cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Incorporating indel information into phylogeny estimation for rapidly emerging pathogens

Phylogenies of rapidly evolving pathogens can be difficult to resolve because of the small number of substitutions that accumulate in the short times since divergence. To improve resolution of such phylogenies we propose using insertion and deletion (indel) information in addition to substitution information. We accomplish this through joint estimation of alignment and phylogeny in a Bayesian framework, drawing inference using Markov chain Monte Carlo. Joint estimation of alignment and phylogeny sidesteps biases that stem from conditioning on a single alignment by taking into account the ensemble of near-optimal alignments. We introduce a novel Markov chain transition kernel that improves computational efficiency by proposing non-local topology rearrangements and by block sampling alignment and topology parameters. In addition, we extend our previous indel model to increase biological realism by placing indels preferentially on longer branches. We demonstrate the ability of indel information to increase phylogenetic resolution in examples drawn from within-host viral sequence samples. We also demonstrate the importance of taking alignment uncertainty into account when using such information. Finally, we show that codon-based substitution models can significantly affect alignment quality and phylogenetic inference by unrealistically forcing indels to begin and end between codons. These results indicate that indel information can improve phylogenetic resolution of recently diverged pathogens and that alignment uncertainty should be considered in such analyses.
Cloning, expression in Escherichia coli and characterization of the recombinant Neu5Acα2,6Galβ1,4GlcNAc-specific high-affinity lectin and its mutants from the mushroom Polyporus squamosus

Lectin from the mushroom Polyporus squamosus (PSL) has a unique carbohydrate-binding specificity for sialylated glycoconjugates containing Neu5Acalpha2,6Galbeta1,4Glc/GlcNAc trisaccharide sequences of asparagine-linked glycoproteins. In the present study, we elucidate the molecular basis for its binding specificity as well as establish a consistent source of this useful lectin using a bacterial expression system. cDNA cloning revealed that PSL contains a ricin B chain-like (QXW)(3) domain at its N-terminus that is composed of three homologous subdomains (alpha, beta and gamma). A recombinant lectin was expressed in Escherichia coli as a fully active, soluble form. It agglutinated rabbit erythrocytes and showed the highest affinity for Neu5Acalpha2,6Galbeta1,4GlcNAc, but not for the sialyl alpha2,3-linked isomer. We also investigated the structure-function relationship of PSL. A monomeric C-terminal deletion mutant lacking 40% of the lectin's molecular mass retained sugar-binding activity, indicating that the carbohydrate-binding sites are situated in the N-terminal portion of the lectin, whereas the C-terminal portion probably functions in oligomerization and structural stabilization. Mutant constructs that have single amino acid substitutions in the putative sugar-binding sites, based on sequence alignment with the ricin B-chain, indicate that the beta and gamma subdomains are most probably sugar-binding sites. The recombinantly expressed lectin will be a valuable reagent for the detection of the Neu5Acalpha2,6Galbeta1,4GlcNAc sequence of asparagine-linked glycans.
Aromatic constituents from Uvaria chamae

Abstract A novel monobenzylated monoterpene, chamanen, has been isolated from the root bark of Uvaria chamae . In addition, the dimethyl ether of thymoquinol
Dorothea Dix: New England Reformer

* Preface * Almost Alone in This Wide * Fixed as Fate * Moral Power * I Tell What I Have Seen! * This Mighty Vortex of Labor * A Happiness Which Goes with You * The Property of the People * A National Work * The Moral Horizon of a Unitarian Minister * The American Invader * Our People Need to Suffer * Downright Madness * A Huge Wild Beast Has Consumed My Life * At Last * Notes * Acknowledgments * Index
Simplified derivation of the reaction-time history in aircraft impact on a nuclear power plant

Abstract A simplified derivation of the reaction-time history in the case of an aircraft impacting a nuclear power plant is given. The equation of motion for the rigid part of the aircraft is obtained by considering it as a variable system of particles losing mass. The equation of motion for the crushing region is obtained by the methods of continuum mechanics. It is shown that the reaction is not affected by the manner in which the velocity distribution in the crushing region of the aircraft decreases to zero at the rigid wall of the nuclear power plant structure.
An Anthropometric Arm for the Humanoid Robot: Design and Analysis of the Tyche-Arm

This paper is concerned with the development of an anthropometric robot arm for the humanoid robot – Tyche. The design was based on physiology and anthropometry of the human arm. The Tyche-arm uses a skew-pantograph mechanism, as the control device, that helps in magnifying the input. The link lengths of the structure are determined based on topological studies and avoidance of the singularity condition. A fault tolerant design for the linear actuator is incorporated in the design. The kinematic and dynamic analyses of the Tyche-arm are performed on the weight lifting activity, with the upper arm fixed in five different positions. The kinematic parameters, axial forces in the links and the torques for each joint are obtained and plotted with respect to time.Copyright © 2002 by ARDC by ASME
A Gift of Fleuss Vacuum Pumps

WE have for disposal a few Fleuss vacuum pumps suitable for laboratory experimental work. The pumps can be either hand-worked or power-driven by a belt on the fly-wheel. They occupy a floor space of about 24 in. × 14 in. So far as the number available permits, we should be pleased to give one to any university laboratory or educational establishment in Great Britain where such a pump would be of value for experimental work.
Surface Potential Mapping of SAM-Functionalized Organic Semiconductors by Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy

Previously, it has been shown that formation of self assembled monolayers (SAMs) of alkyl-silanes on the surfaces of π -conjugated organic molecular crystals results in an orders-ofmagnitude increase in the surface conductivity of these semiconducting materials. [ 1 ] The magnitude of the effect depends on the chemical structure of the alkyl tail of the SAM: a fl uorinated SAM (tridecafl uoro-1,1,2,2-tetrahydrooctyl)trichlorosilane, or FTS) results in a 10 4 -fold increase in surface conductivity of rubrene crystals, for example, while a non-fl uorinated SAM (n-octyltrichlorosilane, or OTS) raises the conductivity only by a factor of 10. These numbers are quoted relative to the surface conductivity of the built-in conduction channel for pristine rubrene crystals, σ 0 ∼ 10 − 9 –10 − 8 S per square, with carrier densities n 0 ∼ (0.6–6) × 10 9 cm − 2 . [ 2 , 3 ] Generally alkyl-silanes functionalized with stronger electron withdrawing groups induce a greater surface conductivity change in p-type organic semiconductors. This effect is a result of interfacial charge-transfer doping where the silane derivative withdraws electrons from the organic semiconductor surface, thereby inducing mobile charge carriers (holes in the case of rubrene) for transport. The interfacial charge-transfer doping that occurs when silanes bind to rubrene will result in surface dipoles and work function shifts for the rubrene surface. Indeed, it is well known that SAMs modify the work functions of both metals and semiconductors by surface dipoles. [ 4 , 5 ] Measuring the resulting work function shifts provides a way to quantify the effects of silane treatment in terms of the band edge offsets from the Fermi level, which can then be related to doping levels in the organic semiconductor. Accordingly, in this work we have quantifi ed the degree of charge-transfer doping and the magnitude of the rubrene band energy modulation induced by OTS and FTS SAMs by performing surface potential measurements with Kelvin probe force microscopy (KFM). [ 6–10 ] In addition we have utilized the sub-50 nm spatial resolution of KFM to visualize important aspects of SAM nucleation and growth on rubrene crystals. Our results are the fi rst quantitative assessment of charge-transfer doping of organic semiconductors by silanes.
Removal of pesticide residue from cherry tomatoes by hydrostatic pressure (Part 2)

Abstract The food safety for polluted products has ignited more considerable interest in recent years. Internal penetrated and insoluble materials possess high persistence, and removing them is desired in the process of producing food. Hydrostatic pressure is a potential technology to efficiently inactivate the vegetative microorganisms, to extract internal substance and to remove hydrophobic matter from products as pressure level is controlled. Here we applied hydrostatic pressure to remove hydrophobic pesticide from cherry tomato loaded with close to maximum residue limits. Removing insoluble pesticide from products with several processing was reported, but so far complete removal has not been achieved. Taking these results into consideration, hydrostatic pressure with ethanol solution as the surrounding medium were performed, and led to complete removal at comparatively low pressure. Under these conditions, visual changes did not occur, toxic intermediates from pesticide were not detected, and nutrients from the samples were identified in the surrounding medium. Industrial Relevance This article demonstrates that hydrostatic pressure treatment with 10% ethanol solution can be a potential washing technology from the perspective of safety and harmless: can remove pollutant from cherry tomatoes and collect it from surrounding medium of them, without bringing about pollutant breakdown into more toxic materials. We believe that the existence of this treatment will be known as one of the safety food washing process among readers of your journal, and may eventually be used for food safety in the process of producing food.
Superimposed extension and shortening in the southern Salinas Basin and La Panza Range, California: A guide to Neogene deformation in the Salinian block of the central California Coast Ranges

We synthesized data from geologic maps, wells, seismic-reflection profiles, potential-field interpretations, and low-temperature thermochronology to refine our understanding of late Cenozoic extension and shortening in the Salinian block of the central California Coast Ranges. Data from the La Panza Range and southern Salinas Basin document early to middle Miocene extension, followed by Pliocene and younger shortening after a period of little deformation in the late Miocene. Extension took place on high-angle normal faults that accommodated ∼2% strain at the scale of the ∼50-km-wide Salinian block (oriented perpendicular to the San Andreas fault). Shortening was accommodated by new reverse faults, reactivation of older normal faults, and strike-slip faulting that resulted in a map-view change in the width of the Salinian block. The overall magnitude of shortening was ∼10% strain, roughly 4–5 times greater than the amount of extension. The timing and magnitude of deformation in our study area are comparable to that documented in other Salinian block basins, and we suggest that the entire block deformed in a similar manner over a similar time span. The timing and relative magnitude of extension and shortening may be understood in the context of central Coast Range tectonic boundary conditions linked to rotation of the western Transverse Ranges at the south end of the Salinian block. Older models for Coast Range shortening based on balanced fault-bend fold-style cross sections are a poor approximation of Salinian block deformation, and may lead to mechanically improbable fault geometries that overestimate the amount of shortening.
High prevalence of GB virus C/hepatitis G virus infection among homosexual men infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1: Evidence for sexual transmission

GB virus C/hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV), a recently discovered orphan flavivirus, is distantly related to hepatitis C virus (HCV). Although both GBV-C/HGV and HCV can be transmitted by the parenteral route, their principal modes of transmission and associated risk behaviors may differ. Using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, the 5'-noncoding regions of GBV-C/HGV and HCV were amplified from plasma or sera of 209 individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). As verified by Southern blot analysis, GBV-C/HGV and HCV infection were detected in 37 (17.7%) and 22 (10.5%) of 209 HIV-1-infected individuals, respectively. GBV-C/HGV infection was significantly associated with homosexual sex (P = 0.044) and was more common than HCV infection among HIV-1-infected homosexual men (P = 0.006). The prevalence of GBV-C/HGV infection was nearly equal in women infected with HIV-1 via high-risk heterosexual sex (14.0%) or injection drug use (IDU) (17.5%). By contrast, HCV infection was associated significantly with women reporting IDU when compared to women reporting high-risk heterosexual sex (P < 0.0001). Alanine aminotransferase levels were elevated in HIV-1-infected individuals who were co-infected with HCV (P = 0.009), but not with GBV-C/HGV (P = 0.9). The high prevalence of GBV-C/HGV infection in HIV-1-infected nondrug-injecting homosexual men and among women engaging in high-risk heterosexual sex is consistent with transmission by the mucosal route and with acquisition of infection by the receptive rather than insertive partner.
The Influence of the Socio-economic Characteristics of Disabled People on Their Employment Status and Income

ABSTRACT Most of the studies of the employment and income levels of disabled people focus on a specific disability or on severely disabled persons. A few studies are cross disability ones, but they fail to go beyond simple associations or else have extremely small sample sizes. There is a need for studies which are cross disability and which have an adequate sample size in order to determine if there are structural variables in society—like a class system–which operate upon the employment opportunities of disabled persons. Using a sample (n = 733) of the Disability Community in Massachusetts, socio-economic variables related to employment and income are studied. Statistically significant relationships are found. Several models are developed and the implications for social theory are discussed.
Detecting intrusion faults in remotely controlled systems

In this paper, we propose a method to detect an unauthorized control signal being sent to a remote-controlled system (deemed an “intrusion fault” or “intrusion”) despite attempts to conceal the intrusion. We propose adding a random perturbation to the control signal and using signal detection techniques to determine the presence of that signal in observations of the system. Detection of these perturbations indicates that an authorized or “trusted” operator is in control of the system. We analyze a worst case scenario (in terms of detection of the intrusion), discuss construction of signal detectors, and demonstrate our method through a simple example of a point robot with dynamics.
A structural asymmetry in intervention effects

This paper documents a previously unnoted structural asymmetry among wh-phrases with respect to intervention effects. I show in a series of experiments (phonetic and syntactic) that in Korean (and potentially in Japanese and Turkish), only wh-phrases that are base generated in a structurally low position trigger intervention effects while wh-phrases generated in a high position do not. I show that these structural positions do not align with expectations from work on weak island effects: it is the syntactic position, not the semantic type, of the wh-phrase that matters. This result supports an important insight that the sensitivity to IEs does not necessarily depend on the argument-adjunct difference (Rizzi, 1992; Miyagawa, 2002). I further show how these empirical contrasts are accounted for along the lines of the earlier work on intervention effects, which made use of structural constraints stated over LF representations.
The impact of structural genomics: expectations and outcomes.

Structural Genomics (SG) projects aim to expand our structural knowledge of biological macromolecules, while lowering the average costs of structure determination. We quantitatively analyzed the novelty, cost, and impact of structures solved by SG centers, and contrast these results with traditional structural biology. The first structure from a protein family is particularly important to reveal the fold and ancient relationships to other proteins. In the last year, approximately half of such structures were solved at a SG center rather than in a traditional laboratory. Furthermore, the cost of solving a structure at the most efficient U.S. center has now dropped to one-quarter the estimated cost of solving a structure by traditional methods. However, top structural biology laboratories are much more efficient than the average, and comparable to SG centers despite working on very challenging structures. Moreover, traditional structural biology papers are cited significantly more often, suggesting greater current impact.
Testing the effects of brief intervention in primary care for problem drug use in a randomized controlled trial: rationale, design, and methods

Background A substantial body of research has established the effectiveness of brief interventions for problem alcohol use. Following these studies, national dissemination projects of screening, brief intervention (BI), and referral to treatment (SBIRT) for alcohol and drugs have been implemented on a widespread scale in multiple states despite little existing evidence for the impact of BI on drug use for non-treatment seekers. This article describes the design of a study testing the impact of SBIRT on individuals with drug problems, its contributions to the existing literature, and its potential to inform drug policy.
A survey of web log data and their application in use-based design

Web-based logs contain potentially useful data with which designers can assess the usability and effectiveness of their choices. Most guides to World Wide Web (Web) design derived from artistic or usability principles feature no empirical validation, while empirical studies of Web use typically rely on observer ratings. Several sources of unobtrusive usage data are available to Web designers, including Web server logs, client-side logs, and other data. The naturally-occurring traces recorded in these logs offer a rich data source, amenable to normative use assessments and to experimental research comparing alternative Web designs. Identification of types of Web server logs, client logs, types and uses of log data, and issues associated with the validity these data, are enumerated. Finally, frameworks that outline how sources of use-based data can be triangulated to assess Web design are illustrated, and an approach to experimentation that overcomes many log data validity issues is presented.
The Impact of Oral Care in Reducing Ventilator Associated Pneumonia in a Neuro Critical Care Unit

during the first phase (January 2004 to November 2004), 19.6 (26 VAP and 1329 mechanical ventilator days] versus 8.0 [13 VAP and 1624 mechanical ventilator days] VAP per 1000 MV days, RR 5 0.41, 95% CI 5 0.21 0.80, P 5 0.0065). The percentage of patients with VAP during the second phase was significantly lower than during the first phase (17.6% [26/148] versus 4.5% [13/287]; RR 5 0.26, 95% CI 5 0.13 0.50, P 5 , 0.001).
Adaptation, learning and storage in analog VLSI

Adaptation and learning are key elements in biological and artificial neural systems for computational tasks of perception, classification, association, and control. They also provide an effective means to compensate for imprecisions in highly efficient analog VLSI implementations of parallel application-specific processors, which offer real-time operation and low power dissipation. The effectiveness of embedded learning and adaptive functions in analog VLSI relies on careful design of the implemented adaptive algorithms, and on adequate means for local and long-term analog memory storage of the adapted parameter coefficients. We address issues of technology, algorithms, and architecture in analog VLSI adaptation and learning, and illustrate those with examples of prototyped ASIC processors.
Collection and detection of lipophilic chemical contaminants in water, sediment, soil, and air—SPMD‐TOX

This toxicological screening tool is a method designed to collect and detect the presence of toxic lipophilic chemical contaminants in water, sediment, soil, and air. This method is applicable to the following types of samples: (1) surface water, groundwater or wastewater; (2) sediment or pore water; (3) soil; and (4) air. A pasive sorptive tool, known as the semipermeable membrane device (SPMD), collects lipophilic chemical contaminants from water, sediment, soil, and air and a short-term, microscale in vitro procaryotic assay known as the Microtox acute basic test assay (Microtox®, Azur Environmental, Carlsbad, CA), detect accumulated toxins.
COMPETING TECHNOLOGIES, INCREASING RETURNS, AND LOCK-IN BY HISTORICAL EVENTS*

This paper explores the dynamics of allocation under increasing returns in a context where increasing returns arise naturally: agents choosing between technologies competing for adoption. Modern, complex technologies often display increasing returns to adoption in that the more they are adopted, the more experience is gained with them, and the more they are improved.1 When two or more increasing-return technologies 'compete' then, for a 'market' of potential adopters, insignificant events may by chance give one of them an initial advantage in adoptions. This technology may then improve more than the others, so it may appeal to a wider proportion of potential adopters. It may therefore become further adopted and further improved. Thus a technology that by chance gains an early lead in adoption may eventually 'corner the market' of potential adopters, with the other technologies becoming locked out. Of course, under different 'insignificant events' - unexpected successes in the performance of prototypes, whims of early developers, political circumstances - a different technology might achieve sufficient adoption and improvement to come to dominate. Competitions between technologies may have, multiple potential outcomes. It is well known that allocation problems with increasing returns tend to exhibit multiple equilibria, and so it is not surprising that multiple outcomes should appear here. Static analysis can typically locate these multiple equilibria, but usually it cannot tell us which one will be 'selected'. A dynamic approach might be able to say more. By allowing the possibility of 'random events' occurring during adoption, it might examine how these influence ' selection' of the outcome - how some sets of random 'historical events' might cumulate to drive the process towards one market-share outcome, others to drive it towards another. It might also reveal how the two familiar increasingreturns properties of non-predictability and potential inefficiency come about: how increasing returns act to magnify chance events as adoptions take place, so that
A mathematical model of the urine concentrating mechanism in the rat renal medulla. I. Formulation and base-case results

A new, region-based mathematical model of the urine concentrating mechanism of the rat renal medulla was used to investigate the significance of transport and structural properties revealed in anatomic studies. The model simulates preferential interactions among tubules and vessels by representing concentric regions that are centered on a vascular bundle in the outer medulla (OM) and on a collecting duct cluster in the inner medulla (IM). Particularly noteworthy features of this model include highly urea-permeable and water-impermeable segments of the long descending limbs and highly urea-permeable ascending thin limbs. Indeed, this is the first detailed mathematical model of the rat urine concentrating mechanism that represents high long-loop urea permeabilities and that produces a substantial axial osmolality gradient in the IM. That axial osmolality gradient is attributable to the increasing urea concentration gradient. The model equations, which are based on conservation of solutes and water and on standard expressions for transmural transport, were solved to steady state. Model simulations predict that the interstitial NaCl and urea concentrations in adjoining regions differ substantially in the OM but not in the IM. In the OM, active NaCl transport from thick ascending limbs, at rates inferred from the physiological literature, resulted in a concentrating effect such that the intratubular fluid osmolality of the collecting duct increases ~2.5 times along the OM. As a result of the separation of urea from NaCl and the subsequent mixing of that urea and NaCl in the interstitium and vasculature of the IM, collecting duct fluid osmolality further increases by a factor of ~1.55 along the IM.
CRAFTING SOCIAL ISSUES AT WORK

I present and test a model of issue crafting, in which individuals shape the meaning of social issues by intentionally using language in public that portrays those issues in ways that differ from t...
Point Defects in PbS and Their Effects in the Decopperization of Lead with Sulfur

It is shown in the case of decopperization of lead by the addition of small amounts of sulfur at about 330°C that the effect of impurities upon the decopperization process may be considered from the view of the point defects created in PbS by the impurity sulfide and by Cu2S. In particular, if the impurity sulfide creates a defect of opposite type to that created by the Cu2S in PbS then the solubility of the Cu2S is enhanced while the creation of the same type of point defect by the impurity sulfide as that created by the Cu2S lowers the solubility of the Cu2S in PbS and, hence, decreases the decopperization effectiveness of the “cold” drossing process.
Supportive nurse-midwife care is associated with a reduced incidence of cesarean section

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to examine whether care by a certified nurse-midwife, including personal labor support, was associated with a reduced risk of cesarean delivery. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study comparing 3551 physician-managed patients with 1056 certified nurse-midwife—managed patients in a university hospital with a mixed socioeconomic and ethnic population was performed. Regression analysis was used to estimate the risk of labor abnormalities, diagnosis of fetal distress, and cesarean delivery in patients delivered by a certified nurse-midwife vs a physician and to control for maternal age, race, parity, fetal size, and delivery year. Subjects included were women having at least five prenatal visits who were delivered of term, singleton, liveborn infants without congenital anomalies with occiput presentation. RESULTS: Odds ratio for cesarean section for women delivered by certified nurse-midwives versus those delivered by physicians was 0.71 (95% confidence interval 0.55, 0.91). Midwifery care was associated with a lower risk of abnormal labor (adjusted odds ratio 0.70, 95% confidence interval 0.60, 0.83) and diagnosis of fetal distress (adjusted odds ratio 0.50, 95% confidence interval 0.32, 0.77) CONCLUSION: This work demonstrates that labor abnormalities and diagnosis of fetal distress are less frequent in patients cared for by nurse-midwives, and there is an association with a lower incidence of cesarean section.
Some puzzling findings in multiple object tracking (MOT): II. Inhibition of moving nontargets

We present three studies examining whether multiple object tracking (MOT) benefits from the active inhibition of nontargets, as proposed in Pylyshyn (2004, Visual Cognition). Using a probe-dot technique, the first study showed poorer probe detection on nontargets than on either the targets being tracked or in the empty space between objects. The second study used a matching nontracking task to control for possible masking of probes, independent of target tracking. The third study examined how localized the inhibition is to individual nontargets. The result of these three studies led to the conclusion that nontargets are subject to a highly localized object-based inhibition. Implications of this finding for the FINST visual index theory are discussed. We suggest that we need to distinguish between the differentiation (or individuation) of enduring token objects and the process of making the objects accessible through indexes, with only the latter being limited to 4 or 5 objects.
Why Millions Of Children Eligible For Medicaid And SCHIP Are Uninsured: Poor Retention Versus Poor Take-Up

More than two-thirds of uninsured U.S. children are eligible for public coverage, and most current policy debate assumes that this is largely attributable to poor take-up. This paper explores the contribution of poor retention in Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to this phenomenon. The results indicate that one-third of all uninsured children in 2006 had been enrolled in Medicaid or SCHIP the previous year. Among those uninsured but eligible for public coverage in 2006, at least 42 percent had been enrolled in Medicaid or SCHIP the previous year. Both of these measures of disenrollment have increased since 2000.
Stimulus-dependent effects on tactile spatial acuity

Background Previous studies have shown that spatio-tactile acuity is influenced by the clarity of the cortical response in primary somatosensory cortex (SI). Stimulus characteristics such as frequency, amplitude, and location of tactile stimuli presented to the skin have been shown to have a significant effect on the response in SI. The present study observes the effect of changing stimulus parameters of 25 Hz sinusoidal vertical skin displacement stimulation ("flutter") on a human subject's ability to discriminate between two adjacent or near-adjacent skin sites. Based on results obtained from recent neurophysiological studies of the SI response to different conditions of vibrotactile stimulation, we predicted that the addition of 200 Hz vibration to the same site that a two-point flutter stimulus was delivered on the skin would improve a subject's spatio-tactile acuity over that measured with flutter alone. Additionally, similar neurophysiological studies predict that the presence of either a 25 Hz flutter or 200 Hz vibration stimulus on the unattended hand (on the opposite side of the body from the site of two-point limen testing – the condition of bilateral stimulation – which has been shown to evoke less SI cortical activity than the contralateral-only stimulus condition) would decrease a subject's ability to discriminate between two points on the skin.
Asymptotic freedom: an approach to strong interactions

The discovery of asymptotic freedom has opened up the possibility of extracting new sorts of detailed, dynamical consequences from a strongly interacting quantum field theory. The necessary tools - perturbation theory, the renormalization group, gauge theories, and the operator product expansion - are not new. To anyone familiar with these field theoretic approaches to strong interactions, the novel feature is a simple fact: there is a unique class of theories in which “the origin is an ultraviolet fixed point”. But the consequences are so exciting that it seemed appropriate to review these ideas as they reflect on each other. Many important applications of the renormalization group and the operator product expansion to hadronic physics are omitted; the emphasis here is on recent work based on asymptotically free field theories. No doubt, there are some developments so recent that they are not treated in this article. The discussion of the basic results concerning short distance behavior is informal, but, hopefully, accurate and complete. The specific applications are treated in varying detail.
Theory of dynamic quadrupole spin relaxation-application to atomic vacancy hopping

A formalism developed earlier for calculating the relaxation rates of nuclear spins due to a fluctuating quadrupole electric field is extended to include processes where the fluctuating electric field is generated by atomic vacancy hopping. In particular, expressions for ${T}_{1}$ in the laboratory frame and ${T}_{1}$ in the rotating frame are obtained. In addition, a mechanism involving both vacancy hopping and the dipolar interaction is considered which yields a ${T}_{1}$ minimum whose position is independent of magnetic field. This mechanism is appropriate for the central component of a half-integral spin system which experiences static quadrupole splittings much greater than dipolar linewidths.
Research Methods in Entrepreneurship Opportunities and Challenges

Entrepreneurship is a relatively young field; nonetheless, the research in this domain has been growing at an impressive rate in recent decades. As is commonly the case with emerging fields, entrepreneurship research currently faces a number of opportunities and challenges. Overall, entrepreneurship has an opportunity to establish itself as a field whose methodological rigor matches that of neighboring fields such as organizational behavior and strategic management, but some key challenges stand in the way of completing this endeavor. Herein, we outline the challenges that emerged from an informal survey of editorial board members of Organizational Research Methods (ORM) about the state of entrepreneurship research methods. We then discuss how the articles included in the feature topic on research methods in entrepreneurship hold great promises for resolving these challenges.
Enabling End-to-End QoS over Hybrid Wired-Wireless Networks

Providing end-to-end parameterized QoS is desirable for many network applications and has received a lot of attention in recent years. However, it remains a challenge, especially over hybrid networks involving both wired networks and wireless access segments (such as IEEE 802.11 Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs)). The difficulty in achieving such QoS arises mainly because wireless segments often constitute "gaps" in terms of resource guarantee, due to the lack of efficient resource scheduling and management ability over shared wireless media, as well as the lack of an appropriate QoS signaling interface to seamlessly embed these wireless segments into an end-to-end QoS signaling system. In this paper, we consider the scenario where an IEEE 802.11 wireless node wishes to make an end-to-end resource reservation to a remote wired Internet node and vice versa. We propose Wireless Subnet Bandwidth Manager (Wireless SBM), an extension of SBM protocol to WLANs, to provide seamless end-to-end resource reservations. Wireless SBM utilizes the enhanced resource management ability provided by Hybrid Coordination Function (introduced in the upcoming IEEE 802.11e standard) to provide parameterized resource reservation and admission control.
Short and Fat: TCP Performance in CEE Datacenter Networks

One of the consequential new features of emerging datacenter networks is lossless ness, achieved by means of Priority Flow Control (PFC). Despite PFC's key role in the datacenter and its increasing availability -- supported by virtually all Converged Enhanced Ethernet (CEE) products -- its impact remains largely unknown. This has motivated us to evaluate the sensitivity of three widespread TCP versions to PFC, as well as to the more involved Quantized Congestion Notification (QCN) congestion management mechanism. As datacenter workloads we have adopted several representative commercial and scientific applications. For evaluation we employ an accurate Layer 2 CEE network simulator coupled with a TCP implementation extracted from FreeBSD v9. A somewhat unexpected outcome of this investigation is that PFC significantly improves TCP performance across all tested configurations and workloads, hence our recommendation to enable PFC whenever possible. In contrast, QCN can help or harm depending on its parameter settings, which are currently neither adaptive nor universal for datacenters. To the best of our knowledge this is the first performance evaluation of TCP performance in lossless CEE networks.
Chronic administration of anabolic steroids disrupts pubertal onset and estrous cyclicity in rats.

Use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AASs) is becoming increasingly popular among adolescent girls, yet the effects of AASs on female physiology and development are not well understood. The present study compared the effects of chronic exposure to three individual AASs, stanozolol (0.05‐5 mg/kg), 17a-methyltestosterone (0.5‐5 mg/kg), and methandrostenolone (0.5‐5 mg/kg) on the onset of puberty and estrous cyclicity in the rat. Female rats received daily injections of AASs for 30 days (Postnatal Day [PN] 21‐51). Rats receiving the highest dose of each of the AASs (5 mg/kg) displayed vaginal opening at a younger age than rats receiving the oil vehicle. The day of first vaginal estrus was delayed in rats receiving stanozolol (5 mg/ kg) or 17a-methyltestosterone (0.5‐5 mg/kg) but not in rats receiving methandrostenolone. At the highest dose (5 mg/kg), each of the AASs reduced the incidence of regular estrous cyclicity during the treatment period. Concurrent administration (on PN21‐51) of the androgen receptor antagonist, flutamide (10 mg/kg, twice daily), reversed the effects of 17a-methyltestosterone (5 mg/kg) on vaginal opening. Flutamide administration also eliminated the effects of stanozolol (5 mg/kg) and 17amethyltestosterone (5 mg/kg) on the day of first vaginal estrus. In contrast, rats receiving flutamide and methandrostenolone (5 mg/kg) exhibited first vaginal estrus earlier than controls. The present results indicate that chronic exposure to AASs during development has deleterious effects on the female neuroendocrine axis and that these effects appear be mediated via multiple mechanisms. androgen receptor, mechanisms of hormone action, puberty, steroid-hormones, vagina,
Airway Clearance Applications in Infants and Children

The rationale for airway clearance therapy and basic principles of its application are identical for children and adults, but there are important differences in physiology (regarding airway mucus characteristics and airway mechanics) and pathological processes in children, as well as other considerations unique to the pediatric population. The major obstacle in reviewing the evidence for efficacy of airway clearance therapy in pediatrics is the lack of data from well-performed, adequately powered clinical trials. This problem is partially alleviated by the use of published meta-analyses. A review of pediatric studies suggests that airway clearance therapy is of clear and proven benefit in the routine care of cystic fibrosis, and that no specific airway-clearance technique is clearly superior, but for any individual patient the technique that is most likely to maximize patient adherence to treatment is preferred. Airway clearance therapy appears likely to be of benefit in the routine care of children with neuromuscular disease and cerebral palsy, and is probably of benefit in treating atelectasis in children on mechanical ventilation. Airway clearance therapy may be of benefit in preventing post-extubation atelectasis in neonates. Airway clearance therapy appears to be of minimal to no benefit in the treatment of children with acute asthma, bronchiolitis, hyaline membrane disease, and those on mechanical ventilation for respiratory failure in the pediatric intensive care unit, and it is not effective in preventing atelectasis in children immediately following surgery. All in all, however, given that these conclusions are based on very little data, future well-performed clinical trials might change the weight of evidence to contradict these current conclusions.
Identification and Characterization of a Tumor Cell Receptor for CSVTCG, a Thrombospondin Adhesive Domain

We have previously shown that peptides derived from the thrombospondin sequence, CSVTCG, promoted tumor cell adhesion. To further investigate this observation, the CSVTCG-tumor cell adhesion receptor from A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells was isolated and characterized. A single protein peak was isolated by CSVTCG affinity chromatography which also analyzed as a single peak by anion exchange chromatography. The purified protein had a pI of 4.7 and analyzed on SDS-gels as a single band of M(r) = 50,000 under nonreducing conditions and as two protein bands of M(r) = 50,000, and 60,000 under reducing conditions. Purified CSVTCG binding protein (CBP) bound either CSVTCG- or TSP-Sepharose but showed little interaction with either VCTGSC- or BSA-Sepharose. CBP was cell surface exposed. CSVTCG derivatized with [125I] Bolton-Hunter reagent was taken up by cells in a dose-dependent manner and the cell association was inhibited with a monospecific polyclonal anti-CBP antibody. Examination of the cell proteins crosslinked to labeled CSVTCG by SDS-gel electrophoresis revealed one band that comigrated with purified CPB. Using an in vitro binding assay, purified CBP bound mannose, galactose, and glucosamine-specific lectins. CBP bound TSP saturably and reversibly. The binding was Ca+2/Mg+2 ion dependent and inhibited with fluid phase TSP and anti-CBP. Little or no binding was observed on BSA, fibronectin, GRGES, and GRGDS. Heparin, but not lactose, inhibited binding. Anti-CBP IgG and anti-CSVTCG peptide IgG inhibited A549 cell spreading and adhesion on TSP but not on fibronectin and laminin. These results indicate that CBP and the CSVTCG peptide domain of TSP can mediate TSP-promoted tumor cell adhesion.
Expedient Fabrication of Well-Defined Nanofibres from a Macrocycle Molecule: Solution-Controlled Self-Assembly

In this paper an expedient fabrication of uniform nanofibres from a planar arylene–ethynylene tetracycle molecule is reported. The long-range one-dimensional molecular arrangement, which is mainly ...
Pancreatic cancer early detection: Expanding higher-risk group with clinical and metabolomics parameters

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the fourth and fifth leading cause of cancer death for each gender in developed countries. With lack of effective treatment and screening scheme available for the general population, the mortality rate is expected to increase over the next several decades in contrast to the other major malignancies such as lung, breast, prostate and colorectal cancers. Endoscopic ultrasound, with its highest level of detection capacity of smaller pancreatic lesions, is the commonly employed and preferred clinical imaging-based PDAC detection method. Various molecular biomarkers have been investigated for characterization of the disease, but none are shown to be useful or validated for clinical utilization for early detection. As seen from studies of a small subset of familial or genetically high-risk PDAC groups, the higher yield and utility of imaging-based screening methods are demonstrated for these groups. Multiple recent studies on the unique cancer metabolism including PDAC, demonstrate the potential for utility of the metabolites as the discriminant markers for this disease. In order to generate an early PDAC detection screening strategy available for a wider population, we propose to expand the population of higher risk PDAC group with combination clinical and metabolomics parameters.
Nanofluids alter the surface wettability of solids.

We report the results of our studies on the changes in the contact angle and interfacial tension using a nanofluid composed of silica nanoparticles dispersed in water on three different solid substrates: gold (partially hydrophobic), glass (hydrophilic), and a silicon wafer (hydrophilic). We used both the goniometric method and drop-shape analysis to make the measurements. On the basis of the results of the drop-shape analysis using the Laplace equation, we evaluated the contributions of the interfacial tension change to the equilibrium contact angle and the presence of nanoparticles near the solid substrate, thereby elucidating the change in the wettability of the solid substrate. We found that the nanoparticles decrease the contact angle of the substrate with the increase in the nanoparticle concentration. To rationalize our experimental observations on the decrease in the contact angle of the solid substrate in the presence of nanoparticles, we calculated the surface volume fraction of the nanoparticle...
Should Oxygen Therapy Be Tightly Regulated to Minimize Hyperoxia in Critically Ill Patients

Oxygen is both lifesaving and toxic. Appropriate use of oxygen aims to provide a balance between the two effects. Although local oxygen toxicity to the lung is well accepted, recent evidence has called into question the negative consequences of hyperoxemia in other organ beds. Hyperoxia following cardiac arrest, traumatic brain injury, and stroke has been shown to worsen outcomes. The role of hyperoxemia in mechanically ventilated patients, in the face of non-toxic inspired oxygen concentrations, is less clear. This paper will review the data for and against the use of conservative oxygen targets and the avoidance of hyperoxemia in mechanically ventilated patients.
Comprehensive Cocurricular Support Promotes Persistence of Community College STEM Students

ABSTRACTDespite good career prospects in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, persistence of students in STEM fields of study at the community college and transfer to universities to pursue STEM majors is often quite low. Theories of persistence emphasize the importance of engagement, integration, validation, and financial assistance. The DCCCD STEM Institute is a comprehensive cocurricular program for community college STEM students. It illustrates the application of persistence theories in a multicollege urban district with a diverse student body. The STEM Institute uses a student/faculty cohort model with mentoring, professional skills programming, and scholarship support to transform student perceptions of themselves, integrate them into a STEM educational community, and validate their membership within that community. Institute membership also reduces isolation and financial concerns as potential barriers to persistence. STEM faculty also participate in professional skill ...
High-chlorine amphiboles from oceanic rocks; product of highly-saline hydrothermal fluids?

High-precision analyses of chlorine and fluorine in amphiboles were performed by electron microprobe for five selected samples of metagabbro, amphibolite and metadiabase from the Mathematician Ridge failed spreading center, East Pacific Ocean. Fluorine is consistently very low, less than or equal to 0.2 wt.o/o in all amphiboles. Chlorine concentration is variable and forms a trimodal distribution that correlates with amphibole type in the following way: greenschist-grade actinolites generally contain less than or equal to 0.05 wt.o/o Cl; amphibolite-grade hornblendes contain 0.1 to 0.6 wt.o/o Cl; small irregular zones within actinolite bear up to 4.0 wt.o/o Cl. The high-chlorine amphiboles (hastingsite) probably formed as a result of locally elevated chlorine activity in hydrothermal fluids at upper greenschist-grade temperatures. The amphibolite-grade hornblendes with a few tenths of a percent chlorine may have formed in the presence of a saline hydrothermal fluid or a fluid of near seawater salinity. The amount and distribution in the ocean crust of saline hydrothermal fluids and their associated chlorine-bearing alteration products may be an important factor in understanding ocean hydrothermal systems, particularly in terms of the amount and nature of variabilitv in these svstems.