cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Complement fixing cross reactivity between Histoplasma capsulatum and certain form-related aleuriosporic Hyphomycetes.

The complement fixation test is the most widely accepted technique employed from the serologic diagnosis and study of histoplasmosis. Results obtained in this study indicate significant CF cross reactivity between standardHistoplasma CF antigens and immune sera prepared against certain species of the saprophytic form-related genera,Chrysosporium, Sepedonium andThielavia. In addition, serologic cross reactivity was demonstrated between these organisms using the agar gel double diffusion technique. These results would suggest that exposure to antigens of these form-related fungi might explain serologic reactivity toHistoplasma antigens in persons residing in known non-endemic areas for histoplasmosis or in those persons having no past or present clinical evidence of the disease.
Interactions between Syntaxins Identify at Least Five SNARE Complexes within the Golgi/Prevacuolar System of the Arabidopsis Cell

The syntaxin family of soluble N-ethyl maleimide sensitive factor adaptor protein receptors (SNAREs) is known to play an important role in the fusion of transport vesicles with specific organelles. Twenty-four syntaxins are encoded in the genome of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. These 24 genes are found in 10 gene families and have been reclassified as syntaxins of plants (SYPs). Some of these gene families have been previously characterized, with the SYP2-type syntaxins being found in the prevacuolar compartment (PVC) and the SYP4-type syntaxins on the trans-Golgi network (TGN). Here we report on two previously uncharacterized syntaxin groups. The SYP5 group is encoded by a two-member gene family, whereas SYP61 is a single gene. Both types of syntaxins are localized to multiple compartments of the endomembrane system, including the TGN and the PVC. These two groups of syntaxins form SNARE complexes with each other, and with other Arabidopsis SNAREs. On the TGN, SYP61 forms complexes with the SNARE VTI12 and either SYP41 or SYP42. SYP51 and SYP61 interact with each other and with VTI12, most likely also on the TGN. On the PVC, a SYP5-type syntaxin interacts specifically with a SYP2-type syntaxin, as well as the SNARE VTI11, forming a SNARE complex likely involved in TGN-to-PVC trafficking.
Content-Based Search Engines for Construction Image Databases

Images represent a valuable source of information for the construction industry. Due to technological advancements in digital imaging, the increasing use of digital cameras is leading to an ever-increasing volume of images being stored in construction image databases and thus makes it hard for engineers to retrieve useful information from them. Content-Based Search Engines are tools that utilize the rich image content and apply pattern recognition methods in order to retrieve similar images. In this paper, we illustrate several project management tasks and show how Content-Based Search Engines can facilitate automatic retrieval, and indexing of construction images in image databases.
The extraction and photometric determination of zinc in the presence of large amounts of cadmium using 1-(2-Pyridylazo)-2-naphthol (PAN) and employing iodide masking

Abstract The zinc in high purity cadmium is determined photometrically as the PAN complex after extraction into chloroform. Massive amounts of potassium iodide are added to the sample solution to mask cadmium. Copper, mercury, lead, and silver are also masked by the iodide. Some cyanide is added which effects masking of nickel and cobalt. Tolerance limits for these and several other interferences are given. The results are reliable to several tenths of a microgram of zinc. Samples containing up to about 1 g of cadmium can be handled. Zinc can be determined even at a cadmium:zinc molar ratio of 500,000:1; although additional operations are required at ratios above 100,000:1.
Evaluation and Demonstration of Stormwater Dry Wells and Cisterns in Millburn Township, New Jersey

Since 1999, the Township of Millburn has required dry wells to accommodate additional flows from newly developed areas in order to mitigate local drainage and …
The shear buckling behaviour of thin composite plates with particular reference to the effects of bend–twist coupling

Abstract The effect of bend–twist coupling on the shear buckling behaviour of laminated composite plates is examined in this paper using a finite strip procedure. The complex buckled shapes which are associated with shear loading are duly accounted for in the analysis approach through the multi-term facility of the strip formulation employed and, of course, through the appropriate level of structural modelling. The degree of bend–twist coupling in the laminated composite plates is varied by changing the level of anisotropy in the plies and by altering the lay-up configuration of the plies in the laminated stack. Symmetric laminates of a balanced and unbalanced nature are given consideration. It is shown that, for a given degree of anisotropy in the plies of a laminate and for a given laminate thickness, the stacking sequence of the plies significantly alters the degree of bend–twist coupling. The shear buckling performance of composite plates having the same dimensions and being made from the same material are therefore shown in the paper to be quite different. The preclusion of the bend–twist coupling coefficients in the solution procedure of the finite strip method allows the shear buckling orthotropic solution to be determined. Comparisons between the coupled and orthotropic solutions are shown in the paper to be markedly different with respect to critical shear performance level and also buckled mode shape. For square plates or plates with a moderate aspect ratio the influence of bend–twist coupling on buckled mode shape is shown in the paper to be noticeable through increased distortion. For the larger aspect ratio plates it is shown that the presence of bend–twist coupling can cause a complete change in the mode shape from a symmetric to an antisymmetric nature or vice versa. Amplitude modulation is shown in the paper to be clearly evident in the shear buckling mode shapes of long plates.
Duration of estrogen stimulation and progesterone inhibition of maternal behavior in pregnancy-terminated rats

Abstract The duration of the effectiveness of estradiol benzoate (EB) on the latency to the onset of maternal behavior was measured in 16-day pregnant rats that were hysterectomized-ovariectomized (HO). Eight groups of HO animals were treated with either a single SC injection of 5 μg/kg of EB or oil at surgery and were initially presented with foster pups at either 24, 48, 72, or 96 hr postoperatively. Compared to their respective controls, EB-treated animals showed singificantly shorter latencies when testing began at 48 and 72 hr but not 24 or 96 hr. In the second experiment, 16-day HO rats were treated with 5 μg/kg of EB at surgery and either oil or 0.5 mg of progesterone at 0, 24, or 44 hr postoperatively. Additional groups received either progesterone or oil at surgery (instead of EB) and a second injection of oil 44 hr later. Testing began 48 hr following surgery for all groups, and the results showed that only the groups injected with EB alone or EB plus progesterone at 44 hr displayed short-latency maternal behavior. It was concluded that a significant reduction in the latency to the onset of maternal behavior can be obtained between 24 and 72 hr after EB treatment and that progesterone when injected concurrently or 24 hr later can inhibit the effectiveness of EB.
Formation of Condensed Chlorides During Mixed Oxidation-Chlorination of Iron at 1000 K

Abstract The mixed oxidation-chlorination of iron in gas mixtures of Ar, O2, and Cl2 at 1000 K has been investigated by thermogravimetric analysis and examination of the corrosion products by optic...
Kinetics and spectroscopic evidence that the Cu(I)-semiquinone intermediate reduces molecular oxygen in the oxidative half-reaction of Arthrobacter globiformis amine oxidase.

The role of copper during the reoxidation of substrate-reduced amine oxidases by O2 has not yet been definitively established. Both outer-sphere and inner-sphere pathways for the reduction of O2 to H2O2 have been proposed. A key step in the inner-sphere mechanism is the reaction of O2 directly with the Cu(I) center of a Cu(I)−semiquinone intermediate. To thoroughly examine this possibility, we have measured the spectral changes associated with single-turnover reoxidation by O2 of substrate-reduced Arthrobacter globiformis amine oxidase (AGAO) under a wide range of conditions. We have previously demonstrated that the internal electron-transfer reaction [Cu(II)−TPQAMQ → Cu(I)−TPQSQ] (where TPQAMQ is the aminoquinol form of reduced TPQ and TPQSQ is the semiquinone form) occurs at a rate that could permit the reaction of O2 with both species to be observed on the stopped-flow time scale [Shepard, E. M., and Dooley, D. M. (2006) J. Biol. Inorg. Chem. 11, 1039−1048]. The transient absorption spectra observed fo...
Noradrenergic agonist administration into the central nucleus of the amygdala increases the tail-flick latency in lightly anesthetized rats.

Abstract The amygdala is a medial forebrain structure with an established role in nociceptive modulation, including the expression of stress-induced hypoalgesia (SIH). Projections from the locus coeruleus increase levels of noradrenaline in the amygdala during acute stress. α 2 -Noradrenergic receptor agonists have significant clinical utility as analgesic agents. We therefore hypothesized that α 2 -noradrenergic activation of the amygdala may result in behaviorally measurable hypoalgesia. Lightly anesthetized rats underwent microinjection of the α 2 -noradrenergic agonist clonidine into the amygdala and intermittent measurement of thermal nociception using the tail-flick latency (TFL). Bilateral microinjection of clonidine into the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) resulted in a significant, dose-dependent increase in TFL. This effect was blocked by systemic pre-treatment with the α 2 -antagonist yohimbine or by local pre-injection of the α 2 -antagonist idazoxan but not by local pre-injection of the α 1 -antagonist WB-4101. When injected alone, no antagonist resulted in a significant change in TFL compared with baseline. Clonidine injection into the amygdala but outside the CeA, including the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala, did not significantly alter TFL. These results demonstrate that anatomically and pharmacologically specific activation of α 2 -receptors in the CeA in lightly anesthetized rats results in behaviorally measurable antinociception.
Blind CMA beamforming for narrowband signals with multipath arrivals

The constant modulus algorithm (CMA) is a popular and effective method for blind adaptive beamforming in various wireless communication systems. Traditionally, signals of arrival are considered to be independent. However, multipath propagations in wireless systems often results in several correlated signal arrivals. Because of multipath arrivals, CMA beamformers cannot be expected to place nulls in the direction of all interferers as assumed in some existing beamforming. In this paper, we present a simple convergence analysis of CMA under multipath correlated arrival signals. We propose two adaptation techniques based on CMA to capture different source signals. One approach is to use an orthogonal projection constraint on the beamformer parameters. The other approach relies on the independence of source signals and exploit a Gram–Schmidt orthogonalization at beamformer outputs. Both methods are tested through computer simulations. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Driving Mobility, Older Adults, and Quality of Life

Driving mobility is a fundamental instrumental activity of daily living for many older adults throughout the world. There are proportionately more older drivers on the road than ever before, they have higher annual mileage than earlier older cohorts, and they have a higher crash and injury rate per mile driven than most other age groups. Driving cessation in older adults is associated with increased depression and social isolation. Visual, cognitive, and physical impairments and the medical conditions that engender them elevate crash risk and impair on-road performance in older drivers. Older adults report more difficulty on the road than younger adults and these selfrecognized problems are associated with their functional impairments. These recent research findings underscore the pressing need for public health and technological research focused on enhancing the safety of older drivers while also preserving their mobility and quality of life.
Role of low-energy neutral N2 beam-surface interactions leading to spacecraft glow

Measurements of the optical spectra of surfaces undergoing bombardment by N2 and N2(+) in an ultrahigh vacuum environment provide information related to the origin of spacecraft flow and erosion. This work is complementary to other measurements, in which O and O(+) beams are utilized. These efforts are part of a broad program whose goal is the understanding of interactions between surfaces and low-energy charged and neutral particles.
The mobility of thorium in natural waters at low temperatures

Thermodynamic properties of 32 dissolved thorium species and 9 thorium-bearing solid phases have been collected from the literature, critically evaluated and estimated where necessary for 25°C and 1 atm pressure. Although the data are incomplete, especially for thorium minerals and organic complexes, some tentative conclusions can be drawn. Dissolved thorium is almost invariably complexed in natural waters. For example, based on ligand concentrations typical of ground water (ΣCl = 10 ppm, ΣF = 0.3 ppm, ΣSO4 = 100 ppm, andΣPO4 = 0.1 ppm), the predominant thorium species are Th(SO4)02, ThF2+2, and Th(HPO4)20below pH ≈ 4.5; Th(HPO4)2−3 from about pH 4.5 to 7.5; and Th(OH)04 above pH 7.5. Based on stability constants for thorium citrate, oxalate and EDTA complexes, it seems likely that organic complexes predominate over inorganic complexes of thorium in organic-rich stream waters, swamp waters, soil horizons, and waterlogged recent sediments. The thorium dissolved in seawater is probably present in organic complexes and as Th(OH)04. The tendency for thorium to form strong complexes enhances its potential for transport in natural waters by many orders of magnitude below pH 7 in the case of inorganic complexing, and below about pH 8 when organic complexing is important. The existence of complexes in addition to those formed with hydroxyl, is apparent from the fact that measured dissolved thorium in fresh surface waters (pH values generally 5–8) usually ranges from about 0.01 to 1 ppb and in surface seawater (pH = 8.1) is about 0.00064 ppb. This may be contrasted with the computed solubility of thorianite in pure water which is only 0.00001 ppb Th as Th(OH)04 above pH 5. Although complexing increases the solubility of thorium-bearing heavy minerals below pH 8, maximum thorium concentrations in natural waters are probably limited in general by the paucity and slow solution rate of these minerals and by sorption processes, rather than by mineral-solution equilibria.
Effects of Purification on the Crystallization of Lysozyme

We have additionally purified a commercial lysozyme preparation by cation exchange chromatography, followed by recrystallization. This material is 99.96% pure with respect to macromolecular impurities. At basic pH, the purified lysozyme gave only tetragonal crystals at 20 C. Protein used directly from the bottle, prepared by dialysis against distilled water, or which did not bind to the cation exchange column had considerably altered crystallization behavior. Lysozyme which did not bind to the cation exchange column was subsequently purified by size exclusion chromatography. This material gave predominately bundles of rod-shaped crystals with some small tetragonal crystals at lower pHs. The origin of the bundled rod habit was postulated to be a thermally dependent tetragonal- orthorhombic change in the protein structure. This was subsequently ruled out on the basis of crystallization behavior and growth rate experiments. This suggests that heterogeneous forms of lysozyme may be responsible. These results demonstrate three classes of impurities: (1) small molecules, which may be removed by dialysis; (2) macromolecules, which are removable by chromatographic techniques; and (3) heterogeneous forms of the protein, which can be removed in this case by cation exchange chromatography. Of these, heterogeneous forms of the lysozyme apparently have the greatest affect on its crystallization behavior.
How to observe the AC Josephson-type oscillation around the quantum hall effect

Abstract We consider a quantum Hall effect system whose dimension in the Hall-voltage direction is not too large compared with the magnetic length. When a potential (a barrier, random impurities, walls) exists in the current direction, ac oscillations follow with a Josephson-type frequency ω= eV H h . These oscillations exist both in the dc current and voltage directions and their amplitudes are obtained. It is pointed out that in the latter case the amplitude can be larger than in the former one. Shapiro-step phenomena are found to exist with impressed rf radiation. Specific geometrical arrangements are briefly discussed.
Preliminary observations on the use of closed-loop cardiac pacing in patients with refractory neurocardiogenic syncope.

In many patients with recurrent neurocardiogenic syncope (NCS), a significant fall in blood pressure precedes any appreciable decline in heart rate. Closed-loop pacing (CLS) employs a sensing system that measures myocardial contractility, thereby providing a potential way to detect the onset of NCS at a much earlier point in time than that provided by standard pacing systems. Patients were included in the study if they suffered from recurrent NCS and met all of the following criteria: (1) They had suffered at least two syncopal episodes in the preceding 6 months. (2) Patients were refractory to (or intolerant of) all conventional, non-pharmacological, or pharmacological treatments. (3) They had evidence of asystole (>10 s) or severe bradycardia (heart rate <30 bpm) on implantable loop recorder or during head-up tilt test (HUTT). Thirty five patients meeting the above criterion received 44 devices. Twelve patients received a standard unit (with rate drop or rate hysterisis response) and 32 patients received a CLS unit (Cylos, Biotronik). The pacemaker implantation was termed successful if there was no recurrence of syncope, if the syncope burden decreased by ≥50%, if only presyncope occurred, or if the syncope occurred but with significant warning symptoms. Thirty-five patients, 29 females and six males, age 41 ± 11, with refractory NCS underwent pacemaker implantation. Mean follow-up was 9 ± 3 months. Out of 32 patients who received CLS, nine had a conventional pacemaker implanted in the past. Recurrence (59% vs 83%), reduction in syncope burden and pacemaker success (84% vs 25%, P = 0.002), and occurrence prodrome/warning signs (40% vs 16%) were much better in the closed-loop group. These preliminary observations suggest that dual-chamber CLS pacing may be promising therapy for refractory NCS. Further randomized trials will be needed to better determine the role of this therapy in refractory NCS.
Caffeine Withdrawal and Dependence: A Convenience Survey Among Addiction Professionals

Aims: Caffeine withdrawal was included in the research appendix of the DSM-IV to encourage additional research to assist with determining its status for the next version of the manual. Caffeine dependence was not included because of a lack of empirical research at the time of publication. This study assessed the beliefs of addiction professionals about the clinical importance of caffeine withdrawal and dependence. Methods: A 6-item survey was developed and delivered electronically to the members of six professional organizations that focus on addiction. Open-ended comments were also solicited. Five hundred members responded. Results: The majority (95%) thought that cessation of caffeine could produce a withdrawal syndrome, and that caffeine withdrawal can have clinical importance (73%); however, only half (48%) thought that caffeine withdrawal should be included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). A majority (58%) believed that some people develop caffeine dependence; howev...
Measurement of residual stresses in Al2O3/Ni laminated composites using an X-ray diffraction technique

Using an X-ray diffraction technique, macro-residual stresses were measured in laminated composites consisting of alternating layers of α-Al2O3 and nickel. The in-plane thermal mismatch stresses which develop during fabrication were found to be compressive and tensile in the α-Al2O3 and nickel layers, respectively. The magnitude of the in-plane stresses was found to be ≈ 110 MPa. Models of laminate structures predict the stress state to be biaxial in the plane of the layers. However, substantial stresses were observed perpendicular to the plane of the laminate; this stress might be due to the hot-pressing procedure used to fabricate the samples. The stress on the side surface of a laminate was measured using the indentation method and the results were consistent with those obtained by the X-ray method. Three samples were heated to 700, 900 and 1000 °C, respectively, and then cooled to test the effect of stress relaxation of the residual stresses due to the thermal expansion. The heat treatments (700–1000 °C) had no effect on the measured stress states of the laminates.
Chemically Modified Ni/TiO2 Nanocomposite Films: Charge Transfer from Photoexcited TiO2 Particles to Hexacyanoferrate Redox Centers within the Film and Unusual Photoelectrochemical Behavior

The photoelectrochemical behavior of chemically modified Ni/TiO2 nanocomposite films in aqueous 0.1 M NaNO3 electrolyte is described. Two types of such films were prepared, either starting with a Ni/TiO2 nanocomposite photoelectrode that was subsequently cycled in 0.01 M K3Fe(CN)6 + 0.1 M NaNO3 (type I) or with a Ni electrode derivatized in situ with nickel hexacyanoferrate (NHF) and TiO2 (type II). The photoactivity of both types of films was compared with the parent Ni/TiO2 film in 0.1 M NaNO3. Type I electrodes exhibited minimal photoactivity until potentials into the NHF II → III redox regime were accessed (>ca. 0.40 V). Thereafter, the anodic photocurrents were significantly higher than the parent Ni/TiO2 counterpart. Type II electrodes exhibited “bipolar” photoactivity, the switch from cathodic photo- to anodic photobehavior again occurring at potentials close to the NHF II → III redox location. These observations on type I and type II nanocomposite films stand in marked contrast to the usual photoc...
Metabolic control and nocturnal enuresis in children with type 1 diabetes.

This study examined the relationship between metabolic control and enuresis in youths with type 1 diabetes. Participants were 203 youths with type 1 diabetes at an outpatient pediatric diabetes clinic. Outcome measures included HbA lc , nocturia, blood glucose, polydipsia, frequency of daytime urination, and diabetic ketoacidosis. The mean fasting blood glucose (FBG) level of children with enuresis (FBG = 192 mg/dl) was significantly higher than that of children without enuresis (FBG = 160 mg/dl, p = .03). Differences in HbA lc levels between children with enuresis and those without enuresis approached significance (9.2% vs. 8.6%, p = .07). Findings indicate that metabolic control indices (FBG, HbA 1c , polyuria, and polydipsia) are related to nocturnal enuresis in youths with type 1 diabetes. Further studies should determine the mechanism by which this relationship occurs to initiate appropriate interventions.
Gender Differences in the Strain Response to Job Demand

In a study of the effects of variations in the levels of job demand on self-reported levels of job-related strain, an unanticipated gender differential was found. Higher levels of job demand were hypothesized to lead to higher levels of job-related strain. No differential effect due to gender was anticipated. Subjects in the high demand condition reported significantly more job-related strain than did subjects in the low demand condition. However, when an analysis of covariance was performed, gender showed an unexpected interaction effect with demand. Females experienced lower levels of strain in the low demand condition than did males. In the high demand condition, females experienced higher levels of strain than did males. This indicates that women were more sensitive to demand variations than men. This gender difference suggests that assignment of workers to certain positions based on gender may reduce overall levels of job-related strain.
Estimation of the Mean from Sums with Unknown Numbers of Summands

Using dye intensity measurements at synaptic terminals to examine neurotransmitter release leads to the problem of estimating an expectation when, instead of observing independent random variables with the same expectation, one observes, with error, independent random sums of independent variables with the same expectation--but with the number of summands in the random sums unobserved. Here, a relatively convenient nonparametric approach to estimation is presented. Data from an experiment in which cationic styrylpyridinium dye FM4-64 was used in cultured mouse hippocampal neurons are used to illustrate the approach.
Simplified protein design biased for prebiotic amino acids yields a foldable, halophilic protein

A compendium of different types of abiotic chemical syntheses identifies a consensus set of 10 “prebiotic” α-amino acids. Before the emergence of biosynthetic pathways, this set is the most plausible resource for protein formation (i.e., proteogenesis) within the overall process of abiogenesis. An essential unsolved question regarding this prebiotic set is whether it defines a “foldable set”—that is, does it contain sufficient chemical information to permit cooperatively folding polypeptides? If so, what (if any) characteristic properties might such polypeptides exhibit? To investigate these questions, two “primitive” versions of an extant protein fold (the β-trefoil) were produced by top-down symmetric deconstruction, resulting in a reduced alphabet size of 12 or 13 amino acids and a percentage of prebiotic amino acids approaching 80%. These proteins show a substantial acidification of pI and require high salt concentrations for cooperative folding. The results suggest that the prebiotic amino acids do comprise a foldable set within the halophile environment.
Nondiffusive Spin Dynamics in a Two-Dimensional Electron Gas

We describe measurements of spin dynamics in the two-dimensional electron gas in GaAs/GaAlAs quantum wells. Optical techniques, including transient spin-grating spectroscopy, are used to probe the relaxation rates of spin polarization waves in the wavevector range from zero to 6 x 10{sup 4} cm{sup -1}. We find that the spin polarization lifetime is maximal at nonzero wavevector, in contrast with expectation based on ordinary spin diffusion, but in quantitative agreement with recent theories that treat diffusion in the presence of spin-orbit coupling.
Cooperative non-cell and cell autonomous regulation of Nodal gene expression and signaling by Lefty/Antivin and Brachyury in Xenopus.

Dynamic spatiotemporal expression of the nodal gene and its orthologs is involved in the dose-dependent induction and patterning of mesendoderm during early vertebrate embryogenesis. We report loss-of-function studies that define a high degree of synergistic negative regulation on the Xenopus nodal-related genes (Xnrs) by extracellular Xenopus antivin/lefty (Xatv/Xlefty)-mediated functional antagonism and Brachyury-mediated transcriptional suppression. A strong knockdown of Xlefty/Xatv function was achieved by mixing translation- and splicingblocking morpholino oligonucleotides that target both the A and B alloalleles of Xatv. Secreted and cell-autonomous inhibitors of Xnr signaling were used to provide evidence that Xnr-mediated induction was inherently long-range in this situation in the large amphibian embryo, essentially being capable of spreading over the entire animal hemisphere. There was a greater expansion of the Organizer and mesendoderm tissues associated with dorsal specification than noted in previous Xatv knockdown experiments in Xenopus, with consequent exogastrulation and long-term maintenance of expanded axial tissues. Xatv deficiency caused a modest animal-ward expansion of the marginal zone expression territory of the Xnr1 and Xnr2 genes. In contrast, introducing inhibitory Xbra-En R fusion constructs into Xatv-deficient embryos caused a much larger increase in the level and spatial extent of Xnr expression. However, in both cases (Xatv/Xlefty-deficiency alone, or combined with Xbra interference), Xnr2 expression was constrained to the superficial cell layer, suggesting a fundamental tissue-specific competence in the ability to express Xnrs ,a n observation with direct implications regarding the induction of endodermal vs. mesodermal fates. Our experiments reveal a two-level suppressive mechanism for restricting the level, range, and duration of Xnr signaling via extracellular inhibition by Xatv/Xlefty coupled with potent indirect transcriptional repression by Xbra.
Market basket recommendations for the HP SMB store

The Analytics team at Hewlett-Packard recently executed a manually-driven cross-sell/up-sell pilot in the Small and Medium Business online store and call center. The pilot, for which management dictated a 1 month development timeframe, utilized sales transaction, product configuration, and product availability data. Leveraging Market Basket analysis techniques among a small subset of available product SKUs, the pilot yielded a ROI of more than $300K/month and more importantly, gave birth to greater opportunities to further showcase the power of analytics and data driven decision-making at HP.
Viral vector targeting

The field of viral vector targeting is advancing rapidly. Recent advances include the successful use of bifunctional crosslinkers to target adenoviral and retroviral vectors, elucidation of the crystal structures of an adenoviral and a retroviral receptor-binding domain, and definition of strategies for inserting short targeting peptides and larger polypeptide-binding domains into the coat proteins of a number of different viral vectors. Novel targeting strategies based on host range restriction and protease activation have been developed, targeted replication-competent vectors have shown promise as anti-cancer agents and the possibility of selecting targeted vectors from vector display libraries has been established.
Low-level alpha disintegration rate determinations with a one-multiplier phototube liquid scintillation spectrometer

Abstract A one-multiplier phototube liquid scintillation spectrometer is shown to be capable of measuring a few tenths of a disintegration per minute of α-emitting nuclides. A room temperature counting system which employs one of the new bi-alkali photocathode multiplier phototubes is shown to have comparable detection limits, with lower background, compared with one which employs a freezer-cooled conventional multiplier phototube. The different α-dis-integration rates in a sample containing more than one α-emitting nuclide can be determined within the 6 percent energy resolution obtained in this work.
Modification of Context-Specific Nasal Emission

An adult patient with context-specific nasal emission was enrolled in a treatment program that attempted to modify the problem through a combination of biofeedback and articulation training. Prior to, during, and at the termination of treatment, perceptual, acoustic, and physiologic measures were obtained. The data indicate that the articulatory pattern was modified and that such patterns are subject to change through speech treatment.
Effect of 5-Fluorouracil on Regeneration in Tadpoles

FORMATION of a blastema or mass of rapidly proliferating mesenchymal cells in the amputation stump of amphibian larva corresponds to the fibroplasia which results in granulation tissue in other types of wound healing1. Although previous observations made in connexion with studies of mammalian wound healing suggest that application of exogenous diffusible nucleotides of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) to fresh wounds accelerates fibroplasia, little is known concerning the effects of alterations in DNA precursors on this process2.
Worldwide census of scientific and technical serials

Results of a census of the world's scientific and technical serial literature, within the limits defined and based on an examination of published source material from countries throughout the world, reflect a total title population much lower than estimated before. Distribution of this population by country, showing better than 50% of the total divided among six major countries, is included and discussed, together with a broad subject distribution of serials for certain countries.
Polarized electron scattering from oriented nuclei in distorted-wave method

Expressions are developed for the differential electroexcitation cross section and the polarization of the scattered electrons in polarized electron scattering from oriented nuclei. These expressions are derived for a mixed multipole transition using the distorted-wave method. The effect of the Coulomb distortion is discussed for electric dipole transition of unoriented $^{238}\mathrm{U}$ using 20 MeV partially polarized electrons.
The Impact of House Price Appreciation on Household Mobility

Abstract Surveys have confirmed that people view housing units as both consumption and investment goods. This paper tests empirically how both prior and future appreciation affect households as they consider whether to change the housing portion of their investment portfolio by moving to another unit. Using American Housing Survey data and a nonparametric estimation technique, homeowners over the age of 40 with more than five years in their unit were more likely to move if their unit experienced higher-than-average future appreciation and if their unit had experienced higher-than-average appreciation in the past. The latter result indicates that repeat-sales indices may be upwardly biased; the former indicates that households may not correctly estimate future appreciation.
A Study on Estimating Investment Timing of Real Options

One of the most critical issues in real options analysis is determining the optimal timing of the irreversible investment during the life of the option. Research indicates that failing to exercise real options on time reduces the project's value much less than predicted. However, the question of whether real option holders exercise their options optimally has not been extensively researched. In this research, an early decision rule for real options is developed, and a simulation technique validates this rule. The result of the simulation indicates that the suggested decision rule gives higher profits than the traditional rule in most cases.
Depression May Mediate the Relationship between Sense of Coherence and Quality of Life in Lung Cancer Patients

Lung cancer patients generally experience high levels of physical and psychological distress and decreased quality of life (QOL). Sense of coherence (SOC) has been conceptualized as a personality orientation reflecting the degree to which an individual perceives their world as comprehensible, manageable and meaningful. The present study investigated the associations of SOC with QOL in lung cancer. It also examined potential psychological mediators by which SOC may exert its influences on QOL. Fifty-six participants with non-small cell lung cancer were administered self-report assessments of SOC, QOL and psychological distress. Results revealed that SOC was positively associated with QOL and this relationship may be mediated by depressive symptoms. The current study supports the notion that SOC may be a protective factor with regard to psychological adjustment and QOL in cancer survivors.
Buryat Shamanism: Home and Hearth — A Territorialism of the Spirit

In the regeneration of shamanism in Buryatia, kinship and locale play a significant and, indeed, determining role. Shamans, as representatives of their clans and kinship lines, are the intermediaries between people and the sacred, between people and the spirits in nature, in particular spirits of a specific locale which is linked historically to a clan and to the ancestors who have been buried there. It is to these ancestral spirits as well as to the spirits of place that the clan shaman makes entreaties and asks for blessings and protection from ill fortune. The historical relationship of the Buryat tribes to the present land of Buryatia and Ust-Orda region and the kinship structure of these tribes as existent prior to the Soviet period is shown to have parallels with traditional spiritual territorial cults of Buryats. There is a clear-cut link between Buryat social organization into hierarchical units of kinship structures along patrilineal descent lines and their conceptions of deities according to locality, that is, they traditionally conceived of protective deities as associated with wider or narrower territorial groupings which corresponded to the social groups of tribes, clans, villages, and families. Several cases of renewal of home and hearth through appeal to ancestral and local spirits by the clan shaman are presented.
Perceived transgressor agreeableness decreases cortisol response and increases forgiveness following recent interpersonal transgressions.

Abstract Stress associated with interpersonal conflict can adversely impact mental and physical health—especially when it causes activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis. Among victims of interpersonal transgressions, certain personality characteristics (viz., neuroticism and agreeableness) have been associated in some studies with successful conflict resolution and decreased physiological activity. How victims’ perceptions of their transgressors’ personalities affect conflict resolution and physiological reactivity, however, has not been examined. Here, we examined the relationships of (a) victims’ agreeableness and neuroticism, and (b) victims’ perceptions of their transgressors’ agreeableness and neuroticism with plasma cortisol responses in women and (in a larger sample of men and women) forgiveness over time. Victims who perceived their transgressors as highly agreeable had (a) lower cortisol responses following a simulated speech to the transgressor, and (b) higher self-reported forgiveness, even after controlling for initial levels of forgiveness. Participants’ own agreeableness and neuroticism had negligible associations with cortisol response and forgiveness over time.
Why assertion may yet be social

Abstract In ‘Is assertion social?’, an article published in the Journal of Pragmatics , Peter Pagin (2004) claims to provide a method for producing counterexamples to theories of assertion of a certain kind. A clear characterization of that kind proves elusive. Nonetheless, I show that minor variants of theories that Pagin is explicitly concerned to refute fail to succumb to his method. We may be confident that these variants are theories of the kind that is the target of his argument. Thus, I show that Pagin fails to show that no theory of that kind could be true.
Soil Water Assessment Model for Several Crops in the High Plains

Soil properties, soil water content and precipitation vary widely within the High Plains of the USA. Reliable estimates of crop water status have been hampered by a general sparsity of soil water monitoring. This study examined the feasibility of determining soil water status using a soil water balance model. Soil water content was measured under corn (Zea mays L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), sorghum (Sorghum vulgare L.) and soybean (Glycine max L.) at different sites in the High Plains during 1986 and 1987. Surface weather data collected from the High Plains Automated Weather Data Network (AWDN) served as input to a model that estimates evapotranspiration (ET) and soil water content on a daily time step. Atmospheric demand was represented by potential evapotranspiration (ETp) calculated from the Penman method. Model estimates of total water in the root zone were compared to measured values using statistical measures including the D index of agreement. Comparison at one site between measured and estimated soil water by individual soil layers beneath a corn indicated that water content was slightly underestimated in the upper layers and overestimated in the lower layers. The performance of the model in estimating total soil water over a range of soil types, crops and weather was satisfactory, with the majority of D index values exceeding 0.75. Based on the results of this study, we conclude that it is now possible to accurately estimate soil water conditions in a timely fashion under reasonably flat terrain, provided near-real time weather data are available.
A Human-Interactive Course of Action Planner for Aircraft Carrier Deck Operations

Aircraft carrier deck operations present a complex and uncertain environment in which time-critical scheduling and planning must be done, and to date all course of action planning is done solely by human operators who rely on experience and training to safely negotiate o-nominal situations. A computer decision support system could provide the operator with both a vital resource in emergency scenarios as well as suggestions to improve eciency during normal operations. Such a decision support system would generate a schedule of coordinated deck operations for all active aircraft (taxi, refuel, take o, queue in Marshal stack, land, etc.) that is optimized for eciency, amenable to the operator, and robust to the many types of uncertainty inherent in the aircraft carrier deck environment. This paper describes the design, implementation, and testing of a human-interactive aircraft carrier deck course of action planner. The planning problem is cast in the MDP framework such that a wide range of current literature can be used to nd an optimal policy. It is designed such that human operators can specify priority aircraft and suggest scheduling orders. Inverse reinforcement learning techniques are applied that allow the planner to learn from recorded expert demonstrations. Results are presented that compare various types of human and learned policies, and show qualitative and quantitative matching between expert demonstrations and learned policies.
Reading Motivation: Exploring the Elementary Gender Gap

In an attempt to more clearly understand the erosion of motivation in some readers, a number of researchers (Mohr, 2006; Smith & Wilhelm, 2002) and organizations (The Education Alliance, 2007) have called for the investigation of gender differences in all readers, including young children. Consequently, this study focused on younger, average achieving readers. Specifically, 288 third-grade average readers were studied. Two constructs consistent with expectancy-value theory (Eccles, 1983), self-concept as a reader and value of reading, were examined. The results suggest that third-grade boys and girls who are average readers are equally self-confident about their reading ability; however, boys value reading less than girls. This finding sheds new light on the complexities of motivation and gender differences.
Awareness of potential treatment sequelae of orbital and periorbital dural arteriovenous fistulas and arteriovenous malformations.

ecause untreated dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs) and arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) can lead to B hemorrhage and stroke, treatment is recommended for DAVFs and AVMs of the orbit and in proximity to the orbit depending on their symptomatology, their grade, and the desires of the patient. Ischemia of the eye or venous congestion in the orbital area resulting from DAVFs and AVMs can also cause proptosis, chemosis, increased ocular pressure, ophthalmoplegia, and loss of vision. The plan of treatment should neither be taken lightly nor should close follow-up. If the surgical or endovascular plan does not take into account certain feeders or draining veins, these malformations can continue untreated or can reoccur. Flow reversal after treatment can cause recruitment of new vessels, hyperemia, and ischemia. Surgeons must be aware of the risks and be prepared to treat them.
Computational design and analysis of MOVPE reactors

This paper presents a fundamental numerical analysis of flow and heat transfer in a vertical rotating disk reactor. These reactors are commonly used for growing thin films via chemical vapor deposition. Under certain conditions, rotating disk reactors have been found to exhibit multiple steady states, where desirable and undesirable flow patterns co-exist at the same conditions. The focus of this research is to predict the onset of multiplicity with respect to key system parameters, and thereby give guidance on reactor design and operation. Using bifurcation analysis algorithms we directly track what we believe is a global stability limit (the onset of multiple solutions). Results for a model system with constant physical and transport properties along with the Boussinesq approximation are compared to a model with actual fluid properties for nitrogen gas coupled with the ideal gas law.
Autonomic Software Systems: Developing for Self-Managing Legacy Systems

Modern software systems have grown in complexity and expense, even while the cost for supporting hardware has decreased over time. Humans have a lot to do with why software is expensive, and they contribute to its cost in at least three significant areas: the maintenance and evolution of existing software, the run-time monitoring and configuration of executing software, and errors made during data entry and system configuration tasks. Software engineers seek to mitigate these costs by minimizing or removing expensive human participation in these areas where possible by adopting software and hardware approaches aimed at doing so. In this paper, we describe a commercial software engineering project where code reuse, service-oriented architecture, and self-autonomic approaches were employed to extend the legacy enterprise system of a multi-channel vendor of musical equipment. In adopting these approaches, the developers were able to produce a highly-automated extension to an existing system that increased the number of orders places by customers, extending the business value of that system.
MERCURY: a heterogeneous system for spatial extrapolation of mesoscale meteorological data

Abstract MERCURY is an integrated software system for acquiring, analysing, and extrapolating meteorological data in real time for regions a few hundred square kilometers in size. MERCURY employs a variety of data structures, including real scalars and vectors, three-dimensional models, chords, grids, and qualitative descriptions to represent its input data, and both procedural and declarative methods to represent meteorological knowledge. MERCURY employs the extrapolation method that it is designed to improve upon, mesoscale objective analysis, when it is likely to be sufficient, and supplements this method with additional heuristic and analytic methods when necessary. Initial performance comparisons indicate that MERCURY's extrapolations are better than those obtained with objective analysis alone in regions of complex terrain and surface cover. MERCURY is implemented in C, with graphics in X-windows, and runs on a Sun 3 60 workstation under Unix 4·2 bsd.