cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Efficient Implementation of Correction Procedure via Reconstruction with GPU Computing

uid ow problems across many engineering disciplines, and while problem size, complexity, and diculty continue to expand, the demands for robustness and accuracy grow. Furthermore, generating high-order accurate solutions has escalated the required computational resources, and as problems continue to increase in complexity, so will computational needs such as memory requirements and calculation time for accurate ow eld prediction. To improve upon computational time, vast amounts of computational power and resources are employed, but even over dozens to hundreds of central processing units (CPUs), the required computational time to compute solutions can be weeks, months, or longer, which is particularly true when generating high-order accurate solutions over large computational domains. One response to lower the computational time for CFD problems is to implement current CFD solvers on graphical processing units (GPUs). GPUs have illustrated the ability to solve problems orders of magnitude faster than their CPU counterparts with identical accuracy. The goal of the presented work is to combine a CFD solver and GPU computing with the intent to solve complex problems at a high-order of accuracy while lowering the computational time required to generate the solution. The CFD solver should have high-order spacial capabilities to evaluate small
Structural Rules Governing Self-Assembly Emerge from New Molecular Capsules

We thank the Skaggs Research Foundation and the National Institutes of Health for support. We also thank Dr. Tomas Szabo for advice on the synthesis of protected glycolurils. Administracion de Fomento Economico of Puerto Rico provided fellowship support to J.M.R. The Ministerio de Educacion y Cultura of Spain provided fellowship support to T.M.
Identifying Active Phage Lysins through Functional Viral Metagenomics

Recent metagenomic sequencing studies of uncultured viral populations have provided novel insights into the ecology of environmental bacteriophage. At the same time, viral metagenomes could also represent a potential source of recombinant proteins with biotechnological value. In order to identify such proteins, a novel two-step screening technique was devised for cloning phage lytic enzymes from uncultured viral DNA. This plasmid-based approach first involves a primary screen in which transformed Escherichia coli clones that demonstrate colony lysis following exposure to inducing agent are identified. This effect, which can be due to the expression of membrane-permeabilizing phage holins, is discerned by the development a hemolytic effect in surrounding blood agar. In a secondary step, the clones identified in the primary screen are overlaid with autoclaved Gram-negative bacteria (specifically Pseudomonas aeruginosa) to assay directly for recombinant expression of lytic enzymes, which are often encoded proximally to holins in phage genomes. As proof-of-principle, the method was applied to a viral metagenomic library constructed from mixed animal feces, and 26 actively expressed lytic enzymes were cloned. These proteins include both Gram-positive-like and Gram-negative-like enzymes, as well as several atypical lysins whose predicted structures are less common among known phage. Overall, this study represents one of the first functional screens of a viral metagenomic population, and it provides a general approach for characterizing lysins from uncultured phage.
Anodic electrochemistry and the use of a 6-volt lantern battery: A simple method for attempting electrochemically based synthetic transformations

Abstract A series of electrochemical transformations have been accomplished using a 6-volt lantern battery as a power supply. The reactions included both intramolecular anodic olefin coupling reactions and an anodic amide oxidation. In all cases, the reactions afforded preparatively useful amounts of product and demonstrated that electrochemical synthetic methods can be readily attempted without the need for specialized equipment.
Contribution of facilitated diffusion and processive catalysis to enzyme efficiency: implications for the EcoRI restriction-modification system.

The contribution of nonspecific DNA to enzyme efficiency (kcat/Km) is described for a sequence-specific DNA-modifying enzyme. Our investigation focuses on the EcoRI DNA methyltransferase which transfers a methyl group from the cofactor S-adenosylmethionine to the second adenine in the double-stranded DNA sequence GAATTC. kcat/Km increases 4-fold as DNA length increases from 14 to 429 base pairs and increases 2-fold as the distance from the site to the nearest end is increased from 29 to 378 base pairs. No changes in kcat/Km result from further increases in either case. A facilitated diffusion mechanism is proposed in which the methyltransferase scans an average of <400 base pairs prior to dissociation from a DNA molecule. The methyltransferase was found to methylate two sites on a single DNA molecule in a distributive rather than a processive manner, suggesting that the enzyme dissociates from the DNA prior to release of the reaction product S-adenosylhomocysteine. A direct competition experiment with the...
Protease inhibitor eglin-c affects superoxide anion release but not bacterial killing by human polymorphonuclear leukocytes.

In order to assess the influence of the protease inhibitor eglin-c on superoxide anion (O−2) release by human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN), cells were secured from normal donors and stimulated with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), opsonized zymosan, or n-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP). In the presence of 100 fxg/ml eglin-c, the activation time was prolonged and the maximum linear rate of O−2 formation was depressed following stimulation with PMA; a concentration of 1000 Hg/ml eglin-c was required to produce a similar effect with opsonized zymosan. Eglin-c did not influence the activation time following stimulation with FMLP, but at 2000 Hg/ml, the protease inhibitor attenuated the rate of O−2 production in response to the chemotactic peptide. In the presence of cytochalasin B, the inhibitory effect of eglin-c on O−2 release following stimulation with FMLP became more pronounced. In spite of these alterations in O−2 formation, the protease inhibitor did not impair the bactericidal activ...
A new pitheciin primate from the middle Miocene of Argentina.

We report here a new fossil primate from the middle Miocene of Argentina. The material consists of isolated teeth, mandibular fragments, and a talus. The fossils were collected in the Collon Cura formation at Canadon del Tordillo in Neuquen Province. An age of 15.71 ± 0.07 Ma has been reported for the Pilcaniyeu Ignimbrite, which lies just below the paleosols in which the fossils were found. This material is thus the youngest occurrence of fossil primates in Argentina (hitherto documented in the Santacrucian and older land mammal ages) but still is older than the middle Miocene platyrrhine primates from La Venta, Colombia, in particular the pitheciins Nuciruptor and Cebupithecia. The material is recognized as a new genus and species of Pitheciinae, Propithecia neuquenensis. The mesiodistally compressed, high-crowned incisors are specialized and similar to species in the tribe Pithecini and to the nonpitheciin Soriacebus (early Miocene, Patagonia). We rule out a phylogenetic relationship to the latter because of differences in molar morphology. Propithecia does, however, fit well into the pattern of pitheciin evolution, being more derived than the middle Miocene pitheciin Nuciruptor but not as much as another middle Miocene taxon, Cebupithecia. As such, this makes Propithecia the oldest taxon that can be confidently placed within this modern New World monkey subfamily. By analogy with the molar structures and diets of extant platyrrhines, Propithecia has a molar structure consistent with a variety of low-fiber diets ranging from fruit and gum to seeds. Its incisors suggest seed-eating in much the same way as extant pitheciins, like Pithecia. The talus resembles that of Callicebus, suggesting arboreal quadrupedal locomotion. Am. J. Primatol. 45:317–336, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Synthesis, biological evaluation, and structure-activity relationships for 5-[(E)-2-arylethenyl]-3-isoxazolecarboxylic acid alkyl ester derivatives as valuable antitubercular chemotypes.

Tuberculosis (TB), mostly caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), is one of the leading causes of death from infectious disease worldwide. Its coinfection with HIV and the emergence of multidru...
Performance analysis of planar inductor based snubbing circuit on EMI effects generated by switching action in DC/DC Boost converter

In this paper, a planar inductor based snubber circuit is presented for power MOSFET devices used in a Boost power converters. The proposed snubber can control the EMI effects caused by the switching actions which can affect the drive circuit. Appropriate use of the snubber and considering the parasitic elements in the switching circuits can improve the conducted EMI of the converter, eliminating the need for the bulky EMI filters. To design an effective snubber circuit, a physics based model of the switch and the snubber circuit components are considered. Using impedance control method, the effects of various parasitic elements that can cause the common-mode noise can be controlled. This effort enables the evaluation of interference issues for EMC evaluation studies early in the design process. The numerical results were validated experimentally.
Si-implantation into GaAs grown in Si

200 keV Si implantations were performed in the dose range of 5 × 1012 − 1 × 1014 cm−2 in GaAs grown on Si. For comparison implants were also performed in GaAs layers grown on GaAs substrates. Implanted layers were annealed by both furnace and halogen lamp rapid thermal anneals. Significantly lower donor activations were observed in GaAs layers grown on Si substrates than in the layers grown on GaAs substrates. Extremely low dopant activations were obtained for Be implants in GaAs grown on Si. Photoluminescence and photoreflectance measurements were also performed on the implanted material.
Draw-A-Person Test as a measure of intelligence in preschool children from very low income families.

Ethnic group and sex did not affect either the IQ-equivalent scores or the congruent validities of the figure-drawing test (Goodenough-Harris scoring) in a nationally representative sample of 956 children enrolled in full-year Head Start programs. Higher correlations were obtained for performance (CaldwellSoule Preschool Inventory) than for verbal (PPVT) measures and for older (4-7 yr.) than for younger children. The obtained coefficients (.3-.S) compare favorably with those previously reported for kindergarten and Ist-grade children from less impoverished families. Both PPVT and DAP mean IQ equivalents indicated, however, substantially lower performance for Head Start than for normative groups.
Chirality and life.

The crucial role of homochirality and chiral homogeneity in the self-replication of contemporary biopolymers is emphasized, and the experimentally demonstrated advantages of these chirality attributes in simpler polymeric systems are summarized. The implausibility of life without chirality and hence of a biogenic scenario for the origin of chiral molecules is stressed, and chance and determinate abiotic mechanisms for the origin of chirality are reviewed briefly in the context of their potential viability on the primitive Earth. It is concluded that all such mechanisms would be non-viable, and that the turbulent prebiotic environment would require an ongoing extraterrestrial source for the accumulation of chiral molecules on the primitive Earth. A scenario is described wherein the circularly polarized ultraviolet synchrotron radiation from the neutron star remnants of supernovae engenders asymmetric photolysis of the racemic constituents in the organic mantles on interstellar dust grains, whereupon these chiral constituents are transported repetitively to the primative Earth by direct accretion of the interstellar dust or through impacts of comets and asteroids.
Conjunctival epithelial cells do not transdifferentiate in organotypic cultures: expression of K12 keratin is restricted to corneal epithelium

The conjunctival epithelium is intrinsically different from the corneal epithelium in vivo, but sometimes can transform into an epithelium morphologically indistinguishable from the latter after healing of a total corneal epithelial defect. It remains unclear whether this morphologic transformation represents a process of extrinsic modultation or transdifferentiation of intrinsically divergent epithelium. In air-lifted organotypic cultures, rabbit conjunctival epithelial cells lost goblet cell differentiation and were stratified to the same extent as corneal epithelial cells, resembling the above in vivo morphologic transformation. Paired expression of K3 (64 kD) and K12 (55 kD) keratins has been regarded as a marker for corneal-type differentiation. Immunoblot analysis by monoclonal antibody AE5 revealed that K3 keratin was expressed by both submerged or air-lifted corneal and conjunctival cultures with or without 3T3 fibroblasts in collagen gel. In contrast, K12 keratin was expressed only by air-lifted corneal cultures with 3T3 fibroblasts using monoclonal antibody AK2 and two epitope-specific antibodies to N- and C- terminal oligopeptides deduced from the mouse K12 gene. This finding was also confirmed by Northern hybridization with a rabbit K12 cDNA probe. The expression of K12 keratin was more delayed than that of K3 keratin in air-lifted corneal cultures. This dissociated expression of these two keratins resembles that noted in vivo in the stem cell-containing limbal region. These results suggest that morphologic transformation of the conjunctival epithelium represents extrinsic environment modulation, and that differential expression of K12 but not K3 keratin signifies corneal epithelial differentiation.
Dimethyl sulphide in a stratified coastal salt pond

Dimethyl sulphide (DMS) is the major volatile reduced organic sulphur compound in open ocean and coastal waters, and its emission from surface water represents a major flux of biogenic reduced sulphur to the atmosphere1–8. It is an algal natural product4,9–11 as well as a product of microbial decomposition of organic matter12–15. In the open ocean, the distribution of DMS is correlated with primary productivity3,4,6,8. In a study of a stratified coastal salt pond reported here, DMS was the predominant volatile sulphur compound in the oxic epilimnion throughout the year. There was consistently a peak in DMS concentration just above the oxic–anoxic interface at low oxygen tensions, probably arising from a combination of physiological stress and decomposition of algal material. During winter and early spring, a second DMS peak was present in the epilimnion, probably associated with algal production. Elevated DMS concentrations did not seem to be related to strict anoxia, as the lowest concentrations were always found in the anoxic hypolimnion where H2S (a volatile reduced inorganic sulphur compound) dominates.
Airborne radar and in-situ observations of a shallow stratus with drizzle

Abstract Observations were made of a shallow stratus of upslope origin using an aircraft equipped with insitu probes and with a vertically-pointing radar of 3-mm wavelength. A cloud layer of 300 m thickness was found below the inversion; an additional layer of 100 m thickness was located within the inversion. The coldest temperature within the cloud was -2°C and the cloud contained no ice particles. Drizzle drops up to 180 Am were present in both cloud layers. The observations reveal precipitation and air motion structures of approximately 1 km horizontal dimensions. The origin of this organization appears to be weak convection. In addition, mixing played an important role in forming the cloud droplet and drizzle drop size distributions.
On the degradation of long chain molecules

The general rate equations for free radical depolymerization previously developed are interpreted for the special case of terminal initiation and absence of transfer in view of recent work by others on the same subject. The discrepancies in the two sets of results are shown to arise from an invalid evaluation of the role of kinetic chain length in this recent analysis.
Mobility of membrane particles in chloroplasts

Abstract A unique structural feature of chloroplasts is the association of the energy transduction system with fused pairs of membranes in the grana. Type II spinach chloroplasts examined by freeze-fracture electron microscopy reveal that particles located in the hydrophobic core of the grana region of the thylakoid membrane system change their orientation in response to: (a) bivalent cations, at concentrations which are known to increase efficiency of coupling between Photosystems II and I, and (b) illumination, which causes a reversible change in the density and size of particles. These results are consistent with a previously reported reversible 25% thinning of a fused pair of membranes in illuminated chloroplasts, observed by conventional electron microscopy. It is concluded that the particulate (protein or lipoprotein) components of the grana membrane system of chloroplasts are mobile, i.e. change their orientation within the membrane in response to functional states.
DGauss : a density functional method for molecular and electronic structure calculations in the 1990s

Abstract Density functional theory, originally developed for electronic structure calculations on solids, is rapidly becoming an important tool in the investigation of structural, vibrational, and electronic properties of complex molecular systems. In many cases, the accuracy of predicted molecular properties is found to be comparable with sophisticated correlated quantum chemistry methods, yet the computational effort can be several orders of magnitudes less. In this contribution, a new, accurate, and efficient implementation of the density functional Gaussian-type-orbital method, called DGauss, is presented. In this implementation, the self-consistent-field procedure is accomplished by a direct method, the integrals are calculated by using a modified Obara-Saika recurrence scheme, and analytical forces as well as non-local gradient corrections are obtained. Using this approach, equilibrium geometries of typical organic molecules and Zn complexes are found to be consistently within about 0.02 A for bond distances and 1–2° for bond angles compared with the corresponding experimental values. Dissociation energies are typically over-estimated, but inclusion of non-local gradient corrections such as those proposed by Becke and Perdew significantly improve the agreement with experiment. Vibrational frequencies, obtained from finite differences of the energy gradients, are typically within about 5% of experiment. Calculations on fragments of a Zn-insulin crystal demonstrate the capabilities of the DGauss method for large molecular structures containing more than 100 atoms.
Picture Archiving And Communications Systems (PACS) And Radiation Therapy Planning: Data And Workstation Requirements

PACS literature to date has emphasized the needs of diagnostic imaging; however, the ability to acquire, manipulate, and display data derived from multiple imaging modalities is also vital in the practice of radiation oncology and radiation therapy planning (RTP). Radiographic or scintigraphic images for RTP must include specific spatial calibration data, as well as data relating image acquisition to anatomic localization within the patient. The digital nature of PACS images and displays allows the radiation oncologist to interactively assist in evaluating whether or not near-by structures are tumor-free. The radiation oncologist may also need to review nonradiographic diagnostic images (e.g., endoscopic images or pathology tissue specimens). Finally, it must be possible to take data such as isodose lines and superimpose them onto images relating the proposed therapy field to patient anatomy. Not only would this be useful for the radiation oncologist, but it would also provide information currently not easily available to the diagnostician and useful in subsequent diagnostic efforts. The three-dimensional (volumetric) data creation for RTP is not currently widespread because of the difficulties in converting images into a coherent, reliable and registered data set; this is the unique contribution of PACS. Software must be developed to permit creation of volumetric models based on data derived from both planar images and various tomographic modalities, including calibration and localizaton data for accurate image registration and scaling. This will permit positive definition of tumor volume by diagnosticians and the radiation oncologists as an initial portion of the therapy planning process. As a part of the underlying data structure for such systems, there must be some uniformity of image format between modalities and vendors; this has been adequately addressed by the Digital Imaging and Communications Interface Standard recently adopted by the American College of Radiology and the National Electrical Manufacturers' Association (ACR-NEMA). In addition, such standardization efforts must also incorporate the necessary calibration and coordinate data. This paper will examine some of the unique requirements for PACS (and PACS workstations)optimized for RTP. The assumption is made here that these are not independent, self-sufficient devices; rather, they are subsystems of a PACS network, capable of sharing certain resources.
Using PC clusters to evaluate the transferability of molecular mechanics force fields for proteins.

The transferability of molecular mechanics parameters derived for small model systems to larger biopolymers such as proteins can be difficult to assess. Even for small peptides, molecular dynamics simulations are typically too short to sample structures significantly different than initial conformations, making comparison to experimental data questionable. We employed a PC cluster to generate large numbers of native and non-native conformations for peptides with experimentally measured structural data, one predominantly helical and the other forming a β-hairpin. These atomic-detail sets do not suffer from slow convergence, and can be used to rapidly evaluate important force field properties. In this case a suspected bias toward α-helical conformations in the ff94 and ff99 force fields distributed with the AMBER package was verified. The sets provide critical feedback not only on force field transferability, but may also predict modifications for improvement. Such predictions were used to modify the ff99 parameter set, and the resulting force field was used to test stability and folding of model peptides. Structural behavior during molecular dynamics with the modified force field is found to be very similar to expectations, suggesting that these basis sets of conformations may themselves have significant transferability among force fields. We continue to improve and expand this data set and plan to make it publicly accessible. The calculations involved in this process are trivially parallel and can be performed using inexpensive personal computers with commodity components. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 24: 21–31, 2003
MicroRNAs in cancer pharmacology and therapeutics: Exploiting a natural synergy between '-omic' and hypothesis-driven research

Commentary on: [Paul E. Blower, Ji-Hyun Chung, Joseph S. Verducci, Shili Lin, Jong-Kook Park, Zunyan Dai, Chang-Gong Liu, Thomas D. Schmittgen, William C. Reinhold, Carlo M. Croce, John N. Weinstein, and Wolfgang Sadee. MicroRNAs modulate the chemosensitivity of tumor cells . Mol Cancer Ther 2008;
A survey of poison control centers worldwide

To stem the rising incidence of toxic exposure as well as the associated morbidity and mortality, the past century has seen the establishment and evolution of poison control centers (PCCs) worldwide. Depending on the location, PCCs vary in terms of staffing model, services offered, and funding sources. In this article, we discuss a survey of poison control centers worldwide.
A 74-Year-Old Woman With Desaturation Following Surgery*

(CHEST 2003; 123:613–616) A 74-year-old woman presented to the operating room for drainage of an L3–4 abscess. She had undergone several irrigation and debridement procedures of multiple joints the day before. Several weeks prior to hospital admission, she had undergone a 14-day antibiotic treatment for a staphylococcus bacteremia and pyelonephritis, initially with vancomycin, then with ticarcillin/clavulanic acid and levofloxacin. The patient’s home medications included rabeprazole, alendronate, hydrochlorothiazide, celecoxib, digoxin, and propranolol. Additional medications administered in the hospital were morphine, oxycodone, and subcutaneous heparin. She was allergic to sulfur and pneumococcal vaccine. She did not smoke or drink alcohol.
Simulation of traffic flow during emergency evacuations: a microcomputer based modeling system

Evacuation is one of the major and often preferred protective action options available for emergency management in times of threat to the general public. One of the key factors used in evaluating the effectiveness of evacuation as a protective action option is the estimate of time required for evacuation. The time required for evacuation is the time associated with clearing an area at risk to areas far enough away to be considered safe. Computer simulation models of traffic flow are used to estimate the time it takes to evacuate or "clear" an at-risk region by means of vehicular evacuation. This paper provides a brief description of the Oak Ridge Evacuation Modeling System (OREMS), a prototype under development at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. OREMS consists of a set of computer programs and models which can be used to simulate traffic flow during regional population evacuations and to develop evacuation plans for different events and scenarios (e.g. good vs. bad weather and nighttime vs. daytime evacuations) for user-defined spatial boundaries.
A Metastasis Modifier Locus on Human Chromosome 8p in Uveal Melanoma Identified by Integrative Genomic Analysis

Purpose: To identify genes that modify metastatic risk in uveal melanoma, a type of cancer that is valuable for studying metastasis because of its remarkably consistent metastatic pattern and well-characterized gene expression signature associated with metastasis. Experimental Design: We analyzed 53 primary uveal melanomas by gene expression profiling, array-based comparative genomic hybridization, array-based global DNA methylation profiling, and single nucleotide polymorphism–based detection of loss of heterozygosity to identify modifiers of metastatic risk. A candidate gene, leucine zipper tumor suppressor-1 ( LZTS1 ), was examined for its effect on proliferation, migration, and motility in cultured uveal melanoma cells. Results: In metastasizing primary uveal melanomas, deletion of chromosome 8p12-22 and DNA hypermethylation of the corresponding region of the retained hemizygous 8p allele were associated with more rapid metastasis. Among the 11 genes located within the deleted region, LZTS1 was most strongly linked to rapid metastasis. LZTS1 was silenced in rapidly metastasizing and metastatic uveal melanomas but not in slowly metastasizing and nonmetastasizing uveal melanomas. Forced expression of LZTS1 in metastasizing uveal melanoma cells inhibited their motility and invasion, whereas depletion of LZTS1 increased their motility. Conclusions: We have described a metastatic modifier locus on chromosome 8p and identified LZTS1 as a potential metastasis suppressor within this region. This study shows the utility of integrative genomic methods for identifying modifiers of metastatic risk in human cancers and may suggest new therapeutic targets in metastasizing tumor cells.
Thermodynamic Model for the Solubility of TcO2· xH2O(am) in the Aqueous Tc(IV) – Na+ – Cl− – H+ – OH− – H2O System

Solubility studies of TcO2· xH2O(am) have been conducted as a function of H+ concentration from 1 × 10− 5 to 6 M HCl and as a function of chloride concentration from 1 × 10− 3 to 5 M NaCl. These experiments were conducted under carefully controlled reducing conditions such that the preponderance of Tc present in solution is in the reduced oxidation state and was determined to be Tc(IV) by XANES analysis. The aqueous species and solid phases were characterized using a combination of techniques including thermodynamic analyses of solubility data, XRD, and XANES, EXAFS, and UV-vis spectroscopies. Chloride was found to significantly affect Tc(IV) concentrations through (1) the formation of Tc(IV) chloro complexes [i.e., TcCl4(aq) and TcCl6 2 −] and a stable compound [data suggests this compound to be TcCl4(am)] in highly acidic and relatively concentrated chloride solutions, and (2) its interactions with the positively charged hydrolyzed Tc(IV) species in solutions of relatively low acidity and high chloride concentrations. A thermodynamic model was developed that included hitherto unavailable chemical potentials of the Tc(IV)–chloro species and Pitzer ion-interaction parameters for Tc(IV) hydrolyzed species with bulk electrolyte ions used in this study. The thermodynamic model presented in this paper is consistent with the extensive data reported in this study and with the reliable literature data and is applicable to a wide range of H+ and Cl− concentrations and ionic strengths.
Lightning protection of cable-connected high-voltage distribution substations by surge diverters

For devising a general guidline on lightning protecting of distribution substations connected to overhead lines through cables, the surge voltages at both ends of the cable are derived for various types of incident lightning surges. The substation is represented by an open-circuited cable, which would result in surge voltages at the cable terminations equal to, or more severe than, the surge voltages for practical installations. The results are used to assess: (i) whether protective devices are needed (ii) when they are needed, whether surge diverters at one end of the cable provide adequate protection. Attention is paid to the surge strength of the line insulation, as on it depend the types of incident lightning surge to be used in devising general guidelines.
Impaired contractile function due to decreased cardiac myosin binding protein C content in the sarcomere

Mutations in cardiac myosin binding protein C (MyBP-C) are a common cause of familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (FHC). The majority of MyBP-C mutations are expected to reduce MyBP-C expression; h...
Compressive wireless sensing

Compressive sampling is an emerging theory that is based on the fact that a relatively small number of random projections of a signal can contain most of its salient information. In this paper, we introduce the concept of compressive wireless sensing for sensor networks in which a fusion center retrieves signal field information from an ensemble of spatially distributed sensor nodes. Energy and bandwidth are scarce resources in sensor networks and the relevant metrics of interest in our context are 1) the latency involved in information retrieval; and 2) the associated power-distortion trade-off. It is generally recognized that given sufficient prior knowledge about the sensed data (e.g., statistical characterization, homogeneity etc.), there exist schemes that have very favorable power-distortion-latency trade-offs. We propose a distributed matched source-channel communication scheme, based in part on recent results in compressive sampling theory, for estimation of sensed data at the fusion center and analyze, as a function of number of sensor nodes, the trade-offs between power, distortion and latency. Compressive wireless sensing is a universal scheme in the sense that it requires no prior knowledge about the sensed data. This universality, however, comes at the cost of optimality (in terms of a less favorable power-distortion-latency trade-off) and we quantify this cost relative to the case when sufficient prior information about the sensed data is assumed.
Analysis of hairless corepressor mutants to characterize molecular cooperation with the vitamin D receptor in promoting the mammalian hair cycle.

The mammalian hair cycle requires both the vitamin D receptor (VDR) and the hairless (Hr) corepressor, each of which is expressed in the hair follicle. Hr interacts directly with VDR to repress VDR-targeted transcription. Herein, we further map the VDR-interaction domain to regions in the C-terminal half of Hr that contain two LXXLL-like pairs of motifs known to mediate contact of Hr with the RAR-related orphan receptor alpha and with the thyroid hormone receptor, respectively. Site-directed mutagenesis indicates that all four hydrophobic motifs are required for VDR transrepression by Hr. Point mutation of rat Hr at conserved residues corresponding to natural mutants causing alopecia in mice (G985W and a C-terminal deletion ΔAK) and in humans (P95S, C422Y, E611G, R640Q, C642G, N988S, D1030N, A1040T, V1074M and V1154D), as well as alteration of residues in the C-terminal Jumonji C domain implicated in histone demethylation activity (C1025G/E1027G and H1143G) revealed that all Hr mutants retained VDR association, and that transrepressor activity was selectively abrogated in C642G, G985W, N988S, D1030N, V1074M, H1143G and V1154D. Four of these latter Hr mutants (C642G, N988S, D1030N and V1154D) were found to associate normally with histone deacetylase-3. Finally, we identified three regions of human VDR necessary for association with Hr, namely residues 109–111, 134–201, and 202–303. It is concluded that Hr and VDR interact via multiple protein-protein interfaces, with Hr recruiting histone deacetylases and possibly itself catalyzing histone demethylation to effect chromatin remodeling and repress the transcription of VDR target genes that control the hair cycle.
Successful kidney transplantation after coccidioidal meningitis

S.L. Kokseng, J.E. Blair. Successful kidney transplantation after coccidioidal meningitis Transpl Infect Dis 2011: 13: 285–289. All rights reserved Abstract: Coccidioidomycosis is a fungal infection primarily found in residents or visitors to geographic areas where Coccidioides species are endemic, including the southwestern United States, northwestern Mexico, and certain areas of Central and South America. The infection rarely disseminates, but certain populations are at higher risk of dissemination. One population at high risk of disseminated disease is solid organ transplant recipients. At our transplant center in Arizona, patients with proven coccidioidal infection before transplantation undergo thorough counseling about the risks of dissemination and possible death from coccidioidomycosis subsequent to the use of immunosuppressive medications after transplantation. Currently, patients with coccidioidal infection before transplantation are maintained on lifelong infection suppression with triazole therapy. We present the first successful case of a kidney transplant in a patient after treatment for coccidioidal meningitis without post-transplant reactivation of the coccidioidal infection.
pH threshold for human duodenal bicarbonate secretion and diffusion of CO2

Abstract Gastric acid enters the proximal duodenum both as free and buffered H+. The procedures in this study were threefold: (a) to determine the pH threshold for duodenal mucosal bicarbonate secretion, iso-osmolar citric acid (pH 2.5-4.0; H+, 1.1 mmol) was infused; (b) to examine the effect of varying acid loads (H+, 0.4-5.1 mmol), citric acid (pH 3.0) was perfused; and (c) to quantitate duodenal diffusion of CO2, citric acid (pH 5.0) gassed with CO2 (PCO2, 0-210 mm Hg) was tested. Basal bicarbonate secretion was similar on each test day, 230 mumol/cm.h. Citric acid at pH 2.5 and 3.0 increased bicarbonate output equally to about 560 mumol/cm.h (similar to 2 mmol of 100 mmol/L HCl); citric acid at pH 3.5 and 4.0 had no effect. Varying the acid load increased bicarbonate output similarly. Duodenal loss of CO2 was minimal (4%) with infusion of 50 mm Hg PCO2 and increased to approximately 25% (15 mm Hg/min) at higher PCO2 values. It is concluded that (a) the pH threshold for human duodenal mucosal bicarbonate secretion is 3.0; (b) a pH-sensitive, rather than an acid load-sensitive, regulatory process exists; and (c) CO2 loss plateaus at 15 mm Hg/min at a PCO2 of 200 mm Hg. (Gastroenterology 1992 Apr;102(4 Pt 1):1252-8)
Anatomy in the Third Reich: An Outline, Part 1. National Socialist Politics, Anatomical Institutions, and Anatomists

Although it is known that anatomists working in Germany during the Third Reich have used bodies of victims of the National Socialist (NS) regime for dissection and research, a comprehensive history of the anatomy in the Third Reich has not yet been written. Recent studies of the history of German anatomy departments during this time period provide material for a first outline of the subject matter. A historical review can help with the formulation of ethical foundations in modern anatomy. From the outset, the NS regime sought to reorganize German universities according to NS leadership principles and political goals. Many German academics, especially physicians and among them anatomists, followed these intentions with a voluntary "self-alignment" that encompassed their professional actions as well as their ethics. Currently, political information is available for 111 of 178 anatomists. Thirty-eight of the anatomists were dismissed for racial or political reasons, among them 10 chairmen of anatomy, whereas 35 of the anatomists were politically active members of one of the NS organizations. Over 70% of the chairmen of anatomical departments in the time period from 1941 to 1944 were members of NS organizations. Anatomists, as so many other physicians and academics, belonged both, to the group of victims of the regime, i.e., those being dismissed from their positions for racial and political reasons, and to the group of supporters and sometimes active perpetrators of NS policies.
Diagenesis in Tertiary sandstones from Kettleman North Dome. California-II. Interstitial solutions: distribution of aqueous species at 100°C and chemical relation to the diagenetic mineralogy

Abstract Interstitial brines from the Temblor and the McAdams sandstones at Kettleman are essentially NaCaCl solutions with subsidiary SO 4 and the total salinities are roughly 30,000 and 10,000 ppm, respectively. Activities of H + and all other aqueous species have been calculated for 100°C (the in situ temperatures of the brines) from chemical analyses of the brines and 100-degree dissociation constants alone. The brine alkalinities measured at surface temperature appear to be too low when comparing them against alkalinities calculated from the measured pHs of the brines. Consequently, alkalinities calculated for 25°C were substituted for the measured ones in the calculation of the distribution of aqueous species at 100°C. Although the brines are nearly neutral (pH 6·3–d7·9) at surface temperature, their pHs calculated for 100°C range from 8·1 to 8·7 (± 0·35). These pHs and the 100-degree activities of the other aqueous species permit graphic representation of the brines on activity diagrams. Most brines fall at or near the boundaries between the stability fields of quartz, albite, microcline, mica, montmorillonite and anhydrite. Because these minerals are present as authigenic phases in the sandstones, the calculations suggest that the minerals are in stable equilibrium with the brines. By contrast, the calculations suggest that the brines are supersaturated by about three orders of magnitude with respect to calcite, also present in the sandstones. One possible explanation for this is kinetic inhibition of calcite crystallization by Mg 2+ and SO 4 2− ions in the brines. Phosphatic pellets, glauconite and probably dolomite, pyrite and some kaolinite are early authigenic minerals preserved in the sandstones and they are not now in equilibrium with the brines, which are supersaturated with respect to dolomite and pyrite. The chemical relationship between the brines and the diagenetic minerals laumontite and sphene, also present in the Temblor Formation, cannot be assessed reliably until the thermodynamic properties of laumontite and of aqueous titanium complexes are well known.
Creating problem-solving laboratories for undergraduate courses using knowledge-based expert systems

A means of enhancing student learning that takes advantage of the fact that students learn better when they are challenged with problem-solving tasks is described. The technique relies on using custom-designed knowledge-based expert systems (KBESs) as courseware for teaching/learning activities so that essentially a problem-solving laboratory that emphasizes experimental learning is realized. As KBESs comprise highly goal-oriented problem-solving tools, their utilization inherently promotes a medium highly conducive to learning. In this medium, interaction with the material being learned, changing the parameters of the phenomena and seeing the consequences, and learning by doing are the prominent characteristics, all of which are typical of any laboratory-driven learning. >
Radial microstrip slotline feed network for circular mobile communications array

A planar circular array with endfire linearly tapered slot antenna (LTSA) elements [Simons and Lee, 1992] is described. The LTSA has several advantages which include high element gain, wide bandwidth, equal beam width in the two orthogonal planes by proper choice of flare angle and simple construction. The circular array radiates in the radial direction in the azimuth plane and hence eliminates the need for phase shifters and mechanical scanning hardware. To achieve the elevation angle a ground plane is placed below the array which causes the beam to tilt above the horizon. The ground plane also simulates the metal roof top of vehicles. The feed network consists of a sixteen way radial power splitter which is electromagnetically coupled to the LTSA circular array. Electromagnetic coupling eliminates pin and solder connections and therefore improves reliability and lowers the cost. It also results in a wider bandwidth. This type of feed network is very simple and therefore has potential applications in several other configurations of planar microstrip patch arrays also. >
Pollution and Health terminology into the EARTh thesaurus

Highly structured and refined, but flexible tools are needed to deal with issues as the information management on the web and the semantic interoperability. Many issues in the field of knowledge organisation and information management can be traced back to meaning delimitation. There are opposite needs and tendencies: on one hand there’s the necessity to share a common and stable meaning of the terms in order to guarantee communication within a community. On the other hand, openness to further exploration of meaning should also be ensured to do not impoverish its richness and complexity. The term “benzene” could be defined in different ways. A biologist may consider its toxicity and the different routes on which it can enter an organism. An engineer would consider it as a fuel for combustion engine. A physicist may see it as a volatile and inflammable liquid. A fire brigade can consider benzene as a dangerous inflammable substance that cannot be extinguished by water, but only with foam. A chemist may see it as the precursor of a class of chemical compounds, etc. Benzene could be thus defined in several different ways depending on the context in which it is considered. But we should also underline that all these definitions share a common premise: “benzene” is first of all a substance (that can have toxic effects, be used as fuel, that can also cause accidents, etc.). This semantic trait seems to be unavoidable. Starting from this premise and referring also to suggestions coming from the development of applied ontologies a new environmental thesaurus format containing some innovative elements has been designed and is currently available. The goal is the development of a thesaurus aiming to become an advanced tool to be applied for environmental information management, to sustain environmental policy and research. To achieve this result EARTh has been conceived as a tool able to deal with the specific features of the environment sector (multidisciplinary character, high complexity, bio-cultural implications, etc.). In this paper the EARTh component dealing with environmental pollution and heath is presented.
Present status of the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS II) experiment

Abstract The CDMS experiment utilizes Ge and Si detectors operating at 20 mK to search for the Dark Matter of the Universe hypothesized to exist in the form of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs). In early 2000, CDMS set the most competitive exclusion limit for scalar-interaction WIMPs in the Stanford Underground Facility (SUF). A new search (CDMS II) is now commencing with several improvements: a deep-site facility in the Soudan mine, Minnesota; and the detector technology has been further improved to aid in the rejection of surface-electron (β) events. A new generation of detectors, sensitive to the initial athermal phonon flux from a particle event, have been in operation for the past year at Stanford's shallow site and are ready for installation at the deep site.
Chronic Camphor Ingestion Mimicking Reye's Syndrome

Camphor is a potentially dangerous drug which nevertheless remains popular as a home remedy. Because of its hepatoneurotoxic effects, camphor toxicity may clinically mimic Reye's syndrome. The differentiation between the two requires histologic examination of liver tissue, further emphasizing the need for a liver biopsy to establish the diagnosis of Reye's syndrome.