cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Embedded flaws in unidirectional composites

Abstract An analytical model is developed for the determination of displacement and stress distributions in a finite three-dimensional unidirectional composite with broken fibers forming an embedded planar crack, normal to the fibers and the loading. In order to reduce the complexity of the elasticity formulations, some assumptions have been made as to the physically significant stresses to be retained; fibers carry the tensile load and the matrix carries only the shear force. These assumptions simplify the partial differential equations into a set of differential-difference equations. The governing equations are solved for various crack configurations as the composite material is subjected to a uniform tensile load along the fiber direction. The results for different shapes of the embedded crack show that a crack tends to extend first at the centers of its straight edges and eventually attains a circular shape.
Active Site Aspartate Residues Are Critical for Tryptophan Tryptophylquinone Biogenesis in Methylamine Dehydrogenase

The biosynthesis of methylamine dehydrogenase (MADH) requires formation of six intrasubunit disulfide bonds, incorporation of two oxygens into residue βTrp57 and covalent cross-linking of βTrp57 to βTrp108 to form the protein-derived cofactor tryptophan tryptophylquinone (TTQ). Residues βAsp76 and βAsp32 are located in close proximity to the quinone oxygens of TTQ in the enzyme active site. These residues are structurally conserved in quinohemoprotein amine dehydrogenase, which possesses a cysteine tryptophylquinone cofactor. Relatively conservative βD76N and βD32N mutations resulted in very low levels of MADH expression. Analysis of the isolated proteins by mass spectrometry revealed that each mutation affected TTQ biogenesis. βD76N MADH possessed the six disulfides but had no oxygen incorporated into βTrp57 and was completely inactive. The βD32N MADH preparation contained a major species with six disulfides but no oxygen incorporated into βTrp57 and a minor species with both oxygens incorporated, which was active. The steady-state kinetic parameters for the βD32N mutant were significantly altered by the mutation and exhibited a 1000-fold increase in the Km value for methylamine. These results have allowed us to more clearly define the sequence of events that lead to TTQ biogenesis and to define novel roles for aspartate residues in the biogenesis of a protein-derived cofactor.
Stressed and depressed.

Knocking out a stress hormone receptor in the forebrain of mice generates symptoms of depression, which are alleviated by the antidepressant imipramine. The findings begin to unravel the intricate relationship between stress and depression.
Attachment Styles and Contingencies of Self-Worth:

Previous research on attachment theory has focused on mean differences in level of self-esteem among people with different attachment styles. The present study examines the associations between attachment styles and different bases of self-esteem, or contingencies of self-worth, among a sample of 795 college students. Results showed that attachment security was related to basing self-worth on family support. Both the preoccupied attachment style and fearful attachment style were related to basing self-worth on physical attractiveness. The dismissing attachment style was related to basing self-worth less on others' approval, family support, and God's love.
Timing of growth regulator responses in peas

Abstract Using an electric position-sensing device, the latent times for growth responses of individual pea plants to auxin, cytokinin, gibberellin, ethylene and abscisic acid were found to be within a range of 5 to 23 min. These short latent periods for growth regulations as well as the short after-effect following removal of ethylene (16 to 21 min.) suggest direct enzymatic controls by the entire set of known growth regulators in the cell. The latent periods resemble that of a metabolic inhibitor (dinitrophenol, 11 min.), and are much shorter than that of a nucleic acid inhibitor (Actinomycin D, 110 min.).
Evolution of Proto-Neutron Stars with Quarks

Neutrino fluxes from proto-neutron stars with and without quarks are studied. Observable differences become apparent after 10-20 s of evolution. Sufficiently massive stars containing negatively charged, strongly interacting, particles collapse to black holes during the first minute of evolution. Since the neutrino flux vanishes when a black hole forms, this is the most obvious signal that quarks (or other types of strange matter) have appeared. The metastability time scales for stars with quarks are intermediate between those containing hyperons and kaon condensates.
Effects of residence time on summer nitrate uptake in Mississippi River flow-regulated backwaters

Nitrate uptake may be improved in regulated floodplain rivers by increasing hydrological connectivity to backwaters. We examined summer nitrate uptake in a series of morphologically similar backwaters on the Upper Mississippi River receiving flow-regulated nitrate loads via gated culverts. Flows into individual backwaters were held constant over a summer period but varied in the summers of 2003 and 2004 to provide a range of hydraulic loads and residence times (t). The objectives were to determine optimumloading and tformaximum summeruptake. Higherflow adjustmentledto increased loading butlower tand contact time for uptake. For highest flows, t was less than 1 day resulting in lower uptake rates (Unet 4000m). For low flows, t was greater than 5 days and U% approached 100%, but Unet was 200mgm � 2 day � 1 . Snet was <half the length of the backwaters under these conditions indicating that most of the load was assimilated in the upper reaches, leading to limited delivery to lower portions. Unet was maximal (384‐629mgm � 2 day � 1 ) for intermediate flows and t ranging between 1 and 1.5 days. Longer Snet (2000‐4000m) and lower U% (20‐40%) reflected limitation of uptake in upper reaches by contact time, leading to transport to lower reaches for additional uptake. Uptake by � 10000ha of reconnected backwaters along the Upper Mississippi River (13% of the total backwater surface area) at a Unet of � 630mgm � 2 day � 1 would be the equivalent of � 40% of the summer nitrate load (155mgday � 1 ) dischargedfrom Lock and Dam4. Theseresultsindicate thatbackwater nitrate uptakecanplayan importantrole in reducing nitrate loading to the Gulf of Mexico. Copyright # 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The unusual near-threshold FCG behavior of a single crystal superalloy and the resolved shear stress as the crack driving force

An investigation of the fatigue growth (FCG) behavior of PWA 1480 single crystal nickel base superalloy was conducted. Typical Paris region behavior was observed above a Delta-K of 8 MPa sq rt m. However, below that stress intensity range, the alloy exhibted highly unusual behavior. The behavior consisted of a region where the crack growth rate became essentially independent of the applied stress intensity. The transition in the FCG behavior was related to a change in the observed crack growth mechanisms.
At the early childhood level

Environmental education at the early childhood level is about fostering a sense of appreciation and caring. The adult's role in the process is primarily that of sharing versus instructing: “sharing enthusiasm, curiosity, and wonder” (Dighe, 1993. p. 59). Helping young children grow in their understanding and appreciation of the natural world can greatly benefit the development of the child and has the potential for enhancing the humanearth relationship.
The distribution of seagrasses of Yap, Micronesia, with relation to low tide conditions

On the shallow coral shelves of Yap, the distribution of Cymodocea rotundata Ehrenb. & Aschers., Thalassia hemprichii (Ehrenb.) Aschers. and Enhalus acoroides (L.) Royle reflects their tolerance of low tide conditions that include mid-day water temperatures exceeding 40°C and water salinity during heavy rains to 2‰. The restriction of Cyamodocea serrulata (R.Br.) Aschers. & Magnus and Syringodium isoetifolium (Aschers.) Dandy to deeper sites reflects less tolerance to low tide conditions.
Production of Irradiation Odors from Beef Protein Fractions and Their Derivatives

SUMMARY This report contains information on some odors produced by gamma irradiation of several beef protein fractions and their derivatives. The odor was shown to vary with protein class, with molecular weight and electric charge, with the medium, and with the availability of functional groups. The unorthodox physical and chemical responses of an odor characterized as a “wet dog” odor are contrasted with those of a “wet chicken feather” odor. Of chief significance is the large variety of irradiated odors that can be produced from a single starting material as conditions are varied.
A review of policy debates around learning in the post-2015 education and development agenda

Abstract Currently, ministers of education and education practitioners around the world are bemoaning the disproportionately shrinking development aid budgets in the education sector at the same time as member states of the United Nations debate whether and if so how to include education as a global development priority in the post-2015 agenda. What role has an increasing focus on learning played in the policy debates of the post-2015 development agenda? The article will review the arguments and evidence shaping high-level policy-makers’ discussion on education as well as the process by which the education community has entered into a conversation about how to measure learning at the global level. In particular, the debates carried out within the broad consultation process of the Learning Metrics Task Force are examined.
Global gravitational anomaly-free topological field theory

Abstract We demonstrate the absence of global gravitational anomalies for a small class of three-manifolds in which topological field theory is defined, by establishing the absence of disconnected general coordinate transformations. Specifically, we prove the invariance of the Chern-Simons-Witten effective action under the mapping class group, that is, the group of equivalence classes of diffeomorphisms that cannot be smoothly deformed to the identity.
Plasma membrane lipids and parainfluenza virus assembly

Abstract The lipids of bovine kidney (MDBK) and hamster kidney (HaK) cells, their plasma membranes, and parainfluenza (SV5) virions grown in these cells have been analyzed and compared with previous results with rhesus monkey kidney (MK) and baby hamster kidney (BHK21-F) cells. Features common to all plasma membranes include a high content of cholesterol, sphingomyelin, and saturated fatty acids. The fatty acid composition of cells and plasma membranes depends to a large extent on the fatty acids in the medium. However, each of the membranes has a distinct and specific phospholipid pattern and molar ratio of cholesterol to phospholipid. With few exceptions, the lipids of virions closely resemble those of the plasma membrane of the cell in which the virus was grown. The results indicate that, in general, the virions acquire the lipid pattern of the plasma membrane of the host cell. However, a lipid pattern characterized by a high phosphatidylethanolamine and relatively lower phosphatidylcholine content may be optimal for the formation of SV5 virions. These conditions are met in the MK membrane, and this cell produces a very high yield of SV5 virions. MDBK membranes have a slightly different lipid pattern, but do contain much phosphatidylethanolamine, and MDBK cells produce a moderately high yield of virus with a lipid composition similar to that of virus grown in MK cells. This suggests that, within narrow limits, some selective rearrangement of membrane lipids incorporated into virions is possible in some cells. Hamster cell membranes have a very different set of lipids, which are incorporated essentially unchanged into virions, and these cells produce a very low yield of virus. The data suggest a correlation between membrane lipid composition and virus yield, and possibly other biological properties of the plasma membranes.
Testicular lipids in mice with testicular feminization.

Morphological, histochemical and biochemical studies of the testis of mice with testicular feminization (tfm/y) reveal a large accumulation of lipids in Leydig cells and in Sertoli cells. In Leydig cells of tfm/y mice, lipid droplets do not exhibit the special relationship with smooth endoplasmic reticulum that exists in normal adult Leydig cells. Compared to the surgically-cryptorchid control, the tfm/y testis contains more lipid in Leydig cells but less in Sertoli cells. There are also quantitative differences in testicular lipids in tfm/y and normal testes but no significant differences were noted between tfm/y and surgically-cryptorchid testes. The testes of both the genetically defective and surgically-cryptorchid animals contain increased amounts of total lipids and phospholipids, and of free and esterified cholesterols. Exogenous testosterone has no effect on lipids or other characteristics of these cells. The present results suggest that the increased lipids in tfm/y mice result from a genetic disorder that asserts itself (1) in Leydig cells where it is associated with, and is probably a result of, impaired lipid metabolism and steroidogenesis, and (2) in Sertoli cells where it is perhaps attributable to arrested spermatogenesis and impaired steroidogenesis.
Reciprocal Analysis of Francisella novicida Infections of a Drosophila melanogaster Model Reveal Host-Pathogen Conflicts Mediated by Reactive Oxygen and imd-Regulated Innate Immune Response

The survival of a bacterial pathogen within a host depends upon its ability to outmaneuver the host immune response. Thus, mutant pathogens provide a useful tool for dissecting host-pathogen relationships, as the strategies the microbe has evolved to counteract immunity reveal a host's immune mechanisms. In this study, we examined the pathogen Francisella novicida and identified new bacterial virulence factors that interact with different parts of the Drosophila melanogaster innate immune system. We performed a genome-wide screen to identify F. novicida genes required for growth and survival within the fly and identified a set of 149 negatively selected mutants. Among these, we identified a class of genes including the transcription factor oxyR, and the DNA repair proteins uvrB, recB, and ruvC that help F. novicida resist oxidative stress. We determined that these bacterial genes are virulence factors that allow F. novicida to counteract the fly melanization immune response. We then performed a second in vivo screen to identify an additional subset of bacterial genes that interact specifically with the imd signaling pathway. Most of these mutants have decreased resistance to the antimicrobial peptide polymyxin B. Characterization of a mutation in the putative transglutaminase FTN_0869 produced a curious result that could not easily be explained using known Drosophila immune responses. By using an unbiased genetic screen, these studies provide a new view of the Drosophila immune response from the perspective of a pathogen. We show that two branches of the fly's immunity are important for fighting F. novicida infections in a model host: melanization and an imd-regulated immune response, and identify bacterial genes that specifically counteract these host responses. Our work suggests that there may be more to learn about the fly immune system, as not all of the phenotypes we observe can be readily explained by its interactions with known immune responses.
The Impact of Office on Cross-Racial Voting Evidence from the 1996 Milwaukee Mayoral Election

The results of the 1996 Milwaukee mayoral election and the 1996 Milwaukee County circuit judge election provide an opportunity to examine the impact of deracialization on cross-racial voting while considering the symbolic importance of the office. The author finds that a deracialized mayoral election produced lower levels of cross-racial voting than a racialized circuit judge election on the same ballot. This finding suggests that in the future, researchers should consider the office at stake as a relevant factor in studies of deracialization and cross-racial voting.
Effects of race and periodontal status on antibody reactive with Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans strain Y4

Higher levels of serum antibody reactive with Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans strain Y4 (AAY4) have been demonstrated in localized juvenile periodontitis than in other forms of periodontal diseases. However, in studies which reported the racial distribution of the clinical groups, a predominantly black juvenile periodontitis population has been compared with a non-periodontitis control population that was predominantly white. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of race (black or white) on antibody reactivity to AAY4 for subjects with clinical diagnoses of adult periodontitis (AP), non-periodontitis (NP), juvenile periodontitis (JP) and severe generalized periodontitis in young adults (SP). A radioimmunoassay (RIA) was utilized to detect and quantitate antibody to AAY4. Within clinical groups of NP, JP and SP a higher prevalence of seropositive black subjects than white subjects was found. The association between a high prevalence of positive antibody responses to AAY4 in JP subjects compared to NP subjects still exists, but was reduced compared to previous reports. White non-periodontitis subjects, used as control subjects in previous reports, were found to have a significantly lower frequency of seropositivity to AAY4 than black non-periodontitis subjects. This relationship held whether the periodontatly healthy subject was ascertained from a family with a JP or SP family member or was ascertained solely on the basis of a diagnosis of non-periodontitis. The difference in the prevalence of seropositivity to AAY4 between JP and SP subjects was entirely due to the racial composition of the two groups, as nearly half the SP subjects were white compared with only 15% of the JP subjects. Thus, antibody reactivity to AAY4 was found to be related to both clinical diagnosis and race.
Expectations of and for Internal Medicine Clerkship Directors: How Are We Doing?

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine how well published expectations are being met for internal medicine (IM) clerkship directors (CDs). Method: In 2005, the Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine (CDIM) surveyed its institutional members. One section addressed expectations, in terms of requirements and resources, of and for CDs. Survey questions were categorical (yes, no, or unsure) addressing the essential responsibilities and resources outlined in the Alliance for Clinical Education (ACE) consensus statement. Descriptive statistics, Manni-Whitney U, and chi-square testing were used for inferential statistical procedures. Results: Eighty-eight of 109 institutional members responded to the survey (81% response rate). For each responsibility, more than 90% of respondents reported that they were required to meet the expectation; however, for each of the 8 essential resources, the percentage of respondents who were meeting the expectation varied from 41% for additional time and res...
Development of the On-Line High-Performance Liquid-Chromatography Thermospray Mass Spectrometry Method for the Analysis of Phospholipid Molecular Species in Rat Brain

An on-line thermospray liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry method was developed to rapidly analyze phosphoglyceride molecular species in biological fluid. After total lipid extraction, the extract was subjected to the analysis using on-line reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and filament-on thermospray mass spectrometry. Using nonconventional HPLC conditions, partial separation of individual phospholipid class (phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylcholine) and partial separation of molecular species within each class were achieved. In addition, good peak shape was maintained throughout the analysis. By monitoring characteristic fragment ions (diacylglycerol ions) formed in the filament-on thermospray process and according to the retention time, individual molecular species in each phospholipid class can be identified. Using this method, we observed significant differences in the molecular species composition of each phospholipid class in rat whole-brain lipid. Although nonlinear calibration curves were observed for all the diacylglycerol ions monitored, even in the presence of internal standard, semiquantitative and quantitative results still could be obtained for a mixture of phospholipids.
A new layout-driven timing model for incremental layout optimization

In this paper we present a new layout-driven timing model based on asymptotic waveform evaluation (AWE) for improved timing analysis during routing. Our model enables the bottom-up computation of interconnect tree moments, and can be easily integrated with such a global router. Such an integration achieves incremental layout optimization, i.e., timing analysis and routing are tightly coupled, with feedback between them. This achieved incremental layout optimization, through our innovative timing model, is the main contribution of this work.
Optical and mechanical properties of IR-transmitting chalcogenide glass fibers

Sulphide and telluride fibers have been fabricated using the rod-in-tube (RIT) process. The minimum optical losses of the polymer clad and unclad fibers are 0.047 and 0.11 dB/m, respectively. However, the glass clad fibers possess minimum optical losses of 0.6 and 0.7 dB/m, respectively. The difference is attributed to interfacial scattering. The bending strengths have been measured in water, air and liquid nitrogen. While the strength in liquid nitrogen approaches 200 ksi, the results indicate that water has a detrimental effect on the strength, presumably due to a stress corrosion mechanism.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Understanding Strategic Planning and the Formulation and Implementation of Strategic Plans as a Way of Knowing: The Contributions of Actor-Network Theory

ABSTRACT This article has two purposes: first, to take seriously the notion of strategic planning as a way of knowing, and second, to argue that actor-network theory provides a particularly apposite method for understanding whether and how strategic planning works in particular circumstances. Pursuit of these purposes also helps illuminate possible contributions of strategic planning to inclusive, participative, and democratic public management. The paper is illustrated with examples from the 1995 and 2007 strategic planning and subsequent implementation efforts of MetroGIS, an organization created to foster widespread sharing of geospatial information primarily among public organizatons serving the Twin Cities metropolitan area of Minnesota, USA, and further, to enhance their individual and collective effectiveness. The Metropolitan Council, the regional government, is the primary sponsor of MetroGIS, which is comprised of over 300 organizational partners across the region. Conclusions are offered about ...
N-acetylgalactosamine-functionalized dendrimers as hepatic cancer cell-targeted carriers.

There is an urgent need for novel polymeric carriers that can selectively deliver a large dose of chemotherapeutic agents into hepatic cancer cells to achieve high therapeutic activity with minimal systemic side effects. PAMAM dendrimers are characterized by a unique branching architecture and a large number of chemical surface groups suitable for coupling of chemotherapeutic agents. In this article, we report the coupling of N-acetylgalactosamine (NAcGal) to generation 5 (G5) of poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM-NH2) dendrimers via peptide and thiourea linkages to prepare NAcGal-targeted carriers used for targeted delivery of chemotherapeutic agents into hepatic cancer cells. We describe the uptake of NAcGal-targeted and non-targeted G5 dendrimers into hepatic cancer cells (HepG2) as a function of G5 concentration and incubation time. We examine the contribution of the asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGPR) to the internalization of NAcGal-targeted dendrimers into hepatic cancer cells through a competitive inhibition assay. Our results show that uptake of NAcGal-targeted G5 dendrimers into hepatic cancer cells occurs via ASGPR-mediated endocytosis. Internalization of these targeted carriers increased with the increase in G5 concentration and incubation time following MichaeliseMenten kinetics characteristic of receptor-mediated endocytosis. These results collectively indicate that G5-NAcGal conjugates function as targeted carriers for selective delivery of chemotherapeutic agents into hepatic cancer cells.
Jitter measurements of high-speed serial links

Jitter is one of the most important issues in the design and operation of high-speed serial links. We focus on the BERT scan method, a jitter characterization method based on scanning the bit error rate within the eye diagram.
TrAnsFuSE refines the search for protein function: oxidoreductases

Non-equilibrium catalysis of electron transfer reactions (i.e. redox) regulates the flux of key elements found in biological macromolecules. The enzymes responsible, oxidoreductases, contain specific transition metals in poorly sequence-conserved domains. These domains evolved ∼2.4 billion years ago in microbes and spread across the tree of life. We lack understanding of how oxidoreductases evolved; divergence of sequences makes identification difficult. We developed a method to recognise the various versions of these enzyme-domains in unannotated sequence-space. Often, homology is used to transfer function annotations from experimentally resolved domains to unannotated sequences. Unreliability of inferring homology below 30% sequence identity limits single-sequence based searches. Misaligned functional sites may compromise annotation transfer from even very similar sequences. Combining profile-based searches with knowledge of functional sites could improve domain detection accuracy. Here we present an approach that enhances the search for redox domains using catalytic site annotations. From the scientific literature, we validated annotations of 104 InterPro domains indicated as using “transition metals in redox reactions.” These domains mediate electron transfer in 20% of oxidoreductases, primarily employing iron, copper and molybdenum. We used the experimentally identified catalytic residues in these domains to validate sequence alignment-based protein function annotations. Our method, TrAnsFuSE, is 11% and 14% more accurate than PSI-BLAST and InterPro, respectively. Moreover, it is robust for use with other functional residues—we attain higher accuracy at comparable coverage using metal binding, in addition to catalytic, sites. TrAnsFuSE can be used to focus the study of the vast amounts of unannotated sequencing data from meta-/genome projects.
Local vs. Global Scalability in Ad Hoc and Sensor Networks

We address large, random network topologies that are typical in ad hoc and sensor networks. In these systems we need at least two different types of scalability. First, we want that with growing network size the topology remains connected, so that communication is possible between nodes. Second, it is also necessary that the individual nodes can operate with limited energy and complexity, which requires that the number of neighbors of any node remains bounded. Unfortunately, these global vs. local scalability requirements conflict with each other, as it is known, under very general conditions, that full connectivity can only be achieved with infinitely growing node degrees. Therefore, it is important to quantify how large part of the random topology can be still expected to belong to a connected component if the nodes are confined to some bounded degree. We investigate this issue in a model that is more general than previously investigated random wireless network topology models. In our general model we derive an asymptotically optimal trade-off between node degrees and the fraction of nodes that form a connected component.
A Pilot Study of Health Information Resource Use in Rural Public Libraries in Upstate New York

Through telephone surveys and follow-up visits, we sought to answer the questions: In rural public libraries, what is the primary resource for health-related queries? Do reported practices match actual practices? Where do rural library staffs learn about health information? We found that 10 percent (average) of reference questions were health related. Depending on the criteria, 30–60 percent of the time, reported practice matched actual practice. For print resources, the average book provided from the reference collection was 15 years old; for nonfiction it was 9 years old. “Self-taught” and “library system” were most cited as resources for learning about health information.
Ini, a small nuclear protein that enhances the response of the connexin43 gene to estrogen.

This article describes the structural and functional characterization of Ini (AF495522), a novel highly conserved zinc-finger protein that had been identified by screening an estrogen-induced rat myometrial expression library. Ini localizes to the nucleus of HeLa cells and binds to the proximal connexin43 (cx43) promoter, as demonstrated by EMSA. In addition, transient transfection experiments performed with estrogen receptor α (ERα) cDNA show that overexpression of Ini enhances, in a dose-dependent fashion, the up-regulation of the cx43 gene by estrogen. On binding to the cx43 promoter, Ini stimulates the transcriptional activating function (AF)-1, but not the AF-2, of the ERα. This makes Ini one of the few known coactivators specific for AF-1. Because estrogen up-regulates Ini mRNA in the myometrium, it is likely that Ini’s physiological role in this tissue is to modulate the response of the cx43 gene to estrogen. Transfection studies with an Ini antisense construct seem to indicate that Ini plays an ad...
Single molecule array (Simoa) assay with optimal antibody pairs for cytokine detection in human serum samples

Concentrations of cytokines in bodily fluids reflect the physiological or pathological state of the patient and can be used for prognosis, disease diagnosis or for monitoring therapeutic efficacy. However, in the bodily fluids of healthy or sub-healthy individuals, many cytokines are present at concentrations that are near or below the detection limits of current methods. Here we selected antibody pairs to be employed in the single molecule array (Simoa) assay for ten cytokines including GM-CSF, TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, and IL-10. The limits of detection (LODs) obtained were as low as 90 aM–6 fM. These assays allow detection of cytokines in healthy human serum samples at levels significantly below the detection limits of conventional ELISA assays. We provide detailed antibody pair information as well as the concentration profiles of ten cytokines in healthy human serum to serve as reference data for further ultrasensitive immunoassay development and future clinical applications.
Sparse interactions: Identifying high-dimensional multilinear systems via compressed sensing

This paper investigates the problem of identifying sparse multilinear systems. Such systems are characterized by multiplicative interactions between the input variables with sparsity meaning that relatively few of all conceivable interactions are present. This problem is motivated by the study of interactions among genes and proteins in living cells. The goal is to develop a sampling/sensing scheme to identify sparse multilinear systems using as few measurements as possible. We derive bounds on the number of measurements required for perfect reconstruction as a function of the sparsity level. Our results extend the notion of compressed sensing from the traditional notion of (linear) sparsity to more refined notions of sparsity encountered in nonlinear systems. In contrast to the linear sparsity models, in the multilinear case the pattern of sparsity may play a role in the sensing requirements.
Spatial Transform Coding of Color Images

During the past few years several monochromeimage transform-coding systems have been developed. In these systems, a quantized and coded version of a spatial unitary transform of an image is transmitted over a channel, rather than an image itself. In this paper the transform-coding concept has been applied to the coding of color images represented by three primary color planes of data. The principles of spatial transform coding are reviewed and the merits of various methods of color-image representation are discussed. A performance analysis is presented for the color-image transform-coding system. Results of a computer simulation of the coding system are also given. It is shown that, by transform coding, the chrominance content of a color image can be coded with an average of 1.0 bits per element or less without serious degradation. If luminance coding is also employed, the average rate reduces to about 2.0 bits per element or less.
Movement goals and feedback and feedforward control mechanisms in speech production

Studies of speech motor control are described that support a theoretical framework in which fundamental control variables for phonemic movements are multi-dimensional regions in auditory and somatosensory spaces. Auditory feedback is used to acquire and maintain auditory goals and in the development and function of feedback and feedforward control mechanisms. Several lines of evidence support the idea that speakers with more acute sensory discrimination acquire more distinct goal regions and therefore produce speech sounds with greater contrast. Feedback modification findings indicate that fluently produced sound sequences are encoded as feedforward commands, and feedback control serves to correct mismatches between expected and produced sensory consequences.
The fault-tolerant multiprocessor computer

The development and evaluation of fault-tolerant computer architectures and software-implemented fault tolerance (SIFT) for use in advanced NASA vehicles and potentially in flight-control systems are described in a collection of previously published reports prepared for NASA. Topics addressed include the principles of fault-tolerant multiprocessor (FTMP) operation; processor and slave regional designs; FTMP executive, facilities, acceptance-test/diagnostic, applications, and support software; FTM reliability and availability models; SIFT hardware design; and SIFT validation and verification.
Effects of levonorgestrel, medroxyprogesterone acetate, norethindrone, progesterone, and 17β-estradiol on thrombospondin-1 mRNA in Ishikawa cells

Abberant endometrial angiogenesis has been implicated in abnormal endometrial bleeding in users of progestin-only contraceptives. We believe that a possible cause is an underexpression of thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1). Progestins had less effects on TSP-1 mRNA compared to P, in Ishikawa cells, and this difference in TSP-1 expression by individual progestins may be associated with the irregular bleeding seen in women using progestin-only contraception.
Measuring the full economic costs of diet, physical activity and obesity-related chronic diseases

Summary Most studies that have focused on the costs of obesity have ignored the direct effects of obesity-related patterns of diet and physical activity. This study reviews the full effects of each component ‐ poor dietary and physical activity patterns and obesity ‐ on morbidity, mortality and productivity. The direct healthcare costs are based on a review of the effects of these factors on key diseases and the related medical care costs of each disease. The indirect costs on reduced disability, mortality and sickness during the period of active labour force participation prior to retirement are also examined. A case study is prepared for China to provide some guidance in the utilization of this review for economic analysis of obesity. The case study shows that the indirect costs are often far more important than the direct medical care costs. The Chinese case study found that the indirect effects of obesity and obesity-related dietary and physical activity patterns range between 3.58% and 8.73% of gross national product (GNP) in 2000 and 2025 respectively.
Congenital Cystic Adenomatoid Malformation of the Lung

A white gravida 3 para 1 woman spontaneously delivered a 1180-g female infant at 31 weeks of gestation. The infant immediately developed severe respiratory distress, with Apgar scores of 3 at 1 minute and 5 at 10 minutes. A chest radiograph revealed a left lung mass, which displaced the heart and mediastinal structures to the right, resulting in a hypoplastic right lung. An emergency thoracotomy and left pneumonectomy were performed. Despite mechanical ventilation and pressor support, the hypoplastic right lung was insufficient to sustain extrauterine life, and the infant died on the second day. The resected left lung, which measured 9 3 6 3 3 cm and weighed 60 g (normal, 15 g), was grossly distorted, lobulated, and firm. Normal-appearing bronchi and blood vessels entered a spongy red-tan parenchyma. Multiple irregular cysts, ranging in size from 0.1 to 0.3 cm, were diffusely distributed throughout the parenchyma (Figure 1). Light microscopic examination revealed multiple irregular stag horn–shaped or ‘‘Great Lakes’’–shaped cysts surrounded by aberrant terminal airways lined by cuboidal epithelium (Figure 2). The cysts were lined by ciliated columnar epithelium, and their walls contained fibromuscular stroma (Figure 3). The lung vascularity was globally decreased, and no cartilage plates, skeletal muscle, or mucus-producing columnar epithelium were found. The radiologic diagnosis of congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation (CCAM) was confirmed pathologically and subclassified as type 3. Congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation type 3 is a rare tumorlike lung malformation. The resulting gross enlargement of the lung causes compressive symptoms and contralateral pulmonary hypoplasia, necessitating pneumonectomy to alleviate respiratory failure. Histologically, CCAM 3 resembles fetal lung at the canalicular stage of development, indicative of an embryogenic arrest early in gestation. For proper patient management and prognosis, CCAM type 3 must be distinguished from other types of CCAM and from alveolocapillary dysplasia.1,2
The Role of the Epigenome in Human Cancers

Deregulation of the epigenome is an important mechanism involved in the development and progression of human diseases such as cancer. As opposed to the irreversible nature of genetic events, which introduce changes in the primary DNA sequence, epigenetic modifications are reversible. The conventional analysis of neo-plasias, however, has preferentially focused on elucidating the genetic contribution to tumorigenesis, which has resulted in a biased and incomplete understanding of the mechanisms involved in tumor formation. Epigenetic alterations, such as aberrant DNA methylation and altered histone modifications, are not only sufficient to induce tumors, but can also modify tumor incidence and even determine the type of neoplasia that will arise in genetic models of cancer. There is clear evidence that the epigenetic landscape in humans undergoes modifications as the result of normal aging. Thus, it has been proposed that the higher incidence of certain disease in older individuals might be, in part, a consequence of an inherent change in the regulation of the epigenome. These observations raise important questions about the degree to which genetic and epigenetic mechanisms cooperate in human tumorigenesis, the identity of the specific cooperating genes, and how these genes interact functionally to determine the diverse biological paths to tumor initiation and progression. The answers to these questions will partially rely on sequencing relevant regions of the 3 billion nucleotide genome, and determining the methylation status of the 30 million CpG dinucleotide methylome at single nucleotide resolution in different types of neoplasias. Here, we also review the emergence and advancement of technologies to map ever larger proportions of the cancer methylome, and the unique discovery potential of integrating these technologies with cancer genomic data. We discuss the knowledge gained from these large-scale analyses in the context of gene discovery, therapeutic application, and building a more widely applicable mechanism-based model of human tumorigenesis.
The Effect of Foreign Labor on Native Employment: A Job-Specific Approach and Application to North Carolina Farms

Economists have measured the effects of immigration on native employment primarily with exogenous shifts in the foreign labor supply curve. This paper suggests an alternative, occupation-specific approach: directly describe, for one job, the native labor supply curve. The paper applies this method to seasonal farm work in North Carolina, and uses two natural experiments to estimate native labor supply. The first natural experiment uses a legal requirement for farmers to demand native workers as perfect substitutes for foreign workers, describing the level of native labor supply. The second natural experiment uses the spike in U.S. unemployment during the 2007-2008 economic crisis, describing the local slope of native labor supply. The level and slope of native labor supply to this job at both extensive and intensive margins are nearly zero. This identifies two effects of foreign labor supply on native employment: a direct effect (close to zero) and an indirect effect (positive) via consequent increases in sectoral output and its multiplier effects. The paper estimates that one U.S. job across all sectors of the North Carolina economy is created by 1.5–2.3 foreign seasonal farm workers in the short run (Leontieff production), and by 3.0–4.6 foreign seasonal farm workers in the long run (Cobb-Douglas production).
Surface morphology of leukemia virus-infected lymphoid cells.

The malignant transformation of normal cells by tumor viruses, both in vivo and in vitro, is the subject of much current interest. Infection of mice with Friend Leukemia virus (FLV) produces marked changes to lymphoid cells which results in a generalized immunosuppression (3,10,11). Results of various studies in this and other laboratories indicate that the virus preferentially affects antibody precursor cells rather than antibody forming cells (6,8). Examination of spleen cells from FLV-infected mice with the transmission electron microscope (TEM), has shown the presence of C type particles as well as viruses budding from immature blastlike lymphoid cells (1,9). The present investigation deals with changes in the surface morphology of lymphoid cells which can be detected with the scanning electron microscope (SEM) in mice infected with FLV and correlates these with immunosuppression.
ROSSI X-RAY TIMING EXPLORER Observations of LMC X-1

The luminous X-ray binary and black hole candidate LMC X-1 has been observed with the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer to search for quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) previously reported in its high state. The source was observed monthly in a series of nine observations. Analysis of the temporal variations shows no evidence for QPOs or other periodic changes, but correlations between the high-energy light curve and hardness of the spectrum are described. Spectral fits with two-component models demonstrate that the hardness variations come from changes in the intensity of the high-energy power-law tail.
Problem-Based Decision Making

The surgical decision-making process is an art form. No single strategy always works, and even the most inadequate of strategies will work occasionally. The decision-making process involves the assimilation of prior experience of others (e.g., by a learned assessment of the literature), and an in-depth knowledge and awareness of the application of biomechanical and anatomical factors and principles (1).
Osmotic relations between the fluids of the rabbit eye.

SummaryThe osmotic activity of serum and the fluids and humors of the eye was measured (37°) using a vapor pressure osmometer. Vitreous humor was found to be isosmotic to serum. Aqueous humor obtained immediately postmortem was approximately 11 mOsmolal hyperosmotic to serum. On comparison of anterior chamber aqueous humor and vitreous humor obtained from the same eyes, the mean difference was 10.6 ± 8.8 mOsmolal (p < 0.001) aqueous hyperosmotic.The fluid secreted from the anterior surface of rabbit lenses incubated in silicone oil was collected by low speed centrifugal separation. The osmolality of this fluid from 24 lenses was 262.4 ± 16.5 mOsmolal. The fluid secreted by the lens is significantly hyposmotic to each of the other fluids (p < 0.005).The author is very grateful to Carolyn McDonald and Jacqueline Wright for their technical assistance. This work was supported by NIH grant NINDB#1979 (EY00202-13).
Model for the supersolid formation in Bose Einstein condensate with attractive oscillatory potential

We show that a one-dimensional oscillatory Coulomb-like soft core interaction potential predicts the existence of supersolid density modulation in Bose Einstein condensate when the critical potential strength is reached.
THE HOOVER ELITE STUDIES REVISITED

Project RADIR (“Revolution and the Development of International Relations”), conducted at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution in the years following the Second World War, was probably the first large-scale, quantitatively-based empirical research enterprise in contemporary political science. Inspired Dy the theories of Harold D. Lasswell about world revolutionary developments in the modern era, the project was in some respects the successor to work done in wartime Washington at the Library of Congress by Lasswell’s Experimental Division for the Study of Wartime Communications, and by the Organizations and Propaganda Analysis Section that Lasswell had helped to set up in the Special War Policies Unit of the Department of Justice. When published in the early fifties, the Hoover Studies, as they came to be called, were noted not only for their substantive findings but also for their theoretical suggestiveness and their methodological boldness of overall design. Most pre-war empirical, quantitative work in political science had been hyperfactual, but the Hoover Studies represented a genuine break with that tradition. Some early reviewers, if not ignorant of quantitative analysis, had trouble with the project’s theoretical formulations, and others were methodologically innocent.^ The methodological novelty of the Hoover Studies consisted in the demonstration that quantitative data could be generated out of the verbal contents found in newspapers and conventional biographies. Although some political scientists had made use of aggregate data reported in the Census, government budgets, legislative roll-calls and electoral statistics, the notion that one can “create” one’s own massive body of data was still relatively new at mid-century. Public opinion polls had come into existence only in the middle thirties and had yet to be exploited fully for scientific purposes. It was in this research context that the Hoover Studies were published.