cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Grb2 Regulates Internalization of EGF Receptors through Clathrin-coated Pits

The molecular mechanisms of clathrin-dependent internalization of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) are not well understood and, in particular, the sequence motifs that mediate EGFR interactions with coated pits have not been mapped. We generated a panel of EGFR mutants and stably expressed these mutants in porcine aortic endothelial (PAE) cells. Interestingly, mutations of tyrosine phosphorylation sites 1068 and 1086 that interact with growth-factor-receptor-binding protein Grb2 completely abolished receptor internalization in PAE cells. Quantitative analysis of colocalization of EGF-rhodamine conjugate and coated pits labeled with yellow-fluorescent-protein–tagged β2 subunit of clathrin adaptor complex AP-2 revealed that EGFR mutants lacking Grb2 binding sites do not efficiently enter coated pits. The depletion of Grb2 from PAE as well as HeLa cells expressing endogenous EGFRs by RNA interference substantially reduced the rate of EGFR internalization through clathrin-dependent pathway, thus providing the direct evidence for the important role of Grb2 in this process. Overexpression of Grb2 mutants, in which the SH3 domains were either deleted or inactivated by point mutations, significantly inhibited EGFR internalization in both PAE and HeLa cells. These findings indicate that Grb2, in addition to its key function in signaling through Ras, has a major regulatory role at the initial steps of EGFR internalization through clathrin-coated pits. Furthermore, the EGFR mutant lacking Grb2 binding sites did not efficiently recruit c-Cbl and was not polyubiquitinated. The data are consistent with the model whereby Grb2 participates in EGFR internalization through the recruitment of Cbl to the receptor, thus allowing proper ubiquitylation of EGFR and/or associated proteins at the plasma membrane.
Foreign Exchange Rates Don't Follow a Random Walk

We find that a relatively high level of average U.S. industry- or firm-level idiosyncratic stock volatility is usually associated with a future appreciation in the U.S. dollar. This relation is highly significant for most foreign currencies in both in-sample and out-of-sample forecasting tests. We also document a positive and significant relation between a country's idiosyncratic volatility and the future U.S. dollar price of its currency - in France, Germany, and Japan. Given that idiosyncratic volatility forecasts GDP growth in both U.S. and foreign countries, our results appear to be consistent with monetary models of exchange rates.
Performance analysis of the state-space realization (TAM) and ESPRIT algorithms for DOA estimation

The performance of signal-subspace-based algorithms for directions-of-arrival estimation involving multiple signal arrivals in array signal processing is analyzed. An analytical expression of the variance of the DOA estimation error is developed for three signal subspace based algorithms, state-space realization (SSR) (TAM), ESPRIT, and matrix pencil. Simulation results that verify the analysis are reported. >
The logic of deterrence in theory and practice

The advent of nuclear weapons has played havoc with Clausewitz' dictum that "war is the continuation of politics by other means." These weapons introduce a gross disproportionality between ends and means and thereby call into question the very meaning of military strategy as the efficient application of force to achieve political objectives. In 1962, Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara alluded to this change when he remarked, "There is no longer any such thing as strategy, only crisis management. " I What conceivable ends would justify the use of nuclear means? Military traditionalists sidestep this question. They maintain that nuclear weapons, like all past innovations in military technology, are both usable and likely to be
Defects and disorder in carbon nanotubes

DEFECTS AND DISORDER IN CARBON NANOTUBES Philip G. Collins University of California at Irvine, Irvine, USA 1. INTRODUCTION AND OUTLINE The presence of defects subtly alters all of a material’s properties. Chemical reactivity, mechanical strength, optical absorption, and electronic transport all vary with defect concentration. Despite these wide-ranging effects, however, it is very rare for defect control to be critical to a particular application. For example, electronic circuits perform perfectly well in the presence of defects. Even though a defect might trap or scatter charge carriers, a typical conductor will electrostatically screen such sites and still maintain a preponderance of unaffected carriers and conduction channels. In reduced dimensions these generalizations begin to fail. In one-dimensional (1-D) systems, defects play the most significant roles, and they can dominate physical property measurements. For example, the strength of a 1-D chain cannot exceed its weakest link. Charge carriers in 1-D are confined to a single trajectory and cannot avoid a scattering center nor scatter into nearby momentum states. Such consequences are critically important to the newly developing field of nanoscience, in which low dimensional materials are synthesized, characterized, and integrated into applications. To appear in Oxford Handbook of Nanoscience and Technology: Frontiers and Advances. A.V. Narlikar, & Y.Y. Fu, Eds. (Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, 2009).
Hedge fund replication with a genetic algorithm: breeding a usable mousetrap

This study tests the performance of 14 hedge fund index clones created using parsimonious out-of-sample replication portfolios consisting solely of easily accessible assets. We employ a genetic algorithm to integrate two traditional hedge fund replication methods, the factor-based and pay-off distribution replication methods, and evaluate over 4500 commonly held stocks, bonds and mutual funds as replicating portfolio components. In-sample performance indicates that hedge funds have return series similar to portfolios of commonly held assets, and out-of-sample results provide evidence that the in-sample relationships can hold with infrequent rebalancing. This hedge fund replication attempt rates well relatively to prior efforts as 11 replicating portfolios have out-of-sample correlation values of at least 60%. Overall, these results show promise for using a genetic algorithm technique to replicate hedge fund returns.
Visual search in noise: revealing the influence of structural cues by gaze-contingent classification image analysis.

Visual search experiments have usually involved the detection of a salient target in the presence of distracters against a blank background. In such high signal-to-noise scenarios, observers have been shown to use visual cues such as color, size, and shape of the target to program their saccades during visual search. The degree to which these features affect search performance is usually measured using reaction times and detection accuracy. We asked whether human observers are able to use target features to succeed in visual search tasks in stimuli with very low signal-to-noise ratios. Using the classification image analysis technique, we investigated whether observers used structural cues to direct their fixations as they searched for simple geometric targets embedded at very low signal-to-noise ratios in noise stimuli that had the spectral characteristics of natural images. By analyzing properties of the noise stimulus at observers’ fixations, we were able to reveal idiosyncratic, target-dependent features used by observers in our visual search task. We demonstrate that even in very noisy displays, observers do not search randomly, but in many cases they deploy their fixations to regions in the stimulus that resemble some aspect of the target in their local image features.
Promoting Positive Youth Development The Miami Youth Development Project (YDP)

The Miami Youth Development Project (YDP) had its beginnings in the early 1990s as a grassroots response to the needs of troubled (multiproblem) young people in the community (Arnett, Kurtines, & Montgomery, 2008, this issue). YDP is an important outcome of efforts to create positive youth development interventions that draw on the strengths of developmental intervention science outreach research in the development of community-supported positive development programs (i.e., an approach that focuses on meeting community needs as well as youth needs by generating innovative knowledge of evidence-based change intervention strategies that are feasible, affordable, and sustainable in “real world” settings, (Kurtines, Ferrer-Wreder, Cass Lorente, Silverman, Montgomery, 2008, this issue). Now completing its second decade, YDP represents an effort to bring together a more empowering model of knowledge development for research involvement in the community, a nuanced and contextualized notion of youth and their dev...
Model class A and class L peptides increase the production of apoA-I-containing lipoproteins in HepG2 cells.

Class A peptides inhibit atherosclerosis and protect cells from class L peptide-mediated lysis. Because the cytolytic process is concentration dependent, we hypothesized that at certain concentrations both classes of peptides exert similar effect(s) on cells. To test this hypothesis, we studied the effects of a class L peptide (18L = GIKKFLGSIWKFIKAFVG) and a class A peptide, 18A-Pro-18A (18A = DWLKAFYDKVAEKLKEAF) (37pA), on apolipoprotein and lipoprotein production in HepG2 cells. Secretion of 35S-labeled apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) was stimulated by both 18L (110%) and 37pA (135%) at 10 and 20 nM of peptides, respectively. Both peptides enhanced the secretion of 3H-labeled phospholipids by 140% and 14C-labeled HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) by 35% but had no significant effect on the total cholesterol mass or secretion. These results indicate that class L and class A peptides cause redistribution of cholesterol among lipoproteins in favor of HDL-C. Both peptides remodeled apoA-I-containing particles forming preβ- as well as α-HDL. This study suggests that increased secretion of phospholipids and apoA-I and the formation of preβ-HDL particles might contribute to the antiatherogenic properties of these peptides.
Enhancing the experience of first-year engineering students with an entry-level STS course: Science-technology-society

Engineering and Society, a course designed for first-year engineering (FYE) students and non-majors, was introduced in spring 2011 and most recently (F2014) became part of the required FYE core curricula. In addition to traditional elements of an FYE course such as the study of engineering disciplines and a team-based design project, students explore the various ways non-technical factors influence the development and integration of technology within our society, aligning with many of the learning outcomes specified by ABET General Criterion 3. Student outcomes were measured with a relatively simple pre-test/post-test study that uses a self-constructed on-line survey. Relative to the control group, students who enrolled in the course showed significantly greater gains in self-confidence, most notably with respect to engineering problem solving and design; sense of fit within the engineering profession; and understanding of the broad nature of engineering, including the importance of creativity, ethics, and societal influences to engineering design and decision making. Changes in academic self-confidence and satisfaction with the decision to study engineering were somewhat mixed, yet students in the course expressed a significant increase in their confidence of remaining in an engineering major throughout college, while students in the control group expressed a slight but not significant decline.
Comparison of the Electrical Properties of PS-PMMA-MWNT Composites Made by Three Different Fabrication Methods

Polystyrene (PS), polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) were used to fabricate conductive nanocomposites using various mixing methods, followed by compression molding to analyze their electrical properties. The main objective of this research project was to evaluate how using different mixing techniques alter the composite microstructure and hence the properties of the resultant composite material. Three fabrication techniques were selected to be investigated: mechanical mixing, melt-mixing, and solution mixing. The concentration of the fillers was kept constant at 2 wt% MWNT to simplify comparisons. After mixing, the composite mixtures were compression molded at the same temperature of 180°C. It was found that each mixing method yielded uniquely different AC conductivity profiles which can be attributed to how the fabrication method used affected the arrangement of the CNTs in the composite structure. This newfound control of the electrical properties of the composite materials could definitely be useful to researchers because one can choose the proper fabrication technique based on what properties are desired.
Development and Maintenance of Cockroach Nerve Tissue in Embryo Culture

Cell complexes of the central and peripheral nervous systems of embryos of Leucophaea maderae (F.) (Orthoptera: Blattidae) were developed and maintained in vitro. Whole embryos were flattened in long-term culture chambers that allowed high magnification phase microscopy studies of cell systems for 3 or more months. Neuroblasts, glial cells, neurons, ganglia, and sensory nerve structures were observed in the living differentiating state.
Rapid Preparation of Released N-Glycans for HILIC Analysis Using a Labeling Reagent that Facilitates Sensitive Fluorescence and ESI-MS Detection.

N-glycosylation of proteins is now routinely characterized and monitored because of its significance to the detection of disease states and the manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals. At the same time, hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) has emerged as a powerful technology for N-glycan profiling. Sample preparation techniques for N-glycan HILIC analyses have however tended to be laborious or require compromises in sensitivity. To address these shortcomings, we have developed an N-glycan labeling reagent that provides enhanced fluorescence response and MS sensitivity for glycan detection and have also simplified the process of preparing a sample for analysis. The developed labeling reagent rapidly reacts with glycosylamines upon their release from glycoproteins. Within a 5 min reaction, enzymatically released N-glycans are labeled with this reagent comprised of an NHS-carbamate reactive group, a quinoline fluorophore, and a tertiary amine for enhancing ESI+ MS ionization. To further expedite the r...
Young Women's Contraceptive Decision Making: Do Preferences for Contraceptive Attributes Align with Method Choice?

CONTEXT: Understanding how womens preferences for certain attributes of contraceptive methods relate to their method choice can inform the content of contraceptive counseling. METHODS: Data from 715 women aged 18-29 who had ever used contraceptives were drawn from the 2009 National Survey of Reproductive and Contraceptive Knowledge. Chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to examine how womens preferences for specific contraceptive attributes were related to their social and demographic characteristics and their current contraceptive choice. RESULTS: The majority of women considered it extremely important for a method to be very effective at preventing pregnancy (79%) and to be effective at preventing HIV and STDs (67%); fewer than one-quarter felt similarly about a methods being hormone-free (22%). Women who felt it was quite or extremely important for a method to be very effective at preventing pregnancy were not more likely to use the most effective methods than were women who considered this attribute not at all or only slightly important. Women who considered it quite or extremely important for a method to be hormone-free were less likely than others to use hormonal methods (odds ratio 0.4) and women who considered STD protection quite or extremely important had elevated odds of relying on condoms alone rather than on an effective contraceptive method alone (3.6). CONCLUSIONS: Most women desire a very effective method for pregnancy prevention but it is unclear how this translates to their contraceptive use. The associations between womens preferred contraceptive attributes and method choice warrant further attention. Copyright (c) 2016 by the Guttmacher Institute.
Treatment of Chronic Pain Consequent to Motor Vehicle Collisions

Publisher Summary Most victims of motor vehicle collisions (MVC) related injuries recover in a timely manner. However, a small percentage of individuals go on to develop chronic pain, imposing long-term impacts on the healthcare system, the medico-legal system, and the economy due to frequent healthcare utilization, active compensation cases, and absence from work. This chapter acknowledges the limited number of studies that address the treatment of pain in the MVC context and establish the applicability of the general chronic pain treatment literature to the treatment of chronic pain occurring consequent to MVCs. Traumatic brain injuries, whether mild or severe, are characterized by cognitive changes that are long-lasting, have pervasive effects on overall functioning, and that require significant adjustment. The general traumatic brain injury literature is very extensive and includes a substantial number of studies that address traumatic brain injury occurring consequent to MVC involvement. Rehabilitation of MVC-related chronic pain patients begins with an interdisciplinary assessment, which is then used to tailor-specific levels of interventions within a multimodal disability management program. The biopsychosocial perspective of pain and disability is not merely limited to chronic pain, but can also be applied to acute pain consequent to MVC-related injuries
Experimental Economics in Marketing

Experimental economics employs laboratory and field experiments to characterize human behavior subject to economic constraints as well as to characterize economic behavior subject to human constraints. Despite a diversity of opinions, experimental economists adhere to a common set of research principles and methodologies that have developed over the years and distinguish this set of methodologies from experimental methodologies established in other disciplines. In recent years, the methodology of experimental economics has entered mainstream marketing research and has grown increasingly popular. This review presents an outline of the fundamental methodology of economic experiments as implemented in marketing research, gives examples of recent marketing experiments that adhere to the tenets of experimental economics, and organizes the marketing research employing experimental economics methodology into distinct topics, with additional detail on theory and applications.
Infantile Macrocrania and Subarachnoid Fluid

Macrocrania caused by subarachnoid fluid collections (SFC) in 12 very low birth weight (VLBW) infants is reported from the Department of Pediatrics, University of Manitoba, and the Newborn Follow-up Program, Health Sciences Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Chemogenetic Activation of an Extinction Neural Circuit Reduces Cue-Induced Reinstatement of Cocaine Seeking.

The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) has been shown to negatively regulate cocaine-seeking behavior, but the precise conditions by which vmPFC activity can be exploited to reduce cocaine relapse are currently unknown. We used viral-mediated gene transfer of designer receptors (DREADDs) to activate vmPFC neurons and examine the consequences on cocaine seeking in a rat self-administration model of relapse. Activation of vmPFC neurons with the Gq-DREADD reduced reinstatement of cocaine seeking elicited by cocaine-associated cues, but not by cocaine itself. We used a retro-DREADD approach to confine the Gq-DREADD to vmPFC neurons that project to the medial nucleus accumbens shell, confirming that these neurons are responsible for the decreased cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking. The effects of vmPFC activation on cue-induced reinstatement depended on prior extinction training, consistent with the reported role of this structure in extinction memory. These data help define the conditions under which chemogenetic activation of extinction neural circuits can be exploited to reduce relapse triggered by reminder cues. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) projection to the nucleus accumbens shell is important for extinction of cocaine seeking, but its anatomical proximity to the relapse-promoting projection from the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex to the nucleus accumbens core makes it difficult to selectively enhance neuronal activity in one pathway or the other using traditional pharmacotherapy (e.g., systemically administered drugs). Viral-mediated gene delivery of an activating Gq-DREADD to vmPFC and/or vmPFC projections to the nucleus accumbens shell allows the chemogenetic exploitation of this extinction neural circuit to reduce cocaine seeking and was particularly effective against relapse triggered by cocaine reminder cues.
Trauma, Reality, and Eucharist

While Reality TV lays claim to the real by featuring the ordinary and everyday, it performs reality as a spectacle and thereby dislocates it by obscuring the distance between reality and representation. That dislocation is especially critical in the way Reality TV exposes and engages suffering and loss through its preoccupation with narratives of personal trauma for the sake of entertainment, employing idealized modes of confession, absolution, and redemption drawn largely from the discourse and conventions of the “recovery” movement. While Reality TV opens up new possibilities for witness to trauma at a cultural level, the commodification, sensationalization, and sentimentalization of trauma in Reality TV inevitably thwart the kind of empathy, solidarity, and “remaining” with trauma that is required by a healing witness to it.
Optically-inspired computing based on spin waves

We demonstrate the use of spin-wave interference for analog signal processing. We show that wave-computing concepts of optical computing can be used for the design of novel nanoscale spin-wave devices. We present a number of designs to demonstrate, how the basic building blocks of optics can be realized for spin waves. Our designs are demonstrated by means of micromagnetic simulations.
Evaluating the behavior, growth performance, immune parameters, and intestinal morphology of weaned piglets after simulated transport and heat stress when antibiotics are eliminated from the diet or replaced with L-glutamine

Study objectives were to evaluate the effects of post-weaning transport during heat stress (HS) and thermoneutral (TN) conditions when dietary antibiotics are removed or replaced with a nutraceutical. Sixty mixed sex piglets from 10 sows ( = 6 piglets/sow) were weaned (18.8 ± 0.8 d of age) and then herded up ramps into 1 of 2 simulated transport trailers in either TN (28.8 ± 0.2°C) or HS (cyclical 32 to 37°C) conditions where they remained for 12 h. During the 12 h of simulated transport, fans were used to simulate air movement through the trailer, feed and water were withheld, and rectal temperature (T) was measured hourly. Following the 12 h simulated transport, piglets were unloaded from the trailer, weighed, and then housed individually in TN conditions [28.5 ± 0.1°C; 29.1 ± 0.1% relative humidity (RH)] and assigned to 1 of 3 dietary treatments balanced by weaning weight, sex, sow, and transport environment. Treatments were dietary antibiotics [A; = 20 piglets; 5.5 ± 0.2 kg BW; chlortetracycline (400 g/ton) + tiamulin (35 g/ton)], no dietary antibiotics (NA; = 20 piglets; 5.6 ± 0.2 kg BW), or 0.20% L-glutamine (GLU; = 20 piglets; 5.6 ± 0.2 kg BW) fed for 14 d. During the diet treatment period, feed intake (FI), BW, and behaviors were monitored daily. At the conclusion of the diet treatment period, all piglets were euthanized and intestinal samples were collected for histology. The T and post-transport BW loss were increased in HS (40.7°C and 0.43 kg, respectively) compared to TN-exposed (39.2°C and 0.27 kg, respectively) piglets during simulated transport. Throughout the 14 d dietary treatment phase, FI was greater overall ( < 0.01; 60.3%) in GLU compared to A and NA pigs, and tended to be greater (37.7%) in A compared to NA pigs. BW was greater overall ( < 0.01; 8.7%) in GLU and A compared to NA pigs, but no differences were detected between A and GLU pigs. Lying behavior was greater ( = 0.05; 11.7%) in NA compared to A and GLU piglets in the first 2 d following simulated transport. The villus height to crypt depth ratio was greater ( < 0.05) in the duodenum (12.1%) and jejunum (12.8%) for A and GLU compared to NA pigs, and greater in the ileum (15.6%) for GLU compared to A and NA pigs. In summary, withholding dietary antibiotics after weaning and transport can negatively affect piglet productivity and measures of intestinal morphology compared to dietary antibiotic administration and L-glutamine provision.
Agreement Between Magnetic Resonance Imaging Proton Density Fat Fraction Measurements and Pathologist-Assigned Steatosis Grades of Liver Biopsies From Adults With Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis.

Background & Aims We assessed the diagnostic performance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) proton density fat fraction (PDFF) in grading hepatic steatosis and change in hepatic steatosis in adults with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in a multi-center study, using central histology as reference. Methods We collected data from 113 adults with NASH participating in a multi-center, randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled, phase 2b trial to compare the efficacy cross-sectionally and longitudinally of obeticholic acid vs placebo. Hepatic steatosis was assessed at baseline and after 72 weeks of obeticholic acid or placebo by liver biopsy and MRI (scanners from different manufacturers, at 1.5T or 3T). We compared steatosis estimates by PDFF vs histology. Histologic steatosis grade was scored in consensus by a pathology committee. Cross-validated receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed. Results At baseline, 34% of subjects had steatosis grade 0 or 1, 39% had steatosis grade 2, and 27% had steatosis grade 3; corresponding mean PDFF values were 9.8%±3.7%, 18.1%±4.3%, and 30.1%±8.1%. PDFF classified steatosis grade 0–1 vs 2–3 with an area under the ROC curve (AUROC) of 0.95 (95% CI, 0.91–0.98), and grade 0–2 vs grade 3 steatosis with an AUROC of 0.96 (95% CI, 0.93–0.99). PDFF cut-off values at 90% specificity were 16.3% for grades 2–3 and 21.7% for grade 3, with corresponding sensitivities of 83% and 84%. After 72 weeks' of obeticholic vs placebo, 42% of subjects had a reduced steatosis grade (mean reduction in PDFF from baseline of 7.4%±8.7%), 49% had no change in steatosis grade (mean increase in PDFF from baseline of 0.3%±6.3%), and 9% had an increased steatosis grade (mean increase in PDFF from baseline of 7.7%±6.0%). PDFF change identified subjects with reduced steatosis grade with an AUROC of 0.81 (95% CI, 0.71–0.91) and increased steatosis grade with an AUROC of 0.81 (95% CI, 0.63–0.99). A PDFF reduction of 5.15% identified subjects with reduced steatosis grade with 90% specificity and 58% sensitivity, whereas a PDFF increase of 5.6% identified those with increased steatosis grade with 90% specificity and 57% sensitivity. Conclusions Based on data from a phase 2 randomized controlled trial of adults with NASH, PDFF estimated by MRI scanners of different field strength and at different sites, accurately classifies grades and changes in hepatic steatosis when histologic analysis of biopsies is used as a reference.
Puddles of Time: Toward an Aquatic Temporality

Writing in mid-twelfth-century Constantinople, Anna Komnene begins the Alexiad, a chronicle of her father Emperor Alexios I Komnenos’s deeds and reign, by reflecting on the nature of time and the r...
Mouse medulloblastoma driven by CRISPR activation of cellular Myc.

MYC-driven Group 3 (G3) medulloblastoma (MB) is the most aggressive of four molecular subgroups classified by transcriptome, genomic landscape and clinical outcomes. Mouse models that recapitulate human G3 MB all rely on retroviral vector-induced Myc expression driven by viral regulatory elements (Retro-Myc tumors). We used nuclease-deficient CRISPR/dCas9-based gene activation with combinatorial single guide RNAs (sgRNAs) to enforce transcription of endogenous Myc in Trp53-null neurospheres that were orthotopically transplanted into the brains of naive animals. Three combined sgRNAs linked to dCas9-VP160 induced cellular Myc expression and large cell anaplastic MBs (CRISPR-Myc tumors) which recapitulated the molecular characteristics of mouse and human G3 MBs. The BET inhibitor JQ1 suppressed MYC expression in a human G3 MB cell line (HD-MB03) and CRISPR-Myc, but not in Retro-Myc MBs. This G3 MB mouse model in which Myc expression is regulated by its own promoter will facilitate pre-clinical studies with drugs that regulate Myc transcription.
Cloning Vectors Derived from Bacterial Plasmids

Bacterial plasmids are a diverse group of extrachromosomal genetic elements which are found in a wide variety of procaryotes. An examination of a large number of naturally occuring plasmids has led to the conclusion that they have evolved through a process which can be referred to as “modular evolution”. In this process, various functional units (such as those involved in conjugal transfer, antibiotic resistance and colicin production) have been combined with a replicating segment (replicon) to produce a composite plasmid. Further analysis has revealed that these functional units or modules are often transposable i.e., they can move from site to site in the absence of homologous recombination (40). Due to transposition, this process is dynamic, in that modules can be added or deleted to allow for the rapid evolution of more fit plasmids.
Manuscripts and Manuscript Annotations to the History

At first glance, the printing history of Jacques-Auguste de Thou’s History of His Time leaves one with a sense of satisfaction. After a long series of incomplete, altered, and pirated editions in the seventeenth century, de Thou’s History was restored to its original form by diligent workers in the early Enlightenment, de Thou’s allies in the cause of historical truth and service to posterity: the editors of the sumptuous London edition of 1733. But this impression is deceiving. As we turn from the printing history to the compositional history of de Thou’s work, we shall learn that much has been omitted and more has been inadequately or incorrectly classified in the London edition, the best text of de Thou’s History which we have at present.
Design of Printed Circuit Boards for Power Electronics Utilizing Gallium Nitride Ball Grid Array Integrated Half Bridges

Performance of power electronic is expected to have improvement by means of wide band gap power devices. However, new functionalities of gallium nitride devices are only extractable with existence of more advance interfacing technologies including packaging. Ball grid array as the advance packaging has brought new challenges in board design while a minimized power loop is demanded in such power electronics as well. Moreover, packages become more complex as the devices are being integrated as ICs. In this paper, we studied conflicts that arise among these requirements. Furthermore, especial manufacturing processes that are required for implementation of above-mentioned measures were investigated. These processes embrace prohibitive costs that are investigated in this work. A new and budget friendly way of fan-out design was introduced for monolithic half bridges. The proposed fan-out was designed for gallium nitride ball grid array devices and was manufactured as a half-bridge printed circuit board. The board was tested and validated required connections and a small power loop inductance of 405 pH successfully.
Neurointerventional Management of Low-Flow Vascular Malformations of the Head and Neck

Mulliken and Glowacki's seminal classification of vascular anomalies into vascular tumors (with infantile hemangiomas being paradigmatic) versus nontumorous vascular malformations has been as important in the head and neck region as elsewhere. These latter are congenital, have an equal gender incidence, virtually always grow in size with the patient during childhood, and virtually never involute spontaneously. The vascular malformations can in turn be subclassified into high-flow and low-flow. Our focus is on the low-flow malformations, which include those with venous, lymphatic, and, to a lesser extent, capillary components. We address diagnostic and clinical characteristics, particularly insofar as they relate to the structures of the head and neck, and discuss neurointerventional management in some detail.
Design and Simulation of a Polygonal Discone Antenna for Simplified Fabrication and Reconfigurability

The antenna presented herein is formed as a hexagonal approximation of the traditional discone geometry. This design eliminates the curved surfaces of both the disk and the cone of the typical design, replacing them with flat trapezoidal panels. This greatly reduces the fabrication complexity, while maintaining the high bandwidth and symmetric radiation pattern of the canonical structure. The polygonal discone also introduces the possibility of post-fabrication reconfigurability, through articulation of the six panels.
When is a phenomenologist being hermeneutical

Many philosophers of science and technology who see themselves as coming “after” Husserl also claim that their phenomenology is hermeneutical. Yet they neither practice the same sort of phenomenology, nor do they all have the same understanding of hermeneutics. Moreover, their differences often seem to be more a function of different pre-selected substantive commitments—say, to take a “material” turn or to be resolutely “empirical”—than the product of any serious effort to clarify what it is be hermeneutical. In this essay, after some discussion of Dilthey’s reception among post-Husserlians (especially Patrick Heelan and Don Ihde), I consider how aspiring hermeneuts might make their own pre-possession of substantive and methodological commitments a hermeneutical topic. This is, of course, is not just a scholarly question of how post-Husserlian phenomenologists might make themselves more phenomenological. Without thoughtful self-awareness of these commitments, one’s assumptions about the use of technology, design, the place of science in the larger culture and in relation to conceptions of human flourishing—all of these assumptions are likely to pass through into technoscientific practice with insufficient critical consideration.
Local Spectral Nonlinear Elasticity Imaging: Contrast Enhancement in Heterogeneous Elastograms based on Viscoelastic Nonlinear Characterizations

Imaging of tissue biomechanical properties like viscosity or nonlinear elasticity provide additional information about tissue composition through its contrast imaging capability. Most nonlinear elasticity imaging techniques consider group shear wave speed (SWS) changes with stress to determine the elastic nonlinearity. However, due to viscosity tissue exhibits dispersive behavior and SWS changes with frequency. Consequently, nonlinear elastic parameters change with excitation frequency. This change in nonlinear elasticity with excitation frequency is different for different tissues types. Imaging of local spectral nonlinear elastic properties could provide additional contrast compared to group shear velocity based nonlinear elastograms and help in early diagnosis.
Automated policy synthesis for system call sandboxing

System call whitelisting is a powerful sandboxing approach that can significantly reduce the capabilities of an attacker if an application is compromised. Given a policy that specifies which system calls can be invoked with what arguments, a sandboxing framework terminates any execution that violates the policy. While this mechanism greatly reduces the attack surface of a system, manually constructing these policies is time-consuming and error-prone. As a result, many applications —including those that take untrusted user input— opt not to use a system call sandbox. Motivated by this problem, we propose a technique for automatically constructing system call whitelisting policies for a given application and policy DSL. Our method combines static code analysis and program synthesis to construct sound and precise policies that never erroneously terminate the application, while restricting the program’s system call usage as much as possible. We have implemented our approach in a tool called Abhayaand experimentally evaluate it 493 Linux and OpenBSD applications by automatically synthesizing Seccomp-bpfand Pledgepolicies. Our experimental results indicate that Abhayacan efficiently generate useful and precise sandboxes for real-world applications.
Layered structure of turbulent plane wall jet

Abstract This paper investigates the layered structure of a turbulent plane wall jet at a distance from the nozzle exit. Based on the force balances in the mean momentum equation, the turbulent plane wall jet is divided into three regions: a boundary layer-like region (BLR) adjacent to the wall, a half free jet-like region (HJR) away from the wall, and a plug flow-like region (PFR) in between. In the PFR, the mean streamwise velocity is essentially the maximum velocity, and the simplified mean continuity and mean momentum equations result in a linear variation of the mean wall-normal velocity and Reynolds shear stress. In the HJR, as in a turbulent free jet, a proper scale for the mean wall-normal flow is the mean wall-normal velocity far from the wall and a proper scale for the Reynolds shear stress is the product of the maximum mean streamwise velocity and the velocity scale for the mean wall-normal flow. The BLR region can be divided into four sub-layers, similar to those in a canonical pressure-driven turbulent channel flow or shear-driven turbulent boundary layer flow. Building on the log-law for the mean streamwise velocity in the BLR, a new skin friction law is proposed for a turbulent wall jet. The new prediction agrees well with the correlation of Bradshaw and Gee (1960) over moderate Reynolds numbers, but gives larger skin frictions at higher Reynolds numbers.
Kongenitale Herz- und Gefäßdefekte

Unser Wissen uber die kongenitalen Herzfehler wurde in den letzten wenigen Jahren ganz wesentlich erweitert. Mit der weitverbreiteten Anwendung der Angiokardiographie und der Herzkatheterisierung sowie mit Hilfe der Beobachtung einer grosen Zahl von Patienten im Verlauf von Herzoperationen machten die Arzte die Entdeckung, das die klinische Erkennung der kongenitalen Herzfehler in den meisten Fallen moglich ist. Das Problem ist jenem bei der Koronarthrombose und beim Myokardinfarkt vor mehr als 30 Jahren ahnlich. Mit der Erkennung der elektrokardiographischen Zeichen eines solchen Ereignisses konnte die Diagnose mit einfachen klinischen Methoden haufiger gestellt werden und heute sichert die Klinische Untersuchung allein die Diagnose in den meisten Fallen. So sind jetzt die Herzkatheterisierung und die Angiokardiographie nur in einer Minderzahl von Fallen notwendig; meist kann die Diagnose mit Hilfe der physikalischen Untersuchung und der Auswertung der Rontgenbefunde sowie der Elektrokardiographie gestellt werden.
Nitric oxide pathway in rectoanal inhibitory reflex of opossum internal anal sphincter

The role of nitric oxide in relaxation of the internal anal sphincter (IAS) in response to the rectoanal reflex was studied in the opossum. Resting pressures in the IAS (IASP) were monitored using low-compliance continuously perfused catheters. The NO-synthase inhibitor L-NG-nitro-arginine (L-NNA) caused significant and dose-dependent suppression of the decrease in IASP in response to the reflex mimicked by the rectal balloon distention. NO-synthase inhibitor blocked IAS relaxation in response not only to rectoanal reflex but also to other neural stimuli such as sacral nerve stimulation, local intramural stimulation, and the nicotinic ganglionic stimulant 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenylpiperazinium. Suppression of the neurally mediated IAS relaxation by L-NNA was stereoselective; D-NNA had no effect on the relaxation. The suppression of the rectoanal reflex-induced IAS relaxation by L-NNA was completely reversed by NO precursor L-arginine stereoselectively as D-arginine failed to reverse the suppressed IAS relaxation. Sodium nitroprusside caused a decrease in IASP that was modified neither by the neurotoxin tetrodotoxin nor by L-NNA. Furthermore, the decrease in IASP by the direct-acting beta-adrenoceptor agonist isoproterenol was also not modified by the inhibitor of NO synthase. It is concluded that NO or an NO-like substance is an important mediator of IAS relaxation in response to noradrenergic, noncholinergic nerve stimulation.
Enzymatic Dephosphorylation of C55-Isoprenylphosphate

Abstract Membranes of Staphylococcus aureus contain an enzyme which catalyzes the dephosphorylation of C55-isoprenoid alcohol phosphate. Some properties of this enzyme are described. The possibility is suggested that this phosphatase and a previously described C55-isoprenoid alcohol phosphokinase represent a mechanism for regulation of cell wall synthesis in S. aureus.
Trance and Possession in Bali: A Window on Western Multiple Personality, Possession Disorder, and Suicide

Trance and Possession in Bali:. Window on Western Multiple Personality, Possession Disorder, and Suicide. Luh Ketut Suryani and Gordon D. Jensen. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993. 320 pp. $39.95 (cloth).
Developmental modulation of the nuclear envelope.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the developmentally-regulated changes in the nuclear envelope. The nuclear envelope is a defining feature of the eukaryotic cells. It compartmentalizes a cell, by separating the chromosomes from the cytoplasm, and plays important roles in mitosis, DNA replication, protein transport, and regulated gene expression. The nuclear envelope consists of three major structural components: the nuclear membranes, the nuclear pore complexes, and the nuclear lamina. The inner and the outer nuclear membranes are biochemically and functionally distinct. Many nuclear envelope proteins are known from studies of tissue culture cells, mixed cell populations, and yeast, and much is known about their biochemistry and sequence. However, the developmental modulation of their presence and function is not well understood nor is the spectrum of the developmentally regulated components of the nuclear envelope. Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are supramolecular structures perforating the nuclear membranes. Filaments are attached to NPCs and extend into the cytoplasm, where they may be attached to the cytoskeleton. The nuclear lamina is a proteinaceous network underlying the nucleoplasmic face of the inner nuclear membrane. It is found in animals, from C. elegans to humans, and in plants. The major components of the lamina are intermediate filament-like proteins called lamins. In vertebrates, lamins are classified into subtypes A, C, and B. Lamins A and C are the differential splice products derived from a single gene; they differ at their C-termini. B-type lamins are found associated with membranes during the cell cycle, possibly functioning in the attachment of the nuclear lamina to the nuclear membranes.
An Alkyne Hydrosilylation-Oxidation Strategy for the Selective Installation of Oxygen Functionality

Alkynes bearing propargylic, homopropargylic, and bishomopropargylic hydroxyl groups are shown to serve as precursors for ketone or alpha-hydroxy ketone functionality. The approach hinges on the intermediacy of vinylsilanes created through regioselective hydrosilylation catalyzed by the complex [Cp*Ru(MeCN)3]PF6. Several oxidative pathways of linear and cyclic vinylsilanes are studied, and the possibility of diastereoselective epoxidation of cyclic vinylsilanes is demonstrated. The sequences constitute the equivalent of stereoselective aldol, homo-aldol, and bishomo-aldol type processes. The method is applied to a short synthesis of the piperidine alkaloid, spectaline.
Low-Frequency Synoptic-Eddy Activity in the Pacific Storm Track

The GCM presently used to examine the nature of LF variations in synoptic-eddy activity over the North Pacific, when compared with observations, yields realistic time-mean and LF synoptic-eddy forcing of the 200-mb zonal wind. In the time mean, this forcing exhibits an east-west dipole structure that is consistent with the general view of the life cycle of baroclinic waves; these show marked upward and eastward propagation in the western and central Pacific, as well as meridional propagation to the east. Composites of the hemispheric distribution of synoptic-eddy forcing in the GCM, based on the extremes of the dominant Pacific empirical orthogonal function, show a seesaw behavior with enhanced eddy forcing in the North Pacific basin which is associated with suppressed forcing in the North Atlantic basin (and vice versa).
Quality factor dependence on vertical slab structure in photonic crystal double heterostructure resonant cavities

The quality factor of photonic crystal heterostructure cavities with different vertical cladding geometries and photonic crystal hole etch depths is analyzed numerically. Symmetric cladding layers and deep etching are shown to improve the quality factor.
Geophysiology of natural marine sulfate aerosols

Abstract The hypothesis suggesting dimethyl sulfide (DMS) from oceanic phytoplankton as the dominant natural worldwide source of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) is being tested in several ways. Studies ranging from the perturbation of cloud albedo by ship plumes to the sulpur content of Antarctic ice cores have revealed much about the workings of the natural marine sulfur cycle and the mass flux of DMS-derived sulfur compounds. However, quantifying the relationship between DMS mass flux, or sulfate mass concentration, and CCN number remains as a major challenge.
Hope, Hopelessness, and Anxiety: A Pilot Instrument Comparison Study

Abstract Background and Purpose: Hope has a powerful influence on living. This pilot study compared three measures of hope and one hopelessness measure, and examined their associations with a measure of anxiety. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 23 adult mental health patients ≥ 18 years old completed the: Herth Hope Index, Miller Hope Scale, Snyder Hope Scale, Beck Hopelessness Scale, and STAI-S, STAI-T. Results: Cronbach's alpha from each instrument ranged from 0.85 to 0.96. Correlations ranged from − .802 to .780.