cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Poverty Alleviation through Partnerships: A Road Less Travelled for Business, Governments, and Entrepreneurs

While investigating the role of business and accepting that profitable partnerships are the primary solution for poverty alleviation, we voice certain concerns that we hope will extend the authors’ discourse in Alleviating Poverty through Profitable Partnerships. We present a model that we believe can serve as an effective framework for addressing these issues. We then establish the imperative of inclusive growth. Here, we engage with the necessity of formulating strategies that focus on the pace and, importantly, the pattern of economic growth, including its social and cultural dimensions. We also deliberate on the parameters of inclusive growth with the overriding objective of ensuring that multiple strata of society share the benefits of globalization. Turning to the critical role of institutions in promoting social welfare, we explore the impact of government policy vis-a-vis the leverage enjoyed by other social institutions. Despite the reality that state and private interests often operate at cross purposes, we argue that government must still be an integral part of the solution matrix. With direction from other social institutions, entrepreneurial forces can be unleashed to tackle endemic poverty prevalent in the base of the pyramid. We then provide an in-depth case study in which the availability of telecommunications in rural areas was utilized as a means to foster development and ensure inclusive growth. The conclusion examines lessons learned while operationalizing the model, and spells out the impact of our enablers at ground level.
Evaluating technology innovation programs: the use of comparison groups to identify impacts

Abstract This paper discusses the pros and cons of alternative comparison groups for evaluating technology innovation programs, and focuses specifically on the selection of a comparison group for the evaluation of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Energy-Related Inventions Program (ERIP). The pros and cons of five alternative comparison group options are discussed, including: inventor societies, innovation and incubator centers, patent holders, near-participants, and program referrals. Program referrals are selected as a suitable comparison group for evaluating the Energy-Related Inventions Program. Data collected on ERIP participants and referrals provide strong evidence that ERIP-supported technologies achieved their considerable commercial success, at least in part because of the support provided by the DOE. There are large differences between the program referrals and the ERIP participants in terms of several indicators of commercial success. For example, average dollar sales by ERIP participants are an order of magnitude greater than the program referral group. This paper illustrates that the simultaneous tracking of program participants and a matched comparison group can enhance the evaluation of technology innovation programs by helping to isolate the effects of the government program from the host of other factors that influence the commercialization of inventions.
Earth Observing System instrument performance - Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer case study

The requirements for characterization and calibration of instruments for the Earth Observing System space segment are defined in terms of tracking the Level 1 data for a sensor. The data must be traceable over the 15 year program, and must provide corrections for radiometric, spectral and geometric coefficients which capture the combined design and performance characteristics of the sensor. These requirements are then developed for MODIS-N to identify a set of techniques which can be used in the laboratory, spacecraft integrator's facility and in-orbit. The in-orbit of the so-called reflectance and radiance methods are reviewed, and the cross-calibrations available between HIRIS and MODIS through these techniques are listed. A scheme for the use of all available tools for instrument performance is provided as a Figure showing an estimated time interval over which each tool is expected to be useful. The final calibration strategy and plan must be developed through the understanding of a useful strategy for each of these candidate mechanisms.
Developmental Aspects of Ideational Fluency, Flexibility, and Originality: South Africa and the United States

A cross-cultural study was conducted to provide evidence related to previous research results on the life-span development of three divergent thinking abilities (fluency, flexibility, and originality). Samples from four age groups (children, adolescents, young adults, adults) in each of two cultures (South Africa and the United States) served as participants. Participants responded to presentation of four groups of auditory stimuli recorded on a casette tape. Responses were scored for fluency, flexibility, and originality. Developmental trends across the four age groups displayed a similar pattern in both cultures for all three variables. The developmental shape of these patterns was similar to those displayed In previous research using larger samples in the United States.
Denaturatin of phycocyanin by urea and determination of the enthalpy of denaturation by microcalorimetry

Denaturation of the protein phycocyanin in urea solution was investigated by microcalorimetry, ultraviolet and visible spectroscopy, circular dichroism and sedimentation equilibrium. The results consistently demonstrated that in the presence of 7 M urea this protein is completely denatured. By assumings a two-state mechanism, an apparent free energy of unfolding at zero denaturant concentration, (formula: see text) was found to be 4.4 kcal/mole at pH 6.0 and 25 degrees C. By microcalorimetry the enthalpy of denaturation of phycocyanin app was found to be -230 kcal/mole at 25 degrees C. The relatively large negative enthalpy change results from protein unfolding and changes in protein solvation.
Removal of deleterious glucosides from safflower meal

Safflower meal is a source of high quality protein for animal feeds but has not been used for human consumption because it is bitter and mildly cathartic. Deleterious glucosides in the meal were removed or modified by extraction with either water at the iso-electric point or with methanol, enzymatic treatment with β-glucosidase, dialysis, or by processing to pre-pare protein isolates. Analytical procedures were de-vised for quantitative measurement of two phenolic glucosides reported to be associated with bitterness and cathartic activity in safflower meal, and for es-timating the cathartic activity of safflower meals and fractions.
Saturated-liquid viscosity of ten binary and ternary alternative refrigerant mixtures. Part I: Measurements

The saturated-liquid viscosities of 10 binary and ternary refrigerant mixtures composed of difluoromethane (R32), 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (R134a), pentafluoroethane (R125), and propane (R290) were measured in a sealed gravitational capillary viscometer with a straight vertical capillary from 245 to 345 K or to a maximum vapor pressure of 3 MPa. The maximum uncertainty of the measurements is estimated to be ±2.8% for the mixtures of R32 + propane. The largest contribution to the total uncertainty is that of the saturated liquid and vapor densities of the mixtures, which had to be estimated. Comparisons with viscosity data from the literature show agreement within the mutual uncertainty for all but one data set. Similar agreement is found with predicted viscosities using the extended-corresponding-states model in NIST Standard Reference Database 23 (REFPROP), except for the mixtures of the polar fluids R32 and R134a with the nonpolar propane. Their viscosity−composition dependences are strongly nonlinear.
The $$\frac{4}{3}$$ -Variation of the Derivative of the Self-intersection Brownian Local Time and Related Processes

In this paper, we compute the \(\frac{4}{3}\)-variation of the derivative of the self-intersection Brownian local time by applying techniques from the theory of fractional martingales (Hu et al. in Ann Probab 37:2404–2430, 2009).
Impact of storage temperature, storage duration, and harvest date on sugarbeet raffinose metabolism

Abstract Raffinose negatively impacts sugarbeet ( Beta vulgaris L.) processing by decreasing extractable sucrose yield and altering sucrose crystal morphology which reduces filtration rates and slows processing. Although increased raffinose concentrations have been observed during cold storage, the physiological and biochemical mechanisms associated with raffinose accumulation in sugarbeet are poorly understood. The objective of this study was to characterize the impact of storage temperature, storage duration, and harvest date on raffinose metabolism. Field-grown sugarbeets were harvested 7 September, 27 September, and 26 October 2004, and stored for 2, 10, or 18 weeks at 2 °C or 6 °C. Raffinose concentrations were approximately double at 2 weeks of storage, nearly threefold higher at 10 weeks, and decreased slightly at 18 weeks. Delaying harvest date increased raffinose concentration at harvest (0 weeks), but decreased concentrations at 18 weeks of storage. Storage temperature did not affect crown raffinose concentrations, but root tissues stored at 2 °C had 19% higher raffinose concentrations than at 6 °C. Biosynthetic or catabolic enzyme activities accounted for less than 15% of the variation in raffinose content in storage, although a small positive correlation ( r = 0.28) between raffinose synthase activity and raffinose concentration in root tissues was observed. Galactinol synthase was highly expressed in tissues collected in late October and at 2 weeks of storage, and α-galactosidase activity increased 55% in roots stored for 18 weeks at 6 °C. Factors contributing to sugarbeet raffinose accumulation in storage are complex as raffinose concentrations were impacted by storage duration, harvest date, and storage temperature.
“The quickening of the unknown”: Epistemologies of surprise in anthropology (The Munro Lecture, 2013)

My title is from an essay by Nigerian writer Ben Okri, which I draw on to address one aspect of classic empiricism in anthropology that I have found particularly important, namely the element of surprise, or “impression” (Hume), as an instigator to thought. Quickening is the moment when a being gives evidence of its own life and presence. An epistemology of surprise has been widely and frequently practiced in anthropology, as is illustrated from works across many fields and theoretical orientations. Variations in conventions of instigation and completion are traced back through skeptic and enlightenment practices; linked to artisanal, poetic, and artistic processes within the discipline across its history; compared in the imagery in classic works from Africa and Melanesia; and then explored in the recent “radical empiricism” of Michael Jackson and politically inflected works that focus on fragments, gaps, and absences rather than presences. Examples from my own work on political economic “quickenings”—a baffling confusion of referents for a number term in Cameroon, and an arresting Nigerian complaint that “there’s no money,” in a globally monetized world—conclude the lecture, showing the wide applicability of this mode of reasoning, which traces a genealogy from Hume and Greek skeptical empiricism.
Building Detection and Recognition for an Automated Tour Guide

We present a building recognition module for an automated tour guide system which, instead of using user input or artificial landmarks, relies solely on real-time video recorded from a wearable camcorder to recognize faces of buildings and localize the user. Strong vertical edges are first detected on each frame to suggest the existence of building objects. Additional information such as color feature is collected to eliminate edges from trees, cars, and pedestrians. Vertical edges, in addition to horizontal edges, are further processed to locate window frames and thereafter faces of a building. An image section identified as a building face is then rectified for perspective distortion and recognized by a neural network. We train the neural network using whole and partial building face images before the recognition takes place.
Identification of Intact Proteins in Mixtures by Alternated Capillary Liquid Chromatography Electrospray Ionization and LC ESI Infrared Multiphoton Dissociation Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry

Here we propose a novel method for rapidly identifying proteins in complex mixtures. A list of candidate proteins (including provision for posttranslational modifications) is obtained by database searching, within a specified mass range about the accurately measured mass (e.g., ±0.1 Da at 10 kDa) of the intact protein, by capillary liquid chromatography electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (LC ESI FT-ICR MS). On alternate scans, LC ESI infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) FT-ICR MS yields mostly b and y fragment ions for each protein, from which the correct candidate is identified as the one with the highest “hit” score (i.e., most b and y fragments matching the candidate database protein amino acid sequence masses) and sequence “tag” score (based on a series of fragment sequences differing in mass by 1 or 2 amino acids). The method succeeds in uniquely identifying each of a mixture of five proteins treated as unknowns (melittin, ubiquitin, GroES, myoglo...
Protein−Protein Interactions between Cytochrome b and the Fe-S Protein Subunits during QH2 Oxidation and Large-Scale Domain Movement in the bc1 Complex†

The ubihydroquinone:cytochrome (cyt) c oxidoreductase, or bc(1) complex, and its homologue the b(6)f complex are key components of respiratory and photosynthetic electron transport chains as they contribute to the generation of an electrochemical gradient used by the ATP synthase to produce ATP. The bc(1) complex has two catalytic domains, ubihydroquinone oxidation (Q(o)) and ubiquinone reduction (Q(i)) sites, that are located on each side of the membrane. The key to the energetic efficiency of this enzyme relies upon the occurrence of a unique electron bifurcation reaction at its Q(o) site. Recently, several lines of evidence have converged to establish that in the bc(1) complex the extrinsic domain of the Fe-S subunit that contains a [2Fe2S] metal cluster moves during catalysis to shuttle electrons between the Q(o) site and c(1) heme. While this step is required for electron bifurcation, available data also suggest that the movement might be controlled to ensure maximal energetic efficiency [Darrouzet et al. (2000) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 97, 4567-4572]. To gain insight into the plausible control mechanism, we used a biochemical genetic approach to define the different regions of the bc(1) complex that might interact with each other. Previously, we found that a mutation located at position L286 of the ef loop of Rhodobacter capsulatus cyt b could alleviate movement impairment resulting from a mutation in the hinge region, linking the [2Fe2S] cluster domain to the membrane anchor of the Fe-S subunit. Here we report that various substitutions at position 288 on the opposite side of the ef loop also impair Q(o) site catalysis. In particular, we note that while most of the substitutions affect only QH(2) oxidation, yet others like T288S also hinder the rate of the movement of the Fe-S subunit. Thus, position 288 of cyt b appears to be important for both the QH(2) oxidation and the movement of the Fe-S subunit. Moreover, we found that, upon substitution of T288 by other amino acids, additional compensatory mutations located at the [2Fe2S] cluster or the hinge domains of the Fe-S subunit, or on the cd loop of cyt b, arise readily to alleviate these defects. These studies indicate that intimate protein-protein interactions occur between cyt b and the Fe-S subunits to sustain fast movement and efficient QH(2) oxidation and highlight the critical dual role the ef loop of cyt b to fine-tune the docking and movement of the Fe-S subunit during Q(o) site catalysis.
3D FFT for FPGAs

The 3D FFT is critical in electrostatics computations such as those used in Molecular Dynamics simulations. On FPGAs, however, the 3D FFT was thought to be inefficient relative to other methods such as convolution-based implementations of multigrid. We find the opposite: a simple design using less than half the chip resources, and operating at a very conservative frequency, takes less than 50us for 323 and 200us for 643 single precision data points, numbers similar to the best published for GPUs. The significance is that this is a critical piece in implementing a large scale FPGA-based MD engine: even a single FPGA is capable of keeping the FFT off of the critical path for a large fraction of possible MD simulations.
Population growth, range expansion, and competition in the cooperatively breeding brown jay, Cyanocorax morio

Abstract Abstract. Observations of an expanding population of brown jays in Monteverde, Costa Rica made it possible to characterize a transition from incomplete habitat saturation, in which jays maintained moderate group sizes, to more complete habitat saturation, in which jays maintained larger group sizes and showed increased aggression at high densities. From 1977 to 1990, the number of individuals, number of flocks, and mean flock size on the study area increased dramatically. Only at high densities did flocks comprised of fewer than six individuals attempt breeding, even though suitable habitat (indicated by later successful breeding there), had been available for the past decade. The population has expanded its local range as well, and now occupies all of the preferred cleared habitat in the study area. Coincident with these demographic changes, the emergence of overt intra-group aggression at the nest was observed, especially that involving interference competition between rival older females during the building/laying stage of the nesting cycle. Aggressive interactions at a nest were much more likely in flocks with more than 10 individuals and also more likely as the number of birds seen sitting on the nest increased. The positive relationship between number of offspring produced and the number of old birds in a flock was weakened at higher densities, probably resulting from increased intra-group aggression. These observations suggest that high population density and limited breeding opportunities resulted in increased reproductive competition. Sociality, however, has not simply been forced in this population, because even at low densities in the presence of ample unused habitat Monteverde brown jays bred only in groups. This suggests that intrinsic benefits to group living probably have also played an important part in maintaining sociality in this population.
Liberalism and Individually Scripted Ideas of the Good: Meeting the Challenge of Dependent Agency

A core commitment of much liberal theory is the idea of individuals as the judges of their good. Models of agents as self-originating sources of their good, however, falter at the challenge of dependent agents who cannot on their own formulate their accounts of their good. The result has been that such agents have been assigned dependent moral status for purposes such as the selection of principles of justice. This paper diagnoses a deep confusion in this account of agents as judges of their good: individually-tailored, subjectively-anchored conceptions of individual good need not be arrived at independently. It then develops and defends a practice for dependent agents to work with surrogates to develop individually scripted accounts of their good.
Cluster formation of silica particles in glass batches during melting

Abstract The study describes the incorporation of solid silica into molten glass during glass-batch melting as a function of the grain size in the range from 5 to 275 µm. Whereas tiny grains formed a bubbly melt, very large grains formed slowly dissolving clusters. Silica grains are forced to clusters by rising bubbles. The impact of the silica grain size on the glass-forming melt viscosity, overall density, thermal conductivity, and compositional homogeneity, as well as the consequences of these effects on glass processing in melting furnaces, is discussed. A high-alumina borosilicate glass for nuclear waste vitrification was chosen for the study, but the authors believe that the observed behaviors also occur in the melting of commercial batches.
Aortic Insufficiency in a Patient with Reactive Arthritis: Case Report and Review of the Literature:

Background Reactive arthritis (ReA) consists of the classic clinical triad of arthritis, urethritis, and conjunctivitis generally occurring within 6 weeks of an infection, typically of the gastrointestinal or genitourinary systems. Cardiovascular manifestations of ReA and other members of the spondyloarthritis family have long been recognized.
Highly crystalline MoS2 thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition

Highly crystalline thin films of MoS2 were prepared over large area by pulsed laser deposition down to a single monolayer on Al2O3 (0001), GaN (0001), and SiC-6H (0001) substrates. X-ray diffraction and selected area electron diffraction studies show that the films are quasi-epitaxial with good out-of-plane texture. In addition, the thin films were observed to be highly crystalline with rocking curve full width half maxima of 0.01°, smooth with a RMS roughness of 0.27 nm, and uniform in thickness based on Raman spectroscopy. From transport measurements, the as-grown films were found to be p-type.
A low-neutron background slow-positron source

The addition of a thermionic RF gun and a photocathode RF gun will allow the advanced photon source (APS) linear accelerator (linac) to become a free-electron laser (FEL) driver. As the FEL project progresses, the existing high-charge DC thermionic gun will no longer be critical to APS operation and could be used to generate high-energy or low-energy electrons to drive a slow-positron source. We investigated possibilities to create a useful low-energy source that could operate semi-independently and would have a low-neutron background.
The calm after the cytokine storm: lessons from the TGN1412 trial

In March 2006, a phase I study of the superagonistic anti-CD28 antibody TGN1412 caused a massive cytokine storm and multiorgan failure in six healthy human volunteers. Such a profound impact on the immune system was not predicted by preclinical animal studies. In a study from this issue of the JCI, Muller et al. treated rats with the superagonistic anti-CD28 antibody JJ316 and found that it rapidly induced a marked T cell lymphopenia by trapping T cells in the spleen and lymph nodes (see the related article beginning on page 1405). This dramatic redistribution of T cells simulated the profound T cell lymphopenia observed in human recipients of TGN1412. In contrast, JJ316 treatment in the rats did not reproduce the massive cytokine storm observed following TGN1412 administration to the human volunteers. These results point to similarities as well as differences between rodents and humans in the immunological effects of superagonistic anti-CD28 antibody treatment and raise further questions about how best to design preclinical studies that can better predict the risks of novel immunotherapeutics in humans.
Ratio of positron annihilation into three photons versus two

Rare and exotic annihilations of free positrons have been investigated extensively since the first discovery of positrons. The annihilation into three photons, however, has been neglected following theoretical work by Ore and Powell and several experimental studies using radioactive sources. Ore and Powell predicted that only one in 372 annihilations would result in the emission of three photons due to the parallel spin alignment of the electron-positron pair. A number of approximations were made to make the calculation tractable most notably the assumption of low momentum. No material dependence was expected. Subsequent experiments showed some dependence on material properties, notably on Z and density. We have set up an experiment to measure the annihilation into two and three photons with a five detector coincidence technique. Our results for low Z targets of Kapton, silicon and carbon, indicate no material dependence. The simplicity of the experiment and the high sensitivity for three photon annihilations render this method suitable for the characterization of porosity particularly when the concentration of pores is small. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Some determinants of possible injuries in crashes at signalized intersections.

Abstract Introduction This paper identifies some determinants of possible injuries from crashes that occur at signalized intersections using a conditional probability model. Method It uses longitudinal data for one city and calculates the marginal effects of these determinants. Results Among its findings, an airbag deploying in a crash reduces the conditional probability of sustaining possible injury. The size of this decrease is similar for the front airbag or both side airbags deploying. When crashes occur because a driver suddenly falls ill, or because a driver has an existing medical condition that flares up, the results show that the conditional probability of sustaining possible injury increases by 0.1414 and 0.1217, respectively. In comparison the conditional probability of sustaining possible injury increases by 0.0706 when the crash is because of impairment from drugs or alcohol. Additionally, the probability of sustaining possible injury in the event of a crash is 0.0435 and 0.0459 higher in passenger cars and vans respectively than in other vehicles. Conclusions Comparing these results to those in the traffic safety literature, the marginal effects from national data are similar to those from local level data.
Solubility of Granular Inorganic Fertilizers for Fish Ponds

Abstract The solubilities of phosphorus from fertilizer granules settling through 2 m of water at 29 C were as follows: Superphosphate 4.6%; triple superphosphate 5.1%; monoammonium phosphate 7.1%; mixed 8–8-8 (%N-% P2O5-%K2O) fertilizer 11.4%; mixed 20–20-5 fertilizer 11.9%; diammonium phosphate 16.8%. Nitrogen was highly soluble (61.7–98.8%) from settling granules of sodium nitrate, calcium nitrate, ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, and the two mixed fertilizers. However, only 5.1 and 11.7%, respectively, of the nitrogen dissolved from settling monoammonium phosphate and diammonium phosphate. Potassium was readily soluble (80.9–87.0%) from settling granules of muriate of potash and the two mixed fertilizers. Reduction in particle size increased the solubility of phosphorus from settling granules of triple superphosphate and diammonium phosphate, but solubility of phosphorus was not affected by temperature. Fertilizers that did not dissolve quickly while settling did dissolve almost completely while st...
Exploring student experiences of belonging within an urban high school choral ensemble: an action research study

The purpose of this action research study was to describe adolescent singers' experiences of belonging within one urban high school choral ensemble. Understanding student perspectives on belonging within music ensembles can assist choral educators, parents and administrators in order to more fully support adolescent emotional and social development in school. Tenth through twelfth grade students were selected from one northeastern high school choral programme in a large city within the USA. Twenty-six participants, in small groups of three to four students each, were asked to describe their experiences of belonging within the ensemble. Interview data were open, descriptively and analytically coded. Codes were gathered into categories. Five themes were developed, including choral experience as uncompetitive, sectional bonding as social bonding, singing as shared experience, chorus as safe space and trips as pivotal bonding experiences. Suggestions for future research include examining student belonging as ...
Caveolin-1 null mice develop cardiac hypertrophy with hyperactivation of p42/44 MAP kinase in cardiac fibroblasts

Recently, development of a caveolin-1-deficient (Cav-1 null) mouse model has allowed the detailed analysis of caveolin-1's function in the context of a whole animal. Interestingly, we now report th...
Axisymmetric Surface Diffusion: Dynamics and Stability of Self-Similar Pinchoff

The dynamics of surface diffusion describes the motion of a surface with its normal velocity given by the surface Laplacian of its mean curvature. This flow conserves the volume enclosed inside the surface while minimizing its surface area. We review the axisymmetric equilibria: the cylinder, sphere, and the Delaunay unduloid. The sphere is stable, while the cylinder is long-wave unstable. A subcritical bifurcation from the cylinder produces a continuous family of unduloid solutions. We present computations that suggest that the stable manifold of the unduloid forms a separatrix between states that relax to the cylinder in infinite time and those that tend toward finite-time pinchoff. We examine the structure of the pinchoff, showing it has self-similar structure, using asymptotic, numerical, and analytical methods. In addition to a previously known similarity solution, we find a countable set of similarity solutions, each with a different asymptotic cone angle. We develop a stability theory in similarity variables that selects the original similarity solution as the only linearly stable one and consequently the only observable solution. We also consider similarity solutions describing the dynamics after the topological transition.
Effect of communication media on developmental relationships: Self-reported and observed behaviors

This study examined the effect of four communication modes (computer-based video teleconferencing, computer-based electronic chat, telephone, and face-to-face) on developmental interactions between dyads; specifically on the transmission of psychosocial versus instrumental information. The dyads consisted of undergraduates at a southeastern university. One member of the dyad was an incoming first year student; the second member was an upper division student who served as a developmental coach. The study was experimental in design, which controlled the amount of interaction, the frequency of interaction, and prior acquaintanceship of the dyadic pair. The small amount of variance attributable to communication mode suggests that people matter more than the machines. Specifically, in terms of implementing non-face-to-face developmental programs, it might be more useful to focus on reducing the variability in the coaches' behaviors through selection or training, than to focus on communication mode. Additionally, independent observers watched and rated the dyadic interactions to provide a third point of view. There was very little overlap between coach and trainee perceptions, although there was considerable agreement between the raters' and coaches' ratings.
Effect of Thymine Glycol on Transcription Elongation by T7 RNA Polymerase and Mammalian RNA Polymerase II

Thymine glycols are formed in DNA by exposure to ionizing radiation or oxidative stress. Although these lesions are repaired by the base excision repair pathway, they have been shown also to be subject to transcription-coupled repair. A current model for transcription-coupled repair proposes that RNA polymerase II arrested at a DNA lesion provides a signal for recruitment of the repair enzymes to the lesion site. Here we report the effect of thymine glycol on transcription elongation by T7 RNA polymerase and RNA polymerase II from rat liver. DNA substrates containing a single thymine glycol located either in the transcribed or nontranscribed strand were used to carry out in vitro transcription. We found that thymine glycol in the transcribed strand blocked transcription elongation by T7 RNA polymerase approximately 50% of the time but did not block RNA polymerase II. Thymine glycol in the nontranscribed strand did not affect transcription by either polymerase. These results suggest that arrest of RNA polymerase elongation by thymine glycol is not necessary for transcription-coupled repair of this lesion. Additional factors that recognize and bind thymine glycol in DNA may be required to ensure RNA polymerase arrest and the initiation of transcription-coupled repair in vivo.
Polymorphism and pseudopolymorphism in the triaroylbenzene derivative 1,3,5-tris(4-cyanobenzoyl)benzene

The triaroylbenzene derivative 1,3,5-tris(4-cyanobenzoyl)benzene exhibits the phenomenon of concomitant polymorphism. Two topologically isomeric solid-state networks, hexagonal and ladder, were obtained upon crystallization from acetone/water solution. In contrast, crystallization of the title compound from EtOAc, 3-pentanone, MeNO 2 , DMSO, acetone, and methyl chloroacetate produced isostructural pseudopolymorphic inclusion complexes. In all these six cases, the triaroylbenzene host molecule self-assembles in a 2D lamellar pattern via C-H...O and C-H...N hydrogen bonding with guest solvent molecules residing in interlayer channels. A clathrate of different morphology was obtained upon crystallization from nitroethane. In all seven inclusion adducts, bifurcated C-H...O hydrogen bonding between host donors and the guest acceptors was observed as a common feature. The network topologies in the polymorphic modifications of 1 are different from those observed in the structurally characterized inclusion complexes. Thus, C-H...X (X = N/O) hydrogen bonding appears to significantly influence supramolecular isomerism in this system.
Ongoing software development without classical requirements

Many prominent open source software (OSS) development projects produce systems without overt requirements artifacts or processes, contrary to expectations resulting from classical software development experience and research, and a growing number of critical software systems are evolved and sustained in this way yet provide quality and rich functional capabilities to users and integrators that accept them without question. We examine data from several OSS projects to investigate this conundrum, and discuss the results of research into OSS outcomes that sheds light on the consequences of this approach to software requirements in terms of risk of development failure and quality of the resulting system.
A 2D high-ß Hall MHD implicit nonlinear solver

A nonlinear, fully implicit solver for a 2D high-β (incompressible) Hall magnetohydrodynamics (HMHD) model is proposed. The task in non-trivial because HMHD supports the whistler wave. This wave is dispersive (ω ˜ k2) and therefore results in diffusion-like numerical stability limits for explicit time integration methods. For HMHD, implicit approaches using time steps above the explicit numerical stability limits result in diagonally submissive Jacobian systems. Such systems are difficult to invert with iterative techniques. In this study, Jacobian-free Newton-Krylov iterative methods are employed for a fully implicit, nonlinear integration, and a semi-implicit (SI) preconditioner strategy, developed on the basis of a Schur complement analysis, is proposed. The SI preconditioner transforms the coupled hyperbolic whistler system into a fourth-order, parabolic, diagonally dominant PDE, amenable to iterative techniques. Efficiency and accuracy results are presented demonstrating that an efficient fully implicit implementation (i.e., faster than explicit methods) is indeed possible without sacrificing numerical accuracy.
Generation of bound states in a continuum.

'(hereafter referred to as LR) published a pair of papers that examined the conditions under which discrete states can exist within the energy range occupied by a continuum. They demonstrate the somewhat surprising result that under rather general conditions on two or more external fields, there exists an equal number of bound states within the energy region of the continuum. The fact that a long-lived state can be created above the dissociation threshold signals that there may be hope for selective laser chemistry. With this result, they proceed to investigate how such a state might be detected using quantum-beat spectroscopy. It is at this point that the analysis they present breaks down quantitatively. In this note, we derive the correct quantitative result and present a brief discussion of the implications it has for the qualitative features on which LR elaborate.
Horizon problem in Brans-Dicke cosmology

The technical problems involved in implementing the inflationary scenario have prompted us to search for different solutions to the horizon and flatness problems. We find that Brans-Dicke cosmology can, under certain circumstances, solve the horizon problem, albeit at the expense of some fine tuning of parameters.
The impact performance of thermoplastic sheet composites

Sheet composites of polypropylene and poly(ethylene terephthalate) were produced by melt consolidation of alternating layers of polymer films and random glass fiber mats. The composites had a nominal glass content of 50 wt% (∼30 vol%). The sheets were stamped into a complex part from which test specimens were machined, and mechanical properties determined. Flexural strengths as high as 159 MPa were recorded for polypropylene composites and 313 MPa for poly(ethylene terephthalate) composites. The flexural modulus of the polypropylene composites reached 9.1 MPa, whereas the modulus of the stiffest poly(ethylene terephthalate) composite was 15 GPa. The impact properties of the composites were equally high. Polypropylene composites absorbed up to 257 J/cm during an instrumented falling dart impact test. Poly(ethylene terephthalate) composites absorbed as much as 116 J/cm in the same test.
The “Golden Section” and Bias in Perceptions of Social Consensus

Meta-analytic examination of I28 false consensus effect issues supports the hypothesis that the "Golden Section" (61.8% group size) approximates the level of actual consensus that separates overestimation of consensus (group size 61.8%). Overestimation of the actual percentage of others who endorse one's own view increases as actual consensus decreases from 61.8%, and underestimation increases as it exceeds 61.8%. The form of the response (viz, a yes or no answer to a question) moderates this conclusion. The Golden Section holds for majorities and minorities defined by agreement with an issue. For majority and minority groups defined by disagreement, the inflection point is higher. Contrary to Mullen and Hu (1988), for agreeing majorities, the slope for consensus underestimation as a function of increased majority size does not differ from that of minority overestimation.
Od Perspectives On High Performance: Some Good News and Some Bad News About Merit Pay

This article proposes to summarize experience about compensation plans and high performance, as viewed from an Organizational Development (OD) perspective. Several orienting biases provide the cont...
The amino acid sequence of dog (canis familiaris) hemoglobin

The manual sequencing of the tryptic peptides from theα andβ chains of dog hemoglobin is described, including evidence for the existence of twoαT-13 peptides and thus 2α chains, one with threonine and one with alanine at position 130. Although the actual sequence was published in 1970, the evidence on which it was based has not previously appeared.
Conversion of lipid transfer inhibitor protein (apolipoprotein F) to its active form depends on LDL composition

Lipid transfer inhibitor protein (LTIP) exists in both active and inactive forms. Incubation (37°C) of plasma causes LTIP to transfer from a 470 kDa inactive complex to LDL where it is active. Here, we investigate the mechanisms underlying this movement. Inhibiting LCAT or cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) reduced incubation-induced LTIP translocation by 40–50%. Blocking both LCAT and CETP completely prevented LTIP movement. Under appropriate conditions, either factor alone could drive maximum LTIP transfer to LDL. These data suggest that chemical modification of LDL, the 470 kDa complex, or both facilitate LTIP movement. To test this, LDL and the 470 kDa fraction were separately premodified by CETP and/or LCAT activity. Modification of the 470 kDa fraction had no effect on subsequent LTIP movement to native LDL. Premodification of LDL, however, induced spontaneous LTIP movement from the native 470 kDa particle to LDL. This transfer depended on the extent of LDL modification and correlated negatively with changes in the LDL phospholipid + cholesterol-to-cholesteryl ester + triglyceride ratio. We conclude that LTIP translocation is dependent on LDL lipid composition, not on its release from the inactive complex. Compositional changes that reduce the surface-to-core lipid ratio of LDL promote LTIP binding and activation.
A nucleolar AAA‐NTPase is required for parasite division

Apicomplexa division involves several distinct phases shared with other eukaryote cell cycles including a gap period (G1) prior to chromosome synthesis, although how progression through the parasite cell cycle is controlled is not understood. Here we describe a cell cycle mutant that reversibly arrests in the G1 phase. The defect in this mutant was mapped by genetic complementation to a gene encoding a novel AAAATPase/CDC48 family member called TgNoAP1. TgNoAP1 is tightly regulated and expressed in the nucleolus during the G1/S phases. A tyrosine to a cysteine change upstream of the second AAA+ domain in the temperature sensitive TgNoAP1 allele leads to conditional protein instability, which is responsible for rapid cell cycle arrest and a primary defect in 28S rRNA processing as confirmed by knock-in of the mutation back into the parent genome. The interaction of TgNoAP1 with factors of the snoRNP and R2TP complexes indicates this protein has a role in pre-rRNA processing. This is a novel role for a cdc48-related chaperone protein and indicates that TgNoAP1 may be part of a dynamic mechanism that senses the health of the parasite protein machinery at the initial steps of ribosome biogenesis and conveys that information to the parasite cell cycle checkpoint controls.
Variation in innate immunity genes and risk of multiple myeloma.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a B-cell lymphoid malignancy suspected to be associated with immunologic factors. Given recent findings associating single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in innate immunity genes with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, we conducted an investigation of innate immune gene variants using specimens from a population-based case-control study of MM conducted in Connecticut women. Tag SNPs (N = 1461) summarizing common variation in 149 gene regions were genotyped in non-Hispanic Caucasian subjects (103 cases, 475 controls). Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) relating SNP associations with MM were computed using unconditional logistic regression, while the MinP test was used to investigate associations with MM at the gene level. We calculated permutation-adjusted P-values and false discovery rates (FDR) to account for the number of comparisons performed in SNP-level and gene-level tests, respectively. Three genes were associated with MM when controlling for a FDR of ≤10%: SERPINE1 (PMinP < 0.0001; FDR = 0.02), CCR7 (PMinP = 0.0006; FDR = 0.06) and HGF (PMinP = 0.001; FDR = 0.08). Two SNPs demonstrated robust associations: SERPINE1 rs2227667 (P = 2.1 × 10−5, Ppermutation = 0.03) and HGF rs17501108 (P = 5.0 × 10−5, Ppermutation = 0.07). Our findings suggest that genetic variants in SERPINE1 and HGF, and possibly CCR7, are associated with MM risk, and warrant further investigation in other studies. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cell shape provides global control of focal adhesion assembly.

Cell spreading was controlled independently of the amount and density of immobilized integrin ligand by culturing cells on single adhesive islands of different sizes (100–2500 lm 2 ) and shapes (squares, circles, and lines) or on many smaller (3–5 lm diameter) circular islands that were coated with a saturating density of fibronectin and separated by non-adhesive regions. The amount of focal adhesions (FAs) containing vinculin and phosphotyrosine increased in direct proportion to cell spreading under all conditions. FAs localized asymmetrically along the periphery of the small islands that experienced highest tensional stress, and FA staining increased when cytoskeletal tension was stimulated with thrombin, whereas inhibitors of contractility promoted FA disassembly. Thus, these findings demonstrate the existence of an “inside-out” mechanism whereby global cell distortion produces increases in cytoskeletal tension that feed back to drive local changes in FA assembly. This complex interplay between cell morphology, mechanics, and adhesion may be critical to how cells integrate from and function in living tissues.
LLK: a link-layer key establishment scheme for wireless sensor networks

The establishment of link-layer keys between neighboring nodes is a fundamental issue in securing sensor network communications. Most existing solutions are key pre-distribution schemes which rely on sensor nodes to broadcast hundreds of or even thousands of preloaded key IDs to find pairwise keys between neighboring nodes. The shortcomings include poor resilience against node compromise, low network connectivity, large communication overhead, etc. The paper presents a novel location-based link-layer key establishment scheme, in which a hexagonal-grid-based deployment model and a polynomial-based key establishment model are combined for the first time to establish a link-layer key between two neighboring nodes. Compared with conventional proposals, our scheme features much lower communication overhead and memory requirements while still maintaining high network connectivity and network resilience against node compromise.
Transient expression of NADPH-diaphorase in the lateral geniculate nucleus of the ferret during early postnatal development

Retinogeniculate projections in the ferret are refined during postnatal development so that inputs from the two eyes become segregated into eye-specific laminae, and each eye-specific lamina is further divided into sublaminae containing inputs from on-center or off-center afferents. Segregation into eye-specific laminae and on/off sublaminae is dependent on neuronal activity; sublamination depends on activation of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. By analogy with the suggested role of nitric oxide in NMDA-mediated long-term potentiation in the hippocampus, we investigated a possible role for nitric oxide in ferret retinogeniculate development. The expression of NADPH-diaphorase, a nitric oxide synthase, was examined histologically in the lateral geniculate nucleus of ferrets at several postnatal ages. At birth, neuropil is labeled in the nucleus, although no cell bodies are visible. After the first postnatal week, some labeled cells appear, predominantly in the C laminae. By three postnatal weeks, cell bodies are clearly labeled in all geniculate laminae. Staining reaches a peak in density at about four postnatal weeks, then declines such that by six postnatal weeks labeled cells are no longer visible. This transient expression of NADPH-diaphorase activity is consistent with a role for nitric oxide in the development of mature connections within the ferret lateral geniculate nucleus.