cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantitation of Valvular Regurgitation from Multiple Indicator-Dilution Curves

Dye-dilution curves obtained simultaneously from the pulmonary artery and from the femoral artery following an intravenous injection of T 1824 or Indocyanine Green in normal subjects and in patients with nonregurgitant heart disease yielded a similar contour. This suggested that in the absence of regurgitation the parameters of the distal (arterial) curve can be predicted from the proximal (pulmonary artery) curve. The distortion of the arterial curve by regurgitation can therefore be compared with the undistorted pulmonary artery curve. To the extent that 2 identifiable and measurable flow rates exist between the sites of sampling, a theoretical basis for quantitation of the degree of valvular regurgitation may be derived.
Effects of flooding, salinity and herbivory on coastal plant communities, Louisiana, United States.

Flooding and salinity stress are predicted to increase in coastal Louisiana as relative sea level rise (RSLR) continues in the Gulf of Mexico region. Although wetland plant species are adapted to these stressors, questions persist as to how marshes may respond to changed abiotic variables caused by RSLR, and how herbivory by native and non-native mammals may affect this response. The effects of altered flooding and salinity on coastal marsh communities were examined in two field experiments that simultaneously manipulated herbivore pressure. Marsh sods subjected to increased or decreased flooding (by lowering or raising sods, respectively), and increased or decreased salinity (by reciprocally transplanting sods between a brackish and fresh marsh), were monitored inside and outside mammalian herbivore exclosures for three growing seasons. Increased flooding stress reduced species numbers and biomass; alleviating flooding stress did not significantly alter species numbers while community biomass increased. Increased salinity reduced species numbers and biomass, more so if herbivores were present. Decreasing salinity had an unexpected effect: herbivores selectively consumed plants transplanted from the higher-salinity site. In plots protected from herbivory, decreased salinity had little effect on species numbers or biomass, but community composition changed. Overall, herbivore pressure further reduced species richness and biomass under conditions of increased flooding and increased salinity, supporting other findings that coastal marsh species can tolerate increasingly stressful conditions unless another factor, e.g., herbivory, is also present. Also, species dropped out of more stressful treatments much faster than they were added when stresses were alleviated, likely due to restrictions on dispersal. The rate at which plant communities will shift as a result of changed abiotic variables will determine if marshes remain viable when subjected to RSLR.
NRC: Wait on SPS research

A National Research Council committee recommends that funds not be allocated during this decade for research and development of a satellite power system (SPS). Instead, NASA should monitor relevant technical developments and report periodically to Congress. Cost is the major obstacle to pursuing SPS, according to the Committee on Satellite Power Systems. Earlier estimates of $1.3 trillion are 2½ times too low, even in the most optimistic view, according to the committee. Better energy R&D prospects—technologically and economically—include breeder reactors, advanced coal burning technologies, and solar power from terrestrial photovoltaic cells. The committee also felt that, among other problems, SPS could interfere with terrestrial radio communications and with optical and radio astronomy.
Virtual Bounds: a teleoperated mixed reality

This paper introduces a mixed reality workspace that allows users to combine physical and computer-generated artifacts, and to control and simulate them within one fused world. All interactions are captured, monitored, modeled and represented with pseudo-real world physics. The objective of the presented research is to create a novel system in which the virtual and physical world would have a symbiotic relationship. In this type of system, virtual objects can impose forces on the physical world and physical world objects can impose forces on the virtual world. Virtual Bounds is an exploratory study allowing a physical probe to navigate a virtual world while observing constraints, forces, and interactions from both worlds. This scenario provides the user with the ability to create a virtual environment and to learn to operate real-life probes through its virtual terrain.
Quasi-one-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic flow with heat addition

Die Gleichungen fur die quasi-eindimensionale Stromung einer idealen, reibungslosen, kompressiblen und elektrisch vollkommen leitenden Flussigkeit unter Warmezufuhr und dem Einfluss eines quergerichteten Magnetfeldes sind in charakteristischer Form dargestellt. Ist die Untersuchung beschrankt auf kleine Storungen in einer ursprunglich parallelen, isentropen Stromung konstanten Querschnittes, so konnen die Grundgleichungen linearisiert werden. Hierzu wurden allgemeine Losungen entwickelt. Die Losung fur das entsprechende Problem aus der konventionellen Gasdynamik ist als Spezialfall enthalten.
Paleoenvironmental Analysis of Disconformity and Condensed Bed at Contact of Austin and Taylor Groups (Upper Cretaceous), East-Central and Northeastern Texas: ABSTRACT

A disconformity and overlying condensed bed at the Austin-Taylor contact were examined in eight outcrops over a distance (Austin-Dallas-Roxton) of 450 km. Results of the analysis incorporate information from petrologic, foraminiferal, and trace-fossil studies. Both disconformity and condensed bed formed in a continental shelf environment; shallowest water depths were at Austin. Proceeding northward from Austin, water depth (1) gradually increased to Temple; (2) increased greatly from Temple to Waco; and (3) decreased from Waco to Roxton, to depths similar to those at Temple. Assemblages of omission suite trace fossils that reflect these depth changes include: (1) large Thalassinoides, shallowest depths; (2) small Thalassinoides and Rhizocorallium, intermediate depths; and (3) small Thalassinoides, greatest depths. The condensed bed, in which thickness is as great as 18 cm, is characterized by abundant nodular phosphates that are synsedimentarily phosphatized steinkerns. Halt of Austin sedimentation and formation of the disconformity was probably due to early Campanian regression, which caused: (1) shallowing; and (2) constriction of the southern aperture of the Western Interior seaway, which was directly northwest of the outcrop area. This constriction may have caused an increase in the velocity of currents through the aperture which, combined with shallowing, increased the energy level of bottom waters in the outcrop area and led to periods of erosion and minimal net sedimentation. Subsequent transgression caused an increase in water depth and a widening of the adjacent aperture. This may have resulted in a reduced energy level for bottom waters, which raised sedimentation rates and led to deposition of the condensed bed and overlying rocks of the T ylor group. End_of_Article - Last_Page 679------------
Remote sensing of primary production—I. A comparison of empirical and semi-analytical algorithms

Abstract We have evaluated several algorithms for their ability to predict integrated primary production using remotely sensed data. Published empirical algorithms and a previously unpublished algorithm were compared using data from the Southern California Bight Study and the California Cooperative Fisheries Investigation. The algorithms also were checked using satellite-derived chlorophyll measurements, and the predicted production then was compared to the shipboard-derived production estimate. A semi-analytical algorithm was derived that predicts production based on temperature and chlorophyll. Typically, the empirical algorithms accounted for about 25–38% of the variance in integral primary production. The performance of the empirical algorithms improved when satellite pigment data were used as input. The semi-analytical algorithm explained about 69% of the variance in surface production and 38% of the variance in integral production when shipboard data were used. The algorithm only explained 6–24% of the variance when satellite data were used. The explained variance in integral production could be increased to 44% by in situ “calibration” of the algorith m.
Emotional and Physiological Responses to Social-Evaluative Threat

Social-evaluative threat has been theorized to elicit coordinated psychological and physiological responses, including increases in self-conscious emotions as well as increases in cortisol and proinflammatory cytokine activity. Acute laboratory stressors with social-evaluative threat have triggered robust increases in cortisol, whereas equivalent laboratory stressors without this explicit social-evaluative component have not elicited changes in this physiological parameter. Participants who have reported the greatest increases in self-conscious emotions have also shown the greatest increases in cortisol activity, suggesting that these physiological changes may occur in concert with self-conscious states. Other work has shown that social-evaluative threat and accompanying self-conscious emotions can influence immune parameters associated with inflammation. These findings have implications for a number of areas of research within social and personality psychology.
All-solid-state passively Q-switched mode-locked Nd-doped fiber laser.

We report the generation of Q-switched mode-locked pulses from a Nd-doped fiber laser that uses a solid-state solution of BDN-I dye as the saturable absorber and is pumped by a GaAlAs laser diode. For an absorbed pump power of 110 mW, pulses of 8-nsec duration at a repetition rate of 14 MHz can be generated under an 800-nsec-wide Q-switched envelope at a repetition rate of 10 kHz, yielding an average output power of 8 mW near 1.06 μm. This corresponds to approximately 9 W of peak power in the main mode-locked pulse.
Cosmological self-similarity

By use of a simple set of scaling equations it is demonstrated that atomic and stellar systems show evidence of quantitative self-similarity. Six of the basic parameters characterizing the atomic scale, when properly scaled, are nearly identical to the corresponding six basic measurements characterizing the stellar scale. Galactic scale extrapolations are mentioned and a definitive prediction with which to test the principle of self-similarity is identified.
Data structures for weighted matching and nearest common ancestors with linking

This paper shows that the weighted matching problem on general graphs can be solved in time O(n(m + n log n)), f or n and m the number of vertices and edges, respectively. This was previously known only for bipartite graphs. It also shows that a sequence of m nca and link operations on n nodes can be processed on-line in time O(ma(m, n)+n). This was previously known only for a restricted type of link operation.
Hormonal regulation of macrophage collagenase activity.

Abstract Whereas peritoneal macrophages from nonpregnant guinea pigs were stimulated in vitro by endotoxin to produce collagenase on the second day of culture, those from pregnant guinea pigs were incapable of this response. However, if the cells from pregnant animals were preincubated for one day prior to endotoxin stimulation, collagenase activity could be detected. Injection of either estrogen or progesterone into guinea pigs at doses comparable to those found during pregnancy prior to removal of the peritoneal cells also inhibited the in vitro stimulation of collagenase production. The addition of these hormones in vitro revealed that at 5 × 10−6 M estrogen and progesterone inhibited 53% and 100% respectively of the collagenase activity. Addition of both hormones at a final concentration of 5 × 10−7 M of each inhibited 87% of the activity indicating a synergistic effect since this concentration of either hormone alone was ineffective.
Purification and Identification of Proteins That Bind to the Hereditary Persistence of Fetal Hemoglobin –198 Mutation in the γ-Globin Gene Promoter

Expression of the γ-globin gene is silenced in adult humans. However, certain point mutations in the γ-globin gene promoter are capable of maintaining expression of this gene during adult erythropoiesis, a condition called non-deletion hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH). Among these, the British form of HPFH carrying a T →C point mutation at position –198 of the Aγ-globin gene promoter results in 4–10% fetal hemoglobin in heterozygotes. In this study, we used nuclear extracts from murine erythroleukemia cells to purify a protein complex that binds the HPFH –198 γ-globin gene promoter. Members of this protein complex were identified by mass spectrometry and include DNMT1, the transcriptional coactivator p52, the protein SNEV, and RAP74 (the largest subunit of the general transcription factor IIF). Sp1, which was previously considered responsible for HPFH –198 γ-globin gene activation, was not identified. The potential role of these proteins in the reactivation and/or maintenance of γ-globin gene expression in the adult transcriptional environment is discussed.
Criteria for diagnosis in dermatology and dermatopathology: a critical evaluation.

The logical processes of application of criteria to make diagnoses in dermatology and dermatopathology are examined. The limitations of use of a single criterion are delineated, and the advantages and limitations of multiple criteria are defined. It is important that all diagnostic criteria be applied with careful attention to the frequency of the designated entity in the study population and the sensitivities and specificities of the criteria used. The exclusive use of single, "favorite" criteria should be avoided, and multiple criteria should be applied, whenever possible. (J AM ACAD DERMATOL 11:669-673, 1984.)
Levels of E2A protein expression in B cell precursors are stage-dependent and inhibited by stem cell factor (c-kit ligand)

Abstract Objective The E2A- encoded proteins E47 and E12 are crucial to the development of pro-B and pre-B cells. The expression of E2A protein and mRNA during early B lymphopoiesis was determined and effects of stem cell factor (SCF; Steel factor; c-kit ligand) on E2A expression were evaluated. Materials and Methods Ex vivo murine pro-B cells and pre-B cells were isolated and in vitro B cell precursors were derived after culture of bone marrow with rmIL-7. Levels of E2A proteins were determined by Western analysis and mRNA by RT-PCR. E2A expression in vitro was also assessed in cultures supplemented with IL-7 ± recombinant murine SCF (rmSCF), insulin-like growth factor-1 (rhIGF-1), or Flt3-ligand (rhFlt3-L). Turnover of E2A proteins was assessed following cycloheximide treatment. Results Ex vivo, pro-B cells had lower E47 protein levels than did pre-B cells but had comparable E2A mRNA levels. E2A protein, but not mRNA, levels were reduced in pro-B cells upon culture in vitro with IL-7 + rmSCF. This was associated with increased turnover of E2A proteins. In contrast, culture with IL-7 + IGF-1 or Flt3-L had minimal effects on E2A protein levels. Conclusion Pre-B cells expressed higher levels of E2A protein than did pro-B cells and this mainly resulted from posttranscriptional regulation. Exogenous SCF inhibited E2A protein, but not mRNA, expression in cultured B cell precursors, possibly by increasing E2A protein turnover. The capacity to respond to SCF may influence the levels of E2A during B-cell development.
Influence of enolate geometry on the stereochemistry of Michael additions of ketone enolates to α,β-unsaturated ketones☆

Abstract Preformed lithium enolates of ketones react with acyclic α,β-unsaturated ketones to give 1,5-diketones in good chemical yields. A strong correlation exists between enolate geometry and product stereochemistry; enolates having the Z configuration provide anti addition products while E enolates usually provide the syn diastereomers.
Antidepressants and Fracture Risk in Older Adults: A Comparative Safety Analysis

We examined variations in fracture rates among patients initiated on antidepressant drug treatment as identified from Medicare data in two US states and assessed whether the observed variation could be explained by affinity for serotonin transport receptors. We used Cox proportional hazards models to compare fracture rates of the hip, humerus, pelvis, wrist, and a composite of these, among propensity score-matched cohorts of users of secondary amine tricyclics, tertiary amine tricyclics, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and atypical antidepressants. As compared with secondary amine tricyclics, SSRIs showed the highest association with composite fracture rate (hazard ratio 1.30; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.12-1.52), followed by atypical antidepressants (hazard ratio 1.12; 95% CI 0.96-1.31) and tertiary amine tricyclics (hazard ratio 1.01; 95% CI 0.87-1.18). The results were robust to sensitivity analyses. Although SSRI use was associated with the highest rate of fractures, variation in fracture risk across specific antidepressant medications did not depend on affinity for serotonin transport receptors.
Quadriceps contusions West Point update

A 3 year study of 117 quadriceps contusions in West Point cadets was undertaken to document the effec tiveness of a three-phased therapy program to return these young athletes to full activity with...
Effect of Wall Heat Conduction on Natural Convection Heat Transfer in a Square Enclosure

This paper presents numerical and experimental results for buoyancy-induced flow in a two-dimensional, fluid-filled enclosure. Rectangular cavities formed by finite conductance walls of different void fractions and aspect ratios are considered. Parametric heat transfer calculations have been performed and results are presented and discussed. Local and average Nusselt numbers along the cavity walls are reported for a range of parameters of physical interest. The temperatures in the walls were measured with thermocouples, and the temperature distributions in the air-filled cavity were determined using a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. Good agreement has been obtained between the measured and the predicted temperatures in both the solid wall and in the fluid using the mathematical model. Wall heat conduction reduces the average temperature differences across the cavity, partially stabilizes the flow, and decreases natural convection heat transfer.
A computationally efficient approach for watershed scale spatial optimization

A multi-level spatial optimization (MLSOPT) approach is developed for solving complex watershed scale optimization problems. The method works at two levels: a watershed is divided into small sub-watersheds and optimum solutions for each sub-watershed are identified individually. Subsequently sub-watershed optimum solutions are used for watershed scale optimization. The approach is tested with complex spatial optimization case studies designed to maximize crop residue (corn stover) harvest with minimum environmental impacts in a 2000?km2 watershed. Results from case studies indicated that the MLSOPT approach is robust in convergence and computationally efficient compared to the traditional single-level optimization frameworks. The MLSOPT was 20 times computationally efficient in solving source area based optimization problem while it was 3 times computationally efficient for watershed outlet based optimization problem compared to a corresponding single-level optimizations. The MLSOPT optimization approach can be used in solving complex watershed scale spatial optimization problems effectively. Display Omitted A novel spatial optimization approach (MLSOPT) is developed for complex spatial optimization.MLSOPT reduced optimization complexity with multiple optimization levels.Performance of MLSOPT with single level optimization test cases was evaluated.MLSOPT was robust in convergence very efficient in solving spatial optimization problems.
Plasmid-like DNAs associated with mitochondria of cytoplasmic male-sterile Sorghum

Plasmid-like, linear DNAs were detected in preparations of mitochondrial DNA from cytoplasmic male-sterile sorghum. Designated N-1 and N-2, the DNAs exhibited molecular sizes of ca. 5,700 and 5,300 bp, respectively. The DNAs occurred in only the IS1112C entry among 24 entries examined. Electron microscopy of the DNAs indicated that the molecules were linear as isolated. Nick translation of N-1 and N-2 followed by membrane hybridization indicated substantial homology between the two DNAs, and some homology to the S-1 and S-2 maize plasmid-like DNAs. At least four additional DNA species, ranging from ca. 1,000–4,000 bp if linear, were also detected in sorghum mitochondrial DNA. The detection of plasmid-like DNAs in sorghum, with homology to the plasmid-like DNAs of maize, suggests an etiological relationship of the molecules to the inheritance and expression of cytoplasmic male sterility in sorghum, perhaps in a manner analogous to the postulated role of these elements in maize.
Relativistically covariant symmetry in QED.

We construct a relativistically covariant symmetry of QED. Previous local and nonlocal symmetries are special cases. This generalized symmetry need not be nilpotent, but nilpotency can be arranged with an auxiliary field and a certain condition. The Noether charge generating the symmetry transformation is obtained, and it imposes a constraint on the physical states.
Why are Congressional Committees Powerful

In “The Institutional Foundations of Committee Power” (this Review, March 1987) Kenneth Shepsle and Barry Weingast made the case that congressional committees are powerful not so much because of members' deference to them as because of the committees' ex post veto, a potential negative committees might deliver, say, at the conference committee stage of lawmaking. But Keith Krehbiel argues that congressional committees have, in fact, never possessed an uncircumventable ex post veto and are very much constrained by their parent chambers. In response, Shepsle and Weingast defend their model of the foundations of committee power.
THE TERMINAL QUALITY OF LIFE AND PASSIVE OR ACTIVE EUTHANASIA

The problems presented by the different categories of dying people are briefly discussed from the point of view of terminal quality of life. Euthanasia is used in its broader meaning, including both passive and active aspects. Passive euthanasia (PE) is exercised by withholding advanced or basic life support measures, the commonest form being do not resuscitate orders (DNR). Some data on its application are presented. Active euthanasia (AE), which has been proposed and being applied to a limited extent lately, is criticized as leading the physician and the Society onto risky ground. A position is being taken against it. Decision making, examples of guidelines, legal, philosophical and spiritual considerations are discussed. Wisdom and loving care should be exercised by the physician to assist people in their terminal phases and to alleviate their suffering. That there is not a single answer to the problem is discussed.
Plastic deformation and hysteresis for hydrogen storage in Pd–Rh alloys

Abstract The hysteresis observed when reversibly absorbing and desorbing hydrogen in metals is currently not fully understood. In general, a hysteresis represents energy that is dissipated during a cycle, but the underlying mechanism of dissipation is still uncertain. It has been suggested that the hysteresis arises either from plastic work, or from elastic strains associated with the accommodation of the hydride phase, or from both. We present here experimental evidence that implicates plastic deformation as the cause of the hysteresis in a Pd–Rh alloy. The plastic work is evident from the increased dislocation density, from the accumulation of surface steps from slip bands, from line broadening of X-ray diffraction peaks, and from an increase in hardness with the number of hydriding cycles. A model of this plastic work is developed that depends on an effective yield strength. When this model is correlated with the measured hysteresis losses, two values are found for the effective yield strength. The lower value is shown to agree with yield strength values derived from Vickers hardness measurements. The hysteresis areas for repeated cycles of absorption and desorption decrease little with the number of cycles which is reminiscent of the plastic deformation hysteresis during low-cycle fatigue of metals. This similarity further confirms the plastic nature of the hydriding hysteresis.
Modulation of the mtrCDE‐encoded efflux pump gene complex of Neisseria meningitidis due to a Correia element insertion sequence

The mtr (multiple transferable resistance) gene complex in Neisseria gonorrhoeae encodes an energy-dependent efflux pump system that is responsible for export of anti-bacterial hydrophobic agents. Expression of the mtrCDE operon in gonococci is negatively regulated by the MtrR protein. Hydrophobic agent resistance mediated by the mtr system is also inducible, which results from an AraC-like protein termed MtrA. In this work, we identified and characterized a pump similar to the gonococcal mtr system in various strains of Neisseria meningitidis. Unlike the situation with gonococci, the mtr system in meningococci is not subject to the MtrR or MtrA regulatory schemes. An analysis of the promoter region of the mtrCDE operon in a panel of meningococcal strains revealed the presence of one or two classes of insertion sequence elements. A 155-159 bp insertion sequence element known as the Correia element, previously identified elsewhere in the gonococcal and meningococcal genomes, was present in the mtrCDE promoter region of all meningococcal strains tested. In addition to the Correia element, a minority of strains had a tandemly linked, intact copy of IS1301. As described previously, a binding site for the integration host factor (IHF) was present at the centre of the Correia element upstream of mtrCDE genes. IHF was found to bind specifically to this site and deletion of the IHF binding site enhanced mtrC transcription. We also identified a post-transcriptional regulation of the mtrCDE transcript by cleavage in the inverted repeat of the Correia element, as previously described by Mazzone et al. [Gene278: 211-222 (2001)] and De Gregorio et al. [Biochim Biophys Acta 1576: 39-44 (2002)]for other Correia element. We conclude that the mtr efflux system in meningococci is subject to transcriptional regulation by IHF and post-transcriptional regulation by cleavage in the inverted repeat of the Correia element.
A 90–100-GHz Phased-Array Transmit/Receive Silicon RFIC Module With Built-In Self-Test

This paper presents the first built-in self-test system (BIST) for W-band transmit-receive phased-array modules. Low-loss high-isolation switches are attached to the RF input and output ports using λ/4 transmission-line sections, which result in a high shunt impedance when the BIST is disabled and minimal penalty in additional loss. A W-band in-phase/quadrature down-conversion mixer/receiver with 0.5-dB amplitude and 4°-5° phase imbalance at 90-100 GHz is also implemented on-chip and is used as an on-chip vector network analyzer. The BIST allows the measurement of the normalized S21 in both transmit and receive modes with high accuracy (4-bit phase response, 0.5-dB amplitude variation) at 90-100 GHz without any external calibration. The BIST also results in a normalized frequency response that agrees well with the measured S-parameters at 90-100 GHz.
In vivo Fluorescence Imaging of Muscle Cell Regeneration by Transplanted EGFP-labeled Myoblasts

In vivo fluorescence imaging (FLI) enables monitoring fluorescent protein (FP)-labeled cells and proteins in living organisms noninvasively. Here, we examined whether this modality could reach a sufficient sensitivity to allow evaluation of the regeneration process of enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP)-labeled muscle precursors (myoblasts). Using a basic FLI station, we were able to detect clear fluorescence signals generated by 40,000 labeled cells injected into a tibialis anterior (TA) muscle of mouse. We observed that the signal declined to ~25% on the 48 hours of cell injection followed by a recovery starting at the second day and reached a peak of ~45% of the original signal by the 7th day, suggesting that the survived population underwent a limited run of proliferation before differentiation. To assess whether transplanted myoblasts could form satellite cells, we injured the transplanted muscles repeatedly with cardiotoxin. We observed a recovery of fluorescence signal following a disappearance of the signal after each cardiotoxin injection. Histology results showed donor-derived cells located underneath basal membrane and expressing Pax7, confirming that the regeneration observed by imaging was indeed mediated by donor-derived satellite cells. Our results show that FLI is a powerful tool that can extend our ability to unveil complicated biological processes such as stem cell-mediated regeneration.
Genomic regions flanking E-box binding sites influence DNA binding specificity of bHLH transcription factors through DNA shape

SUMMARY DNA sequence is a major determinant of the binding specificity of transcription factors (TFs) for their genomic targets. However, eukaryotic cells often express, at the same time, TFs with highly similar DNA binding motifs but distinct in vivo targets. Currently, it is not well understood how TFs with seemingly identical DNA motifs achieve unique specificities in vivo. Here, we used custom protein-binding microarrays to analyze TF specificity for putative binding sites in their genomic sequence context. Using yeast TFs Cbf1 and Tye7 as our case studies, we found that binding sites of these bHLH TFs (i.e., E-boxes) are bound differently in vitro and in vivo, depending on their genomic context. Computational analyses suggest that nucleotides outside E-box binding sites contribute to specificity by influencing the threedimensional structure of DNA binding sites. Thus, the local shape of target sites might play a widespread role in achieving regulatory specificity within TF families.
The Role of Human Resource Management in Successful National Development and Governance Strategies in Africa and Asia

1. In various places, HofFer insists that the fact of many, if not all, legislators having been trained as lawyers had a significant impact on how they responded to demands for change. Despite their differences, what these lawyer-legislators shared was experience with the administration of estates, that is, of property not belonging to them (7). In Hof fer s words, lawyers became the governing elite (23) whose sense of trusteeship would often make them resort to court-based supervision of reforms (123). 2. On a side note, the pejorative use of the term "bureaucrat" both in Europe and the United States dates apparently to about the same time. In Con gress, this use occurred during the Civil War (79), and in Europe during the 1840s (Kaltenbrunner 1976, 7). This suggests that the administrative state?that is, a regulatory state with bureaucracy as its most important instrument?must have "started" by then.
The violence of prediction: The uneasy relationship between social science and social policy

Abstract Neither the suggestion that certain categories of people be prevented from childbearing nor the suggestion that involuntary commitment of mental patients be made easier is justified by scientific analysis. Assertion that the high rate of violence in the United States is “caused by” inadequate socialization of biologically susceptible children raised by single parents is unjustified by available data. Similarly, results of recent studies predicting violence among the mentally ill provide only minimal implications for social policy. The problem of false positives continues, in both domains, to be a serious one, and the values, biases, and social constructions of “experts” will continue to influence their interpretation and presentation of available facts.
The Melanocortin Pathway: Effects of Voluntary Exercise on the Melanocortin‐4 Receptor Knockout Mice and ACTH(1–24) Ligand Structure Activity Relationships at the Melanocortin‐2 Receptor

The melanocortin pathway consists of endogenous agonists, antagonists, G-protein coupled receptors, and ancillary proteins that mediate the function of the endogenous antagonists. The melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) is involved in the regulation of obesity and the melanocortin-2 receptor (MC2R) is involved in the regulation of steroidogenesis. Herein, we present the effects of voluntary exercise on the MC4R knockout mice in terms of bypassing the morbid obesity and hyperphagia phenotypes associated with this genetic obesity model. Additionally, a systematic truncation study of the adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH 1-24) has been performed and characterized at the cloned MC2R.
Acidity of a Nucleotide Base: Uracil

Experiment and calculations are used to show that the gas-phase acidity of uracil is comparable to that of HCl. The gas-phase acidity of uracil (denoted here by U) was bracketed by proton-transfer measurements involving Uand various reference acids (denoted here by A) of known gas-phase acidity. Rate constants for proton transfer from the reference acid A to the conjugate anion of uracil, (U-H)-, were measured in a selected-ion flow tube at 298 K. Rate constants for proton transfer from U to ions (A-H) - were measured at 467 K in a flowing-afterglow Langmuir probe apparatus. Here, (U-H) or (A-H) indicates a U or A molecule which is missing an H atom, respectively. The result is ΔH a c i d (uracil) = 333 ′ 5 kcal mol - 1 and ΔG a c i d (uracil) = 326 ′ 5 kcal mol - 1 at 298 K, which agrees with earlier work. Thermal electron attachment to uracil was found to be too slow to permit measurement of a rate constant, consistent with the gas-phase acidity given above. G3 and G3(MP2) calculations are reported for uracil, and for the each of the (U-H) radicals and (U-H) - ions that result from H or H + loss from each of the four hydrogen sites of U (on the N1, N3, C5, and C6 positions). From the calculated total energies we obtain the gas-phase acidity of uracil, the four U-H homolytic bond strengths, and the electron affinities of the four possible fragment radicals. We confirm earlier work that the most acidic site in uracil is at the N1 site; this site is where uracil becomes covalently bonded to a carbon of the ribose sugar in RNA. G3 calculations for the N1 site at 298 K give ΔH° a c i d (uracil) = 334.5 kcal mol - 1 and ΔG° a c i d (uracil) = 327.1 kcal mol - 1 at 298 K, in good agreement with the experiment. The weakest H-atom bond enthalpy (at the N1 site) is calculated to be 101.8 kcal mol - 1 .
A DYE DIFFUSION TECHNIQUE TO EVALUATE GEL PROPERTIES

A diffusion method is described which can be used to evaluate the properties of macromolecular gelling agents. A dye solution is layered onto the top of a gel prepared to different concentrations and the solution is allowed to diffuse until a concentration gradient has formed. The concentration gradient as a function of distance and time is then evaluated using a scanning densitometer. From these results the apparent diffusion coefficient of the dye using Fick's second law is calculated. Care must be taken when evaluating gel systems using this method to account for dye:polymer interactions and to minimize polymer gel swelling. From the diffusion coefficient an evaluation of the structure of the gel can be made with respect to its degree of spacing.
GREEN'S FUNCTIONS FOR AN ANISOTROPIC ELLIPTIC INCLUSION UNDER GENERALIZED PLANE STRAIN DEFORMATIONS

Green's functions for an infinite anisotropic elastic medium with an elliptic inclusion of dissimilar material are obtained for a line force and a line dislocation that may be located outside, inside, or on the interface of the elliptic inclusion. From the expressions of the Green's functions it is clear that they are identical in the limit when the line force and the line dislocation are on the elliptic boundary. This is achieved by carefully including all image singularities in the solutions. While the solutions contain an infinite series, it is shown that closed-form solutions are possible when (i) the impedances of the two materials are identical, or (ii) the Stroh eigenvalues p α (α = 1, 2, 3) for the material inside the inclusion are triple roots and are given by p 1 = p 2 = p 3 = ia/b, where a and b are the major and minor axes of the ellipse. A special case of (ii) is when the ellipse is a circle, and the material inside the circle is isotropic. The material outside the ellipse can be arbitrary.
Sodium profiling in elderly haemodialysis patients

Intradialytic vascular instability continues to be one of the most frequent complications in elderly haemodialysis patients. Signs of impending hypotension such as sweating, apprehension, tachycardia, nausea, or vomiting may be infrequent in the geriatric population. The onset of hypotension in the elderly may be sudden and profound and may lead to serious consequences such as myocardial infarction, stroke, or aspiration if not treated promptly. Prevention of vascular instability is extremely important in the elderly. Avoiding rapid ultrafiltration sedatives, or antihypertensive medications and food intake may be beneficial. Optimal dialysate composition (dialysate sodium, bicarbonate, and calcium concentration) is important. Dialysate sodium profiling may be useful in the elderly to reduce intradialytic hypotension. Step sodium profiles result in better plasma volume refilling in early dialysis, while linear dialysate sodium profiles have greater plasma volume in late dialysis, suggesting that dialysate sodium profiles may need to be individualized for optimal response. Sodium profiling could also result in sodium retention, and long-term studies are needed in the elderly before their widespread use is recommended. Use of newer modalities such as continuous monitoring of plasma volume with Crit Line, and determination and monitoring of body-fluid compartments with bioimpedance may further improve vascular stability in the elderly.
A transportable neural-network approach to autonomous vehicle following

This paper presents the development and testing of a neural-network module for autonomous vehicle following. Autonomous vehicle following is defined as a vehicle changing its own steering and speed while following a lead vehicle. The strength of the developed controller is that no characterization of the vehicle dynamics is needed to achieve autonomous operation. As a result, it can be transported to any vehicle regardless of the nonlinear and often unobservable dynamics. Data for the range and heading angle of the lead vehicle were collected for various paths while a human driver performed the vehicle following control function. The data was collected for different driving maneuvers including straight paths, lane changing, and right/left turns. Two time-delay backpropagation neural networks were then trained based on the data collected under manual control-one network for speed control and the other for steering control. After training, live vehicle following runs were done under the neural-network control. The results obtained indicate that it is feasible to employ neural networks to perform autonomous vehicle following.
Amplification and analysis of Miocene plant fossil DNA.

Ancient DNA has been extracted and sequenced from several animal and plant specimens. Previous considerations of the damage to ancient DNA have suggested that both the age and size of DNA fragments that can be retrieved and sequenced may be limited, the former to between several thousand and at most tens of thousands of years old, and the latter to at most a few hundred bases. A recent report of a 770 base pair (b.p.) sequence from the chloroplast gene rbcL from a Miocene Magnolia latahensis leaf indicates that both estimated limitations may be too conservative. Further work has indicated that analysis of Miocene fossil DNA can be replicated, and can, therefore, open up the prospects for future development of the field of molecular palaeontology. Successful amplification of fossil DNA is sometimes confounded by factors inherent to fossil DNA or to samples with minimal amounts of target DNA. Techniques that alter denaturation, reduce inhibitors and the problem of contaminants, and repair DNA prior to polymerase chain reaction amplification can increase the probability of success.
Metabolism of myclobutanil and triadimefon by human and rat cytochrome P450 enzymes and liver microsomes.

Metabolism of two triazole-containing antifungal azoles was studied using expressed human and rat cytochrome P450s (CYP) and liver microsomes. Substrate depletion methods were used due to the complex array of metabolites produced from myclobutanil and triadimefon. Myclobutanil was metabolized more rapidly than triadimefon, which is consistent with metabolism of the n-butyl side-chain in the former and the t-butyl group in the latter compound. Human and rat CYP2C and CYP3A enzymes were the most active. Metabolism was similar in microsomes prepared from livers of control and low-dose rats. High-dose (115 mg kg−1 day−1 of triadimefon or 150 mg kg−1 day−1 of myclobutanil) rats showed increased liver weight, induction of total CYP, and increased metabolism of the two triazoles, though the apparent Km appeared unchanged relative to the control. These data identify CYP enzymes important for the metabolization of these two triazoles. Estimated hepatic clearances suggest that CYP induction may have limited impact ...
Accelerating the 'Pace' Against Illiteracy: Parent and Child Education

In 1983, the National Commission on Excellence in Education released a damning critique of the American education system, concluding, "[i]f an unfriendly foreign power had attempted to impose on America the mediocre educational performance that exists today, we might well have viewed it as an act of war."1 The report, titled A Nation At Risk, underscored the generally low expectation of student performance, insufficiently demanding curricula, inadequate teacher training, and poor educational conditions in our nation's schools. In so doing, it stimulated powerful nationwide demand for reform. Kentucky, the state that in 1980 reported the nation's lowest percentage of adults, age 25 and older, who had graduated from high school, had cause to consider itself particularly implicated by the report.2 Governor Martha Layne Collins, a former educator, joined businesses, education reform groups, editorialists and local citizens in clamoring for change. The National Conference of State Legislatures, the Council of State Governments, and the Southern Legislative Conference, among others, inundated legislators with recommendations and plans for reform. The result, in 1986, was the enactment of PACE (Parent and Child Education), a pilot program providing preschool education for the children of illiterate parents while raising the educational level of the parents themselves. PACE is based on the simple but powerful premise that children's education cannot be fostered in isolation from their parents a premise supported by growing evidence of the dual importance to later academic performance of both prekindergarten training and parental involvement in education.
Accelerating Mutual-Information-Based Linear Registration on the Cell Broadband Engine Processor

Emerging multi-core processors are able to accelerate medical imaging applications by exploiting the parallelism available in their algorithms. We have implemented a mutual-information-based 3D linear registration algorithm on the Cell Broadband Enginetrade processor. By exploiting the highly parallel architecture and its high memory bandwidth, our implementation with two CBE processors can register a pair of 256x256x30 3D images in one second. This implementation is significantly faster than a conventional one on a traditional microprocessor or even faster than a previously reported custom-hardware implementation. In addition to parallelizing the code for multiple cores and organizing the data structure for reducing the amount of the memory traffic, it is also critical to optimize the code for the SIMD pipeline structure. We note that code optimization for the SIMD pipeline alone results in a 4.2x-8.7x acceleration for the computation of small kernels. Further, SIMD optimization alone results in a 4.5x end-end application speedup.
Antarctic subglacial sedimentary layer thickness from receiver function analysis

Abstract A large part of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) is on the West Antarctic rift system. The base of the ice sheet is currently below sea level, which has lead some researchers to suggest that its size, volume, and flow characteristics are particularly sensitive to climate change. Much of the ice is transported from the interior to the coast via fast-flowing glaciers and ice streams whose flow dynamics are strongly controlled by conditions at the bed. Variations in basal temperature, water content, and the distribution and lithology of sedimentary basins and crystalline basement contribute to the complexity of the observed flow environments in West Antarctica. Determining those parameters will contribute to an improved ability to model the ice sheet accurately. We report on the characteristics of sedimentary layers beneath the Antarctic using broadband seismic techniques and their association with flow of the ice sheet.
Electronic Health Record Certification in Oncology: Role of the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology

The transparency and multidisciplinary nature of the CCHIT criteria development process ensure that certification is a meaningful and clinically relevant achievement for an EHR product.
Hrem Study of A Ceramic/Ceramic Interface: MgO/A12O3

MgO was deposited on different planes of sapphire substrates by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE). Cross-sectional specimens from these systems were prepared and investigated by high resolution electron microscopy (HREM). Two different orientation relationships were obtained for MgO films deposited on the differently oriented sapphire substrate. Misfit dislocations at the interface in each case were analyzed. MgA1 2 O 4 (spinel) forms at the MgO/A1 2 O 3 interface by a solid state reaction under electron beam irradiation.
Squeezing Flow Viscosimetry of Peanut Butter

The rheological characteristics of peanut butter were determined in two types of lubricated squeezing flow tests, one based on constant deformation rate and the other on deformation under constant stress (creep). Elongational flow was observed in both types of tests. When the flow regime was not governed by viscoelastic effects, peanut butter could be described as a power law fluid with consistency on the order of 70–200 KPa and flow index of 0.5–0.7.
Discrete-time homogeneous Lyapunov functions for homogeneous difference inclusions

In this paper, we consider homogeneity (of discrete-time systems) with respect to generalized dilations, which define a broader class of operators than dilations. The notion of generalized dilations allows us to deal with the stability of attractors that are more general than a single point, which may be unbounded sets. We study homogeneous difference inclusions where every solution passed through a homogeneous measure function is bounded from above by a class-KL estimate in terms of time and the initial state passed through the measure function. We show that for such inclusions, under some generic assumptions, there exist a continuous Lyapunov function that is homogeneous of arbitrary degree and smooth everywhere possibly except at the attractor.
Hemodialysis catheter locking solutions and the prevention of catheter dysfunction: a meta-analysis.

PurposeTunneled dialysis catheters (TDCs) continue to be utilized at an alarming rate despite having a higher rate of complications when compared to fistulas and grafts. One of the primary complica...