cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Keep on moving: discovering and perturbing the conformational dynamics of enzymes.

ConspectusBecause living organisms are in constant motion, the word “dynamics” can hold many meanings to biologists. Here we focus specifically on the conformational changes that occur in proteins and how studying these protein dynamics may provide insights into enzymatic catalysis.Advances in integrating techniques such as X-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance, and electron cryomicroscopy (cryo EM) allow us to model the dominant structures and exchange rates for many proteins and protein complexes. For proteins amenable to atomic resolution techniques, the major questions shift from simply describing the motions to discovering their role in function. Concurrently, there is an increasing need for using perturbations to test predictive models of dynamics–function relationships. Examples are the catalytic cycles of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) and cyclophilin A (CypA).In DHFR, mutations that alter the ability of the active site to sample productive higher energy states on the millisecond time ...
Impact of Internal Parasites on Beef Cattle

Internal parasitism is a pervasive constant that reduces returns in beef cattle production. Parasitism may influence production sufficiently so that data derived investigating performance response will be erroneous. The interaction of internal parasites of cattle with other facets of their lives makes it imperative that more parasite research be done on cattle to consider their impact. Results of trials designed to determine forage production at various stocking densities may not reflect the nutritive value of the forage, but instead the severity of parasite exposure. Relative resistance or susceptibility to certain parasites vary with the breed of livestock and the species of parasite. Extensive work to evaluate the ability of various breeds and sires to influence parasitic numbers has been conducted in sheep but not in cattle. Some parasite trials have ignored the effects of nutrition on the establishment and retention of parasites. This becomes especially important where multiple parasite exposure may occur. Susceptible cattle, even on an optimal diet, will become parasitized, but if reexposed to the same species of parasite, cattle on an optimal diet may be able to resist reinfection, whereas those on deficient diets will not.
Critical life events and the onset of illness

What can we conclude from these studies? One fact seems certain: there is no simple connection between life events and illness. Whether we get sick from an infection or a negative life experience depends on more than a germ or stress. All disease is multifactorial, and the resources that help protect us have much to do with our sense of support and control over our lives. What happens in our endocrine system and to our immune response is a function of what is going on inside our heads and hearts--the meanings we give to events and the feelings we have about them. Skeptics have long doubted these tenets. However, emerging evidence increasingly dispels these doubts and has replaced them with a biopsychosocial model based on psychoneuroimmunology (PNI). Indeed, Cousins described PNI as "the new science of medicine." To date, more than a dozen academic medical centers in the United States have PNI research programs and the list is growing. With expanded scientific study of the mind-body connection, people in general will come to recognize that whether they become ill is not always a matter of chance, but to a considerable extent something under their own control.
THE ROBUSTNESS OF CROSS-COUNTRY HEALTHCARE RANKINGS AMONG HOMOGENEOUS OECD COUNTRIES

This paper re-examines analyses of cross-country healthcare efficiency using modern, non-parametric estimators and Malmquist indices to determine productivity changes over the panel. This paper finds that cross-country heterogeneity leads to different efficiency rankings than previously thought, and that the hyperbolic order-α estimator leads to more robust efficiency scores when looking across different output measures, only looking at the more homogeneous OECD countries. It finds that the United States, if excluding the percent of healthcare expenditures that are publicly financed, is one of the more inefficient healthcare delivery systems in the world. What are commonly thought of as well-run healthcare systems (Austria and France) are either inefficient themselves or have variation in their efficiency rankings, showcasing difficulties in using other countries' healthcare systems as models for reform. It also finds that there has been productivity regression in all countries except the United States. These highlight the difficulties in cross-country efficiency comparisons.
The challenges of installing innovative treatment in small water systems

The Drinking Water Assistance Program of the Montana Water Center sponsors the piloting of innovative treatment technologies and approaches to aid small public water systems. Now in its fifth year, the program has sponsored demonstrations at more than 20 systems around the United States. Project personnel have encountered numerous challenges in installing and testing innovative treatment methods. Many of the challenges arise when treatment is added to a system that previously had none, or to a system that used only chlorination. Some of the difficulties involve system engineering, some are people problems, others take the form of business or regulatory impediments. The purpose of this paper is to share some of the more important lessons that have been learned in fostering the adoption of innovative treatment. Examples are drawn from projects concerned with corrosion control, nitrate reduction, microfiltration, and disinfection.
Migraines, spontaneous abortions, central nervous system involvement and a positive VDRL in a 36-year-old white female.

A 36-year-old woman presented in August 1988 complaining of worsening headaches characterized by intermittent sharp throbbing left-sided head pain with concomitant blurred vision. The same day, she reported difficulty using her left arm, left-sided numbness, and clumsiness. For the following 3 months, the patient reported transient numbness in the fifth digit of her left hand and occasionally along the ulnar border of her left forearm
Inferring cortical function in the mouse visual system through large-scale systems neuroscience

The scientific mission of the Project MindScope is to understand neocortex, the part of the mammalian brain that gives rise to perception, memory, intelligence, and consciousness. We seek to quantitatively evaluate the hypothesis that neocortex is a relatively homogeneous tissue, with smaller functional modules that perform a common computational function replicated across regions. We here focus on the mouse as a mammalian model organism with genetics, physiology, and behavior that can be readily studied and manipulated in the laboratory. We seek to describe the operation of cortical circuitry at the computational level by comprehensively cataloging and characterizing its cellular building blocks along with their dynamics and their cell type-specific connectivities. The project is also building large-scale experimental platforms (i.e., brain observatories) to record the activity of large populations of cortical neurons in behaving mice subject to visual stimuli. A primary goal is to understand the series of operations from visual input in the retina to behavior by observing and modeling the physical transformations of signals in the corticothalamic system. We here focus on the contribution that computer modeling and theory make to this long-term effort.
Book Four of Castiglione's Courtier: Climax or Afterthought?

In his description of life at the courts of Italian princes during the Renaissance, Jacob Burckhardt looks upon the ideal cortegiano of Baldassare Castiglione as an embodiment of the self-possessed and self-centered individualism of the period. The courtier, he asserts, ‘was regarded by the civilization of that age as its choicest flower; and the court existed for him rather than he for the court'. As a consequence of his assumption, Burckhardt could discern no. unity between the earlier and the later portions of Castiglione's work.
Single-Flash Steam Power Plants

The single-flash steam plant is the mainstay of the geothermal power industry. It is often the first power plant installed at a newly developed liquid-dominated geothermal field. When the geothermal wells produce a mixture of steam and liquid, the single-flash plant is a relatively simple way to convert the geothermal energy into electricity. The terminology single-flash system indicates that the geofluid has undergone a single flashing process. The analysis presented in this chapter is based on fundamental thermodynamic principles, namely the principle of energy conservation (i.e., the First Law of thermodynamics) and the principle of mass conservation. The study examines the problem of selecting the separator conditions that will yield the best overall plant performance in terms of the power generation. Two hypothetical cases are discussed. There are several potential environmental impacts from geothermal plant. It shows a listing that may be applied to all kinds of geothermal power plants. Finally, the chapter outlines the major equipment for a single-flash power plant.
Financial Loss for Inpatient Care of Medicaid-Insured Children.

Importance Medicaid payments tend to be less than the cost of care. Federal Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments help hospitals recover such uncompensated costs of Medicaid-insured and uninsured patients. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act reduces DSH payments in anticipation of fewer uninsured patients and therefore decreased uncompensated care. However, unlike adults, few hospitalized children are uninsured, while many have Medicaid coverage. Therefore, DSH payment reductions may expose extensive Medicaid financial losses for hospitals serving large absolute numbers of children. Objectives To identify types of hospitals with the highest Medicaid losses from pediatric inpatient care and to estimate the proportion of losses recovered through DSH payments. Design, Setting, and Participants This retrospective cross-sectional analysis evaluated Medicaid-insured hospital discharges of patients 20 years and younger from 23 states in the 2009 Kids’ Inpatient Database. The dates of the analysis were March to September 2015. Hospitals were categorized as freestanding children’s hospitals (FSCHs), children’s hospitals within general hospitals, non–children’s hospital teaching hospitals, and non–children’s hospital nonteaching hospitals. Financial records of FSCHs in the data set were used to estimate the proportion of Medicaid losses recovered through DSH payments. Main Outcomes and Measures Hospital financial losses from inpatient care of Medicaid-insured children (defined as the reimbursement minus the cost of care) were compared across hospital types. For our subsample of FSCHs, Medicaid-insured inpatient financial losses were calculated with and without each hospital’s DSH payment. Results The 2009 Kids’ Inpatient Database study population included 1485 hospitals and 843 725 Medicaid-insured discharges. Freestanding children’s hospitals had a higher median number of Medicaid-insured discharges (4082; interquartile range [IQR], 3524-5213) vs non–children’s hospital teaching hospitals (674; IQR, 258-1414) and non–children’s hospital nonteaching hospitals (161; IQR, 41-420). Freestanding children’s hospitals had the largest median Medicaid losses from pediatric inpatient care (−$9 722 367; IQR, −$16 248 369 to −$2 137 902). Smaller losses were experienced by non–children’s hospital teaching hospitals (−$204 100; IQR, −$1 014 100 to $14 700]) and non–children’s hospital nonteaching hospitals (−$28 310; IQR, −$152 370 to $9040]). Disproportionate Share Hospital payments to FSCHs reduced their Medicaid losses by almost half. Conclusions and Relevance Estimated financial losses from pediatric inpatients covered by Medicaid were much larger for FSCHs than for other hospital types. For children’s hospitals, small anticipated increases in insured children are unlikely to offset the reductions in DSH payments.
Postmodernism Rightly Understood: The Return to Realism in American Thought

(2001). Postmodernism Rightly Understood: The Return to Realism in American Thought. Administrative Theory & Praxis: Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 299-303.
Exploring Factors that Lead to People Watching Professional Soccer on Television

The purpose of this study is to examine and determine factors that lead to increased television ratings for soccer in the U.S. The study primarily focuses on fantasy soccer participation, involvement in soccer, presence of a local professional team, and social media interaction. After providing a brief history of soccer television ratings in the U.S., a conceptual model based on these factors is developed and explained. The factors of this conceptual model are tested through statistical analysis. Based on these results, the model provides recommendations and conclusions for soccer decision makers to increase television ratings in the future, which ultimately will drive and increase the bottom line of all parties involved.
Performance improvement in transfusion medicine: What do nurses need and want?

Abstract Transfusion medicine is a complex process dependent on a variety of professionals interacting effectively and efficiently across time and distance. To perform safely, professionals depend ...
A rare probable chondroblastoma of the calcaneus in a pre-Columbian subadult from Illinois

Discrete cystic or tumorous intraosseous lesions can arise from a variety of benign and malignant conditions as well as trauma and infection. They are clinically rarely observed in the calcaneus. A fourteen-to-seventeen-year-old subadult recovered from a Late Woodland (∼AD 800-1100) period mortuary context in the Mississippi River Valley of central Illinois presents with a single lytic intraosseous lesion on the posterior right calcaneus that bilaterally perforates the cortex. The lesion, although primarily anterior to the epiphyseal plate, does breach it. There is also a small perforation of the outer cortex of the epiphysis above the insertion of the Achilles' tendon. The lesion is well-defined with a primarily spongy cancellous interior margin. On the body of the calcaneus, there is periostosis and a slightly expansive endosteal reaction. Comparative radiographic assessments undertaken to differentially diagnose the lesion indicate that it was likely not malignant. Based on the posterior location, the radiographic signature, the bilateral cortical perforation and the breach of the epiphysis, the lesion is best interpreted as a chondroblastoma.
The complexity of minocycline serum protein binding

Objectives Serum protein binding is critical for understanding the pharmacology of antimicrobial agents. Tigecycline and eravacycline were previously reported to have atypical non-linear protein binding; the percentage of free fraction decreased with increasing total concentration. In this study, we extended the investigation to other tetracyclines and examined the factors that might impact protein binding. Methods Different minocycline concentrations (0.5-50 mg/L) and perfusion media (saline, 0.1 M HEPES buffer and 0.1 and 1 M PBS) were examined by in vitro microdialysis. After equilibration, two dialysate samples were taken from each experiment and the respective antimicrobial agent concentrations were analysed by validated LC-MS/MS methods. For comparison, the serum protein bindings of doxycycline and levofloxacin were also determined. Results The free fraction of minocycline decreased with increasing total concentration, and the results depended on the perfusion media used. The trends of minocycline protein binding in mouse and human sera were similar. In addition, serum protein binding of doxycycline showed the same concentration-dependent trend as minocycline, while the results of levofloxacin were concentration independent. Conclusions The serum protein bindings of minocycline and doxycycline are negatively correlated with their total concentrations. It is possible that all tetracyclines share the same pharmacological property. Moreover, the specific perfusion media used could also impact the results of microdialysis. Additional studies are warranted to understand the mechanism(s) and clinical implications of serum protein binding of tetracyclines.
Protein Synthesis Inhibition and Activation of the c-Jun N-Terminal Kinase Are Potential Contributors to Cisplatin Ototoxicity

Cisplatin has been regarded as an effective and versatile chemotherapeutic agent for nearly 40 years. Though the associated dose-dependent ototoxicity is known, the cellular mechanisms by which cochleovestibular hair cell death occur are not well understood. We have previously shown that aminoglycoside ototoxicity is mediated in part by cytosolic protein synthesis inhibition. Despite a lack of molecular similarity, aminoglycosides were shown to elicit similar stress pathways to cisplatin. We therefore reasoned that there may be some role of protein synthesis inhibition in cisplatin ototoxicity. Employing a modification of the bioorthogonal noncanonical amino acid tagging (BONCAT) method, we evaluated the effects of cisplatin on cellular protein synthesis. We show that cisplatin inhibits cellular protein synthesis in organ of Corti explant cultures. Similar to what was found after gentamicin exposure, cisplatin activates both the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathways. In contrast to aminoglycosides, cisplatin also inhibits protein synthesis in all cochlear cell types. We further demonstrate that the multikinase inhibitor sorafenib completely prevents JNK activation, while providing only moderate hair cell protection. Simultaneous stimulation of cellular protein synthesis by insulin, however, significantly improved hair cell survival in culture. The presented data provides evidence for a potential role of protein synthesis inhibition in cisplatin-mediated ototoxicity.
Ring resonator based integrated optical beam forming network with true time delay for mmW communications

An optical ring resonator (ORR) based integrated optical beamforming network (OBFN) for a W-band millimeter wave phased array antenna is reported. The delay response of a 3-ORR delay line is optimized and dynamic tuning ranges of 208.7 ps and 172.4 ps for the true time delay bandwidths of 6.3 GHz and 8.7 GHz are achieved. Moreover, all of the delay paths are successfully tuned with 4. 2 ps delay difference from the neighboring paths. Eye diagrams of a 3 Gbps NRZ OOK modulated signal are measured to show that no noticeable signal deterioration is induced by the OBFN chip.
Bilateral Vocal Fold Medialization: A Treatment for Abductor Spasmodic Dysphonia.

Summary Introduction Abductor spasmodic dysphonia, a difficult-to-treat laryngologic condition, is characterized by spasms causing the vocal folds to remain abducted despite efforts to adduct them during phonation. Traditional treatment for abductor spasmodic dysphonia—botulinum toxin injection into the posterior cricoarytenoid muscle—can be both technically challenging and uncomfortable. Due to the difficulty of needle placement, it is often unsuccessful. The purpose of this investigation is to present a previously undescribed treatment for abductor spasmodic dysphonia—bilateral vocal fold medialization. Methods A retrospective case review of all cases of abductor spasmodic dysphonia treated in a tertiary care laryngology practice with bilateral vocal fold medialization over a 10-year period was performed. The Voice Handicap Index and the Voice-Related Quality of Life surveys were utilized to assess patient satisfaction with voice outcome. Results Six patients with abductor spasmodic dysphonia treated with bilateral vocal fold medialization were identified. Disease severity ranged from mild to severe. All six patients reported statistically significant improvement in nearly all Voice Handicap Index and Voice-Related Quality of Life parameters. They reported fewer voice breaks and greater ease of communication. Results were noted immediately and symptoms continue to be well controlled for many years following medialization. Conclusions Bilateral vocal fold medialization is a safe and effective treatment for abductor spasmodic dysphonia. It is performed under local anesthesia and provides phonation improvement in the short and long term.
Valence and charge-transfer optical properties for some SinCm (m, n ≤ 12) clusters: Comparing TD-DFT, complete-basis-limit EOMCC, and benchmarks from spectroscopy

Accurate optical characterization of the closo-Si12C12 molecule is important to guide experimental efforts toward the synthesis of nano-wires, cyclic nano-arrays, and related array structures, which are anticipated to be robust and efficient exciton materials for opto-electronic devices. Working toward calibrated methods for the description of closo-Si12C12 oligomers, various electronic structure approaches are evaluated for their ability to reproduce measured optical transitions of the SiC2, Si2Cn (n = 1-3), and Si3Cn (n = 1, 2) clusters reported earlier by Steglich and Maier [Astrophys. J. 801, 119 (2015)]. Complete-basis-limit equation-of-motion coupled-cluster (EOMCC) results are presented and a comparison is made between perturbative and renormalized non-iterative triples corrections. The effect of adding a renormalized correction for quadruples is also tested. Benchmark test sets derived from both measurement and high-level EOMCC calculations are then used to evaluate the performance of a variety of density functionals within the time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) framework. The best-performing functionals are subsequently applied to predict valence TD-DFT excitation energies for the lowest-energy isomers of SinC and Sin-1C7-n (n = 4-6). TD-DFT approaches are then applied to the SinCn (n = 4-12) clusters and unique spectroscopic signatures of closo-Si12C12 are discussed. Finally, various long-range corrected density functionals, including those from the CAM-QTP family, are applied to a charge-transfer excitation in a cyclic (Si4C4)4 oligomer. Approaches for gauging the extent of charge-transfer character are also tested and EOMCC results are used to benchmark functionals and make recommendations.
A Summary of the Fifteenth International Tsunami Symposium

The Fifteenth International Tsunami Symposium was held during the XX General Assembly of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) in Vienna, Austria, on August 19 and 20, 1991. The Symposium was sponsored jointly by the IUGG Tsunami Commission, International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth’s Interiors, and the International Association for Physical Sciences of the Ocean. The coconvenors of the Symposium were E. Bernard (United States), M. El Sabh (Canada), N. Shuto (Japan), and S. Tinti (Italy). Thirty-nine presentations on tsunami research were made by scientists from 13 countries during the 2-day Symposium on Tsunami Disaster Reduction. The sessions were organized into Observations, Physical Processes (i.e., generation, propagation, run-up), and Hazard Reduction.
Trends in Renal Function among Heart-Transplant Recipients of Donor-Derived Hepatitis C Virus

Purpose Donor-derived hepatitis C infection (dd-HCV) infection may increase risk of renal impairment (RI) among heart transplant (HT) recipients. Sofosbuvir, an integral component of anti-HCV direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), has also been linked to RI. To date, no prior study has examined the trends in renal function for HT recipients of dd-HCV infection, and assessed safety and efficacy of sofosbuvir-based DAAs. Methods Between September 2016 and June 2018, 46 HCV-naive patients and 1 with a history of treated-HCV pre-HT underwent HT from HCV-positive donors (follow-up through October 10th, 2018). Patients were treated with ledipasvir-sofosbuvir (genotype 1) or sofosbuvir-velpatasvir (genotype 3) for 12 or 24 weeks; no dose adjustments were made for renal function. Data on renal function were available for 23 patients who achieved a sustained virologic response at 12 weeks after the end of treatment (SVR12; cohort A) and 18 patients who completed 1-year of follow-up (cohort B). Results Treatment of dd-HCV infection was initiated after a median of 6 weeks post-HT. In both cohorts, a non-significant change in median eGFR was noted (Cohort A: pre-transplant eGFR: 62 (IQR 51,84) to SVR12 eGFR: 49 ((IQR: 37, 82), p=0.43); Cohort B: pre-transplant eGFR: 65 (IQR: 54, 84) to 1-year post-HT eGFR: 56 ((IQR: 39, 75); p=0.29). Pre-treatment renal function or early initiation of DAAs post-transplant had no significant impact on changes in renal function during treatment. All patients tolerated DAAs well with 100% completion rate to the assigned therapy and duration, and 100% success at achieving SVR12. Conclusion In this first and largest reported case series to date of HT recipients with dd-HCV infection, we observed that neither the dd-HCV infection nor its treatment with Sofosbuvir-based DAAs increased the risk of RI. Sofosbuvir-based DAAs appear safe, tolerable and effective for HCV treatment even in presence of severe RI.
Permanental generating functions and sequential importance sampling

Abstract We introduce techniques for deriving closed form generating functions for enumerating permutations with restricted positions keeping track of various statistics. The method involves evaluating permanents with variables as entries. These are applied to determine the sample size required for a novel sequential importance sampling algorithm for generating random perfect matchings in classes of bipartite graphs.
1 Market efficiency and forecasting

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on developments following Fama's review related to prediction of stock prices. In the review Fama describes increasingly fine information that is useful in organizing the discussion. It is mentioned that weak-form predictability uses the information in past stock prices. Semi-strong form predictability uses variables that are publicly available, and strong form uses anything else. The weak-form predictability (using the information in past stock prices) is more fragile and less compelling than the semi-strong form predictability (using publicly available information more generally). Further, the review highlights the issue of predictability in stock returns, which has important and broad economic implications relating to the efficiency of capital markets in allocating resources to their highest valued uses. The discussion concludes with conditional asset pricing models, which provided a rich setting for the study of the dynamic behavior of asset markets. Conditional Performance Evaluation is the application of these models to the problem of evaluating the performance of portfolio managers. Models that allow for time-varying conditional moments produce different inferences about performance thanthe traditional measures that do not allow for predictability, and have influenced both academic views and professional investment practice. It mentions that research on predictability has stimulated numerous advances in the statistical and econometric methods of financial economics and is likely to continue.
Academic Success and Motivation

This chapter begins with a literature review on food insecurity and academic success among K-12 students, followed by a discussion of the expanding research on college students. Interview participants were asked if food insecurity has impacted their student success or performance in a course. This chapter shows the grit needed to be academically successful despite food insecurity. I discuss specific academic sacrifices in order to have more money for food, followed by a discussion of any activities, in class or extra-curricular, that were avoided because of issues with food insecurity. The final section discusses what motivates students to stay in college while they are food insecure.
Oxidant-Dependent and Oxidant-Independent Proangiogenic and Vasomotor Signaling in Coronary Vascular Endothelium

Depending on their levels, source of generation, and subcellular locations, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are known to have paradoxical effects on coronary vascular endothelium. At low concentrations, ROS contribute to physiological signaling pathways that regulate vascular endothelial cell (EC) growth and survival. At higher concentrations, or with prolonged exposure, ROS can exacerbate endothelial cell injury and trigger apoptosis. In this chapter, oxidant-dependent and oxidant-independent angiogenic and vasomotor signaling pathways will be discussed in-depth, including the structures of oxidant-producing enzymes, their agonists, and their related signaling pathways in EC. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a major growth factor involved in the maintenance of EC health, vasomotor tone, and angiogenesis, will also be discussed. VEGF utilizes both reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent and ROS-independent arms of EC signaling.
A Survey of Vehicular Cloud Research: Trends, Applications and Challenges

The past decade has seen the emergence of Vehicular Clouds as a topic of research in its own right. Vehicular clouds were inspired by the reality of present-day vehicles featuring an impressive array of on-board compute, storage and sensing capabilities and by the insight that these on-board capabilities are a vast untapped resource that, at the moment, is wasted. Harvesting these vehicular resources and putting them to work in a meaningful and productive way promises to have a significant and lasting societal impact. One of the defining ways in which vehicular clouds differ from conventional clouds is resource volatility. As vehicles enter and leave the cloud, new compute resources become available while others depart, creating a volatile environment where reasoning about fundamental performance metrics becomes very challenging. Given that vehicular clouds and their numerous variants have becomes a very active field of research, this seems to be a good moment to survey the state of the art of vehicular cloud research. In this survey, we adopt an inclusive rather than an exclusive definition of various flavors of vehicular clouds. Vehicular clouds, in their many incarnations, have a huge array of potential applications. In order to bring this potential to fruition, significant research challenges have to be overcome. With this in mind, this survey identifies promising applications and draws attention to a number of research challenges facing the vehicular clouds community at large.
Amplified luminescence quenching effect upon binding of nitrogen doped carbon nanodots to transition metal ions

There is a significant drive to identify a unified emission mechanism hidden behind carbon nanodots (CDs) to attain reliable control over their photoluminescence properties. This issue is addressed here by investigating the fluorescence response of citric acid and urea-based nitrogen doped carbon nanodots (NCDs) towards transition metal ions in solutions of different polarities/viscosities/hydrogen bonding strengths. The photoluminescence from NCDs upon excitation at 400 nm is quenched by metal ions such as chromium(VI), ruthenium(III) and iron(III) in two different polar solvents, protic water and aprotic dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO). This amplified luminescence quenching in polar solutions showed significant static quenching contributions. The quenching phenomenon highly depends on the excitation wavelength and solvent environment. The fluorescence quenching sequence reveals that pyridinic nitrogen-bases have a dominant influence on J-like emissive aggregates of NCDs. Similarly, oxygen-containing functional groups play a significant role in constructing H-aggregates of NCDs. The most intense emission is contributed by the J-like assembly of H-aggregates.
Consequences of Authoritarian Party Exit and Reinvention for Democratic Competition

How do the successors to authoritarian ruling parties influence subsequent democratic party competition? The existing literature does not distinguish among these parties, nor does it differentiate ...
Artificial Neural Networks as Propagators in Quantum Dynamics.

The utilization of artificial neural networks (ANNs) provides strategies for accelerating molecular simulations. Herein, ANNs are implemented as propagators of the time-dependent Schrodinger equation to simulate the quantum dynamics of systems with time-dependent potentials. These ANN propagators are trained to map nonstationary wavepackets from a given time to a future time within the discrete variable representation. Each propagator is trained for a specified time step, and iterative application of the propagator enables the propagation of wavepackets over long time scales. Such ANN propagators are developed and applied to one- and two-dimensional proton transfer systems, which exhibit nuclear quantum effects such as hydrogen tunneling. These ANN propagators are trained for either a specific time-independent potential or general potentials that can be time-dependent. Hierarchical, multiple time step algorithms enable parallelization, and the extension to higher dimensions is straightforward. This strategy is applicable to quantum dynamical simulations of diverse chemical and biological processes.
Topical Chemotherapy and Prophylaxis in Thermal Injury

Definition of burn wound sepsis and development of animal models for reproducing lethal burn wound infection have made possible development of effective agents for control of wound infection and sepsis. Silver nitrate 0.5%, Sulfamylon and silver sulfadiazene are presently principal agents shown to be effective topical agents. Trade-off of level of effectiveness against side effects determines selection of agent. Monitoring criteria are essential if topical therapy is to be used safely.
Rule based updates on simple knowledge bases

In this paper we consider updates that are specified as rules and consider simple knowledge bases consisting of ground atoms. We present a translation of the rule based update specifications to extended logic programs using situation calculus notation so as to compute the updated knowledge base. We show that the updated knowledge base that we compute satisfies the update specifications and yet is minimally different from the original database. We then expand our approach to incomplete knowledge bases. We relate our approach to the standard revision and update operators, the formalization of actions and its effects using situation calculus and the formalization of database evolution using situation calculus.
Synchrotron Infrared Microspectroscopy

Synchrotron Infrared Microspectroscopy is a powerful method for obtaining infrared spectrum of a small area of the specimen, using synchrotron light as the source. The brightness of the broadband synchrotron beam is 1000 times higher than that of thermal infrared sources, and allows analysis of sample areas down to the diffraction limit (e.g. 5 µm at 2000 cm−1) at high signal-to-noise ratios in a short time. The technique is most widely used in biosciences, providing information on chemistry on microscales of virtually all biological specimens, like bone, plants, and other biological tissues. Some applications of the technique include infrared imaging of neurons subjected to various brain diseases, bone osteoporosis, biodegradation of man-made pollutants in plants, nutrition value of seeds, and protein folding in microsecond time regimes. Keywords: Fourier Transform (FT); Infrared (IR)Light; Infrared Microspectroscope; Microscope; Spectrometer; Synchrotron
Weak compactness of certain sets of measures

For a compact Hausdorff space X and a Montel Hausdorff locally convex space E, let F = (C(X,E),u), u being the uniform topology. We determine the necessary and sufficient conditions for an equicontinuous H C F' to be σ(F', F)-compact. Special results are obtained when X is an F-space or a σ-Stonian space.
Environmental aspects of engineering geological mapping in the United States

Many engineering geological maps at different scales have been prepared for various engineering and environmental purposes in regions of diverse geological conditions in the United States. They include maps of individual geological hazards and maps showing the effect of land development on the environment. An approach to assessing the environmental impact of land development that is used increasingly in the United States is the study of a single area by scientists from several disciplines, including geology. A study of this type has been made for the National Petroleum Reserve in northern Alaska. In the San Francisco Bay area, a technique has been worked out for evaluating the cost of different types of construction and land development in terms of the cost of a number of kinds of earth science factors.
Field electron emission from metal surfaces at zero Kelvin using computational methods

Today using computers it is possible to solve the original equations (including the case where the field is large enough to bring the potential barrier below the Fermi level), to any desired precision over the entire range of electric fields without resort to any approximations. For this work by referring the zero of energy to the bottom of the conduction band, the basic equations have been rewritten in a less confusing form more suitable for computation.
Scattering of light from particulate surfaces: I. A laboratory assessment of multiple-scattering effects

In planetary applications it is sometimes important to know the degree to which multiple scattering is influencing the photometric properties of a surface. An investigation is conducted concerning the point at which the single-scattering approximation used in the theory developed by Hapke (1963) and Irvine (1966) breaks down. It is shown that the Hapke-Irvine photometric function provides an adequate representation of the scattering properties of particulate surfaces whose geometric albedos (or normal reflectances) do not exceed 0.3. An experiment is conducted to estimate the normal reflectance below which the Hapke-Irvine equation considered provides an adequate representation of the scattering properties of a particulate surface. The investigation makes use of a set of samples which were prepared by mixing magnesium oxide and charcoal powders. The samples have a range in normal reflectance from 0.04 to 1.04.
SP22: a novel fertility protein from a highly conserved gene family.

: Three nucleotide sequences encoding SP22, a protein originally identified in detergent extracts of cauda epididymal sperm, were isolated from a rat testis cDNA library. While two of these cDNA sequences differed only in their 5′ untranslated regions, a third cDNA was predicted to contain an additional 13 amino acids of coding sequence. Amino acid sequences obtained following Edman degradation of purified SP22 protein and cDNA sequence data both indicated that SP22 was a member of a highly conserved and widely expressed gene family found in organisms as diverse as human and Escherichia coli. Interestingly, while a 1-kb mRNA transcript was widely expressed in somatic tissues, a unique pattern of testicular expression was observed, including the appearance of a novel 1.5-kb transcript and an increase in the abundance of the 1-kb transcript during spermatogenic cell development. Anti-SP22 peptide antiserum was shown to recognize a family of 22-kDa proteins on western blots of detergent-extracted cauda epididymal sperm protein, suggesting that multiple charge variants of SP22 coexist. Moreover, affinity-purified anti-SP22 peptide immunoglobulin localized in a highly specific manner to the anterior-ventral surface of the equatorial segment of the sperm head. This is an extremely intriguing finding as SP22 was originally shown to be highly correlated with, and predictive of, the fertilizing ability of cauda epididymal sperm. Although no conclusive function has been attributed to any members of the SP22 gene family, the localization of SP22 over a discrete region of the sperm head suggests a pivotal role in sperm—egg interactions.
Differential Regional Expression and Ultrastructural Localization of α-Actinin-2, a Putative NMDA Receptor-Anchoring Protein, in Rat Brain

Fast chemical neurotransmission is dependent on ionotropic receptors that are concentrated and immobilized at specific postsynaptic sites. The mechanisms of receptor clustering and anchoring in neuronal synapses are poorly understood but presumably involve molecular linkage of membrane receptor proteins to the postsynaptic cytoskeleton. Recently the actin-binding protein α-actinin-2 was shown to bind directly to the NMDA receptor subunits NR1 and NR2B (Wyszynski et al., 1997), suggesting that α-actinin-2 may function to attach NMDA receptors to the actin cytoskeleton. Here we show that α-actinin-2 is localized specifically in glutamatergic synapses in cultured hippocampal neurons. By immunogold electron microscopy, α-actinin-2 is concentrated over the postsynaptic density (PSD) of numerous asymmetric synapses where it colocalizes with NR1 immunoreactivity. Thus α-actinin-2 is appropriately positioned at the ultrastructural level to function as a postsynaptic-anchoring protein for NMDA receptors. α-Actinin-2 is not, however, exclusively found at the PSD; immunogold labeling was also associated with filaments and the spine apparatus of dendritic spines and with microtubules in dendritic shafts. α-Actinin-2 showed marked differential regional expression in rat brain. For instance, the protein is expressed at much higher levels in dentate gyrus than in area CA1 of the hippocampus. This differential regional expression implies that glutamatergic synapses in various parts of the brain differ with respect to their α-actinin-2 content and thus, potentially, the extent of possible interaction between α-actinin-2 and the NMDA receptor.
Advances In Ambulatory Care Systems

In recent years we have witnessed a technology revolution which has affected not only the design and proliferation of new computer based ambulatory care systems but also enhancements to existing ones. This technology revolution has led to increased hardware capabilities with decreasing, costs and has facilitated the sharing of data among diverse systems and end-user groups. A variety of inexpensive data-capturing devices are now available; the role of data communications has grown in importance; and innovative methods to store, summarize, and present data are being tried. Microcomputers have clearly spread into the medical marketplace.
New mechanism of nonequilibrium polymer adsorption.

Nonequilibrium states of surface composition can be extremely long-lived when polymer chains adsorb competitively. In a model system (polymethylmethacrylate adsorbed from CCl4 onto oxidized silicon previously saturated with polystyrene), it is shown that a weakly adsorbing polymer was sterically pinned to a surface by a more strongly adsorbing polymer. The dynamical evolution of the surface composition was strongly nonexponential in time and non-Arrhenius in temperature; the phenomenology is analogous to bulk glasses. This interpretation offers a new mechanism to explain why weakly adsorbing chains may bind to surfaces, as well as a direction in which to look for a method to release them.
Dynamic control of spring-driven mechanisms

A common method for moving a machine member from one position to another is the use of a spring. Spring-driven devices are simple, inexpensive, and easy to implement; however, the velocity characteristics of such devices leave much to be desired. The velocity increases from the initial position to the final position resulting in a maximum velocity, and therefore maximum energy in the mechanism, at the final position. The simplest method of stopping the device, a rigid stop, results in high impact forces and undesirable noise. Many methods have been developed for limiting the velocity of spring-driven mechanisms, such as the centrifugal friction brakes used in telephone dials and fans used in music boxes. Other approaches such as dashpots or shock absorbers have been used to decelerate devices. This paper discusses method for both velocity control and deceleration by the use of a single pneumatic cylinder. In addition, a method of reducing velocity variability due to differences among the work functions of the mechanism is described, and the application of such a device to a paper-cutting mechanism is presented. The concepts and theory presented are general and therefore apply to the entire class of spring-driven mechanisms.
Mass transportation needs and financing in the United States

The U.S. Department of Transportation (1974) recently completed a comprehensive study of mass transportation needs and methods for financing these needs. Using information from the 1974 National Transportation Study, the study determined the level of capital and operating funds that would be required to implement the 1972–90 long-range plans and 1972–80 short-range programs of the states and urbanized areas. It then analyzed various funding mechanisms at state and local levels for financing their portions of these plans and programs.
Comparison of surveillance strategies for low-risk bladder cancer patients.

Objective. Low-grade noninvasive disease comprises approximately half of incident bladder cancer cases. These lesions have exceedingly low rates of progression to aggressive, muscle-invasive bladder cancer, and there is salient discordance with regard to management recommendations for these patients between the principal clinical practice guidelines. In this context, we compare the international guidelines with alternative surveillance strategies for low-risk bladder cancer patients. Methods. We used a partially observable Markov model based on states that defined patient risk levels associated with recurrence and progression of bladder cancer. The model also included states defining the effects of treatment, death from bladder cancer, and all other-cause mortality. Simulation was done to estimate quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), expected lifelong progression probability, and lifetime number of cystoscopies. Results. We compared current international guidelines and additional proposed surveillance str...
Ocular absorption and disposition of phenylephrine and phenylephrine oxazolidine

The ocular bioavailability of phenylephrine oxazolidine (PO), a prodrug intended for rapid corneal penetration, was micronized and suspended in sesame oil (1 and 10 per cent) and compared in bioavailability to phenylephrine HC1 (PE) dissolved (10 per cent) in a buffered (pH 5.75), viscous (30 centipoise) vehicle. Cornea and aqueous humor of New Zealand rabbits were measured over time following 10 microliter instillation to the eye. Based upon AUC measurements, corneal and aqueous humor levels were approximately 6 and 8 times greater for 10 per cent PO versus 10 per cent PE, respectively. In addition, the ocular pharmacokinetic values were determined for PE applied in a constant concentration (1 per cent) to the cornea over 180 min to anesthetized rabbits. Cornea and aqueous humor were measured for drug content over time. Using moment analysis and an initial slope method, the absorption rate constant, ka, the steady state volume of distribution in the eye, Vss, and ocular clearance, Qe, were calculated. Values obtained for PE were 4.15 x 10(-5) min-1, 0.423 ml and 14.6 microliter min-1, respectively. The half-life for drug elimination ranged from 63-83 min depending on the tissue or route of administration.