cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The characterization of willow (Salix L.) varieties for use in ecological engineering applications: Co-ordination of structure, function and autecology

Abstract The rapid development of innovative and highly specialized ecotechnologies targeting site-specific problems and pollutants requires precisely tailored designs. The proper selection of remedial plant genotypes that possess the correct structure and function to effectively address a specific problem is a vital step in the design of ecological engineering applications because numerous essential traits must be evaluated to maximize the effectiveness of each installation. Knowledge about the biology of willow species from decades of research as a perennial biomass crop has recently been applied to resolving an array of environmental and ecological problems. Here, essential characteristics of Salix varieties that are pertinent to ecological engineering are described and related to particular ecotechnologies. We identified thirty-six agronomical, physiological, and ecological attributes of willow that provide a framework for species selection and assist in the identification of site-specific functional types of willows for land reclamation, phytoremediation, bioengineering, and agroforestry.
An investigation on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emissions from pulverized coal combustion systems

Abstract Results from a series of tests conducted to study the emission of polynuclear or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from bench-scale and small industrial, water-tube boiler are discussed. A Middle Kittanning, and Upper Freeport seam coals were used in the study. Samples were extracted from the reactor outlet and from the inlet and outlet sides of the research boiler's (RB) baghouse using EPA promulgated methods. Only acenaphthene and fluoranthene were detected in down-fired combustor (DFC) samples. In addition to these two, naphthalene was detected in the RB samples. Emission factors ranged from 80 to 320 μg/kg of fuel fired. Although there were minor trends in the emissions' data, given the reproducibility limits for PAH compounds, no significant differences were found in the emissions with respect to the fuel type or form (pulverized coal (PC) vs. coal–water slurry fuel (CWSF), and raw vs. cleaned coal) and firing conditions (high and low excess air). The PAH emissions showed a decrease with increase in the firing rate. A bench-scale drop-tube reactor (DTR) was used to study the effects of temperature and residence time on PAH formation. The results revealed near constant PAH concentrations in the solid-phase samples, while the PAH concentrations in the vapor-phase samples increased as a function of temperature. At a temperature of around 1300°C, the rate of PAH formation was exceeded by the rate of PAH oxidation, and PAH concentrations in the vapor phase began to decrease.
Separations of Compounds of Biological and Environmental Interest by Micellar Electrokinetic Capillary Chromatography

Abstract Important criteria for the effective separation of compounds of biological or environmental interest by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography are discussed. Efficiencies of approximately 100,000 plates/meter are achieved in the separations of samples of defivatized amines, aflatoxins, and hydroxy aromatic compounds. Laser fluorometric detection is shown to be capable of detecting subpicogram injected quantities. Organic solvents such as 2-propanol and acetonitrile are added to the aqueous mobile phases normally used to improve the separation of hydrophobic compounds, impart different selectiv-ities, and provide a means for gradient programming. Column diameter is found to influence efficiency, analysis time, and detection.
Postdinner resistance exercise improves postprandial risk factors more effectively than predinner resistance exercise in patients with type 2 diabetes

Abnormally elevated postprandial glucose and triacylglycerol (TAG) concentrations are risk factors for cardiovascular disease in type 2 diabetes. The most effective time to exercise to lower postpr...
The successful developmental state: Where does it come from?

Abstract In this paper it is taken for granted that the state has played an important role in the industrialization of East Asia. Accepting this, the purpose of the paper is to determine why government policy was so effective in these countries while failing, to a great extent, in much of the rest of the developing world. The key seems to reside in the ability of the state to discipline firms which in turn is dependent upon the credibility of government policy. The latter depends on a large number of variables. This paper argues that a crucial factor is the size of the domestic market for manufactured goods
Investigation of the pre-edge inelastic X-ray scattering by several 3d transition-metal compounds

Abstract Spectra of X-rays scattered by compounds of 3d transition elements exhibit structure when the energies of the incident X-rays are a few electronvolts below the elements' K-absorption edge energies. This structure is the result of an inelastic scattering process and has been studied in compounds of chromium, iron and copper with a high-energy resolution wavelength-dispersive spectrometer. When the energies of the incident X-rays were tuned between the preedge peak and the absorption edge, the energy of the resonantly scattered X-rays were always measured to be equal to the energy of the characteristic Kα X-rays. This observation is in disagreement with the prediction of the present theoretical models for resonant scattering which were derived assuming the interactions to be fast collisions.
Electronic g-factor measurement from ENDOR-induced EPR patterns: malonic acid and guanine hydrochloride dihydrate.

Abstract Measurement of electronic g-factors ( g ) from radicals in irradiated organic crystals is generally difficult because the overall EPR pattern is usually the composite of several components, e.g., from multiple radicals and from multiple magnetic sites. However, when an ENDOR line is fully resolved, the method of ENDOR-induced EPR (EI-EPR, or EIE) in principle permits identification of the EPR pattern from the individual component yielding the line. To examine this method as an approach useful for measuring g , we used it to measure those of known radicals in two different crystal systems. First, to verify correspondence of the EIE and EPR sufficient for using EIE patterns to extract g , we used both EIE and EPR to measure g of CH(COOH)2 from irradiated crystals of malonic acid. Then, to illustrate the procedure applied to a system giving a more complex EPR pattern, we used EIE to measure g of the O6-protonated anion radical of guanine in irradiated guanine · HCl · 2H2O crystals. EPR results from the malonic acid radical are gmax=2.00374(2), gmid=2.00331(2), and gmin=2.00234(3); EIE results from the same radical are gmax=2.00375(2), gmid=2.00334(2), and gmin=2.00238(2), where numbers in parentheses indicate statistical uncertainties in the respective least significant digits. In addition, eigenvectors from the two sets of measurements agree to approximately 1°. Results from the guanine radical are gmax=2.00490(2), gmid=2.00318(4), and gmin=2.00218(4). (The uncertainties should reliably indicate relative accuracy, while absolute accuracy is within ±0.0002 as indicated by simultaneous measurement of Cr3+ in MgO.)
γδ T cell receptor gene expression by muscle‐infiltrating lymphocytes in the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies

Autoreactive alpha beta T cells have been implicated as playing a primary pathogenic role in a group of diseases characterized by chronic muscle inflammation known as the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM). gamma delta T cells, a distinct and enigmatic class of T cells, play a less certain role in a variety of human autoimmune diseases including the IIM. In an attempt to understand the significance of gamma delta T cells in the IIM, we utilized a sensitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique to evaluate gamma delta T cell receptor (TCR) gene expression in 45 muscle biopsies obtained from 42 IIM patients (17 polymyositis, 12 dermatomyositis, and 13 inclusion body myositis). gamma delta TCR gene expression was not detected in 36 specimens, the majority of muscle biopsies surveyed. gamma delta TCR gene expression by muscle-infiltrating lymphocytes was detected among nine clinically heterogeneous patients. We further analysed the junctional sequence composition of the V gamma 3 and V delta 1 transcripts, whose expression was prominent among gamma delta positive patients. DNA sequence analysis of V gamma 3 amplification products from two patients revealed the presence of several productively rearranged transcripts with amino acid sequence similarities within the V gamma 3-N-J gamma junctional domain. No amino acid sequence similarities were evident within the V delta-N-D delta-N-J delta region of V delta 1 transcripts amplified from four patients, although a distinct and dominant clonotype was detected from each patient. Our cumulative data suggest that unlike alpha beta T cells, gamma delta T cells do not play a prominent pathologic role in the IIM. In fact, the sporadic nature of gamma delta TCR gene expression detected among these patients implies that gamma delta T cell infiltration, when it occurs, is a secondary event perhaps resulting from non-specific inflammatory processes.
Wave–particle duality of a photon in emission

The wave–particle duality of a photon in emission is demonstrated by measuring the interference between spontaneous emissions in nearly opposite directions from a thin layer of organic dye. The interference is the product of a single photon from a single-emission process. It is shown that the Heisenberg uncertainty relation requires that the interference generated by the spontaneously emitted photon and the recoil transferred to the molecule by the emission cannot be observed simultaneously.
Maximum likelihood autocalibration

This paper addresses the problem of autocalibration, which is a critical step in existing uncalibrated structure from motion algorithms that utilize an initialization to avoid the local minima in metric bundle adjustment. Currently, all known direct (not non-linear) solutions to the uncalibrated structure from motion problem solve for a projective reconstruction that is related to metric by some unknown homography, and hence a necessary step in obtaining a metric reconstruction is the subsequent estimation of the rectifying homography, known as autocalibration. Although autocalibration is a well-studied problem, previous approaches have relied upon heuristic objective functions, and have a reputation for instability. We propose a maximum likelihood objective and show that it can be implemented robustly and efficiently and often provides substantially greater accuracy, especially when there are fewer views or greater noise.
Relationships among properties of marine stratocumulus derived from collocated CALIPSO and MODIS observations

[1] Collocated Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) imagery and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) 532 nm total attenuated backscatter coefficients were used to identify 50 km scale segments for ocean regions that had only a single layer of marine stratocumulus. On the basis of whether the underlying ocean surface was detected in the backscatter coefficients, the segments were separated into those for which all of the 1 km MODIS pixels were identified as being overcast (no surface detected) and those for which there were breaks in the cloud layer (surface detected). Cloud properties for the collocated MODIS pixels were obtained from the MODIS MOD06 cloud product and from a retrieval scheme designed to account for broken clouds within imager pixels. For the 50 km overcast segments the variations in optical depth, τ, and droplet effective radius, Re, obtained from the MOD06 and partly cloudy pixel retrievals were in agreement, and the variations in layer temperature were consistent with those inferred from the CALIPSO backscatter coefficients. In addition, the droplet effective radii retrieved separately using the 1.6, 2.1, and 3.7 μm MODIS reflectances were consistent with droplets growing as clouds thickened and mean values of dlnRe/dlnτ were close to 0.2, as predicted by adiabatic cloud parcel models. When the segments contained broken clouds, however, the droplet effective radii for the three near-infrared wavelengths were inconsistent with droplets growing as clouds thickened and dlnRe/dlnτ departed from 0.2. This breakdown is thought to result from biases in the retrieved cloud properties caused by subpixel-scale variations in liquid water amount and droplet radius.
Divergent polyamine metabolism in the Apicomplexa.

The lead enzymes of polyamine biosynthesis, i.e. ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) and arginine decarboxylase (ADC), were not detected in Toxoplasma gondii [the limit of detection for ODC and ADC was 5 pmol min−1 (mg protein)−1], indicating that T. gondii lacks a forward-directed polyamine biosynthetic pathway, and is therefore a polyamine auxotroph. The biochemical results were supported by results obtained from data-mining the T. gondii genome. However, it was possible to demonstrate the presence of a highly active backconversion pathway that formed spermidine from spermine, and putrescine from spermidine, via the combined action of spermidine/spermine N 1-acetyltransferase (SSAT) or spermidine N 1-acetyltransferase (SAT) and polyamine oxidase (PAO). With spermine as the substrate, T. gondii SSAT had a specific activity of 1.84 nmol min−1 (mg protein)−1, and an apparent K m for spermine of 180 mM; with spermidine as the substrate, the SAT had a specific activity of 3.95 nmol min−1 (mg protein)−1, and a K m for spermidine of 240 mM. T. gondii PAO had a specific activity of 10.6 nmol min−1 (mg protein)−1, and a K m for acetylspermine of 36 mM. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that T. gondii SSAT was 50 % inhibited by 30 mM di(ethyl)norspermine. The parasite actively transported arginine and ornithine, which were converted via the arginine dihydrolase pathway to citrulline and carbamoyl phosphate, resulting in the formation of ATP via carbamate kinase. The lack of polyamine biosynthesis by T. gondii is contrasted with polyamine metabolism by other apicomplexans.
High Spatial-Resolution Land Cover Classification and Wetland Mapping over Large Areas Using Integrated Geospatial Technologies

Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) and wetland classification maps are an important prerequisite for many environmental studies. In order to produce accurate LULC and wetland maps at high spatialresolution, a new approach was developed to integrate image classifications, spatial data layers, and analysis methods using Python scripting. Both Maximum Likelihood and Object-based Feature Extraction were adopted into the LULC classification. A spatial analysis approach was applied to wetland mapping based on available wetland inventories and soil data. Python scripts were created and used to automate these processes for each of the 30 reference sites across Minnesota and Wisconsin of the United States, which encompassed the entire study site. Results demonstrated that the proposed method allowed for the integration of geospatial data of varying sources and qualities to produce accurate LULC and wetland maps effectively. The results of accuracy assessment indicated that the classification maps for Minnesota and Wisconsin were of comparable quality. The objectbased classifier extracted LULC effectively from the Wisconsin imagery with acceptable accuracy despite lacking of the NIR spectral band. These maps were used as inputs to create a hydro geomorphicap-proach (HGM) guidebook (Hauer and Smith 1998) for both states (Cook et al. unpublished). The Python-based technique was found to be especially beneficial when dealing with big datasets over large study areas, as it allowed batch processing.
Discovery of New Oxygen Evolution Reaction Electrocatalysts by Combinatorial Investigation of the Ni–La–Co–Ce Oxide Composition Space

We report a new family of earth-abundant electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) discovered via high-throughput screening of 1771 discrete metal oxide compositions covering the nickel–lanthanum–cobalt–cerium composition space. The catalytic performance of each of these compositions was measured under conditions applicable to distributed solar fuel generation using a three-electrode scanning-drop electrochemical cell. These high-throughput measurements show enhanced activity for catalyst compositions containing 20–65 metal atom % Ce. The catalytic activity and stability of a representative highly active composition (Ni_(0.1)La_(0.1)Co_(0.3)Ce_(0.5))O_x was verified by standard rotating-disc electrochemistry. Catalysts of this composition showed stable operational performance at 10 mA cm^(−2) for 2 h and survived a 100 h endurance test in a testbed electrolyzer.
Confluence-induced alterations in CpG island methylation in cultured normal human fibroblasts

Growth constraint of bacterial and human cells has been shown to trigger genetic mutation. We questioned whether growth constraint might also trigger epigenetic mutation in the form of CpG island methylation. Logarithmically growing normal human fibro-blasts (NHF) displayed little (0-15%) CpG methylation in select regions of three CpG islands [estrogen receptor (ER), E-cadherin (ECAD) and O (6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT)] examined. NHF grown to and left at confluence for 2-21 days showed little (<10%) CpG methylation in the ER and ECAD CpG islands. These confluent, growth-arrested cells, however, displayed extensive ( approximately 50%) methylation of the MGMT CpG island. CpG methylation in the MGMT CpG island was not associated with cellular senescence. The methylation was, however, heritable, but not permanent, as the level of CpG methylation in the MGMT CpG island of cells 4 population doublings following replating after confluence were no different from those in confluent cultures, but returned to levels noted in logarithmically growing cells by 10 population doublings following replating. These results suggest that growth constraint can trigger transient epigenetic change even in normal non-senescent human cells.
Extended self: medial prefrontal activity during transient association of self and objects

The idea ofextended selfrefers to the incorporation of personally relevant external stimuli into ones concept of self. The current study used a transient imagined ownership paradigm to explore brain regions that support the association between self and objects. We hypothesized that incidental associations between self and objects would be manifested by activation in a brain region, medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), recruited in explicit self-referential processing. We further predicted that a memorial advantage for, and positivity-bias towards, self-relevant objects would be related to activity in MPFC. As anticipated, MPFC showed greater activation when objects were assigned to participants compared to when objects were assigned to another person. Activity in MPFC was also associated with superior subsequent source memory and increased preference for objects assigned to the self. These findings provide neural evidence for the incorporation of self-relevant objects into an extended self, which, in turn, increases their judged value (mere ownership effect).
Dnm1p Gtpase-Mediated Mitochondrial Fission Is a Multi-Step Process Requiring the Novel Integral Membrane Component Fis1p

Yeast Dnm1p is a soluble, dynamin-related GTPase that assembles on the outer mitochondrial membrane at sites where organelle division occurs. Although these Dnm1p-containing complexes are thought to trigger constriction and fission, little is known about their composition and assembly, and molecules required for their membrane recruitment have not been isolated. Using a genetic approach, we identified two new genes in the fission pathway, FIS1 and FIS2. FIS1 encodes a novel, outer mitochondrial membrane protein with its amino terminus exposed to the cytoplasm. Fis1p is the first integral membrane protein shown to participate in a eukaryotic membrane fission event. In a related study (Tieu, Q., and J. Nunnari. 2000. J. Cell Biol. 151:353–365), it was shown that the FIS2 gene product (called Mdv1p) colocalizes with Dnm1p on mitochondria. Genetic and morphological evidence indicate that Fis1p, but not Mdv1p, function is required for the proper assembly and distribution of Dnm1p-containing fission complexes on mitochondrial tubules. We propose that mitochondrial fission in yeast is a multi-step process, and that membrane-bound Fis1p is required for the proper assembly, membrane distribution, and function of Dnm1p-containing complexes during fission.
Reduction in the Incidence of Influenza A But Not Influenza B Associated With Use of Hand Sanitizer and Cough Hygiene in Schools: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Laboratory-based evidence is lacking regarding the efficacy of non-pharmaceutical interventions such as alcohol-based hand sanitizer and respiratory hygiene to reduce the spread of influenza.
Numerical Study of the Detonation Wave Structure in Ethylene-oxygen Mixtures

We examine a transition from a weakly to a highly unstable regime of a cellular detonation in stoichiometric ethylene-oxygen systems with varied dilution. The structure and propagation of cellular detonations is calculated using two-dimensional, time-dependent, reactive Euler fluid-dynamics algorithm. A dynamically adapting mesh is used to resolve reaction zones, shocks, contact surfaces, and vortices in flow. A simplified chemical model with Arrhenius kinetics is used for all mixtures. Effects of dilution are modeled by varying the adiabatic index γ and molecular weight of matter. Results are compared to experimental data obtained in a detonation tube by simultaneous visualization of a chemical species (OH), density gradients in the reaction zone, and to soot foil records. Due to a strong sensitivity of the post-shock temperature to variations of γ, the degree of chemical - fluid dynamics coupling inside the detonation structure varies significantly with dilution. Variations of the equation of state with dilution can account for and could be the main mechanism explaining a wide range of detonation behavior observed in the experiments.
MicroRNA expression in head and neck cancer associates with alcohol consumption and survival

The contribution of microRNAs (miRNAs) to carcinogenesis in many tumors, including head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs), is clear, but the etiology and clinical significance of their alteration remain important questions. Our previous work has identified four miRNAs as differentially expressed HNSCCs compared with non-diseased epithelia and showed that there is potential diagnostic utility in examining their expression. Here, we used quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction to determine the relative expression of these miRNAs in a larger independent case series of HNSCC tumors (n = 169), examining associations of miRNA expression with exposures and clinical features associated with HNSCC. In multivariate analyses, expression of miR-375 was shown to increase with alcohol consumption (P = 0.002) and showed higher expression in tumors of pharyngeal and laryngeal origin compared with oral tumors (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). Additionally, high miR-21 expression was associated with significantly decreased 5 year survival in patients (hazard ratio, 1.68; 95% CI: 1.04-2.77) in a model controlled for patient age, gender and tumor stage. Together, these data suggest that alterations in miRNA expression are related to exposures causal in head and neck cancer and may be useful biomarkers of patient outcome.
Evolution of Data Creation, Management, Publication, and Curation in the Research Process

Sharing research data and scholarship is of national importance because of the increased focus on maximizing return on the U.S. government's investment in research programs. Recent government policy changes have directly affected the management and accessibility of publically funded research. On January 18, 2011, the National Science Foundation, a U.S. agency that supports research and education in nonmedical fields, required that data management plans be submitted with all grant proposals. On February 22, 2013, the U.S. President's Office of Science and Technology Policy extended a similar requirement for all federal agencies with research and development budgets of more than $100 million. These requirements illustrate the need for further coordination and management of data as scholarship with traditional publications. Purdue University Libraries and its Joint Transportation Research Program (JTRP) collaborated to develop a comprehensive work flow that links technical report production with the manageme...
An energy and bandwidth efficient ray tracing architecture

We propose two hardware mechanisms to decrease energy consumption on massively parallel graphics processors for ray tracing while keeping performance high. First, we use a streaming data model and configure part of the L2 cache into a ray stream memory to enable efficient data processing through ray reordering. This increases the L1 hit rate and reduces off-chip memory accesses substantially. Second, we employ reconfigurable special-purpose pipelines than are constructed dynamically under program control. These pipelines use shared execution units (XUs) that can be configured to support the common compute kernels that are the foundation of the ray tracing algorithm, such as acceleration structure traversal and triangle intersection. This reduces the overhead incurred by memory and register accesses. These two synergistic features yield a ray tracing architecture that significantly reduces both power consumption and off-chip memory traffic when compared to a more traditional cache only approach.
Anandamide Preserves Cardiac Function and Geometry in an Acute Doxorubicin Cardiotoxicity Rat Model

We investigated the use of the endocannabinoid anandamide as a means of cardioprotection against doxorubicin-induced cardiac dysfunction. Male rats received doxorubicin with or without anandamide pretreatment. Cardiac function was assessed in vivo using transthoracic echocardiography and ex vivo using the isolated working heart 5 days posttreatment. Doxorubicin administration without anandamide pretreatment resulted in a decline in fractional shortening (P .05). These results suggest that a potential therapy for doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity involves targeting the endogenous cannabinoid system.
Three classes of signalling molecules on B‐cell membranes

The question of whether surface immunoglobulin and Ia molecules have a signalling function in helper T cell-dependent activation of B cells has been evaluated. Two sources of B cells have been used, one a purified population of haptenbinding B cells, the other a B-cell lymphoma, CH12, with known antigen specificity. Evidence is presented that both immunoglobulin and Ia molecules are receptors actively involved in the initial activation of resting B cells. Nevertheless, the requirements for ligand binding to either receptor can be bypassed under appropriate conditions, and the implications of this result for the function of these molecules is discussed. With respect to B-cell Ia, the authors present data that demonstrate two distinct functions of this molecule, one as a restricting element for T-cell activation, the second as a signalling receptor for B-cell excitation. On the CH12 surface, the I-A molecule fulfills the former function, but T-cell interactions with I-A fail to result in B-cell stimulation, suggesting that B-cell la may limit helper T cell-B cell interactions. We suggest that the binding of antigen surface immunoglobulin and binding of helper T-cell receptors to the appropriate Ia molecule(s) results in the activation of genes that encode for a third class of membrane B-cell receptors, those that bind B-cell stimulating factors.
Yeast Ste2 receptors as tools for study of mammalian protein kinases and adaptors involved in receptor trafficking

Background: Mammalian receptors that couple to effectors via heterotrimeric G proteins (e.g., beta 2 -adrenergic receptors) and receptors with intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity ( e.g ., insulin and IGF-I receptors) constitute the proximal points of two dominant cell signaling pathways. Receptors coupled to G proteins can be substrates for tyrosine kinases, integrating signals from both pathways. Yeast cells, in contrast, display G protein-coupled receptors ( e.g ., alpha-factor pheromone receptor Ste2) that have evolved in the absence of receptor tyrosine kinases, such as those found in higher organisms. We sought to understand the motifs in G protein-coupled receptors that act as substrates for receptor tyrosine kinases and the functional consequence of such phosphorylation on receptor biology. We expressed in human HEK 293 cells yeast wild-type Ste2 as well as a Ste2 chimera engineered with cytoplasmic domains of the beta 2 -adrenergic receptor and tested receptor sequestration in response to activation of the insulin receptor tyrosine kinase. Results: The yeast Ste2 was successfully expressed in HEK 293 cells. In response to alpha-factor, Ste2 signals to the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway and internalizes. Wash out of agonist and addition of antagonist does not lead to Ste2 recycling to the cell membrane. Internalized Ste2 is not significantly degraded. Beta 2 -adrenergic receptors display internalization in response to agonist (isoproterenol), but rapidly recycle to the cell membrane following wash out of agonist and addition of antagonist. Beta 2 -adrenergic receptors display internalization in response to activation of insulin receptors ( i.e ., cross-regulation), whereas Ste2 does not. Substitution of the cytoplasmic domains of the β2-adrenergic receptor for those of Ste2 creates a Ste2/beta2-adrenergic receptor chimera displaying insulin-stimulated internalization. Conclusion: Chimera composed of yeast Ste2 into which domains of mammalian G proteincoupled receptors have been substituted, when expressed in animal cells, provide a unique tool for study of the regulation of G protein-coupled receptor trafficking by mammalian receptor tyrosine kinases and adaptor proteins.
Kondo polarons in a one-dimensional Fermi gas.

We consider the motion of a spin-$1/2$ impurity in a one-dimensional gas of spin-$1/2$ fermions. For antiferromagnetic interaction between the impurity and the fermions, the low temperature behavior of the system is governed by the two-channel Kondo effect, leading to the impurity becoming completely opaque to the spin excitations of the gas. As well as the known spectral signatures of the two-channel Kondo effect, we find that the low temperature mobility of the resulting ``Kondo polaron'' takes the universal form $\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}3\ensuremath{\hbar}{v}_{F}^{2}/2\ensuremath{\pi}{k}_{B}^{2}{T}^{2}$, in sharp contrast to the spinless case where $\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\propto}{T}^{\ensuremath{-}4}$.
Protein kinase A-mediated phosphorylation of the β2-adrenergic receptor regulates its coupling to Gs and Gi: Demonstration in a reconstituted system

While classically viewed as a prototypic Gs and adenylyl cyclase-coupled G protein-coupled receptor, recent studies have indicated that some aspects of β2-adrenergic receptor (β2-AR) signaling are inhibited by pertussis toxin, indicating that they are mediated by Gi/Go proteins. These signals include activation of ERK MAPKs and Akt activation, as well as hypertrophic and anti-apoptotic pathways in cardiac myocytes. Studies in cultured cells have suggested the hypothesis that protein kinase A (PKA)-mediated phosphorylation of the β2-AR regulates its coupling specificity with respect to Gs and Gi. Using a Chinese hamster ovary cell system, we show that mutant β2-ARs with Ala substituted for Ser at consensus PKA sites stimulate robust cyclic AMP accumulation (Gs) but are unable to activate ERK (Gi). In contrast, Ser → Asp mutants are dramatically impaired in their ability to activate adenylyl cyclase but are significantly more active than wild type receptor in activating ERK. Activation of adenylyl cyclase by wild type and Ser → Ala mutant receptors is not altered by pertussis toxin, whereas adenylyl cyclase stimulated through the Ser → Asp mutant is enhanced. Activation of ERK by wild type and Ser → Asp receptors is inhibited by pertussis toxin. To further rigorously test the hypothesis, we utilized a completely reconstituted system of purified recombinant wild type and PKA phosphorylation site mutant β2-ARs and heterotrimeric Gs and Gi. G protein coupling was measured by receptor-mediated stimulation of GTPγS binding to the G protein. PKA-mediated phosphorylation of the β2-AR significantly decreased its ability to couple to Gs, while simultaneously dramatically increasing its ability to couple to Gi. These results are reproduced when a purified recombinant Ser → Asp mutant β2-AR is tested, whereas the Ser → Ala receptor resembles the unphosphorylated wild type. These results provide strong experimental support for the idea that PKA-mediated phosphorylation of the β2-adrenergic receptor switches its predominant coupling from Gs to Gi.
Latent Semantic Representation Learning for Scene Classification

The performance of machine learning methods is heavily dependent on the choice of data representation. In real world applications such as scene recognition problems, the widely used low-level input features can fail to explain the high-level semantic label concepts. In this work, we address this problem by proposing a novel patch-based latent variable model to integrate latent contextual representation learning and classification model training in one joint optimization framework. Within this framework, the latent layer of variables bridge the gap between inputs and outputs by providing discriminative explanations for the semantic output labels, while being predictable from the low-level input features. Experiments conducted on standard scene recognition tasks demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approach, comparing to the state-of-the-art scene recognition methods.
Prevalence and predictors of pathological gambling: results from the St. Louis personality, health and lifestyle (SLPHL) study.

Objectives We report the prevalence of and risk and protective factors for DSM-IV sub-threshold gambling (1–4 criteria) and pathological gambling disorder (PGD; 5–10 criteria) in a non-clinical household sample of St. Louis area gamblers.
Globalizing Health Services: A Policy Imperative?

This paper’s thesis is that international trade agreements, U.S. health system characteristics, and global economic conditions will lead to the globalization of health services. Drawing on political, economic, legal, and globalization literatures, propositions about the impact of these domains on health services’ globalization are advanced. The paper argues that U.S. health services are no less immune to globalization pressures than U.S. manufacturing or other services without regard to trade agreements negotiations. Health services may actually be more subject to globalization, but U.S. providers should not assume that gains from globalization will necessarily accrue only to the US. The paper concludes with unanswered globalization questions, proposes a possible arena in which U.S. health services would have comparative advantage on the world market, and suggests that policy makers and trade negotiators understand the implications of trade agreement on U.S. health services.
Resource Effects on In-Group Boundary Formation With Regard to Sexual Identity

Previous research has shown that resource scarcity decreases inclusiveness of racially ambiguous individuals when categorizing racial in-group members. Given that sexual identity can be visually ambiguous, the present studies sought to test this effect on in-group boundary formation for sexual identity in-groups. In Studies 1 and 2, participants were randomly assigned to view a slideshow representing resource scarcity or abundance (i.e., priming procedure). Next, participants categorized 24 photographs into sexual identity groups. As predicted, participants in the scarcity condition categorized fewer faces as in-group members compared to those in the abundance condition. In Study 3, a no-prime control group revealed that for straight participants, in-group overexclusion was due to a perceived resource scarcity, while for sexual minority participants, this effect was due to perceived resource abundance. Implications are discussed in terms of real-world applications of the findings as well as the methodolog...
An Assessment of the Consumer Review Freedom Act of 2015

In response to the growing importance of online consumer reviews, businesses have sought to regain control over their professional reputation -- in some cases by contractually restricting their customers from writing reviews about them. The Consumer Review Freedom Act of 2015 would ban businesses from pursuing such anti-consumer terms. This essay assesses the Consumer Review Freedom Act, including whether or not we need the law as well as some strengths and weaknesses of the statutory drafting.
Charge injection and transport in low-mobility mixed ionic/electronic conducting systems: Regimes of behavior and limiting cases

A comprehensive analysis of a model describing charge-carrier injection and transport in light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) and related mixed ionic electronic conductors (MIECs) is given. Ions are treated using a modified drift-diffusion transport equation that accounts for volume-exclusion effects, and electronic injection is treated using a spatially dependent tunneling mechanism that explicitly accounts for both forward and backward fluxes. Systems containing both one and two mobile ionic species are treated and compared. The unique physics of LECs stem from ionic polarization processes that can lead to field screening and narrowed injection barriers, producing increased electrode exchange currents via tunneling. The latter process promotes the establishment of electronic quasiequilibrium throughout the double-layer regions and hence promotes bulk-limited conduction. Explicit expressions are given describing the conditions necessary to assume field screening and bulk-limited conduction, which determine the applicability of either traditional semiconductor device models such as Fowler-Nordheim or electrochemical models such as the Nernst equation. Having established these conditions, several distinct regimes of bulk-limited LEC behavior are described. Explicit formulas for the biases delineating these regimes are given as well as formulas for the current in each regime. At low biases, the current generally increases exponentially with bias; the bulk remains field free, and the transport is predominantly unipolar and diffusive. At high biases, the current rises much less rapidly, and bulk transport is bipolar, occurring through a combination of drift and diffusion. The nature of the bulk region in the high-bias regime is markedly different in systems with one and two mobile ionic species. At intermediate biases, space charge effects preferentially drive injection of the minority carrier causing a transition from unipolar to bipolar injection. It is demonstrated that many of the models proposed to describe LECs exist upon a common continuum, and that the major factor separating them is simply the magnitude of the applied bias. This work allows one to estimate at what biases an idealized LEC with particular equilibrium concentrations of ionic and electronic carriers will transition from one mechanism to another. It also aids in conceptually mapping mechanisms and internal details of the system onto each regime of behavior.
The Evolution of the Solar Magnetic Field

The almost stately evolution of the global heliospheric magnetic field pattern during most of the solar cycle belies the intense dynamic interplay of photospheric and coronal flux concentrations on scales both large and small. The statistical characteristics of emerging bipoles and active regions lead to development of systematic magnetic patterns. Diffusion and flows impel features to interact constructively and destructively, and on longer time scales they may help drive the creation of new flux. Peculiar properties of the components in each solar cycle determine the specific details and provide additional clues about their sources. The interactions of complex developing features with the existing global magnetic environment drive impulsive events on all scales. Predominantly new-polarity surges originating in active regions at low latitudes can reach the poles in a year or two. Coronal holes and polar caps composed of short-lived, small-scale magnetic elements can persist for months and years. Advanced models coupled with comprehensive measurements of the visible solar surface, as well as the interior, corona, and heliosphere promise to revolutionize our understanding of the hierarchy we call the solar magnetic field.
On the stereochemistry of dopaminergic ergoline derivatives.

Three-dimensional structures of bromocriptine hydrochloride, bromocriptine free base, and apomorphine hydrochloride are compared in order to delineate those portions of the molecules responsible for dopaminergic activity. It is shown that the orientation of the nitrogen atom lone pair electrons in the ergoline derivatives is not necessarily fixed by the configuration at the asymmetrical carbon atom, and it is suggested that stereochemical comparisons should be based primarily on superpositions of electronegative moieties, rather than aromatic nuclei.
Hepatorenal baroreflex in cirrhotic rats

A hepatorenal baroreflex has been described in which increases in intrahepatic sinusoidal pressure stimulate an intrahepatic baroreceptor, resulting in increases in afferent hepatic (HNA) and efferent renal sympathetic nerve activity (RNA). Hepatic denervation prevents the increase in RNA. This baroreflex is postulated to contribute to the increase in RNA found in cirrhosis in which intrahepatic sinusoidal pressure is increased. However, the increased fibrosis in the cirrhotic liver may render the intrahepatic baroreceptor less sensitive to increases in intrahepatic sinusoidal pressure. By use of thoracic inferior vena caval constriction, intrahepatic sinusoidal pressure (i.e., inferior vena caval pressure, IVCP) was increased in control rats and rats with cirrhosis due to common bile duct ligation (CBDL) while HNA and RNA were measured. With increases in IVCP of 5 mmHg, increases in HNA (+38 +/- 2 and +44 +/- 3%) and RNA (+25 +/- 1 and +34 +/- 3%) were not different in control and CBDL rats, respectively. The slope gain, % delta HNA/delta IVCP, was +7.1 +/- 0.6 and +8.1 +/- 0.7%/mmHg in control and CBDL rats, respectively. Therefore the hepatorenal baroreflex is not desensitized in the CBDL rat, and the hepatorenal baroreflex is capable of contributing to the increase in RNA observed in cirrhosis.
Signal Models and Analysis-Synthesis

The term signal modeling refers to the task of describing a signal with respect to an underlying structure — a model of the signal’s fundamental behavior. Analysis is the process of fitting such a model to a particular signal, and synthesis is the process by which a signal is reconstructed using the model and the analysis data. This chapter discusses the basic theory and applications of signal models, especially those in which a signal is represented as a weighted sum of simple components; such models are the focus of this book. For the most part, the models to be considered are tailored for application to audio signals; in anticipation of this, examples related to audio are employed throughout the introduction to shed light on general modeling issues.
Draft Genome Sequence of Bacillus licheniformis Strain YNP1-TSU Isolated from Whiterock Springs in Yellowstone National Park.

ABSTRACT Novel cellulolytic microorganisms can potentially influence second-generation biofuel production. This paper reports the draft genome sequence of Bacillus licheniformis strain YNP1-TSU, isolated from hydrothermal-vegetative microbiomes inside Yellowstone National Park. The assembled sequence contigs predicted 4,230 coding genes, 66 tRNAs, and 10 rRNAs through automated annotation.
Constructing risk and responsibility: a gender, race, and class analysis of news representations of adolescent sexuality

AbstractTeen sexuality has been portrayed as dangerous (i.e., risk of pregnancy, STIs, sexual victimization for girls) yet pervasive in a growing post-feminist culture of sexualization. Adolescents are tasked with negotiating the difficult terrain of desire and danger as adults persistently construct contradictory discourses and panics around teen sexuality. This study examines a sample of online news media through a feminist intersectional lens, considering race, class, gender, and sexuality as mutually imbricated within dynamics of power, to analyze how contemporary news articles on teen sexuality construct adolescent sexuality at the intersection of neoliberalism and the sexual double standard. Our analysis revealed three particular moral panics around risk for girls: (1) pregnancy and STIs; (2) engagements in sexualization; and (3) sexual victimization. We illuminate how the sexual double standard and neoliberal notions of accountability reinstate and reproduce gendered, raced, and classed representat...
Short-term facilitation and depression of transmitter release at amphibian sympathetic ganglionic cells – Mathematical/computational modeling

There have been few investigations of the short-term plasticity of synaptic transmission at amphibian sympathetic ganglionic cells where the frequency of miniature excitatory postsynaptic potentials is too low to measure an accurate quantum size. This has made it difficult to investigate the mechanism of synaptic transmission at the ganglionic cells by quantal analysis. A theoretical equation, therefore, is proposed. This equation is based on the premise that transmitter release is due to the product of two factors: intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) and acetylcholine (ACh), which is a readily releasable transmitter. The equation accounts for the mechanism of synaptic facilitation and depression of transmitter release at the ganglionic cells in the paired-pulse experiments. The purpose of the present experiment is to investigate whether the equation accounts for the mechanism of short-term plasticity of synaptic transmission produced by a train of pulses at the ganglionic cells. Trains of excitatory postsynaptic current (EPSC) were recorded, and the ratios of the nth EPSC induced by the nth pulse to the initial EPSC were analyzed by the equation. The results indicated that the mechanism of short-term facilitation and depression was interpreted by the equation, which met the following two requirements: [Ca2+]i consisting of two components of residual Ca2+ and the mobilization rate of ACh which accelerated as stimulus frequencies increased. The findings were consistent with those clarified by the quantal analysis. It is suggested that the theoretical equation is also useful for the investigation of the effect of chemical substances on synaptic transmission.