cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Locally-adaptive slip prediction for planetary rovers using Gaussian processes

This paper presents a method for predicting slip using Gaussian process regression. Slip models are learned for visually classified terrain types as a function of terrain geometry. Spatial correlations between terrain properties are leveraged for on-line slip model adaptation. Results show that regression-based modeling using in-situ rover data outperforms the state-of-practice, terrestrially-calibrated slip curves in both mean prediction and uncertainty bounds. Local adaptation improves slip prediction results, particularly in high-slip sand areas that pose the greatest threat to rovers. Slip estimates made using a visual classifier to identify terrain type are compared to estimates using on-line model selection with only proprioceptive slip measurements as inputs. The proprioceptive results nearly match the visual results, showing that this approach could work even when a visual classifier is not available.
Comment Letter Filed with Securities and Exchange Commission Re 'Managed Portfolio Shares'

Comment letter filed with the United States Securities Exchange Commission on December 15, 2017 re NYSE Arca proposed rule change to allow for the trading of "Managed Portfolio Shares".
Transition to Nonopioid Analgesia Does Not Impair Pain Control After Major Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Background:Multimodal analgesic protocols are increasingly favored over traditional opioid regimens due to decreased adverse side effects and reduced opioid consumption. Concomitant use of selective cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitor celecoxib and anticonvulsant gabapentin have been proposed to adequately control acute postoperative pain. Objectives:To determine efficacy of postoperative pain control using nonopioid pain regimen vs traditional opioids for all aesthetic plastic surgery procedures. Methods:A retrospective chart review was performed on 462 consecutive outpatient plastic surgery procedures by a single surgeon between November 2015 and July 2017. Procedures in the historical control group (n = 275) received traditional postoperative narcotic, hydrocodone-acetaminophen. Patients in the more recent nonopioid study group (n = 187) received a pre-, peri-, and postoperative regimen of celecoxib and gabapentin. Results:Similar demographic characteristics between the control and study groups were observed: mean age, 39.7 vs 39.5 years; BMI, 24.6 vs 24.4 kg/m2; and ratio of female patients 92.7% vs 92.4%. A significant reduction in rescue analgesia (meperidine 44.6% vs 14.9%, P < 0.001) and antiemetic use (ondansetron 24.2% vs 16.3%, P < 0.05; promethazine 17.0% vs 4.7%, P < 0.001) in postanesthesia recovery unit (PACU) was noted in the nonopioid group compared to the control. The average stay in PACU also decreased in the study group (82 ± 39 min vs 70 ± 22 min, P < 0.001). Both groups reported low numbers of adverse events and need for additional pain prescriptions. These findings were reproducible in the breast subgroup. Conclusions:This nonopioid regimen is as effective as traditional opioid use for acute postoperative pain control and decreased recovery time for outpatient aesthetic plastic breast surgeries. Level of Evidence 3:
Damage Control Surgery in the Blast-Injured Patient

The hallmark dismounted complex blast injury pattern includes multiple amputated or mangled extremities, large perineal and/or pelvic wounds, penetrating truncal injuries, and pelvic fracture. This chapter describes the damage control approach to patients injured by blast or explosive mechanisms and outlines key surgical concepts and lessons learned from the recent high-volume military experiences. A rapid, focused, and team-based approach to the diagnostic workup, resuscitation, and operative intervention is outlined.
PEDF regulates plasticity of a novel lipid–MTOC axis in prostate cancer-associated fibroblasts

ABSTRACT Prostate tumors make metabolic adaptations to ensure adequate energy and amplify cell cycle regulators, such as centrosomes, to sustain their proliferative capacity. It is not known whether cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) undergo metabolic re-programming. We postulated that CAFs augment lipid storage and amplify centrosomal or non-centrosomal microtubule-organizing centers (MTOCs) through a pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF)-dependent lipid–MTOC signaling axis. Primary human normal prostate fibroblasts (NFs) and CAFs were evaluated for lipid content, triacylglycerol-regulating proteins, MTOC number and distribution. CAFs were found to store more neutral lipids than NFs. Adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) and PEDF were strongly expressed in NFs, whereas CAFs had minimal to undetectable levels of PEDF or ATGL protein. At baseline, CAFs demonstrated MTOC amplification when compared to 1–2 perinuclear MTOCs consistently observed in NFs. Treatment with PEDF or blockade of lipogenesis suppressed lipid content and MTOC number. In summary, our data support that CAFs have acquired a tumor-like phenotype by re-programming lipid metabolism and amplifying MTOCs. Normalization of MTOCs by restoring PEDF or by blocking lipogenesis highlights a previously unrecognized plasticity in centrosomes, which is regulated through a new lipid–MTOC axis. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Theoretical Perspectives on Industry Clusters

The concept of industry clustering has generated much discussion in regional economic development theory and practice in recent years. Yet it is fair to say that an accepted definition or a unified theoretical framework has failed to emerge from the discussion, as the concept often seems to enliven itself under divergent theoretical approaches, including but not limited to work on agglomeration economies, industrial districts, business networks, knowledge spillovers, and regional innovation systems. This paper provides a review of the major theoretical propositions that seek to explain the clustering of economic activity and its presumed link with regional economic development. While there is undoubtedly some overlap on some of the explanations offered by various theoretical perspectives, the concept of clustering has been used so widely in varying contexts and in a multifaceted manner that it risks creating more confusion than clarity, especially in empirical research.
Research Utilization in Critical Care: An Exemplar

The authors describe the process and outcome of implementing a research-based pain management protocol in four adult critical care units at a large, Midwestern tertiary care center. The project was initiated and directed by members of the divisional research committee. Strategies used to change practice included determining if pain management was a problem via quality assessment monitors, surveying nurses regarding their knowledge and attitude toward pain management, educating staff members about the research base for the practice change, using change champions in each unit, and developing a core group of nurses in each unit to facilitate the change. Outcomes of this research utilization project include a 41% decline in the number of patients in pain, a 44% decline in pain intensity, and improvement in nurses knowledge about pain.
Health Status Assessment and Economic Analyses in Cirrhosis and Portal Hypertension

Health status measurement in patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension has received increasing attention from clinical investigators in recent times. This is based primarily on the continued absence of curative therapies for disease-related complications outside of liver transplantation. Patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension have significant reductions in health status compared to general and select disease populations. Early detection and treatment of particular symptoms including muscle cramps and subclinical hepatic encephalopathy may afford the opportunity to improve quality of life in selected individuals. The use of health status as a study end point in controlled clinical trials requires further study on the responsiveness of existing liver disease-specific questionnaires. In conjunction with determining health status among patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension, a number of investigations have sought to determine the cost effectiveness of clinical strategies for the prevention and treatment of disease-related complications. Further investigations of patient-based preferences for health states, however, are needed to fully understand the magnitude of net health benefits received from existing health care programs.
Latina Adolescent Becomings: Interrupting (Un)Silenced Spaces Into Entangled Modes of Resistance:

This research project focuses on embodied and engendered liminal experiences of Latina adolescents through ontologies of becoming as a space to generatively and critically expand notions of resista...
Fluctuations in the thermodynamic limit of focussing cubic Schrödinger

We consider the statistical mechanics of a complex field Z whose dynamics are governed by the focussing cubic Schrodinger equation. Here the Hamiltonian $$H = \int {_\Omega } \left[ {\frac{1}{2}\left| {\nabla Z} \right|^2 - \frac{1}{4}\left| Z \right|^4 } \right]dx$$ is unbounded from below, preventing the natural Gibbs measure from being normalizable. This difficulty may be circumvented(5) by taking Ω the circle of perimeter L and fixing the mean-square (which is conserved by the dynamics): $$\int {_0^L } \left| Z \right|^2 dx = LD$$ for positive “density” D. The resulting (probability) measure on paths is absolutely continuous to the two-dimensional Wiener measure and is known to be invariant under the flow.(2, 7) One way to extend this picture to the whole-line flow is to take the thermodynamic limit (L↑∞). Unfortunately, the unboundedness of H causes vast local concentration of the field as L increases and leads to collapse at L=∞.(11) Here we attempt to capture fluctuations away from this collapse by performing a joint continuum and infinite-volume limit for an appropriate lattice ensemble. The result is that, for high density, the scaled paths go over into a White Noise.
The Role of Reproductive Health for Attainment of the Millennium Development Goals

Abstract Universal access to reproductive health services is a major aim of current efforts towards attaining the Millennium Development Goals, and reproductive rights and poverty reduction are crosscutting issues for this current focus of international development. Political statements should be complemented by financial commitments for mobilizing resources and the formulation of country-owned action plans. Upscaling services will necessitate strengthening health systems, integrating care, and building capacities. Policy makers, service providers, and stakeholders have responsibilities and duties to ensure that frameworks are available for the adequate provision of services. The implementation of multiple international development strategies currently constitutes a priority for reaching the targets by 2015.
Effects of Nutritional Antioxidants and Other Dietary Constituents on Coxsackievirus-Induced Myocarditis

Nutrition of the host has been largely neglected in studies of viral pathogenesis. Much more emphasis has been placed on the effect of nutrition on the host’s immune system. A functioning immune system is required for both initial protection from viral illness as well as subsequent viral clearance once the pathogen has gained entrance to the host. Any perturbation of the immune system induced by a change in host nutritional status would be expected to affect the course of a viral infection. For example, severely malnourished children are more susceptible to infection and severe disease with rotavirus, which is thought to be due in part to a dysfunctional immune response (DAGAN et al. 1990). Therefore, the vast majority of nutrition research related to viral infection has emphasized the effect of nutrition on the host immune system, which in turn leads to a change in host susceptibility to infectious disease.
“Smart” Materials for Biosensing Devices: Cell-Mimicking Supramolecular Assemblies and Colorimetric Detection of Pathogenic Agents

Mimicking cell membrane and the biomolecular recognition associated with membranes represents a great technical challenge, yet it has opened doors to innovative diagnostic and therapeutic methods. Our work has focused on design and synthesis of a class of “smart materials” exploiting biological principals for use in biosensors: these materials are functional polymeric assemblies that mimic the cell membrane and conveniently report the presence of pathogens with a color change. Biologically active cell membrane components are incorporated into conjugated polymers with desirable optical properties and the binding of the target molecules onto the material triggers conformational and electronic shifts that are reflected in a chromatic change (a so-called biochromic shift) that is conveniently observed and recorded. Langmuir–Blodgett thin films and vesicle bilayers provide ideal configurations for precise delivery of the biological binding entity to the sensing interface, and for control of molecular orientation for effective biomolecular interaction. Polydiacetylenic membrane-mimicking materials containing cell surface receptor gangliosides and sialic acid residues, respectively were formulated into these architectures and used for colorimetric detection of bacterial toxins and influenza virus. One advantage of these biochromic conjugated polymer (BCP) sensors is that their molecular recognition and signal transduction functionalities are resident in a single functional unit, making them amenable to convenient microfabrication and use.
Structural asset pricing theory with wavelets

We apply Fourier and wavelet decompositions to structural asset pricing models with time non-separable utility. Through simulations, we show how Fourier decompositions of the utility function, coup...
The Role of Early-Phase Design-Letter.

Conaway and Petroni suggest that the choice of phase I design “substantially enhances the proportion of effective agents that have successful phase III trials ([1][1]).” This conclusion is based on first simulating various phase I designs aimed at determining the MTD for populations of
SYNTHESIS, STRUCTURE, AND PROPERTIES OF CA16SB11, A COMPLEX ZINTL PHASE. TWELVE OTHER ISOTYPIC COMPOUNDS FORMED BY DIVALENT METALS AND PNICTOGENS

The systems A = Ca, Sr, Ba, Eu, Yb and Pn = As, Sb, Bi form isostructural A16Pn11 phases for all but Ba−As and Yb−As when the elements are reacted in Ta containers at about 1100 °C and then anneale...
Dynamic Modeling And Control Of A Natural Gas Combined Cycle Power Plant For Load-Following Operation

Abstract With the increasing penetration of intermittent renewable sources into the electric grid, conventional thermal power plants are being forced to cycle their load and operate under low-load conditions much more frequently. A high-fidelity dynamic model of a natural gas combined cycle power plant with rigorous models of key equipment items is developed. A model of the gas turbine, a thermo-hydraulic model for the heat recovery steam generator, and a model of the steam turbine with moisture detection and model adaptation capability are also developed. The model is used to study the issue of ‘spraying to saturation’ or overspraying in the attemperators during load transients and low-load operation. Performances of a two-stage attemperation system versus a one-stage attemperation system are evaluated using coordinated control strategies when the plant load is decreased from 100% to 45% at a ramp rate of 5% load change per min. It was observed that the two-stage attemperation strategy can not only avoid ‘spraying to saturation’ but leads to a superior control of the main steam temperature.
(Under)performance of Government Venture Capitalists: New Evidence and Explanations

I investigate the exit outcomes of start-ups backed by government VCs (GVCs) and private VCs (PVCs), using a sample of 8,106 start-ups in China funded by VCs between 1991 and 2013 and exit information updated in 2018. I find that start-ups backed by GVCs are less likely to exit through domestic Initial Public Offerings (IPOs), oversea IPOs, and M&As. GVC backed start-ups are also less likely to list on the intermediate public market before companies go to IPOs. I explore three potential explanations. Firstly, I study whether GVCs and PVCs have different investment objectives. Evidence shows that GVCs support younger and innovation-oriented start-ups, yet propensity score matching analysis shows that this difference in investment objectives cannot fully explain the GVCs’ underperformance. Secondly, a lack of market discipline can lead to VCs’ lack of effort. I find that the performance gap between GVCs and PVCs narrows in more mature VC markets. Thirdly, political connections between VC managers and local governors can lead to inefficient investments. I exploit political turnover as an exogenous shock to political connections and find that deals made during times of political turnover by both GVCs and PVCs have a lower probability of successful exits. However, no significant evidence suggests that the performance gap varies during times of political turnover.
Mechanical and thermal behavior of cellulose nanocrystals-incorporated Acrodur® sustainable hybrid composites for automotive applications:

Utilization of cellulose nanocrystals as an additive in the formulation of biocomposites made with Acrodur® resin is presented. Natural fibers/polyethylene terephthalate mats were impregnated with ...
In Reply: Emergency contraception (November 2012)

Readers comment on emergency contraception (November 2012), adrenal masses (December 2012), and the use of statins for primary prevention in women (December 2012).
Takagi-Taupin dynamical X-ray diffraction simulations of asymmetric X-ray diffraction from crystals: the effects of surface undulations.

Dynamical X-ray diffraction simulations from crystals with surface undulations are reported. The Takagi–Taupin equations are applied and used to derive results in good agreement with experimental data reported in a separate paper [Macrander, Pereira, Huang, Kasman, Qian, Wojcik & Assoufid (2020). J. Appl. Cryst. 53, 789–792]. The development of Uragami [J. Phys. Soc. Jpn, (1969), 27, 147–154] is followed. Although previous work by Olekhnovich & Olekhnovich [Acta. Cryst. (1980), A36, 22–27] treated a crystal in the shape of a round cylinder, there do not seem to be any reports of previous dynamical X-ray diffraction treatments specifically for surface undulations. The significance of the present work is that it bridges the diffraction treatment of more classical dynamical diffraction theory, which assumes a flat surface, and the simple kinematic diffraction theory. The kinematic theory has, to date, been the primary means of simulating X-ray diffraction from surfaces.
Is Pulmonary Metastasectomy Effective in Prolonging Survival

Despite advanced stage disease, many patients with a variety of primary malignancies experience demonstrable survival benefit following surgical management of limited pulmonary metastases. While colorectal carcinoma is the most common tumor for which pulmonary metastasectomy is undertaken and has associated favorable results, a shift toward more aggressive management of oligometastatic disease has offered a vast array of oncologic populations surgical options. Among all-comers undergoing pulmonary metastasectomy, 5-year survival rates range from 4% to 73%, with melanoma perhaps deriving the least benefit overall. Despite the diversity of disease processes, several investigations have noted similar prognostic factors of outcomes following lung resection, including the disease-free interval (DFI), number of metastases, and presence of mediastinal nodal involvement. When considering operative planning, surgeons are without concrete guidelines to direct surgical approach and extent of resection. Some studies have shown an improved sensitivity for detection of nodules with thoracotomy, albeit without durable benefit achieved. In an age of increasingly available targeted agents and immunotherapies, pulmonary metastasectomy remains a key component of a multidisciplinary approach to oncologic populations.
Some Applications of Conics and Collineations in History

Archimedes (287–212 BC) is the most accomplished and best-known mathematician and scientist of the ancient world. He seems to have been the first to develop and apply mathematical formulations to physical phenomena, including the most basic principle of engineering: to balance weights W1 and W2 on a weightless lever when they are on opposite sides of the fulcrum, their distances from the fulcrum d1 and d2 must satisfy W1d1 = W2d2. His mathematical achievements include the discovery and proof of the volume formula for a sphere, and a method that can approximate π, the ratio of circumference to diameter of a circle, to any desired accuracy.
Remembering and forgetting the last war: discursive memory of the Sino-Vietnamese war in China and Vietnam

The year 2019 marked the 40th anniversary of the outbreak of the Sino-Vietnamese War in 1979. Making use of published and unpublished Chinese, Vietnamese, and English sources, this article traces the tensions between official and popular memories of the Sino-Vietnamese War of 1979 in China and Vietnam, respectively. We argue that these tensions existed because the development of the official Chinese and Vietnamese memories of the war largely mirrored each other. Between 1991 and roughly 2006, when bilateral relations between the countries improved, both Beijing and Hanoi claimed victory for their side while simultaneously downplaying the bloodshed, tragedy, and loss experienced during the war. However, they have reacted to the rise of popular memories since the early 2000s in very different ways. While Beijing walks a thin line between accommodating appeals for greater recognition of the sacrifices made by ordinary soldiers without provoking social discontent with the political system, Hanoi has been more successful in mobilising Vietnamese popular memory of the war to strike a measured nationalistic response to China. How China and Vietnam remember and downplay the Sino-Vietnamese War points to the bigger picture of the sensitivity of bilateral relations to historical memory in Asia. In particular, historical memory shapes how a country perceives external threats and opportunities, while historical memory is created, suppressed, and re-created as international relations evolve.
Automated integration of continental-scale observations in near-real time for simulation and analysis of biosphere-atmosphere interactions

The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is a continental-scale observatory with sites across the US collecting standardized ecological observations that will operate for multiple decades. To maximize the utility of NEON data, we envision edge computing systems that gather, calibrate, aggregate, and ingest measurements in an integrated fashion. Edge systems will employ machine learning methods to cross-calibrate, gap-fill and provision data in near-real time to the NEON Data Portal and to High Performance Computing (HPC) systems, running ensembles of Earth system models (ESMs) that assimilate the data. For the first time gridded EC data products and response functions promise to offset pervasive observational biases through evaluating, benchmarking, optimizing parameters, and training new machine learning parameterizations within ESMs all at the same model-grid scale. Leveraging open-source software for EC data analysis, we are already building software infrastructure for integration of near-real time data streams into the International Land Model Benchmarking (ILAMB) package for use by the wider research community. We will present a perspective on the design and integration of end-to-end infrastructure for data acquisition, edge computing, HPC simulation, analysis, and validation, where Artificial Intelligence (AI) approaches are used throughout the distributed workflow to improve accuracy and computational performance.
Does Removing Interest Tax Shield Decrease Corporate Debt? Evidence From The 2017 US Tax Reform

Tax advantage of debt has been the cornerstone of corporate finance since the beginning. Nonetheless, providing empirical evidence for the relation between tax incentives and corporate debt has been challenging because of a variety of endogeneity issues. This paper uses a unique feature of the 2017 US tax reform to study this relation. The reform reduces the tax advantage of debt for all but a group of exempted firms. Firms that lose interest deductions significantly reduce corporate debt in the year following the tax reform.
CPB-3 and CGH-1 localize to motile particles within dendrites in C. elegans PVD sensory neurons.

Objective RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are important regulators of gene expression that influence mRNA splicing, stability, localization, transport, and translational control. In particular, RBPs play an important role in neurons, which have a complex morphology. Previously, we showed that there are many RBPs that play a conserved role in dendrite development in Drosophila dendritic arborization neurons and Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) PVD neurons including the cytoplasmic polyadenylation element binding proteins (CPEBs), Orb in Drosophila and CPB-3 in C. elegans, and the DEAD box RNA helicases, Me31B in Drosophila and CGH-1 in C. elegans. During these studies, we observed that fluorescently-labeled CPB-3 and CGH-1 localize to cytoplasmic particles that are motile, and our research aims to further characterize these RBP-containing particles in live neurons. Results Here we extend on previous work to show that CPB-3 and CGH-1 localize to motile particles within dendrites that move at a speed consistent with microtubule-based transport. This is consistent with a model in which CPB-3 and CGH-1 influence dendrite development through the transport and localization of their mRNA targets. Moreover, CPB-3 and CGH-1 rarely localize to the same particles suggesting that these RBPs function in discrete ribonucleoprotein particles (RNPs) that may regulate distinct mRNAs.
The environment modulates the effects of the microbiome on host adaptive potential

Can the microbiome serve as a reservoir of adaptive potential for hosts? To address this question, we leverage ~150 generations of experimental evolution in Drosophila melanogaster in a stressful high sugar (HS) diet. We performed a fully reciprocal transplant experiment using the dominant control and HS bacteria and measured life-history and metabolic traits. If the microbiome can indeed confer benefits to hosts, then transplant recipients should gain fitness benefits compared to controls. Interestingly, we found that these benefits do exist, but are non-linear. The benefits depend on specific interactions between host genotype and the microbiome, and these interactions are modulated by the environment. Mismatches between fly evolution and microbiome exerted fitness costs by slowing development and reducing fecundity, especially in the stressful HS diet. The dominant HS bacteria (Acetobacter pasteurianus) uniquely encoded several genes to enable uric acid degradation, limiting the accumulation of uric acid, a key driver of toxicity for flies in the HS diet. Our study suggests that both ecological context and host evolution shape the adaptive potential of the microbiome demonstrates that host genotype x microbiome x environment interactions can have a substantial effect on host phenotype. We conclude by proposing future directions that highlight the benefit of using experimental evolution to study the contribution of the microbiome to host evolution.
Repair of the Soul: Metaphors of Transformation in Jewish Mysticism and Psychoanalysis

Aron, Foreword. Introduction: The Kabbalah. Transformation. The Interpretive Encounter. Faith as the Fulcrum of Change. The Transformation of Evil. Epilogue: Jacob's Ladder
Deploying Distributed Business Software

1. What is client/server? 2. Middleware 3. Database front ends 4. Groupware 5. Workflow automation 6. Electronic conferencing 7. Remote access/control 8. Programming.
Improvement of HDL and atherosclerosis by a mimetic peptide (18A) complexed with niclosamide and administered orally to mice (LB532)

18A was incubated together with niclosamide and within 6h of oral administration there was significant improvement (p<0.001) in the HDL-inflammatory index (HII) in ApoE null mice. Oral L-4F alone or niclosamide alone were ineffective. Subcutaneous injection of L-4F alone but not niclosamide alone significantly improved the HII. Analysis of the L-4F-niclosamide complex by gradient gel electrophoresis or Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy indicated that the self-association of L-4F was altered resulting in smaller micelles. Oral administration of L-4F and niclosamide to old apoE null mice together with pravastatin resulted in regression of lesions. In another experiment ApoE null mice 3-4 months of age were treated for 7 months with pravastatin in the drinking water and oral L-4F together with niclosamide in doses which produced maximal L-4F plasma concentrations of ~100 ng/mL. There was a significant reduction in lesion area compared to controls (p<0.001). The reduction in lesion area was not improved...
Nepheloid Layer Measurements and Floc Model for OASIS

Abstract : The long-term goal of our research is to improve fundamental understanding and numerical representation of coastal bottom-boundary layer processes, with an emphasis on sediment dynamics. Our aim is to improve quantitative regional-scale models describing the relationships among meteorological and oceanographic forcing, freshwater influx, particle resuspension, and transport and accumulation of sediment in the coastal ocean. We are participating in the Optics Acoustics and Stress In Situ (OASIS) project to focus on the interaction between bed and suspended sediments and the influence of fine sediment and flocs on optical properties in the water column. Quantitative understanding of bottom-boundary layer processes and sediment dynamics is important to the Navy because these processes determine environmental conditions in coastal regions, including current speeds, turbulence, water-column turbidity, and bottom acoustic properties.
Isolation and functional expression in Escherichia coli of a gene encoding phosphatidylethanolamine methyltransferase (EC 2.1.1.17) from Rhodobacter sphaeroides

Phosphatidylcholine is a major component of membranes in most eukaryotes, but it is found only in a small number of bacteria, where it is synthesized by N-methylation of phosphatidylethanolamine. In yeast and other fungi the methylation of phosphatidylethanolamine to phosphatidylcholine proceeds in two steps: the methylation of phosphatidylethanolamine by phosphatidylethanolamine methyltransferase followed by the methylation of monomethylphosphatidylethanolamine by phospholipid methyltransferase. Here we describe the isolation of two allelic phosphatidylcholine-deficient mutants of Rhodobacter sphaeroides which are unable to methylate phosphatidylethanolamine, monomethylphosphatidylethanolamine, or dimethylphosphatidylethanolamine. A DNA fragment containing a gene designated pmtA, which encodes a 22.9-kDa protein, was found to complement both mutants. Expression of this gene in Escherichia coli, which normally lacks phosphatidylcholine or methylated derivatives of phosphatidylethanolamine, resulted in the formation of phosphatidylcholine. A protein extract derived from the E. coli strain expressing the pmtA gene was able to convert phosphatidylethanolamine, mono- and dimethylphosphatidylethanolamine into phosphatidylcholine. Based on these data we conclude that the product of the pmtA gene catalyzes a sequence of three chemically distinct, methylation reactions beginning with phosphatidylethanolamine and leading to the formation of phosphatidylcholine in R. sphaeroides.
The Marketing-Operations Interface

The American Marketing Association defines marketing as “the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational goals.” Operations management is typically defined in texts as “management of an organization’s production system, which converts inputs into products and services.” Clearly the two are closely related. Marketing requires the operations function to deliver goods and services, while operations requires the marketing function to generate demand.
The Myth of the Given and the Grip of the Given

In this paper I argue that the Sellarsian Myth of the Given does not apply to all forms of Non-Conceptualism; that Kant is in fact a non-conceptualist of the right-thinking kind and not a Conceptualist, as most Kant-interpreters think; and that an intelligible and defensible Kantian Non-Conceptualism can be developed which supports the thesis that true perceptual beliefs are non-inferentially justified and also normatively funded by direct, embodied, intentional interactions with the manifest world (a.k.a. the Grip of the Given).
Islet cell dysfunction in progression to diabetes mellitus.

Abstract The epidemic of type 2 diabetes mellitus is increasing in most nations. This illness is a major cause of cardiovascular disease, stroke, blindness, renal failure, and amputations. Because available interventions have failed to show durability, new modes of therapy need to be directed at the underlying causes of abnormal glucose metabolism. The development of such modes of therapy will require an improved understanding of how the beta-cell mass compensates for changes in insulin resistance and why beta cells lose the capacity to secrete insulin. In addition, new therapeutic modalities need to address alpha-cell dysregulation, because the inability to suppress glucagon production results in ongoing elevated levels of hepatic glucose.
Matrix‐Isolation Applied to High‐Temperature and Interstellar Molecules: A Review

The contributions of optical and electron-spin-resonance (ESR) spectroscopy at 4 K to the determination of the electronic, vibrational, and magnetic properties of high-temperature and interstellar molecules are briefly reviewed. The present status of the ground state properties of the transition-metal oxide, nitride, carbide, and hydride molecules are considered. Other molecules produced by the vaporization of beryllium, carbon, silicon, silicon carbide, boron, and boron carbide are also discussed. Numerous metastable molecules for which spectral data are lacking remain to be detected in interstellar space. It is probable that the role of matrix-isolation, as exemplified by the identification of the interstellar ethynyl and cyanoethynyl radicals via ESR studies at 4 K, will become increasingly important because of the difficulties in observing many reactive molecules in the gas phase. Die Beitrage der optischen Spektroskopie und der Elektronenspinresonanzspektroskopie (ESR) bei 4 K zur Bestimmung der elektronischen. der magnetischen und der Schwingungseigenschaften von Hochtemperaturmolekulen und interstellaren Molekulen werden kurz dargestellt. Der gegenwartige Stand der Kenntnis der Eigenschaften des Grundzustandes von ubergangsmetalloxid-, -nitrid- -carbid- und -hydrid-molekulen wird beschrieben. Andere Molekule, die durch Verdampfen von Beryllium, Kohlenstoff; Silizium, Siliziumkarbid, Bor und Borkarbid erzeugt werden, werden ebenfalls diskutiert. Die Entdeckung zahlreicher metastabiler Molekule im interstellaren Raum, fur die spektrale Daten fehlen, steht noch aus. Es ist wahrscheinlich, das die Matrixisolierung, wie das Beispiel der Identifizierung von interstellaren athynyl- und Zyanathynylradikalen mittels ESR-Untersuchungen bei 4 K zeigt, wegen der Schwierigkeiten bei der Beobachtung vieler reaktiver Molekule in der Gasphase zunehmend an Bedeutung gewinnen wird.
Does Magnesium Sulphate Cause Catharsis by Being Absorbed and then Excreted into the Colon

Conclusion(1) Magnesium sulphate in the dog does not cause laxation or catharsis by being absorbed into the blood and then excreted into the colon. (2) The parenteral administration of magnesium sulphate does not augment the excretion of magnesium by the colonic mucosa to an appreciable extent.∗
Kinematic reductions for uncertain mechanical contact

This paper describes the methods applicable to the modeling and control of mechanical contact, particularly those systems that experience uncertain stick/slip phenomena. Geometric kinematic reductions are used to reduce a system's description from a second-order dynamic model with frictional disturbances coming from a function space to a first-order model with frictional disturbances coming from a space of finite automata over a finite set. As a result, modeling for purposes of control is made more straight-forward by getting rid of some dependencies on low-level mechanics (in particular, the details of friction modeling). Moreover, the online estimation of the uncertain, discrete-valued variables has reduced sensing requirements. The primary contributions of this paper are the introduction of a simplifying representation of friction and formal tests for kinematic reducibility. Results are illustrated using a slip-steered vehicle model and an actuator array model.
Purification of the photoreactivating enzyme from yeast.

A method of purifying the DNA photolyase (EC 4.1.99.3) from yeast has been developed. The method includes one step which has been included to destroy enzymes that may be responsible for the instability of purified preparations.
Anesthetic considerations in pediatric mastocytosis: a review

Mastocytosis is an orphan disease rarely encountered by practicing anesthesiologists. Children with mastocytosis often present for procedures or surgery requiring anesthesia. Because many of the medications commonly used in pediatric anesthesia have been reported to initiate mast cell activation, parents are often very anxious about their child's perioperative experience. Laboratory investigations of serum histamine assays associated with different anesthetic drugs have not been shown to predict mast cell degranulation in these patients. However, the pediatric literature suggests that children with disease limited to the skin rarely suffer serious side effects from anesthesia, and there are no reported fatalities. Preoperative prophylaxis is usually based on expert opinion and case reports. Detailed tables summarizing reports of anesthetic medications used for children with mastocytosis undergoing anesthesia, reported side effects, and suggested prophylaxis regimens are included in this review.
Speech-translation: from domain-limited to domain-unlimited translation tasks

Summary form only given. In this paper we will review some of recent work done in both domain-limited and domain-unlimited speech translation. We will show where progress has been made and highlight areas, where initial expectations have not been met so far.
Computer-aided recognition of small rounded pneumoconiosis opacities in chest X-rays

Discusses an adaptive object growing algorithm for computer-aided recognition of small rounded opacities in coal workers' chest X-rays as a means of early detection of pneumoconiosis. An object of suspected opacity is detected by the algorithm on the basis of maximizing an isolation contrast integral. It is then classified according to two contrast and geometric parameters.
Ondansetron modulates GABAA current of rat central nervous system neurons

Abstract We examined the effect of ondansetron, a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, on the whole cell current response of freshly isolated hypothalamic and hippocampal neurons of rats to γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). The nystatin perforated patch technique was used to minimize run-down of the GABA current. While 1–150 μM ondansetron had no effect on membrane conductance, co-application with agonist reversibly depressed the maximal end GABA current. The concentration–response relation of GABA reveals a non-competitive mechanism. However, the inhibitory effect was more potent when ondansetron was co-applied with lower concentrations of GABA: i.e., the ondansetron concentration needed to depress the current induced by 5 μM GABA to half amplitude was 7 μM compared to 28 μM for the current induced by 10 μM GABA. Analysis of the current–voltage relationship with and without ondansetron indicated that the effect of ondansetron is not voltage dependent. Current–voltage relations also showed that the effect of ondansetron was not due to activation of a GABA-independent current because the reversal potentials were the same with and without ondansetron. The present data suggest that ondansetron's suppression of GABA-activated current may be the molecular basis of ondansetron-induced seizures observed in vivo.
Extrinsic fiber damage and its effect on the reliability of optical fiber connectors and splices

The long-term mechanical reliability of optical fiber in connectors and splices will be determined by the magnitude of the stress on the fiber, the operating environment, and the size and geometry of the flaws in the fiber. Examples which demonstrate the generation of fiber damage when using conventional fiber termination tools, techniques and components are given, and the effects of interaction between the extrinsic flaws generated and fiber failure are shown. Problems associated with making realistic, lifetime/reliability predictions are reviewed.
Cell coatings to minimize sample (NH 3 and N 2 H 4 ) adsorption for low-level photoacoustic detection

A photoacoustic signal rise time technique is used to evaluate the suitability of several surface materials for minimizing sample adsorption loss in a trace level toxic vapor monitor. Four materials, 304 stainless steel, gold, paraffin wax, and Teflon, are tested using ammonia as a sample. Teflon is also tested using hydrazine. Results show that both metals interact strongly with the sample. Teflon coating is found to provide the resonant photoacoustic cell with accurate real time response for both hydrazine and ammonia sample flows.
Chromosome loss induced by procarbazine and diethylnitrosamine in drosophila from matings of treated males with repair-deficient mei-9a, mei-41d5, mus101, and mus104 females

Excision repair-deficient mei-9a females of Drosophila melanogaster strongly potentiate complete and partial sex chromosome loss induced in the paternal genome by procarbazine and diethylnitrosamine (DEN). Repair-proficient and postreplication repair-deficient mei-41D5, mus101, and mus104 females fail to enhance the frequency of procarbazine-induced chromosome loss. Whereas mus101 produces a more modest but significantly higher frequency of complete but not partial loss induced by DEN, results are negative for both categories of loss with mei-41D5, mus104, and repair-proficient females.
Transport and binding of insulin-like growth factor I through articular cartilage

This study focused on the role of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) binding proteins (IGFBPs) in cartilage on the transport and binding of IGF-I within the tissue. We have developed experimental and theoretical modeling techniques to quantify and contrast the roles of diffusion, binding, fluid convection, and electrical migration on the transport of IGF-I within cartilage tissue. Bovine articular cartilage disks were equilibrated in buffer containing 125I-IGF-I and graded levels of unlabeled IGF-I. Equilibrium binding, as measured by the uptake ratio of 125I-IGF-I in the tissue (free plus bound) to the concentration of labeled species in the buffer, was found to be consistent with a first-order reversible binding model involving one dominant family of binding sites within the matrix. Western ligand blots revealed a major IGF binding doublet around 23 kDa, which has been previously shown to coincide with IGFBP-6. Diffusive transport of 125I-IGF-I through cartilage was measured and found to be consistent with a diffusion-limited reaction theoretical model incorporating first-order reversible binding. Addition of excess amounts of unlabeled IGF-I during steady state transport of 125I-IGF-I resulted in release of bound 125I-IGF-I from the tissue, as predicted by the diffusion-reaction model. In contrast, addition of the low-affinity Des(1-3)IGF-I analog did not result in release of bound 125I-IGF-I. Application of electric current was used to augment transport of IGF-I through cartilage via electroosmosis and electrophoresis. Taken together, our results suggest that a single dominant substrate family, the high-affinity IGFBPs, is responsible for much of the observed binding of IGF-I within cartilage. The data suggest that intratissue fluid flow, such as that induced by mechanical loading of cartilage in vivo may be expected to enhance IGF transport by an order of magnitude and that this increment may help to counterbalance the restrictions encountered by the immobilization of IGFs by the binding proteins.
ANALYSIS OF INTERFEROGRAMS FROM WAXICONS

Axicon elements are used in cylindrical optical systems such as high-power chemical lasers. Interferometric tests of such elements cannot be interpreted by standard methods. Axicon aberrations of cone error and decenter error are defined to help interpret such interferograms. A preprocessing option was added to FRINGE to treat axicon data. An example interferogram has been analyzed.
Absence of gender differences in memory for map learning

To test the possibility that gender differences in the accuracy of geographical knowledge might be related to long-term retention of map learning, undergraduate men and women first learned the locations of 15 “towns” on an unfamiliar map. After a 45-min delay filled with a test of geographical knowledge and other visuospatial tasks, retention was measured. For some subjects, retention was measured a second time after a 48-h delay. In agreement with earlier findings, men displayed more accurate knowledge of the locations of real places (i.e., geographical knowledge), but there was no gender difference in acquisition or retention of the location of places on the unfamiliar map.
NEUROLOGIC IWVESTIGATIONS IN PATIENTS WITH FRAGILE X SYNDROME

We have identified 22 patients with the fragile X syndrome. The majority of these patients have come to our attention because several family members had significant mental retardation and/or dysmorphic facial features suggestive of fragile X syndrome. All patients underwent extensive examinations including determination of phenotypic abnormalities, measurement of testicular size and a thorough neurologic assessment. The Stanford-Binet intelligence test was used to assess their intellectual functioning. One hundred metaphase spreads of each patient were examined for fragile X chromosomes. The results of this investigation revealed that 82% of patients displayed brisk deep tendon reflexes and 41% had extensor plantar responses. Gaze eversion was observed in 77% of patients. Almost half of the subjects (47%) exhibited hyperactive behavior and had a stooped posture and gait. Incoordination was noted in 59% of the patients and blepharospasm was present in 38%. All patients were mentally retarded, ranging from mild to profound retardation. The subjects' language development was also retarded and they had marked difficulties with syntax, intonation and fluency. All patients had macro-orchidism. Their main dysmorphic features included coarse facies, large ears, prominent glabella, synophrys, large nose, prognathism, and abnormal dermatoglypics.