cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ClpX, a Stochastic Protein Unfolding and Translocation Machine

During protein degradation by ClpXP, AAA+ ClpX hexamers grip protein substrates using GYVG pore loops and harness the energy of ATP binding and hydrolysis to the drive conformational changes necessary for the mechanical denaturation and translocation of the substrate into the ClpP chamber. We have determined how the number and configuration of wild-type GYVG pore loops affect substrate unfolding and translocation. Single-molecule experiments reveal that ClpXP can perform mechanical work under load, show fast and highly cooperative unfolding of individual protein domains, give a translocation step size of 5-8 residues, and support a model in which each individual power-stroke has a relatively low probability of resulting in substrate denaturation. In multiple crystal structures of hexameric rings, some ClpX subunits adopt nucleotide-loadable conformations, others adopt unloadable conformations, and each class of subunits exhibits variability. Using mutagenesis of individual subunits in covalent hexamers, crosslinking, and fluorescence methods to assay the conformations and nucleotide-binding properties of individual subunits, we find that dynamic interconversion between unloadable and loadable conformations is necessary for ClpX to perform mechanical work. ATP binding to different classes of subunits initially drives staged allosteric changes that set the conformation of the ring and allow hydrolysis and linked mechanical steps. Subunit switching between loadable and unloadable conformations subsequently resets the configuration of the nucleotide-loaded ring and is required for mechanical work, possibly as a fail-safe method to circumvent stalling.
Effect of glass-adherent cells on the blastogenic response of ‘purified’ lymphocytes to phytohemagglutinin

Abstract When human, peripheral blood leukocytes are cultured with phytohemagglutinin, (PHA), the lymphocytes respond by undergoing blastogenesis, DNA synthesis, and mitotic division. However, this response is markedly decreased in cultures of lymphocytes which have been separated from those leukocytes which adhere to nylon fiber and glass. The response of these ‘purified’ lymphocyte cultures can be restored by adding either autologous, or homologous, glass-adherent, phagocytic leukocytes. The responding cells in these reconstituted cultures are derived from the ‘purified’ lymphocytes. Our results indicate an obligatory role for glass-adherent cells in the response of ‘purified’ lymphocytes to phytohemagglutinin.
An improved method of calculating flux coordinates

The twisty nature of stellarator geometry can be ''hidden'' from many calculations by basing a coordinate system on the twisty flux surfaces. A particularly good choice for this flux coordinate system, developed by A. H. Boozer, has straight field lines and a Jacobian that depends only on the magnitude of the magnetic field /bold B/. Boozer's original method of generating the coordinate system had difficulty in determining the correct harmonics when the rotational transform, /ital t/ (the number of times a field line twists around the torus in the short direction for each transit in the long direction), is rational (/ital t/=/ital n///ital m/) and when the transform per field period is large. With this improved method, two field lines are used to calculate Boozer's flux coordinates on a given flux surface. This splits the spectra so that adjacent toroidal mode numbers are assigned to different spectra, and the correct amplitudes of overlapping harmonics can be determined. /copyright/ 1989 Academic Press, Inc.
Large Magnitude Heart Rate Changes in Subjects Instructed to Change Their Heart Rates and Given Exteroceptive Feedback

Four subjects who were given exteroceptive, auditory and visual feedback, and were asked to raise and to lower their heart rate on signal, were able to produce large magnitude changes in both directions. The fact that some of these changes occurred immediately suggests that feedback may not be as important as some authors have suggested. Respiratory changes and changes in muscle tension did not appear to be mediators.
Calculating process control parameters from steady state operating data

Abstract The tutorial paper will show that chemical process control parameters can be obtained from steady state operating data in combination with simple algebraic equations. The parameters include steady state process gain, feedforward control factor and approximate process time constant. Here, we treat ‘self-regulating’ processes first. Integrating processes and unstable processes are treated separately, unlike the standard method of setting up linear differential equations followed by Laplace transformations. With the standard method, a steady state portion of dynamic response, if there is any, appears as a part of equations of a complex variable. Many control engineers in the chemical industries who might have studied the method, do not use it because of mathematical difficulties. Instead, they may resort to plant tests that are often time consuming and costly. The parameters obtained by this paper's method will aid improvement of control systems. We will address the relation of this method with that of commercial software, which implement advanced process controls based on plant tests.
Effects of nanosecond pulsed light (577 nm) from a Q-switched frequency-doubled Nd:YAG dye laser on experimental vascular tissue

A Q-switched frequency-doubled Nd:YAG dye laser, configured to emit light at 577 nm, was used to study the effect of nanosecond pulsed light on vascular tissue. The pulse width of this light is approximately 10 nanoseconds and the pulse repetition rate is, at most, 10 Hz. A rat dorsal skin-flap window-chamber model, a colon (cecum) model, as well as an isolated femoral vessel model were used to study the effects on vascular tissue of irradiation with single laser pulses using fluences ranging from 0.2 J/cm2 to 3 J/cm2. Different reactions such as vasospasm, vessel expansion, and vessel rupture were observed. A correlation between increasing fluence and increased vascular damage was noted. When it occurred, vessel rupture was seen on the superior side (i.e. the irradiated vascular surface) as well as on the inferior side of the blood vessel. The inferior side damage was verified on histological examination. This damage pattern was thought to be most likely caused by shockwaves, and photoacoustic measurements were performed that support this hypothesis.
Composition, Computer Games, and the Absence of Writing

Abstract Computer games fundamentally incorporate composition into their game play. Highly symbolic constructs, whose photo-realistic graphical environments are often produced by combining pre-existing elements, computer games not only require players to read and to make meaning of symbols presented on the screen but to write and ultimately to revise their actions in the game relationship to these symbols. This activity, which is often constructed as “play” rather than writing, is significant in that, although its effects appear to be limited to the conversations taking place on the screen, its focus is ultimately on how players read and write (compose) themselves in relationship to the game and to the larger socio-political structures upon which the game is beholden. Computer games thus have the potential to help students not only understand the fundamentals of the compositional process and the larger socio-political structures within which this process occurs but to recognize how these socio-political structures construct reading and writing and in doing so determine the way that the individuals subject to them construct (read and write) themselves.
Multicore Simulation of Transaction-Level Models Using the SoC Environment

Editor's note: To address the limitations of discrete-event simulation engines, this article presents an extension of the SoC simulation kernel to support parallel simulation on multicore hosts. The proposed optimized simulator enables fast validation of large multicore SoC designs by issuing multiple simulation threads simultaneously while ensuring safe synchronization.
A Fast Algorithm for the Numerical Evaluation of Conformal Mappings

An algorithm is presented for the construction of conformal mappings from arbitrary simply connected regions in the complex plane onto the unit disk. The algorithm is based on a combination of the Kerzman–Stein integral equation (see [Math. Anal, 236 (1978), pp. 85–93]) and the Fast Multipole Method for the evaluation of Cauchy-type integrals (see [V. Rokhlin, J. Comput. Phys., 60 (1985), pp. 187–207], [L. Greengard and V. Rokhlin, J. Comput. Phys., 73 (1987), pp. 325–348], [J. Carrier, L. Greengard, and V. Rokhlin, SIAM J. Sci. Statist. Comput., 9 (1988), pp. 669–686], [L. F. Greengard, Ph.D. thesis, Department of Computer Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 1987]). Previously published methods for the construction of conformal mappings via the Kerzman–Stein equation have an asymptotic CPU time estimate of the order $O(n^2 )$, where n is the number of nodes in the discretization of the boundary of the region being mapped. The method presented here has an estimate of the order $O(n)$, making it an approach of choice in many situations. The performance of the algorithm is illustrated by several numerical examples.
Everett M. Rogers, an intercultural life: From Iowa farm boy to global intellectual

Abstract The present article describes and analyzes the key influences that shaped the lifework of Everett M. Rogers – the person, the scholar, the mentor, and the global intercultural citizen. Rogers’ key theoretical and conceptual contributions to the social sciences are discussed, focusing especially on his seminal work on the diffusion of innovations. The article argues that Rogers’ life journey represents the quintessential intercultural life: a poor, Iowa farm boy who became an internationally recognized global intellectual; a scholar, who theorized about both macro- and micro-aspects of social change and provided a heuristic framework with remarkable potential for field-based application; a sense-maker who remained solidly anchored in the field of diffusion of innovations, but who continually deepened and extended his curiosity to other areas such as communication networks, entertainment–education, and international, intercultural, health, and organizational communication; a prodigious mentor who affirmed, validated, and challenged his students to pursue unasked or intriguing questions; a genuine networker who understood the social capital advantages of learning from heterophilous others, affirming and embodying the value of diversity; a global citizen who traveled widely, learned other languages, lived for extended durations in faraway lands, and who maintained a sense of humanity and humility in his interactions with others.
Nitrogen Outputs from a Field-Size Agricultural Watershed

Nitrogen outputs from a 0.34-ha field were measured for 1984 through 1987. The field consisted of Cowarts loamy sand (fine-loamy, siliceous, thermic Typic Hapludult) managed in summer row crop-winter cover crop sequence. Outputs measured were subsurface flow, surface runoff, and denitrification. Monthly sampling of denitrification rates showed a high degree of temporal and spatial variability. Rates significantly increased with soil moisture and depth []
Multiple equilibria in a simple asset pricing model

Multiple stationary equilibria are often encountered in standard asset pricing models when one assumes negative-exponential utility with Gaussian uncertainty. This paper demonstrates that there are exactly two stationary equilibria, which are due solely to the presence of nonlinearities.
Pharmacology of Airway Smooth Muscle

Airway smooth muscle contributes to changes in airway caliber not only through the variations in its tone but also through its contribution to thickness of the airway wall. Until recently, most attention was paid to the agents that altered airway smooth muscle tone, their receptors, the signal transduction pathways they activated, and the mechanisms of contraction and relaxation themselves. Lately, the regulation of smooth muscle proliferation has received increasing attention, and, most recently, the possible role of smooth muscle as a source of inflammatory mediators has been recognized. Airway smooth muscle cells are now seen as playing an important interactive role with inflammatory and structural cells in the response to injury and repair of the airways.
The Evolution of Mobile IP Towards Security

Mobile IP provides a framework for transparent host mobility in the Internet. This paper identifies the most important security related issues coupled to Mobile IP, mirroring the current and past development process in related IETF working groups. A short introduction on how Mobile IP works leads to a brief discussion of the integrated security mechanisms of Mobile IP. As special focus the integration of Mobile IP and IP Security (IPSec) is described and the related state-of-the-art architecture is presented and classified. Thereafter several outstanding security issues in the area of Mobile IP and the problems concerning Mobile IP and IPSec will be clarified. Summarizing, and to introduce ideas to make Mobile IP applicable for the future, I describe ongoing approaches in the field of authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA).
A woman engineer's view of 50 years in the profession

Based on several photographs and clippings which span a period of over fifty years, a dozen newspapers will touch on some of the highlights and unusual aspects of the author's engineering career, as well as the careers of her two engineering daughters. The author's scrapbook begins with publicity she received after winning engineering school scholarships, and later, was the first woman to graduate from the Columbia University School of Engineering. It includes letters addressed to "Dear Sir", award of the "women's badge" of Tau Beta Pi, stories about her work at Bell Telephone Laboratories and Sperry Gyroscope Company, and her teaching career at Fairleigh Dickinson University. The author discusses the changes she has seen in women's roles in engineering during the past fifty-five years (1943-98), from her perspectives as a former woman engineer in industry, a current engineering professor, and as the mother of two women engineers.
Automatic Detection of Oceanic Eddies in SeaWiFS-Derived Color Images Using Neural Networks and Shape Analysis

Key remote sensing instruments like advanced Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) aboard satellites, play a vital role in collecting observations that help in analyzing the properties of oceans around the globe. This research focuses on analysis and processing of high-resolution chlorophyll (ocean color) observations from SeaWiFS to automatically identify and segment ocean features. An oceanic eddy is a circular or elliptical whirling flow of water generally found along the edge of a dominant current. Mesoscale eddies are those vortices, whose diameters ranges from a few kilometers in the coastal ocean to a few hundred kilometers in the deeper open ocean. The objective of this work is to use neural network and shape analysis techniques to automatically detect and segment oceanographic eddies from chlorophyll color images. The focus of this research is on the Monterey Bay region off the California coast.
Destaining Agents for Iron Alum Hematoxylin

Detailed directions for using various destaining agents after iron alum hematoxylin are given. A saturated aqueous solution of picric acid is recommended for bringing out nuclei in whole mounts of protozoa. Differentiation with a mixture of 1 part 30% hydrogen peroxide, and 2 parts, 95% alcohol, is useful for cytoplasmic structures. Greater reliability and precision are claimed for these methods as compared with the conventional differentiation in iron alum.
The Sarin Gas Attacks on the Tokyo Subway - 10 years later/Lessons Learned

This paper considers "lessons learned" from the March 20, 1995 covert terrorist attack on the Tokyo, Japan subway system employing a neurotoxic agent. The following lessons from this disaster are reviewed in light of prevailing practice and policy in the U.S. in 2005: timely communication of vital information; operational logistics including triage, surge capacity and decontamination; secondary contamination of emergency responders and hospital personnel; assessment and treatment of the "worried well" secondary traumatization of rescue workers; and behavioral health preparedness measures and treatment for disaster victims. In some respects little progress has been made, for instance, in developing new, evidence-based therapies for disaster victims with posttraumatic stress disorder. On the other hand, some recently developed and implemented initiatives such as the Strategic National Stockpile, represent enhancements to U.S. preparedness compared to that which existed during the 1995 terrorist attacks on the Tokyo, Japan subway system.
Relation between dynamic mechanical properties and dye diffusion behavior in acrylic fibers from polymer blends

The extension of the relation between the dynamic viscoelastic parameters (“E” and tan δ) and diffusion coefficient (D) to modified acrylic blend fibers indicates that the dependence of dye diffusion on polymer chain mobility is a general phenomenon not limited to a single component system. The relationship of D to mechanical properties permits one to “tailor” fibers with good mechanical properties while maintaining adequate dye-diffusion behavior.
Optical filters consisting of metallic waveguide arrays

We demonstrate high-pass optical filters with cutoffs in the 0.3–10-μm spectral region. These filters consist of uniform arrays of hollow metallic waveguides, obtained by coating wafers of the previously developed channel-glass (CG) materials with a thin metal film. In these filters the channel diameter controls the cutoff frequency, the channel length controls the sharpness of the cutoff, and the channel density determines the transmission efficiency at cutoff. All of these parameters can be controlled in the CG starting material. The properties of the metal coatings that influence the filter properties are also discussed. Cutoff wavelengths near 300 nm have been achieved to date by using CG materials with submicrometer channel diameters. At all channel diameters, the transmission spectra include a peak just above the cutoff wavelength, where the transmission value can exceed that expected on the basis of the geometrical open area of the CG structure.
A Quasi-Linear Approach to the Design of Microwave Transistor Power Amplifiers (Short Papers)

A method of large-signal transistor characterization and power amplifier design is described which allows the designer to predict the load and source terminations required for optimum added-power circuit efficiency, and to see graphically how efficiency and power gain change as a function of the load termination. Experimental results obtained with a 1-W bipolar junction transistor (BJT) amplifier at 1.3 GHz are presented.
Informal Caregiver Involvement and Illness Detection Among Cognitively Impaired Nursing Home Residents

Background. The participation of informal caregivers in the care of nursing home (NH) residents has the potential to positively impact care, especially for cognitively impaired residents whose own ability to advocate for their care is often limited. This study examined relationships between the level of informal caregiver involvement (ICI) in the NH and the degree to which residents’ common medical conditions were detected by facility staff. Methods. One hundred pairs of cognitively impaired residents and their primary informal caregivers were enrolled from three facilities in the Baltimore, Maryland area. Data collection involved interviews with informal caregivers and facility staff, as well as a medical evaluation and chart review of residents. A measure of illness detection was created by comparing a medical examination of the resident with chart review information. ICI was measured via staff rating and informal caregiver self-report. Results. Correlations between illness detection and ICI were significant, with r ¼� .46 (p , .001) and r ¼� .39 (p , .001), for staff rating and self-reports, respectively. In regression models taking into account resident characteristics (age, race, gender, comorbidities, payment status, duration of stay, and cognitive impairment) and facility differences, higher ICI and being female predicted higher rates of illness detection. Conclusions. Though the cross-sectional nature of the study prevents the analysis of causal relationships, the involvement level of informal caregivers in the NH care of cognitively impaired residents was statistically related to higher rates of illness detection. Ramifications for the role of informal caregivers in long-term care are discussed.
Cocaine-Induced LTP in the Ventral Tegmental Area: New Insights Into Mechanism and Time Course Illuminate the Cellular Substrates of Addiction

Previous work has shown that a single dose of cocaine can produce long-term potentiation (LTP) of the glutamatergic synapses received by dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). This and other plastic changes in the brain's reward circuitry have been suggested to underlie addiction. A recent study has provided new insights into cocaine-induced LTP, showing that it begins 3–5 h after exposure, requires activation of a dopamine D5/NMDA receptor cascade, and can be evoked by cocaine application directly to the VTA.
Sea of secrets: Imagining illicit fishing in Robert Barclay’s Meļaļ and Rob Stewart’s Sharkwater

This essay analyses the way in which contemporary literature and film critically respond to criminalized fishing practices in the Pacific, at a time of severe marine environmental degradation. It argues that in the documentary film Sharkwater (2006). Rob Stewart works to designate the shark fin industry as illicit, placing shark fishers on the margins of ethical and social life. Stewart’s emphasis on the marginal status of shark fishers is complicated, however, by his awareness of the complex network of economy, state, environment and culture within which illegal shark fishing takes place. In Meļaļ: A Novel of the Pacific (2002), Robert Barclay is also concerned with marine ecological degradation and criminalized fishing. Like Stewart, Barclay situates criminalized fishing within the context of the capitalist economy, but he also shows that illegal fishing in the Marshall Islands takes place in the context of multiple colonialisms and military occupations. Barclay suggests more sharply than Stewart that t...
The Study of Institutional Practices Related to Student Persistence

Using literature and illustrations drawn from a pilot study, this article explores the theoretical and methodological challenges entailed in the study of student retention. We center the discussion around two important efforts to expand the theoretical base and scope for research in this area: Berger’s (2000) concept of colleges and universities as optimizers of cultural capital and Bensimon’s (2007) recent critique of the narrowness of the frames that predominate student retention research. By way of exploring these issues through a concrete example, the article presents an overview of processes and findings from a funded pilot study of institutional policies and practices surrounding student retention. This exploration—part essay, part research report—leads us ultimately to pose two central questions on which, we suggest, future research should build: What are institutions doing to improve student retention? and How do institutions intervene in the workings of cultural capital in higher education?
On the optimal reception of partially polarized waves (LIDAR)

Various aspects of the physics of partially polarized waves are discussed with applications to optical (LIDAR) reception problems. The authors focus on the issue of optimal intensity reception of partially polarized waves scattered off a fluctuating object (ensemble of scatterers) of known polarization properties (measured Mueller matrix). Expressions for total available intensity and adjustable (polarization-dependent) intensity have been derived in a clear and novel manner using the coherency matrix approach. A general numerical technique is developed and illustrated for the optimization of adjustable intensity as a function of transmitted polarization. Closed-form expressions are derived for two important subcases, and numerical illustrations for the general case are discussed in detail, including the use of relevant experimental data. >
Target tracking in urban environments using audio-video signal processing in heterogeneous wireless sensor networks

Heterogeneous sensor networks (HSNs) with multiple sensing modalities are gaining popularity in diverse fields. In this paper, we describe an approach for target tracking in urban environments utilizing a wireless HSN of mote class devices equipped with acoustic sensor boards and embedded PCs equipped with web cameras. Our system uses acoustic beamforming and motion detection for audio and video sensors, respectively. We also employ MCMCDA algorithm for data association and tracking. Experimental results from a deployment in an urban environment are used to demonstrate our approach.
Effects of patchy stomatal closure on gas exchange measurements following abscisic acid treatment

Gas exchange data and images of leaf fluorescence were collected concurrently as stomata responded to abscisic acid (ABA) application. When 10−5kmolm−3 ABA was applied to the transpiration stream in a short pulse, stomatal conductance (gs), photosynthesis (A) and intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) decreased rapidly after a short lag period and became approximately constant after 2h. There was an apparent reduction in the A versus c1 relationship as stomata closed, but the data returned to the A versus C1 curve while stomatal conductance was constant or slowly rising during the second hour after ABA treatment. Larger amounts of ABA administered during the pulse caused larger deviations from the A versus c1 relationship. When 10−7kmolm−3 ABA was applied continuously through the transpiration stream, gs, A and Ci decreased, but there was no substantial deviation from the A versus c{ curve. Fluorescence images were patchy as stomata closed for all experiments, but became slowly more uniform during the time that gas exchange was returning to the A versus Cj curve. The distribution of con-ductance among patches was not bimodal, and larger devi-ations from the A versus ct curve had greater ranges of pixel values and more pixel values representing low values of Cj during stomatal closure than did experiments show-ing small or no deviation. Estimates of A and gs from fluo-rescence images compared favourably with measured val-ues in most cases, suggesting that the patchy distributions of fluorescence were caused by patchy distributions of stomatal conductance and that apparent reductions in the A versus ct relationship were the result of these patchy stomatai distributions and not direct effects of ABA on mesophyll functioning. The data show that stomatal patches can be temporary and that patchiness may not be reflected in gas exchange data if the range of stomatal con-ductances is not large. These observations may explain some of the discrepancies among previous studies concerning the effect of ABA on the A versus Ci relationship.
Dynamic loading and redistribution of the Mcm2-7 helicase complex through the cell cycle

Eukaryotic replication origins are defined by the ORC-dependent loading of the Mcm2-7 helicase complex onto chromatin in G1. Paradoxically, there is a vast excess of Mcm2-7 relative to ORC assembled onto chromatin in G1. These excess Mcm2-7 complexes exhibit little co-localization with ORC or replication foci and can function as dormant origins. We dissected the mechanisms regulating the assembly and distribution of the Mcm2-7 complex in the Drosophila genome. We found that in the absence of cyclin E/Cdk2 activity, there was a 10-fold decrease in chromatin-associated Mcm2-7 relative to the levels found at the G1/S transition. The minimal amounts of Mcm2-7 loaded in the absence of cyclin E/Cdk2 activity were strictly localized to ORC binding sites. In contrast, cyclin E/Cdk2 activity was required for maximal loading of Mcm2-7 and a dramatic genome-wide reorganization of the distribution of Mcm2-7 that is shaped by active transcription. Thus, increasing cyclin E/Cdk2 activity over the course of G1 is not only critical for Mcm2-7 loading, but also for the distribution of the Mcm2-7 helicase prior to S-phase entry.
Automatic generation of behavioral hard disk drive access time models

Predicting access times is a crucial part of predicting hard disk drive performance. Existing approaches use white-box modeling and require intimate knowledge of the internal layout of the drive, which can take months to extract. Automatically learning this behavior is a much more desirable approach, requiring less expert knowledge, fewer assumptions, and less time. While previous research has created black-box models of hard disk drive performance, none have shown low per-request errors. A barrier to machine learning of access times has been the existence of periodic behavior with high, unknown frequencies. We identify these high frequencies with Fourier analysis and include them explicitly as input to the model. In this paper we focus on the simulation of access times for random read workloads within a single zone. We are able to automatically generate and tune request-level access time models with mean absolute error less than 0.15 ms. To our knowledge this is the first time such a fidelity has been achieved with modern disk drives using machine learning. We are confident that our approach forms the core for automatic generation of access time models that include other workloads and span across entire disk drives, but more work remains.
"Is there nothing more practical than a good theory?": Why innovations and advances in health behavior change will arise if interventions are used to test and refine theory

Theoretical and practical innovations are needed if we are to advance efforts to persuade and enable people to make healthy changes in their behavior. In this paper, I propose that progress in our understanding of and ability to promote health behavior change depends upon greater interdependence in the research activities undertaken by basic and applied behavioral scientists. In particular, both theorists and interventionists need to treat a theory as a dynamic entity whose form and value rests upon it being rigorously applied, tested and refined in both the laboratory and the field. To this end, greater advantage needs to be taken of the opportunities that interventions afford for theory-testing and, moreover, the data generated by these activities need to stimulate and inform efforts to revise, refine, or reject theoretical principles.
Quillen model categories

We provide a brief description of the mathematics that led to Daniel Quillen's introduction of model categories, a summary of his seminal work “Homotopical algebra”, and a brief description of some of the developments in the field since.
Developmental and metabolic regulation of the Drosophila melanogaster 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase

The enzyme 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG CoA) reductase in Drosophila melanogaster synthesizes mevalonate for the production of nonsterol isoprenoids, which are essential for growth and differentiation. To understand the regulation and developmental role of HMG CoA reductase, we cloned the D. melanogaster HMG CoA reductase gene. The nucleotide sequence of the Drosophila HMG CoA reductase was determined from genomic and cDNA clones. A 2,748-base-pair open reading frame encoded a polypeptide of 916 amino acids (Mr, 98,165) that was similar to the hamster HMG CoA reductase. The C-terminal region had 56% identical residues and the N-terminal region had 7 potential transmembrane domains with 32 to 60% identical residues. In hamster HMG CoA reductase, the membrane regions were essential for posttranslational regulation. Since the Drosophila enzyme is not regulated by sterols, the strong N-terminal similarity was surprising. Two HMG CoA reductase mRNA transcripts, approximately 3.2 and 4 kilobases, were differentially expressed throughout Drosophila development. Mevalonate-fed Schneider cells showed a parallel reduction of both enzyme activity and abundance of the 4-kilobase mRNA transcript.
Association of an Educational Program in Mindful Communication With Burnout, Empathy, and Attitudes Among Primary Care Physicians

Context Primary care physicians report high levels of distress, which is linked to burnout, attrition, and poorer quality of care. Programs to reduce burnout before it results in impairment are rare; data on these programs are scarce. Objective To determine whether an intensive educational program in mindfulness, communication, and self-awareness is associated with improvement in primary care physicians' well-being, psychological distress, burnout, and capacity for relating to patients. Design, Setting, and Participants Before-and-after study of 70 primary care physicians in Rochester, New York, in a continuing medical education (CME) course in 2007-2008. The course included mindfulness meditation, self-awareness exercises, narratives about meaningful clinical experiences, appreciative interviews, didactic material, and discussion. An 8-week intensive phase (2.5 h/wk, 7-hour retreat) was followed by a 10-month maintenance phase (2.5 h/mo). Main Outcome Measures Mindfulness (2 subscales), burnout (3 subscales), empathy (3 subscales), psychosocial orientation, personality (5 factors), and mood (6 subscales) measured at baseline and at 2, 12, and 15 months. Results Over the course of the program and follow-up, participants demonstrated improvements in mindfulness (raw score, 45.2 to 54.1; raw score change [Δ], 8.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 7.0 to 10.8); burnout (emotional exhaustion, 26.8 to 20.0; Δ = −6.8; 95% CI, −4.8 to −8.8; depersonalization, 8.4 to 5.9; Δ = −2.5; 95% CI, −1.4 to −3.6; and personal accomplishment, 40.2 to 42.6; Δ = 2.4; 95% CI, 1.2 to 3.6); empathy (116.6 to 121.2; Δ = 4.6; 95% CI, 2.2 to 7.0); physician belief scale (76.7 to 72.6; Δ = −4.1; 95% CI, −1.8 to −6.4); total mood disturbance (33.2 to 16.1; Δ = −17.1; 95% CI, −11 to −23.2), and personality (conscientiousness, 6.5 to 6.8; Δ = 0.3; 95% CI, 0.1 to 5 and emotional stability, 6.1 to 6.6; Δ = 0.5; 95% CI, 0.3 to 0.7). Improvements in mindfulness were correlated with improvements in total mood disturbance (r = −0.39, P Conclusions Participation in a mindful communication program was associated with short-term and sustained improvements in well-being and attitudes associated with patient-centered care. Because before-and-after designs limit inferences about intervention effects, these findings warrant randomized trials involving a variety of practicing physicians.
Einbau und Ausrichtung

Es wurde schon mehrfach darauf hingewiesen, das unsere Uberlegungen und Berechnungen voraussetzen, das die Lage und Richtung der Wellenachsen mit den Annahmen der Rechnung ubereinstimmen. Naturlich ist es nicht moglich, das sie dem mathematischen Ideal entsprechen, die Montage mus aber zum mindesten so ausgefuhrt sein, bzw. die Ausrichtung so erhalten bleiben, das keine erheblichen Zwangskrafte auf die Wellen ausgeubt werden.
Osmoregulatory Responses of Fungi Inhabiting Standing Litter of the Freshwater Emergent Macrophyte Juncus effusus.

Standing litter of emergent macrophytes often forms a major portion of the detrital mass in wetland habitats. Microbial assemblages inhabiting this detritus must adapt physiologically to daily fluctuations in temperature and water availability. We examined the effects of various environmental conditions on the concentrations of osmoregulatory solutes (polyols and trehalose) and the respiratory activities of fungal assemblages inhabiting standing litter of the freshwater emergent macrophyte Juncus effusus. Under field conditions, the concentrations of osmolytes (polyols plus trehalose) in fungal decomposers were negatively correlated with plant litter water potentials (r = −0.75, P < 0.001) and rates of microbial respiration (r = −0.66, P < 0.001). The highest concentration of osmolytes (polyols plus trehalose) occurred in standing litter exposed to desiccating conditions (range from wet to dry, 0.06 to 0.68 μmol · mg of fungal biomass−1). Similar fluctuations in polyol and trehalose concentrations were observed in standing litter wetted and dried under laboratory conditions and for four predominant fungal decomposers of J. effusus grown individually on sterilized Juncus leaves. These studies suggest that fungal inhabitants associated with standing litter of emergent macrophytes can adjust their intracellular solute concentrations in response to daily fluctuations in water availability.
A Formal Deductive Problem-Solving System

A formalism is defined in which solutions to theorem-proving and similar problems take the form of a sequence of transformations of states into other states. The data used to solve a problem then consists of a set of rewriting rules which defines the allowable transformations. A method for selecting “useful” transformations, i.e. those which will most probably lead to a solution, is developed. Two problem-solving processes based on the above are defined; one, called the FORTRAN Deductive System (FDS) is shown to be more powerful than the other. A class of problems to which FDS will always find solutions is constructed. Examples of solutions found by a computer implementation of FDS are given and, in some cases, are compared with human performance. Finally, FDS is compared with some of the better-known problem-solving systems.
Colorectal poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas frequently exhibit BRAF mutations and are associated with poor overall survival

The molecular alterations in colorectal poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma remain incompletely characterized, particularly with respect to mutations in BRAF and KRAS. We analyzed 32 colorectal poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas and 40 colorectal poorly differentiated conventional adenocarcinomas for mutations in KRAS and BRAF and for DNA mismatch repair protein abnormalities to correlate histopathology with molecular alterations and survival. Compared with poorly differentiated conventional adenocarcinoma, poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma frequently harbored BRAF mutations (59% versus 5%; P < .001) and less frequently demonstrated KRAS codon 12 or 13 mutations (17% versus 43%; P = .03). BRAF mutations were identified in both pure poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma (60%) and poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma associated with a signet ring cell adenocarcinoma component (82%). Most (93%) poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas demonstrated proficient DNA mismatch repair by either microsatellite instability polymerase chain reaction or DNA mismatch repair immunohistochemistry. Patients with poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma had a significantly worse overall survival compared with patients with poorly differentiated conventional adenocarcinoma (P < .001). There was no significant difference in overall survival between patients with pure poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma and patients with both poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma and adenocarcinoma components (P = .5). In conclusion, colorectal poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas frequently harbor BRAF mutations and are associated with poor overall survival.
Empirical Studies Relating to Patents--Remedies

This chapter from the forthcoming Research Handbook on the Economics of Intellectual Property Law surveys the empirical literature on patent remedies. Part I discusses the literature on injunctions, beginning with an overview of legal doctrine and economic debates over “property rules” versus “liability rules,” and concluding with a summary of empirical studies that examine the frequency and circumstances of injunction grants or the nature of injunctions’ content and scope. Part II discusses the literature on patent damages, beginning with an overview of the law and economics of damages before proceeding to a review of the empirical literature on the prevalence of different types of damages, damages amounts, and possible explanations for damages outcomes. Part III briefly discusses other remedies, including declaratory judgments, for which there appears to be little relevant empirical literature. The Conclusion suggests possible avenues for future research.
Multi-stage successive interference cancellation for spectrally-efficient super-Nyquist transmission

The use of multi-stage successive interference cancellation (M-SIC) for super-Nyquist transmission is proposed. Simulation and transmission experiment results showed carrier spacing was reduced by 20% for QPSK signals. Signal performance was enhanced when M-SIC was used with non-uniform power transmission.
The Inferential Value of Quarterly Earnings Announcements Relative to Other Sources of Information

This paper evaluates the prevalent view that accounting information competes with, but also disciplines, information from other sources by examining the inferential value to investors of accounting versus non-accounting information. Inferential value is defined as the ability of the capital markets to draw the correct inference from the information signals regarding future firm performance. Both average quarterly accounting rate of return on equity and excess stock returns are used as measures of firm performance. The findings indicate that a market-normalized accounting rate of return derived from stock prices and excess returns measured around earnings announcement dates are more highly correlated with changes in future firm performance than similar measures in the non-disclosure periods. The findings support the prevalent view that accounting information disciplines information from other sources.
Function Annotation in Gene Networks

Modern sequencing technology enables the discovery of new gene products in an increasing number of organisms. However, the sequence on its own does not provide sufficient information about cellular mechanisms and their function. Efforts need to be directed toward genome characterization at the molecular level. Wet-lab experiments in this direction are assisted by a variety of computational methods that exploit the abundance of data. The advent of high-throughput interaction detection methods has generated large amounts of gene interaction data. This has allowed the construction of genome-wide networks. Studying genomes in a networked setting has been beneficial for global annotation in two ways. First, there has been an increasing number of network-based function prediction methods. Second, networks have inspired the community to revisit the definition of gene function. The original molecular characterization of function has been extended to a multi-molecule function, termed biological process[Gene ontology: Tool for the unification of biology. Nature, 2000] in recently emerging annotation systems. In this chapter, we present the current methods of automated annotation of protein functions. We describe existing annotation prediction methods and ontologies used to define a gene’s function at the molecular and process level. We discuss in detail the workings of a generalized framework for network prediction and present experimental accuracy comparison of several popular methods within this framework. We also discuss the use of networks from multiple species for annotation enrichment in sparse genomes.
TREATMENT OF UNUNITED FRACTURES OF THE LONG BONES; SURGICAL TREATMENT AND TECHNIQUE.

The successful treatment of ununited fractures of long bones requires knowledge of physiological principles and the application of well known techniques. Care in host bone preparation, graft application, fixation, and close postoperative supervision all contribute to success.
Knowledge and the politics of land

In this special issue, the authors provide in-depth historical and contemporary studies to examine how land is known and the ways in which land management and expertise are produced, disseminated, experienced and contested. The papers analyze the production of models, frameworks, calculations, tools, and ideas that shape land use and access to resources. These empirical and conceptual insights are particularly critical today as declarations of crisis precipitate the search for ‘new,’ ‘empty,’ or ‘unproductive’ land. The themes of expertise, (in)visibility/ignorance, displacements, and crisis frame our treatment of the relationship between knowledge and the politics of land management.
Straddles on Semigroups

In the study of modern (abstract) algebra, the theory of groups is of fundamental importance. The properties of groups have been well explored, and an introduction to the subject may be found in [1]. Somewhat weaker systems have been studied, and among these is the semigroup. According to Jacobson [2], a semigroup is a system consisting of a set S and an associative binary composition in S. Thus, if * is the binary composition in S, for any two elements x and y in S, their product x. y (or simply xy) is also in S, and this composition obeys the associative law.
Courtship Behavior of the Monarch Butterfly, Danaus plexippus L.

Observations in the field and in a flight cage reveal that the courtship of the monarch butterfly consists of an aerial phase and a ground phase, each composed of several behavioral components. These include “nudging” by the male, aerial pursuit, aerial “hairpencilling,” aerial takedown of the female, antennal palpation by the male, copulation, and post-nuptial flight. Nearly all male Danainae have extrusible sex pheromone glands, the hairpencils, located at the tip of the abdomen. With the exception of the monarch, the hairpencils of all species studied contain dihydropyrrolizine compounds obtained from plant sources and serving as aphrodisiacs when applied to the female in flight. A striking feature of the monarch courtship is a sequence in which, without hairpencilling, males grab females in midair, the pair falls to earth, and copulation occurs. Hairpencilling occurs in some courtships, but aerial takedowns predominate. Male monarchs whose hairpencils have been surgically removed show no reduction in sexual vigor or success, whereas in the related queen butterfly hairpencilling is a prerequisite for male success, and de-hairpencilled males are impotent. The evolution of courtship in Danaus is discussed with respect to male monarchs' small hairpencil size, alternate sequences leading to female receptivity, and their apparent growing independence from plant compounds in subduing females.
The Role of a Bedside Assistant

Since the introduction of robotic-assisted techniques for colon and rectal surgery in 2002, the role of the first assistant has evolved to include increased responsibility. Typically in conventional laparoscopic surgery, the first assistant provides technical assistance (i.e., camera viewing, suctioning, and retraction). During robotic surgery, the operating surgeon is emerged in the performance of surgery at the console, leaving the bedside assistant responsible for continued support with robotic and laparoscopic instrumentation and more importantly responsible for the patient’s safety. We aim to characterize the role of the bedside assistant and how to optimize efficiency during surgery.