cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biochemistry and Genetics of Bacterial H+-Translocating ATPases

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of the biochemistry and genetics of bacterial H+-translocating ATPases. In the past 6 years, F1F0 ATPases have been isolated from several bacterial species, and activities indicative of a reversible, ATP-driven H+ pump were reconstituted. The characterization indicates that bacterial F1F0 share common structural features including the functionally analogous subunits of F1 and a similar DCCD-reactive subunit in F0. The actual subunit composition of F0 remains somewhat tentative, two subunits being required for function of thermophilic F0 and three components suggested to be authentic subunits of F0 in Escherichia coli (E. coli). However, the degree of structural analogy between bacterial F0 and the common features shared with F0 of mitochondria and chloroplasts are still undetermined. The isolation of the enzyme complex, and the individual sectors, in reconstitutively active form can be expected to foster significant developments in a number of areas. The development of the ATPase genetics in E. coli represents a significant advance because it promises to provide very probing information relating essential structure to function. With limited structural information about the subunits, it should be possible to deduce the sequence of each gene and corresponding amino acid sequence of each subunit
Adaptations to extreme storm events by conservation organizations

Extreme precipitation events are associated with increased runoff of sediment and nutrients into surface waters, exacerbating water quality problems and creating challenges for soil and water managers. This change in the hydrologic cycle is expected to intensify under future climate change. Soil and water conservation professionals responsible for advising farmers and other land managers are on the front lines of adaptation to these climate change impacts. This study uses a survey of Soil and Water Conservation District staff (n = 260) in the United States Upper Midwest to better understand adaptation planning and implementation and the factors influencing adaptations by public organizations. In contrast to a typical planning-implementation gap finding, our respondents report a greater emphasis on some kinds of adaptation actions over planning. We find that the concerns of individual government employees about climate change have a greater association with adaptation planning strategies (e.g., planning document updates) compared to implemented adaptations on-the-ground (e.g., stream buffer installation). Also, weather projections were being used in conjunction with both adaptation planning and implementation. This study contributes to efforts to open up the black box of adaptation decision-making in the public sector, revealing the important role of individual concerns and information use.
Critical Reflection about Socioeconomic Inequalities among White Young Men from Poor and Working-Class Backgrounds.

An intersectional approach to human development emphasizes the multiple social categories individuals occupy, some of which confer privilege (e.g., being White) and some of which confer marginalization (e.g., being poor). This approach is needed especially in critical consciousness scholarship, and particularly in regard to understanding whether and how it may manifest among youth who simultaneously experience privileges due to some aspects of their identities and marginalization due to other aspects of their identities. We explored critical reflection (CR) about socioeconomic inequalities through interviews with 31 White young men from low-income and working-class backgrounds who were attending trade colleges in Pennsylvania. Participants were asked about their understandings of the causes of poverty in the United States and potential solutions. Multiple rounds of qualitative analysis were conducted to understand the potential manifestation of CR in responses. Inductive across-case thematic analysis yielded 11 themes describing participants' understandings of poverty. We then conducted case-based analyses to identify the specific attributions about poverty that each participant made (structural, fatalistic, and/or individual), the ways in which these attributions arose in responses, and how the pattern identified related to CR. Eight participants were identified as having some CR or the potential to develop CR, and their responses were explored for references to experiences that may have been related to CR as well as their membership in a privileged racial and gender group, and more marginalized socioeconomic group. Implications for examining and promoting CR in different groups of youth are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
A randomized phase II study of nab-paclitaxel + durvalumab + neoantigen vaccine versus nab-paclitaxel + durvalumab in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC).

TPS1114Background: mTNBC is associated with poor outcomes and lacks targeted therapies. Immune modulation with PD-1/L1 inhibitors are emerging as effective anticancer therapies. In mTNBC, atezolizu...
Maximizing Plastic Surgery Education Impact: Lessons from Resident Learning Styles and Experiential Learning Theory

Residents in many surgical disciplines express a strong preference for hands-on learning, but no studies have focused on plastic surgery. This initial study aims to ascertain the learning styles of plastic surgery residents, and identify potential trends that may better guide curriculum development. Methods Kolb Learning Style Index v. 3.1 was administered to plastic surgery residents across all training levels at three residency programs. The Kolb Learning Style Index is a 12-item questionnaire that characterizes an individual's learning style into 1 of 4 major categories: converging; accommodating; assimilating; and diverging. Results The surveyed cohort of plastic surgery residents (n = 45) demonstrated a diverse mix of learning styles: converging (38%, n = 17); accommodating (24%, n = 11); diverging (20%, n = 9); and assimilating (16%, n = 7). One resident was balanced between converging and accommodating (2%, n = 1). Despite varied learning styles, the majority (64%, n = 29) demonstrated a preference for "active experimentation," for example, hands-on learning. Conclusions A preliminary assessment of learning styles among plastic surgery residents suggests that they have mixed learning styles. This contrasts with the existing literature from other surgical specialties where a single learning style dominates. However, like these other specialties, active experimentation is particularly valued. As such, it behooves the plastic surgery educator to continue to strive for balance between book learning and hands-on experience for residents at all levels of training, to engage residents with all learning styles.
A Sensorless Adaptive Grid Side Control Approach for Doubly Fed Induction Generator (DFIG)

In this paper, a system identification based adaptive controller is proposed for a grid-connected doubly fed induction generator (DFIG). Recursive least squares (RLS) estimation based system identification provides the auto-regressive moving average exogenous (ARMAX) model of the system. A minimum variance control (MVC) architecture has been used that minimizes the variance of the system output from its reference setpoint utilizing the identified model of the system. The proposed architecture simplifies the Grid Side Converter (GSC) control loop of DFIG and overrides the issues in conventional techniques due to bad sensors and effects due to parameters variations. The stability properties of the proposed controller are discussed. Theoretical results are validated using MATLAB/Simulink and real-time simulation platform for 1.5 MW wind turbine system. It is observed that the proposed architecture provides better performance quantitatively discussed as in Table II.
Tailoring the coefficient of thermal expansion of ternary nickel alloys through compositional control and non-contact measurements

Abstract The majority of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are made of silicon, however, future applications will be used in extreme environments, especially at elevated temperatures, and require materials with enhanced properties. Use of metal alloys in these applications will require microscale manufacturability, a balance of physical and mechanical properties and dimensional stability. Here, we emphasized dimensional stability by reducing the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and present an optical non-contact method for measuring the thermal expansion of planar thin films. A combinatorial approach was employed to determine the CTE of nickel-molybdenum-tungsten (Ni-Mo-W) sputter deposited films over a range of compositions, and the addition of Mo and W is shown to significantly decrease and provide a route for tailoring the CTE with compositional control. Ni-Mo-W alloys were revealed to have CTE values ranging from 8–12 × 10−6/°C, matching that of commercial glass substrates that are employed in numerous MEMS devices.
Gluttons for Punishment? African American Celebrities and the Dilemma of Black Leadership

We demonstrate a dilemma for African American celebrities from the policing behavior of the mass publics of both Blacks and Whites. Examination of norms suggests that the Black mass public wants its leaders to fight for racial equality, and Black celebrities are traditionally included as potential leaders. Thus, the history of Black leadership suggests that the Black mass public wants Black celebrities to contribute in some way to the goal of African American advancement. This is different from the mainstream norms: Whites are not at ease with protest or with efforts to dramatically transform the status quo in America. As such, White Americans seem to prefer that celebrities remain out of the fray also. Thus, potential punishments from Whites are in store for those Black celebrities who openly advocate for Black equality. Whether Black celebrities are actively advocating or not, the Black mass public is constantly watching and evaluating celebrities’ value to the Black community itself. Using a combination of historical examples and three surveys, we find evidence to support our claims: White audiences tend to punish African American celebrities for being “too Black” politically, while these celebrities can get punished by Black audiences for not being “Black enough” politically.
Commercializing Social Media? How a Showroom Section on Social Media Fan Pages Influences Customer Behavior

While marketing on social media fan pages has received widespread attention from both the academia and industries, few studies have investigated a novel practice of adding a showroom section (i.e. a section that provides a catalog of all products for sale) on fan pages. The impact of showrooms on product sales has been investigated in the online and offline context, but the different customer base and expectations on social media makes it unclear how a showroom section on fan pages may influence customer behavior. In this study, we open the black box by empirically examining how a showroom section on social media fan pages influences customers’ decision to engage with, purchase from, and unfollow retailers. Using data from a traditional fashion retailer which mainly operates offline, we found that adding a showroom section on fan pages has both positive and negative consequences: while it benefits the retailer by increasing customer engagement and purchases, it also makes the retailer’s followers more likely to unfollow its fan page on social media. We further find that such impact is moderated by customer privacy sensitivity. Specifically, the positive (negative) impact is significantly greater (smaller) for customers who are willing to disclose their demographic information to the retailer on social media. We also conduct additional mechanism-level analysis to investigate the dynamics between customer engagement and purchase behavior. Results suggest that customer adoption of the fan page showroom can increase their purchases both directly and indirectly through facilitating users’ engagement with the fan page and customer privacy sensitivity negatively moderates the mediation effect of user engagement on purchase behavior. Our results have implications for both theory and practice: a showroom section on social media fan pages is not a risk-free way to facilitate sales, and retailers should carefully consider the potential negative implications when showrooming products on their fan pages, especially if their customers are sensitive to privacy issues.
Competition Between Electron Transfer and ATPase in Generating Steady-State Protonmotive Force and Phosphorylation Potential

According to current concepts of the nature of ‘tatic head’ or state 4 respiration, proton leakage (or ‘pump slippage’) will occur and this leakage will increase until a static head is reached1–3. This energy dissipation is replenished by respiration and attendant proton pumping — arriving at a steady-state external ATP/ADP ratio (or phosphorylation potential) which cannot be exceeded due to the intrinsic dielectric constant of the membrane for charge movement. In this view the phosphorylation potential and protonmotive force are in thermodynamic equilibrium with each other. This concept is depicted in Figs. 1 and 2. In Fig. 1 is shown a classical schematic description of the oxidative phosphorylation process, where A, B, C — are adjacent members of the respiratory chain, the central box (~) is the principal energy-transducing intermediate of oxidative phosphorylation (now considered the bulk phase protonmotive force or other co-existing intermediate state) and, at the bottom is the linked reversible ATPase. Mitochondria are considered to generate a steady-state [~] in near equilibrium with a phosphorylation potential (ΔGp), depending on the velocity of energy-consuming reactions when oxidizable substrates are present in excess.
Diagnostic Accuracy of Point-of-Care Ultrasound for Intussusception in Children Presenting to the Emergency Department: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Author(s): Lin-Martore, Margaret; Kornblith, Aaron E; Kohn, Michael A; Gottlieb, Michael | Abstract: Introduction: Ileocolic intussusception is a common cause of pediatric bowel obstruction in youngchildren but can be difficult to diagnose clinically due to vague abdominal complaints. If left untreated,it may cause significant morbidity. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is a rapid, bedside method ofassessment that may potentially aid in the diagnosis of intussusception. The purpose of this systematicreview and meta-analysis was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of POCUS for children withsuspected ileocolic intussusception by emergency physicians (EP). Methods: We conducted a systematic search on PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, LILACS, the Cochranedatabases, Google Scholar, as well as conference abstracts, and assessed bibliographies of selectedarticles for all studies evaluating the accuracy of POCUS for the diagnosis of intussusception in children.We dual extracted data into a predefined worksheet and performed quality analysis with the QUADAS-2tool. Data were summarized and a meta-analysis was performed Results: Six studies (n = 1303 children) met our inclusion criteria. Overall, 11.9% of children hadintussusception. POCUS was 94.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 89.9% to 97.5%) sensitive and 99.1%(95% CI, 94.7% to 99.8%) specific with a likelihood ratio (LR)+ of 105 (95% CI, 18 to 625) and a LR− of0.05 (95% CI, 0.03 to 0.10). Conclusions: POCUS by EPs is highly sensitive and specific for the identification of intussusception forchildren presenting to the emergency department.
Not that kind of tree: Assessing the potential for decision tree–based plant identification using trait databases

Premise Advancements in machine learning and the rise of accessible "big data" provide an important opportunity to improve trait-based plant identification. Here, we applied decision-tree induction to a subset of data from the TRY plant trait database to (1) assess the potential of decision trees for plant identification and (2) determine informative traits for distinguishing taxa. Methods Decision trees were induced using 16 vegetative and floral traits (689 species, 20 genera). We assessed how well the algorithm classified species from test data and pinpointed those traits that were important for identification across diverse taxa. Results The unpruned tree correctly placed 98% of the species in our data set into genera, indicating its promise for distinguishing among the species used to construct them. Furthermore, in the pruned tree, an average of 89% of the species from the test data sets were properly classified into their genera, demonstrating the flexibility of decision trees to also classify new species into genera within the tree. Closer inspection revealed that seven of the 16 traits were sufficient for the classification, and these traits yielded approximately two times more initial information gain than those not included. Discussion Our findings demonstrate the potential for tree-based machine learning and big data in distinguishing among taxa and determining which traits are important for plant identification.
New England merge: a novel cooperative merge control method for improving highway work zone mobility and safety

Given the aging infrastructure and the anticipated growing number of highway work zones in the United States, it is important to investigate methods to improve work zone mobility and safety. Data s...
Practical Application of a Bioenergetic Model to Inform Management of a Declining Fur Seal Population and Their Commercially Important Prey

Food availability is a key concern for the conservation of marine top predators, particularly during a time when they face a rapidly changing environment and continued pressure from commercial fishing activities. Northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) breeding on the Pribilof Islands in the eastern Bering Sea have experienced an unexplained population decline since the late-1990s. Dietary overlap with a large U.S. fishery for walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) in combination with changes in maternal foraging behavior and pup growth has led to the hypothesis that food limitation may be contributing to the population decline. We developed age- and sex-specific bioenergetic models to estimate fur seal energy intake from May - December in six target years, which were combined with diet data to quantify prey consumption. There was considerable sex- and age-specific variation in energy intake because of differences in body size, energetic costs, and behavior; net energy intake was lowest for juveniles (18.9 MJ sea-day-1, 1,409.4 MJ season-1) and highest for adult males (66.0 MJ sea-day-1, 7,651.7 MJ season-1). Population-level prey consumption ranged from 255,232 t (222,159 - 350,755 t), 95% CI) in 2006 to 500,039 t (453,720 - 555,205 t) in 1996, with pollock comprising between 41.4 - 76.5% of this biomass. Interannual variation in size-specific pollock consumption appeared largely driven by the availability of juvenile fish, with up to 81.6% of pollock biomass coming from mature pollock in years of poor age-1 recruitment. Relationships among metabolic rates, trip durations, pup growth rates, and energy intake of lactating females suggest the most feasible mechanism to increase pup growth rates is by increasing foraging efficiency through reductions in maternal foraging effort, which is unlikely to occur without increases in localized prey density. By quantifying year-specific fur seal consumption of pollock, our study provides a pathway to incorporate fur seals into multispecies pollock stock assessment models, which is critical for fur seal and fishery management given they were a significant source of mortality for both juvenile and mature pollock.
National disparities in access to physical therapy after rotator cuff repair between patients with Medicaid vs. private health insurance.

Background Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair is an effective treatment for patients with symptomatic rotator cuff tears. Ensuring timely and appropriate postoperative access to physical therapy (PT) is paramount to the achievement of optimal patient outcomes. Extended immobility due to a lack of formal rehabilitation can lead to decreased range of motion, continued pain, and potential reoperation for stiffness. The purpose of this study is to evaluate national disparities in access to PT services after rotator cuff repair between patients with private vs. Medicaid insurance. This study will further evaluate differences in access to PT services between states that have previously undergone Medicaid expansion as compared with those states which have not. Methods The American Physical Therapy Association Website was used to identify 10 physical therapy practices from the capital city in every state. Each physical therapy practice was contacted using a mock-patient script for a patient with Medicaid insurance or private (Blue Cross Blue Shield) insurance. To maintain anonymity, calls were made by two separate investigators. Univariate analysis included independent sample t-test for differences between the study groups for continuous variables. Chi square or Fisher's exact test assessed differences in discrete variables between the study groups. Results Contact was made with 465 of 510 (91.2%) physical therapy practices. Overall, 52.7% accepted Medicaid insurance, while 94.9% accepted private insurance (P Conclusion Significantly fewer PT practices accepted Medicaid insurance nationally compared with private insurance, which suggests that patients with Medicaid insurance have greater difficulty accessing PT after rotator cuff repair in the United States compared with patients with private insurance. While Medicaid insurance was more likely to be accepted in a Medicaid expansion state, this finding was only borderline significant, which indicates that patients in Medicaid expansion states are still having difficulty accessing PT, despite efforts to expand government insurance coverage to improve access to care. Orthopedic surgeons should counsel their patients with Medicaid insurance to seek out PT as early as possible in the postoperative period to avoid delays in rehabilitation.
Pediatric Poisoning Fatalities: Beyond Cough and Cold Medications.

* Abbreviations: CCM — : cough and cold medication NPDS — : National Poison Data System For more than 10 years, there have been Food and Drug Administration recommendations and manufacturer labeling changes in place advising against the use of cough and cold medications (CCMs) in young children.1,2 In this issue of Pediatrics , Halmo et al3 present concerning findings characterizing fatalities associated with CCMs in recent years. Identifying cases through the Pediatric Cough and Cold Safety Surveillance System and then using an expert panel for review, the authors report 40 CCM-related fatalities in children under 12 years old that occurred from 2008 to 2016. Although overall fatalities associated with CCMs were rare, they found that most fatalities were in children <2 years old and were of nontherapeutic intent, with more than one-half of nontherapeutic intent cases determined to be malicious in nature. Diphenhydramine, a commonly used antihistamine, was found to be the index-ingredient most often involved in CCM-related fatalities. This important fatality review demonstrates that despite safety efforts, young children remain at risk for death from CCMs. The strengths of the study include the use of a cough-and-cold–specific safety surveillance system that includes data from several national sources and data collection that covered several years after advisory and labeling changes. The surveillance system was limited, however, by self-report and potential misclassification of cases as well as inconsistencies in detailed case information. Autopsy reports were also reviewed, but reports were only available in 55% of cases.3 Therefore, the expert panel could not determine the contributory factors that led to the child’s death in almost one-half of fatalities. Thus, these limitations likely … Address correspondence to Michele M. Burns, MD, MPH, Boston Children’s Hospital, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115. E-mail: michele.burns{at}childrens.harvard.edu
Floods in a Changing Climate: Extreme Precipitation

Measurement, analysis and modeling of extreme precipitation events linked to floods is vital in understanding changing climate impacts and variability. This book provides methods for assessment of the trends in these events and their impacts. It also provides a basis to develop procedures and guidelines for climate-adaptive hydrologic engineering. Academic researchers in the fields of hydrology, climate change, meteorology, environmental policy and risk assessment, and professionals and policy-makers working in hazard mitigation, water resources engineering and climate adaptation will find this an invaluable resource. This volume is the first in a collection of four books on flood disaster management theory and practice within the context of anthropogenic climate change. The others are: Floods in a Changing Climate: Hydrological Modeling by P. P. Mujumdar and D. Nagesh Kumar, Floods in a Changing Climate: Inundation Modeling by Giuliano Di Baldassarre and Floods in a Changing Climate: Risk Management by Slodoban Simonovic.
Anatomic ACL reconstruction

The Adult ACL world is constantly changing and is in need of continual updates; approximately 60,000-75,000 ACL reconstructions are performed annually in the United States. Dr. Freddie Fu just held a world-wide symposium on this topic and is considered the expert. In the Clinics survey sent in the fall of 2010, survey takers were most interested in seeing an issue on ACL repair and injury prevention.
Long synthetic oligonucleotide probes for gene analysis.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the procedures for using long synthetic oligonucleotide probes to identify individual genes within a family of closely related sequences. Different methods, such as: (1) genomic DNA isolation, (2) oligonucleotide synthesis and purification, (3) southern blot analysis, and (3) hybridization, are described. High molecular weight DNA was isolated from the peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-transformed B cell lines, and tissues according to published methods, with minor modifications. Synthetic oligonucleotide probes were synthesized on a Coder 300 by the phosphoramidite method using the “trityl off” program. 14 probes were cleaved from the columns and dried under vacuum according to manufacturer's directions. Methods were used for southern blot analysis: standard southern blotting, and in-gel southern blotting. Hybridization with synthetic oligonucleotide was carried out as previously described in “Seal-a-meal” bags. Various results regarding the following experiments are also discussed in this chapter.
Morning in refugee health: an introduction for medical students

Purpose – Migration is increasing worldwide. health care practitioners must provide care to migrants in a culturally competent manner that is sensitive to cultural, political and economic contexts shaping health and illness. Many studies have provided strong evidence that health providers benefit from training in cross-cultural care. Cultural competence education of medical students during their early learning can begin to address attitudes and responsiveness toward refugees. At Memorial University in Canada, the authors designed “Morning in Refugee Health”, an innovative program in cultural competency training for first year medical students in the Clinical Skills and Ethics course. The purpose of this paper is to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Here the authors introduce the curriculum and provide the rationale for the specific pedagogical techniques employed, emphasizing the consideration of culture in its relation to political and economic contexts. The authors describe the innovat...
A Modeling Method for Reconfigurable Architectures

Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) are now integrated in complex electronic systems and are not only used during the prototyping phases. Moreover, their application space is getting larger thanks to their flexibility, which is obtained through the reconfiguration. For these reasons component industries are proposing more and more FPGAs with different architectures, sizes, capabilities. Designers are then faced to a larger choice in the design space but they do not have any tool to efficiently compare different reconfigurable architectures. In this paper a reconfigurable architecture zodeling method is presented. The proposed model is applied to a domain representative component in order to show its ability to describe a complex architecture. The modeling method, which is based on a functional view, is able to describe complex, heterogeneous and multi-granularity architectures. In future works the modeling method will be combined to a generic FPGA architecture estimation tool.
“Neoclassical Architecture in Spanish Colonial America: A Negotiated Modernity”

The neoclassical style in Spanish Colonial architecture in the Americas emerged in the late 18th century under the impact of the reforms of the Bourbon monarchy. While subdued ornament, strict geometry, and Greco-Roman revival motifs characterize this style internationally, few studies examine neoclassical architecture's translation in the Spanish Americas. Scholars such as Manuel Toussaint, George Kubler, and Jean Charlot have associated the Royal Academy of San Carlos with neoclassicism and a shifting away from prevalent baroque aesthetics. Yet neoclassicism's interplay with previous baroque idioms in the Spanish Americas calls into question its functions in colonial society, its reception by period audiences, and local impacts on international forms. Furthermore, the specific roles that neoclassicism played in projects of imperial reform and its negotiation by American societies requires revisionist approaches to the topic.
The effect of sterols on phytoalexin, steroid glycoalkaloid, and sterol accumulation in potato tuber discs inoculated with Phytophthora infestans or treated with arachidonic acid

Abstract Potato tuber discs contain low levels of steroid glycoalkaloids (SGA) and free sterols at 0 h after slicing. Aging the discs increased SGA and free sterol levels in the outer 3 mm of disc surface. Inoculating the discs with incompatible races of Phytophthora infestans or treatment with arachidonic acid (AA) caused a hypersensitive reaction (HR), which included the accumulation of sesquiterpenoid phytoalexins and a marked reduction in the accumulation of steroid glycoalkaloids (SGA) and free sterols, largely β-sitosterol and stigmasterol. Inoculation with a compatible race elicited little and delayed phytoalexin accumulation, modest reductions in SGA and little or no reduction of free sterol accumulation. Treatment of tuber discs with 1 or 2 μg/disc stigmasterol or β-sitosterol before inoculation with an incompatible race allowed colonization by the fungus, markedly decreased phytoalexin accumulation and decreased the suppression of SGA and free sterol accumulation. Treatment with AA did not prevent colonization by either compatible or incompatible races of P. infestans in the sterol-treated discs. Neither sterol elicited phytoalexin accumulation, nor significantly affected SGA and free sterol accumulation in the absence of the fungus. The sterols also did not affect AA-elicited phytoalexin accumulation the suppression of SGA nor free sterol accumulation in the absence of the fungus.
Primary Sequence of U-1 Nuclear Ribonucleic Acid of Novikoff Hepatoma Ascites Cells

The U-1 RNA is one of the low molecular weight nuclear RNAs of Novikoff hepatoma ascites cells that is specifically localized to the extranucleolar portion of the nucleus. After the RNA was purified by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, it was subjected to various enzymatic digestion procedures for determination of its primary nucleotide sequence. The U-1 RNA contains 171 nucleotides. Its 5′ end is an alkali-stable tetranucleotide containing N2,2,7-trimethyl guanylic acid. The primary sequence of U-1 RNA is: (m32,2,7G, Am, Um) [see PDF for sequence]
An Image-Based Trainable Symbol Recognizer for Sketch-Based Interfaces.

We describe a trainable, hand-drawn symbol recognizer based on a multi-layer recognition scheme. Symbols are internally represented as binary templates. An ensemble of four template classifiers ranks each definition according to similarity with an unknown symbol. Scores from the individual classifiers are then aggregated to determine the best definition for the unknown. Ordinarily, template-matching is sensitive to rotation, and existing solutions for rotation invariance are too expensive for interactive use. We have developed an efficient technique for achieving rotation invariance based on polar coordinates. This techniques also filters out the bulk of unlikely definitions, thereby simplifying the task of the multiclassifier recognition step.
Introduction of a metal-dependent regulatory switch into an enzyme.

A cysteine has been introduced into the hydrophobic binding pocket of staphylococcal nuclease via oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis. The L89C mutation does not significantly alter the catalytic activity or specificity of the nuclease yet provides a metal-dependent switch for regulating enzymatic activity. The L89C mutant can be inactivated by addition of mercuric or cupric salts and subsequently reactivated by addition of chelating agents. This work may provide a general strategy for regulating the catalytic activity of other enzymes or the binding affinity of proteins to DNA or other proteins.
Chemical reaction engineering challenges in the refining and petrochemical industries — the decade ahead

An emergent ‘bifurcation’ in hydrocarbon resource and product supply and demand will provide new challenges and opportunities for the refining and petrochemical industries. Many of these challenges and opportunities are likely to be addressed through advances in chemical reaction engineering.
Intracranial MR angiography: its role in the integrated approach to brain infarction.

PURPOSE To determine the contribution of cranial MR angiography (MRA) for the evaluation of patients with acute and subacute brain infarction. METHODS MR and MRA studies performed on 78 adult patients with acute and subacute stroke were retrospectively reviewed and correlated with the clinical records. RESULTS There were 50 acute and 28 subacute infarctions in our series. Five of 78 MRA exams (6%) were nondiagnostic. Sixty examinations (80%) were positive for stenosis or occlusion. The distribution of stenotic or occlusive vascular lesions correlated with the location of infarction in 56 of the 60 positive cases (93%). MRA provided information not obtained from the MR images in 40 cases (55%). One hundred four individual vessels in 8 patients who underwent conventional cerebral angiography were compared with the MRA appearance. The MRA interpretations correlated with the conventional angiographic evaluations for 90 vessels (87%). CONCLUSIONS Vascular lesions demonstrated on intracranial MRA show a high correlation with infarct distribution. MRA provides information adjunctive to conventional MR in a majority of cases. We conclude that MRA is an important component of the complete evaluation of brain infarction.
Improving soil moisture accounting and streamflow prediction in SWAT by incorporating a modified time-dependent Curve Number method

The objective of this study is to incorporate a time-dependent Soil Moisture Accounting (SMA) based Curve Number method (SMA_CN) in Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and compare its performance with the existing CN method in SWAT by simulating the hydrology of two agricultural watersheds in Indiana, USA. Results show that fusion of the SMA_CN method causes decrease in runoff volume and increase in profile soil moisture content, associated with larger groundwater contribution to the streamflow. In addition, the higher amount of moisture in the soil profile slightly elevates the actual evapotranspiration. The SMA-based SWAT configuration consistently produces improved goodness-of-fit scores and less uncertain outputs with respect to streamflow during both calibration and validation. The SMA_CN method exhibits a better match with the observed data for all flow regimes, thereby addressing issues related to peak and low flow predictions by SWAT in many past studies. Comparison of the calibrated model outputs with field-scale soil moisture observations reveals that the SMA overhauling enables SWAT to represent soil moisture condition more accurately, with better response to the incident rainfall dynamics. While the results from the modification of the CN method in SWAT are promising, more studies including watersheds with various physical and climatic settings are needed to validate the proposed approach. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Sensitivity Analysis of Cooling Methods and Geometric Parameters in the Assembly Procedure of Bascule Bridge Fulcra

To assemble the fulcrum of a bascule bridge, a trunnion is shrink fitted into a hub, followed by shrink fitting of the trunnion-hub (TH) assembly into the girder of the bridge. To shrink the TH assembly, it is cooled in a medium such as liquid nitrogen; however, during this process in some cases, the hub cracks. To reduce the possibility of such failures, a formal design-of-experiments study is conducted to find the influence of geometrical parameters such as the hub outer diameter and the radial interference (at the TH interface), and different cooling methods on design parameters such as the critical crack lengths and stress ratios. Cooling methods include immersion in, first, liquid nitrogen; second, a dry-ice-alcohol bath followed by liquid nitrogen; third, a refrigerated air chamber followed by liquid nitrogen; and, fourth, a refrigerated air chamber followed by a dry-ice-alcohol bath and then liquid nitrogen. The cooling method contributes the most to increasing the critical crack length (between 58...
The neutron, gamma-ray, X-ray spectrometer (NGXS): A compact instrument for making combined measurements of neutrons, gamma-rays, and X-rays

Abstract The Neutron, Gamma ray, and X-ray Spectrometer (NGXS) is a compact instrument designed to detect neutrons, gamma-rays, and hard X-rays. The original goal of NGXS was to detect and characterize neutrons, gamma-rays, and X-rays from the Sun as part of the Solar Probe Plus mission in order to provide direct insight into particle acceleration, magnetic reconnection, and cross-field transport processes that take place near the Sun. Based on high-energy neutron detections from prompt solar flares, it is estimated that the NGXS would detect neutrons from 15 to 24 impulsive flares. The NGXS sensitivity to 2.2 MeV gamma rays would enable a detection of ∼50–60 impulsive flares. The NGXS is estimated to measure ∼120 counts/s for a GOES C1-type flare at 0.1 AU, which allows for a large dynamic range to detect both small and large flares.
Synergistic effects of Vg1 and Wnt signals in the specification of dorsal mesoderm and endoderm.

Abstract In amphibians, dorsoventral asymmetry is established by cortical rotation, a cytoplasmic rearrangement in the egg which activates a dorsal determinant on one side of the zygote. This determinant has been proposed to be either Vg1, an endodermally derived molecule that can directly induce ectoderm to form dorsal mesoderm, or a member of the Wnt family, which patterns the ectoderm such that it forms dorsal mesoderm in response to ventral inductive signals. In this study, we have investigated whether the endogenous dorsal determinant(s) functions as a direct inducer of dorsal mesoderm (Vg1-like) or whether it acts to pattern the response of ectoderm to inductive signals (Wnt-like). We report here that cortical rotation enhances both the dorsal-inductive activity of endodermal cells and the response of ectodermal cells to endogenous inductive signals and that both of these activities are required for notochord induction in ectoderm/endoderm recombinants. While ectopically expressed Xwnt-8b can substitute for the dorsalizing signals activated in either ectoderm or endoderm, and can allow notochord formation in recombinants, Vg1 alone is not sufficient to induce notochord in ectodermal explants in the absence of signals activated by cortical rotation. Coexpression of Xwnt-8b along with Vg1 restores ectodermal competence to form notochord. Finally, in endodermal explants, ectopically expressed Xwnt-8b, but not Vg1, can divert the fate of ventral endodermal cells along a dorsal pathway. Thus, while Vg1 is most likely required for induction of mesodermin vivo,our data suggest that a maternal Wnt-like signal acts synergistically with Vg1 to specify a dorsal fate not only in the mesoderm, but also in the endoderm.
Thick Composites in Compression: An Experimental Study of Micromechanical Behavior and Smeared Engineering Properties

The micromechanical behavior and mechanical properties of thick graph ite/epoxy composite laminates were studied experimentally using high-sensitivity moire interferometry and strain gages. Quasi-isotropic and cross-ply laminates were in vestigated. Specimens were loaded in in-plane compression and interlaminar compres sion. Strong free-edge effects were documented, including high interlaminar shear strains and normal strains. Average or smeared values of Young's moduli and Poisson's ratio were measured.
Why the Debate Between Originalists and Evolutionists Rests on a Semantic Mistake

I argue that the dispute between two leading theories of interpretation of legal texts, textual originalism and textual evolutionism, depends on the false presupposition that changes in the way a word is used necessarily require a change in the word’s meaning. Semantic externalism goes a long way towards reconciling these views by showing how a word’s semantic properties can be stable over time, even through vicissitudes of usage. I argue that temporal externalism can account for even more semantic stability, however. Temporal externalism is the theory that the content of an utterance at time t may be determined by developments in linguistic usage subsequent to t. If this semantic theory is correct, then the originalist and evolutionist positions effectively collapse. Originalism is correct in that the original meaning of the text is the meaning that is binding on jurists, but evolutionism is vindicated, as it is the current practices and standards that determine the meaning the text now has, and has always had. Objections to temporal externalism, and to its application to the interpretation of legal texts, are considered and addressed.
Validation of a Pedestrian Simulation Tool Using the NIST Stairwell Evacuation Data

Abstract Researchers at the United States National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) collected occupant egress data in the stairwells of several high-rise buildings for potential use in quantitative and qualitative validation of evacuation simulation tools ( Kuligowski and Peacock (2010) ). We found this data suitable for establishing occupant initial locations, pre-evacuation time distributions, and other parametric inputs for our simulation code (PEDFLOW). With this data set, we were able to validate several core behavioral components of PEDFLOW by directly comparing actual versus predicted values for occupant speed on stairs and building total evacuation times. This paper summarizes our work on the stairwell data sets, highlighting the methodology behind the extraction of values for the parametric inputs, and demonstrating the results obtained for one specific 10-story high-rise building data-set.
Modeling users of intelligent systems

While many devices today increasingly have the ability to predict human activities, it is still difficult to build accurate personalized machine learning models. As users today will become responsible for helping to train their own models, we are interested in ways for applications to request labeled data from their users in a non-invasive way. This work focuses on opportunities for intelligent systems to ask their users for help through interactions over an extended period of time in order to improve their machine learning models. We focus on trading off the expected increase in accuracy with the potential interruptions that the questions may cause to improve the usability of such systems.
Decertification outcomes for bipolar disorder in an inpatient community mental health treatment center: impact on subsequent service use over two years.

This study investigated differences in usage of inpatient and outpatient mental health services over a 2-year period following the index hospitalization between 50 decertified and 48 certified subjects with bipolar manic or mixed episode from an inpatient mental health treatment center. The decertified group had higher number of rehospitalization over the 2-year period compared to certified group (mean = 2.26, SE = 0.41 vs. mean = 1.19, SE = 0.24; Wald χ2 = 5.50, p = 0.02). Median time to first rehospitalization was 40 weeks in the certified and 17 weeks in the decertified group, but the difference in time to rehospitalization failed to achieve statistical significance (p = 0.18). History of prior hospitalization was associated with higher numbers of rehospitalizations and crisis room visits (both p < 0.01) and with shorter time before first rehospitalization (p < 0.001).
*T: Integrated building blocks for parallel computing

The authors present two hardware components for high performance parallel computing: a superscalar RISC microprocessor with an integrated 400 Mb/s user-level network interface (the 88110MP), and a companion 8 /spl times/ 8 low-latency packet router chip (ARTIC). The design point combines very low message overhead and high delivered communications bandwidth with a commercially competitive sequential processor core. The network interface is directly programmed in user mode as an instruction set extension to the Motorola 88110. Importantly, naming and protection mechanisms are provided to support robust multi-user space and time sharing. Thus, fine-grain messaging and synchronization can be supported efficiently, without compromising pre-processor performance or system integrity. Preliminary performance modeling results are presented.
Special issue in law and economics

When Nobel laureate Ronald Coase wrote his famous piece (Coase 1960) he may not have realized or guessed that he was giving birth to a new exciting field, Law and Economics. By the time Judge Posner wrote his seminal book (Posner 1972), Law and Economics was an established field in Economics. In the last 35 years, Law and Economics has become a central methodology in legal scholarship. Economists have moved to law schools and shaped so many areas of legal scholarship that now it is difficult to understand contracts, torts, property and corporate law without being familiar with economic concepts such as efficiency, transaction costs, principal-agent model, moral hazard and adverse selection, among others. No matter how legal scholarship evolves in the next 50 years, the contributions of economists will be certainly enduring and path-breaking. The next generations of lawyers will be trained in the economic jargon, and the judges will write decisions citing economic analysis. Economics will be inside the courts. Economics will be part of the discourse in legal policy making. Obviously all of this is true in the USA. But not in Europe. Law and economics is still very much a marginal field in economic departments and almost ignored by the faculties of law, with some exceptions here and there. There are structural reasons for the lack of success of economists in European legal scholarship that cannot be easily addressed (Garoupa and Ulen 2008). One of the standard arguments put forward by European legal scholars is that economists use American models and American law to develop their arguments. Although this is far from true, this special issue is yet another move into showing how economics can inform legal policy discussions in Europe.