cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Parkin reverses intracellular β-amyloid accumulation and its negative effects on proteasome function

The significance of intracellular beta-amyloid (Abeta(42)) accumulation is increasingly recognized in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. Abeta removal mechanisms that have attracted attention include IDE/neprilysin degradation and antibody-mediated uptake by immune cells. However, the role of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) in the disposal of cellular Abeta has not been fully explored. The E3 ubiquitin ligase Parkin targets several proteins for UPS degradation, and Parkin mutations are the major cause of autosomal recessive Parkinson's disease. We tested whether Parkin has cross-function to target misfolded proteins in AD for proteasome-dependent clearance in SH-SY5Y and primary neuronal cells. Wild-type Parkin greatly decreased steady-state levels of intracellular Abeta(42), an action abrogated by proteasome inhibitors. Intracellular Abeta(42) accumulation decreased cell viability and proteasome activity. Accordingly, Parkin reversed both effects. Changes in mitochondrial ATP production from Abeta or Parkin did not account for their effects on the proteasome. Parkin knock-down led to accumulation of Abeta. In AD brain, Parkin was found to interact with Abeta and its levels were reduced. Thus, Parkin is cytoprotective, partially by increasing the removal of cellular Abeta through a proteasome-dependent pathway.
Reservoir Simulation on a Hypercube

Presentation of a testing of a 3D parallel implicit reservoir simulator for an Intel iPSC/2 hypercube with 16 vector processors. The simulator is based on an oil/water model. A correlation of computation efficiency with problem size and the number of processors demonstrates that up up to 96% of the available CPU time on the hypercube can be used. Such high efficiencies were achieved by developing special algorithms well suited for multiple processors and distributed memory.
Negative photoresists for optical lithography

Negative photoresists are materials that become insoluble in developing solutions when exposed to optical radiation. They were the first systems used to pattern semiconductor devices, and still comprise the largest segment of the photoresist industry because they are widely used to define the circuitry in printed wiring boards. However, the current use of negative resists in the semiconductor industry has been limited by past difficulties in achieving high-resolution patterns. Recent advances in the chemistry of negative-resist systems, however, have provided materials with wide processing latitude and high resolution that are used to manufacture IBM's advanced CMOS devices and to achieve high-aspect-ratio patterns for micromachining applications. This paper provides an overview of the history and chemistry of negative-resist systems and their development in IBM.
Thermal Processing of Biological Tissue at High Temperatures: Impact of Protein Denaturation and Water Loss on the Thermal Properties of Human and Porcine Liver in the Range 25–80 °C

Biothermal engineering applications impose thermal excursions on tissues with an ensuing biological outcome (i.e., life or death) that is tied to the molecular state of water and protein in the system. The accuracy of heat transfer models used to predict these important processes in turn depends on the kinetics and energy absorption of molecular transitions for both water and protein and the underlying temperature dependence of the tissue thermal properties. Unfortunately, a lack of tissue thermal property data in the literature results in an overreliance on property estimates. This work addresses these thermal property limitations in liver, a platform tissue upon which hyperthermic engineering applications are routinely performed and a test bed that will allow extension to further tissue property measurement in the future. Specifically, we report on the thermal properties of cadaveric human and porcine liver in the suprazero range between 25 °C to 80 °C for thermal conductivity and 25 °C to 85 °C for apparent specific heat. Denaturation and water vaporization are shown to reduce thermal conductivity and apparent specific heat within the samples by up to 20% during heating. These changes in thermal properties significantly altered thermal histories during heating compared to conditions when properties were assumed to remain constant. These differences are expected to alter the biological outcome from heating as well.
Landscape Patterns and Legacies Resulting from Large, Infrequent Forest Disturbances

We review and compare well-studied examples of five large, infrequent disturbances (LIDs)—fire, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, and floods—in terms of the physical processes involved, the damage patterns they create in forested landscapes, and the potential impacts of those patterns on subsequent forest development. Our examples include the 1988 Yellowstone fires, the 1938 New England hurricane, the 1985 Tionesta tornado, the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, and the 1993 Mississippi floods. The resulting landscape patterns are strongly controlled by interactions between the specific disturbance, the abiotic environment (especially topography), and the composition and structure of the vegetation at the time of the disturbance. The very different natures of these interactions yield distinctive temporal and spatial patterns and demand that ecologists increase their knowledge of the physical characteristics of disturbance processes. Floods and fires can occur over a long period, whereas volcanic eruptions and wind-driven events often last for no more than a few hours or days. Tornadoes and floods produce linear patterns with sharp edges, but fires, volcanic eruptions, and hurricanes can affect broader areas, often with gradual transitions of disturbance intensity. In all cases, the evidence suggests that LIDs produce enduring legacies of physical and biological structure that influence ecosystem processes for decades or centuries.
Relationship between timing of ovariectomy and maintenance of pregnancy in the guinea-pig.

Abstract The effect of ovariectomy (OVX) and OVX + progesterone (P) treatment on the regulatory profile and uterine function of the guinea-pig are described. Before day 23 of gestation in the intact pregnant guinea-pig, the placental contribution to P-content is small in comparison with the increasing ovarian contribution. After day 30, the ovarian P-content starts to decrease and the placental P-content exceeds the ovarian contribution, indicating the “luteo-placental shift” (LPS) in P-biosynthesis. Thus, when 14 guinea-pigs were ovariectomized around day 21 of gestation all started aborting within 53 hours of OVX. A gradual increase in intrauterine pressure (IUP), a decrease in P-levels in heart and uterine vein plasma and in the uterine and placental tissues and an increase in the levels of PGF in uterine vein plasma and uterine tissue were observed in these animals. However, if the OVX was delayed until after day 30 of gestation, to examine the biological consequences of advanced LPS in P-biosynthesis, there was no increase in IUP and the animals did not abort in the next 5 days. Furthermore, P-therapy following OVX in the day 21 pregnant guinea-pigs prevented the increase in IUP and the animals did not abort. These observations establish for the guinea-pig a correlation between the success in pregnancy maintenance and the degree of the LPS in P-biosynthesis. These studies therefore emphasize the indispensable role of progesterone in pregnancy maintenance.
Phospholipid requirements for (Na + + K + )-ATPase activity: head-group specificity and fatty acid fluidity.

We have re-examined the question of phospholipid activation of latent (Na+ + K+)-ATPase activity in delipidized preparations. The influence of both polar head-groups and fatty acyl chain fluidity have been examined. The results indicate the following: 1. 1. The enzyme can be reactivated not only by phosphatidylserine, but also equally well by phosphatidylglycerol. A large variety of other purified phospholipids were found to have little or no effect. 2. 2. This specificity for (Na+ + K+)-ATPase reactivation correlates with the observation that only phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylglycerol vesicles show substantial discrimination for K+ over Na+ in terms of permeability. 3. 3. Maximal reactivation is obtained only when the fatty acyl chains are fluid. Activation by dipalmitoyl phosphatidylglycerol is inhibited below its transition temperature, or in the presence of cholesterol. Arrhenius plots for the activation by dipalmitoyl phosphatidylglycerol show a break for (Na+ + K+-ATPase activity corresponding to the presumed transition temperature for the gel to liquid-crystalline transition for this phospholipid. We suggest the term “viscotropic” to describe such effects of membrane fluidity on enzyme activity. 4. 4. The ATPase preparations used in this paper were obtained by deoxycholate treatment of microsomal fractions of rabbit kidney and beef brain. This treatment results in the removal of more than 90% of the phospholipid and inhibition of (Na+ + K+-ATPase activity. It was noted that exclusive specificity for reactivation by phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylglycerol was obtained only with those preparations where the inhibition of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase activity was essentially complete. 5. 5. These results are discussed in relation to previous work on the phospholipid requirement for (Na+ + K+)-ATPase activity, the ability of phospholipids to exhibit K+Na+ discrimination and current concepts of protein-lipid interactions in biological membranes.
Use of the Beck Depression Inventory-II with African American primary care patients

The Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) is one of the most common self-report instruments used for depression screening. However, there is a lack of research examining the effectiveness of this instrument in detecting depression in an African American primary care sample. The current study included 220 African American primary care patients who completed the BDI-II and were administered a diagnostic interview to establish depressive diagnoses. Results indicated that depressed patients demonstrated significantly greater BDI-II total scores compared to non-depressed patients. The recommended cutoff score of 14 for screening for depression appears to be appropriate for African American patients in the primary care setting. This cutoff yielded sensitivity of 87.7% and specificity of 83.9%. Positive predictive value of the BDI-II was .70, and negative predictive value was .94. Similar to findings with predominantly Caucasian samples, current results suggest the BDI-II is an appropriate and accurate instrument to use for depression screening among African American primary care patients.
Using triangles to partition a disk

Abstract Any partition of a disk into n subdisks can be imbedded in E 2 by laying down n triangles one after another. This imbedding can also be constructed by drawing 2 n + 1 line segments.
Numerical analysis of unsteady multiple jet plume interactions

Abstract The prediction of the transient behavior of multiple jet plume systems is important in engineering problems such as those encountered in solid rocket motor (SRM) design. Many SRMs employ a pyrogen-type ignition system, which consists of one or more hot exhaust plumes that induce burning in the motor propellant grain through impingement and subsequent heat transfer. Experimental cold-flow studies have indicated that aerodynamic plume-on-plume interactions, as well as plume-on-wall interactions, can significantly modify the heat transfer to the propellant grain. Such interactions are studied here with a computational model previously utilized in the study of unsteady confined supersonic jets. The model uses a MacCormack explicit, predictor-corrector finite-difference solution of the unsteady, compressible, full Navier-Stokes equations, coupled with a two-equation k − e turbulence model. A parametric study of the transient behavior of multiple plume systems is performed and the degree of interaction between the plumes is investigated.
Abstract: Bayesian Inference for Growth Mixture Models With Nonignorable Missing Data.

Growth mixture models (GMMs) with nonignorable missing data have drawn increasing attention in psychological research communities but have not been fully studied. When the assumption of ignorable m...
Novelty-Seeking, Novelty-Finding, and the Developmental Continuity of Intelligence.

Abstract This article suggests that novelty-seeking and novelty-finding, as well as the ability to learn and reason with novel kinds of concepts, are critical aspects of intelligence at all ages from infancy, onward. The results of studies by Lewis and Brooks-Gunn and by Fagan and McGrath regarding intelligence in infancy are reviewed, and these results are found to be compatible with some of my own results regarding intelligence in adulthood. It is suggested that a major aspect of intelligence, attitude toward and performance with novel kinds of concepts, is continuous in nature throughout the life span, although by necessity, they must be measured in different ways at different times of life.
The influence of grinding stress and thermal annealing on the enthalpy of solution of tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane and its use as a test substance in solution calorimetry

Solution-calorimetric measurements on stressed, unstressed, and thermally annealed tris , tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (HOCH 2 ) 3 CNH 2 , reveal that significant amounts of energy (40 to 90 J mol −1 ) can be stored in the solid as a result of crushing and grinding. Thermal annealing at 350 to 360 K for 18 h relieves the strain and returns the solid to its original energy state. Annealing for shorter periods (2 to 4 h) followed by several days' aging is indicated as an equivalent treatment. Mechanical crushing or grinding is a valuable treatment for removing residual traces of solvent or drying of any solid substance for calorimetric or analytical use, but in calorimetric work should be followed by thermal annealing or sufficient aging to relieve the mechanical strains in the solid. The results have important implications in the preparation and handling of tris as a test substance in solution calorimetry, and apply to the handling of other solids as well.
Cell-cycle dysregulation in the immunopathogenesis of AIDS.

For a number of years the pathogenesis of AIDS was thought to be essentially related to direct human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-mediated killing of CD4+ T cells. More recently, attention has shifted to pathogenic models that emphasize the role of generalized immune system activation and the excess apoptosis of uninfected T cells in inducing HIV-associated CD4+ T-cell depletion. The main focus of our research is to better define the determinants and the consequences of these “indirect” mechanisms of immunodeficiency by studying both HIV-infected patients and nonhuman primates infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). We have discovered that pathogenic models of retroviral infections of primates (i.e., HIV infection in humans and SIV infection in rhesus macaques) are associated with the presence of a set of perturbations of normal cell-cycle control in T lymphocytes. These perturbations, to which we collectively refer to as cell-cycle dysregulation, or CCD, may represent an important biological link between chronic immune activation and excess apoptosis and therefore may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of AIDS. A better understanding of the determinants and consequences of CCD may pave the way for the introduction of new therapeutic strategies to be used in addition to standard antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected patients.
Effect of parental feeding activity on squab-induced crop sac growth in ring doves (streptopelia risoria).

Abstract Effects of parental regurgitation feeding activity on crop sac development were studied in mate-separated male and female ring doves given 2 hr of daily exposure to food-deprived or recently fed squabs, for 4 consecutive days during the early posthatching period of the breeding cycle. In both sexes, food-deprived squabs stimulated more squab-directed activity, more parental regurgitation feeding activity, and greater crop sac development than recently fed young. Crop sac weights of males in both groups tended to be positively correlated with one or more parental activities. Correlations obtained in males exposed to food-deprived young further suggested that tactile stimuli associated with regurgitation behavior may promote crop sac development. In contrast to males, crop sac weights of females in both groups were not highly correlated with any type of contact-related parental activity or group of activities. These results, together with previous findings, suggest that nontactile stimuli from young played some role in mediating female crop sac weight differences in the two exposure conditions.
The experimental simulation in the dog of the cyanosis and hypertrophic osteoarthropathy which are associated with congenital heart disease

Abstract 1. 1. A procedure for anastomosis of the pulmonary artery to the left auricle in dogs is described. 2. 2. In the successful experiments, this procedure reproduced the circulatory derangements found in the cyanotic type of congenital heart disease. 3. 3. In one experiment, hypertrophic osteoarthropathy developed, and was apparently attributable to increased systemic blood flow.
A mathematical model of the kinetics of viral devitalization

Abstract Other variables being constant, the survival curves of virus exposed to a devitalizing agent often exhibit unusual behavior. This may be explained by aggregation of the viral particles. A mathematical model based on the assumption of aggregation has been developed to describe these aberrations. In order to estimate the model's parameters, a technique incorporating first differences is applied. Once the parameters are known, the amount of aggregation and associated devitalization rates can be determined.
Potassium and intracellular pH.

Potassium and acid-base balance have long been known to be interrelated. Studies have shown, for example, that a reduction in body potassium stores often induces a sustained metabolic alkalosis [1, 2], while acute administration of either potassium or rubidium chloride results in a rapid fall in blood pH and blood bicarbonate concentration [3]. The vast majority of metabolic reactions, however, occur intracellular, so the effect of changes in potassium balance on cellular acidity potentially have even greater physiologic significance. Most experiments dealing with this topic suggest that potassium balance does indeed influence cellular acid-base conditions. The present paper will review the information available concerning the relationship between potassium and cell pH and indicate those areas in which the data are incomplete or the results ambigious. As much work in this field is dependent on the accurate measurement of cell pH, it is necessary to examine briefly the practical and theoretical limitations of the methods employed to determine this quantity.
Reading reform beyond the state: Salwat al-Anfas, Islamic revival and Moroccan national history

In recent years, scholars of North Africa have shown increasing interest in the pre-Protectorate period of Moroccan history (1860–1912). Like their counterparts, who study the Ottoman lands to the east, scholars view the Moroccan nineteenth century as an era of reform and nascent nationalism. However, while historians of the Ottoman lands have increasingly attempted to step away from state-centred and ‘trickle-down’ views of the Tanzimat period, in Moroccan studies, a state-centred paradigm still dominates at the expense of cultural and intellectual histories of the era. This article turns the spotlight away from state-centred narratives of early Moroccan modernisation, anti-colonialism and nationalism by analysing Muhammad bin Ja'far al-Kattani's Salwat al-Anfas (1887). Salwat al-Anfas reveals a vision of pre-colonial Moroccan state and society in which power is multi-valent, diffuse and brokered by religio-political elites known as shurafa. By reading this text in tandem with extant narratives of the Mo...
Nominations sought for U.S. National Medal of Science

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2012 U.S. National Medal of Science, which is the nation's highest honor for American scientists and engineers, presented annually by the president. The award is given to individuals “deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding cumulative contributions to knowledge” in the physical, biological, chemical, mathematical, engineering, or behavioral or social sciences, in combination with exemplary service to the nation, according to the program, which is administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. A note in NSF's call for nominations states, “We are especially interested in identifying women, members of minority groups, and persons with disabilities for consideration.”
Thermal Activation and Inactivation of Melanin Formation in Vertebrate Skins and Melanomas

The melanogenic activity of tyrosinase as a function of temperature was studied in 9 different skin and melanoma tissues of vertebrates. The 600 × g supernatant fraction of tissue homogenates was incubated with 14 C-L-tyrosine at 0° to 60°C for 16 hr and the 14 C-melanin product was determined. The range of optimal temperature occurred at 35° to 45° C. The maximal activity and thermostability depended on the source of the enzyme preparation utilized. Thermal activation and species differences in the optimal temperature for maximal activity are complicated processes which depend upon many factors. At cold conditions, a higher percentage of maximal activity was achieved with enzyme from cold-blooded species than with enzyme from warm-blooded species.
Terahertz radiation from a photoconducting antenna array

An array of photoconducting antennas which generates electrically controllable millimeter-wave and submillimeter-wave radiation in free space is described. Under quasi-sinusoidal optical illumination, the emitted radiation is directional and electrically steerable, and can be scanned through an angle of over 40 degrees . The center of the scanning range can be adjusted by changing the angle of incidence of the pump beam. The far-field radiation pattern of the array is measured and discussed. Also, some properties of the array under illumination by a short optical pulse are demonstrated. These include electrical control of the frequency content of the signal and mapping of the spatial profile of the applied electric field onto the radiated waveform. The latter property can be used to multiplex information presented in parallel into a train of radiated pulses with a bit spacing of 6 ps. >
Evaluation of bleeding disorders in women with menorrhagia: a survey of obstetrician-gynecologists

Objective To better understand the current evaluation of unexplained menorrhagia by obstetrician-gynecologists and the extent to which a bleeding disorder diagnosis is being considered in this population. Study Design A total of 1200 Fellows and Junior Fellows of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists were invited to participate in a survey on blood disorders. Respondents completed a questionnaire regarding their patient population and their evaluation of patients with unexplained menorrhagia. Results The overall response rate was 42.4%. Eighty-two percent of respondents reported having seen patients with menorrhagia caused by a bleeding disorder. Seventy-seven percent of physicians reported they would be likely or very likely to consider a bleeding disorder as causing menorrhagia in adolescent patients; however, only 38.8% would consider bleeding disorders in reproductive age women. Conclusion The current data demonstrate that obstetrician-gynecologists seem to have a relatively high awareness of bleeding disorders as a potential underlying cause of menorrhagia.
Origins and consequences of age at first drink. II. Familial risk and heritability.

Background: The association of age at first drink (AFD) and alcoholism may reflect a common inherited vulnerability to disinhibitory behavior and psychopathology rather than a direct influence of the former on the latter. We tested the common-inherited-vulnerability hypothesis by determining whether AFD is familial and heritable. Methods: A sample of 1,232 14-year-old twins was classified according to their biological parents’ AFD. Results: Lifetime symptoms of externalizing disorders (i.e., conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder) were significantly higher in the sons but not the daughters of parents whose AFD came before age 15 years. Offspring symptoms of internalizing disorders (i.e., major depressive disorder, separation anxiety disorder, and overanxious disorder) were not significantly associated with parental early use of alcohol in either sons or daughters. Early use of alcohol in mothers but not fathers was associated with a significant increase in both sons’ and daughters’ risk of alcohol use by age 14. The contribution of genetic and environmental factors to risk of early alcohol use was investigated in a sample of 416 monozygotic (MZ) and 225 like-sex dizygotic (DZ) 14-year-old twin pairs. Twin similarity for early alcohol use was substantially greater in MZ than DZ twins in boys but about equally similar in MZ and DZ twins in girls. Estimated heritability of early alcohol use was significantly greater in boys (55%) than girls (11%), in part because the genetic factors underlying symptoms of disinhibitory psychopathology contributed more to risk of early alcohol use in boys than girls. Conclusions: Early use of alcohol is familial and, at least in males, heritable. The familial transmission of early alcohol use is caused in part by genetic risk for disinhibitory psychopathology in males and to shared environmental factors in girls. These results provide some support for a common-inherited-vulnerability hypothesis, and suggest that the processes underlying early alcohol use may differ in boys and girls.
Implementing Valiant's Learnability Theory Using Random Sets

A general learning framework which uses random sets is introduced for solving discrete-space classification problems. This framework is based on the pac-learning formalism introduced by Valiant (1984) and generalized in set-theoretic terms by Blumer, et al., (1989). The random set version of this theory is used to develop an algorithm which is a particularly efficient search scheme. This is accomplished by recasting the representational class and constructive proof presented in Valiant (1984) into random set terms and implementing it as an exhaustive search algorithm. The algorithm is a problem-specific incremental (psi) approach in that it satisfies learnability criteria for distribution-specific problems as examples are being sampled. Some theoretical and empirical analyses are presented to demonstrate the convergent pac-learnability and sample complexity of this psi-algorithm. Its performance is then tested on the multiplexor class of problems. This class has been analyzed by others as a benchmark for decision trees and genetic classifiers. Results from these test cases show that, despite using an exhaustive search, this random set implementation is computationally competitive with these more established methods (which use empirically proven heuristics). Conclusions are drawn about potential further improvements in the efficiency of this approach.
Systems reliability and availability prediction and comparison with field data for a mid-range computer

The author describes reliability and availability prediction based on systems evaluation through Markov modelling and comparison of results with field observations of a sample of mid-range computer systems with mirrored disks. The system uses single level architecture with disk striping. Reliability evaluation revealed that, with mirroring, the disk system and the intermediate FRUs (field replaceable units) between the disk system and the processor will be duplicated. Hence, system failures would be limited to the processor which is not duplicated. The validity of the prediction was checked by field monitoring of the performance of four systems with mirrored disks. Good agreement between the predicted and observed reliability and availability estimates was observed reliability and availability estimates was observed for the system hardware. As a result of disk monitoring the disk system is totally fault tolerant. >
Distance-adaptive update protocols for scalable shared-memory multiprocessors

While update protocols generally induce lower miss rates than invalidate protocols, they tend to generate much traffic. This is one of the reasons why they are considered less cost-effectively scalable than invalidate protocols and, as a result, are avoided in most existing designs of scalable shared-memory multiprocessors. However, given the increasing relative cost of cache misses, update protocols are becoming more worthy of exploration. In this paper, we present a model of sharing that is key to investigating the performance of optimized update protocols: the update distance model. The model gives insight into the update patterns that optimized protocols need to handle. Using this model, we design a new family of protocols that we call distance-adaptive protocols. In these schemes, the directory records the update patterns observed and then uses them to selectively send updates and invalidations to processors. As a result, traffic and miss rates are kept low. We present an implementation of these protocols based on a dynamic pointer scheme. A performance comparison between one of these protocols and efficient invalidate and delayed competitive-update protocols over five applications shows that the new protocol decreases the execution time by an average of 15% and 10% respectively.
Metatranscriptomic analysis of lignocellulolytic microbial communities involved in high-solids decomposition of rice straw

Background: New lignocellulolytic enzymes are needed that maintain optimal activity under the harsh conditions present during industrial enzymatic deconstruction of biomass, including high temperatures, the absence of free water, and the presence of inhibitors from the biomass. Enriching lignocellulolytic microbial communities under these conditions provides a source of microorganisms that may yield robust lignocellulolytic enzymes tolerant to the extreme conditions needed to improve the throughput and efficiency of biomass enzymatic deconstruction. Identification of promising enzymes from these systems is challenging due to complex substrate-enzyme interactions and requirements to assay for activity. In this study, metatranscriptomes from compost-derived microbial communities enriched on rice straw under thermophilic and mesophilic conditions were sequenced and analyzed to identify lignocellulolytic enzymes overexpressed under thermophilic conditions. To determine differential gene expression across mesophilic and thermophilic treatments, a method was developed which pooled gene expression by functional category, as indicated by Pfam annotations, since microbial communities performing similar tasks are likely to have overlapping functions even if they share no specific genes. Results: Differential expression analysis identified enzymes from glycoside hydrolase family 48, carbohydrate binding module family 2, and carbohydrate binding module family 33 domains as significantly overexpressed in the thermophilic community. Overexpression of these protein families in the thermophilic community resulted from expression of a small number of genes not currently represented in any protein database. Genes in overexpressed protein families were predominantly expressed by a single Actinobacteria genus, Micromonospora. Conclusions: Coupling measurements of deconstructive activity with comparative analyses to identify overexpressed enzymes in lignocellulolytic communities provides a targeted approach for discovery of candidate enzymes for more efficient biomass deconstruction. Glycoside hydrolase family 48 cellulases and carbohydrate binding module family 33 polysaccharide monooxygenases with carbohydrate binding module family 2 domains may improve saccharification of lignocellulosic biomass under high-temperature and low moisture conditions relevant to industrial biofuel production.
AN ANALYSIS OF THE GENETIC REQUIREMENTS FOR DELAYED CUTANEOUS HYPERSENSITIVITY REACTIONS TO TRANSPLANTATION ANTIGENS IN MICE

The experiments reported herein provide ample evidence that mice, like most other mammalian species, are capable of displaying readily observable and reproducible delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity reactions indicative of transplantation immunity. By employing a variety of genetically defined strains, it has been shown that a genetic requirement for the development of a positive normal lymphocyte transfer reaction in mice is a difference between host and cell donor at the H-2 locus. By contrast, the immune lymphocyte transfer reaction consistently reflected the full range of histoincompatibility, both inclusive and exclusive of the H-2. It was incidentally discovered that erythema regularly accompanied delayed cutaneous reactions in the skins of female mice, whereas no local redness accompanied their counterparts in male skins. The influence of cutaneous erythema on the scoring of delayed skin reactions is discussed.
Dynamics of β and Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen Sliding Clamps in Traversing DNA Secondary Structure

Abstract Chromosomal replicases of cellular organisms utilize a ring shaped protein that encircles DNA as a mobile tether for high processivity in DNA synthesis. These “sliding clamps” have sufficiently large linear diameters to encircle duplex DNA and are perhaps even large enough to slide over certain DNA secondary structural elements. This report examines the Escherichia coli β and human proliferating cell nuclear antigen clamps for their ability to slide over various DNA secondary structures. The results show that these clamps are capable of traversing a 13-nucleotide ssDNA loop, a 4-base pair stem-loop, a 4-nucleotide 5′ tail, and a 15-mer bubble within the duplex. However, upon increasing the size of these structures (20-nucleotide loop, 12-base pair stem-loop, 28-nucleotide 5′ tail, and 20-nucleotide bubble) the sliding motion of the β and proliferating cell nuclear antigen over these elements is halted. Studies of the E. coli replicase, DNA polymerase III holoenzyme, in chain elongation with the β clamp demonstrate that upon encounter with an oligonucleotide annealed in its path, it traverses the duplex and resumes synthesis on the 3′ terminus of the oligonucleotide. This sliding and resumption of synthesis occurs even when the oligonucleotide contains a secondary structure element, provided the β clamp can traverse the structure. However, upon encounter with a downstream oligonucleotide containing a large internal secondary structure, the holoenzyme clears the obstacle by strand displacing the oligonucleotide from the template. Implications of these protein dynamics to DNA transactions are discussed.
Beyond quality and accessibility: Source selection in consumer health information searching

A systematic understanding of factors and criteria that affect consumers' selection of sources for health information is necessary for the design of effective health information services and information systems. However, current studies have overly focused on source attributes as indicators for 2 criteria, source quality and accessibility, and overlooked the role of other factors and criteria that help determine source selection. To fill this gap, guided by decision-making theories and the cognitive perspective to information search, we interviewed 30 participants about their reasons for using a wide range of sources for health information. Additionally, we asked each of them to report a critical incident in which sources were selected to fulfill a specific information need. Based on the analysis of the transcripts, 5 categories of factors were identified as influential to source selection: source-related factors, user-related factors, user-source relationships, characteristics of the problematic situation, and social influences. In addition, about a dozen criteria that mediate the influence of the factors on source-selection decisions were identified, including accessibility, quality, usability, interactivity, relevance, usefulness, familiarity, affection, anonymity, and appropriateness. These results significantly expanded the current understanding of the nature of costs and benefits involved in source-selection decisions, and strongly indicated that a personalized approach is needed for information services and information systems to provide effective access to health information sources for consumers.
Living Amidst High Risk Technologies Making Tradeoffs

One of the greatest social challenges confronting today's technologists and engineers as well as those who are being prepared for future positions involves taking an active responsibility for the technologies we are creating. In many ways, our contemporary technologies seem to fit the "oft-used physician's adage -- "any medicine that is strong enough to help you is also strong enough to hurt you." In other words, the technological "risks" can not be overlooked while we stand aside applauding the technological "benefits." For this reason, it is no longer acceptable to blindly conduct research toward the development of newer and more powerful technological solutions --today's technologists and engineers must be prepared to provide answers to such inquiries as: should this be done?, and can its projected consequences be managed? Quite simply, responsible technology management involves careful consideration of the "ethics" of technological progress. Modern society has become hostage to the forces of technological advancement. There is no turning back because the benefits, both real and imagined, are tremendous! The impending risks are likewise greater than before and might turn out to be disastrous in the absence of clear and prudent plans that provide for "fall-back systems of survival. In all likelihood in this day and age, maintaining this nation's competitive position will require an increasing number of social compromises and tradeoffs as we continue to become more dependent on technologies that are inherently "risky." The proliferation of technologies relaled to such things as transportation, energy, weaponry, chemicals and medicine has expanded the scope of risk exponentially. A century ago, if a maintenance worker failed to attach a carriage wheel properly, the lives of half a dozen people were threatened. In 1989, if a manufacturer fails to install an O-ring properly in a DC-10, more than 333 lives are at stake! The weapons of yesteryear generally required dueling opponents to confront one another in some form of "close range" combat. Today's military hardware is covertly enmeshed in sophisticated networks of high-speed computers that are tended around the clock in an admirable attempt to prevent the nuclear annihilation ofthe entire planet. These two examples suggest that, at any moment, it seems the lives of millions arc at the mercy of a few individuals who are often just as "human" as we are. What if they make a mistake?
Total Synthesis and Structural Revision of Viridicatumtoxin B

Despite their impressive anti-bacterial activities, no synthetic approaches toward theviridicatumtoxins have been reported to date.Inspired by the structural complexity, the incomplete andcurious structural assignment containing an epoxy hemiacetalstructural motif, and potent antibiotic properties of viridica-tumtoxin B (2), we embarked on its total synthesis. Ourobjectives were to fully elucidate the structure of viridica-tumtoxin B (2) and establish the foundation for the synthesisand biological evaluation of designed analogues within thisfamily of antibiotics. A number of distinct structural featuresadd significantly to the challenge of synthesizing viridicatum-toxin B (2) compared to the tetracyclines (e.g. 4, Figure 1).These features include the EF spirosystem of viridicatumtox-in B, its hindered quaternary carbon center at C15, its highlyoxidized AB ring system, and the extensive substitution onthe ABCD tetracyclic core of the molecule. On the basis ofbiosynthetic considerations
A three-phase three-winding core-type transformer model for low-frequency transient studies

A topology-based and duality-derived three-phase, three-winding, core-type transformer model is presented. The model treats the leakage inductances and the coupling effects of the core in a straightforward and integrated way. The long-established positive- and zero-sequence star equivalent circuits of a three-phase three-winding transformer are derived from the original equivalent magnetic circuit of the transformer by applying duality. Formulations for determining the values of the leakage inductances and the core loss resistances from transformer open- and short-circuit test data are presented. A supporting routine is written to generate the /spl lambda/-i curves for each segment of the core and the other input data for EMTP. Since the duality-derived model consists of only RLC elements, no device-specific code to EMTP time-step code is needed. Winding capacitances are lumped to the terminals. The model is suitable for simulation of power system low-frequency transients such as inrush currents and ferroresonance, short circuits, and abnormalities including transformer winding faults.
Doughnut-beam-induced Sisyphus cooling in atomic guiding and collimation

We propose a simple atomic-beam collimator consisting of a blue-detuned cylindrical-hollow (doughnut) laser beam. Cold atoms from a magneto-optical trap are loaded into the doughnut beam and guided in the propagation direction of the doughnut beam. The cold atoms experience efficient Sisyphus cooling induced by the doughnut beam and a weak repumping beam and are collimated in the transverse direction. In the longitudinal direction the cold atoms experience small accelerations that are due to the absorption-induced heating of the doughnut beam and the repumping beam. The cooling, heating, and loss mechanisms in this atomic collimator are analyzed. Our study shows that an intense cold atomic beam with a minimum transverse velocity of ∼2 cm s-1 (a minimum transverse temperature of ∼1.4 μK) and a brightness of approximately 2×1013 atoms (sr-1 cm-2 s-1) can be obtained from the collimator.
Analysis of the Stereophonic LMS/Newton Algorithm and Impact of Signal Nonlinearity on Its Convergence Behavior

The strong cross-correlation that exists between the two input audio channels makes the problem of stereophonic acoustic echo cancellation (AEC) complex and challenging to solve. Recently, two new implementations of the LMS/Newton algorithm that uses a linear decorrelation technique were proposed. This method helps to mitigate the effect of the ill-conditioned problem on the convergence rate of the LMS/Newton adaptive algorithm. The complexity of these algorithms is significantly lower than the recursive least-squares (RLS) algorithm, which is known to provide excellent echo cancellation. Furthermore, unlike the various versions of the RLS algorithm, the LMS/Newton algorithm is more robust to numerical errors. It has also been suggested that applying nonlinearities to signals at the two audio channels will help to alleviate the misalignment problem of stereophonic AEC systems. Simulation studies reveal that application of certain classes of nonlinearities to the two-channel LMS/Newton algorithms helps to further reduce the misalignment but it also leads to an unexpected and significant reduction in the rate of convergence of the mean-square error. The contributions of this paper are twofold. First, we provide an analysis of the two-channel LMS/Newton algorithm that was proposed in our earlier work. Second, we provide a theoretical understanding for the appearance of the slow modes of convergence in the presence of nonlinearities and show that they can be resolved through a preprocessing step.
AN ALGORITHM FOR PLAN RECOGNITION IN COLLABORATIVE DISCOURSE

A model of plan recognition in discourse must be based on intended recognition, distinguish each agent's beliefs and intentions from the other's, and avoid assumptions about the correctness or completeness of the agents' beliefs. In this paper, we present an algorithm for plan recognition that is based on the Shared-Plan model of collaboration (Grosz and Sidner, 1990; Lochbaum et al., 1990) and that satisfies these constraints.
Fall vortex ozone as a predictor of springtime total ozone at high northern latitudes

Understanding the impact of atmospheric dynamical variability on observed changes in stratospheric O 3 is a key to understanding how O 3 will change with future climate dynamics and trace gas abundances. In this paper we examine the linkage between interannual variability in total column O 3 at northern high latitudes in March and lower-to-mid stratospheric vortex O 3 in the prior November. We find that these two quantities are significantly correlated in the years available from TOMS, SBUV, and POAM data (1978-2004). Additionally, we find that the increase in March O 3 variability from the 1980s to years post-1990 is also seen in the November vortex O 3 , i.e., interannual variability in both quantities is much larger in the later years. The cause of this correlation is not clear, however. Interannual variations in March total O 3 are known to correspond closely with variations in winter stratospheric wave driving consistent with the effects of varying residual circulation, temperature, and chemical loss. Variation in November vortex O 3 may also depend on dynamical wave activity, but the dynamics in fall are less variable than in winter and spring. We do not find significant correlations of dynamic indicators for November such as temperature, heat flux, or polar average total O 3 with the November vortex O 3 , nor with dynamical indicators later in winter and spring that might lead to a connection to March. We discuss several potential hypotheses for the observed correlation but do not find strong evidence for any considered mechanism. We present the observations as a phenomenon whose understanding may improve our ability to predict the dependence of O 3 on changing dynamics and chemistry.
On effective data aggregation techniques in host-based intrusion detection in MANET

A Mobile Ad Hoc Network MANET has been used in both commercial and tactical applications and faces security risks. Conducting cyber-attack monitoring and detection in MANET is challenging owning to limited resources. To deal with this issue, in this paper we develop lossless and lossy aggregation techniques to reduce the resources e.g., energy consumption and bandwidth use for transmitting security information through MANET while preserving the desired detection accuracy for cyber security operation. Particularly, our novel compression-based data aggregation technique effectively removes the duplicated information and compresses the pivotal data. The event-based data aggregation consolidates the data with the same type of predefined events. We also develop lossy data aggregation technique, namely feature-based data aggregation, which defines a series of basic features. We conduct real-world experiments and simulations to evaluate the effectiveness of our proposed data aggregation techniques in terms of energy consumption and detection accuracy.
System-level noise of an ultra-wideband tracking system

Previous works in ultra-wideband (UWB) noise modeling have mostly focused on isolating the individual sources of error. However, it is important to recognize that some errors will always pass through to the system output. In this work, we methodically evaluated the system-level noise of a UWB position tracking system. We define system-level noise as the measurement error obtained when the system is installed in a real-world environment. Our results show that a multi-modal noise model will be essential for filtering system-level noise. To encourage further research, all of our data has been made publicly available.