cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development and validation of the Intervention Skills Profile-Skills: A brief measure of student social-emotional and academic enabling skills.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to support the development and initial validation of the Intervention Selection Profile (ISP)–Skills, a brief 14-item teacher rating scale intended to inform the selection and delivery of instructional interventions at Tier 2. Teacher participants (n = 196) rated five students from their classroom across four measures (total student n = 877). These measures included the ISP-Skills and three criterion tools: Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS), Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA), and Academic Competence Evaluation Scales (ACES). Diagnostic classification modeling (DCM) suggested an expert-created Q-matrix, which specified relations between ISP-Skills items and hypothesized latent attributes, provided good fit to item data. DCM also indicated ISP-Skills items functioned as intended, with the magnitude of item ratings corresponding to the model-implied probability of attribute mastery. DCM was then used to generate skill profiles for each student, which included scores representing the probability of students mastering each of eight skills. Correlational analyses revealed large convergent relations between ISP-Skills probability scores and theoretically-aligned subscales from the criterion measures. Discriminant validity was not supported, as ISP-Skills scores were also highly related to all other criterion subscales. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses informed the selection of cut scores from each ISP-Skills scale. Review of classification accuracy statistics associated with these cut scores (e.g., sensitivity and specificity) suggested they reliably differentiated students with below average, average, and above average skills. Implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed, including those related to the examination of ISP-Skills treatment utility.
Learning Management System (LMS) Use with Online Instruction

Learning Management Systems (LMS) reinforce the learning process through online classroom environments. A standard LMS supports an inclusive learning environment for academic progress with interceding structures that promote online collaborative-groupings, professional training, discussions, and communication among other LMS users. Instructors should balance active learning with the use of LMS technological resources and the use of guidelines from the qualified curriculum. An LMS allows instructors to facilitate and model discussions, plan online activities, set learning expectations, provide learners with options, and assist in problem-solving with processes for decision making. An Instructor’s presence within an LMS creates an engaging learning environment. Students can retain their autonomy, enthusiasm, and motivation with LMS use. Stakeholders of the educational community must find scientific studies to support their contributions in LMS platforms to assist scholars in learning mathematics and other academic subjects.
Shared Neoliberalisms: The Cultural Affects of the Contemporary Pacific

Leaning on two fields of expertise (literary studies and film studies), this chapter discusses two particular scenarios of the shared imagination of neoliberalism, which allow the unfolding of different considerations regarding the Pacific. In the first scenario, I go to the question of history and the erasure of the Pacific, and discuss the book La casa del dolor ajeno by the Mexican writer Julian Herbert. The second scenario is the Latin American connection in the work of the Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai, addressing the question of imagination and sensorium, or the way in which neoliberal aesthetics and affects connect across the Pacific. In doing so, I propose to think the transpacific relations as a shared history and contemporaneity of affective experience. This, in turn, seeks to argue for the need to think transpacific cultural flows and circulations beyond topics of representation, identity and Otherness.
A Tri-Cell Hexagonal Wire Antenna for 5G Applications at 28 GHz Band

This paper presents a planar wideband antenna for future 5G millimeter-wave communication. The antenna structure consists of a Tri-Cell network of hexagonal rings backed up by pseudo-pyramidal patches for improved impedance bandwidth. It operates in 26.677-29.601 GHz spectrum that covers the most famous 28 GHz 5G band. The antenna has an excellent radiation efficiency performance of more than 90% throughout its operating band. It has a good gain of 4.81 dBi suitable for millimeter-wave propagation. It has simple planar structure which is easy to fabricate and demands low cost. Its attractive features such as wide band, high gain, low profile and simple construct makes it quite suitable for use in the upcoming future 5G communication systems.
Connecting Galactic Outflows and Star Formation: Inferences from H-alpha Maps and Absorption Line Spectroscopy at 1 < z < 1.5

We investigate the connection between galactic outflows and star formation using two independent data sets covering a sample of 22 galaxies between $1 \lesssim z \lesssim 1.5$. The HST WFC3/G141 grism provides low spectral resolution, high spatial resolution spectroscopy yielding H$\alpha$ emission line maps from which we measure the spatial extent and strength of star formation. In the rest-frame near-UV, Keck/DEIMOS observes Fe II and Mg II interstellar absorption lines, which provide constraints on the intensity and velocity of the outflows. We compare outflow properties from individual and composite spectra with the star formation rate (SFR) and SFR surface density (SigmaSFR), as well as the stellar mass and specific star formation rate (sSFR). The Fe II and Mg II equivalent widths (EWs) increase with both SFR and SigmaSFR at $\gtrsim 3\sigma$ significance, while the composite spectra show larger Fe II EWs and outflow velocities in galaxies with higher SFR, SigmaSFR, and sSFR. Absorption line profiles of the composite spectra further indicate that the differences between subsamples are driven by outflows rather than the ISM. While these results are consistent with those of previous studies, the use of H$\alpha$ images makes them the most direct test of the relationship between star formation and outflows at $z>1$ to date. Future facilities such as the James Webb Space Telescope and the upcoming Extremely Large Telescopes will extend these direct, H$\alpha$-based studies to lower masses and star formation rates, probing galactic feedback across orders of magnitude in galaxy properties and augmenting the correlations we find here.
Feasibility of Full Duplex Communication for Wireless Network on Chips with OOK Modulation

In this paper, the inherent advantage of On-Off Keying (OOK) Modulation for full duplex communication has been investigated in the physical layer in the context of short distance on chip communication such as wireless network on chip (WiNoC). Here, the OOK transmitter is designed in a manner such that it also works as an RF canceler. This novel design neither requires an external phase inverter nor an attenuator to achieve the cancellation of the self-interfered signal. The distance between the transmitter and the receiver being very small for WiNoC, the self interference cancellation requirement of the typical 100 dB of power reduces by more than 60%. The isolation achieved by the OOK transmitter cum RF canceler is 19 dB as simulated and shown in this work. This energy efficient OOK transmitter has been designed with BSIM-CMG (Common Multi-Gate) FinFET model at 60 GHz. The power dissipation of the transmitter is 23 mW. In tandem with the path loss in the propagation domain and antenna cross polarization this design meets the required isolation and opens up a great opportunity for using full duplex communication for WiNoCs with the energy efficient non-coherent OOK modulation. No work has investigated the feasibility of full duplex communication for WiNoCs or for any other on-chip communications in the physical layer in the past.
A descriptive analysis of obstacles to fulfilling the end of life care goals among cardiac arrest patients

Abstract Background and Objectives Performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on cardiac arrest patients with Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders does not respect patients’ autonomy. We aimed to 1) determine the frequency of patients who wished to be DNR prior to cardiac arrest; 2) determine what proportion received CPR; and 3) explain why DNR patients received CPR. Methods This was a retrospective chart review study of cardiac arrest patients at an emergency department. We reported the frequency and proportion of patients who 1) had valid DNR orders presented at the time of cardiac arrest; 2) had valid DNR orders that were unavailable at the time of arrest 3) had Advanced Directives but no DNR orders; 4) had their DNR orders rescinded; and 5) wished to be DNR but did not have any documents in place. Results Of 419 patients, 65 (15.51%) wished to be DNR. Out of these 65 patients, 38 (58.46 %) patients were resuscitated. Among the 38 patients, 23 (60.52%) received CPR accordingly and 15 (39.47%) patients were inappropriately resuscitated. Conclusion In our sample of 419 patients, 65 (15.51%) did not want CPR in the event of cardiac arrest and 38 (9.06%) received CPR against their wishes. This was due to failure to document DNR orders, lack of recognition of documented valid DNR orders, and use of non-actionable Advanced Directives to relay patients’ wishes.
Microbe Profile: Xylella fastidiosa - a devastating agricultural pathogen with an endophytic lifestyle

Xylella fastidiosa is a vector-borne plant vascular pathogen that has caused devastating disease outbreaks in diverse agricultural crops worldwide. A major global quarantine pathogen, X. fastidiosa can infect hundreds of plant species and can be transmitted by many different xylem sap-feeding insects. Several decades of research have revealed a complex lifestyle dependent on adaptation to the xylem and insect environments and interactions with host plant tissues.
A Multiplicative Model for Gauge R & R Studies

We introduce a multiplicative measurement error model and analyze a gauge R & R study with the new model using data from a sample exchange program. Some aspects of designing a gauge R & R study are considered. Also, we analyze data from a factorial experiment where the measurement error arises from the new model using a simultaneous analysis of experimental and gauge R & R study data. WinBUGS code for these analyses is provided. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A binding site for sulfate and its relation to sulfate transport into Salmonella typhimurium.

Abstract Mutants of Salmonella typhimurium classified by nutritional and enzymatic tests as transport-negative for sulfate are capable of combining with small amounts of this anion (up to 104 molecules per bacterium). The following results support the suggestion that the bacteria possess highly specific sulfate binding sites near the cell surface. 1. Under growth conditions sulfate combines with the bacteria according to a typical adsorption isotherm, which reaches half-saturation at 0.004 mm. 2. Various anions structurally similar to sulfate are specific inhibitors of binding and transport. 3. Inability of the mutants to grow on sulfate or thiosulfate suggests that the anions cannot enter the cells, but are bound near the cell surface. 4. The cells lose their ability to bind sulfate after they are converted to spheroplasts or are osmotically shocked. With the use of a new assay for the measurement of binding to soluble entities, the binding ability lost from the cells is found in solution. 5. The properties of the binding system suggest that it might be a part of the active transport system for sulfate. The surface location of the binding material as well as the following results are consistent with this hypothesis. Both binding activity and active transport are repressed by the growth of bacteria on cysteine as a sulfur source. Both functions are similarly (but not identically) inhibited by various anions. Both functions are lost, in proportion, upon osmotic shock of transport-positive cells. Both functions are simultaneously lost in a class of chromate-resistant mutants, and are regained upon transduction with PLT-22 phage or reversion.
Escherichia coli O157:H7 in microbial flora of sheep

We found naturally occurring, potentially virulent Escherichia coli O157:H7 strains in sheep. The incidence of E. coli O157:H7 was transient and ranged from 31% of sheep in June to none in November. The use of a sensitive culture technique and the choice of the proper sampling season were both essential for detecting this bacterium in sheep. DNA hybridizations showed that 80% of the E. coli O157:H7 isolates had at least two of the Shiga-like toxin types I or II or the attaching-effacing lesion genes.
AAK1-mediated μ2 phosphorylation is stimulated by assembled clathrin

AAK1, the adaptor-associated kinase 1, phosphorylates the micro2 subunit of AP2 and regulates the recruitment of AP2 to tyrosine-based internalization motifs found on membrane-bound receptors. AAK1 overexpression specifically inhibits the AP2-dependent internalization of transferrin receptor and LDL-receptor related protein by functionally sequestering AP2 (Conner and Schmid. J Cell Biol 2003; 162: 773). However, while AAK1 stably associates with AP2 and specifically targets the micro2 subunit in vitro, micro2 phosphorylation in vivo was not altered by overexpression of either wild-type or kinase-inactive AAK1. These results suggested that AAK1 might be tightly regulated in the cell. Here, we report that AAK1 is an atypical kinase that is rate limited by its stable association with AP2 and that clathrin stimulates micro2 phosphorylation by AAK1. Efficient stimulation of AAK1 by clathrin involves multiple interactions between several domains on AAK1 and both heavy and light chains on clathrin. Importantly, incubation of AAK1 with clathrin cages resulted in even greater stimulation when compared to that of unassembled clathrin triskelia. Collectively, our observations indicate that clathrin function is not limited to structural and/or mechanical roles in endocytic vesicle formation: the stimulatory effects of clathrin on AAK1 activity argue that it also plays a regulatory role by modulating the activity of AP2 complexes through activation of AAK1. We suggest a model in which AAK1 is specifically activated in coated pits to enhance cargo recruitment and efficient internalization.
Patents at the Supreme Court: It Could Have Been Worse

In the last few years in particular, the Court has expanded the zone of exclusion from patent eligibility, limited the availability of injunctive relief for patentees whose patents have been adjudged to be valid and infringed, and broadened the scope of the patent exhaustion doctrine. To be sure, not all of the Supreme Court’s decisions were “anti-patent.” Nonetheless, the overall trajectory of the Court’s patent jurisprudence has been toward a narrower set of patent rights. Thus, there was significant trepidation in the patent bar and the academy when the Supreme Court decided to hear three patent cases in the OT 2012 term: Bowman v. Monsanto, Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, and FTC v. Actavis. Each of the cases had the potential to rewrite decades of patent law and significantly upend major industries that have come to rely on patents. Ultimately, however, the Court adopted an incremental approach to each of the problems it addressed. And though the overall outcome in this term’s patent cases leaves quite a lot to be desired, the worst fears of the patent-dependent industries did not come to pass.
Characterization of Asbestos Bodies and Uncoated Fibers in Lungs of Hamsters

Dimensional changes of asbestos bodies and uncoated fibers and the leaching of magnesium from the surface of chrysotile after a single intratracheal injection (1 mg) were investigated in male hamsters. The animals were sacrificed at 1 day, 6 months, 1 and 2 years later. In addition to histopathological observation, asbestos tissue burdens were investigated in 25 microns thick sections of the lungs. The sections were ashed in a low-temperature asher to be extracted with carbon film. The carbon extracted ashed sections were investigated by high resolution analytical electron microscopy to characterize asbestos fibers and asbestos bodies. Pulmonary interstitial and pleural fibrosis were observed after 6 months and later on. Light microscopically, asbestos bodies were observed after 6 months; their incidence subsequently increased with the lapse of time after the injection. Asbestos bodies measured on light micrographs became longer with the lapse of time. This suggested that the coating of chrysotile fibers had been continuously progressing in the lung. Geometric means of length and width of uncoated chrysotile fibers seen by transmission electron microscopy in animals at 1 year (length: 1.4 microns; width: 0.057 micron) or 2 years (1.2 microns, 0.047 micron) were greater compared with those of animals at 1 day (0.9 micron, 0.041 micron) or 6 months (0.9 micron, 0.037 micron) after instillation. These findings suggested that short and thin chrysotile fibers were cleared from the lung.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Fire, the BJP and moral society

(2002). Fire, the BJP and moral society. South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies: Vol. 25, The BJP and Governance in India, pp. 235-251.
The key blocks of unrolled joint traces in developed maps of tunnel walls

This paper presents a general method of key block analysis for cylindrical surfaces with numerous real or statistically produced joint traces. General tunnel curves, analytically represented, are unrolled to yield a 'developed view' on which the joint traces are continuous curves. Then, using extended block theory, the maximum key block regions are delimited from the curved polygons of the unrolled joint trace map. The methods discussed here apply to a cylindrical tunnel of any shape in section and in any orientation, including inclined tunnels and shafts. The trace maps for which the method applies can be generated statistically, as described herein, or surveyed from real traces on exposed tunnel walls. A brief introduction to the basic theory about tunnel key blocks is provided here So that this paper can be understood without reference to other papers on block theory. (Author/TRRL)
THE NATURE AND THE SPECIFICITY OF MONONUCLEAR CELLS IN EXPERIMENTAL AUTOIMMUNE INFLAMMATIONS AND THE MECHANISMS LEADING TO THEIR ACCUMULATION

The nature and specificity of the mononuclear cells in passively transferred autoimmune encephalomyelitis and adrenalitis were studied. The recipients were prepared by production of a small heat lesion in the target tissue 5 days before transfer. Within 24 hr after transfer of lymph node cells from donors sensitized with the corresponding tissue antigen, a dense mononuclear cell infiltrate developed around the lesion. When lymph node cells labeled in vitro with 3H-thymidine or 3H-adenosine were transferred, a significant number of labeled lymphocytes was found in the infiltrate at 24 or 48 hr. Lymphocytes labeled with 3H-thymidine showed a greater tendency to accumulate than cells labeled with 3H-adenosine, indicating that newly formed lymphocytes were more prone to enter the reaction than older cells. Labeled lymphocytes and macrophages of recipient origin and labeled lymphocytes from donors stimulated with B. pertussis were also shown to accumulate around the heat lesion provided the reaction had been initiated by transfer of unlabeled lymphocytes from donors sensitized to the appropriate tissue-specific antigen. In recipients which were given lymph node cells from two groups of donors, sensitized either to spinal cord or to adrenal antigens, with cells from only one group of donors labeled, equal percentages of labeled cells were found around each lesion. Thus, no evidence of preferential accumulation of specifically sensitized lymphocytes was obtained. In recipients which received whole body irradiation on the day of production of the heat lesions, 5 days before transfer of lymph node cells from appropriately sensitized donors, neither monocytes nor lymphocytes accumulated around the lesion. However, if the tibial bone marrow was shielded or if bone marrow cells were given to the recipients shortly after irradiation, inflammation developed as in normal recipients. In recipients which were irradiated 24 hr after the transfer of unlabeled lymph node cells from donors sensitized to the appropriate tissue antigen and then given labeled lymph node cells from B. pertussis -stimulated donors, labeled lymphocytes were found in the reaction 24 hr later. This accumulation occurred although virtually all the lymphocytes present in the lesion at 24 hr after the first transfer were destroyed by the irradiation. The results are interpreted as follows. The autoimmune reaction is initiated by the arrival at the site of a few specifically sensitized lymphocytes, probably on a random basis. After contact with antigen, factors are produced and released which cause the influx of monocytes and of lymphocytes, in particular newly formed ones, of various specificities. There is no preferential accumulation of specifically sensitized cells. The influx of lymphocytes appears to require the presence of monocytes or macrophages in the reaction.
On the use of population-based registries in the clinical validation of genetic tests for disease susceptibility.

The rapid pace of genetic discoveries has resulted in the proliferation of genetic tests for a wide variety of diseases. Currently, DNA-based tests are available for more than 600 conditions,' and more than 6,000 conditions have been mapped to specific chromosomes.~ Genetic tests of susceptibility to common adult-onset disorders in the general populations have become increasing available. Examples include tests for BRCA11 BRCA2 gene mutations in relation to breast and ovarian cancer,3-5 tests for apolipoprotein E-E4 allele in relation to Alzheimer disease,6,' and tests for hereditary prostate cancer 1 (HPCI) in relation to prostate can~er.~.~ Before such genetic tests can be used in medical practice, their clinical validity needs to be established.I0 Determining the clinical validity of the tests involves measuring their clinical sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) with respect to disease occur[Ir. Qlr,rtiht. Yong, Btttlr IIc,fictr untl P~.tlrnrrti Grrir.trir Rratrch, G,rlrcr tl~r ZIis~~uc Conlrr~l ond Prcv~trtro~r (CU(11, ~Llrlrlstop F-45, 4770 Bufitd Hi\))'. Arlrir~to, G.4 034 1.
Tricarboxylic acid cycle enzymes of the striped shore crab, Pachygrapsus crassipes.

Abstract 1. 1. Spectrophotometric and manometric studies were undertaken to determine the specific activities, intracellular distribution and coenzyme specificities of some citric acid cycle enzymes in cheliped muscle and gill tissues of P. crassipes . 2. 2. The citrate/isocitrate ratios of mitochondrial aconitate hydratase activity were 71 for muscle and 96 for gill. The same ratios for the cytosol enzyme were 17 and 32. Three times more activity was found in the mitochondria of both tissues compared to the cytosol with citrate as substrate. However, there was an equal activity between these fractions with isocitrate as substrate. Muscle showed a higher overall enzyme activity with either substrate as compared to gill. 3. 3. The specific activities of mitochondrial and cytosol fumarate hydratases were similar in muscle and gill. The intracellular distribution of this enzyme expressed as the mitochondrial to cytosol (M/C) specific activity ratio was 3·0 for muscle and 3·4 for gill. 4. 4. No NAD-linked isocitrate dehydrogenase was detected in either cheliped muscle or gill. The M/C ratios of the NADP-specific enzyme were 0·79 and 0·65 for muscle and gill respectively. Total enzyme activity was higher in muscle. 5. 5. Succinate dehydrogenase M/C ratios for the oxidation of succinate were 9·5 for muscle and 8·4 for gill, whereas these ratios for the reverse reaction were 4·3 and 5·0 for muscle and gill respectively. The ratio of the mitochondrial enzyme activity in the oxidative vs. the reductive direction was 17 for muscle and 18 for gill. These ratios closely resemble those of aerobic organisms. Mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase catalyzing the reduction of fumarate was four times more active with NADPH 2 than with NADPH 2 in both tissues. No activity of this enzyme with NADPH 2 was detected in the cytosol fractions. 6. 6. The results of this investigation indicate that the citric acid cycle in P. crassipes could be very similar to that of vertebrates with a few minor exceptions.
Collaborative depression treatment in older and younger adults with physical illness: pooled comparative analysis of three randomized clinical trials.

Objective: There have been few comparisons of the effectiveness of collaborative depression care between older versus younger adults with comorbid illness, particularly among low-income populations. Design: Intent-to-treat analyses are conducted on pooled data from three randomized controlled trials that tested collaborative care aimed at improving depression, quality of life, and treatment receipt. Settings: Trials were conducted in oncology and primary care safety net clinics and diverse home healthcare programs. Participants: Thousand eighty-one patients with major depressive symptoms and cancer, diabetes, or other comorbid illness. Intervention: Similar intervention protocols included patient, provider, sociocultural, and organizational adaptations. Measurements: The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 depression, Short-Form Health Survey-12/20 quality of life, self-reported hospitalization, ER, intensive care unit utilization, and antidepressant, psychotherapy treatment receipt are assessed at baseline, 6, and 12 months. Results: There are no significant differences in reducing depression symptoms (p ranged 0.18–0.58), improving quality of life ( t = 1.86, df = 669, p=0.07 for physical functioning at 12 months, and p ranged 0.23–0.99 for all others) patients aged between ≥60 years versus 18–59 years. Both age group intervention patients have significantly higher rates of a 50% PHQ-9 reduction (older: Wald χ 2 [ df = 1] = 4.82, p=0.03; younger: Wald χ 2 [ df = 1] = 6.47, p=0.02), greater reduction in major depression rates (older: Wald χ 2 [ df = 1] = 7.72, p=0.01; younger: Wald χ 2 [ df = 1] = 4.0, p=0.05) than enhanced-usual-care patients at 6 months and no significant age group differences in treatment type or intensity. Conclusion: Collaborative depression care in individuals with comorbid illness is as effective in reducing depression in older patients as younger patients, including among low-income, minority patients. Patient, provider, and organizational adaptations of depression care management models may contribute to positive outcomes.
Thelma Gwinn Thurstone: Career Strategies and Contributions to Measurement.

This paper examines the life and career of Thelma Gwinn Thurstoneher career strategies and her contributions to psychological testing, intelligence theory, and instruction—based on her publications and a series of personal interviews with her and her colleagues. Thurstone's contributions, with her husband, L. L. Thurstone, included the development of the American Council on Education's Psychological Examinations and the Primary Mental Abilities test batteries. Her own work included the development of instructional materials using the common factor theory of intelligence. Thurstone, wife of a preeminent scholar and mother of three sons, pursued career strategies that facilitated her continued professional activity for six decades. Further research on measurement history and also on women's career strategies are suggested.
The partial reinforcement effect sustained through blocks of continuous water reinforcement

Thirsty rats received either partial or continuous water reinforcement in Phase I. In Phase II, half of the partially rewarded subjects were shifted to continuous reinforcement while the other half continued to receive partial reinforcement. The continuously reinforced subjects continued to receive the same reinforcement conditions as before. In Phase 3, all subjects underwent extinction. The results showed both a highly significant PREE and a sustained PREE. The need for investigation of known behavioral phenomena as a function of different reinforcers was emphasized.
Non-Immune Binding of Human IgG to M-Related Proteins Confers Resistance to Phagocytosis of Group A Streptococci in Blood

The non-immune binding of immunoglobulins by bacteria is thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of infections. M-related proteins (Mrp) are group A streptococcal (GAS) receptors for immunoglobulins, but it is not known if this binding has any impact on virulence. To further investigate the binding of immunoglobulins to Mrp, we engineered mutants of an M type 4 strain of GAS by inactivating the genes for mrp, emm, enn, sof, and sfbX and tested these mutants in IgG-binding assays. Inactivation of mrp dramatically decreased the binding of human IgG, whereas inactivation of emm, enn, sof, and sfbx had only minor effects, indicating that Mrp is a major IgG-binding protein. Binding of human immunoglobulins to a purified, recombinant form of Mrp indicated that it selectively binds to the Fc domain of human IgG, but not IgA or IgM and that it preferentially bound subclasses IgG1>IgG4>IgG2>IgG3. Recombinant proteins encompassing different regions of Mrp were engineered and used to map its IgG-binding domain to its A-repeat region and a recombinant protein with 3 A-repeats was a better inhibitor of IgG binding than one with a single A-repeat. A GAS mutant expressing Mrp with an in-frame deletion of DNA encoding the A-repeats had a dramatically reduced ability to bind human IgG and to grow in human blood. Mrp exhibited host specificity in binding IgG; human IgG was the best inhibitor of the binding of IgG followed by pig, horse, monkey, and rabbit IgG. IgG from goat, mouse, rat, cow, donkey, chicken, and guinea pig were poor inhibitors of binding. These findings indicate that Mrp preferentially binds human IgG and that this binding contributes to the ability of GAS to resist phagocytosis and may be a factor in the restriction of GAS infections to the human host.
Isolation of nlz2 and characterization of essential domains in Nlz family proteins.

In this study, we first cloned nlz2, a second zebrafish member of the nlz-related zinc-finger gene family. nlz2 was expressed together with nlz1 in a broad posterior domain during gastrula stages as well as at the midbrain-hindbrain boundary and in the hindbrain caudal to rhombomere 4 during segmentation. nlz2 was also expressed in regions distinct from nlz1, notably in the forebrain, midbrain, and trunk. Misexpression of nlz2 in zebrafish embryos disrupted gene expression in the rostral hindbrain, similar to the effect of misexpressing nlz1. We next compared the nlz1 and nlz2 sequences to identify and characterize domains conserved within this family. We found a C-terminal domain required for nuclear localization and two conserved domains (the Sp motif and a putative C2H2 zinc finger) required for nlz1 function. We also demonstrate that Nlz1 self-associated via its C terminus, interacted with Nlz2, and bound to histone deacetylases. Last, we found two forms of Nlz1 generated from alternative translation initiation sites in vivo. These forms have distinct activities, apparently depending on the function of the N-terminal Sp motif. Our data demonstrate that nlz2 functions similarly to nlz1 and define conserved domains essential for nuclear localization, self-association, and corepressor binding in this novel family of zinc-finger genes.
Exploiting environmental properties for wireless localization

Wireless sensor networks are usually deployed to monitor environmental fields. In this work, we take a different viewpoint by dual-using the wireless sensor networks beyond their original purpose and exploit the general spatial information fields associated with wireless networks to assist position verification and refine conventional localization results. We developed the Flex - EP algorithm. And further our experimental evaluation results provide strong evidence that our approach can achieve the similar performance as traditional localization algorithms, without requiring the deployment of a localization infrastructure.
Partnering To Advance Public Health: A Foundation Supports Public Programs

The New York Community Trust (NYCT), as part of its grant-making strategy, seeks to strengthen health services for the poorest residents of New York City. The NYCT worked closely with the Fund for Public Health in New York, a nonprofit agency affiliated with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, to test new approaches to health screening for vulnerable populations. Grants jump-started innovative programs, leveraging public-sector support and program expansion beyond the scope of the grant-funded projects.
The coenzyme b12 analog 5'-deoxyadenosylcobinamide-gdp supports catalysis by methylmalonyl-coa mutase in the absence of trans-ligand coordination.

Abstract Methylmalonyl-CoA mutase is an 5′-adenosylcobalamin (AdoCbl)-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the rearrangement of methylmalonyl-CoA to succinyl-CoA. The crystal structure of this protein revealed that binding of the cofactor is accompanied by a significant conformational change in which dimethylbenzimidazole, the lower axial ligand to cobalt in solution, is replaced by His610 donated by the active site. The role of the lower axial ligand in the trillion-fold labilization of the upper axial cobalt–carbon bond has been the subject of enduring debate in the model inorganic literature. In this study, we have used a cofactor analog, 5′deoxyadenosylcobinamide GDP (AdoCbi-GDP), which reconstitutes the enzyme in a “histidine-off” form and which allows us to evaluate the contribution of the lower axial ligand to catalysis. The k cat for the enzyme in the presence of AdoCbi-GDP is reduced by a factor of 4 compared with the native cofactor AdoCbl. The overall deuterium isotope effect in the presence of AdoCbi-GDP (D V = 7.2 ± 0.8) is comparable with that observed in the presence of AdoCbl (5.0 ± 0.6) and indicates that the hydrogen transfer steps in this reaction are not significantly affected by the change in coordination state of the bound cofactor. These surprising results are in marked contrast to the effects ascribed to the corresponding lower axial histidine ligands in the cobalamin-dependent enzymes glutamate mutase and methionine synthase.
Efficient Conformational Sampling in Explicit Solvent Using a Hybrid Replica Exchange Molecular Dynamics Method.

Temperature-based replica-exchange molecular dynamics (REMD), in which multiple simultaneous simulations, or replicas, are run at a range of temperatures, has become increasingly popular for exploring the energy landscape of biomolecular systems. The practical application of REMD toward systems of biomedical interest is often limited by the rapidly increasing number of replicas needed to model systems of larger size. Continuum solvent models, which replace the explicit modeling of solvent molecules with a mean-field approximation of solvation, decrease system size and correspondingly, the number of replicas, but can sometimes produce distortions of the free energy landscape. We present a hybrid implicit/explicit solvent REMD method in CHARMM in which replicas run in a purely explicit solvent regime while exchanges are implemented with a high-density GBMV2 implicit solvation model. Such a hybrid approach may be able to decrease the number of replicas needed to model larger systems while maintaining the acc...
Location and Characterization of the Human GRP Receptor Expressed by Gastrointestinal Epithelial Cells

Abstract Ferris, H. A., R. E. Carroll, D. L. Lorimer and R. V. Benya. Location and characterization of the human GRP receptor expressed by gastrointestinal epithelial cells. Peptides 18(5) 663-672, 1997.—The exact location of normal gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) receptor expression by epithelial cells lining the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract is not known; yet this receptor is found on upwards of 50% of GI cancers. Furthermore, the pharmacology reported for GRP receptors expressed by GI cancers varies considerably. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the normal distribution of GRP receptor expression by cells lining the human GI tract, and then determine the normal pharmacology of the human receptor when ectopically expressed by the nonmalignant human colon epithelial cell line NCM460. We obtained endoscopic pinch biopsies of, and extracted the RNA from, epithelial cells lining the esophagus, stomach, jejunum, ileum, and proximal and descending colon. RT-PCR demonstrated that GRP-R expression is limited to cells lining the gastric antrum, indicating that this receptor is aberrantly expressed by GI cancers. To determine the normal pharmacology of this receptor when expressed by nonmalignant human tissues for the first time, we transfected NCM460 cells with the cDNA for the human GRP receptor. By studying three stable NCM460 cell lines expressing varying numbers of receptors, we demonstrate that agonist and antagonist binding affinity, binding kinetics, and G-protein coupling are all independent of receptor number. Finally, by comparing GRP receptors expressed by GI cancers with those on NCM460-transfected cells, we show that the pharmacology of the aberrantly expressed receptors is significantly altered. Thus, these data demonstrate that GI cancers aberrantly express GRP receptors that then behave abnormally.
Coated pits and coated vesicles: histological findings and pharmacological implications

Abstract In this article, Robert Raffa describes how electron microscopic, inspection of cell surface structures capable of internalizing receptors provides a provocative basis for speculation about the mechanism of such apparently diverse pharmacological phenomena as fade, tachyphylaxis, tolerance, and down regulation.
The stabilization of nanocrystalline copper by zirconium

Abstract Alloys of copper (Cu) and zirconium (Zr) were generated by mechanical alloying via cryogenic, high-energy ball milling and then annealed to a maximum temperature of 1000 °C. The addition of only 1 at% Zr to Cu was found effective at stabilizing the grains in the nanocrystalline state to homologous temperatures in excess of 0.85. When Zr was added in concentrations of 2 and 5 at%, the alloys underwent substantial hardening during annealing, but grain size stability was not enhanced. The mechanism of grain size stabilization was investigated using thermodynamic and kinetic modeling. Zr is predicted to significantly reduce the grain boundary energy of Cu via segregation, but simplifications in the thermodynamic model do not capture high temperature behavior. Kinetically, good correlation between calculation and experimental observation was found by applying estimations for the limiting grain size and Orowan strengthening via second-phase pinning. Both thermodynamic and kinetic mechanisms may be active during annealing, but kinetic parameters appear to be sufficient in explaining the excellent stability of nanocrystalline Cu, even at low Zr concentration.
CONFIGURATION OF PHYSICAL DISTRIBUTION NETWORKS

Distribution problems, including vehicle routing and warehouse location problems, are usually formulated by considering a finite number of possible locations for the customers, the warehouses, and vehicle stops. The question of selecting which of these points are actually used (and how) is a mixed-integer programming problem which is difficult to solve. Thus, such a discrete formulation results in a problem that has to be solved heuristically; it also entails a large data preparation effort each time a solution has to be developed in response to changing world conditions. The continuous approach used in this paper attempts to circumvent some of these drawbacks. We consider one source and its customers in a service area; customer locations are modeled by a density surface over the service area. With this information, and data about the cost of inventory and transportation, we can determine the number of transhipment points, and the frequency and routing of all the distribution vehicles. An example is given. The continuous approach does not yield a solution. It gives design guidelines, which ensure near minimum total cost. These design guidelines are based on general properties of optimal solutions (discussed at the beginning of the paper) and on the specific characteristics of the case at hand. Implementation of the guidelines to obtain a feasible configuration requires human intervention. While the continuous method involves approximations (the real world is discrete and considerably more complicated than in our model), it yields insight into the structure of logistic systems. This insight should not only help in the design process; it may well also lead to improved heuristic solution methods for discrete formulations. Hybrid methods may eventually emerge.
LEED, AES and thermal desorption studies of chemisorbed Hydrogen and hydrocarbons (C2H2, C2H4, C6H6, C6H12) on the (111) and stepped [6(111) × (100)] iridium crystal surfaces; comparison with platinum

Abstract The adsorption of hydrogen, ethylene, acetylene, cyclohexane and benzene was studied on both the (111) and stepped [6(111) × (100)] crystal surfaces of iridium. The techniques used were low energy electron diffraction, Auger electron spectroscopy, and thermal desorption mass spectrometry. At 30°C, acetylene, ethylene and benzene are adsorbed with a sticking probability near unity. The sticking probability of cyclohexane is less than 0.1 on both surfaces. Heating the (111) surface above 800°C, in the presence of the hydrocarbons, results in the formation of an ordered carbonaceous overlayer with a diffraction pattern corresponding to a (9 × 9) surface structure. No indication for ordering of the carbonaceous residue was found on the stepped iridium surface in these experimental conditions. The hydrocarbon molecules form only poorly ordered surface structures on both iridium surfaces when the adsorption is carried out at 30°C. Benzene is the only gas that can be desorbed from the surfaces in large amounts by heating. Ethylene remains largely on the surface, only a few percent is removed by heating while acetylene and cyclohexane cannot be desorbed at all. When adsorption is carried out at 30°C and the crystal is subsequently flashed to high temperature, hydrogen is liberated from the surface. The hydrogen desorption spectra from the iridium surfaces exposed to C2H4, C2H2, or C6H6 exhibit two hydrogen desorption peaks, one around 200°C and the second around 350°C. The temperatures where these peaks appear vary slightly with the type of hydrocarbon. The relative intensities of these two peaks depend strongly on the surface used. Arguments are presented that decomposition of the hydrocarbon molecules (C-H bond breaking nd possibly also C-C bond breaking) occurs easier on the stepped iridium surface than on the (111) surface. Hydrogen is desorbed at a higher temperature from an iridium surface possessing a high density of surface imperfections than from a perfect iridium (111) surface. The results are compared with those obtained previously on similar crystal surfaces of platinum. It appears that C-H bond breaking occurs more easily on iridium than on platinum.
On the Mechanism of the H–D ExchangeReaction in Ethane over Platinum Catalysts

Abstract The catalytic exchange of hydrogen atoms for deuteriums inethane was studied over a platinum foil between 540 and 640 K byusing a closed-loop microbatch reactor with mass spectrometrydetection. An activation energy of 27.1 kcal/mol and kineticorders of −0.55 and 1.00 with respect to deuterium and ethane,respectively, were obtained on the platinum foil, in agreementwith previous reports on other forms of platinum. The focus ofthis study was on the identification of surface intermediates byperforming a detailed analysis of the resulting products. Theexchange product distribution was in all cases U-shaped, withmaxima at the singly and fully deuterated ethane molecules,again the same as on supported platinum catalysts and onplatinum films and (111) single crystals. The uniqueness of thework reported here is that it describes the first completequantitative determination of the distribution of symmetric andasymmetric deuterium-substituted products. In particular, 13 C-NMR was used to determine that the yield forCH 2 D–CH 2 Dis more than twice that forCH 3 CHD 2 , a result that suggests thatadsorbed ethylene is one of the main intermediates in themechanism for complete exchange. A sequence of steps thatincludes the formation of ethyl, ethylene, and ethylidynesurface intermediates is discussed.
Dreams of democratic togetherness: Communication hope from Cooley to Katz

From at least the Progressives through recent media effects research, American thought about mass media has been marked by attention to the nexus of community, communication and democracy. Thinkers from Cooley and Dewey to Lazarsfeld and Katz have worried about the relation between local forms of civil society and far‐flung solidarity, argued about the role of communication in each, and addressed all these concerns in light of broader political visions. That tradition is marked by a recurring dream that mass communication might overcome the finitude of local civil society and bring about nationwide community. I call that dream communication hope.
Analysis of vector LP modes in VCSELs using the effective frequency method

The effective frequency method (EFM) is generalized to the case of vector analysis of LP modes in VCSELs and applied to proton-implanted and oxide-confined VCSEL structures. Resonant wavelengths and mode profiles of a number of vector LP modes are calculated for different values of active region radius. The vector EFM is shown to provide important information about the vertical and radial components of the energy flux inside the laser structure. The maximum values for 'weak' Ez and 'strong' Ex components of the electrical field within the laser structure are calculated. Their intensity ratio in the 'near-cutoff' situation is suggested as a quantitative verification of weak-guiding assumption in VCSELs, on which the derivation of the EFM was based.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Solvation of primary amines: short-range solvation of proton transfer complexes of 2,4-dinitrophenol and n-butylamine

Abstract The short-range solvation of the proton transfer complex formed between 2,4-dinitrophenol and n-butylamine was studied in benzene solution containing small amounts of three ethers: n-propyl ether, tetrahydropyran, and dioxane. In all cases a pattern is observed in which solvation by the ether causes an increase in the equilibrium constant for the formation of the proton transfer complex until a plateau value is reached. This is following on further increase of the ether concentration by a second rise followed by a second plateau. The equilibrium constants for each of the solvation events and the number of solvent molecules reacting per amine molecule were calculated. The first step involves two solvent molecules per amine, and the second step involves a larger number.