cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
pH-Triggered Strand Exchange in Coiled-Coil Heterotrimers

The capacity for pH-triggered strand exchange in designed coiled-coil heterotrimers is demonstrated. Systems employing both hydrophobic core (steric matching) and hydrophilic interface (electrostatic matching) design principles assemble into specific 1:1:1 heterotrimers. Alteration of pH creates electrostatic mismatches, inducing strand exchange in the presence of a suitable replacement peptide. Complexes with one Lys/Lys interface, favored at neutral to high pH, can be transformed to ones with a Glu/Glu contact by lowering pH and adding an appropriate new binding partner. The need to simultaneously maintain matched core alignments enforces specificity in this exchange, such that only a single specific peptide is replaced. These principles have subsequently been applied to the design of dynamically triggered cross-linked structures, in which a bifunctional disulfide-tethered peptide can cross-link two heterotrimers. Both formation and disruption of the cross-link are under pH control.
Ascorbic Acid-Dependent Turnover and Reactivation of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid/α-Ketoglutarate Dioxygenase Using Thiophenoxyacetic Acid†

The first step in catabolism of the broadleaf herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) is catalyzed by 2,4-D/α-ketoglutarate (α-KG)-dioxygenase (TfdA) in Ralstonia eutropha (formerly Alcaligenes eutrophus) JMP134. This oxygen- and ferrous-ion-dependent enzyme couples the oxidative decarboxylation of α-KG (yielding CO2 and succinate) with the oxidation of 2,4-D to produce 2,4-dichlorophenol and glyoxylate. TfdA was shown to utilize thiophenoxyacetic acid (TPAA) to produce thiophenol, allowing the development of a continuous spectrophotometric assay for the enzyme using the thiol-reactive reagent 4,4‘-dithiodipyridine. In contrast to the reaction with 2,4-D, however, the kinetics of TPAA oxidation were nonlinear and ascorbic acid was found to be required for and consumed during TPAA oxidation. The ascorbic acid was needed to reduce a reversibly oxidized inactive state that was formed by reaction of the ferrous enzyme with oxygen, either in the absence of substrate or in the presence of TPAA. The dep...
Can Maximal Cardiopulmonary Capacity be Recognized by a Plateau in Oxygen Uptake

The failure of oxygen uptake to increase with increasing work has been considered a marker of the limits of the cardiopulmonary system for many years. However, the concept has suffered from inconsistencies in definition, criteria, and data sampling, all of which affect the interpretation of the relation between changes in work and oxygen uptake. To evaluate the response and reproducibility of the slope in oxygen uptake at peak exercise, six subjects (mean age, 33±6 years) performed two individualized ramp treadmill tests on separate days. During exercise, oxygen uptake (for a given sample of 30 eight-breath running averages) was regressed with time and the slope was calculated. Maximal oxygen uptake, maximal heart rate and maximal perceived exertion were reproducible from day 1 to day 2 (mean difference, 0.4 ml/kg/min, 1.0 beats per minute, and 0.2 for maximal oxygen uptake, heart rate, and maximal perceived exertion, respectively [not significant]). Considerable variability in the slopes was observed during each test and from day to day. This occurred despite the use of large gas exchange samples, averaging techniques, and constant, consistent changes in external work. A plateau, defined as the slope of an oxygen uptake sample at peak exercise that did not differ significantly from a slope of zero, was not a consistent finding within subjects between days. We conclude that marked variability in the slope of the change in oxygen uptake occurs throughout progressive exercise, despite the use of large samples and a linear change in external work. These findings appear to preclude the determination of a plateau by common definitions.
“Yours for Industrial Freedom”: Women of the IWW, 1905–1930

In January 1905 a group of labor radicals gathered in Chicago to assess the movement's efficacy intending to create “One Big Union.” Only one among the small group of 23 people was a woman, Mary Ha...
Reliability of a facebow transfer procedure

The three-dimensional orientation of a maxillary cast mounting from a simulated-kinematic facebow transfer was evaluated in multiple trials among three operators on a single subject. The anterior and posterior anatomic facial reference points were marked on the subject. Each operator performed a separate series of trials to reset the anterior facebow component, the two posterior facebow components, and a control series with no resetting of any facebow components relative to the subject. The x, y, and z coordinates of three reference points on the maxillary cast were determined with a machinist microscope relative to a fixed reference after each facebow transfer. A range of differences between mountings of the maxillary cast were found between trials with all three methods used. These mounting errors were due to setting of the instrument and would be expected in routine clinical use of this instrument.
Breathing mode lattice relaxation associated with carrier emission and capture by deep electronic levels in silicon

The breathing mode (volume) lattice relaxations associated with carrier emission and capture are evaluated for a variety of deep levels in silicon using a recently proposed method based on high pressure measurements of the emission rates and capture cross sections. Included are 1) the vacancy-like acceptor levels associated with the oxygen-vacancy pair (or A-center) and the gold, platinum and palladium impurities, 2) the chalcogenide donors in their singly- and doubly-charged states and 3) a number of 3d transition metal donors. The signs and magnitudes (which range from -0 to 5A3/emitted carrier) of these relaxations are discussed in terms of models for the impurities and defects responsible for the associated levels. The results on the chalcogenides are compared with recent theoretical calculations.
BROADBAND PROVISION AND FIRM LOCATION IN OHIO: AN EXPLORATORY SPATIAL ANALYSIS

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are often cited as an important factor in firm location decisions. This is especially true for firms engaged in information intensive activities and those that have a strong need for advanced services such as broadband. Despite the suggested importance of these technologies, quantitative work evaluating the link between firm location and broadband provision is sparse and existing knowledge remains largely theoretical and speculative. However, theoretical evaluations of the impact of ICTs on firm location do provide a foundation for quantitative analyses of this relationship and may be grouped into three schools of thought: the deconcentration school, the concentration school, and the heterogeneous effects school. The predictions made by these three schools of thought will be analysed in an exploratory context to better understand the relationship between firm location and ICTs, with a focus on broadband service provision. A combination of basic spatial statistical analytical tools and geographic information systems (GIS) will be used in an exploratory spatial data analysis framework to evaluate the relationship between firm location and broadband provision trends from 1999 to 2004 in the state of Ohio. Results suggest that changes in broadband provision have no relationship with changes in firm location. However, a disaggregated, firm level analysis of this relationship does provide statistically significant results for a subset of industrial sectors. Firm size is also found to impact the correlation between firm presence and broadband provision. These results suggest that firm size and industry are perhaps critical components in determining the relative importance of ICTs, such as broadband, in firm location decisions.
THA Retrievals: The Need to Mark the Anatomic Orientation of the Femoral Head.

Abstract The hypothesis of this study was that the rotational orientation of femoral head damage would greatly affect the volumetric wear rate of the opposing polyethylene (PE) liner. Damage on twenty retrieved cobalt–chromium femoral heads was simulated in a validated damage-feature-based finite element model. For each individual retrieval, the anatomic orientation of the femoral head about the femoral neck axis was systematically varied, in 30° increments. The PE wear rate differential between the maximum- versus minimum-wear orientations was often sizable, as high as 7-fold. Knowing the correct femoral head anatomic orientation is therefore important when analyzing the effects of femoral head damage on PE liner wear. Surgeons retrieving modular femoral heads should routinely mark the anatomic orientation of those components.
Functional analysis of putative operons in Brugia malayi

Operons are a common mode of gene organization in Caenorhabditis elegans. Similar gene arrangements suggest that functional operons may exist in Brugia malayi. To definitively test this hypothesis, a bicistronic reporter vector consisting of an upstream firefly luciferase gene and a downstream renilla luciferase gene was constructed. The genome was then surveyed to identify 15 gene pairs that were likely to represent operons. Two of four domains upstream of the 5' gene from these clusters exhibited promoter activity. When constructs replicating the promoter and intergenic arrangement found in the native putative operon were transfected into embryos, both firefly and renilla activities were detected, while constructs with the promoter alone or intergenic region alone produced no activity from the downstream reporter. These data confirm that functional operons exist in B. malayi. Mutation of three U-rich element homologues present in one of the operons resulted in a decrease in downstream renilla reporter activity, suggesting that these were important in mRNA maturation. Hemi-nested reverse transcriptase-PCR assays demonstrated that while the mRNA encoding the native downstream open reading frame of one operon contained an SL1 spliced leader at its 5' end, the renilla gene mRNA produced from the corresponding transgenic construct did not.
Take-all Disease on Wheat, Barley, and Oats

This diagnostic guide is on Take-all Disease on Wheat, Barley, and Oats, by: Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici (Ggt) causes disease in wheat and barley, G. graminis var. avena causes disease in oats, and G. graminis var. graminis causes disease in grasses.
Brillouin Scatiering In Langnuir-Blodgeit Films

Brillouin spectroscopy has been used to characterize the elastic properties of Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) multilayer assemblies. First, some of the data obtained with cadmium arachidate layers are reviewed. These show highly anisotropic elastic constants reminiscent of smectic liquid-crystalline materials with a very small ratio of shear to compressional moduli. Then, recent results obtained with polymeric LB films are presented. For a polyglutamate system the complete set of elastic constants could be determined.
Cirrus cloud transmittance and backscatter in the infrared measured with a CO 2 lidar

Two independent methods of measuring the transmittance of cirrus clouds are compared. Both used a CO2 pulsed Doppler lidar at a wavelength of 10.59 μm. The first method used backscatter from the calibration target El Chichon stratospheric cloud that was present over Boulder in 1982 and 1983. The second method used conical lidar scans at different zenith angles when uniform cirrus decks were present. Extinction coefficients measured from both methods average 0.1 km−1 for tenuous cirrus 1.0 km thick to 0.78 km−1 for cirrus several kilometers thick. There is a wide standard deviation in extinction values. Extinction-to-backscatter ratios S vary from 2000 sr, so long as the ice absorption is entered into the calculations. The backscattering ratio for ice cylinders is 1 order of magnitude lower than for spheres. Backscatter in the IR may, therefore, be reasonably well modeled by some combination of spheres and cylinders. Cloud thickness statistics from lidar returns show that cirrus decks average ~500 m thick. Clouds thinner than 300 m were often overlooked by the unaided surface-based observer. These preliminary results are in rather close agreement with the lowtran 6 cirrus cloud model predictions.
Effects of light- and dark-adaptation on the photic microvilli and photic vesicles of the pulmonate snail Helix aspersa.

Abstract Intramembranous particles of photic microvilli and microvesicles in light- and dark-adapted garden snails (Helix aspersa) were studied by electron microscopy of replicas of freeze-fracture faces of villar membranes. More particles adhered to the P (cytoplasmic) faces than to the E (external) faces (particle coefficient between 5 and 80). Particles of 70Adia were more abundant in photosensitive membranes of dark-adapted snails than in those illuminated with a bright light, the difference being statistically significant. It is concluded that the particles are the photopigment.
Instantaneous Higher Order Phase Derivatives

Abstract Nelson, D. J., Instantaneous Higher Order Phase Derivatives, Digital Signal Processing 12 (2002) 416–428 We present methods, based on the short time Fourier transform, which may be used to analyze the structure of multicomponent FM modulated signals instantaneously in time and frequency. The methods build on previously presented cross-spectral methods. In this paper, we introduce the concept of higher order short time Fourier transform phase derivatives, which may be used to estimate signal trajectories instantaneously in both time and frequency and to determine convergence of the remapped time–frequency surface. The methods are applied to synthesized data and speech signals.
Steroid sparing agents for the treatment of patients with chronic urticaria requiring daily oral corticosteroids and sedating H1 antihistaminics

Abstract Rationale Long term treatment of chronic urticaria (CU) often requires oral steroids and/or sedating H 1 antihistaminics (H 1 ), although these are associated with unacceptable side effects. We evaluated the use of steroid-sparing agents as alternatives. Methods 40 patients, aged 4 to 85; 11 male, 29 female, with CU on daily or “burst” oral prednisone were studied. Each patient underwent a complete HP 23 had positive reactions to aeroallergens or foods; however, avoidance did not control their CU; and 24/30 had a positive ASST. 12 of the 40 patients responded to high dose non-sedating H 1 . Seventeen patients received dapsone; 7 responded well; 1 developed profound anemia; and 1 patient self-discontinued dapsone. Twenty-three patients were started on cyclosporine; 16 responded dramatically; 4 responded modestly, using only non-sedating H 1 ; 3 did not respond. Patients with positive skin test for aeroallergens or foods (23/40) and/or a positive ASST (24/40) had the highest cyclosporine success rate. Discussion Our data demonstrates that most patients with CU can be controlled without the use of oral steroids. If high dose non-sedating H 1 fail, then immunomodulating drugs in particular cyclosporine (for patient with a positive skin test) or dapsone appear to be very effective. Using this approach we demonstrated a success rate of 92.5% in eliminating oral prednisone in the treatment of chronic urticaria.
Surface Step Effects on Nanoindentation

Atomistic simulation is used to examine nanoindentation of a Au(111) crystal both near and far from a surface step. While the load needed to nucleate dislocations decreases significantly when indenting close to the step, the extent of the step's influence is not as great as seen experimentally. This behavior is explained by measuring the contact area from the simulation data. A new metric, the slip vector, shows material slip coinciding with the directions of a lowest unstable stacking fault barrier. The slip vector is used to calculate an atomic critical resolved shear stress, which is shown to be a good dislocation nucleation criterion.
The renin system for long-term control over vasoconstriction and sodium-volume homeostasis in the spectrum of hypertension: three new frontiers in research.

Of course we are all very pleased to be here to wish Professor Franz Gross a Happy Birthday and it goes without saying that we are all expecting many more of these for him as well as a continuing dynamic career. Professor Franz Gross, I don't need to tell any of you, - but I can't resist restating it - has been one of the great scientists of our field and of this era. He has also proven himself to be a great educator of other scientists and a great administrator. I have known Franz since 1960 when I telephoned him from Evian at the First International Congress of Nephrology to discuss our areas of mutual interest. I had just been able to get a translation of Franz' papers. In those days Franz never published in English and most of us in the United States weren't exposed to papers in German.
Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting for Kawasaki Disease

Five patients with a history of Kawasaki disease underwent coronary revascularization at Children's Memorial Hospital (1988-2000). Acute disease occurred at 11 weeks to 5 years of age and revascularization procedures were performed at 8 months to 12 years (mean 6 years; interval from disease onset 5 months to 9 years). Surgical indications included abnormal stress testing with angiographic confirmation of severe coronary artery stenosis (n = 3), severe coronary artery stenosis with echocardiographic evidence of intracoronary thrombus (n = 1), and ischemic electrocardiogram changes and ventricular tachycardia during angiography (n = 1). All revascularization procedures used internal thoracic arteries including one free internal thoracic artery graft. There were no postoperative deaths (follow-up 1 month to 11 years). All patients are asymptomatic. One patient developed myocardial ischemia 4 years postoperatively with occlusion of the circumflex coronary artery (not previously grafted). This was treated successfully with percutaneous coronary angioplasty and stent placement. All grafts are patent with the exception of a single right internal thoracic artery graft which underwent involution 30 months postprocedure with concurrent recannulization of the right coronary artery. Coronary revascularization should be considered in the young patient with severe coronary abnormalities secondary to Kawasaki disease.
Game Theory, Evolution, and Justice

Face a la difficulte que pose le probleme de la selection de l'equilibre dans le cadre de la theorie des jeux appliquee a la philosophie morale, l'A. etudie la theorie evolutionniste du contrat social developpee par B. Skyrms et K. Binmore dans le cadre de la theorie du choix rationnel. L'A. mesure la validite de l'utilisation de la theorie evolutionniste des jeux au regard des normes de la justice distributive et du principe d'aide mutuelle.
Using the critical ionization model for resist development to estimate contrast curves and roughening

The dissolution of exposed regions of polymeric resists in aqueous base to form a pattern is a complex reactive process, and is usually described only empirically. It has recently been proposed that a critical level of ionization is required for a polymer chain to move from the film into solution, and we use this model as a framework for a simple reaction scheme that describes the transformation of a polymer chain from an unsolvated form into a solvated one. Simulations of the dissolution process are used to predict the dose dependence of thickness loss, resist contrast and line shapes as a function of local extent of polymer deprotection in p-tert-butyloxycarbonyloxystyrene (PTBOCST) chemically amplified positive tone photoresist, and examine local composition and kinetics factors that lead to roughening. The results show that nonlinearities inherent in the dissolution kinetics are responsible for resist imaging. The simulations can be used to define a simple functional form for thickness loss as a function of dose, providing a physically-based alternative to phenomenological dissolution models for prediction of developed profiles from calculated latent images. The extendability of the approach to copolymers and to systems that undergo significant gellation is discussed.
Domination and power

Peter Miller compares the writings of the principal exponents of critical theory - Max Horkeimer, Herbert Marcuse and Jurgen Habermas - with those of Michel Foucault.
Small spatial-scale differentiation among populations of an introduced colonial invertebrate

Introduced species frequently undergo rapid evolutionary change in ecologically important traits that may strongly influence their performance in their introduced range. But for many introduced species, and particularly those in marine systems, the spatial and temporal dimensions of this evolutionary change are largely unknown. In this study, I conducted a common garden transplant experiment using replicate clones of an introduced tunicate, Botrylloides sp., collected from three sites in the southern Gulf of Maine to test for differential growth and survival in response to local thermal regimes. This species has a restricted larval development period, which may permit significant population differentiation over relatively small spatial scales. I found dramatic among-site differences in survival rates: tunicates collected from both the transplant site and from a distant northern site had high survival, while those collected from a southern site experienced 100% mortality. The most likely cause of this differential mortality was an anomalous upwelling event that produced some of the coldest mid-summer temperatures in the last 10 years based on NOAA weather buoy data. I also found significant differences in growth rates among sites as well as among clones within a site in comparison with growth-rate differences within clones. An estimate of broad-sense heritability based on these data was consistent with a genetic basis for among-site differences in growth rates, which were strongly predictive of subsequent mortality. I conclude that this species has undergone significant evolutionary change that has resulted in population differentiation with respect to temperature tolerances among sites separated by <60 km.
Artificial intelligence methods and systems for medical consultation

The major AI problems that arise in designing a consultation program involve choices of knowledge representations, diagnostic interpretation strategies, and treatment planning strategies. The need to justify decisions and update the knowledge base in the light of new research findings places a premium on the modularity of a representation and the ease with which its reasoning procedures can be explained. In both diagnosis and treatment decisions, the relative advantages and disadvantages of different schemes for quantifying the uncertainty of inferences raises difficult issues of a formal logical nature, as well as many specific practical problems of system design. An important insight that has resulted from the design of several artificial intelligence systems is that robustness of performance in the presence of many uncertainty relationships can be achieved by eliciting from the expert a segmentation of knowledge that will also provide a rich network of deterministic relationships to interweave the space of hypotheses.
Electrodeposition and characterization of Zn‐Mn coatings for corrosion protection

Abstract Zn–Mn alloys were electrodeposited from an acidic chloride bath. The influence of bath composition and deposition parameters on the alloys' composition, cathodic current efficiency and physical and electrochemical properties was studied. It was found that the composition of the plating bath and deposition potential have significant influence on the manganese content, morphology and corrosion property of the Zn–Mn alloys. Data obtained from linear polarization, Tafel analysis and impedance studies revealed higher corrosion resistance for the Zn–Mn alloy deposits when compared to bare Zn deposit. The Ecorr vs. time curves for Zn–Mn and Zn showed that the bare Zn deposit reached the steel potential after 40 h while the Zn–Mn reached the steel potential after 30 days. In addition, the results obtained from anodic passivation studies indicated that Zn–Mn alloys possess passivation behavior in NaCl solution.
Beyond Knowing In Organizational Inquiry

Organizational study is largely a child of modernist conceptions of knowledge, which include visions of an independent subject matter, specific methods of study, and ideal organizational functioning (Gergen and Thatchenkery, 1996). Of pivotal significance is the assumption that organizational inquiry can yield potentially valid insights into organizational functioning. Or, more pointedly, empirical research on organizations should yield valid knowledge of its subject matter. Such assumptions are also prevalent among scholars deeply invested in organizational critique. The critics typically presume that their portrayals of organizational life are objective rather than subjective, and derive from a more or less accurate assay of the world. Yet, the past several decades of dialogue—variously termed poststructural, postmodern, post foundational and social constructionist— have left the modernist conceptions of knowledge in shambles. As suggested by these dialogues, our languages of description and explanation do not so much map an independent reality, as they create the very sense of its existence as such. Organizations are not ‘there in nature’, their functioning to be revealed through systematic research; rather, we create together the very idea of ‘an organization’, and whatever characteristics we attribute to it. Our assumptions about organizations (including our values) are ultimately written into our accounts, and in this way what passes as knowledge essentially reflects the views and visions of those who inquire. As these dialogues also suggest, the hierarchical arrangement by which the academic discipline is situated as the generative source of knowledge, and the practitioner as the potentially enlightened user, is deeply flawed. Both professions—scholarly and practical—generate a myriad of conceptions, varyingly linked to practices and ideals. There is no means of determining the objectively superior view, save through recourse to some particular construction of the real and the good. Claims to socially uninflected knowledge are not only unwarranted, but remove from the Volume 10(3): 453–455 Copyright © 2003 SAGE (London, Thousand Oaks, CA and New Delhi)
Optimal sampling scheme for estimation landscape mapping of vegetation cover

An optimization of a sampling design aims at decreasing costs without losing necessary spatial information and desired precision for estimation and mapping of vegetation cover. This study concentrates on investigating optimal solutions for sampling design, considering both plot and sample size in terms of cost and variance estimated for global estimation and local landscape mapping of overall vegetation cover used in the management of soil erosion. A geostatistical method was developed based on regionalized variable theory and compared to a classical random sampling method for a case study in which optimal sampling was designed for estimating and mapping vegetation cover. Cost is introduced into the sampling design in terms of measurement time. This method has made it possible to seek optimal solutions for determining plot and sample sizes given a desired precision and allowable survey cost budget for both local and global estimation. The results show that the geostatistical method is more cost-efficient than the classical designs because it accounts for spatial dependence of variables in the sampling design. Moreover, plot size affects kriging standard error of the local estimate more significantly than sample size, while sample size has more effect on precision of the global estimate than does plot size.
Reservoir management of the Bryan (Woodbine) Field

The Bryan (Woodbine) Field is a major oil reservoir which was recently discovered in Southeast Texas. The initial reservoir performance, reservoir rock properties, and reservoir fluid data indicated that the reservoir pressure would soon be depleted below the bubble-point pressure. The operators and working interest owners in the field realized the need for unitization in order to maximize the ultimate recovery from the reservoir and therefore began cooperative discussions and regular meetings early in the reservoir life. Because the reservoir is located largely under the city limits, there are a number of unique problems related to development and unitization. A unitization formula has been negotiated and the Unit Agreement is being circulated for ratification. Engineering studies of secondary recovery by waterflooding are in progress. The purposes of this paper are (1) to present the geology, performance history, and reservoir parameters of the Bryan Field, (2) to describe the unitization process and its status, and (3) to discuss enhanced recovery alternatives.
Prediction of cytogenetic abnormalities with gene expression profiles

Cytogenetic abnormalities are important clinical parameters in various types of cancer, including multiple myeloma. We developed a model to predict cytogenetic abnormalities in patients with multiple myeloma using gene expression profiling and validated it by different cytogenetic techniques. The model has an accuracy rate up to 0.89. These results provide proof of concept for the hypothesis that gene expression profiling is a superior genomic method for clinical molecular diagnosis and/or prognosis.
An EPR data system based on S-100 bus home computer components

Abstract A technique for construction of a laboratory data system using commercially available S-100 (IEEE-696) bus components is described. An interface to an IBM/Broker ER-200 EPR spectrometer is also described. This interface could be used generally by any instrument which provides either analog or digital information for computer processing. The S-100 bus components are inexpensive and one is able to construct a complete data system at minimum cost. A final part of the article describes software which has been developed for processing EPR data
Transcriptional deficits in oxidative phosphorylation with statin myopathy

Introduction: Hydroxymethylglutaryl–coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors, or statins, are widely used drugs for hyperlipidemia and are generally well-tolerated, but the can produce skeletal muscle toxicity. The molecular mechanisms driving statin myopathy are unknown. We investigated the effects of statin treatment and eccentric (damaging) exercise on transcriptional patterns between statin myopathy (Sym; N = 9) and statin-tolerant subjects (Asym; N = 6). Methods: Skeletal muscle biopsies were collected 6 h post-exercise at baseline and after statin treatment. Subjects performed concentric (non-damaging) exercise with one leg and concentric + eccentric exercise with the other leg using a cross-over design between time-points. Results: Sym as compared with Asym demonstrated decreased skeletal muscle gene expression for oxidative phosphorylation–related and mitochondrial ribosomal protein genes before and after statin treatment with eccentric exercise. Conclusions: These results suggest that pre-existing deficiencies in energy production may contribute to the development of symptoms during statin therapy, especially when muscle is exposed to eccentric exercise. Muscle Nerve 44: 393–401, 2011
Straightening Euclidean invariants

The Grobner basis method is a powerful tool in automated geometry theorem proving. Normally, one works in the ring of coordinates of the points in a particular configuration. Tim Havel has suggested using instead the ring of interpoint squared distances because it is the invariant subring under the group of Euclidean isometries. One difficulty with this approach is that it is not always clear how to express some invariants in terms of squared distances. To that end, we present a new straightening algorithm for Euclidean invariants. We will also prove the first and second fundamental theorems of vector invariants for the group of Euclidean isometries (that the invariant subring is a finitely generated algebra over the reals, and that it can be expressed as a polynomial ring modulo finitely generated ideal, respectively. Another difficulty is that the ring of interpoint squared distances must be represented as the quotient of a polynomial ring by an ideal. Unfortunately, no canonical Grobner basis for this ideal is known. We will present a candidate for such a basis and prove that it is a basis in some cases.
State Campaign Finance Regulations and Electoral Competition

In the following analysis, we provide an assessment of the effect of campaign finance reform on campaign spending and electoral competition in gubernatorial campaigns. The work improves on prior research by considering a longer, more comprehensive time frame (1978-1997) and by examining the effects of several different components of reform (contribution limits, public financing, and spending limits) within a single analytic framework. We find that spending limits reduce candidate spending and have an indirect and negative effect on electoral competition. The negative effects of spending limits, however, are heavily contingent on the level at which the limit is set. Contribution limits are associated with increased disparities in candidate spending and increased incumbent spending but have no direct effects on electoral competition. Overall, whether campaign finance reform enhances or inhibits electoral competition depends very much on the combination of spending limits, contribution limits, and public fin...
MR Trackable, Chemotherapeutic Nanoparticles for Patient Specific Glioma Therapy

Current approaches for the treatment of glioma are limited in their effectiveness because malignant brain tumors are characteristically diffuse, highly invasive, and non-localized. Upon diagnosis of malignant gliomas, complete surgical resection of gliomas is a rarity. Following surgery, radiation has poor results while chemotherapy has been minimally effective. The success of chemotherapeutic agent therapy for intracranial tumors is critically dependent on the access that these agents have to tumors even with the so-called leaky vasculature across the blood-brain barrier. Systemic delivery of long circulating liposomal nanocarriers has exhibited increased chemotherapeutic drug delivery to solid tumors [1] due to the combination of prolonged circulation in blood and preferential accumulation in solid tumors by passive convective transport through leaky endothelium [2].
Periodic prime knots and topologically transitive flows on 3-manifolds

Suppose that ϕ is a nonsingular (fixed point free) C 1 flow on a smooth closed 3-dimensional manifold M with H2(M) = 0. Suppose that ϕ has a dense orbit. We show that there exists an open dense set N ⊆ M such that any knotted periodic orbit which intersects N is a nontrivial prime knot.  2005 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Optimal infrastructure condition sampling over space and time for maintenance decision-making under uncertainty

Infrastructure management is the process through which inspection, maintenance, and rehabilitation (IM&R) decisions are made to minimize the total life-cycle cost. Measurement, forecasting, and spatial sampling are three main sources of errors introducing uncertainty into the process. The first two uncertainties are captured in the infrastructure management literature. However, the third one has not been recognized and quantified. This paper presents a methodology where the spatial sampling uncertainty in question is captured and the sample size is incorporated as a decision variable in an optimization framework. An illustrative realistic example is presented to demonstrate an application of the developed framework. The results indicate that by not addressing the sampling uncertainty and decisions, the optimum IM&R decisions would not be achieved, and consequently, marked unnecessary overspending could take place.
Aortic Valve Endocarditis in a Dog Due to Bartonella clarridgeiae

We report the first documented case of endocarditis associated with Bartonella clarridgeiae in any species. B. clarridgeiae was identified as a possible etiological agent of human cat scratch disease. Infective vegetative valvular aortic endocarditis was diagnosed in a 2.5-year-old male neutered boxer. Historically, the dog had been diagnosed with a systolic murmur at 16 months of age and underwent balloon valvuloplasty for severe valvular aortic stenosis. Six months later, the dog was brought to a veterinary hospital with an acute third-degree atrioventricular block and was diagnosed with infective endocarditis. The dog died of cardiopulmonary arrest prior to pacemaker implantation. Necropsy confirmed severe aortic vegetative endocarditis. Blood culture grew a fastidious, gram-negative organism 8 days after being plated. Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of the isolate, including partial sequencing of the citrate synthase (gltA) and 16S rRNA genes indicated that this organism was B. clarridgeiae. DNA extraction from the deformed aortic valve and the healthy pulmonic valve revealed the presence of B. clarridgeiae DNA only from the diseased valve. No Borrelia burgdorferi or Ehrlichia sp. DNA could be identified. Using indirect immunofluorescence tests, the dog was seropositive for B. clarridgeiae and had antibodies against Ehrlichia phagocytophila but not against Ehrlichia canis, Ehrlichia ewingii, B. burgdorferi, or Coxiella burnetii.
Chance, time allocation, and the evolution of adaptively flexible sex role behavior.

SYNOPSIS. An alternative to classic sexual selection hypotheses for sex differentiated pre-mating behavior is that time available for mating—as individuals experience it—along with fitness differences among alternative potential mates, induces choosy versus indiscriminate mating behavior. This alternative hypothesis says that selection has acted so that all individuals flexibly express fitness-enhancing choosy, indiscriminate, and competitive mating behavior, induced by time-varying life histories, environmental and social cues. Key predictions of DYNAMATE, the formal model of adaptively flexible sex role behavior of individuals of both sexes within dynamically changing populations, include: (1) All individuals regardless of sex assess likely fitness outcomes from mating with alternative potential mates before expressing choosy or indiscriminate behavior. (2) Males and females express adaptively flexible, choosy and indiscriminate behavior so that individuals may change their behavior—from moment to moment—to fit dynamically changing circumstances. (3) Indiscriminate behavior of males and (4) choosy behavior of females would often be maladaptive even in species with greater female than male parental investment, when females have longer latencies to receptivity to re-mating than males, and when the relative reproductive rate of males is greater than in females. (5) Whether or not females show choosy behavior will not affect whether or not males exhibit choosy or indiscriminate behavior, and vice versa. (6) When other model parameters are equal, the proportion of individuals of a given sex expressing choosy or indiscriminate mating behavior is a function of the distribution of fitness ratios (a distribution of all fitness differences that would be conferred on an individual by mating with any two sequentially or simultaneously encountered alternative potential mates). (7) Whether same-sex individuals behaviorally compete is a function of the fitness that would be conferred if the strategist won access to a potential mate, but not a function of relative reproductive rate or its proxy, the operational sex ratio. We call for re-evaluation of sex differences in choosy, indiscriminate, and competitive behavior under strong experimental controls that level the ecological playing fields of males and females, i.e., under experimental conditions informing the mechanisms of phenotypic expression. We end with comments on the classic question of questions: why are the sexes as they are?
Electron clearing in the Los Alamos Proton Storage Ring

The instability observed in the Los Alamos Proton Storage Ring (PSR) has been tentatively identified as an electron-proton instability. A source of electrons must exist for this instability to occur. The PSR injection section contains the stripper foil, and therefore provides several strong sources of electrons. We have installed an electron clearing system in the injection section to clear out these electrons. The system comprises: (1) a foil biasing system to clear the secondary emission and thermionic electrons, (2) a pair of low-field bending magnets with a Faraday cup to clear the convoy electrons, and (3) two pairs of clearing electrodes, one upstream and one downstream of the stripper foil, to clear the remaining electrons. In this paper we will discuss the design and performance of the Electron Clearing System, and its effect on the instability. We will also present some results from other charge-collection experiments that suggest there is also substantial electron production in parts of the ring other than the injection section.
Laboratory pelletization of hydrochar from woody biomass

Pelletization is an important method for increasing the mass and energy density of raw woody biomass materials and improving their handling and transport. Further increases in mass and energy density are possible by thermal pretreatment of raw biomass prior to pelletization, via torrefaction or hydrothermal carbonization (HTC). In this work, standardized laboratory test methods were developed, validated, and utilized to provide reliable assessments of pellet properties – both before and after immersion in water, as water immersion is a severe test of pellet durability. Pellets of raw or torrefied woody biomass cannot survive a standard tumbler durability test after water immersion, while pellets of hydrochar (produced by HTC processing) demonstrate excellent durability under these conditions. In part, the excellent pellet binding behavior of hydrochar is due to resins produced in the HTC process. Hydrochar can also be used as a binder to substantially improve the pelletization of raw wood and torrefied wood.
The effect of isoprinosine on the PHA response of monocyte-depleted and undepleted peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

AbstractIsoprinosine has been reported to stimulate immunological responses involving different cell types. This study attempted to identify which cell type responds to isoprinosine in the blast transformation assay using the mitogen phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and the same cell population depleted of monocytes, were used to determine whether the absence of monocytes alters the response to isoprinosine. To determine whether there is a critical period of time during the assay when isoprinosine has its effect, the cells were selectively pre-exposed to drug and/or mitogen for a limited period of time, then cultured. Depletion of monocytes in itself augmented the response to mitogen, but the response could still be potentiated by isoprinosine, indicating that the drug's effect was on cells other than monocytes. Pre-exposure to isoprinosine and/or PYA, followed by culture with PHA with or without isoprinosine, showed that PYA initiates transformation within the first 3 h...
The Effect of Cadmium on Net Photosynthesis, Transpiration, and Dark Respiration of Excised Silver Maple Leaves

Excised leaves of silver maple (Acer saccharinum L.) exposed to 0, 0.045, 0.090, or 0.180 mM Cd24 exhibited reduced net photosynthesis and transpiration, and increased dark respiration. Rates of net photosynthesis and transpiration diminished with time and were strongly correlated with solution concentration and tissue content of Cd24, Net photosynthesis and transpiration were reduced to 18 and 21%, respectively, of the untreated controls after 64 h. Dark respiration increased as much as 193% of the untreated controls but was poorly correlated with solution concentration or tissue content of Cd24, Diffusive resistances of leaves to carbon dioxide and water vapor transfer increased with both increasing Cd24 concentration and time. These findings are discussed in relation to stomatal function.
Vulture Flight Behavior and Implications for Aircraft Safety

Growing vulture populations represent increasing hazards to civil and military aircraft. To assess vulture flight behavior and activity patterns at the Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort, South Carolina, we equipped 11 black vultures (Coragyps atratus) and 11 turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) with solar- powered Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite transmitters during a 2-year study (1 Oct 2006-30 Sep 2008). Turkey vultures had larger seasonal home ranges than did black vultures, and 2 turkey vultures made round-trips to Florida. Black vultures consistently spent less time in flight (8.4%) than did turkey vultures (18.9%), and black vultures flew at higher altitudes than did turkey vultures in all seasons except summer when altitudinal distributions (above ground level) did not differ. Although we recorded maximum altitudes of 1,578 m for black vultures and 1,378 for turkey vultures, most flights were low altitude. A matrix of vulture flight altitude versus time of day revealed that >60% of vulture flight activity occurred from 4 hr to 9 hr after sunrise at altitudes below 200 m. Continuation of aggressive harassment coupled with flexible training schedules to avoid times and altitudes of high vulture activity will decrease hazards to aircraft posed by these birds. 2011 The Wildlife Society.
High Stakes: Testing Irregularity

With the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, a stronger emphasis has been placed on state testing and accountability at the state and local levels. The news media continues to report testing irregularities as professional and community pressures are levied on educators to increase test scores. Test scores have been tied to community affluence, real estate values, encouraging job growth, and state and federal monies. The purpose of this case study is to foster discussion concerning testing regulations and procedures. A beginning second year teacher trying to make extra money opts to teach summer school. The state mandated standardized End-of-Grade test was administered for the third time at the end of the summer school session for all students in attendance. The young teacher finds a used red test book after the testing sessions are over and keeps it. In the subsequent school year, he tutors students with the test booklet he found at the summer school site and uses the questions as warm-ups for the entire class. It is not his intention to circumvent testing procedures and policies.
The role of metaphors in strategic information systems planning

This paper posits that (1) metaphors perform a crucial role in enacting strategy and linking strategic thinking with IT planning; (2) the war metaphor, which underlies many previous discussions of strategic information systems (SIS) is inadequate, possibly obsolete, in today's environment, and the shift away from this metaphor in the past few years is evidence of this; (3) other metaphors offer potentially more useful foundations for strategic thinking and SIS planning in today's world than the war metaphor; and (4) explicit articulation and exploration of alternative metaphors help identify strategic opportunities for information technology (IT) applications, designing SIS for global enterprises, and formulating research on SIS issues. This paper outlines these arguments and identifies desirable characteristics of metaphors, and discusses alternative metaphors of the organization as: an adapting organism, city-state, participant in organized team sports, an expression of philosophy, and expression of economic forces. The paper concludes with suggestions for research on the use of metaphor in strategy formulation and IT planning.