cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cloning, expression and purification of botulinum neurotoxin type A heavy chain – crystallographic evidence for a putative tetrameric pore

Clostridium botulinum produces seven antigenically distinct serotypes of botulinum neurotoxin (BoNTs, A-G) the most potent toxins to humans. They cause paralysis at less than picomolar concentration by blocking neurotransmitter release. BoNT consists of a heavy chain and a light chain. The C-terminal half of the heavy chain allows the toxin to bind to the presynaptic membrane while the N-terminal half helps in forming a channel in the endosomal membrane to allow the light chain to escape into the cytosol. While the binding and catalytic mechanisms are well understood now, the details of translocation still remain a mystery. A full length BoNT/A heavy chain (BAHC) has been cloned, over expressed and purified from inclusion bodies by solubilising with a detergent. Preliminary crystallographic results show that BAHC forms a tetramer in the crystal lending experimental support for tetrameric pore formation for the light chain to pass through the endosomal membrane.
Linear programming — What it is

Linear programming is one of the most widely used management science models. Our aim in this paper is to explain the nature, structure, characteristics, and application of linear programming in terms that make sense to the business manager. To the extent possible, we shall keep our presentation at a very elementary level of mathematics.
Reimagining the Differentiation and Integration of Work for Sustained Product Innovation

This study describes the image of organizing that underlies a complex organization's ability to incorporate streams of innovation with continuing operations. I argue that a mechanistic organization archetype prevents people from seeing in their minds' eyes--from imagining--how to do the work of innovation organizationwide, but that theorists have failed to articulate an alternative to this archetype in its own terms. The study focuses on two elements of organizing: the differentiation and the integration of work. I build grounded theory for an alternate, innovative archetype of organizing by exploring the shared image of work differentiation and integration in twelve firms that vary in innovative ability. I find a fundamentally different image in innovative organizations that is centered on hands-on practice: People understand value creation as a long-term working relationship with customers, in which they apply the firm's skills to anticipate and solve customer problems. This practice is differentiated into distinct problems in value creation, each of which embodies the integral flow of work like a lateral slice, but which situates those problems in their own contexts. People understand themselves to be organized in an autonomous community of practice that takes charge of one of the problems. The communities of practice are integrated by standards for action: vivid, simple representations of value that frame work and that are reenacted in practice.The analysis details this different image of organizing by describing four autonomous communities of practice and contrasting them with the image of organizing found in noninnovative firms. The paper illustrates how this new image straightforwardly organizes and controls innovative work, and how the noninnovative image of differentiation and integration makes this work unimaginable. I conclude that innovation can be incorporated with continuing operations, provided that managers and theorists reimagine the differentiation and integration of work. I offer preliminary ideas for doing so, and suggest some next steps in this research stream.
Minimal Geometric Representation and Strawberry Stem Detection

This paper takes a crucial step toward a visual system for an automated strawberry harvester. We present an algorithm based on the Blum medial axis that outputs for a given berry image a bounding box containing the berry's stem, and determines minimal geometric information to do so. The algorithm first generates three potential boxes, then automatically selects which of the three contains the stem. We compare the performance of our geometric-based stem detection with two other methods. The first, implemented already for a berry harvesting robot, relies on the principal axes of the berry shape to define the bounding box. The second takes as input the three potential boxes generated using the medial axis, then selects the one containing the stem by computing geometric and appearance features within each box for use in an ensemble classifier of 250 trees boosted by RUSboost with five-leaf minimum and a learning rate of 0.1. Note that because our data is imbalanced we used class-proportional sampling. Our geometric approach outperforms the other two methods on a database of 286 strawberry images.
Genetic risks to the mother and the infant: assessment, counseling, and management.

In order to optimize the chance for a healthy pregnancy and baby, a woman’s risk factors related to a variety of health issues (diet, medications, and exposures) are generally examined, allowing for required modifications during preconception care [1]. This activity can help prevent some birth defects and some adverse birth outcomes, such as prematurity. In contrast, genetic factors result in conditions often perceived to be rare, and thus most women without a family history of birth defects or genetic conditions do not consider themselves at risk. Regardless, a full range of genetic issues should always be considered preconceptionally to improve the chance for a healthy birth outcome.
Fracture formation in vitrified thin films of cryoprotectants

As a part of an ongoing effort to study the continuum mechanics effects associated with cryopreservation, the current report focuses on fracture formation in vitrified thin films of cryoprotective agents. The current study combines experimental observations with continuum mechanics analysis. Experimental results have been developed using a new imaging device, termed a "cryomacroscope", which has been recently presented by the current research team. A newly developed liquid nitrogen-based cooling stage is presented in this paper. The samples under investigation are 0.5 ml droplets of cryoprotective agents, having a characteristic diameter of 20 mm and a characteristic thickness of 1.5 mm. Tested samples included dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in a concentration range from 6 to 8.4M, and the cryoprotectant cocktails VS55 and DP6. Some samples contained small bovine muscle segments, having a characteristic dimension of 1mm, in order to study stress concentration effects. Experimental results show that the onset of fracturing in vitrified films of cryoprotectants is very consistent, occurring over a small temperature range. Fracture pattern, however, was affected by the cooling rate. The presence of tissue segments did not affect the onset temperature of fracture, but affected the fracture pattern. The continuum mechanics analysis solidified the hypothesis that fracture is driven by thermal stress, not by temperature per se, and allowed fracture strain to be inferred from observed fracture temperature. In conjunction with the current report, additional photos of fracture formation in thin films are available at .
iQuant: A fast yet accurate GUI tool for transcript quantification

Transcript quantification using RNA-seq is central to contemporary and future transcriptomics research. The existing tools are useful but have much room for improvement. We present a new statistical model, a fast yet accurate transcript quantification algorithm. Our tool takes RNA-seq reads in fasta or fastq format as input and output transcript abundance through a few mouse clicks. Our method compares favorably with the existing GUI tools in terms of both time complexity and accuracy. Availability: Both simulation data used for method comparisons and the GUI tool are freely available at http://asammate.sourceforge.net/.
The Pacific decadal oscillation and long‐term climate prediction

After 22 years of mostly cool temperatures, the North Pacific sea surface has been warm for the past 2 years. This raises the question of whether the warming trend in the North Pacific Ocean will continue for the next 20 years. The answer depends partly on whether the observed variability is an internal oscillation with its own time scale or whether it is externally driven. We are addressing this issue because important predictions are at stake. Positive North Pacific sea-surface temperature (SST) anomalies tend to cause droughts in the southwestern and northeastern United States. Some scientists have assumed that a fundamental “regime shift” has now occurred with 20 years of warmer temperatures to come and California has been advised to prepare for a 20-year period of drought. The basis for assuming a 40-year periodicity is the century-long record of North Pacific SSTs [Mantua et al., 1997]. More recently, a longer, proxy-based data set [Chao et al., 2000] suggested that a) North Pacific SSTs oscillate in phase with a comparable spatial pattern in the South Pacific, and b) two periods of approximately 20 and 70 years exist.
Local Fiscal Variables and Intrametropolitan Firm Location: Regression Evidence from the United States and Research Suggestions

A survey is given of US studies relating to the influence of local fiscal variables on intrametropolitan firm location. The survey is important for two reasons. First, it documents the reversal in early empirical results that local fiscal variables do not influence intrametropolitan firm location to the current empirical consensus that local fiscal variables do exert some statistically significant influence. Second, the survey is used to formulate suggestions on how research on this topic, no matter where it is done for, should proceed. A recent study is described that shows that property tax abatements to firms mitigate the influence that local fiscal variables have on intrametropolitan firm location. A tabular summary of the varying property tax and local expenditure elasticities of various measures of firm location is also given.
Growth, characterization and biocompatibility of bone-like calcium phosphate layers biomimetically deposited on metallic substrata

Abstract Much research has been devoted to the coating of orthopedic and dental implants with porous ceramics, such as hydroxyapatite to increase hard tissue integration in vivo. Chemical immersion in simulated body fluids and supersaturated calcium-phosphate solutions (SCPS) have been shown to elicit apatite coatings on the order of 10–100 μm of thickness, which are very homogenous and would be more favorable to biological interaction than plasma-sprayed coatings. This study focuses on the growth, characterization and biocompatibility of bone-like apatite layers on metallic biomaterials produced through diminished time duration chemical immersion. The method presented here includes a pre-calcification step, in which samples were immersed in a boiling Ca(OH)2 solution to initiate and increase favorable ion exchange prior to immersion. Subsequent immersion in SCPS produced homogenous coatings of calcium phosphate with a thickness of 20–30 μm, 100% coverage and crystal sizes of 1–2 μm in 3 days. Coated samples were favored biologically over non-coated samples by osteoblast cells as indicated by alkaline phosphatase activity. This study suggests that an industrially viable method of chemical immersion in a SCPS, coupled with simple pre-treatments can produce calcium phosphate coatings that favor positive biological interactions, conducive to osseointegration.
Trypan blue in the rat embryo.

Seventy-five embryos were obtained from rats 48, 72, or 96 hours after injection of the maternal animal with the teratogenic dye trypan blue on day 9 of gestation. Low-magnification examinations of these fixed and cleared embryos revealed distinct deposits of trypan blue in the caudal segments of the gut. Light-microscope examinations revealed dye deposits in the gut endoderm and cells of the adjacent mesenchyme. The implications of these observations are discussed.
Banded karyotypes from bone marrow: A clinical useful approach

We have developed a new protocol for the preparation of banded chromosomes from human bone marrow. This protocol incorporates new procedures with improvements in conventional ones to rapidly produce high quality banded karyotypes from bone marrow aspirates. Tissue culture is completely climinated and replaced with a truly direct method of chromosome preparation in which a small amount of marrow is treated with a solution containing trypsin, hypotonic salts and colcemid (THC). The THC protocol, when compared with standard short term culture methods for marrow chromosome preparation, produces more extended and more readily banded chromosomes. Rapid banding is further facilitated by replacement of standard G-banding techniques with Wright's staining. These technical developments allow karyotypic analysis within 2–4 h after receipt of the specimen. The high quality and rapidity of the THC protocol have important implications for the clinical usefulness of cytogenetic analysis of bone marrow in studying congenital defects as well as leukemias and lymphomas.
Stability of the Myelin Membrane

The hypothetical questions which were asked earlier may now be answered as follows. Myelin lipids do possess characteristics which could lead to a tightly organized, closely packed, highly stable membrane structure, while lipids in adjacent neurons and glial cells do possess characteristics which could give rise to a more loosely organized, less stable membrane structure. The greater degree of metabolic inertness of myelin lipids may be explained on this basis. The stability of myelin itself may also be based largely on the intermolecular cohesion between lipid molecules, since the lipid content of myelin is extraordinarily high. Physiological and clinical studies tend to support the concept that a surfeit of polyunsaturated lipids or a deficiency of long-chain sphingolipids can result in a more easily disrupted membrane. The most important prediction to be drawn from these speculations is that myelin may be rendered unstable in disease if its lipid composition is altered so that higher proportions of lipids containing polyunsaturated fatty acids and lower proportions of lipids containing very-long-chain fatty acids are present.
Material characterization of a nanocrystal based photovoltaic device

Nanocomposites have shown promise as the active layer for photovoltaic energy conversion. One example is the CdSe nanocrystal\polymer composite demonstrated by Hyunh and Greenham [1,2]. In this paper we investigate the baseline properties of the materials used in such a device. We present surface chemical information for CdSe nanocrystals and chemical analysis for poly-(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) polymer.
The use of an indwelling Doppler probe to study acute changes in umbilical artery waveforms in the fetal sheep.

A chronic sheep model for Doppler umbilical vascular analysis was developed, in which indwelling Doppler probes were used. These were designed with a fixed angle of insonation and implanted directly on the umbilical cord to register umbilical artery velocity waveforms. The fetuses in eight pregnant ewes underwent maternal aortic and umbilical cord constrictions producing serial blood flow reductions. Occlusion of the umbilical cord and maternal aorta caused distinctly different waveforms. Cord occlusion produced an immediate response with an elevated systolic/ diastolic ratio and disapperance of diastolic velocity. Maternal aortic occlusion produced a delayed response with drops in both systolic and diastolic velocity; diastolic velocity never reached zero. Although systolic/diastolic ratios are.believed to reflect placental resistance, the maintenance of the systolic/ diastolic ratio with diminution of systolic velocity suggests declining fetal cardiac output as an additional factor. It is possible to differentiate uteroplacental from umbilicoplacental insufficiency by Doppler methods. With technologic improvements Doppler ultrasonography may allow better analysis of acute stressful conditions during human labor.
Effect of pertussis toxin on the phosphodiesteratic cleavage of the polyphosphoinositides by guanosine 5'-O-thiotriphosphate and thrombin in permeabilized human platelets.

Abstract It has recently been shown in this laboratory that permeabilization of human platelets with 15–25 μm/ml saponin allows ADP-ribosylation by pertussis toxin of the αi-subunit of Gi(Ni), a guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory protein. The same assay conditions have been used to determine phospholipase C in permeabilized platelets. Guanosine 5′-O-thiophosphate- (GTP[γS]-) activated phospholipase C in permeabilized platelets whose inositol phospholipids were prelabeled with [3H]inositol. Phospholipase C activity was measured by [3H]polyphosphoinositide decreases and formation of [3Hinositol bisphosphate and [3H]inositol trisphosphate. Prostacyclin, cyclic AMP or pretreatment of permeabilized platelets with pertussis toxin did not alter this effect under conditions in which the αi-subunit was effectively ADP-ribosylated by pertussis toxin. This information indicated that ADP-ribosylation of Gi-protein was not directly related to activation or inhibition of platelet phospholipase C by GTP[γS]. Thrombin also activated phospholipase C in permeabilized platelets and, surprisingly, this action was enhanced by pertussis toxin pretreatment. This indicated that ADP-ribosylation of Gi-protein facilitates the action of thrombin on phospholipase C.
A shrinkage approach for estimating a treatment effect using intermediate biomarker data in clinical trials.

Summary. In clinical trials, a biomarker (S ) that is measured after randomization and is strongly associated with the true endpoint (T) can often provide information about T and hence the effect of a treatment (Z )o nT. A useful biomarker can be measured earlier than T and cost less than T. In this article, we consider the use of S as an auxiliary variable and examine the information recovery from using S for estimating the treatment effect on T ,w henS is completely observed and T is partially observed. In an ideal but often unrealistic setting, when S satisfies Prentice’s definition for perfect surrogacy, there is the potential for substantial gain in precision by using data from S to estimate the treatment effect on T .W henS is not close to a perfect surrogate, it can provide substantial information only under particular circumstances. We propose to use a targeted shrinkage regression approach that data-adaptively takes advantage of the potential efficiency gain yet avoids the need to make a strong surrogacy assumption. Simulations show that this approach strikes a balance between bias and efficiency gain. Compared with competing methods, it has better mean squared error properties and can achieve substantial efficiency gain, particularly in a common practical setting when S captures much but not all of the treatment effect and the sample size is relatively small. We apply the proposed method to a glaucoma data example.
The Potential for Earthquake Early Warning in Southern California

Earthquake mitigation efforts in the United States currently use long-term probabilistic hazard assessments and rapid post-earthquake notification to reduce the potential damage of earthquakes. Here we present the seismological design for and demonstrate the feasibility of a short-term hazard warning system. Using data from past earthquakes, we show that our Earthquake Alarm System (ElarmS) could, with current TriNet instrumentation, issue a warning a few to tens of seconds ahead of damaging ground motion. The system uses the frequency content of the P-wave arrival to determine earthquake magnitude, an approach that allows magnitude determination before any damaging ground motion occurs.
Bilateral extravesical ureteral reimplantation in toilet-trained children: short-stay procedure without urinary retention.

Objectives We have previously reported on the ability of toilet-trained children to undergo bilateral extravesical ureteral reimplantation with a 1-day hospitalization and without urinary retention using a critical pathway and modification of the surgical technique. The objective of this study was to determine whether additional refinement of the critical pathway and surgical technique could continue to result in 1-day hospitalization and possibly an outpatient procedure, without urinary retention, in toilet-trained children. Methods We evaluated all toilet-trained children undergoing bilateral extravesical ureteroneocystostomy, with a critical pathway for preoperative education, operative management, and postoperative care. A modified technique was used that limits ureteral dissection, ureteral mobilization, and detrusor dissection to as distally as possible such that a 5:1 ratio of tunnel length to ureteral diameter can be accomplished. Patients followed a strict postoperative critical pathway, and parents received extensive preoperative and postoperative education. A child was required to fulfill 5 strict criteria to be discharged from the hospital. Results A total of 84 patients underwent bilateral extravesical ureteral reimplantation. Of the 84 patients, 64 were girls and 20 were boys. The age range was 1.9-12.8 years (mean 4.6). The first 78 patients were discharged on the first postoperative day as planned. The next 6 patients in this series were discharged the same day as surgery as planned, using the modification of the critical pathway. All patients were able to spontaneously void postoperatively without any instances of acute or chronic urinary retention, acute urinary tract infection, or rehospitalization. Conclusions The results of this study further support our initial findings that bilateral extravesical ureteral reimplantation can be performed in toilet-trained children after a 1-day hospitalization without postoperative urinary retention. In the present study, this was also accomplished as an outpatient procedure.
Dating of modified femora of extinct dwarf Hippopotamus from Southern Madagascar: Implications for constraining human colonization and vertebrate extinction events

Two significant events in the late Holocene history of Madagascar were (a) the arrival of people, and (b) the loss of nearly two dozen species of land vertebrates in the socalled “subfossil extinctions”. The consensus is that the faunal losses occurred shortly subsequent to human arrival, but the timing of these events is poorly constrained. The minimum age for initial human presence on the island may now be set at approximately 2000 bp, on the basis of AMS 14C dates for human-modified femora of extinct dwarf hippos from SW Madagascar. Assuming that this date also marks the beginning of deleterious human interactions with the subfossil fauna, and assuming that this fauna became completely extinct by 900 bp, the width of the anthropogenic “extinction window” may have been as long as c. 1000 a. This estimate, nearly twice the length of previous ones, is close to the unadjusted minimum for the duration of the terminal Pleistocene extinction event in the Americas. Whether or not this length of time comports with theoretical expectations of a “blitzkrieg” pattern of losses is uncertain, but greater refinement in dating the end of the subfossil extinctions is unlikely to produce radically shorter estimates of duration.
POSTTRAUMATIC ELBOW ARTHRITIS AND ARTHROPLASTY

Elbow contractures without significant articular injury can be treated with soft-tissue procedures, such as joint capsular releases, resection of heterotropic ossification, and joint debridement. Elbows with significant intra-articular injuries or posttraumatic arthritis require some form of joint reconstruction, such as a distraction arthroplasty, interposition arthroplasty, or implant replacement arthroplasty. With a better understanding of the surgical indications for elbow arthroplasty, improvements in surgical technique, improvements in elbow implants, and increased surgical experience, the results of implant arthroplasty for the posttraumatic elbow continue to improve.
Sclerostin and Pref-1 have differential effects on bone mineral density and strength parameters in adolescent athletes compared with non-athletes

Summary Excessive exercise can have detrimental effects on bone; however, the mechanisms leading to bone loss are not well understood. Sclerostin and preadipocyte factor (Pref)-1 are two hormones which inhibit bone formation. The present study demonstrates that these hormones may have differential effects in athletes as compared to non-athletes.
Shared Situational Awareness in Emergency Management Mitigation and Response

The US is replacing its historical federalist concept of emergency management where primary responsibility resides with state and local governments and their emergency management and first responder resources for coordinating emergency response and recovery, supported by the resources federal government (coordinated by FEMA) with a homeland security national response system where response to events is controlled by DHS using a military command and control model. This model assumes that those controlling and coordinating the response and recovery would attain and maintain an accurate, shared common operating picture and situational awareness. The objective of this paper is to discuss why the transfer of this concept from its safety and combat origins to the complex, heterogeneous emergency management structure of the United States would would be exceedingly difficult, and that short term strategies based on the assumption that shared situational awareness would be easily achieved are doomed to failure
Hypothermia and Bleeding During Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair

Patients undergoing abdominal aortic aneurysm repair routinely have a depressed core body temperature during surgery, and hypothermia is known to cause abnormalities in coagulation. This study was designed to determine whether platelet function is altered as a result of hypothermia or heparin during abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. Ten patients scheduled for abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery were prospectively studied. Bleeding times and temperature were measured every hour beginning preoperatively. Each patient was heparinized intraoperatively, and the effects reversed with protamine sulfate prior to closure. Despite efforts to keep the patients warm, all of them developed hypothermia (mean lowest core temperature 34.8 +/- 0.7 degrees C). A significant linear relationship between the change in core temperature and the change in bleeding time was demonstrated. In 7 of 10 cases the greatest change in bleeding time occurred when patients experienced the lowest mean core temperature and not when they were heparinized. These data suggest that hypothermia has a marked effect on platelet function during abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. Although heparin can cause abnormalities in platelet function, hypothermia may be a more important role in inhibiting normal platelet function. By preventing severe hypothermia (< 35 degree C), excessive bleeding associated with abdominal aortic aneurysm repair may be minimized without the concomitant risk of blood product transfusion.
Development of a Web-Services-based remote monitoring and control architecture

In this paper, a remote monitoring and control architecture is developed. The architecture consists of a Web-services-based monitoring and control gateway (WSMCG), distributed Ethernet-ready I/O modules, safety detection modules, Web cameras, and networks. It can not only provide general functions of remote monitoring and control but also possess the mechanism of actively detecting appliance's abnormal power consumption and ensuring appliance safety. This research incorporates the newest network-related technologies with the concept of ensuring appliance safety for developing remote monitoring and control systems. The research results are with novelty and high practicability. It is believed that the developed technologies and concepts can be applied in constructing new-generation remote monitoring and control systems.
Emotion-Related Self-Regulation in Children.

In this article, the authors review basic conceptual issues in research on children’s emotion-related self-regulation, including the differentiation between self-regulation that is effortful and voluntary and control-related processes that are less amenable to effortful control. In addition, the authors summarize what researchers know about developmental changes in self-regulatory capacities, give examples of various methods used to assess these abilities, and summarize findings on the relations between self-regulation or effortful control and positive adjustment and maladjustment. Finally, the authors discuss some strategies for effectively teaching students about emotion regulation.
Properties of Nano-layers of Nanoclusters of Ag in SiO2 Host produced by MeV Si ion bombardment

We prepared 50 periodic nano-layers of SiO2/AgxSiO2(1-x). The deposited multi-layer films have a periodic structure consisting of alternating layers where each layer is between 1-10 nm thick. The purpose of this research is to generate nanolayers of nanocrystals of Ag with SiO2 as host and as buffer layer using a combination of co-deposition and MeV ion bombardment taking advantage of the electronics energy deposited in the MeV ion track due to ionization in order to nucleate nanoclusters. Our previous work showed that these nanoclusters have crystallinity similar to the bulk material. Nanocrystals of Ag in silica produce an optical absorption band at about 420 nm. Due to the interaction of nanocrystals between sequential nanolayers there is widening of the absorption band. The electrical and thermal properties of the layered structures were studied before and after 5 MeV Si ions bombardment at various fluences to form nanocrystals in layers of SiO2 containing few percent of Ag. Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) was used to monitor the stoichiometry before and after MeV bombardments.
THE MODULATION OF PROSTATE CANCER RISK WITH α-TOCOPHEROL: A PILOT RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL

ABSTRACTPurpose: Studies suggest that vitamin E may decrease the risk of prostate cancer. The Prevention Research Veteran Affairs E-vitamin Nutrition Trial is a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study designed to assess the effects of vitamin E supplementation on biomarkers associated with prostate cancer risk in peripheral blood and prostate tissue.Materials and Methods: A total of 44 patients with increased prostate specific antigen (PSA) and/or abnormal digital rectal examination on initial evaluation were randomized to receive 400 IU vitamin E (22) vs placebo (22). Serum vitamin E, PSA, dehydroepiandrosterone, testosterone and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) were measured in the 2 groups at baseline and then at 3-month intervals. Results are reported in 28 patients (placebo in 14 and vitamin E in 14) who completed the treatment as specified by the protocol.Results: Serum Vitamin E was significantly higher in patients on vitamin E supplementation. α-Tocopherol supplementation did not af...
A general approach for estimating the translog function in the presence of zero-value agruments

The transcendental logarithmic (translog) function is a familiar choice in applied econometric work. It has been shown to exhibit superior approximations to unknown direct and indirect economic objective functions (Driscoll; Guilkey, Knox Lovell and Sickles; Stem). Fitting the translog function to consumer or firm level micro-data can encounter zero values for some function arguments. For example, a subset of consumers may not purchase strictly positive quantities of all goods in a choice set, or firms may be observed to employ a subset of available inputs in production. Because the natural logarithm is undefined at zero, the translog function cannot be estimated directly. To facilitate the logarithmic transformation, researchers typically modify zero-value arguments by either replacing them with arbitrarily small values or by applying the Box-Cox transformation.
A Specific β-Glucosidase-Aggregating Factor Is Responsible for the β-Glucosidase Null Phenotype in Maize

Maize (Zea mays L.) β-glucosidase was extracted from shoots of a wild-type (K55) and a “null” (H95) maize genotype. Enzyme activity assays and electrophoretic data showed that extracts from the null genotype had about 10% of the activity present in the normal genotype. Zymograms of the null genotype were devoid of any activity bands in the resolving gel, but had a smeared zone of activity in the stacking gel after native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. When extracts were made with buffers containing 0.5% to 2% sodium dodecyl sulfate, the smeared activity zone entered the resolving gel as a distinct band. These data indicated that the null genotypes have β-glucosidase activity, but the enzyme occurs as insoluble or poorly soluble large quaternary complexes mediated by a β-glucosidase-aggregating factor (BGAF). BGAF is a 35-kD protein and binds specifically to β-glucosidase and renders it insoluble during extraction. BGAF also precipitates β-glucosidase that is added exogenously to supernatant fluids of the null tissue extracts. The specific β-glucosidase-aggregating activity of BGAF is unequivocally demonstrated. These data clearly show that the monogenic inheritance reported for the null alleles at the β-glucosidase gene is actually for the BGAF protein, and BGAF is solely responsible for β-glucosidase aggregation and insolubility and, thus, the apparent null phenotype.
DNA Polymerases of Low-GC Gram-Positive Eubacteria: Identification of the Replication-Specific Enzyme Encoded by dnaE

dnaE, the gene encoding one of the two replication-specific DNA polymerases (Pols) of low-GC-content gram-positive bacteria (E. Dervyn et al., Science 294:1716-1719, 2001; R. Inoue et al., Mol. Genet. Genomics 266:564-571, 2001), was cloned from Bacillus subtilis, a model low-GC gram-positive organism. The gene was overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The purified recombinant product displayed inhibitor responses and physical, catalytic, and antigenic properties indistinguishable from those of the low-GC gram-positive-organism-specific enzyme previously named DNA Pol II after the polB-encoded DNA Pol II of E. coli. Whereas a polB-like gene is absent from low-GC gram-positive genomes and whereas the low-GC gram-positive DNA Pol II strongly conserves a dnaE-like, Pol III primary structure, it is proposed that it be renamed DNA polymerase III E (Pol III E) to accurately reflect its replicative function and its origin from dnaE. It is also proposed that DNA Pol III, the other replication-specific Pol of low-GC gram-positive organisms, be renamed DNA polymerase III C (Pol III C) to denote its origin from polC. By this revised nomenclature, the DNA Pols that are expressed constitutively in low-GC gram-positive bacteria would include DNA Pol I, the dispensable repair enzyme encoded by polA, and the two essential, replication-specific enzymes Pol III C and Pol III E, encoded, respectively, by polC and dnaE.
Microsurgical Injection of Spermatozoa into Hamster Eggs with Subsequent Transformation of Sperm Nuclei into Male Pronuclei

Hamster eggs were injected with either isolated nuclei of hamster sp ermatozoa or fresh frozen-thawed and freeze-dried human spermatozoa to determine whether they could develop into male pronuclei. Each of the specimens were capable of devloping into male pronuclei when injected. The results show that sperm nuclei are stable organelles and that the factors in egg cytoplasm which control the transformation of sperm nuclei into male pronuclei are not restricted to a particular species.
Hydrothermal synthesis of divalent metal pyromellitate/dipyridylamine complexes: From an unprecedented supramolecular three-dimensional topology to an anionic coordination polymer framework with large incipient cation-bearing voids

Hydrothermal synthesis has afforded two divalent metal coordination complexes incorporating both fully deprotonated pyromellitate (pyro) anions and the kinked dipodal organodiimine 4,4′-dipyridylamine (dpa), {[Co(H2O)4(Hdpa)2][pyro]} (1) and {[H2dpa][Zn(pyro)]·2H2O} (2). Both new complexes were characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction and spectral and thermogravimetric analyses. Complex 1 possesses discrete [Co(H2O)4(Hdpa)2]4+ cations linked into supramolecular 2-D (4,4) rhomboid grid layer motifs by hydrogen bonding between the unligated pyro anions and the aquo ligands. The pendant, monodentate Hdpa+ cations also engage in charge-separated hydrogen bonding to pyro anions in neighboring layers, resulting in a supramolecular 3-D structure with an unprecedented 6-connected 446108 topology. In contrast, 2 is a true coordination polymer, with divalent Zn atoms linked by ligated pyro anions into a binodal 4-connected PtS-type anionic network (4284 topology), which encapsulates H2dpa2+ cations and unligated water molecules within large incipient pores coursing through the structure. Irradiation of a solid sample of 2 with ultraviolet light resulted in blue-light emission, likely indicative of π–π* transitions within the orbital manifolds of both the pyro anions and unligated H2dpa2+ cations.
Air Entrainment and the Fabrication of Concrete Railroad Ties

Handling and vibration can affect the air content of prestressed concrete railroad ties. The amount and variation in vibration experienced in concrete railroad ties were investigated to determine the concrete fabrication conditions typically used. Two methods of fabrication were investigated by measuring the concrete properties and vibration exposure during placement at two concrete tie manufacturing plants. In addition to measuring the vibration distribution in concrete railroad ties, a pair of ties were selected for hardened-air void analyses to determine any variation of air content in relation to the height of the ties. The vibration results indicate the existence of constructive and destructive wave-interferences in tie cavities. These interferences may contribute to large variations in the vibration acceleration throughout the length, depth, and width of concrete crossties during fabrication. This may account for the air-loss across the depth of the ties.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Detection and Quantification of Pfiesteria piscicida by Using the Mitochondrial Cytochrome b Gene

Mitochondrial cytochrome b was isolated from the dinoflagellate Pfiesteria piscicida, and the utility of the gene for species identification was examined. One of the primer sets designed was shown to be highly specific for P. piscicida. A time step PCR protocol was used to demonstrate the potential of this primer set for quantification of this species.
Die klassische Lehre vom Widerstandsrecht

Die Frage, unter welchen Umstanden notfalls gewaltsamer Widerstand gegen die herrschende Macht legitim ist, ist so alt wie das politische Denken selbst.1 Dabei sind allen Versuchen, das Widerstandsrecht zu fassen, zwei Charakteristika gemeinsam, die zugleich die Schwierigkeiten dieses Unterfangens verdeutlichen
Structured latent curve models

Abstract Latent curve models are equivalent to factor analysis models in which common factor means are not assumed to be zero. The data model therefore generates a structure for the manifest variable mean vector as well as for the manifest variable covariance matrix. As in unrestricted factor analysis, there is a rotation problem in latent curve analysis. This problem may be avoided if a structure is imposed on the factor matrix. A method for doing this was employed in Browne and Du Toit (1991). The present paper presents theoretical details of this method for obtaining structured latent curve models for learning data. It is shown that use of a first order Taylor expansion about a monotonic target function generates a restricted factor matrix that has properties that allow meaningful interpretation of its columns as latent curves. Possible monotonic mean curves are discussed and details are given of associated factor matrices whose elements are functions of a small number of parameters. Models for the error covariance matrix are also considered. Joint latent curve and factor analysis models are suggested. These models are suitable for situations where both learning scores and scores on concomitant variables are available. A practical example is presented. Theory derived in Browne (1990) concerning the robustness of asymptotic properties of normal theory minimum discrepancy methods is applied to investigate the asymptotic robustness of maximum multivariate normal likelihood methods for the present models.
Persian Gulf War: Strategic Effectiveness of American Plans for the Ground Offensive

On August 2, 1990, Iraq alarmed the world by invading Kuwait. The United States quickly seized the opportunity to empower the United Nations and establish itself as a legitimate player in the Middle East both diplomatically and militarily in the process of ejecting Iraqi forces from Kuwait and weakening Saddam’s war machine. This paper provides an analysis and assessment of whether the coalition’s ground offensive was effective in achieving those desired strategic effects.
Transnational Insolvency: Cross-Border Co-Operation Between The United States and Hong Kong

In the case of In re Axona International Credit & Commerce Limited, the Hong Kong liquidators of Axona (a Hong Kong company with assets in the United States) were finally able to pay the first interim dividend to Axona’s creditors in July 1992. This payment was made more than nine years after Axona was ordered to be wound up by the Hong Kong High Court and after lengthy adversarial proceedings in both Hong Kong and the United States. While no doubt frustrating for creditors, this liquidation has given rise to an important U.S. decision on the recognition of foreign bankruptcies in general, and of Hong Kong liquidations in particular.
Zero-delay rate-distortion optimization for partially observable Gauss-Markov processes

In this paper, we consider rate-distortion tradeoff problems for time-varying, multi-dimensional, partially observable Gauss-Markov processes subject to the zero-delay constraint. As a distortion metric, we consider the mean square error between the hidden state process and the reconstructed process. It is shown that an optimal test channel can be realized by a cascade connection of a pre-Kalman filter estimating the hidden state of the Gauss-Markov process, an additive white Gaussian noise channel, and a post-Kalman filter estimating the internal state of the pre-Kalman filter. An optimal test channel can be constructed by semidefinite programming (SDP). We also show that for stationary sources, there exists a time-invariant optimal test channel, which can also be found by SDP.
Finite Element Analysis of the Inflatable Re-Entry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE)

Hypersonic inflatable aerodynamic decelerator technology can enable future missions to Mars and the outer planets. Such missions require large drag devices to safely decelerate the vehicle during planetary entry. Key technologies include flexible materials that will protect the spacecraft from the thermal environment experienced during reentry into the atmosphere. An improved understanding and predictive capabilities of the decelerator behavior is necessary prior to flight. Accurate prediction of the decelerator structural response under various external pressure distributions is necessary through use of modeling and simulation. In order to validate the predictions obtained from finite element analysis and computational fluid dynamic analysis, a series of ground and flight tests have been conducted. Sub-scale models were used for these tests due to the cost and limitations of test facilities. This investigation models the decelerator configuration with the intent of constructing less computationally-expensive models to approximate the structural response. Modeling results are compared with similar results in the literature as well as idealized closed-form equations. These results include the meridional shell force resultants in the tori, spars, and restraint wrap fore and aft side. Due to symmetry, a three dimensional, 15° wedge model and a two dimensional, axisymmetric model are used. After the model was developed, the equilibrium deflected solution and Von Mises stresses were calculated and analyzed. These results correlated well with the closed-form equations and results from literature. This investigation demonstrates that sufficient accuracy can be obtained using two-dimensional, axisymmetric models.
A new experimental setup to study the structure of curiosity-driven exploration in humans

We are presenting an exploratory study with humans designed to analyze and measure properties of curiosity-driven exploration of a priori unknown sensorimotor spaces. More specifically, we are interested in the relation between exploration and learning progress.
The North Georgia Earthquake of October 9, 1984

In the early morning of October 9, 1984, northwestern Georgia was shaken by a magnitude m b = 3.5 earthquake. This event is typical of the general seismicity experienced in northwestern Georgia and southeastern Tennessee. Intensity IV effects were felt over 6000 km 2 . The total felt area was 12,000 km 2 . The depth of focus was 10 ± 5 km, which places the earthquake focus below the Paleozoic sediments. First motion and relative amplitude data indicate a strike-slip focal mechanism with the preferred fault plane having right-lateral slip on a north-trending near-vertical plane. Spectral data give an equivalent fault radius of 0.6 km, a stress drop of 40 bars and a moment of 2.5 × 10 22 dyne-cm. During an aftershock survey of nearly two weeks duration, only one significant (m b = 2.0) aftershock was recorded. It occurred on October 15, 1984, six days after the main event.
Photoexcitation of Light-Harvesting C-P-C60 Triads: A FLMO-TD-DFT Study.

The recently proposed linear-scaling time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) [J. Chem. Theory. Comput. 2011, 7, 3643] is employed to capture more than 300 low-lying excited states for three light-harvesting C–P–C60 triads composed of β-carotenoid polyene (C), diaryl-based porphyrin (P), and pyrrole–fullerene (C60). The simulated optical absorption spectra are grossly in good agreement with experimental observations. To gain insights on the structure–property relations, both top-down and bottom-up analyses of the excited states are made in terms of the underlying fragment localized molecular orbitals (FLMO). A maximum occupation method is further proposed for finding excited-state solutions of self-consistent-field equations and is applied to long-range charge-transfer states that cannot be described by TD-DFT with pure density functionals.
Implementing Lens Design Software in a Distributed Computing Environment

A state-of-the-art lens design software (CodeV®) is deployed and enabled in the distributed computing environment. Impact on statistical tolerancing, global optimization, and other lens design practices is discussed.