cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Evolution of Logic

Examines the relations between logic and philosophy over the last 150 years. Logic underwent a major renaissance beginning in the nineteenth century. Cantor almost tamed the infinite, and Frege aimed to undercut Kant by reducing mathematics to logic. These achievements were threatened by the paradoxes, like Russell's. This ferment generated excellent philosophy (and mathematics) by excellent philosophers (and mathematicians) up to World War II. This book provides a selective, critical history of the collaboration between logic and philosophy during this period. After World War II, mathematical logic became a recognized subdiscipline in mathematics departments, and consequently but unfortunately philosophers have lost touch with its monuments. This book aims to make four of them (consistency and independence of the continuum hypothesis, Post's problem, and Morley's theorem) more accessible to philosophers, making available the tools necessary for modern scholars of philosophy to renew a productive dialogue between logic and philosophy.
Protecting Content in a Digital Age

In addition to protecting your intellectual rights, as an author, you also want to protect your right to royalties and you want your users to be able to perform tasks like loan the book to their friends so they can preview your book and then buy their own copy. These goals are accomplished through the application of Digital Rights Management technology to electronic books.
Monster Mischief: Designing a Video Game to Assess Selective Sustained Attention

Selective sustained attention, or the ability to allocate perceptual and mental resources to a single object or event, is an important cognitive ability widely assumed to be required for learning. Assessing young children's selective sustained attention is challenging due to the limited number of sensitive and developmentally appropriate performance-based measures. Furthermore, administration of existing assessments is difficult, as children's engagement with such tasks wanes quickly. One potential solution is to provide assessments within an engaging environment, such as a video game. This paper reports the design and psychometric validation of a video game Monster Mischief designed to assess selective sustained attention in preschool children. In a randomized controlled trial, the authors demonstrate that Monster Mischief is significantly correlated with an existing measure of selective sustained attention rs = 0.52, and more motivating for young children as almost 3 times more children preferred Monster Mischief to the existing measure.
Responding to directional cues: a tale of two cells [biochemical signaling pathways]

The study of biochemical signaling pathways is of immense importance. Abnormalities in cell signaling have been linked to the development of many serious diseases. In this article, the author has presented two of the best-understood signaling pathways in eukaryotic cells and illustrated the similarities between traditional control engineering tasks, including step disturbance rejection and amplification. The illustrations have shown how directional sensing and polarization can be explained using models of the gradient sensing mechanism of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Dictostelium discoideum. In particular, the author explains how negative feedback is used by Dictostelium discoideum cells to remain responsive to wide changes. The article also presents how Saccharomyces cerevisiae uses positive feedback loops to stabilize the polarization orientation.
Performance assurance for DC cables for electric ships

Minimizing the weight and volume in a ship cable plant improves system efficiency or provides the capability to carry more critical payloads. Cabling should be as small as possible. This research developed an approach to the fundamental understanding needed to design, specify, and test cabling that has the minimum prudent size with high reliability. Progress requires a convolution of the failure modes with the thermal, electrical, and mechanical environment in which the cable is operating.
Trace Formula for Quantum Integrable Systems, Lattice-Point Problem, and Small Divisors

We review rigorous results concerning Besicovitch B 2 almost periodicity of the spectral function of quantum integrable systems, lattice point-problem in convex and nonconvex domains, trace formula, and a related problem of small divisors. This includes the following subjects: (i) Semiclassical quantization by Einstein-Brillouin-Keller and the problem of completeness of semiclassical eigenfunctions. (ii) The lattice-point problem. (iii) The Gutzwiller-Berry-Tabor trace formula for quantum integrable systems. (iv) The problem of small divisors. (v) The saturation phenomenon.
Statistical learning for effective visual information retrieval

For effective retrieval of visual information, statistical learning plays a pivotal role. Statistical learning in such a context faces at least two major mathematical challenges: scarcity of training data, and imbalance of training classes. We present these challenges and outline our methods for addressing them: active learning, recursive subspace co-training, adaptive dimensionality reduction, class-boundary alignment, and quasi-bagging.
Robust M-Estimation for Heavy Tailed Nonlinear AR-GARCH

We develop new tail-trimmed M-estimation methods for heavy tailed Nonlinear AR-GARCH models. Tail-trimming allows both identification of the true parameter and asymptotic normality for nonlinear models with asymmetric errors. In heavy tailed cases the rate of convergence is infinitesimally close to the highest possible amongst M-estimators for a particular loss function, hence super- root(n)-convergence can be achieved in nonlinear AR models with infinite variance errors, and arbitrarily near root(n)-convergence for GARCH with errors that have an infinite fourth moment. We present a consistent estimator of the covariance matrix that permits classic inference without knowledge of the rate of convergence, and explore asymptotic covariance and bootstrap mean-squared-error methods for selecting trimming parameters. A simulation study shows the estimator trumps existing ones for AR and GARCH models based on sharpness, approximate normality, rate of convergence, and test accuracy. We then use the estimator to study asset returns data.
Druggable Cancer Secretome: Neoplasm-associated Traits

BACKGROUND The genome association databases provide valuable clues to identify novel targets for cancer diagnosis and therapy. Genes harboring phenotype-associated polymorphisms for neoplasm traits can be identified using diverse bioinformatics tools. The recent availability of various protein expression datasets from normal human tissues, including the body fluids, enables for baseline expression profiling of the cancer secretome. Chemoinformatics approaches can help identify drug-like compounds from the protein 3D structures. MATERIALS AND METHODS The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Phenome Genome Integrator (PheGenI) tool was enriched for neoplasm-associated traits. The neoplasm genes were characterized using diverse bioinformatics tools for pathways, gene ontology, genome-wide association, protein expression and functional class. Chemogenomics analysis was performed using the canSAR protein annotation tool. RESULTS The neoplasm-associated traits segregated into 1,305 genes harboring 2,837 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Also identified were 65 open reading frames (ORFs) encompassing 137 SNPs. The neoplasm genes and the associated SNPs were classified into distinct tumor types. Protein expression in the secretome was seen for 913 of the neoplasm-associated genes, including 17 novel uncharacterized ORFs. Druggable proteins, including enzymes, transporters, channel proteins and receptors, were detected. Thirty-four novel druggable lead genes emerged from these studies, including seven cancer lead targets. Chemogenomics analysis using the canSAR protein annotation tool identified 168 active compounds (<1 μM) for the neoplasm genes in the body fluids. Among these, 7 most active lead compounds with drug-like properties (1-600 nM) were identified for the cancer lead targets, encompassing enzymes and receptors. CONCLUSION Over seventy percent of the neoplasm trait-associated genes were detected in the body fluids, such as ascites, blood, tear, milk, semen, urine, etc. Ligand-based druggabililty analysis helped establish lead prioritization. The association of these proteins with diverse cancer types and other diseases provides a framework to develop novel diagnosis and therapy targets.
Some results on quantization of a narrowband process

We present some results on quantization of a narrowband Gauss-Markov process. The narrowband process is modeled as a lowpass complex envelope with a state space description. We compare the performance of narrowband process quantization schemes with several other previously analyzed schemes.
Rohling's Interpretive Method for Neuropsychological Case Data: A Response to Critics

In the September 2001 issue of Neuropsychology Review Miller and Rohling published a description of the Rohling Interpretive Method (RIM). These authors indicated that the RIM could be used to analyze an individual patient's test results obtained from a flexible neuropsychological battery. Two critiques of the RIM were submitted (Palmer, Appelbaum, & Heaton, 2004; Willson & Reynolds, 2004), both of which are printed in the current issue. This paper is a response to these two author groups concerns about the clinical and psychometric feasibility of the RIM. We provide both psychometric theory and data analyses to refute each of the two author groups' main objections. We conclude with a recommendation that neuropsychologists adopt the RIM for use in their day-to-day practice to improve their diagnostic accuracy and treatment planning skills. The main reason for use of the RIM is to avoid several common errors in clinical judgment that have been well documented in the literature (e.g., Dawes, Faust, & Meehl, 1989).
A preliminary study of idiopathic lesions in the Dungeness crab, Cancer magister, from Rowan Bay, Alaska

Abstract Seventeen Dungeness crab, Cancer magister, from a Log Transfer Facility (LTF) in Rowan Bay, Alaska, were examined in a histopathological study because of what appeared to be high prevalences of shell disease that typically involved periopod, arthrodial membranes. Dungeness crab (N = 9) from a reference site in Rowan Bay were later examined. The severity and prevalence of the most frequently observed idiopathic lesions, melanized nodules and granulomas, in both groups were statistically tested. This paper reports the findings of this preliminary study.
Stochastic Models to Generate Geospatial-, Temporal-, and Cross-Correlated Daily Maximum and Minimum Temperatures

Weather generators are tools used to downscale monthly to seasonal climate forecasts, from numerical climate models to daily values for use as inputs for crop and other environmental models. One main limitation of most of weather generators is that they do not incorporate neither the spatial/temporal correlations between/within sites nor the cross-correlations between variables, characteristics specially important when aggregating, for example, simulated crop yields, freeze events, or heat waves in a watershed or region. Three models were developed to generate realization of daily maximum and minimum temperatures for multiple sites. The first model incorporates only spatial correlation, whereas temporal correlation using a 1-day lag and cross-correlation between variables were added to model one, respectively, by the other two models. Vectors of correlated random numbers were rescaled to temperature values by multiplying each element with the standard deviation and adding the mean of the corresponding weather station. An extension of Crout's algorithm was developed to enable the factorization of nonpositive definite matrices. Monthly spatial correlations of generated daily maximum and minimum temperatures between all pairs of weather stations closely matched their observed counterparts. Performance was analyzed by comparing the root mean squared error, temporal semivariograms, correlation/cross-correlation matrices, multiannual monthly means, and standard deviations.
Polymerization- and solvent-induced phase separation in hydrophilic-rich dentin adhesive mimic

Current dental resin undergoes phase separation into hydrophobic-rich and hydrophilic-rich phases during infiltration of the over-wet demineralized collagen matrix. Such phase separation undermines the integrity and durability of the bond at the composite/tooth interface. This study marks the first time that the polymerization kinetics of model hydrophilic-rich phase of dental adhesive has been determined. Samples were prepared by adding varying water content to neat resins made from 95 and 99 wt.% hydroxyethylmethacrylate and 5 and 1 wt.% (2,2-bis[4-(2-hydroxy-3-methacryloxypropoxy)phenyl1]-propane prior to light curing. Viscosity of the formulations decreased with increased water content. The photopolymerization kinetics study was carried out with a time-resolved Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. All of the samples exhibited two-stage polymerization behavior which has not been reported previously for dental resin formulation. The lowest secondary rate maxima were observed for water contents of 10-30 wt.%. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed two glass transition temperatures for the hydrophilic-rich phase of dental adhesive. The DSC results indicate that the heterogeneity within the final polymer structure decreased with increasing water content. The results suggest a reaction mechanism involving both polymerization-induced phase separation and solvent-induced phase separation for the model hydrophilic-rich phase of dental resin.
An active truss element and control law for vibration suppression

In order to meet the demands of simplicity and reliability in active control systems for flexible structures, an inexpensive active truss element and control law has been developed in this research. A decentralized switching control law is used along with a compressible fluid in the truss element in order to dissipate energy during the motion of the structure. However, the energy is not absorbed in the same manner as a conventional viscous damper. The truss element retains its maximum stiffness, but has a reset-able nominal unstressed length. Energy is absorbed in the working fluid of the truss element through heat transfer to the environment when the nominal length is reset at the proper switching times. The control law is insensitive to changes in structural parameters such as mass, stiffness, and damping. In this paper, a mathematical model for the system is presented along with a stability analysis and experimental results.
Plasmodium falciparum Gametocytes from Culture in Vitro Develop to Sporozoites That Are Infectious to Primates

Gametocytes of two strains of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum have been produced in high density by means of a continuous-flow cultivation system. The gametocytes of these two strains infected a mean of 36 percent and 71 percent, respectively, of Anopheles freeborni mosquitoes that fed on a suspension of red blood cells containing the culture gametocytes. Sporozoites harvested from the infected mosquito salivary glands were infective to the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) and the owl monkey (Aotus trivirgatus).
Thermal conductivity of amorphous materials above the plateau.

We calculate the contribution to the thermal conductivity, \ensuremath{\kappa}, in amorphous solids of the hopping of localized vibrational modes coupled to phonons via the anharmonic interaction. This contribution is generally important for temperatures above the plateau region in \ensuremath{\kappa}. The temperature-dependent thermal conductivity is expressed in terms of the temperature-dependent phonon mean free path, both quantities being calculated perturbatively in the anharmonic coupling. Experimental data available for the latter quantity give us estimates of the temperature-dependent thermal conductivity for vitreous silica in excellent agreement with measured values. The averaged anharmonic couplings obtained from comparison with data are found to be (roughly) 2 orders of magnitude larger than in a regular crystalline solid with comparable sound velocity. We attribute this enhancement to the more ``open'' network character of amorphous solids. It is shown that this large value of the coupling constant does not invalidate the perturbative calculation, provided that a temperature-dependent condition on the hopping lifetimes is satisfied. At sufficiently high temperatures, this condition will eventually be violated, leading to deviations from the predicted temperature dependence for the hopping contribution to the thermal conductivity. We estimate the deviation, again in a perturbation expansion, and speculate that this effect accounts for the observed nonuniversality of \ensuremath{\kappa}(T) above the plateau region.
Topical silver sulfadiazine vs collagenase ointment for the treatment of partial thickness burns in children: a prospective randomized trial.

Abstract Background The 2 most commonly used topical agents for partial thickness burns are silver sulfadiazine (SSD) and collagenase ointment (CO). Silver sulfadiazine holds antibacterial properties, and eschar separation occurs naturally. Collagenase ointment is an enzyme that cleaves denatured collagen facilitating separation but has no antibacterial properties. Currently, there are no prospective comparative data in children for these 2 agents. Therefore, we conducted a prospective randomized trial. Methods After institutional review board approval, patients were randomized to daily debridement with SSD or CO. Primary outcome was the need for skin grafting. Patients were treated for 2 days with SSD with subsequent randomization. Polymyxin was mixed with CO for antibacterial coverage. Debridements were performed daily for 10 days or until the burn healed. Grafting was performed after 10 days if not healed. Results From January 2008 to January 2011, 100 patients were enrolled, with no differences in patient characteristics. There were no differences in clinical course, outcome, or need for skin grafting. Wound infections occurred in 7 patients treated with CO and 1 patient treated with SSD ( P = .06). Collagenase ointment was more expensive than SSD ( P Conclusion There are no differences in outcomes between topical SSD or CO in the management of childhood burns results.
A Theory-Based Comparison of the Reliabilities of Fixed-Length and Trials-to-Criterion Scoring of Physical Education Skills Tests

Abstract The reliabilities of two types of measurement plans were compared across six hypothetical distributions of true scores or abilities. The measurement plans consisted of a fixed-length plan (FL), where the number of trials for all examinees is fixed in advance, and the trials-to-criterion plan (TTC), where the number of successful trials is fixed, and examinees continue until this criterion is reached. The comparisons revealed that for most hypothetical distributions considered, the FL plan produced higher test reliabilities. In certain cases of negative skewness, however, the TTC plan was superior. Two formulae were presented for the estimation of the reliability of a TTC test.
A Simple Hybrid Model for Estimating Real Estate Price Indexes

Abstract The accurate measurement of housing and real estate prices is of real theoretical importance and is crucial to understanding the operation of the housing market. Two basic techniques - hedonic and repeat sales methods - for measuring and analyzing the structure of housing prices have been developed. This paper presents an explicit model for combining samples of single sales and multipule sales for the analysis of housing prices and the computation of more efficient price indices. The procedure is based upon an explicit error structure, incorporating a random walk in housing prices. It is also based upon robust generalized least-squares methods to improve the efficiency of estimation. The technique is illustrated using a unique sample of condominium sales during a 12-year period in downtown Los Angeles.
Treatment of Variable Water Sources: Adaptations for a Flexible Desalination System

There are a number of locations where a utility would want to be able to treat multiple sources of water with one treatment system. Those that the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) has come across recently are: Reclamation assisted the US Office of Naval Research in development and demonstration of the Expeditionary Unit Water Purifier system which can produce 378 m3/day (100,000 gal/day) of potable water from any liquid source water up to 60 g/L TDS under 35°C. The system was tested under the Environmental Technology Validation (ETV) program overseen by NSF International for the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Test water sources were seawater, turbid surface water, and tertiary wastewater. As a complete system, it performed well with each source. It was only capable of 50% recovery of water however. Because of this, the system has been turned down for potential emergency applications due to the excessive loss of water. This issue occurring at the same time as the three situations mentioned above prompted a proposal to design a flexible system that could be adapted to achieve high water recovery when the feed source allows while still maintaining the capability of recovering energy when the remaining concentrate pressure allows.
Hypervolemia in mice bearing granulosa cell growths; time of onset and some associated physiological and chemical changes.

It was noted recently that mice bearing subcutaneous growths of transplanted granulosa cells have enormously congested livers and adrenals (Furth and Boon, 1945) and an associated hypervolemia with 2 to 3 times normal values (Furth and Sobel, 1947). The hypervolemia is present in mice bearing transplanted granulosa cell tumors originally induced by x-rays (Furth and Sobel, 1946) or produced by intrasplenic grafts of ovarian fragments into gonadectomized mice (Furth and Sobel, 1947). It was suggested that this increase in blood volume was produced, directly or indirectly, by a hypothetical substance elaborated by the neoplastic granulosa cell. The physiological and chemical studies reported here were undertaken to learn more about the nature of this hypervolemia. materials and methods The origin of the transplantable granulosa cell tumors used in this experiment has already been described (Furth and Sobel, 1946; 1947). Strain V, an x-ray induced tumor, was in its 8th and 9th passage with one exception:
Prolonged reduction in serum angiotensin converting enzyme activity after treatment of rabbits with bleomycin.

Previous work from this laboratory (J. S. Lazo, J. D. Catravas, and C. N. Gillis, Biochem. Pharmacol. 30, 2577–2584, 1981; J. D. Catraveras, J. S. Lazo, and C. N. Gillis, J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 217, 524–529, 1981) demonstrated that subacute bleomycin (BLM) administration (5 mg/kg) to rabbits three times weekly for 4 weeks produced a marked decrease in serum angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) activity in addition to producing both morphological and biochemical evidence of pulmonary endothelial damage. In this work, the reversibility of the decreased serum ACE activity and the biochemical and morphological status of the pulmonary endothelium after a substantial drug-free period in rabbits was examined. Rabbits were injected sc three times weekly for 4 weeks with vehicle or BLM (5 mg/kg) and then maintained drug free for an additional 6 or 7 weeks. Serum ACE activity decreased over 60% during the BLM treatment but did not return to control levels at any time during the drug-free period. The pulmonary endothelium, however, appeared undamaged. No decrease in pulmonary ACE activity was detected either in vitro or in vivo nor was the single-pass pulmonary removal in vivo of [3H]norepinephrine and 5-[14C]hydroxytryptamine different between BLM-treated and control rabbits after the drug-free period. In addition, no evidence of pulmonary endothelial damage was observed by ligh and electron microscopy. Thus, reduction in serum ACE activity appears to be a durable reflection of BLM toxicity in rabbits that persists even in the absence of any detectable biochemical or morphologic endothelial injury.
The development and possible relationships of a new Atkinsiella parasitic in insect eggs

Atkinsiella entomophaga is a holocarpic parasite in eggs of various midges and caddis flies. Primary zoospores escape through long discharge tubes and assume an abbreviated period of motility before encysting. Laterally biflagellate secondary zoospores subsequently emerge from the cysts. Coincident with discharge tube formation, the thallus undergoes strong vacuolization giving the protoplast a reticulate aspect with nuclei situated between the vacuoles and connected to one another by protoplasmic threads. Stages in zoosporogenesis resemble those of members of the Lagenidiales. It is proposed that Atkinsiella be included in the Eurychasmaceae along with Eurychasma and Eurychasmidium and that the family be transferred to the Lagenidiales. All members of this family have diplanetic zoospores. IN THE SUMMER of 1973 a few midge eggs infected with an unusual fungal parasite were collected from several small streams in Hanover County, Virginia. During the summers of 1974 and 1975 the parasite was found in near epidemic proportions on insect eggs at a small lake at the Hanover Learning Center near Hanover Courthouse, Virginia. At this lake infected egg masses were found in shaded water adjacent to a cement dam. Egg masses of eight or more species of midges (including both Chironominae and Tanypodinae) as well as those of at least one species of caddis fly were infected. The fungus has since been found in lakes, ponds, and streams throughout Virginia. The large holocarpic thallus, elongated discharge tubes, dimorphic biflagellate zoospores, and certain distinctive stages in zoosporogenesis are features which the fungus in midge eggs have in common with Atkinsiella dubia (Atkins) Vishniac (1958). The latter parasitizes the eggs of marine crabs and is is saprophyte on various marine surfaces. The parasite in midge eggs produces primary zoospores that encyst outside the sporangium and thus differs from A. dubia. On the basis of this feature, together with differences in habitat and host, the fungus from midge eggs is described as new to science and is named A tkinsiella entomophaga. This paper describes the structure and development of the biflagellate
A willingness to talk: Conciliatory gestures and de-escalation

This article points up a lack of any systematic, comparative knowledge about one aspect of the complex process of conflict termination, namely signalling a willingness to talk at the start of termination in such a way that the likelihood of an adversary's recognizing the gesture for what it is (and perhaps responding positively) is maximized. In the absence of systematic analysis, I have suggested a number of plausible working hypotheses about the characteristics of actions that have the best chance of being recognized by an adversary in the midst of conflict as real or genuine. In doing so, I have isolated a number of general principles that could be helpful in explaining why certain actions were successful in starting a process of de-escalation, at least leading to “talks about talks,” while others were not.
Organ scan diagnosis of abdominal masses in children.

Abstract Combined liver-spleen and kidney scans afford a differential diagnosis of Wilms' tumor, neuroblastoma, and hepatoma and frequently make possible the diagnosis of more uncommon tumors and of metastatic tumors. Multiple-organ scans are of considerable help in the workup of the child with an upper abdominal mass where speed is essential and where preradiograph preparation may be time consuming as well as inefficient.
Commentary on “Perspective on a pathogenesis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.” Comment on the mitochondrial metabolism hypothesis

The “Perspective” article by Roses and Saunders presents an alternative to the amyloid hypothesis for the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Their mitochondrial metabolism hypothesis is that differential apolipoprotein E degradation alters neuronal mitochondrial metabolism and function, which, in turn, results in abnormal glucose utilization and eventually impaired neuronal function and cell death. They further posit that mitochondrial dysfunction and associated abnormal brain glucose metabolism are the key elements in the disease cascade eventually leading to the development of neuritic plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and brain atrophy seen in AD. They cite the rosiglitazone exploratory clinical trial as evidence that abnormal brain glucose metabolism should not be ignored as a potential treatment pathway in this disease.
Origin of the Nonlinear Refractive Index of Liquid C Cl 4

We report here the first determination for a simple liquid (specifically liquid C${\mathrm{Cl}}_{4}$) of the fraction of its Kerr effect that arises from the (nearly instantaneous) nonlinear response of its electronic currents, and hence would exist even if the nuclei were frozen in position. To do this, we have remeasured the power dependence of the rotation of the polarization ellipse of a monochromatic beam in C${\mathrm{Cl}}_{4}$ with greatly improved accuracy (\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 10% absolute) using a single-Gaussian-mode ruby (giant pulse) laser. We then compare the results of this ellipse rotation measurement with existing Kerr data, and, using a general relation between the relative electronic contributions to both effects which we demonstrate, we show that (54 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 16)% of the Kerr effect in C${\mathrm{Cl}}_{4}$ arises from nonlinear electronic response. The method should be useful for any isotropic material.
A Phylogenetically Conserved RNA Structure in the Poliovirus Open Reading Frame Inhibits the Antiviral Endoribonuclease RNase L

RNase L is an antiviral endoribonuclease that cleaves viral mRNAs after single-stranded UA and UU dinucleotides. Poliovirus (PV) mRNA is surprisingly resistant to cleavage by RNase L due to an RNA structure in the 3C Pro open reading frame (ORF). The RNA structure associated with the inhibition of RNase L is phylogenetically conserved in group C enteroviruses, including PV type 1 (PV1), PV2, PV3, coxsackie A virus 11 (CAV11), CAV13, CAV17, CAV20, CAV21, and CAV24. The RNA structure is not present in other human enteroviruses (group A, B, or D enteroviruses). Coxsackievirus B3 mRNA and hepatitis C virus mRNA were fully sensitive to cleavage by RNase L. HeLa cells expressing either wild-type RNase L or a dominant-negative mutant RNase L were used to examine the effects of RNase L on PV replication. PV replication was not inhibited by RNase L activity, but rRNA cleavage characteristic of RNase L activity was detected late during the course of PV infection, after assembly of intracellular virus. Rather than inhibiting PV replication, RNase L activity was associated with larger plaques and better cell-to-cell spread. Mutations in the RNA structure associated with the inhibition of RNase L did not affect the magnitude of PV replication in HeLa cells expressing RNase L, consistent with the absence of observed RNase L activity until after virus assembly. Thus, PV carries an RNA structure in the 3C protease ORF that potently inhibits the endonuclease activity of RNase L, but this RNA structure does not prevent RNase L activity late during the course of infection, as virus assembly nears completion.
Effect of Salicylate on Serum Protein Binding and Red Blood Cell Uptake of Acetazolamide In Vitro

The diffusion of acetazolamide from buffered saline and buffered albumin solutions into human erythrocytes has been characterized. A model was developed for describing the effects of both intra- and extracellular binding on the approach to distributional equilibrium. Unbound acetazolamide entered the cells via an apparent first-order process at a rate that was unaffected by salicylate at a therapeutic concentration of 200 micrograms/mL. Salicylate concentrations ranging from approximately 100 to 400 micrograms/mL, were, however, extremely effective in displacing acetazolamide from its serum protein binding sites. Free fractions of acetazolamide in human serum were found to increase by an order of magnitude as salicylate concentrations approached 400 micrograms/mL, thereby greatly increasing the concentration of unbound drug available for passive diffusion into cells. The results indicate that while competitive binding effects, which may alter unbound drug concentration-time profiles and potentially impact on toxicity, do occur, alterations in red cell membrane permeability, which could adversely affect carbon dioxide transport, are not of significance.
Characterizing Binary Stars Below the Diffraction Limit with CCD-based Speckle Imaging

An analysis of 15 speckle observations taken at the Lowell-Tololo Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory and 6 speckle observations taken at the WIYN Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory indicates that it is possible to characterize the separations, position angles, and magnitude differences of binary stars down to at least one quarter of the diffraction limit with CCD-based speckle imaging. This is made possible by the fact that CCD-based speckle imaging permits the retrieval of reliable photometric information from speckle data, and therefore the elongation of the speckles due to a blended companion may be reliably measured. When observations in two colors are obtained, atmospheric dispersion, which also affects the speckle shape, can be distinguished from binarity in a large number of cases. A regimen for observing sub-diffraction-limited speckle binaries is proposed that could lead to efficient surveys of small-separation binary stars.
The role of coherence length of excitons in thin quantum wells

Using time-resolved luminescence we measure the energy relaxation of excitons in thin quantum wells. We find that the excitons relax by losing potential energy in a drift-diffusion motion driven by potential fluctuations in the quantum well plane, which are longer than the coherence length of the excitons. For a constant interface quality the coherence length strongly decreases with decreasing well width so that drift-diffusion dominates the exciton relaxation in thin quantum wells.
Bermuda: de novo assembly of transcripts with new insights for handling uneven coverage

Motivation: RNA-seq has made feasible the analysis of a whole set of expressed mRNAs. Mapping-based assembly of RNA-seq reads sometimes is infeasible due to lack of high-quality references. However, de novo assembly is very challenging due to uneven expression levels among transcripts and also the read coverage variation within a single transcript. Existing methods either apply de Bruijn graphs of single-sized k-mers to assemble the full set of transcripts, or conduct multiple runs of assembly, but still apply graphs of single-sized k-mers at each run. However, a single k-mer size is not suitable for all the regions of the transcripts with varied coverage. Contribution: This paper presents a de novo assembler Bermuda with new insights for handling uneven coverage. Opposed to existing methods that use a single k-mer size for all the transcripts in each run of assembly, Bermuda self-adaptively uses a few k-mer sizes to assemble different regions of a single transcript according to their local coverage. As such, Bermuda can deal with uneven expression levels and coverage not only among transcripts, but also within a single transcript. Extensive tests show that Bermuda outperforms popular de novo assemblers in reconstructing unevenly-expressed transcripts with longer length, better contiguity and lower redundancy. Further, Bermuda is computationally efficient with moderate memory consumption. Availability: Supplementary materials are available through http://ttic.uchicago.edu/~qmtang/
Elevated kallikrein activity in plasma from stable liver transplant recipients.

Extensive in vitro conversion of complement components C3 and C4 has been observed in EDTA plasma obtained from a number of stable orthotopic liver transplant recipients (LTR) [Clin. Chem. 45 (1999) 1190]. Consequently, we designed a chromogenic substrate (Ac-Ala-Gly-Leu-Thr-Arg-p-nitroanilide, AGLTR-pNA), based on the C1s cleavage site in complement component C4, in an attempt to identify the plasma proteinase(s) that cleaves C4 in vitro. Average peptidase activity in EDTA plasma obtained from stable LTR (n=16) was significantly higher (P 0.15); however, C4a levels did correlate with rejection (P<0.02). These results suggest that elevation in plasma peptidase activity and activation of complement do signal different pathological events in LTR, events that appear related to HCV-induced infection and immune tissue injury, respectively.
Forecast evaluations in meat demand analysis

This article offers a comparison of short-term forecasting ability of five demand systems with an application to U.S. meat consumption. Four static demand systems (AIDS, Rotterdam, AIM, and DGM) and a dynamic Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) are considered. We tested the equality of mean square forecast errors. We also investigated the possibility of forecast encompassing among competing models. In general, the dynamic VECM model performed best, followed by the simple causal DGM model. Among three static systems, the AIDS model slightly leads the competition. Furthermore, this article provides the first evidence in literature on whether imposition of homogeneity restrictions on a cointegration space can improve the forecast accuracy of a VECM model: it does when it holds. [EconLit citations: Q10; C53]. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Agribusiness 19: 505–523, 2003.
On the relationship of interstellar N2H/+/, HCO/+/, HCN, and CN

A survey of 73 sources has been made in the emission lines of N2H(+) and HCO(+), including detailed maps of four sources (Ori A, OMC-2, DR 21 OH, and NGC 6334). These data are combined with equally extensive data for HCN and CN to make a detailed study of the spatial relationship of these four species. Actual abundance ratios are shown to vary, often sharply, over small scale lengths (of the order of 1 arcmin) within the mapped sources. Excitation temperatures also vary. All four species appear to be subthermally excited. The abundance ratios and their spatial variations are interpreted in terms of ion-molecular formation and destruction processes. It is concluded that the relative abundances of CO may be considerably lower in some regions than previously believed. No evidence is found for variations in the C/O ratio over small scale lengths in Ori A. The degree of ionization of the Ori A molecular cloud may be significantly different from that of other molecular clouds.
Toward Smart and Ultra-Efficient Solid-State Lighting

Solid-state lighting has made tremendous progress this past decade, with the potential to make much more progress over the coming decade. In this article, the current status of solid-state lighting relative to its ultimate potential to be “smart” and ultra-efficient is reviewed. Smart, ultra-efficient solid-state lighting would enable both very high “effective” efficiencies and potentially large increases in human performance. To achieve ultra-efficiency, phosphors must give way to multi-color semiconductor electroluminescence: some of the technological challenges associated with such electroluminescence at the semiconductor level are reviewed. To achieve smartness, additional characteristics such as control of light flux and spectra in time and space will be important: some of the technological challenges associated with achieving these characteristics at the lamp level are also reviewed. It is important to emphasise that smart and ultra-efficient are not either/or, and few compromises need to be made between them. The ultimate route to ultra-efficiency brings with it the potential for smartness, the ultimate route to smartness brings with it the potential for ultra-efficiency, and the long-term ultimate route to both might well be color-mixed RYGB lasers.
Convulsion-producing property of the dialyzable glycopeptide preparation from whole rat brain.

Abstract A dialyzable preparation containing whole rat brain glycopeptides caused clonic-tonic convulsions when administered intraventricularly to cats. It was suggested that this effect is due to a glycopeptide recovered from a brain glycoprotein or glycoproteins.
1-Fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene modifies a tyrosine residue when it inactivates the bovine mitochondrial F1-ATPase

Abstract The prompt addition of dithiothreitol to a final concentration of 90 mM to the bovine mitochondrial F1-ATPase inactivated with 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (FDNB) leads to recovery of 50–75% of the initial activity, depending on the conditions. Prior inactivation of the ATPase with FDNB decreases the 14C bound by the enzyme when it is treated subsequently with 7-chloro-4-nitro[14C]benzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole (NBD-C1) by about 0.7 g atom per mol. From these results it is concluded that the fraction of MF1 inactivated by FDNB which is reversible by dithiothreitol is caused by the modification of the same tyrosine residue that is altered when NBD-C1 inactivates the enzyme.
Interactive term suggestion for users of digital libraries: using subject thesauri and co-occurrence lists for information retrieval

The basic problem in information retrieval is that large-scale searches can only match terms specified by the user to terms appearing in documents in the digital library collection. Intermediate sources that support term suggestion can thus enhance retrieval by providing alternative search terms for the user. Term suggestion increases the recall, while interaction enables the user to attempt to not decrease the precision. We are building a prototype user interface that will become the Web interface for the University of Illinois Digital Library Initiative (DLI) testbed. It supports the principal of multiple views, where different kinds of term suggestors can be used to complement search and each other. This paper discusses its operation with two complementary term suggestors, subject thesauri and co-occurrence lists, and compared their utility. Thesauri are generated by human indexers and place selected terms in a subject hierarchy. Co-occurrence lists are generated by computer and place all terms in frequency order of occurrence together. This paper concludes with a discussion of how multiple views can help provide good quality Search for the Net. This is a paper about the design of a retrieval system prototype that allows users to simultaneously combine terms offered by different suggestion techniques,more » not about comparing the merits of each in a systematic and controlled way. It offers no experimental results.« less
Multidimensional gas chromatographic determination of continine as a marker compound for particulate-phase environmental tobacco smoke☆

Abstract Multdimensional gas chromatography analysis of air paticles for the tobacco alkaloid continine is described. The analytical procedure requires little sample preparation. Unambiguous indentification of continue and nicotine in cigarette smoke and indoor air samples was achieved by precise, reproducible retention times observed with two parallel analytical columns of different polarities and a nitrogen-specific detector. Further investigation of smoking and environmental variables is needed to validate the use of continine as a marker compound for environmental tobacco smoke particulate matter.
The Change of Preferential Internodal Pathways during Sympathetic Stimulation

Background: The preferential internodal pathways (INP), which impulses travel from the sinus to the AV node (AVN), have been contested. This study evaluated the INP at baseline and during sympathetic stimulation.Methods: Using 3-dimensional endocardial mapping, the conduction via INP and the earliest atrial activation site (EAS) were evaluated in 57 atrial fibrillation patients without sinus dysfunction (48 men, 54±12 years) during conscious anesthesia. Anterior, middle and posterior INPs were defined as the tracts travel via the Bachmann bundle, behind superior vena cava, and along the crista terminalis (CT) to the AVN, respectively.Results: At baseline, the location of unicentric EAS (n=42) was superior, mid and inferior parts of the CT in 28, 14 and 0 patients, respectively. The fastest INP was anterior and middle INP in 28 and 14 patients, respectively. During the isoproterenol infusion of 7–10 µg/min, 52 patients had unicentric EAS. The anterior and middle INP was the fastest INP in 43 and 9 patients, respectively. All patients having the superior CT as the EAS at baseline (n=28) and during isoproterenol infusion (n=43) had the anterior INP as the fastest INP. No patient had inferior INP as the fastest INP.Conclusions: The preferential INP was closely associated with the location of EAS. During sympathetic stimulation, the EAS was the superior CT, making the anterior INP as the fastest preferential conduction.
Amperometric Microcell for Enzyme Activity Measurements

A small-volume cell was developed for enzyme activity measurements. The cell contained a detector chip, which was prepared using photolithographic and electrochemical techniques. The enzyme-catalyzed reaction takes place in a thin film inside the cell, and the concentration changes are followed in time with an amperometric detector. The combination of the thin-layer reaction medium and surface detection allows achievement of high sensitivity with very low sample volumes. The cell can be prepared as an inexpensive single-shot test device. The analytical performance of the cell was checked with several enzymes of clinical importance. Demonstration measurements were made with robust glucose oxidase. Then, an analytical procedure was worked out for the measurement of putrescine oxidase activity, an indicator for premature rupture of the amniotic membrane. Finally, two different reaction schemes were investigated for the activity determination of the myocardial infarction marker, creatine kinase.
Short proof of a discrete Gronwall inequality

Abstract We give an elementary proof of a generalization of the classical discrete Gronwall inequality x n ⩽ a n + ∑ j = n 0 n − 1 b j x j , n = n 0 ,…, N , implies x n ⩽a ∗ ∏ j = n 0 n −1 (1+b j ) a ∗ = max {a j : j = n 0 ,…,N} , n = n 0 ,…, N ) which improves the description of the multiplier a ∗ to a minimum, rather than a maximum, over a certain subset of indices in { n 0 ,…, N }.