cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
I-TRAP: A method to identify transcriptional regulator activated promoters

The differential expression of virulence genes is often used by microbial pathogens in adapting to the environment of their host. The differential expression of such sets of genes can be regulated by RNA polymerase sigma factors. Some sigma factors are differentially expressed, which can provide a means to identifying other differentially expressed genes such as those whose expression are controlled by the sigma factor. To identify sigma factor-regulated genes, we developed a method, termed I-TRAP, for the identification of transcriptional regulator activated promoters. The I-TRAP method is based on the fact that some genes will be differentially expressed in the presence and absence of a transcriptional regulator. I-TRAP uses a DNA library in a promoter-trap vector that contains two reporter genes, one to allow the selection of active promoters in the presence of the transcriptional regulator and a second to allow screening for promoter activity in the absence of the transcriptional regulator. To illustrate the development and use of the I-TRAP approach, the construction of the vectors, host strains, and library necessary to identify SigmaE-regulated genes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is described. The I-TRAP method should be a versatile and useful method for identifying and characterizing promoter activity under a variety of conditions and in response to various regulatory proteins. In our study, we isolated 360 clones that may contain plasmids carrying SigmaE-regulated promoters genes of M. tuberculosis.
Estimation for bilinear stochastic systems

In this paper we consider several applications of bilinear stochastic models in which state estimation is an important problem. Bilinear stochastic models occur naturally in many communication problems, including noisy oscillators and phase-lock loops, in which the system evolves on the circle Sl. Similar models arise in the estimation of the position of an orbiting body (in which the state evolves on the 2-sphere S2) and in the estimation of the orientation of a rotating rigid body (which evolves on SO(3)).
Thyroxine Stimulation of Protein Synthesis in Vitro in the Absence of Mitochondria

Abstract Thyroxine stimulates microsomal protein synthesis in vitro in the absence of mitochondria. Contrary to the reports of other investigators (Sokoloff, L., and Kaufman, S., J. Biol. Chem., 236, 795 (1961)), a stimulatory effect is observed when mitochondria are replaced by a phosphocreatine ATP-generating system if an appropriate Mg++ concentration is used. The effect observed in mitochondria-free systems is independent of changes in ATP concentration during the incubation. These findings imply that a significant contribution of mitochondria in previously reported protein synthetic systems relates to a capacity to generate ATP. The elimination of mitochondria as a requisite for thyroxine-stimulated protein synthesis simplifies future investigations of the mechanism of such stimulation in subcellular systems.
A self stabilizing underwater sub-surface inspection robot using hydrodynamic ground effect

In this paper we present a unique self stabilizing ellipsoidal robot for inspection of underwater structures using the principles of ground effect. Underwater metal structures - whether it is ship hulls or internals of a boiling water reactor - require subsurface inspection to detect internal cracks, hidden cavities and other structural damage. This is usually done with on-contact ultrasonic sensors, a slow process if the structure is not sufficiently smooth. However, ultrasound can also be used with a precisely controlled gap. Such precision is challenging relying solely on actuators for control. This paper exploits near surface hydrodynamics to self stabilize a body at a precise gap. Specifically we show how boundary layer and venturi effects combine to create a stable, zero force position at a very small distance from the surface - conceptually similar to air bearings sliders on hard disk drives. Below the stable point lift force dominates, while above it Venturi suction prevails, each bringing the body back to equilibrium. Limitations in the restoring force are considered in the stability analysis included in the paper. This self stabilization method opens a whole new door for non-contact subsurface inspection of underwater structures by autonomous vehicles as well as precision distance maintenance in underwater environment. Here we present our initial analysis and preliminary experimental results for the method when used with an ellipsoidal robot.
How We Remember: Brain Mechanisms of Episodic Memory

Episodic memory proves essential for daily function, allowing us to remember where we parked the car, what time we walked the dog, or what a friend said earlier. In How We Remember, Michael Hasselmo draws on recent developments in neuroscience to present a new model describing the brain mechanisms for encoding and remembering such events as spatiotemporal trajectories. He reviews physiological breakthroughs on the regions implicated in episodic memory, including the discovery of grid cells, the cellular mechanisms of persistent spiking and resonant frequency, and the topographic coding of space and time. These discoveries inspire a theory for understanding the encoding and retrieval of episodic memory not just as discrete snapshots but as a dynamic replay of spatiotemporal trajectories, allowing us to "retrace our steps" to recover a memory. In the main text of the book, he presents the model in narrative form, accessible to scholars and advanced undergraduates in many fields. In the appendix, he presents the material in a more quantitative style, providing mathematical descriptions appropriate for advanced undergraduates and graduate students in neuroscience or engineering.
Interleukin-15 contributes to decidual natural killer cell loss via interferon-γ during early pregnancy in the pre-eclamptic BPH/5 mouse model (1083.1)

During early pregnancy dNK cells promote decidualization, which is critical for uterine angiogenesis and placentation. IL-15 activates dNK cells, which release IFN-γ to orchestrate vessel remodelin...
Interplay Of Magnetism And Superconductivity In Cecoin 5

CeCoIn5 is a heavy fermion superconductor which appears to be straddling the boundary between the superconducting and magnetic ground states. At the superconducting critical field Hc2 this material displays NFL behavior in transport and thermodynamic properties, pointing to a QCP at Hc2, and hinting at the presence of magnetic fluctuations, probably due to an AFM order superseded by the superconductivity. In the High-Field-Low-Temperature (HFLT) corner of the superconducting phase of CeCoIn5, within 20% off Hc2, an additional phase appears within the superconducting phase, and the normal-to-superconducting transition itself becomes first order. This behavior is consistent with a strong Pauli limited superconductivity, and the low temperature high field phase being an inhomogeneous superconducting FFLO phase. Recent NMR experiments, however, point to a distribution of magnetic field on the scale of the crystallographic unit cell, and not on the scale of the superconducting coherence length expected of an FFLO order. Experiments on CeRhIn5 under pressure show magnetic field induced AFM order within the superconducting phase, with some similarities to the phase diagram of CeCoIn5. Could the HFLT phase transition be due to magnetic order? We need a picture of a magnetism “attracted” to superconductivity to explain the data on the HFLT phase in CeCoIn5.
Playing Tough: The World of Sports and Politics

Playing Tough is an entertaining and thoroughly enlightening look at the unique and surprisingly outsized role that sports have played in politics and history. Ever since the bread and circuses of Rome, sports have been used as a tool to entertain the masses and to instill civic pride. Abrams shows both the positive and the negative ways in which sports and politics have coalesced, from the rabid nationalism of the 1936 Nazi Olympics, the political grudge match of the Louis and Schmeling fights, and the "futbol war" between Honduras and Costa Rica to the inspiring stories of South Africa's rugby nation-building and Muhammad Ali's brave antiwar stance, which nearly cost him his career. Abrams is an informed and impassioned writer who chronicles the profoundly creative and destructive influence that sports have on the political life of our nation and the world. This book will be of interest to any and all sports and politics enthusiasts and is a wonderful introduction for course creation and adoption.
Amplitude analysis of pion-nucleus scattering

A technique is described for obtaining the partial-wave analysis of elastic scattering of pions from a spin-zero nucleus. Unitarity is not imposed as a mathematical constraint, so that the system of equations to be solved is relatively simple. As an illustration, the method is applied to ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}$-$^{16}\mathrm{O}$ elastic scattering at 50 MeV.
A New Methodological Approach for Studying Moral Reasoning Among Managers in Business Settings

The introduction and validation of a new instrument, The Moral Reasoning Inventory, designed to measure an individuals’ moral reasoning (MR) in response to two moral dilemmas within a business setting is the subject of this article. The instrument consists of two moral dilemma scenarios with eight MR statements. Two measurement scales were used for analyzing patterns of individual responses: the strength of belief in the reasons and the importance of those reasons for resolving the dilemma. Managers enrolled in a part-time MBA program were administered the new instrument. Data analysis clearly supported the effectiveness of the instrument to differentiate patterns of consistency in MR within decision groups.
Generalizability of speechreading performance on nonsense syllables, words, and sentences : Subjects with normal hearing

Ninety-six adults with normal hearing viewed three types of recorded speechreading materials (consonant-vowel nonsense syllables, isolated words, and sentences) on 2 days. Responses to nonsense syl...
Environmental modulation of same-sex affiliative behavior in female meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus).

Abstract The effects of temperature and food availability on social bonds and group formation are poorly understood. Because seasonal transitions in female social behavior facilitate the assembly of winter groups in meadow voles, we explored the role of same-sex female associations in winter sociality. To examine the effects of winter typical environmental conditions on same-sex female affiliative behavior, paired female meadow voles were housed in varying combinations of day length, temperature, and food availability for 7 weeks and then tested for social preference. In short days (SDs), lower ambient temperature increased huddling with unfamiliar females without interfering with existing social bonds, whereas lower temperature disrupted the retention of bonds in long days (LDs). Mild food restriction with no discernible effects on body mass enhanced affiliative behavior in SDs, but not LDs. A second experiment examined the effects of sex and day length on the propensity to aggregate with unfamiliar same-sex voles. Compared to LD females and SD males, SD females spent more time in group huddles with unfamiliar voles and displayed no social preference. These outcomes indicate that winter-like conditions enhance affiliative behavior between females and that pre-existing social bonds do not preclude integration into new winter social groups. The adaptive value of these behaviors is discussed.
ENTRAINMENT OF HUMAN ORCADIAN RHYTHMS BY LIGHT‐DARK CYCLES: A REASSESSMENT

— Man is the only eukaryotic organism in which it has been reported that the circadian system cannot be entrained to a 24-h period by a simple light-dark (LD) cycle. In this paper, we reexamine the evidence for that claim and demonstrate that there were some fundamental flaws in the experimental design of the previous studies on which this conclusion was based. We report new studies in which we tested the efficacy of LD cycles in entraining the circadian rhythms of human subjects living in isolation from environmental time cues. We found that the cyclic alternation of light and dark, when applied to human subjects in a comparable way to experiments in other species, was an effective entraining agent. Our results and a critical review of the literature indicate that a LD cycle alone can be an effective environmental synchronizer of the human circadian timing system. Other factors, such as the knowledge of time of day, social contacts, the feeding schedule, and the imposed rest-activity schedule may contribute to stable entrainment, although their relative strengths as synchronizers have yet to be determined.
Teaching Computer Software Skills: Matching Teaching and Learning Styles

This study investigates whether matching teaching approach with student preferred learning style is importantat the undergraduate level. The results suggest that there is a significant association between three areas (1) traditional in‐class and self‐paced teaching approaches,(2) individuals’ preferred learning styles defined as nstructor‐dependent and independent study, and (3)computer skills proficiency. It appears that students who worked independently developed tools necessary to achieve the same level of skill mastery as students who relied on in‐class instruction and instructor assistance, and there was no significant difference between the two groups in the amount of time spent in completing assignments.The results support the idea that students are likely to learn best, in terms of effectiveness and efficiency, when the teaching method most compatible with each student’s choice of learning style is used.
Optoelectronic Tweezers for quantitative assessment of embryo developmental stage

Successful in vitro fertilization (IVF) requires that only the top ∼1–2 healthiest embryos are transferred to the uterus. The current gold standard is to select only the most developmentally advanced embryos for uterine transfer. This approach is solely qualitative and consequently has limited sensitivity and specificity. A quantitative approach, if more sensitive, would greatly improve IVF outcomes. We assess the response of mouse embryos to Optoelectronic Tweezers (OET) throughout key stages in their early development, and demonstrate that OET can serve as a means to quantitatively guide identification of the most developed (i.e. likeliest to be healthy) embryos, following IVF.
Evidence of shared, direct input to motoneurons supplying synergist muscles in humans.

Abstract Cross-correlation techniques were used to test for the presence of shared, direct input to motoneurons innervating different synergist elbow flexor muscles in man. Motor unit activity was recorded intramuscularly from two elbow flexor muscles during steady isometric elbow flexion in normal and paretic subjects. To increase the probability of detecting weak synchrony, one of the intramuscular needles was positioned to record multiunit activity. Significant correlogram peaks were obtained in 25 57 runs in normal subjects, and the features of the correlograms were similar to those previously reported based on cross-correlation of two single units within the same muscle. Further, the characteristics of discharge synchrony measured in paretic stroke patients are consistent with other reports on the effects of stroke on synchrony among motoneurons belonging to the same pool, i.e. narrow correlogram peaks were rare in paretic subjects and significant correlogram peaks often had longer than normal durations.
The Moral Dignity of Inductive Method and the Reconciliation of Science and Faith in Adam Sedgwick’s Discourse

Science’s inductive method required patient, humble and self-controlled behavior; Christian revelation demanded the same virtues. The discoveries of science and the truths of scripture would always harmonize as long as both men of science and men of faith conducted themselves in scrupulous accordance with their duty. So ran a central argument in A Discourse on the studies of the university (1833; 5th ed, 1850) by Adam Sedgwick (1785–1873), the longtime professor of geology at the University of Cambridge. This sanctification of the inductive method provided the foundation for a theistic science which (in theory) did not subordinate scientific theory to religious doctrine. This vision provided the foundation for Sedgwick’s lifelong crusade against all forms of evolutionary theory. Evolution’s impiety, he insisted, resulted from (and exacerbated) a failure to behave inductively. The fact that Sedgwick (in principle if not always in practice) elevated norms of behavior above systems of belief had an important and paradoxical consequence. Even though his personal hatred of evolution never cooled, his Discourse nonetheless provided a dominant model for younger theists to reconcile faith with Charles Darwin’s evolutionary theory.
ACP Journal Club: allopurinol during acute gout attacks did not differ from delayed allopurinol for pain or recurrence.

Source Citation Taylor TH, Mecchella JN, Larson RJ, Kerin KD, Mackenzie TA. Initiation of allopurinol at first medical contact for acute attacks of gout: a randomized clinical trial. Am J Med. 2012...
Axonopathy and microangiopathy in chronic alloxan diabetes

A significant reduction in the myelinated nerve fiber population was observed during quantitative electron-microscopic examination of peripheral nerves in chronic alloxan diabetic rats. Dystrophic axonal abnormalities and regenerating fibers were more numerous in diabetics than age-matched controls. Schwann cells showed reactive changes including prominent pi granules of Reich and intracytoplasmic filament accumulation. Enumeration of these alterations, however, revealed no singificant difference from controls. Endoneurial macrophages in diabetic rats were also filled with lamellar intracytoplasmic inclusions characteristic of a chronic neuropathy. Quantitation of pathologic lesions in teased nerve fibers confirmed the preponderance of axonal over demyelinative disease and showed demyelination to be segmental.
Isolation, purification and properties of 5 s ribosomal RNA: a new species of cellular RNA.

The isolation procedure for a new species of ribosomal RNA is described. The name 5 s ribosomal RNA is proposed for this component. It has been found to occur in ribosome preparations from many different organisms. Approximately one molecule of 5 s rRNA is associated with the ribosome. It has a chain length of 120 in ribosomes from Escherichia coli and 148 in ribosomes from Blastocladiella emersonii . The major base composition is similar to transfer RNA but no methylated bases can be detected. We have estimated that about 0.5 residue of pseudouridine occurs per molecule. Other physical and chemical properties are described.
Test of the gravitational redshift effect at Saturn.

The results of a test of the gravitational redshift effect at Saturn are reported. Measurements of the redshift were obtained with the Voyager 1 spacecraft during its encounter with Saturn in 1980. Because the spacecraft was equipped with an ultrastable crystal oscillator (USO), it is possible to test the redshift effect at an interesting level of accuracy. Assuming that radiation in the Saturn magnetosphere has had a negligible effect on the USO, the prediction of general relativity to an accuracy of 1 percent is verified. This limit could be of interest for constraining possible alternative theories of gravity.
Mold filling analysis in vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding. Part II: SCRIMP based on grooves

Compared with SCRIMP based on the high-permeable medium, SCRIMP based on grooves has the advantage of a much higher mold filling rate. This paper analyzes the influences of various molding conditions on mold filling and presents models that can be used to predict the filling time and flow pattern in SCRIMP based on grooves. Mold filling experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of various factors such as the size of the groove, groove spacing, number of fiber layers and resin viscosity on mold filling. A leakage flow model was developed to simplify the simulation of the mold filling process in SCRIMP based on grooves. An “equivalent permeability” was introduced to represent the average flow capacity in the grooves. Compared with the Control Volume/Finite Element Method (CV/FEM) model, the leakage flow model greatly reduced computation time and yet provided simulation results that were in good agreement with experimental observations.
Pharmacological and therapeutic efficacy of rubidazone in mice. Comparison with daunomycin and adriamycin

Abstract The pharmacological and therapeutic effects of rubidazone, the benzoyl-hydrazone chlorhydrate of daunorubicin (DNR), were compared with those of DNR and adriamycin (ADM) on an equimolar basis in an experimental animal system. The initial plasma levels of rubidazone fluorescence appeared to be higher than those of DNR and ADM but reached a similar level in 30 min . Tissue levels of these compounds were essentially similar except in the spleen and kidney where rubidazone and DNR levels were substantially higher than ADM. The patterns of in vitro uptake of rubidazone into L 1210 murine leukemic cells were of a mixed type as seen in DNR and ADM, namely, rapid initial uptake followed by gradual progressive increase. Decreased DNR fluorescence at later hours suggested an efflux of the compound. Rubidazone and DNR retention in L 1210 cells in vivo decreased rapidly in the initial hours and rubidazone displayed the lowest fluorescence retention of the 3 compounds. Therapeutic effects on mice bearing L 1210 leukemia were on the order of ADM > rubidazone ≧ DNR. The therapeutic effects of the 3 compounds were universally decreased in immunosuppressed mice bearing L 1210 leukemia. A slower rate of fluorescence decay from tumor cells during the first hours after drug administration appeared to be the only parameter correlated with the therapeutic superiority of ADM.
Solvent composition effects on the retention characteristics of aromatic hydroxyl compounds with silica and polar mobile phases and interpretation by the snyder model

Abstract Equations from the Snyder chromatographic model were used to interpret the retention data of aromatic hydroxyl compounds on a high-performance silica column. A number of n-heptane 2-propanol and n-heptane-ethyl acetate mobile phases were used to obtain retention data. It was found that plots of log capacity factor (k′) vs. solvent strength and log k′ vs. log mole fraction of the strong solvent showed good linearity for all solutes studied. The slopes of log k′ vs. solvent strength were used to show that the solutes localized or were hydrogen bonding on the stationary phase. Also, the slopes from various plots were used to obtain experimental molecular areas (As) of the solutes. The As values were compared a number of ways and the results showed that it was important to consider both the localization of the solutes and the polar mobile phases. In addition, the theoretical chromatographic models correlated better with the data from the ethyl acetate binary mobile phases compared to the data from the 2-propanol binary mobile phases.
Consumer growth efficiencies: Their limits and relationships to ecological energetics

Abstract The relationship between biophage ecological efficiencies and growth efficiencies of individual animals is shown. The calculated theoretical maximum growth efficiencies are 82–88% for heterotherms and 53–56% for homeotherms. The factors that cause lowered observed growth efficiencies ( x = 53% for heterotherms) are discussed.
Annexin V forms calcium-dependent trimeric units on phospholipid vesicles

The quaternary structure of annexin V, a calcium-dependent phospholipid binding protein, was investigated by chemical cross-linking. Calcium was found to induce the formation of trimers, hexamers, and higher aggregates only when anionic phospholipids were present. Oligomerization occurred under the same conditions annexin-vesicle binding. A model is proposed in which cell stimulation leads to calcium-induced organization of arrays of annexin V lining the inner membrane surface, thus altering properties such as permeability and fluidity.
Mechanistic dichotomies in Pd catalyzed enyne metathesis of cyclic olefins

Abstract Evidence is presented to support the interpretation that the intramolecular enyne metathesis catalyzed by a novel palladacyclopentadiene catalyst leads to fused bicycles via two possible isomeric cyclobutene intermediates which are related by H shift.
Aortic recoarctation at rest versus at exercise in children as evaluated by stress Doppler echocardiography after a good operative result

The mechanism for exercise systolic hypertension after a "good" operative repair of coarctation of the aorta remains speculative. Twenty-four children (mean age +/- SD 10.3 +/- 3.8 years) were studied with continuous-wave Doppler echocardiography while they performed continuous, graded, maximal treadmill exercise. Patients were free of "recoarctation" based on conventional resting echocardiography. Measurements of ascending and descending aortic peak instantaneous systolic velocity were obtained at rest, throughout exercise and during recovery. Results were compared with 24 age- and gender-matched control subjects. Fifteen patients were normotensive (group 1) (peak systolic blood pressure, 147 +/- 21 mm Hg) and 9 developed systolic hypertension during exercise (group 2) (196 +/- 32 mm Hg) (p < 0.05) (control subjects, 143 +/- 21 mm Hg). Descending aortic peak systolic velocity at rest ranged from 1.50 +/- 0.27 m/s in the control group to 2.57 +/- 0.57 m/s (group 1) and 2.93 +/- 0.43 m/s (group 2) (p < 0.05, group 2 vs control). Differences were amplified at peak exercise with systolic velocity increasing to 4.26 +/- 0.61 m/s in group 2 but only to 3.61 +/- 0.70 m/s in group 1 and 2.26 +/- 0.38 m/s in control subjects (p < 0.05, group 2 vs group 1 and control). Seven patients developed a descending aortic diastolic velocity during exercise. Stepwise linear regression analysis identified 2 variables to be significant determinants of peak exercise systolic blood pressure in the "total" patient group: (1) age at exercise testing, and (2) descending aortic peak systolic velocity at peak exercise (r2 = 0.88, p < 0.001) (group 2, alone - r2 = 0.98, p < 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Astroglial and axonal proteins in isolated brain filaments. II. Isolation of a 70 000-dalton polypeptide from bovine brain filament preparations by immunoaffinity chromatography with antineurofilament antisera

Antineurofilament antisera raised against chicken brain antigen were used to isolate neurofilament protein from bovine brain filament preparations by immunoaffinity chromatography. Glial fibrillary acidic protein, the subunit of glial filaments, passed unabsorbed through the column. The Mr 70 000 component of the neurofilament triplet was tightly absorbed to the column and essentially the only protein eluted at pH 2.5. The other two components of the triplet, of approximately 200 000 and 150 000 daltons, were less tightly attached to the column and eluted at pH 6.0 in 5 M urea.
Relationship between physical activity and health-related utility among knee osteoarthritis patients.

Objective To estimate the relationship between physical activity and health-related utility for people with knee osteoarthritis (OA) and implications for designing cost-effective interventions. Methods We used generalized estimating equation regression analysis to estimate partial association of accelerometer-measured physical activity levels with health-related utility after controlling for demographics, health status, knee OA severity level, pain, and functioning. Results Moving from the lowest to the middle tertile of physical activity level was associated with a 0.071 (P < 0.01) increase in health-related utility after controlling for demographics and a 0.036 (P < 0.05) increase in utility after controlling for demographics, health status, knee OA severity level, weight, pain, and functional impairments. Conclusion Intervention programs that move individuals out of the lowest tertile of physical activity have the potential to be cost effective.
Interracial Friendliness and the Social Organization of Schools

How does the social organization of American public high schools influence opportunities for interracial contact and friendship among their students? The author examines the influence of tracking differentiation, the extent to which students are separated into different academic tracks, on the degree of interracial friendliness in public high schools. Multilevel models reveal a negative relation between the degree of tracking differentiation and the probability that students observe interracial friendships. This is particularly so for vocational/technical students.
Phenotypic plasticity for skeletal growth, density and calcification of Porites lobata in response to habitat type

A reciprocal transplant experiment (RTE) of the reef-building coral Porites lobata between shallow (1.5 m at low tide) back reef and forereef habitats on Ofu and Olosega Islands, American Samoa, resulted in phenotypic plasticity for skeletal characteristics. Transplants from each source population (back reef and forereef) had higher skeletal growth rates, lower bulk densities, and higher calcification rates on the back reef than on the forereef. Mean annual skeletal extension rates, mean bulk densities, and mean annual calcification rates of RTE groups were 2.6–9.8 mm year−1, 1.41–1.44 g cm−3, and 0.37–1.39 g cm−2 year−1 on the back reef, and 1.2–4.2 mm year−1, 1.49–1.53 g cm−3, and 0.19–0.63 g cm−2 year−1 on the forereef, respectively. Bulk densities were especially responsive to habitat type, with densities of transplants increasing on the high energy forereef, and decreasing on the low energy back reef. Skeletal growth and calcification rates were also influenced by source population, even though zooxanthella genotype of source colonies did not vary between sites, and there was a transplant site x source population interaction for upward linear extension. Genetic differentiation may explain the source population effects, or the experiment may have been too brief for phenotypic plasticity of all skeletal characteristics to be fully expressed. Phenotypic plasticity for skeletal characteristics likely enables P. lobata colonies to assume the most suitable shape and density for a wide range of coral reef habitats.
Aberrant septin 11 is associated with sporadic frontotemporal lobar degeneration

Detergent-insoluble protein accumulation and aggregation in the brain is one of the pathological hallmarks of neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we describe the identification of septin 11 (SEPT11), an enriched component of detergent-resistant fractions in frontotemporal lobar degeneration with ubiquitin-immunoreactive inclusions (FTLD-U), using large-scale unbiased proteomics approaches. We developed and applied orthogonal quantitative proteomic strategies for the unbiased identification of disease-associated proteins in FTLD-U. Using these approaches, we proteomically profiled detergent-insoluble protein extracts prepared from frontal cortex of FTLD-U cases, unaffected controls, or neurologic controls (i.e. Alzheimer's disease; AD). Among the proteins altered specifically in FTLD-U, we identified TAR DNA binding protein-43 (TDP-43), a known component of ubiquitinated inclusions. Moreover, we identified additional proteins enriched in detergent-resistant fractions in FTLD-U, and characterized one of them, SEPT11, in detail. Using independent highly sensitive targeted proteomics approaches, we confirmed the enrichment of SEPT11 in FTLD-U extracts. We further showed that SEPT11 is proteolytically cleaved into N-terminal fragments and, in addition to its prominent glial localization in normal brain, accumulates in thread-like pathology in affected cortex of FTLD-U patients. The proteomic discovery of insoluble SEPT11 accumulation in FTLD-U, along with novel pathological associations, highlights a role for this cytoskeleton-associated protein in the pathogenesis of this complex disorder.
Aromatic copolyamides and copolyesters with vinylenarylene and terthiophene fragments in the polymer chain: synthesis and photophysical properties

Abstract Copolym-phenyleneisophthalamide)s and copoly(m-phenyleneisopropylidenedi-4,4'-dicarboxylate)s with fragments of 2,6-distyrylnaphthalene, 9,10-distyrylanthracene, 5,5"-distyryl-2,2':5',2"-terthiophene and 3'-dodecyl-2,2':5',2"-terthiophene have been prepared. The absorption, excitation and fluorescence spectra of these copolymers as well as corresponding model compounds were studied and compared. The photophysical properties of the investigated polymers suggest that these materials could be good candidates for the fabrication of efficient blue- and green-light-emitting diodes.
Biological control of twospotted spider mites, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), using Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseidae) on ivy geranium: assessment of predator release ratios

Abstract The effectiveness of the predatory mite, Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseidae), as a suppressive agent of the twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), was evaluated on greenhouse ivy geraniums at predator:prey release ratios of 1:60, 1:20, and 1:4. Releases at each predator:prey ratio were made at moderate and high T. urticae densities to determine if initial pest population size influenced the suppressive ability of the predator. At ratios of 1:4 and 1:20, P. persimilis significantly reduced T. urticae populations 1 week after release and kept them at low levels thereafter. Plant damage also was significantly reduced at these densities. After 4 weeks, the P. persimilis that were released at a ratio of 1:4 consistently reduced T. urticae populations from densities as high as 30 T. urticae per leaf to fewer than 0.6 per leaf. We found no interaction between release ratio and T. urticae density, indicating that predator effectiveness remains constant, at least within the range of T. urticae densities used. Our work demonstrates the potential of P. persimilis to provide effective control of T. urticae on a greenhouse-grown floricultural crop at a moderately low predator:prey ratio (1:20) and over a range of initial pest densities. However, we recommend that P. persimilis be released at a ratio of 1:4 for greatest reliability and successful control of T. urticae on ivy geraniums.
A Unified Estimation-Theoretic Framework for Error-Resilient Scalable Video Coding

A novel scalable video coding (SVC) scheme is proposed for video transmission over loss networks, which builds on an estimation-theoretic (ET) framework for optimal prediction and error concealment, given all available information from both the current base layer and prior enhancement layer frames. It incorporates a recursive end-to-end distortion estimation technique, namely, the \imp{spectral coefficient-wise optimal recursive estimate} (SCORE), which accounts for all ET operations and tracks the first and second moments of decoder reconstructed transform coefficients. The overall framework enables optimization of ET-SVC systems for transmission over lossy networks, while accounting for all relevant conditions including the effects of quantization, channel loss, concealment, and error propagation. It thus resolves longstanding difficulties in combining truly optimal prediction and concealment with optimal end-to-end distortion and error-resilient SVC coding decisions. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed scheme offers substantial performance gains over existing error-resilient SVC systems, under a wide range of packet loss and bit rates.
Consequences against Community Development from Political Unrest: Evidenced by "La Guerra Sucia" in Lima, Perú

La Guerra Sucia ( The Dirty War) was lead by a Marxist group called Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) in Peru, beginning in 1980. The goal of Sendero was to invade rural communities, gain followers (whether by choice or by force), and eventually take over the government to restore the social order. The movement was extremely violent, but the government attempted to stem the movement by committing numerous atrocities and war crimes. This caused immense distrust and fear of both sides among the inhabitants of rural Peruvean communities. As a result, refugees fled to major cities such as Lima, where they built new lives for themselves wherever there was available space. This article discusses the war and migration of the populace from rural to urban spaces, and then examines the disparities in development between resulting communities and what factors caused them.
Risk based voltage security assessment

The objective of this paper is to provide a risk-based approach to security assessment for a voltage stability constrained power system. It is motivated by a perception that today's deterministic reliability criteria to voltage stability assessment often results in operating restrictions that are not commensurate with the corresponding level of risk. The risk calculation provided in this paper accounts for both the future uncertainties on the system and the consequences associated with voltage collapse and violation of limits. Although the main purpose of this paper is to provide a method of evaluation, they also give an introduction to show how this reliability "leading indicator" penetrates the traditional rigid reliability boundary and how it may be used to price reliability in order to make a trade off between reliability and economics.
Shortened fifth medial phalanges

A radiographic study was made of the left fifth medial phalanges of 200 Philadelphia Negro and 96 Chinese children. Twelve cases of abnormal shortening of this bone (defined, for the present, as less than half the length of the fourth medial phalanx) were found in the Chinese sample, while none were found in the Negroes. This trait, brachymesophalangy 5, in general seems to be characterized by short but well proportioned diaphyses and cone-shaped epiphyses with very early union. Population surveys reported in the literature indicate that this trait is considerably more common in Mongoloid and American Indian populations than in Whites or Negroes. The mode of inheritance of this genetic trait is uncertain, but present evidence indicates that it may be a simple autosomal recessive.
Dual governmetn for metropolitan regions

Large cities are now the centers of wide metropolitan regions suffering from lack of a common government for their common needs. Outright annexation of suburban territory cannot be accomplished except by arbitrary action by the state legislature. A municipal government for the whole area organized on the borough plan promises to be the best solution.
The spectrum of particles created during homogeneous tunneling

Abstract This paper considers particle creation for a free scalar field on an homogeneous instanton, emphasizing the differences from particle creation in a lorentzian spacetime. These differences reflect the nonunitary evolution, manifest as an “arrow of time”, which implies that, in a well-defined sense, the field tends to evolve towards a preferred final state, a state which oftentimes is characterized by a “thermal factor”, at least for high frequencies.
Safety as a system property

When computers are used to control potentially dangerous devices, new issues and concerns are raised for software engineering. Simply focusing on building software that matches its specifications is not enough. Accidents occur even when the individual system components are highly reliable and have not “failed.” That is, accidents in complex systems often arise in the interactions among the system components, each one operating according to its specified behavior but together creating a hazardous system state.
Early tolerability and safety of fingolimod in clinical practice

Background Fingolimod is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to reduce relapses and disability progression in relapsing forms of MS. Several screening studies and a first-dose observation (FDO) period are recommended due to adverse effects observed in clinical trials.
A comparative study of antiestrogen action: temporal patterns of antagonism of estrogen stimulated uterine growth and effects on estrogen receptor levels.

Studies were undertaken to ascertain the effects of structural modification of two well-known antiestrogens (CI-628 and U-ll,100A) on their estrogenic and antiestrogenic potencies and temporal patterns of effectiveness in the immature rat uterus. Changes in the chemical structures of these antiestrogens produce compounds with markedly different affinities for the uterine estrogen receptor as measured in an in vitro cell-free cytosol system; binding affinities relative to estradiol (100%) are: CI-628, 4% CI-680, 34% 94X1127 (94X), 222% U-ll,100A (UA), 6% and U-23,469 (U-23), 0.1%. Although all five antiestrogens (daily injections of 50 μg over three days) appear equally effective in stimulating 72 h uterine weight when given alone, or in blocking the estradiol-stimulated weight increase when given with estradiol, marked differences in their potencies are noted when the effects of the compounds are monitored beyond 24 h following a single injection. The compounds CI-628, CI-680 and UA (50 μg sc in saline), ...
Regulation of ALF gene expression in somatic and male germ line tissues involves partial and site-specific patterns of methylation.

ALF (TFIIAα/β-like factor) is a germ cell-specific counterpart of the large (α/β) subunit of general transcription factor TFIIA. Here we isolated homologous GC-rich promoters from the mouse and human ALF genes and used promoter deletion analysis to identify sequences active in COS-7 and 293 cells. Further, bisulfite sequence analysis of the mouse ALF promoter showed that all 21 CpG dinucleotides between −179 and +207 were partially methylated in five somatic tissues, brain, heart, liver, lung, and muscle, and in epididymal spermatozoa from adult mice. In contrast, DNA from prepubertal mouse testis and from purified spermatocytes were unmethylated except at C+19G and C+170G. We also found that ALF expression correlates with a strong promoter-proximal DNase I-hypersensitive site present in nuclei from testis but not from liver. Finally we show that in vitro methylation of the ALF promoter inhibits activity and that 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine treatment reactivates the endogenous ALF gene in a panel of seven different mouse and human somatic cell lines. Overall the results show that silencing in somatic cells is methylation-dependent and reversible and that a unique CpG-specific methylation pattern at the ALF promoter precedes expression in pachytene spermatocytes. This pattern is transient as remethylation of the ALF promoter in haploid germ cell DNA has occurred by the time spermatozoa are present in the epididymis.
Tag, Catch, and Other Unnatural Acts at Recess (Circa 2014).

This commentary details a news event in which Carrie Weber Middle School in Port Washington, NY, supposedly banned students from using balls, playing tag, and doing cartwheels during recess. Public reaction in the form of news items, tweets, blogs, and commentary is sampled, and news releases from the Weber Middle School that were barely covered by the media and explain their decision to ban hardballs from 20-min recess are brought to light. The commentary then goes on to argue that such trending news events can be interpreted in terms of complex cultural histories, including in the case of Weber Middle School, much intellectual thought pioneered by human movement scholarship. Ideas about social nostalgia and memory, play, hegemony, invention of tradition, and cultural context are overviewed in light of their use in human movement studies and in interpreting the Weber Middle School issue. It is argued that current issues and initiatives surrounding obesity and sport for peace and development are, like the...
The Effects of Interleukin-1β in Tumor Necrosis Factor-α-Induced Acute Pulmonary Inflammation in Mice

We determined the role of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) signaling on tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced (TNF-α) lung neutrophil influx as well as neutrophil chemoattractant macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP-2) and KC and soluble TNF-α receptor (TNFR) levels utilizing wildtype (WT), TNF receptor double knockout (TNFR1/TNFR2 KO), and IL-1β KO mice after oropharyngeal instillation with TNF-α. A significant increase in neutrophil accumulation in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung interstitium was detected in the WT mice six hours after TNF-α exposure. This correlated with an increase in BALF MIP-2. In contrast, BALF neutrophil numbers were not increased by TNF-α treatment of IL-1β KOs, correlating with a failure to induce BALF MIP-2 and a trend toward increased BALF soluble TNFR1. TNF-α-instillation increased lavage and serum KC and soluble TNFR2 irrespective of IL-1β expression. These results suggest IL-1β contributes, in part, to TNF-α-mediated, chemokine release, and neutrophil recruitment to the lung, potentially associated with altered soluble TNFR1 release into the BALF.
Gate Leakage Effects on Yield and Design Considerations of PD/SOI SRAM Designs

We present a critical study of the impact of gate tunneling currents on the yield of a 65nm PD/SOI SRAM cell. Gate-leakage tunneling currents are obtained from hardware measurements. It is shown that the gate-leakage impact on the cell yield can be non-monotonic, and is appreciable even for non-defective devices. It is also shown that further design optimizations such as the operating voltage or bitline loading can help alleviate the gate-leakage impact on yield. Mixture importance sampling is used to estimate yield, and threshold voltage variations to model random fluctuation effects are extrapolated from hardware
Fuzzy systems as nonlinear dynamic system identifiers. II. Stability analysis and simulations

The author develops two identifiers of nonlinear dynamic systems based on fuzzy system models. It is proved that all signals in the fuzzy identifiers are uniformly bounded. Conditions under which the identification errors converge to zero are provided. It is also proved that the fuzzy identifiers are capable of following the output of a very general nonlinear dynamic system to arbitrary accuracy in any finite time interval. The most important advantage of the fuzzy identifiers is that linguistic descriptions about the systems (in terms of fuzzy IF-THEN rules) can be directly incorporated into the fuzzy identifiers. Two fuzzy identifiers for the chaotic glycolytic oscillator are simulated. The results show that they can identify the chaotic system at a reasonable speed and accuracy without using any linguistic descriptions, and that, by incorporating some linguistic descriptions, the speed and accuracy of the fuzzy identifiers is greatly improved. >
Segmentation-based image compression with enhanced treatment of textured regions

This paper presents a method to preprocess an image so that when segmented it yields a partitioning in which textured regions are approximated with a substantially reduced number of uniform regions (which is desirable for the coding). The segmentation method used to form this representation combines a Gaussian texture model and Gibbs-Markov contour model in order to find regions with boundaries which correspond closely to the objects in the image. Given the image segmentation, an approximation to the original image is generated by filling each region with its mean value. If higher quality reconstruction is desired, the quantized approximation error is also encoded. In order to exploit the reduced sensitivity of the human visual system to the error around edges (visual masking), the error is quantized using three nonlinear quantizers corresponding to the smoothly varying, textured, and remaining areas of the image, respectively. >