cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reputational Ratings of Doctoral Programs

Peer ratings of the quality of doctoral program faculties were obtained in a 1975 national survey of chemistry, history, and psychology programs. The ratings were then compared to those obtained 6 and 11 years earlier by the American Council on Education. In general, the rankings obtained from the ratings proved to be highly stable over the 11-year period, particularly in chemistry and history. Some ratings were also obtained for subspecialties within the three disciplines. Though it is clear that variations in quality among subspecialty faculties do exist and are important for individual program evaluations, it is unlikely that such subspecialty ratings would be feasible or useful in national surveys of the reputations of doctoral programs. The ratings were found to be highly related to a number of research-oriented variables of departments (such as size, productivity, percentage of alumni holding academic positions at Ph.D.-granting universities), but unrelated or very weakly related to such features as the student-reported quality of teaching and degree of faculty concern for students, or faculty-reported degree of departmental effort toward the career development of junior members of the faculty.
Promotion, termination, and anti-termination in the rpsU-dnaG-rpoD macromolecular synthesis operon of E. coli K-12

The regulatory regions for the rpsU-dnaG-rpoD macromolecular synthesis operon have been fused to a structural gene whose product is readily assayed (the Cmr structural gene coding for chloramphenicol acetyl transferase, CAT). The promoters (P1, P2, P3, Pa, Pb, Phs) for the macromolecular synthesis operon have different strengths as shown by their relative abilities to drive expression of the CAT gene. Promoter occlusion by P1 can be demonstrated within this operon. Regions 5kb upstream have a profound effect on operon gene expression. There is a thermoinducible promoter located within the dnaG structural gene. One of the macromolecular synthesis operon promoters is under lexA control. Although the operon structure allows coordinate expression of rpsU, dnaG and rpoD these additional features suggest that expression of individual genes can be independently regulated in response to altered growth conditions.
Inhibition of epoxidation of carbamazepine by valproic acid in the isolated perfused rat liver.

The effect of valproic acid on carbamazepine epoxidation in the perfused liver was investigated in two separate studies. In study I, significant decreases were observed both in the intrinsic clearance of carbamazepine and the intrinsic formation clearance of carbamazepineepoxide in the presence of therapeutic concentrations of valproate. The same inhibitory effect of valproate was also observed in liver preparations from a group of animals pretreated with carbamazepine. Study II focused on the effect of valproate and carbamazepine on the apparent Michaelis-Menten parameters (Vmax,m,Km,m)associated with the intrinsic formation clearance of carbamazepineepoxide in the perfused liver. Valproate had no statistically significant effect on either the Vmax,morthe Km,mof epoxidation, although the Km,mvalue was 43% higher in the presence of valproate. However, the ratio of Vmax,mand Km,m(intrinsic formation clearance) was significantly reduced by valproate. The Vmax,mand Km,mvalues obtained in study II predicted a significant decrease in the intrinsic formation clearance of carbamazepineepoxide, consistent with the results of study I. Carbamazepine pretreatment was associated with significant increases in apparent Vmax,mand Km,mof epoxide formation.
Gold Nanoparticles Surface Plasmon Field Effects on the Proton Pump Process of the Bacteriorhodopsin Photosynthesis

The rate of the proton pump of bacteriorhodopsin photosynthetic system is examined in the presence of a gold nanorod plasmon field. It is found that while the rate of the proton dissociation from the protonated Schiff base is not affected, the rate of its reprotonation increases. These results are qualitatively discussed in terms of several possible mechanisms.
Synthesis of Sindbis virus complementary DNA by avian myeloblastosis virus RNA-directed DNA polymerase

Abstract Sindbis virus 42 S RNA was efficiently transcribed into complementary DNA (cDNA) by avian myeloblastosis virus αβ DNA polymerase using oligo(dT) or single-stranded calf thymus DNA as primers. Both of the Sindbis virus cDNA products were able to protect 60% of 125I-labeled Sindbis virus RNA, at near equal weight ratios, from RNAase A and T1 digestion. Using hybridization kinetics, the C r t 1 2 value for hybridization of the calf thymus-primed cDNA product with excess Sindbis RNA was determined to be 1.8 · 10−2 mol · s · l−1. These data demonstrate that the Sindbis virus cDNA products are relatively uniform representations of Sindbis virus RNA sequences.
Kawasaki Patients with Coronary Artery Calcifications Detected by Ultrafast CT Scan: A Population at Risk for Early Atherosclerosis

Background: Kawasaki disease produces a vasculitis which may injure the coronary arteries and predispose these patients to early atherosclerosis. Previously, case reports have documented that Kawasaki patients may develop coronary calcifications and may die of sudden death many years after their acute illness. Ultrafast computer tomography (UCT) has been successful at detecting coronary calcifications in adults with atherosclerosis. The goal of this study is to show that UCT can be utilized as a non-invasive technique to identify Kawasaki patients at high risk for coronary disease and who would require long-term surveillance through adulthood.Methods and Results: Eighteen patients ages five to twenty-one years old with a history of Kawasaki disease were enrolled. Each patient had an UCT of the heart. There were four patients with calcifications noted. All of the four patients had: a previous history of an aneurysm, were at least five years from their acute illness, and had the calcification correlate to the previous site of aneursym formation. A calcium score was determined by the Agaston method for each calcification. The Mayo clinic guidelines for adult atherosclerosis were then used to correlate these scores with the risk of future coronary artery disease. All four patients were at moderate or greater risk of future coronary disease.Conclusion: This study indicates that UCT can be used as an effective non-invasive methodology in Kawasaki patients to successfully identify the high-risk patients predisposed to developing potential early atherosclerotic coronary artery disease.
Generalized SMO Algorithm for SVM-Based Multitask Learning

Exploiting additional information to improve traditional inductive learning is an active research area in machine learning. In many supervised-learning applications, training data can be naturally separated into several groups, and incorporating this group information into learning may improve generalization. Recently, Vapnik proposed a general approach to formalizing such problems, known as “learning with structured data” and its support vector machine (SVM) based optimization formulation called SVM+. Liang and Cherkassky showed the connection between SVM+ and multitask learning (MTL) approaches in machine learning, and proposed an SVM-based formulation for MTL called SVM+MTL for classification. Training the SVM+MTL classifier requires the solution of a large quadratic programming optimization problem which scales as O(n3) with sample size n. So there is a need to develop computationally efficient algorithms for implementing SVM+MTL. This brief generalizes Platt's sequential minimal optimization (SMO) algorithm to the SVM+MTL setting. Empirical results show that, for typical SVM+MTL problems, the proposed generalized SMO achieves over 100 times speed-up, in comparison with general-purpose optimization routines.
Influenza vaccination responses in human systemic lupus erythematosus: impact of clinical and demographic features.

Objective Vaccination against common pathogens, such as influenza, is recommended for SLE patients to decrease infections and improve health. However, most vaccination response reports are limited to evaluation of SLE patients with quiescent disease. This study focuses on understanding the clinical, serological, therapeutic, and demographic factors which influence the response to influenza vaccination in patients with a range of disease activities.
Skeletal alkaline phosphatase activity is primarily released from human osteoblasts in an insoluble form, and the net release is inhibited by calcium and skeletal growth factors.

Skeletal alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is anchored to membrane inositol-phosphate on the outer surface of osteoblasts. Although skeletal ALP activity in serum is, essentially, all in an anchorless (soluble) form, in vitro studies indicate that ALP can be released in either an anchorless, soluble form (e.g., by a phospholipase) or an anchor-intact, insoluble form (e.g., by vesicle exocytosis). The current studies were intended to define the contributions of each of these putative processes of ALP release and to assess the significance of regulation by calcium (Ca) and skeletal effectors. ALP activity was measured in serum-free medium from replicate cultures of human osteosarcoma (SaOS-2) cells and normal human bone cells. Temperature-sensitive phase distribution (in Triton X-114) allowed separation of soluble from insoluble ALP activity. Our studies revealed that most of the ALP activity released from SaOS-2 cells was in an insoluble form (78% ± 8%), a percentage that was constant between 2 and 96 hours. A similar result was seen for normal human bone cells. Calcium had a negative, biphasic dose-dependent effect on net release of ALP activity: r=−0.85, P < 0.001 at 24 hours, with KIapparent values for biphasic inhibition of 20 and 300 μmol/l Ca. Of the skeletal effectors tested, insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF-II) had the greatest effect, decreasing the net release of ALP activity in a dose-dependent manner (r=−0.82, P < 0.005). Neither Ca nor IGF-II affected the distribution of soluble/insoluble ALP activity by more than 9%. IGF-II had no effect on extracellular ALP stability, but the addition of Ca to Ca-free cultures resulted in parallel losses of extracellular ALP activity and ALP immunoreactive protein (P < 0.001 for each). A similar effect was seen when Ca was added to Ca-free, cell-free, conditioned medium, but not when Ca was added to purified ALP, which is consistent with the general hypothesis that a Ca-dependent protease might be present in the cell-conditioned medium. Together, these data suggest that most of the ALP activity released from osteoblasts is insoluble (and, presumably, anchorless), net release of ALP activity is negatively regulated by Ca and skeletal growth factors, the effect of Ca may reflect Ca-dependent protease activity, and an exogenous (e.g., serum) phospholipase may be responsible for releasing ALP from its insoluble anchor.
Natural history of carotid artery occlusion.

Carotid artery occlusion (CAO) is a risk factor for stroke ipsilateral to the occlusion and puts patients in a high-risk category when contralateral endarterectomy is performed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term outcomes of patients with internal CAO and to determine risk factors predictive of subsequent neurological event, contralateral carotid intervention, or death. Patients with internal CAO shown by duplex ultrasonography were retrospectively identified and followed between January 2002 and June 2010 (follow-up: 1-101 months, mean: 52 months) at a tertiary care hospital. All had multiple duplex examinations available for review. Chi-square analysis was used to determine risk factors for neurologic event, contralateral intervention, or all-cause morality. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis was conducted using univariate risk factors with P values 50%) or occlusion of the external carotid artery (ECA) ipsilateral to the occlusion on follow-up (P < 0.027) was associated with increased risk of death. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed 7-year survival for patients with ECA disease at follow-up was significantly worse (16.2% ± 10.3% [n = 21] vs. 79% ± 8.7% [n = 59]; P < 0.00001). Frequently, patients present with neurological symptoms referable to the side of the internal CAO. Eighty-six percent of neurologic events that occur in follow-up are attributable to the side of the occluded carotid, indicating that the occluded side continues to contribute to neurologic morbidity over time. Multivariate analysis revealed no single factor to be predictive of subsequent neurologic events. With significant risk of death in patients found to have ipsilateral ECA stenosis during follow-up, it seems reasonable to continue surveillance of the occluded carotid.
Role of the Carboxy-Terminal Portion of the HIV-1 Transmembrane Protein in Viral Transmission and Cytopathogenicity

The transmembrane glycoprotein (gp41) of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) has a long cytoplasmic domain of unknown functional significance. To investigate the role of the carboxy-terminal (C-terminal) portion of the HIV-1 envelope protein in viral replication, infectivity, and cytopathogenicity, we examined the properties of a panel of mutants with variable deletions in the 3′-env region. Deletion of the C-terminal 76 amino acids did not abolish production of reverse transcriptase upon transfection of COS-1 cells. Deletion of the C-terminal 6-14 amino acids appeared sufficient to alter the replication pattern, infectivity, and cytopathogenicity of some clones. The data suggest that conformational determinants or specific sequences are responsible for the observed changes, rather than simply the length of the gp41 cytoplasmic tail.
Magnesium diboride: basic physical properties and high upper critical field anisotropy

Abstract We will briefly outline recent work done by the Ames Laboratory group and collaborators on synthesis and physical properties of newly discovered intermetallic superconductor, MgB2 (Tc≈40 K), produced in the form of sintered powder and wire segments with the emphasis to be on recent results that indicate that MgB2 may well have significant anisotropies associated with the superconducting state.
Clostridium difficile Toxin Associated with Chronic Diarrhea and Failure to Gain Weight

Two young children are described in whom chronic diarrhea associated with the presence of Clostridium difficile toxin responded to treatment with oral vancomycin. C. difficile infection should be considered in the evaluation of young children with diarrhea who fail to gain weight, even in the absence of prior antibiotic treatment.
Routes of Blood Supply to the Head of the Pekin Duck

Abstract The principal routes of blood flow to the head in birds are the common carotid arteries and their branches. However, additional routes exist, and these were identified in White Pekin ducks. Metallic mercury was infused into the ischiatic artery of euthanized ducks with occluded brachiocephalic arteries during direct fluoroscopic visualization. In 7 of 10 birds, mercury reached the head through anastosmoses between the dorsal intercostal rami of the aorta and the descending vertebral arteries. In one bird, an anastomotsis was also present between the external iliac artery and the pectoral trunk. In 3 birds, no connections between the aorta and branches to the head could be demonstrated. It is likely that a small blood flow can reach the head through these anatomotses but it probably constitutes an insignificant fraction of the total.
Low-threshold native-oxide confined narrow-stripe folded-cavity surface-emitting InGaAs-GaAs lasers

Narrow-stripe folded-cavity surface-emitting InGaAs-GaAs lasers are demonstrated, AlAs native-oxide layers above and below waveguide region are employed for current and optical confinement to form narrow-stripe InGaAs-GaAs quantum-well lasers. A low-temperature (400/spl deg/C) selective wet-oxidation technique and an ion-beam-etching technique are used to fabricate insulator confined narrow-stripes and internal 45/spl deg/ deflectors, respectively. Continuous-wave threshold currents as low as 4.5 mA and 59% surface-emitting quantum efficiencies are achieved on the devices with 2-/spl mu/m-wide aperture and a 420-/spl mu/m-long cavity.
Cytoplasmic domain structures of Kir2.1 and Kir3.1 show sites for modulating gating and rectification.

N- and C-terminal cytoplasmic domains of inwardly rectifying K (Kir) channels control the ion-permeation pathway through diverse interactions with small molecules and protein ligands in the cytoplasm. Two new crystal structures of the cytoplasmic domains of Kir2.1 (Kir2.1L) and the G protein–sensitive Kir3.1 (Kir3.1S) channels in the absence of PIP2 show the cytoplasmic ion-permeation pathways occluded by four cytoplasmic loops that form a girdle around the central pore (G-loop). Significant flexibility of the pore-facing G-loop of Kir2.1L and Kir3.1S suggests a possible role as a diffusion barrier between cytoplasmic and transmembrane pores. Consistent with this, mutations of the G-loop disrupted gating or inward rectification. Structural comparison shows a di-aspartate cluster on the distal end of the cytoplasmic pore of Kir2.1L that is important for modulating inward rectification. Taken together, these results suggest the cytoplasmic domains of Kir channels undergo structural changes to modulate gating and inward rectification.
Investigation of the Role of H in Fabrication-Process- Induced Variations of ${\rm Nb}/{\rm Al}/{\rm AlO}_{x}/{\rm Nb}$ Josephson Junctions

The correct operation and high performance of complex superconducting integrated circuits significantly depend on fabrication-process-induced variations of the Josephson junction critical current Ic. Such variations in Nb/Al/AlOx/Nb junctions were investigated and shown to be dependent on how the junction electrodes are connected to other layers in the integrated circuit, especially the ground plane and the Ti/Pd/Au contact pad. The observed enhancement of Ic and gap voltage over time for junctions with certain wiring connections suggests that the phenomenon is related to the diffusion over time of impurities between the junction electrode and the Ti/Pd/Au pad. Considering the strong affinity of both Nb and Ti to H, a model where H is the main impurity element involved in the diffusion-related phenomenon is presented. The results show that direct wiring to Ti is sufficient to observe Ic variations. The results also suggest that as fabricated, the interface between the junction counter-electrode and the AlOx barrier is already close to or at full H saturation, significantly depressing the Ic by up to 20%, compared to clean Nb junctions.
Intratumoral delivery of dendritic cells engineered to secrete both interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-18 effectively treats local and distant disease in association with broadly reactive Tc1-type immunity

Dendritic cells (DCs) were adenovirally engineered to constitutively and durably secrete the potent Th1-biasing cytokines interleukin (IL)-12 (AdIL12DC) and/or IL-18 (AdIL18DC) and evaluated for their ability to promote therapeutic antitumor immunity in murine sarcoma models. Injection of either AdIL12DC or AdIL18DC into day 7 CMS4 or MethA tumors resulted in tumor rejection or slowed tumor growth when compared with control cohorts. Importantly, intratumoral injection with DCs engineered to secrete both IL-12 and IL-18 (AdIL12/IL18DC) resulted in complete and the most acute rejection of any treatment group analyzed. This strategy was also effective in promoting the regression of contralateral, untreated tumors. Both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were required for tumor rejection. CD8+ splenic T cells from mice treated with AdIL12/IL18DC produced the highest levels of IFN-gamma in response to tumor rechallenge in vitro and displayed the broadest repertoire of Tc1-type reactivity to acid-eluted, tumor-derived peptides among all treatment cohorts. This apparent enhancement in cross-presentation of tumor-associated epitopes in vivo may result from the increased capacity of engineered DCs to kill tumor cells, survive tumor-induced apoptosis, and present immunogenic MHC/tumor peptide complexes to T cells after intratumoral injection. In support of this hypothesis, cytokine gene-engineered DCs expressed higher levels of MHC and costimulatory molecules, as well as Fas ligand and membrane-bound tumor necrosis factor alpha, with the latter markers associated with elevated tumoricidal activity in vitro. Cytokine gene-engineered DCs appeared to have a survival advantage in situ when injected into tumor lesions, to be found in approximation with regions of tumor apoptosis, and to have the capacity to ingest apoptotic tumor bodies. These results support the ability of combined cytokine gene transfer to enhance multiple effector functions mediated by intralesionally injected DCs that may concertedly promote cross-priming and the accelerated immune-mediated rejection of tumors.
VARIABLE CASCADE DYNAMICS AND INTERMITTENCY IN THE SOLAR WIND AT 1 AU

In recent studies by ourselves and others of third-moment expressions for the rate of energy cascade in the solar wind, it has been shown that relatively large volumes of data are needed to produce convergent averages. These averages are in good agreement with independently obtained estimates for the average heating rate for a solar wind plasma under those conditions. The unanswered question has been whether the convergence issue is the result of intermittent dynamics or simple measurement uncertainties. In other words, is the difficulty in obtaining a single result that characterizes many similarly prepared samples due to in situ dynamics that create physically real variations or simple statistics? There have been publications showing evidence of intermittent dynamics in the solar wind. Here we show that the third-moment expressions and the computed energy cascade for relatively small samples of data comparable to the correlation length are generally well-formed estimates of the local dynamics. This leads us to conclude that intermittency and not simple measurement uncertainties are responsible for the slow convergence to expected heating rates. We partially characterize the scale size of the intermittency to be comparable to or smaller than the correlation length of the turbulence and we attempt to rephrase the discussion of third moments in terms of intermittent dynamics.
Thermal Conductivity of Uranium Dioxide from ‐57° to 1100°C by a Radial Heat Flow Technique

A radial heat flow technique was used to measure the thermal conductivity, k, of polycrystalline UO2in the range -57° to 1100°C. The technique yielded results with a probable accuracy of ±1.5% and a precision of ±0.1% in the range 50° to 1100°C. Meaningful measurements were limited to 1100°C by Pt-90 Pt10Rh thermocouple instability, although the apparatus was structurally sound to 1400°C. The thermal conductivity data up to 1000°C could be explained on the basis of heat transport by phonons. The thermal resistance, l/k, exhibits a linear temperature dependence from 200° to 100°C, which is expected for an insulator well above the Debye temperature. The slope of the l/k-temperature plot is 0.0223 cm w−1 which is independent of impurity content and is associated with three phonon umklapp processes. The intercept is sensitive to impurity content as indicated by the fact that it was decreased by a decrease in the oxygen/uranium ratio. Between 1000° and 1100°C, there is a slight departure of l/k from linearity which may be due to the onset of an electronic contribution. Near room temperature, UO2 has a maximum in k which is apparently caused by the rapid decrease in specific heat below this temperature.
Vector based Analog to Digital Converter sequential testing methodology to minimize ATE memory and analysis requirements

Mixed signal circuits typically require more complex specification based testing as compared to digital circuits, which can be completely tested with structural or simple functional tests. Due to the analog nature of some of the internal nodes and external signals in mixed signal circuits, qualitative functional tests may be required to assure circuit performance at all operating points. Mixed signal blocks such as Analog to Digital Converters (ADC) and Digital to Analog Converters (DAC) act as interfaces between the digital processing modules of the System on a Chip (SoC) and interfacing analog domains. These converters are increasingly common on SoCs due to ever-increasing presence of real world analog signals that use the processing capabilities of the digital blocks. High volume production testing of these mixed-signal components is inefficient due to test complications, resulting in the use of high-performance Automatic Test Equipment (ATE). While various Built-in Self Test (BiST) schemes are proposed to provide the analog test stimulus, the conventional histogram analysis method is still in use for the majority of ADC testing applications. We review a proposal for ADC output test involving a functional pattern, effectively resulting in a real-time-code-analysis. Memory and processing constraints for the ATE are reduced as this vector based method is not ATE memory intensive while providing an output quality measure identical to the conventional histogram method.
Estimating extremes of combined two Gaussian and non-Gaussian response processes

Assessment of structural performance under stochastic dynamic loadings requires estimation of the extremes of stochastic response components and the resultant responses as their linear and nonlinear combinations. This paper addresses the evaluations and combination rules for the extremes of scalar and vectorial resultant responses from two response components that may show non-Gaussian characteristics. The non-Gaussian response process is modeled as a translation process from an underlying Gaussian process. The mean crossing rates and extreme value distributions of resultant responses are calculated following the theory for vector-valued Gaussian processes. An extensive parameter study is conducted concerning the influence of statistical moments of non-Gaussian response components on the extremes of resultant responses. It is revealed that the existing combination rules developed for Gaussian processes are not applicable to the case of non-Gaussian process. New combination rules are suggested that permit predictions of the extremes of resultant responses directly from the extremes of response components.
Impact of crosstalk in an arrayed-waveguide router on an optical add-drop multiplexer

The impact of crosstalk in an arrayed-waveguide (AWG) router on the performance of an N-channel optical add-drop multiplexer (OADM), with m add/drop channels and n-pass channels is theoretically investigated. A single arrayed-waveguide router is simultaneously used for multiplexing and demultiplexing. This results in crosstalk not only from the incoming channels, but from the outgoing channels as well. We show that the performance of the OADM degrades as either N or m are increased, suggesting that the number of channels in a network based on OADM's is limited by crosstalk in the AWG router. When an optical filter is added at the output of the OADM the digital signal-to-noise ratio Q is independent of N and m, and within a few tenths of a decibel of the perfect filtering case.
Enhancing Visibility in Bicycling Apparel Using Integrated Flashing LEDs

The purpose of this study is to inform the development of visibility-enhanced bicycling safety clothing using flashing LEDs on bio-motion joints, and to evaluate the effects of this active visibility technology on bicyclist visibility under both daytime and night-time conditions. To evaluate the effectiveness of LED visibility aids, a survey and video evaluation of visibility was conducted online with 133 participants, who both drive a car and ride a bicycle. Video recordings of bicycle trials were made under four viewing conditions: with the flashing LEDs on during daytime and night-time, and with the flashing LEDs off during daytime and night-time. Data were analyzed with ANOVA and Duncan Test, and the results show that the bicycling smart wear improved the perceived visibility of the bicyclist at night, and helped the bicyclist to be more recognizable and detectable under night-time conditions (p < 0.001). With respect to observer perception regarding safety and accidents, wearing the developed bicycling smart wear during times of poor visibility increased perception that bicycling is safer (p < 0.001). The results revealed the LED technology improved perceived visibility of the bicyclist, observer’s recognition and detection of the bicyclist.
Aptaligner: Automated Software for Aligning Pseudorandom DNA X-Aptamers from Next-Generation Sequencing Data

Next-generation sequencing results from bead-based aptamer libraries have demonstrated that traditional DNA/RNA alignment software is insufficient. This is particularly true for X-aptamers containing specialty bases (W, X, Y, Z, ...) that are identified by special encoding. Thus, we sought an automated program that uses the inherent design scheme of bead-based X-aptamers to create a hypothetical reference library and Markov modeling techniques to provide improved alignments. Aptaligner provides this feature as well as length error and noise level cutoff features, is parallelized to run on multiple central processing units (cores), and sorts sequences from a single chip into projects and subprojects.
Dissociation of SO42-(H2O)n clusters, n = 3-17

The dissociation pathways and energetics of SO42-(H2O)n for n = 3−17 were studied with use of a combination of blackbody infrared radiative dissociation (BIRD), sustained off-resonance irradiation collisional activated dissociation (SORI-CAD), infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD), and double resonance experiments. For n = 7−17, the loss of a single water molecule is the only process observed. For n = 6, loss of a single water molecule is the dominant reaction (>90%), but some charge separation products are observed. In contrast, loss of a water molecule from the n = 5 cluster is small (<10%) and two charge separation pathways are the dominant processes observed. For both n = 3 and 4, charge separation is the only process that occurs at low internal energy. For both n = 5 and 6, the branching ratio of water loss to charge separation increases with increasing internal energy deposited into the clusters. This demonstrates that the water loss process is entropically favored over the charge separation pro...
An iC3b receptor on Candida albicans: structure, function, and correlates for pathogenicity.

Heretofore, the existence of membrane receptors for biologically active fragments of mammalian complement proteins has been confined to mammalian cells, where these receptors serve to protect the host by triggering multiple aspects of the phagocytic response to microbial invasion. In this study, we show that surface receptors for the C3 fragment iC3b are present on the yeast Candida albicans, where they promote the pathogenicity of this organism by inhibiting phagocytosis. These receptors share homology with the a-chain, but not with the P-chain, of neutrophil receptors for iC3b, as determined by the binding of monoclonal antibodies, and are induced by mycelial transformation of the yeast and by high concentrations of glucose. Blockade of these receptors by monoclonal antibodies significantly augments phagocytosis for those strains studied. By binding iC3b noncovalently, these receptors impair phagocytic uptake of C. albicans by human polymorphonuclear leukocytes. The incidence of infection with the pathogenic yeast
Anger, provider responses, and pain: prospective analysis of stem cell transplant patients.

Objective Patient anger can be challenging for providers, and may hinder the patient-provider relationship. Research on the relationships among patient anger, relationships with health care providers and medical outcomes, however, has been limited to anecdotal accounts and cross-sectional studies. This study examined relationships among patient anger, perceptions of provider positive support and negative interactions, by prospectively studying a sample of stem cell transplant (SCT) patients. Method A prospective design was used to study patient anger, perceived positive support from providers and perceived negative interactions with providers among 88 SCT patients. Data were obtained upon patient's hospitalization before SCT and at 1, 2, and 3 month follow up periods. Repeated-measures mixed models assessed relationships among study variables. Results Patient anger was associated with a gradual decline in perceived positive support and higher levels of concurrent perceived negative interactions with providers. Further, a significant lagged relationship was found such that patient anger was associated with increased perceived negative interactions with providers 1 month later. Exploratory analyses revealed that perceived negative interactions were also associated with higher levels of physical distress. Perceived positive support buffered the relationship between patient anger and physical distress, such that anger was not associated significantly with physical distress when perceived provider support was high. Conclusions Patient anger may contribute to a deterioration of the patient-provider relationship, and contribute to negative medical outcomes including physical distress. The association between patient anger and physical distress may be reduced by supportive providers.
EXAFS Studies of Amorphous Semiconductors

EXAFS has shown itself to be a useful tool for the study of amorphous materials [1,2]. The well-known advantages of EXAFS compared with diffraction and scattering methods are that EXAFS requires no long-range order and is atom specific, greatly simplifying analysis of multicomponent systems[3]. It is also well known that EXAFS is primarily sensitive to sharp features in the radial distribution function[4] (r. d. f.) and that this often limits the radial distance that EXAFS can probe in an amorphous system since distant coordination shells tend to be quite broad. However, the sensitivity of EXAFS to sharp features can be useful even in the study of amorphous systems, and there are some prospects for extending EXAFS studies to systems with high disorder (σ2 ≳ 0.02 A2). This paper presents a study of the amorphous-to-crystalline transition in amorphous germanium (a-Ge) in which the sensitivity of EXAFS to sharp features was crucial to the discovery of a minority (c20%) of small (c30 A) microcrystals in the a-Ge. Finally, an assessment is given of the prospects for using EXAFS to study systems with large disorder.
A Survey Study on the Difference of Scientific Reasoning Between Chinese and American Undergraduates

Investigation of U.S.and Chinese undergraduates' general scientific reasoning ability,it show that the average scores of the two countries college students are nearly identical,but there are some diversity on different dimensions of tests and reasoning methods.Chinese students are good at reasoning by arithmetic and specific knowledge but the U.S.students are superior in observing phenomena and finding evidences.
Regulation of phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase synthesis and degradation. I. Regulation by rat adrenal glucocorticoids.

The steady-state levels of rat adrenal phenylethanolamine N -methyltransferase are under the control of adrenal glucocorticoids. Following hypophysectomy, enzyme levels fall dramatically; they can be restored to normal by the administration of adrenocorticotrophin or dexamethasone. The decline in enzyme levels after hypophysectomy is accompanied by a decrease in the number of immunotitratable enzyme molecules; dexamethasone treatment restores the immunochemically reactive transferase. The decrease in number of enzyme molecules after hypophysectomy is due to accelerated proteolysis; this is reversed by glucocorticoid administration. Phenylethanolamine N -methyltransferase from hypophysectomized rats is more vulnerable to proteolysis in vivo and to denaturation at 50° in vitro , suggesting that hypophysectomy causes fundamental changes in the overall stability of the enzyme.
An Approach to Optimal Power Flow and VAR Compensation Planning

Abstract An approach to reactive power optimization and optimal VAR compensation planning, which is based on direct Newton method, active set and quadratic penalty function, is presented in this paper. This approach is of robust and accurate convergent characteristic. The computation time is directly proportional to network size, and the initial points do not affect the solved optimal result. The program package by this method has been extensively used in China since 1985, and the operational experiences are satisfactory. Some of the optimal numerical results are presented. Other aspects of the program and some calculation results are also addressed.
Leveraging Genetics to Advance Type 2 Diabetes Prevention

In this Perspective, Jose Florez discusses how information from genetics and genomics may be able to contribute to prevention of type 2 diabetes and predicting individual responses to behavioral and other interventions.
MLL Translocation Partners AF4, AF5q31, and ENL Associate in a Higher Order Protein Complex with CDK9 and Cyclin T1.

The Mixed Lineage Leukemia (MLL) gene is frequently involved in chromosomal translocations that cause acute leukemia. More than 40 different genes have been identified as MLL translocation partners, with the expression of corresponding MLL fusion proteins. The MLL protein has histone methyltransferase activity and is required for embryonic development and hematopoiesis. Several proteins have been demonstrated to associate with MLL in a macromolecular complex, which is believed to have chromatin remodeling function. However, the C-terminal SET domain of MLL, which carries the histone methyltransferase activity, is lost in all MLL fusion proteins, thus making the biochemical functions of the fusion proteins unclear. Moreover, the promiscuity of MLL translocation partners, most of them with no known functions, further complicates an understanding of MLL leukemogenic mechanisms. In this study, we purified a protein complex containing AF4, the most common MLL translocation partner, using a combination of conventional column chromatography and immunoaffinity techniques. The AF4 protein complex contains AF5q31 and ENL, two other MLL translocation partners, as well as CDK9 and Cyclin T1, a heterodimer that regulates transcriptional elongation. Gel filtration confirmed that these five proteins co-fractionate with an estimated overall size of 0.8 MDa. All protein-protein interactions were further confirmed by immunoprecipitation-western blotting from K562 cell nuclear extract. To investigate whether these protein-protein interactions are retained in corresponding MLL fusion proteins, immunoprecipitation-western blotting assays were carried out in human leukemia cell lines harboring MLL chromosomal translocations. We found that MLL-AF4, MLL-AF5q31, MLL-ENL and MLL-AF9 each associate with wild type AF4 complex components, including CDK9 and Cyclin T1. In contrast, MLL-AF6 does not associate with any of the AF4 complex components. We propose that the four nuclear MLL translocation partner proteins (AF4, AF5q31, ENL/AF9), whose translocations are found in over 75% of MLL leukemias, associate in a higher order protein complex with CDK9 and Cyclin T1 and thus function in part to regulate transcriptional elongation. The association of CDK9 and Cyclin T1 with the four MLL fusion proteins suggests a common leukemogenic mechanism that may involve transcriptional elongation, which we are currently investigating. Conversely, MLL-cytosolic fusions, e.g. MLL-AF6, appear to function independently of association with the AF4 protein complex, possibly through a homo-dimerization pathway.
Evaluating Intensity Modulated Proton Therapy Relative to Passive Scattering Proton Therapy for Increased Vertebral Column Sparing in Craniospinal Irradiation in Growing Pediatric Patients.

Purpose At present, proton craniospinal irradiation (CSI) for growing children is delivered to the whole vertebral body (WVB) to avoid asymmetric growth. We aimed to demonstrate the feasibility and potential clinical benefit of delivering vertebral body sparing (VBS) versus WVB CSI with passively scattered (PS) and intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) in growing children treated for medulloblastoma. Methods and Materials Five plans were generated for medulloblastoma patients, who had been previously treated with CSI PS proton radiation therapy: ( 1 ) single posteroanterior (PA) PS field covering the WVB (PS-PA-WVB); ( 2 ) single PA PS field that included only the thecal sac in the target volume (PS-PA-VBS); ( 3 ) single PA IMPT field covering the WVB (IMPT-PA-WVB); ( 4 ) single PA IMPT field, target volume including thecal sac only (IMPT-PA-VBS); and ( 5 ) 2 posterior-oblique (−35°, +35°) IMPT fields, with the target volume including the thecal sac only (IMPT2F-VBS). For all cases, 23.4 Gy (relative biologic effectiveness [RBE]) was prescribed to 95% of the spinal canal. The dose, linear energy transfer, and variable-RBE-weighted dose distributions were calculated for all plans using the tool for particle simulation, version 2, Monte Carlo system. Results IMPT VBS techniques efficiently spared the anterior vertebral bodies (AVBs), even when accounting for potential higher variable RBE predicted by linear energy transfer distributions. Assuming an RBE of 1.1, the V10 Gy(RBE) decreased from 100% for the WVB techniques to 59.5% to 76.8% for the cervical, 29.9% to 34.6% for the thoracic, and 20.6% to 25.1% for the lumbar AVBs, and the V20 Gy(RBE) decreased from 99.0% to 17.8% to 20.0% for the cervical, 7.2% to 7.6% for the thoracic, and 4.0% to 4.6% for the lumbar AVBs when IMPT VBS techniques were applied. The corresponding percentages for the PS VBS technique were higher. Conclusions Advanced proton techniques can sufficiently reduce the dose to the vertebral body and allow for vertebral column growth for children with central nervous system tumors requiring CSI. This was true even when considering variable RBE values. A clinical trial is planned for VBS to the thoracic and lumbosacral spine in growing children.
A computational strategy for solving three-dimensional tunnel excavation problems

Publisher Summary There are many examples of transportation projects involving underground construction of shallow tunnels in soft ground conditions within congested urban environments. One of the key design criteria for such projects is to assess the impacts of the proposed tunnel construction methods (either by tunnel boring machines or by open-face excavation methods) on existing facilities and to control the construction procedures to limit deformations within the surrounding soil. Realistic modeling of these problems represents a very challenging problem that must typically simulate the following five conditions: (1) the complex sequence of excavation and support conditions at the advancing tunnel heading ; (2) the interaction between soil and the structural lining system; (3) the nonlinear behavior of the soil; (4) the coupled effects of groundwater seepage and deformations; and (5) ancillary activities ranging from grouting (either around the lining or within the soil mass) to soil nailing (reinforcement ahead of excavated face). Although many of these processes clearly require modeling in three dimensions, the great majority of analyses reported to date represent tunnel constructions using simplified plane strain models (using artificial concepts such as equivalent ground loss to represent 3D effects around the tunnel heading).
Behavioral Variability and Phenotypic Diversity in Bacterial Chemotaxis

Living cells detect and process external signals using signaling pathways that are affected by random fluctuations. These variations cause the behavior of individual cells to fluctuate over time (behavioral variability) and generate phenotypic differences between genetically identical individuals (phenotypic diversity). These two noise sources reduce our ability to predict biological behavior because they diversify cellular responses to identical signals. Here, we review recent experimental and theoretical advances in understanding the mechanistic origin and functional consequences of such variation in Escherichia coli chemotaxis—a well-understood model of signal transduction and behavior. After briefly summarizing the architecture and logic of the chemotaxis system, we discuss determinants of behavior and chemotactic performance of individual cells. Then, we review how cell-to-cell differences in protein abundance map onto differences in individual chemotactic abilities and how phenotypic variability aff...
An Institutionalist Perspective on the Economy and Price of Oil

The price of oil historically has not reflected the emergence of absolute scarcity. Rather, in examining the secular price of oil since World War II (WWII), it is apparent that the institutions that control the price of oil disguise this reality. By “secular price of oil” we mean a trend line reflecting the business interest of the oil industry. The price trend of oil has served the business interest in the post WWII era, and it is not a timely indicator of absolute scarcity. To be sure, the history of the price of oil has been one of oscillation around this trend line. These oscillations have many explanations, such as geopolitical events, speculation, the value of the dollar, and technological improvements.
Histochemistry and Enzymology

Coupland (1965) has remarked that the ability of chromaffin cells to synthesize and store catecholamines sets them apart from other tissues and is responsible for many of their histochemical reactions. It will be shown that the chemoreceptor cells possess a similar complement of tissue and enzyme histochemical responses, which are also dependent on the presence of biogenic monamines and common metabolic pathways (Table 4-1). Thus the division into chromaffin and nonchromaffin paraganglia was a distinction made with conventional light microscopy and is unsupported by modern histochemical techniques. The term nonchromaffin paraganglia is at present validated primarily by historical usage.
Sebastián Salazar Bondy y la utopía del socialismo mágico: revisitando El rabdomante

Este articulo explora la ultima obra escrita por el extaordinario dramaturgo peruano Sebastian Salazar Bondy (1924-1965). En El rabdomante, un pais de «miserables» que enfrentan la opresion y la injusticia son guiados por una especie de chaman capaz de encontrar agua y con ella la independencia politica. Leida frecuentemente como una alegoria a la violencia social en el Peru, El rabdomante tambien es una meditacion sobre los vicios y las virtudes de los proyectos socialistas en la decada de 1960 en paises como el Peru. Esta obra teatral revela con claridad los intereses esteticos y politicos que dominaron la obra completa de Salazar Bondy, y deberia recibir mayor atencion al calor de las actuales discusiones sobre el pensamiento decolo- nial en America Latina.