The method has been applied to an image of a critical point-dried tungsten-tantalum-shadowed eukaryotic small ribosomal subunit. The surface topography of this particle was found to be in qualitative agreement with the model employed by Emanuilov, Sabatini, Lake, and Freinstein, 1978 , Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA, 75, 1389–1393. The reconstruction revealed, however, that the particle was flattened to 60% of its original dimension parallel to the electron beam. The prospects of using this method as a means to obtain the structure of the surfaces of other isolated particles is discussed.
Efficient on-column conversion of IgG1 trisulfide linkages to native disulfides in tandem with Protein A affinity chromatography

Protein trisulfide linkages are generated by the post-translational insertion of a sulfur atom into a disulfide bond. Molecular heterogeneity was detected in a recombinant IgG(1) monoclonal antibody (mAb) and attributed to the presence of a protein trisulfide moiety. The predominant site of trisulfide modification was the bond between the heavy and light chains. The trisulfide was eliminated during purification of the IgG(1) mAb via a cysteine wash step incorporated into Protein A affinity column chromatography. Analysis of the cysteine-treated mAb by electrophoresis and peptide mapping indicated that the trisulfide linkages were efficiently converted to intact disulfide bonds (13% trisulfide decreased consistently to 1% or less) without disulfide scrambling or an increase in free sulfhydryls. The on-column trisulfide conversion caused no change in protein folding detectable by hydrogen/deuterium exchange or differential scanning calorimetry. Consistent with this, binding of the mAb to its antigen in vitro was insensitive to the presence of the trisulfide modification and to its removal by the on-column cysteine treatment. Similar, high efficiency trisulfide conversion was achieved for a second IgG(1) mAb using the column wash strategy (at least 7% trisulfide decreased to 1% or less). Therefore, trisulfide/disulfide heterogeneity can be eliminated from IgG(1) molecules via a convenient and inexpensive procedure compatible with routine Protein A affinity capture.
Inferior Oblique Surgery: Experience at the Mayo Clinic From 1960 to 1981

• Three hundred thirty-seven patients underwent inferior oblique disinsertions at the Mayo Clinic Rochester, Minn, from 1960 to 1981. Versions and hyperdeviations in the primary position were recorded preoperatively and postoperatively. The criteria of a successful result were (1) correction of diplopia, (2) correction of hyperdeviation in the field of action of the inferior oblique, and (3) correction of versions in adduction. Clinical failure was reflected in persistence of hyperdeviation in primary gaze and persistence of overaction of the inferior oblique muscle in adduction. A successful result was found in 88% of primary inferior oblique disinsertions. For secondary inferior oblique overaction, a successful result was found in 72% of patients. We have found that inferior oblique disinsertion is a safe, fast, reliable, and effective weakening procedure with good results.
Computer-aided diagnosis for interval change analysis of lung nodule features in serial CT examinations

A CAD system was developed to extract and analyze features from corresponding malignant and benign lung nodules on temporal pairs of CT scans. The lung nodules on the current and prior CT scans were automatically segmented using a 3-dimensional (3D) active contour model. Three-dimensional run length statistics (RLS) texture features, 3D morphological and gray-level features were extracted from each nodule. In addition, 3D nodule profile features (PROF) that describe the gray level variation inside and outside the nodule surface were extracted by estimating the gradient magnitude values along the radial vectors from the nodule centroid to a band of voxels surrounding the nodule surface. Interval change features were calculated as the difference between the corresponding features extracted from the prior and the current scans of the same nodule. Stepwise feature selection with simplex optimization was used to select the best feature subset from the feature space that combined both the interval change features and features from the single current exam. A linear discriminant classifier was used to merge the selected features for classification of malignant and benign nodules. In this preliminary study, a data set of 103 nodule temporal pairs (39 malignant and 64 benign) was used. A leave-one-case-out resampling scheme was used for feature selection and classification. An average of 5 features was selected from the training subsets. The most frequently selected features included a difference PROF feature and 4 RLS features. The classifier achieved a test Az of 0.85±0.04. In comparison a classifier using features extracted from the current CT scans alone achieved a test Az of 0.78±0.05. This study indicates that our CAD system using interval change information is useful for classification of lung nodules on CT scans.
VLSI Design Methodology Workshop

Advances in process and lithography technologies in the last five years have presented users of these technologies with a dilemma: our ability to build complex devices is exceeding our ability to effectively design them.Present theory and practice suggests that a solution to this problem is to utilize a well-organized approach to design, layout, and test. Major portions of these approaches, or methodologies, involve the utilization of automation tools.
Pressuring and restrictive feeding styles influence infant feeding and size among a low-income African-American sample.

Objective: The prevalence of overweight among infants and toddlers has increased dramatically in the past three decades, highlighting the importance of identifying factors contributing to early excess weight gain, particularly in high-risk groups. Parental feeding styles and the attitudes and behaviors that characterize parental approaches to maintaining or modifying children's eating behavior are an important behavioral component shaping early obesity risk. Design and Methods: Using longitudinal data from the Infant Care and Risk of Obesity Study, a cohort study of 217 African-American mother-infant pairs with feeding styles, dietary recalls, and anthropometry collected from 3 to 18 months of infant age, we examined the relationship between feeding styles, infant diet, and weight-for-age and sum of skinfolds. Results: Longitudinal mixed models indicated that higher pressuring and indulgent feeding style scores were positively associated with greater infant energy intake, reduced odds of breastfeeding, and higher levels of age-inappropriate feeding of liquids and solids, whereas restrictive feeding styles were associated with lower energy intake, higher odds of breastfeeding, and reduced odds of inappropriate feeding. Pressuring and restriction were also oppositely related to infant size with pressuring associated with lower infant weight-for-age and restriction with higher weight-for-age and sum of skinfolds. Infant size also predicted maternal feeding styles in subsequent visits indicating that the relationship between size and feeding styles is likely bidirectional. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the degree to which parents are pressuring or restrictive during feeding shapes the early feeding environment and, consequently, may be an important environmental factor in the development of obesity.
Advances in lunar science from the Clementine mission: A decadal perspective

The Clementine spacecraft orbited the Moon and acquired science data for 10 weeks in the Spring of 1994. During this time it collected global 11-band multispectral images and near global altimetry. Select areas of the Moon were imaged at 25 m/pixel in visible light and 60 m/pixel in thermal wavelengths. From these datasets a new paradigm for the evolution of the lunar crust emerged. The Moon is no longer viewed as a two-terrane planet, the Apollo samples were found not to represent the lunar crust as a whole, and the complexity of lunar crustal stratigraphy was further revealed. More than ten years later the Clementine datasets continue to significantly advance lunar science and will continue to do so as new measurements are returned from planned missions such as Chandrayaan, SELENE, and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. This paper highlights the scientific research conducted over the last decade using Clementine data and summarizes the influence of Clementine on our understanding of the Moon.
Placement of Preplant Liquid Nitrogen and Phosphorus Fertilizer and Nitrogen Rate Affects No-Till Wheat Following Different Summer Crops

Because of improved equipment technology, many producers in the eastern Great Plains are planting winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) no-till (NT) into previous crop residues, but management of fertilizer N and P remains critical. This field study was conducted from 1998 through 2003 in southeastern Kansas on a Parsons silt loam soil (fine, mixed, thermic, Mollic Albaqualf). The objectives were to determine effects and interactions of previous crop [corn, Zea mays L.; grain sorghum, Sorghum bicolor (L.); and soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr.], preplant placement method of liquid N-P fertilizer [subsurface-knife (KN), surface-band (SB), and surface-broadcast (BC)], and fertilizer N rate (22, 45, 90, and 134 kg N ha -1 ) on NT winter wheat yield, yield components, and nutrient uptake in a 2-yr cropping rotation. Wheat yields averaged 3.73, 3.56, and 2.97 Mg ha -1 following soybean, corn, and grain sorghum, respectively. However, as fertilizer N rate increased, yield differences between previous crops decreased. Grain yields also were influenced by placement of N-P fertilizer, averaging 3.68 Mg ha -1 for KN, 3.40 Mg ha -1 for SB, and 3.19 Mg ha -1 for BC. Plant and grain N responses indicated that grain yield differences were primarily related to greater immobilization of both fertilizer and soil N following grain sorghum, compared with soybean and corn, and to better utilization of KN N-P than surface-applied. Fertilizing with greater N rates applied as a subsurface band, especially if following grain sorghum, may be necessary to maximize NT wheat yield potential in the eastern Great Plains.
Active remote sensing of random media

Analytical results for the bistatic scattering coefficients and the backscattering cross sections have been derived for active remote sensing of earth terrain with the model of bounded random media which accounts for volume-scattering effects. It is found that as a result of the effect of the second boundary, the horizontally polarized return can be greater than the vertically polarized return whereas for a half-space random medium the vertically polarized return is always greater than the horizontally polarized return. This is illustrated by matching the theoretical results with experimental data collected from vegetation field.
Effects of medium and substratum on ovine satellite cell attachment, proliferation and differentiation in vitro.

Abstract The ability of ovine-derived satellite cells to attach, proliferate and differentiate in response to seven horse serum-supplemented media and eleven substrata was evaluated in vitro. Satellite cells attached equally well when exposed to CRCM-30, Medium-199 and high glucose Dulbecco's modified Eagles medium (DMEM, P
Arterial air embolism of venous origin in dogs: effect of nitrous oxide in combination with halothane and pentobarbitone.

The effects of using nitrous oxide (N2O) with halothane or pentobarbitone anaesthesia on the filtration of venous air emboli (VAE) by the pulmonary circulation were studied in dogs. Dogs anaesthetized with either pentobarbitone, pentobarbitonelN2O, halothane, or halothanelN2O were embolized with venous air into the right atrium at 0.25 to 0.35 ml-kg-1 min-1 for 30 min. The animals were in a supine, head down position. A Doppler ultrasonic probe located over the suprarenal aorta detected arterial bubbles that escaped filtration by the lungs. No bubbles were detected at 0.25 ml.kg-1min-1,but at 0.30ml.kg-1.min-1 the incidence was 11 per cent (pentobarbitone), 0 per cent (pentobarbitonelN2O), 33 per cent (halothane), and 63 per cent (halothanelN2O) and at 0.35 ml-kg-1.min-1, 44 per cent (pentobarbitone), 14 per cent (pentobarbitonelN2O), and 56 per cent (halothane). Half of the dogs receiving VAE with halothanelN2O at 0.30 ml.kg-1.min-1 died within the first 10 min of the air infusion. Thus, no animals were studied at the next higher dose (0.35 ml-kg-1.min-1). The results suggest that the occurrence of VAE with nitrous oxide anaesthesia may result in greater haemodynamic consequence and increased likelihood for spillover of the venous bubbles into the arteries if used with halothane as compared to pentobarbitone.
Performance of the ATLAS Calorimeter Trigger with 7 TeV Collision Data

Since the start of the LHC physics programme earlier this year, the ATLAS detector has been collecting proton-proton collisions at a 7 TeV center of mass energy. As the LHC luminosity rises the ATLAS trigger system must become increasingly selective to reduce the event rate from a design bunch crossing rate of 40 MHz to 200 Hz to be recorded for offline analysis. To achieve this goal, the trigger algorithms must meet challenging requirements in terms of speed and selectivity. The ATLAS trigger is hardware based at level-1 and uses software algorithms running on a farm of commercial processors at the next two trigger levels. The calorimeter-based software algorithms perform the selection of electrons, photons, jets, taus and also events with missing transverse energy. We present the physics performance achieved during 2010 data taking, highlighting the achievements of the different signatures. Event features reconstructed by the Trigger are compared with offline reconstruction and with expectations from MC simulations. Rate stability, processing time and data access performance during different periods of data-taking are also discussed. The results presented demonstrate that the calorimeter based trigger is effective in selecting data for the ATLAS physics programme.
Sustainable product design under resource scarcity

The increasing scarcity of resource has raised sustainability awareness in recent years. In response, many manufacturers develop green co-products using materials that would be otherwise discarded to alleviate consumption of scarce resource. In this work, we apply game theoretic analysis to examine a monopolist manufacture's product design problem when consumers are heterogeneous in valuing quality of a product and its resource consumption. We characterize how consumers' rise in green awareness affects the monopolist's profitability and resource consumption.
OptGraft: A computational procedure for transferring a binding site onto an existing protein scaffold

One of the many challenging tasks of protein design is the introduction of a completely new function into an existing protein scaffold. In this study, we introduce a new computational procedure OptGraft for placing a novel binding pocket onto a protein structure so as its geometry is minimally perturbed. This is accomplished by introducing a two-level procedure where we first identify where are the most appropriate locations to graft the new binding pocket into the protein fold by minimizing the departure from a set of geometric restraints using mixed-integer linear optimization. On identifying the suitable locations that can accommodate the new binding pocket, CHARMM energy calculations are employed to identify what mutations in the neighboring residues, if any, are needed to ensure that the minimum energy conformation of the binding pocket conserves the desired geometry. This computational framework is benchmarked against the results available in the literature for engineering a copper binding site into thioredoxin protein. Subsequently, OptGraft is used to guide the transfer of a calcium-binding pocket from thermitase protein (PDB: 1thm) into the first domain of CD2 protein (PDB:1hng). Experimental characterization of three de novo redesigned proteins with grafted calcium-binding centers demonstrated that they all exhibit high affinities for terbium (Kd � 22, 38, and 55 lM) and can selectively bind calcium over magnesium.
A protein-based electrochemical biosensor for detection of tau protein, a neurodegenerative disease biomarker

A protein-based electrochemical biosensor was developed for detection of tau protein aimed towards electrochemically sensing misfolding proteins. The electrochemical assay monitors tau–tau binding and misfolding during the early stage of tau oligomerization. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to detect the binding event between solution tau protein and immobilized tau protein (tau–Au), acting as a recognition element. The charge transfer resistance (Rct) of tau–Au was 2.9 ± 0.6 kΩ. Subsequent tau binding to tau–Au decreased the Rct to 0.3 ± 0.1 kΩ (90 ± 3% decrease) upon formation of a tau–tau–Au interface. A linear relationship between the Rct and the solution tau concentration was observed from 0.2 to 1.0 μM. The Rct decrease was attributed to an enhanced charge permeability of the tau–tau–Au surface to a redox probe [Fe(CN)6]3−/4−. The electrochemical and surface characterization data suggested conformational and electrostatic changes induced by tau–tau binding. The protein-based electrochemical platform was highly selective for tau protein over bovine serum albumin and allowed for a rapid sample analysis. The protein-based interface was selective for a non-phosphorylated tau441 isoform over the paired-helical filaments of tau, which were composed of phosphorylated and truncated tau isoforms. The electrochemical approach may find application in screening of the early onset of neurodegeneration and aggregation inhibitors.
Millimeter-wave measurements of molecular spectra with application to environmental monitoring

This paper presents results of mm-wave spectral properties of chemicals in the 225-315 GHz frequency range at ambient atmospheric pressure. The effect of pressure broadening of the spectral lines is determined by both experiments and theoretical simulation. Subsequent to the laboratory measurements, the proof of the principle of the open-path monitoring of airborne chemicals was tested by using a monostatic swept-frequency radar system.
Differential PKA activation and AKAP association determines cell fate in cancer cells.

Background The dependence of malignant properties of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells on IGF1R signaling has been demonstrated and several IGF1R antagonists are currently in clinical trials. Recently, we identified a novel pathway in which cAMP independent PKA activation by TGFβ signaling resulted in the destabilization of survivin/XIAP complex leading to increased cell death. In this study, we evaluated the effect of IGF1R inhibition or activation on PKA activation and its downstream cell survival signaling mechanisms.
Le concept bermanien de l’« Étranger » dans le prisme de la traduction postcoloniale

Le concept bermanien de « l’epreuve de l’etranger » est particulierement apte a elucider et expliquer la pratique traductologique postcoloniale. L’ecriture litteraire en langues europeennes en Afrique est caracterisee par la vernacularisation et la diglossie litteraire comme strategie d’ecriture dans un contexte de communication interculturelle. L’emploi des langues coloniales souleve les questions d’identite et d’ideologie ainsi que le probleme des relations de pouvoir entre le centre et la peripherie. La strategie de deterritorialisation et de reterritorialisation souvent utilisee par les ecrivains postcoloniaux pour tenter de se reapproprier la langue coloniale et de reclamer leur espace propre est un exemple de ce que Berman appelle « l’ecriture-de-traduction ». Ce style d’ecriture a des fondements ideologiques et socioculturels et souleve des questions importantes par rapport aux choix en traduction, questions auxquelles l’on ne peut esperer repondre que par le biais d’une ethique serieuse et globale de la traduction. Les theories postmodernes peuvent etre mises a contribution dans la definition d’un cadre ethique de traduction qui permette de s’eloigner de la dichotomie a la base de la plupart des theories en traductologie opposant la traduction sourciere a la traduction cibliste.
Health Reform’s Tortuous Route To The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act established a new public-private entity for comparative effectiveness research: the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. The institute is charged with identifying priorities, establishing an agenda, and carrying out comparative effectiveness research. The political process through which the institute was formalized greatly influenced its scope and charge, including the organization's goals, its unique private-public composition, and its funding. In this paper I highlight key moments and offer background and insights into what did and did not end up in the final legislation.
Russian Talk: Culture and Conversation During Perestroika

Russian Talk: Culture and Conversation During Perestroika. NANCY RIES. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1997. xi. 220 pp., figures, references, index.
Topology of the C-Terminal Tail of HIV-1 gp41: Differential Exposure of the Kennedy Epitope on Cell and Viral Membranes

The C-terminal tail (CTT) of the HIV-1 gp41 envelope (Env) protein is increasingly recognized as an important determinant of Env structure and functional properties, including fusogenicity and antigenicity. While the CTT has been commonly referred to as the “intracytoplasmic domain” based on the assumption of an exclusive localization inside the membrane lipid bilayer, early antigenicity studies and recent biochemical analyses have produced a credible case for surface exposure of specific CTT sequences, including the classical “Kennedy epitope” (KE) of gp41, leading to an alternative model of gp41 topology with multiple membrane-spanning domains. The current study was designed to test these conflicting models of CTT topology by characterizing the exposure of native CTT sequences and substituted VSV-G epitope tags in cell- and virion-associated Env to reference monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). Surface staining and FACS analysis of intact, Env-expressing cells demonstrated that the KE is accessible to binding by MAbs directed to both an inserted VSV-G epitope tag and the native KE sequence. Importantly, the VSV-G tag was only reactive when inserted into the KE; no reactivity was observed in cells expressing Env with the VSV-G tag inserted into the LLP2 domain. In contrast to cell-surface expressed Env, no binding of KE-directed MAbs was observed to Env on the surface of intact virions using either immune precipitation or surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy. These data indicate apparently distinct CTT topologies for virion- and cell-associated Env species and add to the case for a reconsideration of CTT topology that is more complex than currently envisioned.
Dipyrrolyl‐Functionalized Bipyridine‐Based Anion Receptors for Emission‐Based Selective Detection of Dihydrogen Phosphate

New cationic anion receptors, based on the use of pyrrole-substituted bipyridine and coordinated to transition metals, are described. Specifically, polypyridine-ruthenium and -rhodium cores have been functionalized to generate an anion binding site. The design was chosen to probe the influence of the pyrrole-to-pyrrole separation on anion-binding affinities and selectivities; this distance is greater in the new systems of this report (receptors 1 and 2) relative to that present in related dipyrrolyl quinoxaline based receptors 3 and 4. Solution-phase anion-binding studies, carried out by means of (1)H NMR spectroscopic titrations in [D(6)]DMSO and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) in DMSO, reveal that 1 and 2 bind most simple anions with substantially higher affinity than either 3 or 4. In the case of chloride anion, structural studies, carried out by means of single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses, are consistent with the solution-phase results and reveal that receptors 1 and 2 are both able to stabilize complexes with this halide anion in the solid state.
Multiscale eddy simulation for moist atmospheric convection

A multiscale computational framework is designed for simulating atmospheric convection and clouds. In this multiscale framework, large eddy simulation (LES) is used to model the coarse scales of 100 m and larger, and a stochastic, one-dimensional turbulence (ODT) model is used to represent the fine scales of 100 m and smaller. Coupled and evolving together, these two components provide a multiscale eddy simulation (MES). Through its fine-scale turbulence and moist thermodynamics, MES allows coarse grid cells to be partially cloudy and to encompass cloudy-clear air mixing on scales down to 1 m; in contrast, in typical LES such fine-scale processes are not represented or are parameterized using bulk deterministic closures. To illustrate MES and investigate its multiscale dynamics, a shallow cumulus cloud field is simulated. The fine-scale variability is seen to take a plausible form, with partially cloudy grid cells prominent near cloud edges and cloud top. From earlier theoretical work, this mixing of cloudy and clear air is believed to have an important impact on buoyancy. However, contrary to expectations based on earlier theoretical studies, the mean statistics of the bulk cloud field are essentially the same in MES and LES; possible reasons for this are discussed, including possible limitations in the present formulation of MES. One difference between LES and MES is seen in the coarse-scale turbulent kinetic energy, which appears to grow slowly in time due to incoherent stochastic fluctuations in the buoyancy. This and other considerations suggest the need for some type of spatial and/or temporal filtering to attenuate undersampling of the stochastic fine-scale processes.
Intergovernmental Political Competition in American Federalism

Many policies in the United States are jointly determined by federal and state actions. In the game theoretic model offered here, politicians in both the state and national governments seek credit for providing goods desired by the public and avoid blame for the taxes necessary to provide the goods. In line with Peterson's (1995) theory of functional federalism, the level of government that is better able to supply particular goods and services tends to take the lead in their provision, even to the extent of fully crowding out much less efficient governments. However, under a broad set of circumstances, both state and national politicians seek credit via public spending, and their joint provision leads to a relative “oversupply” of public goods and services, and thus to “overtaxation.” Under joint provision, states vary in their responses to changing federal spending patterns based both on the causes of the national changes and on state characteristics.
The measurement of a large antenna using a spacecraft as a receiver

Two computational methods for obtaining the gain pattern of a large antenna using power levels recorded by a spacecraft are developed from the transmission equation. Nominally, the large antenna is linearly polarized while the spacecraft's receiving antennas are circularly polarized. Since the spacecraft has no attitude control system, the orientation of the receiving antennas is not known a priori nor its orientation the same from orbit to orbit. The first method relies on an independent spacecraft attitude determination system to furnish the orientation of the receiving antennas. It combines this information with receiving-antenna gain measurements to give the power level of the incident radiation. Losses due to polarization mismatch are taken into account, but polarization loss factors are not actually computed. The second method relates simultaneous measurements made by separate channels with separate receiving antennas. By solving a system of equations numerically, one can determine the direction of the incident radiation as well as its power level. This alleviates the need for an attitude determination system. These methods originated in the operations of the spacecraft NUSAT1 (northern Utah Satellite). >
Economic growth among a cross-section of municipalities

Our work builds on the analysis of municipal population and income growth over the 1960-90 period presented by Glaeser et al. [Journal of Monetary Economics, 36, 1, August, 1995, pp. 11743]. We examine a broader sample of 600 U.S. municipalities and investigate differences in the growth experiences of larger and smaller cities and of wealthier and poorer cities. The results confirm the robustness of the conclusions of Glaeser et al. that municipal population and income growth are: 1) positively correlated with the initial level of educational attainment in the municipality; 2) negatively correlated with the initial municipal unemployment rate; and 3) negatively correlated with the initial share of municipal employment in manufacturing. Additionally, we find some evidence of convergence across cities in levels of population and per capita income and we introduce municipal annexation activity as an additional institutional determinant of municipal growth. Our results suggest that annexation has been an important source of population and income growth for U.S. municipalities over the 1960-90 period. This finding adds another dimension to the literature on the determinants and consequences of municipal annexation activity and suggests that annexation activity should not be ignored in analyses of municipal economic development.
Extending an object-oriented programming language to support the integration of heterogeneous database systems

Many advanced applications need to access and integrate resources and services provided by distributed, autonomous, and heterogeneous systems. Building an integrated system to provide uniform access and cooperation among these underlying heterogeneous systems is both an increasing necessity and a formidable challenge. An important component of such a complex integrated system is a language that would serve both as a data definition and as a data manipulation tool. Special requirements are posed in the instance of an integrated system which includes database systems among its components. In this paper, we present the necessary constructs that an object-oriented programming language should provide for being adopted as the language of the integrated system in such a setting. >
Health decline, aging and mortality: how are they related?

The deterioration of human health with age is manifested in changes of thousands of physiological and biological variables. The contribution of some of such changes to the mortality risk may be small and cannot be reliably detected by existing statistical methods. A cumulative index of health/well-being disorders, which counts changes in observed variables on the way of losing health, may be an appropriate way to take the effects of such variables into account. In this paper we investigate regularities of the aging-related changes in human health/well-being/survival status described by such an index using the new version of the quadratic hazard model of human aging and mortality. We found that the shape and the location of the mortality risk, considered as a function of the introduced health-related index, changes with age reflecting the decline in stress resistance and the age-dependence of the “optimal” health/well-being status. Comparison of these results with findings from early studies using the Cox’s-like model of risk function indicates that the results are likely to describe regularities of deterioration in human health during the aging process.
A 6.2–7.5 GHz tunable bandpass filter with integrated Barium Strontium Titanate (BST) interdigitated varactors utilizing silver/copper metallization

A 3rd-order combline tunable filter is implemented utilizing ferroelectric Barium Strontium Titanate (BST) interdigitated varactors. The filter and its varactors are integrated on a ceramic substrate using a simple resistive biasing circuit. Upon the application of a bias voltage ranging from 0 to 40 V the passband of the filter tuned from 6.2 to 7.5 GHz while maintaining a fractional bandwidth of approximately 13.8 %. Over the tuning band the passband insertion loss varied from 8.5 dB to 6.3 dB while the return loss was better than 10 dB.
Discovery and Development of Antisecretory Drugs for Treating Diarrheal Diseases

Diarrheal diseases constitute a significant global health burden and are a major cause of childhood mortality and morbidity. Treatment of diarrheal disease has centered on the replacement of fluid and electrolyte losses using oral rehydration solutions. Although oral rehydration solutions have been highly successful, significant mortality and morbidity due to diarrheal disease remains. Secretory diarrheas, such as those caused by bacterial and viral enterotoxins, result from activation of cyclic nucleotide and/or Ca2+ signaling pathways in intestinal epithelial cells, enterocytes, which increase the permeability of Cl- channels at the lumen-facing membrane. Additionally, there is often a parallel reduction in intestinal Na+ absorption. Inhibition of enterocyte Cl- channels, including the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator and Ca2+-activated Cl- channels, represents an attractive strategy for antisecretory drug therapy. High-throughput screening of synthetic small-molecule collections has identified several classes of Cl- channel inhibitors that show efficacy in animal models of diarrhea but remain to be tested clinically. In addition, several natural product extracts with Cl- channel inhibition activity have shown efficacy in diarrhea models. However, a number of challenges remain to translate the promising bench science into clinically useful therapeutics, including efficiently targeting orally administered drugs to enterocytes during diarrhea, funding development costs, and carrying out informative clinical trials. Nonetheless, Cl- channel inhibitors may prove to be effective adjunctive therapy in a broad spectrum of clinical diarrheas, including acute infectious and drug-related diarrheas, short bowel syndrome, and congenital enteropathies.
A constraint optimization framework for fractured robot teams

In dangerous and uncertain environments initial plans must be revised. Communication failures hamper this replanning. We introduce fractured subteams as a novel formalism for modeling breakdowns in communication. We present a hybrid approach that employs distributed coordination mechanisms to provide robustness to these communication breakdowns and exploits opportunistic centralization. By modeling the problem as a mixed integer linear programming problem, we are able to apply constraint optimization techniques to efficiently find optimal or near optimal solutions to the difficult class of time critical tight coordination team planning problems. We then demonstrate that explicitly reasoning about communication failures through the incorporation of selective disruption minimization can improve team performance.
Discovery of biological networks using an optimized partial correlation coefficient with information theory algorithm on Stampede's Xeon and Xeon Phi processors

The partial correlation coefficient with information theory PCIT method is an important technique for detecting interactions between networks. The PCIT algorithm has been used in the biological context to infer complex regulatory mechanisms and interactions in genetic networks, in genome wide association studies, and in other similar problems. In this work, the PCIT algorithm is re-implemented with exemplary parallel, vector, input/output I/O, memory, and instruction optimizations for today's multi-core and many-core architectures. The evolution and performance of the new code targets the processor architectures of the Stampede supercomputer but will also benefit other architectures. The Stampede system consists of an Intel Xeon E5 processor base system with an innovative component consist of Intel Xeon Phi Coprocessors. Optimized results and an analysis are presented for both the Xeon and the Xeon Phi. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Atomic and micromagnetic aspects of L10 magnetism

Atomic and continuum effects in L1 0 magnets are investigated. Emphasis is on the competition between ferromagnetism, antiferromagnetism, and noncollinear order in both perfect and imperfect struc- tures, and on the temperature dependence of the magnetic anisotropy. The applicability of micromagnetic and atomistic approaches depends on the length scales involved, but there is a broad range of phenomena where both can be used.
A 10 $\sim$ 15-bit 60-MS/s Floating-Point ADC With Digital Gain and Offset Calibration

Floating-point analog-to-digital converter (FADC) utilizes an up-front variable-gain amplifier (VGA) to enhance its low-level resolution. Although it is a single-path system, varying gain by switching circuit elements in and out modulates the gain and offset as in the multi-path time-interleaved ADC. For high-speed operation at all gain settings, a constant-bandwidth switched-capacitor VGA is implemented with variable-bandwidth opamps, and its gain and offset are digitally calibrated in background using signal-dependent pseudo-random noise (PN) dithering and chopping techniques. A three-stage VGA adjusts its gain instantly from times 1 to times 32 depending on the sampled input level, and improves the INL of a 10-bit ADC from 24 to 0.9 least significant bits (LSBs) at a 15-bit level for the low-level input. The resulting 10 ~ 15-bit 60-MS/s ADC needs no input sample-and-hold (S/H) stage, and achieves a system noise of -80 dBFS with a gain set to times32. A prototype chip in 0.18-mum CMOS occupies an active area of 3.0times2.0 mm2, and consumes 300 mW at 1.8 V including digital calibration logic.
Savage Systems: Colonialism and Comparative Religion in Southern Africa

Savage Systems: Colonialism and Comparative Religion in Southern Africa. DAVID CHIDESTER. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1996. xviii + 324 pp., index, bibliography, illustrations.
Suboptimal Activation of Protease-activated Receptors Enhances α2β1 Integrin-mediated Platelet Adhesion to Collagen

Thrombin and fibrillar collagen are potent activators of platelets at sites of vascular injury. Both agonists cause platelet shape change, granule secretion, and aggregation to form the primary hemostatic plug. Human platelets express two thrombin receptors, protease-activated receptors 1 and 4 (PAR1 and PAR4) and two collagen receptors, the α2β1 integrin (α2β1) and the glycoprotein VI (GPVI)/FcRγ chain complex. Although these receptors and their signaling mechanisms have been intensely studied, it is not known whether and how these receptors cooperate in the hemostatic function of platelets. This study examined cooperation between the thrombin and collagen receptors in platelet adhesion by utilizing a collagen-related peptide (α2-CRP) containing the α2β1-specific binding motif, GFOGER, in conjunction with PAR-activating peptides. We demonstrate that platelet adhesion to α2-CRP is substantially enhanced by suboptimal PAR activation (agonist concentrations that do not stimulate platelet aggregation) using the PAR4 agonist peptide and thrombin. The enhanced adhesion induced by suboptimal PAR4 activation was α2β1-dependent and GPVI/FcRγ-independent as revealed in experiments with α2β1- or FcRγ-deficient mouse platelets. We further show that suboptimal activation of other platelet Gq-linked G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) produces enhanced platelet adhesion to α2-CRP. The enhanced α2β1-mediated platelet adhesion is controlled by phospholipase C (PLC), but is not dependent on granule secretion, activation of αIIbβ3 integrin, or on phosphoinositol-3 kinase (PI3K) activity. In conclusion, we demonstrate a platelet priming mechanism initiated by suboptimal activation of PAR4 or other platelet Gq-linked GPCRs through a PLC-dependent signaling cascade that promotes enhanced α2β1 binding to collagens containing GFOGER sites.
Learning distances to improve phoneme classification

In this work we aim to learn a Mahalanobis distance to improve the performance of phoneme classification using the standard 39-dimensional MFCC features. To learn and to evaluate the performance of our distance, we use the simple k-nearest-neighbors (k-NN) classifier. Although this classifier exhibits low performance relative to state-of-the-art phoneme classifiers, it can be used to determine a distance metric that is applicable to many other better-performing machine learning methods. We devise a novel optimization method that minimizes the error function of the k-NN classifier with respect to the covariance matrix of the Mahalanobis distance, based on finite-difference stochastic approximation (FDSA) gradient estimates combined with a random perturbation term to avoid local minima. We apply our method to the problem of phoneme classification with the k-NN classifier and show that our learned distance provides performance improvement of up to 8:19% over the standard k-NN classifier, and additionally outperforms other state-of-the-art distance learning methods by approximately 4 percentage points. We also find that the computational complexity of our method, while not optimal, is better than other distance learning methods. The performance improvements for individual phoneme classes are given. The distances learned are applicable to other scale-variant machine learning methods, such as support vector machines, multidimensional scaling, and maximum variance unfolding, as well as others.
Cancer pharmacogenomics: SNPs, chips, and the individual patient.

There is great heterogeneity in a patient's response to medications, often requiring empirical strategies to define the appropriate drug therapy for each patient. Pharmacogenomics aims to elucidate further the inherited nature of interindividual differences in drug disposition and effects, with the ultimate goal of providing a stronger scientific basis for selecting the optimal drug therapy and dosage for each patient. These genetic insights should also lead to mechanism-based approaches to the discovery and development of new medications. Genetic polymorphisms in drug metabolizing enzymes, transporters, receptors, and other drug targets have been linked to interindividual differences in the efficacy and toxicity of many medications. For example, polymorphism in thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) results in altered degradation of the commonly prescribed agent 6-mercaptopurine This genetic variant has significant clinical implications because patients with functionally relevant homozygous mutations in the...
A Model For Energy Transfer in Collisions of Atoms with Highly Excited Molecules

A model for energy transfer in the collision between an atom and a highly excited target molecule has been developed on the basis of classical mechanics and turning point analysis. The predictions of the model have been tested against the results of trajectory calculations for collisions of five different target molecules with argon or helium under a variety of temperatures, collision energies, and initial rotational levels. The model predicts selected moments of the joint probability distribution, P(Jf,ΔE) with an R2 ≈ 0.90. The calculation is efficient, in most cases taking less than one CPU-hour. The model provides several insights into the energy transfer process. The joint probability distribution is strongly dependent on rotational energy transfer and conservation laws and less dependent on vibrational energy transfer. There are two mechanisms for rotational excitation, one due to motion normal to the intermolecular potential and one due to motion tangential to it and perpendicular to the line of ce...
Positron emission tomography imaging of peripheral benzodiazepine receptor binding in human immunodeficiency virus-infected subjects with and without cognitive impairment

The pathology associated with late-stage dementia in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has been studied extensively. Neuropathological examination has demonstrated abundant activation and infection of macrophages/microglia termed HIV encephalitis. For obvious reasons, less is known regarding the neuropathology of minor cognitive impairment seen in earlier stages of HIV infection. The authors examined the utility of the peripheral benzodiazepine receptor ligand PK11195 in positron emission tomography (PET) imaging to assess microglial/macrophage activation in the brains of HIV-infected subjects with minor neurocognitive impairment in a cross-sectional study of 12 HIV infected individuals and 5 age-matched noninfected controls. Subjects were given a battery of neuropsychological tests in addition to assessing CD4 T-cell count and peripheral viremia followed by contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and PET with [15O]H2O followed by [11C](R)-PK11195. Two of the six neurocognitively impaired HIV-infected subjects demonstrated plasma viral breakthrough, whereas only one of six nonimpaired individuals demonstrated plasma viral load near the limits of detection. MRI demonstrated no abnormal enhancement and although atrophy was more prominent in impaired subjects, it was also present though to a lesser extent in nonimpaired subjects. None of the 12 HIV-infected subjects demonstrated increased retention of [11C](R)-PK11195 in the brain parenchyma compared to the 5 controls. These results suggest that either [11C](R)-PK11195 PET assessment is insensitive to the degree of macrophage activation in HIV-associated minor neurocognitive impairment or macrophage activation is not the pathological substrate of this neurological condition.
Phylogenetic analysis of Dendronotus nudibranchs with emphasis on northeastern Pacific species

Molecular and morphological evidence suggests that the taxonomic status of several eastern Pacific species of Dendronotus needs a reassessment. Dendronotus diversicolor and D. albus are synonymized due to lack of genetic variation in the 16S rRNA gene and of any significant morphological differences. Dendronotus nanus and D. iris are also regarded as synonyms based on a reevaluation of ecological and morphological data. Finally, the name D. venustus is resurrected for eastern Pacific populations previously considered to be D. frondosus. Pacific D. venustus display consistent morphological and molecular differences from Atlantic D. frondosus. The molecular phylogeny presented here is not robust enough to shed light on the evolution and biogeography of Dendronotus, but preliminary evidence indicates that the Pacific species of Dendronotus are not a monophyletic group, because Arctic and Atlantic species are nested within them. The 16S rRNA genetic diversity within Dendronotus is very small compared to that of other related groups. These data, along with the comparatively large diversity of Dendronotus in the Pacific, suggest the possibility that relatively recent Arctic migration and vicariance along Beringia may have been involved in the evolution of this group.
Two Hydraulic Methods to Extract the nth Root of any Number

(1901). Two Hydraulic Methods to Extract the nth Root of any Number. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 10-12.