cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inhibitory autophosphorylation of multifunctional Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase analyzed by site-directed mutagenesis.

Abstract Initial autophosphorylation of multifunctional Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaM kinase) occurs at Thr286 (the "autonomy" site) and converts the kinase from a Ca(2+)-dependent to a partially Ca(2+)-independent or autonomous enzyme. After removal of Ca2+/calmodulin, the autonomous kinase undergoes a "burst" of inhibitory autophosphorylation at sites distinct from the autonomy site which may be masked in the presence of bound calmodulin. This burst of Ca(2+)-independent autophosphorylation blocks the ability of calmodulin to activate the kinase. We have used site-directed mutagenesis to replace putative inhibitory autophosphorylation sites within the calmodulin binding domain of recombinant alpha-CaM kinase with nonphosphorylatable alanines and examined the effects on autophosphorylation, kinase activity, and calmodulin binding. Although prominent Ca(2+)-independent autophosphorylation occurs within the calmodulin binding domain at Thr305, Thr306, and Ser314 in wild-type alpha-CaM kinase, the inhibitory effect on kinase activity and calmodulin binding is retained in mutants lacking any one of these three sites. However, when both Thr305 and Thr306 are converted to alanines the kinase does not display inhibition of either activity or calmodulin binding. Autophosphorylation at either Thr305 or Thr306 is therefore sufficient to block both binding and activation of the kinase by Ca2+/calmodulin. Thr306 is also slowly autophosphorylated in a basal reaction in the continuous absence of Ca2+/calmodulin. Autophosphorylation of Thr306 by the kinase in either its basal or autonomous state suggests that in the absence of bound calmodulin, the region of the autoregulatory domain surrounding Thr306, rather than the region near the autonomy site, lies nearest the peptide substrate binding site of the kinase.
Partitioning of oxytetracycline between aqueous and organic solvents: Effect of hydrogen bonding

Phase equilibrium behavior of antibiotics is important in drug design and for optimization of the recovery process in manufacturing. Aqueous/organic partitioning behavior of a clinically important antibiotic, oxytetracycline is measured. The organic phase includes pure solvent n-hexane, chloroform, diethyl ether and ethyl acetate. In addition, measurements are also made for mixed organic phase composed of n-hexane+ethyl acetate. Organic-phase partitioning increases with the hydrogen bonding (H-bonding) tendency of the solvent in the order n-hexane<chloroform<diethyl ether<ethyl acetate. An activity coefficient model that includes H-bonding, UNIQUAC-HB (Gupta, R.B., Kumar, R., Betageri, G.V., 1997. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 36, 3954–3959), is used to model the partitioning behavior between aqueous and organic phases. Single solvent-organic-phase data are correlated using the model to obtain the free-energy-of-H-bonding parameters for H-bonding between antibiotic and solvent. Predictions made for mixed-solvent-organic-phase systems agrees well with the experimental data without using any adjustable parameter.
Research Personnel Sertification: What 'Dissergate' Has Revealed

At present, there is a discussion under way that centers around the ways of reorganizing the system for training highly qualified personnel, including the dissertation defense procedure. These issues have become the focus of increased attention as a result of recently revealed dissertation fraud cases which, in their turn, produced a tidal wave of further fraud exposures – the so-called Dissergate. The suggested innovations may affect all the aspects of the dissertation preparation process and the procedure of granting academic degrees. However, the opinions with regard to many of the parameters under discussion vary greatly – sometimes they are even mutually exclusive. At the same time, new measures must be planned with due regard for the level of human resources potential available to Russian science, while the issue of the changing role of dissertations is becoming increasingly important not only for Russia.
Scalable Swarm Based Fuzzy Clustering

Iterative fuzzy clustering algorithms are sensitive to initialization. Swarm based clustering algorithms are able to do a broader search for the best extrema. A swarm inspired clustering approach which searches in fuzzy cluster centroids space is discussed. An evaluation function based on fuzzy cluster validity was used. A swarm based clustering algorithm can be computationally intensive and a data distributed approach to clustering is shown to be effective. It is shown that the swarm based clustering results in excellent data partitions. Further, it shown that the use of a cluster validity metric as the evaluation function enables the discovery of the number of clusters in the data in an automated way.
Covering by complements of subspaces, II

Let V be an n-dimensional vector space over an algebraically closed field K. Define γ(k, n,K) to be the least positive integer t for which there exists a family E1, E2, . . . , Et of k-dimensional subspaces of V such that every (n−k)-dimensional subspace F of V has at least one complement among the Ei’s. Using algebraic geometry we prove that γ(k, n,K) = k(n− k) + 1.
Super-Charged Retirement: Ditch the Rocking Chair, Trash the Remote, and Do What You Love, by Mary Lloyd: Centralia, WA: Gorham Printing, Hankfritz Press, 2009, 256 pages, softcover, $16.95.

Recognized or not, the decisions made in retirement play a crucial role in whether those years will be enjoyed, tolerated, or feared. Mary Lloyd, in her book Super-Charged Retirement: Ditch the Roc...
Micromillimeter wave spectrum analyser using slanted holographic gratings

A concept for performing spectrum analysis of micro-millimeter wave signals using a novel optical grating approach is described. In the approach an optical wave is temporally modulated with the micro-millimeter wave signal, diffracted from a slanted holographic grating, and focused using a simple lens. The slanted grating acts to convert the temporal modulation into spatial form and the lens produces the power spectrum of the signal in its focal plane. Performance levels projected with a 30 cm grating include resolution of 1 GHz and bandwidth of 200 GHz. Use of in-fiber gratings in a raster format will enable resolution of 2.5 MHz.
The Outsourcing of Financial Regulation to Risk Models and the Global Financial Crisis: Code, Crash, and Open Source

The widespread use computer-based risk models in the financial industry in the last two decades enabled the marketing of more complex financial products to consumers, the growth of securitization and derivatives, and the development of sophisticated risk management strategies by financial institutions. Over this same period, regulators increasingly delegated or outsourced vast responsibility for regulating risk in both consumer finance and financial markets to these private industry models. The proprietary risk models of financial institutions thus came to serve as a "new financial code" that regulated transfers of risk among consumers, financial institutions, and investors. The spectacular failure of financial industry risk models in the current worldwide financial crisis underscores the dangers of regulatory outsourcing to the new financial code. This article outlines several implications of the current crisis for regulatory outsourcing including the following: - Bank regulators should scrap those provisions of Basel II that allow certain banks to set their own capital requirements according to their internal risk models; - Regulators should promote "open source" in code used to market consumer financial products, price securitizations and derivatives, and manage financial institution risk; and - The failure of risk models used to price securitizations and derivatives reveals some of the comparative advantages of equity securities in spreading risk.
Spruce grouse decline in maturing lowland boreal forests of New York

Abstract Forest succession affects species that rely on specific successional stages of forest development as core habitat. The spruce grouse (Falcipennis canadensis) is a mid-successional boreal forest obligate declining in population size and range extent in the northeastern United States. We evaluated habitat occupancy from 2002 to 2006 and we contrasted spruce grouse habitat use at multiple spatial scales to determine if advancing succession of boreal forest influenced the species’ distribution in New York from 2002 to 2012. We detected grouse at less than half (n = 13) of forest patches occupied from 1976 to 1987 and at one previously undocumented patch suggesting in aggregate a 71% reduction in extent of area occupied. Spruce grouse kernel home ranges reflected a 13× greater selection for short ( 6 m) lowland conifer, a 4.5× greater selection of short lowland conifer over upland conifer, and an 8× greater selection for ericaceous vegetation over tall lowland conifer. Within home ranges, bird radiolocations revealed an 8.5× greater selection for short lowland conifer over upland conifer, a 6.6× greater selection of short lowland conifer over ericaceous vegetation, a 5× greater selection of tall lowland conifer over upland conifer, and a 4× greater selection of tall lowland conifer over ericaceous vegetation. Occupied forest patches were 75% closer to other occupied patches than were formerly occupied patches. Moreover occupied patches were 10% larger, they were characterized by 90% less Sphagnum spp., 5× greater ericaceous shrub cover, 34% greater tree density, 71% less live vegetation >6 m tall, 8% less coniferous shrub cover, and contained about half of the live vegetation from 4 to 6 m above the ground. Trees were 20% younger in occupied versus formerly occupied patches ( x ¯ = 43.37 [SE = 41.82–44.95] versus 51.87 [SE = 50.95–52.81], respectively). We also observed 17% greater importance value (i.e., IV = 100 × [relative basal area × relative density × relative frequency]/3) of tamarack (Larix laricina) and a 43% less balsam fir (Abies balsamea) importance value suggesting a decreased component of earlier successional species in occupied versus formerly occupied patches. We conclude that reduced size and greater isolation of remaining habitat patches as well as forest succession have contributed to spruce grouse declines in New York, processes that could be reversed through establishment of mid-successional forest patches near remaining grouse-occupied habitats.
Is the Art Market More Bourgeois than Bohemian

The art market is famous – or notorious – for auctions at Sotheby’s and Christie’s at which works by well-known artists are sold for stratospheric prices. Researchers have argued that such prices are volatile and unpredictable based on economic fundamentals, implying that at least some segment of the art market behaves irrationally. In this paper, we examine whether the broader art market, composed mostly of small galleries, is more consistent with standard economic models. In particular, we ask whether the location patterns of art galleries exhibit behavior consistent with agglomeration economies, as would be predicted for retail firms selling highly differentiated and expensive products. Using a newly developed database, we find strong evidence of agglomeration economies among Manhattan art galleries from 1970-2003. Galleries locate in highly concentrated spatial clusters, and these clusters are more likely to occur in neighborhoods with affluent households and older, more expensive housing, consistent with locating near potential consumers. We find no evidence that galleries locate in cheap, “bohemian” neighborhoods. The highest quality tier of the art market, which has been most widely studied, contains a relatively small share of gallery establishments, although these “star” galleries have a longer average lifespan than non-star galleries. Locating near other galleries also increases the longevity of firms and establishments.
The SHRP Direct Tension Specification Test-Its Development and Use

This paper describes the development and use of a direct tension test for measuring the strength and failure strain of asphalt binders. This test, which is used to determine the strain at failure (strain tolerance) of asphalt binders, was selected by the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) as a specification test for asphalt binders. Test methods available prior to the development of this test were found inadequate for accurately measuring the strain tolerance of asphalt binders. Therefore, these methods were judged unsuitable for specification purposes. The dog bone geometry used in the direct tension test method described in this paper is widely used for other materials. Each specimen requires slightly more than three grams of asphalt binder. The specimen is gripped using plastic inserts cast as an integral part of the test specimen. The specimen is loaded through holes in the inserts using specially designed pins that automatically align the test specimen. Specimen elongation is measured using a non-contact laser-based extensometer which provides accurate and repeatable measurements. The method is easy to use and is designed to provide the strain-at-failure-data needed for specification purposes.
Epigenetic Regulation of Adipogenesis by Histone Methylation

Histone methylation is implicated in both gene activation and repression, depending on the specific lysine residue that gets methylated. Recent years have witnessed an explosive expansion of the list of remarkably site-specific histone methyltransferases and demethylases, which greatly facilitates the study on the biological functions of histone methylation in gene expression and cell differentiation in mammalian cells. Adipogenesis represents an excellent model system to understand transcriptional and epigenetic regulation of gene expression and cell differentiation. While transcriptional regulation of adipogenesis has been extensively studied, the roles of epigenetic mechanisms in particular histone methylation in regulation of adipogenesis have just begun to be understood. This review will summarize the recent progress on epigenetic regulation of adipogenesis by histone methylation, with a focus on histone H3K4 and H3K27. The available evidence suggests that site-specific histone methylations play critical roles in adipogenesis and control the expression of both positive and negative master regulators of adipogenesis. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Chromatin in time and space.
Obesity: insight into the origins of asthma.

Lung mechanics, immunology, genetics, diet and endocrinology may act in a developmental context to link two complex traits: obesity and asthma.
Sp1 is essential and its position is important for p120 gene transcription: a 35 bp juxtaposed positive regulatory element enhances transcription 2.5 fold

Abstract Human proliferating cell nucleolar antigen p120 is expressed in tumor cells in the early G1 phase of the cell cycle. Deletion analyses of the essential cis-acting region -537/-278 showed that a 58 bp sequence from -457 to -400 is an important cis-acting element. An Sp1 transcription factor binds to the sequence AGAGGCGGGG (-425 to -416) within the -458/-400 cis-acting region. Deletion of the Sp1 binding sequence eliminated transcription. Substitution of the Sp1 box(-437/-406), containing the Sp1 recognition site, for the entire cis-acting region (-537/-278) restored transcription only at a very low level (18%). Deletion of the -537/-278 cis-acting region followed by substitutions showed that the Sp1 box (-437/-406) stimulated transcription 2.4 fold, when juxtaposed and downstream of a 35 bp (-472 GGGCGAGCGTAAGTTCCGGGTGCGGCGGCCGACTA -438) positive regulatory cis-element (PRE) over that by substitution of the Sp1 box alone. When the -406/-278 sequence was downstream of the PRE-Sp1 box, transcription was stimulated 4.4 fold over that produced by substitution of the Sp1 box alone. These results suggest that Sp1 is essential and its proper position in the 5' flanking sequence, juxtaposed and down stream of a 35 bp positive regulatory sequence, is required for efficient transcription.
Phenylpyruvic oligophrenia in a Jewish child.

Summary A case of mental deficiency with phenylpyruvic acid in the urine is reported in a Jewish child for the first time. Other neurological and psychiatric features were present. The father of this child presents a forme fruste of the disease. The genetics and metabolic error of this disease are briefly discussed.
Impacts of yield management in competitive airline markets

Abstract This paper presents the results of the first known study of the impacts of airline yield management (YM) under competitive market conditions, taking into account the YM capabilities of competing airlines. This study makes use of a simulation model that includes both passenger choice behavior and the actual functions of airline yield management systems. We used this simulation model to evaluate the impacts of YM systems on the market shares, traffic and revenues of each competitor in a hypothetical market, as well as on the market as a whole. The simulation results confirm that effective yield management results in revenue increases for the users of YM in virtually all competitive situations. We found that there is a significant ‘first mover’ advantage for the airline that implements a YM system before its competitor, and that this implementation can actually lead to a revenue decrease for the airline without YM. We also examine some scenarios in which the airlines have differing schedules in the market, and conclude that there is an important interaction between the revenue benefits of YM and the relative schedule strengths of the competing airlines.
Enhanced adriamycin—induced delayed gastrointestinal radiosensitivity in tumor-bearing mice

Abstract Intestinal proliferative activity in BDF, mice bearing the Lewis lung tumor (LL ca /BDF 1 ) was markedly depressed with increasing tumor burden. When compared with non-tumor-bearing mice (BDF 1 ), integrated cell production over 7 days was reduced to 56% in animals with small (400 mm 3 ) tumors and to 30% in animals with large (2500 mm 3 ) tumors. Gastrointestinal radiosensitivity was measured by proliferative compensatory response kinetics to a radiation dose of 600 rad. The presence of tumor (mean tumor volume=859 ± 209 mm 3 ) delayed the jejunal response to radiation by 24 hr and reduced the integrated cell production from 136% in BDF 1 mice to 119% in the LL ca /BDF 1 mice. While the presence of tumor did not alter the temporal response of the colonic epithelium to radiation, the compensatory peak was reduced from 248% (BDF 1 ) to 200% (LL ca /BDF 1 ). Adriamycin (Adr; 10 mg/kg) given 60 days prior to radiation failed to enhance the jejunal radiosensitivity in BDF 1 mice. However, when tumor-bearing LL ca /BDF 1 mice were treated under an identical dose and time configuration, the jejunal response to 600 rad was significantly impaired: proliferative peaks were reduced from 182 to 115% ; integrated cell production was reduced from 119 to 72%. In the colon of tumor-bearing mice, pretreatment with AdR reduced the proliferative compensatory peak from the subsequent radiation dose to 120% of pretreatment levels.
A causal model of depression in early adolescents.

The purpose of this study was to test the extent to which a causal model developed from a theoretical formulation of depression was consistent with data obtained from early adolescents, age 12 to 14. In this cross-sectional correlational design, the final sample consisted of 225 adolescents who responded to a demographic data sheet and instruments measuring depression, self-esteem, state anxiety, and perceived stress in classrooms. The causal model was tested via the LISREL 7 program, using a maximum likelihood structural equation model. The results yielded a chi-square (1, N = 225) = .71, p = .401, indicating a good fit of the model to the data. Perceived stress had the strongest direct, indirect, and total effect on depression in early adolescents. Contrary to expectation, self-esteem did not have a direct effect on depression, and girls did not report higher levels of depression than did boys.
Children’s acquisition of early literacy skills: examining family contributions

Abstract A study of 143 families and their preschool-age children was undertaken to examine the relationship between the family environment and children’s language and literacy skills. This research was guided by three models hypothesized by Snow, Barnes, Chandler, Goodman, and Hemphill (1991) to explain the family’s contribution to children’s acquisition of language and literacy. The three theoretical models examined in this study were: Family as Educator, Resilient Family, and Parent–Child Care Partnership. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling were used to estimate latent constructs and structural models, respectively. Results showed that only the Family as Educator model was significantly related to child language and literacy outcomes (i.e., book-related knowledge, receptive language skills, and expressive language skills). Implications for future researchers and educational practice are discussed.
The Effect of Audit Committee and Board of Director Independence on Auditor Resignation

This study examines the relationship between audit committee and board independence and auditor resignations. Independent audit committee and board members, who are concerned about incurring legal liability and harming their reputations, support the external auditors in accomplishing their assurance duties. We use a logit model to compare audit committee and board independence between two types of auditor switches: 190 auditor‐initiated switches versus 190 matched client‐initiated switches during the time period 1996 to 2000. Our results show that audit committee and board of director independence are both negatively associated with the likelihood of an auditor resignation. Our results also show that audit committee independence is positively related to the quality of the firm's successor auditor. This suggests that independent audit committees also play a mitigating role in reducing the negative consequences associated with an auditor resignation.
Conditioned alpha blocking re-examined with the measurement of individual wave amplitudes

Abstract The conditioning of alpha blocking was examined in 9 subjects by measuring the peak amplitudes of individual alpha waves and by converting them to proportion-reduction from pre-stimulus waves. The subjects were first given a series of randomly presented lights and tones as a habituation-pseudoconditioning control. The conditioning was then accomplished by presenting a tone conditioned stimulus 1 sec before onset of a light unconditioned stimulus. The results showed that the average pattern of alpha amplitude reduction across waves through the tone and light intervals was a constantly descending one during conditioning. The greatest separation between conditioning and the much smaller pseudoconditioning reduction occurred just before the unconditioned blocking to light began. Clearly different habituation, conditioning and extinction trends across trials were also demonstrated using this quantification procedure. These results led to the conclusion that neither pseudoconditioning nor sensitization of the orienting response contribute appreciably to conditioned alpha reduction.
CEC separation of peptides using a poly(hexyl acrylate-co-1,4-butanediol diacrylate-co-[2-(acryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethyl ammonium chloride) monolithic column

A polyacrylate-based monolithic column bearing cationic functionalities and designed for capillary electrochromatography (CEC) has been prepared via photopolymerization of a mixture of hexyl acrylate, butanediol diacrylate, 2-(acryloyloxy) ethyltrimethyl ammonium chloride (monomers), azobisisobutyronitrile (photoinitiator), acetonitrile, phosphate buffer, and ethanol (porogens). The polymerization process was initiated with UV light at 360 nm. The column performance was evaluated via the separations of alkylbenzenes, substituted anilines, basic drugs, peptides, and a protein digest. The separation of complex peptide mixtures was then studied since such separations constitute a promising application of CEC. In particular, the effects of mobile phase composition, including ionic strength of the buffer solution and the percentage of acetonitrile on the retention factor, the column efficiency and the resolution were determined. The separations were affected by both interaction of the peptides with the stationary phase and their own electrophoretic mobility. Excellent separations with column efficiencies of up to 160,000 plates/m were achieved for both a mixture of ten well-defined peptides and a tryptic digest of cytochrome c. The fractions of eluent containing peptides of the digest separated in the monolithic column were collected and characterized using MALDI mass spectrometry.
The effect of total knee replacement on dynamic support of the body during walking and stair ascent

Abstract Background Little is known about the effects of total knee replacement surgery on the contributions of individual joint moments to the total support moment. A better understanding of these effects may enhance rehabilitation protocols and determine factors related to long-term surgical outcome. Method Twenty-one subjects with total knee replacement and 21 controls performed level walking and stair ascent at two testing periods, pre- and 6 months post-surgery. Variables studied included gait velocity, stride length, knee flexion angle, net joint moments of the hip, knee and ankle, and total support moment. Data were analyzed at the first peak vertical ground reaction force. Findings For level walking, the total support moment, knee extensor moment, and knee flexion angle of total knee replacement patients were less than controls at post-surgery. For stair ascent, the patient group total support moment, ankle plantarflexor moment, and knee flexion angle were less than controls at both testing periods, while knee extensor moment was less than controls at post-surgery. Extensor synergies of the total knee replacement patients revealed less knee and more hip contributions during level walking and larger hip contributions during stair ascent to the total support moment than controls at both testing periods. Interpretation A feature of total knee replacement gait, pre- and post-surgery, is a stiff knee attitude which may serve to protect the quadriceps. The larger hip extensor contribution to the total support moment observed in the patients may compensate for the diminished knee extensor contribution during level walking and stair ascent.
Nursing Management of the Woman with Osteoporosis

One accompaniment of loss of ovarian function for many women is osteoporosis. Care of women who suffer a hip fracture as a result of osteoporosis has become a public health issue and focuses on a possible lack of patient education regarding health maintenance. Nurses can play a key role in the care of women with osteoporosis by knowing about possible causative factors and by having a broad understanding of patient management, including how important patient education is to the maintenance of health.
Disassembly of Dendritic Micellar Containers Due to Protein Binding

Disassembling a supramolecular assembly and releasing the contents of the assembly in response to a stimulus are important goals of supramolecular chemistry. When proteins are used as the stimulus, the biological relevance of the supramolecular event dramatically increases. Although there have been efforts in which such disassembly has been achieved using enzymatic action, such events based on ligand-receptor interactions have been very limited. Here we demonstrate protein-binding-induced disassembly of dendrimer-based amphiphilic nanocontainers. We show that this disassembly is selective to the targeted protein and that the disassembly event causes a release of the sequestered guest molecules. We propose that the disassembly is caused by alteration of the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance caused by the protein binding.
A Large, low-energy neutrino detector for neutrino oscillations and supernovae watch

Abstract We describe a large, low-energy and low background Gd-loaded liquid scintillation detector with a fiducial mass of 1000 ton to be installed 200 m underground at a distance of 10–15 km from a power reactor. The detector will serve to explore neutrino oscillations down to mass parameters Δm2 of 10−4 eV2 and mixing angles sin22θ larger than 0.1 and also as a low-energy neutrino observatory for supernovae and other astrophysical events. The detector reaction νep → e+n provides a correlated e+, n signature with the neutron yielding an 8 MeV gamma cascade following capture in Gd. Some of the optimized parameters are: light transmission length 6.1 m, Gd concentration 0.05%, mean neutron capture time 46 μs. With thresholds for the positron kinetic energy and capture gamma rays of 1 and 3.5 MeV, respectively, we expect a detector efficiency of 50% and a signal rate of 16 neutrino events per day per 7.5 GW reactor power with a background rate of 2 per day. A 20 t prototype detector will serve for feasibility studies. Installed 1 km from a reactor it will be sensitive to mass parameters down to 10−3 eV2.
MoS2/Graphene Composite Paper for Sodium-Ion Battery Electrodes

We study the synthesis and electrochemical and mechanical performance of layered free-standing papers composed of acid-exfoliated few-layer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) flakes for use as a self-standing flexible electrode in sodium-ion batteries. Synthesis was achieved through vacuum filtration of homogeneous dispersions consisting of varying weight percent of acid-treated MoS2 flakes in GO in DI water, followed by thermal reduction at elevated temperatures. The electrochemical performance of the crumpled composite paper (at 4 mg cm–2) was evaluated as counter electrode against pure Na foil in a half-cell configuration. The electrode showed good Na cycling ability with a stable charge capacity of approximately 230 mAh g–1 with respect to total weight of the electrode with Coulombic efficiency reaching approximately 99%. In addition, static uniaxial tensile tests performed on crumpled composite papers showed high average strain to failure reaching approximately 2%.
Neurath’s Boat Will Take You Where You Want to Go: On Naturalized Epistemology and Historicism

Abstract Naturalized epistemology is not a recent invention, nor is it a philosophical invention. Rather, it is a cognitive phenomena that is pervasive and desirable in the way of human epistemic engagement with their world. It is a matter of the way that one’s cognitive processes can be modulated by information gotten from those same or wider cognitive processes. Such modulational control enhances the reliability of one’s cognitive processes in many ways – and judgments about objective epistemic justification consistently evince a reasonable demand for it. However, with suitable modulational control in place within an agent or a community of agents, the fitting cognitive processes take time to generate information that then engenders changes in processes and norms. Further, as there are significant historical and biographical contingencies involving trajectories through one’s environment, there are contingencies in the information and modifications that will be engendered by suitable modulational control. As a result, what makes for objectively justified belief at a time will vary – as the fruits of suitable modulational control accrue over time. This is a moderate form of historicism about epistemic justification.
Large-Scale Purification of Tissue-Type Plasminogen Activator from Cultured Human Cells

Plasminogen activators of both urokinase-type (u-PA) and tissue-type (t-PA) have been found in conditioned medium of cultured human fibroblasts. To purify t-PA, the total PA activity from hectoliter quantities of conditioned medium was first concentrated with about 10-fold increase in specific activity via zinc chelate-sepharose affinity chromatography. Three different methods were employed in an attempt to separate t-PA from u-PA: (a) concanavalin A-sepharose affinity chromatography; (b) fibrin-celite affinity chromatography; and (c) immunoaffinity chromatography using anti-tPA monoclonal antibody immobilized on sepharose. Of the three methods, only the monoclonal antibody procedure effected complete separation of the two enzymes. t-PA was subsequently purified to homogeneity using size exclusion, high performance liquid chromatography followed by p-aminobenzamidine-agarose affinity chromatography.
The growth hypothesis and self‐actualization: An existential alternative

Abstract Examining the process of becoming from an existential perspective, we describe the existence of the self in non‐biological terms as a product of its own intentionality. In this context, there is no need to postulate a growth hypothesis in order to (1) to describe a person as a process of becoming, and (2) to explain self‐actualization. While the process of becoming is a static process, self‐actualization is a dynamic process. In the first case, the self deterministically and naively merely becomes. In the second, case, the process results from becoming the object of personal choices, whereby we become authentic. While the self is “a being in the process of mere becoming,” self‐actualization is “a being in the process of authentic becoming.” In this view, humanistic psychotherapy aims at making the self's mere becoming an authentic process. Existential crisis, in particular confrontation with death, is often the transformational medium.
Epstein‐Barr virus‐related serology in marrow transplant recipients

Serial sera from 50 marrow transplant recipients were examined for their spectra and titers of antibodies to EBV-specific antigens. Immediately before or after transplant, blood products passively transferred antibodies to EB viral capsid antigen (VCA) and EBV nuclear antigen (EBNA). In most recipients, passively-transferred antibodies were replaced by endogenous antibodies regardless of whether donor or recipient had EBV antibodies before transplantation. Commencement or resumption of endogenous EBV antibody production was not associated with signs of infectious mononucleosis or heterophil antibody responses. Antibodies to VCA rose to abnormally high titers, followed successively by antibody to early antigens (EA), and disproportionately low levels of anti-EBNA. Unusually high anti-VCA and anti-EA levels persisted when tests of immune function returned to normal. Antibodies to other herpes group viruses showed no consistent changes. We conclude that (1) EBV does not cause significant clinical problems in marrow transplant recipients; (2) persistent EBV infection can become established or reestablished in the presence of antibodies to EBV; (3) marrow transplant recipients show the same exaggerated immune response to EBV as other immunodeficient patients; and (4) the pattern of EBV-specific antibodies may be a more sensitive measure of defective cell-mediated immunity than most conventional tests of immune function.
Computer Simulations Combining Finite Difference and Finite Element Methods: Solute Drag on Migrating Grain Boundaries in Three-Dimension

The current study aims to improve our fundamental understanding of solute segregation and solute drag on migrating grain boundaries (GB) in three dimensions. Computer simulation combines finite difference and finite element methods. An exemplary case study is reported, in which a spherical grain is embedded inside a cubic grain and shrinks as a result of motion by curvature, as a preliminary to modeling grain growth in single phase materials. The results agree qualitatively with literature studies in 1-D.
Diversity in Mechanisms of Endothelium-Dependent Vasodilation in Health and Disease

Small arterioles (40-150 μm) contribute to the majority of vascular resistance within organs and tissues. Under resting conditions, the basal tone of these vessels is determined by a delicate balance between vasodilator and vasoconstrictor influences. Cardiovascular homeostasis and regional tissue perfusion is largely a function of the ability of these small blood vessels to constrict or dilate in response to the changing metabolic demands of specific tissues. The endothelial cell layer of these microvessels is a key modulator of vasodilation through the synthesis and release of vasoactive substances. Beyond their vasomotor properties, these compounds importantly modulate vascular cell proliferation, inflammation, and thrombosis. Thus, the balance between local regulation of vascular tone and vascular pathophysiology can vary depending upon which factors are released from the endothelium. This review will focus on the dynamic nature of the endothelial released dilator factors depending on species, anatomic site, and presence of disease, with a focus on the human coronary microcirculation. Knowledge how endothelial signaling changes with disease may provide insights into the early stages of developing vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis, or related vascular pathologies.
Visual system of the stalk‐eyed fly, Cyrtodiopsis quinqueguttata (Diopsidae, Diptera): an anatomical investigation of unusual eyes

Diopsid flies have eye stalks up to a centimeter in length, displacing the retina laterally from the rest of the head. This bizarre condition, called hypercephaly, is rare, but has evolved independently among several insect orders and is most common in flies (Diptera). Earlier studies of geometrical optics and behavior have led to various hypotheses about possible adaptive advantages of eye stalks, such as enhanced stereoscopic vision while other hypothesis suggest that eye stalks are an outcome of sexual selection. Here, we focus on how these curious distortions of head/eye morphology are accompanied by changes in the neural organization of the visual system of Cyrtodiopsis quinqueguttata. Histological examinations reveal that the optic lobes, lamina (La), medulla (Me), lobula (Lo), and lobula plate (LP) are contained entirely within the fly's eye bulbs, which are located at the distal ends of the eye stalks. We report that the organization of the peripheral visual system (La and Me) is similar to that of other Diptera (e.g., Musca and Drosophila), but deeper visual areas (Lo and LP) have been more strongly modified. For example, in both the lobula and lobula plate, fewer but larger giant collector neurons are found. The most pronounced difference is the reduction in the number of wide-field vertical cells of the lobula plate, where there are only four relatively large fibers, as opposed to 11 in Musca. The "fewer but larger" neural organization may enhance the conduction velocities of these cells, but may result in a loss of spatial resolution. At the base of the eye bulb, axon bundles collect and form a long optic nerve that extends the length of the eye stalk. We suggest that this organization of the diopsid visual system provides evidence for the costs of possessing long eye stalks.
Detection and Comparison of Giardia Virus (GLV) from Different Assemblages of Giardia duodenalis

Five assemblages of Giardia duodenalis were identified from cysts in cattle, dog, cat, sheep, and reindeer feces using ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequencing. Assemblage A was present in cattle and reindeer feces, Assemblages C and D were present in dog feces, Assemblage E was present in cattle and sheep feces, and Assemblage F was present in cat feces. Giardia virus, originally referred to as Giardia lamblia virus (GLV), is a double-stranded RNA virus. Primers designed for the GLV capsid protein gene identified GLV sequences in G. lamblia from a reindeer (Assemblage A) and from a dog (Assemblage C). Two distinct GLV sequences were identified in the dog specimen and 1 sequence was identified in the reindeer specimen. None of these GLV sequences was identical with previously published GLV sequences. It appears that GLVs are genetically diverse and that more than 1 virion can be present in a single sample. Because many of the specimens that contained cysts were found to be negative for GLV, it appears that this test for capsid protein is of limited value for the purposes of detecting G. lamblia.
“Theoretical Global Seismology” by A. Dahlen and J. Tromp

Most texts on seismology appear to regard the free oscillations of the Earth as a Byzantine backwater which is best avoided if at all possible or otherwise relegated to a single chapter near the back of the book. In my completely unbiased view, this is a mistake. Much of the modern theoretical basis for interpreting waveforms in global seismology is built upon mode theory, and for good reason-any attempts to generalize ray-based approximations rapidly become very tangled. In this respect, Dahlen and Tromp are like a breath of fresh air. The authors take an unabashedly modal view of theoretical seismology. Furthermore, they start at the beginning of the subject-a careful discussion of the underlying continuum mechanics-and build from there. In fact, the first one third of the book (after an entertaining historical introduction) is devoted to “fundamentals.” The authors describe this part of the book as having the longest “shelf...
Fiscal policy in Mexico: The FitzGerald thesis reexamined

Abstract Interest continues in the Mexican government's finance and expenditure policy due to the severity and length of fiscal crises. According to FitzGerald, Mexican deficits were financed through increased savings crowding out consumption but not private investment. Using official IMF data this paper attempts to verify the FitzGerald thesis. By and large our results suggest the Mexican economy is best depicted along Keynesian lines and not FitzGerald's Kaleckian interpretation. This conclusion is further substantiated by the prolonged nature of the country's current economic crisis associated with record high central government deficits and subdued levels of private sector investment. If his thesis were valid for an earlier time (1951–1965), many of these relationships disappeared between 1965 and 1981.
Design and performance of an ultra-wideband stepped-frequency radar with precise frequency control for landmine and IED detection

The Army Research Laboratory (ARL) has developed an impulse-based vehicle-mounted forward-looking ultra- wideband (UWB) radar for imaging buried landmines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). However, there is no control of the radiated spectrum in this system. As part of ARL's Partnerships in Research Transition (PIRT) program, the above deficiency is addressed by the design of a Stepped-Frequency Radar (SFR) which allows for precise control over the radiated spectrum, while still maintaining an effective ultra-wide bandwidth. The SFR utilizes a frequency synthesizer which can be configured to excise prohibited and interfering frequency bands and also implement frequency-hopping capabilities. The SFR is designed to be a forward-looking ground- penetrating (FLGPR) Radar utilizing a uniform linear array of sixteen (16) Vivaldi notch receive antennas and two (2) Quad-ridge horn transmit antennas. While a preliminary SFR consisting of four (4) receive channels has been designed, this paper describes major improvements to the system, and an analysis of expected system performance. The 4-channel system will be used to validate the SFR design which will eventually be augmented in to the full 16-channel system. The SFR has an operating frequency band which ranges from 300 - 2000 MHz, and a minimum frequency step-size of 1 MHz. The radar system is capable of illuminating range swaths that have maximum extents of 30 to 150 meters (programmable). The transmitter has the ability to produce approximately -2 dBm/MHz average power over the entire operating frequency range. The SFR will be used to determine the practicality of detecting and classifying buried and concealed landmines and IEDs from safe stand-off distances.
Shockless and shock wave compression of ballistic gel to 1.3 GPa

Plate impact experiments were conducted to determine the dynamic compression response of two ballistic gel concentrations (10 wt. % and 20 wt. %) subjected to uniaxial strain loading to 1.3 GPa. Shockless and shock wave compression of gel samples was achieved through flyer plate impacts on fused silica and z-cut quartz plates, respectively, placed ahead of the samples. Laser interferometry was used to measure the input compression wave profile and the propagated wave profile in each experiment. Using established wave analysis methods, the longitudinal stress-density compression results were obtained for each type of loading. The 20 wt. % gel showed a stiffer compression response than the 10 wt. % gel; the difference corresponded to the gel properties at ambient conditions. The shockless experiments provided both the loading paths and the peak states for this type of loading. Although the differences were small, the peak states achieved in shockless compression were below the shock wave (Hugoniot) data for both gel concentrations. The shockless compression results presented here are the first such results on gels, and provide the gel response at loading rates that are intermediate between the shock wave response and lower loading rate response. As such, they are expected to be useful for incorporating the dynamic compression response of gels in numerical simulations of impact phenomena.
Rapid Assessment for Psychopathology in a College Health Clinic: Utility of College Student Specific Questions

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the utility and unique benefits of employing the College Health Questionnaire (CHQ) in a college health care setting. The CHQ is a newly designed measure to assess psychosocial issues commonly problematic among college students. Participants: One hundred nine patients participated in the study during their medical appointments. Methods: Participants completed the study questionnaires (CHQ and Patient Health Questionnaire) in the waiting room. Their provider had the opportunity to use the responses in treatment decision making. Results: A majority (66.1%) endorsed at least one CHQ item. Patients who indicated traditional mental health problems were more likely to be prescribed psychotropic medications, whereas patients who endorsed psychosocial issues commonly problematic among college students were more likely to be referred for behavioral treatment. Conclusions: Screening for behavioral problems in college primary care settings without the us...
Patterns in organometallic chemistry with application in organic synthesis

Electron configuration in organo-transition metal complexes, the formation of carbon-metal sigma-bonded species, and the chemistry of metal pi complex compounds.
Early memories and maladjustment.

Earliest memories were elicited from 60 undergraduates, who also completed the Rotter Incomplete Sentences Blank, Symptom Checklist-90-Revised, Wahler Physical Symptoms Inventory, and Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Early memories were scored for the three factors identified by Caruso and Spirrison (Emotional Poise, Activity, and Dependability). These scores were not significantly associated with indices of maladjustment or the social desirability measure. Age at reported earliest memory was significantly related to maladjustment, with persons reporting first memories prior to 4 years of age having significantly higher scores on maladjustment, as measured by the Rotter Incomplete Sentences Blank, than individuals with first memories occurring later. Individuals whose first memories occurred after the age of 5 years reported significantly more somatic concerns than persons with early memories of average onset, i.e., 4 to 5 years of age.