cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The differentiation of pseudonurse cells in the ovaries of fs231 females of Drosophila Melanogaster meigen (diptera : drosophilidae)☆

Abstract Drosophila melanogaster females homozygous for the fs231 mutation are sterile because they fail to produce normal egg chambers. The germaria of females reared at 23°C generate ovarian chambers filled with mitotically active cells that resemble cystocytes. At 18°C chambers containing pseudonurse cells (pnc) also occur. A shift from 23°C to 18°C stimulates differentiation of pnc from germarial cystoblasts. The clusters of pnc generated vary greatly in size, but clusters of 8 and 16 pnc are the most common. The chromosomes of pnc undergo endoreduplication and produce banded, polytene chromosomes in which homologues are paired, but regions of asynapsis are common. The pericentromeric heterochromatin in these chromosomes may be under-replicated to a greater degree than in the chromosomes of larval salivary gland cells, since a chromocenter is not observed in squashed preparations of the polytene chromosomes of pnc.
Frontal white matter microstructure, aggression, and impulsivity in men with schizophrenia: a preliminary study.

Abstract Background: Aggression and impulsivity may involve altered frontal white matter. Methods: Axial diffusion tensor images were acquired in 14 men with schizophrenia using a pulsed gradient, double spin echo, echo planar imaging method. White matter microstructural measures (fractional anisotropy and trace) were calculated from these data. Regions of interest were placed in frontal white matter on four slices. Impulsivity was measured using the Motor Impulsiveness factor of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale. Aggressiveness was measured using the Assaultiveness scale of the Buss Durkee Hostility Inventory and the Aggression scale of the Life History of Aggression. Results: Lower fractional anisotropy in right inferior frontal white matter was associated with higher motor impulsiveness. Higher trace in these regions was associated with aggressiveness. Conclusions: Inferior frontal white matter microstructure was associated with impulsivity and aggression in men with schizophrenia. These results implicate frontal lobe dysfunction in aggression and certain aspects of impulsivity.
Christian kings and Jewish conversion in the medieval Crown of Aragon

As Christian monarchs in the age of crusade and reconquista, the kings of the medieval Crown of Aragon had no choice but to show public support for Jewish conversion to Christianity, issuing legislation meant to encourage conversion and granting favors to individual converts. However, this public position disguised a deep ambivalence toward the conversion of Jews, whom kings considered personal property. This article explores the causes and expressions of this ambivalence during the late thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. It argues that when kings acted at cross-purposes to conversionary efforts, it was not only because these efforts threatened to thin the ranks of their Jewish subjects, who provided important funding for the royal treasury, but also because kings benefited financially from practices that discouraged Jewish conversion, such as the confiscation of converts' property and the sale to Jews of exemptions from compulsory conversionary sermons. These observations underscore the complexity of C...
Variance estimation in censored quantile regression via induced smoothing

Statistical inference in censored quantile regression is challenging, partly due to the unsmoothness of the quantile score function. A new procedure is developed to estimate the variance of the Bang and Tsiatis inverse-censoring-probability weighted estimator for censored quantile regression by employing the idea of induced smoothing. The proposed variance estimator is shown to be asymptotically consistent. In addition, a numerical study suggests that the proposed procedure performs well in finite samples, and it is computationally more efficient than the commonly used bootstrap method.
Reactive low-voltage ion plating of optical coatings on ophthalmic lenses

Reactive low voltage ion plating (RLVIP) produces dense and hard coatings even on unheated substrates. These qualities are highly desirable for coating of plastic lenses. However, the thermal expansion coefficient of these dense coatings is much lower than that of plastic substrates. Hence, even a moderate temperature rise during deposition puts the coatings under extreme compressive stress because of the subsequent shrinking of the substrate during cool down. We report our experience and encouraging results with this coating process for the antireflection coating of ophthalmic lenses.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Design considerations for the ALDC cores

The IBM adaptive lossless data compression (ALDC) family of products uses a derivative of Lempel-Ziv encoding to compress data. Several variables affect the compression performance of the ALDC algorithm: data content, history size, and data extent. As ALDC compression is integrated into different applications, restrictions are placed upon these variables that affect the overall compression performance of the system. More complex applications require further support for higher-order data structures such as variable-length segments, error recovery, and expansion. The IBM Blue Logic ALDC and embedded lossless data compression (ELDC) cores have been developed to work in these application environments. These cores and the issues associated with integrating data compression into a system are discussed.
Approaches to quantitative structure-enantioselectivity relationship modeling of chiral separations using capillary electrophoresis.

Abstract Quantitative structure–enantioselectivity relationships (QSERs) have been developed to describe the resolution of a series of chiral arylpropionic acids using capillary electrophoresis. Native β-cyclodextrin and two derivatized forms are used as the chiral resolving agents. The QSER models are developed using the results of molecular mechanics calculations as input to multivariate linear regression and also to neural networks. Single models are developed to predict the optimum cyclodextrin to resolve a given analyte, the migration order, and the magnitude of the separation. Models are also developed to predict only the optimum cyclodextrin.
Serial prostate biopsy and risk of lower urinary tract symptoms: results from a large, single-institution active surveillance cohort.

Objective To describe the effect of serial prostate biopsy on lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in men who undergo active surveillance (AS) at a large academic institution. Materials and Methods This is a retrospective study of men enrolled in AS for ≥6 months who underwent ≥1 biopsy and completed ≥1 International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) questionnaire. In additional to total IPSS, we report the mean difference between the first and last questionnaires for patients who completed ≥2 questionnaires. Multivariate models, adjusting for disease features, age, race, prostate volume and baseline, or incident benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), were used to assess relationships between IPSS and total biopsy exposure. Results Four hundred eighty-two men were eligible, and 291 completed ≥2 IPSS questionnaires. Overall, mean (standard deviation) age was 61.7 (7.8) years, and median prostate volume (interquartile range) was 42 (34-61) mL. At baseline, 11% provided history of BPH. Among men who completed multiple questionnaires, 25% experienced clinically significant worsening (IPSS increase ≥4 points). In regression model, total IPSS was not significantly associated with greater biopsy exposure (P = .25). IPSS change from initial and the latest questionnaire was not significantly associated with initial or interval biopsy exposure in an adjusted longitudinal model (P = .64 and .50, respectively), but a trend was observed with greater age decade (+4.07 points, 95% CI −0.30 to 8.4; P = .07). Conclusion Repeated prostate biopsy does not appear to independently pose additional risk of LUTS in an AS population. In unadjusted analyses, greater biopsy exposure is a surrogate for increasing follow-up time, age, and BPH risk, and thus, risk of LUTS onset and progression.
A Biocompatible Condensation Reaction for the Labeling of Terminal Cysteine Residues on Proteins

This communication describes a novel protein labeling method that uses a single amino-acid tag — N-terminal cysteine residue — and small-molecule probes carrying the cyanobenzothiazole unit for specific labeling of proteins in vitro and at the surface of live cells. This simple ligation reaction proceeds with a high degree of specificity in physiological conditions, and should offer an important alternative to currently available protein labeling methods.
Human immunodeficiency virus-1 protein Tat induces excitotoxic loss of presynaptic terminals in hippocampal cultures.

Abstract Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection of the CNS produces dendritic damage that correlates with cognitive decline in patients with HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). HIV-induced neurotoxicity results in part from viral proteins shed from infected cells, including the HIV transactivator of transcription (Tat). We previously showed that Tat binds to the low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP), resulting in overactivation of NMDA receptors, activation of the ubiquitin–proteasome pathway, and subsequent loss of postsynaptic densities. Here, we show that Tat also induces a loss of presynaptic terminals. The number of presynaptic terminals was quantified using confocal imaging of synaptophysin fused to green fluorescent protein (Syn-GFP). Tat-induced loss of presynaptic terminals was secondary to excitatory postsynaptic mechanisms because treatment with an LRP antagonist or an NMDA receptor antagonist inhibited this loss. Treatment with nutlin-3, an E3 ligase inhibitor, prevented Tat-induced loss of presynaptic terminals. These data suggest that Tat-induced loss of presynaptic terminals is a consequence of excitotoxic postsynaptic activity. We previously found that ifenprodil, an NR2B subunit-selective NMDA receptor antagonist, induced recovery of postsynaptic densities. Here we show that Tat-induced loss of presynaptic terminals was reversed by ifenprodil treatment. Thus, Tat-induced loss of presynaptic terminals is reversible, and this recovery can be initiated by inhibiting a subset of postsynaptic NMDA receptors. Understanding the dynamics of synaptic changes in response to HIV infection of the CNS may lead to the design of improved pharmacotherapies for HAND patients.
Transmission electron microscopy study of the role of interface structure at 1 0 0/1 1 1 boundaries in a shocked copper multicrystal

While shock loading has long been used to investigate dynamic damage evolution in materials, the role of interface structure in the response of shock-loaded polycrystalline materials has largely been ignored. In this work, a specially fabricated multicrystalline Cu specimen is used to interrogate the role of interface structure on microstructural and substructural evolution in shock-loaded materials. Results show that, under shock, grain boundaries respond differently as a function of structure.
Doppler evaluation of the descending aorta in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: potential for assessing the functional significance of outflow tract gradients and for optimizing pacemaker function.

We evaluated whether analysis of aortic flow could be useful for determining the functional significance of left ventricular outflow gradients and for optimizing pacing therapy in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HOCM). Methods: Doppler echocardiography was performed in 32 patients with HOCM. Eleven patients with pacemakers (PPM) also underwent treadmill and quality-of-life (QOL) testing in a randomized crossover trial (1 month of backup pacing (AAI at 30 beats per minute), 1 month with an atrioventricular interval (AVI) of 30 ms (DDD30), and 1 month with an “optimized” AVI (DDDop) that maximized the descending aortic Doppler velocity time integral. Results: Patients with HOCM displayed a notch in the aortic Doppler flow profile. The location of the notch in systole corresponded with the development of the peak left ventricular outflow gradient. Aortic flow after the notch was variable ranging from 6–48% of the total flow. In patients with pacemakers, improved response to pacing was noted in those patients that developed the notch early in systole and had subsequent attenuation of aortic flow. Optimizing the AVI was associated with improved exercise tolerance (AAI: 4.6 ± 2.3 min., DDD30: 5.5 ± 2.2 min., and DDDop: 7.7 ± 2.5 min.; p < 0.05) and improved QOL. Conclusions: Patients with HOCM have a notch in their aortic Doppler flow profile. The location of the notch correlates with the development of the peak left ventricular outflow gradient and flow after the notch is variable. Patients with an early notch and attenuated flow after the notch appear to have the greatest response to pacing therapy.
Apoptosis and Autophagy After Mitochondrial or Endoplasmic Reticulum Photodamage

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) can cause lethal photodamage by both direct and indirect mechanisms. Direct modes of cell death relate to nonspecific necrosis and the initiation of signaling pathways that elicit apoptosis, autophagy or both. In this report, effects of low-dose and high-dose PDT are explored, comparing sensitizers that localize in the endoplasmic reticulum (the porphycene termed CPO) or mitochondria (mesochlorin). To explore the role of autophagy, two cell lines were examined-the murine L1210 leukemia and an Atg7 knockdown derivative of L1210. The Atg7 gene is central to the process of autophagy. High-dose PDT with either sensitizer resulted in a substantial loss of the Bcl-2 protein. As Bcl-2 regulates both apoptosis and autophagy, loss of this protein can lead to initiation of either or both processes. Low-dose PDT with either sensitizer resulted in the initiation of apoptosis in the L1210/Atg7 - cell line and a 20% loss of viability. In contrast, the same PDT dose led to the rapid appearance of autophagic cells in the L1210 line, less apoptosis and only a 5% loss of viability. These results are consistent with autophagy serving as a pro-survival response via the recycling of damaged organelles. At a higher PDT dose more apoptosis was again seen in the L1210/Atg7 - line, but both cell lines exhibited comparable cytotoxicity in colony formation assays. We conclude that autophagy offers protection from the phototoxic effects of low-dose PDT, but can serve as an alternate death mode when the PDT dose is increased.
Analysis of flow-induced instability in a redesigned steam control valve

Abstract Industrial steam turbines represent one of the largest fractions of prime movers. Regardless of the steam-turbine application being considered, speed and/or load control will be required. Speed control is the primary control loop for all turbine applications, industrial as well as utility. The inlet of industrial steam turbine is usually controlled by a single valve, or a series of valves (multi-valve assembly) working in concert. These valves are required to operate under wide ranges of valve openings and pressure ratios. As a turbine governing valve, the venturi valve, has been widely used in steam turbines to regulate inlet flow in the last 40 years. But as turbine output power become larger, a number of valve failure incidences started to be reported and improving the valve designs became a high priority. Despite numerous investigations to eliminate valve failure, the attempts were not fully successful due to the complicated nature of the fluid–structure interaction mechanisms, and the basic mechanism causing valve vibration and failure is still far from being fully understood. As a continuation of previous valve studies, a newly designed valve has been investigated experimentally and. This paper presents detailed experimental investigations to clarify the mechanisms of valve instability caused by unsteady flows around the valve. A result of the asymmetric unstable flow, noise and vibration characteristics of the valve together with an overall performance assessment of the valve is presented.
A NOTE ON THE PRODUCTION OF ACID BY PNEUMOCOCCI

1. Actively growing pneumococci produce acid at such a rate that change in the pH of the medium parallels change in rate of growth. 2. The death of the pneumococci is not followed by change in the reaction. 3. Acidification during growth in beef infusion media proceeds until a pH of about 7 is reached. At this point growth stops. The increase in hydrogen ion concentration is not the only origin of the injury to the cell that causes lag in a subsequent culture. 4. The increase in hydrogen ion concentration of the medium is not the sole cause of cessation of growth.
Effect of diet and exercise on serum insulin, IGF-I, and IGFBP-1 levels and growth of LNCaP cells in vitro (United States)

Objective: Accumulating evidence indicates that prostate cancer is associated with high levels of serum IGF-I. This study was conducted to determine whether a low-fat diet and exercise (DE) intervention may modulate the IGF axis and reduce prostate cancer cell growth in vitro. Methods: Fasting serum was obtained from 14 men (age 60 ± 3 years) participating in an 11-day DE program and from eight similarly aged men who had followed the DE program for 14.2 ± 1.7 years (long-term). Insulin, IGF-I, IGFBP-1, and IGFBP-3 were measured by ELISA, and serum was used to stimulate LNCaP cell growth in vitro. Results: Serum IGF-I levels decreased by 20% while IGFBP-1 increased by 53% after 11-day DE. In the long-term group, IGF-I was 55% lower, while IGFBP-1 was 150% higher relative to baseline. Serum insulin decreased by 25% after 11-day DE and was 68% lower in the long-term group, relative to baseline. No changes in serum IGFBP-3 were observed. Serum-stimulated LNCaP cell growth was reduced by 30% in post-11-day serum and by 44% in long-term serum relative to baseline. LNCaP cells incubated with post-DE serum showed increased apoptosis/necrosis, compared to baseline. Conclusions: A low-fat diet and exercise intervention induces in-vivo changes in the circulating IGF axis and is associated with reduced growth and enhanced apoptosis/necrosis of LNCaP tumor cells in vitro.
APPLICATION OF AN EXPECTED COVERING MODEL TO EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE SYSTEM DESIGN

The Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Act specifies the fraction of all demands for service that must be reached in a given amount of time for urban and rural areas. The conditions have traditionally been interpreted to apply to the case in which all EMS vehicles are available to respond to demands. A model that considers the probability of a vehicle being busy is formulated and model properties are briefly discussed. The model is then applied to two problems: a 55-node test case and a 33-node census tract representation of Austin, Texas. The implications of the new model for EMS system design are discussed as are the limitations of the modeling approach.
Molybdenum disulfide as a lubricant and catalyst in adaptive nanocomposite coatings

Abstract Nanocomposite YSZ–Ag–Mo–MoS 2 coatings with different MoS 2 additions (0–100 at.%) were deposited with a hybrid pulsed laser/magnetron sputtering/filtered cathodic arc process. Wear testing was performed from 25 to 700 °C for each of the coatings. Electron microscopy and other characterization techniques were used to examine the surfaces and wear tracks of the coatings and to determine the mechanisms resulting in the measured tribological properties. Adaptive coatings containing 8 at.% MoS 2 demonstrated a friction coefficient of 0.2 throughout the temperature range examined here, compared to 0.4 for YSZ–Ag–Mo with no MoS 2 . Characterization of the YSZ–Ag–Mo–8% MoS 2 coating revealed that MoS 2 and silver provided lubrication at temperatures ≤ 300 °C, while silver molybdate phases and MoO 3 were effective lubricants at higher temperatures. Silver molybdate was not observed in the coatings containing 0% MoS 2 . The role of sulfur in the formation of silver molybdate is briefly discussed.
Screening recipients of increased-risk donor organs: a survey of transplant infectious diseases physician practices

N. Theodoropoulos, D.P. Ladner, M.G. Ison. Screening recipients ofincreased-risk donor organs: a survey of transplant infectiousdiseases physician practices.Transpl Infect Dis 2013. All rights reservedAbstract: Background. In 1994, the Public Health Servicepublished guidelines to minimize the risk of humanimmunodeﬁciency virus (HIV) transmission and to monitorrecipients following the transplantation of organs from increased-risk donors. A 2007 survey revealed the post-transplant surveillanceof recipients of organs from increased-risk donors (ROIRD) isvariable.Methods. An electronic survey was sent to transplant infectiousdiseases physicians at US solid organ transplant centers.Results. A total of 126 surveys were sent to infectious diseasesphysicians, and we received 51 (40%) responses. We found that 22%of respondents obtain only verbal, 69% verbal and written, and 8% donot obtain any special consent from ROIRD, despite an OrganProcurement and Transplantation Network policy requiring suchconsent. Post-solid organ transplantation serologies for HIV,hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are performedby 6–8% of respondents in all recipients, by 69% of respondents inROIRD only, and 25% of respondents do not perform them at all.Post-transplant nucleic acid testing is carried out by 55–64% ofrespondents in ROIRD, by 0–2% in all recipients, and not performedby 35–43% of respondents.Conclusion. Screening RIORD for HIV, HBV, and HCV hasincreased since 2007, but remains less than optimal and isincomplete when screening for disease transmission at manycenters.N. Theodoropoulos
Bioproduction of Perillyl Alcohol and Related Monoterpenes by Isolates of Bacillus stearothermophilus

Bacillus stearothermophilus BR388 was isolated from orange peel by an enrichment culture using (+)-limonene. The thermophilic isolate exhibited growth between 45 and 68 o C., with optimum growth near 55 o C. BR388 could grow on limonene as a sole carbon source, but grew and degraded limonene more effectively when supplemented with small amounts of yeast extract. Perillyl alcohol was the major conversion product, with n-terpineol and perillyl aldehyde as senor products. Strains of B. stearothermophilus previously isolated from aromatic enrichments also grew on limonene, but had higher sensitivity to limonene toxicity than did BR388
Theoretical considerations of mate finding and other adult behaviors of Plecoptera

The unknown natural mating systems of Plecoptera will involve some combination of aggregation of the sexes, vibrational or other form of communication and potentially diverse mate searching patterns. Proposed initial aggregation of sexes in Arctoperlaria species is provided by encounter site conventions such as resource‐based feeding sites or various nonresource‐based conventions such as planttopping and bankscrambling. Established patterns of intersexual vibrational communication further aid the mate finding process. Males call for females during a ranging search, then engage in unknown patterns of localized searching after duetting is established. The simplest, most efficient form of localized search would be direct homing on stationary, answering females. Drumming or other means of intersexual communication are unknown in the Antarctoperlaria, and therefore may be lacking in their natural mate finding systems. Some form of finely tuned encounter site behavior may provide sufficient space‐restricted agg...
Two-dimensional modeling of gas hydrate decomposition in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico: significance to global change assessment

Abstract Thinning of the gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ) in response to bottom water temperature increases and drops in sea level similar to those during Pliocene and Pleistocene time was modeled on two-dimensional (2D) regional scale in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. A sea level drop of 100 m is unlikely to significantly influence the stability of gas hydrate, especially when coupled with an expected decrease in water temperature. A bottom water temperature increase of 4 °C may lead to appreciable (∼30%) thinning of the GHSZ. Neither a 100-m drop in sea level nor a 4 °C bottom water temperature increase is hypothesized to initiate significant gas flux from decomposition of gas hydrate. Hydrocarbon gases may have been released from decomposed gas hydrate to sediment at a rate considerably lower than the preliminary estimated late Pleistocene–Holocene total gas seepage from a leaky subsurface petroleum system. Potential input of greenhouse gases into the ocean is suggested to be less significant. Several processes such as recrystallization of gas hydrate in the GHSZ, trapping of free gas below the GHSZ, and microbial oxidation of hydrocarbons in sediment by bacteria and archaea contribute to sequestration and destruction of gas from gas hydrate decomposition. Gas hydrate in the Gulf of Mexico is frequently associated with enormous volumes of authigenic carbonate rock, depleted in 13 C, that sequesters a large pool of carbon in sediment and perturbs the carbon cycle. These factors appear to significantly decrease the role of hydrate-derived gas in global change. An improved understanding of how the gas hydrate system of the Gulf of Mexico responds to natural variation will contribute to better assessment of gas hydrate as an agent of global change.
Comparison for adult solid-meal gastric-emptying study: 2-hour vs. 4-hour protocols

1961 Objectives Radionuclide study of gastric emptying and motility is an effective noninvasive tool to assess gastric emptying. The SNMMI has recently agreed on a standard meal and a standard imaging protocol for measurement of gastric emptying that requires up to 4 hours of imaging. However, a study length of 4 hours may be inconvenient. The purpose of this investigation was to compare the accuracy of the previously proposed 2-hour imaging protocol using the 4-hour protocol as the reference. Methods Our data consist of 103 consecutive patients. All patients were given a standardized meal according to the Tougas protocol. Percent gastric retention was measured at 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 hours (or until gastric emptying was equal to or more than 90%). We have estimated the accuracy and percent of studies stopped at 2 hours using both the 3-point fitting and cut-off method, comparing to the final 4-hour gastric emptying result. Results Using gastric emptying of less than 120-minute as cut-off for “definitely abnormal” with the linear-fit of the first 2-hour data, and emptying at 2 hours greater than 60% for a diagnosis of normal gastric emptying yielded accuracies of 0.893 (fitting) and 0.845 (cut-off), respectively, compared with the SNMMI standard 4-hour protocol. If the 2-hour gastric-emptying values were within normal limit, it would have allowed accurately early termination in 91% and 75% of the studies, respectively. Conclusions Adopting criteria for the termination of gastric-emptying study at 2 hours in selected patients yields significant reductions in the average length of a gastric-emptying study, while maintaining study accuracy.
Technological Alternatives to Paper-Based Components of Team-Based Learning.

The purpose of instructional technology is to make things possible that are otherwise not, or to make easier things that otherwise are difficult. This chapter describes a few of the tweaks to team-based learning that the authors have developed using technology.
Learning Strategies for Open-Domain Natural Language Question Answering

This work presents a model for learning inference procedures for story comprehension through inductive generalization and reinforcement learning, based on classified examples. The learned inference procedures (or strategies) are represented as of sequences of transformation rules. The approach is compared to three prior systems, and experimental results are presented demonstrating the efficacy of the model.
On the relation of order-statistics filters and template matching: optimal morphological pattern recognition

In this paper, we investigate methods for optimal morphological pattern recognition. The task of optimal pattern recognition is posed as a solution to a hypothesis testing problem. A minimum probability of error decision rule-maximum a posteriori filter-is sought. The classical solution to the minimum probability of error hypothesis testing problem, in the presence of independent and identically distributed noise degradation, is provided by template matching (TM). A modification of this task, seeking a solution to the minimum probability of error hypothesis testing problem, in the presence of composite (mixed) independent and identically distributed noise degradation, is demonstrated to be given by weighted composite template matching (WCTM). As a consequence of our investigation, the relationship of the order-statistics filter (OSF) and TM-in both the standard as well as the weighted and composite implementations-is established. This relationship is based on the thresholded cross-correlation representation of the OSF. The optimal order and weights of the OSF for pattern recognition are subsequently derived. An additional outcome of this representation is a fast method for the implementation of the OSF.
Dance Lessons for Proteins: The Dynamics and Thermodynamics of a Sodium/Aspartate Symporter

Secondary active transporters harvest the energy of the ionic gradients to drive concentrative uptake of their substrates. This process entails a series of protein conformational transitions that are coupled to binding and unbinding of ions and substrates on the extracellular and intracellular sides of the membrane. Over the last decade, crystallography has provided a growing number of structural snapshots of the transport cycle for several ion-driven transporters. Already these structures, although intrinsically static, have revealed a remarkable plasticity encoded in the architecture of these proteins. Because internal dynamics is an essential feature of transporters, it is necessary to complement crystallographic studies with other techniques that provide information on the ensemble properties of these proteins as well as on the conformational dynamics of individual molecules. Here, we will discuss the emerging approaches to obtain thermodynamic and dynamic information on transporters using a sodium/aspartate symporter from Pyrococcus horikoshii, GltPh, as a model system. GltPh is a bacterial homologue of the mammalian glutamate transporters, for which crystal structures of several states have been determined, providing a framework for further mechanistic studies. We will discuss how within this system the equilibrium and kinetic studies based on the isothermal titration calorimetry, fluorescence, and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy inform us on the energetic relationship between the key functional states, and mechanisms of coupling between transport cycle and ionic gradients. We will further describe how single molecule studies open doors to a detailed characterization of the timing and order of the conformational transitions underlying transport processes.
Analysis of LiDAR-derived topographic information for characterizing and differentiating landslide morphology and activity

Abstract This study used airborne laser altimetry (LiDAR) to examine the surface morphology of two canyon-rim landslides in southern Idaho. The high resolution topographic data were used to calculate surface roughness, slope, semivariance, and fractal dimension. These data were combined with historical movement data (Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and laser theodolite) and field observations for the currently active landslide, and the results suggest that topographic elements are related to the material types and the type of local motion of the landslide. Weak, unconsolidated materials comprising the toe of the slide, which were heavily fractured and locally thrust upward, had relatively high surface roughness, high fractal dimension, and high vertical and lateral movement. The body of the slide, which predominantly moved laterally and consists mainly of undisturbed, older canyon floor materials, had relatively lower surface roughness than the toe. The upper block, consisting of a down-dropped section of the canyon rim that has remained largely intact, had a low surface roughness on its upper surface and high surface roughness along fractures and on its west face (unrelated to landslide motion). The upper block also had a higher semivariance than the toe and body. The topographic data for a neighboring, older and larger landslide complex, which failed in 1937, are similarly used to understand surface morphology, as well as to compare to the morphology of the active landslide and to understand scale-dependent processes. The morphometric analyses demonstrate that the active landslide has a similar failure mechanism and is topographically more variable than the 1937 landslide, especially at scales > 20 m. Weathering and the larger scale processes of the 1937 slide are hypothesized to cause the lower semivariance values of the 1937 slide. At smaller scales (
Re‐Thinking Legitimate Authority: Incorporating Nonstate Actors into the Just War Framework

Ethics, Authority, and War: Non-State Actors and the Just War Tradition. Edited by Eric A. Heinze, Brent J. Steele. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. 304 pp., $100.00 hardcover (ISBN-13: 978-0-230-61674-5). A credit to the editors' efforts, the nine chapters contributed by prominent just war scholars work well together toward the development of an argument in favor of expanding the just war concept of legitimate authority to better deal with nonstate actors in international politics. Historically, legitimate authority has been limited to sovereigns in the canonical tradition, or to sovereign states in just war's more modern iterations. In a world where inter-state war has become a rarity—but various forms of intra-state violence, sadly, have not—it is well worth asking how useful the just war tradition can be in helping to navigate this new and complex ethical terrain. As Nicholas Onuf points out in the concluding essay, the traditional just war concept of legitimate authority “unduly simplifies the complex relations of authority in today's world,” which challenge the simplistic division of agents into state and nonstate actors, or public and private ones (p. 240). Likewise, Cian O'Driscoll argues that while the just war tradition has begun to evolve in response to challenges posed by international actors (such as the United Nations and various regional organizations) and by substate actors in the wake of decolonization, its fundamental assumptions about the basis of authority are even more threatened by the rise of transnational actors, particularly terrorist organizations (p. 22). These various nonstate actors are part of the reality of war in the twenty-first century, and just war theory risks atrophying into a quaint historical artifact unless it can usefully address the way war …
From Novice to Expert to Mentor: Shaping the Future

Many of us can relate to the story that Jon Carroll, a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, tells about his first public singing recital. He had taken a series of singing lessons and then found himself standing on a stage about to sing his first solo in front of a large audience. It took him 4 attempts to find the opening note while he also battled an uncontrollable head bob. Scanning the audience’s faces while he was singing, Carroll said he had the “unshakable perception that cyanide gas had been released in the room and that the face of every person . . . was set in the final rictus of death.” The conclusion of the song was followed by polite applause (the same sort of applause, he wrote, that might occur at the end of a particularly painful 2-hour kettledrum solo). But, to his surprise, his singing teacher walked over to him with tears running down her face and put her arm around him, saying proudly to the audience, “I just want to say that when this man came to me. . .he couldn’t even sing ‘Happy Birthday.’” The audience applauded wildly. Carroll was stunned at the teacher’s remarks and the audience’s reaction. Clearly, this was more than a teacher. She was a mentor. She inspired.
Near-Optimal Radio Use for Wireless Network Synchronization

In this paper we consider the model of communication where wireless devices can either switch their radios off to save energy (and hence, can neither send nor receive messages), or switch their radios on and engage in communication. The problem has been extensively studied in practice, in the setting such as deployment and clock synchronization of wireless sensor networks --- see, for example, [31,41,33,29,40]. The goal in these papers is different from the classic problem of radio broadcast, i.e. avoiding interference. Here, the goal is instead to minimize the use of the radio for both transmitting and receiving, and for most of the time to shut the radio down completely, as the radio even in listening mode consumes a lot of energy. We distill a clean theoretical formulation of minimizing radio use and present near-optimal solutions. Our base model ignores issues of communication interference, although we also extend the model to handle this requirement. We assume that nodes intend to communicate periodically, or according to some time-based schedule. Clearly, perfectly synchronized devices could switch their radios on for exactly the minimum periods required by their joint schedules. The main challenge in the deployment of wireless networks is to synchronize the devices' schedules, given that their initial schedules may be offset relative to one another (even if their clocks run at the same speed). In this paper we study how frequently the devices must switch on their radios in order to both synchronize their clocks and communicate. In this setting, we significantly improve previous results, and show optimal use of the radio for two processors and near-optimal use of the radio for synchronization of an arbitrary number of processors. In particular, for two processors we prove deterministic matching $\Theta\left(\sqrt{n}\right)$ upper and lower bounds on the number of times the radio has to be on, where n is the discretized uncertainty period of the clock shift between the two processors. (In contrast, all previous results for two processors are randomized, e.g.[33], [29]). For m = n β processors (for any positive β< 1) we prove ?(n (1 ? β)/2) is the lower bound on the number of times the radio has to be switched on (per processor), and show a nearly matching (in terms of the radio use) O(n (1 ? β)/2) randomized upper bound per processor, (where O notation hides poly-log(n) multiplicative term) with failure probability exponentially close to 0. For β ? 1 our algorithm runs with at most poly-log(n) radio invocations per processor. Our bounds also hold in a radio-broadcast model where interference must be taken into account.
Physicochemical regulation of biofilm formation

This article reviews the physical and chemical constraints of environments on biofilm formation. We provide a perspective on how materials science and engineering can address fundamental questions and unmet technological challenges in this area of microbiology, such as biofilm prevention. Specifically, we discuss three factors that impact the development and organization of bacterial communities. (1) Physical properties of surfaces regulate cell attachment and physiology and affect early stages of biofilm formation. (2) Chemical properties influence the adhesion of cells to surfaces and their development into biofilms and communities. (3) Chemical communication between cells attenuates growth and influences the organization of communities. Mechanisms of spatial and temporal confinement control the dimensions of communities and the diffusion path length for chemical communication between biofilms, which, in turn, influences biofilm phenotypes. Armed with a detailed understanding of biofilm formation, researchers are applying the tools and techniques of materials science and engineering to revolutionize the study and control of bacterial communities growing at interfaces.
Quantitative lineage analysis of the origin of frog primary motor and sensory neurons from cleavage stage blastomeres

The average number of primary motoneurons and Rohon-Beard neurons that descend from each “identified” blastomere of the 16- and 32-cell stages of the frog Xenopus laevis was determined. The dorsal, animal blastomeres are the major motoneuron progenitors, and the ventral, animal blastomeres are the major Rohon-Beard progenitors. Cells along the midline primarily give rise to only one of these phenotypes, whereas cells along the frontal plane, which separates dorsal from ventral, give rise to both phenotypes. Each blastomere produces a characteristic number of each type of neuron, with only small variations between embryos. The mean values were used to construct quantitative retrospective lineage diagrams for the first 5 cell cycles after fertilization. These diagrams illustrate that the fate to become a major neuronal progenitor is segregated as early as the 4-cell stage. The lineage patterns of which sister cell makes the majority of primary neurons at each cleavage after the 4-cell stage are quite similar for both neurons in the D lineage but only moderately similar for both neurons in the V lineage. The pattern of predominant Rohon-Beard neuron fate is very similar in the D and V lineages. Analysis of the axial distribution of the primary motoneurons and Rohon-Beard neurons that descend from each blastomere indicates that the major progenitors contribute neuronal descendants periodically, to nearly every segmental bin, but the minor progenitors distribute neuronal descendants randomly along the axis. These data demonstrate that primary neuronal phenotype, cell number, predominant lineal pattern, and in some cases segmental distribution are highly regular across a large population of embryos. This population consistency suggests that several features of neuronal fate may be influenced either by cell position or lineage.
Conclusion: A Little of Everything, a Lot of Nothing Is an Agenda for Failure

The National Agenda for Achieving Better Outcomes for Children and Youth with Serious Emotional Disturbance is so general and all-encompassing that it is an inadequate guide for action. Clearer, mo...
Evaluation of monoclonality of cell lines from sequential dilution assays

The statistical framework necessary to analyze clonality following a two stage cloning procedure is described, and a simple table for determining the probability of monoclonality of derived cell colonies is presented. This statistical framework is designed for multistage cloning procedures and is an extension of the usual Poisson analytic technique.
Identification of Indian hedgehog as a progesterone-responsive gene in the murine uterus.

Progesterone (P4) plays a central role in normal uterine function, from embryo implantation in endometrium to establishment and maintenance of uterine quiescence during pregnancy in the myometrium. Considering its diverse physiological effects on female reproductive function, rather little is known about downstream events of P4 action. Recent progress in differential screening technologies facilitated identification of such inducible genes. We used uteri of wild-type and progesterone receptor null mutant mice as a starting material and screened for differentially expressed genes by medium-density cDNA expression array. Here, we report that the expression of the morphogen, Indian hedgehog (Ihh), is rapidly stimulated by P4 in the mouse uterus. The level of Ihh mRNA is induced within 3 h, after a single administration of P4 to ovariectomized mice. The induced Ihh mRNA and protein were localized to the luminal and glandular epithelial compartment of the endometrium. During pseudopregnancy, the Ihh mRNA level...
An Update on Adolescent Drug Use: What School Counselors Need to Know

School counselors need to have accurate and ageappropriate prevention education information in order to counsel teens on drug use. This article presents developmentally specific prevention materials for the most important emerging substances of abuse: Ecstasy, methamphetamine, cough and cold medication, prescription opiates and stimulants, and the "date rape" drugs. Because developing appropriate materials requires understanding how adolescents develop, an expert panel approach was used, supplemented with a literature review and teen focus groups.
CANTED MAGNETIC MOMENTS AT THE Gd(0001) SURFACE

With spin polarized electron spectroscopies, the authors have investigated ordered Gd(0001) films deposited on W(110). The photoemission features of the gadolinium 5d surface state, the 4f levels, and the background exhibit considerable spin polarization along the same direction in the plane of the film, indicative of ferromagnetic coupling between the surface and the bulk. The 4f spin polarized photoemission data provides strong evidence that the surface 4f polarization differs from the bulk 4f polarization for Gd(0001). The temperature dependent measurements with spin polarized secondary electron spectroscopy conclusively establishes that the surface of clean Gd(0001) possesses a perpendicular polarization component which persists to an enhanced surface Curie temperature. Small amounts of contamination at the surface result in the disappearance of the perpendicular component and, therefore, a more perfect ferromagnetic coupling between the surface and the bulk.
Pulsed ultrasound enhances the delivery of nitric oxide from bubble liposomes to ex vivo porcine carotid tissue.

Ultrasound-mediated drug delivery is a novel technique for enhancing the penetration of drugs into diseased tissue beds noninvasively. By encapsulating drugs into microsized and nanosized liposomes, the therapeutic can be shielded from degradation within the vasculature until delivery to a target site by ultrasound exposure. Traditional in vitro or ex vivo techniques to quantify this delivery profile include optical approaches, cell culture, and electrophysiology. Here, we demonstrate an approach to characterize the degree of nitric oxide (NO) delivery to porcine carotid tissue by direct measurement of ex vivo vascular tone. An ex vivo perfusion model was adapted to assess ultrasound-mediated delivery of NO. This potent vasodilator was coencapsulated with inert octafluoropropane gas to produce acoustically active bubble liposomes. Porcine carotid arteries were excised post mortem and mounted in a physiologic buffer solution. Vascular tone was assessed in real time by coupling the artery to an isometric force transducer. NO-loaded bubble liposomes were infused into the lumen of the artery, which was exposed to 1 MHz pulsed ultrasound at a peak-to-peak acoustic pressure amplitude of 0.34 MPa. Acoustic cavitation emissions were monitored passively. Changes in vascular tone were measured and compared with control and sham NO bubble liposome exposures. Our results demonstrate that ultrasound-triggered NO release from bubble liposomes induces potent vasorelaxation within porcine carotid arteries (maximal relaxation 31%±8%), which was significantly stronger than vasorelaxation due to NO release from bubble liposomes in the absence of ultrasound (maximal relaxation 7%±3%), and comparable with relaxation due to 12 μM sodium nitroprusside infusions (maximal relaxation 32%±3%). This approach is a valuable mechanistic tool for assessing the extent of drug release and delivery to the vasculature caused by ultrasound.