cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of Local Metabolic Factors on Vascular Smooth Muscle

The sections in this article are: 1 Oxygen 1.1 Effect 1.2 Mechanisms of Action 1.3 Situations in Which O2 Tension in Vessel Wall May Influence Vascular Tone 2 Potassium Ion 2.1 Effect 2.2 Mechanisms of Action 2.3 Situations in Which Vessel Wall [K+] May Influence Vascular Tone 3 Osmolarity 3.1 Effect 3.2 Mechanisms of Action 3.3 Situations in Which Changes in Tissue Vessel Wall Osmolarity May Influence Vascular Tone
Attitudes and Persuasion

1 Defining Attitudes 2 Biological Sources of Attitudes: How Biology and Genes Influence Affective Valence and Arousal 3 Inadverted Environmental Influences: Attitudes in Response to a Seemingly Passive Environment 4 Attitudes in Reaction to a Seemingly Active Environment 5 Summary
The Other War at Home: Chronic Nuisance Laws and the Revictimization of Survivors of Domestic Violence

This Note discusses the unlikely intersection of local chronic nuisance ordinances and domestic violence. It posits that chronic nuisance law grants law enforcement, or third parties acting in a police capacity, the ability to revictimize survivors of domestic violence, disproportionately impacting women of color and poor women. Using the example of Lakisha Briggs, a Black woman who faced the threat of eviction from her home after her ex-boyfriend attacked her and her neighbor contacted law enforcement for assistance, the Note discusses the prevalence of these ordinances and their impact. Part I sets out by defining both domestic violence and chronic nuisance law, explaining how chronic nuisance law was revitalized as a policing tool beginning in the 1980s during the War on Drugs. Part II discusses the rationales behind chronic nuisance ordinances and their impact on survivors of domestic violence. Part III lays out strategies that advocates can use to combat the use of chronic nuisance ordinances against survivors of domestic violence. By considering the impacts of chronic nuisance law on survivors of domestic violence, antiviolence advocates can better acknowledge the impact of police violence against survivors, particularly women of color and poor women, and create strategies to combat it.
Hemoptysis, recurrent cerebrovascular accident, and emergency mitral valve replacement

Hemoptysis in mitral stenosis may occur frequently, but massive pulmonary hemorrhage is uncommon. We describe a patient with mitral stenosis who had severe hemoptysis and required anticoagulation for recurrent embolic cerebrovascular accidents. The patient underwent successful mitral valve replacement with a Hancock bioprosthesis. There was no evidence of pulmonary bleeding following operation. This case illustrated that mitral valve operation may be performed in acutely ill patients for the relief of hemoptysis.
Artichoke Extract Lowered Plasma Cholesterol and Increased Fecal Bile Acids in Golden Syrian Hamsters

A study was conducted in hamsters to determine if artichoke leaf extract (ALE) could lower plasma total and non-HDL cholesterol by increasing fecal excretion of neutral bile acids and sterols. Sixty-four Golden Syrian hamsters (8 week old) were fed control diet or a similar diet containing ALE (4.5 g/kg diet) for 6 weeks. No significant changes for total cholesterol, HDL, non-HDL cholesterol triglycerides or fecal neutral sterols and bile acids were found after 21 days for ALE-fed animals compared with controls. But after 42 days, ALE-fed male hamsters had significantly lower total cholesterol (15%), non-HDL cholesterol (30%) and triglycerides (22%) and female hamsters fed ALE showed reductions of 15% for total cholesterol, 29% for non-HDL cholesterol and 29% for triglycerides compared with controls. Total neutral sterol and bile acids concentrations increased significantly by 50% and 53% in fecal samples of ALE fed males, and 82.4% and 25% in ALE fed females compared with controls. The ALE lowered hamster plasma cholesterol levels by a mechanism involving the greater excretion of fecal bile acids and neutral sterols after feeding for 42 days. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Purification and characterization of tyrosinase from gill tissue of Portabella mushrooms

A group of tyrosinase isoforms with isoelectric points between 4.9 and 5.2 was isolated from gill tissue of Portabella mushrooms. Use of protease inhibitors was not able to increase the amount of latent forms significantly in crude extracts or to preserve latent tyrosinase activity during purification. The tyrosinase in gill tissue extracts showed latent activity above pH 5.5 and suppressed or displayed no latent activity below pH 5.5 when assayed in the presence of SDS. The purified isoforms showed monophenolase activity toward 4-hydroxyanisole but practically no activity toward tyrosine or tyramine. The purified isoforms showed greater activity toward catechol than either 4-methylcatechol, dopa, dopamine, chlorogenic acid, t-butylcatechol, or catechin. The Km for catechol was similar for the group of isolated isoforms (4.3 mM) compared to the isoforms in crude extracts (5.3 mM). Crude extracts showed several isoforms ranging from 50 to 230 kDa after partially denaturing SDS PAGE, while the purified isoforms showed molecular weights of 70 kDa.
The politics of quantification

Abstract Ted Porter’s Trust in Numbers is an ambitious attempt to show how quantification in the social sciences was a response to problems of trust generated by conflicts between social scientists, politicians, managers, owners, and bureaucrats in the U.S., Britain, and France. Porter’s argument is that quantification is one way to attain trust within a profession or in the political sphere. His case studies show that less organized social scientists were forced by external constituencies to quantify, while more organized groups were able to assert their expertise and use connections to important political and economic elites to resist quantification. While Porter’s book opens new terrain, I propose that one way to reinterpret the book is to have a more explicit view of how the relations between political and economic elites produce different problems of trust and different forms of control.
A PRELIMINARY AND PARTIAL TEST OF SPECIFIC DEFIANCE

ABSTRACT Deterrence and labeling theories predict opposing effects of sanctions on criminal behavior, and this diversity in the expected effects of sanctions is also apparent in the empirical literature. Sherman's (1993) defiance theory has been proposed to explain the conditions under which punishment may either increase or decrease crime. In a reanalysis of the Police Services Study data, we examine how police behaviors may influence the likelihood that citizens will respond with defiant behavior in encounters with police officers. Consistent with defiance theory, we find that police actions that are likely to be perceived as unfair and stigmatizing increase the likelihood that citizens behave defiantly toward police officers. Directions for future research are also identified.
Holocene desert soil formation under sodium salt influence in a playa-margin environment

Abstract A visually prominent desert soil with a horizon of clay accumulation (Typic Natrargid) has formed under an arid climate in Panamint Valley, California, in sandy, very calcareous, saline fan alluvium in less than about 3500 yr, and probably less than 2000 yr. Such soils can be used as stratigraphic markers, but could be confused with other desert soils with clay-accumulation horizons (Haplargids) which occur much more commonly on desert alluvial fans, are mostly late Pleistocene or older, and do not form in parent materials that are still calcareous. This Natrargid formed in a playa-margin environment, where clay for translocation and sodium salts that engender rapid clay movement probably were provided by dust fall.
Extended Two Compartmental Swelling Stress Model and Isotropic Cauchy Stress Equation for Articular Cartilage Proteoglycans

Proteoglycans (PGs), a constituent of cartilaginous tissues, have a negative fixed charge (FC) that causes an intratissue swelling stress [1]. This swelling stress is thought to balance tensile stress in the collagen network and contribute to the aggregate modulus of articular cartilage (AC) [1]. Stress constitutive equations that accurately characterize mechanical behavior of individual tissue constituents are crucial for the development of accurate total tissue models. The goal of this study is to extend the range of an existing two compartmental model for PG swelling stress by Basser et al. [1], and develop a continuum level equation for PG Cauchy stress. Specifically, the first aim is to increase the accuracy of the two compartmental model proposed in [1], to a lower range of FC density (FCD) typically found in bovine calf AC. The second aim is to use the extended model to develop a continuum level strain energy function and associated isotropic PG Cauchy stress constitutive equation.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Detecting cells in time varying intensity images in confocal microscopy for gene expression studies in living cells

In this work we present a time-lapsed confocal microscopy image analysis technique for an automated gene expression study of multiple single living cells. Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) is a technology by which molecule-to-molecule interactions are visualized. We analyzed a dynamic series of ~10 2 images obtained using confocal microscopy of fluorescence in yeast cells containing RNA reporters that give a FRET signal when the gene promoter is activated. For each time frame, separate images are available for three spectral channels and the integrated intensity snapshot of the system. A large number of time-lapsed frames must be analyzed to identify each cell individually across time and space, as it is moving in and out of the focal plane of the microscope. This makes it a difficult image processing problem. We have proposed an algorithm here, based on scale-space technique, which solves the problem satisfactorily. The algorithm has multiple directions for even further improvement. The ability to rapidly measure changes in gene expression simultaneously in many cells in a population will open the opportunity for real-time studies of the heterogeneity of genetic response in a living cell population and the interactions between cells that occur in a mixed population, such as the ones found in the organs and tissues of multicellular organisms.
Recent advances in implicit solvent based methods for biomolecular simulations

Implicit solvent-based methods play an increasingly important role in molecular modeling of biomolecular structure and dynamics. Recent methodological developments have mainly focused on the extension of the generalized Born (GB) formalism for variable dielectric environments and accurate treatment of nonpolar solvation. Extensive efforts in parameterization of GB models and implicit solvent force fields have enabled ab initio simulation of protein folding to native or near-native structures. Another exciting area that has benefited from the advances in implicit solvent models is the development of constant pH molecular dynamics methods, which have recently been applied to the calculations of protein p K a values and the studies of pH-dependent peptide and protein folding.
The dermatology work force: a focus on urban versus rural wait times.

Background Recent studies suggest a shortage of dermatologists with an average wait time of 36 days in the United States and 40 days in Ohio for a routine dermatology visit. To date, no previous studies have examined supply and demand of dermatology services in rural versus urban populations. Objective We sought to determine the average wait time for a dermatology appointment for new and established patients in both urban and rural areas. Methods The offices of 250 dermatologists in Ohio were contacted by telephone to determine the wait time for the next available appointment for new and established patients with a changing mole. Results The average wait time for new (4.5 weeks) and established (3.1 weeks) patients was similar to times reported in previous studies. A greater density of all dermatologists and medical (general) dermatologists practice in cities, but wait times were not statistically different in rural versus urban settings. Limitations Neither insurance status or use of physician extenders were considered. The findings may not be applicable to areas outside Ohio. Conclusion There is a shortage of medical dermatologists throughout Ohio. Training more medical dermatologists or adding physician extenders to dermatology practices would be expected to decrease the waiting time for dermatology appointments. Providing incentives for dermatologists to practice in underserved rural areas may not be necessary judging by the similarities in wait times between rural and urban settings.
Imaging the mott insulator shells by using atomic clock shifts

Microwave spectroscopy was used to probe the superfluid-Mott insulator transition of a Bose-Einstein condensate in a three-dimensional optical lattice. By using density-dependent transition frequency shifts, we were able to spectroscopically distinguish sites with different occupation numbers and to directly image sites with occupation numbers from one to five, revealing the shell structure of the Mott insulator phase. We used this spectroscopy to determine the onsite interaction and lifetime for individual shells.
Visual discrimination in hemicerebrectomized monkeys.

Abstract Monkeys having different amounts of unilateral brain ablation were studied on 20 discrimination tasks involving visual-spatial stimuli. Retests and reversals of some tasks were included among the total series of tasks. Brain damaged animals were poorer than normal subjects on only five comparisons among the 60 that were possible. The group of primary interest, the hemicerebrectomized monkeys, were significantly poorer than normal animals on only a thickness discrimination, and a reversal of the thickness discrimination which followed a retest on it. The results of all groups are discussed in relation to other observations made during these experiments. The role of homonymous hemianopia is suggested to be of special importance to the results. Lastly, a comparison is made of these findings with those of similar experiments by others.
Effects of Parasitism and Temperature on Salinity Tolerance of the Kelp Shrimp Eualus suckleyi

Abstract Mortality of the kelp shrimp Eualus suckleyi was determined over a range of salinity and temperature combinations in the laboratory. At every acclimation temperature, mortality increased with a decrease in salinity. Kelp shrimp acclimated to 4 C tolerated salinity shocks better than animals acclimated to higher or lower temperatures. Parasitism by the bopyrid isopod Bopyroides hippolytes reduced tolerance to salinity change over the range of temperatures examined. Received November 8, 1982 Accepted March 20, 1984
Population dynamics of the forest tent caterpillar (Malacosoma disstria) in a water tupelo (Nyssa aquatica) forest: a simulation model.

Abstract A population model of the forest tent caterpillar, Malacosoma disstria Hub., which simulates both larval grazing in the forest canopy in one season and population dynamics over several years, is presented. The ftc is an important pest of hardwoods causing very irregular but frequently complete defoliation of water tupelo, Nyssa aquatica L. The ftc population model consists of two submodels: the first one for larval mortality and grazing of growing foliage in the forest canopy, the second for the year-to-year population dynamics under different levels of density-dependent pupal mortality due to parasitism. The model prediction of complete defoliation (over 98%) for >22 egg masses per tree is in agreement with available data. Under conditions of strong density-dependent pupal mortality (rather dry tupelo forests) the modeled population exhibits damped oscillations and approaches equilibrium in a few years. Weak density-dependent pupal mortality, which seems to be typical for permanently flooded forests, results in chaotic or pseudoperiodic model behavior. A method to achieve more regular dynamics through introduction of spatial heterogeneity into the model is illustrated.
Pink water, green plants and pink elephants

Tobacco has been engineered with a bacterial nitroreductase that facilitates degradation of trinitrotoluene.
AMP deaminase histoenzymology in hamster skeletal muscle

Summary A histochemical technique for AMP deaminase (E.C. 3.5.4.6) has been successfully applied in hamster skeletal muscle tissue. Indeed the hamster gastrocnemius fast-glycolytic fibers show the strongest staining for AMP deaminase while the slow-oxidative fibers present only a weak staining for this histoenzymatic method. The staining appears to stain strongly the capillary endothelium as well as is clearly localized in all fiber types associated with the actomysin since the stain is observed at the level of the A-band.
The effects of microstructure and morphology on fracture nucleation and propagation in martensitic steel alloys

Abstract A dislocation-density based multiple-slip crystalline plasticity framework, which accounts for variant morphologies and orientation relationships (ORs) that are uniquely inherent to lath martensitic microstructures, and a dislocation-density grain boundary (GB) interaction scheme, which is based on dislocation-density transmission and blockage at variant boundaries, is developed and used to predict stress accumulation or relaxation at the variant interfaces. A microstructural failure criterion, which is based on resolving these stresses on martensitic cleavage planes, and specialized finite-element (FE) methodologies using overlapping elements to represent evolving fracture surfaces are used for a detailed analysis of fracture nucleation and intergranular and transgranular crack growth in martensitic steels. The effects of block and packet boundaries are investigated, and the results indicate that the orientation of the cleavage planes in relation to the slip planes and the lath morphology are the dominant factors that characterize specific failure modes. The block and packet sizes along the lath long direction are the key microstructural features the affect toughening mechanisms, such as crack arrest and deflection, and these mechanisms can be used to control the nucleation and propagation of different failure modes.
FGF17b and FGF18 have different midbrain regulatory properties from FGF8b or activated FGF receptors

Early patterning of the vertebrate midbrain and cerebellum is regulated by a mid/hindbrain organizer that produces three fibroblast growth factors (FGF8, FGF17 and FGF18). The mechanism by which each FGF contributes to patterning the midbrain, and induces a cerebellum in rhombomere 1 (r1) is not clear. We and others have found that FGF8b can transform the midbrain into a cerebellum fate, whereas FGF8a can promote midbrain development. In this study we used a chick electroporation assay and in vitro mouse brain explant experiments to compare the activity of FGF17b and FGF18 to FGF8a and FGF8b. First, FGF8b is the only protein that can induce the r1 gene Gbx2 and strongly activate the pathway inhibitors Spry1/2, as well as repress the midbrain gene Otx2 . Consistent with previous studies that indicated high level FGF signaling is required to induce these gene expression changes, electroporation of activated FGFRs produce similar gene expression changes to FGF8b. Second, FGF8b extends the organizer along the junction between the induced Gbx2 domain and the remaining Otx2 region in the midbrain, correlating with cerebellum development. By contrast, FGF17b and FGF18 mimic FGF8a by causing expansion of the midbrain and upregulating midbrain gene expression. This result is consistent with Fgf17 and Fgf18 being expressed in the midbrain and not just in r1 as Fgf8 is. Third, analysis of gene expression in mouse brain explants with beads soaked in FGF8b or FGF17b showed that the distinct activities of FGF17b and FGF8b are not due to differences in the amount of FGF17b protein produced in vivo. Finally, brain explants were used to define a positive feedback loop involving FGF8b mediated upregulation of Fgf18 , and two negative feedback loops that include repression of Fgfr2/3 and direct induction of Spry1/2 . As Fgf17 and Fgf18 are co-expressed with Fgf8 in many tissues, our studies have broad implications for how these FGFs differentially control development.
Mucous aggregate of the nasopharynx: the mucolith.

A 30-year-old woman produced a single mass of gray material from her nose during a particularly forceful sneeze several hours before presenting to our clinic. She asked that the material be submitted for pathologic evaluation because she had experienced simultaneous discomfort behind her left eye and was worried that the mass might be “some kind of brain tissue.” She denied any additional symptoms and took no medications. This was her first such episode and she had no history of mental or emotional illness. An evaluation of the nasal mucosa and nasopharynx demonstrated slight hyperemia but no evidence of bleeding, infection, or foreign body. The specimen consisted of a single gray mass measuring 1 cm in diameter. It was fractured into smaller specimens 2–4 mm in diameter. Microscopically, aggregates of granular material with a gray, violet, or blue color were noted (Figure 1). No living tissues were visible. A vague configuration was appreciated with filamentous fraying at the edges and a palisading array of amorphous matter. Bacterial colonies were noted using a hematoxylin-eosin and phenol green stain. Gram-positive cocci and filamentous bacteria were abundant (Figure 2). Entrapped within the matrix were occasional erythrocytes, hemosiderin deposits, and several small refractile foreign bodies. An alcian blue stain demonstrated modest mucin deposition. A calcium stain was negative, but focal iron staining was noted. Figure 1. Aggregation of amorphous granular material with frayed edge and bacterial colonies (mucolith) (hematoxylin-eosin stain; original magnification×10) Download figure to PowerPoint Figure 2. Numerous filamentous bacteria with scattered cocci (hematoxylin-eosin stain; original magnification×40) Download figure to PowerPoint
The Role of Clear Air Turbulence in the Production of Potential vorticity in the Vicinity of Upper Tropospheric jet Stream-Frontal Systems

Abstract The nonconservation of potential vorticity in the vicinity of upper tropospheric frontal systems is examined by identifying the mechanisms by which turbulence can change potential vorticity. Based on observed beat and momentum fluxes, a turbulence parameterization is included in a two-dimensional, isentropic primitive equation model. The relative importance of the turbulent heat and momentum fluxes in generating potential vorticity is examined by considering turbulence characterized by Prandtl numbers 1 and 2.5. Potential vorticity production and destruction rates > 50% day−1 were produced by the turbulent heat and momentum fluxes.
Survival Analysis of Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy: A Question of Selection Bias

Rates of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) in women with breast cancer have increased, but most studies fail to show a survival benefit. We evaluated survival among CPM patients compared to patients undergoing single mastectomy (SM). The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database was used to identify unilateral breast cancer patients who underwent mastectomy with/without CPM from 1998 to 2010. Case-control analysis was performed with CPM cases matched to SM controls on the basis of age group, race/ethnicity, extent of surgery, grade, T classification, N classification, estrogen receptor status, and propensity score. Survival analyses included Kaplan–Meier curves and univariate and multivariate proportional hazard models to determine factors associated with disease-specific (DSS) and overall survival (OS). A total of 26,526 CPM patients were identified. On multivariate regression analysis, increasing age, greater extent of surgery, increasing T and N stage, African American race, Hispanic ethnicity, poorly differentiated grade, and estrogen receptor negativity were associated with increased risk of death. CPM was associated with improved DSS (HR 0.86, 95 % CI 0.79–0.93) and even greater OS (HR 0.76, 95 % CI 0.71–0.81) compared with SM. Contralateral breast cancer (CBC) occurred in 1.6 % of women in the cohort. Removing CBC cases from analysis had little impact on CPM DSS (HR 0.86, 95 % CI 0.79–0.93) and OS (0.77, 95 % CI 0.72–0.82) suggesting that prevention of CBC by CPM does not explain the observed survival benefit. CPM rates continue to rise. The improved DSS and OS observed with CPM support selection bias. Prospective trials are needed to determine cohorts of patients most likely to benefit from CPM.
Edwards thermodynamics of the jamming transition for frictionless packings: ergodicity test and role of angoricity and compactivity

This paper illustrates how the tools of equilibrium statistical mechanics can help to describe a far-from-equilibrium problem: the jamming transition in frictionless granular materials. Edwards ideas consist of proposing a statistical ensemble of volume and stress fluctuations through the thermodynamic notion of entropy, compactivity, X, and angoricity, A (two temperature-like variables). We find that Edwards thermodynamics is able to describe the jamming transition (J point) in frictionless packings. Using the ensemble formalism we elucidate the following: (i) We test the combined volume-stress ensemble by comparing the statistical properties of jammed configurations obtained by dynamics with those averaged over the ensemble of minima in the potential energy landscape as a test of ergodicity. Agreement between both methods supports the idea of ergodicity and "thermalization" at a given angoricity and compactivity. (ii) A microcanonical ensemble analysis supports the maximum entropy principle for grains. (iii) The intensive variables A and X describe the approach to jamming through a series of scaling relations as A → 0+ and X → 0-. Due to the force-strain coupling in the interparticle forces, the jamming transition is probed thermodynamically by a "jamming temperature" T(J) composed of contributions from A and X. (iv) The thermodynamic framework reveals the order of the jamming phase transition by showing the absence of critical fluctuations at jamming in static observables like pressure and volume, and we discuss other critical scenarios for the jamming transition. (v) Finally, we elaborate on a comparison with relevant studies by Gao, Blawzdziewicz, and O'Hern [Phys. Rev. E 74, 061304 (2006)], showing a breakdown of equiprobability of microstates obtained via fast quenches. A network analysis of the energy landscape reveals the origin of the inhomogeneities in the uneven distribution of the areas of the basins. Such inhomogeneities are also found in other out-of-equilibrium systems like Lennard-Jones glasses and their existence does not preclude the use of statistical mechanics for jammed systems.
Interpretation of the carcinogenicity of amosite asbestos and ferroactinolite on the basis of retained fiber dose and characteristics in vivo

Rats were exposed to amosite asbestos and ferroactinolite fibers by intrapleural inoculation and intratracheal instillation. The ferroactinolite sample was found to be more carcinogenic in both exposures than the amosite sample on the basis of total fiber dose or fiber dose expressed for any size category of hypothetical greatest carcinogenic potency. Quantitative transmission electron microscope analysis of low-temperature ashed whole lung samples collected at different times following intratracheal instillation of fibers demonstrated that concentrations and sizes of fibers retained in rat lungs were greatly influenced by the relative ability of each mineral to undergo longitudinal splitting as a consequence of dissolution in vivo. Ferroactinolite fibers rapidly split to produce many thin fibers so that the number of ferroactinolite fibers retained in the lung 2 years after intratracheal instillation was four times greater than the number of fibers originally instilled. The number of short, thin ferroactinolite fibers retained (10-fold more than amosite) after in vivo splitting best explains the greater lung carcinogenicity of ferroactinolite compared to amosite.
Design and Analysis of a Robust, Low-cost, Highly Articulated manipulator enabled by jamming of granular media

Hyper-redundant manipulators can be fragile, expensive, and limited in their flexibility due to the distributed and bulky actuators that are typically used to achieve the precision and degrees of freedom (DOFs) required. Here, a manipulator is proposed that is robust, high-force, low-cost, and highly articulated without employing traditional actuators mounted at the manipulator joints. Rather, local tunable stiffness is coupled with off-board spooler motors and tension cables to achieve complex manipulator configurations. Tunable stiffness is achieved by reversible jamming of granular media, which—by applying a vacuum to enclosed grains—causes the grains to transition between solid-like states and liquid-like ones. Experimental studies were conducted to identify grains with high strength-to-weight performance. A prototype of the manipulator is presented with performance analysis, with emphasis on speed, strength, and articulation. This novel design for a manipulator—and use of jamming for robotic applications in general—could greatly benefit applications such as human-safe robotics and systems in which robots need to exhibit high flexibility to conform to their environments.
Functional Maps of Protein Complexes from Quantitative Genetic Interaction Data

Recently, a number of advanced screening technologies have allowed for the comprehensive quantification of aggravating and alleviating genetic interactions among gene pairs. In parallel, TAP-MS studies (tandem affinity purification followed by mass spectroscopy) have been successful at identifying physical protein interactions that can indicate proteins participating in the same molecular complex. Here, we propose a method for the joint learning of protein complexes and their functional relationships by integration of quantitative genetic interactions and TAP-MS data. Using 3 independent benchmark datasets, we demonstrate that this method is >50% more accurate at identifying functionally related protein pairs than previous approaches. Application to genes involved in yeast chromosome organization identifies a functional map of 91 multimeric complexes, a number of which are novel or have been substantially expanded by addition of new subunits. Interestingly, we find that complexes that are enriched for aggravating genetic interactions (i.e., synthetic lethality) are more likely to contain essential genes, linking each of these interactions to an underlying mechanism. These results demonstrate the importance of both large-scale genetic and physical interaction data in mapping pathway architecture and function.
Lazy updates for distributed search structure

Very large database systems require distributed storage, which means that they need distributed search structures for fast and efficient access to the data. In this paper, we present an approach to maintaining distributed data structures that uses lazy updates, which take advantage of the semantics of the search structure operations to allow for scalable and low-overhead replication. Lazy updates can be used to design distributed search structures that support very high levels of concurrency. The alternatives to lazy update algorithms (eager updates) use synchronization to ensure consistency, while lazy update algorithms avoid blocking. Since lazy updates avoid the use of synchronization, they are much easier to implement than eager update algorithms. We demonstrate the application of lazy updates to the dB-tree, which is a distributed B+tree that replicates its interior nodes for highly parallel access. We develop a correctness theory for lazy updates so that our algorithms can be applied to other distributed search structures.
Synthesis, structure, and luminescence of a two-dimensional lanthanide(III)-suberate coordination polymer resulting from dimeric secondary building units

Abstract A two-dimensional lanthanide-suberate has been synthesized via hydrothermal methods. This structure is composed of dimeric secondary building units that are extended into sheets by suberate anions. Direct photoexcitation of the lanthanide center (Eu(III) and Tb(III)) show typical emission characteristics.
Enzymatic breakdown of pectin and acid-inhibition of the infection of Medicago roots by rhizobium

Production of a pectinase precedes infection. Acidity in the pH-range 4.5 to 5.5, which inhibits production of root-nodules by inhibiting the infection of the root-hairs, also inhibits the action of the pectinase on pectin. The enzyme's pH-requirements may determine those of nodulation.
Amino acid utilization and glutamic acid synthesis by variants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The diverse physiological activity of colonial variants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is reported. The variable, utilization of amino acids within the species emphasizes the importance of using pure morphological types of bacteria to obtain predictable activity in microbiological assays.
Limited interaction between translation and visual motion aftereffects in humans

After exposure to a moving sensory stimulus, subsequent perception is often biased in the opposite direction. This phenomenon, known as an aftereffect, has been extensively studied for optic flow stimuli where it is known as the visual motion aftereffect (MAE). Such visual motion can also generate the sensation of self-motion or vection. It has recently been demonstrated that fore-aft translation in darkness also produces an aftereffect. The current study examines the interaction between visual MAE and vestibular translation aftereffects. Human subjects participated in a two-interval experiment in which the first interval (adapter) was visual, translation, or both combined congruently or in conflict. Subjects identified the direction of the second (test) interval of either visual or translation using a forced-choice technique. The translation adapter had no influence on visual test stimulus perception, and the visual adapter did not influence vestibular test stimulus perception in any subjects. However, congruent visual and translation induced a significantly larger perceptual bias on the translation test stimulus than was observed for a translation only adapter. The congruent adapter caused the MAE to be diminished relative to a visual only adapter. Conflicting visual and vestibular adapters produced an aftereffect similar to that seen when the single adapting stimulus was the same modality as the test stimulus. These results suggest that unlike visual and translation stimuli whose combined influence on perception can be predicted based on the effects of each stimulus individually, the effects of combined visual and translation stimuli on aftereffects cannot be predicted from the influences of each stimulus individually.
Eutectic system of ammonium nitrate with 15 wt% potassium nitrate/ethylenediamine dinitrate/diethylenetriamine trinitrate

Abstract The phase diagram was determined for the ternary system diethylenetriamine trinitrate/ethylenediamine dinitrate/ammonium nitrate with 15 wt% potassium nitrate (DETN/EDD/AK15). The eutectic mixture (DEAK), containing 40, 35, and 25 wt% AK15, DETN, and EDD respectively, was subjected to small-scale sensitivity and performance tests. The measured PCJ (223 kbar) from a 4.13-cm-diam, unconfined rate-stick test of the DEAK system agrees with Kamlet-Short-Method (KSM) data calculated at the same pressed density [97.7% of theoretical maximum density (TMD)]. A rate-stick test of EAK at the same charge diameter and pressed density failed, indicating that the addition of the DETN component to the EAK system has reduced the critical diameter of EAK.
Connections between the covector mapping theorem and convergence of pseudospectral methods for optimal control

In recent years, many practical nonlinear optimal control problems have been solved by pseudospectral (PS) methods. In particular, the Legendre PS method offers a Covector Mapping Theorem that blurs the distinction between traditional direct and indirect methods for optimal control. In an effort to better understand the PS approach for solving control problems, we present consistency results for nonlinear optimal control problems with mixed state and control constraints. A set of sufficient conditions is proved under which a solution of the discretized optimal control problem converges to the continuous solution. Convergence of the primal variables does not necessarily imply the convergence of the duals. This leads to a clarification of the Covector Mapping Theorem in its relationship to the convergence properties of PS methods and its connections to constraint qualifications. Conditions for the convergence of the duals are described and illustrated. An application of the ideas to the optimal attitude control of NPSAT1, a highly nonlinear spacecraft, shows that the method performs well for real-world problems.
Modeling of Direct H2S Fueled Solid Oxide Fuel Cells with Reforming Chemical Kinetics

A direct H2S fueled SOFC model is developed based on Ni-YSZ/YSZ/YSZ-LSM button cell test stand. The model considers the detailed reforming chemical processes of H2S and multi-physics transport processes in the fuel cell and fuel supply tubes. The model is validated using experimental data. Extensive simulations are performed to study the complicated interactions between multi-physics transport processes and chemical/electrochemical reactions. The results elucidate the fundamental mechanisms of direct H2S fueled SOFCs. It is found that suitably increasing the H2O content in the supplied H2S fuel can improve SOFC electrochemical performance; high operating temperature may facilitate the reforming of H2S and improve the electrochemical performance. The sulfur poisoning effect may be mitigated by increasing the H2O content in the fuel, increasing the operating temperature, decreasing the flow rate, and/or making the cell work at low voltage (or high current) conditions.
Selective effects of pentobarbital on automaticity and conduction in the intact canine heart.

The effects of sodium pentobarbital on automaticity and conduction were studied in dogs anaesthetized with three different agents. Pentobarbital was administered selectively through the nutrient arteries of the sinus node and AV junction. Interplay with directly administered and neurally released autonomic neurotransmitters was assessed. The electrophysiological effects were exclusively negative, impairing both impulse formation and conduction, independent of the anaesthetic chosen.
Simple ultrasound evaluation of the anal sphincter in female patients using a transvaginal transducer

Objective Fecal incontinence affects 0.2% of women aged 15–64 years and about 1.3% of women over 64 years. Most cases are related to instrumental deliveries affecting the anal sphincter complex. We propose a simple technique using the generally available transvaginal transducer to evaluate the anal sphincter complex. Methods Ninety-two patients underwent ultrasound examination. Group I consisted of 53 nulliparous patients. In Group II there were six patients with normal spontaneous vaginal deliveries without episiotomies. In Group III there were 14 patients with vaginal deliveries and one to three episiotomies but no lacerations. In Group IV there were nine postpartum patients with recently repaired (48 h to 3 weeks) third- and fourth-degree lacerations. All women in Groups I–IV were asymptomatic. Group V consisted of 10 patients symptomatic for fecal incontinence. We used a vaginal probe (5–9-MHz) with the footprint placed in the fourchette pointing towards the anus in a transverse and then in a median (sagittal) plane. If seen, the combined internal and external anal sphincter thickness at the 12 o'clock location was measured. We visualized normal star-shaped mucosal folds on the transverse section and described the sonographic anatomy in both planes. Results The mean sphincter thickness measured at 12 o'clock in Group I was 2.3 (range, 1.0–4.7) mm, in Group II it was 2.9 (range, 2.4–3.4) mm, and in Group III it was 2.3 (range, 1.0–3.7) mm. The differences between these three groups were not significant. Patients from Group IV showed thinning or discontinuous sphincter anatomy at the 12 o'clock position. All symptomatic patients from Group V showed abnormal sphincter anatomy, and the normal star-like appearance of the anal mucosa on the transverse section was deformed, radiating from the point of the sphincter damage. Four of the 10 patients in this group underwent surgical repair. In these patients the sonographic findings were confirmed. Conclusions The images obtained using this imaging modality show the sphincter muscle anatomy as well as the possible pathology. Due to its simplicity the technique can be applied in any place where a vaginal transducer is available. Copyright © 2005 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Confining Field Coils for ATC

This paper describes the engineering design and fabrication of the 24 wedge-shaved coils that produce the toroidal confining field for the ATC machine. The coils have 10 turns with a 45-inch I.D. and 57-inch O.D. They are designed to produce 90,000 gauss pulsed field at the inner torus radius and 23,000 gauss at mid-radius. Stress analysis for the 380,000 pound centering force is presented.
Beyond beliefs: Teachers adapting problem-based learning to preexisting systems of practice

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a constructivist method of instruction aligned with the science educational reform movement to increase scientific literacy for all Americans. As such, PBL instruction is an increasingly popular topic for professional development workshops offered to teachers in secondary learning environments. This research presents a case study of four teachers’ alignment of classroom practice with constructivist principles after participating in a one-week PBL workshop. Teachers assimilated PBL instruction into their current system of teaching; therefore, despite congruent beliefs, those teachers without a constructivist system of practice taught the PBL method with less alignment to constructivist principles. This discrepancy between beliefs and practice could be addressed by helping PBL workshop participants contemplate how components of PBL encourage reform-based constructivist practices and by assisting teachers with modifying preexisting routines to better assimilate PBL instruction.
PA-824 is as effective as isoniazid against latent tuberculosis infection in C3HeB/FeJ mice

The bicyclic nitroimidazole-like molecule PA-824 has activity both against replicating and hypoxic non-replicating Mycobacterium tuberculosis, raising the possibility that it may have a role in the treatment of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). This study aimed to examine the bactericidal and sterilising activities of PA-824 against LTBI in C3HeB/FeJ mice, which develop hypoxic, necrotic granulomas histologically resembling their human counterparts. Female 5–6-week-old C3HeB/FeJ mice were immunised via the aerosol route with a recombinant BCG strain overexpressing the 30-kDa major secretory protein (rBCG30) and were aerosol-infected 6 weeks later with virulent M. tuberculosis H37Rv. Six weeks after M. tuberculosis infection, separate groups of mice were left untreated (negative controls) or were treated with either rifampicin, isoniazid (INH) or PA-824. Culture-positive relapse was assessed in subgroups of mice after 2 months and 4 months of treatment. Human-equivalent doses of PA-824 given five times weekly showed similar bactericidal activity as INH at Months 1, 2 and 4 of treatment, and 15/15 mice treated with either PA-824 or INH showed lung-culture relapse 3 months after completion of treatment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report examining the sterilising activity of PA-824 in an animal model of LTBI. This model may be useful for screening the efficacy of novel drugs against LTBI, particularly those with specific activity against bacilli residing within necrotic lung granulomas.
ESTIMATION AND CONTROL WITH BOUNDED DATA UNCERTAINTIES

The paper describes estimation and control strategies for models with bounded data uncertainties. We shall refer to them as BDU estimation and BDU control methods, for brevity. They are based on constrained game-type formulations that allow the designer to explicitly incorporate into the problem statement a priori information about bounds on the sizes of the uncertainties. In this way, the effect of uncertainties is not unnecessarily over-emphasized beyond what is implied by the a priori bounds; consequently, overly conservative designs, as well as overly sensitive designs, are avoided. A feature of these new formulations is that geometric insights and recursive techniques, which are widely known and appreciated for classical quadratic-cost designs, can also be pursued in this new framework. Also, algorithms for computing the optimal solutions with the same computational effort as standard least-squares solutions exist, thus making the new formulations attractive for practical use. Moreover, the framework is broad enough to encompass applications across several disciplines, not just estimation and control. Examples will be given of a quadratic control design, an H∞ control design, a total-least-square design, image restoration, image separation, and co-channel interference cancellation. A major theme in this paper is the emphasis on geometric and linear algebraic arguments, which lead to useful insights about the nature of the new formulations. Despite the interesting results that will be discussed, several issues remain open and indicate potential future developments; these will be briefly discussed.
Recommendations from the Federal Commission on Long-Term Care: Blueprint for a Bipartisan Path Forward

Recommendations from the Federal Commission on Long-Term Care: Blueprint for a Bipartisan Path Forward Bruce A. Chernof, MD,∗,1 and Mark J. Warshawsky, PhD2 1The SCAN Foundation, Long Beach, California and 2American Enterprise Institute, Washington, District of Columbia. ∗Address correspondence to Bruce A. Chernof, MD, The SCAN Foundation, 3800 Kilroy Airport Way, Suite 400, Long Beach, CA 90806. E-mail: BChernof@TheSCANFoundation.org
Financial liberalization and stock market efficiency: an empirical examination of nine emerging market countries

Abstract The efficient markets hypothesis in finance suggests that as equity markets are liberalized and made more open to the public, equity prices should reflect the increased availability of information and be more efficiently priced. In this paper, we examine whether emerging market equity prices have become more efficient after financial liberalization. Using two sets of financial liberalization dates, a battery of econometric tests, and data from nine different countries, we find that in spite of theory suggesting the opposite, liberalization does not seem to have improved the efficiency of emerging markets. In fact, most of our statistical tests indicate that the markets were already efficient prior to the actual liberalization.