cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Economy of scale and specialization---revisited.

For many years conventional wisdom stated that computers possess large economies of scale. This notion was formalized by a relation stating that a computer’s power is proportional to the square of its cost (8, 10). More than a decade ago the universality of this relation (1) was questioned and succeeding events have further limited its applicability. Substantial economies have appeared in small specialized systems frequently overshadowing the economies associated with large centralized systems (5). It is hard to believe that not many years ago many computer center directors insisted that all computing within their institution be carried out on one large central machine. The success of minicomputers has forced the realization on even the computation center faithful that large systems can frequently be outperformed by smaller special purpose systems.
Optically thin midlevel ice clouds derived from Cloud Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations

We use measurements from the Cloud Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) to identify optically thin midlevel ice clouds and determine their occurrence and properties. We identify these clouds as having cloud top heights between 2 km above the ground and the tropopause plus 1 km, cloud base temperatures less than −10°C, and cloud top temperatures greater than −38°C. Globally, we find that these clouds occur at least 5% of the time and represent 7% of all tropospheric clouds detected by CALIPSO at a horizontal scale of 10 km. The cloud type fraction decreases with increasing horizontal scale, representing 4% of clouds at 25 km, 2% at 50 km, and less than 0.1% at 100 km. These clouds occur most commonly in the Arctic, most often in winter and least often in summer. During the winter, these clouds occur up to 15% of the time in the Arctic. We found five large (∼500 km) distinct clouds over the Arctic and investigated their meteorological conditions and radiative effects. We find that these thin midlevel ice clouds have a warming effect on the surface from 23 to 48 W/m2. Our study highlights the importance of active satellite-based remote sensing in globally detecting and characterizing optically thin clouds.
Measurement and analysis of algorithmically-designed diffractive optic for photovoltaic spectrum splitting

Using a multi-wavelength expansion of the Gerchberg-Saxton algorithm, a surface relief diffractive optical element (DOE) is designed, fabricated, and measured. Spectrum splitting capability of the designed DOE is 76.29% of an ideal rectangular spectral filter under plane wave illumination. The DOE is fabricated using grayscale lithography and measured under a solar simulator lamp. The spectral distribution of light across the PV plane is measured using a scanning spectrometer. Simulated 2-bandgap conversion efficiency for ideal silicon and indium gallium phosphide PV cells in this system is 31.61%, while conversion efficiency based on the measured DOE is 28.98%. The difference between simulated and measured results is based on several factors, including discrete Fourier analysis, divergent illumination, and fabrication error.
Distance minimization for reward learning from scored trajectories

Many planning methods rely on the use of an immediate reward function as a portable and succinct representation of desired behavior. Rewards are often inferred from demonstrated behavior that is assumed to be near-optimal. We examine a framework, Distance Minimization IRL (DM-IRL), for learning reward functions from scores an expert assigns to possibly suboptimal demonstrations. By changing the expert's role from a demonstrator to a judge, DM-IRL relaxes some of the assumptions present in IRL, enabling learning from the scoring of arbitrary demonstration trajectories with unknown transition functions. DM-IRL complements existing IRL approaches by addressing different assumptions about the expert. We show that DM-IRL is robust to expert scoring error and prove that finding a policy that produces maximally informative trajectories for an expert to score is strongly NP-hard. Experimentally, we demonstrate that the reward function DM-IRL learns from an MDP with an unknown transition model can transfer to an agent with known characteristics in a novel environment, and we achieve successful learning with limited available training data.
Atypical Trigeminal Neuralgia: A Rare Neurological Manifestation of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

BACKGROUND Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disorder of unknown etiology which can present at any age with symptoms of mucocutaneous, musculoskeletal, renal, central nervous system, and nonspecific clinical pictures making the disease a "master of mimicry". CASE REPORT A 53-year-old female, who was recently diagnosed with SLE, presented with right-sided sharp and electric shock-like facial pain starting at the side of her right nostril and traveling down the naso-labial fold and then back to the angle of the jaw, mostly in the region of V2-V3 distribution with no radiation beyond trigeminal distribution. Her pain had been going for the last 2 years and was regarded as "pretrigeminal neuralgia"; however, it progressed in frequency over the last 2 weeks, with no clear identifying triggering factors. Her laboratory test results showed positive anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) with raised titer, anti-double-stranded DNA, anti-ribonucleoprotein, anti-Sjogren's syndrome-related antigen A, anti-Sjogren's syndrome-related antigen B, and anti-smooth muscle antibodies. Other possibilities of migraine, postherpetic neuralgia, Bell's palsy, and brain tumor were ruled out. A diagnosis of SLE with trigeminal neuralgia (TN) was made and carbamazepine 100 mg 2 times a day was prescribed. CONCLUSIONS TN is seldom mentioned as a neurological manifestation of SLE; hence, we recommend further studies to investigate the SLE-mediated injury to trigeminal fibers to make a timely diagnosis of TN and to prevent progressive autoimmune process-related vasculitic and demyelinating changes.
Charcoal as a Fuel in the Ironmaking and Smelting Industries

Charcoal has been used as a metallurgical fuel for thousands of years. In the United States it was the fuel of choice for ironmaking and the smelting of other metals for much of the nineteenth century, and an understanding of the basics of charcoal production is necessary for any historical description of those industries. Discussion of the technology and production process in charcoal making rarely addresses the fundamentals of the charcoal itself. Four key attributes of charcoal in terms of this historical context are described: charcoal characteristics, the carbonization process, measuring charcoal, and transporting charcoal.
Clusters of paracortical plasmacytoid dendritic cells in lupus lymphadenitis.

![Figure][1] A 56-year-old woman with a history of systemic lupus erythematosus presented with enlarged right axillary lymph nodes, the largest measuring 2.3 cm. The patient underwent an excisional biopsy. The lymph nodes showed follicular and paracortical hyperplasia with prominent clusters
Early Survival of Two High-Porosity Acetabular Components after Total Hip Arthroplasty Revision

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) revision rates remain high and are expected to increase. Different ingrowth surfaces including tantalum and titanium have been introduced to improve fixation and survival. Promising results have been shown with tantalum. This study was conducted to compare the survivorship of titanium and tantalum components after revision THA. A retrospective review of all THA revision cases from January 2002 to December 2010 was performed. Cases, where the questioned components were used, were enlisted in a single continuous cohort. A minimum of 2-year follow-up was required for inclusion. Patients were compared in two groups: titanium versus tantalum components, with the endpoint defined as any failure requiring acetabular component removal. A total of 118 patients were analyzed and included 64 patients in the tantalum group and 56 patients in the titanium group. The average length of follow-up was 50.4 months for both groups. Cases, where tantalum implants were used, were more likely to have a worse acetabular bone loss ( p = 0.005). The main cause of index revision was aseptic loosening followed by infection. At the latest follow-up, survivorship was very similar in appearance and failed to achieve statistical difference (log-rank p = 0.1146). Among the variables assessed as potential predictors of failure, only the number of prior revisions was statistically significant ( p = 0.004). The high-porosity titanium acetabular components demonstrate same survivorship at 2-year follow-up as the tantalum cups in the setting of revision THA. Only the number of prior revisions was significantly associated with increased failure rate.
Consideration of Dose and Timing When Applying Interventions After Stroke and Spinal Cord Injury.

Background and Purpose:Nearly 4 decades of investigation into the plasticity of the nervous system suggest that both timing and dose could matter. This article provides a synopsis of our lectures at the IV STEP meeting, which presented a perspective of current data on the issues of timing and dose f
Trends in Health Care Information Technology and Informatics

It was not until 1994 that the United States health care industry established information systems capable of handling a universal delivery system. The health care industry has been one of the unhurried organizations to embrace the computer revolution in regards to patient care. Health care comprises of the use and management of a profusion of information that must be collected, managed, reviewed, processed, and mined (McHaney, n.d.). Technology changes rapidly and maintaining the status quo in health care, actually means falling behind, and health organizations cannot afford to do that in a technology-driven world (Rutsky, 1999). This chapter investigates the trends in health care information technology and informatics. The chapter will consist of the following sections: background; issues controversies, and problems; solutions and recommendation; future research directions; and finally the conclusion. This will enhance the field of health information and technology and its influences on all aspects of health organizations and society in general.
Characterization of Prodrugs

Synthesis of a model peptide GLP1-oxyntomodulin is described to demonstrate that relatively large peptides can be synthesized using methods in the last chapter. The synthesis of Classes 1–4 prodrugs using various drug scaffolds are described. The structural nature of the side chain (especially β branching as evidenced in dipeptides containing valine and tert-butyl glycine); the stereochemistry, and the pKa of the nucleophile serve an important role in determining the relative rate of cleavage. Several fast and slow acting ester prodrug candidates were tested for their potency and were found to have minimal potency as compared to the drug. The prodrugs regained their potencies after incubation in PBS buffer at a pH of 7.2 and temperature of 37 °C.
Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase II-dependent regulation of atrial myocyte late Na+ current, Ca2+ cycling, and excitability: a mathematical modeling study.

Here, we present a novel computational model to study the effects of late Na+ current (INa,L) in human atrial myocytes. Simulations predict that INa,L promotes intracellular accumulation of Ca2+, w...
English just is not enough!: Neoliberalism, class, and children's study abroad among Korean families

Abstract Early study abroad (ESA) has been popular among middle/upper class Korean families who use overseas experiences for the accumulation of capital and class mobility. Following up with two graduate student families in Song (2012), this study examines these two families' post-ESA experiences from the mothers' perspectives. It attends particularly to the role of English in their children's educational trajectories and the family's class positioning against economically-privileged Gangnam families. The results demonstrate the two mothers' complex attitudes toward linguistic and class ideologies that deepen the ‘English divide’ in Korean society. While they criticized class-based inequalities surrounding English education, they themselves were content with the linguistic capital accumulated overseas for their children's competitiveness in the Korean educational context and beyond. They also realized that the increasing number of good English speakers with superior economic means deprived them of the privilege associated with the competence in English. That is, the value of competence is synergistic with other social advantages that are highly dependent on one's economic background. The results illuminate how class mediates not only the distribution, but also the return of the capital through a powerful neoliberal social order that drives Koreans to pursue the valuable capital at any cost.
Conducting Unconventional Management Research: Models and Best Practices

This symposium seeks to build and broaden a rich dialogue which was started last year surrounding unconventional management research (Elsbach, Massa, Phillips, Pratt, Tan & Zuzul, 2015), given the ...
Troubling Trends in Health Disparities.

Troubling Trends in Health Disparities A National Center for Health Statistics report shows that U.S. life expectancy has decreased for 2 years. Age-adjusted mortality (1999–2016) shows that progre...
Inactivating hepatic follistatin alleviates hyperglycemia.

Unsuppressed hepatic glucose production (HGP) contributes substantially to glucose intolerance and diabetes, which can be modeled by the genetic inactivation of hepatic insulin receptor substrate 1 (Irs1) and Irs2 (LDKO mice). We previously showed that glucose intolerance in LDKO mice is resolved by hepatic inactivation of the transcription factor FoxO1 (that is, LTKO mice)—even though the liver remains insensitive to insulin. Here, we report that insulin sensitivity in the white adipose tissue of LDKO mice is also impaired but is restored in LTKO mice in conjunction with normal suppression of HGP by insulin. To establish the mechanism by which white adipose tissue insulin signaling and HGP was regulated by hepatic FoxO1, we identified putative hepatokines—including excess follistatin (Fst)—that were dysregulated in LDKO mice but normalized in LTKO mice. Knockdown of hepatic Fst in the LDKO mouse liver restored glucose tolerance, white adipose tissue insulin signaling and the suppression of HGP by insulin; however, the expression of Fst in the liver of healthy LTKO mice had the opposite effect. Of potential clinical significance, knockdown of Fst also improved glucose tolerance in high-fat-fed obese mice, and the level of serum Fst was reduced in parallel with glycated hemoglobin in obese individuals with diabetes who underwent therapeutic gastric bypass surgery. We conclude that Fst is a pathological hepatokine that might be targeted for diabetes therapy during hepatic insulin resistance. Follistatin acts as a hepatokine to induce insulin resistance and can be targeted to improve diabetes in mice.
Calcium Oxalate Urolithiasis: A Case of Missing Microbes?

Abstract Introduction: Urinary stone disease (USD) has known associations with the gut microbiota. Approximately 80% of kidney stones contain oxalate as a primary constituent and diverse oxalate-de...
Impact of Veteran Status and Timing of PTSD Diagnosis on Criminal Justice Outcomes

Previous research has demonstrated that jurors show a bias towards treatment for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The present research examines this bias when jurors are faced with cases of potential malingering, in which the defendant’s claim of PTSD is a perceived attempt to escape legal punishments. Trial vignettes, in which veteran status and PTSD diagnosis timing were manipulated, were used to explore this phenomenon. It was found that veterans who received their diagnosis after being arrested were found guilty more often, and were diverted to treatment less often, than those who were diagnosed before an arrest. This has critical implications for mental healthcare in that it is crucial to properly diagnose and treat people before they find themselves in court. Further, the negative outcomes in court demonstrate one of the severe social impacts of untreated or late-diagnosed PTSD.
Effects of cultivar and leaf traits on the abundance of Pacific spider mites in almond orchards

A greater understanding of the ecological relationships between Pacific spider mite, Tetranychus pacificus, and its almond host is needed for better management recommendations and reduced need for pesticides. Since populations of T. pacificus are thought to increase with deficit irrigation and fertilization, they may also differ between almond cultivars varying in leaf traits relating to water use and leaf nitrogen (N) content. In the current study, the relationships between T. pacificus populations, almond cultivars and leaf traits were examined at studies in two locations. In the first study, a large-scale cultivar trial with a high level of T. pacificus infestation, spider mite eggs were more common on the cultivar ‘Sweetheart’ than either ‘Nonpareil’ or ‘Marcona,’ and across all cultivars, mites and leaf damage increased with stomatal density, but decreased with stomatal length. Almond cultivars differed in traits, with ‘Sweetheart’ having the highest leaf N and ‘Marcona’ the lowest stomatal density. In the second study, a germplasm repository orchard collection with low levels of T. pacificus infestation, spider mites were not detected on the cultivar ‘Mission’ but were similarly highest on ‘Sweetheart.’ Mites increased with N across all cultivars, and leaf damage due to spider mites increased with more negative δ13C, indicating low water use efficiency. Results suggest that monitoring of spider mite populations should include conditions of high nutrient and water availability, especially for susceptible cultivars, and that spider mite populations are not consistently higher with leaf traits indicating water stress.
Desperate House Sellers: Distress Among Developers

I study how firm internal capital markets spread local housing shocks across geographically separate regions. I analyze this question in the context of the home builder industry during the 2006-09 housing crisis. I show that home builders who experience large asset write downs in one area, choose to subsequently sell homes in unaffected, healthy housing areas at a discount, in order to raise cash quickly. Consistent with the theory of internal capital markets, financially constrained firms are more likely to cut prices of homes in healthy, unaffected areas in response to losses in affected, unhealthy ones. I also find that firms smooth shocks across projects only during the crisis and not during the boom. Since distressed home sales also depress prices of neighboring homes, these findings indicate that builder internal capital markets are an important channel for geographic contagion of negative economic shocks.
Utility and Practicality of Multi-level Sectioning and Upfront Unstained Slide Cutting in Head and Neck Biopsies: A Critical Analysis

Upfront interval sectioning (cutting unstained slides between H&E levels) is used at our institution for biopsies at all sites except the gastrointestinal tract. Very limited data exists in the literature for the need for interval sectioning, and we are aware of no data at all for the head and neck. Biopsies from the larynx, oral cavity, pharynx, and sinonasal tract at our institution have had 5 levels cut. Levels 1, 3, and 5 or levels 2 and 5 had been stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), depending on the subsite, and the remaining slides saved for possible later use. We retrospectively evaluated the use of unstained slides at these sites for clinical utility and efficiency by analyzing 3 years of cases from 1/1/2014 to 12/30/2016. A cutoff of 10% utilization was considered justification for continued upfront unstained slide cutting. We collected 706 larynx, 572 oral cavity, 184 pharynx, and 85 sinonasal tract biopsies over 3 years. The overall rate of unstained slide usage was 18.2%. Usage rates were significantly different by site: 7.8% (55/706) for larynx, 21.9% (125/572) for oral cavity, 30.6% (26/85) for sinonasal tract and 40.8% (75/184) for pharynx (p < 0.0001). The most common stain ordered in the pharynx was p16 immunohistochemistry (59.7%), but it was Grocott methenamine silver staining in the larynx (74.5%), oral cavity (70.4%), and sinonasal tract (35.1%). Usage of unstained slides was lowest for the larynx, and review of the biopsies with unstained slides utilized showed that the lesion was present on the 3rd H&E level in all cases. Removing this practice would have translated to saving 1,378 unstained slides. Upfront interval sectioning makes practical sense for biopsies from most sites in the head and neck, especially the pharynx, but our data suggests it can reasonably be forgone at least for biopsies of the larynx.
An Examination of Cross-Market Arbitrage

We examine cross-market arbitrage in U.S. equity markets. A crossed market occurs when the National Best Bid is greater than the National Best Offer. For calendar year 2018, on all National Market Securities, there are more than 1.8 million market crosses and $20.2 million in potential arbitrage profits. The mean market cross is for 1.7 cents and 562 shares and lasts 6.6 milliseconds. On a typical day, there are 7,286 crossed quotations. Our findings suggest that cross-market arbitrage in U.S. equities is limited and risky but may exist at times for high-speed traders.
Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Nanoantennas Lattice

High-index materials such as silicon and III-V compounds have recently gained a lot of interest as a promising material platform for efficient photonic nanostructures. Because of the high refractive index, nanoparticles of such materials support Mie resonances and enable efficient light control and its confinement at the nanoscale. Here we propose a design of nanostructure with multipole resonances where optical nanoantennas are made out of transition metal dichalcogenide, in particular, tungsten disulfide WS2. Transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDCs) possess a high refractive index and strong optical anisotropy because of their layered structure and are promising building blocks for next-generation photonic devices. Strong anisotropic response results in different components of TMDC permittivity and the possibility of tailoring nanostructure optical properties by choosing different axes and adjusting dimensions in design. The proposed periodic array of TMDC nanoantennas can be used for controlling optical resonances in the visible and near-infrared spectral ranges and engineering efficient ultra-thin optical components with nanoscale light confinement.
Unravelling Criteria for Assessing the Performance of Salespeople: A Causal Analysis

AbstractIn the past, academic research on sales force performance has used either objective performance data or subjective managerial ratings to measure sales performance. Consistent with corporate practices, objective and subjective performance measures were used in this research project. The relationships among three components of performance: specific task behaviors, specific goal achievement and overall performance were examined. A casual analysis suggests that managerial evaluations of overall sales performance are influenced by their perceptions of specific selling behaviors and the degree to which sales people attain specified performance goals.
Brain Angiotensin Type-1 and Type-2 Receptors in Physiological and Hypertensive Conditions: Focus on Neuroinflammation.

To review recent data that suggest opposing effects of brain angiotensin type-1 (AT1R) and type-2 (AT2R) receptors on blood pressure (BP). Here, we discuss recent studies that suggest pro-hypertensive and pro-inflammatory actions of AT1R and anti-hypertensive and anti-inflammatory actions of AT2R. Further, we propose mechanisms for the interplay between brain angiotensin receptors and neuroinflammation in hypertension. The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays an important role in regulating cardiovascular physiology. This includes brain AT1R and AT2R, both of which are expressed in or adjacent to brain regions that control BP. Activation of AT1R within those brain regions mediate increases in BP and cause neuroinflammation, which augments the BP increase in hypertension. The fact that AT1R and AT2R have opposing actions on BP suggests that AT1R and AT2R may have similar opposing actions on neuroinflammation. However, the mechanisms by which brain AT1R and AT2R mediate neuroinflammatory responses remain unclear. The interplay between brain angiotensin receptor subtypes and neuroinflammation exacerbates or protects against hypertension.
A COMPARATIVE NEUROLOGIST'S VIEW OF SIGNALS AND SIGNS IN THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a comparative neurologist's view of signals and signs in the nervous system. All neural systems consist of small components as the actual sensing and reacting elements. Chemical signs are generally the release of something if it's an organic molecule or else movement in either direction if it's an ion. Neurons have a lot of ways of responding. This reflects two different kinds of diversity;(1) diversity of types of neurons, and (2) multiplicity of substances released from single neurons. Neurons can release more than one transmitter, along with one or more modulators, several metabolites and sometimes proteins, neurosecretory, or other special products. There is a variety of synaptic potentials; not only excitatory and inhibitory consequences distinguish them but also several other properties. Some have a passive decay and are monophasic, others have a convex, partly active, decremental falling phase, and some are distinctly biphasic. Some are facilitating, others anti-facilitating and there can be fast and slow phases of these effects of history. There are three levels of interaction of neurons recognized, at least in mammals and believed to be general among vertebrates and higher invertebrates. In Floyd Bloom's formulation, there are levels of (i) macrocircuits of sensory, motor, and association connections, (ii) microcircuits or local circuits operating within the macrocircuits, and (iii) modulatory macrosystems superimposed on both, such as the noradrenaline locus coeruleus system, the 5-hydroxytryptamine raphe system, and the dopamine medial forebrain bundle system.
Qualitative data collection tools: Design, development, and applications by Felice D. Billups

Book Review Qualitative data collection tools: Design, development, and applications by Felice D. Billups SAGE Publications, 2020, 240 pp. $30.00 (paper) ISBN-10: 1544334826
Neuronal origins of biases in economic choices under sequential offers

Economic choices are characterized by a variety of biases. Understanding their origins is a long-term goal for neuroeconomics, but progress on this front has been limited. Here we examined choice biases observed when two goods are offered sequentially. In the experiments, rhesus monkeys chose between different juices offered simultaneously or in sequence. Choices under sequential offers were less accurate (higher variability). They were also biased in favor of the second offer (order bias) and in favor of the preferred juice (preference bias). Analysis of neuronal activity recorded in orbitofrontal cortex revealed that these phenomena emerged at different computational stages. The lower choice accuracy reflected weaker offer value signals (valuation stage), the order bias emerged during value comparison (decision stage), and the preference bias emerged late in the trial (post-comparison). Our approach, leveraging recent notions on the neural mechanisms of economic decisions, may shed light on other aspects of choice behavior.
Plato's Forms in Transition: A Reading of the Parmenides

Introduction 1. The theory of forms 2. The theory criticized 3. The theory modified: methodology 4. The first deduction 5. The second deduction 6. From the appendix to the fourth deduction 7. From the fifth to the eighth deduction Conclusion.
WILLS Disinterment and DNA Testing: Providing for Court Orders for Disinterment and DNA Testing in Certain Cases Where the Kinship of Any Party in Interest to a Decedent is in Controversy

The Act attempts to clear up confusion and prevent delay in the settlement of estates that had been caused by the lack of provisions in the civil law for an order to disinter for the purposes of DNA testing. The Act explicitly grants this power to Georgia's superior courts upon motion for good cause supported by specifically enumerated affidavits. Additionally, the Act provides for the dissemination of reports of findings resulting from the DNA testing and provides that the costs of testing and the provision of reports shall be borne by the moving party.
Surface Measurements Using Absorption/Luminescence

The physical and chemical characteristics of surfaces along with the structure and dynamics of molecules near surfaces or interfaces have recently become critically important. Surface measurements have provided important information concerning the properties of the surfaces and the surface/adsorbate interactions. The physical, chemical and biological sciences have benefited tremendously from these studies, with significant developments being made in the areas of diagnostic devices, optical devices, electronic devices and sensors. The specific behavior of macromolecules at or near surfaces, interfaces, and membranes is currently of primary interest in the biological sciences. Important applications include: adsorption of blood proteins on biomaterials in thrombogenesis research; the binding to and triggering of living cells by hormones, neurotransmitters and antigens; cell adhesion to various surfaces; the mechanism of electron transport in mitochondrial and photosynthetic membranes; and also reaction rate enhancement with membrane receptors by nonspecific adsorption and surface diffusion of ligands. However, investigation of biomolecular behavior at surfaces and interfaces remains a difficult task. Most of the common analytical methods available for investigation of surfaces either lack the extent of surface selectivity required or demand relatively harsh sample handling that severely limits the biological relevance of any results obtained. This article specifically describes ultraviolet/visible (UV/VIS) absorption and photoluminescence techniques applicable to analysis of surfaces or thin films.
Pneumococcal pspA Sequence Types of Prevalent Multiresistant Pneumococcal Strains in the United States and of Internationally Disseminated Clones

In a recent genotypic survey of β-lactam-resistant pneumococci recovered in different areas of United States during 1997, eight clonal types that each represented 3 to 40 isolates accounted for 134 of 144 isolates (G. Gherardi, C. Whitney, R. Facklam, and B. Beall, J. Infect. Dis. 181:216–229, 2000). We determined the degree of pspA gene diversity among these 134 isolates and for 11 previously characterized internationally disseminated multiresistant strains. Thirty-four different pspA restriction profiles were determined for an amplicon encompassing the variable portion of the structural gene that encodes the surface-exposed domain of PspA and a variable-length proline-rich putative cell wall-associated domain. These restriction profiles closely correlated with those of 33 different pspA sequence types of an approximately 230-residue region corresponding to residues 182 to 410 of the strain Rx1 PspA. These residues encompass a 100-residue clade-defining region known to contain cross-protective epitopes for which 17 sequence types were found. Distinct, conserved pspA sequence types were found for the majority of strains within seven of the eight U.S. clonal types assessed, while one pulsed-field gel electrophoresis type was represented by isolates of three distinct PspA clades. Sequence typing of pspA provides an added level of specificity in the subtyping of isolates and is a necessary first step in determining the components needed in a PspA vaccine which could elicit effective cross-protective coverage.
Controlling chaos in distributed computational systems

Autonomous agents in distributed computational systems make decisions based on imperfect and delayed information. These systems are analogous to immune systems, ecologies, market economies and large human organizations. The nonlinear interactions among agents lead to a wide range of system-level dynamical behaviors, including chaos which can reduce overall performance. This paper uses a general dynamical model of autonomous agents to illustrate the stabilizing effect of a simple reward mechanism. The implications of these theoretical results are described for two examples: interacting agents on the World Wide Web and distributed controls for smart matter, i.e., materials with embedded sensors, actuators and controllers.
Perpetuating stereotypes: A study of gender, family, and religious life in Jewish children's books.

This paper examines award-winning Jewish children's literature as a medium to explore how religiosity gets constructed differently for men and women. We analyze three decades of winners of the Sydney Taylor Jewish Book Award, a prestigious annual award given by the Association of Jewish Libraries to an outstanding Jewish children's book. We demonstrate how these award-winning books produce and perpetuate gendered religious stereotypes that associate men with agency and women with communion. We also show how these books construct images of a “domestic Judaism” for women and a “public Judaism” for men and how women have been symbolically annihilated from the titles and central character roles in these books. Drawing on Cecilia Ridgeway's (2011) gender-framing perspective, we argue that the gender stereotypes evident in these books matter to society because they produce and enforce gender inequalities in religiousness.
Conditioned Vasomotor Response: Thermoregulatory Effects

Whether a conditioned vasomotor response will be a vasoconstriction or a vasodilatation appears to depend upon the thermal state at the time that the response is elicited and to be independent of what the response might have been during previous thermal states. For rabbits equilibrated to 18–20°C, the conditioned stress response tends to be a vasoconstriction. For equilibration to air temperature either higher or lower than that approximate thermal non-regulatory range, the response tends to be a vasodilatation.
Structural analysis of apolipoprotein A-I: effects of amino- and carboxy-terminal deletions on the lipid-free structure.

An amino-terminal deletion mutant (residues 1−43) and a carboxy-terminal deletion mutant (residues 187−243) of human apolipoprotein A-I (apo hA-I) have been produced from a bacterial expression system to explore the importance of the missing residues for the conformation of apo hA-I. Our focus has been to study the lipid-free structure of apo hA-I to understand how discrete domains influence the conformational plasticity of the protein and, by inference, the mechanism of lipid binding. All spectral and physical measurements indicate that both apo Δ(1−43)A-I and apo Δ(187−243)A-I have folded, tertiary structures. These structures differ in the specific arrangement of helical domains based, in part, on their relative thermodynamic stability, near- and far-UV CD, limited proteolysis, and the accessibility of tryptophans to fluorescence quenchers. In addition, all data indicate that the folded domains of apo hA-I and apo Δ(187−243)A-I are very similar. Results from analytical ultracentrifugation suggest that ...
Standard test case for a low-speed, turbulent junction vortex flow

The mean flow structure upstream, around within, and in the near wake of a turbulent junction or horseshoe vortex is reported for an incompressible subsonic flow. Measurements of the primitive variables of velocity and pressure are reported on all surfaces bounding the region of the vortex flow and on three transverse and one streamwise plane within the flowfield itself for comparisons between the measured and any calculated flow variables. Detailed surface flow visualizations and some direct force measurements of surface shear stress are also available. The data is a highly detailed, coherent, self-consistent set offered to the computational fluid mechanics community as a standard test case for the evaluation of the capability of numerical solvers intended for predicting the flowfield in such a complex, separated, three-dimensional turbulent flow. This data base is available for copying to user supplied tapes or for transmission via BITNET, as well as in two National Technical Information Service (NTIS) reports.
Cross-talk between Protein Kinases Cζ and B in Cyclic AMP-mediated Sodium Taurocholate Co-transporting Polypeptide Translocation in Hepatocytes

Cyclic AMP stimulates taurocholate (TC) uptake and sodium taurocholate co-transporting polypeptide (Ntcp) translocation in hepatocytes via the phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3K) signaling pathway. The aim of the present study was to determine whether protein kinase (PK) Cζ, one of the downstream mediators of the PI3K signaling pathway, is involved in cAMP-mediated stimulation of TC uptake. Studies were conducted in isolated rat hepatocytes and in HuH-7 cells stably transfected with rat liver Ntcp (HuH-Ntcp cells). Studies in hepatocytes showed that cAMP activates PKCζ in a PI3K-dependent manner without inducing translocation of PKCζ to the plasma membrane. Inhibition of cAMP-induced PKCζ activity by myristoylated PKC (ζ/λ) pseudosubstrate, a specific inhibitor of PKCζ, and Go 6850, a PKC inhibitor, resulted in inhibition of cAMP-induced increases in TC uptake and Ntcp translocation. Studies in HuH-Ntcp cells showed that inhibition of cAMP-induced PKCζ activation by dominant-negative (DN) PKCζ resulted in inhibition of cAMP-induced increases in TC uptake and Ntcp translocation. DN PKCζ also inhibited wild-type PKCζ-induced increases in PKCζ activity, TC uptake, and Ntcp translocation. Myristoylated PKC (ζ/λ) pseudosubstrate and DN PKCζ also inhibited cAMP-induced activation of PKB in hepatocytes and HuH-Ntcp cells, respectively. Neither DN PKB nor constitutively active PKB affected cAMP-induced activation of PKCζ, and wild-type PKCζ did not activate PKB. Taken together, these results suggest that cAMP-induced activation of PKB is dependent on cAMP-induced stimulation of PKCζ. It is proposed that cAMP-induced Ntcp translocation involves the activation of the PI3K/PKCζ signaling pathway followed by the activation of the PI3K/PKB signaling pathway.
Significance of a single-hit event in the initiation of antibody response.

THE origin of the physico-chemical and immuno-chemical heterogeneity of immunoglobulin molecules has been a perplexing problem for many years. Recently, evidence has been accumulating which points to variability in the expression of antigen-stimulable progenitor cells as the cause of immunoglobulin heterogeneity. Whether or not this is the case—or whether, for example, the variability may result from non-uniformity of polypeptide chain construction by polysomes—can only be decided when methods are available for analysis of immuno-globulins at various times during response by the progeny of a single precursor cell. Before such clonal investigations can be attempted, it is obviously necessary to have some clear notion about the number and frequency of these precursor cells. This communication presents the results of experiments designed to enumerate such cells in spleen cell suspensions from non-primed and primed mice of two different hybrid strains of various age groups.
Elementary Proof That Some Angles Cannot Be Trisected by Ruler and Compass

(1990). Elementary Proof That Some Angles Cannot Be Trisected by Ruler and Compass. Mathematics Magazine: Vol. 63, No. 2, pp. 95-105.
Metal–insulator transitions in an expanding metallic fluid: particle formation during femtosecond laser ablation

Abstract The formation of particles in a laser ablation plume is a complex process requiring direct local probes. Here, core-level photoemission spectroscopy is extended to the picosecond time domain to probe local expansion dynamics and associated transient chemical properties as a highly pressurized, metallic fluid expands into vacuum following impulsive heating of a semiconductor by an intense, ultrashort laser pulse. These experiments probe constituents species and solidification kinetics occurring in the early moments of material ejection and provide insight into how particles arise in the current laser ablation regime. Photoemission peak shifts reveal rapid metal–insulator phase transitions and support a view of fragmentation over vapor-condensation as the relevant mechanism determining the initial size-distribution of particles.
A technique for measurement of instantaneous heat transfer in steady-flow ambient-temperature facilities

An experimental technique is described for obtaining time-resolved heat flux measurements with high-frequency response (up to 100 kHz) in a steady-flow ambient-temperature facility. The heat transfer test object is preheated and suddenly injected into an established steady flow. Thin-film gages deposited on the test surface detect the unsteady substrate surface temperature. Analog circuitry designed for use in short-duration facilities and based on one-dimensional semiinfinite heat conduction is used to perform the temperature/heat flux transformation. A detailed description of substrate properties, instrumentation, experimental procedure, and data reduction is given, along with representative results obtained in the stagnation region of a circular cylinder subjected to a wake-dominated unsteady flow. An in-depth discussion of related work is also provided.
Chemical factors influencing colloid-facilitated transport of contaminants in porous media

The effects of colloids on the transport of two strongly sorbing solutesa hydrophobic organic compound, phenanthrene, and a metal ion, Ni2+were studied in sand-packed laboratory columns under different pH and ionic strength conditions. Two types of column experiments were performed as follows: (i) sorption/mobilization experiments where the contaminant was first sorbed in the column under conditions where no colloids were released and mobilized under conditions where colloids were released as a result of ionic strength reduction in the influent; and (ii) transport experiments where the contaminant, dissolved or sorbed on colloids, was injected into columns packed with a strongly sorbing porous medium. In the first type of experiment, contaminant mobilization was significant only when all releasable colloids were flushed from the column. In all other cases, although high colloid particle concentrations were encountered, there was no marked effect on total contaminant concentrations. In the second type of ...
Triblock copolymer syntheses of mesoporous silica with periodic 50 to 300 angstrom pores

Use of amphiphilic triblock copolymers to direct the organization of polymerizing silica species has resulted in the preparation of well-ordered hexagonal mesoporous silica structures (SBA-15) with uniform pore sizes up to approximately 300 angstroms. The SBA-15 materials are synthesized in acidic media to produce highly ordered, two-dimensional hexagonal (space group p6mm) silica-block copolymer mesophases. Calcination at 500°C gives porous structures with unusually large interlattice d spacings of 74.5 to 320 angstroms between the (100) planes, pore sizes from 46 to 300 angstroms, pore volume fractions up to 0.85, and silica wall thicknesses of 31 to 64 angstroms. SBA-15 can be readily prepared over a wide range of uniform pore sizes and pore wall thicknesses at low temperature (35° to 80°C), using a variety of poly(alkylene oxide) triblock copolymers and by the addition of cosolvent organic molecules. The block copolymer species can be recovered for reuse by solvent extraction with ethanol or removed by heating at 140°C for 3 hours, in both cases, yielding a product that is thermally stable in boiling water.
Cystic fibrosis: impaired bicarbonate secretion and mucoviscidosis

Summary For more than 20 years, the abnormally thick mucus (mucoviscidosis) in cystic fibrosis has been widely shown to be linked to a genetic defect in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator Cl − channel. The defect is widely thought to cause mucus to become dehydrated as a result of basic defects in Cl − dependent fluid transport. However, this widely held explanation is inconsistent with the known physiological properties and functions of organs affected by cystic fibrosis. During the process of releasing highly condensed mucins from intracellular granules, Ca 2+ and H + cations must be removed to enable the mucins to expand by as much as 1000 times, forming extracellular mucus-gel networks. Over the past few years, that HCO 3 − transport is also defective in patients with cystic fibrosis has become apparent. I propose that HCO 3 − is crucial to normal mucin expansion because it forms complexes with these cations. Thus, because HCO 3 − secretion is defective in cystic fibrosis, mucins in organs affected by cystic fibrosis tend to remain aggregated, poorly solubilised, and less transportable. If the hypothesis is valid, pathogenesis in cystic fibrosis could be due as much to defective transport of HCO 3 − as to defective Cl − transport.
Effect of a single breath of cigarette smoke on slowly adapting receptors in canine lungs.

Abstract Inhalation of cigarette smoke has been shown to induce bronchoconstriction which should stimulate slowly adapting pulmonary stretch receptors (PSRs). To test this possibility, the activity of PSRs was recorded from fine afferent filaments of the vagus nerve before and aftter ml of smoke generated from high-nicotine cigarettes was delivered into the lungs in a single breath in anesthetized, open-chest and artificially ventilated dogs. The base-line activity of PSRs did not change during the first two breaths following smoke delivery. However, PSR activity started to increase by the third breath (post-smoke), concomitant with an increase in tracheal (transpulmonary) pressure. Both the smoke-induced increase in tracheal pressure and the delayed effect on PSRs were prevented by a pretreatment with aerosolized isoproterenol, a bronchodilator, suggesting that the delayed response of PSRs to smoke was elicited by the change in bronchomotor tone. Although smoke evoked a delayed stimulation in the majority (61%) of the PSRs studied, it caused a mild delayed inhibition (24%) or had no effect (15%) in some of the receptors. The variable responses to smoke among PSRs are probably related to the smoke-induced heterogenous changes of mechanical properties in the lungs and their anatomic locations.
Comparisons of four approximation algorithms for large-scale linkage map construction

Efficient construction of large-scale linkage maps is highly desired in current gene mapping projects. To evaluate the performance of available approaches in the literature, four published methods, the insertion (IN), seriation (SER), neighbor mapping (NM), and unidirectional growth (UG) were compared on the basis of simulated F2 data with various population sizes, interferences, missing genotype rates, and mis-genotyping rates. Simulation results showed that the IN method outperformed, or at least was comparable to, the other three methods. These algorithms were also applied to a real data set and results showed that the linkage order obtained by the IN algorithm was superior to the other methods. Thus, this study suggests that the IN method should be used when constructing large-scale linkage maps.
A dysmorphic child with myelodysplasia characterized by a duplication of 1q and multiple duplications of 3q

Multiple inserted duplications of bands 3q21 through 3q27 and a duplication of the chromosome 1 long arm are reported in a karyotypically altered clone from a dysmorphic child with myelodysplasia.