cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ribosomal frameshifting in the yeast retrotransposon Ty: tRNAs induce slippage on a 7 nucleotide minimal site

Ribosomal frameshifting regulates expression of the TYB gene of yeast Ty retrotransposons. We previously demonstrated that a 14 nucleotide sequence conserved between two families of Ty elements was necessary and sufficient to support ribosomal frameshifting. This work demonstrates that only 7 of these 14 nucleotides are needed for normal levels of frameshifting. Any change to the sequence CUU-AGG-C drastically reduces frameshifting; this suggests that two specific tRNAs, tRNA(UAGLeu) and tRNA(CCUArg), are involved in the event. Our tRNA overproduction data suggest that a leucyl-tRNA, probably tRNA(UAGLeu), an unusual leucine isoacceptor that recognizes all six leucine codons, slips from CUU-Leu onto UUA-Leu (in the +1 reading frame) during a translational pause at the AGG-Arg codon induced by the low availability of tRNA(CCUArg), encoded by a single-copy essential gene. Frameshifting is also directional and reading frame specific. Interestingly, frameshifting is inhibited when the "slip" CUU codon is located three codons downstream, but not four or more codons downstream, of the translational initiation codon.
Contamination of Medical Gas and Water Pipelines in a New Hospital Building

Medical gases and water were sampled and tested for purity prior to the opening of a 176-bed addition to a 450-bed general hospital. Contamination was found. In delivered oxygen, compressed air, and nitrous oxide, this consisted of a volatile hydrocarbon at an initial concentration of 10 parts per million and a dust of fine gray particulate matter. In water from new taps bacterial contamination with as many 400,000 organisms per 100 ml was present. All these contaminants were considered potential hazards to patient safety. Studies were done to help delineate the nature and origin of these contaminants. Each contaminant was eventually largely eliminated by purging the respective pipeline systems with continuous flows. Planners, builders, and responsible medical personnel must be aware of the potential for such hazards in a new hospital building.
D-Glyceric Acidemia: An Inborn Error Associated with Fructose Metabolism

A mentally retarded girl with epileptic seizures is described. Urinary organic acid screening revealed a massive excretion of glyceric acid, a normally barely detectable metabolite. Hyperglycinemia was not observed. Capillary gas chromatography of the O-acetylated (-)-menthyl ester of urinary glyceric acid showed the substance to have the D-configuration. The urinary D-glycerate excretion remained unaltered after an oral load with 200 mg/kg L-serine, but oral loading with fructose (1 g/kg) or dihydroxyacetone (1 g/kg) caused a sharp increase of the D-glycerate excretion. Treatment with a diet moderately restricted in fructose led to some clinical improvement as judged by subjective criteria. The metabolic lesion is thought to be located at some step of the fructose catabolic pathway, possibly at the level of hepatic triokinase deficiency.
An experimental study of saturated pool boiling from downward facing and inclined surfaces

Abstract Pool boiling curves for inclinations of 0° (downward facing), 5°, 10°, 15°, 30°, 45°, and 90° are obtained by quenching a 12.8-mm thick copper disk having a diameter of 50.8 mm in a pool of saturated water. Results show that nucleate boiling heat flux decreases as the angle of inclination is increased. However, the decrease in nucleate boiling heat flux with inclination is more pronounced at lower wall superheats. Conversely, the transition boiling heat flux and both qCHF and qmin, as well as the corresponding wall superheat, increase with surface inclination. The quenching time of a downward facing surface having an initial wall superheat of 160 K is about six times that for a 5° inclination and 23 times that for a 90° inclination. For all inclinations, quenching always begins at the lowermost position and propagates upward. The average quenching velocity of about 2.6 cm s−1, is almost constant for θ⩾ 45°, but increases rapidly with the decrease in surface inclination reaching approximately 6.3 cm s−1 at 0°.
Helicoidal Crack Propagation in Aluminous Orthoamphiboles

Sodie and alluolminous orthoamphiboles from metamorphosed volcanic rocks develop helicoidal fractures upon cooling, due to elastic strain gradients radical to the c-axis. This condition may arise, fromradial composition gradients involving subastitution of tetrahedral silicon by aluminum in the double chain structure or from intergranular boundary constraints with adjacent quartz.
Biocompatibility of Tygon® tubing in microfluidic cell culture

Growth of the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line in microfluidic channels was inhibited when culture media was delivered to the channels via microbore Tygon® tubing. Culture media incubated within this tubing also inhibited growth of these cells in conventional 96-well plates. These detrimental effects were not due to depletion of critical nutrients due to adsorption of media components onto the tubing surface. A pH change was also ruled out as a cause. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the cell growth media before and after incubation in the tubing confirmed no detectable loss of media components but did detect the presence of additional unidentified signals in the aliphatic region of the spectrum. These results indicate leaching of a chemical species from microbore Tygon® tubing that can affect cell growth in microfluidic devices.
Detecting graph-based spatial outliers: algorithms and applications (a summary of results)

Identification of outliers can lead to the discovery of unexpected, interesting, and useful knowledge. Existing methods are designed for detecting spatial outliers in multidimensional geometric data sets, where a distance metric is available. In this paper, we focus on detecting spatial outliers in graph structured data sets. We define statistical tests, analyze the statistical foundation underlying our approach, design several fast algorithms to detect spatial outliers, and provide a cost model for outlier detection procedures. In addition, we provide experimental results from the application of our algorithms on a Minneapolis-St.Paul(Twin Cities) traffic dataset to show their effectiveness and usefulness.
EFFECTS OF MULTIPLE-DEVICE INTEGRATION STRATEGIES ON DRIVER COMPREHENSION OF CRASH WARNINGS

This experiment investigated the extent to which driver comprehension of imminent crash warnings is affected by the degree of integration when there are multiple Connected Vehicle products in the vehicle. Two displays were placed in an experimental vehicle: one representing original equipment and one representing a portable, nomadic device. Participants were randomly assigned to one of five device integration conditions. Participants drove on a test track and were occasionally presented with either a nonurgent message or an urgent crash warning. Participants recognized warnings most quickly when only one display was active in the car; when both displays were active, response times generally improved when messages and warnings were integrated into a single physical location. Warning recognition times were longer when a warning closely followed a non-urgent message on the other display than when a warning followed a non-urgent message on the same display. When messages and warnings from both source displays...
The warm and hot working of dynamically strain ageable aluminum alloys

Abstract The hot working of aluminum alloys that are not in a fully annealed initial structural state can be analyzed quantitatively by equations such as ϵ = A 3 [ sinh αϐ] n 3 e −Q/RT , previously used to analyze the hot working of pure metals. However, the application of the analysis in this case is restricted with regard to deformation temperature in comparison with the application to a pure metal. The results for aluminum alloys indicate that the rate controlling deformation mechanisms for hot working are not exclusively associated with self diffusion over the complete working temperature range.
Sonographically estimated fetal weights: accuracy and limitation.

Abstract To determine the accuracy of our ultrasonographically predicted birth weights we studied 1301 women delivered of infants within a week of an obstetric ultrasonogram to compare the ultrasonographically predicted birth weights with the actual birth weights. The fetuses varied from 700 to 5800 gm and were consecutive singleton fetuses in vertex presentations delivered at a single institution. Overall 74% of the infants had birth weights within 10% of the ultrasonographic estimates and 42% had birth weights within 5% of the ultrasonographic estimates. The presence of oligohydramnios or polyhydramnios made no difference in the percent errors. The sensitivity for identifying a fetus with macrosomia (birth weight > 4000 gm) with an estimated weight of ≥ 4000 gm was 65%. The specificity or percent of fetuses correctly identified ultrasonographically as not macrosomic was 90%. If fetuses predicted by ultrasonography to be > 3800 gm were included, the sensitivity for the prediction of macrosomia rises to 82% but the specificity would be 79%. There appears to be a fixed limitation to obtaining estimated fetal weights by ultrasonography, even in large series, because these data reaffirm the success and limitations of other methods used to estimate fetal weight previously reported in the literature.
The Soviet engineerߞhis life and living

Knowledge of the values, traditions, and habits that influence personal behavior can be a vital bridge between cultures. The IEEEߝPopov Society exchange delegations that have crossed the Atlantic Ocean in both directions since 1957 have been invaluable for increasing the exchange of such knowledge. Much has been published about the technical facets of this exchange, but less has been written about the more personal matters. This article considers the personal budget of the Soviet engineer: How much does he earn? How will his salary change with responsibility, education, and age? How can he augment this salary? What will his wife contribute to the family coffers? Where will the money go? How does his budget compare with that of his Western peers? Answers to these questions give some clue to the societal values and pressures in the U.S.S.R., help erase some of the mysteries about Soviet life, and contribute to better mutual understanding. United States information and statistics are used as a point of Western reference.
Diagnostic tests for chlamydial and gonorrheal infections.

Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae are the two most prevalent bacterial sexually transmitted infections reported in the United States. The purpose of this article is to review the various tests available for diagnosing C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae. The nucleic acid amplification tests are preferred owing to their high sensitivity and specificity and use on specimens obtained noninvasively. Nonamplified nonculture tests, such as the DNA probe test, remain a choice for settings in which nucleic acid amplification tests are not available or affordable. Culture is recommended for use on conjunctival, oropharyngeal, and rectal specimens and in cases of suspected abuse. In addition, for gonorrhea, culture is recommended when screening in populations with a low prevalence of infection. Point-of-care tests are limited by low sensitivity and should be used for only populations unlikely to return for follow-up.
Ruthenium double perovskites: Transport and magnetic properties

The double perovskites ${\mathrm{La}}_{2}M{\mathrm{RuO}}_{6+\ensuremath{\delta}}$ contain ${M}^{2+}$ ions for $M=\mathrm{Mg},$ Zn, Co, and Ni and for $M=\mathrm{Mn}$ and Fe, ${M}^{3+}$ ions. Annealed samples have ordered ${M}^{2+}$ and Ru(IV), but samples with ${M}^{3+}$ ions are atomically disordered and remain oxidized $(\ensuremath{\delta}g0)$ after annealing in a ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$ atmosphere. A comparison of quenched, air-annealed, and ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$-annealed ${\mathrm{La}}_{2}{\mathrm{MgRuO}}_{6+\ensuremath{\delta}}$ samples showed a persistence of a few cation vacancies in the presence of oxygen vacancies $(\ensuremath{\delta}l0).$ In quenched samples, oxygen vacancies are preferentially located between two Ru atoms, where they form a deep two-electron trap state, whereas the two-electron trap state formed at an oxygen vacancy between an ${M}^{2+}$ and Ru(IV) is shallow. Magnetic as well as transport data indicate the \ensuremath{\pi}-bonding $4d$ electrons at the low-spin Ru atoms occupy itinerant-electron states of a ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{*}$ band even in the atomically ordered samples, but strong correlations introduce magnetic transitions among the ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{*}$ electrons. The $M=\mathrm{Co}$ and Ni samples exhibit a magnetic transition at some, if not all, of the ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{*}$ electrons on the Ru array below a ${T}_{\mathrm{irr}}$ independent of magnetic ordering on the ${M}^{2+}$ ions, and below a ${T}_{N}\ensuremath{\approx}26\mathrm{K}l{T}_{\mathrm{irr}},$ antiferromagnetic ordering of the ${M}^{2+}$-ion spins suppresses any spin on the intervening Ru(IV). The ${M}^{2+}{:e}^{2}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{O}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{Ru}(\mathrm{IV})\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{O}{\ensuremath{-}M}^{2+}{:e}^{2}$ antiferromagnetic superexchange interaction is stronger than the ferromagnetic ${M}^{2+}{:e}^{2}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{O}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{Ru}(\mathrm{IV}{):e}^{0}$ interaction because of a weak intraatomic exchange with the ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{*}$-electron spins on the Ru(IV) atoms. On the other hand, disordered ${\mathrm{La}}_{2}{\mathrm{MnRuO}}_{6.17(1)}$ is ferromagnetic with a magnetization at 5 K of $2.85{\ensuremath{\mu}}_{B}$ per formula unit (f.u.) in a magnetic field of 50 kOe. This finding is interpreted with a model in which the \ensuremath{\pi}-bonding orbitals on both the Mn and Ru are coupled to form a common ferromagnetic ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{*}$ band in which only the antibonding electrons are not spin paired. The strong next-nearest-neighbor interaction between Ru atoms made manifest in the ordered double perovskites provides an explanation of why the ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{*}$ bandwidth of the perovskite system ${\mathrm{Sr}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Ca}}_{x}{\mathrm{RuO}}_{3}$ may increase with $x.$
Thunder Run in the classroom

In April of 2003 the American Army launched an attack into the heart of Baghdad called the Thunder Run. The 3rd Infantry Division saw most of the fighting against sizable force of moderately well armed Iraqi Army soldiers. This paper provides an in depth look into utilizing the Thunder Run scenario in conjunction with Joint Conflict and Tactical Simulation (JCATS) software and the Systems Decision Process (SDP). JCATS is an advanced military simulation program and the SDP is a methodology developed by the Systems Engineering Department in order to formalize the decision making process. With these tools cadets explore the world of modeling and simulation and utilize analytical processes in the form of a semester long project by which to recommend to a decision maker a new armored vehicle design for the United States Army. The SDP utilizes problem definition, solution design, decision making, and solution implementation processes by which cadets through a serious of in progress reviews, simulation runs, factorial design analysis, and a final paper work through all the steps necessary to recommend a new armored vehicle design.
Hinge pivot for disk drive

This paper discusses the findings of a hinge pivot for use in hard disk drives (HDD). The actuator assembly in a HDD is supported by a pivot cartridge and controlled by a servo system to perform seek and track following operations for data recording. The cartridge is composed of a pair of pre-loaded ball bearings. Due to the demand for thin hard disk drives and hence, the need to reduce the height of the actuator assembly, a hinge pivot is proposed to replace the set of bearings. The shaft of the pivot is connected to the sleeve with thin hinges made of ultra-high heat-resistant polyamide film, such as Upilex. Measurement showed that the hinge pivot did not exhibit the nonlinear effects during low frequency actuation, such was inherent for ball bearing pivots. Experiment also showed that at least a million life cycles can be achieved without any performance degradation.
Efficient computation of the DFT with only a subset of input or output points

Ways of efficiently computing the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) when the number of input and output data points differ are discussed. The two problems of determining whether the length of the input sequence or the length of the output sequence is reduced can be found to be duals of each other, and the same methods can, to a large extent, be used to solve both. The algorithms utilize the redundancy in the input or output to reduce the number of operations below those of the fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithms. The usual pruning method is discussed, and an efficient algorithm, called transform decomposition, is introduced. It is based on a mixture of a standard FFT algorithm and the Horner polynomial evaluation scheme equivalent to the one in Goertzel's algorithms. It requires fewer operations and is more flexible than pruning. The algorithm works for power-of-two and prime-factor algorithms, as well as for real-input data. >
The toppler mouse: a novel mutant exhibiting loss of Purkinje cells.

We describe the genetic and neurological features of toppler, a spontaneous autosomal mutation that appeared in a colony of FVB/N mice and that manifests as severe ataxia appearing at around 12 days of age, worsening with age. The lifespan of affected mice is 8–12 months, with occasional mice living longer. Both homozygous males and females are fertile, and females are able to nurture litters. Histological examination of brain revealed no striking abnormalities other than the loss of cerebellar Purkinje cells. The toppler mutation was mapped to mouse chromosome 8, and to assess whether it was novel or a recurrence of a previously described chromosome 8 mouse mutant, toppler mice were crossed with the nervous and tottering mouse mutants. These studies demonstrate that toppler is a unique mouse mutation. Purkinje cell abnormalities in toppler mice were obvious around postnatal day (P) 14, i.e., toppler Purkinje cells already exhibited abnormal morphology. Staining for calbindin, a calcium binding protein enriched in Purkinje cells, showed altered dendritic morphology. Between P14 and P30, dramatic Purkinje cell loss occurred, although there were differences in the degree of Purkinje cell loss in each lobule. At P30, the surviving Purkinje cells expressed zebrin II. From P30 through 6 months, many of the remaining Purkinje cells gradually degenerated. Purkinje cell loss was analyzed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated biotinylated UTP nick end labeling (TUNEL), and Purkinje cells were TUNEL-positive most abundantly at P21. In addition, Bergmann glia were TUNEL positive at P21, and they expressed activated caspase-3 at earlier time points. Interestingly, despite the apparent death of some Bergmann glia, there was up-regulation of glial fibrillary acidic protein, expressed in astrocytes as well as Bergmann glia. Given the changes in both Purkinje cells and glia in toppler cerebellum, this may be a very useful model in which to investigate the developmental interaction of Purkinje cells and Bergmann glia. J. Comp. Neurol. 476:113–129, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Some Flight Simulation Experiments on Jet Noise from Supersonic Underexpanded Flows

Experiments on underexpanded cold jet flows from a convergent nozzle under simulated flight conditions have shown that a large periodic spinning motion of the jet can occur with greatly enhanced broadband noise production. Shadowgraph pictures indicate that this oscillatory jet motion accompanies the generation of random weak shock waves at the source. These waves appear to be generated at the point downstream of the nozzle exit where the shock cells in the jet begin to disappear. The weak shock waves propagate upstream and have been identified to be the cause of enhanced broadband jet noise production in flight. In addition, the results show that the boundary-layer flow conditions over the outside of the primary nozzle (simulating engine cowl flow in flight) influence the production of these random weak shock waves.
X-linked dilated cardiomyopathy. Molecular genetic evidence of linkage to the Duchenne muscular dystrophy (dystrophin) gene at the Xp21 locus.

BACKGROUND X-linked cardiomyopathy (XLCM) is a rapidly progressive primary myocardial disorder presenting in teenage males as congestive heart failure. Manifesting female carriers have later onset (fifth decade) and slower progression. The purpose of this study was to localize the XLCM gene locus in two families using molecular genetic techniques. METHODS AND RESULTS Linkage analysis using 60 X-chromosome-specific DNA markers was performed in a previously reported large XLCM pedigree and a smaller new pedigree. Two-point and multipoint linkage was calculated using the LINKAGE computer program package. Deletion analysis included multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Dystrophin protein was evaluated by Western blotting with N-terminal and C-terminal dystrophin antibody. Linkage of XLCM to the centromeric portion of the dystrophin or Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) locus at Xp21 was demonstrated with combined maximum logarithm of the scores of +4.33, theta = 0 with probe XJ1.1 (DXS206) using two-point linkage and +4.81 at XJ1.1 with multipoint linkage analysis. LOD scores calculated using other proximal DMD genomic and cDNA probes and polymerase chain reaction polymorphisms supported linkage. No deletions were observed. Abnormalities of cardiac dystrophin were shown by Western blotting with N-terminal dystrophin antibody, whereas skeletal muscle dystrophin was normal, suggesting primary involvement of the DMD gene with preferential involvement of cardiac muscle. CONCLUSIONS XLCM is due to an abnormality within the centromeric half of the dystrophin genomic region in heart. This abnormality could be due to 1) a point mutation in the 5' region of the DMD coding sequence preferentially affecting cardiac function, 2) a cardiac-specific promoter mutation that alters expression in this tissue, 3) splicing abnormalities, resulting in an abnormal cardiac protein, or 4) deletion mutations undetectable by Southern and multiplex polymerase chain reaction analysis.
Phantom of the cloud: Towards improved cloud availability and dependability

Ensuring the availability and elasticity of Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) cloud environments is both critical and challenging for providers and consumers of these services. Automatic load balancing and failure recovery services are commonly offered by IaaS and PaaS providers to help achieve these goals. In this paper, we present Phantom: a failure simulation, monitoring, and profiling framework whose main goal is to ensure adequate dependability and availability of cloud subsystems. Phantom utilizes failure simulation to “perturb” the cloud during normal operating times, while monitoring and profiling service availability as perceived by the end user. Unlike traditional cloud monitoring systems, Phantom is an “active meta-monitor” that can detect degradation of the cloud's own failure detector and recovery systems. We describe Phantom's main contributions, i.e., (1) Havoc, an extensible cloud failure simulator, and (2) a meta-monitor and analytic method for continuously profiling failure detector and recovery service quality. We demonstrate Phantom's sensitivity to service degradation through a variety of experiments conducted on an open cloud platform.
Patronage, Citizenship, and the Stalled Emergence of the Modern State in Renaissance Florence

In this letter, Donato Acciaiuoli, a politically prominent but not particularly wealthy member of an esteemed Florentine family, writes to Riccardo del Bene, a richer but younger co-resident of the neighborhood of Vipera, looking for an insider's assistance in keeping his tax burden down. Donato paints his economic position bleakly, unwittingly conforming in detail with prescriptions provided in the now-famous contemporaneous memoir of Giovanni di Pagolo Morelli, written to urge his own heirs to hide their wealth and dramatize the fiscal injustices done to them:
A New Rapid Frequency-Domain Adaptation of Causal FIR Filters

The frequency domain Newton algorithm was introduced by Elliott and Rafaely in an effort to improve the convergence speed as well as to generate an unbiased steady-state solution for the case of a strict causality-constrained adaptive filter. However, their proposed frequency domain Newton algorithm requires that we split the normalized convergence coefficients into constituent causal and non-causal components via spectral factorization. This process, of course, requires significant and complicated exponential and logarithm computations. Furthermore, due to circular convolution effects, their proposed Newton adaptation will also introduce bias in some cases. In this paper, we introduce a new rapid frequency-domain adaptive and causal FIR filters. Our algorithm only requires the estimation of the input signal power spectral density. When our algorithm is compared to the Newton algorithm, we find that our proposed algorithm shares its fast convergence rate, but also generates robust unbiased solutions while requiring significantly lower computational complexity. We provide simulation results that confirm the effectiveness of our proposed new algorithm.
Levofloxacin and Warfarin Interaction

OBJECTIVE:To report 4 cases of hypoprothrombotic response resulting from addition of levofloxacin therapy to chronic warfarin therapy and to review related literature to support or refute a warfarin—levofloxacin interaction.CASE SUMMARY:Four patients, 34–81 years old, were prescribed levofloxacin concomitantly with stable warfarin therapy. Three patients had a target international normalized ratio (INR) range of 2.0–3.0 and experienced an increase in INR to 3.5, 8.12, and 11.5 on days 11, 5, and 4 of a 10-day course of levofloxacin, respectively. The fourth patient experienced minor bleeding, with a slightly elevated INR on the second day of levofloxacin therapy that required up to a 19% warfarin dose reduction during levofloxacin treatment.DISCUSSION:An initial premarketing clinical trial concluded that levofloxacin had no effect on warfarin's pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic response. Two case reports have since documented an increase in INR in patients taking long-term warfarin on completion of lev...
THE IMPORTANCE OF FUNCTIONAL FORM IN OPTIMAL CONTROL SOLUTIONS OF PROBLEMS IN POPULATION DYNAMICS

Optimal control theory is finding increased application in both theoretical and applied ecology, and it is a central element of adaptive resource management. One of the steps in an adaptive management process is to develop alternative models of system dynamics, models that are all reasonable in light of available data, but that differ substan- tially in their implications for optimal control of the resource. We explored how the form of the recruitment and survival functions in a general population model for ducks affected the patterns in the optimal harvest strategy, using a combination of analytical, numerical, and simulation techniques. We compared three relationships between recruitment and pop- ulation density (linear, exponential, and hyperbolic) and three relationships between survival during the nonharvest season and population density (constant, logistic, and one related to the compensatory harvest mortality hypothesis). We found that the form of the component functions had a dramatic influence on the optimal harvest strategy and the ultimate equi- librium state of the system. For instance, while it is commonly assumed that a compensatory hypothesis leads to higher optimal harvest rates than an additive hypothesis, we found this to depend on the form of the recruitment function, in part because of differences in the optimal steady-state population density. This work has strong direct consequences for those developing alternative models to describe harvested systems, but it is relevant to a larger class of problems applying optimal control at the population level. Often, different func- tional forms will not be statistically distinguishable in the range of the data. Nevertheless, differences between the functions outside the range of the data can have an important impact on the optimal harvest strategy. Thus, development of alternative models by iden- tifying a single functional form, then choosing different parameter combinations from extremes on the likelihood profile may end up producing alternatives that do not differ as importantly as if different functional forms had been used. We recommend that biological knowledge be used to bracket a range of possible functional forms, and robustness of conclusions be checked over this range.
First Report of Pelargonium zonate spot virus from Tomato in the United States

Pelargonium zonate spot virus (PZSV) was first isolated from tomato in southern Italy in 1982 (1) and later was also reported from Spain (3) and France (2). Infected tomato plants showed stunting, malformation, yellow rings and line patterns on the leaves, and concentric chlorotic ringspots on the stems. In June of 2006, more than 100 tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) plants exhibiting symptoms similar to PZSV were observed in seven acres of tomato fields in Yolo County, California. The causal agent was mechanically transmitted to several indicator species. Symptoms on infected plants included local lesions on Beta macrocarpa, Chenopodium amaranticolor, C. capitatum, C. quinoa, Cucumis melo, Cucurbita pepo, and Tetragonia expansa, and systemic infection on Capsicum annuum, Chenopodium murale, L. esculentum, Nicotiana benthamiana, N. clevelandii, N. glutinosa, N. tabacum, Physalis floridana, and P. wrightii. Two field-infected tomato plants and one each of the mechanically inoculated host plant were positive with double-antibody sandwich (DAS)-ELISA using a commercial PZSV IdentiKit (Neogen Europe Ltd., Ayr, Scotland, UK). Partially purified virions stained with 2% uranyl acetate contained spherical to ovate particles. The particle diameters ranged between 25 and 35 nm. Published sequences of PZSV (GenBank Accession Nos. NC_003649 for RNA1, NC_003650 for RNA2, and NC_003651 for RNA3) were used to design three sets of primer pairs specific for PZSV RNA1 (R1-F: 5' TGGCTGGCTTTTTCCGAACG 3' and R1-R: 5' CCTAATCTGTTGGTCCGAACTGTC 3'), RNA2 (R2-F: 5' GCGTGCGTATCATCAGAAATGG 3' and R2-R: 5' ATCGGGAGCAG AGAAACACCTTCC 3'), and RNA3 (R3-F: 5' CTCACCAACTGAAT GCTCTGGAC 3' and R3-R: 5' TGGATGCGTCTTTCCGAACC 3') for reverse transcription (RT)-PCR tests. Total nucleic acids were extracted from field-infected tomato plants and partially purified virions for RT-PCR. RT-PCR gave DNA amplicons of the expected sizes. The DNA amplicons were gel purified and sequenced. The sequenced amplicons had 92, 94, and 96% nt sequence identity to PZSV RNA1, RNA2, and RNA3, respectively. The symptomatology, serology, particle morphology, and nucleotide sequences confirm the presence of PZSV in a tomato field in California. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the occurrence of PZSV in the United States. References: (1) D. Gallitelli. Ann. Appl. Biol. 100:457, 1982. (2) K. Gebre-Selassie et al. Plant Dis. 86:1052, 2002. (3) M. Luis-Arteaga et al. Plant Dis. 84:807, 2000.
Thyroid fine-needle aspiration reporting rates and outcomes before and after bethesda implementation within a combined academic and community hospital system

Context.—The current study compares data from our hospital system before and after the 2008 implementation of the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytology (BSRTC). Objective.—To show the effects the BSRTC has had on the reporting rates and outcomes for thyroid lesions. Design.—A search for thyroid fine-needle aspiration biopsies (FNABs) was performed for 2002–2005 (before BSRTC) and 2009–2011 (after BSRTC). Diagnostic outcomes were reviewed for cases with available follow-up. Results.—For 2002–2005, cytology reports for 3302 thyroid FNABs were reviewed, and 309 (9.4%) were classified as suspicious. For 2009–2011, cytology reports for 3432 thyroid FNABs were reviewed; 72 (2.1%) were classified as “atypia of undetermined significance or follicular lesion of undetermined significance” (AUS/FLUS), and 142 (4.1%) were classified as suspicious. Follow-up material was available for 31 AUS/FLUS cases (43.0%), and 6 of these cases (19%) were malignant. Follow-up material was available for 60 cases (42.3%) cl...
Facilitated target location in biological systems

In 1970 Riggs et al. (1) reported that Escherichia coli lac repressor binding to λ DNA in vitro seemed to find its target (operator) site on the DNA at a rate as much as 1000-fold faster than the upper limit estimated for a diffusion-controlled process involving macromolecules of this size. This observation startled and intrigued many physically oriented molecular biologists and biochemists and initiated a flurry of theoretical and experimental papers seeking to offer an explanation. However, scrutiny of the older literature reveals that scientists, ranging from mathematicians to biologists, had long been concerned with how systems of various sorts might transcend the rate limits set by three-dimensional diffusion control (2). Such problems are now of interest at many different levels. The pure physical chemist feels that an understanding of such phenomena might provide new insight into what happens when molecules meet and rearrange in the course of forming and passing through the transition state complex. The enzyme mechanician hopes that the secrets of some of the astonishing increases in rates achieved in enzyme-catalyzed reactions may be revealed by a study of these rate accelerations. And the cell biologist who studies macromolecular interactions and assembly processes is intrigued by the possibility that these systems may reveal opportunities for acceleration of intracellular rates beyond the limits set by the relatively slow diffusion of macromolecules in the cytoplasm. In this minireview we propose to touch on recent progress in all of these areas but will focus primarily on a problem that has engaged our attention over the past few years, i.e. how do protein regulators of gene expression at the transcriptional level find their regulatory DNA targets at speeds that appear to be faster than diffusion controlled?
Potential growth and drought tolerance of eight desert grasses: lack of a trade-off?

Eight perennial C-4 grasses from the Jornada del Muerto Basin in southern New Mexico show five-fold differences in relative growth rates under well- watered conditions (RGRmax). In a controlled environment, we tested the hypothesis that there is an inverse relationship (trade-off) between RGRmax and the capacity of these species to tolerate drought. We examined both physiological (gas exchange) and morphological (biomass allocation, leaf properties) determinants of growth for these eight species under three steady-state drought treatments (none=control, moderate, and severe). When well watered, the grasses exhibited a large interspecific variation in growth, which was reflected in order-of-magnitude biomass differences after 5 weeks. The species had similar gas-exchange characteristics, but differed in all the measured allocation and morphological characteristics, namely tiller mass and number, root:shoot ratio, dry-matter content, and specific leaf area (SLA). Drought affected tillering, morphology, and allocation, and reduced growth by 50 and 68% (moderate and severe drought, respectively) compared to the well-watered controls. With the exception of SLA, none of these variables showed a significant species-by-treatment interaction. We calculated three indices of drought tolerance, defined as the ratio in final biomass between all the possible ”dry”/”wet” treatment pairs: severe/moderate, moderate/control, and severe/control. We found no significant correlation between these drought tolerance indices, on the one hand, and three indices of growth potential (greenhouse RGRmax, final biomass in the control treatment, and final:initial biomass ratio in controls), on the other. Based on these controlled-environment results, we hypothesize that the commonly reported correlation between plant growth potential and drought tolerance in the field may in some cases be explained by differential effects of plants on soil-water content rather than by differences in species responses to drought.
Toso, a Functional IgM Receptor, Is Regulated by IL-2 in T and NK Cells

We find that the cell surface receptor Toso is dramatically downregulated by in vitro stimulation of human T and NK cells with IL-2 in a STAT5-dependent manner. The fact that IL-2 is known to prime NK and T cells for Fas/TNF-mediated activation-induced cell death (AICD) fits nicely with the original and recent descriptions of Toso as an inhibitor of Fas/TNF-induced apoptosis. In support of this possibility, effector memory T cells express markedly lower levels of Toso than those of naive T cells, indicating that activation in vivo correlates with the downregulation of Toso. Moreover, in vitro activation of memory T cells through TCR dramatically downregulates Toso expression compared with that of naive CD4 T cells. However, overexpression of Toso in human NK cells and Jurkat T cells does not inhibit Fas-mediated apoptosis, and, in agreement with other recent reports, Toso clearly functions as an IgM receptor. Unlike CD16, Toso expression by NK cells does not convey cytotoxic potential, but its ligation does trigger intracellular signaling in NK cells. In summary, our data indicate that Toso is a functional IgM receptor that is capable of activating signaling molecules, is regulated by IL-2, and is not inherently an antiapoptotic molecule.
Novel Approach to Anti-Fouling and Fouling-Release Marine Coatings Based on Dual-Functional Siloxanes

The preparation, characterization, and bio-testing of biocide incorporated silicone coatings for marine applications have been conducted. Derivatives of the biocide, Triclosan (5-chloro-2-(2, 4-dichlorophenoxy) phenol), were used to covalently attach the biocide moiety to a silicone backbone. The formulation process allowed for control of the resulting coating's mechanical properties as well as antifouling/fouling-release performance in ocean site testing. The test results showed significantly reduce macro-fouling with sustained fouling-release characteristics for the coatings produced.
Head Start Fathers’ Involvement With Their Children:

Until recently, fathers have been underexamined relative to mothers in research on parenting. Fathers in poverty, as well as stepfathers and nonresidential fathers, have been a particularly understudied group. This study explores Head Start fathers’ involvement with their children. Fathers are defined to include stepfathers as well as nonresidential fathers. Seventy-eight mothers have been interviewed about fathers’ involvement with their children. Mothers generally perceive a modest extent of fathers’ involvement but also report high levels of children’s satisfaction with fathers’ emotional support. Mothers generally report a higher extent of involvement for residential fathers than for nonresidential fathers and report higher levels of interaction for stepfathers than for biological fathers. Mothers consistently report that both residential biological fathers and residential stepfathers are more involved than nonresidential biological fathers. The findings suggest the importance of continuing to gather ...
Electromagnetic interference in wireless communications: behavioral-level simulation approach

The main challenges in electromagnetic interference (EMI) modeling and simulation for modern and future wireless communication systems and networks, taking into account nonlinear interference effects, are discussed in this paper. It is emphasized that there exists a big difference between simulating analog and digitally-modulated systems when spurious nonlinear effects in the hardware are included. A computationally-efficient approach for the EMI analysis of wireless systems and networks by behavioral-level numerical simulation is proposed. The rapid growth of PC computational power allows us to implement a full-scale simulation of modern wireless systems and networks at the behavioral level at reasonable cost. This technique can be used for simulating optical communication systems as well.
Deposition Of Nanotubes and Nanotube Composites Using Matrix-Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation

Using the Matrix-Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE) process developed at the Naval Research Laboratory, carbon nanotubes and carbon nanotube composite thin films have been successfully fabricated. This process involves dissolving or suspending the film material in a volatile solvent, freezing the mixture to create a solid target, and using a low fluence pulsed laser to evaporate the target for deposition inside a vacuum system. The collective action of the evaporating solvent desorbs the polymer/nanotube composite from the target. The volatile solvent is then pumped away leaving the film material on the substrate. By using this technique singlewall- nanotubes (SWN) have been transferred from the target to the substrate. The SWN sustain no observable damage during the deposition process. Using SWN in combination with polymers as the target material, SWN/polystyrene and SWN/polyethylene glycol composite films were made. These films can be deposited on a variety of substrates, e.g., Si, glass, plastic, and metal, using the same target and deposition conditions. SEM micrographs show that the SWN were uniformly distributed in the film. Using a simple contact mask, SWN composite films 20 um diameter patterns can be produced.
Online Privacy at a Premium

Online privacy has been a significant concern of customers in online transactions. Several technical, economics based, and regulatory mechanisms have been proposed to address online privacy. One proposed market-based mechanism is the privacy seal. In this paper, we present some empirical evidence of the impact of displaying a privacy seal on the product prices of online firms. Using data carefully collected on homogeneous products sold by pairs of online firms — one firm in the pair with a privacy seal, and the other firm without the seal — we find that firms with a privacy seal in fact do charge a price premium on their products, compared to firms without a seal. The amount of this price premium is affected by the product prices, but is not affected by the product demand. Based on the data, we also quantify the magnitude of this privacy seal induced price premium.
Hydroxyl and Alkoxyl Radical Production By Oxidation Products of Metmyoglobin

The one-electron oxidation of a reduced nitroxide (2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1,4-dihydroxypiperidine, TOLH), detected by ESR, was used to resolve and quantify oxidants arising from the reaction of heme proteins with hydroperoxides, including chelatable iron released subsequent to oxidative cleavage of the porphyrin ring. Released iron was distinguished from protein radicals and ferryl heme by analyzing TOLH oxidation in the presence of different chelating agents. Metmyoglobin (metMb) treatment with one mole of H2O2 per mole of heme produced protein-bound oxidants that oxidized about two molecules of TOLH per heme. Some of the oxidizing species responsible for TOLH oxidation were highly persistent (t1/2 for the decay was 3 hrs at 25 degrees C). Iron release, metMb bleaching and the catalysis of Fenton-type chemistry were compared in metMb solutions treated with tert-butyl hydroperoxide (tBH). Iron release required about five-fold higher hydroperoxide concentrations than did metMb bleaching. Alkoxyl and methyl radical production was catalyzed by iron released from metMb but not by protein-bound iron in oxidized metMb solutions treated with tBH and ascorbic acid. The results suggest that ascorbate-mediated hydroxyl and alkoxyl radical production by hydroperoxide-treated metMb is due to released iron and that the protein-bound non-heme iron that arises during bleaching is at most a weak Fenton reagent.
On-line monitoring of blend uniformity in continuous drug product manufacturing process—The impact of powder flow rate and the choice of spectrometer: Dispersive vs. FT

One of the commonly acknowledged issues in continuous manufacturing of drug products is how to provide a representative sampling on flowing powder to assure its blend uniformity. An investigation was conducted to improve understanding on the impact of powder flow rate under different continuous manufacturing conditions and the impact of optical parameters (such as resolution, co-adds, and integration time) on NIR spectral quality with respect to a dispersive and a Fourier transform instrument. A partial least squares (PLS)-based spectral pretreatment was found useful to tackle the impact of different flow rates on NIR spectral signals. Multivariate figures of merit (FOM) were used to evaluate performances across different instruments and optical settings and discover the advantageous selectivity and sensitivity on the Fourier transform than the dispersive instrument regardless of the use of co-adds.
Methodology for mixed-mode stress-intensity factor calculations

A method is presented for the calculation of mixed-mode stress-intensity factors for three dimensional crack fronts. The method uses the nodal forces for the calculation. The strength of this approach is the accuracy of nodal force calculations and the avoidance of the assumption of plane strain. The methodology is described for general crack fronts. The special case of a straight crack front is presented in detail. An example problem is solved with a reference solution. The results of the present method agree to within 3% of the reference value.
Copyright Under Siege: An Economic Analysis of the Essential Facilities Doctrine and the Compulsory Licensing of Copyrighted Works

This paper examines the application of the essential facilities doctrine (EFD) to copyrighted works. It attempts to address three contemporary issues. First, it offers reasons why copyright has become subject to competition law regulation under the essential facilities doctrine. Second, it makes a brief survey of seminal cases where courts in the EU and US have had the unenviable task of grappling with the esoteric economics of copyright and network effects, as well as the impact of sector specific regulation. It argues that while the EFD may be necessary, certain assumptions need to be reconsidered. The EFD should not be an arbiter of unmeritorious copyright, but rather intervene because such forms of copyright cause market inefficiencies. Separately, those seeking access should be from a downstream market and must offer more than a mere clone of the copyrighted work. Care must also be taken not to adopt a per se approach toward superdominant copyright owners and locked-in markets. Third, this paper argues that reasonableness is a workable standard for compulsory licensing, and highlights the role of economics in working towards a clear and principled standard of access to copyrighted works under the essential facilities doctrine.
Differential Amplifiers and Their Limitations

(1984). Differential Amplifiers and Their Limitations. American Journal of EEG Technology: Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 11-23.