cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Folding pathway mediated by an intramolecular chaperone: intrinsically unstructured propeptide modulates stochastic activation of subtilisin.

Several secreted proteases are synthesized with N-terminal propeptides that function as intramolecular chaperones (IMCs) and direct the folding of proteases to their native functional states. Using subtilisin E as our model system, we had earlier established that (i) release and degradation of the IMC from its complex with the protease upon completion of folding is the rate-determining step to protease maturation and, (ii) IMC of SbtE is an extremely charged, intrinsically unstructured polypeptide that adopts an α–β structure only in the presence of the protease. Here, we explore the mechanism of IMC release and the intricate relationship between IMC structure and protease activation. We establish that the release of the first IMC from its protease domain is a non-deterministic event that subsequently triggers an activation cascade through trans-proteolysis. By in silico simulation of the protease maturation pathway through application of stochastic algorithms, we further analyze the sub-stages of the release step. Our work shows that modulating the structure of the IMC domain through external solvent conditions can vary both the time and randomness of protease activation. This behavior of the protease can be correlated to varying the release-rebinding equilibrium of IMC, through simulation. Thus, a delicate balance underlies IMC structure, release, and protease activation. Proteases are ubiquitous enzymes crucial for fundamental cellular processes and require deterministic activation mechanisms. Our work on SbtE establishes that through selection of an intrinsically unstructured IMC domain, nature appears to have selected for a viable deterministic handle that controls a fundamentally random event. While this outlines an important mechanism for regulation of protease activation, it also provides a unique approach to maintain industrially viable subtilisins in extremely stable states that can be activated at will.
Nonlinguistic Deficits of Children With Language Disorders Complicate the Interpretation of Their Nonverbal IQ Scores

This study supports the hypothesis that the nonlinguistic deficits of children with language impairment (LI) adversely affect their responses to specific item types represented on nonverbal IQ tests (Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children-Nonverbal Scale, Leiter International Performance Scale, and Matrix Analogies Test-Short Form). Twelve children with normal language (NL) and 12 with LI (8 to 10 years of age), matched for gender and age, served as subjects. A two-way mixed ANOVA revealed main effects (p<.05) for group and for test, and a Tukey HSD post-hoc analysis indicated significant between-group differences for each test. Robust effect sizes were found with item types judged a priori to assess deficit areas in children with LI. The extent to which certain item types correlated with IQ scores differed by subject group. The findings call into question the use of nonverbal IQ scores as measures of general intelligence or potential as well as their use to qualify children with LI for clinical services.
Cloning and expression of soluble epoxide hydrolase from potato

Five cDNAs encoding a putative soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) from potato were isolated and characterized. The cDNAs contained open reading frames encoding 36 kDa polypeptides which were highly homologous to the carboxy terminal region of mammalian sEH. When one of the cDNAs was expressed in a baculovirus system a soluble 38 kDa protein with epoxide hydrolase activity was produced. The recombinant enzyme hydrolyzed a commonly used diagnostic substrate for the soluble form of mammalian EH. Inhibitor profiles of the recombinant potato and mammalian sEH were also similar. The expression of sEH in potato was found to be regulated by both developmental and environmental signals. Levels of mRNA for sEH were higher in meristematic tissue than in mature leaves. This mRNA was also observed to accumulate on wounding and application of exogenous methyl jasmonate.
Possible realization of a non-Fermi-liquid ground state in some heavy-fermion systems

We review experimental results for several U- and Ce-based intermetallics displaying non-Fermi-liquid behavior. U0.2Y0.8Pd3, UCu3.5Pd1.5, and Ce0.1La0.9Cu2.2Si2 have C/T proportional to log T and electrical resistivities approximately linear with temperature with negative temperature coefficients. Relatively small modifications of their chemical compositions can result in a spin-glass behavior. UCu4Pd which borders with an antiferromagnetic part of the UCu5−xPdx magnetic phase diagram has both C/T [χT−1 3] and ρ even stronger deviating from the Fermi-liquid behavior than the other discussed alloys. Our results imply a magnetic nature of the phenomenon.
Location-based memory fences

Traditional memory fences are program-counter (PC) based. That is, a memory fence enforces a serialization point in the program instruction stream --- it ensures that all memory references before the fence in the program order have taken effect before the execution continues onto instructions after the fence. Such PC-based memory fences always cause the processor to stall, even when the synchronization is unnecessary during a particular execution. We propose the concept of location-based memory fences, which aim to reduce the cost of synchronization due to the latency of memory fence execution in parallel algorithms.Unlike a PC-based memory fence, a location-based memory fence serializes the instruction stream of the executing thread T1 only when a different thread T2 attempts to read the memory location which is guarded by the location-based memory fence. In this work, we describe a hardware mechanism for location-based memory fences, prove its correctness, and evaluate its potential performance benefit. Our experimental results are based on a software simulation of the proposed location-based memory fence, and thus expected to incur higher overhead than the proposed hardware mechanism would. Nevertheless, our software experiments show that applications can benefit from using location-based memory fences, but they do not scale as well in some cases, due to the software overhead. These results suggest that a hardware support for location-based memory fences is worth considering.
Methylation properties of mitochondrion-specific transfer RNA from cultured hamster cells.

Abstract The degree of methylation and methylated nucleotide content of hamster-cell mitochondrial tRNA has been examined separately from the cytoplasmic RNA that purifies with mitochondria, via a combination of multipleisotope experiments, preferential inhibition of mitochondrial RNA synthesis by ethidium bromide, and gel electrophoresis under conditions that partially resolve mitochondrial and cytoplasmic tRNA. Mitochondrial tRNA was found to be 32% as heavily methylated as cytoplasmic tRNA and to be deficient in methylated pyrimidine and ribose components present in cytoplasmic tRNA. Both tRNA types contained 1-methyladenine as the sole methylated adenine, but the methylated guanine patterns of the two types differed substantially. Possible evolutionary implications of these findings have been discussed.
Temporal Feature Modification for Retrospective Categorization

We show that the intelligent use of one small piece of contextual information--a document's publication date--can improve the performance of classifiers trained on a text categorization task. We focus on academic research documents, where the date of publication undoubtedly has an effect on an author's choice of words. To exploit this contextual feature, we propose the technique of temporal feature modification, which takes various sources of lexical change into account, including changes in term frequency, associative strength between terms and categories, and dynamic categorization systems. We present results of classification experiments using both full text papers and abstracts of conference proceedings, showing improved classification accuracy across the whole collection, with performance increases of greater than 40% when temporal features are exploited. The technique is fast, classifier-independent, and works well even when making only a few modifications.
Subchronic inhalation exposures to aerosols of three petroleum lubricants.

Subchronic inhalation studies were performed with three petroleum lubricants: generic cutting oil (GCO), generic gear oil (GO), and generic commercial engine oil (CEO). Each formulation had a mineral oil base. Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed 6 hours/day, 5 days/week for 13 weeks to aerosol concentrations of 0 (untreated controls), 0 (sham-exposed controls), ∼50, 150, or 400–520 mg/m3. At necropsy, 15 rats/sex/group were sampled for serum chemistry (18 parameters), hematology, and weights of 13 organs. Testis and epididymis of males in the control and high-dose group were used for number of spermatids and morphology of epididymal sperm. Histopathological slides were evaluated for 22 or more organs. Pulmonary function tests were done on 10 additional males/group. Pulmonary hydroxyproline was measured in these rats for GCO and GO. Residual oil in the lungs was determined for GCO. The primary organ affected by exposures to these three formulations was the lung; the main observed effects were accumulation of ...
Imposing a Standard: Covert Action and American Democracy

Iran-contra and similar scandals alienate Congress and bypass the constitutional executive process. Treverton proposes four guidelines by which to test the effectiveness of covert actions undertaken by American presidents: (1) could the action stand exposure in midstream? (2) does intervention contradict overt U.S. policy? (3) what signal will be received, by whom, and with what result? (4) what if the first intervention does not succeed? The author urges presidents to abstain from implementing covert operations, which often result in nothing more than domestic and international controversy. Such decisions are the domain not of the Executive Office, but of the legitimate agency designated for such purposes, the CIA.
Don't Blame Redistricting for Uncompetitive Elections

“Here is a telling statistic. One hundred fifty-three of California's congressional and legislative seats were up in the last election, and not one, I repeat, not one, changed parties. What kind of democracy is that?”
Impact of the Food and Drug Administration’s Public Health Notification on the Adoption of Drug-Eluting Stents

We used data from 1,344 patients enrolled in the Prospective Registry Evaluating Myocardial Infarction: Events and Recovery study to examine the adoption of drug-eluting stents (DESs) and the effect of the release of the Food and Drug Administration's preliminary public health notification, which raised concerns about DES safety. Overall, there was a dramatic increase in the use of DESs over the study period, from 32% in April 2003 to 81% in March 2004. The notification issued on October 29, 2003 was associated with a 26% relative decrease in DES use. By January 2004, DES use had returned to the prenotification rate and continued to increase thereafter. In conclusion, the Food and Drug Administration's notification had a modest but temporary effect on clinical practice.
Metal ions as inflammatory initiators of osteolysis

Osteolysis and aseptic loosening currently contribute 75 % of implant failures. Furthermore, with over four million joint replacements projected to be performed in the United States annually, osteolysis and aseptic loosening may continue to pose a significant morbidity. This paper reviews the osteolysis cascade leading to osteoclast activation and bone resorption at the biochemical level. Additionally, the metal ion release mechanism from metallic implants is elucidated. Even though metal ions are not the predominating initiator of osteolysis, they do increase the concentration of key inflammatory cytokines that stimulate osteoclasts and prove to be a contributor to osteolysis and aseptic loosening. Osteolysis is a competitive mechanism among a number of biological reactions, which includes debris release, macrophage and osteoclast activation, an inflammatory response as well as metal ion release. Pharmacological therapy for component loosening has also been reviewed. A non-surgical treatment of osteolysis has not been found in the literature and thus may become an area of future research. Even though this research is warranted, comprehensively understanding the immune response to orthopedic implants and their metallic ions, and thus, creating improved prostheses appears to be the most cost-effective approach to decrease the morbidity related to osteolysis and to design implants with greater longevity. The ionic forms, cytokines, toxicity, gene expression, biological effects, and hypersensitivity responses of metallic elements from metal implants are summarized as well.
Cosmogenic and primordial radionuclides in lunar samples by nondestructive gamma-ray spectrometry.

The 7Be, 22Na, 26Al, 44Ti, 46SC, 48V 51Cr, 54Mn, 56Co, 57Co, 57CO, 40K, 238U, and 232Th were measured in lunar fines and portions of three rocks. Major production of cosmogenic radionuclides is due to solar protons, thus their concentrations are far different than those in meteorites. Surface exposures of the rocks and fines are long compared with the 0.74 million year half-life of 26Al. Lunar fines show substantially higher concentrations of low energy reaction products. The ratios of thorium to uranium are extremely constant at 3.8, which indicates very little geochemical differentiation and are in good agreement with a common nucleosynthesis for lunar and earth materials.
Convergence of profile based estimators

We consider estimating distributions and their functions when the alphabet size is large compared to the amount of data observed. We establish consistency results and rates of convergence for estimators based on the data's profile, the number of symbols appearing any given number of times, and compare them with those based on empirical-frequency
Molecular modeling of the 10-Å phase at subduction zone conditions

Abstract Molecular dynamics (MD) modeling of the 10-A phase, Mg3Si4O10(OH)2·xH2O, with x=2/3, 1.0 and 2.0 shows complex structural changes with pressure, temperature and water content and provides new insight into the structures and stabilization of these phases under subduction zone conditions. The structure(s) of this phase and its role as a reservoir of water in the mantle have been controversial, and these calculations provide specific predictions that can be tested by in situ diffraction studies. At ambient conditions, the computed structures of talc (x=0) and the 10-A phases with x=2/3 and 1.0 are stable over the 350-ps period of the MD simulations. Under these conditions, the 10-A phases show phlogopite-like layer stacking in good agreement with previously published structures based on powder X-ray diffraction data for samples quenched from high-pressure and high-temperature experiments. The calculations show that the 10-A phase with x=2.0 is unstable at ambient conditions. The computed structures at P=5.5 GPa and T=750 K, well within the known stability field of the 10-A phase, change significantly with water content, reflecting changing H-bonding configurations. For x=2/3, the layer stacking is talc-like, and for x=1.0, it is phlogopite-like. The calculations show that transformation between these two stackings occurs readily, and that the talc-like stacking for the x=2/3 composition is unlikely to be quenchable to ambient conditions. For x=2.0, the layer stacking at P=5.5 GPa and T=750 K is different than any previously proposed structure for a 10-A phase. In this structure, the neighboring basal oxygens of adjacent magnesium silicate layers are displaced by b/3 (about 3 A) resulting in the Si atoms of one siloxane sheet being located above the center of the six-member ring across the interlayer. The water molecules are located 1.2 A above the center of all six-member rings and accept H-bonds from the OH groups located below the rings. The b/3-displaced structure does not readily transform to either the talc-like or phlogopite-like structure, because neither of these stackings can accommodate two water molecules per formula unit. There is likely to be a compositional discontinuity and phase transition between the b/3-displaced phase and the phase with phlogopite-like stacking. The simulations reported here are the first to use the recently developed CLAYFF force field to calculate mineral structures at elevated pressures and temperatures.
HAIL: a hardware-accelerated algorithm for language identification

A hardware-accelerated algorithm has been designed to automatically identify the primary languages used in documents transferred over the Internet. The algorithm has been implemented in hardware on the field programmable port extender (FPX) platform. This system, referred to as the hardware-accelerated identification of languages (HAIL) project, identifies the primary languages used in content transferred over transmission control protocol (TCP)/Internet protocol (IP) networks that operate at rates exceeding 2.4 Gigabits/second. We demonstrate that this hardware accelerated circuit, operating on a Xilinx XCV2000E-8 FPGA, far outperforms software algorithms running on modern personal computers while maintaining extremely high levels of accuracy.
In need of remedy: US policy for compensating injured research participants

There is an emerging ethical consensus that injured research participants should receive medical care and compensation for their research-related injuries. This consensus is premised on notions of beneficence, distributive justice, compensatory justice and reciprocity. In response, countries around the world have implemented no-fault compensation systems to ensure that research participants are adequately protected in the event of injury. The United States, the world9s leading sponsor of research, has chosen instead to rely on its legal system to provide injured research participants with medical care and compensation. This article argues that US reliance on its legal system leaves injured research participants unprotected in the event of injury. Nearly every injured research participant will have difficulty receiving compensation in court, and certain classes of research participants will be barred from receiving compensation altogether. The United States’ outlier status also threatens to impede US-sponsored multinational research, potentially delaying important biomedical advances. To rectify this injustice, researchers, Institutional Review Boards, sponsors and research institutions should advocate systematic no-fault compensation in the United States to bring US law into accord with global ethical norms and ensure that injured research participants are adequately protected.
Smallpox Vaccination: A Review, Part II. Adverse Events

Smallpox vaccination of health care workers, military personnel, and some first responders has begun in the United States in 2002-2003 as one aspect of biopreparedness. Full understanding of the spectrum of adverse events and of their cause, frequency, identification, prevention, and treatment is imperative. This article describes known and suspected adverse events occurring after smallpox vaccination.
Connective tissue-activating peptide-III and its derivative, neutrophil-activating peptide-2, release histamine from human basophils.

Abstract Connective tissue—activating peptide-III (CTAP-III) is a 9 kd platelet a-granule-derived growth factor. It stimulates the synthesis of DNA, hyaluronic acid, glycosaminoglycans, and proteoglycan core protein in human fibroblasts. Human mononuclear cell—derived proteases have been previously demonstrated to digest the N-terminal 15 residues of CTAP-III (total, 85 residues) to produce neutrophil-activating peptide-2 (NAP-2). CTAP-III and NAP-2 belong to a class of proteins (platelet factor 4, interleukin-8/NAP-1, etc.) associated with inflammation and wound repair. In our efforts to purify human mononuclear cells and platelet-derived histamine-releasing factors, we had previously discovered that mixtures of CTAP-III and NAP-2 released histamine from human basophils. We have now developed simple protocols for the purification of CTAP-III and NAP-2, independently, from calcium ionophore (A23187)—stimulated platelet supernatants by affinity chromatography and have established their identity by sodium dodecyl sulfate—polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and N-terminal sequence analysis. Each of these released histamine between 2 and 10 μg/ml, a range identical to that obtained with CTAP-III/NAP-2 mixtures that we reported earlier. Thus, our data suggest that CTAP-III and NAP-2 independently release histamine from human basophils in dose ranges similar to ranges required for fibroblast stimulation by each.
The dynamics of the cat retinal X cell centre.

1. The dynamics of the centre mechanism of individual cat X retinal ganglion cells is investigated. The visual stimuli consist of temporal contrast modulation of stationary patterns. In order to study the response of the centre mechanism, patterns were either sine gratings of high spatial frequency or small circular spots positioned over the receptive-field centre. 2. Responses to contrast reversal are approximately linear. However, as the modulation depth of the stimulus increases, responses become more transient. Ganglion cell responses show this phenomenon at moderate contrasts (e.g. 0.1), which do not elicit discharges that approach the maximum firing rate of the ganglion cell. 3. A sequence of dynamical models are constructed from responses elicited by sum-of-sinusoids modulation of the spatial pattern. The first model is strictly linear. It consists of a series of low-pass filters and a single high-pass filter. The linear model predicts the approximate shape of the step response, but does not account for the change in shape of the response as a function of modulation depth. 4. The second model, a quasi-linear model, allows the 'linear' dynamics to vary slowly with a neural measure of contrast. The main effect of high contrast is a shorter time constant in the high-pass filter. This model accounts qualitatively for the increased transience of the response, but fails to predict the magnitude of the effect at higher modulation depths. 5. In the third model, the transfer characteristics of the centre response adjust rapidly as contrast changes. This intrinsically non-linear model provides excellent agreement with observed response to steps and more complex modulation patterns. 6. The non-linearity necessitated by a voltage-to-spikes transduction is analysed quantitatively. In most ganglion cells, a simple truncation at 0 impulses/s (and no saturation) explains the changes in apparent gain and mean firing rate that occur as modulation depth is increased. A non-linear voltage-to-spike transduction per se cannot account for the observed effect of contrast on dynamics. 7. The parameters of the dynamical model are measured for a population of twenty-seven X ganglion cells (nineteen on-centre and eight off-centre). The low-pass stage and the strength of the high-pass stage are relatively uniform across the population. The over-all gain and the dynamics of the high-pass stage vary substantially across the population, but show no consistent dependence on the on-off distinction or on retinal location. Some implications of this variability for retinal function are discussed.
Effects of dehydration on the heat tolerance of male and female New Zealand White rabbits

Male and female New Zealand White rabbits were exposed for 3h to 34 °C and 36 °C (both at 40% r.h.) when hydrated and dehydrated. Females had lower rectal and skin temperatures and respiratory rates than males ( P 0·001). Differences between the sexes in rectal temperature were greater at 36 °C than at 34 °C. Withholding water for 24h significantly increased the responses in rectal temperature; the differentials between hydrated and dehydrated males and females being 0·3 °C and 0·2 °C, respectively. In contrast, respiratory rates were lower in dehydrated than in hydrated rabbits, suggesting that the former were attempting water homeostatis at the expense of thermoregulation. The results suggest that the performance of rabbits in the tropics is likely to be maximized when drinking water is available at all times, and that of males, particularly breeding bucks, might be improved simply by housing them in the coolest available location. Significant individual differences in observed responses point to the need for genetic studies of heat tolerance and the possibility of developing better adapted genotypes.
Kapteyn and Statistical Astronomy

If Jacobus Cornelius Kapteyn (1851–1922) were here today, he would undoubtedly be among those asking the new questions on the cutting edge of contemporary astronomy. It is likely that he would even find a survey of his own contributions to the study of the Milky Way irrelevant. Nevertheless, Kapteyn’s life-long interest in the Milky Way shaped the work of many astronomers, including, of course, his students, Willem de Sitter, H.A. Weersman, Pieter van Rhijn, and through van Rhijn: Jan Oort, Bart Bok and many others. But Kapteyn’s influence extended far beyond his native Holland. After Kapteyn became a close colleague of George Ellery Hale and a Research Associate at the Mount Wilson facilities in 1908, Hale began to employ a number of Dutch astronomers, including van Rhijn, Adriaan van Maanen, and Kapteyn’s Danish future son-in-law, Ejnar Hertzsprung. Moreover, Kapteyn’s astronomical colleagues world-wide found his enthusiasm and penetrating insights infectious.
Small-scale power spectrum of cold dark matter

One of the best motivated hypotheses in cosmology states that most of the matter in the universe is in the form of weakly-interacting massive particles that decoupled early in the history of the universe and cooled adiabatically to an extremely low temperature. Nevertheless, the finite temperature and horizon scales at which these particles decoupled imprint generic signatures on their small-scale density fluctuations. We show that the previously recognized cut-off in the fluctuation power-spectrum due to free-streaming of particles at the thermal speed of decoupling, is supplemented by acoustic oscillations owing to the initial coupling between the cold dark matter (CDM) and the radiation field. The power-spectrum oscillations appear on the scale of the horizon at kinematic decoupling which corresponds to a mass scale of {approx}10{sup -4}(T{sub d}/10 MeV){sup -3}M{sub {center_dot}} for a CDM decoupling temperature T{sub d}. The suppression of the power-spectrum on smaller scales by the acoustic oscillations is physically independent from the free-streaming effect, although the two cut-off scales are coincidentally comparable for T{sub d}{approx}10 MeV and a particle mass of M{approx}100 GeV. The initial conditions for recent numerical simulations of the earliest and smallest objects to have formed in the universe, need to be modified accordingly. Themore » smallest dark-matter clumps may be detectable through {gamma}-ray production from particle annihilation, through fluctuations in the event rate of direct detection experiments, or through their tidal gravitational effect on wide orbits of objects near the outer edge of the solar system.« less
Single-step fabrication and characterization of photonic crystal biosensors with polymer microfluidic channels

A method for simultaneously integrating label-free photonic crystal biosensor technology into microfluidic channels by a single-step replica molding process is presented. By fabricating both the sub-micron features of the photonic crystal sensor structure and the >10 µm features of a flow channel network in one step at room temperature on a plastic substrate, the sensors are automatically self-aligned with the flow channels, and patterns of arbitrary shape may be produced. By measuring changes in the resonant peak reflected wavelength from the photonic crystal structure induced by changes in dielectric permittivity within an evanescent field region near its surface, detection of bulk refractive index changes in the fluid channel or adsorption of biological material to the sensor surface is demonstrated. An imaging detection instrument is used to characterize the spatial distribution of the photonic crystal resonant wavelength, gathering thousands of independent sensor readings within a single fluid channel.
Boolean Comparison by Simulation

The development of high speed, large capacity hardware systems for logic simulation makes boolean comparison of logic networks feasible for designs of practical importance. Boolean comparison provides a complete check of functional equivalence of two logic networks and is a valuable tool in design verification. This paper describes virtual logic that controls the boolean comparison process and provides large reductions in the required number of test cases for many practical design problems. The virtual logic is simulated by the logic simulation system at the same time as the two models are simulated for test cases. The virtual logic has the task of generating new test cases such that the entire input space is covered but minimizing the number of test vectors required. Multivalued logic simulation and other techniques are used to achieve the reductions. Since the entire boolean comparison task is completed without assistance of a general purpose host system the usual communication overhead is avoided. The techniques described are suitable for high speed logic simulators. The simulation system for the work described here was the Engineering Verification Engine (EVE) developed by IBM but other simulation systems provide similar capability.
USING COUNTS TO SIMULTANEOUSLY ESTIMATE ABUNDANCE AND DETECTION PROBABILITIES IN A SALAMANDER COMMUNITY

A critical variable in both ecological and conservation field studies is determining how many individuals of a species are present within a defined sampling area. Labor intensive techniques such as capture-mark-recapture and removal sampling may provide estimates of abundance, but there are many logistical constraints to their widespread application. Many studies on terrestrial and aquatic salamanders use counts as an index of abundance, assuming that detection remains constant while sampling. If this constancy is violated, determination of detection probabilities is critical to the accurate estimation of abundance. Recently, a model was developed that provides a statistical approach that allows abundance and detection to be estimated simultaneously from spatially and temporally replicated counts. We adapted this model to estimate these parameters for salamanders sampled over a six year period in area-constrained plots in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Estimates of salamander abundance varied among years, but annual changes in abundance did not vary uniformly among species. Except for one species, abundance estimates were not correlated with site covariates (elevation, soil and water pH, conductivity, air and water temperature). The uncertainty in the estimates was so large as to make correlations ineffectual in predicting which covariates might influence abundance. Detection probabilities also varied among species and sometimes among years for the six species examined. We found such a high degree of variation in our counts and in estimates of detection among species, sites, and years as to cast doubt upon the appropriateness of using count data to monitor population trends using a small number of area-constrained survey plots. Still, the model provided reasonable estimates of abundance that could make it useful in estimating population size from count surveys.
Preservative cytotoxicity to cultured corneal epithelial cells.

Cultured human and rat corneal epithelial cells with 51cr incorporated were used as a model to test the cytolytic action of four common preservatives. Benzalkonium chloride, chlorohexidine and thimerosol were all found to lyse >40% cells when incubated for fifteen minutes at concentrations in clinical use in topical ophthalmic medications. Chloro-butanol is the only preservative tested which has a low level of cytotoxicity (10%) and which, under these conditions, can be considered a safe preservative using cytolytic activity as the means of criteria.
Multiple spacecraft rendezvous maneuvers by differential drag and low thrust engines

A novel two-phase hybrid controller is proposed to optimize propellant consumption during multiple spacecraft rendezvous maneuvers in Low Earth Orbit. This controller exploits generated differentials in aerodynamic drag on each involved chaser spacecraft to effect a propellant-free trajectory near to the target spacecraft during the first phase of the maneuver, and then uses a fuel optimal control strategy via continuous low-thrust engines to effect a precision dock during the second phase. In particular, by varying the imparted aerodynamic drag force on each of the chaser spacecraft, relative differential accelerations are generated between each chaser and the target spacecraft along two of the three translational degrees of freedom. In order to generate this required differential, each chaser spacecraft is assumed to include a system of rotating flat panels. Additionally, each chaser spacecraft is assumed to have continuous low-thrust capability along the three translational degrees of freedom and full-axis attitude control. Sample simulations are presented to support the validity and robustness of the proposed hybrid controller to variations in the atmospheric density along with different spacecraft masses and ballistic coefficients. Furthermore, the proposed hybrid controller is validated against a complete nonlinear orbital model to include relative navigation errors typical of carrier-phase differential GPS (CDGPS). Limitations of the proposed controller appear relative to the target spacecraft’s orbit eccentricity and a general characterization of the atmospheric density. Bounds on these variables are included to provide a framework within which the proposed hybrid controller can effect an extremely low propellant rendezvous of multiple chaser spacecraft to a desired target spacecraft.
Clinical Excellence in Pediatrics

The 7 core domains of clinical excellence in academic medicine, as defined by the Miller-Coulson Academy of Clinical Excellence at Johns Hopkins, are applicable to the field of pediatrics. The authors use published case reports and teaching models from the pediatric literature to illustrate how thoughtful clinicians have realized distinction in each of the 7 clinical excellence domains, recognizing excellent pediatric patient care serves to strengthen all 3 arms of the tripartite academic mission. Clinicians who feel valued by their institution may be more likely to remain in an academic clinical setting, where they promote the health and well-being of their patients, provide support to families and caregivers, serve as role models for pediatric trainees, and integrate research into their practice with the overall aim of improving patient outcomes.
BP neural network model based on cluster analysis for wind power prediction

As wind has the property of intermittency and randomness, it is very important for the wind plant to improve the accuracy for wind power prediction to satisfy the stability requirements when combined to the grid. This paper studies the major factors that influence wind power, and proposes a BP neural network model based on cluster analysis with the traditional BP neural network model for comparison. The results show that the new model can significantly improve the wind power prediction accuracy.
Mitochondrial translocation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) in leukemic T cells and cytokine-stimulated cells

Signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs) were first identified as key signaling molecules in response to cytokines. Constitutive STAT activation also has been widely implicated in oncogenesis. We analyzed STAT5-associated proteins in a leukemic T cell line LSTRA, which exhibits constitutive tyrosine phosphorylation and activation of STAT5. A cellular protein was found to specifically interact with STAT5 in LSTRA cells by co-immunoprecipitation. Sequencing analysis and subsequent immunoblotting confirmed the identity of this STAT5-associated protein as the E2 component of mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC-E2). Consistent with this interaction, both subcellular fractionation and immunofluorescence microscopy revealed mitochondrial localization of STAT5 in LSTRA cells. Mitochondrial localization of tyrosine-phosphorylated STAT5 also occurred in cytokine-stimulated cells. A time course experiment further demonstrated the transient kinetics of STAT5 mitochondrial translocation after cytokine stimulation. In contrast, cytokine-induced STAT1 and STAT3 activation did not result in their translocation into mitochondria. Furthermore, we showed that mitochondrial STAT5 bound to the D-loop regulatory region of mitochondrial DNA in vitro. It suggests a potential role of STAT5 in regulating the mitochondrial genome. Proliferative metabolism toward aerobic glycolysis is well known in cancer cells as the Warburg effect and is also observed in cytokine-stimulated cells. Our novel findings of cytokine-induced STAT5 translocation into mitochondria and its link to oncogenesis provide important insights into the underlying mechanisms of this characteristic metabolic shift.
A geophysical model function for windsat polarimetric radiometer wind retrievals using linear polarizations

In this paper, we develop a novel geophysical model function (GMF) for the WindSat radiometer relating the vertically (V-pol) and horizontally (H-pol) polarized brightness temperature (TB) to the ocean surface wind field. The brightness temperature data from the 10,18 and 37 GHz channels were used in this analysis. The brightness temperature combination of the form (AV-H) is found to be mostly independent of the atmospheric variations, where A is a constant number for each frequency. The GMF was developed empirically using the collocated wind vectors from the QuikSCAT scatterometer retrieval as truth and the WindSat's (AV-H) TB's. We examined the characteristic of the GMF and explored the opportunity to improve our current WindSat wind direction retrieval that utilizes only 3rd and 4th Stokes measurements, by integrating this GMF. The strength of the wind directional signals is encouraging for moderate wind speed at 8 m/s and higher.
Facilitatory effect of thinking about movement on motor evoked potentials to transcranial magnetic stimulation of the brain

Surface electromyographic responses were recorded from 9 human abductor pollicis brevis muscles in response to transcranial magnetic stimulation of the brain. Measurements of MEP (motor evoked potential) amplitude were performed with the subject at rest, thinking about a particular movement, and slightly contracting the muscle. It is shown that thinking about the movement has a facilitatory effect on the evoked potentials to magnetic stimulation of the brain, and that the degree of facilitation in thinking is smaller than in voluntary contraction. >
Elastic intramedullary nailing and DBM-Bone marrow injection for the treatment of simple bone cysts

Background Simple or unicameral bone cysts are common benign fluid-filled lesions usually located at the long bones of children before skeletal maturity.
A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR ANALYZING FAMILY METAPHORS

(1989). A conceptual framework for analyzing family metaphors. Journal of Applied Communication Research: Vol. 17, Applying Communication Theory to Family Process, pp. 42-51.
Prediction-based Haptic Data Reduction and Compression in Tele-Mentoring Systems

In this paper, a novel haptic data reduction and compression technique to reduce haptic data traffic in networked haptic tele-mentoring systems is presented. The suggested method follows a two-step procedure: (1) haptic data packets are not transmitted when they can be predicted within a predefined tolerable error; otherwise, (2) data packets are compressed prior to transmission. The prediction technique relies on the least-squares method. Knowledge from human haptic perception is incorporated into the architecture to assess the perceptual quality of the prediction results. Packet-payload compression is performed using uniform quantization and adaptive Golomb-Rice codes. The preliminary experimental results demonstrate the algorithm's effectiveness as great haptic data reduction and compression is achieved, while preserving the overall quality of the tele-mentoring environment.
Cancer Gene Discovery Using Digital Differential Display

The Cancer Gene Anatomy Project database of the National Cancer Institute has thousands of expressed sequences, both known and novel, in the form of expressed sequence tags (ESTs). These ESTs, derived from diverse normal and tumor cDNA libraries, offer an attractive starting point for cancer gene discovery. Using a data-mining tool called Digital Differential Display (DDD) from the Cancer Gene Anatomy Project database, ESTs from six different solid tumor types (breast, colon, lung, ovary, pancreas, and prostate) were analyzed for differential expression. An electronic expression profile and chromosomal map position of these hits were generated from the Unigene database. The hits were categorized into major classes of genes including ribosomal proteins, enzymes, cell surface molecules, secretory proteins, adhesion molecules, and immunoglobulins and were found to be differentially expressed in these tumor-derived libraries. Genes known to be up-regulated in prostate, breast, and pancreatic carcinomas were discovered by DDD, demonstrating the utility of this technique. Two hundred known genes and 500 novel sequences were discovered to be differentially expressed in these select tumor-derived libraries. Test genes were validated for expression specificity by reverse transcription-PCR, providing a proof of concept for gene discovery by DDD. A comprehensive database of hits can be accessed at http://www.fau.edu/cmbb/publications/cancergenes.htm. This solid tumor DDD database should facilitate target identification for cancer diagnostics and therapeutics.
Nitrogen sources and Gulf hypoxia: potential for environmental credit trading☆

A zone of hypoxic and anoxic waters has become a dominant feature of the northern Gulf of Mexico. Nitrogen draining into the Gulf from the Mississippi Basin has been identified as the primary source of the problem. Reducing nitrogen loads from point and nonpoint sources in the basin is the primary goal of an action plan developed to address the problem. In this paper, we use data on point source dischargers and a model of the agriculture sector to examine whether the purchase of nitrogen reduction bcreditsQ from nonpoint sources would reduce the cost of nitrogen control if point sources are required to reduce nitrogen discharges. Results indicate that a substantial degree of credit trading could affect agricultural commodity prices, thereby affecting agricultural production outside the basin. D 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A Drop in the Bucket: Randomized Controlled Trials Testing Reading and Math Interventions.

The purpose of this study was to determine the proportion of empirical studies published in the last 5 years in a sample of special education peer-reviewed journals that (1) assessed the effects of reading and math interventions with group designs and (2) used random assignment to treatment conditions to test those interventions. A hand search of articles from the Journal of Special Education, Exceptional Children, Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, the Journal of Learning Disabilities, and School Psychology Review yielded 806 relevant articles, of which 5.46 percent tested a reading or math intervention using a group design and 4.22 percent used random assignment. These findings indicate that randomized experimental designs, which offer the highest level of evidence of an intervention's efficacy, are underrepresented in the literature, at least in the area of reading and math interventions.
Ink, Art and Expression: Philosophical Questions about Tattoos

This essay offers an overview of the reasons why tattoos are philosophically interesting. Considered here will be a partial survey of potential areas of philosophical interest with respect to tattoos, fortified by a little historical context. Claims about the ethical significance of tattoos and about the significance of tattoos for self-expression and as expressions of identity will be canvassed in the first two sections, as will questions about what they express or signify, how they might do so, and whose expression we might take it to be. The final sections will address the contention that at least some tattoos are art and will raise various considerations about their closest analogs as well as their authorship. Although it will be argued that analogs can be found between tattoos and works recognized as art, it will also be maintained that tattoos raise unique aesthetic issues for consideration.
A Note on Calculating Transition Probabilities from Work-Life Expectancies

Expert analyses of lost earnings are often based on annuity calculations where work-life expectancies are used to determine the duration of the annuity. This paper provides a method to infer transition probabilities from work-life tables that allows the expert to correctly compute the value of lost earnings.
Cellular proliferation in relation to antibody synthesis.

SummaryA technical approach for the study of the kinetics of antibody producing cells is possible by combination of autoradiography and the fluorescent antibody technic. Results show that: 1. Almost all antibody containing cells present by day 4 of a secondary response are newly formed cells arising from mitotic division of a precursor sometime after antigenic stimulation; 2. Most plasma cells do not arise by direct, non mitotic differentiation from lymphocytes; and 3. Functionally differentiated antibody containing cells can divide.
Development and Validation of the Parkinson’s Disease Medication Beliefs Scale (PD-Rx)

Background Medication non-adherence is common in Parkinson's disease (PD) and is associated with increased disability and healthcare costs. Individuals' beliefs regarding their medical conditions and treatments impact medication adherence. While instruments exist to measure patients' beliefs about medications in general, no such tool exists for PD. Objectives Create an instrument eliciting medication beliefs of persons with PD; identify demographic and clinical characteristics associated with beliefs; and examine whether beliefs are associated with dopaminergic therapy adherence. Methods We developed the Parkinson's Disease Medication Beliefs Scale (PD-Rx) in four phases: focus groups of patients and caregivers to generate items, scale development, expert and patient revision of items, and a cross-sectional validation sample (n = 75). Adherence was calculated using two approaches incorporating self-reported medication lists. Results The PD-Rx consists of 11 items covering benefits and risks of PD pharmacotherapies. The scale covers motor improvement, current adverse effects, and future concerns. Higher scores indicate more positive beliefs. Internal consistency was acceptable (Cronbach's alpha = 0.67). Test-retest reliability was 0.47. Quality of life was associated with PD-Rx scores, and lower scores were associated with non-adherence. Conclusions Negative beliefs about PD treatments are associated with lower quality of life and may be related to medication non-adherence. Further study of any causal relationship between beliefs and medication non-adherence in PD will inform the design of future patient-centered interventions to improve adherence.