cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Short-term memory with interpolated activity

In two experiments strings of consonants were presented, ranging in length from one to five items, for retention over intervals of a few seconds. These spoken messages were followed by a three-digit number which gave the S a cue to start serial subtraction or reading and to continue at a set pace until instructed to stop. Recall was inversely related to message length and, less consistently, to the length of the retention period. Overt repetition of the message increased the probability of recall, as did reading the numbers instead of counting backwards by threes; repetition of the cue number exerted no reliable effect on recall or on proficiency in subtraction. Delay before first subtraction was infrequent or very short, and unrelated to success in recall. Delay between last subtraction and recall increased with the retention period and was longer with unsuccessful than with correct recall. Errors in subtraction were few, and accuracy of counting had no detectable effect on recall. Failure to keep the prescribed pace in counting was common and tended to be associated with failure in recall; failure to read at the set rate tended to be associated with success in recall. These findings are interpreted as indicating that an important effect of the interpolated activity on short-term retention is its disruption of the original task set.
Mathematical method for determining kVp from x‐ray attenuation measurements

A mathematical analysis of the shape of x-ray attenuation curves is presented that suggests a new method of determining the kVp of bremsstrahlung beams. The main result is a simple analytic formula which gives an excellent approximation to the attenuation curve for large thickness of high-Z absorber. From this, a graphical procedure is derived which yields a straight line whose slope is related to the mass attenuation coefficient evaluated at the peak energy. Included are corrections for aluminum filtration, ion-chamber energy dependence, and coherent scattering. The method is limited to beams generated by a constant potential and with negligible characteristic photons in the filtered spectrum. Numerical data are given for using copper absorber below 70 kVcp and tin above 90 kVcp.
On the theory of nuclear reactions

Abstract A system of equations for the description of nuclear reactions is derived in which rigorous account is taken of the effects of the recoil of the target nucleus, the presence of hard cores in the two-body interactions, and the Pauli exclusion principle. The elastic and inelastic scattering processes are described in terms of “equivalent potentials.” The relation between the equivalent potential in the elastic channel and the optical model potential is established. A self-consistent scheme for the approximate calculation of the phenomenological optical model potential is proposed.
Determination of Threshold Forces for Tether Formation in Vesicles

Membrane tether experiments, which involve applying point forces to membranes to form thin tubes of the membrane, provide a powerful method to drastically alter membrane curvature. To study the formation of membrane tethers, we have designed and built a magnetic force transducer (MFT) using microfabrication techniques. MFTs have traditionally suffered from an inability to precisely calibrate the force. Quantitative determination of the tether formation force using theoretical models of membrane mechanics, may be done very accurately if the applied force is known with sub-piconewton accuracy. Our initial results indicate our ability to control the amplitude of the force up to 10 pN within +/- 0.2 pN over a constant length of 50 microns. We have used this device to determine tether formation forces from POPC giant unilamellar vesicles and find that formation forces range from 3 to 10 pN. When tethers are repeatedly pulled from the same vesicle, the formation force is constant, suggesting that individual GUVs may have differences in their mechanical properties.A particular advantage of our device is that a wide range of dynamic force profiles can be applied via a computer-controlled interface, enabling studies of responses of membranes to dynamic force application at kilohertz frequencies.
Near Critical Swirling Flow in a Slightly Contracting Pipe

The development of an inviscid, incompressible, axisymmetric, and near-critical swirling jet entering a slightly contracting finite-length pipe is studied. Certain flow conditions that can reflect the physical situation are prescribed along the pipe inlet, outlet, centerline, and wall. To understand the nature of the flows near the critical swirl level, a nonlinear small-disturbance analysis is developed from the governing equations of motion. It shows that a small but finite pipe contraction causes the flow to accelerate near the centerline and decelerate along the wall. For certain inlet swirl levels and pipe contractions, the flow on the wall at the pipe outlet can stagnate. The analysis indicates for the first time that a wall separation zone can appear in pipes at rotation levels below the critical swirl for vortex breakdown and compete with the appearance of the breakdown zones. Increasing the vortex core radius, the speed of the axial jet, and the pipe length promotes the wall separation phenomenon at swirl levels below the critical swirl for a fixed pipe contraction or at a smaller pipe contraction for a fixed swirl level. Based on the present results and previous studies, the interaction between wall separation zones and vortex breakdown zones is discussed. This investigation might be relevant for high-Reynolds-number laminar flows in pipes and as long as the boundary layers remain thin and attached to the pipe wall.
Otologic surgery in patients with one hearing ear only

On occasions, the otologist is confronted with the possibility of performing surgery on the ear of a patient with useless or no hearing in the opposite ear. Because any surgical procedure on a patient's ear may result in further loss of hearing or even total deafness in the operated ear, an ill-advised operative procedure in such a patient may result in a catastrophe. Up to 2 percent of patients undergoing surgery for otosclerosis develop further severe sensori-neural hearing losses in the operated ear. Idiopathic sudden deafness in patients following stapedectomy can occur for causes unrelated to surgery. Further loss of hearing can also occur after simple myringoplasty and tympanoplasty. Such a possibility must be considered and to a great degree should influence the otologist's decision as to whether or not surgery is indicated, and if so, what is the surgical procedure of choice? A deaf patient can be compared to a blind patient only superficially, and not at all when it comes to any consideration of surgery upon the remaining organ of hearing and vision. Consider the patient with total blindness in one eye who cannot be helped with glasses. Should blindness of any degree affect the remaining eye, an operative procedure which can restore vision may be the only recourse. On the other hand, should the patient with only one hearing ear lose some hearing acuity in that ear, it may always be corrected or helped by the use of amplification. Therein lies the great difference. Total deafness cannot be helped by a hearing aid, and such a catastrophe cannot be risked when any other choice is available. This must be the guiding principle of all otologic surgeons in such instances.
PCV10 Medical And Economic Outcomes in Patients Treated with Diltiazem or Digoxin for Atrial Fibrillation: A Database Analysis

This study compared the use and outcomes associated with intravenous dilitiazem and/or intravenous digoxin as a primary therapy in patients admitted for treatment of atrial fibrillation. METHODS: A retrospective database analysis was conducted with data from seven academic medical centers. The use of intravenous diltiazem, digoxin, or both, in patients admitted for treatment of atrial fibrillation between January 1993 and July 1996 was analyzed. SAS data sets were created to combine financial records with clinical files. The primary outcomes of interest measured were the length of hospital stay (LOS), total hospital cost, hospital mortality, and 30-day readmission rates. RESULTS: A total of 107 patients was identified in the University Health System Consortium (UHC) clinical database (CDB) with admissions for treatment of atrial fibrillation. 46, 41, and 20 patients received intravenous dilitiazem, digoxin, or both agents, respectively. Hospital mortality rates were not different among patients. The most common concomitant disease states included congestive heart failure (n = 28) and hypertension (n = 9). The mean LOS was 4.11, 8.34, and 9.15 days for patients receiving diltiazem, digoxin, or both agents, respectively. The mean total cost of hospitalization was $4,890, $11,063 and $13,547 for patients receiving diltiazem, digoxin, or both agents, respectively. More patients receiving both agents were readmitted within 30 days (25%) as compared to patients receiving only diltiazem (8%) or digoxin (22%). CONCLUSION: Intravenous diltiazem was associated with a decreased LOS, decreased total hospital costs, a decreased 30-day readmission rate and no difference in mortality in comparison with intravenous digoxin. Therefore, intravenous diltiazem warrants further consideration as a replacement for intravenous digoxin in the cost-effective management of atrial fibrillation.
Synthesis of the posterior determinant Nanos is spatially restricted by a novel cotranslational regulatory mechanism

Abstract Nanos (Nos) protein is required in the posterior of the Drosophila embryo to promote abdominal development, but must be excluded from the anterior to permit head and thorax development [1,2]. Spatial restriction of Nos is accomplished by selective translation of the 4% of nos mRNA localized to the posterior pole and translational repression of the remaining unlocalized mRNA [3–5]. Repression is mediated by a 90-nucleotide translational control element (TCE) in the nos 3 ′ untranslated region (UTR) and the TCE-binding protein Smaug [4,6,7], but the molecular mechanism is unknown. We used sucrose density gradient sedimentation to ascertain whether unlocalized nos mRNA is excluded from polysomes and therefore repressed during translational initiation. Surprisingly, a significant percentage of nos mRNA was found to be associated with polysomes, even in mutants in which all nos mRNA is unlocalized and repressed. Using a regulated Drosophila cell-free translation system, we showed that ribosomes contained within these polysomes are capable of elongation in vitro , under conditions in which synthesis of Nos protein is repressed. Thus, synthesis of ectopic Nos protein is inhibited by a novel regulatory mechanism that does not involve a stable arrest of the translation cycle.
Management of patients with HIV/AIDS. Who should care?

FIFTEEN YEARS after the first description of persons diagnosed as having the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), 1 and after almost 600 000 cases have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (as of the end of 1996), 2 an issue under intense debate is that of who should provide medical care for persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or AIDS. See also p 1131. It was 6 years after the initial report of AIDS cases before the first federal effort to educate health professionals with regard to this problem was formally initiated by establishing AIDS Education and Training Centers (AETCs). 3 At that time, about 66 000 AIDS cases had been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (using different criteria for the diagnosis than at present). 4 The 15 AETCs currently in operation are located throughout the United States. The budget for AETC operation
Anomalous Small-Angle X-ray Scattering Studies of Interlayer Heavy Metal Ions in Clay Minerals

Anomalous small-angle X-ray scattering (ASAXS) has been exploited to monitor the solvation behavior of transition metal and lanthanide ions within the interlayers of the natural aluminosilicate clay mineral montmorillonite. The ASAXS technique can reveal the distribution of specific metallic species within a multicomponent and disordered matrix, which is typical of the semicrystalline smectite clays. The variations of scattering signal intensity as a function of absorption energy were monitored for Cu(II)−, Er(III)−, and Yb(III)−clays as a function of hydration. Two different hydration levels were probed: as prepared at ambient conditions, or so-called “dry” powders, and “wet” pastes. ASAXS intensities increase as the energy of the probing X-rays approaches the absorption energy of a given metal ion if it is associated with the interlayer solvent (water in this case) and decrease if the metal ion is associated with the solid matrix. The results show that (1) the ions are always associated with the clay i...
Reversible electroencephalogram changes associated with administration of baclofen in a quadriplegic patient: case report

We present the case of a spastic quadriplegic who developed mental symptoms which resolved when his Baclofen was discontinued. Of interest was the presence of EEG abnormalities similar to those described in cats receiving this drug. These abnormalities, previously unreported in humans, resolved upon discontinuing Baclofen therapy.
Dual language programs as a strand within a secondary school: dilemmas of school organization and the TWI mission

Dual language (DL) programs aim to create additive bilingual learning environments where the dominant language and the minority language are given equal status at the program, curricular, and instructional level. While several studies have documented the effectiveness of DL programs and classroom-based practices, few have considered how the organizational context affects the implementation of effective DL practices when the program is only a strand within the school. The purpose of this study was to consider this question in the context of a middle school two-way immersion (TWI) program through the analysis of teacher interviews, triangulated with student survey and focus group data. Our analysis suggests a basic conflict between effective TWI practices and the middle school structure. We conclude that integrated, interdisciplinary approaches that are systemically supported within the school are necessary to support TWI goals and pluralist discourses.
Structure-based methods for predicting mutagenicity and carcinogenicity: are we there yet?

There is a great deal of current interest in the use of commercial, automated programs for the prediction of mutagenicity and carcinogenicity based on chemical structure. However, the goal of accurate and reliable toxicity prediction for any chemical, based solely on structural information remains elusive. The toxicity prediction challenge is global in its objective, but limited in its solution, to within local domains of chemicals acting according to similar mechanisms of action in the biological system; to predict, we must be able to generalize based on chemical structure, but the biology fundamentally limits our ability to do so. Available commercial systems for mutagenicity and/or carcinogenicity prediction differ in their specifics, yet most fall in two major categories: (1) automated approaches that rely on the use of statistics for extracting correlations between structure and activity; and (2) knowledge-based expert systems that rely on a set of programmed rules distilled from available knowledge and human expert judgement. These two categories of approaches differ in the ways that they represent, process, and generalize chemical-biological activity information. An application of four commercial systems (TOPKAT, CASE/MULTI-CASE, DEREK, and OncoLogic) to mutagenicity and carcinogenicity prediction for a particular class of chemicals-the haloacetic acids (HAs)-is presented to highlight these differences. Some discussion is devoted to the issue of gauging the relative performance of commercial prediction systems, as well as to the role of prospective prediction exercises in this effort. And finally, an alternative approach that stops short of delivering a prediction to a user, involving structure-searching and data base exploration, is briefly considered.
Induction of thermotolerance in T cells protects nuclear DNA topoisomerase I from heat stress

In this study, we have demonstrated that topoisomerase I DNA relaxing activity is protected against a severe heat shock in T cells made thermotolerant by a prior modest heat treatment. However, following a severe heat-shock challenge and incubation at 37 degrees C, topoisomerase activity in the control population eventually returned to levels similar to those detected in thermotolerant cells. This recovery of topoisomerase activity appears to result from the renaturation of heat-inactivated enzyme rather than from synthesis of new protein because the rate of recovery of catalytic activity was not inhibited by the presence of the protein synthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide.
Analytically tractable case of fuzzy c-means clustering

In this paper, we offer a simple and accurate clustering algorithm which was derived as a closed-form analytical solution to a cluster fit function minimization problem. As a result, the algorithm finds the global minimum of the fit function, and combines exceptional efficiency with optimal clustering results.
Recent works in Victorian intellectual history

(1982). Recent works in Victorian intellectual history. History of European Ideas: Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 107-115.
Effect of prostaglandin E 1 on adjuvant arthritis.

WE have found that when rats are treated with the prostaglandin PGE1 adjuvant arthritis is prevented and suppressed. Although the treatment had no effect on delayed hypersensitivity to PPD, it reduced the immune response to sheep red blood cells (SRBC). Our findings support earlier indications that PGE1 might modify the inflammatory response1,2.
Risk and reciprocity in Meriam food sharing

Abstract Foragers who do not practice food storage might adapt to fluctuating food supplies by sharing surplus resources in times of plenty with the expectation of receiving in times of shortfall. In this paper, we derive a number of predictions from this perspective, which we term the risk reduction reciprocity (RRR) model, and test these with ethnographic data on foraging (fishing, shellfish collecting, and turtle hunting) among the Meriam (Torres Strait, Australia). While the size of a harvest strongly predicts that a portion will be shared beyond the household of the acquirer, the effects of key measures of foraging risk (e.g., failure rate) are comparatively weak: Harvests from high-risk hunt types are usually shared more often than those from low-risk hunt types in the same macropatch, but increases in risk overall do not accurately predict increases in the probability of sharing. In addition, free-riders (those who take shares but do not reciprocate) are not discriminated against, those who share more often and more generously do not predictably receive more, and most sharing relationships between households (over 80%) involve one-way flows.
Recognition of alphabetic characters during voluntary eye movements

In this paper we reconsider the question of vision during eye movements using a novel display procedure which guarantees that the eye was not stopped at any time during the eye movement. The results of our experiment lead us to conclude that true “saccadic suppression,” is a most elusive phenomenon. Furthermore, a brief analysis of the optics of the eye movement suggests that a substantial amount the elevation of visual threshold during eye movements can be attributed to simple retinal smear if one acknowledges the dominating importance of edge effects in visual threshold measurements.
RNA-destabilizing Factor Tristetraprolin Negatively Regulates NF-κB Signaling

Tristetraprolin (TTP) is a CCCH zinc finger-containing protein that destabilizes mRNA by binding to an AU-rich element. Mice deficient in TTP develop a severe inflammatory syndrome mainly because of overproduction of tumor necrosis factor α. We report here that TTP also negatively regulates NF-κB signaling at the transcriptional corepressor level, by which it may repress inflammatory gene transcription. TTP expression inhibited NF-κB-dependent transcription. However, overexpression of TTP did not affect reporter mRNA stability. Instead, TTP functioned as a corepressor of p65/NF-κB. In support of this concept, we found that TTP physically interacted with the p65 subunit of NF-κB and was also associated with HDAC1, -3, and -7 in vivo. Treatment with histone deacetylase inhibitors or small interfering RNA induced HDAC1 or HDAC3 knockdown completely or partly abolished the inhibitory activity of TTP on NF-κB reporter activation. Consistently, chromatin immunoprecipitation showed decreased recruitment of HDAC1 and increased recruitment of CREB-binding protein on the Mcp-1 promoter in TTP−/− cells compared with wild-type cells. Moreover, overexpression of TTP blocked CREB-binding protein-induced acetylation of p65/NF-κB. Taken together, these data suggest that TTP may also function in vivo as a modulator in suppressing the transcriptional activity of NF-κB.
Noticing Discourse: A Point of Departure for (Re)designing the Conversation Course.

: Target-language discourse norms (both lexically based formulaic speech and culturally based pragmatic abilities)receive relatively scant attention in our curricula, yet they are of paramount importance in allowing speakers to maintain smooth communication. This article starts with two premises: (1)that oral skills classes provide the ideal forum in which to address discourse issues, and (2)that target-language discourse norms, particularly as they relate to another cultural belief system, must be taught explicitly. After defining what is meant by “discourse norms,” this article offers a three-part pedagogical discussion. The first part expands on Schmidt's “noticing hypothesis” (Schmidt, 1990; 1993, Schmidt & Frota, 19861, arguing for the necessity of overt instruction in facilitating discourse learning. The second segment explores issues of course content by asking, Which features are most important for students to notice, and how might they be organized into a learning sequence? The final section focuses on instructional options, suggesting activity types that are intended to raise students' awareness of targeted norms. Issues of performance objectives (productive vs. conceptual control)and assessment are also addressed.
A novel multiplex PCR method for detecting the major clonal complexes of MRSA in nasal isolates from a Pennsylvania hospital

A novel multiplex PCR was developed which targeted virulence genes associated with the major clonal complexes (CCs) of healthcare- and community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the USA. Most isolates (40/66) were identified as CC 5, while remaining isolates represented CCs 1, 8, 30, 45, 59, 133, and five isolates were not S. aureus.
Estimation of overlapping spectral signatures from hyperspectral data

A new method for spectral unmixing is developed. This method accounts for the nonnegativity of the mixing constants. Preliminary experiments to test the method are reported.
Structure and Action Mechanism of Ligninolytic Enzymes

Lignin is the most abundant renewable source of aromatic polymer in nature, and its decomposition is indispensable for carbon recycling. It is chemically recalcitrant to breakdown by most organisms because of the complex, heterogeneous structure. The white-rot fungi produce an array of extracellular oxidative enzymes that synergistically and efficiently degrade lignin. The major groups of ligninolytic enzymes include lignin peroxidases, manganese peroxidases, versatile peroxidases, and laccases. The peroxidases are heme-containing enzymes with catalytic cycles that involve the activation by H2O2 and substrate reduction of compound I and compound II intermediates. Lignin peroxidases have the unique ability to catalyze oxidative cleavage of C-C bonds and ether (C-O-C) bonds in non-phenolic aromatic substrates of high redox potential. Manganese peroxidases oxidize Mn(II) to Mn(III), which facilitates the degradation of phenolic compounds or, in turn, oxidizes a second mediator for the breakdown of non-phenolic compounds. Versatile peroxidases are hybrids of lignin peroxidase and manganese peroxidase with a bifunctional characteristic. Laccases are multi-copper-containing proteins that catalyze the oxidation of phenolic substrates with concomitant reduction of molecular oxygen to water. This review covers the chemical nature of lignin substrates and focuses on the biochemical properties, molecular structures, reaction mechanisms, and related structures/functions of these enzymes.
Performance evaluation of the portable MiniVOL particulate matter sampler

Abstract The MiniVOL sampler is a popular choice for use in air quality assessments because it is portable and inexpensive relative to fixed site monitors. However, little data exist on the performance characteristics of the sampler. The reliability, precision, and comparability of the portable MiniVOL PM10 and PM2.5 sampler under typical ambient conditions are described in this paper. Results indicate that the MiniVOL (a) operated reliably and (b) yielded statistically similar concentration measurements when co-located with another MiniVOL (r2=0.96 for PM10 measurements and r2=0.95 for PM2.5 measurements). Thus, the characterization of spatial distributions of PM10 and PM2.5 mass concentrations with the MiniVOL can be accomplished with a high level of confidence. The MiniVOL also produced statistically comparable results when co-located with a Dichotomous Sampler (r2=0.83 for PM10 measurements and r2=0.85 for PM2.5 measurements) and a continuous mass sampling system (r2=0.90 for PM10 measurements). Environmental factors such as ambient concentration, wind speed, temperature, and humidity may influence the relative measurement comparability between these sampling systems.
Comparison and optimization of in situ hybridization procedures yielding rapid, sensitive mRNA detections.

Abstract This paper describes methods that are commonly used for performing mRNA in situ hybridizations. Each stage of the procedure has been analyzed to identify the parameters that most significantly affect the final cell morphology and sensitivity of the system. We have identified key elements of the procedure as the fixation employed, the type of polynucleotide probe and label chosen, and the detection system used. By optimizing these critical components, we have developed a procedure for performing mRNA in situ hybridizations that takes 2–4 hours and has a sensitivity of 1–10 molecules of mRNA per cell. This system has been used to detect levels of oncogene expression in normal bone marrow and peripheral blood. It is possible to detect the expression of three oncogenes (c-myc, c-sis, and c-abl) simultaneously in a small population of cells from the peripheral blood of leukemic patients.
Osmotic responses of spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias L.) Embryos to temperature and salinity stress

Abstract 1. 1. Spiny dogfish, Squalus acanthias L., embryos were acclimated to a salinity of 26 parts per 1000 and 10°C for 24 hr, and were then transferred into salinities of 16, 26 and 36 parts per 1000 at temperatures of 3, 10 and 20°C. 2. 2. Plasma samples taken after 12 and 62 hr of exposure indicated a strong correlation between salinity and plasma urea, chloride and osmotic pressure. 3. 3. Plasma chlorides were depressed at higher temperatures relative to lower temperatures at the same salinity. 4. 4. Salinities of 16 and 36 parts per 1000 were lethal at a temperature of 20°C at exposures longer than 26 hr.
Differential localization of syntaxin isoforms in polarized Madin-Darby canine kidney cells.

Syntaxins, integral membrane proteins that are part of the ubiquitous membrane fusion machinery, are thought to act as target membrane receptors during the process of vesicle docking and fusion. Se...
Thermal unfolding of ribonuclease A in phosphate at neutral pH: deviations from the two-state model.

The thermal denaturation of ribonuclease A (RNase A) in the presence of phosphate at neutral pH was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and a combination of optical spectroscopic techniques to probe the existence of intermediate states. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of the amide I′ band and far-uv circular dichroism (CD) spectra were used to monitor changes in the secondary structure. Changes in the tertiary structure were monitored by near-uv CD. Spectral bandshape changes with change in temperature were analyzed using factor analysis. The global unfolding curves obtained from DSC confirmed that structural changes occur in the molecule before the main thermal denaturation transition. The analysis of the far-uv CD and FTIR spectra showed that these lower temperature–induced modifications occur in the secondary structure. No pretransition changes in the tertiary structure (near-uv CD) were observed. The initial changes observed in far-uv CD were attributed to the fraying of the helical segments, which would explain the loss of spectral intensity with almost no modification of spectral bandshape. Separate analyses of different regions of the FTIR amide I′ band indicate that, in addition to α-helix, part of the pretransitional change also occurs in the β-strands.
Health Care Politics in the Age of Retrenchment

This article examines the debate between the power resources and ‘new politics’ scholars concerning the politics of welfare state retrenchment in advanced industrial democracies. Both approaches make competing claims concerning the relevance of partisan differences in the current age of welfare reform. This article tests the new politics hypothesis that partisanship has had a declining impact on welfare politics over time through an analysis of the growth in the public share of health care spending in 18 countries from 1960 to 2000. Consistent with the new politics approach, the results reveal that the partisan character of government no longer plays a significant role in determining changes in public responsibility for health care during the new politics period. This suggests that the current period is characterised by general agreement across party lines on the broad parameters of the health care system, reducing the intense partisan conflicts of the past to debates over reform at the margins of the health care system.
Discontinuous Brillouin strain monitoring of small concrete bridges: comparison between near-to-surface and "smart" FRP fiber installation techniques

Brillouin fiber optic sensing is a promising technology for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) whose diffusion is however at present reduced by the unavailability of proper sensor products and established installation techniques specifically aimed at the building industry. Due to its intrinsic distributed sensing capability, Brillouin systems can individually measure the deformation of any single segment of considerable lengths of single-mode fiber. In addition, Brillouin retains all the other typical advantages of Fiber Optic Sensors (FOS), such as harsh environment durability and electro-magnetic interference rejection. These advantages, especially considering that the required sensors are really low cost, make the system particularly attractive for periodical ("discontinuous") strain monitoring of unattended infrastructures that might be exposed to ageing and vandalism damages. Despite the high equipment cost, the technique can become economically convenient when the same initial investment can be amortized over a number of applications that can be monitored periodically using the same device. This work presents a comparison between two different Brillouin sensor installation techniques: Near-to-Surface Fiber (NSF) embedding and smart-FRP sensor bonding. Both systems have been experimented in the field on small Reinforced Concrete (RC) bridges subject to a diagnostic load test. The obtained results clearly highlight the advantages of the smart-FRP system, in terms of performance enhancements, installation cost, and time reduction.
Sustained postexercise increases in AS160 Thr642 and Ser588 phosphorylation in skeletal muscle without sustained increases in kinase phosphorylation.

Prior exercise by rats can induce a sustained increase in muscle Akt substrate of 160 kDa (AS160) phosphorylation on Thr642 (pAS160Thr642). Because phosphorylation of AS160 on both AS160Thr642 and ...
Computational design of Candida boidinii xylose reductase for altered cofactor specificity.

In this study we introduce a computationally-driven enzyme redesign workflow for altering cofactor specificity from NADPH to NADH. By compiling and comparing data from previous studies involving cofactor switching mutations, we show that their effect cannot be explained as straightforward changes in volume, hydrophobicity, charge, or BLOSUM62 scores of the residues populating the cofactor binding site. Instead, we find that the use of a detailed cofactor binding energy approximation is needed to adequately capture the relative affinity towards different cofactors. The implicit solvation models Generalized Born with molecular volume integration and Generalized Born with simple switching were integrated in the iterative protein redesign and optimization (IPRO) framework to drive the redesign of Candida boidinii xylose reductase (CbXR) to function using the non-native cofactor NADH. We identified 10 variants, out of the 8,000 possible combinations of mutations, that improve the computationally assessed binding affinity for NADH by introducing mutations in the CbXR binding pocket. Experimental testing revealed that seven out of ten possessed significant xylose reductase activity utilizing NADH, with the best experimental design (CbXR-GGD) being 27-fold more active on NADH. The NADPH-dependent activity for eight out of ten predicted designs was either completely abolished or significantly diminished by at least 90%, yielding a greater than 104-fold change in specificity to NADH (CbXR-REG). The remaining two variants (CbXR-RTT and CBXR-EQR) had dual cofactor specificity for both nicotinamide cofactors.
Negative Attributional Style for Interpersonal Events and the Occurrence of Severe Interpersonal Disruptions as Predictors of Self-Reported Suicidal Ideation.

We applied the hopelessness theory of depression to suicidal symptoms: 203 undergraduates completed questionnaires on attributional style, negative life events, hopelessness, and suicidal symptoms at one point in time and again 10 weeks later. Consistent with prediction, the combination of a negative attributional style for interpersonal events and the occurrence of such events were prospectively related to increases in self-reported suicidality over the course of the 10-week study. These findings displayed specificity with respect to interpersonal versus achievement-related styles and events. Contrary to hypothesis, hopelessness did not mediate the relation between the Attributional style x Stress interaction and the increases in self-reported suicidality.
FIELD EXPERIMENTS SHOW THAT ACOUSTIC PINGERS REDUCE MARINE MAMMAL BYCATCH IN THE CALIFORNIA DRIFT GILL NET FISHERY

A controlled experiment was carried out in 19961997 to determine whether acoustic deterrent devices (pingers) reduce marine mammal bycatch in the California drift gill net fishery for swordfish and sharks. Using Fisher’s exact test, bycatch rates with pingers were significantly less for all cetacean species combined (P < 0.001) and for all pinniped species combined (P = 0.003). For species tested separately with this test, bycatch reduction was statistically significant for shortbeaked common dolphins (P = 0.001) and California sea lions (P = 0.02). Bycatch reduction is not statistically significant for the other species tested separately, but sample sizes and statistical power were low, and bycatch rates were lower in pingered nets for six of the eight other cetacean and pinniped species. A log-linear model relating the mean rate of entanglement to the number of pingers deployed was fit to the data for three groups: short-beaked common dolphins, other cetaceans, and pinnipeds. For a net with 40 pingers, the models predict approximately a 12fold decrease in entanglement for short-beaked common dolphins, a 4-fold decrease for other cetaceans, and a 3-fold decrease for pinnipeds. No other variables were found that could explain this effect. The pinger experiment ended when regulations were enacted to make pingers mandatory in this fishery.
Genetic and functional differences between multipotent neural and pluripotent embryonic stem cells

Stem cells (SCs) are functionally defined by their abilities to self-renew and generate differentiated cells. Although much effort has been focused on defining the common characteristics among various types of SCs, the genetic and functional differences between multipotent and pluripotent SCs have garnered less attention. We report a direct genetic and functional comparison of molecularly defined and clonally related populations of neural SCs (NSCs) and embryonic SCs (ESCs), using the Sox2 promoter for isolation of purified populations by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. A stringent expression profile comparison of promoter-defined NSCs and ESCs revealed a striking dissimilarity, and subsequent chimera analyses confirmed the fundamental differences in cellular potency between these populations. This direct comparison elucidates the molecular basis for the functional differences in pluripotent ESCs and multipotent NSCs.
Factor structure of PTSD symptoms among west and central African refugees

Although trauma is widespread in Africa, Africans are unrepresented in the literature on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The authors used confirmatory factor analysis of responses to the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire to model PTSD symptom structure in a sample of African refugees presenting at a U.S. torture treatment clinic. They tested four models that are proposed in the literature and one based on their clinical experience in which some symptoms of hyperarousal were integrated into intrusion. Their findings support a preference for a 4-factor aroused intrusion model. Discussion focuses on interpretation of models, the role of numbing and avoidance, and the limitations of Euro American symptoms in non-Euro American populations.
The Role of Processing in the Fabrication and Optimization of Plastic Solar Cells

The development of high-efficiency plastic solar cells is rapidly accelerating as the need for economically viable alternative energy sources becomes evident. Polymer-based bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells are attractive in that they can be coated from solution onto flexible substrates by a variety of techniques and thus inexpensive large-volume manufacturing should be possible. Further, the inherent flexibility of the polymeric materials combined with thin photovoltaic active layers results in devices that can be adapted to a variety of unique aesthetics and form factors. Recent advances in key relationships between thin-film casting methods, bulk-heterojunction morphology, and device performance have occurred in tandem with the synthesis of novel polymer semiconductors that possess increased optical-absorption breadth and optoelectronic performance. This Research News article highlights a few techniques developed to optimize the BHJ nanomorphology and performance of solar cells fabricated by various solution-processing methods.
Intracellular Trafficking and Glycobiology of TbPDI2, a Stage-Specific Protein Disulfide Isomerase in Trypanosoma brucei

Trypanosoma brucei protein disulfide isomerase 2 (TbPDI2) is a bloodstream stage-specific lumenal endoplasmic reticulum (ER) glycoprotein. ER localization is dependent on the TbPDI2 C-terminal tetrapeptide (KQDL) and is mediated by TbERD2, an orthologue of the yeast ER retrieval receptor. Consistent with this function, TbERD2 localizes prominently to ER exit sites, and RNA interference (RNAi) knockdown results in specific secretion of a surrogate ER retention reporter, BiPN:KQDL. TbPDI2 is highly N-glycosylated and is reactive with tomato lectin, suggesting the presence of poly-N-acetyllactosamine modifications, which are common on lyso/endosomal proteins in trypanosomes but are inconsistent with ER localization. However, TbPDI2 is reactive with tomato lectin immediately following biosynthesis—far too rapidly for transport to the Golgi compartment, the site of poly-N-acetyllactosamine addition. TbPDI2 also fails to react with Erythrina cristagalli lectin, confirming the absence of terminal N-acetyllactosamine units. We propose that tomato lectin binds the Manβ1-4GlcNAcβ1-4GlcNAc trisaccharide core of paucimannose glycans on both newly synthesized and mature TbPDI2. Consistent with this proposal, α-mannosidase treatment renders oligomannose N-glycans on the T. brucei cathepsin L orthologue TbCatL reactive with tomato lectin. These findings resolve contradictory evidence on the location and glycobiology of TbPDI2 and provide a cautionary note on the use of tomato lectin as a poly-N-acetyllactosamine-specific reagent.
Size‐ and Distance‐Dependent Nanoparticle Surface‐Energy Transfer (NSET) Method for Selective Sensing of Hepatitis C Virus RNA

We report size- and distance-dependent surface-energy transfer (SET) properties of gold nanoparticles for recognizing hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA sequence sensitively and selectively (single-base mutations) in a homogeneous format. We have demonstrated that quenching efficiency increases by three orders of magnitude, as the particle size increases from 5 to 70 nm. Due to this extraordinarily high K(SV), nanoparticle SET (NSET) detection limit can be as low as 300 fM concentration of RNA, depending on the size of gold nanoparticle. We have shown that the distance-dependent quenching efficiency is highly dependent on the particle size and the distance at which the energy-transfer efficiency is 50 %, ranges all the way from 8 nm, which is very close to the accessible distance of conventional Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET), to about 40 nm by choosing gold nanoparticles of different diameters. Our result points out that dipole-to-metal-particle energy transfer and NSET models provide a better description of the distance dependence of the quenching efficiencies for 8 nm gold nanoparticle, but agreement is poor for 40 and 70 nm gold nanoparticles, for which the measured values were always larger than the predicted ones.
Ischemia-induced stimulation of cerebral microvascular endothelial cell Na-K-Cl cotransport involves p38 and JNK MAP kinases.

Previous studies have provided evidence that, in the early hours of ischemic stroke, a luminal membrane blood-brain barrier (BBB) Na-K-Cl cotransporter (NKCC) participates in ischemia-induced cerebral edema formation. Inhibition of BBB NKCC activity by intravenous bumetanide significantly reduces edema and infarct in the rat permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion model of ischemic stroke. We demonstrated previously that the BBB cotransporter is stimulated by hypoxia, aglycemia, and AVP, factors present during cerebral ischemia. However, the underlying mechanisms have not been known. Ischemic conditions have been shown to activate p38 and JNK MAP kinases (MAPKs) in brain, and the p38 and JNK inhibitors SB-239063 and SP-600125, respectively, have been found to reduce brain damage following middle cerebral artery occlusion and subarachnoid hemorrhage, respectively. The present study was conducted to determine whether one or both of these MAPKs participates in ischemic factor stimulation of BBB NKCC activity. Cultured cerebral microvascular endothelial cell NKCC activity was evaluated as bumetanide-sensitive 86Rb influx. Activities of p38 and JNK were assessed by Western blot and immunofluorescence methods using antibodies that detect total vs. phosphorylated (activated) p38 or JNK. We report that p38 and JNK are present in cultured cerebral microvascular endothelial cells and in BBB endothelial cells in situ and that hypoxia (7% O2 and 2% O2), aglycemia, AVP, and O2-glucose deprivation (5- to 120-min exposures) all rapidly activate p38 and JNK in the cells. We also provide evidence that SB-239063 and SP-600125 reduce or abolish ischemic factor stimulation of BBB NKCC activity. These findings support the hypothesis that ischemic factor stimulation of the BBB NKCC involves activation of p38 and JNK MAPKs.
Body composition: Why, when and for who?

Body composition reflects nutritional intakes, losses and needs over time. Undernutrition, i.e. fat-free mass (FFM) loss, is associated with decreased survival, worse clinical outcome and quality of life, as well as increased therapy toxicity in cancer patients. In numerous clinical situations, such as sarcopenic obesity and chronic diseases, the measurement of body composition with available methods, such as dual-X ray absorptiometry, computerized tomography and bioelectrical impedance analysis, quantifies the loss of FFM, whereas body weight loss and body mass index only inconstantly reflect FFM loss. The measurement of body composition allows documenting the efficiency of nutrition support, tailoring the choice of disease-specific and nutritional therapies and evaluating their efficacy and putative toxicity. Easy-to-use body composition methods integrated to the routine of care allow sequential measurements for an initial nutritional assessment and objective patients follow-up. By allowing an earlier and objective management of undernutrition, body composition assessment could contribute to reduce undernutrition-induced morbidity, worsening of quality of life, and global health care costs by a timely nutrition intervention.
Work function characterization of solution-processed cobalt silicide

Cobalt silicide thin films were prepared by spin-coating liquid cyclohexasilane-based inks onto silicon substrates followed by a thermal treatment. The work function of the solution-processed Co–Si was determined by both capacitance–voltage (C–V) measurements of metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) structures as well as by ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy (UPS). Variable frequency C–V of MOS structures with silicon oxide layers of variable thickness showed that solution-processed metal silicide films exhibit a work function of 4.36 eV with one Co–Si film on Si � 100 � giving a UPS-derived work function of 4.80 eV. Similar work function measurements were collected for vapor-deposited MOS capacitors where Al thin films were prepared according to standard class 100 cleanroom handling techniques. In both instances, the work function values established by the electrical measurements were lower than those measured by UPS and this difference appears to be a consequence of parasitic series resistance.