cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Computational analysis of pathogen-borne metallo β-lactamases reveals discriminating structural features between B1 types

Genes conferring antibiotic resistance to groups of bacterial pathogens are cause for considerable concern, as many once-reliable antibiotics continue to see a reduction in efficacy. The recent discovery of the metallo β-lactamase blaNDM-1 gene, which appears to grant antibiotic resistance to a variety of Enterobacteriaceae via a mobile plasmid, is one example of this distressing trend. The following work describes a computational analysis of pathogen-borne MBLs that focuses on the structural aspects of characterized proteins. Using both sequence and structural analyses, we examine residues and structural features specific to various pathogen-borne MBL types. This analysis identifies a linker region within MBL-like folds that may act as a discriminating structural feature between these proteins, and specifically resistance-associated acquirable MBLs. Recently released crystal structures of the newly emerged NDM-1 protein were aligned against related MBL structures using a variety of global and local structural alignment methods, and the overall fold conformation is examined for structural conservation. Conservation appears to be present in most areas of the protein, yet is strikingly absent within a linker region, making NDM-1 unique with respect to a linker-based classification scheme. Variability analysis of the NDM-1 crystal structure highlights unique residues in key regions as well as identifying several characteristics shared with other transferable MBLs. A discriminating linker region identified in MBL proteins is highlighted and examined in the context of NDM-1 and primarily three other MBL types: IMP-1, VIM-2 and ccrA. The presence of an unusual linker region variant and uncommon amino acid composition at specific structurally important sites may help to explain the unusually broad kinetic profile of NDM-1 and may aid in directing research attention to areas of this protein, and possibly other MBLs, that may be targeted for inactivation or attenuation of enzymatic activity.
Reconstructing an even damping from a single spectrum

We consider the wave equation on a finite interval with fixed ends and nonuniform viscous damping. We prove there can be at most one even damping associated with a given spectrum. We then develop a refined asymptotic formula for the high frequencies. When the damping is even about the domain's midpoint, terms in this expansion are Fourier coefficients for functions of the damping. Furthermore, the expansion is often quite accurate even at low frequencies, thus suggesting a simple numerical procedure for reconstructing even damping coefficients from measured eigenvalues. Computational examples illustrate the efficacy of this procedure, even in the presence of noise.
Diversity of Salmonella isolates from central Florida surface waters.

Identification of Salmonella serotypes is important for understanding the environmental diversity of the genus Salmonella. This study evaluates the diversity of Salmonella isolates recovered from 165 of 202 Central Florida surface water samples and investigates whether the serotype of the environmental Salmonella isolates can be predicted by a previously published multiplex PCR assay (S. Kim, J. G. Frye, J. Hu, P. J. Fedorka-Cray, R. Gautom, and D. S. Boyle, J. Clin. Microbiol. 44:3608–3615, 2006, http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JCM.00701-06). Multiplex PCR was performed on 562 Salmonella isolates (as many as 36 isolates per water sample) to predict serotypes. Kauffmann-White serogrouping was used to confirm multiplex PCR pattern groupings before isolates were serotyped, analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and assayed for antimicrobial susceptibility. In 41.2% of the Salmonella-positive water samples, all Salmonella isolates had identical multiplex PCR patterns; in the remaining 58.8%, two or more multiplex PCR patterns were identified. Within each sample, isolates with matching multiplex PCR patterns had matching serogroups. The multiplex patterns of 495 isolates (88.1%) did not match any previously reported pattern. The remaining 68 isolates matched reported patterns but did not match the serotypes for those patterns. The use of the multiplex PCR allowed the number of isolates requiring further analysis to be reduced to 223. Thirty-three Salmonella enterica serotypes were identified; the most frequent included serotypes Muenchen, Rubislaw, Anatum, Gaminara, and IV_50:z4,z23:−. A majority (141/223) of Salmonella isolates clustered into one genotypic group. Salmonella isolates in Central Florida surface waters are serotypically, genotypically, and phenotypically (in terms of antimicrobial susceptibility) diverse. While isolates could be grouped as different or potentially the same using multiplex PCR, the multiplex PCR pattern did not predict the Salmonella serotype.
Pay-as-you-go user feedback for dataspace systems

A primary challenge to large-scale data integration is creating semantic equivalences between elements from different data sources that correspond to the same real-world entity or concept. Dataspaces propose a pay-as-you-go approach: automated mechanisms such as schema matching and reference reconciliation provide initial correspondences, termed candidate matches, and then user feedback is used to incrementally confirm these matches. The key to this approach is to determine in what order to solicit user feedback for confirming candidate matches.In this paper, we develop a decision-theoretic framework for ordering candidate matches for user confirmation using the concept of the value of perfect information (VPI). At the core of this concept is a utility function that quantifies the desirability of a given state; thus, we devise a utility function for dataspaces based on query result quality. We show in practice how to efficiently apply VPI in concert with this utility function to order user confirmations. A detailed experimental evaluation on both real and synthetic datasets shows that the ordering of user feedback produced by this VPI-based approach yields a dataspace with a significantly higher utility than a wide range of other ordering strategies. Finally, we outline the design of Roomba, a system that utilizes this decision-theoretic framework to guide a dataspace in soliciting user feedback in a pay-as-you-go manner.
An apparatus for screening fire suppression efficiency of dispersed liquid agents

The design, construction, demonstration, and operation of a bench-scale device capable of comparison screening the fire suppression efficiency of liquid agents are described in this paper. The apparatus is based on a well-characterized flame, a means to facilitate the introduction of liquid agents, and a way to generate liquid droplets. A porous cylinder in a counterflow diffusion configuration is used. A small-scale vertical wind tunnel, which allows for the delivery of a uniform flow of oxidizer to the burner and also assists in the delivery of liquid agent droplets to the flame, is used for the flow facility. Droplets are generated by a small glass nebulizer. The performance of the screening apparatus was evaluated using several liquid fire suppressants with different thermophysical properties. A test protocol is also proposed.
The analysis of airline flight records for winds and performance with application to the Delta 191 accident

Advanced analytical methods applied to airline digital flight records and ATC radar tracking data are providing new insights into atmospheric disturbances that cause serious operating problems for aircraft. Performance-based methods for estimating unmeasured flow angles and the possible influence of rain on lift and drag, and a state-estimation procedure for determining winds along the flightpath are reviewed. The methods are applied to data records from the Delta Flight 191 wind-shear accident at the Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport (August 2, 1985) which involved an L-1011 airliner on final approach. The results indicate that the aircraft encountered a strong downlow followed by a strong outflow accompanied by large and rapid changes in the vertical wind. This pattern of low-level winds is consistent with the model that treats a downburst as a vortex ring. Although rain was present in the downburst, the analysis showed no evidence of performance loss. The results obtained from analyses of airline turbulence encounters provide a means for simulating turbulence phenomena and for training pilots for future encounters.
Temporal risks and the tenure decision in housing markets

Abstract A model of housing quality hierarchy is used to analyze the tenure decision in housing markets under uncertainty.
The Administrative Presidency and Fractious Federalism: The Case of Obamacare

Growing executive branch discretion in the U.S. separation-of-powers system has elevated the importance of the administrative presidency. However, research on this topic has paid scant attention to federal policies that rely on the states to implement them. We seek to advance knowledge of the administrative presidency under conditions of fractious federalism by examining the nature and efficacy of the Obama administration's efforts to secure state cooperation in implementing the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This law sought to assure that nearly all Americans would have health insurance. Despite strong partisan, ideological pressures on Republican policy makers in the states to refrain from implementing the ACA, the Obama administration has had some initial success in overcoming their resistance. Waivers have been a particularly valuable presidential tool.
Determination of the von Klitzing constant and the fine-structure constant through a comparison of the quantized Hall resistance and the ohm derived from the NIST calculable capacitor

This paper describes a recent determination of the von Klitzing constant and the fine-structure constant by comparisons of values of the ohm as defined in the International System of Units (SI), derived from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) calculable cross-capacitor, and values of the international practical unit of resistance derived from the integral quantum Hall effect. In this determination, the comparisons were made in a series of measurements lasting three years. A small difference is observed between this determination and an earlier comparison carried out in this laboratory and reported in 1988. The most recent value of the fine-structure constant based on the experimental value and theoretical expression for the magnetic moment anomaly of the electron, which has the smallest uncertainty of any value currently available, is consistent with both of these results. The new value exceeds the 1990 conventional value of the von Klitzing constant RK-90 by slightly more than twice the relative standard uncertainty of the present measurement, which is 2.4 × 10-8.
Vibration Causes Acute Vascular Injury in a Two-Step Process: Vasoconstriction and Vacuole Disruption

Hand–arm vibration syndrome is a vasospastic and neurodegenerative occupational disease. In the current study, the mechanism of vibration-induced vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) injury was examined in a rat-tail vibration model. Tails of male Sprague Dawley rats were vibrated continuously for 4 hr at 60 Hz, 49 m/s2 with or without general anesthesia. Ventral tail arteries were aldehyde fixed and embedded in epoxy resin to enable morphological analysis. Vibration without anesthesia caused vasoconstriction and vacuoles in the SMC. Anesthetizing rats during vibration prevented vasoconstriction and vacuole formation. Exposing tail arteries in situ to 1 mM norepinephrine (NE) for 15 min induced the greatest vasoconstriction and vacuolation. NE induced vacuoles were twice as large as those formed during vibration. When vibrated 4 hr under anesthesia after pretreatment with NE for 15 min, the SMC lacked vacuoles and exhibited a longitudinal banding pattern of dark and light staining. The extracellular matrix was filled with particulates, which were confirmed by electron microscopy to be cellular debris. The present findings demonstrate that vibration-induced vasoconstriction (SMC contraction) requires functioning central nervous system reflexes, and the physical stress of vibration damages the contracted SMC by dislodging and fragmenting SMC vacuoles. Anat Rec, 291:999–1006, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Reverse osmosis separations of some organic and inorganic solutes in aqueous solutions using aromatic polyamide membranes

The reverse osmosis separations of some ethers, ketones, aldehydes, monocarboxylic acids, and inorganic salts in single-solute (55–454 ppm) aqueous solution systems using aromatic polyamide membranes have been studied at 250 psig. It was found that reverse osmosis separation was essentially a function of steric parameter for ethers, and of both polar and steric parameters for ketones, aldehydes, and alcohols. Solute separations for monocarboxylic acids passed through a minimum at a pKa value of ∼4.8. The values for the free-energy parameter for Li+, Na+, K+, Rb+, Cs+, and F−, Cl−, Br−, I−, and IO3− ions have been calculated for the polyamide membranes used. The above values for cations are negative and those for anions are positive, suggesting that the polyamide membrane surface behaves as if it is positively charged. Further, the data show that the polyamide membrane material is only about 40% as polar as that of the cellulose acetate membrane material studied earlier.
Nonlinear Force Propagation During Granular Impact

We experimentally study nonlinear force propagation into granular material during impact from an intruder, and we explain our observations in terms of the nonlinear grain-scale force relation. Using high-speed video and photoelastic particles, we determine the speed and spatial structure of the force response just after impact. We show that these quantities depend on a dimensionless parameter, ${M}^{\ensuremath{'}}={t}_{c}{v}_{0}/d$, where ${v}_{0}$ is the intruder speed at impact, $d$ is the particle diameter, and ${t}_{c}$ is the collision time for a pair of grains impacting at relative speed ${v}_{0}$. The experiments access a large range of ${M}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ by using particles of three different materials. When ${M}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\ll}1$, force propagation is chainlike with a speed, ${v}_{f}$, satisfying ${v}_{f}\ensuremath{\propto}d/{t}_{c}$. For larger ${M}^{\ensuremath{'}}$, the force response becomes spatially dense and the force propagation speed departs from ${v}_{f}\ensuremath{\propto}d/{t}_{c}$, corresponding to collective stiffening of a strongly compressed packing of grains.
The new age of molecular diagnostics for microbial agents.

New diagnostic techniques were required in order to identify what turned out to be a new arenavirus that had been transmitted through organ transplantation. Dr. Richard Whitley discusses the use of...
Localization of membrane-associated calcium following cytokinin treatment in Funaria using chlorotetracycline.

We have investigated the changes in membrane-associated calcium that occur during cytokinin induced bud formation in Funaria hygrometrica Hedw. using the fluorescent Ca2+-chelate probe chlorotetracycline (CTC). In the target caulonema cells a localization of CTC fluorescent material becomes evident at the presumptive bud site 12 h after cytokinin treatment. By the time of the initial asymmetric division this region is four times as fluorescent as the entire caulonema cell. Bright CTC fluorescence remains localized in the dividing cells of the bud. To relate the changes in CTC fluorescence to changes in Ca2+ as opposed to membrane-density changes we employed the general membrane marker N-phenyl-1-naphthylamine (NPN). NPN fluorescence increases only 1.5 times in the initial bud cell. We conclude that the relative amount of Ca2+ per quantity of membrane increases in this localized area and is maintained throughout bud formation. We suggest that these increases in membrane-associated Ca2+ indicate a localized rise in intracellular free Ca2+ concentration brought about by cytokinin action.
Control of friction

Abstract In kinematically constrained sliding and/or rotating applications, the frictional force can reach very high values if surfaces cannot be lubricated with either liquid or solid lubricants. This situation arises in many bearings or machines where lubricant cannot be applied because of the unacceptability of airborne contaminants or because of the high operating temperature of machine components. When the lubricant is absent the frictional force increase is primarily due to the plowing of the interface by wear particles which eventually leads to seizure. Frictional force in bearings and sliding surfaces, even in the absence of lubricants, can be maintained at low values when the plowing by wear particles is eliminated by making the surface undulated to trap wear particles. Frictional force cannot be eliminated completely because of the presence of microscopic plowing that occurs even with the undulated surface. The friction coefficients obtained with the undulated surfaces without lubricants were as low as those found in boundary lubrication of flat surfaces. This indicates that the primary role of liquid lubricants is to reduce plowing through the elimination of wear particles from the interface and also through the minimization of particle agglomeration.
Straw blood cell count, growth, inhibition and comparison to apoptotic bodies

Mammalian cells transform into individual tubular straw cells naturally in tissues and in response to desiccation related stress in vitro. The transformation event is characterized by a dramatic cellular deformation process which includes: condensation of certain cellular materials into a much smaller tubular structure, synthesis of a tubular wall and growth of filamentous extensions. This study continues the characterization of straw cells in blood, as well as the mechanisms of tubular transformation in response to stress; with specific emphasis placed on investigating whether tubular transformation shares the same signaling pathway as apoptosis. There are approximately 100 billion, unconventional, tubular straw cells in human blood at any given time. The straw blood cell count (SBC) is 45 million/ml, which accounts for 6.9% of the bloods dry weight. Straw cells originating from the lungs, liver and lymphocytes have varying nodules, hairiness and dimensions. Lipid profiling reveals severe disruption of the plasma membrane in CACO cells during transformation. The growth rates for the elongation of filaments and enlargement of rabbit straw cells is 0.6~1.1 (μm/hr) and 3.8 (μm3/hr), respectively. Studies using apoptosis inhibitors and a tubular transformation inhibitor in CACO2 cells and in mice suggested apoptosis produced apoptotic bodies are mediated differently than tubular transformation produced straw cells. A single dose of 0.01 mg/kg/day of p38 MAPK inhibitor in wild type mice results in a 30% reduction in the SBC. In 9 domestic animals SBC appears to correlate inversely with an animal's average lifespan (R2 = 0.7). Straw cells are observed residing in the mammalian blood with large quantities. Production of SBC appears to be constant for a given animal and may involve a stress-inducible protein kinase (P38 MAPK). Tubular transformation is a programmed cell survival process that diverges from apoptosis. SBCs may be an important indicator of intrinsic aging-related stress.
Nutritive Value Response of Native Warm-Season Forage Grasses to Harvest Intervals and Durations in Mixed Stands

Interest in management of native warm-season grasses for multiple uses is growing in southeastern USA. Forage quality response of early-succession mixed stands of big bluestem (BB, Andropogon gerardii), indiangrass (IG, Sorghastrum nutans), and little bluestem (SG, Schizachyrium scoparium) to harvest intervals (30-, 40-, 60-, 90 or 120-d) and durations (one or two years) were assessed in crop-field buffers. Over three years, phased harvestings were initiated in May, on sets of randomized plots, ≥90 cm apart, in five replications (blocks) to produce one-, two-, and three-year-old stands, by the third year. Whole-plot regrowths were machine-harvested after collecting species (IG and LB) sample tillers for leafiness estimates. Species-specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf-to-stem ratio (LSR) were greater for early-season harvests and shorter intervals. In a similar pattern, whole-plot crude protein concentrations were greatest for the 30-d (74 g·kg−1 DM) and the least (40 g·kg−1 DM) for the 120-d interval. Corresponding neutral detergent fiber (NDF) values were the lowest (620 g·kg−1 DM) and highest (710 g·kg−1 DM), respectively. In vitro dry matter and NDF digestibility were greater for early-season harvests at shorter intervals (63 and 720 g·kg−1 DM). With strategic harvesting, similar stands may produce quality hay for beef cattle weight gain.
Kinetics of peat soil dissolved organic carbon release to surface water. Part 2. A chemodynamic process model

Temporary water reservoirs built upon peat soil may exhibit water quality impairment from elevated dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Microbiological decay of the organic carbon in the bed with subsequent release produces "tea" colored water which may require treatment prior to use. This paper contains a process-based mathematical model that quantifies the DOC release from the bed and its build-up in the water column. The model elements are based on microbial DOC production rates and bed sediment transport kinetics describing its' release from the organic soil systems. It relies on laboratory data obtained from an experimental study, Part 1, designed to simulate the DOC chemodynamics of aquatic reservoirs built upon peat soils. A two-step DOC release process was structured based on the experimental findings. The model mechanism assumes a quick release fraction that characterizes the upper soil surface layers as a "tea bag" type release process. This is followed by a fraction that is continuously produced and then released at a constant rate overtime by on-going microbial processes within the upper soil layers. The depth of the active layer, selected as h* = 0.3 cm, is the single adjustable parameter in the model. Concentration predictions of the are consistent with the laboratory simulations and field observations. Measured vs. model-calculated DOC concentrations for both in the microcosm bed and water column are used to test critical features of the proposed model. As conceived and structured it appears to be a realistic first step in quantifying the DOC release consequences for the water column of a reservoir sited upon a peat-soil bed. The development ends with an application to a hypothetical reservoir in order to illustrate model strengths and uncertainties.
THE DERMAL CHROMATOPHORE UNIT

Rapid color changes of amphibians are mediated by three types of dermal chromatophores, xanthophores, iridophores, and melanophores, which comprise a morphologically and physiologically distinct structure, the dermal chromatophore unit. Xanthophores, the outermost element, are located immediately below the basal lamella. Iridophores, containing light-reflecting organelles, are found just beneath the xanthophores. Under each iridophore is found a melanophore from which processes extend upward around the iridophore. Finger-like structures project from these processes and occupy fixed spaces between the xanthophores and iridophores. When a frog darkens, melanosomes move upward from the body of the melanophore to fill the fingers which then obscure the overlying iridophore. Rapid blanching is accomplished by the evacuation of melanosomes from these fingers. Pale coloration ranging from tan to green is provided by the overlying xanthophores and iridophores. Details of chromatophore structure are presented, and the nature of the intimate contact between the chromatophore types is discussed.
Managerial Objectives: A Retrospective on Utility Maximization in Pro Team Sports

This is an essay review of the literature on utility maximization as a managerial objective in pro team sports. It ends up that there is a heretofore-unrecognized parallel development of the idea, in English football by Sloane [Scottish Journal of Political Economy (1971), 17, 121] and in North American pro sports by Quirk and El Hodiri, presented in that same year but not published as a conference proceeding until 1974. I review these works and place the rest of the extant literature chronologically, noting their level of generality along a couple of dimensions. I also observe a lack of a clear reference lineage in this literature and suggest one. Adopting it should aid future researchers who are trying to place their work in the context of this literature. [It would have helped me, for example.]
Can Neuroscience Help Us Do a Better Job of Teaching Music

We are just at the beginning stages of applying neuroscientific findings to music teaching. A simple model of the learning cycle based on neuroscience is Sense ? Integrate ? Act (sometimes modified as Act ? Sense ? Integrate). Additional components can be added to the model, including such concepts as active rather than passive learning, learning activates reward centers, all learning is emotionally colored, plasticity, neural pruning, nature and nurture, critical and optimal periods, the pattern-detecting brain, imitation and the social learning brain, group learning, empathy and social emotions, learning is multisensory, and learning requires memory. When this model and the components are applied to music teaching, they confirm best practices. Innovation pedagogical strategies will be forthcoming when there is a better understanding of the brain and music learning.
Health Disparities and Arab‐American Elders: Does Intergenerational Support Buffer the Inequality–Health Link?

This study examines whether social relations with a child influences health disparities among Arab-American elders living in the Detroit metropolitan area (Michigan). Data were drawn from 101 Arab-Americans aged 56 and above. Findings indicate that having less education links to lower self-ratings of health, more chronic illness, and less functional health. Those with lower levels of education who report an excellent relationship with their child have fewer functional limitations than those reporting less than excellent relationships. Elders with less education who perceive emotional support available from their child have fewer chronic illnesses than similar elders without such support. Findings suggest that among Arab-Americans with lower education levels, intergenerational relations seem to confer a potentially significant benefit.
Factors Affecting Pre-Decisional Communication Behavior after Helping Requests

A field experiment was conducted to explore the relationship between two known determinants of helpfulness (cost of helping and dependency of other) and predecisional communication behavior. Male undergraduates were contacted by telephone and asked to volunteer for a survey study. The caller was either very dependent or less dependent on the subject for help. The survey was described as taking 3 hours (high cost), 1 hour (moderate cost), or 20 minutes (low cost). Following the request for aid, the information seeking and information giving behavior of the subject was coded. As anticipated, the greatest information giving was elicited from non-helpers, especially among subjects in the high cost-high dependency condition. Path analysis of the data indicated a causal sequence in which information giving mediated the effects of cost on decision to help. The findings were discussed in terms of Schwartz's (1975) model of normative behavior.
Constrained But Not Determined by Stigma: Resistance by African American Women Living with HIV

ABSTRACT Background: HIV stigma is widely regarded as a major obstacle to effective HIV prevention, risk reduction, testing, and treatment. Research is urgently needed to anticipate, understand, and combat HIV stigma in the African American cultural context because African Americans have the highest HIV incidence, HIV/AIDS prevalence, and HIV mortality. Purpose: The purpose of this analysis was to explore African American women's narratives of living with HIV to understand how they experienced and responded to HIV stigma. Method: Twenty-nine HIV-infected African American women participated in this longitudinal qualitative study. Each narrated her life since HIV diagnosis in ten open-ended interviews conducted over the course of two years. A multi-staged narrative analysis was used. Findings: HIV stigma, which these African American women experienced on multiple levels, manifested internally as existential despair, socially as shunning and callousness, and institutionally as disregard. While participants w...
A sliding-clamp toolbelt binds high- and low-fidelity DNA polymerases simultaneously.

Summary This report demonstrates that the β sliding clamp of E. coli binds two different DNA polymerases at the same time. One is the high-fidelity Pol III chromosomal replicase and the other is Pol IV, a low-fidelity lesion bypass Y family polymerase. Further, polymerase switching on the primed template junction is regulated in a fashion that limits the action of the low-fidelity Pol IV. Under conditions that cause Pol III to stall on DNA, Pol IV takes control of the primed template. After the stall is relieved, Pol III rapidly regains control of the primed template junction from Pol IV and retains it while it is moving, becoming resistant to further Pol IV takeover events. These polymerase dynamics within the β toolbelt complex restrict the action of the error-prone Pol IV to only the area on DNA where it is required.
Review: Estrogen improves symptoms of overactive bladder in postmenopausal women

Source Citation Cardozo L, Lose G, McClish D, Versi E. A systematic review of the effects of estrogens for symptoms suggestive of overactive bladder. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2004;83:892-7. 15453881
Organization Structure and Productivity: Effects of Subunit Size, Vertical Complexity, and Administrative Intensity On Operating Efficiency

This study examined the relationship between three structural variables (size, vertical complexity, and administrative intensity) and the operating efficiency of all 234 metropolitan branches of a ...
The expression of social experience in a figure placement task

Thirty female Ss interacted with either a hostile, rejecting E (HRE) or a friendly accepting E (FAE) prior to completing figure placement tasks. Results supported (p <.05) the hypothesis that the HRE condition would elicit an avoidance response which would be displaced to the figure placement task, resulting in greater distance between figures. It was predicted that this separation effect would be greater with the figure placement task most similar to the experimental situation. This was not found, although results were in the predicted direction and one of two comparisons approached significance.
Ambient pressure effects on the electrokinetic potential of Zeonor-water interfaces.

Abstract Using phase-sensitive streaming potential experiments in a vacuum chamber, we demonstrate that lowering the ambient pressure of the air surrounding a hydrophobic, Zeonor microfluidic substrate results in a decrease in the time scale required for equilibration of the electrokinetic potential. At ambient air pressures below 0.74 atm, the electrokinetic potential changes from ∼−84 mV to ∼−11 mV in 5 h, while the same decrease occurs in a period of over 200 h when the system is at 1 atm. Returning a sub-atmospheric system (where the electrokinetic potential had equilibrated to −11 mV) to atmospheric pressure did not result in any additional change in the electrokinetic potential. This can be described as a type of hysteresis of the electrokinetic potential with dissolved gas concentration. No time or pressure dependence was observed for the electrokinetic potential of hydrophilic (silica) substrates.
Multiplicative panel data models without the strict exogeneity assumption

This paper considers estimation of multiplicative, unobserved components panel data models without imposing a strict exogeneity assumption on the conditioning variables. The method of moments estimators proposed have significant robustness properties. They require only a conditional mean assumption and apply to models with lagged dependent variables and to finite distributed lag models with arbitrary feedback from the explained to future values of the explanatory variables. The model is particularly suited to nonnegative explained variables, including count variables, continuously distributed nonnegative outcomes, and even binary variables. The general model can also be applied to certain nonlinear Euler equations.
A study of diffusion phenomena in the rare earth region: The reaction 159Tb + 620 MeV 86Kr

Kinetic energy spectra, charge and angular distributions have been measured with ΔE-E telescopes for over twenty-five identified elements from the reaction 159Tb + 620 MeV 86Kr. At all angles and for all observed atomic numbers, the energy spectra indicate the presence of energetically relaxed products in the vicinity of the Coulomb barrier. Elements near the projectile also show a sizable contribution from incompletely damped events at angles close to the grazing angle. The charge distributions are peaked near the projectile Z and demonstrate a strong shape dependence on the angle of observation. The angular distributions show a weakening of the side peaking with increasing proton transfer to or from the projectile. Angular distributions and angle-integrated charge distributions have been calculated with a diffusion model which assumes the formation of a rotating intermediate complex with an l-dependent lifetime. The mass exchange between the two segments of the intermediate complex is treated as a diffusive process which is described by the master equation. Values for the diffusion constant, the overlap of the two density distributions, the mean lifetime of the intermediate complex and the spread in the average lifetime were used which semiquantitatively reproduced data from the 620 MeV 86Kr reaction on 181Ta and 197Au targets. Satisfactory agreement was obtained between these calculations and the data from the 159Tb target. In addition, by increasing the lifetime of the complex by 30 %, the previously measured data for the 107, 109Ag + 620 MeV 86Kr reaction was semiquantitatively reproduced.
Looking beyond angioplasty: the importance of left ventricular dysfunction

This editorial refers to ‘Impact of left ventricular function in relation to procedural outcomes following percutaneous coronary intervention: insights from the British Cardiovascular Intervention Society,’ by M.A. Mamas et al. , on page doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehu303 The study by Mamas et al. 1 is an observational analysis of 230 464 cases entered into the British Cardiovascular Intervention Society (BCIS) angioplasty database for the years 2006–2011. The influence of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) on early and late mortality after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was studied. The authors reported a three-fold increase of 30-day mortality after PCI in patients with moderately impaired LVEF (30–49%) and a seven-fold increase in patients with poor LVEF (<30%) when compared with patients with preserved LVEF (≥50%). You may say that it is not such a novel and revolutionary message, but the sheer size of the database, the universal patient inclusion, and the similar findings in an equally large previous US study2 make the conclusions compelling and widely applicable. Well-conducted large national databases have become a welcome source of scientific information complementing dedicated studies, and their reliability is gradually improving. Data completeness of compulsory national databases is one of the parameters used to determine the level of NHS funding to hospitals in the UK, and the outcome data come from the National Institute of Statistics, tracking 100% of patients at least for mortality. It is somewhat annoying that data on LV function were collected in less than half of the almost half million PCIs performed …
Lightweight linear types in system f

We present System F°, an extension of System F that uses kinds to distinguish between linear and unrestricted types, simplifying the use of linearity for general-purpose programming. We demonstrate through examples how System F° can elegantly express many useful protocols, and we prove that any protocol representable as a DFA can be encoded as an F° type. We supply mechanized proofs of System F°'s soundness and parametricity properties, along with a nonstandard operational semantics that formalizes common intuitions about linearity and aids in reasoning about protocols.We compare System F° to other linear systems, noting that the simplicity of our kind-based approach leads to a more explicit account of what linearity is meant to capture, allowing otherwise-conflicting interpretations of linearity (in particular, restrictions on aliasing versus restrictions on resource usage) to coexist peacefully. We also discuss extensions to System F^o aimed at making the core language more practical, including the additive fragment of linear logic, algebraic datatypes, and recursion.
Self-Assembled Multilayers of Nanocomponents

We show it is possible to assemble nanoparticle-polymer layers in a controllable manner dictated by the difference in nano-object morphology and dielectric properties. A thin (10-100 nm) layer of the two components is spin coated onto a solid substrate and the system thermally aged to activate a cross-linking process between polymer molecules. The nanoparticles segregate to the solid substrate prior to complete crosslinking if entropic forces are dominant or to the air interface if dielectric (surface energy) forces are properly tuned. Subsequent layers are then spin coated onto the layer below, and the process is repeated to create layered structures with nanometer accuracy useful for tandem solar cells, sensors, optical coatings, etc. Unlike other self-assembly techniques the layer thicknesses are dictated by the spin coating conditions and relative concentration of the two components.
Effective Interactions Approach to Phase Stability in Alloys Under Irradiation

Phase stability in alloys under irradiation is studied considering effective thermodynamic potentials. A simple kinetic model of a binary alloy with phase separation is investigated. Time evolution in the alloy results from two competing dynamics: thermal diffusion, and irradiation induced ballistic exchanges. The dynamical (steady state) phase diagram is evaluated exactly performing Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations. The solution is then compared to two theoretical frameworks: the effective quasi-interactions model as proposed by Vaks and Kamishenko, and the effective free energy model as proposed by Martin. New developments of these models are proposed to allow for quantitative comparisons. Both theoretical frameworks yield fairly good approximations to the dynamical phase diagram.
Equivalent permutation capabilities between time-division optical omega networks and non-optical extra-stage omega networks

Because signals carried by two waveguides entering a common switch element would generate crosstalk, a regular N/spl times/N multistage interconnection network (MIN) cannot be directly used as an optical switch between N inputs and N outputs in an optical network. A simple solution is to use a 2N/spl times/2N cube-type MIN to provide the N/spl times/N connections, which needs a much larger hardware cost. A previous research proposed another solution, called the time-domain approach, that divides the N optical inputs into several groups such that crosstalk-free connections can be provided by an N/spl times/N regular MIN in several time slots, one for each group. Researchers studied this approach on Omega networks and defined the class set /spl theta/ to be the set of N-permutations realizable in two time slots on an Omega network. They proved that the size of /spl theta/ is larger than the size of class /spl Omega/, where /spl Omega/ consists of all N-permutations admissible to a regular N/spl times/N (nonoptical) Omega network. This paper first presents an optimal O(NlogN) time algorithm for identifying whether a given permutation belongs to class /spl theta/ or not. Using this algorithm, this paper then proves an interesting result that the class /spl theta/ is identical to the class /spl Omega/+1 which represents the set of N-permutations admissible to a nonoptical N/spl times/N one-extra stage Omega network.
Discovery and SAR of 2-aminothiazole inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinase 5/p25 as a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease.

Abstract High-throughput screening with cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (cdk5)/p25 led to the discovery of N-(5-isopropyl-thiazol-2-yl)isobutyramide (1). This compound is an equipotent inhibitor of cdk5 and cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (cdk2)/cyclin E (IC50 = ca. 320 nM). Parallel and directed synthesis techniques were utilized to explore the SAR of this series. Up to 60-fold improvements in potency at cdk5 and 12-fold selectivity over cdk2 were achieved.
Polypentadecalactone prepared by lipase catalysis: crystallization kinetics and morphology

BACKGROUND: This work addresses the need to better understand the crystallization kinetics and morphology of poly (ω-pentadecalactone) (PPDL). This polyester has promising mechanical properties and a unique structure that resembles that of polyethylene. PPDL is a member of the poly(ω-hydroxy fatty acid) family, which can be derived from biobased feedstocks. RESULTS: PPDL (Mn = 34 000 g mol −1 and dispersity D = Mw/Mn = 2.7) was synthesized using enzyme catalysis. Equilibrium melting enthalpy and equilibrium melting point were determined using extrapolation techniques, being 227 J g −1 and 101 ◦ C, respectively. In addition, the equilibrium melting point (T 0 ) was found to be 109.3 ◦ C by the nonlinear Hoffman-Weeks plot. For T 0 m = 101.0 ◦ C, the lateral surface free energy (σ ), fold surface free energy (σ e )a nd fold work (q) are 10.4 erg cm −2 , 47.5 erg cm −2 and 2.6 kcal mol −1 , respectively; while forT 0 = 109.3 ◦ C, they are 25.1 erg cm −2 , 46.6 erg cm −2 and 2.6 kcal mol −1 , respectively. The results indicated the existence of a regime I to regime II transition during crystallization at about 80 ◦ C. Polarized optical microscopy and AFM provided further evidence for the regime I – II transition. In regime I, coarse spherulites were formed through splaying out and occasional branching of lamellae, as well as stacking of lamellae through screw dislocation. In contrast, in regime II, banded spherulites were formed through crystal twisting. CONCLUSION: Morphological changes in PPDL at spherulitic and lamellar levels in regimes I and II were confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry, POM and AFM. c � 2009 Society of Chemical Industry
Bone microstructure in juvenile chimpanzees.

The growth, development, and maintenance of bone are influenced by genetic and environmental variables. Understanding variability in bone microstructure among primates may help illuminate the factors influencing the number and size of secondary osteons. The purpose of this study is to assess the bone microstructure in 8 humeral and 12 femoral sections of 12 juvenile chimpanzees, aged 2–15.3 years, and one adult chimp. Secondary osteons were counted and measured for 16 fields per section. Results indicate that the femur exhibits a mean osteon population density (OPD) of 4.46 ± 2.34/mm2, mean Haversian canal area of 0.0016 ± 0.0007 mm2, and mean osteon area of 0.033 ± 0.006 mm2. The humerus has a mean OPD of 4.72 ± 1.57/mm2, mean Haversian canal area of 0.0013 ± 0.0003 mm2, and mean osteon area of 0.033 ± 0.005 mm2. Differences are not significant between the humerus and femur, possibly indicating similar mechanical demands during locomotion. Osteon population density exhibits a moderate correlation with age (r = 0.498) in the femur of the juvenile chimps, but the adult chimp has an OPD of 10.28/mm2, suggesting that osteons likely accumulate with age. Females exhibit higher osteon densities in the periosteal envelope compared to males in the humerus, indicating more remodeling during periosteal expansion. Overall similarities between chimpanzees and humans as well as previously published data on Late Pleistocene hominids (Abbott et al.: Am J Phys Anthropol 99 1996 585–601) suggest that bone microstructure has been stable throughout human evolution. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
L’énigme démocratique

La democratie signifie d’abord et avant toute chose l’idee d’un controle populaire, et ce par l’ensemble des moyens possibles. Ces moyens donnent lieu a la legitimite. Mais ces controles populaires, du moins tels qu’ils sont entendus dans de nombreuses discussions, ne donnent pas lieu a la legitimite esperee. Les theories de la democratie ne partagent pas une meme conception des choses a ce sujet, ce qui donne lieu a une pluralite d’approches. Dans cet article, l’auteur soutient que la reponse la plus interessante a cette question implique une reinterpretation de la notion de controle populaire.
Three Steered Wheels for Ultimate Economy with Good Handling

Description de la conception d'une automobile a trois roues directrices, et a deux places, essai sur prototype et mesure des economies de carburant realisees
Excitatory synaptic input to granule cells increases with time after kainate treatment.

Temporal lobe epilepsy is usually associated with a latent period and an increased seizure frequency following a precipitating insult. After kainate treatment, the mossy fibers of the dentate gyrus...
Carbon Emissions, Renewable Electricity, and Profits: Comparing Policies to Promote Anaerobic Digesters on Dairies

Anaerobic digesters can provide renewable energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from manure management. Government policies that encourage digester adoption by livestock operations include construction cost-share grants, renewable electricity subsidies, and carbon pricing (offset) programs. However, the effectiveness and effi ciency of these policies is not well understood. For the U.S. dairy sector, we compare predicted digester adoption rates, carbon emission reductions, renewable electricity generation and sales, and net returns and social benefi ts of several policies. We fi nd that a carbon pricing policy provides the greatest net social benefi t for a range of assumptions about the benefi ts of carbon reductions and renewable energy.
Too Liberal, Too Conservative, or About Right? The Implications of Ideological Dissatisfaction for Supreme Court Legitimacy

Scholars have rediscovered the theory of institutional legitimacy, with a vengeance. This reinvigorated attention has produced some vexing controversies, none of which is more important than that of whether the Supreme Court’s legitimacy depends upon satisfying the ideological expectations of the American people. That debate has recently been enlarged by hypotheses about whether ideological dissatisfaction’s influence depends upon citizens’ beliefs about legal realism and processes of decision-making. Unfortunately, serious measurement issues cloud the literature. Here, we reconsider these questions using a nationally representative sample. We first show that ideological dissatisfaction has practically no impact on legitimacy, irrespective of how dissatisfaction is measured. We then test hypotheses from Positivity Theory, especially the hypothesized conditional effects of citizens’ beliefs about judicial decision-making, politicization, and ideological dissatisfaction on legitimacy. We conclude that the influence of ideological dissatisfaction has been overstated; greater threats to legitimacy lie in beliefs that judges are just ordinary politicians.
Urban Realism and the Cosmopolitan Imagination in the Nineteenth Century: Visible City, Invisible World

In the Victorian Literature and Culture (September 2010) issue dedicated to ‘Victorian Cosmopolitanisms’, Tanya Agathocleous and Jason R. Rudy call for the necessity to resituate the evolving new c...
Going Greek: Academics, Personal Change, and Life after College

“Going Greek” has both positive and negative effects during college and after graduation. Greek members are more involved on campus and have higher post-graduation wages (males only) and more gradu...