cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Final Words at Bocca di Magra

As I thought some time ago about what I was going to tell you, I realized that I would be obliged to say about myself more than what I should or what you may wish to hear. I must then ask you to forgive me if I reminisce a little about my initiation in fluorescence which was probably quite close to the initiation of the uses of fluorescence in Biochemistry. I went to Cambridge from the Argentine in 1943 with a British Council Fellowship and spent my first six months at the laboratory of Eric Riddeal learning Surface Chemistry. I convinced myself that it had no future in Biochemistry. You can see how wrong I was; I could have preceded relevant work on membranes by a long period but I really missed my chance. And it was not for lack of hints: At that time, Jim Danieli, in Cambridge itself, and Dawson were telling everybody that cell membranes were essentially lipid bilayers but nobody listened to them for quite a time. I was one of the non-listeners. I then decided that I would be better off to work in Biochemistry with Malcolm Dixon and went to talk to him about doing some work applying Physical Chemistry to Biochemistry. In those days Physical Chemistry was beginning to appear as important to Biochemistry, in relation to a subject that is still very much alive: the Physical Chemistry of Proteins. Since then we have made some progress in that area but as you know, it has not been spectacular. Malcolm Dixon suggested that I investigate the fluorescence of flavins and flavoproteins.
Analysis of the potential atmospheric impact of the reaction of N2O with OH

Abstract The reaction of nitrous oxide (N2O) with hydroxyl (OH) is studied using high-level quantum chemistry and advanced chemical kinetics techniques. Three reaction mechanisms including a direct O-abstraction, an unusual indirect O-abstraction, and OH-addition/NO-elimination have been characterized. Reaction enthalpies calculated from first principles agree well with those of experiment. Chemical kinetics results show that the title reaction is not a candidate for short or long-time removal of N2O (with an atmospheric lifetime of at least 1 × 1013 years) from the atmosphere but may play a minor role in high-temperature combustion where it may convert N2O pollutants to N2.
Identifying Affective Events and the Reasons for their Polarity

Many events have a positive or negative impact on our lives (e.g., “I bought a house” is typically good news, but ”My house burned down” is bad news). Recognizing events that have affective polarity is essential for narrative text understanding, conversational dialogue, and applications such as summarization and sarcasm detection. We will discuss our recent work on identifying affective events and categorizing them based on the underlying reasons for their affective polarity. First, we will describe a weakly supervised learning method to induce a large set of affective events from a text corpus by optimizing for semantic consistency. Second, we will present models to classify affective events based on Human Need Categories, which often explain people’s motivations and desires. Our best results use a co-training model that consists of event expression and event context classifiers and exploits both labeled and unlabeled texts. We will conclude with a discussion of interesting directions for future work in this area.
Outcomes of Inpatient Versus Outpatient Elective Foot and Ankle Surgery

Background Complications following orthopedic surgeries are undesirable and costly. A potential method to reduce these costs is to perform traditionally inpatient surgical procedures in the outpatient setting. The purpose of this study is to compare outcomes between inpatient and outpatient settings for elective foot and ankle surgeries using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database. Methods Patients with Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes specific to orthopedic foot and ankle surgery were identified from the 2011-2015 American College of Surgeons NSQIP database. Demographics, comorbidities, and complications were compared between patients undergoing inpatient and outpatient procedures. Results Patients receiving inpatient surgery were significantly older and more frequently male. Black patients were significantly more likely to undergo inpatient surgery than outpatient surgery while white patients were significantly more likely to undergo outpatient surgery. Outpatients had a significantly higher mean body mass index (BMI) than inpatients. Smokers were at a significantly greater risk of undergoing inpatient surgery than outpatient surgery. Outpatients had significantly longer operative times, were more likely to receive general anesthesia, had a lower American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class, were more likely to be functionally independent, and were less likely to expire postoperatively. Patients who received surgery as an inpatient were significantly more likely to have comorbidities as compared to outpatients. The overall risk of surgical complications was significant between groups with 8.6% in the inpatient group and 2.0% in the outpatient group. The overall risk of medical complications was 16.9% in the inpatient group and 1.7% in the outpatient group. Similar to the surgical complications, inpatients were significantly more likely to sustain each of the individual medical complications except for stroke/CVA and venous thromboembolism. Conclusions Outpatient management is associated with decreased postoperative complications in select patients. Performing more operations in the outpatient setting in select patients may be beneficial for cost reduction and patient satisfaction.
Martin's peripheral embryo - unique but not a phylogenetic 'orphan' at the base of his family tree: a tribute to the insight of a pioneer seed biologist.

As a tribute to A.C. Martin's classic work on embryos in seeds, we have attempted to gain a better understanding of the peripheral embryo, which puzzled Martin. The peripheral embryo is strongly curved and in contact with the inner surface of the seed coat, and Martin placed it at the base of his family tree of seed phylogeny and called it a ‘phylogenetic orphan’. We evaluated ovule/seed development, kind of embryo and occurrence of perisperm in families with and without a peripheral embryo. All families with a peripheral embryo occur in the Caryophyllales. Seeds with a peripheral embryo have a low cotyledon width:radicle width ratio that coincides with Martin's (full-sized) linear embryo. The peripheral embryo develops in campylotropous and/or amphitropous ovules and is pushed to the side of the seed as the perisperm develops. Linear-full embryos and perisperm are widely distributed across extant angiosperms but are rarely found together, except in core Caryophyllales. The non-core Caryophyllales with endosperm and various kinds of embryos, including the linear-full, diverged before the core Caryophyllales. Thus, the ancestral linear-full embryo appears to have been retained when the core lineage developed campylotropous and/or amphitropous ovules and perisperm. Seeds with a peripheral embryo merit a position on Martin's family tree; however, the position should be a side branch (‘orphan’) slightly above (more advanced than) his linear embryo and not at the base. We conclude that Martin had great insight into the relationships between the kinds of embryos and rightly questioned the position of the peripheral embryo.
Growth kinetics of humins studied via X-ray scattering

We use ultra-Small Angle X-ray Scattering (USAXS) to investigate the evolution of size, morphology, volume fraction and number concentration of humins formed during dehydration of fructose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), and the further polymerization of HMF between 80–95 °C in 1 M hydrochloric acidic solutions. The radius of gyration (Rg) of suspended humins particles grows linearly with time and is accompanied by an increase in polydispersity (PD), before possible precipitation occurs. The scattering patterns indicate fractal-like structures. The apparent activation energy of humins growth is 102 ± 0.4 kJ mol−1. The trends in the number of particles over time reveal competing processes entailing the continuous formation of new particles (nucleation) leading to increasing polydispersity with time and the aggregation of existing particles and possible precipitation. The direct observation of growth of humins indicates that humins form primarily from HMF rather than fructose.
Bottom-Up Approaches for Precisely Nanostructuring Hybrid Organic/Inorganic Multi-Component Composites for Organic Photovoltaics

Achieving control over the morphology of conjugated polymer (CP) blends at nanoscale is crucial for enhancing their performances in diverse organic optoelectronic devices, including thin film transistors, photovoltaics, and light emitting diodes. However, the complex CP chemical structures and intramolecular interactions often make such control difficult to implement. We demonstrate here that cooperative combination of non-covalent interactions, including hydrogen bonding, coordination interactions, and π-π interactions, etc., can be used to effectively define the morphology of CP blend films, in particular being able to achieve accurate spatial arrangement of nanoparticles within CP nanostructures. Through UV-vis absorption spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy, we show strong attachment of fullerene molecules, CdSe quantum dots, and iron oxide nanoparticles, onto well-defined CP nanofibers. The resulting core/shell hybrid nanofibers exhibit well-defined donor/acceptor interface when employed in photovoltaic devices, which also contributes to enhanced charge separation and transport. These findings provide a facile new methodology of improving CP/nanoparticle interfacial properties and controlling blend morphology. The generality of this methodology demonstrated in current studies points to a new way of designing hybrid materials based on organic polymers and inorganic nanoparticles towards applications in modern electronic devices.
Spatial structure of woody cover affects habitat use patterns of ocelots in Texas

About 80% of the known breeding population of ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) in the USA occurs exclusively on private ranches in northern Willacy and Kenedy counties in South Texas. These private ranches support several large contiguous undisturbed patches of thornscrub, which is preferred by ocelots. Past studies have indicated ocelots in South Texas select for woody patches that contain extremely dense thornscrub (i.e., 95% canopy cover and 85% vertical cover) and require large patches of woody cover to survive. Landscape metrics have been used to explain ocelot habitat use in fragmented areas, but their application in less-fragmented rangelands is lacking. From 2011 to 2018, we used camera traps on the East Foundation’s El Sauz Ranch to assess seasonal habitat use of ocelots relative to landscape structure, configuration, and complexity and other site-level factors in South Texas. Seasonal habitat use and detection were positively influenced by larger mean patch area and lower landscape shape index values. We also observed ocelots were less likely to be detected during periods of drought and exhibited a seasonal trend in detection. Ocelots used woody patches that were larger and more regularly shaped, indicating a preference for areas with a lower degree of fragmentation across the study area. As patches become larger, they will coalesce over time and form larger woody aggregates, which will promote ocelot habitat use. Brush management needs to be strategic as patch area and shape index are a limiting factor to promote ocelot habitat use on working rangelands in South Texas. These results demonstrate the ability to use landscape metrics to discern the effects of spatial structure of vegetation communities relative to ocelot occupancy parameters.
Pregnancy-related Relapses in a Large, Contemporary Multiple Sclerosis Cohort: No Increased Risk in the Postpartum Period (S6.007)

Objective: To describe the risk of postpartum relapses and identify potentially modifiable risk factors in a contemporary multiple sclerosis (MS) cohort. Background: A decreased risk of relapse during pregnancy but significant rebound disease activity in the early postpartum period was reported in women with MS recruited from referral centers over 20 years ago prior to availability of disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) or MRIs to diagnosis patients with a single attack. Design/Methods: We identified 466 pregnancies among 375 women with MS from the complete electronic health record (EHR) at Kaiser Permanente Southern and Northern California between 2008–2016. We used prospectively collected information from EHR of mom and baby and interviewer-administered surveys to identify treatment history, breastfeeding and relapse and multivariable models to account for intraclass clustering and measures of disease severity. Results: 38.0% were not on any treatment in the year prior to conception, 14.6% had clinically isolated syndrome and 8.4% relapsed during pregnancy. In the postpartum year, 26.4% relapsed, 87% breastfed, 35% breastfed exclusively and 41.2% resumed DMTs. Annualized relapse rates (ARR) declined from 0.39 pre-pregnancy to 0.14–0.07 (p Conclusions: Most women diagnosed with MS today can have children, breastfeed and resume modestly effective DMTs per their preferences without incurring an increased risk of relapses during the postpartum period. The lack of rebound disease activity in the early postpartum period is likely due to a combination of inclusion of women from a population-based setting, those diagnosed after a single relapse and high rates of exclusive breastfeeding. Disclosure: Dr. Langer-Gould has nothing to disclose. Dr. Smith has nothing to disclose. Dr. Albers has nothing to disclose. Dr. Wu has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kerezsi has nothing to disclose. Dr. McClearnen has nothing to disclose. Dr. Leimpeter has nothing to disclose. Dr. Van Den Eeden has nothing to disclose.
Diamond optical emitters for quantum information and sensing

Diamond optical emitters have been explored extensively in recent years for applications to quantum information and processing. Recently they have also been considered for quantum sensing, especially as nanocrystals in biological systems. However, for most of these applications, the performance of the diamond optical emitters is sensitive to the quality of the material. However, there are still important problems that still must be solved in order to realize the full potential of diamond. For example, existing growth and processing techniques (including ion implantation) are fundamentally probabilistic in nature and so cannot easily produce scalable quantum systems. To overcome these problems, we show a molecule-seeded growth technique that decouples the doping and growth processes. The result is near-deterministic creation of specific color centers in chemically pure, low-strain diamond.
Bitcoin and the Demand for Money: Is Bitcoin More Than a Speculative Asset?

Is bitcoin money? We study the characteristics of bitcoin, following the theory of money demand first posited by Keynes (1935). Specifically, we answer three questions. First, is bitcoin used as a transactional currency? Yes. Second, is bitcoin used as a speculative currency? Yes. Third, is bitcoin used in a precautionary sense? Yes, although there are mixed results in support of this motive. We find this evidence using data on bitcoin returns and volume from 2010-2017, using a principal components analysis framework, supplemented with tests that incorporate specific elements of each component, as well as some recent international events.
CAR-T cell therapy: current limitations and potential strategies

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy is a revolutionary new pillar in cancer treatment. Although treatment with CAR-T cells has produced remarkable clinical responses with certain subsets of B cell leukemia or lymphoma, many challenges limit the therapeutic efficacy of CAR-T cells in solid tumors and hematological malignancies. Barriers to effective CAR-T cell therapy include severe life-threatening toxicities, modest anti-tumor activity, antigen escape, restricted trafficking, and limited tumor infiltration. In addition, the host and tumor microenvironment interactions with CAR-T cells critically alter CAR-T cell function. Furthermore, a complex workforce is required to develop and implement these treatments. In order to overcome these significant challenges, innovative strategies and approaches to engineer more powerful CAR-T cells with improved anti-tumor activity and decreased toxicity are necessary. In this review, we discuss recent innovations in CAR-T cell engineering to improve clinical efficacy in both hematological malignancy and solid tumors and strategies to overcome limitations of CAR-T cell therapy in both hematological malignancy and solid tumors.
A Preisach model for quantifying hysteresis in an atomic force microscope

Abstract : Atomic force microscopes employ stacked or cylindrical piezoceramic actuators to achieve sub-angstrom resolution. While these devices produce excellent set-point accuracy, they exhibit hysteresis and constitutive nonlinearities even at low drive levels. Feedback mechanisms can mitigate the deleterious effects of these nonlinearities for low frequency operation but such techniques fail at higher frequencies due to increased noise to signal ratios. In this paper, we quantify the hysteresis and constitutive nonlinearities through a Preisach model. As illustrated through a comparison with experimental data, this provides a characterization which is sufficiently accurate for inclusion as an inverse compensator in various control designs.
Dependent Random Graphs and Multi-Party Pointer Jumping *

We initiate a study of a relaxed version of the standard Erdos-Renyi random graph model, where each edge may depend on a few other edges. We call such graphs "dependent random graphs". Our main result in this direction is a thorough understanding of the clique number of dependent random graphs. We also obtain bounds for the chromatic number. Surprisingly, many of the standard properties of random graphs also hold in this relaxed setting. We show that with high probability, a dependent random graph will contain a clique of size ((1-o(1))log(n))/log(1/p), and the chromatic number will be at most (nlog(1/(1-p)))/log(n). We expect these results to be of independent interest. As an application and second main result, we give a new communication protocol for the k-player Multi-Party Pointer Jumping problem (MPJk) in the number-on-the-forehead (NOF) model. Multi-Party Pointer Jumping is one of the canonical NOF communication problems, yet even for three players, its communication complexity is not well understood. Our protocol for MPJ3 costs O((n * log(log(n)))/log(n)) communication, improving on a bound from [BrodyChakrabarti08]. We extend our protocol to the non-Boolean pointer jumping problem, achieving an upper bound which is o(n) for any k >= 4 players. This is the first o(n) protocol and improves on a bound of Damm, Jukna, and Sgall, which has stood for almost twenty years.
Composition of the Cellular Envelopes of Anabaena cylindrica

Comparative chemical analyses were made of the walls of vegetative cells, heterocysts, and spores, and of the mucilage of Anabaena cylindrica. The wall of the vegetative cell is composed predominantly of amino compounds, with a mannose-rich carbohydrate component comprising only 18% of the dry weight. In contrast, 62% of the heterocyst wall and 41% of the spore wall is carbohydrate. The carbohydrate moieties of the heterocyst wall and spore wall are similar in that the ratio of glucose, mannose, galactose, and xylose is approximately 75:20:3:4 in both walls. It appears that, during the differentiation of a vegetative cell into either a spore or a heterocyst, a glucose-rich wall polysaccharide is produced that is different from the polysaccharide component of the wall of the vegetative cell and of the sheath. In the case of the heterocyst, the wall was estimated to account for approximately 52% of the dry weight of the whole cell.
A Review of Indian IPO Process

This paper is a review of the Initial public offering process made by a process called ‘Book-Building’ in the Indian capital market. Main reasons to produce a detailed document are as follows: In the open market economy best and cheapest source of finance is popularly known as the ‘Issue of share capital’. Also, the efficient way to mobilize money into an economy is the ‘Issue of Share Capital’. Therefore issue of share capital is vital in an efficient economy. Thus to understand the issuing process of the shares is of immense importance. In the empirical researches many times process has been explained but to understand it properly we need to know each and every step at one place in detail. In this research paper issue process is explained in detail. Methodology adopted for this paper is secondary sources of data available from the websites of SEBI (Securities exchange board of India, regulatory authority), NSE, BSE, Company’s own websites, prospectuses, auditor’s reports, legal advisor’s reports, etc. Thus theoretical and practical framework is used to study the process of issuing shares in the Indian capital market. The results of this research showed that the whole process is complex and multi stages. Still being a cheapest source of finance, every company wants to acquire this source in the capital structure. Findings of this paper describes about the full-fledged IPO-process in India. This paper is helpful to scholars and researches who want to understand IPO process in India.
Na+-dependent amino acid transport in preimplantation mouse embryos. II. Metabolic inhibitors and nature of the cation requirement.

Abstract Experiments were conducted in order to determine the energy source and nature of the cation dependency of [ 3 H]methionine transport in preimplantation mouse embryos. The energy source of methionine transport was studied at the late four-cell and early blastocyst stages. The embryos, raised in vitro , were incubated for 1 hr in inhibitor(s) of energy metabolism and then transferred for 1 hr to medium that contained inhibitor(s) and 3 H-methionine. These inhibitor studies suggest that respiration and glycolysis are needed to maintain uptake of methionine in early blastocysts. Late four-cell embryos seem to utilize respiration alone for transport. The cation dependency of methionine transport was studied at the late morula and early blastocyst stages. The kinetics of methionine uptake by early blastocysts in Na + -depleted media indicate a competitive type of inhibition. The uptake of methionine by early blastocysts is relatively resistant to ouabain and unaffected by K + -free medium. In contrast, methionine uptake by late morula-stage embryos is markedly inhibited by ouabain and K + -free medium in 1 hr. These results suggest that 1) Na + serves to increase the affinity of methionine for the carrier in early blastocysts, 2) the cation gradients do not supply a major fraction of the energy required for methionine transport, and/or the gradients are difficult to perturb once the blastocyst has formed, and 3) putative Na + pumps may be localized on the blastocoelic surface of the blastocysts.
Subcellular distribution of small interfering RNA: directed delivery through RNA polymerase III expression cassettes and localization by in situ hybridization

Reduction in the expression of specific genes through small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) is dependent on the colocalization of siRNAs with other components of the RNA interference (RNAi) pathways within the cell. The expression of siRNAs within cells from cassettes that are derived from genes transcribed by RNA polymerase III (pol III) and provide for selective subcellular distribution of their products can be used to direct siRNAs to the cellular pathways. Expression from the human U6 promoter, resulting in siRNA accumulation in the nucleus, is effective in reducing gene expression, whereas cytoplasmic and nucleolar localization of the siRNA when expressed from the 5S or 7 SL promoters is not effective. The distribution of siRNA within the cell is determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Although the long uninterrupted duplex of siRNA makes it difficult to detect with DNA oligonucleotide probes, labeled oligonucleotide probes with 2'-O-methyl RNA backbones provide the stability needed for a strong signal. These methods contribute to studies of the interconnected cellular RNAi pathways and are useful in adapting RNAi as a tool to determine gene function and develop RNA-based therapeutics.
Olive oil: a review.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses about olive oil, which is the oil extracted from the fruit of the olive tree. Most of the world supply of olive oil originates from the Mediterranean countries. Olive oil of good quality is characterized by a fragrant and delicate flavor, which is appreciated by the international gourmet and cherished by the native consumer. Large quantities of olive oil must be refined, mainly because it came from poor quality fruit. The olive tree is a relatively small evergreen tree, with narrow silvery leaves and small white flowers, known for its longevity. The botanical progenitor of the olive is thought to be the oleaster, olea sylvestris, a wild type of olive with a small, skinny fruit, still growing around the Mediterranean Sea and occasionally used as grafting stock. Handpicking from the tree undoubtedly yields fruit of the best quality for both the table olive and the olive oil industries. The time of optimum maturity may vary among years, cultivation areas, trees within the same grove, or individual fruits on the same tree. The oil extracted from the sound olive fruit by mechanical means is known as virgin olive oil and is marketed without additional processing. Squalene, a biochemical precursor of sterols, is the main hydrocarbon of olive oil. The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons identified in olive oil include phenanthrene, pyrene, fluoranthrene, 1, 2-benzanthracene, chrysene, and perilene. Olive oil, like all edible oils, undergoes deterioration during storage. Storing olive oil in tanks is a common practice.
Telling Government What's Right

Suing Government1 offers a carefully argued and provocative analysis of official wrongs and citizen remedies. Peter Schuck surveys the field from two perspectives; private tort law with the goal of promoting compensation of victims, and from that of organization theory, with the aim of modifying illegal behavior of government personnel. From these vantage points, Schuck identifies several problem areas on the contemporary legal landscape. First, current immunity doctrine, although designed both to promote vigorous decision-making by officials and to protect state treasuries, is incompatible with the need to compensate victims of official wrong doing.2 Second, personal damages against officials are ineffective in correcting wrongdoing by government personnel; such damage awards merely encourage abdication of official responsibility by making inaction less risky than action.3 Injunctions, particularly structural injunctions, generally are inadequate to alter bureaucratic behavior and inappropriate for securing governmental reform.4
Effect of Glycerol on Lipogenic Enzyme Activities and on Fatty Acid Synthesis in the Rat and Chicken

The influence of glycerol on the rates of fatty acid snythesis in liver slices from rats and chickens in pieces of adipose tissue from rats was first studied. Then the effect of dietary glycerol on lipid metabolism in rats and cheickens was examined. Media containing 3 or 10 mM glycerol depressed the rate of glucose conversion to fatty acids in rat liver slices. However, media containing up to 25 mM glycerol did not influence the rate of fatty acid synthesis in chick liver slices. The inhibitory action of glycerol in rat liver slices might occur at the level of glucose (or glycogen) conversion to pyruvate because glycerol did not inhibit pyruvate or acetate conversion to fatty acids. Rats and chickens were fed glycerol containing diets for either 3 days or 3 weeks. Feeding diets containing 20.5 parts glycerol (22% of dietary energy) to rats or chickens did not influence the growth rate of the animals. However, substitution of 42.2 parts glycerol (43% of dietary energy) for glucose in the diet significantly depressed food intake and growth rate in both rats and chickens. The activities of citrate cleavage enzyme, fatty acid synthetase and malic enzyme in livers of rats fed the glycerol-containing diets were dramatically increased. However, this stimulation of enzyme activity occurred without a concomitant increase in the in vivo rate of fatty acid synthesis in the rat liver. In the chicken, unlike the rat, dietary glycerol did not stimulate but instead decreased hepatic malic enzyme and fatty acid synthetase activities. No significant differences in adipose tissue lipogenic enzyme activities or in the rates of fatty acid synthesis were observed in rats fed glycerol-containing diets. The lipogenic response to glycerol feeding depends on the species as well as the organ.
Performance limits for FDMA cellular systems described by hypergraphs

The authors present some preliminary material about hypergraphs, including a discussion of what they call random hypergraph multicolorings, a notion which is central to the analysis of frequency-assignment algorithms. They show that for any frequency-assignment algorithm, the carried traffic function must satisfy T(r)lT_0(r), where T_0(r) is a simple function that can be computed by linear programming. They give an asymptotic analysis of a class of 'fixed' frequency-assignment algorithms, and show that in the limit as n→∞, these algorithms achieve carried traffic functions that are at least as large as T_1( r), another simple function that can be computed by linear programming. They show that T_0(r)=T_1(r). This common value, denoted by T_(H,p)(r) is the function referred to above. They also describe some of the most important properties of the function TH,p(r), and identify the 'most favorable' traffic patterns for a given hypergraph H.
Shared VH1-46 gene usage by anti-desmoglein 3 antibodies in pemphigus vulgaris suggest a common mechanism for developing autoimmunity (BA2P.116)

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a potentially fatal blistering disease caused by autoantibodies (autoAbs) to desmoglein 3 (Dsg3). To better understand the mechanism by which PV Abs develop, we cloned human anti-Dsg3 Abs from four PV patients using phage display (n=2) or heterohybridoma (n=2). We identified VH1-46 anti-Dsg3 Abs from all 4 patients, comprising 5 unique heavy chain complementarity determining region (CDR) 3 sequences. All 5 Abs caused suprabasal blisters in human skin explants. Surprisingly, most VH1-46 Abs had few replacement mutations and did not show evidence of antigen-driven positive selection by focused binomial testing of mutation patterns. To determine if somatic mutations are required for Dsg3 binding, we reverted mutated Abs to their germline (GL) VDJ sequences. Three GL Abs bound Dsg3 by ELISA, with a 2- to 80-fold decrease in affinity as measured by surface plasmon resonance. Analysis of mutation patterns in 2 other Abs which lost Dsg3 binding after mutation reversion revealed homologous acidic amino acid CDR mutations. Site-directed mutagenesis indicated that these acidic residues are necessary and sufficient for Dsg3 binding. Our data indicate that VH1-46 autoAb gene usage is shared among PV patients which may be due to naive autoreactivity of some VH1-46 Abs or the requirement for very few acidic amino acid mutations in the CDRs to confer Dsg3 binding. Common VH1-46 autoAb gene usage may suggest a common mechanism for developing autoimmunity in PV.
Psychological models of human and optimal performance in bandit problems

In bandit problems, a decision-maker must choose between a set of alternatives, each of which has a fixed but unknown rate of reward, to maximize their total number of rewards over a sequence of trials. Performing well in these problems requires balancing the need to search for highly-rewarding alternatives, with the need to capitalize on those alternatives already known to be reasonably good. Consistent with this motivation, we develop a new psychological model that relies on switching between latent exploration and exploitation states. We test the model over a range of two-alternative bandit problems, against both human and optimal decision-making data, comparing it to benchmark models from the reinforcement learning literature. By making inferences about the latent states from optimal decision-making behavior, we characterize how people should switch between exploration and exploitation. By making inferences from human data, we begin to characterize how people actually do switch. We discuss the implications of these findings for understanding and measuring the competing demands of exploration and exploitation in sequential decision-making.
Modes of natural organic matter fouling during ultrafiltration.

The fouling of ultrafiltration membranes by natural organic matter (NOM), isolated from a potable surface water source, was studied with an emphasis on elucidating fouling modes and the role of aggregates. NOM size was related to membrane pore sizes using parallel membrane fractionation and size exclusion chromatography; such analyses confirmed the predominance of low MW species and identified the presence of aggregates in concentrated NOM solutions. Cake formation was the dominant mode of fouling by the unfiltered feed, which contained aggregates. This was identified by a constant rate of increase in membrane resistance with permeate throughput and was independent of pore size over a 10−1000 kDa molecular weight cutoff (MWCO) range. Prefiltration (to remove aggregates) and dilution (to reduce aggregate concentration) reduced the rate of increase in membrane resistance for the low MWCO membranes but did not change the fouling mode. In contrast, such pretreatment prevented cake formation on the larger MWCO...
Relationships between growth rate, serum esterase gene proportion and temperature in South Pacific skipjack tuna

Summary Variation in the proportions of serum esterase genetic polymorhisms drawn from samples of skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus elamis) has been used to identify geneticaty isolated stocks of K. pelamis in the South Pacific, based on the assumptions that variation in serum esterase gene proportion was essentially stochastic; such aruments are shown to be unacceptable. There is evidence that serum esterases may be involved in the deknsive resonses of vertebrates to parasites, and that genetic variation at a number of loci may be related to growth rate. It can be shown in a large proportion of samples that serum esterase gene proportion in K. pelamis was correlated to measures of growth rate. This implies that the Pacific-wide variation in esterase proportions in skipjack tuna may be due to local selection gradients involving growth rate.
Detection of liver lesions by vibro-acoustography

Vibro-acoustography is an imaging method based on the vibro-acoustic response of the object to a low-frequency radiation force of ultrasound. Here, we present the results of a study on detection mass lesions by vibro-acoustography. Experiments were conducted on excised human liver tissues that included focal mass lesions which were a few mm to a few cm in diameter. The 3 MHz transducer used for this purpose provided a 0.7 mm lateral resolution. The focal length of the transducer was long enough to cover the entire 5 mm thickness of the specimen. Several scans of each sample were obtained. Resulting images distinctively showed the normal liver tissue and the mass lesions. Masses appeared with enhanced boundary and rough textures in VA which allowed us to delineate the masses from the surrounded tissue. These results suggest that vibro-acoustography may be a clinically useful imaging modality for detection of mass lesions in soft tissue.
An Approach to Pancratistatins via Ring-Closing Metathesis: Efficient Synthesis of Novel 1-Aryl-1-deoxyconduritols F

Structurally novel cyclitols, 1-aryl-1-deoxyconduritols F, were efficiently prepared from d-xylose, utilizing RCM as a key step. Various aromatic residues were incorporated in the cyclitol skeleton with total stereochemical control, utilizing a diastereoselective aryl cuprate addition to a γ-alkoxy enoate. The synthetic route establishes a firm foundation for a practical synthesis of the antitumor alkaloid pancratistatin and its aryl analogues.
Perpendicular diffusion coefficient for charged particles of arbitrary energy

[1] The problem of perpendicular diffusion by a particle in a turbulent plasma is a problem of enduring interest and one that has yet to be fully solved. Analytic models do not agree with either observations or numerical simulations. Recently, a nonlinear guiding center theory (NLGC) was developed by Matthaeus et al. [2003] which, for the first time, appears to be consistent with numerical simulations in both the high-energy and low-energy particle regimes, provided that the transverse magnetic field is complex. Flux surfaces with high transverse complexity are characterized by the rapid separation of nearby magnetic field lines, and we show that the combination of slab and two-dimensional turbulence (a “two-component” model) is necessary to produce transverse complexity and that slab turbulence alone, for example, is insufficient. The nonlinear theory is expressed through the solution of an integral equation for the perpendicular diffusion coefficient κxx, which we solve approximately. Our approximate solution is in excellent agreement with the exact solution of the integral equation. The physical content of the NLGC theory is revealed clearly by the approximate solution and it is shown how κxx scales with parameters such as the energy density in magnetic fluctuations, mean field strength, particle gyroradius, MHD turbulence correlation length scales, parallel diffusion coefficient, etc. Unlike the integral equation formulation, which is not readily amenable to inclusion in models and numerical codes that require the perpendicular diffusion coefficient explicitly, the approximate model derived here is easily incorporated into, for example, heliospheric cosmic ray modulation models. Finally, the perpendicular diffusion coefficient is used to evaluate (1) the particle acceleration timescale for diffusive shock acceleration at perpendicular shocks and (2) the diffusion coefficient for cosmic ray modulation throughout the heliosphere.
The thermal properties of potatoes and carrots as affected by thermal processing

The effects of processing on the thermal properties of white potatoes and carrots were studied. The test samples were blanched, boiled, cooked and canned. Whole potato tubers were baked to study the effects of starch gelatinization. The thermal conductivity (k) and density (p) were measured and the specific heat (c p ) and thermal diffusivity (α) were calculated. Results showed that in general, α initially decreased and then increased during processing. Test samples were found to have a gain in α when their moisture content increased by more than 9%. The α of potatoes decreased after canning and increased after boiling. In carrots, a similar trend was also observed but to a lesser degree. The k of potatoes was unaffected after blanching or cooking. In all the processing treatments of carrots, the k and the c p increased and the p was unaffected. The baking study showed that gelatinization significantly decreased the k of potatoes.
Brain-stem auditory evoked potentials in squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus)

Abstract To more fully characterize brain-stem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) in non-human primates, BAEPs were recorded from chronically implanted epidural electrodes in 10 squirrel monkeys ( Saimiri sciureus ). The effects of stimulus intensity, repetition rate, and anesthesia (ketamine 20 mg/kg i.m.) on peak latencies and inter-peak intervals were evaluated. Monkey wave forms consisted of approximately 7 peaks (I–VII), each exhibiting similar latencies across sessions, with later peaks exhibiting greater variability. In some subjects, additional peaks (IIa, IIIa) and slow potentials were recorded. The slow potentials provided a substratum for peaks IV through VII. As with human, monkey peaks exhibited systematic changes in latency with changes in stimulus intensity or repetition rate. These shifts included significant decreases in latency with increasing intensity for peaks I–IV and increases in latency with increases in repetition rate for peaks III, V, and VI. Inter-peak intervals were similar to those observed in human. Furthermore, ketamine anesthesia significantly delayed the latencies of most peaks (except I, V, and VII). Some differences between monkey and human BAEPs were evident in the relative amplitude of specific peaks. For example, peak V is typically most prominent in human, while this was true for peak III in monkey. The similarities between unanesthetized monkey and human inter-peak intervals suggest that the times required for impulses to reach particular brain-stem areas are conserved across primate species that vary in brain size. This supports the hypothesis that comparably numbered BAEP peaks in monkey and human index homologous processes. The data also suggest that the differences between animal and human BAEPs commonly reported may result from the use of anesthetics. In summary, unanesthetized monkey BAEPs resemble human BAEPs in morphology, number of peaks, polarity, latency variability, inter-peak intervals, slow potentials superimposed on the high-frequency peaks, and variations in morphology, amplitude, and resolution of peaks as a function of recording site. Thus, unanesthetized monkey BAEPs may be an excellent model for investigating the neural substrates of human BAEP or for determining species differences in acoustic processing among primates.
Tree-Structured Modeling of the Relationship Between Great Lakes Ice Cover and Atmospheric Circulation Patterns

Abstract Seasonal maximum ice concentration (percentage of lake surface covered by ice) for the entire Laurentian Great Lakes and for each Great Lake separately is modeled using atmospheric teleconnection indices. Two methods, Linear Regression (LR) and Classification and Regression Trees (CART), are used to develop empirical models of the interannual variations of maximum ice cover. Thirty-four winter seasons between 1963 and 1998 and nine teleconnection indices were used in the analysis. The ice cover characteristics were different for each Great Lake. The ice cover data lent itself better to CART analysis, because CART does not require a priori assumptions about data distributions characteristics to perform well. The stepwise LR models needed more variables, and in general, did not explain as much of the variance as the CART models. Two variables, the Multivariate ENSO index and Tropical/Northern Hemisphere index, explained much of the interannual variations in ice cover in the CART models. Composite atmospheric circulation patterns for threshold values of these two indices were found to be associated with above-and below-normal ice cover in the Great Lakes. Thus, CART also provided insight into physical mechanisms (atmospheric circulation characteristics) underlying the statistical relationships identified in the models.
Circulating Th17, Th22, and Th1 cells are increased in psoriasis.

Th17, Th22, and Th1 cells are detected in psoriatic skin lesions and implicated in psoriasis pathogenesis, but inflammatory T cell numbers in blood, as well as the relative importance of each cell type, is unclear. Using 7-color flow cytometry, circulating Th17, Th22, and Th1 cells were quantified in 21 untreated psoriatics and 17 healthy individuals. CCR6 was the best cell surface marker for IL-17A+ cells when compared with IL-23R or CD161. CCR6+, IL-17A+, IL-22+, CCR6+IL-17A+, CCR6+IL-22+, CCR6+tumor necrosis factor-α+, IL-17A+IFN-γ-, IL-17A+IL-22+IFN-γ-, and IL-17A+IL-22-IFN-γ- cells were increased in psoriatics (all values P P P in vitro blocked cytokine production by both Th17 and Th1 cells. Circulating levels of Th17 and Th1 cells decreased in a subset of five psoriasis patients serially evaluated following induction therapy with infliximab. In summary, elevated numbers of circulating inflammatory T cells may contribute to cutaneous inflammation and systemic inflammatory disease that occurs in individuals with psoriasis.
Strain energy considerations in the effect of a class of catalyst promoters

Abstract It is shown that the crystallite size refining and maintaining phenomena evidenced by the singly promoted ammonia catalyst can be attributed to a delicate balance between strain energy and surface energy effects. In the model presented the promotor acts as the point defect source of a strain field. The strain field of the point defects can be partially relaxed by the propinquity of a free surface. This comminuting effect is resisted by the creation of free surface. It is shown that for a certain narrow range of material parameters the strain and surface terms achieve a balance which produces an equilibrium particle size. It is shown, finally, that the material parameters of the alumina-promoted iron catalyst lie in a range in which the strain-surface energy effect is feasible.
Twinning deformation in iron at 4 °K†

Fine grained, Ferrovac iron has been found to deform in a discontinuous manner when tested in tension at 4.2 °K. The deformation has been found to be a unique continuous twinning process which is initiated by a critical stress of 137000 psi and from which a uniform strain energy release of 0.01 eV/mol for each twinning event has been calculated. The characteristics of this twinning deformation are discussed and comparisons with other reported low temperature phenomena are made. Fein gekorntes Ferrovac-Eisen wird durch eine Zugspannung bei 4,2 °K in diskontinuierlicher Weise deformiert. Es wird gefunden, das die Deformation ein einmaliger kontinuierlicher Zwillingsbildungsprozes ist, der durch eine kritische Spannung von 137000 psi eingeleitet wird, woraus ein gleichbleibender Dehnungsenergiegewinn von 0,01 eV/mol fur jeden Zwillingsbildungsvorgang berechnet wird. Die Charakteristiken dieser Zwillingsbildungsdeformation werden diskutiert und mit anderen veroffentlichten Tieftemperaturphanomenen verglichen.
17β-Estradiol decreases hypoxic induction of erythropoietin gene expression

Exposure to chronic hypoxia induces erythropoietin (EPO) production to facilitate oxygen delivery to hypoxic tissues. Previous studies from our laboratory found that ovariectomy (OVX) exacerbates t...
Specialty competencies in group psychology by Barlow, S.

This book is one of a series of texts dealing with specialties in psychology. Other such texts in the series include, for example, ones on school psychology, forensic psychology, counseling psychol...
On the importance of gravity and three-phase flow in gas displacement processes

Abstract This review paper examines the roles of gravity and capillary forces in determining the efficiency of oil recovery by gas displacement. Gas injection in either miscible or immiscible forms can be designed to achieve attractive additional oil recovery, following water injection, or in combination with water injection (WAG). Factors influencing the selection of three-phase flow correlations and the advantages to be derived by using gravity to benefit the displacement are discussed. The use of nearly miscible displacement with gravity assistance can have attractions which provide opportunities for optimal selection of enrichment and water/gas ratios. Uncertainties associated with modeling the effects of heterogeneities are indicated, and some results given on the benefits of gravity for gas displacement in reservoirs with vertical fractures. Some future research needs are summarized.