cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Purification of actin and a 51,000-dalton protein from haploid cells of Physarum flavicomum

Electron microscopy of actively growing haploid myxamoebae-swarm cells of Physarum flavicomum has revealed the presence of a limited number of intracellular filaments. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of cell extracts demonstrated the presence of actin and a 51,000-dalton protein as major proteins. Actin was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity by a combination of DEAE chromatography and either electrophoretic elution from SDS-gels or DNase I-agarose affinity chromatography. Purified actin migrated identically with skeletal muscle actin in SDS-gels and inhibited DNase I. A 51,000-dalton protein copurified with actin to a certain extent and precipitated with actin during the limited salt-induced polymerization which occurred. The 51,000-dalton protein was purified by DEAE chromatography and electrophoretic elution from SDS-gels.
Energetics of protein hydrogen bonds.

In this issue, an article gives insight into the microenvironment's influence on the contribution of hydrogen bonds to protein stability.
A comparison of an inductively coupled implanted coil with optimized surface coils for in vivo NMR imaging of the spinal cord.

A study was performed to determine whether an implanted, inductively coupled nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging spine coil could provide a significant gain in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) on images of the spinal cord relative to the SNR of optimized surface coils. Implanted coils were surgically affixed to the upper lumbar spine (first lumbar through third lumbar vertebrae) in a total of four adult cats. The implanted coil was inductively coupled to an external 12 × 12 cm square surface coil that was mounted on a 14-cm diameter Plexiglas® cradle (Townsend Industries, Des Moines, IA). Two similar cradles were prepared with transmit-only 12 × 12 cm surface coils and either a receive-only 6 × 6 cm square surface coil or a receive-only quadrature coil pair (two 4 × 6 cm coils overlapped slightly to minimize their mutual inductance) with 'the same surface area (6 × 6 cm). A total of five single-slice, T1-weighted spin-echo images (TR = 500 ms, TE = 30 ms, 4-mm slice thickness) were acquired from a 1-liter saline phantom and from the second lumbar spinal level in an adult cat with a normal, uninjured spinal cord. On the spinal cord images, the quadrature coil exhibited a factor of 1.65 increase in SNR relative to the single-turn surface coil, whereas the implanted coil achieved a factor of 2.19 increase in SNR. The improved SNR for the quadrature and implanted coils was observed as a dramatic improvement in the clarity of the images. The high SNR available with the implanted coils allows the acquisition of higher resolution NMR images and opens up the possibility of measuring localized spectroscopy in vivo within the spinal cord.
The precessional frequency of a gyroscope in the quaternionic formulation of general relativity

The precessional frequency of a gyroscope in a reference frame that orbits about a gravitational body is compared between Einstein's tensor formulation of general relativity and the author's quaternion generalization—obtained from a factorization of the tensor form. The difference in predictions then suggests an experiment that could choose which of these formulations of general relativity is more valid in the analysis of gyroscopic motion.
1030 Lymphedema following conservative management of early stage breast cancer

The risk of developing lymphedema after axillary dissection and radiation is lifelong. The reported incidence varies, but underrepresents mild or asymptomatic arm edema. We retrospectively analyzed 237 patient records for arm lymphedema (LE). 185 patients had available morbidity data and were free from axillary recurrence. Median f/u was 43 months. Patient complaints and examination with arm measurements were used to assess the LE, which was graded as mild, moderate, or severe. The 5–yr actuarial incidence of LE is 28%. The incidence of developing mild LE was 23%, of moderate or severe LE, 7%. Of 38 events, 28 were mild, 9 moderate, and 1 severe. The 5–year actuarial incidence increased as the level of axillary dissection increased, and as the number of nodes sampled increased: no dissection performed (n = 46) 13%, Level 1 (n = 47) 27%, Level 2 (n = 56) 41%, Level 3 (n = 23) 30%. As it can be difficult to determine high axillary dissection levels retrospectively, arm morbidity was also assessed using the number of lymph nodes dissected. The S-yr actuarial incidence of LE is: None (n = 46) 12%, 1−10 (n = 54) 29%, 11−20 (n = 65) 40%, > 20 (n = 20) 39% (P = 0.05). These differences were more marked in those patients receiving radiation to the axilla or supraclavicular fossa (n = 132): 61% and 53% for a level 2 and 3 dissection vs. 10% and 25% for no dissection or a level one dissection (P = 0.001). Morbidity is reduced with a less extensive dissection of the axilla, especially if the patient receives adjuvant radiation to the axilla. The extent of the axillary dissection should be sufficient only to establish the risk of systemic disease.
Finding similarity in a model of relational reasoning

Similarity plays a central role in the study of perception and cognition. Previous attempts to model similarity have captured effects of either featural or structural similarity, but typically not both. We simulated both by fitting similarity data with the LISA model of relational reasoning [Hummel, J. E., & Holyoak, K. J. (1997). Distributed representations of structure: A theory of analogical access and mapping. Psychological Review, 104, 427-466, Hummel, J. E., & Holyoak, K. J. (2003a). A symbolic-connectionist theory of relational inference and generalization. Psychological Review, 110, 220-264]. The same mechanisms LISA uses to simulate analogy also provide a natural account of feature-based similarity effects (e.g., violations of symmetry), structural effects (e.g., the advantage of alignable over non-alignable differences), and the combined effects of featural and structured information (i.e., MIPs and MOPs; ''Matches In/Out of Place'') on similarity judgments. Our approach differs from most models of similarity in that LISA was not originally designed to simulate similarity judgments, but rather analogical reasoning. LISA's incidental ability to simulate diverse similarity effects speaks to the plausibility of the model's account of human knowledge representation.
Country Music Radio and American Culture Regions

Using a cultural regionalization of the United States, 162 listening areas are examined to discern the relative importance of regional and socioeconomic variables in predicting listenership ratings for country music radio stations. A regression analysis shows the significance of the Upland South (where the country style originated) and the Great Plains and Texas /Oklahoma regions. Conversely, the New England and Middle Atlantic regions demonstrate a relative aversion to country music. The analysis also reveals a significant inverse relationship between country music listenership and both population size and median household income. The study shows that the popularity of country music is strongly reflected in the cultural regions of the United States, and although country music has effectively diffused to all parts of the country, there is distinctive regional variation in its popularity.
Reexamining Political Discussion and Disagreement in Church Networks: An Exit Poll Assessment

The workplace has been hailed as a fruitful context for encountering difference, but other institutions of adult life — notably the church — have been downplayed, as it has been argued that self-selection produces political homogeneity within these environments. At the same time, much of what scholars know about social influence has been based on relatively blunt measures of disagreement, typically included in surveys conducted over multiple-week spans either before or after the actual voting has taken place. Inspired by work on the survival, loci, and democratic consequences of political disagreement, we survey voters at the moment when the literature would suggest they should be most likely to report agreement: Election Day. Wedding exit poll methodology with items that capture the major dimensions of networks and the content of discussion, we re-examine the contexts in which discussions take place and untangle issue-specific patterns of disagreement. We find evidence that church-based networks fulfill important democratic roles relative to other contexts, exposing individuals to cross-cutting discourse while serving as unique sources of information in the midst of broader electoral environments.
The Impact of Achievement Goals on Cardiorespiratory Fitness: Does Self-Efficacy Make a Difference?

Purpose: The relationships among students' self-efficacy, 2 × 2 achievement goals (mastery-approach [MAp], mastery-avoidance [MAv], performance-approach [PAp], and performance-avoidance goals), and achievement performance remain largely unanswered. We tested a model of the mediating role of self-efficacy on the relationship between 2 × 2 achievement goals and cardiorespiratory fitness. Method: A sample of 276 middle school students (115 boys and 161 girls; 91 sixth graders, 87 seventh graders, and 98 eighth graders), aged 12 to 15 years (M age = 13.34, SD = 0.96), responded to the Achievement Goals Questionnaire (Conroy, Elliot, & Hofer, 2003) and Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (Gao, Newton, & Carson, 2008) referenced to the fitness test. Their cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed via the Progressive Aerobic Cardiorespiratory Endurance Run (PACER) 3 days later. Results: Structural equation modeling demonstrated an acceptable model fit to the data, χ 2 (2, N = 105) = 1.66. Self-efficacy had a statistically ...
Time-dependent changes of rod influence on hue perception

Abstract Hue-naming was used in conjunction with a probe-flash procedure to determine the time-course of rod-mediated effects on hue appearance across the spectrum. Two types of rod influence on hue are distinguishable on the basis of differences in both spectral specificity and time course of effect: (1) a “faster” rod influence enhances green relative to red and (2) a “slower” rod influence enhances short-wavelength red relative to green and blue relative to yellow. The results show that there are separable rod hue biases that operate over different time courses and that the overall rod influence on hue appearance depends importantly on the temporal properties of the stimuli, presumably because rods interact in different ways with different portions of the neural pathways that mediate human color vision.
XLVI. A new approach to the theory of relativity

(1912). XLVI. A new approach to the theory of relativity. The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science: Vol. 23, No. 136, pp. 494-513.
In-lake alkalinity generation by sulfate reduction: A paleolimnological assessment

The generation of alkalinity by SO4 reduction and net storage of reduced S in lake sediments has been estimated from an analysis of sediment cores from 16 lakes in ME, VT, NY, MI, MN, and WY. The cores have been dated by 210Pb. The rate of pre-1850 (background) storage of S in lake sediments suggests that alkalinity contribution to lake water from this process ranged from 0.2 to 9.3 geq L−1, with an average of 4 geq L−1, Background values are similar for all lakes and remain low in the WY lakes up to the present. Maximum alkalinity contributions recorded in sediment, from upper mid-west and eastern lakes, dated between 1850 and 1985 are between 0.4 and 33 geq L−1, with a lake mean maximum of 9.9 geq L−1, Significant increases in recent S storage only occur in eastern lakes. Average values for net S accumulation in the sediment of most lakes for post-1850 sediment are typically less than half of maximum values.
Is natural selection a plausible explanation for the distribution of Idh-1 alleles in the cricket Allonemobius socius?

Abstract. 1. Allozyme alleles in natural populations have been proposed as either neutral markers of genetic diversity or the product of natural selection on enzyme function, as amino acid substitutions that change electrophoretic mobility may also alter enzyme performance. To address these possibilities, researchers have used both correlative analyses and empirical studies. 2. Here, geographically structured variation of the enzyme isocitrate dehydrogenase (Idh-1) in the striped ground cricket Allonemobius socius Scudder (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) is examined. The distributions of Idh-1 alleles appear to be related to environmental gradients, as allele frequencies showed significant relationships with mean annual temperature and precipitation. Specifically, the slowest mobility allele was more frequent at colder temperatures, while the converse occurred for the fastest mobility allele. 3. An exploratory experiment was performed to examine fitness effects of possessing different Idh-1 alleles at two temperatures to test the hypothesis that the geographic structure of this locus may reflect environmental adaptation. Results showed that a significant interaction between temperature and Idh-1 genotype affected the number of eggs laid, with success of homozygous individuals matching environmental expectations. 4. The above results show that (1) variation in the frequency of Idh-1 alleles is significantly related to environmental gradients in the eastern U.S.A. and (2) alternative alleles of Idh-1 appear to influence the egg-laying ability of individuals differently depending on environmental temperature. Together, these results suggest that natural selection is a plausible mechanism underlying the distribution of Idh-1 alleles in this species, although more detailed studies are needed.
H-Bonding Interactions in the Epoxidation of Alkenylammonium Salts with Dimethyldioxirane and m-Chloroperbenzoic Acid: A Kinetic Study.

The epoxidation rate constants for the reaction of allylic and homoallylic primary and quaternary ammonium salts with DMDO (1b) and m-CPBA (2), as well as the stereochemical outcome of these reactions, were determined. The presence of an ionic functional group in the substrate complicates the kinetic study of the reaction. However, k0 can be determined from the kobs values measured in solutions with different ionic strengths. The order of magnitude of the rate constants is the same for the epoxidation of primary and quaternary homoallylic ammonium salts, while primary allylic ammonium salts react more than 10 times faster than their quaternary counterparts. High syn-diastereoselectivity is achieved in the epoxidation of the primary allylic salt 3aH+ while the quaternary allylic ammonium salt 5a+ gives equimolecular (m-CPBA) or predominantly anti (DMDO) mixtures of diastereomers. These results are consistent with the existence of hydrogen bond interaction between the protic substrates and the oxidant.
Intracellular forms of the parental human cytomegalovirus genome at early stages of the infective process.

Abstract Intracellular forms of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) DNA molecules isolated from infected cells were examined by electron microscopy before and after the onset of viral DNA synthesis. In cells harvested before showing replicative forms of viral DNA, circular and concatemeric molecules were observed in addition to linear double-stranded molecules. The observation of circular, unbranched, unit-size molecules suggests that HCMV DNA has a repetitive sequence that is located at or near the termini and is exposed by exonuclease digestion within infected cells, and that single-stranded regions can complement each other to form circles. Linear molecules (unit size or smaller) and concatemers with replicative “eye” loops or forks were observed after DNA replication could be assumed to have begun. Viral DNA molecules with terminal loops were also observed. These structures indicate that an inverted repetition of the sequence may be present within the terminal region. The functions of these molecules and of circular molecules are unknown.
On the lifetime of multilevel memories

We study memories capable of storing multiple bits per memory cell, with the property that certain state transitions “wear” the cell. We introduce a model that is relevant for Phase Change Memory, a promising emerging nonvolatile memory technology that exhibits limitations in the number of particular write actions that one may apply to a cell before rendering it unusable. We exploit the theory of Write Efficient Memories to derive a closed form expression for the storage capacity/lifetime fundamental tradeoff for this model. We then present families of codes specialized to distinct ranges for the target lifetimes, covering the full range from moderate redundancy to an arbitrarily large lifetime increase. These codes have low implementation complexity and remarkably good performance; for example in an 8 level cell we can increase the lifetime of a memory by a factor of ten while sacrificing only 2/3 of the uncoded storage capacity of the memory.
Ordinary, transition, and Knudsen regime diffusion in random capillary structures

Abstract This study includes a detailed numerical investigation of the problem of gaseous diffusion in structures of randomly overlapping capillaries of various orientation distributions in the ordinary, transition, and Knudsen diffusion regimes. Effective diffusion coefficients are computed through a Monte Carlo simulation method based on the mean square displacement of random walkers traveling in the interior of the porous media. The simulation results reveal a strong dependence of the components of the effective diffusivity tensor of a capillary structure on its porosity, the Knudsen number, and the orientational distribution of the capillaries. The computed transition regime diffusivities are found to be in excellent agreement with those predicted by the reciprocal additivity or harmonic mean diffusivity expression (Bosanquet formula) using the computed diffusion coefficients in the ordinary and Knudsen diffusion regimes for all configurations of flow except for that parallel to unidirectional capillaries.
Low-affinity Ca2+ and Ba2+ binding sites in the pore of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

alpha7 nicotinic receptors are highly permeable to Ca(2+) as well as monovalent cations. We extended the characterization of the Ca(2+) permeation of non-desensitizing chick alpha7 receptors (S240T/L247T alpha7 nAChRs) expressed in Xenopus oocytes by (1) measuring the concentration dependence of conductance under conditions in which Ca(2+) or Ba(2+) were the only permeant cations in the extracellular solution, and (2) measuring the concentration dependence of Ca(2+) block of K(+) currents through the receptors. The first set of experiments yielded an apparent affinity of 0.96 mM Ca(2+) activity (2.4 mM concentration) for Ca(2+) permeation and an apparent affinity of 0.65 mM Ba(2+) activity (1.7 mM concentration) for Ba(2+) permeation. The apparent affinity of Ca(2+) inhibition of K(+) currents was 0.49 mM activity (1.5 mM concentration). The similarity of these apparent affinities in the millimolar range suggests that the pore of alpha7 receptors has one or more low-affinity Ca(2+) binding sites and no high-affinity sites.
Piezoelectret Foam-Based Vibration Energy Harvester for Low-Power Energy Generation

The use of energy harvesting systems to provide power to low-power electronic devices has the potential to create autonomous, self-powered electronics. While research has been performed to study the harvesting of ambient energy through a wide variety of transduction mechanisms, this paper presents the investigation of a novel material for vibration-based energy harvesting. Piezoelectret foam, a polymer-based electret material exhibiting piezoelectric properties, is investigated for low-power energy generation. An overview of the fabrication and operation of piezoelectret foams is first given. Mechanical testing is then performed to evaluate the tensile properties of the material, where anisotropy in the length direction is found along with Young’s moduli between 0.5–1 GPa and tensile strengths from 35–70 MPa. Dynamic electromechanical characterization is performed in order to measure the piezoelectric d33 coefficient of the foam over a wide frequency range. The d33 coefficient is found to be relatively constant at 35 pC/N from 5 Hz – 1 kHz. Lastly, energy harvesting tests are performed to evaluate the ability of piezoelectric foam to harvest vibration energy. Frequency response measurements of foam samples excited along the length direction confirm the anisotropic behavior of the material. Harmonic excitation of a pre-tensioned 15.2 cm × 15.2 cm sample at a frequency of 60 Hz and displacement of ± 73 μm yields an average power of 5.8 μW delivered to a 1 mF storage capacitor through a simple diode bridge rectifier. The capacitor is charged to 4.67 V in 30 minutes, proving the ability of piezoelectret foam to supply power to low-power electronics.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Evidence from X-ray absorption for network-forming Fe 2+ in molten alkali silicates

Fe2+ is the most abundant iron species in magmas and in many slags. Its structural role in these liquids is poorly understood, largely because of the difficulty of studying melts at high temperatures by direct structural methods. Whether Fe2+ behaves as a network modifier, network former or free-ion complex has not been adequately resolved, yet this is fundamental to understanding the properties of silicate liquids. Also uncharacterized are the structural changes accompanying the melt-to-glass transition in Fe-bearing silicate melts. Here we report the results of a high-temperature synchrotron-based X-ray absorption study of Fe in silicate glasses and melts of compositions near Na2FeSi3O8 and K2FeSi3O8. The glasses were also analysed by 57Fe Mossbauer spectroscopy. We conclude that Fe2+ is a four-coordinated network former in these melt/glass systems and that little structural relaxation occurs at the iron site during the melt-to-glass transition. These results and structural data for Fe22+SiO4 melts1 suggest the possibility of a pressure-induced change from four- to six-coordination for Fe2+ in magmas in the Earth's upper mantle.
Iron Metalization of Fluorinated Organic Films: A Combined X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy Study

The evolution of the metal−organic interface during iron-mediated metalization of fluorinated organic surfaces has been studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) and a semifluorinated self-assembled monolayer (CF3(CF2)7(CH2)2SH, CF−SAM) formed on Au were used as substrates, the latter serving as a model for the interfacial region of a fluorinated polymer. Reaction of Fe with both surfaces resulted in defluorination of the organic film, production of a carbonaceous overlayer, and exclusive formation of iron(II) fluoride. A metallic iron overlayer was formed concurrently with FeF2 during deposition on CF−SAMs and following extended iron exposures with PTFE substrates. Terminal CF3 groups produced during metalization of PTFE are postulated to arise from a chain rearrangement reaction involving transient −ĊF− radicals. X-ray treatment of metalized PTFE was found to represent an effective means to increase the FeF2 content in the me...
AESON: A Model-Driven and Fault Tolerant Composite Deployment Runtime for IaaS Clouds

Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) cloud environments expose to users the infrastructure of a data center while relieving them from the burden and costs associated with its management and maintenance. IaaS clouds provide an interface by means of which users can create, configure, and control a set of virtual machines that will typically host a composite software service. Given the increasing popularity of this computing paradigm, previous work has focused on modeling composite software services to automate their deployment in IaaS clouds. This work is concerned with the runtime state of composite services during and after deployment. We propose AESON, a deployment runtime that automatically detects node (virtual machine) failures and eventually brings the composite service to the desired deployment state by using information describing relationships between the service components. We have designed AESON as a decentralized peer-to-peer publish/subscribe system leveraging IBM's Bulletin Board (BB), a topic-based distributed shared memory service built on top of an overlay network.
Beyond parenting: An examination of the etiology of self-control

While prior research testing Gottfredson and Hirschi's (1990) theory of low self-control had demonstrated a significant relationship between parenting and self-control, it had also recognized significant effects of other social factors, suggesting the etiology of self-control may be more complex than the theory specifies. In an effort to better understand this process, the current study examined first whether social factors other than parenting predicted self-control using both contemporaneous and lagged effects models, and second, whether the effect of parenting on self-control varied according to these social factors. Findings offered partial support for self-control theory. In implicit support of the theory, this study found that the effect of parenting on self-control was not conditioned by the competing social factors examined. Contrary to the theory, however, was the finding that self-control was predicted by both peer pressure and school social factors contemporaneously, even after controlling for parental monitoring.
Hydromechanics of low-Reynolds-number flow. Part 2. Singularity method for Stokes flows

The present study furthcr explores the fundamental singular solutions for Stokes flow that can be useful for constructing solutions over a wide range of free-stream profiles and body shapes. The primary singularity is the Stokeslet, which is associated with a singular point force embedded in a Stokes flow. From its derivatives other fundamental singularities can be obtained, including rotlets, stresslets, potential doublets and higher-order poles derived from them. For treating interior Stokes-flow problems new fundamental solutions are introduced; they include the Stokeson and its derivatives, called the roton and stresson. These fundamental singularities are employed here to construct exact solutions to a number of exterior and interior Stokes-flow problems for several specific body shapes translating and rotating in a viscous fluid which may itself be providing a primary flow. The different primary flows considered here include the uniform stream, shear flows, parabolic profiles and extensional flows (hyperbolic profiles), while the body shapcs cover prolate spheroids, spheres and circular cylinders. The salient features of these exact solutions (all obtained in closed form) regarding the types of singularities required for the construction of a solution in each specific case, their distribution densities and the range of validity of the solution, which may depend on the characteristic Reynolds numbers and governing geometrical parameters, are discussed.
Dental pulp and dentin tissue engineering and regeneration: Advancement and challenge

Hard tissue is difficult to repair especially dental structures. Tooth enamel is incapable of self-repairing whereas dentin and cementum can regenerate with limited capacity. Enamel and dentin are commonly under the attack by caries. Extensive forms of caries destroy enamel and dentin and can lead to dental pulp infection. Entire pulp amputation followed by the pulp space disinfection and filling with an artificial rubber-like material is employed to treat the infection -- commonly known as root canal or endodontic therapy. Regeneration of dentin relies on having vital pulps; however, regeneration of pulp tissue has been difficult as the tissue is encased in dentin without collateral blood supply except from the root apical end. With the advent of modern tissue engineering concept and the discovery of dental stem cells, regeneration of pulp and dentin has been tested. This article will review the recent endeavor on pulp and dentin tissue engineering and regeneration. The prospective outcomes of current advancements and challenges in this line of research are discussed.
3D elasticity imaging with acoustic radiation force

Acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) based elasticity imaging methods have been under development for the past 15 years, and both qualitative on-axis (ARFI imaging) and quantitative shear wave speed (SWEI) methods have been introduced into the commercial market. On-axis methods employ less processing and provide higher spatial resolution, whereas SWEI methods employ reconstruction algorithms that afford higher contrast and provide quantitative estimates of the underlying material stiffness. Each approach can be optimized through custom beam sequences and processing algorithms for specific clinical applications. We discuss three specific applications herein: 1) hepatic fibrosis and steatosis staging through SWEI, 2) 3D SWEI for characterizing material anisotropy, and 3) 3D prostatic SWEI and ARFI imaging.
Probabilistic Vehicle Identification Techniques for Semiautomated Transportation Security

Intelligent transportation systems can play a significant role in transportation security in addition to their traditional roles in transportation operations and management. A multidetector semiautomated vehicle surveillance framework is presented. The objective of the framework is to assist in the search for a vehicle of interest involved with security threats such as terrorism, abduction, or crime. When a vehicle of interest is wanted, this framework can be applied to reduce surveillance data sets and thus reduce time and labor. This system estimates the a posteriori probabilities that indicate the closeness of the match between a vehicle of interest and any vehicle in the search space. This paper explores the use of multidetector fusion of video and inductive loop data by means of a linear fusion model. This system classifies vehicle pairs into possible correct match or incorrect match classes and transforms the problem into the probabilistic domain by using Bayesian neural networks and probabilistic neural networks (PNNs). The use of Bayesian and PNN classifiers assumes equal losses. With Bayesian estimation and generalized regression neural networks, the a posteriori probability is used as a threshold representing unequal losses. A comparison between the traditional Bayesian approaches and the equivalent neural network methods is presented. The use of different feature combinations, methods to balance training data sets, forward sequential search, and combined and uncombined feature approaches is also investigated. Field arterial data from southern California show that, by retaining only 29% of the search space, the framework produces 92% accuracy, which is a promising result.
Two Cases of Daptomycin-Induced Eosinophilic Pneumonia and Chronic Pneumonitis

We present 2 elderly patients who developed lung infiltrates associated with eosinophilia during intravenous daptomycin treatment. Both patients improved quickly after daptomycin was stopped and steroid treatment was initiated. However, complete recovery did not occur, and both patients became chronically steroid dependent.
Reasons for Drinking Alcohol: Their Relationship to Psychosocial Variables and Alcohol Consumption

The present investigation was designed to gain a better understanding of the psychosocial factors that predict reasons for drinking alcohol and how these drinking motives differentially relate to alcohol consumption. Four distinct reasons for drinking alcohol scales were established through factor analysis: drink to cope, drink to be sociable, drink to enhance social confidence, and drink for enjoyment. Multiple regression analyses showed that 1) each reason for drinking was predicted by a somewhat different set of demographic and psychosocial variables, and 2) the reasons for drinking, in turn, differentially predicted multiple indicators of quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption. Theoretical implications of the study results and suggestions for future research are discussed.
GoGo board: augmenting programmable bricks for economically challenged audiences

The Programmable Brick, a small autonomous computer with sensing and control abilities, has been a topic of educational research for almost two decades. The use of this tool has now reached beyond research projects through its commercial availability. However, high cost has strictly limited its audience to only well-funded schools and institutions. Can learning activities involving Programmable Bricks take place in an economically challenged context? In this paper, we present an attempt to challenge this question by presenting a new framework that turns the acquisition process of Programmable Bricks and its necessary materials into a rich learning process. We present the GoGo Board, a low-cost Programmable Brick that allows the user to actively participate in its production process. We discuss the use of found and broken materials as sources of construction supplies. We analyze two case studies from projects developed in Brazil from 2002 to 2003. Specifically, we discuss the design aspect of the GoGo board framework that allowed for diverse and socially relevant learning projects to take place.
Ultrafine Particle Sampling with the UNC Passive Aerosol Sampler

A model is presented to describe the collection of ultrafine particles by the UNC passive aerosol sampler. In this model, particle deposition velocity is calculated as a function of particle size, shape and other properties, as well as a function of sampler geometry. To validate the model, deposition velocities were measured for ultrafine particles between 15 and 90 nm in diameter. Passive aerosol samplers were placed in a 1 m 3 test chamber and exposed to an ultrafine aerosol of ammonium fluorescein. SEM images of particles collected by the samplers were taken at 125 kX magnification. Experimental values of deposition velocity were then determined using data from these images and from concurrent measurements of particle concentration and size distribution taken with an SMPS. Deposition velocities from the model and from the experiments were compared and found to agree well. These results suggest that the deposition velocity model presented here can be used to extend the use of the UNC passive aerosol sam...
Evolutionary bases of carbohydrate recognition and substrate discrimination in the ROK protein family.

The ROK (repressor, open reading frame, kinase) protein family (Pfam 00480) is a large collection of bacterial polypeptides that includes sugar kinases, carbohydrate responsive transcriptional repressors, and many functionally uncharacterized gene products. ROK family sugar kinases phosphorylate a range of structurally distinct hexoses including the key carbon source d-glucose, various glucose epimers, and several acetylated hexosamines. The primary sequence elements responsible for carbohydrate recognition within different functional categories of ROK polypeptides are largely unknown due to a limited structural characterization of this protein family. In order to identify the structural bases for substrate discrimination in individual ROK proteins, and to better understand the evolutionary processes that led to the divergent evolution of function in this family, we constructed an inclusive alignment of 227 representative ROK polypeptides. Phylogenetic analyses and ancestral sequence reconstructions of the resulting tree reveal a discrete collection of active site residues that dictate substrate specificity. The results also suggest a series of mutational events within the carbohydrate-binding sites of ROK proteins that facilitated the expansion of substrate specificity within this family. This study provides new insight into the evolutionary relationship of ROK glucokinases and non-ROK glucokinases (Pfam 02685), revealing the primary sequence elements shared between these two protein families, which diverged from a common ancestor in ancient times.
GOOD GIFTS FOR THE COMMON GOOD: Blood and Bioethics in the Market of Genetic Research

This article is based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted with the Indian community in Houston, as part of a NIH–NHGRI-sponsored ethics study and sample collection initiative entitled “Indian and Hindu Perspectives on Genetic Variation Research.“ At the heart of this research is one central exchange—blood samples donated for genetic research—that draws both the Indian community and a community of researchers into an encounter with bioethics. I consider the meanings that come to be associated with blood donation as it passes through various hands, agendas, and associated ethical filters on its way to the lab bench: how and why blood is solicited, how the giving and taking of blood is rationalized, how blood as material substance is alienated, processed, documented, and made available for the promised ends of basic science research. Examining corporeal substances and asking what sorts of gifts and problems these represent, I argue, sheds some light on two imbricated tensions expressed by a community of Indians, on the one hand, and of geneticists and basic science researchers, on the other hand: that gifts ought to be free (but are not), and that science ought to be pure (but is not). In this article, I explore how experiences of bioethics are variously shaped by the histories and habits of Indic giving, prior sample collection controversies, commitments to “good science“ and the common “good of humanity,“ and negotiations of the sites where research findings circulate.
Classification of Follicular Thyroid Tumors by Molecular Signature: Results of Gene Profiling

Purpose: Thyroid nodules are common, with a lifetime risk of developing a clinically significant thyroid nodule of 10% or higher. Preoperative diagnosis was greatly enhanced by the introduction of fine needle aspiration in the 1970s, but there has been little advancement since that time. Discrimination between benign and malignant follicular neoplasms is currently not possible by fine needle aspiration and can even be difficult after full pathologic review. The purpose of these studies is to identify genes expressed in follicular adenomas and carcinomas of the thyroid that will permit molecular differentiation of these neoplasms. Experimental Design: Gene expression patterns of 17 thyroid follicular tumors were analyzed by oligonucleotide array analysis. Gene profiles for follicular adenomas and carcinomas were identified, and the two groups were compared for differences in expression levels. The differentially expressed genes were used to perform a hierarchical clustering analysis training set. Five follicular tumors with diagnosis undisclosed to the investigators and 2 minimally invasive carcinomas were entered into the cluster analysis as a test set to determine whether diagnosis by gene profile correlated with that obtained by pathologic evaluation. Results: Thyroid follicular adenomas and carcinomas showed strikingly distinct gene expression patterns. The expression patterns of 105 genes were found to be significantly different between follicular adenoma and carcinoma. Many uncharacterized genes contributed to the distinction between tumor types. For five follicular tumors for which the final diagnosis was undisclosed, the clustering algorithm gave the correct diagnosis in all 5 cases. Conclusions: Gene profiling is a useful tool to predict the molecular diagnosis of follicular thyroid tumors. Genes were identified that reliably differentiate follicular thyroid carcinoma from adenoma. This study provides insight into genes that may be important in the molecular pathogenesis of follicular thyroid tumors, as well candidates for preoperative diagnosis of follicular thyroid carcinoma.
CURRENT PROCEDURES FOR DIAGNOSING DYSPHAGIA IN ELDERLY CLIENTS

Abstract Intubation no longer remains the only solution to feeding problems of the elderly patient with dysphagia. Dysphagic disorders result from neurogenic, myogenic, psychogenic, or mechanical causes. Thus numerous hospitalized or institutionalized elderly patients may have dysphagic symptoms. The consequences of this disorder are significant, and aspiration pneumonia is often the outcome. Current diagnostic dysphagia are discussed.
Modeling and rendering of metallic patinas

An important component that has been missing from image synthesis is the effect of weathering. In this paper, we present an approach for the modeling and rendering of one type of weathering --- metallic patinas. A patina is a film or incrustation on a surface that is produced by the removal of material, the addition of material, or the chemical alteration of a surface. Oxidation, sulphidization, and painting are examples of phenomena that produce patinas.We represent a surface as a series of layers. Patinas are simulated with a collection of operators, such as "coat," "erode," and "polish," which are applied to the layered structure. The development of patinas is modulated according to an object's geometry and local environmental factors. We introduce a technique to model the reflectance and transmission of light through the layered structure using the Kubelka-Munk model. This representation yields a model that can simulate many aspects of the time-dependent appearance of metals as they are exposed to the atmosphere or treated chemically. We demonstrate the approach with a collection of copper models.
The hidden implications of radical group rhetoric: Integrative complexity and terrorism

We compared the public rhetoric of two terrorist groups to ideologically-similar non-terrorist groups on integrative complexity and its two sub-components (dialectical complexity and elaborative complexity). We further attempted to use these constructs to understand when the two focal terrorist groups engaged in violent acts. Results suggested that terrorist group rhetoric was uniformly simpler than non-terrorist rhetoric, and that this simplicity was especially in evidence for elaborative forms of complexity. Secondly, results more weakly suggested that a pattern of complex thinking associated with defensive thinking – namely, higher elaborative and lower dialectical complexity – became more prevalent in terrorist rhetoric as a violent act became imminent. These results demonstrate that scoring the complexity of public rhetoric can potentially be used to understand the psychology of terrorist groups from a distance.
Simultaneous and strong simultaneous stabilisation of some classes of MIMO systems

Sufficient conditions are derived for simultaneous stabilisability of any finite number of linear, time-invariant, multi-input multi-output (MIMO) systems. Four general MIMO plant classes with arbitrary finite number of plants are shown to be simultaneously stabilisable using simple proportional + derivative controllers. For some of these plant classes it is also possible to achieve simultaneous stabilisation and asymptotic tracking of step-input references with zero steady-state error by using integral-action controllers. Three of these general MIMO plant classes are shown to be strongly simultaneously stabilisable.
TCP performance over wireless MIMO channels with ARQ and packet combining

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communication systems that employ multiple transmit and receive antennas can provide very high-rate data transmissions without increase in bandwidth or transmit power. For this reason, MIMO technologies are considered as a key ingredient in the next generation wireless systems, where provision of reliable data services for TCP/IP applications such as wireless multimedia or Internet is of extreme importance. However, while the performance of TCP has been extensively studied over different wireless links, little attention has been paid to the impact of MIMO systems on TCP. This paper provides an investigation on the performance of modern TCP systems when used over wireless channels that employ MIMO technologies. In particular, we focus on two representative categories of MIMO systems, namely, the BLAST systems and the space-time block coding (STBC) systems, and how the ARQ and packet combining techniques impact on the overall TCP performance. We show that, from the TCP throughput standpoint, a more reliable channel may be preferred over a higher spectral efficient but less reliable channel, especially under low SNR conditions. We also study the effect of antenna correlation on the TCP throughput under various conditions.
Penicillin Binding Protein 5 Affects Cell Diameter, Contour, and Morphology of Escherichia coli

Of the 12 known penicillin binding proteins (PBPs) of Escherichia coli, the only enzymes with known physiological roles are four of the five high-molecular-weight PBPs: 1a, 1b, 2, and 3 (10, 21). These four proteins polymerize new peptidoglycan strands and incorporate them into the existing sacculus, which forms the rigid layer of the cell envelope. In contrast, the seven low-molecular-weight (LMW) PBPs have no well-defined physiological functions, even though the enzymological knowledge of these proteins is well advanced. Among the LMW proteins, PBP 5 has been studied in the most depth, but its biological function remains mysterious. PBP 5 is the major cellular dd-carboxypeptidase, an enzyme that removes the terminal d-alanine residue from the pentapeptide side chain of peptidoglycan (10, 12), thereby altering the types of cross-linking that can occur between glycan chains. Even though PBP 5 is the most numerous of the PBPs, its loss is not lethal (11, 20). One possible reason that PBP 5 is dispensable is that one or more other LMW PBPs might compensate for its absence. However, E. coli survives in the absence of all known dd-carboxypeptidases (3–5) and even in the absence of all seven LMW PBPs (4). This suggests that PBP 5 has no important physiological role or that its role is invisible in the laboratory environment. On the other hand, overproduction of PBP 5 is lethal, causing E. coli to grow as spheres before dying (9, 22), suggesting that PBP 5 may have a morphological effect on growth of the cell wall. Recently, we constructed a set of E. coli mutants lacking every possible combination of eight PBPs (4). Among these mutants are gene combinations in which PBP 5 is present or absent in genetic backgrounds that differ only in the complement of other active PBPs. Some of these mutants exhibited severe morphological defects, especially when forced to filament by inactivating PBP 3 (4, 8). The PBP patterns of these defective mutants led us to ask which of the PBPs plays the dominant role in maintaining normal bacterial shape. We report here that, in the absence of multiple LMW PBPs, deletion of PBP 5 creates E. coli mutants with cell walls of abnormal diameter and contour. Furthermore, when cells lacking PBP 5 are forced to filament, the overall topology of the bacterial cell is severely affected, resulting in gross abnormalities and branching. Therefore, PBP 5 plays an important role in the genesis and/or maintenance of bacterial shape.