cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Muscodor albus and its biological promise

We have found a novel fungal genus that produces extremely bioactive volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This fungal isolate was initially discovered as an endophyte in Cinnamomum zeylanicum in a botanical garden in Honduras. This endophytic fungus, Muscodor albus, produces a mixture of VOCs that are lethal to a wide variety of plant and human pathogenic fungi and bacteria. It is also effective against nematodes and certain insects. The mixture of VOCs has been analyzed using GC/MS and consists primarily of various alcohols, acids, esters, ketones, and lipids. Final verification of the identity of the VOCs was carried out by using artificial mixtures of the putatively identified compounds and showing that the artificial mixture possessed the identical retention times and mass spectral qualities as those of the fungal derived substances. Artificial mixtures of the VOCs nicely mimicked the biological effects of the fungal VOCs when tested against a wide range of fungal and bacterial pathogens. Potential applications for “mycofumigation” by M. albus are currently being investigated and include uses for treating various plant parts, and human wastes. Another promising option includes its use to replace methyl bromide fumigation as a means to control soil-borne plant diseases.
Troubleshooting the diuretic renogram

The urologist often must evaluate hydronephrosis in a child. Various diagnostic tests such as excretory urography (IVP), retrograde or antegrade pyelography, computed tomography, and ultrasound detail the anatomy of the urinary tract. Such anatomic studies permit one to conclude that a physiologic obstruction may be present. Only the antegrade pressure perfusion study popularized by Whitaker’ and the diuretic renogram introduced by O’Reilly et al. 2,3 evaluate the functional significance of upper tract dilatation. Both tests are accurate when performed properly, but the complexity and invasive nature of Whitaker’s test limit its routine use. On the other hand, because the diuretic renogram is simple to perform it is becoming widely used. As with many new diagnostic tests, the enthusiasm generated after introduction may wane as instances of apparent misdiagnosis are encountered. Misdiagnosis with the diuretic renogram often relates to failure to take proper precautions when performing the test. The need for such precautions has not received adequate attention in the urologic literature. To “troubleshoot” clinical situations in which the diuretic renogram may be misinterpreted, we have categorized the necessary precautions as potential pitfalls. We detail our technique of diuretic renography and describe situations in which the diuretic renogram may be misinterpreted. Principles of Diuretic Renography
Aristotle’s educational politics and the Aristotelian renaissance in philosophy of education

This paper assesses the historical meaning and contemporary significance of Aristotle’s educational ideas. It begins with a broad characterisation of the project of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics and Politics, which he calls ‘political science’ (he politike episteme), and the central place of education in his vision of statesmanship. It proceeds through a series of topics fundamental to his educational ideas, culminating in the account of education in Politics VIII. A concluding section appraises the uses to which Aristotelian ideas are currently put in philosophy of education, identifying some confusions in the influential literature of ‘practices’.
Determination of ventricular volume from changes in wall thickness.

Summary A new method of measuring left ventricular volume is proposed which utilizes ventricular wall thickness at end systole and end diastole to estimate the ejection fraction. These measurements plus stroke volume allow the calculation of ventricular EDV. Although data from angiocardiographic studies have been used to validate the method it appears that the same data can be derived from ultrasound studies. The use of ultrasound methods would allow long term monitoring of ventricular volume changes during the course of a disease process. The proposed method appears to offer a more consistently accurate means of measuring EDV than previously suggested ultrasound methods. Comparison of EDV data calculated from angiographic and wall thickness measurements reveals the two methods to be statistically identical. In patients with a normal myocardium or valve lesions the correlation between the two methods is 0.97 with a standard error of 21 cc. There is a significant loss of accuracy when estimating ventricular volume in patients having diagnoses compatible with ventricular asynergy. An alternative method is suggested which may improve estimates of ventricular volume in these patients.
Gender differences in small intestinal perfusion following trauma hemorrhage: the role of endothelin-1

Although gender differences in intestinal perfusion exist following trauma-hemorrhage (T-H), it remains unknown whether endothelin-1 (ET-1) plays any role in these dimorphic responses. To study thi...
Laboratory studies of the entomopathogenic fungus Nomuraea rileyi: Soil-borne contamination of soybean seedlings and dispersal of diseased larvae of Trichoplusia ni

Abstract Germinating soybean seedlings were contaminated by soil-borne conidia of the entomogenous fungus Nomuraea rileyi. Although N. rileyi was detected on the unifoliate and trifoliate leaflets, most of the inoculum was found on the cotyledons. Diseased larvae of Trichoplusia ni released on the first trifoliate leaves of soybean plants dispersed to all trifoliates and died. In this way, inoculum is produced that infects other larvae feeding on these leaves.
Doubly stochastic matrices with some equal diagonal sums

Abstract Let A be doubly stochastic, and let τ 1 ,…,τ m be m mutually disjoint zero diagonals in A , 1⩽ m ⩽ n -1. E. T. H. Wang conjectured that if every diagonal in A disjoint from each τ k ( k =1,…, m ) has a constant sum, then all entries in A off the m zero diagonals τ k are equal to ( n − m ) -1 . Sinkhorn showed the conjecture to be correct. In this paper we generalize this result for arbitrary doubly stochastic zero patterns.
First and Second Factorization in a Dual Multiparticle Theory with Nonlinear Trajectories

The $N$-point tree graphs of a dual-resonance theory with nonlinear trajectories are factorized. The factorization procedure applies equally well with the external lines on or off the mass shell. The particle spectrum of the theory is found to have a degeneracy of approximately ${6}^{l}$ for the lth level. Since the trajectory is logarithmic, the asymptotic density of levels grows only as some power of the mass. The techniques used in first factorization are applied to second factorization to arrive at an amplitude for processes involving two external particles with nonzero spins. Two sets of linear-dependence relations among the amplitudes obtained by factorization are proven.
Role of potential scattering in the Shiba-Rusinov theory of magnetically doped superconductors

The inclusion of potential scattering in Shiba and Rusinov's theory of magnetically doped, isotropic superconductors leaves unchanged the equations relating the thermodynamic and transport properties to the scattering phase shifts, taking into account all the partial waves for the scattering of conduction electrons by the dopant atoms. Also unchanged by the potential scattering are Kunz and Ginsberg's theoretical values for the depression of the superconducting transition temperature.
Dual Connectivity in LTE small cell networks

Dual Connectivity in LTE network can significantly improve per-user throughput and mobility robustness by allowing users to be connected simultaneously to master cell group (MCG) and secondary cell group (SCG) via MeNB (master eNB) and SeNB (secondary eNB), respectively. The increase in per-user throughput is achieved by aggregating radio resources from at least two eNBs. Moreover, dual connectivity also helps in load balancing between MCG and SCG. However, it imposes several technical challenges. The main ones are buffer status report calculation and reporting, power headroom calculation and reporting, logical channel prioritization, user power saving operations such as discontinuous reception (DRX), and increased device complexity to support bearer split. The coordination between eNBs over X2 interface may be effective to resolve some of these issues. The higher delay due to non-ideal backhaul between MeNB and SeNB, however, limits an efficient coordination between these eNBs. In this paper, we explain and explore these technical challenges and investigate potential solution directions. We also provide a quantitative analysis of potential gains in terms of peruser throughput and load balancing that can be achieved by data bearer split in uplink at the cost of complex UE behaviors using a system level simulation study.
Soft drink consumption among US children and adolescents: nutritional consequences.

Abstract Objective To determine whether carbonated soft drink consumption is associated with consumption of milk, fruit juice, and the nutrients concentrated in these beverages. Design Data collected as part of the 1994 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals were analyzed. Information on food and nutrient intake was derived from 2 days of dietary recall data collected via an in-person interview. Subjects and participants Nationally representative sample of people of all ages residing in the United States (response rate=76.2%). Analyses were restricted to children aged 2 to 18 years (N=l,810). Statistical analyses performed Logistic regression analyses were conducted to predict the odds of low milk and juice consumption by soft drink consumption level. To determine whether intake of select nutrients varied by soft drink consumption, multiple linear regression modeling was conducted. Analyses were conducted using sample weights and software appropriate for the survey design. Results Energy intake was positively associated with consumption of nondiet soft drinks. For example, mean adjusted energy intake was 1,830kcal/day for school-aged children who were nonconsumers of soft drinks compared with 2,018kcal/day for children in this age group who consumed an average of 9 oz of soda or more per day. Those in the highest soft drink consumption category consumed less milk and fruit juice compared with those in the lowest consumption category (nonconsumers). Conclusions Nutrition education messages targeted to children and/or their parents should encourage limited consumption of soft drinks. Policies that limit children's access to soft drinks at day care centers and schools should be promoted. J Am Diet Assoc. 1999;99:436-441.
A Comparison of Posted Offer and Double Auction Pricing Institutions

This paper presents an experimental study of a computerized "posted-offer" pricing mechanism that captures many of the basic institutional features of retail exchange in the U.S. Posted-offer market performance is evaluated relative to "double-auction" market performance using two supply and demand designs. Subject experience with the trading mechanism is explicitly considered as an experimental treatment variable. The market data suggest that prices tend to be higher and efficiency lower under posted-offer pricing relative to double auction. However, the institutional effect appears to interact with other design conditions. When feasible, the predictive power of competitive, Nash, and limit-price theoretic equilibria are empirically evaluated.
A facile system for construction of HSV-1 variants: site directed mutation of the UL26 protease gene in HSV-1

Abstract A 2-plasmid/4-cosmid-based system of mutagenesis is described for construction of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) variants with point mutations in the protease gene. The system was used to reconstruct a mutant virus (V701) with Tyr30 to Phe and Ala48 to Val mutations in HSV-1 protease that exhibits the temperature sensitive phenotype of the previously characterized temperature sensitive HSV-1 mutant, ts1201. The 2-plasmid/4-cosmid system of mutagenesis was further validated by using it to construct a virus wherein the active site Ser129 of HSV-1 protease was mutated to Ala. The resulting virus mutant (V713) grew only on the Vero host range cell line PHS-23. In V713 infected Vero cells, the processing of Pra to No was almost completely blocked, and B capsids accumulated in the nucleus in crystal-like aggregates, suggesting that protease activity is required for emergence of monodispersed capsids from these aggregates. Back mutation of Ala129 to Ser using the V713 viral DNA as template for PCR mutagenesis restored the wild-type phenotype verifying that the replicative incompetence of V713 reflected only the effect of the Ser to Ala mutation. The 2-plasmid/4-cosmid system of mutagenesis (and modifications thereof) should facilitate production of new mutant viruses for delineating interactions of domains of HSV-1 protease (as well as other HSV-1 proteins) important for virus replication.
Bariatric Surgery for Obesity: Surgical Approach and Variation in In-Hospital Complications in New York State

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the relationship between the surgical approach employed for adults undergoing bariatric surgery for obesity in New York State and in-hospital postoperative complications. Understanding the differences among surgical approaches in terms of the type, extent, and likelihood of postoperative complications and the patient characteristics associated with them, particularly as the annual volume of bariatric surgery increases, can inform decisions about the appropriate bariatric surgical approach for patients with particular characteristics. Using New York’s inpatient hospital discharge database, we identified 8,413 adults who underwent a bariatric surgical procedure during calendar year 2006. The three most common bariatric surgical approaches were identified, postoperative complication rates and descriptive statistics for the demographic characteristics and comorbidities for patients of each surgical approach were generated, and a logistic regression model was constructed to predict the likelihood of postoperative complications. Of all bariatric surgical patients, 8.1% experienced a postoperative complication, but complication rates varied dramatically across the surgical approaches, with open bypass patients having the highest complication rate and laparoscopic banding patients having the lowest rate. Different complications were associated with the three surgical approaches, as were the various patient demographic characteristics and comorbidities. The multivariate logistic regression indicated that open bypass patients were 5.4 times and laparoscopic bypass patients were 3.2 times more likely to experience a complication compared to laparoscopic banding patients. Analyses of bariatric postoperative surgical complications must take into account the surgical approach employed.
Self-reported driving, cognitive status, and physician awareness of cognitive impairment.

OBJECTIVES: To assess self-reported driving rates in older people and correlate these data with cognitive status and physician recognition of cognitive impairment. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: A multiphysician private practice clinic in a primarily Asian-American community of Honolulu, Hawaii. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred ninety-seven ambulatory patients aged 65 and older. MEASUREMENTS: Cognitive function was assessed by physician interview using the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI) and proxy informant data. Subjects' self-reported driving status. Outpatient medical records were reviewed. RESULTS: Sixty percent of the studied population reported that they currently drove. This rate decreased from 73.3% (148/202) for subjects with good CASI performance (CASI 282) to 37.5% (21/56) for subjects with intermediate CASI performance (CASI 74-81.9) and further to 23.7% (9/38)for subjects with poor CASI performance (CASI
Adjuvant Postoperative Radiotherapy for Colon Carcinoma

BACKGROUND The objective of this report was to review the role of adjuvant postoperative radiotherapy (RT) for patients with adenocarcinoma of the colon. METHODS The authors reviewed the pertinent literature. RESULTS Data suggested that locoregional postoperative RT improves both local control and survival for patients with T4N0–N1 tumors. There also may be a benefit for patients with T3N1–N2 tumors, but the data were equivocal. Whole abdominal RT may result in a similar benefit but is associated with increased toxicity. CONCLUSIONS Postoperative RT should be considered for patients with T4N0–N1 colon carcinoma. Locoregional fields should be used. Cancer 2004. © 2004 American Cancer Society.
Innovation is good, fitness is better

Purpose – Academic journals and the popular business press are filled with articles praising innovation. But innovation is not enough. This paper proposes a higher purpose – that survival of our business systems relies on achieving a new level of fitness – and aims to suggest that design thinking is one of the keys to becoming more fit.Design/methodology/approach – Ever since Darwin argued “survival of the fittest,” social scientists have worked to determine winners and losers in a wide range of complex systems. The paper asserts that there is value in applying the concept to the survival of business systems and provides examples of how successful companies have worked to overcome inertia and reinvent portions of their business model.Findings – The paper finds that dominant systems have a hard time accepting the need for change, even though the very attributes that made them successful now threaten to drag down their long‐term fitness. Design thinking is a framework that provides the opportunity to study ...
Measurement error due to radiation exchanges within pyranometers for surface radiation

The Eppley pyranometer is widely used to measure broadband shortwave irradiances on the earth's surface. Measurements obtained using these instruments are known to be influenced by infrared radiation that produces an offset from the signal that would result solely from the incident shortwave radiation. Described is an effort to model the energy exchanges within the instrument to describe the measurement error as a function of external conditions. A finite element method (FEM) analysis simulates heat diffusion in the instrument, and a Monte Carlo ray-trace (MCRT) code models radiative exchange in the instrument. An FEM analysis models heat diffusion in the outer dome of the instrument and produces the dome temperature distribution resulting from specified external boundary conditions. An MCRT code is used to model the influence of radiative exchanges between the domes and the sensor surface on the sensor signal. The code confirms offsets expected from a variety of ambient conditions. The goal of the effort is to create a working MCRT model of the pyranometer that will be combined with the existing FEM model. The completed tool will allow an accurate study of the signal sensitivity to various external conditions.
A dynamic optimization model of the Soviet enterprise

Drawing upon an extensive institutional literature on the Soviet enterprise, several economists have recently explored theoretical models of this form. A drawback of the previous models has been their basically static orientation. This makes it difficult to provide a realistic description in formal terms of the well-known dynamic trade-off of the Soviet enterprise manager. This trade-off is implicit in the fact that high overfulfilment of the plan goal in the current period is desirable in the short term to the enterprise manager since it increases his current reward, but less advantageous in the long term because it increases the future plan goals which provide the standard on which future rewards are based. The present model is an explicit dynamic optimization model which allows for the incorporation of this feature, by making the utility of the manager partially dependent on the difference between output and the plan goal output, where plan goal output is based on previous period output, and requiring maximization of utility over a dynamic interval. Phase plane analysis is utilized to explore the properties of the optimum solution. Some implications are drawn from the basic model regarding behavior under these conditions. For example, it is unlikely that the solution path of the manager will involve fulfilment of the plan in every period during his tenure in office.
Transaortic Renal and Visceral Endarterectomy

In 1946 Dos Santos’ performed the first endarterectomy serendipitously during a femoral thrombectomy. When the pathology report described a fragment of the inner arterial wall, he immediately recognized the significance of this procedure. Wylie et a1.2 pioneered the technique in the United States and performed the first renal and aortic endarterectomy in 1952. Transaortic endarterectomy evolved at the University of California, San Francisco, under Wylie and was later extended to the visceral arteries. This article describes the technique of transaortic renal and visceral endarterectomy. Aortic atherosclerosis is the most common cause of obstruction of the renal and visceral artery ostia; the resultant vascular bed ischemia leads to renovascular hypertension, ischemic nephropathy, and/or chronic visceral ischemia. As the aortic atherosclerotic process “overflows” into the orifices of the renal and visceral arteries, the abnormality is usually confined to the proximal 2 cm of the ve~se l .~ This distribution of disease makes it particularly suitable for transaortic endarterectomy. Successful endarterectomy must begin in the aorta and continue into the renal or visceral artery where the disease terminates in a predictably smooth, tapered end point or transition to a more normal intimal lining. A general principle of endarterectomy warrants emphasis; that is, the correct cleavage plane is
The interaction between functional dependencies and template dependencies

A large class of dependencies, called template dependencies, was introduced in Sadri and Ullman [1979], and a complete set of inference rules (axioms) was given for it. In this paper, we investigate the interaction between template dependencies and functional dependencies. We develop techniques for partially deciding which template and functional dependencies are logically implied by a set of template and functional dependencies. Since template dependencies include all dependencies, besides functional dependencies, known to us (such as multivalued, join, mutual, generalized mutual, and subset dependencies, and their embedded versions), the results of this paper enable us to apply the techniques from Sadri and Ullman [1979] to any set of data dependencies.
Selective effects of thiazide on intestinal absorption of calcium in absorptive and renal hypercalciurias

Abstract The effect of long-term thiazide therapy on the intestinal Ca absorption was measured in 10 well-defined cases of absorptive hypercalciuria with intestinal hyperabsorption of Ca and 8 with renal hypercalciuria (“renal leal” of CA), many of whom had hyperabsorption of Ca. In most cases of absorptive hypercalciuria, the intestinal hyperabsorption of Ca persisted during treatment, despite restoration of normal urinary Ca. In contrast, the intestinal Ca absorption decreased significantly during thiazide therapy in 7 of 8 patients with renal hypercalciuria commensurate with the “correction” of the renal leak of Ca and secondary hyperparathyroidism. The results support the hypothesis that the intestinal hyperabsorption of Ca in absorptive hypercalciuria may be primary, whereas that in renal hypercalciuria may be associated with the hyperparathyroid state.
The Education of a Pure Mathematician

(1999). The Education of a Pure Mathematician. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 106, No. 8, pp. 720-732.
A phase and amplitude study of auroral pulsations

Abstract To supplement a rocket investigation of the auroral green line, data from some auroral pulsations have been analyzed by direct integration of the time-dependent continuity equations for each of the sources now thought to contribute. It is shown that indirect processes are not incompatible with studies of auroral pulsations, and that a non-negligible contribution to the green-line intensity comes from dissociative recombination. Calculations using the theoretical O( 1 S ) lifetime show that the remaining green line must come from a direct or very fast process; however, if the O( 1 S ) lifetime can be reduced, significant portions of the green line can come from the transfer of energy from N 2 ( A 3 Σ u + ) to atomic oxygen.
Bioactive organosulfur phytochemicals in Brassica oleracea vegetables--a review.

Sulfur-containing phytochemicals of two different kinds are present in all Brassica oleracea (Cruciferae) vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, etc.). They are glucosinolates (previously called thioglucosides) and S-methyl cysteine sulfoxide. These compounds, which are derived in plant tissue by amino acid biosynthesis, show quite different toxicological effects and appear to possess anticarcinogenic properties. Glucosinolates have been extensively studied since the mid-nineteenth century. They are present in plant foods besides Brassica vegetables with especially high levels in a number of seed meals fed to livestock. About 100 different kinds of glucosinolates are known to exist in the plant kingdom, but only about 10 are present in Brassica. The first toxic effects of isothiocyanates and other hydrolytic products from glucosinolates that were identified were goitre and a general inhibition of iodine uptake by the thyroid. Numerous studies have indicated that the hydrolytic products of at least three glucosinolates, 4-methyl-sulfinylbutyl (glucoraphanin), 2-phenylethyl (gluconasturtiin) and 3-indolylmethyl (glucobrassicin), have anticarcinogenic activity. Indole-3-carbinol, a metabolite of glucobrassicin, has shown inhibitory effects in studies of human breast and ovarian cancers. Kale poisoning, or a severe haemolytic anaemia, was discovered in cattle in Europe in the 1930s, but its link with the hydrolytic product of S-methyl cysteine sulfoxide was only shown about 35 years later. S-methyl cysteine sulfoxide and its metabolite methyl methane thiosulfinate were shown to inhibit chemically-induced genotoxicity in mice. Thus, the cancer chemopreventive effects of Brassica vegetables that have been shown in human and animal studies may be due to the presence of both types of sulfur-containing phytochemicals (i.e. certain glucosinolates and S-methyl cysteine sulfoxide).
Estimated acid dissociation constants of the Schiff base, Asp-85, and Arg-82 during the bacteriorhodopsin photocycle.

The pK(a) values of D85 in the wild-type and R82Q, as well as R82A recombinant bacteriorhodopsins, and the Schiff base in the D85N, D85T, and D85N/R82Q proteins, have been determined by spectroscopic titrations in the dark. They are used to estimate the coulombic interaction energies and the pK(a) values of the Schiff base, D85, and R82 during proton transfer from the Schiff base to D85, and the subsequent proton release to the bulk in the initial part of the photocycle. The pK(a) of the Schiff base before photoexcitation is calculated to be in effect only 5.3–5.7 pH units higher than that of D85; overcoming this to allow proton transfer to D85 requires about two thirds of the estimated excess free energy retained after absorption of a photon. The proton release on the extracellular surface is from an unidentified residue whose pK(a) is lowered to about 6 after deprotonation of the Schiff base (Zimanyi, L., G. Varo, M. Chang, B. Ni, R. Needleman, and J.K. Lanyi, 1992. Biochemistry. 31:8535–8543). We calculate that the pK(a) of the R82 is 13.8 before photoexcitation, and it is lowered after proton exchange between the Schiff base and D85 only by 1.5–2.3 pH units. Therefore, coulombic interactions alone do not appear to change the pK(a) of R82 as much and D85 only by 1.5–2.3 pH units. Therefore, coulombic interactions alone do not appear to change the pK(a) of R82 as much as required if it were the proton release group.
Surface structural and electronic properties of cleaved single crystals of Bi 2.15 Sr 1.7 CaCu 2 O 8 + δ compounds: A scanning tunneling microscopy study

Scanning tunneling microscopy is used to study the surface structural and electronic properties of cleaved single crystals of Bi/sub 2.15/Sr/sub 1.7/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub 8+/delta// Images with atomic resolution reveal atomic chains with sinusoidal modulations running along the perovskite cell axis with a periodicity of 9 to 10 unit cells. These atomic chains stack along the /bold b/ direction with a translational vector of one unit, resulting in an incommensurate periodicity of about 4.75 units along the /bold a/ direction. In contrast to other reports, no evidence of ''missing Bi-atom rows'' is found. Spectroscopic studies show zero density of states at the Fermi level, implying that the surface Bi-O layer is nonmetallic.
The algebraic independence of the sum of divisors functions

Abstract Let σ j ( n ) = ∑ d | n d j be the sum of divisors function, and let I be the identity function. When considering only one input variable n , we show that the set of functions { σ i } i = 0 ∞ ∪ { I } is algebraically independent. With two input variables, we give a non-trivial identity involving the sum of divisors function, prove its uniqueness, and use it to prove that any perfect number n must have the form n = r σ ( r ) / ( 2 r − σ ( r ) ) , with some restrictions on r . This generalizes the known forms for both even and odd perfect numbers.
Assembly of the five-way junction in the ribosomal small subunit using hybrid MD-Gō simulations.

Assembly of the bacterial ribosomal small subunit (SSU) begins with the folding of the five-way junction upon interaction with the primary binding protein S4. This complex contains the largest contiguous molecular signature, which is a conserved feature in all bacterial 16S rRNAs. In a previous study, we used all-atom molecular dynamics simulations to demonstrate that the co-evolving signature in the N-terminus of S4 is intrinsically disordered and capable of accelerating the binding process through a fly casting mechanism. In this paper, comparisons between the all-atom MD simulations and FRET experiments identify multiple metastable conformations of the naked five-way junction without the presence of S4. Furthermore, we capture the simultaneous folding and binding of the five-way junction and r-protein S4 by use of a structure-based Go potential implemented within the framework of the all-atom molecular dynamics CHARMM force field. Different folding pathways are observed for the refolding of the five-w...
Platelet decline as a predictor of brain injury in HIV infection.

An association between platelet decline and increased risk of progression to dementia has been observed in an advanced HIV infection cohort study. This investigation evaluated the prognostic significance of platelet decline for dementia, for psychomotor slowing, and for brain injury, as quantified in vivo, in a much larger population of HIV+ men. Platelet counts and neurocognitive data were available from biannual visits of 2,125 HIV+ men participating in the prospective, Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study from 1984 to 2009. Brain volumetric data were also available from an imaging substudy of 83 seropositive participants aged 50 and older. The association of platelet counts with neurocognitive outcome was assessed using Cox proportional hazard models where change in platelet count from baseline was a time-updated variable. Marked platelet decline was associated with increased risk of dementia in univariate analysis (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.8–3.5), but not after adjustment for CD4 cell count, HIV viral load, age, study site, hemoglobin, race, education, smoking, and alcohol use (HR = 1.4, 95% CI = 0.78–2.5). Platelet decline did not predict psychomotor slowing in either univariate (HR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.58–1.08) or multivariate (HR = 1.10, 95% CI = 0.73–1.67) analysis. Analysis of brain volumetric data, however, indicated a relationship between platelet decline and reduced gray matter volume fraction in univariate (p = 0.06) and multivariate (p < 0.05) analyses. Platelet decline was not an independent predictor of dementia or psychomotor slowing, after adjusting for stage of disease. Findings from a structural brain imaging substudy of older participants, however, support a possible relationship between platelet decline and reduced gray matter.
Boundary phase stability and critical phenomena in higher order solid solution systems

Abstract The stability of double pseudobinary solid solutions with respect to phase separation was found to be dependent not only on the randomization energy, but also on the free energies of formation of the boundary phases. Phase separations in such systems may therefore also occur when the boundary solutions behave ideally. The conditions for stability and the binodal and spinodal surfaces are derived and applied to the alloy system Ti-Mo-C-N. Predictions are made for V-Mo-C-N and other carbonitride systems. The results are discussed and the thermodynamic considerations generalized to include higher order systems. Possible applications of this new phenomenon in alloy development and studies of phase phenomena in higher order systems are outlined.
A series of hybrid P450 BM3 enzymes with different catalytic activity in the light-initiated hydroxylation of lauric acid

We have developed a series of hybrid P450 BM3 enzymes to perform the light-activated hydroxylation of lauric acid. These enzymes contain a Ru(II)-diimine photosensitizer covalently attached to single cysteine residues of mutant P450 BM3 heme domains. The library of hybrid enzymes includes four non-native single cysteine mutants (K97C, Q397C, Q109C and L407C). In addition, mutations around the heme active site, F87A and I401P, were inserted in the Q397C mutant. Two heteroleptic Ru(II) complexes, Ru(bpy)(2)phenA (1) and Ru(phen)(2)phenA (2) (bpy=bipyridine, phen=1,10-phenanthroline, and phenA=5-acetamido-1,10-phenanthroline), are used as photosensitizers. Upon visible light irradiation, the hybrid enzymes display various total turnover numbers in the hydroxylation of lauric acid, up to 140 for the L407C-1 mutant, a 16-fold increase compared to the F87A/Q397C-1 mutant. CO binding studies confirm the ability of the photogenerated Ru(I) compound to reduce the fraction of ferric high spin species present in the mutants upon substrate binding.
Transnational Protest: States, Circuses, and Conflict at the Frontline of Global Politics

Transnational antiglobalization protests have become a hallmark of global activism since 1999. Over this time, the transnational protest movement has generated its own internal and external dynamics of conflict and cooperation, playing them out on a global scale. This essay addresses these dynamics, focusing on the role of performance and theater as a means of generating cooperation within a diverse transnational movement, on intramovement conflict, and on the role of the state with respect to transnational protest. By breaking down dominant conceptions of the state as a unitary actor, transnational protests have helped fuel an as yet understudied form of cooperation: that among policing agencies, across local and national levels of law enforcement, and across national borders. Cross-national police cooperation has become particularly important in the context of the war against terrorism. However, it has also been shaped by the need to maintain public order that has arisen as a result of the large, and often disruptive, street protests against globalization, which have involved activists from many countries.
Copyright and work made for hire

Legal and policy aspects of information-technology use and development are discussed. Undoubtedly the most important and powerful legal right you can have as a program writer is to own the copyright to your software. If you have written the program without being hired to do so, you can claim the copyright, usually without complications. The courts have established that programs are no different from any other literary creation. You may claim a copyright just as an author may claim a copyright to a story. Moreover, you don't have to register the copyright; it is automatically in effect when you create the program. But what if you have been hired by someone to write a program? Do you own it, or does the party who hired you? The answer lies in an analysis of the work-made-for-hire doctrine in copyright law. The law maintains that when the program is created by a person employed by another party, the program is considered work made for hire, and the party for whom the work was prepared is the author and has the copyright. This is generally the case unless the parties involved have a written agreement to the contrary. >
Solutions to a discrete, nonlinear, ( N –1,1) fractional boundary value problem

We consider a discrete, nonlinear, ( N – 1, 1) fractional-order boundary value problem in one variable with a fractional-order derivative specified as the right boundary condition. We first derive and establish properties of the corresponding Green’s function and then apply these properties – together with Krasnosel’skii’s Theorem and Banach’s Contraction Mapping Theorem – to show the existence of a positive solution to the given problem.
A mobile systems perspective on vehicular networks

To date the vehicular networks community has primarily focused on designing vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems that can communicate reliably in environments with high mobility and rapidly varying vehicle density. As standards for vehicular communications are maturing, it is becoming increasingly important to understand how these communication systems can and should interact with other technologies in vehicular systems. Vehicles have become rich computing systems with access to a plethora of sensors and actuators. In addition, the dazzling innovation in smartphones, mobile apps, and other mobile devices is not only providing an alternate computing and communication platform inside vehicles - it also creates demand for innovations in vehicle computing systems, such as app stores for cars. This talk will first review our work on using smartphones for traffic monitoring, using vehicle mounted sensors for identifying parking spaces, and in-car localization to reduce driver distraction. Based on lessons learned from these early projects, this talk will then identify challenges and opportunities for mobile systems research in this evolving vehicular context.
Combination therapy results in a significant reduction in transaminase levels in patients with normal pre-treatment transaminase levels

Combination therapy results in a significant reduction in transaminase levels in patients with normal pre-treatment transaminase levels
The construction of viable nuclear-cytoplasmic hybrid cells by nuclear transplantation

Abstract Using the mouse L-cell line as a model system, a generalized approach is presented for nuclear transplantation in cultured cells resulting in the construction of cytoplasmic-nuclear hybrid cells. Techniques were developed for the preparation of cytoplasts and karyoplasts having minimum contamination by parent whole cells. Sendai virus-mediated fusion was performed in a manner which maximized the formation of the desired fusion products—cells having one cell equivalent of cytoplasm from one parent and a nucleus from a second parent. The viability of the fusion products was established by examination of photographic records of the developing cultures. Using these techniques, we found that nuclei could be introduced routinely into 10–30% of a cytoplast culture. From determinations of the increase in cell number with time, it was estimated that at least 30% of the reconstructed cells were capable of division. The approach was next applied to the formation of hybrid cells from L-cell cytoplasts and A9 cell karyoplasts. The A9 cell line is an azaguanine-resistant derivative of L cells. Thus any whole cells remaining in the culture of fused cells were readily eliminated by treatment with the purine analogue. The culture of remaining cytoplasmic-nuclear hybrid cells grew to confluence in the presence of azaguanine. The applicability of the approach to the construction of hybrid cells using parent lines from different organisms is briefly discussed.
COMMENT ON ARVEY AND MOSSHOLDER'S “A PROPOSED METHODOLOGY FOR DETERMINING SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES AMONG JOBS”

Several potential problems are noted with the recent proposal of Arvey and Mossholder (1977) to use analysis of variance technique to determine similarities and differences among jobs. Cluster analytic techniques are suggested as an adjunct to other procedures.
Two-body QED bound states

The status of theory and experiment is reviewed for two-body systems in quantum electrodynamics, and places where further work would be useful are pointed out.
Book reviews - Fiber optics in communications systems

The purpose of this book is to give the novice and the practicing industrial and research experts a text which presents the overall state-of-the-art, as well as specific design details for complete systems. In addition, this book presents practical as well as theoretical descriptions of available fibers, cables, couplers, connectors, splices, light sources, modulators, photodetectors and repeaters. A book living up to this intent would be welcomed by the communications industry in general and by the fiber optic communications community in particular.
The Drosophila homolog of NTF-2, the nuclear transport factor-2, is essential for immune response.

Nuclear transport factor-2 (NTF-2) functions in yeast and mammalian cell culture in targeting proteins into the nucleus. The Drosophila homolog, DNTF-2, is an essential component of the nuclear import machinery, since ntf mutants are lethal. Interestingly, hypomorphic alleles show specific phenotypes. Some are viable, but the number of omatidia in the eye is severely reduced. The immune response in the Drosophila larval fat body is also affected; the three NF-κB/Rel proteins Dorsal, Dif and Relish do not target to the nucleus after infection, and, consequently, the expression of the anti-microbial peptide genes drosomycin, attacin and drosocin is severely impaired. Hence, in spite of its general requirement in many developmental processes, DNTF-2 has a higher specific requirement in the development of the eye and in the immune response. We also found that DNTF-2 interacts directly with Mbo/DNup88, which does not contain phenylalanine-glycine-rich repeats, but has been shown to function in the import of Rel proteins.
A comparison of graduate and undergraduate teacher education students' perceptions of their instructors' use of Microsoft PowerPoint

This study explored the perceptions of 304 teacher education students regarding how effectively and meaningfully their instructors use the Microsoft PowerPoint presentation software program in their teaching and compared graduate and undergraduate students' perceptions to determine the extent to which graduate and undergraduate teacher educators differ in the ways they employ PowerPoint. Data were collected through semi‐structured interviews and surveys. The Mann‐Whitney U tests identified significant differences between undergraduate and graduate students' perceptions of their instructors' use of MS PowerPoint in their teaching. Specifically, this study found that compared to graduate students, significantly more undergraduate students reported that their instructors (a) use PowerPoint as a straight lecturing tool, (b) read directly from slides, (c) present the whole class in PowerPoint, (d) present information on the slide that is directly copied from the textbook. In addition, significantly more underg...
Hindbrain catecholamine neurons modulate the growth hormone but not the feeding response to ghrelin.

The gastrointestinal peptide, ghrelin, elicits feeding and secretion when administered systemically or centrally. Previous studies have suggested that hypothalamic projections of hindbrain catecholamine neurons are involved in both of these actions of ghrelin. The purpose of this study was to further assess the role of hindbrain catecholamine neurons in ghrelin-induced feeding and GH secretion and to determine the anatomical distribution of the catecholamine neurons involved. We lesioned noradrenergic and adrenergic neurons that innervate the medial hypothalamus by microinjecting the retrogradely transported immunotoxin, saporin (SAP) conjugated to antidopamine-β-hydroxylase (DSAP) into the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. Controls were injected with unconjugated SAP. We found that the DSAP lesion did not impair the feeding response to central or peripheral ghrelin administration, indicating that these neurons are not required for ghrelin’s orexigenic effect. However, the GH response to ghrelin was prolonged significantly in DSAP-lesioned rats. We also found that expression of Fos, an indicator of neuronal activation, was significantly enhanced over baseline levels in A1, A1/C1, C1, and A5 cell groups after ghrelin treatment and in A1, A1/C1, and A5 cell groups after GH treatment. The similar pattern of Fos expression in catecholamine cell groups after GH and ghrelin and the prolonged GH secretion in response to ghrelin in DSAP rats together suggest that activation of hindbrain catecholamine neurons by ghrelin or GH could be a component of a negative feedback response controlling GH levels.
Methods for the assessment of head-mounted displays in visual space

Common techniques of lens design lead to image quality assessment in the plane of the miniature display of a head-mounted display (HMD) instead of image quality in visual space as expected from a usability point of view. In this paper, we present an analysis of HMD performance in visual space including MTF, accommodation, astigmatism, and transverse color smear.
Anticipating Human Actions for Collaboration in the Presence of Task and Sensor Uncertainty

A representation for structured activities is developed that allows a robot to probabilistically infer which task actions a human is currently performing and to predict which future actions will be executed and when they will occur. The goal is to enable a robot to anticipate collaborative actions in the presence of uncertain sensing and task ambiguity. The system can represent multi-path tasks where the task variations may contain partially ordered actions or even optional actions that may be skipped altogether. The task is represented by an AND-OR tree structure from which a probabilistic graphical model is constructed. Inference methods for that model are derived that support a planning and execution system for the robot which attempts to minimize a cost function based upon expected human idle time. We demonstrate the theory in both simulation and actual human-robot performance of a two-waybranch assembly task. In particular we show that the inference model can robustly anticipate the actions of the human even in the presence of unreliable or noisy detections because of its integration of all its sensing information along with knowledge of task structure.