cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
When adjacent lane dependencies dominate the uncongested regime of the fundamental relationship

Abstract This paper presents an empirical study of the fundamental relationship between speed, v, and flow, q, (denoted vqFR) under low flow in the uncongested regime. Using new analytical techniques to extract more information from loop detector data, the vqFR from a time of day HOV lane exhibits high v that slowly drops as q increases. This curve arises after binning several million vehicles by q and only considering those bins with q Taking a broader view, four different factors appear to limit the speed a driver takes: (i) the roadway geometry, (ii) the posted speed limit, (iii) the vehicle ahead (car following), and (iv) traffic conditions in the adjacent lane. Whichever constraint is most binding determines the driver's speed. While the first three constraints are found in the literature, this work contributes the fourth, as per above. When the speed limit is the most binding constraint the uncongested regime of the vqFR is roughly flat with a near constant speed over a wide range of q. When the roadway geometry is the binding constraint, e.g., due to the lack of speed limits, drivers are able to travel fast enough to be sensitive to the vehicle ahead and exhibit lower v as q increases. Car following is by definition in the congested regime and thus, beyond the scope of this paper. Finally, the present work shows that as the adjacent lane moves slower, the uncongested drivers choose speeds below the speed limit and once more exhibit lower v as q increases. Although the chosen v is below the speed limit, the drivers continue to exhibit behavior consistent with the uncongested regime.
THE ROLE OF SUBSIDIARY TRACE BUNDLES IN STEM AND LEAF DEVELOPMENT OF THE DICOTYLEDONEAE

Subsidiary bundles are subdivisions of a leaf trace that do not arise as independent divergencies from a parent trace. They normally originate in the node and develop either basipetally in the stem, acropetally in the leaf, or both. The literature describing different nodal types is examined, and it is noted that multiple bundles exit the stem through a common gap, particularly in many unilacunar and trilacunar species. These extra-trace bundles are considered subsidiaries, and it is suggested that many of them might differentiate basipetally in the stem from a nodal initiation site. Acropetal subsidiary bundles originate by subdivision of trace bundles in the node where they are also reoriented and mixed before passing through the petiole and redistributed as veins in the lamina. Acropetal and basipetal subsidiary bundles must develop in synchrony to maintain functional continuity. Basipetal subsidiary bundles presumably integrate the vasculature of the stem and contribute to vascular redundancy; acropetal bundles perform similar functions in the lamina. The question is raised whether subsidiary bundles might perform a regulatory role in leaf development.
Accelerating full-waveform inversion with attenuation compensation

ABSTRACTThe calculation of the gradient in full-waveform inversion (FWI) usually involves crosscorrelating the forward-propagated source wavefield and the back-propagated data residual wavefield at...
A review of body water status and the effects of age and body fatness in children and adults.

Background Most investigations of TBW, ECW and body composition and reports of their intra-body relationships were published prior to 1980. Distributional TBW and ECW relationships within the body have been considered fixed, but there was evidence these relationships were affected by the level of fatness. Body composition models based on past findings and assumptions could produce inaccurate estimates when the majority of the population is overweight to obese. Methods TBW and ECW volumes, their proportions of body weight, FFM and percent body fat and associations with age are considered in U.S. children and adults. This review focuses on studies reporting measured body water volumes from large samples except for the national predicted values from NHANES III. Results Measured TBW volumes for children and adults are almost exclusively from whites with the exception of the estimated values from NHANES III for non-Hispanic black and Mexican-Americans. Mean adult TBW volumes are as much as 9 liters greater than those reported prior to 1980. Low mean percentages of TBW%WT reflect the greater level of adiposity in children and adults, and this level of adiposity affects the value of TBW% FFM. Mean ECW volumes for white adults are 10 to 12 liters larger than those reported previously. With greater fatness in adults, ECW%TBW has increased to near 60%, and this implies that a calculation of FFM based on 73% and an ECW%TBW of 25-45% could produce an overestimation but more important clinically an underestimation of body fatness. Conclusion There is inadequate timely information on measured total and extra-cellular water volumes for the population. Available data indicate a coincident increase in body water with overweight and obesity, and a shifting in the proportion of ECW in TBW. Clinical and pharmacological treatments based upon past assumptions of body water volumes, proportions and relationships could produce inaccurate estimates.
Free Will and the Human Essence

This chapter examines free will as a distinctive element of the human essence, arguing that it evolved to enable the development of culture and that culture requires “responsible autonomy”—personal choices for actions that balance the achievement of individual objectives and control with respect for the rules of society. Understanding the human essence as produced by evolution to facilitate culture provides a useful context for understanding free will. The chapter shows that the evolution of free will partly depended on finding a way for the brain to use some of the body’s energy in order to permit advanced and complex psychological processes, including self-control and rational choice. It also considers the incorporation of meaning into the causation of behavior and how meaning is expressed in language. Finally, it explores some uses of self-control in morality and how self-control capacity relates to ego-depletion effects as well as the conservation of willpower.
The Status, Rights and Treatment of Persons with Disabilities within Customary Legal Frameworks in Uganda: A Study of Mukono District

This Thesis was Presented for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Private Law Faculty of Law, University of Cape Town
Age related differences in segment coordination and its variability during gait.

Abstract Background Aging is associated with a loss of mobility and altered gait mechanics. Loss of function and mobility may be due to or exacerbated by low levels of physical activity in the aged. The mechanisms linking age-related changes in physiology, altered mobility and gait may be elucidated by examining movement coordination and coordination variability. Research question The purpose of this study was to examine the impacts of age and habitual physical activity level on segment coordination and coordination variability during gait. Methods A modified vector coding technique was used to calculate segment coordination and coordination variability during treadmill gait for three groups of healthy adults: young (21–35 years), older highly active (55–70 years), and older less active (55–70 years). Segment couples of interest included those whose coordination could contribute to typical age-related changes in gait mechanics at the hip, knee, and ankle. Results Differences in coordination and its variability occurred mainly during terminal swing and midstance and in couples across the hip and ankle. Across the hip, coordination differed between older highly active adults and the other cohorts, while variability was higher in young compared to all older adults. Across the ankle, young adults displayed different coordination and greater variability than all older adults except for the sagittal couple in midstance, where older highly active adults had greater coordination variability than the other cohorts. Significance These results suggest that older adults, independent of habitual physical activity, may use a different strategy to control hip and ankle motion during periods of single-limb stance.
Effect of nipple drinker water flow rate and season on performance of lactating swine.

A cooperative study involving six experiment stations and 236 crossbred litters was conducted to determine the effect of nominal nipple drinker water flows of 700 mL/min and 70 mL/min (actual = 701 and 76 mL/min, respectively) during winter (November through February; 124 litters) and summer (June through August; 112 litters) seasons on performance of lactating sows and their litters. Within a season, sows were paired according to expected farrowing date and assigned at random to crates. Water flow rate treatments were assigned at random to sows within pairs. Sows were housed in farrowing crates from d 109 of gestation until either d 21 (two stations) or d 28 of lactation (four stations). Within 24 h after farrowing, litters were adjusted to contain 8 to 12 piglets. Sow feed intake (SFI) and litter weight (LW) were recorded weekly. Sow weights were recorded at d 109 of gestation, d 0, and d 21 of lactation. Sows lactating beyond 21 d were also weighed on d 28. Analysis of covariance was applied to sow weight change, average daily SFI, and LW data where litter size after crossfostering was the covariate. Average ambient temperature 30 cm above the floor at 0830 and 1600 was 24.6 +/- 0.15 degrees C and 29.4 +/- 0.14 degrees C, respectively, during summer and 20.7 +/-0.13 degrees C and 21.8 +/- 0.11 degrees C during winter trials. Restricted drinker water flow rate decreased SFI (P 0.87) or LW (P > 0.89) during the first 21 d of lactation. During d 22 to 28, the 70 mL/min flow decreased SFI (P 0.96) the number of pigs per litter. Results of this study suggest that ample access to drinking water and controlling ambient temperature during summer months are essential for sow and litter performance.
[14] The span of multiply connected domains

In this seminal paper, Schiffer introduced an important conformal invariant for multiply connected plane domains, the span. The definition is in terms of conformal mappings onto canonical slit domains, and there is a complementary characterization (almost literally), in terms of an extremal problem for area under a conformal mapping. While the foundational results on conformal mapping of multiply connected domains concern the existence and uniqueness of mappings onto various canonical domains, Schiffer’s paper is an early example of using the mappings as a tool in geometric function theory. Moreover, his study of the extremal problem is clearly influenced by his development of variational methods.
Vaginal Angiomyofibroblastoma: A Case Report and Review of Diagnostic Imaging

Background. Angiomyofibroblastoma (AMFB) is a benign mesenchymal tumor most commonly found in the female genital tract of premenopausal women. Although rare, AMFB is an important consideration in the differential diagnosis of vulvar and vaginal masses, as it must be distinguished from aggressive angiomyxoma (AA), a locally recurrent, invasive, and damaging tumor with similar clinical and pathologic findings. Case. We describe a patient with a 4 cm vaginal AMFB and the relevant preoperative radiographic imaging findings. Conclusion. Preoperative diagnosis of AMFB remains difficult. Common findings on magnetic resonance imaging and transvaginal sonography are described. We conclude that both transvaginal ultrasound and MRI are potentially useful imaging modalities in the preoperative assessment of vulvar and vaginal AMFB, with more data needed to determine superiority of one modality over the other.
Moses’ Restatement of Torts: Modern Principles of Justice and Efficiency in the Mishpatim

Nineteen verses from the mishpatim (Exodus 21:18-22:6) address a surprisingly wide variety of tort doctrines such as the privilege of discipline, transferred intent, proximate cause, premises liability, punitive damages, self-defense, defense of property, trespass to chattels, conversion, trespassing livestock, and abnormally dangerous activities. While some of this passage from the mishpatim focuses on non-tort principles, most notably fundamental human dignity, the tort law of the mishpatim, at its core, appears to be a corrective justice based rule of strict liability for intentional and accidental harm caused by an actor’s voluntary conduct.
Stability of grassland production is robust to changes in the consumer food web.

Theory predicts that consumers may stabilise or destabilise plant production depending on model assumptions, and tests in aquatic food webs suggest that trophic interactions are stabilising. We quantified the effects of trophic interactions on temporal variability (standard deviation) and temporal stability (mean/standard deviation) of grassland biomass production and the plant diversity-stability relationship by experimentally removing heterotrophs (large vertebrates, arthropods, foliar and soil fungi) from naturally and experimentally assembled grasslands of varying diversity. In both grassland types, trophic interactions proportionately decreased plant community biomass mean and variability over the course of 6 years, leading to no net change in temporal stability or the plant diversity-stability relationship. Heterotrophs also mediated plant coexistence; their removal reduced diversity in naturally assembled grasslands. Thus, herbivores and fungi reduce biomass production, concurrently reducing the temporal variability of energy and material fluxes. Because of this coupling, grassland stability is robust to large food web perturbations.
An analysis of world lavender oil markets and lessons for Turkey.

There has recently been an increase in lavender plantations in Turkey. More people are interested in lavender farming for essential oil production and rural tourism, and it brings many questions re...
Field evaluation of the performance of fan coil units with permanent split capacitor fan motors

The purpose of this study was to provide in situ field data on fan/motor efficiency and fan static pressure differentials for the fan/motor combinations used in fan coil units. Measurements were ma...
Online Tuning of Cloud-based Wide-Area Controllers with Variations in Network Traffic

We present an online tuning algorithm for wide-area controllers that are implemented over cloud-based shared communication networks. Synchrophasor measurements from individual generators are first communicated to virtual computing machines or VMs in the cloud. Each VM transmits its received state information to other VMs using software-defined communication (SDN) in the cloud, and computes the control law for its assigned generator. The network delays in the VM-to-VM communication, however, may cause the closed-loop performance of the grid to degrade. Perfect delay bounds can almost never be guaranteed no matter how robust the SDN controllers are, in which case the best option might be to drop that link from the control loop while still ensuring that the closed-loop performance remains close to optimal. To address this problem, we present a sparsity-constrained LQR algorithm that starts from an ideal all-to-all connected communication network, and progressively drops links if the traffic in those links are predicted to be high. Each drop is accompanied with a simultaneous optimal tuning of the control gains associated with the existing links using a method called Geromel's algorithm. We validate the effectiveness of our sparse optimal controller using simulations of the IEEE 39-bus power system model.
Life Cycle Assessment of Urea-Formaldehyde Adhesive and Phenol-Formaldehyde Adhesives

Traditional formaldehyde-based adhesives still play a crucial role in the current market, despite increasing environmental concerns resulting from their production. The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the environmental impacts of formaldehyde-based adhesives, urea-formaldehyde (UF) adhesive and phenol-formaldehyde (PF) adhesives, mainly used in wood products. In this study, a functional unit of 1 kg adhesive was used. GaBi 6 software was employed to perform the life cycle assessment (LCA). Several key parameters for life cycle analysis were analyzed, such as global warming potential, acidification potential, eutrophication potential, and human health. As a result, the greenhouse gas emissions ranged from 2.04 kg CO2-eq./kg of UF adhesive to 2.88 kg CO2-eq./kg of PF adhesive. In terms of the overall environmental impacts, it was found that UF adhesive had a nearly 50% higher life cycle impact than PF adhesive. Comparing the energy consumption used in UF and PF adhesives, UF adhesive was much lower than PF adhesive. Transportation distance was determined to be a sensitive parameter with respect to global warming potential for formaldehyde-based adhesive.
A Failure of Imagination: Competing Narratives of 9/11 Truth

This essay describes the emergence of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon as an object of conspiratorial intrigue and imagination, offering a snapshot of the “9/11 truth movemen...
How biometrics can save companies from ‘fire and forget’

A few years ago, the media reported on the now notorious case of ‘Bob’, a star programmer who was earning a six-figure salary at an American infrastructure company. When the company commissioned a network-security audit, however, they belatedly discovered that Bob had outsourced his job to a Chinese software company for a fifth of his pay.
Epigenetic modulation during pregnancy and pregnancy related disorders

Abstract Perhaps, pregnancy is the most critical stage of human growth and development. Pathological perturbation in this period can profoundly affect the fetal wellbeing and increases susceptibility to chronic diseases later in life. The placenta is the vital organ that connects fetus to maternal circulation and so of paramount importance, not only for the health of the fetus, but also for the health of the mother. Abnormal placental function has been attributed to pregnancy-related diseases, including gestational diabetes, preeclampsia and miscarriage. Recent years, role of epigenetic mechanisms in pathogenesis of pregnancy disorders was bolded. Here, we provide an overview of epigenetic regulation mechanisms in placental function and their contributions to pathology of pregnancy complications.
Photon and Pion Production at High $p_T$

We present a study of high-$p_T$ photon and pion production in hadronic interactions, focusing on a comparison of the yields with expectations from next-to-leading order perturbative QCD (NLO pQCD). We examine the impact of phenomenological models of $k_T$ smearing (which approximate effects of additional soft-gluon emission) on absolute predictions for photon and pion production and their ratio.
Nurse practitioners as antibiotic stewards: Examining prescribing patterns and perceptions.

Background Advanced practice providers in the outpatient setting play a key role in antibiotic stewardship, yet little is known about how to engage these providers in stewardship activities and what factors influence their antibiotic prescribing practices. Methods We used mixed methods to obtain data on practices and perceptions related to antibiotic prescribing by nurse practitioners (NP) and Veteran patients. We interviewed NPs working in the outpatient setting at one Veterans Affairs facility and conducted focus groups with Veterans. Emerging themes were mapped to the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety framework. We examined NP antibiotic prescribing data from 2017 to 2019. Results We interviewed NPs and conducted Veteran focus groups. Nurse practitioners reported satisfaction with resources, including ready access to pharmacists and infectious disease specialists. Building patient trust was reported as essential to prescribing confidence level. Veterans indicated the need to better understand differences between viral and bacterial infections. NP prescribing patterns revealed a decline in antibiotics prescribed for upper respiratory illnesses over a 3-year period. Conclusion Outpatient NPs focus on educating the patient while balancing organizational access challenges. Further research is needed to determine how to include both NPs and patients when implementing outpatient antibiotic stewardship strategies. Further research is also needed to understand factors associated with the decline in nurse practitioner antibiotic prescribing observed in this study.
Design decisions for incorporating spatial and mechanical aspects in models of signaling networks

Abstract Systems biology is a powerful approach to study complex and expansive biological systems and functions. Recently, advances in experimental imaging, experimental techniques, and model frameworks have emphasized the role of cellular geometry and mechanical forces on signaling dynamics. The complexity of biochemical and biophysical features in cells makes disentangling individual contributions challenging. With nuanced biological details and often subtle differences triggering significant downstream events, decoding signaling dynamics in cells benefits from a multipronged and multidisciplinary approach. Here we discuss the role of cell geometry and mechanics on cellular signaling and discuss exciting advances for integrating geometric information and mechanochemical feedback loops to investigate cellular function and signaling dynamics.
An unusual case of clavicular prosthesis migration causing traumatic injury to the ascending aorta.

Traumatic aortic injuries can be a lethal event. Almost 88% of patients with traumatic aortic injuries die within the first hour and only 2% survive long enough to develop a chronic aneurysm. Injur...
Bilateral NIRS measurements of muscle mitochondrial capacity: Feasibility and repeatability

Background Non-invasive determination of mitochondrial capacity via near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) typically involves voluntary exercise of a single muscle group followed by as many as 26 brief ischemic cuff occlusions to determine a single recovery rate constant (k). Purpose To determine the within- and between-visit repeatability of a shortened bilateral NIRS protocol, and to establish the feasibility of hamstring k measurements. Methods Sixteen young (eight women, eight men; 22 ± 3 years) active adults underwent a bilateral electrical stimulation protocol in which multiple (n = 4) measurements of k for the vastus lateralis (VL) and medial hamstring (MH) muscles were determined on two visits. Repeatability (CV% and intraclass correlations, ICC) and equivalency across visits were assessed for both muscles. Results Mean k values in the VL were consistent with published values and within-visit ICCs were moderately high for both muscles in both sexes. In men, average k values on visit 2 were within 1% (VL muscle) and 5% (MH muscle) of the values on visit 1 (all p > 0.78). In women, average k values were 10%-15% lower on visit 2 (p = 0.01 and p = 0.15 for MH and VL) with the largest between-visit differences in a subset of participants with the most days between visits. Conclusions This bilateral NIRS protocol is time efficient and provides valid estimates of k in both sexes and muscle groups with acceptable within-visit repeatability. Lower than expected between-visit repeatability in some participants reinforces the need for further investigation of this newly developed protocol to identify and control for experimental and behavioral sources of variation.
Knowledge governance and learning: Examining challenges and opportunities in the Colorado River basin

Abstract Knowledge is widely considered a key ingredient for effective and sustainable water governance. In the Colorado River basin, collaborative programs have been established over the past 50 years to inform decision-making in the basin on a range of concerns from water quality to endangered species recovery and ecosystem restoration. We embrace a knowledge governance perspective to examine the institutional arrangements underpinning the production and use of knowledge in the basin’s collaborative programs. Through a review of programmatic documents and targeted interviews with program participants, we find a recurrent emphasis on science-based decision-making to address specific resource challenges across the programs. Our unpacking of the institutional design of the knowledge governance processes highlights two key challenges: (1) the institutional design has created a federal agency–advisory committee–technical committee triad structure that limits the saliency and legitimacy of diverse interests, as well as credibility of diverse ways of knowing and formalized learning processes and (2) a focus on the river in discrete, fragmented units that hinders a broader view of the river as a system and neglects cross-programmatic learning. These findings question if certain institutional design elements may serve to limit the ability of these programs to address new challenges facing the basin. We outline some potential steps to address these challenges with the aim of building more impactful, collaborative knowledge systems that leverage learning to not only lend saliency, credibility, and legitimacy to broad, inclusive, and diverse ways of knowing but also promote adaptiveness in a rapidly evolving socio-environmental system.
Phonological predictors of nonword repetition performance in bilingual children.

Abstract Introduction Previous research ( Gibson et al., 2015 ; Summers, Bohman, Gillam, Pena & Bedore, 2010 ) has suggested an advantage in Spanish over English on nonword repetition tasks with Spanish-English bilingual children. However, comparing nonwords of equal syllable lengths across languages may not sufficiently account for phonological differences across languages. We compared Spanish-language nonword sets of different lengths to select a set that would be equivalent with respect to difficulty in English. We considered language-specific phonological structure and level of difficulty in evaluating nonword performance in 126 first- and second-grade, Spanish-English bilingual children. We predicted that adding 5-syllable words to the Spanish nonword set and monosyllabic words to the English set would result in comparable difficulty. Method Participants repeated nonwords of increasing lengths in English of 1, 2, 3, and 4 syllables and in Spanish of 2, 3, 4, and 5 syllables. Percent phonemes correct was calculated for total sounds. A repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare accuracy across word lengths. Results Results indicated significant differences in overall means between languages when nonwords of equal word lengths were compared, but no significant differences in overall means when lengths of 1 – 4 syllables in English and 2 – 5 syllables in Spanish were used. Differences between languages varied at individual levels of complexity. Conclusions The finding that level of word length affects performance may have implications for understanding the factors in clinical test development for bilingual children. Further research may benefit from assessing additional language variables and additional language combinations to extend findings.
Monitoring Methamphetamine in the United States. A Two Decade Review as Seen by the DEA Methamphetamine Profiling Program

A historical overview of methamphetamine profiling efforts in the United States is presented. Methamphetamine profiling has revealed key precursor and recipe strategies that have changed throughout the years. By studying different clandestine recipes and analyzing thousands of methamphetamine samples over the years, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Methamphetamine Profiling Program (MPP) has collected and reported on changes in drug quality and production trends. This review will discuss methamphetamine drug profiling trends that cover over two decades of forensic results.
Reconnecting to the moral core of the profession.

Physicians’ job satisfaction could be increased by reconnecting with the healing purpose at the core of the profession.
An Answer to the Question

Abstract In this paper, we show that it is untenable to hold that Jung was a “Nazi sympathizer” after May 1934. Jung went through a decisive transition from March to May 1934 in which he became warier of the Nazis. It remains possible, however, to argue that between January 1933 and February 1934 he either was or was not in some degree a Nazi sympathizer. From 1934 to 1936, he became still warier of the Nazis. By March 1936, his attitude toward the Nazis took a further turn: it was clearly more pessimistic than in 1935. Thus, Jung’s views of Nazi Germany changed from 1933 to 1936.
Genetics of Nicotine Addiction

Diseases associated with addiction to nicotine, the key reinforcing constituent of tobacco, remain the largest cause of preventable death worldwide. Although twin studies indicate a large genetic contribution to the variation in smoking-related behaviours, the polymorphisms underlying this heritability remain largely unidentified. Candidate gene studies have investigated several pathways, but thus far only those few genetic loci identified in unbiased genome-wide association studies have been consistently replicated; these are the direct targets of nicotine in the nervous system, the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit genes CHRNA5–CHRNA3–CHRNB4 and the primary nicotine metabolism gene CYP2A6. These variants may differ in their influences regarding different aspects of smoking behaviour, and their frequencies vary widely among different ethnic populations. Use of more-targeted phenotypes including biomarkers of smoke exposure such as cotinine, nicotine's major metabolite, and exhaled carbon monoxide, may provide the key to detecting further genetic correlates of nicotine dependence and related diseases. Key Concepts: Variation in nicotine addiction-related traits have large genetic components. Genetic studies of nicotine addiction seek to identify drug targets for smoking cessation treatment and to improve treatments using genotype-based personalised medicine. Candidate gene studies have focussed on the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and genes in the nicotine metabolism, dopaminergic, serotonergic, GABAergic, and opioid pathways, but few associations have been convincingly replicated. Unbiased genome-wide studies have identified very few consistent genetic associations with smoking-related phenotypes. A functional variant in the CHRNA5–CHRNA3–CHRNB4 gene cluster is robustly associated with multiple smoking behaviours and related disease risk. Functional variation in the CYP2A6 nicotine metabolism gene is associated with cigarette consumption and related disease risk. Genetic factors contributing to nicotine addiction vary by ethnic population. Genotype–environment and genotype–treatment interactions are important factors determining smoking initiation, dependence and cessation outcomes. Use of biomarkers and other endophenotypes may provide greater power to identify genetic correlates of nicotine dependence. Keywords: Nicotine; addiction; genetics; polymorphism; smoking; tobacco; CHRNA5; CYP2A6
Just the Facts of Chromatin Transcription

DNA is not stuffed randomly into the nucleus of cells. Rather, it is neatly coiled around a series of histone octamers. John and Workman discuss how the cell transcribes RNA messages from such a seemingly inaccessible template. They describe a report in this issue by [ LeRoy et al ][1]. that identifies several proteins that help to move the nucleosomes out of the way of the transcription machinery. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/282/5395/1900
Abstract 20445: Pras40 Prevents Development of Diabetic Cardiomyopathy

Introduction: Diabetes is a multi organ disease and diabetic cardiomyopathy can result in heart failure, which is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in diabetic patients. Defects in mTOR signaling are believed to contribute to metabolic dysfunctions in diabetic liver and hearts, but evidence is missing that mTOR activation is causal to the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy. PRAS40 (Proline Rich Akt Substrate of 40kDa) is a specific component of mTORC1 that interacts with RAPTOR to inhibit mTORC1 kinase activity Methods and Results: The db/db mouse exhibits key characteristics of T2DM, namely hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, and develops diabetic cardiomyopathy with decreased cardiac function. Selective mTORC1 inhibition in cardiomyocytes from db/db mice in vivo was achieved using PRAS40 delivered via recombinant cardiotropic adeno-associated vector serotype 9 (AAV9) driven by a cardiomyocyte-specific myosin light chain (MLC2v) promoter construct. Myocardial dysfunction was prevented in AAV-PRAS40 treated db/db mice compared to the AAV-Control group, as seen by significantly higher cardiac ejection fraction (EF%), fractional shortening (FS%) measured by serial echocardiography, despite similar increases in body weight, serum glucose levels, and fat deposition in the liver. The effects of PRAS40 were tested in a model of T2DM induced by high fat diet (HFD). AAV-PRAS40 or AAV-Control was injected at 7 weeks of age and mice were fed HFD chow of or standard for an additional 25 weeks. Decreased cardiac function was observed in the HFD control group measured by echocardiography. This preservation of function was associated with decreased left ventricular diastolic dimension (LVID) and improved diastolic function. This phenotype was associated with improved metabolic function, blunted hypertrophic growth, and preserved insulin sensitivity. Conclusions: mTORC1 inhibition with PRAS40 prevents diabetic cardiomyopathy and improves metabolic function in diabetic mice. These findings may open novel avenues for therapeutic strategies using PRAS40 directed against diabetic-related diseases.
CDEG: Computerized Diagrammatic Euclidean Geometry

CDEG (Computerized Diagrammatic Euclidean Geometry) is a computer proof system in which diagrammatic proofs of theorems of Euclidean Geometry can be given formally. The computer system manipulates geometric diagrams using an internal representation that is based on the idea that all the significant information in a geometric diagram is captured by its underlying topology. The proof system that CDEG implements is that of the author's diagrammatic formal system for geometry, FG. CDEG and FG are strong enough to be able to duplicate most, if not all, of the proofs in the first several books of Euclid's Elements. This paper explains CDEG and gives a brief example of how it works.
Use of a SAW device for measuring flow rate of liquids

A delay-line stabilized SAW oscillator heated to a suitable temperature above ambient is placed in the path of the flowing fluid. To prevent attenuation of the surface wave, the flow cell through which liquid flows is designed such that there is no direct contact between the liquid and the propagating surface wave. Convective cooling caused by fluid flow results in a change in the oscillator frequency. The frequency of a 68-MHz oscillator operated at 9 degrees C above ambient is found to vary by more than 40 kHz for variation in water flow rate from 0 to 0.8 ml/min. Attractive features of this device include the ability to measure very low flow rates (less than 0.1 mu l/min) and direct digital output. >
Magnetic semiconductors: Silicon-based spintronics

Two reports of ferromagnetism in n-type semiconductors suggest promising avenues for fabricating spintronics devices compatible with current silicon-based electronics.
Analysis of a Family Containing Three Members with Common Variable Immunodeficiency

Background Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID), a diverse immunodeficiency syndrome characterized by low immunoglobulin levels and recurrent infections, has been observed in families with the HLA A1 B8 DR3 haplotype. Methods We report a two-generation family with three members affected by CVID. Immunoglobulin levels, antibody titers, lymphocyte marker analyses, T cell proliferation assays, and HLA typing were performed on the affected family members. Results Studies of the affected patients revealed low levels of immunoglobulin G and A; normal tetanus, rubella and rubeola antibody titers; low B cell numbers; normal T cell numbers; normal CD4/CD8 ratios and normal lymphocyte proliferation studies. HLA typing did not reveal the HLA A1 B8 DR3 haplotype previously associated with familial CVID. Conclusion We report a family with a unique presentation of CVID involving possible genetic inheritance other than the HLA A1 B8 DR3 haplotype and possessing lymphocyte characteristics distinct from those usually seen in sporadic CVID.
How People Use Their Vehicles: Statistics from the 2009 National Household Travel Survey

The 2009 U.S. National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) contains detailed data on individual vehicle trips. This paper demonstrates several useful statistics from the NHTS concerning how people use their vehicles, such as how far they drive, where they go, how long they stay, and their sequence of destinations. These statistics, in turn, are potentially useful for vehicle design, vehicle use simulation, navigation algorithms, interpreting GPS data, and the placement of electric vehicle charging stations.
A new light producing, dispersing, and collimating system for absorption scanning ultracentrifuges, with special features for computer-controlled data collection using a stepping motor.

Abstract This paper describes in detail a simple, light producing and handling system which differs greatly from the commercial unit presently used by most investigators, and which overcomes a number of its disadvantages. The apparatus is designed so that it can easily be substituted for the light producing, dispersing, and collimating section of the commercial photoelectric scanners, with no further changes in the commercial scanners except the substitution of optical flats for the collimating and condensing lenses in the bottom and top, respectively, of the rotor chamber. The most outstanding feature of this new system is that the use of a faster monochromator ( f 75.3 ) and a cylindrical lens theoretically increases light intensity by up to 100 times that of the commercial scanner, under otherwise identical conditions. Other advantages include the following: (1) For collecting and collimating light, two pairs of mirrors give a precell optical system focused in the radial direction at all wavelengths of light; (2) these components and the lamp are located on a table outside the centrifuge, so virtually any size of lamp can be used; (3) the entire precell optical system is a self-contained unit which, within reasonable limits, may be moved to any desired location without markedly affecting the quality of the collimated light; and (4) the optical path length has been shortened, providing less dissipation of light energy. The principles behind the selection and design of the key components are discussed. New alignment procedures and apparatus developed to aid in fast, easy, accurate alignment are described and discussed. Several components for use with a system using a computer-controlled stepping motor scanner for collection of data are also described. This system is simple enough and is documented in sufficient detail so that other interested workers, even those with little or no optics experience, can duplicate and use the system.
KSHV ORF57, a Protein of Many Faces

Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) ORF57 protein (also known as mRNA transcript accumulation (Mta)) is a potent posttranscriptional regulator essential for the efficient expression of KSHV lytic genes and productive KSHV replication. ORF57 possesses numerous activities that promote the expression of viral genes, including the three major functions of enhancement of RNA stability, promotion of RNA splicing, and stimulation of protein translation. The multifunctional nature of ORF57 is driven by its ability to interact with an array of cellular cofactors. These interactions are required for the formation of ORF57-containing ribonucleoprotein complexes at specific binding sites in the target transcripts, referred as Mta-responsive elements (MREs). Understanding of the ORF57 protein conformation has led to the identification of two structurally-distinct domains within the ORF57 polypeptide: an unstructured intrinsically disordered N-terminal domain and a structured α-helix-rich C-terminal domain. The distinct structures of the domains serve as the foundation for their unique binding affinities: the N-terminal domain mediates ORF57 interactions with cellular cofactors and target RNAs, and the C-terminal domain mediates ORF57 homodimerization. In addition, each domain has been found to contribute to the stability of ORF57 protein in infected cells by counteracting caspase- and proteasome-mediated degradation pathways. Together, these new findings provide insight into the function and biological properties of ORF57 in the KSHV life cycle and pathogenesis.
Thermodynamic, Quasithermodynamic, and Nonthermodynamic Methods as Applied to the Electrochemistry of Clays1

The consequences of a nonhomogeneous charge distribution in clay systems are first examined. The mean ionic activity is shown to be a geometrical rather than an arithmetical average. Potentiometrie methods of measurement, with (quasithermodynamic), and without (thermodynamic) liquid junctions are compared. The latter give chemical potentials of soluble molecular species or ratios of mean activities; neither of these affords a characterization of single cations in relation to clay surfaces. The quasithermodynamic method, like conductance measurements, affords data which can be interpreted directly in terms of single ions. The two are compared for dilute and more concentrated clay systems by using the ratio: “Cation conductivity/total conductivity of clay systems.” For dilute systems this ratio varies slowly and smoothly with concentration and with degree of saturation. High concentrations give an abnormally high value. Cataphoresis results are shown to be in agreement with conductance and Potentiometric data for dilute clay systems.
Biochemical features of maize tissues with different capacities to regenerate plants.

Metabolic profiling using GC–MS and LC–MS analyses of soluble metabolites and cell wall bound phenolic compounds from maize calluses of different morphogenic competence revealed a number of biochemical characteristics that distinguish tissues with high plant regeneration ability from tissues that cannot efficiently regenerate plants in vitro. Maize cultures of different ages from H99 (compact type I callus) and HiII (friable type II callus) were divided into two different samples: regenerable (R) and non-regenerable (NR) based on known morphologies. Tissues from both genotypes with high morphogenic potential had higher asparagine and aspartate and indole-3-butenol concentrations, decreased sugar and DIMBOA (2,4-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-1,4-benzoxazin-3-one) concentrations, low levels of 4-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and chlorogenic acid and lower levels of feruloyl- and sinapoyl glucosides compared to NR tissues. The ether bound cell wall phenolics of tissues with high regeneration potential had higher levels of the predominant G (guaiacyl) units and lower levels of H (p-hydroxyphenyl) and S (syringyl) units and higher ferulic acid/coumaric acid and ferulic acid/diferulic acid ratios. The same trends were found with the ester-bound phenolics of HiII, however, there were only small differences between the H99 R and NR tissues. Concentrations of the major sugars, organic acids, amino acids and soluble aromatic compounds tended to increase as the time after culture initiation increased. The results show that there are differences in general metabolism, phenolic secondary compounds and cell wall composition between R and NR cell types.
Does 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine play a part in favism?

FAVISM is a haemolytic anaemia precipitated in some glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) deficient individuals by the ingestion of fava beans. Although the mechanism of haemolysis in G-6-PD deficient individuals has not been elucidated, it is generally thought that the destruction of reduced glutathione (GSH) is associated with the events which lead to haemolysis1–3. It has been shown that drugs which cause haemolysis in G-6-PD deficient individuals produce a loss of GSH in their erythrocytes in vitro, although it is usually necessary to use a higher concentration of the drug in vitro1 than in vivo.
InAs)m(GaAs)n superlattices grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Abstract (InAs)m(GaAs)n superlattices with mirror surfaces were obtained by molecular beam epitaxy over a 2-inch diameter InP wafer. The average composition region of (InAs)m(GaAs)n superlattices required to obtain a mirror-smooth surface is larger than that of InxGa1−xAs random alloys. The optical absorption profiles of (InAs)m(GaAs)n superlattices are very different from that of direct-type InxGa1−xAs random alloys.
A simple parallel cartesian tree algorithm and its application to parallel suffix tree construction

We present a simple linear work and space, and polylogarithmic time parallel algorithm for generating multiway Cartesian trees. We show that bottom-up traversals of the multiway Cartesian tree on the interleaved suffix array and longest common prefix array of a string can be used to answer certain string queries. By adding downward pointers in the tree (e.g. using a hash table), we can also generate suffix trees from suffix arrays on arbitrary alphabets in the same bounds. In conjunction with parallel suffix array algorithms, such as the skew algorithm, this gives a rather simple linear work parallel, O(n e) time (0eΣ{1, ..., n}, where n is the length of the input string. It also gives a linear work parallel algorithm requiring O(log2 n) time with high probability for constant-sized alphabets. More generally, given a sorted sequence of strings and the longest common prefix lengths between adjacent elements, the algorithm will generate a patricia tree (compacted trie) over the strings. Of independent interest, we describe a work-efficient parallel algorithm for solving the all nearest smaller values problem using Cartesian trees, which is much simpler than the work-efficient parallel algorithm described in previous work. We also present experimental results comparing the performance of the algorithm to existing sequential implementations and a second parallel algorithm that we implement. We present comparisons for the Cartesian tree algorithm on its own and for constructing a suffix tree. The results show that on a variety of strings our algorithm is competitive with the sequential version on a single processor and achieves good speedup on multiple processors. We present experiments for three applications that require only the Cartesian tree, and also for searching using the suffix tree.