cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Quagmire that is an Unwillingness to Report: Situating the Code of Silence Within the Chinese Police Context:

This study examines the individual, organizational, and ecological factors influencing police officers’ adherence to the code of silence, while accounting for their evaluation of the seriousness of...
Molecular Imaging of the Heart.

Multimodality cardiovascular imaging is routinely used to assess cardiac function, structure, and physiological parameters to facilitate the diagnosis, characterization, and phenotyping of numerous cardiovascular diseases (CVD), as well as allows for risk stratification and guidance in medical therapy decision-making. Although useful, these imaging strategies are unable to assess the underlying cellular and molecular processes that modulate pathophysiological changes. Over the last decade, there have been great advancements in imaging instrumentation and technology that have been paralleled by breakthroughs in probe development and image analysis. These advancements have been merged with discoveries in cellular/molecular cardiovascular biology to burgeon the field of cardiovascular molecular imaging. Cardiovascular molecular imaging aims to noninvasively detect and characterize underlying disease processes to facilitate early diagnosis, improve prognostication, and guide targeted therapy across the continuum of CVD. The most-widely used approaches for preclinical and clinical molecular imaging include radiotracers that allow for high-sensitivity in vivo detection and quantification of molecular processes with single photon emission computed tomography and positron emission tomography. This review will describe multimodality molecular imaging instrumentation along with established and novel molecular imaging targets and probes. We will highlight how molecular imaging has provided valuable insights in determining the underlying fundamental biology of a wide variety of CVDs, including: myocardial infarction, cardiac arrhythmias, and nonischemic and ischemic heart failure with reduced and preserved ejection fraction. In addition, the potential of molecular imaging to assist in the characterization and risk stratification of systemic diseases, such as amyloidosis and sarcoidosis will be discussed. © 2019 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 9:477-533, 2019.
Nicotine Self-Administration With Tobacco Flavor Additives in Male Rats.

Introduction Nicotine can robustly increase responding for conditioned reinforcers (CRs), stimuli that acquire reinforcing properties based on association with primary reinforcers. Menthol and licorice are tobacco flavoring agents also found in sweet foods (eg, candy and ice cream), making them putative CRs before they are consumed in tobacco. We sought to determine if intravenous self-administration (IVSA) of nicotine was enhanced by the inclusion of oral tobacco flavor CRs. Methods Menthol (160 or 320 µM) or licorice root extract (0.1% or 1%) were established as CRs (paired with 20% sucrose) or "neutral" stimuli (paired with water) in separate groups. During subsequent IVSA tests, nicotine was delivered in conjunction with oral presentations of the CR. Results In experiment 1, a menthol CR significantly shifted the peak nicotine dose from 15 µg/kg/infusion (Neutral group) to 3.25 µg/kg/infusion (CR group). In experiment 2, a menthol CR significantly increased operant licks for nicotine (3 µg/kg/infusion) relative to control groups. In experiment 3, both licorice and menthol CRs significantly increased operant licks for nicotine (7.5 µg/kg/infusion) relative to an "inactive" sipper. The licorice CR increased nicotine IVSA in proportion to the strength of the flavor, but both menthol concentrations increased nicotine IVSA to a similar extent. Conclusion Tobacco flavor additives with conditioned reinforcing properties promote acquisition of nicotine self-administration at low unit doses and may have robust impact on tobacco consumption when nicotine yield is low. Implications Tobacco flavor additives are found in rewarding foods (eg, ice cream) and gain palatability based on associations with primary rewards (eg, sugar) making them "conditioned reinforcers." Nicotine increases the motivation for flavor conditioned reinforcers and the present studies show that tobacco flavor additives can interact with nicotine to promote more nicotine self-administration. The interaction between flavors additives and nicotine may promote nicotine exposure and subsequently dependence.
Remote Sensing Research: A Proven Catalyst for Increasing Geoscience Engagement Among Minority Students

At all academic levels, recruiting, retaining, and graduating minority students in sufficient numbers within the geosciences remain a monumental and failed task of the geoscience community. This continued dismal failure culminates in the persistence of an ethnic (and far too often gender) homogeneity among the community’s participants. The paucity of diversity in the geosciences does not bode well for the sustainability, the vitality, and the global reach of the field. Inclusiveness and accessibility in the geosciences are critical, and innovative approaches/methodologies are urgently needed to ameliorate this vexing problem. Results from a pioneering program in New York City show that a rigorous and exciting introduction to satellite and ground-based remote sensing can be successfully used to attract, to raise geoscience awareness, and to engage non-geoscience, underrepresented minority students majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in productive geoscience participation: research, peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and workforce and graduate school entrances. The results also show that program participants: a) developed a deeper interest in the geosciences; b) became more aware of remote sensing as a research tool, and c) connected remote sensing to a host of real world, geophysical phenomena and applications.
Interleaved caching with access graphs

We consider a semi-online model for caching in which request sequences are generated by walks on a directed graph, called the access graph. The caching algorithm knows the access graph but not the actual request sequences. We then extend this model to multiple access graphs, where request sequences from the access graphs are interleaved arbitrarily and presented to the caching algorithm. For both these problems, we obtain tight upper and lower bounds on the competitive ratio; our bounds depend on a structural property of the access graph. Our work is motivated by multitasking systems with shared cache, where each task can be abstracted as a directed graph with nodes corresponding to data access and directed edges corresponding to the control flow of the task.
Paraburkholderia madseniana sp. nov., a phenolic acid-degrading bacterium isolated from acidic forest soil.

RP11T was isolated from forest soil following enrichment with 4-hydroxybenzoic acid. Cells of RP11T are aerobic, non-sporulating, exhibit swimming motility, and are rods (0.8 µm by 1.4 µm) that often occur as diplobacillus or in short chains (3–4 cells). Optimal growth on minimal media containing 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (µ=0.216 hr−1) occurred at 30 °C, pH 6.5 or 7.0 and 0% salinity. Comparative chemotaxonomic, genomic and phylogenetic analyses revealed the isolate was distinct from its closest relative type strains identified as Paraburkholderia aspalathi LMG 27731T, Paraburkholderia fungorum LMG 16225T and Paraburkholderia caffeinilytica CF1T. Strain RP11T is genetically distinct from P. aspalathi , its closest relative, in terms of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity (98.7%), genomic average nucleotide identity (94%) and in silico DNA–DNA hybridization (56.7 %±2.8). The composition of fatty acids and substrate utilization pattern differentiated strain RP11T from its closest relatives, including growth on phthalic acid. Strain RP11T encoded the greatest number of aromatic degradation genes of all eleven closely related type strains and uniquely encoded a phthalic acid dioxygenase and paralog of the 3-hydroxybenzoate 4-monooxygenase. The only ubiquinone detected in strain RP11T was Q-8, and the major cellular fatty acids were C16 : 0, 3OH-C16 : 0, C17 : 0 cyclo, C19 : 0 cyclo ω8c, and summed feature 8 (C18 : 1 ω7c/ω6c). On the basis of this polyphasic approach, it was determined that strain RP11T represents a novel species from the genus Paraburkholderia for which the name Paraburkholderia madseniana sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is RP11T (=DSM 110123T=LMG 31517T).
Noncanonical Passives: A Typology of Voices in an Impoverished Universal Grammar

Noncanonical passives crosslinguistically exhaust the space of possible variation, supporting an approach whereby Universal Grammar is underspecified for the characteristics of voice and the proper...
Multimodal Task-Driven Dictionary Learning for Image Classification

Dictionary learning algorithms have been successfully used for both reconstructive and discriminative tasks, where an input signal is represented with a sparse linear combination of dictionary atoms. While these methods are mostly developed for single-modality scenarios, recent studies have demonstrated the advantages of feature-level fusion based on the joint sparse representation of the multimodal inputs. In this paper, we propose a multimodal task-driven dictionary learning algorithm under the joint sparsity constraint (prior) to enforce collaborations among multiple homogeneous/heterogeneous sources of information. In this task-driven formulation, the multimodal dictionaries are learned simultaneously with their corresponding classifiers. The resulting multimodal dictionaries can generate discriminative latent features (sparse codes) from the data that are optimized for a given task such as binary or multiclass classification. Moreover, we present an extension of the proposed formulation using a mixed joint and independent sparsity prior, which facilitates more flexible fusion of the modalities at feature level. The efficacy of the proposed algorithms for multimodal classification is illustrated on four different applications—multimodal face recognition, multi-view face recognition, multi-view action recognition, and multimodal biometric recognition. It is also shown that, compared with the counterpart reconstructive-based dictionary learning algorithms, the task-driven formulations are more computationally efficient in the sense that they can be equipped with more compact dictionaries and still achieve superior performance.
Mpact Verification with Magnox Reactor Neutronics Progression Problems

MPACT is a state-of-the-art core simulator designed to perform high-fidelity analysis using whole-core, three-dimensional, pin-resolved neutron transport calculations on modern parallel computing hardware. MPACT was originally developed to model light water reactors, and its capabilities are being extended to simulate gas-cooled, graphite-moderated cores such as Magnox reactors. To verify MPACT’s performance in this new application, the code is being formally benchmarked using representative problems. Progression problems are a series of example models that increase in complexity designed to test a code’s performance. The progression problems include both beginning-of-cycle and depletion calculations. Reference solutions for each progression problem have been generated using Serpent 2, a continuous-energy Monte Carlo reactor physics burnup calculation code. Using the neutron multiplication eigenvalue ke_ as a metric, MPACT’s performance is assessed on each of the progression problems. Initial results showed that MPACT’s multigroup cross section libraries, originally developed for pressurized water reactor problems, were not sufficient to accurately solve Magnox problems. MPACT’s improved performance on the progression problems is demonstrated using this new optimized cross section library.
Predictors of Management of Distal Radius Fractures in Patients Aged >65 Years.

BackgroundTreatment of distal radius fractures (DRFs) in patients aged >65 years is controversial. The purpose of this study was to identify what patient and fracture characteristics may influence ...
Machine Learning to Predict Fascial Dehiscence after Exploratory Laparotomy Surgery

ABSTRACT Background Fascial dehiscence following exploratory laparotomy is associated with significant morbidity and increased mortality. Previously published risk prediction models for fascial dehiscence are dated and limit a surgeon's ability to perform reliable risk assessment intraoperatively. We sought to determine if machine learning can predict fascial dehiscence after exploratory laparotomy. Materials and Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted of 93,024 patients undergoing exploratory laparotomy from the 2011-2018 ACS NSQIP data files. Data were divided into training (2011-2016, n = 69,969) and temporal validation (2017-2018, n = 23,055) cohorts. A clinical decision support tool was developed using the model generated via machine learning techniques. Results 1,332 (1.9%) patients in the training cohort and 390 (1.7%) patients in the temporal validation cohort developed fascial dehiscence. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.69 (95% CI 0.66 to 0.72) in the validation cohort. Model predictions demonstrated excellent probability calibration. Decision curve analysis calculates net clinical benefit within a threshold range of 0.8%-4.5%. Operative time, surgical site and deep space infections, and body mass index were among the most important features for model predictions. Finally, operative time, sodium level, and hematocrit demonstrated non-linear relationships with predicted risk. Conclusion A clinical decision support tool for predicting fascial dehiscence after exploratory laparotomy was created and validated on a contemporary, national patient cohort using machine learning. The tool calculates net clinical benefit and can be used at the point of care. Some identified risk factor relationships were found to be complex and non-linear, highlighting the ability of some machine learning applications to capture nuanced, patient-specific risk profiles.
The Catholic tradition

In his Tradition and Authenticity in the Search for Ecumenic Widsom, Thomas Langan argued that the close interaction of traditions in today's society calls for methodical critical appropriation of the beliefs fostered by the principal traditions. He also promised to demonstrate by example how such appropriation could be accomplished. In The Catholic Tradition, Langan successfully fulfills that vow by showing how a tradition-the Catholic-has shaped his own outlook. In this comprehensive study, Langan examines the history of the Catholic Chruch and the origins of its teachings since the Church's conception. Although committed to the Catholic religion, Langan does not obscure the Church's failings as he lays out the fundamentals of the Catholic faith. With meticulous detail, he treats the great Christological councils, discusses the differences in the spiritualities of East and West, and portrays the crucial roles that the pope and bishops played during the Dark Ages. He examines the role of the pope's authority in the defintion of doctrine and the importance of symbols within the Church. He incorporates the thought of Augustine Aquinas, and medieval Catholicism as he traces the rise and decline of Christian Europe, the priesthood, the Eucharist, and spirituality. Satan has no greater triumph, Langan asserts, than when Catholics, wo are supposedly recipients of the Good News of God's universal love, allow selections from their tradition to be turned into sectarianism and ideology. This balanced history of the Church as human reality deals with just such perversions. But despite betrayals byits own across the centuries, the Catholic tradition, with its origin at Sinai, remaisn the oldest and largest extant religious institution. Students of theology, as well as anyone interested in Catholicism, or in man's struggle for any higher tradition, will welcome his addition to the literature.
Die verbesserte Methode der künstlichen Parthenogenese beim Seeigelei

Ich hatte schon in meinen ersten Mitteilungen darauf hingewiesen, das die rein osmotische Methode der Entwicklungserregung keine genaue Nachahmung des Prozesses der Samenbefruchtung ist. Wenn man Seeigeleier durch Samen befruchtet, so besteht die erste, fast momentane Wirkung des Spermatozoons darin, das sich das Ei mit einer Membran, der sogenannten Befruchtungsmembran, umgibt1). Dieser Membranbildungsprozes, der so auserordentlich auffallend bei Samenbefruchtung ist, war nun bei der osmotischen Entwicklungserregung unbefruchteter Eier nicht beobachtet worden.
Glucose and pyruvate metabolism of Spirochaeta litoralis, an anaerobic marine spirochete.

The pathways of glucose and pyruvate metabolism in Spirochaeta litoralis, a free-living, strictly anaerobic marine spirochete, were studied. Addition of 0.2 to 0.4 M NaCl (final concentration) to suspending buffers prevented cell lysis and was necessary for gas evolution from various substrates by cell suspensions. The organism fermented glucose mainly to ethanol, acetate, CO2, and H2. Determination of radioactivity in products formed from 14C-labeled glucose and assays of enzymatic activities in cell extracts indicated that S. litoralis catabolized glucose via the Embden-Meyerhof pathway. A clostridial-type clastic reaction was utilized by the spirochete to degrade pyruvate to acetyl-coenzyme A, CO2, and H2. Formation of acetate from acetyl-coenzyme A was catalyzed by phosphotransacetylase and acetate kinase. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent acetaldehyde and alcohol dehydrogenases converted acetyl-coenzyme A to ethanol. A reversible hydrogenase activity was detected in cell extracts. S. litoralis cell extracts contained a rubredoxin similar in spectral properties to other bacterial rubredoxins.
Models of searching and browsing: languages, studies, and applications

We describe the formulation, construction, and evaluation of predictive models of human information seeking from a large dataset of Web search activities. We first introduce an expressive language for describing searching and browsing behavior, and use this language to characterize several prior studies of search behavior. Then, we focus on the construction of predictive models from the data. We review several analyses, including an exploration of the properties of users, queries, and search sessions that are most predictive of future behavior. We also investigate the influence of temporal delay on user actions, and representational tradeoffs with varying the number of steps of user activity considered. Finally, we discuss applications of the predictive models, and focus on the example of performing principled prefetching of content.
Further studies of a thymus nucleohistone-associated protease.

Abstract The endogenous proteolytic degradation of the histones of calf thymus nucleohistone has been followed with polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis and dansylation of amino-terminal amino acids. The proteolytic enzyme is tightly associated with nucleohistone, is essentially inactive below pH 7.0, is decreased in activity at lower ionic strengths, shows a rather specific bond cleavage for those histone fractions which are susceptible to its attack, and is inactivated by brief heat treatment (2 min at 90°). The susceptibility of the five histone fractions to proteolysis is critically dependent upon whether the histones form a complex or not with DNA. In the intact nucleohistone three groups of histone are almost or totally resistant to proteolytic attack while the lysine-rich histone and the sulfhydryl-containing histone fractions are rapidly attacked. If histones are freed from DNA, only the lysine-rich fraction is resistant to the protease; all other fractions are rapidly degraded. In general those tissues having a high cell turnover, e.g. thymus and intestinal mucosa, exhibit a greater rate of proteolysis of nucleohistone than is observed for other tissue. The proteolytic activity is reversibly inhibited by either the presence of sodium bisulfite or by storing the nucleohistone at low ionic strength (∼5 x 10-4).
The basic anatomy of the optic nerve and visual system (or, why Thoreau was wrong).

Humans are visual creatures. With an estimated 35% of our brain devoted to vision, and 1.1 million axons associated with each of our optic nerves, it is hard to overestimate how important the visual system is to our ability to be Homo sapiens. This has become increasingly true in recent centuries, as entertainment has evolved from being primarily auditory in nature to primarily visual reflected in the transition from spoken tales to radio, and then to television and movies. The ability of the eye to see is dependent on the health of the optical system which focuses light on the retina; the health of the retina itself, which translates light into recognizable objects and allows us to visually interact with our world; and the health of the occipital cortex of the brain, which interprets the raw data provided by the optical system of the eye as transmitted through the conduit that is the optic nerves, tracts, and radiations. The eye itself is a complex optical structure, made up of a sophisticated focusing system, a structural matrix to support its shape, and a photoreceptor layer and its supporting cell layer. In fact, it is the sheer complexity of this system that has led to many of the controversies in the debate between to proponents of the theorem of Evolution/Natural Selection and the supporters of the
Phenotype- and Gene-Driven Approaches to Discovering the Functions of Mammalian Genes

All of us are involved in discovery science as we pursue the genes, networks, cellular processes and biophysical principles that govern our chosen biological question. For those of us who choose to proceed using plant or animal models to dissect the elements of our favorite biological system, there are many classical and newer approaches available for our use, including two complementary strategies by which the discovery process is proceeding at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The ORNL has been known for six decades for its investigations of the effects of radiation and chemicals in inducing heritable mutations in mouse germ cells, and for using mouse mutations as tools for the cloning and characterization of mammalian genes. Our history and experience in making mouse models are being applied via these two complementary strategies: 1), a phenotype-driven approach, in which mice carrying random chemically-induced mutations are screened for abnormal phenotypes; and 2) a gene-driven approach in which heritable single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in preselected genes already thought likely to influence a biological system of choice can be recovered in live mice. The SNP-carrying mice can then be phenotyped for alterations in one's target biology. Both approaches have value and are necessary; while we can use mutations in genes that we already know to be of interest in our favorite biology to discover gene function, we also know that biology is full of surprise genes whose effects on our favorite biology would not be predicted and which will be identified only through phenotype screening.
Evaluation of methods for determination of hydraulic properties in an aquifer–aquitard system hydrologically connected to a river

Field and laboratory methods have been used to determine the hydraulic properties in a multiple-layer aquifer–aquitard system that is hydrologically connected to a river. First, hypothetical pumping tests in aquifer–aquitard systems were performed to evaluate the feasibility of MODFLOW-PEST in determining these parameters. Sensitivity analyses showed that: the horizontal hydraulic conductivity in the aquifer has the highest composite sensitivity; the vertical hydraulic conductivity has higher composite sensitivity than the horizontal hydraulic conductivity in the aquitard; and a partial penetration pumping well in an aquifer layer can improve the quality of the estimated parameters. This inverse approach was then used to analyze a pumping-recovery test conducted near the Platte River in southeastern Nebraska, USA. The hydraulic conductivities and specific yield were calculated for the aquitard and aquifer. The direct-push technique was used to generate sediment columns; permeameter tests on these columns produced the vertical hydraulic conductivities that are compatible with those obtained from the pumping-recovery test. Thus, the combination of the direct-push technique with permeameter tests provides a new method for estimation of vertical hydraulic conductivity. The hydraulic conductivity, determined from grain-size analysis, is smaller than the horizontal one but larger than the vertical one determined by the pumping-recovery test.
Effect of interferon, interleukin-2 and tumor necrosis factor on myocardial cell viability and doxorubicin cardiotoxicity in vitro.

Abstract Neonatal rat heart myocytes were cultured in plastic 24-well plates for 6 days over which time ATP and protein levels steadily increased. Synchronous beating rates of 40–50 per min are obtained 3 days after plating 1.14 × 106 myocytes/well. The addition of rat interferon (IFN) or recombinant human interleukin (IL-2) or tumor necrosis factor (TNF) at concentrations of 10–1000 U/ml for 24–48 h did not reduce ATP/protein ratios or significantly affect beating rates. A 6-h exposure to doxorubicin concentrations of 0.5 μg/ml and 1.0 μg/ml reduced control ATP/protein ratios of 6.8–7.3 ng/gmg by 78% and 40%, respectively. Importantly, the addition of 100 U/ml of IL-2, TNF or IFN to these doxorubicin concentrations did not alter doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. These results suggest that IL-2, TNF and IFN do not cause direct myocardial cell damage and may be cautiously combined with doxorubicin without enhanced cardiotoxic effects. The reported cardiotoxicity from such cytokines may be principally due to peripheral vascular effects which reflexly stress the heart.
The nucleophilic, phosphine-catalyzed thiol―ene click reaction and convergent star synthesis with RAFT-prepared homopolymers

Abstract The synthesis of 3-arm star polymers from reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT)-prepared precursor homopolymers in combination with thiol–ene click chemistry is described. Homopolymers of n-butyl acrylate and N,N-diethylacrylamide were prepared with 1-cyano-1-methylethyl dithiobenzoate and 2,2′-azobis(2-methylpropionitrile) yielding materials with polydispersity indices (Mw/Mn) ≤ 1.18 and controlled molecular weights as determined by a combination of NMR spectroscopy, size exclusion chromatography (SEC), and matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Subsequent one-pot reaction of homopolymer, hexylamine (HexAM), dimethylphenylphosphine (DMPP), and trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA) results in cleavage of the thiocarbonylthiol end-group (by HexAM) of the homopolymer yielding a macromolecular thiol that undergoes DMPP-initiated thiol-Michael addition to TMPTA yielding 3-arm star polymers. The presence of DMPP is demonstrated to serve an important second role in effectively suppressing the presence of any polymeric disulfide as determined by SEC. Such phosphine-mediated thiol–ene reactions are shown to be extremely rapid, as verified by a combination of FTIR and NMR spectroscopies, with complete consumption of the C C bonds occurring in a matter of min. MALDI-TOF MS and SEC were used to verify the formation of 3-arm stars. A broadening in the molecular weight distribution (Mw/Mn ∼ 1.35) was observed by SEC that was attributed to the presence of residual homopolymer and possibly 2-arm stars formed from trimethylolpropane diacrylate impurity. Interestingly, the MALDI analysis also indicated the presence of 1- and 2-arm species most likely formed from the fragmentation of the parent 3-arm star during analysis. Finally, a control experiment verified that the consumption of C C bonds does not occur via a radical pathway.
Approximately Arc-Length Parametrized C3 Quintic Interpolatory Splines

A quasi-global interpolation method that fits a quintic spline curve to a set of designated data points is described in this paper. The resultant curve has several important features. First, the curve is smooth with C 3 continuity and has no unwanted oscillations. Second, the generated quintic spline is optimally' parametrized; that is, the curve is parametrized very closely to its arc length. In addition, with the interpolation method, straight line segments can be preserved to generate a quintic spline of hybrid curve segments. The properties of C 3 continuity and the near arc length parametrization have direct applications to trajectory planning in robotics and the development of new types of machine tool controllers for high speed and precision machining. The encapsulation of straight line segments enhances the capability for the shape designers to design more complicated shapes, including free form curves and straight line segments in a uniform way.
Not All Monuments Are Megalithic: Examining the Cup and Ring Carved Stones of Northern Britain and the Usefulness of the Term “Portable Art”

AbstractSmall, non-earthfasted rocks decorated with carvings are found concentrated in northern Britain and are often referred to as portable art. This is primarily due to their relatively small size compared to stone slabs and menhirs used to construct other monuments, as well as evidence that they have been quarried or gathered from the landscape or perhaps are reused pieces of art from preexisting sites. In general, they bear a distinctive form of art described as cup and ring art. These carved stones have been dated to the Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age, and are often found associated with burial cairns. The author has questioned whether these stones were intended to be portable based on their archaeological context, and has therefore questioned the use of the term “portable” when these stones might have been intended to be building elements of a more immobile monument, built with cobbles instead of megalithic components. She has therefore examined the use of the word portable, and compiled a databas...
Principles of Passive Electrical Circuit Modeling

In this chapter, we shall discuss issues relating to the modeling of simple passive electrical circuits consisting of sources, resistors, capacitors, and inductors only. The traditional approach to this type of system is through either mesh equations or node equations. However, the resulting models are not in a state—space form and they cannot easily be converted into a state—space form thereafter. We shall also discuss another technique that allows us to derive a state—space model directly and we shall see why this approach is not commonly used. Very often, the resulting equations contain either algebraic loops or structural singularities.
Differential effects of the mismatch repair genes MSH2 and MSH3 on homeologous recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The products of the yeast mismatch repair genes MSH2 and MSH3 participate in the inhibition of genetic recombination between homeologous (divergent) DNA sequences. In strains deficient for these genes, homeologous recombination rates between repeated elements are elevated due to the loss of this inhibition. In this study, the effects of these mutations were further analyzed by quantitation of mitotic homeologous recombinants as crossovers, gene conversions or exceptional events in wild-type, msh2, msh3 and msh2 msh3 mutant strains. When homeologous sequences were present as a direct repeat in one orientation, crossovers and gene conversions were elevated in msh2, msh3 and msh2 msh3 strains. The increases were greater in the msh2 msh3 double mutant than in either single mutant. When the order of the homeologous sequences was reversed, the msh2 mutation again yielded increased rates of crossovers and gene conversions. However, in an msh3 strain, gene conversions occurred at higher levels but interchromosomal crossovers were not increased and intrachromosomal crossovers were reduced relative to wild type. The msh2 msh3 double mutant behaved like the msh2 single mutant in this orientation. Control strains harboring homologous duplications were largely but not entirely unaffected in mutant strains, suggesting specificity for the mismatched intermediates of homeologous recombination. In all strains, very few (< 10%) recombinants could be attributed to exceptional events. These results suggest that MSH2 and MSH3 can function differentially to control homeologous exchanges.
Spectral selectivity of electrochromic windows with color state for all-sky conditions

The optical performance of an electrochromic window is studied for the visible, ultraviolet, and near infrared spectral regions. The performance is found to deviate strongly with window color state and for clear or cloudy skies. A new spectral cloud model is applied to an electrochromic window recently developed at NREL. A spectral comparison is made between the electrochromic window and spectrally selective standard windows. Two series of double-glazed window sections, including the electrochromic window with color state and a series of low-E windows, were measured for transmittance and reflectance (300-2500nm), With these spectral data, a new near-infrared blocking (reflection + absorption) factor is developed for window application in warm climates for cooling load reduction. A chromaticity analysis is presented for both the daylight spectra and the transmitted electrochromic window spectra with color state, Computed daylight correlated color temperatures show a wide range, with values of 5660K for clear global irradiation, 6210K for clouds, and 13,250K for a zenith blue sky. Chromatic trajectories with color state for transmitted radiation extend further toward the blue to 8180K for the global and 28,990K for zenith sky irradiation.
Influences on the Decision to Become or Not Become a Foster Parent

This article describes influences on individuals' decision to become or not become a foster parent. Interviews were conducted with participants who had completed preservice training in preparation to become a foster parent. Participants described how training and other factors helped them decide whether or not to become foster parents. Implications for foster care professionals are related both to foster parent training and to foster parent recruitment.
Sexual cannibalism by Octopus cyanea on a Pacific coral reef

Sexual cannibalism is rare in the animal kingdom. Although cannibalism is not uncommon in cephalopods, here we report the first documented case of sexual cannibalism. A large female Octopus cyanea was observed continuously for 2.5 days in Palau, Micronesia, when she was out of her den. On the second day, a small male followed and mated her 13 times during 3.5 h while she continued to forage over 70 m distance. After the 12th mating, she aggressively chased a different small octopus that barely escaped by jetting, inking and swimming upwards. Shortly thereafter, the original small male mated her a 13th time, but subsequently she attacked and suffocated him and spent 2 days cannibalizing him in her den. This sort of intraspecific aggression helps to explain several reports of octopuses mating out in the open, a behaviour that may serve to allow the smaller mate to escape cannibalism.
Sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma : a distinctive and highly aggressive neoplasm

Eleven cases of sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma were treated between 1975 and 1986. This distinctive neoplasm involved the orbital cavity in 6 of 11 patients (55%) and the cranial cavity in 7 of 11 patients (64%) at the time of presentation. Of the eight patients (73%) who died of disease, six died within 13 months after the diagnosis. One patient has no evidence of disease 10 months after therapy, and two are alive with disease after 15 and 22 months.
Plane frame analysis of laterally loaded asymmetric buildings—an uncoupled solution

Abstract It is shown that for a class of asymmetric building structures, a lateral load analysis can be performed by means of analogous plane frames rather than by a three-dimensional procedure. Based on a co-ordinate transformation, the technique is applicable to structures with two types of framing systems each comprising several vertical planar assemblages having similar stiffness properties and a common variation thereof along the height.
Interdiction Analysis of Electric Grids Combining Cascading Outage and Medium-Term Impacts

This paper presents an improved interdiction model to identify maximal electric grid attacks. The contribution of the model is that it incorporates both short-term (seconds to minutes) and medium-term (minutes to days) impacts of the possible attack. The medium-term impacts are examined by an interdicted dc optimal power flow model. The short-term impacts are addressed by a cascading outage analysis model that uses a set of sequentially applied checkers to perform the simulation of the cascading outage events and assess the short-term impacts of a blackout subsequent to specified terrorist attacks. An integer programming heuristic is applied that can utilize standard optimization software (e.g. CPLEX) to solve master problems generated by the heuristic. The proposed model has been verified using the IEEE 300-Bus Test System and IEEE RTS 96 Test System. Discussions of the results and future research plans are also presented in this paper.
PHOTOKINETIC ASPECTS OF SPECIFIC HYDROGEN BONDING IN ALL-TRANS RETINAL AT ROOM TEMPERATURE

Room-temperature hydrogen-bonding of all-trans retinal (ATR) with 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP) in cyclohexane results in fluorescence enhancement and triplet yield quenching; these effects, as well as the associated absorption spectral changes in both ground and triplet states and the kinetics of H-bonding in the triplet state, have been studied by steady-state absorption-emission and laser flash-photolytic transient measurements. The fluorescence enhancement is predominantly controlled by the H-bonding in the ground state (static interaction) and gives a value of 440 M-1 for the corresponding equilibrium constant which is very similar to the value (420 M-1) obtained from the analysis of absorption spectral data as a function of [HFIP˜. The quantum yield of triplet occupation (oT) of the H-bonded complex, ATR-HFIP, in cyclohexane is non-negligible and is about one-third of oT of free ATR. The kinetic data of H-bonding equilibration in the triplet state, observable on a nanosecond time scale, indicate that the triplet ATR is a stronger base than the ground state as far as H-bonding with HFIP is concerned.
Optimal power allocation for active and passive localization

Power resource allocation is crucial for localization since it affects not only the conventionally recognized lifetime, throughput, and covertness, but also localization efficiency of the network. In this paper, we present an optimization framework for range-based localization to improve the power efficiency and localization accuracy. Our framework unifies the analysis for active and passive localization through the examples of wireless network localization (WNL) and multiple radar localization (MRL). In particular, we determine the functional properties of localization accuracy metric, and based on those properties we formulate the power allocation problem as conic programs. Moreover, we propose robust counterparts that retain the conic structures for power allocation in the presence of parameter uncertainty. Our simulation results validate the efficiency and robustness of the proposed methods.
Cytochemical studies of a glycogen-sarcoplasmic reticulum complex.

Enzymatically active cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) fractions contain glycogen. Previous biochemical and morphological studies indicate that the glycogen particles are membrane associated. In the present study, further evidence for membrane-associated glycogen particles in these cardiac SR fractions is presented: (1) morphological parameters, (2) enzymatic digestion by glucoamylase and alpha-amylase and (3) cytochemical staining by two different methods. Dense granules comparable in size (20–30 nm diameter), electron density and substructure to glycogen particles observed in intact cardiac muscle and in glycogen preparations isolated from skeletal muscle were seen. Most of these glycogen particles were removed by amylase digestion except for glycogen particles closely adhering to vesicle membranes. Two different cytochemical techniques (bismuth subnitrate and silver proteinate) revealed a positive reaction product over the glycogen particles. These findings provide further support for the biochemical finding of a structured enzyme complex involving the SR, glycogenolytic enzymes and glycogen.
BLEOMYCIN BIOSYNTHESIS IN STREPTOMYCES VERTICILLUS ATCC15003 : A MODEL OF HYBRID PEPTIDE AND POLYKETIDE BIOSYNTHESIS

Abstract The biosynthesis of bleomycins (BLMs) in Streptomyces verticillus ( Sv ) ATCC15003 was reviewed. Early biosynthetic studies by incorporation of isotope-labeled precursors and by isolation of biosynthetic intermediates and shunt metabolites were presented to support the hypothesis that (a) BLM is a hybrid peptide and polyketide metabolite and (b) the blm synthetase, which catalyzes the assembly of BLM from nine amino acids and an acetate, should bear the characteristics of both nonribosomal peptide synthetase (PTS) and polyketide synthase (PKS). After brief discussion of the cloning and characterization of the blm resistance genes from Sv ATCC15003 as well as from other microorganisms, emphasis was placed on our current efforts to clone the blm biosynthesis gene cluster from Sv ATCC15003. Four cloning strategies were discussed that included chromosomal walking from the blmAB resistance genes, cloning putative PKS genes by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), cloning putative PTS genes by PCR, and the combination of chromosomal walking from the blm resistance locus and heterologous probing with PTS probes. While at least three additional peptide and one polyketide biosynthesis gene clusters were identified from Sv ATCC15003, a putative 110-kb blm gene cluster has been cloned. Sequence analysis of 75 kb DNA provided strong support that the cloned gene cluster is responsible for BLM production.
Variability in Tenderness Due to Struggling

Abstract IN MANY experiments conducted on tenderness of poultry meat it has been noticed that this factor varies from bird to bird during post-mortem aging, even after seemingly identical slaughter treatments. Marion and Stadelman (1958) showed this effect with turkeys, and Dodge and Stadelman (1959), Klose et al. (1959), and Pool et al. (1959) observed the effect with both turkeys and chickens of different ages. Koonz and Robinson (1946) and Koonz, Darrow and Essary (1954) showed also that considerable variation exists between the tenderness of the principal muscles of the poultry carcass as well as between individual birds. Since in most cases the groups of birds tested were raised under identical management conditions and treated the same during slaughter, it would seem that some presently uncontrolled factor—possibly physiological—causes the variation. Assuming that glycolysis play an important part in post-mortem tenderization of beef (Bate-Smith, 1948, Bendall, 1951) the activity of …
Pigmented malignant pilomatrixoma: report of a case and review of the literature

An unusual variant of malignant pilomatrixoma displaying melanization of epithelial elements is described. Melanization is a rare event even in the benign form of this adnexal neoplasm. Previously reported cases of malignant pilomatrixoma are reviewed; none containing pigment have been previously reported to our knowledge. Possible etiologies for lack of pigment in most benign and malignant pilomatrixoma are discussed.
Caspase-dependent Mcl-1 cleavage and effect of Mcl-1 phosphorylation in ABT-737-induced apoptosis in human acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell lines:

ABT-737 is a BH3-mimetic that has a wide spectrum of single-agent activity against acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cell lines and xenografts. Previously, we reported that in response to ABT-737, ABT-737-resistant ALL cell lines showed an apparent increase in Mcl-1 (an anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family protein that is not effectively inhibited by ABT-737) while ABT-737-sensitive ALL cell lines showed decreased Mcl-1 levels. Here we explored the mechanism of Mcl-1 cleavage by ABT-737 and the effect of adjacent phosphorylation sites on Mcl-1 cleavage and apoptosis induced by ABT-737 in a human B-lineage ALL cell line. Caspase cleavage sites in Mcl-1 and the effect of mutation in Mcl-1 phosphorylation sites were determined by transducing Mcl-1 variants tagged with the V5 epitope into human ALL cells. Cytotoxicity was by fluorescence-based DIMSCAN, and changes in protein by immunoblotting. ABT-737 induced a caspase-dependent cleavage of Mcl-1. Of the two Mcl-1 caspase cleavage sites (D127 and D157), D157 was the site of ABT-737-induced cleavage in ALL cells. Cells with exogenously expressed Mcl-1 Δ157 fragment showed greater caspase-3 and caspase-9 activation when they were treated with ABT-737 compared with cells expressing wild-type or D157A mutant Mcl-1. Cells with mutated phosphorylation sites on Mcl-1 (S159A and T163A) were less susceptible to Mcl-1 cleavage and apoptosis induced by ABT-737. Our data showed that Mcl-1 is post-translationally regulated in response to ABT-737 treatment, primarily via a caspase-dependent cleavage that generates a pro-apoptotic Mcl-1 fragment.
The prediction of semiconducting properties in inorganic compounds

Abstract Various criteria are presented for predicting possible semiconducting behaviour in inorganic compounds. Semiconductors have saturated ionic-covalent bonding which requires that they can be represented by an ionic formula; they occur as ‘line phases’ in the appropriate constitutional diagram. It is also shown that various series of new semiconducting compounds can be derived from known ones by a process of ‘cross-substitution’, i.e. by replacing one element by pairs from other groups of the Periodic Table while keeping the valence-electron : atom ratio constant. The application of these concepts is illustrated with particular reference to diamond-type lattices, some seven of which are discussed, though other structures are also considered.
S-Farnesyl-Thiopropionic Acid (FTPA) Triazoles as Potent Inhibitors of Isoprenylcysteine Carboxyl Methyltransferase.

We report the design and synthesis of novel FTPA-triazole compounds as potent inhibitors of isoprenylcysteine carboxyl methyltransferase (Icmt), through a focus on thioether and isoprenoid mimetics. These mimetics were coupled utilizing a copper-assisted cycloaddition to assemble the potential inhibitors. Using the resulting triazole from the coupling as an isoprenyl mimetic resulted in the biphenyl-substituted FTPA triazole 10n. This lipid-modified analogue is a potent inhibitor of Icmt (IC50 = 0.8 ± 0.1 μM; calculated Ki = 0.4 μM).
Electrospray ionization mass spectrometric characterization of photocrosslinked DNA-EcoRI DNA methyltransferase complexes

We describe a novel strategy combining photocrosslinking and HPLC-based electrospray ionization mass spectrometry to identify UV crosslinked DNA-protein complexes. Eco RI DNA methyltransferase modifies the second adenine within the recognition sequence GAATTC. Substitution of 5-iodouracil for the thymine adjacent to the target base (GAATTC) does not detectably alter the DNA-protein complex. Irradiation of the 5-iodouracil-substituted DNA-protein complex at various wavelengths was optimized, with a crosslinking yield >60% at 313 nm after 1 min. No protein degradation was observed under these conditions. The crosslinked DNA-protein complex was further analyzed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The total mass is consistent with irradiation-dependent covalent bond formation between one strand of DNA and the protein. These preliminary results support the possibility of identifying picomole quantities of crosslinked peptides by similar strategies.