cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Translational informatics: enabling high-throughput research paradigms

A common thread throughout the clinical and translational research domains is the need to collect, manage, integrate, analyze, and disseminate large-scale, heterogeneous biomedical data sets. However, well-established and broadly adopted theoretical and practical frameworks and models intended to address such needs are conspicuously absent in the published literature or other reputable knowledge sources. Instead, the development and execution of multidisciplinary, clinical, or translational studies are significantly limited by the propagation of "silos" of both data and expertise. Motivated by this fundamental challenge, we report upon the current state and evolution of biomedical informatics as it pertains to the conduct of high-throughput clinical and translational research and will present both a conceptual and practical framework for the design and execution of informatics-enabled studies. The objective of presenting such findings and constructs is to provide the clinical and translational research community with a common frame of reference for discussing and expanding upon such models and methodologies.
Educational Interventions That Improve Environmental Behaviors: A Meta-Analysis

In this meta-analysis the author compared the effectiveness of educational interventions (N = 18) conducted in classrooms and in nontraditional settings in improving environmental behavior. Classro...
Effect of thermal injury and subsequent therapy on serum protein concentrations

Abstract We have measured the quantities of serum IgG, IgA, IgM, complement C′3, and alpha2 macroglobulin in 43 patients divided into four groups according to severity of injury and comorbidity factors. We have been careful to select patients not receiving drugs which are known to alter serum protein production. We have compared serum protein concentrations 1 day, and 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks post burn with age- and sex-adjusted normal means, and correlated serum protein changes with the occurrence of serum immunosuppressive activity, as measured by the effect of serum additions on the PHA responses of normal human lymphocytes in vitro. In general, it appears that IgG and IgA concentrations are initially depressed followed by elevated quantities circulating 2–3 weeks post burn. IgM and C′3 concentrations were elevated throughout the period of study with no initial depression, while alpha2 macroglobulin concentrations were depressed throughout the period of study. There was no correlation between the occurrence of serum mediated immunosuppression and serum protein concentrations. Significantly, Ig concentrations were found to be normal or supranormal at times of maximum serum suppressive activity. The implications of these changes in serum protein concentrations are discussed.
Note on achromatic multiple-prism beam expanders

Abstract It is shown that achromatic multiple-prism beam expanders can be readily designed in analytical form by direct application of the generalized solution to the n-prism dispersion problem. However, the use of the term achromatic in laser multiple-prism beam expanders, of practical interest, is questioned. Linewidth performance, in pulsed dye lasers utilizing achromatic and non-achromatic multiple-prism expanders, is discussed.
Crack opening due to deformation twin shear at grain boundaries in near-γ TiAl

Abstract Microcrack nucleation has been observed at apparent deformation twin interactions with grain boundaries in a duplex near-gamma TiAl specimen deformed to surface tensile strain of about 1.4%. To prove that these microcracks are a result of twins and not dislocation slip bands, detailed characterization of the surface topography and crystallography associated with the microcracks was conducted and analyzed. Electron backscatter diffraction patterns were used in conjunction with selected area channeling patterns to determine the crystallography near the observed microcracks. Transmission electron microscopy of a selected twin, extracted using a focused ion beam, and atomic force microscopy were used to show that the observed microcracks could only have been caused by local strain heterogeneities caused by twin interactions with grain boundaries and not by dislocation slip bands.
Cladistics of the tribe Ectatommini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): A reappraisal

The cladistic analysis of ectatommine ants by Lattke ( 1994) is reanalyzed and discussed. It is argued that Lattke's sample of taxa (in particular his choice of outgroups) is problematic because of the acceptance of unreliable previous analyses of ant subfamilial relationships. Additionally, Lattke's proposed reclassification is inconsistent cladistically. A revised matrix is presented with the addition of three outgroups and twelve characters ( 19 taxa and 41 characters in total). This matrix yields a single most parsimonious cladogram (L=116; CI=46; RI=61) with Ponerinae paraphyletic with respect to the other poneroid exemplars included (Apomyrma, Cerapachys and Cheliomyrmex). This result illustrates the need for a full taxonomic revision of the poneroid group.
Apigenin Attenuates Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I Signaling in an Autochthonous Mouse Prostate Cancer Model

Purpose Deregulation of IGF signaling plays an important role in prostate cancer and contributes to invasion and metastasis. We determined the effect of apigenin, a plant flavone, on IGF signaling and its downstream targets in TRAMP mice.
A discipline in peril: Sociology’s future hinges on curing its biophobia

Several lines of evidence are reviewed regarding sociology’s decline as a college major and as a respected academic discipline in recent decades. The present article attributes most of the decline tobiophobia, i.e., the tendency to avoid considering biological causes of human behavior. Four explanations are offered for sociology’s biophobia: semantic factors, lack of training in biology, exclusive focus on humans, and moral/political factors. Ironically, a recent survey indicated that most sociologists are at least mildly receptive to the view that biological factors play some role in several important aspects of human behavior, including academic achievement, sexual orientation, serious adult criminality, and even gender differences in aggression. In addition, many sociologists have proposed biosocial explanations of human behavior, although often having to publish in non-sociology outlets. The article ends by illustrating how biological and social factors can be combined to help explain a well-established relationship between religiosity and criminality.
Accessing lexical ambiguities during sentence comprehension: Effects of frequency of meaning and contextual bias

Two hypotheses concerning the nature of lexical access, the exhaustive access and the terminating ordered search hypotheses, were examined in two separate studies using a crossmodal lexical priming task. In this task, subjects listened to sentences that were biased toward either the primary interpretation (a meaning occurring 75% or more of the time) or a secondary interpretation (a meaning occurring less than 25% of the time) of a lexical ambiguity that occurred in each sentence. Simultaneously, subjects made lexical decisions about visually presented words. Decisions to words related to both the primary and secondary meanings of the ambiguity were facilitated when presented immediately following occurrence of the ambiguity in the sentence. This effect held under each of the two biasing context conditions. However, when they were presented 1.5 sec following occurrence of the ambiguity, only visual words related to the contextually relevant meaning of the ambiguity were facilitated. These results support the exhaustive access hypothesis. It is argued that lexical access is an autonomous subsystem of the sentence comprehension routine in which all meanings of a word are momentarily accessed, regardless of the factors of contextual bias or bias associated with frequency of use.
Identification of heat shock protein hsp70 homologues in chloroplasts

Abstract Cytoplasmic members of the heat shock protein hsp70 family have recently been implicated in the transport of proteins to the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria. In addition, other hsp70 homologues have been found in the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria and, at least for the endoplasmic reticulum hsp70 homologue, may be involved in the proper folding and assembly of newly transported proteins. Since chloroplasts are an important site of protein transport in plant cells, we were interested in determining whether hsp70 proteins might be located in this organelle. By using immunoblotting techniques and two antibody preparations against hsp70 proteins, we have identified three chloroplastic proteins of approximately 70 kDa that are related to hsp70 proteins. One of these proteins was tightly associated with the outer envelope membrane and was not exposed at the outer surface of the chloroplasts. The other two were soluble proteins located in the stroma. Steady-state levels of the chloroplastic hsp70 homologues did not change after heat stress nor were any additional hsp70 homologues detected in chloroplasts isolated from heat-stressed plants. We discuss the possible functions of these hsp70 homologues in the transport of proteins into and within chloroplasts.
Differential Electrode Design for Electrostatic Actuator in Conducting Media

We present the design, modeling and experimental validation of a novel differential actuation scheme to enhance the performance of comb-drive electrostatic actuators in aqueous media. The new design mitigates the losses in parasitic impedance and extends the actuation of the devices into frequency ranges suitable for biological samples, achieving a displacement of 3.5 mum in 100 mM KCl. The frequency dependence of the electrostatic force has been tested by operating the devices in media of different ionic concentrations. Circuit models for the electric double layer phenomena are used to analyze the device behavior.
Isolation of a Bradyrhizobium japonicum serogroup 123 mutant which has an extended host range for nodulation-restricting soybean genotypes

We have isolated a Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA 438 (serogroup 123) mutant which has the ability to form nodules on serogroup 123 nodulation-restricting plant introduction genotypes and soybeans containing the Rj4 allele. The identity of the mutant was confirmed by using a serocluster 123-specific DNA probe, restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis, and serogroup-specific fluorescent antibodies. While the mutant contains Tn5 inserted into a cryptic, non nod gene-containing locus, site-directed mutagenesis and complementation studies indicated that the transposon is not responsible for host-range extension. The mutant and the wild-type parent had the same chromatographic profiles of [14C]acetate-labelled extracellular B. japonicum nod factors.
An efficient delay-optimal distributed termination detection algorithm

Distributed termination detection is a fundamental problem in parallel and distributed computing and numerous schemes with different performance characteristics have been proposed. These schemes, while being efficient with regard to one performance metric, prove to be inefficient in terms of other metrics. A significant drawback shared by all previous methods is that, on most popular topologies, they take Ω(P) time to detect and signal termination after its actual occurrence, where P is the total number of processing elements. Detection delay is arguably the most important metric to optimize, since it is directly related to the amount of idling of computing resources and to the delay in the utilization of results of the underlying computation. In this paper, we present a novel termination detection algorithm that is simultaneously optimal or near-optimal with respect to all relevant performance measures on any topology. In particular, our algorithm has a best-case detection delay of Θ(1) and a finite optimal worst-case detection delay on any topology equal in order terms to the time for an optimal one-to-all broadcast on that topology (which we accurately characterize for an arbitrary topology). On k-ary n-cube tori and meshes, the worst-case delay is Θ(D), where D is the diameter of the target topology. Further, our algorithm has message and computational complexities of Θ(MD+P) in the worst case and, for most applications, ΘM+P) in the average case-the same as other message-efficient algorithms, and an optimal space complexity of Θ(P), where M is the total number of messages used by the underlying computation. We also give a scheme using counters that greatly reduces the constant associated with the average message and computational complexities, but does not suffer from the counter-overflow problems of other schemes. Finally, unlike some previous schemes, our algorithm does not rely on first-in first-out (FIFO) ordering for message communication to work correctly.
Conducting Three-Level Cross-Sectional Analyses:

Applied early adolescent researchers often sample students (Level 1) from within classrooms (Level 2) that are nested within schools (Level 3), resulting in data that requires multilevel modeling a...
Stat4 Regulates Multiple Components of IFN-γ-Inducing Signaling Pathways

Stat4 is activated in response to IL-12. Most functions of IL-12, including the induction of IFN-gamma, are compromised in the absence of Stat4. Since the precise role of Stat4 in IFN-gamma induction has not been established, experiments were conducted to examine Stat4 activation of IFN-gamma and other genes required for cytokine-induced expression of IFN-gamma. We first examined IL-12 signaling components. Basal expression of IL-12Rss1 and IL-12Rss2 is decreased in Stat4-deficient cells compared with that in control cells. However, IL-12 was still capable of inducing equivalent phosphorylation of Jak2 and Tyk2 in wild-type and Stat4-deficient activated T cells. We have further determined that other cytokine signaling pathways that induce IFN-gamma production are defective in the absence of Stat4. IL-18 induces minimal IFN-gamma production from Stat4-deficient activated T cells compared with control cells. This is due to defective IL-18 signaling, which results from the lack of IL-12-induced, and Stat4-dependent, expression of the IL-18R. Following IL-12 pretreatment to induce IL-18R, wild-type, but not Stat4-deficient, activated T cells demonstrated IL-18-induced NF-kappaB DNA-binding activity. In addition, IL-12-pretreated Stat4-deficient activated T cells have minimal IFN-gamma production followed by stimulation with IL-18 alone or in combination with IL-12 compared with control cells. Thus, Stat4 activation by IL-12 is required for the function of multiple cytokine pathways that result in induction of IFN-gamma.
Quantification of the interrelationship between CA1 and dentate gyrus during REM sleep in maturing rats

The purpose of this study was to examine the interrelationship between hippocampal sub fields CA1 and dentate gyrus using magnitude square coherence analysis of freely moving rats during REM sleep. Our preliminary results from 90-day old animals showed strong coherence between CA1 and dentate gyrus at 7 Hz. This finding agrees with previously published work, and provides us with an appropriate measure of these interrelationships in infant rats during the pre-weaning stage of development.
Property in Economic Context

Property in Economic Context. ROBERT HUNT and ANTONIO GILMAN. eds. Monographs in Economic Anthropology, No. 14. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1998. + 381 pp., notes, references, contributors.
Boundary Integral Equations for Recovery of Design Sensitivities in Shape Optimization

A new formulation for obtaining design sensitivities in shape optimization has been developed. The formulation is based on a direct application of the material derivative concept to the appropriate boundary integral equations for displacements and stresses in an elastic solid. As a check on accuracy, the approach was applied to a uniformly loaded infinite plate containing an elliptical hole. In this case, the availability of an analytical solution made it possible to calculate errors exactly. Furthermore, a wide range of stress states could be considered simply by varying the aspect ratio of the elliptical hole. For convenience, the design sensitivities were calculated with respect to changes in the major axis. Numerical convergence was established by comparing results based on four successive boundary meshes. In general, the predictions for both displacement and stress sensitivities were remarkably accurate.
Preventing Nuclear Weapon Proliferation as Nuclear Power Expands

Raj et al. describe the promise of nuclear energy as a sustainable, affordable, and carbon-free source available this century on a scale that can help meet the world’s growing need for energy and help slow the pace of global climate change. However, the factor of millions gain in energy release from nuclear fssion compared to all conventional energy sources that tap the energy of electrons (Figure 1) has also been used to create explosives of unprecedented lethality and, hence, poses a serious challenge to the expansion of nuclear energy worldwide. Although the end of the cold war has eliminated the threat of annihilating humanity, the likelihood of a devastating nuclear attack has increased as more nations, subnational groups, and terrorists seek to acquire nuclear weapons.
BOZ: Task-analytic design and evaluation of visual displays

BOZ is an automated graphic design and presentation tool that designs visual displays based on an analysis of the task which a display is intended to support. BOZ analyzes a logical description of a procedure to be performed by a human user and designs an equivalent perceptual procedure by substituting perceptual inferences in place of logical inferences in the procedure. BOZ then designs and renders an accompanying visual display, encoding and structuring data in the display such that the performance of each perceptual operator is supported and visual search is minimized. A second component of BOZ allows the logical and perceptual procedures to be used directly as simulations to generate theoretical predictions about the effectiveness of a display with respect to a task. >
Randomized multidimensional search trees: lazy balancing and dynamic shuffling

A randomized technique, called dynamic shuffling, is given for multidimensional dynamic search. This technique, when specialized to the problem of searching in sorted lists, yields the previously known randomized binary trees (treaps). The crux of the technique is a multidimensional generalization of the rotation operation on binary search trees. Simultaneously, it is shown how to dynamize the randomized incremental algorithms so as to allow additions as well as deletions of objects. The techniques are based on remembering the history of the actual or imaginary sequence of updates. The techniques are applied to several problems in computational geometry. >
Preoperative Factors and Early Complications Associated With Hemiarthroplasty and Total Hip Arthroplasty for Displaced Femoral Neck Fractures

Displaced femoral neck fractures are common injuries in the elderly individuals. There is controversy about the best treatment with regard to total hip arthroplasty (THA) versus hemiarthroplasty. T...
Directionality of Drinking Passes by Bats at Water Holes: is there Cooperation?

In 2000 and 2001, we used an infrared imaging system to film the drinking behaviors of bats at high-use water holes outside Boulder, Colorado. We recorded for two hours on each of four nights at two water hole sites, Stockton Cabin (SC) and Bear Creek (BC), known to be high in bat visitation and small enough to allow filming of the entire hole from a single position. A total of 855 drinking passes was observed: 417 and 438 in SC and BC, respectively. Of these, 814, or 95.2%, of all drinking passes occurred from a particular directional pathway (dominant approach pathway) at each site, with a mere 1.3% occurring from the immediately opposite direction, and 3.5% occurring from a direction convergent with, but not opposite to, the dominant approach path. At both sites, the direction of the dominant approach path was against stream-flow. The strict directionality of drinking passes portrayed at the water's surface was in stark contrast to activity above the water hole where no directionality of flight could b...
CRF acts in the midbrain to attenuate accumbens dopamine release to rewards but not their predictors

Stressors affect dopamine-dependent behaviors such as motivation, although the underlying neurobiological mechanism is not well defined. We report that corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) acts in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to reduce the motivation to work for food rewards. CRF in the VTA regulates dopamine output in a stimulus- and pathway-specific manner, offering a mechanism by which acute stress selectively regulates information transmission via the VTA to reprioritize motivated behavior.
Group I secreted PLA2 and arachidonic acid metabolites in the maintenance of cat LES tone

Spontaneous tone of in vitro lower esophageal sphincter (LES) circular muscle is associated with elevated levels of arachidonic acid (AA), PGF2α, and increased [35S]guanosine 5′-O-(3-thiotriphospha...
The effect of raloxifene therapy on the risk of new clinical vertebral fractures at three and six months: a secondary analysis of the MORE trial

ABSTRACTObjective: Raloxifene treatment (60 mg/day) significantly decreases the risk of new clinical vertebral fractures by 68% at 1 year compared with placebo. The objective of the present analysis is to evaluate the effects of raloxifene on the incidence of new clinical vertebral fractures at 3 and 6 months after initiation of treatment.Research design and methods: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, 4‐year Multiple Outcomes of Raloxifene Evaluation (MORE) trial was conducted in 180 study centers. Postmenopausal women with osteoporosis (N = 7705) were randomized to placebo, or raloxifene at 60 or 120 mg/day.Main outcome measures: Vertebral radiographs were obtained when patients reported symptoms suggestive of vertebral fracture at or between clinic visits, which were held at 3 and 6 months, and every 6 months thereafter. If a new adjudicated fracture was found, this was considered as a clinical vertebral fracture. The analyses included all randomized patients with a baseline and at least on...
Ionic Blockage of Sodium Channels in Nerve

Increasing the hydrogen ion concentration of the bathing medium reversibly depresses the sodium permeability of voltage-clamped frog nerves. The depression depends on membrane voltage: changing from pH 7 to pH 5 causes a 60% reduction in sodium permeability at +20 mV, but only a 20% reduction at +180 mV. This voltage-dependent block of sodium channels by hydrogen ions is explained by assuming that hydrogen ions enter the open sodium channel and bind there, preventing sodium ion passage. The voltage dependence arises because the binding site is assumed to lie far enough across the membrane for bound ions to be affected by part of the potential difference across the membrane. Equations are derived for the general case where the blocking ion enters the channel from either side of the membrane. For H+ ion blockage, a simpler model, in which H+ enters the channel only from the bathing medium, is found to be sufficient. The dissociation constant of H+ ions from the channel site, 3.9 x 10-6 M (pKa 5.4), is like that of a carboxylic acid. From the voltage dependence of the block, this acid site is about one-quarter of the way across the membrane potential from the outside. In addition to blocking as described by the model, hydrogen ions also shift the responses of sodium channel "gates" to voltage, probably by altering the surface potential of the nerve. Evidence for voltage-dependent blockage by calcium ions is also presented.
Legislative Workload Congestion in Texas

There is considerable evidence that the processing of work in American state legislatures is characterized by bottlenecks, congestion, and logjams. Yet past research has examined only part of the legislative workload and part of the legislative calendar. Measurement and evaluation of legislative workload is complicated by the complexity of legislation and the legislative process. However, comprehensive analyses show that, although some important activities are quite congested in parts of the session, consideration of the entire workload shows it to be quite evenly distributed over the entire session. These findings call into question the assumptions of some simplistic normative models of legislative behavior.
Factors Influencing Gains in Six Minute Walk Distance After Continuous Flow Ventricular Assist Device Placement

Purpose: Improved survival while waiting for transplant has increased the demand for donor hearts, but there are no standardized guidelines for donor selection. The objective was to analyze pediatric cardiac donor utilization across eras and determine factors associated with non-utilization. Methods: United Network of Organ Sharing database was used to identify all pediatric donors (age < 18 years) who were offered for heart transplant from 2000-2012. Modern era was defined as 2007-2012. Cohort was divided based on utilization of donor heart. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors of non-utilization. Results: Of 11,944 donors, there were 5,838 (49%) hearts that were unutilized. Non-utilization decreased from 51% in old era to 47% in modern era (p less than 0.001). Overall, unutilized donor hearts were highest amongst children (1-10 years) (57%). There has been an increase in unutilized donors who were on inotropes, had CPR greater than 20 minutes, clinical infection, anoxia as the cause of death, or considered CDC High Risk (Table 1). Anoxia, head injury and modern era were donor factors that predicted utilization while cardiopulmonary resuscitation, CDC high risk, liver dysfunction, age 1-10 years, greater than 3 inotropes, and abnormal left ventricular ejection all predicted non-utilization (Table 2). Conclusion: Despite improvement in pediatric cardiac donor utilization in the modern era, a substantial number of organs are still unutilized. Increased use of donors with less desirable characteristics could improve patient outcomes.
Respiratory impedance spectral estimation issues for digitally created random noise from 0-4 Hz and 4-200 Hz

The authors examine the effects of several signal processing issues on the quality of a Z/sub rs/ spectral estimate when using a finite-length random sequence created digitally and passed through a D/A (digital-to-analog) converter. The quality of the estimates was evaluated by comparing the mean of the ensemble averaged runs to the theoretical Z/sub rs/ (calculated from models) and estimating the coherence function gamma /sup 2/(f). It is shown that regardless of the SNR or model, the Z/sub rs/ estimates are superior and the gamma /sup 2/ estimates higher for 10 vs. 5 runs. Though this result was expected, the relative improvement in the mean estimate for 10 runs was substantial for a SNR below 200. Even with averaging 10 runs, however, the Z/sub rs/ and gamma /sup 2/ estimates were still poor for SNR >
Fabrication of fully transparent nanowire transistors for transparent and flexible electronics

The development of optically transparent and mechanically flexible electronic circuitry is an essential step in the effort to develop next-generation display technologies, including 'see-through' and conformable products. Nanowire transistors (NWTs) are of particular interest for future display devices because of their high carrier mobilities compared with bulk or thin-film transistors made from the same materials, the prospect of processing at low temperatures compatible with plastic substrates, as well as their optical transparency and inherent mechanical flexibility. Here we report fully transparent In(2)O(3) and ZnO NWTs fabricated on both glass and flexible plastic substrates, exhibiting high-performance n-type transistor characteristics with approximately 82% optical transparency. These NWTs should be attractive as pixel-switching and driving transistors in active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) displays. The transparency of the entire pixel area should significantly enhance aperture ratio efficiency in active-matrix arrays and thus substantially decrease power consumption.
Effects of Solar Loading on Infrared Imaging of Subsurface Features in Concrete

This paper addresses the effect of solar loading on thermal imaging for the detection of subsurface deterioration in concrete bridge components. The deterioration of the concrete resulting from corrosion of embedded mild reinforcing and prestressing steel results in delamination and spalling that can affect the strength and serviceability of a concrete structure. The ability to detect this deterioration during its early stages, when mitigation efforts can be employed, can provide a useful tool for maintenance and inspection personnel. Infrared thermography is a tool that has the potential to detect these subsurface defects to compliment inspection efforts and provide an additional means of condition assessment for a bridge. However, the technique relies on thermal gradients developing in the concrete such that a temperature contrast exists between damaged concrete and sound concrete. The environmental conditions at the bridge, such as direct solar loading, ambient temperature variation, and wind affect the thermal gradient in the concrete, and hence, the ability to image subsurface features. The effects of direct solar loading on the detection of subsurface targets in a concrete test block have been studied. Quantitative measurements of the thermal contrast that appear in thermal images of the test block are reported and analyzed. The effect of the depth of the embedded target is discussed, as well as the timing of inspection (relative to sunrise) that resulted in maximum contrast in thermal images.
Quenched narrow-line second- and third-stage laser cooling of 40 Ca

We demonstrate three-dimensional quenched narrow-line laser cooling and trapping of 40Ca. With 5 ms of cooling time we can transfer 28% of the atoms from a magneto-optic trap based on the strong 423-nm cooling line to a trap based on the narrow 657-nm clock transition (which is quenched by an intercombination line at 552 nm), thereby reducing the atoms’ temperature from 2 mK to 10 μK. This reduction in temperature should help to reduce the overall systematic frequency uncertainty for our Ca optical frequency standard to <1 Hz. Additional pulsed, quenched, narrow-line third-stage cooling in one dimension yields subrecoil temperatures as low as 300 nK and makes possible the observation of high-contrast two-pulse Ramsey spectroscopic line shapes.
The Genome of the Obligately Intracellular Bacterium Ehrlichia canis Reveals Themes of Complex Membrane Structure and Immune Evasion Strategies

Ehrlichia canis, a small obligately intracellular, tick-transmitted, gram-negative, α-proteobacterium, is the primary etiologic agent of globally distributed canine monocytic ehrlichiosis. Complete genome sequencing revealed that the E. canis genome consists of a single circular chromosome of 1,315,030 bp predicted to encode 925 proteins, 40 stable RNA species, 17 putative pseudogenes, and a substantial proportion of noncoding sequence (27%). Interesting genome features include a large set of proteins with transmembrane helices and/or signal sequences and a unique serine-threonine bias associated with the potential for O glycosylation that was prominent in proteins associated with pathogen-host interactions. Furthermore, two paralogous protein families associated with immune evasion were identified, one of which contains poly(G-C) tracts, suggesting that they may play a role in phase variation and facilitation of persistent infections. Genes associated with pathogen-host interactions were identified, including a small group encoding proteins (n = 12) with tandem repeats and another group encoding proteins with eukaryote-like ankyrin domains (n = 7).
Fast MR image reconstruction with orthogonal wavelet regularization via shift-variant shrinkage

Algorithms with Lipschitz bounds such as ISTA and FISTA are useful for solving optimization problems with sparsity-promoting regularizers. However, they can be slow in applications that involve shift-variant system matrices. One example of such an application is MRI with multiple sensitivity coils. We propose a reconstruction algorithm for wavelet regularized SENSE MR image reconstruction that exploits the spatial localization of the wavelet basis and the shift-variant behavior of the MR system matrix to accelerate algorithm convergence. Our results indicate that the proposed method is faster than state-of-the-art variable splitting algorithms in terms of convergence speed for a SENSE-type reconstruction problem even when the variable splitting methods are tuned carefully. Unlike variable splitting methods, the proposed method requires no convergence parameter tuning.
A modular YLSI design of a CMOS Hamming network

The authors describe a modular VLSI approach for the design and implementation of an optimum classifier Hamming network. A practical combination of digital and analog circuits is proposed to implement the neural network. The network consists of a digital single-layer perceptron followed by an analog winner-take-all circuit. The size and number of exemplar patterns that can be stored in the network are ideally unlimited due to the modularity of the design. >
Electron microscopic study of tropomyosin binding to actin filaments reveals tethered molecules representing weak binding.

Abstract The binding of tropomyosin (Tm) to actin filaments was studied using the rotary shadowing technique. Electron micrographs showed, in addition to free Tm molecules, some Tm molecules bound to actin filaments at only one end creating “tethered molecules.” The ratio of free and bound Tm was determined by comparing densities of free Tm molecules in micrographs with those in Tm alone specimens. At a 1 to 7 ratio of 17 nMchicken gizzard Tm (gTm) and 120 nMactin filaments, the sum of the tethered (7%) and the free was only 29% of total Tm. The missing Tm molecules are likely to be those bound to actin filaments lengthwise and not visualized by the technique. At a lower ratio of Tm (3 nM) to actin (120 nM), the majority of bound Tm appeared to be tethered. At a lower actin concentration but a higher ratio of Tm (12 nM) to actin (24 nM), 57% of bound Tm appeared to be tethered. The populations of free and tethered molecules were also affected by different salt and glycerol concentrations or type of Tm used: more with rabbit skeletal (sTm) than with gTm. The tethering indicates that the interaction of Tm molecules to actin filaments is stronger at one end than at the rest of the molecule. The bundling of actin filaments was observed under certain conditions (e.g., ∼2 μMactin and ∼0.5 μMsTm), suggesting that both ends of Tm molecules can bind to actin filaments but one end binds much more weakly than the other. All of these observations support the fact that free and tethered molecules are under rapid equilibrium and that incidental encounter of the ends of two tethered Tm molecules which are at the right positions, or of one tethered and a free molecule, would strengthen the remaining actin binding site(s), resulting in tight binding, thus, the tethered molecules represent a weak form of binding.
The Relationship Between Serum Neuron-Specific Enolase Levels and Severity of Bleeding and Functional Outcomes in Patients With Nontraumatic Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND The value of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) in predicting clinical outcomes has been investigated in a variety of neurological disorders. OBJECTIVE To investigate the associations of serum NSE with severity of bleeding and functional outcomes in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the records of patients with SAH from June 2008 to June 2012. The severity of SAH bleeding at admission was measured radiographically with the Fisher scale and clinically with the Glasgow Coma Scale, Hunt and Hess grade, and World Federation of Neurologic Surgeons scale. Outcomes were assessed with the modified Rankin Scale at discharge. RESULTS We identified 309 patients with nontraumatic SAH, and 71 had NSE testing. Median age was 54 years (range, 23-87 years), and 44% were male. In multivariable analysis, increased NSE was associated with a poorer Hunt and Hess grade (P = .003), World Federation of Neurologic Surgeons scale score (P < .001), and Glasgow Coma Scale score (P = .003) and worse outcomes (modified Rankin Scale at discharge; P = .001). There was no significant association between NSE level and Fisher grade (P = .81) in multivariable analysis. CONCLUSION We found a significant association between higher NSE levels and poorer clinical presentations and worse outcomes. Although it is still early for any relevant clinical conclusions, our results suggest that NSE holds promise as a tool for screening patients at increased risk of poor outcomes after SAH.
Rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) model of Helicobacter pylori: noninvasive detection and derivation of specific-pathogen-free monkeys.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Development of the rhesus monkey model of Helicobacter pylori has been hampered by problems with serodetection and by the difficulty of identifying specific-pathogen (Helicobacter)-free animals. Our purpose was to determine whether detection could be improved and to determine if pathogen-free monkeys could be derived by nursery rearing. METHODS: An enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA) and a [14C]urea breath test were compared to endoscopy to determine H. pylori infection status in rhesus macaques; 18 animals were hand raised in the nursery to determine whether pathogen-free animals could be selected. RESULTS: Helicobacter pylori infection was common in colony-raised young rhesus monkeys and was nearly universal by adulthood. Serodetection, using antigen from rhesus-derived H. pylori strains, was 95% sensitive and 94% specific. The [14C]urea breath test was 96% sensitive and 88% specific for detection of chronic Helicobacter infection in rhesus monkeys. Segregation of newborn animals within the first 24 h of life was a reliable method to obtain pathogen-free rhesus monkeys. CONCLUSION: Isolation of specific-pathogen-free animals, together with better detection methods, may improve the value of the rhesus monkey model for the study of H. pylori pathogenesis, immune response, and vaccine development.
The Contributions of the Ombudsman to Human Rights in Latin America, 1982–2011

Democratic institutions, ranging from constitutional provisions and electoral rules to judiciaries, have been important in improving the rights of citizens across the world. If institutions matter for human rights, then it stands to reason that institutions built specifically to protect human rights, like the human rights ombudsman, should matter too. Using a comparative case study approach, this article examines the effect of the human rights ombudsman at the regional level on several human rights measures in Latin America between 1982 and 2011. The results suggest that the presence of an ombudsman, and some of its design features, have had effects on some social and economic rights, in keeping with the broad mandate given to this office.
Search for Low-Energy Gamma Rays in O 16

In the expectation that at least one low-energy transition from the fourth excited state of ${\mathrm{O}}^{16}$ may compete to an observable extent with the 7.11-Mev ground-state transition, a search was made for the 0.97 Mev (${1}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ \ensuremath{\rightarrow} ${3}^{\ensuremath{-}}$) and the 1.05 Mev (${1}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ \ensuremath{\rightarrow} ${0}^{+}$) gamma rays. Limiting values, $\frac{I(7.11)}{I(0.97)}\ensuremath{\gtrsim}200$ and $\frac{I(7.11)}{I(1.05)}\ensuremath{\gtrsim}370$, were found for the branching ratios.
Considering the Basis of Accounting for CO2 Mole Fractions in Ionic Liquids and Its Influence on the Interpretation of Solution Nonideality

Does the common use of a particular basis of accounting lead to an overstatement of the solubilities of CO2 and other gases in ionic liquids (ILs)? Consequently, is further discussion needed in judging the positive or negative deviations from ideality for CO2–IL solutions? Here, an alternative framework for mole fraction accounting previously proposed is more thoroughly considered. The results suggest that ILs tend to exhibit positive deviations from Raoult’s Law when the cation and anion are taken as distinct molecular entities. An analysis of the influence of the variables associated with calculating CO2 mole fractions in ILs is provided which illustrates the large effects of solvent molecular weight on the calculations leading to the judgment of deviation from Raoult’s Law.
In-flight source noise of an advanced full-scale single-rotation propeller

Flight tests to define the far field tone source at cruise conditions were completed on the full scale SR-7L advanced turboprop which was installed on the left wing of a Gulfstream II aircraft. This program, designated Propfan Test Assessment (PTA), involved aeroacoustic testing of the propeller over a range of test conditions. These measurements defined source levels for input into long distance propagation models to predict en route noise. Inflight data were taken for 7 test cases. The sideline directivities measured by the Learjet showed expected maximum levels near 105 degrees from the propeller upstream axis. However, azimuthal directivities based on the maximum observed sideline tone levels showed highest levels below the aircraft. An investigation of the effect of propeller tip speed showed that the tone level of reduction associated with reductions in propeller tip speed is more significant in the horizontal plane than below the aircraft.
The Boundaries of Manners: Ritual and Etiquette in Early Confucianism and Stohr’s On Manners

Early Confucian philosophy affirms and lends support to Karen Stohr’s argument that manners are a primary means by which we express moral attitudes and commitments and carry out important moral goals. Indeed, Confucian views on ritual can extend her insights even further, both by highlighting the role that manners play in cultivating good character and by helping us to probe the conceptual boundaries of manners. The various things that we call etiquette, social customs, and rituals (all of which the Confucians saw as expressions of li 禮 “ritual”) do much of the same work for us, ethically, and this work not only expresses moral attitudes and commitments, but cultivates them as well. Accordingly, Confucian thinkers can help us to recognize how Stohr’s argument can be applied more broadly than etiquette, and how good manners both express and cultivate good character.
Perturbation of charges in AlGaN/GaN heterostructures studied by nanoscale capacitance-voltage technique

Perturbation of charges at the surface and interface of AlGaN/GaN heterostructures has been studied by quantitative nanoscale capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements. The nanoscale C-V curves were found to have different slopes in the forward and reverse directions. These measurements indicate a change in confinement of the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at the AlGaN/GaN interface depending on the direction of the dc voltage sweep during C-V measurements, which can be explained by surface state charging and discharging during the bias sweep. Under UV illumination, the density of the 2DEG increased significantly as inferred from the increase in threshold voltage of the nanoscale C-V scans, and no change in 2DEG confinement, depending on the direction of the bias sweep, was observed.
Effects of Surface Heterogeneity on the Adsorption of CO2 in Microporous Carbons

Carbon capture combined with utilization and storage has the potential to serve as a near-term option for CO2 emissions reduction. CO2 capture by carbon-based sorbents and CO2 storage in geologic formations such as coal and shale both require a thorough understanding of the CO2 adsorption properties in microporous carbon-based materials. Complex pore structures for natural organic materials, such as coal and gas shale, in addition to general carbon-based porous materials are modeled as a collection of independent, noninterconnected, functionalized graphitic slit pores with surface heterogeneities. Electronic structure calculations coupled with van der Waals-inclusive corrections have been performed to investigate the electronic properties of functionalized graphitic surfaces. With Bader charge analysis, electronic structure calculations can provide the initial framework comprising both the geometry and corresponding charge information required to carry out statistical modeling. Grand canonical Monte Carlo...
Di-μ-chlorido-bis­[(2,2′-bi­pyridine-κ2N,N′)chlorido(N,N-di­methyl­formamide-κO)nickel(II)]

The title compound, [Ni2Cl2(μ-Cl)2(C10H8N2)2(C3H7NO)2], exists as a centrosymmetric dimer of two octa­hedral nickel centers. In the crystal, two chloride ions bridge the two nickel centers with one terminal chloride ion bound to each nickel atom. Coupled with a chelating bi­pyridine ligand and an O-bound N,N-di­methyl­formamide solvent mol­ecule, each nickel center exhibits an slightly distorted octa­hedral coordination environment. The meridional chloride ions all sit in equatorial positions, with the bi­pyridine ligand occupying one equatorial and one axial position, and the N,N-di­methyl­formamide ligand occupying the final axial position. The 2,2′-bi­pyridine ligand binds to nickel in a near planar fashion, with the non-H atoms possessing a mean devation from planarity of 0.046 A. No π–π inter­actions are observed in the crystal.
The Arabidopsis embryonic shoot fate map

A fate map has been constructed for the shoot apical region of the embryo of the dicotyledonous plant Arabidopsis thaliana using spontaneously arising clonal albino sectors caused by the chloroplast mutator 1–2 mutation. Chimeric seedlings exhibiting albino sectors shared between the cotyledons and first true leaves revealed patterns of organ inclusion and exclusion. Frequencies of clone sharing were used to calculate developmental distances between organs based on the frequency of clonal sectors failing to extend between different organs. The resulting fate map shows asymmetry in the developmental distances between the cotyledons (embryonic leaves) which in turn predicts the location of the first post-germination leaf and the handedness of the spiral of leaf placement around the central stem axis in later development. The map suggests that embryonic leaf fate specification in the cotyledons may represent a developmental ground state necessary for the formation of the shoot apical meristem.