cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Glucose Uptake in Clostridium beijerinckii NCIMB 8052 and the Solvent-Hyperproducing Mutant BA101

Glucose uptake and accumulation by Clostridium beijerinckii BA101, a butanol hyperproducing mutant, were examined during various stages of growth. Glucose uptake in C. beijerinckii BA101 was repressed 20% by 2-deoxyglucose and 25% by mannose, while glucose uptake in C. beijerinckii 8052 was repressed 52 and 28% by these sugars, respectively. We confirmed the presence of a phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP)-dependent phosphotransferase system (PTS) associated with cell extracts of C. beijerinckii BA101 by glucose phosphorylation by PEP. The PTS activity associated with C. beijerinckii BA101 was 50% of that observed for C. beijerinckii 8052. C. beijerinckii BA101 also demonstrated lower PTS activity for fructose and glucitol. Glucose phosphorylation by cell extracts derived from both C. beijerinckii BA101 and 8052 was also dependent on the presence of ATP, a finding consistent with the presence of glucokinase activity in C. beijerinckii extracts. ATP-dependent glucose phosphorylation was predominant during the solventogenic stage, when PEP-dependent glucose phosphorylation was dramatically repressed. A nearly twofold-greater ATP-dependent phosphorylation rate was observed for solventogenic stage C. beijerinckii BA101 than for solventogenic stage C. beijerinckii 8052. These results suggest that C. beijerinckii BA101 is defective in PTS activity and that C. beijerinckii BA101 compensates for this defect with enhanced glucokinase activity, resulting in an ability to transport and utilize glucose during the solventogenic stage.
Bioaccumulation and Distribution of Lead, Zinc, and Cadmium in Crops of Solanaceae Family

Comparative research has been carried out to determine the quantities and accumulation of lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), and cadmium (Cd) in the vegetative and reproductive organs of crops of the Solanaceae family (tomato, pepper, and aubergine) as well as to identify the possibilities of growing them on soils contaminated by heavy metals. The analyses were carried out by inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectrometry after dry ashing. Heavy metals have an impact on the development and productivity of the crops of the Solanaceae family. The high anthropogenic contamination impedes the normal development and fruit‐bearing ability of the pepper and aubergine plants, and in the case of tomatoes, it led to an increased assimilation of heavy metals without reducing the yield and the quality of the production of tomatoes. Crops from the Solanaceae family, tomato, pepper, and aubergine plants, could be cultivated on soils having low and medium levels of contamination of heavy metals, because they do not show a t...
Niesthrea louisianica (Hemiptera: Rhopalidae) Reduces Velvetleaf, Abutilon theophrasti (Malvaceae), Seed Production and Viability

Effect of Niesthrea louisianica Sailer on reproduction of velvetleaf, Abutilon theophrasti Medicus, was determined by caging various numbers of the insects on single plants in the field. Number of seeds per plant ranged from 5,129 ± 1,761 with 0 insects to 1,366 ± 1,233 seeds with an original infestation of 100 first instars. A decrease in seed viability was inversely correlated with insect density from 74 ± 19% for the 0-insect treatment to 14 ± 30% for the 100 first-instar treatment.
Trends in Transport Activity, Energy Use, and Carbon Footprint in Mexico City, Mexico

The transport sector is an increasing contributor to Mexico's carbon footprint. Related to this trend are several other externalities such as congestion and increasing energy supply costs. In this paper the authors examined and cross-verified the publicly available transport activity, energy use, and emissions data to identify trends specifically at the Mexico City level. The results revealed a significant rise in several of these variables over time, yet the rise was accompanied by encouraging trends in fuel economy and mass transit ridership. With the most recent origin-destination survey data for Mexico City, the authors developed scenarios of future emissions that were based on several other scenarios of the modal share of mass transport versus private transport and of transport activity levels that could likely be reached given the observed past trend. These scenarios showed that, at current fuel economy levels, if transport activity were to rise by 50%, a mass transit ridership share of at least 70%...
Evidence for Association between Ir and AI in L Chondrites

The nature of the Al-Ir association was investigated by plotting the whole chondrite abundance of Ir as determined by Mueller et al. (1971), and the Al abundance for the same chondrites. Ten of the 11 L chondrites plotted show a definite positive trend. The results are most consistent with the condensation mechanism of Larimer (1967) and the prediction of Larimer and Anders (1970).
Distribution of oxidized and reduced forms of glutathione and cysteine in rat plasma

The distribution of the glutathionyl moiety between reduced and oxidized forms in rat plasma was markedly different than that for the cysteinyl moiety. Most of the glutathionyl moiety was present as mixed disulfides with cysteine and protein whereas most of the cysteinyl moiety was present as cystine. Seventy percent of total glutathione equivalents was bound to proteins in disulfide linkage. The distribution of glutathione equivalents in the acid-soluble fraction was 28.0% as glutathione, 9.5% as glutathione disulfide, and 62.6% as the mixed disulfide with the cysteinyl moiety. In contrast, 23% of total cysteine equivalents was protein-bound. The distribution of cysteine equivalents in the acid-soluble fraction was 5.9% as cysteine, 83.1% as cystine, and 10.8% as the mixed disulfide with the glutathionyl moiety. A first-order decline in glutathione occurred upon in vitro incubation of plasma and was due to increased formation of mixed disulfides of glutathione with cysteine and protein. This indicates that plasma thiols and disulfides are not at equilibrium, but are in a steady-state maintained in part by transport of these compounds between tissues during the inter-organ phase of their metabolism. The large amounts of protein-bound glutathione and cysteine provide substantial buffering which must be considered in analysis of transient changes in glutathione and cysteine. In addition, this buffering may protect against transient thiol-disulfide redox changes which could affect the structure and activity of plasma and plasma membrane proteins.
The hydrothermal synthesis of V2O4−xFx derivatives

Abstract Several members of the V 2 O 4−x F x series, (0.01 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.85) have been prepared by the hydrothermal reaction of V 2 O 5 , V 2 O 3 , and VF 3 in sealed gold tubes. At low fluorine concentrations, crystalline, monoclinic-type products are formed while higher fluorine substitutions yielded microcrystalline rutile-type derivatives. The crystallographic transitions (monoclinic to tetragonal) were determined by differential thermal analysis. The transition temperature decreased rapidly as fluorine substitution in the V 2 O 4 cell increased. Crystallographic and electrical properties were determined.
Mining email social networks

Communication & Co-ordination activities are central to large software projects, but are difficult to observe and study in traditional (closed-source, commercial) settings because of the prevalence of informal, direct communication modes. OSS projects, on the other hand, use the internet as the communication medium,and typically conduct discussions in an open, public manner. As a result, the email archives of OSS projects provide a useful trace of the communication and co-ordination activities of the participants. However, there are various challenges that must be addressed before this data can be effectively mined. Once this is done, we can construct social networks of email correspondents, and begin to address some interesting questions. These include questions relating to participation in the email; the social status of different types of OSS participants; the relationship of email activity and commit activity (in the CVS repositories) and the relationship of social status with commit activity. In this paper, we begin with a discussion of our infrastructure (including a novel use of Scientific Workflow software) and then discuss our approach to mining the email archives; and finally we present some preliminary results from our data analysis.
The effect of balance confidence and context on functional reach ability in healthy older adults.

Objective To assess functional reach (FR) ability in 4 contexts in older adults (≥ 60 years) with high balance confidence (HBC) and low balance confidence (LBC). Design A repeated-measures design was used to compare 2 groups in 4 reaching contexts. Setting Community setting. Subjects Twenty-four healthy older adults with HBC and 27 healthy older adults with LBC. Methods FR distance was assessed in 4 contexts presented in random order: (1) traditional FR (TFR); (2) functional reach on foam (FRF); (3) object present functional reach (OPFR); and (4) object present functional reach on foam (OPFRF). For TFR and FRF, 3 trials were performed for each task, and the average reach distance across 3 trials was calculated. During the OPFR and OPFRF contexts, the object was moved toward or away from the participant in 1.3-cm increments until maximal reach distance to the object was obtained. Main Outcome Measure Maximal reach distance in each of the 4 FR contexts. Results Participants in the HBC group scored significantly higher than did participants in the LBC group regardless of reaching contexts ( P =.004). For both balance confidence groups, reaching distance increased significantly from FRF to TFR to OPFRF to OPFR ( P Conclusion The results of this study highlight the beneficial effect of an external target on balance performance, even with the added challenge of an unstable surface. These findings suggest that although balance performance is greater for persons with HBC, the same pattern of reaching ability in differing FR contexts is found regardless of whether balance confidence is high or low. The clinical utility of these findings pertain to the importance of the use of task objects during FR balance assessment to determine an individual's balance capacity. Future research is needed to assess the effectiveness of context-oriented reaching tasks in balance training programs.
Bioactive, semi-degradable hydrogels for cartilage tissue engineering

Poly(vinyl-alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels have long been investigated as replacement materials for articular cartilage, but their lack of bioactivity has impeded their utility. We have prepared bioactive PVA hydrogels by incorporating a degradable phase of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) that enhances porosity and controls the release of growth factors. Hydrogel properties such as porosity, pore size, and degradability were dependent on the hydrogel composition and fabrication conditions. Porosity and pore size increased over time in physiological conditions as the PLGA phase degraded within the nondegradable PVA hydrogels. Cell-seeding efficiency and tissue formation in vitro were proportional to the amount of PLGA. When insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) was incorporated into the degradable PLGA phase, release was controlled over 6 weeks, with no burst effect. Hydrogels containing a low or high dose of IGF-1 were wrapped in PGA fibers, seeded with chondrocytes and implanted subcutaneously into nude mice. After 6 weeks, the amount of cartilage tissue formation and integration with the hydrogels were higher compared to controls without IGF-1, although there were no differences in mass, proteoglycan content or compressive modulus between hydrogels with low and doses of IGF-1. These simple modifications to PVA hydrogels may finally make them suitable as cartilage replacements.
Heterotopic ossification after total shoulder arthroplasty

Fifty-eight primary ingrowth total shoulder arthroplasties, performed between 1989 and 1992, with a minimum of 2 years' radiographic and clinical follow-up (mean, 4.7 years), were reviewed to determine the frequency and clinical significance of heterotopic ossification after total shoulder arthroplasty. Fourteen of the 58 shoulders had radiographic evidence of heterotopic ossification: grade I (12 shoulders) and grade II (2 shoulders). Heterotopic ossification was present on the early postoperative radiographs (1-2 months) in 12 of the 14 shoulders. Among these 12 shoulders, there was no increase in the grade of ossification comparing the early postoperative radiographs with those obtained at a minimum of 2 years. There were no identifiable preoperative patient characteristics associated with the development of heterotopic ossification (P > .05). Range of motion, pain, and result rating were not statistically different comparing patients with and without heterotopic ossification (P > .05). The data from this study suggest that when heterotopic ossification develops after elective total shoulder arthroplasty, it is usually low grade, is present in the early postoperative period, is nonprogressive, and does not adversely affect the clinical results.
Campus Educational Contexts and Civic Participation: Organizational Links to Collective Action.

Proponents of civic engagement extol the virtues of the college experience for enhancing students’ capacities for democratic participation, yet few studies have examined the organizational contexts of such actions. This article applies theory regarding social movements in organizations to highlight the relationship between campus curricular offerings and campus collective action.
Active site structure and substrate specificity of cytochrome P450 4A1: steric control of ligand approach perpendicular to heme plane.

Abstract The active site of an engineered, expressed fusion protein containing the sequences of cytochrome P450 4A1 (lauric acid ω-hydroxylase) and NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase, has been probed with olefinic, acetylenic, aromatic, and other analogs of its normal substrate. The fusion protein ω-hydroxylates lauric acid, epoxidizes 11-dodocenoic acid, oxidizes 11-dodecynoic acid to 1,12-dodecandioic acid, but does not oxidize 9-phenylnonanoic acid. Nevertheless, the latter is a tight-binding Type I ligand (K s = 0.77 μM) and a potent inhibitor of lauric acid hydroxylation. These and other observations are used to construct an active site model that accounts for its remarkable substrate and inhibitor specificity.
Magnetic properties and microstructure of Co-Cr bulk alloys

Abstract The effect of Cr addition on the microstructural changes and magnetic properties of bulk Co-Cr alloys has been investigated. Several interrelated microstructural and magnetic changes result from Cr additions. While Cr additions enhance the fcc phase retention and subsequently the fault density, they cause a decrease in grain size for a given thermal treatment. The addition also decrease saturation magnetization monotonically. Furthermore, the intrinsic coercivity is fairly insensitive to Cr additions for a given grain size and the coercivity increases with decreasing grain size.
Female-limited mimetic polymorphism: a review of theories and a critique of sexual selection as balancing selection

Mimicry theory played a prominent role in the development of natural selection theory, and sparked a long-lasting interest in the observation that Batesian mimicry in some butterflies is female limited and polymorphic. Mimetic females of polymorphic species clearly have a selective advantage due to reduced predation pressure, but the selective forces that maintain nonmimetic female forms remain unclear. Attention has lately been focused on three explanations based on sexual selection: (1) male mate preference, (2) pseudo-sexual selection and (3) sexual harassment avoidance. These are thought to favour nonmimetic female forms and allow them to persist in the population via balancing selection. Here I review the assumptions and evidence for each of these hypotheses and assess their relative merit. I find that: (a) key predictions of the hypotheses have not been tested, (b) the hypotheses interpret surrogate measures of fitness trade-offs implicit in balancing selection (e.g. mating frequency) differently, and (c) sexual selection may not maintain nonmimetic females at high mimic frequencies if male mate preference is frequency dependent. As a result, none of the hypotheses is unequivocally supported by available data. I show that a fourth, non-sexual selectionist hypothesis, namely that physiological trade-offs maintain mimetic female polymorphism, is based on unclear assumptions and probably explains minor variation in female polymorphism. Finally, I show that the basic framework of frequency-dependent mimetic advantage, independent of sexual selection, can adequately explain female-limited mimetic polymorphism in a broad range of species. Testing this framework should be a priority in resolving this problem.
Anticipating Intimacy or Sexual Victimization? Danger Cue Recognition and Delayed Behavioral Responses to a Sexually Risky Scenario

This study used a sample of 257 female college students to investigate the heterogeneity of threat assessment, risk response, and delays in behavioral response, after the establishment of discomfor...
eIF-2 kinases: regulators of general and gene-specific translation initiation.

Abstract Phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor-2 (elF-2) is an important mechanism regulating general translation initiation. Two mammalian elF-2 kinases, the double-stranded-RNA-dependent kinase (PKR) and hemeregulated inhibitor kinase (HRI), have been characterized by sequencing, revealing shared sequence and structural features distinct from other eukaryotic protein kinases. Recent work in yeast has shown that a third related kinase, GCN2, also phosphorylates the regulated site in elF-2. However, unlike the mammalian kinases, this kinase regulates genespecific translation. Current models are presented for the regulation of each elF-2 kinase, and the molecular basis for how this general form of regulation is adapted to control expression of a single species of messenger RNA is discussed.
Manhood, Race, Failure, and Reconciliation: Charles Francis Adams Jr. and the American Civil War

This narrative about Charles Francis Adams Jr. sheds light on the intersections among manhood, race, failure, and self-making in the Civil War era. Adams's obsession with the plight of blacks was entangled with his own confusion about white men's control over their destinies-that is, about who properly qualified for membership in a “republic of ‘self-made men.’”
Bank Asset Liquidation and the Propagation of the U.S. Great Depression

We hypothesize that financial disintermediation during and after the Great Depression arose from the slow liquidation of failed-bank deposits in the years following financial crises. We construct a data series containing the stock of failed national bank deposits for the period 1921-1940. Our data series indicates that the slow liquidation rate of bank assets correlates well with business cycle persistence. Vector autoregression models show that the stock of failed-bank deposits undergoing liquidation is as important as money stock in terms of explaining output changes over forecast horizons from one to ten years. Failed-bank deposit shocks lasted for about five years and then became transitory. Furthermore, failed-bank deposit shocks had permanent negative effects on money supply and transitory negative effects on prices. Consistent with recent theories concerning linkages between the financial system and economic growth, we infer that the dynamic effects of banking sector shocks were cumulative and pervasive during and after the Depression.
A New Statistical Model for Predicting Seasonal North Atlantic Hurricane Activity

AbstractStatistical, dynamical, and statistical–dynamical hybrid models have been developed in past decades for the seasonal prediction of North Atlantic hurricane numbers. These models’ prediction skills show considerable decadal variability, with particularly poor performance in the past few years. Here, environmental factors that affect hurricane activities are reevaluated to develop a new statistical model for seasonal prediction by 1 June of each year. The predictors include the April–May multivariate ENSO index (MEI) conditioned upon the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO) index, the power of the average zonal pseudo–wind stress across the North Atlantic in May, and the average March–May tropical Atlantic sea surface temperature. When compared to the actual number of hurricanes each year from 1950 to 2013, this model has a root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 1.91 with a correlation coefficient of 0.71. It shows a 39% improvement in RMSE over a no-skill metric (based on the 5-yr running mean of seas...
Evidence for direct effects of essential fatty acids at the hypothalamus-pituitary level in domestic fowl.

To relate essential fatty acid (EFA) deficiency to changes in the reproductive system of domestic fowl 1-day-old male chicks were fed either a practical diet (regular corn-soy diet) a basal diet (the EFA-deficient iet + 5% hydrogenated coconut oil) or a control diet (the EFA-deficient diet + 5% corn oil). After 22 weeks sperm motility quantity of semen and sperm concentration were greater in animals on the control diet. Cockerels fed the basal diet had pale combs and smaller wattles. After 4 weeks body weight of EFA-deficient birds was 77% of controls. After 140 days testes weight was 63% of controls. Testosterone propionate 2 mg/kg per day given for 3 weeks significantly increased body weight gain in 30 EFA-deficient males and in 30 controls decreased (P<.05) testicular weight as percentage of body weight in both groups and decreased sperm concentration semen quantity and sperm motility in the control birds. LH (luteinizing hormone) 20 mcg/kg per day significantly decreased semen quantity and sperm motility in controls. In LH-treated EFA-deficient cockerels germinal epithelium and spermatogenesis appeared normal while EFA-deficient untreated cockerels showed degeneration of the testes. FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) or TP (testosterone propionate) treatment of EFA-deficient birds increased destruction of the germinal epithelium. The number of acidophils and the amounts of secretory material were increased in the pituitaries of the deficient birds. There was an increase in eicosatrienoic acid and a decrease in linoleic acid and arachidonic acid in deficient animals. Significant differences in testicular fatty acids (with ratios of number of carbon atoms to number of double bonds of 18:1 18:2 20:3 20:4 22:3 and 22.4) between the animals receiving the different hormonal treatments were observed. LH treatment of deficient birds for 3 months decreased palmitoleic and linoleic acid and increased eicosatrienoic acid. Testicular abnormalities appear to result from absence of LH. Since exogenous LH can maintain seminiferous tubules the Leydig cells are capable of functioning. Essential fatty acids may affect the production or release of LH-releasing factors in the hypothalamus. LH is not properly released from the pituitary.
Optimal Scheduling of Resources Based on Fuzzy Set and Genetic Algorithm

In order to promote the cooperation between enterprises in networked manufacturing alliance enterprise, and make development and manufacture resource optimally collocate and share among alliance enterprises, and raise the rate of alliance enterprise's development and the utilization of manufacture resource, and reduce the waste for repetitive investment, fuzzy assignment as well as genetic algorithm are adopted in the research of optimal scheduling of resources. Optimal scheduling of product development resources have been described, and mathematical model of optimal scheduling of product development resources have been established. The solving method combining of fuzzy assignment and genetic algorithm has offered according to different objective function. Simulation analysis is used on model and solution algorithm verifying the correctness of theoretical research.
Slowing the Progression of Renal Disease in Diabetic Patients

OBJECTIVE:To review recent clinical trials that evaluate the most appropriate therapeutic options for delaying the progression of nephropathy in type 2 diabetic patients.DATA SOURCES:Primary and review articles were retrieved through a MEDLINE search (January 1990–January 2000).STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION:All studies related to attenuating the progression of nephropathy in diabetic patients were evaluated and included in this review.DATA SYNTHESIS:Clinical trials with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) have consistently demonstrated a decrease in the progression of renal disease in diabetic patients. The angiotensin-2 receptor blocker (ARB) losartan has been shown to reduce microalbuminuria to the same extent as the ACEI enalapril. The nondihydropyridine calcium-channel blockers (NCCBs) verapamil and diltiazem have also been shown to decrease urinary albumin excretion. Clinical literature suggests that if monotherapy with an ACEI or ARB does not provide an adequate response, an NCCB s...
Probabilistic models for personalizing web search

We present a new approach for personalizing Web search results to a specific user. Ranking functions for Web search engines are typically trained by machine learning algorithms using either direct human relevance judgments or indirect judgments obtained from click-through data from millions of users. The rankings are thus optimized to this generic population of users, not to any specific user. We propose a generative model of relevance which can be used to infer the relevance of a document to a specific user for a search query. The user-specific parameters of this generative model constitute a compact user profile. We show how to learn these profiles from a user's long-term search history. Our algorithm for computing the personalized ranking is simple and has little computational overhead. We evaluate our personalization approach using historical search data from thousands of users of a major Web search engine. Our findings demonstrate gains in retrieval performance for queries with high ambiguity, with particularly large improvements for acronym queries.
A low-power reconfigurable analog-to-digital converter

A low-power CMOS reconfigurable analog-to-digital converter that can digitize signals over a wide range of bandwidth and resolution with adaptive power consumption is described. The converter achieves the wide operating range by (1) reconfiguring its architecture between pipeline and delta-sigma modes; (2) varying its circuit parameters, such as size of capacitors, length of pipeline, and oversampling ratio, among others; and (3) varying the bias currents of the opamps in proportion to the converter sampling frequency, accomplished through the use of a phase-locked loop (PLL). This converter also incorporates several power-reducing features such as thermal noise limited design, global converter chopping in the pipeline mode, opamp scaling, opamp sharing between consecutive stages in the pipeline mode, an opamp chopping technique in the delta-sigma mode, and other design techniques. The opamp chopping technique achieves faster closed-loop settling time and lower thermal noise than conventional design. At a converter power supply of 3.3 V, the converter achieves a bandwidth range of 0-10 MHz over a resolution range of 6-16 bits, and parameter reconfiguration time of twelve clock cycles. Its PLL lock range is measured at 20 kHz to 40 MHz. In the delta-sigma mode, it achieves a maximum signal-to-noise ratio of 94 dB and second and third harmonic distortions of 102 and 95 dB, respectively, at 10 MHz clock frequency, 9.4 kHz bandwidth, and 17.6 mW power. In the pipeline mode, it achieves a maximum DNL and INL of /spl plusmn/0.55 LSBs and /spl plusmn/0.82 LSBs, respectively, at 11 bits, at a clock frequency of 2.6 MHz and 1 MHz tone with 24.6 mW of power.
Monte Carlo Hierarchical Model Learning

Reinforcement learning (RL) is a well-established paradigm for enabling autonomous agents to learn from experience. To enable RL to scale to any but the smallest domains, it is necessary to make use of abstraction and generalization of the state-action space, for example with a factored representation. However, to make effective use of such a representation, it is necessary to determine which state variables are relevant in which situations. In this work, we introduce T-UCT, a novel model-based RL approach for learning and exploiting the dynamics of structured hierarchical environments. When learning the dynamics while acting, a partial or inaccurate model may do more harm than good. T-UCT uses graph-based planning and Monte Carlo simulations to exploit models that may be incomplete or inaccurate, allowing it to both maximize cumulative rewards and ignore trajectories that are unlikely to succeed. T-UCT incorpo- rates new experiences in the form of more accurate plans that span a greater area of the state space. T-UCT is fully implemented and compared empirically against B-VISA, the best known prior approach to the same problem. We show that T-UCT learns hierarchical models with fewer samples than B-VISA and that this effect is magnified at deeper levels of hierarchical complexity.
Coordinate formalism on abstract Hilbert space: Kinematics of a quantum measurement

Coordinate form of tensor analysis on an abstract (infinite-dimensional) Hilbert space is presented. The developed formalism permits one to naturally include the improper states in the apparatus of quantum theory. In the formalism the observables are represented by the self-adjoint extensions of Hermitian operators. The unitary operators become linear isometries. Quantum measurement and collapse are interpreted as isometric functional transformations. Several experiments including the two-slit experiment are analyzed in the new context.
Typification of Glycine tomentella (Fabaceae: Phaseoleae) with comments on its internal groups

The legume Glycine tomentella had not been typified according to the rules of nomenclature for many years after it was described. While typification was attempted rather recently, the designated type material is currently missing. An appropriate replacement type is designated herein. Furthermore, the presence of intersterile, morphologically and molecularly diverged groups within the G . tomentella polyploid complex warrants an historical review and current perspective. The type material of this mainly Australian species is identified as belonging to a polyploid genome group that is found in Taiwan.
Applying architectural vulnerability Analysis to hard faults in the microprocessor

In this paper, we present a new metric, Hard-Fault Architectural Vulnerability Factor (H-AVF), to allow designers to more effectively compare alternate hard-fault tolerance schemes. In order to provide intuition on the use of H-AVF as a metric, we evaluate fault-tolerant level-1 data cache and register file implementations using error correcting codes and a fault-tolerant adder using triple-modular redundancy (TMR). For each of the designs, we compute its H-AVF. We then use these H-AVF values in conjunction with other properties of the design, such as die area and power consumption, to provide composite metrics. The derived metrics provide simple, quantitative measures of the cost-effectiveness of the evaluated designs.
Lipid-lowering drugs, cost-effectiveness data, and the formulary system: A health systems perspective

There is little doubt that scientific evidence supports the association between hyperlipidemia and coronary heart disease (CHD). Edipemiologic studies and interventional clinical trials have both demonstrated the risks associated with elevated cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations; evidence also supports the benefits of lowering lipid levels through dietary modifications, drug therapy, or combined diet/drug interventions. In a variety of patient populations the use of the statin class of antilipemic drugs has been shown to reduce the risks of morbidity and mortality from CHD.That such benefits are associated with certain “statins”has been demonstrated for adults of both sexes in primary prevention trials1,2 and secondary prevention trials.3,4 Regression analysis models derived from the Framingham Study suggest that morbidity and mortality rates from CHD may also be reduced by treatment with other drugs (eg, cholestyramine) that lower low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and by changes in diet, by exercise, and by other lifestyle modifications that also lower LDL-C.5-7 Patients with hyperlipidemia are likely to derive clinical benefit when dietary or drug interventions are used to achieve the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) goal of LDL-C levels of <130 mg% or LDL-C levels of <100 mg% in patients with CHD.3,8 Further reductions in coronary risk can be achieved by managing comorbid diseases such as hypertension, obesity, and diabetes, all of which are prevalent in a high percentage of patients at risk. Both integrated health systems and managed care organizations (MCOs) have become increasingly skilled in the use of large medical records databases (with demographic, diagnostic, pharmacy, and laboratory data) to identify not only patients at risk for CHD and other diseases but also untreated, undertreated, or noncompliant patients who would benefit from intervention. Despite the general knowledge that supports early and aggressive intervention in persons at risk for CHD, the treatment benefits demonstrated in clinical trials have unfortunately not been fully realized in the general population.9,10 Barriers to achieving these potential benefits include the failure of health care providers to screen for hyperlipidemia, the failure of patients to achieve NCEP goals, poor patient compliance with prescribed treatments, and the high treatment costs associated with most lipid-lowering drug therapies. In addition, patients may be treated with dosing regimens that are inconvenient (such as that used with cholestyramine) or with drugs that have a high incidence of side effects and intolerances (eg, niacin).The disadvantages of these treatments contrast with the simplicity of treatment with statins, which are administered once daily and have a low toxicity profile. Both patients and health care providers may also be underinformed about the benefits of lowering LDL-C in the absence of symptomatic CHD.
Solving maximum likelihood equations for two-parameter software reliability models using grouped data

Existence conditions are given for maximum likelihood parameter estimates for several commonly employed two-parameter software reliability models. For these models, the maximum likelihood equations can be expressed in terms of a single equation in one unknown. Bounds are given on solutions to these single equations problems to serve as initial intervals for search algorithms like bisection. Uniqueness of the solutions is established in some cases. Results are given for the case of grouped failure data. >
Migrate small, sound big: functional constraints on body size promote tracheal elongation in cranes

Organismal traits often represent the outcome of opposing selection pressures. Although social or sexual selection can cause the evolution of traits that constrain function or survival (e.g. ornamental feathers), it is unclear how the strength and direction of selection respond to ecological shifts that increase the severity of the constraint. For example, reduced body size might evolve by natural selection to enhance flight performance in migratory birds, but social or sexual selection favouring large body size may provide a countervailing force. Tracheal elongation is a potential outcome of these opposing pressures because it allows birds to convey an auditory signal of exaggerated body size. We predicted that the evolution of migration in cranes has coincided with a reduction in body size and a concomitant intensification of social or sexual selection for apparent large body size via tracheal elongation. We used a phylogenetic comparative approach to examine the relationships among migration distance, body mass and trachea length in cranes. As predicted, we found that migration distance correlated negatively with body size and positively with proportional trachea length. This result was consistent with our hypothesis that evolutionary reductions in body size led to intensified selection for trachea length. The most likely ultimate causes of intensified positive selection on trachea length are the direct benefits of conveying a large body size in intraspecific contests for mates and territories. We conclude that the strength of social or sexual selection on crane body size is linked to the degree of functional constraint.
First Record of the Family Tanypezidae (Diptera: Schizophora) from Alabama

ABSTRACT: The family Tanypezidae is reported from Alabama for the first time based on a specimen of Tanypeza picticornis Knab and Shannon collected in the Red Hills region of southern Alabama. This record represents a significant southward extension of the known range of T. picticornis, which was previously known only from as far south as Maryland and Virginia. The collecting site of the specimen is the southernmost locality known for the genus Tanypeza.
The Geography of Competency

On maps of the Western states, the zig-zagging but nonetheless clear line of the continental divide indicates to which oceans the streams and rivers arising there will run. The concept of competency is a continental divide of sorts in the ethics and public policy of medicine. Patients on one side of the watershed of competency get to make treatment decisions, while those on the other side do not.
Safety of a novel capecitabine dosing schedule when combined with lapatinib in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer refractory to trastuzumab

1131 Background: Capecitabine (C) is active in breast cancer and is usually dosed for 14 days (d) followed by a 7d rest (14 - 7). We described a mathematical method which predicts the optimal schedule for C to be 7d followed by a 7d rest (7 - 7) (Norton et al, Amer Assn Can Res. 2005). The MTD of C(7 - 7) is 2,000mg BID (Traina et al, J Clin Oncol. April 2008). Lapatinib (L) improves time to progression when added to C(14 - 7) in patients (pts) with HER-2-positive (+) metastatic breast cancer (MBC) that progressed after trastuzumab (T). To optimize this effective combination, we are testing C(7 - 7) + L in a phase II trial. Methods: Eligible pts have measurable, HER-2(+) MBC that has progressed after T. HER-2(+)=IHC 3+ or FISH>2. Pts have normal LVEF by MUGA, ECOG performance status (PS) <2 and normal organ function. <3 prior chemotherapy (CRx) regimens are permitted. Prior fluoropyrimidine is excluded. Therapy (tx) consists of C (2,000 mg BID, 7 - 7) and L (1,250 mg, daily). Cycle length = 4 wk. Pts are ...
Serum Levels of Four Tumour Markers in Primary Kidney Disease Patients

Objective:To assess the clinical value of four tumour markers (AFP, CEA, CA125, CA19-9) in primary kidney disease patients with protenuria or chronic renal failure. Methods: Ninety-two randomizedly selected hospitalized patients with primary kidney diseases were divided into several groups according to the levels of Ccr,24 h protenuria and serum albumin. The four markers between different groups were compared. Results:CA 125 levels and 24 h urinary protein excretion were elevated in the patients with hypoalbuminuria as well as compared to the normal controls. Serum CEA, AFP and CA19-9 levels were within normal limits in all of the groups. Conclusion: Elevated serum CA125 level seems to be unreliable for monitoring malignancies in patients with hypoalbuminuria or heavy protenuria ,There were no correlations between serum levels of CEA, AFP or CA19-9 and Ccr 24 h urinary protein and plasm albumin level.
Design and Dynamic Simulation of Deployable Spacecraft Drived by Gear and Rock Mechanism

Based on the modular design idea of spacecraft structure,a new modular structure form which can depoly on-orbit was designed,that is the deployable spacecraft configuration drived by gear and rock mechanism.By using virtual prototyping technology,the virtual prototyping models of modular noumenon and solar sail were established in ADAMS.First of all,it was simulated that the modular noumenon was deplayed in varied speeds,and the influences on attitude angle and attitude angle velocity were obtained.Then three kinds of depoyed sequences of modular noumenon and solar sail were simulated as follows: modular noumenon and solar sail were deployed simultaneously,modular noumenon deployed after solar sail and solar sail deployed after modular noumenon.The influences on attitude angle and attitude angle velocity were obtained and analyzed.The simulation result can provide enlighten and reference for the future high-mobility,multi-pattern,multi-purpose modular spacecraft design,depolyment on-orbit technology and attitude control in space.
Elementary Research on the Features of Root System of Fargesia robusta in Wolong National Nature Reserve

In this paper studies were made of the features of roots structure of Fargesia robusta in giant panda habitat of Wolong National Nature Reserve.The results showed that generally the roots of Fargesia robusta were mostly distributed between the 13th and 19th node of the stem base;the smaller the age-class of rhizome,the farther away from the end of rhizome close to the stem base the position of roots on the rhizome;the distribution feature of roots was the same as that of rhizome in the soil;the number of roots on the different age-class were variant,but the difference was not too big,and roots on the young and old rhizomes were relatively less;the diameter of rhizomes decreased with the increase of the age-class.
The treatment of urinary incontinence.

(1994). The Treatment of Urinary Incontinence. Hospital Practice: Vol. 29, No. 2, pp. 97-107.
Metabolic adaptation of skeletal muscle to hyperammonemia drives the beneficial effects of l-leucine in cirrhosis.

Background & Aims Increased skeletal muscle ammonia uptake with loss of muscle mass adversely affects clinical outcomes in cirrhosis. Hyperammonemia causes reduced protein synthesis and sarcopenia but the cellular responses to impaired proteostasis and molecular mechanism of l-leucine induced adaptation to ammonia induced stress were determined. Methods Response to activation of amino acid deficiency sensor, GCN2, in the skeletal muscle from cirrhotic patients and the portacaval anastomosis (PCA) rat were quantified. During hyperammonemia and l-leucine supplementation, protein synthesis, phosphorylation of eIF2α, mTORC1 signaling, l-leucine transport and response to l-leucine supplementation were quantified. Adaptation to cellular stress via ATF4 and its target GADD34 were also determined. Results Activation of the eIF2α kinase GCN2 and impaired mTORC1 signaling were observed in skeletal muscle from cirrhotic patients and PCA rats. Ammonia activated GCN2 mediated eIF2α phosphorylation (eIF2α-P) and impaired mTORC1 signaling that inhibit protein synthesis in myotubes and MEFs. Adaptation to ammonia induced stress did not involve translational reprogramming by activation transcription factor 4 (ATF4) dependent induction of the eIF2α-P phosphatase subunit GADD34. Instead, ammonia increased expression of the leucine/glutamine exchanger SLC7A5, l-leucine uptake and intracellular l-leucine levels, the latter not being sufficient to rescue the inhibition of protein synthesis, due to potentially enhanced mitochondrial sequestration of l-leucine. l-leucine supplementation rescued protein synthesis inhibition caused by hyperammonemia. Conclusions Response to hyperammonemia is reminiscent of the cellular response to amino acid starvation, but lacks the adaptive ATF4 dependent integrated stress response (ISR). Instead, hyperammonemia-induced l-leucine uptake was an adaptive response to the GCN2-mediated decreased protein synthesis. Lay summary Sarcopenia or skeletal muscle loss is the most frequent complication in cirrhosis but there are no treatments because the cause(s) of muscle loss in liver disease are not known. Results from laboratory experiments in animals and muscle cells were validated in human patients with cirrhosis to show that ammonia plays a key role in causing muscle loss in patients with cirrhosis. We identified a novel stress response to ammonia in the muscle that decreases muscle protein content that can be reversed by supplementation with the amino acid l-leucine.
THE ONTOLOGICAL FOUNDATION OF NOZICK'S VIEW OF POLITICS: ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER

In Anarchy, State, and Utopia, Nozick (1974) reaches the following controversial conclusions, among others: (1) individuals have virtually absolute rights to justly acquired property, including their own persons; (2) a minimal state acting only to protect such rights is legitimate; and (3) a more extensive state must perforce violate these rights and therefore is illegitimate. The implication is that citizens have few enforceable social, economic, or political obligations to their fellows. From a purely analytic standpoint, these conclusions are less interesting than Nozick's way of deriving them. And from that standpoint, his argument is particularly surprising, considering what is missing from it and what is there. What is missing is a precise justification for the particular rights Nozick ascribes to individuals and the stringency with which they are ascribed (see his admission, 1974, p. xiv). Obviously, leaving out this key element is a controversial way to promote controversial conclusions. What is there, in contrast, is a seemingly old-fashioned state of nature account of how a legitimate minimal state could arise in a world without initial social or political organizations. Nozick traces the genesis of the minimal state from the formation of voluntary associations for the protection of members to the triumph of a dominant protective agency enjoying a de facto monopoly of force used to protect individual rights. Insofar as this monopoly can arise without violating any individual rights, such a minimal, nightwatchman state is in Nozick's view justified. So long as individuals within the state have acted and continue to act within their rights, the denial of legitimacy to the state would entail denying the individual rights themselves. In turn, Nozick argues that whereas the minimal state is nothing more than individuals acting in ways that do not violate rights, the extensive state, in general, is nothing more than individuals acting in ways that do violate rights. Hence, the more extensive state is illegitimate. Nozick's use of the state of nature account is surprising, since he does
Limitations in current acetylcholinesterase structure-based design of oxime antidotes for organophosphate poisoning

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE; EC 3.1.1.7), an essential enzyme of cholinergic neurotransmission in vertebrates, is a primary target in acute nerve agent and organophosphate (OP) pesticide intoxication. Catalytically inactive OP-AChE conjugates formed between the active-center serine and phosphorus of OPs can, in principle, be reactivated by nucleophilic oxime antidotes. Antidote efficacy is limited by the structural diversity of OP-AChE conjugates resulting from differences in the structure of the conjugated OP, the different active-center volumes they occupy when conjugated to the active-center serine of AChE, and the distinct chemical characteristics of both OPs and oximes documented in numerous X-ray structures of OP-conjugated AChEs. Efforts to improve oxime reactivation efficacy by AChE structure-based enhancement of oxime structure have yielded only limited success. We outline here the potential limitations of available AChE X-ray structures that preclude an accurate prediction of oxime structures, which are necessary for association in the OP-AChE gorge and nucleophilic attack of the OP-conjugated phosphorus.