cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Co-purification, co-imniunoprecipitation, and coordinate expression of acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase activity, biotin carboxylase, and biotin carboxyl carrier protein of higher plants

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase; EC 6.4.1.2) is a regulatory enzyme of fatty acid synthesis, and in some higher-plant plastids is a multi-subunit complex consisting of biotin carboxylase (BC), biotin-carboxyl carrier protein (BCCP), and carboxyl transferase (CT). We recently described a Nicotiana tabacum L. (tobacco) cDNA with a deduced amino acid sequence similar to that of prokaryotic BC. We here provide further biochemical and immunological evidence that this higher-plant polypeptide is an authentic BC component of ACCase. The BC protein co-purified with ACCase activity and with BCCP during gel permeation chromatography of Pisum sativum L. (pea) chloroplast proteins. Antibodies to the Ricinus communis L. (castor) BC co-precipitated ACCase activity and BCCP. During castor seed development, ACCase activity and the levels of BC and BCCP increased and subsequently decreased in parallel, indicating their coordinate regulation. The BC protein comprised about 0.8% of the soluble protein in developing castor seed, and less than 0.05% of the protein in young leaf or root. Polypeptides cross-reacting with antibodies to castor BC were detected in several dicotyledons and in the monocotyledons Hemerocallis fulva L. (day lily), Iris L., and Allium cepa L. (onion), but not in the Gramineae species Hordeum vulgare L. (barley) and Panicum virgatum L. (switchgrass). The castor endosperm and pea chloroplast ACCases were not significantly inhibited by long-chain acyl-acyl carrier protein, free fatty acids or acyl carrier protein. The BC polypeptide was detected throughout Brassica napus L. (rapeseed) embryo development, in contrast to the multi-functional ACCase isoenzyme which was only detected early in development. These results firmly establish the identity of the BC polypeptide in plants and provide insight into the structure, regulation and roles of higherplant ACCases.
Analysing how Scientists Explain their Research: A rubric for measuring the effectiveness of scientific explanations

The present article presents a rubric we developed for assessing the quality of scientific explanations by science graduate students. The rubric was developed from a qualitative analysis of science graduate students’ abilities to explain their own research to an audience of non‐scientists. Our intention is that use of the rubric to characterise explanations of science by scientists, some of whom become professors, would lead to better teaching of science at the university level. This would, in turn, improve retention of qualified and diverse scientists, some of whom may elect to become science teachers. Our rubric is useful as an instrument to help evaluate scientific explanations because it distinguishes between the content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge of scientists, as well as a scientist’s ability to integrate the two in the service of a clear and coherent explanation of his or her research. It is also generally useful in evaluating, or self‐evaluating, science explanations by science professors...
Anger proneness, gender, and the risk of heart failure.

Abstract Background Evidence regarding the association of anger proneness with incidence of heart failure is lacking. Methods and Results Anger proneness was ascertained among 13,171 black and white participants of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study cohort with the use of the Spielberger Trait Anger Scale. Incident heart failure events, defined as occurrence of ICD-9-CM code 428.x, were ascertained from participants' medical records during follow-up in the years 1990–2010. Relative hazard of heart failure across categories of trait anger was estimated with the use of Cox proportional hazard models. Study participants (mean age 56.9 [SD 5.7] years) experienced 1,985 incident HF events during 18.5 (SD 4.9) years of follow-up. Incidence of HF was greater among those with high, as compared to those with low or moderate trait anger, with higher incidence observed for men than for women. The relative hazard of incident HF was modestly high among those with high trait anger, compared with those with low or moderate trait anger (age-adjusted hazard ratio for men: 1.44 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.23–1.69). Adjustment for comorbidities and depressive symptoms attenuated the estimated age-adjusted relative hazard in men to 1.26 (95% CI 1.00–1.60). Conclusions Assessment of anger proneness may be necessary in successful prevention and clinical management of heart failure, especially in men.
The type-conversion phenomenon in electron-irradiated GaAs

Abstract We have irradiated relatively pure n-type and p-type epitaxial GaAs layers with 1 MeV electrons and determined the 296 K Fermi energy ϵF as a function of fluence φ by using Hall-effect measurements. For the p-type samples, ϵ f begins at from Ev+0.25 to Ev+0.45 eV, and eventually moves up to about EV+0.5eV at high fluence. For the n-type samples, ϵF begins at about Ec−0.2 eV, typically, then drops precipitously to the range EV+0.25 to EV+0.5eV, and eventually ends up near the latter value, EV+0.5 eV, often following one of the ϵF vs φ curves for the p-type samples. Significant 296 K annealing is sometimes observed for the p-type samples. We show that the 1 MeV acceptor production rate in n-type GaAs is about 5 cm−1, but that the rate in p-type material is much lower, probably due to room-temperature annealing. All results are consistent with a Ga-sublattice-damage model for the main acceptor production, although other models are also possible.
IEEE 802.11n: Effects of Feedback Non-Idealities on Performance of Transmit Beamforming Transceivers

Firstly, we define a set of transmit beamforming (TxBF) transceiver architectures in the framework of IEEE 802.11n systems. In the following, assuming frequency selective spatially correlated TGn D channels, we carry out a comparative performance analysis taking into accounting the effects of realistic time synchronization and channel estimation schemes and practical feedback issues (i.e., delay, quantization and subcarrier grouping) on the throughput gains of the TxBF schemes over the Vertical Bell lab Layered Space Time (V-BLAST) spatial division multiplexing (SDM) scheme.
Minimum-cost palatable diet: A pilot study

Abstract This paper presents an alternative approach to improve the palatability of the minimum-cost diet problem through restricting the integer programming solutions to those bundles of foods that represent reasonably popular meal recipes. It is assumed that if a recipe is popular it must be palatable. The approach differs from previous studies in that it optimizes meal recipes rather than food items. A reasonable set of meals is derived from an exploratory application of this approach to a limited set of 217 popular local recipes in Hawaii. The cost of this set of ‘palatable’ minimum-cost diet is estimated to be US$80·03 for a family of four for a week. By using the same set of food items necessary for the 217 recipes, the cost of the ‘less palatable’ minimum-cost diet (as in Stigler, G. J. (1945). J. Farm Econ., 27, 303–314) is found to be US$20·39. The difference of US$59·64 can be considered as the added cost to improve the palatability of the diet.
Sterols of the brine shrimp,Artemia salina, from Mono Kake, California

Artemia salina vom Mono-See, Kalifornien, U.S.A., enhalt Cholesterin und Cholestanol als ihr hauptsachlichstes Sterin. Diese Zusammensetzung ist ahnlich wie die jenige von im Laboratorium erzeugten Salz-Krabben und zwar trotzdem das Wasser des Mono-Sees ein pH von 9.6 und einen Salzgehalt von 2.23M hat16.
AIDA: an adaptive image deconvolution algorithm with application to multi-frame and three-dimensional data

We describe an adaptive image deconvolution algorithm (AIDA) for myopic deconvolution of multi-frame and three-dimensional data acquired through astronomical and microscopic imaging. AIDA is a reimplementation and extension of the MISTRAL method developed by Mugnier and co-workers and shown to yield object reconstructions with excellent edge preservation and photometric precision [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A21, 1841 (2004)]. Written in Numerical Python with calls to a robust constrained conjugate gradient method, AIDA has significantly improved run times over the original MISTRAL implementation. Included in AIDA is a scheme to automatically balance maximum-likelihood estimation and object regularization, which significantly decreases the amount of time and effort needed to generate satisfactory reconstructions. We validated AIDA using synthetic data spanning a broad range of signal-to-noise ratios and image types and demonstrated the algorithm to be effective for experimental data from adaptive optics-equipped telescope systems and wide-field microscopy.
The Curse of the Shamateur

On 8 August 1927, the Executive Committee of the IOC voted to award broken-time payments to amateur football players during the 1928 Amsterdam games. In the wake of the bitter fall-out from the Paris games, where scenes of nationalistic squabbling forced many in Britain to consider the nation's Olympic future, the Executive Committee's concession appeared to deliver a death knell to the British Olympic movement. Moving to defend the purity of British-style amateurism against the rising tide of veiled professionalism and ‘broken-time’ payments, BOA leaders again threatened a permanent British Olympic withdrawal.
Intact verbal and nonverbal short‐term memory following damage to the human hippocampus

Short-term memory was assessed in two groups of amnesic patients. Six patients had confirmed or suspected damage to the hippocampal formation, and six patients had diencephalic damage as a result of alcoholic Korsakoff's syndrome. Verbal short-term memory was evaluated with seven separate administrations of the standard digit span test in order to obtain a precise measure of short-term memory. Nonverbal short-term memory was evaluated with four tests that assessed apprehension, retention, and the ability to manipulate nonverbal material--all within the span of immediate memory. One of these four tests assessed short-term memory for spatial location. Patients with damage to the hippocampal formation had a digit span equivalent to that of control subjects and also performed normally on the four tests of nonverbal short-term memory. The patients with Korsakoff's syndrome had a marginally low digit span and performed poorly on three of the four nonverbal tasks, a finding consistent with the deficits in attention and visuospatial processing previously described for this patient group. These deficits are likely due to the frontal lobe atrophy typically associated with Korsakoff's syndrome, rather than to diencephalic damage. The results support the view that short-term (immediate) memory, including short-term spatial memory, is independent of the hippocampus.
Coherent scattering theory for the electronic band structure and quantum-state lifetimes in a dilute substitutional Mg alloy

The virtual crystal approximation is used to formulate the Schrodinger equation for the electronic band structure of a dilute substitutional alloy and to analyze the effect of coherent scattering on the lifetime τk of an electron quantum state. Both coherent and incoherent scattering theory yield essentially the same functional and numerical relationship connecting τk,C, and |VO|, whereC is the impurity concentration and |VO| is the typical Fourier transform of the impurity perturbation potential. Electron quantum interference data for Mg-Zn and Mg-Cd alloys are interpreted using this formulation. A consistent picture of these alloys results which contains the following features. (1) The impurity atoms in both types of alloys are partially ordered in the Mg lattice. (2) The perturbation potentials for both Zn and Cd are somewhat larger than predicted by simple pseudopotential theories, with the perturbation for Zn being about 6.5 times larger than for Cd. (3) A standing charge density wave commensurate with the lattice and having aC-dependent amplitude is present in these alloys.
Biophysical cues enhance myogenesis of human adipose derived stem/stromal cells.

Abstract Adipose-derived stem/stromal cell (ASC)-based tissue engineered muscle grafts could provide an effective alternative therapy to autografts – which are limited by their availability – for the regeneration of damaged muscle. However, the current myogenic potential of ASCs is limited by their low differentiation efficiency into myoblasts. The aim of this study was to enhance the myogenic response of human ASCs to biochemical cues by providing biophysical stimuli (11% cyclic uniaxial strain, 0.5 Hz, 1 h/day) to mimic the cues present in the native muscle microenvironment. ASCs elongated and fused upon induction with myogenic induction medium alone. Yet, their myogenic characteristics were significantly enhanced with the addition of biophysical stimulation; the nuclei per cell increased approximately 4.5-fold by day 21 in dynamic compared to static conditions (23.3 ± 7.3 vs. 5.2 ± 1.6, respectively), they aligned at almost 45° to the direction of strain, and exhibited significantly higher expression of myogenic proteins (desmin, myoD and myosin heavy chain). These results demonstrate that mimicking the biophysical cues inherent to the native muscle microenvironment in monolayer ASC cultures significantly improves their differentiation along the myogenic lineage.
THE CATALYTIC MECHANISM OF ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM SIGNAL PEPTIDASE APPEARS TO BE DISTINCT FROM MOST EUBACTERIAL SIGNAL PEPTIDASES

Many type I signal peptidases from eubacterial cells appear to contain a serine/lysine catalytic dyad. In contrast, our data show that the signal peptidase complex from the endoplasmic reticulum lacks an apparent catalytic lysine. Instead, a serine, histidine, and two aspartic acids are important for signal peptidase activity by the Sec11p subunit of the yeast signal peptidase complex. Amino acids critical to the eubacterial signal peptidases and Sec11p are, however, positioned similarly along their primary sequences, suggesting the presence of a common structural element(s) near the catalytic sites of these enzymes.
A High-Efficiency Digitally Controlled RGB Driver for LED Pixels

Red-green-blue (RGB) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are finding widespread use due to recent advances in the LED technology. In this paper, a microcontroller-based RGB driver was designed to drive a 3 3 RGB display panel. The proposed driver maintains the minimum drive voltage across the LEDs and current controllers required to keep it in regulation by selecting the minimum drain voltage of the MOSFETs of the current controllers; leading to reduced power dissipation in the MOSFET and increased efficiency in the LED string. The proposed LED driver system is also able to dim each individual LED in the pixel through a dimming controller circuit. Efficiencies of 85%, 90%, and 90% for the red, green, and blue LEDs, respectively, were experimentally verified at the maximum rated current for the RGB driver.
Polarization multiplexing for bidirectional imaging

Our goal is to incorporate polarization in appearance-based modeling in an efficient and meaningful way. Polarization has been used in numerous prior studies for separating diffuse and specular reflectance components, but in this work we show that it also can be used to separate surface reflectance contributions from individual light sources. Our approach is called polarization multiplexing and it has significant impact in appearance modeling and bidirectional imaging where the image as a function of illumination direction is needed. Multiple unknown light sources can illuminate the scene simultaneously, and the individual contributions to the overall surface reflectance can be estimated. To develop the method of polarization multiplexing, we use a relationship between light source direction and intensity modulation. Inverting this transformation enables the individual intensity contributions to be estimated. In addition to polarization multiplexing, we show that phase histograms from the intensity modulations can be used to estimate scene properties including the number of light sources.
The measurement of wave heights by means of a float in an open‐end pipe

A series of experiments was performed to test the possibility of using OPEN-end pipes with float-type recorders for measuring wave heights, for the purpose of applying these data to the planning of coastal engineering structures. The main problem was one of resonance in the tubes. This was particularly pronounced in actual installation for wave periods of from one to six seconds. A mathematical analysis has been made for the case of a train of waves of constant period. It was shown that the hand of frequencies encountered in the ocean would make it quite difficult if not a practical impossibility to analyze data obtained by this method.
Maxwell's Equations and Dielectric Obstacles with Lipschitz Boundaries

The classical transmission problem for the scattering of time-harmonic electromagnetic waves by a dielectric object is solved using layer potential techniques. The surface of the object is only assumed to be a Lipschitz manifold. Unlike in the case of smoother surfaces, neither the calculus of pseudodifferential operators nor the compactness of certain boundary operators are available tools. Nevertheless, the particular representation of the solutions and the choice of the space of boundary data used in the paper make the problem tractable via harmonic analysis techniques for elliptical partial differential equations in nonsmooth domains.
ERROR TRAINING AND ADAPTIVE REMEDIATION: THE IMPACT ON TRANSFER PERFORMANCE IN A COMPLEX PLANNING TASK

An experiment investigated the relative effectiveness of three training strategies for improving transfer performance in a cognitively complex decision-making task. Error Management is an exploratory training approach in which trainees learn by exploring and making errors. Error Prevention training includes structured training on likely errors. Adaptive Remediation is error management training supplemented with practice scenarios tailored to the types of errors made. The study is an important addition to the literature because it examines training and transfer performance in a cognitively complex militarily-relevant task. Participants used a digital system to plan, execute, and monitor unmanned vehicles in reconnaissance missions. Transfer scenarios tested the ability to adapt what was learned when attempting new tasks and in an error prone environment. The results showed that transfer performance was better when participants did not complete adaptive remediation scenarios. It is believed that the adaptive remediation tasks encouraged participants to focus on single tasks and as a result they spent less time exploring the whole task. The implication is that the cost and effort required to create an adaptive remediation training program may not be justified in a cognitively complex task like the planning task used in the experiment.
Gender Differences in Peer and Parental Influences: Body Image Disturbance, Self-Worth, and Psychological Functioning in Preadolescent Children

The connections between body image disturbance and psychological functioning have been well established in samples of older adolescent girls and young women. Little is known, however, about body image in younger children. In particular, little is known about possible gender differences in preadolescent children. The current study explored self-reported body image disturbance and psychological functioning in relation to peer and parental influences in 141 elementary school-aged girls and boys aged 8‐11. Results suggest that girls are more concerned about dieting and are more preoccupied with their weight than are boys. Girls also reported a greater drive for thinness and a higher level of family history of eating concerns than did boys. Correlations suggested that girls’ experiences of body image concerns (body dissatisfaction, bulimia, and drive for thinness) were related to a number of factors (such as family history of eating concerns, peer influences, teasing, depression, and global self-worth) whereas boys’ experiences of body image concerns were related to fewer factors. On the basis of these findings, the assessment and treatment of body image concerns in preadolescent children (especially girls) are of great importance. Implications for intervention and prevention programs are discussed.
Modeling student retention in science and engineering disciplines using neural networks

Attracting more students into science and engineering disciplines concerned many researchers for decades. Literature used traditional statistical methods and qualitative techniques to identify factors that affect student retention up most and predict their persistence. In this paper we developed two neural network models using a feed-forward backpropagation network to predict retention for students in science and engineering fields. The first model is used to predict incoming freshmen retention and identify correlated pre-college factors. The second model is to classify freshmen groups into three classes: at-risk, intermediate, and advanced students. With total of 338 samples used, 70.1% of students classified correctly.
Cigarettes and ADMA: the smoke hasn't cleared yet.

To the Editor: The recent study by Zhang et al1 indicates that exposure to cigarette smoke extracts (CSE) increases the concentration of the endogenous NO synthase inhibitor asymmetrical dimethyl-arginine (ADMA) in human endothelial cells in vitro. They provide evidence that CSE decreases L-arginine uptake in the cells, in part because of a decreased expression of the type 1 cationic amino acid transporter. Moreover, after incubation with CSE, the intracellular ADMA concentration was significantly higher, and the L-arginine concentrations significantly lower, than in the control cells. This increase in intracellular ADMA, which also leads to a decreased …
Electrical characterization of 3D Through-Silicon-Vias

A detailed study of Through-Silicon-Vias (TSV) electrical properties is presented. A basic test structure is a dual-TSV made of tungsten TSVs based on hybrid copper-adhesive wafer bonding. Three measurement techniques are utilized: low frequency TSV capacitance characterization using an LCR meter; inductance extraction from the reflection coefficient of TSV chains; TSV frequency dependent capacitance using transmission line characterization method. Experimental results are in agreement with simulation data for each of the techniques. Furthermore, eye diagram and RLC evaluation show the utility of the dual-TSV for highperformance 3DI system applications.
Path-oriented transition fault test generation considering operating conditions

We describe a test generation procedure for path-oriented transition faults that takes into account the fact that operating conditions may change during circuit operation. A path-oriented transition fault is detected through the longest sensitizable path that goes through the fault site. The operating conditions we consider are junction temperature and power supply voltage. Since path delays change with operating conditions, the longest path through a fault site may be different under different conditions. We show that test generation using nominal delays is not sufficient for covering the complete range of operating conditions, even if N-detection test generation is used. Therefore, operating conditions need to be addressed explicitly during test generation. However, since temperature and voltage are continuous variables and represent an infinite number of values in the range, test generation must concentrate on a small selected set of operating conditions. We discuss the selection of these conditions and demonstrate that N-detection test generation with multiple operating conditions is effective in covering the range of operation conditions almost completely.
Neuroforaminal chondrocyte metaplasia and clustering associated with recombinant bone morphogenetic protein-2 usage in transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion

Abstract Background context Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) is commonly used to augment posterior and interbody spinal fusion techniques and has many reported side effects. Neuroforaminal heterotopic ossification (HO) is a known cause of postoperative leg pain, but the pathohistologic composition of this material is not well understood. Purpose The purpose of this article was to report the histologic composition of a case of HO and lumbar radiculopathy after transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion with rhBMP-2. Study design/setting This is a case report. Patient sample This is a single patient case report. Outcome measures The outcomes considered were physician-recorded clinical, physiological, and functional measures. Methods A retrospective review of a single patient was performed. Clinical, radiographic, and pathologic specimens were reviewed and are reported. Results A 69-year-old woman presented with low back pain and right leg radicular pain associated with L4–L5 stenosis and a recurrent facet cyst. After attempted nonsurgical care, she underwent an L4–L5 revision decompression with interbody and posterolateral fusions including off-label rhBMP-2. Postoperatively, her symptoms resolved for approximately 7 months but then returned in association with right L4–L5 foraminal HO. The ectopic tissue was notably larger than suggested by preoperative computed tomographic scan. It was decompressed, which then improved her symptoms. Histologic examination of the specimen revealed three discrete tissue types: a nonspecific fibrovascular stroma; immature osteoid and woven bone; and chondrocyte metaplasia with chondrocyte clustering. Conclusions Neuroforaminal HO formation is a reported side effect associated with the off-label use of rhBMP-2 for posterior lumbar interbody fusion. The mechanism of formation and the composition of this material are not well understood but may involve a chondrocyte differentiation pathway.
Measuring simultaneous mixing and reaction in batch reactors by dilatometry

A dilatometric technique is reported for studying simultaneous mixing and reaction as a function of time in batch systems. Volume-averaged fractional conversion is determined from small volume changes without sampling or flow disturbances. Data are obtained for very fast and intermediate speed reactions in a turbulent, unbaffled, stirred laboratory reactor.
Microelectrochemical Studies of Pit Initiation at Single Inclusions in Al 2024-T3

The onset of pitting at single inclusions on aluminum 2024-T3 has been observed in the micrometer range by using a microelectrochemical cell in order to study the mechanisms by which intermetallic particles, particularly AlCuMg and AlCuFeMn, induce localized corrosion. The results showed that pitting started at only few AlCuMg inclusions within 200 mV (saturated calomel electrode, SCE) of the pitting potential of large scale measurements. Pit initiation at lower potentials was found to occur at the adjacent matrix of AlCuMg inclusions. Measurements stopped which were made during pit initiation (maximum current = 10 nA) did not indicate the presence of adsorbed copper around inclusions, but measurements which were made during pit propagation (maximum current = 1 μA) showed adsorbed copper. Compared to the AlCuMg inclusions the onset of pitting at AlCuFeMn inclusions occurred at potentials 200 to 600 mV more positive. Microcracks in the bulk material, presumably formed by hydrogen evolution, were found to provide starting points for pitting. The onset of pitting at areas without inclusions occurred at potentials higher than +500 mV (SCE). If copper was homogeneously dissolved in the host matrix the resistance against pitting was strongly improved.
Modeling and improving security of a local disk system for write-intensive workloads

Since security is of critical importance for modern storage systems, it is imperative to protect stored data from being tampered with or disclosed. Although an increasing number of secure storage systems have been developed, there is no way to dynamically choose security services to meet disk requests' flexible security requirements. Furthermore, existing security techniques for disk systems are not suitable to guarantee desired response times of disk requests. We remedy this situation by proposing an adaptive strategy (referred to as AWARDS) that can judiciously select the most appropriate security service for each write request, while endeavoring to guarantee the desired response times of all disk requests. To prove the efficiency of the proposed approach, we build an analytical model to measure the probability that a disk request is completed before its desired response time. The model also can be used to derive the expected value of disk requests' security levels. Empirical results based on synthetic workloads as well as real I/O-intensive applications show that AWARDS significantly improves overall performance over an existing scheme by up to 358.9p (with an average of 213.4p).
Reverse cholesterol transport and cholesterol efflux in atherosclerosis

Reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) is a pathway by which accumulated cholesterol is transported from the vessel wall to the liver for excretion, thus preventing atherosclerosis. Major constituents of RCT include acceptors such as high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), and enzymes such as lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT), phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP), hepatic lipase (HL) and cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP). A critical part of RCT is cholesterol efflux, in which accumulated cholesterol is removed from macrophages in the subintima of the vessel wall by ATP-binding membrane cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) or by other mechanisms, including passive diffusion, scavenger receptor B1 (SR-B1), caveolins and sterol 27-hydroxylase, and collected by HDL and apoA-I. Esterified cholesterol in the HDL is then delivered to the liver for excretion. In patients with mutated ABCA1 genes, RCT and cholesterol efflux are impaired and atherosclerosis is increased. In studies with transgenic mice, disruption of ABCA1 genes can induce atherosclerosis. Levels of HDL are inversely correlated with incidences of cardiovascular disease. Supplementation with HDL or apoA-I can reverse atherosclerosis by accelerating RCT and cholesterol efflux. On the other hand, pro-inflammatory factors such as interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), endotoxin, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1beta), can be atherogenic by impairing RCT and cholesterol efflux, according to in vitro studies. RCT and cholesterol efflux play a major role in anti-atherogenesis, and modification of these processes may provide new therapeutic approaches to cardiovascular disease. Further research on new modifying factors for RCT and cholesterol efflux is warranted.
EFFECT OF DIETARY MAGNESIUM AND FLUORIDE ON CITRIC ACID CONTENT OF CHICK BONES.

SummaryAddition of both magnesium and fluoride to the diet of growing chicks caused a greater reduction in the citric acid content of bone than that caused by addition of either element alone. Bones from chicks maintained on either the basal diet or diets supplemented with 0.25% magnesium contained approximately 0.42% citric acid and those from chicks maintained on high fluoride diets contained approximately 0.29% citrate. Bones from chicks fed diets high in both magnesium and fluoride contained only 0.16% citric acid.
Bisphenol-A-induced inactivation of the p53 axis underlying deregulation of proliferation kinetics, and cell death in non-malignant human breast epithelial cells

Widespread distribution of bisphenol-A (BPA) complicates epidemiological studies of possible carcinogenic effects on the breast because there are few unexposed controls. To address this challenge, we previously developed non-cancerous human high-risk donor breast epithelial cell (HRBEC) cultures, wherein BPA exposure could be controlled experimentally. BPA consistently induced activation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway--accompanied by dose-dependent evasion of apoptosis and increased proliferation--in HRBECs from multiple donors. Here, we demonstrate key molecular changes underlying BPA-induced cellular reprogramming. In 3/3 BPA-exposed HRBEC cell lines, and in T47D breast cancer cells, proapoptotic negative regulators of the cell cycle (p53, p21(WAF1) and BAX) were markedly reduced, with concomitant increases in proliferation-initiating gene products (proliferating cell nuclear antigen, cyclins, CDKs and phosphorylated pRb). However, simultaneous exposure to BPA and the polyphenol, curcumin, partially or fully reduced the spectrum of effects associated with BPA alone, including mTOR pathway proteins (AKT1, RPS6, pRPS6 and 4EBP1). BPA exposure induced an increase in the ERα (Estrogen Receptor): ERβ ratio--an effect also reversed by curcumin (analysis of variance, P < 0.02 for all test proteins). At the functional level, concurrent curcumin exposure reduced BPA-induced apoptosis evasion and rapid growth kinetics in all cell lines to varying degrees. Moreover, BPA extended the proliferation potential of 6/6 primary finite-life HRBEC cultures--another effect reduced by curcumin. Even after removal of BPA, 1/6 samples maintained continuous growth--a hallmark of cancer. We show that BPA exposure induces aberrant expression of multiple checkpoints that regulate cell survival, proliferation and apoptosis and that such changes can be effectively ameliorated.
Direct Observation of the Dynamic Compressive Failure of a Transparent Polycrystalline Ceramic (AlON)

High-speed photography has been used to observe the dynamic failure of uncoated and Cr-coated transparent polycrystalline aluminum oxynitride (AlON) material, undergoing uniaxial, high-strain rate compression with a modified compression Kolsky bar technique. The high-speed photographs are correlated in time with measurements of the stresses in the specimen. In the fully transparent samples, the dynamic activation, growth, and coalescence of cracks and resulting damage zones from spatially separated internal defects have been directly observed and correlated to the macroscopic loss of the load-carrying capacity and ultimate catastrophic failure of this material. Identical experiments on the coated material only show the dynamic progressive failure on the specimen surface and do not show the origin of the failure images at the internal defects.
The Listwise Approach

In this chapter, we introduce the listwise approach to learning to rank. Specifically, we first introduce those listwise ranking algorithms that minimize measure-specific loss functions (also referred to as direct optimization methods), and then introduce some other algorithms whose loss functions are not directly related to evaluation measures for information retrieval.
Race and the Japan Story

In every article dealing with CVD and its racial characteristics, the statement is chorused that CVD (especially cerebral hemorrhage) is much more common in the American Negro than in his white peer, and that the frequencies in Japan are massively higher than anywhere else in the world [AcnEsox, 1966 (1); Berkson, 1965; Borhani, 1965 (2); Goldberg, 1962; Howann, 1965; Krueger, 1967; Nichaman, 1962; Rose, 1962; Stamler, 1966; Stallones, 1965, Trombold, 1966]. Kurland(1967), in citing the same data, does question the validity of the conclusions. Let us see what the evidence may be.
Selenomethionine, p-cyanophenylalanine pairs provide a convenient, sensitive, non-perturbing fluorescent probe of local helical structure

The use of selenomethionine (MSe)-p-cyanophenylalanine (FCN) pairs to probe protein structure is demonstrated. MSe quenches FCN fluorescence via electron transfer. Both residues can be incorporated recombinantly or by peptide synthesis. Time-resolved and steady-state fluorescence measurements demonstrate that MSe-FCN pairs provide specific local probes of helical structure.
Etiology of Recurrent Clinical Uveitis. Cell Surface Markers on Vitreous Lymphocytes

Nine patients with chronic uveitis were studied to determine the cell surface characteristics of their vitreous mononuclear cells. B-lymphocytes and macrophages were detected, but not T-lymphocytes. The absence of T-lymphocytes within the vitreous cavity of such eyes suggests that recurrent uveitis may be a disorder of immunoregulation.
The nature of antigen--antibody complexes initiating PCA reactions in the guinea pig.

SummaryBenzylpenicilloyl (BPO) haptens of widely different molecular size were compared for their efficiency in eliciting PCA reactions in guinea pigs sensitized with rabbit anti-BPO antibodies. Equimolar doses of different sized haptens were found to be equipotent in eliciting the PCA reactions. Therefore, in this system the elicitation of PCA reactions by multivalent haptens could also be compatible with a simple bridging hypothesis.
Studies of fusiform bacilli and spirochetesVII. Fusiform bacilli and spirochetes in relation to pharyngomycosis

Two views have been held with reference to the etiology of pharyngomycosis. The one originated by B. Frankel1 in 1873 assumes that pharyngomycosis is a definite primary infection caused by a fungoid organism, usually termed Leptothrix. The other assumes that the primary factor is some alteration in the epithelium of these parts of such a character as to permit or favor the development of the fungus organisms which commonly inhabit the buccal mucosa, especially the leptothrix. The latter view was elaborated first by Siebenmann2 in 1895 and later by Colwell,3 Wood4 and others. Colwell in his historical review of the condition states that Siebenmann showed that the more important histologic condition was not the presence of the leptothrix so much as the hornified condition of the epithelium. He states that the importance of the leptothrix as a causative factor is much in doubt. The leptothrix thrives on necrotic tissue, as in dental caries, and the decaying horny epithelium forms a suitable soil. Wood believes that the etiology of hyperkeratosis of the tonsils is a decreased functional activity of the tonsil, while a portion of the cryptal epithelium still possesses its physiologic tendencies toward growth. He places particular emphasis on the importance of dissociating the leptothrix or any other micro-organism from an etiologic relationship with lacunar hyperkeratosis. He speaks of this condition as a pure "vagary of function" on the part of the epithelium of the tonsillar lacunae.
Isolated Metal Active Site Concentration and Stability Control Catalytic CO2 Reduction Selectivity

CO2 reduction by H2 on heterogeneous catalysts is an important class of reactions that has been studied for decades. However, atomic scale details of structure–function relationships are still poorly understood. Particularly, it has been suggested that metal particle size plays a unique role in controlling the stability of CO2 hydrogenation catalysts and the distribution of active sites, which dictates reactivity and selectivity. These studies often have not considered the possible role of isolated metal active sites in the observed dependences. Here, we utilize probe molecule diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) with known site-specific extinction coefficients to quantify the fraction of Rh sites residing as atomically dispersed isolated sites (Rhiso), as well as Rh sites on the surface of Rh nanoparticles (RhNP) for a series of TiO2 supported Rh catalysts. Strong correlations were observed between the catalytic reverse water gas shift turn over frequency (TOF) and the fra...
Performances of Underwater Vehicles Using Sea-Water Magnetohydrodynamic Propulsion

This paper analyzes underwater vehicle propulsion by applying Lorentz forces to the surrounding sea water. While this propulsion concept involves four different schemes, i.e. the a.c. and d.c. external field methods and the internal duct-type methods, the current analysis focuses on the d.c. internal thruster scheme due to the space limitations and speed considerations. The theories of magnetohydrodynamic (l\IHD) pump jet propulsion are discussed. A so-called "dual-control-volume" analysis to model the MHD thruster, and calculations of vehicle velocity, power efficiency, and thrusts are presented. Different classes of underwater vehicles are considered. They include smaller vehicles such as torpedoes, remotely operated vehicles (ROV), underwater autonomous vehicles (UAY), up to larger ones such as submarines. The analytical results indicated that the speed performance increases proportionally with the sea-water conductivity, and with the square of the magnetic field strength. At the same time, the energy efficiencies of vehicles appeared to favor larger systems with longer i'vIHD channels. Current propulsion systems for submarines utilizing propellers have attained velocities ranging from 20 to 42+ knots. The MHD thruster, based on analytical parametric studies, can achieve vessel velocities in this range utilizing slightly modified pressurized water reactors (PWR) as power supplies. Even greater submarine velocities are attainable if used in conjunction with liquid metal fast breeder reactors. The MHD thruster also offers reduced hydrodynamic drag, reduced maintenance, and decreased detectability.
Towards a General Biology: Emergence of Life and Information from the Perspective of Complex Systems Dynamics 1

I argue that Darwinism is best described as a research tradition in which specific theories of how natural selection acts to produce common descent and evolutionary change are instantiated by specific dynamical assumptions. The current Darwinian research program is the genetical theory of natural selection, or the Modern Evolutionary Synthesis. Presently, however, there is ferment in the Darwinian Research Tradition as new knowledge from molecular and developmental biology, together with the deployment of complex systems dynamics, suggests that an expanded and extended evolutionary synthesis is possible, one that could be particularly robust in explaining the emergence of evolutionary novelties and even of life itself. Critics of Darwinism need to address such theoretical advances and not just respond to earlier versions of the research tradition.
Thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke: Update on the beginning of a revolution

Now, acute stroke is a medical emergency similar to a myocardial infarction, but much will have to change for the medical system to be able to diagnose and treat acute stroke more effectively.
Metal and Metal Carbide Nanoparticle Synthesis Using Electrical Explosion of Wires Coupled with Epoxide Polymerization Capping.

In this study, metal-containing nanoparticles (NPs) were produced using electrical explosion of wires (EEW) in organic solvents. The explosion chamber was constructed from Teflon to withstand the shockwave, allow growth and reaction of the incipient NPs in various organic solvents containing dissolved ligands, and allow a constant flow of argon to maintain an inert environment. A survey of different transition d-block metals was conducted with metals from groups 4–8, affording metal carbide NPs, while metals from groups 9–12 gave elemental metallic NPs. Tungsten carbide phase WC1–x, which has not been previously isolated as a single-phase material, was exclusively formed during EEW. We used polymerization initiation by electron-rich metallic nanoparticles (PIERMEN) as a capping technique for the nascent NPs with an alkyl epoxide employed as the monomers. Transmission electron microscopy showed spherical particles with the metallic core embedded in a polymer matrix with predominantly smaller particles (<50...
Design of Tension Controller based on Industrial MCU

Yarn tension is one of the most important parameters; it affects the structure transferring trend of the yarn and the quality of the spinning. So far, there isn' t any control system which can be not only used for measuring, but also used for the yarn tension control. If so, it can be used in the spinning fields widely. It analyzed the control system of the yarn tension in this paper. Based on the designing of the hardware, it designs the software module of the system. The function and the interface of the system are useful.
Application of soft package Li-ion battery

The cycle life and the efficiency of soft package lithium-ion battery cycled in different SOC scales and the effect of splints on improving the cycle life were discussed,and the method for optimal applications was proposed.The cycle life of test batteries cycled between 0%-100%,10%-90%,20%-80% and 30%-70% had no significant difference,but the efficiency reduced significantly;the splints greatly improved the battery cycle life.The soft package lithium-ion battery should be used under appropriately larger SOC scale to maximize the amount of energy conversion,and meanwhile,the splints should be used to improve the cycle life.
Play and the human condition

When I was in the midst of writing my conceptual and empirical overview of play in animals, Brian Sutton-Smith published, in 1997, his compact and magisterial work, The Ambiguity of Play. I immedia...
Thirst and Vasopressin

Thirst and the antidiuretic hormone, arginine vasopressin, are the principal elements of a powerful homeostatic system that regulates the “effective” osmotic pressure of body fluids. This variable, usually referred to as “tonicity,” must be important for survival since mechanisms to regulate it are found throughout the animal kingdom, and abnormalities in humans can have adverse effects, especially on central nervous function. However, it is less clear why it is important. It may be that regulating the tonicity of body fluids is mainly an indirect way to minimize changes in the volume of water within cells, particularly those of the brain. 1 It may also be that tight control of intracellular water and solute concentrations is necessary for optimum function of the cell. 2
Sequence Stratigraphy and Paleotectonics, Denver Basin Area of Lower Cretaceous Foreland Basin, U.S.A.

A sequence stratigraphic analysis of the Lower Cretaceous in the Denver basin area shows 100 m of intertonguing marine and nonmarine detrital strata punctuated by unconformities. The magnitude of erosion, thicknesses and facies distribution are influenced by subtle penecontemporaneous tectonics characteristic of the cratonic portion of the large Western Interior foreland basin.
Thermo-Plastic Materials with Memory

A theory of thermoplastically simple materials with memory is developed. The response functionals are assumed to depend on the histories of the strain tensor, inelastic strain tensor, temperature, θ, and the current value of the temperature gradient. Thermodynamical restrictions on the forms of the constitutive equations are explored, and it is shown that the stress tensor and specific entropy are derivable from the free energy functional which is independent of temperature gradient. It is also shown that the internal dissipation can be computed directly from the free energy and the constitutive equation for the inelastic strain rate. Under additional restrictions, special forms of the constitutive equations are developed. Furthermore, the present theory does not make use of the idea of yield functions. Examples are included.
Intermittent free diffusion in the presence of sparse obstacles: mean obstacle encounter time

Particle diffusion in the presence of sparse obstacles may be considered as a sequence of relatively long intervals, during which the particle diffuses in regions free of obstacles, separated by relatively short intervals during which the particle suffers multiple collisions with an obstacle. The present paper focuses on the mean duration of the short intervals, called mean encounter time, assuming that the obstacles are identical spheres. Based on scaling arguments, one can deduce that this time is proportional to the ratio of the square of the obstacle radius and the particle diffusivity. We derive an expression for the mean encounter time, which shows that the proportionality coefficient is 1/6.