cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Correlation functions in Heisenberg magnetic chains: quantum effects at low temperatures

A theoretical approach to the one-dimensional isotropic Heisenberg model at low temperatures is presented which uses rotationally invariant combinations of spin operators only and is thus adapted to treat correctly effects resulting from the absence of long-range order in these systems. Analytic expressions for space- and time-dependent spin correlation functions are given for small values of T/JS/sup 2/ and 1/S. The results include an expression for the spin correlation function in the antiferromagnetic ground state and a discussion of changes in line shape, due to quantum effects, for short-wavelength magnons as observed in neutron scattering experiments. (auth)
The Power Index: A Tool for Achieving Proper Representation on Key Management Committees

This paper describes a technique called the power index which a manager can use to evaluate the distribution of influence on key management committees. The important evaluation issues are concerns about equity (is thee balanced representation of contrasting interest groups?), concerns about effectiveness (is there a proper mix of representatives from each of the required areas of expertise – engineering, marketing, finance, etc.?), and concerns about the potential for one or more interest groups to dominate the decision process of the committee. The power index is explained in this paper, and it is illustrated with some examples of management uses.
Exploring large virtual environments with an HMD when physical space is limited

Virtual Environments presented through head-mounted displays (HMDs) are often explored on foot. Exploration on foot is useful since the afferent and efferent cues of physical locomotion aid spatial awareness. However, the size of the virtual environment that can be explored on foot is limited to the dimensions of the tracking space of the HMD unless other strategies are used. This paper presents a system for exploring a large virtual environment on foot when the size of the physical surroundings is small by leveraging people's natural ability to spatially update. This paper presents three methods of "resetting" users when they reach the physical limits of the HMD tracking system. Resetting involves manipulating the users' location in physical space to move them out of the path of the physical obstruction while maintaining their spatial awareness of the virtual space.
Drug-induced reversible and irreversible enzyme alterations underlying drug-resistance

p-Aminobenzoic acid-dependent M 48-34 strains of Escherichia coli grown with and without sulphathiazole (ST) were investigated with respect to the enhanced capacities they acquire simultaneously for the synthesis of folic acid and resistance. The washed cells of the sensitive strain grown in drug-free media contain a small amount of intracellularly accumulated folic acid precursor(s). The precursors are converted by the washed cells into folic acid in the presence of p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) alone. The washed cells harvested from cultures containing a sub-inhibitory concentration of sulphathiazole contain a three-four times greater amount of intracellular folic acid precursor(s) which are converted into folic acid in the above manner. Following the utilization of the intracellular presursor(s) these cells on retesting manifest the capability of synthesizing folic acid from PABA and synthetic 2-amino-4-hydroxy-6-carboxypteridine. This is a newly acquired character which is lacking in the cells grown in the absence of sulphathiazole. Higher intracellular folic acid-precursor accumulation and ability to synthesize folic acid from PABA and synthetic pteridine is possessed by the strains made resistant by successive transfers in the increasing concentrations of sulphathiazole. During these transfers, the amounts of sulphathiazole are so graded that the cells in the inocula are capable of surviving from 65 to 87.7% and therefore, the chances of selecting pre-existant resistant mutants, believed to occur at the rate of $10^{-8}$ $\text{to}$ $10^{-9}$, are reduced to a minimum or improbable level. The strain which is made resistant to 1.0 $\mu \text{g}$ ST by four successive transfers in graded amounts of sulphathiazole loses the acquired synthetic and resistance characters following three successive transfers in drug-free media, the strain made resistant to 15.0 $\mu \text{g}$ ST still possessed a fraction of the acquired abilities after twenty successive drug-free transfers, and the strain which was made resistant to 40 $\mu \text{g}$ ST did not show any decrease in the acquired characters after thirty successive drug-free transfers. It is to be noted that when the strain reversibly resistant to 1.0 $\mu \text{g}$ ST is grown in sulphathiazole and an antagonist concentration of PABA they fail to manifest the two characters. Similar concentrations of PABA present during the growth of the resistant strains do not alter to any degree the acquired characters. Colonies of the parent sensitive cells appearing on agar plates containing various concentrations of sulphathiazole inoculated into drug-free media yield descendant cells which manifest the two characters, but lost them after two or three successive drug-free transfers, in a manner similar to 1.0 $\mu \text{g}$ ST-resistant cells discussed above.
Rational transform approximation via the Laguerre spectrum

Abstract A method is presented for determination of an n th order rational transform approximation for a time function, given at least n + 1 of its Laguerre coefficients. The method is based on approximating the discrete set of Laguerre coefficients with a rational generating function. The method does not require predetermination of the poles; and allows the use of as many Laguerre coefficients as are available, without increasing the complexity of the model. Applications to time domain synthesis and transfer function identification are discussed.
Structural and Functional Neuroimaging in Klinefelter (47,XXY) Syndrome: A Review of the Literature and Preliminary Results from a Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study of Language

Klinefelter (47,XXY) syndrome (KS), the most common form of sex-chromosomal aneuploidy, is characterized by physical, endocrinologic, and reproductive abnormalities. Individuals with KS also exhibit a cognitive/behavioral phenotype characterized by language and language-based learning disabilities and executive and attentional dysfunction in the setting of normal general intelligence. The underlying neurobiologic mechanisms are just now beginning to be elucidated through structural and functional neuroimaging. Here, we review the literature of structural and functional neural findings in KS identified by neuroimaging and present preliminary results from a functional magnetic resonance imaging study examining brain activity during a verb generation task in KS.
Soybeans and radish leaves contain only one of the sulfonium diastereoisomers of S-adenosylmethionine

Abstract Using a liquid chromatography method that separates the two sulfonium diastereoisomers of adenosylmethionine, we have found that immature soybeans, soybean callus culture, radish leaves, yeast and rat liver contain only the ( S )-sulfonium form of S -adenosylmethionine. Our findings contradict the suggestion by Stolowitz and Minch that 10–20% of naturally-occurring adenosylmethionine may have the ( R )-configuration at the sulfonium pole. Absence of the ( R )-sulfonium isomer of adenosylmethionine in biological materials indicates that the ( R )-sulfonium form of adenosylmethionine present in commercial adenosylmethionine samples is an artifact of the isolation procedure. Our method of measuring the isomers of adenosylmethionine enabled us to readily determine the rate of racemization and hydrolysis of adenosylmethionine. Our rate constants for racemization ( K r ) and hydrolysis ( K h ) were 2.4 × 10 −6 sec −1 and 12.3 × 10- −6 sec −1 , respectively; values which are noticeably different from those of Wu and co-workers which were obtained with a more complicated method ( K r = 8 × 10 −1 sec −1 ; K h = 6 × 10 −6 sec −1 ). We believe the absence of the ( R )-isomer in vivo is best explained by stabilization of the ( S )-isomer as suggested by Wu et al . Although the tissues we have analysed contained the ( S )-sulfonium form of adenosylmethionine exclusively, when ethionine-resistant soybean cell lines were given ethionine, they accumulated both sulfonium diastereoisomers of adenosylethionine.
Prediction of phonon properties of 1D polyatomic systems using concurrent atomistic–continuum simulation

In this work, we present the simulation results of phonon properties, including phonon dispersion relations, group velocities, phonon relaxation time and mode-specific thermal conductivity, of low-dimensional crystals using the newly developed concurrent atomistic–continuum (CAC) method. With significantly less number of degrees of freedoms than all-atom molecular dynamics, the CAC method predicts the phonon properties of one-dimensional (1D) polyatomic crystals at finite temperatures with the full anharmonicity of the atomic interactions being incorporated. Complete phonon branches of polyatomic crystals are obtained by CAC through the phonon spectral energy density analysis. It is shown that CAC allows medium to long-wavelength phonon transport from atomic to coarsely meshed finite element region without the need of special numerical treatment. The frequency-dependent phonon group velocities are explicitly measured in the simulation. Sub-THz phonon lifetimes in 100 -mm-long polyatomic chains containing 400 million of atoms are predicted. Analysis of the phonon mode-specific thermal conductivity shows that the medium to long-wavelength acoustic phonons are contributing to the majority of the heat transport in 1D crystal, suggesting that the long-wavelength phonons effectively act as thermal carriers in 1D system. This work provides a possible explanation for the anomalous heat transport observed in low-dimensional materials.
Antihydrophobic Solvent Effects: An Experimental Probe for the Hydrophobic Contribution to Enzyme−Inhibitor Binding

The hydrophobic component to the binding affinities of one acyclic phosphinate (4) and three macrocyclic phosphonamidate inhibitors (1−3) to the zinc peptidase thermolysin was probed by varying the solvent composition. Increasing the percentage of ethanol in the buffer solution over the range 0−9% increases the inhibition constants, Ki, by up to an order of magnitude. This approach represents an experimental method for distinguishing solvation from conformational or other effects on protein−ligand binding. The size of the “antihydrophobic effect” is correlated with the amount of hydrophobic surface area sequestered from solvent on association of the inhibitor and enzyme, although it is attenuated from that calculated from the surface tension of ethanol−water mixtures. The results are consistent with the Lum−Chandler−Weeks explanation for the size dependence of the hydrophobic effect.
Evaluation and training of medication adherence counselors in a clinical trial: Application of a skill inventory to video-recorded interviews

This report describes the procedures and feasibility of an integrated evaluation and training program developed at the Baylor-Methodist Lipid Research Clinic to examine the skills used by the clinic's professional staff in conducting medication adherence interviews with participants in the Coronary Primary Prevention Trial (CPPT). The specific aims of this project were to evaluate the staff's interviewing and counseling skills, identify strengths and deficits, provide needed training, and reexamine the staff's skills following this training. Each of five staff members conducted two 20-minute video-recorded interviews with two different simulated CPPT participants. A trained observer reviewed the video-recordings and evaluated, by an Inventory for Interviewing and Counseling Skills for Adherence to Medication (IICS-AM), each staff member's possession and frequency of use of 17 interviewing skills and 10 counseling skills. The 27 skills on the IICS-AM were selected from the literature as being most frequently recommended for effective interviewing and counseling for medication adherence. These rating data were used to design a 14-week training program to acquire and promote the use of these skills. Following training, the video-recorded interview procedure was repeated and the data analyzed to identify the effects of the training program. The integrated evaluation and training procedures used in this project offer a practical, objective method for examining, improving, and monitoring the skills of the adherence counseling staff in a clinic participating in a multicenter clinical trial.
Linear and nonlinear interpolation for 2-dimensional image enhancement

The problem of enhancement of two dimensional images by recursive interpolation is considered. A nonlinear interpolator is modelled by considering the constraint that the observations of the image by a scanning device are always positive. Both linear and non-linear interpolators are implemented on a two dimensional picture when the observations are corrupted by noise. Dimensionality problems associated with interpolation are discussed and experimental results are presented.
Optimizing P2P Streaming Throughput Under Peer Churning

High-throughput P2P streaming relies on peer selection, the strategy a peer uses to select other peer(s) as its parent(s) of streaming. Although this problem has been thoroughly investigated in the classical optimization framework, it still remains unaddressed as how to sustain throughput competitive to the optimum under highly dynamic peer churning. We propose an online distributed peer selection algorithm based on "shortest- path" routing where the overlay edge length is an asymptotic function of its traffic load. This basic algorithm is further extended under practical settings such as multi-parent streaming, admission control, delay constraint, and simplified topology. In all above settings, we prove approximation bound of our algorithm to the optimal throughput. Through evaluation under different topological setups and peer churning sequences, we show our solution to consistently deliver competitive throughput, which greatly outperform its theoretical bound.
DNA adduct formation and persistence in rat tissues following exposure to the mammary carcinogen dibenzo[a,l]pyrene.

Dibenzo[a,l]pyrene (DBP), an environmentally significant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), is one of the most potent carcinogens with greater carcinogenicity in rodent mammary glands and skin than 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene or benzo[a]pyrene, respectively. In this study, we have examined the formation and persistence of stable DNA adducts in rats administered a carcinogenic intramammillary (i.m.) dose of DBP (0.25 micromol/gland). 32P-post-labeling analysis of mammary epithelial DNA 6 h, and 2, 5 and 14 days post-treatment produced one major (approximately 30%) and at least six minor adducts. Non-target tissue DNA (lung, heart, bladder and pancreas) also showed essentially the same adduct pattern as did mammary DNA, except liver which resulted in four additional adduct spots. The mammary DNA was most adducted (2640 +/- 532 adducts/10(9) nucleotides) on day 5 while the other tissue DNAs had 10- to 65-fold lower adduct levels (lung > liver > heart > bladder > pancreas). Adduct levels continued to increase at all time points examined for all tissues, except mammary tissue which showed a decline ( approximately 40%) on day 14. Chromatographic comparison with adducts formed in vitro by reaction of syn- and anti-DBP-11, 12-diol-13,14-epoxides (DBPDEs) with DNA and individual nucleotides indicated that the in vivo adducts were deoxyadenosine- and deoxyguanosine-derived, formed by interaction with both the anti- and syn-isomers; the adenine-derived adducts comprised 60-75% of the total adducts. However, the liver-specific DNA adducts (nos 8-11) were not derived from any of the DBPDE isomers. Our data show: (i) significantly higher DBP-DNA adduction in mammary tissue as compared with non-target tissues, which is consistent with its mammary carcinogenicity; (ii) adenine is highly reactive towards DBP metabolites as has been observed for many other PAHs; and (iii) the peak binding of DBP with DNA was shifted beyond 14 days for the non-target tissues by i.m. route of exposure.
Incentives for reforestation of agricultural land: What will a market for carbon sequestration credits contribute?

Reforestation of frequently flooded, marginally productive agricultural lands may provide environmental benefits. However, for reforestation to occur private landowners must earn enough revenues from forestlands to offset both the costs of reforesting as well as any forgone agricultural income. Among the possible revenue sources is the sale of carbon sequestration credits earned from reforestation. We simulate the financial feasibility of reforestation and the contribution of carbon sequestration credit sales to the net income possible from reforestation in a case study area of frequently flooded soybean fields in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain (the Delta). Under current market conditions, reforestation appears to be financially feasible on only the most marginally productive agricultural lands. Markets for carbon credits may contribute to positive financial returns of reforestation, but other policies and market opportunities will be necessary for a positive return to be realized.
Growth In HMO Share Of The Medicare Market, 1989-1994

Abstract: Between 1989 and 1994 the health maintenance organization (HMO) share of the Medicare market grew rapidly. It is still heavily concentrated geographically, however. The most influential f...
Adding Self-Healing Capabilities into Legacy Object Oriented Application

Adding self healing functionalities into legacy applications without user involvement is immensely useful for users and programmers of such systems. This paper presents a technique of injecting user code with self-healing primitives by statically analyzing the legacy object oriented code and instrumenting it to become a self-manageable and self-healing component. Our experiments show that it is worthwhile to instrument legacy code to provide such autonomic behavior.
Effectiveness of dentist-prescribed, home-applied tooth whitening. A meta analysis.

Introduction. Common clinical experience suggests that tooth whitening agents are 100% effective. This studyuses meta-analysis of data from published randomized controlled clinical trials to determine the efficacy of toothwhitening agents.Methods. A MEDLINE search strategy was developed and implemented to systematically identify clinical trialson dentist-prescribed, home-applied tooth whitening agents, using 10% carbamide peroxide, published between1989-1999. Inclusion criteria (e.g., in English, human clinical trials) and exclusion criteria (e.g., not placebocontrolled) were established and clinical trials that met these criteria were critically appraised for validity andclinical applicability. Meta-analysis was then used to quantitatively integrate the findings.Results. Seven studies were identified that met the inclusion and validity criteria. These studies indicated that:� Whitening results in a significant mean change of 6 4 shade guide units (p 0.05).� 93% of the bleached patients exhibited 2 shade guide unit change, while 20% of the placebo control groupexhibited this change.� The brand of bleaching agent had a significant effect on tooth whitening,but the daily application time andduration of treatment did not.� Whitening is maintained for 6 months for 1/2 of the people treated.� Neither gingival indices nor plaque indices were adversely or favorably affected by bleaching.Clinical Applicability. The data from the reviewed studies indicate that rather than being 100% effective, onaverage:� 73% (93% for bleached group minus 20% placebo group) of people who whiten their teeth will exhibit awhitening that is 2 shade guide units greater than the placebo.� 20% of the people who use dentist-prescribed, home-applied bleaching will achieve a mean whitening effect of 5shade guide units.� Re-treatment for 50% of people may be necessary to maintain this effect longer than 6 months.� The methods used here are Internet applicable for other clinical topics.
The Chaperones Hsp90 and Cdc37 Mediate the Maturation and Stabilization of Protein Kinase C through a Conserved PXXP Motif in the C-terminal Tail

The life cycle of protein kinase C (PKC) is tightly controlled by mechanisms that mature the enzyme, sustain the activation-competent enzyme, and degrade the enzyme. Here we show that a conserved PXXP motif (Kannan, N., Haste, N., Taylor, S. S., and Neuwald, A. F. (2007) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 104, 1272–1277), in the C-terminal tail of AGC (c-AMP-dependent protein kinase/protein kinase G/protein kinase C) kinases, controls the processing phosphorylation of conventional and novel PKC isozymes, a required step in the maturation of the enzyme into a signaling-competent species. Mutation of both Pro-616 and Pro-619 to Ala in the conventional PKC βII abolishes the phosphorylation and activity of the kinase. Co-immunoprecipitation studies reveal that conventional and novel, but not atypical, PKC isozymes bind the chaperones Hsp90 and Cdc37 through a PXXP-dependent mechanism. Inhibitors of Hsp90 and Cdc37 significantly reduce the rate of processing phosphorylation of PKC. Of the two C-terminal sites processed by phosphorylation, the hydrophobic motif, but not the turn motif, is regulated by Hsp90. Overlay of purified Hsp90 onto a peptide array containing peptides covering the catalytic domain of PKC βII identified regions surrounding the PXXP segment, but not the PXXP motif itself, as major binding determinants for Hsp90. These Hsp90-binding regions, however, are tethered to the C-terminal tail via a “molecular clamp” formed between the PXXP motif and a conserved Tyr (Tyr-446) in the αE-helix. Disruption of the clamp by mutation of the Tyr to Ala recapitulates the phosphorylation defect of mutating the PXXP motif. These data are consistent with a model in which a molecular clamp created by the PXXP motif in the C-terminal tail and determinants in the αE-helix of the catalytic domain allows the chaperones Hsp90 and Cdc37 to bind newly synthesized PKC, a required event in the processing of PKC by phosphorylation.
Interpreting large visual similarity matrices

Visual similarity matrices (VSMs) are a common technique for visualizing graphs and other types of relational data. While traditionally used for small data sets or well-ordered large data sets, they have recently become popular for visualizing large graphs. However, our experience with users has revealed that large VSMs are difficult to interpret. In this paper, we catalog common structural features found in VSMs and provide graph-based interpretations of the structures. We also discuss implementation details that affect the interpretability of VSMs for large data sets.
Information-Theoretic Statistical Mechanics without Landauer’s Principle

This paper distinguishes two different senses of information-theoretic approaches to statistical mechanics that are often conflated in the literature: those relating to the thermodynamic cost of computational processes and those that offer an interpretation of statistical mechanics where the probabilities are treated as epistemic. This distinction is then investigated through Earman and Norton’s ([1999]) ‘sound’ and ‘profound’ dilemma for information-theoretic exorcisms of Maxwell’s demon. It is argued that Earman and Norton fail to countenance a ‘sound’ information-theoretic interpretation and describes how the latter inferential interpretations can escape the criticisms of Earman and Norton and Norton ([2005]) by adopting this ‘sound’ horn. This paper considers a standard model of Maxwell’s Demon to illustrate how one might adopt an information-theoretic approach to statistical mechanics without a reliance on Landauer’s principle, where the incompressibility of the probability distribution due to Liouville’s theorem is taken as the central feature of such an interpretation.
Class specificity and the lexical encoding of participant information.

It is commonly assumed across the language sciences that some semantic participant information is lexically encoded and some is not. In this article, we propose that semantic obligatoriness and verb class specificity are criteria which influence whether semantic information is lexically encoded. We present a comprehensive survey of the English verbal lexicon and two continuation studies which confirm that both factors play a role in the lexical encoding of participant information.
Texture segmentation with diffusions on arbitrary graphs

We propose a novel multiscale segmentation algorithm based on an extension of stabilized inverse diffusion equations (I. Pollak et al., 2000). The new algorithm is capable of processing vector-valued images defined on arbitrary graphs. We illustrate it through segmenting texture mosaics and natural images
Synthetic aperture radar with a non-uniform pulse repetition interval

Based on recent developments it has become feasible to combine the multiple pulse integration of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) with the temporal agility of nonuniform pulse repetition intervals (PRI). This combination can bring to the traditional SAR system both strong resistance to countermeasures and interception, and high sensitivity. A significant problem which must be addressed in SAR systems is the possible smearing of the azimuth dimension of the image due to Doppler sidelobes which are too high. This issue is even more serious with a non-uniform PRI waveform. Traditionally sidelobes are controlled with techniques such as amplitude weighting. However, these simpler techniques are not adequate for non-uniform PRI waveforms. One method for increasing the sidelobe rejection capability of these waveforms is through the use of interpolation based techniques. >
Approximation of creeping waves of circular PEC cylinders in shadow region

It can be concluded that several wedges are needed to provide adequate accuracy of the field strength in shadow region compared with the Keller's method. It is not clear yet how to determine the number of wedges based on the cylinder sizes, frequencies, range of the observer, and other factors, to assure simulation accuracy.
Review: Continuous hydrolysis and fermentation for cellulosic ethanol production

Ethanol made biologically from a variety of cellulosic biomass sources such as agricultural and forestry residues, grasses, and fast growing wood is widely recognized as a unique sustainable liquid transportation fuel with powerful economic, environmental, and strategic attributes, but production costs must be competitive for these benefits to be realized. Continuous hydrolysis and fermentation processes offer important potential advantages in reducing costs, but little has been done on continuous processing of cellulosic biomass to ethanol. As shown in this review, some continuous fermentations are now employed for commercial ethanol production from cane sugar and corn to take advantage of higher volumetric productivity, reduced labor costs, and reduced vessel down time for cleaning and filling. On the other hand, these systems are more susceptible to microbial contamination and require more sophisticated operations. Despite the latter challenges, continuous processes could be even more important to reducing the costs of overcoming the recalcitrance of cellulosic biomass, the primary obstacle to low cost fuels, through improving the effectiveness of utilizing expensive enzymes. In addition, continuous processing could be very beneficial in adapting fermentative organisms to the wide range of inhibitors generated during biomass pretreatment or its acid catalyzed hydrolysis. If sugar generation rates can be increased, the high cell densities in a continuous system could enable higher productivities and yields than in batch fermentations.
Multispectral images of Mercury from the first MESSENGER flyby: Analysis of global and regional color trends

Abstract We have analyzed MESSENGER multispectral images of Mercury in order to gain information on the nature of materials present on the planet's surface. The quantitative analysis tools of Lucey, which are built on the Hapke conceptual framework for the reflectance of a silicate regolith, allow us to derive spectral parameter images that are sensitive to the abundance of ferrous iron in silicates, the abundance of opaque phases, and the state of maturity of the surface. Consistent with previous estimates, we conclude that the silicate portion of Mercury's surface is low in ferrous iron, with a small range of variation. The spectral changes that accompany regolith maturation on Mercury are consistent with lunar-style space weathering via the accumulation of nanophase iron. The spectral character of Mercury's major surface units (high-reflectance plains, intermediate terrain, and low-reflectance material) can be attributed to variations in the abundance of an opaque phase(s). A class of minor color unit, the red spots, occurs in at least three morphological varieties, two of which are associated with deposits interpreted to be of pyroclastic origin. The bright crater floor deposits, a second type of minor unit, have extremely shallow (“blue”) spectral slopes that are unrelated to the presence of immature material.
Development and Validation of a Sensitive and Specific sodB-Based Quantitative PCR Assay for Molecular Detection of Ehrlichia Species

We developed a sensitive and specific sodB-based quantitative PCR assay to detect Ehrlichia spp. The assay's limit of detection was 5 copies/reaction, and it did not amplify nonspecific DNA. Compared with a 16S rRNA gene PCR target, the sodB target may offer an improved molecular diagnostic assay to detect Ehrlichia spp.
Toxicological and clinical computational analysis and the US FDA/CDER.

In this article the author attempts to introduce those not familiar with computational toxicology to some of the terminology and basic principles of the field. The author then reports on the progress that the FDA, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research has made in compiling databases of toxicological and clinical data from which successful predictive toxicology models have been made, many of which are now commercially available through FDA software developer collaborators. This report is concluded with the author’s personal speculations on the future of computational toxicology in general, and at US FDA in particular.
Genetic consequences of a single-founder population bottleneck in Trifolium amoenum (Fabaceae)

We investigated the genetic consequences of a single-founder bottleneck in a population of showy Indian clover (Trifolium amoenum), a species presumed to be extinct until rediscovered near Occidental, California, in 1993. Electrophoretic variation was evaluated in the bottlenecked population and in a larger population (Dillon Beach) discovered during the course of this study, as well as in populations of two closely related species, T. albopurpureum var. dichotomum and T. macraei .W e found a surprisingly high amount of polymorphism in the single-founder T. amoenum population from Occidental (15% of loci polymorphic; an average of 1.1 alleles per locus). However, this represents a 53% reduction in number of polymorphic loci and a 20% reduction in average number of alleles per locus compared to three Trifolium populations with putatively similar mating systems (the Dillon Beach T. amoenum population and both populations of T. albopurpureum var. dichotomum). Expanding the genetic base of the Occidental T. amoenum population is a priority due to concerns about loss of evolutionary potential and the possibility of deleterious effects associated with inbreeding. However, using seed from the Dillon Beach T. amoenum population may not be beneficial due to distinct, presumably adaptive differences between plants from the two populations and concerns about outbreeding depression.
Patenting of Research Results Related to Genetic Resources from Areas beyond National Jurisdiction: The Crossroads of the Law of the Sea and Intellectual Property Law

The conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction has attracted increasing attention from international fora over the last 15 years. A particular issue that is currently debated surrounds the regime for research activities related to biological resources from areas beyond national jurisdiction. This article considers the implications of patenting the research results of such activities in the context of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. It concludes that policy clarification is needed in order to ensure that any regime for bioprospecting in areas beyond national jurisdiction provides incentives for researchers and prospectors to continue uncovering the mysteries of the deep oceans, including through the issuance of patents, while at the same time ensuring a fair sharing of the benefits of research results with all States.
Non-resonance SERS effects of silver colloids with different shapes

Shape-controlled synthesis of metal nanostructures has opened many new possibilities to design ideal building blocks for future nanodevices. By solution-based method, three kinds of silver colloids, nanospheres, triangular nanoprisms and nanorods have been synthesized. Non-resonant surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra of Rhodamine 6G on as-prepared silver nanostructures of various shapes were measured and their shape-dependent properties were evaluated. The intensity of the SERS signal was the smallest for the silver nanorod and nanoprism exhibits the strongest SERS signals. The great differences of the SERS spectra for different shape Ag colloids confirmed that like electromagnetic enhancement, chemical enhancement also plays a very important role on SERS signal enhancement.
Consistency between an allometric approach and optimal partitioning theory in global patterns of plant biomass allocation

Summary 1Optimal partitioning theory (OPT) suggests that plants should allocate biomass to the organ that acquires the most limiting resource. An implied assumption of this is that there are trade-offs in allocation between leaf, stem and root functions. 2Recently, an alternative approach, allometric biomass partitioning theory (APT), was developed to predict how plants should divide their metabolic production between leaves, stems and roots, based on the constraints of body size. APT predicts that, for an allometrically ideal plant, leaf mass should scale to the 3/4th power of body size, and stem and root mass should scale isometrically to body size. 3In this study, we combine OPT with APT by investigating biomass partitioning not accounted for by allometric constraints across broad environmental gradients. 4Intraspecific variability in biomass allocation shows correlations with environmental factors that would be predicted by OPT. However, interspecifically, these patterns either do not appear or are greatly reduced. 5Our study suggests that, after size is accounted for, intraspecific residual variation in biomass allocation may be partially explained by environmental factors in a manner consistent with OPT. However, the particular patterns vary between species, obscuring large-scale patterns. 6In summary, differences due to environmental variability can be incorporated with allocation patterns related to total mass to help understand how plants should allocate biomass in response to changes in both size and environment.
CHEMICAL ANTAGONISM OF IONS : I. EFFECT OF Na-Mg AND K-Mg MIXTURES ON THE ACTIVITY OF OXALIC DIION.

Magnesium ions decrease the activity of divalent organic anions much more than the normal decrease produced by sodium ions. The effect is very large with short chain acids, particularly oxalic acid. The addition of sodium or potassium ions produces a marked decrease in the effect of magnesium diions on the activity of oxalate diions. Quantitative data on 0.005 molar solutions of oxalic diion over a wide range of concentrations of MgCl2 and of NaCl (or KCl) show that the following equation is obeyed: See PDF for Equation where A is an empirical value dependent on the concentration of oxalate diion (0x=). This equation has been shown to hold down to zero ionic strength of Na+ and K+, and hence to be valid in the physiological range. These observations are of biological interest since the activity of proteins should (like oxalic acid) show a similar antagonism.
Diversification, Original Sin, and International Bond Portfolios

While there is a severe home bias in U.S. investors' foreign bond portfolios, we find that portfolio weights are greater for countries with more open capital accounts and whose bond returns are less correlated with U.S. returns. Positions in local-currency-denominated bonds are particularly sensitive to past and prospective returns volatility. An analysis of changes in portfolio weights over time indicates that U.S. investors have recently moved out of smaller markets and those with low and declining credit ratings. Our data also allow for an analysis of the size and currency composition of international bond markets. We find that countries with stronger institutions and better inflation performance have larger local currency bond markets. An implication for developing countries is that creditor friendly policies, such as vigilance on the inflation front and the development of strong institutions, can enable local bond market development and may in turn attract global investors.
Central retinal artery occlusion. Retinal survival time.

Abstract Purpose . To investigate the retinal survival time following central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO). Methods . In 38 elderly, atherosclerotic and hypertensive rhesus monkeys, transient CRAO (varying from 97 to 240 min) was produced by temporarily clamping the CRA at its site of entry into the optic nerve. Stereoscopic color fundus photography, fluorescein fundus angiography, electroretinography (ERG), and visual evoked potential (VEP) recording were performed before and during CRA clamping, after unclamping, and serially thereafter. After unclamping of the CRA, the animals were followed for variable lengths of time (median duration 8·14 weeks). Finally, the eyes and optic nerves were examined histologically. The data on ERG changes were analyzed in the following four time frames: (1) baseline before CRA clamping, (2) during CRA clamping, (3) immediately after unclamping, and (4) at the end of follow-up. Duration of CRAO was divided into four groups: 97, 105–120, 150–165, and ≥180 min. Results . A ‘negative ERG’ appeared during CRA clamping. With removal of the CRA clamp, there was b-wave recovery, with differential rates of recovery of ERG-eyes with shorter CRAO recovered sooner than those with longer occlusion. On removal of clamp, recovery was seen in scotopic 24 dB b-wave, photopic 0 dB single flash b-wave and 30 Hz flicker, with the b/a ratio of the combined rod and cone response and selective rod response showing statistically significant differences amongst the shorter and longer periods of CRAO. A delayed normalization of the depressed b/a ratio immediately after CRA reperfusion may indicate high-grade ischemic damage. At the final follow-up test session, no clear-cut derangement of any ERG parameter was seen for any group, with subtotal b-wave amplitude recovery for all groups. Longer CRAO produced incomplete VEP recovery. On histology, in the macular retina, eyes with CRAO for 97 min showed practically no damage, but duration of CRAO was found to be significantly associated with the amount of damage in the ganglion cell layer ( p =0·009) and inner nuclear layer ( p =0·017). Outer nuclear and plexiform layers and photoreceptors showed no damage at all with CRAO. There was no significant association of the ERG measures and histologic changes with any of the residual retinal circulation variables. Conclusions . Our electrophysiologic, histopathologic and morphometric studies showed that the retina of old, atherosclerotic, hypertensive rhesus monkeys suffers no detectable damage with CRAO of 97 min but above that level, the longer the CRAO, the more extensive the irreversible damage. The study suggests that CRAO lasting for about 240 min results in massive irreversible retinal damage.
Museums for Peace: Agents and Instruments of Peace Education.

Although museums for peace claim peace education to be a primary mission, their definitions of ‘peace’ and their aims and practices for peace education vary widely. In this article, we draw from the field of critical museology and the knowledge construction perspective to understand the role of museums for peace in the service of peace education. From the constructivist viewpoint, the museums’ narratives are not objective or historical truths. Rather they are the museum designers’ constructed interpretations of the events, people, and places that are memorialized. The museums’ exhibits, narratives, and programs reflect a wide range of definitions of peace including some which conflict and contradict each other. The variations in defining peace contribute to differences in how the museums view and exercise their role in educating for peace. From this analysis, we observe how contemporary museums for peace can play a significant role in peace education by raising awareness about multiple definitions of peac...
A de novo protein confers copper resistance in Escherichia coli.

UNLABELLED To survive environmental challenges, biological systems rely on proteins that were selected by evolution to function in particular cellular and conditional settings. With the advent of protein design and synthetic biology, it is now possible to construct novel proteins that are not biased by eons of selection in natural hosts. The availability of these sequences prompts us to ask whether natural biological organisms can use naive-non-biological-proteins to enhance fitness in stressful environments. To address this question, we transformed a library of DNA sequences encoding ∼1.5 × 10(6) binary patterned de novo proteins into E. coli, and selected for sequences that enable growth in concentrations of copper that would otherwise be toxic. Several novel sequences were discovered, and one of them, called Construct K (ConK), was studied in detail. Cells expressing ConK accumulate approximately 50% less copper than control cells. The function of ConK does not involve an oxidase, nor does it require two of the best characterized copper efflux systems. However, the ability of ConK to rescue cells from toxic concentrations of copper does require an active proton motive force. Further selections for growth in higher concentrations of copper led to the laboratory evolution of variants of ConK with enhanced levels of activity in vivo. These studies demonstrate that novel proteins, unbiased by evolutionary history in the natural world, can enhance the fitness of biological systems. SYNOPSIS Living systems evolve to adapt to potentially lethal environmental changes. This normally involves repurposing existing genetic information (i.e. sequences that were selected by billions of years of evolution). Here we show that a completely de novo protein, not derived from nature, can enable E. coli cells to grow in otherwise toxic concentrations of copper, demonstrating that living systems also have the capacity to incorporate and protopurpose entirely novel genetic information.
Detecting nano-scale protein clustering

Two approaches for robust, objective segmentation of single-molecule localization data promise better quantitative insights into protein clustering from super-resolution imaging methods.
The Relationship Between the Amount of Unsealed Brood in Honeybee Colonies and Their Pollen Collection

SummaryIn 1968 and 1969 six experiments on groups of 6–9 colonies fitted with pollen traps showed that: (1) there was a significant correlation between the amount of unsealed brood and the amount of pollen collected during each experimental period; (2) queenless colonies without brood collected only small amounts of pollen; (3) colonies which had similar amounts of unsealed brood collected different amounts of pollen at different locations and in different months.
Power quality

One big reason for the poor power quality incidents experienced today is the proliferation of electronic devices. A voracious appetite for higher efficiency and productivity in the manufacturing sector, comfort and automation in homes, and efficient lighting systems in commercial installations are driving the market for power electronic devices. At the forefront of this explosion is the switched power supply. Compared to its predecessor-the linear power supply-it can convert higher power much more efficiently and with a significantly smaller footprint. The switched power supply is found in most of today's computers, fax machines, laser printers, office copiers, etc.
Mind the gap: understanding the effects of pharmaceutical direct-to-consumer advertising.

Most Americans are familiar with seeing prescription drugs advertised on television, but few realize how direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising has become so widespread. In 1997, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration relaxed its interpretation of the agency’s advertising regulations, which made it more feasible for manufacturers to broadcast prescription drug advertisements legally.1 Nearly two decades later, researchers are still seeking answers to critical questions about the impact of this policy change on the public health.
Food Safety Related Knowledge,Attitude and Practice (KAP) Among Middle School Students in Guiyang

Objective To investigate food safety related knowledge,attitude and practice( KAP) among middle school students in Guiyang,and thus to provide scientific evidence for health education and behavioral intervention.Methods A total of 603 students from two schools of Guiyang were investigated with a self-administrated questionnaire by random cluster sampling.Results The overall awareness rate of food safety related knowledge was 67.78%; the awareness rate( 70.89%) in urban students was higher than in rural area students( 64.61%) and the rate in girls( 69.24%) was higher than in the boys( 65.56%)( both P 0.05).The formation rate of right health behavior on food safety was84.58%,with no statistical difference between urban and rural area( P 0.05); while the formation rate in girls( 85.82%) was higher than in the boys( 82.90%)( P0.05).A proportion of 92.86% students were willing to change their bad eating habits.The main food safety knowledge acquiring approaches were TV( 65.28%) and paper( 16.28%).Conclusion The education situation of food safety related knowledge among students is not optimistic in Guiyang.Pertinent,flexible and diverse measures are recommended targeting to rural schools and boys.
Major Occupational Diseases and Associated Hazard Factors in Panzhihua City

Objective To investigate the hazard factors of major professional diseases in Panzhihua and provide prevention and control strategies against occupational diseases.Methods Forty-four enterprises were investigated including aspects of productive processes,raw materials storage and product storage.Results Forty-four major occupational hazard factors were identified,including 6 physical hazard factors,6 dust hazards and 32 other types of chemical hazard factors.According to associated hazards,the existence and occurrence of 12 types of occupational diseases were likely to increase,including pneumoconiosis,lung cancer caused by coke oven emissions,skin cancer caused by coal tar,coal tar pitch and asphalt,leukemia caused by leukemia,acute occupational vanadiumism,acute carbon monoxide poisoning,acute ammonia poisoning,acute nitrogen oxide poisoning,acute sulfur dioxide poisoning,mercury poisoning and benzene poisoning.Conclusion Prevention and control work against the 12 types of occupational diseases and hazard factors should be strengthened.Preliminary measures( such as supplies storage) should be emphasized to guarantee timely treatments and cure of the diseases.