cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Composition of seed sequence is a major determinant of microRNA targeting patterns.

Motivation: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that are extensively involved in gene expression regulation. One major roadblock in functional miRNA studies is the reliable prediction of genes targeted by miRNAs, as rules defining miRNA target recognition have not been well-established to date. Availability of high-throughput experimental data from a recent CLASH (cross linking, ligation and sequencing of hybrids) study has presented an unprecedented opportunity to characterize miRNA target recognition patterns, which may provide guidance for improved miRNA target prediction. Results: The CLASH data were analysed to identify distinctive sequence features that characterize canonical and non-canonical miRNA target types. Most miRNA targets were of non-canonical type, i.e. without involving perfect pairing to canonical miRNA seed region. Different miRNAs have distinct targeting patterns, and this miRNA-to-miRNA variability was associated with seed sequence composition. Specifically, seed-based canonical target recognition was dependent on the GC content of the miRNA seed. For miRNAs with low GC content of the seed region, non-canonical targeting was the dominant mechanism for target recognition. In contrast to canonical targeting, non-canonical targeting did not lead to significant target downregulation at either the RNA or protein level.
First-Principles Equation of State for an Energetic Intermetallic Mixture

The thermodynamically complete equation of state P=P(ρ,T) for a intermetallic mixture of nickel and aluminum is obtained via first principle calculations for pressures up to 300GPa and temperatures up to 1000K. The calculations for the static-lattice EOS are carried out in the framework of the density functional theory (DFT), using generalized gradient approximations and ultrasoft psuedopotentials. The phonon modes are calculated by using the density functional perturbation theory (DFPT). First, the EOS for each species is obtained based on ab initio prediction of the electron ground state and thermal excitations. Then, the mixture theories are utilized to obtain the EOS for the mixture. Two mixture theories are proposed, which correspond to the two limiting cases. The nature of the real mixture is intermediate to those of the two idealized mixtures and hence can be modeled as a weighted combination of the two cases. The Comparisons of the EOS for nickel and aluminum obtained from existing shock Hugoniot data show good agreement with the theoretical results.
Single-molecule mechanics: New insights from the escape-over-a-barrier problem

The early description of the living cell as a reaction vessel of molecules undergoing random collisions has evolved to a much more interesting picture of a small chemical factory of complex and dynamic molecular structures that carry out specialized functions in a highly-coordinated fashion. Traditional solution biochemistry has had extraordinary success in elucidating molecular structures of the cellular components. The task of capturing the dynamics and the distribution of states of these structures, however, seemed nearly impossible because the activities of the molecules in the solution are asynchronous as the result of their interactions with the surroundings. This situation has changed with the development of single-molecule biophysical methods (1, 2) that permit measurements of the response of macromolecules or individual molecular bonds to external load with the spectacular resolution of subnanometer distances and picoNewton forces, revealing details that are typically lost to ensemble averaging when studied by solution methods. Unprecedented information about the mechanisms that drive biological processes becomes encoded in the resulting wealth of unaveraged data. Recall, however, that these systems are of microscopic dimensions, which puts thermal fluctuations on equal footing with the external deterministic forces. This circumstance, along with the far from equilibrium conditions, makes a quantitative description of the molecular bond properties that can account for observed data a challenging task. The article by Freund in this issue of PNAS (3) offers a theoretical framework that does just that. A novel and concise derivation takes the reader from a very fundamental starting point to a set of analytical results that provide intriguing insights into the response of a molecular bond to an imposed mechanical load.
Expanded CAG repeats in exon 1 of the Huntington’s disease gene stimulate dopamine-mediated striatal neuron autophagy and degeneration

Huntington’s disease (HD) is caused by an expanded CAG repeat in exon 1 of the gene coding for the huntingtin protein. The cellular pathway by which this mutation induces HD remains unknown, although alterations in protein degradation are involved. To study intrinsic cellular mechanisms linked to the mutation, we examined dissociated postnatally derived cultures of striatal neurons from transgenic mice expressing exon 1 of the human HD gene carrying a CAG repeat expansion. While there was no difference in cell death between wild-type and mutant littermate-derived cultures, the mutant striatal neurons exhibited elevated cell death following a single exposure to a neurotoxic concentration of dopamine. The mutant neurons exposed to dopamine also exhibited lysosome-associated responses including induction of autophagic granules and electron-dense lysosomes. The autophagic/lysosomal compartments co-localized with high levels of oxygen radicals in living neurons, and ubiquitin. The results suggest that the combination of mutant huntingtin and a source of oxyradical stress (provided in this case by dopamine) induces autophagy and may underlie the selective cell death characteristic of HD.
Risk Factors for Coronary Heart Disease in African American Women

There have been few studies of risk factors for coronary heart disease in African American women. The authors investigated factors associated with prevalent coronary heart disease in data provided by participants in the Black Women's Health Study. In 1995, 64,530 US Black women aged 21-69 years completed postal health questionnaires. The 352 women who reported having had a heart attack (cases) were frequency matched 5:1 on age with 1,760 women who had not (controls); medical record review for 35 cases indicated that two-thirds had had a heart attack and the remainder had other coronary heart disease. Odds ratios, obtained from multiple logistic regression analyses, were significantly elevated for cigarette smoking, drug-treated hypertension, drug-treated diabetes mellitus, elevated cholesterol level, and history of heart attack in a parent. High body mass index (kg/m2) was associated with coronary heart disease in the absence of control for hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and elevated cholesterol but not when they were controlled, suggesting that obesity may influence risk as a result of its effects on blood pressure, glucose tolerance, and cholesterol levels. Odds ratios increased with increasing parity and with decreasing age at first birth. These data suggest that important risk factors for coronary heart disease are similar in Black women and White women.
Development of Speech Perception and Speech Production Abilities in Adult Second Language Learners.

This study examines the acquisition of production and perception by adult learners of English. The particular focus is voice onset time of initial /b/'s and /p/'s. The subjects are 10 nonnative speakers of English and six native speakers who provided identification responses to synthesized stimuli varying along a voice onset time continuum. Additionally, they each produced words with initial /b/'s and /p/'s. These measures were repeated at three 1-month intervals for the nonnative speakers. The results show that nonnative speaker perception differs from native speaker perception in two important ways: (1) stop consonants are perceived continuously rather than categorically and (2) nonnative speaker perception is influenced by the location of phoneme boundaries in both the native and target languages. Nonnative speaker production shows a greater amount of similarity to native speaker production, although, where deviations occur, nonnative speakers tend to overcompensate for differences between the native and target languages. Finally, methodological issues are raised relating to the comparison of perception and production.
Model of a NiTi shape memory alloy actuator

A model of motion of an agonistic–antagonistic shape memory alloy actuator is developed in this article. The model shows that the dynamics of the actuator can be well described by a nonlinear motio...
THE NUMERICAL COMPUTATION OF CAGNIARD’S INTEGRALS

The numerical calculations may be made in such a manner as to make clear the influence of various factors on the results. This is done for the buried source and receiver in a semi‐infinite elastic medium. The process is to alter the path of integration so that with increasing time one increases the integration path length. Thus the total field unfolds as we carry out the integration. The work is done graphically. The path is mapped by an electrolytic tank technique suitably modified from that used by electric network synthesis workers. The integrand is separated into a product of two terms, one independent of time and position and one dependent on time and position. The independent term can be mapped on a conducting sheet for one Poisson ratio. The dependent term may be mapped for each time and position. A function multiplier and integrator are needed. The method is most accurate when the horizontal distance of the receiver is not very large compared with the sum of the depths of the source and receiver. ...
Analysis and design of an active power filter for balancing unbalanced loads

An active power filter is proposed for balancing unbalanced loads. A three-phase, PWM (pulse-width-modulated) AC-to-DC converter topology with inductive energy storage is controlled to continuously inject desired negative sequence currents into the distribution system to achieve balancing of continuously varying unbalanced loads. The principle of operation is as follows: the negative sequence components of the load currents are measured in magnitude and in phase and the PWM-controlled active power filter is controlled to inject currents opposite to these quantities, thereby achieving the balancing function. The operation of the proposed system and the selection of the active power filter components are discussed in detail. Experimental filter operation is verified for an unbalanced load. >
Computational design of a PAK1 binding protein

We describe a computational protocol, called DDMI, for redesigning scaffold proteins to bind to a specified region on a target protein. The DDMI protocol is implemented within the Rosetta molecular modeling program and uses rigid-body docking, sequence design, and gradient-based minimization of backbone and side-chain torsion angles to design low-energy interfaces between the scaffold and target protein. Iterative rounds of sequence design and conformational optimization were needed to produce models that have calculated binding energies that are similar to binding energies calculated for native complexes. We also show that additional conformation sampling with molecular dynamics can be iterated with sequence design to further lower the computed energy of the designed complexes. To experimentally test the DDMI protocol, we redesigned the human hyperplastic discs protein to bind to the kinase domain of p21-activated kinase 1 (PAK1). Six designs were experimentally characterized. Two of the designs aggregated and were not characterized further. Of the remaining four designs, three bound to the PAK1 with affinities tighter than 350 muM. The tightest binding design, named Spider Roll, bound with an affinity of 100 muM. NMR-based structure prediction of Spider Roll based on backbone and (13)C(beta) chemical shifts using the program CS-ROSETTA indicated that the architecture of human hyperplastic discs protein is preserved. Mutagenesis studies confirmed that Spider Roll binds the target patch on PAK1. Additionally, Spider Roll binds to full-length PAK1 in its activated state but does not bind PAK1 when it forms an auto-inhibited conformation that blocks the Spider Roll target site. Subsequent NMR characterization of the binding of Spider Roll to PAK1 revealed a comparably small binding 'on-rate' constant (<<10(5) M(-1) s(-1)). The ability to rationally design the site of novel protein-protein interactions is an important step towards creating new proteins that are useful as therapeutics or molecular probes.
Comparing metabolic energy expenditure estimation using wearable multi-sensor network and single accelerometer

This paper presents the implementation details, system architecture and performance of a wearable sensor network that was designed for human activity recognition and energy expenditure estimation. We also included ActiGraph GT3X+ as a popular single sensor solution for detailed comparison with the proposed wearable sensor network. Linear regression and Artificial Neural Network are implemented and tested. Through a rigorous system study and experiment, it is shown that the wearable multi-sensor network outperforms the single sensor solution in terms of energy expenditure estimation.
Information interactions between members of science-profession dyads as reflected by journal use: Ichthyology and fisheries biology

The science-profession dyad of ichthyology and fisheries biology was examined through a citation analysis of the journal literature. It was found that these two fields overlap greatly in journals cited. Further, it was found that ichthyologists tended to cite more sources with a greater proportion of these citations to journals, more foreign journals, and a greater diversity of journal sources than did fisheries biologists. Also, investigators holding academic positions in both disciplines tended to cite a greater diversity of journals than did those employed by government agencies. Despite differences in citation behavior, there seems to be at least some exchange of information within this dyad. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Some aspects of the crosslinking and degradation of gelatin molecules in aqueous solution irradiated by 60Co γ‐rays

When an aqueous gelatin solution was irradiated by γ-rays from a Co60 source, crosslinking occurred if nitrogen gas was passed through the solution, while degradation occurred with irradiation in an oxygen atmosphere. Empirical equations for the changes of the viscosity and the number of inter- or intramolecular crosslinks were obtained in each case and the phenomena were explained on the basis of an assumed reaction mechanism. The general equation for crosslinking is [η] = [η]Oekar, where [η] represents intrinsic viscosity of the solution and r is the γ-radiation dose. The number of inter-molecular cross links [R-R]inter is given by [R-R]inter = N0 (1 - e-kr), and the number of intramolecular cross links by [R-R]intra = N0(kr + e-kr - 1), where N0 is the initial number of gelatin molecules. In the case of degradation, the variation at intrinsic viscosity and the number of intermolecular cross links with radiation dose is given by the equations: [η] = [η]0[N0/(N0 + k′r)]a and [R—R]inter = −k′r.
Asymmetric DC Offsets and IIP2 in the Presence of LO Leakage in a Wireless Receiver

We present mathematical analysis to prove that LO leakage at the input of RF circuits in the presence of finite IIP3 results in asymmetry in DC offsets and IIP2 between in-phase and quadrature channels in a wireless receiver. The asymmetry in IIP2 causes effective IIP2 of the receiver to be at best only 3 dB higher than the smaller of two IIP2 values. Measurement data from a quad-band GSM/GPRS receiver implemented in 90-nm digital CMOS process is also presented to support mathematical analysis.
Multicompartment Pharmacokinetic Models and Pharmacologic Effects

The pharmacokinetic analysis of drug concentration in the plasma versus time data on the basis of multicompartment models makes it possible to examine not only the relationship between drug concentration in the plasma (or serum) and the intensity of a pharmacologic effect, but permits also an assessment of the relationship between pharmacologic effect and the relative drug levels in other apparent compartments of the body. Experimental difficulties such as sampling and assay problems limit the precision of data obtainable in the early (distributive) phase of drug concentration decline, so that most available data tend to fit a two-compartment rather than a more complex model. The rate constants derived from a two-compartment analysis of drug concentration data are almost certainly not “pure” but still hybrid, though “purer” than rate constants obtained by assuming the still simpler single-compartment open model. Suitable pharmacologic effect data, obtained at frequent intervals after drug administration, can show whether the site of action can be considered as part of a homogeneous tissue compartment (of the two-compartment system) or if the site of action must be considered as a distinct and separate pharmacokinetic compartment. This is illustrated by actual example, using previously published data of drug concentrations in the plasma and pharmacologic effects of lysergic acid diethylamide in man.
Separating Contributions from Pre-Mobilization and Ground Improvement for Post-Grouted Drilled Shafts

The load-displacement response of drilled shafts has been shown to improve with application of pressurized grout to the shaft tip after construction (post- grouting). The pressurized grout applies a bi-directional force at the shaft tip during grouting, which results in upward movement of the shaft and downward movement of the soil beneath the tip. Displacements resulting from the bi-directional force increase the side resistance that can be mobilized and decrease the tip resistance that can be mobilized for subsequent top-down loading. This re-distribution of resistance, referred to as "pre-mobilization", results in a "stiffer" load-displacement response to top-down loading compared to a similar ungrouted shaft but results in no change to the ultimate shaft resistance. Post-grouting may also produce an increase in the ultimate tip resistance by improving the ground beneath the shaft tip via mechanisms that include densification, tip enlargement, and grout permeation. A 1-D finite element model with capabilities for predicting the improvement due to pre- mobilization was used isolate contributions from pre-mobilization and ground improvement for load test measurements on similar post-grouted and conventional shafts at a representative site. Back-calculated values for unit tip resistance are compared to quantify the improved performance that can be attributed to pre- mobilization and ground improvement, respectively.
Chapter 10: Predictors of Burnout Among Self-Help Group Leaders

SUMMARY This research focused on role related variables and problems of self-help groups that were predictive of burnout in self-help group leaders. A random sample of 132 peer leaders of self-help groups were drawn from the database of the Self-Help Network of Kansas, a statewide self-help clearinghouse in Wichita, Kansas, which is located in the center of the United States. Peer leaders were administered the Maslach Burnout Inventory as well as measures related to their role in the group. Results indicated that role satisfaction, role conflict and role ambiguity were significant predictors of burnout along with the self-help group problems of overworked leaders and recruiting new members. It was also found that role satisfaction, role conflict and the problems of recruiting and keeping new members, and attendance at meetings significantly differentiated those in shared versus sole leadership roles. This information was disseminated to self-help groups in our database with a focus on the development of s...
Sex Differences in Somatotrope Dependency on Leptin Receptors in Young Mice: Ablation of LEPR Causes Severe Growth Hormone Deficiency and Abdominal Obesity in Males

Leptin receptor (LEPR) signaling controls appetite and energy expenditure. Somatotrope-specific deletion of the LEPRb signaling isoform causes GH deficiency and obesity. The present study selectively ablated Lepr exon 1 in somatotropes, which removes the signal peptide, causing the loss of all isoforms of LEPR. Excision of Lepr exon 1 was restricted to the pituitary, and mutant somatotropes failed to respond to leptin. Young (2–3 mo) males showed a severe 84% reduction in serum GH levels and more than 60% reduction in immunolabeled GH cells compared with 41%–42% reductions in GH and GH cells in mutant females. Mutant males (35 d) and females (45 d) weighed less than controls and males had lower lean body mass. Image analysis of adipose tissue by magnetic resonance imaging showed that young males had a 2-fold increase in abdominal fat mass and increased adipose tissue density. Young females had only an overall increase in adipose tissue. Both males and females showed lower energy expenditure and higher res...
Commonsense from the Web: Relation Properties

When general purpose software agents fail, it's often because they're brittle and need more background commonsense knowledge. In this paper we present relation properties as a valuable type of commonsense knowledge that can be automatically inferred at scale by reading the Web. People base many commonsense inferences on their knowledge of relation properties such as functionality, transitivity, and others. For example, all people know that bornIn(Year) satisfies the functionality property, meaning that each person can be born in exactly one year. Thus inferences like "Obama was born in 1961, so he was not born in 2008", which computers do not know, are obvious even to children. We demonstrate scalable heuristics for learning relation functionality from noisy Web text that outperform existing approaches to detecting functionality. The heuristics we use address Web NLP challenges that are also common to learning other relation properties, and can be easily transferred. Each relation property we learn for a Web-scale set of relations will enable computers to solve real tasks, and the data from learning many such properties will be a useful addition to general commonsense knowledge bases.
Role of the cAMP Pathway in Glucose and Lipid Metabolism.

3′–5′-Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cyclic AMP or cAMP) was first described in 1957 as an intracellular second messenger mediating the effects of glucagon and epinephrine on hepatic glycogenolysis (Berthet et al., J Biol Chem 224(1):463–475, 1957). Since this initial characterization, cAMP has been firmly established as a versatile molecular signal involved in both central and peripheral regulation of energy homeostasis and nutrient partitioning. Many of these effects appear to be mediated at the transcriptional level, in part through the activation of the transcription factor CREB and its coactivators. Here we review current understanding of the mechanisms by which the cAMP signaling pathway triggers metabolic programs in insulin-responsive tissues.
Electrical Resistivity Anomaly in Mictomagnetic Alloys

Mictomagnetic alloys (1) are characterized by freezing of the spin orientations at low temperatures but, unlike in ferromagnets or in antiferromagnets, without long-range spin order. The presence of short-range spin order (magnetic clusters) is indicated by the superparamagnetic behavior, at least in a certain temperature range.
Tea Party Republicans, the New Redeemers: Race and Class Politics of the Obama Era

Drawing from a review of the literature and primary sources, this paper demonstrates striking between the Redeemer movement of the post-Reconstruction period (1877-1900) and the Tea Party movement of today, especially in terms of politics and public policy. In terms of politics, both movements were supported financially by the upper class, driven by a vision of a white nation with white privilege, committed to a government that served the interests of the upper class at the expense of all other classes, and tainted by a religious-political zeal that demonized the opposition and polarized politics. Just as Redeemer leaders were angered over blacks elected to powerful political positions, Tea Party leaders were angered over the election of a black president. In terms of policy, both movements have been fanatically committed to reducing taxes on the rich; hacking away at public spending especially in the areas of public education and social welfare; assaulting organized labor; and eliminating government protections for consumers and workers. The two movements were different in a few ways. Redeemers were based in the South. The Tea Party movement is dispersed throughout the nation. Redeemer leaders were blatant white supremacists. Tea Party leaders were not, although the movement attracted racist elements. The Redeemers were supported by the Southern landowning aristocracy. The Tea Party is supported by major corporate leaders.
Person-Job Fit: A Self-Assessment Exercise

Person-job fit is a fundamental concern for individuals and organizations, in that good fit increases job satisfaction, reduces job stress, and enhances overall effectiveness. This note offers a self-assessment exercise designed to rate the degree of fit between the person and the job.
Thermodynamics of the Electron Acceptors in Heliobacterium modesticaldum: An Exemplar of an Early Homodimeric Type I Photosynthetic Reaction Center

The homodimeric type I reaction center in heliobacteria is arguably the simplest known pigment-protein complex capable of conducting (bacterio)chlorophyll-based conversion of light into chemical energy. Despite its structural simplicity, the thermodynamics of the electron transfer cofactors on the acceptor side have not been fully investigated. In this work, we measured the midpoint potential of the terminal [4Fe-4S](2+/1+) cluster (FX) in reaction centers from Heliobacterium modesticaldum. The FX cluster was titrated chemically and monitored by (i) the decrease in the level of stable P800 photobleaching by optical spectroscopy, (ii) the loss of the light-induced g ≈ 2 radical from P800(+•) following a single-turnover flash, (iii) the increase in the low-field resonance at 140 mT attributed to the S = (3)/2 ground spin state of FX(-), and (iv) the loss of the spin-correlated P800(+) FX(-) radical pair following a single-turnover flash. These four techniques led to similar estimations of the midpoint potential for FX of -502 ± 3 mV (n = 0.99), -496 ± 2 mV (n = 0.99), -517 ± 10 mV (n = 0.65), and -501 ± 4 mV (n = 0.84), respectively, with a consensus value of -504 ± 10 mV (converging to n = 1). Under conditions in which FX is reduced, the long-lived (∼15 ms) P800(+) FX(-) state is replaced by a rapidly recombining (∼15 ns) P800(+)A0(-) state, as shown by ultrafast optical experiments. There was no evidence of the presence of a P800(+) A1(-) spin-correlated radical pair by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) under these conditions. The midpoint potentials of the two [4Fe-4S](2+/1+) clusters in the low-molecular mass ferredoxins were found to be -480 ± 11 mV/-524 ± 13 mV for PshBI, -453 ± 6 mV/-527 ± 6 mV for PshBII, and -452 ± 5 mV/-533 ± 8 mV for HM1_2505 as determined by EPR spectroscopy. FX is therefore suitably poised to reduce one [4Fe-4S](2+/1+) cluster in these mobile electron carriers. Using the measured midpoint potential of FX and a quasi-equilibrium model of charge recombination, the midpoint potential of A0 was estimated to be -854 mV at room temperature. The midpoint potentials of A0 and FX are therefore 150-200 mV less reducing than their respective counterparts in Photosystem I of cyanobacteria and plants. This places the redox potential of the FX cluster in heliobacteria approximately equipotential to the highest-potential iron-sulfur cluster (FA) in Photosystem I, consistent with its assignment as the terminal electron acceptor.
Biological Pre-Treatment of a Space Based Waste Stream to Improve Distillation Treatment Efficiency

7A series of two membrane-aerated biofilm reactors (MABR’s) and a rotary distillation unit treated a space habitation waste stream. The waste stream is composed of a hygiene ersatz solution (to simulate the wastewater produced from hygiene events in space) and urine. The waste stream is fed through the MABR’s with a retention time of approximately 12 days. The waste is rich in carbon and nitrogen (mainly from the urine) and also has a sustainable amount of nutrients for the microorganisms to provide efficient carbon and nitrogen removal. The MABR’s achieved approximately 85% carbon removal, and 60% nitrogen conversion. The effluent stream from the MABR’s is then processed through a rotary distillation unit, which provides further treatment of the waste stream. The distillation unit is efficient in removing approximately 90% of carbon, nitrogen, suspended solids, and ammonia from the MABR’s effluent. The distillate produced from this process then could be mixed with other less concentrated waste streams in the system and then be theoretically reintroduced in the space habitation system for potable reuse upon disinfection.
The Fibro-Muscular Scrotal Sac Under Normal and Experimental Conditions in an Annual Breeder (Citellus).∗

What causes the testis of an adult ground squirrel to ascend into the peritoneal cavity during the non-breeding period? Is decrease in testis-size a primary factor, or does the scrotum regress and force the testis to ascend? The scrota of 89 ground squirrels (Citellus tridecemlineatus) have been studied in an attempt to answer these questions. Details concerning the normal sexual cycle in the male are presented elsewhere.1, 2The present report deals largely with the muscular pouch which incloses testis and epididymis, designated in this paper by the name “fibro-muscular scrotal sac” (Fig. 2). This sac is composed of the following layers: peritoneum, internal spermatic fascia, cremasteric skeletal muscle and external spermatic fascia (Figs. 1, 3). The fibromuscular sac of each animal was freed of its contents, severed at the inguinal ring (Fig. 3), weighed while fresh, fixed in Bouin's solution and sectioned at 6 micra for microscopical study.The scrotal sac of prepuberal males undergoes a gradual increase...
Effect of Si Content and Particle Size on Damping Property of Powder Forged Al-Si Alloy

Effects of the Si content and Si crystalline size on damping property of Powder Forged (P/F) Al-Si alloys were investigated by a Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) analyzer. A quantitative image analysis method was successfully used to determine a mean diameter and distribution of Si crystals in the aluminum alloy. The damping capacity δ strongly depends on the mean diameter of Si crystals. δ of heat treated specimens with Si crystals of 2 to 5 micron meters is 4 to 25 times smaller than that of as-forged specimens with those of 1 to 5 micron meters. It indicates that the vibration occurred by knocking on the specimen is absorbed at boundary between Si particles and aluminum matrix. Therefore, fine distribution of Si crystals and/or elimination of crystal coarsening contribute to the good damping property.
Brachial plexus palsy and shoulder dystocia: obstetric risk factors remain elusive.

Objective Shoulder dystocia (SD) and brachial plexus palsy (BPP) are complications of childbirth that can result in significant long-term sequelae. The purpose of the present study was to analyze risk factors in cases of SD and BPP. Methods We performed a retrospective study of laboring women who delivered a singleton, term, live-born infant at the Los Angeles County + University of Southern California Medical Center from 1995 to 2004. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to analyze risk factors among SD cases with and without BPP. Results Of the 13,998 deliveries that met inclusion criteria, 221 (1.6%) had SD. Of these, 42 (19.0%) had BPP. After testing for association with multiple potential risk factors, including maternal demographic variables, diabetes, hypertension, prior cesarean delivery, uterine abnormalities, induction of labor, prolonged second stage (adjusted by parity and epidural use), assisted vaginal delivery, and neonatal birth weight, no statistical association of BPP with any specific risk factor was identified. Conclusion In the present study, we were unable to identify any reliable risk factors for BPP among deliveries with or without SD. SD and BPP remain unpredictable complications of childbirth.
Atmospherics, Service Encounters and Consumer Decision Making: An Integrattve Perspective

The purpose of this article is twofold. First, a theoretical framework is described that integrates the published literature associated with atmospherics into a services marketing context. Secondly, the roles of atmospherics as they pertain to consumer decision processes within service encounters are specifically addressed. A propositional inventory is developed that postulates the relationship between atmospherics and the three primary stages of consumer decision processes – prepurchase, consumption, and postpurchase evaluations. Suggestions for future research and managerial implications are also presented.
Progress of Researches on Building House of Quality

Building house of quality (HOQ) is of the fundamental and strategic importance in quality function deployment (QFD). To avoid inconsistent cases in building HOQ and facilitate applications of HOQ, according to a unified 10-Step model for building HOQ which contains the frequently used HOQ’s elements, the update-to-date researches for all the elements are surveyed step by step, and the deficiencies in the researches of every step are pointed out. It is pointed out that the fuzzy, vague and incomplete characteristics in building HOQ arise mainly from the following aspects: the QFD process involves various inputs often in the form of linguistics data; engineering characteristics (ECs) have correlations between them; formal mechanisms for translating customer requirements into ECs are lacking. According to the deficiencies in the researches of every step, the corresponding research directions are discussed. Finally, it is indicated that the researches on building HOQ still cannot fulfill actual demands from product design, and it is urgent to make a great breakthrough.
American Society for Mass Spectrometry: evolution of a scientific society.

From the beginning, ASMS has had a great impact on the evolution of MS as the analytical tool that provides more information from less sample than any other technique.
Learning to count.

The "Learning to Count" is a microprocessor controlled device constructed to help teach a developmentally disabled individual to learn to count to ten. The device has ten buttons, each with two numerical seven-segment LED's displaying a random number 1 through 10. The game's objective is for the student to press the ten buttons in numerical order. A microprocessor and integrated circuits carry out the device's internal operations. The microprocessor controls the generation of the random numbers, the assigning of the random numbers to a button position, and the analysis of the button input. The integrated circuits transfer the information from the microprocessor to the displays and from the input buttons to the microprocessor.
Agricultural Planning in U.S.S.R.

The possibility of planning agricultural production by the state is a considerable advantage of a socialist economy. As is well known, there is practically no country that today pursues a laissez-faire policy in the area of agriculture. In almost all countries agricultural production is controlled by the state to some extent, as examples, we can cite the system of the Commodity Credit Corporation in the U.S.A., the policy of a dirigement of farming in France, the extensive system of subsidizing agricultural work in England, etc.
ALA Library Schools and Subject Reference Coursework: A Short Communication

Reference librarians are exposed to the literature of different disciplines in a number of ways including advanced degrees, on the job training, and intellectual inquisitiveness. As students, many reference librarians were also exposed to library science programs offering coursework specializing in information sources and research within other disciplines. A brief study of current library science programs in the United States reveals that approximately half of these programs offer specialized reference coursework in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Comparing these results to a previous study, one finds that humanities and social sciences courses have proportionately diminished while medical and health sciences courses have increased. These changes have implications for LIS educators preparing students for reference work.
Spinodal instabilities in baryon-rich quark matter

For quark matter at finite baryon chemical potential, its density develops large fluctuations when it undergoes a first-order phase transition. Based on the Nambu–Jona–Lasinio (NJL) model, we have used the linear response theory to study the growth rate of density fluctuations and its dependence on the wavelength of unstable modes. Using the transport equation derived from the NJL model, we have also studied the time evolution of the unstable modes and the density fluctuations in a baryon-rich quark matter that is confined in a finite volume. Allowing the expansion of the quark matter, we have further studied the survivability of the density fluctuations as the density and temperature of the quark matter decrease. Possible experimental signatures of the density fluctuations have been suggested.
Intraoperative Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Abstract Intraoperative cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) resulting from cardiac arrest is a skill that most anesthesiologist are experts at but wish to avoid. Being under general anesthesia is not without risks. We will discuss the challenges of CPR resulting from cardiac arrest in patients under anesthesia with special emphasis on those undergoing neurosurgical procedures. Causes of and predictors of cardiac arrest are explained in the hopes of avoiding such adverse events. The challenges of performing intraoperative CPR are numerous. These challenges are even more evident and varied when CPR has to be performed in a variety of patient positions so common during neurosurgery. With careful planning and good management, complications can be minimized and patient safety enhanced.
Differential of live and dead cells by magnetic resonance imaging

Methods to distinguish live and dead cells in vivo are of great interest to medicinal chemistry research. This review summarizes articles describing the use of magnetic resonance imaging for discriminating between live and dead cells. Studies from the perspective of clinical applications were selected for the review.
Interchangeable Uses of Autoradiographic and Peroxidase Markers for Electron Microscopic Detection of Neuronal Pathways and Transmitter-Related Antigens in Single Sections

In the past several years, there has been a rapid expansion in use of immu-nocytochemical methods for identifying neuronal molecules. These include neurotransmitter-synthesizing enzymes, several transmitters such as norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and a variety of neuropeptides (Cuello, 1983; Heym and Lang, 1986; Pickel, 1985; Polak and Van Noorden, 1983; Steinbush et al., 1978; Storm-Mathisen et al., 1983). The increasing use of immunocyto-chemistry is largely attributable to both commercial and individual production of a large number of mono- and polyclonal antibodies (MacMillan and Cuello, 1986; M. E. Ross et al., 1981; Sofroniew et al., 1978). Many of the available antibodies have a high titer and can be specifically localized by several different immunocytochemical methods. The most common methods employ secondary immunoglobulins (IgGs) produced against serum from the same species as the primary antibody. The secondary IgG is conjugated with either fluorescence, peroxidase, gold, or radiolabeled markers (i.e., tritium or iodine) for localization of the antibodies in sections of tissue (DeMey, 1983; Glazer et al., 1984; Hunt and Mantyh, 1984; Pickel et al., 1986). Alternatively, the secondary IgG can be immunologically bound to a peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP) complex with the antiperoxidase being produced in the same apecies as the primary antibody (Sternberger, 1979).
Representations and Classification of Semisimple Groups

In order to classify (up to isomorphism) the possible semisimple algebraic groups, we have to get a little information about their representations. For this purpose, (31.1)–(31.3), and the first few paragraphs of (31.4), will be essential. The reader is of course encouraged to read the rest of §31, even though this is not essential to the further development.
Experience and Learning: What Does it Mean for Venture Capital Firms?

This study examines how past success and failure experiences shape organizational forecast accuracy, and the extent to which learning from past experience is contingent on organizational size. We rely on the organizational learning theory of the firm and decision-making literature to formulate our hypotheses. We test our hypotheses on a unique dataset of venture capital firms’ forecasts of early-stage investments. We show that both success and failure distinctly influence VCs’ forecasting accuracy, and that bigger venture capital firms may learn more from failure than success, unless the level of success is high. Our findings advance organizational learning, forecasting and venture capital literature as well as bring novel insight to practice.
Irreversible island nucleation and growth with anomalous diffusion in d > 2

Abstract Recently, there has been significant interest in the effects of anomalous diffusion on island nucleation and growth. Of particular interest are the exponents χ and χ 1 which describe the dependence of the island and monomer density on deposition rate as well as the dependence of these exponents on the anomalous diffusion exponent μ and critical island size. While most simulations have been focused on growth on a 2D and/or quasi-1D substrate, here we present simulation results for the irreversible growth of ramified islands in three-dimensions ( d = 3 ) for both the case of subdiffusion ( μ 1 ) and superdiffusion ( 1 μ ≤ 2 ). Good agreement is found in both cases with a recently developed theory (Amar and Semaan, 2016) which takes into account the critical island-size i , island fractal dimension d f , substrate dimension d , and diffusion exponent μ . In addition, we confirm that in this case the critical value of μ is given by the general prediction μ c = 2 ∕ d = 2 ∕ 3 . We also present results for the irreversible growth of point-islands in d = 3 and d = 4 for both monomer subdiffusion and superdiffusion, and good agreement with RE predictions is also obtained. In addition, our results confirm that for point-islands with d ≥ 3 one has μ c = 1 rather than 2 ∕ d . Results for the scaling of the capture-number distribution (CND), island-size distribution (ISD), and average capture number for the case of irreversible growth with monomer superdiffusion in d = 2 are also presented. Surprisingly, we find that both the scaled ISD and CND depend very weakly on the monomer diffusion exponent μ . These results indicate that – in contrast to the scaling of the average capture number which depends on the monomer diffusion exponent μ – both the scaled ISD and CND are primarily determined by the capture-zone distribution, which depends primarily on the “history” of the nucleation process rather than the detailed mechanisms for monomer diffusion.
Transepithelial Water Transport in the Biliary System

The purpose of this discussion is to review briefly the mechanisms of water flow in the biliary system as a prelude to the rest of this symposium which is primarily concerned with the flow of solutes — especially the lipid constituents which contribute to the pathogenesis of gallstones. It is convenient on anatomic as well as functional grounds to divide the discussion of water flow into a consideration of three regions: the bile canaliculi which produce a net fluid secretion, the gallbladder which performs net fluid absorption, and an intervening segment comprising the bile ducts and ductules in which water flow may be in either direction depending on the circumstances. In each of these regions the fundamental mechanism is osmosis, i.e. transepithelial water flow occurs in response to the active transport of solutes. With the possible exception of ductular secretion, however, the transported fluid is nearly isotonic with plasma. This means that the driving forces for bile production are completely dissipated before the final product becomes available for analysis, and this in turn adds greatly to the difficulty of learning the details of its original formation. Progress is being made, nevertheless, so that it is possible to outline at least the general features of this process and to explain the bases for currently promising speculations.
Pesticides in the total diet

Since enactment of the Pesticides Chemicals Amendment to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1954 (Public Law 83-518), the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has established, as of January 1, 1966, tolerances or exemptions from the requirement of a tolerance for 146 pesticide chemicals.1 This includes some 2,690 individual tolerances or exemptions on specific raw agricultural commodities. Approximately 20 tolerances have been established for pesticide chemicals in processed foods under a sister amendment, the Food Additives Amendment of 1958 (Public Law 85-929). In addition, there are at the present time about 260 other pesticide chemicals registed by the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act on a “no-residue basis” for use on growing crops, agricultural premises, and stored foods and feeds, which could possibly result in residues in foods through misuse or by contributing to the “background level” of pesticides in soils, water, and the environment (see harris and cummings 1964).
Ovarian Cancer Surgery - Heed This LION's Roar.

Most women with ovarian cancer will have metastatic disease at diagnosis, and their symptoms and survival will depend on whether their abdominal tumor can be controlled. Death from ovarian cancer m...