cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hierarchical Token Rings for Address-Event Encoding

Address-event representation (AER) is an event-driven, neuromorphic inter-chip encoding and communication protocol originally proposed to communicate location and timing information of sparse neural events between neuromorphic chips. The protocol is widely used in bio-inspired, event-based vision sensors to communicate visual events. The same approach has been explored for scientific imaging applications, but the performance of existing encoding schemes degrades in the presence of large sensor arrays and a wide range of event rates. In this paper, we introduce a new AER encoding scheme based on hierarchical token-rings (HTR), which blends event-based and scanning approaches. We show that HTR offers significant improvement in latency, throughput, and power compared to existing tree-based approaches in the context of scientific imaging applications.
A Theoretic Exploration of Spousal Support and the Relationship to Sales Performance After Relocation

This article further develops the current body of literature that examines the antecedent factors of job satisfaction, job performance, role ambiguity and role conflict. An examination of the current body of research examining relocation and spousal support is the basis of the new area of research interest. Seven hypothesis are presented of which four incorporate spousal support due to relocation.
Transformer: Run-time reprogrammable heterogeneous architecture for transparent acceleration of dynamic workloads

Abstract Heterogeneous architectures face challenges regarding transparent acceleration as well as the allocation of resources to cores and accelerators. The “Transformer”, a run-time reprogrammable, heterogeneous architecture consisting of cores and reconfigurable logic with support for coarse-grained acceleration of the dynamic, unpredictable workloads present in mobile and cloud computing environments, is proposed as a solution. The architecture allows for the run-time instantiation of one or more acceleration functions, present in an on-chip reconfigurable logic, which responds to the demands of compute-intensive software libraries. The hardware controller and software wrapper functions are designed to profile workloads, reprogram the internal logic, and invoke the appropriate acceleration functions. Novel heuristics are derived with respect to the accelerator function scheduling. In order to optimize performance and power efficiency, the appropriate system parameters are explored, including the L1 and L2 cache sizes, the accelerator local buffer sizes, as well as the allocation of resources to the cores and accelerators. The simulation results indicate that the Transformer provides significant improvements in terms of performance, up to 14 × for single-type workloads and 2.3 × for dynamic workloads, as well as energy efficiency, up to 6.9 × for various workloads.
Evidence for cryptic northern refugia among high- and temperate-latitude species in Beringia

Stewart and Dalen (2008) argue that only temperate species were locked in cryptic northern refugia during Pleistocene glacial cycles, while species presently found at high latitudes had much wider distributions during glaciations. We present evidence supporting the existence of cryptic northern refugia that likely harbored both high- and temperate-latitude species in the Bering Sea region. Genetic signals of refugial isolation are found in island populations of rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta), rock sandpiper (Calidris ptilocnemis), common raven (Corvus corax), and winter wren (Troglodytes troglodytes). These species have high-latitude, a mixture of high- and temperate-latitude, and temperate-latitude distributions. In addition, there are no data showing historically larger distributions of the high-latitude rock sandpiper or rock ptarmigan in North America during the Pleistocene. Although exact dating of isolation events is not possible using molecular genetic data, the species we examined have similar genetic signals and thus were isolated at similar times. It is evident that Pleistocene glaciations produced refugial genetic signatures among multiple bird species in the North Pacific Ocean.
The Tiger and the Sun: Solar Power Plants and Wildlife Sanctuaries

We discuss separate and integrated approaches to building scalable solar power plants and wildlife sanctuaries. Both solar power plants and wildlife sanctuaries need a lot of land. We quantify some of the requirements using various estimates of the rate of solar power production as well as the rate of adding wildlife to a sanctuary over the time range 2010-2050. We use population dynamics equations to study the evolution of solar energy and tiger populations up to and beyond 2050.
Language and Poetic Structure

A fundamental relationship between language and poetic structure is that between grammar and verse forms such as meter, rhyme and alliteration, and syntactic parallelism. Like a speaker of a language, a poet composing in such a verse form has intuitive knowledge of a finite system of constraints which defines the form, within which infinitely many various and new instances of the form can be created. Research making such knowledge explicit has revealed just how directly such forms draw on grammatical structure, inspiring and supporting an explicit cross-linguistic theory of verse forms relating them to universal grammar.
Prismfields: a framework for interactive modeling of three dimensional caves

A framework for interactive modeling of three dimensional caves is presented. It is based on a new spatial data structure that extends existing terrain rendering methods. The cave is represented as a set of slabs, each encoding a portion of the model along an axis. We describe methods for a user to modify this model locally and procedural methods for global alteration. We wish to allow cave modeling as easily as existing terrain editing programs that restrict the model to a single two dimensional manifold. In this paper, we discuss existing cave visualization programs, including their limitations, as well as how terrain editing and rendering methods can be used in the process of modeling caves.
Extrapolation of Galactic Dust Emission at 100 Microns to Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation Frequencies Using FIRAS

We present predicted full-sky maps of submillimeter and microwave emission from the diffuse interstellar dust in the Galaxy. These maps are extrapolated from the 100 μm emission and 100/240 μm flux ratio maps that Schlegel, Finkbeiner, & Davis generated from IRAS and COBE/DIRBE data. Results are presented for a number of physically plausible emissivity models. The correlation of COBE/FIRAS data with the simple Schlegel, Finkbeiner, & Davis (ν2 emissivity power law) extrapolation is much tighter than with other common dust templates such as H I column density or 100 μm emission. Despite the apparent success of the Schlegel, Finkbeiner, & Davis extrapolation, the assumed ν2 emissivity is inconsistent with the FIRAS data below 800 GHz. Indeed, no power-law emissivity function fits the FIRAS data from 200 to 2100 GHz. In this paper we provide a formalism for a multicomponent model for the dust emission. A two-component model with a mixture of "silicate" and "carbon-dominated" grains (motivated by Pollack et al.) provides a fit to an accuracy of ~15% to all the FIRAS data over the entire high-latitude sky. Small systematic differences are found between the atomic and molecular phases of the ISM. COBE/DMR has observed microwave emission that is correlated with thermal dust emission. However, this emission is higher than our model predicts by factors of 1.2, 2.4, and 20 at 90, 53, and 31 GHz, respectively. This provides evidence that another emission mechanism dominates dust emission at frequencies below ~60 GHz. Our predictions for the thermal (vibrational) emission from Galactic dust at ν < 3000 GHz are available for general use. These full-sky predictions can be made at the DIRBE resolution of 40' or at the higher resolution of 61 from the Schlegel, Finkbeiner, & Davis DIRBE-corrected IRAS maps.
Contracts as Regulation: The Case of ISDA's Contractual Models

I examine the role of a sample of standardized contracts used in regulatory governance of the OTC market for derivatives. The sample is constituted by ISDA’s contractual models. The most important finding of the study is that these model contracts perform important regulatory functions through a set of hard and soft provisions by filling gaps in incomplete executory contracts. I argue that the hard and soft provisions to be found in these contracts are - both functionally and structurally - akin to default rules of contract law and should be treated by decision makers accordingly.
Chinese outbound tourists' perceived constraints to visiting the United States

Abstract This study attempts to gain insight into what factors constrain Chinese outbound tourists from visiting the United States, using the Leisure Constraint Model as the analytical framework. Chinese tourists who indicated low likelihood to visit the United States in the next five years were asked to explain their reasons, which were then content analyzed and categorized. The results suggest that intrapersonal and structural constraints were of particular importance for respondents, whereas few interpersonal constraints were reported. Past travel experiences and more attractive alternatives negatively affected these Chinese tourists' intention to visit the United States. Further, the study found that time and distance constraints, security concerns, difficulty in acquiring travel visas, and monetary concerns were the main structural constraints of Chinese outbound tourists. Finally, all groups that had not been to the United States indicated that they had some negative impression of the country, which also deterred them from visiting the United States.
Thrombolytic therapy in acute myocardial infarction following prolonged cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Thrombolytic therapy was administered to a 49-year-old woman with an acute anterior wall myocardial infarction after having prolonged cardiopulmonary resuscitation for 13 minutes. On admission, there was no clinical or radiographic evidence of gross trauma. There was no significant morbidity and the patient recovered to a completely functional status. The literature of thrombolytic therapy after cardiopulmonary resuscitation is reviewed. In the absence of gross trauma from cardiopulmonary resuscitation, thrombolytic therapy in acute myocardial infarction should not necessarily be excluded because of the duration of resuscitation. Further experience with such patients will shed additional light on efficacy and safety.
Elastic instability of crystals caused by static atom displacement: A mechanism for solid-state amorphization.

During the solid-state amorphization process, there have been a number of observations showing a large lattice dilatation and softening of shear elastic constants. Based on these reports, the amorphization mechanism was modeled by introducing static displacement of atoms that caused lattice strain. The calculation indicated that a crystalline structure became unstable at a critical strain value. Qualitative agreement was obtained between the calculated and experimental values of the changes in the shear elastic constant and the lattice parameter at the instability point
Thiamine, riboflavin, and ascorbic acid levels in infant formulas manufactured in the United States

Abstract Seventy-six milk- and soy-based infant formula samples from four manufacturers were assayed for thiamine, riboflavin, and ascorbic acid. Mean vitamin levels per 100 kcal in milk formulas were 162.7 jug of thiamine, 261.0 μg of riboflavin, and 15.3 mg of ascorbic acid. Means for soy formulas were 145.0 μg of thiamine, 106.7 μ of riboflavin, and 15.3 mg of ascorbic acid. All met the requirements of the 1980 Infant Formula Act. Three formulas contained thiamine levels lower than the label declarations and two formulas contained less riboflavin than the declared amount. All ascorbic acid levels were above the declared amounts. Significant differences were found in the vitamin levels in formulas produced by different manufacturers. For a 6-kg infant, approximately 1 liter of formula would provide the recommended energy intake of 690 kcal and would provide thiamine, riboflavin, and ascorbic acid in amounts well above the RDA for each vitamin.
#113-S life expectancy in a long lived population

Abstract PURPOSE: To evaluate the changes in age-specific life expectancy and rate of aging from 1960 to 1988 for males and females in the Adventist Mortality Study (AMS) (n = 27517) and the Adventist Health Study (AHS) (n = 34192) combined. The data are also used to model changes in life expectancy and mortality rate in the future using the Lee-Carter model. Differences in life expectancy by subgroups with different life styles are explored. The life styles considered were physical inactivity, diet, smoking status, and educational level. METHODS: We used the abridged life table to calculate life expectancy for all-cause mortality for the ages 30–49 and every five-year interval up to 100 years of age. We used the Lee-Carter method to model life expectancy in the near future. We also used the Multivariate Multiple Decrement Life Table Analysis Program (MMDLP) to calculate the life expectancies after adjusting for confounders. The model is basically non-parametric except for a proportional hazard assumption and the time variable is attained age. We also modeled the life expectancies using linear regression. RESULTS: Subjects with a healthy lifestyle had a higher life expectancy. For all age groups, the life expectancy increased linearly from 1960 to 1988. For males, the life expectancy was 26.04 years for subjects 50-54 years in 1960 versus 30.29 in the year 1988. For males 90–94 years of age the life expectancy was 3.29 years in 1960 versus 3.71 in the year 1988. Mortality rates decreased from 0.00823 in 1960 to 0.00294 in 1988 for males 50–54 year of age and from 0.030 in 1960 to 0.2391 in 1988 for males 90–94 years of age. For females 50–54 years of age, the life expectancy increased from 26.65 in 1960 to 34.34 in the year 1988. For females 90–94 years of ages, it increased from 4.83 in 1960 to 4.95 in 1988. The mortality rates for females 50-54 years of age decreased from 0.00675 in 1960 to 0.00276 in 1988 and from 0.16941 in 1960 to 0.16220 in 1988 for females 90–94 years of age. CONCLUSION: Even in the oldest old (95+ for males and 100+ for females), there was an increase in life expectancy and decrease in mortality rate from 1960 to 1988. The negative intercept on the regression lines at older ages may indicate that the life expectancy has not always increased linearly prior to 1960.
Contribution of salts to the water potential of woody plants

Abstract Water potentials of a wide variety of desert and nondesert plant species grown in a glasshouse were measured with a pressure bomb and compared with cation concentrations in leaves. Only part of the variation in water potential among all the species was due to salt present in plants (as measured as mequiv. total cations or as % Cl), whereas most of the water potential within some halophyte species was due to the salt present in the plants. Water potentials of two Atriplex species which are halophytes decreased considerably with increased applications of NaCl. For two of the most successful nonhalophyte species in the Northern Mojave Desert ( Larrea tridentata and Krameria parvifolia ) their low negative water potentials were not caused by their cation concentrations which are relatively low, but by unknown factors associated with resistance to water loss.
A tailshock-restraint technique for acute induction of gastric lesions in rats

A procedure using tailshock plus body restraint is described for the rapid induction (6 h) of glandular stomach lesions in the rat. In a group of 50 rats, a 92% ulceration rate was achieved.
Hydrogen enhances the stability of glutamic acid in hydrothermal environments

Abstract The potential for chemical evolution of complex organic molecules such as peptides in hydrothermal environments requires the persistence of the component amino acids under such conditions. Here, we show experimentally that the redox state (activity of H2) of the aqueous fluids plays a key role in the stability of glutamic acid during hydrothermal processes. The results demonstrate that highly reducing redox conditions imposed by elevated concentrations of dissolved H2 suppresses the oxidative decomposition of glutamic acid at elevated temperatures. Our experimental data support proposals that amino acids may persist, albeit metastably, under geochemically relevant hydrothermal conditions. The reduced nature of deep-sea vent fluids might have been a critical parameter in sustaining the needed ingredients for the origin of life on the early Earth, and may currently play a role in facilitating the persistence of biomolecules supporting heterotrophic microbial communities in modern near-seafloor hydrothermal environments.
Cell behavior and actomyosin organization in Dictyostelium during substrate exploration.

The behavior of individual Dictyostelium amebae was quantitatively analyzed with the computer-assisted "Dynamic Morphology System" (Soil, Voss, Varnum-Finney and Wessels, (1988) J. Cell. Biochem., 37: 177-192.). The same amoebae were then fixed and analyzed for filamentous (F-) actin and myosin (myosin-II, or "coventional" myosin) by fluorescence microscopy using the "agar-overlay method" (Yumura, and Fukui (1985) Nature, 314: 194-196.). This procedure provides a novel description of the behavior and morphometric changes preceding the static analysis of cytoskeletal organization in the same cell. It is demonstrated that when translocating cells make contact with an etched-smooth glass interface, 14 % cross the interface, 20 %either reverse direction or migrate along the interface, and the remaining 45 % stay at the site. Cells contacting the interface from the smooth or etched side show equivalent behavioral responses. Upon contact with the interface, they project numerous lamellipodia and pseudopodia. While the lamellipodial projections exhibit cycles of spreading and retraction, the pseudopodia show lateral scanning motion, analogous to "substrate exploration" in fibroblasts (Albrecht-Buehler (1976) J. Cell Biol., 69: 275-286.). F-actin is localized in the lamellipodia and pseudopodia of amoebae contacting the interface. There is also discernable cortical F-actin, while conventional myosin appears to be excluded from the cortex and dispersed throughout the cytoplasm. The myosin displays a transient filamentous lattice at the base of newly forming lamellipodia. The ultrastructural study suggests that the new lamellipodia are formed on the dorsal surface and subsequently make contact with the substrate, indicating the dorsoventral sequence of polarity of the motile/sensory cellular organs. The present study demonstrates substrate exploration in Dictyostelium amoebae, and suggests its coupling to dynamic reorganization of the actomyosin cytoskeleton. The possible role of single-headed small myosin(s) (myosin-I, or minimyosin) is discussed.
Loss of whole-tree hydraulic conductance during severe drought and multi-year forest die-off

Understanding the pathways through which drought stress kills woody vegetation can improve projections of the impacts of climate change on ecosystems and carbon-cycle feedbacks. Continuous in situ measurements of whole trees during drought and as trees die hold promise to illuminate physiological pathways but are relatively rare. We monitored leaf characteristics, water use efficiency, water potentials, branch hydraulic conductivity, soil moisture, meteorological variables, and sap flux on mature healthy and sudden aspen decline-affected (SAD) trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) ramets over two growing seasons, including a severe summer drought. We calculated daily estimates of whole-ramet hydraulic conductance and modeled whole-ramet assimilation. Healthy ramets experienced rapid declines of whole-ramet conductance during the severe drought, providing an analog for what likely occurred during the previous drought that induced SAD. Even in wetter periods, SAD-affected ramets exhibited fivefold lower whole-ramet hydraulic conductance and sevenfold lower assimilation than counterpart healthy ramets, mediated by changes in leaf area, water use efficiency, and embolism. Extant differences between healthy and SAD ramets reveal that ongoing multi-year forest die-off is primarily driven by loss of whole-ramet hydraulic capability, which in turn limits assimilation capacity. Branch-level measurements largely captured whole-plant hydraulic limitations during drought and mortality, but whole-plant measurements revealed a potential role of other losses in the hydraulic continuum. Our results highlight the importance of a whole-tree perspective in assessing physiological pathways to tree mortality and indicate that the effects of mortality on these forests’ assimilation and productivity are larger than expected based on canopy leaf area differences.
Measuring willingness-to-pay for wetlands preservation with the contingent valuation method

Preservation of bottomland hardwood forest wetlands is threatened by pressure from surface coal mining activities in the western Kentucky coalfield. The contingent valuation, survey method was used to measure the economic benefits (willingness-to-pay) of preserving the Clear Creek wetland, the largest wetland area in the coalfield, from surface coal mining. Results indicated that Kentucky households are willing to pay between $6 and $13, in the form of voluntary contributions to a hypothetical “Wetland Preservation Fund,” for preservation. Mine reclamation as a substitute for preservation recreational use of wetlands by survey respondents, conservation club membership, and age are determinants of willingness-to-pay. Annual aggregate benefits of Clear Creek wetland preservation are estimated to be between $2.94 million and $19 million depending on aggregation assumptions.
Early inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system improves the long-term graft survival of single pediatric donor kidneys transplanted in adult recipients.

Summary Transplanting single pediatric donor kidneys into adult recipients has an increased risk of hyperfiltration injury and graft loss. It is unknown if renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blockers are beneficial in this setting. We retrospectively analyzed 94 adults who received single kidneys from donors <10 years old during 1996–2009. The recipients were divided into group 1 with RAS blockers (n = 40) and group 2 without RAS blockers (n = 54) in the first year of transplant. There was no significant difference in any donor/recipient demographic between the two groups. Graft function, incidence of delayed graft function, acute rejection, and persistent proteinuria were not statistically different either. Kaplan–Meier estimated death-censored graft survivals were significantly better in group 1 than in group 2: 95 vs. 81.2%, 82.4 vs. 61.2%, 72.6 vs. 58.5%, and 68.5 vs. 47.2% at 1, 3, 5, and 7 years, respectively (log rank P = 0.043). Multivariable analysis found persistent proteinuria was a risk factor for graft loss (OR 2.70, 95% CI 1.33–5.49, P = 0.006), while RAS blockers reduced the risk of graft loss (OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.18–0.79, P = 0.009). Early RAS blockade therapy in the first year of transplant is associated with superior long-term graft survival among adults transplanted with single pediatric donor kidneys.
ORLaND: A proposed facility to investigate neutrino properties relevant to astrophysics

Abstract ORLaND, the Oak Ridge Laboratory for Neutrino Detectors, is a proposed underground facility adjacent to the target station of the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS). The 1.3 GeV , 2 MW beam of protons striking the Hg target in 60 Hz , 600 ns pulses will be the world's most powerful source of intermediate energy ν μ , ν e and ν μ . The possible experiments relevant to astrophysics are discussed. This laboratory is planned as a general user facility with space enough for a 2000 ton Cerenkov detector and 5 or 6 smaller detectors of between 50 and 200 ons . A proposed program is discussed that includes the following cross sections measuremets as examples: 2 D(ν e , e − )pp, 16 O(ν e , e − ) 16 F, 56 Fe(ν e , e − ) 56 Co , and many other reactions. A program of research and development of neutral current experiments is also planned.
Spectral narrowing and stabilization of thulium fiber lasers using guided-mode resonance filters

Guided mode resonance filters (GMRF) were used to spectrally-stabilize and line-narrow the output spectrum from Tm fiber lasers operating in the 2 μm wavelength regime. The GMRFs were placed in the output path of an amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) light source and the transmitted light was measured as a notch in the spectrum on resonance. The GMRFs were characterized to determine their peak reflectivity, resonance wavelength, and spectral linewidth of each element. These measurements showed various resonance wavelengths and linewidths varying from 0.50-1.5 nm depending on the individual GMRF parameters. Using GMRFs as feedback elements in Tm fiber laser oscillators resulted in output powers up to 10 W and slope efficiencies of 30-45% with respect to launched 790 nm pump power. In order to scale to higher powers and maintain narrow linewidths, a master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) setup was employed with a GMRF stabilized master oscillator. In addition to the laser and amplifier characteristics, thermal and damage testing of the GMRFs is reported.
Insulin and insulin-like activity in serum and extravascular fluid

In fasted, fed or i. v. glucose injected rats, the close approximation between immuno-reactive insulin (IRI) and insulin-like activity (ILA) in the abdominal lymph, contrasts with the high discrepancy between IRI and ILA in the corresponding serum. Implications of the physiological role of IRI and ILA are discussed.
Gatekeepers of the Urban Commons? Vigilant Citizenship and Neoliberal Space in Multiethnic Paris

This article draws from ethnographic research on a recently built park in one of Paris' predominately West African and Maghrebi districts. It demonstrates how urban design is used to “build-in” neoliberal subjectivities to the city. This design approach appropriates a tradition of street democracy held by neighborhood associations and redirects their disproportionately middle class, French membership into managerial roles traditionally held by municipal agencies. This neoliberal political subjectivity, which I term vigilant citizenship, makes monitoring and controlling the social composition of the urban commons a form of civic engagement for middle class urbanites. In Paris, this vigilance is fueled by anxieties over the presence of West African and Maghrebi youth in public spaces. Activists do not passively adopt this neoliberal role; they strike a delicate balance as gatekeepers, weighing inclusion against an expectation to maintain a “successful” public space conforming to a republican model of citizenship.
Elliptical Pin Fins as an Alternative to Circular Pin Fins for Gas Turbine Blade Cooling Applications: Part 1 — Endwall Heat Transfer and Total Pressure Loss Characteristics

Detailed experimental investigation of the wall heat transfer enhancement and total pressure loss characteristics for two alternative elliptical pin fin arrays is conducted and the results are compared to the conventional circular pin fin arrays. Two different elliptical pin fin geometries with different major axis lengths are tested, both having a minor axis length equal to the circular fin diameter and positioned at zero degrees angle of attack to the free stream flow. The major axis lengths for the two elliptical fins are 1.67 and 2.5 times the circular fin diameter, respectively. The pin fin arrays with H/D = 1.5 are positioned in a staggered 2 row configuration with 3 fins in the first row and 2 fins in the second row with S/D = X/D = 2. Endwall heat transfer and total pressure loss measurements are performed two diameter downstream of the pin fin arrays (X/D = 2) in a rectangular cross-section tunnel with an aspect ratio of 4.8 and for varying Reynolds numbers between 10000 and 47000 based on the inlet velocity and the fin diameter. Liquid Crystal Thermography is used for the measurement of convective heat transfer coefficient distributions on the endwall inside the wake. The results show that the wall heat transfer enhancement capability of the circular pin fin array is about 25–30% higher than the elliptical pin fin arrays in average. However in terms of total pressure loss, the circular pin fin arrays generate 100–200% more pressure loss than the elliptical pin fin arrays. This makes the elliptical fin arrays very promising cooling devices as an alternative to conventional circular pin fin arrays used in gas turbine blade cooling applications.© 2001 ASME
On Exchange Rates and Economic Growth

Abstract Extending Ireland's (1994) model, this paper analyzes an international economy where cash or credit can be used for payment. Foreign trade credit is more costly than its domestic analog. A depreciation of the real exchange rate is associated with an external surplus and a reduced share of imports purchased with credit. Economic growth slows when foreign trade credit becomes the predominant means of payment for international transactions. A country with high inflation exports its Tobin effect and thus temporarily increases world growth.
Does “Mainstreaming” Guarantee Access to Care for Medicaid Recipients with Asthma?

OBJECTIVE: Recent reforms in the federal Medicaid program have attempted to integrate beneficiaries into the mainstream by providing them with managed care options. However, the effects of mainstreaming have not been systematically evaluated.
Contrasting roles of dynamics in protein allostery: NMR and structural studies of CheY and the third PDZ domain from PSD-95

Allosteric regulation is a ubiquitous phenomenon exploited in biological processes to control cells in a myriad of ways. It is also of emerging interest in the design of functional proteins and therapeutics. Even though allostery was proposed over 50 years ago and has been studied intensively from a structural perspective, many key details of allosteric mechanisms remain mysterious. Over the last decade significant attention has been paid to the “dynamic component” of allostery, as opposed to the analysis of rigid structures. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and its ability to detect conformationally dynamic processes at atomic resolution have played an important role in expanding our understanding of allosteric mechanisms and opening up new questions. This article focuses on work that highlights how protein dynamics can factor into allosteric processes in distinct ways. Two cases are contrasted. The first considers the “traditionally allosteric” protein CheY, which undergoes a conformational change as a key element of its allostery. The second considers the more rarely observed “dynamic allostery” in a PDZ domain, in which allosteric behavior arises from changes in internal structural dynamics. Interestingly, the dynamic processes in these two contrasting examples occur on different timescales. In the case of the PDZ domain, subsequent experimental and computational work is reviewed to reveal a more complete picture of this interesting case of allostery.
Globalizing the Nation-State: The Shipping Container and American Infrastructure

This article focuses on the impact of the shipping container on the trucking and railroad infrastructures of the USA, and describes how global containerization and American transportation have mutually influenced each other. As the container moves not only over the ocean but also within national territories, its use represents a globalizing of the infrastructure, territory, and internal workings of the nation-state. The national scale, once dominant, gives way to a multiplicity of scalar relations. Yet because the container functions by using existing transportation infrastructures, it forms a network dependent on the systems and practices of the nation-state. Globalization in this case is not a top-down phenomenon whereby the global exerts its will upon other scales that can only react, but a more complex process in which a variety of scales and actors possess agency and power.
GFP for in vivo imaging of subcellular structures in plant cells

This work is supported by grants to Maureen R. Hanson from the National Research Initiative Growth and Development Program of the US Dept of Agriculture (96-35304-3865) and the Energy Biosciences Program of the Dept of Energy (DE-FG02-89ER14030); and grants to Watt W. Webb by the National Science Foundation (DIR8800278) and National Institutes of Health (RR04224 and R07719).
Generation and detection of terahertz electromagnetic pulses from semiconductors with femtosecond optics

Abstract The basic concepts and preliminary applications of THz photoconductive radiation from semiconductors are presented. We have studied THz radiation from different metallic electrodes with different geometries. We also report the experimental results from unbiased semiconductors with different surface and interfacial conditions, including chemically etched surfaces and metal/semiconductor interfaces.
Fascism and Aesthetics: Joseph Goebbel's Novel Michael: A German Fate Through the Pages of a Diary (1929)

Summary This essay attempts to document the relationship between politics and aesthetics in general by using the specific example of Goebbels' prose work, Michael to illustrate the close identity between fascist thinking and aesthetic theories. Even though Goebbels has received ample attention in his capacity as Propagandaminister, Goebbels the artist manque has been accorded only the scantest of interest. Significantly his Promovierung at the University of Heidelberg in 1921 deals with “Wilhelm Schutz: A Contribution to the History of the Drama of the Romantic School.” He wrote a substantial amount of poetry as well as several plays and essays. Initially, Goebbels attempted to become associated with the Gundolf circle in order to promote his literary efforts, without much success, though. Michael is by no means a work of aesthetic merit. Its sole significance for German intellectual history lies in its ability to demonstrate rather persuasively the fascist credo that the politician engages in a creative act, i.e. as a sculptor who gives form to the masses that constitute his material, and as a painter whose creative endeavor corresponds to the activity of the statesman. The numerous references in Michael to German literature and philosophy provide additional proof of the close affinity between National Socialist ideas in the realm of politics and art. The results of this asthetisierung der Politik (Benjamin) can be summarized in terms of fascist politics as a Gesamtkunstwerk and the state as a work of art.
Abstract 3977: Mark cancer cells for CTL attack through coating with viral antigenic peptides.

Selectively coating tumor cells with foreign antigenic peptide may render coated tumor susceptible to immune recognition and elimination, thereby bypassing immune tolerance. Here we create a therapeutic chimeric protein comprised of a tumor-homing module fused to a functional cargo domain containing foreign antigenic peptide. The tumor-homing module is comprised of mesothelin-specific single chain variable fragment that specifically binds to mesothelin, commonly overexpressed in ovarian tumors. The functional cargo domain is comprised of Fc (IgG2a) protein and MHC class I-restricted foreign CD8+ T cell epitope flanked by furin cleavage sites, which can be recognized by furin highly expressed in the tumor microenvironment. We show that our therapeutic protein specifically loaded antigenic epitope onto MHC class I of bound tumor cells, rendering them susceptible to antigen-specific CD8+ T cell-mediated killing for potent antitumor effects in vitro and in vivo. Our findings have important implications for bypassing immune tolerance to enhance cancer immunotherapy.Selectively coating tumor cells with foreign antigenic peptide may render coated tumor susceptible to immune recognition and elimination, thereby bypassing immune tolerance. Here we create a therapeutic chimeric protein comprised of a tumor-homing module fused to a functional cargo domain containing foreign antigenic peptide. The tumor-homing module is comprised of mesothelin-specific single chain variable fragment that specifically binds to mesothelin, commonly overexpressed in ovarian tumors. The functional cargo domain is comprised of Fc (IgG2a) protein and MHC class I-restricted foreign CD8+ T cell epitope flanked by furin cleavage sites, which can be recognized by furin highly expressed in the tumor microenvironment. We show that our therapeutic protein specifically loaded antigenic epitope onto MHC class I of bound tumor cells, rendering them susceptible to antigen-specific CD8+ T cell-mediated killing for potent antitumor effects in vitro and in vivo. Our findings have important implications for bypassing immune tolerance to enhance cancer immunotherapy. Citation Format: Chien-Fu Hung. Mark cancer cells for CTL attack through coating with viral antigenic peptides. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3977. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-3977
Beliefs about medication and dietary compliance in people with heart failure: an instrument development study.

Abstract BACKGROUND: Sodium retention is often a precursor to hospitalization in people with heart failure (HF). Lack of compliance with medications and with dietary sodium restrictions affects sodium retention. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Beliefs about Medication Compliance Scale and the Beliefs about Dietary Compliance Scale. METHODS: The Beliefs about Medication Compliance Scale and the Beliefs about Dietary Compliance Scale are instruments we developed specifically to measure beliefs about compliance with behaviors that affect sodium retention in persons with HF. The scales, based on the Health Belief Model, were designed from a review of literature and from self-reports of people with HF. A convenience sample of 101 people with HF completed the scales. RESULTS: Internal consistency reliability was satisfactory. Factor analysis provided initial support for construct validity of the scales. CONCLUSIONS: Future testing of the scales is needed in more diverse populations. The scales can then be used to test interventions tailored to individual subjects' beliefs about compliance. (Heart Lung ® 1997;26:273-9)
Role of GABAA receptors in the ethanol-mediated inhibition of extracellular signal-regulated kinase

In the present study, we demonstrate the involvement of GABA(A) receptors in the ethanol-mediated modulation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK). Intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of ethanol (3.5 g), flurazepam (75 mg) or (+)-5-methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d] cycloheptane-5,10-iminemaleate (MK-801) (0.4 mg/kg body weight) decreased, while picrotoxin (10 mg/kg body weight) increased, the phosphorylation of ERK following 10 min of their injection. However, the picrotoxin-induced phosphorylation of ERK was inhibited by ethanol, but was not affected by MK-801. These results indicate that ethanol's inhibitory effect on ERK phosphorylation may involve the modulation of GABA(A) receptor function.
Divergent selection at ultra-low plant density for seed protein and oil content within soybean cultivars

Abstract Soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.] seed is a major source of protein for animal feed and oil for human consumption. Selection within elite soybean cultivars for the improvement of agronomic and seed traits is assumed to be ineffective due to the belief that cultivars are highly homogeneous. Previously reported data suggest that latent variation among the single plant selections within a cultivar exists and that mechanisms that generate de novo variation may also be present. The main objective of this study was to perform divergent single-plant selection at ultra-low plant density and investigate the presence of genetic variation for seed protein and oil within three elite soybean cultivars. A secondary objective was to investigate the variation for fatty acid composition. In 1995, single plants from the three cultivars were grown in a honeycomb design using a plant-to-plant spacing of 0.9 m. A total of 333 plants from ‘Benning’, 392 plants from ‘Haskell’, and 371 plants from ‘Cook’ were evaluated. Divergent single-plant selection for protein and oil content was performed to select a total of 20 plants for high or low protein and 20 plants for high or low oil from each cultivar. The selected plants were further evaluated in replicated row-plot experiments for 3 years. Our results indicate that single-plant selection at low plant density was successful in discovering significant variation for seed protein and oil within each of the three soybean cultivars. For protein content, the magnitude of intra-cultivar variation between the highest- and lowest-protein lines averaged 19 g kg −1 across the three cultivars and ranged from 13 to 24 g kg −1 . For oil composition, the magnitude of variation between the most divergent lines averaged 12 g kg −1 across the three cultivars and ranged from 9 to 14 g kg −1 . Significant variation among the selected progeny lines was also discovered for specific fatty acid composition. The magnitude of intra-cultivar variation averaged from 6 to 29 g kg −1 across the five fatty acids of soybean. The genetic variation discovered within the soybean cultivars is most likely due to latent variation and/or newly created variation. Our data provide evidence that single-plant selection at ultra-low plant density within elite cultivars can be effective in improving the seed composition of a soybean cultivar.
Supporting newly hired teachers of science: attaining teacher professional standards

National standards for teachers are becoming more common. For newly hired teachers of science (NHTS), these standards have implications for how they are prepared and supported in their early years. In order to guide educators who prepare and study teachers of science and support NHTS, this review examines 30 years of research pertaining to teachers of science in their first five years of teaching. An examination of several national standards documents resulted in six broad areas that frame this review: Content and Curricular Knowledge, Learners and Learning, Professional Practice and Learning Environments, Equity, Assessment and Professionalism. It is evident from the review of identified articles that NHTS are capable of much more than has been envisioned and discussed previously, and that they are in a unique period in which their knowledge and abilities are being modified rapidly. This review points to the need for well-configured induction programmes, and the importance of the alignment between initia...
Significance of hemolysis on extracorporeal life support after cardiac surgery in children

Hemolysis is common during extracorporeal life support (ECLS). Elevated levels of circulating plasma free hemoglobin (FHb) has been linked to the development of hemoglobinuria nephropathy. Its clinical significance in patients receiving ECLS remains unknown. Medical records of 104 children <3 years old who required ECLS after repair of congenital heart disease were reviewed. Forty-two patients required continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) during ECLS (CRRT group), and 62 patients did not (no-CRRT group). For all patients, FHb level and the degree of fluid overload at the end of ECLS predicted the mortality rate during ECLS. Compared with the no-CRRT group, the CRRT group had a higher mortality rate during ECLS, a higher peak FHb level during ECLS, a higher FHb level at the end of ECLS, and more days of ECLS. In the CRRT group, the FHb level at the end of ECLS predicted death during ECLS. In the no-CRRT group, the peak FHb level was associated with a worse renal function. In conclusion, elevated FHb levels were associated with renal dysfunction and death during ECLS in children undergoing cardiac surgery. Further studies are needed to elucidate the cause-effect relationship in our findings.
Sample size determination for p-charts

Two types of decision errors can be made when using a quality control chart for non-conforming units (p-chart). A Type I error occurs when the process is not out of control but a search for an assignable cause is performed unnecessarily. A Type II error occurs when the process is out of control but a search for an assignable cause is not performed. The probability of a Type I error is under direct control of the decision-maker while the probability of a Type II error depends, in part, on the sample size. A simple sample size formula is presented for determining the required sample size for a p-chart with specified probabilities of Type I and Type II errors.
Employee attitudes toward whistleblowing: Management and public policy implications

Managers of organizations should be aware of the attitudes of employees concerning whistleblowing. Employee views should affect how employers choose to respond to whistleblowers through the evolving law of wrongful discharge. This article reports on a survey of employee attitudes toward the legal protection of whistleblowers and presents an analysis of the results of that survey. Among the most significant findings of the survey are: These findings have important implications for both management and public policy. Organizations that want to encourage whistleblowing clearly must protect whistleblowers from retaliation, while organizations that do not encourage whistleblowing may want to reconsider that policy. The survey results also have implications in the handling of individual whistleblowers. From a public policy perspective, the survey results provide support for increasing the legal protection of whistleblowers. On the other hand, any such increase in whistleblower protection should considerr the importance of employee loyalty and managerial discretion.
p38 Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Is a Critical Component of the Redox-sensitive Signaling Pathways Activated by Angiotensin II ROLE IN VASCULAR SMOOTH MUSCLE CELL HYPERTROPHY

Angiotensin II induces an oxidant stress-dependent hypertrophy in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells. To investigate the growth-related molecular targets of H2O2, we examined the redox sensitivity of agonist-stimulated activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family. We show here that angiotensin II elicits a rapid increase in intracellular H2O2 and a rapid and robust phosphorylation of both p42/44MAPK (16-fold) and p38MAPK (15-fold). However, exogenous H2O2 activates only p38MAPK (14-fold), and diphenylene iodonium, an NADH/NADPH oxidase inhibitor, attenuates angiotensin II-stimulated phosphorylation of p38MAPK, but not p42/44MAPK. Furthermore, in cells stably transfected with human catalase, angiotensin II-induced intracellular H2O2 generation is almost completely blocked, resulting in inhibition of phosphorylation of p38MAPK, but not p42/44MAPK, and a subsequent partial decrease in angiotensin II-induced hypertrophy. Specific inhibition of either the p38MAPK pathway with SB203580 (4-(4-fluorophenyl)-2-(4-methylsulfinylphenyl)-5-(4-pyridyl)1H-imidazole) or the p42/44MAPK pathway with PD98059 (2-(2′-amino-3′-methoxyphenyl)oxanaphthalen-4-one) also partially, but significantly, attenuates angiotensin II-induced hypertrophy; however, simultaneous blockade of both pathways has an additive inhibitory effect, indicating that the hypertrophic response to angiotensin II requires parallel, independent activation of both MAPK pathways. These results provide the first evidence that p38MAPK is a critical component of the oxidant stress (H2O2)-sensitive signaling pathways activated by angiotensin II in vascular smooth muscle cells and indicate that it plays a crucial role in vascular hypertrophy.