cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
882-P: QBSAFE: Pilot Study of an Intervention to Shift the Paradigm of Diabetes Care

Background: Diabetes care has traditionally focused on targeting certain levels of glycemic control. This narrow emphasis may impose burdens on patients, including high treatment costs, illness-related work, or medication side effects, while leaving other needs and goals under-addressed. Methods: In order to shift the focus of care for people with diabetes to Quality of life, Burden of treatment, Safety, and Avoidance of Future Events (QBSAFE), we developed a set of 14 conversation cards that addressed these QBSAFE domains and could be used during routine clinical encounters. We then conducted a single-arm pilot study assessing the feasibility and acceptability of the QBSAFE cards during clinical visits. Visits were video recorded to identify patterns of clinician-patient conversations. Post-visit surveys were sent to patients and clinicians to measure acceptability of the intervention. Qualitative semi-structured interviews for additional feedback and analysis were also performed in a subgroup of patients. Results: Seven clinicians and 83 patients (54% male, mean age 63 years [SD 15], 80% white) participated in the study. Among patient participants, 63% reported QBSAFE cards were helpful and 76% felt that other patients like them would benefit from their use. In qualitative interviews, patients who responded with ‘neutral’ or ‘disagree’ categories reported feeling they could bring up QBSAFE topics without the cards due to an established, positive relationship with their clinician. Among clinician participants, 90% reported feeling confident addressing issues raised by the cards, 78% would use them again, and 82% would recommend them to their colleagues. Discussion: With high acceptability among clinicians and patients, the QBSAFE cards have the potential to shift conversations during clinical encounters and address patient needs, symptoms, and capacity. These data suggest that a clinician-level cluster randomized trial to compare the impact of this intervention versus usual care is needed. Disclosure J. Clark: None. V. M. Montori: None. K. J. Lipska: None. K. Boehmer: None. M. Breslin: None. S. Haider: None. W. Pasciak: None. D. Gravholt: None. B. B. M. Sanchez: None. S. A. Hartasanchez: None. O. M. El kawkgi: None. Funding National Institute on Aging (5R21AG061427-02)
Teaching Science to Young Children with Special Needs

Science achievement is an important goal for all of our students, including those with special needs. Young children with special learning needs can benefit a great deal from empirically validated science instruction. This literature review identified 12 experimental research studies conducted over the past 20 years that examined the effectiveness of science interventions on the learning outcomes of young children with special needs. Although only 12 experimental research studies were found, this body of research provides several promising strategies and tactics for effectively teaching science to young children with special needs. Common critical elements of effective science instruction identified in this literature review include hands-on and inquiry based instruction combined with various levels and types of support and explicit instruction depending on the severity of individual learning needs. In addition to identifying evidence based practices for teaching science to young children who struggle academically, this literature review identifies directions for future research and provides implications for practitioners.
Aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase induction in mammalian liver cell culture. II. Effects of actinomycin D and cycloheximide on induction processes by phenobarbital or polycyclic hydrocarbons.

Abstract Compared with the induction process by benz[a]anthracene, aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase induction in fetal rat hepatocyte cultures by phenobarbital is more sensitive to low doses of either actinomycin D or cycloheximide. When actinomycin D at 0.4 nm levels is added simultaneously with phenobarbital in the growth medium, the rate at which induced oxygenase activity accumulates is decreased by more than 30% of normal; this level of actinomycin D does not appreciably alter the enzyme induction by benz[a]anthracene. Stimulation of the oxidase activity by phenobarbital is blocked more than 90% when 35 nm cycloheximide is added with the inducer, whereas the induction process by benz[a]anthracene is unaffected with this level of inhibitor. By extrapolation to other studies in vivo and in cell culture, nucleolar synthesis of ribosomal RNA may be of more importance in the process of microsomal enzyme induction by phenobarbital than that by benz[a]anthracene. Degradation of the phenobarbital- or benz[a]anthracene-induced hydroxylase activity is the same whether the enzyme system is maximally or half-maximally induced; the half-life is 10.5 ± 3.6 hours in fresh control medium and 8.5 ± 2.5 hours in the presence of high levels of cycloheximide. Actinomycin D stabilizes or slightly stimulates the enzyme activity in fetal liver cells previously treated with either phenobarbital or benz[a]anthracene. The continued presence of either inducer in hepatocytes exposed to high levels of cycloheximide or actinomycin D also stabilizes the phenobarbital- or benz[a]anthracene-induced hydroxylase activity. Actinomycin D does not prevent the induction of oxidase activity in cells previously treated with cycloheximide and either inducer. Thus, the induction of aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity by either phenobarbital or benz[a]anthracene requires RNA and protein synthesis initially and protein synthesis continuously, and subsequently is insensitive to actinomycin D for several hours. We therefore feel that the primary action of phenobarbital, like that of benz[a]anthracene, is at the level of transcription and that with either inducer there is also a secondary effect of lesser importance at the post-translational level in which the normal rate of decay of the induced enzyme is delayed.
Simulation of soil erosion and sedimentation in small river basins.

Potential erosion and sedimentation for three small stream basins near Dodoma, Tan-zania are simulated using SOILCART, a computer program recently developed to assist in the investi-gation of soil erosion problems. Using only widely available generalized data, the predicted values of soil erosion and sedimentation derived from SOILCART compare favorably to measured values which required a 2-year field investigation. Potential areas of high erosion are identified that could be amelio-rated with proper management. The potential use of SOILCART in preliminary evaluation of erosion and sedimentation problems promises useful results, especially in areas where small dams are proposed.
Permutation generation for routing in bcube connected crossbars

BCube Connected Crossbars (BCCC) is a recently proposed network structure with short diameter and good expandability for cloud-based networks. Its diameter increases linearly to its order (dimension) and it has multiple near-equal parallel paths between any pair of servers. These advantages make BCCC a very promising network structure for next generation cloudbased networks. An efficient routing algorithm for BCCC has also been proposed, in which a permutation is used to determine which order (or dimension) will be routed first. However, there is no discussion yet about how to choose the permutation. In this paper, we mainly focus on permutation generations for routing in BCCC. We analyze the impact of choosing different permutations in both theory and simulation and propose two efficient permutation generation algorithms which take advantage of BCCC structure and give good performance.
Genetic drift in sharing methods

Adding a sharing method to a genetic algorithm promotes the formation and maintenance of stable subpopulations. The paper explores the limits of sharing by deriving closed-form expressions for the expected time to disappearance of a subpopulation. The time to disappearance is shown to be an exponential function of population size, with relative subpopulation fitnesses determining the base of the exponential. However, disappearance time decreases rapidly as the number of subpopulations increases. Both theoretical and experimental illustrations are given of genetic drift in sharing. >
MICROPROBE FIELD MEASUREMENTS IN ErRh4B4

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the coexistence of superconductivity and magnetic order in certain Laves-phase alloys. One of the earliest attempts to overcome the difficulties encountered in the conventional measurements of the bulk properties was to use the Mossbauer Effect (ME) to measure local internal magnetic fields. The ME is unaffected by the superconductivity and does not require an applied field to obtain hyperfine spectra signaling the possible presence of magnetic order. Only a limited number of useful ME nuclides exist, but the number includes several rare earth elements common to many of the suggested coexistence systems. Magnetic iron sites give a saturation field of 7.6 T; the large internal field enhances the capability of the ME impurity method. Although the ME is useful to detect magnetic ordering on a microscopic scale, it is generally not possible to determine whether the interaction is ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic. This chapter discusses the techniques that sense microscopic spin order, in the absence of an applied field.
The History, Status, and Future of Regional Science: An American Perspective

This comprehensive paper examines the roots and dreams of early regional science, focusing on its scholarly association, its concepts of science and region, and its claim to be a separate discipline. Regional science never became a science or a discipline, and it has had a peculiar relationship to regions. Yet, it has had spectacular success as an international, interdisciplinary scholarly forum, and it has produced noteworthy contributions to several disciplines. This paper also assesses the standing of contemporary regional science within economics, geography, planning, and other academic fields and points out its achievements and failures. It discusses the place of regional science in academic space, intellectual space, and real world space and proposes future directions with respect to each.
White matter microstructure contributes to age-related declines in task-induced deactivation of the default mode network.

Task-induced deactivations within the brain’s default mode network (DMN) are thought to reflect suppression of endogenous thought processes to support exogenous goal-directed task processes. Older adults are known to show reductions in deactivation of the DMN compared to younger adults. However, little is understood about the mechanisms contributing to functional dysregulation of the DMN in aging. Here, we explored the relationships between functional modulation of the DMN and age, task performance and white matter (WM) microstructure. Participants were 117 adults ranging from 25 to 83 years old who completed an fMRI task switching paradigm, including easy (single) and difficult (mixed) conditions, and underwent diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). The fMRI results revealed an age by condition interaction (β = -.13, t = 3.16, p = .002) such that increasing age affected deactivation magnitude during the mixed condition (β = -.29, t = -3.24 p = .002) but not the single condition (p = .58). Additionally, there was a white matter by condition interaction (β = .10, t = 2.33, p = .02) such that decreasing white matter microstructure affected deactivation magnitude during the mixed condition (β = .30, t = 3.42 p = .001) but not the single condition (p = .17). Critically, mediation analyses indicated that age-related reductions in WM microstructure accounted for the relationship between age and DMN deactivation in the more difficult mixed condition. These findings suggest that age-related declines in anatomical connectivity between DMN regions contribute to functional dysregulation within the DMN in older adults.
Susceptibility to Leishmania mexicana infection is due to the inability to produce IL-12 rather than lack of IL-12 responsiveness.

Susceptibility to Leishmania mexicana infection is due to the inability to produce IL-12 rather than lack of IL-12 responsiveness
Apolipoprotein E: a pathological chaperone protein in patients with cerebral and systemic amyloid.

Abstract Many biochemically diverse proteins can give rise to amyloid fibrils; however, they are all accompanied by P component and glucosaminoglycans. With antibodies specific to apolipoprotein E (apo E) we used immunohistochemical techniques to test for the presence of this protein in both cerebral and systemic amyloid. We found apo E immunoreactivity in all tested types of cerebral and systemic amyloid. In amyloid deposits apo E P, component and glucosaminoglycans may be acting as ‘pathological molecular chaperones’. The latter we define as a group of unrelated proteins that induce β-pleated conformation in amyloidogenic polypeptides.
Weathering characteristics of natural glass and influences on associated water chemistry

Weathering rates and mechanisms of volcanic glasses at ambient temperature are investigated both experimentally and in the natural environment. As documented previously for man-made glasses, natural silicate glasses weather by a two step process involving surface corrosion and cation interdiffusion. Diffusion rates display a strong valence state-dependence with monovalent species less pH-dependent than bivalent species. Rates of release also decrease with increasing aqueous concentrations and glass-surface to solution-volume ratios. Numerical solutions to Ficks second law of diffusion are presented for surface-concentration dependent diffusion and diffusion coupled with surface corrosion. Calculated diffusion coefficients of 1 × 10−19 cm2 × 5−1 and activation energies of 95 kJ mol−1 are in agreement with data for man-made glasses. Geochemical data are presented for short and long term natural weathering of glassy rocks. XPS data for glass phases in the 1980 Mount St Helens ash fall indicate rapid loss of readily exchangeable surface cations followed by longer term diffusion release. Incongruent leaching of Tertiary-age vitric tuffs in Nevada is found to control associated groundwater chemistry.
Laryngeal aerodynamics associated with selected voice disorders.

Measures of estimated subglottal air pressure and laryngeal air flow during speech production are compared for adults with normal laryngeal function and those with laryngeal abnormalities. The most traditional measure, air flow during sustained vowel production, is not a strong predictor of laryngeal function during speech production. Subglottal air pressure and laryngeal air flow offer insight into voice disorders and provide directions for therapy as well as a method for the quantitative assessment Of treatment outcomes.
Compact Spirograph Planar Monopole Antenna Covering C-/X-Band With Invariant Radiation Pattern Characteristics

This communication presents a novel compact planar monopole antenna configuration: the spirograph planar monopole antenna (SPMA) covering C-/X-Band (4-12 GHz). The antenna has an invariant omnidirectional radiation pattern across the frequency band with no multi-lobe effect and low cross-polarization. The SPMA radiating element size is less than λ/2 at the highest frequency of operation such that it can be used as a beam scanning array element. For the SPMA, it was found that increasing the number of points in the antenna shape miniaturizes the radiating element and increases the impedance bandwidth. A prototype SPMA was fabricated and measured for impedance and radiation performance.
Elastin-based protein polymer nanoparticles carrying drug at both corona and core suppress tumor growth in vivo

Numerous nanocarriers of small molecules depend on either non-specific physical encapsulation or direct covalent linkage. In contrast, this manuscript explores an alternative encapsulation strategy based on high-specificity avidity between a small molecule drug and its cognate protein target fused to the corona of protein polymer nanoparticles. With the new strategy, the drug associates tightly to the carrier and releases slowly, which may decrease toxicity and promote tumor accumulation via the enhanced permeability and retention effect. To test this hypothesis, the drug Rapamycin (Rapa) was selected for its potent anti-proliferative properties, which give it immunosuppressant and anti-tumor activity. Despite its potency, Rapa has low solubility, low oral bioavailability, and rapid systemic clearance, which make it an excellent candidate for nanoparticulate drug delivery. To explore this approach, genetically engineered diblock copolymers were constructed from elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) that assemble small (<100nm) nanoparticles. ELPs are protein polymers of the sequence (Val-Pro-Gly-Xaa-Gly)n, where the identity of Xaa and n determine their assembly properties. Initially, a screening assay for model drug encapsulation in ELP nanoparticles was developed, which showed that Rose Bengal and Rapa have high non-specific encapsulation in the core of ELP nanoparticles with a sequence where Xaa=Ile or Phe. While excellent at entrapping these drugs, their release was relatively fast (2.2h half-life) compared to their intended mean residence time in the human body. Having determined that Rapa can be non-specifically entrapped in the core of ELP nanoparticles, FK506 binding protein 12 (FKBP), which is the cognate protein target of Rapa, was genetically fused to the surface of these nanoparticles (FSI) to enhance their avidity towards Rapa. The fusion of FKBP to these nanoparticles slowed the terminal half-life of drug release to 57.8h. To determine if this class of drug carriers has potential applications in vivo, FSI/Rapa was administered to mice carrying a human breast cancer model (MDA-MB-468). Compared to free drug, FSI encapsulation significantly decreased gross toxicity and enhanced the anti-cancer activity. In conclusion, protein polymer nanoparticles decorated with the cognate receptor of a high potency, low solubility drug (Rapa) efficiently improved drug loading capacity and its release. This approach has applications to the delivery of Rapa and its analogs; furthermore, this strategy has broader applications in the encapsulation, targeting, and release of other potent small molecules.
The use of terlipressin in hepatorenal syndrome

Hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) is a potentially reversible cause of acute renal failure that occurs in patients with hepatic failure resulting from advanced cirrhosis. It is characterized by impaired kidney function in the setting of normal renal parenchyma, alterations in cardiovascular function, splanchnic vasodilation, and overactivity of the sympathetic nervous and the renin-angiotensin systems causing severe arterial vasoconstriction. Clinically, patients will present with the classic signs and symptoms of liver and renal failure, such as ascites, jaundice, coagulopathy, hepatic encephalopathy, and decreased urine output. Patients with cirrhosis are thought to have extreme circulatory dysfunction caused by portal hypertension-induced release of vasodilators (primarily nitric oxide) into the splanchnic circulation, causing local vasodilation. Terlipressin is a synthetic long-acting analogue of vasopressin in which lysine is substituted for arginine at position 8 and the N-triglycyl residue. It has been shown to cause direct vasoconstriction of the systemic arteriolar and splanchnic vasculature. It affects the V1 vasopressin receptors of systemic vasculature more strongly than the V2 vasopressin receptors of the kidneys. Although it is not currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, it has been widely studied and is currently being used in other countries for the treatment of HRS. Terlipressin is quickly emerging as a promising treatment of hepatorenal syndrome. Today its best use may be in improving renal function in preparation for liver transplantation, which has shown to reduce post-transplant morbidity and mortality.
Proving MCAPI executions are correct using SMT

Asynchronous message passing is an important paradigm in writing applications for embedded heterogeneous multicore systems. The Multicore Association (MCA), an industry consortium promoting multicore technology, is working to standardize message passing into a single API, MCAPI, for bare metal implementation and portability across platforms. Correctness in such an API is difficult to reason about manually, and testing against reference solutions is equally difficult as reference solutions implement an unknown set of allowed behaviors, and programmers have no way to directly control API internals to expose or reproduce errors. This paper provides a way to encode an MCAPI execution as a Satisfiability Modulo Theories (SMT) problem, which if satisfiable, yields a feasible execution schedule on the same trace, such that it resolves non-determinism in the MCAPI runtime in a way that it now fails user provided assertions. The paper proves the problem is NP-complete. The encoding is useful for test, debug, and verification of MCAPI program execution. The novelty in the encoding is the direct use of match pairs (potential send and receive couplings). Match-pair encoding for MCAPI executions, when compared to other encoding strategies, is simpler to reason about, results in significantly fewer terms in the SMT problem, and captures feasible behaviors that are ignored in previously published techniques. Further, to our knowledge, this is the first SMT encoding that is able to run in infinite-buffer semantics, meaning the runtime has unlimited internal buffering as opposed to no internal buffering. Results demonstrate that the SMT encoding, restricted to zero-buffer semantics, uses fewer clauses when compared to another zero-buffer technique, and it runs faster and uses less memory. As a result the encoding scales well for programs with high levels of non-determinism in how sends and receives may potentially match.
Chromosomal localization and characterization of the stannin (Snn) gene.

Stannin is a protein that has been localized to trimethyltin-sensitive cell populations, and evidence suggests it plays a role in the toxic effects of organotins. In this study, we have isolated a mouse stannin genomic clone and have characterized the gene's intron-exon organization, promoter region, and chromosomal location. We have also isolated a partial human stannin cDNA clone and analyzed the open reading frame. The mouse genomic clone spans ∼19 kb and consists of one intron and two exons. The splice site consensus sequence was maintained at all intron-exon junctions. Promoter analysis suggests that two putative promoter sites exist, each containing multiple regulatory elements and transcription factor-binding sites. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis localized stannin to mouse Chromosome (Chr) 16 at band A2. This region is homologous to the proximal region of human Chr 16 (16p13) to which stannin has been previously mapped. Sequence analysis revealed that the 264-bp open reading frame was identical between rat and mouse. The human sequence was 98% identical, with two amino acid substitutions near the c-terminal end of the peptide. These data suggest that stannin is highly conserved between species, and its unusual pattern of cellular expression may, in part, be explained via cell-specific promoters.
Triphasic intestinal reaction on adrenaline in the rat

Adrenalin bewirkt eine triphasische Reaktion am isolierten Rattenileum. Die Kontraktionsphase beruht wahrscheinlich auf Stimulierung der α-Rezeptoren.
Characterization of single- and double-stranded DNA on gold surfaces.

Single- and double-stranded deoxy ribonucleic acid (DNA) molecules attached to self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on gold surfaces were characterized by a number of optical and electronic spectroscopic techniques. The DNA-modified gold surfaces were prepared through the self-assembly of 6-mercapto-1-hexanol and 5‘-C6H12SH -modified single-stranded DNA (ssDNA). Upon hybridization of the surface-bound probe ssDNA with its complimentary target, formation of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) on the gold surface is observed and in a competing process, probe ssDNA is desorbed from the gold surface. The competition between hybridization of ssDNA with its complimentary target and ssDNA probe desorption from the gold surface has been investigated in this paper using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, chronocoulometry, fluorescence, and polarization modulation−infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM−IRRAS). The formation of dsDNA on the surface was identified by PM−IRRAS by a dsDNA IR signature at ∼1678 cm-1 that wa...
Advanced contention management for dynamic software transactional memory

The obstruction-free Dynamic Software Transactional Memory (DSTM) system of Herlihy et al@. allows only one transaction at a time to acquire an object for writing. Should a second require an object currently in use, a contention manager must determine which may proceed and which must wait or abort.We analyze both new and existing policies for this contention management problem, using experimental results from a 16-processor SunFire machine. We consider both visible and invisible versions of read access, and benchmarks that vary in complexity, level of contention, tendency toward circular dependence, and mix of reads and writes. We present fair proportional-share prioritized versions of several policies, and identify a candidate default policy: one that provides, for the first time, good performance in every case we test. The tradeoff between visible and invisible reads remains application-specific: visible reads reduce the overhead for incremental validation when opening new objects, but the requisite bookkeeping exacerbates contention for the memory interconnect.
US farm policy in perspective

Abstract At the end of 1981 the US Congress passed new farm legislation which was widely hailed as a success for the Reagan administration's efforts to contain the escalation of farm supports, it now appears, however, that it has created serious problems in a situation of rapid agricultural productivity growth in the face of slower growth of domestic and foreign demand. Despite subsequent amendments to limit budget outlays, farm support costs are now estimated at $12 billion each in FY 1982 and 1983 and $7 billion in FY 1984, as compared with original projections of less than $3 billion annually.
Aseismic Hybrid Control System for Building Structures under Strong Earthquake

Two aseismic hybrid control systems recently proposed for protecting tall buildings against strong earthquakes are investigated and evaluated. The hybrid control system consists of a base isolation system connected to either a passive or active mass damper. The base isolation system, such as elastomeric bearings, is used to decouple the horizontal ground motions from the building, whereas the mass damper, either active or passive, is used to protect the safety and integrity of the base isolation system. The per formance of the proposed hybrid control systems is compared with that of an active control system. It is shown from the theoretical/numerical investigations that the proposed hybrid control systems are very effective in reducing the response of tall buildings under strong earthquakes. Likewise, the practical implementation of such hybrid control systems is easier than that of an active control system alone.
Genetic variation modifies risk for neurodegeneration based on biomarker status.

Background: While a great deal of work has gone into understanding the relationship between CSF biomarkers, brain atrophy, and disease progression, less work has attempted to investigate how genetic variation modifies these relationships. The goal of this study was two-fold. First, we sought to identify high-risk v. low-risk individuals based on their CSF tau and Aβ load and characterize these individuals with regard to brain atrophy in an AD-relevant region of interest. Next, we sought to identify genetic variants that modified the relationship between biomarker classification and neurodegeneration. Methods: Participants were categorized based on established cut-points for biomarker positivity. Mixed model regression was used to quantify longitudinal change in the left inferior lateral ventricle. Interaction analyses between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and biomarker group status were performed using a genome wide association study (GWAS) approach. Correction for multiple comparisons was performed using the Bonferroni procedure. Results: One intergenic SNP (rs4866650) and one SNP within the SPTLC1 gene (rs7849530) modified the association between amyloid positivity and neurodegeneration. A transcript variant of WDR11-AS1 gene (rs12261764) modified the association between tau positivity and neurodegeneration. These effects were consistent across the two sub-datasets and explained approximately 3% of variance in ventricular dilation. One additional SNP (rs6887649) modified the association between amyloid positivity and baseline ventricular volume, but was not observed consistently across the sub-datasets. Conclusions: Genetic variation modifies the association between AD biomarkers and neurodegeneration. Genes that regulate the molecular response in the brain to oxidative stress may be particularly relevant to neural vulnerability to the damaging effects of amyloid-β.
How composers viewed performers’ additions

Historically informed performances of 18th-century vocal works generally add embellishment to the composer’s notes. While evidence does exist for this practice, certain factors have not been considered in the modern literature. One is the difference between ‘skeletal’ and finished writing. Skeletal works, written mainly by secondary composers, lack any embellishment or figuration; thus pieces in this style, for which performers had to supply the ornamentation, have mostly vanished. Finished compositions, on the other hand, were to be sung as written. Gradually a fashion arose, particularly after the mid-century, for re-embellishing these finished pieces. In an effort to protect their work, composers added more notes to eliminate any opportunity for singers’ improvisations. Or a composer might leave an occasional bar unadorned to give the singer an opportunity to embellish, thereby keeping the peace while preserving his own work. This article will present views about singers’ ornamentation from the composers Johann Kuhnau, Johann Joseph Fux, Georg Frideric Handel, Johann Adolph Hasse, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Vincenzo Manfredini, Andre-Ernest-Modeste Gretry and Joseph Haydn.
Directed evolution of D-2-keto-3-deoxy-6-phosphogluconate aldolase to new variants for the efficient synthesis of D- and L-sugars.

Abstract Background: Exploitation and improvement of enzymes as catalysts for organic synthesis is of current interest in biocatalysis. A representative enzyme for investigation is the Escherichia coli D-2-keto-3-deoxy-6-phosphogluconate (KDPG) aldolase, which catalyzes the highly specific reversible aldol reaction using the D-configurated KDPG as substrate. Results: Using in vitro evolution, the aldolase has been converted into aldolases with improved catalytic efficiency, altered substrate specificity and stereoselectivity. In particular, some evolved aldolases capable of accepting both D- and L- glyceraldehyde in the non-phosphorylated form as substrates for reversible aldol reaction have been obtained, providing a new direction to the enzymatic synthesis of both D- and L-sugars. Conclusions: This research has demonstrated the effectiveness of using in vitro evolution to rapidly alter the properties of an aldolase to improve its utility in asymmetric synthesis. The evolved aldolases, differing from the native enzyme which is highly phosphate- and D-sugar-dependent, catalyze the efficient synthesis of both D- and L-sugars from non-phosphorylated aldehydes and pyruvate. The principles and strategies described in this study should be applicable to other aldolases to further expand the scope of their synthetic utility.
Multidimensional modulation codes and error correction for page-oriented optical data storage

As with any other data storage technology, page-oriented optical data storage (PODS) systems require signal coding techniques to overcome the effects of spatial intersymbol interference (ISI), system noise and storage material defects. We describe a novel two-dimensional (2-D) modulation coding scheme for mapping digital data to the recorded patterns in the optical storage medium. This modulation coding technique overcomes the effects of spatial ISI while maximizing the useful information capacity in PODS systems. We also present 3-D interleaved error correcting coding (ECC) schemes based on Reed-Solomon (RS) codes. The ECC helps to overcome material defects and other errors, including any remaining ISI, to further improve the overall PODS system performance. We present simulation results and demonstrate how these coding methods significantly improve system performance.
Scheduling for IC sort and test facilities with precedence constraints via lagrangian relaxation

Abstract This paper presents an effective scheduling algorithm for an integrated circuit (IC) test floor environment where wafer sort and final test are performed. Two particular features of scheduling IC test floor facilities are incorporated in this study: (1) Each job requires more than one resource to be used simultaneously to process the job. The constraints on each individual resource have to be dealt with. (2) Each job needs to be processed through a number of operations with different temperatures in a specific order. Therefore, strict precedence constraints on these operations have to be considered. In this paper, the scheduling problem for IC test floor facilities is modeled as an integer programming problem and is solved using the Lagrangian relaxation technique. Comparisons of results with those obtained from other heuristic dispatching rules are also given.
Are Recent Immigrants Larger than Earlier Ones at Their Arrival? Cohort Variation in Initial BMI among US Immigrants, 1989–2011

Studies have reported that newly-arrived immigrants to the US often have better health outcomes, including lower body mass index (BMI) than established ones. This study tests the hypothesis about variation in initial BMI among immigrants who have come to the US during different time periods. Using 1989–2011 data from NHIS, we found that recent immigrants in general were larger at their time of arrival than the earlier ones. However, we also observed variations in initial BMI across racial and ethnic origin groups. For example, we found the trends for Hispanic and Asian immigrants to have increased during the study period. The average initial BMI for recent Hispanic immigrant cohorts surpassed the upper limit for normal weight. While earlier cohorts of Asian immigrants had much lower initial BMI than other immigrant groups, the estimated annual increase among Asians was the most rapid. Our findings support the observation about the rising body weight and obesity rates worldwide. The policy implications of our findings were also discussed.
Predation by Amblyseius limonicus on Oligonychus punicae (Acarina) : Effects of Initial Predator-Prey Ratios and Prey Distribution

Experiments to determine the ability of the phytoseiid mite Amblyscius limonicus Garman & McGregor to suppress populations of the tetranychid mite Oligonychus punicae (Hirst) were conducted in a greenhouse on seedlings of Persea indica Spreng. The experiments lasted for several generations of both prey and predator. In the 1st experiment, the prey population on plants having A. limonicus reached a peak density which averaged about one-half that which occurred on the predatorfree control plants. Suppression was comparable whether the predators were introduced onto the plants 11 or 18 days after infesting with prey (initial predator: prey ratios averaging 1:7 and 1:23, respectively). In the 2nd experiment, A. limonicus appeared to be more effective in suppressing a prey population with an initially aggregated distribution (confined to 1 leaf) than one which was evenly distributed over all leaves of the plants. The results demonstrated that A. limonicus is capable of overcoming a marked numerical disadvantage in bringing about a decline of an O. punicae population. Possible reasons are discussed concerning why A. limonicus was a more effective predator than another phytoseiid, A. hibisci (Chant), under comparable conditions.
Comment on “Topologically massive gauge theories”☆

In a recent paper by R. Pisarski and S. Rao concerning topologically massive quantum Yang--Mills theory, the expression of the P-even part of the non-Abelian gauge field self-energy at one-loop order is shown to obey a consistency condition, which is not fulfilled by the formula originally presented by S. Deser, R. Jackiw, and S. Templeton. In this comment, I present a recalculation which agress with Pisarski and Rao. copyright 1988 Academic Press, Inc.
Magnetoluminescence and Raman study of GaAs/AlAs multiple quantum well structure doped n-type in the AlAs barrier layers

We present a photoluminescence and Raman study of a GaAs/AlAs multiple quantum well structure doped n-type in the AlAs barriers. Electrons transfer from the silicon donor states associated with the AlAs X-valley minima to the GaAs wells where they form a dense quasi two-dimensional electron gas. At zero magnetic field the luminescence spectrum is broad and featureless lacking any sharp excitonic features characteristic of undoped wells. In the presence of a magnetic field applied parallel to the growth axis the luminescence exhibits a number of distinct lines that are due to interband transitions between conduction and valence band Landau levels. The Raman spectra were excited in resonance with the e3h3 exciton. At zero field a feature associated with the e1 yields e2 intersubband transition is observed. When an external magnetic field is applied, this feature evolves into a combination mode between the e1 yields e2 transition and the electron cyclotron resonance.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Advances in Augmentative and Alternative Communication as Quality-of-Life Technology

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technology is recommended for individuals with significant communication disorders, who may have motor limitations and other challenges that impact quality of life (QOL). The goal of AAC treatment is to optimize communication. This article presents innovations to the primary, secondary, and tertiary AAC components that are considered by rehabilitation clinicians when matching people with technology (MPT). Language considerations are paramount to the MPT process, and innovations are discussed on how features may enhance language performance. AAC technology has made performance and outcome gains contributing to the QOL of people who cannot speak.
Age-related inequality between rates of formation and resorption in various whole bones of rats.

AbstractVariations in rates of bone turnover, consisting of bone formation and bone resorption, were characterized as a function of age and types of bone. Bone formation and bone resorption were quantified and compared in four ages of growing male rats (newborn, 0–2 weeks; weanling, 4–7 weeks; adolescence, 10–14 weeks; and mature, 15–23 weeks) for cephalic bone (calvaria), appendicular bone (femur), axial bones (sixth lumbar vertebrae and sternum), and the pelvis. In all four ages studied, inequality between the rates of bone formation and resorption existed in all bones, and the magnitude of the differences in metabolic imbalance turnover was age and bone type dependent. Formation was consistently higher than resorption in all five bones throughout the entire experimental periods. The ratio of resorption to formation was the lowest at birth (under 0.10:1) for all five bones and then increased. The most rapid bone growth in terms of bone calcium mass occurred at the weanling age (the net gain of calcium p...
Student Service Expenditures Matter

The “Great Recession” has caused a fiscal crisis in both public and private higher education that is unmatched in recent memory. Institutions' attention is focused on what they can cut out of their...
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: A Need for Treatment With Drugs Other Than Corticosteroids—a Role for Antifibrotic Agents?

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a highly lethal disor­ der associated with an extremely poor prognosis and poor survival in most patients. Higher mortality rates attributable to pulmonary fibrosis are being increasingly recognized, 1 the median duration of survival being approximately 4 years." This progressive and generally fatal condition is character­ ized by inflammation, fibrosis, and altered connective tissue in the pulmonary parenchyma. Although increasing knowl­ edge of cytokine biologic features and of the complex cytokine-cytokine-cell matrix interactions has shed useful light on the genesis of pulmonary fibrosis.v' IPF continues to pose major clinical challenges and to frustrate physicians and patients because an effective therapeutic regimen is yet to be determined. Treatment Controversy.-Once IPF has been diagnosed, decisions must be made about whether to treat it and what therapeutic regimens should be used. These decisions are complicated by the unpredictability of the clinical course in a specific patient and the relatively low response rate to avail­ able therapeutic agents.' Corticosteroids are currently the mainstay of pharmacologic therapy for IPF; however, the data supporting the oral use of long-term maintenance corti­ costeroid therapy for IPF are weak and are generally based on retrospective, uncontrolled trials. The optimal dosage and duration of treatment are unclear, and clinical responses are seen in only 20 to 30% of patients." The response is almost never dramatic, and the treatment with corticoste­ roids is inevitably associated with pronounced adverse ef­ fects that increase the morbidity for the already suffering patient. Despite this awareness, some experts believe that treatment with corticosteroids with or without adjunctive immunosuppressive agents should be given to all patients with the hope that such a therapeutic regimen might decrease the rate of progression of pulmonary fibrosis, at least in a subgroup of patients. Others think that such treatment is potentially harmful and may be generally futile, particularly in elderly patients, and do not universally recommend treat
Low-cost multispectral vegetation imaging system for detecting leaking CO 2 gas

As a component of a multisensor approach to monitoring carbon sequestration sites for possible leaks of the CO2 gas from underground reservoirs, a low-cost multispectral imaging system has been developed for indirect detection of gas leaks through observations of the resulting stress in overlying vegetation. The imager employs front-end optics designed to provide a full 50° field of view with a small, low-cost CMOS detector, while still maintaining quasi-collimated light through the angle-dependent interference filters used to define the spectral bands. Red and near-infrared vegetation reflectances are used to compute the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and spatial and temporal patterns are analyzed statistically to identify regions of anomalous stress, which are then flagged for closer inspection with in-situCO2 sensors. The system is entirely self-contained with an onboard compact computer and is housed in a weather-proof housing to enable extended outdoor deployment.
Fusiform aneurysms of the anterior communicating artery: illustrative series of 5 cases with operative techniques.

Background Fusiform anterior communicating artery (ACoA) aneurysms (ACoAAs) are rare, and a series of these aneurysms has not been reported. Large fusiform ACoAA are easily identifiable, whereas smaller ones can coexist with a saccular component. Objective To provide a clear-cut definition, report the incidence of these aneurysms, present a series with follow-up data, and discuss operative nuances and clip application techniques. Methods Review of a single-surgeon operative series of all ACoAAs to identify fusiform types. When A1 or A2 vessels entered or arose from the ACoAA, it was classified as fusiform. Follow-up imaging and clinical progress were noted. Results Five fusiform ACoAAs were identified. Patient age ranged from 19 to 68 years. Anatomy varied from very obvious large fusiform, to identifiable fusiform nature with a saccular component, to an irregularly shaped aneurysm with a fusiform element of the ACoA. A large fusiform aneurysm reconstructed in 1 patient recurred 11 years later as a ruptured fusiform ACoAA that was reconstructed again. One patient had a giant thrombosed aneurysm with thrombosed vessels in which A2 reconstruction was attempted with sacrifice of the ACoA. In others, simple clipping achieved obliteration of the aneurysm together with creating a normal dimension ACoA. There were no operative deaths; other than rupture intraoperatively, no other complications occurred. Postoperatively, no patient had new neurological deficits, 3 had short-term memory loss, and all were ambulatory with good speech function. Conclusion Review of angiograms and 3-dimensional computed tomography angiography reconstruction images can identify the complex and fusiform entity of ACoAA, which is important for preoperative planning. Experience in operative techniques and thorough knowledge of the ACoA anatomy are cornerstones to obliterate the aneurysm, maintain flow in all vessels, and surgically create an ACoA of normal caliber.
Inhibition of neutrophil chemotaxis by protease inhibitors. Differential effect of inhibitors of serine and thiol proteases

Previous studies have demonstrated that neutrophils possess an active serine protease(s) which may be involved in the process of chemotaxis but the precise identity of this enzyme(s) remains to be determined. In this study fourteen different protease inhibitors were tested over a wide concentration range for their ability to inhibit unstimulated neutrophil movement and chemotaxis to C5a, fMLP and IL-8. Pretreatment of neutrophils with aspartyl or metallo-protease inhibitors had no effect on either chemotaxis or random cell movement. The thiol protease inhibitors E-64 and cystatin, as well as the thiol/serine inhibitors antipain and leupeptin, diminished only C5a-induced chemotaxis. Pretreatment of neutrophils with the serine protease inhibitors PMSF or 3,4-DCI significantly reduced chemotaxis to C5a, fMLP and IL-8. The inhibitor of trypsin-like serine proteases, TLCK, and the neutrophil elastase inhibitor MeO-Suc-AAPV-CMK had no inhibitory effect on cell movement. However, two different inhibitors of chymotrypsin-like serine proteases, TPCK and chymostatin, significantly inhibited movement to any chemoattractant. These results suggest that an active chymotrypsin-like serine protease is essential for neutrophils to respond to chemotactic stimuli.
The effect of standard, motivation, and strategy instructions on the facial processing accuracy of internal and external subjects

Abstract In the present study, it was hypothesized that poorer performance of externals in cognitive and interpersonal tasks also would be found in the processing of nonverbal information in the form of a facial affect recognition task. It was further hypothesized that the poorer nonverbal processing performance of externals was due to either their lower motivation or their use of less effective processing strategies. Subjects (N = 70) were divided into internal and external groups and then further subdivided into groups that received standard, motivational, or strategy instructions. Analysis of subjects' responses to the facial affect recognition task showed internals performed significantly better than externals under standard conditions. However, neither motivational nor strategy instructions improved the performance of externals. The implications for interpersonal functioning of the poorer nonverbal processing ability of extenrals was discussed from both theoretical and methodological perspectives.