cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
TNF-α plays a role in hepatocyte apoptosis in Niemann-Pick type C liver disease

Niemann-Pick type C (NPC) is a fatal autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease clinically characterized by neurodegeneration and liver disease. Heterogeneous mutations in the NPC1 and NPC2 genes cause impaired egress of free cholesterol from lysosomes, leading to accumulation of cholesterol and glycosphingolipids. Key features of NPC liver disease include hepatic apoptosis, inflammation, and fibrosis. It is unclear what signaling events regulate these disease processes in NPC. We hypothesize that tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), which is involved in both proinflammatory and apoptotic signaling cascades, is a key mediator of inflammation, apoptosis, and fibrosis in NPC liver disease. In this study, we evaluated the role of TNF-α signaling in NPC liver disease by utilizing NPC1-specific antisense oligonucleotides to knock down NPC1 expression in control and TNF-α knockout mice. In the absence of TNF-α, NPC1 knockdown produced liver disease with significantly less inflammation, apoptosis, and fibrosis.
A SIMPLE MODEL OF PRODUCT QUALITY WITH ELASTIC DEMAND

Abstract In various models starting with Klein and Leffler (1981), sellers produce high quality for the sake of future profits. These models have assumed that a consumer demands one or zero units, but a simple model with elastic demand and entry costs can illustrate the same point with fewer problems of existence or determinacy of equilibrium.
Viscosity–temperature relationships for cellulose acetate–acetone solutions

Viscosity measurements were made for dilute solutions of three grades of cellulose acetate (acetyl content 39.8%, molecular weight Mv 30270 to 46250) in acetone in the temperature t range of 10° to 35°C. The data satisfied the Mark-Houwink equation, [η] = KM, where [η] = limiting viscosity number and K and α are Mark-Houwink constants. The values of [η] and α decreased with increase in temperature, and straight-line correlations were obtained for −d[η]/dt versus Mv and log η versus 1/T (absolute temperature). The results are discussed in terms of solution properties of cellulose acetate in acetone and their possible relevance to reverse osmosis membrane science.
Reason and Desire After the Fall of Man: A Rereading of Hobbes’s Two Postulates of Human Nature

Hobbes claimed to have discovered two most certain (certissima) postulates of human nature: first, the postulate cupiditatis naturalis, whereby man demands private use of common things and second, the postulate rationis naturalis, which teaches man to avoid violent death or “fly contra-natural dissolution” as the greatest natural evil. From these two postulates, Hobbes claims to demonstrate “by most evident connection” his moral and civil doctrines. But the character of Hobbes’s two postulates and their role in grounding his political philosophy has been a flashpoint of contention. This is not surprising given what is at stake: our reading of these postulates will implicate our understanding of Hobbes’s most celebrated moral and political doctrines. In what follows, I take up Leo Strauss’s influential analysis of the Hobbes’s two postulates and identify some problems for Strauss’s interpretation. I then sketch a rereading of the two postulates in light of the Christian Aristotelian or Thomistic tradition of thought. I argue that Hobbes’s human nature teaching is not as radically novel as has often been thought.1
Developing a university Wikipedia

This project stems from an idea to design and implement an iOS application that can scan Quick Response (QR) codes to look up information about locations around a university's campus. The application allows users to post various types of media including images, text and video associated with a specific location from the application. This project has three main components. First is the backend server with an SQL database and PHP web services to interact with the database. Second is a web application that users can access to post information and to look up posts and locations that are available. Also, the web application allows the logging in of administrators who can manage the system. The third and last component is the iOS application that connects to the server primarily to retrieve but also to post information.
Alternating Intensities and Isotope Effect in the Blue-Green Absorption Bands of Li 2

Term analysis. The analysis of the blue-green ${\mathrm{Li}}_{2}$ bands previously given by Wurm is extended by new data obtained with second order plates from the 15-ft. concave grating. The band heads are given by ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{h}=20,398.40+267.3{v}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{-}3.1{v}^{\ensuremath{'}2}\ensuremath{-}347.4{v}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}+2.5{v}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}2}$. Wave-numbers of the rotational structure lines of the (0, 1) band are tabulated, and the evaluation of the rotational term-differences in the lower state completely confirms the assignment of this system to the electronic transition $^{1}\ensuremath{\Pi}\ensuremath{\leftarrow}^{1}\ensuremath{\Sigma}$. The molecular constants, as completely re-determined from our data, using a more accurate procedure than that of Wurm, agree closely with his values. The new constants resulting from our work are $F_{e}^{}{}_{}{}^{\ensuremath{'}}=1.337\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}10}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, $F_{e}^{}{}_{}{}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}=1.535\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}10}$, ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}=0.00744$, and ${\ensuremath{\beta}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}=0.765\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}8}$. By means of the final constants and the theoretical equations, an accurate representation of the wave-numbers of the lines of the (0, 0) band is obtained. The origin of this band is found to be 20,395.96 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$.Isotope effect. The vibrational isotope effect is established by the identification of three band heads (1, 0), (2, 0), and (3, 0), due to the less abundant isotopic molecule, ${\mathrm{Li}}^{6}$${\mathrm{Li}}^{7}$, which were found in their calculated positions within the error of measurement. The rotational isotope effect in the (0, 0) band is shown by the detection of two faint line series fitting closely the theoretical equations for the $Q$ and $P$ branches due to ${\mathrm{Li}}^{6}$${\mathrm{Li}}^{7}$.Alternating intensities. The alternation ratio of the intensities of successive lines in the ${\mathrm{Li}}_{2}^{7}$ bands is determined by a new method, depending partly on the theory of intensity distribution in this type of bands given by Mulliken. The best value is found from the $Q$ branches of the (0, 0) and (1, 0) band to be 1.78\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.2. A less reliable determination from the (0, 1) band gives 1.50. Evidence is given pointing to the true value as 1.67, which corresponds to a nuclear spin of the Li atom of $\frac{3}{2}(\frac{h}{2\ensuremath{\pi}})$. This disagrees with the value $\frac{1}{2}(\frac{h}{2\ensuremath{\pi}})$ found from hyperfine structure investigations by Sch\"uler and Br\"uck. As required theoretically, the isotope lines due to the unsymmetrical molecule ${\mathrm{Li}}^{6}$${\mathrm{Li}}^{7}$ show no alternation.
Vitamin B6 kills hepatoma cells in culture

Abstract Data are presented which indicate that vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) can retard and eventually kill Fu5–5 rat hepatoma cells in culture. Additional studies indicate that the human kidney cell line 293–31, and a rat glial cell strain, C6, display growth characteristics similar to those of hepatoma cells when cultured in 5 mM pyridoxine‐supplemented medium. However, the pyridoxine‐supplemented culture medium had little effect on the growth of the human mammary cancer cell line MCF‐7. The resistance of the MCF‐7 cells to growth inhibition by vitamin B6 suggests that the vitamer pyridoxine must be metabolized to pyridoxal before it can act as a growth inhibitor. These findings suggest the potential use of vitamin B6 as an antineoplastic agent. Possible mechanisms by which vitamin B6 promotes this effect are presented.
Elemental Distribution in Tissues of Plants Heavily Infected With Nematodes

Sugarbeet and Brussels sprout plants were inoculated with Heterodera schachtii, Meloidogyne incognita, M. hapla, and M. javanica and watered with half-strength Hoagland nutrient or half-strength Hoagland nutrient containing selected heavy metals. Tomatoes were inoculated with M. incognita, M. hapla and M. javanica and watered with half-strength Hoagland nutrient. Plants were harvested when the nematode burden became very heavy. Leaf blade, petiole and root samples were taken, dried and ground to powder for elemental analysis. Nematodes were collected, dried and analyzed. Of more than 20 elements sought by α-particle induced X-ray emission, 19 were found. In the extraction process, potassium was leached from roots. Elemental distribution in tissues was found to be affected by host, mineral nutrition and nematode species. Elemental levels in nematodes were also found to be dependent upon the nematode species, the host plant and the mineral nutrition of plants.
Methods for stable recording of short-circuit current in a Na+-transporting epithelium

Epithelial Na+ transport as measured by a variety of techniques, including the short-circuit current technique, has been described to exhibit a “rundown” phenomenon. This phenomenon manifests as ti...
A Novel Community: Pastoral Pseudonyms, La Galatea, and the Academia Imitatoria in Madrid, 1585

This article contests the standard view of Golden Age works as political, whether conformist or subversive, by arguing that, in the case of Cervantes at least, Golden Age creation is best viewed in the light of the particular aesthetic debates of late sixteenth-century Madrid. The focus is on La Galatea, Cervantes’s neglected early prose work, a roman a clef in which we not only encounter the poets and patrons of 1580s Madrid in pastoral disguise, but also gain access to a number of contemporary literary debates. No work of Cervantes offers a clear statement of his ars poetica, though critics have often sought one in the mouths of his fictional characters; however, this article argues that La Galatea, because it stages the poetic debates in which Cervantes intervened, is a key text for understanding the aesthetic concerns that accompanied its production: nothing less than the birth of the modern novel.
Symbolic Spaces: Marginalized Bedouin Women's Art as Self-Expression:

The following work was presented at the Imagine Conference in Israel. It aims to show the ways in which the arts can help outsiders (including policy makers) to “imagine” and thus to understand, th...
Apparent-mass coefficients for isosceles triangles and cross sections formed by two circles

In applying inviscid slender-body theory to the calculation of aerodynamic forces on two special types of fuselage, conformal mapping techniques are used to find the exact expressions for the apparent-mass coefficients of their cross sections. The fuselage cross sections considered here either are formed by two circular arcs or have the shape of isosceles triangles. The exact solutions are used to check the applicability of approximating methods using area-equivalence, width-equivalence, and height-equivalence rules. It is found that the areaequivalence rule can hardly be used to estimate the normal forces on all of the cross sections considered in this paper.
Investigation of Bonding Materials for Traffic Monitoring Equipment: Properties of Selected Formulated Materials

Planning for new construction and rehabilitation requires accurate knowledge of traffic volume, vehicle classification, and axle loads. Monitoring and controlling the movements of cars and other vehicles will grow increasingly important in the foreseeable future. To estimate the number of vehicles, truck weights, and speed, piezoelectric axle detectors placed into pavements are used. In Texas several thousand devices at over 1,000 sites are maintained and regularly monitored on-line. It is essential that the installation of monitoring devices be fast, easy, usable in all types of pavements, and reliable without requiring maintenance or reinstallation for a reasonable length of time. Bonding materials are needed to install the monitoring devices in the pavement. A study was conducted to select materials that would perform satisfactorily. Several chemically different materials were tested. Descriptions of the laboratory testing program, field installations, test results, and conclusions are presented.
A Forward Approach for Helicopter Track and Balance

A method of helicopter track and balance is introduced that uses a forward-model to search for the appropriate blade modifications. This method uses an interval model to represent the ranges of effects of blade modifications on helicopter vibration, instead of exact values, in order to cope with the stochastic nature of aircraft vibration. The coefficients of the interval model are initially defined according to sensitivity coefficients between the blade modifications and helicopter vibration, but they are subsequently updated after each tuning iteration to improve the model’s estimation accuracy. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated through a simulation model that represents experimental vibration measurements of Black Hawk helicopters.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Measuring the cost of risk avoidance in brown bears: further evidence of positive impacts of ecotourism.

The objective of this study was to determine the cost to female brown bears with cubs of avoiding risk, or perceived risk, from both large adult male bears and ecotourists. We measured salmon consumption by brown bears in British Columbia under different risk scenarios (the presence and absence of large male bears and people). Declines occurred despite superabundant food where consumption was never limited by salmon abundance. While there were significant changes in the proportion of time spent foraging and in the consumption of captured fish between periods with and without ecotourists present, there was no change in foraging effectiveness, catch per unit effort. Selection of sub-optimal habitats to reduce predation risk incurs energy costs. Risk avoidance reduced daily salmon consumption by females with cubs by more than one third. By associating with people, females with cubs were able to avoid encounters with large, potentially aggressive males, which avoided people in both time and space. Controlled human activity at feeding sites can provide a temporal feeding refuge for vulnerable age/sex classes. This is the first study to quantify the energetic cost of intra-specific risk-avoidance for a large carnivore.
A model potential study of the Si(001) 2 × 1 surface

Abstract The Stillinger-Weber model potential is applied to study the Si(001) 2×1 surface. Molecular dynamics computer simulation has used a cluster of 1280 atoms with periodic boundary conditions in two dimensions, the surface-vacuum interface being modelled by a slab configuration containing twenty atomic planes. It is shown that the model potential readily leads to a dimer model with substantial sub-surface relaxations. The model is free of any y -twist (direction normal to the dimerization direction) which was invoked by a LEED investigation. The electronic total energy calculations for the present model give significantly lower energy than a simple dimer model without sub-surface relaxations but not lower than the asymmetric buckled dimer model. The calculation also suggests that molecular dynamics with a model silicon potential may provide a useful starting point for a complex reconstruction which can be further improved by other first principles methods.
"Early" vocal cord laterofixation for the treatment of bilateral vocal cord immobility.

Objectives: Vocal cord immobility (VCI) is commonly caused by a nonlaryngeal malignancy, thyroid surgery, or a presumed viral insult etc. The paralysis is often transient or temporary, thus the care of the patient should be optimized to avoid unnecessary diagnostic and therapeutic endeavours. This article reports on the result of the concept of early vocal cord laterofixation, which provides a minimally invasive solution to dyspnea in the critical early, potentially reversible, period of bilateral VCI. Study design: A prospective study of 25 consecutive patients (ages 33 to 81 years) who were diagnosed with a bilateral VCI. This condition had developed after thyroid surgery in 22 of the patients and after a blunt trauma of the neck in one case. In another case, a cricoarytenoid joint fixation was revealed, and aetiology remained unknown in one further patient. Methods: The surgical procedure was performed endoscopically with a modification of Lichtenberger’s endo-extralaryngeal suture lateralization technique. The abducted vocal cord position was achieved by inserting a non-resorbable thread around the vocal process and tying on to the prelaryngeal muscles. Regular spirometric measurements and radiological aspiration tests were conducted on the patients. Results: Adequate postoperative airway was achieved in all patients except one. Significant spontaneous vocal cord medialization was observed in two cases within a year and in three patients in the second and the third year. Partial or complete vocal cord recovery was observed in 17 cases. Further voice improvement followed in 9 patients when the threads were removed, due to vocal cord medialization or recovery. The mild postoperative aspirations ceased in the first postoperative days in all cases except one. Conclusions: The concept of “early” laterofixation satisfies the important criteria: it can provide an immediate and long-lasting adequate airway, and it can be considered potentially reversible from the point of view of laryngeal functions. Thus the procedure is a reliable primary treatment for bilateral VCI.
Analysis and prediction of hydrogen bonding in protein‐DNA complexes using parallel processors

A number of essential biological functions are controlled by proteins that bind to specific sequences in genomic DNA. In this article we present a simplified model for analyzing DNA-protein interactions mediated exclusively by hydrogen bonds. Based on this model, an optimized algorithm for geometric pattern recognition was developed. The large number of local energy minima are efficiently screened by using a geometric approach to pattern matching based on a square-well potential. The second part of the algorithm represents a closed form solution for minimization based on a quadratic potential. A Monte Carlo method applied to a modified Lennard-Jones potential is used as a third step to rank DNA sequences in terms of pattern matching. Using protein structures derived from four DNA-protein complexes with three-dimensional coordinates established by X-ray diffraction analysis, all possible DNA sequences to which these proteins could bind were ranked in terms of binding energies. The algorithm predicts the correct DNA sequence when at least two hydrogen bonds per base pair are involved in binding to the protein, providing a partial solution to the three-dimensional docking problem. This study lays a framework for future refinements of the algorithm in which the number of assumptions made in the present analysis are reduced. © 1996 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Next-Generation Phage Display: Integrating and Comparing Available Molecular Tools to Enable Cost-Effective High-Throughput Analysis

Background Combinatorial phage display has been used in the last 20 years in the identification of protein-ligands and protein-protein interactions, uncovering relevant molecular recognition events. Rate-limiting steps of combinatorial phage display library selection are (i) the counting of transducing units and (ii) the sequencing of the encoded displayed ligands. Here, we adapted emerging genomic technologies to minimize such challenges. Methodology/Principal Findings We gained efficiency by applying in tandem real-time PCR for rapid quantification to enable bacteria-free phage display library screening, and added phage DNA next-generation sequencing for large-scale ligand analysis, reporting a fully integrated set of high-throughput quantitative and analytical tools. The approach is far less labor-intensive and allows rigorous quantification; for medical applications, including selections in patients, it also represents an advance for quantitative distribution analysis and ligand identification of hundreds of thousands of targeted particles from patient-derived biopsy or autopsy in a longer timeframe post library administration. Additional advantages over current methods include increased sensitivity, less variability, enhanced linearity, scalability, and accuracy at much lower cost. Sequences obtained by qPhage plus pyrosequencing were similar to a dataset produced from conventional Sanger-sequenced transducing-units (TU), with no biases due to GC content, codon usage, and amino acid or peptide frequency. These tools allow phage display selection and ligand analysis at >1,000-fold faster rate, and reduce costs ∼250-fold for generating 106 ligand sequences. Conclusions/Significance Our analyses demonstrates that whereas this approach correlates with the traditional colony-counting, it is also capable of a much larger sampling, allowing a faster, less expensive, more accurate and consistent analysis of phage enrichment. Overall, qPhage plus pyrosequencing is superior to TU-counting plus Sanger sequencing and is proposed as the method of choice over a broad range of phage display applications in vitro, in cells, and in vivo.
Theory of quantitative infrared emission spectroscopy for determination of relative populations of CO2 vibrational energy levels

IR spectroscopy, determining relative populations of carbon dioxide vibrational energy levels by comparing emission intensities
Further in vitro exploration fails to support the allosteric three-site model.

Ongoing debate in the ribosome field has focused on the role of bound E-site tRNA and the Shine-Dalgarno-anti-Shine-Dalgarno (SD-aSD) interaction on A-site tRNA interactions and the fidelity of tRNA selection. Here we use an in vitro reconstituted Escherichia coli translation system to explore the reported effects of E-site-bound tRNA and SD-aSD interactions on tRNA selection events and find no evidence for allosteric coupling. A large set of experiments exploring the role of the E-site tRNA in miscoding failed to recapitulate the observations of earlier studies (Di Giacco, V., Marquez, V., Qin, Y., Pech, M., Triana-Alonso, F. J., Wilson, D. N., and Nierhaus, K. H. (2008) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 105, 10715–10720 and Geigenmuller, U., and Nierhaus, K. H. (1990) EMBO J. 9, 4527–4533); the frequency of miscoding was unaffected by the presence of E-site-bound cognate tRNA. Moreover, our data provide clear evidence that the reported effects of the SD-aSD interaction on fidelity can be attributed to the binding of ribosomes to an unanticipated site on the mRNA (in the absence of the SD sequence) that provides a cognate pairing codon leading naturally to incorporation of the purported “noncognate” amino acid.
Complex Formation Between Hydrocolloids and Tranquilizers and Hypotensive Agents

Highly insoluble complexes are formed between hydrocolloids such as carrageenan and sodium carboxymethylcellulose and sodium alginate, and tranquilizers and hypotensive agents such as promazine hydrochloride, chlorpromazine hydrochloride, and reserpine. Meprobamate and hexamethonium chloride form much weaker complexes as evidenced by their failure to produce turbidity with several hydrocolloids tested. Using the promazine hydrochloride-carrageenan (Seakem type 5) interaction as the experimental system, it was shown that maximum interaction occurred at 45° and at a pH of 4.95 in a buffered medium. After intramuscular injection of the carrageenan-promazine hydrochloride complex into rabbits, free promazine was detected in the blood up to six days after administration as contrasted to the disappearance of the free form, similarly administered, after only 24 hours.
Preparation of gas separation membranes by plasma polymerization with fluoro compounds

Abstract Plasma polymerization coatings were applied for the preparation of gas separation membranes. Mainly fluoro compounds were used as coating materials. The membranes showed good separation characteristics with high flux for gaseous systems. The plasma polymerization composite parameter given by W/FM plays an important role in obtaining excellent separation characteristics. The correlation between the conversion rate DR/FM, where DR is the deposition rate of plasma polymer, and W/FM is useful to consider the plasma polymer character under the different plasma polymerization conditions (discharge power W and monomer flow rate F). The proper conditions for membrane preparation lie in the intermediate region between the region in which the monomer flow rate is deficient and that in which the discharge power is deficient. Furthermore, the plasma polymerization coatings with the higher molecular weight monomer gave the higher separation characteristics. Plasma polymer composite membranes in this study showed superiority for the molecular sieve type of separation over the solution-diffusion type of separation.
Out of Role? Out of Luck: The Influence of Race and Leadership Status on Performance Appraisals:

Although the American workforce is becoming more diverse, Black managers continue to face obstacles to success. One of the greatest challenges facing Black leaders is aversive racism, a subtle but ...
Experimental studies of variation in hepaticae. I. Induced variation in lophocolea heterophylla

Quantitative analyses of eleven vegetative characters were obtained from five genetically distinct clones of the leafy hepatic,Lophocolea heterophylla, grown in pure culture in a variety of controlled environments.
Particulate reinforced PC/PBT composites. II. Effect of nano‐clay particles on dimensional stability and structure–property relationships

The effect of organoclay loading and surface treatment on the dimensional stability, structure–property relationships, and rheological behavior of nanocomposites consisting of polycarbonate (PC), poly[butylene terephyhalate] (PBT), and nano-clay was investigated at various clay loadings and with various surface modifiers for the nano-clay particles. It was found that by using an organoclay formed with a polar amine compound that contained two hydroxyl end groups as opposed to nano-talc, the flexural strength and tensile toughness of the nanocomposites increased by 12 and 27%, respectively, at a particle loading of 1 wt%, while maintaining the flexural modulus of the nanofilled PC/PBT blends. The flexural and tensile modulus of the nanocomposites increased with an increase in particle loading even though the viscosity was reduced due to a loss of molecular weight of the PC/PBT and/or an increase in the compability of the interface between the PC and PBT phase, which varied with organoclay structure. Possible loss of the molecular weight of the PC/PBT matrix was supported by a significant reduction in the storage modulus and complex viscosity at high frequencies of the composites generated with nano-clay relative to that of the unfilled matrix. POLYM. COMPOS., 2009. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers.
A Note on Talagrand's Concentration Inequality

In this paper we revisit Talagrand's proof of concentration inequality for empirical processes. We give a different proof of the main technical lemma that guarantees the existence of a certain kernel. Moreover, we generalize the result of Talagrand to a family of kernels which in one particular case allows us to produce the Poissonian bound without using the truncation argument. We also give some examples of applications of the abstract concentration inequality to empirical processes that demonstrate some interesting properties of Talagrand's kernel method.
15N chemical shifts of a number of polyazaindenes: Correlation with charge separated resonance contributing structures

The 15N chemical shifts of a number of polyazaindenes have been determined, and have been correlated with the degree of contribution to the ground state of those resonance structures which place a partial positive charge on the bridge-head nitrogen.
An Examination of the Effectiveness of Videotaped Self-Modeling in Teaching Specific Linguistic Structures to Preschoolers:

Videotaped self-modeling (VSM) has been developed as a means to allow participants to view themselves in situations where they are performing at a more advanced level than they are presently functioning in their natural environment. VSM has been used effectively to train positive behaviors and to decrease negative behaviors across a wide range of ages and behaviors; however, studies of VSM use with preschoolers and in the training of language behaviors has been sparse. The present study was designed to analyze the effects of VSM on the acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of the contractible copula is with preschool children with delayed language. The results indicated that the three children included in the study made obvious gains in acquiring the target behavior and applied the behavior in normal conversational use. The gains made during intervention were maintained through a follow-up phase. The findings suggest that VSM may represent a new cost- and time-efficient technique for training langu...
A TEMPERATURE INDICATOR FOR USE DURING OVEN-DRYING OF HERBAGE

The drying of small herbage samples should be as rapid as possible so as to limit respiratory loss and enzymatic interconversions, especially if certain nonstnictnral carbohydrates are to be assayed. An inexpensive thermo-switch is described that indicates the time required to heat a mass of tissue in an oven to a given temperature. The time required to heat green herbage to a temperature (55°C) that will inactivate respiratory enzymes can be determined.
mig-5/Dsh controls cell fate determination and cell migration in C. elegans.

Cell fate determination and cell migration are two essential events in the development of an organism. We identify mig-5, a Dishevelled family member, as a gene that regulates several cell fate decisions and cell migrations that are important during C. elegans embryonic and larval development. In offspring from mig-5 mutants, cell migrations are defective during hypodermal morphogenesis, QL neuroblast migration, and the gonad arm migration led by the distal tip cells (DTCs). In addition to abnormal migration, DTC fate is affected, resulting in either an absent or an extra DTC. The cell fates of the anchor cell in hermaphrodites and the linker cells in the male gonad are also defective, often resulting in the cells adopting the fates of their sister lineage. Moreover, 2° vulval precursor cells occasionally adopt the 3° vulval cell fate, resulting in a deformed vulva, and the P12 hypodermal precursor often differentiates into a second P11 cell. These defects demonstrate that MIG-5 is essential in determining proper cell fate and cell migration throughout C. elegans development.
GEOMETRIC FORMULAS FOR DILUTION OF PRECISION CALCULATIONS

This paper derives geometric formulations for computing dilutions of precision (DOPs), such as GDOP, PDOP, and HDOP. These formulations are in terms of volumes, areas, and lengths determined by the unit vectors pointing from the receiver to the satellites. They often result in very efficient computer algorithms for computing the DOP quantities. The underlying methods easily generalize to any dimension for DOPs involving any number of transmitters.
Electric Field Reversal in Sprite Electric Field Signature

AbstractIn measurements of the electric field associated with the current of a sprite 450 km from ground-based field sensors, it was observed that the sign of the electric field was positive when positive charge was lowered from the ionosphere. A recent model for the electric field associated with the sprite current also predicts positive field changes at 450 km from the sprite. A well-known analysis of a vertical dipole in a thundercloud shows that the electric field on the ground reverses its sign at an easily computed distance from the dipole. A similar simplified electrostatic analysis of a sprite predicts a field reversal distance around 130 km. A more accurate electrodynamic analysis based on Maxwell’s equations indicates that the field reversal distance should be between 70 and 80 km.
Gene Structure, Organization, And Expression In Archaebacteria

Major advances have recently been made in understanding the molecular biology of the archaebacteria. In this review, we compare the structure of protein and stable RNA-encoding genes cloned and sequenced from each of the major classes of archaebacteria: the methanogens, extreme halophiles, and acid thermophiles. Protein-encoding genes, including some encoding proteins directly involved in methanogenesis and photoautotrophy, are analyzed on the basis of gene organization and structure, transcriptional control signals, codon usage, and evolutionary conservation. Stable RNA-encoding genes are compared for gene organization and structure, transcriptional signals, and processing events involved in RNA maturation, including intron removal. Comparisons of archaebacterial structures and regulatory systems are made with their eubacterial and eukaryotic homologs.
Quality, Patient Safety, and the Cardiac Surgical Team

After more than a decade of attention, the risks inherent in cardiac surgery have been well documented, but examples of effective interventions to reduce this risk remain scarce. The need is great, because the patient population is vulnerable and the potential consequences of poor outcomes are ever present and significant. This article reviews a decade of discussion surrounding quality and safety issues in cardiac surgery, and concludes with examples of strategies that have shown great promise for improving cardiac surgery quality and safety.
An empirical characterization of stream programs and its implications for language and compiler design

Stream programs represent an important class of high-performance computations. Defined by their regular processing of sequences of data, stream programs appear most commonly in the context of audio, video, and digital signal processing, though also in networking, encryption, and other areas. In order to develop effective compilation techniques for the streaming domain, it is important to understand the common characteristics of these programs. Prior characterizations of stream programs have examined legacy implementations in C, C++, or FORTRAN, making it difficult to extract the high-level properties of the algorithms. In this work, we characterize a large set of stream programs that was implemented directly in a stream programming language, allowing new insights into the high-level structure and behavior of the applications. We utilize the StreamIt benchmark suite, consisting of 65 programs and 33,600 lines of code. We characterize the bottlenecks to parallelism, the data reference patterns, the input/output rates, and other properties. The lessons learned have implications for the design of future architectures, languages and compilers for the streaming domain.
The St. Louis Rent Strike of 1969: Transforming Black Activism and American Low-Income Housing

In 1969, public housing tenants launched a rent strike that shaped federal legislation and helped make housing a central concern of the Black Freedom Struggle. In addition to providing a detailed n...
Structural determinants of human ζ-globin mRNA stability

The normal accumulation of adult α and β globins in definitive erythrocytes is critically dependent upon processes that ensure that the cognate mRNAs are maintained at high levels in transcriptionally silent, but translationally active progenitor cells. The impact of these post-transcriptional regulatory events on the expression of embryonic ζ globin is not known, as its encoding mRNA is not normally transcribed during adult erythropoiesis. Recently, though, ζ globin has been recognized as a potential therapeutic for α thalassemia and sickle-cell disease, raising practical questions about constitutive post-transcriptional processes that may enhance, or possibly prohibit, the expression of exogenous or derepresssed endogenous ζ-globin genes in definitive erythroid progenitors. The present study assesses mRNA half-life in intact cells using a pulse-chase approach; identifies cis-acting determinants of ζ-globin mRNA stability using a saturation mutagenesis strategy; establishes critical 3′UTR secondary structures using an in vitro enzymatic mapping method; and identifies trans-acting effector factors using an affinity chromatographical procedure. We specify a tetranucleotide 3′UTR motif that is required for the high-level accumulation of ζ-globin transcripts in cultured cells, and formally demonstrate that it prolongs their cytoplasmic half-lives. Surprisingly, the ζ-globin mRNA stability motif does not function autonomously, predicting an activity that is subject to structural constraints that we subsequently specify. Additional studies demonstrate that the ζ-globin mRNA stability motif is targeted by AUF1, a ubiquitous RNA-binding protein that enhances the half-life of adult β-globin mRNA, suggesting commonalities in post-transcriptional processes that regulate globin transcripts at all stages of mammalian development. These data demonstrate a mechanism for ζ-globin mRNA stability that exists in definitive erythropoiesis and is available for therapeutic manipulation in α thalassemia and sickle-cell disease.
A Suspended Particle Rosette Sampler for Investigating Hydrothermal Plumes

We have developed and are building a new oceanographic tool, a Suspended Particulate Rosette (SUPR) sampling system. The SUPR sampler is capable of rapidly filtering 25 large water volume samples (30 to 100 liters per sample) for suspended particulates during a single deployment. In addition, the SUPR sampler is designed to be compatible with in situ optical analysis methods. We are developing the SUPR sampler to investigate these fundamental questions, "How do iron- and manganese-rich, hydrothermal plume particles affect seawater chemistry and to what extent do these particles fuel microbial activity in deep-sea hydrothermal plumes?" While past studies have determined the average chemical composition of hydrothermal plumes we lack the detailed information we need to understand the complete formation process and to what extent plume particle chemistry is modified by reactions with seawater and chemosynthetic organisms. Key to answering these questions is understanding the spatial and temporal variability of plume particle composition and mineralogy. Examination of this complex system requires the collection of numerous, spatially-discrete particle samples from hydrothermal plumes. Existing systems collect only a single combined sample - this has been the major obstacle to addressing our research questions. The SUPR sampler is designed to address this sampling need. It consists of a custom filtering head capable of sequentially collecting 25 discrete samples or 10 replicate pairs. This filtering head is interfaced with an 8 to 30 liter per minute pumping system. It can be deployed on a CTD rosette for spatially-discrete tow-yo sampling of non-buoyant hydrothermal plumes, on an ROV (e.g. Jason) for sampling rising plumes, or mounted on a fixed mooring in a hydrothermal vent field for time series sampling. In addition the SUPR sampler is designed with a long-term perspective for seafloor observatory deployments where it can be used to collect particulate samples as time series and in response to tectonic (or other) events. We see an increasing demand for this capability - enabling both spatially-resolved and, importantly, temporally-resolved sampling of suspended particulates or microbes from a range of dynamic biogeochemical environments, not just hydrothermal systems. With such future applications in mind, and because many particle characteristics are short lived, the SUPR sampler has been designed to be compatible with in situ optical sensors based on visible and laser spectroscopy.
Nighttime maternal responsiveness and infant attachment at one year

This study examined associations between mother–infant nighttime interactions and mother–infant attachment when infants were 12 months old. Forty-four mother–infant pairs participated in this study. For three consecutive nights at home, babies were observed in their cribs using a digital video system. Mothers reported on their nighttime interactions with their babies using a self-report diary and completed a questionnaire regarding child temperament. Attachment was assessed in the Strange Situation (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall, 1978). Mothers of securely attached infants had nighttime interactions that were generally more consistent, sensitive and responsive than those of insecurely attached infants. Specifically, in secure dyads, mothers generally picked up and soothed infants when they fussed or cried after an awakening.
Collisions of DCl with a Solution Covered with Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Ions: Tetrahexylammonium Bromide in Glycerol†

of the surface is further explored by comparing Ar and DCl scattering from the THABr solution and liquid squalane. We find that the addition of THABr to glycerol alters the reactivity of DCl in two ways: DCl molecules that land on the surface are more likely to desorb when THA + and Br - are present and are less likely to dissolve, but they are also more likely to undergo rapid, interfacial DCl f HCl exchange. Similar trends are observed when THA + ions are replaced by Na + ions in a 2.7 M NaBr solution, even though THA + interacts weakly with glycerol OH groups and Na + binds strongly to them. These observations suggest that the THA + hexyl chains do not physically block DCl entry and that interfacial cation-OH bonding is not essential for promoting rapid D f H exchange when Br - -OH bonding also occurs. The use of THABr confirms that ions in the top few monolayers, and not those deeper in solution, control DCl entry and rapid D f H exchange.
An efficient approach to transmission line simulation using measured or tabulated S-parameter data

In this paper we describe an algorithm for efficient circuit-level simulation of transmission lines which can be specified by tables of frequency-dependent scattering parameters. The approach uses a forced stable section-by-section l2 minimization approach to construct a high order rational function approximation to the frequency domain data, and then applies guaranteed stable balanced realization techniques to reduce the order of the rational function. The rational function is then incorporated in a circuit simulator using fast recursive convolution. An example of a transmission line with skin-effect is examined to both demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach and to show its generality.
Overlapping expression of ARFGEF2 and Filamin A in the neuroependymal lining of the lateral ventricles: insights into the cause of periventricular heterotopia.

Periventricular heterotopia (PH) is a malformation of cortical development characterized by nodules of neurons, ectopically located along the lateral ventricles of the brain. Mutations in the vesicle transport ADP-ribosylation factor guanine exchange factor 2 gene (ARFGEF2 )o r the actin-binding Filamin A (FLNA) gene cause PH. Previous studies have shown that FLNA expression is developmentally regulated, with strongest expression observed along the ventricular zone (VZ) and to a lesser degree in postmitotic neurons in the cortex. Here we characterize the expression patterns for ARFGEF2 within the central nervous systems of human and mouse in order to better understand their potential roles in causing PH. ARFGEF2 mRNA was widely expressed in all cortical layers, especially in the neural precursors of the ventricular and subventricular zones (SVZ) during development, with persistent but diminished expression in adulthood. ARFGEF2 encodes for the protein brefeldin-inhibited guanine exchange factor 2 (BIG2). BIG2 protein immunoreactivity was most strongly localized to the neural progenitors along the neuroependymal lining of the VZ during development, with decreased expression in adulthood. Furthermore, overlapping BIG2 and FLNA expression was greatest in these same neuroependymal cells of human embryonic brain and was co-expressed in progenitors by Western blot. Finally, transfection of a dominant-negative construct of ARFGEF2 in SHSY5Y neuroblastoma cells partially blocked FLNA transport from the Golgi apparatus to the cell membrane. These results suggest that mutations in ARFGEF2 may impair targeted transport of FLNA to the cell surface within neural progenitors along the neuroependyma and that disruption of these cells could contribute to PH formation. J. Comp. Neurol. 494:476 – 484, 2006. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Indexing terms: ARFGEF2; Filamin A; periventricular heterotopia
Fuzzy Decision Forest

We investigate the extension of fuzzy decision trees into fuzzy forests. Decision forests attempt to alleviate some problems often associated with decision trees: decision trees are minimalistic in their contained information, and they often degrade in complex domains, when multidimensional relationships are needed, or when there is no preference over similar actions. Moreover, the minimalistic approach often degrades the performance when some necessary features are either missing, noisy, or simply unreliable. These problems have been addressed in the last few years in hybrid systems, in which a number of distinct trees were extracted and used with some voting rules. Fuzzy decision forests follow the same ideas, except that they use more elaborate alternatives specific to local partitioning of the space. Therefore, it is an extension of those hybrid methods. In other words, while in those hybrid systems multiple choices are allowed at the level of the global search space, a fuzzy decision forest allows alternatives at every subspace level. Moreover the choice of available alternatives is data and domain-driven.
Analysts' Forecasts in Asian‐Pacific Markets: The Relationship among Macroeconomic Factors, Accounting Systems, Bias and Accuracy

In this study, we describe determinants of accuracy/bias of analysts' forecasts in 13 economies of the Asian-Pacific region. Examination of the accuracy of analysts' earnings forecasts allows us to judge how accounting systems and macroeconomic distinctions in this region affect earnings predictability. As many investors rely on analysts' earnings forecasts instead of producing their own, the growth of international investment means forecasts in non-US markets will become increasingly important to investors worldwide. Using a sample of firms with data available on Global Vantage and I/B/E/S International, we find that the analysts on average have a pessimistic bias in Asian-Pacific markets. We examine whether macroeconomic factors explain part of the difference in the size of analyst forecast errors, using the global competitiveness rankings of the World Economic Forum (WEF). We expect that those nations which are more open to foreign trade and investment and are ranked more highly by the WEF in its Global Competitiveness Index will also have more accurate analyst forecasts, as increased global competitiveness demands greater integration into the world economy, and such integration should lead to more transparent financial statements and more accurate earnings forecasts. Our findings are consistent with this prediction. We also find that countries with low book-tax conformity have more accurate earnings forecasts.