cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
X-Ray Diffraction Analysis of Three-Dimensional Crystals of Bovine Rhodopsin Obtained from Mixed Micelles

Rhodopsin, a prototypic G protein-coupled receptor responsible for absorption of photons in retinal rod photoreceptor cells, was selectively extracted from bovine rod outer segment membranes, employing mixed micelles of nonyl beta-d-glucoside and heptanetriol. Highly purified rhodopsin was crystallized from solutions containing varying amounts of detergent and amphiphile. The crystals contained ground state rhodopsin molecules as judged by their red color and the linear dichroism originating from the 11-cis-retinal chromophore. However, when exposed to visible light, even at 4 degrees C, rhodopsin was bleached and the crystals decomposed. Reflections in the diffraction pattern were observed out to 3.5-A resolution at 100 K for the most ordered crystals. Diffraction data have been processed to 3.85-A resolution. The symmetry of the diffraction pattern and the systematic absences indicate that the crystals have tetragonal symmetry, space group P4(1)22 or P4(3)22, a = b = 96.51 A, c = 148.55 A. A value of 4.12 A(3)/Da for V(M) was obtained for one monomer in the asymmetric unit (eight molecules per unit cell). Our study is the first characterization of a three-dimensional crystal of a G protein-coupled receptor and may be valuable for future structural studies on related receptors of this important superfamily.
Spherical Trigonometry in the Astronomy of the Medieval Kerala School

Although the methods of plane trigonometry became the cornerstone of classical Indian mathematical astronomy, the corresponding techniques for exact solution of triangles on the sphere’s surface seem never to have been independently developed within this tradition. Numerous rules nevertheless appear in Sanskrit texts for finding the great-circle arcs representing various astronomical quantities; these were presumably derived not by spherics per se but from plane triangles inside the sphere or from analemmatic projections, and were supplemented by approximate formulas assuming small spherical triangles to be plane.
An analysis of reduced Hessian methods for constrained optimization

We study the convergence properties of reduced Hessian successive quadratic programming for equality constrained optimization. The method uses a backtracking line search, and updates an approximation to the reduced Hessian of the Lagrangian by means of the BFGS formula. Two merit functions are considered for the line search: thel1 function and the Fletcher exact penalty function. We give conditions under which local and superlinear convergence is obtained, and also prove a global convergence result. The analysis allows the initial reduced Hessian approximation to be any positive definite matrix, and does not assume that the iterates converge, or that the matrices are bounded. The effects of a second order correction step, a watchdog procedure and of the choice of null space basis are considered. This work can be seen as an extension to reduced Hessian methods of the well known results of Powell (1976) for unconstrained optimization.
Chain Packing and Dynamics in Polycarbonate Block Copolymers

Dynamic mechanical-loss spectra at 1 Hz, and dipolar rotational spin-echo 13C NMR spectra at 15.1 MHz, have been obtained for a series of copolymers of polycarbonate made from monodisperse oligomers of Bisphenol A polycarbonate (BX), alternating (via connecting carbonate linkages) with single units of 3,3‘,5,5‘-tetramethylbisphenol A (T). The mechanical-loss relaxation of BXT suggests cooperative motions in the copolymer glass at T = −100 and −20 °C. The NMR results indicate that no phenylene rings undergo π flips in T units and that most but not all of the B rings flip faster than 10 kHz at 300 K. A necessary but not sufficient condition to constrain a B ring from flipping in BXT is the presence of both interchain and intrachain T-unit nearest neighbors. These results are interpreted in terms of a packing model for polycarbonate-like systems that emphasizes the importance for chain dynamics of the proximity and cooperative motion of nearest-neighbor chains having similar local orientational order.
Denosumab and the current status of bone-modifying drugs in breast cancer.

AbstractBackground. Bone-modifying therapy is a primary research interest in breast cancer. Several features contribute to the importance of the bone environment in the management of breast cancer. Firstly, bone metastases represent the most common site of breast cancer metastases and secondly, the emergence of cancer treatment-induced bone loss (CTIBL) among breast cancer survivors and patients is of increasing concern. Furthermore, concordant with the “seed and soil” theory, agents that alter the bone microenvironment may even prevent tumor cell seeding in bone and limit cancer growth. Material and methods. Medical databases and conference proceedings were searched to identify articles, abstracts and clinical trials that have or are investigating denosumab and bisphosphonates in cancer therapy. Our search included a predefined focus on bone-modifying therapies in early and advanced breast cancer. Results and discussion. Bisphosphonates (BPs) have an established role both in the prevention and treatment ...
Discordance of IGF-1 and GH stimulation testing for altered GH secretion in obesity.

Objective To investigate the concordance/discordance of IGF-1 and peak stimulated GH in identifying subjects with reduced GH secretion and to determine the physiological significance of any discordance in obese subjects.
Asymmetric corticomotor excitability correlations in early Parkinson's disease.

We studied corticomotor excitability (CE) between the more and less affected sides in early Parkinson's disease (PD) patients using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Sixteen-PD patients within the first 3 years of diagnosis were studied with single-pulse TMS over each motor cortex with intensities from 40% to 100% stimulator output. Active motor evoked potentials (MEP) and cortical silent period durations (CSP) were recorded, fitted with sigmoid curves, summarized as maximal MEP/CSP, maximal MEP/CSP slope, and intensity where MEP/CSP is half-maximal (MEP/CSP-Int50), and correlated with Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale scores (UPDRS). On the more affected side, higher (worse) UPDRS scores were correlated with shorter maximal CSP (r = −0.51, P = 0.046). On the less affected side, higher UPDRS scores were correlated with higher MEP-Int50 (r = 0.51, P = 0.043) and CSP-Int50 (r = 0.54, P = 0.029). For the less affected side, altered CE, as indexed by higher MEP or CSP-Int50 intensities, may contribute to early clinical symptoms. On the more affected side, increases in CE, indexed by shorter CSP, may account for a greater proportion of PD symptoms. These findings are consistent with an evolution of neurophysiologic correlates in early PD patients from a less to more symptomatic state. © 2007 Movement Disorder Society
Association of medical noncompliance and long-term adverse outcomes, after myocardial infarction in a minority and uninsured population

The association of noncompliance with evidence-based medical therapies after myocardial infarction (MI) on long-term outcomes is not well recognized in minority and uninsured populations. Consecutive MI patients at a large urban hospital were followed for compliance with evidence-based medications (aspirin, clopidogrel, statins, beta blockers, and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors [ACEIs]/angiotensin receptor blockers [ARBs]). Noncompliance was defined as proportion of days covered or =4 medications. Of the 509 patients (86% minorities, 77% uninsured, and 54% diabetics), 132 (25.9%) presented with ST segment elevation with myocardial infarction (STEMI) and 377 (74.1%) with a non-ST segment elevation with myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), revascularization was performed in 297 (58.4%) patients, 72 (14.2%) patients died, 22 (4.3%) patients had an MI, and 91 (17.9%) patients had either event at a median follow-up of 2 (0.5-2.9) years. Noncompliance > or = 4 medications was significantly associated with adverse survival compared with compliant patients (29.7% vs 78.9%). After adjusting for traditional risk factors, The Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events risk score for predicting death during 6 months post-discharge, revascularization, left ventricular (LV) function, coronary artery disease (CAD) severity, and punctual clinic visits, noncompliance with > or = 4 evidence-based medications was an independent factor associated with death or MI (hazard ratio [HR], 2.83; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.60-5.01) in this minority and uninsured population.
Cooperative Key Generation in Wireless Networks

The impact of relay nodes on the secret key generation via the physical layer resources is investigated. A novel relay-assisted strategy is proposed to improve the generated secret key rate. The main idea is to exploit the random channels associated with relay nodes in the network as additional random sources for the key generation. This approach is particularly useful when the channels between legitimate nodes change slowly. Four increasingly sophisticated yet more practical scenarios are studied, for which relay-assisted key generation protocols are proposed and are shown to be optimal or order-optimal in terms of the key rate. It is also shown that the multiplexing gain in the key rate scales linearly with the number of relays, which demonstrates that relay-assisted schemes substantially increase the key rate. This is in sharp contrast to scenarios with relays helping information transmission, in which the multiplexing gain does not scale with the number of relays. Furthermore, a cooperative scheme is also proposed in which relays help key generation but the generated keys are kept secure from these relays.
Apical domain polarization localizes actin–myosin activity to drive ratchet-like apical constriction

Martin and colleagues analyse the mechanism underlying Twist- and Rho1-driven apical constriction of ventral furrow cells in Drosophila. They characterize the spatial localization of the Rho1 effectors Rok1 and Dia, and their effects on the actomyosin network and adherens junctions.
Grain-growth behavior and low-pressure oxygen compatibility of an Ir-0.3 wt.% W alloy

Abstract The grain-growth behavior in a low-pressure oxygen-containing atmosphere of an Ir-0.3 wt.% W alloy (designated DOP-26) currently used for cladding of the 238-plutonium oxide fuel in radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) was studied. A small amount of added thorium improves the impact properties of this alloy partly by segregating to grain boundaries where it provides strengthening and partly by forming Ir 5 Th precipitates in the matrix which refine grain size. However, a previous preliminary study showed that, in an atmosphere containing a low partial pressure of oxygen (on the order of 1 mPa), the dissolution of the Ir 5 Th precipitates and diffusion of thorium to the surface to form ThO 2 was thermodynamically favorable, leading to anomalous growth of near-surface grains. In this study, specimens were exposed to an oxygen partial pressure of 1.3 mPa at temperatures of 1230, 1280 and 1330 °C for times up to 3000 h. The grain-growth behavior in a vacuum of 0.7 mPa was also determined as a comparison. The results substantiated the earlier study and showed that anomalous growth of near-surface grains does occur in this alloy. The results also indicated a marked difference in the kinetics of grain growth in the vacuum versus low-pressure oxygen atmospheres.
Syntheses with stable isotopes: Pyridine-15N

The acid-catalyzed condensation of either 2-ethoxy-3,4-dihydro-2H-pyran or pentanedial (glutaraldehyde) with ammonium-15N chloride in the presence of methylene blue is a convenient one-step synthesis of pyridine-15N.
Examining health problems and intensity of need for care in family-focused community and public health nursing

The purpose of this study was to advance evidence-based family-focused community and public health nursing (C/PHN) practice by examining 2 important indicators of health need, family health problem labels, and intensity of need for care, and their relationship to each other. The Omaha System (OS; Martin & Scheet, 1992) was the framework used to classify the most common family health problems. Intensity of need for care was determined using the Community Health Intensity Rating Scale (CHIRS; Hays, Sather, & Peters, 1998). Secondary analysis of C/PHN clinical data was done using a descriptive correlational design (n = 205). An investigator scored the CHIRS and assigned OS family problems based on clinical record data. The mean number of family health problems per person was 4.40 (+/- 2.06). The mean CHIRS total score was 33.9 (+/- 6.34). The total number of OS problems was significantly correlated with CHIRS total scores (r = .586, p < .001). Family problem labels and intensity of need for care both provide essential information for health need determination in C/PHN practice.
Randomization in privacy preserving data mining

Suppose there are many clients, each having some personal information, and one server, which is interested only in aggregate, statistically significant, properties of this information. The clients can protect privacy of their data by perturbing it with a randomization algorithm and then submitting the randomized version. The randomization algorithm is chosen so that aggregate properties of the data can be recovered with sufficient precision, while individual entries are significantly distorted. How much distortion is needed to protect privacy can be determined using a privacy measure. Several possible privacy measures are known; finding the best measure is an open question. This paper presents some methods and results in randomization for numerical and categorical data, and discusses the issue of measuring privacy.
Enzymic cleavage of the blocked amino terminal residues of peptides

The substrate specificity of an enzyme that removes some N-terminal blocked amino acids from blocked peptides has been further explored with several naturally-occurring peptides. Chloride ion is an effective modulator of enzyme activity. Although the relative efficiency of the enzyme varies considerably with different peptide substrates, in each case there was significant although less than quantitative release of the N-terminal blocked amino acid. The possible application of this enzyme to structural studies on polypeptides is evaluated.
Immunotherapy: an evolving paradigm in the treatment of advanced cervical cancer.

Abstract Purpose In 2014, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the first targeted agent, bevacizumab, in the treatment of advanced stage, persistent, or recurrent cervical cancer. This oncologic milestone has catalyzed interest in the investigation of alternate therapies, including immunotherapy, in an effort to extend life and possibly cure patients with advanced stage disease. Methods This review article focuses on the evolving paradigm of immunotherapy in the treatment of cervical cancer, describing the biologic basis of this treatment modality and discussing applicable Phase I to II clinical trials. Findings To date several trials have been conducted exploring vaccine-based therapies, adoptive T-cell therapy, and immune-modulating agents in patients with cervical cancer with promising results. Implications Immunotherapy represents a promising therapeutic paradigm in the treatment of advanced cervical cancer. Additional investigation is warranted to try and identify alternate immune targets and predictors of response, allowing for the selection of patients most likely to benefit from immune-based treatments.
Action of Modafinil—Increased Motivation Via the Dopamine Transporter Inhibition and D1 Receptors?

Background Modafinil is prescribed for the treatment of narcolepsy. It has been postulated that modafinil might treat cognitive disruption in neuropsychiatric disorders. The mechanisms underlying such modafinil-induced improvements in performance have yet to be delineated however. Recent evidence suggests that modafinil might block the dopamine transporter (DAT) and that the dopamine D1 receptor (D1R) might contribute to modafinil effects. Methods Dopamine D1R wildtype (WT), heterozygous (HT), and knockout (KO) mice received vehicle, modafinil, or the selective DAT blocker GBR12909 in a progressive ratio breakpoint study. Results Both modafinil and GBR12909 increased motivation in the task as measured by an increase in breakpoint in WT and HT mice. These drug-induced increases in motivation were reduced in dopamine D1R HT mice relative to their WT littermates. The D1R KO mice did not respond in the task. Conclusions These data support the hypothesis that modafinil increases motivation. Moreover, given the similarity of effects with GBR12909, the data corroborate evidence that the behavioral effects of modafinil might be due to DAT inhibition. Furthermore, the dopamine D1R might play a downstream role in mediating modafinil-induced increases in motivation. Thus, studies reporting cognition-enhancing effects of modafinil might have been influenced by its ability to increase motivation.
THE ROLE OF RESPIRATORY TRACT PROTEASES IN THE INFECTIVITY OF INFLUENZA A VIRUS

It is recognized that to become fully infectious the influenza hemagglutinin (HA) must be cleaved to HA1 and HA2 prior to penetration into cells. It is generally assumed that this cleavage is a function of the cell replication although exogenous proteases, notably trypsin, will cleave virus. We have developed human adenoid fibroblast (HAF) lines which, unlike most other nonembryonic human cells, support the growth of influenza. However, the virus released from HAF cells is not cleaved and only becomes infectious on treatment with protease. The HAF cells have enabled us to approach mechanisms of HA cleavage in the human respiratory tract. The lack of cleavage of influenza by HAF cells and the observation that virus released from an adenoid organ explant was uncleaved suggested that respiratory tract cells might not have intrinsic proteolytic enzymes. Exposure for 2 hours at 37° of HAF grown virus to trypsin (20μg/ml) or to nasal secretions from children with respiratory tract symptoms restored full infectivity suggesting the presence of exogenous proteases. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of leucine labeled:1) HAF grown virus, 2) HAF grown virus exposed to trypsin and 3) HAF grown virus exposed to nasal secretions confirmed the cleavage in HA1 and HA2 with the latter two treatments. To further investigate which proteases present in respiratory secretions might cleave influenza HA, a granulocyte protease preparation and a bacterial IgA protease preparation were utilized: granulocyte proteases cleaved influenza HA while the bacterial IgA protease of an Hemophilus influenzae did not. Further characterization of protease mechanisms in influenza cleavage is needed but an important role for exogenous proteases in influenza pathogenesis is suggested.
Gender and Race in the History of Housing Policy and Research: From Industrialization to Hurricane Katrina

This study examines how gender and race have shaped housing policy and research. In it, I analyze the history of housing policies and practices in the United States. Concurrently, I analyze the academic literature related to housing throughout these same time periods to understand issues relating to women, race, and housing. The primary goal of this article is to understand how intersecting oppressions have disadvantaged various groups of women, especially poor women of color, in the realm of housing. This study also provides a context for examining the problematic housing policies that were developed for those affected by Hurricane Katrina, who were predominately poor people of color. The widespread housing problems faced by Katrina survivors revealed a significant mismatch between housing policies and the needs of populations marginalized by gender, race, and class. I conclude with a call for a renewed consideration of housing issues among gender and race sociologists, and recommendations for studying post-Katrina housing policies.
A.A.P.G. Public Information Committee—What It Can Do for Geology: ABSTRACT

The A.A.P.G. constitutes an enormous reservoir of knowledge, experience, material--and money--which can and should be used to aid in the dissemination of geological information to an interested public. It is not now effective in that area, largely because the emphasis always has been on geologist talking to geologist--not on geologist talking to public. The budget, the interest, the organization, and the function of the A.A.P.G. emphasize this point. Furthermore, in a world which is made by scientific knowledge and which, if it is to be destroyed, will be destroyed by misapplication of scientific knowledge, a scientifically alert populace is essential to human survival. Public information on scientific matters is, therefore, not an opportunity but an obligation--the greatest obligation. What geologists have failed to acknowledge is that the future of the A.A.P.G.--of petroleum geology--of geology in general--rests largely with non-geologists. To the degree that geologists interest and educate the public--the ultimate decision-makers--the profession will be rewarded by public understanding and support. Public information--public education--is an enormous task, but fortunately there is one route open to all the public--the public schools. Other routes lead to various groups of adults and children. These routes need only to be used. The A.A.P.G. as an organization with a vast and competent membership, a wide geographic distribution, and the money to do whatever must be done has the obligation to take the lead in the area of public information in geology. The opportunity is there--the capability is there--only the awareness is limited. Geologists can remove that remaining limitation, for it is of their own making. End_of_Article - Last_Page 469------------
Toleration and Democratic Membership John Locke and Michel de Montaigne on Monsters

This essay examines John Locke’s engagement with monsters as a question of toleration in the Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Recounting a monster’s birth as a case of uncertain identity, Lock...
Behavioral consequences of selective destruction of neuron perikarya in septal area of rats

Abstract Iontophoretic application of the neurotoxin kainic acid (KA) to the septal region resulted in significant depletion of neurons in medial septum. The lateral septum was entirely intact (n=7) or affected only unilaterally (n=7) by these injections. Selective destruction of neurons indigenous to the septal area reproduced some but not all of the behavioral effects of septal lesions we investigated. KA injections produced transient hyperdipsia and hyperphagia as well as marked disinhibitory effects on punished licking (passive avoidance) but failed to affect shuttle box avoidance, sucrose or saline preference, or locomotor activity in a novel environment.
A Pilot Study to Investigate the Efficacy of Tobramycin–Dexamethasone Ointment in Promoting Wound Healing

Introduction The standard postsurgical treatment of wounds after dermatologic procedures is currently limited. Topical corticosteroids have been used successfully in postoperative management of ophthalmologic surgeries that involve the skin of the eyelid. In particular, tobramycin 0.3%/dexamethasone 0.1% ophthalmic ointment is considered the “gold standard” of steroid-antibiotic fixed combinations and is marketed worldwide as an agent used to control postsurgical inflammation and prevent postsurgical infection. The purpose of this study is to evaluate both the efficacy and safety of tobramycin–dexamethasone ointment for the postsurgical management of Mohs or dermatologic surgery in comparison to white petrolatum.
A Bifurcation Problem in Differential Equations.

(2000). A Bifurcation Problem in Differential Equations. Mathematics Magazine: Vol. 73, No. 3, pp. 194-203.
Second report of a translocation involving 19q13.4 in a mesenchymal hamartoma of the liver

Cytogenetic study of a mesenchymal hamartoma of the liver detected a balanced translocation between chromosomes 11 and 19 in a 6-month-old male whose constitutional karyotype was normal. The chromosome 19 breakpoint, 19q13.4, appears to be identical to one of the breakpoints identified in the only other mesenchymal hamartoma studied with cytogenetic methods.
Using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry for calibration transfer between environmental CRMs.

Multielement analyses of environmental reference materials have been performed using existing certified reference materials (CRMs) as calibration standards for inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry. The analyses have been performed using a high-performance methodology that results in comparison measurement uncertainties that are significantly less than the uncertainties of the certified values of the calibration CRM. Consequently, the determined values have uncertainties that are very nearly equivalent to the uncertainties of the calibration CRM. Several uses of this calibration transfer are proposed, including, re-certification measurements of replacement CRMs, establishing traceability of one CRM to another, and demonstrating the equivalence of two CRMs. RM 8704, a river sediment, was analyzed using SRM 2704, Buffalo River Sediment, as the calibration standard. SRM 1632c, Trace Elements in Bituminous Coal, which is a replacement for SRM 1632b, was analyzed using SRM 1632b as the standard. SRM 1635, Trace Elements in Subbituminous Coal, was also analyzed using SRM 1632b as the standard.
Reconsidering diversity in agriculture and food systems: An ecofeminist approach

The concept of diversity is at the center of environmental and social movements. This paper discusses four aspects of diversity related to agriculture: biological, social, cultural, and product and suggests that viewing diversity solely as difference skirts the issues of redistribution of power and shifting social relations. Ecofeminist conceptions of diversity are discussed with a focus on seeds, forests, and sustainable agriculture. Women's activities at the grassroots level provides new insights and pathways to diversity that combine social, agricultural, and biological issues.
Chemistry of the Antarctic stratosphere

Interferometric measurements of HCl, ClNO3, HNO3, NO2, and NO obtained over the Antarctic in 1986 are used to model the chemistry of the atmosphere in the region of the Ozone Hole. The low abundance noted in stratospheric HCl is attributed to incorporation of HCl in polar stratospheric clouds and subsequent reaction of HCl with ClNO3. The results point to a net loss of HNO3 from the stratosphere and to the suppression of the abundance of odd nitrogen at high altitudes in the vortex. O3 loss is suggested to be due to the catalytic influence of halogen radicals.
The energy-dependence of backward peaks in hadron scattering

Abstract The general trend of the energy dependence of the backward peaks in certain meson-baryon elastic scattering cross sections has been fit using information obtained from forward scattering and a specific quark-model mechanism.
Model-Carrying Code (MCC): a new paradigm for mobile-code security

A new approach for ensuring the security of mobile code is proposed. Our approach enables a mobile-code consumer to understand and formally reason about what a piece of mobile code can do; check if the actions of the code are compatible with his/her security policies; and, if so, execute the code. The compatibility-checking process is automated, but if there are conflicts, consumers have the opportunity to refine their policies, taking into account the functionality provided by the mobile code. Finally, when the code is executed, our framework uses runtime-monitoring techniques to ensure that the code does not violate the consumer's (refined) policies.At the heart of our method, which we call model-carrying code (MCC), is the idea that a piece of mobile code comes equipped with an expressive yet concise model of the code's (security-relevant) behavior. The generation of such models can be automated. MCC enjoys several advantages over current approaches to mobile-code security. It protects consumers of mobile code from malicious or faulty code without unduly restricting the code's functionality. Also, it is applicable to the vast majority of code that exists today, which is written in C or C++. This contrasts with previous approaches such as Java 2 security and proof-carrying code, which are either language-specific or are limited to type-safe languages. Finally, MCC can be combined with existing techniques such as cryptographic signing and proof-carrying code to yield additional benefits.
Strain scaling law for flux pinning in NbTi, Nb 3 Sn, Nb-Hf/Cu-Sn-Ga, V 3 Ga and Nb 3 Ge

Critical current and flux pinning densities have been determined for a series of practical conductors as a function of uniaxial tensile strain in magnetic fields ranging from 4 T to 19 T. An empirical relation has been found at 4.2 K that accurately describes these data over the entire range of field under both compressive and tensile strain. The pinning force F has been found to obey a scaling law of the form: F = [B*_{c2}(\varepsilon)]^{n} f(b) where f(b) is a function only of the reduced magnetic field b \equiv B/B*_{c2} , and B*_{c2} is the strain dependent upper-critical field determined from high-field critical-current measurements. This strain scaling law was found to hold for all superconductors examined thus far, including commercial multifilamentary wire, mono-filamentary conductors, CVD tapes, extremely fine-filament conductors, partially-reacted specimens, and "in-situ" cast conductors. For Nb 3 Sn, n \cong 1.0 , for Nb 3 Sn with Hf and Ga additions, n \cong 1.2 , for V 3 Ga, n \cong 1.4 , for Nb 3 Ge, n \cong 1.6 , and for NbTi, n \cong 4 . The importance of this relationship is that, for these conductors at least, it is possible to measure F at one strain and then immediately be able to predict F (and thus J c ) at other strain levels simply by scaling the results by [B*_{c2}(\varepsilon)]^{n} . The relation between strain scaling and temperature scaling is discussed as it relates to flux pinning theories.
Potential tree and soil carbon storage in a major historical floodplain forest with disrupted ecological function

Abstract Floodplain forests are extremely productive for agriculture and historical floodplain forests have been converted to prime agricultural land throughout the world, resulting in disruption of ecosystem functioning. Given that flooding may increase with climate change and reforestation will increase resiliency to climate change, we tested whether reforested floodplains also have great potential to store carbon and the effects of even modest increases in forested acreage on carbon storage. To calculate potential aboveground biomass in the Lower Mississippi River Alluvial Valley (LMAV) of the United States, we determined current and historical tree biomass used density estimates and diameter distributions from tree surveys and relationships between diameter and biomass from current forests. To calculate potential soil organic carbon if the landscape was forested, we used soil organic matter from soil surveys of the agricultural landscape, and multiplied the carbon by a factors of 1.25, 1.5, and 1.75 based on published reports of soil carbon increases due to afforestation. Our results showed that area-weighted mean biomass density (trees ≥12.7 cm in diameter) for historical forests was 300 Mg/ha, ranging from 228 Mg/ha to 332 Mg/ha by ecological subsection, based on the most conservative diameter distribution. Mean biomass density for current forests was 97 Mg/ha, ranging from 92 Mg/ha to 111 Mg/ha. Mean carbon density for agricultural soils was 96 Mg/ha, whereas combined tree and soil carbon densities varied from 169 Mg/ha to 317 Mg/ha; soil carbon accounted for 0.5–0.7 of total carbon density. Historical forested carbon storage in the Missouri LMAV was about 234 TgC, with the most conservative diameter distribution and assuming 80% forest coverage. Current forested carbon storage in the Missouri LMAV is about 2% of historical storage, at 5 TgC in 30,000 ha of forests, but may reach 23 TgC if forested extent almost triples, with the addition of 50,000 ha of marginal agricultural land, and carbon storage increases in trees and soil. The entire LMAV currently stores 97 TgC in forests and reasonable carbon storage for the entire LMAV may be about 335 TgC, based on increased carbon storage and reforestation of 600,000 ha of marginal agricultural land, which would double the current forested extent. Although 335 TgC storage for the LMAV is only about 1.5 times greater than historical carbon storage of the Missouri LMAV, doubling the forested extent will increase other ecosystem functions, including carbon storage, flood abatement, and reduction of fertilizer pollution in the Gulf of Mexico.
Bayesian Analysis of Vector ARMA Models using Gibbs Sampling

We present a methodology for estimation, prediction, and model assessment of vector autoregressive moving-average (VARMA) models in the Bayesian framework using Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms. The sampling-based Bayesian framework for inference allows for the incorporation of parameter restrictions, such as stationarity restrictions or zero constraints, through appropriate prior specifications. It also facilitates extensive posterior and predictive analyses through the use of numerical summary statistics and graphical displays, such as box plots and density plots for estimated parameters. We present a method for computationally feasible evaluation of the joint posterior density of the model parameters using the exact likelihood function, and discuss the use of backcasting to approximate the exact likelihood function in certain cases. We also show how to incorporate indicator variables as additional parameters for use in coeAcient selection. The sampling is facilitated through a Metropolis‐ Hastings algorithm. Graphical techniques based on predictive distributions are used for informal model assessment. The methods are illustrated using two data sets from business and economics. The first example consists of quarterly fixed investment, disposable income, and consumption rates for West Germany, which are known to have correlation and feedback relationships between series. The second example consists of monthly revenue data from seven diAerent geographic areas of IBM. The revenue data exhibit seasonality, strong inter-regional dependence, and feedback relationships between certain regions. #1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Stock trading using linear genetic programming with multiple time frames

A number of researchers have attempted to take successful GP trading systems and make them even better through the use of filters. We investigate the use of a linear genetic programming (LGP) system that combines GP signals provided over multiple intraday time frames to produce one trading action. Four combinations of time frames stretching further into the past are examined. Two different decision mechanisms for evaluating the overall signal given the GP signals over all time frames are also examined, one based on majority vote and another based on temporal proximity to the buying decision. Results indicated that majority vote outperformed emphasis on proximity of time frames to the current trading decision. Analyses also indicated that longer time frame combinations were more conservative and outperformed shorter combinations for both overall upward and downward price trends.
Solvent extraction of copper(II) with chlorendic acid.

Abstract The solvent extraction of Cu(II) with chlorendic acid has been studied The composition of the extracted species appears to be a function of pH. In the pH range 3.2–4.6, a monomeric species exists [Cu(II)(L2−], while at pH values greater than 4.5, a dimer in the form of [Cu(II)(L2−)· H2L]2 and/or [Cu(II)(HL−)2]2 is extracted.
Optimizing unit test execution in large software programs using dependency analysis

Tao is a system that optimizes the execution of unit tests in large software programs and reduces the programmer wait time from minutes to seconds. Tao is based on two key ideas: First, Tao focuses on efficiency, unlike past work that focused on avoiding false negatives. Tao implements simple and fast function-level dependency tracking that identifies tests to run on a code change; any false negatives missed by this dependency tracking are caught by running the entire test suite on a test server once the code change is committed. Second, to make it easy for programmers to adopt Tao, it incorporates the dependency information into the source code repository. This paper describes an early prototype of Tao and demonstrates that Tao can reduce unit test execution time in two large Python software projects by over 96% while incurring few false negatives.
Organic carbon in Antarctic snow

[1] Little information exists about the concentration and temporal variations of organic components in Antarctic precipitation. We present results of TOC (total organic carbon) analyses from snowpits that were sampled on alpine glaciers in the Taylor Valley, Southern Victoria Land, Antarctica, at ∼78°S. The snowpits represent snow accumulation from the 1990s and the TOC concentrations are very low; most of the analysis yielded values below 8 μM. These values are some of the lowest ever reported for precipitation or snowpack and indicate that TOC in glacial snow in coastal Antarctica is little influenced by terrestrial and anthropogenic emissions of organic carbon. The sources of the TOC are still not known, however the TOC variation is negatively correlated to Cl− and the other major ions in the snow suggesting a different source or timing of deposition than the seasalt aerosols and terrestrial dust.
Production of proxy datasets in support of GOES-R algorithm development

Realistic simulated satellite imagery for GOES-R ABI using state of the art mesoscale modeling and accurate radiative transfer is being produced at the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) and used in developing and testing new products. Products which have been produced in support of the GOES-R Algorithm Working Group (AWG) include 6-hour imagery at 5 minute intervals for 4 GOES-R ABI bands (2.25 μm, 3.9 μm, 10.35 μm, and 11.2 μm) that include fire hotspots. The imagery was initially produced at 400 m resolution and a point-spread function applied on the data to create ABI resolution imagery. Also created was corresponding imagery for current GOES at 2 bands (3.9 μm and 10.7 μm). These fire hotspots were simulated for 4 different cases over Kansas, Central America, and California. Additionally, high quality imagery for 10 GOES-R ABI bands (3.9 μm and higher) were produced for 4 extreme weather events. These simulations include a lake effect snow case, a severe weather case, Hurricane Wilma, and Hurricane Lili. All simulations for extreme weather events were also performed for current GOES and compared with available imagery for quality control purposes. Future work focuses on the creation of additional fire proxy datasets including true-color imagery for 3 ABI visible bands. This project also supports the GOES-R AWG Aviation Team in their effort to test their convective initiation algorithm by providing simulated ABI datasets for bands between 2.25 μm and 13.3 μm for a severe weather case. In addition, simulated ABI was generated from MSG infrared (IR) window band imagery and corresponding simulated ABI for the 7 tropical cyclones from 2006-2008 that became hurricanes in the east Atlantic for evaluation of the GOES-R ADT algorithm conducted by the University of Wisconsin Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS).
Drosha regulates hMSCs cell cycle progression through a miRNA independent mechanism

Recently we demonstrated that the miRNA regulate human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) differentiation. To determine the role of the miRNA pathway in hMSCs proliferation, Drosha and Dicer knockdown hMSCs were generated using a lentiviral based tetracycline inducible shRNA. hMSCs with reduced Drosha expression had a significantly reduced proliferation rate, while hMSCs with reduced Dicer expression displayed a proliferation rate similar to untransduced cells. Cell cycle analysis identified that unlike Dicer knockdown, Drosha knockdown hMSCs contained an increased number of G1 phase cells, with a reduced level of cells in S phase, compared to controls. ELISAs of hMSCs revealed decreased levels of pRB and stable levels of total RB with Drosha knockdown. Two key regulators of the G1/S phase transition, cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (p16) and cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 2B (p15), were increased in Drosha knockdown cells but not in Dicer knockdown. Transcripts of 28S and 18S rRNA were significantly reduced in Drosha knockdown hMSCs, with no change in rRNA levels in Dicer knockdown hMSCs. 45S pre-rRNA transcripts were not significantly different in either knockdown model. The above results indicate that Drosha modifies hMSCs proliferation through a miRNA independent mechanism, potentially by regulating rRNA processing.
Identification of nonsynonomous polymorphisms of human organic anion transporting polypeptide‐A (OATP‐A) associated with altered transport activity

Organic anion transporting polypeptides (OATP) are a growing family of uptake transporters important to drug disposition. Studies from this laboratory have shown that OATP-A (SLC21A3) is selectively expressed in human intestine as well as kidney and brain. Accordingly, variability in the expression or function of this polyspecific drug uptake transporter may have important implications to bioavailability and tissue penetration of substrate drugs. In order to determine the extent of genetic heterogeneity in OATP-A, PCR-based genotyping analyses were carried out on ethnically defined genomic DNA samples (n=96 each for African-, Chinese-, European-, and Hispanic-Americans). We identified three novel nonsynonymous polymorphisms within the coding region of OATP-A; T38C (Ile38Thr), A516C (Glu172Asp) and G559A (Ala187Thr). Genotypic frequencies of these polymorphisms were dependent on race. In vitro functional assessment revealed that the A516C (Glu172Asp) variant had markedly reduced capacity for mediating the cellular uptake of OATP-A substrates, estrone sulfate and fexofenadine. Cell surface biotinylation experiments did not show altered plasma membrane expression of the transporter, suggesting the reduced transport activity associated with the A516C variant is likely due to altered intrinsic activity of the transporter. Our data suggest that OATP-A polymorphisms may contribute to inter-individual variability in intestinal absorption and CNS penetration of substrate drugs. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2004) 75, P93–P93; doi: 10.1016/j.clpt.2003.11.355
Child abuse in residential institutions and community programs for intervention and prevention

Abstract Needless to say, residential institutions for children vary in size, cost, quality, reason for placement, and many other factors. Even with this diversity, it is possible to find abuse in any institutional setting. Any decision to remove a child from his or her family must be made only after careful deliberation. Each case will have its own special challenge(s) and uniqueness, and improper decisions may be fatal at worst, or emotionally scarring at best. Strong efforts must be made to insure that the child is seen as a human being with special needs and problems, and not merely one more case to be managed within the system.
On the Resiliency of Wireless Sensor Networks with Circulation Graphs

One of the challenges in military wireless sensor networks is the determination of an information collection infrastructure that minimizes battery power consumption while being highly resilient against sensor and link failures. In our previous work we have proposed a heuristic for constructing an information flow graph in wireless sensor networks based on the mammalian circulatory system, with the goal of minimizing the energy consumption. In this paper we focus mainly on the resilience benefits that can be achieved when constructing such information flow graphs. We analyze the resilience of circulatory graphs constructed on top of regular as well as random topologies. We assume two modes of failure, random and targeted attacks, and we compare the resilience of the circulatory graphs against tree graphs.
Evolution of numerical generator protection for application to a Powerformer

This paper discusses a protection relay under development which provides all the fundamental functionality required for the protection and monitoring of generating plant. In addition, it provides advanced protection necessary for the Powerformer, including:compensated generator differential protection which compensates for the standing capacitive charging current resulting from the stator winding cables, phase selective 100% stator earth fault protection, suitable for a high impedance earthed or a solidly earthed network, without the need for voltage measurement at the neutral. breaker failure protection with single pole stuck detection and overvoltage protection for parallel machines connected directly to the busbar.
Experimental evaluation of pentazocine: Effect on myocardial contractility and peripheral vascular resistance

Abstract To clarify the hemodynamic effects of the newly introduced analgesic, pentazocine, 30 dogs were studied with a right heart bypass preparation using an isovolumetric balloon technique. Heart rate and coronary artery perfusion pressure were held constant. After the rapid intravenous administration of 2.5 mg. per kilogram of pentazocine the left ventricular pressure (LVP) increased by 28 per cent, LV dpdt max. increased by 46 per cent, and the forcevelocity curve was shifted upward and to the right indicating a positive inotropic effect. The increase in contractility was noted 5 to 10 minutes after pentazocine injection and was sustained for 45 to 60 minutes. This reaction was blocked by the prior administration of propranolol, but was unaffected by previous catecholamine depletion with reserpine. All animals exhibited a transient fall in peripheral vascular resistance of 42.5 per cent within 2 minutes after pentazocine administration, but resistance returned to baseline levels within 3 minutes. Coronary blood flow and myocardial oxygen consumption were unaltered. These data indicate that pentazocine has a beta-stimulating inotropic effect, and, therefore, it may be particularly useful for providing analgesia in patients with impaired myocardial contractility. The usefulness of the drug in such patients must, however, be assessed in appropriate clinical studies.