cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Valence Bond Methods: Advanced methods for larger molecules

As was seen in the last chapter, the effect of permutations on portions of the wave function is important in enforcing their correct character. The permutations of n entities form a group in the mathematical sense that is said to be one of the symmetric groups . In particular, when we have all of the permutations of n entities the group is symbolized S n . In this chapter we give, using the theory of the symmetric groups, a generalization of the special treatment of three electrons discussed above. There are several more or less equivalent methods for dealing with the twin problems of constructing antisymmetric functions that are also eigenfunctions of the spin. Where orbitals are orthogonal the graphical unitary group approach (GUGA), based upon the symmetric group and unitary group representations, is popular today. With VB functions, which perforce have nonorthogonal orbitals, a significant problem centers around devising algorithms for calculating matrix elements of the Hamiltonian that are efficient enough to be useful. In the past symmetric group methods have been criticized as being overcomplicated. Nevertheless, the present author knows of no other techniques for obtaining what appears to be the optimal algorithm for these calculations. This chapter is the most complicated and formal in the book. Looking back to Chapter 4 we can obtain an idea of what is needed in general.
Body Segment Mechanical Signal Contributions to Continuous Prediction of Locomotor Transitions Performed under Varying Anticipation

A reliable, flexible and simple source of information would benefit robust handling of predicting locomotion modes for assistive device control (e.g., prostheses). However, to date, the sources of mechanical signals have been mainly limited to the information acquired through embedded sensors in the device. It remains unclear whether biomechanical signals from unaffected or less affected locations (e.g., contralateral side or upper body) would be reliable sources of information. Furthermore, the possible influence of the anticipatory state of the task on recognition accuracy, emphasizes the need to identify reliable data sources for both anticipated and unanticipated tasks. Here, accelerographic and gyroscopic signals from the leading leg, trailing leg, trunk-pelvis, and their fusion were compared with respect to their ability to predict changes of direction (cuts), cut-to-stair transitions, and level-ground walking performed under varied task anticipation. We hypothesized that fusion of lower- and upper-body signals would provide better accuracy than unilateral information (i.e., trailing/leading leg), and recognition accuracy would diminish when tasks were unanticipated. Surprisingly, signal fusion appeared not to be advantageous to unilateral signals. Leading and trailing leg data demonstrated statistically identical performances, and trunk-pelvis signals showed significantly (α=0.05) inferior performance relative to unilateral data. While anticipated tasks were accurately predicted (≥90%) even as early as 500 ms prior to entering each locomotor transition, in unanticipated tasks, similar accuracy rates were achieved only after the mid-swing of the transitioning leg. The findings could provide insight into flexible, yet, dependable sensor sets for intent recognition frameworks during varying user cognitive states.
What Drives the North Atlantic Oscillation’s Temperature Anomaly Pattern? Part I: The Growth and Decay of the Surface Air Temperature Anomalies

AbstractComposite analysis is used to examine the physical processes that drive the growth and decay of the surface air temperature anomaly pattern associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (N...
Global Trends in Bumble Bee Health.

Bumble bees (Bombus) are unusually important pollinators, with approximately 260 wild species native to all biogeographic regions except sub-Saharan Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. As they are ...
Forming and waking dormant cells: The ppGpp ribosome dimerization persister model

Procaryotes starve and face myriad stresses. The bulk population actively resists the stress, but a small population weathers the stress by entering a resting stage known as persistence. No mutations occur, and so persisters behave like wild-type cells upon removal of the stress and regrowth; hence, persisters are phenotypic variants. In contrast, resistant bacteria have mutations that allow cells to grow in the presence of antibiotics, and tolerant cells survive antibiotics better than actively-growing cells due to their slow growth (such as that of the stationary phase). In this review, we focus on the latest developments in studies related to the formation and resuscitation of persister cells and propose the guanosine pentaphosphate/tetraphosphate (henceforth ppGpp) ribosome dimerization persister (PRDP) model for entering and exiting the persister state.
Recruitment of an insect and its nematode natural enemy by olfactory cues from a saprophytic fungus

Abstract Olfactory signals are critical for soil inhabitants to communicate and respond to the environment. In addition to the well-documented volatile cues from herbivores and herbivory-induced plants, attraction of both entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) and insect prey was recently shown to be induced by a saprophytic fungus Fusarium solani. Here, we used headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), to identify two volatile organic compounds (VOCs), 1-pentanol and 1-octen-3-ol (octenol), from F. solani. In olfactometer bioassays, the infective juvenile stage of the EPN Steinernema diaprepesi was attracted to both VOCs. Although octenol was highly attractive to fungivorous Drosophila melanogaster fruit fly larvae, the non-fungivorous Diaprepes abbreviatus root weevil larvae were repelled by the compound. In soil microcosms, the VOCs delayed the infection of root weevil larvae by S. diaprepesi but facilitated S. diaprepesi infection of fly larvae. Presumably octenol attracted the flies and EPNs to a common locale, while provoking greater separation of EPNs and root weevils than occurred in the absence of the chemical. EPNs may have evolved to exploit these VOCs as a means of encountering fungivorous insects, whereas non-fungivorous arthropods may have evolved to avoid the compounds.
Study on efficacy and safety of paliperidone in the treatment of elderly patients with schizophrenia

Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of paliperidone and perphenazine tablets in the treatment of eldedy schizophrenia.Methods A total of 63 elderly schizophrenia randomlized into two groups were respectively given Paliperidone or perphenazine for 8 weeks.Clinical effect was evaluated was Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS),Personal and Social Performance Scale (PSP) and the assessment of adverse drug reaction was evaluated with Traumatic Exposure Severity Scale (TESS).Results The total effective rate was respectively 84.38％ or 80.65％.There were no significant differences in the clinical effect between the two groups.And side effects of Paliperidone were less than perphenazine.Conclusion Paliperidone has good efficacy and high safety in the treatment of elderly schizophrenia patients.So it is beneficial to maintained treatment. Key words: Paliperidone; Elderly schizophrenia; Perphenazine
Epilepsy: diagnosis, classification and management

Abstract Careful clinical evaluation differentiates epileptic seizures from syncope (vasovagal and cardiogenic), dissociative seizures (non-epileptic attack disorder) and other rarer causes of paroxysmal events. The initial diagnosis of epilepsy is incorrect in 20–30% of patients. Investigations can include blood tests, electrocardiograms, electroencephalograms and neuro-imaging. Patients should be informed and counselled about the diagnosis. Anti-epileptic drugs are the first-line treatment for epilepsy, the choice depending on the epilepsy syndrome, the seizure type, the patient and their co-morbidities. Surgical options are available for refractory epilepsy. Status epilepticus is a medical emergency and all clinicians should be aware of the treatment algorithm.
Miracles and Material Life : Rice, Ore, Traps and Guns in Islamic Malaya

In this ground-breaking new study, Teren Sevea reveals the economic, environmental and religious significance of Islamic miracle workers (pawangs) in the nineteenth- and twentieth-century Malay world. Through close textual analysis of hitherto overlooked manuscripts and personal interaction with modern pawangs readers are introduced to a universe of miracle workers that existed both in the past and in the present, uncovering connections between miracles and material life. Sevea demonstrates how societies in which the production and extraction of natural resources, as well as the uses of technology, were intertwined with the knowledge of charismatic religious figures, and locates the role of the pawangs in the spiritual economy of the Indian Ocean world, across maritime connections and Sufi networks, and on the frontier of the British Empire.
Estimating lake temperature profile and evaporation losses by leveraging MODIS LST data

Abstract Global lake evaporation is a critical component of the terrestrial water cycle. Accurate quantification of lake evaporation dynamics is of high importance for understanding lake energy budgets, land-atmosphere interactions, as well as regional water availability. However, the accurate quantification of lake evaporation has been hindered by the complexity involved with addressing the heat storage of water bodies. In this study, a new model—the Lake Temperature and Evaporation Model (LTEM)—was developed to simulate lake water temperature profiles, which were then used to calculate heat storage changes and evaporation rates. Inputs for the LTEM include the meteorological and bathymetric data, as well as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) water surface temperature (WST)—which is the land surface temperature (LST) over water. The MODIS WST was leveraged to constrain the hydrodynamic simulations. Model results over 11 lakes around the world show robust performance of LTEM. The long term average temperature biases range from -0.5 °C to 0.5 °C, and the evaporation rate biases range from -0.19 mm/day to 0.28 mm/day. In particular, it is found that LTEM significantly improves the simulation of the seasonality of lake evaporation rates. The validation results suggest that the averaged coefficient of determination (R2) for the evaporation rate is 0.84, which is 0.28 higher than that obtained when the conventional Penman equation (without heat storage) is used. The volumetric evaporation time series was then calculated as a product of the monthly evaporation rate and lake surface area (derived from MODIS near-infrared image classifications). This study provides an end-to-end framework for quantifying volumetric evaporation for the world’s lakes and reservoirs. It also provides the capability to investigate the thermal dynamics of lake systems, and thus can benefit the various water resources applications across scales.
Life history trade-offs and the role of ectothermy in hormesis

Abstract All organisms are faced with survival and fitness challenges. However, differences in how ectotherms and endotherms deal with these challenges causes confusion when theoretical explanations are proposed. Herein, an immunochallenged, immature ectothermic vertebrate increased growth in the face of immunochallenge, reminiscent of up-regulated physiological efficiency termed hormesis. The immunochallenged subjects increased food intake relative to control animals, a largely ignored possibility in previous studies. This likely led to an energy surplus that fueled additional growth. Although there was increased resource demand from the immune response that exceeded internal stores, the acceptably sized food items contained more resources than immunologically-driven demand required. We theorize that because ectotherms lack significant internally-stored resources compared to endotherms, they must feed to fuel increased physiological demand. This can lead to excess resource intake because the minimum acceptably sized prey contains more available resources than upregulation required. This creates a pseudo-hormetic hormetic response, fueled by excess food intake rather than significant improved physiological efficiency. Further, we speculate that lifespan and/or maturity may interact with resource management ectotherms, though our data are inconclusive on this matter. Ultimately, our data suggest additional growth when ectotherms face stressors is a pseudo-hormetic response stemming from increased food intake instead of upregulated physiological efficiency.
Sampling Volatile Organic Compounds from Individual Cotton Leaves to Test Effects of Fungal Endophyte Treatments

Facultative fungal endophytes are unspecialized plant-associated fungi capable of colonizing plant tissues without causing symptoms of disease. Studies suggest facultative fungal endophytes enhance cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) plant defense against insect herbivores and might alter emissions of volatile organic compounds. We tested for changes in emissions of volatile organic compounds using cotton plants treated with facultative fungal endophtytes Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo-Crivelli) Vuillemin strain GHA and Phialemonium inflatum (Burnside) strain TAMU490 in the presence and absence of herbivory. Solid-phase micro-extraction was used to sample static headspace of individual leaves in collection chambers designed specifically for the experiment. Relative abundance of volatile organic compounds was significantly affected by herbivory, but differences caused by treatment with B. bassiana or P. inflatum were not significant. Findings showed our sampling method can be used to assess constitutive and herbivore-induced volatile organic compound profiles from individual leaves, but further studies need to investigate mechanisms underlying facultative fungal endophyte-mediated herbivore resistance in cotton.
How Hierarchical Interactions Make Membraneless Organelles Tick Like Clockwork

Biomolecular condensates appear throughout the cell, serving many different biochemical functions. We argue that condensate functionality is optimized when the interactions driving condensation vary widely in affinity. Strong interactions provide structural specificity needed to encode functional properties but carry the risk of kinetic arrest, while weak interactions allow the system to remain dynamic but do not restrict the conformational ensemble enough to sustain specific functional features. To support our opinion, we describe illustrative examples of the interplay of strong and weak interactions that are found in the nucleolus, SPOP/DAXX condensates, polySUMO/polySIM condensates, chromatin, and stress granules. The common feature of these systems is a hierarchical assembly motif in which weak, transient interactions condense structurally defined functional units.
Olfactory Imprinting in Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)

Taken together, we believe the results of our recent, unified studies provide conclusive evidence for olfactory imprinting. In addition, since our studies were conducted in the field, they provide direct evidence that Coho Salmon retain and use artificial chemical information to achieve successful homing. It seems likely that salmon possessing this ability would also use it in the natural environment.
Variable Sampling Rate Control Charts

When control charts are used to monitor a process, the traditional practice is to take samples from the process using a fixed sampling rate (FSR). Variable sampling rate (VSR) control charts vary the sampling rate as a function of the data obtained from the process. With a VSR control chart the sampling rate is increased when there is some indication of a problem with the process, and decreased when there is no indication of a problem with the process. A VSR control chart signals in the same way as a standard FSR control chart when the indication of a problem with process is strong enough. There are several approaches to implementing the VSR concept. One approach is to allow the sampling interval to vary as a function of the data. Another approach is to allow the sample size for the current sample to vary as a function of the data in previous samples. A third approach is to allow the sample size for the current sample to depend on the data in this sample. Compared to traditional FSR control charts, all of the approaches to implementing the VSR concept will produce much faster detection of most process changes. Keywords: adaptive sampling; CUSUM control chart; EWMA control chart; multivariate control chart; sampling at fixed times; sequential sampling; Shewhart control chart; variable sampling interval; variable sample size
Multihypothesis motion compensation in the redundant wavelet domain

Multihypothesis motion compensation is extended into the transform domain by using a redundant wavelet transform to produce multiple predictions that are diverse in transform phase. The corresponding inverse transform implicitly combines the multihypothesis predictions into a single spatial-domain prediction for motion compensation such that no side information is needed to describe the combination weights. Additionally, we use a hierarchical search to tailor the motion-vector field to individual phases. Substantial gains in rate-distortion performance are obtained in comparison to an equivalent system using single-phase prediction.
Virtually Criminal: Crime, Deviance and Regulation Online

Amidst the sensationalist claims about the dangers of the Internet, Virtually Criminal provides an empirically grounded criminological analysis of deviance and regulation within an online community. It integrates theory and empiricism to forge an explanation of cybercrime whilst offering new insights into online regulation. One of the first studies to further our understanding of the causes of cyber deviance, crime and its control, this groundbreaking study from Matthew Williams takes the Internet as a site of social and cultural (re)production, and acknowledges the importance of online social/cultural formations in the genesis and regulation of cyber deviance and crime. A blend of criminological, sociological and linguistic theory, this book provides a unique understanding of the aetiology of cybercrime and deviance. Focus group and offence data are analyzed and an interrelationship between online community, deviance and regulation is established. The subject matter of the book is inherently transnational. It makes extensive use of a number of international case studies, ensuring it is relevant to readers in multiple countries (especially the US, the UK and Australasia). Pioneering and innovative, this fascinating book will be of interest to students and researchers across the disciplines of sociology, criminology, law and media and communication studies.
Structural domain modeling for understanding equipment failure messages

Demonstrates that domain-specific knowledge is required to recover implicit references to causality from narrative texts that describe equipment failures. Understanding texts that discuss complex pieces of equipment requires the possession not only of general knowledge about the types of objects and predicates in the domain, but also detailed knowledge about the particular equipment in question. This more expert level of knowledge is needed to dereference the names and descriptions of equipment referred to in the text and to infer their causal relationships and operational states when these are only implicitly expressed by the message writer. Knowing the structural configuration of the equipment is useful in both tasks, and a structural domain model can be extracted readily from equipment manuals and their accompanying parts lists, thus easing the knowledge acquisition bottleneck problem and making practical applications more feasible. >
Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma in the veteran population: Association with traditional carcinogen exposure and poor clinical outcomes.

Background A significant fraction of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cases is associated with traditional carcinogens; in these patients, treatment response and clinical outcomes remain poor. Methods We evaluated patient, tumor, and treatment characteristics for 200 veterans with oropharyngeal SCC treated at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center (MEDVAMC) between 2000 and 2012. Results Most patients (77%) were white and heavy smokers. Twenty-seven patients required tracheostomy and 63 required gastrostomy placement during treatment. Overall survival (OS) at 5 years was 40%. Survival was impacted by T classification, treatment intensity, completion of treatment, and p16 tumor status. Almost 30% of patients were unable to complete a treatment regimen consistent with National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines. Conclusion Oropharyngeal SCC in veterans is associated with traditional carcinogens and poor clinical outcomes. Despite heavy smoking exposure, p16 tumor status significantly impacts survival. Careful consideration must be given to improving treatment paradigms for this cohort given their limited tolerance for treatment escalation. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 37: 1246–1253, 2015
An Iterative Algorithm for Hardware-Software Partitioning, Hardware Design Space Exploration and Scheduling

The paper proposes a novel heuristic technique for integrated hardware-software partitioning, hardware design space exploration and scheduling. The technique maps an application specified as a task graph on a heterogeneous architecture with an objective to minimize the latency of the task graph subject to the area constraint on the hardware coprocessor. The technique uses an iterative approach where the partitioner decides the processor mapping and HW design points of some tasks. The scheduler then simultaneously decides the processor mapping, HW design point and schedule time of the remaining tasks. There exists a tight coupling between the two design stages allowing them to produce superior quality designs in fewer iterations. The technique accounts for the time overheads due to inter-processor /intra-processor communication and shared memory access conflicts. It can therefore be used for both communication intensive and computation intensive applications. The technique also considers dynamic reconfiguration capability of the hardware coprocessor. The technique performs tradeoff analysis and maps hardware tasks to mutually exclusive temporal segments if this results in lower latency. The effectiveness of the technique is demonstrated by a case study of the JPEG image compression algorithm, comparison with an optimal ILP based approach and experimentation with synthetic graphs.
The UCLA-Whiteriver dental project.

The Editor not only enjoyed the opportunity to work with this report, but he has to register amazement at the vigor exerted, the interest maintained, and the productive approach worked out by youths in the practice of community dentistry.
Pluralism, the Lucas Critique, and the Integration of Macroeconomics and Microeconomics

AbstractMainstream macroeconomics has pursued ‘micro founded’ models based on the explicit optimization by representative agents. The result has been a long and wasteful detour. But elements of the Lucas critique are relevant, also for heterodox economists. Challenging common heterodox views on microeconomics and formalization, this paper argues that (i) economic models should not be based purely on empirically observed regularities, (ii) heterodox economists must be able to tell an integrated story about goal-oriented micro behavior in a specific macro environment, and (iii) relatively simple analytical models have an essential role to play.
The Analysis of Response in Crop and Livestock Production

Modelling response processes response curves and surfaces efficiency in response duality of response relationships estimation of response in a world where risk is unimportant response efficiency under risk difficulties in field research aggregate response analysis economics of response research.
Strontium isotopes and nutrient sourcing in a semi-arid woodland

Sr isotopes are widely used as a tracer of Sr and Ca in surficial systems. Basalt flows ranging in age from 3 ka (kiloyears ago) to > 200 ka from El Malpais National Monument (EMNM), New Mexico provide an ideal setting to examine strontium, and hence calcium cycling by plants in a semi-arid woodland. To gauge plant dependence on atmospheric dust versus local weathering products for strontium and calcium, we measured 87Sr/86Sr ratios in local bedrock and soils, and compared them to leaf/wood cellulose of four different conifers, a deciduous tree, three shrubs, an annual C4 grass, and a lichen. Sampling sites varied by parent material (limestone, sandstone, granite, and basalt) and age (Quaternary to Precambrian), providing a wide range in end-member 87Sr/86Sr ratios, whereas the target plant species varied in physiognomy, life history, and rooting depth. On non-basalt parent material, the contribution from dust changed with the supply of weatherable Sr-bearing minerals in local bedrock. Soils developed on Paleozoic limestone showed significant bedrock contributions. On basalts, the Sr budget of soils at EMNM is dominated by atmospheric dust on young, 3 ka flows, incorporates a mixture of basalt-dust in 9 ka flows, and is basalt-dominated in 120 ka flows. This is unlike the pattern observed in tropical soils developed on basalt in Hawaii, where basalt weathering dominates the Sr inventory of the youngest soils and aerosols dominate in older, deeply weathered soils. This contrast is mainly due to different water/rock (W/R) ratios: bedrock subjected to high W/R over short periods is quickly ( < 10 ka) depleted in Sr (and Ca), except for the ongoing replenishment from aerosols. In arid settings where W/R are lower, soil Sr is still abundantly available first from dust, and increasingly from bedrock even after 120 ka. For plants, 87Sr/86Sr variations within and across sites at EMNP showed that evergreen trees varied most in 87Sr/86Sr ratios, shrubs were least dependent on eolian input of Sr, and both foliage density and rooting depths influence soil Sr pools.
Mechanism of Formation of Novel Covalent Drug·DNA Interstrand Cross-Links and Monoadducts by Enediyne Antitumor Antibiotics

The potent enediyne antitumor antibiotic C1027 has been previously reported to induce novel DNA interstrand cross-links and drug monoadducts under anaerobic conditions [Xu et al. (1997) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 119, 1133-1134]. In the present study, we explored the mechanism of formation of these anaerobic DNA lesions. We found that, similar to the aerobic reaction, the diradical species of the activated drug initiates anaerobic DNA damage by abstracting hydrogen atoms from the C4', C1', and C5' positions of the A1, A2, and A3 nucleotides, respectively, in the most preferred 5'GTTA1T/5'ATA2A3C binding sequence. It is proposed that the newly generated deoxyribosyl radicals, which cannot undergo oxidation, likely add back onto the nearby unsaturated ring system of the postactivated enediyne core, inducing the formation of interstrand cross-links, connecting either A1 to A2 or A1 to A3, or drug monoadducts mainly on A2 or A3. Comparative studies with other enediynes, such as neocarzinostatin and calicheamicin gamma 1I under similar reaction conditions indicate that the anaerobic reaction process is a kinetically competitive one, depending on the proximity of the drug unsaturated ring system or dioxygen to the sugar radicals and their quenching by other hydrogen sources such as solvent or thiols. It was found that C1027 mainly generates interstrand cross-links, whereas most of the anaerobic lesions produced by neocarzinostatin are drug monoadducts. Calicheamicin gamma 1 (1) was found to be less efficient in producing both lesions. The anaerobic DNA lesions induced by enediyne antitumor antibiotics may have important implications for their potent cytotoxicity in the central regions of large tumors, where relative anaerobic conditions prevail.
Anatomy of a vesicular-arbuscular endomycorrhizal symbiosis between sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh) and Glomus etunicatum Becker & Gerdemann.

Summary Microscopic analysis of infection development by Glomus in sugar maple roots revealed changes in the cortical cells similar to those reported by other workers using either herbaceous or woody plant hosts. Few cortical cells contained exclusively terminate hyphal structures. Instead, large intracellular hyphae entered and exited cortical cells while arbuscules formed from initiation points at various places on the intracellular hyphae. Intercellular hyphae were rare and vesicles were not observed. The beaded root morphology observed did not seem to influence the infection process. Beaded roots are formed from repeated constrictions in feeder roots due to major reductions in cell size. The relationship between the constrictions and moisture stress is discussed. The living arbuscule seemed to be the site of transfer between the host and endophyte, implying that the process is an active one.
Peroxynitrite aggravates myocardial reperfusion injury in the isolated perfused rat heart

Objective : This study examined the effects of peroxynitrite (ONOO−) on cardiac function and cellular injury following ischemia (30 min) and reperfusion (60 min) in isolated perfused rat hearts. Methods : 3-Morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1, 0.1 mM), an ONOO− donor, was administered alone or combined with superoxide dismutase (SOD, 300 U/ml) or glutathione (GSH, 1 mM) at the time of reperfusion. Results : Administration of SIN-1 alone significantly aggravated post-ischemic myocardial injury characterized by depressed cardiac function recovery ( p <0.05 vs. vehicle), increased lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK) release ( p <0.01 vs. vehicle), and enlarged necrotic size ( p <0.01 vs. vehicle). The co-administration of either SOD to decrease the formation of ONOO−, or GSH to increase the detoxification of ONOO−, completely blocked the detrimental effects of SIN-1 and exerted significant cardioprotective effects against reperfusion injury. Conclusion : These results suggest that ONOO− may play a significant role in postischemic myocardial injury.
Structural Model of K+ Channel Activation by the Beta-Gamma Subunits of G-Proteins

The first known effectors of the βγ subunits of heterotrimeric G-proteins (Gβγ) were the G-protein-gated inwardly rectifying K+ (GIRK) channels which underlie acetylcholine-induced decrease in heart rate (IKACh). How Gβγ subunits specifically regulate the conformations of their effector proteins to alter activity is not understood at a molecular level. Although several GIRK crystal structures have been published, attempts to co-crystallize Gβγ have failed precluding knowledge of the reciprocal interactions between the two proteins.We have employed a computational approach that combines several known methods in protein-protein docking to produce experimentally testable models of the protein complex. The best scoring model of the GIRK1-Gβγ complex predicted a ∼1800 A2 interaction surface that includes key interactions of the channel's LM and DE loops with Gβ residues that are known to interact with the helical N-terminus of Gα-GDP in the structure of the inactive heterotrimeric G-protein. The channel-Gβγ interactions predicted by the model could be disrupted by mutation of one protein and rescued by additional mutation of reciprocal residues in the other protein. Channel activity was found to be stimulated by Gβγ interactions that enlarged the cleft between the LM and DE loops of the channel and stabilized the LM loop in a “raised” position seen in the “open intracellular gate” conformation of the GIRK1 crystal structure.GIRK4 displayed differences from the GIRK1 with respect to the pattern of responses to Gβγ mutants but the physiologically relevant heteromeric GIRK1/4 channel behaved similarly to GIRK1. The proposed site of action of Gβγ in the channel's DE-LM cleft is also shared with alcohols and is consistent with a previously described cascade of PIP2-driven changes in intramolecular interactions of the channel leading to stabilization of the open conformation of its intracellular G-loop gate.
Vaccination of BALB/c Mice with Escherichia coli-Expressed Vaccinia Virus Proteins A27L, B5R, and D8L Protects Mice from Lethal Vaccinia Virus Challenge

The potential threat of smallpox use in a bioterrorist attack has heightened the need to develop an effective smallpox vaccine for immunization of the general public. Vaccination with the current smallpox vaccine, Dryvax, produces protective immunity but may result in adverse reactions for some vaccinees. A subunit vaccine composed of protective vaccinia virus proteins should avoid the complications arising from live-virus vaccination and thus provide a safer alternative smallpox vaccine. In this study, we assessed the protective efficacy and immunogenicity of a multisubunit vaccine composed of the A27L and D8L proteins from the intracellular mature virus (IMV) form and the B5R protein from the extracellular enveloped virus (EEV) form of vaccinia virus. BALB/c mice were immunized with Escherichia coli-produced A27L, D8L, and B5R proteins in an adjuvant consisting of monophosphoryl lipid A and trehalose dicorynomycolate or in TiterMax Gold adjuvant. Following immunization, mice were either sacrificed for analysis of immune responses or lethally challenged by intranasal inoculation with vaccinia virus strain Western Reserve. We observed that three immunizations either with A27L, D8L, and B5R or with the A27L and B5R proteins alone induced potent neutralizing antibody responses and provided complete protection against lethal vaccinia virus challenge. Several linear B-cell epitopes within the three proteins were recognized by sera from the immunized mice. In addition, protein-specific cellular responses were detected in spleens of immunized mice by a gamma interferon enzyme-linked immunospot assay using peptides derived from each protein. Our data suggest that a subunit vaccine incorporating bacterially expressed IMV- and EEV-specific proteins can be effective in stimulating anti-vaccinia virus immune responses and providing protection against lethal virus challenge.
Group treatment for prepubescent boys with sexually aggressive behavior: Clinical considerations and proposed treatment techniques*

Descriptive and treatment outcome studies regarding sexually aggressive prepubescent boys are lacking. Preliminary data, however, are available from five studies on this difficult-to-treat population. This article has multiple goals: 1) to summarize descriptive and treatment outcome data of problematic sexual behavior in children; 2) to describe general considerations regarding treatment for sexually aggressive prepubescent male children; 3) to address two traditional clinical goals (e.g., eliminating perpetration behavior and enhancing victim empathy) for treating sexual aggression; and 4) to broaden the concept of empathy as a treatment goal. In addition, useful activities are described and available resources are referenced for practitioner use.
Ultrasound examination of pubertal girls and of patients with gonadal dysgenesis

Girls with hypogonadism caused by hypothalamic lesions or chromosomal abnormalities need accurate pelvic exams to delinate pelvic structures. This work presents an evaluation of the usefulness of ultrasound examination of the pelvis in females with aberrant sexual development. Girls with these problems often need multiple pelvic examinations to monitor their uterine response to hormone therapy. Thirty-two patients with a variety of abnormalities including Mullerian agenesis and hypothalamic hypogonadism as well as patients with abnormal karyotypes commonly associated with gonadal dysgenesis and male pseudohermaphrodism were studied. Repeat ultrasound scans were performed to quantitate uterine response to therapy. Ovarian visualization was usually possible, even in prepuberal girls. Following some patients at risk for gonadal tumors may be possible using repeat ultrasound examinations. The cooperation of the patients as well as of their families was gratifying, and the girls appeared to be more relaxed during ultrasound examination than during a pelvic examination.
A physiological basis for the division of nitrate assimilation between roots and leaves

Abstract In vivo activities of nitrate reductase (NR) were determined in soybean ( Glycine max ) and cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum ) roots and leaves, with either exogenous nitrate or endogenous nitrate as substrate. Differences between endogenous-nitrate and exogenous-nitrate activities, if any, revealed limitations to nitrate assimilation by substrate availability. In soybean, substrate was completely nonlimiting in roots but was severely limiting in leaves. In cotton, substrate had a slight effect which did not vary between roots and leaves. Soybean accumulated a greater fraction of the plant's total nitrate in the roots, and translocated a much smaller fraction to the leaves, than did cotton. The results imply that the ability of soybean roots to transport nitrate into the xylem was restricted, compared to cotton roots. Such a postulated restriction can help to explain differences between the two species in their distribution of nitrate reductase activity between roots and leaves.
Introduction to the Yale Roundtable on Belief

Abstract What is belief? Is it a usable categorical for analysis in the study of religion? This was the subject of a one-day workshop hosted by the Department of Religious Studies at Yale University on April 15, 2011. The participating scholars were asked to present comments on the meaning of belief for their own research. This text introduces a sampling of these responses prompted in part by a set of advance readings that represented the bibliography of belief in contemporary religious studies.
Pricing and Hedging of Contingent Credit Lines

Contingent credit lines (CCLs) are widely used in bank lending and also play an important role in the functioning of short-term capital markets. Yet, their pricing and hedging has not received much attention in the finance literature. Using a financial engineering approach, the paper analyzes the structure of simple CCLs, examines methods for their pricing, and discusses the problems faced in hedging CCL portfolios.
Correlation Between Sperm Morphology, Acrosin, and Fertilization in an IVF Program

Acrosin, a neutral proteinase, is located within the acrosome. The aim of this study was to evaluate acrosin concentrations in patients with severe damage of the sperm head and to determine whether acrosin concentration could predict the chances of fertilization in an IVF program. Sixty patients were accepted into this study, prospectively. The patients were divided into two groups, those with a normal morphology of 20 million sperm/ml and >30% progressively motile sperm. The acrosin assays were performed on the semen sample obtained on the day of IVF. Routine IVF insemination procedures were used, and only mature oocytes were considered. The only factor that showed a significant correlation with fertilization was normal morphology (p< 0.01). The mean acrosin level was 73.4 ± 38.6 mIU/10 million sperm in group I and 70.9 ± 42.7 mIU/10 million sperm in group II (no significant d...
Incorporating feminist theories into sociological theories of entrepreneurship

Feminist critiques can provide new insights into organizational theories by examining the historical context in which these theories emerged, the research methods in which the theories are grounded, and the assumptions underlying the theories themselves. This paper applies a feminist critique to sociological theories of entrepreneurship. First, the sociological theories are described, focusing on the effects of political factors, state policies, culture, spatial location, and professionalization on entrepreneurship. This is followed by an analysis of these sociological theories investigating the values embedded in these theories and demonstrating how they can take gender relations into consideration. Finally, several directions for future research are discussed along with the potential feminist theories which have to produce change at the societal level.
Order disorder in sillimanite

AP3+-Si4+ disordering in sillimanite cannot be considered as ideal mixing on tetrahedral sites. Ideal free energy of mixing in sillimanite corresponding to slight disordering results in changing the kyanite-sillimanite phase equilibrium boundary by impossible magnitude. A regular solution model for the sites yields the following expression for the free energy of mixing: $$G_{sill}^M = W \{ (X_{Al - T1} )^2 + (X_{Al - T2} )^2 \} + RT ln X_{Al - T1} X_{Al - T2}$$ (1) . Calculations using the phase equilibrium data show that even small disequilibrium in intra-crystalline distribution results in significant change in pressure of the kyanite-sillimanite “equilibrium”. If information on interaction energies such as W is not available for disordering silicates, it is not advisable to use the ideal configurational entropy in calculations of phase equilibria.
Impact of biomass burning on the atmosphere

Fire has played an Important part In biogeochemical cycling throughout much of the history of our planet. Ice core studies have been very beneficial in paleoclimate studies and constraining the budgets of biogeochemical cycles through the past 160,000 years of the Vostok ice core. Although to date there has been no way of determining cause and effect, concentration of greenhouse gases directly correlates with temperature in Ice core analyses. Recent ice core studies on Greenland have shown that significant climate change can be very rapid on the order of a decade (Mayewski et al., 1993). This chapter addresses the coupled evolution of our planet’s atmospheric composition and blomass burning. Special attention is paid to the chemical and climatic impacts of blomass burning on the atmosphere throughout the last century, specifically looking at the cycles of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur. Information from ice core measurements may be useful in understanding the history of fire and its historic affect on the composition of the atmosphere and climate.
Catalyst Transformation during NO+NH3Reaction over Vanadium Oxide Usingin SituFTIR Emission Spectroscopy

The low-frequency capabilities of infrared emission spectroscopy (IRES) were exploited to examine the reduction of vanadium pentoxide (V{sub 2}O{sub 5}) by ammonia and hydrogen, and the reoxidation of reduced vanadia by oxygen. The catalytic reduction of NO with NH{sub 3} over V{sub 2}O{sub 5} powder in the absence of O{sub 2} was also investigated with IRES. The reduction of V{sub 2}O{sub 5} was found to occur stepwise (V{sup 5+} {yields} V{sup 4+} {yields} V{sup 3+}), with the rate being controlled by the diffusion of oxygen through the crystal lattice. Vanadia reduction occurred even in high NO/NH{sub 3} atmospheres, although the presence of NO did effect the rate of reduction.
Adhesion and debonding of multi-layer thin film structures

Abstract A fracture mechanics technique to quantitatively measure the adhesion or interfacial fracture resistance of interfaces in thin film structures is described. Adhesion values obtained for the technologically important SiO2/TiN interface in microelectronic interconnect structures are related to a range of material, mechanical and design parameters which include interface morphology and adjacent ductile layer thickness. In addition, the interface was shown to be susceptible to environmentally-assisted subcritical debonding similar to stress corrosion cracking of SiO2 glass in moist air environments. Subcritical debonding behavior was sensitive to a range of material and design parameters, and is expected to have important implications for long term device reliability.
Three multiplexed microsatellite panels for Striped Bass.

Microsatellite multiplexing is a useful technique that minimizes the time, reagents, and cost associated with genetic studies in fisheries biology. Striped Bass is an important sport and aquaculture species commonly stocked throughout the United States. We have developed three multiplexed panels that collectively incorporate twelve different established microsatellite loci. All loci were tested for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, linkage disequilibrium, Mendelian inheritance, and null alleles in two populations. Loci were comparably polymorphic in two river systems with similar allele size ranges observed; therefore, these multiplexed panels should be useful for genetic population studies of Striped Bass both within and between disparate geographic distributions.
Kermitt: conducting an experiment on the web

A familiar and often difficult part of the research process is recruitment of subjects to participate in an experiment or survey. The World Wide Web offers potential access to a virtually unlimited pool of subjects: The trick is to administer an experiment in a smooth, apparently seamless manner. We describe a simple program for administering an experiment dependent on measuring response times over the Web. We discuss some of the problems we had to overcome, the trade-offs we faced, the reasons for the choices we made and the possible consequences of these choices. We then discuss possible applications to other research objectives.
The Commitment to Seniority in Self-Governing Groups

No sane man would for one moment think of making a graduate from West Point a field general, or one from Annapolis an admiral, or one from any university or college chief of a great newspaper, magazine, or business house. A priest or preacher who has just taken orders is not immediately made a bishop, archbishop, or cardinal. In every walk of life, "men must tarry at Jericho till their beards are grown." Champ Clark, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
Effects of non-uniform electric fields on the convergence behavior of energy expansions

Abstract The influence of electric field gradients on the radius of convergence of the energy expansion is investigated using an analysis based on N -variable rational approximation for the power series. The influence of the field gradient on the energy of LiH in a one-dimensional electric field is found to be greatest at small internuclear distances. The radius of convergence is smallest at large internuclear distances. The implications of these results for finite field and test charge calculations are discussed.
Chemical bonding effects of silicon and silicon dioxide as observed in K X-ray emission

One s h o u l d expec t resu l t s as a re r e p o r t e d in t h i s paper . T h e chemica l s t r u c t u r e of solids is b o u n d to influen(,e t h e in t ens i t i e s of Kfl X r a y l ines s imp ly because of t h e elee. t r o n p o p u l a t i o n in t h e va l ence shell. Effects due to chemica l b i n d i n g h a v e b e e n sough t for s o m e t i m e and , usua l ly , on ly smal l dif ferences h a v e b e e n obse rved w h e n us ing elect r o n e x c i t a t i o n or X r a y f luorescence t e c h n i q u e s (1). T h e m a i n diff icul ty w i t h t h i s work is t h a t chemica l b i n d i n g is sma l l a n d t h e K X r a y energies are large, l eav ing on ly t ed ious m e a s u r e m e n t s of m i n u t e quan t i t i e s . R e c e n t works h a v e obse rved some effects s imi la r to those r e p o r t e d he re (2). D a t a r e p o r t e d in t h i s p a p e r show a spec t rum where t h e Kfl X r a y l ines a re d i f fe ren t a n d la rge effects a re obse rved due to chemica l b ind ing . A mode l K N H i g h Vol tage E n g i n e e r i n g Corpora t ion acce le ra to r was used to produce a s ingly ion ized h e l i u m b e a m of 3.2 MeV a n d a p r o t o n b e a m of 0.8 MeV. T h e b e a m was focused o n t o t h e t a r g e t p l a c e d in f r o n t of t h e e n t r a n c e sl i t of t h e s p e c t r o m e t e r w h i c h used a n A D P c r y s t a l to ref lect t h e X r a y s a n d a s t epp ing m o t o r t h a t con t ro l l ed b o t h t h e c ry s t a l a n d d e t e c t o r ang le of t h e spec t rome te r . A flow p r o p o r t i o n a l coun t e r was used to d e t e c t t h e a n a l y z e d X r a y s a n d a P D P 7 c o m p u t e r s to red t h e d a t a w h i c h