cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
GROWTH RESPONSE OF LACTOBACILLUS RHAMNOSUS TO MICROAEROPHILIC INCUBATION AND ADDITION OF REDUCTANTS IN A RIBOFLAVIN MICROTITER PLATE ASSAY

Given the importance of riboflavin in human diets, a rapid riboflavin assay is needed by the food industry to allow simultaneous determination of riboflavin in numerous food sources. The growth responses of Lactobacillus rhamnosus to microaerophilic conditions and three reducing agents were examined as an attempt to reduce riboflavin assay time. Ascorbic acid, dithiothreitol and thioglycollate were applied at three concentrations. None of the concentrations of reducing agents caused a further increase of bacterial optical density (OD) or had a significant effect on the growth rates. More optimal microaerophilic conditions were achieved through the use of an anaerobic chamber. The growth rate of L. rhamnosus under microaerophilic conditions (0.30 ± 0.05/h) was not significantly different (P > 0.05) from the growth rate of the bacteria under aerobic conditions (0.34 ± 0.07/h). However, after 14 h of bacterial growth, the OD of the bacterial culture under anaerobic hood incubation (0.71 ± 0.09) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than under aerobic incubation conditions (0.58 ± 0.05). Additional research is needed involving more controlled atmospheres for incubation during growth and a wider range of reductants to optimize and shorten the time required for riboflavin microtiter plate assay. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Quantifying riboflavin in foods and food ingredients is important to the food industry. Lactobacillus rhamnosus growth response to varying levels of riboflavin is used to estimate the amount of this vitamin. In an effort to optimize growth on microtiter plates and decrease assay time, microaerophilic conditions were examined. Although rate of growth was not altered, cell concentration measured as optical density (OD) did increase. Microaerophilic incubation of microtiter plates represents a potential approach to decrease assay time and provide the food industry with more timely results.
Criteria for safe cost-effective pediatric trauma triage: Prehospital evaluation and distribution of injured children

In an effort to maximize staff utilization, all pediatric trauma patients were triaged by emergency room personnel to one of two tiers, based on information reported by prehospital providers over radiotelephones. A total of 952 patients less than 15 years of age were evaluated during a 1-year period. The triage criteria had a sensitivity of 86% in predicting which trauma patients would require operating room and/or pediatric intensive care, while maintaining a specificity of 90%. Fifteen patients died; however, by TRISS methodology there were no unexpected deaths and four unexpected survivors. All eventual deaths were initially captured from field data by the severely injured triage criteria. The study data suggest that physician-controlled two-tiered field triage criteria can safely serve to maximize staff utilization in the emergency room.
The stability of the genome and the genetic instability of tumors.

In Copenhagen, Michael Frayn dramatizes a visit made by Werner Heisenberg to Niels Bohr in 1942 [1]. The theme of the play is uncertainty and complementarity: notwithstanding the explanations of the participants, no one is really sure why Heisenberg went to Copenhagen in the midst of the war and the start of the A bomb project. But the uncertainty that revolves around the characters of Bohr and of Heisenberg also reflects on the “uncertainty principle” that Heisenberg developed along with Bohr. The concepts of “uncertainty” and “complementarity” had a profound effect on Bohr’s philosophical views [2]. In particular, the thought that there are certain unknowable things in the physical world seemed to Bohr to be applicable to biology, and this viewpoint—that there might be special principles in biology, not inconsistent with the laws of physics but different— appears to have convinced many of the physicists, Schrodinger and Delbruck among them, for whom Bohr was a major influence [3]. The reminiscences of many of the important figures in the development of molecular genetics testify to the importance of the lectures by Erwin Schrodinger published in 1945 with the title What is Life? [4; see 5, 6]. Schrodinger was greatly impressed by the stability of the gene from generation to generation and by the calculations, based largely on an early paper of Delbruck’s (which Schrodinger had seen in a reprint given to him by a colleague[3]), that only the release of large amounts of energy could result in mutation, presumably by providing the activation energy to move the gene from one extremely stable configuration to another equally stable mutant form. Ionizing radiation was demonstrably effective in promoting gene mutation. As Schrodinger wrote:
Community College Attendance and Socioeconomic Plans

Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study, 1988 (NELS: 88), this paper documents differences in the socioeconomic plans of students in two-year and four-year colleges. We found attendance at a two-year college led to a modest but statistically significant disadvantage in socioeconomic plans. However, the impact of attending a community college on educational and occupational goals are conditional rather than general. That is, the negative impact on socioeconomic plans of attending a two-year college held for women but not men. Finally, according to our research, the negative effect of attending a two-year college differed in magnitude by an individual's tested cognitive preparation. In particular, attending a two-year college significantly reduced subsequent socioeconomic plans only for students with relatively high precollege test scores.
2,3‐Dithien‐2‐yl­quinoxaline

In the title compound, C16H10N2S2, (I), which was synthesized via the reaction of 2,2′-thenil and 1,2-phenyl­enedi­amine, the thienyl rings display ideal geometries, with no evidence of ring-flip disorders often found with unsubstituted terminal 2-thienyl rings [Zheng, Wang, Liu, Carducci, Peyghambarian & Jabbourb (2002). Acta Cryst. C58, m50–m52].
Influence of Hexadecane on Absorption of Carbon Dioxide by Plants

RESULTS of recent investigations concerning the influence of hydrocarbons and a petroleum oil on apparent photosynthesis in Citrus sinensis1 and Bauhinia blakeana2 have focused my attention on the significance of stomatal distribution in a plant's response to the application of hydrocarbons. For example, using infra-red carbon dioxide analysis with sequential multi-point sampling3, it has been shown that an application of a paraffinic hydrocarbon to either the upper or lower surface of the leaves of Bauhinia blakeana results in a decrease of absorption of carbon dioxide while a similar application to the leaves of Citrus sinensis results in a decrease of absorption of carbon dioxide only when applied to the lower surface of the leaves. Since these results are corollary to the distribution of stomata in these species they suggest penetration only through stomata with consequential interference of absorption. The present investigation was initiated in order to clarify further the role of stomatal distribution.
A graph-theoretic approach to picture processing

Abstract Efficient data structures for picture processing are developed on the basis of graph-theoretic concepts. Picture segmentation is achieved by a directed split-and-merge algorithm and subsequent analysis is performed by examining either the region adjacency graph (RAG) or the vertex adjacency graph (VAG). Cutnodes of the RAG correspond to multiply connected regions (i.e., regions of nonzero genus). Connected components of the VAG correspond to “holes” in regions. A simple procedure for constructing hole boundaries is discussed.
The discriminant capacity of the Stroop test in tumor neurosurgical patients and its relationship to the visual evoked potential measure

Abstract The Stroop test and visual evoked potential measure of stimulus intensity modulation were given to 18 frontal lesion patients, 17 temporal lesion patients and 18 neurologically-normal controls. Discriminant validity was accomplished in all phases of the Stroop test with the exception of interference for neurosurgical patients as compared to neurologically-normal control subjects. However, it failed to differentiate frontal from temporal neurosurgical patients.
Delayed onset of adult antifreeze activity in juveniles of the Antarctic icefish Chaenocephalus aceratus

Many Antarctic notothenioid species endemic to the Seasonal Pack-ice Zone have converged on adult blood serum freezing points that are several tenths of a degree above the freezing point of seawater. While these fishes share high adult serum freezing points, the development of their freeze avoidance during ontogeny has not been studied. We investigated this in wild caught juveniles of one such species, Chaenocephalus aceratus (family Channichthyidae), using blood serum antifreeze activity as a proxy for their freeze avoidance. Juvenile serum antifreeze activity was significantly below that of adults through the oldest year 2+ specimens collected. This increased at an estimated rate of 0.368 × 10−3 ± 0.405 × 10−4°C day−1 which, if sustained, would leave C. aceratus below their adult serum antifreeze activity levels of 0.57 ± 0.08°C until 4.2 years after hatching. Underlying the 2.7-fold increase in their serum antifreeze activity from late year 0+ juveniles to adults was an even greater 10.4-fold increase in the concentration of their serum antifreeze glycopeptides, which increased proportionally across all of their serum AFGP size isoforms. With insufficient antifreeze activity to avoid freezing in the ice-laden surface waters, both adult and juvenile C. aceratus are most likely restricted to the year round ice-free waters where a metastable supercooled state can be maintained.
Quantum dot composite light sources

In this effort, we present the most recent progress towards fabrication and testing of quantum dot composite materials. These materials are important steps towards easy integration of a light source on silicon. Quantum dot composites are formed by incorporating quantum dots in a host material that acts to protect and maintain the characteristics of the quantum dots, as well as to act as a patternable matrix for lithography and etching. In this effort, commercially available IR emitting PbS quantum dots (Evident Technologies) were incorporated with PMMA and poly (hexyl methacrylate) and their photoluminescence spectra was examined over time. A large shift in the photoluminescence emission peak over the course of several days was observed in all composites. This could be due to oxidation despite being in a host.
Best-k queries on database systems

As exploratory queries become more and more popular, the study of how to select k items based on fuzzy matching and ranking of database tuples (i.e. top-k queries) has attracted much attention recently. However, taking the topk tuples based on their scores computed independently is inadequate for modeling some complex queries finding the best k tuples based on some selection criteria involving a global measure on multiple selected tuples (e.g., tuple redundancy or compatibility). In this paper, we introduce and study such best-k queries, and further model a database selection problem generally as a decision problem, in which a database system would respond to a query by selecting a subset of tuples that optimize a certain utility function defined globally. Accordingly, we present a general formal framework for database selection, which covers the boolean query search, the top-k query search, and the best-k query search all as special cases. We prove that finding answers to a general best-k query is an NP-hard problem. We propose an anytime algorithm, which allows a user to stop the algorithm at any time to achieve a flexible tradeoff between the result optimality and the running time, to execute a bestk query efficiently. Experiment results show that the algorithm can be used to efficiently answer a best-k query.
Modeling and estimating persistent motion with geometric flows

We propose a principled framework to model persistent motion in dynamic scenes. In contrast to previous efforts on object tracking and optical flow estimation that focus on local motion, we primarily aim at inferring a global model of persistent and collective dynamics. With this in mind, we first introduce the concept of geometric flow that describes motion simultaneously over space and time, and derive a vector space representation based on Lie algebra. We then extend it to model complex motion by combining multiple flows in a geometrically consistent manner. Taking advantage of the linear nature of this representation, we formulate a stochastic flow model, and incorporate a Gaussian process to capture the spatial coherence more effectively. This model leads to an efficient and robust algorithm that can integrate both point pairs and frame differences in motion estimation. We conducted experiments on different types of videos. The results clearly demonstrate that the proposed approach is effective in modeling persistent motion.
Physicochemical features of the HERG channel drug binding site.

Blockade of hERG K+ channels in the heart is an unintentional side effect of many drugs and can induce cardiac arrhythmia and sudden death. It has become common practice in the past few years to screen compounds for hERG channel activity early during the drug discovery process. Understanding the molecular basis of drug binding to hERG is crucial for the rational design of medications devoid of this activity. We previously identified 2 aromatic residues, Tyr-652 and Phe-656, located in the S6 domain of hERG, as critical sites of interaction with structurally diverse drugs. Here, Tyr-652 and Phe-656 were systematically mutated to different residues to determine how the physicochemical properties of the amino acid side group affected channel block by cisapride, terfenadine, and MK-499. The potency for block by all three drugs was well correlated with measures of hydrophobicity, especially the two-dimensional approximation of the van der Waals hydrophobic surface area of the side chain of residue 656. For residue 652, an aromatic side group was essential for high affinity block, suggesting the importance of a cation-π interaction between Tyr-652 and the basic tertiary nitrogen of these drugs. hERG also lacks a Pro-Val-Pro motif common to the S6 domain of most other voltage-gated K+ channels. Introduction of Pro-Val-Pro into hERG reduced sensitivity to drugs but also altered channel gating. Together, these findings assign specific residues to receptor fields predicted by pharmacophore models of hERG channel blockers and provide a refined molecular understanding of the drug binding site.
Thalidomide in the treatment of multiple myeloma.

Thalidomide – banned from clinical use in the 1960s because of severe teratogenicity – is now back in clinical practice as an effective agent in the treatment of relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma. Several clinical trials have determined that thalidomide is active in 25–35% of patients with relapsed myeloma. The role of thalidomide in early-stage myeloma is being actively investigated. Thalidomide has antiangiogenic and immunomodulatory properties and is an effective inhibitor of TNF-α. However, the mechanism of its action in myeloma remains unclear. Major toxicities of thalidomide include constipation, sedation, skin rash, fatigue and peripheral neuropathy. This paper summarizes the current status of thalidomide in multiple myeloma.
Synthesis of high specific activity C14-carboxyl indoleacetic acid and of C14-nitrile indoleacetonitrile

Existing methods that can be modified for the synthesis of C14 carboxyl-labeled indoleacetic acid were surveyed and the conditions necessary to obtain the maximum radiochemical yield from C14 -cyanide were determined. A major problem is the autoradiosensitivity of the product, which can be minimized by storage in dilute acetonitrile solution. Detailed procedures are given for a convenient one-day synthetic method for high purity indoleacetic acid and indoleacetonitrile with sufficient specific activity for use at physiological concentrations. The former was prepared with specific activities up to 16.9 mC/ mmole. At the highest specific activity levels, autoradiodecomposition during the course of synthesis apparently limits the yield obtained.
SHARK2: a large vocabulary shorthand writing system for pen-based computers

Zhai and Kristensson (2003) presented a method of speed-writing for pen-based computing which utilizes gesturing on a stylus keyboard for familiar words and tapping for others. In SHARK2:, we eliminated the necessity to alternate between the two modes of writing, allowing any word in a large vocabulary (e.g. 10,000-20,000 words) to be entered as a shorthand gesture. This new paradigm supports a gradual and seamless transition from visually guided tracing to recall-based gesturing. Based on the use characteristics and human performance observations, we designed and implemented the architecture, algorithms and interfaces of a high-capacity multi-channel pen-gesture recognition system. The system's key components and performance are also reported.
Opioid receptor regulation of the release of norepinephrine in brain

Abstract The ability of opioids to inhibit the release of norepinephrine (NE) from slice preparations of brain has been tested. Slices of brain were preincubated with [3H]NE allowing uptake of the [3H]NE into intraneuronal stores of NE. After rinsing, the tissues were incubated at 37°C in Krebs buffer containing 5 mM K+, for estimation of baseline release and then in 20 mM K+ to stimulate release. The [3H]NE released into the incubation medium was increased by blockade of neuronal re-uptake with desipramine and by blockade of α2-adrenoceptors with yohimbine. These agents were used routinely in subsequent incubations. Release was also Ca2+ dependent. Stimulated release of [3H]NE from slices of cortex of the guinea pig and rat was inhibited by the μ opioid receptor agonist, Tyr- d -Ala2-Gly-NMePhe-Gly-ol (DAGO) in a naloxone-reversible manner, although naloxone itself produced a measurable inhibitory effect in the absence of opioid agonist. Stimulated release of [3H]NE from slices of guinea pig cortex was also inhibited by the δ receptor selective peptide, [ d -Pen2, d -Pen5]enkephalin (DPDPE), and the κ receptor selective agent, U50,488H. The inhibitory effect of both agents was reversed by naloxone. In rat cortex, DAGO induced a similar inhibition of release to that seen in guinea pig cortex, but DPDPE and U50,488H were much less effective, producing only weak inhibition even in large doses. Similar results were obtained when effects of opioids on [3H]NE release from hippocampus and cerebellum of the guinea pig and rat were compared. In guinea pig tissues, agonists acting preferentially through μ, δ and κ receptors were all active in inhibiting stimulated release of [3H]NE, but in hippocampus and cerebellum of the rat, only DAGO inhibited release while DPDPE and U50,488H either had no effect or potentiated the stimulated release. These results suggest that in the rat only μ type opioid receptors mediate an inhibitory regulation of NE release from the cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum terminal projections of locus coeruleus noradrenergic neurons. In the guinea pig, stimulated release of [3H]NE was subject to inhibitory regulation by μ, δ and κ opioid receptors.
Phospholipase C and Protein Kinase C-β 2 Mediate Insulin-Like Growth Factor II-Dependent Sphingosine Kinase 1 Activation

We recently reported that IGF-II binding to the IGF-II/mannose-6-phosphate (M6P) receptor activates the ERK1/2 cascade by triggering sphingosine kinase 1 (SK1)-dependent transactivation of G protein-coupled sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) receptors. Here, we investigated the mechanism of IGF-II/M6P receptor-dependent sphingosine kinase 1 (SK1) activation in human embryonic kidney 293 cells. Pretreating cells with protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor, bisindolylmaleimide-I, abolished IGF-II-stimulated translocation of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged SK1 to the plasma membrane and activation of endogenous SK1, implicating PKC as an upstream regulator of SK1. Using confocal microscopy to examine membrane translocation of GFP-tagged PKCα, β1, β2, δ, and ζ, we found that IGF-II induced rapid, transient, and isoform-specific translocation of GFP-PKCβ2 to the plasma membrane. Immunoblotting of endogenous PKC phosphorylation confirmed PKCβ2 activation in response to IGF-II. Similarly, IGF-II stimulation caused persistent membrane translocation of the kinase-deficient GFP-PKCβ2 (K371R) mutant, which does not dissociate from the membrane after translocation. IGF-II stimulation increased diacylglycerol (DAG) levels, the established activator of classical PKC. Interestingly, the polyunsaturated fraction of DAG was increased, indicating involvement of phosphatidyl inositol/phospholipase C (PLC). Pretreating cells with the PLC inhibitor, U73122, attenuated IGF-II-dependent DAG production and PKCβ2 phosphorylation, blocked membrane translocation of the kinase-deficient GFP-PKCβ2 (K371R) mutant, and reduced sphingosine 1-phosphate production, suggesting that PLC/PKCβ2 are upstream regulators of SK1 in the pathway. Taken together, these data provide evidence that activation of PLC and PKCβ2 by the IGF-II/M6P receptor are required for the activation of SK1.
Subspace compressive detection for sparse signals

The emerging theory of compressed sensing (CS) provides a universal signal detection approach for sparse signals at sub-Nyquist sampling rates. A small number of random projection measurements from the received analog signal would suffice to provide salient information for signal detection. However, the compressive measurements are not efficient at gathering signal energy. In this paper, a set of detectors called subspace compressive detectors are proposed where a more efficient detection scheme can be constructed by exploiting the sparsity model of the underlying signal. Furthermore, we show that the signal sparsity model can be approximately estimated using reconstruction algorithms with very limited random measurements on the training signals. Based on the estimated signal sparsity model, an effective subspace random measurement matrix can be designed for unknown signal detection, which significantly reduces the necessary number of measurements. The performance of the subspace compressive detectors is analyzed. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed subspace compressive detectors.
Use of collaborative multimedia in computer science classes

While there is a lot of speculation about the benefits of multimedia exploration, research on learning and technology suggests that the creation of media by students has even greater benefit for learning. Students learn through articulating their knowledge in their multimedia documents, reviewing their own work, and receiving comments and critiques on their work. In the research of the Collaborative Software Lab (http://coweb.cc.gatech.edu/csl), we are particularly interested in exploring the creation of media through collaborative technology. By having students work together in creating diverse media, we encourage review and critique, and create opportunities for joint learning. We have been using an environment for collaborative multimedia in several computer science classes, and in this paper, we describe some of the activities that teachers have invented for using the CoWeb.
High speed, low leakage current InP/In0.53Ga0.47As/InP metamorphic double heterojunction bipolar transistors

InP/In/sub 0.53/Ga/sub 0.47/As/InP double heterojunction bipolar transistors were grown on GaAs substrates using a high-thermal-conductivity InP metamorphic buffer layer. 200 GHz f/sub max/ were obtained. This f/sub max/ is the highest reported for a metamorphic HBT The breakdown voltage BV/sub CEO/ was 6 V and the DC current gain /spl beta/ was 27. The base-collector reverse leakage current was 54 nA at V/sub CB/ = 0.3 V.
Separation of clonazepam and five metabolites by reverse phase HPLC and quantitation from rat liver microsomal incubations

Abstract Clonazepam, its nitro-reduced metabolites, and the 3-hydroxylated derivatives, were separated by reverse-phase hplc using a four solvent optimization procudure. The separation was used to quantitate the metabolism of 3H-clonazepam in rat liver microsomes under aerobic or anaerobic conditions by collection of HPLC eluents and liquid scintillation counting. The predominant metabolite in aerobic incubations was 3-hydroxyclonazepam. The primary anaerobic metabolite was 7-aminoclonazepam. The identity of the microsomal metabolites was confirmed by chemical ionization mass spectrometry. This separation could be applicable for future metabolic studies of clonazepam.
Absence of Neural Crest Cells from the Region Surrounding Implanted Notochords in Situ

Avian neural crest cells migrating along the trunk ventral pathway are distributed throughout the rostral half of the sclerotome with the exception of a neural crest cell-free space of approximately 85 μm width surrounding the notochord. To determine if this neural crest cell-free space results from the notochord inhibiting neural crest cell migration, a length of quail notochord was implanted lateral to the neural tube along the neural crest ventral migratory pathway of 2-day chicken embryos. The subsequent distribution of neural crest cells was analyzed in embryos fixed 2 days after grafting. When the donor notochord was isolated using collagenase, neural crest cells avoided the ectopic notochord and were absent from the area immediately surrounding the implant (mean distance of 43 μm). The neural crest cell-free space was significantly less when notochords were isolated using trypsin or chondroitinase digestion and was completely eliminated when notochords were fixed with paraformaldehyde or methanol prior to implantation. The implanted notochords did not appear to affect the overall number of neural crest cells, and therefore were unlikely to exert this effect by altering their viability. These results suggest that the notochord produces a substance that can inhibit neural crest cell migration and that this substance is trypsin and chondroitinase labile.
Dynamic Capabilities View: Foundations and Research Agenda

The evolution of scholarly thought on the sources of firm-specific advantage has had a relatively long history. A contemporary view of how competitive advantage is sustained in dynamic markets is offered by the dynamic capabilities (DC) view. The DC view is treated as an offshoot of the resource-based view. Based on a review of the empirical and conceptual works that have utilized the DC view, the paper articulates the merits of this theoretical perspective for marketing scholars. Contributions of the DC perspective to theory building, empirical research, and the practice of marketing are clarified. Conclusions are presented as well as directions for future research.
The 5′ untranslated regions (UTRs) of CCN1, CCN2, and CCN4 exhibit cryptic promoter activity

CCNs are structurally related matricellular proteins that are highly expressed in many embryonic and adult tissues, including the skeletal system and tumors, where canonical cap-dependent translation is suppressed under hypoxic environments. CCNs are encoded by mRNAs containing long G/C rich 5′-untranslated regions (5′-UTRs). Given that they are expressed under conditions of cellular stress, it has been suggested that the long G/C-rich regions contain internal ribosomal entry sites (IRES) that allow these mRNAS to be translated under conditions where cap-dependent translation is suppressed. Previously published work supported this possibility. However, recent studies have shown that a number of previously reported cellular IRES elements do not in fact possess IRES activity. Here we aimed to reveal whether the 5′UTRs of CCNs harbor IRES activities. The 5′UTRs of CCN1, 2, and 4 were tested in this study. Our results showed that the 5′UTRs of these genes do not contain IRES elements, but instead appear to contain cryptic promoters. Both promoterless and hairpin-containing dicistronic tests showed that transcription was initiated by cryptic promoter elements in 5′UTRs of CCN1, 2, and 4. When dicistronic mRNAs were translated in vitro or in vivo, no IRES activities were detected in the 5′UTRs of CCN1, 2, and 4. Furthermore, these cryptic promoter activities from 5′UTRs of CCN1, 2, and 4 could be detected in various cell types, including chondrocytes, osteoblasts, and endothelial cells, where the cryptic promoter permitted varying degrees of activation. In addition, the core promoter element of the CCN2 5′UTR was identified. CCNs are expressed under conditions of cellular stress, and it has been suggested that some CCN family members utilize IRES-mediated translation initiation to facilitate this expression. We found no evidence for IRES activity, but rather found that the unusually long 5′UTRs of CCNs 1, 2, and 4 harbor cryptic promoters that showed varying degrees of activity in different cell types. These results suggest that these promoters may contribute to the regulation of CCN genes in vivo.
Model-driven formative evaluation of exploratory search: A study under a sensemaking framework

The evaluation of exploratory search relies on the ongoing paradigm shift from focusing on the search algorithm to focusing on the interactive process. This paper proposes a model-driven formative evaluation approach, in which the goal is not the evaluation of a specific system, per se, but the exploration of new design possibilities. This paper gives an example of this approach where a model of sensemaking was used to inform the evaluation of a basic exploratory search system(s) in the context of a sensemaking task. The model suggested that, rather than just looking at simple search performance measures, we should examine closely the interwoven, interactive processes of both representation construction and information seeking. Participants were asked to make sense of an unfamiliar topic using an augmented query-based search system. The processes of representation construction and information seeking were captured and analyzed using data from experiment notes, interviews, and a system log. The data analysis revealed users' sources of ideas for structuring representations and a tightly coupled relationship between search and representation construction in their exploratory searches. For example, users strategically used search to find useful structure ideas instead of just accumulating information facts. Implications for improving current search systems and designing new systems are discussed.
Metamorphic differentiation in some Lewisian rocks of North West Scotland

The Lewisian rocks in the area studied show a gradation from hornblende-felspar schists to striped and banded schists and gneisses to hornblendic and felsic lenses and pods. The structural elements together with the chemical, mineralogical and textural variations indicate that the different types of rocks were formed by metamorphic differentiation. The process of metamorphic differentiation included different forms of chemical and mechanical differentiation.
Computed tomography of the nasopharynx and neck

Computed tomography (CT) is unparalleled for evaluation of the nasopharynx and the neck in comparison with other radiologic modalities. Its ability to demonstrate soft tissue and bone abnormalities has established its role as a primary method of radiologic diagnosis, frequently obviating the need for further radiologic elaboration. Furthermore, in many cases, CT provides distinction among inflammatory, neoplastic, and traumatic conditions.
Cysteine 182 is essential for enzymatic activity of human placental NAD(+)-dependent 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase.

Evidence suggests that one or more cysteine residues may be important for the activity of human placental NAD+-dependent 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH). All of these four cysteines (Cys 45, Cys 63, Cys 152, and Cys 182) are found in areas which are believed to be important for the functioning of the enzyme. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to examine the role of the four cysteine residues found in 15-PGDH. Each cysteine was individually changed to an alanine and to phenylalanine. The C182A mutant protein was completely inactive, while the other three alanine mutants retained full activity. When all of the cysteines were individually changed to phenylalanine, only the C45F mutant retained full activity. The C63F mutant enzyme retained only about 10% of the wild-type activity while the C152F and C182F mutants were inactive. From these results it appears that only C182 is necessary for enzyme activity. Mutagenesis of Cys 63 and Cys 152 to phenylalanine lends support to the suggestion that these two residues are located in critical parts of the enzyme.
An analysis of irreversible plant cell elongation.

Abstract A model for plant cell elongation has been developed from rate equations for osmotic uptake of water and irreversible expansion of the cell wall. Assuming elastic equilibrium and a linear viscoelastic wall, cell elongation rate is derived as a function of osmotic pressure, “extensibility” of the wall, water permeability and cell size. The derived formulations predict growth curves comparable to those observed experimentally. Certain consequences of the derived formulations are discussed. It is shown that the turgor pressure of a growing cell will always be less than the water potential of the cell. This difference may be infinitesimal or finite, depending on the values of the physical parameters of the cell. It is also shown that at positive turgor pressures water must always move from a mature cell to a growing cell.
Comparison of single-dose cefmetazole and cefotetan prophylaxis in women undergoing primary Caesarean section

The efficacies of a single 2 g intra-operative iv dose of cefmetazole or cefotetan in women undergoing non-elective Caesarean section were compared. Thirty-six women (18 in each group) completed the double-blind protocol. Both antibiotics were equally effective as agents for prophylaxis of post-Caesarean infections. Combined data suggest that routine multi-dose antibiotic prophylaxis regimens could be replaced by a single dose regimen.
Interfering directed paths and the sign phase transition

We revisit the question of the ``sign phase transition'' for interfering directed paths with real amplitudes in a random medium. The sign of the total amplitude of the paths to a given point may be viewed as an Ising order parameter, so we suggest that a coarse-grained theory for this system is a dynamic Ising model coupled to a Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) model. It appears that when the KPZ model is in its strong-coupling (``pinned'') phase, the Ising model does not have a stable ferromagnetic phase, so there is no sign phase transition. We investigate this numerically for the case of $1+1$ dimensions, demonstrating the instability of the Ising ordered phase there.
DNA topoisomerase IIβ and neural development

DNA topoisomerase IIβ is shown to have an unsuspected and critical role in neural development. Neurogenesis was normal in IIβ mutant mice, but motor axons failed to contact skeletal muscles, and sensory axons failed to enter the spinal cord. Despite an absence of innervation, clusters of acetylcholine receptors were concentrated in the central region of skeletal muscles, thereby revealing patterning mechanisms that are autonomous to skeletal muscle. The defects in motor axon growth in IIβ mutant mice resulted in a breathing impairment and death of the pups shortly after birth.
An on-chip SiGe HBT characterization circuit for use in self-healing RF systems

An on-chip device characterization circuit that extracts the current gain of a SiGe HBT test transistor, and which can be useful in the context of various “self-healing” RF circuits and systems, is presented. The characterization circuit includes built-in temperature compensation that enables accurate measurement of the current gain of the test device over a wide temperature range. The device characterization circuit can also be used to measure variations in the current gain of the test device due to process, voltage, and temperature (PVT) variations, as well as other phenomena that can potentially degrade performance.
Statistical inference for the population density index

A procedure is provided to calculate the probability of the population density index under the null hypothesis of random distribution of points on a k by k square area.
Flood disaster management policy: an analysis of the United States Community Ratings System

In 1990 the US Federal Emergency Management Agency created the Community Ratings System (CRS) to engage local governments to enhance community flood resilience. The CRS encourages community flood risk management activities by discounting flood insurance premiums commensurate with the level of flood management measures implemented. Using a national sample of communities, this study empirically identifies factors motivating both communities’ decision to participate and intensity of participation in the CRS. The results indicate that local capacity, flood risk factors, socio-economic characteristics, and political economy factors are significant predictors of CRS participation. Further, factors predicting participation in the CRS differ from factors predicting CRS scores.
Multi-path Solutions to Improve Network Performance

With the increasing number of internet users, providing performance guarantees to these users is becoming increasingly difficult. In wireless settings, the problem of providing network performance guarantees is even more difficult due to variabilities in link characteristics. Changes in wireless link performance, such as packet loss rate, occur at shorter time scales compared to their wired counterparts. Thus, the finite reaction time of traditional solutions, e.g. Routing, make them unreliable in mitigating the impact of these variations on user performance. Such variability in the delivered rates could be detrimental to particular types of applications such as video and audio which are sensitive to short term variations.
Negotiation and Nonviolent Action: Interacting in the World of Conflict

Negotiation and nonviolent action are arguably the two best methods humanity has developed for engaging constructively with conflict. Both have played central roles in helping manage or resolve seemingly intractable conflicts, sometimes sequentially and sometimes in tandem. But experts and practitioners in both fields often underestimate the relevance and effectiveness of the other. This article explores the interface between the fields of negotiation and nonviolent action, their mutual commitment to engage constructively with conflict, and the concern both methods share for leverage, power, and strategic preparation and action. After examining the shared linkages, this article highlights how the two fields have synergistic qualities when utilized together in the same conflict. Using examples from a diverse set of conflicts, the overlap explored in this article lays an important foundation for the future convergence of the two fields.
The human disease network

A network of disorders and disease genes linked by known disorder-gene associations offers a platform to explore in a single graph-theoretic framework all known phenotype and disease gene associations, indicating the common genetic origin of many diseases. Genes associated with similar disorders show both higher likelihood of physical interactions between their products and higher expression profiling similarity for their transcripts, supporting the existence of distinct disease-specific functional modules. We find that essential human genes are likely to encode hub proteins and are expressed widely in most tissues. This suggests that disease genes also would play a central role in the human interactome. In contrast, we find that the vast majority of disease genes are nonessential and show no tendency to encode hub proteins, and their expression pattern indicates that they are localized in the functional periphery of the network. A selection-based model explains the observed difference between essential and disease genes and also suggests that diseases caused by somatic mutations should not be peripheral, a prediction we confirm for cancer genes.
Irradiance on the receiver of a general optical concentrator

A general expression is obtained for the maximum radiant power density at the receiver of a general optical concentrator in terms of the acceptance function and the input distribution of radiation. As an example of the result, the radiant power density for two- and three-dimensional symmetric and asymmetric ideal concentrators is found without reference to any particular concentrator design. For particular input distributions both two- and three-dimensional ideal asymmetric concentrators have greater power density than their symmetric counterparts.
Tear Resistance and Structure of Rubber

Abstract THE practical importance of tear resistance is so well recognized that numerous tear tests have been proposed (4); all of them are empirical and each gives results which differ, usually in unpredictable ways, from all others. However, with all their imperfections the common tear tests give information about rubber compounds that cannot be obtained by any other means. They have been used extensively to study the effects of pigments on rubber, particularly in trying to determine why gas black greatly improves tear resistance while other pigments, such as clay and whiting, reduce it. Unfortunately, many workers did not even recognize that gas black causes a different kind of tear from that found with other pigments. This is not true of Talaly (5) and Kirchhof (3) who recently published data on the knotty tear of gas black and latex stocks. The theoretical importance of tear tests has been almost totally ignored in spite of the fact that some tests, such as hand tear, are particularly sensitive to th...
Improvements in steroid receptor assays including rapid computer analysis of data

Abstract Improvements on the steroid receptor assay have been developed which eliminate tedious procedures and give faster and more accurate results. A protein assay (Waddell method) is discussed which directly measures peptide bonds in cytosolic material. It is more rapid and more sensitive than the Lowry method. Programs for the analysis of data obtained by either the dextran-coated charcoal method or the sucrose density gradient have been written. These are superior to previously published programs and can be incorporated into any laboratory with a minimum of cost. The program for the dextran-coated charcoal method converts the counts per minute from both total and nonspecific 3 H-steroid binding activity into information needed for a Scatchard analysis. These data are plotted and a linear regression and determination coefficient for best fit of the data are performed. In the sucrose density gradient method program, the counts per minute from both total and nonspecific 3 H-steroid binding activity is converted to disintegrations per minute and plotted versus the corresponding fraction number. The specific binding activity in femtomoles/milligram of protein in the various molecular forms can then be obtained through set programmed steps.
Spectroscopic Properties of Truncated GFP and Synthetic Strand Reassembly

Semi-synthetic green fluorescent proteins (GFPs) can be prepared by producing truncated GFPs recombinantly and assembling them with synthetic β-strands of GFP. The yield from expressing the truncated GFPs is low, and the chromophore is either partially formed or not formed. An alternative method is presented in which full-length proteins are produced recombinantly with a protease site inserted between the structural element to be removed and the rest of the protein. The native peptide can then be replaced by cutting the protease site with trypsin, denaturing in guanidine hydrochloride to disrupt the complex, separating the native peptide from the rest of the protein by size exclusion, refolding the truncated protein, and mixing the truncated protein with a synthetic strand. We report the unusual spectroscopic properties of refolded GFP with strand 11 missing, which is surprisingly fluorescent considering the free chromophore in aqueous solution is very weakly fluorescent. We also report the slow reassembly kinetics of strand 11 with the truncated GFP.
Aspirin-like drugs cause gastrointestinal injuries by metallic cation chelation

Aspirin-like (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory) drugs may cause injuries including ulcers to the gastrointestinal tract by chelation of the divalent and/or multivalent metallic cations in the gastrointestinal mucus and mucosa, as suggested by the chemical properties of these drugs and supported by experimental and clinical data.
Reduced viscosity of superfluid 3He A and B near Tc

Abstract Measured values of (1− η η c ) at 23 bar and 25 bar are found to be linear in (1−T/Tc)1/2 near Tc and to show a jump at the B→A transition in quantitative agreement with the change expected on going from the BW to the ABM state.
Racial differences in rate of decline in bone mass in older men: the Baltimore men's osteoporosis study.

Older black men have higher adjusted BMD than older white men. Using data from a longitudinal cohort study of older men followed for a mean of 18.8 ± 6.5 (SD) months, we found that older black men have a higher rate of decline in femoral neck and total hip BMD and femoral neck BMAD than older white men. Introduction: Older black men have higher adjusted BMD compared with older white men. The difference in BMD may be caused by having attained higher peak bone mass as young adults and/or having a slower rate of decline in bone mass as adults. There are few published longitudinal data on change in bone mass in older white men and no published data for older black men. Materials and Methods: Three hundred forty-nine white men and 119 black men ⩾65 of age (mean age, 75 ± 5.7 and 72 ± 5.6 years, respectively) who participated in the longitudinal component of the Baltimore Men's Osteoporosis Study returned for a second visit after a mean of 18.8 ± 6.5 (SD) months and were not taking medications used to treat low bone mass at either visit. BMD was measured at the femoral neck and total hip by Hologic-certified technicians using a QDR 2000 at the baseline visit (V1) and QDR 4500 at the first follow-up visit (V2). Participants also completed self-administered and interviewer-administered questionnaires and underwent standardized clinic examinations. Bone mineral apparent density (BMAD) at the femoral neck was calculated as an estimate of volumetric BMD. Annual crude and multiple variable adjusted percent changes in BMD and BMAD were calculated. Results: In univariate analyses, black men had lower percent decline in femoral neck and total hip BMD and femoral neck BMAD than white men. In addition, older age at baseline, lower baseline weight, current smoking, and lower baseline BMD were associated with greater percent decline per year in femoral neck BMD; older age at baseline, current smoking, and lower baseline BMD were associated with greater percent decline per year in total hip BMD; and older age at baseline and lower baseline femoral neck BMAD were associated with greater percent decline per year in femoral neck BMAD. Racial differences in bone loss persisted in multiple variable models that controlled for other factors associated with change in BMD and BMAD. Conclusions: Older black men seem to lose bone mass at a slower rate than older white men. These differences in the rate of bone loss may account, in part, for the racial disparities in BMD and BMAD and risk of osteoporotic fractures among older men.