cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Role of Genetic Sex in Affect Regulation and Expression of GABA-Related Genes Across Species.

Although circulating hormones and inhibitory gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA)-related factors are known to affect mood, considerable knowledge gaps persist for biological mechanisms underlying the female bias in mood disorders. Here, we combine human and mouse studies to investigate sexual dimorphism in the GABA system in the context of major depressive disorder (MDD) and then use a genetic model to dissect the role of sex-related factors in GABA-related gene expression and anxiety-/depressive-like behaviors in mice. First, using meta-analysis of gene array data in human postmortem brain (N = 51 MDD subjects, 50 controls), we show that the previously-reported down-regulation in MDD of somatostatin (SST), a marker of a GABA neuron subtype, is significantly greater in women with MDD. Second, using gene co-expression network analysis in control human subjects (N = 214; 2 frontal cortex regions) and expression quantitative trait loci mapping (N = 170 subjects), we show that expression of SST and the GABA-synthesizing enzymes glutamate decarboxylase 67 (GAD67) and GAD65 are tightly co-regulated and influenced by X-chromosome genetic polymorphisms. Third, using a rodent genetic model (Four Core Genotypes (FCG) mice), in which genetic and gonadal sex are artificially dissociated (N ≥ 12/group), we show that genetic sex (i.e. X/Y chromosome) influences both gene expression (lower Sst, Gad67, Gad65 in XY mice) and anxiety-like behaviors (higher in XY mice). This suggests that in an intact male animal, the observed behavior represents the outcomes of male genetic sex increasing and male-like testosterone decreasing anxiety-like behaviors. Gonadal sex was the only factor influencing depressive-like behavior (gonadal males < gonadal females). Collectively, these combined human and mouse studies provide mechanistic insight into sexual dimorphism in mood disorders, and specifically demonstrate an unexpected role for XY genetic sex on GABA-related genes and anxiety-like behaviors.
Making Imaging Research a Part of Radiology Resident Training

1. In 1998, the American Board of Radiology approved the B. Leonard Holman Pathway for training radiologists as basic and clinical research scientists. 2. In 1999, the Radiological Society of North America launched a research initiative entitled Revitalizing the Radiology Research Enterprise that was intended to refocus the research mission by educating leaders on how to grow and sustain research programs in departments of radiology. 3. In 2000, the Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Biomedical Engineering (NIBIB) was established at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Drug allergens and food--the cetuximab and galactose-α-1,3-galactose story.

Objective A novel form of food allergy has been described that initially became apparent from IgE reactivity with the drug cetuximab. Ongoing work regarding the etiology, distribution, clinical management, and cellular mechanisms of the IgE response to the oligosaccharide galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-gal) is reviewed.
Modeling the partial oxidation of methane in a short‐contact‐time reactor

Partial oxidation of methane in monolithic catalysts at very short contact times offers a promising route to convert natural gas into syngas (H2 and CO), which can then be converted to higher alkanes or methanol. Detailed modeling is needed to understand their complex interaction of transport and kinetics in these systems and for their industrial application. In this work, the partial oxidation of methane in noble-metal (Rh and Pt)-coated monoliths was studied numerically as an example of short-contact-time reactor modeling. A tube wall catalytic reactor was simulated as a model for a single pore of the monolithic catalyst using a 2-D flow field description coupled with detailed reaction mechanisms for surface and gas-phase chemistry. The catalytic surface coverages of adsorbed species are calculated vs. position. The reactor is characterized by competition between complete and partial oxidation of methane. At atmospheric pressure, CO2 and H2O are formed on the catalytic surface at the entrance of the catalytic reactor. At higher pressure, gas-phase chemistry becomes important, forming more complete oxidation products downstream and decreasing syngas selectivity by about 2% at 10 bar. Temperature (from 300 to ∼ 1,200 K), velocity, and transport coefficients change very rapidly at the catalyst entrance. The dependence of conversion and selectivity on reactor conditions was examined.
Expectations and satisfaction of denture patients in a university clinic

Abstract These results indicate that patients' expectations of dentures before treatment were unrealistically high and that informational videotapes did not significantly affect these expectations. Satisfaction with current dentures was surprisingly high before treatment and increased significantly from pretreatment to postreatment for both groups in the study. While it is likely that this increase in satisfaction reflects a change from poor to excellent denture status, this finding may also be attributed to cognitive dissonance theory; that is, high satisfaction may represent the means by which patients justify the expenses of their denture treatment. Although the videotape presentations did not alter the expectations of patients and their satisfaction with dentures, the tapes represent a potential source of accurate, standardized information for both patient and student dentist.
Disaggregation Method for an Aggregate Traffic Flow Management Model

A linear time-varying aggregate traffic flowmodel can be used to develop traffic flowmanagement strategies using optimization algorithms. However, there are few methods available in the literature to translate these aggregate solutions into practical control actions involving individual aircraft. In this paper, a computationally efficient disaggregation algorithm is proposed by employing a series of linear program and mixed integer linear program methods, which converts an aggregate (flow-based) solution to a flight-specific control action. Numerical results generated by the optimization method and the disaggregation algorithm are presented and illustrated by applying them to generate traffic flow management schedules for a typical day in the U.S. National Airspace System.
Theoretical lifetimes of the metastable 5S02 states in atomic carbon and oxygen

Abstract “We have performed many-electron calculation of the lifetimes (τ) of the metastable CI 1s 2 2s2p 3 5 S 0 2 “ and OI 1s 2 2s 2 2p 3 3s “ 5 S 0 2 ” states allowing for electron correlation and the full spin-orbit interaction. These calculations, the first of their kind, yield τ oxygen = 192 × 10 −6 sec and τ carbon = 176 × 10 −3 sec. The oxygen result is in excellent agreement with the very recent and only experimental value by Johnson of τ oxygen = (185 + − 10) × 10 −6 sec.
Hypothermia for Acute Spinal Cord Injury—A Review

Objective Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a catastrophic neurological event with no proven treatments that protect against its consequences. Potential benefits of hypothermia in preventing/limiting central nervous system injury are now well known. There has been an interest in its potential use after SCI. This article reviews the current experimental and clinical evidence on the use of therapeutic hypothermia in patients with SCI. Methods Review of literature. Results There are various mechanisms by which hypothermia is known to protect the central nervous system. Modest hypothermia (32°C–34°C) can deliver the potential benefits of hypothermia without incurring the complications associated with deep hypothermia. Several recent experimental studies have repeatedly shown that the use of hypothermia provides the benefit of neuroprotection after SCI. Although older clinical studies were often focused on local cooling strategies and demonstrated mixed results, more recent data from systemic hypothermia use demonstrate its safety and its benefits. Endovascular cooling is a safe and reliable method of inducing hypothermia. Conclusions There is robust experimental and some clinical evidence that hypothermia is beneficial in acute SCI. Larger, multicenter trials should be initiated to further study the usefulness of systemic hypothermia in SCI.
Time-dependent behavior in a Terfenol-D actuated visco-elastic polymer matrix composite

The present paper develops a one dimensional magneto-elastic model of a magnetostrictive fiber actuated polymer matrix composite material which accounts for a strong visco-elastic response in the polymer matrix. The visco-elastic behavior of the composite polymer matrix is modeled with a three parallel Maxwell element visco-elastic model, the magneto-elastic behavior of the composite fibers is modeled with an anhysteric directional potential based domain occupation theory. Example calculations are performed to identify and explain the dynamical behavior of the composite. We observed that the increasing and decreasing limbs of the magnetization and magnetostriction loops are offset at middle levels of applied field. This offset is a consequence of the interaction of the time varying fiber stress caused by matrix viscosity with a multi-domain state in the fiber. The small increase in fiber longitudinal compressive stress due to matrix viscosity under increasing field inhibits the occupation of domains with magnetization orientations near the fiber longitudinal direction. As a consequence, the summed longitudinal magnetization and magnetostriction is reduced as compared to the decreasing field limb. This results in an apparent hysteresis loop in the magnetization and magnetostriction curves even though the model does not include magneto-elastic hysteresis in the fibers.© (2002) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Reversal of rocuronium with edrophonium during propofol versus sevoflurane anesthesia.

BACKGROUND The use of volatile anesthetics for maintenance of anesthesia can enhance the action of non-depolarizing muscle relaxants and interfere with the reversal of neuromuscular blockade. In this study, we studied the antagonism of rocuronium with edrophonium-atropine during propofol- versus sevoflurane-based anesthesia. METHODS Following induction of anesthesia with propofol (2-2.5 mg kg(-1), i.v.) and fentanyl (1-2 microg kg(-1) i.v.), rocuronium 0.6 mg kg(-1) i.v. was administered to facilitate tracheal intubation. Patients were then randomized to receive either a propofol infusion (100 microg kg(-1) min(-1)) or sevoflurane (1.0%, end-tidal) in combination with nitrous oxide 66% for maintenance of anesthesia. Neuromuscular blockade was monitored using electromyography at the wrist, and reversed with edrophonium 1.0 mg kg(-1) and atropine 0.015 mg kg(-1) when the first twitch hight (T1) of the train-of-four (TOF) stimulation recovered to 25% of the baseline value. Anesthetic maintenance with propofol or sevoflurane was continued following reversal until a TOF ratio of 0.7 was attained. RESULTS The clinical duration of action (i.e., time to 25% T1 recovery) was similar during both propofol- (39.3+/-14.6 min) and sevoflurane-based (48.1+/-19.7 min) anesthesia. However, the reversal time from 25% T1 to TOF ratio of 0.7 was significantly longer with sevoflurane [Median 2.8 (range 0.5-18.8) min] compared with propofol [1.5 (0.75-3) min] (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS We conclude that the clinical duration of action after a single dose of rocuronium, 0.6 mg kg(-1) i.v., was similar during both propofol- and sevoflurane-based anesthesia. However, the reversal of rocuronium-induced residual blockade was slower and more variable in the presence of sevoflurane.
URINARY GLUCOSE AND TUMOR GROWTH IN PARTIALLY DEPANCREATIZED FORCE-FED RATS

This was a study of urinary glucose and tumor (Walker carcinoma 256) growth in partially depancreatized rats. The rats were force-fed in most of the experiments. Theexperiments involved 204 partially depancreatized and 60 normal rats. The rate of tumor growth is normal in mildly diabetic rats, but when glycosuria is moderate or severe, tumorgrowth is retarded in proportion to the severity of the diabetes. As the tumor grows, theglycosuria becomes less severe in all the diabetic tumor hosts. When severely diabetic rats eat ad libitum, the rate of tumor growth is suppressed; the glycosuria is markedly decreased as the tumor grows, and the voluntary intake of food, initially very high, is decreased to subnormal levels. When the diabetes of the depancreatized rat is controlled by insulin, the tumor grows at a normal rate. An attempt was made to cause death of the tumor by producing severe diabetes.
UNION OF CHIRAL AND HEAVY QUARK SYMMETRIES

Abstract We describe the chiral symmetric couplings of pions to heavy mesons (B or D), valid in the portion of phase space where the pions have low momentum. In order to include consistently all low energy excitations, the vector mesons (B ∗ or D ∗ ) must appear explicitly in the effective lagrangian. The result is then invariant under both the chiral and heavy quark symmetries. We include matrix elements relevant for various weak decays.
TRANSFORMATION SEQUENCE IN A Cu-Al-Ni SHAPE MEMORY ALLOY AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURES.

Precipitation sequences in a Cu-14 pct Al-4 pct Ni (wt pct) shape memory alloy were studied by means of transmission electron diffraction and microscopy as well as X-ray microanalysis techniques. On aging thin foil specimens up to 550 °C in the electron microscope, an as-quenched sample having a mixture of 2H-type and D03-type metastable structures transformed to the stable simple cubic γ2 phase at or above 450 °C. The remaining matrix either showed precipitates of the fcc α-phase on prolonged annealing at 500 to 550 °C for a longer period, or transformed to martensite on cooling below theM s temperature (~150 °C).
Race, Psychiatric Diagnosis, and Mental Health Care Utilization in Older Patients

To evaluate the impact of race on mental health care utilization among older patients within given clinical psychiatric diagnoses, the authors examined a retrospective sample of 23,718 elderly veterans treated in Department of Veterans Affairs inpatient facilities in 1994. Significant racial differences in mental health care utilization found over a subsequent 2-year period were related to outpatient (but not inpatient) care; for instance: 1) African American patients with psychotic disorders had significantly fewer outpatient psychiatric visits; and 2) African American patients with substance abuse disorders had significantly more psychiatric visits than Caucasian patients in their respective groups. Although inpatient utilization appeared to be similar among races, findings related to outpatient utilization may be associated with such factors as compliance, treatment efficacy, access to health care, or possible clinician bias.
Clotrimazole, an Inhibitor of Benzo[a]pyrene Metabolism and Its Subsequent Glucuronidation, Sulfation, and Macromolecular Binding in BALB/c Mouse Cultured Keratinocytes

The effect of the antifungal imidazole compound, clotrimazole, on the metabolism of benzo[a]pyrene (BP) was studied in cultured keratinocytes prepared from BALB/c mouse epidermis. Varying concentrations of clotrimazole added to the cultured keratinocytes resulted in a dose- dependent inhibition of the activities of the microsomal cytochrome P-450-dependent monooxygenases aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase and 7-ethoxycoumarin O-deethylase. The major organic solvent-soluble metabolites of BP identified in the cultured cells were trans-7,8-dihydro-7,8-dihydroxybenzo[a]pyrene (BP-7,8-diol), 9-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene (9-OH-BP), and 3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene (3-OH-BP), although small amounts of trans-4,5-dihydro-4,5-dihydroxybenzo[a]pyrene, BP-quinoncs, and trans-9, 10-dihydroxybenzo[a]pyrene were also present. The major organic solvent-extractable metabolites of BP found in the extracellular culture medium were primarily the diols with smaller quantities of phenols and quinones. The major water-soluble metabolites of BP present both intracellularly and extracellularly were glucuronide conjugates of 3- OH-BP, 9-OH-BP, and benzo[a]pyrene-3,6-dione and to a lesser extent sulfate conjugates (primarily of the BP-7,8- diol). Clotrimazole inhibited the generation of organic solvent-soluble and water-soluble conjugates in a dose-dependent manner. The in vitro metabolism of BP by microsomes prepared from control and benz[a]anthracene (BA)-induced cultured keratinocytes was also inhibited by clotrimazole with greater inhibitory effect on BA-induced keratinocytes especially with respect to the formation of diols and quinones. The enzyme-mediated covalent binding of BP to mouse keratinocyte DNA and protein was also substantially diminished by clotrimazole in a dose-dependent fashion. These results indicate that clotrimazole, a widely used drug for the management of a variety of superficial dermatophyte infections of the skin, is a potent inhibitor of cytochrome P-450-dependent transformation of poly-cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in cultured murine keratinocytes. This system offers a convenient approach for studies as inhibitors of carcinogen metabolism in the epidermis.
Electronic interactions and thermal disorder in molecular crystals containing cofacial pentacene units

We computed the intermolecular electronic coupling and the band structure of three pentacene derivatives that stack cofacially in one or two dimensions. We rationalize the results building a map of the coupling between HOMOs and LUMOs of isolated pentacene molecules as a function of the relative molecular orientation and finding the position on such map of the actual molecular pairs. The apparently chaotic dependence of the intermolecular coupling from the crystal structure is explained, and directions for the design of materials with improved electric transport properties are given. We run molecular dynamics simulations to explore the variation of the intermolecular coupling due to the thermal motions. It is shown that, even in the crystal phase, the limited conformational space explored at room temperature is large enough to produce consistent variation in the intermolecular coupling. The consequences of this finding on the practicability of the transport properties of organic materials are analyzed.
Cultured Skin Fibroblasts Derived from Patients with Mucolipidosis 4 Are Auto-Fluorescent

ABSTRACT: Mucolipidosis 4 (ML4) is an autosomal recessive disorder with both lipid and mucopolysaccharide storage. The disease is characterized by severe visual impairment and psychomotor retardation. In our effort to find a phenotypic marker for ML4 fibroblasts, living cells were stained with fluorescent compounds. The staining pattern in cells was complicated by auto-fluorescence. A careful study revealed that auto-fluorescence by itself was a sufficient marker for viable ML4 fibroblasts. ML4 cells in cultures obtained from four unrelated patients contain auto-fluorescent material. Auto-fluorescence was noted over a wide range of excitation wavelengths from ~365 to ~546 nm. The most intense fluorescence was observed in the lower wave-length range. Cultured fibroblasts from normal individuals or obligate ML4 heterozygotes did not fluoresce under adequately controlled culture conditions. High passage number or inadequate feeding caused a small proportion of fibroblasts obtained from normal individuals to auto-fluoresce. The auto-fluorescent material co-localized with phase-dense inclusion bodies, shown to be lysosomes by staining with LAMP-ab. These findings imply that fluorescence may relate to the specific compound(s) stored in the lysosomes. In a comparative study, neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis fibroblasts were also fluorescent. Fibroblasts from other diseases such as Gaucher disease and glycogenosis type 2 did not show any fluorescence. These findings are currently used in our functional cloning strategy for determining the gene involved in MLA.
Forest service experience with interdisciplinary teams developing integrated resource management plans

The National Forest Management Act and National Environmental Policy Act require the use of an interdisciplinary team (ID team) to do integrated resource planning for the National Forests and the concurrent environmental analysis. A survey sent to all National Forest planning officers (82% response) reveals the composition of the ID teams used in integrated resource and land management planning. More than half the National Forests ID teams met NEPA and NFMA compositional requirements. National Forest planners recount their experiences with these ID teams. Despite frustrations with many aspects of the ID teams, the planners strongly support the idea that ID teams are an important part of the land-use planning process and think that their use leads to better National Forest integrated resource plans.
The formation of adventitious buds in vitro on micro-cross sections of hybrid Populus leaf midveins

Abstract Micro-cross sections (MCS) of midveins from hybrid Populus leaves were1used to study adventitious bud formation in vitro. MCS of 100 μm, 200 μm, 300 μm, 400 μm, and 500 μm in length were made with a Lancer Vibratome and cultured in Woody Plant Medium (WPM). In the presence of naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), 400 and 500-μm sections had equal bud forming capacity and produced as many adventitious buds (average four shoots/MCS) as a 1-cm explant under the same culture conditions. This means that MCS of midveins are approximately 25 times more efficient in shoot regeneration than a 1-cm explant. The conditions used were suboptimal for the 200-μm and 100-μm sections. Shoot numbers from the 200-μm MCS were considerably reduced and the 100-μm MCS did not form buds at all. The size of lamina remnants was critical with 1–2 mm on each side of the midvein being optimal for bud formation. The MCS (300 and 400 μm) were not only an effective system for production of adventitious shoots, but also allowed direct microscopic observations of early morphogenetic events in vitro. These direct observations indicate that the callus and buds are initiated from a group of small chlorophyllous cells located in areas of the midvein that are adjacent to the mesophyll cells.
Sandwich pairs for p-Laplacian systems

Abstract We solve boundary value problems for p -Laplacian systems using sandwich pairs.
Masters and Statesmen: The Political Culture of American Slavery

"Masters and Statesmen" delineates a provocative set of parallels between the proslavery argument, concepts of political representation, dueling, the theory and practice of political parties, and secession in the American South. "Slavery in the antebellum South", Kenneth Greenberg writes, "was intimately connected to a distinct set of political values and practices. Ultimately these...helped shape the form and content of conflict with the North." To assert their honor and their power, Southerners rose up against the Union; secession came to be seen, paradoxically, as the only way for the South to free itself from slavery.
Effects of Uncertain Land Availability, Wind Shear, and Cost on Wind Farm Layout

The robust optimization presented in this paper is formulated to assist in early-stage wind farm development. It can help wind farm developers predict project viability and can help landowners predict where turbines will be placed on their land. A wind farm layout is optimized under multiple sources of uncertainty. Landowner participation is represented with a novel uncertain model of willingness-to-accept monetary compensation. An uncertain wind shear parameter and economies-of-scale cost reduction parameter are also included. Probability Theory, Latin Hypercube Sampling, and Compromise Programming are used to form the robust design problem and minimize the two objectives: the normalized mean and standard deviation of Cost-of-Energy. The results suggest that some landowners that will only accept high levels of compensation are worth pursuing, while others are not.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Firm size and occupational injury and illness incidence rates in manufacturing industries

Information was gathered from a Department of Labor (DOL) publication on firm size and occupational injuries and illnesses. Twenty-eight large industries were selected which contained information on injury and illness rates for all eight categories of firm sizes. The injury and illness information was matched to data on percent of production workers, percent women, weekly earnings and weekly hours in the 28 industries. After controlling for gender, earnings, hours and percent production workers, as well as idiosyncratic effects of the particular industries, the evidence suggests that very small firms (1–19 employees) and very large firms (1,000 employees or more) have the fewest injuries and illnesses, and medium sized firms, 20 to 999 employees, have the most.
Debunking the recurring myth of a magic wavelength for free-space optics

Free-Space Optics (FSO) is a proven, reliable technology for last mile telecommunications applications, used worldwide for both enterprise network building-to-building connections and for wireless access to more traditional land line communications networks. In most mid-latitude coastal cities, link availability at distances above a few hundred meters is primarily affected by fog and low clouds. At longer distances, heavy rain and snow can also affect the link. The most mature technology used in FSO equipment relies on low cost semiconductor lasers or LED’s operating in the near infrared at wavelengths of 785 nm or 850 nm. In the past few years, systems operating at 1550 nm have also been developed. At first the vendors of these systems claimed that the 1550 nm wavelength had better propagation characteristics in severe weather than the 785 nm wavelength. With further analysis and research, those claims were withdrawn. Now there are claims that even longer wavelengths near 10 microns will solve the FSO link availability issues associated with severe weather. Hype about such magic wavelengths for FSO is both a disservice to the investors who will lose the money they are investing based on exaggerated claims, and to the rest of the FSO industry which should be creating realistic expectations for the capability of its equipment. In the weather conditions which normally cause the highest attenuation for FSO systems, namely coastal fog and low clouds, 10 microns offers no propagation advantage over shorter wavelengths.
Parasitization of Cabbage Looper in California Cotton

The major parasites of cabbage looper larvae in California cotton are Hyposoter exiguae (Viereck), Microplitis brassicae Muesebeck, and Copidosoma truncatellum (Dahlman). Parasitization for a given species was greater when the species occurred alone than when it occurred in combination with one or two other species. However, total parasitization did not decrease with an increase in number of parasite species. Implications for multiple-species introductions are discussed.
3H-muscimol binding in synaptosomal fractions from bovine and developing rabbit retinas

Bovine and rabbit retina synaptosomal fractions bind the potent and specific GABA agonist, [3H]-muscimol with high affinity and limited capacity. The high degree of pharmacological specificity and the subcellular distribution of these binding sites are similar to those reported for [3H]-GABA binding sites. These observations suggest that these sites represent the recognition sites for GABA receptors. The specific binding of [3H]-muscimol in retinal homogenates from different aged rabbits reveal a distinct developmental profile with a fivefold to six fold increase in binding between days 5 and 13. Thus, it appears that GABA receptor development continues after eye opening in rabbits (day 9-10) and that receptor maturation is delayed by at least two to three days with respect to published of GABA uptake and evoked release.
ATP as a biomass indicator for closed ecosystems

Abstract Nucleotide measurements have been used as biomass indicators in microbial ecology. We report the use of this metric in materially closed, energetically open microbial ecosystems. Our results indicate that: (i) both ATP concentrations and pO2 show an increase from time of closure; (ii) ATP concentrations (0.2 1.2 ng/ml) are approximately 2–3 times higher than open ocean water; (iii) there is an apparent oscillation of ATP concentrations on the order of 50 days; and (iv) within experimental limitations the ratios of ATP concentrations to observed total cell counts is constant.
Oxidized Zirconium in Total Joint Arthroplasty

In vivo roughening of cobalt chrome bearing surfaces, which can increase ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene wear, may occur in total hip and knee arthroplasty. Ceramic surfaces are more scratch-resistant than metal and less susceptible to in vivo roughening. Oxidized zirconium implants consist of a zirconium-2.5% niobium (Zr-2.5NB) alloy substrate with a relatively thick ceramic oxide surface. Multiple in vitro wear studies have consistently demonstrated lower wear rates with oxidized zirconium compared with cobalt chrome under clean and abrasive conditions and early clinical studies demonstrate favorable results with oxidized zirconium, suggesting that this material may improve the durability of total hip and knee arthroplasty.
Linkage relationships among five enzyme-coding gene loci in the copepod Tigriopus californicus: A genetic confirmation of achiasmatic meiosis

Linkage relationships among five polymorphic enzyme-coding gene loci in the marine copepod Tigriopus californicus have been determined using electrophoretic analysis of progeny from laboratory matings. Phosphoglucose isomerase (PGI; EC 5.3.1.9) was found to be tightly linked to glutamate-pyruvate transaminase (GPT; EC 2.6..1.2), with only one recombinant observed in 364 progeny; glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT; EC 2.6.1.1) is linked to the PGI-GPT pair, with a recombination fraction of approximately 0.20 in male double heterozygotes. Phosphoglucomutase (PGM; EC 2.7.5.1) and an esterase (EST; EC 3.1.1.1) are not linked to the PGI, GPT, GOT grouping, which has been designated linkage group I. Reciprocal crosses have revealed that no recombination occurs in female T. californicus; this observation confirms a previous report that meiosis in female Tigriopus is achiasmatic.
Gas Phase Thermal Reactions of exo-8-Cyclopropyl-bicyclo[4.2.0]oct-2-ene (1-exo)

The title compound 1-exo (with minor amounts of its C8 epimer 1-endo) was prepared by Wolff-Kishner reduction of the cycloadduct of 1,3-cyclohexadiene and cyclopropylketene. The [1,3]-migration product 2-endo was synthesized by efficient selective cyclopropanation of endo-5-vinylbicyclo[2.2.2]oct-2-ene at the exocyclic π-bond. Gas phase thermal reactions of 1-exo afforded C8 epimerization to 1-endo, [1,3]- migrations to 2-exo and 2-endo, direct fragmentation to cyclohexadiene and vinylcyclopropane, and CPC rearrangement in the following relative kinetic order: kep > k13 > kf > kCPC.
Shell: A Spatial Decomposition Data Structure for Ray Traversal on GPU

Shared memory many-core processors such as GPUs have been extensively used in accelerating computation-intensive algorithms and applications. When porting existing algorithms from sequential or other parallel architecture models to shared memory many-core architectures, non-trivial modifications are often needed to match the execution patterns of the target algorithms with the characteristics of many-core architectures. Ray traversal is a fundamental process in many applications, and is commonly accelerated by spatial decomposition schemes captured in hierarchical data structures (e.g., kd-trees). However, ray traversal using hierarchical data structures needs to conduct repeated hierarchical searches. Such search process is time-consuming on shared memory many-core architectures since it incurs considerable amounts of expensive memory accesses and execution divergence. In this paper, we propose a novel spatial decomposition based data structure, called Shell, which completely avoids hierarchical search for ray traversal. In Shell, a structure is built on the boundary of each region in the decomposed space, which allows any ray traversing in a region to find the next neighboring region to traverse using table lookup schemes, without any hierarchical search. While our ray traversal approach works for other spatial decomposition paradigms and many-core processors in higher dimensional scenes, we illustrate it using kd-tree on GPU for 3D scenario and compare with the fastest known kd-tree searching algorithms for ray traversal. Experimental results in graphics ray tracing and radiation dose calculation show that our approach improves the performance by 3.5-5.5 $\times$ over the fastest known kd-tree based approaches.
Spatially segregated transcription and translation in cells of the endomembrane-containing bacterium Gemmata obscuriglobus

The dogma of coupled transcription and translation in bacteria has been challenged by recent reports of spatial segregation of these processes within the relatively simple cellular organization of the model organisms Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. The bacterial species Gemmata obscuriglobus possesses an extensive endomembrane system. The membranes generate a very convoluted intracellular architecture in which some of the cell’s ribosomes appear to have less direct access to the cell’s nucleoid(s) than others. This observation prompted us to test the hypothesis that a substantial proportion of G. obscuriglobus translation may be spatially segregated from transcription. Using immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy, we showed that translating ribosomes are localized throughout the cell, with a quantitatively greater proportion found in regions distal to nucleoid(s). Our results extend information about the phylogenetic and morphological diversity of bacteria in which the spatial organization of transcription and translation has been studied. These findings also suggest that endomembranes may provide an obstacle to colocated transcription and translation, a role for endomembranes that has not been reported previously for a prokaryotic organism. Our studies of G. obscuriglobus may provide a useful background for consideration of the evolutionary development of eukaryotic cellular complexity and how it led to decoupled processes of gene expression in eukaryotes.
NNScore: a neural-network-based scoring function for the characterization of protein-ligand complexes.

As high-throughput biochemical screens are both expensive and labor intensive, researchers in academia and industry are turning increasingly to virtual-screening methodologies. Virtual screening relies on scoring functions to quickly assess ligand potency. Although useful for in silico ligand identification, these scoring functions generally give many false positives and negatives; indeed, a properly trained human being can often assess ligand potency by visual inspection with greater accuracy. Given the success of the human mind at protein−ligand complex characterization, we present here a scoring function based on a neural network, a computational model that attempts to simulate, albeit inadequately, the microscopic organization of the brain. Computer-aided drug design depends on fast and accurate scoring functions to aid in the identification of small-molecule ligands. The scoring function presented here, used either on its own or in conjunction with other more traditional functions, could prove useful...
DNA electrophoresis on nanopatterned surfaces

We present a new technology that uses nanopatterned surfaces to separate DNA. This technology eliminates the need for disposable separation media (i.e., gels or polymer solutions that are susceptible to degradation and are difficult to load into small devices due to their inherent high viscosity). We demonstrate using molecular dynamics simulations and experiments that this method can simultaneously separate a broad band of DNA ranging from a few hundred base pairs (bp) through genomic size without a loss in resolution.
A new photosensitive polymeric material for WORM optical data storage using multichannel two-photon fluorescence readout

We report image formation via photoinduced fluorescence changes in a polymeric medium with nondestructive two-photon fluorescence readout of a multilayer structure. A two-photon absorbing fluorescent dye possessing functional groups with differential basicity, (7-benzothiazolyl-9,9-didecyl-2,2-(N,N-diphenylamino)fluorene) (1), underwent protonation in the presence of a photoinduced acid generator upon exposure to a broadband UV light source or femtosecond near-IR laser irradiation. Solution studies demonstrated formation of monoprotonated and diprotonated species upon irradiation, each resulting in distinctly different absorption and fluorescence properties. The fluorescence of the original, neutral fluorophore was reduced upon monoprotonation, leading to a concomitant increase in fluorescence at longer wavelengths due to the monoprotonated form. Experiments in polymer films demonstrate the changes in fluorescence properties of the fluorophores can be employed for a write-once read-many (WORM) data storag...
Socially-optimal design of crowdsourcing platforms with reputation update errors

Crowdsourcing systems (e.g. Yahoo! Answers and Amazon Mechanical Turk) provide a platform for requesters, who have tasks to solve, to ask for help from workers. Vital to the proliferation of crowdsourcing systems is incentivizing the workers to exert high effort to provide high-quality services. Reputation mechanisms have been shown to work effectively as incentive schemes in crowdsourcing systems. A reputation agency updates the reputations of the workers based on the requesters' reports on the quality of the workers' services. A low-reputation worker is less likely to get served when it requests help, which provides incentives for the workers to obtain a high reputation by exerting high effort. However, reputation update errors are inevitable, because of either system errors such as loss of reports, or inaccurate reports, resulting from the difficulty in accurately assessing the quality of a worker's service. The reputation update error prevents existing reputation mechanisms from achieving the social optimum. In this paper, we propose a simple binary reputation mechanism, which has only two reputation labels (“good” and “bad”). To the best of our knowledge, our proposed reputation mechanism is the first that is proven to be able to achieve the social optimum even in the presence of reputation update errors. We provide design guidelines for socially-optimal binary reputation mechanisms.
Role of Established Type 2 Diabetes–Susceptibility Genetic Variants in a High Prevalence American Indian Population

Several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have been identified, but there is little information on their role in populations at high risk for T2DM. We genotyped SNPs at 63 T2DM loci in 3,421 individuals from a high-risk American Indian population. Nominally significant ( P P = 6.2 × 10 −6 ) and, in 292 nondiabetic individuals, with lower insulin secretion (by 4% per copy, P = 4.1 × 10 −6 ). Genetic distances between American Indians and HapMap populations at T2DM markers did not differ significantly from genomic expectations. Analysis of U.S. national survey data suggested that 66% of the difference in T2DM prevalence between African Americans and European Americans, but none of the difference between American Indians and European Americans, was attributable to allele frequency differences at these loci. These analyses suggest that, in general, established T2DM loci influence T2DM in American Indians and that risk is mediated in part through an effect on insulin secretion. However, differences in allele frequencies do not account for the high population prevalence of T2DM.
Apartment Therapy, Everyday Modernism, and Aspirational Disposability

In this article, I consider the formal and textual attributes of Apartment Therapy, a popular design blog, to argue that it offers “aspirational disposability” as an imaginative solution to commodity capitalism’s problems of both overconsumption and conformity. I first historically ground my discussion in an examination of the roots of midcentury modernism and the notion of the home as a curative space. I then discuss “everyday modernism” as a consumerist formation that informs aspirational disposability, particularly through Ikea goods. Finally, I turn to an analysis of the main features of Apartment Therapy that articulate aspirational disposability. Midcentury modernism, and its disposable incarnations from Ikea, allows readers to “hack” material culture to construct an affective domestic space, engaging in therapeutics of the self while substituting taste for class mobility.
Band-gap bowing inAgGa(Se1−xTex)2and its effect on the second-order response coefficient and refractive indices

The quaternary chalcopyrite $\mathrm{Ag}\mathrm{Ga}{({\mathrm{Se}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Te}}_{x})}_{2}$ alloy system is studied using the full-potential linearized muffin-tin orbital method and density functional theory in the local density approximation. Special quasirandom structures of 64-atom cells are used to model the disorder. Full structural relaxations were done in order to calculate the band gap for each concentration. The lattice parameters are found to vary almost linearly with concentration. The band gap bowing coefficient $b$ was obtained to be $0.43\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{eV}$. The refractive indices and second harmonic generation coefficients are calculated as a function of Te concentration $x$, including a band gap correction. A small downward bowing is found for the indices of refraction and the birefringence, predicting a switch from negative to positive birefringence at about 67% Te. The second-order coefficients show a more pronounced and upward bowing, illustrating their stronger sensitivity to the band gap.
The adsorption of methane by tungsten (100)

The adsorption of methane by the (100) plane of tungsten has been studied using flash desorption and work function methods. It has been found that CH4 adsorbs to appreciable coverage as an undissociated molecular species at ∼ 110 K. The activation energy for first order desorption from this state is 6.9 kcal/mole (0.30 eV/molecule. This observed binding energy is greater than expected for dispersion forces alone, and added contributions to the binding energy are discussed. An observed work function change of —0.34 eV on adsorption of CH4 is consistent with the presence of a physically adsorbed CH4 layer. Related studies of CH4 adsorbed on a tungsten field emission tip demonstrate that ad- sorption of CH4 proceeds rapidly at 77 K, but is negligible at 300 K. At tungsten temperatures above 1200 K in 10−5 Torr of CH4, decomposition of the CH4 to form a carbon layer occurs. It is postulated that at elevated temperatures and at high CH4 pressures the physically adsorbed state may be sufficiently populated to serve as a source of adsorbed CH4 species which undergo activated surface decomposition, leading eventually to surface carbides.
Chinese–English bilingual education in China: a case study of college science majors

Abstract This quantitative study examines current practice and challenges of Chinese–English bilingual education in Chinese tertiary institutions and presents a case study of a bilingual course by investigating learners' attitudes toward this educational and language policy. Using a convenience sampling strategy with an instrument modified from a nation-wide survey on bilingual education, this study involves 153 undergraduate science majors from a university located southeast of China. Results indicate that students held positive attitudes toward bilingual instruction and believed that such a model will not threaten the status of Chinese language and culture; and such an attitude significantly predicted students’ academic achievement whereas the level of English proficiency did not. Further, female students outscored their male counterparts in the final examination. Finally, the positive relationship between years of learning English and attitudes toward bilingualism corroborates with the current literatu...
Characterization of hemoglobin from the backswimmer Buenoa margaritacea (Hemiptera: Notonectidae) reveals high electrophoretic heterogeneity

Abstract Backswimmers (Notonectidae) are one of the three families of insects which contain species known to make hemoglobin. In backswimmers the hemoglobin allows the insect to maintain a prolonged neutral buoyancy during its dive. Sephadex G-200 column chromatography, SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and HPLC demonstrate a molecular weight for the monomeric hemoglobin og Buenoa margaritacea of 15,000–19,000 Da. u.v.-visible spectra at eight hemoglobin derivatives (Fe2+:deoxy, O2, CO, NO; Fe3+:H2O, OH−, CN−, imidazole) are given. Native gel electrophoresis of the cyanomet form shows nine bands, while isoelectric focusing shows 12. Bands isolated from preparative IEF gels form multiple bands when rerun, indicative of a change in aggregation status after isolation. Interactions among various hemoglobin components are seen using 2-dimensional “titration” electrophoresis.
Evidence of Nonlinearity in the Response of Net Ecosystem CO2 Exchange to Increasing Levels of Winter Snow Depth in the High Arctic of Northwest Greenland

Abstract Winter snowfall is increasing in many Arctic regions and climate models predict this trend will persist in the coming century. We examined the effects of two levels of increased winter snow accumulation on soil microclimate, plant and soil nutrient status, plant phenology and ecosystem CO2 exchange after five years of treatment in a widespread High Arctic ecosystem. Increased snow cover resulted in greater winter CO2 efflux, altered growing season soil nutrient availability and greater leaf nitrogen concentrations during the snow-free season. Modest increases in snow cover (+0.25 m above ambient) increased gross ecosystem photosynthesis (GEP) without increasing ecosystem respiration (ER), while the deepest snow cover (+0.75 m above ambient) increased both GEP and ER. The area of intermediate snow addition was a smaller source of CO2 to the atmosphere during the growing season when compared to the ambient and deep snow areas. The intermediate and deep snow areas apparently had similar effects on t...
Gene Therapy of the Other Genome: The Challenges of Treating Mitochondrial DNA Defects

Human mitochondrial DNA is a 16.5 kb circular DNA molecule located inside the mitochondrial matrix. Although accounting for only about 1% of total cellular DNA, defects in mitochondrial DNA have been found to have major effects on human health. A single mtDNA mutation may cause a bewildering variety of clinical symptoms mainly involving the neuromuscular system at any age of onset. Despite significant advances in the understanding of mitochondrial DNA defects at a molecular level, the clinical diagnosis of mtDNA diseases remains a significant challenge and effective therapies for such diseases are as yet unavailable. In contrast to gene therapy for chromosomal DNA defects, mitochondrial gene therapy is a field that is still in its infancy and attempts towards gene therapy of the mitochondrial genome are rare. In this review we outline what we believe are the unique challenges associated with the correction of mtDNA mutations and summarize current approaches to gene therapy for the "other genome".