cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Using protein backbone mutagenesis to dissect the link between ion occupancy and C-type inactivation in K+ channels.

K+ channels distinguish K+ from Na+ in the selectivity filter, which consists of four ion-binding sites (S1–S4, extracellular to intracellular) that are built mainly using the carbonyl oxygens from the protein backbone. In addition to ionic discrimination, the selectivity filter regulates the flow of ions across the membrane in a gating process referred to as C-type inactivation. A characteristic of C-type inactivation is a dependence on the permeant ion, but the mechanism by which permeant ions modulate C-type inactivation is not known. To investigate, we used amide-to-ester substitutions in the protein backbone of the selectivity filter to alter ion binding at specific sites and determined the effects on inactivation. The amide-to-ester substitutions in the protein backbone were introduced using protein semisynthesis or in vivo nonsense suppression approaches. We show that an ester substitution at the S1 site in the KcsA channel does not affect inactivation whereas ester substitutions at the S2 and S3 sites dramatically reduce inactivation. We determined the structure of the KcsA S2 ester mutant and found that the ester substitution eliminates K+ binding at the S2 site. We also show that an ester substitution at the S2 site in the KvAP channel has a similar effect of slowing inactivation. Our results link C-type inactivation to ion occupancy at the S2 site. Furthermore, they suggest that the differences in inactivation of K+ channels in K+ compared with Rb+ are due to different ion occupancies at the S2 site.
Nonapeptides and social behavior in fishes.

Abstract The nonapeptide hormones arginine vasotocin and isotocin play important roles in mediating social behaviors in fishes. Studies in a diverse range of species demonstrate variation in vasotocin neuronal phenotypes across within and between sexes and species as well as effects of hormone administration on aggressive and sexual behaviors. However, patterns vary considerably across species and a general explanatory model for the role of vasotocin in teleost sociosexual behaviors has proven elusive. We review these findings, examine potential explanations for the lack of agreement across studies, and propose a model based on the parvocellular AVT neurons primarily mediating social approach and subordinance functions while the magnocellular and gigantocellular AVT neurons mediate courtship and aggressive behaviors. Isotocin neuronal phenotypes and effects on behavior are relatively unstudied, but research to date suggests this will be a fruitful line of inquiry. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Oxytocin, Vasopressin, and Social Behavior.
Argillization by descending acid at Steamboat Springs, Nevada

Steamboat Springs, Nevada, an area of present-day hot springs, clearly illustrates the genetic dependence of some kaolin deposits on hot-spring activity. Andesite, granodiorite and arkosic sediments are locally altered at the land surface to siliceous residues consisting of primary quartz and anatase, plus opal from primary silicates. These siliceous residues commonly exhibit the textural and structural features of their unaltered equivalents. Beneath the siliceous residues, kaolin and alunite replace primary silicates and fill open spaces, forming a blanketlike deposit. Beneath the kaolin-alunite zone, montmorillonite, commonly accompanied by pyrite, replaces the primary silicates. On the ground surface, the same alteration mineral zones can be traced outward from the siliceous residue; however, hematite rather than pyrite accompanies montmorillonite. Chemical analysis indicates that sulfuric acid is the active altering agent. The acid forms from hydrogen sulfide that exsolves from deep thermal water, rises above the water table and is oxidized by sulfur-oxidizing bacteria living near the ground surface. This acid dissolves in precipitation or condensed water vapor and percolates downward destroying most of the primary minerals producing a siliceous residue. Coincidence of the water table with the downward transition from siliceous residue to kaolin-alunite signifies decreasing hydrogen metasomatism because of dilution of descending acid by ground water. In hot-spring areas, beds of siliceous sinter deposited at the surface by hypogene thermal water look, superficially, like areas of surficial acid alteration. Features diagnostic of a surficial alteration are the relict rock structures of a siliceous residue and a kaolin-alunite zone immediately beneath.
THREE-DIMENSIONAL PACKAGING FOR HIGH-PERFORMANCE INTERCONNECT IN LARGE-SCALE VLSI SYSTEMS

The transit time through the interconnect between VLSI components can be a significant fraction of the latency in a large VLSI system. In this paper we describe a scheme for dense, three-dimensional packaging of VLSI components which reduces chip-to-chip transit latencies by reducing interconnect distances. Our packaging scheme sandwiches layers of conventional printed-circuit boards between layers of packaged components to efficiently utilize all three spatial dimensions for interconnect. We introduce the key components of our stack packaging scheme and show how they combine to provide efficient housing for a large range of large-scale VLSI systems.
Water Demand at Western U.S. Recreation Developments

Although the volume of potable water used at recreation developments is minor relative to total regional water use, very high quality is required and the source is often of limited capacity, such as a mountain spring or small local aquifer. Frequent confrontations between developers and regulatory agencies result from claims by developers that water demand will be very small while regulators tend to treat such developments the same as municipal residence. Almost no published data base exists for resolving such conflicts. Included here are: 1) Water use measurements of various peak period durations (seasonal, monthly, daily, and instantaneous) at several types of recreational developments in Utah and Wyoming (mountain cabins, both ski- and water-based condominiums, and recreation vehicle campgrounds), 2) statistical (frequency) analysis of the data and a comparison with municipal demands in the same region, and 3) analysis of occupancy rates at the various categories of developments.
Who Benefits From Community-Based Participatory Research? A Case Study of the Positive Youth Project

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) has evolved as a popular new paradigm in health research. This shift is exciting, yet there is still much to discover about how various stakeholders are affected. This article uses a critical social science perspective to explore who benefits from these changes through an analysis of a CBPR case study (The Positive Youth Project). Two major categories of beneficiaries emerged: the research itself and the partner-stakeholders. The benefits, however, were not gained without substantial human resource investment, nor were they necessarily equitably spread. Participation costs included heavy demands of time, an added burden of work, frustration with the process, missing other opportunities, risking loss of anonymity, and loss of control. Care needs to be taken to ensure that concrete benefits accrue for all project partners and costs are minimized. Another way of framing benefits is to look at the community capacities built to address future health and social issues.
The Impact of Information Technologies on the US Beef Industry's Supply Chain

Historically, the growth of the beef industry has been hampered by the various entities (breeders, cow-calf producers, stockers, backgrounders) within the beef industry’s supply chain. The primary obstacles to growth are the large number of participants in the upstream partners and the lack of coordination between them. Over the last decade significant advances have been made in information technologies. Many new companies have been founded to promote these technical advances. This research looks at the upstream participants, primarily the buyer agencies and principles between the cow-calf producers and the meat packing companies, to determine the degree to which information technologies are currently being utilized and the degree to which these new technologies have driven improvements within the beef industry’s supply chain. We find through our survey that, by and large, the beef industry does not use information technologies to their benefit and that the U.S. beef supply chain is not yet strategically poised to enable the use of these technologies.
Two-dimensional semiclassical Particle-In-Cell code for simulation of quantum plasmas

We are developing and using parallel quantum modeling tools to simulate one and two-dimensional quantum systems of interest. We discuss the systems we are ultimately interested in modeling, the algorithms used in our Quantum PIC code, the results of some of our one-dimensional simulations, some of the issues developing a two-dimensional Quantum PIC code, and some of the results from the two-dimensional Quantum PIC code.
Feasibility of integrated home/hospital physiotherapeutic support for children with cancer.

Purpose Children suffering from cancer often have to undergo physiotherapy that either extends the duration of in-patient hospitalisation or requires more frequent visits to the outpatient clinic. To improve care and to decrease the length of hospitalisation of children being treated at the Dept. of Haematoloy/Oncology of the Gaslini Children’s Hospital, a programme of Home Care was set up in April 2000.
Acute physiologic effects of secondhand smoke exposure in children

Introduction: We investigated the hypothesis that exhaled carbon monoxide (eCO), heart rate (HR), and blood pressure (BP) would increase acutely in exposed but not in unexposed children. Methods: In a nonrandomized controlled design, parent-child dyads were assigned to groups based on exposure: child subjects, 7―18 years of age, exposed to smoking daily in the home (exposed) or with no household exposure (unexposed control). HR, BP, and eCO were measured before and after exposure to a parent smoking 1 cigarette (exposed) or a time-lapse equivalent (control). The primary analysis compared mean acute changes in physiological measures following intervention or control procedure. Results: Forty-one dyads were enrolled. At baseline, no differences in child gender, race, ethnicity, HR, BP, lipids, or fasting glucose were noted between exposure groups. Following experimental or control procedures, the median change in eCO was similar between groups (-0.1 ppm exposed vs. 0.0 ppm unexposed, p = .27). Acute hemodynamic changes were also similar between exposed and unexposed children, respectively: (HR change 4.2 vs. 2.6 beats per minute, p = .62; systolic blood pressure change 0.08 vs. 0.41 mm Hg, p = .91; diastolic blood pressure 0.08 vs. 2.27 mm Hg, p = .37). Discussion: This is the first study to report on acute physiologic changes of secondhand smoke exposure in children in a naturalistic setting. A single acute dose of passive smoke exposure in children did not alter the physiologic variables of HR or BP. Further in-home study using continuous monitoring is needed. Demonstration of acute effects may serve as clinical feedback to motivate parents to quit smoking.
Ionization-detected stimulated Raman spectroscopy

Abstract We report a new spectroscopic technique which we call “ionization-detected stimulated Raman spectroscopy” that combines the high sensitivity of resonant laser ionization methods with the high spectral resolution of stimulated Raman spectroscopy. A Q-branch spectrum of NO at 10 mTorr pressure illustrates an improvement in sensitivity of over 1000-fold compared to previous stimulated Raman methods.
Anesthetic management of the patient with a history of Kawasaki disease--a report of 19 cases.

It is sometimes necessary to anesthetize children with Kawasaki disease in order to perform surgery for complications of the dis­ ease, e.g., aortocoronary bypass surgeryl,2, mitral valve replacement" and operations against biliary tract and bowel involvement". However, more cases with a history of Kawasaki disease are candidates for general operation. Guidelines for general anesthesia in cases with a history of Kawasaki disease have not been established. We report 19 patients with a history of Kawasaki disease who underwent general anesthesia.
Symmetric cell approach towards simplified study of cathode and anode behavior in lithium ion batteries.

Abstract It was observed that the impedance of 18 650 high-power cells using LiNi 0.8 Co 0.2 O 2 chemistry increased with time during the beginning period of storage. A symmetric cell approach was adopted to isolate the effects of the positive and negative electrodes on the impedance of a laboratory-scale lithium ion cell using the same chemistry. The AC impedance spectra of a normal cell and symmetric cells were measured and compared. The cathode processes were found to be most responsible for the cell impedance and the impedance rise. In addition, the impedance spectra provide indirect evidence that surface layers might be formed on both the positive and negative electrodes.
Phase‐coherent narrow‐band signal regeneration

A phase-locked loop is combined with a highly selective bandpass filter in such a way that a steady-state single-frequency signal is extracted from a spectrum. The system goal is to maintain the phase of the wave irrespective of the actual signal frequency. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons. Inc.
EC2000 and Measurement: How Much Precision is Enough?

As engineering faculty engage in the process of developing assessment plans to implement continuous quality improvement and satisfy the requirement of Engineering Criteria 2000 (EC2000), there is a concern about what measures are adequate to provide evidence that an engineering program is meeting its stated objectives. Some engineering programs are looking at using course grades as evidence that students are meeting the learning outcomes mandated by Criterion 3 of EC2000. After all, if there is a course in engineering design, why shouldn't grades be used to demonstrate that students are acquiring the skills necessary to meet the required outcome? The question remains as to whether or not course grades are adequate and/or efficient as a means to evaluate program effectiveness. This paper will define what is meant by educational inputs, processes, outputs, and outcomes in order to clarify the focus of the new “outcomes assessment” model of engineering education accreditation. A framework will be presented to clarify the meaning and scope of assessment activities needed to meet the information needs of academic programs and institutions. Models for course assessment and program assessment will be presented and the similarities and differences discussed.
Thiry-Vella segments applied to ischemic colon studies.

Abstract A method for producing an isolated ischemic dog colon segment which allows long-term survival of the animal is outlined. The colostomy of this loop permits access to the mucosa of the segment for repeated observation, tissue sampling, and measurement of submucosal blood flow using submucosal injection of radioxenon. These studies indicate there is a return of mucosal blood flow toward normal in the 96 hr following production of ischemia, but the histology of this segment shows persistence of the submucosal hemorrhage, edema, and mucosal ulceration, up to that time. The measurements in any animal or group of animals are reproducible.
Reminiscence, forgetting, and hypermnesia using face-name learning: isolating the effects using recall and recognition memory measures.

A face–name learning paradigm was used to study phenomena involved in reminiscence, forgetting, and hypermnesia. Individuals introduced themselves on videotape while participants tried to learn their names. The presence of cues during testing increased overall performance but decreased hypermnesia in Experiment 1. Significant recognition memory effects were found for reminiscence and hypermnesia in Experiments 2 and 3. Experiment 3 also showed no interference from activities between testing sessions, but did show facilitating effects from exposure to photographs of target faces and to exposure of target names. The results were interpreted as showing support for reminiscence effects being primarily caused by imagery redintegration and effects consistent with stimulus sampling theories.
The thermal chemistry of ethyl iodide chemisorbed on Ni(100)

Abstract The interaction of ethyl iodide with Ni(100) surfaces has been examined by using thermal programmed desorption (TPD), X-ray photoelectron (XPS), and static secondary ion mass (SSIMS) spectroscopies. Ethyl iodide adsorbs molecularly on that surface below 100 K, and dissociates between 100 and 160 K to form ethyl species and iodine atoms. At low coverages the ethyl moieties decompose completely to form surface carbon and hydrogen atoms (which recombine and desorb at slightly above 300 K), but desorption of both ethylene and ethane is also observed at higher coverages. Ethylene forms via the elimination of a hydrogen atom from the beta position, and desorbs between 160 and 210 K depending on the initial coverage of ethyl iodide; ethane, on the other hand, is generated mostly by a direct recombination of ethyl species with hydrogen originating either from adsorption of background gases or from the β-hydride elimination reaction.
Interactions between bovine serum albumin and alginate: An evaluation of alginate as protein carrier

The intermolecular interactions between the model protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA) and a biocompatible polysaccharide, sodium alginate, have been investigated. Both the native BSA and the heat pre-denatured BSA were utilized to study, in parallel, the effect of protein conformational change during the protein-alginate complex formation. In this work, a comparison was performed between the native BSA and the heat-denatured BSA incubated sodium alginate mixtures by using zeta potential analyzer, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and turbidimetric analysis of the systems in combination with protein conformational tools, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and size exclusion chromatography (SE-HPLC). The experimental results demonstrate that the intermolecular chain associations were formed between alginate chains and protein molecules in either the native form or the heat pre-denatured form, mainly driven by the electrostatic interactions between the oppositely charged amino acids and the anionic polysaccharide macromolecules. However, the majority of BSA was recovered from the dissociation of protein-alginate complexes and maintained its secondary structure and conformational property. Therefore, alginate is promising as a bioactive compound carrier.
Implementation of micromirror arrays as optical binary switches and amplitude modulators

Abstract Five types of micromirror arrays were designed and fabricated using a three-level, polysilicon, surface micromachined, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) process. The electrostatically deflectable micromirror designs included arrays of simple cantilever beams, torsion beams, tethered (piston-style) beams, circular membranes and oval membranes. The smallest micromirror element was the simple cantilever beam, measuring 50 μm square. The largest micromirror element was the oval membrane; it possessed an active optical surface that was 320 μm by 920 μm. Each of the remaining micromirror designs have gold-coated polysilicon optical surfaces with geometries between these two limits. Electrostatically induced vertical deflections on the order of 2.75 μm were achieved. The torsion beam micromirror design exhibits both in-plane and out-of-plane deflection. The other micromirror designs only manifest in-plane deflections. The modeling phase focused on the microdynamical behavior of the torsion beam micromirror. The IntelliCAD ® finite element analysis program was used to generate a plot of the micromirror’s deflection (d) versus applied direct current voltage (V). The data was least-squares fitted to the well-established V ∝ d 3/2 relationship. A resonant frequency analysis predicted an approximate switching speed of 6 μsec. The reliability (number of operational cycles) of each micromirror design, when operated with a rectified 60 Hz alternating current (ac) signal, was measured to exceed more than 1 million flexure events. Experimental evidence supporting the potential for using micromirrors as binary optical switches and amplitude modulators was also addressed.
SU‐GG‐J‐113: Interfraction Dose Variations for Head and Neck Cancer Assessed Using Daily KVCT

Purpose: The interfraction variations during head and neck cancerradiotherapy can be significant due to the setup errors, neck rotation and organ shrinkage. We investigated the dosimetric consequence of these interfraction variations, so that the proper correction strategies can be considered. Method and Materials: Daily kVCT images for 20 head and neck cancer patients treated with CT‐guided repositioning using a linac and CT‐on‐Rails combo (CTVision, Siemens) were analyzed. Complete structure sets including multiple targets and critical structures were generated by deformable registration (MIMvista, OH) on each daily CT of the entire treatment course. Original plans were applied on each daily CT with and without the repositioning shifts recorded during the daily IGRT process. The daily doses were analyzed and compared to the planned doses.Results: The rotation of neck is difficult to reproduce everyday for head and neck cancertreatments. Generally, the daily repositioning based on the rigid body registration can correct for most of the interfraction dosimetric deviations from the planned doses. For example, on average, D95 (dose covers 95% of the target volume) was 3% lower than that planned after repositioning. It was observed that, for certain treatment fractions, the targets were significantly underdosed (>%), and/or the cord doses were increased by more than 5%. A margin of 0.5 cm for cord could ensure the cord dose does not exceed the dose limit. Conclusion: Although large interfraction variations in neck rotation, organ shrinkage, and setup errors during head and neck RT, the overall dosimetric impact can be corrected in majority of treatment fractions with the current standard of rigid‐body repositioning during IGRT. More complex correction strategies are needed for a small portion of fractions.
Printed transistors and passive components for low-cost electronics applications

In this paper, we have discussed our development of various printed electronics technologies targeted at meeting the needs of various optimal applications for printed electronics. While several concerns remain, particularly related to stability and reliability, the potential for printed electronics is strong, and progress will continue, driven by development of new materials and processes designed to exploit the opportunities that exist at the intersection of economics and engineering through the benefits of printing
Association Between Oral Sodium Phosphate Bowel Preparations and Kidney Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background Case reports and series have suggested an association between oral sodium phosphate bowel preparations and kidney injury. Results of analytic studies have been mixed. Study Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Setting & Population Patients receiving sodium phosphate bowel preparations (or comparators) in anticipation of colonoscopy. Selection Criteria for Studies Primary data reports of controlled studies of the effects of oral sodium phosphate versus comparator on kidney function. Predictor Receipt of oral sodium phosphate bowel purgative. Outcomes Random-effects pooled odds ratio for kidney injury in oral sodium phosphate–treated patients. Results Seven studies met criteria for inclusion. Significant heterogeneity existed in the populations under study (colonoscopy indication, baseline kidney function, and demographics), methods used (control group and use of prophylactic hydration), definition of kidney injury used (timing and magnitude), and results observed. The pooled odds ratio for kidney injury in oral sodium phosphate–treated patients ranged from 1.08 (95% confidence interval, 0.71 to 1.62) to 1.22 (95% confidence interval, 0.77 to 1.92). No obvious study- or patient-level factors that explained interstudy heterogeneity were identified. Limitations Few studies, each of limited quality. Conclusions Based on existing data, it is not possible to discern whether there is an association between receipt of oral sodium phosphate and kidney injury. Future investigation should be aimed at clarifying this association and examining the roles of prophylactic hydration and baseline kidney function on any imposed risk. Future work would be greatly enhanced by a standardized definition of incident kidney injury.
A Practical Approach for Writer-Dependent Symbol Recognition Using a Writer-Independent Symbol Recognizer

We present a practical technique for using a writer-independent recognition engine to improve the accuracy and speed while reducing the training requirements of a writer-dependent symbol recognizer. Our writer-dependent recognizer uses a set of binary classifiers based on the AdaBoost learning algorithm, one for each possible pairwise symbol comparison. Each classifier consists of a set of weak learners, one of which is based on a writer-independent handwriting recognizer. During online recognition, we also use the n-best list of the writer-independent recognizer to prune the set of possible symbols and, thus, reduce the number of required binary classifications. In this paper, we describe the geometric and statistical features used in our recognizer and our all-pairs classification algorithm. We also present the results of experiments that quantify the effect incorporating a writer-independent recognition engine into a writer-dependent recognizer has on accuracy, speed, and user training time.
Selenium and Its Relation to Oxidized Flavor in Milk

Abstract Experiments were done to test the hypothesis that the concentration and form of selenium (Se) in milk are variables that influence the susceptibility of milk to oxidized flavor. The addition to milk of 0.4 μ M/gram sodium selenate, selenomethionine, or selenocystine did not prevent development of spontaneous oxidized flavor. Administration of Se to cows by subcutaneous injection of sodium selenite solution at 11mg Se/100kg body weight, or by feeding sodium selenite at 5ppm Se in the dry matter, increased the concentration of Se in the milk two- or threefold, but did not decrease the susceptibility of the milk to oxidized flavor. None of the results supported the hypothesis.
Characterization of Traffic in Wireless Sensor Networks

We present an analysis of traffic collected from different topologies of wireless sensor networks. Specifically, over 2.1 million packets were analyzed from two different and commonly used network topologies, namely a direct connection to a base station and a daisy-chained connection to the base. The data traffic between the nodes was captured over a composite period of 180 hours. Using the captured information, analysis was performed to categorize and identify the information through anomalies and variations of traffic patterns. Data was also be analyzed for self-similarity and statistical distribution. The results have shown that by monitoring the traffic distribution and types of message sent, traffic analysis is able to distinguish between the two topology setups. The status of the nodes can also be determined with the traffic collected. Examples include new nodes joining the network and operational status of the nodes. Statistical analysis has also been done and found that wireless sensor network traffic is not self-similar except for the interarrival time of the direct connection mode.
Moving ahead while standing still: a tribute to Arch G. Woodside

When Metin Kozak asked me to write a tribute to Arch, I quickly accepted the opportunity to publicly acknowledge a colleague who has had such a profound impact on my life both professionally and pe...
Anthrax: Safe Treatment for Children:

Information regarding the treatment of anthrax infection is scarce in adults and is even more limited in children. Children, however, may be at a greater risk for developing an infection and systemic disease if exposed to anthrax than adults. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the use of doxycycline or ciprofloxacin for prophylaxis and treatment in children. Doxycycline currently is not indicated for use in children <8 years old, due to staining of teeth and inhibition of bone growth associated with tetracyclines. Doxycycline, however, may have less adverse effect on teeth than its precursors. Ciprofloxacin has a pediatric indication only when a child is potentially exposed to inhaled anthrax. Ciprofloxacin is contraindicated in pediatric patients because fluoroquinolones were shown to cause cartilage toxicity in immature animals. Although children of various ages have received ciprofloxacin, there are few reports of cartilage toxicity. Because anthrax is a potentially fatal infection, the benefits to using these antibiotics greatly outweigh the risks. Therefore, the use of these antibiotics in children can be recommended, despite the lack of adequate efficacy and safety studies in pediatric patients with anthrax.
Disentangling diffusion from jumps

Abstract Realistic models for financial asset prices used in portfolio choice, option pricing or risk management include both a continuous Brownian and a jump components. This paper studies our ability to distinguish one from the other. I find that, surprisingly, it is possible to perfectly disentangle Brownian noise from jumps. This is true even if, unlike the usual Poisson jumps, the jump process exhibits an infinite number of small jumps in any finite time interval, which ought to be harder to distinguish from Brownian noise, itself made up of many small moves.
Some molecular characteristics of human urinary erytopoietin determined by gel filtration and density-gradient ultracentrifugation.

Erythropoietin has not yet been isolated in pure form; however, its detectable biologic activity has made possible the study of some of its molecular properties. In this study, gel filtration was combined with density-gradient ultracentrifugation to estimate the molecular radius, sedimentation coefficient, frictional ratio, and molecular weight of human urinary erythropoietin. Gel filtration on Sephadex G-100 columns, calibrated with protein markers of known molecular radii (cytochrome C, ribonuclease, chymotrypsinogen, ovalbumin, and human serum albumin), yielded a molecular radius of 33 A for erythropoietin. Density-gradient ultracentrifugation was performed in a 5 to 15 per cent linear sucrose gradient with radioiodinated serum albumin and ssFe-labeled transferrin added as markers. A sedimentation coefficient of 2.65 was obtained for erythropoietin. Based on these data and if a partial specific volume of 0.70 cm.3 per gram is assumed, the frictional ratio of erythropoietin was calculated to be 1.58 with a molecular weight of 32,600.
Microstructure and Properties of Nanosemicrystalline Si3N4 Ceramics with Doped Sintering Additives: Part I. Microstructural Characterization of Nanosemicrystalline Si3N4 Powders

The characteristics of nanosized silicon nitride powders with doped Y2O3 and Al2O3 fabricated by a plasma-reacted chemical process were investigated. The chemical compositions of the powders were analyzed by wet chemical analysis. The morphology and the size distribution were determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TEM with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) was used to verify the existence of sintering additives in each individual particle. The crystal structure of the powders was identified by the selected area diffraction pattern (SADP). X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique was used for phase analysis and the measurement of degree of crystallinity. The characteristics of chemical bonding was analyzed by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR).
THE RELATION OF EXCHANGE TO NONDISJUNCTION IN HETEROLOGOUS CHROMOSOME PAIRS IN THE DROSOPHILA FEMALE

An analysis of the relationships in Drosophila melanogaster between one set of homologues (third chromosome) undergoing crossing over and a second, independent set (X chromosome) undergoing nondisjunction shows that the nondisjunctional set almost invariably segregates from one of the members of the crossover set and not the other. The results seem contradictory to the expectations based on the "distributive pairing hypothesis" according to which nondisjunctional (i.e., noncrossover) elements form a "distributive pool" whose members behave independently of those which have been involved in exchange.
A Systematic Approach toward Automated Performance Analysis and Tuning

High productivity is critical in harnessing the power of high-performance computing systems to solve science and engineering problems. It is a challenge to bridge the gap between the hardware complexity and the software limitations. Despite significant progress in programming language, compiler, and performance tools, tuning an application remains largely a manual task, and is done mostly by experts. In this paper, we propose a systematic approach toward automated performance analysis and tuning that we expect to improve the productivity of performance debugging significantly. Our approach seeks to build a framework that facilitates the combination of expert knowledge, compiler techniques, and performance research for performance diagnosis and solution discovery. With our framework, once a diagnosis and tuning strategy has been developed, it can be stored in an open and extensible database and thus be reused in the future. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach through the automated performance analysis and tuning of two scientific applications. We show that the tuning process is highly automated, and the performance improvement is significant.
A genetic locus targeted to the nuclear periphery in living cells maintains its transcriptional competence

The peripheral nuclear lamina, which is largely but not entirely associated with inactive chromatin, is considered to be an important determinant of nuclear structure and gene expression. We present here an inducible system to target a genetic locus to the nuclear lamina in living mammalian cells. Using three-dimensional time-lapse microscopy, we determined that targeting of the locus requires passage through mitosis. Once targeted, the locus remains anchored to the nuclear periphery in interphase as well as in daughter cells after passage through a subsequent mitosis. Upon transcriptional induction, components of the gene expression machinery are recruited to the targeted locus, and we visualized nascent transcripts at the nuclear periphery. The kinetics of transcriptional induction at the nuclear lamina is similar to that observed at an internal nuclear region. This new cell system provides a powerful approach to study the dynamics of gene function at the nuclear periphery in living cells.
Clinical risk factors for proliferative vitreoretinopathy.

• We reviewed the records of all patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachments examined and treated by a single surgeon (B.P.C.) at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, between 1978 and 1984. Of the 607 eyes that satisfied the selection criteria, a preliminary chart review of outcomes found that 65 (10.7%) had proliferative vitreoretinopathy and 34 had macular puckers. From the remaining 508 eyes, 325 controls were randomly selected to match each case from within a time window. Thirty-six (55.4%) of the 65 patients with proliferative vitreoretinopathy had had unequivocal reattachment after a single procedure before the onset of proliferative vitreoretinopathy, and the only clearly identified technical difficulty that was significantly more common in the patients with proliferative vitreoretinopathy was the inability to identify a retinal break. Several other features of the rhegmatogenous retinal detachments that correlated with the development of postoperative proliferative vitreoretinopathy were identified, and stepwise discriminant analysis was used to ascertain which of these were more important. The strongest predictor was use of vitrectomy in management of the detachment. Following this in order of importance were the presence of preoperative proliferative vitreoretinopathy, preoperative choroidal detachment, and the amount of cryopexy required. Vitrectomy remained a strong predictor even when considered after adjustment for all other characteristics. These data suggest that proliferative vitreoretinopathy is not simply an iatrogenic disease, but it is more likely to occur in association with certain detachment features that either by themselves or through their management require prolongation of the retinal wound healing process.
Ccdc11 is a novel centriolar satellite protein essential for ciliogenesis and establishment of Left-Right asymmetry

The establishment of left-right (L-R) asymmetry in vertebrates is dependent on the sensory and motile functions of cilia during embryogenesis. Mutations in CCDC11 disrupt L-R asymmetry and cause congenital heart disease in humans, yet the molecular and cellular functions of the protein remain unknown. Here we demonstrate that Ccdc11 is a novel component of centriolar satellites-cytoplasmic granules that serve as recruitment sites for proteins destined for the centrosome and cilium. Ccdc11 interacts with core components of satellites, and its loss disrupts the subcellular organization of satellite proteins and perturbs primary cilium assembly. Ccdc11 colocalizes with satellite proteins in human multiciliated tracheal epithelia, and its loss inhibits motile ciliogenesis. Similarly, depletion of CCDC11 in Xenopus embryos causes defective assembly and motility of cilia in multiciliated epidermal cells. To determine the role of CCDC11 during vertebrate development, we generated mutant alleles in zebrafish. Loss of CCDC11 leads to defective ciliogenesis in the pronephros and within the Kupffer's vesicle and results in aberrant L-R axis determination. Our results highlight a critical role for Ccdc11 in the assembly and function of motile cilia and implicate centriolar satellite-associated proteins as a new class of proteins in the pathology of L-R patterning and congenital heart disease.
Predicting Machine Translation Comprehension with a Neural Network

Comprehension of natural language translations is dependent upon several factors including textual variables (grammatical, spelling, and word choice errors, sentence complexity, etc.) and human variables (language fluency, topic knowledge, motivation, dyslexia, etc.). An individual reader’s understanding of machine-generated translations can vary widely because of the lower accuracy usually associated with this technology. Prior studies have had mixed results in predicting which variables have the greatest influence on translation comprehension. In the current study, we employ an artificial neural network to analyze survey responses and reading test scores, resulting in a significantly correlated forecast of reading comprehension. Thus, we are able to offer better predictions to identify which readers might have a better grasp of content from garbled translations. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;} Comprehension of natural language translations is dependent upon several factors including textual variables (grammatical, spelling, and word choice errors, sentence complexity, etc.) and human variables (language fluency, topic knowledge, motivation, dyslexia, etc.). An individual reader’s understanding of machine-generated translations can vary widely because of the lower accuracy usually associated with this technology. Prior studies have had mixed results in predicting which variables have the greatest influence on translation comprehension. In the current study, we employ an artificial neural network to analyze survey responses and reading test scores, resulting in a significantly correlated forecast of reading comprehension. Thus, we are able to offer better predictions to identify which readers might have a better grasp of content from garbled translations.
Emergency Department Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection Prevention: Multisite Qualitative Study of Perceived Risks and Implemented Strategies

BACKGROUND Existing knowledge of emergency department (ED) catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) prevention is limited. We aimed to describe the motivations, perceived risks for CAUTI acquisition, and strategies used to address CAUTI risk among EDs that had existing CAUTI prevention programs. METHODS In this qualitative comparative case study, we enrolled early-adopting EDs, that is, those using criteria for urinary catheter placement and tracking the frequency of catheters placed in the ED. At 6 diverse facilities, we conducted 52 semistructured interviews and 9 focus groups with hospital and ED participants. RESULTS All ED CAUTI programs originated from a hospitalwide focus on CAUTI prevention. Staff were motivated to address CAUTI because they believed program compliance improved patient care. ED CAUTI prevention was perceived to differ from CAUTI prevention in the inpatient setting. To identify areas of ED CAUTI prevention focus, programs examined ED workflow and identified 4 CAUTI risks: (1) inappropriate reasons for urinary catheter placement; (2) physicians’ limited involvement in placement decisions; (3) patterns of urinary catheter overuse; and (4) poor insertion technique. Programs redesigned workflow to address risks by (1) requiring staff to specify the medical reason for catheter at the point of order entry and placement; (2) making physicians responsible for determining catheter use; (3) using catheter alternatives to address patterns of overuse; and (4) modifying urinary catheter insertion practices to ensure proper placement. CONCLUSIONS Early-adopting EDs redesigned workflow to minimize catheter use and ensure proper insertion technique. Assessment of ED workflow is necessary to identify and modify local practices that may increase CAUTI risk. Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol. 2016;37(2):156–162
Fusion in phospholipid spherical membranes. I. Effect of temperature and lysolecithin.

A study concerning membrane contact and fusion phenomena was made for phospholipid spherical bilayer systems with respect to temperature. Specific tempertures were obtained for the spherical bilayer membranes of phosphatidyl choline (PC) and phosphatidyl serine (PS) which indicated a greater degree of membrane fusion and were designatedT f (the fusion temperature-PC: 43°C, PS: 38°C). These temperatures were reduced by about 10°C for the membranes incorporated with 20% lysophosphatidyl choline. The results of the contact, and fusion observed in the spherical membranes are compared and discussed with the conductance characteristics of the PC and PS planar bilayer membranes as well as dissolution study on the phospholipid monolayers formed at the air/water interface with respect to temperature. Also, a possible molecular mechanism of membrane fusion is discussed in terms of the fluidity and instability of the membrane.
Abstract 5550: The flavone baicalein increases DDIT4 protein expression and inhibits mTOR activity in platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian cancer cells.

OBJECTIVES: Baicalein is a natural flavone and an active component in traditional Chinese medicine. We have recently found that epithelial ovarian cancer cells treated with baicalein increases DDIT4 gene expression, a mediator of DNA damage response. Our objectives are to compare the effects of baicalein to carboplatin and gemcitabine on platinum sensitive and resistant ovarian cancer cell lines. Specifically we examined DDIT4 protein expression, effect on mTOR activity, and growth inhibition. METHODS: The ovarian cancer cell line A2780 and the derivative platinum resistant cell line A2780R were treated with carboplatin, gemcitabine, and baicalein with appropriate controls and growth was assessed at 72 hours by MTT assay. Alternatively cells were treated at identical concentrations for 24 hours and western blots were performed for DDIT4 protein expression, mTOR activity as reflected by phosphorylation of S6K1 (pS6K1) and S6 (pS6), as well as unphosphorylated controls and actin. RESULTS: MTT assay demonstrated that carboplatin and gemcitabine do not inhibit the growth of the A2780R cells at concentrations that inhibit A2780 while baicalein inhibits both cell lines nearly equally (2.5 to 20 μM). DDIT4 protein expression increased in a dose dependent fashion in both cell lines treated with baicalein. Furthermore, the mTOR targets S6K1 and S6 demonstrate a dose dependent decrease in phosphorylation, reflecting inhibition of mTOR activity (Figure 1). In contrast, DDIT4 protein expression was not altered in carboplatin and gemcitabine treated A2780R cells with minimal effect on mTOR activity, whereas A2780 cells displayed increased DDIT4 protein with increasing doses as well as corresponding decreases in the phosphorylation of the mTOR targets. CONCLUSIONS: Baicalein can inhibit growth of both platinum sensitive and resistant ovarian cancer cells. The inhibitory effects of baicalein correlate with both DDIT4 protein expression and inhibition of mTOR activity as reflected by phosphorylation of the mTOR targets S6K1 and S6. Baicalein may be a novel treatment option for patients with ovarian cancer, especially those that are platinum resistant. DDIT4 may mediate growth inhibition through inhibition of mTOR. Interestingly, DDIT4 expression and inhibition of mTOR activity may also play a role in the antitumor effects of the chemotherapeutics carboplatin and gemcitabine in sensitive ovarian cancer cells. Citation Format: Ernest S. Han, Yujun Wang, Quanhua Xing, Jin Yan, Richard Yip, Mark Wakabayashi, John Yim. The flavone baicalein increases DDIT4 protein expression and inhibits mTOR activity in platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian cancer cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5550. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-5550
Factors That Influence Faculty Adoption of Learning-Centered Approaches.

This article proposes a recommended course of action for faculty development based upon Rogers’ theory of Diffusion of Innovations and data collected in a study looking at the prevalence of use of learning-centered teaching practices. Specific faculty development strategies are aligned with Rogers’ factors influencing decisions to adopt innovations. The analysis of data indicated that 14% of the faculty members interviewed used predominately learning-centered teaching approaches and 8% rejected learning-centered teaching. Between these extremes, the others used learning-centered teaching components that fit with their personal teaching style and naturally suit their discipline. These recommendations will assist faculty developers, deans, chairs, and mentors in helping faculty members adopt learning-centered teaching practices.
Intangible Capital VS Tangible Capital:Which Is the Key Determent for the Survival of New Firms in Creative Industry

This paper examines the impact of intangible capital(i.e.guanxi,prior experience) and tangible capital on the survival of new ventures in Creative industries.It suggests both intangible capital and tangible capital social capital are supposed to have a positive influence on the survival of new ventures in creative industries.Especially in the early stage,financial capital provides key employees who had a great deal of guanxi and prior experience with confidence for the growth of new firms.