cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Structural mechanism of RPA loading on DNA during activation of a simple pre-replication complex

We report that during activation of the simian virus 40 (SV40) pre-replication complex, SV40 T antigen (Tag) helicase actively loads replication protein A (RPA) on emerging single-stranded DNA (ssDNA). This novel loading process requires physical interaction of Tag origin DNA-binding domain (OBD) with the RPA high-affinity ssDNA-binding domains (RPA70AB). Heteronuclear NMR chemical shift mapping revealed that Tag-OBD binds to RPA70AB at a site distal from the ssDNA-binding sites and that RPA70AB, Tag-OBD, and an 8-nucleotide ssDNA form a stable ternary complex. Intact RPA and Tag also interact stably in the presence of an 8-mer, but Tag dissociates from the complex when RPA binds to longer oligonucleotides. Together, our results imply that an allosteric change in RPA quaternary structure completes the loading reaction. A mechanistic model is proposed in which the ternary complex is a key intermediate that directly couples origin DNA unwinding to RPA loading on emerging ssDNA.
Respiratory related control of hypoglossal motoneurons––Knowing what we do not know

Because tongue position and stiffness help insure that the pharyngeal airspace is sufficiently open during breathing, the respiration-related behavior of the tongue muscles has been studied in detail, particularly during the last two decades. Although eight different muscles act upon the mammal tongue, we know very little about the respiration-related control of the majority of these, and almost nothing about how they work together as a complex electro-mechanical system. Other significant gaps include how hypoglossal motoneuron axons find their appropriate muscle target during development, whether the biophysical properties of hypoglossal motoneurons driving different muscles are the same, and how afferent information from cardiorespiratory reflex systems is transmitted from major brainstem integrating centers to the hypoglossal motoneuron pool. This brief review outlines some of these issues, with the hope that this will spur research in the field, ultimately leading to an improved understanding of the respiration-related control of the mammalian tongue musculature.
Expert systems, neural networks and artificial intelligence applications in commercial building HVAC operations

Abstract For several years researchers at the JCEM have sought ways to apply various artificial intelligence methods to commercial building HVAC operations. This paper, based on two earlier articles, reports on some of the key results of work at Colorado. Expert system enhanced with neural networks trained by historical building data appear to be particularly promising for efficient and semi-automatic supervision of HVAC systems for commercial buildings. It appears that the over reliance on logic associated with expert systems alone can be reduced with a bettwe results neurl networks.
Lower bound on entanglement of formation for the qubit-qudit system

Wootters [Phys. Rev. Lett. $80,$ 2245 (1998)] has derived a closed formula for the entanglement of formation (EOF) of an arbitrary mixed state in a system of two qubits. There is no known closed-form expression for the EOF of an arbitrary mixed state in any system more complicated than two qubits. This paper, via a relatively straightforward generalization of Wootters' original derivation, obtains a closed-form lower bound on the EOF of an arbitary mixed state of a system composed of a qubit and a qudit (a d-level quantum system, with $dg~3).$ The derivation of the lower bound is detailed for a system composed of a qubit and a qutrit $(d=3);$ the generalization to $dg3$ then follows readily.
TU-E-217A-01: Informatics 1: DICOM and the QMP, Assessment of Color Displays.

All Medical Physicists work with the DICOM Standard every day. But the involvement of Medical Physicists in the development of the Standard has been limited. Recently the DICOM Standards Committee (DSC) has established a new Dicom Working Group on Physics (i.e. WG28) and the AAPM has become the secretariat for WG28 and a voting member of the DSC. The structure and processes involved with making the DICOM Standard will be reviewed and the specific role DICOM WG28 has will be summarized. Learning Objectives: 1. Understand the processes involved with development of the DICOM Standard. 2. Learn how any Medical Physicist can become involved in the process of developing the DICOM Standard 3. Learn the charge and structure of WG28 and their current Work Items. Medical color monitors are now widely used for Diagnostic Radiology interpretations. Business class monitors are otherwise used for medical image presentation in clinical departments. Both the AAPM and IEC are now developing recommendations and standards for color monitor performance assessment in medicine. The basic principles of color vision and metrology will be reviewed and current progress with AAPM and IEC working groups will be summarized. Learning Objectives: 1. Understand the tristimulus model for human color vision. 2. Understand the ICC color management framework. 3. Understand the ICC color management framework. 4. Learn how to make color measurements. 5. Learn new recommendations for color white point specification.
Uptake of serotonin by intrinsic neurons of the myenteric plexus grown in organotypic tissue culture.

Abstract The myenteric plexus contains axons, not found elsewhere in the peripheral nervous system, which are distinguished by a specific, high affinity transport system for serotonin (5-HT). This study was undertaken to determine the location of the cell bodies of origin of these axons. Vagotomy decreased uptake of [3H]5-HT and tritiated norepinephrine ([3H]NE) by the myenteric plexus. However, while examination by histofluorescence revealed the presence of descending vagal adrenergic fibers, no evidence was found for the presence or accumulation of 5-HT above a vagal ligature. Vagus nerves thus contain adrenergic but not serotonergic axons. The gut was also denervated of all extrinsic axons by growth of intestinal explans in organotypic tissue culture for 3 weeks. Up-take of [3H]5-HT persisted while uptake of [3H]NE was lost. Light and quantitative electron microscopic radioautography revealed that, as in intact gut, the elements of the cultures responsible for uptake of [3H]5-HT were axons distinguished by varicosities containing large dense cored vesicles. In conclusion, these experiments establish that the mammalian gut contains intrinsic neurons which selectively take up 5-HT. The capacity of these neyrons for 5-HT uptake may be influenced by the vagus nerves.
Closed string field theory loops with symmetric factorizable quadratic differentials

Abstract It is shown that symmetric modular invariant quadratic differentials with factorization properties allow the construction of covariant closed string field theory counterterms that restore BRST invariance to loop amplitudes. Off-shell scattering amplitudes are constructed in terms of hermitian vertices and propagators; they are manifestly factorizable in all channels, and unitary to all orders in perturbation theory. We discuss the modular invariance of Strebel quadratic differentials on any punctured surface.
Preparation of human cDNAs encoding expanded polyglutamine repeats

At least eight neurodegenerative diseases result from expansions of polyglutamine tracts encoded by CAG trinucleotide repeats. Although polyglutamine diseases typically have onset after age 50 in humans, these diseases can be modeled in animals and in cell culture by using highly expanded repeats to accelerate the pathogenesis. Unfortunately, current methods for preparing recombinant constructs with large glutamine tracts either alter the coding region adjacent to the repeat or yield highly unstable pure CAG repeats. We have developed a technique for expanding repeats that results in a more stable mix of CAG and CAA glutamine codons. We expect this technique to allow rapid preparation of highly expand repeats suitable for stable animal and cell culture models for any of the polyglutamine repeat diseases.
The Impact of Teleworking on Work Motivation in a U.S. Federal Government Agency

Although work-related duties are performed via teleworking in all sectors, the U.S. federal government has taken the lead in offering telework arrangements to its employees; thereby causing a proli...
Evasive maneuvers by hepatitits C virus

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) serine protease is necessary for viral replication and represents a valid target for developing new therapies for HCV infection. Potent and selective inhibitors of this enzyme have been identified and shown to inhibit HCV replication in tissue culture. The optimization of these inhibitors for clinical development would greatly benefit from in vitro systems for the identification and the study of resistant variants. We report the use of HCV subgenomic replicons to isolate and characterize mutants resistant to a protease inhibitor. Taking advantage of the replicons' ability to transduce resistance to neomycin, we selected replicons with decreased sensitivity to the inhibitor by culturing the host cells in the presence of the inhibitor and neomycin. The selected replicons replicated to the same extent as those in parental cells. Sequence analysis followed by transfection of replicons containing isolated mutations revealed that resistance was mediated by amino acid substitutions in the protease. These results were confirmed by in vitro experiments with mutant enzymes and by modeling the inhibitor in the three-dimensional structure of the protease.
Closed-form structural stress and stress intensity factor solutions for spot welds in square plates under opening loading conditions

Abstract Closed-form structural stress and stress intensity factor solutions for spot welds in square plates under opening loading conditions are investigated here. First, the existing analytical axisymmetric solutions for a rigid inclusion in a circular plate with simply supported and clamped outer edges are reviewed. Then the results of axisymmetrical finite element analyses for a rigid inclusion in a circular plate are presented. The results indicate that the finite element model with one element across the plate thickness is an appropriate model to investigate the structural stress solutions for a rigid inclusion in a square plate to avoid the local effect of the reaction force due to the constraint applied to the rigid inclusion. Next, the results of three-dimensional finite element analyses for a rigid inclusion in a square plate with simply supported and clamped outer edges are presented. The results indicate that, as the ratio of the plate width to the rigid inclusion diameter becomes large about 6, the structural stress solutions along the circumference of the rigid inclusion become almost uniform. Approximate equivalent radius solutions are then determined in order to use the analytical structural stress solutions for a rigid inclusion in a circular plate to calculate the structural stress solutions along the circumference of the rigid inclusion in a square plate. Then, the results of three-dimensional finite element analyses for spot welds between square plates of different thicknesses and materials are presented. The results indicate that the computational stress intensity factor solutions agree well with those based on the structural stress solutions with the equivalent radius. Based on the closed-form structural stress solutions, complete sets of the normalized stress intensity factor solutions for spot welds between square plates of different thicknesses and materials under opening loading conditions are presented for combinations of steel, aluminum and magnesium sheets and combinations of aluminum and copper sheets for convenient engineering applications.
Nonadherence is associated with late rejection in pediatric heart transplant recipients

Abstract Objectives: The objective was to study the impact of nonadherence on late rejection after pediatric heart transplantation. Study design: This was a retrospective cohort study of cardiac transplant recipients surviving >6 months (n = 50). Patients were stratified by episodes of late rejection. End points were defined by cyclosporin A (CSA) level, CSA level variability, and patient admission of nonadherence. Results: In 15 patients there were 49 episodes of late rejection, and 37 (76%) were associated with nonadherence. Of these patients, 7 of 15 died, and 3 of 15 had transplant coronary artery disease. Risk factors for the rejection were single-parent home, non-white, older age, and higher CSA level variability. In 35 nonrejectors there were 4 deaths from sepsis, post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease, renal failure, and encephalomyelitis. Conclusion: Late rejection after pediatric heart transplantation is associated with nonadherence, is common during adolescence, and is associated with poor outcome. (J Pediatr 2001;139:75-8)
Dilation and evacuation at ≥20 weeks: comparison of operative techniques

Abstract Objective The objective of this study is to compare the relative safety of 2 techniques for surgical abortion late in the second trimester. Study design Retrospective review of patients who underwent surgical abortion at ≥20 weeks' gestation at our hospital from June 1996 through June 2003. Records were reviewed to determine whether the technique used was dilation and evacuation or intact dilation and extraction. Subsequent pregnancies at our hospital were identified, and obstetric outcomes were recorded. Categorical data were compared with Fisher exact test and χ 2 analysis. Continuous data were compared with Mann-Whitney U test. Results Three hundred eighty-three patients met inclusion criteria. Intact dilation and extraction was performed in 120 cases, and dilation and evacuation was used in 263. Intact dilation and extraction was associated with higher parity, later gestational age, and more preoperative cervical dilation. There was no difference in procedure time or estimated blood loss in the 2 groups. Complications occurred in 19 cases (5.0%), and occurred with similar frequency in the 2 groups. We identified 62 subsequent pregnancies. There were no second-trimester miscarriages. Spontaneous preterm birth occurred in 2 of 17 (11.8%) pregnancies in the intact dilation and extraction group, compared with 2 of 45 (4.4%) in the dilation and evacuation group ( P =.30). Conclusion Outcomes appear similar between patients undergoing dilation and evacuation and intact dilation and extraction after 20 weeks' gestation. Subsequent obstetric outcomes are similar between the 2 groups. The technique for surgical abortion should be determined by the physician on the basis of intraoperative factors.
The correspondence between temperament and peer interactions for normally developing and mildly delayed preschool children.

Summary The correspondence between temperament characteristics based on the Behavioural Style Questionnaire and the peer relations of normally developing and mildly developmentally delayed pre­ school-age children was examined in this study. Measures of the peer relations of 64 3- and 4-year-old boys were obtained through an analysis of children's social interactions in a series of specially designed playgroups. Maternal temperament ratings were found to be similar for the younger (3-year-olds) and older ( 4-year-olds) normally developing children as well as for the mildly delayed group (4-year­ olds). Multiple regression analyses indicated that maternal-rated temperament dimensions of persistence and activity level were associated in a logical pattern with both the positive and negative aspects of children's peer relations . Issues related to the construct validity and situation-specificity of the temperament measure were discussed.
Modulation of tight junction structure and function by cytokines

Dynamic regulation of tight junction function is fundamental to many physiologic processes. Disruption of tight junction function drastically alters paracellular permeability and is a hallmark of many pathologic states. Recently, an increasing number of cytokines have been shown to influence tight junction function both in vitro and in vivo. Cytokine-induced effects on tight junction barrier function have also been correlated with effects on intrinsic tight junction proteins and the associated actin cytoskeleton. The aim of this article is to review studies relating to the effects of cytokines on tight junction function and structure.
Agricultural Supply Management and Antitrust in the United States System of Agribusiness

During the last decade organizations of agricultural producers in the U.S. used a supply management practice, which included some form of production restrictions. The purpose of using it is to control the level of supply in order to ensure a fair level of returns to agricultural producers. A practice of using production restrictions has recently raised a lot of concerns among industry participants, lawyers and antitrust law enforcers in the U.S. The plaintiffs in a number of recent and on-going private antitrust lawsuits allege that agricultural production restrictions violate the Sherman Antitrust Act (1890). The article identifies and analyzes key legal and economic issues relevant to the nature and performance of agricultural supply management programs in the United States.
Elastic criterion for dislocation nucleation

The notion of theoretical strength, the critical stress at which a perfect crystal under uniform loading becomes structurally unstable, is extended to non-uniform loading. A position-dependent defect nucleation criterion has been derived and applied in molecular dynamics (MD) and finite-element simulations of dislocation emission in single-crystal nanoindentation. The resulting measure has the physical meaning of a local stiffness; it provides a rigorous basis for modeling the incipient plasticity in a thin-film material. Furthermore, a close connection has been shown to exist between the initial unstable elastic wave and the final atomistic defect.
HF broadcast transmitting antennas

An overview is presented of high-frequency (HF) broadcast transmitting antennas. For long-range broadcasting, high-power wideband directive antennas with slewing and beam shaping capabilities are needed. The design requirements, state-of-the-art, and the future trend of these antennas are discussed. Also discussed are the power-handling capability of the antenna, its mechanical requirements, and siting conditions. Currently available HF broadcast antennas are examined. It is shown that beam slewing in discrete steps can be achieved by phase adjustments between antenna elements and between antenna stacks. Continuous beam slewing in the horizontal direction is achievable, in principle, by the phased-array approach. >
Exploring the Influence of National Board Certified Teachers in Their Schools and Beyond

Purpose: This article explores the relative influence over schoolwide policy and leadership activities of teachers certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Interest centers on teacher leadership activities and perceived influence over schoolwide policy and decision making. In particular, the study asks whether National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) are engaged in leadership and influence that may be attributable to board certification. Method: Data come from a survey of the entire teaching faculties in 47 elementary schools in two states (N = 1,282). Teacher perceived influence over schoolwide policy and participation in leadership activities were regressed on NBCT status, demographic and assignment characteristics, and inclination toward teacher leadership, controlling for schools with fixed effects. Findings: NBCTs engage in more leadership activities at both the school and district levels than their nonboard certified peers. Yet, NBCTs do not report greater influence over schoolwide policy than their colleagues. Implications: The effect of NBCT
The Two Husbands of Vera Tiscenko: Apostasy, Conversion, and Divorce in Late Colonial India

On June 27, 1940, Vera Tiscenko, a Polish actress formerly with the Moscow Arts Theatre, “of her own free will and after due deliberation” embraced the Islamic faith at the Nakoda Mosque at 19 Chowringee Road, Calcutta. Vera Tiscenko's journey from Moscow to colonial Calcutta was a long and tortuous one. Fleeing the country after the revolution, Vera settled in Berlin where she married a Russian emigre, Eugene Tiscenko. Over the next few years they moved across Europe from Nazi Berlin to civil war Spain and finally settled in Mussolini's Rome, where Vera gave birth to a son, Oleg. In 1938, Eugene Tiscenko went to Edinburgh to qualify for a British medical degree, while Vera and her son left Rome for Calcutta after being invited by Professor Shahid Suhrawardy, her former director at the Moscow Arts Theatre. The reason for the separation between the couple remains unclear. Chief Justice Derbyshire was to speculate that Eugene Tiscenko might have intended to settle somewhere in British India after qualifying, but Vera herself admitted that the marriage had been unhappy. Finding “relief and solace in the teachings of Islam,” she cabled her husband the news of her conversion and requested that he accept the Islamic faith. Eugene Tiscenko replied that his religious convictions were unshakable and “refused absolutely” to change his faith.
Noninvasive brain-computer interface enables communication after brainstem stroke

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) provide communication that is independent of muscle control, and can be especially important for individuals with severe neuromuscular disease who cannot use standard communication pathways or other assistive technology. It has previously been shown that people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) can successfully use BCI after all other means of independent communication have failed. The BCI literature has asserted that brainstem stroke survivors can also benefit from BCI use. This study used a P300-based event-related potential spelling system. This case study demonstrates that an individual locked-in owing to brainstem stroke was able to use a noninvasive BCI to communicate volitional messages. Over a period of 13 months, the participant was able to successfully operate the system during 40 of 62 recording sessions. He was able to accurately spell words provided by the experimenter and to initiate dialogues with his family. The results broadly suggest that, regardless of the precipitating event, BCI use may be of benefit to those with locked-in syndrome.
Are We There Yet? Steps Along the Way Toward Implementing Evidence-Based Heart Failure Guidelines in Middle-Income Countries

In September 2011, the United Nations General Assembly met in special session, with 31 heads of state present, to discuss the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) globally. It was only the second time in its 66-year history that the United Nations has had a special session on a health topic. The focus of attention was on the 4 leading causes of mortality, representing >60% of all deaths globally1: cardiovascular diseases (CVD), cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes mellitus. The meeting had 3 round table discussions to focus attention on: (1) the overall health and economic burden of NCDs, (2) developing national capacity for cost-effective and sustainable prevention and treatment of NCDs, and (3) cooperation among nations toward achieving these objectives. Article see p 763 Although NCDs have been recognized as a significant problem in developed countries for longer than the United Nations has itself been meeting in New York, little attention has been devoted to NCDs in low- and middle-income countries. The urgency for finding solutions to the NCD burden for some regions is, however, greater for some regions than for others. In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, nearly 60% of all deaths are attributable to CVD alone, which is nearly double the rate for high-income countries.1 In this issue of Circulation: Heart Failure , Hebert and colleagues2 report on the feasibility of a pilot disease management program for heart failure in the Tbilisi, Georgia, area. The study addresses a potentially significant problem in this region. Most deaths in the region are due to CVD, and most CVD deaths in this region are due to ischemic heart disease. Data on the prevalence of congestive heart failure are not adequately described in this region; however, given the high prevalence of ischemic heart disease and hypertension, it …
Ecosystem Consequences of Biological Invasions

Exotic species affect the biogeochemical pools and fluxes of materials and energy, thereby altering the fundamental structure and function of their ecosystems. Rapidly accumulating evidence from many species of both animal and plant invaders suggests that invasive species often increase pool sizes, particularly of biomass, and promote accelerated flux rates, but many exceptions can be found. Ecosystem dynamics are altered through a variety of interacting, mutually reinforcing mechanistic pathways, including species’ resource acquisition traits; population densities; ability to engineer changes to physical environmental conditions; effects on disturbance, especially fire; regimes; the ability to structure habitat for other species; and their impact on food webs. Local factors of landscape setting, history, and other sources of disturbance constrain ecosystem responses to invasions. New research directions are suggested, including the need for whole-system budgets, the quantification of abundance-impact relationships for particular ecosystem processes, and a better exploration of food web impacts on ecosystem processes.
Improved labeling procedure of [18F]FFNP for in vivo imaging of progesterone receptors

Fluorine-18 labeled ligands for steroid hormone receptors have allowed in vivo imaging of breast tumors containing estrogen (ER) and progestin receptors (PgR) (1–3). The endo isomer of [18F]FFNP (2), 21-[18F]FIuoro-16α,17α-[(7?)-(l'-α-furylmethylidene)-19-norpregn-4-ene-3, 20-dione, was predicated to be a good radioligand with potential for imaging because it has high relative binding affinity to the PgR (190%) (4–5). In vivo biodistribution experiments in rats, showed a high target site-selective uptake of the [18F]FFNP in the uterus and the ovaries (4). The current work was directed toward improving both the radiochemical yield and the specific activity of the [18F]FFNP (2), because of on going clinical interest in using this compound in humans. The radiosynthesis of [18F]FFNP (2) has been previously reported (4) using the displacement of the 21-triflate precursor (endo; 1) in the presence of n-Bu4NOH/18F in THF at room temperature. HPLC purification was carried out using semipreparative techniques on a Whatman Magnum 9/50-silica (0.9 cm × 50 cm) column. This method gave only 2 — 13% radiochemical yield of [18F]FFNP (2) and an effective specific activity of 1239 Ci/mmol. Here we report our initial finding on the facilitated radiosynthesis of [18F]FFNP (2) by nucleophilic substitution with [18F]KF/Kryptofix-222 which leads to an improved radiochemical yield (45% ± 4%, n = 6). Yields are based on resolubilized activity and are decay corrected to the start of synthesis.
The paradoxical liberty of bio-power : Hannah Arendt and Michel Foucault on modern politics

For Hannah Arendt, spontaneous, ‘initiatory’ human action and interaction are suppressed by the normalizing pressures of society once ‘life’ - that is, sheer life - becomes the primary concern of politics, as it does, she finds, in the modern age. Arendt’s concept of the social is indebted to Martin Heidegger’s analysis of everyday Dasein in Being and Time, and contemporary political philosophers inspired by Heidegger, such as Jean-Luc Nancy, Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe, and Giorgio Agamben, tend to reproduce her account of the withdrawal of the political in modernity. In this article, I complicate Arendt’s theory by turning to Michel Foucault’s parallel but diverging understanding of the nature of power in modern society to show, surprisingly, that Foucault’s narrative of the emergence of modern power pictures a society that is more, not less, politicized.
U(VI) Sequestration in Hydroxyapatite Produced by Microbial Glycerol 3-Phosphate Metabolism

Previous studies have demonstrated the potential for removal of U(VI) from solution via precipitation of U(VI)-bearing calcium-phosphate (Ca-P) minerals coupled to microbial hydrolysis of glycerol phosphate compounds. We evaluated this process in circumneutral-pH groundwater from Area 2 of the U.S. Department of Energy Field Research Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Area 2 groundwater contains high concentrations of dissolved calcium (ca. 4 mM), and thus, release of phosphate during glycerol phosphate metabolism has the potential to create conditions favorable for U(VI) sequestration in Ca-P minerals. Microbial enumeration and isolation studies verified the presence of aerobic and nitrate-reducing glycerol 3-phosphate (G3P)-metabolizing microorganisms in Area 2 sediments. Coprecipitation of U(VI) with Ca-P minerals coupled to microbial G3P hydrolysis was demonstrated in artificial groundwater under aerobic and nitrate-reducing conditions. Transmission electron microscopy analysis and mineral-washing experiments demonstrated that U(VI) was incorporated into the structure of the insoluble Ca-P mineral hydroxyapatite [Ca5(PO4)3OH]. Our results support the idea that U(VI) can be effectively removed from solution in contaminated aquifers through stimulation of microbial organophosphate metabolism.
PaleoLakeR: A Semiautomated Tool for Regional-Scale Paleolake Recovery Using Geospatial Information Technologies

Lakes in arid and semiarid regions are often found surrounded by paleoshore relics, attesting to a substantially moister condition in the past. The paleolake extent is critical for us to understand the paleo-climatic and paleo-hydrologic environments. Using geospatial information technologies, this letter develops a semiautomated tool for paleolake recovery, PaleoLakeR, which allows efficient paleolake mapping. Paleoshore relics are first identified in high-resolution imagery, and their elevations are determined from digital elevation data. The paleolake extent is then recovered by tracing the contour at the determined paleoshore elevation. With the assistance of PaleoLakeR, the operator only needs to interactively locate paleoshore segments in satellite images, and the tool can automatically determine their elevations, recover the paleolake extent, and compute the water loss due to lake shrinkage. As demonstrated in recovering hundreds of lakes across the Tibetan Plateau, PaleoLakeR is capable of efficiently mapping paleolakes at regional scales.
The Three-Dimensional Structure of the Biotin Carboxylase-Biotin Carboxyl Carrier Protein Complex of E. coli Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase

Acetyl-coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) carboxylase is a biotin-dependent, multifunctional enzyme that catalyzes the regulated step in fatty acid synthesis. The Escherichia coli enzyme is composed of a homodimeric biotin carboxylase (BC), biotinylated biotin carboxyl carrier protein (BCCP), and an α2β2 heterotetrameric carboxyltransferase. This enzyme complex catalyzes two half-reactions to form malonyl-coenzyme A. BC and BCCP participate in the first half-reaction, whereas carboxyltransferase and BCCP are involved in the second. Three-dimensional structures have been reported for the individual subunits; however, the structural basis for how BCCP reacts with the carboxylase or transferase is unknown. Therefore, we report here the crystal structure of E. coli BCCP complexed with BC to a resolution of 2.49 A. The protein-protein complex shows a unique quaternary structure and two distinct interfaces for each BCCP monomer. These BCCP binding sites are unique compared to phylogenetically related biotin-dependent carboxylases and therefore provide novel targets for developing antibiotics against bacterial acetyl-CoA carboxylase.
Imagining Ritual and Cultic Practice in Koguryŏ Buddhism

Due to the scarcity of extant source materials, the ritual and devotional practices of Kogury. Buddhism cannot be known in any great detail, but they probably had much in common with those practiced in Northern China. Merit-making rituals like the Convocation for the Recitation of the S.tra for Humane Kings and Assembly of the Eight Prohibitions show the relevance of the po.adha in Buddhist communities and suggest a host of devotional practices associated with observing the practices. Extant images allude to the importance of the cults of the thousand buddhas, Maitreya, and Amit.yus. Inscriptions indicate that rebirth in Tuita Heaven was an important goal for Buddhist monks and laity, as well as rebirth on the earth in the distant future when Maitreya comes. Buddhist literature describes the devotional practice of meditation visualization, a way of using pensive images to aspire for rebirth in Tu.ita Heaven in the presence of Maitreya.
Relative timing based verification of timed circuits and systems

Aggressive timed circuits, including synchronous and asynchronous self-resetting circuits, are particularly challenging to design and verify due to complicated timing constraints that must hold to ensure correct operation. Identifying a small, sufficient, and easily verifiable set of relative timing constraints simplifies both design and verification. However, the manual identification of these constraints is a complex and error-prone process. This paper presents the first systematic algorithm to generate and optimize relative timing constraints sufficient to guarantee correctness. The algorithm has been implemented in our RTCG tool and has been applied to several real-life circuits. In all cases, the tool successfully generates a sufficient set of easily verifiable relative timing constraints. Moreover the generated constraint sets are the same size or smaller than that of the hand-optimized constraints.
Instabilities driven by higher-order modes in a radio frequency system with a passive higher-harmonic cavity

The effect of a higher-order mode upon longitudinal beam stability in an electron storage ring is modeled analytically and with simulations. Narrow band parasitic modes and broadband impedance are considered for the Aladdin and MAX-II electron storage rings. The simulations confirm that a passive harmonic cavity strongly suppresses parasitic coupled-bunch instabilities, in agreement with the analytic model. In the long-bunch regime where the bunch length exceeds the vacuum pipe radius, analytic modeling and simulations indicate that a harmonic cavity also suppresses the microwave instability. In the short-bunch regime where the bunch length is smaller than the vacuum pipe radius, analytic modeling and simulations indicate that tuning in a harmonic cavity may worsen the microwave instability.
Category-based search using metadatabase in image retrieval

We present a self-adjustable metadatabase aimed at improving the performance of the relevance feedback module extensively used in content-based image retrieval systems. Our metadatabase provides a mechanism for accumulating the optimized relevance feedback records (which are called metadata records) obtained from previous queries. Each metadata record in the metadatabase includes optimal query, feature weights, and identifiers of relevant and/or irrelevant images, and can be effectively used to guide future queries. With the metadatabase, the relevance feedback module admits a noticeable improvement on its performance for category-based search, especially when the relevant images form multiple classes in the feature space. Experiments on a Corel image set (with 31,438 images) show that our method has at least a 15% improvement on average precision and recall over relevance-feedback-only approaches.
Police Lie Detection Accuracy: The Effect of Lie Scenario

Although most people are not better than chance in detecting deception, some groups of police professionals have demonstrated significant lie detection accuracy. One reason for this difference may be that the types of lies police are asked to judge in scientific experiments often do not represent the types of lies they see in their profession. Across 23 studies, involving 31 different police groups in eight countries, police officers tested with lie detection scenarios using high stakes lies (i.e., the lie was personally involving and/or resulted in substantial rewards or punishments for the liar) were significantly more accurate than law enforcement officials tested with low stakes lies. Face validity and construct validity of various lie scenarios are differentiated.
A NEW APPROACH TO PROBABILISTIC RISK ANALYSIS IN CONCURRENT AND DISTRIBUTED DESIGN OF AEROSPACE SYSTEMS

NASA’s space exploration vehicles, like any other complex engineering system, are susceptible to failure and ultimately loss of mission. Researchers, therefore, have devised a variety of quantitative and qualitative techniques to mitigate risk and uncertainty associated with such low-volume high-cost missions. These techniques are often adopted and implemented by various NASA centers in the form of risk management tools, procedures, or guidelines. Most of these techniques, however, aim at the later stages of the design process or during the operational phase of the mission and therefore, are not applicable to the early stages of design. In particular, since the early conceptual design is often conducted by concurrent engineering teams (and sometimes in distributed environments), most risk management methods cannot effectively capture different types of failure in both subsystem and system levels. The current risk management practice in such environments is mostly ad-hoc and based on asking “what can go wrong?” from the team members. As such, this paper presents a new approach to risk management during the initial phases of concurrent and distributed engineering design. The proposed approach, hereafter referred to as Risk and Uncertainty Based Integrated Concurrent Design (or RUBIC-Design), provides a solid rigor for using functional failure data to guide the design process throughout the design cycle. The new approach is based on the functional model of space exploration systems (or any other mission-critical engineering system for that matter) and has the capability of adjusting in real-time as the overall system evolves throughout the design process. The application of the proposed approach to both single-subsystem and multi-subsystem designs is demonstrated using a satellite reaction wheel example.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Semi-Classical Model of Strongly Correlated Coulomb Systems in Weak Magnetic Field

The integer and fractional quantum Hall effects are two remarkable macroscopic quantum phenomena occurring in two-dimensional strongly correlated electronic systems at high magnetic fields and low temperatures. Quantization of Hall resistivity in the very high magnetic field regime at partial filling of the lowest Landau level indicates the stabilization of an electronic liquid quantum Hall phase of matter. Other interesting phases that differ from the quantum Hall phases take prominence in weaker magnetic fields when many more Landau levels are filled. These states manifest anisotropic magneto-transport properties and, under certain conditions, appear to mimic charge density waves and/or liquid crystalline phases. One way to understand such a behavior has been in terms of effective interaction potentials confined to the highest Landau level partially filled with electrons. In this work we show that, for weak magnetic fields, such a quantum treatment of these strongly correlated Coulomb systems resembles a semi-classical model of rotating electrons in which the time-averaged interaction potential can be expressed solely in terms of guiding center coordinates. We discuss how the features of this semi-classical effective potential may affect the stability of various strongly correlated electronic phases in the weak magnetic field regime (© 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
CosmoTransitions: Computing Cosmological Phase Transition Temperatures and Bubble Profiles with Multiple Fields

Abstract I present a numerical package (CosmoTransitions) for analyzing finite-temperature cosmological phase transitions driven by single or multiple scalar fields. The package analyzes the different vacua of a theory to determine their critical temperatures (where the vacuum energy levels are degenerate), their supercooling temperatures, and the bubble wall profiles which separate the phases and describe their tunneling dynamics. I introduce a new method of path deformation to find the profiles of both thin- and thick-walled bubbles. CosmoTransitions is freely available for public use. Program summary Program Title: CosmoTransitions Catalogue identifier: AEML_v1_0 Program summary URL: http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AEML_v1_0.html Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen’s University, Belfast, N. Ireland Licensing provisions: Standard CPC licence, http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/licence/licence.html No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 8775 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 621096 Distribution format: tar.gz Programming language: Python. Computer: Developed on a 2009 MacBook Pro. No computer-specific optimization was performed. Operating system: Designed and tested on Mac OS X 10.6.8. Compatible with any OS with Python installed. RAM: Approximately 50 MB, mostly for loading plotting packages. Classification: 1.9, 11.1. External routines: SciPy, NumPy, matplotLib Nature of problem: I describe a program to analyze early-Universe finite-temperature phase transitions with multiple scalar fields. The goal is to analyze the phase structure of an input theory, determine the amount of supercooling at each phase transition, and find the bubble-wall profiles of the nucleated bubbles that drive the transitions. Solution method: To find the bubble-wall profile, the program assumes that tunneling happens along a fixed path in field space. This reduces the equations of motion to one dimension, which can then be solved using the overshoot/undershoot method. The path iteratively deforms in the direction opposite the forces perpendicular to the path until the perpendicular forces vanish (or become very small). To find the phase structure, the program finds and integrates the change in a phase’s minimum with respect to temperature. Running time: Approximately 1 minute for full analysis of the two-scalar-field test model on a 2.5 GHz CPU.
Multi-Way Partitioning Via Spacefilling Curves and Dynamic Programming

Spectral geometric embeddings of a circuit netlist can lead to fast, high quality multi-way partitioning solutions. Furthermore, it has been shown that d-dimensional spectral embeddings (d > 1) are a more powerful tool than single-eigenvector embeddings (d = 1) for multi-way partitioning [2] [4]. However, previous methods cannot fully utilize information from the spectral embedding while optimizing netlist-dependent objectives. This work introduces a new multi-way circuit partitioning algorithm called DP-RP. We begin with a d-dimensional spectral embedding from which a 1-dimensional ordering of the modules is obtained using a spacefilling curve. The 1-dimensional ordering retains useful information from the multi-dimensional embedding while allowing application of efficientalgorithms. We show that for a new Restricted Partitioning formulation, dynamic programming efficiently finds optimal solutions in terms of Scaled Cost [4] and can transparently handle user-specified cluster size constraints. For 2-way ratio cut partitioning, DP-RP yields an average of 45% improvement over KP [4] and EIG1 [6] and 48% improvement over KC [2].
Progression of Electrocardiographic Abnormalities in Type 1 Diabetes During 16 Years of Follow‐up: The Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) Study

Background The electrocardiogram (ECG) is an objective tool for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk assessment. Methods and Results We evaluated distribution of ECG abnormalities and risk factors for developing new abnormalities in 1314 patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) from the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) study. Annual ECGs were centrally read. ECG abnormalities were classified as major and minor according to the Minnesota ECG Classification. At EDIC year 1 (baseline), 356 (27.1%) of the participants had at least 1 ECG abnormality (major or minor) whereas 26 (2%) had at least one major abnormality. During 16 years of follow‐up, 1016 (77.3%) participants developed at least 1 new ECG abnormality (major or minor), whereas 172 (13.1%) developed at least 1 new major abnormality. Independent risk factors for developing new major ECG abnormalities were: age, current smoking, increased systolic blood pressure, and higher glycosylated hemoglobin (hazard ratio \[HR\] \[95% CI\]: 1.04 [1.02–1.06] per 1‐year increase, 1.75 [1.22–2.53], 1.03 [1.01–1.05] per 1 mm Hg increase, and 1.16 [1.04–1.29] per 10% increase, respectively). Independent risk factors for developing any new ECG abnormalities (major or minor) were age and systolic blood pressure (HR [95% CI]: 1.02 [1.01–1.03] per 1‐year increase and 1.01 [1.00–1.02] per 1 mm Hg increase, respectively). Conclusions New ECG abnormalities commonly occur in the course of T1D, consistent with the recognized increasing risk for CVD as patients age. Advanced age, increased systolic blood pressure, smoking, and higher HbA1c are independent risk factor for developing major ECG abnormalities, which underscores the importance of tight glucose control in T1D in addition to management of common CVD risk factors.
Beneficial Actions of Nalorphine during Hemorrhagic Shock in Cats

Endogenous opiates have been reported to have detrimental effects on the circulatory system during hemorrhagic shock. However, the specific opiate receptor subtype which mediates these actions has not been defined. In the present study, we have utilized the mixed agonist/antagonist, nalorphine (N-allylnormorphine), which exhibits kappa (kappa) and sigma (sigma) receptor agonism as well as mu (mu) receptor antagonism, to investigate the role of the mu receptor in hemorrhagic shock. Nalorphine (2 mg/kg) produced no significant changes in any observed experimental variable in sham-shocked animals. Shocked animals treated with nalorphine (2 mg/kg) maintained significantly higher final mean arterial blood pressures (MABP) than animals which received only vehicle (102 +/- 3.8 vs 61 +/- 6.6 mm Hg, respectively, p less than 0.001). In addition, nalorphine significantly reduced the rise in plasma MDF activity observed in untreated hemorrhaged animals (42 +/- 3.0 vs 59 +/- 4 U/ml, p less than 0.02). Our results support a significant role for the mu receptor in the deleterious actions of endogenous opioids during hemorrhagic shock.
“One Tree Is Equal to Ten Sons”: Hindu Responses to the Problems of Ecology, Population, and Consumption

L'A. note les relations proches existant entre les enseignements de la litterature epique hindoue et les puranas sur le dharma (justesse, devoir) et l'exploitation accentuee de la terre. C'est dans ce dharma qu'une reponse hindoue aux problemes de population, d'ecologie peut etre trouvee. Les textes dharma qui mettent l'accent sur le devoir de procreation, furent rediges a des epoques ou les epidemies et les famines maintenaient la population a de bas niveaux. Si les textes hindous ne cessent de rappeler la futilite de toute propriete, le consumerisme fait des ravages en Inde au nom de la modernisation